The Q & A Way
By Bruce Pandolfini

No One's That Old

Question: I'm not a big player of chess. I was playing my brother
and one of my pawns reached to the other side. When I was young,
I remember someone saying that if the pawn reaches the other side,
you can take back a captured piece. If this is true, where do you
place the recaptured piece? (Marilyn C. Krasch, USA)

Answer:  Just a little review. If a pawn reaches the other side,
whether by advance or capture, it must be promoted. This means it
must be changed into a piece -- any piece, except the king. It can't
continue to be a pawn. Most of the time one makes a new queen,
even if her original queen is still on the board. In fact, if somehow
all eight of her pawns sneak through, the promoter can make as
many as eight new queens, though one extra queen is almost
always sufficient to force checkmate. Nor does the promoting
player have to change the pawn into a queen. She can take any of
the other pieces, converting the pawn into a rook, bishop, or
knight. 

Changing a pawn into anything other than a queen is called
underpromotion, because none of these pieces (rook, bishop,
knight) are as valuable as the queen. Instances when
underpromoting to a rook or bishop are rare, but occasionally
underpromoting to a knight is purposeful, either because of the
knight's ability to give a forking check in a way different from that
of the line- pieces (queen, rook, bishop) or for some other tactical
reason. Most of the time, however, one makes an extra queen for
its sheer power, so promoting is typically referred to as queening.

Getting around to your questions, as I understand them, you do not
have to draw your new piece from the stockpile of previously
captured pieces. Their type and number are irrelevant. As far as
where you place the new piece, put it on the square to which the
promoting pawn has just moved. You simply replace the pawn
with the new piece on the same square.

A practical concern is, what should you do if a queen is not readily
available on the side of the board? Or, to pose a related question,
how can the promoted pawn be distinguished from an ordinary
pawn? 

Putting aside that a pawn placed on the last rank can't legally stay a
pawn, there are several things you might try. You might be able to
take a captured rook and turn it upside down, if the top is flat
enough. If not, or if this isn't possible, tie a rubberband around the
promoted pawn. If this can't be done, use scotch tape. And if this
doesn't work, you'll simply have to remember which pawn is no
longer a pawn. It's a challenge, like most moves in the black and
white jungle.

Question: I am 70 years old. I've been playing postal chess for
many years. I just can't seem to improve (1200). Is it that I am too
old to comprehend the game further? (Joe Koenig, USA)

Answer:  Generally, the longer you look at positions, the more you
will derive from them. An advantage of postal chess is that it gives
you a lengthier period in which to analyze, but this abundance of
time has value only if you use it. Once you get beyond the known
moves of your chosen opening, you should devote at least 15-30
minutes per turn to decide your next move in clear positions, and at
least double that in more complex situations. 

Furthermore, make sure to go over your postal games after their
completion with your respective opponents. See what they suggest
and what they think you missed. Don't be afraid to ask questions,
for this is an excellent way to learn things and gain comprehension.
Having already invested effort in these encounters, it makes sense
to spend a little more time to overcome any obstacles to real
understanding.

Playing postal chess can be terrific fun, but it doesn't necessarily
increase your skill. To do that, you might start with an overall
evaluation of your game by a competent player, preferably one who
is experienced at helping people make decisions about their chess
futures. Once you find this advisor, think in terms of meeting with
him or her for at least a couple of sessions, just to be evaluated.
Have this sympathetic person help you in planning a course of
study that can be pursued on your own. Then follow up with
additional sessions every month or so, to get feedback on how
you're doing. You can probably get the names of a few worthy
people from your local chess club. Call them all up, tell them what
you want to do, hear what they have to say, and give one of them a
try. If it doesn't work out, you can always change teachers.

Concerning how old you are, it's true that the ability to maintain
concentration can decrease with age. But this doesn't mean that you
can't get any better as you get older, especially if you believe in
yourself and love what you're doing. Consider International Master
Walter Shipman, who, at age 70, is having some of the best results
of his already distinguished career. 

