1/21/2024 – Since we can’t hope to emulate the calculating ability of modern engines, what we must do is to plough a sensible course, in which we calculate as much as possible within the constraints of the time limit, aiming for positions to play in which we feel reasonably comfortable. There’s little advantage in going for some horrifically complicated line in which the machine is very happy but we feel seasick! | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Tata Steel Chess
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Ploughing a sensible course
[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]
Nigel was taking Garry on in some incredibly sharp Najdorfs after 6.Bc4, and following our fundamental chess natures, Robert took on the role of matter, accepting material as Black and then defending himself while I represented energy, trying to blow him away. This was all before serious computer analysis took over — and the wonderful defender that he is, Robert very often confounded me.
When really strong computers did develop (and soon became available to all), the initial effect was to reduce our human belief in the power of attack, as they seemed to be able to hold almost any position. Much later, Alpha Zero and its cousins came along, and suddenly long-term attacks were all the rage. Though more recently still the pendulum has swung a little way back to defence as the best engines — which now combine both “classical” computer chess approaches and the AlphaZero “Monte Carlo” method — have reasserted themselves.
From a human perspective, we can’t hope to emulate the machine’s calculating ability (though the young titans do a much more thorough job of calculation than in my day). And what we must do is to plough a sensible course, in which we calculate as much as possible within the constraints of the time limit and our own energy levels and aim for positions to play in which we feel reasonably comfortable — there’s little advantage in going for some horrifically complicated line in which the machine is very happy but we feel seasick!
This means that I would much rather have a pleasant positional advantage with a safe king than be a piece up and completely winning according to our silicon lords and masters, but have to find some difficult only moves. But it’s only a personal preference, and if I were still a ferocious young player, confident in my calculating ability under pressure, then I might take the latter.
The important thing is to make decisions based both on the position on the board and your own preferences, and I’m looking today at a couple of examples of this from Wijk and my own very slight but still interesting game last Sunday at the 4NCL.
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1.e4
1,166,623
54%
2421
---
1.d4
947,298
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
281,602
56%
2441
---
1.c4
182,102
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,702
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,265
54%
2427
---
1.f4
5,897
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,801
51%
2384
---
1.b4
1,756
48%
2380
---
1.a3
1,206
54%
2404
---
1.e3
1,068
48%
2408
---
1.d3
954
50%
2378
---
1.g4
664
46%
2360
---
1.h4
446
53%
2374
---
1.c3
433
51%
2426
---
1.h3
280
56%
2418
---
1.a4
110
60%
2466
---
1.f3
92
46%
2436
---
1.Nh3
89
66%
2508
---
1.Na3
42
62%
2482
---
Please, wait...
1.c4 I presume that readers may very likely have seen this game elsewhere, but I am going to rehash it concentrating on some of the decision making.e52.Nc3Nf63.Nf3e4!?4.Ng5c6A nice way to wind the position up very early on. There was a short fad many years ago for b5 but then it was discovered that d3 is a strong riposte.4...b55.d3!bxc45...exd36.cxb56.dxe45.Qa4To prevent ...d5 and recapturing with the c-pawn.5.Ngxe4Nxe46.Nxe4d57.cxd5cxd5gives Black lots of compensation for the pawn and has scored perfectly well in practice8.Ng3is met by8.Nc3d49.Ne48...h55...Qe76.f36.Qc2b57.cxb5d58.e38.bxc6h69.Qa4has to be critical but Stockfish isn't impressed:Qc710.Nb5Qxc611.Nc7+Ke712.Qxc6Nxc613.Nxe4dxe414.Nxa88...h69.Nh3Bxh310.gxh36...exf37.Nxf3g68.d4Bg78...d69.Bf4Nbd7was safer9.c50-010.Bf4
