OPENINGS, PSYCHOLOGY, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

SLEEP ISSUES DURING TOURNAMENTS

Something that I've often sruggled with during tournaments is sleep, especially if I've just had a tough game. This is a very big deal because none of us will think as clearly when deprived of sleep. There are a few things that can be tried and hopefully some combination of these will work.

The first is medication, for example Nytol offer a variety of sleep aids which will hopefully bring results. There are a number of similar drugs sold by Tesco and Boots, but your options are quite limited in the UK. Unfortunately we can only get melatonin on prescription, unlike the US where it is sold over the counter.

A second major area is that of sleep routines, for example you might avoid looking at an electronic screen a few hours before going to bed. Avoiding any caffeinated drinks after 2 or 3pm is also a good idea, leaving at least 8-10 hours before going to bed. Keeping your bedroom cool is also supposed to be effective as is having a wind-down routine which might include dimming lights and reading.

Finally there are methods such as those used by the US marines which were developed because of the importance of getting a good night's sleep. Here's a good description of the kind of thing that is involved, and no doubt variations on this are also good. Sweet dreams!

Vimeo Closing Its Video On Demand

Unfortunately Vimeo is closing its Video On Demand service in November, so I'll no longer be offering any titles through them. Those who have purchased one of my videos on this platform will be able get access to the materials at Tiger Chess by sending me their receipts, these are available here when you are logged onto your Vimeo account.

Sam's Youtube Chanel

My son Sam runs a Youtube channel in which he streams his live games on chess.com. This shows considerably more bravery than I'm able to muster, so please check it out and subscribe. I think he's doing a nice job.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now having withdrawn my availability for the European Senior Team Championships. I might get invited to the English Senior Championships in October, in which case I will probably play:

August 1-9: British Championships, Coventry, UK
I've accepted an invitation to this one (the Championship itself) and look forward to playing.

August 21-23: Manchester Summer Congress, Bolton UK
This is a long standing event which is now run in a nice venue and with good prizes. Details can be found here.

September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.

October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I'm intending to play in this one if I can. Details are here.

October 26-31: English Senior Championships, Peterborough
This is also up in the air unless and until I get invited. Details can be found here. 

Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

FRENCH DEFENCE, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

CHOOSING TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES

A major factor for older players is the tournament schedule they sign up for. Organizers have discovered that playing nine games in five days saves money on the venue, and many players will also appreciate the condensed format because they can save on hotel costs and the number of days off they have to take. Yet for older players, who may have less stamina, such formats can be a kiss of death.

Even in a single game, older players can tire after a few hours. If there are two games in a day this tiredness is going to be amplified, and if this happens for a number of consecutive days you can expect to be exhausted. A faster time limit might help a bit, four hour games are considerably less exhausting then those which can last for seven. Also the strength of opposition can be a factor, playing stronger opposition is going to be considerably harder.

What schedules will I go for? Generally I'm OK with a typical weekend tournament of a game on Friday night and then two on Saturday and Sunday. Nine games in six days is also OK, it means three double round days and three with just one. Yet I'd still say that my favourite format has to be nine games in nine days and maybe having a rest day if it's taking part in an interesting place.

Vimeo Closing Its Video On Demand

Unfortunately Vimeo is closing its Video On Demand service in November, so I'll no longer be offering any titles through them. Those who have purchased one of my videos on this platform will be able get access to the materials at Tiger Chess by sending me their receipt.

Sam's Youtube Chanel

My son Sam runs a Youtube channel in which he streams his live games on chess.com. This shows considerably more bravery than I'm able to muster, so please check it out and subscribe. I think he's doing a nice job.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now having withdrawn my availability for the European Senior Team Championships. I might get invited to the English Senior Championships in October, in which case I will probably play:

August 1-9: British Championships, Coventry, UK
I've accepted an invitation to this one (the Championship itself) and look forward to playing.

