Sailesh Chandra

Think Like An Engine 3

Part 3 of a multi-part series

King Tropism and Attack in Chess

If you were to do a Google search on tropism, you would not find any chess-related pages at least for the first ten pages, and perhaps for many pages. I gave up after 10 pages. Tropism is a term most often used in biology. A simple biology class in a chess article. This may be a first in chess. Phototropism: This is when plants grow towards light. Imagine a sunflower turning its head to face the sun. The plant does this to get more sunlight, which it needs to make food through photosynthesis. Gravitropism: This is how plants grow in response to gravity. Roots grow downwards into the soil (positive gravitropism) to find water and nutrients, while stems grow upwards (negative gravitropism) to reach sunlight. Thigmotropism: This is when plants respond to touch. For example, vines wrap around a fence or a tree as they grow. They do this to get support and climb higher.

Having said that Tropism is a vast topic in Chess Engines. It is so vast that the scope of this article is limited to attacks on the King and King Tropism. But to explain tropism completely and intuitively, let us see how Chess tropism relates to the English word tropism. Phototropism (Light): As plants grow towards light, chess pieces move towards squares that give them more control and influence. For example, placing a knight in the centre of the board (like on d4 or e5) allows it to control more squares and exert more influence, similar to how a plant seeks out sunlight for maximum energy. Gravitropism (Gravity): In chess, this can be likened to the natural tendency of pieces to move towards stronger positions. For instance, pawns naturally advance towards promotion squares, and rooks aim to control open files. This is similar to how roots grow downwards to anchor the plant and find nutrients, while stems grow upwards to reach light. Thigmotropism (Touch): This can be compared to how pieces interact with each other and the opponent’s pieces. For example, a bishop might “wrap around” the opponent’s pawns to create a pin, or a queen might maneuver to a position where it can deliver a check. This is akin to how vines wrap around structures for support.

King Tropism in Chess

King tropism is a simplified form of king safety evaluation. It considers the distance between the King and the attacking pieces, possibly weighted against piece value. For example, one may double the distance value for a queen and halve it for bishops and rooks. This kind of evaluation acts probabilistically - it is not certain that being close to the king helps attack it. For example, if white castles are short, black rooks on h8 have a higher tropism value regardless of whether they stand on an open file. Nevertheless, using this kind of crude evaluation term increases the probability of building up an attack. Crafty uses this kind of algorithm. And do not underestimate Crafty, a 2600 Elo-level Chess Engine. If it was a player, very few players in the world could beat it.

Understanding King Tropism in Chess Engines to Improve Your Game

King Tropism in chess refers to the inclination of a piece, particularly the queen or bishop, to align with or move towards the opponent's king, increasing pressure and potentially leading to checkmate or gaining material. Chess engines, which analyze positions and suggest optimal moves, often consider tropism when evaluating threats and potential attacks.

Here is how understanding tropism in chess engines can help you improve:

1. Strategic Insight: By recognizing how engines prioritize moves that increase tropism, you can learn to identify similar opportunities in your own games. This helps you develop a mindset that constantly seeks to increase pressure on your opponent's king.
2. Improved Calculation: Chess engines calculate numerous possibilities rapidly, often selecting moves that involve tropism because they maximize the potential for future attacks. Studying these moves can enhance your calculation skills, allowing you to foresee better the long-term consequences of aligning your pieces toward the opponent's king.
3. Enhanced Positional Understanding: Tropism isn't just about immediate threats; it's also about creating a position where the opponent is under continuous pressure. By analyzing how engines use tropism to build strong, cohesive positions, you can improve your own ability to maintain pressure and capitalize on your opponent's weaknesses.
4. Learning from Engine Suggestions: When analyzing your games with an engine, consider moments when the engine suggests moves that increase tropism. Understanding why the engine favors these moves can provide valuable lessons on when and how to attack effectively.
5. Developing Intuition: By observing how chess engines exploit tropism over time, you can develop a stronger intuition for spotting similar opportunities in your games. This can lead to more consistent attacking play and a greater ability to recognize critical moments to launch an assault on the opponent's king.

Incorporating the concept of tropism into your chess study, especially through the lens of chess engines, can significantly elevate your strategic awareness and overall gameplay.

Some games:

Bobby Fischer vs. Donald Byrne (1956) - "The Game of the Century"

• Position: In this game, Fischer, playing Black, sacrificed his queen on move 17 to gain a dominant position with his minor pieces. The tropism is evident as his pieces, particularly the bishops and knights, are all directed toward the White king.
• Key Moment: After 17...Be6!, Fischer's pieces swarm towards the White king. The knights, bishops, and eventually a pawn work together to corner the king, leading to a stunning victory. The tropism here involves the coordination of minor pieces to exploit weaknesses around the king.

Garry Kasparov vs. Veselin Topalov (1999) - "Kasparov's Immortal"

• Position: In this famous game, Kasparov sacrifices material to create a powerful attack against Topalov's king. His pieces are beautifully coordinated, with his queen, rooks, and bishops all aiming at the Black king.
• Key Moment: The move 24.Rxd4!!, sacrificing the rook, exemplifies tropism as Kasparov's pieces are perfectly aligned to attack. The continuous pressure on the king eventually leads to a decisive breakthrough. The tropism of the queen and rook towards the king is a masterclass in building and executing an attack.

Paul Morphy vs. Duke Karl / Count Isouard (1858) - "The Opera Game"

• Position: Morphy, playing as White, gives up material to develop his pieces quickly, all of which are directed towards Black's vulnerable king. The coordination of Morphy's pieces, especially his queen, bishop, and rook, creates a powerful attacking formation.
• Key Moment: The final combination with 16.Qb8+ and 17.Bd7# shows how Morphy's pieces, particularly the bishop, rook, and queen, are directed with precision towards the Black king, leading to checkmate. The tropism is clear in how Morphy uses his pieces to create an inevitable mate.

Here is how understanding tropism in chess engines can help you improve:

1. Strategic Insight: By recognizing how engines prioritize moves that increase tropism, you can learn to identify similar opportunities in your own games. This helps you develop a mindset that constantly seeks to increase pressure on your opponent's king.
2. Improved Calculation: Chess engines calculate numerous possibilities rapidly, often selecting moves that involve tropism because they maximize the potential for future attacks. Studying these moves can enhance your calculation skills, allowing you to foresee better the long-term consequences of aligning your pieces toward the opponent's king.
3. Enhanced Positional Understanding: Tropism isn't just about immediate threats; it's also about creating a position where the opponent is under continuous pressure. By analyzing how engines use tropism to build strong, cohesive positions, you can improve your own ability to maintain pressure and capitalize on your opponent's weaknesses.
4. Learning from Engine Suggestions: When analyzing your games with an engine, consider moments when the engine suggests moves that increase tropism. Understanding why the engine favors these moves can provide valuable lessons on when and how to attack effectively.
5. Developing Intuition: By observing how chess engines exploit tropism over time, you can develop a stronger intuition for spotting similar opportunities in your games. This can lead to more consistent attacking play and a greater ability to recognize critical moments to launch an assault on the opponent's king. Incorporating the concept of tropism into your chess study, especially through the lens of chess engines, can significantly elevate your strategic awareness and overall gameplay.