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| viva 2/18/2005 11:57:06 [ report this post ] |
 Subject: attackingMessage: hi everyone.. i have a problem here.. i cant attack..yes..its true.. i cant say that i am bad in chess but the truth is that most of my wins (about 98%) are by reaching the end game... i was in many situations where i was attacking and attacking but in the end it just fails..yes..maybe i win a pawn or some minor piece..but still i would like to surround his king and checkmate him.. i need your advises but please dont suggest to buy some books..just some light advises.. |
| doctor_knight 2/18/2005 12:26:32 [ report this post ] | Message: one thing that might help you is to realize that not everyone will leave a checkmate open, but I know what you're saying. In order to get any kind of checkmate in the middlegame, you have to take a lot of preperation for a strong enough combination to win. Often times an attack will result in an advantage that will carry into the endgame. Most of the time, your attacks should have the goal of gaining a good advantage. Only when you have a strong enough advantage (this can include opening up the enemy king) can you get any good chances of checkmate. Look at alot of the games of the masters. A lot of examples of tactics and stuff I have read in books did not result in checkmate, but in an advantage (you also see tons of threats of checkmate, but a good opponent ussually sees these and defends against them). If you're playing a good opponent, you should have a hard time checkmating him in the midgame. I'm absolutely not an expert, but the theory and logics are quite clear to me. Just attack to gain advantage until you have an attack on the enemy king. |
| mightytiny 2/19/2005 16:42:25 [ report this post ] | Message: My problem is pretty much the opposite - I tend to be a little too agressive in my games, which sometimes leads me to real grief; my victories are often fairly swift, and so are my losses. :) I just love going after that enemy king, and I'm always eying tactics that would give me a chance to launch that attack. And my losses are usually due to me complicating things more and more, and then trying to get too clever, and missing something obvious, that completely destroys my game, and I crash and burn! :( Sometimes I get far too reckless when playing against someone I should win comfortably, and end up losing, or struggling to draw. But in the end, I think I still like to play the way I do - I'm not afraid of crashing and burning. I view it as an education. :) And insanely complex positions where I might have even thrown away material to gain time and pressure are fun. :) All I can suggest is studying the games of attacking GMs of the past and today, and trying different openings to find out which ones leave you with the best chances to initiate aggression against the enemy king. And take risks - play gambits, and throw in that move that just swirves the game into insane complications, and slug it out! :D I actually used to play defensively, but when I did the chessmaster rating test, and found that my tactical skills were several hundred points below my positional skills, I consciously started changing my style, taking risks, and going into lines that were highly tactical. As a result, my tactical skill has improved a lot, and I think I like playing more. There are some good lectures (by IM Mark Diesen) on attacking chess at: www.chessclub.com/chessfm/videos/ The players featured are of course far, far above us mere mortals, but looking at those attacks is certainly inspirational. :) |
| nottop 2/19/2005 23:33:52 [ report this post ] | play the position Message: Just play the position. Attack is not by itself better or worse than defense or positional play. Attack is fun, but it's not always there - and if you learn defense, you will pleased when your opponents attack in a position not suited for it. A pretty good new book by Christiansen - "Rocking the Ramparts" - and Christiansen is a fine attacking player. Good pattern recognition from this book. But he can also defend. And he also plays positionally and endgames. If you are already playing endgames well, then you are ahead of most players and that will suit you well. |
| viva 2/20/2005 13:24:56 [ report this post ] | ... Message: doctor_knight:thanks for the advise..and frankly this is the way i play..sometimes i attack and gain material then quickly take the position to the end game so i have advantage there.. mightytiny:well..good advise from good attacker i think;-)..i will use some of your techniques..although i dont like coplicating positions... and by the way thanks for the post in the deleted thread..there were some good points of view but i couldnt reply cuz its deleted... nottop:thanks for the post....yes attacking is not everything and not necessary in every game..but as you know attack gives you a great feeling;-)... thank you all for the posts and i hope to hear some more openions... |
| mightytiny 2/20/2005 14:06:12 [ report this post ] | of attacks and deletions Message: You're quite welcome. :) Too bad the thread got deleted, but it quite ironically proves one point I made early on in the thread: that people are tought to be far too sensitive these days - the first sign of controversy, and there's 10 people voting to delete... and the discussion in the thread was completely cordial and civilized.... and interesting too. Well, what can you do... As for attaking, I used to hate complications too - but I found that that was because of my weakness in tactics; to change that, I played a LOT of fast time control games, and purposefully went into very sharp lines... lost a lot of games, but started to gradually get the hang of it. Nowadays if there's a choise between that solid good move and that move that would receive the !? notation, I go for the !? every time! :) The only problem is that occasionally I seem to confuse !? with ?! :D |
