tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655912914207540122024-03-11T04:22:30.920+01:00SignalmanNotes from the nadir of chessSignalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.comBlogger314125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-78542686639285092152024-02-16T17:51:00.003+01:002024-02-16T17:51:00.166+01:00Uncovered tactic from an analysed game Continuing a look at my most recent OTB game, uncovered another tactic, one that was not seen by either of the players ( certainly not by me, and because it wasn't played, I assume my opponent missed it as well).I had put in my notes for move 11 in the first pass of analysis : "Bg5. Was this any good ?"Now that I have looked I can see that that there was nothing wrong with it (although g5 Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-22138748538580600402024-02-14T12:01:00.006+01:002024-02-14T12:12:07.528+01:00More moves required ! An OTB game of mine from last night shows a tactic missed by both players, although it should have been clear to both, especially Black.Black to playAs white, I clearly expected that Black had little option but to exchange Queens.Black had other ideas.However, just like many ChessTempo problems which are tagged with "more moves needed", finding the first move does not prove that you know Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-55718918959133104482024-02-11T21:14:00.000+01:002024-02-11T21:14:11.541+01:00A mate by any other name.... I have no idea what this mate is classified as. On chesstempo it's probably a "pawn mate".I can't say that I planned it, and certainly Black played into it, however having pieces active and "in the right places" certainly helped.Although its only a blitz game, it was enjoyable to see.Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-30201080529986868092023-07-14T17:59:00.001+02:002023-07-15T07:52:58.666+02:00The obvious move fails to be found There are occasions when checking a game that I am surprised at what I see in terms of threats and tactics. Other times, it is shameful and even de-moralising, to see how much is missed.Case in point below...Move 12, plenty of time in a rapid game and I spend more than a minute to end up not seeing the obvious Qxd4.I'm not sure that a longer time control would have revealed it to me, Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-77934230365804243792022-11-27T12:05:00.003+01:002022-11-27T12:05:24.479+01:00Did I recognise the mate pattern ?I played a short online blitz game yesterday, the first time in a few weeks that I have played online.We reached this position after 11...a6 was played I think it was the below chesstempo problem that I had recalled, consciously or notStart of problem : White to play..since after 2.Qxc6 Bxd5 3.Bxb7+ Kb8 4.Ba7+ Kxa7 5.Qa6+ Kb8 6.Qa8#. It ends with a Queen and Bishop mate.How did my game Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-64204619358993229352022-11-20T22:20:00.001+01:002022-11-20T22:20:50.838+01:00Mowing the lawn I can say with complete honesty, that none of my OTB games ( since I joined club in 2018 ) have ended in checkmate.Every single game that ended in a win, has been the result of a resignation.Why then should we study "standard" checkmates ? Simply put, because these are also patterns that are helpful to know, and the threat of them can produce a gain of material or other Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-43520145647406059062022-08-24T17:07:00.001+02:002022-08-24T21:00:09.920+02:00Mate in 11 I rarely channel my "Inner Tal", but somehow this position spoke out for an attack...White to playI chose 19.Bxg7 and there followed Kxg7 20. Qc3+ and then Kf8White to play : Mate-in-12 !To be honest, after Qh8+, I think losing with White would be a difficult thing to do, although there is the scary part after the forced response of Ke7 when the White Queen is attacked by two Rooks. Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-4499325894605648112022-08-10T16:09:00.036+02:002022-08-10T16:09:00.181+02:00Know your mates addendum : Practice what you preach !As an addition to my previous post, usually, I do this, but yes, it happens with me as well.In blitz, the focus on time is very high, and it can be easy to miss things as time runs out.Here, I had was planning for an obvious threat, with Bf5, however, I missed the mate-in-one : too much focus on a plan and not eating up move time.Black to play and winAs its a variation on my favourite mating Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-12606865998913734092022-08-03T22:54:00.001+02:002022-08-03T22:54:42.332+02:00Know your mates It really does help to know mate combinations and be alert to them appearing on the board.Here, Black played the remarkable 20...f5 ??..evidently not seeing the back-rank mate !Same here. Qe7+Black has the choice of Kh8 or Kh6.Kh8 maybe feels like its bad as it puts the King into a corner, but if you don't know the mate, its not much calculation to see that Kh6 is a worse Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-56562624010834180732022-07-25T15:07:00.003+02:002022-07-26T20:03:21.160+02:00What happens if...?This question crosses my mind nearly every time I complete a Chesstempo puzzle.I have the correct "answer", and yet because the full CT solution is often not what I expected ( especially if it is so different to the game it came from) , or else deviates at one or more points, I ask myself the 'What If..." question.If its obvious, I see it immediately. If I'm lucky, I will have a relatively Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-22465712295707264672022-05-07T11:01:00.007+02:002022-05-07T11:01:00.180+02:00Instinct first ?My initial focus was around the Queen, ie moving the Be7 to allow check or to capture Ra7 ( as the Bishop is pinned ).Next I switched to adding an attack on the Bishop via Nd5 or Rxd6 : one easily defended, the other not sensible.Only then did I return to my instinctive move Ng6+ , and this coupled with my Rook thoughts formed the basis of the solution. Further checking, I move and have thatSignalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-67308337263638038372022-05-03T08:47:00.000+02:002022-05-03T08:47:26.173+02:00Another one of those stupid moves As always seems the case, once you uncover one 'stupid' move, it starts appearing more often.Below, with Black to play, my first thoughts were drawn to 1) trapping the white Rook, 2) capturing the pawn on c5, 3) exploiting the fork on c4 ( Rook check forking Bc1, after capturing c3 ) and finally to the correct solution, pausing