Poetry in motion!
"Cricket is a simple game. Once you cover the stumps and the ball is outside your body, there is no way it can hit the woodwork. The only way you can be out is by making a mistake." - Garry Sobers
No need to introduce the great man.....and explain what he said.....simply! Yet.....
take my word.....being simple and doing simple things is the most profoundest and difficult thing in life!
You can never eliminate mistakes.....but embrace them and by embracing them,, you evolve and understand what IT means.....and thereby get better and better and commit lesser and lesser!
Take for eg., if you are afraid of darkness, the only way you can overcome that fear of darkness is by going through dark areas and not circumventing it or avoiding it! To dispel ignorance you have to experience and go through ignorance.....and this very process lights a flame of awareness and dispels ignorance!
So, to overcome or limit the amount of mistakes that one commit, you need to understand it...ask "Why" it occurred and that will lead you to understanding!
Swami Vivekananda once said, "Man never progresses from error to truth; but from truth to truth....from lesser truth to higher truth"
Likewise, in chess too, you do not progress from error perception......in fact there is nothing called as error.....it is merely the difference in the level of one's understanding at a particular moment....and only through realistic view of it and understanding its basis unconditionally, one evolves and progresses towards higher perception.....perpetually!
What Sobers said is very simple in words.....but why then even the greatest of cricketers keep getting exposed during certain phases of their carrier and play miserably (I am not talking about getting out, which is inevitable, like losing in chess)!
The closest simile in Chess - to what Sobers mentioned above - is the play of Capablanca! Capablanca's games are poetry in motion! (good I managed to bring in the title in justification!! :)
If someone reads his "Chess fundamentals" in all earnestness, and applies them in practice while they play, they cannot help but getting better at what they were doing....irrespective of whether they are beginner or even a Grandmaster!
We shall see a couple of examples of what is meant by the musings above....
Aaron Nimzowitsch - Jose Raul Capablanca, New York, 1927
1.c4 Nf6; 2.Nf3 e6; 3.d4 d5; 4.e3 Be7; 5.Nbd2 OO; 6.Bd3 c5; 7.dc5 Na6; 8.OO Nc5; 9.Be2 b6; 10.cd5 Nd5; 11.Nb3
No....! I am not preposterous enough to question the great thinker Nimzowitsch and father of hypermodern approach to the game!
But, just to denote that the great man too is susceptible to the same ".........'s" which he admonished in his system and praxis.....for the very term mistake itself is a mistaken word!
Numerically, the piece count will reveal that the development is nearing completion.....and Capablanca with his next move....
11.....Bb7
......did complete his development and ready to determine a square for his Queen and bring his Rooks to meaningful files....
On the contrary, due to certain inaccuracies in the process of playing out his first 10 moves, Nimzowitsch has landed in slight trouble.....as he will not find easy to deploy his dark squared Bishop.
And therefore, he is trying out a forced sequence, but oblivious to what is in store from him from the Cuban magician....who is capable of pulling out dove from thin air!
12.Nc5 Bc5
The Knight for that Knight is a good tradeoff.....but not at the cost of giving up the control of the centre square.
This position deserves a diagram.....if not for anything, just to mull over what must have gone through Nimzowitsch's mind to do what he did subsequently!
Black's two roving Bishops are super active on the central diagonals and history has records of many games with such Bishops spelling great disaster for the opposing side......Rotlewi - Rubinstein; Lasker - Bauer....for eg.
This explains for Nimzowitsch desire to trade a pair of Bishops....but that tradeoff brings in a fresh set of problems.....
......weakness of his light squares!
13.Qa4 Qf6; 14.Ba6?!
A device brought into practice by the Cuban himself.....in analogous positions.....but....
14......Ba6; 15.Qa6 Nb4! 16.Qe2 Rfd8; 17.a3 Nd3!
Nimzowitsch certainly would have seen this coming.....and that he cannot afford to leave that beast stand imposingly on that square.
