Category Archives: BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, FRENCH DEFENCE, TRAINING

FINDING TIME TO TRAIN

December 20, 2024 NigelD

One of the biggest issues many players face is finding time to train. With the festive period upon us, and a large number of bank holidays, is an opportunity suddenly presenting itself? Frankly I don't think so. Maybe there's a chance for a little bit more, but the key is to incorporate any training (chess or otherwise) into your regular lifestyle. For many this may not be possible at all.

When I was first doing qigong (chi kung) I managed to train for a couple of hours a day, but there were sacrifices. I got up well before I had to wake my son up and take him to school, and normally managed an hour. Then in the evening I usually managed another hour after putting him to bed. This went on for day after day, week after week and year after year.

I would say that qigong is easier to practice than chess, mainly because it calls for relaxed attention rather than fierce concentration. If I had been learning chess instead then an hour would have been the most I could do without being completely exhausted. Many people are lucky if they can find a fraction of that amount of time.

What should you study with very little time? It's essential to prioritize things that will give you most bang for your buck. Tactics practice should take priority unless you hit a point of diminishing returns, then endgames might take priority. This is why openings should be kept simple and logical, there just isn't time for complexity and having to stay up to date in highly theoretical lines.

Making time is an answer for some, for example by pruning back some activities and pursuits. I went through a period of trying to learn Russian, but then stopped when I realized it wasn't that important for me. I still practice qigong, but have pruned that back to around an hour a day.

Training Tournaments

The training tournaments this week are in positions from the ZOOM Scandinavian course as follows:

Sunday December 22nd at 5pm UK Time: The ZOOM Scandinavian with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 g6

Sunday December 22nd at 6.15pm UK Time: The Scandinavian with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.d4 Nc6

Upcoming Events

Here's my schedule over the coming months, though it is subject to change. I often don't know until fairly late in the day:

January 17-19: Huddersfield 4NCL Congress
I really enjoy the 4NCL Congresses as they're played under excellent conditions in nice hotels. This is the first one in Huddersfield, you can find details here.

January 27th: Stockport Rapidplay
I've played in this event with some regularity, so probably I'll go for it again. You can find details here.
.
February 16-27, 2025: World Senior Team Championship
I've accepted a place in the 50+ second team which means I'll play a much stronger field than on bottom board of the first team. Although this diminishes my chances of winning a medal I'm looking forward to the challenge.

July/August 2025: British Championships
Will these be held in Liverpool next year? There's a rumour on Tim Spanton's blog that they would be. I think I might go for the 50+ event if this is the case.

I am still hoping to play in the European Senior Team Championships (Walbrzych, Poland, April 4-14) in which I've said I'll play in any team and on any board. The details have yet to be confirmed, but when they are the teams will be selected.

Twitch Channel

I'm setting up a new Twitch channel on which I'm planning to run shows a couple of times a week. Please follow it if you'd like to get updates etc.

Have a great time over the festive period, if you're celebrating.

Nigel

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, OPENINGS, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

HOW MANY OPENINGS SHOULD YOU PLAY?

November 22, 2024 NigelD

Something I've often thought about is the width of an opening repertoire. At amateur level it's unusual to find anyone who knows anything really well, top players seem to know and play almost everything.

Should we try to emulate what top players do? Frankly I don't think so because we don't need to. Being too predictable can be fatal at the top level where your opponents can be armed with super-computers and seconds. It's different for amateurs because we will not be facing such a high level of preparation and will be able to win quite drawish positions.

So for most of us I think that having a single set of openings is plenty, assuming that we know them really well. It's important that they should be sound and yet have enough scope to outplay our opponents. Preparing more openings than that is an unproductive use of time which might be better spent on endgames.

What about older GMs who frequently play in weekend events? In my case I think that a single set of openings with White is fine but with Black I tend to think that I need two. One would be for sheer solidity when meeting players of a similar or higher rating to mine, a second would be for when I play lower rated players and really need to avoid early simplification.

One final thought is to always consider the Flank Openings when choosing your defence against 1.d4. The Gruenfeld (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5) and Nimzo (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4) are great until your opponent avoids them with 1.c4 or 1.Nf3. In such cases you need something extra, which can mean a lot more work.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments feature more lines from the Building an Opening Repertoire course, this time from White's perspective:

Sunday November 24th at 5pm UK Time: Colle vs KID with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 Bg7

Sunday November 24th at 6.15pm UK Time: Colle vs Gruenfeld with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 d5

Upcoming Events

Here's my schedule over the coming months, though it is subject to change. I often don't know until fairly late in the day.

December 1, 2024: Bolton Rapid Play
A fairly local event for me, so I'll be playing to to get some practice. Details can be found here.

December 7, 2024: Huddersfield Chess Club Seminar
I've run a number of seminars at this great club, this is the first since before COVID. Their website is here.

January 27th: Stockport Rapidplay
I've played in this event with some regularity, so probably I'll go for it again. You can find details here.

February 16-27, 2025: World Senior Team Championship
I've accepted a place in the 50+ second team which means I'll play a much stronger field than on bottom board of the first team. Although this diminishes my chances of winning a medal I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I'm hopeful that I'll get to play in the European Senior Team Championships (Walbrzych, Poland, April 4-14) in which I've said I'll play in any team and on any board.

