123Chess_Game4
The CHESS Analysis Method (7-Steps)
CLOCK & CODE (Step 1)
HEAD & HAT (Steps 2 & 3)
ED & ANA (Steps 4 & 5)
SELECT & STUDY (Step 6)
SECURE KEY TAKEAWAYS (Step 7)
CLOCK &CODE:
- CLOCK & CODE: During Gameplay - Create a CODE legend for you to write down and identify the critical moments of the game, including the moves that took the most time on your CLOCK.
Tip 1: You can use numbers, letters, symbols, or anything else you can think of.
Tip 2: This process works best if you play a live (non-correspondence) game with at least 10min on your clock.
Examples:
- When felt Disoriented
- Confused
- Comfortable
- Uncomfortable
- Stuck
- When you overlooked something
- When you had a positive "eureka" moment
(The code legend I created for myself is “SCOUTE.”)
S = I feel Stuck
C = I feel Comfortable
O = I Overlooked a position or tactic
U = I feel Uncomfortable
T = This was a Time consuming move
E = Eureka! I discovered something good!
HEAD & HAT: - HEAD: Immediately after the Game - Write down what went through your HEAD throughout the game such as what you were feeling, the reasons for your decisions, the plans you had, and calculations you performed.
Tip 1: Expound on your In-game CODE
Tip 2: Be specific
(This PGN below include both of these steps 1 and 2 within the annotative comments.)
- HAT: Immediately after the Game - After finishing the above, write down at least 3 key lessons you've learned from this game that you can add to your HAT of knowledge.
Warning: No outside sources! Just your own thoughts and conclusions so far!
(Here are mine.)
1. LONDON SYSTEM: I learned that the London system is a powerful opening to use if your opponent isn't familiar with the strategy behind it and you're able to execute your plan without it being thwarted early on in the game. It is the epitome of a positional system, as it places specific strategic positional principles at the forefront of gameplay. Usually if I can make it past move 15 without my opponent being able to thwart my system's strategy, I typically have solid chances of maintaining the initiative and advantage.
2. ESTABLISHING A SOLID KINGSIDE ATTACK: In this game regarding developing a kingside attack, I basically tried one thing after another, following various principles I've learned in my chess career so far. This turned out in my favor in the end but it was a bit messy and ambiguous at times, and I need to improve my ability to understand how to come up with solid kingside attack plans in this position (because I didn't really have a fully-worked-out plan of attack). When to sacrifice my pieces, how to most effectively make contact with his kingside pawns, which pieces to develop in the attack, and how my pieces can most effectively work together...these are all questions that went through my mind. I think I should review GM games with this system to understand how they came up with a good plan.
3. OPENING vs. OPENING SYSTEM?: I'm still not sure if I should continue to frequently use opening systems at my level of play. I've heard some people say (such as IM John Bartholomew) that it's unwise to stick with systems at class-level because doing so can diminish your overall tactical and chess position development. Yet I've also heard from others (such as IM Eric Rosen) that systems like the London System are effective weapons to use against stronger players. Not sure what I should do with this conflicting information now toward my ultimate goal of becoming a stronger chess player?
4. INACTIVE / DEAD PIECES: This game showed me first-hand the reality of how having inactive or dead pieces, such as Black's Queenside Rook and Knight, can be (in practice) equivalent to not having those pieces on the board at all. I had moments in this game where I was looking at being behind in material, yet because I had the initiative and positional advantage, it didn't matter because I still had more active pieces in the attack than Black had active defenders.
ED & ANA: - ED: Immediately after the Game - EDUCATE on the critical moments of the game. These include any major changes that took place.
Internal critical moment examples:
- Ran out of known moves
- Moves that surprised you
- Change in plans
- Overlooked a situation
- When you found yourself "lost" or stuck
External critical moment examples:
- Phase Transition
- Draw-ish Endgame --> Lost one
- Massive trade of pieces
- Major pawn configuration change
- Quiet game into Tactical storm
(Here's what I chose.)
4...Be7 - Here, I wasn't sure which is my best next move within this particular setup of the London System. Is Bd3, c3, or Nd2 by best choice, and why?
