The Chess Mind

This Week's ChessBase Show: Tal-Velimirovic

Dennis Monokroussos — 2008-08-27T08:08+00:00

The ongoing Tal Memorial is a very fine tournament, but there's very little about the play that would remind chess fans of the man being honored. Former world champion Mikhail Tal (1936-1992), especially in his dazzling rise to the top from 1957-1960, was a man whose colossal energy, imagination, and willingness to go on sacrificial adventures made him perhaps the most beloved chess player of modern times.

Those of you familiar with his chess know exactly what I mean, and those of you who are not are in for a special treat. Some of his games are more like dreams than real life, and that holds true for his 1979 win against another grandmaster with a penchant for ultra-sharp play, Dragoljub Velimirovic. Ironically, Tal started the game with "normal", positional play, taking advantage of his opponent's positional errors. He could have continued in this vein, but at a certain point it was as if a switch was turned on, and then Tal started to create. Eschewing a safe, sound edge, Tal sacrificed a piece for an enduring, altogether non-stereotyped attack. There were few threats and Black's king had the opportunity to seek shelter in any part of the board, yet no matter what Velimirovic did Tal seemed to create a whole new swarm of threats out of thin air.

There were a few players, like Polugaevsky and Korchnoi, whose great skill in calculation enabled them to successfully withstand Tal's attacks on a regular basis, but most - including many strong GMs - could not. After hours of heavy calculation and psychological pressure, they would break. And so it was for Velimirovic. He defended very well for a while, but by about the third wave of the attack, he (and his position) started to break down, and Tal finished in style.

Reading a description of the game is well and good, but seeing the game is even better. Therefore, I hope you'll join me tonight, Wednesday night, at 9 p.m. ET as I present this gem on ChessBase's playchess.com server. (For more directions, see this post.) See you there!

This Week's ChessBase Show: Reshevsky-Vasconcellos

Dennis Monokroussos — 2008-08-20T07:08+00:00

American great Samuel ("Sammy") Reshevsky wasn't really known as a freewheeling player (in fact, he wasn't known as a freewheeling anything); it's not an accident that one of his chess books had the sober title The Art of Positional Play. Reshevsky was a great player though (a small portion of the evidence: he was twice a Candidate, participanted in the 1948 World Championship match-tournament, won the U.S. championship six times and drew a match with Bobby Fischer), and like any great player he could do everything well.

Case in point: his last round game from the 1944 U.S. Open in Boston. Having already clinched first place going into the last round, he decided to have some fun against the young Brazilian player Fernando Vasconcellos. Facing Vasconcelles' French Defense, Reshevsky played a sideline and then went into 19th century mode, sacrificing a pawn and then a piece for attacking chances. Reshevsky crushed his opponent, concluding the game with a magnificent combination that's worth seeing, but what happens in between the sac and the finale is interesting too. It's far from clear that Rehevsky's piece sac was sound, and we'll go exploring to find the truth of the matter.

To see this truth, or at least our initial approximation to it, and to discover this wonderful game that's not (yet) in your Mega database, join me Wednesday night (tonight for those of us in the Western hemisphere) at 9 p.m. ET. The show is free - just show up in the broadcast room of the playchess.com server, find Reshevsky-Vasconcellos in the game list, and start watching and listening! (Further instructions here.) Hope to see you there.

Accessing my ChessBase Shows

Dennis Monokroussos — 2008-08-20T07:08+00:00

Every Wednesday night, I present a live show on ChessBase's playchess.com server, and once the show is over it is uploaded into the server's archives. In this entry I'll explain how to access both live and archived shows.

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First Steps: Meeting your software needs

ChessBase Software Unfortunately, it' s not as simple as opening your web browser and entering a URL, but it isn't too difficult. The first step is to get the right software, and there are two main options to choose from.

First, you can go to playchess.com and download the free client software. That will give you one month's free access to ChessBase's online server, which is where the show takes place.

A second option is to go shopping on the ChessBase website and purchase one of their playing programs (Fritz, Junior, Shredder, Hiarcs, Chess Tiger, etc.) for approximately 50 USD. The programs are all of appproximate world championship-level strength and have lots of neat bells & whistles, but the relevant matter at hand is that you receive two free ("free" given the initial purchase of the software, of course) 1-year memberships to the playchess.com server.

