Chessville Instruction - Playing the first thing that crosses our mind

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Playing the first thing that crosses our mind
by FM Amatzia Avni

The general public is under the impression that in a chess duel, intense calculation and strategic assessment take place on each turn. Experienced tournament players know better: there are in fact just a few critical moments in which they pause for thought. Most of the time, players act more or less on automatic mode, playing common-sense, ‘natural’ moves.

Here is an old debate: when handling an ordinary position, where pawn-structures and game-plans are known and familiar, should we concentrate on one reasonable move, or would it be wiser to contemplate several options?

“Some people claim that they end up playing their first idea 75% of the time or even more. Does this mean that we actually see our best move immediately in 75% of the cases? No”. (J. Aagaard, in Excelling at Chess Calculation).

Playing the first idea that crosses our mind has obvious advantages, but also certain shortcomings. Let us look at them...

Amatzia Avni is an Israeli psychologist. He is a FIDE Master in both game and composition, a former editor of the Israeli magazine Schahmat and a regular contributor to Chess Monthly. His latest book "Devious Chess" was released by Batsford in April. Read Chessville reviews of two of his earlier works: Practical Chess Psychology: Understanding the Human Factor (2001); and The Grandmaster's Mind (2004).

Advantages

The first idea we have is frequently the most natural one, hence, it has good chances to be the right idea.
Playing the first idea that enters our mind saves time, which may become handy in later stages of the game.
When one thinks too much, all sort of imaginary things crop in.
One might become confused and forget what lies in front of one’s nose.
Consequently, players who abstain from playing obvious moves frequently end up with executing inferior moves.

The following three episodes support the view that if you spot a good-enough move, you should play it without further deliberations.

Taimanov - Fischer
Candidates match (3), Vancouver 1971
[Editor: see also Taimanov's analysis of this famous game in his
Lessons Learned column, A Defeat Which Could Not Be Forgotten.]

White to play

Taimanov sacrificed a pawn and achieved a highly promising position. In his games collection (Taimanov’s Selected Games), he recalls that the idea to proceed with 20.Qh3 (threat - 21.R:h6+) came to him quickly, but then he submerged himself in prolonged analyses. Unable to find a forced road to victory, and after 72 minutes (!) he beat the meek retreat 20.Nf3? which led, after 20...Bb7 21.Rg6 Nf4! 22.B:f4 e:f4 23.Rd1 Qe7 24.Re6 Qc5+ 25.Kf1 Rfd8, to Black’s advantage (0:1, 41). After the game, Taimanov concluded that 20.Qh3 Rf6 21.Bc4 was indeed best.

Gufeld - D. Bronstein
Kislovodsk 1968

White to play

GM Gufeld had to seal his move at this point (does the viewer recall the times where serious tournament games were adjourned?!) “I quickly wrote down 90.Kf7 on my scoresheet... but then... I decided I could play something stronger” (in “My Life in Chess”).

90.Kg7?? Kg4 91.Rh2

91.Rd4+ Kh5 92.c4 R:c4! 93.R:c4 is stalemate. Had White played 90.Kf7, Black would not have this resource.

91...Kg3 92.Rh1 R:c2 93.h5 Rc7+ 94.Kf6 Rc6+ 95.Kf7 Rc7+ 96.Ke6 Rc6+ 97.Kd5 Rh6 98.Ke4 Kg2!

Shrewdly skipping the mine 98...Kg4? 99.Rg1+ K:h5 100.Kf5 when White wins.

99.Rh4 Kg3 100.Rh1 Kg2 Draw

White to play

Unzicker - Ivkov
Santa Monica 1966

18.Nf5 Kh8?? 19.R:d6 (1:0, 78)

Ivkov reveals (in the book Second Piatigorsky Cup) that having foreseen White’s threat even before 18.Nf5, he began assessing the consequences of 18...Rc6, 18...B:f5 and 18...g6. Somewhere during the thinking process he forgot all about White’s immediate threat and blundered.

