Play Fast, Positionally and Accurately

When I played in the World Junior, I met International Master David Strauss He was the second of US player Larry Christiansen, who came second in the event. David Strauss gave me this advice. Play fast, play positionally and analyse accurately. What did this mean?

Play Fast

This does not not mean to play so fast that you make silly mistakes. It means you play fast enough to avoid getting very short of time. Playing fast and soundly puts pressure on a slower moving opponent. Playing fast may mean you play more intuitively than otherwise. Play Positionally Playing positionally does not mean always playing timidly or cautiously. It means having a sound positional basis for your moves, regardless of whether the position is quiet or wild.

• Keeping your king safe.
• Placing your pieces on good squares.
• Taking the pawn structure into account.
• Making good exchanges.
• Aiming for good endgames.
• Analyse Accurately.

There are some good intuitive positional players who make errors because they don’t analyse (or calculate) enough when needed. Accurate calculation helps avoid tactical errors. Combining These Combining playing fast, playing positionally and analysing accurately together helps you bring out your best. This book includes 25 annotated games.

I have used some of my own games. This makes it a little different from most chess books.

It is unlikely that you have seen the games before (unless you were one of the players)! I know what I was thinking and feeling during the games. There is very little computer analysis, which can be overwhelming. The focus is more on why moves were played, not what was missed. There are good moves and not so good moves. Games may fluctuate. One has to play the move that creates the best chances.

Games

Games were played in State Championships over the last 3 years. Each championship was a ten player round robin. The time limit was 90 minutes for the game plus a 30 second increment per move. There is a wide variety of openings played and types of middlegame and endgame positions.

I believe you will find the games interesting and instructive.

Enjoy!