[blind-chess] Chess Article #61: Stages of a Chess Game
- From: Roderick Macdonald <rmacd@xxxxxxxx>
- To: Blind Chess Mailing List <blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:16:45 -1000 (HST)
Chess Article #61:
Stages of a Chess Game
Adapted and Condensed from
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Chess is an easy game to learn the moves, but a difficult game to
master. Strategy is an important part of the game. First of all
comes the openings, about which a great deal in now known. The
best-known move, the King's Pawn opening, is the white player
moving his king's pawn on e2 forward two spaces to e4. Black can
reply to that move in various ways.
Opening
The first moves of a chess game are called the opening. A chess
opening is a name given to a series of opening moves. Recognized
patterns of opening moves are openings and have been given names
such as the Ruy Lopez or Sicilian Defence. They are listed in
reference works such as the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. There
are dozens of different openings. They range from gambits, where a
pawn, say, is offered for fast development (e.g. the King's
Gambit), to slower openings which lead to a manoeuvring type of
game (e.g. the R`eti Opening). In some opening lines, the sequence
thought best for both sides has been worked out to 20-30 moves, but
most players avoid such lines. Expert players study openings
throughout their chess career, as opening theory keeps on
developing.
The basic aims of the opening phase are:
* Development: to place (develop) the pieces (mostly bishops and
knights) on useful squares where they will have the most
powerful impact on the game.
* Control of the center: control of the center squares allows
pieces to be moved to any part of the board normally easy, and
can also have a cramping effect on the opponent.
* King safety: keeping the king safe from danger. Castling (see
section above) can often do this.
* Pawn structure: players try to avoid the making of pawn
weaknesses such as isolated, doubled or backward pawns, and
pawn islands - and to force such weaknesses in the opponent's
position.
Players think, and chess databases prove, that White, by virtue of
the first move, begins the game with a better chance. Black
normally tries to equalise, or to get some counterplay.
Middlegame
The middlegame is the part of the game after most pieces have been
developed. It is where most games are won and lost. Many games will
end in resignation even before an endgame takes place.
A middlegame position has a structure. That structure is determined
by the opening. The simplest way to learn the middlegame is to
select an opening and learn it well (see examples in English
opening and French defense).
These are some things to look for when looking at a middlegame
position:
* Material: changes in the balance of material are critical. To
lose a piece for nothing is enough to lose a game. If the
players are evenly matched, then a rough material balance of
pieces is normal. Material balance is often quite static: it
doesn't change for many moves.
* Development: the opening may have left one player with a lead
in development. That player has the initiative, and may attack
before the opponent can get his pieces out. It is a temporary
asset: if a lead in development is not used effectively, it
will disappear.
* The centre: in the centre pieces have their greatest effect,
and some (such as the knight) attack more squares in the
centre than at the sides. The player who controls the centre
will almost always have the advantage.
* Mobility: a position is mobile if the pieces can get where
they need to. Almost all middle game positions have some
limitations to mobility. Look for open files for the rooks,
and open diagonals for the bishops. Outposts are what knights
need, places where they can't easily be dislodged.
* King safety: where is the king? Ideally, a king should be
castled, and kept behind a screen of pawns. Many other things
may happen in practice. If a king is weak, it may be put under
direct attack.
* Pawns: they provide the skeleton of a position. They move
slowly, and may become blocked for many moves. Everything
takes place round the pawns. Different openings produce
different pawn structures. In this way openings influence the
whole game (Philidor: "Pawns are the soul of chess").
FEN: rnbq1rk1/
ppp1npbp/
3p2p1/
3Pp2n/
1PP1P3/
2N2N2/
P3BPPP/
R1BQ1RK1/
King's Indian, main line
Here is an example from the borderline between opening and
middlegame. In the diagram above, White will operate mainly on the
Queenside, and Black on the Kingside.
White, to play, may wish to cope with Black playing 10. ... Nf4. He
can do this by playing 10. g3, or by playing 10. Re1 so that if 10.
... Nf4 11. Bf1 will preserve the bishop (in this position an
important defensive piece). Or maybe White will plough ahead with
10. c5, the key move on the Queenside.
ChessBase shows that the number of tournament games with these
choices were:
10. Re1 2198
10. g3 419
10. c5 416
The database also shows that the overall results were significantly
better for 10. Re1. What the player does is note the features on
the board, and formulate a plan which takes the features into
account. Then the player works out a sequence of moves. Of course,
in practice, the opponent is interfering with the plan at every
step!
Endgame
The endgame (or end game or ending) is the part of the game when
there are few pieces left on the board. There are three main
strategic differences between earlier parts of the game and
endgame:
* Pawns: during the endgame, pawns become more special. In the
endgame, one thing players try to do is to promote a pawn by
advancing it to the eighth rank.
* Kings: may become strong pieces in the endgame. The king may
be brought towards the center of the board. There it can
support its own pawns, attack the opponent's pawns, and oppose
the opponent's king.
* Draws: in the endgame, a game may be drawn because there are
too few pieces on the board to allow a player to win. This is
one of the main reasons for games to be drawn.
All endgame positions can be put into two camps. On the one hand
are positions which may be won by force. On the other hand are
positions which are drawn, or which should be drawn. The ones that
are drawn for certain may be legally drawn (mate could not happen)
or drawn by chess experience (no sane defence could lose). All
endgames in master chess revolve around the borderline between
winning and drawing. Generally, once a 'textbook' drawn position is
reached the players will agree a draw; otherwise they play on.
Endgames can be studied according to the type of pieces that remain
on board. For example, king and pawn endgames have only kings and
pawns on one or both sides and the task of the stronger side is to
promote one of the pawns. Other endings are studied according to
the pieces on board other than kings, e.g. rook and pawn versus
rook endgame.
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