Talk:Chess strategy and tactics

Hi,

I'm a newcomer here and I'd like to contribute to the chess theory pages! I'm a chess player and teacher and I was wondering if this project could have sense: building a complete free chess encyclopedia! Perhaps it's a too big deal, but Wikipedia is bigger than one could imagine 2 years ago! What do you think? The starting point is choosing a standard for classifying openings (and symbols for evaluation, like +-, =, etc.), middlegame and endings. Then contributors will start editing a specific page (i.e.: Marshall attack in Ruy Lopez, or identified by a code like C90 for instance) simply inserting the PGN game score (with variations). The perfect thing would be using some browser-based tool, like an applet, to show the moves. I hope this could be done, in a future (perhaps not so far). Teutoburgo

Alex, why add origin squares to some of the moves? That's not normal notation, and it might be confusing because it's only done for a few of them and not in general. --LDC

Well, I thought it would be helpful to know where the pieces came from. I reverted. AxelBoldt

Usually the entire sequence of moves is known, or at least the starting position. When the only diagram is the position after the move, I think think it makes sense to include the square of origin. True, it isn't _the_ standard, but is _one_ standard, and a good idea in some situations. --Karl Juhnke

This issue is really a function of who the audience is. (There's a Wikipedia rule about that.) If we intend the reader to be the experienced chess player, then by all means omit redundant origin squares. But it's more likely that the reader will be very inexperienced and fumbly when it comes to reading notation. Including all origin squares is just as "normal" as omitting them. If origin squares are shown they act as a reality check to whether a previous move was made correctly, and they avoid the problem of omitting them when they really aren't redundant. Eclecticology

I just noticed that we have a bigger problem: our diagrams don't show the file letters and row numbers, so that beginners won't be able to read the algebraic notation. AxelBoldt

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Karl, your example diagrams are great! For the endgame section, where we say that kings should fight for the squares in front of passed pawns, I'd like to request a diagram of white: Ke5, Pd5 black Kd8. White moves, the only winning move is Kd6. AxelBoldt

Diagram added. I'll leave the spacing, format, caption, etc. to you. My work on this page is convincing me that it is vastly harder to discover/design a good position than it is to make and upload the image. If anyone has any more suggestions, I'll happily make more pictures.

P.S. Kd6 is not the only winning move. Ke6 wins too, e.g. 1.Ke6 Ke8 2.d6 Kd8 3.d7 Kc7 4.Ke7 etc. However, if you back everyone up a rank, i.e. white Ke4, Pd4 black Kd7, then white Kd5 is the only winning move. Should I include that diagram instead?--Karl Juhnke

You are right, the Ke4 position would be much better. Also, I was thinking for the king attack section: a standard bishop sacrifice on h7, maybe in the Colle system. AxelBoldt

ditto about the diagrams. We may be close to spinning off endgames as a separate article. I agree completely with the point that you are trying to make with your example. An even more fundamental point to illustrate and understand yours would be something to illustrate the concept of the opposition. Eclecticology

Actually, the diagram that Karl just added is a nice example of opposition; we just need to cover the concept in the text. Personally, I'm not a big fan of splitting the article into pieces: that way, people have to click around too much and get lost. AxelBoldt

The diagram has been modified. (Interesting how the page doesn't show as modified, because I only overwrote the image with one of the same name.) I'm still taking requests for more diagrams if anyone wants to think them up and compose the surrounding text. --Karl Juhnke