U14 Squad Training Day
th
Saturday 14 February 2015
David Regis, Devon U14 team manager
Exeter Junior Chess Club
[Link]/juniors
EXERCISE: Evidence
You have a position from an U14 chess
game
You can see whose turn it is and what
move they chose
Find a better move
Can you give the player any advice?
Dan HEISMAN
...Almost all players lose
the overwhelming
majority of their games
not because of things
they dont know, but
because of not
consistently applying
things they do know.
Chess as an exam
If I learn more about chess by studying,
I will choose better moves and win
more games.
Knowing what
knowing three or four opening systems
knowing the basic tactical patterns
knowing the basic endgames
knowing how to win a won game (and
draw a lost one!)
Chess as a sport
If I practise at chess, I will get into
better habits, make fewer mistakes and
lose fewer games
Knowing how
Good habits:
Take your time
Spotting tactics and clues
Every check, every
capture, every threat,
every turn
THINC!
THINKING
Ksawery TARTAKOWER
The winner of
the game is the
one who makes
the next-to-last
blunder
The chess pyramid
Thinking
Opening
Tactics
Strategy
Endgames
Losses
Losses come from mistakes
Mistakes
Mistakes come from:
Not knowing what to do or what to look
for
Knowing what to do/what to look for but
not doing it (HEISMAN)
I didn't see it!
But did you look?
Not looking comes from:
Haste
Laziness
Overconfidence
Panic
Flip-Coin Chess
My move is
A
(and then I will go
B)
No mention of the opponent!
= I hope my opponent doesnt do anything
Will you survive? =Toss a coin!
Real Chess
The threat is ...B.
My move is
A
so if ...B then C
The best reply is
...D because A
undefended my pawn
If your thinking
doesnt sound like but then I will go
E
that, youre in
trouble!
Missed anything?
OK, A it is.
How to think ahead in
chess or THINC!
T hreats
(what is opponent trying to
do to you?)
H
I
N
C
H opes (what can you do to them?)
I mprovements (get lazy pieces
working, or some other plan)
N ext moves
(what moves look
good?)
C heck!
(make sure your burglar
alarm is on)
THINC... or thwim!
Help, help!
I'm being oppressed!
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v,./9EFJMV
Defending... as easy as ABCD
Avoid
Just move your piece out of the way
Block
Block the attack by putting something in the way
Capture
Take the piece that is attacking you.
Defend
Defend your piece, so if it is taken, you can take back.
But you might also be able to use Ingredient X:
counterattack! If your threat is more important than your
opponents threat, then they wont get a chance to attack you!
Playing Real Chess in real games
THINC!
Rapidplay doesn't give you time to do this
So, practise until it's automatic
...in slow games
...in exercises
Look at every check and every capture and every
threat, on every move
In a real game, you get used to the idea that Bxh7+
doesn't work, move after move, so you stop looking
at it carefully, and then all of a sudden it does
work... :(
So, try and pay attention to clues and
changes in the position what is now less
defended or more attackable than before?
TACTICS
I missed a tactic
Know the basic sorts of tactic
Look and find tactics
Clues: I smell a tactic!
Checks and captures
EXERCISES
8 Queens
Discoveries
Hit Miss or Trap?
Keys
Checks
Captures
Key: check
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v,./9EFJMV
Key: captures
cuuuuuuuuC
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{dpdwdp0w}
{pdwdpdw0}
{dpdwdwdw}
{w)w!whwd}
{)wdwdNdw}
{wdwdq)P)}
{dwdwdRIw}
vllllllllV
Clues
Loose pieces
Unsafe King
Clue: unsafe king
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5DwDwDwDw}
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v,./9EFJMV
Clue: loose pieces
cuuuuuuuuC
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Practising checking
EXERCISE: 8 Queens
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EXERCISE: Hit miss or trap?
You have a position
You can see whose turn it is
HIT:
you can play a tactic
MISS: there's nothing to do
TRAP: it's a trap!
OPENINGS
Richard RTI
"A beginner should
avoid the Queen's Gambit
and French Defence and
play open games instead!
