Let's begin at the end. The end is: tie your enemies' pieces to the defense of a pawn.
From the end to the beginning:
- tie your enemies' pieces to the defense of a pawn (point of pressure)+function
- make a pawn backward
- challenge the adjacent pawn to come forward
- open a file in front of the backward pawn
- trade the right pawn, or the right piece defended by a pawn
- fixate the backward pawn
- push the right pawns for trade or fixation
A base pawn is a backward pawn. In the opening position, that are all pawns on the 7th rank. Find out which base pawns are the weakest. In the opening position, that are f7 and c7, since those are only defended by one piece, and the king and the queen are bad defenders. By asking the right questions, you get an idea of what to attack and how to attack it. Here is some simple explanation so you can get an idea what I'm talking about. It's a pity I don't have the book anymore, since it seems to lay a relation between occupying the center and which base pawn to attack from there while making use of color complexes.
Are there any good books about color complexes?
GM Kotov addresses wweak color complexes in his book The Science of Strategy, under the section on the "Fixed centre". (I have this book.)
ReplyDeleteAox recommended Gm Kotov's book over Euwe's 2-volume encyclopedia on the middle game.
GM Ramesh RB has a section on weak color complexes in his book Fundamental Chess: Logical Decision Making Perfect Paperback – 2017 [$29.99]. [I do not have this book.]
I found a review that had this to say:
LINK: Decisions, Decisions
"Talk of color complexes and weaknesses has always been somewhat opaque to me, and good explanations of what is meant by a “dark-square weakness” are lacking in books on chess strategy. Here we get a ‘teacherly’ exposition of how to approach the topic, focusing mostly on the bishops, and I want to quote Ramesh’s summary at some length before turning to one of his examples. (Thanks to Metropolitan Chess for granting permission to use these passages in this review.)
Here is a general guide for knowing which color to play on, depending on the situation:
1. Same colored bishops for both sides: Only the bishops should focus on their colors. All the other pieces should play on opposite colors. For example: if both sides have dark colored bishops, we should put all our other pieces on light squares.
2. Two bishops versus bishop and knight: The side with the two bishops should play on the colors where the opponent does not have a bishop. The side with the bishop and knight should play on the color of the bishop.
3. Opposite colored bishops: Both sides should play on the colors of their bishops.
4. One bishop versus one knight: The side with the knight should play on the opposite color of the opponent’s bishop. The side with the bishop should utilize his other pieces on the opposite color of the bishop.
5. Both sides have both bishops: When the central pawns are fixed on a particular color, we should play on the opposite color of our opponent’s centralized pawns, and try to exchange the opponent’s bishop of that same color. For example: if the opponent’s center pawns are fixed on light squares, then we should exchange the dark colored bishops and fight for the dark colors with other pieces. (208-209)
Ramesh follows this with eight examples, each demonstrating some element of this general framework."
There are also several YouTube videos on weak color complexes. I watched on of them but am not sure this is what you are seeking.
I have only a hunch of what I might be after. To be always on the lookout for 188 positional blueprints might prove to be one too many. So I want take matters to a more conceptual level. Pieces are too volatile to hunt down. But every pawn move is accompanied by a little weakening in its wake. If you put all your pawns on dark squares, the light squares might become weak. So you need your pieces, especially the minor ones, to guard the holes. This means, the minor pieces are saddled with functions. These functions slow down the minor pieces. Thus making them vulnerable for tactics. So I asked myself, is it possible to develop a board vision that recognizes when a minor piece neglects its function? Just like scanning for PoPLoAFun helps to recognize the potential tactics? So far my understanding of function was limited to defending pieces. But how about defending squares?
DeleteAnd then I remembered the B-method by Bangiev. The book was awkward to read. Mainly because he explained the how of his method, but not the why. Using oddball terminology of his own invention. But hey, who am I to complain about oddball terminology, with my duplo attacks? And I feel I might be ready to deduce the why from the how myself. But for that it would become handy to actually own the book. Well, I owned it, but somehow it disappeared from my possession.
Bangiev might be on to something. He systematically broke down the positional elements into a few questions. I'm going to try to reconstruct his ideas, supplemented with some own original thinking to make it usable for me.
Playlist Chess lesson : square strategy theory
ReplyDeletecurrently i do a "to see" training. still repeating puzzles but i guide my attention to the thing i did not see ( fast enough )
ReplyDeletehttps://chesstempo.com/chess-tactics/58969
i did not see ( fast enough ) / to see for me: a4 is unstopable
i dont give up.. nope
That is close to how do it. I copy the picture to paint. There I paint the targets of the duplo attack (skewer). And I paint the square of the A-pawn.
DeleteI used to remember the moves when I see a problem again. But with the use of paint, I remember the geometrical pattern in stead of the moves. Which is what we need to learn, I think.
I like your idea of "to see" training; I've been doing something similar for a while. I try to repeat the problems I missed, while "looking" from a different perspective (hopefully). I suspect it might be even more beneficial if I made a notebook of the missed positions, along with WHY I missed the solution the first time.
DeleteI used the commonly developed "thinking process" to solve this Chess Tempo problem quickly.
1. Which side is to move?
Black
2. What is the material balance?
Equal
3. What is the problem/position about (checkmate - material gain - Pawn promotion)?
There is no checkmate nor obvious possibility of material gain, so it must be about Pawn
promotion. Surprise! There is a Black Pawn which is 3 moves away from the
promotion square. If the Rooks can be exchanged, then the position resolves into a Pawn
ending. (Botvinnik: "All Knight and Pawn endings can be analyzed in terms of Pawn
endings.")
4. What are the PoPLoAFuns for the side to move?
Black can force the exchange of Rooks with 1. ... Rd2+, albeit at the cost of his Knight. 5. What are the PoPLoAFuns for the opponent's side?
The only question becomes: Can White get his Knight back to stop the a4-Pawn? If not, can
he advance his own b5-Pawn in time to counterbalance the a4-Pawn promotion?
6. Calculate, utilizing the information gathered previously.
At this point, the focus should be on counting to see which side can promote the fastest and try to stop the other side from promoting. Black cannot be stopped from promoting the a4-Pawn after 1. ... Rd2+ 2. Kxc4 Rxd5 3. Kxd5 a5. There is a LoA from h1 to b7 WITH CHECK.
Sometimes, the answer comes as soon as some of the initial questions are asked and answered. At other times, no answer is available until after calculating multiple variations.
https://chesstempo.com/chess-tactics/147070
ReplyDeleteTo see: white king is ~weak: potentially Qxe4+ and Re8 -> Re1/e2+
Nice one
ReplyDeletehttps://chesstempo.com/chess-tactics/53701
To see : ( Ne6 protects g7 ) and Rd4-h4-h8# !!
https://chesstempo.com/chess-tactics/165390
ReplyDeleteTo see: Rb8-b2 against Kf2 ( Qh8-Rh1 idea and the nesessity to get the queen away from h8 was clear )