Drawing Lost Games

Play against MadChess starting from a slightly disadvantageous position. Select a game where a slight advantage was reached and the stronger side successfully converted it to a win. Use a clock. Set to rapid time control (not bullet or blitz). This allows time to think about each move (rather than simply react). Set MadChess rating to 100 points below personal rating. Play the weaker side. Attempt to draw the game. Continue Reading

Winning Won Games

Play against MadChess starting from a winning position. Select a game where a winning position was reached. But the stronger side failed to convert it to a win. And the game ended in a draw or loss. Do not review computer analysis that shows winning continuations. Use a clock. Set to rapid time control (not bullet or blitz). This allows time to think about each move (rather than simply react). Set MadChess rating to 100 points above personal rating. Play the stronger side. Attempt to win the game. Continue Reading

Calculation Training

Select a personal game played against MadChess or played online. Select four critical positions from the game, either my move or my opponent’s move. Spend five minutes per position analyzing possible continuations. Do not use any computer assistance. Add variations to the PGN file. Run MadChess engine in MultiPV mode to verify analysis. Run Komodo* chess engine in MultiPV mode to verify MadChess analysis. Add interesting variations found by MadChess and Komodo to the PGN file. Write a blog post about the game, focusing on the critical positions. * Or any other world-class chess engine. Continue Reading