Chess Training for Improvement

I've continued my streak...

2007-02-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

But it's slowly puttering out. Now that I'm challenging people at FICS that are at my own rating (about 1700) I'm not winning quite as often. But I am enjoying the games when I can fit them in. Just advice to parents among the knights, the college process is hell. First there are the super-long applications. Those take about a month each to really do well. So that was a huge section of time just cut out of my day that I really didn't plan on giving away. And then there's the financial aid. I really didn't do much on that (my parents did) but that takes at least a week to two weeks to finish. And then there's scholarships. I doubt they're the final work-intensive step in the process, but I sure hope they are. There's a lot of them, and almost all of them want some sort of long essay and the same information you've given before, except on a different form. Sort of tiring. Thank goodness for track and field, or I would have no social life.

Recent Game and Another Update

2007-01-15T22:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished a game at FICS that was pretty interesting. Granted, it was a situation of opposite side castling, but the advantage swings from my side to my opponent's fairly regularly. We both made pretty boneheaded moves on a pretty regular basis. I eventually won, but I could have finished him off much earlier, and he could have said the same. Here is:

Generalkaia - NN, 1/15/07, FICS

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 exd4
4. Nxd4 g6
5. Nc3 Bg7
6. Be3 Ne7
7. Qd2 O-O
8. O-O-O













This is an interesting position.
Clearly, both sides will be vying
for the attack, as the kings are
castled on opposite sides.








8. ... Nbc6
9. h4 a6
10. h5 b5
11. Nxc6 Nxc6

















I personally like my position here, and
I think most of the Knights would agree
that white is winning. However, I found
it difficult to convert at this stage,
I had lots of good ideas but I had a hard
time calculating everything to satisfaction.

12. Bh6 Bg4
13. Bxg7 Bxd1
14. Nxd1 Kxg7
15. hxg6 fxg6

















Here, I am still winning but I show in the
next few moves that I have no idea what I'm
doing. I try to continue with the pawn
rush idea, but 16. Qh6+ Kf6 17. Qh4+ is
much more promising.

16. f4 Ne7
17. f5 Rh8
18. Qg5 Ng8
19. Qg4

















I've blown my attack, and here is where he
takes the initiative and starts stretching
my forces thin.

19. ... Qf6
20. Ne3 Ne7
21. Bd3 Raf8
22. Rf1

















I'm barely holding on, just making moves
that vaguely make sense. At this point I
felt trapped by my own position and very
much on the defense. Luckily for me he made
a few slight mistakes in the next few moves
that tipped the game in my favor.

22. ... Qd4
23. Rf3 d5
24. fxg6 Rxf3
25. gxh7+

















This was his fatal mistake. I am now back
at material equilibrium and am on the
attack. Hasta la vista, baby!

25. ... Kf8
26. Qxf3+ Ke8
27. Nxd5 Nxd5
28. exd5 Qe5
29. Qe4 Qxe4
30. Bxe4















After this, the game is basically over, my
bishop is much more powerful than his rook,
and once I advance my pawns the game is
just technique.

30. ... Ke7
31. Kd2 Kf6
32. Ke3 a5
33. a3 b4
34. axb4 axb4
35. c3 bxc3
36. bxc3 Kg7
37. c4 Rf8
38. Kd4 Rd8
39. c5 Kf6
40. g4 Kg5
41. Bf5 Kf6
42. c6 Kg5
43. Kc5 Kf6
44. d6 cxd6+
45. Kd5 Kg7
46. c7 Rf8
47. c8=Q Rxc8
48. Bxc8 Kxh7
49. Kxd6 Kh6
50. Ke5 Kg5
51. Bf5 Kh6
52. Kf4 Kg7
53. Kg5 Kf8
54. Kf6 Kg8
55. g5 Kh8
56. Be6
{Black resigns} 1-0

Well...

2007-01-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

I won't say I'm officially back, since I tend to say that and then disappear again the next week, but I have played about 10 chess games in the last 4 days at FICS. I logged on the other night just to test the waters, and I immediately felt that satisfying feeling that chess gives me. Especially when I'm winning. Which I have been doing fairly often. My rating has risen from about 1590 to 1650, but that's mainly because of the high RD. I find it really refreshing to come back to chess after a long hiatus, because I can see moves more clearly and enjoy myself more. SO.... I am considering jumping back into the 7-Circles program. I think I'm going to modify it, like so many knights have before. I think I'm going to go with the Repeat-Until-Perfection modificiation. I have a book of 365 mates, which is divided into 5 sections of increasing difficulty and 3 test sections, so I plan on doing a Until-Perfection Circle with each of the 5 sections and finishing it off with the 3 tests to see how I've come along.

And the reason I've taken such a long break from chess is RUNNING and COLLEGES, two big parts of my life that are only now starting to slack off. If you want to read about my successful Cross Country season, I have a blog recapping the season at Carrillo Cross Country. College-wise, I've applied to four colleges and, at this point, really want to go to Santa Clara University. I've also applied to Cal and UC Davis and wasn't accepted by Stanford. So, that's a review of my life for the past four months or so, and I'm just finishing up my SCU app right now. Wish me luck!!!

Breaking 1600 at CTS

2006-08-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I was finally able to break 1600 with my huge RD about a week ago. It was exciting until I began to lose points and settle back at my regular 1560-1570. Well, I am going to be teaching chess again this winter, but I won't actually be able to play very much, due to cross country and a big homework load.

As a side note to transformation: In case you read this, you might want to change your settings to allow others to comment, as currently only your "team members" can write comments to you. Thought I would let you know in case you read my blog.

Running and Chess

2006-07-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

As many other bloggers have noted before me, there are parallels between chess and sports. I am getting very serious about training for running for Cross Country and Track for my school (I run the mile and two-mile). Right now we are focusing on ramping up our miles at a moderate pace (6:30-7:15 mile pace or so for 7-15 miles), just to build endurance. Later on we will build our anaerobic threshold, VO2 max, etc. using interval and tempo training at the right time in the season. Then of course come the meets themselves, which test the training. This is similar to chess. We train the strategy, opening, tactics, and endgame portions of the whole shebang to improve. But seeing the parallel to chess, i guess you could say that interval training is most like cts. you are just able to go faster. it is of vital importance to train every part of you game/body so that you can perform at peak level. i'm not sure what else i can say, but i also think that it is very important to get in lots of quality training, challenging yourself to improve, before proving your mettle on the chess board or at the track. Just some thoughts from generalkaia. Let me know if anything sounds vaguely correct here. :)

2000

2006-07-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

I've hit the 2,000 mark on CTS. My rating, as it stands now, is 1554, and my success rate is 60.9%. I am just focusing on raising the percentage at this point, but my rating has pretty much stayed put, fluxtuating around 1560. I am now taking more time to get each problem right, and I was at a 80% success rate for the latest session. So, overall I think I will see improvement soon.

CTS and Mastering Chess

2006-07-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been doing so hot on CTS lately. Trying to get every problem right isn't helping my percentage or my rating. Something needs to change. It's frustrating that neither are improving, you would think that I would at least be able to improve the percentage, but I can't.

On another note, I think that CTS is highly beneficial to chess skill. As Tempo has theorized and experienced himself, it makes a difference. And now, a new article in the August Scientific American confirms what tempo has been saying. The article states that "much of the chess master's advantage over the novice derives from the first few seconds of thought." Thus, CTS would train you to spot things quickly in a position and to store lots of positions in your long-term memory. Again, just like tempo thought. Just thought that I would bring that up.

Also of interest to all of us amateur chess players, it has become evident (again, according to the article) that there is no such thing as innate talent, only hard work can get you to the level of chess expertise that you desire. There is a so-called 10-year rule that says that it takes "approximately a decade of heavy labor to master any field." That means that you constantly have to challenge yourself and fight the instinct to settle into a groove of moderate ability.

I thought that I would also mention that the article talks about chunking, as in groups of information. One theory is that chess masters are able to store thousands of chunks of information, like the fianchetto position in a certain opening, for example, and know intuitively about that aspect of the position. The thousands of chunks that the masters have allows them to memorize positions in under 10 seconds when presented to them for the first time. A novice, which doesn't have nearly as many "chunks," thus has a harder time with setting up the position perfectly after 10 seconds.

I thought that this would be of interest to everyone. :)

Update:
Well, I recovered from my little dip in both rating and success rate at CTS. I am back up to 1565 and have got my success rate up to 59.1% from 57%. It's getting hard to change it. :)

Another Update:
I just passed tempo on the CTS rankings! But then again, I won't be getting even close to 1600 like he did. Also just discovered the message board there. I'm liking CTS more and more! :)

A Change

2006-07-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well, with my CTS success rating dropping from 60% to about 58%, I tried to focus on just getting the problem right, no matter how long it took. But then my rating started to fall too. So, I need to give the technique more of a try, but it's been discouraging thus far. I think I will consider 10,000 tries on CTS one circle, similar I think to what tempo has done. I may be nearing 1,000! Alright!

