Friday, April 27, 2012
(Not) Winning a Won Game
Here's another game from last month's ICA Girls' Invitational Championship at the North Shore Chess Center. I hope that both Adele and Miranda will forgive me for publishing a game in which they made 51 good moves and only one bad one. But I found this game so instructive because it's so typical.
The stylish way to win a game is by direct attack against the enemy king. In real life, we don't get to be stylish as often as we'd like. So we win a piece instead. When we talk about "winning a piece" in chess, we mean winning a bishop or a knight, worth about three pawns. In this game, Miranda wins a piece for a pawn: in quiet middlegame positions, this advantage is usually sufficient for a win.
When you win a piece for a pawn, what's the easiest way to win? Well, you'd like to use your extra material to queen a pawn and then checkmate with overwhelming force.
But put yourself in your worthy opponent's shoes. You may be winning, but you have one less pawn than she does. So if the defender could keep trading one of her pawns for one of your pawns until there was only one pawn left, that extra pawn would be hers. True, you would still be up a piece, but you'd have to look for a way to checkmate without making a queen. That's much harder! (Rule of thumb: in pawnless endings, one often has to be up by five "points" to win.)
DEFENDERS WANT TO TRADE PAWNS, NOT PIECES. (Here, we use "pieces" in a second sense: kings, queens, rooks, bishops, and knights, but not pawns. Yes, I know we can't trade kings. And yes, we usually talk about chess sets having thirty-two pieces, not sixteen pieces and sixteen pawns: this third meaning of "piece" is actually the most common one.)
THE SUPERIOR SIDE WANTS TO TRADE PIECES, NOT PAWNS. Every pawn is a potential queen. Guard your potential queens just as you do the one that's already on the board!
The stylish way to win a game is by direct attack against the enemy king. In real life, we don't get to be stylish as often as we'd like. So we win a piece instead. When we talk about "winning a piece" in chess, we mean winning a bishop or a knight, worth about three pawns. In this game, Miranda wins a piece for a pawn: in quiet middlegame positions, this advantage is usually sufficient for a win.
When you win a piece for a pawn, what's the easiest way to win? Well, you'd like to use your extra material to queen a pawn and then checkmate with overwhelming force.
But put yourself in your worthy opponent's shoes. You may be winning, but you have one less pawn than she does. So if the defender could keep trading one of her pawns for one of your pawns until there was only one pawn left, that extra pawn would be hers. True, you would still be up a piece, but you'd have to look for a way to checkmate without making a queen. That's much harder! (Rule of thumb: in pawnless endings, one often has to be up by five "points" to win.)
DEFENDERS WANT TO TRADE PAWNS, NOT PIECES. (Here, we use "pieces" in a second sense: kings, queens, rooks, bishops, and knights, but not pawns. Yes, I know we can't trade kings. And yes, we usually talk about chess sets having thirty-two pieces, not sixteen pieces and sixteen pawns: this third meaning of "piece" is actually the most common one.)
THE SUPERIOR SIDE WANTS TO TRADE PIECES, NOT PAWNS. Every pawn is a potential queen. Guard your potential queens just as you do the one that's already on the board!
Adele Padgett – Miranda
Liu [D45]
ICA Girls’ Invitational
March 31, 2012
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.e3 0–0
6.Be2 c6 7.0–0 Nbd7 8.Bd2 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b5
 |
| White to play |
Miranda chooses a Meran Variation setup. As
White's bishop is not that active on d2, Black should get nice play.
10.Bd3 Bb7 11.e4 a6 12.Rc1 c5
 |
| White to play |
The typical Meran break.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Saddam, Qaddafi, and Tom Dart?
Left to right: Sevan Muradian, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov,
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Mikhail Korenman
Check out this story currently featured on FIDE's home page. The U.S. Secret Service (we know how diligent and task-oriented these fellows are) did let Kirsan meet former Presidents Clinton and Carter. So perhaps I shouldn't be so uptight....
And I don't want Chicago to get a reputation as an ungracious host. It's important to talk to people with whom we don't agree. Some of them will be in town next month for the NATO summit.