6...c5 - This was the first moment when Tom attacked contested my central control. The immediate threat is to kick my Bishop from its powerful diagonal toward his King, so my reply of 3. c3 seemed most logical. Plus, c3 completes my London System pawn structure as well as plugging up the center.
7...c4 - This was the first moment that I began to shift into a Midgame Mindset to establish some sort of kingside attack plan. After my response of 8. Bc2, my Bishop would now safely and solidly maintaining that diagonal.
11. Qf3 - I had now officially entered the Midgame with at least a 3-move tempo lead in development.
14. g4 - My first attack plan is set in motion, threatening to kick his Knight away from guarding the square I'm threatening Qxh7# on.
15. g5 - First contact with one of Black's King pawns is made, starting to weaken his Kingside defenses.
15...Nh7 - I feel like this is perhaps my most critical moment of this game, because while my reply in the game of 16. gxh6 - removing a defender of his pawn wasn't a bad idea (since it began the process of removing his King's defenders), there simply had to be a better decision here. I almost feel like gxh6 was a blunder on my part because of missing a better option.
16...g6 - This was my most uncomfortable moment in this game. I was still only a pawn up, and I felt like after he blocked up the g-file again my Kingside attacking chances were possibly fading away. For instance, if he brought his dark-square Bishop onto g5, he could trade off pieces with some of my most powerful attackers. Also, if I moved my Knight from it's e5 outpost, his light-square Bishop would be hitting my Queen. How do I still convert this to a win?
17. Kh1 - My idea with this move is that I believed his best move would be to trade off dark-square bishops to alleviate some pressure against his Kingside. Therefore, if my Rook controlled the g-file, I could have some pinning potential a few moves later + unlock another attacker with my DSB gone.
23...Rxf2 - The moment I found a semi-forced mate line
This video below is a review based on our completion of steps 1-4. - ANA: After the Game - Pick at least 2 or 3 of the critical moments you identified above, and now ANALYZE them. Warning: Before you analyze, run your moments by an equal or higher level player!
(Here are my 2 critical moments that I chose to analyze.)
14...h6
23...Rxf2
This PGN below includes my finalized analyses for these 2 critical moments within the annotative comments.
SELECT & STUDY: - SELECT & STUDY: After the Game - SELECT an opening theory, positional pattern, or tactical element to STUDY it by learning from an expert sources.
Examples of types of sources:
- Reading instructional Books
- Watching instructional Videos
- Reading relevant Articles
- Looking up relevant Master Games
- Submitting your game online for a Game Review
Warning: Finish this step and THEN check your findings against a chess engine!
(Below is what I did for this step.)
1. I watched a few instructional Youtube videos about the London System
2. I reviewed some Grandmaster games of the Opening variation we played.
3. I worked on a lot of tactic puzzles regarding Kingside attack mating webs.
4. I double-checked my game against a chess engine to make sure I caught all my blunders and mistakes.
5. Tom and I both memorized the same GM game involving the London System. Below is this game.
SECURE KEY TAKEAWAYS: - SECURE KEY TAKEAWAYS: Conclusion - SECURE and write down any final KEY TAKEAWAYS that are principles you can take into your future chess games, based on what you have learned from your analysis of this one. Write down at least 2 or 3.
(Below is what I did for this step.)
1. LONDON SYSTEM: Controlling e5 & f6 vs. going for a pawn break in the center - Two simple principles remain common strategies when playing the London System as white (deciding whether to go for a pawn break and open up the center or try to control e5 & f6). And my opponent's response to the opening should play into which strategy would be more effective for me to implement as the game progresses.
2. EXPLOITING WEAKNESSES PROPERLY: When launching a Kingside attack, it's important to carefully consider what is the best way in each circumstance to exploit my opponent's weakened King-pawns. If I had taken his h-pawn my Bishop on move 15, it would have simplified the position for me and given me a comfortable advantage going on into the Endgame.
3. WATCH FOR COUNTERPLAY THREATS: Though it didn't escalate too far in our game, I need to always remember to watch for my opponent's Queenside counterplay threats. The magnitude of my opponent's Queenside counterplay threat should dictate how I should proceed in developing my Kingside attack.
Finally, this video below is based on our completion of steps 5-7.
