9/19/24

How to Study the Games on This Site

The games can be viewed using the controls below the diagrams.  

Some positions have the words "White to play" or "Black to Play" below the diagram, asking you to predict the next move.  I recommend studying the games repeatedly until you can accurately predict most of these moves.

7/31/24

Study Tactics Daily! (When Possible)

 If you want to become stronger at chess, then studying tactics consistently is the fastest way to do it.

The average 1800-level player has minimal chess knowledge but is strong at tactics.

Chess skill is mostly pattern recognition.  The goal is to improve your pattern recognition so that you rarely miss 1, 2, and 3 move tactics.  Even if an 1800-level player doesn't see a tactic immediately, his pattern recognition is good enough that he will realize that a position may contain a tactic, so he will look at the position deeper.

Often people get good at tactics by just playing a ton of speed chess, but studying tactics is a more time-efficient way to build your pattern recognition.

Consistency is the key.  I recommend 30 minutes per day.  I know a couple of people who improved tremendously by studying tactics 60 to 90 minutes per day, but most people don't have that kind of time.  Thirty minutes daily is a good goal, but if this is too much, then 15 to 20 minutes per day if done consistently will still improve your tactics.

Over 20 years ago, I spent a year studying the book 300 Most Important Chess Positions for just ten minutes per night at bedtime, along with some other tactics study.  After this, I had my best tournament results.

I recommend repeatedly doing the 1, 2, and 3 move tactics on my website.  Don't be afraid of repetition, because it builds pattern recognition.  With much practice, a 2000-level player should be able to get through all the 1, 2, and 3 white-to-move problems in just 30 minutes.

White to Move.

Black to Move.

These tactics problems, along with the book Sharpen Your Tactics, helped me go from 1800 to 1900.  

The books, 300 Most Important Positions and Practical Chess Exercises, along with the 1,000 problems in the Shredder app, which I love and have gone through 20 to 30 times, helped me go from 1900 to 2000. 

Thoughts on Getting Better at Chess

Players need to work on tactical pattern recognition and calculation. These are two sides of the same coin. We can't calculate very well unless we can also recognize the patterns on the chessboard.

My personal goal is to be able to either recognize or calculate 3 move tactics while playing speed chess.  I think that there is a difference from 1500 to 2000 where the players go from calculating tactics to recognizing more of them instantly.  Starting in the mid-1990s, I spent a great deal of time studying tactics and this took me from 1800 to 2000.

Many people claim that speed chess is bad, but I don't agree.  It builds pattern recognition and teaches quick calculation, although it depends upon the person.  Speed chess can create bad habits and some people just need more time to calculate.

There is this idea called "The Woodpecker Method" and a book by the same name.  The method is to study the same set of a thousand tactical problems repeatedly.  Each time you do them you will get faster at doing the entire set.  Another author, Michael de La Maza, had the same idea in a book called "Rapid Chess Improvement".  Before he wrote his book, he first published it as an article, but first, he sent the article to me to ask what I thought of it because I had already created a website advocating a similar idea.

7/30/24

Practice This Exercise on a Chess Board!


The purpose of this exercise is to practice seeing more quickly where the knight can move. The black pawns never move in this exercise. The goal is to make legal knight moves to take the knight from square a1 to square b1, however with the limitation that the knight can never land on the black pawns or where the pawns can capture. (For example, the pawn on c3 can capture on b2 and d2, making all three squares off-limits to the knight.)

The knight can get to b1 in three moves by moving Nc2, Na3, and then Nb1. The next goal is to get the knight from square b1 to square c1 following the same rules. One of many ways to do that is to play Na3, and then Nc2, Nd4, Nb3, and then finally Nc1.

After that, the goals are to get to d1, e1, f1, g1, h1, h2, f2, c2, a2, a3, b3, d3, etc. until the entire board is reached in this fashion.

A good class A player with practice should be able to do the entire board in less than 3 minutes. For lower-ranked players, this might take much longer, even with practice.

Doing this exercise will actually help you win more games by making you better with your knights.

