Chess thoughts from those who have been there!

August 15, 2020 by Rohan Pyne

TALENT has one advantage – the right to work harder than others.
– GM Alex Vausmen.

GENERAL ADVICE – It is good to have the knight pair in blitz.
– GM bent Larsen.

GENERAL ADVICE – Chess rules tend to retain more validity in the endgame.
– GM J. Tisdall.

MIDDLE-GAME
In positions with op. side castling, one should strive not for gain of material, but to begin an attack as soon as possible. – Mark Dvoretsky.

THINKING
Adrian de Groot’s Thought and Choice in Chess gives a rough sequence of thoughts necessary to answer your opponent’s move:

1. Was my opponent’s move legal? (If not…)
2. Am I in check? (If so…)
3. Can I now force checkmate with a sequence of checks? (Usually not, but if so…)
4. What about my opponent’s move?
5. Is it safe? Can I just take it off?
6. Does it make any of his other pieces unsafe by opening up a line, or removing their guard?
7. Why did s/he do it? – What can s/he do now that s/he couldn’t before? Did s/he create threats.
8. If I had threats, how did his/her move meet my threats? What are the most pertinent factors in this position? What are our strengths and weaknesses? What should I be trying to do?