chess software training

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Date: 11 Jan 2007 21:10:51
From: Ange1o DePa1ma
Subject: chess software training

I've worked my ass off for the past 10 days so I could have a day and a half
to prepare for the Liberty Bell Open, which begins tomorrow night.

Here's how I spent 10 hours today.

* Opened the box for a printer I purchased from Amazon for the express
purpose of printing chess-instructional index cards. Installed the software
but discovered no ink cartridge was included. Went to Staples but learned I
had to buy both black and color cartridges for this model printer to work.
Cost: $53. Forget it. I'll use loose leaf paper.

* Got home and spent approximately 4 hours trying to get ChessBase to print
some positions and opening material. Program would not allow me to remove
the headers and footers I put in a year ago. Couldn't print commentary next
to diagrams, either. Chessbase Help file was as much help as a freaking SS
Stormtrooper on Yom Kippur. Nothing useful on website either.

* Thinking I might be able to print in an alternate view, I re-loaded a
diagram into CB and loaded Rybka2.2. After about 15 minutes the CB interface
stopped recognizing Rybka in the engines folder. Program hung and needed to
be restarted through control-alt-delete three times. Then spent about 40
minutes looking for another copy of the program so I could re-install the
engine. No luck. "INVALID ENGINE." Why wasn't it invalid on Monday night
when I analyzed my last tournament game with it? Oh well.

* So I tried printing the materials I needed from Shredder. The first one
worked so-so, but the diagram was crooked. Ok, so I moved on to the next
diagram but Shredder would only print the first one!! I learned I could get
another diagram to print by exiting the program and re-loading, but that
only worked for 2 more diagrams before it would only print the last one no
matter what I did. Rebooted a couple of times; helped once, but not the
second time. So I tried another view, where you get one position per move.
Couldn't get that to print at all.

* Nearly out of options, I decided to install Convekta's Modern Chess
Openings: 1...Nc6!?, so at least I'd have *something* under my belt before
tomorrow night. Installation went perfectly, or so it seemed. When I tried
running the program all I got was "Runtime Error 501 (249). Reinstalled 3
times, but no luck. Tried copying the files to my hard disk and installing
from there, but the installation hung (no other programs were running).
You'd have thought I'd learned my lesson from my last Convekta product!!

* Spent about 40 minutes looking for Runtime Error 501 material on
Convekta's website. Couldn't find anything, so I googled it and hark! There
it was. A list of about 30 Runtime Error 501 patches, for every Convekta
product, it seemed, but my own.

So here I sit, 22 hours before game time, having wasted pretty much an
entire day fucking around with horrible, expensive software from horrible
companies.

Does anyone know a good defense to 1. f4?

Angelo

Date: 18 Jan 2007 09:52:14
From: Inconnux
Subject: Re: chess software training

David Richerby wrote:
> Ange1o DePa1ma <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Does anyone know a good defense to 1. f4?
>
> I always play 1... c5, which usually transposes into the Grand Prix
> attack in the Sicilian, which I'm very happy to play the black side
> of. (2.e4 d5! -- the Tal gambit.)
>
>
> Dave.

... c5 is a good response, mainly because it is an attempt by black
to force white into his game.

I would continue to develop in Bird fashion
2. Nf3 d5
3. e3 Nc6
4. Bb5 Qb6
5. c4 Nf6

with a fairly even game

Date: 18 Jan 2007 12:44:48
From: David Richerby
Subject: Re: chess software training

Ange1o DePa1ma <[email protected] > wrote:
> Does anyone know a good defense to 1. f4?

I always play 1... c5, which usually transposes into the Grand Prix
attack in the Sicilian, which I'm very happy to play the black side
of. (2.e4 d5! -- the Tal gambit.)

Dave.

--
David Richerby Simple Cheese Gnome (TM): it's like
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ a smiling garden ornament that's made
of cheese but it has no moving parts!

Date: 13 Jan 2007 00:43:26
From: Inconnux
Subject: Re: chess software training

> > 1...e5 (From Gambit)
> >
> >
> >
>
> Be prepared to play against the kings gambit of course.
>
> Regards

I simply accept the gambit and develop normally, Froms
gambit is a bunch of one move threats that work well in
mousetrap chess, but if you are aware of the traps black
gets nothing for the pawn.

