Temposchlucker

 My choice for a new repertoire seems to be fairly definite. I'm very happy with it, and have the feeling for the first time that these are the openings I want to play for the next years: London system Jobava variation Sicilian accelerated dragon Leningrad dutch defense You might notice that the hyper has disappeared from the accelerated dragon. At the moment I don't think that the Rossolimo is worth a special treatment in order to avoid it. But insights might change overtime. We agreed on the following method to improve: build concepts that are transferable to different positions. So that is what I'm going to try. I score well with the London, therefore I will focus on the black repertoire. For the dragon I'm waiting for the treatise of GM Hungaski about the Maroczy, which is in the making at Chessable. So I start with the Leningrad. Base is the work of FM Michiel Abeln about the Leningrad at Chessable. So what are the possible concepts which need a closer investigatio...

 Albeit I write little lately, it doesn't mean nothing is happening, chesswise. I play every week a long game at the club, and I'm working on my black repertoire, especially with the HAD. Or even simply the AD. Since the Rossolimo variation doesn't look too dangerous, in my opinion. Maybe I'm just too dumb to see its danger. I forgot which grandmaster said that, "if it wasn't for the Maroczy Bind, most grandmasters would have the Accelerated Dragon in their repertoire." He might be right. This means that learning to play the Maroczy right, is paramount. That is not so easy as it sounds. Especially if you are accustomed to throw the kitchen sink at your opponent from move three, like me. But I like the mental attitude you need to play the Maroczy. You need a decent amount of knowledge and technique to play it well. And I noticed that most higher rated white players have no clue as well. And if they have no clue, it is easy for them to go astray without even...

 With the London system I scored 8.5 out of 9. So it might seem logical to try to find a similar system for black. But that is not as easy as it seems. When you try to claim the same amount of space as white, you continue to feel the disadvantage of being a tempo behind. Besides that, there is a tendency to end up with symmetrical positions.  So I adopted a different idea for playing with black. I  take an asymmetrical approach as soon as possible. Thus dictating the course of the opening from the first moves on. Giving white a space advantage, usually at the cost of pawn minority in the center. So the long term prospects of black are OK, if I can ward off whites attack. The only problem being that I have to learn how to play chess.  But since that is something I wanted to learn anyway, that is just a minor drawback. It only takes some time. Learning a total new repertoire with black against everything  that white can throw at you is time consuming. How timecons...

 It minuten very wellicht look to YouTube Thatcher nothing is happening chesswise. But Thatcher is not the case. I study my New openingstijden for at leest half an hoor a Day dringend  Ermm.  Maybe I should change the language to English first.   It might look to you as if nothing is happening chesswise lately. But actually I'm working pretty hard on my new openings. I study every day for at least half an hour at chessable,  during a continuous streak of 72 days  in a row now. I have studied about 25% of all the variations I need to know. Besides that, I analyze my own games which I play at the club, I study the middle games that are the result of my new openings, and the ensuing endgames. All this is not really blogworthy,  I think. That's the reason why it is so  quiet here, lately. Sorry for that.

 Here you see a position from Vukovic' tome. It is a tactical position, and I think it is possible to apply the method of transfer. What are the preconditions of Vukovic for this attack? What are the salient points? What concepts can be derived that are transfer worthy to other analogue positions? Diagram 1. Black to move r1bqr1k1/ppp2ppp/2n2n2/2bppP2/4P3/1BPP1N2/PP2Q1PP/RNB1K2R b KQ - 1 1  I will give you some time for analysis and will update the post later in blue. UPDATE I Chessable course: Sac, sac, mate! (GM Simon Williams) Chapter 1: King in the middle  Source of the course: Art of Attack (Vukovic) Despite these giveaways,  I started to look at the position in my usual obtuse trial and error way. I dismissed Bxf5 as being not forceful enough. Only after quite some time, I revisited the move. With hindsight it is clear that we have the tabiya of the attack against the uncastled king here. Opening the e-file is the essential goal to strive for. Apparently this t...

 Now we discovered the way to transfer by analogy, I look for ways to train it in an efficient way. Munich pointed out, that you can have all your pieces fully activated in the center, you still have to wait for your opponent to make a mistake. I always like his very pragmatic approach to the game. There seem to be two methods to apply to this hickup in the game. The first is to apply the System of Nimzowitsch to get your center pawn mass in motion, by annihilating the blockade. I'm studying on that one. The second method, is to transit from the center to the attack method of Vukovic. It has been a long time wish of me to work out the preconditions for attack of Vukovic and to couple it to the occupation of the center. These two methods are geared around the two weaknesses in a game you are looking for, a weak pawn and a weak king. They are the natural targets of the chess game, because it are vulnerable sitting ducks. Nimzowitsch attempts to provoke a pawn weakness and then tries ...

 I started my new openings repertoire a year ago at the club after a 5 year break. I played in a group under 1700 and scored 9 out of 12 with it. This year I'm promoted to the group rated higher than 1700. I only knew the first three moves of each opening. The London System 1.d4 ... 2.Bf4 ... 3.e3 ... The Sniper 1. ... c5 2. ... g6 3. ... Bg7 The HAD 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4  cxd4 The reason I scored well: I was the highest rated player in the group. Usually I score terribly against lower rated players though. I keep dropping half points due to time trouble. But since I'm no longer looking for the ultimate tactical shot every move, the time trouble is basically over. I look for ways to bolster the center, and give the opponent the chance to go astray. Which he usually does. This year I will be playing against higher rated players, so I will have to adapt a bit. I'm changing the move order here and there.  I play the London Jobava system, which is a bit more aggressive tha...