Domination in 2,545 Endgame Studies by Genrikh Kasparyan is a power-packed tome of chess positions in the endgame that show us what real chess ability is all about. A statutory word of caution to readers – this book is for serious chess players only – not for beginners or those who have a cursory interest in chess. That aside, welcome to the land of mysticism in the chess planet.
Domination in 2,545 Endgame Studies by Ghenrikh Kasparyan
is a true treasure trove of many of the greatest chess compositions by various authors, including Kasparyan himself. – well organized and presented.
No other book even comes close to its level of organization by topics such as ‘two minor pieces trap a Rook’ or ‘two Rooks trapping a Queen’ so that you can look up specific scenarios according to which gameplay is involved.
I remember as a kid I was forced by my coach to go through some fancy endgame positions (later I came to know that they were called ‘studies‘).
He would ask me to look at the positions for 3-5 minutes and eventually (impatient as he was to ignite my interest) he showed the answers to me.
It did a lot to boost my imagination, and I was hooked thereafter to Chess studies.
Each one of the 2545 positions is packed with chess wisdom and offers valuable tips on how to force your opponent to lose material.
Many positions that would be considered a draw in tournament play by average players are shown as winning, with stunning calculated moves leading to a win (or a draw in hopeless positions) with the dramatic sequence of moves to capture one or more of the opponent’s pieces.
Some hopelessly lost positions will be shown as drawn or winning!
Armed with this knowledge you will gain many new insights.
You will realize that chess is not all about rules or mathematics. It is also an art of the highest order.
This book will throw your self-limiting beliefs out of your mind.
The geometry of the chessboard
If one analyses deeply the best works of outstanding ‘studies’ composers such as Troitsky, Reti, Averbakh, Platov, Kubbel, Rinck and others, one will deepen the knowledge of the geometry of the chessboard.
This is what is also known as ‘board vision.
The greater the familiarity of each square’s correlation with other squares (and the effect of a piece on that square) the better will your strategy be.
If you have never seen a chess study you will be dazzled by one. Get ready to see Chess positions in a new light! So let’s start with one of my favorites:
Interference, in anything but chess, is considered impolite.
White to play.
I know that the above position may appear to be simple for most of you, but that was for the starters!
I remember being entranced as a kid by a few Reti studies in this book, especially a few of those where a Knight dominated a Bishop on a somewhat empty board – funnily the bishop could not find a good square to move!
Take a good look at the Reti studies if you choose to buy the book.
You might wonder – why are endgame studies important for calculation training?
Can we not learn the art of calculation by solving Mate in 2 or 3 movers?
The answer lies here: In my personal experience – I myself have never got to like many problems as mate in two or mate in three – what difference does it make whether you mate your opponent in two moves or three?
But endgame studies are another matter.
Not only do they create a sense of curiosity, but they are also useful in training you to think along different lines that might come up in your games and honing your calculating abilities by making you think about your opponent’s resources and more importantly making you think out of the box.
An IM who is a good friend of mine told me that he rose in the Elo ladder after finishing the Domination book not once but twice! And most of his opponents fell into his traps that he learned from this very same book!
My mileage was different.
Domination will not make you a better player overnight.
I was able to implement a few lessons only after a few months of looking up the Domination book.
It takes some time as this is not your run-of-the-mill stuff.
This one will embed in your chess psyche slowly but surely.
No wonder many books refer to Kasparian as the greatest Russian composer!
The next article in this regard will be my review of Dvoretsky’s Studies for Practical Players – a hidden gem that needs to be brought to the limelight and which will be a worthy companion to the Domination book.
Smart Chess Training – How to improve your Chess by working smarter not harder.
Smart Chess Training – Hacks for efficient training in Chess. I have been asked many times by aspiring players and their parents about how to improve at chess, usually after they stagnated and came to me for help.
Then there are beginners who know the basics but are clueless about what options are there or even what type of study material to start training with.
Very few players know about the Smart Chess Training techniques.
Let me explain.
Most of the beginners and parents start doing something merely by looking at others like learning endings or openings and then wonder why they do not win games.
