Grandmaster advises focus on endgame

Sean Godley Focusing instead on the endgame would raise any player's rating by at least 100 points, chess Grandmaster Alexander Baburin told Cavan Chess Club last Wednesday. Ireland's top rated chess player gave an informative and enjoyable talk to a good turnout of some 60 enthusiasts. He gave excellent practical advice for playing chess. He talked at length about the importance of the opening phase of the game – which he confessed was one of his weaknesses. Ideally one should strive to develop the centre pawns, followed by the knights, then bishops and the castling of the king, he said – but of course your opponent will try to make this as difficult to achieve as possible. He went on to talk about the other crucial phases of the game – middlegame and endgame; the latter is one of his many areas of expertise. His advice for beginners was to learn the principles of the endgame first, and work backwards to the opening phase of the game. A common mistake made by novice players is to concentrate too much on their openings. As well as practical advice, Baburin told many entertaining anecdotes about his chess career and was cordial regarding the asking and answering of questions, which went on long after the official lecture had ended. When asked who his favourite player was, the reply came quickly – Garry Kasparov, a fellow Russian and 13th undisputed world champion, widely considered to be one of the most dynamic players in the history of the game. Cavan Chess Club, led by John Ferguson, continues to go from strength to strength, and looks forward to hosting further chess lectures at The Orchard pub in the future.