Hence the next tradeoff.....
......his only remaining minor piece which can control the light squares!
18.Ne1 Ne1; 19.Re1 Rac8; 20.Rb1
Would exchange of a pair of Rooks be better for White......perhaps yes.....perhaps no....!
Yes, exchanging pieces for a side which does not have initiative is good to lessen the control of his opponent over the position....and trying to get some relief. But here, Black's another Rook will land on d-file with a tempo and White would still not have solved the problem of his c1 Bishop and activating his Queenside.
But, allowing Capablanca to have both his Rooks brings in a different nemesis...perhaps more severe.....and hence on hindsight......!
20......Qe5!
Hallmark of a great master! When nothing needs to be done, centralise your pieces more and more!
21.g3
The appearance of Queen on b8-h2 diagonal and attack on h2 with the aid of the c5 Bishop, provokes further weakness.....of light squares!
21......Qd5!!
Wow!!
Isn't she not sitting majestically on that square....radiating in all directions!
This is what is meant by the statement of Sobers.....like Cricket....Chess is also simple........BUT ONLY when you start doing simple things!
22.b4?!
Another pawn lands on the same colour of his Bishop......Nimzowitsch could not bring him to terms and hold him from doing things which he himself abhorred!
Now the lights squares are flaring up! The denouement is certainly round the corner!
22.....Bf8!
Another fine move.....defying it's simple nature! The Bishop has done its mite.....and retires to a more potent square from where it guards against any flash strike on the back-rank! Such moves are never annotated and hence are taken for granted or goes unnoticed.....but they are cornerstones of greatness!
23.Bb2 Qa2! 24.Ra1 Qb3! 25.Bd4?!
Why not simple 25.Ra (any) c1....White will not be out of troubles, but he is at least actively defending....yes Black will then expand his Queenside pawns and provoke the pawns already advanced by White....but, when you have invited something, you better face it with bold face! Unwarranted aggression will only end up precipitating the issue further.
25.....Rc2; 26.Qa6 e5!!
This is what I meant!
By putting that Bishop on d4, Nimzovitsch hoped to prevent that d8 Rook landing on d2 with deadly consequences......but Chess is a great leveler.....it will unfailing punish you for what you did....or what you failed to do!
Just go through My Systems and Chess Praxis.....you will find statements and examples of every sin that the great Nimzovitsch himself committed in this game! It happens....and you have to just accept it and progress!
27.Be5 Rdd2; 28.Qb7!
No time to defend the f2 pawn, as Capablanca was threatening 28.....Qe3!!
28.....Rf2; 29.g4 Qe6! 30.Bg3 Rh2!!
Absolute economy of moves!
The remainder of the game requires no explanation.
31.Qf3 Rhg2; 32.Qg2 Rg2; 33.Kg2 Qg4; 34.Rad1 h5! 35.Rd4 Qg5; 36.Kh2 a5; 37.Re2 ab4; 38.ab4 Be7; 39.Re4 Bf6; 40.Rf2 Qd5! 41.Re8 Kh7
and Nimzowitsch resigned
Jose Raul Capablanca - Schiffman, Casual game, 1909
Though this is a casual game, do not take it casually!
1.e4 e5; 2.Nf3 Nc6; 3.Bb5 d6; 4.OO Bd7; 5.Nc3 Nf6; 6.d4 ed4; 7.Nd4 Nd4; 8.Qd4
Somewhere, down the lane, this system has gone out of practice at master level and Negi's forthcoming monograph on Ruy Lopez perhaps may stop a few moves back....
This is what Isaac Oskarovich Lipnitsky - considered to be a great teacher of chess theory and whose book was hailed by great players like Botvinnik, Fischer and Karpov amongst great many others - had to say succinctly about opening.....
"....the rationale of the fight which is joined in a chess game right from the start consists in developing your own forces to good positions as fast and effectively as possible, while trying your hardest to stop your opponent from doing the same."
