The Chess Dog Journal

Back To School

As the year winds down, I am already thinking about next year’s tournament schedule.  Which event to try and get out to?  But, before I get too far down that track, there is a more basic question looming.  How to prepare?

This past year, I found I had very little time to study and hone my game.  Since my goal is drive improvement in my game, that seems like a pretty important issue to address.  So, I am thinking of building a two tier study plan.  This plan should be built around a core of study activities that assume minimal time investment.  Let’s say three hours per week.  Then, I should have a standing list of secondary activities for weeks when I can fit in more.

A few years ago, I asked Larry Christiansen (yes, the GM) what were his recommendations for a 10 hour per week study plan.  Here is what he recommended to me.

1. Join the Internet Chess Club and spend an hour there every other day either playing 10 minute or 15 minute games. Even better would be to observe one of the top level games (ICC frequently offers coverage of major international events) and gain insight on not only how top players actually play, but how the strong kibitzers explain and suggest moves and plans. (4-6 hours per week)
2. Review high level annotated quality games by Grandmasters with a real chess set for half hour per game. Alekhine, Botvinnik, Keres, Fischer, Tal, Kasparov, Shirov all wrote good books on their own careers and are worth studying. (2 hours per week)
3. For ideas in certain openings, such as what to do versus certain lines in the Sicilian, go to Chesslab.com or Chessbase online and do a search for instance of what Shirov, Kasparov, Anand etc. plays as White against 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 (or 2...d6) and then play through those games quickly to get a feel for it. Keep a paper notebook next to you to jot down ideas and take very brief notes—the act of writing it down helps you remember. (2 hours per week)
4. Explore the various excellent sites such as Chesscafe.com, TWIC, and Fianchetto.com for news, opening and endgame articles etc. Find some endgame studies and review them for their entertainment value. Constantly work on basic tactics to stay sharp. Do 5-10 tactical puzzles per day—f around 15 minutes per day to stay sharp.
5. One training technique that should help you analyze during a game is to develop some blindfold skill. You might just try playing as far as possible until the fog sets in. You should be able to slowly increase the number of moves you can follow a game blindfold until you are fairly comfortable. This will improve your OTB analytical ability.

So, what should my plan include?  What have you found works for you?

Foxwoods: Over, but just the beginning

The final day of Foxwoods was cathartic.

In round 6, I played the white side on a close Sicilian against Max Steinberg of New York.  It was an interesting struggle that opened with a lot of strategic maneuvering.  The first exchange of material did not occur until move 17, when I exchanged knights to create an endgame advantage.  It took 41 moves to navigate the hazards and convert the advantage into a win.

My friend, Harvey had 4.5 points going into the final round of his section.  Unfortunately, the support of his friends at the tournament was not enough to buoy him.  He got a huge headache, and couldn’t stay focused, so the chance at a prize slipped away.  (I warned you not to have that sugary dessert, Harvey.)

In round 7, I managed to get an advantage on the white side of the French Tarrasch.  I am sure I should have won the game, but as I sometimes say here, once you have the advantage you still have to convert it into the point.  Unfortunately, I had my own issues with focus, and couldn’t quite see the path to victory.  At move 60, I realized I was down to 4 minutes and would lose on time if I didn’t make something happen.  So, I sacrificed two pawns to try a quick pawn run; but was off by a tempo.  After exchanging my passed pawn and bishop for my opponent’s rook, I found myself in a losing rook & pawn versus knight & 4 pawns endgame. 

Somehow, with only 2 minutes left on my clock though, I managed to outplay my opponent and get to a dead draw position.  However, my flag fell, and I lost the point after making my 91st move.  My friend, Mark Kaprielian tells me today that I could have actually claimed the draw prior to my flag falling—had I only realized that I could have salvaged a half point.  I guess I’ll just have to take solace in having given my opponent, Steven Foust of Alberta, Canada a great finish to what he believes may be his last big tournament.  (Steve is 78 and doesn’t think he can do these events any longer.  I only hope I have his spirit & attitude when I get to his age.)

So, I ended with 3 out 7 (2 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses).  Not the kind of showing I had wanted, but considering the long time away from the board, and not being able to put in the preparation I had planned to do, I am actually quite pleased with the quality of play and the result I achieved.  Now, I feel invigorated and inspired to reach for the next level in my play.

I will post my Foxwoods games here as I analyze them.

