Chess. A modern textbook

Chess notation (full and incomplete, Russian and international), recording a chess game.

K – King – K

F – Queen – Q = 9—10 pawns

R – Rook – R = 5 pawns

B – Bishop – B = 3 pawns

N – Knight – N = 3 pawns

p – (pawn or nothing). = 1 pawn

For example, a child’s checkmate in Russian notation is written as follows:

1. e2—e4 e7—e5

2. Bf1—c4 Nb8—c6

3. Qd1—h5?! Ng8—f6??

4. Qh5×f7#

Baby mat

Attention!

Castling, both in Russian and in international notation, is written as follows:

in the long side 0-0-0, in the short side as 0—0.

Reduced notation of moves

The initial field and dash are omitted. The same game in reduced Russian notation looks like this:

1. e4 e5 2. Сc4 Кc6 3. Фh5 Кf6?? 4. Ф:f7#

In the international version of the notation, this checkmate will look like this:

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Qh5 Nf6 4.Qf7# so only the name of the pieces is changed from Russian to Latin.

If the notation does not record the move unambiguously (for example, two identical pieces can move to the same square), one of the coordinates of the original square is added, for example, Rae1 or N3c4.

One of the coordinates of the source field is added, for example, Rae1 or N3c4.

Pawn captures are recorded cd4. Sometimes (most often in the old literature) there is a cd4 or cd recording (if unambiguous).

For a check, a plus sign (+) or two plus signs (++) is a double check. For the mat – there is a grid (#), in the old version (x).

For a draw, there is a "=" sign.

! – good move.!! – a great move.

!? – an interesting move. For example, a clever trap in a lost position.

?! – a questionable move. For example, a sacrifice that requires a complex attack.

? – a mistake – a bad move that should not have been played.

?? – a gross mistake or a clear “yawn”. For example, putting a queen in check or not seeing an opponent’s checkmate.

In this case, the “Yawn” was the move 3…Nf6??, where Black “Yawned” the checkmate 4. Qf7#, although it was possible to defend against the checkmate, for example: 3…g6.

The reasons are different: making hasty decisions related to overestimating their capabilities, playing into a trap, chasing the beauty of the position, chess “blindness” – just does not see, time pressure, does not feel danger, fatigue.

Yawn do usually novice chess players, but happen and with Grandmasters.

Famous « Yawn” and Examples of yawn grandmasters

Chigorin – Steinitz, 1892

The 23rd game of the 1892 World Chess Championship match

Chigorin – Steinitz, 1892

The position is practically won for White. And in this situation White makes a gross oversight: Chigorin attacks the black rook with a bishop, forgetting that it protects the h2-pawn. 23. Bb4??

After a quite predictable response

23. … R:h2+

Chigorin resigned, due to the inevitable checkmate 24. Kg1 Rdg2#. This yawn cost the Russian maestro the entire match. Later, Chigorin wrote that he attributed the yawn to fatigue; by the end of the two-month match, he was completely exhausted.

Ebralidze – Ragozin, 1937 USSR Championship

To the position on the diagram, both came in a time-pressure, apparently this is the reason for the mutual “yawn”. Black played: 40…Rc7??. They expected that on 41. R:c7 will follow 41…Bd6+ with the recapture of the rook, but they forgot that the bishop is tied. The most surprising thing was that Ebralidze, like his opponent, believed that this variation was possible, and played 41. Rd5??

Soon, Ebralidze made another serious mistake: 41. …Bf6 42. Nb5 Rc2+43. Kg3 a6 44. Rd7+ Ke8 45. Rc7?? Be5+

and the game ended in favor of Ragozin.

Deep Fritz – Vladimir Kramnik, 2006

match of the chess program Deep Fritz with Vladimir Kramnik. In the second game, Black has this position. Black is better, but White has every chance to draw the game. But here the current world champion makes a gross mistake.

Deep Fritz – Vladimir Kramnik, 2006

34… Qe3?? 35. Qh7#

This incredible miscalculation was called the “yawn of the century” by Zsuzsa Polgár. Kramnik himself admitted at a press conference after the game that he could not explain his yawn.

TIP

When you learn chess notation, be sure to write down your games so that you can analyze them. Review your game again, move by move. Think about where you could have made different moves, what you (or your opponent) didn’t notice during the game, and what mistakes you made. Self-analysis is crucial for improving your skills as a chess player, even if you’re a world champion.

