In Honor Of Nezhmetdinov

Lacking control. A simple trap. Hoping as a Strategy

2011-10-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

I am frustrated by my play in that I seem to lack any control over the game. Always it all comes down to a cheap trick or a blunder. My games does not feel solid to me. And when I say solid, I mean something like I'm in control for majority of the game. Like Tarrasch who gradually cripples the opponents position and then the final king-side attack.

Like, take here my latest game. I got pulverized in the opening. But due to a series of clever knight maneuvers I managed to equalize and finally we ended up with this

I was white.

My opponent really had a lot of potential to cause trouble. I do have some chances too of course owning to the past pawn but I think this should have been drawn with careful play.

So I did what I always seem to do - set up a trap involving a discovered check. Can you figure out what it is?

(How about now?)

I was hoping he'll get greedy and take the pawn. Hoping for something is not strategy but well, at least solving tactics puzzle is paying off though.

(Final Position)

Playing Again

2011-10-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

I'm playing again. I guess chess is like one of those Jason films where no matter what you do - you just can't kill the bad guy. You slice him, dice him, and use a bazooka but in the end he raises up to claim you.

Anyway - I'm trying to slowly gain back my strength by doing chess puzzles and reading through GM games. I guess it really does help. They make moves I never would have dreamed possible.

I don't know whether I will post regularly but I would like to put my games here so I can have some archive at least of what I played and maybe later on, try to view them with some nostalgia.

Hat tip to Mr. Wesley So

2009-11-27T07:20:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note - I think congratulations is in order for my countryman Mr Wesley So. Rumours has it that he defeated a super GM.

In a land where dark news commet, it is nice to breathe a little fresh air once in a while.

Incidentally, he's just 16 years old. Exactly half my age.

I remember when I was that young. All I cared about was how to defeat saga with ken (Streetfighter for all you old geezers out there)

But - Sheesh, the kids of today. They grow em different!

Need to finish a software project

2009-11-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

I need to finish a software project. It will take just a few weeks, but project is in the critical phase right now so its kinda hectic. No time for almost everything. I go home wasted at 2 in the morning and go to work again at 7am. I think, even my kids don't know me anymore :(

The only chess-related thing I am able to do is chesstempo and there are only so many ways to describe what I do there.. so right now, writing interesting chess things would be slow and far in between I guess.

Oh, in case you already didn't know, I'm a software developer. Used to do C/C++ but lately everything is all about the web so PHP is the current "in" thing.

I tried doing system administration work for a couple of years. I think, administering servers is way, way, way better than developing software. Servers are quite robust nowadays and so the amount of time one spends in panic-mode is relatively small. Whereas a brand new piece of software can only be delivered through tears of blood. (No kidding)

If you are a recent graduate and you have a choice between something like marketing, or sales, or system administration, or anything as opposed to doing development for a software company AND you value your free time. Don't even think about it. Burn that application form and turn that software development job down. You'll thank me later on. Trust me.

People don't know, they just don't know..

EeEeeEEEeeeYaaAaaaGGgggHHHhhh...

Getting that loving feeling

2009-10-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

Username: nezha
Blitz Rating: 1500
Standard Rating: 1758.3
Theory Rating: 1534.3
Practice Rating: 1500

I've been doing chesstempo everyday for about 30 minutes or so and my standard rating is slowly rising. But more importantly, it seems that I've getting back my feel for tactics.

Although this so called "feel" is hard to explain. Is it intuition? I dunno.. Its just that my brain "suggests" moves when I encounter certain positions.

I seem to notice too that the pieces seems to have their own favorite moves.

For example, the queen seems to like moving in a triangular fashion. That is to say, it would first move along a rank then along a diagonal to deliver a fatal blow somewhere. Sometimes it makes the sign of Zorro.. (The 'Z' pattern)

The rooks remind me of crabs.. it almost invariably wishes to go sideways..

The knight seems like a wheel turning round and round in circles..

The bishops are daggers.. but it is one way. It moves to an extreme edge of a diagonal never to come back..

The hardest thing to see are pawn moves. They are the silent ones. Moving with great difficulty but with terrible force once they do.

Well, anyway.. yeah, I've been solving too many puzzles lately..

Totally addicted to puzzles

2009-10-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm now addicted to solving tactical puzzles on chesstempo. In fact, I prefer doing that to playing standard chess games. Its been weeks since I last logged onto FICS..

Perhaps this is why I will never be a tournament player. I just don't have that drive to play over and over again.

(Its not like pizza. I could never stop eating pizza. I go crazy if a three days go by and I taste not a whip of my delicious triangular addiction.)

But playing chess games is something like a fad. It goes in and out of style.

Anyway, its good that whats distracting me right now is somewhat chess-related. The last time, the guitar called, and before that I wanted to learn java. But this time, I find that solving tactical puzzles can be quite relaxing. Maybe its because I don't have a time-table where I want to finish x-amount of puzzles in y-amount of time. I just go with the flow.

Anyway, I'm hovering at 1700 on chesstempo. My goal is to take that to 1800 at least or even 1900. This way, if I play another game again, Ill be so good tactically that it would be almost like never stopping to play at all.

But now, what to do about 'My System'..

hmmm.. a very good question.. a very good question indeed..

Finished half of 'My System'

2009-10-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finished reading half of 'My System' finally. Half here meaning, what Nimzowitsch considers as elements of chess strategy

(1) The center and development
(2) Open files
(3) The 7th and 8th ranks
(4) The passed pawn
(5) On Exchanging
(6) Elements of Endgame Strategy
(7) The Pin
(8) Discovered Check
(9) The Pawn Chain

I would say that as of this moment, the chapter that had the best and most immediate impact on my game was chapter (1). The chapter containing information that 'evolved' my chess play are chapters (6) and (9). I was delighted to be able to learn how to win this position for example -

And I solved it purely inside my mind to boot!!

And the illustrative games(For example this, this, and this) regarding the pawn chain, chapter (9) - is so interesting that I am quite considering taking the french as a defense against e4.

The chapter that is most difficult are chapters (4) and (6). And lastly the chapters which is quite puzzling would be chapters (7) and (8) - The pin and the discovered check, aren't they wholly a member of the realm of tactics? I still don't get why they are considered to be atomic elements of chess strategy.

Now if it isn't obvious from the title, the book is actually not a treatise on the middlegame or the endgame. The scope is much broader than that. It is an attempt to teach an all encompassing 'system' of play. It is a no less than a way of thinking about chess.

If someone where to apply themselves dilligently and model their play according to the system, that someone would play very very differently from say a Magnus Carlsen. (I followed Mr Carlsen's victories on the recently concluded Nanjing tournament, and let me tell you.. the moves was very forcing. Not at all like the illustratrative games of Nimzowitsch)

That's why I think people that says things like this

'Overprotection has never gained the support of most grandmasters.'

Misses the mark. It doesnt really matter if every GM on the planet from Morphy to Capablanca to Tal to Botvinnik to Fischer to Kasparov doesnt support the system's concepts. All that matters is that Nimzo believe in what he wrote and made it work for him and followed it until the very end.

It is with this frame of mind that one should read the book methinks.

It you like to play differently go read Tarrasch's 300 games of chess, or Fishers My 60 greatest games or the books of Euwe or something. but if you want your play to have mysterious rook moves, then go buy this book and apply yourself to its diligent application.

The essence of the 'system'

As best as I can see, the system involves around the pawns. They are strategic points of attack and defense e.g. Chapter (9) but more importantly, Nimzo above all else was really preoccupied in how to prevent the passed pawn. The word 'Blockade' crops up almost every page (I've read just half of the book, but if I have a dollar everytime I read the word 'blockade' Id have a thick fat wallet by now) The blockade of a position and its ramifications is the one thing that permeates the entire book.

Seriously, you'll know youre starting to play like Nimzo when the first thing you ask yourself is not 'How do I improve my position' but rather 'How do I block this thing?'

But

I could be wrong so feedback is nice : )

Anyway, maybe I should re-read the chapters again and review the salient points. (But I'm really anxious to start reading the next half.) Or maybe I'll post what I think is the salient points here and ask for opinions, I dunno. I'll just see what goes I guess.

Que sera sera..

A poverty of understanding regarding two tactical motifs

2009-10-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

Analyzing the problems I've failed, the large part of seems to be concentrated on these two themes

1. Problems involving threats on a square instead of threats against a piece.

Forking a knight and a rook, A threat involving just pieces, for example I rarely miss. But if the threat is to made against a square, I rarely get it right. Forking a knight and the g7 square for example (i.e. if my queen was allowed on the g7 square on the next move, mate will unavoidably follow)

Actually, it goes simpler. Even if there isn't a double-attack, even if the tactic just involves attacking a square - i do not see them.

For example, in this position

Hmmm...

I looked and I looked and couldn't understand the motif or find the key move(*). I thought there wasn't any tactic and it was all a cruel joke. I just gave up and in the end and just moved randomly.

I can see where being proficient with such a motif can helpful. Threatening a square is a 'subtler' form of tactic harder to see than your regular run of the mill pin or fork. Well, harder for me anyway.

2. Knight fork that need multiple hops.

I see the fork if the fork just requires me to move my knight once, and then the fork is there already. But a tactic that involves me first moving my knight to an initial square, and then on the next move then and only then will the fork materialize - this is hard for me to see.

Something like this:

Huh!?

Its too bad I cant force chesstempo to serve me tactics having these two themes only. I am forced to wait for my turn, so to speak.

Anyway, for the next month or so, I'll be sharpening this area and holding off on learning strategy for the moment. The concepts I just learned from Nimzowitzch takes time to percolate and sink into practical play anyway. There really isn't any need to rush and finish off 'My System' during the weekend. Heck, Mr. Nimzo thought over the blockade for years before he was able to synthesize and make the system into a coherent whole. I reckon the book should be studied for a year slowly.

Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.

Sir Francis bacon

So i need to properly digest the book, and only then will I deem myself ready.

Ready for what?

Why to conquer the world and dominate all the chess world of course. I

'll start by defeating that kid who won the Nanjing tournament. Heard he's pretty good.

I'll show em.. I'll show em all!!! Gyahahahaha!! :Lightning crackles in the background:

-----------------
(*) The correct answer was Re2 - Threatening mate on the square a2 on the next move.

It gets worse

2009-10-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

Problem Set: Standard ( 33299 in set)
Correct: 118 Incorrect: 74 Last Problem: 41267
Last Problem For Session
Session Finished

61% "success" rate.

A problem takes me about a minute to solve. So yes, the 192 problems took me about 3 hours or so to finish. I refuse to believe that I just wasted 3 valuable hours of my time, but egad.. this is wholly unexpected.

Considering that I am rated 1814 in FICS, the amount of problems I miss is unbecoming of my level.

Makes me think of what I can accomplish and how much rating I can add if I can boost my tactical acumen by just 10%.

There goes that word again - rating. I actually don't want to care about it, but it is the one of the leading indicators to tell me if I am improving or not so.. I an unable to discount it just like that.

And to top it off, I am angling to get a nice little round number rating of 2000. I dunno if that is possible, but I am thinking about it.

I probably need to make a coherent plan soon on how to accomplish this.

A Pathetic Display of (Tactical)Power

2009-10-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting tactical study in favor of trying to absorb as much of 'My System' as I can, but I do know that such a thing must not go on indefinitely. 'A strategically won game that was tactically lost' is a theme I'm keenly familiar with.

Anyway, so now I'm trying to do some tactical exercises again. Even bought a book for this purpose. But the book is above my level. Sadly, I don't exists in a world where 10 move tactics are the norm. Give me the 2-move cheapo please!

So I turned to CTS. Now, I think I was one of the very first users of the CTS. I remember using it when the registered members can still fit in a single HTML page. It was good while it lasted, but lately, I find myself preferring chesstempo.

I dunno.. The puzzles seems less problem-like and seems more taken from an actual game to me.

But my current rating blows. Ewww.. a 70% grade will not do.. it will not do at all..

1. Total Rating
Problem Blitz Rating:1377.3
Blitz Av Seconds:20.7
Blitz Attempts:200
Blitz Success Rate:71.5%

2. A score from a typical session
Problem Set: Blitz ( 33299 in set)
Correct: 42 Incorrect: 9 Last Problem: 60751
Last Problem For Session
Session Finished

I hope to improve on this, perhaps a goal of 80% or so? The regimen will be thrice a week for 30minutes per session (About 50 problems)

150 problems at 80% solution rate per week seems good enough. Or good enough just to keep the rust of me anyways.

Its amazing what a little foresight can do

2009-10-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

My Last game

The starting position

He wants to take the b-pawn. That much is certain. And coupled that with the pressure on the f7-pawn, it appears that white has a good game.

It is here where I felt a difference in my play. Before, I would consider moves like rb8 or qc8 to defend that pawn, I instead searched for a way in which I can take advantage if he really took that b-pawn.

I saw a line in which it appears I can activate my pieces and put pressure to him instead. He fell into it hook, line, and sinker.. Now, it is not a mating attack, nor was there a win in the end(The fact that he blundered on the very next move does not invalidate this fact). I just thought that the resulting position is better than the current position (Though I would lose a pawn).

What I foresaw, and what happened.

It's a good feeling.. to be able to see a plan and for events to fall into place. I mean, isn't this position better than the starting one? I think it is..

More importantly I should ask myself, isn't that improvement? To be able to take delight on such a small matter. But ah, it is part of the system.

'It is psychologically valuable to develop to the greatest length the faculty of being able to rejoice over small advantages. The beginner only "rejoices" when he an call checkmate to his opponent, or perhaps still more if he can win his queen. The master on the other hand is quite pleased, in fact royally content, if he succeed in spying the shadow of an enemy pawn weakness, in some corner of the board. The optimism here characterized is the indispensable psychological basis of positional play'

The other thing apart for being able to rejoice over small advantages is that lately, I am not anymore averse to losing my queen. In fact, it make no difference to me.. Well, it does. I still prefer a game with queens on board. But if it brings me a good position, so be it. This extends to exchanging in general. Massive exchanges that bring the endgame nearer is not to be feared anymore.

Like this game, the minor pieces are all gone by move 17.

The fact of the matter is, I realized that yes! one can win without bishops or knights on board, and I had better start learning how.

Tuesday Musings

2009-10-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

1. I need a loss or a losing streak

After that win against the 2000 player, my appetite for chess waned all of a sudden. It is as if I made it and is now self-satisfied. What I need is for someone to wipe the board with my ass so I get angry again and try to improve.

Losing and adversity is the fire that keeps my passion alive.

2. A master to study for later

Gaining the two-bishops seems to be a preoccupation for some people. As such, it is indeed one of the things I will attempt to study for later so coming across this little tidbit is a little find.

‘Janowsky was no chess scientist or theoretician. He knew what he had to do on the chessboard; but he did not know, or could not explain, why it had to be done. He had only two rules in chess: always attack; always get the two bishops (and, indeed, he used the advantage of the two bishops wonderfully). His main strength, indeed, was his extraordinary intuition, which gave him the exact feeling for what to do and how to do it.’

3. An interesting Alekhine quote

'In addition to all this, Stoltz, the first prize-winner, has a particularly fine feel for unexpected chess tactics. This cannot be learned from any book, and it is this “something” which makes a player a grandmaster. In general, he played the best chess and since he is at a favourable age (36), great things may be expected of him.'

Is this really the case? So either you have to be born with this 'something' or else toil in chess misery all your life?

4. A quote about Carlos Torre but is really about tactics in general

'He lacks technique and for the sake of his chess future, I hope that he will not hasten too much in cultivating it. Acquired naturally and as a result of the experience of play, technique is a valuable asset but the attempt to acquire it before one’s ability to combine has been fully developed has stopped permanently the improvement of a good many young players.’

Ok if you say so - (Nezha dramatically opens a tactics book and deeply ponders the secrets to chess. He feels his cranium expanding for each puzzle solved.)

5. My System - Why oh why did I not study it sooner

I have not completed reading this wonderful book and I intend to little by little post about the things I learned from it. Sort of an on-line diary. But I cant help but say that I wish I've bought this book sooner.

Nimzowitsch was a genius. The concepts he wrote not only are presented in a funny and engaging way, but it just plain makes sense to me.

And, ohmygosh!! the concept of prophylaxis. The true meaning is revealed..

It is apparently not just, say playing h3 to prevent a pin of the knight on f3, or to prevent the opponents knight from coming to g5.

The concept is quite astounding to my untutored mind.

I feel like a man who 'discovered' how to make fire for the first time (refer). It felt like I discovered the atomic bomb even. This right here, is some sick technique to master.

'My System' has replaced Simple Chess as 'the' best chess book to own if one were a chess player.

