CHESS: Subsim team versus Letum

[fatty]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

All I can come up with is qd8-f6

It maintains the offensive, it prevents any imediate threat of a checkmate and it protects my pawn.

I think you're right, but can you use it to answer Skybird's problems?

[Skybird]

Offensive? You are not on the offensive. A single swallow does not make a summer, and a single queen does not make an offensive.

Qf6 does protect your pawn, yes. And it guards against the early mate on f7. One could make that move without immediate consequences, but it is not needed to expose the queen so early. The immediate price is that Qf6 blocks the knight's preferred field f6, which is better positioned on f6 than e7 - because on e7 it blocks the Bishop. The king's fortress gets crowded during developement, and his officers start standing on each other's feet.

Consider these variations, and move them on the board:

2. ... Nc6 3. Bc4 g6 4. Qf3 Qf6 Here, the Queen also moves to f6 - but this time it is with another, even offensive intention, eventually.

You ban his queen away, you have the move Bg7 to develeope the Bishop and free the way for castling, and if he takes your queen, you take back by developing the knight Nf6:, followed by O-O


2... Qe7 3. Bc4 Nc6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Qd1 d6 6. d3 Bg4 to provoke 7. f3 and weakning the white king'S wing. Black bishop must move, to e6 maybe and next the idea of O-O-O-, eventually, since the king'S side is crowded.


Qf6, Qe7 and Nc6 all are possible. But Qf6 I would rate as the most passive variation.

You have seen the motive Qh5 - Bc4 - Qf7: mate. Banning that danger you do, so now you also develope your pieces. That's why I would favour Bc6.

three moves - your choice.

[UnderseaLcpl]

nb8-c6

[Letum]

Is that the official move?

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by Letum

Is that the official move?

For the sake of my education, let's say yes.

Sky can chastise me later for my folly.

[Letum]

D2-D3

[Skybird]

d3 covers the pawn on e4 and opens the line for the bishop on c1. Black can develope figures and at the same time force white to waste time, giving Black advantage. Even an early counterattack towards the centre is possible, but I would recommend to not try that but stick with the basic rules that I outlined.

Originally Posted by Skybird

1. In the opening, move each of your pieces only once, if possible. Do not use one and the same figure to start crisscrossing the board. Avoid openings doing that as a beginner. In the opening, and later, try to make moves that pose a direct or indirect threat to the opponent. If he is busy needing to react to you, he cannot claim the initiative.

2. consider that a bishop or a knight close to the sides of the board controls fewer squares than if positioned in the centre. Corners are worst. Centre fields tend to be of primary importance very often.

3. Open with the king’s pawn e2-e4. In principle, it is the most logical first move possible, d4 already is inferior as long as you cannot handle the hidden intricacies behidn that different set of strategies. So be logical, and stick with e4. Keep away from the other systems. You need experience with the basics first, before trying the exotic stuff.

4. Chess has three dimensions: material, space and time. Each quality can be traded for and transformed into one of the others – but that is an art that is part of the experience that separates good players from not so good ones. Nevertheless even as a beginner you should spend some focus on keeping them in mind all the time, but as a starter you stick to keeping your material together: do not tend to waste material for gaining a vague image of winning “room”. This will become important to master – but later on. Avoid openings that play gambits: that is sacrificing a pawn for winning an advantage in time and winning space. It looks chic and makes the audience go "wowh", but that noise is worth nothign for you if you do not know why you sacrifice that pawn.

5. Move only one, at best two pawns in the opening.

6. Develop the knight before the bishop. Develop the Queen last, by tendency develop all light pieces (bishops and knight) before the heavy pieces (Rook and queen). Develop the king’s side first, Queen’s side second. Always try to keep at least one pawn in the centre (d4, e4, d5, e5).

7. Castle early on, preferably to the king’s side, it moves the king further away from the centre line.

8. check carefully this “ideal” textbook opening and see how the principles outlined until here result in both fast development, and gaining covering space in the smallest amount of time possible: (white moves only): e2-e4, Ng1-f3, Bf1-b5, O-O, d2-d4, Nb1-c3, Rf1-e1. In principle, this is the Ruy Lopez opening, and there is a reason why it is the oldest known chess opening, and maybe the best analysed. If you play it like this, Letum probably will know ways to deal with it, so you maybe will have to accept changes. However, the idea behind the sequence, behind each move is that should give you an idea of how to play chess instead of just moving pieces around.

9. Make sure your pieces do not stand around uncovered. Like an army in real life sees it’s different units and branches interacting (“combined arms”), the pieces should provide mutual cover, and support not many different attacks, but one major plan.

10. Do not waste moves.

11. Isolated pawns are weak. Doubled pawns on one line are weak. Weakest are isolated doubled pawns. the one blocks the other, and none of them can support the other.

