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Topic: For The Serious Student
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With computer databases and the amount of information available to students these days you would think that people who study chess to improve would be improving in leaps and bounds. Sadly this is not the case, but I hope to provide some information that may help.
You have a database with lets say 3 million games and you review these games whenever possible but your game does not improve why?
The short answer is you're not using the database properly.
Databases have really grown over the years but you have to remember it is only a tool. Lets say your studying a certain line (variation) and you get to move 12 and in your database the most popular move given has 20 games and the next move given has 10 games etc. etc. Most players with out any thought would add the first move to their study material (repertoire) and this would is some cases be correct but in most cases it is not enough. You have to dig a little further and find out who is playing this variation and why, lower rated players might play for example the 20 games played and this would make the evaluation of your choice of moves meaningless. Who cares if an 1800 from Germany won his game with this variation however, if Adams or Anand won their games with this variation that would be a different story. Also look to see who is the expert in that variation, you want to follow someone who plays your line on a regular basis, this will help you progress with your line as new ideas appear.
If you have taken my advice in the other articles I have written and have picked the type of openings and defense you are going to use and study, there is another way to use the database to help your game. Do a search on pawn structures of whatever system (openings) you have decided to use, one for black and on for white. Name each one, ideas for black, ideas for white. What this will give you is a list of game that may not be in your opening repertoire but have similar pawn structures and therefore the ideas are of value to your study. You can even go further and weed out the lower rated games if you want, but be careful, lower rated players may not play well but their ideas can be just as profound as the masters.
You can use the technique mentioned above to break down the database in areas like, classic bishop sacrifice, the philidor and lucena positions etc.
I hope this gives you a little information to help you on your way, as you study this fascinating game of chess.
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