Chess beginners - everyone welcome, of course!

39 watchers

mr d Feb 2021 9:30pm, 11 Feb 2021 4,484 posts	0 mr d Were your answers correct Quimby?
quimby Feb 2021 12:30am, 12 Feb 2021 4,706 posts	0 quimby Probably, they were at the very start of the book, the level of "which squares can this rook move to?".
HappyG(rrr) Feb 2021 10:08am, 26 Feb 2021 37,825 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) I posted this on the main chess thread, but perhaps my fellow lower divisioners could help?! " I'm amazed at the number of times that chess.com criticises a "missed win" (which I now understand is a missed capture of a piece, not win of the game), when I could def have taken a piece but it usually would result in an exchange of equal value, and where it looks 50 50 I'm never confident to do it. There must be some benefit further down the line that I can't see." What do you do where you think you can take a piece but you can see that you would just be swapping? Do you normally err on side of not doing it, or doing it? And why?! G
chunkywizard Feb 2021 10:49am, 26 Feb 2021 11,468 posts	0 chunkywizard I don't swap unless I get a positional advantage from it. Note sure if that's right, but it's what I do.
jennyh Feb 2021 10:54am, 26 Feb 2021 5,635 posts	0 jennyh I think it depends with me. Usually I’d tend to err on the side of caution, though as Chunky says I usually would if it give a positional advantage. Other factors I consider are what other moves are available to me, how many pieces are left on the board, and how many pieces I/my opponent have captured
HappyG(rrr) Feb 2021 10:55am, 26 Feb 2021 37,826 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) Yes, Jules explained to me that if you are already up a piece or two, then clearing out (i.e. exchanges for no other benefit) is worth while, because your advantage becomes greater as total number of pieces reduces, proportionally. If that makes sense. I need to look at this more, because I nearly always decline an exchange! G
SPR Feb 2021 10:59am, 26 Feb 2021 33,379 posts	0 SPR A missed win won't be a simple swap. Are you following the line through?
SPR Feb 2021 11:03am, 26 Feb 2021 33,380 posts	0 SPR Have you got an example? I think there's some odd app vs website issues every so often. I think I've had one missed win that was odd that I can remember but other than that, they've been right (thankfully not many in daily games).
Joophy Feb 2021 9:29pm, 26 Feb 2021 328 posts	0 Joophy In theory, like others have said I'll take a like for like swap if I'm already up, to increase my relative advantage, or if it gives me positional advantage, but in practice I think I'm quite defensive so probably don't take pieces as often as I should. I'm often pinning a knight against a king or queen with a bishop and the engine after the game will tell me I should have taken the knight, but I'm just moving my bishop back out of danger.
GimmeMedals Feb 2021 9:33pm, 26 Feb 2021 20,013 posts	0 GimmeMedals I only exchange if I'm ahead or if doing so puts me in an advantageous position. Not that I can always see when that is going to be the outcome Occasionally I'll gird my loins and forfeit a piece to clear some space on the board if I'm feeling a bit caged in.