6. Some poetic Reti quotes

I also have in my possession 'Modern Ideas In Chess' which is basically an exposition about the development of chess from Andressen to Capablanca. It is really interesting to note and is quite thought-provoking.

For example - How did Morphy defeat Andressen when Andressen was a match in creating combinations with Morphy? Not only that, he possessed more imagination than him.

If only for such matters, the book is highly recommended. The book is already very good just for that. But what makes it even better is Retis somewhat poetic prose. Some examples given below:

Do you play chess because of this reason?

'Chess is particularly the game for the unappreciated, who seek in play that success which life has denied them'

I think I want to play like this sometime

'And indeed combinations by Schlechter are not artificially-reared roses which amazes everyone with their beauty and which to the true nature lover soon savour of excess; nay, they are rather the humble and hidden forest flowers that have to be looked for and the love of which increases with their gathering'

Or how about playing like this?

'With Rubinstein all is refined tranquility; for with him in building up his game the position to every piece is the necessary one. It is not a matter of fight for him, but the working out of a victory, and so his games create the impression of a great structure from which not one stone dare be shifted.'

And still

'The reproach which has often been aimed at Rubinstein is that he plays one opening only (Queens gambit). One writer expresses his censure on the point by saying that a great artist should never be one-sided. But Rubinstein is not a man who can do all things. He is no virtuoso, but rather a priest in his art. Can a single missionary teach at one time one religion and at other times another?'

And there are more, lots more.. Maybe later I will buy his other book 'Masters of the chessboard' too. The writings is quite different from any other. Just like Nimzo with his wit, Reti with his prose succeeds in catching attention.

Most of the old-writers seems to be like this. And in a way, its the reason why I prefer the older books to the new ones that comes out which seems dry and with no personality.

- Till next time -

OHMYGOSH!!! A Win Against a 2000 Player!

2009-09-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

I still cant believe it.. hey guys, hey guys.. check this out!!

The final position

Just before this, I was playing PnTinh (1823) and I was so bummed because I had the advantage and let it slip away with one careless move. I was really kicking myself. It was such a horrible experience to see crafty give you a sizable advantage then swing it to a large negative after the blunder.

The problem is, I couldn't concentrate nearly long enough. Oh, I start well in the beginning. Analyzing all my opponents threats, but then slowly, slowly, ever so slowly by about move twenty my brain starts to shut down. I drift away into some zone and then there is this little thing where if I stay still for a long while, ants begin crawling all about me. They are in my eyes! in my hands! and I need to get them off! get them off!! by moving a piece.

And so I move and I fail.

To paraphrase Mr Heisman, if you play real chess 80% of the time, and play hope chess 20% of the time, you are actually just playing at 20% your capability. The chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Anyway, I'm glad that in this game I was able to somewhat maintain concentration. A very satisfying win indeed.

(Although, post-analysis with crafty indicated that we both did some very very bad moves. We were doing the obvious move to say the least, and yet the obvious move led to perdition. I need to remind myself that there are always hidden resources in any given position and that unearthing them and forcing myself to search for the 'subtle' will make me a far better player. There are other squares besides that which I was thinking of after all.)

So close.. so close...

2009-09-29T01:59:00.000-07:00

{Game 176 (mantakaya vs. Barnaul) Barnaul checkmated} 1-0

Standard rating adjustment: 1790 --> 1799
Standard rank: 773/5098 (up 34)
Standard hrank: 739/5062 (up 34)
You have achieved your best active rating so far.

If it wasn't for that stupid draw the last game, I would already be over my all time high of 1801 right now. Anyway, this game is really satisfying from the point of view that my opponent was an 1800 player. I mean, I will never consider myself an 1800 player if all I do is beat up on 1500 players and gorge on their ratings. No no no.. As I've said before, to be the man you have to defeat the man.

Interestingly enough, I'm pretty sure something changed in my chess playing style. Its not a secret who my favorite chess player is. But you know, my talents are far short of the requirements to play in such a manner. For example, in this game he sacrificed his queen in this position

Who have the guts to play Qxf6?

No matter how I try, I wont be able to play like that. Such a sorry state to be in..

But having realized that - I'm now starting to play in.. in a more unhurried style. Concentrating more on scanning for threats than in creation of my own. Of course that doesn't mean I play passively, only that prophylaxis and strategy has gotten a boost in consideration when choosing moves.

Here is the last game

And some of the critical positions and what my thought was regarding them:

Bf6?! - Two bishop moves at the opening. Wasting time. It would have been better to develop another piece.

'How undemocratic for instance, it would be to let one of your officers go for a long walking tour, while the others kicked their heels together at home and bored themselves horribly.'

1. f4 - The acquisition of space is of prime importance. I now have what Nimzo calls the 'mobile' pawn center. This center will move and crush all! or so I was hoping. He should play to 'restrain' or to 'kill' this pawn center.

'Such a pawn must be executed or put be put under restraint. Accordingly we can condemn the criminal either to death or imprisonment for life. Or we can pleasantly combine the two by first condemning him to death, then commuting his sentence to life imprisonment.'

2. Nd8?! - Although it covers f7, in cramped positions it would be better for the side where space is of a definite lack to exchange pieces so as to give his area 'Air' (Air is not always free in chess). Also the queen should not have been in there. It's getting in the way of the light squared bishop. We must always be mindful on how to coordinate our pieces so they do not hinder their comrades.

For my part here is the strategy -

'Playing on the basis of spatial advantage is in a sense a question of blind faith. You see no targets in the enemy position and no way to force any weakness, but merely attempt to solidify your own position allowing simplification only when absolutely necessary or clearly favorable in the belief that your opponent will sometime feel obliged to make make concrete concessions in terms of pawn weaknesses or outposts in order to avoid suffocation.'

3. f5 - The pawns are rolling. Choo choo! - The end is near.

Now before I give the impression that I saw everything and everything went according to plan, I and it, actually did not. What bothers me is that I only see possibilities after moving. It shouldn't have been that way. It should be that, I should see before I move the contours of things which is to come.

But no, mostly I go 'hey wait a minute! I can do this..' when the position is already revealed. Still, at least I found some of the good moves. But things can be better..

Anyway, I hope to get that one point later.. sure would be good not to go on a losing streak right now.. :nervous:

Takeback requested

2009-09-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

Now, let me just say I totally understand his position. And there are no hard feelings on my part. However, I think blunders are part of the game. I've blundered my fair share and took it in the gut like man.. rawr!

The position

bishopspectre: oops...
bishopspectre: that was a mistake because i play on a real board with this....
mantakaya: a mysterious queen maneuver
bishopspectre: yeah, i'm sure you won't accept a takeback. especially since you were losing.
mantakaya: i did a mistake earlier.. didnt ask for takeback
bishopspectre: yeah, but that was ridiculous
bishopspectre: and yeah, knew you wouldn't
bishopspectre: don't expect it on FICS. it's free...you know the kinda people we get
mantakaya: would you be satisfied if i allowed a takeback?
mantakaya: it is not allowed anywhere
bishopspectre: blundering a queen? oh yes
bishopspectre: well, if you feel cool winning like this.
mantakaya: sure.. blunders are part of the game
bishopspectre: well i don't look at the screen, i look at my board
bishopspectre: whatever
(Draw offer sent, accepted)
bishopspectre: *sigh* thanks...i guess

The game itself

House is flooded

2009-09-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

First:

There is a continuous three day rain here. The result of which is that the whole village was flooded. We are in waist deep water. No kidding. The official measurement is our area is submerged by 6 feet. Wow! (So if I keep getting disconnected, you guys know the reason already)

Ok, so the world is flooded, and what do people like me do when faced with this situation? - I just played 8 hours of chess.. har har..

But, it might be that fortune frowned upon such insensitive behavior so much so that I went on a losing streak. It got so bad that by the end of it, I purposely went for a draw, and on another, I was actually happy I won when my opponent when he forfeited by disconnection.. :(

It wasn't so much as the loses, what gets to me is that I just studied so hard just before playing. I went through entire chapters of 'My System', did some tactical exercises, and basically pumped myself up to play - all to no avail.

In order not to get so down, I just reminded myself that everyone goes through such things and that tis part of learning.

Anyway - it was good that afterward I was able to play this game. This time, I forced myself to go slower. I literally walked away after some moves just so I can restrain my hands from moving the pieces.

And then after that, I played with someone who told me that he is a reader of the blog. Oh hey 'IrishGussy'. Lets play again sometime.

Our game

The critical position

Can I safely take the e-pawn? And which knight?

What I was most afraid of was that after Nfxd5 then Qh5 with fantastic pressure. In the end, after everything, the game went into an endgame which I felt I should win if I just carefully and avoided forks.

Oh, is a queen vs knight ending a draw or a win?

--

I think whats wrong is that apart from moving too fast - I think I'm moving slow enough and yet FICS timestamp indicates I'm doing just shy of a minute per move, far too fast.. - what's wrong is I am not able to retain what I just studied. I mean all those chapters I read was just a distant echo when I'm already in the board. Wonder how to retain the knowledge better and apply practically.

(fyi - someone aborted a game with me because he said i was too slow. Go figure.)

2009-09-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

As to tactics, what about your earlier realization that tactics grow on trees? Why try to set them up? Keeping the pieces active should be enough for them to appear regularly. On the other hand, maybe it's different when you really are an attacking player.

A nameless one have left a comment. One which I will attempt to answer -

It is true that tactics grows on trees at my level. However, as one proceeds to play stronger and stronger opponents, more sophisticated tactics is required. 1800 and above players rarely falls for a simple fork. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say that the tactic was there all along but I could not see them.

Anyway, rather than waiting for some weak move of the opponent wherein something like a skewer suddenly shows itself, you can also attempt to bring about positions where large scale tactical operations are possible.

For example, the classic bishop sacrifice. A sacrificial attack that has become my personal favorite. It doesn't always succeed so I could not say that its just a simple trick. I've lost quite a few misplaying the attack, but yet, learning it has been one of the things that makes me say I'm a better player now than I was then. If a little slower in calculation.

Did you know that i've played my ipod computer perhaps a hundred times and won just two? One was involving a queenless middlegame, and the other win was with that bishop sac. Its really sweet.

Well, the point is if you've read this far is that by placing the pieces 'just so' you can invite tactical operations to come forth.

Here was the critical position of my last game.

Guess what happened next?

The bishop being placed on d3 was a very deliberate attempt to setup the classical bishop sacrifice.

--------------------

Well anyway, having said that - things like this is great but I also need some other things too. Its not that I don't want to concentrate on tactics, its just that.. its boring just thinking of the same thing over and over again.

I want my chess to have some logic. To have some strategy, to have some prophylaxis, to have something.. else.

So confused on what to do next..

2009-09-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

I have so many things I want to study.. and yet don't have the time for them all. So I start on one, but another will catch my attention and so I keep going in circles..

1. Opening -
I have 'Starting out: Pirc' and 'Winning with the Scotch'. Not to mention a few resources about the Moeller attack I wanted to read more about. It is perhaps in my nature that I want to end games 'at once' that I continually search for trips and traps. Particularly in the opening phase where such things are common.

2. Tactics -
I have '303 chess puzzles', just ordered 'chess cafe puzzle book' and the seminal 'Art of attack'. The problem with puzzles is that you don't really learn how to play good moves. Sure you recognize things if they were staring you in the face, but setting up tactics requires a more elaborate touch. Although the art of attack kinda teaches you such things. Some of my wins were taken straight out of the book so to speak.

But well, I've been studying tactics all my chess life it seems (Not that I'm good at it). I feel as if it has grown stale. I want something new this time around. Though I just cant neglect this. It is the one thing good in my game.

3. Endgames
Always wanted to study pawn endings. There had been times when I should have won a pawn up game and just didn't know what to do. I also have 'Turning advantage into victory chess'. Just read the first game in it and I learned about how to use the opposition already. Careful study of this book should be good for my chess.

4. Game Collection
Purdy said you need to study master games. It is the 'one' sure thing that will make someone a stronger player. I just ordered Fishers 'My 60 greatest games'. Even 'My system' can be considered to be in this category. Plus, I have chessmaster 10. The game collection in it and the josh games are interesting too. Then I have Tals 'life and works', and Korchnois 'Chess is my life'

5. Art of checkmate
I feel I need to include this. I've been going through this book again and what do you know. I learn something new again. Well, not new but.. I grasp the theory better than when I first read it.

6. Middlegames
A whole gamut of books have I. It is there in the corner even now. I will not list them all. It is miserable to have memories of me poring over them and it not really having an effect on my game. But perhaps I'll make an exception and re-read 'Simple Chess'.

Btw: Hey bahus, are you still playing in Fics? Lets go play training games together :)

Anyway, there it is. A whole lot of things to study and no time to do it all. It would take years just going through my present collection. Not to mention the other books I wanted to order from Amazon.

And also, I'm secretly afraid that even if I did study all of these, that it wont matter a lick. After all, this kind of thing has happened to countless people in ages past. I would not be the first person to plateu. But I sure hope not..

Rust.. and..

2009-09-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

Due to work I haven't had the time to play lately and when I did, this monstrosity happened.. Really.. 5 moves.. really!?

:sigh:

At last!! - 1706 - Yay!

2009-09-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

1. First - The game itself

2. The result

Auto-flagging.
{Game 383 (mantakaya vs. Andrewer) Andrewer forfeits on time} 1-0
Standard rating adjustment: 1697 --> 1706
Standard rank: 1321/5058 (up 71)
Standard hrank: 1286/5017 (up 71)
You have achieved your best active rating so far.

3. The final position

Black to Move

I thought I was gonna lose this. My last move - g4 was speculative. I didn't know if I can withstand the attack that will surely follow. e.g. 29. g4 Rxf4 30. Bxf4 Bxf4 31. Qxh7 Bxd3+ 32. Kg2

And here, it turned out that the move I was so afraid of - Rd2+ was not possible as the file was blocked by the bishop.. duh! I'll probably hate myself if I lost this game..

Anyway, so it was unclear to me and I was so afraid of the move.. Yet, I still played the g4 as he just had so little time - I thought to tempt him and make him think.. hehe.. relying on time flag is perhaps not such a novel idea, but in this case at least it worked.. >.<

100 more points and I am back..

Sept 15 - Annotated Game

2009-09-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a game I annotated. I wrote what I was thinking during the game and the variations that I was able to comprehend. You'll be very surprised I think just how much variation I was considering in a game. It was really.. skimpy to say the least.

The full game is here

1. e4 d6
2. Nf3 Nf6

I'm having trouble meeting d4 with d5. I always seem to get a cramped game and it is not uncommon that the games ends with my light square bishop not moving from its spot.

Plus the fact that I have in my possession - "Starting Out: The Pirc/Modern". The last chess book I bought before I went into my hiatus.

So now I'm starting to use this opening against both e4 and d4. I must say that the character of the games I get is very different from what I'm used to. The black position seems compressed.There are no sudden skirmishes and you have to wait for your chances.

On the other hand, learning all about pawn breaks and how to counter a pawn center with pieces is also something new. It could only improve my chess if I learn these things.

3. e5 Nfd7

I seriously considered Ng4 here. It didn't appeal to me. It seems that he will take the d6 pawn anyway so attacking with the Knight seems just a waste. Although I at least had another 'candidate' move. Often I would only have one - the seemingly obvious move. So finding an alternative is a happy occasion for me.

4. exd6 cxd6
5. Bc4 g6

He is targeting the vulnerable f7. The threat that I saw was Ng5. I can counter that with e6. No problem at this point.

But I also considered Qc7 attacking the bishop. But if the bishop moves to say - b3 then the idea behind Qc7 is lost. Although Qc7 is the normal home for the queen. But I feel that it is needed in the king side.

6. d3 Bg7

How could I miss d3. Defending his bishop and opening the diagonal for the other one. I'm sure glad I didn't do Qc7

7. Ng5 O-O

I considered d6 here. But I was afraid of the sacrificial idea
- 8. Bxd6 fxd6
- 9. Nxd6 - Queen moves
- 10. Nxg7

But truth to tell, I just saw this move now. I didn't saw it during the game :( - I just felt it was
dangerous so I opted to castle instead. Besides, I had a defensive resource up my sleeve which I played the next move.

8. Qf3 Ne5

Ha! I was expecting something like this. Now Ne5 stops him dead cold.

9. Qf4 Nxc4
10. Qxc4 Nc6
11. O-O h6

I don't want that blasted horse perched over my head

12. Nf3 Be6

I wanted to kick the queen out while developing

13. Qh4 g5

GASP!! I didn't see this. Now I'm under pressure - h5 will be lost. Then his knight will come back to g5. Just terrible. The question now is - do I have to save it? The answer is - I felt i must. Otherwise it would have been the height of inconsistency for me to have played g5.