Having said that, I can only reiterate my earlier post.
Both Sevan and Mikhail are friends of mine, so I feel rather awkward posting this. I would feel even more awkward if I were silent.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Evanston Chess $5 Swiss on May 5th
Another email cut-and-paste (fortunately for Sam Schmakel's rating, I'll be in Florida that weekend). More Evanston Chess info here.
Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL 60202
Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL 60202
Evanston Chess Presents:
May 5, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm
May 5, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm
Three x Three, 3SS G/65 delay 5
Three Sections, USCF Regular Rated
Our guest master will be NM Sam Schmakel
Section Gold: 1700 and over
Section Silver: 1200 - 1699
Section Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated
1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold.
1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver.
Published USCF Regular Rating determines eligibility.
Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion.
From time to time Evanston Chess pays one or more titled players to play in our events. We usually do not pair them against each other. Even if they should lose (it does happen) we may pair them with the highest score groups.
Section Silver: 1200 - 1699
Section Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated
1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold.
1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver.
Published USCF Regular Rating determines eligibility.
Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion.
From time to time Evanston Chess pays one or more titled players to play in our events. We usually do not pair them against each other. Even if they should lose (it does happen) we may pair them with the highest score groups.
Three rounds. Digital clocks are required and will
be set to G/65 plus 5 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated
pairings at TD discretion. Sections may be combined at TD discretion.
Registration from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. Players must check in by 9:30 am;
players who arrive late will receive a half-point bye for the first
round. First Round 9:45 am, last round over roughly 5:00 pm. No Lunch Break: We need to be finished by 5:00 PM, so there will be no extra time between rounds for lunch.
You may take one half-point bye in any round but the last.
Entry fee is $5, please pay cash (no checks) at the door. Masters and Experts play free.
Pre-registration is encouraged: Help us start on time. Send name, USCF number, and telephone number to enter@evanstonchess.org
Junior players (under fourteen years) rated 900+ are welcome. Sorry,
but we do not accept junior players rated under 900. Must be accompanied
by a parent throughout the event.
Bring clocks. -- Wheelchair accessible. No Smoking.
Monday, April 23, 2012
"At Chicago chess tournament, girls rule the board"
Caeley Harihara of Rogers Park is a freshman at Payton
Photo: Phil Velasquez, Chicago Tribune
Nice coverage in this weekend's Trib.
Local highlights:
Caeley Harihara (photo above) was playing on the top board in final round of the 16 & Under Section. She lost to 16U winner Lilia Poteat of New York, and finished tied for third with 4-2.
Anjali Toly tied for second in the 12 & Under section, finished 5-1, and gained a bucket of ELO.
Miranda Liu (post-event rating 1675!) scored 5-1 in the 10 & Under Section, finishing tied for third in a 59-player field.
Shreya Managalm (already 1397!) "only" scored 4½-1½ in the 8 & Under Section: Shreya won her first four games, drew the second-place finisher in round 5, and lost to Maggie Ni of Texas in round 6.
Crosstables here. The KCF All-Girls National Championship (organized by the Kasparov Chess Foundation and Renaissance Knights) drew 230 players in six sections. And the event will return to Chicago next year!
Local highlights:
Caeley Harihara (photo above) was playing on the top board in final round of the 16 & Under Section. She lost to 16U winner Lilia Poteat of New York, and finished tied for third with 4-2.
Anjali Toly tied for second in the 12 & Under section, finished 5-1, and gained a bucket of ELO.
Miranda Liu (post-event rating 1675!) scored 5-1 in the 10 & Under Section, finishing tied for third in a 59-player field.
Shreya Managalm (already 1397!) "only" scored 4½-1½ in the 8 & Under Section: Shreya won her first four games, drew the second-place finisher in round 5, and lost to Maggie Ni of Texas in round 6.
Crosstables here. The KCF All-Girls National Championship (organized by the Kasparov Chess Foundation and Renaissance Knights) drew 230 players in six sections. And the event will return to Chicago next year!
