Main
Date: 13 Feb 2008 10:22:47
From: White Knight
Subject: Beginner wanting comments on games
For any of you that has a spare couple of minutes to load up these
games... :)

Here is a game I played against Chess Genius on instant play (I'm white
and I won, but I don't feel it was a nice game in terms of aesthetics
and overall position of my pieces. I can't be more precise than that, I
just preferred my game against chess master even though I lost that game)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. O-O Bb7
8. d4 exd4 9. Nxd4 b4 10. Nd5 Bc5 11. Nf5 Rg8 12. Re1 Ne5 13. Bg5 Neg4
14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. Bh4 Kf8 16. h3 Ne5 17. Qh5 Rg6 18. Qxh7 d6 19. Bxf7
Nxf7 20. Qxg6 Ng5 21. Bxg5 fxg5 22. Qg7+ Ke8 23. Rad1 Ra7 24. Qg6+ Kd7
25. e5 Kc8 26. exd6 Bc6 27. Ne7+ Kb7 28. Nxc6 Bxf2+ 29. Kxf2 Qf8+ 30.
Kg1 Ra8 31. Qe4 Kb6 32. Nxb4 Ka5 33. Nc6+ Kb6 34. d7 Qc5+ 35. Qd4 Qxd4+
36. Nxd4 c5 37. Ne6 Rh8 38. Rd6+ Ka7 39. Red1 g4 40. d8=Q Rxd8 41. Rxd8
gxh3 42. g3 c4 43. c3 Kb6 44. Rc8 h2+ 45. Kxh2 Kb5 46. Rd4 Kb6 47. Rdxc4
a5 48. g4 Kb5 49. Nd4+ Kb6 50. g5 Kb7 51. g6 Ka7 52. g7 Kb7 53. g8=Q Kb6
54. Rb8+ Ka7 55. Rc6 a4 56. Nb5+ 1-0

And here is a game against Chessmaster (opponent was 1189 or something
ranking) that I nearly won but didn't
(but only because I blundered near the end leading to mate in one. I
also prefer this game as I was far "happier" with the placement of my
pieces and my ideas were more clear probably because of this.).

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.O-O Qc7 5.c3 c4 6.Bxc4 Bd6 7.d4 Qb6 8.Be3
Qxb2 9.Nbd2 Qxc3 10.d5 Nge7 11.dxc6 Nxc6 12.Qc1 Qxc1
13.Rfxc1 h5 14.g3 h4 15.Nxh4 Be5 16.Rab1 d5 17.Bb5 d4 18.Bg5 Bd7 19.Nhf3
Bc7 20.Bxc6 Bxc6 21.Nxd4 Bd8 22.Nxc6 Bxg5 23.f4 bxc6
24.fxg5 Rd8 25.Nc4 O-O 26.Rc3 Rd4 27.e5 Rfd8 28.Nd6 Rd2 29.Rxc6 Re2
30.Rb5 Rd2 31.Rb7 Rxa2 32.Nxf7 Rd1# 0-1

I'm trying to improve my game and so have followed through the
Chessmaster academy and have been trying exercises and drills over the
last week. I feel like I'm either getting somewhere slowly, or no where
at all. I'm just wondering if my game play shows I'm making the right
ideas/plays?

My email address isn't valid due to spam but a response here will not
only be very much appreciated but will also offer insight to other
curious souls :)

Good day all!

White Knight




 
Date: 16 Feb 2008 19:50:23
From: David Richerby
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
My comments are between braces so the game still works as a PGN file
that you can load into any chess software.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[white "White Knight"]
[black "Chess Genius"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Nc3 b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.O-O Bb7 8.d4
exd4 9.Nxd4?

{This allows 9... Nxd4 10.Qxd4 c5 followed by 11... c4, winning the
bishop.}

9... b4? 10.Nd5 Bc5 11.Nf5 Rg8

{Ulch. Black needs to castle.}

12.Re1

{12.Bg5! wins. Black has no defence to the threat of 13.Nxg7 Rxg7
14.Bxf6.}

12... Ne5 13.Bg5 Neg4 14.Nxf6+ gxf6 15.Bh4 Kf8? 16.h3 Ne5 17.Qh5 Rg6
18.Qxh7 d6 19.Bxf7!

