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Shortcuts To Chess Improvement

Shortcuts To Chess Improvement

The road to chess improvement is normally a long and difficult struggle which requires a lot of hard work and commitment. According to accepted wisdom you should:

  • practice as much as possible by playing lots of games, especially at slow time controls
  • analyse your own games (and others) preferably with a stronger player, or with a pc
  • solve as many tactics problems as you can every day
  • take lessons from a good coach, or use an effective teaching tool like Chess Mentor

Stuff that for a game of soldiers, eh? Even if you are doing all of the above, surely there must be some shortcuts to improving your game? A few nuggets of advice, or ways of thinking about chess and approaching the game? You bet your sweet bippy there are!

1. Play Each Game Like Your Life Depends On It
Psychology plays a huge part chess, as it does in any competitive game. If you’re not giving your full attention and effort to every game you play, why are you bothering at all?

Don’t be afraid of giving 100% every time and knowing that sometimes you will lose anyway. Have pride in every game you play and every move you make!

2. Play Real Chess, Not Hope Chess

Make sure that for every move you make you think at least three ply (half-moves) deep. So when you make a move you must have figured out what you think is your opponent’s best reply, and what you will do if he plays that.  That’s the minimum requirement to play Real Chess, and you have to do it for every move you play or you might as well be tossing a coin.

3. Use All Your Time In Every Game
Chess is a game which rewards deep thought and long analysis, so why on earth handicap yourself by only using a fraction of your time?  Experienced players will aim to use all their available thinking time in every game, whatever time control is being used.

Time should also be used wisely for each individual move.  If your move is forced, or you have just a few options of apparently similar strength then it makes sense to play quickly. However, if the position is rich with tactical possibilities, or you are about to make a big decision, then slow down and give it some real thought.  There are no take-backs in chess, or in life!

If you find you keep missing killer moves from your opponent, then before you make a move look for all the checks, captures and threats that he has available in response. That should cover most of the moves that could get you into trouble.

  1. Think Like Sherlock!

Imagine this common scenario: your opponent makes a move you don’t expect and you’re not sure why he played it.

Do you:

  1. a) shrug your shoulders, ignore the move and play what you were going to play anyway
    b) light your pipe, settle back for a few moments and figure out what your enemy is up to…
  2. Loose Pieces Drop Off!
    A “Loose” piece is a piece that is either undefended, or not adequately defended. Make sure you check whether any of your opponent’s pieces are loose and can be taken, or whether any of your pieces are vulnerable.

    Most players quickly learn to spot if a piece is en prise (can be taken), but even experienced players can miss a little tactic which means a loose piece drops off!

  3. Dream A Little Dream…
    A lot of faulty chess thinking is caused by what is technically known as a “Quiescence” error. You disregard a strong move because you think it’s impossible, or that the tactics in the position are over.
  4. Know How To Play Against Rabbits And Heffalumps
    In Simon Webb’s classic chess book Chess For Tigershe describes much weaker players as Rabbits, and much stronger players as Heffalumps.  It is important to know the right strategies for playing both these types of opponents.

    If you are playing a rabbit, you need to keep things simple and solid and look to punish any mistakes that the rabbit makes. Wait, and pounce when the time is right!

  5. “When You See A Good Move, Look For A Better One!”
    The great world champion Emanuel Lasker is credited with this quote, and there’s a fundamental truth to it.  When you are deciding on a move to play, you are not just trying to find a good move, you are trying to find the bestone.

Chess Tips & Tricks:Chess Knight

Chess Tips & Tricks:Chess Knight

Chess Knight is a chess piece on a Chess Board. Chess Knight also a very Special chess piece. It is describe as a Armed cavalry in King’s Army. It is get shaped as a Horse Head in real world. Even though cavalry are the fastest unit in a real world it is bit different in a Chess Board.  Anyway He is showing his Hidden attacks pattern even in Chess board as real World. Each player will get 2 Chess Knights in the beginning. White Knights are located on b1 & g1 and Blacks are located on b8 & g8 respectively.

Chess Knight has a Special move pattern. That is not horizontally nor Vertically niter. Also not diagonally. That is actually 2 Steps. First Step Knight jump 2 Square Distance Horizontally or Vertically. Then jump a single Square Distance to Left or Right. See the image Below.  This is a Single movement. This explain Knight has a special movement pattern that all other Chess pieces.
White Knight in the image shows his attacking power. He can Attack in 8 positions. The most Special fact is that Knight is a Jumper. He will not care about other chess pieces on the Road. it needs to be Empty or Enemy’s Chess pieces on any of doted Square He can travel without considering all other facts.

Chess Knight is used in fork Attacks in Chess board very Frequently. He is the Most popular attacker in for fork attacks. Whenever Knight comes to play into the ground we have to very careful with his fork attacks.

Knight has same price to a Chess Bishop. Knight has not a long range but bishop has that. Even though Bishop can cover only a single color and Half of the board. But Knight can reach to any square. But it may be too late.

Another special fact is that When a Knight make a Check it must move the King or it must capture that Knight. We can not block him attacking path. If we get a Check attack from a bishop or a Rook we can block those attacks by using any of chess piece without moving the King. But that is not happening with Knight Attacks.

Knight is the Only one who can challenge to the Queen. Queen can’t attack back or capture Knight at once.  Also keep in mind that Chess Knight is getting killed or trapped easily.

Clean Your Chess Set With Melaleuca Products

Clean Your Chess Set With Melaleuca Products

When it comes to cleaning your chess board and pieces, we’ve found that Melaleuca products are the best. Melaleuca makes several safe, environmentally friendly, toxin-free cleaning products, and we’d like to highlight a few of them here.

