Chess For Dummies E-Book

James Eade

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Seitenzahl: 422

Beschreibung

Proven tactical tips to strengthen your game Your quick and easy guide to the rules, strategies, and etiquetteof chess Kings, queens, knights - does chess seem like a royal pain tograsp? This friendly guide helps you make the right moves. Fromusing the correct terms to engaging in the art of attack, you'llget step-by-step explanations that demystify the game. You'll alsofind updated information on tournaments and top players, as well ascomputer chess games and playing chess online! Discover how to: * Set up your chessboard * Understand the pieces and their powers * Recognize the game's patterns * Decipher chess notation * Employ tactics to gain an advantage * Find tournaments and clubs

Leseprobe

Chess For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by James Eade

Chess For Dummies, 2nd Edition®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2005924627

ISBN-13: 978-0-7645-8404-6

ISBN-10: 0-7645-8404-9

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7

2O/RW/QY/QV/IN

About the Author

James Eade began taking chess seriously in 1972, when Bobby Fischer was taking the chess world by storm. He competed on his high-school and college teams and became a United States Chess Federation (USCF) chess master in 1981. In 1984 he became a USCF correspondence chess master as well. International organizations awarded him the master title in 1990 (for correspondence) and in 1993 (for regular tournament play), but his chess-playing career has gradually given way to chess writing, organizing, and teaching.

James has written three other books on chess: Remember the MacCutcheon (Chess Enterprises), San Francisco, 1995 (Hypermodern Press), and The Chess Player’s Bible (Barron’s). He has written numerous articles for a variety of magazines and has edited both the Golden Gate Chess News and the California Chess Journal.

In 1991 James began taking an interest in chess political organizations and was elected vice president of CalChess, the Northern California Chess Association, later that year. In 1995 he became CalChess president and was also elected to be president of the Chess Journalists of America. In 1996 he was elected to the USCF’s policy board, the executive committee charged with oversight of the multi-million-dollar corporation. He was appointed zone president for the United States for the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) from 2000 to 2002 and has served on the U.S. Charitable Chess Trust board of trustees since 2000.

James holds a master’s degree in organization development from the University of San Francisco and still bristles at being called a chess nerd.

Dedication

To Sheri — for suffering chess fools gladly.

Author’s Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Sheri Anderson for all her encouragement and support throughout this writing project. I really appreciated the feedback I got from the first edition of Chess For Dummies, especially the input I received from George Mirijanian, Frisco Del Rosario, and Wayne Praeder.

My editors for the first edition, Bill Helling and Bill Barton, deserve a special thanks for drilling it into my head that not everyone knows Ruy Lopez from Nancy Lopez, and for keeping me on the straight and narrow. My thanks also go to the first edition’s technical editor, John Peterson, who is a better friend than chess player — and he happens to be a very good chess player. I also wish to thank my editors, Sherri Pfouts, Kristin DeMint, and Jon Edwards, for their help with this second edition. M. L. Rantala was more than helpful with the glossary of terms, which I could not have done without her most able assistance.

I wish to thank my father, Arthur Eade, for teaching me chess, and my mother, Marilyn, for her touching advance order for this book. Lastly, a special thank-you to Lore McGovern, who was the wind at my back from start to finish.

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Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

