Just a reminder that Jack Le Moine's new Chess Blog Carnival is coming up, with an entry deadline of September 1. It might be a nice way to get your work noticed and see other's chess blogging efforts that may not yet have come to your attention.
I'm going to be on vacation for a week, but I hope to post a few things during that time--if not, I'll be back with further scintillating thoughts soon. I have a number of fine chess-related blogs I need to get around to linking to, and once again, if I haven't linked to you yet, please put a comment in below to make sure I get you there on the sidebar.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Pearson-C. Harrington 08.23.07 1-0
I got a win last night against Chris Harrington (here is our draw from last month) in a maneuvering game out of a slightly off-beat Nimzoindian Defense. At least, for the second game in a row I didn't play any really poor moves or blunders, just being careful and sound...on move 29 I calculate ahead to a queen ending where I'm a pawn up, and I was willing to play that for another couple of hours if necessary. I enjoy queen endings and I've had some success in winning them. But he immediately makes the fatal mistake of 32. ... Qe4, going into a losing pawn endgame. In the postmortem he said he was afraid of my Qc1+ and Qxb2, going two pawns down, but that would allow perpetual check. I would have just had to grind away, and he would have had good drawing chances. So all in all not a scintillating victory but a good, practical effort.
To view the game, paste the moves below into the pgn viewer.
White: Robert Pearson (1605)
Black: Chris Harrington (1428)
Reno CC Swiss 08.23.07
30/90, G/60
Nimzoindian Defense
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Ne2 Ne4 6. Qc2 d5 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Nxc3 Nxc3 9. Qxc3 cxd4 10. exd4 0-0 11. Bd3 Nc6 12. Be3 Qc7 13. 0-0 f5 14. cxd5 exd5 15. g3 Be6 16. Rac1 Rac8 17. b4 Qe7 18. Qd2 h6 19. Rfe1 Qf6 20. Bf1 Rf7 21. b5 Ne7 22. Bf4 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Ng6 24. Bd6 Qd8 25. Bb4 Rc7 26. Re1 Bf7 27. Bd3 Ne7 28. Qf4 Bg6 29. Rxe7 Rxe7 30. Bxe7 Qxe7 31. Bxf5 Bxf5 32. Qxf5 Qe4 33. Qxe4 dxe4 34. f4 exf3 35. Kf2 Kf7 36. Kxf3 Ke6 37. Ke4 Kd6 38. g4 a5 39. h4 g6 40. a4 Ke6 41. h5 g5 42. b6 Kd6 43. Kf5 1-0
To view the game, paste the moves below into the pgn viewer.
White: Robert Pearson (1605)
Black: Chris Harrington (1428)
Reno CC Swiss 08.23.07
30/90, G/60
Nimzoindian Defense
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Ne2 Ne4 6. Qc2 d5 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Nxc3 Nxc3 9. Qxc3 cxd4 10. exd4 0-0 11. Bd3 Nc6 12. Be3 Qc7 13. 0-0 f5 14. cxd5 exd5 15. g3 Be6 16. Rac1 Rac8 17. b4 Qe7 18. Qd2 h6 19. Rfe1 Qf6 20. Bf1 Rf7 21. b5 Ne7 22. Bf4 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Ng6 24. Bd6 Qd8 25. Bb4 Rc7 26. Re1 Bf7 27. Bd3 Ne7 28. Qf4 Bg6 29. Rxe7 Rxe7 30. Bxe7 Qxe7 31. Bxf5 Bxf5 32. Qxf5 Qe4 33. Qxe4 dxe4 34. f4 exf3 35. Kf2 Kf7 36. Kxf3 Ke6 37. Ke4 Kd6 38. g4 a5 39. h4 g6 40. a4 Ke6 41. h5 g5 42. b6 Kd6 43. Kf5 1-0
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Come on Over: Western States Open October 12-14, Reno NV
(NOTE: Periodically bumped to top to promote this high-quality tournament. Please scroll down for most recent posts).
