• concept: conflict avoidance

    From Elvenverb@21:1/5 to All on Sun Dec 11 23:43:04 2022
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.

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  • From William Hyde@21:1/5 to Elvenverb on Mon Dec 12 09:42:03 2022
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 2:43:05 AM UTC-5, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.

    Generally, yes.

    But if you are a pawn behind in an endgame it is usually a good idea
    to trade pawns. The idea being that when the opponent is down to
    one pawn, you can sacrifice a piece for it, drawing because the
    opponent lack's mating material.

    When you are ahead in material you should generally be happy to exchange
    But do not take this too far. Many a won game has been lost
    by the stronger side trading off active pieces for passive ones.

    William Hyde

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  • From Phil Innes@21:1/5 to though as I on Tue Dec 13 10:30:28 2022
    I feel as if I should take exception to William Hyde's advice below, though as I write I have not yet decided what any such demurrer should or could comprise:—

    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 12:42:04 PM UTC-5, William Hyde wrote:
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 2:43:05 AM UTC-5, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.
    Generally, yes.

    But if you are a pawn behind in an endgame it is usually a good idea
    to trade pawns. The idea being that when the opponent is down to
    one pawn, you can sacrifice a piece for it, drawing because the
    opponent lack's mating material.

    Since this advice is a qualified one, and based surely on the position of the particularities, or the niceties as we used to say, of the remaining bits, how then should this nostrum be represented as generic wisdom? Is it really a strategy or must it
    ever depend on pert tactics of the part. inst. and whatever that word is in chess where you measure time and movement.

    When you are ahead in material you should generally be happy to exchange
    But do not take this too far. Many a won game has been lost
    by the stronger side trading off active pieces for passive ones.

    A sensible qualification in this 2nd inst. to any nostrum perhaps to gloss a fault in the 1st? Here I evidently remain unpersuaded by the former. Doubtless the matter cannot be settled, or Suttled, as some say, without at least two pints of beer, and
    wet snow viewed out the window with more to come?

    Cordially, if somewhat diffidently,

    Phil de Vermont.


    William Hyde

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  • From Eli Kesef@21:1/5 to Elvenverb on Wed Dec 14 10:04:22 2022
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 9:43:05 AM UTC+2, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.

    Bs"d

    Very good advice.

    But don't stop using your common sense.

    https://tinyurl.com/interesting-chess

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  • From Phil Innes@21:1/5 to All on Wed Dec 14 11:55:40 2022
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 9:43:05 AM UTC+2, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.
    Bs"d

    Very good advice.

    But don't stop using your common sense.

    Oh, I have misread points for pints, thank you Eli. Here I acknowledge two to be best, the most efficacious nombre, since one merely adds 50 ELO whilst 3, -50.

    Cordially, Jekyll

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  • From William Hyde@21:1/5 to Phil Innes on Wed Dec 14 13:04:32 2022
    On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 1:30:29 PM UTC-5, Phil Innes wrote:
    I feel as if I should take exception to William Hyde's advice below, though as I write I have not yet decided what any such demurrer should or could comprise:—
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 12:42:04 PM UTC-5, William Hyde wrote:
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 2:43:05 AM UTC-5, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.
    Generally, yes.

    But if you are a pawn behind in an endgame it is usually a good idea
    to trade pawns. The idea being that when the opponent is down to
    one pawn, you can sacrifice a piece for it, drawing because the
    opponent lack's mating material.
    Since this advice is a qualified one, and based surely on the position of the particularities, or the niceties as we used to say, of the remaining bits, how then should this nostrum be represented as generic wisdom? Is it really a strategy or must it
    ever depend on pert tactics of the part. inst. and whatever that word is in chess where you measure time and movement.
    When you are ahead in material you should generally be happy to exchange But do not take this too far. Many a won game has been lost
    by the stronger side trading off active pieces for passive ones.
    A sensible qualification in this 2nd inst. to any nostrum perhaps to gloss a fault in the 1st? Here I evidently remain unpersuaded by the former. Doubtless the matter cannot be settled, or Suttled, as some say, without at least two pints of beer, and
    wet snow viewed out the window with more to come?

