Table Of Content1:
CH
Learn From Your
Chess Mistakes
Chris Baker
B.T. Batsford Ltd, London
Firstpublishedin2002
©Chris Baker2002
ISBN 07134 8766 6
British LibraryCataloguing-in-Publication Data.
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available from the BritishLibrary.
All rights reserved. No part ofthis book may be
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ofthe publisher.
Printed inGreat Britainby
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ABATSFORD CHESS BOOK
Contents
Introduction 5
Part 1:Openings 7
1 Poor openingpreparation 7
2 Being over-preparedand getting 'stale' 14
3 Being caughtby opponent'spreparation 18
4 ChoiceofopeningslIearningnew lines and styles 27
5 Understandingstandardand re-occurringthemes 36
6 Being caught by move orders and transpositions 43
Part 2: Middlegame 49
7 Losing the 'thread' ofthe position 50
8 Miscalculation 55
9 Confidenceand playingagainstweaker/strongeropposition 61
10 Middlegamejudgement 79
11 Losing the initiative 88
12 Missingyourshot 94
Part 3: Endgames 101
13 Endgametechnique 102
14 Formingaplan III
15 Having too many choices and missing tricks 113
16 Understanding 'goodand bad pieces' 117
17 Control 130
Quiz 139
18 Spot the mistake 139
Solutions 142
Dedication:
To mywife Sunee who ismy littlediamond
(but wears alotofgold!)
Introduction
I n today's chess world there have also attemptedtoround offthis
aremany excel1entbooks on book with a little humour and a
opening systems, games certain amount of'tongue in cheek'
collections of great players -for your enjoyment! No offence
and generally on how to is intended towards any of my
play well in both the 'victims', the majority of whom I
middlegame and endgame. How hope will enjoy seeing their games
ever, in this final category, books in print-in some cases perhaps for
use wonderful masterpieces played the first time. I hope you will find
by grandmasters as examples of the presentation of material quite
how to play strong moves. While logical, as it progresses through the
I'm sure this has merit, I believe it opening, middlegame and endgame
also has its limitations-as the test stages before finally dealing with
of time has shown. Firstly, even one last general topic-a section of
very strong players have difficulty real 'howlers'. To help soften the
at times in understanding and blow for the victims included in this
agreeingwith published assessments section, I've included one of my
-some of which may only appear own most painful examples-after
as side-notes to sub-variations! all, we're all human aren't we! Now
Secondly, these publications can and then there are paragraphs oftext
make very 'heavy reading' making in which I give my thoughts and
it difficult to digest much of the share myexperiences and Ihope the
information given. With this in reader will find these thought
mind I have written the present provoking. All in all, it is my
book, using mainly the games of sincere hope that you will find this
'ordinary' players from weekend work notonly instructive but also an
tournaments and local league enjoyableread.
matches. As the mistakes in these
games are often more pronounced Chris Baker, InternationalMaster
and even blatant, the suggested Pattaya, Thailand
improvements will make easier August 2002
reading and be more digestible. I
Part One: Openings
Introduction 1) Poor opening preparation
Any player who fails to give the When I look at some analytical
opening stage of the game due works, such as those by Kramnik, I
respect can be likened to the type of am amazed at the amount of
person who would run a 100 metres detailed knowledge of specific
race with his shoe laces undone! variations a player must have in
Being properly armed with opening order to claim some sort ofedge out
knowledge willenable you toobtain oftheopening. Let's face it,though,
your kind of game-with positions most of us don't employ a team of
that you will not only be able to analysts, constantly on the look out
handle but also enjoy. After all, for ideas and plans that will change
what could be more soul-destroying an assessment in a particular
than being saddled with a position variation from equal to a small but
with no prospects whatsoever durable edge. We have to take into
(though not one where you are account our own limited resources
justified in giving up the ghost) and and the time we can justify putting
having to sit there for the next 2, 3 into 'preparation', let alone actually
or, in the case of some national playing. Though most club players
events, up to 7 hours while your have one or two 'pet' lines, what
opponent tightens his grip? You they really want isjust to play some
know what's coming and yet are chess with a minimal amount of
powerless to stop it. Wouldn't it be 'booking up'. Nevertheless one
much better to invest some time piece of advice I would give to
early on so that you can be the one these players is to treat their
inflicting the pain rather than the opponents with respect; when faced
oneonthe receiving end? with something unusual or strange
in the opening, give itsome thought
Iam not going to recommend that
-unless your adversary is more or
you spend countless hourspreparing
less a total novice he or she might
for every opening eventuality-the
just have some sort of 'trick' up
amount ofwork you do in this area
theirsleeve.