8/21/07: Back to the top one more time--chessloser and possibly Wang are coming--hope you can join us!
___________________________________________________________________
Calling all readers of this blog, and all tournament chess players:
You are cordially invited to play in the 25th Western States Open October 12-14 in Reno. I played in the first few of these back in the 1980s and they have come a long way--from a regional event with maybe 60 players to a U.S. Championship qualifier with over 300 players and a number of Grandmasters in the Open section field.
There will also be simuls by Larry Evans or John Donaldson (Wed.) and Walter Browne (Thu.), a blitz event and a free champagne reception and lecture by GM Evans Thursday evening.
I'll be there and I will be taking Thursday afternoon off--any chess blogger or reader who shows up by then, I'll buy you a drink! If at least one other blogger shows up, I'm going to declare it a chess bloggers convention. If two or more make it we'll have a tournament!
If you're planning to play a tournament anytime soon, make it this one. There's also plenty for your wife and kids to do within walking distance of the hotel--which is very inexpensive, to boot.
Let me know if you're interested. It's going to be great chess times.
ADDENDA 07/27/07: 1) "[W]ife and kids" is not intended to preclude women players, single people or anyone else, and I hope no one takes it that way. Come one, come all, regardless of status, preference, etc. 2) You don't have to show up Thursday afternoon to get the free drink. Even if you take a bye in round one you'll get your drink Friday night, if necessary. And one for your significant other. The kids will have to make do with soda or juice.
8/21/07: Back to the top one more time--chessloser and possibly Wang are coming--hope you can join us!
___________________________________________________________________
Calling all readers of this blog, and all tournament chess players:
You are cordially invited to play in the 25th Western States Open October 12-14 in Reno. I played in the first few of these back in the 1980s and they have come a long way--from a regional event with maybe 60 players to a U.S. Championship qualifier with over 300 players and a number of Grandmasters in the Open section field.
There will also be simuls by Larry Evans or John Donaldson (Wed.) and Walter Browne (Thu.), a blitz event and a free champagne reception and lecture by GM Evans Thursday evening.
I'll be there and I will be taking Thursday afternoon off--any chess blogger or reader who shows up by then, I'll buy you a drink! If at least one other blogger shows up, I'm going to declare it a chess bloggers convention. If two or more make it we'll have a tournament!
If you're planning to play a tournament anytime soon, make it this one. There's also plenty for your wife and kids to do within walking distance of the hotel--which is very inexpensive, to boot.
Let me know if you're interested. It's going to be great chess times.
ADDENDA 07/27/07: 1) "[W]ife and kids" is not intended to preclude women players, single people or anyone else, and I hope no one takes it that way. Come one, come all, regardless of status, preference, etc. 2) You don't have to show up Thursday afternoon to get the free drink. Even if you take a bye in round one you'll get your drink Friday night, if necessary. And one for your significant other. The kids will have to make do with soda or juice.
Friday, August 17, 2007
No Game Last Night
My wife was sick so I stayed home to take care of my son, which was kind of a bummer. Not taking care of my son, that is, but missing a week. Playing my weekly tournament game is something I really look forward to, a nice break from work (though I'm lucky enough to have a job I enjoy), childcare, commuting and fixing up the house, which I would guess consume about 90 percent of my life. A real tournament chess game once a week is a treat.
Meanwhile, in other Reno Chess Club-related blogger news, Eric Shoemaker aka Pale Rider took his Club Championship Semi-final all the way to the second set of tie-break games before finally going down 3.5/4.5 against Bill Case, who was rated about 120 points higher. A good tough match. Bill Case now goes on to face defending champ Terry Alsasua in the final.
Here and there:
This BCC post has some vitriol in the comments which livens things up considerably...I mention that "We need a "Caoili" in the mix here to make it just perfect..."
We need one here, too!
Have a great weekend!
