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By Lee Siew Fai

You too can Teach! II
Introduction

Tall Order!
To have anybody to teach
And any child to learn
To have lowly rated to tutor
And varying wits to excel
To have gain the time and space
And avoided a kingly ransom
Such is the trumpeted call
To induce us to judge
The keystones exact craft

Tall Order!
The French King declares e6
Other Kings just ride on e4
Kings may get their wish of e5 in reply
Ever ready to the Russian exploits for a draw
It’s the Italian, the Spanish, the Scotch,
And the Danish lavishing in delights
So much in e5 sideswipes
Lest we forgot the f4 gambit
Crude and Cruelty is the twin’s name

Tall Order!
The people from Sicily do not conform
c5 is their famous line
Not that they don’t have e5
Kalashnikov is left for later ploy
At times Alekhine has his horseplay
Matched only by the dreary Caro c6
Bored stiff in cramp, rigid and sturdy form…
Next! Crafty center counter d5 is an express broil
Welcoming the Queen into the early fray

Tall Order!
It’s not always the men having their ways
Tales of terrified male submit in silent fear
And let the Queen impose her charge
d4 mostly invites the d5 thrust
Usual to see the “accept” or “the decline”
And rush into a queenside struggle
Of positional exploits and muscles show
An outcome so finely balance
One wonders, why not just toss a coin

Tall Order!
The adventurous will try other means
The King’s Indian rules in Yankee’s mode
Blocking the center akin their football rules
Outflanking the opposing force in rapid storm
Then Grunfeld has lots of tales to tell
Contrary to keeping a mass center
It looks down a long dark diagonal
Success is in hitting the imposing center

Tall Order!
The Englishmen forever the gentlemen
Even c4 not meant to be explosive!
Underlying strength is its icon
In an all-purpose steady clash
The most arrogant White’s first move
Nf3 signals one is primed and ready
From any array of firepower
Transpose is the name of the game
Bring it on and be dealt the killer’s blow!

Tall Order!
Such is the complexity of chess
We are only touching the opening phase
Nothing declared on Bishop’s range
Nor about the Knighted fork
Ever face a fiery Rook staring down its open file? 
Or be crushed by the Pawns many united stands?
And The King, lastly rise into vital conquest mode!
Do you really expect the Keystones to succeed?
In this bewildering game called chess

Whoopee! For a moment I thought I am becoming a “freestyle” poet! Writing fiercely from my heart! And we thought a chess player only uses the brain! Yes! From the heart it is! The above SEVEN* paragraphs is filled with the love of THE game. And the Seven Keystones are the work of my heart for the children that had wanted to learn and play the game well! And yet, the opportunities to learn are not readily accessible to them.

Do you hear the small little voices of the disadvantaged and the non-winners? And you misled yourself to say, “Huh? A teaching method for the losers!”

How very wrong you could be!

Fortunately, our first Malaysian International Master Jimmy Liew had given his consent to the use his games to display the power of the Keystones. And I have taken the liberty to use his most recent game during the 4^th Dato Arthur Open, 2007 and what better game than the “Five Posse Pawns March On!!” that was posted inside the seventh issue (29 August) in this very website. Someone in fact said that this game deserves a special prize in the tournament!

This game is between IM Jimmy (ELO 2309) and IM Tirto (ELO 2418). [Game at the end of this page - Collin] The chess fraternity would call this a 40-moves game. Statistically, 79 moves have taken place. In the first eleven moves, Jimmy had not made any comments about the reasons for the moves being played. Poor little NOVICE chess player would just have to guess! What were the theories behind these moves? Is there anyone out there who can tell me? Jimmy goes about his narration and all in all, only 15 narrations were provided out of the 79 chess moves. In percentage term, this is a meager 19-percent (or 19%).

Below is the narration provided [in brackets - Collin] to the same game that was posted in the seventh issue. In the analysis of this game for teaching purposes, only 4 moves did not warrant a narration under the Keystones thereby giving 95-percent guiding information to the learner of the game.

1.d4 (1^st B) d5 (1^st B)

2.Nc3 (1^st B, 2^nd B) Bf5 (1^st B, 2^nd B)

3.f3 (3^rd A, o-1^st R, o-4^th B?!) Nf6 (1^st B, 2^nd B, -4^th B?, 0E?)

