Opposition…the means of endgame

 

Opposition

by

FA Amit K Biswas

FIDE Arbiter, International Rated Chess Player, Chess Coach

Founder of Bengal Chess Wizard and Chess Art Wizard

[Endgame is the ultimate time to show your excellence in chess. If you are week in endgame, all your toil may go to waste. To make yourself master in the endgame you have to know some techniques. These techniques required some tools. Opposition is one of these tools. We will discuss various types of Opposition which may not be known to even experience players also. So check it out and keep in mind with care.]

Introduction:

It seems that King is a very lazy fighter. So mostly he keeps himself in a shell of safety. But the actual fact is that, he is the supremo of the team. If he come up to fight early he may trapped and the game may be lost. So when all other powers are active, he must be rest in safe zone. When other fighters collapsed, then he come to the battle field and shows his power. Generally it appears in the endgame.

Direct Opposition:

In the direct Kings battle, each of the King wishes to appear first to become face to face of the opponent King to gather some extra facility. When a King successfully appears face to face of the opponent King by file or by rank, he has won the opposition.

Diagram 1 : White King is taking the direct opposition on c5.

Definition:

Direct Opposition is the position in which two Kings face each other on a rank or file, with only one square between them.

The King not having to move is said to “have the opposition”.

Other Type of Oppositions:

Although the Direct Opposition is the turning point of the game, we have several other positions from where we can achieve the Direct Opposition surely. Those positions are also called opposition, but not the direct one. We will now discuss about those oppositions one by one.

Diagonal Opposition:

When a King placed himself diagonally face to face one square away from opponent King then it is called Diagonal Opposition.

Diagram 2: White King is taking the diagonal opposition on e5.

Intention :

Either capturing the Direct Opposition or maintaining the Diagonal Opposition.

For instance Click Here.

Distant Opposition:

Distant Opposition is the position in which two Kings face each other on a rank or file, with more than one but odd number of squares between them.

Diagram 3: White King is taking the distant opposition on e2.

Intention :

Either capturing the Direct Opposition or maintaining the Distant Opposition.

For instance Click Here.

Virtual Opposition:

Virtual Opposition means that the square around the Kings have corners of the same colour. However, all four corners must have the same colour. Then the side which is not to move has the opposition.

Diagram 4: White King is taking the Virtual Opposition on a2.

Diagram 5: White King having the Virtual Opposition.

Intention :

Either capturing the Direct Opposition or capturing the Diagonal Opposition or maintaining the Distant Opposition.

For instance Click Here.

Giuoco Pianissimo...the Classical Italian Chess Opening

 

Giuoco Pianissimo

by

FA Amit K Biswas

FIDE Arbiter, International Rated Chess Player, Chess Coach

Founder of Bengal Chess Wizard and Chess Art Wizard

(Almost all the players spend some time on the Giuoco Piano opening in their chess carrier. The main line is suitable for Black, so not very popular for White. But the classical line of Italian Opening, the Giuoco Pianissimo may be the solid alternative of main line for White. It is a positional line having strong tactical possibilities also. Both side players have to place their pieces on the optimal places. So if you do not know the basics of the line, you may face a big problem to play in this opening. I am trying to write the article on this popular line to make it easy for you. For easy understanding in Bengali, follow our YouTube Channel www.YouTube.com/c/BengalChessWizard.)

The Giuoco Piano Base Position:

Giuoco Piano is a popular e4 opening. The base position is as shown in the following diagram. (Detail discussion of the Giuoco Piano is written in separate article.)

Diagram1 - Guioco Piano Basic Structure

The Main Line in 4^th move of White:

Diagram 2 – Giuoco Piano Main Line after 4.c3

Classical Giuoco Piano 4...Nf6 (C50):

Diagram 3 – Classical Giuoco Piano 4...Nf6

From here White can be routing the game through one of the 3 popular branches. 

1. Giuoco Pianissimo (5.d3)
2. Centre Attack (5.d4)
3. Bird’s Attack (5.b4)

Today our subject of discussion is the most promising line for White Giuoco Pianissimo.

