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First notice that, in a science or all other (human) activity, we are studying, it's usual to name "theory" all coherent set of laws allowing everyone to interpret main phenomena observed in this specific activity. Accordingly it is obvious that a law is an affirmation permitting some previsions concerning future events related to a given scientific, technical or human activity. Evidently you have to distinguish carefully between pure sciences and experimental or human ones! For example in mathematics a law is said a theorem and such an affirmation is true or is false without any doubt. But to the contrary in experimental or human sciences laws are generaly only approximate... We shall conclude precisely this chapter in applying such ideas to the Chess Theory!
1o) The classical point of view In a classical and rather superficial point of view, we recognize three different stages in a chess game : the Opening, the Middle game and the Endgame. It's very well know that the geant chess player Alekhine don't agree at all with this reductive opinion! But there is any contradiction to evoke on one hand the deep unity of a chess game and, on the other one, various phases intervening in its development. On this subject you may compare a chess game whith a human body. But it is not a satisfactory idea for two reasons: 2o) The Arrow Of Time (AOTX:) When you play Chess, whatever the manner of playing, it is impossible for you to be unaware of the implacable walk of the time; because you are playing your own story... Playing Chess is playing his life..."Chess is Life" (Robert James Fischer). Also the only way to restor a right idea of Arrow of Time is to compare Chess and Life; not with the abstract concept of Life, of course, but precisely with a Human Life; yours or ours for example! 3o) Four stages of the Life In a chess game like in the life people recognize four stages: the Youth (OPENING), the Adulthood (MIDDLE GAME), the Old age (ENDGAME) and the Death (MATE). We apologize for developing such philosophical considerations, but however we point out that this comparaison will stay a good and usefull guide in all our coming research. Anyway: chess game like human Life own three significant caracteristics:
In view to analyze more carefully the unfolding of a Chess game, it seems useful to break up each component in specific parts easily recognizable. Thus the opening may be analyzed this way: 1o) Opening Theoretical Phase (OPTP:) It has to do with the very first moves of the game and go on as far as you are following a line identified by the theory and anayway played rather many times. Everybody knows that the length of an opening is eerily variable; between 0 move and exceptionally more than 24 or 25 moves. In this chapter we shall give, on this subject, two instructive examples. Moreover, for a given line of play this length is fluctuating through the time. 2o) Opening Speculative Phase (OPSP:) This one begins when the line of play followed by both players is not indexed any more, at this stage, in great theoretical works; and, in parallel, when the number of known games taking this way falls below a certain threshold. But it is more complicated that this!... On one hand it is obvious that games of grandmasters and masters are more significant than those produce by players of lower level; and on the other hand a correspondence game or a game played according to a slow cadence has flagrantly a greater value than a blitz for example! Finally many other factors intervene. Like this, even two granmasters during a keen game, and there is all the charm of chess, may be suddenly involved in a not very advisable variation!... Many other observations of this kind are possible, so that any conclusion is more than delicate! 3o) Opening Critical Phase (OPCP:) This one takes place when people find any more (secure) reference concerning the current position of a chess game played by two opponents (grandmasters, masters or simple players). Again it is clear this notion is quite relative. We have to add also that it is possible, according to usual move inversions, to escape from the Knowledge Field (KNFX:) and to enter in it again some moves later! ... Nevertheless, when we escape definitively the Knowledge Field (KNFX:) the fist following move played is usually called a "Novelty"! An ultimate remark is that all considerations in this subject are relative to the level of both players; in particular it is usual that grandmasters consider firstly games played by other ones... and grant only little interest to those produce by players of lower level.
The Middle game begins exactly when you escape from the Knowledge Field (KNFX:), with, according to previous remarks, all the imprecision of this concept. 1o) Novelty (NOVT:) or Theoretical Novelty (THNO:)? A Novelty (NOVT:) is formally the first half-move played for the first time, in a given position; again it is a totally relative notion. Then begins the Middle Game. Thus the novelty, to suppose one can define this move precisely, is the only move belonging both to the Opening and of the Middle Game; in other words it is a bridge between this both components of a Chess game. It is useful to precise that for grandmasters the only valid reference is the Chess Informant (INF:); and according to the Chess Informant "A Novelty is only a new move appearing in a game published by this prestigious review"; we think it is regrettable this way that is neglected games of very high level played by the top of Chess correspondence grandmasters! A Theoretical Novelty (THNO:) is a novelty representing a theoretical interest and able to make progress the Opening Chess Theory. Evidently it is difficult to declare that a move is a TN (Theoretical Novelty) without referring to the opinion of grandmasters! 2o) Thematic Middle Game (THMG:) When chess players are just escaping the Knowledge Field (KNFX:) they are not totally deprived of reference mark. In fact they dispose of Thematic Moves (THMO:). A Thematic Move is a move usually played in similar configurations. The main difficulty with such moves is to choose the best order to play them! For a good understanding of this notion let us make clear that a Thematic Move intervenes usually in following contexts: This notion is rather very important and we shall develop more precisely the study of this one in an upcoming chapter of this lecture. 3o) Deep Middle Game (DEMG:) When grosso modo the development is completed, begins a new phase more complicated and difficult. It is the Deep Middle Game. The configuration seems to be inextricable and any appropriate reference to get onto it; only your practice and evidently your knowledge of the theory. It is particularly in this phase that Chess reveals all its richness and all its beauty! Anyway it is impossible to travel through this dense forest without a guide and this one is a Good Plan (GPLA:); evidently it is better to think about it before penetrating into this unknown univers. Anyway it is right you need a plan and we shall study carefully this notion in another chapter. But a plan is only a framework; also people engaged in the Deep Middle Game have to provide imagination, perspicacity and courage, in view to discover, in this indecipherable landscape, this secret track, hidden under the undergrowth, leading to the victory.