August 21-23: Manchester Summer Congress, Bolton UK
This is a long standing event which is now run in a nice venue and with good prizes. Details can be found here.

September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.

October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I'm intending to play in this one if I can. Details are here.

October 26-31: English Senior Championships, Peterborough
This is also up in the air unless and until I get invited. Details can be found here. 

Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

FRENCH DEFENCE, HOW TO, OPENINGS, TRAINING

HOW TO COPY AN EXPERT

One of the best ways to accelerate the development of an opening repertoire is to copy someone else's; just find a player whose games you like and play what they play. Clearly you won't have their deep knowledge, but the choices themselves can be very instructive and would otherwise require a lot of work. Once you're on board you should be able to fill in any knowledge gaps over time.

Who are the best players to emulate? I would suggest choosing players with a relatively narrow repertoire who clearly do their homework. A good example would be Matthius Bluebaum in the French Defence (1.e4 e6), he's clearly an outstanding specialist who works deeply on the variations he chooses. As he also plays online a lot you will be able to find a lot of his games in the French in the databases.

What if your model plays several different openings and several different lines within their most common choice? In this case you should play what they play most often, as long as there are also recent games. A major issue for specialists is that a lack of mobility can make them easier to prepare for. Accordingly they have to vary a bit, but this won't be the case at amateur level.

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off my French Defence course using the code 'july3to11'. 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.

Last week's discount was 40% off buying my Endgame Mastery series using the code 'june26july4', and this is still valid until tomorrow. The endgame is one of the most important aspects of chess, though it tends to be neglected at club level. In this series of videos Nigel shows how you can improve your endgame play and use this stage of the game to notch up valuable points.

Sam's Youtube Chanel

My son Sam runs a Youtube channel in which he streams his live games on chess.com. This shows considerably more bravery than I'm able to muster, so please check it out and subscribe, I think he's doing a nice job.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now having withdrawn my availability for the European Senior Team Championships. I might get invited to the English Senior Championships in October, in which case I will probably play:

July 7-12: South Wales International, Bridgend, Wales
I've accepted an invitation to this event and look forward to playing! 

August 1-9: British Championships, Coventry, UK
I've accepted an invitation to this one (the Championship itself) and look forward to playing.

August 21-23: Manchester Summer Congress, Bolton UK
This is a long standing event which is now run in a nice venue and with good prizes. Details can be found here.

September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.

October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I'm intending to play in this one if I can. Details are here.

October 26-31: English Senior Championships, Peterborough
This is also up in the air unless and until I get invited. Details can be found here. 

Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

ENDGAMES, FRENCH DEFENCE, HOW TO, PSYCHOLOGY, TRAINING

HANDLING DRAWISH VARIATIONS

A concern that many of us have is that positions can become quite drawish, especially when playing against lower rated players. This can lead us to avoid the most logical and best moves and going for something tricky instead, but this is almost always a mistake. When your opponent plays the right moves in reply you can find yourself in a difficult position and just wishing you'd played the move you thought was the best.

This can extend to opening choices in which we may avoid many opening choices because of a concern the position may become impossible to win. So the French and Slav Defences are rejected because of their respective Exchange Variations (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 and 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5) and 1.e4 e5 is rejected because of the Four Knights Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5). That takes out three of the best opening choices, and then we might be dismayed by the prospect of 2.c3 being too drawish against the Sicilian!

What can be done? My discussions with colleagues have revealed that our worst fears are rarely realized and if they are you just keep playing. Stronger players often show their strength in apparently equal endgames, where strategic sensitivity and an eye for nuance can help turn drawish positions in their favour. There are countless examples of this happening and at the highest level, the games of Magnus Carlsen being a great source.

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off buying my Endgame Mastery series using the code 'june26july4'. The endgame is one of the most important aspects of chess, though it tends to be neglected at club level. In this series of videos Nigel shows how you can improve your endgame play and use this stage of the game to notch up valuable points.