It encompasses everything that will be and can be said to comprise of opening pay....with regard to centre, mobilisation, space, time etc....
And considering this, one may find fault with the involuntary move 7.....Nd4?! which in itself is not very serious, but the follow-up which it triggers is!
8.....Be7
While annotating this game now, I accidentally bumped upon this following gem, which I shall deal in brief.
where Rajavee....a name which sounds very much Indian, played....
8.....Bb5?
9.Nb5 a6; 10.Nc3 Be7; 11.b3 OO; 12.Bb2 Re8; 13.Nd5!
Perfect timing! It provokes further weakness.
13.....c6; 14.Ne7 Qe7; 15.f3 Qe5; 16.Qe5 de5; 17.Rad1!
Keres methodically controls the open spaces by making Black defend the weaknesses committed by him!
17.....Re6; 18.Ba3! Rae8; 19.Rd2 h6; 20.Bc5 g6; 21.Rfd1 Kg7; 22.Kf2 Rb8; 23.Rd6!
23......Rd6; 24.Rd6 b6; 25.Ba3 c5; 26.Bb2!
Having provoked the second weakness, the Bishop returns back to its primary pursuit!
26.....Ne8; 27.Be5!! Kg8; 28.Rg6 and Keres won the game in few more moves!
Returning back to Capablanca - Schiffman....
9.Bd7 Qd7; 10.Bg5 c6?
Why not simply play 10.....h6 followed by castling, subsequently.... Play simple chess!
11.Rad1!
The "d6" point is very sore and Capa will pursue it relentlessly!
11.....Qe6; 12.f4 h6
Black is playing right moves at wrong times!
13.Bf6 Qf6; 14.Qf6 gf6; 15.Ne2!
Ofcourse!
Black had sent for a coffin and it is arriving in the form of Knight on f5!
15.....Rd8; 16.c4! Rd7; 17.Ng3 Kd8; 18.Nf5 Kc7; 19.Rd3!
Black is a trifle late....and he is kept busy with Capablanca's every probing move! Black had to first secure his h-pawn before bringing his Rook to d-file. But he cannot rest in peace any more!
19......h5; 20.Rfd1 Rhd8; 21.Rh3! d5
In desperation.....it is very difficult to keep your composure when somebody is pounding you relentlessly......simply! :)
22.Ne7!!
Shame....this glorious Knight had to die to create a masterpiece!
22......Re7; 23.ed5 cd5; 24.cd5 Re2; 25.Rh5 Rb2; 26.Rh7! Rd7; 27.h4! Kd6; 28.h5 Rb4
29.g3!!
Simple is as beautiful as complex.....and one can understand complex only through simple means!
"Qualities of feeling are as incomparable as they are indescribable. They mark the limit of the capacity of language to communicate".....wrote Jean Amery in his dissertation...."At the mind's limits".....dealing about torture and human endurance!
Even aesthetic sense fails description at most appropriate times!
Suffice to say, I derived great indescribable joy in repeatedly seeing this game and working on it!
29......Rb2; 30.Rh8 Re7; 31.Rd8 Kc7; 32.d6!!
......and with that great Knight, this little pride too self immolates!
32.....Kd8; 33.de7 Ke7; 34.h6! Rb5; 35.g4 Rc5
......and seemingly the Rook is on time to control the vital queening square of the h-pawn.....
...or is he!?
36.Rd8!!!
Capablanca's last remaining piece jumps to death......
......and give birth to a new Queen!!
1 - 0
Play over this game again and again......because it deserves it!
No need to introduce the great man.....and explain what he said.....simply! Yet.....
take my word.....being simple and doing simple things is the most profoundest and difficult thing in life!
You can never eliminate mistakes.....but embrace them and by embracing them,, you evolve and understand what IT means.....and thereby get better and better and commit lesser and lesser!
Take for eg., if you are afraid of darkness, the only way you can overcome that fear of darkness is by going through dark areas and not circumventing it or avoiding it! To dispel ignorance you have to experience and go through ignorance.....and this very process lights a flame of awareness and dispels ignorance!
