FT article: Games we play as children echo through our adult lives

 

The Chess Players by  Antti Favén

The Financial Times recently referenced chess again, in the article "Games we play as children echo through our adult lives". While the role and function of chess is often misunderstood or misrepresented in popular culture, I think the author Enuma Okoro got it right in how she shared her experience:

My father was an avid chess player and when I was eight years old, he began teaching me the game. I remember how seriously he took this task. He wanted me to understand that this wasn’t just for fun but that it could also teach me to pay attention, to stop and think before making a move, and even at such a young age to begin to learn what it meant to strategise. We would often leave our matches unfinished, if necessary, until the next opportunity to continue. He taught my older siblings the game too, and when I played with them I discovered that part of the skill was understanding your opponent.

Some of the most important lessons were about the value of taking turns, of recognising that certain rules exist to ensure that everyone can engage fairly and with equal chance of success. A game like chess is also a reminder that when we relate with others, whether it’s a friendly interaction or a more loaded exchange, something is always at stake. And that we each have to determine how we value what’s at stake and what we’re willing to do to secure or protect it. Pausing, observing, trying to understand whoever is in front of you, knowing how to sit with tension until you determine the next best move are all lessons that can translate from the board to real life.

Annotated Game #339: How about that a-file

This final-round tournament game followed a common trajectory in the Colle, as I managed to seize on an inaccuracy in an otherwise equal position to put a lot of pressure on Black. I completely miss a Nxf7 sac possibility, pointed out by the engine, but establish a second-best winning positional advantage. Unfortunately I misplay things on the open a-file, giving Black perhaps even a small advantage. After that, a somewhat over-optimistic last shot at active play peters out into a legitimate draw. I was nonetheless pleased with the overall level of play and the result against a higher-rated player, capping a positive tournament result for the first time in a while.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D05"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "69"] [GameId "2268222679466048"] {[%evp 0,69,10,38,17,23,32,5,14,9,8,0,9,7,16,4,21,26,10,11,18,7,13,-1,-18,0,17,46,51,23,54,-16,3,117,42,186,41,5,172,124,195,84,153,25,86,182,212,196,12,78,71,7,-88,0,9,-63,-73,-70,4,-27,-30,-82,-64,87,-1,-28,54,-1,1,-26,-1,-51]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. e3 {a safe choice.} (3. d5 {is the more principled reply, taking advantage of Black's pawn advance, and scores much better in the database than any other move.}) 3... e6 4. Bd3 d5 {now we are back in the main line Colle, via transposition.} 5. b3 Nbd7 6. Bb2 a6 {this seems like one pawn move too many, as development is not advanced enough for Black.} 7. a4 $14 {prophylaxis, aimed at contesting any b-pawn advance.} g6 {this is inconsistent with the earlier e7-e6 advance, since the bishop does not need an extra tempo to develop. That said, if Black is more comfortable playing the position with a fianchettoed bishop, then it is not necessarily a bad choice.} 8. Nbd2 Bg7 9. O-O b6 {The light-square bishop needs to be developed somehow.} 10. Ne5 {not the only good choice of strategy here.} (10. a5 {looks to disrupt Black's queenside. Accepting the pawn leads to trouble after} bxa5 11. Ra2 {followed by Qa1 with pressure against Black's fractured structure.}) (10. e4 $5 {would be the classic Colle pawn lever}) 10... Qc7 11. f4 {now we have the classic Stonewall/Colle attack structure.} O-O 12. c3 {this commits fully to a Stonewall structure, which is safer but less dynamic. Developing the queen would be more flexible.} (12. Qe2) (12. Qe1) 12... Rb8 {removing a defender of the a6 pawn, making it easy to choose my next move.} 13. Qe2 {creating the Q+B battery and connecting the rooks.} Qb7 {it's common to try and justify one's previous less-than-optimal move, which my opponent does here by misplacing her queen to protect the a-pawn.} (13... Ra8 {simply returning the rook to its original square is a bit galling, but best.}) 14. Ndf3 {I thought for a while here. This is not bad, but does not press White's small advantage.} (14. g4 {would start up the standard Stonewall attack on the kingside, targeting the Nf6. I rejected it at the time, thinking it would be too stereotypical.}) (14. Ba3 $5 {would get the bishop off the b-file, where it could be a target, and on to a much more useful diagonal.}) 14... b5 15. Rfb1 {protecting the Bb2 again and opposing the rook to Black's queen.} c4 {Black now seizes some space while keeping the queenside structure intact, thereby equalizing.} 16. bxc4 dxc4 17. Bc2 $11 Nd5 {this was unexpected, for whatever reason, but both looks good and is good.} 18. Qd2 {overprotecting c3.} Qc7 $2 {a good idea to place the queen here, but executed prematurely.} (18... Nxe5 19. Nxe5 f6 20. Nf3 Qc7 $11 {here the e3-e4 pawn lever is not available, as the f4 pawn would hang.}) 19. e4 $1 {this was easy to find, since it seizes space with tempo.} N5f6 20. Ba3 $18 {I felt this resulted in a decisive advantage, which the engine verifies.} Rd8 21. axb5 (21. Nxf7 $1 {is even better, but this sacrifice was not even on my radar.} Kxf7 22. Ng5+ Kg8 23. Nxe6 Qb6 24. Nxd8 Qxd8 25. e5 $18) 21... axb5 22. Bb4 {positionally Black is lost on the queenside, without control of the a-file and with the backwards b-pawn a liability.} Qb7 23. Qe1 {a "small" move, but best. The idea is to redeploy the queen to the kingside and combine with the knight to attack.} Nxe5 24. Nxe5 $6 {this gives away most of the advantage, as I divert my knight from the best attacking square (g5) while also leaving Black's defending knight in place on f6. The Ne5's centralization looks good, but is not useful enough to compensate.} (24. fxe5 $18) 24... Bd7 $14 25. Nxd7 $6 {now we are back to equality. The knight was still superior to the bishop.} Qxd7 $11 26. Ra2 Ra8 27. Rba1 $6 {natural-looking but mistaken, as Black's potential activity on the a-file now outweighs White's.} (27. Rab2 $5 {doubling the potential pressure on the b-file, while not allowing Black to threaten to enter into my position on the a-file.}) 27... Rxa2 28. Rxa2 Nh5 (28... Bf8 {played immediately would activate the bishop to better effect.}) 29. Bc5 {played after a long think, and a little over-optimistic. My opponent in response thought for a while, then did not go for the critical line accepting the pawn sac.} (29. g3 {would be the simplest way to consolidate and maintain equality.}) 29... Bf8 (29... Nxf4 30. g3 Nd3 31. Bxd3 cxd3 32. Qe3 $11) 30. Ra7 $6 {the point of the previous move in my thinking. However, after the essentially forced bishop exchange, it has less of a point.} (30. Bxf8 $11) 30... Qe8 31. Bxf8 Kxf8 32. g3 {unfortunately none of the attacking moves (Qh4 etc.) do anything for White, so I end up consolidating the equal position.} Ra8 33. Qa1 Rxa7 34. Qxa7 Nf6 35. Qc5+ {we were both relatively low on time and recognized that the position was equal, with no progress likely, so a draw was agreed.} 1/2-1/2

