likesforests, the Endgame Strategist

likesforests, the Endgame Strategist

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My "Slowest" Tourney, Finale

My "Slowest" Tourney, Finale

likesforests
| Mar 22, 2009

Round 3: likesforests vs 1200 After a good night's sleep I was ready to rumble. More than once I stopped to admire the trophy that might soon be mine. Round 4: 1500 vs likesforests I'm up against a Russian who hasn't competed in a US tournamen...

My "Slowest" Tourney, Day 1

My "Slowest" Tourney, Day 1

likesforests
| Mar 21, 2009

Thanks for all the advice and well-wishes going into my first 30/90, G/60 tournament. I brought a CD player but never found occasion to use it--there were too many exciting things happening on my board and around me! The first games went well. R...

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 7

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 7

likesforests
| Sep 27, 2008

We're learning chess strategy from the classic My System by Aaron Nimzovich. I'm your guide, likesforests. Grab a cold one, pull up a chair, and enjoy. :) Open Files:  Two Illustrative Games NN - likesforests, chess.com 2008 We already know wha...

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 6

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 6

likesforests
| Sep 20, 2008

We're learning chess strategy from the classic My System by Aaron Nimzovich. I'm your guide, likesforests. Grab a cold one, pull up a chair, and enjoy. :) §2.1 Introduction to "Open Files" The rook is the most difficult piece to bring into play....

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 5

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 5

likesforests
| Aug 29, 2008

We're learning chess strategy from the classic My System by Aaron Nimzovich. I'm your guide, likesforests. Grab a cold one, pull up a chair, and enjoy. :) §1.6 - Avoid grabbing pawns in the opening Nimzowitsch spends a chapter explainin...

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 4

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 4

likesforests
| Aug 21, 2008

We're learning chess strategy from the classic My System by Aaron Nimzovich. I'm your guide, likesforests. Grab a cold one, pull up a chair, and enjoy. :) §1.6 - How to Manage the Center Today I'm trying something interesting. I'm blend...

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 3

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 3

likesforests
| Aug 15, 2008

We're learning chess strategy from the classic My System by Aaron Nimzowitsch. I'm your guide, likesforests. Grab a cold one, pull up a chair, and enjoy. :) Review We had a small break after lesson 2 "An Exchange Followed by a Gain of Tempo"...

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 2

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 2

likesforests
| Jul 31, 2008

We're learning chess strategy from the classic My System by Aaron Nimzowitsch. I'm your guide, likesforests. Grab a cold one, pull up a chair, and enjoy. :) §1.4 An exchange followed by a gain of tempo Imagine you're running a race agai...

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 1

Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 1

likesforests
| Jul 25, 2008

We're learning chess strategy from the classic My System by Aaron Nimzowitsch. I'm your guide, likesforests. Grab a cold one, pull up a chair, and enjoy. :) §1.1 You develop a piece by moving it off the back rank and tow...

My System - Join the Fun!

My System - Join the Fun!

likesforests
| Jul 18, 2008

On July 25th I'll begin publishing a weekly series based on 'My System', a classic chess strategy book by Aaron Nimzowitsch. Many masters consider studying My System a key step to becoming a stronger player.   - Articles will feature a discussion...

likesforest's World Open games

likesforest's World Open games

likesforests
| Jul 10, 2008

Several people have asked me to post some of my games from the World Open. They were G/45 and despite placing in the top 5, the games weren't pretty. Blame it on the time zone or the hotel food. Maybe I just need to study tactics more. Round ...

World Open Victory!

World Open Victory!

likesforests
| Jul 7, 2008

With 5 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses I was in the top 5 in my section at the World Open 2008.It was satisfying. I do not suck at chess. I played Russians, Chinese, Americans, and an Indian... older folks with experience on their side, younger f...

The Endgame Tactician: Queen & Pawn vs Queen

The Endgame Tactician: Queen & Pawn vs Queen

likesforests
| Jan 10, 2008

Q+P vs Q is more common than Q vs P, but it receives less coverage. That's probably because it is complex, and in fact humans knew little about this ending until the advent of tablebases revolutionized its study. Rook and Knight pawns usually ...

The Endgame Tactician: dktransform's ending

The Endgame Tactician: dktransform's ending

likesforests
| Oct 26, 2007

This is an exciting ending played by my friend dktransformation. I think it's practical and it contains interesting positions, mistakes, and nuggets of wisdom that we can learn from. I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to ask questions, offer a...

The Endgame Tactician: Frontal Defense IV

The Endgame Tactician: Frontal Defense IV

likesforests
| Oct 18, 2007

This is my final article on the Frontal Defense. We look at positions from real games. These are complicated positions, so don't feel bad if you miss a move. The above commentary is completely my own, but Danielian-Miles is discussed in mor...

The Endgame Tactician: Frontal Defense III

The Endgame Tactician: Frontal Defense III

likesforests
| Oct 17, 2007

We're going to look at Frontal Defense on the knight file today, and then examine some interesting games between strong players.   A. Knight Files  The Frontal Defense on a knight file works the same as on a central or bishop file, ...

The Endgame Tactician: Frontal Defense II

The Endgame Tactician: Frontal Defense II

likesforests
| Oct 16, 2007

Now that you know how wage a Frontal Defense, we're going to learn how to quickly evaluate whether a position can be drawn via this method.   A. The defending rook needs at least 3 squares of checking distance to hold the draw. B. If t...

The Endgame Tactician: Frontal Defense

The Endgame Tactician: Frontal Defense

likesforests
| Oct 15, 2007

The Frontal Defense was invented by Tarrasch. It's a method that a defender can use to draw a R+P vs R ending when his king is cut-off from the pawn. This technique is only effective if the pawn hasn't crossed the middle of the board. ...

The Endgame Tactician: Rook vs Bishop

The Endgame Tactician: Rook vs Bishop

likesforests
| Oct 11, 2007

For players under 2100, Rook vs Bishop is won 40% of the time. The drawing technique is counter-intuitive, so if your opponent doesn't know it, you have chances to win.    As usual, we begin by looking at the right moves.   To ...

The Endgame Tactician: Queen vs Knight

The Endgame Tactician: Queen vs Knight

likesforests
| Oct 10, 2007

Queen vs Knight is a simple win, but when you reach it you may be tired and in time trouble. You also must watch out for forks! Below, a strong player blundered into a draw: Key Idea: Forks only work if your king, queen, and his knight are all on...

The Endgame Tactician: Queen vs Bishop

The Endgame Tactician: Queen vs Bishop

likesforests
| Oct 9, 2007

This article may be too simple for some readers, but in my Bishop and Pawn vs Bishop and Centurini Position articles I frequently said Q vs B is an easy win. Then I witnessed this tragicomedy, and thought maybe I should offer a couple tips!  ...

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