Category: Chigorin

NYC Hardcore

March 4th, 2011 · · -, Chigorin, Games, New York Chess, NYC related posts, Openings, Queen's Gambit, Queen's Gambit Declined 4 comments - Tags: , ,

This is a tatoo my friend Sean has. He doesn’t even know that much theory, he just intensely loves chess for some inexplicable reason. Lately, I’ve been thinking that the number of chess books on my shelf doesn’t necessarily correspond to my strength- that board vision, tactics, and principals trump- and that I should focus more on the building blocks of chess. I have plans to play in some big tournaments this summer, perhaps the world open, and maybe even the “national open” in Vegas, and so I’ve been working really hard on my game to try and level up.

But ultimately, chess isn’t about rating points, tournament wins or elite titles. Chess is about drinking four loko at a pizza parlor with your friends and doing battle for 6 hours straight while some Russian kid kibitzes your games.

It’s no surprise that chess appeals to people in prison. Is there any better way to waste day after day?

Here’s the only game I remember from this afternoon- it’s a QGD chigorin…

A Blitz Blow-out in the Chigorin

January 11th, 2011 · · Chigorin, Games, Openings No comments - Tags: , , ,

This evening I attended a fantastic lecture at the Marshall by Asa Hoffman, who reviewed some of his games and gave some interesting ideas in uncommon openings. By the way, next month I plan on having him come out to Spectacle to give a lecture on one of them in detail, and will put up a post with the details of that event when I have them. In any case, while waiting around for the lecture to begin, I met a nice guy who was visiting NY from abroad and claimed to have a very impressive FIDE elo. We played 5 blitz games, I won two and lost three. I won’t brag about exactly how highly rated my opponent was because most of you likely wouldn’t believe it when you see how he played in the following game. I have only recently started playing the Chigorin, but I’m already falling in love with it. The piece activity that is possible makes it an awesome choice for blitz. In this game, my opponent was making moves on auto-pilot, playing what he thought was a safe queen’s pawn setup. There was nothing safe about it. The idea I outlined in an earlier post led to a crushing queen-side attack right out of the gate.

Enjoy-

The QGD Chigorin: A Solid Choice Against The Catalan

January 10th, 2011 · · Catalan, Chigorin, Games, Queen's Gambit Declined No comments - Tags: , , , ,

Elsewhere on this blog I have pontificated on various setups for black against the Catalan, an opening which seems to be ubiquitous in the 1800-2100 range. Since Kramnik and Anand have both used it with great effect in World Championship matches, and with many top players from Carlsen to Wang Yue including it as crucial components of their repertoire, it’s no wonder that it’s fashionable. Often white plays for a pull on the queen-side and a nagging edge that is difficult to shake. And so when facing a Catalonian, why not try for piece activity in a fighting defense? Piece activity is a hallmark of Moro’s favorite weapon: The Chigorin, and while the Chigorin certainly doesn’t pose a theoretical test to the Catalan, the arising positions may prove to be a test for your “positionally-minded” opponent.

After 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 Bf5 the following position is reached:

Here, one of the ideas behind 3…Bf5 is to pressure the tender c2 square, such that if white plays 4.Bg2 then Nb4 will force Na3 and already an awkward game that white will likely not feel very comfortable in. While this idea may seem a bit juvenile, Morozevich himself recommends it (see the following game) and it no doubt would be an interesting idea to try in a blitz game.

I have to admit, I really like this plan because it pushes white around a little. However, there is a more simple plan which leads to solidity and the kind of position which will cut down on white’s queen-side pull. After the standard 3.g3, black goes for a simple system type setup with e6…Nf6…Be7 etc, reaching the following position.

Here, black is solid and should achieve equality, though Morozevich cautions that black may have to enter a slightly worse ending in order to do so. While this system approach offers both simplicity and solidity, it lacks the kinds of fireworks and piece activity that I would prefer to generate. That is to say, while it’s simple and solid, it doesn’t make white think very hard either. This is ultimately why I prefer the approach with an early Nb4. In any case, below, please find some example games in this system approach.