Yep, It's Brain Damage - Chess Forums - Page 3

Musikamole

Apr 21, 2011

0

#41

Annotation for Game One

Musikamole

Apr 21, 2011

0

#42

uhohspaghettio wrote:

I never said "don't play standard games", I said don't get stuck playing them. Because you could be spending time calculating the wrong variations... I didn't see you mention you are going through any books right now, so all I was suggesting was to go through them also. Not once did I mention not playing standard games.

Completely my fault. Sorry about that. I always appreciate your contributions to improving my game. Thinking like the teacher that I am, I get an F for reading today. Arg! My apologies.

Musikamole

Apr 21, 2011

0

#43

Tarzan123 wrote:

Why didn't the black Queen take the free white queen? Even if white tries to pin the black Queen, the black Queen can still take the Rook? Am I missing something?

Which post number, or game number. I have posted several games in this topic. Thank you for viewing my games.

heinzie

Apr 21, 2011

0

#44

You seem to be too inundated with socializing around the game online, instead of putting that energy into the chess board

Musikamole

Apr 21, 2011

0

#45

heinzie wrote:

You seem to be too inundated with socializing around the game online, instead of putting that energy into the chess board

Good point. It's been a few months since I have been this active in posting. April is not as busy as May. I have tons of concerts in May. You won't hear from me much during that last month of school. It's absolutely a brutal time for an elementary band and string teacher.

guitarzan

Apr 21, 2011

0

#46

I used to suffer from brain damage, also.

Now I just enjoy it. (Dain bramage, that is).

d4e4

Apr 21, 2011

0

#47

Just a quick, general comment...

When I looked at these games, I noticed some blatant blunders...such as not taking the queen. No criticism here...not my intent.

Point is that beginners make a lot of blunders, but eventually get past that stage. So do those of us who've been away from the game for years and then come back to it.

Been there, myself, in both situations. Also, I've played guys who were in the same situation and couldn't see they were gonna lose their queen on the very next move.

Hang in there! Just a stage...even if it seems otherwise.

Musikamole

Apr 21, 2011

0

#48

Game Two annotation by me without the use of a chess engine. Comments on my analysis are most welcomed.

Musikamole

Apr 21, 2011

0

#49

ChessStrategist wrote:

Just a quick, general comment...

When I looked at these games, I noticed some blatant blunders...such as not taking the queen. No criticism here...not my intent.

Point is that beginners make a lot of blunders, but eventually get past that stage. So do those of us who've been away from the game for years and then come back to it.

Been there, myself, in both situations. Also, I've played guys who were in the same situation and couldn't see they were gonna lose their queen on the very next move.

Hang in there! Just a stage...even if it seems otherwise.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Deranged

Apr 21, 2011

0

#50

Your positional play was amazing, probably about 1500-1800 rating.

But your tactical play was terrible. You left pieces hanging and fell for many 1 move tactics.

Musikamole

Apr 21, 2011

0

#51

Deranged wrote:

Your positional play was amazing, probably about 1500-1800 rating.

But your tactical play was terrible. You left pieces hanging and fell for many 1 move tactics.

What I highlighted will haunt me all the way through Sunday, spilling into next week. So, it really might be brain damage? I'm not disagreeing with your assessment of my game, and thank you for the very kind compliment on my positional play.

I fell for many 1 move tactics? Good grief. I paid money to spend 97.3 hours doing tactics puzzles over at chesstempo.com. Arg!

Here are my tactics stats over there. Maybe I need to pay for a human tactics coach, or look into a brain transplant.......