So, to overcome or limit the amount of mistakes that one commit, you need to understand it...ask "Why" it occurred and that will lead you to understanding!
Swami Vivekananda once said, "Man never progresses from error to truth; but from truth to truth....from lesser truth to higher truth"
Likewise, in chess too, you do not progress from error perception......in fact there is nothing called as error.....it is merely the difference in the level of one's understanding at a particular moment....and only through realistic view of it and understanding its basis unconditionally, one evolves and progresses towards higher perception.....perpetually!
What Sobers said is very simple in words.....but why then even the greatest of cricketers keep getting exposed during certain phases of their carrier and play miserably (I am not talking about getting out, which is inevitable, like losing in chess)!
The closest simile in Chess - to what Sobers mentioned above - is the play of Capablanca! Capablanca's games are poetry in motion! (good I managed to bring in the title in justification!! :)
If someone reads his "Chess fundamentals" in all earnestness, and applies them in practice while they play, they cannot help but getting better at what they were doing....irrespective of whether they are beginner or even a Grandmaster!
We shall see a couple of examples of what is meant by the musings above....
Aaron Nimzowitsch - Jose Raul Capablanca, New York, 1927
1.c4 Nf6; 2.Nf3 e6; 3.d4 d5; 4.e3 Be7; 5.Nbd2 OO; 6.Bd3 c5; 7.dc5 Na6; 8.OO Nc5; 9.Be2 b6; 10.cd5 Nd5; 11.Nb3
No....! I am not preposterous enough to question the great thinker Nimzowitsch and father of hypermodern approach to the game!
But, just to denote that the great man too is susceptible to the same ".........'s" which he admonished in his system and praxis.....for the very term mistake itself is a mistaken word!
Numerically, the piece count will reveal that the development is nearing completion.....and Capablanca with his next move....
11.....Bb7
......did complete his development and ready to determine a square for his Queen and bring his Rooks to meaningful files....
On the contrary, due to certain inaccuracies in the process of playing out his first 10 moves, Nimzowitsch has landed in slight trouble.....as he will not find easy to deploy his dark squared Bishop.
And therefore, he is trying out a forced sequence, but oblivious to what is in store from him from the Cuban magician....who is capable of pulling out dove from thin air!
12.Nc5 Bc5
The Knight for that Knight is a good tradeoff.....but not at the cost of giving up the control of the centre square.
This position deserves a diagram.....if not for anything, just to mull over what must have gone through Nimzowitsch's mind to do what he did subsequently!
Black's two roving Bishops are super active on the central diagonals and history has records of many games with such Bishops spelling great disaster for the opposing side......Rotlewi - Rubinstein; Lasker - Bauer....for eg.
This explains for Nimzowitsch desire to trade a pair of Bishops....but that tradeoff brings in a fresh set of problems.....
......weakness of his light squares!
13.Qa4 Qf6; 14.Ba6?!
A device brought into practice by the Cuban himself.....in analogous positions.....but....
14......Ba6; 15.Qa6 Nb4! 16.Qe2 Rfd8; 17.a3 Nd3!
Nimzowitsch certainly would have seen this coming.....and that he cannot afford to leave that beast stand imposingly on that square.
Hence the next tradeoff.....
......his only remaining minor piece which can control the light squares!
18.Ne1 Ne1; 19.Re1 Rac8; 20.Rb1
Would exchange of a pair of Rooks be better for White......perhaps yes.....perhaps no....!
Yes, exchanging pieces for a side which does not have initiative is good to lessen the control of his opponent over the position....and trying to get some relief. But here, Black's another Rook will land on d-file with a tempo and White would still not have solved the problem of his c1 Bishop and activating his Queenside.
But, allowing Capablanca to have both his Rooks brings in a different nemesis...perhaps more severe.....and hence on hindsight......!
20......Qe5!
