Hi, everyone.
I can certainly identify with what Jim's list of mistakes are because,
to some degree, I also make them, too. Thanks, Tyson, for your
responses.
For years, my tendency was to second guess myself regarding which move
to make, thus draining away unnecessary clock time. This was true in
rapid as well as classical games of various time controls.
As I've recognized this tendency, I'm getting used to the fact I can
make quicker decisions well. Yet, where I get into trouble is going
with my gut or going with principle. That's one weakness that renowned
chess coach, Dan Heisman, says typifies many lower rated players.
That's why I'm trying to play a lot more real games along with booking
up on main versus minor variations. Hence, the reason for playing a
ton of mainstream tournaments along with the US Championship for Blind
Players and all of our fantastic Skype opportunities. I'm beginning to
see that games show us what is played in a given situation instead
of what always ought to be played for any number of reasons. That way,
experience along with theory can become a reliable teacher for me.
David
On 1/19/20, Jim Homme <jhomme1028@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi,
Thank you for this guidence. I forgot to add that I was talking about when
playing on the clock. I seem to do better in email games. Also, I did not
think to use two boards, because I did not think that was OK to do in email
games.
On Jan 19, 2020, at 6:56 PM, mordue andrew (Redacted sender "tyson.mordue"
for DMARC) <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Jim, Michael et al,
Chess weaknesses come in many forms. A few can be fixed with a bit of
careful move-by-move methodology set out below. Before we continue I'd just
like to add that idiosyncrasies of style can mean that one player chooses
one particular move, while another chooses a different one and it can easily
be the case that neither move is clearly right or clearly wrong, not better
or worse. It really is simply a question of style.
I'd like to start with the third item on Jim's list. "I do not look at every
possible good move." How can you know if a move is good or not unless you
analyse it? To analyse it then it must be on a list of candidate moves, a
list which sometimes can consist of just one move.
Candidate moves are ones chosen by players whereby the moves comform to
their style and abilities. There may be either strategical or tactical
factors to take into considertaion or both. However, I would put the notion
of always looking for the best move to one side. Sometimes that could take
world-class players hours to establish. What you are usually trying to do is
to play a sound move that has a clear idea behind it within a set period of
time. In other words you have to be practical.
Now the second item; " I make moves, then right after that, think of better
ones." This is usually a sign of moving too quickly. Given that most games
between USBCA players are probably by e-mail and that they are probably ON
AVERAGE at the rate of a move a day, then there is no need to rush a move.
Take your time and analyse on two boards. One has the current position from
the game, and the other is the one you actually move pieces on. However,
before you even start moving pieces you should have the above-mentioned list
of candidate moves as a starting point. Some of these moves may be
transposable. It is possible that fresh candidates may come to light as you
analyse.
Finally the first one: "I think too much about what I want to do and too
little about what my opponent is trying to do." This is a common fault, even
with experienced players. There are methods for dealing with this. Basically
after a given move by the opponent ask yourself:
What new squares does he control with the piece he has just moved?
What new squares does he control with pieces that he may have uncovered.
e.g. Queens, Rooks and Bishops?
Does he threaten any captures or checks?
Is the piece that he just moved defended?
If it's a Pawn move what squares has he just relinquished control of? What
new ones does he control?
Answer these questions first and you will probably find that it will point
you towards moves you should be playing, and equally possibly hinting an
moves that you don't want to play! Of course this may be the point at which
you start compiling your list of candidate moves.
Bear in mind that candidate moves may be available for more than one turn.
However, new candidates emerge every move so be relatively flexible. The
fixed idea is one of the worst things in chess.
Just a quick word about mistakes as opposed to good moves. Are your mistakes
all the same sort? Tactical oversights? Tendency to put pieces or Pawn en
prise? Failing to castle quickly enough? Overlooking en passant captures? If
you identify such a group then try to put in a mental reminder each move to
specifically check that you aren't making the same sort of mistake again
before the move is executed. The first time I ever did this I changed my
choice of move and mated my opponent some ten moves later!
I hope this helps to some extent, not just Jim but anyone on the site who
wishes to improve their play. Any questions then please ask.
Regards,
Tyson
On 19 January 2020 at 22:11 Michael Rodgerson <monex249@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Jim H, I sometimes have the same problem, you just have to analyze the
board and make the best move available to you, regardless of the
consequences. I have played games when I made a move and I thought my
opponent would do something, and he makes a move that's completely
different. You just have to play to the best of your abilities, you
learn something from every game weather that's: not to move a piece
somewhere, to move a piece somewhere, to move a piece to a particular
place, when to move your queen or other major pieces, you're really
only gonna learn by playing and seeing what comes of it. I would love
to play a game with you sometime.
Michael Rodgerson
