Web Creation:
I've been creating a web site recently, and I found out that to jazzy web site with all the bells and whistles requires tremendous energy. Its not enough that I know LAMP + HTML/CSS/JS - I found myself having to study about image manipulation too. Otherwise, the site will just become your ordinary blog-like web thingie. A Lot of things to juggle at once, so I havent been able to post lately.
Anyway I hope to complete it soon. My chess training has been lagging recently. Ive been only able to play once or twice per day.
I've been creating a web site recently, and I found out that to jazzy web site with all the bells and whistles requires tremendous energy. Its not enough that I know LAMP + HTML/CSS/JS - I found myself having to study about image manipulation too. Otherwise, the site will just become your ordinary blog-like web thingie. A Lot of things to juggle at once, so I havent been able to post lately.
Anyway I hope to complete it soon. My chess training has been lagging recently. Ive been only able to play once or twice per day.
*To anyone who dont want to shell top bucks for photoshop - try GIMP. Really cool, really free image manipulation program.
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Active Chess
Well I'm winning again. Here is the history of my last ten games.
94: + 1669 B 1754 turnipcake
95: + 1671 W 1296 gsobier
96: + 1672 W 1209 boonen
97: + 1679 W 1616 flugo
98: + 1681 B 1376 axlr
99: + 1691 W 1779 ngo
0: + 1699 W 1700 Torwak
1: - 1685 B 1402 MyxHeLoveT
2: + 1687 W 1374 axlr
3: + 1694 B 1631 qwo
Granted, there are no 1800 players there but at least I havent been losing like I'm drunk. I attribute this to two things
1) Calculation:
More or less, I've been succesful on improving this. I still move sometimes without thinking about it. That lone loss was a blunder. I had a mate in 3, but saw a mate in one and moved my queen without thinking about it. I saw too late I just left it en prise. However, by and large I think more now than before. Really helps in minimizing blunders.
2) Active chess -
A few posts ago I determined to follow the plan of "Letting my opponent make the plan". I conceived that if I just patiently wait for my opp to "show his hand" he will somehow blunder. Presto, I'll have won without thinking about it. However, this just leave me playing passively. My position will get worse and worse, and eventually I'll be the one on the receiving end of a tactical shot.
So - taking a page from tempo, I altered my playing style and decided to make my position as active as I can. Basically, the principle is - If I can drive my pieces forward and forward, If I can even post it down my opponents throat, then I'll do it.
I found that the concentration of three or more pieces in a quadrant of a board makes tactics appear (But in order to push the pieces into such near quarters, a lead in development is most helpful)
Plus, I've started using tactics as much as I can. This means that if there is a pin or fork or something somewhere, I try to do it even if there is a counter. For example, here is a position from one of my games. Guess what I played?
I played 13.Nd5. Why? Not only because its the most active, forcing move I found. But simply because its a tactic. I played it.. just because.
Playing tactics for the sake of tactics is not really so sound. However, I think one has to go thru this phase to get practical experience in the use of tactics (There is a difference from tactics gained from solving exercises, and tactics gained from doing it in real live games. I tend to remember the later more)
So in essence, this style of play boils down to this:
Fast development + Rapid opening of position + Calculation + Tactics = Win
We can say that I've gone back to the style of play akin to the old romantics.
This must be the 100th time I've flip-flopped with regards to style.
:)
So - taking a page from tempo, I altered my playing style and decided to make my position as active as I can. Basically, the principle is - If I can drive my pieces forward and forward, If I can even post it down my opponents throat, then I'll do it.
I found that the concentration of three or more pieces in a quadrant of a board makes tactics appear (But in order to push the pieces into such near quarters, a lead in development is most helpful)
Plus, I've started using tactics as much as I can. This means that if there is a pin or fork or something somewhere, I try to do it even if there is a counter. For example, here is a position from one of my games. Guess what I played?
I played 13.Nd5. Why? Not only because its the most active, forcing move I found. But simply because its a tactic. I played it.. just because.
Playing tactics for the sake of tactics is not really so sound. However, I think one has to go thru this phase to get practical experience in the use of tactics (There is a difference from tactics gained from solving exercises, and tactics gained from doing it in real live games. I tend to remember the later more)
So in essence, this style of play boils down to this:
Fast development + Rapid opening of position + Calculation + Tactics = Win
We can say that I've gone back to the style of play akin to the old romantics.
This must be the 100th time I've flip-flopped with regards to style.
:)
What's the website about?