tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265274275777233377.post1576589804731431604..comments2023-07-17T08:51:00.972-07:00Comments on Lost in Chessland: Sicilian Defense (2), room for improvementRalphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03530693196687104804noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265274275777233377.post-52909763596916500732013-02-27T10:56:04.001-08:002013-02-27T10:56:04.001-08:00I know how difficult improvement can be : sometime...I know how difficult improvement can be : sometimes you need to try many things before it falls into place. Working on your thought process will certainly be beneficial. <br /><br />It seems you're trying hard to objectively analyze your play, and it's bound to help your chess a lot. You never know exactly what's going to trigger the jump to the next stage, but hopefully, you'll get there soon ! Good luck !Laurent Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05371507031711622435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265274275777233377.post-53460315104417034122013-02-26T15:39:36.717-08:002013-02-26T15:39:36.717-08:00Laurent,
I believe my main problem is that I do n...Laurent,<br /><br />I believe my main problem is that I do not rigorously follow a set thought process. This results in not always validating my chosen move by asking the two questions: ‘Does this move give my opponent a tactical opportunity?’ and ‘Does this move improve my position?’ A rigorous thought process is going to become my main objective in upcoming games and hopefully that will allow incorporation of those things that I know but do not apply.<br /><br />The reason I am re-taking the Chess Exam is to check for any other glaring weaknesses that I may have overlooked. A man who consults only himself has a fool for a client.<br /><br />Sicilian vs. Bird. I will play the normal Bird against future Sicilian attempts. I am familiar with the pawn setups, defensive moves and attacking possibilities. I have played the Bird for two years with reasonable success. It was only Timothy Taylor’s Bird book recommendation that lead to 2.e4 in response to 1...c5 and I now know that that recommendation presents a large learning curve with limited potential gains (for me) for the effort involved.<br /><br />One of the main objectives with the Bird is to post the K-Kt on e5, which is the primary reason for trading the LSB for the Q-Kt and embarking on a dark squared strategy.<br /><br />Thank you for the feedback. I found it both helpful and thought-provoking.<br />Ralphhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03530693196687104804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265274275777233377.post-86571717131206191332013-02-26T11:46:20.668-08:002013-02-26T11:46:20.668-08:00If for example you choose to avoid this problem by...If for example you choose to avoid this problem by playing 5.Bxc6, then it's a good idea to look at a couple of games and take note of the positional ideas (not only exact moves) that players from the white side can use.Laurent Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05371507031711622435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265274275777233377.post-29436017712629575302013-02-26T11:43:33.746-08:002013-02-26T11:43:33.746-08:00I found your game strategically difficult to play ...I found your game strategically difficult to play as white, but you're probably more familiar with this opening than I am :-) After leaving theory, the first move that strikes me as a bit strange is 11.exd6, not so much because Black can develop with tempo, but because thistrade makes a monster out of his unopposed light-squares bishop ! OTOH, after say, 11.d4, you're playing a kind of French defence and closed position, where his bishop pair is probably less of an advantage.<br /><br />The question coming next is : are you comfortable with the various pawn structures arising from the Bird opening ? (or here GP attack). In this variation, do you know where you compensation lies after allowing the trade of your LSB ? What do white players do in their games to ensure = or even some initiative ? Because I agree that putting all your pawns on dark squares wasn't the right way to proceed. But what could have been a reasonable set-up ? If you can't answer this question, what are you going to do next time you meet the Sicilian ?Laurent Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05371507031711622435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1265274275777233377.post-70131079568521807372013-02-26T11:26:11.634-08:002013-02-26T11:26:11.634-08:00"After the first 40 questions, I have interim..."After the first 40 questions, I have interim scores that show that my over-the-board play is two full class levels below my chess knowledge"<br /><br />If I may offer a piece of advice here, like many chess students, you may be trying to improve too many things at the same time. Chess engine analysis is a great tool, but may create confusion if you don't try to sum up things at some stage and focus on only a couple of very specific things to improve your play. I'm rated ~2040, and whatever my computer tells me, I only try to extract 2-3 critical ideas out of every game. No more. The difficult job is to try and identify those 2-3 ideas.Laurent Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05371507031711622435noreply@blogger.com