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News
FIDE country stats: Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia
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Converting Winning Positions
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 27 July 2010 |
by Natalia Pogonina for her
Chess.com Tuesday column
Every chess player fails to convert a winning position once in a while. Sometimes it happens even in situations when any move seems to secure the whole point. What is the reason for this?
Chess is a sport, so the following three aspects are important:
1. Until the game is over, the score sheet isnt signed, anything can happen.
2. The best player doesnt always win.
3. Losing ones concentration often leads to trouble.
Now lets talk about chess in particular. So, lets say you had a serious advantage (enough for a win), but you somehow failed to take home the whole point. This may happen due to:
1. Premature relaxation.
Chess players often consider the game finished after obtaining a decisive advantage, mentally putting a 1 in the scoring table and starting to play carelessly.
Advice: always stay alert and watch out for potential counter-play until the game is really over.
2. Time factor.
Myriads of promising positions have been thrown away in time trouble. There is also another problem: anxiety to win asap, i.e. playing too quickly after getting a winning position.
Advice: in the first case you should keep an eye on the clock and avoid getting into time trouble. In the second situation you had better calm down and play as if nothing special happened. Dont be in a hurry.
3. Tiredness.
After a few hours of play, especially if the game required a lot of efforts on your side; you didnt sleep well; spent a few hours preparing; hardly had any dinner, etc., chances are high you just wont be able to keep up the level.
Advice: practice sports, work on your endurance, sleep well, dont over-exhaust yourself by preparing too long, mind your nutrition, take walks during the tournament, lead an active and healthy life.
4. Defensive resources.
Chess has enormous defensive resources. Sometimes if one desperately fights for survival, he/she may find some saving chances, surprise the opponent and avoid losing.
Advice: stay calm (even if your opponent comes up with an unexpected trick) and dont get into time trouble.
Factors 1-3 depend on the player him/herself, #4 has more to do with the opponent. Even if you do your best to follow the recommendations, you will still end up messing your game up from time to time. There are just too many issues to control. Nonetheless, the percentage of converted winning positions should increase.
Now let's get back to the Mulhouse 2010-GM event and take a look at my round 4 game there:
After having obtained a decisive advantage I still couldnt win the game and even lost it. There were two main mistakes: 1. Relaxing too early and neglecting my opponents counter-play 2. Getting into time-trouble. Then I became upset about not converting a technically won position and started playing really badly instead of pulling myself together and making a draw.
 Comments (2)
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 27 July 2010 )
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FIDE country stats: Chile
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Natalia Pogonina on myths surrounding women's chess
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 26 July 2010 |
"Married women always castle to the right"
Grandmaster Natalia Pogonina addresses some of the myths about women's chess
Interviewer: Mikhail Khomitch, ProSport magazine
1. During the WC match Anand had a famous female grandmaster on his team, that's why he emerged victorious.
This might as well be true! There is so much secrecy about these matches...After all, Kasparov, Carlsen and Kramnik did help him.
2. Carlsen brings a plastic bag to every game, while women players carry around Birkin bags and chihuahua dogs.
Carlsen indeed favors the plastic bag. Women's tastes differ: it may be Birkin, it may be Gucci. Carrying a dog with you is no good though - will distract one more than a vuvuzela.
3. When packing up for a tournament, female players take a evening dresses for each round.
Most chess players are well-groomed and always take some nice clothes with them, including an evening dress. Not for each day though, of course.
4. While the opponent is thinking, female players pull out a mirror and start fixing their make-up.
If something is wrong (e.g. with the hair-style), a female chess player may become nervous and blunder something. It's better to go out to the wash-room though to fix it.
5. Plain Janes play with double vigor against beauties.
Only if they have psychological complexes about it. Also, there are no unattractive girls in chess.
6. When FIDE ratings are calculated, women get additional points for being beautiful.
FIDE won't employ this rule, otherwise there will be no men on top of the ratings!
7. Judit Polgar is jealous of other women who try to play men.
No, not at all. It's well known that she supports female emancipation.
8. The Polgar sisters are in reality Polgar brothers.
Omg!  No, they are great sisters. Chess would have been miserable without them.
9. Married women always castle to the right and single - to the left (in Russian "to go to the left" means "commit adultery" - Pogonina.com).
All female players are so reckless they castle both right and left!
10. The chief judge of a recent beauty contest among female chess players was Kasparov.
It would be great to hold such a contest, especially with Kasparov in charge. Garry is an expert when it comes to women's beauty!
11. Women don't play blitz since they are afraid of breaking a nail.
On the contrary, women are quite proficient at blitz - a long nail may help make an extra move!
12. Women chess players have pink chess boards and pieces with embedded crystals.
Alas, no. But some of us own pink laptops!
13. Blonde girls have difficulties grasping the rules of the game.
Yes, that's a well-known fact. Thus, they have to make them up during the game!
14. Kosteniuk and Morozevich are aruging all the time who the sex-symbol of Russian chess is.
Well, they seem to be of different sex, no? Btw, in chess you don't often hear about gay grandmasters, our sport is very traditional!
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 28 September 2010 )
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Your tactics at Pogonina.com-6
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 25 July 2010 |
Ruslan Dusenov drinking from one of his trophies
Name: Ruslan Dusenov
Age: 24
Country: Russia
City: Astrakhan-Moscow
Chess level: FM-elect, highest FIDE rating 2314
Education: MA in IT from ASTU, studying for an MA in Economics at HSE
Occupation: software developer
Hobbies: poker, intellectual games (e.g. jeopardy), football, literature, cinema
Ruslan decided to share with us one of his games from the IM-tournament he played at Chess City, Elista in 2005 against FM Akhmedzhanov Kamil.
First of all, try to find Black's continuation in this position:
Here is the entire game (quite impressive and instructive, btw):
Kamil Akhmedzhanov (2363) - Ruslan Dusenov (2235)
P.S. Becoming a featured guest at Pogonina.com is easy - just contact us!
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 25 July 2010 )
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