Week 4

 During the week I was learning more about strategies and playing more games. I did not watch a movie about chess like I planned. For almost a whole week, maybe longer, my dad and I have been playing one game on Chess Time. The app lets the game go on for an unlimited amount of time.

Some of the strategies I learned about were sacrificing a piece for the purpose of letting other pieces gain better access to the board, taking control of the center of the board, and helpful placing of pawns such as three next to each other so they form a triangle. I also watched a video about some of world chess champion Garry Kasparov famous moves in a game.

In the video about Garry Kasparov, the moves he and his opponent played were demonstrated on the screen. His famous moves were counter intuitive to me. That they were counter intuitive, and successful, is probably what made them famous. He showed the world a new way of doing something that hadn't been thought of before.

I have been trying to play fast games (about a minute for each move) in addition to slower games. I feel learning to play fast is valuable because it enhances the ability to make good decisions under pressure. Playing a fast game makes me feel like I am doing chess puzzles because I end up in various unforeseen scenarios that I wouldn't have ended up in had I thought my moves through longer. 

On the app Chess Time there is the option to review all the moves done in previous games. This week I will study past games and see whether I can find weaknesses in my moves, trends in my moves, weaknesses in my opponents' moves, and trends in my opponents' moves.