The Ruy Lopez for White - Berlin Defence Part 1

Before We Start

Hello Chesslovers,

It's time to get very very serious now. 

Until now, we have been discussing those variations in the Ruy Lopez which are now less encountered in real games. The reason being the continuous improvements that has taken place due to the hard work and dedication of great players and masters in this opening. Somehow, both sides was able to find refutations and there was a need for improvement. So, improvement has taken place.......

From now on Ruy Lopez will not be just fun!, it will be full concentration + tremendous brainstorming + very hard work + complete dedication + an open mind, and all these will generate fun in the end. Because at the end of the day, if you want to generate something of very high quality, you have to bind yourself with these parameters.  Every chapters discussed from now on, will be the most adored variations in the Ruy Lopez and there is every possibility that you will turn up facing one of them everytime you go for this opening.

For those, whose chess ideas are like parts of their body they are reluctant to give up, it's time to change your views because now you will come to know what "keeping an open mind" means.

My first and last warning to you will be "do not try to memorize moves". Remember, when we study an opening, we do not study moves, but ideas.

Welcome, all of you, to the deepest and the most wonderful journey in the jungles of Ruy Lopez. Be serious.

The Ruy Lopez - Berlin Defence

We will start with the Berlin Defence, recognized by Black's third move, 3...Nf6. The Berlin Defence is an opening which demands that you should understand certain things first before going for further analysis:

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6

The Berlin Defence is one of Black's most solid and reliable ways of meeting the Ruy Lopez . Recently it has found its way into the repertoires of some of the world's leading young players, including Alexei Shirov and Vladimir Kramnik, while it has also been a long-time favourite of Britain's first grandmaster, Tony Miles . Being such a solid defence, there is the drawback that Black finds it difficult to create winning chances if White is content to play for a draw, but of Course, this accusation could be levelled at most black defences .

The Berlin Endgame

The main line of the Berlin Defence gives rise to an endgame after the moves 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 0-0 Nxe4 5 d4 Nd6 6 Bxc6 dxc6 7 dxe5 Nf5 8 Qxd8+ Kxd8. After White's most flexible move, 9 Nc3, we reach the following position.

  

At first glance the pawn-structure seems to give White a persistent advantage. After all, White has a healthy 4-3 majority on the kingside, while Black should find it difficult to create a passed pawn from his own queenside majority, due to the doubled pawns. However, there are also some factors favouring Black. For example, White's advanced pawn on e5 presents Black with squares on f5 and d5 . The e5pawn could actually become quite weak if it's not well supported. Another plus for Black is that he possesses the bishop-pair.

In fact, White's best chance for an advantage lies in the slightly vulnerable position of the black king, which has lost the right to castle and prevents the black rooks from connecting. White must play actively and attempt to exploit this temporary disharmony in the black position in order to create a concrete positional or tactical advantage.

The ...Bb4xc3 Exchange

This surprising exchange is one of Black 's most potent weapons in the Berlin Endgame. At first sight, it appears a little strange just to give away the advantage of the bishop-pair, but following the trade, the presence of opposite-coloured bishops considerably eases Black's defensive task. Light-square control on the kingside makes it very difficult for White to mobilize his pawn majority, while it's also possible that White's pawns can end up as targets .
 

 

White Plays Ng5xBe6

Similarly, this exchange is one of White's weapons

Play continued 12 Nxe6! fxe6 13 Ne4 and we can see that the exchange has favoured White. Black no longer possesses the bishop-pair, and White can still advance his pawn majority on the kingside. Another point is that White's e5-pawn is less vulnerable, as Black no longer has the long-term option of ...Ke6 to attack it.





The Main Ideas

Since Black will find it difficult to connect rooks, he often tries to activate them on their original squares. In such cases it's common for Black to play ...a5-a4 to activate his a8-rook. Sometimes Black may even play ...h5-h4 to give the h8-rook some scope. It could then go to h5, where it could attack the e5-pawn. Black normally develops his bishops on e6 and b4 and often leaves the e7-square free for a possible knight retreat.

White's main plan will be to try to activate his kingside pawn majority. Hence the need for moves such as h3, which supports a later g4. The f3-knight will want to move so White can create a pawn roller with f4. Normally the bishop goes to b2, but on occasions it can also go to f4, perhaps dropping back to g3 or h2, from where it can support White's pawn advance.

The structural patterns and the main ideas leading to them are the most important thing in the Berlin Defence to understand.

Next post onwards, we will study different variation in this defence. And that will be a very very deep study indeed!! Preparation should be at it's best. Otherwise, refutations will come from Black side pretty fast.

Keep visiting and keep reading. We have just begun.

Thanks a lot. Enjoy !!

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The Ruy Lopez for White - Classical Variation Part 2

Hello and welcome everybody.

Today we will study the two remaining variations on the Classical variation of the Ruy Lopez and we will see how White can gain advantage from the position that arrives during the course of play.

