tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011690536420808420.post8032635947484784923..comments2024-02-20T07:50:13.558+01:00Comments on Chess960 (FRC): Chess960 ChaosMark Weekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101044127493771263noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011690536420808420.post-52945912227217210972011-07-16T10:11:13.108+02:002011-07-16T10:11:13.108+02:00Ichabod: It's not that my engine didn't li...Ichabod: It's not that my engine didn't like 1...e6, it's that I arbitrarily cut off the candidate moves at four. If I had stopped the analysis a ply earlier or a ply later, 1...e6 might have been in the top four. There's a lot of chance in these computer analyses, another reason why I don't rely on them too much for the early opening. I agree that the move 1...e6 is interesting.<br /><br />HarryO: Any start position (including White's first move) that leads to a quick win has to be examined objectively. Ditto for any start position (including White's first move and Black's response) that looks too drawish. Is there a defect in the start position or is it poor play that skews the results?<br /><br />---<br /><br />Of course, in real competition we don't have computers to guide us, so the question becomes how do we find the way through the thicket of possible variations. The more chaotic the position looks, the more we depend on calculation and the less we depend on positional factors. Can we recognize chaos before it actually appears on the board? - MarkMark Weekshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10101044127493771263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011690536420808420.post-15720683620124386042011-07-12T04:53:45.862+02:002011-07-12T04:53:45.862+02:00SP941 is so interesting, in case anyone is interes...SP941 is so interesting, in case anyone is interested I've done another blog on it over here:<br />http://chess960jungle.blogspot.com/2011/07/tricky-tricky-chess960-part-3.html<br /><br />CheersHarryOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971894954907592580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011690536420808420.post-17896023097167983552011-07-12T03:35:47.273+02:002011-07-12T03:35:47.273+02:00Wow the 1...e6 line that Ichabod found does produc...Wow the 1...e6 line that Ichabod found does produce some interesting sequence of pawn moves. It makes me think that when the king is at the extreme edge of the board like this with the main king attack tactics temporarily suppressed, both sides can do this extensive maneuvering in the centre/opposite wing in ways you cannot do when the king is more centralised.<br /><br />The problem with 1...e6 to me is not 1...e6 actually but ...f5?! because the position looks totally lost for black simply because white's light bishop is 200% better than black's light bishop which as far as I can tell has absolutely no escape path after f5 (please correct me if I'm wrong!). This is because f5 hemms black's dark bishop along the vital escape diagonal h7-b1 which is actually an attacking diagonal against the king!<br /><br />On the other hand if black breaks a few opening principals and plays:<br />1. e4 e6<br />2. f4 Ng6<br />3. Ng3 c5!<br />Now that actually seems to work on many levels. Black's Ng6 can jump to e5 or it can even harass on h4 attacking f3.<br /><br />Wow....this opening combines Ichabod's find with Mark's c5 proposition. At all times black does not play ...f5?! instead black now continues along the pawn framework d6 and the h6 method to release the light bishop against white's king...<br /><br />So many rules are being broken but it is really interesting to know how black is actually surviving so well in this line!<br /><br />Holly molly if black develops Bb6/Ne7/Qe7 they can even castle g-side! However I think that in reality black's dark bishop cannot be developed well enough to make such a reality actually happen (Bb6 is dubious) what about Bh4 after the queen is taken off e7!?<br /><br />CheersHarryOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971894954907592580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011690536420808420.post-87492775317349414562011-07-11T05:45:36.485+02:002011-07-11T05:45:36.485+02:00Mark thanks for the post. Let me know if I am shoo...Mark thanks for the post. Let me know if I am shooting myself in the foot discussing these extreme cases in Chess960. Maybe I just open myself up to critics to condemning it even more!<br /><br />My own gut feeling is that it is better to talk about anything to do with Chess960 rather than to suppress discussion, because after all a critic is a critic no matter whether we suppress the extremes or not. Ask yourself the question, "when have I actually fundamentally and genuinely changed my position on an issue?" It is pretty rare for any of us.<br /><br />It's a bit like a democracy. In a wealthy democracy we have a small percentage of people that are homeless and on the streets. Do we want to talk about that or just suppress it? The situation is not pretty either but there is something we can do about it...<br /><br />SP941 is a Picasso crazy position but it still has it's place amongst the Rembrandt's is my belief. I think you have experienced the joy of analyzing it as much as I have and so there is something in the position to give us that even if it is a bit crazy! There is something that can be done to improve the situation for black! At the same time black still has chances if white slips up just once or twice...<br /><br />Chess960 is a wonderful pastime is my belief because it actually makes you think on many levels including questions about "what is actually my notion of perfection anyway?"<br /><br />CheersHarryOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15971894954907592580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6011690536420808420.post-10506038582348283572011-07-10T15:11:57.264+02:002011-07-10T15:11:57.264+02:00I checked it with an engine that can play FRC. Alt...I checked it with an engine that can play FRC. Although castling didn't come up, it still had some different ideas. Up to 17 ply it preferred the 1. ... f5 line, but without the Queen recapture: 1. ... f5 2. exf4 Nd6 3. f4 Nxf5 4. Nd3 d6 5. f4 Nh4 6. Ng3 c5 7. c4 Ba5 8. Ne4 e6 9. Bc2 N8g6 10. Re1 h6. Still a very chaotic position.<br /><br />But on the 18th ply it switched to 1. ... e6, which your engine didn't like: 1. ... e6 2. f4 f5 3. e5 d6 4. d4 g5 5. g3 gxf4 6. Bf3 c6 7. gxf4 Ng6 8. Nd3 Qh6 9. Be2 dxe5 10. dxe5 Bb6 11. Ng3. That gives a less chaotic position, but seems rather odd to a patzer like me with no piece moves until 6. Bf3.Ichabodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18128802270405657672noreply@blogger.com