I decided to write this article to help players who are aspiring to improve their chess playing ability and who do not have access to a professional coach or the time for a rigorous disciplined study.
Smart Chess Training
Success in chess is proportional to hard work and study, but it is more about smart chess training – according to me.
Keeping targets short and reachable: It is important to have a focus while training, decide what you are trying to achieve, and then choose that training relevant to your area of study.
For e.g., if you are aiming to become a Grandmaster, you must work really hard and long at your game.
But if you are aspiring to first become a strong player and remove your weaknesses then you are going to reach there without fail.
That is my assurance.
So what is ‘Smart Chess Training’?
Before we talk about the smart way to learn or train in chess we will discuss in this first part of the article the traditional approach to the syllabus of chess knowledge that every player must learn.
Only then will we understand the smart way to chess training from a proper perspective.
Classical Chess training has four main areas of study.
Each of these areas provides the requisite knowledge and skill to become a decent chess player.
Let us know them first.
1. Tactics
THE most important skill of a chess player is to be able to visualize a certain number of moves without touching the pieces.
This is called visualization or calculation in chess.
The more we train our calculation the further ahead we can see, with greater accuracy and speed.
Tactics are common motifs in chess that can generally win the game. Some examples of tactics are “forks”, “skewers” and “pins”.
The more a player studies these types of patterns and puzzles the easier it is for them to pick-up on these “quick winning” techniques during a real game and also set some traps for an opponent.
Solving tactics puzzles is the fastest way to improve as an aspiring chess player and is a core skill to master.
You need to know them cold when they occur. And for that, you must be familiar with many tactical devices like the back of your hand.
Tactical visualization requires two elements:
Present moment= focus
Past learning = pattern recognition.
Advanced Tactics require reverse-thinking abilities too. In fact, the sooner you get to grips with reverse-thinking the better.
Simply put – reverse thinking is the ability to decipher why a certain tactic is not working and then setting about making it work by removing that cause.
Strategy is what is known as the real meat of chess strength. It is that knowledge that is used when there arises a need to choose, between what you want to do and what the position wants.
Strategy is the understanding of positional aspects present in any position that guides a player in formulating a future plan of action.
For example one of the simplest strategies a beginner learns is that “we must never put our knights on the edges of the board”.
Strategy requires patient analysis and studious planning. It is more about conversions to a win.
Studying endgames teaches the potential power of the pieces in isolation and with other pieces. The study of endgames aids brute force calculations as with fewer pieces on the board it is easier to visualize.
I believe endgame study is important to an aspiring chess player. Players who study the endgame tend to blow players away who do not study the endgame, even in positions that should be lost or drawn just because of a little understanding.
But remember that the syllabus for the endgame training is not the same for every strength category.
Endgames require an understanding of the concept and memory of certain important thumb rules.
Studying of individual openings and move orders is more of a tool only if a player is already extremely strong. It is of no use for a beginner. My simplest advice is – forget opening study if you are rated below 1800.
However the study of opening principles, and the different generic plans and structures relevant to any opening is beneficial. Make sure you have access to a coach who can guide you properly in this regard or quality training material if you do not have access to such a coach.
Openings require memory and general understanding abilities. Also the art of transpositions is a must.
One brick at a time and the house is built. We all know that going slow and steady is what it takes to reach a milestone. But what are the milestones in chess and more importantly, how to aim or fix these milestones and achieve them? How can we go about building a successful chess career while maintaining the enthusiasm quotient on an upward graph?
How often do you wonder, “I wish I were good at chess…” Maybe you want to be better at chess tactics or strategy or endgames. Maybe you’d like to be more confident or less panicky while playing a strong player.
Building a successful chess career requires work. It is not often that you can suddenly get better at chess with a tricky opening trap or gimmick.
However, I think a lot of chess players don’t improve simply because they don’t know how to build their knowledge and chess skills at the same time.
In this article, I want to outline a simple 10 step strategy to get better at chess. It does require work, lots of regular and repetitive work. But it can help simplify the process of crossing milestones in chess.