Last time we discussed Black's first fourth move alternative, 4...Nge7.

Now we will study another reply from Black, Variation B: 4...Nd4. Pay attention:

So the position still favours White!!

Now let's move on to the next possible reply from Black, Variation C: 4...Nf6:

Variation C: 4...Nf6 is the most critical in the Classical Variation of the Ruy Lopez and the most obvious reply for Black too. White has to play cautiously when faced with this variation. Even without the queen on the board, White can snatch an advantage, and there is a lot of ways to convert this advantage into a victory.

Go through the sub-variations again and again and you will be able to recognize certain patterns that tells you how to gain an advantage.

This was all about The Classical Variation. Hope you liked it throughout.....

From my next post we will start discussion on one of the most famous, critical  and widely played variation of the Ruy Lopez which, if studied well, will completely change your views and approach towards the game (in case you do not play Ruy Lopez or in case you are not comfortable with this opening).

So friends, stay tuned for one of the most respected opening in chess history, the famous Berlin Defence. Believe me, it will be fabulous to get lost in the jungles of this opening.

Until then, bye and take care. 

Keep visiting, keep reading and keep learning.

Thanks, .....Enjoy!

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Alexandra Kosteniuk, New Women's World Champion | Recent Interview

Interview With New Women's World Champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk

By Jerry Hanken

September 24, 2008

GM Alexandra Kosteniuk. Photo Vladimir Shirokov Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk just captured her first Women's World Championship title in Nalchik, Russia over 14-year-old GM elect Hou Yifan of China. In a CLO exclusive, Chess Journalists of American president Jerry Hanken interviews the champion, mediaqueen, runner and mother about her road to the title, her plans as the champ and how to attract more women to chess.  Jerry Hanken (JH) : How did it feel in the moment you made the draw and clinched your first Women World Championship title? GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (AK): I was so tired, the world championship seemed eternal, and we were in Nalchik almost one full month.  In the knockout system you always have another match to play after you win. I am not even sure I understood totally that it was over and there would not be another game the next day. Well in fact of course I was also so happy, I had finally reached my goal. What a relief, I was waiting for this moment for such a long time, probably since I missed my chance in 2001... JH: Can you comment on your young opponent's play in the final match? AK: I must say that Hou Yifan is absolutely amazing. She is incredibly gifted. In the past I was often the youngest or among the youngest in tournaments, in fact in my last try at the World Championship Finals in 2001, I was only 17 and it was a sensation, well now I was shocked to see that while I am still pretty young at 24, Hou Yifan is a full ten years younger than me! When I prepared for my match against her, the earliest game I could find in the database for her was in 2003... About her play, I can say she has a keen sense when trying to get the initiative, when to open the center, how to complicate matters. She calculates variations very well. The areas where I may have some edge would be the strategic moments where experience is beneficial, for example in openings like the Ruy Lopez where it takes years to get a good feeling of how to play the middle game correctly. Taking into consideration Hou Yifan's age, it seems clear to me that she is in a very strong position to become women's world champion one day. Kosteniuk with her final match opponent, GM-elect Hou Yifan. Photo courtesy chesspics.com. JH: Please share with our readers your journey to the Championship, the format and the steps you took to get you where you are now. AK: I always say that chess is a "fair game" in the sense that it gives back to you what you give to it. The more you study chess, the better you will become, and that's a fact proven over and over again. When I looked at my games 2-3-4 years ago, I had many problems in the openings, so I went about the study of openings very seriously, expanded my repertoire (for example I started playing the Ruy Lopez, before I only played the Sicilian), and against 1.d4 I started playing new lines. With White also, I have alternate lines that I play now. That makes it much more difficult for opponents to prepare against me. While openings are important, it's equally important to study the middle game, endgame, and chess studies. While I was pregnant with my baby Francesca, I did a lot of work and read many chess books I never had a chance to finish before. Then this year, I started training since February at home in Miami, running each morning 5 kilometers, participating in races, and studying chess like never before. I wanted to see if I could come back as strong as before, I made it a point I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. The world championship was announced in Argentina in June, but was later moved to Russia in August. This actually turned out quite good for me, because it gave me two additional months to train, and the home crowd certainly also helped, especially at the end when I became the last player from my country. In short, it's hard work and good physical form that pushes you to the top. Alexandra, alomst seven months pregnant in Miami, Photo courtesy Pierre W. Henry and chesspics.com   JH: When Bobby won the World Championship in 1972, he promised he would be a playing Champ but was the opposite. Do you intend to be a "playing" Champion? AK: I certainly feel a great responsibility as world champion, and will play and promote chess as much as I can during my tenure. I have already agreed to play in the Chess Olympiad in November, and in just one week I will be flying to China to participate in the First Mind Sports Games, which may be the key to bringing chess to the Olympic Games. I will continue as hard or even harder in my web activities , for example adding many episodes to my ChessQueen YouTube channel, as well as my free podcasts Chess is Cool and Chess Killer Tips. JH: Did you have any one moment of doubt after your nice first game victory when