| wschmidt 2/20/2005 22:11:49 [ report this post ] | The classic book on this subject.... Message: is Art of Attack in Chess by Vukovic. It's out in a spiffy new edition edited by John Nunn, one of the great chess authors of our time. It's on my short list of chess books to study soon. If you're the type to take on a serious book on the subject, check it out. |
| snakeplissken 2/24/2005 03:28:14 [ report this post ] | Some Tips Message: - Practice attacking (blitz games are therefore very useful), take some risk, make experiments: what is working and what not, try out something irrational from time to time just to see what happens - Attack when the position is ripe for attack. Indicators: your pieces have a high mobility and/or you have more forces in the relevant area of the board. Sacrifices can help to increase mobility of your pieces often (open lines and diagonals) - Include all pieces into the attack - In the attack all pieces have the same value, at least you need only enough material to mate - so invest yout forces with no fear - dont forget the opponent - calculate with his strongest defensive moves and dont underestimate counterattacks ;-) - Some knowledge of typical attacking patterns is really useful. As you probably dont want to read books fetch some games with typical patterns and study them: - attack on the f, g or h file - attack on the point f7(f2) - attack on h3 - uncovering the kings position etc. snake |
| viva 2/24/2005 03:39:48 [ report this post ] | Message: mightytiny..........wschmidt......snakeplissken thanks to you all for the usefull information... i will practice to be a good attacker and then use your tips to beat you all..;-) |
| maca 2/24/2005 08:58:42 [ report this post ] | A point about attacking Message: Sometimes, when I have a nice attack, my opponent, though he could make it, makes some easy blunder that loses the game. Also, often when you're attacking, your opponent might try to get some active play by any means, and often, these means are wrong. These both cases lead into a situation where one has won becouse of an attack, though one has certainly won becouse of an attack. So don't always expect that you win by a great mate while attacking; it can be much more simple. MaCa |
| maca 2/24/2005 08:58:49 [ report this post ] | A point about attacking Message: Sometimes, when I have a nice attack, my opponent, though he could make it, makes some easy blunder that loses the game. Also, often when you're attacking, your opponent might try to get some active play by any means, and often, these means are wrong. These both cases lead into a situation where one has won becouse of an attack, though one has certainly won becouse of an attack. So don't always expect that you win by a great mate while attacking; it can be much more simple. MaCa |
| premium_steve 2/26/2005 08:16:04 [ report this post ] | Message: i think it's often necessary to weaken your own position for an attack - pawn weaknesses, uncastled king, etc. a move made in castling might be better used to develop another way that would give you better chances for attack. so... not just sacrificing material but sacrificing strong points in your position. pressure is good,and a lot of times i think about making moves that will discourage my opponent from making natural developing moves,or whatever else i think he has in mind. it's not always good to do that, but it's something to keep in mind. |
| spurtus 2/28/2005 07:57:27 [ report this post ] | Message: A chess mentor of mine game me some very simple, seemingly obvious words of wisdom on aggressive attacking, and how to ensure you also dont prematurely attack! He said... ' you need 3 pieces to attack, one to sac, and the other two to mate with' ... seems obvious doesnt it... but for me this was a flash of inspiration... So its good advice to to try to build up 3 pieces about the attacking vicinity of the enemy king before trying to find a sacrificing attack that will result in mate. Spurtus |
| silurasglanis 3/01/2005 10:20:48 [ report this post ] | Message: Check mates in the middle game come from pressure on the position which generate mistakes and a moment of blindness (admittedly maybe some moves hence.) The individual who said play the position was absolutely right, plus timing is key...one move too early and curtains, one move too late and chance has probably gone. Now my 2006 New Year resolution will be to pay heed to what I said and practise it myself. Mind you I have said that before....often. My recommendation would be to play the move you believe will most likely win, they tend to be the best ! |
| spurtus 3/02/2005 04:44:15 [ report this post ] | Kasparov Message: Kasparov...Claims that 'the first chance to attack I take'. But I think its important not to forget to get your pieces out before commencing such an attack. I used to attack prematurely, but now I realise its more important to get my pieces onto good squares; so then when I choose to attack I can add fuel to the fire easily, and 'fix' unforseen complications by introducing more pieces to the attack. The only thing that rumbles my style of play is knowing when to stop attacking, once I have committed several pieces to attacking it very difficult to 'cease fire' even for a single move. |
| apastpawn 3/02/2005 10:35:01 [ report this post ] | Maybe Message: what you need is more practice. Pick an aggresive opening, say the Danish Gambit as white and practice attacking. Consult games of the masters and learn from there handling of the opening. When I'm studing a new opening or line I practice them in non-team games here or other sites. Also use the database window link below the game to see possible moves and their values as a guide (not the best DB here). Lastly, as its been said prior, most opponents at your level will not leave themselves open for mate. You have to earn it and out think them. Set you pins, disovered checks, double checks etc. and use them. My humble opinions |
