Devil's Advocate: Viswanathan Anand on mind games

World chess champion Viswanathan Anand is set for his title-defending match against challenger and Russian Grand Master Vladimir Kramnik in October. Anand says Kramnik’s challenge and taunts don’t bother him because he believes “the main thing” is to win. “My own tendency is to just ignore him,” Anand told Karan Thapar(one of the leading journalist's in India) in an interview on Devil’s Advocate ( a popular program on Indian Television) .Here is the full interview ahead of the title-defending match next month. Karan Thapar: What does the World Chess Championship mean to you? Viswanathan Anand: It is the end of a long journey for me; it is the...

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The Ruy Lopez for White - Schliemann Variation/Jaenisch Defence Part 2

The last discussion in Schliemann/Jaenisch Defence was regarding Black's reply 4...Nf6, which we saw, can become more or less an easy task for White to convert into an advantage for him/her.This time we will study Black's fourth move alternative 4...Nd4!?, the Second Main Option for Black in this situation. We will study different move alternatives from both White and Black at different positions of the game and in doing so we will find out how the actual line mentioned has turned out to be the Main Line!Just sit tight, watch and learn:Hmm... Let me ask you something first. After studying progressively the different lines above and comparing...

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The Ruy Lopez for White - Schliemann Variation/Jaenisch Defence Part 1

 Now we will study the various defences/counter-attacks offered by Black after 3 Bb5. One of the defences that demands mentioning is the Schliemann Variation (also known as Jaenisch Defence), recognized by 3...f5.1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 f5The Schliemann Variation is probably the sharpest way of meeting the Ruy Lopez. Black immediately goes on the counterattack in the centre, in King's Gambit fashion . Most positional considerations are overtaken by tactics and hard variations, so there's much more homework for the student here than in many of the other chapters. That said , a well -prepared player on the white side could certainly look forward...

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The Ruy Lopez for White - an Introduction

 Let's start with the following famous moves:1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5Three moves, and we reach a position that carries a famous name behind it, the name of Rodrigo (Ruy) López de Segura. The Ruy Lopez (or Spanish Game, as it' s often called) is a simple opening, with a simple idea . White's second and third moves have both increased the pressure on the centre, and in particular the e5-square. Give or take a few developing moves , the next stage of White's plan is to take control of the centre and increase the pressure on e5 with the advance d4, which is often supported by c3. It may be a simple enough plan, but it can be highly effective....

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