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| From | Message | Posted by lorddreamer
mailcafe.net
2/26/2006
08:00:59
Play online chess |  Subject: Bishops vs Knights
Message:
Which do y'all thing is better, a knight's game (closed up pawns) or bishop's open game? I mean, which is the most dangerous in any player's perspective?? I prefer bishop's, because it is simpler and I never have to worry about it suddenly switching into a closed game but...
Anyone who understands what I'm trying to say, please respond.
| Posted by ketchuplover
mailcafe.net
2/26/2006
11:20:26
Play online chess |
Message:
Bishops are impressive! But Knights can be downright frightening!! Here's a free tip on avoiding a knight fork. Keep your pieces on opposite colored squares.
| Posted by ionadowman
mailcafe.net
2/26/2006
11:50:07
Play online chess | I infer...
Message:
...that you want to compare positions in which the respective minor pieces are at their best. In respect of B vs N in general, though on an open board the B is often better, I think this superiority can be and is overestimated. The N's short range is not always an issue, even on an open board. Where the B can inaugurate threats on both sides of the board, then things can get tough for the N. On the other hand, you don't often see the N outplaying a B on an open board, unless the former has the B nailed down in some way (e.g. this kind of thing: WHITE: Ke5, Nd5, Pa4, g4; BLACK: Kh7, Bd8, Pa5, g5. White to play. Open board, but an easy win for White (1.Ke6 Kg7 2.Kd7 Bf6 3.Nxf6 Kxf6 4.Kd6... White is left with the 'opposition' and a simple win.)
Consider this position: WHITE: Kd3, Ng2, Pe4, f3, g4, h5. BLACK: Ke6, Bd6, Pe5, f6, g7, h6. Sort of closed, sort of open. According to Capablanca ('Last Lectures') White has a small advantage here, but probably not a decisive one. On the other hand, were the Black g-pawn on g5 instead of g7, White would win (more accessible weakness especially at f6). In the original position, Black plays his K to f7, maintains the B on the a3-f8 diagonal and exchanges it for the N whenever the N appears on that diagonal. Note here that the N's mobility is not at issue.
In respect of the original question (if I've understood it correctly) I prefer on the whole closed positions with the N. Often the N has the greater mobility. Note though, that P structure can make a big difference! Over 30 years ago I got something like this position: WHITE: Kg1, Bb5, g5, Nf3, Pa2, b2, c2, f2, g2, h2. BLACK: Kg7, Nc6, Nf6, Pa7, b7, c7, f7, g7, h7. The B pair on an open board looked pretty good, but White's position looked heaps better after 1.Bxc6! bxc6 2. Bxf6! gxf6.
White had no problem securing the full point...
Hope this helps (and is sufficiently close to your topic!)
Cheers,
Ion
———
Four Lead Tata Steel Chess Tournament — After an exciting start Saturday in the elite section of the Tata Steel chess tournament in the Netherlands, Round 2 on Sunday was much tamer. Only one of the seven games was decisive — a victory by Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia over Wang Hao of China — and it was not even the most interesting game of the round. That distinction went to a wild dual between Anish Giri and Jan Smeets, two Dutch grandmasters, whose game ended in a draw. The most eagerly anticipated game was undoubtedly between Viswanathan Anand of India, the world chess champion, and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, his predecessor. Anand brilliantly beat Kramnik in a 2008 title match and ...
Posted by ionadowman
mailcafe.net
2/26/2006
16:50:10
Play online chess | Damn...
Message:
...I left off Black's Bishop on c8 in that last position. Makes more sense with it on! Suffice to say, <N + neat pawns> vs <B + ragged pawns> looks a better bet than
<B + neat pawns> vs <N + neat pawns>...
