Chess for Beginners

In an earlier post about creating a chess notebook, I overlooked the obvious: using this blog as my online chess improvement notebook.

I can post my daily training regimen, as well as benchmark my progress as I go along. Hopefully, this will help others get ideas as well as help me in maintaining a log of my training activities as well as to get feedback via comments.

The best thing I can do for my chess is to improve my thinking process, which is one of my greatest weaknesses. Below are some of the reasons why it my thinking process just plain stinks.

1. Not considering the consequences of a move at least 3 ply deep on every play.
2. Focusing too much on my plan, and not worrying about my opponent’s plan.
3. Not following a standard though process method.
4. Not considering the most aggressive candidate moves.
5. Poor candidate move selection. This includes.
   1. not considering aggressive moves
   2. retained image errors.
   3. Worrying about misconceived threats, or not choosing candidates because of worries about King safety.
6. Not looking for tactics during my opponent’s move.
7. Not looking at the whole board. This leads to underutilized pieces at best and a surprise checkmate at worse.
8. Poor evaluation of the position.
9. Playing without a plan.
10. Playing too much blitz. Not that blitz games are bad, but they do not allow you to apply a though process and it does not allow you to practice your analysis and evaluation skills. All improving players should stay away from blitz until we have developed a consistent and applicable thought process via games played at long time controls.

That’s it for now, I’ll add more in time. Feel free to leave comments on how you can improve your thought process.

I have come to the realization that there comes a time in every improving players game where we try to apply all we have learned yet we end up losing more games than we win. The improving player needs to realize that reading more chess books, learning a new opening or practicing obscure endgames is not going to improve their game.

The improving player’s game will be better served by simplifying their chess and going back to basics. Here are five things we can do that should lead to improved results:

1. Improve your thought process. Make sure you look for checks, captures and threats on every move, and always consider what your opponent is trying to accomplish and what move they would make if it would be their turn instead of yours.

2. Improve your ability to analyze. Consider at least three half moves before making a move. If the position leads to a forced tactical continuation, and you are unable to calculate until the position is quiet, then choose a ‘safer’ strategically based move that will require less analysis and calculation.

3. Do not force the situation and instead play for small advantages. Ensure that there are no weaknesses in your camp, while at the same time scanning for weaknesses in your opponents side.

4. Calculate several candidates before making each move, and always expect that your opponent will play the best move. Remember that once you found your move, try to look for a better one (unless you are in time trouble).

5. Play less blitz games. Blitz is the number one reason we develop bad habits which hurt our thought process. Blitz causes us to not analyze and think the position through. Play longer games (at least G15/5) instead of blitz, these longer games will allow you to work on your thought process and analysis skills. Once those bad habits have been eliminated, you can then return to blitz play as a much stronger player.

The Program

The following system is geared towards adult beginners with an ELO rating of 1200-1800. It is a modified version of Irina Mikhailova’s schedule which she used at the Petrosian Chess School. [1]

I have left the schedule flexible so that it can be modified based on the time you have to dedicate to chess study. For my own use, I plan on devoting 1 hour to chess at least 6 times per week for a total of 6 hours of chess study per week. If you want to add more time, simply multiply the hours per block. For example, I am using 30 minute blocks, so 1 block of study endings is equivalent to 30 minutes. If you want to devote more time simply multiply 1 hour X block for each theme.

Below are some of the differences between the original Mikahilova schedule and this version:

• Less emphasis on opening study.

• Spread across more days, but fewer hours of study per day. This is a 6 day program and the original was a 4 day program.

• Is geared towards a lower rated working adult.

• Strong emphasis on endgame studies, and contains a study endings theme which the original version did not.

• Strong focus on tactics training as the original.

• Incorporates the shortcut version of Michael de la Maza’s Seven Circles training.

• Time has been allocated for analyzing your games.

• Solving strategy session revolves around going over annotated master games.

In a nutshell, this program contains 4 of the things most chess coaches say are critical to improvement:

1. Going over annotated master games.

2. Repetition of tactical puzzles to burn in pattern recognition.

3. Playing slow games of G/30 or greater.

4. Analyzing your games, to find out your mistakes and preventing their reoccurrence.

Another benefit of the program is that it also grants structure and maximizes your chess study time.

Study Schedule

When performing the modified 7 circles training, I recommend that you use the difficulty level method, and begin with the level 10 puzzles. The first cycle will take you through the first 200 puzzles, which will range in difficulty from 10-20. You then begin the next cycle with puzzle 201, etc. I tried to keep the time per puzzle to 20-50 minutes since my block time is 30 minutes.

