Overthinking the silence

by Jonathan Speelman
6/6/2021 – Often times during a chess game you have to make a choice between waiting and initiating concrete action. Star columnist Jon Speelman notes that “this eerie silence before battle is perhaps the most difficult moment psychologically”, and goes on to show how even world champion Magnus Carlsen can take a wrong turn from time to time. | Photo: Georgios Souleidis

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A psychological battle

[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]

Chess (as played by human beings) is both a technical and a psychological battle, and once players become reasonably proficient at the technical side then the psychological one becomes equally important.

Decision-making isn’t that hard as such when there are forced lines, since you have to do your best at calculating them and make a choice. But in the space that precedes hand-to-hand combat it becomes much more a case of how you feel.

There may be a decent move which improves your position, by either moving a piece to a better square or (allegedly) upgrading your pawn structure (always remember though that pawns can’t move backwards). Or you may have to make a choice between waiting and initiating concrete action.

Magnus CarlsenThis eerie silence before battle is perhaps the most difficult moment psychologically — and one way in which stronger players often outplay weaker but good ones is by persuading them to break the equilibrium a move too soon. In a balanced position it’s quite possible that the best course is to “do nothing well”. But in chess as in everything else, people yearn for certainty, and so there is a strong inclination to clarify matters even among the world’s very best players.

I was drawn to this by a couple of Magnus Carlsen’s games from the recent FTX Crypto Cup. Of course, he is the world's best player — and arguably the best player ever to have lived. But he was in very patchy form (even though he won the tournament in the end), and when he had the chance to make choices they went badly wrong a couple of times.

It must be rather overwhelming to play so many rapidplay games in a little over a week, and even Carlsen was bound to lose a few, but the manner was very instructive in these two especially.  

[Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour]

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,161,23254%2421---
1.d4943,61155%2434---
1.Nf3280,29556%2441---
1.c4181,39556%2442---
1.g319,64956%2427---
1.b314,14254%2427---
1.f45,86848%2376---
1.Nc33,74951%2385---
1.b41,73548%2378---
1.a31,18753%2403---
1.e31,06348%2408---
1.d394050%2378---
1.g465846%2359---
1.h444152%2372---
1.c341951%2423---
1.h327756%2416---
1.a410659%2469---
1.Nh38866%2510---
1.f38745%2429---
1.Na34063%2477---
1.e4       e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.0-0 d6 6.Nc3 Bd7 7.Na4 Bb6 8.Nxb6 axb6 White has gained the two bishops but Black is extremely solid. 9.Re1 h6 9...Na5 wouldn't be a bad idea, forcing the exhcange of a pair of bishops though. 10.Bxd7+ Nxd7 must be a tad better for White 10.c3 Ne7 and again now Na5 was reasonable, but very possibly Carlsen was playing for more. 10...Na5 11.a4 11.c4 11...c6 11.Bc4 b5 12.Bb3 Ng6 13.d4 0-0 14.h3 Re8 15.Bc2 Bc6
Black is now preparing to capture on d4, though Qxd4 might just about be a decent response. In any case, Carlsen was inviting Nakamura to resolve the centre either by d5 or dxe5, and watching at the time I thought he would indeed have to make a choice. But after about a minute Nakamura played: 16.Nd2! Engines don't particularly notice this move, but psychologically it was extremely telling. Black must now decide whether to try to equalise immediately or to temporise. I thought that Carlsen might play Qb8 to go to a7 and attack d4, though the queen isn't great on a7 and d5 followed by Nf1 might be good. But after using about half of his remaining time, Carlsen decided to clear matters up: 16.d5 16.b3 exd4 17.Qxd4 Nh5 16...d5!? After about a 7-minute thought. 16...Qb8 17.a3 Qa7 18.d5 Bd7 19.Nf1 Qb8 20.Ng3 White has an edge. 16...b4 17.dxe5 bxc3 18.exf6 cxd2 19.Bxd2 Qxf6 20.Bc3 17.dxe5 Nxe4 Played almost instantly. 17...Nxe5?! 18.f4 17...Rxe5 was better and if 18.f4 18.Nf3 Re8 19.e5 Ne4 should equalise. 18...Nxf4 19.Nf3 Rxe4 20.Bxe4 dxe4 21.Bxf4 exf3 22.Qxd8+ Rxd8 23.Rad1 Rc8 Black should have enough for the exchange: 18.f4! Nh4 18...Qh4 19.Rf1 f6 was playable. 18...Nxf4? 19.Nxe4 Nxg2 20.Kxg2 dxe4 21.Qxd8 19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Qxd8 Raxd8 21.Be3 Nf5 22.Kf2
Six moves after he decided to play d5, Carlsen is already clearly worse. 22...g5 Entirely understandable, but engines prefer f6 and still give White only some advantage. 22...h5 23.g4 hxg4 24.hxg4 Nxe3 25.Kxe3 g5 looks less bad - the exchange of h-pawns should certainly improve Black's defensive chances. 23.Rad1 Nxe3 24.Kxe3 gxf4+ 25.Kxf4 e3 26.Rd4!
White already has a huge advantage, and Nakamura kept good control for the remainder. 26...b4 27.g4 bxc3 28.bxc3 Rxd4+ 29.cxd4 Bd5 30.Bb3 Rd8 31.Kxe3 Bxb3 32.axb3 c6 32...c5 33.dxc5 Rd5 34.b4 Rxe5+ 35.Kf2 Rd5 36.Re7 33.h4 Rd5 34.b4 Rb5 35.Rb1 Kg7 36.Ke4 Kg6 37.h5+ Kg7 37...Kg5 38.Rf1 Rxb4 39.Rxf7 c5 40.Rg7+ Kh4 41.e6 Rxd4+ 42.Ke5 and the e-pawn will win. 38.Kf5 Rd5 39.Ke4 Rb5 40.Rb2 Kf8 41.Kd3 Ke7 42.Kc4 f6 43.Re2 Rd5 44.exf6+ Kxf6 45.Re5! b5+ 46.Kd3 Rd8 46...Rxe5 47.dxe5+ Kxe5 48.Ke3 Kf6 49.Kf4+- 47.Rc5 Rd6 48.Ke4 Re6+ 49.Re5 Rd6 50.d5 cxd5+ 51.Rxd5 Rb6 52.Kd4 Rb8 53.Rd6+ Kg5 54.Rg6+ Kh4 55.Kc5 Kg3 56.Rxh6 Kxg4 57.Rb6 Rc8+ 58.Kxb5
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Nakamura,H2736Carlsen,M28471–02021C65FTX Crypto Cup KO 20211.13
So,W2770Carlsen,M28471–02021C53FTX Crypto Cup KO 20213.13

