Ju Wenjun is the slight favorite to win the 12-game match. The percentages don't add up to 100 since the match could be drawn.
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Why you should try openings that don't suit your style
I'm a chess coach. Sign up for lessons on my website.
The short version: if you try an opening that clashes with your style, you get to learn about unfamiliar positions and fix your weaknesses. It helped me gain hundreds of rating points.
The longer version:
I was always a solid, positional player. I didn't feel at home in tactical complications. I could outplay higher rated opponents. But then they would try to complicate, and I would often fail to convert my advantage. At the US Open, I scored just half a point out of three winning positions:
Wilson-Schmakel. White to move
Wilson-Cohen. White to move.
Ji-Wilson. Black to move.
Doing tactical puzzles isn't enough. Navigating complications is about more than avoiding blunders. So I started playing the Benoni. This forced me to get more experience in dynamic positions. I also worked through books of Tal's games. He aimed for the types of positions that I would avoid. His books were written before the computer era, so he mostly explains the ideas and provides a few sample lines instead of overwhelming the reader with lengthy variations (as some modern authors do).
The last round of the Chicago Open was my first serious game in the Benoni. Prize money was at stake. (I don't recommend this. Try a new opening in a training game first. Make sure there is a long time control. In blitz, we have to rely on our instincts, but in a new opening, our instincts haven't been developed yet. If you don't have a sparring partner, test your new openings against an old computer. I train with games against Fritz 5.32 from the 1990s. It's definitely stronger than I am, but most of the games are very competitive; I'm not getting demolished. Modern engines are too strong and will crush you regardless of what opening you play).
My performance was shaky. You could say I was lucky. But a few years earlier, I would have lost positions like that 10 times out of 10. I kept working on the Benoni and studying Tal's books. A year later, I returned to the Chicago Open and got to play the Benoni again:
My prep had improved; I was ready for the sideline that he played. But more importantly, my understanding of dynamic positions was much better. I won a bunch of games like this one. My rating soared by 200 points, and now I'm in the 2100s. Eventually I switched to the Queen's Gambit Declined - it is much more compatible with my positional style - but I learned a ton from playing the Benoni. My next mission is to learn the Sicilian Scheveningen. There are lines where my opponent gets a big attack, and I'm not very comfortable there. But I'm going to learn a lot about defending.
Want me to be your chess coach? Sign up for lessons on my website coachmatt.awardspace.us.
Monday, December 9, 2024
World Chess Championship: Game 12 update
Ding Liren bounced back with a win, so his chances of retaining the title increased substantially. Since he is the favorite in the rapid tiebreaks, his overall chances are around equal.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Thursday, December 5, 2024
World Chess Championship: Game 9 update
As usual, the player who draws with Black sees their chances improve.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
World Chess Championship: Game 8 update
As usual, the player who draws with Black sees their chances improve.
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