BLACK Division - for our TOP players

The BLACK Division is for our TOP players (and our parent chess leaders).  These players are contenders for top spots in tournaments, and are some of the top players in the State.

Pre-Requisites:

·         Must attend MNSD

·         Must be well behaved and attentive in class

·         Red Division Player

·         Has achieved a USCF rating of 1300 or Higher

·         Must Demonstrate Knowledge of:

o   Advanced Tactics
o   K+2B vs K
o   Intermediate King and Pawn Endings
o   Exploiting a Large Material Advantage
o   Exploiting a Space Advantage
o   Basic Pawn Structure
o   One Classical game
o   Basic Minor Piece Endgames

 While a Black Division Player, a player should work on:

·         Openings

◦   Creating a Basic Opening Repertoire

·         Middlegame

◦   Pawn Structure

▪   Backward Pawn

▪   Isolated Queen Pawn

▪   Hanging Pawns

◦   Weak vs. Strong Pawns

◦   Stopping Enemy Counterplay

◦   Understanding where the Pieces belong

▪   Superier Minor Pieces

◦   Creation of Targets

◦   Bishop vs. Knight

▪   When the Bishop is stronger

▪   When the Knight is stronger

▪   How to fight Knights

◦   The Bishop Pair

▪   When and why to trade off

◦   Exchanging

▪   When to exchange

▪   WHY exchange

◦   Files

▪   Exploiting Open files

▪   Open files and attacking the King

▪   Outpost on an Open File

▪   7^th Rank

◦   Pawn Center

▪   Undermining the Pawn Center

▪   Closed vs. Open Center

▪   Wing Operations

◦   Sacrificial Attacks

▪   Sacrifice on f7 (Knight)

▪   Sacrifice on h7 (Bishop AKA Greek Gift)

▪   Sacrifice on g7 (Knight)

▪   Lasker's Combination

◦   Opposite Side Castling

·         Endgames

◦   K+P

▪   K and two Doubled Pawns vs Lone King

▪   Rook-Pawn (Stalemating the Stronger Side)

▪   Importance of Outside Passed Pawns

▪   Triangulation

▪   Outflanking

◦   Minor Piece Endgames

▪   Bishops of Opposite Colors

▪   King+Knight vs. Rook-Pawn on the 6^th or 7^th

◦   Rook Endgames

▪   Lucena Position

▪   Philidor Position

▪   Trapping the Enemy King Away from the Action

▪   Queen vs. King and Pawn

▪   Rook and Two Connected Pawns vs Rook