Annotated Game #338: A queen ending, or a comedy of errors

I should have drawn the following tournament game, an Exchange Caro-Kann, at multiple points. However, my opponent pressed effectively and induced errors on the defense, ending up with what should have been a won queen ending (after it was very much a drawn queen ending). A comedy of errors then ensued, with a draw at the end - which was the right outcome from my perspective, even if wrongly achieved. Still, "drawing ugly" is almost as good as "winning ugly". The overwhelming importance of queen activity, especially versus a bare king, is a major takeaway from examining the ending.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "B13"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "172"] [GameId "2271414718922553"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 {the Exchange Variation has become quite popular again.} Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. h3 {an alternative to the standard Bf4, it prevents ...Bg4, which is a key move in the main line for Black.} g6 {supporting the alternate way to develop the light-square bishop, to f5.} (6... Qc7 {defers the bishop development and prevents Bf4. This position is often reached via transposition, with ...Qc7 having been played earlier on move 5.}) (6... e5 $5 {is the principled response and the engine favorite, taking advantage of the absence of a Bf4 for White to break in the center.} 7. dxe5 Nxe5 $11 {Black in exchange for an isolated queen's pawn is more active and will either gain a tempo on the Bd3 or can exchange it to obtain the two bishops.}) 7. Nf3 Bf5 8. Bxf5 {the critical line, creating a significant structural imbalance.} gxf5 9. Bf4 e6 $11 {this is perfectly viable, but it runs into some unfamiliar awkwardness after White's next move.} (9... Rg8 {is more direct and comes with tempo, forcing White to defend the g-pawn. I think this is also a better practical move-order, since Black wants to play this anyway.}) 10. Qb3 Qd7 $6 {the problem with this is White's next move.} (10... Qb6 {reduces the amount of threats White can make, as Black can now exchange queens if needed.}) 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. Bxe5 {this awkward pin would not be an issue with the rook on g8.} Be7 13. Nd2 {White has a slight advantage, as her pieces coordinate better, but Black is solid enough after} Rg8 14. Rg1 $6 {this allows me to improve my position, but I do not assess the middlegame properly.} Rc8 {this does not hurt, but it does not particularly help me accomplish anything, either.} (14... Ne4 15. Nxe4 fxe4 16. O-O-O f6 17. Bf4 O-O-O $11) 15. f3 {clearly intending to ram through g2-g4, but I miscalculate the response.} Nh5 $6 {unfortunately this is one of the worse options.} (15... h5 {is the most obvious reaction.} 16. g4 hxg4 17. hxg4 fxg4 18. fxg4 Nxg4 $11 {and the knight is pinned against the Rg8, but White cannot exploit this.}) (15... Qc6 {is more subtle.} 16. g4 fxg4 17. fxg4 Rg6 $11) (15... b5 $5 $11 {starts immediate counterplay, with ...b4 as a viable pawn sacrifice to open up lines for Black's pieces (the c-file and the e8-a3 diagonal).}) 16. g4 $14 Bh4+ $6 {this was played with no calculation of White's response, on the assumption that a check is always good.} (16... f6 {is awkward, but defends well enough.} 17. Bh2 Ng7 $14) 17. Ke2 f6 $2 (17... Ng7 $14 {is still possible, if a bit worse than before.}) 18. gxh5 Rxg1 19. Rxg1 $16 fxe5 20. dxe5 $16 {now White is a pawn up and I have no compensation, in fact White is also positionally better with the rook occupying the g-file.} Kf7 {I thought for a while here. This is the only move that keeps Black in the game, as the king helps control the g-file.} 21. f4 Rg8 22. Rxg8 {the best option, as the g-file cannot be kept under control.} Kxg8 23. Nf3 Bd8 $2 {I thought about retreating to both d8 and e7 and did not find much to choose between them, so picked what I thought was more flexible. However, White can now take advantage of this with her next move.} (23... Be7 24. h6 Bf8 $16) 24. h6 $18 Kf7 {staying in the corner seemed like a bad idea.} 25. Qa3 $2 {time pressure was starting to take its toll here. Incredibly, Black can now equalize with the active} Qb5+ $1 26. Kf2 Bb6+ $11 {White's extra doubled h-pawn is meaningless now, with Black's better piece activity.} 27. Nd4 Bc5 (27... Bxd4+ {immediately would have been a simpler way to draw, preventing any future N+Q combinations.} 28. cxd4 Qc4 $11) 28. b4 {unexpected, but it encourages me to play the good move} Bxd4+ 29. cxd4 Qc4 30. Qb2 $2 {here begins the queen ending comedy of errors, as highlighted by the engine.} b5 $6 {unambitiously (and uninspiredly) played to secure the draw, which it should have done.} (30... Qd3 $19 {and White has too many weaknesses, with the king and queen split too far from each other to cooperate; this makes them vulnerable to a skewer tactic from Black's queen. The immediate threat is to the h3 pawn, while the d4 pawn still needs to be guarded as well.}) 31. Qd2 a6 32. Kg2 Qc8 {this still draws, but the restriction of the queen's scope is not a good way to play.} (32... Kg6 $11 {keeps the Black queen threatening White's back ranks.}) 33. Qe2 Qg8+ 34. Kh2 Qg6 35. Qc2 Qxh6 36. Qc7+ Kg8 37. Qc8+ Kf7 {while this is all very annoying, White does not have a way to make progress.} 38. Qc1 Qf8 39. a3 Qe7 40. Kg3 h5 {this still draws, but again there are simpler ways.} (40... Kg6 $11) (40... Kg7 $11) 41. Qd1 h4+ 42. Kf2 Kg6 43. Qg1+ Kh6 $6 {unfortunately I miss how annoying White's next move can be.} (43... Kh7) 44. Qg8 Kh5 $6 (44... Qg7 $1 {and the K+P ending is still drawn, thanks to the closed pawn structure.} 45. Qxe6+ Qg6 46. Qxg6+ Kxg6 $11) 45. Ke2 Kh6 46. Kd2 Kh5 (46... Qd7 {is possible, as} 47. Qg5+ Kh7 48. Qxh4+ Kg7 $11 {and White's queen alone cannot make progress with the h-pawn.}) 47. Qh8+ Kg6 48. Qc8 a5 $2 {played in desperation under time pressure, as I thought White's queen would just keep scooping up pawns otherwise.} (48... Kh6 49. Qxa6 Qe8 $11 {holds, for example after} 50. a4 Qg6 {and again going after White's vulnerable king is the solution.}) 49. bxa5 $18 Kf7 {protecting the e-pawn.} 50. Qc5 Qb7 51. Qb6 Qe7 52. Qxb5 Qxa3 {of course I am still losing, but now have a practical chance of doing something active with my queen...eventually.} 53. Qd7+ Kg8 54. Qxe6+ Kh8 55. Qh6+ Kg8 56. Qg5+ Kh8 57. Qxh4+ Kg8 58. Qd8+ Kh7 59. Qc7+ Kh8 60. Qc3 Qa2+ 61. Kc1 Qf2 62. Qd2 {now it's my turn to be annoying.} Qf1+ 63. Kb2 Qb5+ 64. Ka3 Qb1 65. Ka4 Qa1+ 66. Kb5 Qf1+ 67. Kb6 Qb1+ 68. Ka6 Qb8 69. Qc3 Qa8+ 70. Kb5 Qb7+ 71. Ka4 Qd7+ 72. Ka3 Qb5 73. Qc8+ {here we go again.} Kg7 74. Qc7+ Kg8 75. Qd8+ Kg7 76. Qe7+ Kg8 77. Qe6+ Kg7 78. Qf6+ Kg8 79. Qxf5 Qxa5+ {my turn again.} 80. Kb2 $6 Qb5+ $6 (80... Qd2+ {would keep more of an open field between the Black queen and White king.} 81. Kb3 Qxd4 82. Qc8+ $18) 81. Kc1 Qc4+ 82. Kd1 Qxd4+ 83. Ke1 $2 {now I knew I could draw.} (83. Ke2 $18 {and the king can head for g4, while the e-pawn threatens to advance.}) 83... Qe3+ $1 $11 84. Kd1 Qd4+ $2 (84... d4 $1) 85. Kc2 $6 {going the wrong way.} (85. Ke2 $1 $18) 85... Qc4+ $2 {the problem is that the king could still head back to the kingside and run away from here.} (85... Qe3 $11 {gives up the checking crown to White, but permanently cuts off the White king from shelter.}) 86. Kb2 Qb4+ $2 {same problem as before, if the king runs back towards f3/g4, but neither I nor my opponent realize this, and a draw is agreed with my opponent coming near to flagging.} (86... Qe2+ $11) (86... Qd4+ $11) 1/2-1/2

Annotated Game #337: Winning less ugly

One of the truths of chess - that we sometimes overlook - is that for us to win, our opponent has to make a mistake; winning is therefore not simply attributable to our brilliance. Normally both sides make significant mistakes, hence Lasker's published observation (also attributed to Tartakower) "The winner of a game of chess is he who makes the last mistake but one."

In this next tournament game, if the result is perhaps not due to brilliant thought, I can at least say that I won less ugly than in Annotated Game #336. I make the strategic error of exchanging queens in the early middlegame, which erased my small advantage, but shortly afterwards I was able to induce a blunder of a pawn by my opponent. For the rest of the game, although we both could have improved our play, there were no huge mistakes and I convert the endgame in a solid fashion.

