The Month That Was

It has been a month or so since I've gotten back into the habit. I am almost finished with the mini-tournament I joined in Schemingmind (the remaining ones are pretty much decided). If ratings are any indication, my efforts in improvement has paid off. I have made considerable increase in my ratings after the month-end calculation, which unlike this month, did not include any defaults on time. I think my attention to opening theory has paid off well, and it's such a boost in confidence. True, I have been losing more games than winning, but if your games are mostly with higher-rated players, winning just a few of them is enough to boost your rating. Which I think I mentioned here. Not that I won't play with lower-rated players, since if everybody does that then no one will play anyone anymore. But I think a good sprinkling of games with higher-rated players is a good way to develop discipline in the game. They have gotten to where they are by developing such discipline themselves, and it won't be a bad idea emulating them in this respect. But with that aside, chess is fun, and should stay a fun thing to do, with friends near and far.

Happy gaming everyone!

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ChessOps - A Basic Chess Opening Guide

As I have beeen discussing opening theory lately here and here, let me just point you to an internet resource that I have used extensively. Chessops is a free internet resource that allows you to explore various openings. In their own words:

An interactive series of +8,000 unique board positions, from first moves through to full development of pieces, covering all major openings, defences and variations. Each page has an explanation and a notation list. Also +1,000 transposition pages.

The site features an interactive chess board that you can use to visualize the moves as you go through the tutorials and lessons. You make a move on the board, and if that move is in their database of opening moves, the move is reflected and an explanation and some additional information on the idea behind the move is provided. Then you proceed to make a move on the other side of the board, and more information is provided. The system will also tell you if there are alternative moves that you can make, corresponding to alternative opening lines, while the default or "orthodox" line is provided as the move to make if you choose to let the system show you the next move.

In addition, the site has plenty of resources pertaining to the game, such as categories of openings, annotations, history of the game, and more.

Another nice feature of the site is that it will not provide a move that is not part of the opening theory, and will simply return an error message saying "You can do better than that!" Thus, it confines itself as an opening resource, so there is no danger for you to overstep the line between opening books and unauthorized assistance should you have been using it during a game (usually in correspondence chess).

Each opening line presented usually comes with alternative lines, with its pros and cons. For one that is intent in gaining a deeper understanding of opening theory, it would be best to explore each of the alternatives before proceeding in making your moves. It also provides you a way of developing your own game repertoire. I also keep it interesting by guessing a move before actually checking to see if I did the correct one (been seeing improvements in the way that I have minimized the "incorrect" moves).

Check out the site. I am also featuring it permanently on the sidebar.

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2nd Monthly Team Philippines Standard Chess Knockout Tournament

The Pinoys in Schemingmind have started our 2nd team-exclusive tournament. I wrote about the first one here. Planned as a "monthly" event, it's very likely that we won't be having the next one soon enough, as the first one took a year to finish. Much as we would like to open up a new one every month, it would limit the standard (free) members of the team from joining the other mini-tournaments in the site, since they are limited to join one mini-tournament every six weeks.

It has been fun all the way. The fun isn't confined to our team, though. Join Schemingmind and join in the fun of meeting fellow chess enthusiasts and experts playing standard chess and chess variants. Play individually or join a team for a more fulfilling experience.

See you there! Read More......

Managing Departure from the Opening Theory

A few posts ago, I mentioned about the value of utilizing opening books/databases to improve one's performance in chess. Understanding opening theory is a necessary part of growing in chess because whether we like it or not, the initial position of any standard chess game will always be the same, and it would be a good idea to learn early on the basic principles of chess.

The ideal scenario is that you and the person on the other side of the board goes through the opening theory in completion (which has been pretty much explored extensively, annotated, and published). For somebody new to opening theory, it provides a good lesson, while at the same time giving you some chance to get at least to the start of the middlegame (and even recognize you are already there).

Now, there are times when your opponent veers away from the "expected" set of moves. It can be that he has chosen to take a less "orthodox", otherwise called the "main" line of play, and adopted one of the other alternative openings or transpositions to another opening. In this case he is still following the opening theory, and the reference you are using should at least point out to you such situations, and show you at least two or three of the alternative opening lines.

