Discipline in Correspondence Chess, Part 4

Managing Tension

Managing tension in a game is a very crucial discipline to master, both in correspondence and in OTB games. I have not played in official OTB matches, and so I wouldn't really know how it works in those situations. For cc, I guess it wouldn't be too much to say that playing games in one of several available cc sites would be quite comparable to the "official" tournaments being hosted by the ICCF. Most of these sites like the ones I play in also offer tournaments in various formats.

Tension in cc games can arise primarily in two ways: the game itself, and the time factor involved. As the game progresses and especially when it enters the middlegame, tension is usually present. Generally, the more pieces there are in the board as it enters this phase, the greater is the tension. There are fewer squares to place pieces in. It's harder to predict the response if one tries to exchange pieces and attempt to clear the board. And yet, one knows that unless the board is cleared, there will be fewer and fewer pieces that one can move. Moving pieces that do not contribute anything significant can also become unavoidable.

The other type of tension has to do with time, mostly the part about waiting. There is usually more tension in the waiting part when one has the advantage, either materially or positionally. Usually, when one is about to obtain the advantage or already have it, he becomes all fired up and would like to get some more moves get going in order to consolidate on the advantage. And despite realizing the more rational scenario that the guy on the other side of the board would probably take his time, we get all worked up, usually for days.

And then there are some players who, regardless of how their games are currently going, are just eager to get on to the next move, all taut and tense till the time they are able to do so.

These scenarios all present some potential for committing errors, both in judgment and clicks (for internet players). What is one to do with tension? Like most of the areas we had covered in previous articles, being conscious of these things is about halfway in managing and controlling them. Each one of us respond differently to tension. My tension-filled last week gave way to a different mindset after an unintentional weekend off chess, which I have made reference to in my previous post. In the back of my mind, I am aware I am being tense, but unless it has been articulated, I wouldn't have responded positively to it.

After realization of the tension, that's when our individual coping mechanisms comes in. For some, it may mean more games, for some less. Others may have to force themselves into a vacation, or at least a pacing of sorts. Or a change of activity of some sorts. And it may even vary at different times for the same individual. What worked for me this time is an increase in my number of games (from 20 to 40 concurrent cc games), filling my non-playing time with something related such as writing this article, and pursuing some other aspects of my online life, topping it all off with a return to active physical sports and simply filling my time interacting "offline" with friends and family. I guess it worked! By the way, I also managed to trim down my backlog at work :-) In short, being well-rounded got everything balanced and moving about in a more synced manner.

Part 5 here

Part 3 here

Start of series here

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Offline

First, I left my key to the office at my desk, along with my car key, when I went to a meeting. Then, the meeting went for hours that the rest of the people in the office already left for home, since it's a weekend. Thankfully, they decided to clear my table and lock my laptop up - such nice folks. So, when I got back, the door is locked and I can't get in. Luckily, I have a spare car key in my pocket, otherwise I would be knocking on doors of officemates who lived nearby to get to the office or wait for hours while somebody from home gets to me with a duplicate. Then on Sunday, work for Monday was canceled as heavy downpour during the weekend resulted in floods. The floods kept me from work up to Tuesday. And now, two days later (it's Thursday now) I am back at work typing this after having to catch up yesterday on all my backlogs. I didn't get to finish articles I have in mind for my blogs, I didn't get to play any online chess games, and anything resembling the Internet. I was offline.

I still smile when I remember that the first thing that went through my head when I can't get to the office is "how am I going to play cc this weekend?", and "how am i going to get my article online?". Just shows the commitment (and addiction) I have for the game and I guess for the Internet. But I did survived and came out unscathed at the other end (read: now). On hindsight, I benefited from that offline moment. My head got cleared of cobwebs (digital ones, maybe). I got to dig down a bit more on a tangible chessbook and try it out with a real board, and enjoyed a game of chess with my better half who is less than a novice (she's not reading this). My oh my, there is a world out there!

Anyway, enough excuses for not being able to come up with an article for this week. See you again next week.

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ICCF 2nd Webchess Open Tournament - updates and more

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned my involvement in ICCF's 2nd Webchess Open Tournament, and I promised to give some updates.

I was included in group 38, which has seven players including myself. Total number of games to be played is 6. Time control is 10 moves in 50 days (about 5 days per move). Three of my opponents are provisional rated like myself at 1800 and the other three are ranked 2000+.
So far I have lost four games and I am resigned to the thought that I would also lose the remaining two in due time, not to mention the two unrated games I was entitled to play when I registered.

