Reports

The Martin Weteschnik Interview

German FM Martin Weteschnik’s wonderful book, Understanding Chess Tactics, is a favorite of a lot of West Michigan players, including Ken Williams and Michael Chen.

 

WestMichiganChess.com:   Do you think that learning to play chess later in life was an advantage that enabled you to write Understanding Chess Tactics?

 

FM Martin Weteschnik:  Being already an adult was the only way to write that kind of a book.

Writing Understanding Chess Tactics is truly the approach of an adult, how to cope with chess tactics. Children (and to my surprise most other people) learn tactics by doing (practice and solving combinations). Nothing against practice – on the contrary, but:

I learned chess at the age of 25, so I did miss out on learning by playing. Therefore I lacked feeling the board, the pieces and their possibilities.

I had to try a different way. To my surprise there were no books on chess tactics (since my book was published this has changed), which would explain them to me. Explanations! That is exactly what an adult wants. We prefer to learn by understanding (like we do with most other subjects!). By the way, I am still surprised that in chess tactics there was no method to learn other than solving combinational puzzles. One of my mottos is: Don’t exercise what you don’t understand. And I think this also applies to the way children should learn.

In this concern I have trained with the same trainer as Peter Leko (former youngest grandmaster) once did, and I know a little bit about professional chess. Of course, young kids comprehend chess much faster and they see tactics often without having to calculate (as we all later do more or less). Still I am convinced that even they will have a better start if they understand tactics first before learning them by doing (learning by doing is none other then learning from success and mistakes anyhow …).

But this is more or less redundant, as the following has to be understood:

Because most of us learn chess just for fun and as a hobby we never have enough practice to learn without theory (Luckily the theory of tactics fits in a book or two).

GM Jonathan Speelman once said about my book, that “we” have learned chess by playing and therefore he does not know if the method in the book has merits. This is the typical way of thinking of a professional (who are especially known for never making tactical mistakes …) and it surely is not relevant for 99 % of the players. Or do you train 4 to 8 hours a day and play thousands of serious chess games?

But back to the way I came to write this book. As I prefer a systematic approach to just about everything, I once sat down and asked myself what are chess tactics basically? Fortunately over the years I collected some combinations with intensive notes to their solution and why they came about at all (always look for the reasons why a combination occurs and you will learn a lot about strategy too). I found that combinations are built on elements and motifs and I categorized everything and cut through the jungle of misunderstandings, misplacements of motifs and shortened the termini (one - the reloader-  I introduced additionally).

I think the true merit of the book is that someone, an adult of course, really explains chess tactics for the first time. I personally believe no one will ever sit down again and load himself up with that amount of work sorting out from the very basis the tactical cornerstones.

Do not forget: Understanding Chess Tactics is about the basics of combinations, their elements and how to detect and set them up. It is not a book on how to attack or how to integrate tactics in a game. There have always been good books on that.

 

 

WestMichiganChess.com:  For “under 2000” chess players who have finished your Understanding Chess Tactics, what is the best way for them to continue to get better at chess tactics? 

 

FM Martin Weteschnik:  Don’t exercise what you don’t understand. Okay. Now of course you should play, play and play. Naturally exercising and solving combinations is good, too. Usually I also recommend simple endgames, as there you learn how to calculate without too many pieces on the board. Thereby you will learn not to ask yourself every five minutes: Oh, where was I (in my calculations)? So much for tactics.

Other than that: Try not to lose yourself in opening theory too much! Rather spend your time on strategy. Most games up to 1800 ELO are or could be decided by tactics. And don’t forget to have fun while playing …

 

WestMichiganChess.com:  Would you have the same or different advice for experts and masters that have read your book, and want to continue to improve their tactical ability?

 

The higher you climb up the ladder the more you have to work. Although even for better players, it could not hurt, to go back to the roots. Michael Tal is said to have done so, and he was about the best tactician one can be.

But then you should look for guidance to professional players. Just to train with them once in a while will give you a kick and an outlook on a special horizon of play which might not consciously make you better, but somehow you will pick up on their feeling (even if you just become more cautious because you have more respect on tactical power and the resources of a defender, too). I have shortly trained with Gyula Sax, once one of the best tactical players. Just having him explain the games of his matches against Short and Kortchnoi, made me notice how tactics are implemented on a world class level. Did I improve? If I had kept on with training and playing, I am sure lessons of this kind would have been important. If you doubt it, well, then at least I had a lot of fun - as you will when training with better players.