Sometimes I practice this exercise in my head without a board.

7/14/24

Damiano Defense

Play online chess

7/12/24

Four Knights Game

Play online chess

7/11/24

Symmetrical English

7/10/24

Petroff Defense

Click here for 3... Nxe4?? 4. Qe2 Nf6?

Click here for 7... Bg4? 8. Bxf6 Bxf3?

Compare Black's kingside pawn structure to Black's kingside pawn structure in this game.

7/07/24

Benko Gambit

7/06/24

White to Play and Win

John Coffey (1900+) vs. Aaron Dean (1900+), Indiana Tournament Around 1990


I thought for about 30 minutes on this move.  Solution...













If 2... h6 3. Re7 Rxe7 4. Rxe7 Qd8 5. Qe3 Kf8 (5... b6 6. Nf6+) 6. Qd4.

7/05/24

Giuoco Piano

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King's Gambit

Caro-Kann Defense

Practice Game Against the Computer in 1991
John Coffey (~2000) vs. Fidelity Mach III (2265), G/30
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh
0
(white to move)
1.e4c6
2.d4d5
3.Nc3dxe4
4.Nxe4Nd7
5.c3Ngf6
6.Nxf6+Nxf6
7.Bc4e6
8.Nf3Bd6
9.Bg5h6
10.Bh4g5
11.Bg3Bxg3
12.hxg3Nd5
13.Ne5Qf6
14.Qh5Nb6
15.Bd3Na4
16.O-O-OQxf2
17.Rd2Qf6
18.Rf1Qe7
19.Rxf7Qd6
20.Rd7+Kf8
21.Qf7#
 

7/04/24

Delayed Alapin

Practice Game Around 1991
Coffey, John (~2000) vs. Fidelity Mach III (2265)
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh
0
(white to move)
1.e4c5
2.Nf3d6
3.c3Nf6
4.Be2Nc6
5.d4cxd4
6.cxd4Nxe4
7.d5Qa5+
8.Nc3Nxc3
9.bxc3Ne5
10.Nxe5Qxc3+
11.Bd2Qxe5
12.O-OQxd5
13.Rb1Qf5
14.Rxb7Bxb7
15.Qa4+Qd7
16.Bb5Bc8
17.Rc1Qxb5
18.Rxc8+Rxc8
19.Qxb5+Kd8
20.Ba5+Rc7
21.Qc6f6
22.Bxc7+Kc8
23.Bb6+Kb8
24.Qc7+Ka8
25.Qc8#
 

7/03/24

Sicilian Dragon Levenfish Attack

Casual G/5, Dayton Indiana, August 1991
Ed Boardman (~1500) vs. John Coffey (~2000)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
hgfedcba
0
(black to move)
1.e4c5
2.Nf3d6
3.d4cxd4
4.Nxd4Nf6
5.Nc3g6
6.f4Nc6
7.Nxc6bxc6
8.Be3Ng4
9.Qd4e5
10.fxe5Nxe5
11.O-O-OBg7
12.Qa4O-O
13.Bc5Qg5+
14.Kb1dxc5
15.h3Rb8
16.Ne2Bg4
17.hxg4Rxb2+
18.Kxb2Nd3+
19.Ka3Bb2+
20.Kb3Rb8+
21.Kc4Ne5+
22.Kxc5Qe3+
23.Rd4Ba3+
24.Qxa3Qxa3+
25.Rb4Qxb4#
 

7/02/24

Sicilian Dragon Levenfish Attack

Practice Game against compuer, August 1991
Fidelity Mach III (2265) vs. John Coffey (~2000), G/30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
hgfedcba
0
(black to move)
1.e4c5
2.Nf3d6
3.d4cxd4
4.Nxd4Nf6
5.Nc3g6
6.f4Nc6
7.Nxc6bxc6
8.Be3Ng4
9.Qd4Nxe3
10.Qxe3Bg7
11.O-O-OBe6
12.Ba6O-O
13.Bb7Rb8
14.Bxc6Qa5
15.a4Rfc8
16.Bb5a6
17.f5Bb3
18.Bd7Rxc3
19.bxc3Bh6
20.Qxh6Qxc3
21.Rd2Qa1#
 

