New Solitaire Chess Method
The chess masters tell us to play solitaire chess to improve our play. I have been doing this with 2 free software downloads--Lucas Chess and Guess Your Move. Playing Solitaire Chess involves downloading a pgn game from the internet and going through it move by move guessing each move as you go by analyzing the position and figuring out the move made by the actual players. The method I am now using is based on software called Chess King. This is not a free download but you may be able to do the same thing with whatever GUI you are currently using. Basically I paste in my PGN for a particular opening or FEN for a position I am interested in, set the program on "train," decide the move I want to choose and click "Show Best Move." If my move coincides with the computer's choice I continue to play. If not I decide if I want to use my move or if I want to use the computer's choice. I then make the move and continue. If I choose to use my own move rather than the engine's move, I make the move and continue playing. If I made my own move and it was wrong you can be sure the computer will punish me forthwith. By using this method I gain insight into various positions and get to see the methods and techniques the computer uses. If any of you who are reading this blog use this method, how about sending in some of the games that have resulted? Just to start things off I have put below one of my own games. Needless to say--but I'll say it anyway--it was on move 27 that I made my own move and the computer duly punished me!