Friday, January 02, 2009

Updates, Changes and "Stuff"

And the New Year rang in--I was the only member of the family awake. I was playing a game on FICS! So I rang it in right, with explosions going off outside and me kicking somebody's butt...well, that's the way I remember it.

I've finally taken the time to update the blogroll a bit, added some fine blogs like Chess Skills, Chesstiger and Rolling Pawns. A few good men, like Chess Tyro and my old friend and foe Eric Shoemaker (of the Reno Chess Club) are apparently off the air for good, blogs deleted, so their links are gone, too. A few moved off the rolls of "On Hiatus" since they posted something. Regular maintenance and occasionally refurbishing like this is necessary if a blog is to avoid becoming irrelevant.

Someone who never was and never will be irrelevant is chessloser, who after splitting with the lovely Mrs. chessloser wandered south through Mexico until he ended up in Guatemala, then announced his resignation from blogging.

How big a force is/was chessloser? Some scheisskopf posted a fake death rumor under the handle "Mrs Chessloser." A man as substantive as the Reassembler wished that he would return. And now it's time for me to admit that, proud as I am of this blog and the number of visitors I have had, of the 41,206 showing right this minute on my Sitemeter I estimate that approximately 12,000 of them only came because I once linked to chessloser's Wordpress avatar, which happens to be the hottest chess photo of all time. He bestrode the chess blogging world like a Colossus. He will be missed.

ADDED: Another blog that really deserves your attention, full of good insights, is The Endgame Tactician (by Likesforests). I should have added it to the sidebar ages ago.
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One of chessloser's commentors turned out to be one of the proprietors of Endgame, the Original Chess Apparel, which I just visited for the first time and enjoyed browsing. Why do they do it?:

Things are not easy for a chess player. We live in a time when activities such as bowling and competitive eating are regarded as more prestigious sporting events than chess. The majority of our top players cannot earn a living from the sport they have dedicated their lives to. Yet these players continue to push forward, fueled by their passion for the game. They stand in opposition to a society that celebrates stupidity and persecutes intellectualism.

Endgame believes that intellectual passions, like chess, are at the very core of being human. Passion of the body is nothing without passion of the mind. It is our body that engages in the act, but it is our mind that provides us with the lasting joy of it.


Well said! Let us not forget, though, that the excellent Blunderprone also has a line of chess clothing worthy of your consideration:



I'll tell you what Morphy would do--he would greet you in the most courtly and gentlemanly manner, kick your ass over the board, then bid you good day in the most courtly and gentlemanly manner.

If you insist on some kind of New Year's Resolution, ask yourself "What would Morphy do?" more often. Then do it.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for adding me, I added link to you too. Yeah, chessloser was great, he was the reason I started blogging.

James Stripes said...

Thanks for the support. That's two consecutive posts mentioning me--a new record AFAIK. Mucho Gracias.

How's the snow in your parts? We're buried here in eastern Washington.

I think I should get one of those t-shirts.

Ted Cross said...

I have added a link to your site and wonder if you would be willing to reciprocate? I don't post so often since I only get new material when I play, but I do intend to play again in March...

http://knight-tour-chess.blogspot.com/

Robert Pearson said...

James--we've got a couple of feet on the ground here, probably similar to what I saw on your blog. It's stopping today, but I hear you're going to get some more. Here in coastal southeast Alaska it usually gets above freezing and rains on a regular basis, but we're approaching a month of below 32 F.

Knight-Tour--you got it!

BlunderProne said...

Thanks for the hat tip!

I should pull my head of the history lessons once in a while and visit this place mroe often.

X said...

Hi Robert

Thanks for the mention on your blog! Between Blunderprone and myself, there are going to be some sharp looking chess players walking around.

John.