Three results

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29th_June_2010: Three results

Charlie suffered a bit in the last round and wondered if he could fight harder when he was losing.  IM Douglas Bryson once said that in every game he wins there is one point where he loses control and the likely result of the game wobbles for a moment.  That should tell us that in our games there may be opportunities to strike back: we can still hope for a draw or even a win when we are losing.  This is part of a more general problem of getting the right result for you in a game.  Jonathan Rowson talks about playing for two results as opposed to three, or even one…  If you aim at a win and miss, you might draw, but if you aim for a draw and miss?

We often talk about winning a won game, or indeed losing one.  I thought about making some notes on

Winning…   …won  
Drawing… a …drawn …game.
Losing…   …lost  

Things are rarely so identifiable: I know when I’m worse, but the transitions between worse and losing and lost may pass me by.

Let’s consider:

  Winning Drawing Losing
Won      
Better      
Drawn      
Worse      
Lost      

And putting a bit of meat on the bones, some advice, some good examples, some horrible examples, some master games, some club games:
 

  Winning Drawing Losing
Won EG:

  • Botvinnik – Szilagyi [A07]

Botvinnik-Szilyagi
EG:

  • Regis D. – Dale H. [A18]

Regis-Dale
EG:

  • Regis D. – Anderson P. [A14]

Regis-Anderson

  • Control the game
  • Vigilance at all times
  • Keep your eye on the ball
  • Strike when necessary
 EG:

  • Regis D. – Knox S. [D33]

Regis-Knox

  • Faint heart
  • Fear of losing
  • Fear of opponent
  • Vagueness
  • Letting critical moment pass
  • Lack of technique
 EG:

  • Regis D. – Walton E. [A08]

Regis-Walton
EG:

  • Regis D. – Paulden T. [A40]

Regis-Paulden
EG:

  • Royle J. – Marsh B. [C42]

Royle-Marsh

  • Losing control
  • Losing concentration
  • Losing interest
  • Not in the moment
  • Your opponent changes gear and you don’t react properly
  • Hope Chess
Better EG:

  • Botvinnik – Kann [E21]

Botvinnik-Kann
EG:

  • Ditmas H. – Regis D. [C07]

Ditmas-Regis
EG:

  • Brusey A. – Regis D. [C02]

Brusey-Regis

  • As above
  • Keep up pressure
  • Cashing in
  • One wobble (Bryson) 
 EG:

  • Regis D. – Greet A. [A08]

Regis-Greet
EG:

  • Blackmore – Isaac [C48]

Blackmore-Isaac
EG: Morgan
 

  • (As above)
 EG:

  • Regis D. – Lubrook M. [A26]

Regis-Lubrook
EG:

  • Brusey A. – Regis D. [C02]

Brusey-Regis

  • As above; also:
  • Carrying on in the hope that your better position reappears
Drawn EG:

  • Miles A. – Webb S.

Miles-Webb
EG:

  • Regis D. – Hewson B. [A20]

Regis-Hewson
EG:

  • Gurevich M. – Short N. [C01]

Gurevich-Short

  • Persistence
  • Patience
  • Suitable modesty
  • Accumulation of advantages
 EG:

  • Richmond J. – Regis D. [C12]

Richmond-Regis

  • Patience/Stubbornness
  • Don’t make concessions
  • Keep active
  • Exchange with caution
 EG:

  • Regis D. – Jamieson I. [A00]

Regis-Jamieson
EG:

  • Menchik V. – Capablanca J. [A47]

Capablanca-Menchik

  • Trying too hard to win!
  • Trying too hard to draw!
  • Making unnecessary concessions 
  • Not making necessary concessions
  • Going passive
  • Trying to force the issue
  • Wanting the game over
  • Panicking
Worse EG:

  • Gosling B. – Regis D. [A48]

Gosling-Regis
EG:

  • Pope S. – Regis D. [C02]

Pope-Regis

  • Avoid concessions
  • Avoid exchanges
  • Keep active
  • Don’t lose
  • Keep going
  • Create threats
  • See The Swindle
 EG:

  • Regis D. – Sedgwick D. [A28]

Regis-Sedgwick
EG:

  • Waley J. – Keen C. [A55]

Waley-Keen

  • Be realistic
  • Recognise trouble
  • Do something before it’s too late
  • Don’t panic
  • Keep going
  • Don’t lose!
 EG:

  • Waley J. – Keen C. [A55]

Waley-Keen
EG:

  • Regis D. – Anderson P. [A14]

Regis-Anderson

  • Sleepwalking to the graveyard
  • Losing interest
  • Lashing out
  • Lack of technique
Lost EG:

  • Annetts I. – Regis D. [C02]

Annetts-Regis
EG:

  • Stean M. – Webb S. [D44]

Stean-Webb

The Swindle:

  • You need an accident to happen to your opponent
  • Eliminate losing options quickly
  • Force game out of usual channels
  • Randomising moves (chaos)
  • Keep enough pieces on
  • Keep enough pieces active
  • Make threats
 EG:

  • Regis D. – Greet A. [A26]

Regis-Greet
EG:

  • Waters S. – Regis D. [A85]

Waters-Regis

  • Perpetual check
  • Bluff
  • Sieze the carp
  • Elimination method
 EG:

  • Brusey A. – Regis D. [C02]

Brusey-Regis

  • Let events take their course
  • Leave flaws in your position unmended
  • Let game proceed normally
  • Haste
  • Blunder in a bad position

 

Several of these squares complement each other (highlighted): if you are trying to win a better game, your opponent should be at least trying to avoid losing!

Let’s start with Charlie’s initial bleat: how to avoid losing. EG:

Waley-Keen.  

Well, there was certainly the moment when White lost control, right at the end, and perhaps the way to find the best line for Black was the process of elimination (41…Kb5?? loses to two fairly obvious checks, so that’s a hint to play 41…Kb7).

Working backwards, and with the help of Fritz, we can find some improvements for Black.  

Chart of game evaluation at each move

However, I can’t find a move that gives Black any counterplay.  In fact, Black’s attempts at getting some play (22…f5? and 36…b5) just make things worse!  

So this was one of those unpleasant games where Black just has to avoid making the situation worse, and find small ways to make things better (22…f6 and 23…Kf7 doesn’t save the game for Black, but improves the position a little).  Karpov was the master at this sort of thing, whether he was better or worse!

However, that is a pretty miserable way to play chess, so I’m going to point the finger at 8…exd4?!, making a concession for no good reason, and also 3…Be7, which rather says that Black is making things up as they go along — which I had a lot to say about last time.

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