Grandmaster Baburin Wows Crowd at Hillside School
Grandmaster Alex Baburin
The grandmaster shared with us some books that he liked, in the following order:
1. Chess Fundamentals by Capablanca
2. Common Sense in Chess by Lasker
After you have read these books, Alex recommended studying in depth the games of the greats. Among the famous players that are good examples to study are Morphy, Tal, Alekhine, and Kasparov. Fischer is fine too, he says.
Finally, he suggested reading books about tactics. At BCS we like the series of books by A. J. Gillam. These books are in print and readily available. We have copies of the Capablanca and Gillam books for sale at our office or at our Friday night tournaments.
1. Chess Fundamentals by Capablanca
2. Common Sense in Chess by Lasker
After you have read these books, Alex recommended studying in depth the games of the greats. Among the famous players that are good examples to study are Morphy, Tal, Alekhine, and Kasparov. Fischer is fine too, he says.
Finally, he suggested reading books about tactics. At BCS we like the series of books by A. J. Gillam. These books are in print and readily available. We have copies of the Capablanca and Gillam books for sale at our office or at our Friday night tournaments.
Pre-match composure
BCS kicked off the Friday evening classes with a special treat. Visiting Grandmaster Alexander Eugenovich Baburin gave a two hour talk to the kids (and a few lucky parents!) and shared his advice on how to become a better chess player. Considering how few Grandmasters there are in the world, it was like having one of the best players for the Oakland A's come spend a few hours with a Little League team! The Russian-born chess player took questions, showed his most recent game, and offered a wealth of advice.
"You improve by playing slightly better players, but you owe it to the game to play weaker players when they ask you. It's only fair," Alex said.
What does Alex think about memorizing openings? He doesn't think that you should do it because it is far more interesting, effective, and fun to concentrate on tactics. There's a perception that you need to memorize a ton of openings to get truly good at chess and yet Grandmasters Danny King, Marcel Sisniega, and now Alex Baburin have told BCS students that memorizing openings is very overrated.
The grandmaster also suggested keeping your games in a folder so that you can analyze them and also chart your progress. What about playing on the internet? He thought it was okay if you have trouble finding partners but playing "over the board" is better.
What was the most surprising advice he gave about improving your chess? Play sports! Being in good shape will help you concentrate, particularly in longer or more complicated games. It also leads to a better-balanced life.
The most important way to get better is to study books, Alex says; not obsessively, but just in your spare time. A few hours a week will make a huge difference in your chess. The problem is that there are few good chess books, particularly for young people. Most books "don't have enough words." He then explained that books with just moves and variants and no explanations are not very helpful. What you should look for are books that have good analysis of the moves (see sidebar).
The down-to-earth GM has been living in Ireland since 1993, where he teaches chess in schools, writes for chess publications, and plays for the Irish Olympic team. He was visiting the Bay Area to play in the prestigious Imre Konig tournament (http://www.chessclub.org/KonigGM.html) where he tied for second place.
Thanks again for coming, Alex!
"You improve by playing slightly better players, but you owe it to the game to play weaker players when they ask you. It's only fair," Alex said.
What does Alex think about memorizing openings? He doesn't think that you should do it because it is far more interesting, effective, and fun to concentrate on tactics. There's a perception that you need to memorize a ton of openings to get truly good at chess and yet Grandmasters Danny King, Marcel Sisniega, and now Alex Baburin have told BCS students that memorizing openings is very overrated.
The grandmaster also suggested keeping your games in a folder so that you can analyze them and also chart your progress. What about playing on the internet? He thought it was okay if you have trouble finding partners but playing "over the board" is better.
What was the most surprising advice he gave about improving your chess? Play sports! Being in good shape will help you concentrate, particularly in longer or more complicated games. It also leads to a better-balanced life.
The most important way to get better is to study books, Alex says; not obsessively, but just in your spare time. A few hours a week will make a huge difference in your chess. The problem is that there are few good chess books, particularly for young people. Most books "don't have enough words." He then explained that books with just moves and variants and no explanations are not very helpful. What you should look for are books that have good analysis of the moves (see sidebar).
The down-to-earth GM has been living in Ireland since 1993, where he teaches chess in schools, writes for chess publications, and plays for the Irish Olympic team. He was visiting the Bay Area to play in the prestigious Imre Konig tournament (http://www.chessclub.org/KonigGM.html) where he tied for second place.
Thanks again for coming, Alex!
More About Grandmaster Alex Baburin:
Baburin has written a diary on a week in the life of a Grandmaster:
http://www.gmsquare.com/gmdiary.html
He is one of the principals of the daily email chess newspaper Chess Today. (http://www.chesstoday.net/). He is also a principal at gmsquare.com.
Alex is author of the book Winning Pawn Structures (available at Amazon.com).
Baburin has written a diary on a week in the life of a Grandmaster:
http://www.gmsquare.com/gmdiary.html
He is one of the principals of the daily email chess newspaper Chess Today. (http://www.chesstoday.net/). He is also a principal at gmsquare.com.
Alex is author of the book Winning Pawn Structures (available at Amazon.com).
"Come into my parlor..."
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