And he wouldn't have the cojones to sac a piece for two pawns and the attack would he?

14. Bxg5 hxg5

He did :(

Mate in h7 is threatened. I admit that I didn't see that coming. I was analyzing what will happen if he sacs the knight. I didn't see any mating threats with queen and bishop so I just played g5. But it turned out he sac'ed the bishop. Now there is a threat of mate.

15. Nxg5 Bf5

One of the things to look for when sacrificing is the presence of the opponents pieces. If there are two or three that can get in the vicinity and participate in the defense then it is usually not a bright idea to do unclear sacrifices.

In this case I had two bishops. A tough nut to crack.

16. g4 Bg6
17. f4 f5

I cant move f5. He will fork, I saw this much. But then looking around I saw I have a check. So I gain valuable tempo. I can do f5 after all. I can't find any other move apart from this. Some other move like Qa5 to do Qd4+ doesn't seem to do anything at all.

18. Ne6 Qb6

The expected fork. The expected check.

19. Kh1 Rf6
20. gxf5 Qa5

The critical position. I found here a simple trap involving Qd5+ and Rg6+ (I need to check with the queen first otherwise him doing Qxe7 is quiet worrying)

In here he could have maybe got material balance like this -
- 21. fxg6 Qd5+
- 22. Kg8 Rxg6+
- 23. Nf5

If he did this, I was intending to sac the exchange just to remove that pesky beast.

21. Nxg7 Kxg7

Nxg7 loses. He just didn't consider why I did Qa5 I think. Judging from how fast he made this
move I didn't think it registered on his consciousness at all.

It is all over now. The rest is of no interest.

22. fxg6 Qd5 23. Kg1 Rxg6 24. Kf2 Qg2 25. Ke1 Re6 26. Kd1 Qxf1 27. Kd2 Re2 28. Kc3 Qe1 29. Qxe1 Rxe1 30. Kd2 Rh1 31. a4 Rxh2 32. Kc3 Rc8 33. Kb3 Nd4 34. Kb4 Nxc2 0-1 {White resigns}

--------------------------------------------------

I really have to get better at looking for trouble. I didn't foresee the reasonable replies three times. Reasonable is the keyword here. It would be one thing if it was some deeply laid trap, but its quite another to be blind to moves that in hindsight, I would have done too.

Although me finding another candidate move no matter how simple is good, and there are some variations that I did see.

Wonder how much analysis other players do OTB. Do they really have reems of variation floating in their head crafty-style?

A Pretty Finish - Entombment

2009-09-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hey, check this out:

Two more moves and he would have been

Entombed!!

I am starting to be really aware of the role fast development affects a game and how ta few empo loss is usually fatal. For example, in this game that I lost; I shilly shallied and he got extra turns and it was all downhill from there. I thought I could maintain the pin but it was just a mirage.

It was better to lose positional advantages than to lose time!!

This is will be one of my postulates from now on. When deciding on a move, I will ask, among other things, if the move in question represents a loss of time. It is after all, better to let go of an attack and get a draw than to lose the game entirely. (Of course, the role of tempo had been understood well before, but I have had to come to my now conclusion and to experience something before it could be taken as truth.)

And - Can't wait for my book to arrive. I ordered 'My System', Fishers 'My 60 greatest games', 'The art of sacrifice' and 'Chess cafe tactics book'.. I can fell my ELO expanding already from thinking about all the learning I'm about to receive.. - Mwahahahaha!

Oh, and I saw CelticDeath at FICS btw.. Hat tip to CD.. ;)

I seem to be losing my battle against blunders

2009-09-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

I seem to be losing my battle against blunders.

I just dropped three games in a row against lower rated opponent. The first one, I was a full queen up!!! I just couldn't find the way to mate.. That really tells you my true level as a chess player. (Although playing at 3am in the morning with my eyes barely open doesn't do any wonders for my game. And yet, I feel as if I should retain enough presence of mind not to blunder)

Full queen up - Yuck!!!

And yet, I then turn around and defeat two 1800 players in fine sacrificial style.

Game A - Bishop sacrifice - I blundered twice and yet a win.

The thematic bishop sacrifice at h7/h2 is becoming quite a favorite of mine. I've been able to do it three times now since then. One was the sole win against my i-pod chess computer!

Each time, it gets easier than before as the lines to calculate takes on a familiarity.

I really recommend the 'Art of Attack' to anyone interested in sacrificial chess. Extreme familiarity thematic attacking patterns and the common defensive and offensive maneuvers that occurs during such attacks could take your chess into heights previously unimagined.

Not to mention sometimes, when you are losing, a sacrifice can help turn the tide. As in this game, I was on dire straights actually. I lost the exchange and well, it was a good thing he fell into the trap, not noticing what I intended till it was too late.

Game B - Kingside attack - A nice calculated attack. I foresaw most of the lines.

This game was nice. I was attempting to implement Nimzowitsch's teaching about development, Namely - loss of time is to avoided at all cost. I henceforth will not back down any of my pieces and avoid exchanges if it means loss of time. I've lost quite a few games because I fell behind in development. I was always trying to gain the bishop pair and would take torturous maneuvers just to preserve them.

No more. Time is of the essence

As Nimzo said - "if chess is like a race how foolish it is to stop and rub your nose while in the middle of it."

I think I will buy "My System" after all

2009-09-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

"How undemocratic for instance, it would be to let one of your officers go for a long walking tour, while the others kicked their heels together at home and bored themselves horribly. No, let each officer make one move only, and... dig himself in."

Aron Nimzowitsch

I've previously resisted on buying this book. After all, I have tons of books already on the middlegame. Including what I think is the best of them all - "Simple Chess" by Michael Stean. I mean, what can someone who have long ago turned into dust teach me that more modern authors could not?

But lately, I felt as if I needed something new. To understand positional chess so to speak.

There have been times when I needed to formulate a plan. All is well if the game proceeds along some lines I know well.. e.g. The opponent king is stuck in the center - so open lines now!, etc..

But there are some quiet positions. Positions where I need to improve slowly and I, I just dont know what to do. (But didnt I just said I would'nt study until I master my thinking process? Err.. I might have been too hasty on that account.)

Fortunately, I recently I got a PDF copy of 'My system' and I couldn't stop laughing. Its a very funny book.
The price is worth it just for the style of writing alone. If the man is to be believed, why, he practically invented chess :)

The only real thing I don't like is that people "re-translates" it because it is "too hard" to understand.

It is a very bad thing to do I think. How would you like it if someone put words into your mouth because they couldn't understand what your talking about?

I'm aware the printers of the book try to reach a mass audience, but poor Mr. Nimzo must be rolling on his grave right now.

I mean, would you try to dumb down Shakespeare? Or if you for example, saw a work of art like Picasso's "Jacqueline a Mantille Sur Fond Rouge" would you perhaps add a little bit of color here, a red dash in there, a tiny pink blot somewhere so people can "understand" it better?

Distasteful.

Anyway I'm off to search for the edition as close to the original as possible.

-cheers-

The classic bishop sacrifice at last!!!

2009-09-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

First: The game.

One of those things that I've always wanted to do.

Ever since I've read the art of attack, I've always wanted to do the classical bishop sacrifice. I've tried it a few weeks ago, but my opponent was able to withstand it and I lost on a piece down ending.

I kept thinking I'll just do it again next time, but the opportunity never came again. The position wherein the classical bishop sacrifice appears is rare so it seems.

Until this game fell out of the sky. I kept thinking 'Nah.. it couldn't be..' then he castled into it 'but but.. it is..'

Although actually, in here the position does not actually conforms to the 'ideal' as there is one element missing - A forward pawn on the e-file..

But I couldn't help myself. What kind of a sacrificer am I if I don't accept the challenge of such situations?

As Spielman said I need 'belief in the position and belief in oneself'

Am I just dreaming?

Aha!! I will offer this sacrifice in honor of Nezhmetdinov.

Although -

The game itself was a procession of botched chances and missed opportunities. I did manage to win in the end, but it was really - how shall I say it.. 'not solid'.. it required the assistance of my opponent to get the win.

I could've kicked myself.. I failed to find some strong moves.. moves that could have ended it earlier and would have made the win that much more satisfying.. the blindness again.. it rears its ugly head.

But the good thing is I am seeing the moves I've missed and who knows, maybe next time my attacking technique would be stronger..

I leave you now with a quote on what I think is whats my chess looks like (not that I compare myself with such a strong GM. but its the idea that matters)

“No matter how much we have tried to convince Spielmann of the impossibility of surviving on nothing more than developing and attacking moves (and I have tried hardest of all, through my books and our conversations) still he tries, almost as a matter of principle, to avoid the necessity of defence!”

Nimzowitsch

Reassessing my Chess - Part II

2009-09-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a game I played yesterday in which I attempted to apply the thinking process

Some thoughts:

1. Constant checking, looking around, and calculating is tiring

10 Seconds: The Pain Begins. 15 Seconds: You Can't Breathe. 20 Seconds: You Explode.

Scanners

Looking around the board and casting glances to look for trouble takes a lot of power(?). Although I hesitate to call it power, I am after all just sitting around. But whatever it is, constantly thinking about tactics and the position is draining it.

Somewhere deep in the game, I started to feel this pressure in my cranium. Like a heavy load that settled on my head, I half expected to see blood pouring out of my nose.

So tired..

2. In search for a consistent man

A consistent soul believes in destiny, a capricious one in chance.

Benjamin Disraeli

It is not hard to check for every capture, threats or checks. What is hard is implementing it every move for the entire game. For example, the game was 40/40 and lasted for 28 moves and in my estimation me and my opponent took over 80 minutes to complete the game.

I could not sustain the energy necessary for the checking. I wavered in this position

How to continue the attack?

I couldn't, for the life of me, remember what it was I was supposed to do

And it was a critical juncture of the game too. But I started to slip into a kind of haze and started to miss things. Throwing the game to chance so to speak.

There were a lot of things I missed in here.. seeing them only after I had made several more moves. Of course I was fortunate that my opponent didn't see them too. But I have a feeling that a stronger opponent, say someone in the 1800's wouldn't miss such things.

I won but I really have to play better than this. It is not the same as losing, not quite but close.

But I have an idea - can this actually be a weapon? Can I inflict positions requiring massive calculation on someone hoping they'll crack and start to miss things? This is assuming of course that my own stamina is up to the task.

3. But I do indeed see more

Comparatively, I saw more threats and it did seem as if I prevented a lot of things from happening. For example, the move 11.Bg2 was prophylactic in nature. h3 was weakness that he could attack. Perhaps not immediately but in a move or two, it could have happened.

4. But I didn't see enough

Or as I've said, I saw too late. It was fortunate that my opponent didn't play Nd3, and in combination with maneuvering his other Knight. e.g. Nd7-Ne5 or maybe Nd7-Nc5 my rooks would have been prevented from moving into the D or F file and he would have a nicely posted knight in there. It might have been temporary but in the interim it would have posed me some problems.

Did I see this? Only when it was too late for by then my rook have occupied the files.

Seeing too late is bad enough but much worse is...

5. Blindness

There are particular moves I don't see, a form of 'blindness' I seem to possess.

For example in the diagram below (White to move)

I looked and looked :(

The correct answer was Ng5. But I looked and I looked an all I can come up with is Nd2. Now why is it that I can see Nd2 but the possibility of Ng5 escaped me? I didn't even consider it. It was as if the move was non-existing. A totally alien concept that it didn't event register though I must have looked at this position for close to ten minutes. This move and moves like this seems to reside on a NULL zone of my mind.

Well, at least there was an improvement. Here's to hoping that constant practice will enable me to lengthen the time I can concentrate on the board. Perhaps if I can do an hour of uninterrupted thought, I can be satisfied.

Chess is difficult...

Reassessing my chess

2009-08-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Having been away from playing for close to two years, I am in a position where I'm having to learn again. I've forgotten almost all the things i previously studied. It seems that chess is not like bicycle where you keep what you learn forever. On top of it all, I'm so slow in calculating that i am continuously reminded of a frozen river. Like its water that flows so slowly, so do the variations come in like manner.

Though the good thing is I've unlearned the bad habits I have before. It is quite liberating to not know anything and to be open to ideas.

But lately, I feel as if I'm starting to get trapped again on the same cycle I was before. And so, before the habits form I am stopping all chess learning activity. This includes reading books, analyzing games, etc.

I feel that this is the wrong way to go about things. In life there is a proper time and a proper sequence to do everything under the sun. And reading chess books is not the first thing to do in order to improve.

"'Begin at the beginning"', the king said, very gravely, "and go till you come to the end: then stop"

Alice in Wonderland

The very first thing that I aught to study is to learn how to remove simple blunders. Even once per game. Failing to cure this will limit me and chess will forever be succession of heartaches.

But how to remove such things? If it was so easy it wouldn't be eating me on the insides.

You might already gave an inkling as to what is the answer to such a question. It is after all the theme of my recent posts. But I found that the concept was too vague and too simplistic. So I reassessed it and came away with the following system.

But first a curious fact:

My chess moves are done at an average of one per minute.

Imagine, I cant even solve medium difficulty tactical puzzles in that time. Why do I then move at such a speed? (I would weep, but for the fact that most of my opponents move even faster. It is not uncommon that at the end of the game they would have gained minutes from whence we started. Take a look at my last game. Pay attention to the clock.)

This is not the only thing that ills my chess, but it is a good place to start. And so, from here I begin.

1. Looking around is more important than looking ahead.

I am henceforth forcing myself to NOT calculate. The first minute will be spent looking at the board. Just looking around and searching if there is a tactic on. Something that is going on RIGHT NOW. Not three moves later, but right now. So questions like - Do I have an immediate capture? Does he have an immediate capture? - and the like should be answered satisfactorily. Only then shall I think about something else.

CJS Purdy called looking like this the true fundamental of chess. And what to look for is as written in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

Some things are hooey,
and most others lies;
But forks you mustn't miss,
nor pins, nets, ties.

2. Playing around the opponents pieces.

In close relation to the above, I will move my opponents pieces. What are the squares that his knight can go to one or two moves ahead? What about the queen? The bishop? What pawn moves can he do?

Now an important thing to note is that I will do this from left to right. Irregardless of what piece he moved beforehand. Left to right, wax in, wax out. This is to break my train of thought. To step away from the position so to speak and try to look at it in an objective dispassionate eye.

For indeed, there were many games i lost because I concentrated too hard on what my opponent just did. What happens in this case is that I tend to zoom on a corner of a board and forgot about the rest. Missing important defensive moves or worse, realizing all too late that the point of the move was on another sector of the board altogether.

3. Before doing the move physically, move it first from my mind

The selection of candidate moves and judgement and planning I will leave at this time to intuition. But what is more important is that before moving physically - I move it first from my mind. Checking again. checking again. Perhaps I missed something. Check, check check.

As was said - 'Only the paranoid survives'

Now, it is time to ask - does it look like I can do all this in under 1 minute? Can I really check that fast? If not, then why oh why oh why do my hand reaches out to a pawn like a lover. Impatiently grasping it and tenderly moving into another square. Only to find out that it was all a mistake and that love that was so sweet finally in the end turns into dust.

I must discipline my thoughts and my self. I must not fall into a hazy mind fog at any time of the game. I need to think, think, think. Check, check, check. Like a brook in a stream in an echo of a dream.

It sounds so simple, this three. Anyone should be able to do it. Aye, but that is not the issue here. The issue here is not if any half-wit can do it, but rather if this particular half-wit be able to?

That would be next

If he can move again... Part II

2009-08-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Continuing my attempt to use the simple question "If he can move again.." during games. Here are the first four of them.

Game One - For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

The game is just so.. meh! My first attempt to remove simple blunders from my game, and what do I do? A simple blunder. I saw the knight attack immediately after I made my last move(see game and guess where it is) and oh boy, it was all downhill from there.

Its kinda like, if I ask you not to think of a white elephant dancing in a pink tutu, you will immediately think of an elephant dancing in a white tutu even though I specifically told you not to.

Did I mention that games like this makes me hate myself a little?

Game Two - Straight out of the book.

Did you know that the first chapter of Art of Attack is titled "Attack against the un-castled king" and that the first section of this chapter is called "The attack along the e-file"?

He played Nxb4

Unwise

The surprising thing here is that it felt so easy and yet when I looked at the opponents rating, I had to do a double take as he was higher than mine. It wasn't supposed to be this easy.

I don't mean to sound as if I'm bragging because, clearly as the first game shows I have a lot to learn. But the win in this game felt that is was just a "matter of technique".

Game Three- Locked and loaded

The first game in which I am able to extensively practice the question. This games was very tense and very long. Long not in the number of moves, but in the time me and my opponent spent thinking about the position. We were both down to ten minutes. A very good game all in all.