What’s New in This Edition

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I : Laying the Groundwork

Chapter 1: Tackling the Chess Basics

Chesstacular! The Basics of the Game

Chessboard Chatter: Bringing Home a Board and Chess Set

Piecemeal: Putting the Pieces on the Board

Chapter 2: Greeting the Pieces and Their Powers

Mimicking a Castle: The Rook

Showing Off Slender Curves: The Bishop

Flaunting Her Pointy Crown: The Queen

Donning a Buggy Crown: The King

Galloping in an L-Formation: The Knight

Scooting Around as the Army’s Runt: The Pawn

Chapter 3: Getting to Know the Elements of Chess

Hogging the Board: Space

Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck: Material

Positioning Men in Good Time: Development

Protecting the Head Honcho: King Safety

Working Your Pawn Structure

Chapter 4: Looking Out for the King: Check, Stalemate, and Checkmate

Check ’Em Out: Attacking the Enemy King

Stuck in a Rut: Stalemate

No Escape for Ye King: Checkmate

Part II : Gaining Chess Know-How

Chapter 5: Tactics and Combinations in Hand-to-Hand Combat

Knowing Your Tactical Game Plan

Combining Moves to Speed Your Progress

Chapter 6: Sacrifices: When It’s Better to Give than to Receive

Sacrificing for an Edge in Development: The Gambit

Giving Up a Bishop

Immediate Gratification: The Temporary Sacrifice

A Strategic Move for the Patient: The Permanent Sacrifice

Chapter 7: Mastering Mating Patterns

Beware the Unprotected Back Rank: Back Rank Mates

Pair the Heavy and the Light: Queen and Pawn Mates

Mount Her Royal Highness: Queen and Knight Mates

Create a Steamroller with the Bishop and Rook

Chapter 8: Building Pattern Recognition

Analyzing Chess Positions and Looking Ahead

Picking Up on Pawn Formations

Eyeing the Endgame Patterns

Chapter 9: Recognizing Pawn Formations

Exploring the Powers of Pawn Formations

Getting the Bishop Involved: The Fianchetto

Varying the Sicilian: The Dragon

Exercising Your Pawns’ Flexibility: The Scheveningen

Building the Stonewall

Creating a Megafortress at the Center: The Double Stonewall

Matching Color to Center Squares: The Closed English

Winging It with the Nimzo-Botvinnik

Chapter 10: Making Special Moves

Capturing a Pawn at Your Side: En Passant

Boosting Your Pawns’ Powers: Promotion Time

Guarding Your King and Putting a Rook in Motion: Castling

Part III : Game Time: Putting Your Chess Foot Forward

Chapter 11: Selecting Your Strategy: The Principles of Play

Aiming for the Center

Exchanging Pieces

Doing More with Less: The Minority Attack

Controlling Key Squares to Lock Up an Advantage

Holding Back the Pawns: The Blockade

Chapter 12: Coming on Strong in the Opening

Developing Your Pieces

Attacking Your Opponent’s Pieces

Getting Ahead with Your Opening Moves

Exploring Common Opening Moves

Chapter 13: Making Headway during the Middlegame

When You Reach the Middlegame . . .

Formulating a Middlegame Plan

Attacking during the Middlegame

Chapter 14: Exiting with Style in the Endgame

Putting the Endgame into Perspective

The General Winning Endgame Strategy

Pawn and King Endings

Rook Endings: The Oh-So-Common Tricksters

Bishops and Knights: Minor Piece Endings

Part IV : Getting Into Advanced Action

Chapter 15: Competition Play and Necessary Etiquette

Practice Makes Perfect: Joining a Club First

U.S. Tournament Basics

Tournament Chess around the World

Going Long Distance: Correspondence Chess

Miss (or Mister) Manners: Tournament Etiquette

Chapter 16: Hitting the Net with Computer Chess

Computers versus Humans

Chess-Playing Computer Programs

Chess Databases

Electronic Chess Instruction

Playing Chess Online

Chapter 17: Got Notation? Reading and Writing about Chess

Keeping Track of the Pieces

Writing the Moves of a Game

Accounting for Ambiguities (Which Knight, for Pete’s Sake?)

Commenting on a Game after the Fact

Reading Newspaper Diagrams

Part V : The Part of Tens

Chapter 18: The Ten Most Famous Chess Games

Understanding the Games

Adolf Anderssen versus Lionel Kieseritzky: The Immortal Game

Adolf Anderssen versus J. Dufresne: The Evergreen Game

Paul Morphy versus Duke Karl of Braunschweig and Count Isouard

Wilhelm Steinitz versus Kurt Von Bardeleben

Georg Rotlewi versus Akiba Rubinstein

Stepan Levitsky versus Frank Marshall

Emanuel Lasker versus José Raúl Capablanca

Donald Byrne versus Robert J. Fischer

Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov versus The World

Chapter 19: The Ten Best Players of All Time

Kasparov, Garry (1963–), Russia

Capablanca, José Raúl (1888–1942), Cuba

Fischer, Robert James (1943–), United States

Karpov, Anatoly (1951–), Russia

Morphy, Paul (1837–84), United States

Lasker, Emanuel (1868–1941), Germany

Steinitz, Wilhelm (1836–1900), Austria

Alekhine, Alexander (1892–1946), Russia

Botvinnik, Mikhail (1911–95), Russia

Tal, Mikhail (1936–92), Latvia

Honorable Mentions

The Strongest Players Never to Be World Champion

Part VI : Appendixes

Appendix A: A Glossary of Chess

Appendix B: Other Chess Resources

Beginner’s Chess Books

Chess Equipment

Informative Internet Resources

U.S. Places, People to See, and Games of Interest

Introduction

S ome chess players hate to hear someone call chess a game. They think that by doing so, one trivializes what is actually a profound intellectual activity. Try as they may, however, chess enthusiasts seem incapable of convincingly placing chess solely in the context of art, science, or sport. Uncan- nily, chess contains elements of all three — and yet chess remains a game.

