Eade, James. “Exploring the Elements of Chess.” Chess for Dummies, For Dummies, 2016, pp. 39–42.
Before starting the book Chess for Dummies by James Eade, I had no clue on how to play chess. Sure, I may have known how pieces moved from playing on the chess program that's sometimes pre-downloaded on the laptop but that was it. With no chess knowledge on strategy or combinations I lost to computers in chess almost every single time.
After reading the first 5 chapters of the book, I've learned a lot more about chess. One of the tips that caught my eye was this, "The battle for space is fiercest in the center of the board. Controlling squares e4, e5, d4, and d5, as well as the squares adjacent to them, is like seizing the high ground in a skirmish" (Eade 40). Space is extremely valuable in chess, as chess is a game of "Spacial conquest" (Eade 39). Space can force you or an opponent into a cramped position leading to checkmate. I followed the tip and began with a with this opening. Two pawns and two knights forward, competing for the area in the center.
Question: Have you ever learned something crucial through actual practice rather than reading?
Hi Jay. I had learned something like this when I was playing chess against my brother. Like you, I saw that pawns tend to block my bishops and I never took notice of that until partway through the game. I even saw a similar issue with pawns blocking my queen and my rooks. I hadn't noticed until now how useful the knights and pawns could be in taking out stray enemy pieces. I'm eager to try to use this strategy against my brother. Thank you for the advice!
ReplyDeleteHello Aaron, thank you for taking your time to reply to my post. I am delighted that you'll try out this tip because this strategy of unlocking your back row is one of my favorite. Hopefully, this advice will help you win some games.
DeleteHey Jay, your post is really intriguing. I think that an example of something I learned via practice is my instrument. It took a lot of sight reading and drills to be proficient at the clarinet. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHello Nathan, I'm glad you are interested in my post. Although I don't play an instrument, I can see how learning either would be similar. In both cases, you learn best through playing rather than reading a book about it.
DeleteHey Jay, I like the early positioning in the image you showed, it is a possession I rarely see, and it has almost overwhelming control of the center. But while it is a solid opening possession, there is one minor issue. Your pawns at d4 and e4 are only defended by your knights and queen. So you may have a control of the center at that moment, but a handful of turns later you could lose your pawns and center control. If you want a slightly safer, but less controlling position, I'd suggest having one of your pawns a space back, either having pawns at e3 and d4, or at e4 and d3. I have found through some experience that both positions safe bets, but do admittedly trap one of the bishops.
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