tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217165532012-02-02T17:44:40.123-08:00My idiosyncratic chess life, plus occasional photos and music.Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.comBlogger4041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-84692465194881426922012-02-01T21:46:00.000-08:002012-02-02T17:44:40.148-08:00

Hello and welcome to the first "Best Of" Chess Blogging post. There was so much material submitted, and so much more that I went out and scooped up, that I thought it would be best to break this into several parts. A few words of introduction. The Chess Blogging Carnival was was run by Blue Devil Knight for all of 2011, sometimes with guest hosts, and before that, there was Jack Le Moine, who I 

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-51428495630434920232012-01-29T21:47:00.000-08:002012-01-30T18:01:02.228-08:00

Inspired by the disucssion on Nigel Davies's Facebook page of this post from his excellent The Chess Improver: An Experiment in not using computers for chess analysis for a year! A Scandalous Confession I've rarely had the board and pieces out over the last months, except for a foray to play real people once every month or two at the new iteration of the Juneau Chess Club. Most of my chess

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-8944073441602379762012-01-24T21:52:00.000-08:002012-01-25T14:42:05.377-08:00

UPDATE 01.24.12 - Only three more days to submit material for the "Best Of! Carnival! If you've got it, link it. The Chess Blogging Carnival flame was kept alive by the great Blue Devil Knight of Confessions of a Chess Novice, and now the torch is passed. See here for December's posts. For the New Regime, we will no longer be using the Carnival blogging software, because between BDK and myself,

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-91173144345424063012011-12-25T22:21:00.000-08:002011-12-26T10:32:36.523-08:00

Just for fun, here is what the sun looks like from near my house on the Winter Solstice, in Alaska near 58 degrees North Latitude. Becaue of that mountain we get two "sundowns!" Since it's also cloudy much of the time, we have to do something to keep our spirits up. Thank goodness for chess!

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-80649531945431529152011-12-19T22:26:00.000-08:002011-12-20T12:03:21.090-08:00

Blue Devil Knight is now in the process of passing the torch to me to run the Chess Blogging Carnival. I will soon post the information needed to submit material. The deadline will be January 15th, instead of the 1st. I plan on something a bit different for this Carnival. I invite everyone to submit what you think are your best posts EVAH, the best posts you've ever seen on other blogs, and

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-39190976335606169852011-12-05T22:34:00.000-08:002011-12-06T10:42:14.389-08:00

Blue Devil Knight has kept this going for some time, and now passes the torch to me...here is his last Carnival. I don't know how the heck I got four posts in there because I believed I submitted only three. Sorry to be a Space Hog! I have some ideas for the Carnival and will post about the future soon. I am considering doing a "Greatest Hits" Carnival, for one thing. In the meantime, THANK YOU

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-46997147027202917402011-11-30T22:19:00.000-08:002011-12-01T15:12:14.320-08:00

Regular reader(s) will have noticed that I'm interested in relating discoveries about the brain and consciousness to chess. For the latest, see Chess Stories in Our Heads and Brain Folds and Memory. An excerpt from a book by neuroscientist David Eagleman, Your Brain Knows a Lot More Than You Realize is also relevant to this interest of mine (if you're intrigued, the book is Incognito: The

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-24844220686513938042011-11-16T22:19:00.000-08:002011-12-02T15:17:00.339-08:00

(This review also appears at Amazon.com. You can read all of my Amazon reviews here.) Not Just a Good Opening Book, a Fine CHESS Book I have had Play 1. e4 e5! in hand for about three months and it has become one of my favorite chess books. I have periodically replied to 1. e4 with e5 in my 30 years of serious chess, but the vast majority of my games as black against 1. e4 have been

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-90644964553524548522011-11-09T21:42:00.000-08:002011-11-10T13:48:51.529-08:00

This rocks so hard it will shake the very foundations of your weltanschauung. Seriously, as a cello player myself (admittedly, mostly inactive since high school) I can't tell you how proud I am to share this with you: 2Cellos, "Welcome to the Jungle"

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-77555368249716554632011-11-08T22:04:00.000-08:002011-11-09T10:16:40.949-08:00

The Prodigal Pawn has it. A post of mine is not in it because I forgot to submit one until after the deadline...so it goes. There is a bunch of Chess.com stuff, which reminds me I need to figure out what to do about Chess.com. I have such limited time for chess right now, probably nothing. I play a bit on FICS and once in awhile play real live people here in my town. For study, I have maybe 50

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-72441746616101207292011-11-02T21:47:00.000-07:002011-11-03T16:52:13.446-07:00

From a NYT article on neuroscientist Dr. Michael Gazzaniga: The left hemisphere takes what information it has and delivers a coherent tale to conscious awareness. It happens continually in daily life, and most everyone has caught himself or herself in the act — overhearing a fragment of gossip, for instance, and filling in the blanks with assumptions. The brain’s cacophony of competing voices

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-59301322514314494662011-10-22T23:47:00.000-07:002011-10-23T15:19:38.588-07:00

I've had the pleasure of playing a few serious training games on FICS with ChessAdmin recently and we agreed that annotating the most recent one might be fun and instructive for both of us. Hopefully, it has some value for the rest of the chess world, as well. Okay, for the .001 of 1% of the chess world who frequent our blogs. ChessAdmin has posted his analysis at Annotated Game #15: Blogger

