Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Opening Principles According to Dr. Tarrasch: Must Read
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Written by Yury
Markushin
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Wednesday, 01
October 2014 00:00
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There are three the most
important factors at chess that every player needs to take into account.
These are material, space and time.
Most chess players know what the material is: pieces and pawns. Each of the
pieces has a relative pawn value that can be assigned to it. For example, a
minor piece is equal to 3 pawns, while a pawn is equal to
roughly 3 tempos. That means if you sacrifice a pawn
without any material gain, you better get at least three tempos
ahead.
Next we will describe the importance of each of the chess
pieces from the opening perspective according to Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch.
The King is the most important chess piece on the board. We all
know that if it gets checkmated the game is over. In the opening stage of the
game, after the central pawns d and e move
forward, the king becomes somewhat vulnerable at the center of the board.
That is why castling early in the game to put the king to
safety is typically a good idea and a plan of most openings. Losing the
ability to castle is often equivalent to losing a pawn or 3
tempos.
In most games players prefer king-side castle. Queen-side
castle is usually recommended when:
1. It is
impossible to castle king’s side since the pawn structure is destroyed or
other threats exist.
2. The rook
becomes immediately active after occupying the file (open or semi-open).
3. You have a
clear plan how to attack your opponent’s position on the king’s side via
rolling your pawn (assuming he is castled short).
In the middle-game, with many pieces on the board, the king is
typically a target and needs protection. However, in the endgame things
change and the king starts playing an important role as an attacking piece
that is capable of supporting its own pawns and pieces as well as attacking
the opponent’s. At the final stage of the game, the king is worth more than a
minor piece: about 3.5 pawns.
The Queen is by far the most powerful chess piece on the board. That
makes the queen vulnerable to threats, since losing a queen often equivalent
to losing a game. In the opening, the queen should not be developed too
early.
Many novice players make this mistake because they think that
by introducing the queen into the game early on, they obtain a serious
advantage. However, by attacking the queen with pawns and minor pieces, their
opponents can win many important tempos and develop much faster.
General tips:
1. If you want to
develop the queen early in the game you need to keep her majesty safe and not
vulnerable to attacks (usually that means on your side of the board).
2. Don’t spend
more than one move in the opening developing the
queen; there are other more important things to focus on (minor pieces,
pawns, center, castling, etc.)
3. Avoid placing
your queen opposite to your opponent’s rook, even if the file is blocked by
pieces or pawns. You will save yourself from a lot of trouble.
4. The queen’s
job to participate in an attack on the opponent’s king and to deliver a final
blow: the checkmate.
Note: In our training program we focus a lot on the attacking chess by going over many examples of how the
king's pawn structure can be destroyed and how the king can be extracted from
the center involving typical maneuvers and sacrifices.
The Rook is the most effective when occupying an open file.
Remember that rule and always place your rook on an open file. Another
great location for the rook is 7nd (2nd) rank where
it can be used to pick opponent’s pawns and threaten the king.
Even though the rook usually plays a defensive role in the
middle-game there is a possibility of placing it on h3 or g3 (h6
or g6 from black) and threaten the opponent’s king safety. It is a
typical and powerful maneuver, called rook lift and
you always need to expect it.
It is usually a good idea to line up both of your rooks
occupying an open file. That is called doubling the rooks.
Doubled rooks are worth more because they can work together and support each
other.
Another advantage of quick castling, among from keeping your
king safe, is connecting the rooks. This is also a great way to improve your
position and coordination of the pieces.
The Bishop is primarily an attacking piece.
The most effective placement for the bishop is when it controls two
diagonals, one of which is the long-diagonal. In
many cases we want to point our bishop at the opponent’s castle.
The king’s bishop is typically the more important of the two;
therefore you should always think twice before exchanging it off. A
bishop pair is considered to be a valuable asset at chess. Keeping it is
often a good idea.
In closed and semi-closed positions bishops lose their powers
due to diagonals being closed, making them not as effective as on the open
field.
