Perpetual chess thread

[UtwigMU]

Since I noticed there are a few chess players arround, I'd like this thread to be a place to share experience, post strategy....


OK first question:

Well, here's my recent strategy:

Develop center (d4, sicilian, dutch...), break pawn structure on the oponents quen side, leave kingside pawns untouched as if you're going to castle there, eventually move queen to C2/C7, then after oponent castles to the king-side, do a queen side castle.

After that comes attack, which is fended off by queen, rooks, knight and dark bishop on D2/light bishop on D7. Since the pawn structure on opponents quenside has been ruined the attack wears off.

After/during that pawn storm on the king-side, which is unexpected (people expect you to castle on the kingside and leave kingside pawns along.

H5, H4... or F4 F5 or opening of G file and kill.


Could people more knowlegdagle than me point me to the openings which would benefit my strategy.

[Helevitia]

I've been playing chess since I was 5. I never learned any "well known" strategies. I just played to the best of my abilities. Now that I am older and I understand that their can be strategies, I try to do a few things that work for me. I try to play extremely aggressive. I like to be on control at all times. Unfortunately, the better the opponent, the harder it is to play this way. I just have fun If anyone is interested in playing me a game, go sign up at http://www.itsyourturn.com and let me know. You can play at your leisure and I find that each person moves about once or twice per day. I like it because I don't feel pressued and it gives you time to think and learn. BTW, my itsyourturn name is Helevitia.

Dave

[Umfriend]

UtwigMu, you can't really have a strategy that works regardless of your opponents play. For instance you are white:
1. e4, e5
2. Nf3, Nc6
3. Bb5, a6
4. Bc6. bc6

Your opponents pawn structure queenside is dubious. Isolated a-pawn, doule c-pawn. Castling queenside might be dangerous for white since the b-file is now opened to black. Moreover black can';t be stopped from playing d5, occupying centre.

In fact, 4. Bc6 is not a popular move, and in most Spanish games white tries to attack the centre or kingside. You will be hard pressed to find a way to wreck a pawn structure without incurring your own weaknesses. In this example those would be 1. missing a pair of Bishops
2. Allowing black to attack centre actively.

And I am a bad chess player, mind you.

I am not sure how you open with white as you mention d4 and Sicilian in one go. They hardly go together.

What I think you are looking for is "aggresive" openings where you can play on tactical attacks against the king. If you play white, there is no opening that will guarantee you that opportunity (i.e. you may have to win by pressing your opponent on the other soide of the board, look at the 3rd game of Kasparov). Best tries would be various gambits like King Gambit (1. e4, e5 2. f4) or Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (1.d4, d5 2. e4). But in both cases, black may move differently. 1. e4, c5 (sicilian) you might still try 2. d4, cd4 3. c3 (Morra Gambit). 1. e4, c6 (Caro-Kann) makes it even harder. A try is: 2. d4, d5 3. e5, Bf5 4. g4!?. etc etc etc.

With black it is a bit easier. Against 1. d4, you might try Dutch (esp. Leningrader) or Wolga/Benko gambit (1. d4, Nf6, 2. c4, c5 3. d5, b5) although that does not get you to attack the King but the queenside pawns. And in all cases your opponent may not simply let you take a shot at their king.

[Paddy]

I always move the horsies over the prawns.. i like horsies...

[Fat Tone]

Originally posted by Paddy
I always move the horsies over the prawns.. i like horsies...

Your life could be in his hands one day...

[Paddy]

mwahahaha, morbo will crush you!

[The PIT]

Go to admit I used to be very aggressive as a player. Modified the approach to prevent "overcooking the plot" which resulted in more steady run of results. Then as experiance grew further I just developed a tatic of sitting waiting for the other player to make a mistake. If they didn't the game petered out too a draw if they did I normally won. I found it rather boring and yet a habit I couldn't break so I stopped playing club chess.

One of the strangest games I played was one I should lost in seven or nine moves. Had to give up two peices to survive and pride preventing me from resigning so early. Amazingly I won the game in 60 moves somehow coming from two peices down too two peices up due to knight forks and forced moves.

[Umfriend]

1. e4, e6 2. c4, d5 3. cd5, ed5 4. Qb3, Qe7
What is your assesment of this position and what is white's best move?

[UtwigMU]

Analysis by Hiarcs 9:

1. ˛ (0.48): 5.e4xd5 Bf8-d6 6.Bf1-b5 c7-c6 7.d5xc6 Nb8xc6 8.Ng1-e2 Qd7-c7 9.d2-d4 Ng8-f6 10.d4-d5 a7-a6
2. = (-0.01): 5.Qb3xd5 Qd7xd5 6.e4xd5 Ng8-f6 7.Nb1-c3 Bf8-b4 8.a2-a3 Bb4-d6 9.Nc3-b5 Nf6xd5 10.Bf1-c4 Bc8-e6 11.Nb5xd6+
3. = (-0.18): 5.d2-d3 d5xe4 6.d3xe4 Ng8-f6 7.Nb1-c3 Bf8-c5 8.Bc1-f4 0-0


Analysis by Fritz 8:

1. = (0.15): 5.e4xd5 Ng8-f6 6.Bf1-b5 c7-c6 7.d5xc6 Nb8xc6 8.Ng1-f3 Qd7-e7+ 9.Qb3-e3 a7-a6 10.Bb5-a4 b7-b5 11.Qe3xe7+ Bf8xe7
2. = (0.06): 5.Qb3xd5 Qd7xd5 6.e4xd5 Ng8-f6 7.Nb1-c3 Nb8-d7 8.Bf1-c4 a7-a6 9.Ng1-f3 Bf8-d6 10.0-0 0-0
3. = (-0.16): 5.d2-d3 Nb8-c6 6.Ng1-f3 Bf8-b4+ 7.Bc1-d2 d5xe4 8.d3xe4 Qd7-e7 9.Bf1-e2 Ng8-f6 10.e4-e5 Bb4xd2+ 11.Nb1xd2 Nc6xe5 12.0-0

IMO it would be better to take D pawn a la Scandinavian, force capture with Queen, develope night to C3 prior to going out with queen to B3

[UtwigMU]

Umfriend, here's a variation of your game:


1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8.
Be3 Rb8 9. Nb3 d6 10. Qd3 Nf6 11. O-O-O O-O *

[Umfriend]

Uhm, how can Hiarcs and Fritz consider 5. ed5? That is an illegal move... ROFLMAO? It was 4. ...,Qe7, not 4. ..., Qd7 which obviously is not a good move.

I forgot to say, NO computers! What are YOUR considerations in evaluating this position.

On the exchange variation of Ruy Lopes/Spanish: White scores 56.4% in the Ruy Lopez, 52.8% in the exchange variation, and only 42.8% in the 5.d4 variation.

[Umfriend]

BTW, I could not find 10..., Nf6, but rather Ne7, which is better. Also, black does not have to castle this early, d7 might be a better field for black's king as white has lost its white bishop already and the c7, d6, c5 pawn structure seems quite solid.

[UtwigMU]

Umfriend: sorry, was posting before I had coffe.

1. e4, e6 2. c4, d5 3. cd5, ed5 4. Qb3, Qe7

Why 4. Qb3?!, why not exd5 Qxd5 5. Nbc3?

Or Why 2. c4 at all? Why not d4, Ngf3. We're playing white here. In move 4 white finds himself playing scandinavian against black without white c and black e pawns - initiative of white pieces lost, compensation = 0.

Basic assesment of possition: White doesn't know his openings and wanted to play giuco piano, and got himself in a mix of sicilian and scandinavian.


If we go 4. Qb3 Qe7 possible continuations are:

Line 1
5. d3 d3xe4: threats: discovered check and Qb4 (perhaps followed by preparations)

6. Nb1-c3 exd3+ 7. Bce3 d2+Kxd2 bye bye castling, king between open C and E files well away from G1 where it's most safe.

or 6 Bc1-e3 Queen exchange after Qe7-b4 is less favourable to black as the e pawn is seriously hindering white's development, so regular development follows Ng8-f6

7 dxe4 Nf6xe4 8.Nb1f3...

line2
5. Nb1-c3 dxe4

6. d2-d3 exd3+ 7. Bc1 e3 .... regular development with pawnstructure shattering exchange on B4 looming

6.d2-d4 Ng8-f6 7.Bf1-c4 better, since it enables white to develope g1 knight to e7 and castle and also mount counterattack on the queenside also preserves d pawn, while black's e pawn is doomed in the long term

Line 3
5. Qb3xd5 Ng8 f6 Qd5-b5+
6.c7-c6 Qb5 e2 (queen exchange might follow) or d3, where black could try to attack queen with minor pieces

IMO Nb1c3, followed by d4 is best.

[Umfriend]

@Utwigmu:
Interesting. I thin it differs a lot form Scandinavian in the sense that White is aggresively trying to obstruct blacks development and attack kingside. In a Sacandinavian game, that is not likely because black still has the e-pawn, which makes a big difference. Qb3 also attacks b7, which hinders black development even more. I do think that 4. Qb3 is probably dubious, but that is what you get at club games, right? Dubious moves for aggresive play.

2. d4, d5, 3. Nf3??, you mean Nc3?

I agree that 5.d3 is not a good move, for the points you made. 5. Nc3 is the move my opponent played. I didn't like 5..., dxe4 though (although 6. d4 would be followed by 6..., exd3 ep + which seems lethal for white). I feared 6. Nd5, Qd7 7. Bc4, potentially followed by Nh3 and Ng5 (although looking at it now, that does not seem problematic for black at all. How to improve white's line?)

What did happen is that I played 5..., d4 6. Nd5, Qxe4+ 7. Kd1. My reasoning was that (1) this costs white its castling, (2) the Queen now covers b7 as well (3) attacks g2, prohibiting the development of Bf1 (4) allows Bf8 to develop. What is the better continuation for black after 7. Kd1 (and how do Hiarcs and Fritz asses this position?

[UtwigMU]

Hiarcs and Fritz say that 5th move is out of book.

Their continuation: d3.