This is especially true if the person tries the 'lasker
variation' of the froms ie 1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 d6 3.exd6 Bxd6
4.Nf3 g5
This line is perfect for mousetrap, but not for real chess.
This line also demolishes blacks pawn structure.
note that Em Lasker played this line only once!

probably the best bet for black would be 4. ...Nf6 5.d4
Ng4 which is called the Mestel Variation by IM Timothy
Taylor.

Date: 12 Jan 2007 21:17:49
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: chess software training

> Does anyone know a good defense to 1. f4?

1...e5 (From Gambit)

Date: 13 Jan 2007 06:30:32
From: Terry
Subject: Re: chess software training

"Ray Gordon, creator of the "pivot"" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> Does anyone know a good defense to 1. f4?
>
> 1...e5 (From Gambit)
>
>
>

Be prepared to play against the kings gambit of course.

Regards

Date: 13 Jan 2007 01:46:54
From: Bark!
Subject: Re: chess software training

"Ange1o DePa1ma" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> cut the crap

1...d5!

Date: 12 Jan 2007 10:21:55
From: Inconnux
Subject: Re: chess software training

cino wrote:
.
> > Does anyone know a good defense to 1. f4?
> >
> > Angelo

> From's Gambit

As a Birds opening player I personally love when people use 'Froms
Gambit'

It is very unsound. I would recommend IM Timothy Taylors book on the
Birds Opening. He pretty much rips Froms apart :)

Date: 12 Jan 2007 21:18:36
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: chess software training

>> > Does anyone know a good defense to 1. f4?
>> >
>> > Angelo
>
>> From's Gambit
>
> As a Birds opening player I personally love when people use 'Froms
> Gambit'

As a From player I love it too!

> It is very unsound. I would recommend IM Timothy Taylors book on the
> Birds Opening. He pretty much rips Froms apart :)

With which line?

Black gets tremendous presure for the pawn.

--
Ray Gordon, Author
The OFFICIAL Ray Gordon Blog:
http://moderncaveman.typepad.com

Date: 12 Jan 2007 06:31:19
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: chess software training

Ange1o DePa1ma wrote:
> I've worked my ass off for the past 10 days so I could have a day and a half
> to prepare for the Liberty Bell Open, which begins tomorrow night.
>
> Here's how I spent 10 hours today.
>
> * Opened the box for a printer I purchased from Amazon for the express
> purpose of printing chess-instructional index cards. Installed the software
> but discovered no ink cartridge was included. Went to Staples but learned I
> had to buy both black and color cartridges for this model printer to work.
> Cost: $53. Forget it. I'll use loose leaf paper.
>
> * Got home and spent approximately 4 hours trying to get ChessBase to print
> some positions and opening material. Program would not allow me to remove
> the headers and footers I put in a year ago. Couldn't print commentary next
> to diagrams, either. Chessbase Help file was as much help as a freaking SS
> Stormtrooper on Yom Kippur. Nothing useful on website either.
>
> * Thinking I might be able to print in an alternate view, I re-loaded a
> diagram into CB and loaded Rybka2.2. After about 15 minutes the CB interface
> stopped recognizing Rybka in the engines folder. Program hung and needed to
> be restarted through control-alt-delete three times. Then spent about 40
> minutes looking for another copy of the program so I could re-install the
> engine. No luck. "INVALID ENGINE." Why wasn't it invalid on Monday night
> when I analyzed my last tournament game with it? Oh well.
>
> * So I tried printing the materials I needed from Shredder. The first one
> worked so-so, but the diagram was crooked. Ok, so I moved on to the next
> diagram but Shredder would only print the first one!! I learned I could get
> another diagram to print by exiting the program and re-loading, but that
> only worked for 2 more diagrams before it would only print the last one no
> matter what I did. Rebooted a couple of times; helped once, but not the
> second time. So I tried another view, where you get one position per move.
> Couldn't get that to print at all.
>
> * Nearly out of options, I decided to install Convekta's Modern Chess
> Openings: 1...Nc6!?, so at least I'd have *something* under my belt before
> tomorrow night. Installation went perfectly, or so it seemed. When I tried
> running the program all I got was "Runtime Error 501 (249). Reinstalled 3
> times, but no luck. Tried copying the files to my hard disk and installing
> from there, but the installation hung (no other programs were running).
> You'd have thought I'd learned my lesson from my last Convekta product!!
>
> * Spent about 40 minutes looking for Runtime Error 501 material on
> Convekta's website. Couldn't find anything, so I googled it and hark! There
> it was. A list of about 30 Runtime Error 501 patches, for every Convekta
> product, it seemed, but my own.
>
> So here I sit, 22 hours before game time, having wasted pretty much an
> entire day fucking around with horrible, expensive software from horrible
> companies.
>
> Does anyone know a good defense to 1. f4?
>
> Angelo

