HACK ATTACK!!!!
Time for another post. On Chess.com I managed to break through the 1200 point barrier and even reached 1240 before something weird happened. After the first week of January I suddenly couldn't win a single game of chess. I was being beaten by players I'd have beaten with relative ease previously. This wasn't just on one chess site it was on Chess.com and Lichess.org. I wasn't able to win a game. My rating on Chess.com for rapid play plummeted to just above 1050.
Something had to be done. Why was I losing. I was losing games that I was in many cases winning. I'd lose on time but worst of all was the habit of just simply giving my Queen away. Disaster!
Anyway, I took a day off chess and chatting with chess compadres. While I was chatting I decided to revert to something I used to use as a over-the-board player. Actually two things. One is called sitzfleisch. Wictionary gives the following definitions:
Noun[edit]
Sitzfleisch n (genitive Sitzfleisches or Sitzfleischs, no plural)
- (colloquial) buttocks
- Synonym: Gesäß
- (colloquial, by extension) ability to sit still, Sitzfleisch
- Diese Tätigkeit erfordert sehr viel Sitzfleisch.
- This activity requires a lot of Sitzfleisch.
In my case it means to literally sit on my hands. One of the things I noticed that I was playing too fast. This is okay to an extent when playing the opening especially when you are familiar with what your are playing. However sometime, I noticed, I was getting into trouble in the openings simply because I wasn't really paying attention to what my opponent was playing and what his intentions are. So back comes sitting on my hands. The other thing was to follow on each move mine and my opponent's move, a checklist.
C - check for the Centre - how is my centre affected - good? bad? H - hazards - does the move create any hazards or problems for me? E - Are there any exchanges? Are they beneficial to me? Can I avoid them if needed? C - Is there any loose material I can capture? K - Is my King safe after that move
The problem I have is I need to keep practicing it again until it's an automatic process. But at the moment it's a work in progress when I remember to use it. But using it is helping me. The other things I started to do was actually go back to studying my openings and working out the best lines to try and play and how to deal with the deviations that my opponent might often make. Lastly, I went back to basics when playing my openings. Develop rapidly, try not move the same piece twice unless forced to and centralize the rooks after castling.
So with all that in place, I took up my virtual chess board again and started playing. And though the results were a bit patchy to start with I'm now back on a roll and regaining the lost ground. To show you how quickly I've changed it around, here is one of the many miniatures with the white pieces I've won since restarting my chess campaign.
Notes of thoughts included
Ignominius99 1076 - RezaTasinejad 1055 10 min Rapid play B06 - Modern Defence with 1.e4
1.e4 g6 (1) 2.Nf3 Bg7 (2) 3.d3 Nf6 4.Nbd2 0-0 (3) 5.c3 (4) d6 6.Be2 a6 7.h4 b5 (5)
8.Ng5 Bg4?? (6) 9.c3 Bd7 10.Nf1 c5 11.Ne3 e6 (7)
12.f4 Nc6 13.h5 (8)Nxh5 14.BxNf5 gxBh5 15.Qxh5 h6 16.Ng4!! (9)f617.Nh6+ BxNh6 18.QxBh6 Resigns 1-0
(1) This is the modern defence
(2) This is the last book move on either side my thinking was to try and
and take him out of the book lines as quickly as possible by letting him
think I was going to play the main lines. My plan was blitz attack based
on the White Lion opening - but without the slow h3,g4 moves
(3) A quick survey. White has moved two pawns to establish a small centre
he has developed both knights (knights before bishops) - I had a plan already
in mind. Black has developed two pieces and castled. 2 points to 4 in development. However his g6 pawn is now my
target. I'm gunning for it. But first on with the deception
(5) Bang..step one of the plan - His attack is going to come down the queen-side, and my attack on the King side.
Except I'm not going to castle. Nor is that pawn going to advance any further for the time being. Harry is happy where
he is.
(6) Okay quick survey of my position. Only the g2 pawn is undefended I could castle in an emergency my King is safe, the
centre is still being contested and my knight move hasn't disturbed the centre.What about hazards and exchanges. Here I
was thinking about my plan rather than winning material so early into the game and completey missed the fact I could
swap off Bishops and win the knight and still maintain my attack. All my thoughts and focus at this moment was on my
the execution of my plan and not on Black's blundering bishop.
(7) Time for another survey - 10 moves in we have the following. Black has
an undefended d-pawn, queen-side space advantage while I have King-side space.
If we count up mobility we have White 21 Black 18 - White has a slith edge in mobility That is his pieces have slightly
better movement. I have more of the centre without having done much in the centre. My attack is aimed at the King,
Blacks attack is aimed at my Queen side except I'm not contesting his attack. I'm ignoring it. I largely control the
centre which prevents any real threat on the queenside. However, Blacks set up
has a certain amount of pent-up energy like a coiled spring. The right move at
the right time and I'm done for. So I have to be like a spitting cobra - strike fast strike hard.
(8) For what we are about to receive make us very grateful...here it comes Storm Martyn ....
(9) The knight move I thought was brilliant even the computer thought so it now means mate is inevitable 4 of Blacks
army are in the wrong place too far away to help defend his majesty the Shah. Even the computer could only come up with
b4 as a continuation for black a sign that the stockfish thinks the games lost.
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