When you know you have a winning advantage (but not yet a won game), whatever way you can find at the board to successfully realize it is the best path. Engines will of course point out other moves, which normally are considered "better" simply because they win faster. However, there are no bonus points for finishing earlier. Here I again follow NM Dan Heisman's excellent practical advice to "go to sleep" in the endgame when winning, which means taking care to cover your weaknesses and deny your opponent counterplay, only then focusing on calculating the necessary winning breakthrough. If your advantage is structural, then you can afford to do this, and not spend precious energy trying to calculate complex variations, which have the potential to go awry.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D04"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "103"] [GameId "2271414718922552"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nh4 Bg6 5. Nxg6 {this is the point of White's opening play, to exchange knight for bishop.} hxg6 6. c4 {challenging d5 while gaining space for White's now-unopposed light-square bishop.} e6 (6... c6 {is much more popular here, for whatever reason. The engine considers them equivalent.}) 7. g3 {the bishop is intended to eventually go to g2, so I decided to start the process early. This is fine, but since the queen could generate some early pressure from b3 in the absence of Black's light-square bishop, it might be best to see it develop there first, after exchanging pawns on d5.} (7. Nc3 {is the only move played in the small sample of database games.}) (7. cxd5 exd5 8. Qb3 Qc8 $14) 7... Be7 (7... c5 $11 {would be more challenging, taking advantage of White's slower approach.}) 8. Bg2 $14 c6 9. Qb3 Qb6 {the direct option. Black correctly is not concerned about doubled b-pawns after an exchange of queens, as this would give him the half-open a-file, along with contesting control of c5.} 10. Nc3 $11 {choosing to maintain the tension.} (10. Qc2 $5 $14 {also would avoid exchanging, while arguing that Black's queen is now doing less on b6 than White's queen on c2.}) 10... Nbd7 11. O-O O-O-O $6 {the Black king is certainly not safer on the queenside, so I expected my opponent did this based on a more aggressive desire to launch operations on the kingside.} 12. cxd5 $16 {thought for a while here, eventually deciding that opening up the c-file can't help but be good, given Black's king position.} exd5 13. Bd2 $6 (13. Qc2 $5 $16 {according to the engine, it is now best to preserve the queens; on general principle, this is best when looking to take advantage of an opponent's relatively weaker king position. The queen on c2 is certainly well-placed and Rb1 would be a strong follow-up.}) 13... Kb8 {my opponent also chooses to preserve the tension.} (13... Qxb3 14. axb3 a6 $11 {White, lacking a queen and with doubled b-pawns, is not going to be able to crack the Black defenses.}) 14. Qxb6 $6 {a strategic error, as noted above, although at least my pawn structure is preserved.} Nxb6 $11 15. b3 {most importantly, this covers c4 and prevents the Black knight from landing there.} Bd6 $6 {this seemed a bit of a waste of a tempo.} 16. a4 $14 {while the pawn advance gives up the b4 square, it is the most dynamic option on the queenside, and ends up provoking Black's next move.} a5 $2 {this natural-looking move to prevent a further White a-pawn advance is a critical error, blundering a pawn and fatally undermining the queenside. My opponent had not seen the idea of the backwards knight move} 17. Na2 Nbd7 18. Bxa5 $18 {White is now comfortably winning, with the two bishops and an extra pawn as the endgame approaches. Black has little counterplay, but there is a still a long way to go before I will have an actually won game.} b6 19. Bc3 (19. Bb4 {I also considered, but wanted to avoid} c5 {However, after} 20. Bc3 {White is doing quite well, as further exchanges on d4 or c5 will simplify the situation and enhance the structural advantage on the queenside.}) 19... Kb7 20. Rfc1 {activating the rook before commencing any other operations on the queenside.} Rde8 21. Be1 {I thought for a while here and found nothing better, although Bb4 was still an option. The idea is to get out of the way of the Rc1 and Na2, while maintaining the two bishops.} c5 $2 {as noted above, simplifications will only help White. I use a tempo to get my knight back into action.} 22. Nc3 {pressuring d5} Rh5 {I did not see this defensive move, but the rook is awkwardly placed. I also find the best follow-up with} 23. Nb5 {an excellent outpost square} Bb8 24. b4 {now a breakthrough of some sort is assured.} cxb4 (24... c4 $2 25. Rxc4 {exploiting the pin on the long diagonal.}) 25. Bxb4 Re6 {defending the key d6 square.} 26. Rc2 {looking to double rooks on either the c-file or a-file, staying flexible.} Rc6 27. Rxc6 {this gains a tempo, instead of continuing the doubling plan, as I would have expected Black was to take on c2.} Kxc6 28. Rc1+ Kb7 29. Nd6+ Bxd6 {otherwise the f7 pawn goes.} 30. Bxd6 {Black temporarily has prevented further material loss, but the two bishops will dominate Black's two knights in the endgame.} Ne8 31. Bb4 (31. g4 $5 {I did not consider here.} Rg5 32. Bg3 {and now the g4 pawn is poisoned after} Rxg4 $2 33. Bxd5+ Ka6 34. Rc8 {and Black loses material.}) (31. Bf4 {would be a more active retreat square, given that} g5 $2 {is met by} 32. Bxd5+) 31... Nef6 32. Bf1 {I decided it was time to redeploy the bishop, given that the d5 pawn was over-protected.} Rh8 33. Bb5 {the two bishops are cooperating well now. My opponent was down to just a few minutes on the clock before the time control by this point.} Nb8 34. Kg2 Nfd7 35. h4 {I decided to go with solid, consolidating moves rather than try for too much. This made it a bit easier for my opponent to make the time control, but I was confident I could win the resulting position.} Rc8 36. Rxc8 Kxc8 37. Kf3 {the idea is to get the king into the action and eventually pressure d5.} Kc7 38. g4 Nc6 39. Ba3 {I do not want to trade any pieces, given how well my two bishops work together.} f6 40. Kf4 (40. Bxc6 {the engine is happy to cash in the two bishops for an advantage in the center.} Kxc6 41. e4 $18 {and White will soon have a passed d-pawn.}) 40... Nd8 41. Kg3 (41. e4 {is already possible, but I continued to play solidly and keep my opponent away from any counterplay.} dxe4 42. Kxe4 $18) 41... Ne6 42. Bd3 {targeting the weak doubled pawns.} g5 43. hxg5 (43. h5 $5) 43... fxg5 44. Bf5 Ndf8 45. Kf3 (45. f4 $5 {I considered; it is objectively stronger, but I was focused on getting my king more centralized.}) 45... g6 46. Bb1 Kd7 47. Ke2 Kc6 48. Kd3 Nd7 49. f3 {still playing solidly to consolidate my position, before making a decisive break.} Ndf8 50. Kc3 {now the king is protecting the d4 pawn while opening the Bb1's main diagonal.} Kd7 51. Ba2 {Black cannot cover all of his weaknesses now.} Kc6 52. e4 {and my opponent resigned, as d5 falls.} 1-0

Chess as part of lifetime cognitive enrichment

A recent study published in Neurology - read the abstract here - has been highlighted in the press, including in this Washington Post article. The general conclusion, from the abstract:

Lifetime exposure to cognitive enrichment was related to lower risk of AD dementia and a slower rate of cognitive decline, including after adjustment for common ADRD pathologies, indicating higher resilience provided by lifetime enrichment. Our results suggest that cognitive health in later life is in part the product of lifetime exposure to cognitive enrichment.

An excerpt from expert commentary in the WaPo article, which also cited some other recent studies in the area:

The findings nod to the concept of “cognitive reserve”— the idea, popularized by Columbia University neuropsychologist Yaakov Stern, that the brain can adapt to damage or aging by relying on alternative networks or strategies. The theory is that mentally demanding activities over a lifetime may strengthen neural connections, giving the brain more flexibility to compensate.

The Neurology study apparently cited chess as particularly impactful among older people, although practicing it as a complex skill - similar to playing a musical instrument or learning a foreign language - has value in exercising your cognitive functions at any stage of life. What all these practices have in common is the requirement for "effortful study" to both improve and maintain a higher level of performance.

While the intrinsic motivation to excel at something you enjoy doing is probably the most powerful impulse for chess improvement, it is certainly good to have more indications that positive brain health outcomes are also associated with it.

