PUBLICATION NOTE:
This article was published originally on The Chess Improver blog on 2016-11-01
I have reposted it here for reference.
"... By definition, quiet moves are moves that are not a capture, check or immediate threat to the opposition. This includes subtle developmental moves or moves that improve a piece's position (placing it on a more active square)..."
Hugh Patterson (The Chess Improver)
While doing some research for this theme, I found one of Hugh's previous articles as one of the top references. After reading it I realized it provides a very nice foundation for adding more practical examples to help the club player. Identifying the quiet moves and playing them at the right time is a craft one needs to work on constantly to become a well rounded and dangerous player. At the beginning I remember finding this concept very intriguing and difficult to accomplish. Like Hugh says, players in general look for concrete moves with obvious/ visible results; when none such concrete moves are apparent, one could feel disoriented and lost. The trials and tribulations of getting better at it have taken me from the lowest of the low (absolutely inexplicable moves becoming instant blunders...), to some nice ones with a deadly effect. Here I am going to focus on a deadly example from one of my recent online games. The first 21 moves are below:
[Event "Let's Play!"][Site "Chess.com"][Date "2016.09.17"][White "EugenD"][Black "Makeyda"][TimeControl "1 in 3 days"][Result "1-0"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nf6 3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.e4 Nb6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nf3 Bb4 7.Be2 Nc6 8.O-O O-O 9.a3 Bxc3 10.bxc3 h6 11.Bf4 Ne7 12.h3 Ng6 13.Bg3 f5 14.exf5 exf5 15.Qb3+ Kh8 16.Be5 Qe7 17.Rfe1 Be6 18.c4 c6 19.Bf1 f4 20.a4 Qf7 21.Rac1 Nc8
What should white do now? A quick assessment of the position reveals equal material and a positional plus for white as a result of active pieces and control of the center. Black's position is a bit cramped: Rooks are not connected and both Knights are not doing too much. Ng6 could be exchanged on e5, but that would give white a very powerful Ne5 to cause future trouble such as on the g6-square. All this being said, it is not clear how white should proceed to improve its position or how to launch the attack. All pieces seem to be in good positions with no obvious better squares to aim for. Pushing d4-d5 is also not possible for the moment. I thought about it for a while and decided to postpone taking Qb3 away from the a2-g8 diagonal and use its position to play a quiet move on the Queen side.
[Event "Let's Play!"][Site "Chess.com"][Date "2016.09.17"][White "EugenD"][Black "Makeyda"][TimeControl "1 in 3 days"][SetUp "1"][FEN "r1n2r1k/pp3qp1/2p1b1np/4B3/P1PP1p2/1Q3N1P/5PP1/2R1RBK1 w - - 3 22"][Result "1-0"] 22.a5 {there is no direct threat here outside of gaining more space and preparing a possible Qb3-a4, followed by a5-a6. I would say this is a textbook quiet move needed in this position} b5? {the response is a clear mistake. It is somewhat understandable as black felt the pressure and could not hold it together; normally in such cases an impulsive reaction generates an immediate mistake} 23.d5! {good positions always offer hidden resources like this one} Bd7 (23... bxc4?? 24.dxe6 {wins a piece}) (23... cxd5 24.cxb5 {now white has an advanced pawn majority on the Queen side and an open c-file; still probably this would have been a better choice}) 24.cxb5 Qxd5 25.Qxd5 cxd5 26.Rc7 {material is still equal and Queens came off the board; however white's position is further improved: advanced pawn majority on the Queen side and penetration on the 7th rank} Nxe5 27.Rxe5 {a simple move winning a pawn} Bf5 28.Rxd5 Be4? {allowing both white Rooks on the 7th rank is a major positional error} 29.Rdd7 g5 30.Ne5 Bf5 31.Rf7 Nd6 {will black succeed in exchanging some pieces?} 32.Rxf5!? Nxf5 (32... Rxf5 33.Ng6+ Kg8 34.Ne7+ Kf8 35.Nxf5 Nxf5 36.Bc4 {this is also a winning line for white even if it looks better for black}) 33.Ng6+ Kg8 34.Bc4+ {the game should have ended here; black has no chance left. Remember what I said about knowing when to resign?} Rf7 35.Rxf7 Rf8 36.Rxf8+ Kg7 37.Rg8+ Kf6 38.b6
Hope you agree this is a nice example of a quiet move by a pawn. It was not about what I accomplished with it. It was all about the reaction it generated from my opponent. This could be a difficult aspect to consider on a regular basis and without a doubt the high rewards generated, warrant any effort put into mastering it.