Actually, I prefer to think of chess as a game — the best game ever invented. Chess is a game loved by engineers and free-verse poets alike. It imposes a set of rules and has finite limits, but just as you start to think that you’re finally solving its mysteries, it thwarts you. As a result, sometimes the game is frustrating, but far more often, chess proves both surprising and delightful. The deeper you dig into chess, the more of its secrets you unearth — but interestingly enough, the game has never been tapped out. Even today’s monster computers are far from playing the theorized perfect chess game.

To master chess, you must combine a kind of discipline normally associated with the hard sciences and a creative freedom akin to the inspiration of artists. Few people develop both aspects equally well, and few activities can help you do so. Chess, however, is one such activity. The plodding scientist is forced to tap into his or her creative energies to play well. The fanciful artist must, in turn, conform to certain specific principles or face the harsh reality of a lost game. Not only is chess an excellent educational tool that helps strengthen your left brain, but the game is also an endless source of pleasure.

After most people discover that I play chess, they usually say, “You must be very smart.” They should instead say, “You must have a lot of spare time.” Chess has been played throughout history by people with above-average leisure time, not necessarily by people with far-above-average intelligence — so if you don’t consider yourself in the “I-aced-the-MCAT” crowd, fear no more.

As a matter of fact, chess tutors can teach preschoolers the rules of the game. (So maybe they can’t get the tots to stop chewing on the pieces, but they can teach the youngsters how to play.) In fact, anyone can learn how to play chess if you have a bit of spare time. And you don’t even need too much of that.

About This Book

This book is designed to help you become a better chess player in several ways: First, it contains a great deal of information and advice on how to play chess. You can also find in these pages information about how to talk about chess, which, to many players, is at least as important as knowing how to play. (Part of the fun of chess is the social element involved in discussing other people’s games — called kibitzing.) Finally, the book offers numerous suggestions on how to find other players who are just about at your own level (and how to mind your chess manners when you sit down to play!).

If you’re a beginner, the great joys of chess await you. If you’re an intermediate player, you can find in this book a wealth of material to help you improve your game and to enjoy chess even more.

What’s New in This Edition

In this edition, I’ve made quite a few updates to stay with the times and to help you improve your play. Among the updates are the following:

I use chess notation more liberally than in the first edition, so if you want to be able to read notated games well, this book provides plenty of oppor- tunities to hone your skills. With the exception of a couple of chapters, however, it isn’t essential for you to be familiar with the notation.

I’ve included new material on two helpful subjects: combinations, which are sequences of forcing moves that rely on tactics to achieve an advantage, and pawn formations, which are pawn configurations associated with specific chess openings. You can find that material in Chapters 5 and 9, respectively.

Not too long ago, the only way to get information on chess was from books and magazines. Now, numerous chess videos, CDs, DVDs, and Web sites are dedicated to various aspects of the game. This edition includes references to helpful sites in your hunt for chess knowledge.

Conventions Used in This Book

Throughout this book, I use diagrams of actual chessboards to show the positions I discuss. This convention should sometimes eliminate the need for you to have a chessboard and set in order to use the book — but even so, it’s better if you follow along with an actual board and set. Just note that in these diagrams, the white pieces always start at the bottom of the chessboards, and the black pieces start at the top.

I also use sidebars throughout the book to introduce famous players or to add miscellaneous information you don’t really need to know in order to play chess. Rather, I’ve included this information to increase your sheer enjoyment of the game.

Here are a few other conventions to keep in mind:

Throughout this book, I refer to moves with chess notation, which I usually place in parentheses. You can skip over this stuff if you don’t want to find out how to decipher it, but if you do, you can flip ahead to Chapter 17 whenever you’re up to the challenge. (Understanding it really isn’t tough, though — believe me!)

I use italics whenever I define a chess term in this edition. You can use the glossary as a quick reference for these terms, as well as a resource to discover other chess words.

I use monofont to point out any Web sites that I recommend.

Foolish Assumptions

In this edition, I assume that you already know how to play chess and that you want to get better. I include enough information to help a beginner get started, but I assume that everyone knows someone who already knows how to play chess. I also assume that you’ll be able to find someone to help you if you’re a beginner and have any problems with the material in this book. (And if you don’t know anyone who can, I provide plenty of Web sites and computer programs that can help you navigate the road to the world of chess.) After all, everyone has to start somewhere.

How This Book Is Organized

I’ve organized this book into six parts so you can easily find just the information you need.

Part I: Laying the Groundwork

Chapter 1 briefs you about the game of chess and familiarizes you with the board. It assumes that you do have a chessboard and set. You may proceed in any case, because this chapter contains plenty of pictures, but your best course is to work through the chapter with a board and set of your own. In that chapter, you walk through the basic setup of the chessboard and get the scoop on some of the basic chess terminology used more extensively in later chapters.

