In this post I now use the Chesstempo PGN viewer that can be found on this site:
https://chesstempo.com/pgn-viewer/
Currently the Chesstempo PGN viewer is the best free online PGN viewer that I know of, but it's not perfect. For some reason it makes the first move by default and I don't know how to turn it off. I added a “null move” at the start, but You have to avoid “taking this move back” because the PGN viewer “gets confused” then and messes up sides. I also don't know how to make the move list window smaller, but there is “a vertical height resize handle” at the bottom, so you can make it smaller (or larger) yourself.
Recently my opinion about chess have improved significantly. I have always known that chess is called “the royal game”, but I didn't like the fact it relies heavily on memorizing things. Now I have learned that chess prevents or at least slows down some mental diseases, for example Alzeimer's disease and other cases of dementia. Interestingly even people suffering from schizophrenia benefit from playing chess – it was an even bigger surprise for me. I learned about it here:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/health-benefits-playing-chess-louay-alzaher
From my own experience I can say that chess:
1. Helps you to handle your own failures/mistakes.
2. Improves your concentration and your time management.
3. Teaches you that some things may be improved just by altering the order of your actions.
Chess is a fascinating game because a relatively small number of rules transforms into a very complex analysis. Moreover there is no “proper strategy” in amateur chess – every player is different and every player can play the way it suits his skills.
One of the best things about chess is the fact that even relatively simple endgame positions can be played in many different ways.
My favourite, by far, endgame is the Lucena position – as the stronger side you can always win it, but you have to know what you are doing.
1. Mate threat.
The losing side makes a mate threat, but after one additional move by the winning side the defending king has only one square to go without being checked on the very next move.
2. Capture.
It's not quite the Lucena position because the defending rook is on the same file as the attacking pawn, but it shows why the defense in the proper Lucena position is as it is.
3. Building a bridge.
This is the proper Lucena position – the losing side waits for the attacking king to move and then keeps checking him.
4. Anti-bridge defense – rook.
The losing side wants to prevent the bridge by using the rook on the crucial rank – it ends up with a bridge anyway, but with a different move order.
5. Anti-bridge defense – king.
The losing side wants to prevent the bridge by using the king.
6. Anti-bridge defense – capture.
The losing side hopes that the winning side will recapture with the king instead of with the rook. It could happen in blitz chess with very little time on the clock.
7. Building a bridge – stalling defense.
I must admit that I missed this variation in my earlier analysis and I wonder if I would see the “obvious answer” with very little time on the clock.
8. Anti-bridge defense – stalling defense.
Another missed variation in my earlier analysis. It combines three elements: anti-bridge defense with the rook, anti-bridge defense with the king and a stalling move. If the winning side plays the same way as in the previous stalling variation (Re5) it would end up drawing – the losing side would simply take the pawn.
Below is my own game with the Lucena position. The endgame was started as in the variation 1, but my opponent didn't actually make the mate threat and he (or she) resigned right away. The game is interesting for a whole different reason – it was 94 moves long! I was playing white, so the precise number of single moves was 187. It was a blitz game, but with time increment – the clock was set as 3 minutes + 5 seconds per move and it lasted 17 minutes overall!
The game is a very good example of my playing style and of my personality as well. I played a very quiet and safe opening (the London System – the “boring system” – the “old man’s system”). When my opponent castled queen-side I did the same – he planned an all-out attack on my king, but I didn't let him do it. He got too relaxed and he missed a simple combination that gave me his rook for my knight. Staying in my style I gave back the exchange right away, but for a pawn – I would have to do it sooner or later anyway. Soon after that I managed to win another pawn, but later I messed up the endgame and the position became drawn again. Well, it was drawn with proper defense, but my opponent messed things up himself and we ended up in the Lucena position. A position I knew I would win. Cool feeling.
PS. To be clear: I am strongly AGAINST teaching chess at schools as an obligatory subject. A game of chess is still just a game – a child can be perfectly fine without chess. There are LOTS of other games that improve concentration, mind abilities and things like that. Promotion of chess is good, but obligation of learning chess is unacceptable to me.
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