How to play a positional move a tempo?
Right now I'm studying the blitz games of GM Danielsen for the second time. In this position he played Na3 à tempo with the following intrigueing comment: "if he takes on a3, he becomes weak on the black squares around his king."
White to move
This is all the more intrigueing, since usually he is the first to inflict his opponent with a double pawn with the words "I have won many, many games because of that double pawn"
Rybka would have played Na3 either.
This raises the question "how do you learn to get such positional ideas a tempo?". You can do tactical exercises till the cows come home, but this kind of ideas you will not learn. I have studied my own games, without ever getting the idea. I have studied master games without ever getting this idea.
This means that such ideas must be told by a grandmaster. There can't be no other way. Via a video, a book or a coach. Or maybe by solving positional problems with solutions checked by a GM.
White to move
This is all the more intrigueing, since usually he is the first to inflict his opponent with a double pawn with the words "I have won many, many games because of that double pawn"
Rybka would have played Na3 either.
This raises the question "how do you learn to get such positional ideas a tempo?". You can do tactical exercises till the cows come home, but this kind of ideas you will not learn. I have studied my own games, without ever getting the idea. I have studied master games without ever getting this idea.
This means that such ideas must be told by a grandmaster. There can't be no other way. Via a video, a book or a coach. Or maybe by solving positional problems with solutions checked by a GM.
I have the same problem with color complexes. in some rare and obvious cases I can deduce why it matters, but here and some other danielsen blitz positions it completely escapes me why & how it's so obvious to him. and what really drives me crazy is that just in few moments the opponent really is in big trouble, thus proving that the GM was right, and I still don't get it.
ReplyDeleteat some point quietus (2200 player if my memory serves me right) at CTS wrote about how he trains. one of the things he wrote about was working on different kind of castled positions, how to break them, induce weaknesses etc. - my guess would be that is where the quick evaluation in this situation comes from. that is, danielsen has worked (and seen) on this specific castling so much, that he knows the bishop will be a crucial part to keep that kind of castle together under an attack. we just can't see it because the attack hasn't started yet, which leaves us cluelessly trying to deduce the rationalization for the move.
that's just a guess though.
My quick thoughts on Na3 (for whatever they are worth).
ReplyDeleteFirst it threatens Nc4 or Nb5 and taking the dark square bishop. Nd2 instead can be stopped from getting to c4 by b5 and it blocks the Bishop at c1. So, for the same idea Na3 is better. But, what about Bxa3?
The problems for black with Bxa3 in this position is that
a) it gives up the bishop pair,
b) the dark squares around the Black king is weak (making the loss of the dark square bishop more important,
c) white has a dark square bishop to take advantage of the dark square weakness,
d) the doubled pawns in this case are weak, but not directly affecting the center or king safety and White will get some compensation with a R on the b-file.
That's amazing. Wow.
ReplyDeleteAt first, I was like- "No way? Why does he have to capture?" Then I realized the Bishop will have nowhere to go after Nc4. The only way to save the Bishop is to get all bound up with Nc8 and Be7, but that looks uncomfortable.
Just to be sure, you use 'a tempo' as a synonym for 'quickly'? Basically 'without time'.
ReplyDeleteBlue,
ReplyDeleteI measured it: about 3 seconds.
I have noticed this too about Danielsen's games. Whenever he plays BxN in the opening it is accompanied by the comment "I will give him a double pawn." And whenever he allows BxN in the opening, it is accompanied by "If he takes the knight he will then be weak on the white/black squares."
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that he does evaluate the relative importance of this imbalance (double pawn vs. weak squares) very well, but that even in positions where the actual capture does not give him an advantage, he takes advantage of the imbalance better than his weaker opponent.
My guess is that he does evaluate the relative importance of this imbalance (double pawn vs. weak squares) very well, but that even in positions where the actual capture does not give him an advantage, he takes advantage of the imbalance better than his weaker opponent.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point. Having an advantage or just an imbalance can be powerful if you know how to use it or useless if you do not.