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-78062636769227749042011-10-10T22:07:00.000-07:002011-10-11T11:35:43.984-07:00

I took this photo a few years ago from my office window. It is posted for no reason other than enjoyment.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-31971378758902945542011-10-06T21:59:00.000-07:002011-10-07T09:40:05.536-07:00

This looks interesting: MRI Study Unfolds Clues to Memory Those lacking structural fold in front of the brain were more likely to have faulty recollections A common structural variation in the brain may explain why some people are better able to remember details of past events and to distinguish real events from those they were told about or may have imagined, scientists report. I was

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3Juneau, AK58.33256726156373 -134.47265662555.66165176156373 -139.535240625 61.00348276156373 -129.41007262500003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-23778788091348350232011-10-04T21:48:00.000-07:002011-10-05T14:42:21.911-07:00

At Mark Week's excellent Chess for All Ages. Great stuff, and a lot of it. I especially recommend ChessAdmin's Path to Chess Mastery blog, by the way. He has many well-crafted and interesting posts, but only two at a time are on the front page so don't forget to hit the "older posts" button. Thanks, as always, to Blue Devil Knight who has kept this Carnival going.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-58756652194279337012011-09-14T23:54:00.000-07:002011-09-21T09:25:57.694-07:00

In my last post, I reviewed a game where I played at quite a high level through the first time control, then made a string of weak moves before being offered a rather generous draw. This scenario, pretty strong play through 20-30 moves, an excellent or winning position followed by "blowing" a win or draw, is more common in my career than I would like. These kinds of games have always been much

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-56110783662334517632011-09-06T23:29:00.000-07:002011-09-06T23:32:55.348-07:00

My opponent in this game, Edwin Simanis, was a consistent USCF Class A player for many years, and reached the golden 2000 rating for awhile in 1999 when he made the semi-finals of the Northern Nevada Championship. He was always a threat to anyone in Reno on a given night. This was one of my last games in Nevada before I left for Alaska. In this game one of the flaws in my play is starkly

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-35340260605754227272011-09-05T14:28:00.000-07:002011-09-06T23:31:49.013-07:00

The September Blogging Carnival is now up at the Hebden Bridge Chess Club site. Great posts including some from Chess.com, which were aggregated by our Carnival man himself, Blue Devil Knight. I think I need to put that site to better use! Also, the Hebden Bridge Guy writes about his experience at the British Championship, which is chess at a higher level than we usually see in our corner of the

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-85705356895934583762011-08-31T22:10:00.000-07:002011-09-01T17:42:53.649-07:00

ChessAdmin commented on my review: Could you share some points on the parts you highlighted, particularly on openings and the "two and a half move" chess? I'm interested in what you think is the most practical advice from the book for study in those areas. Regarding openings, I believe Soltis has hit the nail when he says that memory and understanding are ideally in the proper balance,

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-61619329378077545262011-08-17T21:45:00.000-07:002011-08-18T16:54:29.080-07:00

(This review was posted at Amazon.com. and references some other reviews of this book. If you're interested you can read my reviews of some other, non-chess books here). I am an experienced tournament chess player, and came to this book from that perspective. I have a number of Grandmaster Soltis's earlier books including "The Inner Game of Chess" and "Pawn Structure Chess." All are worthwhile

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-26673297934715200332011-08-15T22:46:00.000-07:002011-08-16T15:20:56.734-07:00

The Prodigal Pawn lists his Top 15 Rock and Roll Albums of All Time! I smell contoversy in the water! Okay, his is a great list of great music for sure, and as he notes, these "greatest" lists are always going to be very personal. Here are a few things I would note: There are really 17 albums (good one, Tommy!). There's nothing that was released after 2001 (the Radiohead) so I wonder if Rock

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-20708218176999613892011-08-08T21:53:00.000-07:002011-08-09T18:00:07.516-07:00

I rediscovered this, which is more useful than any of my long-form blatherings: It really doesn’t matter what you study, the important thing is to use this as a training ground for thinking rather than trying to assimilate a mind-numbing amount of information. In these days of a zillion different chess products this message seems to be quite lost, and indeed most people seem to want books that

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-25888200853890293482011-08-07T21:44:00.000-07:002011-08-08T11:54:43.082-07:00

I went on vaction for about 10 days and didn't post a thing...I even missed submitting something for the Summer of Love Chess Carnival, put on by Takchess. I did have a great time, recharged the batteries and all that, and managed to make some progress in Ray Cheng's excellent Practical Chess Exercises. I'm really enjoying it, and recommend it highly as an airplane, on-the-go book to keep the

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-19697982344462854812011-07-25T21:59:00.000-07:002011-07-26T15:42:27.445-07:00

A little backgound on my opponent: Steve Rand was a great guy, a wealthy retired fellow who had probably been around 2000 USCF for many years. I will always remember a tournament he graciously hosted over a weekend in his home, which featured a living room large enough for five or six games to go on at the same time. He was a friend of the late Grandmaster Larry Evans, who dropped in on the

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-35552845215861584682011-07-18T22:11:00.000-07:002011-07-19T13:31:16.312-07:00

ChessAdmin has begun The Path to Chess Mastery with several excellent posts yesterday. Technically, he has been on the path to chess mastery for some time, but that's the name of the blog, which is fitting. Reflections on Training is dead-solid-perfect. I am flattered that he mentions my annotated games as a partial inspiration. I need to do another, so I'll get cracking.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-91466355168937011082011-07-04T21:39:00.000-07:002011-07-05T13:37:50.965-07:00

Our Prodigal Pawn, Tommyg, does a great job and delivers on time and on the 4th of July with the latest Chess Improvement Blog Carnival. I liked his addition of "first posts" by some of the pioneers. Go check it out, I'll be here all week. And don't forget to tip your servers!