———
Meteoric Rise for One Who Had Turned Away — Chess players earn ratings through their performances, and the easiest way to gauge improvement is to chart a rating over time. Ratings usually rise gradually as a player gets better. The exceptions involve young chess players whose ratings have not caught up to their development. Matthew Herman, a 24-year-old American, would seem to be an even bigger exception. For many years, Herman’s international rating was 2,149, the level of a candidate master, because he rarely played and almost never entered tournaments sanctioned by the World Chess Federation. But late last year, after competing in five tournaments, his rating jumped to 2,392. He also fulfilled two-thirds of ...
Posted by ccmcacollister
mailcafe.net
2/26/2006
22:42:15
Play online chess | Personally ...
Message:
I have a preference for working with knights in a knight's position. Especially N+P endings. Tho they can be notoriously drawish when well played ... I've found they tend to bring out errors in play, especially from players who will make hasty moves. That is why it is one of my specialty endings. In practice they seem to almost always present good winning chances.
Not to say I don't like having the Bishop pair, as I do. But it seems more simplistic to me. Not as much fun.
}8-)
———
Nigel Short maintains reputation despite age and loss of form — Nigel Short, at 45, is now the oldest chess player in the top 100 grandmasters in the world and has dropped far below his peak but the England No2 is still often invited to elite chess events. Short has the prestige of a player who met Garry Kasparov for the world title and won a match against Anatoly Karpov in the Russian's best years. He has built a reputation as an outspoken, energetic and entertaining personality who is popular with ordinary amateurs and who at the board is ready to use offbeat gambits. He has coached rising talents and given exhibitions in Third World countries. At present Short is in something of a form crisis after finishing last at the London Chess Classic and ...
Posted by ionadowman
mailcafe.net
2/27/2006
16:59:35
Play online chess | Capablanca's 'Last Lectures'...
Message:
...is worth getting hold of if you can. It has a chapter on B vs N in the endgame. It's quite short and pretty general, but there's plenty of meat and potatoes to be had, all the same. It concludes with an ending from Lasker-Marshall world championship match 1907, with a very lucid explanation of what's going on. On a fairly open board, Lasker exploits what for most would seem an insignificant edge, B for N. Capablanca had this to say about the loser of the game:"Marshall was then one of the first ranking players of the world. Moreover, he was always a good endgame player. He had, however, always a preference for the Knights instead of the Bishops, a defect amply demonstrated in this ending." The second sentence would be a high compliment, coming from Capablanca...
Cheers,
Ion
———
New and Old Chess Champions — As we enter the new decade, the chess world is ruled by a middle-aged man and a teenage girl. A twenty-something phenom presides over the world's chess ratings and a new book recalling one of the greatest chess magicians has been published recently. The Chess Champions. Vishy Anand steps into the year 2011 as the world chess champion. At 41, the Indian grandmaster can look back on his career contentedly. In 1991 in Brussels, he almost eliminated Anatoly Karpov from the world championship cycle. In the next 20 years, Anand won many major tournaments and world championships under different formats and time controls. How long can Anand keep the world title is ...
Posted by lorddreamer
mailcafe.net
3/07/2006
15:42:14
Play online chess |
Message:
I have found that knights are for those who want a bit of excitement, cuz they have so many moves all the time, and can end up in such strange spots, they are more exciting. Bishops normally show a clear idea, but can be devestating. In the end, bishops are so much safer, because they attack a clear spot and its not hard to see a slatemate position, knights on the other hand can be very confusing.
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To Play Better Against Attractive Women, Men Need to Avert Their Eyes — Do men get distracted by and play chess differently against attractive women than against other opponents? Yes, according to a study by Swedish researchers. Called “Beauty Queens and Battling Knights: Risk Taking and Attractiveness in Chess,” the study used a large data set of results from international chess tournaments and cross-referenced them with photographs of 626 of the chess players — almost half of them women — whose attractiveness was rated by at least 50 independent observers. The study concluded, “Our results suggest that male chess players choose significantly riskier strategies when playing against an attractive female opponent, even though this does not ...
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