Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Wacky Wednesday - Personality Quiz

Happy summer! Now that spring cleaning season is over, it's time to figure out your chess organization habits :)

What is your typical organization habit on the chess board?

For each of these questions, select the answer that suits you best!

Question 1: In the middlegame, what are you most likely to do?
(a) Attack certain areas of the board with specific pieces, having little emphasis on other areas and pieces
(b) Coordinate between many pieces, making sure you structurally control as much of the board as possible
(c) Sometimes go for spontaneous attacks, and sometimes coordinate pieces quietly

Question 2: How often do you sacrifice a pawn?
(a) Rarely
(b) From time to time
(c) Very often

Question 3: In the first ten moves, do you tend to castle?
(a) Depends on the opening
(b) Sometimes, but it isn't the highest concern
(c) Always

Question 4: Of the following, what type of endgame would you most likely enter into?
(a) Tight pawn endgame
(b) Unclear endgame with a couple pieces (rooks or minors, same for both sides) and pawns
(c) Highly unbalanced endgame involving pawn races and asymmetric material (such as B vs. N, opposite colour bishops, R vs. minor, etc.)

Question 5: Where is the majority of your focus directed?
(a) Can be anywhere on the board, often multiple areas where you see the most play
(b) Usually an area on one of the wings where you have the strongest initiative; the other areas don't seem to matter as much
(c) The centre

Total up your points:

Q1 (a) 3 points (b) 1 point (c) 2 points
Q2 (a) 1 point (b) 2 points (c) 3 points
Q3 (a) 2 points (b) 3 points (c) 1 point
Q4 (a) 1 point (b) 2 points (c) 3 points
Q5 (a) 2 points (b) 3 points (c) 1 point

Score:

5 points - 8 points
You don't mind a mess -

Who needs organization when you only have to create an advantage in one area of the board? You go against traditional thinking and come up with your own terms - spontaneous attacks, material imbalances, ... - as long as you feel you can benefit, there's no need to worry if a large part of the board is a mess. However, don't let your rebellious side take away from basic structure. Make sure you are logically placing pieces and deciding on good moves that will emphasize your creative potential.

9 points - 11 points
You're dynamic -

You follow the best of both worlds - a bit spontaneous, and a bit coordinated. This gives you the most possibilities in your games. Only thing to watch - make sure you're not allowing the possibilities to overwhelm you, or try so hard to fulfill both sides of the coin (spontaneous, coordinated) that you miss out on important chances in one or the other. Get to know situations you'll likely encounter, such as different openings, and determine how you should effectively deal with them.

12 points - 15 points
You like to keep organized -

Coordinating pieces and following general structural rules are key elements in your decision making. Anything that looks a bit "off", such as a sacrifice, is avoided - in fact, you could probably write a whole book on how to keep your position stable. While many envy your elegant play, try to be open to different possibilities. Positional rules are often guidelines that can be followed in most cases, but not all. Take time to look for creative solutions!