Last week's discount was 40% off Surviving Computerized Opening Preparation using the code 'june19to27', and this is still valid until tomorrow. With the advent of databases and high powered engines, computerized chess opening preparation has become a menace to players at every level of competition. Drawing on his extensive experience as a player and coach, Nigel shows different ways in which the effects can be mitigated so that players can just sit down and play a chess game.

Sam's Youtube Chanel

My son Sam has started a Youtube channel in which he streams his live games on chess.com. This shows considerably more bravery than I'm able to muster, so please check it out and give him a like, I think he's doing a nice job.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now having withdrawn my availability for the European Senior Team Championships. I might get invited to the English Senior Championships in October, in which case I will probably play:

July 7-12: South Wales International, Bridgend, Wales
I've accepted an invitation to this event and look forward to playing! 

August 1-9: British Championships, Coventry, UK
I've accepted an invitation to this one (the Championship itself) and look forward to playing.

September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.

October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I'm intending to play in this one if I can. Details are here.

October 26-31: English Senior Championships, Peterborough
This is also up in the air unless and until I get invited. Details can be found here. 

Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

CHESS SOFTWARE, OPENINGS, PSYCHOLOGY, TOURNAMENTS

POSITIONS FOR ENGINES ONLY

There's a growing awareness that it's not at all simple for humans to follow computer recommendations, both in the openings and elsewhere. The massive calculating power of engines means that they can find brilliant moves that make little sense to humans, and then follow them up with more brilliant but strange moves. Eventually it becomes clear that the concept has worked but only an engine can make it work.

This is the problem with many engine driven openings books and courses, engines find improvements everywhere but with moves that make no sense to humans. Let's say that you remember a brilliant new move out of the hundreds of brilliant new moves suggested. Will you then remember the follow-up, potentially consisting of another ten brilliant moves that you couldn't possibly work out on your own. My contention is that this will be difficult if not impossible.

What is the solution? We certainly shouldn't abandon engines because we can't keep up with them, but we can manage how we use them. I suggest investing heavily in understanding the logic behind the moves but then have the engine run in the background. If the engine improvements make sense then great, if they don't make sense then either study the position until they do or go with the option that makes sense to you. Sometimes you may find that an entire line depends on brilliant engine moves and in this case I personally would be likely to look elsewhere.

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off Surviving Computerized Opening Preparation using the code 'june19to27'. With the advent of databases and high powered engines, computerized chess opening preparation has become a menace to players at every level of competition. Drawing on his extensive experience as a player and coach, Nigel shows different ways in which the effects can be mitigated so that players can just sit down and play a chess game.

Last week's discount was 40% off buying the Building an Opening Repertoire course with the code 'june12to20' on checkout, and this is still available until close of play tomorrow. The lines presented here (French and Queen's Gambit Declined as Black, 1.d4 followed by 2.Nf3 and 3.e3 as White) are easy to learn and remember. There are no elaborate computer generated variations, just plans and ideas.

Sam's Youtube Chanel

My son Sam has started a Youtube channel in which he streams his live games on chess.com. This shows considerably more bravery than I'm able to muster, so please check it out and give him a like, I think he's doing a nice job.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now having withdrawn my availability for the European Senior Team Championships. I might get invited to the English Senior Championships in October, in which case I will probably play:

July 7-12: South Wales International, Bridgend, Wales
I've accepted an invitation to this event and look forward to playing! 

August 1-9: British Championships, Coventry, UK
I've accepted an invitation to this one (the Championship itself) and look forward to playing.

September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.

October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I'm intending to play in this one if I can. Details are here.

October 26-31: English Senior Championships, Peterborough
This is also up in the air unless and until I get invited. Details can be found here. 

Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

OPENINGS, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

SHOULD YOU PLAY THE MAIN LINES?

Quality Chess, one of the leading chess publishing companies, started putting this question and answer on the front of their books: "Tired of bad positions? Try the main lines!" There's certainly a case for playing logical and well motivated moves rather than obscure and dubious ones, and in general these moves will be the main lines. Yet this is not always the case and in these days of high powered engines some lines that were formerly considered good have been brought into question. At the same time many players have sought fresh pastures with less critical developing moves, a prime example being the Jobava London with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4.

