The elephant in the room
A year ago I discovered what the task of system 2 should be. Its task is to guide system 1 with logic. Without logic, system 1 flounders around with trial and error.
I thought that this would be the trick which I was after for 23 years. The trick that makes child prodigies grandmaster within 10 years.
But careful examination of my latest losses showed there that still had to be something else. Logic tells you what to do, but not how to do it.
The good news is that I'm closing in:
- The area of concern is the tempo battle
- The complexity of the puzzles must be as simple as possible
- The rating of the puzzles must be around my rating
- The focus should be on perception: how to recognize the salient cues
- take the hours or days that are needed to fathom the essence
This diagram is part of a problem on ChessTempo:
 |
| White to move |
5bk1/4Q2p/p2p2p1/P1pbp3/2N1P3/2P5/6PP/1r3BK1 w - - 0 1
It is not the original problem. It is after white made the wrong decision. And even in this position, white can go further astray, or he can more or less save the game.
I chose this position, because I have the feeling that I should be able to see what is going on. I can calculate it, for sure. But I don't see it. So I will be looking at it until the coin drops.
I saw a huge DANGER! sign as my mind’s eye immediately locked on to the White Queen’s jeopardy.
ReplyDeleteFLIGHT OR FIGHT?
First thought: Where can the Queen go safely AND simultaneously attack some unprotected Black piece? Nowhere; neither the BBd5 nor the BRb1 can be attacked by the Queen.
Second thought: What’s hanging besides the White Queen? The White Knight (because its “protector” (WBf1) is absolutely pinned) and the e4-pawn are hanging. The Black Bd5 is attacking both c4 and e4 but is also hanging (mutual attack); the White Queen can save herself and protect the e4-pawn, but not protect the Knight.
Third thought: If the White Queen skedaddles and the Black Bishop captures on c4 (leaving White down in material – Queen < Rook, two Bishops and a Pawn), then Black is threatening checkmate, winning the WBf1 (which is absolutely pinned). Even if White could exchange off the Queen for the Rook and white-square Bishop, Black ends up a piece and Pawn ahead.
Fourth thought: LOOK FOR B.A.D. SQUARES! (I don’t know why it took so long for System 1 to raise that issue.) The f8-square is B.A.D. The c4 square is apparently B.A.D. but not really because of the pinned WBf1. Since B.A.D. squares are often the “key clue” to a tactical situation, look at capturing there.
Fifth thought: Okay, FLIGHT is not an option, so let’s switch to FIGHT! In my mind’s eye, I “SEE” that if the Queen can swap off the two Black Bishops, Black will be left with only a Rook for Knight and Bishop, plus an extra Pawn. That’s almost parity in material and certainly better than other options!
Sixth thought: Take off the BBf8 WITH CHECK, then capture the BBd5: 1. Qxf8+ Kxf8 2. exd5. There may still be some difficulties holding everything together, but where there is life, there’s hope!
Fortunately, the entire sequence of thoughts went much more rapidly than the tossing of this word salad.
Logic, guided by What You SEE Is All There Is (WYSIATI), seems to be the crux of my solution; no formal thinking process was used. GM Kotov, IM Silman, IM C. J. S. Purdy and FM Heisman would all disapprove, but I think GM Tisdall would approve.
ReplyDeleteCertain positions raise a red flag. System 2 continues to shout "when you save your queen, you must be better". Thus preventing system 1 from seeing what is really there.
ReplyDeleteLooking for a “Forrest” in the trees (recall that one of those “blind leading the blind experts” opined that an elephant was like a tree) and not the “elephant in the room”:
ReplyDelete“I always make it a rule to get there first with the most men.”
Not a quote from “General” Forrest Gump, but Confederate Civil War General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
It combines the notion of “the right to move first” with “General” Lasker’s Encircling Motif: immobility combined with superior force. Recall that “superior force” against a specific target can be achieved by either adding attackers or removing defenders. It is the ratio of attackers to defenders that is important, not the absolute numbers.
Sometimes playing chess IS like a box of chocolates: you never know what you will get!
lichess.org Puzzle #8gkhB
FEN: 3r3k/ppp3Rp/8/4r3/8/1Pq5/P1P1QP1P/1K4R1 w - - 1 27
[The FEN position precedes the actual puzzle by 1 move; the puzzle starts after 27. Qg4.]
What can we “SEE” that gives System 1/System 2 “clues” toward finding the solution?
White apparently saw that g7 is B.A.D. [1:1] (he WRg7 is occupying the g7-square and consequently is NOT attacking it), that the Black King is immobile, and apparently came to the conclusion that, on principle, he should add another attacker with 27. Qg4. It’s an excellent illustration of why playing by general principles in a tactical situation can be “playing to lose.” He apparently assumed that since he had the right to move first, he had sufficient threats and tempi to make this move. It DOES create multiple mating threats against the Black King. The h7-square is already B.A.D and White gains superiority on the g7-square. There are multiple PoPs on which the LoAs work for White to checkmate Black.
What could possibly go wrong?
He overlooked that his move creates first-order threats, not a direct forcing attack on the Black King and as a result, the right to move first shifts to Black, who takes immediate advantage of it.
In the puzzle position, Black “SEEs” that White is vulnerable on the back rank – “Always check, it might be mate!” The most forcing move is 27… Re1+ 28. Rxe1 (forced) Qxe1+ 29. Kb2 (forced) and Black while looking at the potentialities, uses this position as a stepping stone since he still has the right to move first. Elementary, my dear Watson! 29… Qe5+ (forking WKb2 and WRg7) 30. K-moves Qxg7 and Black ends up a Rook ahead.
”FOLLOW THE LOGIC!” No complete list of candidate moves, no evaluation and comparison of strategic imbalances; just a single mainline variation, looking at the “clues” which are lying on the surface “as the variation is envisioned in the mind’s eye.
Think of the “Blind men and the elephant” parable and the chess master who “SEEs” the various parts AND the whole as a combination of the parts, just like the narrator of the parable.
From game 10+0 • Rapid
Yhansjoy04 (1957)
Jlcabral (1890)
1 d4 Nf6 2 e3 d5 3 Nf3 Ne4 4 Nbd2 e6 5 Nxe4 dxe4 6 Nd2 f5 7 b3 Bd6 8 Bb2 O-O 9 g4 f4 10 exf4 Bxf4 11 Nxe4 Qh4 12 Qe2 e5 13 Qc4+ Kh8 14 dxe5 Bxg4 15 Be2 Nc6 16 Rg1 Nxe5 17 Bxe5 Bxe5 18 O-O-O Bxe2 19 Qxe2 Rfe8 20 Rg4 Qh6+ 21 Kb1 Rad8 22 Rdg1 Qc6 23 Ng5 Qc3 24 Nf7+ Kg8 25 Nxe5 Rxe5 26 Rxg7+ Kh8 27 Qg4 Re1+ 28 Rxe1 Qxe1+ 29 Kb2 Qe5+ White resigns