{Nice.}

19... Nxf7 20.Qxg6 Ng5 21.Bxg5 fxg5 22.Qg7+ Ke8 23.Rad1

{Fritz gives 23.e5 and, e.g., 23... dxe5 24.Rxe5+ Be7 25.Rxe7+ Qxe7
26.Qxe7#.}

23... Ra7 24.Qg6+

{Why? His king's completely pinned down and blocking in his queen,
too. This check achieves nothing for you and lets his king and queen
out of their box.}

24... Kd7 25.e5 Kc8 26.exd6 Bc6 27.Ne7+ Kb7 28.Nxc6 Bxf2+ 29.Kxf2 Qf8+
30.Kg1 Ra8 31.Qe4 Kb6 32.Nxb4

(32.Qxb4! Kxc6 33.Qc4+ Kb6 34.Qxc7+ Kb5 35.Rd5+ Ka4 36.Re4#)

32... Ka5 33.Nc6+

(33.Qd5+ Ka4 34.Qc6+ Kxb4 35.Rd4+ Ka5 Ra4#)

33... Kb6 34.d7

{34.Qb4+ mates}

34... Qc5+ 35.Qd4 Qxd4+ 36.Nxd4 c5 37.Ne6

{37.Re8 gets you a new queen.}

37... Rh8 38.Rd6+

{Wasting time. 38.d8=Q+ wins the rook straight away.}

38... Ka7 39.Red1

{Why? Your rooks will get in each other's way on the same file. They
need to be on separate files to checkmate the black king. 39.Nxc5 Rd8
40.Re8 Rxe8 41.dxe8=Q (any) 42.Rxa6#.}

39... g4 40.d8=Q Rxd8 41.Rxd8 gxh3 42.g3

{Why not just take the pawn? Or ignore it and play 42.R1d6 Kb7
43.R8d7+ Kc8 44.Rc7+ Kb8 45.Rd8#}

42... c4 43.c3

{Why? Checkmate him, already!}

43... Kb6 44.Rc8 h2+ 45.Kxh2 Kb5 46.Rd4 Kb6 47.Rdxc4 a5

{I don't think you need another queen, here. :-) }

48.g4 Kb5 49.Nd4+ Kb6 50.g5 Kb7 51.g6 Ka7 52.g7 Kb7 53.g8=Q Kb6
54.Rb8+ Ka7 55.Rc6 a4 56.Nb5+ 1-0

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[white "White Knight"]
[black "Chessmaster"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.O-O Qc7 5.c3 c4 6.Bxc4 Bd6 7.d4 Qb6
8.Be3?

{This just throws away material.}

8... Qxb2 9.Nbd2 Qxc3 10.d5 Nge7?? 11.dxc6 Nxc6 12.Qc1 Qxc1 13.Rfxc1

{I'd be tempted to use the other rook. A rook on a1 doesn't look too
useful in this position, but the Rf1 can either stay on f1, keeping
your king safe, or move into the centre, where black's king is.
Capturing this way means that both your rooks are on the wing. Not
serious but something to bear in mind.}

13... h5 14.g3 h4 15.Nxh4 Be5 16.Rab1 d5? 17.Bb5?

{The simple 17.exd5 wins a pawn.}

14... d4 18.Bg5 Bd7 19.Nhf3 Bc7 20.Bxc6 Bxc6 21.Nxd4 Bd8 22.Nxc6

{This plan only just works. You have an unprotected piece, the Bg5,
which is under attack. After 22.Nxc6 Bxg6, you've each lost a piece
but now you have two unprotected pieces under attack. This seems to
be a common mistake among beginners: responding to an attack with
another attack that just leaves pieces hanging.}

22... Bxg5 23.f4 bxc6 24.fxg5 Rd8 25.Nc4

{Why not just take the pawn?}

25... O-O 26.Rc3 Rd4 27.e5 Rfd8 28.Nd6

{This knight is beautifully placed. Alas, it can't stay long, since
black can remove its defender with 28... f6.}

28... Rd2 29.Rxc6 Re2 30.Rb5 Rd2 31.Rb7 Rxa2 32.Nxf7??

{Let's ignore the fact that this move allows a snap checkmate.
32.Rcc7 is a much better move because it gives you complete control of
the seventh rank. Your rooks can sweep backwards and forwards along
that rank, picking off all those pawns. In this case, black's king
can escape via h7 but control of the seventh rank is a key strategic
goal in many positions.}

32... Rd1# 0-1

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some reks in sumy. The first thing to say is that you won the
first game and were winning the second one, which is great! That
said, you're still hanging material and you don't always notice when
your opponent hangs material. On the other hand, you do notice some
nice tactics. You play the opening fairly well and get your pieces
out quickly -- at this stage, I wouldn't recommend spending any time
learning about the opening, as you play it well enough, for the time
being, and your time would be better spent elsewhere. You fall into
the trap of responding to a threat with a counterthreat, which can
lead to trouble unless your counterthreat is much more, er,
threatening. Your endgame play is quite weak -- with a knight and two
rooks against a lone king, you should have been going straight for the
kill, not collecting another queen (apart from anything else, having
that much material on the board makes accidental stalemate something
of a risk).