The real dilemma is when it is very likely that your opponent has veered away from the opening lines, whether main or alternative. Your game has been ushered into "free" territory already. Theoretically, your opponent made an inferior move, and have probably opened himself up for a weakness that you can exploit. Or he is at least good enough to have a plan several moves ahead. Here are some things you may want to consider in making your next move (coming from one who is learning the ropes himself):

1. Is the move he just made part of the opening theory, but he made it much earlier than as prescribed? You can find out by checking your reference for the supposed succeeding moves. If that's the case, you must be able to recognize in what way his position has weakened due to that early move. Otherwise he can be back on even terms soon enough, or worse, you may end up replying incorrectly (most probably, you won't be able to reply with an opening move anymore in this case).

2. If he did made a departure already from the opening lines, consider the situation before and after his moves. What was the main idea of the opening? What squares or pieces are currently being contested prior to his move? Did his move made a significant difference on those things? Did his move weakened any particular line of defense?

3. I keep emphasizing that your opponent made an "inferior" move, because the "correct" move would usually have been analyzed already. However, it is also true that his move is inferior only if he doesn't know what he is doing. You should at least try to get on his shoes and figure out what he is trying to accomplish. What I am saying here sounds cliche', but I know a couple of my own games when I should have been able to avoid mistakes if only I flipped the board and looked at it from his side of the table.

Admittedly, exploiting an early departure from an opening line by your opponent will take time and exposure to be able to benefit from it. In the same way, it will take time to somehow "read" your opponent's mind and start making deviations yourself (I wonder how you can do that on correspondence chess!), or even come up with a new line. But that's growing in chess, and sooner or later, the middlegame must come anyway.

So, departure or no, play on!

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1st Team Philippines Monthly KO Tournament

The 1st Team Philippines Monthly Knockout Tournament in Schemingmind has just recently concluded. What should have been monthly took a year to finish! And so I think we need to reconsider the time controls we use on this one. The championship round is between two of our higher-rated players (as expected). Below are the two championship games played.






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Game Tips - Use of Opening Databases

Most correspondence chess sites allow the use of opening books/databases as part of the resources available to a player during a game. This resource is often ignored or underused by most players, especially those new to the game or have only begun to take chess a bit more seriously. A variety of reasons account for the neglect of opening books and resources. For some, they simply don't know that such a resource exists. For others, the use of such databases for the initial times can be a daunting task. One opening line has its "main" or what is considered as best line, and then it can branch into secondary lines, each with its own merits. Some opening lines also transpose to another type of opening depending on the responses by the other side.

Perception also play a role why opening theory is neglected. Some people think it is a case of rote memorization, one that they would happily do without, thank you, I want to "play" chess, not "memorize" it, goes the reasoning.

True, many have succumbed to the memorization of opening lines, with some even advocating that there is no other way around it. And so for quite some time, especially to those looking from the outside, chess has been reduced to a mental game of recall, rather than its true intent of a game of strategy and tactics.

But despite such negative connotations, opening theory remains an important aspect for any chess player, even the casual ones. However, getting the most of it requires studying it right at the very start. Memorization can get you to a point, but beyond that is a myriad of alternative lines that you are better off doing it right the first time: learning opening theory for the principles that it teaches. Here are a few tips I learned along the way to get the most out of opening theory resources:

1. Limit your number of games, and play those with ample time limits. Understanding opening theory will require time, and you would do well to be focusing on fewer games. It's also important that the time controls allow enough time for you to fully appreciate the moves that you are making, rather than rushing from one game to the next. Personally, I also prefer playing rated games as opposed to unrated ones, so I can maintain the realism of playing with consequence. If you can choose, choose to play those whose ratings approximate yours. It would not do you much good to be too pressured with learning opening theory while at the same time coping with the arsenal of a higher rated player.

2. Get a good opening theory resource. It can be a static resource that you can find in a book or the internet, or an interactive one like ChessOps (see sidebar link), which I found very useful and one I use regularly. For me, a good resource should explain the overall idea for the opening, shows the "best" line, along with a few alternatives, and explain the general idea what a particular move intends to accomplish. If it's possible, get one that mixes principles of good moves in the tutorial as well (not moving twice in the opening, castling early, etc.), so as to hit two birds with one stone.

