Help with position evaluation

Date: 20 Oct 2006 20:02:37
From: Vasileios Zografos
Subject: Help with position evaluation

Hi there,
I need some help with evaluating game positions in general. Although my
opening is adequate (its doesnt matter really because I play online
games where I can use the opening book) and my endgame is pretty good,
my middlegame suffers.

Very often, after say 15-20 moves I reach a position and I dont really
know what to move next. It happens all the time. I always though that
strategically, a good middlegame should lead you to an endgame with some
advantage (i.e. piece advantage, better pawn structure, positional
advantage). I think the reason for this is that I cannod adequately
evaluate a give position in the middle game. Take for example the
following position from one of my current games:

4r1kq/bpp1nb2/p5p1/2P2pPp/1P1NpP1P/4P3/3N2B1/R3Q1K1 b - - 0 31

Now, black has a pawn advantage. Maybe a little better pawn structure?
The white's bishop and the black's bishop are pretty much locked inside
the pawn. Also the black's bishop and queen control the two open
diagonals but black's king is exposed somewhat.

This is my evaluation of the position for both and I think black has a
slight advantage. Can someone offer their own evaluation please and help
me to understand these kinds of positions.

How do you evaluate a middlegame position in general?

Thanks
V.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Date: 24 Oct 2006 12:38:06
From: Inconnux
Subject: Re: Help with position evaluation

> How do you evaluate a middlegame position in general?

I would recommend getting first
'The amature mind' then
'How to reassess your chess' both by jeremy silman

Date: 24 Oct 2006 11:43:33
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Help with position evaluation

Ivan Baricevic wrote:
> "Vasileios Zografos" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Terry wrote:
> > > "Vasileios Zografos" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > > news:[email protected]...
> > >>> And it's not that fair playing online games with a book!
> > >>>
> > >>> Regards.
> > >>>
> > >> That is your opinion.
> > >> But where I play, everyone is using an opening book to play. So
> actually
> > >> it is more than fair and keeps everything balanced.
> > >>
> > >
> > > It is not an opinion - It is downright cheating.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > No it is not. And you are wrong. Chess books and game/move databases are
> > allowed as they are permitted in correspondence chess too. Everyone who
> > plays (where I do) plays under correspondence chess rules and knows
> > these rules and accepted them beforehand.
> >
> > --
> > Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
> >
>
> Well, you can just keep being a st ass and learn nothing or you can
> listen to these usenet guys and improve your ability to evaluate better. You
> say using a book is not cheating. Well, ok, good luck with it but you can't
> expect to understand middlegame concepts if you don't know concepts from the
> opening and why you played certain moves. If you don't follow the book and
> you try to play the best move on your own, you will know how to avoid
> positions that are hard for you to play. Then you will get to the positions
> you are familiar with and which you can easily evaluate.

I play on similar servers and they do advertise as correspondence
chess:

http://www.letsplaychess.com

is one such server. I mostly use it for opening prep, but if a player
wants to 'book out' against me, no prob. You still gotta make your own
moves eventually....

Again, I'd say the best advice is SIlman's Books and well-annotated
game review.

http://chess-training.blogspot.com

Date: 24 Oct 2006 04:20:11
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Help with position evaluation

Vasileios Zografos wrote:
> Hi there,
> I need some help with evaluating game positions in general. Although my
> opening is adequate (its doesnt matter really because I play online
> games where I can use the opening book) and my endgame is pretty good,
> my middlegame suffers.
>
> Very often, after say 15-20 moves I reach a position and I dont really
> know what to move next. It happens all the time. I always though that
> strategically, a good middlegame should lead you to an endgame with some
> advantage (i.e. piece advantage, better pawn structure, positional
> advantage). I think the reason for this is that I cannod adequately
> evaluate a give position in the middle game. Take for example the
> following position from one of my current games:
>
> 4r1kq/bpp1nb2/p5p1/2P2pPp/1P1NpP1P/4P3/3N2B1/R3Q1K1 b - - 0 31
>
>
> Now, black has a pawn advantage. Maybe a little better pawn structure?
> The white's bishop and the black's bishop are pretty much locked inside
> the pawn. Also the black's bishop and queen control the two open
> diagonals but black's king is exposed somewhat.
>
> This is my evaluation of the position for both and I think black has a
> slight advantage. Can someone offer their own evaluation please and help
> me to understand these kinds of positions.
>
> How do you evaluate a middlegame position in general?
>
> Thanks
> V.
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

1) Unless it is a stated correspondence game, using a book is cheating,
so stop.

2) Of course, your fault in your game is first and foremost your lack
of ability to formulate a plan. Without a plan, reasonable evaluations
are not possible, and play tends to drift. Therefore, I would recommend
Jeremy Silman's books Reassess your Chess and The Amateurs Mind. I
would also recommend going over well-annotated games (Not Informant
Style -those are shit. You want annotated games that give you concepts
and ideas in plain language - Botvinniks Best Games, Alekhines best
games, etc.) that are in your opening repertoire, and go over no more
than two a night (saturation effect). This gives you: 1) some opening
ideas/preparation 2) shows transitions into the middlegame (your stated
problem) 3) gives you endgames that derive from your openings. What's
important is to VISUALIZE the annotated variations in your head - do
NOT move the pieces! Keep practicing and practicing looking over these
well-annotated games, and you will improve.

It's the way of the stone.