Windows Media Player 9 (or later) You'll also need Windows Media 9 or later (Microsoft is up to version 10 now). It probably came with your machine if it's a recent one, but if not, you can download it here.

Part Two: I have the software; now what?

If you have the standalone client (option 1, above), then life is simple: execute the program and log on. If you have Fritz or one of its counterparts, execute the program, choose the Playchess.com option and log on. From this point, the two options will work the same way.

The next step is to navigate inside the server. Once inside, your interface will probably consist of four windows. One of them, probably on the bottom right, will have a header that says "Rooms." In that window you'll see a directory structure listing the server's rooms, obviously enough; the one you'll want to watch the lives shows is "Broadcasts." Click once and you'll be in.

The next thing to do is to go to the window on the upper left. It should have four tabs on the top (Info, Players, Games and World) - select the players tab. That will list all the players in the room, including yourself. My account name is "Initiative", and the easiest way to watch me give the show is to double-click on my handle while the show is going on. (More generally, since there are other people who occasionally broadcast shows, click on the "Status" bar and then double-click on the account name of anyone listed as a "Chairman".) And that's all there is to it! A new window will automatically open displaying the analysis board and providing the show's audio.

Great, but what about all those wonderful shows I've missed? Part 1: Buying Ducats Almost every past show is in the archives, but first you'll have to buy what ChessBase calls "ducats" (that's what they call their online currency). While you're logged on with a registered account, go to the Edit menu, select Payments and from there Fill Up Your Account. Follow the directions on purchasing ducats and you'll be good to go within 24 hours or so, possibly sooner.

CB charges about $13 US for 100 ducats, so given their charge of 2 ducats (about 26 cents) to watch an archived show (sometimes 1 ducat, sometimes 4 ducats, if the show was broken into two parts), it's unlikely that anyone with an internet account and the ability to purchase chess software is going to feel much of a pinch here.

Part 2: Accessing the Old Shows Now that you're the proud owner of a bucket of ducats, here's what you do. Log on to the playchess server, look in the Rooms window and click on Chess Media System, then from within there continue to telescope in as follows: Radio ChessBase-->English-->Great Games with Dennis Monokroussos.

Once you've done that, click on the Games tab in the upper left (sub-) window and you'll see the list of available shows. When you find one you like, double-click and start watching! After a few seconds, you'll be asked if you'd like to watch the rest of the broadcast for the prescribed fee. If you accept, then that's it - all that's left is to watch and enjoy!

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This Week's ChessBase Show: Smyslov-Karpov, USSR ch 1971

Dennis Monokroussos — 2008-08-13T05:08+00:00

Back in 1971, Anatoly Karpov was a rapidly rising star, but no one thought the 20-year-old grandmaster would become world champion in just four more years. Vassily Smyslov, his 50-year-old opponent, was a former world champion and still one of the best players in the world. Neither was at his prime, but they were still very strong and this clash in the 39th Soviet Championship was intriguing and significant to the final standings. Although the title was won that year by Vladimir Savon in one of the great surprises in Soviet chess history, Smyslov had a fantastic result, going undefeated and tying for second with Mikhail Tal. Karpov was half a point behind Smyslov, finishing alone in fourth place, ahead of such luminaries as Stein, Bronstein, Polugaevsky, Taimanov and Geller in only his second shot at the national title. The event was a good sign for players: for Karpov, of his inevitable rise to the top, and for Smyslov, an indication that age was far from catching up with him. Indeed, 13 years later, at the age of 63, he would play Kasparov for the right to face Karpov for the world championship – an incredible achievement.

Turning from the broader picture to the game itself, which was won by the older man, we might think that the win came as the result of technical prowess. After all, Smyslov is known as a great endgame technician, and it’s what we would expect from an older player beating a youngster. That’s an understandable assumption, but a mistaken one. Smyslov is a fine attacking player, and especially adept at handling isolated queen pawn (IQP) structures. Karpov is completely overwhelmed by Smyslov in this game – strategically, tactically, every which way! It’s a tremendous performance by the 7th world champion, and one we can learn from in at least two ways. First, there are the general lessons of the IQP we can glean from the game. These are enduring ideas that show up in a wide range of openings, from the Caro-Kann to the Nimzo-Indian to a host of Queen’s Gambit lines. Second, there’s a nifty trap Karpov fell for – and that Smyslov failed to take advantage of! Remarkably, quite a number of strong players have fallen into this trap (and a few others with White have failed to take advantage), so this is something you can add to your own bag of tricks.