Annotated Game #336: Breaking the streak

Winning ugly is better than not winning at all, as this round 2 tournament game shows. I hadn't won a game in a while, after a frankly miserable previous tournament, so I took what I could get here. The opening was a solid success, in response to my opponent's early deviation from theory. My Slav formation as Black was fine, but I missed opportunities for more active piece play, including misplaying things with my light-square bishop. My opponent got some pressure and both of us missed a winning "removal of the guard" tactic in the early endgame. However, after that I played much more actively and obtained successful counterplay - enough for equality. I could tell my opponent still wanted very much to win, however, and he ended up over-pressing and blundered while under major time pressure.

While my play had some holes, I'll give myself credit for mental toughness after blundering and almost losing, to then up my level of play and press back against my opponent in a correct assessment of the position. Had he accepted that it was a draw, he wouldn't have lost, but the over-pressing phenomenon is one way I've beaten a number of higher-rated players over the years.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class A"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A12"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "82"] [GameId "2267422749081693"] 1. c4 c6 2. b3 {an independent way to proceed, for sure.} d5 3. Bb2 Nf6 {I certainly would not mind having the knight exchanged on f6, for White's excellent bishop.} 4. g3 Bf5 {Black now has a standard Slav setup and is equal.} 5. d3 e6 (5... d4 $5 {followed by ...e5 would more assertively claim the center.}) 6. Bg2 Be7 7. Nf3 Nbd7 (7... h6 $5 {immediately also looks good, preserving the bishop in the event of Nh4.}) 8. O-O O-O 9. Nbd2 h6 10. Re1 Qb6 {long think here about what to do. Black has nothing forcing and is in no hurry to resolve the central pawn tension. The text move gets the queen to a more active square and connects my rooks.} (10... a5 $5) (10... Bh7) 11. e4 $6 {this forces the issue in the center, but not to White's benefit.} dxe4 12. dxe4 Bg4 {this is OK for Black, but the pin is meaningless.} (12... Bh7 $5 $15 {would remove the bishop as a target and keep up the pressure on the h7-b1 diagonal.}) 13. e5 Nh7 {this is actually the best move, per the engine, although it looks like a passive retreat. The knight does not get in the way of my other pieces and can re-emerge relatively easily via g5 or potentially f8 after the rook moves.} 14. Ne4 Rad8 {activating the rook and lining up against the queen, threatening a discovered attack.} 15. Qc2 Bxf3 $6 {while the general idea of trading minor pieces is good, this is not the best choice. The bishop still has plenty of life in it, and the Nf3 was not a superior piece.} (15... Bf5 {moves the bishop to a more effective diagonal.} 16. Nh4 Bxh4 17. gxh4 Nc5 $11) (15... Nc5 16. Nd6 (16. Ned2 $2 Nd3 $19 (16... Bf5)) 16... Bxd6 17. exd6 Rxd6 {and White has compensation for the pawn, with open lines for the queen, bishop and rooks, but Black is fine.}) 16. Bxf3 c5 $2 {long think, wrong think. The c5 square is taken away from Black's pieces, with no real upside. Other moves would improve piece activity.} (16... Qc7 {dropping the queen back to pressure e5 looks simplest and best.}) (16... Nc5) (16... Ng5) 17. Rad1 $16 Nb8 {this is best, according to the engine, but still a significant plus for White. The knight has to get active via a roundabout route.} 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Rd1 Qc7 $6 {this should have been played earlier; here it just wastes a tempo.} (19... Ng5 {reactivates the knight to good effect.} 20. Nxg5 (20. Rxd8+ Bxd8 $11) 20... Rxd1+ 21. Qxd1 hxg5 $11) 20. Rxd8+ Qxd8 $14 21. Qd1 b6 $6 {this lets White exchange and displace the bishop.} (21... Qxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Nc6 $14) 22. Qxd8+ Bxd8 23. Nd6 Bc7 $4 {both my opponent and I were in some time pressure already here, and I did not see the potential winning tactic for White yet.} (23... Nf8 {is better on principle in any case, getting the piece into the fight via g6 or d7 by targeting the e-pawn.}) 24. Nb5 $1 $18 Na6 25. Nxa7 $6 {my opponent misses the tactic as well, being fixated on the loose pawn.} (25. Bb7 $1 $18 {I spotted this "removal of the guard" themed tactic shortly after I moved.}) 25... Nb4 $1 {White still has an advantage, but finally I get some counterplay.} 26. Nb5 $16 Bb8 27. Be2 $6 {at this point my opponent was moving quickly, to gain clock time.} (27. a4 $16) 27... Nxa2 $11 {material and positional equality are now restored.} 28. f4 Nf8 {naturally I want to reactivate my knight, although other decent options are available.} (28... f6) (28... Nb4) 29. Kg2 Nd7 30. Kf3 Kf8 31. h4 {around here I got the impression my opponent was still very interested in trying to win, but the position does not support that.} Nb4 32. h5 Ke7 33. g4 f6 {this seemed the most straightforward way to defend, restraining g4-g5.} 34. Ke4 fxe5 35. g5 $6 {trying too hard to win.} Nc6 {the knight had been admirably restraining White's light-square bishop from going to d3 on its previous square, but I thought it could now be shifted to the central action on e5. I preferred that to snagging the f4 pawn, which would have resulted in more complications.} (35... exf4 $5 36. Bxg7 hxg5 37. h6 Nf6+ 38. Bxf6+ Kxf6 39. Bh5 Nc6 40. Nc3 $17 {is the engine line.}) 36. gxh6 gxh6 37. Bc1 $2 {my opponent was very low on time by this point.} (37. fxe5 Ncxe5 $11) 37... Nf6+ $17 38. Kd3 $2 (38. Kf3 Nxh5 $17) 38... exf4 $17 {now I am two pawns up and have a won endgame.} 39. Bf3 {this hastens the process.} Ne5+ 40. Ke2 Nxf3 41. Kxf3 Nxh5 $19 0-1

Annotated Game #335: All rook endgames *should* be drawn

This first-round tournament game was a useful experience with the reverse London System formation, which my opponent plays into as Black. As White, I could have played a little more aggressively with 4. Qb3!? but had a normal and very equal position heading into the middlegame. My opponent does a very good job with the transitions from middlegame to multiple endgame phases, seizing the opportunity to punish poor endgame decisions on piece placement. That said, the rook endgame *should* have been drawn...

