Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-24 |
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| Friday, 22 October 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 The rules are simple - send us your questions and see them featured in the weekly Q&A column! Q1: Some years ago, I saw I. Nataf use different analysis engines in different types of positions (tactical, or closed position for example)- all outdated now of course. I know the engines are incredibly strong anyway, but do you different ones and if so which for which types of positions? A1: First of all, I am not an expert in this field. Secondly, my main engine is Rybka 4 (a balanced and probably strongest engine in the world), while I may use some of the engines from the Ippolit family in positions where deep calculation is required, Houdini for endgames and slightly inferior positions, Fritz for attacking ones, etc. Q2: Do you ever dream of chess in your sleep? A2: From time to time, but such dreams don't produce any novelties or revelations. Q3: When playing a great amount of chess I sometimes notice issues about a single theme (central control, mobility, etc) that are occurring in most of my games. How to improve upon specific strategic problems? A3: Usually the hardest problem is to pinpoint this weak spot. If you know what it is, you may ask a coach to find problems on this issue, check out Chess.com's Chess Mentor or special software of strategy. From time to time I even read books on certain strategic concepts (that's the old-fashioned, but effective way). Q4: Is it better to consolidate your pieces to one side of the board or scatter them all over the board? A4: This is a very deep question. Generally speaking, in chess the supreme aim is to checkmate the opponent's king, so the first intention is often to attack it at all costs. However, using war analogies, if you can't murder the opponent's leader for some reason, you may have to send your troops to all the states and proceed slowly, step by step. Mobility and the capability to bring your pieces to the part of the board where the main action is taking place is what matters most. Q5: Do you have a particular opponent that you find difficult to play against? I mean someone who is about equal or even less than you in rating but you always had bad results against that person? A5: Yes, and I have mentioned it in an article "Customers and Nemesis". Historically, I have been playing rather terribly against the Kosintseva sisters. Q6: Any tips of how to avoid losing the game due to lack of concentration? A6: Stay fit (sleep & eat well). Don't waste too much energy on trying to predict your opponent's moves unless you are in serious time trouble. Stand up from the board from time to time, walk around, relax. Stay focused no matter what the position is (watch out of for counter-play if you are winning or losing, don't get too relaxed in "dead drawn" positions). Pay special attention to this aspect when playing training games. Follow Botvinnik's example - he used to train by playing in rooms full of smoke, with loud music on, etc. Once you get used to all sorts of distracting factors, you will never be caught off-guard over the board. Q7: Is there a correlation between the player's temper and his chess potential? Between libido and chess skills? A7: There are different styles in chess (e.g. positional, tactical, calculative) which suit people of different tempers. By watching how a person plays chess, you can often predict what temper he/she has. As to libido...that's a tough question, Chess Kama Sutra-type. I haven't collected enough data on this subject so far to offer a qualified opinion.  Related articles: Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-23 Your quetions answered by Natalia Pogonina-22 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-21 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-20 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-19 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-18 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-17 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-16 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-15 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-14 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-13 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-12 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-11 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-10 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-9 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-8 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-7 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-6 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-5 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-4 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-3 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-2 Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina 
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