My recommendations. Once you've decided on a move, always check that
it doesn't hang material; every time your opponent makes a move, check
that it didn't hang material. Practise tactics: do lots of puzzles,
preferably taken from real games, so that the patterns you see and
pick up from the puzzles match real life. Practise basic endgames:
checkmating with rooks and queens against a lone king, promoting pawns
in simple pawn endgames and so on. Start playing slightly stronger
opponents. The computers you were playing against gave up quite a lot
of material so make them a bit stronger so they give you slightly
less. One you've improved and can beat them again, make them a bit
stronger still.

Finally, you can't go wrong by reading Dan Heisman's _Novice Nook_
column at chesscafe.com. The latest article is always at

http://www.chesscafe.com/heisman/heisman.htm

and the archive is at

http://www.chesscafe.com/archives/archives.htm#Novice%20Nook


Dave.

--
David Richerby Poetic Cheese Projector (TM): it's
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ like a 16mm film projector that's made
of cheese but it's in verse!


  
Date: 18 Feb 2008 07:50:37
From: Sanny
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
On Feb 18, 3:10=A0pm, White Knight <[email protected] > wrote:
> * David Richerby wrote:
>
> (snip analysis of my two games)
>
> David I'm eternally grateful for the time you spent taking a look at
> these two games and the advice you have given me. I shall play through
> them again looking at your alternative moves and next time I play I
> shall be sure to annotate. You've given me lots of things to look at in
> my game and I shall head over to Chess Cafe.
>
> You are right about the endgame. Unless I have an overwhelming army of
> pieces I do tend to be a bit twitchy moving in for the kill. Which is
> why if I'm a piece up I try and get another piece first. =A0I do have
> chess master and it does have some quizzes so I should practice some of
> the problems I think.
>
> It's funny you mention that I respond to an attack with a counter-attack
> and you know what you're absolutely right although it had not even
> entered my mind that I was doing this. Entirely subconsciously!
>
> You've given me food for thought and thank you once again.
>
> White Knight.

Have you ever beaten GetClub Chess. Today It beat jester in just 22
Moves.

Here is the Game

Game Played between sanjay11 and beginner at GetClub.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------=
----
sanjay11: (White)
beginner: (Black)
Game Played at: http://www.GetClub.com/Chess.html
View Recorded Game: http://www.getclub.com/playgame.php?id=3DDM16762&game=3D=
Chess
----------------------------------------------------------------------------=
----

White -- Black
(sanjay11) -- (beginner)

1. e2-e4{4} c7-c5{0}
2. Ng1-f3{34} Nb8-c6{0}
3. d2-d4{6} c5-d4{0}
4. Nf3-d4{6} e7-e6{0}
5. Nb1-c3{6} Bf8-c5{10}
6. Nd4-b5{20} Ng8-f6{8}
7. Nb5-d6{10} Ke8-f8{20}
8. Bf1-b5{14} Qd8-b6{8}
9. Ke1-g1{20} Nc6-d4{12}
10. Nd6-c4{12} Qb6-c7{8}
11. Bb5-a4{16} d7-d5{6}
12. e4-d5{10} Nf6-d5{8}
13. Nc3-e4{10} Kf8-g8{8}
14. a2-a3{10} f7-f6{10}
15. Bc1-d2{10} b7-b5{14}
16. Bd2-a5{12} Qc7-c6{6}
17. b2-b4{10} Nd5-f4{6}
18. Rf1-e1{10} e6-e5{6}
19. b4-c5{10} Bc8-f5{8}
20. Ba4-b5{14} Qc6-b5{8}
21. Ne4-d6{10} Qb5-c6{6}
22. Nd6-e8{10} Qc6-g2{8}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------=
----
sanjay11: (White)
beginner: (Black)
Game Played at: http://www.GetClub.com/Chess.html
View Recorded Game: http://www.getclub.com/playgame.php?id=3DDM16762&game=3D=
Chess

Please analyze this game let me know if this game was won because of
brilliant play by GetClub or did Jester did a mistake in this Game.