1. This is a Ruy Lopez. The jockeying for position was enjoyable. The plan was crystal clear for me. This reflects my, what I think is a developing understanding of chess principles.

Allow Mr. CJS Purdy to tell it for us:
"As Nimzowitch explained in his book My System, a pawn center is regarded as an asset only because a piece center is usually not possible. But if you can get the later it is much better."

I don't know what does that tells you, but for me, in this game at least, I somehow got the idea to, to centralize my pieces in preparation for the impending liquidation of the center . I reasoned that since I will not have pawns in there, better that I replace it with my pieces.

Locked and Loaded

2. The second strategy I had was that I was gonna gain the two bishops. On an open board with the center removed of all clutter, I reasoned that the influence of my two bishop will soon tell.

Ok back to the question

I was able to use it mostly throughout the game. I knew at all times that his strategy lay in the fact that he wanted to push his advanced pawn. With that in mind, his moves was a little bit predictable. And as a culmination of it all, below is the position where the question best served me well.

White just played Nh4

If he can move again what would he do?

Game Four - Much too fast

A game in which I suffered a major letdown. Oh, I won alright but it was again too easy. My opponent was rated 1700 so it was with expectation that I can work on practicing the question while he's attempting to crush me.

But as early as the third move, I noticed he was playing much too fast. I would take some time thinking about my move and he in turn will immediately bang his reply. At the end of the game,he actually gained more than 12 minutes from when we started. Uhhm!?

It wasn't at all what I expected. Winning is good and all but well, I wanted to learn :(

Not all wins are delicious

The only time I was able to practice answering the question was when he was generating an attempt on my kingside. An 'attack' parried easily enough.

I'm officially worried. Its not supposed to be as easy as this. I've not been playing too long since my break so I don't think I'm stronger than my rating. Maybe this is a setup before the fall. After all, there is an old saying "They first make mad, whom the gods will destroy" - :fear: -

Next: I'll update when I've played six more games.

If he can move again... Part I

2009-08-25T05:06:00.000-07:00

I. But first

I got over 1600 today.

For the past two weeks I kept fluctuating inside the 1500 level, like a butterfly trapped in a bottle, beating helplessly against the glass. It didn't help that I dropped five games, and four of them in winning positions at that, due to disconnection.

How does one say it in America - Bummer?

Well, anyway so I've been hard at work analyzing the games contained in the Art of Attack. But I don't want to overdo it (If clutching the book everyday and looking at the position every so often can be called "not overdoing it").

The problem (for me at least) with studying too much is that I tend to think I'm gaining all this chess knowledge and that the next time I play, I'll just use it to crush all competition, leaving a trail of broken tears in my wake.

Of course the very next game, I'll hang a piece and go all depressed and wrathfully declaim "Why do I even bother studying" over the burning embers of the book.

But that is unfair to the book, which after all is very good. No, the fault lies with me and mine. Specifically, in another area of weakness that I think I need to address otherwise I'll forever be stuck in the same place. No matter what I read.

II Blunders: An old friend; an old enemy

The first step on the road to greatness is to eliminate all simple blunders from my game. I'm not talking about things like a three-move combination that I didn't see, or even simple tactical motifs that I just didn't know was present till it was done.

What I'm talking about is the time when immediately after you make a move, you go all "Oh #$%^ what did I just do?".

I'm pretty sure most are familiar with it. After thinking and analyzing and comparing candidate moves, you finally select one and make it OTB. But no sooner was the move made when regret was instantly in the offing.

Maybe it was a hanging piece I just forgot, or something.. anything.. that I know I should have countered and yet did not.

III. Thinking Process: Identify threat

The thing is, I've been trying to remove such things from my game and just could not. I finally just gave up and let things fall where they may.

But now I need must confront the inner demon again. I don't want to be like this forever.

One thing I will not do however, is create a list of things to check and rattle it in me head each move.

I tried it. Didn't work.

I still remember the first list I made. A 35 points monstrosity. Not only did it not help, but I became so distracted trying to think about the list, that I barely had time to think about actual chess instead. Ugh!

But I think I found the perfect description to what I hope will be a solution.

A threat is nothing more than what a player would do if he could make two moves in a row.

Simple, direct to the point. I like it.

This single thing is what I will ask myself after the opponent moves - If he can move again, what can he do?

Just one thing to ask. No more. No less.

What would happen if I just keep it as simple as that? but is it really that simple or am I just deluding myself into a false sense of security.

I'll try it in the next ten games.

Next: What is the result?

A new book (again)

2009-08-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

As every Russian school boy knows, being a chess player means that you compulsively try to buy every chess book in existence irregardless of cost or if one actually has time to read said books.

As far as I can tell, this ~~malady~~habit is unique to chess players. After all, whoever heard of engineers compulsively buying engineering books or a lawyer buying lawyerly book.. errr..

Anyway, I was just passing through the bookstore when I saw something called "CJS Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation and Other Thoughts, Volume One" and it, looking like a decent book, the old compulsion took over and next thing I know I was carrying the book home.

The book has many interesting columns inside particularly on how one ought to improve at chess.

Here are the two salient points

1. Play games.

How to improve
The one infallible way to improve is by practice, but I don't mean just playing chess. ... But by practice I mean playing against champions - any master will gladly play you at any time of the day or night, and, moreover, bring along two other masters to help you out. They don't ask for fees or even refreshments; as a matter of fact, they may all be ghosts from the last century, but they will play none the worse for that.

How to play through a master games
Play one side only - usually the winner's, if it is not a draw. Cover the moves with a card in which a niche is cut out of one corner. Think out each of your side's moves before you look, taking as long as you would in a match game.
..
Then slide the card over till the move is exposed by the niche. If you guessed differently, try to find out if and why your move was bad. Never let your eyes stray over the annotations beforehand. Look at the opponent's reply immediately. For one thing, it may assist you in discovering some fault in the move you yourself had made.

An interesting technique to be sure. I am now trying to work through his book using the said method. I've cut off a piece of paper and is sliding it so to speak. Only sometimes I get impatient and cheat.. :(

And also, it takes me multiple time going through the same game to understand some of the moves made.

Just last evening, I had an "AHA!" sort of epiphany. Something about why should white take with the d-pawn instead of an f-pawn. When I finally understood that - it is to play f5 of course, I felt so dumb for not noticing it earlier, but so happy that I now at least understood a little bit more. Such a small thing and yet, the game revolved around it.

Truly a single move can become a fulcrum of a game.

2. What is wrong with everyone's chess?

This is the title of a chapter in the book. The simple answer is - Lack of combinative vision.

He said and I paraphrase - "You might think that you do not belong with them (people with lack of combinative vision), but the odds are 50 to 1 you are wrong"

And I fully agree. Even though one might think he or she already has a very good grasp of tactics, and yet chances are you are only delluding yourself and that is not the case.

I am keenly aware of it. I'm studying tactics everyday and yet finding combinations seems out of grasp. Other times, as a latest game of mine shows (I am mantakaya in here), I feel there are hidden tactics there, If only I can just find it.. the game could have been more..

Well, anyway it is a good book. Ill try to go through the games completely. Perhaps one each day should do.

I'm not expecting that every game should bring me an aha moment, but if I understand a little each time, then by the end of it perhaps I would be able to pierce that mystical veil that keeps people from breaking the 2000 elo barrier.

How the Art of Attack book is helping me.

2009-08-18T03:14:00.001-07:00

Excuse me if I'm pimping the Art of Attack book lately. It just that this book (Or books like this, e.g. How to become a deadly chess tactician) is I think the natural evolution for someone who studies tactics deeply and wishes to take his game to the next level. However, this presupposes that this person wants to play in a certain style.

The beauty of chess is that it is a "multi-paradigm" game. There is no one way to win. One, for example, can engineer to develop a queen-side pawn majority and then exchange pieces trying to win on the endgame. Or perhaps the zugzwang and prophylaxis is closer to ones liking. A slowed jockeying for position akin to an anaconda squeezing.

There are lots of ideas and plans you can try on the board and each game the clash of two opposing ideas makes for a fascinating backdrop on an otherwise dull moment.

As for me, I try to play using a plan called "Suicide Red". A term I borrowed from another game, but in chess I mean to say an uncompromising attack on the enemy king.

Chess is just a hobby and the only reason I play it is because I find some of its ideas interesting. Consequently, there are just (uninteresting to me)things I would not bother to learn or do. Getting the full point is nice as is a good rating, but as much as possible I've much rather try to win on my own terms. It would limit my chess growth to be sure, but life is a series of self-limiting choices. Two roads diverged on a road and I, I'm sorry I could not travel both..

Back to Art of Attack, to give you an idea of how it affected my play.. Let me give you a position taken from a recent game.

Look first at this diagram and what do you see? I'm playing Black. What is the plan that pops into mind?

:waits:

The main thing here is that there are two targets on whites positions. What Vokuvic termed
as focal points. In this case, The squares/pawns on H3 and G2. In addition to the H-file.

There are three end-positions I was trying to bring to life

1. Doubled Rook on the H-file. The strategy revolves around swapping the queen and the bishops so there would be no interference.

2. A Queen Mate
A variation of the first part

3. A very hazy Bishop-Rook Mate
The most far fetched, but hey stranger things have happened!

Now, of course these are not the only end result that Ive been mulling in mind. Only that three
most thematic.

And here is where the AA book excels. In teaching the thematic things that one can incorporate
when one is conceiving of strategies.

And not only that, the stated manner in which one should plan in the book is greatly influencing me.

It is almost like Vukovic's speaking softly during the game

..The winning position is prepared by a calculated deployment of the pieces

..First of all post the heavy pieces in their assault positions

..The most important focal-points where castling king-side is concerned are g2 and h2.

..Attacks against g2 are more dangerous (Than attacks on h2)

And I take back what I said about AA being dry and musty. Comments like this -

"Malicious old men said that this was the only sacrifice ever risked by the cautious master Burn in his whole chess career. To this observation one might add, 'and even then it wasn't correct'."

Makes me giggle. Hehe. Humour is best served dry. :)

Disciplining my thinking process

2009-08-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I realized that I have a very lazy approach in over the board play. I would look at a position, see a somewhat reasonable move, 'calculate' one or two moves deep and then play.

Which is ironic given that when I'm solving puzzles, its normal for me to sit on a position and sift through variations looking for the correct move. And yet in an actual game, I cant seem to do the things I practice.

This is an old problem and there are times where I despaired of ever curing it.

But anyway, I resolved to at least force myself to analyze more deeply and to do deeper a variation and stop analyzing only until everything is quiet and there are no more forcing moves.

To 'cure' my thinking process so to speak.

This game is the result.

Ugh!

Ugh!

Ugh!

I used the word I ironic and here I am forced to use it again. It is ironic thatin a game where I tried to "apply" my new found resolve, it will be one wherein I would find myself making patzer moves after patzer moves.

Its funny how the things we avoid are the things that happens to us.

And most hurtful of all is that I have been hard at work analyzing games and going through the Art of Attack book. Only to fall for such elementary tactics.

There are deaths, and then there are deaths.

In disciplining my thinking process, my thinking process disciplined me.

:(

Focal Point H7

2009-08-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

Continuing my ongoing study with the Art of attack book;

But before that, let me just state that I find the book itself dry and hard to read. There are times when I dread having to read that book as the experience is akin to having nails pounded on ones head. It is certainly not like reading 'simple chess' or 'how to become a deadly chess tactician'

But for all this, the book has a very good collection of games and it does give you ideas focused around a central theme; that of attacking the vital parts of an opponents position. The analogy that comes to mind is that of a swordsman. A true master of the blade does not go in hacking blindly, but instead each cut or swing is aimed on a body part. Perhaps the arm, or the legs, or some other sensitive organ. In like manner, in giving games where the central theme is an attack on a particular square, I am given ideas and targets in which to bent my frustrations.

I'm not a master by any stretch of imagination as the next game I'm about to show illustrates, but having some plan is better than having none at all.

Anyway, this game is my latest effort on applying what I've been learning. Its a horrible game actually, but at least I was able to use the idea of - An attack based on the focal point H7.

In the game, I played 10 nh3 hoping to sacrifice my bishop but alas, too late did I notice that my opponent had a very strong defensive move, which he found by the way.

Although, the maxim 'The winner of a chess game is He who made the second to the last mistake' held true.

2009-08-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

Having a rough patch due to a losing streak lately. Ive lost everywhich way I can imagine. Pawn endings, outright blunders, simple combinations. You name it, I lost it.

And then I played this game and lifted my spirits up a bit.

Although, all those loses is not a total loss I guess as I'm slowly re-learning things. Particularly regarding the importance of time and rapid development (Looking at the final position below, I got all my minor pieces developed with the rook coming up - as against his bishop and knight)

What I like this game is that I once again tried to think things through. Those last few games, I think I didnt analyze the positions nearly enough. And in here, even though time control is 30/30 and it only lasted 12 moves, I consumed a full 15 minutes. Particularly on the 11th move, I spent almost 7 minutes thinking about the position until I got the idea of h4.

Oh, btw my oponent didnt seem to think that much. The longest he took was about 6 minutes and then he just abruptly resigned.

And I just re-read anderssens immortal game hence the kings gambit.

- Some days are better than others :p -

Attack on the uncastled king- the open E-file/Weak F7 square

2009-08-03T21:13:00.001-07:00

Continuing my previous post..

Here are two games I played recently demonstrating the weakness of the F7 square and the danger of the e-file. Oddly enough, the opening most conducive in exploiting this weakness seems to be the italian game. Well, it seemed to me at least.

1. I lost this game although I think I did enough to win. Two passed pawns and a cramped enemy should had been enough. But alas, my technique is not what it used to be. (Time pressure also contribute heavily). Just goes to shown that a few imprecise moves ruins a good position.

2. He just made some blunders. Although this miniature did re-enforce the idea of the weakness of the F7 square

All in all, these had been two good games training--wise.

Attack on the uncastled king

2009-07-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

I've read the AA book before, and just like the few chess books I've read back then, I finished it and promptly forgot what I just read. I think the problem may have been, I got lost in all the shiny combinations that I didn't bother to get the point of the story.

Anyway, In an effort to better study this time the next few succeeding posts will be all about my thoughts regarding what I'm "learning" from the book.

Part I. Attack on the uncastled king from the open E-file

- At the start of the game, the uncastled king is potentially vulnerable to two weaknesses. The square F7(or F2) and the E-file.

Funny how I never paid attention to this rather important detail before. The point is, this fact neatly suggests a plan on how to set the tactics up.

- The pre-requisite for the attack is
1. The king, due to one reason or another is unable to move or castle away from the attack.
2. The attacker should be able to open the e-file
3. The attacker should be able to control the e-file. Preferably with a rook or a queen.

Just three simple things. Without which would mean undertaking a frontal assault to be the height of foolishness.

...

Note: hmm.. I forgot where the online chess database is, otherwise I would link the games given in the book.

Ill go and seek for it later. Maybe I can understand more of this by adding diagrams and discussing the position with myself ..

To be continued..

Played my first two games last night.

2009-07-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

Played my first two games last night.

Won against a 1200 and lost against a 1400 player. Its interesting to note that
reading my old posts, there would be very few games in which I lost to sub-1500 players.
Clearly there is a very noticeable difference in strength between now and then.

Anyway, mostly played Italian-type games as I've forgotten opening theory. Just went
by whatever general principle I still remember. What I like about my game is
that I seem to be thinking on each move. Checking for obvious blunders, etc. I actually
almost used up all my time on the two games.

On the first game when he castled king side I still remembered to close the center,
open a file (because he took my knight with his bishop and rather than taking back with my queen,
I elected to shatter my pawn formation in favor of an open file against the king), and then later
on when he 'captured' my rook with his knight - I allowed him the gain as I judged that
the removal of his lone defending piece on the king-side would be enough compensation.
Oh, and btw castling are for wimps.. :p

On the second game, lost a piece from a two-move combination. Duh. Played to the bitter end,
but the position was hopeless and the opponent, rather than attack himself, mostly played it
safe and repeatedly tried to simplify. On hindsight, I could have avoided problems by castling
early but real men don't castle. The king stays in the center and explode in a hail of checks.

Why is it so slow

2009-07-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

I didn't think it will be this hard..

I'm down to 1200 on the CTS (-300pts) and the tactics I miss are of the garden variety 1-ply simple fork kind. Good grief, hope I don't have to go through that seven circles again to regain my mojo.