A Base Rating

2006-07-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

I seem to have established as a base rating on CTS of about 1560. So, I just need to see if I can actually improve on CTS and then transfer that to the chess board! According to tempo, this should eventually happen, but it may take a very long time (10's of thousands of problems if he is any indication). I think that I can make it happen, just by chipping away here and there. I think that CTS will be my 7 circles. I guess I could be considered back on the quest. I'll look at making an official plan in the next few days.

Improvement

2006-07-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I have definitely noticed that it can take a while to get used to the CTS format, but once you do, your rating improves by about 10 points at least. I'm starting to get hooked. What really helps me do better, it seems, is when I actually get into the problem solving and make it sort of a competition. I pump my fists when I get one right just to get that little surge of adrenaline. It seems to work for me, but they probably wouldn't like it if I did that at an OTB tournament or something. ("What a move! Alright!!!") But CTS can get a bit addictive. As Tempo has likely discovered. :)

CTS

2006-07-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I have come to a sort of hover at CTS at around 1550. I'm starting to see a few of the same problems over again, which is nice to have free rating points. At some point I may encounter some problems that I recognize but don't remember the move sequence. I'm not looking forward to that. But what I like about CTS is that I don't have to do it for any set amount of time. I can do as few or as many chess problems as I like, as it fits in my schedule. Unlike FICS, CTS doesn't take a whole chunk out of your day. I'll definitely be doing more problems in the upcoming days.

Summer!

2006-07-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been playing chess since school got out, I just haven't posted in a while. My rating has sunk due to the long break from chess. I'm slowly recovering. Based on Tempo's recent post and his results, I have resumed using CTS. I'm now generalkaia1, if anyone is interested. I think that tempo has a good point that the 3 second constraint requires that you have the pattern locked inside your brain at a different, more long-term spot than if you had to spot the tactic without ever seeing it before. Definitely an advantage at the chess board.

New Idea

2006-05-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

Just was struck by inspiration! What do my fellow bloggers think of the prospect of entering the positions and games from some middlegame manual like Silman's Reassess Your Chess into Chess Position Trainer. In this way, you could not only get the benefit of reading through the games once, but from then on you could easily access any part of the book by simply going to the repertoire of the game, rather than having to set up a chess board, etc. Just thinking...

Hectic Life!

2006-05-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

I have been running quite a few track meets in the last few weeks, the last one being yesterday. I'm a distance runner, so I run the 800 (half-mile), 1600 (mile), and, for the first time yesterday, the 3200 (two-mile). Yesterday was the North Bay League finals for the Sonoma County area. I ran ok in the mile, a solid time but not a PR, coming in at approximately 4:50. That time and place wasn't good enough to advance to North Coast Section championships, but the two-mile was yet to come. And in my first 3200 ever, I ran a 10:26 to qualify for the NCS championships next Saturday. Really fun.

Chess-wise, I have been playing continuously but not studying. If I can get some more PCT in on a regular basis I will be much more happy. Other than that, nothing to report!

Thank you for all of your input on the colleges. Always great to hear other opinions.

I tried the BDG the other day and had a fun win. I'll try it out some more to get used to it. The Panther, from King of the Spill's post, also looks interesting. I will be checking that out some more too.

Back From the East Coast

2006-04-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a 5-day trip of the East Coast, looking at colleges. I checked out Swarthmore, Vassar, Yale, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Brown. My favorite was Swarthmore and coming in second was UNC-Chapel Hill. If I had thought at all, I would have dropped in on some of the Knights Errant, or maybe the Boyston Chess Club. Heck, I was in Boston and we passed Boyston Street (I'm assuming that's where the club is.) on the way to Logan Airport. I felt pretty dumb of not even thinking to drop in, play chess, or even ask about the colleges any of the knights have graduated from. If you have any info about any of the above colleges or others such as Cornell, Tufts, or Brandeis, or any others, east or west coast, let me know. It would be much appreciated!

I have been lucky enough to get some PCT training in. Good to still keep doing chess. After the APs, I will be able to read some of the books I have been waiting to read and play lots of chess. I can't wait. I was studying for the AP US History Test in the long car trips from one college to another. Not a ton of fun, but key in actually getting in to the colleges I was viewing. :)

The 45 45 Tourney hasn't been goinig that well, because I was contacted my opponent but didn't get a response that I know of, but he was awarded the win. That's frustrating. Well, I look forward to actually playing.

Position from a recent game

2006-04-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

I have been able to do more and more tactical training with the Personal Chess Trainer. I'm getting back into it, which is beneficial and fun.

I recently played a game with a friendly 1800 player, as black, and the position after the 22nd move the position was at a junction:

Which move is best?

22. ... gxh6,
22. ... Bxe1, or
22. ... Nf6

Why? I made the worst move and was promptly punished. :)

Another Exciting Game

2006-04-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

I recently played another exciting, tactical game. Here, I will actually provide some handy-dandy images, unlike last time. I played black in a Ruy Lopez:

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 a6
4. Ba4 Nf6
5. 0-0 Be7
6. d3 d6 (diagram)

I then proceeded to castle and to threaten his strong white-squared bishop with my knight and queenside pawns:

7. Nc3 b5
8. Bb3 Na5
9. Be3 (diagram)

9. ... Nxb3
10. axb3 Bb7
11. Ne2 d5
12. exd5 Nxd5
13. Nxe5 Bf6
14. d4 (diagram)

This is where the game gets exciting. He opts against a queen trade and the battle heats up!

14. ... Nxe3
15. fxe3 Bxe5
16. dxe5 Qg5
17. Nf4 Qxe5
18. Qd4 Rfe8
19. Rae1 Rad8
20. Qa7 (diagram)

In hindsight, this move seems to have been the nail in white's coffin. After moving his queen to the edge of the board he sticks with his decision and goes for the material win:

21. ... Qe4
22. Rf2 Re5
23. Nd3 Rg5
24. Ree2 h6
25. Nc5 (diagram)

This is white's fatal mistake, opening up his back rank to a vicious, brutal, and intense attack! hehe, as they say, it's the victors who write history. In the end, I get to make an exciting (and necessary) queen sacrifice that got my blood pumping.

25. ... Rd1+
26. Kh2 Qe5+
27. Rf4 Qxe3
28. Qxb7 Qg3#

In the end, it came down to a tactical battle with his queen off to the side and both of us striving for the win. It came down to mating attack versus a material attack. The mating attack won...

Here's the pgn for those who desire it:

[Event "FICS rated standard game"]
[Site "FICS, San Jose, California USA"]
[Date "2006.04.02"]
[Time "17:52:16"]
[Round "-"]
[White "NN"]
[Black "generalkaia"]
[WhiteElo "1729"]
[BlackElo "1715"]
[TimeControl "1200+15"]
[Mode "ICS"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 d6 7. h3 O-O 8. Nc3
b5 9. Bb3 Na5 10. Be3 Nxb3 11. axb3 Bb7 12. Ne2 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Nxe5
Bf6 15. d4 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bxe5 17. dxe5 Qg5 18. Nf4 Qxe5 19. Qd4 Rfe8 20. Rae1
Rad8 21. Qa7 Qe4 22. Rf2 Re5 23. Nd3 Rg5 24. Ree2 h6 25. Nc5 Rd1+ 26. Kh2
Qe5+ 27. Rf4 Qxe3 28. Qxb7 Qg3#
{White checkmated} 0-1

New Win!

2006-03-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

Hey! I just beat a 1901 player! I'm a lowly 1700! Exciting game, with initiative playing a key factor, in my opinion. For some reason, I started to think about what I would need to do if I was using the Silman thinking process, and initiative was the biggest concern.

I'll come back and annotate it tomorrow. Boy, what a fun game.

[Event "FICS rated standard game"]
[Site "FICS, San Jose, California USA"]
[Date "2006.03.26"]
[Time "21:33:00"]
[Round "-"]
[White "generalkaia"]
[Black "NN"]
[WhiteElo "1696"]
[BlackElo "1901"]
[TimeControl "900+10"]
[Mode "ICS"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O
8. Bb3 d6 9. f3 Bd7 10. Qd2 Qa5 11. O-O-O Rfc8 12. h4 Ne5 13. g4 Rxc3 14. Qxc3
Qxc3 15. bxc3 b5 16. h5 Rc8 17. Kb2 Nxf3 18. Nxf3 Bxg4 19. Rdf1 Nxe4 20. Bxf7+
Kf8 21. Ng5 Bxc3+ 22. Kb3 Ng3 23. Be6+ Nxf1 24. Rxf1+ Bf6 25. Bxc8 Bxc8
26. Nxh7+ Kg7 27. Nxf6 exf6 28. h6+ Kf7 29. Bd4 Bf5 30. h7 Kg7 31. Rh1
{Black resigns} 1-0

Winning Streak (Again)

2006-03-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I have finally had time to play some chess again. I haven't done any studying at all, but I have noticed that my openings are getting much better. I remember lines now many moves in, which is encouraging. It's helping me to set up better positions, putting me in good hands for the middlegame. As soon as APs are over, I should be able to play more chess and get some studying in. Until then, my presence will be limited.

