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Chess is the ultimate game of strategy. There are three major stages in a game of chess: Opening, Middle, and End. The Middle is the most complex part of the game, and it is where the true skill of the player shows. Just as solid macro wins over cheese in the game of Starcraft, solid strategy wins over opening tricks in the game of Chess.
But rushers gonna rush anyway...
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Scholars_mate_animation.gif)
If you are beginning Chess, this is the first cheese you must know. It is the 4-pool, popular at the scholastic level (that's a polite word for noobie) and <1000 on the Internet.
1. e4
White plays for the center, a sensible strategy. Kasparov played it, so it must be good.
1...e5
Black meets White in the center. Hundreds of years of experience back this up as solid.
2. Qh5
White halts drone production and saves up for a Spawning Pool. Fortunately, Black scouted it in time.
2...Nc6
Black drops a bunker to defend the pawn.
3. Bc4
The lings are on the move!
3... Nf6
Black cannons up to shoo the Queen away from his probes.
4. Qxf7#
Epic fail by Black.
gg no re
Next time, we'll look at the 1-base Lair Lurker Rush, aka Fried Liver Attack.
For more information: Scholar's Mate
 
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Fried liver attack is amazing hahahahaha
I can't wait to see what's after that though i dont know any of the other cheeses
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I remember figuring this out back when I was like 10. Never fell for it again after that though.
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Legal's mate is pretty fun to use if you can spot the right circumstances in other openings other than the Paris defense (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6)
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I'm not very good at chess, but whenever I drop below about 1100 on chess.com, I can do this pretty much every time as white and get back to 1100 :D
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Haha i call this the crush-a-noob-strategy
Actually on the rare occasions i use this i9 move pawn to E3 giving him a false sense of security and welcoming him to take control of the center while eating his sweet juicy king
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On March 25 2013 19:39 pebble444 wrote:
Haha i call this the crush-a-noob-strategy
Actually on the rare occasions i use this i9 move pawn to E3 giving him a false sense of security and welcoming him to take control of the center while eating his sweet juicy king
I don't understand why some people prefer e3 to start this attack (some beginners copy it verbatim the way it was taught to them). e4 can transition into a standard open game, while e3 is a little clumsier (maybe closed, but your bishop on c1 is trapped). And if your opponent plays 1... a6 in response to 1. e4, then maybe it's worth a try...
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On March 25 2013 18:26 mmp wrote:
The Middle is the most complex part of the game, and it is where the true skill of the player shows.
that's a pretty bold statement
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haha nice blog - looking forward to the next one 
Using your analogy I reckon this move would be like a blind fast expo losing to a proxy 2 gate :D
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I get this done to me all the time (unsuccessfully) by white in the 700-800 zone on chess.com but sometimes I see very strange variations like the following:
1.e4 e5
2.Bd3 Nc6
3.Qf3 d6
4.Bc4 Nd4
5.Qxf7#
Of course that's why I'm 730 and not 1730.
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For the chess newbies: What sequence counters this strategy? I can think of several counters, but I'm unsure which one is the best positionally.
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e4 e5 qh5? nc6 bc4 g6 should be the most straightforward
edit: Nakamura (super gm) used to play 2. Qh5 all the time in blitz, mostly to show off vs. worse opponents. I believe he even played the line in a few classical games.
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On March 25 2013 21:37 Salivanth wrote:
For the chess newbies: What sequence counters this strategy? I can think of several counters, but I'm unsure which one is the best positionally.
Just play g6 to attack and defend at the same time. White will have to waste another move to move his queen, which is very bad thing to do in the opening.
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United States24776 Posts
Funny narration in the OP although this won't work against someone who isn't brand new to chess :p
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On March 25 2013 20:18 Hoender wrote:haha nice blog - looking forward to the next one Using your analogy I reckon this move would be like a blind fast expo losing to a proxy 2 gate :D
Naw, that move is poking with your initial lings to discover that your opponent built his first worker then went afk and hasn't returned.
Edit: or maybe your opponent cannon-rushed the wrong base (aka that epic when-cheese-fails episode).
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United States10442 Posts
w-w-what... did... i just see this guy... WTF?!
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Tried doing this against the computer and got roflstomped even when I put it at the beginner level (~400).