Bye
Sanny

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


  
Date: 18 Feb 2008 10:10:50
From: White Knight
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
* David Richerby wrote:

(snip analysis of my two games)

David I'm eternally grateful for the time you spent taking a look at
these two games and the advice you have given me. I shall play through
them again looking at your alternative moves and next time I play I
shall be sure to annotate. You've given me lots of things to look at in
my game and I shall head over to Chess Cafe.

You are right about the endgame. Unless I have an overwhelming army of
pieces I do tend to be a bit twitchy moving in for the kill. Which is
why if I'm a piece up I try and get another piece first. I do have
chess master and it does have some quizzes so I should practice some of
the problems I think.

It's funny you mention that I respond to an attack with a counter-attack
and you know what you're absolutely right although it had not even
entered my mind that I was doing this. Entirely subconsciously!

You've given me food for thought and thank you once again.

White Knight.


 
Date: 14 Feb 2008 13:38:11
From: David Richerby
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
White Knight <[email protected] > wrote:
> For any of you that has a spare couple of minutes to load up these
> games... :)

I'll try to have a look in the next few days. In the mean time, a
couple of pieces of advice.

First, losses are usually more instructive than wins -- often, we win
because our opponent doesn't punish our mistakes and, inevitably,
analysis of a game usually focuses on improvements for the loser.

Second, you'll get more from the exercise if you annotate your games
yourself before putting them up for comment. Why did you make the
moves you did? What alternatives did you consider? What improvements
could your opponent have made and what did you intend to do about
them? Why do you think you were winning in the second game? (I've
not looked at it yet -- maybe you have a decisive material advantage
and it's obvious.) Or even just ``I couldn't tell if this move was
better or not.'' All of this is extra information that will help
people help you.


Dave.

--
David Richerby Expensive Tongs (TM): it's like a pair
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ of tongs but it'll break the bank!


  
Date: 15 Feb 2008 09:54:54
From: White Knight
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
* David Richerby wrote:
> White Knight <[email protected]> wrote:
>> For any of you that has a spare couple of minutes to load up these
>> games... :)
>
> I'll try to have a look in the next few days. In the mean time, a
> couple of pieces of advice.
>
> First, losses are usually more instructive than wins -- often, we win
> because our opponent doesn't punish our mistakes and, inevitably,
> analysis of a game usually focuses on improvements for the loser.
>
> Second, you'll get more from the exercise if you annotate your games
> yourself before putting them up for comment. Why did you make the
> moves you did? What alternatives did you consider? What improvements
> could your opponent have made and what did you intend to do about
> them? Why do you think you were winning in the second game? (I've
> not looked at it yet -- maybe you have a decisive material advantage
> and it's obvious.) Or even just ``I couldn't tell if this move was
> better or not.'' All of this is extra information that will help
> people help you.

OK thanks Dave. To be honest I can't remember what I was thinking at
various points so I'll be sure to annotate my game next time :-)


 
Date: 13 Feb 2008 07:56:44
From: Sanny
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
If you play Chess at GetClub Three thisns will be done.

1. Your Games will be recorded and Shown in Animation. So it will be
easier to Analyze.
2. For each game you play players can give their suggestions On the
Game.
3. Its free to play and Join. And you can play with Beginner Level
which will outplay you most of the time.

Just play and see how good you are at GetClub Chess:

Start a Game: http://www.GetClub.com/Chess.html

If your games are recorded So that I can analyze them Online on the
Board then it will be easier. I analyze each game played at GetClub
Chess. And many wonderful games have been played at GetClub Chess.

You can view arround 1500 Games played at GetClub and give your
Analysis on each. You will see how the Games are played by strong
players.

You can see each game played infront of you with each move played
every 10 seconds Or if you want to see moves ahead faster you can do
it by clicking next buttons.

There are very good players at GetClub So your games will be analyzed
very well and soon your playing strength will improve.

Bye
Sanny

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




  
Date: 15 Feb 2008 18:00:10
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
On Feb 14, 6:07 am, Sanny <[email protected] > wrote:

> When you login at suggestion Box, Does the Login Box disappear and the
> Form to Submit your Suggestion Appears or not?
>
> I think you need to refresh the page after login.

Perhaps you could have a giant pop-up box
which informs users that *they themselves*
need to refresh the screen, because the site's
programmers are too ignorant to figure out any
other way?

Idunno. At any rate, pop-ups are enabled, but
I am not allowed to login to make comments on
the games. I even double-checked my password
and user name.