    Regrettably most beer makes me ill now, so two vodkas. Alas, adopting the drink of world champion candidate Geller has not gifted me with any of his ability.

    Generic wisdom is an aid to those of us below IM level, and even is a help to strong players short of time. But chess would not be so wonderful a game
    if it could be reduced to a handful of nostrums. Aside from such obvious technical cases as "don't trade minor pieces in a pawnless 2B vs N endgame
    there are countless exceptions to the "don't exchange" rule. In a column for CL America's second strongest Larry Evans wrote that he was known
    for a time as "rook -up" Evans as he frequently lost games in which he was ahead of material by injudicious exchanges.

    Similarly exchanging pawns much be approached carefully, especially if the result is a passed pawn for the opponent.

    Or as Tal said when Fischer played Rc7 against Taimanov "A rook on the seventh is generally a good thing, but there are exceptions.).

    William Hyde

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  • From Phil Innes@21:1/5 to William Hyde on Thu Dec 15 13:35:34 2022
    Dear Bill,

    Truly delighted to contact you again, and I have already conceived a number of things to recount, and shall raise them, inter alia those who have passed these dozen years since we last wrote anything substantial and their import and certainly to address
    the extant and evident qualitative wasteland here.

    Though I will pause for the now since an on-coming storm, for Trono too I think, will limit an immediate continuation, especially since I am lead cook in a community kitchen absent our principal off to Germany and the Czech Republic: we are sort of
    ground zero for hunger, after us, the wall; and must attend to that tomorrow at 6am, also the welfare of other mostly retired volunteers sliding in and distributing what we have, and we are due to receive a shit-load of snow.

    It is such that if we don't feed 'em, there is no where else to go, and in a town of just 12,000 people we are producing 1600+ meals per week.

    Ask me about cooking Halal for Afghan refugees, then again, Vermont is also receiving Ukrainians now.

    Upon renewal and upon strictly chess themes let us begin to honor those who are now deceased, among our newsgroup here or amongst the greats, no longer kicking — yes, honor them. Or kick them, since what can they do about it?

    Cordially, Jekyll


    On Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 4:04:34 PM UTC-5, William Hyde wrote:
    On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 1:30:29 PM UTC-5, Phil Innes wrote:
    I feel as if I should take exception to William Hyde's advice below, though as I write I have not yet decided what any such demurrer should or could comprise:—
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 12:42:04 PM UTC-5, William Hyde wrote:
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 2:43:05 AM UTC-5, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.
    Generally, yes.

    But if you are a pawn behind in an endgame it is usually a good idea
    to trade pawns. The idea being that when the opponent is down to
    one pawn, you can sacrifice a piece for it, drawing because the
    opponent lack's mating material.
    Since this advice is a qualified one, and based surely on the position of the particularities, or the niceties as we used to say, of the remaining bits, how then should this nostrum be represented as generic wisdom? Is it really a strategy or must it
    ever depend on pert tactics of the part. inst. and whatever that word is in chess where you measure time and movement.
    When you are ahead in material you should generally be happy to exchange But do not take this too far. Many a won game has been lost
    by the stronger side trading off active pieces for passive ones.
    A sensible qualification in this 2nd inst. to any nostrum perhaps to gloss a fault in the 1st? Here I evidently remain unpersuaded by the former. Doubtless the matter cannot be settled, or Suttled, as some say, without at least two pints of beer, and
    wet snow viewed out the window with more to come?
    Regrettably most beer makes me ill now, so two vodkas. Alas, adopting the drink of world champion candidate Geller has not gifted me with any of his ability.