Try not to play against opponents who are much weaker than you (you won’t learn anything from them) or against opponents who are much stronger than you (you’ll lose and won’t even understand why). Choose opponents who are slightly stronger than you, so you can learn from their skills while providing adequate resistance and maintaining your enjoyment of the game.

Beginners should not play with the computer. Chess computer programs are too weak at easy levels and make stupid mistakes that a human would never make, and too strong at difficult levels. Try to play with real people. If you don’t have opponents in real life, find them online. Participate in amateur tournaments.

But once again, try to play with real people. Find 2—3 opponents of your own skill level. Why 2—3 and not just one? Because each player has their own unique style and skill level, which is what makes chess so fascinating. Even if they play the same opening, they will still have different approaches to the game.

Solve combination problems, it is mandatory! Solving combinations develops the so-called combination vision. Since combinations occur in almost all games, it is vital for chess development. They train the vision of tactical combinations and prepare for real play. Having learned to cope with training problems, you will find a solution faster in practice.

Masters and grandmasters do not think about simple chess combinations, they see them from afar and try to bring their opponent to a position where they can execute this combination. Therefore, the knowledge and execution of simple combinations should be automated. It is preferable to solve combinations from practical games rather than from beautiful problems and studies (beautiful problems and studies are more for the aesthetics of chess than for practical play). The more combinations you solve, the faster you will improve your skill.

Make it a rule to solve a certain number of combinations every day (10,20,30), but try to solve them every day. You will know when you are strong enough in combination vision (when you can easily solve combinations in a few moves. HOWEVER, THERE IS NO LIMIT TO PERFECTION. In addition, good combination vision saves a lot of time during a game, especially in blitz or rapid games. COMBINATIONS WITH SOLUTIONS AND EXPLANATIONS are available in separate collections.*

Analyze the games of masters.

How to start a chess game

Principles of playing in the opening.

REMEMBER THREE WORDS (this is easy and will be remembered for life).

Centre. Development. Castling.

1. Center. Capture the center with pawns.

Capturing the center with pawns.

Why the center? Because whoever controls the center has an advantage, for one simple reason: it is easier to move pieces from the center to any of the flanks.

For example, consider how long it takes for a knight to move from one flank to another or from the center to a flank. Let’s say it needs to assist in an attack and reach the h7 square.

He needs 4 moves, but only 2 from the center.

In chess, every move counts. The same goes for other pieces. Although they are long-range, they are still closer to the center, especially since the game often shifts from one flank to the other, and it is faster to move pieces to the flank if they are in the center.

If given the opportunity, capture the center with your pawns. However, there is a nuance in semi-open openings, where Black intentionally gives up the center in order to undermine it later.

This is especially noticeable in Alekhine’s defense after the moves

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4

Nimzowitsch’s Opening

1.e4 Nc6 2. d4

in the Pirc-Ufimtsev defense.

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Вg7

But more on that later.

By the way, this is how you can immediately determine whether the player is a beginner or a master. However, beginners often give up the center due to a lack of knowledge about opening play. Therefore, feel free to occupy the center.

2. Development. Rapid development of pieces (first of all light knight, bishop).

We need to actively use our pieces from the very beginning – to exert constant pressure on our opponent’s position and ultimately – to win. That’s why in the opening we should try to bring the pieces as quickly as possible and on the best available fields (these are the central fields or fields from which the figure attacks the center of the board).

Why light, and because they enter the battle faster than rooks (they need open lines), and the queen because it is the strongest piece and in the beginning of the game it can be attacked by weaker pieces. The queen usually acts in conjunction with other pieces and delivers a decisive blow.

The approximate position of the pieces in the opening, which should be followed.

Look. The white pawns have captured the center, the light pieces are in active positions and control a very large part of the board, and they themselves are almost invulnerable. The bishops are targeting the opponent’s position from a distance, the knights are controlling the center with the support and cover of the pawns, and the rooks and queen are focused on the semi-open lines in the center of the board, ready to engage in battle and support the advance of the pawns.

A common mistake of beginners is to keep the king in the center for too long, or to start a pawn attack while the king is still vulnerable. Such actions can end badly (and if your opponent is experienced, it will happen necessarily), and you will quickly get lost.

