Chien Ming Chess Blog

Edward Tarte (Ed) is my good friend. He is also one of my chess student, and beside, he is also my inspirator & teacher of classical music, the kind of music that I hear & knew very little way before I know Ed, but he patiently & gradually introduce me to the beauty of classical music. Slowly I learn & start enjoying classical music eagerly at the moment. Thanks to you !

Although we have never met each other yet, but with the help of Skype software we can chat & see each other through web cam very well in the real time.

He is a chess enthusiast, you can play online chess with him at ICC (his nick : edwardtarte), or even play correspondence chess at www.gameknot.com (his nick : edwardtarte). Recently he made an inspiring chess video



He is also a classical music enthusiast, known as Mr. Music. Below is a very beautiful piano composition played by Ed. Memory from the Cats



You can know more about him & listen to more of his piano plays, at his web www.edwardtarte.blogspot.com

courtesy of ChessVideos.TV

Beside the regular lessons, I'm also available for training games, with detail analysis afterward. Or to analyse your own games.

When analysing a game with students, I use more verbal comments or words and diagram to describe the theme or idea of the positions in opening/middlegame/endgame, rather than variation lines only. It's much easier to transfer understanding this way. Pictures tell more story than words. Pictures and words will be remembered in our long term memory than variation lines only.

In my view, chess is not only series of moves, but for me chess is an idea, big pattern recognition, creativity, like a painter draws a canvas or a writer writes a novel or a poet composes a poetry.

This is an example of analysis of a training game between me (my ICC's handle : fhunfi) and "Someone_at_ICC" (I hide his real handle).

[Event "ICC 30 30 u"]
[Date "2006.09.14"]
[White "fhunfi"]
[Black "Someone_at_ICC"]
[Opening "QGA, Smyslov variation"]

You can view or replay the game from start to end at board diagram or or at new window by clicking HERE

Note : you can use above board diagram as analysing tools, you can move the branch-variant at some point, and prese R button will get you back to the start of your tree.

Strategic theme:

• duo mobile central pawn
• pair of bishops in open positions
• weakness of light-square

Tactical theme

• trap the Queen
• back rank mate

1. d4 d5
2. Nf3 Nf6
3. c4 dxc4 (Queen Gambit Accepted/QGA)

other alternatif is 3...e6 (Queen Gambit Declined/QGD) or 3...c6 (Slav Defense). each has his own unique ideas.

4. e3 g6
5. Bxc4 Bg7
6. O-O O-O
7. Nc3 c6
8. Qe2 Qc7
9. Rd1 b5
10. Bd3 Bg4

better plan for Black is to put Bishop at b7, with next sequence ...a6 (to protect b5) and ...c5! to free the game and light-square bishop will have big influence along a8-h1 diagonal

11. h3 Bxf3 consistent but create light square weakness at Q side

12. Qxf3 Nbd7

13. e4 Rad8

White has duo mobile central d-e pawn gives flexibility, space, and can lust to expand d4-d5 or e4-e5. At the same time, it restricts opponent's mobility.

Black's Queen side pawn structure become serious light-square weakness, after the exchange of the light square Bishop (that should be at b7)

14. Be3 a6

The Bishop's pair in this semi open position is more dominating than Black's Knights, and once the pawn lust d4-d5 and/or e4-e5 later, it will create more lines for Bishops power in open position.

15. Rac1 b4

there're many ways of Knight retreat from c3. To e2, b1, a4, or even to d5 (because of Rook pin at c-file theme). Best square is at a4, as Na4 actively controls b6 and c5 square.

16. Na4 Qa5
17. b3 Rc8
18. Qe2 Nb8

19. d5! cxd5?

19.d5! setup a trap to Queen if Black capture ...cxd5?

Otherwise, if Black retreat his Queen 19...Qd8, the 19.d5 has his own purpose :

with the following sequence of forcing move 20.Nb6! Rc7 21.Bf4 Rb7, 22.dxc6! Rxb6, 23. c7! Qe8 and 29.c8Q decides the game.

20.Bb6 Qxa4

White wins big material, and the rest is technical fase but there's still interesting finish theme for learning.

21. bxa4 Rxc1
22. Rxc1 Nbd7
23. a5 dxe4
24. Bxe4 Nxe4
25. Qxe4 Bc3
26. Qd3 Nb8

27. a3 Bb2

White's 27.a3 is an interesting idea to undermine b4 and Bb2 at the same time.

28. Rc2 bxa3

28...Bxa3 is a bit better. 29.Ba7 h5, 30.Rc7 Bb2, 31.Qc4

29. Bd4! Rd8

29.Bd4 with idea of taking the diagonal and force the exchange of Bishop seems bad for White at first look, because of 29...Rd8 pin the Bishop and Black will recapture the Bishop at d4 at the next move

actually it's a White's trap using theme "back rank mate"

30. Bxb2! Rxd3

30...Rf8 can avoid mate, but material is too much behind.

