For as long as I can remember playing chess I've been promising to dedicate myself to improving. After every tournament I've ever played I can remember specifically stating how this was the last time I was going to play a tournament unprepared. This dedication would last about a week. Apparently what I was doing didn't work for me. About three months ago I decided to rededicate myself to my mission of improving my game.

See I am the type of person that usually spends a lot of time planning. In fact I have a real problem where I work on very intricate plans, but I never get any further. So I started to do some deep self analysis and what I discovered was that I just had to start. I don't think I'm unique with this problem, but unlike most I am willing to do something about it. With this epiphany I was able to identify three steps that I had to be willing to pursue if I wanted to accomplish my goal. And those three steps are:

1. A well defined goal
2. Commitment to achieving the goal
3. A way of being accountable to achieving the goal
   

Step 1: Define your goals. Make your goals measurable. If you set precise goals that have dates or some other measurable benchmark then you are able to focus on what you're trying to accomplish. My approach is to set a major goal and break that down into intermediate goals that are designed to help me reach my major goal. As an example my major goal in chess is to become a Class A player. This goal is very miserable, however, this task is overwhelming if I look at where I'm at now which is a Class C player. This is where setting mini goals is extremely helpful. Defining these intermediate goals are like setting way points on a trip. Everyone of these mini goals should get you closer to your ultimate goal. As an example, I realized that I was going to need help from a much stronger player. I set a goal to locate somebody that I could depend on to meet with me on a regular basis to improve my game. I found a chess coach on the internet for price that could afford and achieved that goal of getting help. Achieving that goal moves me closer to obtaining my major goal.

Step 2: Commitment to your goal will probably be the hardest part of goals setting. Once you commit to achieving your goals you are heading down a path that will require you to make sacrifices. Do not kid yourself; achieving worthwhile goals is not easy. It requires you to work hard. So my advice to you is to make sure that this is something that you really want to achieve. For me this meant that I had to decide if I wanted to use my entertainment budget to pay for a chess coach. My budget is finite so if I'm paying for a coach then I don't have money for something else like going out to eat at a restaurant. I was also faced with adjusting my schedule and forcing myself to dedicate time every day to working on my game. Again this means if I'm allocating my very limited free time to chess then I have to be willing to give up something else.

Step 3: When I did my self analysis I discovered that one of the reasons that I failed in achieving certain goals is because I tried to do it all myself. Some people can be successful doing that. Unfortunately I am not. The goals I noticed that I achieved were usually done with other people being aware of what I was trying to accomplish. There was an accountability involved in the goal. I had people asking me how it was going or how close I was to being finished. In any event I had someone watching my progress. This provided motivation to keep going. If I failed I wasn't the only person that would know. My advice is do something that makes you feel accountable towards your goal. I started this web page with the intention of allowing the world to follow me as I strive to achieve my Class A rating. I told everyone at work what I was doing just so they would know and I would gain motivation from them. By being accountable it is much less likely that you'll quit when the commitment and sacrifice that you have to make seems overwhelming.

These steps for me were specifically devised with chess in mind, but as I thought more about it these are needed to accomplish any goal. If you have something that you have wanted to accomplish then I'm convinced that following these steps will produce results. Reaching your dreams is in your hands. You have control over accomplishing whatever you want. Never ever give up. As long as you breath you have any opportunity to accomplish great things. Just go for it.

Some of you may have read my series on chess etiquette where I presented some guidelines on what I believe is appropriate behavior at a tournament. This series generated a lot of feedback. More feedback then I had anticipated. With so many emails and comments left for me I decided that I should cover a misconception that I saw stated by several people. It appears that a lot of people are under the impression that being polite is somehow associated with being weak. This could not be further from the truth. In fact the two have nothing to do with each other.

I think one of the biggest disservices that many grandmasters and teachers of chess have done is propagate the notion that chess is better played when you have bad intentions towards your opponent. This is ridiculous, but if you do follow this method of thinking then I can see how my series would seem counter to your game preparation. In my series I talk about being friendly, I talk about being polite, and these actions would not be compatible with your process of getting prepared for a match. In fact if you subscribe to the notion that you have to "hate" your opponent then you couldn't possibly follow my advice.