Total Solving Time: 97.3 Hours (excluding outliers)

Stats for standard tactics

Rating: 1461.5 (RD: 42.24) (Best Active Rating: 1551 Worst Active Rating: 829)
Active Rank: 5205/8572 (Better than: 39.28% Best Active: 2018 Worst Active: 6045)
Problems Done: 2148 (Correct: 1619 Failed: 529)
Percentage correct: 75.37%
Average recent per problem time spent 191 seconds
FIDE Estimated Rating based on standard tactics: 1602

Stats for blitz tactics

Rating: 1291.4 (RD: 78.72) (Best Active Rating: 1368 Worst Active Rating: 1190)
Active Rank: Not Active/850 (Best Active: 802 Worst Active: 851)
Problems Done: 189 (Correct: 160 Failed: 29)
Percentage correct: 84.66%
Average recent per problem time spent 26 seconds
FIDE Estimated Rating based on blitz tactics: 1471

Maybe I need to do more Blitz tactics?

Conflagration_Planet

Apr 21, 2011

0

#52

Lets form a league.

d4e4

Apr 21, 2011

0

#53

>>Maybe I need to do more Blitz tactics? <<

Geez... When I first played chess and was introduced to blitz...I thought "These old geezers must really be good!" Now I find people whom I can easily win against, repeatedly, sometimes ask me to play blitz. My current opinion of blitz is that maybe I am getting too old to think that quickly... But then I realize, there are lots of really inept people who have an extremely short attention span and are lousy at regular chess and blunder, blunder, blunder is fine as long as you are quick with the clock.

Gotta run... Some really, really good blitzers are going to come after me with their hatchets! To them...the really good ones...know this: "I'm not referring to you."

P.S.: What I am trying to say is that, IMO, people who aren't all that skilled at regular chess ought to consider: "Why do you want even less time to think before you move?"

Musikamole

Apr 21, 2011

0

#54

ajedrecito wrote:

6.Nc3 is not necessary. e4 is already defended and 6.e5 is much stronger. Now 6...Nh5 would drop a piece (7.g4) so 6...Qe7 7.Be3 (unpinning the e-pawn) and now 7...Qb4+ loses a piece (8.Qxb4 Bxb4+ 9.c3 and the Bb4 and Nf6 are both hanging to pawns) and knight moves leave Black miserably behind in development.

Your comments are really good but make sure you put the relevant comment on the relevant move with 'Insert Text After Move' box. You knew what you did wrong here but in general when you castle queenside it's a good idea to throw the king onto b1 for added safety. Also Nf4 was an error allowing the pin. You should first move your pieces out of the way. You have time for Kb1 and maybe Qg3 or Qf3 or even pawn to f4.

I'll get the text right next time, and thank you for the analysis.

My opponent today was good at creating pins. Pins are a simple tactic to see and understand, and yet I had a difficult time dealing with them today.

16.Nf4 does allow a pin, and yet Rybka 4, Fritz 12 and Houdini pick Nf4 as the best move. I don't know why. I'd rather not allow a pin, and computers play lines that I can't play, anyway. They are far too sharp for my novice tactical vision.

16...Bh6 was a mistake and after 17.Kb1, the evaluation reads +1.20.

It's a ping pong game in the next sequence of moves with 17.g3 (=), 17...d5 (+0.90), 18.f3 (=) 18...Bf5 (+0.75). 19.Qd4 was best, but I played 19.Nxh5 (??).

d4e4

Apr 21, 2011

0

#55

To: ajedrecito

Good points.

Yes...I was talking about blitz chess. And, as you said, if one can't see the solution fairly quickly...the chances are that more time won't help.

This isn't what I was talking about, as you perceived. It's the recollection of mad men slamming down the pieces in staccato rhythm that is faster than the heart beats. Sometimes, they even foam at the mouth.

Gotta run...

...poof!

Musikamole

Apr 21, 2011

0

#56

ajedrecito wrote:

Obviously a human coach is best.

However, it looks like the average rating of the problems you've been doing is in the 1000-1100 range.

Check your settings on that site. You probably have it set to give you 'Easy' problems. This is a good idea in general. Since you are paying member, set up a 'custom problem set.' Actually, set up a few and play through them.