My Problem With Thought Processes

2006-03-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

As Blue Devil has posted about his thought process recently (see his post here), I thought it would be appropriate to talk about my one big problem with applying thought processes. It comes down to this: I can't apply the process every move. I am able to apply the process for a few moves, but then I revert to my previous way of playing. Does anyone have any tips on how to apply the though process throughout the game? I would love any feedback on the topic. Thanks.

Limited Time

2006-02-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get on FICS as often as I can, but things like track, studying for the AP History Exam, and homework have kept me from playing as often as I would like. My rating is hovering aroung 1675. I'm hoping that I can get some training in on PCT, but that is also hard to do. I'll just have to find time on the weekend.

A T29 Win!

2006-02-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally won a T29 game, and it's the game that will get us to the finals! It was sort of interesting. He made a big mistake early on, so it wasn't too hard from there on. Here it is:
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 e6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Qb6
5. Nc3 Bc5
6. Be3 Qxb2 (Diagram)
Big mistake. The queen is trapped after my next move.

7. Ndb5 Bd4
8. Bd2 a6
9. Rb1 Bxc3
10. Rxb2 Bxb2 (Diagram)
The dust settles. I am 5 points up on the Reinfeld point scale now. Some simplification is all that is necessary now.

11. Nc7+ Kf8
12. Bb4+ Ne7
13. Qd6 Nc6
14. Nxa8 Be5 (Diagram)
From here on out, it is just trading down to a won endgame.

15. Qd2 Ke8
16. Bxe7 Kxe7
17. Nb6 d6
18. Nxc8+ Rxc8
19.Bd3 Nd4
20. 0-0 Bf4 (Diagram)
The end. Overall, a short game that I am glad I won. :)

Any comments are welcome.

New Diagrams!

2006-02-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

I had a fun game the other day, with both sides attacking on opposite flanks. I was white, and the critical position came here:

I played a quick Kxb2, and fell to the mate. However, what white move would win the game?

Matrix Chess

2006-02-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

Anyone ever heard of this guy, Bernard Parham? He has a chess system called the "Matrix." He opens games with a quick Qh5, and tries to use math and probability to win the game. Click here for more about his system. Might be good for some knights to try...

Tactics Theories

2006-02-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

I love Temposchlucker and King of the Spill's theories. These sort of posts are what make me enjoy blogging. the community we have going allows us to give and get feedback, which I think is great.

The PCT training is slowing down, but I am still doing a bit each night. I'm also playing on FICS whenever possible. I'll get together my own theory of tactics if possible.

300 mark

2006-01-29T21:23:00.000-08:00

I've now played over 300 standard time control games on FICS. Quite a milestone. :) I got some more training in today, plus two games, along with a soccer game (which we tied, 0 to 0, by the way). The soccer field was an hour away. That took a big 5 hour chunk out of my day, because we had to get there early too for warming up. Well, I got some homework done in the car anyways. I got a job teaching chess to kids for 6 successive thursdays. Pretty fun, and well paying: $19 an hour! So life is pretty good right now. I really think that some of the PCT training is really sinking in, and I feel like I'm playing better chess. My rating isn't fluctuating as much, and I don't go on any cold or dry spells, any winning or losing streaks. So, that's good and bad news. I'm not improving, but I'm also not deproving :).

Fun Wins!

2006-01-28T21:05:00.000-08:00

Some victories on several fronts. Today I took the SAT, a 3 hours and 45 minute long ordeal which was, overall, not bad. For those of you who don't know what the SAT is, it's a test that many US students take in order to get to college. The test, graded on a scale of 2400 with 3 800-point sections, is a key factor in a college application. I took the test last year, and got a 2230 out of 2400, which is a good score. However, as many colleges will take your best score on each section, I hoped to improve on one of my poorer section scores. So, I'll post my results when I get them.

On the chess front, I crushed a 1740 player handily. The training is going very well, as I breeze through the PCT units. I've done 9 units now in the tactics and 2 in the endgame. Overall, really good day.

And on another, completely unrelated note, I saw The Matador, with Pierce Brosnan, today. It was really good.

Training

2006-01-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I've done a total of 7 tactics modules of the first unit, and one endgame module of the first unit. I pulled off a miracle draw today at FICS after going down two pawns, then regaining one, and then sacrificed my bishop for the draw with my advanced pawn. Sort of fun, since I usually lose my engames. Here it is:

[Event "FICS rated standard game"]
[Site "FICS, San Jose, California USA"]
[Date "2006.01.26"]
[Time "22:02:56"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Haotu"]
[Black "generalkaia"]
[WhiteElo "1771"]
[BlackElo "1681"]
[TimeControl "900+0"]
[Mode "ICS"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1. e4 e5
2. f4 Nc6
3. Nf3 f5
4. fxe5 Nxe5
5. exf5 Qe7
6. Nxe5 Qxe5+
7. Qe2 Qxe2+
8. Bxe2 d5
9. g4 Nf6
10. h3 Bd6
11. Nc3 O-O
12. O-O c6
13. d3 g6
14. fxg6 hxg6
15. Bg5 Kg7
16. Rae1 Bg3
17. Rd1 Bd7
18. Kg2 Be5
19. Rf3 Rae8
20. d4 Bd6
21. Rdf1 Re6
22. Bd3 c5
23. dxc5 Bxc5
24. Bxf6+ Rfxf6
25. Rxf6 Rxf6
26. Rxf6 Kxf6
27. Nxd5+ Ke5
28. Nc3 Bc6+
29. Kg3 g5
30. h4 gxh4+
31. Kxh4 Bf2+
32. Kh5 Be8+
33. Kh6 Be3+
34. g5 a6
35. Ne4 Bf7
36. Kg7 Bxa2
37. g6 Bd5
38. Nf6 Bh6+
39. Kxh6 Kxf6
40. Kh7 b5
41. g7 a5
42. b3 a4
43. bxa4 bxa4
44. g8=Q Bxg8+
45. Kxg8 Ke5
46. Bc4 Kd4
47. Ba2 Kc3
48. Kf7 Kb2
49. Be6 Kxc2
50. Bd5 {Game drawn by mutual agreement} 1/2-1/2

Quick Update

2006-01-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I went ahead and bought the Personal Chess Trainer for $40.00. I think that it was a good investment, especially with the endgame modules. I'm looking forward to the training!

I lost the teamchess game. Yeah, it was pretty disappointing. I just hope that I didn't hurt the team's chances. I'm glad I was sat out for the next round. I just have a teamchess jinx thus far.

I had two cool games on fics last night. I played three. One was a loss against a 1800 player, but we played another game and I beat him in the opening, the one that I have been studying up, the Italian Gambit. Pretty cool. I'll print it here:

[Event "FICS rated standard game"]
[Site "FICS, San Jose, California USA"]
[Date "2006.01.23"]
[Time "21:31:47"]
[Round "-"]
[White "generalkaia"]
[Black "freesok"]
[WhiteElo "1675"]
[BlackElo "1804"]
[TimeControl "1800+15"]
[Mode "ICS"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Bc5
4. d4 Bxd4
5. Nxd4 Nxd4
6. O-O Nf6
7. f4 d6
8. c3 Ne6
9. f5 Nc5
10. Nd2 Ncxe4
11. Nxe4 Nxe4
12. Qd5 {Black resigns} 1-0

Fun to play the opening I have studied. Comment if you have any thoughts. Thanks.

Teamchess

2006-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

My record on teamchess is, well, shall we say, crap. I don't think that I have won a single game for our teams that needs to change. I'll make sure to take my time on this game. Plus, this guy doesn't seem to maintain a high rating by beating players of his own rating, he just seems to play much lower rated opponents. Well, can't underestimate him. But hopefully all will go well.

I'm going to buy Personal Chess Trainer. I'm really looking forward to using it. Hopefully it will live up to its name.

Frustrating

2006-01-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

Now I'm going back into a temporary ratings dip. But that's not why I am frustrated. I'm frustrated because I don't have enough time to play chess. I could sit all day in front of my computer and play chess, but that isn't possible. And it's not healthy. But it would be really fun. So, I have to sneak in a game when I can. Really hard to get any training done. That's why I think that the Personal Chess Trainer is what I'm looking for. It doesn't take too much time and it drills positions into your head. Then I can do chess, do homework, and get som sleep. Heck, I have finals this upcoming week too. Yippee!

Hmmm. Endgames anyone?

2006-01-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

I was looking at endgame books to buy. I have Basic Chess Endgames, by Fine, but it is in the old notation, which is tedious to use. I am thinking of getting Fundamental Chess Endgames, by Muller and Lembrandt. If anyone has it and has any input, let me know. And if there are any other recommendations, let me know.

