ChessConquest - official discussion thread

Good point ViperGTI. I can also do with some vacation points. Need a week break from chess to be honest. Making some really bad mistakes over the last while.

You guys should see the excellent move ViperGTI made against me! It's one of those moves that's so tough to see and needs proper calculation to execute. Nicely done!
 
ViperGTI said:
So Yotta, what was the last discussion around vacation days again? Any chance we can get some increase?

I'm moving at the end of the month so I can see disaster ahead as I'm unsure about when Telkom will install the line at my new location.
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ViperGTI, can I get back to you on this one...
 
Thanks, but I'm still not sure how that is going to work out for me. This king sacrificed a rook, bishop and knight for that queen (sounds like something from the Tudors), so the price might have been a bit high here.
 
Eishhhhhhhh!

I was making a move on my touchscreen smartphone when it slipped out of my hand. What I didn't notice (the screen is much smaller than a monitor, and one can hardly see the button) was that in the process the 'Resign' button got pressed. Imagine my horror when the screen came up showing that the game had been added to my history, especially as I was very positive that I was going to get a good position in it, if not a win.

What's the lesson to be had? This has given me such a fright that I am reluctant to play on the phone. Maybe I should just be more careful.

This is the second time that I have been caught like this: in another game a few months ago I was toying with the idea of resigning when I noticed that I had some counter-play after all. I excitedly made my move and discovered that I had not unchecked the resignation button. Game Over. Sigh.

Am I the only one that has been caught like this?

Yotta, is it possible to build in a confirmation dialogue to ensure that the player really wanted to resign? This would really help.
 
After some thought I have cone up with an alternative that seems more elegant. When a player makes a move that is accompanied with a resignation request ignore the resignation request as out was likely made in error.

My reasoning is that if the resignation request is genuine there will always be another opportunity but an incorrect resignation is irreversible.
 
Both games in the Championship final match between Jakkals and myself ended today when we both resigned our games as White, meaning that we will be starting a new game within the next day or so. I would love to hear comment and questions on the games, and will be publishing my analysis of the first two games (based on trusty old chessmaster) soon.
 
Ouch, resigning by accident is a very unfortunate way to lose a game. :( A message box asking whether you really want to resign is a necessity.

I'll go have a look at the two games between you and Jakkals tonight. I haven't installed Fritz yet after making Windows 8 my main OS but as soon as I've done that I will let it analyze the games too.
 
Sorry for only replying now, been down with a cold the past 2 weeks...

tallfred said:
Yotta, is it possible to build in a confirmation dialogue to ensure that the player really wanted to resign? This would really help.
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Will look into this...
 
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Guys, about the vacation time, just a reminder that your vacation days will be reset back to 40 days on your sign up anniversary date. Most players should start seeing their vac. time being reset to 40 days in the coming weeks...
 
Everyone has a couple of games during their chess career that they feel particular proud about... I'm currently enjoying such a game...
I've secured a win against one of the Romanian players, 10 moves into the game. Being a 1300+, it's always nice to give a 1800+ a run for their money...

http://www.chessconquest.com/index.php?p=viewgame&gameid=28496

I almost fumbled the game... with his move 9. a3, I should have played Qh4 (not Nc6). Luckily he did not play h4 in move ten, otherwise the game would have been COMPLETELY different.
 
tallfred said:
Both games in the Championship final match between Jakkals and myself ended today when we both resigned our games as White, meaning that we will be starting a new game within the next day or so. I would love to hear comment and questions on the games, and will be publishing my analysis of the first two games (based on trusty old chessmaster) soon.
Click to expand...

For those of you who want to follow the epic first ever ChessConquest Championship final (Tallfred vs Jakkals)...

http://www.chessconquest.com/index.php?p=viewgame&gameid=28540
 
yotta said:
Everyone has a couple of games during their chess career that they feel particular proud about... I'm currently enjoying such a game...
I've secured a win against one of the Romanian players, 10 moves into the game. Being a 1300+, it's always nice to give a 1800+ a run for their money...

http://www.chessconquest.com/index.php?p=viewgame&gameid=28496

I almost fumbled the game... with his move 9. a3, I should have played Qh4 (not Nc6). Luckily he did not play h4 in move ten, otherwise the game would have been COMPLETELY different.
Click to expand...

Nice... I've played that guy a couple of times. He is very good.
 
1.e4 Nc6 2. d4 e5 3. dxe5 Nxe5 4. f4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Bc5 7.Bc4 d6 8. Nc3 Nf6 9. h3? (-0.33)
So far White has been enjoying a slight but nagging advantage by making simple sensible developing moves. This move with the dual point of preparing for g4 and preventing Bg4 is trying for too much. The problem is that this move does not develop any pieces and gives Black the opportunity to get some counter-pressure. Just simply 9. Qe2 followed by O-O-O would have been logical and strong. (The numbers in brackets refers to Chessmaster’s evaluation of the position: a positive number means advantage to White and negative denotes advantage to Black)

9… Na5? (0.60)
But now Black uses his Knight to take a swipe at the irritating Bishop. The problem is that the Knight is diverted to the edge of the board.