Transposition:

We can have the above position from other transpose series of moves also.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

• 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3
• 4.d3 Nf6 5.c3
• 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.c3

The base position of Giuoco Pianissimo

Diagram 4

The Giuoco Pianissimo is called the most promising Italian line for White, because in other line Black can manage the equality with perfect steps. But in Giuoco Pianissimo, with proper knowhow, as white you will always be one step ahead from Black.

Before advancing our Giuoco Pianissimo game, if we first keep in mind the strategy of this line and then understand the causes of the strategy, we will reach our goal with ease.

Main theme ideas

First we will discuss the strategy or ideas of White.

1. Place the c pawn to 3^rd rank to prepare the move d4. Here we already moved to c3.
2. D pawn will not attack centre immediately. First he will defend the e4 pawn until the duty of defending the e4 shifts to King’s Rook after short castle.
3. When Black advances to d6, your c4 Bishop has to be moved to b3.
4.  If the Black Knight comes to a5 indeed, the White light Bishop will move to c2.
5. The target square of b Knight will be f5. How its journey will be? First it will go to d2. Then it will wait until the King’s Rook come to e1. Then f1, and then e3 or g3 and finally to f5.
6. The dark Bishop has to move to e3.

Now the strategy or ideas of Black

1. Play d6 to defend the e5 pawn and release the c6 Knight for attack.
2. Short castle to release the f7 pressure and to enhance the safety of King.
3. Keeping the target of light square Bishop of White, the most important Italian Bishop, c6 Knight has to attack from a5. But be careful. Do not do so before d6. Because your e5 pawn will be hanging and become weak target by f3 Knight.
4. Black’s c5 Bishop also has a very important role in this game. So his safety also is to be secured. So make an escape route to a7 by giving the a6 move.

Deep Thought

Issue 1: Why not Nc3 instead of c3 as White?

1. Nc3 allows Black to play symmetrically for a long period.
2. The better place of b Knight is f5 instead of d5. (About the reason we will discuss later.)
3. Nc3 is obstructing c pawn to place in 3^rd rank to assist d4 to conquer the centre.
4. Release of c2 square allows the c4 Bishop to escape from the attack of Black Knight from a5.

Here is a very interesting instance game played between Knorre and Chigorin in St-Petersburg (1874). Advance players are requested to see the game clicking the link to learn a lot.

Issue 2: Why d pawn should not be moved to d4 very early?

Diagram 5

Although c3, d4 makes a solid centre, but early advance of d pawn leaving the safety of e4 pawn causes the e4 pawn to become weak and under the attack of the f6 Knight of Black. So d pawn must have to wait until another guard comes to save e4.

Diagram 6

Now d pawn is ready to attack the centre by the move d4 to make a rock solid centre.

Issue 3: Why c4 Bishop to move b3 after black d6 move?

1. Whenever Black play d6, you have to understand that the duty of defending e5 pawn shifted to the d6 and c6 Knight now can move without hesitation. Now he can come to a5 to attack the Italian Bishop of White, i.e., light square Bishop of White. So White has to take the precaution and move the Bishop to b3. Here c2 square is acting as the escape square.
2. Now the c2 Bishop is not only escaping from the black Knight attack, but also taking a great duty to guard the e4 pawn. 

Diagram 7

Issue 4: Why Black should prepare an escape square for his c5 Bishop?

Otherwise the Bishop may be trapped to exchange. As this Bishop has an important role in the game, it should not be exchanged.

Click here for the example.

One of many Standard Giuoco Pianissimo Basic Line

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.O-O a6 7.Bb3 Ba7 8.Nbd2 O-O 9.Re1 Be6 10.Nf1

Click here to see more secret messages of the line.

Issue 5: Why the Queen’s Knight of White wants to capture the f5 square?

From f5 Knight can provide a strong attack to the King side. It may become a decisive key position for White.

Issue 6: What will be the remedy for Black?

Black generally keeps his light Bishop near f5 for immediate exchange.

Diagram 8

So White has to be more careful for that. If he can create a position that he can avoid the exchange then he will conquer the most advantageous key square. 

You may observe the danger of the f5 Knight clicking here.