Entertainment and instruction thus awaits you tonight – Wednesday night – at 9 p.m. ET in the Broadcast room on the Playchess.com server. I’ll be presenting the game live, free for those with server access. ("How-to" details are here.) Hope to see you there!

This Week's ChessBase Show: Nepomniachtchi-Vallejo Pons, Aeroflot 2007

Dennis Monokroussos — 2008-08-06T12:08+00:00

Two of the strongest young players in the world today are Ian Nepomniachtchi and Francisco Vallejo Pons. Nepomniachtchi is one of the three extraordinary talents born in 1990 (the other two are Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin), whose developing resume includes a victory earlier this year in the Aeroflot Open. Vallejo Pons is a more established player. 25 years old, he has participated in several Linares events, has wins over Anand, Kramnik and Topalov to his credit, and is the strongest native-born player in Spain. Both players have a lively and aggressive style, and it’s not surprising that a game between the two young lions would be a display of ferocity.

That’s just what happened when they played in the 2007 Aeroflot Open. Nepomniachtchi had the temerity to play the Center Game (1.e4 e5 2.d4!?), an opening that sees White sacrifice a pawn and castle long in the hopes of whipping up an attack on Black’s king. Black generally tries to keep things under control, while White assumes the initiative as a matter of course and tries to make something happen. Not in this game! Nepomniachtchi played a rare line, and his 14th move was an OTB novelty, having played only once before, more than 35 years ago, in a correspondence game. Though Black in the earlier game was a very strong postal player, he didn’t find the brilliant rejoinder Vallejo sprung on his poor opponent. His new move was imaginative, deep and accurate, and enabled him to completely take over the initiative. When the smoke cleared, Black had three pawns for the exchange and a better position as well, and went on to win in an endgame.

The game was voted one of the 10 Best in Informant 99, and it also caught the eye of none other than Viktor Korchnoi, who annotated the game for ChessBase Magazine. Some of the strongest players in the world have voiced their approval of this game, but it’s not the sort of game whose appeal is limited to the highbrow set. Players of every level will find this a wonderfully entertaining contest, and it’s also a good excuse to take a look at a rare but important opening for those who meet 1.e4 with 1…e5. Interested? Then join me tonight, Wednesday night, at 9 p.m. ET in the Broadcast Room on the playchess.com server.* The show is live, free, combines downloadable analysis with my audio commentary, and makes for an all-around good time. See you there!

* Full directions for watching the show, whether live or in the archives, can be found here.

This Week's ChessBase Show: The Immortal Suffocation Game

Dennis Monokroussos — 2008-07-30T06:07+00:00

An exaggeration? Maybe, but if it is, it's not much of one. But first, a little background.

The year is 1929, the place is Karlsbad, and our protagonists are José Raúl Capablanca, the third and then-recently deposed world chess champion;

and Karel Treybal (1885-1941), a strong Czech master whose resume includes a tournament win over Alexander Alekhine.

Treybal had an affection for Dutch Stonewall type positions (it was with such an opening that he defeated Alekhine), and that's what he used against Capablanca. Although it left him with less space and one of the worst light-squared bishops in recorded human history, the seriously locked pawn structure probably left Treybal relatively optimistic about holding the position. One would expect Capa to look for some way of blasting the position open: in the center, the kingside, the queenside - somewhere.

Instead, the great Cuban kept locking up the board. Early on, he eliminated the realistic possibility of breaking in the center, and then he locked up the whole kingside and almost everything on the queenside. (Almost.) Only the a-file was open, and although White was able to achieve absolute ownership over it, it was far from obvious that he could achieve anything with it. That Capablanca knew that he could break through in due course, despite Black's ability to shift his cramped pieces to the danger zone, shows his legendary ability to think schematically.