Chapter 2 provides an in-depth look at each piece in the chess set, detailing its strengths and weaknesses and how it moves. I also clue you in on the value of the pieces, relative to one another — you need to know this information in order to make wise decisions in your game.

Chapter 3 introduces you to the basic elements of a game of chess. You find out about material, space, development, and other chess elements. After reading this chapter, you can give a rough assessment of almost any chess position.

Chapter 4 points you toward your desired destination: checkmate. Here, I show you the basics on checkmate, and I also give you the rundown on a less decisive, but still forcing move — check — as well as a scenario you want to avoid if you’re on the winning end — stalemate, which is essentially a tie game (in chess, that situation is known as a draw).

Part II: Gaining Chess Know-How

Chapter 5 deals with different types of tactical situations and combinations of those tactics. Most games are lost by mistakes made in these areas, so pay careful attention to the information in this chapter. Chapter 6 deals with another important concept: sacrifices. Sometimes, taking a hit is a wise move in order to secure a greater advantage.

Pattern recognition plays a large role in chess, because certain configurations of pieces and pawns occur relatively frequently. If you already know the ideal way to play when these configurations occur, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every game. Chapter 7 concentrates on checkmating patterns, while Chapter 8 deals with pattern recognition more generally, and Chapter 9 examines commonly occurring pawn formations.

Chapter 10 covers those rules of the game that are less commonly understood by most players. These rules start at least half the arguments that break out among beginning chess players, so taking a good look at them may save you some unpleasantness.

Part III: Game Time: Putting Your Chess Foot Forward

Chapter 11 introduces the general principles of play that form the basics of chess strategy. From there, I take you through the three phases of a chess game: the opening, middlegame, and endgame. Each phase has its own nuances, and you need to understand each of them in order to play a good game. Chapter 12 is devoted to the opening, Chapter 13 deals with the middlegame, and Chapter 14 covers the endgame.

Part IV: Getting into Advanced Action

In Chapter 15, I show you the competitive side of chess, giving you the ins and outs of the various kinds of competitions you can participate in and how to go about doing so. Here, I also point out some etiquette matters that you’ll want to bear in mind when you find yourself in competition play.

Chapter 16 surfs the information superhighway for computer and online chess opportunities and offers an account of what’s out there now.

Chapter 17 kicks your chess knowledge up a notch, explaining the mysterious system of chess notation and showing you how to record your games for posterity — or for anyone else you want to show the game. You’ll also be able to read about various games that have been previously played.

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapters 18 and 19 are the Part of Tens, where I do a top-ten countdown on aspects of the game of chess. Specifically, in Chapter 18, I discuss the ten most famous chess games of all time; in Chapter 19, I list the ten best chess players of all time, which is always a controversial subject.

Part VI: Appendixes

Finally, I provide a glossary at the end of this book (Appendix A), in case some of these odd chess terms don’t get past your short-term memory and you need to refer back to them at a later time. Appendix B lists some of the best chess resources and how to connect with them.

Icons Used in This Book

The icons used in this book point you to important topics and help you pick out what you want to know. Make a mental note of the following icons to guide you on your path to chess greatness.

If you’re interested in chess matters that take you beyond the introductory level, this icon points the way.

More books have been written about chess than all other games combined! This icon signals some of those books you may want to read — or even add to your chess library.

This icon wouldn’t be necessary if chess didn’t have so many good, general rules. Keep the rules of thumb in mind when you play. You’ll be surprised how many you can retain — and how helpful they can be.

This icon points to helpful hints — anything from playing better chess to where you find more chess stuff.

This icon warns you of impending danger that you just may be able to avoid.

Where to Go from Here

If you have no knowledge of chess whatsoever, I highly suggest that you start right at the beginning with Chapter 1. Otherwise, just remember that it’s perfectly okay to skip around through the book to locate the chapters and sections of most interest or use to you.

Dig in!

Part I

Laying the Groundwork

In this part . . .

In this part I show you how to set up a chessboard and discuss the chess pieces and the ways they move. I also describe the elements of chess; the concepts of ma-terial, development, space, pawn structure, and king safety are considered fundamental elements of the game, so I cover each of them here. I also foreshadow the end of the game as I define check, stalemate, and checkmate and show you what they look like in play.

Chapter 1

Tackling the Chess Basics

In This Chapter

Learning what chess is all about

Familiarizing yourself with the chessboard

Setting up your army

I f you’re new to chess, don’t despair. No chess gene decides who can and can’t play. Everyone can learn to play a passable game of chess, and after you come on board, it’s just a matter of time until you find someone you can play well against. If you’re satisfied with participating in an endlessly fascinating and stimulating mental activity — an activity that sports a rich history and may provide you with countless hours of amusement — you’re in luck. You can play chess; take my word for it.