Kayser Roll
The Black Knights' Tango (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6!?) is an offbeat but playable opening that many opponents aren't prepared for. GM Joel Benjamin wrote of it (in 2004, admittedly) "Opponents under 2200 tend to be a bit confused. They aren't programmed to meet this move; they can't pull something out of their repertoire." Best for White may be the restrained 3.Nf3 e6 (avoiding 4.Nc3 e5!) and now either 4.Nc3 Bb4 (transposing to a line of the Nimzo-Indian) or the prophylactic 4.a3, as Kasparov has played. My opponent in the game below played 3.d5, which IM Richard Palliser calls "The Lunge." White is probably thinking, "Let's blow this ridiculous opening off the board!," but it's not so easy. After 3...Ne5, he should have continued with the consistent 4.e4 e6 (4...Nxe4?? 5.Qd4) 5.f4 (or, more sedately, 5.Nf3, as Gligoric once played). Instead, he played the flaccid 4.b3?! e6 5.Bb2. After 5...Bb4+, he should have played 6.Bc3!, keeping a playable game. His 6.Nd2?? got crushed by 6...Ne4! 7.Bc1 Qf6! 8.Nf3 and now, while I was contemplating my next move, White resigned. I probably would have played 8...Ng4 followed by crashing in on f2, rather than 8...Nxf3+ 9.gxf3 (9.exf3? Nc3! 10.Qc2 Qe5+ is crushing) Qxa1 (9...Nxf2!?) 10.fxe4, when White could pretend that his "big center" gives him compensation.
Believe it or not, through 7...Qf6, I was following a game between two strong grandmasters! In Marshall-Torre, 1925, the U.S. champion resigned after 7...Qf6. This was an offhand game that they played on board the S.S. Antonia while en route to the Baden-Baden 1925 tournament. Maybe Marshall was seasick. Kayser was not the first player who has fallen into this trap in an Internet blitz game against me. In a 2011 game I played on FICS, rather than play the abject 7.Bc1, White gave up his queen with 7.Bxe5 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2 Nxd2 9.Kxd2 d6 10.Bb2 (10.Bxg7? Qg5+) exd5 11.cxd5 Qg5+ 12.e3 Qxd5+ and I won.
If you want to learn to Tango, check out Benjamin's articles here and here.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
A trap in the Ponziani
The Ponziani Opening (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3) is an odd duck. No wonder it was a favorite of the Hungarian IM Andreas Dückstein. (Yeah, yeah, I know, his name isn't really pronounced like "duck.") It can lead to wild play after 3...d5 4.Qa4 or 3...f5!?, or a dull endgame after 3...Nf6 4.d4 Nxe4 5.d5 Ne7 (5...Nb8 is also OK, while 5...Bc5?! is another crazy line) 6.Nxe5 Ng6 7.Qd4 Qe7 8.Qxe4 Qxe5 9.Qxe5+ Nxe5. Here is a trap that those who defend double-king pawn openings should be aware of. Black's 6...d6? is a oft-seen blunder according to Dave Taylor and Keith Hayward in their book "Play the Ponziani," especially in blitz games. (Incidentally, I got the book today for only $5 at North Shore Chess Center's book/DVD sale. Check it out!) The pedestrian way to lose would have been 8...bxc6! 9.Nxc6 Qb6! 10.Nd4+ Kd8, when Taylor and Hayward observe that Black "has zero compensation for the pawn and his king is in trouble." Black went down in more picturesque fashion.
The John Wooden of chess
Elizabeth Spiegel is a teaching dynamo who is absolutely devoted to her students at Brooklyn's I.S. 318. She says she isn't a genius, she just works hard. Hard work is a form of genius....
She's in town this weekend with her students at the All-Girls National Championships at the Swissotel. Last night, Keith Ammann and I had the pleasure of congratulating Elizabeth and trying to learn from the master.