It's kind of strange for me to be writing this because a few years ago I followed the notion that I had to get into a zone which included fabricating contempt for my opponent. What I came to realize is that it wasn't my feelings towards my opponent that should motivate me. It is a desire to win. My opponent is irrelevant. My only thoughts before and during a match is to play perfect chess and to win. I don't believe you need to or should waste any energy focusing on anything besides what you are there for, and that's to win. What should motivate me is my absolute hatred of losing. I've never lost a game and been happy about it and I hope I never do.

So there you have it. My approach of being polite should never be confused with being soft. You can play anybody if your motivating factor is not dependent on them. They can be nice or rude, but your focus will be the same. By having the proper motivation it frees you to enjoy tournaments more and allows you to be friendly to your opponent. There's enough ugliness in the world without us unnecessarily generating more. Chess provides a wonderful canvas for us to compete and create something special let's not muddy it.

Do I think MonRoi is good for chess? The answer is I don't know, but I must admit that I have reservations. Let me start by saying I have never used or even seen a MonRoi in action. However, this does not preclude me from considering the ramifications of its use or more appropriately misuse. For those of you that are unfamiliar with what a MonRoi is it's a handheld chess database/ score sheet. It has been embraced by FIDE and the USCF. The features of the device are too numerous to list here so for more information about the product please visit their website at www.monroi.com.

I'm disappointed in how quickly the USCF embraced the use of this device in the face of all the cheating scandals that have rocked the chess community. It's hard for me to understand why we the members of the USCF were not informed of such a radical change to the way we play. The USCF is responsible to its members. Before agreeing to use such a device I believe it would have been in the best interest of everyone involved to be reassured that that device was safe. The USCF did nothing of the sort. The reason why this obvious step was not taken I can only guess at, but the consequences of this gamble are severe.

The company that makes the MonRoi claim that the device is fully secure and tamper free. I would just like to point out that many companies have made similar claims and I can't think of a single one that has held up. The problem I don't believe is the device. It's the people that use that device that I am worried about. Whenever money or status is involved someone will attempt to circumvent the system for their own personal gain. Unfortunately money and status are great motivators to people, and the ingenuity of these people should never be underestimated. My grandmother used to tell me "If a man made it a man can break it.". The idea that the device has the potential to be tampered with is a risk I think needs to be seriously investigated.

The device is a technological step in chess, but is it a necessary step. I think that using this item the way it is intended could serve as a convenience at best. This device does provide a distraction to chess players and tournament directors who are already paranoid about cheating. I think a device like this or maybe some other recording mechanism will be used in tournaments I play, but I for one could never feel comfortable knowing the device my opponent had in his hand was capable of so much more than just score keeping. Chess has already suffered enough negative publicity about cheating. Why should we employ this device and possibly subject the game I love to more.

With Christmas less than two months away its time for chess players to start thinking about what they want to find under the tree. You could ask for another tie or a new pair of shoes, you know something boring, or you can start working on a list of things that you really want. You know what I am talking about, those books, DVD's, computers, software, weighted sets, wooden boards, and anything else that your chess heart can dream of. For some of us this is our one shot a year to restock our chess shelves without having to explain or defend our lust for just a little bit more chess paraphernalia.

This year I'm not going to waste my opportunity to capitalize on the situation. One of the best things I did with this site was start my chess store. There are things listed in their that I wasn't even aware of. As I clicked through the seemingly endless list of products my heart started to race, my palms began to sweat, and my mind was on fire with different scenarios on how I was going to get my hands on some of them. Then the answer came to me in the form of a Wal-Mart commercial. The disembodied voice said "Christmas is just around the corner! Let your loved ones know.". Visions of Ralphy scheming to convince his parents to buy him a Red Ryder BB gun from the movie A Christmas Story immediately surfaced.

So here are a few things I'm doing to help my family help me with my mission to stock up on as much chess goodness as I can get.

1. I'm creating a list of things that I want. I realize some of you may object to telling family and friends what you desire as gifts, but isn't it even worse to have your friends and family wasting their money on things you neither desire or will use.
2. I'm giving them the web address to my chess store so they can find the things I'm telling them about. This step is good for anyone that's worried about a friend or family member going to amazon.com with good intention, but through no fault of there own being directed away from the intended goal by the plethora of options and products on amazon.com.
3. I'm taking matters into my own hands. This year I'm going to set aside some of my own funds towards a little Christmas cheer.
   

Don't wait for the last minute this year. If you're like me Christmas always seems to sneak up and is here before I know it. Don't fall into this trap. Here's your chance to get that book or whatever else you need to gain a few more rating points.

I'm not sure if I'm the only one that has this problem, but one of my biggest problems in tournament chess is playing scared. How many times have you started a game and that evil little voice in the back of your head starts whispering "Hey, this guy know something you don't. "? That voice will cause you to lose more games than anything else. I used to think that that voice was helping me play safer chess, but the truth is all I was doing was hoping that my opponent would make a mistake that I could capitalize on. What I should be doing is forcing my opponent to make a mistake.

Playing scared will cause you to do several things in chess that are the kiss of death. Probably the biggest error that this style of play will have you doing is making unnecessary moves. Moving a piece to guard against imaginary threats results in two things. First, you are wasting valuable time guarding against a threat that doesn't exist yet. Secondly, you are allowing your opponent to develop their pieces without having to consider your threats. Playing scared is playing passive. You never want to play passive.

As a class player I've had many of my games analyzed by much stronger players and I've seen other class players games analyzed. What I've noticed is a consistent theme in the advice that the stronger players give, and that is to stop wasting moves. The answer that class players give when confronted with a wasted move is that they thought they were guarding against a threat. What they were really doing is playing scared. When you make passive or wasted moves its equivalent to allowing your opponent to move twice or more. By using this style your only hope is for your opponent to either blunder or reciprocate by wasting moves too.

Fortune favors the bold!

In a tournament, where the pressure is on, you want to be the one dictating the tempo of the game. That means you always want your opponent reacting to you. Keep the pressure on them and they will make a mistake. If they are reacting they aren't attacking and you will have opportunities presented to you.

So am I advocating an all out attacking style all the time? Absolutely not. Keeping the tempo on your side doesn't mean throwing your pieces around with reckless abandonment. I am advocating coordinated attacks on specific squares or pieces. The point of attacking is to not allow your opponent time to work on their own plans.

We've all lost games playing scared or by making passive moves. Make a conscious effort not to suffer another lost using this style of play again. I hate being strangled by my opponent and if I am going to lose I want to go down swinging. The best way to avoid this style is to study tactics. This is the key to understand a position and understanding your opportunities to attack. The good news is that tactics is fun to study and once you start studying them you will see more attacking lines, but maybe more importantly you will be able to tell if you need to be concerned with your opponents' threats. No more wasted moves, no more passive chess is the key to success.

(November 9, 1936 - June 28, 1992) Tal is one of my favorite players. I found his style confusing, but at the same time magical. Here is a small section from Wikipedia on Tal

Tal was born in Riga, Latvia. At the age of eight, Mikhail learned to play chess while watching his father. Shortly thereafter he joined the Riga Palace of Young Pioneers chess club. His play was not exceptional at first but worked hard to improve. Alexander Koblencs began tutoring Tal in 1949. Tal's game improved rapidly thereafter and by 1951 he qualified for the Latvian Championship. In the 1952 championship Tal finishing ahead of his trainer. Tal won his first national title in 1953 and was awarded the title of candidate master.

Tal loved the game in itself and considered that "Chess, first of all, is Art." He was capable of playing numerous blitz games against unknown or relatively weak players purely for the joy of playing.

Known as "The Magician from Riga", Tal can be considered as the archetype of the attacking player, developing an extremely powerful and imaginative play. His approach over the board was very pragmatic - in that respect, he is one of the heirs of the ex-World Champion Emanuel Lasker. He often sacrificed material in search for the initiative in chess, which is defined by the ability to make threats to which the opponent must respond. With such intuitive sacrifices, he created vast complications, and many masters found it impossible to solve all the problems he created over the board, though deeper post-game analysis found flaws in some of his conceptions. Although this playing style was scorned by ex-World Champion Vasily Smyslov as nothing more than "tricks", Tal convincingly beat every notable grandmaster with his trademark aggression. Viktor Korchnoi and Paul Keres are two of the few with a significant plus record against him.

Of the current top-level players, the Latvian-born Spaniard Alexei Shirov has probably been most influenced or inspired by Tal's sacrificial style. In fact he studied with Tal as a youth. Many other Latvian grandmasters and masters, for instance Alexander Shabalov and Alvis Vitolins, have played in a similar vein, causing some to speak of a "Latvian School of Chess".

He remained to the end of his brief life an immensely popular figure in the world of chess.

Here is one of my favorite Tal games. It's typical Tal style with some lovely sacrifices. Enjoy!




Download the Game in PGN Format

This will be the final post in this series. We've reached the end game. Obviously if you have read the previous posts in this series then you are aware that I have been talking about chess etiquette, hence the titles. With this specific post we'll cover the end of the game and the departure of the two opponents. Even though this post is a logical conclusion to the series it has been my experience that most people handle this phase of the game quite well. In fact in my 25 years of playing I can only recall a half a dozen instances where I have seen players act negatively at the conclusion of a match. So the points that I will make are not directed towards a specific incident that I've witnessed. They are in fact discussed here just to remind us of the proper way to conclude a game.

By the time we reached the end of a match emotions can run high. Remember to keep your composure. If you're fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a favorable end game control your joy. Remember if you're in a favorable position then your opponent is not and is feeling pretty bad. Similarly if you're the guy on the losing end control your anger. I believe that you should be angry, but it's not your opponent's fault you lost. Therefore your opponent should not have to deal with your displeasure.

Winner Don'ts:
* Smiling
* Walking around telling your friends you got him
* Recording the moves before your opponent makes them
Loser Don'ts
* Striking the clock hard
* Dragging out a lost game
* Crying

Once the game has concluded please do not discuss the game in the tournament hall. This is extremely bad form. Take any discussions about your game outside. I've seen many people replaying their game and discussing it while other games are still going on. The people that are still playing do not need or want the distraction. This is extremely hard to remember because as chess players we want to talk about the game and having the position still on the board and fresh in our mind is to enticing to pass up. Doing this, however, is extremely disrespectful to everyone that is still playing. Please be cognizant of this action and avoid it.

Before going off to dance a jig or sulk in the dark remember to shake your opponent's hand and wish them luck in the rest of the tournament. This is very easy to forget after playing for several hours, but it is absolutely the proper way to end the match. You fought way too hard to end the battle improperly. You played a gentleman's game and you should end it as a gentleman.

Most of the responses that I've received with regards to this topic have pointed out that the majority of tournaments that they have attended have very few of these infractions. My answer to this statement is that this series was not intended to label all chess players as being guilty of acting inappropriately. There are, however, a few people that are doing things at tournaments that I find unacceptable. This series is intended to expose their actions and hopefully provide them with options to correct it.

Welcome to my second installment of chess etiquette. This post is going to cover the proper way a chess player is supposed to behave while the game is being played. Sticking with the chess theme I will refer to this as the middle game.

Once the game has started most people have no problems behaving correctly, but I have seen several players involved in what I consider poor behavior during play. I'll discuss a few of the more blatant ones that I've noticed at some of my recent tournaments.

Let's start with my biggest complaint that I mentioned from the previous post. Turn off your cell phone. I can't express how annoying a cell phone is when you're trying to concentrate on a difficult position. I'm not going to say much more on this topic. I believe I've sufficiently covered this in the first etiquette post, but this is such a serious infraction that I believe it is necessary to mention it in this post as well.

Let's now move to the subject of eating while you're playing. I recognize that sometimes this is unavoidable. Many times my game from the previous round finished at the start of the second round leaving little or no time to have anything to eat. With that said your choice of food should be considered with your opponent in mind. There are some obvious foods that should be eliminated from your available choices. Foods that make a lot of noise are obviously bad choices. Anything in a bag that you have to dig into in order to get the food is a bad choice. Foods that leave a residue on your hands or are very strong smelling is a bad choice. No one wants to touch a piece that is covered in your lunch. Foods that are excellent choices are nutrition bars or a candy bars. These foods can be eaten very quickly and still satisfy your hunger. I always carry nutrition bars with me to all my tournaments just in case I need to eat something fast.

Let's talk about body language. This may actually be something that some people are unaware of, but I have seen several players doing things that are just plain wrong. The worst offense of this happened at a tournament that I attended a year ago. I wasn't involved in the game, but they were playing right next to me. During the game one of the players was analyzing the position and his opponent, from all indications, believed that he shouldn't be taken so much time. He was huffing, and taking deep breaths, standing up and sitting down (repeatedly), and rolling his eyes so I thought it was forced mate in one or something. I examined the game and it wasn't even close to being over. Even a player with my limited skills could see that there was still plenty of chess left to play. The game continued well after I had finished my game so I am not sure why he was doing that. In any event that kind of behavior is not only distracting to your opponent, but to everyone that is unfortunate enough to sit near you. If your opponent appears to be taken a long time to move so what. You have other options besides making childish grunts and contortions with your face. The best way to handle this is to just walk away from the board. By just leaving the table you eliminate annoying anyone. Here are few more things to watch out for:

* Coughing repeatedly (use a cough drop)
* Slurping a drink
* Tapping your pencil

Just like my last post I'm sure there are many things that missed, but these posts are not intended to be complete. The intention of writing this is to get your mind thinking about things that you may do that you never thought of. My goal is to make going to a tournament a fun experience.

Just like last time I am hoping that this post will generate comments. When you list other things that I haven't thought of it makes me aware of things that I do that maybe unsportsmanlike. Tournaments can be a wonderful experience if we all do our part to make them at that way.

This post will be the first in a series that I intend to do on chess etiquette. So why do I feel that this topic is worth writing about? From my experience in many tournaments and playing countless games at clubs I have noticed a decline in basic social skills from players of all levels. This series is not intended to imply that chess players are monsters or mean people, but it is intended to point out some very simple things that we can all do to make our chess playing experience a pleasant one.

First off, whether we like it or not chess is a social game. This may sound like a strange notion since most of the game is played in silence, but the truth of the matter is that a chess game involves two people. When you sit down at the board you are interacting with another person. So this first post will deal with things we can do before we start the round, but since we are chess players I'll call it the opening.

I've been to many tournaments where I have sat across from my opponent before the round has started and he barely says hello or he has some pre-rehearsed introduction like "Good Chess" which I guess is intended to alleviate the burden of having to lie by saying good luck. In any event the proper way to handle this "awkward" situation is to simply introduce yourself. Whenever I sit at the board I always say "Hello, my name is John Evans are you (insert opponents name)?". With this simple sentences I've expressed greetings and I've given my name. This is a proper introduction. There is also nothing wrong with telling your opponent a little about yourself or asking them some questions either. There is no rule against making friends at a tournament. It's rude to sit across from someone without a proper introduction.

The second area of improvement deals with digital clocks. I am constantly amazed when my opponent request that we use their new digital clock and after I agree they run off looking for someone to set it. DO NOT ask to use a digital clock if you don't know how to set it YOURSELF. I don't care if your buddy or coach can set it. This request has nothing to do with the game and if the person you are playing already has a clock it just simply rude. If you prefer a digital clock spend some time with it before the round to learn to set it. I probably sound like an old timer, but the analog clock is still king with me.

Now we get to my biggest opening complaint. Leave the cell phones at home. This complaint is directed to anyone that attends a tournament. I put this here because this is where YOU can fix it. I've noticed that no matter how many signs are put up or how many warnings the TD provides someone will leave their cell phone ringer on. And in the middle of a game the phone will start playing its annoying music. I am a proponent of ejecting anyone that violates this common courtesy. When I say eject I mean they can no longer enter the playing hall. This rule should even be enforced for players. You forfeit your games if this happens. This may sound harsh, but how difficult is it to turn off a ringer?

These are just a few of the things that I've noticed people at a tournament will do consistently, but all of these things can easily be fixed. All we need to do as chess players is be considerate of everyone else that's attending the tournament. I realize that the pressure of attending a tournament can cause us to do strange things, but if we follow just a few of these simple guidelines our tournament experience will be so much more enjoyable for everyone. I know there are more things to list so if you have a specific complaint leave a comment on this post. Try to stick to the topic by only listing complaints that are associated with the opening.

Please stay tuned for the next post in this series that will cover proper etiquette during the game.