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| From | Message | Posted by aandersen
nsa-hitachi.com
3/31/2008
05:33:10
Play online chess |  Subject: Help ! (with openings)
Message:
I知 trying to learn something about opening theory. The idea being that with a bit more knowledge, I might have some idea about where the game is going rather than being bounced around by circumstances as I seem to do now. So, I bought a book and started reading it but I知 stuck on chapter 1 verse 1. I知 looking at something called the C3 sicillian. I知 fine with the first moves (e4 c5) but then we come to C3. The author seems to set great store by this move without really explaining what is so good about it. I知 no expert (and possibly this is why I知 not getting it) but to me the move seems boring, pointless and almost gives the initiative to black at this early stage.
Can anyone out there help me with this one?
Yours sincerely
Confused from London
| Posted by lighttotheright
nsa-hitachi.com
3/31/2008
07:39:05
Play online chess |
Message:
The c3 variation is OK; but from your description, it sounds like the author may have over-hyped it. I cannot be sure of what the author stated about it, since I only have your perception from your post.
To understand the move, you must understand the motive behind it. The opening is a struggle to force the play into lines that you feel comfortable playing instead of your opponent. Presumably, e4 is played because it is considered the strongest first move by many. This can sometimes be true regardless whether you like a tactical or positional style game. 1. e4 usually turns into a tactical game. 1. ... c5 turns that tactical game into one that is non-symmetrical. 2. c3 turns the game back into a more positional one. Many people don't quite understand positional play.
When Black played 1. ... c5 he was not likely to have wanted to play a positional game. So, 2. c3 is good in that it goes directly against much of the intent of Black's first move. It supports a possible d4 advance, which is good in the struggle for the control of the center. You stated that c3 seems to be a wasted move; yet, the normal line with Nf3 can be considered just as wasted because the knight will be soon forced into an early second move. So, the main difference is whether you want a slug-fest or a dance. A lot of people cannot dance, so they prefer to slug it out in a tactical game. And then there are those people that consider 'boxing' as a form of dance. It can get confusing.
Most people play e4 because they want tactical play. It just seems strange to some that white would abruptly change the presumptive character of the game like that. Despite this, 2. c3 is fine. It is just unusual.
| Posted by schnarre
nsa-hitachi.com
3/31/2008
09:11:18
Play online chess | Hmmnnnnn
Message:
The move 2. c3 essentially forces direct confrontation by preparing a later d4 to force Black into exchanges (e.g., 2. c3 Nc6, 3.d4 cxd4, 4. cxd4--here White has the center squares), or to supplement other moves (e.g, 2. c3 Nc6, 3.Nf3 d6, 4.d4 cxd4, 5. cxd4 Bg4, 6. Bb5). To put it simply, it's the "I'm going to grind you down!" move.
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Armenia Takes Team Title; Chinese Player Is Top Scorer — The Chess Olympiad, which was first held in 1924, is the most elite national team event in the chess world. But the World Team Chess Championship is in some ways more competitive because it includes only 10 squads, so there are no easy matches. This year, Armenia, the No. 4 seed, was the runaway winner at the chess event, which ended on Tuesday in Ningbo, China. It was hardly an upset; the Armenians, behind Levon Aronian, have won two of the last three Chess Olympiads, which are held every two years. China, the No. 6 seed, finished second, and Ukraine lived up to its seeding by winning the bronze medal. Russia, which was the top seed and had won the last two Team Chess Championships, finished ...
Posted by marinvukusic
nsa-hitachi.com
3/31/2008
10:07:19
Play online chess | ...
Message:
"The author seems to set great store by this move without really explaining what is so good about it."
Exact quote would be nice.
In any case this is a good opening and I would recommend putting the effort in at least first 10 pages or so (maybe author's position will become clearer from his comments).
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Armenia replaces England as nation that punches above its weight — In the 1980s and 1990s England punched above their weight in world chess events. Silver medals in the Chess Olympiads of 1984, 1986 and 1988 and bronze at the 1985 and 1989 world teams were followed by gold at the 1997 Euroteams. After that the England chess team aged or retired, while competition increased with the break-up of the Soviet Union. There have been hopes in the past two years that a new England chess group could become international contenders, as Luke McShane, David Howell and Gawain Jones became strong chess grandmasters to support the established stars Michael Adams and Nigel Short. But recently McShane has reverted to a full-time job and is not competing in ...
Posted by aandersen
nsa-hitachi.com
3/31/2008
12:01:07
Play online chess |
Message:
Thank you folks for your responses. I have decided that i will carry on reading and also when i've finished some of my current crop of games, i will try to find some games where i can experiment with this. I think that pehaps some practical experience will help me to understand.
Once again, thank you all.
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Chess-mad Armenia's heroes return in triumph — Armenia's top chess players, lauded as heroes after winning the 2011 World Team Chess Championship this week, vowed on Friday to boost the small chess-mad country's status in the game even further. The team's head coach said that future successes will be secured through official support and an unusual new scheme to promote the game among schoolchildren initiated by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, a keen chess player who also heads the country's Chess Federation. "Because of this attention and care, we can improve our game," coach Arshak Petrosian told a press conference, two days after returning from the chess tournament in China to a rapturous welcome from fans and ...
Posted by schnarre
nsa-hitachi.com
4/03/2008
15:00:13
Play online chess |
Message:
Glad we could help mate! Good luck, & good hunting!
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U.S. doesn't medal in China — During a long and grueling chess tournament here in Ningbo, China, the U.S. team had real chances to capture a medal at the World Team Championship. But the competition proved too fierce, and we had to settle for tie for fourth place with 10 total points. However, after the complex tiebreak system, the U.S. ended up in sixth place, which is slightly better than our original seventh-place seeding. Still, it was a bit disappointing, as we squandered some golden opportunities. In a normal chess tournament, an individual receives one point for a win and a half point for a draw. The same was true for this event, but individual results were tallied up after each round and then teams were awarded points based ...
Posted by wschmidt
nsa-hitachi.com
4/08/2008
11:55:52
Play online chess | My two-bits...
Message:
get a book or look at a website that focuses on good opening principles rather than trying to learn the nuances of a particular line at first. There are several good books out there that talk about controling the center, piece development and pawn structure. That stuff is way more important to learn than specific lines at the 1200-1500 level.
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Long Live the Chess King — Chess sometimes becomes a beautiful game even in the eyes of those who don't play it. Find a charming town, bring back its glorious past, turn people into chess pieces, invite kids and a jester and you can evoke magical moments. Every year since 2005, the picturesque Slovak town of Banska Stiavnica stages a game of living chess. It is a powerful, almost mystical, spectacle with human chess pieces dressed into medieval costumes and armed with spears and swords. They are moving on a big chessboard to the sound of drums and trumpets. On Saturday, July 16, they were recreating a live blindfold game I was playing against the legendary Hungarian grandmaster Lajos Portisch. The top-rated ...
Posted by ionadowman
nsa-hitachi.com
4/08/2008
13:23:10
Play online chess | Also ...
Message:
... find a database that features games with this opening. Play through wins and losses (and draws). It's not a bad idea for the first few games at least just to play them through without thinking too deeply into the lines, but observing how the game shapes, and look out for motifs (tactical or strategic) that seem to recur in several games. Does the pawn structure seem pretty much the same in most games? (Yes or no). If so, what's the upshot? If not, is it because emphasis is on some other aspect of the game e.g. piece play or direct attacks on the king, say.
Cheers,
Ion
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