Sounds like user error to me. I have no problems printing anything with
Chessbase. Your diagram problem may be a font issue. I played around
with the fonts and got a reasonably good diagram to print a while back
and have left it alone since then with no problems.

Putting the pressure on yourself to get it done like you did does not
help either. Try again when you are not pressured.

Configurations with printers can be tricky but it takes a little
patience and perseverence.

Good Luck in your tournament.

Date: 11 Jan 2007 18:53:37
From: cmarino
Subject: Re: chess software training

From's Gambit.

Ange1o DePa1ma wrote:
> I've worked my ass off for the past 10 days so I could have a day and a half
> to prepare for the Liberty Bell Open, which begins tomorrow night.
>
> Here's how I spent 10 hours today.
>
> * Opened the box for a printer I purchased from Amazon for the express
> purpose of printing chess-instructional index cards. Installed the software
> but discovered no ink cartridge was included. Went to Staples but learned I
> had to buy both black and color cartridges for this model printer to work.
> Cost: $53. Forget it. I'll use loose leaf paper.
>
> * Got home and spent approximately 4 hours trying to get ChessBase to print
> some positions and opening material. Program would not allow me to remove
> the headers and footers I put in a year ago. Couldn't print commentary next
> to diagrams, either. Chessbase Help file was as much help as a freaking SS
> Stormtrooper on Yom Kippur. Nothing useful on website either.
>
> * Thinking I might be able to print in an alternate view, I re-loaded a
> diagram into CB and loaded Rybka2.2. After about 15 minutes the CB interface
> stopped recognizing Rybka in the engines folder. Program hung and needed to
> be restarted through control-alt-delete three times. Then spent about 40
> minutes looking for another copy of the program so I could re-install the
> engine. No luck. "INVALID ENGINE." Why wasn't it invalid on Monday night
> when I analyzed my last tournament game with it? Oh well.
>
> * So I tried printing the materials I needed from Shredder. The first one
> worked so-so, but the diagram was crooked. Ok, so I moved on to the next
> diagram but Shredder would only print the first one!! I learned I could get
> another diagram to print by exiting the program and re-loading, but that
> only worked for 2 more diagrams before it would only print the last one no
> matter what I did. Rebooted a couple of times; helped once, but not the
> second time. So I tried another view, where you get one position per move.
> Couldn't get that to print at all.
>
> * Nearly out of options, I decided to install Convekta's Modern Chess
> Openings: 1...Nc6!?, so at least I'd have *something* under my belt before
> tomorrow night. Installation went perfectly, or so it seemed. When I tried
> running the program all I got was "Runtime Error 501 (249). Reinstalled 3
> times, but no luck. Tried copying the files to my hard disk and installing
> from there, but the installation hung (no other programs were running).
> You'd have thought I'd learned my lesson from my last Convekta product!!
>
> * Spent about 40 minutes looking for Runtime Error 501 material on
> Convekta's website. Couldn't find anything, so I googled it and hark! There
> it was. A list of about 30 Runtime Error 501 patches, for every Convekta
> product, it seemed, but my own.
>
> So here I sit, 22 hours before game time, having wasted pretty much an
> entire day fucking around with horrible, expensive software from horrible
> companies.
>
> Does anyone know a good defense to 1. f4?
>
> Angelo