OT: Chess

[ecemleafs]

i played a game on beginner level. bot was a f***ing idiot.

 

[aufheben]

I'm not entirely sure. What @Bogart listed is the exact breakdown (probably FIDE recognized?), but it more comes down to how I feel about the competition at each level.

Everything under 1400 kind of blurred together for me. Then I spent a lot of time trying to scrape my way out of the 1450-1500 range, had a quick development leap, thanks to changing my philosophy a little, and now I've hit a similar difficulty at the 1590-1640 range.

So those are tiers that feel significant to me. With a rating system so fluid, and with the effort it takes to move ahead, you will probably find similar rating levels that become milestones of sorts for you.

No he answered pretty much exactly what I was asking.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

The 2020 Candidates has started. There were no wins for White, but Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) & Wang Hao (China) managed to win with Black pieces & grabbed the lead.

 

[Harbour Dog]

The 2020 Candidates has started. There were no wins for White, but Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) & Wang Hao (China) managed to win with Black pieces & grabbed the lead.

I got up at 4:50 and watched it until I had to go to work at 7:30. Then I watched it for a half hour at work haha.

 

[aufheben]

@Harbour Dog I realized the reason I move pieces so fast is because I have the move animation set to "none," so the moves are like SMACK...SMACK...SMACK

Also found this for you; Sicilian Defense tree:

Also, this one is kinda neat:

 

[Harbour Dog]

@Harbour Dog I realized the reason I move pieces so fast is because I have the move animation set to "none," so the moves are like SMACK...SMACK...SMACK

Also found this for you; Sicilian Defense tree:

Also, this one is kinda neat:

Sounds like more "fussing?" haha

That Sicilian chart is going in my analysis folder. Even though I have a sense of where openings are headed in most games, I don't keep a strong awareness of the relation between them. They are all discrete to me.

 

[aufheben]

Sounds like more "fussing?" haha

I wouldn't be me if I wasn't fussing with something trivial.

That Sicilian chart is going in my analysis folder. Even though I have a sense of where openings are headed in most games, I don't keep a strong awareness of the relation between them. They are all discrete to me.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

"Top seed Fabiano Caruana defeating Kirill Alekseenko in 34 moves, while Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated second seed Ding Liren in 37. Anish Giri was in deep trouble against Wang Hao, but managed to miraculously save a draw in the end." The Candidates Round 2: Caruana and Vachier-Lagrave score

#2 seed Ding Liren has zero points. He's going to have to play like Harbour Dog to force a tiebreak.

 

[Harbour Dog]

GM

Nepomniachtchi Ian

½ - ½

GM

Grischuk Alexander

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

"Top seed Fabiano Caruana defeating Kirill Alekseenko in 34 moves, while Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated second seed Ding Liren in 37. Anish Giri was in deep trouble against Wang Hao, but managed to miraculously save a draw in the end." The Candidates Round 2: Caruana and Vachier-Lagrave score

#2 seed Ding Liren has zero points. He's going to have to play like Harbour Dog to force a tiebreak.

When I left for work, I thought the Hao/Giri game was going to be a simple draw. Interested to see how it played out to give Wang a big advantage.

Ding has pretty much played himself out of the tournament after two games. Crazy stuff, considering he was pretty much the unanimous second most favoured, behind Caruana.

 

[aufheben]

I'm aufheben89 on Chess.com anytime someone wants to play.

 

[Harbour Dog]

I'm aufheben89 on Chess.com anytime someone wants to play.

Because I've been getting up at 4:50, my sleep cycle is so out of whack that I haven't been on most evenings. Should be on tonight though!

 

[Say Hey Kid]

I'm aufheben89 on Chess.com anytime someone wants to play.

I put in a friend request to you. I'll pm you if I start playing. I'm doing puzzles and lessons now.

"The battle between pre-tournament favourites Ding Liren and Fabiano Caruana ended up favouring the Chinese, who responded convincingly to Caruana's provocative play in the opening (see below) to get his first win of the tournament after back-to-back losses in the first two rounds. The remaining games finished drawn, which means Wang Hao, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are sharing the lead on 2 out of 3." The Candidates Round 3: Ding bounces back, beats Caruana

Harbour Dog, why is 9. Kf2 better than castling?

 

[Harbour Dog]

I put in a friend request to you. I'll pm you if I start playing. I'm doing puzzles and lessons now.

"The battle between pre-tournament favourites Ding Liren and Fabiano Caruana ended up favouring the Chinese, who responded convincingly to Caruana's provocative play in the opening (see below) to get his first win of the tournament after back-to-back losses in the first two rounds. The remaining games finished drawn, which means Wang Hao, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are sharing the lead on 2 out of 3.

1.d4d52.c4c63.Nf3Nf64.Nc3dxc45.a4Bf56.Ne5e67.f3Bb48.Nxc4O-O9.Kf2" The Candidates Round 3: Ding bounces back, beats Caruana

Harbour Dog, why is 9. Kf2 better than castling?

