Gryzemuis on 25/7/2013 at 10:44
Botvinnik was a Russian world-champion who was at the top level for a few decades. He started his own famous chess-school during the old Soviet days. Kasparov and Karpov are his most famous students. It was Botvinnik who said that it was essential to analyze your own games, if you want to improve.
Analyzing is not always fun. Especially analyzing the games you have lost. But there is great value in doing so. You see all the things that you have missed. Or the things your opponent has missed. Of course you have to have some knowledge of chess strategy to look further than just the moves. In every game, having a plan, and finding the right plan, is just as important as all the individual moves.
Chess engines can be very helpful when analyzing games.
But a word of warning. Chess engines are not fun. Not imho. Playing against a computer program is just not entertaining. You won't win. The chess engine will play boring defensive moves. Or it will kill you with the first combination you allow. Free chess engines on an average PC already play at grandmaster level. We mortals stand no chance playing against one. They demotivate me.
However, they are great tools for analyzing your own games. You will need a little practice to learn how to use them, how to look at the evaluation of positions, etc.
If any of you are interested, have a look at Tarrasch and Rybka. Tarrasch is a free chess engine User Interface. Rybka is the engine behind it. You can download this free software (for Windows) here:
(
http://www.triplehappy.com/)
Download the installer file. install it. Start up the program.
Look at the buttons at the top. The arrows allow you to move forward/backwards through a game. The most important button is the weird alien thingy, left of the 4 arrow-buttons. "Kibitzer start/stop". That button toggles the analysis function. (Kibitz means: talk about chess). At the bottom of the screen, you will find the best 4 moves (with followup moves). And a number in front. That number is the weighted value of that move. +1 means white has one pawn advantage. -1 means black has one pawn advantage. See the numbers I posted a few posts back. +5 means you are a rook ahead (and will most like win the game).
If you want to analyze your own games on chess.com, that's possible too. Go to the game. Click on the "Get PGN"-button. Your browser should ask you "download the file, or open with a program". Click on "open with a program" and select the Tarrasch program. Click click. You now see your own game inside the Tarrsch program. Ready to be analyzed.
Of course a chess engine could be used during an online game. That's cheating. And not fun. Even though I trust everyone on TTLG to not cheat, I still prefer to play 2x10 minute games myself. Because it'll become very impractical to use an engine (still can be done ofc). So I hope posting this link to the free Tarrasch+Rybka is not a problem. If it is, please edit this post.
Analyzing one's own games can be very helpful. If it's fun is another matter. :) You decide.
faetal on 25/7/2013 at 11:24
Wow - thanks for all of this. Very useful. SubjEff - I'll play you as soon as my next game is over.
I've never been remotely tempted to cheat by using a chess engine - I'm in this to learn and get good, not rack up points. I worry about others using them against me though. I played one game where the opponent improved so drastically in the second game, playing really precise, forcing moves at every opportunity, whereas before, they had floundered constantly and I wondered if they had decided to use a chess engine (maybe even on the assumption that I used one to beat them). I've read that chess.com analyse won games by players >1400 and compare the moves vs. the ones an engine would make, so if flags get raised, they investigate - which is comforting.
faetal on 29/7/2013 at 13:22
Ha, awesome and such a dick move.
faetal on 30/7/2013 at 01:04
Well, I'm playing Hopper who has me on the back foot.
hopper on 30/7/2013 at 14:55
That wasn't my impression at all for the most part. You had me sweating good there, in spite of my material advantage. I can tell you've already become a much stronger player.
faetal on 30/7/2013 at 14:57
Yeah, I've definitely improved, but I've hit a rut where I need to work on connecting up my opening, mid and end game more.
Also, while I've become a much better attacking player, my defence needs work. I might take a break for a week or so as I can feel myself getting frustrated and over-thinking stuff. I think a fresh head would be beneficial before taking on SubjEff.
It's an intensely psychological game.
SubJeff on 30/7/2013 at 15:31
Well I can't beat hopper if that's any consolation. We always seem to have pretty close matches though he never falls for any of my moves, unlike you and Piglick. It's frustrating but I'm ready for another try hopper!!
faetal on 30/7/2013 at 16:07
If someone has a score over 1200, I'm more than happy if I've made them work for it - just frustrated that my game doesn't feel like one smooth plan yet.
Gryzemuis on 30/7/2013 at 16:15
Quote Posted by faetal
... my defence needs work.
I had a quick look at a few of your games.
It might be beneficial if you tried to play a few games with a systematic approach at the start. The main reason you lose games seems to be that you lose pieces (or your queen) by giving them away. Not even a combination against you, but just giving them away in 1 or 2 moves.
You tend to go attack or go explore black's part of the board very early. Before you have completed your development. Sometimes that is possible. But usually, it will be much better to complete your development first. Even if that means that your opponent can develop too. The resulting game will be less chaotic, more structured, and less opportunity to lose pieces. And it will allow you to come up with a plan and follow strategy.
My own rules of thumb:
1) The fight about the center. Those are fields e4, d4, e5 and d5. You want to have as many pawns in them as possible. Or (almost same thing) you want to prevent your opponent from controlling the center. Openings as 1. e2-e4, e7-e5 are easy examples about the center. But also 1. e2-e4, c7-c5 is a clear example. That opening is about the d4 field, and thus about the struggle for the center. So grab, attack or defend the center with your pawns. Spend 1-2 or 3 pawn-moves maximum on this. Not more.
2) Bring out your knights. Usually knights should be developed before bishops. E.g. because your bishops could pin the opponent's knights. Best fields are usually f3 and c3. Sometimes e2 and d2.
3) Bring out your bishops. At least the king-side bishop. So you can castle.
4) Castle. This will usually make your king much safer. And it will remove a lot of combinations for your opponent. Those knight's forking your king and queen will happen a lot less. I saw SubjEff say that people should castle as late as possible. I disagree. You should castle asap. If you can prevent your opponent from castling (and keep his king in the middle), that's a clear advantage. Only when you see a clear "pawn storm" coming from your opponent on the side you don't want to castle in that direction. But usually castle at your first chance. It'll make your defense so much easier.
5) Connect your rooks. That means you need to move your queen. But only after you moved knights and bishops and you have castled. Early in the game, your queen is much more vulnerable. So don't move her into enemy territory yet. Move her to the 2nd row (c2, d2 or e2). Or maybe the third row. Don't go exploring with your queen right away, unless you see a combination that can win you material.
6) Now you are all set up for an attack ! Your king is safe, your rooks are connected on the back row. Your light pieces (K & B) can try to move forward, supported by 1 or 2 pawns in the center. It should take you 6 to 10 moves to get to this point (assuming your opponent doesn't do crazy things).
This might seem a bit boring. But you'll notice that your attacks will become much stronger. Even if they start only at move 10. And your own king will be safer, requiring less attention. And because games start to look a bit more like your previous games, you might start to find some similarity in the positions you play.
Hope this helps.
