Lessons from a Lost Game from the Space Coast Chess Festival

This is my fifth round loss from the Space Coast Chess Festival. I think Winawer fans will find it interesting, as well as endgame fans.

I have some opening references and analysis embedded at move 7, but non-e4-or-French players can safely skip that part.

I think the rook and minor piece (and later just good knight vs bad bishop) ending is very interesting. It is the second of two games in the tournament where I accurately evaluated the resulting ending, but my technique was not up to the task. I have noticed a pattern for myself where I see one potential winning path and pursue it with tunnel vision, and miss other opportunities to resolve the matter in a much cleaner manner.

In any event, analyzing this game after the tournament has provided the most learning value for me, so I thought others might learn from my mistakes as well.

A final note on how it ends. I spent 24 hours trying to clarify how I felt, and the best way to describe it is that I felt like a preschooler who was supposed to be potty-trained, but had an "accident" in my pants at the end of the school day. If nothing else, it helps me laugh a bit!

Click here to play through the game!

Tournament Players PROTIP #4

PROTIP #4: If you drink a lot of fluid during games (and who doesn't?), bring hand lotion.

[Insert Paul Leggett quip ... here.] [Insert Michael Scott quip ... here.] [Insert Garry Day amused chuckle ... here.] [Insert phony Todd Durham scolding about blog posting rules ... here.] [But seriously, folks, bring hand lotion. It prevents chapping from the frequent hand washing. And if you don't think the other guy is washing HIS hands after all those bathroom trips, disinfect your clock and pieces when you get home.] [Insert new Paul Leggett quip ... here. Lather, rinse, repeat as needed.]

MAXIMUM EFFORT!

Today was the final day of the 23rd Space Coast Open. I'll link to the full results when they become available, but I wanted to report that we had a pretty good turnout from club members. Club regulars included Garry Day (B), Todd Durham (B), Paul Leggett (A), Theo Slade (Open), and John Wolfe (D). (Letters after names denote the player's tournament section.) And Fernando Salvador (U1200), who has also started attending again, also played. Not bad!

I'll let the interested reader either look up the results for the others themselves, or better yet ask them when you see them at the club.

As for me... I've been working on my mental and physical approach to playing the game since the USATS in February. More on particulars later, after I have results and analysis from the tournament  written up, per Dvoretsky. My preparations proved completely successful through the first four rounds, and going into the final round I was on 3.5/4.0 points, a half-point behind the two leaders. As they were playing each other I could not win the tournament outright, but anything from a tie for first to a massive tie for third & fourth place were doable, as was the possibility of winning nothing. Unfortunately the game my opponent and I played was a total slop-fest. Fortunately, I managed to win it anyway, after 78 grueling moves. I wouldn't have been happy about losing, but I wouldn't have been upset either, as I simply ran out of mental energy in the fifth round.Physical training is something to add to future preparations!

But the final round win gave me clear second place, a nice check, and the satisfaction of having given maximum effort.

I've also got three or even four games of interest (I submitted one of them for the brilliancy prizes - because you can't win if you don't play), and one howler of a slop-fest guaranteed to make one scoff, if not laugh out loud, at the foibles of others.

Signing off.

Tournament Players PROTIP #3

PROTIP #3: Do NOT eat sushi, sashimi, or spicy foods during the tournament. If you do, see PROTIP #2.

Tournament Players PROTIP #2

PROTIP #2: Keep a supply of Imodium (Loperamide) in your tournament tote.

PROTIP #2a: Be prepared to pay the price the day AFTER the tournament.

Tournament Players PROTIP #1

PROTIP #1: If you bring jerky to the tournament to snack on during games (which is a good idea), also pack a NEW roll of dental floss in your tournament tote bag. This will save you from running to the hotel gift shop in the middle of a big money game to buy dental floss.

Even more fun with Twitter!

Yes, another problem from Twitter. What can I tell you, I'm an addict.

As before, I haven't worked this one out yet. Also as before, this looks hard. What can I tell you, I'm also a masochist.

