simple thoughts on chess
Submitted by
xyzzy on Tue, 02/12/2008 at 7:22pm.
When it's your turn, make as many moves as you can.
On the forums, new players are asking for help on how to improve their game. The answers will come back telling them to use the chess mentor, learn tactics and strategy, read books, review GM games etc. My problem with a lot of that advice is that it's pretty passive - the new player is being told to absorb a bunch of information. but for me, the key thing in chess is getting the most done on every move toward your ultimate goal of checkmating (and staying out of checkmate yourself). I'd like to see the new player encouraged to use their creativity to see just how much they can get done when it's their turn. Move one piece and simultaneously build up your defence and attack your opponent. Even the "attacking chess" authors may miss instilling this lesson in their readers. It's not just that you're attacking, it's that you're getting more done on your moves than your opponent, and that you're focused on a goal of checkmate, while they may just be reacting to your moves and "building a good pawn structure". what good is that pawn structure if you don't have a goal in mind?
Anyway, to make this lesson more memorable, I try to phrase it to sound almost like cheating (moving more than one piece on a turn). It's my thought that the new player has to get that sense of urgency and a bit of (can I say bloodlust? or is that politically incorrect), "conquering ambition" to really put those chess skills to work.