Seven Circles Shortcut

If you follow the schedule it should take you approximately 4 weeks to finish 1 cycle of 200 puzzles and 1000 puzzles in approximately 20 weeks.

Resources

Tactics: CT-ART 3.0, Chess Tactics Server

Study Endings: Silman’s Complete Endgame Course, Just the Facts by Lev Alburt

Solve Endings: Silman’s Complete Endgame Course, Personal Chess Trainer.

Solve Strategy: Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953

Study Strategy: Reassess your Chess by Jeremy Silman, My System by Nimzowich

Reference
[1] http://www.convekta.com/softscho/l1/lesson_3.html
[2] http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles148.pdf and http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles150.pdf

Purdy maintained that the best way to get better at chess was to play over annotated master level games. Below is Purdy’s method for going over games:

1. Take the side of the winner (or either side if the game was a draw).

2. Cover the moves with an index card, and when it’s your turn to move select a move based on the position on the board.

3. Uncover the move, and compare it to your move. Review the annotations and understand why the text move is better than the move you selected.

Must read advice for any adult player looking to improve their game.

What do you all use as a chess notebook? Is it solely chessbase, or is it a handwritten notebook or a combination of the two? Would love to hear your feedback. As for me, I’m thinking of using Chessbase but also printing out the diagrams and notes and adding them to a binder for easy offline reference.

In Search for Chess Perfection CJS Purdy details his ‘System’ for for evaluating a position and picking a candidate move.

I. My turn to move

1. What are all the moves I have to consider?

If there is a commonsense move you may be able to choose it without following the rest of the system. For each move ask, “What could he do if I did this?” looking for combination motifs from the other side.

2. How has his last move changed the position? What are his threats? What are his objectives?

Part one of this questions allows you to bring your reconnaissance up to date. Part two asks you to look for checks, captures and threats. If you see a threat, your first reaction should not be to search for a defense to it, but rather for a way of ignoring it

3. Complete your reconnaissance if not already done:

a. material (two bishops, bishops of opposite colors, pawn majorities);

b. king positions (exposed, lack of flight squares);

c. weaknesses (weak pawns [double, isolated, backward], weak squares, confined pieces, cramped game, overworked pieces);

d. strengths (greater space, greater mobility, well posted pieces, command of central squares, domination of open lines and diagonals);

e. development (count the # of moves needed by each army to complete its development. Credit 1 tempo to the player whose turn it is to move.) ;

f. Where could either side breakthrough?

You should be able to tell which side is better using the following descriptors: ∞ unclear, = even (0.0-0.29) , +/- white is slightly better (.30-.60), += white has a moderate advantage (.61-1.40), +/- white has a decisive advantage +- (1.41 or >).

4. Have I a good combination?

look for possible combination motifs if 3 of the following exist in the position:

1. Loose pieces, 2. Pieces that can be easily attacked by an enemy piece of less value, 3. Discovered attack, 4. Weak back rank, 5. Pinned or “skewerable” pieces along the same rank, file or diagonal, 6. overworked pieces, 7. lack of development (overwhelming force), 8. Unsafe King, 9. Open enemy lines, 10. Pawns nearing promotion. (Heisman)

Combinational Motifs:

a. geometrical;
b. nets;
c. jump moves;
d. zugzwang (endgame motif);
e. stalemate (endgame motif).

5. If not satisfied that the answer to (4) is yes, what is my best plan?

Use the reconnaissance to answer this question. How can I best exploit his weaknesses and establish my strengths, etc.

Now return to 1

II. I am considering a certain move

1. Visualize the move as though made, firmly.
2. does it leave my vulnerable to any combination.

III. It is his move

1. Reconnaissance
2. Visualize

Sometimes the definitions for evaluation and calculation are used interchangeably, but they are quite different things, and understanding what they mean is the first step to improving your thinking process during a game.

Evaluation: You evaluate a position to determine the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. Based on your evaluation you develop a short term plan to either attack your opponents weaknesses or fix your own. Dan Heisman defines evaluation as determining which side stands better.

Analysis: The generation of candidate moves and the response to each. For example, “If I move here, and he moves there what would be my response?”

It is important to put these to together and perform an evaluation of the position at the end of the line of analysis you have performed to see if one candidate move is better than another. I have yet to master this integration of the two, but doing this is the hallmark of strong players.

I would like to take an informal poll as to how you learn chess. Some of the options would be:

1. A good book. (feel free to write the book’s title if it has made a difference in your training.)

2. Going over annotated games.

3. Chess videos

4. Chess teacher

5. Anything else that works for you.

Hopefully this will help beginners get ideas on resources to use for training.