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class A"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D11"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "120"] [GameId "2271414718922551"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Bf5 3. c4 {this both challenges d5 and opens up the d1-a4 diagonal for the queen.} e6 {consistent with a reverse London System approach.} 4. Nc3 {this is the most-played move in the database, also scoring the best.} (4. Qb3 $5 {immediately puts pressure on b7 and d5, also leaving the knight development options open.}) 4... c6 {reinforcing d5 with a pawn.} 5. Qb3 $14 {White enjoys a small advantage in development.} Qc8 $6 {my opponent thought for a while before playing this. It is a little passive, but avoids potentially exchanging queens after ...Qb6.} 6. Bf4 {this seemed like the obvious move at the time, developing and asserting control over the the h2-b8 diagonal.} (6. cxd5 $1 {although the square is well-defended, the exchange will benefit White by removing the presence of a Black pawn on either e6 or c6.} exd5 (6... cxd5 7. Bf4 $1 {this now hits harder than in the game, with Nb5 possible and the potential for Rc1 to be a threat. For example} Nc6 8. Nb5 Bb4+ 9. Kd1 Kf8 10. Rc1 $18) 7. e4 {this aggressive pawn sac did not occur to me.} dxe4 (7... Bxe4 $2 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Ne5 $1 $18) 8. Ng5 Bg6 9. Bc4 Nh6 10. h4 b5 11. Be2 $16) 6... Nf6 7. e3 Be7 8. Be2 Nbd7 9. O-O h6 10. Rac1 {so far, very normal development with White retaining a small edge in piece activity.} O-O 11. cxd5 $6 {this exchange now helps Black a bit, leading to a Carlsbad pawn structure.} (11. Nd2) (11. Rfe1) (11. h3) 11... exd5 $11 12. Nb5 {this superficially looks clever, taking advantage of the pin on the c-pawn, but leads nowhere.} Ne8 {looks passive, but defends everything; the Nb5 has nowhere to go and I will have to lose a tempo withdrawing it.} 13. Bd3 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 a6 15. Nc3 Nef6 16. h3 {the position is now extremely equal.} (16. Nh4 $5 {is possible, aiming to transfer the knight to f5, the tactical point being if} g5 17. Nf5 $1 {and Black does not have the time to take the Bf4.}) 16... Qd8 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 (18. dxe5 $5 {I considered, but did not like the doubled e-pawns and Black's future potential to roll forward the c/d pawns. However, there are positive dynamic aspects:} Nd7 19. e4 dxe4 20. Nxe4 {un-doubling the pawns and placing the knight on an excellent square. Things are still only equal, however, after} Nxe5 21. Qxd8 Bxd8 22. Bxe5 Re8 23. f4 f6 24. Nxf6+ Bxf6 $11) 18... Re8 19. Bxf6 {a correct decision to exchange, according to the engine. I judged my knight would be a little more effective than Black's dark-square bishop, given the d4/e3/f2 pawn chain.} Bxf6 20. a3 {placing another pawn on a dark square and proactively protecting the a-pawn against a possible ...Qa5 sortie, which in fact happens.} (20. Na4 $5 {would more quickly mobilize the knight.} Qa5 {was the reason I did not play this, but White is actually winning after} 21. Nc5 Qxa2 $2 (21... Ra7 $11) 22. b4 $1 {and Black will have to lose material to get the queen out.}) 20... Qa5 21. Rc2 {this is not a bad move in itself, but my idea behind it - to double on the c-file - is mistaken.} (21. Rfd1) (21. Rb1) 21... Rad8 22. Ne2 (22. b4 $5 {and the a-pawn is still tactically protected.}) 22... Qb5 23. Qxb5 {this is fine, but unnecessary, and it would have been easier to maintain the balance with queens on.} (23. Qd2 $11) 23... axb5 24. Nc1 Be7 25. Nd3 Bd6 26. Rfc1 $6 {this is unfortunately just a bad idea. Doubling rooks has no effect on the c-file, since I will never be able to get a pawn break on it.} f5 27. Nc5 Bxc5 28. dxc5 $2 {my first real mistake, as I underestimate the power of Black's subsequent central play.} (28. Rxc5 $11) 28... Re4 $1 $17 {the Black rook is strong on the 4th rank, able to support either the d- or f-pawn advances.} 29. Kf1 Rde8 30. b4 $6 (30. b3 $5 $17 {this would have at least taken a couple of squares away from Black's rook on the 4th rank.}) 30... Ra8 31. Rc3 {here I thought I could hold by defending on the 3rd rank.} Rae8 32. g3 Kf7 {bringing the king into the action.} 33. h4 Kf6 34. Kg2 $2 {this brings the king further away from the central action.} d4 $6 {this was premature.} (34... Rc4 $1 $19 {now an exchange would favor Black, with a protected passed pawn on c4, and the Rc3 is also pinned against the Rc1.}) 35. exd4 $1 {best, and essentially forced.} Rxd4 36. Kf3 $11 {now we should be back to equality.} (36. Rf3 $5 {I did not consider, but would be an effective way to dominate the 3rd rank after playing Rcc3.}) 36... g5 37. hxg5+ hxg5 38. R1c2 $4 {long think, wrong think here. My brain was rather fried by this point.} (38. Re3 g4+ 39. Ke2 $11 {for some reason I recall only looking at Kg2 here, which loses.}) 38... g4+ $19 39. Kg2 Re1 {Black now threatens mate by doubling rooks on the first rank, since the g4 pawn cuts off the king's escape.} 40. f3 Ke5 41. Kf2 Rdd1 {the only move that maintains Black's winning advantage, but not hard to find.} 42. Re3+ Rxe3 43. Kxe3 gxf3 44. Rc3 (44. Kxf3 Rd3+ 45. Kg2 Rxa3 $19) 44... Re1+ 45. Kf2 Re2+ $1 {Black correctly and forcibly transitions into a winning K+P endgame, although both sides will queen for another transition.} 46. Kxf3 Kd4 47. Kxe2 Kxc3 48. Ke3 Kb3 49. Kf4 Kxa3 50. Kxf5 Kxb4 51. g4 Kxc5 52. g5 b4 53. g6 b3 54. g7 b2 55. Kf6 {this avoids having Black queen with check, although of course my chances objectively are not improved.} (55. g8=Q b1=Q+ 56. Kf4 Qf1+ $19) 55... b1=Q 56. g8=Q Qe4 57. Qa8 b5 58. Qa7+ Kb4 {unfortunately, Black's two pawns and centralized queen mean that my queen cannot get any threats going.} 59. Qa2 Qd4+ 60. Kg5 $2 {I was losing anyway, so this was a quicker end after} Qd5+ {again forcing a winning K+P endgame, so I resigned.} 0-1

Training quote of the day #59: Alysa Liu

...I wouldn't necessarily say I'm nervous, because one thing about me is I really don't have any anxiety. I have none in my normal life, on ice, nothing. I just don't have it. In order for me to be anxious about something like that, it would have to mean I'm really counting on it or depending on it. I'm not really depending on skating. Of course there's meaning, but I find the meaning in the art, and there's no way to go wrong with that. Even mistakes in art can still be beautiful.

