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| Posted by i_play_slowly mailcafe.net 12/16/2005 14:06:20 Play online chess |  Subject: Knights and HolesMessage: | ||||||||||||||
| Posted by alberlie mailcafe.net 12/16/2005 14:17:57 Play online chess | Message: | ||||||||||||||
| Posted by pagodapanicdog mailcafe.net 12/16/2005 21:32:49 Play online chess | Message: Only two other options remaine for getting rid of your problem enemy horse. One is to move more peices into position to attack the square of the offending horse with the goal of an outcome of beneficial exchanges. This concentrates your attacking power on a square that (many times) is close in your own territory- not where you what attacking power, and with your opponent doing the same to support the horse, your opponents position grows in attack on your side with you playing only defense. The other option is deflection of the horses protector, which , if its a long range peice means a chance of having to over extend oneself. If the enemy horse is protected by another horse and an exchange is made the trouble begins again....with an ill sense of deja vu! ——— Chess: Caught in the middle — A rare chance to attack a king that hasn't had the sense to get castled. Vasily Ivanchuk was the star of the gold-winning Ukrainian team at the chess olympiad. Playing on board one and taking on the strongest opposition, he scored eight out of 10. What did he play here? RB Dan has always told me to keep an eye peeled for the chance to attack a king that hasn't had the sense to get castled. But the attacker has to move boldly. Fortunately the bold move here jumped out at me immediately – 1 Nd5. I'm going on general principles – and Dan's admonishment – rather than concrete calculation: the enemy king stuck in the middle, his rooks not yet in play, king's bishop still on ... Posted by pawntificator | mailcafe.net 12/17/2005 01:13:54 Play online chess Excellent answerMessage: I'm not sure what universe I'm in right now when a 1000 rated player is answer a 1600 rated player's question of this caliber so well. It seems like you, pagodadapanicdog, could be rated much higher if you transfered your theoretical knowledge into practice in your games. ——— World Chess Champions Crowned, at Youth Tournament — Where are the future stars of chess? They may have been at the World Youth Championships in Halkidiki, Greece, which ended Saturday. The chess championships are held every year and are divided into six age brackets, from those who are under 8 to those who turn 18 this year. There are open sections and sections for girls only. The tournament’s origins go back to the 1970s to the cadet championships, which were in one section for players under 18. Gradually the tournament expanded, adding a section for chess players under the age of 14 in 1979, for under 16 in 1981, for under 12 and under 10 in 1986, and for under 8 in 2006. Over the years, winners of world youth championships have ... Posted by i_play_slowly | mailcafe.net 12/17/2005 09:20:26 Play online chess So far, so good...Message: * alberlie, it seems to me that the knight would be capable of influencing or moving to no more than two squares beyond the hole. True, those squares are immediately behind the pawn, as you point out. Nevertheless, a bishop in the hole, depending on which rank it appears, could potentially influence 4 or more squares beyond the hole, and could be just as capable of slipping through a pawn chain on its next move. * pagodapanicdog, you offer an extremely delailed and comprehensive explanation of why a knight in a hole can be vexing to the opponent. I find your answer illuminating, and I appreciate the amount of thought you've obviously given the question. Still, it seems to me that all of your observations would pertain equally to a bishop in a hole. * Silman, of course, is not the only author who endorses a knight as the best piece to occupy a hole. There seems to be a consensus, but all the authors I have discovered so far are equally vague about why a knight is the ideal choice. My question remains, what makes a knight the ideal piece--better than a bishop, for example--to occupy a hole? ——— Revenge at Cap d’Agde: Ivanchuk Beats Nakamura — It took two years, but Vassily Ivanchuk got his revenge. Ivanchuk, a Ukrainian chess grandmaster, lost the final of the 2008 Cap d’Agde Rapid tournament to Hikaru Nakamura of the United States. Sunday, both players were again in the final and this time Ivanchuk won. Ivanchuk was definitely playing better even before the final. In his semifinal match against Bu Xiangzhi of China, Ivanchuk won both games, while Nakamura struggled against Le Quang Liem of Vietnam. Le Quang won the first game of the semifinal and Nakamura had to come back and win the second game to force a playoff. In the playoff, he won both games. The final games were entertaining and a bit strange. In the first, Ivanchuk, who ... Posted by alberlie | mailcafe.net 12/17/2005 10:11:38 Play online chess Message: I would disagree with pagodan though... To protect that knight with another piece is somewhat counterproductive (of course, needless to say, everything depends on the actual position) since in this case, that piece has one burden already. If it has another task to perform as well (e.g. protecting the king or a fital square to prevent an attack on the king), that piece may very easily become overburdened: Sac a piece for the knight, the bishop (or whatever piece is protecting it) retakes and that vital square is unprotected. Whenever possible, i'd guard the blockader with a pawn... And maybe that's another reason for the slight plus of knight: that protecting pawn would limit a bishops mobility while it wouldn't when it's a knight. A third reason might be that within three squares from the rim of the board, it doesn't