Meanwhile, in other Reno Chess Club-related blogger news, Eric Shoemaker aka Pale Rider took his Club Championship Semi-final all the way to the second set of tie-break games before finally going down 3.5/4.5 against Bill Case, who was rated about 120 points higher. A good tough match. Bill Case now goes on to face defending champ Terry Alsasua in the final.
Here and there:
This BCC post has some vitriol in the comments which livens things up considerably...I mention that "We need a "Caoili" in the mix here to make it just perfect..."
We need one here, too!
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Opening Study: Some Diverse Opinions, Part IV--Playing Black
(Part I, Part II, Part III)
In Part III I looked at some general principles of opening study for us 1200-2000 (USCF) players and recommended the repertoire approach, sticking to one opening for awhile, but mainly from White's point of view.
Playing the Black pieces presents somewhat different problems in preparation, but overall I would recommend a similar approach, finding a good repertoire book and staying with the lines for at least 1-2 years until you gain enough experience to get out of the opening in decent shape most of the time. As you become a stronger overall player your tastes and interests may change and your judgment will improve, and eventually you may decide to try out new systems and defenses, but as I said before I think it's wasting your time and effort if you jump around to different openings based on a loss or two. If you're playing a solid, known opening you're losing games because the opponent played better than you in that game!
Some of my own experiences in playing Black and learning various defenses might be instructive (and amusing) to relate. After my first 15-20 tournament games I had acquired several books on the openings lent to me by generous club members, and I started buying them as well. I'd been playing 1. e4 e5 as Black with decent success (considering my strength relative to my opponents) but the book How to Open a Chess Game (by 7 Grandmasters) convinced me to play the French (Portisch was the author of that section).
So I played the French (1. e4 e6) and did very poorly. Knowledge, taste, inclination--none were suited to the closed, cramped nature of the defense. I lost several games (not feeling comfortable the whole time) and abandoned the French pretty much forever (though, strangely I did beat a 1938 player rated over 300 points above me 15 years later when I transposed into the Rubinstein French without even knowing it!). Then a master at the club urged me to play the Sicilian (1. e4 c5) and I have used it on and off ever since, with various forays into the Pirc/Modern, Center Counter and back to 1. e4 e5. So until recently I haven't even taken my own advice in regard to sticking to one opening! In my defense it was usually a year or two between changes, but still...
Playing Black is hard because with White you know what your first move is going to be--you are controlling the direction of the game, at least for one move. As Black you have to consider what to play against e4, d4, c4, Nf3 and even sometimes f4, g3, b3...and it's much harder to take my recommended approach, which is designed to get in 6-10 quick moves that you know are good, saving time and energy for the middlegame. If the opponent plays 1. b3 and we have to make it all up as we go it's not very efficient, it takes time and remember, he knew what was coming and is probably prepared. So if you are not already set as Black with defenses you're comfortable with I recommend you...
SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE
There are a number of fine repertoire books for Black out there, for example John Emms' Play the Open Games as Black, the only problem being that in 224 pages Emms only manages to get you prepared for the Open Games except the Ruy Lopez, which you're going to see plenty of if you go 1.e4 e5. If 1. d4 White can avoid your Benko Gambit, Albin Countergambit, Budapest Defense etc. with the simple 2. Nf3; or he can just go 1. Nf3.
To simplify your life I can recommend a couple of approaches, the Pirc/Modern (d6, g6, Nf6, Bg7 in various orders) against 1. e4 and everything else if your willing to play the King's Indian against 1. d4, 2. c4 for White. The other way to make life simple and reach a playable middlegame is d5, e6 and probably Nf6 as your first three moves against 1. d4, c4, Nf3 or g3. This system guarantees a fair share of the center and an opportunity for quick kingside castling, both pluses for those of us below Expert level. The Pirc/Modern/King's Indian approach has worked pretty well for me over the years, though as I said above I haven't always played it against 1. e4. But I've played the KID for most of my career with pleasure and can recommend it, and say that a lot of the knowledge transfers to Pirc/Modern positions.
