The January 2021 clinic is now up and can be accessed by members here. Internet games are still the ones being reviewed though with some over the board events taking place I hope we will have some real games soon.
There were a few nice moments in the games sent in, for example this one that arose after Black had just played 20...Qf6xf5 (see diagram):
White had prepared a stunning reply in 21.Nxd6! after which 21...Qxd3 (21...Qd7 meets with the crushing 22.Nxf7! Qxf7 23.Bc4) 22.Qxf7+ Kh8 23.Nf5 left Black with no other move than 23...Ne6. After 24.Qxe6 White was left with a winning position which he duly converted.
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?
NN vs RA: Black to play
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..
With lock down continuing for many of us, internet chess remains the only game in town. The July Clinic featured another three internet games but also two from those distant days when we would sit opposite people to play, chess and breathe on each other for up to 7 hours.
The following position arose in a game by L. J. in which he allowed Black to give him a potentially weak b5 pawn but one which gave White space and an outpost on c6. Black has just played 17...Nb8 in an attempt to exchange White's well placed knight, but in doing so he has missed something (see diagram):
L.J. vs A. N. Other; White to play
With the rook on a8 having been unprotected White played 18.Ne7+ Bxe7 19.Qxa8 and went on to win in an endgame. Members can see the complete game here.
The April clinic is now online here and features members 'best games'. There were quite a few submissions this time round so the May clinic will also be on the 'best games' theme.
Here is an episode from one of them which featured my son Sam playing Black. White had just played 26.Bg2-h3 to reach the following position:
Teague vs Sam Davies: Black to Play
Rather than move his rook, Sam played 26...Qc6 here so that after 27.Bxf5 Nxf5 he will get the knight on f3 when White moves his queen. This puts White in serious trouble after which the game continued 27.Re4 R5f7 28.Kh2 Qb6 29.Ree1 Bxf3 30.Qxf3 Bg5! 31.Re4 Bxf4+ 32.Rxf4 Rxf4 33.Bxf4 Nd5! 34.Rg1 Nxf4 35.Qg3 Qc7 36.Qg5 Kh8 37.Qg3 Ne2 0-1. This was one of his best games of the year so far with the sharp tactical finish crowning some good play earlier in the game.
The March clinic is now online and is devoted to tactics. This is one of the most vital aspects of chess because tactics punctuate every stage of every game. Without good tactical play it is very difficult to get very far. During my teenage years I spent a lot of time on tactics using puzzle books though these days its easier because there are quite a few websites which have interactive tactical problems.
The following position is taken from the clinic with White to play:
B. C. versus NN: White to Play
White to play opened Black's king up with 19.Bxh7+ Kxh7 20.Qh5+ Kg8 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 and then finished the game off with 22.Qg5+ Kh7 and now a rook lift with 23.Re3. Black tried the desperate 23...Bxg2 but after 24.Qh5+ Kg7 25.Rg3+ resigned (1-0) because of 25...Kf6 26.Qg5 mate.
This was a really nice finished that I'm sure White was very pleased to have pulled off. I don't recall ever having the opportunity to use this theme myself.
We are at that time of year when many people are trying New Year resolutions. Most of these will have been abandoned by January 12th, including the chess ones, which will not help too much towards getting any better. Goals and resolutions are all very well but do they help people put the time in that is required for real progress? Usually not, no matter how lofty their initial aims.
Here at Tiger Chess HQ we have a different approach. Goals are downplayed and broken down whilst the emphasis is placed on a steady work rate over a long period of time. What is doable on a daily basis which can also be monitored? With my son Sam I have found that Chessity works very well as it keeps great records as to how much you have really done. We also try to study together for 3 hours on a Sunday and also on Mondays and Tuesdays when he is not at college. Over time it adds up and helps put in place the necessary skills, as you can see below he has now solved over 40,000 positions on Chessity and is in the top 20 for the number of puzzles solved. Note also that I call him Jedi so as to turn him away from the dark side offered by his favourite Star Wars character, General Grievous:
Sam Davies Chessity Ranking
Recently he has been going through many of the videos here at Tiger Chess, which again can be done on a regular basis. With his other commitments he certainly does not do thousands of hours every year but it could be around 500. If he keeps this up for another decade or so he will become very strong.
What about the old guy? Well I am also in the process of dusting myself off with daily tactics practice and studying some new openings. A few thousand hours on top of the 45,000 or so I have already put in should help me get back in shape for when I finish my University studies (currently in year 2).
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).
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.
On August 22nd I visited the ICCF Congress in Llandudno to give a simultaneous display. It went quite well despite my lack of tournament practice with 15 wins and 3 draws against a field which included two ICCF Grandmasters, two Senior International Masters and some young Welsh stars. I confess that I have been playing a lot of blitz (5 minutes with a 3 second increment) against my son Sam and it does seem to have sharpened us both up. There were several moments where I found some strong tactical sequences, such as this one:
Here I sacrificed a knight with 23.Nxf7! Kxf7 24.Ng5+, seeing that after 24...Kg8 I had 25.Re8+! and that after 24...Kf6 I had at least a draw with 25.Nh7+. When my opponent did play 24...Kf6 I found 25.Qf4! threatening 26.Re6 mate, and when my opponent failed to find a defence he graciously asked me whether I would prefer him to take the queen or allow the mate. I plumped for the latter and the game ended with 25...Nxf4 26.Nh7#.
The opening is worth noting as I think that the quiet Italian Game (the game started with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3) is an excellent option for those who open with 1.e4 but prefer to learn strategy rather than opening analysis. For members interested in the complete game I have included it in the August 2018 members clinic. If you are not a member but would like to join you can do so here.
It was also interesting to play over the board games against very strong correspondence players, not least because I have suffered against them when playing them at their own time limit. For many years I have used secret correspondence games to test openings, a practice I believe other over-the-board GMs use as well. My impression was that they have a good understanding of chess and better openings than players of a similar strength who just play over-the-board. At the same time they might benefit from faster time controls where fast reactions and tactical awareness are at a premium.