Based on many years of experience in teaching chess players, I can say with confidence that 90% of novice players forget to castleboard. As a rule, after the development of the pieces, they get carried away with attacking and forget about their king. They always think that they are about to checkmate, or else they will have time to cast.

Although, in fact, castling is a very strong move, since it is the only move by two figures (unique in its kind) and, moreover, it usually ends development.

Checkmate in 2 moves and Legal’s checkmate. Why? To show the weakness of the f7 square (White’s f2 square is also weak, but not to the same extent, as White has the first move) from the very first moves. And Legal’s checkmate is a classic in chess, as White sacrificed their queen and achieved a beautiful checkmate with a knight. (If you are given the strongest piece, the queen, consider whether it is a “oversight” or a clever trap!)

Checkmate in 2 moves 1.g4 e5 2.f3 Qh4#

Legal Checkmate

The famous Legal’s checkmate.

The Legal’s checkmate is a checkmate that was first encountered in the chess game between Legal – Saint-Brie in Paris in 1750.

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 d6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nc3 Bg4, then the Legal makes a deliberately erroneous move (Saint-Brie was a very weak player), opening the queen, which Saint-Brie uses without noticing the trick: 5. Ne5? B:d1?? (better it was 5. … Ne5!, after which White would have been left without a knight, or 5. … de, but after the move 6. Qg4, White had an extra pawn), Legal apparently knew well who he was dealing with… 6. Bf7+ Ke7 7. Nd5# – checkmate, which entered the chess literature by the name of the “discoverer” as “Legal Checkmate”. In this combination, the knight checksmate the opponent.

Debut

Debut (opening classification, gambits), middlegame, endgame.

In chess, it is customary to divide the game into three parts: the opening, the middlegame and the endgame.

It is difficult to draw an exact line between these parts of the game in terms of the number of moves. The opening, middlegame, and endgame flow seamlessly into each other. And it doesn’t make any sense from a theoretical and practical point of view.

We all say debut, debut, so what is it?

début, literally translated from French, means the beginning, the appearance.

It is generally accepted that the duration of the opening stage is approximately 10 to 25 moves, depending on the variation.

Until the 20th century, most chess players preferred to play mostly open openings.

Gradually, openings were studied and new ones emerged. Many of them were named after the country where they were first used or the chess player who invented or significantly contributed to their development.

For example, the Alekhine Defense and the Nimzowitsch Defense. Spanish, Scottish, etc.

As the number of openings increased, they had to be classified over time. The classification is based on the development of the pieces.

In general, all openings are divided into

1. Open openings

2. Semi-open openings

3. Semi-closed openings

4. Closed openings

5. Flank openings

It is very difficult to distinguish between semi-closed, closed, and flank openings.

Therefore, we will stick to the classical classification

1. Open 2. Semi-open 3. Closed

Open openings.

These are the oldest openings. White plays e2-e4, and Black responds with e7-e5.

Open openings 1.e4 e5

Open openings appeared more than 500 years ago. Until our time, they were the most popular, but even now their popularity is very high, especially among novice chess players, and it is on them that we will pay special attention a little below.

What characterizes open openings? First of all, the rapid development of all figures, opening the center and attacking the king.

List of open openings

Parham’s Attack

Hungarian Game

Vienna Game

Blackburn’s Gambit

Rousseau’s Gambit

Urusov’s Gambit

Alapin’s Opening

Vorotnikov’s Opening

Constantinopol’s Opening

King’s Pawn Opening

King’s Knight Opening

Napoleon’s Opening

Pontziani’s Opening

Bishop’s Opening

Three Knights Opening

Four Knights Opening

Protection of Greco

Protection of Gunderam

Damiano’s Defense

Protecting 2 Knights

Protection of Philidor

The Spanish Party

The Italian Party

The King’s Gambit

The Latvian Gambit

The Russian Party (Petrov’s Defense)

The central opening

Central countergambit

The Scottish Party

The list is large, but mostly played by: Hungarian Party,

Vienna Game, Four Knights Opening, Two Knights Defense, Philidor Defense, Spanish Game, Italian Game, King’s Gambit, Russian Game, Central Opening, Scottish Game.

Semi-open openings.

