The Preston Congress is traditionally the last in the year for my son Sam. This time round he got a grading prize and we think that both his rapid play and long play grades may hit new highs. Sam is pictured below with Open winner Adam Ashton in what is a very pleasant venue, the Harrington Building at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN).
Sam's play with Black against 1.d4 has been going well of late, largely due to the amount of time we have been spending on it. He still needs some work as Black against 1.e4, which we have planned in the seven weeks we have before his next event. This in itself should produce a nice improvement in his results as in general we have focussed far more on endgames and tactics than openings. Here's the finish to his last round game.
Black to play after White's 38.Nd3-c1
White to play had just played 38.Nd3-c1, attacking the rook on b3. Sam replied with 38...Rb1! with the point that 39.Rxa3 Rxc1 40.Rc3 is met by 40...Rh1, which would skewer White's rook after 41.Rxc2 Rh2+. In the game White played 39.Nd3 but after 39...Rd1 40.Nc1 Rxc1 threw in the towel (0-1).
The Tiger Chess French Defence Course is an advanced, stand-alone opening course which builds on the treatment of the French presented in the Building an Opening Repertoire course. It features over 11 hours of video which explain key games and ideas plus a pgn (portable game notation) file of recommended variations that can be built upon, extended and important into software such as Chess Position Trainer. The 88 games presented are also included in pgn format, but without annotations.
The French is an excellent defence to choose as Black, it is solid and helps foster positional understanding. The choice of variations is designed to make it easy to learn and remember, with the focus being on reaching and playing certain typical key middle game and endgame positions. All the variations are examined more deeply than in the Building an Opening Repertoire course and some new lines have been introduced.
The main change from the Building an Opening Repertoire lines is that are new ways of meeting both 3.Nd2 and 3.Nc3 instead of the Rubinstein Variation with 3...dxe4. Against 3.Nc3 it is still possible to reach a Rubinstein after 3...Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nbd7, though in this case White has lost many of his best anti-Rubinstein options because his bishop already stands on g5. White also has 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 available, but here Black has a good line in 4...Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 a6, aiming to get counterplay with 8...b7-b5.
4.Bg5 dxe4 is a rock solid option
Against the Tarrasch Variation with 3.Nd2 the recommended line is 3...c5 after which 4.exd5 Qxd5 produces a pawn structure that is very similar to those that arise from the Rubinstein Variation. Black often obtains a favourable endgame by centralising his king and then advancing his kingside pawns. White has a major alternative in 4.Ngf3 after which the recommendation is 4...cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6.
The recommended line against 3.e5 is still 3...c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Nge7, but the lines are examined in greater depth and with more ambitious options on offer for Black. The same is true of the Exchange Variation where 4.Bd3 is answered by 4...Nc6 and 4.Nf3 by 4...Bd6. There is also the same plan against the King's Indian Attack and 2.Qe2 lines where Black delays playing ...d7-d5 until he has castled so as to make room for his knight on e8.
This course is suitable for players over 1700 Elo who want a high quality defence against 1.e4 that is based on plans and strategy rather than tricks and traps. You need to be a Tiger Chess member to get it and continue to view it, which is why it priced at just $15.95. You can get it at the add-on videos page but need to be a logged on member to see the option to purchase it.
George Bernard Shaw once stated that 'those who can't do, teach', but is it true? Certainly I have come across many poor chess players who, as they gave up on their efforts to improve their own play, decided it was as well to sabotage others instead. Yet I have my doubts about Shaw's credibility, and not just because he also stated that 'chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever when they are only wasting their time'. He was a fan of the USSR, which did not turn out well, and once described vaccination as 'a peculiarly filthy piece of witchcraft'.
Personally I have found teaching and coaching to be a very enriching experience. As you immerse yourself in the learning experience of others, and think how you might help them, you learn a great deal yourself. Explaining different concepts often means that you have to think more deeply about them than ever before, a strong player may intuitively feel that a move is bad but can they then put their feelings into words and provide a succinct, logical explanation?
