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This exercise comes from Jonathan Hawkins’s excellent book “Amateur to IM.”
Rules: White to move; White can only move the rook one time. Try to checkmate Black!
Chess Endgame Fundamentals: Opposition Exercise
Support the channel:
This exercise comes from Jonathan Hawkins’s excellent book “Amateur to IM.”
Rules: White to move; White can only move the rook one time. Try to checkmate Black!
6:25 just play Rc5
Hey John, couldn't white play a waiting move with the rook or play Rc7 at the starting position?
Has anybody ever been frustrated with something they don't understand, and then when it finally clicks you burst out laughing? That's what it's like when I watch John's chess videos.
I have never seriously studied the endgame until this year (2023), so I am only just learning about opposition. This Rook v King+Rook demonstration has been extremely helpful to help me understand how the White king can make progress and actually FORCE the Black king into a mating position. Timestamp: 7:28 – (https://youtu.be/Jd0meolN7wI?si=pSytJjDNObZflDL4&t=448 ). Learning how to OUTFLANK in this situation was instructional for me and is going to greatly influence my learning and understanding…
every year or so i go back to the Endgames and the Fundamentals tobrush up on the essential concepts. Its always a treat! 👌
I'm lost as to why such an exercise would need to be consider. It's nonsense, and I see no value in it. Why consider it, if it doesn't exist? Instructing the concept of Opposition in real Chess with a Rook and a King would be useful. I teach it to 1st graders.
I think… with playing endgames.. it might is possible to finally play fully blindfold. Since with endgames and only few pieces on the board, it should be possible to learn 'blindfold' step by step… until it's possible to play fully blindfold.
And it seems any decent good chess player can play blindfold – aka having kind of a 'board within the mind'.
(just saying because I was trying to play blindfold once.. with zero success .. being a miserable chessplayer anyway… but.. starting to do endgames blindfold.. could/should workout – I imagine.)
john thats one of the most amazing puzzles ive seen. very very instructive! Im starting Amateur to IM right away!
Cool exercise, well presented! I sense a strange feeling of motivation to grab Hawkins's book off the shelf and sit down with it by my DGT board.
I bought the mentioned book 🙂 thanks for the recommendation!
Great study John! I really like your channel because you have always been proactive and come up with innovative and interesting videos whether it is your Vlogs, Play magnus or just the interviews that you did at London. Keep up the good work and all d best for your next Tournament!
That was a really cool puzzle, I enjoyed solving it and was glad I didn't miss something important when I looked at the explenation. Oh btw, yesterday I beat my first opponent who was 2100+ in a 5 minute game on lichess. And I'm thinking this has quite a lot to do with your instructive and always in depth analysis and thought processes you share in your videos.