Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Plan B

Ambitious chess players try to study all aspects of this game, from openings to endgames.

There are hundreds of openings and in order to remember what they have studied, a good memory is important.

When playing the game, they try to follow those openings and lines they have studied or variations they have prepared in their homework.

However, there is always a chance that the opponent introduces a new or a non-principled move. What to do in those cases? There are two options. Either to spend extra time understanding the opponent’s intention, or have ready some sort of plan B.

Let’s see you one example:

For professional chess players, this game is their job and they spend many hours training and studying all parts of it. They not only memorize many lines and variations but also understand the concepts behind them. Because of that, they can quickly react when the opponent plays a new move. And of course, they always have a plan B if necessary.

Karjakin also had a plan B when he played against Giri in round 4 of Tata 2022.

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