Last advice on this subject: Train with far better players.

And: If you are a good player already and want to become even better although you stagnate: try something completely new. It is no coincidence that many FMs stay and remain on the very same level. Change your approach to the game.

 

 

WestMichiganChess.com:  Do you think that studying chess helps kids to be more successful in other areas of their life?

 

FM Martin Weteschnik:  Studying anything seriously as a kid will always help. I believe children are very much underestimated in our society.

In Germany they start teaching chess in some schools when they found out, that kids who play chess are then better at learning mathematics. If you don’t overdue it, chess is a good mental exercise, you learn patience and self-control, and successes in tournaments will booster your self-confidence. A friend of mine has tutored many from childhood on. They were about FM or IM strength. They proceeded to study and later became successful businessmen.

Of course the danger of parents being too ambitious for their kids is always there; but we know this from all sports and activities where things are overdone. Still, I believe serious effort is a good thing for kids.

 

 

WestMichiganChess.com:   Are you planning to write another book? If so, what’s next?

 

FM Martin Weteschnik:  For different reasons I had to give up practical chess just when things seemed to be going well, so I started to write about it. Unfortunately you can hardly make a living by writing on chess.

Last year my first novel came out. It plays in San Francisco (where I stayed for 5 years and where, by the way, I have learned chess) and has something to do with chess, but it isn’t a classic chess novel. It has been translated by an American native speaker, but for a German author it will be extremely difficult to find an American publisher. This year I will finish my second novel, a thriller, which I hope will be translated in all languages and will sell and sell and sell …

Well, who says dreaming is forbidden (that was always a chess principle for me – The great players, of course, were able to realize it: Dream a little of the unreachable in your position and it might materialize; you could also say: only then can it materialize).

Sorry that I will no longer write chess books (except for a ChessBase DVD which I don’t know when it will be published). Maybe this is not so bad, as I believe, a book should have a really outstanding value when written; if every writer would think like this, one could go into a bookshop and buy all the books without looking. But as it is, only a few books are really good. If I have contributed bringing such a good product to chess, I am pleased. My aim is now to write another book that is successful as well as groundbreaking.

 

 

WestMichiganChess.com:  Would you share with us your own personal favorite game that you played?

 

FM Martin Weteschnik:  It was painful to see my chess development torn up just when I was setting out. So I have never reached a level where I played games of a standard that would satisfy me. But maybe the following game helps to understand: As an amateur you do not need the weapons of a professional to play decent games. Just play sound chess and you will also be successful against stronger players.

 

The interactive version of the game below can be found by clicking here.

 

 

Not a great game. But I like the journey of White's bishop. At the time I was still an unrated player.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nge2 dxe4 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Nxc3 Nc6 7.d5 exd5 8.Qxd5

The opening is a bit strange. But I did not know opening theory and as an amateur player you do not need much of it (I know, this is the opposite to what a lot of players believe). I already beat a couple of title holders, although I had not looked up any opening theory. Just play sound moves and develop your pieces. 

8...Nd4

There you see what even better players do when you take them out of their opening knowledge. But this does not mean you should play crazy openings ...If you play higher rated players you have the advantage that they are settled with the burden of winning. Play sound and solid moves and let THEM go crazy ...

9.Qxd8+ Kxd8 10.Bg5+

The bishop starts. Just watch how he moves around and decides the game.

10...Ke8 11.0–0–0 Ne6 12.Bh4 f5 13.g4 fxg4 14.Nxe4 Ne7 15.Bc4 Ng6 16.Bg3 Rf8 17.Rhe1

Whatever you do: Please get all your pieces out. This sounds like advice for beginners, but so often it is not followed even by tournament players.  Notice the difference in the development of both sides.

17...Rf5

 

 

18.Bxc7 Ke7

18...Nxc7 19.Nf6+ Kf8 20.Nxh7#

19.Bd6+ Kf7 20.Bb4 Ne5 21.Nd6+ Kf6 22.Bc3 Rh5 23.Rxe5 Rxe5 24.Re1 Ke7 25.Bxe5

The bishop's journey ends centralized. After winning the piece it simultaneously defends the knight.

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