Positional themes • page 6/9 • Game analysis • lichess.org

@MorningCoffee #50
haha! See the tactics themes thread.

Now that I play otb team matches this season I should also be playing more bori...^h^h efficient, at least in otb.

@MorningCoffee #50 haha! See the tactics themes thread. Now that I play otb team matches this season I should also be playing more bori...^h^h efficient, at least in otb.

MorningCoffee

#52

now this one is a bit higher level for the hardcore fans of this thread

theme: flexibility

The game starts as a Pirc, white goes for the 150 attack, but then at move 6 he plays Bd3 which is irrelevant to the 150 setup.
But if we imagine white playing h3, 0-0, Ne2-Ng3,c3,Re1 and black a6,Nbd7, e5,Bg7,0-0,Bb7 then we would actually get a somewhat favorable Breyer from the Ruy Lopez.
In the game black wastes some tempi and never manages to play e5 only to resign at move 24 with equal material, but a really passive position.

https://en.lichess.org/aLWDCoxi/white#1

now this one is a bit higher level for the hardcore fans of this thread theme: flexibility The game starts as a Pirc, white goes for the 150 attack, but then at move 6 he plays Bd3 which is irrelevant to the 150 setup. But if we imagine white playing h3, 0-0, Ne2-Ng3,c3,Re1 and black a6,Nbd7, e5,Bg7,0-0,Bb7 then we would actually get a somewhat favorable Breyer from the Ruy Lopez. In the game black wastes some tempi and never manages to play e5 only to resign at move 24 with equal material, but a really passive position. https://en.lichess.org/aLWDCoxi/white#1

achja

#53

I just played a game which reminded me of a "theme" which is not talked about very often at all, and usually not clearly taught to beginner chess players, and also might take some effort to get used to (especially for "pawn grabbers" :) :
Returning material, giving back material gain for a good cause.

https://en.lichess.org/kgAP4qC3/black#43

The position was sharp, and I could try to hold on to the surplus of material, but my king was too exposed and there were a few tricks for white, so I gave back the knight. After counting I noticed that I was still a few pawns up, and my king would be a bit safer.

I just played a game which reminded me of a "theme" which is not talked about very often at all, and usually not clearly taught to beginner chess players, and also might take some effort to get used to (especially for "pawn grabbers" :) : Returning material, giving back material gain for a good cause. https://en.lichess.org/kgAP4qC3/black#43 The position was sharp, and I could try to hold on to the surplus of material, but my king was too exposed and there were a few tricks for white, so I gave back the knight. After counting I noticed that I was still a few pawns up, and my king would be a bit safer.

Dr_King_Schultz

#54

Played my second rated OTB game yesterday and my opponent went for a Ruy Lopez sideline (the Arkhangelsk variation) where he played the (imo) dubious 7. ... Bd6?!, blocking his d pawn. He later made things worse with 11. ... exd4?!, allowing me to recapture with my c pawn and have a strong central pawn duo against his one center pawn on d7 (which was even blocked by the bishop on d6).

Here's what can happen when you give your opponent the center for nothing:
https://de.lichess.org/study/WFxNrNXM (chapter 2)

"Positional themes" featured in this game are mainly the strong pawn center as well as the space advantage coming with it, the bishop pair and maybe the weak light squares around my opponent's king caused by the early 9. ... h6.

Also, the concept of giving back extra material as mentioned in the previous post occured when I played 20. Nd4 to speed up my attack.

Played my second rated OTB game yesterday and my opponent went for a Ruy Lopez sideline (the Arkhangelsk variation) where he played the (imo) dubious 7. ... Bd6?!, blocking his d pawn. He later made things worse with 11. ... exd4?!, allowing me to recapture with my c pawn and have a strong central pawn duo against his one center pawn on d7 (which was even blocked by the bishop on d6). Here's what can happen when you give your opponent the center for nothing: https://de.lichess.org/study/WFxNrNXM (chapter 2) "Positional themes" featured in this game are mainly the strong pawn center as well as the space advantage coming with it, the bishop pair and maybe the weak light squares around my opponent's king caused by the early 9. ... h6. Also, the concept of giving back extra material as mentioned in the previous post occured when I played 20. Nd4 to speed up my attack.

achja

#55

@Dr_King_Schultz #54
Great game. I like b2b4, and Qxe4 in the end.