Black can respond to e2-e4 with any move except e7-e5.

Semi-open openings.

Semi-open openings are characterized by the fact that Black cedes the central squares and makes other positional concessions, and in return, they gain the opportunity for active counterplay.

The popularity of semi-open openings lies in the fact that there are more defensive systems for Black than in open openings, plus the opportunity for counterplay, which means that Black can play for a win.

The most popular opening in semi-open openings is the Sicilian Defense.

List of semi-open openings

Nimzovich’s Opening

Alekhine Defense

Caro-Kann Defense

Pirc-Ufimtsev Defense

Sicilian Defense

Scandinavian Defense

French Defense

Owen Defense

St. George Defense

Closed openings.

When White plays any move other than e2-e4.

Closed openings.

The 20th century was characterized by a revision of the entire opening theory, and closed openings became popular. The Queen’s Gambit became the most played opening. The Queen’s Gambit became dangerous. Other openings were developed against it, such as the King’s Indian Defense, the Grünfeld Defense, and the Nimzowitsch Defense.

With the introduction of closed openings, the importance of controlling the center and quickly developing pieces diminished. Closed openings are characterized by the refusal to immediately advance the central pawns, figurative pressure on the center, flank development of the bishops, and then pawn undermining.

List of Closed Openings

Chigorin Variation

Blackmar-Dimer Gambit

Dutch Gambit

Queen’s Pawn Opening

Ragozin Defense

Tarrasch Defense

Chigorin Defense

Catalan Opening

Albini Counter-Gambit

Vinawer Counter-Gambit

Refused Queen’s Gambit

Accepted Queen’s Gambit

Slav Defense

Queen’s Gambit

Gambit – (from Italian. gambetto – footstool) – a common name for openings in which one of the parties in the interests of faster development, capture of the center or simply to sharpen the game sacrifices material (usually a pawn, but sometimes a piece).

Gambits were very popular in the 19th, early 20th century, in the era of the heyday of combinational attacking game.

The meaning of a gambit: victory is not in numbers, but in skill.

A brief overview of gambits

Gambits in open openings

The King’s Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.f4

This is probably one of the oldest gambits, and it is still relevant today.

The idea behind the pawn sacrifice is that:

White captures the center with the d4 move and quickly develops their pieces.

After a short castling and the capture of the black f4 pawn, White gains the opportunity to attack the f7 square along the f-file.

The main disadvantage of the 2.f4 move is that it weakens the position of the white king. On the third move, there is a threat of checkmate with the queen on h4, and a material advantage with a pawn.

From the very first moves, an interesting and intense struggle begins, requiring attention and precise calculations from both sides.

Evans Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb4 Bc5 4.b4

Evans Gambit

This is a very interesting gambit that offers great opportunities for attack and counterattack.

The Scottish Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 ed 4.Bc4

Scottish Gambit

The Northern Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.d4 ed 3.c3 dc 4.Bc4 cb 5.Вb2

White sacrifices two whole pawns.

Gambits in semi-open openings

Sicilian Gambit 1.e4 c5 2.b4 cb 3.a3

Morra’s Gambit 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cd 3.c3 dc 4.Nc3

Albin Countergambit 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.de d4

By sacrificing a pawn, Black slows down the development of White’s pieces. Additionally, the e5 pawn is weak and usually gets recaptured.

Volga Gambit 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cb a6

This is a popular gambit for Black. The idea is purely positional – to organize pressure on the queen’s flank along the open lines “a” and “b” with the support of the bishop g7.

Blumenfeld Gambit 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 b5

In terms of ideas, it is similar to the Volga Gambit.

Countering Gambits

In his time, the second world chess champion, Emanuel Lasker, suggested a way to deal with gambits: instead of holding on to the material advantage, return it at the first opportunity. This is done to regain the initiative or simplify the game. As a result, many gambits have lost their relevance.

There are three ways to respond to a gambit:

1. Accept the sacrifice and accept the gambit.

2. To reject a sacrifice – rejected gambit.

3. To offer a counter-sacrifice to a proposed sacrifice – counter-gambit.

Is it necessary to play gambits? Yes! Absolutely! Especially at the initial level of mastering chess. But it is advisable to apply them in training parties, blitz, in responsible competitions for the application of gambits, sufficient experience is required (which is not yet, unfortunately).