Question about chess..

[Chewbacca]

I tend to play a defensive opening myself. My goal is usually to move my pieces into selected positions while capitalizing on any of my opponents mistakes, wary of early bait and ambush maneuvers. If they play a cautious opening as well, I use the middle game to use any position advantage I gained in the opening. Thats when I really go on the offensive.

I love trying feints and setting up ambushes, usually by sacrificing a piece to put my opponent right where I want them. Chess is so much like poker in that regards, sometimes the best bluffer comes out on top.

I also like watching replays of established openings and famous games on my chessmaster game, which technically should have gotten me 20 bonus points on my geek quiz score. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[ 09-24-2003, 03:55 AM: Message edited by: Chewbacca ]

[Encard]

Originally posted by shadowhound: So after 10-15 minutes of evading everything he threw at me he made a mistake and I took a bishop. Actually I took the bishop and danced around making fun of the move for a while. Much to my surprise he made a similiar mistake and I managed to take his second bishop. Thats when I realised we had a stalemate

Actually, you had stalemate once there was only the king and bishop left on his side... it's impossible to win with only a king and a bishop and nothing else. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

As to the subject of promoting pawns... With the situation Kakero gave, it's pretty uncommon. In the endgame, howeer, once most/all of the pieces other than pawns are gone, the main thing to do generally is to move your king and pawns up and try to promote them while stopping your opponent from doing the same.

Bit curious, btw, Chebacca... what exactly do you refer to as ambush maneuvers? Haven't really heard that term used about chess before... You mean tricking the opponent into getting into an unpleasant position and capitalizing on that, or...? Really, though, can't say I agree about the best bluffer coming out on top. Sure, if you start giggling every time you initiate a plan, you're in trouble, but otherwise I'm pretty sure it's not so much the best bluffer as the person who can think farthest ahead. *shrug*

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by Encard: Bit curious, btw, Chebacca... what exactly do you refer to as ambush maneuvers? Haven't really heard that term used about chess before... You mean tricking the opponent into getting into an unpleasant position and capitalizing on that, or...? Really, though, can't say I agree about the best bluffer coming out on top. Sure, if you start giggling every time you initiate a plan, you're in trouble, but otherwise I'm pretty sure it's not so much the best bluffer as the person who can think farthest ahead. *shrug*

Well it's been awhile since I read up on chess terminology, but I will try and explain my personal slang "ambush maneuvers". Typically I strive for a combination of these tactics rather than focus on one exclusively:

Luring an opponent into position is one of them. Setting up an attack on a piece or position from different angles using multiple peices is another. Slyly setting up pins and skewers.

Most importantly is using crafty positioning to appear to be going after one objective, but actually setting up a different unexpected angle of attack. This is mostly what I mean by bluffing, so perhaps my poker analogy was a bit overstated, flawed. and incomplete.

Also, I come from the casual-ametuer coffee-shop chess-playing crowd, rather than the chess club tournament style. So sometimes trash gets talked and the game gains a psyche-out element more common to sports or poker than say tourney style chess. So a well-timed giggle may distract an opponent...you never know. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Admittedly I have played tournament chess players and they have handed my arse to me more often than not. Also made me a much, much, better player and inspired me to seek out further reading on chess.

I have to agree that the better planner will defeat the better poker-faced-trash-talking bluffer just about anyday. You tend to win more if you are skilled at both, at least with the crowd I play with most often. [img]smile.gif[/img]

This discussion has inspired me to go read up and get refreshed on the official names of chess tactics so I will be better prepared for future discussions.

[Assassin]

Meh. One of the more famous maneuvars is setting up a bishop in front of your Knight, baiting the pawn that's diagonal from the opposing rook with a knight or something, then pounce in and take away the rook. It's very easy to counter, however, which is why it hardly ever gets tried. As to pincers; a really good early game one is the knight + bishop combination to take out a rook, if you're lucky. However, it's so used that every recognizes it once it's played.

However, since I learned RTS before chess, I keep on thinking that chess is a maphacking version of Starcraft. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Faceman]

Originally posted by Chewbacca: I love chess! [img]smile.gif[/img] Anybody ever use the 4 move checkmate against a newbie? I remember when my chess mentor first did that to me... Oh yeah and the GBA chessmaster game is crazy...Your opponents are represented by pictures of little kids, so when the AI kicks your butt it really hurts. [img]tongue.gif[/img] It's my second favorite GBA game.

I once beat one of my close friends, my most common chess partner, with a five-move checkmate (not the classic one) by mere accident. I can't remember the exact setup but I was just developing my pieces and he played into it nicely and before one of us knew it (well actually during the third move as I tend to think one or two ahead) it was over. We're not playing pro-level but I guess we're quite competent for casual players.
Another nice thing was when I was playing an Italian guy on a summer-camp and we both had the greatest respect for each other as we had both been undefeated at the camp (even when playing the priest who was accompanying us and he was a good player). We were messing around for about an hour without losing a single piece (not even a pawn) each. And when he took my first pawn I was checkmate Not a very smart game

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by Assassin: Meh. One of the more famous maneuvars is setting up a bishop in front of your Knight, baiting the pawn that's diagonal from the opposing rook with a knight or something, then pounce in and take away the rook. It's very easy to counter, however, which is why it hardly ever gets tried. As to pincers; a really good early game one is the knight + bishop combination to take out a rook, if you're lucky. However, it's so used that every recognizes it once it's played. However, since I learned RTS before chess, I keep on thinking that chess is a maphacking version of Starcraft. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Attacking the rook with a bishop is easy to counter, but also has the secondary benifit of threatening alot of territory. Also, I like to use this manuever as a feint.


Anybody know a good FREE online chess game, is there such a thing??? I have an old chessmaster game on my PC and the GBA version, but where I live now I lack human competition except when I visit home or go into the city.

[Encard]

Let's see... Yahoo Games has a chess section, which I've used before. Quite a few people play. Then there's US Chess Live... www.chesshall.org US Chess Live requires you to download some software and such, though.

[Assassin]

www.instantchess.com

[Chewbacca]

Thanks Ya'll!

[Black Baron]

My suggestion as a relativly good chess player (candidate for master, in russian terminology)-Never- ever take in the beginning a pawn and a rook, in exchange for knight and bishop.
You will have no pieces to attack with, and if the black (or white) wants he can easily remain in the mittelspiel (the midle of the game), where he will have a serious advantage. rooks are important in open positions. (where you have open lines). to open the lines you must have light pieces, and since you have just "killed" 2 of them, you are stuck.