The Chess Mind http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/ en-us 2008-11-07T20:11+00:00 A Smyslov endgame study with a twist http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1226089505.shtml It's White to move and win, but you might need a hint to solve this amusing 1936 study by former world chess champion Vassily Smyslov. Do what you can, and... Dennis Monokroussos 2008-11-07T20:11+00:00 It's White to move and win, but you might need a hint to solve this amusing 1936 study by former world chess champion Vassily Smyslov. Do what you can, and when you're ready for that hint or to see the solution, keep clicking "Show" until you get there.



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]]> This Week's ChessVideos Show: Carlsen-Ivanchuk and the Vancura Position http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1226013176.shtml In rook endings, we "all" know the Lucena and Philidor positions*, and many of us know the Karstedt drawing idea as well. But Vancura's drawing idea? That ending is less well-known... Dennis Monokroussos 2008-11-06T23:11+00:00
It's a really beautiful idea, and even if it never shows up in your games, there's an aesthetic payoff. There's also an instructional one, because the principles underlying it apply to many other rook endings. So you have good reason to check out my ChessVideos show for this week: you'll learn a new technique, some general principles of rook endings, and some interesting moments in the Carlsen-Ivanchuk ending prior to the Vancura draw. As always, the show is free, available on demand and requires no special software.


* Regarding the allegedly universal knowledge of the Philidor Position draw, stay tuned for next week's ChessVideos show.

]]> An entertaining, non-baffling "Baffler" http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1225578098.shtml The U.S. Chess Federation's monthly catalog magazine, Chess Life, seems to have less content every year, but I'm glad that Soltis's and Benko's columns have survived to the present time. Benko's... Dennis Monokroussos 2008-11-01T22:11+00:00 catalog magazine, Chess Life, seems to have less content every year, but I'm glad that Soltis's and Benko's columns have survived to the present time. Benko's endgame columns are consistently solid, and he also offers a showcase for established and aspiring study composers in his "Benko's Baffler" sub-column. This month, he presents two that were composed in honor of his 80th birthday; one from Israeli composer Yochanan Afek (whose work recently appeared on this blog) and one from Georgian composer Velimir Kalandadze. Here it is:


White to play and draw

Studies, as opposed to problems, are supposed to be "gamelike", and speaking for myself I see interlocking tripled g-pawns in my games all the time. (Or not.) The queen on h4 is also rather suspicious, which suggests that this is a study that will have a humorous payoff. The drawing motif isn't especially original (if I'm familiar with the idea as a casual fan of endgame studies, it can't be very original) and the intro is also familiar from some old rook vs. two pawn studies, but maybe the originality lies in the conjunction. (The solution isn't unique, either - White has a transpositional choice at one moment; this too is an aesthetic blemish.) In any case it's entertaining, accessible, and eminently solvable.

The solution is here, but if you'd like a hint or two, click below.


]]> The Essent Challenger Study 2008 http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1225474321.shtml The Essent tournaments are over (the Crown Group was won decisively by Ivan Sokolov and the Open by Nijboer, Fier and Haslinger, as you may recall), but thanks to... Dennis Monokroussos 2008-10-31T17:10+00:00 Essent tournaments are over (the Crown Group was won decisively by Ivan Sokolov and the Open by Nijboer, Fier and Haslinger, as you may recall), but thanks to Chess Today I have one more bit of Essent-related information to report. Whether it's an annual tradition or not I do not know, but at least this year an original study by Israeli IM and study composer Yochanan Afek was invented specially for this event.


Afek 2008; White to play and win

The solution can be found on the tournament site (scroll down and click the "Tournament problem" link on the lower left) or here.]]> An Introduction to Domination http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1224988454.shtml (That title might get some attention from the search engines!)... Dennis Monokroussos 2008-10-26T02:10+00:00
As Wikipedia helpfully puts it, "domination occurs when a piece has a relatively wide choice of destination squares, but nevertheless cannot avoid being captured." Domination studies are often especially difficult, perhaps because players generally go after relatively stationary targets like a weak king or an isolated pawn. It's very rare that we attempt to trap pieces on an open board, especially in situations where they seem to have significant mobility.

It's a major theme in studies, as evidenced by Kasparyan's Domination in 2,545 Endgame Studies, but it doesn't seem to have caught on among casual study fans. Maybe this is because the beauty of domination studies is more abstract, or maybe it's because they are comparatively difficult. Fortunately, there are simpler examples in the genre, like this one from the Chess Cafe:


E. Paoli 1949; White to move and win.

The solution, when you're ready for it, can be found in the Chess Cafe article here (permalink here). Maybe you won't rush out and buy the Kasparyan book afterwards, but I hope solving this study will increase your appreciation of the genre.]]> Müller in the Chess Cafe on knight vs. bishop http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1221619328.shtml ... Dennis Monokroussos 2008-09-17T02:09+00:00 my current ChessVideos series on knight vs. bishop. His endgame work is always worth a look, and this month is no exception. Have a look. (Permalink here.)]]> The Study of the Year, 2007 edition http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1221189025.shtml White to move and win:... Dennis Monokroussos 2008-09-12T03:09+00:00


Solution here.

HT: Chess Today]]> My latest ChessVideos show: more misadventures in the endgame http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1218851407.shtml A few days ago I presented my first show on endgame misadventures on ChessVideos.tv; and those who didn't think I suffered enough in those games will be pleased... Dennis Monokroussos 2008-08-16T01:08+00:00 A few days ago I presented my first show on endgame misadventures on ChessVideos.tv; and those who didn't think I suffered enough in those games will be pleased with the results of this program. Available for free, on-demand, and requiring no special software, it affords viewers the chance to see some very bad endgame technique on my part. While some readers might revel in Schadenfreude, the primary value comes in learning from my mistakes - they're not unique to me, after all.

Watch, enjoy, and (hopefully) learn!]]>