Sunday, May 22, 2005
Two Games
ALD-RMD [D21], 2005.5.21
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bf4 Bg4 5.e3 Nf6 {5...e5 6.dxe5 Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 O-O-O+ 8.Kc1 b5 9.a4 Na5 10.Nfd2 Bb4 11.axb5 Bxd2+12.Nxd2 Nb3+ 0-1, Zsifkovits Robert 2121 - Kosztolanczi Gyula 2202, Zalakaros 2001} 6.Bxc4 e6 7.O-O Bd6 8.Bxd6 cxd6 9.Be2 O-O 10.Nc3 Qa5 11.Qb3 b6 12.Nb5 d5 13.Rfe1 Ne4 14.Nh4 Bxe2 15.Rxe2 Rac8 16.Na3 Nb4 17.Nc2? {17.Nf3} Rc4? {17...Qa6! 18.Rae1 Nxa2} 18.Nxb4 Rxb4 19.Qd3 Rc8 20.a3 Rbc4 21.h3 Rc1+ 22.Rxc1 Rxc1+23.Kh2 g6 24.f3 Nd6 25.g4 Nc4 26.Ng2 b5 27.Rc2 Qc7+ 28.f4 Rxc2 29.Qxc2 Qd6 30.Qe2 a5 31.Ne1 f6 32.Nf3 a4 33.Kg3? {33.Nd2} g5? {33...b4! 34.axb4 Qxb4} 34.Qf2 {34.Ne1} b4 {34...gxf4+ 35.exf4 b4} 35.axb4 Qxb4?{35...gxf4+! 36.exf4 Qxb4} 36.fxg5 Qxb2 37.Qxb2 Nxb2 38.gxf6 Kf7 39.g5 a3 40.Nd2? {40.Ne1!} a2? {40...Nc4!} 41.Nb3 Nd1 42.Kf4 Nf2 43.h4 Nd3+ 44.Kf3 Nc145.Na1 Nd3 {Elapsed times 0:27-0:21} 46.e4 Kg6 47.exd5 exd5 48.Ke3 Ne1 49.Kf4 Nd3+ 50.Ke3 Nb4 {At this point I was too short of time to continue writing the moves. Even though Black has sufficient counterplay to draw despite White's extra pawn, I eventually won this endgame. My wife played a great game as usual, but the endgame remains her weakness.} 1-0
RMD-ALD [B51], 2005.5.12
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.Nc3 Bd7 5.d3 Nf6 6.O-O g6 7.Bc4 {An odd way to lose a tempo. - ALD; 7.Bg5} Bg7 8.Nd5 e69.Nxf6+ Bxf6 10.c3 Ne5 11.h3 b5 12.Bb3 O-O 13.c4 b4 14.Bf4 Nxf3+15.Qxf3 Bxb2 16.Bxd6 Bxa1 17.Rxa1! Qb6 {To prevent 18.Bxc5. - ALD}18.Be5 {The bishop is too valuable to part with by playing 18.Bxf8. - RMD; An interesting exchange sacrifice. With my dark-squared bishop gone, my wife's bishop on e5 remained a thorn on my side for the rest of the game. - ALD} f5 {18...f6} 19.exf5 exf5 {19...Bc6} 20.a3 a5? 21.axb4 Qxb4? {Here I had been about to play 21....axb4 when I realized that this would leave my rook en prise. However, this is just as bad. Better is 21....Qe6. - ALD} 22.Qd5+ Rf7 {22...Be6 23.Qxe6+ Rf7} 23.Qxa8+ Rf824.Qd5+ Rf7 25.Rb1! a4? {Better is 25...Qb6 not that my game could be saved in any event. - ALD} 26.Bc2 1-0
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bf4 Bg4 5.e3 Nf6 {5...e5 6.dxe5 Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 O-O-O+ 8.Kc1 b5 9.a4 Na5 10.Nfd2 Bb4 11.axb5 Bxd2+12.Nxd2 Nb3+ 0-1, Zsifkovits Robert 2121 - Kosztolanczi Gyula 2202, Zalakaros 2001} 6.Bxc4 e6 7.O-O Bd6 8.Bxd6 cxd6 9.Be2 O-O 10.Nc3 Qa5 11.Qb3 b6 12.Nb5 d5 13.Rfe1 Ne4 14.Nh4 Bxe2 15.Rxe2 Rac8 16.Na3 Nb4 17.Nc2? {17.Nf3} Rc4? {17...Qa6! 18.Rae1 Nxa2} 18.Nxb4 Rxb4 19.Qd3 Rc8 20.a3 Rbc4 21.h3 Rc1+ 22.Rxc1 Rxc1+23.Kh2 g6 24.f3 Nd6 25.g4 Nc4 26.Ng2 b5 27.Rc2 Qc7+ 28.f4 Rxc2 29.Qxc2 Qd6 30.Qe2 a5 31.Ne1 f6 32.Nf3 a4 33.Kg3? {33.Nd2} g5? {33...b4! 34.axb4 Qxb4} 34.Qf2 {34.Ne1} b4 {34...gxf4+ 35.exf4 b4} 35.axb4 Qxb4?{35...gxf4+! 36.exf4 Qxb4} 36.fxg5 Qxb2 37.Qxb2 Nxb2 38.gxf6 Kf7 39.g5 a3 40.Nd2? {40.Ne1!} a2? {40...Nc4!} 41.Nb3 Nd1 42.Kf4 Nf2 43.h4 Nd3+ 44.Kf3 Nc145.Na1 Nd3 {Elapsed times 0:27-0:21} 46.e4 Kg6 47.exd5 exd5 48.Ke3 Ne1 49.Kf4 Nd3+ 50.Ke3 Nb4 {At this point I was too short of time to continue writing the moves. Even though Black has sufficient counterplay to draw despite White's extra pawn, I eventually won this endgame. My wife played a great game as usual, but the endgame remains her weakness.} 1-0
RMD-ALD [B51], 2005.5.12
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.Nc3 Bd7 5.d3 Nf6 6.O-O g6 7.Bc4 {An odd way to lose a tempo. - ALD; 7.Bg5} Bg7 8.Nd5 e69.Nxf6+ Bxf6 10.c3 Ne5 11.h3 b5 12.Bb3 O-O 13.c4 b4 14.Bf4 Nxf3+15.Qxf3 Bxb2 16.Bxd6 Bxa1 17.Rxa1! Qb6 {To prevent 18.Bxc5. - ALD}18.Be5 {The bishop is too valuable to part with by playing 18.Bxf8. - RMD; An interesting exchange sacrifice. With my dark-squared bishop gone, my wife's bishop on e5 remained a thorn on my side for the rest of the game. - ALD} f5 {18...f6} 19.exf5 exf5 {19...Bc6} 20.a3 a5? 21.axb4 Qxb4? {Here I had been about to play 21....axb4 when I realized that this would leave my rook en prise. However, this is just as bad. Better is 21....Qe6. - ALD} 22.Qd5+ Rf7 {22...Be6 23.Qxe6+ Rf7} 23.Qxa8+ Rf824.Qd5+ Rf7 25.Rb1! a4? {Better is 25...Qb6 not that my game could be saved in any event. - ALD} 26.Bc2 1-0
FIDE World Championship 2005-2007
