Monday, February 28, 2005
2005 Atlanta Championship
The 2005 Atlanta Championship just finished and had a moderate turnout. FM Todd Andrews from Tennessee and FM Miles Ardaman from Georgia were there, along with the usual suspects from the Atlanta Chess Center where the tournament was held. I played up in the A-section again (the largest section in the tournament), and scored 2½ out of 5, gaining some rating points. I noticed last night after I got home that my out-of-date USCF rating has dropped one point, apparently because some games my opponents played previously finally got registered, and they recalculate everyone's rating from that point forward. With the huge delay the USCF has in updating tournaments and ratings (I have 4 tournaments they haven't yet posted, going back to last November), it's a wonder anyone is playing in the section they should be in. The USCF is becoming like Microsoft in the sense that everyone loves to put in a dig, such as Mig's Daily Dirt. Anyway, back to the tournament. The only incident that stood out was in the last round, when I believe in the row of tables behind me, a kid who was leaning his chair back leaned a little too far and crashed to the floor!
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5 comments:
I think that the closer you get to Expert, the less likely your opponent will make a significant tactical error without your help. That's where opening preparation and position play kick in to do just that. Apply enough pressure to anyone's position, and it will crack eventually.
I had a great game against a Class B player (USCF 1622) this past weekend. I was applying a lot of pressure against his position, and I think I even had the advantage. Then I went into a faulty combination and lost. I should have kept applying pressure, because his position was stressed, but not fractured.
I agree. Many times I've found tactical combinations because I had a great position. And sometimes tactics are used not to win material or attack the king, but simply to achieve a strategic goal (e.g., gain control of a key square, secure an outpost, etc.).
Someone well-known once said something like, "I can see the beautiful combinations from Alekhine's games once I see the positions, but I have no idea how to get into those positions."
For me, opening preparation is mainly a potential time-saver on the clock. There are times when you can catch someone in an opening trap, and it's nice knowing you're playing a line endorsed by grandmasters that leads to a playable position, but in most of my games my opponents leave theory before I do.
That's great about your game with the B-player (that you got him under so much pressure). And that's something that's not easy to do: be patient when you have an advantage and not rush things until the time is right.
IIRC that quote was from Spielmann.
Another quote that comes to mind: "tactics flow from a superior position". I can't remember who said that one.
One of Steinitz's contributions was the idea that an attack must have a positional basis in the position. You cannot (successfully) attack just because you feel like it.
Didn't Steinitz also say that if you have a better position you have an obligation to attack?
Yes. If you don't attack when you have a superior position, your opponent will improve his position until you no longer have an advantage. Not a perfect maxim, but reasonable.
I may not be able to see a mate in two every time, but at least I learned something from browsing all those chess books I've bought. :-)
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