EvC Chess Tournament

I guessed you were good Omni from some of your chess posts here .Omni opened with a Sicilian against me (I think). When the opponent does any openings other than King’s pawn or Queen’s pawn, I get worried for my health . I’ve never done a Sicilian, but I tried it in a game Tusko challenged me to, and I have no idea what to do with it, haha. It’s caused me to become very cramped behind my pawns, whereas Omni's donee everything right with the Sicilian so far (I think).My other game, with Kurusu, isn’t going too hot either. I’ve made some genuine, bonafied mistakes in that one.But who cares, it’s great to be playing chess again .

I feel the same way, Zawinul: I enjoy winning, but I know I learn more losing, so no game is a total loss.And the renewed focus on tactics has already made me a better East Coast rush hour driver .

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Dragon Sicilian, to be specific. I like to play that defense, though I really don't play it well unless I manage to survive into the middle game without choking myself to death on my own pawns. If I'm going to play it, I really ought to properly study it sometime, but it's not high enough on my priority list.Note: I'm being very careful not to comment on the game, not even as to who I think is winning, playing well, or anything. If anyone else responds to those who are playing, you need to do the same.

Moo, chomps rabbit >=D

I had a friend long ago who claimed that if you don't know 25 major opening lines 20 moves deep, you're wasting your time--I don't have the patience for that.It (Sicilian Dragon) takes a high tolerance for the closed position, but there is always the bright promise of an explosive liberation . I seem to play (and fight) best as a counterpuncher, so I tend to favor closed positions when playing black: as a long-haired reluctant streetfighter, I had to be hit before I was dangerous .I have a long row to hoe before I'm back in playing trim...but darn this is fun!

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Real things always push back.
-William James Save lives! Click here!
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I think its fun also....even though I am having my teeth handed back to me on a platter! There are at least two or three of you who know your chess!Maybe after the tournament you can teach me a few moves...or is the way a person learns through trial and error?
At any rate, after our tournament is done we might discuss chess strategy. I need it!

http://gameknot.com/chess.pl?bd=6864950good game nemisis

Once you Queened your pawn, there was no way I was going to come out of there alive.Good game. Who do you play next? Or is that all pending?BTW, have you discovered the "analyze" feature yet? You can analyze each move that we made from beginning to end. Its a great feature. I suggest you take a gander at it if you haven't already done so.Edited by nemesis_juggernaut, : edit to add

I am not sure who I play next.Yes, I was checking out the analyze feature, it is good to use, and refresh your memory between moves, since some moves can be days apart.I thought I blew it when I gave up my rook, just didn't see that one.
You made me sweat near the end."gg" - means good game!

What helped me greatly years ago, was just reading books on it.
There are books on every piece, and how to move them. There's books on openings, middle game, and end games.Each piece is extremely powerful, but only if you understand it's capabilities, and how to capitalize on them.So wheres the second round?????Here are the games in one post:http://gameknot.com/chess.pl?bd=6856547&chlg=y Jon + Kuresuhttp://gameknot.com/chess.pl?bd=6861404&r=704 Zawinul (white) vs. Omnivorous (black)http://gameknot.com/chess.pl?bd=6864163&r=46 Phat and tuskohttp://gameknot.com/chess.pl?bd=6864950&r=927 Riverrat versus Nem Juggshttp://gameknot.com/chess.pl?bd=6861274&r=984 anglagard vs catscihttp://gameknot.com/chess.pl?bd=6872705&r=358 Truthlover + Tudwellhttp://gameknot.com/chess.pl?bd=6885121&r=450 Nyeusigrube v. eraticSo far we got+ Jon
+ Kuresu
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+ Phat
+ Tusko
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+ Zawinul
+ Omnivorous
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+ Anglagard----------------Anglagard
+ Catholic Scientist
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+ RiverRat------------------Riverrat
+ Nem. Jug.
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+ Truthlover----------------Truthlover
+ Tudwell
|
+ Nyeusigrube
+ EraticEdited by riVeRraT, : added games

Sorry to those I've been playing against, I was quite busy the last three days. But I've finally made my moves

Oh.. this is exciting, I'm in the next round. So what happens next... will the winner of Jon/Kuresu challenge me? I'd better check out the opposition...+ Jon
+ Kuresu
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+ Phat
+ Tusko--------------------Tusko
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+ Zawinul
+ Omnivorous
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+ Anglagard----------------Anglagard
+ Catholic Scientist
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+ RiverRat------------------Riverrat
+ Nem. Jug.
|
+ Truthlover----------------Truthlover
+ Tudwell
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+ Nyeusigrube
+ Eratic

Good game Omni . Nine times out of ten I'm sure you would've beaten me!+ Jon
+ Kuresu
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+ Phat
+ Tusko--------------------Tusko
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+ Zawinul------------------Zawinul
+ Omnivorous
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+ Anglagard----------------Anglagard
+ Catholic Scientist
|
+ RiverRat------------------Riverrat
+ Nem. Jug.
|
+ Truthlover----------------Truthlover
+ Tudwell
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+ Nyeusigrube
+ Eratic Edited by Zawi, : No reason given.

For those that have the basics down, I think there's no better book than The Amateur Mind by Jeremy Silman. It's what helped me get an idea what to do once the opening was done. I used to move all my pieces out, get castled, get my rooks connected, and then think, "What do I do now?" If there was no immediate checkmate/attack plan, I was lost.Once I learned about getting good posts for knights and what sort of pawn formations to create for the pieces I had left, I had some great games with computers. Good programs know about these things, and it is amazing the resources a computer will devote to prevent you from posting a knight in a hole in its territory.I played a game recently, too, where I lost a bishop to a Queen fork. Because I'd learned about making good use of each piece, I was able to realize that I wasn't really behind. My pieces were out, and the other guy had a Rook and Knight still buried in the corner. So I attacked with everything I had, figuring that despite being behind in total pieces, I was ahead in pieces involved in the battle. I got a win out of a game that would have disheartened me thoroughly before I read the Amateur Mind.Of course, you have to get the basics down first. Yasser Seirawan produced a series for Microsoft that's fun to read, because he's pretty comical. Otherwise, old Fred Reinfeld books that you can get off ebay for a song are the way to go, in my opinion.Oh, and if you're really at the basic level, Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess is an awesome and easy primer to get you used to using your pieces. It's also available on ebay for a song, and it doesn't have a lot of words to bore you with. Just pure chess.

Yeah, right. Really sharp play, Zawi.Quarter finals? Are we playing an elimination format?

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Real things always push back.
-William James Save lives! Click here!
Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC!
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