Overprotection

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Silman seems to be a somewhat chaotic character. In itself there is nothing wrong with that since I need to reange the stuff he writes anyhow in order to make it my own, no matter how it is written. What is important is that all the stuff that is needed is there. And it is.
I took al the summaries he has written at the end of every chapter together with the nuggets of chess wisdom he has scattered over the pages and put it into a hat. After some shuffling I started to sort it out in a way that is logical to me. The contours of a coat hanger rack emerged out of the mist. I only have to fill it with coats now.

There is one somewhat strange chapter about chesspsychological disorders one could suffer from and how to deal with them. In my opinion a little arrogance is the best remedy against a troublesome mind so it should not come as a surprise that I didn't recognize any of the symptoms he describes. But I don't want to write anything bad about the book since it is well worth the money and I would recommand it to anybody. Silman has done an outstanding job.

Now I have a total framework to hang my chess experiences/coats on I try to fit in the musings of another chess author: Nimzowitsch. Let me explain a few findings about overprotection.

diagram 1























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In diagram 1 the pawn is protected by two pieces. Both pieces are bound to the defence of the pawn. They can't move. They are static. Now let us see what the effect is of an extra protecting piece.

diagram 2























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The overprotection of the pawn has the following results:

• All of a sudden all 3 pieces are free to move. Not together, but one by one. So from very static they have become much more flexible.
• e4 has become a pivot point since it is the square that is overprotected, not the pawn. If you push the pawn forward (lust zum wander) then e4 becomes a point through which white can approach the enemy. The same e5 push in diagram 1 hasn't the same effect since white doesn't outnumber black on e4. So e4 remains forbidden for white in diagram 1.

Now it becomes clear why blockading plays such an important role in the writings of Nimzowitch. If black can blockade the pawn on e4 then he deprives the protecting white pieces from a road towards him. That is the cramp that is spreading towards the hinterland he is talking about.

Well, it is a bit of a random example I am presenting you but this happens to be what keeps me busy lately. And isn't that what blogging is about?