I've got to run right now but I wanted to get this post up for your consideration; I haven't had time to really go into opening books that I can personally recommend but I think I'll get to it soon. I promise not to call it Part V, though--this is getting ridiculous...
In Part III I looked at some general principles of opening study for us 1200-2000 (USCF) players and recommended the repertoire approach, sticking to one opening for awhile, but mainly from White's point of view.
Playing the Black pieces presents somewhat different problems in preparation, but overall I would recommend a similar approach, finding a good repertoire book and staying with the lines for at least 1-2 years until you gain enough experience to get out of the opening in decent shape most of the time. As you become a stronger overall player your tastes and interests may change and your judgment will improve, and eventually you may decide to try out new systems and defenses, but as I said before I think it's wasting your time and effort if you jump around to different openings based on a loss or two. If you're playing a solid, known opening you're losing games because the opponent played better than you in that game!
Some of my own experiences in playing Black and learning various defenses might be instructive (and amusing) to relate. After my first 15-20 tournament games I had acquired several books on the openings lent to me by generous club members, and I started buying them as well. I'd been playing 1. e4 e5 as Black with decent success (considering my strength relative to my opponents) but the book How to Open a Chess Game (by 7 Grandmasters) convinced me to play the French (Portisch was the author of that section).
So I played the French (1. e4 e6) and did very poorly. Knowledge, taste, inclination--none were suited to the closed, cramped nature of the defense. I lost several games (not feeling comfortable the whole time) and abandoned the French pretty much forever (though, strangely I did beat a 1938 player rated over 300 points above me 15 years later when I transposed into the Rubinstein French without even knowing it!). Then a master at the club urged me to play the Sicilian (1. e4 c5) and I have used it on and off ever since, with various forays into the Pirc/Modern, Center Counter and back to 1. e4 e5. So until recently I haven't even taken my own advice in regard to sticking to one opening! In my defense it was usually a year or two between changes, but still...
Playing Black is hard because with White you know what your first move is going to be--you are controlling the direction of the game, at least for one move. As Black you have to consider what to play against e4, d4, c4, Nf3 and even sometimes f4, g3, b3...and it's much harder to take my recommended approach, which is designed to get in 6-10 quick moves that you know are good, saving time and energy for the middlegame. If the opponent plays 1. b3 and we have to make it all up as we go it's not very efficient, it takes time and remember, he knew what was coming and is probably prepared. So if you are not already set as Black with defenses you're comfortable with I recommend you...
SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE
There are a number of fine repertoire books for Black out there, for example John Emms' Play the Open Games as Black, the only problem being that in 224 pages Emms only manages to get you prepared for the Open Games except the Ruy Lopez, which you're going to see plenty of if you go 1.e4 e5. If 1. d4 White can avoid your Benko Gambit, Albin Countergambit, Budapest Defense etc. with the simple 2. Nf3; or he can just go 1. Nf3.
To simplify your life I can recommend a couple of approaches, the Pirc/Modern (d6, g6, Nf6, Bg7 in various orders) against 1. e4 and everything else if your willing to play the King's Indian against 1. d4, 2. c4 for White. The other way to make life simple and reach a playable middlegame is d5, e6 and probably Nf6 as your first three moves against 1. d4, c4, Nf3 or g3. This system guarantees a fair share of the center and an opportunity for quick kingside castling, both pluses for those of us below Expert level. The Pirc/Modern/King's Indian approach has worked pretty well for me over the years, though as I said above I haven't always played it against 1. e4. But I've played the KID for most of my career with pleasure and can recommend it, and say that a lot of the knowledge transfers to Pirc/Modern positions.
I've got to run right now but I wanted to get this post up for your consideration; I haven't had time to really go into opening books that I can personally recommend but I think I'll get to it soon. I promise not to call it Part V, though--this is getting ridiculous...
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