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On March 26 2013 05:39 GettingIt wrote:
Tried doing this against the computer and got roflstomped even when I put it at the beginner level (~400).
heheh. The computer is really good at making a player feel really "limited intellectually". I am glad I beat it on level 10 once in a while (vista). I guess I just need practice though
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On March 25 2013 20:15 Orome wrote:Show nested quote +On March 25 2013 18:26 mmp wrote:
The Middle is the most complex part of the game, and it is where the true skill of the player shows. that's a pretty bold statement
It's not just my opinion. Beginners can study opening lines that develop pieces safely; you aren't typically going to get destroyed in the opening stage by an equal opponent (you may end up at a disadvantage, but it's the middlegame where things fall apart). Endgame is probably the most critical stage of the game, but it is something you can study analytically, especially with the help of computers.
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On March 26 2013 05:39 GettingIt wrote:
Tried doing this against the computer and got roflstomped even when I put it at the beginner level (~400).
There are two simple ways to dumb down a computer engine.
(1) Limit its depth. Even at 1-ply it's going to pick up all of your hanging pieces and force you to play cautiously.
(2) Force it to make stupid moves (you can configure some engines to value pieces, king safety, pawn structure, etc. differently). A move like Ke2 after e4 is the kind of handicap that humans need against computers. :p
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On March 26 2013 14:15 mmp wrote:Show nested quote +On March 25 2013 20:15 Orome wrote:On March 25 2013 18:26 mmp wrote:
The Middle is the most complex part of the game, and it is where the true skill of the player shows. that's a pretty bold statement It's not just my opinion. Beginners can study opening lines that develop pieces safely; you aren't typically going to get destroyed in the opening stage by an equal opponent (you may end up at a disadvantage, but it's the middlegame where things fall apart). Endgame is probably the most critical stage of the game, but it is something you can study analytically, especially with the help of computers.
That might be true at low levels, but claiming that the middle game is where the true skill of a player shows just doesn't hold as a general statement. Every stage of the game allows you to outplay your opponent. The opening isn't just about memorising lines and the endgame is about more than technique. Kramnik will be remembered as an opening and endgame expert, but he is still maybe the greatest player of his generation. Carlsen continues to beat top GMs in seemingly drawn endgames. Don't undervalue the importance and depth of the opening and the endgame, they deserve love too. 
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you start out with 6 drones what is a 4 pool?
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United Kingdom16710 Posts
On March 27 2013 01:32 9-BiT wrote:
you start out with 6 drones what is a 4 pool?
It's what came before the 6 pool. In SC/BW, you only started out with 4 workers, hence the 4 pool.
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On March 26 2013 14:15 mmp wrote:Show nested quote +On March 25 2013 20:15 Orome wrote:On March 25 2013 18:26 mmp wrote:
The Middle is the most complex part of the game, and it is where the true skill of the player shows. that's a pretty bold statement It's not just my opinion. Beginners can study opening lines that develop pieces safely; you aren't typically going to get destroyed in the opening stage by an equal opponent (you may end up at a disadvantage, but it's the middlegame where things fall apart). Endgame is probably the most critical stage of the game, but it is something you can study analytically, especially with the help of computers.
I can mostly recall reading top tier players, in particular Waitzkin and Carlsen, saying endgame is the most important.
The two mentioned being the ones I have learned the most from; Carlsen proving the importance of endgame through how brilliantly he can dismantle high rated players at that stage, and waitzkin even having said that playing endgame is what playing chess truly is.
With that in mind I still think the midgame is just under the endgame.
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On March 25 2013 21:37 Salivanth wrote:
For the chess newbies: What sequence counters this strategy? I can think of several counters, but I'm unsure which one is the best positionally.
Moving the Knight out to attack the queen is generally good. As is moving the pawn up and placing the Bishop behind it like a party hat :D
Also, bumpedy bumps go a-bumpin' in the night...
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On May 25 2013 22:38 3FFA wrote:Show nested quote +On March 25 2013 21:37 Salivanth wrote:
For the chess newbies: What sequence counters this strategy? I can think of several counters, but I'm unsure which one is the best positionally. Moving the Knight out to attack the queen is generally good. As is moving the pawn up and placing the Bishop behind it like a party hat :D Also, bumpedy bumps go a-bumpin' in the night...
Be very careful about moving the knight out, if after 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nf6 then 3. Qxe5+ puts black in an uncomfortable position, losing the e pawn and being unable to pressure the white queen
Moving the pawn up can be used as a universal solution to this, it might not be the best move in every variation, but it is a decent move.
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EPT