These thoughts are why I am so pleased that my son Sam began to learn more about coaching today. It was not chess coaching, but rather table tennis, where his job was to help cheer his club's young players up as they went into battle. It has not gone unnoticed that Sam is a fierce and experienced competitor who never gives up, and this mentality is infectious. He knows to reset after a loss and sees when others need to do this. Below he is pictured with his coach George (seated), just before the competition began:
George (seated) & Sam Davies
I kept out of the way and read up on database security instead, but in the moments I spent inside the playing hall it was interesting to see the many similarities with chess events. Many parents and coaches were way too invested in the outcomes, and this clearly had an effect on their charges. It is good to take it seriously but when the game starts your inner child needs to do the playing rather than someone burdened with the expectations of those around them. Finding that balance can be tricky but experienced competitors can show the way.
The October clinic came out today with the topic being endgames again. Tiger Chess members know the importance I place on this area of the game as it has profound effects on the rest of a player's game. Many of the greatest players in history have recommended putting endgame study before anything else, most notably Jose Raul Capablanca. This is what he said: "In order to improve your game you must study the endgame before anything else; for, whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middlegame and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame."
Pawn endgames are particularly important as all the other endgames can end up as pawn endgames. In this clinic there was one very nice one played by J. T. who reached the following position as Black:
NN vs J.T.
White's connected passed pawns look imposing here and in endgames with other pieces on the board they might have promised him an advantage. Yet in a pawn endgame it is Black's kingside pawn majority and distant a-pawn that give him a decisive advantage as White's king is unable to control both. The game continued with the moves 1...f5 2.g5 ( 2.f3 fxg4 3.fxg4 h6 4.Kd2 g6 5.Kd3 h5 6.gxh5 gxh5 7.Ke4 h4! also wins for Black) 2...h5 3.gxh6 gxh6 4.Kd2 h5 5.Ke3 h4 6.Kf3 a5 7.c6 Kd6 8.Kf4 a4 9.Kxf5 a3 10.Kf6 a2 0-1.
Members can access the clinic here and four years of monthly clinic archives here.
One of the most important aspects of tournament play is to keep a clear head for the games. For this reason it is usually better not to prepare too much on the day of a game but instead just relax and perhaps take a walk.
This is something that people find especially difficult if they have a database and lots of their opponents games to go through, can it really be better not to study their games? I found that I did better when I just stopped worrying and prepared myself mentally for the fight ahead.
In the tournament where I made my final Grandmaster norm, the Gausdal International of 1993, I did exactly that. Gausdal is a ski resort situated in the Norwegian mountains, so every morning I took a long walk and came back in time for lunch, a quick look at the pairings and then going straight into battle. I just played chess, and managed to beat two Russian Grandmasters, Yuri Razuvaev and Naum Rashkovsky.
Here is the finish to the Rashkovsky game in which I was White; in the position in the diagram Black had just played 22...h7-h5:
Davies - Rashkovsky after 22...h5
What should White do here? Well using my clear head I calculated a forced win starting with 23.Bxe7 after which 23...Rxe7 fails to 24.Rc8+ Nf8 25.Qh6 threatening mate with either capturing on f8 or Nf6. So Black had to try 23...hxg4 but then 24.Qh6 threatened 25.Bf6 whilst 24...Rxe7 would be met by 25.Rc8+ followed by mate.
Rashkovsky tried one last thing with 24...Qxb2, but after 25.Bf6 resigned as even 25...Qxc1+ 26.Qxc1 does not help him as White threatens to bring his queen back to h6.
Tactical sequences like the one above will usually arise at some point in a game. This is why having a clear head is so important, you will calculate just that little bit better.
Today I took Sam to the Birmingham and District Chess League Rapid Play. He had an OK tournament, which was more or less around his current grade, but he clearly was not at his best. I had kind of expected this as he had a tough week at his sixth form college. Such matters undermine your focus even if you are not consciously aware of it. This is why one of a chess player's primary goals should be to have a clear head and for this reason it is often better not to over prepare and clear away possible distractions.
