Hello Chess-mates! Let us have a look at a successful attack launched by Hungarian Grandmaster & by far the strongest female chess player in the history - Judith Polgar
W: Van Wely B : Judith Polgar Hoogoveen, 1997 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. d4 d5 5. dxc5?! I am not sure about the correctness of this move. It allows black to capture on c5 with the bishop without losing a tempo. 5...e6 6. a3 Bxc5
Position after 6...Bxc5
Symmetrical English Opening offers varieties of position. In this game, we shall see IQP (Isolated Queen Pawn) arising.
7. b4 Bd6 8. Nf3 O-O 9.cxd5 exd5 Now we have an IQP Position :
10. Nb5?! White could have played Be2, followed by castles. White's Nb5 only helps black. The bishop is now driven to a better square. The long range h2-b8 may be conveniently used by black to force weaknesses in the future. 10...Bb8
Position after 10...Bb8
11. Bb2!? (White castled early and managed to neutralize Black's attack. Have a look : 11.Be2 Re8 12.0–0 a6 13.Nbd4 Qd6 14.Bb2 Bg4 15.g3 Bh3 16.Re1 Ne4 17.Qd3 Qh6 18.Rac1 Ne5 19.Nxe5 Bxe5 20.Rc2 Rad8 21.Nf3 Bb8 22.Qb3 Be6 23.Bd4 Bg4 24.Nh4 Bxe2 25.Rexe2 Qh5 26.f4 Qg4 27.Qd3 h6 28.Bb2 Ba7 29.Kg2 Re6 30.Nf3 Nxg3 31.hxg3 Rg6 32.Rf2 Qxg3+ 33.Kf1 Qh3+ 34.Ke2 Rg3 35.Bd4 Bb8 36.Qd1 g5 37.fxg5 hxg5 38.Rh2 Rg2+ 39.Rxg2 Qxg2+ 40.Kd3 Qh3 41.Ne1 g4 42.Kd2 Re8 43.Nd3 f6 44.Nf2 Qh2 45.Qxg4+ 1–0 Karolyi,T (2200)-Sahl,B (2345)/Ballerup 1985/MCD) Judith senses that this is the right moment to strike :11...a5! 12.bxa5 Ne4! Judith is in no hurry to grab the pawn as that would give white some time to breathe. (12...Qxa5 + would allow Bc3 & Be2 intending 0-0)
13. Be2 {13.Nc3 is strongly met by Bc7! (not 13...Qxa5? due to 14.Qxd5=) 14.Bd3 Bxa5 The pin along the a5-e1 drains white 15.Qc2 Nxc3 16.Bxc3 d4! 17.Bxa5 Qxa5+ 18.Qd2 dxe3 19.fxe3 Ne5 & white's weak pawns will soon conclude the story. Notice the flexibility of the bishop that switches its functioning diagonal whenever necessary} 13...Qxa5+ 14. Kf1 Rd8 15. h3 It is difficult to suggest a plan for white. He has to try the artificial castling. His play is paralysed on queenside. Black's pieces dominate the important squares.
Position after 15.h3
I like Black's next move : 15...Qb6! Queen has done its job on a5. It will now hope to attack on the kingside. While attacking, one has to be flexible, shift pieces, shuffle them whenever needed so that their potential is fully unleashed. {Judith states that 15...Ne7 was also possible - intending Nf5 where it looks at g3-e3.} 16. g3 Re8 :
Position after 16...Re8 It seems like the blow on the dark squares will follow shortly. Again, Judith's play is remarkable. Her pieces are consistently being improved. 17. Qe1 Na5 18. Bd4 Qg6!
{17...Na5 had two ideas : 1) Arranges a Queen-shift to g6 2)Knight hop to c4) 19. Kg2 Nc4 20. Nh4 Qc6 21. a4 Ra6! Now Judith includes her last piece in the attack. Jacob Aagard in his Attacking Chess Manual has devoted a chapter 'Bring all your toys to the nursery'
22.Bg4 {Now 22...g6!? is a Karpov-type approach to the position) 22...f5!?