10. Qe2? (0.07)
Simply 10. Bb4+ would make the Knight on the side of the board look stranded. White would be happy if Black played 10… c6 because it would weaken the pawn on d6.

10… Nxc4 (0.15) 11. Qxc4 (0.16) O-O (0.16) 12. O-O-O (0.16) Bd7 (0.41) 13. Nd5?! (-0.30)
White starts to try to force the matter with a spectacular but premature attacking manoeuvre. The problem is that the Black position, while slightly cramped, has no obvious weaknesses, and the aggressive posting of the Knight does not achieve anything tangible. 13. Rhe1 continuing to strengthen White’s position was more in harmony with the situation on the board.

13… Re8 (-0.07) 14. Ng5?! (-0.47) h6 (0.00)
Black could have stopped White’s monkey tricks with 14… Nxd5.

15. Nxf7 (0.00)
The whole point of White’s last two moves: a pretty pseudo-sacrifice.

15... Kxf7 (0.00) 16. Nxc7+ (0.00) Kf8 (0.17)
16… Be6?? fails to 17. Nxe6 Rxe6 18. f5

17. Nxe8 (0.24) Qxe8 (0.18)
The culmination of White’s ‘clever’ combination. White has a slight material advantage, a strong centre, and the potential to open lines down the centre. Black has nothing to fear however, because his pieces can easily take up strong positions. The position is still level despite White’s rash attempt to push the game in his favour.

18. e5 (0.35) b5 (0.73)
18… Perhaps Bb5 would have been slightly more accurate.

19. Qd3 (0.75) fxe5 (0.73) 20. Rhe1?? (-0.83)
White’s decisive mistake. Now the Pawn will reach e4, and the passed pawn will create a lot of pressure on White’s position.

20… e4 (-0.90) 21. Qb3? (-1.56)
Immediately the pressure causes White to falter. 21. Qe2 is far better.

21… Be6 (-1.56) 22. Qg3 (-1.55) Bxa2 (-1.39) 23. Bc3 (-1.39)
Not 23. b3?? Ba3 checkmate.

23… Bc4 (-1.02) 24. Bd4 (-1.74) Qc6! (-1.80)
Despair for White. Black takes the Queen over to the Queen side where it can do the most harm.

25. Qg6?(-3.29)
A bad move attempting to force Black to keep the Queen in the centre, but the best alternative 25. Bxc5+ is not going anywhere either.

25… Bxd4 (-3.26) 26. Rxd4 (-3.27) Qa6!
And now Black penetrates into the heart of White’s Queen side. White must lose further material.

27. Rxe4?
The forlorn hope is to get one of his Rooks to get some play instead of uselessly watching the Pawn on e4.

27… Qa1+ 28. Kd2 (-6.95) Nxe4+(-7.07) 29. Rxe4 (-7.37) Rd8+ (-7.26) 30. Ke3 (-7.40) Bd5
Black does not fall for 31... Qe1+ 32. Kf3 Bd5?? 33. Qf5+ Kg8 34. Qxd5 Rxd5 35. Rxe1 and it is White that sneaks ahead. Now White cannot save the exchange without allowing even greater catastrophe to overcome him.

0-1
Well played Jakkals!

Comments anyone?
 
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Here's a link to the game that tallfred has analysed: http://www.chessconquest.com/index.php?p=viewgame&gameid=23606

20. Rhe1? was definitely the move that cost you the game here. Sometimes it is so easy to overlook the potential danger of merely moving a pawn forward, especially when the only way to stop it would have lost you the nice pawn on f4, so looking for an alternative is very understandable.

I believe Rhe1 would have been better timed on move 18, immediately capitalizing on your double rook advantage, but even then it would have been a very tight game.
 
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I just wanted to share something that I hadn't seen in a while:

LtlSd.png


Ever since the numerous amount of tournament games were initiated at the same time, I've been stuck on 40+ games in progress. And since then I think this is the first time that there isn't a game that I need to make a move for. But I know it'll be a brief time off. Anybody else struggling to keep up?

Yotta, regarding the vacation time, I would like to recommend adding a little bit at the start of every new month. In a few weeks I will surely run out of vacation time, and I'd hate to lose so many games due to being busy with studies/exams. If it increments by, say, 4 days every new month (close to the 40 days/year system as it stands now), with a maximum cap of 30 days, then I feel it is far more considerate. It will allow me to ration how much time I take off, instead of wasting away everything and then being stuck at 0 vacation time for half a year (until the anniversary reset).
 
Vixe said:
Yotta, regarding the vacation time, I would like to recommend adding a little bit at the start of every new month. In a few weeks I will surely run out of vacation time, and I'd hate to lose so many games due to being busy with studies/exams. If it increments by, say, 4 days every new month (close to the 40 days/year system as it stands now), with a maximum cap of 30 days, then I feel it is far more considerate. It will allow me to ration how much time I take off, instead of wasting away everything and then being stuck at 0 vacation time for half a year (until the anniversary reset).
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How do the rest of you guys feel about Vixe's suggestion? Perhaps monthly increase is more practical.

If no-one object, I'd take it that everyone agrees...
 
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