LoA awareness
While fiddling around with the position of the previous post, it became apparent that black's Rc2 was a blunder. Let's look again at the position, but before the blunder.
 |
| BLACK to move |
2r1r1k1/p3bp1p/1p4p1/3q1p2/8/1P2PR1Q/PB4PP/R5K1 b - - 1 27
The arrows indicate the LoAs (lines of attack) What are black's options to prevent the mate?
- Bg5 => gives black control over h6 (on the LoA)
- h5 => closes the LoA
- Qd8 => gives black control over h4 (on the LoA)
- Qe4 => gives black control over h4 (on the LoA)
- Bf8 => gives black control over h6 (on the LoA)
- f6 => closes the long diagonal (LoA)
- f4 => gives black control over h5 (on the LoA)
LoA awareness prunes the tree of analysis. Only moves that check the LoAs need consideration.
This gives a more precise picture of the tempi. Only tempi that have an influence on the LoAs are relevant. Rc2 is a blunder because it has no effect on the LoAs.
The move Rc2 is typically inspired by blacks own LoAs, without considering white's options.
This seems to be the best way to study these sacs. Go one move back and look at all the possible ways to prevent the mate which utilizes the same sac.
ReplyDeleteI am looking for the best way to prepare the assault on the king. But maybe there is no best way, and must you just wait for your opponent to make a mistake. If that is the case, you look for positions where you can ambush your opponent in order to jump on him whenever he makes a mistake. What can we do to increase the chances for our opponent to make a mistake?
ReplyDeleteI noticed that opponents need a certain complexity in order to go astray. Straightforward tactics are usually recognized even by lower rated players.
Just waiting is not enough, you must complicate matters.
“You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.”
Only then, a superior pattern recognition makes the difference.
There are different pathways here. A superior positional view can lead your opponent to make mistakes he isn't aware of.
ReplyDeleteThe endgame has its own patterns. On a board with few pieces, the patterns are based on empty squares, which are not easy to see.
Complexity is a way to overlook tactics.
I assume that the best way is to combine the three methods, in order to inspire your opponent to go astray.
The position above is a good example. Black has 7 moves to survive his problem. But he must smell the danger.
ReplyDeleteThe PoPLoAFun system seems to be especially useful for finding defensive moves. Hence the title of this post.
ReplyDeleteHere’s some additional examples of the similar pattern, excerpted from Antonio Gude’s Fundamental Checkmates: A complete study of mating patterns, mechanisms, and combinations.
ReplyDelete#1 FEN: r4rk1/pb1qbp1p/1pp1p1p1/8/4pP2/1P2P2R/PBPP2PP/RN1Q2K1 w - - 0 14
Gude:
When a bishop commands the long diagonal that ends in the opponent’s kingside castled position (g7-h8 for Black, g2-h1 for White), events can take a dramatic turn and the defender will need to take the utmost care not to allow an opposing major piece to attack him along the h-file. Such is the case here, where White can allow himself the luxury of concluding the game using only the three pieces he has in play.
[The “three piece” rule]
[Event "Dieren op"]
[Site "Dieren NED"]
[Date "1999.07.26"]
[EventDate "1999.07.20"]
[Round "7"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Rudy Bloemhard"]
[Black "Joan Wolbers"]
[ECO "A06"]
[WhiteElo "2112"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "30"]
1. Nf3 d5 2. b3 Nf6 3. Bb2 e6 4. e3 b6 5. Ne5 Bb7 6. f4 Be7 7. Bb5+ c6 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. O-O O-O 10. Rf3 g6 11. Rh3 Ne4 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Bxe4 dxe4 14. Qh5 Bh4 15. Qxh7+ 1-0
#2 FEN: 3rr1k1/2q1bp1p/p3p1p1/1p1nR3/5P1Q/P1BB1R2/1PP3PP/7K w - - 0 1
Gude:
A bishop’s command of the long diagonal is, as in the previous case, the factor which motivates this combination. From the attacker’s point of view there are two negative elements: the white queen is under attack by the bishop on e7 and the long diagonal is obstructed by the rook on e5, and one positive (the white bishop on d3, which allows White a crucial move).
The third example (left off my previous comment):
Delete#3 FEN: r4rk1/5p2/p1b1pQpq/8/1B2P3/2NR4/PPP3PP/1K6 w - - 2 26
Gude:
This position presents different aspects of the theme of mate on the long diagonal. As in other cases, the lack of a black pawn on the h-file proves crucial, but the combinative sequence contains two original elements.
[Event "Buenos Aires op"]
[Site "Buenos Aires ARG"]
[Date "1968.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "8"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Samuel Schweber"]
[Black "Miguel A Quinteros"]
[ECO "B53"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "57"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 a6 5.Be3 Nc6 6.Qd2 Nf6 7.Nc3
e6 8.O-O-O Qc7 9.Bf4 Ng4 10.Bg3 Be7 11.Be2 Nge5 12.Nxe5 dxe5
13.f4 O-O 14.fxe5 Nxe5 15.Qd4 Bf6 16.Rhf1 b5 17.Rxf6 gxf6
18.Qf2 Qa7 19.Qxf6 Ng6 20.Bd6 Qe3+ 21.Kb1 b4 22.Bh5 Bd7
23.Bxb4 Bc6 24.Bxg6 hxg6 25.Rd3 Qh6 26.Nd5 exd5 27.Rh3 Qg7
28.Bc3 d4 29.Bxd4 1-0
A slight variation on the theme:
ReplyDelete#4 FEN: 2r2qk1/r4p1p/b3pBpQ/n3P2P/p2p3R/P5P1/2p2PB1/R5K1 w - - 2 31
Almost all of the Black pieces are on the queenside, far, far away from the defense of the Black King. By the time Black got his Queen back to help with the defense, it was too late.