White to play and win (D.Przepiorka, early 1920s)... been puzzling over this for ages and still can't do it. pic.twitter.com/s4Lr4xDiZg

— John Saunders (@johnchess) April 12, 2016

7k/5p1p/8/7N/P1P5/8/K1R5/6Q1 w - - 0 1

Answer to follow as soon as either I figure it out or admit to abject defeat.

More fun with Twitter! [Updated]

I saw this on Twitter and want to remember to look at it later. I haven't looked at it yet, and have no idea what the answer is. At least one player significantly stronger than I am gave up after a while and plugged it into his computer! Have fun!

Hort-Arakhamia, Copenhagen 1997, ended in a draw here by repetition. Was there anything better for White? pic.twitter.com/6YdjXslIPn

— Martin Bennedik (@bennedik) April 8, 2016

r1bq1k2/1p3p2/5N1p/p2PQ3/8/5B2/PP3PP1/n5K1 w - - 0 1

UPDATE: I've added the fen for the position. This thing is a beast. White's winning move (I won't reveal it) is not forcing, meaning you have to look at a lot of replies. I'd suggest plugging it into the program of your choice and exploring it that way, OR sitting down with a board, pieces, pad and pencil, and writing down your variations.

Assorted whatnot

First, a partial translation, courtesy of Chess24.com, of an interview Peter Svidler gave to sportsdaily.ru after the Candidates. Somewhat interesting if you're a Svidler fan, with hints of the pessimism that some feel holds him back.

Second, a ChessBase article on that video everyone is talking about concerning chess ratings over time. In fact, I may as well embed the video, as everyone else has.


The article establishes who created the video in the first place. It also explains what EDO is, which some of the earlier articles on the video did NOT do. It's disappointing ChessBase didn't mention Chessmetrics, though, especially given that they used to get publish a fair number of articles from the Chessmetrics creator, Jeff Sonas. You can learn more about EDO Historical Chess Ratings at the EDO site, maintained by EDO creator Ron Edwards. It has the advantage over Chessmetrics in that it has been kept current, and I will add it to the blog roll later today. Still, the article is worth a read as Edwards explains some of the weaknesses of the approach when rating earlier players.

Finally, a problem, because why not? I don't have a source for the following problem, other than that it was submitted to the ICC ProblemBot by user Stormline.

White to move and win

Editorial Comments on the Karjakin/Altibox Norway Chess Affair

The following is my personal position and not that of the club. I don't think the club actually has any positions on any topic, save that we love chess, and we're all happy Connor has agreed to continue on as President God-Emperor of the Club so none of the rest of us have to do it. (The job isn't as good as the title suggests.)

Not long ago Sergey Karjakin of Russia won the FIDE Candidates tournament in Moscow, and with it the right to play Magnus Carlsen for the World Chess Championship this fall. He also picked up, in the manner of Heracles lifting The Heavens from the shoulders Atlas, the weight of a nation's expectations. The Russians want the title back.

Since winning the Candidates Tourney Karjakin has been showered with gifts and attention, and who knows what is going on behind the scenes as preparations begin for November's contest. It seems Putin has some interest in the outcome, and the President of the Russian Chess Federation (Andrey Filatov) is a member of Russia's billionaire set.

Another sign of Global Warming....

 ... the summer squash has come in early.

The Zipper of Doom.

V Korolkov, Revista De Sah, 1957

White to play and win

Answer below the fold.

Tim Krabbé's Chess Curiosities does it again....

There is no better site for chess oddities than Tim Krabbé's Chess Curiosities. His site isn't very active now, but occasionally something new does come up. Recently he put up another post in his chess diary, wondering what chess position would be furthest removed from the initial position. That is, if you start with a position and go backwards to the initial position move by move without repetitions, what would the position look like that has the longest shortest move order? It wouldn't be bare kings, as Sam Loyd showed that bare kings could be achieved from the initial position in 17 moves.

Read more about it at Mr. Krabbé's excellent site, where he might explain things a little more clearly than I have. The diary entry in question is number 397. Here's the position that one of his friends came up with for the furthest position:

Harry Goldsteen, after L. Ceriani & K. Fabel
The Furthest Position, 185 moves
Original, 2008

 After 185...Ba5+

Krabbé provides the moves to get to this position at his website, so this is a legal position! If this kind of thing interests you, give it a look.

