Table Of Content2
Contents
Introduction
What does Chess Vision consist of?
Useful Techniques
Our Approach
Terminology
The Games
Game 1: Anderssen v Kieseritsky “The Immortal Game”, 1851
Game 2: Anderssen v Dufresne “The Evergreen Game”, 1852
Game 3: Mayet v Anderssen, 1859
Game 4: Anderssen v Staunton, 1851
Game 5: Morphy v Duke Karl / Count Isouard, ‘The Opera House Game’, 1858
Game 6: Meek v Morphy, 1855
Game 7: Bird v Morphy, 1858
Game 8: Morphy v Anderssen, 1858
Game 9: Paulsen v Morphy, 1857
Game 10: Zukertort v Blackburne, 1883
Game 11: Em. Lasker v Bauer, 1889 "The Double Bishop Sacrifice"
Game 12: Steinitz v Chigorin, 1892
Game 13: Steinitz v von Bardeleben, 1895
Game 14: Pillsbury v Em. Lasker, 1895
Game 15: Steinitz v Em. Lasker, 1899
Game 16: Rotlewi v Rubinstein, 1907
Game 17: Capablanca v Marshall, 1918
Game 18: Em. Lasker v Capablanca, 1921
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Game 19: Bogoljubow v Alekhine, 1922
Game 20: Gruenfeld v Alekhine, 1923
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Introduction
The purpose of this book is to develop the reader’s ability to see ahead in chess
games. This is a very important skill that is used to analyse the consequences of this or
that move and so help us find the strongest move that we can.
Beginner-level players o(cid:332)en ask how far ahead Grandmasters can see and are met by
varying answers. Alekhine was known for his long, complicated varia(cid:415)ons the result of
which he claimed to know when he made his original move. Capablanca famously
quipped, “I see only one move ahead, but it is always the correct one.” Garry Kasparov
says that he once saw a varia(cid:415)on that went on for 14 or 15 moves and that this was
probably the longest series he analysed.
Whilst it is considered to be generally true that the ability to see ahead increases
with chess strength, much of this is down to the individual player, their style and
par(cid:415)cular strengths – analy(cid:415)cal players with strong memory being at an advantage.
However, many Grandmasters are able to play games ‘blindfold’, that is, without being
able to see the posi(cid:415)on on the board. There have been many instances where top chess
players have played mul(cid:415)ple games simultaneously, keeping all of the posi(cid:415)ons in their
head, upda(cid:415)ng each when they hear their opponent’s move and following their usual
processes for finding their reply.
If some Grandmasters can play whole games in their head, why do they only look
ahead a few moves as they play? The reasons are largely prac(cid:415)cal. It is only necessary for
the player to consider a few lines (varia(cid:415)ons, or sequences of moves) and evaluate the
posi(cid:415)on a few moves deep along these lines. The number of possible replies at every
stage makes this process lengthy enough and the constraints of (cid:415)me and mental energy
mean it is best not to go deeper than is necessary.
The important point, however, is that these players could see further ahead if the
posi(cid:415)on required it. The skill of looking ahead in chess, whilst different from the skills of
finding the best move and evalua(cid:415)ng a posi(cid:415)on, is one that should be developed. This
happens naturally as we play more games and become stronger at chess – think of
beginner players who fall for the bait of winning a Queen with their Rook only to find
that the Rook move left them open to a back-rank mate - but can be trained also.
Strengthening our ability to see the chessboard and think ahead will help us avoid
tactical mistakes.
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What does Chess Vision consist of?
The ability to see the board exists in all players to some degree. To prove this point,
think of the beginning posi(cid:415)on, before White’s first move. You could recreate this
position on a board with ease, we do it before every game.
What square is White’s Queen on? Black’s King? What colour is the bo(cid:425)om-right
square, h1?
This is an example of chess vision. We know the pa(cid:425)ern, we have it imprinted on our
minds. Maybe when we first learned the game, we were taught different rules to help us
remember the position:
· ‘White on the right’ for the correct board orienta(cid:415)on (h1 being a White
square).
· Rooks in the corners, Knights next to the Rooks and Bishops next to the
Knights
· The Queen and King next to each other, with the Queen on her own colour
· A pawn on the square in front of every piece
A(cid:332)er seeing this posi(cid:415)on a number of (cid:415)mes, we do not have to consciously think
about how to set it up, we know and just do it. Through pa(cid:425)ern recogni(cid:415)on and
repe(cid:415)(cid:415)on the posi(cid:415)on has become knowledge and the process of recrea(cid:415)ng it is
automatic. This can be compared to the skills of walking or riding a bike. We are not born
with the skill but develop it until it becomes automatic.
The same occurs with our chess vision. I imagine that the reader can see the positions
a(cid:332)er the moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 or 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6. They occur so frequently
that we know the pattern.
Largely, that is how we develop our ability to see ahead in chess. Through repe(cid:415)(cid:415)on, we
begin to remember and recognise more chess pa(cid:425)erns and are able to think about them
clearly without having to refer to them on a physical chessboard. To help us bridge the
gap between our current level of pa(cid:425)ern memory and the next level, we can help
ourselves by thinking of the posi(cid:415)on a piece at a (cid:415)me and making ‘mental notes’ about
it.
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Useful Techniques
Square Colours
Knowing the square colours is also useful for keeping track of lines (of a(cid:425)ack) and
possible threats on the board. We might find it easy to remember that the Bishop on b7
is our light-squared Bishop but can it move to d2 in an endgame? To work out the colour
of a square, consider the co-ordinates. Take the le(cid:425)ers of the files and think of their
place in the alphabet, so a=1, b=2, c=3 and so on. Now consider the rank number of the
square whose colour we are finding. If the two numbers are both odd or both even, then
the colour is black. If one is odd and the other even, then the colour is white.
And if you forget this rule, check it against the h1 square. H (8) is even, 1 is odd,
different and we know the square is white so the rule is ‘different = white squares’. This
should be easy to know as h1 is usually the square that is checked to make sure that the
chessboard is the correct way around – we set it up with ‘white on the right’.
Another way of thinking about this is by adding up the rank and file co-ordinates. If
you get an even number then the square is black, if you get an odd number then it is
white – H(8) + 1 = 9 so h1 is a white square.
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