The opening recommendations I make are based on slightly different criteria. I think there should a basic level of soundness, clear plans and not be reliant on a knowledge of computer generated analysis. Good examples can be found in my flagship Building an Opening Repertoire course, which gives the French and Queen's Gambit Declined as Black and the Colle System (1.d4 followed by 2.Nf3 and 3.e3) with White. From this basis players can build a more elaborate repertoire but with a solid foundation in certain typical plans and ideas.

Is there any place for gambits? Yes or course! Yet I see gambits as being more in the chess for fun category, in which players are not really trying to improve but rather have exhilarating games. I wrote my Gambiteer books for Everyman with this in mind and it's a perfectly valid approach. At the same time I don't believe this is a great way for someone to build up their chess, especially if any repairs use up the time which would be better spent on the endgame.

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off buying the Building an Opening Repertoire course, just use the code 'june12to20' on checkout. The lines presented here (French and Queen's Gambit Declined as Black, 1.d4 followed by 2.Nf3 and 3.e3 as White) are easy to learn and remember. There are no elaborate computer generated variations, just plans and ideas.

Last week's discount was 40% off buying Mastering Key Pawn Structures: Blocked Positions using the code 'june5to13', and this is still valid until tomorrow. Mastering key pawn structures is the most effective way to learn positional play. This video series will consider positions in which the centre is blocked and play is generally conducted on the flanks.

Sam's Youtube Chanel

My son Sam has started a Youtube channel in which he streams his live games on chess.com. This shows considerably more bravery than I'm able to muster, so please check it out and give him a like, I think he's doing a nice job.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now having withdrawn my availability for the European Senior Team Championships. I might get invited to the English Senior Championships in October, in which case I will probably play:

July 7-12: South Wales International, Bridgend, Wales
I've accepted an invitation to this event and look forward to playing! 

August 1-9: British Championships, Coventry, UK
I've accepted an invitation to this one (the Championship itself) and look forward to playing.

September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.

October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I'm intending to play in this one if I can. Details are here.

October 26-31: English Senior Championships, Peterborough
This is also up in the air unless and until I get invited. Details can be found here. 

Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

OPENINGS, PATTERN RECOGNITION, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

A SEPARATE REPERTOIRE FOR BLITZ?

This week's Chess Questions Answered I looked at whether or not someone should have a separate repertoire for blitz and rapidplay games. I think it depends on whether you use blitz for training purposes, as I do, or enter online events in the hope of winning money. If you're playing for training purposes then you should use the same openings you intend to play in standard games, and by doing so get some invaluable experience. If you're trying to win money the dynamics are quite different, and in this case it can make sense to have a separate repertoire.

A few years back I spoke to the young Italian GM Luca Moroni who told me that he reserved the Modern Defence (1...g6 against anything) for his online games. I checked them out and found that he had some interesting and noteworthy ideas, coming close to beating Magnus Carlsen with Black in one Titled Tuesday encounter. The Modern Defence is just one example of a blitz repertoire for Black, in fact you can play all sorts of stuff that has a slightly shady reputation.

What's the problem with playing your standard time limit repertoire in blitz? Essentially you are giving your opponents valuable information which they might be able to capitalize on with sufficient time to prepare. This is not a problem if you play under a pseudonym, but many titled players do not have this opportunity if they want to enter events such as the Titled Tuesday tournaments. In this case it makes perfect sense to have a separate repertoire, though even here there's a case for using such tournaments as additional training and reinforcement.

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off buying Mastering Key Pawn Structures: Blocked Positions using the code 'june5to13'. Mastering key pawn structures is the most effective way to learn positional play. This video series will consider positions in which the centre is blocked and play is generally conducted on the flanks.

