General comment -> Tips for the improving UCO players rated between 1500 and 1800 )

If I had put in practice just 50% of the tips I am sharing on this blog, my Fide rating would have been > 2000 and not 1834 only...  :-((

(Part 5) Tips for the improving UCO players rated between 1500 and 1800

Flash Cards

This idea is taken from the book “Chess Master...at Any Age" by Rolf Wetzell.

Compile a notebook (word processor file?) containing a list of positions where you went astray or you missed something in you own games. Also, you should give a title to each position. Periodically go through the positions to learn from your mistakes.

Here are two examples from my games:

Keeping the right concentration level in zeitnot

See diagram

Mora L. – Rozzoni D. Bratto “B” 2007

Black  played 37..Re2?? hoping for 38.Qxe2 Nc3 but I  lost immediately after 38.Qxd5

Just after I resigned, someone shew me I could have won with 37..b4!!

if 38.Qxd5 Rxd5 -+

if 38. Nf2 Nc3+  39.Qc3 bxc3 -+

 

Middlegame tactics

See diagram

Ferraris F. – Rozzoni D., Milan 2005

Black could have drawn easily with 24..Rxd6! 25.Rxd6 Qg2+ 26.Ke1 Qg3 with perpetual check.

If 26 Ke3?? e4 mates.

(Part 4) Tips for the improving UCO players rated between 1500 and 1800

What goes on after you have played a few UCO moves learnt almost by heart? What shall you do then?

Once again, time and money are limited resources, that is why I recommend these books:

Middlegame Strategy

·         "How to reassess your chess" 4th edition by Jeremy Silman

and/or

·         "Simple Chess" by Michael Stean.

Endgames

·         "Silman's Endgame Course" contains everything you need for the rest of your chess career. I am not joking.

They are really WONDERFUL and HIGHLY instructive. Especially Silman's books have an excellent page per dollar ratio.

(Part 3) Tips for the improving UCO players rated between 1500 and 1800

Study the classical openings.

This subject may sound strange. Someone may ask:" What is the connection between UCOs and classical openings"?

Here are a couple of examples:

• As White I played in a recent quickplay tournament what follows: 1.h3 e5 2.a3 d5 3.c4 Nf6 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e3 -> and this is a reversed Sicilian Defence! How can White play it if he/she doesn't know the main ideas of this line of the Siclian Defense?
• When in the past I played 1..Nh6 quite often,  the game sometimes transposed to positions similar to those of the King's Indian Defense. Again the question is...how can the Black player deal with these positions..unless he/she studies the ideas behind the King's Indian Defense?

My appreciation and gratitude goes to IM Welling for having taught me this precious lesson.

(Part 2) Tips for the improving UCO player, rated beetween 1500 and 1800

An improving UCO player needs an UCO opening repertoire.

As time and money are limited resources, it is essential to focus on what is essential.

In order to study a new UCO opening, you should learn and familiarize with the ideas behind the opening. This can be done by studying a selected materil on that opening.

These are some examples:

• 1.b4 -> Andy Martin's "Winning with the B Formula" http://www.improveyourchess.com/actionbookawesome.html
• 1. ...Nh6 -> Welling's article on du Chattel's chess http://www.kaissiber.de/html/heftarchiv_5.html
• 1.h3 & 2.a3 or 1...h6 & 2..a6 -> Basman's own booklet "Creepy Crawly" http://www.audiochess.com/

Other more detailed material on non standard openings:

• 1.b3 -> http://www.newinchess.com/Play_1_b3_-p-921.html
• 1.g4 and an early 1...g5 -> Book "The killer Grob" by Basman
• 1.b4 & 1.e4 e6 2.d4 a6 -> Basman's book "The new St. George"
• 1.Nc3 -> http://www.newinchess.com/1_Nc3_The_Van_Geet_Opening-p-157.html
• Some material on the BDG (Blackmar Diemer Gambit) should be indicated as well, but as I am not well informed on the subject, I do not feel comfortable to recommend books I have not seen.

But the improving UCO player should not study UCOs only because...... see next post in about a week.....

(Part 1) Tips for the improving UCO player, rated between 1500 and 1800

Learn chess tactics. 
This is a very good book to start with  http://www.gambitbooks.com/books/learntactics.html  and then try to solve al least 5 tactical problems every day  http://www.dejascacchi.altervista.org/  or   http://chess.emrald.net/ and your rating will increase for sure.

Houdini 1.5a -> the new king of the chess engines at slow time control?

http://www.cruxis.com/chess/houdini.htm

The very strong GM Peter Svidler mentioned  Houdini chess engine  twice in a recent interview

http://www.crestbook.com/en/node/1390

Welcome

Hello chessfriends wherever in the world.

After some years as Yahoo's Uco List, Owner http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/UnorthodoxChessOpenings/  I had the desire to share other non UCO chess related material. And here we are.
I invite you to check this blog about once a week, and you will surely find some chess food for thoughts.
Stay tuned and ciao from Italy
DR