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\title{Top ten tips for Juniors}

\author{Dr. Dave}

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I was pleased to be able to attend the Exeter Middle Schools Chess
Association congress for young chessplayers in Exeter at the weekend.
The standard of their chess was variable, but their concentration was
intense, their sporting attitude was constant, and their enjoyment
obvious.  I would like to commend the event and congratulate all
concerned in its organisation.


After watching the games I had a sore tongue - I had to bite it so
many times!  These are the main things I wanted to tell the youngsters
during the games, and which parents and teachers could in my view work
upon. 


    {\bf Tip 1: Make sure know all the
rules and where the pieces go at the start of the game} 
 
 If you think you know all this, then check that you also
know: (a) the touched-piece rules; (b) draw by three-time repetition
of position and by 50-move rule; (c) pawn captures {\em en
passant}.  All of these were overlooked or misunderstood by some
players.  [A rule book like the BCF's {\bf Know The Game:
Chess} would give you more detail on these.]





 
{\bf Tip 2: Check each move before you play it}





Nearly all the games I saw had one or other player able to win
pieces that weren't protected.  Don't play automatic moves - when
you're in check, you can move your king, but you can but a piece or
pawn between your king and the checking piece, and you may be able to
take the checking piece. Have a look around at the whole board in case
there is something you've missed.  Tony Gillam's {\bf Simple Chess
Tactics} is good practice for getting your eye in. 
 
 But please don't move a piece to a square, hold on to it and then
look round - this is quite off-putting for your opponent who cannot
see the whole board while your arm is in the way.  Also, if you do
decide to retract the move, (1) you have to move that piece
(touch-move rule) when you might prefer to move a different one, and
(2) your opponent now knows what you are thinking about! 
 




 
{\bf Tip 3: Know how to finish off a won game.}




  I watched a couple of
players spend over 50 moves where a bare King was chased all over the
board being checked by an enemy Queen - but the Queen alone cannot
mate a bare King.  If only the player with the King brought their own
King up to box in the bare King, he could have finished off the game
in no time.  In fact, the less you check, the better!





 

{\bf 
Practice with a friend, trying to win when you have a
King+Queen vs. a bare King, or King+Rook vs. King.  You can make this
a little game yourselves - who can do it fastest?  Less than 12 for
the King+Queen vs. King and less than 20 for the King+Rook are good
scores; the maximum scores for perfect play are 10 and 17
respectively.  Watch out for stalemate! 
}





Those are the top three that I'd suggest for many of the players. But
even the better ones might also need to pay attention to my next tip
for improving their openings. 





 
{\bf Tip 4: Play an open, tactical game}




 - and avoid certain opening lines
that won't give you that sort of game.  Beginners often play the Four
Knights lines like\protect\begin{chess} 1.e4 e5; 2. Nf3, Nc6; 3. Nc3, Nf6,\protect\end{chess} which is usually
simply level.  Lots of games at the congress in fact started well with
the Guioco Piano opening,\protect\begin{chess} 1. e4, e5; 2. Nf3, Nc6; 3. Bc4, Bc5,\protect\end{chess} which
is a good opening for juniors.  But I then usually saw things quickly
get bogged down after\protect\begin{chess} 4. Nc3, Nf6; 5. d3,\protect\end{chess} when the Knights are all
square again, and neither side has a natural pawn break - as a
consequence the board remains cluttered and the game slow and dull. 