Last week's discount was 40% off my series on Crafting Your Own Opening Repertoire using the code 'may29june6', and this is still valid until tomorrow. Developing an opening repertoire is a key aspect of any player's development, and the most effective way to do this is to craft your own. This video series demonstrates how to go about this, covering opening selection, choosing sources and assembling your lines.

Sam's Youtube Chanel

My son Sam has started a Youtube channel in which he streams his live games on chess.com. This shows considerably more bravery than I'm able to muster, so please check it out and give him a like, I think he's doing a nice job.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now having withdrawn my availability for the European Senior Team Championships. I might get invited to the English Senior Championships in October, in which case I will probably play:

July 7-12: South Wales International, Bridgend, Wales
I've accepted an invitation to this event and look forward to playing! 

August 1-9: British Championships, Coventry, UK
I've accepted an invitation to this one (the Championship itself) and look forward to playing.

September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.

October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I'm intending to play in this one if I can. Details are here.

October 26-31: English Senior Championships, Peterborough
This is also up in the air unless and until I get invited. Details can be found here. 

Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

OPENINGS, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

HOW TO LEARN A NEW OPENING

In this week's Chess Questions Answered I described how I am trying to learn a new opening, namely a defence against 1.e4. For me it's not a question of memorizing variations, instead I want to start with a good conceptual framework through a book or video that explains the ideas. After that I will want to get some experience in actually playing it, as Ernst Schumacher once put it: "An ounce of practice is generally worth more than a ton of theory.”

Where should you gain this practical experience? The best way is by playing online, and hopefully enough of your opponents will cooperate so that you get the opening you want. You can also arrange to play games against a friend or training partner and start from the opening you want to reach. As most online games seem to start with 1.e4, it should not be a problem getting experience in a Black defence against this, though you might also face some weird 2nd or 3rd moves.

After you've gained some first hand experience it can be time to start clothing the conceptual framework with specific variations. Why only now? Because you want such variations to be aligned with what you have come to understand. This makes remembering things far easier because you will be able to reconstruct the variations using reason and logic. If your understanding develops and changes, the variations you play might also change.

How long should this process take before becoming an expert? Clearly this will depend on many factors, but I think I should be fairly competent after a few months and quite expert after a year.

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off my series on Crafting Your Own Opening Repertoire using the code 'may29june6'. Developing an opening repertoire is a key aspect of any player's development, and the most effective way to do this is to craft your own. This video series demonstrates how to go about this, covering opening selection, choosing sources and assembling your lines.

Last week's discount is 40% off buying Building an Opening Repertoire using the code 'may22to30', and it is still valid until tomorrow. This acclaimed openings course shows how to use simple opening lines to develop middle game understanding by reaching key pawn structures. The lines presented here (French and Queen's Gambit Declined as Black, 1.d4 followed by 2.Nf3 and 3.e3 as White) are easy to learn and remember.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now having withdrawn my availability for the European Senior Team Championships. I might get invited to the English Senior Championships in October, in which case I will probably play:

July 7-12: South Wales International, Bridgend, Wales
I've accepted an invitation to this event and look forward to playing! 

August 1-9: British Championships, Coventry, UK
I've accepted an invitation to this one (the Championship itself) and look forward to playing.

September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.

October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I'm intending to play in this one if I can. Details are here.

October 26-31: English Senior Championships, Peterborough
This is also up in the air unless and until I get invited. Details can be found here. 

Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, OPENINGS, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

AVOIDING GRATUITOUS COMPLEXITY

One of the major problems with contemporary material on the opening is that it is almost way too complicated. I think it must be very tempting to include razor-sharp computer lines, not least because it can look spectacular. Yet many of us struggle to remember this lines, even for a few hours. After a few days they'll be gone forever.

What is the answer? In this week's Chess Questions Answered I discuss how you can simplify your opening preparation by making good choices. In the past I've talked about how the choice of your initial move can make a big difference, but you can make simpler and more practical choices in many openings. To demonstrate my point I show how a Sicilian Najdorf repertoire can be simplified just be steering clear of gratuitous complexity and going for plan based solutions. 

