Discover the plan
When I look at the videos of the Tata Steel chess tournament that is currently playing, I notice that I need the plan in order to work out the tactics. Without a plan, I am stuck in trial and error.
geometry => conceptual geometry => scenario => plan => think backwards
 |
| Black to move |
6k1/Q5b1/1B2q3/1P2p3/4Pn2/2Np2p1/P5PN/7K b - - 0 1
Alexander Grischuk vs Fabiano Caruana (not from the tournament!)
- 42. ... Qh6 43. Bg1 scenario 1 threaten mate in 1. Binding the white bishop
- 43. ... Qh3 44. Qf2 scenario 2 threaten mate in 1. Luring the pawn away, Binding the white queen
- 44. ... Qxh2+ 45 Bxh2 scenario 3 Luring away the overloaded bishop
- 45, ,,, gxf2 scenario 4 promoting the pawn
The plan combines the 4 scenarios. When you discover the plan, you reached a higher level. From there, you can work backwards and debug your combination.
The goal is to get a sense of how to combine scenarios to a plan. You figure it out. I know it!
You figure it out. I know it!
ReplyDeleteI added that to remind us what level we must strive for. Both Capablanca and Fischer thought that chess was close to being solved. They were wrong of course, but that was how clear their own plans were to them. I don't mind to be wrong in the Capablanca way.
The four scenarios correspond to a mental simulation with an action sequence of four steps. The crucial factors in scenarios 1 and 2 are mate threats. Scenario 3 is a checking sequence, forcing transition to scenario 4, pawn promotion, resulting in overall gain of material. At each action step, there are potential alternatives that can be eliminated without much conscious thought. In each scenario, there are multiple tactical devices that come into awareness almost unbidden, cooperating with each other and advancing the variation toward a final evaluation. There is no need to develop a complete list of potential candidate moves in the initial position because of the forcing nature of Black's move in each scenario.
ReplyDeleteDid the entire sequence of scenarios spring instantly into Caruana's mind like Athena from the forehead of Zeus? I doubt it. There is a sequence to the scenarios, each depending on the preceding one. If at any stage his intuition had not been primed for the pattern(s) in each scenario, it could have led to some other result.
The pawn promotion is a factor whenever a pawn has reached the 3rd rank and there might be exchanges on the path to promotion.
DeleteI have repeated this problem quite often. But until today, I never was aware of the pawn promotion as a possible plan.
I'm trying to leave the trial and error behind me at move level, and I replace it with trial and error at scenario level.
In doing so, the promotion scenario jumps indeed at me like Athena.
Yet, the promotion is already visual in the starting position (since the pawn is on the 3rd rank)
I want to crank up the understanding of the logical narrative to a higher level. The level of the "holistic" plan. Not because I think that is a useful method in the playing hall, but it is useful in the study room.
I'm experimenting with it, so I don't know where to it will lead. But I feel that it might be possible to have your scenarios in your toolbox, making it possible to build a combination on the fly.