This article was published originally on The Chess Improver blog on 2016-11-01
I have reposted it here for reference.
"... By definition, quiet moves are moves that are not a capture, check or immediate threat to the opposition. This includes subtle developmental moves or moves that improve a piece's position (placing it on a more active square)..."
Hugh Patterson (The Chess Improver)
While doing some research for this theme, I found one of Hugh's previous articles as one of the top references. After reading it I realized it provides a very nice foundation for adding more practical examples to help the club player. Identifying the quiet moves and playing them at the right time is a craft one needs to work on constantly to become a well rounded and dangerous player. At the beginning I remember finding this concept very intriguing and difficult to accomplish. Like Hugh says, players in general look for concrete moves with obvious/ visible results; when none such concrete moves are apparent, one could feel disoriented and lost. The trials and tribulations of getting better at it have taken me from the lowest of the low (absolutely inexplicable moves becoming instant blunders...), to some nice ones with a deadly effect. Here I am going to focus on a deadly example from one of my recent online games. The first 21 moves are below:
[Event "Let's Play!"][Site "Chess.com"][Date "2016.09.17"][White "EugenD"][Black "Makeyda"][TimeControl "1 in 3 days"][Result "1-0"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nf6 3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.e4 Nb6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nf3 Bb4 7.Be2 Nc6 8.O-O O-O 9.a3 Bxc3 10.bxc3 h6 11.Bf4 Ne7 12.h3 Ng6 13.Bg3 f5 14.exf5 exf5 15.Qb3+ Kh8 16.Be5 Qe7 17.Rfe1 Be6 18.c4 c6 19.Bf1 f4 20.a4 Qf7 21.Rac1 Nc8
What should white do now? A quick assessment of the position reveals equal material and a positional plus for white as a result of active pieces and control of the center. Black's position is a bit cramped: Rooks are not connected and both Knights are not doing too much. Ng6 could be exchanged on e5, but that would give white a very powerful Ne5 to cause future trouble such as on the g6-square. All this being said, it is not clear how white should proceed to improve its position or how to launch the attack. All pieces seem to be in good positions with no obvious better squares to aim for. Pushing d4-d5 is also not possible for the moment. I thought about it for a while and decided to postpone taking Qb3 away from the a2-g8 diagonal and use its position to play a quiet move on the Queen side.
[Event "Let's Play!"][Site "Chess.com"][Date "2016.09.17"][White "EugenD"][Black "Makeyda"][TimeControl "1 in 3 days"][SetUp "1"][FEN "r1n2r1k/pp3qp1/2p1b1np/4B3/P1PP1p2/1Q3N1P/5PP1/2R1RBK1 w - - 3 22"][Result "1-0"] 22.a5 {there is no direct threat here outside of gaining more space and preparing a possible Qb3-a4, followed by a5-a6. I would say this is a textbook quiet move needed in this position} b5? {the response is a clear mistake. It is somewhat understandable as black felt the pressure and could not hold it together; normally in such cases an impulsive reaction generates an immediate mistake} 23.d5! {good positions always offer hidden resources like this one} Bd7 (23... bxc4?? 24.dxe6 {wins a piece}) (23... cxd5 24.cxb5 {now white has an advanced pawn majority on the Queen side and an open c-file; still probably this would have been a better choice}) 24.cxb5 Qxd5 25.Qxd5 cxd5 26.Rc7 {material is still equal and Queens came off the board; however white's position is further improved: advanced pawn majority on the Queen side and penetration on the 7th rank} Nxe5 27.Rxe5 {a simple move winning a pawn} Bf5 28.Rxd5 Be4? {allowing both white Rooks on the 7th rank is a major positional error} 29.Rdd7 g5 30.Ne5 Bf5 31.Rf7 Nd6 {will black succeed in exchanging some pieces?} 32.Rxf5!? Nxf5 (32... Rxf5 33.Ng6+ Kg8 34.Ne7+ Kf8 35.Nxf5 Nxf5 36.Bc4 {this is also a winning line for white even if it looks better for black}) 33.Ng6+ Kg8 34.Bc4+ {the game should have ended here; black has no chance left. Remember what I said about knowing when to resign?} Rf7 35.Rxf7 Rf8 36.Rxf8+ Kg7 37.Rg8+ Kf6 38.b6
Hope you agree this is a nice example of a quiet move by a pawn. It was not about what I accomplished with it. It was all about the reaction it generated from my opponent. This could be a difficult aspect to consider on a regular basis and without a doubt the high rewards generated, warrant any effort put into mastering it.