Hallmark of a great master! When nothing needs to be done, centralise your pieces more and more!
21.g3
The appearance of Queen on b8-h2 diagonal and attack on h2 with the aid of the c5 Bishop, provokes further weakness.....of light squares!
21......Qd5!!
Wow!!
Isn't she not sitting majestically on that square....radiating in all directions!
This is what is meant by the statement of Sobers.....like Cricket....Chess is also simple........BUT ONLY when you start doing simple things!
22.b4?!
Another pawn lands on the same colour of his Bishop......Nimzowitsch could not bring him to terms and hold him from doing things which he himself abhorred!
Now the lights squares are flaring up! The denouement is certainly round the corner!
22.....Bf8!
Another fine move.....defying it's simple nature! The Bishop has done its mite.....and retires to a more potent square from where it guards against any flash strike on the back-rank! Such moves are never annotated and hence are taken for granted or goes unnoticed.....but they are cornerstones of greatness!
23.Bb2 Qa2! 24.Ra1 Qb3! 25.Bd4?!
Why not simple 25.Ra (any) c1....White will not be out of troubles, but he is at least actively defending....yes Black will then expand his Queenside pawns and provoke the pawns already advanced by White....but, when you have invited something, you better face it with bold face! Unwarranted aggression will only end up precipitating the issue further.
25.....Rc2; 26.Qa6 e5!!
This is what I meant!
By putting that Bishop on d4, Nimzovitsch hoped to prevent that d8 Rook landing on d2 with deadly consequences......but Chess is a great leveler.....it will unfailing punish you for what you did....or what you failed to do!
Just go through My Systems and Chess Praxis.....you will find statements and examples of every sin that the great Nimzovitsch himself committed in this game! It happens....and you have to just accept it and progress!
27.Be5 Rdd2; 28.Qb7!
No time to defend the f2 pawn, as Capablanca was threatening 28.....Qe3!!
28.....Rf2; 29.g4 Qe6! 30.Bg3 Rh2!!
Absolute economy of moves!
The remainder of the game requires no explanation.
31.Qf3 Rhg2; 32.Qg2 Rg2; 33.Kg2 Qg4; 34.Rad1 h5! 35.Rd4 Qg5; 36.Kh2 a5; 37.Re2 ab4; 38.ab4 Be7; 39.Re4 Bf6; 40.Rf2 Qd5! 41.Re8 Kh7
and Nimzowitsch resigned
Jose Raul Capablanca - Schiffman, Casual game, 1909
Though this is a casual game, do not take it casually!
1.e4 e5; 2.Nf3 Nc6; 3.Bb5 d6; 4.OO Bd7; 5.Nc3 Nf6; 6.d4 ed4; 7.Nd4 Nd4; 8.Qd4
Somewhere, down the lane, this system has gone out of practice at master level and Negi's forthcoming monograph on Ruy Lopez perhaps may stop a few moves back....
This is what Isaac Oskarovich Lipnitsky - considered to be a great teacher of chess theory and whose book was hailed by great players like Botvinnik, Fischer and Karpov amongst great many others - had to say succinctly about opening.....
"....the rationale of the fight which is joined in a chess game right from the start consists in developing your own forces to good positions as fast and effectively as possible, while trying your hardest to stop your opponent from doing the same."
It encompasses everything that will be and can be said to comprise of opening pay....with regard to centre, mobilisation, space, time etc....
And considering this, one may find fault with the involuntary move 7.....Nd4?! which in itself is not very serious, but the follow-up which it triggers is!
8.....Be7
While annotating this game now, I accidentally bumped upon this following gem, which I shall deal in brief.
Paul Keres - A.Rajavee, Tallinn, 1938
8.....Bb5?
9.Nb5 a6; 10.Nc3 Be7; 11.b3 OO; 12.Bb2 Re8; 13.Nd5!
Perfect timing! It provokes further weakness.
