Archive for the ‘Chess Language’ Category
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-George Krasnopolskiy
The Importance of the Mobil Duo
What, you might ask, is a mobil duo? It is a movable pair of pawns standing side by side on either the two center squares e4 and d4 (or e5 and d5 as black) or c4 and d4, or e4 and f4. What’s so great about it? Well, number one, your opponent has four squares that he can’t use when you have a mobil duo. Every move he has to think about how he can’t place any of his good pieces on those four squares that are covered by e4 and d4. He is constrained. He is cramped. He has to work around those squares. He should challenge those pawns by c5, e5, or d5 if he can. Break up that mobil duo. What else is so great about it? It’s mobil. You can push it and thereby often push through your agenda on the board. Push his pieces around. It might not be the right time to push them right away. Just because they are mobil doesn’t mean you have to move them. In fact, because of the constraining effect they have you should refrain from moving them as long as possible.
What is a GrandMaster?
What is a Grandmaster? Many parents and students alike ask me this question. A grandmaster is a rank that FIDE (World Chess Federation) bestows upon a player. Over the course of history the specific qualifications for this have changed; but it basically means you are a really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really good chess player.
Currently, the regulations for becoming a Grandmaster are somewhat complex. A player must have an Elo Rating of at least 2500 (although they need not maintain this level to obtain or keep the title). Also, at least two favorable results (called norms) from a total of at least 27 games in tournaments involving other Grandmasters, including some from countries other than the applicant’s, are usually required before FIDE will confer the title on a player. Current regulations can be found in the FIDE Handbook
Static Disadvantages — How to win a lost game
There are two kinds of disadvantages (or conversely-advantages) that you should be aware of in chess-static and dynamic.
Examples of dynamic or changeable advantages are space, initiative and development. When you have those you must take advantage of them while they exist because they will soon disappear. That’s why they are called dynamic.
Static or unchanging advantages are things like material (being up a piece or down a piece) and pawn structure. When you have a static disadvantage like weak or bad pawns (meaning pawn islands, doubled pawns or backward pawns) or when you are down material it is your job to try to complicate the position. Do not trade down (trading pawns is ok) but try to keep lots of pieces like knights, bishops, rooks and queens on the board if you can. And try to create trouble. Keep creating threats and confusing tactical positions that cause your opponent to have to think and think until he or she gets exhausted. Often this will result in an accidental loss for them and a win for you.
Chess isn’t just about getting an advantage and then proceeding to the win. Many lost positions are saved by the simple tactic of confusing and confounding and irritating your opponent (over the board by strange moves not by continual draw offers or strange noises) until their own mental energy wears out. It’s all part of the game.
Spanish Chess Terms (Continued)
There are also a few other chess terms that may be helpful for you to know if you are going to play chess in a Spanish speaking county. If you want to say check during your chess game, you say Jaque during your chess game. For checkmate, you say JaqueMate.
A draw in chess is called tablas, which is what you would say if you wanted to offer one. A stalemate in chess is called ahogado. A castle in chess is called enroque.
The Knight’s Pattern and How the Knight Moves in Chess
The Knights look like horses, and kids are tempted to call them that. I always tell the kids that the Knight is the warrior that rides on top of the horse, and that calling his by the name of an animal is an insult. Each team has two knights and they go next to the rooks. For white, they go on b1 and g1, for black they go on b8 and g8.
The Knights in their Starting Positions
Every chess piece in chess has a distinct pattern that it moves and attacks by. No chess piece has a more unique and interesting pattern than the Knight. The Knight is the only chess piece that can skip over other pieces! The pattern that it moves by is often described as a “L” Shape, but I like to teach it as a “1″, “2″, “1″ pattern. The Knight moves two squares in any direction, then rotates 90 degrees and goes one more square. The knight moves “1″, “2″, rotates, and moves “1″.
What are the Chess Pieces Called in Russian?
Chess is the popular game all across the world, but this can especially been seen in Russia. Not only has chess shaped the Russian culture, but the Russian culture has influenced chess as well. Here is a little bit of chess information for all of you in case you run into a Russian Chess Player and want to converse about the chess pieces.
- Pawn — пешка(Peshka), Just remember that they both begin with “P”.
- Rook — ладья(Ladya) or башня(Bashnya) , this means tower.
- Knight — конь(Kon), Kon stands for Horse, the animal the Knight rides upon.
- King — король(Korol), This is the direct translation of King.
- Bishop — слон(Slon), This translates into Elephant. Elephant is the name of the chess piece originally in the game of charanga.
- Queen — ферзь(Pherz), This is the special chess name given to the Queen.
What is a Chess Gambit?
A word that is used in chess often during study is “chess gambit”. What is a chess gambit? A Chess Gambit is an opening series of chess moves that a player plays where he or she sacrifices a piece in order to get the better position.
How did the word Gambit Originate for Chess?
The word “gambit” came from Ruy Lopez de Segura. It originated from the Italian Expression “dare il gambetto” which means “to put a let forward in order to trip someone.” This makes perfect sense for what gambit represents in the game of chess. The Italian word led to the Spanish word, “gambito” which led to the French word “gambit.”
Chess Language- “CheckMate”
The chess phrase CheckMate - to attack (a chess opponent’s king) in such a manner that no escape or defense is possible, thus ending the game - by some theories comes from the Persian phrase ’shah mat,’ translating into ‘the king is defeated.’
Chess Tactics
Tactics puzzles are a must for anyone wanting to improve their chess game. It is a good idea to try and do ten minutes a day of tactics puzzles, or three puzzles a day, spending only a short amount of time on each puzzle and then checking to see if you got the answer. This way you get into the habit of looking for puzzles, and you see lots of tactical patterns over and over again. You can find tactics books, tactics puzzles online, often the newspaper will have a tactics puzzle, or you can even purchase software like Ct-art that generates tactics puzzles for you to solve. Colorado chess player and former editor of the Colorado Chess Informant has a section he publishes called Tactics Time that he has turned into a website full of tactics puzzles from real games, which is particularly useful, as these are tactics that have actually come up and either been missed by the player, or that actually happened in the game. Tactics are fun and are what make chess sparks fly! You can also check out CheckMates Chess Academy’s Online Resources for Chess Puzzles divided by skill level.
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