31. Rc8+ Rd8

and mate follow next move

32. Rxd8# {Black checkmated} 1-0

I found this very interesting article written by Norbert Thomas at ezinearticles.com . Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Emotions-in-Chess&id=2242933

Chess is one of the most intellectual and competitive games. During a game of chess you experience different kinds of emotions. For example: Joy, confidence, satisfaction, relief, despair, fear, anger, frustration, hopelessness.

Emotions come and go.

Emotions will hit you unexpectedly when you suddenly experience a dramatic change in your game.
Pieces are attacked and have to be protected or must retreat to a bad square. The opponent just started a strong attack at the kingside or you nearly ran into a fork and almost lost a piece. Or the game becomes so complicated and rich in tactical possibilities that you can't work out the right moves over the board. And you become deeply immersed in the position again and again. But you still don't know for sure what to play next, recalculating the same variations over and over again. The position is going slowly but surely downhill.

This creates emotions of various kinds.

When you are winning you feel happy and you get a big boost of confidence. You just love the position now. You are winning. That's great! Yes! Chess is a great game indeed. Joy comes up.
But on the other hand, when you make a bad move, then you feel frustrated and have doubts and you might lose faith in your ability to find good moves. You might tell yourself: "I play like a beginner. I ruined my position totally. Why am I playing like an idiot? I should have seen this attack coming!"

Emotions can paralyze your mind.

Emotions often obstruct and cloud your thinking just when clear rational thoughts are needed . Time pressure increases the stress even more and the upcoming emotions might block your thinking completely and you are unable to calculate the next moves. You switch off your brain and play in guessing mode. You just guess the right moves now, which leads to a deadly blunder! Your last move ruined your game beyond repair. A wave of frustration gives you the rest and you resign. Damned! How could I make such a move? Why is my brain blocked? I played like a fool? I should give up chess.

Chess is not a quiet game! Maybe quiet on the surface for the onlooker, but deep within yourself there is something really big going on. A big mental adventure, full of traps and surprises. The rational thought struggles versus the emotional response. Sometimes rely just on your emotional response, your mind is unable to work out everything and you need to use intuition. But often the emotions are just obstructing your mind when rational thoughts are needed to calculate a combination.

Just observe your emotions!

You can't escape your emotions and can't control them. They come and go. There is one weapon you have to beat them. Just observe them! The principle of observation is taught in various meditation techniques.
Don't fight your emotions. Just observe them. It is a sort of meditation. You are NOT the emotions! Never forget that! Just watch your frustration and despair for a minute and it will lose its power over you and might even fade away. After that start analyzing your position.
It's just a game. Relax and start thinking again. Your opponent makes mistakes too. You still can win. If your game is totally ruined just resign and go home. Have a good rest, analyze your game and you will play better next time.

Interview with Viswanathan Anand in Der Spiegel
Published on ChessBase

SPIEGEL: What is the role of emotions?

Anand: They are decisive. The moment in which you realise that you have made a mistake is the most unsettling you can imagine. You have to try to keep control of your emotions. Chess is a form of acting. If your opponent senses your insecurity or your annoyance or your dejection, then you are bolstering his courage. He will take advantage of your weakness. Confidence is very important – even pretending to be confident. If you make a mistake but do not let your opponent see what you are thinking then he may overlook the mistake.

SPIEGEL: Are you good at reading the faces of your opponents?

Anand: Usually their faces are completely calm and dispassionate. The exception was Garry Kasparov, against whom I played a World Championship in New York in 1995. He was an open book. What I tend to do is to listen to their breathing.

SPIEGEL: You listen to your opponent breathing?

Anand: If the breathing is deep or shallow, fast or slow – that reveals a lot about the degree of his agitation. In a match that lasts a month even a clearing of the throat can be quite important. Incidental facts are also important: did your opponent have a fight with his wife? If he is occupied with private matters he may not be as focussed as usual.

Here is the full article on ChessBase

Strategy : long term plan. More abstract. Some elements : development, initiative, tempo, pressure, control center-square-files-diagonals etc

Tactic : A sequence of moves that give immediate advantage. Tactic is “short term/ more concrete”. Some elements : mate,capture,threat, fork, pin, back rank, discovery check, etc

Strategy requires thought. Tactics require observation. – Max Euwe

Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do – Tartakower.

Strategy is a piece of stone you are working on, and tactics is basically the instrument you use to cut the stone. So we should see tactics as an instrument to help us to achieve what we want to achieve. - Petrosian

If one thinks strategy as a block of marble, then tactics are the chisel with which a master operates in creating works of chess art - Petrosian

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