I just joined the chess ladder at my school chess club, which decides who goes to the state tournament. I look forward to playing, because I haven't played there since over a year ago. I think that I have improved since then, and should give the players there a bit of a scare. :) Should be fun.

Alright

2006-01-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

These sort of win streaks are what are most encouraging to a player such as myself, enticing me to do more studying and more work. Heck, I have won at least the past 6 standard games I have played. I'm feeling pretty good right about now. I talked to Qxh7#, and he mentioned that CPT is really good. Does anyone else have any opinion. I was specifically wondering whether it included endgame positions, along with the tactics problems. I am interested in buying it if anyone can let me know a little bit more.

Winning Streakkkkkk!

2006-01-11T22:53:00.000-08:00

Got to love those winning streaks. I have actually been doing some work at chess (shock!). I have been doing some pawn endgames against the computer (crafty) on babaschess/fics and practicing the K+B+N vs. K endgame. Sort of fun, actually. Nice to see how the pieces work together. I talked to a 2000 chess player and he said my endgame technique was absolutely terrible. So, that's where I'm working.

I'm teaching chess at three places right now. It's interesting, we all say we wish we had done more of this or that when we were starting to learn the beautiful game, but what really matters at first is whether or not the game is fun. So all we can do now is try to fix the mistakes we made in the beginning of our chess training (darn).

Darn

2006-01-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry team, I lost the game. I have bad luck with these 45 45 games on teamchess. I haven't won one yet. :( But, I'm working on endgame positions. Hopefully that will help in general. Hope we win the final game. Good luck superselector!

Fun Tournament

2006-01-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while, but a lot has happened. I haven't made any progress on the 2-2-2 plan since I last posted, which is disappointing but understandable. Two AP classes and an honors class will take up a lot of time. I am applying for a chess scholarship, which will be difficult because the past winners were usually at least Experts. So I'm wishing for the best. I played in the Friday Night 20 5 Tournament at FICS last night. It was very fun, and instructional because I was able to talk to a 2000 player and he gave me some tips. He recommends working on the endgame, and on tactic (hehe). Well, I hope everyone else is doing well. And Happy New Year!

Success!

2005-12-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

I have started the 2-2-2 plan, which is perfect for me, as you never spend too much time on tactics, and I have very little time to spare. I have also started winning a few games on FICS and turned my rating around a little. I'm really enjoying my reentry into the chess world. I need to really pick one opening and stick with it, so I'm experimenting right now with the Italian Gambit, trying out d4, and other things. I hope I can stop the blundering, because I am often leading in a position and then blow it.

Thought Process and Circles

2005-12-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about two matters of importance: resuming my tactics training and a thought process. For my tactics training, I am going to do the 2-2-2 plan with 100 problems. I like the level of repetition and the (hopefully) high level of retention. For that, i will be using dejascacchi's tactics problems, which are organized in convenient 100-problem packages.

I have been reading Qxh7#'s blog, and I really liked his comment that "I try to improve one of my minor peices, or increase my space on one side of the board. What I've found is that once you find one plan to work on in a game (following silmans techniques) your plan continually adapts and transforms almost on its own." It makes a lot of sense. Maybe i'm just stupid not to have thought of it that way before, but I'm glad that it has now been presented to me. So I'm going to try to use Qxh7#'s advice.

In recent games at FICS, I have had an advantage for most of the game only to squander it by missing a tactical shot by an opponent. but I feel very hopeful. So my rating is slowly stabilizing and I hope to get back up to 1700.

Playing Once Again

2005-11-29T18:38:00.000-08:00

Now that Cross Country is over, i can play chess again. yay! and i think i am going to focus on a thinking process first. it seems vitally important, and i think the key thing is to stick with it and apply it at all times. well, i hope everyone is well and had a good thanksgiving. i also need to come up with a steady opening or two, preferably two as a white and two as black. if anyone has suggestions please let me know. thanks a bunch. Also, I found a great site, mychess.com, that could be used for the 7 circles. i don't know if i should do the dlm circles, or one of the modified versions. again, input is welcome.

Wow

2005-10-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, but I have been playing chess. Cross country, multiple honors/AP classes, and lots of volunteering take up a lot of my time. I have continued to read the knight's blogs, and I hope to be a little more consistent with my blogging. I might do CTS, since it takes so little of your time. I have my rating at FICS hovering at around 1650-1700 on any given day, so I would love to improve that. I don't know if I should do some endgame training or what, but I should really take a look at my game and where I could use some improvement.

Hello again.

2005-09-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry team, I lost the 45 45 game. Thank goodness we at least tied them. I underestimated my opponent.

Well, in other news, I started a sort of fitness blog all my own, except that it is dedicated to running! I recommend you check it out! It's http://prosperorunning.blogspot.com.

Also, I would like to skip this round of chess. I am busy, busy, busy. I hope someone can sub. Please respond asap.

My First TeamChess 45 45 Game!

2005-09-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I just played my first 45 45 game for the 28th tournament with teamchess.org. It was a good game against twinders, my first serious game in many days. I held a slight advantage throughout the game, until I slowly gave him time and he gained a slight edge. In the end, we agreed to a draw, which was good considering crafty put him at about a pawn up in an even material situation. So, I was overall satisfied with my performance. I hope that the other MDLM players do well in their games.

Day 236 - Levelling Out

2005-08-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I will soon be heading into my junior year of high school. I don't know how often I will get to play, butCTS may be the answer for me. We will just have to see how the year progresses, as I have two AP classes and an honors class. Should be a busy year.

In chess-related news, I have gone on a bit of a slump lately, but I have won a few lately. I am resuming work on CTS, which will hopefully help. I am hoping for an endgame for my birthday, so that will hopefully cover that aspect of my game. Also, on CTS, I easily have the worst percentage of the top 100 (except for #98, but he had only done 20-so games). I am wondering how I can maintain a 1520 rating there but miss so many more questions than everyone else. Anyone have an explanation for this?

Day 231 - Better Rating!

2005-08-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

I have been playing on FICS quite frequently, and my rating has risen to an all-time high of 1693. I have been beating 1700 and low-1800 players recently. I feel that I am more confident and make better moves than I used to. The real weak spot in my game is the endgame, though. I have gotten suggestions from some of the players on FICS, such as Evan's book, and the one by Muller. If anyone else has suggestions for good endgame books, please let me know. Thanks a bunch.

Day 218 - More Wins!

2005-08-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a fishing trip, and I did about 190 problems from 365 Checkmates. It was a good review. I just played two games on FICS and I won both of them. One was a resumption of an adjourned game, and the other was just a 15 30. I know have a new high rating of 1615. Yay! I am happy. I hope to get in a few more tactics problems in the upcoming days, maybe during the soccer tournament or while backpacking. Anyways, I should be able to get more done.

Day 209 - Wins!

2005-07-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

I have gone on a recent winning streak on FICS, bringing my rating to 1601. I also made a separate widipedia site at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Errant. It has the same text as JavaManIssa, but with Knights Errant instead of Knight Errants. Anyways, I would suggest making changes there, if you would like.

Day 208 - Good Game

2005-07-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

I finally was able to get the time to play a 45 0 game on FICS, which I won! It felt good to be able to calculate all of the variations without worrying about time. I am going to show the game here. If anyone knows how to make it play in one of the boxes like Nezha, I would love to know how. Here it is:
1. d4 Nf6
2.c4 g6
3.Nc3 Bg7
4.Nf3 d5
5.Bg5 c6
6.e3 o-o
7.Bd3 Nbd7
8.Qc2 c5
9.cxd5 cxd4
10.Nxd4 Nb6
11.d6 Qxd6
12.o-o-o Qc5
13.Bxf6 Bxf6
14.h4 Bxd4
15.exd4 Qxd4
16.Bxg6 Qf4+
17.Rd2 fxg6
18.h5 Bf5
19.Qb3+ Kg7
20.hxg6 Bxg6
21.Qe6 Qf6
22.Qe3 Qf4
23.Qxe7+ Rf7
24.Qc5 Nc4
25.Nd5 Qxd2#

If anyone is interested in viewing the game, just log in to FICS and type "examine generalkaia 65". Hope everyone else is doing well.

Day 190 - Going Strong

2005-07-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

I have recovered from my recent losing streak, and my training on CTS and FICS is going well. I am going to try and teach some kids chess during the school year. If anyone has any materials or suggestions that could help me out, let me know.

Also, I would like to introduce SirJ. I met him at fics. He started his own blog at Http://ficssirj.blogspot.com.

Day 186

2005-07-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

I just put in everyone's links, and I also downloaded Chess Positions Trainer. However, I can't seem to get CPT to work. I downloaded the 3.1.1 version and loaded it, and then I opened the 3.2 version. I also downloaded the example openings from the website, but it didn't work. I know that some of the knights are very good with technology and computers and I was hoping that I could get some help with the CPT program. If so, that would be great.