Regarding the Bd6 in the opening. Some beginning chess players like to play such "ugly looking" moves, but it sometimes looks worse than it really is. iirc I remember having seen a game, in the last few months, by Aronian with black where he also played Bd6. The position was different, but it was in the opening.
It could have been a game Anand-Aronian.

@Dr_King_Schultz #54 Great game. I like b2b4, and Qxe4 in the end. Regarding the Bd6 in the opening. Some beginning chess players like to play such "ugly looking" moves, but it sometimes looks worse than it really is. iirc I remember having seen a game, in the last few months, by Aronian with black where he also played Bd6. The position was different, but it was in the opening. It could have been a game Anand-Aronian.

Dr_King_Schultz

#56

There's actually a line in the Four Knights Spanish where black plays Bd6 with the pawn on d7 (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bd6). But here the idea is to play a quick 0-0, Re8 and Bf8. (And white can't build a center with c3-d4 in the meantime because the knight on c3 is blocking the c pawn.)

In the lichess opening database, there are also some Aronian games from 2014 where he plays Bd6 in an Anti-Berlin (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bd6), but again black's idea seems to be 0-0, Re8 and Bf8 before white gets c3-d4 in. (Or have white play an early Bxc6 when dxc6 solves the problem with the blocked d pawn.)

But leaving the bishop on d6 for too long and allowing white to build the ideal pawn center seems wrong to me.

There's actually a line in the Four Knights Spanish where black plays Bd6 with the pawn on d7 (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bd6). But here the idea is to play a quick 0-0, Re8 and Bf8. (And white can't build a center with c3-d4 in the meantime because the knight on c3 is blocking the c pawn.) In the lichess opening database, there are also some Aronian games from 2014 where he plays Bd6 in an Anti-Berlin (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bd6), but again black's idea seems to be 0-0, Re8 and Bf8 before white gets c3-d4 in. (Or have white play an early Bxc6 when dxc6 solves the problem with the blocked d pawn.) But leaving the bishop on d6 for too long and allowing white to build the ideal pawn center seems wrong to me.

MorningCoffee

#57

scary, scary stuff mr @Dr_King_Schultz . This is your 2nd otb game?? On my second otb game I was thinking of 2 things:a) how do get my pieces to his king, and b) how to get my pieces to his king.
I especially enjoyed your b4. cool stuff

scary, scary stuff mr @Dr_King_Schultz . This is your 2nd otb game?? On my second otb game I was thinking of 2 things:a) how do get my pieces to his king, and b) how to get my pieces to his king. I especially enjoyed your b4. cool stuff

Dr_King_Schultz

#58

Well, I have been playing chess online for a few years already. I just never joined a chess club until recently. ;)

(And I think playing correspondence helped me a lot to get used to long time controls.)

Well, I have been playing chess online for a few years already. I just never joined a chess club until recently. ;) (And I think playing correspondence helped me a lot to get used to long time controls.)

FletchMK64

#59

Eljanov and Caruana both played Nd2-b1 and won in the Isle of Man tournament in the last couple of days - I had a quick look at each of the games (and added the Karpov-Spassky Nb1 game) to see why. For me, Eljanov's was particularly instructive.

https://en.lichess.org/study/YJRpl1Sd

Eljanov and Caruana both played Nd2-b1 and won in the Isle of Man tournament in the last couple of days - I had a quick look at each of the games (and added the Karpov-Spassky Nb1 game) to see why. For me, Eljanov's was particularly instructive. https://en.lichess.org/study/YJRpl1Sd

MorningCoffee

#60

#59 great games, amazing collection, nice eye for spotting the Nd2-Nb1 similarity. Can I give you 30 likes? AS far as the Karpov game is concerned I have seen it a lot of times.And seeing the Rf2 to Qf1 to Qc4 manouevre feels wonderful every single one of them.
All 3 games are masterpieces in their own right
PS: I can imagine shirov after the game:"Where the hell did I go wrong?" I have lost similar games... He played all the normal moves and then he was lost

#59 great games, amazing collection, nice eye for spotting the Nd2-Nb1 similarity. Can I give you 30 likes? AS far as the Karpov game is concerned I have seen it a lot of times.And seeing the Rf2 to Qf1 to Qc4 manouevre feels wonderful every single one of them. All 3 games are masterpieces in their own right PS: I can imagine shirov after the game:"Where the hell did I go wrong?" I have lost similar games... He played all the normal moves and then he was lost