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-57696988283273238262011-06-27T21:05:00.000-07:002011-06-27T21:05:00.731-07:00

It's the last round of the 2010 Alaska State Championship. Having scored 3-1 in the first four rounds, a win in the final round would assure a share of second place, some cash and a ratings gain. I felt like I was tuned up after only five rated games in the previous 18 months. I had watched my opponent get through the previous rounds and while he was playing pretty well for a 1400 player, there

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-14879105158956608592011-06-26T21:55:00.000-07:002011-06-27T14:14:39.818-07:00

I realized that I neglected HeinzK's offer to contribute to the 6th Chess Improvement Blog Carnivàle! There is some very interesting stuff here, at the post he calls Chocolate. It is really quite awesome, especially if the Chocolate was laced with a hint of belladonna, hashish and LSD: But what I currently have to say sidechess-wise about chess being a fantasy trip still has to be worked out

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-81618270435823961282011-06-23T21:04:00.000-07:002011-06-24T15:45:57.910-07:00

Tyler Cowen, in case you haven't heard, is a chess master, food writer, world traveler, a blogger with 40 million visitors and, incidentally, an influential economist and Professor at George Mason University. In other words, a polymath. But let's talk about the chess part. As the noble Kenilworthian noted back in 2006: As a youngster, Professor Cowen played at the Westwood and Dumont Chess

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-87440568261809700652011-06-22T22:37:00.000-07:002011-06-23T12:11:55.717-07:00

Nigel Davies has a new post at his Chess Improver blog, Knowing Your Style. While the post is great, the title might actually be a bit misleading; he's saying that playing for tactical shots as your main goal is not a "style" at all, but a tendency to do what you already know, to stay within your "comfort zone." There is a good deal of wisdom in the idea that tactics exercises are the best way

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-12049558616266971782011-06-14T20:31:00.000-07:002011-06-15T11:57:56.409-07:00

Since last October I've had no chance to play "live" tournament chess, and much of my chess activity has consisted of 3 0 and 0 5 at FICS. When I have 20-30 minutes of free time for chess it's been tempting to dash off a few quick games. This has, predictably, done nothing for my development as a chess player. So, in the spirit of chess- and self-improvement epitomized by GM Nigel Davies and his

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-36181940093754156722011-06-03T21:00:00.000-07:002011-06-06T09:22:43.892-07:00

And so dear friends, once more into the breach: This is a Chess Improvement Blog Carnivàle! (and the accent mark makes all the difference!) The first five CIBCs are linked in a previous post. I have taken it upon myself to post everything submitted and add whatever I saw fit. That's what happens when you're large and in charge, baby. So if you find a totally unexpected link, well, that's the

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-91593390569458821992011-05-26T21:47:00.000-07:002011-05-27T12:05:37.401-07:00

Hey everybody, I've only gotten a handful of submissions so far for the Chess Improvement Carnivàle so let's pick up the pace, the deadline is June 2 and if I don't have enough high-quality dead-solid-perfect posts I will go to your blog and link without permission. Don't think I won't do it. people.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-48620276474719865202011-05-22T21:39:00.000-07:002011-05-23T10:04:16.325-07:00

I am hosting the sixth chess improvement blog carnival (or carnivàle for those with flair)! I can see that it will not be easy to match the awesomeness of the fifth, at Hebden Bridge Chess Club, or the fourth at Liquid Egg Product, the third at Blunderprone, the second at Brooklyn64, and the first at Founding Blogger Blue Devil Knight's Chess Confessions. I don't know what the THEME is going to

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-83764006985476094482011-05-16T21:22:00.000-07:002011-05-16T21:22:00.753-07:00

My friend Rocky Rook posts this morning on GM Nigel Davies blog The Chess Improver: "I've yet to find a post I thought was rubbish." High praise indeed! After my long break from chess blogging (and most chess blog reading) it happens that I just recently started reading Chess Improver as well. Nigel Davies seems to be very interested in the connectionis between chess improvement and life

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-84211332850919948772011-05-13T22:15:00.000-07:002011-05-13T22:15:00.378-07:00

I see over at ChessBase.com that Winter's superb Capablanca is coming in paperback. I admit that I don't actually own the book, but I read a friend's copy some years back and it is truly a pleasure. He gives a good flavor of what it's all about in the linked interview. Direct from the publisher here. Also, Mr. Winter's web site Chess Notes is a must for anyone interested in chess beyond

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-65529686588300517452011-05-12T22:03:00.000-07:002011-05-13T11:07:25.136-07:00

After having the blog "closed" for about a year, I have reopened it to the World. We will go back to our roots and concentrate on chess, with the occasional photo or music video for spice. No politics, current headlines or meditations on the state of the world. I have decided that there are certainly enough of those all 'round.  Let's just have FUN!