Question: Has anyone written a book about how to evaluate and
analyze a position? (R. R.Gonzalez, USA)

Answer:  I'm not aware of a lot of books that treat this subject fully,
but a large number of them offer sections on it. Many others touch
upon the theme in the context of presenting various concepts, so
there's plenty of material from which to choose. You might check
out Alexander Kotov's Think Like A Grandmaster. It furnishes
some cues and tries to show what goes through the head of a
grandmaster. C.J.S. Purdy's The Search for Chess Perfection, as
well as several other works by him, may also prove valuable.
Purdy's exposition is clear and orderly, offering numerous rules
and carefully presented steps. Romanovsky's "Chess Middlegame
Planning" has some useful ideas, as does Paul Schmidt's "How
Chessmasters Think." Then there's Jeremy Silman's "How to
Reassess Your Chess." This is a great book, by one of America's
foremost chess teachers. Silman is particularly adept at providing
insights on chess thinking for a wide range of players. These are
just a few of the books that come to mind. You can't go wrong with
any of them.

Question: I am age 40, with an ELO rating of 1980. Do you think I
could get to FM level at 2300? If so, what are the best training
methods I should employ to at least attempt reaching my goal?
(Kevin Bailey, USA)

Answer:  First of all, Kevin, I do not know you, so I can't respond
to you as an individual. But if you're asking me to reply in terms of
your class (age 40, strong A player), I would say that it's quite
possible for you to achieve your goal, though you should expect to
involve yourself in a lot of hard work.

There is no one best way to study chess, and what succeeds with
one person may fail with another. But if I had to recommend doing
anything, it would be to work with a strong player, twice a week or
more. You should play real training games, at least sixty minutes
per side, if not two hours each, and afterward analyze the games in
minute detail. Get the master/teacher to explain why he or she did
and didn't do certain things, and find out what you should have
done and why. Over the course of time, the sheer momentum of
this accumulated experience should lead to significant
improvement in your play. Will it make you a 2300 player? This,
of course, is up to you and the gods. May Caissa be with you.

Question: I have read many books and play as many games as I
can. My question is, when I read these books I understand the
principles of play, strategy and tactics, but I find it hard to
implement them in my own games. Are there exercises I can do to
better improve my sight? My openings are OK. Most of my games
go to pot in the middlegame, and if I survive the middlegame, I
almost always have a tendency to sabotage the endgame. I can read
until I am blue in the face, but I really want to understand what
everyone means when they say "The board told them the correct
move." (Martin Mendelsohn, USA)

Answer:  Be cautious about listening to what everyone (and
everything) says. Even in the computer age, no board has ever
advised me to my satisfaction. The best things you can do to
improve your general sight at the board, electronic or not, are to
take your time and to get into the habit of analyzing everything in
your head, no matter how daunting. You should never have to
move the pieces to check an idea. If you've done your mental work,
you know your ideas are right or good by virtue of having already
seen them in the mind's eye. Yes, this may sound intimidating for
those who haven't practiced analysis, which is why you must try to
analyze in your head every chance you get. This is the way to
become comfortable with the process, and the process is essential
to quality chess performance. Besides, why would you want to
move the pieces on the board when moving them in your head is so
much more fun?

We close with a poem submitted by one of readers.

MEN OF WAR

For fifteen hundred years or more 
These famous men have been at war 
They fight by day, they fight by night 
On squares of black and squares of white.

And so they come face to face 
Armed with sword, axe and mace 
Soldiers stand in double line 
Pawns in front and kings behind.

Towering rooks do guard our flanks 
While watching over waiting ranks 
Next to rooks my knights are placed 
Dressed in armour silk and lace 
Lances pointed at their foe 
Waiting for King to order go.

Bishops stand upon their square 
Perfectly still in silent prayer 
Men of god they may be 
But here to fight for victory.

My queen she stands upon my left 
And of my men she fights the best 
No mercy will my queen bestow 
On other queens or ranks below. 

She's feared by men one and all 
From towering rooks to pawns so small. 
She's feared by Bishop,Knight and King 
She's here to fight, she's here to win.

My army's famous as my name 
For in their King, I'm Charlemagne. 
My men are ready, they're at their best 
These ancient warriors 
These men of chess.

By C.R. Carroll (Australia)