This year's Birmingham Rapid Play also featured an 8 player all-play-all invitational tournament in which three Grandmasters (Keith Arkell, Mark Hebden and Matthew Turner), one International Master (Ameet Ghasi) and four aspiring youngsters took part. As the cross table shows, the youngsters had a tough learning experience though Louise Head finished well after beating Ghasi and two of the other aspirants.
Invitational Cross Table
As usual Sam and I enjoyed hanging out with the other players, Sam pictured here with an eminent group:
Left to Right: Mark Hebden, Ameet Ghasi, Sam Davies and Keith Arkell
As always this tournament was well organized and there was a good turnout in terms of numbers. Probably we will be back next year and perhaps I might get to play.
Some time ago my son Sam told me that I shouldn't go in the playing room unless I am playing myself. He just didn't like me looking at his games when they were in progress, usually because I looked so worried. This has certainly made my life easier as a chess parent, now I just don't get nervous. I was even oblivious when Sam played an opponent who objected to the slight crinkle of his water bottle when Sam took a drink, made a big thing of it and a lot of tension and anger ensued with Sam's opponent finally being kicked out of the tournament! It was quite interesting to find out what happened later and all the time I had been getting on with some work in the analysis room.
Yesterday there was another case where it was better not to watch, though I did take a quick look at Sam's position when he left the playing room for a few minutes. I saw the following position which looked like it should be a draw:
Davies - Ashton, Crewe 2018
Here Black had just played 41...Qh5+ after which I figured it would be a draw, with both sides having the chance to deliver a draw by perpetual check. I got out before Sam returned so as not to get into trouble and waited for him to finish. Some time later he found me and announced that he had won, but it was not a very good game.
What had happened? Well in the game there followed 42.Kg1 e5 43.Rd7+ Ke6 44.Re7+ Kd6 45.Rxe5 Qd1+ 46.Kh2 Qe2? (Black should draw with 46...Qe1) 47.Rd5+ Kc7 48.e5 c4 49.e6 b5 50.e7 Qe1 51.Re5 Qh4+ 52.Kg1 Qd4+ 53.Kf1 Qf4+ 54.Ke2 Qh2 55.Kf3 Qg1 56.e8=Q Qd1+ 57.Kg3 Qd3+ 58.Re3 Qd6+ 59.Be5 1-0 but this was not the only drama. Apparently Sam lost his queen earlier in the game and had a position he could easily have resigned.
This is why parents should stay out of the playing room, it just saves them a lot of stress! In the end Sam got another good result of 3.5/5 and a share of second place but it could all have been very different. Here is the top of the final cross-table:
Crewe Major Cross-Table
Below is a picture of a smiling Sam outside the Ibis Styles Hotel where the tournament was played, another very nice venue:
Today I took my son Sam to the Atkins Memorial Rapidplay, which was one of the most distant tournaments we have been to in a single day. It was worth the trip though because it was very well organised and had a really excellent venue at the Leicester Grammar School. Here is view from the outside:
Leicester Grammar School
Sam had another good rapid play performance, finishing equal third in the Major and looked very much as if he has the potential to win such events in the very near future. He was half a point behind the joint winners and this could have been very different had he not made a bad slip in round 4. Here is the top of the cross-table:
Major Cross-Table
It was also good to meet up with legendary GM Mark Hebden for the second weekend running, and also good to see Mark winning the Open with considerable ease. Rapid play seems to be his strongest discipline as it showcases his very well worked out opening repertoire, great intuition and excellent technique. Mark is pictured below with Sam:
Mark Hebden (left) and Sam Davies
I will take Sam to two more tournaments on the next two weekends after which he will have a few weeks break. Fortunately the next ones are not quite as far!
The September clinic is now online and members can access it here. The theme this month was 'pawn levers', which tend to be neglected at club level but which members tend to develop because of the strong focus on strategy and pawn play. Here are a few examples from the clinic:
This first one seems like a fairly normal looking position, but White has a way to obtain the more promising position. What should he play and why?