2026 Olympic Gold medalist Alysa Liu

Annotated Game #334: Misery loves company

This final-round tournament game was rather miserable, contributing to a rather miserable outing overall; at least I didn't lose all of the games, which was some consolation. Again I achieve an advantage out of the opening - here, as early as move 3 - but poor thinking and evaluation of my opponent's potential threats mean I am on the ropes before the middlegame even properly starts. My opponent misses several critical continuations, but in the end is able to very effectively dominate with his pieces, while mine are ineffective. Props to him for not collapsing to the early pressure and fighting back effectively.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class C"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "B10"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "89"] [GameId "2263074706079778"] 1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 $2 {I had never seen this move before, likely because of} d4 (3... dxe4 {seemed to be what my opponent was expecting, which is at least less bad for White.}) 4. Nce2 e5 $17 {Black's pawn on d4 is extremely strong and cannot be effectively challenged.} 5. d3 Bg4 $6 $15 {here starts the wrong thinking. Other pieces are better developed first.} (5... Bb4+) (5... Nf6) 6. a3 {now ...Bb4 is not possible.} a5 {played to restrict b2-b4.} 7. f3 {while this is awkward for White, it is even more awkward for my light-square bishop, which has nowhere good to go.} Bh5 $6 {this seemed like the obvious choice at the time, but the bishop can now be a target, without contributing anything in return.} (7... Bc8 8. f4 f6 $15 9. f5 $6 Na6 $17) 8. Nh3 {developing to the only square available, although it would be to White's advantage to chase the Bh5 first.} (8. g4 $11) 8... Be7 {looking to control g5, but perhaps not the best developing option.} (8... Nf6) (8... Bd6) 9. Ng3 Bh4 $6 {this was part of the idea of developing the bishop to e7. However, pinning the knight is not particularly effective.} (9... Bg6 10. f4 exf4 11. Bxf4 Nf6 $15) 10. Nf2 {breaking the pin. My exchanging on g3 would be favorable to White, losing the two bishops and opening up the file for the Rh1.} Bg6 {now correctly evacuating the bishop.} 11. f4 f6 $2 {White could now immediately play Qg4!} (11... exf4 12. Bxf4 Nd7 $11) 12. f5 $6 (12. Qg4 $1) 12... Bf7 $11 {after a long and rather ineffectual journey, the bishop has retreated to a safe, defensive square.} 13. Qg4 {this is still very good. Now I make what should have been an immediately losing decision.} Bxg3 $2 (13... Bg5 {I never considered this retreat.} 14. Bxg5 fxg5 15. h4 gxh4 {allows} 16. Qxg7 {but now} Qf6 $1 $11 {is possible, defending h8.}) 14. hxg3 $6 $14 (14. Qxg7 $1 $18 {and the rook is lost.}) 14... g5 {this ends up loosening things on the kingside more than I want, although it's a fair defensive try. Mentally, however, I am feeling rattled from my position having gone from clearly advantageous to almost lost in a short timespan.} (14... Kf8 $14) 15. fxg6 Bxg6 {I've now lost the h6 square, but White cannot exploit that...yet.} 16. Qe6+ Qe7 $2 {I continue to be rattled on the defense.} (16... Kf8 $14) 17. Qc8+ $1 $18 Kf7 18. Qh3 $6 $14 {luckily for me, my opponent again misses a critical continuation.} (18. Bh6 $1 Nxh6 19. Qxh8 Ng8 $18 {amazingly, Black cannot get at White's queen to trap it, only exchange it after an eventual ...Qg7.}) 18... Qe6 (18... Nd7 $5 $14) 19. Qh4 Nd7 20. Be2 Ne7 $2 {I thought for a while here, but ended up in a bad defensive position. It was more important to leave the knight on g8 and keep an eye on h6. The other knight could then be more active.} (20... Nc5 $14 {provides some useful activity.}) 21. Bh6 $16 (21. Bg4 $1 {I spotted this idea and was relieved when my opponent did not play it, although I did not fully see the idea of him targeting f6 by eventually castling.} Qd6 22. Bxd7 Qxd7 23. Ng4 Qe6 24. O-O $18) 21... b5 $2 {a desperate bid for counterplay.} (21... Ng8 $16) 22. b3 $18 {despite this not being the strongest follow-up, I have no good choices now.} a4 (22... Ng8 23. Bg4 $18) 23. b4 bxc4 24. dxc4 c5 25. b5 $6 (25. Bg4) 25... Nb6 {unfortunately I still do not understand the need to get the other knight more involved in the defense, although White is still winning in any case.} (25... Ng8 26. Bg4 Qxc4 27. Rc1 Qxb5 28. Bxd7 Qxd7 29. Ng4 $18) 26. Rc1 {so far I've at least been successful at distracting my opponent from making further progress on the kingside.} Rad8 (26... Ng8) 27. Bd3 $6 $16 Nec8 $2 {heading in the wrong direction, for the ultimate knight fail.} 28. O-O $1 $18 {the White king had been in the center so long, I'd forgotten it could castle. Now the threat to f6 after Ng4 cannot be blocked, with the Bh6 playing an important role by covering f8.} Ke7 29. Ng4 {from now on, my opponent executes the attack well.} Nd7 30. Nxf6 $1 Kd6 31. Rf2 Kc7 {unfortunately, the queenside is now unsafe for the king as well, so my position cannot avoid collapse.} 32. Rcf1 Nxf6 33. Rxf6 Qe8 34. Qg4 {White's pieces are incredibly dominant, whereas mine have almost no good squares.} Rd6 {at this point, I am just playing on to see if my opponent will blunder if given the opportunity. He does not.} 35. Qd1 Nb6 36. Rxd6 $1 Kxd6 37. Rf6+ Kc7 38. Qd2 Qa8 39. Rc6+ Kb7 40. Rxc5 Nd7 41. Rc6 Nb8 42. Rd6 Kc7 43. Re6 Bxe4 44. Rxe5 Bb7 45. Bf4 1-0

Annotated Game #333: When to trust an attack

This third-round tournament game highlights the attacking potential of the Colle / Stonewall Attack setup, with some spectacular tactics lurking if Black does not defend properly. Unfortunately I miss seizing my chances, first with a knight sacrifice on f7, then afterwards with a rook sac on the same square - which is in fact played, but one move too late to be decisive. My calculation and visualization challenges continue, leading to an eventual loss after sacrificing too much material, although I could have had a saving perpetual on Black's king.

Part of the problem was not trusting the initial attack enough to play into it. Even in a situation where you cannot calculate everything - which inevitably occurs at all levels - one can (and should) still evaluate the likely prospects for the attack. I am still relatively new to attacking play and therefore learning my way in such situations, which in this case called for more boldness. That said, I will also draw attention to the analysis, where after the sacrifices certain more patient prepatory moves would be necessary to seize the advantage. After not seeing immediate forcing sequences, however, I discarded the original attacking ideas. Patience in the attack is also something a lot of club players need to learn.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class D"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D05"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "58"] [GameId "2262411080920471"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 Bd6 {when an opponent mimics your setup, it typically means they do not have independent knowledge of the opening. Black decides to break the symmetry in the Colle on the next move, although it's really move 6 which makes things more original.} 5. Nbd2 {a reasonable and flexible developing move.} (5. b3 $5 {instead commits to the Colle-Zukertort setup, and scores slightly higher in the database.}) 5... O-O 6. O-O Re8 {the rook is well-placed on the e-file, but this allows my knight to hop into e5, so I do so.} 7. Ne5 (7. e4 $5 $14 {the engine favors this standard Colle e-pawn break, threatening e4-e5 and activating the Nd2 if there is an exchange on e4.}) 7... Nbd7 8. f4 $14 {I now have e5 firmly under control.} c5 9. c3 {reaching a Stonewall Attack formation.} b6 {White is a little ahead in development - most notably there is no Black bishop on b7 yet - so there are a few more options than normal.} 10. Qf3 $11 {played with the idea of maintaining control of e4 after ...Bb7.} (10. e4 $5 {this central pawn lever still works, without Black's bishop on the long diagonal.}) (10. g4 {played immediately would defer placing the queen.}) 10... Bb7 11. g4 g6 {my opponent thought for a while before deciding on this defensive move.} 12. Qh3 {it is often difficult to decide how exactly to proceed in the Stonewall Attack, either relying on piece play or a pawn storm.} (12. h4 $5 {is now a viable attacking move, with the h-pawn potentially able to target g6 after the defending Nf6 moves. The queen can also swing in behind on h3.} Ne4 {looks good, but} (12... Rc8 13. Qh3 $14) 13. Bb5 $14 {is now a productive use for the bishop.}) (12. b3 Rc8 13. Bb2 $14) 12... Ne4 $2 {this removes the lone minor piece defender of Black's kingside for a crucial tempo.} 13. Bxe4 $6 {taking on e4 with the wrong piece.} (13. Nxf7 $1 {I spent a good deal of time over the board considering this, but could not see how to make it work.} Kxf7 (13... Qe7 {declining the sacrifice is safter but still losing.} 14. Nh6+ Kh8 15. g5 $18 {White is a full pawn up and with a great attack.}) 14. Qxh7+ Kf8 {I did not see how White could further the attack from this point, so did not trust it. However, now taking with the bishop is correct:} 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Nc4 $1 $18 {the knight can now penetrate, and if exchanged on e5 then White will retake with the f-pawn and add the Rf1 to the attack.}) (13. Nxe4 {this is the way to go if White wants to take on e4.} dxe4 14. Nxf7 Kxf7 (14... Qe7 15. Nh6+ Kh8 16. Bb5 a6 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Be2 $18) 15. Qxh7+ Kf8 16. f5 $1) 13... dxe4 14. Ndc4 $14 {the number two move, according to the engine.} (14. Nxf7 $1 Qe7 15. Nh6+ Kg7 16. b3 $18) 14... Nxe5 15. fxe5 {correctly opening the file for the Rf1, but White still is only slightly better. However, after the reasonable-looking} Bf8 $2 16. Bd2 $6 {I thought for some time at the board, primarily trying to make the capture on f7 work again - this time with the rook - but did not see how. I played the text move on the principle of connecting the rooks and adding to the attack that may, but I missed Black's pinning response.} (16. Rxf7 $1 {wins immediately.} Kxf7 (16... h6 17. Rxb7 $18) 17. Qxh7+ Bg7 18. Bd2 $1 $18 {Now this move is decisive - sequencing matters, as both the Ra1 and Nc4 are threatening to give check and join the attack.}) 16... Ba6 $11 17. Rxf7 $1 {this should still draw. Unfortunately I did not see Black's h-pawn defense, which led to further discombobulation in my thinking.} h5 $6 (17... h6 $11) 18. Raf1 $2 $17 {"long think, wrong think" as the saying goes. Now the Nc4 goes, while I do not get enough compensation.} (18. Rf6 {I spotted the idea but then did not give it enough thought. This immediately targets the weakness on g6, which cannot be defended.} Bg7 19. Rxg6 Bxc4 20. Be1 $14 {with the idea of redeploying the bishop to h4 and seizing the key h4-d8 diagonal, while continuing to threaten the weak h-pawn.} hxg4 $2 {would lead to} 21. Qxg4 Qd7 22. Bh4 $18) (18. b3 $4 {trying to be safe does not work.} Kxf7 $19) 18... Bxc4 19. R1f6 {another long think, correctly this time.} Be2 $2 {neither my opponent nor I correctly calculate the tactics involved in the defense. At the time, it struck me as a clever way to get the bishop involved and threaten taking on g4.} (19... Re7) 20. Rxg6+ $6 {This still should draw, even though I miss another win.} (20. Rxf8+ $1 {I had examined capturing on f8 before, but concluded that it did not work, so did not re-examine it as a candidate move.} Rxf8 21. Rxg6+ Kf7 22. Qxh5 Qd7 {the Black king cannot try to run without being mated, so this provides another square. Now multiple moves win, for example} 23. Be1 (23. d5 exd5 (23... Bc4 24. d6 Ke8 25. Rf6+ $18) 24. e6+ $18) 23... Ke8 24. Rf6+ $18) 20... Kxf7 21. Qxh5 $1 {this should still be enough for a draw.} Bg7 {only move} 22. Qh7 $2 (22. Rf6+ $1 {I did not even consider, missing the fact that the discovery made the rook untakeable. I actually did see this (dimly) early on in the calculation process, but then somehow discounted it.} Kg8 23. Qf7+ Kh8 (23... Kh7 $4 24. Rh6+ Kxh6 25. Qh5#) 24. Qh5+ {with a draw by repetition coming.}) 22... Rg8 {now my opponent's defense is more than enough to emerge with a win, given the material disparity, although it remains slightly tricky.} 23. Be1 {a good idea, but too late.} Kf8 24. Bh4 Qd7 25. Bf6 Qf7 $1 {kills off any remaining chances for White.} 26. Bxg7+ Rxg7 27. Qh8+ Rg8 28. Qh6+ Ke7 {the king now has plenty of room to run.} 29. Qg5+ Kd7 0-1

