Chess Vision (sample)

7/29/2019 Chess Vision (sample)

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The Search for Chess Mastery

- Chess Vision -

Stephen Ward

http://www.ChessMastery.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/TheSearchForChessMastery

https://twitter.com/ChessMastery
http://www.chessmastery.co.uk/http://www.chessmastery.co.uk/http://www.facebook.com/TheSearchForChessMasteryhttp://www.facebook.com/TheSearchForChessMasteryhttps://twitter.com/ChessMasteryhttps://twitter.com/ChessMasteryhttps://twitter.com/ChessMasteryhttp://www.facebook.com/TheSearchForChessMasteryhttp://www.chessmastery.co.uk/


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This is a sample, I hope you enjoy it.

The full version has 20 fantastic games to play through, visualise and absorb.

These include some beautiful sacrifices, manoeuvres and combinations that

will become part of your knowledge/pattern database.

The difficulty progresses too, with games going from looking 3 moves to 7!

You can get the full version on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions.

Just follow these links:

(Paperback)

US:https://www.createspace.com/4095630

UK:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Chess-Mastery-Vision/dp/1481244191

(Kindle)

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMSD7BE

Amazon UK:https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMSD7BE

Thank you!
https://www.createspace.com/4095630https://www.createspace.com/4095630https://www.createspace.com/4095630http://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Chess-Mastery-Vision/dp/1481244191http://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Chess-Mastery-Vision/dp/1481244191http://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Chess-Mastery-Vision/dp/1481244191http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Chess-Mastery-Vision/dp/1481244191https://www.createspace.com/4095630


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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

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 readers 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 often ask how far ahead Grandmasters can see and are met by varying

answers. Alekhine was known for his long, complicated variations 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 variation 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 particular strengthsanalytical 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 position on the board. There

have been many instances where top chess players have played multiple games simultaneously,

keeping all of the positions in their head, updating each when they hear their opponents 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 practical. It is only necessary for the player to consider a few

lines (variations, or sequences of moves) and evaluate the position a few moves deep along these

lines. The number of possible replies at every stage makes this process lengthy enough and theconstraints of time 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 position required

it. The skill of looking ahead in chess, whilst different from the skills of finding the best move and

evaluating a position, 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 position, before Whites first move. You could recreate this position on a board with ease,

we do it before every game.

What square is Whites Queen on? Blacks King? What colour is the bottom-right square, h1?

This is an example of chess vision. We know the pattern, 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 orientation (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

After seeing this position a number of times, we do not have to consciously think about how to set it

up, we know andjust do it. Through pattern recognition and repetition the position has become

knowledge and the process of recreating 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 after 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 repetition, we begin to

remember and recognise more chess patterns 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 pattern memory and the next level, we can help ourselves by thinking of the position a piece

at a time and making mental notes about it.


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Our Approach

Our approach in this book is to play through a collection of famous chess games a few moves at a

time. The next few pages have games where we discuss the positions and the moves together,

practising some of the thought processes. After this, you will play through the games in your head

and be responsible for your own way of thinking about the moves and the positions.

There will be questions at each step about the resulting position. These will help you test your

success at visualising the board and remembering the position. There are usually 3 questions, a to c.

These can be answered all at once of you can play through a game answering just the a questions,

then replay the game later answering the b questions and so on as the b and c questions are

designed to be more of a challenge.

As we go through the game collections, the main idea is to know the position, see it, and be able to

accurately think about what legal moves could be made, what the threats are for either side etc. Thiswill help hugely in your own games, with analysing ahead over the board. The bonus of this method

is that you will be adding some of the greatest games ever played to your memory and absorbing

patterns, piece placements and tactics as you do so!


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Game 1:Anderssen v Kieseritsky The Immortal Game, 1851

Perhaps the most famous game ever played, this was an informal game played between rounds of a

competitive tournament (London 1851). Adolf Anderssen, who won the tournament beating

Kieseritsky and Howard Staunton on the way, was considered the strongest player in the world at

the time and was well known for his aggressive, sacrificial play. This game certainly displays that

style with White giving up a huge amount of material to checkmate his opponent. The title of The

Immortal Game was coined by Ernst Falkbeer 4 years later.

1. e4 e5

Starting position. E pawns on e4 and e5.

2. f4 exf4

Blacks e-pawn is now on f4, White has no f-pawn.