depends on your own commitment
and your own priorities in life. The 'people' in the following
Instead I will try to give you some examples may be fictitious but they
ideas and concepts that will, to a could easily be members of any
certain extent, enable you to bypass 'ordinary' chess club in thecountry.
the phenomenal amount of theory Maybe I've just changed the names
that is available on our beloved to protect the innocent-s-or is it the
game. guilty(?!) Just look at the
following asabasicexample:
8 Openings
1e4e52tLJf3 tLJc63.tc4 tLJd4?! Whoops!! But, despite its success
abc d e f g h here, 3...ttJd4 cannot real1y be
E~A.~B~~B recommended as it violates opening
8 8 principles bymoving thesame piece
lii~fii~fmf
twice within the first three moves
76 ,..,~~.,.~,r~~~~~,~.,~ 67 and it doesn't actual1y threaten
anything either! With 3 c3 or 3
~'~~" ",/-.~~~~~%%~
ttJxd4 White can keep an edge,
:5 5
.~~i~~'~~.~~ albeit a relatively modest one. The
'~~'~~~~'~$' 4 one thing that he had to avoid was
the 'obvious' capture of the
2 J.1.r.!ffiJ.1.f.!ffi f.!ffiJ.1.}.m 32 undefended pawn. Maybe this
~~W ~"''''0':'''J~ ,..... example is a little too basic
(although Frank might not agree!)
abc d e f g h
but I see this kind of mistake
"Obviously just rubbish" said virtual1yevery night I visit a chess
Frank at the club, when his seven club.
year old opponent played 3...ttJd4
after a suitably subtle pause. And, Forexample:
with a crisp bang, he placed his
knight on e5, while removing the
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 tLJc3 dxe4 4
black e-pawn fromthe board...
tLJxe4 ttJf6
4ttJxe5?
Though it seems logical, winning
a pawn and threatening another on
fl, this reply is bad and is the one
movethatBlackwas hoping for.
4..:~g5!
Threatening not only the knight
on e5 but, as we shal1see, a more
sinister capture ong2.
5 ttJxf7 'iWxg2 6 :to 'iWxe4+ 7
.te2 tLJO mate
abc d e f g h
abc d e f g h
E~A ~"r.:3, ?
8 8
i .
~ ~~i'.t.'J~·i·· 5ttJg3
~ /~iii~~~~.'j~~~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~
Derrick knew that he could
:~~~,~~: double the black pawns by playing
5 ttJxf6+ but he never seemed to be
%~ 0~ %~ able to generate an advantage from
'~~'~~'!~i1f"
the resulting positions. So, rather
32 J.1.}.!ffiJ.1.}.!ffidlt.}.!ffi ~. 32 than 'book up', hedecided to playa
~45~~~I~r~"'" sensiblemove and 'wingit'.
1
abc d e f g h 5•.•h5!?
Openings 9
Black has VISIons of ...hS-h4, 11dxe5 gxh2
gaining space and 'kicking' the
As Black will now queen and be a
knight, after all it has moved three
piece tothe good, itdidn't take long
times already to reach its present
for White to give up on any serious
position and does not have any great
resistance. "You were lucky!" said
squares to go to. However, Derrick
Derrick. "Yes," said his rival, "it's
thought that Black's move was an
some time since any of my oppo
over-reaction to his own knight
nents have falIen for that one!"
retreat and represented a permanent
weakeningofBlack's kingside. Some gambits are notoriously
dangerous and require good
6Ji.g5 preparation to combat successfully
'Threatening' to double Black's --especially as Black when a single
pawns, should he proceed with mistake can be fatal. In addition
6...e6. White is now ready to more often than not agambiteerwill
continue hisdevelopment by 7lbO, have a pretty good idea ofwhat is
going on in his chosen variation
preventing, at least for the time
whereas the player on the receiving
being, any ideas of ...h5-h4 and so
end may often only have some
making Black's previous move of
vague recolIection of what he
...h7-h5 look a little irrelevant.
should play. Forexample:
Derrick was pleased with his
reasoning and analysis... 1e4 e5 2d4 exd43 c3!?
6•••h4! 7 Ji.xf6 hxg3 8 Ji.e5 1:.xh2
91:.xh2
Now, after Black recaptures on
h2, White can take back and claim
to have asensibleposition. But...
9••:~t'a5+
So...!?!
10c3'i1fxe5+!!
abc d e f g h
White plans to give up some
pawns (welI they are only in the
way aren't they!?) to gain develop
mentand openlines and diagonals.
3.•.dxc3 4.Jtc4 cxb2 5.Jtxb2 d5
George knew enough about the
opening to realise that he should
make a timely return ofsome ofhis
ill-gotten gains in order to reduce
abc d e f g h