It's an impressive game, and one that's extremely picturesque. I first saw the game as a young child, and the strong impression it made on me then has stuck with me to the present day. I think you'll enjoy it too, so please join me tonight - Wednesday night - at 9 p.m. ET (that's Thursday at 3 a.m. CET) on the Playchess.com server. The show is free, and you can find full directions here.

Hope to see you then!

This Week's ChessBase Show: Anand-Kamsky, Las Palmas 1995

Dennis Monokroussos — 2008-07-23T07:07+00:00

With world champion Viswanathan Anand set to defend his title against Vladimir Kramnik, and Gata Kamsky to do battle with Veselin Topalov for the right to play for the title next year, it's conceivable that 2009 will see an Anand-Kamsky championship match. If so, it will be their third tilt, with their two previous contests taking place in candidates matches in the mid-1990s.

In the first, an eight-game match in Sanghi Nagar, Anand led by two games with three to go. All would seem to be well, but he lost games 6 and 7, and after a draw in round 8, continued his collapse in the rapid tiebreak, losing both games (the last in just 17 moves). That was the semi-final match in the FIDE cycle. Kamsky ultimately made it to the world championship match against Karpov in 1996, where he was defeated; he retired shortly thereafter.

Meanwhile, they met again in a 12-game match, the final of the PCA Candidates, and here too they were tied after eight games. While Anand had generally enjoyed the better positions in their games, Kamsky had shown himself the better pressure player - up to this point. But now, in game 9, Anand rose to the occasion and played a beautiful game, winning convincingly and destroying Kamsky's main black opening for the match. Game 10 was drawn, and Kamsky's backup opening was beaten soundly in the finale. This gave Anand the right to face Kasparov the next year, and like Kamsky against Karpov, Anand too was ultimately unsuccessful in his first shot at the title.

Still, the match was a big success for Anand, as he overcame a difficult opponent and proved that he could handle a big pressure situation - and with style. In our show this week, we'll look at his majestic win in game 9 of the 1995 match. The game demonstrated practically everything: a nice, new opening idea, a sustained attack that involved play on all three parts of the board in beautiful harmony, nice variations, the interplay of strategic goals and tactical play, a few ingenious maneuvers - this game had it all, aside from an endgame.

Now that I've whetted your appetite, all you need to do is tune in to the playchess.com server tonight - Wednesday night - at 9 p.m. ET. Log on to the server, go into the broadcast room, and double-click on my nickname there (Initiative) and you're good to go. (Further directions here, especially for those who would like to watch archived shows.) Hope to see you there!

This Week's ChessBase Show: The Benko Gambit, starring Pal Benko

Dennis Monokroussos — 2008-07-16T07:07+00:00

With the Hungarian/American grandmaster Pal Benko turning 80 earlier this week, it seems like a good time to celebrate his chess with a look at his best-known contribution to the chess world, the eponymous Benko Gambit. Benko, a two-time world championship Candidate, did not invent the gambit (known as the "Volga Gambit" in some parts of the world), but he was the first strong grandmaster to use it on a regular basis. It's because of his efforts, starting in the late 60s, that the opening became a popular weapon among professionals and amateurs alike.

The Gambit is a remarkable weapon. Black gives up a pawn on move 3, and in return gains neither time, attacking chances against White's king or even any initiative to speak of. Stranger still, Black is often delighted to exchange piece after piece - just the opposite of what we'd expect from a gambit. What he does enjoy is very long term pressure against White's queenside along the a- and b-files (at least in classic lines where White accepts the gambit), the kind of pressure that can pay off 15, 20, even 30 or more moves down the road. It's an excellent fighting weapon, especially against those players who use 1.d4 in hopes of reaching a safe, quiet position where only two results (a White win or a draw) are possible, as there is no way for White to dry the game up, even if he's well-prepared.

Now that I've whetted your appetite, I hope you'll join me tonight - Wednesday night - at 9 p.m. ET, as we see how the master and founding father of this system handled it in his own games. We'll see some of his ideas about the opening per se, but more importantly, we'll see how the Benko Gambit plays itself out in the middlegame and ending. This will give us a template, enabling us to see some of the thematic ideas we can use to win our own games. Pure practicality!

(If your only reservation is cost, then fear not: it's free. Not sure how to watch? Again, it's no problem: click here to read full directions. See you then!)