you felt the pressure? AK: It was important for me to win the first game against Hou, especially in a nice style with Black in the Ruy Lopez. That made it quite difficult for Hou to select a good line for the third game with White. But in chess one can never be sure of anything... in the second and third games I was close to winning but let my advantage slip away. JH: Tell us your thoughts as you played the last game.. Some say you could have won that game easily but took the draw to clinch the title. Is that so? AK: My last game was very difficult. Normally with White it should be possible to draw without problems, there are many opening variations that give forced draws, unavoidably. However, if one player wants to complicate matters, it usually is possible to do so. I wanted to play quietly, but Hou played very well, she countered with a good ...b5 and that led to great complications, in which we both had only moves to play or face possible defeat. At the end I had survived all her tries, and even had a winning continuation, but I was not looking to humiliate my opponent, all I needed was to win the match, and a draw was all I wanted. As soon as I saw the perpetual check I took it, I did not even think twice. Alexandra in her World Women's Championship gear, Photo courtesy chesspics.com.   JH: On a more general level, who taught you most about chess-anyone living or long dead?  If you had to choose one player of the past or present to spend an afternoon with on a social  as well as a chess basis, who would it be?   AK: That is always a very difficult question to answer. I try to learn from all great players, not from only one. I admire all world champions, who, having reached their goal, continue to search for better play. I have studied in great detail most classics, like Bobby Fischer's 60 memorable games, the matches of Botvinnik and Tal, among others, Kasparov's books, and they all have contributed to my learning. I'm not sure with whom I'd like to spend an afternoon...well, actually, I have often met with Kramnik while in Paris, he is a very nice person, and I hope he will win his next match against Anand next month. Kramnik was one of the first people to call me on the phone after I won the world championship title. JH: Tell us a little about your husband Diego, and what part he plays in your current chess career. I know Diego is a fine photographer. In what other areas does he put in his time and energy, if any? AK: I met Diego at a chess simul in Switzerland, he was on a trip in between the USA and Russia. Two years after that we got married in St. Petersburg. Diego helps me so that I can train on chess without thinking of anything else. He works also on the web sites, and he puts together my podcasts and other videos. JH: Can you articulate for our readers your chess philosophy?  Is it an art, as the late Eduard Gufeld held, or science, a view strongly espoused by the great chess writer and IM John Watson and the current US Senior Champion IM Larry Kaufman? AK: For the moment I feel chess is mostly a sport. It's very competitive and you need to be in good physical form to play well. Furthermore, it is an unending source of joy for the beautiful wins it provides. It is also an unending source of self-improvement, since any loss is purely due to your own mistakes, and one can learn from one own's mistakes. Chess also lets you search for perfection, and you can take a try at it in each and every game, which is something very difficult to do in other areas of life. Chess is the coolest of games, that's for sure! JH: Please tell our readers, if you kindly will, which activities outside of chess things interest you? AK: I try to do as many things as possible outside of chess. Now that I have my wonderful little baby Francesca, of course I take time with her, play with her and see her grow. I also meet with my friends, several of whom also are young mothers, such as French champion Almira Skripchenko. I also like to do many kinds of sports, like playing tennis, skiing, bicycling. I like to go to the movies, I read a lot. Life is so short and there are so many things to do, I usually accept new challenges, I like to do things I've never done before. Of course that's when I have time over after the 6+ hours of chess I train each day... Kosteniuk with her friend, IM Almira Skripchenko, Nevada, 2006,  Photo courtesy chesspics.com. JH: Here in the US, female players are relatively scarce. The USCF has only about five percent of membership and this has held steadily for many years. I don't know the stats of other countries but in America, I see this as a vast untapped market.  What suggestions or ideas do you have to reach out to this market? AK:  I think that chess is a very good game for young girls. At the learning stage there is no difference between boys and girls, and so chess  shows girls they can be the leaders. Girls have no reason to be afraid of boys, intellectually certainly. And chess is a tool where they can prove objectively that they are smart. Young girls should see examples of other young girls who are successful at chess, and for whom chess has been a blessing. Chess lets you make friends, chess helps you travel, chess proves to everybody you're smart. And if you're smart for chess, chances are that you are smart for other things too. GM Alexandra Kosteniuk at her April 08 simul at Columbia University. Here  she is facing Anna Ginzburg. Photo courtesy chesspics.com. JH: You are an award-winning member of the Chess Journalists of America(CJA). Tell us your thoughts on this organization and how it has been part of your chess writing, a separate area in which you excel? AK: I am proud of being a member of the CJA, I think it is very important to write about chess and to get the word out that it's a wonderful game. Every member of the CJA is doing a great job of promoting chess, and they do it in a variety of ways. Nowadays it's no longer only writing in newspapers and magazines, all kinds of journalism activities are needed, from radio to video podcasts to blogs to chess photography. All these varieties of chess journalism make our game grow more popular, and I am glad the CJA is evolving with our times. I wish more people who have chess blogs and promote chess in schools and on the web would join the CJA, as the more we are, the more effect we can make in the world to show how wonderful chess really is. The champ with her medal, Photo courtesy chesspics.com.