Have a great weekend!

Nigel

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, COACHING, PSYCHOLOGY, QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED, TRAINING

CARBS AND CONCENTRATION

November 15, 2024 NigelD

I recently went on a very low carb diet (for health reasons) and noticed that there was a very different feel about how my brain was working when I played chess. The difference was marked enough to want to investigate the relationship between carbs and concentration.

The evidence appears to be complex, on the one hand this 2008 study found that taking carbs out of the diet negatively affected cognition with regard to memory, visual-spatial memory and reaction time. Brain cells appear to require a continuous supply via the blood stream to work properly, take the supply away and they won't work as well.

On the other hand this recent study showed a number of benefits to ketogenic diets, they helped with general mood (calmness, reducing anxiety etc.) and improved alertness.

There is no conflict between these findings but what is clear is that what we eat has very different effects on the brain. I would say that chess players, for the most part, should have enough carbs in their blood stream when playing their games. A possible exception might be those who tend towards anxiety, for them their may be more advantages to very low carb consumption.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments feature the Queen's Gambit Declined lines which appear in both the Building an Opening Repertoire course.

Sunday November 17th at 5pm UK Time: QGD with 5.Bg5 Be7

Sunday November 17th at 6.15pm UK Time: QGD with 5.e3 Bd6

Upcoming Events

Here's my approximate schedule over the coming months, subject to change! I often don't know until fairly late in the day.

December 1, 2024: Bolton Rapid Play
A fairly local event for me, so I'll be playing to to get some practice. Details can be found here.

December 7, 2024: Huddersfield Chess Club Seminar
I've run a number of seminars at this great club, this is the first since before COVID. Their website is here.

January 27th: Stockport Rapidplay
I've played in this event with some regularity, so probably I'll go for it again. You can find details here.

I'm hopeful that I'll get to play in the European Senior Team Championships (Walbrzych, Poland, April 4-14) in which I've said I'll play in any team and on any board.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Nigel

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, COACHING, OPENINGS, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING, WHITE 1.d2-d4 REPERTOIRE

HOW TO STUDY CHESS VIDEOS

November 8, 2024 NigelD

During this week's webinar I was asked how many times it's good to watch a chess opening video. I would say that the answer is rather nuanced.

To learn openings I recommend a combination of watching videos, training games and playing around with any pgn file to look for alternatives and see what the engine says. The amount of time used on these three approaches will vary from person to person and how much time they have available.

Personally I tend to watch videos, often whilst doing some other activity such as using a stationary exercise bike. I would like to spend time examining the variations with an engine and playing through them on a real chess board, unfortunately it's difficult to find time. As for training games, this tends to be my lowest priority, but I've put it there because I'd need both time and a suitable partner. In the past I've tested openings in correspondence games but tend to lose interest once the opening stage is over.

I would not recommend my approach to anybody else, I think we all have to find our own way. A good way to start is by watching Tiger Chess material and then play in the Tiger Chess training tournaments on Lichess.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments will feature the Colle, which appears in both the Building an Opening Repertoire course and the White 1.d4 Repertoire:

Sunday November 10th at 5pm UK Time: Colle with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 c5

Sunday November 10th at 6.15pm UK Time: Colle with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 b6

Upcoming Events

Here's my approximate schedule over the coming months, subject to change! I often don't know until fairly late in the day.

December 1, 2024: Bolton Rapid Play
A fairly local event for me, so I'll be playing to to get some practice. Details can be found here.

December 7, 2024: Huddersfield Chess Club Seminar
I've run a number of seminars at this great club, this is the first since before COVID. Their website is here.

January 27th: Stockport Rapidplay
I've played in this event with some regularity, so probably I'll go for it again. You can find details here.

I'm hopeful that I'll get to play in the European Senior Team Championships (Walbrzych, Poland, April 4-14) in which I've said I'll play in any team and on any board.

Hope you have a great weekend! Meanwhile please note that there are discounts on my Vimeo videos listed in my newsletter.

Nigel

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, CLINIC, QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED

FEBRUARY 2021 CLINIC

March 10, 2021 NigelD

The February clinic is still on internet games and features Tiger Chess opening recommendations in all of them. One of the Black wins reached the following position in which Black found a nice way to proceed (see diagram):

Black uncorked 16…Bxh3, the idea being that after 17.gxh3 Qxh3 18.Re1 Black can force mate with 18…Bh2+ 19.Kh1 Bg3+ 20.Kg1 Qh2+ 21.Kf1 Qxf2 mate. The game went 17.Qd4 Bg4 18.g3 and now 18…Qg5 (rather than 18…Bxg3, as played in the game) would have left Black a good pawn up.

Nigel Davies

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, CLINIC, QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED, TACTICS

OCTOBER 2020 CLINIC: STILL INTERNET GAMES

November 13, 2020 NigelD

The October clinic is now online with another selection of internet games. The signs are that we will have a Covid vaccine before long after which terrestrial tournaments will return.

The following position arose in a game in which R. A. played Black in a Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Variation and managed to build up a strong attack (see diagram). What should he play here?