Can you do this with the Gruenfeld Defence? Yes of course! How about the Sicilian Dragon? Yes sure, there are lines in which Black delays castling and plays ...h7-h5. What about the King's Indian Defence? Again you can avoid massive amoungs of theory, and in this case I would suggest an Old Indian move order with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 e5 after which 4.Nf3 Nbd7 cuts out most of White's systems and avoids gratuitous complexity.

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off buying Building an Opening Repertoire using the code 'may22to30'. This acclaimed openings course shows how to use simple opening lines to develop middle game understanding by reaching key pawn structures. The lines presented here (French and Queen's Gambit Declined as Black, 1.d4 followed by 2.Nf3 and 3.e3 as White) are easy to learn and remember.

Last week's discount was 40% off Mastering Key Pawn Structures: Carlsbad Formations using the code 'may15to23', and this is still valid until tomorrow. This video series will consider the Carlsbad formation, an ideal structure for learning planning and positional play.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now having withdrawn my availability for the European Senior Team Championships. I might get invited to the English Senior Championships in October, in which case I will probably play:

May 24: Warrington Rapidplay
This one is local and I need the practice. Details can be found here.

July 7-12: South Wales International, Bridgend, Wales
I've accepted an invitation to this event and look forward to playing! 

August 1-9: British Championships, Coventry, UK
I've accepted an invitation to this one (the Championship itself) and look forward to playing.

September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.

October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I'm intending to play in this one if I can. Details are here.

October 26-31: English Senior Championships, Peterborough
This is also up in the air unless and until I get invited. Details can be found here. 

Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

PATTERN RECOGNITION, QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED, TRAINING

DO THE BEST MOVES MAKE SENSE?

Something that I realized quite recently is that there are many positions in which the best engine move makes no sense whatsoever, at least not to me. They're based on pure calculation, and what they calculate just happens to work. With other positions I can understand why the engine suggests what it does, there's a certain logic to what it's doing. Does this anomaly fit a particular pattern? I think that it does. In main lines, which feature lots of standard plans and ideas, the engine moves make sense to me. It's in non-standard positions where I'm often completely baffled.

This accords with Adrian De Groot's discovery that strong chess players excel in pattern recognition whilst we know that engines excel in brute force calculation. In turn that means that experienced players might be better off sticking to standard openings whereas great calculators might want to mix things up. It might be less clearcut if an experienced player is also a good calculator, and in this case the require position may also depend on the relative strengths of the opponent.

What can we learn from this from improvement purposes? It goes without saying that it's a good idea to improve your calculation skills, but there's often an upper limit about how far we can go with this. On the other hand the sky's the limit with mastering typical positions, the main limitation being the amount of time you're willing to devote to it.

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off Mastering Key Pawn Structures: Carlsbad Formations using the code 'may15to23'. This video series will consider the Carlsbad formation, an ideal structure for learning planning and positional play.

Last week's discount was 40% off buying Learning from the Greats: Anatoly Karpov using the code 'may8to16', and this is still valid until tomorrow. Anatoly Karpov is widely acknowledged as having been one of the greatest players in history. In this series of videos Nigel examines Karpov's style and strengths, showing what can be learned from him.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now having withdrawn my availability for the European Senior Team Championships. I might get invited to the English Senior Championships in October, in which case I will play:

May 24: Warrington Rapidplay
This one is local and I need the practice. Details can be found here.

July 7-12: South Wales International, Bridgend, Wales
I've accepted an invitation to this event and look forward to playing! 

August 1-9: British Championships, Coventry, UK
I've accepted an invitation to this one (the Championship itself) and look forward to playing.

September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.

October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I'm intending to play in this one if I can. Details are here.

October 26-31: English Senior Championships, Peterborough
This is also up in the air unless and until I get invited. Details can be found here. 

Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

 

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