I would say that black could win this position 7 out of 10 times
against equal opposition, the other three being a draw. He has a
winning advantage that he must convert.

Date: 23 Oct 2006 00:54:05
From: chess
Subject: Re: Help with position evaluation

Date: 23 Oct 2006 14:22:40
From: Vasileios Zografos
Subject: Re: Help with position evaluation

>
> And it's not that fair playing online games with a book!
>
> Regards.
>

That is your opinion.
But where I play, everyone is using an opening book to play. So actually
it is more than fair and keeps everything balanced.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Date: 23 Oct 2006 14:58:01
From: Terry
Subject: Re: Help with position evaluation

"Vasileios Zografos" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>>
>> And it's not that fair playing online games with a book!
>>
>> Regards.
>>
>
> That is your opinion.
> But where I play, everyone is using an opening book to play. So actually
> it is more than fair and keeps everything balanced.
>

It is not an opinion - It is downright cheating.

Date: 23 Oct 2006 15:56:30
From: Vasileios Zografos
Subject: Re: Help with position evaluation

Terry wrote:
> "Vasileios Zografos" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>> And it's not that fair playing online games with a book!
>>>
>>> Regards.
>>>
>> That is your opinion.
>> But where I play, everyone is using an opening book to play. So actually
>> it is more than fair and keeps everything balanced.
>>
>
> It is not an opinion - It is downright cheating.
>
>
>
No it is not. And you are wrong. Chess books and game/move databases are
allowed as they are permitted in correspondence chess too. Everyone who
plays (where I do) plays under correspondence chess rules and knows
these rules and accepted them beforehand.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Date: 24 Oct 2006 17:05:18
From: Ivan Baricevic
Subject: Re: Help with position evaluation

"Vasileios Zografos" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Terry wrote:
> > "Vasileios Zografos" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >>> And it's not that fair playing online games with a book!
> >>>
> >>> Regards.
> >>>
> >> That is your opinion.
> >> But where I play, everyone is using an opening book to play. So
actually
> >> it is more than fair and keeps everything balanced.
> >>
> >
> > It is not an opinion - It is downright cheating.
> >
> >
> >
> No it is not. And you are wrong. Chess books and game/move databases are
> allowed as they are permitted in correspondence chess too. Everyone who
> plays (where I do) plays under correspondence chess rules and knows
> these rules and accepted them beforehand.
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
>

Well, you can just keep being a st ass and learn nothing or you can
listen to these usenet guys and improve your ability to evaluate better. You
say using a book is not cheating. Well, ok, good luck with it but you can't
expect to understand middlegame concepts if you don't know concepts from the
opening and why you played certain moves. If you don't follow the book and
you try to play the best move on your own, you will know how to avoid
positions that are hard for you to play. Then you will get to the positions
you are familiar with and which you can easily evaluate.

Date: 24 Oct 2006 16:51:47
From: Terry
Subject: Re: Help with position evaluation

"Ivan Baricevic" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Vasileios Zografos" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Terry wrote:
>> > "Vasileios Zografos" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> > news:[email protected]...
>> >>> And it's not that fair playing online games with a book!
>> >>>
>> >>> Regards.
>> >>>
>> >> That is your opinion.
>> >> But where I play, everyone is using an opening book to play. So
> actually
>> >> it is more than fair and keeps everything balanced.
>> >>
>> >
>> > It is not an opinion - It is downright cheating.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> No it is not. And you are wrong. Chess books and game/move databases are
>> allowed as they are permitted in correspondence chess too. Everyone who
>> plays (where I do) plays under correspondence chess rules and knows
>> these rules and accepted them beforehand.
>>
>> --
>> Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
>>
>
> Well, you can just keep being a st ass and learn nothing or you can
> listen to these usenet guys and improve your ability to evaluate better.
> You
> say using a book is not cheating. Well, ok, good luck with it but you
> can't
> expect to understand middlegame concepts if you don't know concepts from
> the
> opening and why you played certain moves. If you don't follow the book and
> you try to play the best move on your own, you will know how to avoid
> positions that are hard for you to play. Then you will get to the
> positions
> you are familiar with and which you can easily evaluate.
>
>

Agreed.

Regards

Date: 21 Oct 2006 03:18:34
From: Sanny
Subject: Chess is Learnt by Practise.

Chess is not a book you can memorize all rules and win. It comes by
Practise.

Play 40-50 Games a month at http://www.GetClub.com/Chess.html

And soon you will find your Middle game improved many times.

First Start beating the Beginner Level

Once you start winning the Beginner Level set upwards to Easy, Normal

And If you become very good then Try playing with Master Level.

Your game will be recorded So you can analyze where you made mistake in
that game.

Bye
Sanny

Play Chess at: http://www.GetClub.com/Chess.html

Date: 21 Oct 2006 04:36:52
From: Ed Seedhouse
Subject: Re: Help with position evaluation

On Fri, 20 Oct 2006 20:02:37 +0100, Vasileios Zografos
<[email protected] > wrote:

>Hi there,
>I need some help with evaluating game positions in general. Although my
>opening is adequate (its doesnt matter really because I play online
>games where I can use the opening book) and my endgame is pretty good,
>my middlegame suffers.

There are books and books about it, of course. But the main thing is to
practice and then test your judgements after the game. During the game,
evaluate positions. After the game subject your judgements to analysis
and modify your evaluation process accordingly. Sorry but there is no
royal road to chess judgement, or any other form of judgement for that
matter.