Anyway

Ive exhumed my old chess books and I'm perusing my collection in order to determine what to use this time. I'm of a mind to use the 'Art of Attack'. I have this weird idea that came to me while walking around on the mall. Wanna know what it is? Here, let me tell you - the whole purpose of the middle-game should be to place the pieces on certain squares or to achieve a certain piece alignment. For example, in order to lunch a kingside attack a knight, a bishop and a queen should be placed on so and so square first, and then lunch the attack.

I know, I know.. a revolutionary new idea huh.

I figured the aforementioned book has the collection of piece placement and so.. what the heck, read it again and see if I understand it better that when I read it 4 years ago.

But I shall not touch that book yet. I want to get my rating up on CTS to at least 1400 first.

Beginnings are such tender moments..

2009-07-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well, its been a long time. Missed me?

Thought so..

Anyway, I wont bore you with stories about what happened to my life while I'm gone. Maybe later. But suffice to say that certain problems have (nearly)passed allowing me to resume a semi-normal chess life again.

Problem is, its been what? two years since I last picked up a pawn. I went to CTS and did some problems but gosh - I'm so slow. I need to stare at the position before the fork, or pin, or whatever pops up.

Anyway, before I go and play a game, Ill make sure to do some thousand problems first. It would not do to play horribly on my first game back.

Oh, and Ive been reading all the Knights blog recently. Don't think I know what you guys are doing.. hehe.. :)

Chess analogy in sports

2007-08-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hey we have a chess reference from a major sports website

Here is the interesting part.

"Waitzkin's teacher, on the other hand, taught him through playing. Rather than play with a full chess board, they played with three pieces: two kings and a pawn to start. Once Waitzkin was comfortable with the movement, value and power of a pawn, his teacher changed the pawn to a bishop and a rook and so forth, until Waitzkin internalized the movement, value and power of each piece."

Perhaps this method might be used before doing the tactical exercises? Or perhaps the tactical exercises, ala the circles teaches us in the same manner the power of each and every piece. Anyway you look at it, learning something by starting to learn it from its most fundamental atomic value, in this case, learning what each of the pieces do is highly effective.

I remember when I was starting to play chess. My mind couldnt cope with the entire board. I would forget where a piece was played or worse couldnt see anything but a jumbled tangle of pawns. Like a maze I would get lost and only come out from out of it if enough peices were to be traded to reduce the number of things to juggle (Maybe this is why beginners so love to eat everything in sight?)

I actually wanted to do something like this during those times. Only there was no-one to play with me with "just" a few pieces. They want to play are real game, and so we did. But were it possible I would have done exactly what waitzkin did.

A Game (or two)

2007-08-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Do you now what a MUD is? its an online text-based game. Yep, that's right, text-based. No graphics, no music, no nothing. You play by entering commands like "Pick gold" and "Move to the north". You may ask, how anyone can play such a thing, and the only reason I can think of is the same reason why anyone would choose to read a book instead of watching the movie.

Anyway, right now, I am getting addicted to this game. But this is not what I wanted to write about really. What I wanted to write about was that, in this game, and in this world you can play - wait for it.. chess! yay!! (But of course its still text-based so you have to enter your moves via commands like "move e1 to e4")

Anyway, I played it inside that world against a so-called "Chess master" and soundly defeated him (or her/it) and I did it by capitalizing on the queen-side pawn majority. And you know, I was so happy because I won using a "strategic" technique instead of just pure tactics.

So what happened was I got inspired to play at FICS again. Maybe I can win some using this new found "clear head" thinking. I mean, during the game I found that I am not thinking of anything. No tactics, no strategy. I've not played for such a long time that not thinking about such thing is the only option. But the irony of it all is that, by not thinking of any particular tactic or stragy, I found ideas coming to me during the game. How every "zen-like" so to speak.

So I put on a seek and within a minute a player named BehemothTheCat or something, rated 1901 answered it. Of course I lost but I didnt mind because at the end I only had 1min to my time and he, only 4. A sign of a very tense, very good game. There was no major tactics until the very end, and is because my calculating powers have lessened so much it goes on only a few moves deep (The tactic that felled me was a counter-combination to a combination) Nothing a few more games can cure.

Well anyway, maybe I will continue playing again. Inside lusternia, or in FICS from time to time. But I dont think I will study. Just play for my enjoyment, and to test certain techniques that I've developed all on my own :)

Huh!? What do you mean teach you the techniques!?

You dont want me to teach you. Why? the answer is found at the right corner of this blog. In the "About me" section.

Marvel Vs. Manga

2007-07-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

[An observation]

Everyone at one point in their lives had become obssessed with comics. Particularly when one was young. Be it that sunday cartoon found at the back of the local paper, or in my case, comics churned out by that comic turned movie producer marvel.

I think I may have blogged about this before, but recently i have had the opportunity to read a few comics and I got reminded again why I dumped marvel and its ilk.

The reason: The "heroes" talk too much.

I don't know why the illustrator and the story-teller feel the need to cram every available space with dialog. Its as if, they are afraid of silence. This is particularly obvious during fight scenes. I mean, here are two guys allegedlly trying to kill each other, and yet every punch, every kick is accompanied by dialog. Almost as if the combatants are not satisfied with hurting each other, they have to discuss philosophy too.

By way of illustration, here is a scene taken from a fairly recent chapter of the "Incredible Hulk" (click too enlarge)

(Tony, Tony, Tony.. Didnt your mom tell you its impolite

to open your mouth when fighting Big, green, dumb things?)

For cryingoutloud. Did everybody took comedy lessons? Is being funny and/or being a great orator part of heroes101?

Look, I'm all for funny dialog and stuff, but if everyone tries to be funny all the time - what happens to the original personality man!? Good Gawsh!

[A study in contrast]

Contrast this with the way japanese comics, a.k.a. Manga is presented.

A common theme you will find here will be, before a battle the protagonists will meet. Maybe eat with each other and discuss things. If they were once friends perhaps a flashback scene of goodtimes. A few tender moments perhaps so the reader becomes horrified of the incoming fight. Or if they were bitter enemies from the very first, perhaps an explanation of the reasons why they hate each other.

But when fighting, there is no more space for talk. Sure sometimes some "thinking cloud" will be scattered here or there, but the characters will not explain anything anymore. There is no need. That's why they were fighting, all options for dialog has finished.

See this prototypical example (Kids, please dont click this)

(Dead men tell no tales)

Oh well, I dont think things will change anymore for marvel. They made millions doing such stuff. But sometimes, I almost wish they try to do something different. Take the aforementioned incredible hulk for example. It could be have been so much more.

So much more..

Lately..

2007-07-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

I brought a few chess books here with me. I was intending to take it up again this last few months. I am particularly interested if I could somehow understand now the concepts presented in "The Art of Attack". The first time I read that book, it did nothing for my chess. Of course I was so very "young" then chess wise that reading that book is akin to a kindergarden reading a treatise on algebra. I could understand the words, but I could'nt understand the words if you know what I mean.

Only thing is, I have been spending so much time in the office. I go home around 10-11pm everyday. There is no mandated overtime, and the job is really easy I think for an experienced network administrator. But thats just it. I'm just a newbie when it comes to this network thing. My boss would come and ask me to configure a DNS, then troubleshoot the NFS settings, etc.. and I would go like "Uhm, yes.. I will investigate" and proceed to google the mess out of what he was asking me (Note: I was a programmer for ten years. Now I'm a network admin).

Most things you can find in the internet, if you know what to look for. But sometimes, the solution to a problem involves understanding a network of inter-related subjects. The solution might just be inserting a line of text into a file, but to know where that file is and what it does and how it affects the system..learning these things takes a lot of time..

And so I spend my days reading, and reading, and reading..

I suppose this situation will continue for a few more months. There is a lot of things to learn about unix/linux and related technologies. A lot of things to study.. no time for love.. =<

I'm out like the price of PS3..

Hey, wanna see my apartment?

2007-07-03T02:47:00.000-07:00

Since I've changed job, the commute was killing me. Well, its only 35min from the job site to the station near me, but there is a 20min walk from the station to my house. Everyday, I would find myself dreading to come home because of that walk. I could take the taxi, but the meter drops so fast...I'd rather walk than lose that much money.

Anyway, I've posted about my inability to find a new apartment because the japs are "saving" it against us foreign heathens, but last week somebody accepted my application at last. I am moving this saturday to my new place. Just a small pad, but its much closer to work, and the walk until the train station is cut into 8min. A very big improvement. Plus this one costs only about $700(us)

Here are the pictures of my new home:

There isnt anything here for the moment as I will be moving this saturday. But I plan on buying that bravia TV, and some nice stereos. Hehe, after I play my first DVD - my neighbor aint gonna be friends with me I think.If youre interested in finding me - Here is a map of my house and my work place (Plus one particular spot of interest =>)

Cheers
Nezha

Monday Post

2007-06-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

[The Office]
The office is a typical american place I believe. With two metal doors requiring a special key to unlock before you enter (I dont work for a japanese company. I work for the worldwide leader in games. Hint the company name has only two letters)

The athmosphere is very laid back. Everyone looks so friendly. I like it here so much, I could see myself spending the next five years of my life here. This place makes me happy.

There are also two girls among my officemates who makes your heart go bump in the night. Just the other day, one of them walked and unintentionally ~~stared~~ looked at me. There and then, I melted into jelly and forsworn my vows of celebacy--ok, this is a joke. I'm not celebate. I have two kids :) Anyway, the point is that this two is really beautiful. Pretty enough to stop a room full of guys.

But they are not the first ones I noticed when I came to work here during that first day. No siree. No matter how beautiful they are, I only had eyes for--

Oh my gosh! My very own cubicle!!!

How I wept for joy. Ehehehe. If you have ever worked for a typical japanese company, you would understand how I feel (Its difficult to explain it, but think of china and sweat shops and your imagination wont be far behind)

Ahhh, the leg room, feel the leg room.

One can find me deep into the night, my face pressed besides my beloved cubicle. I keep telling it things like "Ohhh baby, I wont let you go"

Do you love me cubie? Because I love you. I.love.you. Never let me go. Mwah3x!!

[Xenophobic Japanese]

You know, Japan is a pretty good place to live in. The people are courteous and tries to keep one welcome. However, sometimes part of me feels as if underneath all that, there is somewhere deep within the minds of the japanese people a part that resents foreigners.

There is nothing you can see. No hard proof that it exists. But I could site a hundred "small, unintended" things that makes you go "hmm". Although, they try hard to make appearances and make it appear there is no such thing.

However, there is one area where keeping appearances is forgotten and japanese xenophobia is in full bloom.

It is in the real-estate industry.

There are a lot of vacant apartments here. A lot. You can find all kinds, in all shapes, in all the colors of the rainbow. In every city, you can see realtor offices camping besides train stations like a bunch of spiders. Hoping to snag an unwitting soul to go and rent an apartment.

Too bad they wont rent it to foreigners though.

I keep asking myself why? Is our soul so tainted that even our money can't be accepted!? "Yeah you leper. Go git your money and shove it. Kapow!"

Dang Japanese. Are you guys aware that your population is actually shrinking!? Who may I ask will rent all those rows of houses? The next generation!?

Hehe!

Ok, Alright -- I'm just blowing off steam here because I got turned down for the nth time trying to rent an apartment.

Yeah well, you can refuse me and my money anytime. I will take my revenge someday. In fact I will take my revenge now by throwing this empty bottle I hold in my hand into the "for plastics" garbage bin. There, how do you like that huh!? Wont rent to me ey! Take that bottle you you.. xenophobic you.

Bah humbug!

[I'm getting Old]
You know why I know I'm getting old? Its not because my hair is starting to show whites. Or how pain mysteriously appears at the back of my body. Or how, I find I can't ride roller coasters anymore. These things can be explained . I mean, I can still lie to myself and find a hundred different excuses why I'm suddenly avoiding such thrills.

But the other day, I was walking down the isle inside an electronics store. Stopped for a moment to gather my breath, looked to my left absent-mindedly and lo! the most stunning sight that ever graced my eyes was reveled.

There in all its multi-colored glory is a 37inch Bravia TV.

Oh My Goodness!!! Hubba2x. My tongue practically touched the ground. Saliva oozzing all over. Yup, I fell in love with a plain old vanilla television.

I still remember a time when I would throw a tantrum just so my mother wont bring me to go window shopping appliances. And here I am, doing the exact same thing. Now if that wasnt a sign of old age, I dont know what is.

[My First Salary]
Hey guys, do you know what today is?

Today is my very first salary for this company!!

Yess, Kiyai! Kampai!!! (Fist pump)

I'm gonna buy me a Wii, a Ps3 and a bravia TV. Mwahahaha! But no XBox - Gosh I hate Microsoft.

Then I'm gonna buy a polisher and go polish my cubie.

Anyway dont tell this to my wife. I told her I aint got no'mo money :)

All my money is for my cubie. Everything for my cubie.

- fin -

Time trouble

2007-06-01T01:04:00.000-07:00

1. Time Trouble

Have you been in the situation where you are winning a chess game. The position is overwhelmingly in your favor. Only you cant figure out the win? You just feel its somewhere in there, but where!? Only, you are very low on time. You have only 5min to the opponents 1hour and you are getting nervous because you are starting to doubt yourself if you can find the win in so short a time.

I guess this is whats happening now to me. You know about my work troubles and how my previous company wanted to sue me. Well, I did everything I could reasonably do. I went to the labor center, went to the embassy to ask for support, went and told my new employer what happened. All indications, and everybody I talked to said that the case is really in my favor.

But

You just know there is a but somewhere there.

But, I am running out of time and funds. My first salary wont be until the 25th, and its only the 1st. If somehow my opponent did something that will require me to pay a large sum of money between now and then, something big like oh.. went ahead and really filed that suit against me, necessitating me to obtain the services of a lawyer - My finances will collapse.

Now, even though things are really quiet right now - I am not naive to think that they will suddenly get tried of things and just leave me be. Things are actually too quiet for my taste. It tells me something big is gonna do down sometime sooner or later

I just hope its later rather than sooner.

2. My work

Not all is depressing stuff however. The bright side to things is that I'm really enjoying my new work and is convinced that everything that happened will be worth it if I can continue working like this for at least a year or two.

My actual job title is "SoftwareEngineer 3". However, my actual job is more like being an Server Admin. Or rather a desktop help? Or tech support? Coming from 10 years of software development background, I could say that this is way cooler :)

Well, I mean creating little software modules is satisfying in its own way, however - building things, troubleshooting problems, and connecting computers to the network seems to me to be much more fun. Its either that or my previous jobs really sucked and I just didnt know it then.

Plus - My next job is gonna be far, far, far more high paying after this :)

Hehehehe.. Of course I'm plotting my next few moves even now. Yeah, I'm happy here and I couldnt imagine transferring again. But I didnt imagine getting sued either. Its better to have a plan-B all the time, If you know what I'm saying.

Tactics are the result of attacking two things both at the same time. This is Chess-101.

Everyone should have a Plan-A and a Plan-B

Right!?

To pay or not to pay

2007-05-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

Matters has been progressing from bad to worst.

Last time, they wanted me to pay $10k dollars and I essentially agreed. However, this was a lot of money and so as usually happens in such cases, I changed my mind. What I did was - I went to the labor center and asked their opinion about the matter.

The labor center, having such good lawyers, patiently listened to my story - then asked my boss's number and then called him to verify my statement.

My ex-boss went ballistic when he got the call. The labor center gave their opinion that what the company is doing is quite illegal, and that the contract they gave me-asking me to pay for damages is invalid. My ex-retarded-boss could not do anything but to stand down and accept the decision of the bureau. However, since he got so angry he threathened to go to another bureau - the immigration, and file a complaint.

I personally think that my case is strong. That he cannot possibly do anything to have me detained to incarcerated.

However: my opponent is japanese, and I am in japan.

To put it in another way: if the situation was reversed, if he was in my hometown and sued me no matter how rightfully, I would win 99 time out of 100.

I am not familiar with the legal system here, nor with the hiring of lawyers and the asking for appointments from high people.

And what if the said high-people just looks at the nationality and judges based on that?

Such things happens..

And if my luck turns out badly: then what do I do?

So: even though I think I have a case and that I feel he can't do anything but huff and puff futilely, I asked the agency to mediate between us. Basically, I said I am gonna pay. Only
can they make the amount smaller?

In this way, I am hoping to bait them into softening their stance. Boy, I sure hope they do. I cant think about anything but this thing. So much so that sometimes I think I can do anything just so I can get over it.

ayayay!

What a harrowing experience that was

2007-05-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

So, okay - I got the new job. I wasnt thinking of accepting it because I know it would cause trouble for my previous employer, and on top of that: I was actually enjoying what I was doing. So I had every intention of turning the job offer down. But when they came to me with an offer significantly higher that what I was hoping for: My eyes saw suddenly saw a cash register going "ka-ching", and I suddenly had this image of me sleeping atop piles and piles of moolah and, well suffice to say, the only words that came out of my mouth that time was "Where do I sign?"