There are all sorts of ways to liven this sort of thing up - for
example, White can opt for the Open variation on move four of the GP:\protect\begin{chess}
4. c3, Nf6; 5. d4, e*d4; 6. c*d4, Bb4+; 7. Bd2, B*d2+; 8. N*d2, d5; 9.
e*d5, N*d5\protect\end{chess}.  Or, White has the Evans' Gambit:\protect\begin{chess} 4. b4!? B*b4 5. c3, Ba5;
6. d4\protect\end{chess} when White has a move up on the Open variation at cost of a
Pawn.  Black can vary with\protect\begin{chess} 3.: Nf6,\protect\end{chess} the Two Knight's Defence, with the
main lines being\protect\begin{chess} 4.d4\protect\end{chess} or more usually the gambit line\protect\begin{chess} 4. Ng5, d5;
5.e*d5, Na5; 6. Bb5+ c6; 7. d*c6, b*c6; 8.Be2\protect\end{chess}.  White can't duck into
a square-knight line with\protect\begin{chess} 4.Nc3\protect\end{chess} because\protect\begin{chess} 4.: N*e4!\protect\end{chess} (idea\protect\begin{chess} 5.: d5\protect\end{chess}) gives
Black a free game (or a free pawn!) As a rule all these lines are
going to be more fun and better training for young players than the
Four Knights type of development.  If you must play the Guioco
Pianissimo, as the line with\protect\begin{chess} 1. e4, e5; 2. Nf3, Nc6; 3. Bc4, Bc5; 4.
Nc3, Nf6; 5. d3\protect\end{chess} is called, there are some hot tips for this line too. 





\board{rnbqk* r}
{ppp *ppp}
{ *np n *}
{* b p * }
{ *B*P* *}
{* NP*N* }
{PPP* PPP}
{R BQK *R}
$$\showboard$$



{\bf Giuoco Pianissimo}







 
Here's how I see the White side - Black being the same. 





{\bf Tip 5: Don't be in a hurry to castle:} 
your
opponent may play ...Bg4 (or Bg5) and pin your knight against the
Queen.  If you have castled you probably won't be able to play h3 (or
...h6) without dangerously weakening your king.  Steinitz discovered
that the sacrificial idea\protect\begin{chess} 6. O-O, Bg4; 7. h3, h5! 8.h*g4, h*g4\protect\end{chess} was
playable for Black in many positions because of the attack on the King
down the open h-file: once the Queen gets to h5 White is finished.
 
Even playing\protect\begin{chess} 1.e4, e5; 2. Nf3, Nc6; 3. Bc4, Bc5; 4. Nc3, Nc6; 5.
d3, d6; 6.h3\protect\end{chess} is not advisable as Black may play the standard sacrifice
...Bxh3 at some point. (See Tatai-Korchnoi and and liubarski - soultanbieff at
the end of the Technique section.)


{\bf Tip 6: The key question in this line is: how are you going
to develop your queen's bishop? }


White on move six can go\protect\begin{chess} 6. Be3\protect\end{chess} hoping for\protect\begin{chess} 6.: B*e3; 7. f*e3\protect\end{chess} when
there is a juicy half-open f-file to attack along.  Black is better
off calmly retreating with\protect\begin{chess} 6.: Bb6\protect\end{chess} or even leaving the Bishop at c5. 


{\bf Tip 7: The analysts gradually agreed that\protect\begin{chess} 6.Bg5,\protect\end{chess} the Canal Variation, is the best move.}

One line of this goes\protect\begin{chess} 6.: h6;\protect\end{chess} (this is OK for Black before castling)
when the main line goes\protect\begin{chess} 7.B*f6, Q*f6; 8.Nd5, Qd8\protect\end{chess}. White has given up
the Bishop pair to achieve a bit of initiative.  [There is a hairy
line with\protect\begin{chess} 6.Bg5, h6; 7.B*f6, Q*f6; 8.Nd5, Qg6!? 9.N*c7+\protect\end{chess} which is
supposed to be poor for Black if White plays\protect\begin{chess} 9.Rg1\protect\end{chess} instead, but White
has to prove it!] Other ways to play for Black are to hit the other
bishop with\protect\begin{chess} 6.: Na5\protect\end{chess} (as in the final game) or to play himself\protect\begin{chess} 6.: Be6\protect\end{chess}. 


