Quote:
Originally Posted by A-Rod's Cousin
There's no way this guy is a 543.
I ****ed up again and lost my queen by being a stupid ass (really, really, really, really need to stop this) but I still should have smoked him being I'm near 800. Trading a queen for a knight shouldn't have been the death of me. Think I'm gonna remove 3. Qxd4 from my playbook. Pulling my queen out this early always wastes time and doesn't allow me to develop. And it's not worth stealing a pawn for.
But yeah, his moves were way too good for someone in the 500s. I don't get it. My 5th move is super stupid, too. I definitely played sloppy. f3 way better than e5 there. He didn't even fall for my 23 Bxd4 "trap"
I would advise worrying less about rating, and more about the moves themselves. Maybe he played unusually strong "for a 500", but all that matters is what moves he made, and how you can best play against them. Your goal is to keep improving, and playing better chess. Doesn't matter what your opponent is rated, and it also doesn't matter what your rating is. Improve your play and over time you'll see the rating rise with it.
Obviously dropping your queen was big. You have to always be aware of what threats your opponent made on his last move. He pushes a pawn to attack your queen? Do something about it. Save the queen. Because yes, trading your queen for a knight absolutely SHOULD be the death of you, even at the level you're playing at now - and certainly at the level you ought to be aspiring to.
Good idea to stop playing 3. Qxd4, bringing your queen out that early is seldom a good idea, particularly if your opponent has a piece that could attack it while simultaneously developing - known as a gain of "tempo". If your opponent's Nc8 was off the board, then Qxd4 would be a much stronger move - the centralized queen is an asset if it is safe, but a time-wasting liability if it can be easily attacked.
Of course if you don't plan on recapturing with the queen on move three, then you should also probably stop playing 2. d4 (I don't think you're ready to start exploring the Smith-Morra yet). As EvilSteve pointed out, the "normal" main line against the Sicilian is 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3, and after any of black's normal responses, then 3. d4 (with intent to recapture with the knight after 3. ... cxd4).
Don't worry about memorizing more than that, you'll learn more by working it out over the board. Just keep in mind good opening principles. Fight for the center, develop your pieces, don't give away material.
1. e4 occupied a central square (e4) with a pawn, attacked another central square (d5), and opened up a diagonal on which to develop your f1 bishop. It was a good, solid, principled opening move.
1. ... c5 fought back against the center indirectly, by putting pressure on d4. It also avoids a symetrical position, creating imbalance (which indicates that black intends to fight, and not play passively). It's also a good, solid, principled opening move. It defines the opening as the Sicilian Defence, and it's one of the two most popular responses to 1. e4 (along with 1. e5).
Your opponent has put pressure on d4. Rather than directly occupy the center, he's looking to pressure it from the flank. He's hoping to trade his c-pawn for your central (and thus more valuable) d-pawn. You can allow this trade, but only if you get something in exchange. Playing d4 immediately does not lose material, since the queen backs it up, but as you saw after he trades the pawns and you recapture he can develop a piece and attack your queen at the same time. Now you have to retreat, and he will begin to solidify his development advantage, then make his delayed strike at the center where he still has two pawns and you now only have one. You're in some trouble already. So instead, you play:
2. Nf3 develops a piece, and puts additional pressure on d4 from your side. Now if you later push the pawn and he captures, you can take back with the knight and you have gotten the compensation you need for the pawn trade - you have a centralized knight eyeing the whole board. As a bonus, you're also exerting pressure on e5, so for the time being you now control both central squares on the fifth rank.
2. ... Nc6 is one common response you may see. He knows that your move of Nf3 was in preparation of a d4 push, so he responds by developing a piece of his own, and further raising the stakes in the battle for the d4 square. He now attacks d4 with a knight and a pawn.
3. d4 now you press forward into the center with your second pawn. Yes, he attacks the square with two pieces, but you defend it with two pieces as well (your knight and queen), so you aren't losing material. And if play continues cxd4 Nxd4 Nxd4 Qxd4 then your queen again ends up in the middle of the board, but notice the key difference: he has no good way to immediately attack it! By taking the extra move to prepare for the pawn push, your queen is far more solid in the center of the board, and no longer a liability.
There's a million directions the game can go from there, the Sicilian Defense is a very rich opening with tons of dynamic lines for both players. It is not worth worrying about the intricacies of the Najdorf or the Dragon variations yet (someday those terms will mean something to you, don't worry about it for now). Just focus on making moves that continue to develop all of your pieces to strong squares where they control the board and work together. Keep fighting for the center (your opponent still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve to try to undermine your central structure, the battle is not yet over!) And of course while working to implement your own plan, try also to understand what your opponent's plan is. If he is making direct threats, you need to notice them and respond (ideally with a dual-purpose move that both parries the threat while also still achieving your own goals - but such a move won't always be available). If he makes a mistake, you need to notice that and exploit it. As a general principle you don't want to waste time moving the same piece twice if you still have other undeveloped pieces, but you can certainly make an exception in order to win material if your opponent hangs one of his pieces! (Just make sure that the piece you think is free actually is so - this is where continually improving your tactical understanding will be key).