BTW, by the time a player gets to certain
screens, the site has opened up two or three
"extra" browser windows, one on top of the
others. It reminds me of the "logic" whereby
one begins a game on GetClub: having to
select the level not once, but *twice*, and so
forth. Kind of messy.


-- help bot


  
Date: 14 Feb 2008 17:29:36
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
On Feb 14, 6:07 am, Sanny <[email protected] > wrote:

> > > It is cookie based you must allow it to remember the Cookie. If Cookie
> > > is not allowed you cannot use Suggestions. Just see you have not
> > > disabled cookies.

> > My browser says that cookies are already
> > enabled, and even when I try to login using
> > Internet Explorer, it won't let me. Anybody
> > else able to get this new feature to work?

> When you login at suggestion Box, Does the Login Box disappear and the
> Form to Submit your Suggestion Appears or not?
>
> I think you need to refresh the page after login.

Ah, it is possible that pop-ups are disabled, but
I doubt it since other pop-up boxes seem to, um,
pop up, now and then. I just don't like the idea
of hand-entering all the moves myself, from these
rgc postings, before I can look the game over.

I expect some people can do a cut-and-paste
of the entire text, from which their chess program
snatches the moves; this saves a lot of time and
work.


-- help bot




  
Date: 14 Feb 2008 03:07:40
From: Sanny
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
> > It is cookie based you must allow it to remember the Cookie. If Cookie
> > is not allowed you cannot use Suggestions. Just see you have not
> > disabled cookies.
>
> =A0 My browser says that cookies are already
> enabled, and even when I try to login using
> Internet Explorer, it won't let me. =A0Anybody
> else able to get this new feature to work?
>
> =A0 -- help bot

When you login at suggestion Box, Does the Login Box disappear and the
Form to Submit your Suggestion Appears or not?

I think you need to refresh the page after login.

Try again and let me know if ther problem is solved?

Bye
Sanny

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




  
Date: 13 Feb 2008 23:13:28
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games


Sanny wrote:
> > =EF=BF=BD I also noticed a flaw in the new feature where
> > you can comment on a game; it would not
> > allow me to "login"; some sort of error perhaps,
> > like the one which recently hit Research In
> > Motion's Blackberry customers.

> It is cookie based you must allow it to remember the Cookie. If Cookie
> is not allowed you cannot use Suggestions. Just see you have not
> disabled cookies.

My browser says that cookies are already
enabled, and even when I try to login using
Internet Explorer, it won't let me. Anybody
else able to get this new feature to work?


-- help bot


  
Date: 13 Feb 2008 22:31:23
From: Sanny
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
On Feb 14, 10:14=A0am, help bot <[email protected] > wrote:
> On Feb 13, 10:56 am, Sanny <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > If you play Chess at GetClub Three thisns will be done.
>
> > 1. Your Games will be recorded and Shown in Animation. So it will be
> > easier to Analyze.
>
> =A0 In what was the topmost game on the list, a
> chess move was repeated somehow and the
> animation ground to a screeching halt.

The game was not recorded prpoperly and may be it was due to internet
error when the move was made So it skipped one move or played a move
twice. In such cases the program do not know what to display.

> =A0 I also noticed a flaw in the new feature where
> you can comment on a game; it would not
> allow me to "login"; some sort of error perhaps,
> like the one which recently hit Research In
> Motion's Blackberry customers.

It is cookie based you must allow it to remember the Cookie. If Cookie
is not allowed you cannot use Suggestions. Just see you have not
disabled cookies.

Bye
Sanny

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


  
Date: 13 Feb 2008 21:14:00
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Beginner wanting comments on games
On Feb 13, 10:56 am, Sanny <[email protected] > wrote:

> If you play Chess at GetClub Three thisns will be done.
>
> 1. Your Games will be recorded and Shown in Animation. So it will be
> easier to Analyze.

In what was the topmost game on the list, a
chess move was repeated somehow and the
animation ground to a screeching halt.

I also noticed a flaw in the new feature where
you can comment on a game; it would not
allow me to "login"; some sort of error perhaps,
like the one which recently hit Research In
Motion's Blackberry customers.


> If your games are recorded So that I can analyze them Online on the
> Board then it will be easier. I analyze each game played at GetClub
> Chess. And many wonderful games have been played at GetClub Chess.

Thank you very much. ; >D


> You can view arround 1500 Games played at GetClub and give your
> Analysis on each. You will see how the Games are played by strong
> players.

Try this from a remote computer, and see if
there is a problem. It is true that I sometimes
(though not often) have trouble on account of
using Firefox, instead of the "standard" browser,
Internet Explorer.


-- help bot