Make every tempo count
We have not really names for patterns that are related to the tempo battle. And when items have no names, they are difficult to absorb. System 2 takes care of naming things. He is the one to take care of making the tactical words absorbable.
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| White to move |
2r5/p3npkp/3qpnp1/4N3/3P2P1/1B6/PP1Q1P2/4R1K1 w - - 1 27
Lucki, Stanislaw vs. Beltins, Gunars, Email 2010
What is the difference between 27. Qh6+ and 27. Qf4 immediately?
And should this tempo move have its own name?
Temposchlucker wrote (in part):
ReplyDeleteAnd when items have no names, they are difficult to absorb. System 2 takes care of naming things. He is the one to take care of making the tactical words absorbable.
I found something similar in the Introduction to Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow. I “translated” (hopefully accurately) his example from medicine to chess.
To be a good chess player and analyst, a player needs to acquire a large set of labels for weaknesses, each of which binds an idea of the weakness and its symptoms, possible antecedents and causes possible developments and consequences, and possible interventions to cure or mitigate the weakness. Learning chess consists in part of learning the language of chess. A deeper understanding of judgments and choices also requires a richer vocabulary than is available in everyday language. The hope for informed discussion [like on this blog] is that there are distinctive patterns in the moves and the errors people make.
Given associative memory and the many “accidental” neural links that are formed without conscious intention, labeling provides a common access “cue” to activate associated neural links, making it easier to recall common ideas when encountering a novel “not quite the same” position.
We do not have to rely solely upon the terminology and “received wisdom” of the elders; we can create our own terms. Unfortunately, TANSTAAFL. If we do this, we pay a premium price in time to absorb the identified patterns; 23 years and counting!
For example, we have Dr. Lasker’s “encircling motif.” At its most abstract, it is immobility combined with superior force at the point of immobility. Dr. Lasker gives the idea of a large tree, firmly rooted. If attacked by a fire-breathing dragon, it cannot escape and may end up dead.
An alternative (that might be more appropriate for a game modeled on war) is the siege of a castle. The castle is immobile. Every opening (gates, doors, hidden tunnels, moats) is a weakness that can be exploited. [I have a “thing” for this idea because of my favorite siege weapon, the trébuchet. Go figure.]
In either example, the relative imbalance of attackers and defenders determines whether the weaknesses can be exploited or not.
There will always be points of relative weakness, no matter how hard we try to make every point equally strong. We can call them points of pressure, pivot points, B.A.D. squares, invasion squares, whatever term makes the concept stick in our brains, with later recall capability when we SEE this essence. The important point is to SEE them as weaknesses. Surrounding those weaknesses are the typical developments and consequences that flow from them.
I contend that we often get the learning process backward. We start with predigested labels (provided by our teachers and instructional material) and then try to apply the generalized “concept” (in the form of “rules”) to specific positions. We usually become “familiar” with the terminology, without having a grounding (SKILL) in applying the concept to any and every applicable position.
What is important is to comprehend the specifics of each position, and only then apply abstraction, categorization and analogies, ending with a retrieval “label.” If we find that we have “reinvented the wheel,” what difference does it make? We now have usable SKILL.
The last few posts have been very helpful!
There is not much literature about the tempo battle. Yet it happens in every game. I tried to describe the dynamics. So I'm working with labels like postponement move, additional punch, intermezzo, tit for tat, quiescence, with tempo, duplo move, et cetera.
ReplyDeleteThe dynamics of the tempo battle happen in forefront of the LoA landscape. Recently, I added the label of the killzone to it.
I talked already about the killzone in relation to the tree of scenarios in 2017
The plea of the latest posts is to go deeper with lesser and simpler problems. Mine the gems in the ground. The positions are way richer than we are inclined to think.
ReplyDeleteMining one good label will be useful for thousands positions. So take your time.
Maybe I should add the "irrelevant tempo". When the opponent takes a piece what only consumes a tempo but doesn't have an influence on the final outcome.
ReplyDelete