10...Na610...Re8was playable because if11.Bxb8b5!11...Rxb812.Qxa7Ng413.Qxb8Ne314.Rd112.cxb6Rxb813.bxa7Ra8White's position is foul.11.Bd6Qe312.Nd1Qe6White has to decide here whether to take the exchange, and my instinct is that if he does so then the black squares will be too weak in practice - though Stockfish is happy to do so.13.Nf2?!13.Bxf8Bxf814.e3b515.Qc2d616.cxd6Nb417.Qd2Bxd6I'd be pretty happy as Black here I think, but Stockfish gives White nearly a pawn advantage.13...Re814.h4b615.Ng5Qf5?!15...Qd516.0-0-0Qf5is the engine's recipe.16.g4Qd517.0-0-0bxc518.dxc5Nxc5
Of course this was Abdusattorov's intention when going into this line, and it set Maghsoodloo a knotty problem - though as it happens, most unusually, White could have his cake and eat it here.19.Qc2?19.Qa3‼Qc4+20.Kb1looks like it should be okay for Black, but when you stop for a moment, you start to look for squares for the black queen and it turns out that e4 is a deadly threat because she will be trapped in mid board!Nce420...a5?21.e4Qb422.Qxb4axb423.Bxc520...h621.e3Qa422.Qxc5hxg523.Rd421.e3Nxd622.Rxd6!+-and simply wins!19.Rxd5Nxa420.Ra5Nxb221.e4h622.Nf3Nxe423.Nxe4Rxe424.g5h525.Rh2Nc419...Qxa2!Now Black gets a serious attack for the piece and in fact engines already give it as winning for him, though in a game you - or at least I - couldn't be too sure.20.Bxc5Rb820...Nd5was even better because it prevents the defence b421.e421.b4!Qa3+22.Kd2Bc3+21...Rb8!22.exd5Rxb223.Bd3Rxc2+24.Bxc2Re225.Rd2Rxd225...Bc3!is even better26.Rxe2Qb2+27.Kd1Qa1+28.Bb1Qxb1#26.Kxd2Qxd5+winning the house21.b421.b3Qa1+22.Kd2Qa5+23.b4Rxb424.Bxb4Qxb4+25.Kc125.Qc3Ne4+26.Ngxe4Bxc3+27.Nxc3Qb2+28.Kd3Ba6+29.Kd4Qb4#25...Nd526.Rxd526.Rh3Qf4+26...cxd527.Nd3Qa5and White will soon be blown away.21.Bd4c522.Bc3d521.Nd3Nd522.Rh3Ba623.Ba3Re321...Qa3+22.Kd2Based on the idea of defending with Rh3. He could also have tried Qb2 when Black gains a big advantage by exchanging queens, but this looks like a better practical defence given that Black has Re3! in a couple of moves' time.22.Qb2Qxb2+22...Qa423.Qc2Rxb424.Qxa4Rxa425.e423.Kxb2Ne4+24.Kc2Nxf225.Bxf2Rxb426.Rb1Rf4With at least three pawns for the piece and a continuing initiaitive, Black is certainly better, but it still looks like a fight.27.Bxa7Ra428.Bf2d529.Rc1Bxg430.Kd1h631.Nf3h532.Rxc6d4This still loks messy but SD gives it as -5!33.Kc2d3+34.Kxd3Bf5+35.Kd2Ra2+36.Ke1Ra1+37.Kd2Be437...Rd8+38.Ke3Bh6+39.Ng5Re8+40.Kf4Be438.Rc5Bh6+39.Kc3Rc1+40.Kb4Rb8+22...Nd523.Rh3
23...Re3!The only move but very strong.24.Nfe4Magsoodloo's insticnt is clearly to fight fire with fire even when his is appreciably cooler and this makes some sense in practical terms, though here it arguably rebounds on him.24.Ke1?Bc3+25.Rd2Nxb424.Rxe3Nxe325.Qd3Qxd3+26.exd3Nxd127.Nxd1d5is a bit grim for White, but again still a battle.24...Rxh325.Bxh3h6
26.Nf3?Trying to keep the position together. But26.Nxf7!would have continued the previous policy of seeking maximal confusion and would have apparently also been decent:Qxh3Black would like to play26...Nxb4but27.Nxh6+!Bxh6+28.g5is apparently OK for White.26...Kxf727.Rf1+Kg828.Nf6+Nxf629.Rxf6Bxf630.Qxg6+Bg731.Qe8+Kh732.Qe4+=27.Nfd6Ba628.Qa2Bxe229.Kxe2Qxg4+30.Ke1Qxh4+31.Qf2Qe7is apparently better for Black.26...Nxb427.Qc1Qa527...Bb228.Qb1d5was another way to win.28.Ke3d5Now White's defences crumble29.Ned2
29...h5!Finding another way to attack White's disporganised forces.30.Kf2hxg431.Nb3Qc732.Qd2gxf333.Bxc8fxe234.Kxe2Qxc8
A fantastic game in which both players had to make many very dififcult decisions. Maghsoodloo's instinct was to keep on fighting rather than accept a choice of various prospectless late middlegames / endings, but at the final critical moment he retreated 26 Ng5-f3 rather than try Nxf7!.0–1
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.
Jonathan SpeelmanJonathan 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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