7/01/24

Albin Counter Gambit

Purdue University Chess Club, Around December 1991
Coffey, John (~2000) vs. Watson, Brad (1970), G/5
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh
0
(white to move)
1.d4d5
2.c4e5
3.dxe5d4
4.Nf3Nc6
5.g3Be6
6.Bg2Bxc4
7.O-OQd7
8.b3Be6
9.Bg5Nge7
10.e3dxe3
11.Qxd7+Bxd7
12.Bxe3Ng6
13.Nc3O-O-O
14.Rfc1Kb8
15.a4Ngxe5
16.Nxe5Nxe5
17.Nb5Bxb5
18.axb5b6
19.Rxa7c6
20.bxc6Kxa7
21.c7Bb4
22.Ra1+Ba5
23.Rxa5#
 

6/30/24

Four Knights Game

Purdue University Tournament, Around 1992
Class E Player (1250) vs. Class B Player (1700)
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh
0
(white to move)
1.e4e5
2.Nf3Nc6
3.Nc3Nf6
4.d3Bc5
5.Nxe5Nxe5
6.d4Bb4
7.dxe5Nxe4
8.Qg4Bxc3+
9.bxc3Nxc3
10.Qxg7Rf8
11.Bg5f6
12.exf6Rf7
13.Qg8+Rf8
14.f7#
 
The 8th move in this game inspired a move in a game I played 25 years later.

6/27/24

Imbalances

Opening Example
vs.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
hgfedcba
0
(white to move)
1.e4e5
2.Nf3Nc6
3.Nc3Nf6
4.Bb5Bb4
5.d3d6
6.Bg5Bg4
 
Click here for an instructive game on how to attack weaknesses!

Imbalance From the First Move

Opening Example
vs.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
hgfedcba
0
(white to move)
1.e4c5
 
An example game can be found here.

Pawn Pointing Theory

Opening Example
vs.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
hgfedcba
0
(black to move)
1.e4e6
2.d4d5
3.e5c5
4.c3Nc6
5.Nf3
 

Queen's Gambit Declined

Example Opening
vs.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh
0
(black to move)
1.d4d5
2.c4e6
3.Nc3Nf6
4.cxd5exd5
5.Nf3c6
6.Bf4Be7
7.e3
 
Read more aobut Minority Attack.

Reverse Gruenfeld

Casual Game
Coffey, John vs. Novag Super-Constellation Lv 1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
abcdefgh
0
(white to move)
1.g3c5
2.Nf3d5
3.Bg2Nc6
4.d4cxd4
5.Nxd4e5
6.Nxc6bxc6
7.c4Bb4+
8.Bd2Bxd2+
9.Qxd2Nf6
10.Nc3e4
11.O-OO-O
12.cxd5cxd5
13.Rfd1Bb7
14.e3Rc8
15.Ne2Qe7
16.Nd4Ng4
17.b4Rc4
18.b5h6
19.a4f5
20.a5Rc5
21.Qb4Rf7
22.a6Bc8
23.b6axb6
24.Qxb6Rf6
25.Qb8Kh7
26.a7Bb7
27.Rdb1Nxe3
28.fxe3Rc7
29.Rxb7Rxb7
30.Qxb7Qxb7
31.a8=QQc7
32.Qxd5Qc3
33.Rf1Qxe3+
34.Kh1Qd3
35.g4Rg6
36.Qxf5Qxd4
37.Bxe4Qb6
38.h4Qf6
39.Qxf6gxf6
40.Rxf6Kh8
41.Rxg6Kh7
42.g5hxg5
43.hxg5Kh8
44.Ra6Kg8
45.Ra7Kf8
46.g6Kg8
47.Bd5+Kf8
48.g7+Ke8
49.g8=Q#
 

How to Study the Games on This Site

The games can be viewed using the controls below the diagrams.   Some positions have the words "White to play" or "Black to P...