Let us discuss some important milestones in chess from top to bottom in terms of their difficulty level:
Grandmaster Title
International Master
Fide Master Title
Candidate master and
Decent Fide Rating.
Playing a full game of chess.
Learning the basics.
While striving to reach these milestones is desirable, understanding the way to approach these goals is essential to make the journey smooth and enjoyable.
How do we reach (and cross) milestones while building a successful chess career?
What are the ingredients that help in building a successful chess career? How can we maintain the momentum that we had when we first started?
What I really believe in, is the idea that a real journey is no different from a psychological one.
Where there is fun, merriment and company, the journey becomes less tedious and less time consuming.
1. So the first step in Building a successful chess career is to make sure that you are passionate about this on a daily basis.
Deeply passionate.
By that, I mean that your whole day must be focused on this single passion.
You can relax now and then but at the end of the day if you did not engage in your pursuit of chess goals then it is not an earnest endeavor.
2. Form a group that shares your passion. Better still if all family members are involved!
Join a club or make one if there is none! That way the energy levels will be sustained. Back in those days when I was an amateur, I used to invite a lot of chess friends and they helped me when my energy was low, due to stress from other real-world situations.
That was actually a boon for me as if I had not had these friends to push me up I would have quit and stagnated, resigning to my fate.
3. Teach someone.
Yes… it may be strange to hear but teaching someone will give you a sense of what you have understood fully and what you have only a superficial understanding of.
You will be morally responsible and that will bring sincerity to your efforts.
I gained a lot by teaching some younger players a few things about chess training and in return, I was daily increasing my knowledge by conscious reinforcements and boosting my energy levels.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Sometimes a stronger player will take the pains to teach you something ONLY if you bother to ask.
Just try it.
I have met quite a few good souls who later on turned out to be good friends on my chess journey! You can try it out in your club or during a tournament.
5. Don’t be afraid of criticism.
Sometimes players who are far younger than you will chide you for your game quality. Take it in your stride.
After all, that kid is giving you a free lesson!
These nifty tips will be in your memory for a long time.
6. Spend some time doing self-study.
That is the most important tip I cannot stress enough.
Too many students of mine need to be weaned off the spoon-feeding that they undergo as beginners.
When they reach a certain level they must be forced to study on their own for some time daily.
This will give them a sense of achievement that will drive them to higher pursuits. A coach can only act as a battery charger.
The ‘capacity of the battery’ is what you will be increasing by self-study. It is your prerogative.
7. Meditate daily.
It is the hidden compass in your life that will constantly guide you on your path.
8. Take a break.
Once a week. This will help rejuvenate your mind and body and settle things down in a proper perspective.
9. Exercise regularly.
While everyone knows that exercise is a good idea, the scientific evidence about its benefits in old age is there for all to see.
Remember that Chess has to retirement age.
So if you love chess you will be playing it for a long time to come, only if health issues are taken care of.
10. Good Diet.
Remember that this is not just for Building your chess career, but for your system as a whole!
Dear Coach. How important is Physical fitness in Chess? I wonder if we must take into account the state of our health when we are about to play a chess game. Will it affect our performance in chess and if so, what are the precautions we need to take, to maintain a balance?
Yours sincerely – Abhishek.
Dear Abhishek.
We are not talking about casual chess games but a serious Chess tournament.
Chess is addictive.
We continue playing when given a chance regardless of how we are feeling mentally or physically. This is a sure recipe for blunders in chess.
Now, coming to your question.
Is Physical fitness that important?
It’s hard to overstate the importance of Physical fitness for your chess games.
At first glance, you might think that Physical fitness is not important, and you can always rely on your brain’s abilities alone.
Well, this is not entirely true. Of course, you are endowed by nature with a sharp analytical mind, for daily pursuits, but they might not meet your requirements in chess.
Since chess needs certain specialized abilities, you want to get the mind to function at a higher than normal peak to meet your milestones in chess.
Without making an appropriate selection of physical training, your physical fitness and stamina won’t be adequate for chess tournaments.
You don’t want your games to end badly due to the loss of concentration, after 3 hours of an intense grueling chess fight, do you?