| mightytiny 3/03/2005 18:59:36 [ report this post ] | A few more pointers Message: A beginner's mistake is often to attack too early, and with too little material. Don't attack untill you have most of your pieces out, OR you see a tactic that will allow you to gain an advantage. Don't launch an attack that your opponent can easily defend against. If you do see a tactic in the opening that you calculate out as giving you an advantage, but that would require you to neglect development for a move or two, then you'd better double and tripple check that you've taken into consideration all the defending (or counter-attacking!) moves that your opponent has available. On the "receiving end", if your opponent neglects development, and moves the same few pieces many times in the opening, then the proper way to respond to that is to develop quickly yourself - don't be intimidated by single-piece attacks, and if you have to defend against some threat from one or two pieces of your opponent's, you can usually do it in a way that allows you to develop simultaneously - look for those moves. Don't waste moves, get your pieces out there on their best spots, and if you can lure your opponent to making more moves with the same few pieces while developing, then you are doing really well. If you develop fast while your opponent is manouvering with a few pieces, you'll end up in a position where he's severely "understaffed" with his pieces resting in the back rank, while all or most of your pieces are geared up and ready to go - at this point, you should launch your aggression, using your material advantage on in the places where it matters to force your oponent to make concessions. Understanding time and tempo is very important in an attack - in the opening, when deciding whether to trade pieces or pawns, strive for those trades that aid you in getting your pieces out, or hinder your opponent's development. Don't trade when your opponent could take back by developing a piece to it's optimal square unless you have clear positional reason to do so. Also, don't give check just because you can; notice that sometimes giving check accomplishes nothing but aiding your opponent's development! Whenever you are in a situation where you are ahead in development, and you feel that you've done the opening "by the book", using sound principles, and your opponent is lagging behind in development and launches an early attack against your position, start looking for tactics. Look for aggressive, counter-attacking moves. Look very carefully - you know that he's violated opening principles, and you've played by them, you're ahead in development, and you know that if Kasparov was in your shoes, he'd probably show your opponent the error of his ways very swiftly. :) Learn to punish your opponent for wasting time in the opening. I think that this understanding of time is probably one of the most important things for an attacking player. And you've got to make sure you know the basic "rules of thumb", and only consider breaking them only after you understand why they are rules of thumb. Or break them without that understanding, and learn the hard way. :) But if you do that, then make sure you analyze your lost games afterwards... that way you'll see exactly how violating a rule of thumb got you into trouble. |
| ccmcacollister 3/05/2005 08:33:16 [ report this post ] | Stock-Attacks Message: First learn the Stock-Attacks. Ones that can arise from a number of different openings but follow a similar concept in all. Some are: h-file attack of pushing h4 to h5 vs a fianchetto such as against a Dragon Sicilian, but may also be seen in a Pirc or Benoni or King's Indian Samisch. Piece sac's vs h7, usually Bxh7 is from many openings; Caro-Kann, French Defense, Stonewall Attack, Colle System, Bf4 QGD etc. Often with Rook Lifts associated. Attack on f-file/ Attacks vs f7 or f2/ Nd5 Sacs in Sicilians & KI's/ B-sacs vs h6/ and many more. |
| matrixmanne0 3/05/2005 17:40:47 [ report this post ] | Of Attacking the King Message: Attacking can be overrated. If you simply can't or don't wish to attack the enemy king, you don't have to. The point is that a win is a win. Of course if you really want to attack, I suggest you buy a book on it (namely, the Art of Attack in Chess by Vukovic). When attacking, make sure that you have the following: 1. An Adequately Defended King (very important!!! Make sure that none of your pieces can be pinned to it either!!) 2. Organized Pieces (at the very LEAST two to start with. Chances are that if you break open your enemy king's position, then your other pieces can really easily come into play. 3. Poor Pieces for your opponent! If you have all of your pieces off the back rank and the opponent has a rook behind a knight on his, it is almost safe to say that one of your rooks can be sacrificed. 4. Agressive Action after you break open the position. If you do not do so immediately, the enemy will defend. But to really understand these concepts, you heed to have seen these types of sacrifices before. If you want to look at brilliant games like that, then I suggest chessgames.com's Game of the Day. |
| pawns-kill 3/28/2005 10:39:55 [ report this post ] | viva:) Message: me and you are the oppisite.some say i have a good end game that im strong i disagree most of the time.alls i know is i do know how to end the game with a mate.when i swarm watch out:)i laos play to much i get burned out.to many games i lost 100 points but not a problem i get it back.though frustrating i want to stay onsistant ill play great one game then like a beginner almost another its all in looking and taking my time.hard for me.but what i can tell you is use the analize the board play out what u want to do and what his moves options will be but dont get hooked on using that option in the long run i feel it will hurt your game take care joe |
| pawns-kill 3/28/2005 10:41:20 [ report this post ] | typos Message: sorry all and yes my spelling:( |
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