Black uncorked the brilliant 21…Bxh3!! after which 22.gxh3 Rg6 23.Ne2 Ne4 was a killer. The game ended 24.f4 Qd8 0-1, though Black could win with 24…Qh4 25.f5 Rg5 26.Qc2 Qf2 etc..

Nigel Davies

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, CLINIC

MAY 2020 CLINIC: EVEN MORE LOCKDOWN GAMES

June 19, 2020 NigelD

The May clinic is now online here and features another collection of internet games played by Tiger Chess members. As usual there was a mixed group of submissions but one game in particular showing one of my recommendations in action.

The following position came from my Building an Opening Repertoire formula against the King's Indian in which White advances his queenside pawns in order to create a breach which his rooks can exploit. White is the exchange up but the position still looks messy. What should he do (see diagram)?

White played the powerful 33.Nc6! regaining the initiative, the point being that 33...Qxc6 allows 34.Qxf7+ followed by mate on h7 and that 33...Rxc6 loses to 34.Rb8!, once again decoying Black's queen from the defence of f7. In the game Black played 33...Bf6 when White consolidated with 34.g3 Kg7 35.Nd4 and won after 35...Be5 36.Nb5 d2 37.Qxd2 Qe6 38.Kg2 h5 39.Rc7 1-0.

Nigel Davies

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, FRENCH DEFENCE, POSITIONAL PLAY

FEBRUARY 2019 CLINIC: POSITIONAL PLAY

March 10, 2019 NigelD

Positional play is a major focus here at Tiger Chess. When I started teaching chess to club players in the 1990s, this was one of the areas which I felt was least developed, so I set about creating a course which focused heavily on this aspect of chess. Originally I sent this out as a correspondence course over a two year period, and a cut down version of this was later published as The Power Chess Program in a two book form. Its latest incarnation is the Tiger Chess Strategy Course which is available to members with 160 weekly lessons.

This work was later supplemented by opening repertoires which helped players use some of the strategic themes presented, including the Building an Opening Repertoire course for both Black and White, and more recently a specialist course on the French Defence. This summer I will be bringing out another course, this time for White, which will present an economical 1.d4, 2.Nf3 and 3.c4 repertoire in which the focus will be on strategy rather than computer generated variations which are very difficult for players to remember.

The February clinic was devoted to positional play in which five games were presented, four by members together with one of my own. Positional play is often misunderstood at club level and is perhaps best thought of as operations with the pawns. The following position provided a good illustration:

White to play used a thematic pawn lever with 36.a5!, undermining the pawn on b6. Black's position collapsed quite quickly after this, the game finishing with the moves 36...Ke8 37.axb6 Rxb6 38.Rxb6 Rxb6 39.Rxb6 Nxb6 40.Ba5 1-0. Black's resignation may seem premature but he is defenceless against an invasion of White's queen along the b-file.

This shows the power of good positional play, White simply levered open a file and his opponent's position was hopeless; no fireworks or calculation was required.

Nigel Davies

BOOKS, BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, FRENCH DEFENCE, OPENINGS, QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED, QUEEN'S PAWN GAMES

HOLIDAY PREPARATION

December 27, 2018 NigelD

Finding the time to study chess can be quite tricky, especially for those of us with work and family commitments. It can seem almost impossible to find a solid chunk of time to work on your game which usually means using occasional study opportunities during the day. I built Tiger Chess with this in mind; people can access lessons and videos while waiting for a bus or train or during lunch breaks at the office. It is better to try and set aside some study time during the day, for example first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening, but this is not always possible.

When holidays come along, such as the ones many of us have at the moment, there can be more of an opportunity to spend a few consecutive hours on chess. How should we use it productively? The first thing is to have a realistic plan in place of what can be achieved during this time. There is also a good case for having a plan for all of our chess study, holidays just providing a bit more time to make extra progress.

A favourite study topic is the opening, not least because most of the chess books out there are about them. Simple practical openings that are not in danger of being suddenly refuted make the most sense for busy people. This accounts for many of the lines I recommend, such as the French Defence, Queen's Gambit Declined and Queen's Pawn Games as White. Those with little time on their hands do not have time to try to assimilate opening theory using books with hundreds of pages of densely packed analysis. This stuff is also completely unnecessary, games can be won against Grandmasters using simple openings and strong core skills.

What is the best way to study openings? Well here at Tiger Chess HQ my son Sam and I use the old fashioned approach of going through complete games with a board and pieces, never once going through them on a computer screen. We also play dozens of training games in each line in order to get the feel of the middle games and build up practical experience in particular position types. I think this is invaluable but very few people do it.

One final recommendation is to try to introduce new openings over time rather than change everything in one fell swoop. The previous paragraph really explains this, if you try to take on too much it will be impossible to do it thoroughly enough. The result will be a superficial grasp of a lot of things rather than a deep grasp of just one.

Nigel Davies

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, PAWN LEVERS, TIGER CHESS STRATEGY COURSE

SEPTEMBER 2018 CLINIC: PAWN LEVERS

October 4, 2018 NigelD

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?

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 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.

Nigel Davies