The Knight is a great defensive piece and a good attacker. In the
opening, the knight is typically placed on the 3rd (6th)
rank where it defends the castled king. The center is the best location
for a knight, since it controls the most important squares on the board and
can be used for a subtle attack on the king.
A knight is also the best blockading piece, and should be your
first choice when it comes to an isolated pawn positions.
Note: the isolated pawn positions are one of the most
important middle game themes in chess. They appear from many different
openings and it is important to know how to play in this positions (sometimes
fairly sharp) for both sides. In our training program we also focus on typical isolated pawn
structures and going over
GM games that involve it.
On the edge of the board, however, a knight doesn’t control
that many squares, so this kind of placement should be avoided if possible.
The knight usually does a better job than bishop protecting multiple squares
at once. However, for a single square protection, bishop does a better job,
making it a superior piece in most endgame positions.
The Pawn is the strongest at the center, losing its value towards the
side of the board. That said the e and d pawns
are superior to a and h pawns. When you’re
trying to decide what pawn to keep or to capture you should give the
preference to the central pawns, since they are more valuable.
In the opening you should not make too many pawn moves, since
every unnecessary pawn move weakens your position. Remember, pawns
do not move backwards! Move only the pawns needed to occupy the
center and to finish the development.
Don’t make a mistake of falling for unprotected pawns and
disregarding developments. Many games were lost that way. You will have an
extra pawn, but what’s good of it if you get checkmated before you can use
it?
Opening is a stage of the game where you should develop pieces
and put the king to safety, not to hunt your opponent's pawns down.
Some notes:
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to what’s stronger
the Queen or Two Rooks or 3 Minor Pieces. Many players
easily give up both rooks or 3 minor pieces for the queen. In fact, either
the two rooks or the 3 minor pieces are typically stronger than the queen.
The only situation when the queen is stronger than the 2 rooks
or 3 minor pieces is when the king is exposed and can be checked with a
queen, attacking and capturing other pieces and pawns.
Always think twice before giving up 2 rooks or 3 minor pieces
for the queen, it’s often a bad idea.
Tarrasch wrote that in endgame difference between the rook and
a minor piece is about 1.5 pawns, and not 2 as
most players think. The difference between 2 minor pieces and a rook is
also 1.5 pawns.
The bishop is generally stronger than the knight: 3.5
pawns vs. 3 pawns, especially if bishop pair is present on the board.
Central pawns are not always stronger that the flank ones. It
is only true in the opening and the middle-game. In the endgame however, an
isolated a-passer is superior to the central pawns.
Note: in our training program we approach the most important
endgames that every tournament player should know by understanding the
concepts and not memorizing the theory.
Credits: The Game of Chess by Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch.
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The Secret to Bobby Fischer’s Success
Hi Alfred,
One question I hear a lot is “how can I beat strong players? Players that don’t make tactical mistakes?”
This is a serious point, every improver will reach the stage where wins are tougher to come by. Most players try to progress by doing more of what got them to where they are. They train tactics more intensively, memorize the Sicilian a few moves deeper.
But there is a better way, one beautifully demonstrated by Bobby Fischer.
Bobby burst on to the national chess scene with his spectacular “Game of the Century” win aged just 13. This brilliancy got him an invite to the US Championships. What few know is Bobby only scored 4 ½/11 in that tournament. His USCF rating was just 1726.
Bobby knew he needed more than his tactical ability to win against the best players in the country. He sought out the games of Capablanca, Steinitz and Morphy to study, impressed by their ability to outplay their opponents even from level positions. What he learned transformed him as a player…
At the 1958 US Championships he destroyed the field - 8 wins, 5 draws, no losses - to become the youngest ever national champion by a clear point. His next published USCF rating: 2626!
This is the answer to the question. If you want to outplay even the strongest players then you need to do what they’re not doing: master positional chess.
Yury Markushin
Monday, 11 July 2016
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