Annotated Game #332: If it's not in the repertoire, it must be bad (?)

This second-round game taught me another opening repertoire lesson, this time in the Advance Caro-Kann. I had never seen White's move 7 before and thought it must be bad, or at least would provide me with an edge. The most direct response, 7...a5, would indeed have been excellent if it weren't for White's 8. Bb5! with an annoying pin. This is how learning and repertoire-building take place most effectively, however: by filling in repertoire holes whenever they are discovered, and taking the time in home analysis to understand the relevant ideas and comparison positions.

In the late middlegame I finally play actively enough to put my opponent under pressure, but then did not spot variations on a winning endgame idea, which involved sacrificing a pawn to get my knight into the action decisively. An interesting game, in any case, where my opponent gets props for spotting how to take advantage of some incorrect ideas and passive moves - although he then over-pressed with moves like 19. f4, giving me the better chances in the end. This is a common theme seen by Caro-Kann players, and one reason I remain very satisfied with the opening as Black.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class C"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "68"] [GameId "2262411026308464"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. dxc5 {White accepts the gambited pawn.} Bg4 6. c3 {while this move is multipurpose, it is important to recognize how it opens the d1-a4 diagonal for the White queen.} e6 7. b4 {this was the first time I had seen this move, so I thought it was sub-par and could be refuted by targeting White's pawn structure. However, this is still fine for White.} a5 $6 {has one major flaw, which my opponent finds and for some reason I did not consider. Black has several reasonable options, including:} (7... Bxf3) (7... g6) (7... a6) 8. Bb5 $1 $16 {this pin is now very annoying and prevents Black from consolidating the position. With the previous options, Black would have either prevented Bb5 or kept ...a6 in reserve.} Nge7 {making the best of it, by continuing to develop and reinforce the Nc6.} 9. O-O Bxf3 $6 (9... Ng6 $5 $14 {I considered and is best according to the engine. However, I was worried about White's queen swinging over to a4 to help the Bb5 exert pressure, so I decided to divert the queen to f3.}) 10. Qxf3 {White at this point simply has more space and better piece activity.} Qc7 {targeting e5} 11. Re1 Ng6 12. Qg3 $6 {this actually relieves the pressure considerably, as I now catch up in development and my weak f7 square is no longer targeted.} (12. Nd2 $16 {better to continue with piece development.}) 12... Be7 $11 13. Bg5 O-O {now the Nc6 is unpinned and taking on e5 is threatened.} 14. Bxc6 bxc6 $6 {an example of where the "automatic" recapture should be thought about first.} (14... Bxg5 15. Qxg5 bxc6 $11 {is the engine's preference. Pressure is retained on e5 and the Ng6 helps guard the kingside.}) 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 $6 {played with the idea of placing the knight on f5. However, this takes time and shuts off the queen from a better square.} (15... Qxe7 16. Nd2 f6 $11) 16. Nd2 $14 axb4 $6 {I had a long think here, and mis-evaluated the resulting position.} (16... d4 {is an idea I considered and the engine prefers.} 17. cxd4 axb4 18. Nc4 {the knight having d6 and b6 available just seemed wrong, but it does not have any major threats.} Ra4 19. Nb6 Ra3 $1 $11) 17. cxb4 $16 Ra4 {the best follow-up.} 18. a3 Rfa8 {I realized that I was probably a little worse, which the engine confirms, but thought I was active enough to hold the balance.} 19. f4 $6 {is overly aggressive, as the f-pawn can be effectively shut down by my knight, which now has something to do. White's king position is also now less secure.} (19. Qc3 $16) 19... Nf5 $11 20. Qd3 Qa7 {I spent some time here as well, to good effect, as this tripling of major pieces against the a-pawn forcibly equalizes.} 21. g4 Ne7 22. Qc3 Rxa3 23. Rxa3 Qxa3 {with the win of the a-pawn, material equality is restored and I prefer Black's position, with control of the a-file.} 24. Re3 $2 (24. Qxa3 $11) 24... Qxc3 $6 {I should have preserved the queen here, as White's king is much more vulnerable at this point.} (24... Qa2 $19) 25. Rxc3 $15 Ra1+ {I was getting a bit low on time here, so went with the check on a1.} (25... Ra2 26. Nf3 h6 $15) 26. Kg2 $2 {my opponent was also relatively low on time and under pressure.} Ra2 $1 $19 27. Rd3 {a sufficient defense, since I was not able to find the subtle endgame idea leading to a win.} Rb2 $6 {going for the b-pawn.} (27... g5 $1 {wins, as pointed out by the engine. Getting the Black knight into the fight would be decisive.} 28. fxg5 Ng6 $19 {and e5 will now fall, with a won endgame for Black.}) 28. Rd4 f6 $6 {another miss} 29. Kg3 Kf7 $6 (29... h5 $1 $19 {is the winning idea here, the point being to deflect the defender of f5 and bring the knight in.}) 30. h4 fxe5 $6 {now it's a draw.} (30... h5) 31. fxe5 Ng6 32. Nf3 Rb3 33. Kf2 Rb2+ 34. Kg3 Rb3 1/2-1/2

Book completed: Peak Mind by Amishi P. Jha, PhD

    

I recently completed Peak Mind by Amishi P. Jha, PhD. For chess improvement purposes, this falls under the category of mental cross-training; you can see particularly relevant excerpts in Training quote of the day #56 and Training quote of the day #58.

The core message of the book is valuable and essentially boils down to what is on the cover: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day. For chessplayers at whatever level, there is no doubt about the benefits of increasing your ability to focus and to pay full attention to everything on the board in front of you. Mind-wandering is inevitable, as the book discusses at length in a scientific fashion, but the trick is to recognize what is going on and be able to re-channel your focus back to the present moment.

For the "12 minutes a day" part, this was the minimum effective dose (MED), determined by the author via experimentation, of mindfulness training that demonstrated a measurable positive difference in performance outcome in practitioners. She offers up a menu of three types of mental training and a suggested training plan. While this may well be an effective template, other types of mental training and mindfulness practices can also be as effective - this is not a new concept and various aspects of "mindfulness" have been touched on in previous posts. There is a reason various types of focused meditation have been integrated into martial arts practices - including modern military special forces training - for millennia: it gives the practitioner a mental edge in what Jha termed "periods of high demand", be that competition over the board, in an athletic event, or on a battlefield. The ability to calmly evaluate what is happening in real time, put aside both external and internal distractions, then effectively apply your skills and training to the situation is often the key to victory. This is in contrast to instinctually attempting to overcome a problem via the increasingly desperate application of raw strength (physical or mental), which is what fear and adrenaline do to us.

