How To Win Tournaments

hello and welcome to a nice episode of DM talks today I'm going to talk about a tournament I played in the weekend which I won and I'm happy uh it was a strong tournament with three grand Masters and I think four IMS and and several other good players uh and it's always nice to win tournaments especially after uh I had a long period where I didn't play so well so how do you win tournaments well the the short um story about it is you win more more games than than the rest of the field uh the the the long story is of course you you try to play uh well and of course you need a little bit of luck in the uh last round usually unless you're clearly the better player it started out with I one I played a draw against kaston Hy with white and I was I think completely winning and I think I played a very good game up till a certain point where I messed it all up and I didn't win so I was a bit annoyed then um and I managed to uh to win with black against Mel Strang who had a horrible tournament um I think I think a decent game uh he might have had some chances but it was okay then I won against uh Co Christensen uh where he had a he missed a a big chance that no one of us has seen anyway I I'm probably going to show all the games here on this channel uh so don't worry uh you don't have to look it up I will be back with it because they were very instructive games and then in the fourth round I played a draw with Martin hro uh who played pretty well it was a tense fight I tried to win but it was no I think it was a more or less a sort of correct game and the last round I won the following game against U who had had a very good uh tournament up till that point um so let's H let's get into that last round game the last round is always very important when you uh play tournaments because in in open tournaments this was with five rounds and 16 players very tense program you uh the first 24 hours you actually play three games because it started at at 7 in the Friday evening it's always a disaster for me because I'm tired and I cannot help work working on Friday and so on so Friday night is just not the right time for me to play chess uh I should relax and drink some wet wine instead uh and then uh two games on Saturday 10: at and 300 p.m. and uh 10: in the morning 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and then 2 on on Sunday so very tense program very tough for an old man like me I think I played very well up till a certain point in all the games and then uh some old old guy came and took over a guy who's got some problem calculating which which I'm kind I can see already now that I need to improve my calculation and uh because it's it's simply too slow anyway I start with the with C4 uh following Nika's book on the English a very good book uh of course there are some flaws in it because some lines are simply missing but overall I've uh found his style of doing it pretty well by the way I noticed that having Nichols as a second has been when when I had that he he doesn't have time anymore he's a successful guy um I did pretty well uh and at two times I've been close to 2600 and and also I've been above 2600 was the first time was when I had y Yan Gustafson as my second uh in 2010 um and in and then afterwards was when nichas was helping me and and I think I need someone to help me to be honest okay uh let's just get into it here I'm white he plays uh and we played the uh reversed Dragon uh always uh interesting uh opening um I played the dragon as a junior uh and and was was pretty happy with it for a long time but it is a junior opening to be honest but with white is a little bit different here of course uh F6 is is popular now this move Carson started playing this this move um Bishop C5 is I think known as the Guk uh Sicilian but and of course this the thing is I played the dragon a lot with black so I know all this stuff and also played it with white so and of course the main line is uh the old main line is Knight B6 just playing we so we're playing basically a classical dragon with reverse colors so I have one more Tempo uh in an equal position I don't believe white has much Advantage here but it's more easy to play for white and and and he has some ideas and and Nikos had some some interesting ideas see this is not the usual uh the usual way to play is A3 um and D3 and B4 and so on but but this is interesting um and we're going to see that we will re sort of uh get into an easy structure later so and and the good thing about this is it's more compact than than getting the pawns over so black because if you go with the pawn to B4 black will be able to attack it with A5 and Knight D4 and stuff uh so that's um and and the bishop here is not that uh effective on on this diagonal in this situation and I'm not sure I like this move for for black uh it looks like the right Square for the bishop but somehow it's uh you could also argue that something like Rook e E8 and Bishop f8 makes a lot of sense um just to to boster this and get ready to play this so basically black want to play Knight D4 and C6 if it's possible in the old days uh you Tred to attack with F5 but it it just it I think it weakens the the the black position a lot anyway this is natural um and Rook C1 and this is the idea here black has many moves uh one of them is is something like uh Queen D7 um is is is is makes sense um he played F6 which was a little bit surprising um maybe I can I can play D4 here but it's a little bit dry uh I might I might end up with slight Advantage but it's uh it makes it easier for black to play so I decided to and I think in his book nichas um recommend this move move um with the idea to play Rook fd1 and D4 White's plan is of course if he is able to play D4 we will get the EC structure that is the E versus C structure which I coined so I I I have to play it if if if it's going to Bear my name um this this this name for it anyway 94 makes sense uh I'm opening for the bishop here and uh and I'm getting here by the way uer is is is is from U sort of from my youth where he was um a a talented player at the same time as me we we met at I think uh junior tournaments uh and uh I have had I think I have a clear plus score against U who went on to have a serious career at I think Vestas uh the the big uh manufacturer of um windmills uh I think the biggest in the world uh and and but recently he started to play a lot again and uh is is playing these uh senior tournaments and and so on uh and it's nice to to have him back uh he's been been gone for a long time uh and and he's he's working on the game he's I think he's enjoying it a lot uh which is nice that you sort of can have a second career after I think he was he was he was away from chess for maybe uh I don't know 25 years or something and uh and now he's back um which is good but then of course I'm happy that I'm still better than him uh I think well rating says so uh anyway Knight C5 um and the thing is if if if white black ever does something like this it will just make it weaker white black can always white can always attack it with D3 later after moving the night uh but I think he has to take this one now um I was I was calculating a lot here and uh for instance this move uh and I will just play A3 and I realize that he cannot you're always afraid of something like this but I just play Rook C2 and uh and the Knight is just in a horrible spot there on A2 and there's nothing uh there's no way he can exploit this and I'm threatening to play E4 and D4 and and and this Knight will not uh emerge from from this uh so Knight B4 makes no sense but I think he has to take on C5 he play Queen C8 and here uh I really like the way I played um E4 is uh except maybe maybe except one thing he can actually he played Bishop F7 without thinking here actually this move makes sense um and um and just because the Knight is is is hanging and and so on and I think um it's interesting uh Bishop C4 is is clearly the best move here he played Bishop F7 which is natural move by the way we we are old we miss a lot of tactics um anyway I was very happy to win this tournament because uh I've been having bad results for a long time and I was beginning to worry can I can I play chess anymore actually uh so and this is the idea and we see that we will have to exchange the he's he's not going to allow this one so he will have to take um and take and this the the the trick is of course on on this move um this move I can take here and and of course uh because of of of of of the this one uh and I'm I'm of course and he had to take back and this is of course winning for me strategically uh this is is a disaster so um he can't play Rook d8 he has to take and I take with the queen and this is the easy structure so this will be part of the easy structure uh series as well uh I'm having uh I'm having these four pawns versus um these three pawns we we've discussed it a little bit and um and I think this is in is in a clearly better way for me also because of course these pieces are a little bit passive and this Knight here is not very well placed Rook d8 um and this just makes uh the queen a little bit clumsy and of course I go here and here I should probably I didn't know what to play here uh I was thinking and thinking and thinking one of the thing I really want to do is is I really would love to to open this diagonal and start attacking but of course without allowing him to play the bishop here and exchanging it um I was thinking Rook E1 I was playing Bishop D4 um I was playing thinking A4 but I'm I'm also very that that of course I my my chances lie on the king side or in some cases as a minority attack uh on the queen side um and black is just trying to survive to be honest uh a natural move could be Bishop D4 Rook E1 anyway I ended up playing this move uh just deciding that uh that that there's a push might be be be nice also that it could be be be well placed here and there are some holes here I was not sure about this I thought he had to play Bishop f8 here not deciding anything and getting ready for Rook E8 uh maybe Rook e but he played Queen D7 attacking here and I went went with the Rook here maybe it's the wrong Rook I don't know it could be um because the other Rook could be be it's not doing much on the C file at any time um and he plays C5 I was very surprised about that um of course the the idea is is is that that uh that the pin here works for him um but I really like the way I I I might get away with E5 and I was calculating but then I decid okay I'm I'm I'm better I'm better all all accounts here uh there are weaknesses in the camp my Bishop is going to be strong we have uh this bishop will be strong here this bishop will be strong here I have all the Rooks uh I have I have more or less everything here this Knight is a little bit clumsy but let's fix that so Bishop F3 freeing the Knight to do whatever likes and of course C4 I just go to E5 and get rid of his Bishop on F7 and have a huge Advantage um basically my white square Bishop will be a complete monster in that situation so Queen B5 um going for for some sort of activity H and I thought this this must be very good E5 is is like really the move you want to play I want really want to take with the kn here and just get rid of them and get after his King and this is one of the thing when you have four pawns versus three that when one of them ex exchange his King will be very left open it's a little bit like having the king here would be not be so uh safe uh and Knight D5 he is getting that that was the downside of playing the E4 is is that he's getting the Knight away from this stupid Square um Queen E4 I thought was really smart um and uh Bishop uh and and it looks weird I was calculating Queen E2 uh but I was a little bit afraid that uh that this ending is is not too clear um but it it's probably good and and I I I couldn't calculate something like this it looks really I was I was afraid that that something weird would happen here um a lot of loose pieces so I was I was I was not comfortable with that uh and so but but then I found this uh this move which is is kind of a cool move I'm I I really would love to be on this Square um and he played this move and here I actually have a really strong move that I didn't see uh which which looks uh surprising um I played I I calculated this when I played e Queen E4 and and the plan was to play Queen G4 and I played that but actually the computer says this is really strong uh actually more or less completely winning he has to the best move he has is go back and then I'm I'm just way way way better this is is just a disaster for him because this this check here will uh either I will take on E7 or I will give it I will give it and and take on on um for something like uh like this I I just I play here and I have this uh and I thought this was um um here I can just just take but uh and and he he will just be be completely killed and and something like this um oops oops it's White's move here and and Rook C5 and I'm winning completely winning so uh this this I didn't see Queen E1 was was cool but it's the kind of position that's very very difficult for humans to calculate and this was a natural move so Queen D4 um the idea of course is if he takes here I just uh I just go here and I get the the bishop and um and here uh I'm I'm basically threatening a lot of stuff um one of the lines I really like was this and if you go here then this move that would have been so much fun anyway um okay but yeah you had to play p F5 only move and uh and the queen has well I could go to A4 but this was the plan um take and uh and here uh I calculated first Knight B6 Knight F4 I realized was just extremely good for me um and here uh I missed something because I thought um I thought this was a problem that after this move uh here here he could play this move but it just loses to this move so I don't know uh and this was one big reminder that I really need to work on my tactics uh because this is uh this is pretty easy tactic and I thought I I was looking at this position for a few minutes and I thought this must be winning and I didn't see not6 and and it's it's like the baban rule right you checks and and Knight moves so it's it was a instead I played this pretty cool move E6 um which I thought was also also of course it's it's it's very very unpleasant for black here uh if you look at the activ and I thought I was going just going for a Max activity uh we have this guy could go any oops anywhere um and and so on and it's and this this Pawn is also very so Bishop D5 um and I can do different things here I I decided to go here just to and and and I think he played pretty well here this was it was a necessary decision but it was it looks really really really spooky um to be honest like look at those Bishops and attacking here and very dominating and um and we were getting short of time and here I decided that the the cool move is just to play H4 get get some some no no by the way I like to have the H4 move in so later on sometimes the when when we have some sort of a maybe King and pawn or ending then King uh can get to H6 and and and H5 would be undermining his structure uh that was okay that's far out in in the future but it's it's it's actually going to be a little and I played Bishop C3 uh um and uh basically I'm getting ready to to to do this pin and I'm also ready for this move um putting more pressure on him and Knight E5 um and very very very very scary position for him there's might be this move there might be this move followed by this move and it's it's not easy to get out of this stuff Bish F6 and here I just play King D2 um I thought that was a cool move it might actually give away the advantage uh he he might get away with with with sort of recouping here uh I don't have much except for activity I didn't get any structural defects out of him which was I think a little bit surprising actually um but he went for this move uh which uh with with and we didn't have much time here U and and that's that's probably wrong and here he went for uh for for this move and I didn't have much time here I was oh what what is going on here uh and then I realized okay I I can keep the advantage if I just take an A3 uh but I didn't see that I can actually win here um more or less by force so I'll giving you the chance here you got one minute left the thing is you don't get you don't get extra time i' move 40 in this format so you have to play the rest of the game pretty fast if you use all the time but what why to move here and uh what I what I did miss was uh he takes I take but I don't take on A3 and I don't take on E5 I take on E6 I didn't even consider this of course uh the the thing is this is made in one move oh no so oops so he took and if I take well he has to take here that's fine I take back and um and everything is hanging like but the thing is he can't take on B2 because of Rook d8 made again so he has to take this one and then of course I take this one and yeah voila I got I want a pure an exchange so that was um and it's it should be winning uh it's not easy but it should be winning uh for sure especially it's nice that his Pawn is here so he will not be able to do some sort of Fortress uh because the king will always penetrate on the king side anyway I didn't see this uh so after this I I just took this one um thinking okay I'm keeping my and and here uh I'm I'm having some pressure having the bishop pair and and so on and he panics and this just WI WIS he loses a pawn and here he decided to go for a rug ending and that's uh that's pretty bad actually I think I think this this is uh what you would like as as white um so uh not because the thing is I got I got this is a pass pawn and this is supported here and I got an active King and furthermore which is really to his disadvantage this Pawn is on F five which means that a lot of the pawn endings will be losing for him because I'm he he play D6 here he has to play D6 at some point uh the thing is uh later on if for instance we have something with the C file and my king gets to this square and his King get to this Square um uh then this will win uh which is a typical uh trick in these kind of um situations so and that's okay I know that's that's far out but it's some of the things you should see out of the corner of your eyes um so I'm not sure and King C3 and basically I'm I'm just coming around here um and and pushing the pawn and I I think yeah and C5 uh the I like this Rook is is is both attacking and uh is defending and pushing helping the the and just go here and here and F4 um and this is uh really what you want the thing is if you go for go here you just go here and then uh the pawn is coming and uh or the king is coming uh might go this way and so on and it's just very easily winning so after this he play King D2 Rook C4 D3 C6 and that's uh the ceiling move um just protecting this PA by the way um here something like uh C6 is very important because uh there there might be some tricks sometimes where he can play A5 and my king will be in trouble so uh C6 was important and here it's just easy um and Rook C5 and I'm basically just planning this move and this move um anyway I won the tournament with four out of five uh ahead of cor Christensen who made a surprise upset of Nikolai my good old friend Nikolai borer in the the last round if Nikolai had won that I think he might have had better book hauls than me uh so thank you core and thank you Nikolai for messing it up um and uh Johnny Hector was uh third and I didn't play Hector uh but I did play cor and I did win against and him so it was and it was nice I want some a little bit of rating so I sort of I've stopped the slide downhill uh I'm not going under 2500 anytime soon which is nice at my age anyway this was uh GM talks uh thank you for watching um and I I think the background is messing up again okay well too bad we'll have to to look into that uh thank you for watching that's

Channel: GM Talks

Views: 546

Keywords: Sune Berg Hansen, GM Talks, Chess

Id: oC1S9FIMMck

Length: 26min 15sec (1575 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 08 2024