Why You Should Study Short Games
One of my first chess books had a very interesting feature: Every three to four chapters, it would present about a dozen short games. Initially, I just enjoyed playing through them, but as I started participating in tournaments, the thought of trapping one of my opponents at the very beginning of a game came to mind.
But here I encountered a problem: My opponents simply wouldn't play the lines featured in those games. Well, I wasn't surprised that no one fell into this trap (try to figure it out on your own):
Of course, nobody played 1...a6 in the opening in my chess club, but why couldn't I trap anyone into the following line if almost everyone played this opening?
Slowly, I realized the reason. The move 4...Nge7? is very unnatural, and that's why everyone played 4...Nf6 against me. If it were the other way around and this very natural-looking move 4...Nf6 was losing, then it would be a killer trap indeed! So, long story short, while I enjoyed those short games and learned a lot from them, I wasn't able to use any of them in my own games.
Yet I established a habit: whenever I studied a new opening, I would start by studying short games. This way, I could learn the typical combinations and traps for this particular opening. And since it was way before chess engines and databases, the book Catastrophe In The Opening became a cornerstone of my opening preparation. There, the author was providing a bunch of short games for almost every known opening!
I was getting better in chess, and at some point, chess databases completely changed the way we learn openings. Yet one thing remained the same: I always started learning a new opening with short games. This is exactly what I recommend to all my students, and I wish I could recommend it to some super grandmasters since they would definitely benefit from this approach. The following recent game is a case in point:
I remember that when I started to play the Sveshnikov Sicilian, one of the first games I learned was a short game where the originator of the system, GM Evgeny Sveshnikov, was on the receiving end:
Sometimes a trap played in one opening can be used in another one. You could find the following game in that book for beginners that I mentioned at the beginning of this article:
As I already said, I was never able to catch anyone in those traps. You can imagine my amazement when, almost 50 years later, I saw this game:
As you can see, studying short games pays off even if your opponent avoids the exact trap you prepared. Recognizing typical opening combinations will help you spot tactical ideas in similar situations. A good example is the following trap:
It is not surprising that the great Alexander Alekhine trapped his opponents twice, but it is truly shocking that one of the best players of his time, GM Akiba Rubinstein, fell for the same trap twice!
Now, when you know this trap, it should be easy for you to find a nice combo missed by both opponents in one of my student's games:
The lesson here is quite simple. These days, thanks to chess databases, it is easier than ever to find short games played in the opening of your choice. It should be your first step when you start learning a new opening!