I have to say that for me the writing style falls firmly into the rather formulaic self-help category, and perhaps a majority of the book ends up being rather "fluffy", as I tend to put these things. That said, the core precepts are valid (and validated), and worth paying attention to.

Annotated Game #331: Derailing in the opening

This next first-round tournament game saw me derail as White in an unfamiliar opening. I've been learning the Colle and my opponent deviated from anything I had in my new repertoire on move 4. The principles are similar to other lines - chase the light-square Black bishop and exchange it - but it was nonetheless unfamiliar and the first time facing the position over the board. Black played well and surprised me with 8...Bd6, threatening h2, which I focused on directly opposing with 9. f4? rather than countering with 9. Qb3, which is a key idea in these types of positions. The power of a significant lead in development is then demonstrated by Black, as my opponent is able to make natural moves and achieve a major positional plus, which he then accurately leverages to collapse my position. Learning an opening the hard way can be...hard.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class C"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D04"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "52"] [GameId "2271414718836533"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nh4 $5 {an independent Colle line that challenges both players early on.} Be4 5. f3 Bg6 6. c4 $6 {there's really no benefit to not taking immediately on g6.} (6. Nxg6 hxg6 7. c4 c6 8. Nc3 e6 9. Qb3 {1-0 Maksimovic,B (2488)-Goryachkina,A (2545) Titled Tuesday intern op 30th Jul Early Chess.com INT blitz 2024 (8)}) 6... e6 (6... Bxb1 $11 {is now a better option for Black, keeping the kingside pawns intact.}) 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Nc3 (8. cxd5 {appears best, to preventively lessen the impact of a ...c5 break by Black.} Nxd5 (8... exd5 $6 9. Qb3 $14) 9. Nc3 $11 (9. Qb3 {no longer threatens taking on b7, with Nf6-d5 having cleared the d8-h4 diagonal, as Black can immediately counterattack:} Bd6 10. Qxb7 Nd7 11. Nc3 Rb8 12. Qc6 Rb6 13. Qa4 Qh4+ $15)) 8... Bd6 $6 {this was an unwelcome surprise to me at the time, targeting h2. White however can simply ignore the threat to the h-pawn.} (8... c5 $11) 9. f4 $2 {the direct solution for the attack on h2, blocking the bishop, unfortunately turns out to be worse than the original threat.} (9. Qb3 Bg3+ (9... Rxh2 $2 10. Rxh2 Bxh2 11. Qxb7 {material balance is immediately restored and with no rook on the h-file, Black is hardly threatening White's king.} Nbd7 12. cxd5 $18 {White wins material and has the better piece placement, along with control of the center.}) (9... Bxh2 $2 10. Kd1 $16 {and the Bh2 is pinned against the rook, which cannot move off the file.}) 10. Kd1 dxc4 11. Qxb7 Nbd7 12. Qc6 Rb8 13. Na4 $14) 9... c5 $1 $15 {I did not anticipate this break, expecting castling first. However, both kings are in the center and Black is a little better developed, so benefits.} 10. cxd5 (10. dxc5 Bxc5 $15 {I didn't like Black's space advantage and targeting of e3, so did not consider this option for very long.}) 10... exd5 11. Qf3 $2 {this looks active, but Black is not fooled.} (11. Be2 cxd4 12. Qxd4 Nc6 13. Qd3 $15) (11. dxc5 $5 {would limit the damage.} Bxc5 12. Be2 $15 {White is awkward, but at least has some play.}) 11... cxd4 $1 12. exd4 O-O $19 {now I'm simply too far behind in development. Black can play natural moves and gain an easy, large positional advantage.} 13. Be2 Nc6 14. Be3 Re8 {simple and strong.} 15. O-O Qb6 $1 {also missed during my thinking process. Now my position is falling apart, with b2 and d4 simultaneously threatened.} 16. Nb5 {the idea is to block the b-file and at least pose some kind of challenge to Black, but this is easily resolved.} (16. Bb5 $19 {I briefly looked at.} Nxd4 {may be simplest in response.} 17. Kh1 (17. Qf2 Rxe3 $19) 17... Re6 $17) (16. Na4 $2 Qb4 17. b3 b5 $19) 16... Bf8 {unfortunately, now I can do nothing good with the tempo gained against the bishop.} 17. Rfd1 a6 18. Nc3 Qxb2 {I had thought to try to trap the queen, or at least threaten it to regain material or for a draw by repetition, but Black has too many active threats.} 19. Bf2 {protecting the Nc3 with the queen, but now} Bb4 $1 {the bishop returns with a vengeance and the knight has nowhere good to go.} 20. Bd3 (20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. Qxd5 Rxe2 $19) (20. Rab1 Qxc3 $19) 20... Qxc3 {this is now resignable.} 21. a3 {sheer desperation, as the bishop can just take the pawn, but my opponent finds an even more effective finish.} Nxd4 22. Bxd4 Qxd4+ 23. Kh1 Bc3 24. Rab1 Re3 25. Qf1 Rae8 26. Bc2 Qc5 0-1

Training quote of the day #58: Amishi P. Jha, PhD

   

From Peak Mind by Amishi P. Jha, PhD:

In my work, I research how to best train high-performing groups as they prepare for periods of high demand. For a lot of those groups, we know exactly when that period will be. For soldiers, it's deployment. For students, it's exams. For athletes, it's competition or playing season...Periods of high demand are really the circumstances of our lives. Mindfulness training allows you not only the peak mind you need to navigate through those periods successfully, but also the embodied confidence that you can. That you can be present, focused and capable through difficult circumstances.

"The Most Underrated Chess Opening for Black Against 1.e4" by Remote Chess Academy

 

I recently looked at the 15-minute video "The Most Underrated Chess Opening for Black Against 1.e4" by the Remote Chess Academy (GM Igor Smirnov). The subtitle is "Opening Crash Course: Caro-Kann Defense", which is what I have played my entire tournament chess career (see "Why I Play the Caro-Kann"). Here is my take on it, from an experienced if not expert player.

Smirnov does a good job of describing the basic ideas and trade-offs behind the first two opening moves, including key points such as defensively blocking the a2-g8 diagonal (for a White Bc4, for example) and how the c6 pawn takes away the Nb8's natural square. After 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5, White reaches a "crossroads" since the e-pawn is attacked, so must make a committal decision - advance it, trade it, or protect it.

• The first one presented is the Advance Variation, probably the main line these days. White gains space with the pawn push 3. e5. Unsurprisingly for a short video, he recommends 3...c5 for Black, given the different complexities of all the White variations after 3...Bf5, calling it the best option below master level. The goal with 3...c5 is to obtain a better version of the French Advance, with the light-square bishop outside the pawn chain. Smirnov does a good job of covering the ideas behind standard minor piece and queen placements, although the most critical White lines with taking on c5 - effectively accepting Black's gambit - are not treated.
• The next one is the Exchange Variation, which is always popular at the club level. Smirnov points out that White has solved Black's problem with the c6 square, which is now open for the knight. Natural development for both sides is good, with Black refraining from playing ...e6 before the bishop goes to g4.
• The third segment is on the old "main line" with 3. Nc3, where White defends the e4 pawn. Black is effectively obliged to take on e4, since nothing else makes sense. After 4. Nxe4, Smirnov shows the 4...Nf6 variation with the "super-solid" 5...exf6 after a knight exchange by White. This - the Tartakower variation (which Smirnov doesn't mention by name) - has relatively simple rules for further piece development and Smirnov also shows some typical middlegame ideas. Again, the most critical modern lines aren't shown, but the play presented is reasonable. He also addresses the unsound but difficult-to-face "Alien Gambit" with White playing 5. Ng5 instead of taking on f6.

Although a number of sidelines are not shown (the Two Knights with 2. Nc3, the Fantasy Variation with 3. f3, the King's Indian Attack, etc.), for the core ideas and most popularly-encountered variations, this video - perhaps somewhat surprisingly - actually does live up to being a "crash course" for the Caro-Kann, with enough ideas and examples to get someone started reasonably well at the club level.