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-77330574712531946532011-05-12T21:59:00.000-07:002011-07-26T15:22:03.168-07:00

As I mentioned in Memorable Game 8 the 2002 Alaska Championsip was a memorable tournament, I won the state Class B trophy and in the last round got a measure of revenge for Memorable Game 7 where Ron Campbell hunted my king to his death.  Now it was him and me, mano a mano for the trophy, the fame, and the fabulous cash prize (I think it was 70 bucks or so).  The game was certainly short and

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-67920908067717604862011-05-12T18:53:00.000-07:002011-05-13T11:15:16.473-07:00

Photo by me.  It was 6:30 pm, 36 degrees F and winds 30-40 mph--some of the people in their "summer" clothes looked like they might not make it back...

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-37342121839150441032010-07-15T20:28:00.000-07:002010-07-15T20:28:00.290-07:00

Since the advent of word verification on comments, I still occasionally get spam, and it would seem that some fool is actually placing these manually, on at a time, often on two-year-old posts.  Some appear to have come from China and some from Korea, though I have no doubt this is equal opportunity spam--any idiot on the planet can do it. Some just say something like:  "Great post!  I am also

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-59244193652874116362010-06-16T20:06:00.000-07:002010-06-16T20:06:00.337-07:00

Those who have been visiting here for awhile will have noticed the new look.  Anybody care to commment?  Improvement, deevolution, I Hate Orange?  One addition is that now you can hit the "interesting," "cool" or "totally useless" buttons.  The buttons are, probably, "totally useless" but I'll see if they add any value. Some more customization of the blog is on the way.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-51515344237676693792010-05-17T22:23:00.000-07:002010-05-18T11:10:57.783-07:00

Reassembler poses an excellent and thought provoking question: You sold all your books and all your memberships have expired except for USCF. Everything else – state, club, ICC, Playchess, MCO, Fritz, Chessbase – you have none of that. You’re starting from scratch. You’ve decided not only to get back into the game, but also to raise your rating to the next class level. But you only have $200

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-46678798942619233252010-05-06T14:15:00.000-07:002010-05-06T14:15:00.877-07:00

I defy you to try and sit still while this plays:

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-17497818110640536542010-04-16T20:27:00.000-07:002010-04-16T20:27:00.792-07:00

As I noted yesterday in my Thin Lizzy post, your favorite music can say a lot about who you are.  Here's another piece that resonates strongly with me.  I may be a tough-minded, hard-hearted conservative libertarian but my eyes are always teary by the end of this one.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-33060439921683043242010-03-12T22:46:00.000-08:002010-03-12T22:50:46.849-08:00

The 2002 Alaska State Championship was one of my best tournaments; three wins, one loss, a half point bye, a tie for 4th place and the State Class B Championship trophy.  I believe I even obtained some fraction of a Grand Prix point. The last round of this tournament was another memorable game, which I'll get to next (it was also sweet revenge for the thrashing I got in Memorable Game 7). 

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-11186961043852613062010-02-09T21:04:00.000-08:002010-02-09T21:16:04.088-08:00

The Goddess, Victoria. Per my friend (whom I do not personally know) Mencius Moldbug: Therefore, in many cases peace can be achieved only in the Roman way: by victory. As with all military objectives, victory is achieved by any means necessary. Including artillery. Clearly, if the enemy uses artillery and you don't, your chances of victory are greatly reduced. Carve this on your forehead:  The

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-64765989228685919052010-02-03T21:09:00.000-08:002010-02-04T11:32:46.423-08:00

Fit for Combat:  Maximum Strength AKA Old Man Strength Excerpt:THE STRENGTH CURVEIn his book Extreme Fear, Jeff Wise discusses the effect of the brain’s reaction to stimuli on strength and athletic performance. Wise cites the research by Vladimir Zatsiorsky on three different types of strength--Absolute, Maximal and Competitive Maximum. Absolute Strength is the total mechanical strength of a

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-83157631739339349462010-02-01T23:19:00.000-08:002010-02-02T15:47:47.076-08:00

Mark Weeks of Chess for All Ages kindly posts a thoughtful and extended answer, Do You Care About Today's GMs? to my previous post on this question.  In the comments to Mark's post Michael Goeller, the most excellent Kenilworthian recalls his take on the question, Chess Amateurism, from a couple of years ago. Mark also makes a point in his post about the openings being "exhausted" at some point

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-62720178369539544282010-01-26T23:41:00.000-08:002010-02-01T12:13:41.891-08:00

You may have noticed my new profile pic.  This is of course not my public visage but my "true" face: If it strikes a chord of recognition, congratulations! If not, you need to read Le Wik's take on the Church of the SubGenius.  Whatever you do, do not click on this link direct to heaven on Earth, for you are not ready.  Believe me, don't click on this link. What does this have to

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-36961688134773919102010-01-18T17:03:00.000-08:002010-01-18T17:04:41.605-08:00

Over at IM Mark Ginsburg's blog I was moved to comment on his post The New Chess, "When young grandmasters whip out crazy theory backed by millions of pre-game CPU cycles." Just as a personal impression and certainly not from some scientific poll, I think this kind of chess has led to some loss of interest by today's amateurs in current grandmaster games.  I commented in part: My impression