Article Source : Chess Life Online

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Fashion Model and Grandmaster, and Now World Champion | Alexandra Kosteniuk

Alexandra Kosteniuk can no longer be called the Anna Kournikova of chess.

For years, Kournikova, the tennis player, was more noted for her looks than her accomplishments on the court. Although she won two women’s grand slam doubles titles, she never won a singles championship.Like Kournikova, the 24-year-old Kosteniuk, a Russian grandmaster, has traded on her looks, modeling for fashion magazines like the European editions of Vogue and Marie Claire, and selling bikini-clad images of herself through her Web site. Kosteniuk, however, bristles at comparisons with Kournikova. “I think I’ve won enough chess competitions not to be compared to her,” Kosteniuk said in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

Her argument is now beyond doubt. That interview took place barely an hour after she became the 14th women’s world champion by winning a tournament in Nalchik, Russia.

Kosteniuk’s victory was a bit of a surprise. She had not played much since giving birth to a daughter two years ago. “I wanted to have some time,” she said.

Kosteniuk did not model during her layoff. Chess, she said, had provided her modeling opportunities. “When you stop playing for a while, people tend to forget about you,” she said. “You have to win something for people to think about you.”

She also sounded ambivalent about modeling: “I have never been a professional model; I have had some modeling sessions.”

In an interview three years ago, she was more enthusiastic about modeling, saying that it was “interesting and fun.” She boasted at the time about being featured in an advertising campaign for LG computers and in a Russian film called “Bless the Woman.”

If Kosteniuk’s enthusiasm for modeling has waned, it may be because the challenges posed by her goals in chess, particularly after becoming a mother, were enough. And Kosteniuk said that when she decided to return to tournament play, she found it difficult to regain her competitive form.

She started working with four grandmasters, she said. The work paid off. Kosteniuk, who is ranked No. 10 among active women players, played exceptionally well during the championship, beating Pia Cramling of Sweden, No. 6 among women, in the semifinals and Hou Yifan of China, No. 4, in the final.

Kosteniuk said that Hou, a 14-year-old, was her most dangerous opponent and a “great talent.” Kosteniuk said she was afraid of how strong Hou would become in a few years, and predicted that Hou would soon dominate women’s competitions.

Hou certainly learned some valuable lessons in her match with Kosteniuk, who had the upper hand in every game. Still, she only managed to win the first game; the other three ended in draws.Lets take a look at that game.

In that first game, Hou played 8 a3 in order to avoid the Marshall Attack, which arises after 8 c3 d5. The problem with Hou’s move is that it is easy for Black to equalize. The position remained fairly balanced until Hou lashed out with 17 g4, an impetuous move; 17 Ng3 would have been more circumspect. Kosteniuk immediately took advantage, launching an attack with 17 ... h5.
Hou managed to hold on until Kosteniuk broke through, first with 33 ... Nd3 and then 36 ... Nf3 and 37 ... Bg4. The point was that White could not play 38 Qg4 because of 38 ... Qg4 39 Ng4 d1Q, while 38 Ng4 would lose to 38 ... Qf3 39 Kf3 d1Q.
Hou resigned after 48 ... fxg3 because she faced certain checkmate.

Article Source : NewYork Times

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Rybka wins World Computer Chess Championship

The US program Rybka won the 16th World Computer Chess Championship that was held in Beijing, China, a full point ahead of its nearest rival, the British program Hiarcs. Third, a point behind, was the Israeli program Junior, followed by Cluster Toga and then Shredder. The hardware used in the event ranged from a 40-core system to a Nokia cell phone. Final report.

16th World Computer Chess Championship

This tournament was held from September 28th to October 5th 2008 in the Beijing Golden Century Golf Club, Fangshan, Beijing, China. It was part of the Computer Games Championship, with 28 different games like chess, draughts, checkers, Go, backgammon, etc. The final standing in the chess tournament was as follows:

The victory of Rybka was hardly surprising, since this program is dominating the computer rating lists and was running on the most powerful hardware in Beijing. The performance of the British program Hiarcs, the oldest in the field, was very impressive. In the final round Hiarcs beat the German program Shredder, which in the past has won many world championship titles. The Israeli program Junior, also a former world champion, finished a clear point behind Hiarcs in third place. Here a dramatic game from the final round:

Computer Chess World Champion Vasik Rajlich, author of Rybka

The program Rybka is well known to our readers – Version 3 was launched by ChessBase in July this year. It won the 15th World Computer Chess Championship in Amsterdam last year and so was the defending champion in Beijing. Author IM Vasik Rajlich mentions Lukas Cimiotti, who provided some awesome hardware for the event: an overclocked 40-core (5x2x4) Harpertown cluster. "Lukas also spent about two weeks working with me to make sure that everything ran properly," Vasik writes. "We must have had more than 100 phone conversations related to this. For what it's worth, in self-play, the performance of this Rybka configuration seems to be around 100 Elo higher than that of Rybka 3 running on a normal overclocked Skulltrail. The search tree is shaped differently, giving the entity a somewhat different playing style. I find it quite attractive – the play is very precise. There is some food for thought here in the area of normal multi-processor search. Lukas is a regular in the Playchess engine room and no doubt anyone who is curious can learn more there."