3. Keep it simple. For white, stick to no more than two types of opening, and choose those that are the most common and most fundamental. For my case, I chose to play only d4 as white, because the response can already result in as many number of opening types as there are games. For black, I always do a Sicilian (c5) whenever possible (usually it's possible with an e4 opening and others), or a symmetrical Queen opening (d4 d5). You would do well to stick to a couple of openings for quite some time, since you would still need to understand the subtleties of the alternative lines and transpositions.

4. Stick with the most common line of play first. This is also called the "main" or "orthodox" line, unless you are forced by the responses to adopt the alternative lines. By learning the main lines, you would usually understand along with it the basic principles of piece development and points of control much better than with the alternative lines, since the latter tends to put a "twist" on the main line to make the response more unpredictable. Of course, sticking with the main line carries a greater chance of losing to a better player, which should be just fine if your intention is to learn.

5. Decide on a move first before consulting the opening book, BUT always consult the opening book no matter how sure you are. Deciding on a move first makes you think without bias, which you can then validate if your reasoning is right or wrong when you do consult the opening book later.

6. Replay the game everytime it's your move (one of the learning advantages of correspondence chess). Get a feel of where you are the last time you made a move. Go back to the start of the game if necessary to refresh your mind, especially if it has been days before you last made your move.

7. Take note when there is a deviation already from the opening line of play, and make a private note of it in your game if it's possible. It marks the end when you can reach for a reference and so you are already on your own. However, check thoroughly if that is really a deviation from opening line or merely an alternative move, in which case you can still follow the opening theory for that alternative.

8. You may be tempted to try a "better" response, but I would suggest you don't. Learn the rules first, break them later.

9. Do a short post-analysis of the opening moves once a deviation was already made or the game is already in the middlegame. This will preserve the lessons of the game for you while it's still fresh.

10. Enjoy the game! A positive attitude is definitely necessary to fully appreciate what you are doing. Otherwise it becomes a chore, something chess shouldn't be.

Learning opening theory will allow you to fully appreciate chess. Don't neglect it.

Happy gaming!

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A Song of Ice and Fire

A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of four novels by George R. R. Martin. It's set in a medieval fantasy land of warring kingdoms with the usual cast of royalty , knights, lords, wizards, dragons, and some more that are not commonly found in other medieval fantasy epics. The titles in the series are "A Game of Thrones"; "A Clash of Kings"; "A Storm of Swords"; and "A Feast for Crows. I am currently in the first portions of the last book.


Chess in prose is the most apt way I can describe the series. It is a large chessboard of seven kingdoms and even more territory, and a cast of characters more than the pieces that you have on your chessboard. And in a game of chess, at least you know whom to protect. Here, your freedom fighter soon turns out a dead hero, while the most unlikely to survive outscheme them all, all told in a very believable way.


If ever I have a frustration with the series, it's that I hardly recall the names and corresponding identity, as well as the circumstances of most characters except the most prominent ones (some of whom are already dead even before the first book has reached an ending! but they are kept alive by being mentioned in succeeding books in one manner or another). But I don't think I can fault the author for it. He delved deep enough for each character (especially the prominent ones) to make them so human that in more than one instance, I have to tell my wife how I felt about a character that I thought would turn out alive than dead or the other way around.


I guess my limited grasp of the personalities in the novels has to do more with my situation. For one, this is the first time I read through something of such number of characters. And this is also the first time I went through four related books (try as I may, I simply can't move forward in Lord of the Rings). Add to that is the peculiar way the names are in medieval fantasy types. My situation is not unlike one that faults standard chess because he is new to opening theory or unable to spend enough time to learn it well.

So if you have an interest in seeing chess other than in the boards, go try the series yourself. Read More......

Chess Variants: Chess 960

I first came across Chess 960 in Schemingmind. What attracted me to it is the way it was being promoted as an approach to chess that does not require a deep knowledge of opening theory. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, as I just emerged from being floored in several of my games in standard chess (I think I researched variants precisely because I got so depressed about standard chess).