Altering the position slightly by removing BPd4, WPe5 and moving WBf6 to WBb2 does not change the essence of the combinatorial pattern.
[White "Robert J Fischer"]
[Black "Lhamsuren Myagmarsuren"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2390"]
[Date "1967.10.??"]
[Round "3"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Event "Sousse Interzonal+"]
[Site "Sousse"]
[Eco "C00"]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.g3 c5 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.Ngf3 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.e5 Nd7 9.Re1 b5 10.Nf1 b4 11.h4 a5 12.Bf4 a4 13.a3 bxa3 14.bxa3 Na5 15.Ne3 Ba6 16.Bh3 d4 17.Nf1 Nb6 18.Ng5 Nd5 19.Bd2 Bxg5 20.Bxg5 Qd7 21.Qh5 Rfc8 22.Nd2 Nc3 23.Bf6 Qe8 24.Ne4 g6 25.Qg5 Nxe4 26.Rxe4 c4 27.h5 cxd3 28.Rh4 Ra7 29.Bg2 dxc2 30.Qh6 Qf8 31.Qxh7+ 1-0
The commonalities in this type of position is the control of the long diagonal breaching into the king’s castled position [LOA], the absence of the defender’s bishop on the color of the long diagonal, the opening of the “killbox” by the advancement of the middle pawn of the trio providing the defensive wall in front of the king, an open border file (or the possibility of forcing open that file) leading into the king’s position [LOA], and (most importantly) two major pieces that are either on the border file or positioned to move to the border file with tempo [LOA]. Having the initiative (the right to make the next move) is also vitally important.
How many examples are required in order to burn this pattern into long-term memory so that System 1 will be consistently triggered appropriately?
"How many examples are required in order to burn this pattern into long-term memory so that System 1 will be consistently triggered appropriately?"
ReplyDeleteThe course "Attacking hotspots in chess" contains 32 examples x 32 hotspots. I'm pretty sure that is enough.
3 of the 4 examples above I could solve a tempo. So I'm on my way.
The most discoveries will lie in the way you study these. Going one move back and see where the opponent went astray, is one new insight to me.
The impression so far has been that the white side is bad 80% of the time and that black makes a mistake (every position in the course is from whites perspective) because he doesn't smell the rat.
So much for "tactics flow from a superior position". That is true for Fisher, but not for the average master.
This means: you must first learn to punish your opponent for his mistakes. Only later, you will learn how to get a better position. It are different animals.
We need an adequate picture of which holes in our bucket we should fix first. Because the lowest hole determines how much water the bucket can hold.
ReplyDeleteFrom the list:
opening
development
pawn break
exchanges
invasion
vukovic gap
committal move
mate
There are holes all over the place. Every hole has several parameters:
how low is it?
how big is it?
how many are there?
Playing tournaments will show you where you spill your points. And how many you can gain at max by plugging that specific hole.
It's 'interesting' (in the Chinese curse sense) that there are so many ways to improve, and yet we don’t seem to progress very fast toward that goal.
ReplyDeleteAll of the items you described as ‘holes in the bucket’ are important objective areas of skill, no doubt about it. However, I think there is another aspect that is purely subject (NOT objective) that may be as (if not more) important to improving long-term OTB results. That aspect is consistency.
In this regard, I do not mean consistently finding the ‘correct’ plan, stratagem, maneuver, combination, tactical device/theme or even (at the lowest level) the individual move. Instead, it is consistency in FOCUSING intently on each and every move for BOTH players, trying to determine if there is some (perhaps small) advantage or disadvantage that has cropped up, whether intentionally or unintentionally. I am fairly certain (based on exposure to a wide range of chess literature and my own experience) that consistency is the primary difference between various levels of skill as evidenced by rating points.
Perhaps this is the meaning of Steinitz’ theory of accumulation of small advantages. I prefer to think that Steinitz did not mean that every potential small objective advantage had to be planned for and gathered as one might gather straw in order to make bricks, so that eventually you have enough bricks for the pile to fall on and destroy the opponent. Rather, that we should be ALERT to each and every move (not only our own, but also our opponent’s), to SEE the potential advantages and disadvantages (preferably in advance) and to utilize and capitalize on them. If that involves an unexpected course change, so be it. As the military adage says, “Adapt, improvise and overcome.” This is a variation on the OODA [Observe, Orient, Decide, Act] loop: SEE what is happening, orient your response to what IS happening (without getting out front of your skis), decide on the best direction to move and then act on it without second-guessing yourself. As Nimzowitsch said, “The wavering player goes to the wall - to be shot.”
"The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water moulds itself to the pitcher." – Chinese Proverb
From my own experience (totally subjective), I have found that I CAN play at a much higher level (sometimes 100s of rating points higher) IFF I am fully engaged throughout the entire game without going down the train tunnel into the path of an onrushing train. I have also found that if any distraction breaks that concentration, I lose 100s of rating points because I’ve lost Ariadne’s thread through the maze. Once concentration is lost, it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to regain it within the time constraints on a game.
The idea I want to convey, is that there are a lot of directions. You can be busy for days on end with plugging the wrong holes. It are not holes that don't need to be plugged, but it are holes that you can better plug later. Because it are little holes, or holes on a much higher level,
ReplyDeleteLittle hole=plugging it has not a big impact
High hole=repair doesn't effect the outcome as long as there are lower holes.
Examining the bucket=careful analysis of where you spilled points
I'm not sure why I mention this. But I have my daily training, and besides that, I look always forward in order to discover future needs for training.
I noticed a big hole in my development strategy, and I look for ways to fix it.