By and courtesy of: LUBEK
 World Coorespondence Chess Champion 1998-2003 (private matches with the best of the best),
 Official Yugoslavian Email Champion 1999/2000
 
        Certain chess positions dont have much to do with calculation but
with chess knowledge, recognition and pattern... for example two knights
against a pawn and a king... if you put the king with one knight
in the corner and the promoting pawn is at least 3 squares from 
promotion, the mate is guaranteed. A method to follow.
  Two pawns and a rook versus a Rook, if two pawns are on a and c or f and h
files, draw is possible, some say with the Queens too, but that's very hard.
  Replacing the King with Queen and Vice-Versa is not one and
the same thing, like playing with black, instead of white. The pieces
are on different sides, that's like having one right shoe on the left, 
left one on the right. All openings, attacks would be different and
placement of pieces would not be the same.

 No matter what you do or how you play it... this order of pawn moves (below)
 makes this position a dead draw, this is more than a theory, see it
 for yourselves... Another theory of mine is... that even in a dead
 drawn position one tiny wrong move that misplaces your pieces being
 on the defensive or the offensive looses or draws a won game and there is
 more to this theory too, not only zugzwang.
 The exchanging of pieces should be done when appropriate, for a better value, 
 for better standing, development, center, a very
 long subject... but if a piece is not moving and has only to defand
 and it's overburdened chances are your oppoonent will maneuver around it
 and win the game. W
        hat are the good pieces ? 
 Those that can both defand and attack... and dont loose a piece.
 In certain dead drawn position pieces maneuvering requires collosal amount
 of moves to win the game... but who is up to the tesk of that perfection,
 correct order of moves !? May be computers... but they dont have the 
 imagination, heart, soul and will of a great chess human player. (like me)
 The only way a computer can be a champion if he has that and perfect
 knowledge of the endings but without databases he is lost too.
 The best way to play a computer is to play it very carefully and
 using closed positions, they get lost if you use the right plan,
 they dont have long term planning and strategy. Open up your play 
 only if you have a clear plan ahead.
 Computers may never be better than best humans ( it depands if the human
 champion is good or bad).

 1. A3 H6
 2. B3 G6
 3. C3 F6
 4. D3 E6
 5. E3 D6
 6. F3 C6
 7. G3 B6
 8. H3 A6
 Now, fun starts...
 9. A4 H5
10. H4 A5
11. B4 C5
12. B5 D5
13. C4 D4
14. E4 E5
15. G4 F5
16. G5 F4

        You may think chess endings with few pawns and a king left are easy
especially if there are no other pieces present, you are wrong, tempo
is dead, this position is one of the hardest... one wrong move and 
that's it... Chess is complicated and its better this way.
Nothing is easy and therefore it's beautiful too. Arts, science and sport. 
I appreciate it more for art and science. Good game is just like watching 
a great painting or a finely sculptured sculpture, monument.

Mobility = power. 
Imobile and unmoved pieces create weaknesses, they become weaknesses.
They weaken its territory and create disorientations.
A pawn can take any piece a queen can. The latter is only more powerful 
because of greater mobility. So try to increase your pieces mobility. 
When placing a piece make sure it either can withdraw if attacked or be 
protected by a pawn. To protect a piece by a piece is often not good, 
(then again all chess rules have unorthodox exceptions)
it restricts piece mobility as opposed to a pawn protection. 
(Also depands on position, subject to debate...) However, 2 or more pieces 
protecting a piece (pawn) is often okay because it gives the protectors 
freedom of mobility. Often pieces on both sides stand in the way of mobility 
so don't be afraid to exchange. One advise on solidity: If your opponent 
attacks a piece it's often not good to reply attacking another unless it 
is of greater value than the one attacked. This often leads to risky and 
unsound positions. (Also depands on position, subject to debate...)

Dont allow double attacks by means of discovered check, attack an attack
by attack, counter attack, dont create passive positions.
Watch out when exchanging because the next move may be a double rook attack
or discovered check and u loose exchange. Move your king where it safest 
and protects other pieces when it's activated.
(but also protected) When up in development attack the opponent so the above 
is not true for him, disorient his pieces, weaken, put the king in danger thus
gaining material. Exchange on time. When you dont have much choices shuffle 
your pieces around, do waiting moves but keep position stable, cover & 
protect the key squares, at the same time dont allow access your opponent 
the access to his key spots especially if he is up in development/material.

Center:
Center may give you more flexibility with plans. You have a spacial advantage,
of course whats's the use if your flanks are flabby ? Sometimes the pawn
from center may get to be a queen, you are more likely to find a good move,
as opposed to when you are squashed behind the enemy's forces.