I would also like to give a delayed welcome to the new knights, as I have meant to do so for a long time.

Day 185 - Back from Sea Ranch

2005-06-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

I just took a trip to the coast. There I was able to do over 320 problems, along with swimming, playing frisbee, watching TV, and just relaxing. I have also been reading over the other blogs and thinking about Tempo and Mousetrapper's x-rays and system. I think that their ideas are very good and that I should try them myself. So sometime in the next few days, I will start implementing their plan.

Additionally, I logged back onto CTS and went through a few problems. I quickly brought my rating up to about 1410 and hovered there for a while before stopping. The reason I could finally reach 1400 is because I realized that the solutions were simple. So I feel much better about myself :)

Day 182 - Wow!

2005-06-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

I just finished a game on FICS. My rating is now 1613. I feel that this one is worth showing. I will post the moves, as I don't have anything to show it with.

1. e4 d6
2. d4 Nf6
3. Nc3 g6
4. Nf3 Bg7
5. Bc4 O-O
6. O-O a6
7. Be3 Nbd7
8. e5 dxe5
9. Dxe5 Ng4
10. Bf4 Ngxe5
11. Nxe5 Bxe5
12. Bxe5 Nxe5
13. Bb3 b5
14. Re1 Nc6
15. Bd5 Bd7
16. Qf3 Nd4
17. Qe4 c6
18. Qxd4 cxd5
Here I saw the next 3 moves. It was pretty exciting for me anyways.
19. Nxd5 Bc6
20. Nxe7+ Qxe7
21. Rxe7 Rad8
22. Qf6 Rd2
23. Qxc6 Rfd8
24. Re8+

I am still doing the tactics exercises. Good stuff.

Day 181 - Back From Geek Week

2005-06-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

I recently returned from a weeklong stay at Youth Business Week at Sonoma State University. I was unable to play chess or do chess problems there, so I am trying to catch up. Anyways, I have also tried to get onto the ICQ Group, but I seem to be going in circles, even though I have a password and number. I am hoping one of you guys can help me. I will soon be leaving for Sea Ranch, and that should be good fun (Another three days gone!). Hope to post again soon.

Day 173

2005-06-18T22:59:00.001-07:00

I figured since it has been 6 days since I last posted, I should write down my thoughts.

I have yet to actually begin my tactical training by the 7-circles path. After a game and a talk with nezha, I have decided that I will find a plan and then stick to it. I hope that just determination to stay the course will help me improve.

For my circles, I plan on doing easy circles progressing to harder circles. I am thinking that I will do a full 7 circles on the easies, 7 on the low medium, 7 on medium, 7 on high medium, etc. I think that this plan will ease me back into chess very nicely. Feel free to chime in with input.

Also, I would like to say congratulations to nezha for completing his 7 circles.

Day 167 - Feeling Good

2005-06-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I played 4 games on FICS and emerged with 3 wins, 1 loss, and a 1648 rating. I played well and also met another player that I should be able to play with regularly. In one of my games, I reached an endgame in which there were opposite-colored bishops and I was up to pawns. To queen one of my pawns, I had to sacrifice a bunch of my pawns and maneuver my king and bishop correctly. It was pretty exciting. It seems that everyone is doing well and improving slowly but surely.

Update:

I was thinking about thought processes (no pun intended):

Levels of Progress and Thought Processes in Chess

At its heart, chess is a game between two players, each trying to checkmate their opponent's king. To do so, they must make use of goals, plans, and tactics. At this simplistic level, chess is basically a contest of wills, each player implementing simple plans. These plans are often very simple, but as a player progresses they may become more strategically complex; it can use numerous "imbalances" or just a few simple blunder-checks. As a chess player develops, they realize that the opponent also has a plan. The chess player now can incorporate propholactic and defensive moves into his game, hoping to stifle his opponent's plan, if that plan is worth stopping. This chess player can't forget his own plan if he wishes to succeed. Additionally, the player will develop a certain style of play, favoring attack or defense, open or closed positions, etc. At this point, it is likely that the player will hit a rating "plateau". He may wish to join the Knights Errant (You never know!!!) on their MDLM quest, or he may choose to read books, buy software, and play online chess. Either way, he will likely try to develop a thinking process. Ending this highly-forced, terrible narrative, I have several questions:

Should a thought process mirror the (ideal) progress of a chess player: from simple to complex?

Should a plan be "idea" oriented, "imbalance" oriented, or "blunder-check/list" oriented?

Should a player's plan/thought-process mirror or fit his style?

What is the best way to escape the rating plateau?

Would an evaluation of a player's strengths and weaknesses help him to get past the rating plateau?

If any of the knights respond to these questions, I would be very grateful (and thanks for reading the atrocious story).

Day 166 - Summer Has Arrived!

2005-06-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today is the official start of summer for me. Yesterday, after school, I went to the beach with two of my friends, and played frisbee, soccer, and baseball for 5 hours. I then headed home, took a shower, and went to a surprise birthday party for another of my friends. We (the approximately 20 people at the party) then went to the park and talked and swung on the swings. So it was a very good end of the year for me.

Because summer has officially set in for me, I can devote more time to chess. Yes! I hope to get more time in doing problems and playing online.

Also, the reason I haven't posted recently is because I was studying for finals and for the SAT II Biology and Math Tests. I think that I did well on all of the tests that I took. I can't wait to get my results in the mail.

Day 159

2005-06-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Today I finished off the last problem set with an 84%. I usually got all of the decisive tactics, but missed draws/stalemates, and quieter moves. Once again, I got impatient and just flipped to the answers on some of the last ones, and those are the ones that I needed to concentrate on the most.

It seems that I am doing pretty well just doing tactics. I'm wondering, What do the Knights think about adding a thought process now, or just waiting until my success wears off?

Day 156

2005-06-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

After posting yesteray, I proceeded to dismantle a 1500 player on Pogo. It felt very good and very reassuring. Today I finished my 3rd set of 25, with a 76% after missing only six. I missed most of these problems because I just didn't want to devote any more time to the problem and wanted to finish. Feeling good overall.

Day 155

2005-05-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

Today I finished my 2nd 25-problem set with a percentage of 44. I feel pretty confident, in that I just got back from not playing and I can still beat 1300 players with relative ease.

Day 154

2005-05-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did 25 problems from the dejascacchi collection. I missed 7 problems for a 72%.

Not much to say, except that today I went to the bookstore and looked at some of the new chess books. It was also the first time I have every really driven anywhere (besides around the neighborhood). It was a nerve-racking experience, but I can't wait to do it again. I will be getting my permit in a few months.

Day 153 - I am Back!!

2005-05-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

It feels good to be blogging again and to be a part of this little chess community. I think that I might be trying out Pawnza's 2-2-2 plan, or just see what works. Right now, I just need to get in a few games and shake off the rust. It's nice to see all of the new chess bloggers. I hope to add you to my links soon enough.

Day 76 - An Update

2005-03-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

Well, 10 days have gone by since I last posted on my site, and I thought that it was high time to post again with an update. I wanted to let all of the knights know that I read each of your posts everyday, but I don't post daily because there isn't much to say chess-related each day for me.

On Friday, I beat the guy just above me on the chess ladder. This is the same guy who played the Philidor and let me keep the pawn. This time I was black and I dismantled him just as quickly. I have now moved up to number 6 on the ladder and hope to make it to #4. We will just have to see.

I am continuing to play on the gameknot website, which keeps my skills sharp without wasting too much time.

I hope that all of the knights have been doing well in their chess training. It seems that we are all improving.

Day 66 - I Think...

2005-03-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

It's February 3rd, and I just posted a comment on my site. Just fyi, I had a great time at Turnabout and am thinking of asking her out. Who knows how it will turn out!! Either way, I'll let you guys know. I won't be giving up chess by a long run, but I am taking a break from the MDLM plan for a while. I will just resume from where I was.

Just the other day, I played this guy in my chess club in an effort to move up the chess ladder some more. I was white, and he played this opening (the name eludes me currently!) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 but he let me have the pawn without a struggle, not even taking my pawn at any time, it was wierd. I proceeded to win his knight, and then pin his queen, winning it for a rook. The rest was history. It definitely felt good though!

All is good currently, with SAT studying (I am taking it as a sophmore, unusual, but I feel prepared. I have taken a practice test, and got about 2040 out of 2400, not 1600 like you guys used to strive for. It isn't much fun, but I have targeted my weaknesses and I am seeking to improve.). I am doing track, with the 1600 (mile) and 3200 (2-mile) as my events. I recently did a run at 6:30 or less per mile for 4 miles or more. My best mile time is 5:20. My best 10K (6.2 miles) time is 43:43 at around 7:00 miles. I also play soccer. My positions are center midfielder and defender. Just wanting to give a little background on my life and my hobbies.