12. Try to gain and keep control of open lines and diagonals. On open lines, consider doubling your rooks.

13. Watch out for “pins”, that is a figure cannot move without exposing an even more valuable fig-ure or the king behind it to a threat (in case of the king it is forbidden: such pins can be costly, even lethal). Guard yourself against enemy pins, try to fight the enemy by using pins on him.

14. Watch out for “forks”, that is a pawn or figure moves and then is able to attack several enemy pieces at the same time. A pawn advancing and then threatening both a rook and a knight in his new position, is a pain. A knight moving in and greeting your king with a check while threaten-ing you queen or rook at the same time, is real drama.

15. Watch out for “skewers”, that is like a fork, but with the threatened figures standing in line: the one cannot move away without exposing the other. Obviously, pawns cannot do that.

16. Watch out for discovered attacks: his one pieces moves away and poses a thread somewhere else or not – but behind it, another piece is suddenly posing a threat that before was hidden.

17. Always calculate precisely how many attacking pieces and how many defending pieces focus on a disputed square. Try to overload the opponent’s defence of one field, avoid facing getting overloaded yourself.

18. When it is your turn, always ask yourself: “What threats are there?” Check each of his pieces, and where they can move, and can strike. And when I say “each”, I mean “each”. It’s like a pilot checking all his main instruments once every 30 seconds.

19. A pawn is like 1 point in value, a knight is like 3 points, a bishop is like 3.3 points, a rook is like 5 points, a queen is like 9 points. However, the value of rook and bishop may decrease if the position is closed and lines are blocked – in this case, knights often become a bit more valuable.

20. If you have passed pawns, design your plan to push them. If you have combined passed pawns that can support each other, they potentially can become a force – turn brutal in pushing them (but not easyminded!).

21. You wrote in your last mail you believe in the principle of leading from the front. Well, that is the military world, but it is not you and not in chess! Keep your king well-hidden and protected, away from the centre and away from open centre lines. Do not open “breathing holes” and “escape hatches” (h2-h3, h7-h6) until you have to, it weaknes the pwan structure eventually, and makes you losing one move. Once the figure pieces are gone and you are in endgame with pawns only, however it all changes – then the king becomes a warrior and should lead the fight – move him out fast and early, move him to the centre, he is the most powerful around, then. Let him lead the attack, use him to block the enemy king.

Keep it simple for starters, Lance. Stick with the rules. When to ignore them is stuff for advanced lessons. Four moves recommend themselves as playable, but one of them is to be preferred.

[Letum]

My brain bleeds when I try to read chess tactics. I have only ever played by instinct.
I'm liking my odds less and less.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Letum

I have only ever played by instinct.

What - another Jedi around here...?

I'm liking my odds less and less.

Consider it to be a continuation of our discussions by other means.

[UnderseaLcpl]

I think qd8-f6 would be a good move now. It helps do develop black's ultimate counterattack whilst providing protection for the pawn at e5, whilst simultaneously freeing up the queenside knight for an attack on white's queenside, should the opportunity present itself. It also limits the white queen's mobility.


But perhaps I am too obsessed with gaining the intiative here. Thoughts?

[baggygreen]

If i might interject my newbie thoughts,

I'd be more inclined to move the Bishop from F8-D6. Essentially for the same reasons as USLC pointed out, in that this piece can protect the kings pawn and in doing so free up the queens knight, but moving the bishop has the added advantage that you are a piece closer to castling.

[kranz]

Originally Posted by baggygreen

but moving the bishop has the added advantage that you are a piece closer to castling.

yes, but-you block the d pawn from moving. Bishop's best position is not in front of e-d pawns.If I find some time today I will scan an useful diagram showing the main idea of fighting for the center. Also IMO queen move is not good enough. We should consider developing our light pieces before powerful ones. Back to castling-as Skybird said-0-0 is more safer than 0-0-0 BUT are you sure you want to move your king toward white queen on that flank?!

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

IBut perhaps I am too obsessed with gaining the intiative here. Thoughts?

Yes. You are too obsessed with the lady. Consider rule #6.


Baggy,

the pawn currently is sufficiently protected. If that is your only argument for Bd6, Kranz' argument why not to move that has more substance. Blocking pawn on d7 from moving keeps bishop c8 locked, and prevents pan d7 from supporting the centre. So, you do not gain the initiative - but you prevent it.

Again, hint for a good move: rule #6.

[UnderseaLcpl]

d7-d5

It will ultimately give me more control of the center and my queen has to have an avenue of escape should white move bc1-g5.
It frees up my white bishop and provides more protection to my e5 pawn should white capture the d5 pawn.


I'm not totally sure of this, but I don't see a favorable exchange developing from white bc1-g5.

I'm afraid to say too much more, as it would betray some future plans.


Better? Or worse?

[Letum]

D7-D5?

If you did that I may as well take it with my E4 and force you to waste a move saving your C6.