First assignment: Mate in one, with a rating over 1000.

Second assignment: Mate in two, rating 1000-1400.

Third assignment: Blitz rating between 1200-1400.

Go for high solve rates and you should be able to do these very quickly (less than 30 seconds). Spend 30 seconds to a minute on the blitz tactics. And do the mate in ones until you see them in less than 10 seconds. (less than 5 is ideal)

To be honest, I did this exercise myself when I was just starting back with chess and it skyrocketed my online rating from 1900 to 2200 very quickly, so this is good for all levels. I limited my time much more (5 seconds was an absolute max for the mate in one and mate in twos and I wouldn't spend more than ten on the blitz problems, and my rating range was 1200-1600)

+1

Thanks for the homework assignment! I'll hit the ground running tomorrow with your plan.

Come to think of it, I do have my tactics training set to easy. I never understood what it was for until now. That explains why the average range of my problems falls between 1000 and 1100. I wonder why chesstempo gives me a rating of 1461? It sounds too high for the problems I've been solving.

I'm exhausted. Time for some reading and then bed. I want my brain to get a full charge.

kco

Apr 21, 2011

0

#57

hassanbahaa

"I have played about two thousand live games, lost 66% of them, my rating has never been above 1425. So I gave up palying live chess and now I am playing online chess.

Playing online chess is much better for begeinners and average palyers, and I think I made some progress. The 'analyse game' board is very useful, as it reduces the numbers of my mistakes and blunders. Above all, I am not losing on time. I defeated a palyer rated +1850, and now my online rating is soaring up (+ 1600), and I am sure it will reach + 2000 in a few months.

Those who want to improve, at first play online chess as much as you can before playing live chess."

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/chess-advice-how-to-improve?lc=1#last_comment

tarrasch

Apr 22, 2011

0

#58

Musikamole wrote:

ajedrecito wrote:

Obviously a human coach is best.

However, it looks like the average rating of the problems you've been doing is in the 1000-1100 range.

Check your settings on that site. You probably have it set to give you 'Easy' problems. This is a good idea in general. Since you are paying member, set up a 'custom problem set.' Actually, set up a few and play through them.

First assignment: Mate in one, with a rating over 1000.

Second assignment: Mate in two, rating 1000-1400.

Third assignment: Blitz rating between 1200-1400.

Go for high solve rates and you should be able to do these very quickly (less than 30 seconds). Spend 30 seconds to a minute on the blitz tactics. And do the mate in ones until you see them in less than 10 seconds. (less than 5 is ideal)

To be honest, I did this exercise myself when I was just starting back with chess and it skyrocketed my online rating from 1900 to 2200 very quickly, so this is good for all levels. I limited my time much more (5 seconds was an absolute max for the mate in one and mate in twos and I wouldn't spend more than ten on the blitz problems, and my rating range was 1200-1600)

+1

Thanks for the homework assignment! I'll hit the ground running tomorrow with your plan.

Come to think of it, I do have my tactics training set to easy. I never understood what it was for until now. That explains why the average range of my problems falls between 1000 and 1100. I wonder why chesstempo gives me a rating of 1461? It sounds too high for the problems I've been solving.

I'm exhausted. Time for some reading and then bed. I want my brain to get a full charge.

Get your hands on a tactics book and solve it till your eyes bleed. ( minimum 10 times ). Make sure you know all solutions automatically ( you see it = you know it ). This should take you to at least 1300, but more likely 1400-1500.

Stop reading forums, analysis, articles, dozens of ratings on dozens on sites and the like. Put the book on your desk : whenever you want to open the computer, open the book instead. Two weeks of this regime will make you a tactical beast ( at least compared to your current level ).

Musikamole

Apr 22, 2011

0

#59

Early Morning Chess Thoughts and Brain Damage

When a doctor in E.R. says, “yep…it might be brain damage”, you remember. When your wife says that you forget things more often than before, you wonder. These statements stick and my concerns are rooted in reality. Now, why can’t something more important stick, like the main line in the Scandinavian?