While he may not win as
many games at first, he
will in the long run be
amply compensated by
acquiring a thorough
knowledge of the game."
No more Old Stodge!
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5Dwgw0wDw}
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XXXXX
Playing safe?
Playing safe is dangerous!
Playing safe = losing slowly!
Gurevich-Short, 1990
Playing safe is dangerous...
If you leave your opponent alone, they
will come up with a plan to put you
under pressure
If you make a mistake, you will have
no chance to fight back
Mistakes
Mistakes come from problems
Put pressure on your opponent and
they will make mistakes (promise!)
Play well!
Play to win
Play actively
Krogius-Gheorghiu, 1964
An opening repertoire
What to aim for as White
Scotch Gambit
What
to do if Black dodges
IQP systems
What
to play as Black against 1.e4
French Defence
What
to play as Black against 1.d4 etc.
Tarrasch Defence or Swiss Defence
FREE BOOK and DATABASE
Four opening systems to start with
Cecil PURDY
Your opening
system should be
judged by how
good a career it
offers young,
ambitious Rooks
EXERCISE: Openings
Say (or ask!) what openings you play
Main opening for White
What if Black dodges?
Defence for Black vs. 1.e4
Defence for Black vs. 1.d4 etc.
Find someone who plays more or less the
same things
You should both know what your first six
moves might be
Come up with a question
EXERCISE: Openings
Main
Black vs
1.e4
Two
Knight's
Defence
Black d4
[Link]
Swiss
Scotch
Game/
Gambit
Main lines
Ruy
Lopez
Main lines
Queen's
Gambit
Tarrasch
Swiss
French
Defence
Tarrasch
Swiss
Edmund
IQP
systems
IQP
systems
King's
Gambit
Sicilian
Defence
Leif
Tarrasch
PLANNING
Ksawery TARTAKOWER
Tactics is
knowing what to
do when there is
something to do.
Strategy is
knowing what to
do when there is
nothing to do.
I didn't know what to do
IDKWID / IDKWIDE
Anderssen's Law
Listen to your pieces
EXERCISE
Positions with no tactical blow
How do you decide what to do?
EXERCISE: planning
You have a position from an U14 chess
game
What's going on?
Listen to the pieces
Come up with a plan
Come up with a move that helps with
your plan
Choose a move
Check it!
Moulton-Scott 1999
Planning Clues
Tactics
King safety
Weak pawns and weak squares
Piece activity
Forcing moves: pawn breaks
Line control (file, rank, diagonal)
Central control
ENDGAMES
Stephan GERZADOWICZ
Openings teach
you openings.
Endgames teach
you chess!
EXERCISE:
Iceland Endgame Challenge
In pairs, with a board
Pick one that you nearly know how to
do
Practise it against each other until you
can both do it
You can look at the solutions
PRACTICAL
PLAY
Eugene ZNOSKO-BOROVSKY
Haste
is the great
enemy.
Practical play
Haste: the great enemy
If your opponent plays quickly,
let them get on with it!
Playing safe is dangerous!
Winning a won game
Drawing a lost game
Know the rules
Know the rules
Castling
Running out of time
Illegal moves
Offering and accepting draws
Claiming a draw: 2-minute rule
Claiming a draw: 3-fold repetition
Writing down the moves
Behaviour at the board
COACHING
Judit POLGAR
Limits are
in your head.
BEING YOUR OWN COACH:
My strengths and weaknesses
White main system
White vs. odds
Black vs 1.e4
Black vs. 1.d4
Tactics & blunders
Strategy & planning
Endgame theory
Finishing off getting the right result
Top tips
Haste is the great enemy
There's no such thing as talent
Use your score sheets
Know your strengths and weaknesses
Practise and get feedback
Enjoy your chess!
WHAT NEXT?
Getting better at chess
We can't make you a much better player in
just one day, but we can tell you what will
work
You don't have to study but you must
practise
Playing slowly helps
Playing proper openings helps
Looking at your games afterwards
helps
Doing exercises helps
Computers help
[Link]