One of the most crucial aspects of chess abilities is – focus in chess.
A chess player without consistent levels of focus in chess won’t be able to perform at optimal fervor. And that’s the exact recipe for disaster that you want to avoid.
Your Physical fitness can help with a powerful performance in chess that reeks of consistency.
Fortunately, ‘focus’ is a lot like a mental muscle. The more you work on it, the more powerful it gets.
My job as a Chess coach + trainer is not merely teaching chess, but building requisite resilience, focus in chess, and other impactful areas.
5 Tips on achieving peak focus in chess via Physical fitness
1. Play chess only when you are clear-headed.
We function better at different times of the day, and it varies from person to person.
For e.g., I play better at night, while you may play at your best in the afternoon. We need to figure out our optimal performance times and play only when we are focused.
So as far as mental health is concerned – yes, it is essential. But that is not the complete story.
In the case of a serious OTB (over the board) chess tournament game, the stakes are much higher.
You need all reserves of energy, and must also be psychologically focused and clear.
A simple daily routine, like early morning running or brisk walking, increases mindfulness and a state of being in the present.
That is because the human mind must not be disturbed while doing something that needs our complete processing power.
It could throw our brain into an imbalanced state of mind.
It also makes us feel irritated and lose focus in chess.
Furthermore, it’s all about putting away diversions, whether they are physical, your mobile phone, or psychological (your fears), and being in a zen state of mind.
Developing focus in chess along with Physical fitness is the key.
A simple rule of thumb to regain focus. Start by taking several deep breaths while focusing on every breath.
When you feel your mind begins to wander, gently guide your attention back to your deep breathing.
3. Do not stress yourself about the results.
The third most important piece of advice I give my students (and the parents), is to treat all training games as match games, and all match/tournament games as training games.
That way the pressure is taken off the mind and the transition, to a peaceful and thoughtful state of mind, is flowing.
This state of mind is essential to harness the full potential of our minds. And train with this neutral outlook, all the time.
4. The most important factor that helps in achieving all this, is Physical fitness in Chess.
Even though Chess is a mental game, the physical fitness of the chess player helps a lot, in generating the required mental energy.
To keep calculating, at sustained depths in a chess game, mental equilibrium is desirable, to say the least.
Try cultivating the habit of morning walks or better still running as it will provide the much-needed oxygen for the brain to function clearly.
Clearly, exercises are great stress busters!
5. Build up stamina and lung capacity.
Talking of physical fitness I must say that it is very important to have good stamina and lung capacity, to handle all the tension that arises during a serious chess game’s pressure.
One way to increase lung capacity is to blow rubber balloons that kids play with or do aerobic exercises for 10 minutes.
In case these are not possible, try climbing up and down a flight of stairs for 5- 10 minutes.
Or even cycling.
To sum up – Role of Physical fitness and performance in chess.
Play only when your mind is clear and capable of focus in chess.
Play when there is no distraction.
Take all training games as serious games and all tournament games as training games.
Make sure you build up your Physical fitness in Chess by regular training for that super performance in chess.
Chess Informant – the esoteric art of learning chess – hacking your chess brain. Why esoteric? Because it was not known publicly till now. And why hacking? Because we are using action instead of passive knowledge. And why are using this book to hack our chess training? Read more…
For whom is this article useful: For aspiring chess players with a penchant to learn new techniques. Not for the beginners and children below 7 years. Also for coaches who believe in trying new techniques.
Why only Chess Informant books: Any good book will do but my experience with the Informant was first-hand so I can speak with confidence and honesty. Also I believe that they have an edge as they have only the fresh and latest games for every quarter publication.
What will you gain: You will save a lot of time. You will hack your learning technique to climb faster in the ELO ladder. These may not have been mentioned in any book, atleast none that I know of.