Vas Rajlich experimenting with hardware in his Budapest flat

The program Hiarcs (pronounced "high-arks") has a long history. It was originally developed by Mark Uniake (pronounced You-nee-ack) more than twenty years ago, and today it is available on a number of platforms (PC, Macintosh, handheld devices). Hiarcs' playing style is very aggressive, with a distinctive liking for attacking the opponent's king. This often leads to dynamic exciting games which are played on a knife-edge. Hiarcs is written entirely in 'C' and it searches around an order of magnitude less positions per second (average 1,8 million) than most of its competitors. However, it makes up for this apparent slow speed by clever searching and accurate evaluation. The program uses many selective search extension heuristics to guide the search and incorporates a sophisticated tapered search to resolve tactical uncertainties while finding positionally beneficial lines.

Junior is an Israeli program developed as a hobby by Amir Ban and Shay Bushinsky. In 2006 it won the 14th World Computer Chess Championship in Turin, Italy, in 2004 the 12th WCCC in Ramat-Gan, Israel, and in 2002 the 10th WCCC in Maastricht, Holland. 

Cluster Toga is a German system running a parallelized version of the program Toga (based on Fruit). The hardware used in Beijing was a 24-core cluster. The German program Shredder, which scored a disappointing 50% in this event, has, like Junior, won multiple world computer chess championships in the past: the 11th WCCC in Graz, Austria, in 2003, and the 9th in Paderborn, Germany, in 1999. Shredder is written in ANSI-C and therefore it can easily compiled on various hardware platforms.

Links

• Official web site
• All the games in PGN
• Hiarcs forum with discussions and pictures
• Rybka Forum, with a lot of discussion on the WCCC, comments by the Rybka team.
• Buy Rybka 3, Deep Rybka 3, Hiarcs 12, Deep Hiarcs 12, Shredder 11, Deep Shredder 11

Prices for Rybka

Multi-processor version: Deep Rybka 3		99.90 Euro
Single processor version: Rybka 3		49.99 Euro
Rybka 3 Book		24.99 Euro

Note that Rybka 3 includes a database of one million games, and that the purchase of the program entitles you to one year of access to the chess server Playchess.com. Rybka 3 is a UCI engine, with 32 and 64-bit versions included in the package. Rybka can be made the default engine in ChessBase 10.

Article Source : Chessbase 

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With GM Nigel Short | A Recent Interview

Mention GM Nigel Short and we think grandmaster, world championship challenger, coach, author and journalist. Some of us will also associate him with the French Defence, an opening that he used to play regularly many years ago. But away from the chess board, this man is also very well known for his witty reports and articles on chess. Edwin Lam interviews the chess writer.

Bisik-Bisik with GM Nigel Short

By Edwin Lam Choong Wai

As a chess player, Short, the England number two, is best known as the man who challenged Kasparov’s throne back in 1993. En route to his world championship summit against Kasparov, Short defeated no less an opposition, than the ex-World Champion, Anatoly Karpov, in a match. Besides his illustrious individual career, Short is also a constant feature in the English national team having represented them to countless Chess Olympiads, Euroteams and World Team Championships.

Away from the chess board, this man is also very well known for his witty reports and articles on chess – a far cry from the other writers who are content with a drier approach to chess journalism. His writings have appeared on the pages of The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail and The Spectator.

While his competitive chess career may have been very well documented, the same cannot be said about his career as a chess journalist and writer. In this Bisik-Bisik column, let us sit back and read more about Short, the chess journalist.

Edwin Lam: Do you consider yourself, first and foremost, a chess player and only then a chess journalist? Or, vice versa?

Nigel Short: I have always considered myself to be first and foremost a chess player. This was true even in 2005, when I hardly played at all and was dependent upon writing for my livelihood.

Edwin Lam: When was your first foray into chess journalism?

Nigel Short: I am not quite sure of the answer to this one. I was asked to fill in for Peter Clarke at the Sunday Times, during a four week period of his convalescence. I think I must have been about 18 at the time. My contributions, without being dire, were forgettable.

Edwin Lam: What inspired you to be a chess journalist?