    Generic wisdom is an aid to those of us below IM level, and even is a help to strong players short of time. But chess would not be so wonderful a game
    if it could be reduced to a handful of nostrums. Aside from such obvious technical cases as "don't trade minor pieces in a pawnless 2B vs N endgame
    there are countless exceptions to the "don't exchange" rule. In a column for CL America's second strongest Larry Evans wrote that he was known
    for a time as "rook -up" Evans as he frequently lost games in which he was ahead of material by injudicious exchanges.

    Similarly exchanging pawns much be approached carefully, especially if the result is a passed pawn for the opponent.

    Or as Tal said when Fischer played Rc7 against Taimanov "A rook on the seventh is generally a good thing, but there are exceptions.).

    William Hyde

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  • From Eli Kesef@21:1/5 to Phil Innes on Fri Dec 16 04:32:31 2022
    On Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 11:35:36 PM UTC+2, Phil Innes wrote:
    Dear Bill,

    Truly delighted to contact you again, and I have already conceived a number of things to recount, and shall raise them, inter alia those who have passed these dozen years since we last wrote anything substantial and their import and certainly to
    address the extant and evident qualitative wasteland here.

    Though I will pause for the now since an on-coming storm, for Trono too I think, will limit an immediate continuation, especially since I am lead cook in a community kitchen absent our principal off to Germany and the Czech Republic: we are sort of
    ground zero for hunger, after us, the wall; and must attend to that tomorrow at 6am, also the welfare of other mostly retired volunteers sliding in and distributing what we have, and we are due to receive a shit-load of snow.

    It is such that if we don't feed 'em, there is no where else to go, and in a town of just 12,000 people we are producing 1600+ meals per week.

    Ask me about cooking Halal for Afghan refugees, then again, Vermont is also receiving Ukrainians now.

    Bs"d

    It is good to feed the hungry, but you should also teach them chess.

    https://tinyurl.com/adv-age-magic

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  • From Phil Innes@21:1/5 to Eli Kesef on Fri Dec 16 08:36:16 2022
    On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 7:32:32 AM UTC-5, Eli Kesef wrote:
    On Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 11:35:36 PM UTC+2, Phil Innes wrote:
    Dear Bill,

    Truly delighted to contact you again, and I have already conceived a number of things to recount, and shall raise them, inter alia those who have passed these dozen years since we last wrote anything substantial and their import and certainly to
    address the extant and evident qualitative wasteland here.

    Though I will pause for the now since an on-coming storm, for Trono too I think, will limit an immediate continuation, especially since I am lead cook in a community kitchen absent our principal off to Germany and the Czech Republic: we are sort of
    ground zero for hunger, after us, the wall; and must attend to that tomorrow at 6am, also the welfare of other mostly retired volunteers sliding in and distributing what we have, and we are due to receive a shit-load of snow.

    It is such that if we don't feed 'em, there is no where else to go, and in a town of just 12,000 people we are producing 1600+ meals per week.

    Ask me about cooking Halal for Afghan refugees, then again, Vermont is also receiving Ukrainians now.
    Bs"d

    It is good to feed the hungry, but you should also teach them chess.

    You are quite correct Eli, except we might be careful here of exceptionalism, especially of the American kind. There may well be some, even a considerable, overlapping in factors of the two disciplines, such as human nature being dilated upon in both..
    Besides it is the player who moves the pieces, and the player does so for his own reasons, often independent of public acclaim or approval. Here we see chess players as more than half a game score, and something to do with them as people, a perhaps
    greater factor in the greater scope of things. In a while I will ask Dr. Hyde his best sense of these things in relationship to Mark Taimanov, whom we jointly interviewed, but let me not rush this.

    There may too be something like the difference twixt psychology; about what goes on within a person, to anthropology, of what goes between persons in any culture small or large. A local and current example is a refugee Afghan girl age 8 who calls me '
    grandfather' and in her own country would be fortunate to be taught to read — here in the US will it be okay with her parents to teach her chess? She is an exceptionally bright and engaging child.

