Last issue we discussed "patience," the first of the three
attitudes of the chess master. When you are patient you look more deeply
into chess positions. If you are patient, you ask questions (Q) about your
game which you (U) answer (A), then calculate (C) and conclude (C). You
QUACC! But what if you play with patience and QUACC a lot but still lose?
How can you improve your game? It's time to learn the second attitude of the
chess master.
That's right, you read it: self-study. That
means going over your games, especially the game you lost. It means finding out
what went wrong and what you could have done better. Once you develop the habit,
self-study can be a lot of fun and very helpful. How can you get better if you
don't know what holes you are falling into?
As an example, let's use a practice game
played with one of my students, fifth grader Gabriella Kay, was Black. White
had just played 10. Bg5.
After 10. ... h6 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Nd5 Qd8
13. a3 Ba5 14 b4 Bb6 15. c5 dxc5 14. dxc5, it is clear that she is going to
lose the Bishop. How could she have avoided this?
The answer can be discovered through
self-study. How is how you can do it. I recommend that you go over the game by
yourself or with your coach. Put letters on your score sheet next to the key
move and put thorough notes on the right or back side of the score sheet. This
is what it would look like from Gabriella's point of view:
|
10. Bg5 (a) |
h6 (b) |
|
| 11. Bxf6 |
Qxf6 (c) |
| 12. Nd5 |
Qd8 (d) |
| 13. a3 |
Ba5 |
| 14. b4 |
Bb6 |
| 15. c5 |
dxc5 |
| 16 dxc5 (e) |
|
(a) That is a dangerous pin. If I let
him play 11. Nd5, then my kingside pawns will get messed up. I can't allow that.
I can't play 10. ... Be6 though because of the 11. d5 fork.
(b) I really wanted to get rid of the Bishop,
but I see now that I'm losing a piece after 11. Bxf6 Qxf6. What was best for me
instead? 10. Bg4 looks strong (it threatens 11. ... Bxc3 followed by 12. ...
Bxe2), but after 11. f3 I can't stop 12 Nd5. Oh! He can't trap my bishop on b4
if I trade it first. I should have played 10. ... Bxc3 and then 11. ...
h6. In future games I will be more aware of getting my Bishop trapped in a pawn
net. Hey, maybe I can use this trick on somebody else!
(c) I could have played 12. ... gxf6 instead,
and I wouldn't lose a piece because 13. Nd5 doesn't win a tempo on my Queen.
Wrecked kingside pawns are better than losing a piece.
(d) 12. ... Qe6 looks tricky. After 13. Nxc7
Qx2e 14. Nxa8 maybe he can't get his Knight out. No, he can simply play 13. Nef4
and my Bishop is still in a net.
(e) Good-bye Bishop.
If is best if you study your game within one
or two weeks, while it is still fresh in your mind. Remember to make thorough
notes on the right side and/or on the back side of your score sheet. Also, it is
best to study games you lost or could have lost.
I hope you got the idea of how to get started
with self-study. There is no better way to learn than by your own mistakes.
Young chess players love to go over the games they win. I understand that going
over games you lose can be painful sometimes. If your really want to improve
your game, you'll do it. But what can you do with those sad feelings that you
sometimes get from losing? Try the next step in self-study.
After you have gone over the game a found a
mistake, there is something you can do that really helps. See yourself doing
the right thing next time. That's right. Don't dwell on the negative.
Visualize yourself playing the right move in the game. Feel good about it. Be
using your positive feelings you will have a much better chance of remembering
the correct idea the next time. Through self-study, you will be ready to face
future challenges — both on the chess board and in life.
Home Page ·
More Lessons
(c) 2001 Ross Stoutenborough