Nigel Short: I really came into journalism by accident. I was a very poor student, having been thrown out of two schools, for low academic achievement, by the age of 17 and thus had a massive inferiority complex. My friend Dominic Lawson, however, totally against prevailing opinion, regarded me as a smart and capable individual, and asked me to do a review of Kasparov and Trelford's "Child of Change" for the Spectator, for which he was working at the time. Dominic liked my piece, as, more importantly, did the Literary Editor of the magazine. I would say that this was the moment when I first began to believe I could become a good writer.

Edwin Lam: When you started as a chess journalist back then, what were your goals like? Did you dream to one day be reporting for the chess public around the world?

Nigel Short: My first regular journalistic job was when I became chess columnist for the Daily Telegraph. I didn't really have ambitions per se: it was just a very useful source of income. I guess it took me a little before I really found my stride.

Edwin Lam: Could you please share with us as to what your journey was like, over the years, as a chess journalist?

Nigel Short: My best work was done during the ten years I wrote for the Sunday Telegraph. Of course, not everything I submitted was a masterpiece, but I managed to produce sharp and witty columns at fairly regular intervals. To be honest, I would not mind seeing them in an anthology. I was also very pleased with the overwhelmingly positive response to my San Luis World Championship reports for ChessBase. The website received literally hundreds of e-mails praising my reports. It is quite obvious that the vast majority of chess fans don't care for masses of analysis: they want excitement, flavour and good description. Almost everyone I know possesses a volume or two of Kasparov's classic "My Great Predecessors" but I have found again and again that people simply have not read it. At some point they become intimidated by the labrythine variations. I think there is a moral there.

Edwin Lam: In your opinion, what was the role of a chess journalist back then?

Nigel Short: Chess journalists should inform and entertain.

Edwin Lam: The Internet emerged as a great force in the 1990s. In your opinion, how has the Internet changed the face of chess journalism?

Nigel Short: It has made it much easier to cover events.

Edwin Lam: And, how has the Internet changed the role of a chess journalist in the past 15 years?

Nigel Short: Nowadays everyone is a big genius sitting on his fat arse in front of the computer watching Rybka and Fritz whirring away. Therefore journalists who just copy and paste cyber evaluations don't produce anything worthwhile. I am certain there is a huge unmet demand for humorous, instructive, amusing, quality writing.

Edwin Lam: Over the past few years, very many chess players have also started blogging. How do you see the role of bloggers being different from that played by a chess journalist?

Nigel Short: I have not given enough thought to this question.

Edwin Lam: Thank you for this interesting conversation.

Courtesy: Chessbase

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The Ruy Lopez for White - Classical Variation Part 1

We will start a new chapter today, which will deal with The Classical Variation, characterized by the move 3...Bc5.  It goes like this:

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Bc5 3...Bc5 is a very natural and active move. However, it has never been really popular because it runs straight into White's basic plan of c3 and d4. As this can hardly be prevented, Black must be prepared to lose time by moving this bishop again. Nevertheless, there is a plus side in that that the bishop will be actively placed on the a7-g1 diagonal , where it can exert pressure on White's centre. Black's main problem is that it is difficult for him to maintain his pawn on e5, where it comes under considerable attack.

White's two main options after 3...Bc5 are 4 c3 and 4 0-0. Out of these two, recommended is the slightly more flexible 4 0-0, which also rules out having to learn the unclear consequences of 4 c3 f5 !?

The different variations in this chapter basically revolves around Black's fourth move alternatives. 

Let's start with Variation A: 4...Nge7

In the next post, we will study the two remaining variations in this chapter.

Keep visiting and keep reading! There is lot more to come.

Thanks a lot. Enjoy!

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The Ruy Lopez for White - Schliemann Variation/Jaenisch Defence Part 3

Hello everybody,

The last discussion in the Schliemann Variation/Jaenisch Defence was regarding Black's fourth move alternative 4...Nd4!?, where we saw that White can make out an advantage for him in the endgame.

This time we will study Black's main continuation as a fourth move alternative, 4...fxe4, Third Main Option for Black in this situation. This Variation has two sub-variation and will be a little long. So, sit tight, watch and learn.

Following is a discussion on Variation C1: 5...Nf6

Now let's study Black's fifth move alternative, Variation C2: 5...d5

Black's reply of 4...fxe4 is the most complicated Variation in the Schliemann/Jaenisch Defence owing to the fact that it has so many alternatives for both sides!!! But White, with cautious playing, can still keep an edge over Black. And that requires knowledge and imagination about how the outcome is going to be! 

So, take your time and go through the variation repeatedly until you get a clear picture of the happenings at various positions and you will come to know how to imagine a stronger position and how to plan for it.

Well, this was all about the Schliemann/Jaenisch Defence.

From the next post we will study a new chapter, The Classical Variation in the Ruy Lopez. 

So, keep visiting and keep reading. There is lot more to come. Let us know your feelings about earlier posts.

Until then, bye.