A new announcement (30 April) explained that the Argentine event was the first in a series of events to replace the much maligned FIDE Elimination (Knockout) as a determinant of future World Champions. • 'The World Chess Championship cycle shall be organised in 2005/07 and will include the following events : National Championships, Zonals and Continental Championships, World Chess Cup (the 128 player knock out tournament), the Last Chance Super Tournament and the World Chess Championship matches.'
Regulations for the 2005-2007 World Chess Championship Cycle
Regulations for the 2005-2007 World Chess Championship Cycle
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Book Review: Chess Strategy for the Tournament Player
Like the previous two books in the Comprehensive Chess Course series, this book gives the impression of having been slapped together in a weekend.
The selection of ideas (good vs bad bishop, weak and strong squares, etc) is mundane. This book adds nothing in that area. Reshevsky's Art of Positional Play is much better.
The selection of games and positions to illustrate these ideas is also particularly uninspired. Pachman's Complete Chess Strategy does a much better job selecting material.
The lack of commentary and analysis borders on the obscene for a book that claims it will help one become a master. I've given games of speed chess more thorough analysis than this. Where the analysis seems particularly educational and/or thorough, you can be sure it is merely a recompilation of previously published analysis. As just a couple (of many) examples, the analysis of Botvinnik-Boleslavsky (p182) comes from Botvinnik's 100 Selected Games, and the analysis of Tarrasch-Lasker (p217) comes from Reti.
Worst of all, analysis from earlier sources is uncritically poached without the slightest attempt at verification. For example, the analysis of MilnerBarry-ZnoskoBorovsky is taken from Euwe's Judgment & Planning in Chess. In that book, Euwe ends with "if 24....fxe5, White plays 25.Qg6 Bf6 and the game is decided by the invasion of the rooks by means of 26. Rfc1 when nothing can be done about 27.Rc7." Alburt & Palatnik copy this sentence almost verbatim. What Euwe missed (and Alburt & Palatnik didn't even bother to look for) is that Black has 26....e4 27.Rc7 Qxd4+ as a perfectly good defense and White is down a bishop for nothing.
You will learn nothing from this book; save your money.
One parting thought: What are these "secret Russian training methods" of which they repeatedly speak? I found nothing particularly pedagogical about their approach and much to criticize.
The selection of ideas (good vs bad bishop, weak and strong squares, etc) is mundane. This book adds nothing in that area. Reshevsky's Art of Positional Play is much better.
The selection of games and positions to illustrate these ideas is also particularly uninspired. Pachman's Complete Chess Strategy does a much better job selecting material.
The lack of commentary and analysis borders on the obscene for a book that claims it will help one become a master. I've given games of speed chess more thorough analysis than this. Where the analysis seems particularly educational and/or thorough, you can be sure it is merely a recompilation of previously published analysis. As just a couple (of many) examples, the analysis of Botvinnik-Boleslavsky (p182) comes from Botvinnik's 100 Selected Games, and the analysis of Tarrasch-Lasker (p217) comes from Reti.
Worst of all, analysis from earlier sources is uncritically poached without the slightest attempt at verification. For example, the analysis of MilnerBarry-ZnoskoBorovsky is taken from Euwe's Judgment & Planning in Chess. In that book, Euwe ends with "if 24....fxe5, White plays 25.Qg6 Bf6 and the game is decided by the invasion of the rooks by means of 26. Rfc1 when nothing can be done about 27.Rc7." Alburt & Palatnik copy this sentence almost verbatim. What Euwe missed (and Alburt & Palatnik didn't even bother to look for) is that Black has 26....e4 27.Rc7 Qxd4+ as a perfectly good defense and White is down a bishop for nothing.
You will learn nothing from this book; save your money.
One parting thought: What are these "secret Russian training methods" of which they repeatedly speak? I found nothing particularly pedagogical about their approach and much to criticize.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
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