23. Bxf5 [And 23.Nxf5 is met by Bxf5 24.Bxf5 Nxg3! 25.fxg3 Nxe3+ Boom!! 26.Bxe3 d4+ Discovered check makes sure that the bishop on e3 is attacked 27.Kh2 Rxe3 28.Nxd4 Rxe1 29.Nxc6 Re2+ 30.Kg1 Rxc6 & black's menacing rooks will surely decide the game soon] 23... Rf8 The f2 is a real target, it's show time now. 24. Bxc8 Qxc8 25. Ra2 Rh6 26. Qd1
Black to play. Roll the Golden Pawn :)
26...g5! 27. Nf3 g4 28. hxg4 Rxh1 29. Qxh1 Qxg4
30. Nh2 {30.Qd1 is met by the deadly 30...Ncd2) and the final blow : Rxf2+ 0-1 (31.Rxf2 is met by 31...Qxg3 followed by mate on f2) Lessons from the game : 1) Momentum is very essential in order to launch a successful attack. Note that Judith did not grab the pawn on a5 immediately. She installed the knight on e4, depriving white from castling. 2) Flexibility is another key feature of this game. Judith did not refrain from changing the position of the pieces, whenever required. 3)Including all the pieces in the attack : Judith's attack was correct and met all the demands of the position. She included all her pieces in the attack which crowned her a well-deserved victory. 4)Small tactics : Judith's alertness is evident in her moves. She kept an eye for tactics and blew the cover of white's king at the right time
I hope you enjoyed learning from this game as much as I enjoyed annotating it :) Stay tuned for another attacking game in the Part 2 of the Attacking Chess Series The PGN Viewer for your convenience :
Wishing you successful attacks ahead :) - Niranjan
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Wednesday, July 16, 2014|By
Niranjan
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Namaste to the readers! I'm writing on this platform for the first time. You can expect funny chess stories, interesting games and thoughts here. My personal blog has a lot of chess-oriented stuff : www.chessindia.blogspot.in
For now, lets take a look at the game where I sacrificed two rooks!
Try to find the forced mate!
And that was quite memorable indeed!
Postscript :
Let's go back to this position:
Position after 17.Nc3
17...Qxh1 18.Kd2 and now Black need not take the rook on a1. He could simply play Qh2 defending the key diagonal - h2-b8, thus preventing Bf4 + in the future. So Black would be a rook up for nothing.
Lessons ;
1) Don't give a check because you see it. Instead, Calculate further and see if you really benefit from it (14.Bg5)
2) Don't take everything you get. (18...Qxa1)
I offered my rooks and my opponent gladly accepted them!
I was lucky, I was lucky.
See you soon,
- Niranjan Navalgund
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Saturday, June 28, 2014|By
Niranjan
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After Illuminati 2011 received
a good response,with 90 poems and 19 short stories,we announce the
second edition of the ManipalBlog annual short story and poetry contest –
Illuminati 2012.
We encourage student writers in India to
explore and celebrate their talents by sending in their new, untried
work. Writers may try their hand in both the categories: Short Story
and Poetry.
MANIPALBLOG ANNUAL SHORT STORY AND POETRY COMPETITION: ILLUMINATI 2012
Illuminati 2012: the 2nd ManipalBlog Annual short story and poetry contest
Entries
will be accepted between 12:00 AM , 1st May 2012 and 12:00 AM 1st June
2012. The entries will be published online at Manipalblog.com, on 1st
June 2012 and one month will be given for our readers to appreciate and
vote for them. Results will be announced on 15th August 2012 !
1. Eligibility:
The contest is open to all student residents in India.
Only original, unpublished, fictional short stories of 1500 words or
less and written in English without profanity are eligible.
Multiple entries in each category are allowed.
Each article must contain solely the entrant’s original ideas and
language. Your submission of the article and entry form is your
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Administrators, Editors and Family members of ManipalBlog.com are not eligible to enter.
2.
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Be between 1000 to 2000 words.
Be on the topic or theme provided.
Be written in the English language.
Be wholly the original work of the entrant, written solely by the entrant.
Not be copied from any other source.
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determined by ManipalBlog.com in its sole discretion.
Meet the deadline.
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No single poem should exceed 60 lines.
Both metered and free verse qualify, as well as prose poems that are so designated by the poet are accepted.
Be on the topic or theme provided.
Be written in the English language.
Be wholly the original work of the entrant, written solely by the entrant.
Not be copied from any other source.
