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One Brow said:
First, based on what you've posted, you're a better chess player than I. So, I am bringing this up with respect.

In the diagram, white has made two moves, e4 and then xd5. How does that happen if black stared with c3?
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You're right, I needed to look more closely, trying to juggle too many things at work and here.

The first few moves had to be 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 c6, but the first set of moves there is the standard scandinavian ("center counter") opening. Not sure exactly what variation the exchange exd5 makes it, because the mainline would follow usually with Nf6 instead of c6, or the much more open Qxd5. c6 is generally an inferior play as it blocks black's queen's knight and weakens the pawn structure, it also allows white to take another step forward in development and therefore tempo. So no it didn't start with the classical caro-kann. Like you said, with the next couple of moves they could more or less back into it, the exchange variation anyway.
 
colton said:
That's really impressive. I used to play table tennis pretty seriously and they use the same rating system. I maxed out around 1600 or so, and that was probably good enough to make me one of the top 20 players in the state.
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There are more higher level chess players around than people think, or at least were. I haven't played sanctioned events for a while, just playing mostly casual games at the local club. I'm not even rated in the Reno club. Yet. :)

I love table tennis and had no idea they rated the same way. I'm good enough to win when playing against family for the most part, but no way could I really compete. So are you like Forrest Gump good?
 
LogGrad98 said:
I love table tennis and had no idea they rated the same way. I'm good enough to win when playing against family for the most part, but no way could I really compete. So are you like Forrest Gump good?
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Heh, I'm not sure what his rating would be. I haven't played much in the past ~3 years, but if I took a couple of weeks to get back into somewhat decent shape I'd like my chances against anyone on jazzfanz. A few years back I actually ran a ping pong tournament for my Physics 105 class, about 400-500 students. (Not all participated, of course.) I beat all of the students I went up against, but came in second in the tournament because one of the students brought a friend who was a ringer. :-)
 
LogGrad98 said:
Ratings generally are calculated using the results of tournament or match play in sanctioned events. Although some clubs have their own club ratings. Basically it is a way of showing how strong the competition is you are playing and where you fall against that competition. There are lots of sources for calculating scores, and of course wikipedia. Masters generally are rated in the 2200 range and up, grandmasters over 2400. Highly competitive tournament players will fall in the 1900-2100 range, and so on. This also fits within a letter classification system, class A being the highest just below expert/master level, and then class B on down to H or I or something. We generally use classes to set up local tournaments to make them more competitive, as that way you can play people at your own level. But in club play I have seen class C players beat our resident experts in individual matches.

Online ratings use some formula or another to approximate the regular ratings. In my experience, they are not very reliable other than in that exact forum, and online poses other problems, like people using a chess program to "cheat" and come up with their moves for them.

As far as books go I think I have about 20. If you are a moderate player, there used to be a series called the Fireside Chess Library, with lots of books about the individual parts of the game, openings, tactics/mid-game, end-game, etc. I enjoyed Logical Chess by Chernev. How to Reassess Your Chess is a great book that can help you to get deeper into your own style and how to analyze your own game. My System, as pointed out by OB, is pretty good too.

I learned the most about chess in my early teens by re-creating games by grandmasters and then working through the situations myself. I used magazines and watched what games I could, and traveled even to watch tournaments. There are several books out with games played by Bobby Fischer, of which I had one as a kid that I read and re-read. It had his analysis and thoughts about the positions and how he thought through a move, and it offered the entire game in algebraic notation with pictures, then left it at a critical decision point and asked you to make the next move, then turn the page and see what he did. In studying the game I have found that this is one of the best learning methods for chess. There are now a lot of books out there with "chess problems" that present a situation and ask you to solve it with the best move possible. If you go for one of those books try to find one that offers more than just one solution (as most of the time, there are multiple choices in a real game) and then provides some analysis for the moves possible and the logic behind their choice of the "best" move. There are also online options and a few apps but the apps are generally too easy or way too hard, but still might be worth a try. I still like to take the problem out of the book and build it on my board and the play through it. Like you I prefer real chess, and 2D chess gets old fast.

