Chess960, All Welcome! -- Color Commentary by Michael Farris

It is a pleasant opportunity to see some good games unfold in this prelude to the major event, the 2006 Chess960 Dropout Tournament. (For our purposes here, Chess960 and FRC are being used interchangeably). So many good games are being played here online, and it is my wish to give back to the chess community and open the door for some commentary from the players themselves. Because the games are ongoing, my goal is to encourage players to comment here as the games are completed. Comments on active games are discouraged, but if a player refers to a move/idea more than 10 moves in the past, then that might be acceptable instead.

I hope that games could be discussed in the following terms:

• The "Centre" of the first attack
• Exploiting Tactical Weaknesses
• The Need for exchange
• The Acquisition of Space
• The Powerful Combination
• Sustained Tempo
• The Perils/Benefits of Castling
• Returning to the Endgame

In doing so, it may help to hold up examples of FRC as supportive of "traditional" principles, which are revealed and emphasized via novel positions that are part of the design of Chess960. To create on the novel board the strategy to win shows a deeper understanding of the principles of chess we value most. Beyond regurgitation of studied lines - which are important, mind you, the reader, for common ground amongst players; our past 100-or-so years of intense analysis of our Noble Game has contributed a great deal to our collective understanding of the game - this energetic variant gives Master and Amateur an opportunity to exchange ideas again, and so place games in terms of Concept vs. Opening. Revisitation of these games, whether they be Amateur (One who Loves the Game) or a Master (one who intimately loves the Game), might allow a formalization of Terms of Discussion of the ideas, so it will be easy to put forth and clarify a Chess Concept without regard to the position with which one begins. Imagine a book using Standard and Chess960 examples to further the game itself, discussing principles of development and engagement from both versions of play, and in doing so enlighten the new player to employ a harmony of innovation and technique, supporting both the old and the new. That is what I want - respect for what has come before and for what is to come.

In this public tournament, offered by Austin (see the link http://www.schemingmind.com/minitournament.aspx?tournament_id=389) we have players representing California USA, Montreal CAN, the United Kingdom, Washington USA, Phillipines, and Malung SWE. Several are full members, and I suspect with this group with more than a few FRC veterans, some good games will arise.

The positions that are being argued:

692 – RBBQKNNR
086 - NNBRKBRQ
736 – BBRKNNQR
827 – RKNQBRNB
907 – RKQRBNNB
400 – BBRQNNKR
609 – BRNBQKRN
766 – RKNNRBBQ
348 – NBRKQRBN
363 – NRKRBQNB
142 – NRQNKBBR
666 – RNKRBBNQ
421 – RNBBQNKR
157 – NRNBQKBR
916 – RBBKRQNN
232 – NBRQBKNR
627 – BRNKQRNB
531 – BRNKQNRB
102 – QNBRNBKR
435 – BRNNQRKB
501 – RQBBNKNR

These positions are played in couplets, with each player playing 6 of these against their opponents. I would like to hear from the players themselves-is there one that gave you trouble over the other positions? Did play flow smoothly from them against your opponent, or did you really have to look and see how you wanted to begin?

A comment on unprotected pawns

In other major Chess versions – XiangQi (Chinese Chess) and Shogi (Japanese Chess) the pawn soldiers have a different movement. They move and capture forward, with varying rules on promotion. One criticism on FRC by non-players has been the possibility of an unprotected pawn in the starting array. The concern has been put forward that one side or the other has an unfair advantage because of this setup. For the other major versions of Chess (ASIDE: for some great examples of masterful play in either incarnation, see http://www.nchess.com/gdb/ for games from the 9th XiangQi World Championship, played for the first time outside Asia in the history of the game; or for some powerful Shogi games, see http://gamelab.yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp/SHOGI/kifumain.html [thanks to Reijer Grimbergen] and for an article of one of Shogi’s strongest masters, Yoshiharu Habu, read "When a Shogi Champion Turns to Chess" at http://www.shogi.net/chessbase-habu.html) the "lone soldier" is a tool for the masterful player to use, and often the endgame examples show a single pawn playing heavily in the mating net-its power is limited, but essential, in the mating of an opponent. No piece is ignored in any version of this triumvirate of Chess. The varying support or isolation of the pawn plays less of a role in FRC than some might think because each player is involved in a couplet and will have to contend with both sides of the problem. To play the game one must LOOK at the board and have a plan in hand before the game begins. Each position will require different development and planning to move forward successfully. Consider that concept as you play.

What I would like to see from the reading public:

Every month or so I would like to make some updates as to the completion of the games, and the ideas that may have come from them. I encourage the players themselves to make a brief (or not so brief) synopsis of what they were thinking while they played, and what they wished they might’ve done at certain high points of the games. The couplets can be instructive, and we should make use of them. Like any dance, when the lead changes, the story changes. Emmanuel Lasker in his Chess for Fun and Chess for Blood narrates the games he chooses with interesting commentary; Andrew Soltis in The Great Chess Tournaments and Their Stories makes the games themselves delightful through his commentary and highlights of particular positions. His goal was not to make himself look bright but rather to put the focus on how powerful the decisions and ideas of the masters were in those games. In the process he brought a great passion to the stories themselves, and made the chosen games part of an exciting pursuit of great chess ideas. I would like to see the same for our games-let us remember that at that time they were amateurs, each with their own professions-and they, as we, played chess for the glory of the game.