Learn Chess - Value of Chess Pieces

Value of Chess Pieces

by

FA Amit K Biswas

FIDE Arbiter, International Rated Chess Player, Chess Coach

Founder of Bengal Chess Wizard and Chess Art Wizard

 

(In this discussion we will discuss the static initial value of Chess Pieces mainly for the beginner chess players. We will just touch the necessity of dynamic piece value. If you are a beginner then this discussion is enough to start playing. But in near future you will require to know the dynamic values. Then you must follow our next part of the discussion. To understand easily in Bengali you may follow my youtube video regarding this topic)

Story Time:

One day your friend offers you his Tiffin in exchange for your pencil. You agree. Next day again he offers his delicious tiffin in exchange for your pen. Again you agree. But next day when he offers the same in exchange for your math book, you denied. Because this exchange offer is not worthily balanced. Your Math book is more valuable than the tiffin.

So you see that all the things around us have a value and you have to know the value of that. Otherwise you will face a loss.  

Chess Context:

In the chess board you may face the same situation. You have to take decision whether one of your pieces will be well worth to exchange with a particular piece of your opponent or not. To take a fare decision you have to know the correct value of your pieces. Let us know those.

Values:

First let us discuss about the smallest member of our piece family. Yes, the pawn. 

As pawn has lowest power in the battle field, his value is lowest. Only 1. But remember, this pawn is not a negligible piece. In the battle field it may become the decisive matter. So don’t ignore him.

Next let us discuss about the Knight.

Knight has a major problem that he cannot move long enough at a time. But he has a unique power to gallop over the pieces!! So he deserves the value 3.

What's next? Obviously the first long ranging piece, the Bishop. 

Yes. Bishop is a great power to run too far at a time diagonally. So he is the member of elite long ranging group in the piece family. Does he deserve more value than Knight? No. He is also treated the same as of Knight. Only 3.

Why?  

Because, Bishop can move only half of the board but Knight can travel full board. Another reason is, as Knight can jump over the pieces, he can be used in the clumsy position whereas Bishop may not be so much mobile in the same clumsy position.

Now obviously we have to discuss about the Rook, the first member of the super elite Major Piece of the board.

No doubt Rook has more power than Knight or Bishop. He can travel all the squares of the board; he alone can mate with the help of King, which is not possible by Knight or Bishop. He has another big power which makes him super elite; this is the power of castling. So he deserves 5 points.

What else? The super hero… no… not hero, she is heroine, but the owner of super power, the Queen.

No discussion is required for her highest value, obviously less than the King. She deserves 9 points for her super power.

Lastly we will discuss the value of the King, the decisive piece of the board.

We cannot say that King has the highest power to move in the board. He can move to any side of himself but only one square at a time. So he is not a long ranging piece. He cannot jump over any piece. But he deserves infinite points, so he is called priceless.

But why?

Because King is the ultimate decisive piece. Without King no team can fight. Whenever the King will be arrested, the game will be over. So he must have the highest point. You cannot exchange all your opponent’s pieces against your King. So he is priceless, cannot be exchanged.

Now what have we understood? We understood that the values of pieces are:

Pawn = 1

Knight = 3

Bishop = 3

Rook = 5

Queen = 9

King = Priceless

Purpose:

Certainly a question is peeping in your mind that what is the purpose of knowing the value of those pieces?

A good question. Although already I have told you, but I think we have to elaborate this discussion.

Suppose a certain position has arisen. You can capture the Bishop of your opponent with your Rook. But the problem is then in exchange that your opponent will also capture your Rook. What shall you do? Will you capture or not?

Actually exchange is nothing but a trading. In trade do you want to face a loss? Certainly not!!! Always you want to gain. But if you do not know the value of the pieces, how will you decide that whether you will make a loss or gain the trade?

In the above case the value of Rook is 5 and value of Bishop is 3 (although in future you will discover that there are more factors to take a decision). So you will certainly not go for the trade. If not any other reason has been found.  

 Dynamic Value:

In future another question will arise in your mind… will always those values remain the same? Suppose a pawn is in the initial position, and another pawn is in the 7th rank, and is just waiting for promotion, are they of the same worth? Not at all. These are called Dynamic Values. We will discuss on this topic later.

Conclusion:

Now we know the values of the pieces. So we will not face a loss in trade now. Whenever we will find a position of exchange, we will always take the decision according to the value of them.