But in the end there is no substitute for playing. If you start playing tournaments don't get caught up in ratings. A lot of players approach it that way and will ask you first your rating, then your name. They can tend to be far too careful to either have fun at the game or really learn to win. They push for and accept draws far too often for my taste. I have won otherwise lost positions, where my opponent offered a draw and I refused even with him up a full pawn or even bishop or knight, just because he didn't want to get drawn into a complicated mid-game or drawn-out end-game. I play with reckless abandon for the most part, preferring an open middle game with lots of quick tactical moves and strikes and fluid motion across the board. I tend to think through those positions better than my opponents and make fewer mistakes, and it can take a positional chess player right out of the match to throw things open with a well-placed sacrifice.

If you would like we can open a thread and discuss chess more in-depth, or PM me or whatever and we can play a few games online somewhere. I love to get into mid-game tactics and openings are always fun to discuss and dissect. (I like gambit openings for the most part when playing white, with a preference for queen pawn openings, and off-center counters when on black to throw people off, like the sicilian or gruenfeld defense, although I usually don't follow classical lines for either of those).

Sorry, didn't mean to go off like that, but that is one of my favorite topics.




TL;DR version: Chess is fun!!
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Thanks for the response. You sound like you really know your chess and are passionate about it. I think thats cool. I dont think enough people appreciate chess. Its a beautiful game. Its perfect really. It has an ability to teach you about life too. I love playing it.

Ive been meaning to try and learn more about it. Just havent gotten around to it. I would say Im probably about a moderate player right now. But Im not quite sure. Like I said, I havent really played trained people. Ive played probably about 800 games(just a guess) over about 15 years. So I think Ive got some pretty good experience and know how. Ive tried just about every possible way of attacking and coming out so I think Ive figured out quite a bit just on my own. Ill have to give one of those books you said a try. Maybe play you one day.
 
Hack said:
Thanks for the response. You sound like you really know your chess and are passionate about it. I think thats cool. I dont think enough people appreciate chess. Its a beautiful game. Its perfect really. It has an ability to teach you about life too. I love playing it.

Ive been meaning to try and learn more about it. Just havent gotten around to it. I would say Im probably about a moderate player right now. But Im not quite sure. Like I said, I havent really played trained people. Ive played probably about 800 games(just a guess) over about 15 years. So I think Ive got some pretty good experience and know how. Ive tried just about every possible way of attacking and coming out so I think Ive figured out quite a bit just on my own. Ill have to give one of those books you said a try. Maybe play you one day.
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I used to play on yahoo chess quite a bit. That is an easy venue for a quick game with a decent interface. I'm always up for a game.

I don't think I can count the games I have played in the past 30 years, but 800 is a good number. I am sure you are better than average. If you really like it you should look up a chess club and get into some tournament play. It can be intense, but a lot of fun.
 
Hack said:
Mods : Please change the thread title to chess talk.
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So if you understand algebraic notation we could play a game here and let everyone critique it.
 
LogGrad98 said:
So if you understand algebraic notation we could play a game here and let everyone critique it.
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That could be fun. Ive never used algebraic notation, but I know what it is. Ill read up a little on it. Make sure Im not missing anything. We could even post pictures of a screen shot of a game or something so there is a visual.

Maybe start it up after the holidays?
 
Hack said:
That could be fun. Ive never used algebraic notation, but I know what it is. Ill read up a little on it. Make sure Im not missing anything. We could even post pictures of a screen shot of a game or something so there is a visual.

Maybe start it up after the holidays?
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Works for me. Sounds like fun.
 
So in keeping with the chess theme of this thread, I finally found a decent club here. The first couple I tried, one an FIDE sanctioned group, were just not up to par, they met haphazardly and I had no issues beating most people in the club even when I was just more or less goofing around, and that is not saying I am all that great as I know my chess has slipped a lot in the last few decades but they were just low level players. I found a more casual group that meets in a few parks around the area more or less weekly. It is less structured but way better chess play. Been enjoying getting my *** handed to me in speed games (5 and even 1 minute games), and then turning around and slapping the same players in regular length games. We have also been playing a lot of Fisher chess. That is crazy and a lot of fun.
 
The range of symptoms has raised speculation of some kind of sonic weapons, while some former intelligence officers have suggested they might be a result of a surveillance effort that went badly wrong. Some Canadian diplomats have also been affected.
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I'm guessing that Soviet Union-era spy apparatus doesn't work as well as it used to.
 
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