Though we specialize in online chess software, nothing beats owning and using a beautiful chess set. Whether you go for the classic, wooden look or something more modern, you want your chess set to last a long time. That means you have to take good care of it.

If you use your chess set as often as we do, then there’s going to be inevitable wear and tear. That’s to be expected. But regular cleaning and conditioning will extend the life of your chess set for many years. And if you happen to be a clean freak/germaphobe, you’ll want to regularly disinfect your chess pieces, especially if they come into contact with many hands.

That being said, what’s the best way to clean your chess board and pieces? Well, that mostly depends on what they are made of. If it’s all plastic, that opens up a lot of options. Heck, if that’s the case, you can throw the whole thing in the dishwasher.But we’re assuming here that you love chess like we do and have paid for a really nice custom set.

Now, if your set is made of a more delicate material, say wood, or if it is painted or decorated, you need to be more careful. That’s why we like Melaleuca products. Here are four products we highly recommend for cleaning your chess set:

Tough & Tender is Melaleuca’s all-purpose cleaner. It’s great at removing grime that accumulates over time, but it’s gentle enough to even use on natural stone. For those of you who have granite and marble chess sets, this is great news. The great thing about Tough & Tender—as with all Melaleuca products—is that it doesn’t contain any chlorine bleach, ammonia, or other harsh chemicals, so it’s safe on your chess set, in your home, and around your family.

Clear Power is Melaleuca’s go-to glass cleaner, but it works wonders on any smooth surface including stainless steel. It doesn’t leave any streaks, so if you have a stainless steel or glass board, this is definitely a product you’ll want. Like Tough & Tender, Clear Power is super concentrated, so it will last you a good long while.

Sol-U-Guard Botanical is a disinfectant spray that uses natural thyme and citric acid to kill germs, as opposed to bleach or other nasty, fume-producing chemicals. If you use your chess set as often as we do, you’ll want to disinfect your pieces on a regular basis, and we think Sol-U-Guard is the way to go.

If you have a wooden chess set, then it’s all about the polish. Rustic Touch is Melaleuca’s furniture polish, and it’s perfect for polishing up your wooden chess set to a perfect chine. It contains carnuba wax and has a great orange scent.

Melaleuca.com has a lot of other products, but when it comes to taking care of our chess sets, these are our favorites.

City Business’s white-glove logistics labor

City Business’s white-glove logistics labor

City Business has noticed the demand for customized crating and packaging solutions. The average shipping company has weight and size limitations, and many can’t offer crating options for fragile and high-value items. Their team of experts will design and build a crate for ones precious shipments’ unique requirements. At City Business they contemplate many factors when designing their crates, including the weight, dimensions, value, fragility, and final destination requirements of the shipment. Inside the crates, one will identify custom packaging, blocking and bracing. These crucial elements ensure the item arrives safe, damage free, and on time. In other words, they don’t just place an item in a crate or box; they carefully consider the greatest packaging procedures available. City Business’s white-glove logistics labor is here to give the most excellent moving experience with quality packaging, pickup, and transportation of belongings. Their movers are professionally trained in moving artwork, antiques, pianos, electronics, equipment, and more. Whether one is moving one item or an entire house or office, City Business contains the experience and the equipment to handle any and all of moving necessities. They provide an in-house Notary Public service to their community and customers desiring international shipping from Los Angeles. They assist on a daily basis for Mortgage Lenders, Real Estate Brokers, Attorneys, Accountants, Escrow Divisions, and all other local professionals. For the greatest and most dependable service around, contact them for an appointment and fees. Their Third Party Logistics (3PL) services can be scaled and fitted to meet special needs based on market qualities and demands. Their 3PL services include warehousing, distribution, fulfillment, transportation or a combination of all logistics operations. By providing warehousing and distribution services, value-added services, and warehousing logistics services, City Business can become an integral part of ones business’s supply chain.

Japanese team combines technology with centuries-old game to reinvent chess for a cyberpunk era

Japanese team combines technology with centuries-old game to reinvent chess for a cyberpunk era

With all its complexities and long history, chess is unquestionably a regal game, but it hasn’t really changed that much over time. The basic rules have remained steadfast, which is actually kind of great if you’re looking to compare games past and present. But what if someone took modern technology and applied it to this hallowed game?What would it be like?

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Chess Is Being Forever Changed by Technology

Chess Is Being Forever Changed by Technology

Since its origins in 600 A.D., chess has truly proven to be a timeless game. What started in India as a war game called Chatarung, evolved throughout the centuries.Anything that lasts 1500 years has a tendency to pick up traits directly related to the eras in which its weathered. For instance, the NBA wasn’t always the fitted suit, patterned bow tie, faux-glasses league it is today. The 1970’s offered large collars, heavily patterned suits, and lush fur coats .

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Technology is helping people cheat at chess—and helping tournaments catch them

Technology is helping people cheat at chess—and helping tournaments catch them

When mediocre chess player entered Italy’s prestigious International Chess Festival of Imperia, was ranked 51,366th in the world.They never stood up, always sat with arms folded and thumb under armpit, and blinked constantly and unnaturally. When festival officials inspected, they discovered that pendent was a video camera and that concealing a Morse code box connected to a computer that was either running a chess program or being monitored by an accomplice.

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Machine teaches itself chess in 24 hours, attains international master level without being told the rules

Machine teaches itself chess in 24 hours, attains international master level without being told the rules

A student has built a computer that managed to teach itself chess, and in just three days attained a level of skill comparable with some of the world’s most skilful players.In the last two decades computers have become exponentially more powerful, but the “brute force” method of evaluating 200 million moves per second that Deep Blue employed was still the norm.Caissa instead trained a “neural network” using example situations from real games of chess.Rather than searching through all possible future moves and calculating the best one.

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