matter where you post your knight, it always attacks the same number of squares. Not so with a bishop. So, since holes usually occur near the borders of the board (sixth rank or so), a blockading knight looses none of it's mobility while a bishop does. ——— Chess World of Karpov and Kasparov — Standing next to each other, side by side, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov made a last minute effort to sway the FIDE elections their way. One day before the vote, during the press conference in the Siberian town of Khanty-Mansyisk, they were trying to explain how they will change the chess world. Karpov was running for the FIDE presidency and Kasparov supported him. They still had a small chance to win. In the last six month they criscrossed the world, talking about the wonderful game of chess and what could be done to make it more popular. The next day, Sept. 29, the FIDE delegates re-elected Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who promptly announced that he defeated two world chess champions. What ... Posted by alberlie | mailcafe.net 12/17/2005 10:18:30 Play online chess as a matter of fact,Message: Well, maybe not a perfect example but at least an example :o) ——— Plenty of Fighting Spirit on Final Day of Pearl Spring — Magnus Carlsen of Norway had already clinched first place at the Pearl Spring chess tournament in Nanjing, China, but there was still a lot to play for, so all the games on the final day were hard-fought and two of them were decisive. The most important game of the day, in terms of the standings and the prize money, was between Viswanathan Anand of India, the world chess champion, and Etienne Bacrot of France. They were tied for second place. Anand had White and opened with his d pawn. Bacrot used the Nimo-Indian Defense and achieved a solid position out of the opening, though Anand had the bishop pair — a potentially long-term advantage. Bacrot began to play loosely, opening up his ... Posted by i_play_slowly | mailcafe.net 12/17/2005 23:09:36 Play online chess Thanks againMessage: * If I could add my own two cents, I think that bishops, rooks, and queens, all things being equal, are capable of moving greater distances than knights, so posting a knight (rather than any other piece) for a prolonged period of time would sacrifice the least mobility. How does that sound? Posted by pagodapanicdog | mailcafe.net 12/18/2005 00:14:03 Play online chess holes and knights,..Message: A pawn in a hole.. could be useful....who knows , very circumstantial.. The main question is what is the main function of any peice in the hole? I addressed the problem of removal... which seems to leave a horse or bishop even and the main peices to question. what else besides removal are at issue. Most to be contemplated is where is the hole we are talkining about!!!pawn movement will be most likely in the center. besides what good is any peice in a hole on the opposite side of a castled king. Silman's horse is not on the sidelines with nothing to do! The issue is also not attack (no standing post has to do with attack on a specific square,.. otherwise its not a post.. it rules squares, and defends others for usage) Thinking of just attack on the enemy at such close range, both the bishop and horse have an even amout of squres to assault. The real bonus of the knight is what is in other circumstance a weakness. Since the "silman horse in a hole" is not on the sidelines doing nothing, it has a lateral control of reinforcement protection for other advancing troops. a bishops range for lateral protection in the center where the hole is likly will extend too far backwards, not so with the horse, a peice can be closer and still get protection. That close range protection is a great plus for almost any peice advaning towards the enemy king. In short , the lateral protection for already advanced peices, or advancing peices is the plus of "silmans horse". the bishops diagonal supports to far back lateraly for attack on the enemy king, thus requireing a long range peice on the sidelines where the bishop will be suppoting from an advanced middle position. Posted by maca | mailcafe.net 12/18/2005 01:20:32 Play online chess My thoughtsMessage: 1) It is easy to get a knight in a such of hole. Imagine that you've developed your knight normally on the 3rd row (or 6th ir you're playing black). Holes often exist on 5th or 6th rank (black), or 4th or 3th row (white). In these cases, your knight could jump in the hole pretty easily, considering the fact that these holes usually exist in the center of the board, just where a well-developed knight are aimed. 2) It's often said that knight on the 6th row is enough to win the game alone. Generally, knights become more and more valuable while they advance. So if I had to choose wether to equip a knight or a bishop for a hole, i'd generally choose a knight, becouse holes, as said, often exist close to enemy base. But sometimes it might be totally wrong, and bishop might be better, position is often the only thing that matters! 3) Many other good reasons are already given here. It seems pretty practical to choose knight since it, while supported by own pawns, can still jump back if required. Of course, a bishop supported by a pawn is extremely strong, too. Queen could also equip these holes, especialy later in the game, when minor pieces have been exchanged. Surprisingly, I have won some games by putting my queen in a hole early in the game, while my opponent's pieces were not developed. Best way to get rid of these hole-knights is to counter it by using your own knight, but this might be more easily said than done. And what if the knight is supported by another knight? I try to avoid these holes in my game and keep my pawn structure as healthy as possible. Thos knights can truly ruin your game! MaCa |