I hope that all is well for my fellow knights. I am hoping to add links to the newcomers soon, including Fatboy, Margriet, Desperate Measures, Takchess, Nezha, and Blue Rook. I wish all of you the best of luck. That's all for now. I hope to write again soon.

Generalkaia

Day 48

2005-02-13T13:27:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I did 64 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate." My dad and I are planning on playing a few games at home. Every once in awhile in each game, we'll discuss the positional and tactical ideas in the position.

Also, I might be teaching one chess class at the upcoming GATE Mini-Conference. GATE stands for Gifted and Talented Education. I will probably make handouts: for beginners, intermediate players, and advanced players. The kids will probably be in the 4th to 6th grades, so about 7-11 years of age. I will provide exercises, and suggested books and websites for improvement. I might ask one of my chess-playing friends to help me out. If anyone has tips, suggestions, or good references, please let me know.

On Monday I bought "How to Beat your Dad at Chess." The title is sort of cheesy, but the content is great. It contains 50 common checkmates with several examples for each one. Additionally, it contains advice and tests. I really enjoy it and recommend it to help in categorizing mating patterns. Recently, I have studied some of my books and played some online games.

It is good to be back! I would like to give a warm (but late) welcome to Cetic Death, Temposchlucker, Yet Another Patzer, King of the Spill, and Fussy Lizard. I wish them good luck and I hope that they all improve to the extent that they desire.

48 days left
2 hrs. completed, 41.5 total
64 out of 968, 904 left

Day 38 - Do You Hear That? ... It's the Winds of Change ...

2005-02-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

I personally think that it is exciting and cool that we are the subject of a chess article. I hope that Jan's excitement in our blogs is reflected in his article. He could potentially affect many chess players with his article.

Today I did 0! problems in "The ChessCafe Puzzle Book."

I have been thinking about changing the 6-Circles after viewing the posts by Sancho and MDLM. I agree with their view that the basics of mates and tactics need to be gained and retained. Mulling over this, I have decided to change my plan to 8 Circles:

48 Days (My current Circle) = 10 min. = mates
48 Days = 5 min. = mates
24 Days = 2.5 min. = mates
24 Days = 1.25 min. = mates and ChessCafe Puzzle Book
24 Days = 1 min. = mates and CCPB
12 Days = 37.5 sec. = m and CCPB
6 Days = 30 sec. = m and CCPB
3 Days = 30 sec. = m and CCPB

Day 37

2005-02-01T22:02:00.001-08:00

I have recently decided to apply the Silman technique of finding tactics: looking for weak/undefended pieces and/or an unprotected king. I don't know of any other ways to notice tactics, and this will hopefully allow me to find solutions I wouldn't have found otherwise.

In the month of January, I did a total of about 623 problems at a rate of about 20 a day.

Today I did 30 problems from "The ChessCafe Puzzle Book."

59 days left
2 hrs. completed, 39.5 total
1078 out of 1373, 295 left

Day 36

2005-01-31T21:57:00.000-08:00

Today I did 12 problems in "The ChessCafe Puzzle Book." Today I also played 2 games against a guy at school and won both games. At school, we have a chess ladder. The best players are at the top, and the worst are at the bottom. To move up on the ladder, a person has to challenge the player above them to a best-of-3 set of games. If the challenger wins 2, they move up on the ladder. If they lose 2, they stay the same. The point of moving up on the ladder is to make it on the team that goes to the California State Scholastic Tournament (and to show who is the best!). I have been fighting my way up the ladder because I joined in late. If I had joined the ladder from the start, I wouldn't have any worries right now, as I would likely be placed in the top 5.

60 days left
1.5 hrs. completed, 37.5 total
1048 out of 1373, 325 left

Day 35 - A New Book

2005-01-30T21:03:00.000-08:00

Today I did 18 problems in "The ChessCafe's Puzzle Book."

Lately I have been struck by how chess is really a game in which two players try to make the optimal move in a position. To do this, the players try to make straegies and plans, and gain advantages through tactics. This view of chess has helped me put my opponents' sub-optimal moves into perspective. I used to feel sort of cheap when I won because my opponent hadn't made the best moves. But now I realize that we were both doing our best, and that when I win, it is because I saw something my opponent didn't.

61 days left
2 hrs. completed, 36 total
1036 out of 1373, 337 left

Day 34 - I'm Still Alive!!!

2005-01-29T20:14:00.000-08:00

Hello all, I just got the time to do a little blogging.

Today I finished "More Chessercizes: Checkmate," for a total of 21 problems. Since my last post, I have done a total of 56 problems. I played my dad this morning, and I checkmated him with my rook and bishop (I was very happy. I would place him at the 1200 - 1300 rating level, but I have a hard time beating him. Maybe it's the subconscious idea that a father should be better than his son at everything. :-) ).

62 days left
2 hrs. completed, 34 total
1015 out of 1373, 358 left

Day 29

2005-01-24T19:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I realized that my numbers in my data chart are incorrect. Rather than going back and trying to fix it, I will just continue as if everything is fine. The point of MDLM's program is to excel at tactics, not data-keeping.

Today I did 10 problems from "More Chessercizes: Checkmate."

I am finding that I think (subconsciously) that the mates I am studying will automatically transfer to my games. Unfortunately, I don't really look at the position with an analytical eye, and I go for the attack if I see a fairly weak opponent's king or if my pieces point in his general direction. I am not punished for my lack of constraint very often because, I would guesss, my opponent doesn't play the best defense. I am trying to develop a thinking process and have resolved to think twice before attacking.

67 days left
.5 hr. completed, 29.5 total
959 out of 1533, 414 left

Day 28 - The Fourth Week

2005-01-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

I am going to annotate at least 20 of games from GameKnot and other sources and periodically send them in to the Teaching Ladder at FICS. I want to use this service to the full. I am also thinking of becoming one of the reviewers there. It might take a bit of my time, but I will get to see other chess players' techniques and at the same time learn more about openings and other elements of chess. I fully enjoyed the discussion today at Pogo. I don't know about the other Knights, but I wouldn't mind making that a regulat thing that we do.

Today I did 20 problems from "More Chessercizes: Checkmate."

68 days left
1 hr. completed, 29 total
949 out of 1373, 424 left

Day 27

2005-01-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a pure-chess day (very enjoyable!). I played chess for about 3 hours and did a lot of chess problems. Last night, I thought up a thinking process. It involves force (material and threats), development, pawn structure, space, and safety (king, pieces, pawns, and double checking moves).

1. Where is my force directing now? Where do I want my pieces to be? Can I gain an advantage in force? Are there any undefended or weakly defended pieces? Repeat the same questions for my opponent.

2. Who has superior development? Who is attacking and who is defending? How can I make my position better?

3. What are the pawn structures like? Which side's is better? How does my pawn structure help or hinder me? Should I change my pawn structure? Can I attack or make my ooponent's structure weak?

4. Who has more space? If I am up space, don't trade pieces.

5. Who has a safer king? Are there any undefended pieces that I can exploit with tactics? Double check that any move is safe before actually moving.

I also am thinking of using Rakshasas' method of planning or the SCAN process in Russell Black's articles. Hopefully, as I play more and more at GameKnot, my thought process will become ingrained in my mind and will transfer to OTB play and regular time-control chess servers.

Today I did 10 problems from "More Chessercizes: Checkmate." I don't know if I am getting better or if these puzzles are the easiest section of mate-in-fours in the book. I hope it is the former. :-)

69 days left
.5 hr. completed, 28 total
929 out of 1373, 444 left

Day 26 - Lists Galore!!!

2005-01-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

Today I evaluated my strengths and weaknesses. Here they are:

Strengths:
Tactically (especially checkmates) fairly strong
Main stream openings
Clear games (open board)
Sacrifices

Weaknesses:
Tendency towards blunders and playing too quickly
Limited Opening-Book knowledge
Endgames
Defending
Unusual Openings
Positional Play
Lack of a thought process
Cramped positions

Looking at this list, I have also come up with a list of goals for study and play.

During study, I hope to:
Learn many more opening lines in the Sicilian, Ruy Lopez, and other commmon openings
Learn common endgames
Study the middlegame imbalances and try to apply them
Study the games of a GM with a good defensive technique
Make a thought process
Review openings and look for one that fits my style and preferences

During Play:
Look at imnalances and determine correct play
Double chech each move: Is it protected? etc.

Today I did 51 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate," finishing the book. I also started work on the KNB vs. K ending.