    Please stay tuned though, since I feel we are about to enter into these qualitative realms, beyond the merely quantitative Elo and common commentary in both senses of common.

    Cordially, Jekyll

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  • From Elvenverb@21:1/5 to Phil Innes on Wed Aug 23 22:16:22 2023
    On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 10:36:17 AM UTC-6, Phil Innes wrote:
    On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 7:32:32 AM UTC-5, Eli Kesef wrote:
    On Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 11:35:36 PM UTC+2, Phil Innes wrote:
    Dear Bill,

    Truly delighted to contact you again, and I have already conceived a number of things to recount, and shall raise them, inter alia those who have passed these dozen years since we last wrote anything substantial and their import and certainly to
    address the extant and evident qualitative wasteland here.

    Though I will pause for the now since an on-coming storm, for Trono too I think, will limit an immediate continuation, especially since I am lead cook in a community kitchen absent our principal off to Germany and the Czech Republic: we are sort of
    ground zero for hunger, after us, the wall; and must attend to that tomorrow at 6am, also the welfare of other mostly retired volunteers sliding in and distributing what we have, and we are due to receive a shit-load of snow.

    It is such that if we don't feed 'em, there is no where else to go, and in a town of just 12,000 people we are producing 1600+ meals per week.

    Ask me about cooking Halal for Afghan refugees, then again, Vermont is also receiving Ukrainians now.
    Bs"d

    It is good to feed the hungry, but you should also teach them chess.
    You are quite correct Eli, except we might be careful here of exceptionalism, especially of the American kind. There may well be some, even a considerable, overlapping in factors of the two disciplines, such as human nature being dilated upon in both..
    Besides it is the player who moves the pieces, and the player does so for his own reasons, often independent of public acclaim or approval. Here we see chess players as more than half a game score, and something to do with them as people, a perhaps
    greater factor in the greater scope of things. In a while I will ask Dr. Hyde his best sense of these things in relationship to Mark Taimanov, whom we jointly interviewed, but let me not rush this.

    There may too be something like the difference twixt psychology; about what goes on within a person, to anthropology, of what goes between persons in any culture small or large. A local and current example is a refugee Afghan girl age 8 who calls me '
    grandfather' and in her own country would be fortunate to be taught to read — here in the US will it be okay with her parents to teach her chess? She is an exceptionally bright and engaging child.

    Please stay tuned though, since I feel we are about to enter into these qualitative realms, beyond the merely quantitative Elo and common commentary in both senses of common.

    Cordially, Jekyll

    Thanks for the responses. I had that advice for many years but could never be disciplined enough to follow it. It was demoralizing for me to have to move away instead of trading. I've got it under control again, and there is some thrill to hiding from
    the enemy.

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  • From William Hyde@21:1/5 to Elvenverb on Thu Aug 24 14:05:06 2023
    On Thursday, August 24, 2023 at 1:16:25 AM UTC-4, Elvenverb wrote:
    On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 10:36:17 AM UTC-6, Phil Innes wrote:
    On Friday, December 16, 2022 at 7:32:32 AM UTC-5, Eli Kesef wrote:
    On Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 11:35:36 PM UTC+2, Phil Innes wrote:
    Dear Bill,

    Truly delighted to contact you again, and I have already conceived a number of things to recount, and shall raise them, inter alia those who have passed these dozen years since we last wrote anything substantial and their import and certainly to
    address the extant and evident qualitative wasteland here.

    Though I will pause for the now since an on-coming storm, for Trono too I think, will limit an immediate continuation, especially since I am lead cook in a community kitchen absent our principal off to Germany and the Czech Republic: we are sort
    of ground zero for hunger, after us, the wall; and must attend to that tomorrow at 6am, also the welfare of other mostly retired volunteers sliding in and distributing what we have, and we are due to receive a shit-load of snow.

    It is such that if we don't feed 'em, there is no where else to go, and in a town of just 12,000 people we are producing 1600+ meals per week.