Foxwoods: Looking for a rebound after a tough Saturday

In round 5, I crashed and burned.  I’ll attribute it to fatigue after the grueling round 4 game, but it wasn’t pretty.  I grabbed a pawn in the opening that was poison.  I knew it too; so, I don’t know what possessed me to snatch it.  The best defense would have left me in a game an exchange down with no compensation and an inferior position.  So, I tried to stave off the coming disaster with a different idea, but got mated in 15 moves.

I took a quick look at my round 4 loss and still feel I had good chances to win it.  I’ll analyze it fully and post it here later.  One thing I did find in my quick look was that I missed a beautiful knight sac that would have given me a swift and crushing victory.  I guess I just wasn’t in a good chess place yesterday.

On the other hand, my friend Harvey Reed is doing well.  He has 3.5 after five round which given the strength of play here at Foxwoods is quite respectable.  I also saw Mark Fins last night.  He came in via the 3-day schedule.  He had 2.5 after round 4.

Today is the final day of the tournament.  I am determined to make it a day of better chess than yesterday.

Foxwoods: Even after four

 My third round game was a slow positional game.  Aside from two pawns and all four bishops, all the rest of the material was still on the board after 30 moves of jockeying for position.  I thought about trying a pawn break on the king side, but it would come at the cost of a backward pawn and an inferior endgame if I couldn’t make prove the validity of the break.  So, I decided to accept my opponent’s offer of a draw on move 31.

 

In the Open section, there was a very interesting Q vs R,B & N ending being played out between Van Wely and Shulman.  Shulman got the win with the 3 pieces and took the lead in the tournament with 5 points after five rounds.  Akobian, Shabalov and Hess were all within a half point with 4.5.

 

I had my first loss of the event in round 4.  My opponent thought he was going to win a piece when he embarrassed my knight with an f5 pawn break, but I surprised him by sacrificing my other knight.  When the dust had settled, I had exchanged my two knights for a rook and pawn.  I also had a slight initiative, so I felt I can out better on the exchange as he was going to have to waste a few tempi to get his king out of the center.  Unfortunately, I made some bad strategic choices and gave his bishops some great squares.  Eventually, my position fell apart.

 

So after four rounds, I am in the middle of the pack at 2 points.

Foxwoods: Staying alive after two rounds

After playing the black side of the Caro Kann in round, I got to play it from the other side of the board in round two.  I played James Lowe of New York, in what a 51 move game of subtle nuance.  Lowe played the classical 4… Bf5 variation.  Unfortunately on move 22, he made a tactical error which forced him to either give up a pawn or an exchange.  After the loss of the pawn, he played the defense very sharply and had many interesting chances.  But in the end, I was able to hold my pawn on d6 and keep up the pressure.  When he offered a queen exchange on move 35, it was game over!  The exchange favored me by allowing me to keep his king out of the game and permanently anchor my extra passed d-pawn with a chain of pawns running from a3 to c5.  The winning technique now was simply to move action over to the king side of the board where his king could not go.   So, this one goes in the win column.

There are 14 GMs in open section and 14 IMs as well.  So, there are plenty of interesting high level games to watch featuring players like Van Wely, Shabalov, Shulman, Nakamura, and Ivanov.

Mark Kaprielian, Calvin Hori, Harvey Reed, and Ed Epp from Metrowest are here.  I think there are other Metrowesters here, but I have found them all.

The turnout is pretty good considering I have heard of many people skipping the event this year due to the economy.  There are 365 people playing in the Open and 4-day track.  The 3-day track starts tonight, so I expect many more people will be joining the mix.

Foxwoods: Round 1 First Notes

I managed to get to Foxwoods about 15 minutes before the first round began.  So, I quickly checked in, dropped my stuff off in the room, and ran down to the Grand Ballroom where the tournament area is set up.

My first game was against Kenneth Gurge of Massachusetts.  I played the black side of the Caro-Kann.  After getting the better of open, I carelessly lost my h7 pawn.  But, I was able to create some active counter play.  Eventually, I won back the pawn and an extra one for my trouble.  My extra pawn was not enough to win though.  We ended by in an opposite colored bishop ending where I had no way to make any progress.  I’ll post the game once I have analyzed it.

Several of my friends from the Metrowest Chess Club are here.  I haven’t counted them all, but I have seen at least 4 other Metrowest player here.

The open section looks very strong.  I haven’t had a chance to check out who is playing, but tonight saw Nakamura vs. Ivanov on board 1.