Chessville - Ask the Tiger - With GM Nigel Davies -June/July, 2003

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Ask the Tiger
with GM Nigel Davies

June/July, 2003

Your chance to pick the brain of one of the world's leading GMs, chess teachers, and authors! Learn more about Nigel's teaching philosophy and check out his very reasonable rates. Visit his website, Tiger Chess, loaded with instructional articles.

Ask the Tiger Your Question Now!

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Q: I have lost every tournament game as black where my opponent has played 1.f4 Can you please recommend a reply and some basic theory to Bird's Opening that has decent counter attacking options and does not involve a kingside fianchetto, as I haven't the patience to play those sort of games? Many thanks, Gareth, South Wales

A: I'm not sure you should be too worried because we're I guess you're only talking about a small sample of games. Patience is definitely a virtue against Flank Openings such as the Bird, but if you want violence I suggest taking a look at the From Gambit (1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 d6 or if 2.e4 you have a King's Gambit).

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Q: I have read Silman's Book How to reassess your chess. I wonder whether great players think in terms of imbalances. I would be really greatful if you gave me your personal view on this issue. - Alexander Janich, Germany

A: I haven't read Jeremy's book, but with very strong players much of the thinking process is subconscious, borne of thousands of hours of study and practice. When someone's thinking is still at a conscious level (whether looking for imbalances, structure or anything else) they have not achieved mastery.

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Q: Do you have an opinion on using a chess computer or program as a training sparring partner? I have found that it is helpful because I can always get a game against a strong opponent. The computer never tires, and nor becomes demoralized. It forces me to accurately play out the winning position. - Julian Wan

A: I tend not to play against them myself because they are too unlike human opponents to be a realistic sparring partner. But I've found them very useful as analysis partners.

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Q: As an accomplished player, chess writer and trainer, I am wondering if you could help me understand an anomaly in the chess book world. Many trainers recommend a close study of well played GM games as a way of improving one’s chess game. But when one goes to the chess section of even a well stocked and chess friendly book store there are few game collections. There are a few books of the games of former and current world champions but where are the descendants of Alekhine’s 107 Chess Battles or Tartakower and Dumont’s 500 Master Games? Are game collection books harder to write because of the need to annotate a large number of games? I have read that these works are not as popular because the professional and ultra serious amateurs know all of the best games played through Informator or databases. But these players represent only a small fraction of the chess playing and chess book reading public. When I try to read the languageless notes in Informator, I might as well be watching the little green squiggles which descend down the screen in the Matrix movies. I know they mean something (ex 13 Ng5! +/= TN) but its over my head. Is it that these collections don’t reliably sell well? Do publishers fell more comfortable pushing out another. How to win with the X opening book rather than say Best GM Games 1990-2000? - Julian Wan

A: Just because we know it's good to eat vegetables doesn't mean that people are going to do so! Openings books sell well because people like to blame the opening for their losses. The publishers and shops are just filling the demand...

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Q: like to play the Zukertort Opening, the classic opening sequence is 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 e3. If Black is sly he can play 3...g6! heading for a Gruenfeld Indian type formation. Summerscale suggest 4 b3 Bg7 5 Bb2 0-0 6 Be2 c5 7 0-0 and here 7...cxd4 8 exd4 Nc6 9 Nbd2 transposes to my game below:

Drawyah - Evernine
Internet Chess Club 2003

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. b3 d5 5. Bb2 O-O 6. Be2 c5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4 Nc6 9. Nbd2 Bf5 10. a3 Rc8 11. Rc1 Re8 12. Re1 Ne4 13. c4 dxc4 14. Bxc4 Nd6 15. Bf1 a6 16. h3 Nb5 17. Bxb5 axb5 18. Nf1 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Rxc1 20. Qxc1 Bxd4 21. Rd1 e5 22. Ng3 1/2-1/2

Although 9 Nbd2 is consistent with the Zukertort, it seem ineffective against this Gruenfeld structure. 9 Na3 jumps to mind as an improvement, but after an eventual c4 and Nc2 my opponent said he would play ...Bxc2, and it seems White runs the risk of having a bad version of a hanging pawns formation.

What do you consider is White's best game plan? I am not looking for a winning line as much as just making Black work at the position, give him some challenges. Or is this Zukertort approach simply wrong? And White should bail on this formation.

If this is the case, what would you consider as best for White? After 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 e3 g6!

This sequence has bother such I have thought of transposing to the Gruenfeld defense with 4 c4, one example is 4...Bg7 5 Nc3 0-0 6 b4!? which is the last game of your Gruenfeld Defense book.

Can you help this frustrated Zukertort player?

A: Unfortunately I don't think you'll force an advantage with the Zukertort - it's just one of those openings in which White develops fairly modestly and tries to make progress in the middlegame. Yusupov has played the Zukertort but only after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6; after 3.e3 it no longer makes sense for Black to play 3...e6.