To say that my previous employer didnt take this so kindly would be a major understatement.

He asked to meet me, along with my previous agents for a face-to-face meeting. We met at a train station, and as we were going to the agent's office: he was in my ear the whole time. I was getting embarrassed because people are looking at us and he was like: "You betrayed me", "You're the worst person on the planet", and some other uhm "words" to that effect..

I stayed silent the whole time. Not because I dont have anything to say to him, and is he for real? but because I just zoned him out and was thinking about space ships and stuff. I didnt want to lose my cool before the meeting so.. I just shut my brain down..

Anyway, to make the ling story short, they threatened to suit me. Not only here but also in the Phillippines.

Wow!!

Suddenly, that bed of dollars I was dreaming about suddenly turned into nightmares about me fending sexual assault from various drooling inmates. I was reminded of the film shawshank redemption.

Of course I was scared. This is the first time somebody threatened to do something like this to me. And what if they succeed? I dont have no high-priced lawyer oozing out of my pockets. Plus what if this goes out to my next employer and they decide that its not worth the hassle of hiring me and just fired me?

A really big problem...

But then they told me:

Of course they will not do it in exchange for ..

In exchange for...

$10,000(us)

Ah... now were talking..

But uhmm.. I dont exactly have that kinda of money lying around. And though, I am essentially breaking my contract prematurely.. there is a prevision there that I can do so provided that I just notify them 1month in advance..

So essentialy, though I am not blameless in all of this.. I feel this is too much..

But.. just so I dont have anymore problems..

Of course I'm gonna pay..

This is a really bad experience.. really2x bad...

from both our sides..

What a harrowing experience that was..

I missed my flight

2007-05-03T04:54:00.000-07:00

What a bummer,

Today was supposed to be my flight back to japan. I've gone back home on a vacation, and today was supposed to be my flight back "home". So I went to the airport, walked up to the immigration and.. found out that the airport tax and immigration fee wasnt included in the price of the ticket. I assumed all along that it was and so I ended up short of just $10.

For 10 measly dollars, I missed my flight and had to pay another $400 just to buy another ticket..

@!#$@%$%

How careless can one get...

Monday Bullets

2007-04-23T02:37:00.000-07:00

1. I've been trying to upgrade my Japanese "7-circles" style.

I bought a book about Japanese grammar and had read it three times already. Only, I cant seem to retain the grammar points. What happens is that, I would read the book but when I encounter the words in real life, it doesn't register and I am left with a vague feeling that "Hmm, I seem to have encountered that word before".

Since I'm more or less forced to study Japanese if I wanted to apply for that high-paying job like I always wanted to - I decide to memorize this book "7-circles" style. I'm currently at the middle of my 3rd circle.

I hope this works otherwise its "sayonara" japan.

2. I have been getting addicted to this game

The time limit is really annoying, but I have this thing for space trade, spaceship simulation games and since this one is free and a MMOG to boot I find myself designing elaborate plans on how to get the "interceptor".

Yes, that excel sheet containing all those numbers is not job-related.

3. It the NBA playoffs. But since I have no cable, I'm using this to watch the games.

My team's performance
Miami - Lost (They might not make the second round)
Nuggets - Won (They might not make the second round)

4. I've been watching anime's. About 200 hours of pure anime pleasure right now. You can find episodes here

I originally watched anime because I wanted to study japanese without having to watch the various TV soaps flying around as a result, the japanese I'm learning isn't what you might call "Business level".

On the other hand, my japanese comprehension has shoot up the roof. It might not be proper japanese but, its japanese just the same.

YADI

2007-04-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

(Yet Another Darn Interview)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was wearing a "Bindi".

The red dot on the forehead of the man who entered the room sucked my attention like a magnet. Having been turned down for a position a week ago, I tried applying for this indian company. I don't particularly like indian companies, and I can't recall ever saying to myself "When I grow up, I wanna work for Indians", but the shock of that letdown was that large I guess.

Hey gimme a break ok, some people go on drinking binges when they have problems. Me, I just go and talk with a guy name Arnu.

Anyway, the interview proceeded in roughly in this manner:

Mgr: (Enters, sits and immediately looks at his cellphone)
Me: Stands, tries to extend hand.. blinks.. then after awhile sits..
Mgr: You uhh. *grunts* like japan
Me: Yeah, definitely.. I like it here and..
Mgr: (interrupts).. Really.. (smirks)

What was that? I was taken aback. I was thinking to myself, what's this guy doing? Is this how you treat a guy who you've just met? Granted this is an interview but, c'mon now. You know if my mother saw us, I can just imagine her saying "Ay hijo, walang breeding" (note: something like: He got no manners)

But maybe it was just a show right? I used to be a supervisor and when I was interviewing applicants, I sometimes pull the same shtick. Make them sweat a little you know. So I just smiled sweetly and proceeded to ignore his gruntings. I took a day off for this, and it seems such a waste to just walk away from there. Which admittedly I was tempted to do. But it was a good thing I didn't walk out it turned out. I learned a lot about Indian companies at that time (Yes, I've formed a stereotype from this encounter)

Like - It was true what they said - Indian interviews tends to be technical. I haven't felt so tested like this in a long time. I mean, next thing I know I was drawing the waterfall model, explaining quality targets, if I programmed using threads, etc.. etc.. He even paused periodically, shows me his cell phone and asked me to translate the text contained there. (My tongue got itchy speaking so much Japanese)

But the killer was when he even asked me to describe MOAP (Note: A library used in cellular phone development). Que horror - I already forgot what MOAP was.. agk.. I was forced to
scrape together some stuff, throw it at him and hope it sticks..

Anyway, after an hour the interview came to an end at last, or so I thought. After 10min he came back with a newspaper and asked me read it. Which I did... for about 5 sentences. C'mon, if that was an engineering specs, I would have chewed it like a juicy fruit. But a newspaper?
Thats like setting me up to fail. Why? Maybe because I only know work-related Japanese? Grumble2x.

I mean I don't read those stuff. I'm not interested where Rika Ishikawa is now. I'm married and so I have no interest in other girls. None whatsoever. Zip. Nadda.

Uhm.. Yes, my wife is reading this. So? I don't see why that has anything to do with it.

=>

(Btw: I bet you're google'ingRika Ishikawa right now)

Anyway, leaving my incredulousness aside:

[Where do we go from here]
Well, I still got a job. The money isn't so high but I'm able to save a few bucks now and then..
and yes, if you hadn't noticed, I'm convincing myself to stay. After what happened, I ain't gonna work for that dude. A pity cause despite all that, I think he liked me. You don't spend an hour and then come back test me again if you don't right? And besides "You only hurt the one you love".. hehe.. I sensed he was half-convinced I was the right man for the job, and he was just making sure.

A pity I don't feel like it anymore..

But now, I felt like the runners who followed Forrest Gump. When Forrest stopped running they're like "Nowhatdowedo?"

So yeah - Now what?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Addition:
This post is supposed to be before the "I got the job" post. Which means that after this, yes I got this job. And even though I said here I ain't gonna work for that dude, I'm still getting tempted. I'm still thinking right now whether to accept or not. I got until the end of the month to decide.

Whats happening

2007-04-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

When I first started this blog, it was under the assumption that nobody cared. I can still remember the time when I would click on my link all day so my page "hits" will improve. There literally was nobody reading this except me and perhaps some of the knights. Anyway, since I operated under that impression, this resulted in two things
1. I can write what I want because: hey nobody cares, who reads this except me?
2. I can not write and stop whenever I want because: hey nobody cares, who reads this except me?

(Of course it was true that when from time to time, people would leave a comment, I was jumping for joy. I mean, at least somebody got interested enough to waste their time on me)

However, I think I am the sort of person who can only right what is inside. I couldn't really create things and situations all by myself without experiencing them, or at least seeing or hearing about them myself.

Which brings me to my point:

Its just that my interest in chess has waned this past few months, and as a result I couldnt possibly write about it. Or I could write about it, but it wouldnt offer anything new. There are only so many ways that I can describe my CTS progress after all.

For that: I apologize to my reader(s?)

I had been debating whether to continue writing about chess or whether to write about something else. Previously I would not have thought anything about it because: hey nobody cares, who reads this except me? But I realize their maybe one or two who reads this blog and wonders what the hell is happening with it.

Life happened

Anyway, I can completely stop writing until such a time when the games calls me again or - I could write whats happening to my life. Not because I want people to read about me, but because I find it helps me think when I write about stuff.

I choose to write about some of the things that interests me now.

Pleasant chess to all.

What had nezha wrought!!

2007-04-09T00:56:00.000-07:00

Update:

First I'll tell you a little story...

Remember back in college where you used to go out with this girl. You just liked hanging out with here and stuff, only it turns out she was beginning to think you were her boyfriend. only you didn't know it cause you never thought of her that way. And then you hear people talking about you two and as you're walking down the corridor. You suddenly realized "Oh no, what have I done". Only you didn't know how to tell her because you actually liked her - But not in that way and you know it was your fault for not setting things straight anyway. But you just get this sinking feeling and it gets heavier and heavier and.. oh no.. what are you gonna do?

Have you had that kind of feeling in any time of your life?

If you have then good. You'll know what I'm talking about..

Ok here it is. Here is the point of the previous paragraph..

I *got* the job..

But oh no.. what have I done..

I've actually succeeded in convincing myself to stay here. And that I tried to like working here and stuff. And because of that it came to the point that I *actually* like it here now..

But oh no.. They say they found a new client for me.. everything is ready and of course the money is good.. and I actually also like that job...

And now this stupid song keeps floating in my head..
"How can I tell her about you.. Oh girl please tell me what to do.."

Life..

You never know what you're gonna get..

Interview with Nezha

2007-03-23T01:52:00.000-07:00

Continuing my post about my efforts to be accepted to a management position I know nothing about:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You know the old saying- if something looks like a duck, walks like a duck and speaks like a duck, then its probably a duck? Let me put it in other words: if something looks like a manager, walks like a manager and speaks like a manager, then its probably a manager.

So - Two days ago I bought an 8,000yen suit and a 1,000yen necktie. I really don't have spare money, but I wanted the job so bad, I was willing to spare no expense for it.

So there I was yesterday with my new suit (I must say, I looked so handsome in that suit.. =>), and my resume walking around in Shinjuku. I was so nervous I arrived at 6:30pm one full hour before the appointed time. I decided to walk around to kill time, but I couldn't take it anymore so I just walked into the Microsoft lobby and asked the receptionist about my appointment.

Finally, after what felt like a long time, this very pretty Chinese girl walked up to me and said "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting". Stunned is the closest word I could think of to describe her. I probably shouldn't be talking like this about someone who probably would be my manager but gosh... she must've been a quite the head turner when she was younger..

So the interview was on and I was like, doing my best Jerry McGuire impression... for example she would say "Thank you for coming here" and I would answer "no, thank you for giving me this opportunity". Things like that.. Over the top, American Idol level performance .. You should have seen me.. I was practically pounding the table during the interview.. Mom would be proud..

I mean, she asked me about myself right? and basically I told her I'm heavens gift to mankind. No kidding. I figured this is no time to be modest. So I told her how I single handedly earned millions for my previous company, handled this super complicated mobile development project, earned every ones trust and adulation, can speak Japanese better than a Japanese, and was generally the most intelligent, capable, handsome engineer that ever existed on the entire planet.. and btw, did she notice my expensive suit?

After repeated statements to that effect, when the meeting was finally about to end, I lurched forward the table to shake her hands and say thank you2x for talking to me...

Of course I didn't shook her hand just because I wanted to touch it.. no, nothing like that.. :) Have I told you she was pretty? Oh, yeah thats right.. I did..

(Btw: the interview took about 40-60min. Is that good or bad? I kept thinking it should have been longer. But some of the things I was planning on saying went missing... )

Anyway, here I am awaiting the result of the interview.. Man, its killing me.. if I don't pass that, I'll be crushed. I can't imagine that the most intelligent, capable, handsome engineer that ever existed on the entire planet can be turned down for the job.

(Not to mention being stuck with an expensive suit - all dressed up with nowhere to go)

So please, please... I hope she believed me when I told her:

I'm the man! I'm the man!!

This is proving to be far more difficult than I thought

2007-03-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

[Somethings wrong]

When I was looking at the market, it seems that my skills is a little different than what the market is currently in-vogue so to speak. This is not to say PHP, MySQL skills is worthless, its just that the high paying web-programming jobs requires some form of ASP, Oracle, C# technology.

I'm starting to think I made the wrong career choice somewhere.

Anyway, I've contacted a *lot* of agents. I thought I should do some sort of a full-court press, Search high and low and leave no stone unturned. However, when I was talking to work agents, they advised me to just pick one and work that relationship hard. Otherwise, they tend to lose interest because they know they have lots of "competition" for your service.

Never knew that..

[Zen and the art of faking the interviews]

Ok so I got a few interviews. I thought all of them were good and I was confident in my answers. But some positions, I don't know jack about. You ask me why I'm applying for something I'm not familiar with and all I'm gonna say is, at this point, if you paid me to clean urinals, I'd do it. I'm like -living a life of quiet desperation.

Anyway, later today I have an interview lined up for a management position. They say it involves negotiation with clients and analysis of market forces. Never mind that I don't know anything about market forces. Market forces!?, Can I eat that? haha.. But of course I didn't say that. What I said was my name is "The market force master" Nezha - Able to bring shareholder value and generate profits just like that..

Nya.ha.ha.ha.ha.ha.... (thud)

Another Interview

2007-03-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

I just did another interview. Its with a different company. This time, it was kinda refreshing because it was with an Australian and so we conducted the interview in English. Of course I'm a little bit fluent in Japanese, but my English is way better than my Japanese.

Having said that - this interview sucked. I mean, not the interview itself, but the compensation they offered me. Basically, they were offering me the same salary as my current job. Huh!? Who's bright idea was that? I mean, why would I go through all the trouble of resigning and everything just to be where I am now?

It defies logic.

Oh well - back to the drawing board.

My First Interview

2007-03-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

So I did my first interview today.

-- Going there --

The place where I was gonna meet the agent was located near central Tokyo station. It was supposed to be at 9:00am so the commute ran smack into rush hour. When I say rush hour, boy do I mean rush hour. The hordes of Japanese trying to cram themselves into trains is a sight to behold.

The train I was in was so densely packed, the term "man-to-man" and "chest-to-chest" took on a whole new level of meaning. I mean, I think I now know the reason why the Japanese walks a little bit differently.

You know why?

If you have to ride that train everyday with somebody's hands stuck up your ass, you'll start walking funny too. Man, what an uncomfortable ride that was. But the worst thing of all was, you have your own hands touching the person in front of you where the sun doesn't shine. Eewue!

It would had been alright if it was a babe. That would had been awesome. But nooo.. of course the person in front of me just have to be an old geezer *shivers*.. He kept giving me this dirty look. But what was I supposed to do? I can't even move for crying out loud. Its not like I wanted to touch him anyway.

The next time I ask for an interview, I'm gonna insist for an afternoon session.
(That reminds, I need to wash my hands.. brr..)

-- The interview --

The interview itself was a rather bland affair. How many times have I gone to a meeting like this and heard the same question over and over again. "Describe yourself", "Why are you changing jobs", "Can you work within a team?", etc.. etc.. blah blah blah..

Meeh, I've given the same answers over and over again I can repeat it in my sleep.

However lets stop here for a moment. I want to tell you something:

I run Linux in my notebook, read open source news everyday and generally leans towards the ideals of the FSS foundation. Of course, in stereotypical fashion - I hate Microsoft. Its an irrational hate really. Microsoft haven't done anything to hurt me personally. I don't even know the company that much (Besides whats popularly written). Perhaps its result of my long association with Linux that I started hating them out of "principle".

Anyway, to continue my post, can you guess what company is it I'm applying to now?

Yup you guessed - The very same Microsoft.

Sssh! Don't tell this to anybody. They might not hire me. Nyehehehe..

Its like that girl who doesn't give you the time of the day. Only you see her walking around with this ugly, fat dude and you couldn't understand why she hangs around him. Until you see his Mercedes that is.

Oh the injustice - Is everything really about money?

But Mr. Microsoft guy, I wont hate you anymore. Just hire me ok!?

=>

It happens

2007-03-07T03:31:00.000-08:00

First of all: Dont read this while eating
Second of all: This may or may not be true. Think what you will
Third of all: Just don't read this - you have been warned
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours ago, I was walking home. It was an ordinary day, just like any other ordinary day. The air was cool, and spring is lurking around the corner. I was thinking of mundane things like my upcoming job interview, when I felt this painful stab in my belly. Like something dark, and evil wanted to come out.

Oh, oh, that wasn't good. So I started walking faster and faster. Faster until I found myself running. Running over green lights, and almost getting hit by passing cars. But I didn't mind. All I was paying attention to was this thing inside me. The pain was excruciating. So I ran still, over highways and over byways. And after what seemed like a long time, I finally saw it.

The door to my apartment.

Salvation

I can't remember a time when I was as glad to see that door in my enter life.

Short of breath, and breathing heavily, I put the keys and turned. But as my hands were shaking, it fumbled out. Oh man, why did it have to happen right now. But there was no choice, I had to bend down and get it. Carefully, carefully..

But as soon as I did that, the evil thing came out. Gushing like a mudslide. The genie came out of the bottle. Unstoppable. I watched helplessly as it spread its influence along the pavement.

The only thing I was able to do, was to say the one thing I can say:

"Oh shit!"

-- fin --

What am I doing here?

2007-03-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry, no chess-related stuff for a while. I am fully preoccupied with my career right now.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just yesterday, a friend called me up. Our talk went something like this:

Nezha: So wassup?
Friend: Dude, I just found a new job
Nezha: How much?
Friend: (Says a figure significantly higher than what Nezha earns)
.. silence..
Nezha: Dadgummit!!

Ok, Thats it. Everybody's salary is higher than mine, and while I'm not the type of person who begrudges other people about their fortune, it does set me questioning myself. I mean, why am I doing this? What am I doing here? Can somebody tell me a reason why I'm sacrificing to stay? I've been thinking about it, and there is absolutely no good reason why. There is so much out there. So much..

Crap. So all you recruiters out there. Could you please, please hurry up and process my application. And no! that's not a question.

I remember the time when my parents was pushing me to accept this dinky offer from another company. Never mind that the salary can barely pay for my living expenses. They still wanted me to accept it because I was supposed to "wait my turn". The older generation worked liked that. You started small, then you try to go higher and higher. But, I didn't like the idea of sacrificing my youth for so little and turned that offer down. My mom when ballistic when she found out. Saying I was "too proud" and "didn't know how the world works".

Yeah, well you wait your turn. Me - I want to be frigging rich in 5 frigging days so I want my frigging money, like frigging right now!

But:

I understand too that were I to resign, it would cause considerable trouble for the company. I represent millions of yen in investment and my resignation will set back their plans significantly. I understand this and I find myself lacking the guts to resign personally. So, in this case, I'm gonna do what Pat Riley did when he resigned from the Knicks and went to the Heat - Just Fax my resignation.

Of course after that, Pat Riley was forever known around New York as Pat "The Rat". In like manner, I expect my name to be taboo around here. Perhaps this is where the difficulty comes from. I mean, I look around and see people who became my friends. Realizing we will probably not be friends anymore kinda sucks. I mean, of course I wanted to be liked. Who in his right mind would want an enemy right?

However, this is business. You can't take this seriously. Everything is business. My resigning doesn't mean I wanted to betray the company. I mean, you know I like them.

But I don't like them enough to give up money. Hehe..

Oh but, I'm starting to feel like a shark..

Career

2007-03-04T17:38:00.000-08:00

"Two roads diverged on a wood and I,
I took the road less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference"

Remember my post about my career problem? We'll things are heading to a critical moment. This past week I've been applying for a job unbeknown to anyone. Today, I got an answer. Its only an interview, but I have no doubt I will ace that. Call it a chess players "Intuition".

However, I'm really still not decided. I'm sure the money will be larger than my current job. But the thing is - I really, really want to go home. Can't you see? I'm living a life of quiet desperation. However, if I were to remove my emotions regarding the matter, the one thing I wont say no to is more money. I mean money don't grow on trees. I could walk from Tokyo to Yokohama, and I won't find money on the street. It was only yesterday when I didn't have no car, no house, no nothing. I know full well the value of being financially well off. Believe me, if you had ever wanted to buy something so much and you just couldn't, you tend to view having money differently.

Besides I have children of my own now, and I think perhaps I should lay a more stable financial foundation for them. After all there are no guarantees I will be able to earn this much later on. I mean, I've talked to my boss and he said he was gonna give me a raise - but if I can have it now why should I wait? After all, thats just talk right now. I want the money in the bank.

But oh - how I wish I could go home.

Ah the agony.

Today is a Red Letter Day

2007-02-25T02:41:00.000-08:00

At last, at last, the day has finally come. As of the 106th game of the year, today, I have successfully reached the coveted 1800 rating.

Game#	Res	Rating	Opp Rating	Opp name
97	-	1784	1354	gamay
98	+	1790	1709	danikachess
99	+	1792	1370	gamme
100	+	1794	1444	migfernandes
101	+	1797	1504	ziga
102	-	1788	1767	ANNEPHIL
103	+	1796	1759	ANNEPHIL
104	-	1787	1768	ANNEPHIL
105	+	1795	1768	JohnnyRio
106	+	1801	1681	Hebronsm

Incidentally, this table shows why it was so hard to get to 1800. If you would take a look at my performance by blocks of 10 games, you will see that I win more than I lose. Sometimes I get 7-3, sometimes 6-4. But after 10games, I'll only add 2pts. Sometimes 5 if I'm lucky. Truly, each and every point seems to have cost me sweat, blood and tears. It felt like crawling through mud.

Anyway, here are the final two games that brought me to the promised land. The one with JohnnyRio was a very sweet revenge. However, no matter how sweet it is - it cannot compare to the 106th game.

I'm thinking of putting the game notation of that one in a plaque and hanging it at my room. Just below the college diploma and the pictures of my family. Alongside the picture of the family dog. I mean its not every day I can say to a perfect stranger that I, Nezha is an 1800 player.

Have you tried that? You should try it onetime. Like when your in a train, tap someone random and just say "I'm 1800" while smiling contentedly. I bet he will say.. .. "yes you are" and go back to reading his papers.

Game 1: Revenge is a dish best served cold

In true sacrificial style, I gave a bishop to open the h-file. Ever since I learned this particular maneuver from Takchess, I had the opportunity to use it only twice. The first time, and this game. Its extra satisfying to have used it against someone as strong as me.

Game 2: The Red Letter game

If this game was a girl - I would be kissing her non-stop. Mwa! mwa! mwa! I love you game. Mwa! mwa! mwa! This is yet another game in which the malevolent powers of the dark towers are used. I have been coming to think of the rooks as battering rams. The pawns in font of the king as the castle gates. Hmm.. Give someone a battering ram, and point him at a gate. What could possibly happen?

Anyway, I think rooks are born to die breaking down castles. Perhaps whoever invented chess has that in mind.

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How I became an 1800 player

It would be wrong to take getting to 1800 as a matter of course. After all, I had started playing rated chess two years ago but hovered at 1750 for the longest time. If I hadn't done something about it, I think I would have stayed there. Maybe for life.

Here are the main reasons why I was able to reach the dream. Perhaps someone who is in the same boat I was, i.e. Rating not climbing, would be served by this.

1. Realize that tactics grow on trees

I've asked the question where does tactics come from, and I had been trying to make tactics appear in my games. But one day I realized - no, I don't need to try and make anything appear. Tactics will always appear in games at my level.

You know how they say, below 2400 what wins are forcing sequences right?

Its inevitable. I'm starting to believe that the presence of tactics is one of the fundamental laws of chess. At my level you really can't prevent it, nor you can you make it appear. That only thing that one can only do however is to OBSERVE.

Realizing this simple truth has done me good. Just observing the position and looking out for tactics. Looking out because you know sooner or later, it will be there. One just has to look long enough and tactical patterns will appear.

Where is the tactics? - Its been there all along. Its all there, waiting to be discovered.

2. Play instead of studying

It used to be I would study every day and play just two or three times a week. Now I think its a very bad idea to be studying all the time. One could study a little. It can't hurt, but the time is better spent playing I think. This images can best serve explain (Click to enlarge):

But I've been practicing so hard

Gimme a break

As Mr. Manji would say: Fence with real kenshi everyday until you puke blood. That is how you improve.

I mean you can't learn guitar by just reading about music. You have to actually play the darn thing. When your fingers starts to bleed, then be happy for truly you have started learning. Its the same with chess. Just move the darn pieces until your eyes pops out. You'll see, you'll wake up one day and suddenly you've gotten stronger.. or blind, but stronger preferably comes first.

3. The discovery of "THE PLAN"

If you had been reading my blogs and been playing the games I've embedded here, you will definitely see a pattern regarding my play. And since I know you won't be able to sleep not until you've begged me to tell you: Here it is, no need to guess:

1. Put the bishop on f4 or f5
2. Castle opposite sides, or don't castle at all
3. Do a pawn rush
4. Optionally sacrifice something
5. Use the dark towers to shatter the king side
6. Mate with queen (This is not dirty, you pervert)

A very simple, easy to understand plan. But boy, its so effective. It's like I've discovered the atom bomb. Finally, something that I know how to use. I've practically been playing nothing else. As a result, time and again I encounter the same tactics and the same positions. Notice how I go on and on about "dark towers" and stuff? See the two games above and the three games in my last post. Don't they look kinda similar to you?

Of course they do. The opponents and the openings might be different, but the plan remains the same.

Now since they're kinda similar, and since I've been playing a ton of games(See Advice#2), I've been encountering them again and again. I just began to know what to do. As I've said, one day you wake up and everything seems simple. Its like what they said about Fischer:

"Bobby Fischer's games were all the same. The same openings, the same attacks, the same sacrifices. Very simple." (Geller)

There is one caveat however if you were to try and implement this plan. Frequently the opponent will threaten your pawns, sometimes even the pieces. You must be prepared to lose them. Nothing else matters except lining up those rooks and getting to step#6. You will frequently see a part of your army being annihilated but pay no heed to their pathetic calls for help. They are born to be sacrificed. Nothing else matters, nothing, except saving Private Ryan.
(See the game with JohnnyRio above for a typical game)

Of course seeing your pawns and pieces disappearing just like that is gut wrenching sometimes. I have had to force myself to make those moves. If you didn't know already, all I wanted previously was to win a pawn, and the endgame.

But after doing that first sacrifice, it got easier and easier. As they say: That first kill is the hardest. Now, I couldn't stop doing it.

My poor rooks, they are to die over and over again.

(Hat tip: The "How to become a deadly chess tactician" book delivered on its promise. I was "inspired" to try sacrificing. Very good book. I'm sorry I dissed it a couple of weeks ago)

4. Stopped playing "pretty boy" chess

Holding on to the "Win a pawn, win the game" modus operandi is perhaps the biggest thing that prevented me from reaching my goal. I realize the lure of winning without taking risks is strong. This is what people really mean when they say "positional" chess. The idea that you can win by slowly improving your position, while you opponent gets worse and worse, and then you win as "matter of course" without being in any danger of losing.

We'll, that's a valid way to play chess of course. However this type of chess will heretofore be known as pretty boy chess. I mean, you wanna fight but you don't wanna get bloodied? Don't wanna scratch that pretty face?

I'm playing now according to the romantic way of playing. A primeval way of playing. In this style, you learn to receive as good as you give. Invite disaster and learn to live with it. Pawns, pieces? Take them all for all I care. As I've said, I can lose an arm and a leg, and I wouldn't bat an eyelash just as long as I get the scalp of the enemy king.

(Kind of like how this dude fights.)

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Well that's about it. The secret to my "success". If we can call it that.

Now I'm gonna pull a Delamaza and quit chess.. for maybe two weeks. Just relax and bask on my new found "status".

Ah, life is good.

I'm out like Delamaza.

Art of Attack

2007-02-24T05:26:00.000-08:00

Today was supposed to be the day I would finally be able to break the magical 1800 barrier. I was determined not to stop playing until I got the needed rating points. However, as with most my plans I failed in this one too.

However, all is not lost as most the games I played contains direct king-side attacks. Game after game I would be able to conduct the attack it got to the point I'm starting to suffer delusions that "Hey, I'm turning out to be a pretty good attacker".

Anyway, I played so many games, they were lost when I failed to save them. Except for these last three:

Game 1: The Dark Tower

Just an hour or so before this, I played another game featuring roughly the same position, with the same rook sacrifice. I couldnt believe my luck when I saw the very same pattern starring me at the face. What are the chances that two different opponents will fall for the same tactic successively?

The rook sacrifice itself is really easy to see - however I think my opponents disregard such moves because they didnt expect me to just fling so variable a material. Particularly since there are other "smaller" tactics available.

However, a half-open line, with the rook staring down hard at the king? Might as well walk down a dark alley with a shining rolex and a few thousand dollars strapped at your vest.

Game 2: Rematch? Sure, and do you want a pawn with that?

I was very happy when he issued a rematch. I didnt have to wait to play another game. When I heard the familiar "click" of FICS and half-saw his knight on f3 I automatically played e5?? The start of the game and I open with a blunder.

Of course I didnt ask for a takeback. Fortunately, this opponent plays a "solid" style. I feel like he is sort of waiting for me to make my move. So I did. I castled on the opposite side and launched my attack. By the time he tried to create counterplay, its was all over. Even gave him my knight for free. As a souvenier. nyehehehe..

Game 3: Almost heaven

I just played with Fierabras the night before, and since he was so highly rated (2100++) I concentrated on preventing tactics. I think we nearly died of boredom. So I thought, next time I'll just play my normal game. Just be myself you know. Forget about the rating and just play.

So when I played this opponent I did just that. Our difference was over 150pts but when I got the chance to play a speculative king-side attack, I jumped on it. Again I sacrificed a few pawns to get my pieces near the king and the tactics flowed from there.

I wracked my brain trying to come up with the killer moves, but each time he played the best defense. When I played what I think was my most powerful move of the game - the silent sacrifice 22.. Ne3 just putting my knight en-prise, I was sure he would collapse. I mean, a lot of players would go "oohh he blundered" and take the tasty knight. I won a lot of games that way. But he just refused the additional material and calmly defended.

In the end I got into time trouble, and offered a draw when the position became equal. A good thing too because I know squat about endgames and I surely would have lost if he insisted on continuing.

But oh, for that 10 minutes when I thought I was gonna win. It was almost heaven

The Fried Liver

2007-02-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

I've been mostly playing the Italian Game nowadays. At my level, I see it all the time so I just decided to play it and analyze it a bit and give me some extra edge. Sounds suspiciously like opening study? Hehe, what can I say. Anyway, the standard move of the Giuco is 1. e4 e5 2. nf3 nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5.

However sometimes they don't play Bc5 but instead Nf6, giving me the choice of playing the Fried liver attack. I've faced this position not a few times, but always chickened out. Sacrificing a piece for the attack so early in the game is "unsound" I think.

But last night, I faced this position again and I thought: "Well, I'll probably lose but at least it would be interesting", besides its now or never right? and so, my first fried liver came into existence:

At various points of the game, when he was slipping away, I really thought I would lose. Fortunately he committed several inaccuracies allowing me to equalize material with the attack still raging. I won but more importantly I had a change of heart. I think I would like to play this opening a few more times. Not because I won, but for pedagogical reasons.

Initiative? how to attack? calculation exercises? things I read from books, but things I cannot really learn. Not until I experience it myself.

I don't want to be forever playing such blood-and-thunder openings. But for example, what if I shifted to playing a good solid game and at some point I see I'll get two pawns and the attack for a piece . Would I have enough confidence in my abilities to take that chance?

Or how about you see the opponent's pieces all bunched up with the king in the center? How to take advantage? Would a speculative attack work against such a position?

Chess questions like this that will be answered only by the player himself. If the player have not played a sacrificial game, he will decline and find some solid positional move. To such a player, perhaps studying the endgame will bring success. But if the player have played analogous positions many times before, he will calmly sac a piece and conduct the attack.

The two "styles" are valid approaches. But I'm leaning on the later so by playing games like the above, since it provides such large doses of EXP points, I hope will turn me into a death-defying sacrificial player.

So now, I'm scouring the internet searching for sample games and theory.

Wait, did I just say theory?

Just pretend you didn't read that :->

She's baaacckkk..

2007-02-21T20:57:00.000-08:00

Remember last time I ranted about my my work? How one co-worker wanted me remove a particular function. The official reason is that its not in the specification. And I would understand if it was some complicated logic, however the said function was only a date-verification logic. It was all so simple.. took me half an hour to create it. But I suspect she didn't want to do it, not only because she didn't want to but because she can't. If something is so easy you'd have just done it already right?

But she did what anybody would do in her position. She talked with the suits and asked them permission to just remove the said function.

Huh!? I mean, you create a website with a date input and does not provide a way to verify if its really a date the user is entering?