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-7720025426274390472010-01-15T23:28:00.000-08:002010-01-16T09:51:19.527-08:00

Well, two weeks have pased since my first personal ACIS post, and finally a progress report; so far I have made it through through p. 34 of Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess (3d. ed.)--the introductory material, the "basic endgames" and the first substantive chapter, "Thinking Techniques."  While I was pretty familiar with the pawn and rook+pawn endings which are the bulk of the endgame

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-5371900635749418192010-01-03T22:36:00.000-08:002010-01-04T17:14:42.759-08:00

A NY Times article, How to Train the Aging Brain, while not exactly NEW! and IMPROVED! (I've seen the same basic prescription for some years) can serve as a reminder to us Adult Chess Improvement Seekers that we need to take some different approaches to learning than those young whippersnappers:Educators say that, for adults, one way to nudge neurons in the right direction is to challenge the

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-30981410182974559292010-01-01T22:22:00.000-08:002010-01-02T00:39:35.159-08:00

I'm back, I'm excited and let's get right to it--to really be one of the ACIS, by Blunderprone's definition, one must post about goals, plans and methods and then follow up with progress reports. So here I go, taking the plunge...True ConfessionsFirst off, some brutally honest history. I've mentioned here a number of times that I'm really into human performance and "self-help" books and

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-19833572193658877752009-12-24T15:47:00.000-08:002009-12-24T15:52:46.781-08:00

Lots of good stuff to report, but it's Christmas Eve and I am thousands of miles from home with limited internet access--so for now, Merry Christmas and happy holidays and New Year's and all that. I just picked up Jeremy Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess (3d. ed) and I will be making this book the base for my ACIS plan.Much more in a week or so!

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-13617122562170779042009-12-08T22:11:00.000-08:002009-12-09T15:19:58.917-08:00

Via Liz Vicary, who credits Jason Luchan, who I don't know...anyhow, only the creators of this priceless chess training video deserve the credit. And we get to see it for free. How cool is that Internet thingy?

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-68614674134062574012009-11-22T21:58:00.000-08:002009-11-24T18:15:35.943-08:00

The ACIS (Adult Chess Improvement Seekers) seems to have really taken off, from its modest beginning in some comments at Chess Confessions, through its modest viral development by Blunder Prone (part II, part III), and a cascade of Seekers.(Mr. Duval aka Blunder Prone has a list on the top of his sidebar. More are to follow, I'm sure)A.C.I.S of Caissa (so far) Back rank (Loomis)BanattBlue Devil

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-35714663480653482342009-11-12T21:46:00.000-08:002009-11-14T10:37:24.460-08:00

Okay boys and girls, this is going to take a lot of preparation...do not proceed any farther in this post unless you have an hour or two. Or take it in small bites, whatever, but I'm not going to put up the run-of-the mill fluff, this time.First, in order to understand the title of this post, go watch the fabulous Blunderprone production Rocky Errant Picture Show.Three years ago I published a

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-1630336954670721722009-11-06T23:05:00.000-08:002009-11-06T23:29:17.664-08:00

My previous "Memorable Games" posted here were memorable for me in that they were some of my best games. This game is memorable because I forget a little thing called "development" and my whole king side stays at home for an entire game, just like in some of those 1850's clashes "Anderssen-NN" or "Morphy-Allies." Also, one of the few times in my career that my king made it out to the fifth rank

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-45028537213098242882009-11-04T22:05:00.000-08:002009-11-05T16:39:43.271-08:00

Over at Liquid Egg Product the Mascot has produced, directed and starred in a Halloween Holiday Classic. In the comments, I write:Seriously dude, I know you’re loyal to Donnie and all but someone with your combination of churtful yet charming snark, slender physique, immunity to criticism, babe magnetism and tolerance for tasteless violence and gore would fit RIGHT IN with most of the Hollywood

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-26728824800217186142009-10-12T22:36:00.000-07:002009-10-13T13:09:47.661-07:00

"Interchangeable Skills?"You decide as Yankee's manager Joe Girardi talks about the two games.Sorry no embed, permalink here.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-54007131494126128402009-09-14T23:15:00.000-07:002009-09-14T23:32:19.591-07:00

Having played at the Reno Chess Club for a few months in the fall of 1981, I was persuaded to give the City Championship a try. It was quite an experience...I lost the first six games, then managed this exciting draw, lost three more to finish out the Championship qualifier, then went to a weekend tournament at Lake Tahoe and lost four more. One draw in 14 tournament games. To show how strong

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-91290118008478056662009-09-03T21:55:00.000-07:002009-09-08T09:28:35.951-07:00

(NOTE: For the record, I did not write the copy below. It is one of those things passed along through the Tubes until the origin is hidden in the mists. All hele to whoever did put it together!)I seldom pass along inspirational stuff, but this one got to me.I believe, in these difficult and mean-spirited times in which welive, there needs to be a message of Hope.We can all use a single image

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-79829860501595225982009-09-02T23:18:00.000-07:002009-09-02T23:32:48.827-07:00

My previous "Memorable Games" have been from the period 1986-87 when I was already around Class B strength. The following game, played after about 18 months of serious tournament chess experience, was more of an upset in that my opponent was rated 601 points higher, and I don't think I had won against anyone over about 1600 before this.LaRoy O'Doan was around the Expert level at his peak, and I

