My Chess Blog

 "A position can never be so bad as not to offer prospects of defence, and therein lies the great truth"  - Lasker/Kere s The Art of Defence in Chess is underplayed, chiefly for two reasons: 1) It is presumed to be dull and devoid of sparks that an attack produces 2) Simply it is very difficult to understand Defence is very difficult to understand because, the choices made cannot be substantiated by objective truth, it is tedious to annotate a defensive game. A game of chess is won because a side commits or overextends the logic inherent in the position or the resources that a position offers and plays inappropriate moves, disturbing the equilibrium badly. Art of successful defence is also about disturbing the equilibrium so as to confuse the side with upper hand or at least put the player with upper hand in discomfort by taking him or her from the path of least resistance! Fischer rightly said, " Chess is a fine art of knowing when to duck and how to punch "! Gary...

  Gens Una Sumus - FIDE motto The world needs to realise what the above means in spirit and action .... the fights on account of religion, land, power has divided the world enough! Time has come to unite and eradicate hatred in all forms .......else we will perish soon . Let the fightings and killings stop! What best, other than the sport, which is the greatest unitor and leveler! There is no winner or loser in true sport, no place for hegmony, discrimination and differences, hatred..... A tamil poet by name Pulamai Pithan wrote..... காற்றும் நீரும் வானும் நெருப்பும் பொதுவில் இருக்குது மனிதன் காலில் பட்ட பூமி மட்டும் பிரிந்து கிடக்குது பிரித்து வைத்து பார்ப்பதெல்லாம் மனிதன் இதயமே உலகில் பிரிவு மாறி ஒருமை வந்தால் அமைதி நிலவுமே The air, water, sky and fire lies common for everyone but the land on which humans have tread, is fractured .....under the garb of nation, religious fanatisicm ..... the greed for power and money ....... Only human beings discriminate things and the day when...

  "It seems to be a rule of wisdom, never to rely on your memory alone.... to bring the past for judgment into the thousand-eyed present, but to live ever in a new day" - Ralp Waldo Emerson Yuri Levovich Averbakh, the great Russian endgame master, wrote: " Blumenfeld drew my attention to the psychological aspect of chess. He emphasised that Chess was played by people, each with their own character and cast of mind, with different virtues and defects. In the struggle at the Chessboard, one must learn to exploit all this, one must be able to create those situations in which your skills and talent display themselves to a greater degree than the skill and talent of the opponent ." He further observed, " I should mention that the protracted work on the endgame that I did, had an adverse affect on my further chess successes ."  Chess over the past two decades, got a overdose of everything. Players indulge in overworking positions, by habit (especially off the bo...

I sat facing you for hours but you didn't speak; Then I finally understood the unspoken meaning. Removed from their covers, books lay scattered about; Outside the bamboo screen, rain beats against the plum tree. - Ryokan Chess moves.....games.....are like the Zen poem by the great Zen Poet and saint Ryokan! The moves do not announce their intentions in advance and at times even after they are played! One has to go beyond the facade ....the outward appearance of the position and the pieces that lay scattered on the board. The implications may appear as relevant or irrelevant as rain beating against the plum tree.....but!       The above pictures describe the game better than any comments and analysis! Nepomniatchi - Carlsen, WC 2021: Game-3 1. e4 e5  2. Nf3 Nc6  3. Bb5 a6  4. Ba4 Nf6  5. O-O Be7  6. Re1 b5  7. Bb3 O-O  8. a4 Bb7  9. d3 d6  10. Nbd2 Re8  11. Nf1 h6  12. Bd2 Bf8  13. Ne3 Ne7  14. c4 bxc4...

/  Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.                                                                                                             - Robert Frost ....all these attempts at watching the game live and analy...

 " We enjoy playing Chess " - Carlsen and Nepo ......may be you do! But we hope you both make us all enjoy the games and not like the previous two matches - Carlsen vs Karjakin in particular! They had to run strong engines and write some 'deep' books to show that those matches and certain moves were good! Nepomniatchi - Carlsen, Game: 1 1.e4 e5  2.Nf3 Nc6  3.Bb5 a6  4.Ba4 Nf6  5.OO Be7  6.Re1 b5  7.Bb3 OO  8.h3 Na5!? Whatever be the name.... it is a big relief that it does not carry the name " Berlin "..... 9.Ne5 Nb3  10.ab3 Bb7  11.d3 d5 Striking the centre, trying to open it up as Black has two Bishops 12.ed5 Qd5  13.Qf3 Bd6   Ideally, Black would want to keep his Queen to backup his initiative for the sacrificed pawn.  14.Kf1!? A curious computer move.....perhaps! It removes the King from a spate check on h2 and defends the Rook on e1, as with his last move, Black was threatening 14.....Qe5! 14......Rfb8!? Defendi...