Brain damage has fewer words and is easier to say than cognitive impairment, so I will use brain damage in reference to chess thoughts that make others wonder, “why did this guy play 1.f3?”

No worries. I will press on and enjoy chess, taking it as far as my brain will permit.

This topic and my other one, Looking for Trouble, will be instructive to all chess players of all skill levels, so stay tuned for more content in Looking for Trouble, as there are several outstanding contributors, as well as the outside consultations of NM Dan Heisman, who I stay in contact with.

The topic, Yep…It’s Brain Damage, will focus on the faulty chess thinking that arises from a myriad of chess positions. A good book to purchase to stay one step ahead would be The Amateur’s Mind by Jeremy Silman. For the topic, Looking for Trouble, I suggest purchasing the book, Looking for Trouble by NM Dan Heisman. The Kindle Edition is a real bargain at $9.99.

Now on to the first instructive position for today.

ajedrecito writes that after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nxd4 5.Qxd4 Nf6, that 6.e5 is a strong move.

Here's how my amateur mind sees the position.

1.My pawn at e4 needs a defender, since I don't want my queen tied down to defending it.

2.I need to get my queen out of the center, or face a loss in tempo after Black plays Nc6.

3.I'd like to develop my light squared bishop and castle short, but my queen is oddly placed in the center, subject to attack.

4. I will play Nc3 first, to defend my pawn at e4. Then I will retreat my queen, followed by Bc4 (Bb5), 0-0, then Rfe1 to add further support to e4.

Any flaws in this thought process?

Well, time to teach. I’ll post again at lunch, or dinner, depending on how the day goes.

Musikamole

Apr 22, 2011

0

#60

tarrasch wrote:

Musikamole wrote:

ajedrecito wrote:

Obviously a human coach is best.

However, it looks like the average rating of the problems you've been doing is in the 1000-1100 range.

Check your settings on that site. You probably have it set to give you 'Easy' problems. This is a good idea in general. Since you are paying member, set up a 'custom problem set.' Actually, set up a few and play through them.

First assignment: Mate in one, with a rating over 1000.

Second assignment: Mate in two, rating 1000-1400.

Third assignment: Blitz rating between 1200-1400.

Go for high solve rates and you should be able to do these very quickly (less than 30 seconds). Spend 30 seconds to a minute on the blitz tactics. And do the mate in ones until you see them in less than 10 seconds. (less than 5 is ideal)

To be honest, I did this exercise myself when I was just starting back with chess and it skyrocketed my online rating from 1900 to 2200 very quickly, so this is good for all levels. I limited my time much more (5 seconds was an absolute max for the mate in one and mate in twos and I wouldn't spend more than ten on the blitz problems, and my rating range was 1200-1600)

+1

Thanks for the homework assignment! I'll hit the ground running tomorrow with your plan.

Come to think of it, I do have my tactics training set to easy. I never understood what it was for until now. That explains why the average range of my problems falls between 1000 and 1100. I wonder why chesstempo gives me a rating of 1461? It sounds too high for the problems I've been solving.

I'm exhausted. Time for some reading and then bed. I want my brain to get a full charge.

Get your hands on a tactics book and solve it till your eyes bleed. ( minimum 10 times ). Make sure you know all solutions automatically ( you see it = you know it ). This should take you to at least 1300, but more likely 1400-1500.

Stop reading forums, analysis, articles, dozens of ratings on dozens on sites and the like. Put the book on your desk : whenever you want to open the computer, open the book instead. Two weeks of this regime will make you a tactical beast ( at least compared to your current level ).

You have been reading my mind. This morning I woke up and thought the same thing, "you see it, you know it". I have Chess, 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games by Laszlo Polgar sitting on my teachers desk right now. Now I have to teach! Bye for now.