The features of the site has its good and bad points, but sadly the bad outweighs the good ones I experienced. For one, moves are confirmed before it becomes final. It gives one the opportunity to double check if the move made is indeed the intended move. The board size is of an acceptable size. And there are the usual "private notes" and "message to opponent" options.
But there are certain things that should be there but isn't. For one, captured pieces are not displayed in the screen. In effect, it forces one to re-assess the entire game again to an elaborate extent that would have been easier if only the captured pieces were shown. Not to mention the mental effect, at least on me, of the frustration everytime I prepare to approach my game, knowing that other sites show captured pieces as a default and that even OTB games have it.

Another drawback to the site is the difficulty of reviewing your game. In most other cc sites, the moves made are clickable and replayable from the start. Not so at the ICCF website. Though the previous moves were displayed, you can't click on them. You have to set the board manually with a chess set if you want to do it. Such a hassle.

Such is the limitation of the site that from the get-go, I wasn't in anyway synced to it. I would get an email that my opponent made a move, I will log-in, view the board with all the limitations of half knowing which pieces are already off the board. Add to the fact that my opponent is probably using an engine and given my predisposition not to use one considering how unpalatable the playing area is, and you could almost predict my demise at the very start. I was actually playing a game with myself, psyching myself up that with all my recklessness I may even come out the winner of this group. But as expected, reality has a way of creeping up on some, but this time it was running all over me as my game results dismally showed. Even tools such as the "private note" option lost its usefulness, since I am no longer inclined to use it, owing to the general game atmosphere I was experiencing with the site.

I guess I could still be thankful for the fact that I didn't shell out any money to get into the tournament, since its on the house as my first tournament. To think that the cost of that tournament is already a half year's worth of subscription to a much more user-friendly and feature-filled site, where I can play all the games I want and get so much more interaction and training opportunities. After all, it isn't like I am playing for a pot of gold in prizes in ICCF.

In fairness, ICCF has been announcing a major revamp in its site. I could only hope for the best for them. It's not my intention to defame the site by airing all the negatives I saw. I am just trying to relate my experience and hopefully those that can do something about this may consider some of the suggestions that I made, couched as they may in the negative. I also welcome other's differing comments if any. Don't hesitate to leave a note.

I will let you know when the rest of my ICCF games conclude, but I guess I won't be reporting it as elaborately as this.

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Discipline in Correspondence Chess, Part 3

Ratings

Whether we like it or not, we are affected by ratings- ours, our opponents, and the rest. A normal chessplayer wants to win and improve his game over time. The primary barometer of this would of course be the ratings. The downside is that it can get to a point that it interferes with your games. If you are playing a lower rated player, you may have a tendency to rush things, get it over with and get the points. All of course in the delusion that you are invincible, when as often, the lower rated guy just happened to have a string of bad games which he has already learned a lot from. And then there's the jitters of playing a higher rated player, trying to look for a trap at every possible move, not knowing that he reached that rating with a 2 move ahead horizon and simply by being very very careful before making a move.

Ratings should definitely be a consideration when you assess your opponent. But ratings should work to your advantage, not the other way around. At the most, it should give you a feel of what strength your opponent is, nothing more than that. Caution should always be made when playing: that you don't underestimate and become careless when playing lower-rated players, and that you don't panic when a higher-rated player makes a pounce on your major pieces. This is so much more acute in correspondence chess because an opponent's rating may not accurately reflect his/her true strength. Because unlike on the board games where matches are concluded based solely on the outcome of a match, matches in correspondence chess include those that had been abandoned due to a player's inability to "log-on" to his game for a number of reasons. So, a lower rated player may actually have that rating because he had been busy lately and been defaulting in his games, while a higher rated player may actually be getting points from defaulting opponents.

Ratings are like the proverbial sand in your hand, that you lose if you hold on to too tightly or too loosely, but you keep the most of if you hold on with just enough pressure. I like to think of it this way: my objective in playing chess is to improve in the game, my ratings wil improve as a result of that improvement. That means I give ratings the attention due to it, for behind it is a person who is probably on its way to improving his game. He who fails to recognize these principles not only stand to see his rating suffer, but his performance as well.

Part 4 here

Part 2 here

Start of series here

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