Emerald Valley Chess Camp

Emerald Valley Chess Camp

10 week program

Date Novice Level (under 800) Intermediate Level (800-1200)

Jun-11 Piece Movement, Gameplay Game, Analysis

Jun-18 Practice game Tactics, Puzzles

Jun-25 Basic Tactics, Simple puzzles Mating Patterns ,Mate in 2 puzzles

July-2 Mating patterns, Mate in 1 puzzles End games

July-9 Simple end games Opening Concepts, Standard Openings

July-16 Practice game Strategy, Best Piece Positions,

July-23 Simple openings Pawn structure, Positional Play

July-30 Simple strategy concepts Calculation, Improve your pieces (puzzles?)

Aug-6 Practice game Practice Game, Analysis

Aug-13 Tournament Tournament

Novice Session 1 : Basic Piece Movement

Novice Session 1 : Special Piece Movement

En-passant

Castling Promotion

ForkDiscovered Attack

Pin

SkewerDouble Check

Sacrifice

Novice Session 2 : Basic Tactics

X-ray Deflection

Overloading Windmill Interference Desperado

SIMPLE TACTICS1. Pins (w Rook, Bishop, Queen)2. Terminal Pin (Pinned to a check)3. Forks (w Knight, Bishop, Rook, Queen, King)

o Royal Fork, Family Fork,o Knight Forks are safesto Bishops can fork rook, Rook can fork bishopo Fork a attacking higher rank piece with pawn

support 4. Skewers5. Baits, Poisoned pawns6. Discovered attack, discovered check7. Double attack, Double check (by knight or bishop

moves; or pawn captures only)o Double attacks are always discovered attacks

8. Removing the defender, Deflection9. Interference10. Perpetual check (to get a draw)11. Desperado (damage by a doomed piece)12. X-ray

COMPLEX TACTICS (for intermediate players)1. Traps

o Trapped Piece (Knights in corners, Bishops in h2-h7, Rooks/Queen tough)

o Trapped King (Smothered mate)2. King Attack

o Breaking the pawn barriero Choke - take away the escape squareo Pawn Storm

3. Controlling Squares, not attacking4. Blocking - stop the potential interposer5. Clearance

o File, Rank, Diagonal Clearanceo Square Clearanceo Deflection (of a defender of a piece or square)o Decoy

Combinations, Mate in 2,3,4 moves1. Good Sacrifice, Bad Sacrifice2. Windmill3. Queen Mating Patterns

Session 2 : Reference InformationTactics

Novice Session 4 :

Simple Queen Mating Patterns

With BishopMain Pattern

With King

With Knight With Pawns Own pawns blocking

With Bishop

Main Pattern

With Knight

With Pawn

With Rook

Novice Session 5 :

Simple Checkmates

With King and Queen

With King and Rook

With Two Major Pieces (2 Rooks or Queen+Rook)

What to do in an opening ?

1. Develop your pieceso Knights before bishopso One side before other (to

enable castle)o Few pawn moveso No traffic jam

2. Keep your king/queen safeo Castleo Don't get queen out early

3. Control the center

What is Opening ?

What is Defense ?

Novice Session 6 :

Openings

Novice Session 6 :

Openings

Novice Session 7 :

How to play great chess ?

Space. No Traffic Jam Center Control Tempo Attack King or Queento gain tempo

Develop Improve Regroup Attack

Slow down No Helicopter HandsBrain 100m/hr Teamwork

Limit Exchanges 64 square vision No BenchGuess opponent’s best move ?

Novice Session 8 : Piece Positions (Rooks/Knights/Bishops)

Connect on Back Rank Double up on Open File

Push to 7th Rank Back Rank Mates

Center and Forward Knight on Rim is Grim

On Long Diagonals Point towards KingRooks

Bishops

Knights

Novice Session 9 :

Putting it all together

OPENINGo Develop your pieces

o Knightso Bishopso Rook (Castle)o Rook (Queen battery/fork)

MIDDLEGAMEo Improve your pieces

o Outposts for knightso Active Bishopso Rooks on open fileso Double up rookso Rook liftso Queen batteries

CALCULATIONCan I check mate ? Can he check mate ?Opponent pieces (Queen, Rooks, Bishops, Knights, Pawns)

• unprotected • under-protected• over-worked (over-loaded)

My pieces • unprotected• under-protected• over-worked

Look for tacticsCreate a plan

TeamworkAssemble the piecesAttack

When Checked :• Capture the attacker• Attacking Interpose• Passive Interpose • Escape Square

When Checking : • Don't fly solo, have a co-pilot• Check without mate threat is

meaningless• Smothered mates, back rank

mates

GUIDELINES•Don’t attack needlessly. Don’t check needlessly•Every move should have a purpose, in fact Double-Purpose•Look for double attacks•Start the battle with the least valuable piece•In a battery, lead with the rook/bishop (not queen)•Understand why is center control important•Don’t send your queen away from war for pawn shopping•When in enemy area, queens and rooks can vaccum clean•Play Actively, not passively. Seize the initiative.•Attacks - King-side, Queen-side, Center•Strong attack on one side, or multiple attacks.•Do not overprotect pieces. Do not preemptively protect if not necessary•Attacking interpose better than passive interpose

THINKING

When to exchange : •Exchange if piece up•If opponent on attack•When in trouble•If you want a draw•Don't exchange if piece down•Don't exchange your way to the end game•Guess your opponent’s moves