"Chess" by Rick Bauer
A small but devoted group has been meeting Saturdays. Suhas and Mike Smith have focussed on middlegame themes, utilizing a modern workbook and "find the plan" challenges. I have been trying to apply those themes to the analysis of club games. The format has been open to suggestions from participants and is evolving.
Last Saturday, Mike introduced us to an interesting and useful website ChessTree.net which allows you to see online opening repertoires of specified players. This led to a good-natured debate over how to best construct your opening repertoire. Mike Smith suggested finding a repertoire that best suits your chess strengths. This was once my view, so of course, I took the opposing view of selecting a repertoire to challenge your weaknesses. There is a lot still to be said for both positions, but the value of Mike's web find is unquestioned.
We also discussed the best third move for White in the French Defense (after 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5). Mike likes the "underappreciated" Advance Variation, while I like it for Black. Our reasoning is eerily similar. Mike wants to limit Black's avenues of play and establish the cramping e5 pawn. I would rather not tip my hand with White, defending e4 with the knight (3 Nc3, 3 Nd2). After this, Black most often plays 3...Nf6, when 4 e5 gives White the same advanced pawn, with tempo, sending Black's knight to the ugly d7 square.
I hope that we continue with these and other such "debates" that can flesh out our various approaches to chess.
Getting together with good-natured and like-minded folks has been a joy and benefit to me. I am hopeful that those who have been participating continue to do so and that others from the club join us. "The more the merrier."
Link: (WebEx link)
Time: 4 pm Saturday
Thanks,
Rick
Saturday, Jan 2, 2021
The first study group of 2021 explored two Roger Bessette games. The first one, with Alan Mo, featured the Tarrasch Attack against the French and resulted in a PIQP (Passed Isolated Queen Pawn) middlegame. It seemed to toggle back and forth between += and = until Roger found a winning double attack to win a rook (vs mate).
The second game was a Scandinavian in which Black quickly equalized. Eventually Black sacrificed an exchange for an excruciating bind in an RN vs RR endgame. This dynamically equal position seemed to offer Black the superior chances until white finally found some counterplay and quickly broke through for the win.
Both games illustrated the importance of knowing which pieces were best to trade and which were best to retain for either side. The anti-IQP strategy is to trade minor pieces and retain major pieces (the opposite for the IQP side). Offers to trade rooks in the RN vs RR would have hugely benefited the remaining R in the resulting R vs N endgame.
We also discussed the reverse chronological method of learning chess; starting with the endgame, proceeding to the middle game, and saving deep opening study for last.
Roger mentioned that he had a good Q ending with another regular, Abhijit, following Joe Bihlmayer's lecture on Tuesday night and agreed to provide it for next week's Saturday session.
Doug Fiske and Dr Yablonsky added their strong input to the session.
Looking forward to future meetings,
Rick
