Your questions answered by Natalia Pogonina-34

Written by Administrator

Friday, 25 March 2011

The rules are simple - send us your questions and see them featured in Natalia's Q&As column!

Q1: I would like to know how you were able to keep on
your constant form. Do you still force yourself to have a game at a
moment when you are too physically exhausted? Or your knowledge on
memorizing details keeps you always abreast?

A1: First of all, I do not have a "constant form". Sometimes I do relatively well, sometimes pretty badly. Secondly, I am not that much of a "memorizer". Knowing the main ideas of openings is more helpful at my level than cramming up 20-move lines. Thirdly, I am a responsible person and play even when being very tired or ill. I have quit just one tournament in my life (the doctors told me I would have to be operated unless I do that) and don't share the views of people who think it's ok to abandon the tournament after losing a chance to win a prize. However, the life of a chess professional is not that easy, so I wouldn't be too hard on them either.

Q2: I´d like to know what´s your opinion about the best non-comercial (shareware)
program to learn, play and study chess?

A2: I am not that much of an expert in shareware. Why? First of all, because I am a pro and tend to use top-notch software. Secondly,our time is more expensive than money. Let's say you are willing to invest 50 hours in studying chess using a shareware program. Why not spend $50 (that's $1/hour) and study WAY more efficiently? Sometimes you can "buy" 50 hours of time for just $50. Isn't it worth it?

However, when it comes to engines, as you probably know, Firebird and Houdini are at least on par with the top commercial engines, so you may want to try them out.

Q3: How often should one study tactics?

A3: I have answered that question before, but people ask it SO often, that it's worth repeating. Every day for 30-60 minutes. If that sounds like a lot for you, then at least 15 minutes (a few positions). Anyone can spare such an amount of time. However, don't overdo it: solving tactics for hours and hours will hurt your chess understanding, as you will probably be searching for a forced win even in equal or worse positions, which leads to quick losses. Therefore, as I have already said, one shouldn't spend more than an hour/day on tactics.

Q4: How is preparing for an open tournament (e.g. Aeroflot) different from preparing for a round robin (e.g. Wijk Aan Zee)?

A4: In round robins you usually know the line-up in advance and have a chance to prepare for each opponent beforehand. That is, create a chess dossier on him/her and choose the optimal strategy. In open tournaments things are less predictable. Also, it largely depends on your goals. For example, top players who resort to rather solid openings in round robins (where participants are all of more or less the same level) have to try out something more risky in swiss events if they want to maintain their high ratings and win prizes. However, this refers to pros with a high level of self-discipline. Most people simply play chess and enjoy the activity without any special preparations.

Comments (3)

	1. Written by This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it on 21:41 25 марта 2011 г.
	Types What do you prefer to play in, regular chess tournaments, Blitz tournaments or Blindfold tournaments? How do you rank them? http://twitter.com/bobrob03

	2. Written by This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it on 21:51 27 марта 2011 г.
	Types thanks for sharing your views and concept in chess,,readers can also be guided for some points, ideas,in playing chess,, GOD BLESS to you natalia,

	3. Written by This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it on 22:52 30 августа 2012 г.
	dAwgvpTeeuU Actually, as it turns out, the phone is Angelo's. I found out this week. I guess a tough guy like him who can grind down an opponent to in 111 moves can get away with cyrraing a pink phone. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003406545982

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Last Updated ( Friday, 25 March 2011 )

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