    Ask me about cooking Halal for Afghan refugees, then again, Vermont is also receiving Ukrainians now.
    Bs"d

    It is good to feed the hungry, but you should also teach them chess.
    You are quite correct Eli, except we might be careful here of exceptionalism, especially of the American kind. There may well be some, even a considerable, overlapping in factors of the two disciplines, such as human nature being dilated upon in both.
    . Besides it is the player who moves the pieces, and the player does so for his own reasons, often independent of public acclaim or approval. Here we see chess players as more than half a game score, and something to do with them as people, a perhaps
    greater factor in the greater scope of things. In a while I will ask Dr. Hyde his best sense of these things in relationship to Mark Taimanov, whom we jointly interviewed, but let me not rush this.

    There may too be something like the difference twixt psychology; about what goes on within a person, to anthropology, of what goes between persons in any culture small or large. A local and current example is a refugee Afghan girl age 8 who calls me '
    grandfather' and in her own country would be fortunate to be taught to read — here in the US will it be okay with her parents to teach her chess? She is an exceptionally bright and engaging child.

    Please stay tuned though, since I feel we are about to enter into these qualitative realms, beyond the merely quantitative Elo and common commentary in both senses of common.

    Cordially, Jekyll
    Thanks for the responses. I had that advice for many years but could never be disciplined enough to follow it. It was demoralizing for me to have to move away instead of trading. I've got it under control again, and there is some thrill to hiding from
    the enemy.

    One more thing though - look for a threat, as Lasker advises. He won a number of games from hopelessly lost positions, in part
    by conjuring up threats. Don't just move your piece away.

    In many lost positions, far more than most of us realize, there are subtle threats that can be made.

    If you are truly lost the opponent will have a safe way of dealing with the threat, and it may even rebound to his advantage, but
    will he find it? If you are lost, you have little to lose. In my very last tournament game I was dead lost, and sacrificed a
    pawn. It could be taken in three ways, and all lost. Or it could be declined and I would have made his win a bit easier. But
    when there are three ways to take a pawn, one doesn't spend much thought on declining it, especially when the clock
    is ticking.

    The old Fritz program, on the other hand, declined the pawn after a couple of minutes thought. So when I am a piece down
    against Stockfish at level six or above I take a brief look for chances and, generally finding none, resign forthwith.

    William Hyde

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  • From Eli Kesef@21:1/5 to Elvenverb on Sun Aug 27 23:05:20 2023
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 9:43:05 AM UTC+2, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.

    Bs"d

    If you want to avoid conflict you shouldn't be playing chess.

    Find yourself another hobby, knitting or something. Something useful might come from that.

    https://tinyurl.com/Short-kill

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  • From William Hyde@21:1/5 to Eli Kesef on Mon Aug 28 14:29:22 2023
    On Monday, August 28, 2023 at 2:05:22 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 9:43:05 AM UTC+2, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.
    Bs"d

    If you want to avoid conflict you shouldn't be playing chess.

    It's a matter of choosing the right conflict.

    "Don't attack on the side of the board where you are inferior" is advice going back
    to Steinitz.

    The only problem being the definition of that tricky word "inferior". For example, in
    the usual QGD minority attack, white attacks three pawns with two. His superiority
    on that side is due to his command of the half-open c file, not pawn number.

    In Fischer-Miagmarsuren a game with white attacking on the K side, black on the
    Q, Fisher played a3, a move that would normally be considered weakening and time wasting and thus rejected without serious consideration even by very strong players. But in this case it slowed Miagmarsuren's attack just enough for Fisher to win on the kingside.

    Of course I am talking about sound chess here. If your goal is to win within ten moves or less, none of the above matters at all.

    William Hyde

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  • From Eli Kesef@21:1/5 to William Hyde on Mon Aug 28 15:18:27 2023
    On Tuesday, August 29, 2023 at 12:29:24 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
    On Monday, August 28, 2023 at 2:05:22 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 9:43:05 AM UTC+2, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.
    Bs"d

    If you want to avoid conflict you shouldn't be playing chess.
    It's a matter of choosing the right conflict.