{\bf Tip 8: in the Canal Variation: to emphasise the pin on the Nf6,}

if you're allowed, with moves like Nd5, and otherwise threaten to
give Black doubled, and therefore weak, f-pawns.  I played a miniature
with this theme at the British Universities' Congress some years ago:


{\bf Regis (Exeter) - Orpwood (Salford), BUCA.\protect\begin{chess}  1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Nc3
Nf6 4. d3 Bb4 5. Nge2 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Bg5 Na5 8. B*f6! g*f6 9. Nd5
Bc5 10. b4 N*c4 11. d*c4 c6 12. b*c5 c*d5 13. c*d5 d*c5 14. Ng3 Kh8
15. Qh5 Qd7? 16. Qh6 Qd6 17. Nh5 Rg8 18. N*f6 Rg7 19. Q*g7+\protect\end{chess} 1-0 (Ne8+
will leave White a rook ahead)}


{\bf Tip 9: again in the Canal Variation: move the Nc3 to e.g. d5 and play
for c3 and d4 with a central space advantage}.  The knight can relocate to e3...


{\bf Tip 10: try to open up the f-file with f4:}

this will require you to play Be3 to stop a check from the Bc5 and to
move the other Knight e.g. Nh4.  From h4 the Knight can threaten to go
to f5 when Black may be reluctant to remove it by ...g6 which will
create weaknesses.  A Queen's Knight that has travelled from c\protect\begin{chess}3-d5-e3\protect\end{chess}
also puts pressure on this square, and if Black does play g6 then
Ne\protect\begin{chess}3-g4\protect\end{chess} hits all the soft spots. 
 

{\bf A game for the better players to study:}
 
we can see many of these themes at work in this game by the Swiss
master Werner Hug:

{\bf Hug-Barle, Pula Interzonal 1975.\protect\begin{chess}  1. e4 e5 2. Nf3
Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. Bg5 Na5 7. Bb3 N*b3 8. a*b3 Be6
9. Na4 h6\protect\end{chess} (\protect\begin{chess}9.:  Bb6 10. N*b6 a*b6\protect\end{chess} \{or\protect\begin{chess} 10.: c*b6; 11.d4!\protect\end{chess} with a
superior pawn structure\}\protect\begin{chess} 11. R*a8 Q*a8 12. B*f6 g*f6 13. Nh4\protect\end{chess}
Pritchett)\protect\begin{chess} 10. Bh4 Bg4\protect\end{chess} (\protect\begin{chess}10.:  g5 11. Bg3 Nd7 12. N*c5 N*c5 13. b4 Nd7
14. d4\protect\end{chess})\protect\begin{chess} 11. N*c5 d*c5 12. h3 B*f3 13. Q*f3 Qd6 14. B*f6 Q*f6 15. Q*f6
g*f6\protect\end{chess} (Here we have the doubled f-pawns again)\protect\begin{chess} 16. Ra5!\protect\end{chess} \{accurate:
forces a permanent weakness on a7. Black must divert his King to the
Q-side when a shift to the f-file catches him wrong-footed. Black is
probably already lost.\}\protect\begin{chess} 16.:  b6 17. Ra6 Kd7 18. O-O Kc6 19. f4 Kb7
20. Raa1 Rh7 21. f*e5 f*e5 22. Rf6\protect\end{chess} White now wins a pawn while Black
struggles for counterplay.\protect\begin{chess} 22.: a5 23. Rf5 Re8 24. Raf1 Re7 25. Rh5
Re6 26. Rhf5 Re7 27. g4 Kc6 28. Rf6+ Kb5\protect\end{chess} 29. R\protect\begin{chess}1f5 a4 30. b*a4+ K*a4
31. Rh5 c4 32. d*c4 Kb4 33. Rh*h6 R*h6 34. R*h6 Rd7 35. Rf6 K*c4 36.
Kf2 Rd2+ 37. Ke3 Rh2\protect\end{chess} (\protect\begin{chess}37.:  R*c2\protect\end{chess} doesn't help, e.g.\protect\begin{chess} 38. R*f7 c5 39.
Rf2 R*f2 40. K*f2 Kb3\protect\end{chess})\protect\begin{chess} 38. Rc6+ Kb5 39. R*c7 R*h3+ 40. Kf2 Rh2+ 41.
Kg3 Re2 42. Kf3 Re1 43. Re7 f6 44. g5 f*g5 45. R*e5+ Kc4 46. R*g5 Rf1+
47. Ke2 Rb1 48. b3+ Kc3 49. Rb5 Rc1 50. R*b6 R*c2+ 51. Ke3\protect\end{chess} 1-0}



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