4.Bg5 (=1^st B, 2^nd B) c6 (=1^st B)

5.Qd2 (2^nd B) Nbd7  (=1^st B, 2^nd B)

6.g4 (3^rd A, 4^th A) Bg6 (-3^rd A)

7.e3 (=1^st B) e6 (=1^st B)

8.h4 (3^rd A) h5 (-3^rd A)

9.Bxf6 (1^st R) Nxf6 (1^st B, 2^nd B)

10.g5 (3^rd A) Ng8 (-3^rd A)

11.Nge2 (=1^st B, 2^nd B) Bd6 (1^st B, 2^nd B)

12.Bg2 (=1^st B, 2^nd B) Ne7 (=1^st B, 2^nd B)

13.e4 (1^st B) Qb8 (2^nd B)

14.e5 (-1^st B, 4^th A) Bc7 (-3^rd A)

15.Nd1 (1^st R) b6 (3^rd A)

16.Ne3 (3^rd A) c5 (3^rd A)

17.c3 (1^st B) Qc8

18.Nf4 (3^rd A) b5 (3^rd A)

19.0-0 (3^rd B) Bb6 (=1^st B)

20.Kh1 (3^rd B) b4 (3^rd A)

21.Rac1 (5^th A) bxc3

22.bxc3 Qa6 (3^rd A)

23.Nxg6 (3^rd A, 1^st C) Nxg6 (2^nd B)

24.f4 (3^rd A, 1^st C) Nxh4

25.f5 (3^rd A, 1^st C) Nxg2 (o-1^st B) 

26.Qxg2 (1^st C, 4^th A)  Qd3 (3^rd A)

27.g6 (3^rd A, 1^st C) Qxe3 (-2^nd C)

28.gxf7+ (1^st C, 2^nd C) Kf8 (-3^rd B, 4^th A)

29.fxe6 (1^st C, 2^nd C) Qh6 (-3^rd A)

30.dxc5 (3rd C) Bc7 (-3rd A, 4^th A)

31.c4 (3rd A, 3rd C) Rb8 (5^th  B)

32.cxd5 (3^rd A, 3^rd C) Rb4 (3^rd A )

33.e7+ (3^rd A, 3^rd C) Kxe7 (-3^rd B)

34.d6+ (3^rd A, 3^rd C) Kd7 (-3^rd B, 4^th A)

35.Qh3+(3^rd A, 3^rd C, 4^th A) Rg4 (-3rd A, 4^th A) 

36.c6+(3^rd A, 3^rd C) Kc8 (-3^rd B) (4^th A)

37.f8(=Q) (3^rd A, 3rd C) Rxf8 (-3^rd A)

38.Rxf8+(3^rd A, 3^rd C) Bd8 (-3^rd A)

39.Rb1 (3^rd A, 3^rd C) Qg5 (-3^rd A)

40.c7   (3^rd A, 3^rd C)

       1  -   0 

You do not understand the narration! Only a player that had gone through the Seven Keystones would understand their meaning. And he only has to be guided by the ever-familiar 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ZERO, A, B, C…as the saying goes, easy as ABC.

So, just keep your patience intact and all will be revealed soon!

Hint: I suspect this game was lost as early as the 3^rd move Nf6 (0E?). Jimmy had taken a chance that IM Tirto would not do a (o-1^st R, o-4^th B?!) to have a go at Kingside play in exploiting the White’s weaken f2! Should they are to meet again; IM Tirto will use his (1P and 0E) to take Jimmy on with more Zest.

Cheerios!

* SEVEN paragraphs is not just a number play! My first posting begins with a FIVE paragraphs poem indicating The Seven Keystones Launch Pad countdown starts at FIVE. Most of us have five fingers and it is much simpler to begin the countdown on one hand! As for the SEVEN paragraphs, it is obvious that there are only seven Keystones. Or is it? At this moment, a primary school in Malaysia had decided to adopt the use of The Seven Keystones for their chess activities. The details are being finalized and the sponsor is evaluating the logistic support. For this new development, an eighth Keystone had evolved! It has been designed for the school to use in their selection of players to represent their school. As usual, a character-training element is included.  In the meantime, the Seven Keystones will have to be kept a secret!

Next week I will write about the conceptual tools used in the formation of the Seven Keystones. You will find that the tools used are even more restrictive and demanding than the objectives! But in the end, it must be user friendly…

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