Chess!
Tutorials written by Magorian:
These will be updated regularly here in the first post, as well as posted in the thread.
This thread is to serve as a repository for games worth sharing (either your own or any game you find interesting) and as a place in which we can coordinate our own games, should anyone be interested.
The previous chess thread hasn't seen a post in nearly three years, so I think a new thread is appropriate. Not to mention, improvements can be made to the format. Especially considering that most chess websites now allow a "publish" option that will allow all of us to view any linked games without needing to download the pgn of a game and view it in an applicable software.
I've been strapped for time lately, but I played a few games today to take my mind of things, and I had a couple good ones. Take a look (I have the white pieces in all three):
King's Indian Defense. Two piece sacrifices for a cute checkmate.
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, unusual black 3rd and 4th moves.
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (transposed). A lesson in breaking open a castle.
Tutorials written by Magorian:
These will be updated regularly here in the first post, as well as posted in the thread.
In order to understand the tutorials that follow, you will need to be able to read the kind of notation that I'll be using. Algebraic notation has become the standard, and is used worldwide. It's very simple. First, we name the squares.
The image above outlines the coordinate system used. The square in the bottom left corner would be called "a1". Black's King sits on e8, and so on. This makes it simple to name and locate any specific square on the board.
The system also includes some other basic terminology to describe the board. The horizontal rows dictated by the numbers are called ranks, while the vertical rows named with letters are called files. So the Queens are aligned on the d file, and White's pawns all reside on the second rank. Finally, the left half and right half of the board are name the Queenside and Kingside respectively, named after the sides the kings and queens reside on in the opening set up. So if I were to say that, "White has good Kingside pressure" I would be referring to the activity of White's pieces on the right hand side of the board. (This is, of course, with the white pieces on the bottom of the board. From Black's perspective the Kingside is on the left.)
Simple enough? Good. Next we name the pieces.
K = King
Q = Queen
R = Rook
B= Bishop
N = Knight (not K again, or we'd be confused!)
And Pawns remain unnamed.
These letters, of course, correspond to the English names for the pieces, and I'll be using them exclusively. Algebraic notation in other languages may use different letters, but it is simple to discern what they mean. For an example of algebraic notation in Dutch, refer to the game Frisian posted earlier.
Using algebraic notation.
All that we need to do to describe the movement of a piece is combine the letter that names the piece with the coordinate of the square it moved to. So Nf3 means that a knight moved to f3. The move list from a game, including numbers for moves, would look like the following:
1. Nf3 d5
2. g3 Bd7
In other words, White began by moving his knight to f3 and Black responded by pushing his d pawn to d5. Then on the second turn White pushed his g pawn forward one square, and Black moved his Bishop in front of his Queen. If I wanted to describe only White's first move I would write 1. Nf3. If I wanted to describe only Black's second move I would write 2. ... Bd7. The ellipse indicates that White will have moved, and I'm describing a move by Black.
The last things to know about algebraic notation is how to notate capturing, castling, promoting, check, and how to explain which piece moved to a square when several can.
Capturing: Simply place an "x" between the name of the piece being moved and the square it moves to. Nxd5 means that a knight took a piece on d5.
Castling: 0-0 is used for castling on the kingside. 0-0-0 is used for castling on the queenside.
Promoting: e8=Q means that the pawn moved to e8 and turned into a Queen. Remember, you can promote to any piece except a pawn, and a Queen is not always preferable.
Check: Check is denoted by a +. So Bb5+ means that a Bishop moved to b5 and placed the opposing King in check. Checkmate is shown with a #. So Bb5# means a Bishop moved to b5 and the move resulted in checkmate, ending the game.
Finally, it is possible to have your Rooks or Knights positioned so that either can move to the same square. If both your rooks are on the first rank in either corner and there are no pieces in between they can both move to e1, for example. So to say that the Rook on a moved to e1, rather than the Rook on h, it would be notated as Rae1 (Rook on a to e1).
The image above outlines the coordinate system used. The square in the bottom left corner would be called "a1". Black's King sits on e8, and so on. This makes it simple to name and locate any specific square on the board.
The system also includes some other basic terminology to describe the board. The horizontal rows dictated by the numbers are called ranks, while the vertical rows named with letters are called files. So the Queens are aligned on the d file, and White's pawns all reside on the second rank. Finally, the left half and right half of the board are name the Queenside and Kingside respectively, named after the sides the kings and queens reside on in the opening set up. So if I were to say that, "White has good Kingside pressure" I would be referring to the activity of White's pieces on the right hand side of the board. (This is, of course, with the white pieces on the bottom of the board. From Black's perspective the Kingside is on the left.)
Simple enough? Good. Next we name the pieces.
K = King
Q = Queen
R = Rook
B= Bishop
N = Knight (not K again, or we'd be confused!)
And Pawns remain unnamed.
These letters, of course, correspond to the English names for the pieces, and I'll be using them exclusively. Algebraic notation in other languages may use different letters, but it is simple to discern what they mean. For an example of algebraic notation in Dutch, refer to the game Frisian posted earlier.
Using algebraic notation.