So let’s get started with the esoteric art of learning chess
If you are here reading my blog post, you are a chess player on the path of improvement (atleast not a non-chess player, since all chess, players like to learn to improve their game). In addition, if you have been in the chess field for some time, you must have come to know or heard about the word ‘Informant’ or ‘Informator’ in the Chess book scene. Chances are you might have even glanced at the book in a tournament stall and either took a few minutes to go through it by flipping a few pages, or looked at the pictures and thought that it was a niche book for a thoroughbred professional – who was up there in the 2500 rating range which you were/are not. You might have even thought of quitting chess, if this was what you were going to be taught when you became stronger.
How wrong and misinformed you could be, (or I was…) !?
However, I won’t blame you for this. That is the initial impression that I had too, when I saw it, some 18 years ago. So I must start with a revelation here.
My actual chess improvement started only after I had included the informant in my regular chess discussions and coaching classes, some 15 years ago – when I was aspiring to come to terms with not just the opening stages of the game, but almost everything that was problematic: my repertoire, my Strategy, my tactical skills and my endgames.
On hindsight, I am wondering why I did not look at this book when I started seriously researching about innovative chess training!
Here are my suggestions – Chess Informant – the esoteric art of learning chess :
1. People learn from mistakes and smart people learn from others’ mistakes.
Don’t make the same mistake as I did. Therefore, if you are a 1200 – 1500 player, I suggest you to look at these informant books with your trainer, in a way that suits your playing strength as outlined below.
I will be detailing my experiences with these informants and if you follow me you may be able to save some time and remove some misconceptions in the way.
2. Myth – Too many variations and diagrams that look like a PhD thesis submission.
First, take a deep breath. And do as I say.
Look at the diagrams one by one. Now look at the move printed below it. Usually this move would be given a symbol of either a ‘!!’ or a ‘!’ or in rare cases a ‘!?’. That is where the fun starts. Go to a real chessboard and stick up the position as you see it in the diagram. DO NOT worry about the game or annotations for now. Fire your brain’s neurons and understand why that move was considered GM class. This is where a good coach comes in.
Warning: When I first did so, I made the mistake of looking at the diagrams and then blindly looked at the continuation given in the book. And I thought that was enough. I was partially right – since I was initially learning at a rapid pace. Then when I hit a wall I came back and chewed the positions again, this time slowly.
3. The secret on how to really juice up the esoteric chess knowledge from such diagrams:
They will measure your understanding over a period of time. I found that these diagrams were there for a purpose, but not all the explanations given in the book will help you.
It depends on your chess understanding or rating range.
In fact, there are no verbal explanations; only moves and these moves only skimmed the surface of the chess ocean. They were/are like a guidepost for the reader – to help him when he re-visited the book, after a period of time. In my case, I remember I found one strange fact EVERY single time I revisited the diagram:
I was able to see NEW layers of Chess wisdom each time I saw these diagrams.
The secret was that I got to see a new facet of chess knowledge every time I saw these diagrams. It was as though, whenever I added knowledge to my brain my eyes were endowed with special vision lenses. I could see a new layer of hitherto hidden information portrayed in these diagrams, whenever my brain absorbed stuff and my knowledge increased.
Words will not be able to describe this phenomenon, but you will understand where I am coming from, when you sit down and do as I did. In your case, I suggest a revisit after 2-4 months. You will notice that the diagrams speak a new language after such hiatus.
4. Listen to the book and the positions, at first. Each position is a story by itself.
Now when you do read the moves succeeding the diagram you will notice that they do not always mention what you discovered on your second sitting or third sitting. At best, they will tell you what is obvious initially, atleast for an approximately 1900 + rated player to see. And that, is because if they catered to all rating ranges then they would miss the quality of analysis.
5. One size cannot fit all. It is up to us to choose what we want from the ocean of chess treasure.
In other words if you are a 2000 ELO player reading these Informants you will not see the diagrams similar to the way a 1500 rated player sees. To explain it further – If you are rated say 1500, just ask a 1200 player what he sees in any diagram. Almost invariably, he will say something that is elementary for you.
If you are interested in shoring up some hidden techniques, practice the Chess Informant – the esoteric art of learning chess method.
And dig deep.
Any informant will do; for that matter, the more recent ones are better for many other purposes that will be outlined in the later articles. It depends on your chess understanding or rating range. Whatever be your strength or class you will get something of value.