Programs like that shouldn't be allowed to come into existence and so I couldn't bring myself to do it - that's just wrong. So I just ignored her "order" and submitted my work with that dang verification logic intact.

Well, she's back.

Dang it.

I've created this web site you see using a PHP/PostgreSQL combination. The database is embedded in the PHP file. The point of contention now is - they want me to create a class encapsulating all the related logic - which I dutifully did. But it seems it wasn't enough. They ordered this very same co-worker to review my code and pick the part I have to put on inside the class.

It's giving me the hebbie gebbies. I mean, you couldn't even create a date verification logic and now you are gonna teach me all about programming?

Well excuuuuseeee me!

Besides I've been programing in C++ since I'm in college and I'm here to tell anyone who would care to listen that there is a proper place and time for using class-based logic. Everyone likes to OOP everything - but sometimes it just doesn't make sense to create the extra complexity just for its sake.

So yes this means - I will not in any way, form, shape or manner accept whatever "recommendation" she puts forth.

Perhaps I can get fired - but I am an "artiste" (grin). I consider software I write to be an extension of my creative personality. I find it near impossible to mangle my own programs: perhaps even at the cost of being fired.

I don't like to be fired, but we'll see.

UPDATE:
We'll we did the meeting and I must say I am pleasantly surprised. What she said was logical and it contains some of the things I was thinking of doing: which being the lazy ass I am, don't do. Anyway, there doesn't seem to be any problem with me following the instructions this time.

Boy am I glad to have avoided unnecessary conflicts.

BTW:
To anyone who tells me to *just* follow instruction because management said so: All I can say is.. You must really have no confidence in your abilities, nor any respect for your own opinion. For example, it would cause me trouble if I were to get fired but I have every reason to expect to get another job within a few weeks - so that doesn't scare me. And I value my own opinion as much as another. All orders must be of reasonable soundness otherwise, I just wont follow them. As they say: Tyranny is only possible if someone permits it so.

Is it worth a pawn to gain the bishop pair?

2007-02-20T21:41:00.000-08:00

Last night, I indulge in one of my famous chess orgies. This is the time where I play successive 30/30 games until my eyes bleed and the room starts spinning or I win against a higher rated opponent - whichever comes first. Here is the history of the last ten games I played yesterday:

Result	Rating	Side	Opp Rating	Opp name
-	1763	B	1842	monier
+	1767	B	1572	nlaw
+	1770	W	1494	kingkonggator
+	1773	B	1522	zfoxz
=	1771	W	1668	Trellos
-	1762	B	1747	JohnnyRio
-	1751	B	1648	hastony
+	1757	W	1634	Laarz
+	1763	W	1664	HotCarl
+	1774	B	1879	brainstew

It is interesting to note that in almost all the games above - I was down material. A pawn maybe two. Previously I would be horrified by this. I avoided shedding material as much as possible and try to snatch pawns any way I can. But now I seemed to have changed. Being down a few pawns doesn't panic me anymore. I even find myself enjoying winning from such positions.

Wonder where this underdog mentality came from.

Anyway, the ones in blue means that according to our head-to-head statistics, I haven't won against them in all our games. Zero, zilch, nada. So in essence, yesterday was a good day for revenge.

However, the one in red was a very painful game. I sacrificed a piece for a mating attack and - missed the mate. Oh for crying out loud. The sharp pain I'm feeling even now bears testimony to the agony I suffered after the game. A game that would have been nominated for the "Best sacrificial game of the year" instead is now buried deep within, to be forgotten for the pain it caused me.

I console myself that at least I learned something from this game. That next time I encounter the same position, I will not repeat the same mistake twice. Only, I distinctly remember playing another game with the same pattern. Why didn't I remember that here. Why oh why!!

It reminded me of the time when that girl I really liked was gonna answer "yes" at last but I visited on the wrong day, and her parents was fighting and it got transferred to me and one thing led to another, and I ended up getting dumped instead of getting laid and I haven't gone back to that house ever since and no you don't need to know this things and so lets just move on.

-0-

The very last game I played: The one where I defeated the 1890 player featured the question above: Does sacrificing a pawn to gain the bishop pair provide enough compensation?

In this game, the answer was yes. The powers of the bishops along the long diagonal was certainly felt throughout the whole game. And in the end, it was a pin that caused the sudden collapse of his position.

The bishop pair is really powerful. I'm starting to get biased to them so much I'm finding myself abhorred if it gets traded for a "mere" knight. Now this feeling is borne out of a lot of personal games played where the bishops was instrumental for the win and so, the psychological effect is rather strong. I just hope it doesn't lead me astray later on.

-0-

The game was a Ruy Lopez. Recently I had been using the classical defense to the Ruy. I don't like the main line as it gets too strategic for my taste. I wanted live piece play and fortunately the classical defense does not disappoint in that regard.

Here is the introduction of this system I found from this article:

"There is no point in pretending that there are any deeper "ideas behind" this defense than that Black will put his pieces on good squares, try to maintain his center, and seek tactical opportunities... ... The preeminence of tactics in this system, and its emphasis on piece activity, make it an excellent weapon for young chess players, and indeed for all players"

Here is the game itself:

- Fin -

Super Sharp French/Something weird

2007-02-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

1.) Super sharp French

Last night, I played against an 1830 player. He used the French defense. I recently watched a FICS tutorial for the Tarrasch variation and even used it beforehand. But the resulting position that arose from that game was a little bland for my taste i.e. Massive piece exchanges that left us in the endgame by move 20, so I was looking for something "sharper". I don't know the theory, or what its called but the move order is:

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qg4 Nf6 5. Qxg7 Rg8 6. Qh6 c5

The games was really sharp with lots of tactics flying around. The kind of game I like. However, I lost due to my own incompetence, but I wouldn't mind going into such complications again.

2.) Something weird

When I was looking at a position without taking my eyes off the board, nothing seems to enter my brain. I mean, the calculation doesn't start - not unless I force it. I think this is the cause why I seem to have this lapse of concentration. Its just so hard forcing oneself each and every move. Its like wrestling with something immovable. I push and I push and I push, but sometime, somewhere I will get tired and do a "just" move and fall into trouble. Like the game above. My opponent's moves were pretty predictable - but somewhere along the way, I just lost it - figuratively and literally.

But when I was looking at the board again after the game - I inadvertently took my eyes away: suddenly variations upon variations flooded my brain. It flowed like water and I couldn't shut it down. Its like watching a chess movie.

What was that? And more importantly why didn't that happen during the game?

Strange, really strange..

But it occurs to me - maybe I should take my eyes off the board from time to time during a game. I wonder, would that trigger that variation processing phenomenon?

Has anybody experienced that? I know Shirov and some other GM's doesn't look at the board but stares at the ceiling, etc.. when playing. Then maybe it is really true that calculation is easier when one is NOT looking at the board...

Am I on to something here? Is this a repeatable phenomena or just a one time thing triggered by losing the game? hmm..

But tis curious no?

If this is indeed a repeatable, then its like discovering the atomic bomb. You realize what this can do for my chess?

But first, I would need a name to call it. "Chess co-processing unit"? "Ghost in a shell"? "The inner chess eye"? Or just "the eye"? How about "The inner player", or since I don't know where that came from "The stranger"?

"Image manipulator", "Variation resolver", "Movie maker", "Chess conscience", "The Void", "Chess Compass", "Chess addiction syndrome", "Variation factory", "Inquisitor", "Conduction engine", "Lecturebot", "Crackerbot", "Transmogrifier", etc.. etc..

I Fear the Dragon

2007-02-18T19:05:00.000-08:00

I know that I win or lose not because of the opening. I know squat about opening theory and I seem to win every now and then. But there is one that seems to give me problems. Being an E4 player, I couldn't avoid meeting it and when I do, somehow I seem to fare really badly.

I'm talking about the Sicilian Dragon.

Last night I played a game against this 1820 player and when he played 1..c5 2..g6 I was like "Oh no!" For truly when 'it' is played. 'It' makes me tremble, for 'it' will devour me, and I really fear 'it'.

Of course I have every confidence in my abilities, or so I tell myself, and accepted the challenge by castling queen side. I can sense the danger from the dragon bishop but invited it nonetheless. Besides I had plans of sac-sac-mate along the H-File, and I thought if I just took my time and watched out for tactics, I'll be fine.

Alas, it was not to be.. This one turned out no different from almost all my games against 'it'. A defeat. Not only that but a miniature no less. Obliterated in under 20 moves. Posterized so to speak. Oh the agony.

Now, I'm getting tempted to do what I don't what to do and study an opening line - an anti-dragon line. Or perhaps I should play the dragon myself to get a better feel on how to defeat it. One must know the enemy to defeat it they say.

Ahh.. 'it' is driving me nuts..

How to slay the dragon... How to slay the dragon..
(Nezha paces back and forth. Hands behind his back. Head looking at the ground)

-----
Btw: I play the Grand Prix but it seems way cooler to castle on opposite sides and go for respective flank attacks. (Plus all those Corus games I watched biased me to the open sicilian)

Decency

2007-02-17T04:39:00.000-08:00

Last night, I tried to unwind by playing chess. The previous two days I posted a 1.5/3 so I wasnt really happy with my play and had wanted to string a few wins. As it so happens I won the first two, the second of which is against a 1771 player, so I was really happy. I was gonna sleep but decided against it and played another game. A 1450 player answered the seek, and I.. lost.

Now the loss itself aint no problem. But when I was losing, someone else kibitzed and said "You are waaay over-rated, just resign man".

Somehow it made me soo mad. I mean I dont even know that dude and here he is rubbing salt against my wounds. So I asked with what the hell is wrong with him and he said he is just watching his student beat me.

Look before we go any further, I'll have everybody know right now - this isnt the first time I lost to a lower rated opponent. I've lost against everybody. Players from 1200 to 2100 rating. I never said I was Nezha "The Invincible".

On the other hand, I'll give an arm and a leg if anybody will raise his arm and said that he never ever lost against a lower rated opponent.

Well anyone? Didnt think so too.

Sheesh.. (Grumble2x)

So I was stewing and stewing and as a result I decided to play successive 30/30 games. Next thing I know it was 6am and my somehow the world keeps spinning around me. So I slept.

But was still mad when I woke up.

It got me thinking, why am I losing against them? I'm now at 1766, been there for at least a two months now. Why cant I assure that I lose only to 1700 players above?

Arrrgh..

Well anyway, I decided that I am gonna give it my best shot the next time I play. I mean, I always move too fast. I'll start with 30 min and end up with 35mins, deciding and disregarding candidate moves at warp-speed. Of course my brain is as fast a tortoise so I know this is one reason preventing me from winning.

So I started a seek even before brushing my teeth and it so happened that an 1895 player answered. More than 100 points in difference. Gulp!

This is the game

I won!!!

Well would you look at that. The interesting thing about this game is that

At the end I only had 15min left while my opponent still has 30min (This is a 30/30 game) - so does this mean that I had to work twice as hard to beat someone 100points higher?
I found a 5-move trap!! Check out 28..Nc4 - I was sunk in thought for a long time trying to find a tactic and by george I found it. The point of move 28..Nc4 is move 32..Bf8. It actually went down according to plan. - I really have to give my brain time to think. Maybe I'm not as bad in tactics as I thought I was
If one is winning, what does one do? Simplify right? Not here - I was feeling a little "frisky" and decided to construct a mating net. Simplify shmplifly. Mate ends all.

We'll in the end, the taunt last night did end up for the better as it gave me a jolt and allowed me to win against someone far better than me (I cant remember the last time I beat an almost 1900 player) - But unlike some, I'm grateful for the chance given me. Because personally, I would never, ever taunt a defeated opponent.

I think this is called decency.

My kind of chess

2007-02-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a game I played yesterday that pleased me really well. Well, it was a sloppy game as all my games tend to be, but I was able to do the things that I've always tried to do in chess games nowadays. Namely sacrifice material in pursuit of an attack. This game contains two of them. One is a silent sacrifice 10.Bb5+ that really gave me satisfaction. I just hung a piece and all he had to do was take it, and he'll be up a piece. Of course if he did, I'll get a mating attack. Nyahahaha!!! The other one was a knight for two pawns and the attack.

However I blundered and threw away my queen. I was ready to resign and was just playing a little bit more. But my opponent just couldn't get anything going. All of a sudden, I had him in a mating attack - but he found this saving move and just when I thought I was lost, I found this beautiful mate. Its a standard mate but I found it so attractive because its like a CTS problem and I found it. Man, I found a mate. ^^

So to all you makers of CTS out there, thank you3x!!!

(Btw: My opponent made all these pawn moves in the opening that made it easy for me to launch a sacrificial attack. But I wonder what's the name of this opening)

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The above highlights the type of game I find most appealing. A free flowing game with tactical opportunities by the dozen - particularly one that allows me to sacrifice material. And lately thats all I've been trying to do: look for sacrificial opportunities.

I find sacrifices and its conception strangely addicting. The terms "two pawns and an attack" sounds music to my ears. When I'm doing it I'm slightly afraid, and slightly worried. Its like riding a roller coaster. And besides all those tactical problems I'm solving seems like a waste if I don't try and apply them in real games.

(From the very first time I started playing, it was burned on my skull that losing material means losing the game. So I find it really hard to sacrifice even now. To be down material for an extended period of time without any apparent compensation gets on my nerves)

Previously all I'm looking for was to win a pawn and go to a favorable endgame. But it dawned on me: I'm solving all those problems, training so hard - all for one measly pawn? To be so happy for so little? No thank you.

So I turned to sacrificial play. I think it is where my imagination and tactical ability will be tested, and allowed to grow.

I think this is the next step in tactical growth. The application of tactics requires a different kind of training than just solving exercises. It requires you bloody your hands and try to make tactics appear in games.

To make the knights hop, to make the rooks charge, to make the bishops lance, to make the queens dance. Then to combine them all in perfect harmony.

Harmony, Sacrifice, Tactics..

Things like these.. are not found in pawn up end games.

- fin -

Tactical training is fine. But I guess..

2007-02-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

I've been reading various posts regarding tactical play. No reason actually except boredom. But a few things caught my eye in that some apparently didn't improve a lick even after solving tremendous amounts of problems.

I think what happens is some players solve all these problems then play a game and rush the tactics. They push the pieces too aggressively or try to attack prematurely trusting that the tactics will favor them because they "solved" thousands of problems already. But of course this is not what happens. The tactics does not appear or worse, in their rush they themselves fall victim into a tactical shot. So they get disillusioned by the whole "chess is 99% tactics" business and turn to studying positional play and or becomes an accountant.

But its all wrong. Blaming too much studying tactics for the loss is like blaming the car for the accident. Can you tell the police "Its not me, its the car. Its too fast"? Of course not right?

Tactics like everything else is just another weapon. All things being equal, the fight will not be decided by the weapon but by the wielder. You can have the sharpest, lightest sword in the world i.e.solved 500,000 problems, but if you don't know how to wield it, the weapon is useless.

It reminds me of the story of the guitarist. They were jamming, right? and he said "Man, this guitar sucks!". A guest heard it and borrowed the guitar and suddenly all these beautiful sounds started coming out. So he returned the guitar and said "There's nothing wrong with the guitar. But I guess you just can't play".

There's nothing wrong with solving tactical problems.
I guess you just cant play"

Anyway, followers of these blog will no doubt recollect that I place emphasis on these two things

1. Calculation
2. Tactical Ability

and my "training", if you can call it that, is geared towards strengthening this two factors. To be at home in the chaotic stage as tempo puts it.

My tactical pattern recognition is just fine I think. A few minutes of CTS every day helps keep it sharp. However, my calculation powers is horrible right now. I can't even follow 5 move combinations in my head. It is my contention that calculation must be easy, calculation must be automatic, otherwise I wont be able to do it during games. I mean, you think I really wanna work that hard during chess games? Where do I put the lol!? hehe.

So to remedy this, I'm reading the Deadly Tactician book and trying to follow the variations in my head. So far its just a headache inducing experience, but sometimes I am able to follow seven move combinations so maybe there is hope after all.

It was said that Alekhine developed his calculation/visualization ability this way. Legend has it that when he broke his foot, he played solitaire chess in his head while he was in the hospital. The result is Fine commented that "Alekhine can see far more deeply than all his contemporaries".

I too want to see that deeply, that easily. The kind of chess I strive has this as its core. Chess which does not rely on opening theory or no endgame theory, or any kind of theory. Just chess based on intuition, and seeing ten moves ahead looking for combinations. Simple and easy "caveman" chess (See Patrick's videos)

Now, I am very curious as to where this takes me. For example, compared to more serious knights like J'Ajoube and Tempo.

If I fail then at the very least we will have a working knowledge of how NOT to study chess.