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