I haven't had a chance to look at analysis on the position yet, but three situations where it is better to play that move are:

1) In the time required to move the e-pawn and King Bishop to allow for castling, Black would of executed a plan to disrupt the castle and/or win material, making the immediate Kf2 safer.

2) If Ding believed his king would be safe on f2, then it saves him time in the late middle game to leave the king closer to the centre. Especally with Caruana pushing so hard on the Queen side, the difference in a square for the king could be the difference in a win and a loss, or;

3) Ding was confident in his assessment of the direction that development was about to go and thought that his King Rook was best served on g1 and h1 for a future pawn push and opening of one of those files.


For me, I'm not nearly good enough to put stock in the third possibility, and it would be one of the last moves I'd see in the first instance; but there are lots of times that I will forego castling if I can see a potential quick endgame and want to keep my king in the centre.

Ding could easily of done it for either of those reasons, or combinations of each.

 

[Harbour Dog]

I wouldn't be me if I wasn't fussing with something trivial.

Not sure how I missed this before

Every now and then I feel like doing analysis instead of playing. When I do, I go back over the three openings that I've gone in depth on and memorize/improve my notes, and if I still have energy after that I check to see whatever the last opening was in a game I played and start analysis on that one.

 

[aufheben]

Not sure how I missed this before

Every now and then I feel like doing analysis instead of playing. When I do, I go back over the three openings that I've gone in depth on and memorize/improve my notes, and if I still have energy after that I check to see whatever the last opening was in a game I played and start analysis on that one.

I’ll be on tonight. I have some new weapons to throw your way.

 

[Harbour Dog]

I’ll be on tonight. I have some new weapons to throw your way.

Excellent! I slept in until 6:50 this morning; full of spit and vinegar.

 

[aufheben]

Excellent! I slept in until 6:50 this morning; full of spit and vinegar.

I think we’re on opposing sleep schedules. I went to bed at 3:30 AM.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

Thanks a lot, HD. I really appreciate it. The following would be bad advice for you or other 1600+ players.

My goal is 1000 and one thing I do when learning an opening is finding old, simple variations of it that I fully understand. The second advantage of this is most players use whatever variations the AI or 2600+ players are using now so this forces them into a different looking variation than they're used to seeing so they can't just trot out their memorized AI or GM moves.

 

[Harbour Dog]

Thanks a lot, HD. I really appreciate it. The following would be bad advice for you or other 1600+ players.

My goal is 1000 and one thing I do when learning an opening is finding old, simple variations of it that I fully understand. The second advantage of this is most players use whatever variations the AI or 2600+ players are using now so this forces them into a different looking variation than they're used to seeing so they can't just trot out their memorized AI or GM moves.

I think that's great advice for anybody!

If you understand your opening, that goes much, much, farther than just memorizing it.

And if you decide on a "simple variation" and commit to it, then as you use it more and more, you learn how to play all the applicable lines that arise from it on your own. And one thing I learned is that "the applicable lines" change as the strength of opponents changes.

One of the two main Sicilian variations I push towards is the old main line. It's simple, but not incredibly popular at the moment.

 

[Harbour Dog]

I think we’re on opposing sleep schedules. I went to bed at 3:30 AM.

Left to my own devices that's where my sleep schedule gravitates as well.

Work has me getting up at 6:50 right now though. And The Candidates at 4:50 for the next little while.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

I think that's great advice for anybody! If you understand your opening, that goes much, much, farther than just memorizing it. And if you decide on a "simple variation" and commit to it, then as you use it more and more, you learn how to play all the applicable lines that arise from it on your own. And one thing I learned is that "the applicable lines" change as the strength of opponents changes. One of the two main Sicilian variations I push towards is the old main line. It's simple, but not incredibly popular at the moment.

Thanks! One of the two main Sicilian variations I push towards is the Bowdler Attack (B20) played by Staunton. One of the two main English variations I push towards is the Great Snake Variation (A10) played by Petrosian.

 

[aufheben]

I want one of these old Soviet portable chess sets.

 

[Harbour Dog]

Thanks! One of the two main Sicilian variations I push towards is the Bowdler Attack (B20) played by Staunton. One of the two main English variations I push towards is the Great Snake Variation (A10) played by Petrosian.

The Bowdler Attack is one of mine as well. It is a very good variation for Black, but I'm finding that I don't see it as often anymore unfortunately.

 

[aufheben]

Thanks! One of the two main Sicilian variations I push towards is the Bowdler Attack (B20) played by Staunton. One of the two main English variations I push towards is the Great Snake Variation (A10) played by Petrosian.

I played this tonight against Harbour Dog but got burned trying to transpose into the Modern Defense.

He's quite fond of the English, lirl:

 

[aufheben]

MFW trying to beat @Harbour Dog in chess: