01 December 2012

Searching for Truth

Chess is a search for truth. Each possible position is even, or one player has the advantage. It is not always easy to determine the truth, especially in the course of play. Earlier this week, I reached the following position in a game against one of the top third graders among those whom I coach.

White to move

The questions that I have been nurturing in the minds of youth chess players are relevant.

1) Which side has the advantage?
2) What are the plans for both sides?

My young opponent lost his way from this position. We reset this position, changed sides and played it again.    Then I played it against some of his teammates.

2 comments:

  1. Looks like an excellent and difficult position to assess.

    I went over it with an experienced junior and the discussion went for an hour or so. I would think it would be very difficult for juniors under 14, seems like a few subtle moves needed by White to coordinate and tempo's really important for both.

    A great position though and very useful for analysis.

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  2. Thank you for this blog. I really like how you connect chess skills to life skills, like searching for the truth, instant gratification, etc. I am a counselor and use chess in a similar way with my young clients. I have described the method in a short ebook, "Character Education with Chess" available on amazon, and an expanded version of that "Life Fulfilled: Greater Meaning through Chess" on www.smashwords.com

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