Knight, knight.

Problem time again. I'm going to give the problems in jpeg format, and then have the solutions in the windows below. That way the problems, if not the solutions, will be visible across more formats.

Herbstmann & Kubbel

1st Prize, Troitzky Tourney, 1937

White to play and draw

Next up....

Korani, 1982

White to play and draw 

Solutions below the fold.

You can't be serious, man....

I'm giving ICC's one month trial membership a try. I've become infatuated with the TrainingBot and TacticalBot features, but I'm downright addicted to ProblemBot. It's pretty much what it sounds like: one challenges a bot to a game, and a problem is supplied. TrainingBot (and perhaps TacticalBot) will give even rate one's performance. (Each individual problem has a rating, too, which also changes based on how competitors fare against it. Nice!)

Not so with ProblemBot, but that's okay as then one doesn't obsess about ratings. There are flaws with the program, however. The big one is that the problems will sometimes be declared over even if I'm not sure what to do. For example, a problem is often declared done if it reaches the stage of queen vs. rook. Okay, fine, I'm supposed to know how to do that, or at least have books and such that can show me how.

But sometimes the problem just stops, declares me the winner, and moves on leaving me completely mystified. Sometimes I have no idea what the heck I'm supposed to do even AFTER plugging it into Stockfish. Here's an example from yesterday.

A. Troitzky, 1921

(correction by S. Hornecker)

After 4 d8(N)

3N4/2N4k/6p1/4n1K1/8/6P1/8/8 b - - 0 4

Here, with Black to move, I'm declared the winner. HERE. You CANNOT be serious!

Seriously, could you win this as White, with Black to move?

Useful advice, rendered usefully.

Three years ago FIDE Master Kostya Kavutskiy, working for Chess.com, released a YouTube video entitled "Calculate Like a Grandmaster". Despite its brevity (just under six minutes) it was well-received. As well it should have been! I now know what I'm doing wrong in the Half-Classic - I am not getting close enough to the board. I will not strive to emulate Fischer's near perfect form when using the Half-Classic method in the future.

Yesterday, Kavutskiy released a new video entitled "How to Blunder Like a Grandmaster". This one is also short, and is also destined to become a classic of chess instruction.

Don't be fooled by the release date of these videos: they provide extremely useful practical advice for all active tournament players. Don't miss them!

A Tactical Mess: Solution TIme

Many posts back, on March 13, I put up the following position and asked what White should play.

Eickelman-Slade (analysis)

White to play

 On March 21 I wrote:

With the Connor-Theo inspired position I posted the other day I've got pure madness, and lots of it. I've pretty much taken up residence in Bedlam. Putting all that together in a reasonable, digestible form may not be possible for a player/writer of my caliber, but I'm stuck having to try. So it's taking a while.

I've finally written up my solution. See below the fold.

Positional Chess, ELO 3300+ style....

A few days ago GM Joel Benjamin, a former US Champion currently sporting a 2544 FIDE rating, played a four game match against Komodo, the 3300+ rated champion of computer chess. It was an odds match, with Komodo giving greater and greater odds. Here were the odds in the four games:

1. Five Moves — Benjamin plays White. d4, e4, f4, and Nc3 have already been played.
2. Exchange and Move — Benjamin plays White. The b1 knight and the a8 rook are removed; the a1 rook starts on b1.
3. One Pawn and Two Moves — Benjamin plays White. e4 has already been played. Komodo plays without the f7-pawn.
4. Queen Vs. Two Bishops — Komodo plays White. Komodo starts without the queen. Benjamin starts without either bishop.

Komodo won the first game and drew the other three to win the match 2.5-1.5. Komodo won a similar match (but with different odds, ) against Nakamura a few months back. Chess.com, who sponsored the match, has a nice report about the match. I recommend it to see how Komodo overcame the handicaps. It's disturbing to know that players of the caliber of Benjamin and Nakamura can't even beat the beasts with odds as great as this, even in 45 minutes plus 30 seconds per move format with odds.