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Q: How many moves are allowed in a Stalemate? I've heard 25 collective and 25 individual. Please clarify. - Tim Tanis, Maint

A: Stalemate comes about when one side or the other has no legal move but is not in check. If 50 moves by each side go by without a pawn move or capture the game is also a draw, but this is not stalemate. There are some 'special exceptions' for positions which are winnable but require more moves.

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Q: What are the best endgame books for a medium strength player? - Bill Smith

A: I personally have had a lot of trouble reading books on endgames as they tend to be rather dry. The only I found to be a pleasure to read so far are Znosko-Borovsky's 'How the Play Chess Endings' and Shereshevsky's 'Endgame Strategy', though I'm planning to go through Korchnoi's book on rook endgames also.

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Q: First of all thanks for your responses to my previous questions. This time I would like to ask about chess books. Suppose that a chessplayer only has enough resources to buy ten chess books in his life and no more than that... Which ten chess books would you recommend the most in such a case and why? - Regards, Diego Acosta.

A: Well if I can only pick 10, here we go.

1. Lasker's Manual of Chess by Emanual Lasker: This is far more than just a chess book, Lasker lays the foundation for a much wider philosophy of struggle.

2. Chess Fundamentals by Jose Raoul Capablanca: A brilliant and lucid explanation of many aspects of chess strategy.

3. Pawn Power in Chess by Hans Kmoch: One of the best books for gaining insights into strategy.

4. The Art of the Middle Game by Paul Keres and Alexander: This one's a real classic, the chapter on defending difficult positions is required reading for everyone.

5. Larsen's Selected Games by Bent Larsen: One of the best games collections by a very creative and competitive grandmaster.

6. My Best Games: Book 1 by Victor Korchnoi: Fifty great lessons by a chess legend.

7. My Best Games: Book 2 by Victor Korchnoi: Another 50 great lessons, this time for playing Black.

8. Tal - Botvinnik 1960 by Mikhail Tal: A wonderful insight into one of the great matches in chess history.

9. Rook Endings by Victor Korchnoi: Possibly the best endgame book ever written.

10. Modern Chess Openings (14th Edition) by Nick De Firmian: It's good to have some sort of reference book on the openings, and this is as good as any.

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Q: Again I will ask about the Grunfeld but not about specific variations or plans but a more general question.

I have seen that each specialist of the Grunfeld plays it differently and that each master follows his own path against white's schemes. While looking for books in the Grunfeld I found yours and couldn't resist the temptation to buy it (I am addicted to chess books after all...) In there I read something of that nature and that even if things don't turn out as black hoped he will still have a position whereas in other openings (I think you cite the Benoni) he is dead.

I am just learning this opening and couldn't help asking why is it that the Grunfeld is so flexible? I can even avoid the Seville variation non-sense and obtain a fair position. I can play three different sound systems against the Russian variation [ You explain them very well in your book... ]

And the last question: How can black mess up badly in the Grunfeld?

- Diego Acosta, University of Oklahoma.

A: The thing about the Gruenfeld is that Black doesn't create any permanent weaknesses. In the Modern Benoni he accepts a very weak d6 pawn whilst some King's Indians can feature a truly horrific King's Bishop. The worst thing that can happen to him is that he doesn't get much counterplay against White's pawn centre, though this is not necessarily fatal.

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Q: To understand Blindfold: Kindly let me know how long it could take in exercising to learn to play blindfold (up to how many moves?), starting e.g. from a 1700-1800 ELO level. Thanks, Best Regards, Andreas

A: How long is a piece of string? I think it all depends on the visual imagination of the player concerned - there was once a blindfold match between Rubinstein and Mieses which was won easily by the latter. Though he was no match for Rubinstein in 'real' games.

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Q: I play the Stonewall as White. Against a Black k-side fianchetto, what in your opinion is the best plan for White? Should White abandon hopes of a kingside attack & play c4 instead, hoping to gain space on the queenside and control the c-file? Thanks for your response! - licenser

A: The Stonewall shouldn't necessarily be seen as an all-out attacking opening - you also need to pay attention to the centre and queenside to get the most out of it. I quite like plans based on b3 and Bb2 with a view to improving the 'bad' bishop and playing for space with c2-c4. But this doesn't necessarily mean you'll get the c-file because while you're doing all this Black also has some moves.

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Q: Dear sirs, Hello my name is Ahmad Sadat Akhavi, I am Iranian. I have question of you, I like play Stonewall Attack, when I play d4 black play Nf6,can I play Stonewall or when play d4 and black answered d5 I can play it. When black play Indian defence W have problem what must I do? Thank you.

A: Well basically you can play 1.d4 followed by 2.e3 and 3.f4 against most things that Black can throw at you, the problem is that you'll get different grades of Stonewall depending on where both sides put their pieces. On my video, 'Dirty Tricks II', I suggested that White should get his queen's bishop out first (to g5) before putting all his pawns on dark squares. I still think this is a good idea, and it happens a lot in openings like the Trompovsky (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5) and Veresov (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5)

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Lisa Lane: A couple of months ago I was asked what happened to Lisa Lane.... Apparently she is living happily in the United States but has discovered life beyond chess...