briefly after seeing white's riposte to theSignalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-42361694004371641862022-04-27T08:59:00.001+02:002022-04-27T08:59:00.180+02:00Striving to find the best moveBlack is ahead in this game, as result of a previous combination exploiting a pin on the King, and winning the exchange ( Rook for Bishop ).I played a good move ( the third best !) , but the best move and combination is why practicing tactics, calculation and visualisation is so important, as it wins games much quicker.The question I need to ask myself is why I failed to see/find this, since the Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-60281971241533080902022-04-24T12:13:00.011+02:002022-04-24T12:15:15.246+02:00The Next PostA significant hiatus in posts for this blog. Easily explained by the ongoing pandemic, however it is about time I caught up with the world and began to post again.Here's a recent puzzle that I took some time on, until the solution dawned on me... I can only explain the time taken by saying I was doing these tactics to take my mind from other issues. Possibly not the best situation to Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-12214007922201513952021-04-07T17:26:00.000+02:002021-04-07T17:26:03.493+02:00Crazy ? Illogical ? I spent 3 minutes or so looking at this ChessTempo problem.At least the question to ask is obvious in this problem : can the Rook on b6 be captured or not, since there is no direct mate, or mate threat to consider.Simply put, the answer must be "Yes, I can capture " since there are very few other constructive moves available, but then you are stuck with how to meet the obvious Qa7 Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-82926900376947196282021-03-26T13:29:00.003+01:002021-03-26T13:30:26.010+01:00Antenna Alert #1 A lovely problem....As one commentator at ChessTempo remarked, the tactic is so simple to see, but it doesn't work. The trick ( or perhaps more accurately, the skill ) is to find the moves that make it work !A recent purchase ( Nieman - "Chess Tactics Antenna" ) would classify this as either "Unprotected Piece" or more likely "Alignment", two of the 'Seven Signals' that he uses to Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-13039838324781415502021-03-24T12:57:00.009+01:002021-03-24T23:17:25.984+01:00Remember your thinking process : Reminder #271The title says it all. Practising tactics ( or any element of chess ) is helpful and, usually, productive.It improves your ability to see patterns, and hopefully to see them quicker or more accurately.However, if you do not practise a thinking method or process when playing, then you can fail to obtain the maximum benefit from your training. I succeeded in gaining material in my Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-23946696428317401262021-03-23T19:38:00.004+01:002021-03-23T19:38:39.340+01:00Missed this.... Sad to say, but in the position below, I missed the winning move in this blitz game, even though I had registered and played a variation of it a few moves later.Proof, not only that you should always be looking, but that however much you are practising, you can always do more.Black to play and winSignalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-7497774938505615062020-12-08T23:06:00.002+01:002020-12-08T23:06:24.411+01:00Repeat Pattern This motif has turned up in, I believe, three CT problems so far.Its unusual enough for me to remember it clearly ( I think I took a long while finding the move when I first saw it ) and if that made me see it again for this problem it can only be a good thing.As seems to happen a lot in chess, the pin is a powerful weapon at any point in the game, but this has a good twist in the Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-45865958975812310582020-12-05T10:03:00.001+01:002020-12-05T10:03:52.374+01:00Another good pattern I posted about a (mate) pattern that I practised for a time and now, I can usually see these when they turn up.Below is a similar pattern ( or idea or motif ) that turned up in a Chess Tempo sessionAfter Rb1, Black to play and mateMy eye was drawn to the white Bishop and pawn on e7/d6 almost immediately, probably because its "out of place"in the Black camp.This is a distraction, since the Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-71489091406239993182020-11-30T22:55:00.001+01:002020-12-05T09:39:27.473+01:00A good pattern to know I went through a phase of practising this type of mate pattern, where a Rook (or Queen ) sacrifice forces a king re-capture, with a follow up from Rook ( or Queen ) delivering mate.In this example the bishop pin threw up a small diversion, but as soon as I calculated that out of the equation, the solution was clear.One of those few ChessTempo problems that have no clear game source for the Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-26211366563370308812020-10-30T09:28:00.003+01:002020-10-30T09:28:44.637+01:00Here it comes again.... I love it when my favourite checkmate unfolds from positions that don't seem to be where it should live...Case in point, after Black takes the queen bishop and attacks the Queen - White to play and win.Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-42138772894778890062020-10-27T23:38:00.002+01:002020-10-27T23:38:28.061+01:00A simple combination This is probably why we practise tactics : they win games.From a blitz game...White to play and winSignalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-13619270852407613842020-08-27T21:21:00.000+02:002020-08-27T21:21:28.450+02:00Knight to the rescueMy instant reaction to the below problem was Qxh2, as its mate.
Although, of course, it isn't...
Shortly afterwards, the solution dawns. Its not an Arabian mate, but its the next best Knight mate, and its a Queen sacrifice ! What more can you ask ?
Sadly, the problem does not seem to be from an identified game, but still good to see.
Black to play
Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165591291420754012.post-15734516941965606042020-08-22T16:45:00.002+02:002020-10-30T09:27:04.537+01:00(August) 20-20 BluesI have spent some time this last two weeks looking through the music I have ( I am talking CDs here, rather than 'cloud-based') since its another thing you can do at home in "lockdown" during a weekend for occupation and entertainment .
Focusing on what I have in the blues area, I have enjoyed playing old music ( both that bought years ago and shall we say pre-rock era ?), and have Signalmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16729072457754759564noreply@blogger.com2