TWO QUESTIONS: ONE ON THE FRENCH DEFENSE and ANOTHER ON THE AMATEUR’S MIND

 

Mr. Barry O’Shea (ELO 2200) from London asks IM John Watson:

 

I would like to draw your attention to an obvious improvement to your analysis of the Hertneck …0-0 Winawer variation on Page 188 of your PLAY THE FRENCH, 3rd edition (Everyman).

 

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 0-0 8.Bd3 Nbc6 9.Qh5 Ng6 10.Nf3 Qc7 11.Be3 c4 12.Bxg6 fxg6 13.Qg4 Bd7 14.h4 Rf5 15.h5 gxh5 16.Rxh5 Rxh5!? 17.Qxh5 Be8 18.Qh3 Nd8! 19.Ng5 h6 20.Nxe6 Qa5 21.Bxh6 Nxe6 22.Qxe6+ Bf7 and now, instead of the feeble 23.Qg4, White has: 23.Qh3! gxh6 24.f4. I think Black has to take the draw here otherwise he’s in trouble. I would be most interested to know what you think!

 

WATSON HAS NO FEAR OF 24.f4

JOHN WATSON REPLIES:

 

Thanks for the question. 23.Qh3! has now appeared on at least two websites and now in two emails to me! I guess that people are reading carefully. Anyway, I’ve now accumulated a fair amount of analysis and think that only Black can play for a win, but it wouldn’t surprise me if White can draw with good play. A key line is 23...gxh6 24.f4 Qb6, and White has several tries, with the most popular suggestion by readers being 25.Kd2. Then Black also has a choice but I think that you’ll find 25...h5!? to be very interesting.
 
I’m not sure what you mean by “take the draw” – you don’t indicate which draw. Anyway, I certainly wouldn’t want to play the White pieces of this line if this variation is the best that he gets! You should look for chances earlier – there’s plenty of unexplored territory for both sides.

 

Mr. Carter asks:

 

I just bought your book THE AMATEUR’S MIND about two weeks ago and have been studying it and swear by it – I love the rich material that I have yet to see in other chess books of its kind. My only problem is that I’m having a hard time in two areas of the book. My first problem is that I can’t seem to remember the games that are played. Is it essential for me to remember all the games that are played out in the book? I’ve only made it to chapter three but had to start over because I had forgotten everything already.

 

My second problem is that I have written down all the rules for the minor pieces, space, and territory, but I can’t seem to use them in real games (BTW, I’ve only been playing since November, 2004). How can I strengthen my understanding of the rules and imbalances? Thank you in advance!

 

 

JEREMY SILMAN REPLIES:

 

Dear Jules,

 

No, no, no – you don’t have to memorize ANY of the games in the book. In fact, I would not want you to do such a thing!

 

The idea is simply to get used to the ideas presented ... Yes, try and memorize the IDEAS as best you can. But don’t do this by making an attempt to recite the stuff. No, just keep studying the book and eventually it will all become part of your internal “language.”

 

Making use of these things takes a long time. You’ll do it now and then, and as you get more experienced and stronger, you’ll find you are using these ideas more and more. But chess is a hard game, so nobody masters this material right away.

 

A good thing to do AFTER you finish the book is to look over annotated master games (from any source) and look for the imbalances (there’s usually at least one or more after move 20 or so) for both sides. In time, you’ll easily notice many of them.

 

It’s a slow process: first you learn that these things exist. Next comes acquainting yourself with these ideas by reading the book. Then you strive to notice the imbalances (and how the grandmasters make use of them) in master games. And, bit-by-bit, you discover that you are also winning games with these techniques.

Just be patient, enjoy the book and the joy of learning, and before you know it you’ll be bashing people you used to lose to.