3. Bc4 Qh4+

Whites Bishop is on c4 attacking f7. Blacks Queen is on h4, White is in check.

Anderssen Kieseritsky, 1851 3Qh4+

4. Kf1 b5

The King moves to the Bishops square and can no longer castle. Black attacks the c4 Bishop with an

undefended b-pawn.

5. Bxb5 Nf6

Bishop is on b5, material is level, Black now has no pawn on b7 and the d7 pawn is pinned. Blacks

Knight is on f6 attacking Whites e4 pawn.

6. Nf3 Qh6

Whites Knight is on f3 attacking the Queen. The Queen retreats down the file to h6.


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AnderssenKieseritsky, 1851 6Qh6

7. d3 Nh5

The d-pawn protects the e4 pawn and opens the line for the dark-squared Bishop. F4 pawn is now

attacked but still defended by the Queen. Black moves the Knight to h5, the f4 pawn is defended

twice and the Queen can move along rank 6. The Knight on h5 can check on g3.

8. Nh4 Qg5

White moves his Knight to the square in front of Blacks Knight. Note: if Black moves his Nh5 then his

Qh6 would be attacking the Knight. Black moves his Queen to g5, it now attacks 2 undefended

pieces, Whites Bb5 and the Nh4. The Black f4 pawn is pinned to the Qg5.

9. Nf5 c6

White puts his Knight on f5 where it Is protected by the e4 pawn. This blocks the Black Queen from

attacking the Bb5 and attacks g7. There are now 4 pieces on the 5th

rank: the Bb5, Nf5, Qg5 and Nh5.

C-pawn moves 1 square, the Bb5 is under attack and the d7 pawn is no longer pinned. The Nf5 could

move to d6 with check if the Bf8 moved away.


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AnderssenKieseritsky, 1851 9c6

10. g4 Nf6

The g-pawn moves 2 squares, attacking the Nh4. It is protected by Qd1 and cannot be taken en

passantas the f4 is pinned. The Bb5 is still threatened by c6. Blacks Knight is now on f6 and the g4pawn is attacked twice, defended once.

11. Rg1 cxb5

The Rook moves 1 square to g1, protecting the g4 pawn along with the Queen. Black now has a

pawn on b5, none on the c- or e-files, one on f4. White is a piece down.

12. h4 Qg6

White has pawns on e4, g4 and h4. Blacks Queen is under attack. The h4 pawn is protected by Nf5.

The Queen moves to g6, the only square not under attack.

Anderssen Kieseritsky, 1851 12Qg6

13. h5 Qg5

The h-pawn is now on h5 attacking the Queen. The h5 pawn is protected by the g-pawn. The Queen

only has one square to move to. The Queen moves back to g5, it now has no safe squares.

14. Qf3 Ng8

The Queen moves to f3 and the f4 pawn is now attacked twice, defended once. Blacks Nf6 goes

back to its original square. Blacks Queen can now move to f6 or d8 safely.

15. Bxf4 Qf6

White takes the f-pawn and attacks the Black Queen and the d6 square. There are no Black pieces on

Whites side of theboard. Blacks Queen is on f6 with the White Nf5 and Bf4 separating it from his

Qf3 which is undefended. The Qf6 attacks b2. Position check:Whites Queenside 4x4 as starting

position with d-pawn on d3, Bishop on f4 and Queen on f3. Whites Kingside 4x4 e1 empty, King on


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f1, Rook on g1, h1 empty, e2-h3 empty apart from Qf3, pawns on e4 and g4, Bishop on f4. Blacks

Queenside 4x4 as starting position with Queen on f6, b-pawn on b5, no c-pawn. Blacks Kingside

4x4 as starting position with no e-pawn, Queen on f6, White Knight on f5 and pawn on h5. Centre

4x4 White has pawns on d3 and e4, Qf3 Bf4 and Nf5, Black has Qf6.

AnderssenKieseritsky, 1851 15Qf6

16. Nc3 Bc5

The Nb1 moves to c3, obstructing b2, attacking the b5 pawn and eyeing the empty d5 square. Blacks

Bf8 moves to c5 attacking the g1 Rook. G7 is defended only by the Qf6.

17. Nd5 Qxb2

White has 2 Knights in the centre 4x4 on d5 and f5, Blacks Queen is attacked, the b2 pawn is now

attacked again. The Queen takes the b2 pawn, the a1 Rook is under threat of capture with check and

the g1 Rook is still attacked by Bc5. The Queen still protects g7, only a1 and b2 are safe squares for

the Queen to protect it from.

