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Studying Stean's Simple Chess

Studying Stean's Simple Chess

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Chris-C
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Summer break is finally here. And while I still have work responsibilities as department chair, I'm getting in a bit more chess study than usual. I've dived into analyzing recent tournament games, have continued with the Polgár mates in two, and commenced working on Michael Stean's Simple Chess, one of the books for my cohort level in the Chess Dojo Training Program. I'm currently about one quarter of the way through the book. 

The first chapter gripped me stylistically from the second sentence: 

There is a streak of sadism running through every chessplayer that helps him to sit back contentedly sipping a cup of tea while his opponent, head in hands, tries frantically to avert mate in three. (Stean, Michael. Simple Chess: New Algebraic Edition. Dover Publications. Kindle Edition). 

Stylistic hook aside, the book nicely reinforces lessons from my sessions with Jesse. Everyone knows that one of Jesse's mantras is "Pawns are not people."

Stean's expresses a similar sentiment in his final comments on the game Fischer-Gadia, Mar del Plata 1960, where Fischer works to create an outpost (moves 11 through 19, provoking ...e5 and trading off all the defenders of the d5-square one by one) and then uses that outpost on d5 to devastating tactical effect (move 23): 

Forking the king and rook. And if 23...Qxe7 then 24. Qd5+ forking king and rook again.

The lesson to be learned here is that structure alone is not quite everything. The pieces must be able to coordinate with the pawn structure. After all, what use is a body without a soul?  (Stean, Michael. Simple Chess: New Algebraic Edition. Dover Publications. Kindle Edition). 

What I find interesting about this quote is the emphasis on the importance of piece play, and the reformulation of Philidor's dictum. No disrespect to the venerable French master, but as GM Stean states, the pawns are mere flesh. It is the pieces that constitute the game's animating breath of life.

And if you are thinking: "But didn't Fischer create the outpost with a pawn move, namely 11. f5?" The answer is: "Yes, but he created that outpost for his pieces." The f-pawn was an underling whose raison d'être was to satisfy the needs of the pieces to access an outpost on d5.

As always, in the interest of public accountability, here is my chess training for the week: 

  • Sunday 5/14: Rest day (day after Central Ohio Spring Classic)
  • Monday 5/15: Polgár mates (30 min.)
  • Tuesday 5/16: Game analysis (30 min.) + Polgár mates (30 min.)
  • Wednesday 5/17: Game analysis (60 min.) + Polgár mates (30 min.) + Simple Chess (45 min.)
  • Thursday 5/18: Sparring with Marco (aka @saratonga ; about 90 min.)
  • Friday 5/19: Game analysis (30 min.) + Polgár mates (30 min.)
  • Saturday 5/20: Simple Chess (2 hrs.)