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To finish, a magnificent example of winding your opponent up in what I shall call “The Immortal Bulls**t Game”. Ulf Anderssoon is a fantastic player, and adept at going backwards well like nobody else I’ve ever played. You’d attack and he’d retreat, and suddenly you’d lose self belief – or rather I would. We played more than a dozen times and he won once with the rest drawn.

Only against Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov did the spell seem to be broken. They simply didn’t believe him, and while he beat Karpov twice (no wins against Kasparov), more often than not he didn’t bounce back from the edge of the board but was driven into the sea.

When Ulf played Michael Basman in Hastings 1974 he was very much the favourite and quickly gained a nice advantage. But the wonderfully eccentric Basman (future hero of the Grob, the Borg — Grob reversed — 1.e4 g5,  and the St George Defence 1.e4 a6) just sat there and moved his pieces backwards and forwards. Eventually, even Ulf couldn’t resist advancing, and when he did, he lost control and Basman cut him down.

 
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1.Nf3 b6 2.g3 Bb7 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 d5 5.c4 Nf6 6.d4 Be7 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Ne5 h6 9.Bf4 a6 10.Rc1 Ra7 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Qb3
12...Ba8 In this Queen's Indian line, Black would normally like to break with c5 if possible, but if 12...c5 13.dxc5 bxc5 13...Bxc5 14.Na4 14.Rfd1 with a clear advantage, so Basman began to temporise 13.Rfd1 Kh7 14.h3 Kg8 15.Kh2 Kh7 16.g4 This very unUlf-like move is still perfectly fine, of course. Kg8 17.Bg3 Bb7 18.e3 Ba8 19.a3 Bb7 20.f4 Ba8 21.Rd2 Qd6 22.f5 Qd8 23.Bf4 Bb7 24.Rg1 c6 25.Bf3 Nh7 26.Rc1 26.Na4 b5 27.Nc5 would have gained a nice square for the knight. 26...Bd6 27.Na4 Bc7 28.Kg3 Nf6 29.h4 Nfd7
30.Nxd7 Engines still like 30.Qc3 but it's becoming very messy and Ulf, who hates advancing his pawns too far, must have already been very uncomfortable. 30...Nxd7 31.Re2 Re8 32.Kh3 Bxf4 33.exf4 Rxe2 34.Bxe2 Qe7 35.Bf3 b5 36.Nc5 Bc8 36...Nxc5 was perfectly playable, but by now Basman surely scented blood. 37.Qd3
37.h5 would have kept his kingside intact. Nxc5 38.Rxc5 Bd7 39.Qd1 37...h5! 38.gxh5? 38.Nxd7 Bxd7 39.Kg3 was still playable if ugly! 38...Qf6 39.Kg3 Nxc5 40.Rxc5 Bxf5 The culmination of the "Great Bulls**t Game". The fan is now bespattered and Basman jumps out to kill his opponent. 41.Qc3 Bd7 42.Qd3 Ra8 43.Rc1 Re8 44.Qc3
44...c5?! Apparently this execution doesn't quite work. Simply 44...a5 kept a very nice advantage. 45.Qxc5 45.dxc5 It seems that (or rather my engine tells me) d4 46.Qd2 Qf5 47.Kf2! defends, since if Qh3 there is Rh1, but it certainly looked as though something would give. Qh3? 48.Rh1 45...Qf5 46.Qxd5 Qh3+ 47.Kf2 Qh2+ 48.Bg2 Qxf4+ 49.Bf3
49...Bg4 Even stronger than taking the rook. 50.Rc3 Qh2+ 51.Bg2 Qxh4+ 52.Kg1 Re1+ 53.Bf1 Bh3
Brilliant provocation by Basman! 53...Bh3 54.Rf3 Qg4+! is even cleaner than winning the bishop. 54...Rxf1+ 55.Rxf1 Qg3+ 56.Kh1 Bxf1 wins, so Andersson resigned. 55.Kh2 Re2+ 56.Bxe2 Qg2#
0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Andersson,U-Basman,M-0–11974E18Hastings 747511


Opening package: 1.b3 and Black Secrets in the Modern Italian

Wesley So published two new opening DVDs: 1.b3, the so called Nimzo-Larsen-Attack, for White and his black secrets in the modern Italian. Get them in a package and save money!


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Jonathan Speelman, born in 1956, studied mathematics but became a professional chess player in 1977. He was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980–2006 and three times British Champion. He played twice in Candidates Tournaments, reaching the semi-final in 1989. He twice seconded a World Championship challenger: Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995.

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