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Like last year, we will be having prizes in the popular choice and critics choice categories for both short stories and poetry.
The popular choice awards will be based on the traffic, Facebook
‘Likes’ and Tweets the short story/ poem generates between 1st June 2012
and 1st July 2012.
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Certificates will be given away to all the participants via mail or in person if they live in Manipal/Mangalore.
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The prizes in each category will be announced on 2nd June 2012. (Last
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THE TOPICS AND THEMES for the Annual ManipalBlog Short Story & Poetry competition: Illuminati 2012 are as follows:
Short Story Topics:
The first day of college, a love note, and I suddenly saw a light at a distance…
A young student, corruption in the college, joins politics to save country
The Tablet, 21/12, Technology saves humanity from the Mayans.
Poetry Themes:
The girl at the fair
Wonderland
The sweet taste of Revenge
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: mail to contests@manipalblog.com with Illuminati 2012 as the subject line
Each player may "castle" only once during a game and when conditions are met. Castling is one of the more complicated moves in chess. It's the only time when a player can move more than one piece on a move. Castling is often a very important move because it allows you to place your King in a safe location and also allows the Rook to become more active.
How do you improve your performance? Do you study endgames a lot? Or are you an openings person? Some of you might be pouring over grandmaster games, maybe of your favourite grandmasters? These are really good ways to improve your chess ability and improve your chess game performance too. But there are times, when even after thorough preparation, you drop a piece during a tournament play, or may have missed or overlooked a check and allowed your opponent a crucial advantage. This happens even to the best of us, Vishwanathan Anand for example, missed one such bishop move in his World championship opening game and lost a crucial point. But what if I say, there is a way to prevent this from happening to you?
He was born in London, England in 1945. David Levy was the Scottish chess champ at the age of 22 and Levy played John McCarthy a friendly game of chess at an AI workshop in Edinburgh in 1968 and he made a bet of 500 pounds with John at that time regarding the future of computer chess. In 1977, David defeated KAISSA. He defeated chess 4.9, 4.7 later and then in 1978 won his bet from McCarthy for several thousand dollars. David Levy is the author of an unbelievable number of books. He’s written about 40 to 50 books on the subjects of computers, chess, and a wide range of subjects and is extremely prolific. He’s President of the International Computer Games Association and he helped organize the IBM Kasparov Deep Blue Match.
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Sunday, December 05, 2010|By
Vishaal
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In Igor Khmelnitsky’sChess Exam and Training Guide, he gives a procedure toward the end of the book for going over your own games. I’ve used it a couple of times, and I like it. As an adult player, trying to improve but with limited study time, I find this approach to be practical.
Here’s a summary of the procedure:
Write brief notes, as soon as possible after the game, to capture your thought process.
Store your games in a database. (I use ChessBase 8.)
Identify critical moves that might have been strategically wrong, and record ideas that might have been better.
Use a chess program’s “blunder check” to find tactical mistakes. (I use Fritz.)
Play against a chess program to test out your new strategic ideas. (I haven’t had time to do this.)
Review the opening phase. Find a stopping point between the 10th and 20th moves and summarize its outcome. Make a note of anything you’d like to do differently next time.
The following is instruction for some and refresher for others, read on…..
In chess the word "opening" has two common meanings: the first stage of a chess game and also the first sequence of moves.
A good opening will provide better protection of the King, control over an area of the board (particularly the center), greater mobility for pieces, and possibly opportunities to capture opposing pawns and pieces. Some are direct, while others are more subtle and indirect approaches toward these goals.
Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings (as initiated by White) or defenses (as created in reply by Black). A sequence of opening moves that is considered standard (often cataloged in a reference work such as the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings) is referred to as "the book moves", or simply "book". When a game begins to deviate from known opening theory, the players are said to be "out of book".
The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO) is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. Instead of the traditional names for the openings, ECO is a unique coding system. There are five main categories, "A" to "E", each of which is divided into one hundred sub-categories.
There are two ways to win a chess game. One way is solid, steady, and unspectacular. You gradually outplay your opponent, piling small advantage on top of small advantage. You win a little material advantage along the way, and finally score a win in the end game.