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-50187452472080759332009-08-16T22:16:00.000-07:002009-08-16T23:10:58.227-07:00

Back in May Wang posted a couple of pictures of his Geek Cave; here I present my Geek Attic, or perhaps it's an old fashioned garret. Anyway, to get some of the solitude needed for serious chess study with a board, rather than a monitor, I cleared out a little space in the storage area of the condo loft. I then hauled a big-ass table up five flights of stairs and by a miracle of engineering

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-56829211300545642532009-08-13T22:24:00.000-07:002009-08-13T22:40:54.605-07:00

Cat at My Life's Work recently changed the look of her blog, and it reminded that this one has looked pretty much the same for a long time. I think we need some refreshing of the concept around here. While I work that, check out the very interesting writing at the link. I found that refreshing, too.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-78889820634486779542009-07-29T22:11:00.000-07:002009-07-30T10:37:34.429-07:00

I've been working on a chess post, I really have, but it's not ready, and so today I simply present two images. Above, a photo of Juneau, Alaska I shot the other day.Below, a photo of Elizabeth Vicary that she shot the other day. She, like me, feels the urge to write about things other than chess from time to time. Thus this post.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-38182491373971146472009-07-09T23:25:00.000-07:002009-07-10T11:11:55.350-07:00

I had defeated several USCF Class A players by the spring of 1987 and raised my rating to the low 1700s, but no Experts had fallen to my bad kung fu until this game. This was the same year my opponent won the Nevada State Championship, and even now Barry is still competing at the Reno Chess Club!Admittedly, he plays the opening in "coffee house" style and I just take advantage, but I'm proud of

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-57832621200607045832009-07-05T15:25:00.000-07:002009-07-05T15:41:25.116-07:00

Bill Davis comments on my "Memorable Game 3" post:Hi Robert, Good game as you deserved the win with your preparation. I'd have played out the game if I knew this would become your blog. I'd like to make a few corrections. No, I hadn't been drinking or something else. Also I had been a Master for two years at the time of the game. I do remember the disgust and frustration when I realized I had

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-53784706581998872412009-06-30T22:23:00.000-07:002009-06-30T23:45:04.299-07:00

Wormwood at the rarely updated but always thoughtful Burning Castles gets to 1506 on ICC at 5-minute Blitz and his observations on raising the rating at blitz chess are well worth waiting for:F i n a l l y ! It's been over two years since I first crossed 1400 on ICC 5-minute, and even though the effort has been sporadic at best, it still took more than enough time. I've had these spells of blitz

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-38815284929004043942009-06-25T22:23:00.000-07:002009-06-25T22:52:11.393-07:00

This is what our little chess club here in Juneau, Alaska looks like, in the very interesting, glass-walled "fish bowl" room of the Public Library:That's the cruise ship Amsterdam right out the window! And just opening his computer:President Brian Bezenek. The guy who has kept the club going for some time. Thanks Brian!Tom Rozek (left) and Russ McDowell, two of the regulars. These were taken

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-27368020481831564332009-06-17T09:51:00.000-07:002009-06-18T11:20:27.973-07:00

Colonel Crockett of the very fine Chessvine points out that there's a social media site called Secondchess. Why have I never heard of it before? The Colonel sez:SO ... what am I advocating? A massive move toward that site! We need to not only keep it alive but make it thrive. It could rival other social media if people knew it existed. I'm asking people to get the word out. Start using it

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-53265493108830423162009-06-14T23:11:00.000-07:002009-06-15T11:38:46.767-07:00

The only time I ever beat a USCF Master in a tournament game was strange brew indeed; I had been playing well in the previous weeks and was really looking forward to the game, but my opponent, Bill Davis, a 20-something guy who had passed 2200 a few months earlier, looked kind of distraught, or perhaps had been drinking or something...anyway, he didn't look happy to be there.I had been studying

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-49161587926742996022009-06-07T21:26:00.000-07:002009-06-09T09:17:33.152-07:00

20 Undiscovered Island Gems - Not any more...Cameron Diaz Wants a Bigger Butt - Yeah, sure...okay, can't resist; here is a further quote: "The planet needs a publicist. It's the planet, you know what I mean? She should be a star." No babe, the Sun is a star, the Earth is a planet, and not even a ----ing Hollywood publicist can change that little factoid.The Other McCain (R. S., that is),

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-53298604099976450992009-06-04T22:54:00.000-07:002009-06-04T23:33:23.098-07:00

The 1986 Pacific Southwest Open was one of my better tournaments, 3.5 - 1.5 and overall some decent quality games for my then-1678 rating. What I remember is that while my chess moves were pretty good, my chess gumption was excellent (if you have Rowson's Chess for Zebras there's a whole gumption chapter). I was willing to just sit there and play my best, as long as it took, and I seemed to be

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-41993268148641945732009-06-03T21:19:00.000-07:002009-06-04T14:36:17.074-07:00

I have put up a new Juneau Chess Club blog. It's just bare bones right now, but I'll be doing upgrades, links, etc. Hopefully my fellow JCC members will want to blog there. It would be great if someday it could rival Streatham and Brixton, but that's an awfully high bar...Anyway, go ring up the Site Meter, it's currently at 1.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-29315169262598531202009-05-28T22:29:00.000-07:002009-06-02T22:20:32.308-07:00