She's in town this weekend with her students at the All-Girls National Championships at the Swissotel. Last night, Keith Ammann and I had the pleasure of congratulating Elizabeth and trying to learn from the master.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Lawson House YMCA Floating Fundraiser June 12th
This looks like a fun way to start a summer evening. Proceeds benefit Lawson House YMCA, which gives a home to the people who need it most, and creates a loving community for them.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Illinois Chess Tour: Normal April Open
Make the trip to the Twin Cities this Saturday to play in the Normal April Open, an Illinois Chess Tour event!
The entry fee is only $20: cheap! Want to save gas money? Have fun and carpool by posting a note on the ICA Forum (or as a comment to this blog entry).
The entry fee is only $20: cheap! Want to save gas money? Have fun and carpool by posting a note on the ICA Forum (or as a comment to this blog entry).
All Girls National Championship at the Swissotel
The event (organized by the Kasparov Chess Foundation, the USCF, and Renaissance Knights) begins tomorrow at 6 p.m and continues through the weekend. You still have time to save $5 by registering today. It's open to all girls who are 18 or younger as of April 1, 2012.
The Swissotel (at 323 E. Wacker) is a VERY COOL location for a national chess event!
Win free tickets to Fish Men at the Goodman: you have 57 minutes
Share your chess story for a chance to win!
In Teatro Vista's production of Fish Men by Cándido Tirado, every character has come to their love of chess in a different way.
Who taught you how to play, or what memories do you have about learning and playing the game of chess?
Enter your story for a chance to win two tickets to see Fish Men in Goodman's Owen Theatre!
Submit your story by 5pm April 19th! Three winners will be chosen April 20th.
Contest closes at 5 p.m., Facebook friends! Hat tip to Lou Ascherman.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Dear MacArthur Foundation
Please give Elizabeth Spiegel a genius grant. Now.
Story on the front page of today's New York Times.
Hat tip to Keith Ammann for the following clip from Rachel Maddow:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
"Fish Men" reviewed by Chris Jones
Claire and I saw Fish Men Sunday night. Chris Jones reviews here.
But I think the political theme works well in Washington Square Park. Jones is incorrect to argue that "this play is just too overloaded with weighty geo-political metaphors and personal secrets for this little section of the park to credibly hold, especially since all these traumas seem to come crashing down at once." Talk to the immigrants you play chess with, and ask them how they came to be here in Chicago. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but think of how much the ethnic cleansing of the Bosnian War affected the Chicago chess community. The stories of the late Osman Palos and the recently deported Aleksandar Stamnov are tragic, and both stories could easily have been worked into this play. The persecuted of all nations flee to American cities. And when they get here, they play chess in the park.
Fish Men begins with the hustler Cash's discussion of a famous drawn game from the Kasparov-Anand match of 1995. But the destruction of the site of that match on September 11, 2001, is never explicitly invoked, even though the World Trade Center was and is just a few blocks from Washington Square Park.
Yeah, the play is overdetermined. But yeah, people are repeatedly and needlessly cruel to other people. I prefer the oblique critique to the direct, Dylan to Phil Ochs, Beckett to Tony Kushner. The problem with an oblique message play is that your message can be misunderstood or lost. Tirado doesn't have this problem.
Well worth seeing for all my complaints: if you're on the main floor, you'll be a well-placed kibitzer. At the intermission, a stagehand was setting up a Sicilian middlegame for Act II. I left my seat to tell her that the same King's Gambit game (featuring ...Qh4+, ...Qxb2, and a decisive f5-f6 push) was used for two differenct scenes in Act I. Mr. Memory (that's me) noticed this and found it mildly annoying. Then Mr. Memory returned to what he thought was his seat and had to be told to move by a nice lady....
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Wait until next year...?
I met NM Ben Gershenov of New York last year; he's a very pleasant young man and a phenomenal talent. Ben and NM Dipro Chakraborty of Arizona (½ point behind Ben's 6-.0) are playing on Board 1 of Nationals: winner takes the title.
Board 2 is all-Illinois! FM Eric Rosen (an undefeated 5-1) and NM Sam Schmakel are likely playing for second place. So no repeat championship for Eric: Sam will have two more tries.
Aakaash Meduri made a phenomenal recovery from a first-round loss and also sits on 5-1.
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