Exchanges:
Watch out when exchanging so you dont create weak squares or leave
a piece unprotected or stucked. You may move away your piece which
protects critical square/pieace and you loose initiative in the next move/s.
Watch out for double attack/check.
Watch out for double attack/discovered check/material loss if you move your 
piece to a wrong position or when exchanging, dont exchange something
you will be weaker in and loose material in the next move after the exchange.
Put your pieces in such a position where they have mobility, both have
safety and can attack, dont get them sufficated.

        Things to look out for in Tactics:

(1) Uncovered kings and/or king with few or no escape squares 
(double attack with check, mating problems, windmill).

(2) Important pieces on the same file, diagonal, or rank (skewer, pin).

(3) You have an active knight and the opponent has heavy pieces and/or his/her 
king on the same color (knights can only attack one color at a time or fork).

(4) There are one or more pieces or critical squares 
(mating focal points) unprotected or insufficiently protected 
(deflection, overloading (aka "removing the guard"). 
Often times it will involve a sack of the exchange or bishop for knight trade. 
Even if the pieces are worth about the same, they protect squares differently, 
and once exchanged off, these squares become newly vulnerable.

(5) In "difficult" puzzles (and often make-believe situations), 
always take a couple of seconds to try the queen sack first 
and see if there are any good lines.

(6) Find the most forcing moves for the position 
(checks, sacrifices which must be taken else a lost endgame). 

(7) One of the secrets of tactics in chess, watch out for pieces that are 
connected to the same squares or those who will be...

(8) The way to win a game is to create more than one weakness.
The most important aspect in chess is patience, complete analysis.

Skewer - Is similar to a pin; a piece is said to be 'pinned' if is attacked
but can't move because it is shielding a piece of higher value. A piece is
said to be 'skewered' if it is shielding a piece of lesser value but is
attacked and forced to move, exposing the shielded piece to capture.
- The tactic of attacking an opponent's piiece when it shields another piece
of lesser value, so that first piece moves out of harm's way, allowing the
lesser piece to be captured. Sometimes that does not work if the king had been
blocking its own piece that sights other king, once he steps down and reveals 
check, the other player is in check and can not take the piece.

Windmill - Is a tactic when a piece repeatedly discovers check on enemy king
(and or) picks up material in the process of checking, like a devastating hurricane.

         Openings Transposed:
I found a line that transposes into other lines for 7
ply in a row the number of games in the database 
that reached that position gets larger and larger.
starts with this obscure way to play vs Philidors: 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4. Bc4 

Okay only few games in the data base have ever reached 
this position, how good can that be ? 

But then after 4.Be7, 9 games in the database have 
reached this position, so other people are getting 
here by Two Knights or Bishop's opening. 

and then after 5. d3 10 games reached this, 
and then 5.Nc6 34 games reached this!

ANd now after 6.0-0 103 games have this position.
And after 6.O-O 185 games reached this and after 
7.Bb3 291 games reached this position.

Weird ? You can learn a lot about a number of openings: 
Philidors, Ponziani, 2 knights and even Bishops opening by studying this line. 

        Solving chess problems:
In a puzzle, first look how to stalemate the king, take away all his flight
squares, then find out how to deliver a mate. Since puzzles are clever, skip
the obvious and look for sacrifices, impossible moves, even stupid ones, such
as where a piece can be taken (as opposed to a sacrifice which is destructive).
A memory plays a good part too, familiarity of the position.
Look for pins, possible pins, clearances.
        Clearance is when a piece occupies a square that's needed for mating
purposes by another piece and the piece must be vacate that square with force. 
For example, suppose your queen sat on f6 and you looked at the board and saw
that if your knight could move to f6, you would have either mateor a mating net
but if you just move your queen with force, this could be check or capturing
a minor piece which would guarantee an eventual win. Or the threat - you move
your queen beside your opponent's queen, but if he takes it, you mate, if he
stops the mate, you take his queen.

When playing endings, play so you dont get overextended, zugzwanged, king and 
pieces out of space and positioning. - All quotes by L.J., The Chosen One

Did u know:
-------------------------------
Out of 123 000 Professional Games:
e4 winning with White... 37.7%, Black win... 29%, draws 33.3%
d4 winning with White... 36.4%, Black win... 24.6%, draws 39%
-------------------------------

  Benefits of chess/6x6 checkers:
  Visual memory/Memory improvement
  Attention span
  Spatial reasoning skills, recognition
  Capacity to predict and anticipate consequences, responsibility
  Ability to evolve logic, critical thinking
  To use criteria to drive decision making 
  Evaluate alternatives
  Concentration