Chesstiger asks in the comments to the previous post "to see a game of you against a higher ranked player just to see how well you can play if needed."As I noted, a couple of weeks ago my chess archives arrived after almost seven months in storage. I was thinking about a game to post and remembered the one below, the memory of which has remained vivid during the 23 years since it was played.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-10448873876832167782009-05-26T23:07:00.000-07:002009-05-28T22:33:14.731-07:00

I described the game in a previous post, but now that I had a chance to look closer I'm not happy at all with my play. I win, but the missed opportunities are embarrassing, at best. I whip up an interesting attack and just when I could put the hammer down and finish, a series of missed opportunities, easy two and three move tactics, allows him to nearly save the game. I obviously need to get

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-18694356388662487822009-05-20T00:35:00.000-07:002009-05-20T18:03:18.890-07:00

My first game from Saturday, as referenced in the previous post. I played poorly until move 16, and pretty well after that. Better than the other way round!Thanks so much to Glenn Wilson of Houston Chess for the cool pgn viewer, ChessFlash. Chris, give it a try! .boardhidden {display:none}; .boardshown {display:inline}(show chess board)(hide chess board)

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-63597934796535147202009-05-17T23:03:00.000-07:002009-05-18T13:06:40.736-07:00

I can truly say I "lived it up" this weekend. I unloaded 6,000 pounds or so of household goods from a shipping container into my new residence, thereby getting my chess books back after six months in storage, and also managed to play my first rated chess games since last July.I'll spare you the details of the moving part, let's go to the chess!On Saturday the Juneau Chess Club had its first

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-47179373338167684942009-05-11T21:59:00.000-07:002009-05-12T18:41:49.191-07:00

The excellent Wang writes about his (good) play in a recent tournament in a post with the delightful title Drunkn Monkey Kung-Fu Patzer Chess, and touches on his use of Alekhine's Defense (1. e4 Nf6). He plays it exclusively.This set me to thinking about openings from the "amateur's" point of view. There are a million (okay, hyperbole) thousands of chess books and columns aimed at amateurs by

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-56171391253512398812009-04-20T23:12:00.000-07:002009-04-21T17:19:02.354-07:00

In the comments to my last post, welcoming him back, Tommyg writes:By the way I noticed in your profile under favorite music that you had AC/DC and Sinatra back to back! LOVE THAT!That's one of the things I like about Tommyg, he gets it. So many people figure that if you like AC/DC you can like, say, Aerosmith, but you can't like, say, Beethoven. WRONG.I love Beethoven, especially the Ninth

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-34803474005790233062009-04-18T13:36:00.000-07:002009-04-18T13:44:28.570-07:00

Great news. If I recall, his previous blog was "Chess and Music" but he deleted it in one of those spurs of the moment. Now he's got The Prodigal Pawn up, especially analyzing games--his own and others:I will concentrate mostly on analysis of games (mine and others) and on reviews of books and/or software. I will from time to time post about improvement concepts as I see them. I don't want to

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-61729285443678654182009-04-06T22:11:00.000-07:002009-04-07T11:04:12.972-07:00

(For those readers less familiar with United States history, Davy Crockett is a famous figure of the American frontier. He was also a Congressman, but we won't hold that against him). Nowadays Col. Crockett runs an excellent chess news and opinion blog, chessvine.com. Yes kids, it's true, he secretly escaped from The Alamo and pursued a number of careers, sub rosa, before becoming a leading

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-38949462148357432032009-03-24T22:15:00.000-07:002009-03-25T11:41:30.712-07:00

On Monday I had a wonderful time at the Juneau Chess Club and feel like I made contact again with "Real Chess," since much of my chess activity lately has been blitz on FICS, with the occasional G/15 (I guess that's not blitz) included. This despite the fact that in December I seemingly resolved to stop playing blitz...Oh, the weakness of the flesh.The first good thing that happened Monday was

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-18294293975666615762009-03-20T21:00:00.000-07:002009-03-20T22:59:36.296-07:00

Researchers comparing maggots with a standard "hydrogel" in treating leg ulcers found little difference.Thank goodness. I'm probably more "scientific" than most, but even if the maggots were, say, 10 percent more effective I would still want the hydrogel rather than have fly larvae squirming around under the bandages...but that's just me.On the other hand, if they ever have to reattach my thumb

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-25502337558085766152009-03-08T21:23:00.000-07:002009-03-09T18:01:04.785-07:00

Like most serious chess players I've tried out a number of different openings over the years, for a number of different reasons; educational purposes, competitive surprise, because I bought the book, even at times just because I wanted some variety.For tournament games, in response to 1. e4 I went e5 at the beginning of my career in the early 1980s, tried the French Defense (1. e4 e6) a few times

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-46236641746989422382009-03-03T22:08:00.000-08:002009-03-04T17:56:00.773-08:00

A month ago I posted this position from Gelfand-Markowski, 1998 over the label "What's the Best Move?":White to MoveThe reason I was interested in the position was that I thought it was a fine example of the kind of play that one can probably never learn from tactics practice of the "Seven Circles" variety.Two intrepid readers ventured lines.Anonymous offered: "...what about 1.e4-e5. If the rook

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-70250642920373739132009-02-25T22:43:00.000-08:002009-02-27T14:52:47.557-08:00

Oh hell YES.Step by step, with photos.(h/t Instapundit)UPDATE 2/27: Antonio Mendoza comments--"It might actually be good for you. See, for example, this:http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/skinny.htmlHit the link, read and decide for yourself. Value added entertainment...here is the description in the linked article of margarine being manufactured:This is the process that turns

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-5827762439088803972009-02-19T13:53:00.000-08:002009-02-19T14:18:29.243-08:00

I'll be getting back to chess posting soon.In the meantime, here's a song that I've been thinking about for years. Sometimes I think it should be an FCC requirement that radio and television stations play it every hour on the hour, 24/7/365. Then it might become ingrained in the national consciousness. We would be so much happier and healthier for it.Well, in truth I don't believe in FCC

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-58156709137087168192009-02-10T18:14:00.000-08:002009-02-10T18:34:37.654-08:00

Scroogle - no cookie, no search-term records, access log deleted every 48 hours...SO THEY SAY. Could this be a COVER for Google to get you to let your guard down. Is it run by the FBCINSA? Nah. Only a guy who has read Illuminatus! seven times would think that way.Guy goes "undercover" at Wal-Mart and feels just fine.Roger L. Simon on A Night with Timothy Leary. In Hollywood, no less. I

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-20712940244659794702009-02-01T22:48:00.000-08:002009-02-02T23:39:12.779-08:00

The title of this post is meant to stimulate your interest by being a bit mysterious. Let me explain...Muller and Lamprecht's excellent Fundamental Chess Endings gives this position as 4.16:White to moveFrom Loginov-Loskutov 1996Any serious chess player will recall playing positions similar to this one and how difficult it can be to win them even though a clear piece up.So what are my "three

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-13161413479087423742009-01-27T22:37:00.000-08:002009-01-29T14:48:05.312-08:00

As I mentioned before, I wanted to present some memorable and/or instructive positions from Joe Gallagher's excellent Play the King's Indian. This time, no directive clues...I'll post the continuation in a few days.White to play:ADDED 1/29/09 - Now that there are comments I recommend you decide on your move before you read them.

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-16366731962011801782009-01-16T20:17:00.000-08:002009-01-18T15:50:31.035-08:00

In target rifle shooting "off-hand" shooting refers to what is more formally known as the standing position. In chess, "off-hand" games are fun games, unrated and usually without a clock. I suppose "skittles" are the same, unless they're candy.Last Monday at the Juneau Chess Club there were just two of us, Tom and me. Tom is a guy I played a few tournament games against 15-18 years ago, and

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-62476913658094484012009-01-11T21:20:00.000-08:002009-01-11T21:28:58.430-08:00

At the bottom of the last post, I gave a position and asked if anyone could find the "killah" for Black, and nobody, but nobody rose to the bait...since I liked it so much, here it is again. Come on people, you know you love this stuff:Black to play:

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-67333373541332631532009-01-04T21:54:00.000-08:002009-01-05T23:34:56.385-08:00

(UPDATED 01/05/09 with correction and additional material)I've written previously about Jonathon Rowson's book Chess for Zebras, and one of the things that I recall him stating there is something like, "All positions are either won for White, won for Black or drawn." While this may seem like the merest tautology, his point is that, objectively, there is really no such thing in a chess game as

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-91010244524752054832009-01-02T01:14:00.000-08:002009-01-02T21:49:06.284-08:00

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

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-15156004233093320042008-12-14T22:14:00.000-08:002008-12-14T22:50:45.889-08:00

Since I last played in the five hour marathons at the Reno Chess Club (see here for my rather whiny farewell) most of my chess activity has consisted of blitz on FICS. While I've certainly gotten some satisfaction and enjoyment from these games, I've also gotten into some pretty bad habits. As James Stripes writes in this post at his excellent Chess Skills blog, "Blitz and rapid chess involve a

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-45316673205387221752008-12-07T23:04:00.000-08:002008-12-07T23:27:39.303-08:00

Some of the oldest chess advice : "If you find a good move, look for a better one."In a Red Hot Pawn correspondence game, I won Black's f-pawn and looked forward to a winning ending here. I could follow all kinds of traditional advice, develop pieces, push passed pawns, rooks to open files, etc., etc.I must admit the best move did not occur to me at all before the position had been reached, and

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-80807291914234037842008-12-03T21:02:00.000-08:002008-12-07T23:25:52.732-08:00

Inspired by this excellent Mr. Cranky Old Chess Player (er, Reassembler) (EDITED: That should be Crabby Old Chess Player) post and cheered on by the comments there, I hereby get back to blogging with my explication of:The Corrosive Effects of Money on Good Chess, or, Why I Never Went Back to the World Open, Wherein I Observed a Most Remarkable Phenomenon.The "corrosive effects" were actually

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21716553.post-21822117480880668412008-10-13T21:48:00.000-07:002008-10-14T16:04:25.019-07:00

Thanks so much to those of you who have left a comment or just stopped by the last few weeks.When I promised an update "next week" I didn't say which next week, right? Heh. Anyway, the short version is that in the last four weeks I have gotten a great new job and moved my family back to my former domicile in Alaska. While I certainly could have found 10 minutes somewhere in there to update the

Wahrheithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com7