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| Posted by lapsekili mailcafe.net 8/15/2008 12:45:55 Play online chess |  Subject: The Philidor's DefenceMessage: | ||||
| Posted by gt2win mailcafe.net 8/15/2008 13:05:26 Play online chess | Message: | ||||
| Posted by ganstaman mailcafe.net 8/15/2008 14:25:02 Play online chess | Message: The whole idea is to build a very solid position. The pawn on d6 supports the e5 pawn and allows black to maintain a pawn in the center following dxe5 ...dxe5. Black develops his pieces into a cramped position, but this almost dares white to try to tear it all down, if he can. The bishop is ok on e7, where it serves some defensive roles and can relocate when necessary. Also, black gets some initiative on the queenside sometimes. Other times, black will play 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 g6 -- ceding the center but opening up for a fianchettoed bishop. There's also another plan for black given on this site:  www.vanrekom.nl (it's easier to just look at the diagrams and variations there then for me to repeat it all here). It's more aggressive, pushing forward on the kingside while hoping that the center and queenside hold strongly enough to keep black from collapsing. ——— The Great London Chess Debate — The former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik won the London Chess Classic, a tournament that brought the English capital close to its former glory. London was the world chess center in the mid-19th century when the first two important tournaments were organized: the knockout event in 1851 and the round-robin in 1862, both won by the German master Adolf Anderssen, one of the greatest chess attackers. Did the current tournament eclipse the events played roughly 150 years ago? Anderssen did not like the playing conditions in 1851. The chairs and tables were too low for him, the chessboard too big and the players were confined to a small place. But the German chess master would have ... Posted by ketchuplover | mailcafe.net 8/17/2008 11:08:04 Play online chess Message: ——— Chess: Why resign with two queens? — Despite the extra queen, Howell was in trouble and when he missed a miracle defence Kramnik seized his chance. This is the final position of the chess game we considered last week. Kramnik has just played his rook to c8 and Howell promptly resigned. Why? RB: Yes, why did Black resign? With two queens on the board you'd think he'd be fine. But what are his options here? I can see two. The first doesn't seem to help Black: 1…Rxc8 2 Qxc8+ Kh7 3 a8=Q when, with the threat of mate on h8, Black has to continue 3…Qxa8 and after the recapture White is a knight and a pawn up. The alternative is 1…Qxb8 2 axb8=Q Rxc8 3 Qxc8+ Kh7 4 Qf5+, when White is again a knight and pawn to ... Posted by ganstaman | mailcafe.net 8/17/2008 16:31:19 Play online chess Message: The Lion is a variation of the Philidor. You can reach the Philidor via the Pirc move order, and then go for the whole Lion thing. In any event, after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 you have the Philidor, and then you could continue with 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O (still all Philidor territory) and now 6...h6, preparing the whole Lion thing with ...c6, ...Qc7, ...g4, etc. ——— Making the Case for, and Against, Chess as an Olympic Sport — Could chess be an Olympic sport? Such an idea may seem absurd to some people, but the World Chess Federation has been lobbying the International Olympic Committee for years to include chess in the Games. As part of its efforts, the federation even instituted drug testing to bring chess into compliance with the committee’s rules. (Players have grumbled about this, pointing out that aside from caffeine, there are no drugs that can plausibly help them play better.) In making a case for chess, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the president of the federation, has said that curling is essentially “chess on ice.” The Olympic committee has granted the federation status as a Recognized International Sports Federation, but ... |