Chess Systems: The Whole Enchilada

I have recently written two books on complete chess systems, that I have made available to
Chess.com members, in the "Other" section of the Download area. (Look for the Yin/Yang symbol)

They are titled:

The Tiger and Dragon
and
The Bear

These books are designed to:

1. Give you a complete repertoire as White and Black.
2. Be original, and gauaranteed to give your opponent psychological apoplexy.
3. Require very little rote memorization of variations (themes, motifs, and structure are emphasized).
4. Extensively tested with computers, mathematics, chess opening databases and/or psychology.
5. Playable at all levels of chess, from club to Grandmaster.
6.Written with the idea that the reader need never have to buy another book on chess.
7. Designed to create a *complete* chess player, in every aspect of the word, and of the game.

The idea for the generation of these books came, as usual, from the search to solve a problem.

When I was younger, , I rose to the rank of expert over-the-board, and 2300 as
a correspondence player. However, in my late 40's I developed a chemical brain imbalance,
that, while not debilitating in any other way, greatly affected my ability to play chess. You
see I was a highly theoretical animal, playing openings like the Sicilian Dragon and King's Indian
as Black, and lines like the Ruy Lopez, Max Lange Attack...etc as White. All of a sudden,
I found that I simply *could not* remember all of the variations. My ability to memorize lines
dropped dramatically. After a hiatus of more than 10 years, I decided to play some tournament
and correspondnce chess, just to see how bad things had gotten. My rating plummeted from
2000 over-the-board, to 1700. My correspondence rating plummeted from 2300 to 1800.

It was therefore apparent that I needed to come at chess from a different angle. I studied
all the aspects of the game, and came up with the concept of attempting to play "perfect"
chess through a variety of methods that were conducive to my predicament.

I feel that the result of those labors may also be beneficial to other chess players, and particularly
for those who are older, mentally infirm in some way, beginning players casting about in the search
of an effective chess repertoire and essential chess knowledge, or experienced chess players that
are looking for new roads to follow, or even just something to surprise their next tournament
opponent or fellow memebers at their local club.

I hope that you find the books of benefit, and all comments are welcome.

Sphaghettio,

I do in fact cover this as part of the complete systems. The diet and nutrition of the player. Lean meats, lots of fresh vegetables, very little or no sugar. Also, foods and/or supplements that increase bloodflow to the brain. Also certain supplements that help in cognition, weight regulation and kidney and liver function, such as Green Tea and Ginko.

Chemical imbalances in the brain do seem to exist, as there simply is no other explanation for a sudden decrease in memorization capabilities, and concentration in solving problems that require mental acuity, such as math or chess problems or positions. These were apparently the symptoms that showed the possible imbalance. The doctor did suggest medications, which I declined to take, after reading about their various adverse effects, and finding out that much of this condition can be controlled with proper diet and exercize.

Having looked at the formation you recommend, here's my first game trying it out:

Samurai,

This game went pretty well for you. It is a good example of the type of play these openings can give you. It is a fine example of White being lost for a good plan on how to attack the formation, and just casting about aimlessly. This is typical in the Tiger and Dragon, when the opponent is almost in a state of zugzwang, with no really good moves presenting themselves.

I noticed you used the Dragon set-up against a c4 system, which is fine. Of course, also possible was the Tiger which is also strong.

Often you can save the tempo you used to play a6, as the a6 move can often be omitted in the Dragon. Maybe you were just marking time, giving White more rope to hang himself with.

As well as plans with moves like f5, also keep an eye out for being able to play a timely d5 in the Dragon lines, as this break in the center can be good if timed correctly.

This is a bit off-topic, so please forgive me,  but I had no idea there was a secret chess guru hiding out in Zephyrhills!!! Did you ever go the chess night at Hugh Embry library way back when they had that?

I don't know about being a chess guru, but I do hold advanced degrees in mathematics and complex systems, which does allow me to show approaches to the game that others with less knowledge in these areas may not have explored, such as the use of Phi and Fibonacci/Lucas number sequences in analyzing chess positions...etc.

 I have been in Zephyrhills for about 15 years now. I did not know about any chess activity in the area, or I certainly would have gone. We had a small club going at the local YMCA for a while, although I was the only player that had ever played in tournaments. Eventually, the 3 or 4 players we had lost interest. I heard rumors of a club operating in Dade City, about 10 miles away, but could never pin down their location. If I want to play some chess, I generally have to drive to Orlando or St. Petersburg which is a fair outing of 70 - 90 miles one-way.

I am also taking care of an 80 year-old Mother, so I have to pick and choose chess tournaments vary carefully, as it is often not feasible for me to be away from home more than a few days.

Well, let me tell you GameBrain that I have just made a list of almost 50 openings I have noticed elite players use. Alekhine's Defense, Benoni, Caro-Kann, Danish Gambit, English, Four Knights, Grundfeld, Nimzo Indian, Pirc, Ruy Lopez, just to name a few and I was planing to study all of them, (for years) with all the variations and it seems to me that it requires a lot of time just to memorize and, what if you opponent makes a new move that surprises you? You may be running like a chiken with the head cut off. It seems to me that Chess must be govern by certain principles that, if you understand them correctly, you can achive a lot of success. Let me tell you that I have downloaded your books and plan to study them side by side with 49 openings from the list I just mention. (Or at least a quarter of them)

Who knows, maybe you just achieved inmortality with your books. Time will tell. For now, just a thank you for typing them and letting us download them.

Take care of yourself and I wish you well from the tiny Republic of El Salvador.

Anyone know how to get in touch with Walter Downs? The email listed in his books is not active.

THanks

I am on chess.com rarely though that may change as I am getting more active in chess again... : ) I can be contacted at

gamebrain@tampabay.rr.com