Tactics : Desperado

Another tactical motif weakness has shown itself and it is proving a slippery one to grab hold of and digest.

Its important to understand how ChessTempo defines it, since that will affect the way you view such problems. In particular it's the phrase "...in order to gain a more favourable material balance at the end of the sequence of captures" that I feel is key.

It may be obvious, but the action of solving problems on ChessTempo should be to arrive at the solution via a large dose of logical analysis, with perhaps a sprinkling of intuition/experience, rather than the other way around.

In which case a Desperado problem might seem to be the opposite, ie illogical and emotional, as its name suggests a situation where you hit out desperately for a solution.

Actually, as I have discovered via my many initial failures, it isn't illogical at all.  

Unlike the historical  "Desperado", the outlaw of the American West, the solution is  to gain a benefit via planning and analysis of exchanges that eliminate the main threat, and leave you with material up or an overwhelming position.

That's the clue as to why this has arisen as a weakness for me, because most of the time it will involve the motif of counting, and ensuring that the move order of the exchanges is correct as well.

After all, there's no point in blowing a hole in the jailhouse, if the timing means that the prisoner is still standing against it !

Here are a couple of examples of the motif in action...

White to Play

The White Queen is under attack, while at the same time White hits the Black Queen, both involving a knight. You can just exchange the Queens, but that won't fulfill the requirements of the motif, namely "more favourable material balance at the end of the sequence of captures".

I saw the key idea, but jumped to a conclusion and didn't re-check. I was wrong via a move -order error.

Solution

Black to play

Seemed to me that I couldn't go wrong in this case, and I didn't !

Solution
Since Desperado reminded me of the Eagles, and I couldn't find their BBC "Whistle Test" performance, here's something even better !




  

Black to Play 3

Maybe practicing tactics does pay off ....

From a recent game

Black to play

 Solution [  23...Nxc5   ]

Tactic : ChessTempo 2

Here's an example of one of my 'problem areas', classed as "Pins" by ChessTempo.

Black to play

The current problem rating is 1455 and average time to solve is 2 minutes .

Solution.

I took a little longer than average, and saw the main thread and solution, but not the depth that chesstempo gives as the full continuation after the solution (and here I mean 11 moves in this case ).

Its also worth noting that the tactical motif  isn't always straightforward. It will be there, but not always the obvious one you see on display (or even if it is on display).  Often the solution is to extract yourself from it, or to create it for your advantage, all of which add variation to the solutions.

The comments, as always, are illuminating, in that there is a wide range of thinking on display. 

As a paid up member I see the full solution, with all ( well, a lot ) of incorrect moves and variations available to check, which answer many of the comments posted.

However, there is often an instructive comment giving an underlying explanation, expanding on the variation solutions given : well worth reading.

White play : mate in 4

I realised I have posted many 'Black to Play' positions, so for a change, here is 'White to Play": and mate in 4, courtesy of the London System and a naive opponent.

White to play

Yes, this is just a blitz game, but it was still amazing to see Black's last move of 9...f5. 

I didn't need to think much before moving, and after that, the mate just played itself.

This is a simple, and obvious, example of not thinking in the opening. Black just wanted to set up his "system" of crenellated pawns, saw a direct attack possible on the bishop , and played it. Result misery...at least eventually.

You don't need me to post the solution !

Tactic : Chesstempo

After the psychological disaster of my return to ChessTempo a few weeks ago, I re-appraised how I could use it.

Now, instead of just using the 'Standard' set and allowing a rating to "judge me", I have also created what are called "personal" sets and am training with them.

The statistics on the x-hundred problems I tried initially, gave me two main areas where I was failing, namely what ChessTempo calls "Counting" and "Pins".

So now I have custom sets that I can use, and its not such a major ratings hit if I fail on a problem.

I also created a set of standard problems that I have always failed at, and went through that too ( in fact going through it for the second time, as there are still about 60 problems I have not solved correctly ).

Although this might be viewed as an indirect approach by not being rated via the standard set, it has encouraged me to keep practicing tactics on an almost daily basis for 15 -30 minutes, so I would say the end  (improving my tactics skills ) justifies the means employed !

An unexpected bonus with using these personal sets is that most errors are usually associated with not "seeing" the entire board, ie missing a threat or a piece, rather than with the problem motif itself. Somehow, I think that points to the probable root cause of most missed tactics or blunders !

Here's a neat problem taken from one of my personal sets. 

It is so simple once you see the motif, but was very satisfying to solve.

21...Bf6  White to Play

The ChesssTempo link ( with solution )  is here.

Black to play : best move ?

What is Black's  best move ?

22. Nf5  Black to play

Top of the class for [ 22... Qf6 ], but second place for [ 22...Qxd3 23. Nxe7+ Kh8  ]