As of 26 November 2005, one game is completed at this time.

IamATiger (UK) - Everheiri (SWZ)
Startdate 16 November 2005
Position 736
http://www.schemingmind.com/game.aspx?game_id=30463

It was an eight-day game, and the 11 moves were instructive. In another discussion we players talked about how to categorize completed FRC games. Since some strong tactics on one player’s part will take the fire out of an opponent’s attack, some games end in resignation because of some powerful following-up of a combination that would seriously cripple the player behind in development.

1. c4 e5 White wants to make use of the bishops, and Black aims to hold the centre 2. b4 d6 3. f4 exf4 The long diagonal a1-h8 could be powerful, but Black Queen g8 protects that rook 4. Bf5 Ne6 5. Qd4 Nxd4 White’s early team is broken up early with a mis-place of the queen. I would like to see what White really intended, as this may have been a solid fight. The new angles are always something to consider in developing the pieces-the knights, the hardest piece in Western Chess to visualize, are fighting from different starting points. 6. Bxd4 f6 7. g3 b6 Now Black tries to take control of his own diagonal, and forces the rook to take a safer spot. 8. Rg1 c5 9. Bxc8 Kxc8 White tries to equalize material, and Black gives up castling privilege-but does he need it? 10. Bc3 d5 Black has achieved a lot of space to move around, and his long-attackers are sharpening their swords. White is left with short-range pieces, and with Queen and one bishop gone, he is deciding whether he wants to fight that hard! With more than 30 days left to play, that will be a long grind... 11. gxf4 d4 That white bishop is now locked away by a well-timed pawn chain development, and Black’s lanes are free to run along for some developing attacks.

white resigns, Black Win

In playing any chess game, it is not so much about what has left the board, but how each piece that is present on the board is being used in that particular game. So in the analysis, we have to assume the players have plans, and we must respect them. In this first game, the Acquisition of the Centre freed Black’s pieces to threaten the opponent, just as Vidmar "threatened" Nimzovich with an unlit cigarette in New York 1927
- and for those who have never actually seen the game that follows this funny anecdote, here it is:

Milan Vidmar - Aaron Nimzovich
1927
New York

(Notes by Nimzowitsch)

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Qe7 This innovation, introduced by the author, does not in any way indicate an early commitment to a particular line of opening: the queen is well placed at e7 in any case- Indian or Dutch 5. Nc3 Slightly better would be 5 g3 5... O-O 6. e3 d6 Black is still at the crossroads between Dutch (b6 and Bb7) and Indian (c5 or e5 with Nc6) the decision is taken on the next move 7. Be2 He foregoes 7 Bd3 which must come as a success for Black's alternating policy. If 7 Bd3 e5 7... b6 8. O-O Bb7 9. Qc2 Nbd7 10. Rad1 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Ne4 12. Be1 f5 He turns completely Dutch 13. Qb3 The idea of this slightly puzzling move is to keep his e-pawn covered, e.g., after Nd2, ...Nxd2, Rxd2, ...Qg5, f3 and the e-pawn is covered 13... c5 With this move the dutch formation is completed : point e4, and the pawn at c5 for attack or defence, (stopping White's c5.) 14. Nd2 Nxd2 15. Rxd2 e5 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. f3 g5 Black's task is now to manage his wing attack in such a way that his opponent cannot in the meantime break through on the d-file 18. Bf2 Nf6 19. Rfd1 Rae8 20. Qa4 Ba8 21. Rd6 Insufficient would be the sacrifice of the exchange by 21 Rd7 Nxd7 22 Rxd7 because of ...Qf6 23 Qxa7 and now simply ...h6 21... Qg7 22. Bf1 A better defence is available by 22 Be1, e.g. : 22...e4 23 Bc3 or if 22...g4 23 fxg4 Nxg4 24 Rd7 Qg5 25 Bxg4 Qxg4 26 Qc2 22... e4 23. Be1 exf3 24. Bc3 Now this digression comes too late as the pretty play demonstrates 24... Qe7 Now 25. Bxf6 would lead to mate; 25...Qxe3+ 26 Kh1 fxg2+ with ...Qe1+ 25. R6d3 fxg2 26. Bxg2 Bxg2 27. Bxf6 If 27 Kxg2 Qe4+ with a short and decisive attack 27... Qe4 28. R1d2 Bh3 29. Bc3 Qg4+ And mate in two, 0-1

I look forward to December and the development of the rest of the games in the tournament.

Links for FRC games:

• http://medlem.spray.se/schackservice/openingexperience_chess960.htm -- our Torbjorn at this site is an FRC fan, and has contributed his part to the understanding of the game.
• http://www.chess-960.info/ -- from this site's JonasD. (http://www.chess-960.org/ in German.)
• http://www.chesstigers.de/index.php?id=4 -- for some Chess960 news in German and English. Wonderful site. See what masters are playing some interesting games.
• http://www.Chessbox.de/ -- Reinhard Scharnagl's excellent collection of Chess960 resources.
• http://frcec.chess960.info/ -- Fischer Random Email Chess Club, Organised Chess960 games by email.