The trick is to innovate your learning. So – hack your learning process with the Informant.
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or any experience to share, I am always willing to hear them. My email is ‘chessgolden’ at the rate of Gmail dot com.
*****Empire Chess is offering a huge discount on digital and hard copies! Make sure you get the deals while they last.
Note: the links in this article are affiliate links.
In this series of posts I will be discussing about the secrets of positional chess training and why you must care for it as much as tactics and endgames. For those of you who have not read my article – An excellent positional sacrifice, I strongly recommend you to read it before proceeding further.
How to increase positional chess knowledge?
if you are below 1600 FIDE rating, I would suggest focusing solely on tactics, tactics and tactics, and everything I’m about to say is not applicable until you’ve improved more.
So, if you’re over 1600, and mostly satisfied with your tactics, but too often you end up having no clue what to play next. Then what?
Now you need to know about about the imbalances in chess – how they affect your game, and how to take advantage of them by manipulating the factors.
This means learning about endgames, as having the favorable positional advantages will usually help converting into a favorable endgame.
This is a lengthy topic, far too large to explain in one article; fortunately, there are good books and resources out there. The best books for learning the basics of both of endgames and the middlegame are by Jeremy Silman.
For chess imbalances, I would recommend How to Reassess Your Chess, 4th Edition(make sure you get the 4th edition – it is a lot better than the earlier editions).
For endgames, check out Silman’s Complete Endgame Course. Both are very easy to read, and are geared towards players rated 1400 and higher.
Harvesting the positional weaknesses present in the opponent’s position requires deep strategic understanding.
What is Strategic Chess Understanding?
This strategic understanding comprises of two elements:
Awareness of positional factors such as effective piece placements, quality of pawn structure and safety of the King
Generation of ideas or plans to make use of these factors.
Foundation of positional chess training
Here, the first step is to build a base of understanding. That is where the part of a coach comes in and also a good criteria how a good coach can be identified. The base of understanding has to be built from the basics of endgames.
Secrets of positional chess training – Combination of hard and smart work
When we talk of Chess dynamics, thematic attacks and configurations are what an aspiring player needs to be given.
I am referring to an aspiring player who has mastered the basic tactical motifs like pin, skewer, fork etc.
At this stage he is like a aspiring chef who has just learnt the magic of making a tasty recipe; his true test would come when he is able to juggle with the resources present in the refrigerator, that too with a sudden unexpected onset of guests to his home.
Here confidence also plays a vital role in bridging the gap between rote-knowledge and skill-knowledge. The trick here is to convert rote-knowledge into skill based on repetition and familiarity, by constant practical applications.
Merely knowing how to bake a cake doesn’t make one a good baker. Doing it properly when time demands makes one an expert; similarly in chess winning consistentlyand properly, makes one a GM.
In later articles I will be expanding on many techniques to accentuate this bridging of knowledge. So I request you to follow me on regular basis.
Pillars of positional chess training
The next step is to build familiarity by constant revision and repetition of information. This is the most hallowed part of chess training regimen.
It is here where many people stumble, fall or stop altogether. Some players skip this entire process due to wrong assumptions and false guidance. I cannot stress enough the importance of this revision process and there are many ways it can be done.
For example, take the case of tabiya’s, when we first learn a new plan of attacking the castled king or mating the the uncastled king we tend to look at a few model games. The trick is not only about remembering this plan but also being able to execute when favorable configurations arise on the board.
And doing so also requires a confidence which needs to be built slowly over time.
Ready for the test drive?
The final stage is executing a move taking into consideration the above discussed factors under test conditions such as time pressure situations or high-stake scenario. This is the true test of chess understanding.
Obviously, the initial routines are difficult and test our dedication. And this is what separates the masters from the amateurs.
Domination in 2,545 Endgame Studies by Genrikh Kasparyan is a power-packed tome of chess positions in the endgame that show us what real chess ability is all about. A statutory word of caution to readers – this book is for serious chess players only – not for beginners or those who have a cursory interest in chess. That aside, welcome to the land of mysticism in the chess planet.