The other way is harder but much more satisfying. You activate your pieces early in the game, generating threats that push your opponent back to the wall. You blast through the pawns and pieces guarding his King with a brilliant sacrifice, crown your achievement with an amazing checkmate, seemingly conjured out of thin air.
While browsing through some old collections of mine, i came across this article published in some chess newsletter in the mid 1990's. I hope that I can reproduce it here without any problems. I do not recall the Newsletter, I have just saved the text and the author.
Chess is a great sport, but let’s admit it doesn’t offer much in the way of cardiovascular fitness.
So, hoping to expand my repertoire of hobbies a bit -- as well as to get some exercise and prevent a stroke before I turn forty -- I recently started checking into martial arts classes. What I learned about Karate also taught me something about chess.
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Wednesday, December 01, 2010|By
Vishaal
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The opening is a race to see who can get their pieces out first while keeping at least a share of control of the center.’ To illustrate this point, we will be introducing the Evans Gambit.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4
The Evan's Gambit - Position after 4.b4
This opening, a variation of the Giuoco Piano, is named after the British sea captain, W. D. Evans who invented it in the 1820s. With 4.b4 White deflects the Black Bishop from its control of the centre squares and White gives up a pawn to gain rapid development and open lines for his pieces. With 4.b4 White deflects the Black Bishop from its control of the centre squares and This opening is not as popular today as it used to be but it is still played by some grandmasters.
Before thinking that you have lost the game already by giving up a pawn in the opening, consider the following. First, according to chessbase, an online chess resource that has 500 games recorded, white wins 50% of the time in grandmaster play. But more importantly, with games between beginning players, the game rarely hinges upon getting a pawn up and successfully promoting the pawn to win the game in the end game. Usually, the game is decided by a player making a major mistake when confronted with the task of dealing with a complex position.
If you chose to play this opening, you will be able to rapidly deploy your pieces, create positions that require tactical play, and can apply a great deal of pressure on your opponent. Perhaps the most famous example of the opening occurs between the Grandmasters, Robert Fischer and Robert Fine.
Making a lasting mark at chess is a tough thing to do. Maybe you play as well as Kasparov, or compose as splendidly as Grigoriev, or teach as memorably as Purdy, but not many of us attain the levels of skill required
to do those things.
Some players achieve some immortality by attaching their names to an opening. Sometimes the moves are not so good - Robert Durkin claimed 1. Na3 - and sometimes they are based in real positional grounds. Two different wing gambits, where one side aims for center control by deflecting an enemy bishop pawn, have been named for Bay Area players.
The intelligent reader may enquire: "Why am I supposed to study Chess Strategy, while I have only a very slender knowledge of the Chess Openings?" The reply to this question is, that learning Chess is somewhat similar to learning a language. We all know that children acquire a certain vocabulary of their native tongue before they begin to delve into the mysteries of grammar and syntax, and, as a matter of fact, a considerable proportion of people of all nationalities are content to go through life without troubling themselves to learn the laws and principles which govern their language. In Chess, knowledge of the moves and how to play under certain given conditions is equivalent to acquiring a vocabulary in a language, and the syntax may be said to be the study and analysis of the Openings, which we have therefore reserved for a later stage, by which time the student will be better equipped for the task of making himself conversant with the subtleties and beauties of the many and complex variations in the different Chess Openings.
Get your pieces out into the center quickly. The opening is a race to see who can get their pieces out first while keeping at least a share of control of the center.
This is the main point to remember; all the other rules are just footnotes to this one
More detail on winning the race:
Move pieces not pawns, and
move them to their best squares in one move if you can, and also
try to gain time if you can by aggressive moves.
Move minor pieces out first, not your Q or RRs which can be attacked and lose time
Get a firm foothold in the center and don't give it up
Generally move Knights straightaway to f3/c3 or f6/c6
Move your king to safety at the side by castling King's-side (which also gets your Rook into play)
Complete your development before moving a piece twice or starting an attack
Keep your queen safe
Don't grab pawns or attack if you haven't completed development
What to do if there is a lead in development:
If you are ahead in development, start something going and open up lines for your better pieces
If you are behind in development, don't start anything and keep things closed until you have caught up
"A knowledge of tactics is the foundation of positional play. This is a rule which has stood its test in chess history and one which we cannot impress forcibly enough upon the young chess player. A beginner should avoid Queen's Gambit and French Defence and play open games instead! While he may not win as many games at first, he will in the long run be amply compensated by acquiring a thorough knowledge of the game" - RICHARD RETI
As a beginning to intermediate player, it is much more important to learn tactics than strategy. Choosing open games lead to games with more tactical play.
