Lesson #8: How to Swindle Your Opponent (Part 1): Opening Destruction
Hi everyone!
I was doing a lot of grinding recently. It failed. Will keep trying.
So today, we are going to go over how to swindle your opponent. This course is modeled after WGM Qiyu Zhou, but I would like to share my ways (I rank top 1000 in rapid). We have many parts in this course and we are going to go through them one by one.
Today's topic will be opening destruction. What's it? Well, opening destruction is when you CRUSH your opponent immediately in the opening. This can happen to anyone -- even grandmasters. As GM Lev Polugaevsky pointed out in his book, The Sicilian Labyrinth, it happens as a result of violating opening principles, neglecting theory, or just being careless.
You have to focus all the way in your games. Don't play when you are tired. Treat every game seriously. And this include 100s. Develop the habit.
Now let's move on to the main topic for today.
1. Opening Principles Violation:
This is a serious problem that has to be addressed. In sharp openings like the Sicilian Defense, one wrong move can cause you to lose (e.g. Sicilian Defense: Open, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack, Main Line). It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you treat every single move as the ONLY chance you have to win or to draw.
Slow development is a serious problem. In this game, such is a serious problem.
Opening the center (especially when you didn't finish developing) is a clear depiction of failure (often for black). This game is very demonstrative of how black has strategic problems because his pieces can't fight hard enough.
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044262
(I am not being lazy here, but you can find these famous games in books like the Sicilian Labyrinth. Please read it. It is great. I read this so many times).
Another serious problem is the temptation of pawns. Both Steinitz and Tarrasch pointed out that it is important to develop your pieces. Do not let the temptations take you over (e.g. Anderssen's immortal).
A third thing is the repetiveness of moving one piece. It is important to develop.
This famous game portrayed such: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1272440
2. Theory Neglectment.
Learn theory. Don't play that much by intuition. Sometimes, you need theory.
A great example is the Barne's Opening: Fool's Mate.
Another idea is pointed out by NM @Robram (Big shoutout to his videos. They are great for almost everyone (not super GMs of course, trying to be factual here). Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/nmrobertramirez/about ) He talked about in lesson #31, the danger of the f-pawn (King's Pawn Opening: Damiano Defense.
Book move doesn't mean good! The Grob Opening is an opening. Same thing with Barnes Opening: Fool's Mate. All those moves are book moves. Yes, but white immediately got wrecked.
So CHOOSE GOOD OPENINGS! DO NOT NEGLECT THEORY! Doing such can make you lose immediately!
A great example is Sicilian Defense: Open, Dragon, Yugoslav, Rauzer Variation.
This is a game I played against NM @NicholasTakano.
95.9% accuracy. Seems fluent at how I destroyed white? Well, it all comes to one careless blunder.
Similar things happened to grandmasters.
This is such a clear example.
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1008376
Samuel Reshevsky lost in pretty much 11 moves, although he held on to move 42 (losing his queen for two minor pieces at a such early stage of the game is humiliating, especially when you are destroyed by a 15-year-old).
This is the opening explorer for the position after 9. e5. Even 9... Nxb3 can't save black. https://www.365chess.com/opening.php?m=18&n=180345&ms=e4.c5.Nf3.Nc6.d4.cxd4.Nxd4.g6.Be3.Nf6.Nc3.Bg7.Bc4.O-O.Bb3.Na5.e5&ns=3.3.4.37.45.47.46.48.4605.10382.4129.52.265.3290.3200.71747.180345
We can clearly see how important the opening theory is! Samuel Reshevsky learned his lesson: NEVER IGNORE THE POWER OF THEORY. As Lev Polugaevsky pointed out, this trap is already played and posted in a chess magazine before the famous game was even played.
So NEVER IGNORE THEORY. Theory Neglectment is so common that it happens to almost everyone - beginners to super GMs. Learn theory well. Play good openings. Exploit mistakes (like how I destroyed @nicholastakano).
In conclusion, make sure you play the opening well. Concentrate, play good lines, try not to make up your own lines (like how Vasja Pirc tried in his game against Emmanuel Lasker). Make sure you study hard on theory and do what is needed to be done! There can be exceptions, but those are rare. Make sure to study hard, do what is needed to be done, and exploit other's mistakes.
Thank you! Stay tuned for more parts to this lesson, and have a nice day!