What should White play and why?
A promising way to proceed is with 6.b4! which gains space on the queenside and at the same time inhibits Black's two main pawn levers, with ...c6-c5 or when White's bishop goes to b2, ...e7-e5. This plan is covered in my Building an Opening Repertoire course and has been used by Magnus Carlsen; White built up a very promising position and won in just 28 moves.
The second example features a typical mistake by Black which happens a lot a club level. What should Black play here?
Black makes a typical error
Black has quite a few good choices, for example 5...Nc6 or 5...Nbd7 to name but two. What he should not do is 5...cxd4?!, as this allows White to gain firm control over the ...e5 square and indeed a later ...e6-e5 by Black will leave him with an isolated d-pawn. Yet 5...cxd4 is exactly what Black did, and this is one of the most common moves at club level.
Finally let's look at a lever that is associated with a direct attack. It's Black to play in the position below:
Black has a lever which gives him an attack
Black played a very strong lever with 14...b5!, which does involve a pawn sacrifice but it is a very promising one. After 15.axb5 Black even followed up with the excellent 15...d5! and after 16.bxa6 even levered open the center with 16...e5!. Black went on to win this game very quickly after his excellent pawn play.
To see the members clinics (48 of them so far!) you need to join, which can be done so on the Membership Signup page.
When I started playing tournament chess in the 1970s the venues might well have been described as 'basic'. Typically players would be huddled together in some school or community centre, one of the worst I remember being a workshop with benches to sit on and a vice in my back. The toilet facilities were just as basic, and if someone had the forethought to arrange refreshments it would be tea with stale sandwiches and maybe (just maybe) a packet of digestives. During one school match we were given tuna sandwiches (at least I think it was tuna), which successfully discouraged me from eating tuna for the next couple of decades.
How times have changed! These days organizers have recognized the value of having good venues in order to make chess tournaments more pleasurable for the players. I think this certain helps to encourage parents to bring their kids to chess events so they can enjoy more pleasant surroundings while waiting for them to finish. I think it also encourages more women to play as they tend to be a bit more picky than men with regards to where they spend their time.
Amongst the UK tournaments with the best venues are the 4NCL events, which emerged as an offshoot of the 4NCL team competition. These events are invariably held at very decent hotels with Bridge Overseas liasing with hotel chains so as to provide good value venues. The English Chess Academy has also been using Bridge Overseas as a result of which I have been spending a lot of time in this place, The Park Inn Hotel in Nottingham:
Park Inn Hotel in Nottingham
In my chess parent role it is certainly nice to be able to sit in comfort whilst my son Sam is playing. Grandmasters get their hotel room paid for which brought Keith Arkell and Mark Hebden to this latest event (September 28-30). Pictured below (from left to right) we have my son Sam Davies, legendary GM Mark Hebden and Ukken Somton (father of Anita, one of the UK's young stars).
Sam Davies (left), Mark Hebden (centre) and Ukken Somton (right)
Keith Arkell won the Open with four wins and a draw. When I caught up with him in the bar he was in his usual jovial mood, ascribing his win to having an easy day on the Saturday with a win by default in the morning and then a thirteen (!) move win in the afternoon against IM Antanas Zapolskis. Keith is pictured below:
GM Keith Arkell
In case you are wondering how he won in just thirteen moves, the first twelve were 1.d4 b5 2.Nf3 Bb7 3.Bg5 c5 4.c3 h6 5.Bh4 Qb6 6.e3 e6 7.Nbd2 Ne7 8.a4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 a6 10.axb5 axb5 11.Nxb5 Rxa1 12.Qxa1 Nf5 reaching the position in the diagram below. Can you see the killer blow:
Arkell-Zapolskis: Position after 12...Ne7-f5
White to play uncorked 13.Qa7! which wins on the spot because 13...Qxa7 is answered by 14.Nc7 mate. A very neat finish which meant he could have the rest of the day off!
Nigel Davies
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