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With Vishy Anand - a recent interview

In a rare interview before the World Championship, which begins in less than two weeks in Bonn, Germany, the reigning champion Viswanathan Anand speaks about the title match against Russian Vladimir Kramnik, about his training in the cellar, the role of emotions and his meeting with Bobby Fischer. The story is in the SPIEGEL, one of Europes largest new portals.

Interview with Viswanathan Anand in Der Spiegel

SPIEGEL: Mr Anand, in two weeks you will be defending your title as World Champion against the Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik in Bonn [Germany]. Two weeks ago you finished last in the Masters Tournament in Bilbao. Is that a psychological handicap?

Anand: Thank you very much for bringing that up. It reminds me of John Cleese from Monty Python. In Fawlty Towers a group of Germans visits his hotel, and he admonishes his staff not to mention the war to them – while he himself can talk about nothing else. So please: don't mention Bilbao.

SPIEGEL: Okay, then on to Bonn. The World Championship goes over eight games, with a possible tiebreak. You have known Kramnik for nineteen years. Can he still surprise you?

Anand: We have been playing in the same events since 1993. But there is a difference if you know someone and if you understand him. In the past twenty years Kramnik has played a few thousand games, and if you show me a position from one of them, in 90 percent of the time I will be able to tell you which game it is from. But one cannot conclude from that that I can see through him. In fact I expect him to surprise me. And vice versa, logically.

SPIEGEL: How did you prepare for the World Championship?

Anand: I have been studying Kramnik since the end of April, up to ten hours a day, here at home in my cellar, where I have my office. I have a database and construct game plans. I try to neutralise positions in which Kramnik is strong. He is doing the same thing with my game, which I must of course take into consideration. Let me put it this way: I must remember that he is thinking about what I am thinking about him. In any case one is working for months with the computer, trying to find new paths.

SPIEGEL: Computers are becoming more and more important. Has chess become a preparation game – whoever is better prepared wins?

Anand: That was always the case. Today we analyse our games with the computer, in the 16th century people did it with a board. That is only a gradual difference. Preparation for a world championship was always an arms race, in previous times with books, then with seconds, today with computers. The computer is an excellent training partner. It helps me to improve my game.

SPIEGEL: But if chess becomes a computer game and every move is calculated by the machine, then isn't the human being simply moving the pieces, and won't every game end in a draw?

Anand: No. Actually I was always pessimistic. Ten years ago I said that 2010 would be the end, chess would be exhausted. But it is not true, chess will not die so quickly. There are still many rooms in the building which we have not yet entered. Will it happen in 2015? I don't think so. For every door the computers have closed they have opened a new one.

SPIEGEL: What do you mean by that?

Anand: Twenty years ago we were doing things that don't work today because of computers. We used to bluff our way through games, but today our opponents analyse them with a computer and recognize in a split second what we were up to. Computers do not fall for tricks. On the other hand we can undertake more complex preparation. In the past years there have been spectacular games that would not have been possible without computers. The possibility of playing certain moves would never have occurred to us. It is similar to astrophysics: their work may not be as romantic as in previous times, but they would never have progressed so far with paper and pencil.

SPIEGEL: One keeps hearing rumours of players secretly using computers during their games. That is cheating. Are the genies out of the bottle?

Anand: It is a threat that we have to live with. I have got used to being checked with metal detectors before playing a game. In the beginning it was a shock for me, since I grew up during an innocent age in sports. But technology develops very quickly. Somebody can be sitting at a remote place, following a game with a computer and sending information to the player. Receivers are becoming smaller, and the number of cheaters is growing. We need to take measures. We have a rule that says that if a mobile phone rings during a game you lose. It is tough, but it has to be enforced. The alternative would be to permit the use of computers during the game.

SPIEGEL: That would be like legalising doping.

Anand: I think it is not doping, it is a different form of the game. But chess should remain a contest of strength between two human beings.

SPIEGEL: What is the role of emotions?

Anand: They are decisive. The moment in which you realise that you have made a mistake is the most unsettling you can imagine. You have to try to keep control of your emotions. Chess is a form of acting. If your opponent senses your insecurity or your annoyance or your dejection, then you are bolstering his courage. He will take advantage of your weakness. Confidence is very important – even pretending to be confident. If you make a mistake but do not let your opponent see what you are thinking then he may overlook the mistake.

SPIEGEL: Are you good at reading the faces of your opponents?

Anand: Usually their faces are completely calm and dispassionate. The exception was Garry Kasparov, against whom I played a World Championship in New York in 1995. He was an open book. What I tend to do is to listen to their breathing.

SPIEGEL: You listen to your opponent breathing?

Anand: If the breathing is deep or shallow, fast or slow – that reveals a lot about the degree of his agitation. In a match that lasts a month even a clearing of the throat can be quite important. Incidental facts are also important: did your opponent have a fight with his wife? If he is occupied with private matters he may not be as focussed as usual.

SPIEGEL: Do you work with psychological tricks?

Anand: No.

SPIEGEL: What do you find most disturbing?