    "Don't attack on the side of the board where you are inferior" is advice going back
    to Steinitz.

    The only problem being the definition of that tricky word "inferior". For example, in
    the usual QGD minority attack, white attacks three pawns with two. His superiority
    on that side is due to his command of the half-open c file, not pawn number.

    In Fischer-Miagmarsuren a game with white attacking on the K side, black on the
    Q, Fisher played a3, a move that would normally be considered weakening and time wasting and thus rejected without serious consideration even by very strong players. But in this case it slowed Miagmarsuren's attack just enough for Fisher to win on the kingside.

    Of course I am talking about sound chess here. If your goal is to win within ten moves or less, none of the above matters at all.

    Bs"d

    Just had a mate in 10. Beats every minority or majority attack. 😝

    https://tinyurl.com/winning-only

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  • From William Hyde@21:1/5 to Eli Kesef on Tue Aug 29 14:41:20 2023
    On Monday, August 28, 2023 at 6:18:29 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
    On Tuesday, August 29, 2023 at 12:29:24 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
    On Monday, August 28, 2023 at 2:05:22 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 9:43:05 AM UTC+2, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.
    Bs"d

    If you want to avoid conflict you shouldn't be playing chess.
    It's a matter of choosing the right conflict.

    "Don't attack on the side of the board where you are inferior" is advice going back
    to Steinitz.

    The only problem being the definition of that tricky word "inferior". For example, in
    the usual QGD minority attack, white attacks three pawns with two. His superiority
    on that side is due to his command of the half-open c file, not pawn number.

    In Fischer-Miagmarsuren a game with white attacking on the K side, black on the
    Q, Fisher played a3, a move that would normally be considered weakening and
    time wasting and thus rejected without serious consideration even by very strong players. But in this case it slowed Miagmarsuren's attack just enough
    for Fisher to win on the kingside.

    Of course I am talking about sound chess here. If your goal is to win within
    ten moves or less, none of the above matters at all.
    Bs"d

    Just had a mate in 10. Beats every minority or majority attack. 😝

    https://tinyurl.com/winning-only

    If you play fish, you can catch fish.

    I never liked fishing much.


    William Hyde

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  • From Eli Kesef@21:1/5 to William Hyde on Tue Aug 29 22:06:14 2023
    On Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at 12:41:22 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
    On Monday, August 28, 2023 at 6:18:29 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
    On Tuesday, August 29, 2023 at 12:29:24 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
    On Monday, August 28, 2023 at 2:05:22 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
    On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 9:43:05 AM UTC+2, Elvenverb wrote:
    I was once told that if I am lower in points, I should avoid trading.
    Bs"d

    If you want to avoid conflict you shouldn't be playing chess.
    It's a matter of choosing the right conflict.

    "Don't attack on the side of the board where you are inferior" is advice going back
    to Steinitz.

    The only problem being the definition of that tricky word "inferior". For example, in
    the usual QGD minority attack, white attacks three pawns with two. His superiority
    on that side is due to his command of the half-open c file, not pawn number.

    In Fischer-Miagmarsuren a game with white attacking on the K side, black on the
    Q, Fisher played a3, a move that would normally be considered weakening and
    time wasting and thus rejected without serious consideration even by very
    strong players. But in this case it slowed Miagmarsuren's attack just enough
    for Fisher to win on the kingside.

    Of course I am talking about sound chess here. If your goal is to win within
    ten moves or less, none of the above matters at all.
    Bs"d

    Just had a mate in 10. Beats every minority or majority attack. 😝

    https://tinyurl.com/winning-only
    If you play fish, you can catch fish.

    I never liked fishing much.

    Bs"d

    Fishing is OK, as long as you catch decent sized fish with a lot of sharp teeth.

    https://tinyurl.com/Killer-FP

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