70 days left
3 hrs. completed, 27.5 total
919 out of 1373, 454 left
rating is approximately 150 at Pogo, 1602 at Gameknot, and approximately 1470 at Yahoo

Day 25 - Various Topics

2005-01-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

I have also been thinking about thought processes and plans. I have seen several (Silman, Seirawan, Black, etc.) and tried to make my own. I also looked at MDLM's thought process, which I think is a bit on the skimpy side. Also, I think that MDLM took Silman's analysis in "How to Reassess Your Chess" too seriously. Silman isn't the top chess player ever, but his ideas and teachings can be beneficial. For example, I realized that, in a game I was playing recently, I had the opportunity to exchange my queen for the opponenet's rook and knight. I also saw that in the resulting position, my bishop would be protected in front of its own pawn in a semi-closed game. I played the exchange and maneuvered my rooks and bishop well against his queen and rook. He eventually traded his rook for my bishop, and I was up material (unfortunately I got disconnected and couldn't continue the game). The point of this story is that I realized that material wasn't important and that my superior development, pawn structure, and strong bishop would dominate.

On a different note, I feel that chess should be studied as a whole as much as possible. During concentrated study, such as 6-Circles' focus on tactics, a person should try to make as many connections with tactics to openings, positional play, and endings. I feel that this holistic approach to chess will bring about improvement quickly.

Switching topics again, I have been playing really well lately. My winning percentage for the weeks since the beginning of this training must be around 90% or higher. I don't know if it's psychology, tactics, confidence, or a mix of the three, but I feel that I should keep up what I am doing.

When I finish this first Circle, I plan on doing some detailed endgame and middlegame study. I will documaent my studies and will probably memorize a few GM games, much like PawnSensei. I am thinking that a few of the Corus Games (the Wijk aan Zee Tournament) from this year are worthwhile.

Also, I was at a chess tournament a year or two ago, and a chess teacher was showing some kids an endgame. He had taped a piece of paper to the bottom of the king that covered all of the squares that the king could move to, and he suggested that the kids do the same at home. I was wondering what the Knights thought of this.

Also, I am going to scale the first 5 Circles back by 160 to 1373. This is a pretty dramatic cut-back, but I will use the last 160 problems in Karsten Muller's "The ChessCafe Puzzle Book," as he suggests, in the 6th Circle. I think that this will make my load much lighter and provide a measure of my tactical skills. I might just add 100 exercises from Dejasacchi's Chess Site to make up some of the difference.

Today I did 12 problems from "The ChessCafe Puzzle Book" and 8 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate," for a total of 20.

71 days left
2 hrs. completed, 24.5 total
868 out of 1373, 505 left

Day 24 - Quandries Abound

2005-01-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

Finals (for the 1st semester) went well yesterday and today. I was able to do 10 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate." For my review of endgames, I looked back over opposition and outflanking.

I feel that the key to any chess improvement is dedication/perserverence. If a chess player dedicates himself to any plan that involves hard work is bound to find some improvement in their game.

I was contemplating what comes after the 7-Circles Training (especially with Sancho soon to leave). Since I am doing predominantly checkmating problems, will I try a scaled-back version of 7-Circles with general tactics? Will I devote myself to mainly middlegame, opening, or endgame study? I will do my best to answer these quandries in the coming days. I would also like to hear what the other knights think about these topics.

72 days left
1 hr. completed, 22.5 total
848 out of 1533, 685 left

Day 23

2005-01-18T16:16:00.000-08:00

I am planning on doing the Tactics-Endgames-Middlegame Strategy-Openings training (as mentioned in Day 22). This plan seems to cover everything in chess, and also provides a distinct plan. It seems that, in chess at least, I need a detailed and structured plan to guide me away from aimless wandering from chess book to chess book. It also helps if the plan is formulated or suggested by someone other than myself. I find that when I make a plan for myself, I have a hard time sticking to it. I will just have to stand strong when I have to make additions or change the T-E-MS-O plan and modify the Maza plan to fit into the T-E-MS-O.

My technique when I play chess is to develop and centralize my pieces and wait for a tactical opportunity or a mistake. I don't think that this is the best way to play chess. Hopefully, when I study middlegames and openings, I will have a better idea of where to put my pieces. Right now, I just move the e- and d-pawns, bring out my knights at c3 and f3, my bishops out, castle, centralize my rooks, and play on. I would enjoy feedback from the other knights as to your technique/thought process/plan that you use each game.

Today I did 10 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate."

73 days left
1 hr. completed, 21.5 total
848 out of 1533, 685 left

Day 22

2005-01-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

Today I did 15 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate."

After reading my fellow de la Mazan bloggers' posts, I feel that I need to continue yesterday's thread regarding tactics and de la Maza. I feel that it is a necessity to also spend time on endings, openings, and middlegame strategy. Another message on Yahoo's Chess Improvement Group stated that studying should proceed:

1. Tactics
2. Endgames
3. Middlegame Strategy
4. Openings

Training roughly proceeds: 100/0/0/0 (100% tactics, no endgame, middlegame, or opening study), 95/5/0/0, 90/10/0/0, 85/15/0/0, 80/20/0/0, 75/20/5/0, and so on until approximately 10/30/10/50 @ GM-quality play. I'm thinking that 100/0/0/0 is the first 3 weeks of my 6-Circles Plan. After that I plan on integrating endgaems, middlegame strategy, and openings into my study routine.

Additionally, I don't plan on tweaking the de la Maza plan any further than I already have, I will only add components of my own. I fear that if I stray too far from the plan, I will lose my focus and direction.

I highly recommend that all of the de la Maza bloggers check out the Yahoo Chess Improvement Group site and the blog of King Patzer, both under my Misc. Chess Links List.

74 days left
1.5 hrs. completed, 20.5 total
838 out of 1533, 695 left

Wk/ T/ E/ MS/ O
1-3/100/0/0/0
4/95/5/0/0
5/90/10/0/0
6/85/15/0/0
7/80/20/0/0
8/75/20/5/0
9/70/20/10/0
10/65/20/15/0
11/60/20/20/0
12/55/20/20/5
13/50/20/20/10
14/45/15/25/15
15/40/15/30/15
16-19/35/15/35/15
20-21/30/20/30/20
22-23/25/25/25/25
24/20/30/20/30
25-27/100/0/0/0

Let me know if you see any mistakes or have any suggestions or comments.

Day 21

2005-01-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

If I finish Circle 1 early, I plan on studying some openings/endings/positional concepts and play a good set of games on Pogo, Yahoo, or GameKnot. Today I did 10 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate." I also might just take a break from my 6-Circles training and just do some separate studying and chess playing. Hopefully, this will keep me fresh, improve other aspects of my game, and give me a break from tactics.

Like many of my fellow de la Mazan bloggers, I feel that Maza's system isn't perfect and needs some tweaking by its users. This belief was backed up by some messages on Yahoo's Chess Improvement Forum. I plan on looking at the USCF records to see if it is true that de la Maza only made small rating gains in the 20 to 30 tournaments he participated in one year. A message on the site also asserted that de la Maza had 3 or 4 chess teachers as a teenager, which helped him gain a base of chess knowledge and asseses (correctly) that his weakness was tactics. It is becoming clearer that de la Maza might not be the saint that many think he is, and that much of the truth has been obscured or untold in many aspects of this situation.

75 days left
1 hr. completed, 19 total
815 out of 1533, 718 left

Day 20

2005-01-15T21:50:00.000-08:00

Today I did 65 problems from "More Chessercizes: Checkmate." I am already sore from the one-day skiing trip I did today. It was a lot of fun, though! I'm wondering why the trend in my games is towards winning. From what I've read of my fellow de la Mazan bloggers, I am somewhat of an anomaly in that regard (no offense intended).

76 days left
2 hrs. completed, 18 total
805 out of 1533, 728 left
approximately 9.6 problems a day required

Day 19

2005-01-14T21:43:00.000-08:00

Today I did 10 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate." I have been playing on gameknot, yahoo, and pogo as of late, and I have had good results. I often invite or challenge more highly rated players than myself, but I usually have to play someone who is at my level or a little less than 100 points below my rating. I am wondering whether or not the tactics training can have such an immediate effect, or if I am playing lousy chess players, or if I am just getting lucky. I think that it might be that I am just looking for tactics in games against mediocre players. I can only hope that all of a sudden I am a great tactician (I wish...).

77 days left
1 hr. completed, 16 total
740 out of 1533, 793 left

Day 18

2005-01-13T21:39:00.000-08:00

Today, I did 12 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate."

78 days left
.5 hr. completed, 15 total
730 out of 1533, 803 left

Day 17

2005-01-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

Today I did 5 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate."

79 days left
.5 hr. completed, 14.5 total
718 out of 1533, 815 left

Day 16

2005-01-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

Today I did 30 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate."

Also, I would like to give a welcome to J'adoube. He is the newest of the de la Maza bloggers. I hope that he does well in his quest for tactical improvement.

80 days left
1 hr. completed, 14 total
713 out of 1533, 820 left

Day 15

2005-01-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

Today I did 60 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate." I'm feeling good about my progress.

81 days left
1.5 hrs. completed, 13 total
683 out of 1533, 850 left

Week 2 - In Review

2005-01-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

Today, I did 19 problems from "365 Ways to Checkmate," just to make the average number of puzzles required per day from here on out is exactly 11. I won my first game at the GameKnot website, which is encouraging.

