How I Play

Hi, my name is Dani, I'm sure I've played a lot of you so far. I wanted to post this because there are a few rude people I've played who've said insulting remarks when I have won a game against them and can't believe a woman can play chess well. I do lose games sometimes, I'm not perfect (my dad will attest to that ). One of the reasons that I play at the level I play is that my Dad taught me chess when I was 5 (even tho i was just sort of moving the horsies around then). He's even a much better player than I am, & we've played alot of games together over the last 18 years.  

Ok, now I'm going to explain how I play, so maybe you'll understand how I think (yes I do think, I may be flaky, but I do have a brain). 

I'm not great in the openings, so I try to make the best moves possible through the first 10 moves (get all my pieces out, try to be somewhere around the center.

If I make it through the first 10-15 moves then I'm in good posititon. The middle game is my strength. For some reason I can see the game better once the pieces are all out.

The way I analyze each move is this (and realize it's taken a good 10 years to be able to do this quickly):

I try to see if my opponent has left any piece unprotected.

I see if any of my pieces are unprotected.

Next I look at the piece I'm going to move & see if it was protecting any piece before I move it. 

I look for any piece that can check my opponents King right away.

I look to see if my knight can put a fork on any 2 of my opponents pieces. 

I look to see if any of my pieces can pin any opponents pieces between my piece & his King or Queen.

And lastly I try to imagine if it was my opponents turn instead of mine what move would they make right now.

So that's the basic process I go through when playing, which is why I dont like to play games under 10 minutes, cause it doesn't give me enough time per move to go thru this type of mental check)list I go thru on each move. It works good for me as long as I dont get past 40 moves (I stink in the endgame & this process doesn't help me there). So that's how I can play at the evel I play (plus it doesn't hurt having the smartest Dad in the world).

And lastly most of you know how I detest the ratings here (it makes people CRAZY), and that I only play for fun. So if you play me, it;s only a FUN game, win or lose, don't take it soooooo seriously. :)

Excellent post Danielle, you have every right to play well and have fun. As for the rude players just  have them blocked and reported it to the staff.

Good attitude, Dani. It's a game, after all...

Hi Dani! If you really think this way when you play, then I'm worried about playing you

I am also not great in the openings. I have to think very hard for the first ten or so moves. I only know a couple of opening lines by heart. It's why I like chess.com and correspondence games. I can use the database to help me.

Don't get upset about idiots who are rude. Some people take chess very, very seriously, and some behave very badly when they lose. It isn't fun to lose. I certainly don't enjoy it. But it's no excuse for being rude.

The thing I think I am learning now is that it's important to be defensive in chess. I was always a defensive player. I win, usually, when my opponent makes a mistake. But now I think more and more that it's important to make the defense active. You have to risk getting your pieces out in front where they are making problems for your opponent, and not fear complications too much ... sometimes they're as hard for the other person as they are for you. So I consider captures now which I never would have tried before, even if they seem to lose material immediately. A sacrifice can shock your opponent sometimes.

Great post Dani I will read it to my daughter so she can see it is all right for a girl to be at chess.

Hey Dani, you forgot a few things... 

1. You are very smart and it helps to be perceptive..

2. You are beautiful and that intimidates men a lot ...lol

3. Some men are silly and underestimate women.... lol

4. Your Dad knew you were smart and taught you to use it well...:)

5. People panic when they are going to lose and you have learned to stay calm remembering its just a game .. 

I think you are just good at chess.. Mainly due to lots of practice and a great mind for it.. 

You are great Dani!!!!! :)

Hiya Dani, I have the same problems. I dont mind the guys on here joking, its normal but some are just crude, block them. Its true that some men dont like being beaten by a girl, but most are realy pleased. ( had one guy who would not take a win from me, only a draw. he said it wasnt right to beat a woman). I did put him right. We should play some time,

                                Charlotte

Hi, Dani

Don't worry if other guys are rude to you because they lost to you.  Don't listen to them.  It's great for a girl to be playing very good chess.  You shouldn't be excluded from chess because of that!

Awesome thought process.  I am also a midgame specialist-I'm an aggressive, tactical player and the midgame=tactics for the most part.  It's good to have someone who's better than you to play, because you can learn a lot from them.

I'm also glad u know that chess should NOT be your life!  A lot of people devote their lives to playing good chess, and if they would just stand back and look at it, they would see it is a GAME, and it is NOT to be taken so seriously.

Kindest regards,

Ethan

thats a very systematic and fool-proof method.. wish i followed such a routine. my plan, put simply, is go for the king by all means necessary.

I guess the simple way to win would be sit down at the table, collect your thoughts, map out a plan....then quickly snatch your opponents king & make a run out of there