18. Bd6 Bxg1

The Bf4 moves to d6 where it attacks and is under attack by Blacks Bc5. It is protected by the Nf5.

Blacks King now only has 1 square (d8) to move to. The Bishop takes the Rook on g1, the a1 Rook is

still attacked.


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AnderssenKieseritsky, 1851 18Bxg1

19. e5 Qxa1+

Whites e-pawn is now on e5, protected by the Bd6. The e5 pawn blocks the long diagonal from the

Black Qb2. If the Nd5 moves then Whites Qf3 would threaten the a8 Rook. Blacks Qb2 takes the a1

Rook with check.

20. Ke2 Na6

The King moves to the square in front of his starting position and cannot be checked next move.

Black moves his Nb8 to a6, protecting the c7 square.

21. Nxg7+ Kd8

Whites Nf5 is on g7, Black has no g-pawn. Black has one legal move and moves Ke8 to d8. Black now

has no squares for his King to move to as his Bc8 and d7 pawn block those squares, c7 and e7 are

attacked by the Bd6 and Nd5 and e8 is attacked by the Ng7.

AnderssenKieseritsky, 1851 21Kd8


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22. Qf6+ Nxf6

The Queen is on f6 giving check to d8. There are 2 legal moves. Black takes the Queen on f6 with his

Ng8.

23. Be7#

Anderssen Kieseritsky, 1851 Final Position


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Game 3: Mayet v Anderssen, 1859

Anderssens next victim was a barrister and judge, one of the so-called Berlin Pleiades, the seven

stars of chess. He played a number of matches, losing the vast majority of them but was able to win

some individual games including 6 against Anderssen in their 1855 match. The match this game is

taken from saw Anderssen win 7 to his opponents 1, this being the most crushing.

1.e4 e5

2.Nf3 Nc6

3.Bb5 Bc5

3.1a: How many pieces/pawns are there in the Centre 4x4? 3.1b: Can White legally castle on the next move? 3.1c: How many times does Black attack the d4 square?


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Mayet v Anderssen, 1859, 3Bc5

3.1a: 5 3.1b: Yes 3.1c: 3 times

4.c3 Nf6

5.Bxc6 dxc6

6.O-O Bg4

3.2a: How many pieces/pawns are there in the Centre 4x4? 3.2b: Can Black legally castle on the next move? 3.2c: Which of Whites pieces is pinned?


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Mayet v Anderssen, 1859, 6Bg4

3.2a: 7 3.2b: Yes 3.2c: Nf3

7.h3 h5

8.hxg4 hxg4

9.Nxe5 g3

3.3a: How many of Whites pieces (excluding pawns) are on their original squares?

3.3b: Can White legally play fxg3 on the next move? 3.3c: What is the material balance?


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Mayet v Anderssen, 1859, 9g3

3.3a: 4 3.3b: No 3.3c: +3

10.d4 Nxe4

11.Qg4 Bxd4

12.Qxe4 Bxf2+

3.4a: How many legal moves does White have?

3.4b: What is the material balance? 3.4c: Could Black legally castle Queenside on the next move?


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Mayet v Anderssen, 1859, 12Bf2+

3.4a: 1 3.4b: +3 3.4c: No

13.Rxf2 Qd1+

14.Rf1 Rh1+

15.Kxh1 Qxf1#

Mayet v Anderssen, 1859, Final Position


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This is a sample, I hope you enjoy it.

The full version has 20 fantastic games to play through, visualise and absorb.

These include some beautiful sacrifices, manoeuvres and combinations that

will become part of your knowledge/pattern database.

The difficulty progresses too, with games going from looking 3 moves to 7!

You can get the full version on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions.

Just follow these links:

(Paperback)

US:https://www.createspace.com/4095630

UK:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Chess-Mastery-Vision/dp/1481244191

(Kindle)

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMSD7BE

Amazon UK:https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMSD7BE

Thank you!
https://www.createspace.com/4095630https://www.createspace.com/4095630https://www.createspace.com/4095630http://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Chess-Mastery-Vision/dp/1481244191http://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Chess-Mastery-Vision/dp/1481244191http://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Chess-Mastery-Vision/dp/1481244191http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMSD7BEhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Chess-Mastery-Vision/dp/1481244191https://www.createspace.com/4095630

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