Ideas to improve in Chess

agmm1985

May 28, 2024, 5:43 AM | 0

https://chessfan1985.blogspot.com/2023/09/ideas-para-mejorar-en-ajedrez.html

Chess is an ancient and complex game, where two competitors test their knowledge, persistence and strength, to create a game together since each player responds to the move made by the opponent. All framed by the definitions and rules of the game, which reduces countless possible positions on the board to those that can only occur in a normal game, regardless of the level of the players involved.

Dr. Emanuel Lasker, second World Chess Champion, already said it when referring to the tasks that the person trying to learn chess must perform:

"(...) in the first place, he must understand the rules that will be for him what the instruments are for the craftsman, (...) and secondly, (...), the student must learn certain well-defined principles that will transport you from the class of artisans to the circle of artists." (1)

If the possible combinations in chess are estimated at 10^120 (2), a gigantic number known as Shannon's number (3, 4), it is evident that the possibilities of the game exceed the capacity of the human mind. However, intuitively and in accordance with Lasker's idea, understanding the basic rules of the game alone would reduce this high number of possibilities to the positions that can be reached in real life; Consequently, learning a second set of rules or "well-defined principles" would further narrow down the possible positions; They would be the most understandable positions for human beings. The clearer these principles are, the greater the understanding of the game, that is, the level of chess play improves.

Improve in Chess

An important key to improving in Chess is repetition, playing many games. The starting position of Chess is the first that any player learns, and through repetition, he can begin to grasp the general idea of the game. You can easily identify the three stages of the game, namely: the opening, the middlegame and the endgame. The first attack plans begin to emerge, the first patterns, the first ideas about how to win the game, the first movement calculations. However, playing many games of chess alone does not guarantee success, but it does make it easier to become familiar with the game.

It is important to differentiate between Strategy (strategic position) and Tactics (characteristics of each piece). In military terms, they are defined as (7):
- Strategy: (gr. stratêgos) 1. Art of directing military operations. 2. Ability to direct an issue => Strategic: Adj v s. who knows the strategy
- Tactics: (Gr. Taktikê) 1. Art of arranging and using troops on the battlefield: each weapon has its particular tactics. 2. Means used to achieve an attempt

Thus we arrive at the "well-defined principles" that Lasker mentions. Below I share some of the most useful ones and their respective source:

Juan Minaya (5)

"Conclusions: (...)
- Each movement plays an integral part of a certain plan to achieve a particular objective.
- The characteristics of each position point to the correct plan.
- Recognizing patterns plays an important role in evaluating all types of positions.
- Patterns can be tactical and/or strategic.
- There are six interrelated elements: time, space, material, pawn structure, king security, and initiative.
- The evaluation of positions results in proportion to the elements that affect it.
- The ability to calculate series of plays, although not so developed, is essential for the player.

So what do we need to learn?
- Plans and objectives.
- Methods and laws.
- Attack and defense.
- Strategy and tactics.
- Recurring patterns.
- The elements.
- How the variants should be analyzed.
- How positions should be evaluated"

Eric Dana NM USCF (6)

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