The variant, which is also called Fischer Random Chess for the man who invented or popularized it, is played with the usual chess board, pieces, and rules. However, the pieces are randomly placed at the start of the game using a variety of methods (for online games, an algorithm usually picks one of the possible initial positions). The number of combinations that can be done total 960, which include the standard chess position (I guess it doesn't sound very nice to call it chess959, although I myself would have preferred it). The castling rules remain the same despite the varying positions of the rooks and King, so that a castling will land the said pieces in their supposed places in standard chess.

The variant was a surprising respite from the "rigors" of standard chess. And quite a challenge in its own way I have to say. Since the board at the onset is set up randomly, you would have to spend quite some time getting used to the position before making your first move. And with 959 combinations, you must really be something to even try coming up with an opening theory for a fraction of those combinations.

Several games later, some things that weren't that obvious start to be noticed. For one, the idea that the game is a respite for novices since they won't have to worry about opening theory is a bit slim. Opening theory is actually borne of sound piece development. It is unfortunate that in some situations it has degenerated into a test of rote memorization (which in my opinion gave chess the impression of being a dry game for many). However, full appreciation of the game requires an understanding of sound principles of the game, including opening theory. I would venture to guess that most good players in chess960 are actually good in standard chess themselves, since once you get accustomed to the board position, the rest is a matter of how well you can play chess.

I also kind of missed the symmetry and formation of standard chess. It is really a beautifully constructed game, and chess960 somewhat marred it in a way. If you look at chess as a way a kingdom is run, then chess960 definitely won't give you the satisfaction of playing like the king that you should be.

Nevertheless, chess960 is a wonderful game and a variant that will continue to stand on its own and flourish. There are actually chess clubs dedicated to the game, and I hope to feature some of them here in this blog (if you are running one already or a member of such a club, do let me know). The variant has also become a springboard for other variants that incorporate random initial piece placement.

Sample game here in Schemingmind. This is a game where I introduced my friend to the variant, so even though I was winning, I offered a draw near the end of the game as a gesture of sportsmanship. I am trying to paste an active board, but the game publisher I am using sets the initial position to standard chess, no matter what. Anyway, it would be nice for you to also visit Schemingmind, and maybe even join its friendly community. Just follow the link to the game and sign in initially as guest (instructions on front page). That will take you directly to the game once you signed in. Then get yourself registered for real as well and start playing.

Get that King out of harm's way! Have a good day!

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Your Favorite Chess Piece

In a game steeped in history and tradition, characters can take on a mythical or personal meaning for players. And I get to wonder if current chess players have a particular piece they associate themselves with more than the usual attention. A piece whose every move is more important for you than any of the other pieces. Or one that you would probably forego sacrificing for no sane game-related reason, if at all possible (of course, you can't give up the King, but you get my drift). A piece that gives you the rush and see your very self embodying it. Then, I get to wonder what is it that makes one associate with a piece? What personality traits does it probably reveal? Could it be something that one can use to better understand a person?

Well, here's my take on what I think a piece reveal about a person:

King - the standard-bearer. The embodiment of a principle. People who see themselves in this piece think in terms of abstract virtues and world-level views. They see grand plans. They consider elaborate sets of conditions. Where he is determines to a great extent the outcome of things big and small. And of course, it comes with a sense of detachment. A sense of entitlement for protection and privacy.

Queen - the General. The Strategist, who will only come out when the stage is set to sweep down on the opponents in one major blow. Some literature actually says that the modern day Queen piece is actually a male in earlier days of chess. This is very much so in Shatranj, a chess variant.

Rook - the Commander. He clears the way for the General. The blunt tactician.

Bishop - the Silent Support. His strength lies in the ability to collaborate and ease the entry of stronger pieces, or put in jeopardy a major opponent piece .

Knight - the Rogue. A stealth. He can take you out of a bad situation, but he is also a continuous threat for being unpredictable.

Pawn - the ultimate underdog.

How accurate did I described you? Let me know by leaving your comments.

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