Anand: When my opponent turns the game around. Sometimes it is almost liberating when you finally lose. I think to myself, okay, the point is gone, tomorrow you are going to play better. During a world championship you have to be careful not to panic. It occupies your mind when you see your opponent at breakfast. Is he relaxed? Tense? One is in a strange way obsessed. Kramnik and I will be staying in the same hotel in Bonn, but in opposite wings. Actually we like each other, but it will take quite some time before we exchange any words.

SPIEGEL: Can you switch off in the evening during such tournaments?

Anand: It is difficult to relax without having feelings of guilt. I keep asking myself: shouldn't you be working? But you have to relax, otherwise you cannot play well. Experience helps you to find the right balance. I like to watch old Hitchcock films in order to give my brain a rest.

SPIEGEL: Your nickname is the "Tiger of Madras". But you are not considered to be a predator on the chessboard. Some experts say you are missing the killer instinct. Are they right?

Anand: The thing with the tiger was an invention by some journalist who probably could not think of any other Indian animal. Normally I avoid conflict, and I am indeed not a killer like Kasparov. That is not my style. I am used to moving around in peaceful surroundings. I grew up in a family where values were very important.

SPIEGEL: You are a Brahmin and belong to the highest Hindu cast. You learnt to play chess from your mother, when you were six years old. Unlike the Russian prodigies you were not systematically trained. Would you have liked to go to a special chess school?

Anand: No, that would not have helped me a lot. I would have missed the fun. I had to earn permission to play chess by producing good results in school. Sometime I could not play for a month, and after that I was dying to get back to it and very happy when I could play in a tournament again. That had a great influence on me. After high school I studied business economics, because I was afraid of becoming a chess nut.

SPIEGEL: The American Bobby Fischer, who died at the beginning of the year, was chess crazy, paranoid, misanthropic. You met this chess genius two and a half years ago in Iceland, where he was living in exile. How did that happen?

Anand: I played in a tournament in Reykjavik and the Icelandic grandmaster Helgi Olafsson asked me if I would be interested in meeting Bobby Fischer. Olafsson picked him up from his flat, while I waited in the car. Fischer probably wanted to avoid my knowing which apartment was his.

SPIEGEL: What did you talk to him about?

Anand: Fischer told me how he sometimes rode around Reykjavik with the bus, in order to see the city. He complained that he could not get Indian balm [Amrutanjan] in Iceland. Suddenly he wanted to go to McDonalds. So there he was, this legend of the chess world, asking me if I took ketchup.

SPIEGEL: Did you talk about chess?

Anand: Of course. We were standing in a park and Bobby pulled out an old pocket chess set and we analysed a couple of games between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi in 1974. He wanted to prove that all world championship games after his victory were prearranged. He did not convince me.

SPIEGEL: Why did Fischer specifically want to meet you?

Anand: Perhaps he felt an affinity. We are both from countries in which chess was not popular until we came along. I am not Russian and Fischer felt persecuted by the Soviets in the past. And there is evidence to suggest that Soviet grandmasters actually ganged up against him.

SPIEGEL: Fischer proposed a new variation of the game, which is called Fischer Random Chess. He wanted the pieces in the starting position to me shuffled before every game. Would that not be a more creative form of chess?

Anand: I do not think much of a random placement of the pieces. That is perhaps something for people who were previously active and now have very little time. They don't want to study openings theory. But the opening systems are part of chess.

SPIEGEL: Some top players have gone mad during their careers, like the Austrian Wilhelm Steinitz, the first generally recognised world champion. Is that a professional risk?

Anand: You need to have a life apart from chess, then there is no danger. You have to have other interests. But there weren't that many who became seriously deranged. Only they became known to a wide public. I am sure there are just as many crazy doctors or bus drivers.

SPIEGEL: You are now 38 years old, which means that as a chess professional you are close to retirement. How long are you going to keep playing?

Anand: As long as I can play at the top. At the moment I feel great, my best years were the last three. But it is clear that chess players are becoming younger and younger.

SPIEGEL: In recent times the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen has been in the headlines. He is seventeen and at the beginning of the month he was, for five days, the number one in the unofficial world rankings. How good is he?

Anand: He will sooner or later become World Champion. I like him, he is a Monty Python fan, just like me.

SPIEGEL: There are rumours that he is your second for the World Championship against Kramnik.

Anand: That's a rumour I have heard as well. Perhaps there is some truth in it. Perhaps not. Let Kramnik figure it out, let him occupy his mind with this question. That is part of the psychological game before this kind of match. When you know who is part of your opponent's team you can imagine what he is planning. So I will not reveal anything.

SPIEGEL: Mr Anand, we thank you for this interview.

The interview was conducted by SPIEGEL editors Ansbert Kneip und Maik Großekathöfer. The original German version is to be found in the latest issue of SPIEGEL Magazine and on Spiegel Online, Europe's largest news portal. Translation into English by Frederic Friedel. Interview © SPIEGEL.

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