Comments on: One Effect Of Computers on Chess

By: jbarntt

jbarntt — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 05:07:00 +0000

My goal is to get a good understanding of the endgame. At this point I’ve got K+P vs. K down, (plus basic mates, except for K+N+B vs. K), onwards to multi-pawn endgames, etc. Middle game study will wait. Meanwhile, starting in January, I’ll be playing correspondence via CCLA, so I’ll get some middle game practice, assuming I don’t lose in the opening LOL

End game study can get boring, but in my case it caught my attention that in the K+P vs. K endings, I could easily end up with a draw in a won position. At the ripe old age of 50, and 25 years away from the game, that really got my attention.

By: Administrator

Administrator — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 18:22:17 +0000

That’s exactly the way Nikolai Minev (editor of the Informant’s endgame series) suggests to study endgames. He reccommends selecting a position, then moving it to the right or the left, moving it up and down, until you fully understand that configuration. Then select another position.

You’re on the road to improvement. Once you get bored with endgames, try the same approach to middlegame positions — set up a typical position with isolated d-pawns, or the Maroczy Bind, or something, and play through ideas for both sides until you come to an understanding about it.

You build your knowledge of chess the same way you build a tower: one brick at a time.

By: jbarntt

jbarntt — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 23:20:54 +0000

Computer play is quite different than human play. I use the computer, (ChessGenius), as a tutor. For example, my endgame play is deficient, so I bought Y. Seirawan’s book “Winning Chess endings”. He has the following position, white to play:

WHITE: Pawn @ e2, K @ f4
BLACK: K @ f6

Reading the book, I understood how to win as white, setting up the position on the computer, I often found myself getting a draw, when white can win. By playing this position over and over I finally got it. I then varied the initial setup and played again until I understood how white needs to have the opposition, or to be able to make a pawn move to regain it.

I also figured out that there are some initial K + P vs. K setups that can’t be won.

A nice thing for a 1600 player, deficient in the endgame. Of course, I hope my opponents in postal chess will not use a computer to find their moves.

I appreciate your post isn’t really about my use of the computer for endgame improvement.