A weekend chess camp by International Master Atanas Kizov

- Date: Saturday/Sunday March 30-31, 2019
- Time: 9:00 – 5:00
- Where:
  CCL Training Center
  at the home of:
  Dr. Carrie Casden
  736 Watterton Drive
  Westerville, Ohio
  
  Open only to CCL members and members of a Mulligan Chess Club.
  Lectures, game reviews, camp review book, tournament, and many prizes.
  Draw or beat Atanas in a 5-1 game or Alan in a 5-2 game and win a $1 coin, tournament trophies, free chess lessons, books, etc.
  All chess equipment and snacks will be provided but bring your own lunch.
  For more details, or questions call Alan (614) 561-2718 or email cclalanc@gmail.com.
- 40% discounts to 2nd/3rd person from the same family, participants coming from over a 45 minute drive fto Columbus, and retired individuals.
  100% refunded if you cannot make it to the camp, no questions asked.This camp is only open to the 1st 24 signups! IM Atanas Kizov will be teaching these 6 topics, first 3 on Saturday and the second 3 on Sunday

Blocking the f6-square

The blocking of the f6 (f3)-square in front of the castled king with a piece (knight, bishop or rook) which can be captured by the opponent, is a usual tactical theme which can often meet in practice.

The idea is rather simple: to immobilize the opponent‟s f-pawn (mainly), creating at the same the best possibilities for an eventually successfully attack. The cost of a piece is usually compensating by the activity of the rest of his army, creating good chances of combinations or lethal attacks.

Passed pawn(s)

As a chess game progresses pawns gain in importance (they are no longer sacrificed for opening files, or to gain a lead in development they become a power in themselves). Indeed, in the endgame a passed pawn (or pawns) will often constitute a decisive advantage. In this short article we will encounter several aspects of the passed pawn.

We will not concern ourselves with the gradual creation of a passed pawn (or the realization of a positional advantage like, say, a majority on the queenside). We will investigate instances where a passed pawn already exists; concentrating on the techniques that are available to realize the advantage or defuse the pawn by defending accurately.

Simple tragedies – transfer into pawn endgames

Transfer into pawn endgames is the most natural way to realize the material advantage or to save worse position after difficult defense. But there are terribly many mistakes here.

Main reasons are:

1) Even IGMs don't have sufficient technical knowledge in the pawn endings;

2) Wrong evaluation of the exchanges;

3) Bad knowledge of the special methods in pawns ends.

Then realization of extra pawn is usually much easier, than realization of exchange. Let us see how this method was used in practice.

The g7 square - French blocked structure

A brief glance at the typical French Defence blocked structures with Black's short castle is enough to reveal Black's Achillee's heel: the g7–square.

All the other pawns are safely defended (the h-pawn could advance to h6 to enjoy his colleague support, for instance) or of low interest (the queenside pawns mainly), but the g7–pawn stands apart.

My favourite scenario included Qg4 and Bd3, putting g7 and h7 under observation. The queen's bishop would be well placed on c1, as would be ready to intervene to h6. I rarely payed attention to my queenside, as long as I had my own play going.

Endgames with rook and minor piece against rook and minor piece

1. Rook and knight against rook and knight.

As both pieces do not like passivity already a light initiative usually weighs heavily.

2. Endings with rooks and same colored bishops.

Here the "traditional values" like space advantage, good bishop, the more active king and initiative count for a lot.

3. Rooks and opposite colored bishops.

The drawish tendency of pure opposite colored bishops endings is much reduced due to the presence of rooks.

4. The Fischer endgame R+B against R+N (the bishop is better)

The endgame rook and bishop against rook and knight is called Fischer endgame, when the side with the bishop has the advantage due to the many instructive games of the American world champion.

Middle game with c3-d4 pawns

Middle game positions with a pair of pawns, c3–d4 (c6–d5), can be seen frequently in practical games. Analyzing positions with this type of pawn structure allows us to draw the following conclusions:

(1) it is important to restrict the movements of these pawns and take control over squares c4 and d5 (or c5 and d4, respectively);

(2) the side with the c and d pawns must recognize that passive play will likely only result in a draw, therefore, this side must create a dynamic structure with hanging pawns c4 and d4 (c5 and d5), or it must build up an active game on the King side.

This article highlights games where the pawn structure c3–d4 (c6–d5) is the center of the theoretical dispute in those games.

Cost of the camp
- - two days – $179 if paid by March 24, $199 after
  - one day - $99 if paid by March 24, $109 after
  - free to a parents of a student in 2nd grade or below
  - 40% discount to 2nd student from the same family, students greater than 45 minutes from Columbus, and retired students.