The exit of the middle game and the passage to the endgame is not very clear and is done rather gradually. 1o) Phase of simplification or Pre-Endgame (PENG:) You may recognize the Pre-Endgame at the following features: In spite of many simplifications the play remains rather complicated and it is only gradually that an inflecting of the strategy occurs. Evidently if you follow a good plan it agrees to continue it, while adapting it unceasingly as it should be. 2o) Endgame strictly speaking or Full-Endgame (FENG:) After some moves the Endgame (ENGX:) take a more specific form we call the: Full-Endgame (FENG:) approximately caracterized as follow: But in spite of the approach of the end of the game, incertainty can persist, just as a mistake may suddenly change the deal! 3o) Last move or End-Endgame (EENG:) The End-Endgame is a alone half-move considered by both opponents like the ultimate one; it intervenes sometimes by agreement (victory or draw) and sometimes by necessity (checkmate ou stalemate). This way "chess is life", it is right, but not always so radical!
1o) Flack, Juraj - Riabov, Alexander A00 (49) 1-0, SVK-ch U18 Slovakia, 2003 This game begins as follow:
In this singular game the Opening strictly speaking is 1.h3? that we may consider as belonging to the Opening Speculative Phase (OPSP:). And then 1...f3?N is a Novelty and constitutes the Opening Critical Phase (OPCP:). Evidently this move is not a TN. Following moves are more or less thematic and belong to the Thematic Middle Game (THMG:). Let us continue to investigate this surprising game:
Now we enter the Deep Middle Game (DEMG:):
After Queen's exchange it is rather evident we get into the Pre-Endgame (PENG:):
And with this majestic move of the White King begins the Full-Endgame (FENG:). 2o) De Saint-Germain, Gaston - Ruch, Eric C92 (64) ½-½, corr. AJEC ch-FRA, 1999 - Ruy Lopez, Flohr-Zaitsev variation Here is a very different game played by two strong correspondence chess players:
This particular line of the Flohr-Zaitsev variation is well known and has been played more than 400 or 500 times. Furthermore is value is recognize by specialists. Thus it belongs in totality to the Opening Theoretical Phase (OPTP:). Let us continue to investigate this well engaged game:
In this part of the game one understand well a flexion; evidently two or three first half-moves are quite sure and very often practiced. But nevertheless it is perceptible that we approach the end of the theoretical certainty. Also it is reasonable to consider that these some moves have to do with the Opening Speculative Phase (OPSP:). The game follows like this:
This three half-moves constitute the Opening Critical Phase (OPCP:). After which we enter the Middle Game; but every thematic move has already been played and this way the Thematic Middle Game (THMG:) is empty! In other words we enter immediatly the Deep Middle Game (DEMG:). Let us see:
With this exchanges occurs the Pre-Endgame (PENG:), played as follows:
and then we come in the Full-Endgame (FENG:)... : Later on we shall propose a complete analysis of this interesting game.
1o) Only two distinct theories for Chess At each stage of a Chess game it is usual to atribute its own theory. Like this we say commonly there is three different theories in chess: the Opening theory, the Middle game Theory and naturally the Endgame Theory. It is not at all our opinion. First, what is usualy said to be the "Opening Theory" is not a theory but just a practice. It is clearly the result of an experimentation! Effectively the Chess Opening Theory (COTX:) is the result of the study of lines of play, this ones being repertoried and classified, in particular in the famous Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECOX:) . But also in other specialized works or other supports like: After a very long time of reflection and many observations we reach the conclusion which one can evoke only two basically distinct types of theory: 2o) The Fundamental Chess Theory (FCT:) The Fundamental Chess Theory concerns the opening as well as the middle game. They are the same theoretical concepts who apply to the first one and the second one. This is already true in the Classical theory (Steinitz-Tarrasch), remains valid as regards the Modern theory (Nimzovitch-Reti) and applies exactly in the same manner concerning the New theory which will be gradually presented on this site. All these ideas, besides closely complementary, provide a conceptual screen which makes possible to interprete correctly the evolution of a chess game from the first move until the access to the endgame. The present assertion, about the conceptual unity between the opening and the middle game, will be prove carefully, in next chapters, using many examples. 3o) The Chess Endgame Theory (CETH:) But, a contrario, the progressive entry in the endgame leads gradually to a collapse of the relevance of all ideas thus advanced in the Fundamental Chess Theory. During the Pre-Endgame some concepts of the FCT may be used in parallel with some new ideas belonging to CET. To the contrary, in the Full-Endgame it is a very other theory which takes place; properly the Chess Endgame Theory (CETH:). This one being partially of a pragmatic nature and partially of a mathematical one. *** NEW CHESS THEORY :
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