13.....c6; 14.Ne7 Qe7; 15.f3 Qe5; 16.Qe5 de5; 17.Rad1!
Keres methodically controls the open spaces by making Black defend the weaknesses committed by him!
17.....Re6; 18.Ba3! Rae8; 19.Rd2 h6; 20.Bc5 g6; 21.Rfd1 Kg7; 22.Kf2 Rb8; 23.Rd6!
23......Rd6; 24.Rd6 b6; 25.Ba3 c5; 26.Bb2!
Having provoked the second weakness, the Bishop returns back to its primary pursuit!
26.....Ne8; 27.Be5!! Kg8; 28.Rg6 and Keres won the game in few more moves!
Returning back to Capablanca - Schiffman....
9.Bd7 Qd7; 10.Bg5 c6?
Why not simply play 10.....h6 followed by castling, subsequently.... Play simple chess!
11.Rad1!
The "d6" point is very sore and Capa will pursue it relentlessly!
11.....Qe6; 12.f4 h6
Black is playing right moves at wrong times!
13.Bf6 Qf6; 14.Qf6 gf6; 15.Ne2!
Ofcourse!
Black had sent for a coffin and it is arriving in the form of Knight on f5!
15.....Rd8; 16.c4! Rd7; 17.Ng3 Kd8; 18.Nf5 Kc7; 19.Rd3!
Black is a trifle late....and he is kept busy with Capablanca's every probing move! Black had to first secure his h-pawn before bringing his Rook to d-file. But he cannot rest in peace any more!
19......h5; 20.Rfd1 Rhd8; 21.Rh3! d5
In desperation.....it is very difficult to keep your composure when somebody is pounding you relentlessly......simply! :)
22.Ne7!!
Shame....this glorious Knight had to die to create a masterpiece!
22......Re7; 23.ed5 cd5; 24.cd5 Re2; 25.Rh5 Rb2; 26.Rh7! Rd7; 27.h4! Kd6; 28.h5 Rb4
29.g3!!
Simple is as beautiful as complex.....and one can understand complex only through simple means!
"Qualities of feeling are as incomparable as they are indescribable. They mark the limit of the capacity of language to communicate".....wrote Jean Amery in his dissertation...."At the mind's limits".....dealing about torture and human endurance!
Even aesthetic sense fails description at most appropriate times!
Suffice to say, I derived great indescribable joy in repeatedly seeing this game and working on it!
29......Rb2; 30.Rh8 Re7; 31.Rd8 Kc7; 32.d6!!
......and with that great Knight, this little pride too self immolates!
32.....Kd8; 33.de7 Ke7; 34.h6! Rb5; 35.g4 Rc5
......and seemingly the Rook is on time to control the vital queening square of the h-pawn.....
...or is he!?
36.Rd8!!!
Capablanca's last remaining piece jumps to death......
......and give birth to a new Queen!!
1 - 0
Play over this game again and again......because it deserves it!
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when I first saw this game I thought, well I could have played most of these moves. It is why I love Capa's games so much, that they can seem simple even too a player no better than me. I love how we know that bishops are better than knights except when Capa shows us in this game how the knight can dominate and the KB moves by black are all wasted.
ReplyDeleteAnd the kings! Capa moves his once and his king is in the right place the rest of the game. Schiffman moves his king 8 or 10 times, and the king winds up on the wrong square. I remember this game because it took me so long to understand why the rook sacrifice works. The black king blocks his own rook and having moved to the back rank, allows the pawn to queen with check (something it took me a while to see). I have read that chess is about material and space and time. Capa gained material and then gave it up for position but needs time at the end, time! to promote. It almost seems as if Schiffman can hold the position, but he resigns with the thunderbolt move. Capa needs time so he creates time with the sacrifice. That is one of the differences between Capa and me. I can imagine making the rest of the moves in this game but not the last one. I wonder too how many moves in before Capa saw it would end like this, but that is the beaity of his games and his writing - you can play a game like this by following simple principles even without the chess vision of Capa.