Colorado Springs Chess News

Game Of The Week

A couple years back, I came up with a method to organize chess tactics.  I called it the DROP Method (http://cschess.webs.com/apps/blog/categories/show/1378181-drop-method).  The DROP method is an acronym for the basic kinds of tactics.  It is meant to remind you not to drop your pieces and help you get your opponent to drop theirs.

I said that the DROP Method was a work in progress, and it was.  So, I thought I would revisit each of the four kinds of chess tactics to provide more examples. The first kind of tactic in the DROP Method is Discovery, which I revisited on May 8th (http://cschess.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/44523643-d-is-for-discovery-v). The second kind of tactic in the DROP Method is Removal, which I revisited on May 14th (http://cschess.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/44533499-r-is-for-removal-vi).  The third kind of tactic in the DROP Method is Overload.

Overload is a chess move that attacks a target.

The Overload is played when the player creates a threat on a target that cannot be defended.  The classic example is choosing a target and piling more attackers on it than supports the defender can muster.  When the number of attackers are greater than the number of supports, material can be won through a series of captures.   Each capture creates a new target until the final support is exhausted and an unguarded target appears.

However, the Overload is, perhaps, the most broad kind of tactic.  Not only does it use multiple attackers on one target, but also it uses a single attacker on multiple targets.  The idea is the same:  to gain a target than cannot be defended.  So, most players will become familiar with the different types of Overload:

• Battery (Overload with multiple attackers on a file or diagonal)
• Fork (Overload with multiple targets by the Knight)
• Double Attack (Overload with multiple targets by the other pieces)
• Over-Worked Piece (Overload with multiple targets)
• Skewer (Overload with multiple targets where a high value piece is in front)

Here is an example from the Colorado Springs Chess Club's Tuesday night event, the May Swiss 90.  This position was created by Peter Barlay and Will Wolf.

Black to move

See the diagram and answer here:

http://cschess.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=204067398

O Is For Overload VI

http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=110407

[Event "May Swiss 90"]

[Site "http://cschess.webs.com/"]

[Date "2017.05.16"]

[Round "3.3"]

[White "Barlay, Peter"]

[Black "Wolf, Will"]

[Result "1-0"]

[ECO "B03"]

[WhiteElo "1957"]

[BlackElo "1312"]

[PlyCount "45"]

[EventDate "2017.05.02"]

[TimeControl "5400+30"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 d6 5. f4 dxe5

6. fxe5 Nc6 7. Be3 Bf5 8. Nc3 e6 9. Nf3 Bb4 10. Be2 O-O 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3

Na5 13. Nd2 c5 14. Qe1 cxd4 15. cxd4 Rc8 16. Rc1 Nc6 17. Qf2 Qe7 18. Qg3 Bg6

19. h4 Qa3 20. Kh2 Ne7 21. Qf4 Nf5 22. Bg1 Rfd8 23. h5 1-0

This Week In Chess

On May 16th, the Colorado Springs Chess Club continued the May Swiss90  (5SS, G/90+30).

Standings. MaySwiss90

# Name Rtng Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Tot Prize

1 Laurence Rob Wutt 1989 W9 W5 W3 3.0

2 Alexander Freeman 1908 D8 W11 W4 2.5

3 Paul D Anderson 2008 W11 W7 L1 2.0

4 Michael Smith II 1545 W12 W6 L2 2.0

5 Mark McGough 1859 W13 L1 W10 2.0

6 Peter Barlay 1957 W14 L4 W8 2.0

7 Brian Jo Rountree 1761 W10 L3 W9 2.0

8 William Leo Wolf 1312 D2 W14 L6 1.5

9 Dean W Brown 1475 L1 W12 L7 1.0

10 Clinton D Eads 1180 L7 W13 L5 1.0

11 Alemayeh Mekonnen 1478 L3 L2 W14 1.0

12 Daniel J Rupp 993 L4 L9 H--- 0.5

13 Scott Ch Williams 1282 L5 L10 H--- 0.5

14 Michael W Sandau 1372 L6 L8 L11 0.0