My study notes/SCID database based on Chessbrah's Building Habits & Bullet series
Updates:
23/05/03 - Add "Building personal database with SCID"
23/05/06 - Tuning some principles and add missing openings. Add referenced series links. Adjust text font.
23/05/06 - Add SCID database link.
23/05/07 - Add more openings. Adjust naming convention.
23/05/07 - Add "Blitz Mental Checklist"
Contents
I. Principles
I.0. IM's Dianiel Rensch Quick Principle Recaps
I.1. General
I.2. Opening
I.3. Endgame
I.4. Referenced Series
I.4. Blitz Mental Checklist
I.5. Building Personal Database with SCID
- Usage demonstration (Video)
- SCID database w. annotations and Lc0/Stockfish evaluation at depth 22, 25, or 32 for all subvariations (GitHub)
II. White Opening Repertoire
II.1. e4 vs Scandinavian: Accepted
II.2. e4 vs Caro-Kann: 2 Knights
II.3. e4 vs Sicilian: Alapin
II.4. e4 vs French: Tarrasch
II.5. e4 vs Philidor
II.6. e4 vs Pirc
II.7. e4 vs Italian: Giuoco Piano
II.8. e4 vs Modern Defense
II.9. e4: Ruy Lopez vs Morphy Defense
II.10 e4 vs Latvian Gambit
III. Black Opening Repertoire
III.1. e5 vs Fried Liver, Scholar Mate or Early Queen Attacks
III.2. e5 vs Italian: Giuoco Piano
III.3. Nf6 vs Bird: Dutch
III.4. e5 vs Vienna Gambit
III.5. e5 vs King's Gambit: Accepted
III.6. e5 vs Evans Gambit: Accepted
III.7. e5 vs Blackmar-Diemers Gambit: French Defense
III.8. e5 vs Danish Gambit: Declined
III.9. Nf6 vs London
III.10. Nf6 vs Jobava
III.11. Nf6 vs Queen's Gambit/Catalan
III.12. Nf6: Nimzo-Indian vs Queen's Gambit
III.13. e5: Morphy Defense vs Ruy Lopez
III.14. Nf6 vs English
IV. Endgame Repertoire
IV.1. QKvK
IV.2. RKvK
IV.3. BNKvK
IV.4. RPKvRPK
IV.5. RRKvQK
IV.6. RPKvRK (Lucena Position)
IV.7. RKvRPK (Philidor Position)
IV.8. BKvBK
IV.9. RKvPK
IV.10. PKvK
IV.11. QKvPK
IV.12. BBKvK
IV.13. PPPPKvPPPPK
V. Videos Sorted By Openings - (not me, missing quite a lot)
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1. General Principles
- Don't hang free pieces; Take free pieces; When trade take with pieces first; Up Ps = trade down
- Take most available trades: 3 Pieces > Q ; 2R > Q ; 2 Pieces > R ; 2 Pieces > R+P
- Avoid trades when down materials; Trade when up; When down a B, trade the remaining B with them
- Against Fianchetto try to trade off their good B; Avoid trades when have isolated P
- Pawn capture towards the center; Don't overlook files, ranks, diagonals, and P captures on every move
- Play active, not reactive; Always try to simplify the position; Stuck? Offer trades
- Rs positions: to the open files, defend crucial Ps, or doubling for tatics
- Don't walk into pin; Always looking for forks from opp
- Try to not open the h file when castled kingside; Looking for BQ battery
- Pay attention to imbalances such as B vs K; Understand P structures, weak Ps, and color complexes
- Control the square infront of backward/isolated P
- Controlling squares is more important than attacking pieces; Overdefend is always good
- A threat is often stronger than the execution
- Look for key squares (f6, h6) & outposts; Try Knight jumps into the middle
- Nh2/Bf1/Nf8 vs Bishop/Queen sac, and bring pieces to the King immediately, replace Ps with pieces
- Kg2 is a good move after g4; h3+g4+Kg2 follow up; Opps Nb4 -> Bb1+a3 & return
- Push side Ps against their advanced b and g Ps
- Tactics: Forks, Pins, Skewers, Discoveries, and capilizations based on those tatics
- Advanced Tactics: Exchange Sac, Clearance Sac, Overloading, Interference, Underpromotion
- Run opp out of move, zugzwang or waiting move
2. Opening Principles
- Basic openings and their responses; Master e4 - e5 opening theories (Italian Game, Ruy Lopez)
- Ruy Lopez or take the center as White; Nimzo vs d4 Queen's Gambit, and 4.Qb6 vs London
- Familiar with common Gambits and Traps; Attack the center when they attack sides
- Control and move towards the center; Keep the position open, for more tactics
- Expand in the center early with Ps; When they're not taking the center, take the center
- Castle early; Develop the pieces to more aggressive squares
- Make escape square for the K once finished development; or on opposite color of oppsB
- Keep the tension in the center; If can take the center, do it
- Try not to capture center Ps before castle
- If attacked on the sides, counter-attack the center
- When opponent's K is at the middle of the board: castle
- When long castle, Kb2+a3
- If they play d3 open B diagonal, play h6 to prevent B pin
- When up in development, try to open up as many files and diagonals toward oppsK as possible
- h P push, open position, and exchange sac in bullet is highly effective
- Analyze games upto Rs pos and add new variations to personal database; use chess.com explorer & SCID
3. Endgame Principle
- Attack Ps; Rs to the 2nd/7th rank
- Centralize pieces, activate King to the middle attacking opps Ps
- Push passed Ps; Rs belong behind passed Ps
- Premove captures and when under 10s; premove all moves when under 3s
- Know all checkmate patterns: Q, R, Q+R, R+R, etc.
- P endgames, opposition, and R endgames; Lucena, philidor, N vs B endgames
- Don't trade downs when it's an opposite B endgame, only leads to draw
- K's P-chain on the same color of the opponent's B, pieces on the opposite color
- Double Rs on an open file and push passed P
- Block own B for potential stalemate
- When ladder, R infront of Q; QQ shutter step at 6th or 3rd rank and then proceed to not stalemate
- When low on time take everything to eliminate lose chance and promote Ps
- Move K a N-move away from their Qs to stalemate; The Q further away should gives final check
- Stay a way from corner in KvNNK endgame
- Throwing checks when down a lot of on time; Looking for perpetual check in a losing position
- Flag opp with tricky but safe moves around own pieces, don't quite check them but contain them
- 2 connected passed Ps > any piece; 3 connected passed Ps > Q+R
- Outside passed P is an advantage
4. Preferenced Series
- Chessbrah's Building Habits series
- Chessbrah's Bullet Habits series
- Chessbrah's Building Plans series
- Chess.com's Everything You Need to Know About Chess series
- GM Aman Hambleton's Get Better at Bullet Lesson
- Chess Vibe's How to Punish Early Queen Attacks
- Daaron Chess's How to beat the Bird
- ChessMood's Daily lesson with a Grandmaster - #19 - Latvian Gambit - The refutation
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