82 days left in circle 1
1.5 hrs. completed, 11.5 total
631 out of 1533, 902 left to go

Day 13

2005-01-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

Today, I finished "303 Tricky Checkmates." I also did the full Concentric Square and did the Knight's Concentric Square: trying to find to shortest route from d5 to every other square. I did 35 problems from "More Chessercizes: Checkmate." So far, I've been going at a much faster rate than my regimen suggests.

83 days (or less) left in circle 1
1.5 hrs. completed, 10 hrs. total
612 out of 1533, 921 left
approximately 11 a day required

Day 12

2005-01-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

Today I did 5 exercises from "303 Tricky Checkmates." I played with Matt at school. The first game was a draw, the second was a close game, but a loss, and the third was a win. In each game I felt that I was playing well.

.5 hr. completed, 8.5 hrs. total
84 days left in circle 1
561 out of 1533, 972 left

Day 11 - More Exercises

2005-01-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

Today I did 20 exercises, 5 from "365 Ways to Checkmate," and 15 from "303 Tricky Checkmates."

85 days left in circle 1
.5 hr. completed, 8 hrs. total
556 out of 1533, 977 left

Day 10

2005-01-05T21:57:00.000-08:00

Today I did 5 exercises from "303 Tricky Checkmates."

86 days left in circle 1
.25 hr. completed, 7.5 total
536 out of 1533, 997 left

Day 9 - Good Day!

2005-01-04T20:01:00.000-08:00

Today I played two games against Sunny. I beat him easily in the first game, and was winning the second game and (almost) had mate next move. I saw the pattern, but I didn't pay attention to his move, a fatal mistake. His move attacked my queen, which I lost on the next turn. It just goes to show how slowing down and double-checking is vital to winning a majority of games. Overall, it was a good day. I was only able to do 5 problems from "303 Tricky Checkmates."

87 days left in circle 1
.25 hr. completed, 7.25 total
531 out of 1533, 1002 left
(only 11.5 problems per day are necessary now, not 16!)

Day 8

2005-01-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

Last Year's California State Chess Tournament was on March 21st. If I continue with the 1st circle (96 days), I will only be around 86 days into the program. I will try to speed up the process in time to finish the 1st circle, play my fellow chess-players at school, and go to the tourney. I also plan on playing chess at school tomorrow. Hopefully my tactics will shine through!

I did 44 problems yesterday.
526 out of 1533, and 1007 left
.5 hr completed, 7.5 total
88 days left in circle 1

Week 1 - Recap

2005-01-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

It's been a long week, but one filled with progress. As we enter the new year, I wish everyone success in chess and in life. I did about 50 exercises today, I'll get the precise numbers tomorrow. Yawn...

Day 6 - My Work Pays Off

2005-01-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today, I played 5 games of chess at Yahoo and won all 5. I also did a Concentic Square after missing 2 days, but the exercises went without a glitch in under 15 minutes. It seems that the CS, Knight Sight, and the Mate Exercises in the 6-Circles are paying off. I tried playing on FICS, but they were blitz games that I lost. It seems to me that blitz games depend a lot on opening knowledge. I have knowledge of most classical openings, but in fast games with unorthodox openings, I take too long due to my confusion. I tried to play normal, good moves, but I take too long to think and eventually blunder away a piece. It's very frustrating!!! It may be due to inexperience or a lack of confidence, or maybe I was just tired. Any ideas/contributions regarding how to play under such conditions?????

.5 hr. completed, 6.5 total (rating 1465! on Yahoo)

I did 57 problems.
It's now 482 out of 1533, 1051 to go.

Day 5 - Continuing the Work

2004-12-31T19:04:00.000-08:00

Today, I did 86 problems.
So, it's now 425 out of 1533, with 1108 to go.

I've been able to get so much work done because of the holiday. Hopefully I can keep this up. Those last days will be hard, I gotta say.

I'm looking forward to the coming year, and I hope everyone else is too. Happy new year!

1 hr. completed, 6 total (rating same)

Day 4 - Starting 6!!! Circles

2004-12-30T20:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I bought "303 Tricky Checkmates" and "More Chessercizes: Checkmate." That brings my total of problems to 1533. I'm going to be doing a 96 - 48 - 24 - 12 - 6 - 3 (6-Circles Plan). The total of days is now going to be 189 rather than 127. I changed the plan because of the hightened number of problems. I think that the order of difficulty is:

1. 303 Tricky Checkmates
2. More Chessercizes: Checkmate
3. 365 Ways to Checkmate
4. The ChessCafe Puzzle Book

That is also the order I plan to do them. If I need to, I can substitute some of dejascacchi's sets of 100. (The 2 last puzzle books I mentioned in the list are very high quality, nice books, but you pay extra for that. The first two are fairly easy problems with a few errors here and there, and the price mirrors that.)

On Tuesday I had completed 115 puzzles of "366 Ways to Checkmate." Yesterday, I did 124 problems from both "303 Tricky Checkmates" and "More Chessercizes: Checkmate." Today, I did about 100 problems.

If I can, I want to do a 48 - 24 - 24 inside of the 96 (48+24+24=96) and then resume the plan as scheduled.

I realize that my plan is ambitious, but If I can make it a habit of studying every night, I have a chance at making it all the way. I wanted to speed up the 96-day cycle so that I can improve enough to see results at my high school's chess club and go to the state tourney again. :)

On Tuesday it was 115 out of 1533, 1418 to go.
On Wednesday it was 239 out of 1533, 1294 to go.
Today it is 339 out of 1533, 1194 to go.

1.5 hrs completed, 5 total (rating same)

Day 3 - Feeling Motivated!

2004-12-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

Today I added links to all of the sites other than Sancho Pawnza. I also just looked at De la Maza's book, "Rapid Chess Improvement". It's a complete ripoff at $13.00 for a half-inch thin (I'm being generous) book that you can get for free on the internet. Okay, there were a few extra ideas about the drills, some tactical exercises, and confessionals from satisfied chess players, but the necessary content was the same. I really like De la Maza's ideas, and I continue to use them, but the book's price is unfair. Anyways, I also read Silman's review of "Rapid Chess Improvement." I think that Silman's thought process is good when you can't find a tactic. However, De la Maza's inspiring and encouraging book and articles are good for chess players to become motivated, not often seen with boring chess texts! Plus, they aren't as bad as Silman suggests. Additionally, De la Maza's methods seem to work for people other than himself too (see Link to Sancho Pawnza's site, December 28th). Anyways...

1 hrs completed, 3.5 total (rating same)
Today I did 3 Concentric Squares and 1 Knight Sight. My first CS took 15 minutes, while my second go took a little over 13 minutes. My 3rd took 12 minutes 30 seconds. The Knight Sight took no time at all. I think I will start to do the second version of KS, where you try to find the fastest route to a square (almost like concentric squares). I am starting to see the CS much better and faster, but I don't seem to be making much progress on KS. Well, maybe I should just give it more time.

Also ... I realized that it is impossible to get at a rook at a certain distance from the king. With the King at d5, it is impossible to get a rook at b8, f8, h8, a7, g7, a3, g3, b2, f2, h2, a1, and g1. Basically, if the king and rook form a (x) by (x+1) rectangle, when x is greater than or equal to 3. so like a 3 by 4, 4 by 5, or 5 by 6 rectangle.

Day 2

2004-12-28T16:40:00.000-08:00

1 hour completed, 2.5 total (rating same)

I did 3 CS and 1 KS. The CS is much easier than yesterday. I bought "365 Ways to Checkmate" and "The ChessCafe Puzzle Book" at Borders today. The 1st book has - surprise! - 365 checkmate puzzles in 5 livels of difficulty, and the 2nd book has 565 tactics problems with exercises, tests, and problems covering the opening and the endgame, all in order of difficulty. I'm thinking that I will make a total of 1030 by also using dejascacchi's Tactical Combinations (the 1st easy set of 100). I was also thinking that Circles 2 and 1 will have to occur on a fishing trip or something else. I also might need to just split them up among several days.

Day 1 - Starting Off

2004-12-27T16:27:00.000-08:00

1.5 hrs completed, 1.5 total (rating in high 1300's)

Today I started the training method taught by De la Maza in his articles "400 points in 400 days". I am motivated but am also cautious not to hurry in order not to get burnt-out.
I did two concentric circles (CS) and 2 knight sights (KS). I plan on doing 14 days of CS, as much as possible, while also doing KS if time allows. I also hope that SCAN (from Viking Chess - www.vikingskak.dk) is better than De la Maza's planning method. I can't neglect my other chess needs: tactics, games, etc. Within a few days, I will likely need to add variety to CS by changing the king's position along with changing the white piece. I also need to find a book of chess exercise (or CD) with 1000 puzzles ranked in order of difficulty. When buying it, I need to bring the "400 in 400" article.