Disadvantages

However, there are heavyweight arguments for the counter point of view; perhaps you should not rely on your initial inclination, because:

The longer you look at the board the greater the probability that you’ll see more. You broaden your options, you may change your overall considerations.
You may find a concealed trap devised by your sly opponent against your intended move.
You may find better moves than the one which comes to you instantly.

D. Bronstein - Morgulis
Kiev 1940

White to play

Black’s threat 23...B:f1 can be easily parried with, say, 23.Rf2, preserving his extra pawn, keeping a safe advantage. Bronstein justly decided to go for a sacrificial attack, estimating that it would yield him larger and swifter dividends.

23.B:f4 e:f4 24.Ne4 B:f1 25.Ng5 Nf6 26.Qh6 Qe5 27.Q:g6+ Kh8

Now the natural 28.B:f7 seems to end the job; but resisting the temptation to play the first thing that comes to mind can do a lot of good. In fact, 28.B:f7 fails against the diabolical 28...Bd3!! (29.R:d3? Qe1#; 29.Q:d3 Q:g5).

28.Qh6+! Kg8 29.Be4 Bc4

29...Be2 30.Rd5!

30.Bh7+ Kh8 31.Bd3+ Kg8 32.B:c4 Rb7 33.Qg6+ Kh8 34.B:f7 1:0

Chernin - J. Polgar
New Delhi 1990

Black to play

28...Qh5+ is certainly our first choice, since it forces the reply 29.Ke4 (29.Kg2? f3+). Many players will say “first let’s see his king wandering in the middle of the board and then we’ll decide”. However, the continuation 29...f3 30.Q:f3 Qh4+ 31.Ke3 Qg5+ 32.Ke2 Q:c1 33.Qh5 leads to unnecessary complications (although black remains on top after 33...Qb2+ 33.Kf1 Qa1+ 34.Ke2 Kg8).

28...Rg8

A killer, which wins on the spot.

29.Ke2 f3+ 0:1

Not waiting for 30.Ke1 Bf4.

Our last example doubles the theme of “rejecting your first idea.”

N. Ryabinin
3^rd prize
“Shachmati Nedela” 2003

White to play

Black’s deadly threat 1...h1=Q+ forces white’s initial moves.

1.Ne2+ Kf2 2.Ng3 Ra3

Black threatens to mate by 3...h1=Q+ or to draw with 3...R:g3+ 4.K:h2 Rg2+. Now, what can be more natural and obvious than 3.K:h2?

3.d3!!

3.K:h2 fails to deliver; after 3...R:g3 4.b8=Q Rg4 5.Kh3 g5! 6.Qh2+ Kf3 7.Qh1+ Kf2 8.Qe1+ K:e1 9.c6 Ke2 10.Bc7 Kf2 11.Bb6+ Ke2 12.f8=Q Rh4+ Black draws.

3...R:d3 4.K:h2 R:g3

Another critical juncture. Most players would promote the b-pawn without blinking; yet this is an error!

5.Bc7!!

Once again the first thought which enters our mind will not do: 5.b8=Q? Rg4 6.Kh3 g5! 7.Qh2+ Kf3 8.Qg2+ R:g2 9.c6 Rg4 10.Kh2 Rh4+! 11.Kg1 Ra4! 12.f8=Q (or 12.Bc7 Ra1+ 13.Kh2 g4=) Ra1+ 13.Kh2 Ra2+ 14.Kh3 Ra4! 15.Qa3+ R:a3 16.f7 Ke2+ 17.Kg2 Rf3 and the draw is inevitable.

5...Rg4 6.Bg3+ R:g3 7.b8=Q Rg4 8.Kh3 g5! 9.Qh2+ Kf3 10.Qg2+ R:g2 11.f8=Q Rg4 12.Qa8+

This last move is possible because 5.Bc7 had cleared the way for the queen.

12...Kf2 13.Qa2+

And this checking move is made possible because white’s third move (3.d3) had cleared the second rank. White wins.

This article examined the pros & cons of playing the first idea that crosses our minds in an ordinary position. Should we settle for the first idea, or should we search for other options? The dilemma is here to stay, of course. At the end, our intuition and experience will guide us towards choosing one way or the other.

Also by FM Amatzia Avni: