Training Log

For the week ending 26 May 2012, I continued to focus on solving tactical problems. Most of this work was done on the Chess Tempo website. In addition, I solved a small number of problems in two iPad apps, and a few in Lev Alburt, Chess Training Pocket Book II. After many starts and stops and avoidance stemming from frustration, I ran into a sequence of problems in Alburt's book that were easy. These followed a mate in two that I missed.

White to move

I assessed the key move 1.Re8+ as winning after 1...Qxe8 2.Qxf6+ Kg8 3.Bc4+. However, after 1...Bxe8, I missed the simple 2.Qf8#. Thus, my move was 1.Bc4.

It is interesting that in the actual game from which Alburt extracted the position, the bishop is already on c4. The position is from Nezhmetdinov -- Kotov, 1957. I was surprised to find no such game in Big Database 2011. However, the game is available on Chessgames.com. There, and elsewhere, Kotov is spelled Kotkov. A.J. Goldsby offers his annotations to the game, which he posted in 2003. I went in search of the game score believing that this game might become the latest candidate in my efforts to compile a list of game worthy of memorization.

Although I missed a simple checkmate pattern in this problem, I had no difficulty recognizing it as one of my many threats in a game where I had substantial material superiority. A recent game on Red Hot Pawn, where I have returned for a few games ended in this position.

White to move

If 28.Qxf1, then 28...Qxf1#.
If 28.Kg2, then 28...Rxg1+ 29.Kf2 Bd4# (29.Kh3 Qh5#).
If 28.h4, then 28...Rxg1+ 29.Kh2 Rh1+ 30.Kg2 Qf1#.

My opponent resigned.

Perhaps it is more difficult to see certain mating patterns when one is concerned about a material deficit. Down a bishop, I was reluctant to analyze a line where I would be sacrificing a rook. Eight moves prior to the position at the end of the game, Rashid Nezhmetdinov sacrificed a knight to launch his attack. The game is worthy of study.

I attempted a total of 321 problems on Chess Tempo. I continued with problems in standard mode, worked through a batch selected by tactical motif because my score was low for that motif, and began training in blitz mode. I continue to offer my totals in standard mode in this "Training Log."

Problems Done: 1811 (Correct: 985 Failed: 826)
Percentage correct: 54.39%
Average recent per problem time spent 70 seconds

Much less time was spent with Shredder's iPad app (one dozen problems).

1669 puzzles: 13087/16690 points 78%
last 10 puzzles: 83/100 83%

I also solved another dozen in the Chess-wise Pro iPad app, which I wrote about in "A Good Run."