All that we need to do to describe the movement of a piece is combine the letter that names the piece with the coordinate of the square it moved to. So Nf3 means that a knight moved to f3. The move list from a game, including numbers for moves, would look like the following:
1. Nf3 d5
2. g3 Bd7
In other words, White began by moving his knight to f3 and Black responded by pushing his d pawn to d5. Then on the second turn White pushed his g pawn forward one square, and Black moved his Bishop in front of his Queen. If I wanted to describe only White's first move I would write 1. Nf3. If I wanted to describe only Black's second move I would write 2. ... Bd7. The ellipse indicates that White will have moved, and I'm describing a move by Black.
The last things to know about algebraic notation is how to notate capturing, castling, promoting, check, and how to explain which piece moved to a square when several can.
Capturing: Simply place an "x" between the name of the piece being moved and the square it moves to. Nxd5 means that a knight took a piece on d5.
Castling: 0-0 is used for castling on the kingside. 0-0-0 is used for castling on the queenside.
Promoting: e8=Q means that the pawn moved to e8 and turned into a Queen. Remember, you can promote to any piece except a pawn, and a Queen is not always preferable.
Check: Check is denoted by a +. So Bb5+ means that a Bishop moved to b5 and placed the opposing King in check. Checkmate is shown with a #. So Bb5# means a Bishop moved to b5 and the move resulted in checkmate, ending the game.
Finally, it is possible to have your Rooks or Knights positioned so that either can move to the same square. If both your rooks are on the first rank in either corner and there are no pieces in between they can both move to e1, for example. So to say that the Rook on a moved to e1, rather than the Rook on h, it would be notated as Rae1 (Rook on a to e1).
I'm assuming that we all know how the pieces move, but there are a few moves that always cause confusion. I'll explain them here.
Castling.
There are two ways to castle, either on the kingside or on the queenside.
White has not castled:
Kingside castle:
Queenside castle:
In order to castle, the King must not have moved yet, the Rook that you're castling with must not have moved yet, the King may not be in check, and the King may not move through or into check. So if I have moved my kingside Rook I cannot castle kingside, but I may still castle queenside. Further, the Rook may be under attack or move through a square under attack. Only the King must worry about coming under fire.
En passant
Many beginners have never seen an en passant move, and many more don't understand it quite right. En passant is a special way in which a pawn may capture another pawn, and certain unique conditions must be met for this move to be possible.
Pawns capture diagonally, and this capture is no different in that regard. But that is the only similarity. This is the only capture in chess in which a piece does not have to move into the square occupied by the piece it is taking, and it is the only capture that is only legal on a specific move. Let's take a look with visual aids.
So we have an unmoved White pawn on c2, and a Black pawn one file over on d4. Let's say that White plays c4 creating the following position.
Now, on this next move and only this next move, Black would be allowed to capture White's c pawn en passant and their pawn would move to c3.
If Black does not capture in this manner this turn, they will be unable to on future turns. En passant is only possible when a pawn moves forward two squares (only possible on its first move), when the capturing pawn is on a neighboring file, and can only occur the turn the first pawn moves.
Castling.
There are two ways to castle, either on the kingside or on the queenside.
White has not castled:
Kingside castle:
Queenside castle:
In order to castle, the King must not have moved yet, the Rook that you're castling with must not have moved yet, the King may not be in check, and the King may not move through or into check. So if I have moved my kingside Rook I cannot castle kingside, but I may still castle queenside. Further, the Rook may be under attack or move through a square under attack. Only the King must worry about coming under fire.
En passant
Many beginners have never seen an en passant move, and many more don't understand it quite right. En passant is a special way in which a pawn may capture another pawn, and certain unique conditions must be met for this move to be possible.
Pawns capture diagonally, and this capture is no different in that regard. But that is the only similarity. This is the only capture in chess in which a piece does not have to move into the square occupied by the piece it is taking, and it is the only capture that is only legal on a specific move. Let's take a look with visual aids.
So we have an unmoved White pawn on c2, and a Black pawn one file over on d4. Let's say that White plays c4 creating the following position.
Now, on this next move and only this next move, Black would be allowed to capture White's c pawn en passant and their pawn would move to c3.
If Black does not capture in this manner this turn, they will be unable to on future turns. En passant is only possible when a pawn moves forward two squares (only possible on its first move), when the capturing pawn is on a neighboring file, and can only occur the turn the first pawn moves.
This thread is to serve as a repository for games worth sharing (either your own or any game you find interesting) and as a place in which we can coordinate our own games, should anyone be interested.
The previous chess thread hasn't seen a post in nearly three years, so I think a new thread is appropriate. Not to mention, improvements can be made to the format. Especially considering that most chess websites now allow a "publish" option that will allow all of us to view any linked games without needing to download the pgn of a game and view it in an applicable software.
I've been strapped for time lately, but I played a few games today to take my mind of things, and I had a couple good ones. Take a look (I have the white pieces in all three):
King's Indian Defense. Two piece sacrifices for a cute checkmate.
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, unusual black 3rd and 4th moves.
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (transposed). A lesson in breaking open a castle.