1. Control the center All of your early moves should aim to take control over the center (the d4,e4,d5, and e5-squares) ... usually by develop a piece, preferably in a way that threatens something... perhaps an opponent's piece or to take firm control over the center.
Published by : Russell Enterprises (September 15, 2007) Paperback: 192 Pages
I am reading Dan Heisman’s Back To Basics: Tactics about a week ago. The book aims to teach tactical concepts to “beginning players who have never played tournament chess or who possess a U.S. Chess Federation rating lower than 1500″ or online players with a rating below 1700. I believe the book is well-suited for this purpose and audience. I also think players rated 100-200 points higher might use this book for a quick “tactical tune-up” if they are a bit rusty.
13. Be2 {13.Nc3 is strongly met by Bc7! (not 13...Qxa5? due to 14.Qxd5=) 14.Bd3 Bxa5 The pin along the a5-e1 drains white 15.Qc2 Nxc3 16.Bxc3 d4! 17.Bxa5 Qxa5+ 18.Qd2 dxe3 19.fxe3 Ne5 & white's weak pawns will soon conclude the story. Notice the flexibility of the bishop that switches its functioning diagonal whenever necessary}
complicated moves in chess. It's the only time when a player can move more than one piece on a move. Castling is often a very important move because it allows you to place your King in a safe location and also allows the Rook to become more active. 
of you might be pouring over grandmaster games, maybe of your favourite grandmasters? These are really good ways to improve your chess ability and improve your chess game performance too. But there are times, when even after thorough preparation, you drop a piece during a tournament play, or may have missed or overlooked a check and allowed your opponent a crucial advantage. This happens even to the best of us, Vishwanathan Anand for example, missed one such bishop move in his World championship opening game and lost a crucial point. But what if I say, there is a way to prevent this from happening to you? 
played John McCarthy a friendly game of chess at an AI workshop in Edinburgh in 1968 and he made a bet of 500 pounds with John at that time regarding the future of computer chess. In 1977, David defeated KAISSA. He defeated chess 4.9, 4.7 later and then in 1978 won his bet from McCarthy for several thousand dollars. David Levy is the author of an unbelievable number of books. He’s written about 
on the subjects of computers, chess, and a wide range of subjects and is extremely prolific. He’s President of the International Computer Games Association and he helped organize the IBM Kasparov Deep Blue Match.
, he gives a procedure toward the end of the book for going over your own games. I’ve used it a couple of times, and I like it. As an adult player, trying to improve but with limited study time, I find this approach to be practical.
and unspectacular. You gradually outplay your opponent, piling small advantage on top of small advantage. You win a little material advantage along the way, and finally score a win in the end game.
Newsletter, I have just saved the text and the author.
splendidly as Grigoriev, or teach as memorably as 
, but not many of us attain the levels of skill required
tongue before they begin to delve into the mysteries of grammar and syntax, and, as a matter of fact, a considerable proportion of people of all nationalities are content to go through life without troubling themselves to learn the laws and principles which govern their language. In Chess, knowledge of the moves and how to play under certain given conditions is equivalent to acquiring a vocabulary in a language, and the syntax may be said to be the study and analysis of the Openings, which we have therefore reserved for a later stage, by which time the student will be better equipped for the task of making himself conversant with the subtleties and beauties of the many and complex variations in the different Chess Openings.
out first while keeping at least a share of control of the center. 
its test in chess history and one which we cannot impress forcibly enough upon the young chess player. A beginner should avoid Queen's Gambit and French Defence and play open games instead! While he may not win as many games at first, he will in the long run be amply compensated by acquiring a thorough knowledge of the game" - RICHARD RETI
about a week ago. The book aims to teach tactical concepts to “beginning players who have never played tournament chess or who possess a U.S. Chess Federation rating lower than 1500″ or online players with a rating below 1700. I believe the book is well-suited for this purpose and audience. I also think players rated 100-200 points higher might use this book for a quick “tactical tune-up” if they are a bit rusty.
