Qxh7#

Hello from Lack of Sleepville!

2008-01-30T09:34:00.000-05:00

I had plans to take a picture of her laying a chess board with a peice in her hand, but I keep forgetting to do it. Anyway this can suffice.

Aint she cute!

Pictures of a Baby Coming Soon

2007-12-28T10:11:00.000-05:00

Sorry no posts in a long while. My daughter was born in Late October, (actually she was born the same day the Sox won the World Series!) and things have been hectic since. I don't plan to completely give up posting here though.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season.

More World Series Chess Analogies

2007-10-25T14:15:00.000-04:00

MLB.com analyzes World Series Game 1 like a chess game, move by move!

Meanwhile Steve Henson at Yahoo! Sports thought the Rockies could have resigned last night just prior to the three consecutive bases loaded walks.

"It wouldn't have been quitting. It would have been cutting to the chase, recognizing the inevitable, graciously acknowledging a fait accompli. They do it in chess.Set up the pieces for another day."

And the Boston Dirt Dogs call Josh Beckett a "Man of the World" but I like to think of him as the king!

Checkmate!

2007-10-23T13:24:00.000-04:00

Hat tip
BDK for the post idea.

Kasparov and Bush Meet in Maine

2007-10-16T11:28:00.000-04:00

CBS Pictorial Report

Kasparov has been signing books at Harvard and in D.C. but he took out a bit of time to talk to the President here in Maine about the state of affairs in Russia as well.

Mexico 2007 Championship Wrap Up

2007-10-02T12:59:00.001-04:00

Vishy Anand is... THE MASTER

Final Standings
------------------------
Vishy +4
Gelfand & Kramnik +2
Leko =
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.
Everyone else.

Skipping Ahead -- Or Catching Up or Something

2007-09-28T08:54:00.000-04:00

I fell behind the Mexico Championship posts, I guess that's what happens when your a soon-to-be-dad. Ah well, my dreams of being a Chess Journalist probably weren't going to come to fruition anyway. I guess I will just boil down what has happened since.

Anand (8.0) is cruising now though with 4 wins and 0 losses he leads the pack by a full point. Boris Gelfand (7.0) is clear second with 3 wins and 1 loss. Kramnik (6.5) is pulling up third 2 wins, 1 loss. With two rounds to play it would take a suprising result for Anand not to win clear first without tie-breaks.

My pretournament predictions panned out in some respects. Anand is winning, Kramnik coming third because he draws too much so those predictions were pretty spot on. However my 2nd place finisher is in dead last, and the guy I picked for dead last is clear second. I think one of the results of this tournament for me, will be to clear some time to review some of Boris Gelfand's games. He is winning a new found respect from me at least.

Sacrifice or Kamikaze, Strategy or Tactics?

2007-09-28T08:43:00.001-04:00

A recent Timeforchess.com game of mine began

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. g3 d6 6. Bg2 c5 7. O-O Na6 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Qd2 Bg7 11. Rd1 Be6 12. d5 Bd7 13. e4 Nc7 14. Nh4 b5 15. cxb5 Nxb5 16. Nxb5 Bxb5 17. Re1 Rb8 18. b3 a5 19. Bf1 Bxf1 20. Rxf1

Qxh7 vs. TimeforChess Opponent

Black to Move

This is a very instructional game to me. The game continues

20. .... a4

21. bxa4 Rb2

22. Qd3 Qa8

23. Rd2 c4

24. Qe2 c3

25. Rc2 Qxa4

26. Rfc1 Rfa8

27. Kg2

Black to Move

And white's game looks hopeless to me. a4 was a subtle dagger that lead to all of this. Granted my knight is misplaced on the edge there at h4, but beyond that it was a very competitive game. Suddenly a quiet little "sacrifice" of blacks isolated a-pawn and my world comes crashing down.

Color me impressed. Its something I will certainly remember. I'm not certain I understand it enough to make use of it in my own games though. Was a4 a tactical manuever, or strategic? I'm not sure. It certainly lead to a windfall strategic position for black. Who would be more impressed by a4, Silman or MDLM?

The game finished

27. Kg2 Qb4 28. Nf3 Ra8xa2 29. Ne1 Kh7 30. f3 Qb3 31. Kh3 e6 32. Qd3 exd5 33. exd5 Qb6 34. f4 Qd4 35. Qf3 Qd2 36. Qg2 Rb2xc2 37. Rc1xc2 Qd1 38. Rc2xa2 Qh5 0-1

I overlooked a simple mate in 1 at the end, mostly because I had been preoccupied with the passed pawn for over a month of real time (thats correspondence chess for you) and when I finally saw a chance to eliminate some of that pressure I just jumped and made a move immediately.

C'est la vie!

Round 8 Pairings - Predictions

2007-09-21T09:11:00.000-04:00

At the midway point, Vishy Anand takes a full point from Grischuk to move into clear first. The surprise in the standings has to be Gelfand (who I had pre-tournament picked for last) in second spot. Kramnik coasting where I predicted in 3rd taking draws in what at least to this patzer seem like winnings chances games.

Viswanathan prepares to take Mr. Grischuk to task

Both of my pretournament "darkhorses", players whom I hoped would make a run at this thing are playing fairly poorly in my mind. Svidler and Aronian need to make serious strides to get back into this thing. Despite Moro's early round win, he and Grischuk still look like the place to try and take full points. Leko looks like he could potentially make a run to the near top of the standings with a few good games down the stretch.

Round 8 Pairings
Peter Svidler vs. Vladimir Kramnik
Levon Aronian vs. Alexander Morozevich
Boris Gelfand vs. Viswanathan Anand
Peter Leko vs. Alexander Grischuk

Qxh7# Predicted Round 8 Winners
Kramnik

Actual Round 8 Winners
?

Watch Live 8th Round Action, Friday at 3PM ET

US Chess League

2007-09-20T13:50:00.001-04:00

What in tarnation is going on with the USCL. What has the makings of a decent way to promote chess here in the U.S. is becoming more a soap opera than a sporting event. Like the NY Post back pages, articles and comments are popping up all over the place filled with scandal and childish behavoir.

What happened to Chess being a gentleman's game? Why the poor sportsmanship and the nastiness surrounding this league? Can't you guys just play the games and promote chess without the bickering?

GROW UP

Round 7 Pairings - Predictions

2007-09-20T08:47:00.000-04:00

Who would have predicted Gelfand tied first after 6 games?

Boris Gelfand is the man. He is having an amazing tournament. I had totally undersold this gentleman. Meanwhile I'm predicting Leko will win today because Moro is getting torched. Svidler and Aronian my two "darkhorses" play each other today, lets see if at least one of them picks up the pace by winning!

After todays round we are half done so it will be a good opportunity to review the crosstable and see how things are stacking up.

Also thanks to Mig for pointing out that the pairings on the www.Chessmexico.com were reversed for round 6 and 7. He also notes they look messed up for the second half of the tournament. I will be sure to check closely when I make a post next time. For now I have corrected yesterdays post.

Round 7 Pairings
Peter Svidler vs. Levon Aronian
Vladimir Kramnik vs. Boris Gelfand
Alexander Morozevich vs. Peter Leko
Viswanathan Anand vs. Alexander Grischuk

Qxh7# Predicted Round 7 Winners
Leko

Actual Round 7 Winners
Anand

Watch Live Round 7 Action at 3 PM ET Thursday

Round 6 Pairings - Predictions

2007-09-19T08:58:00.000-04:00

Round 5 is in the books as the bloodiest clash yet. Anand, Gelfand and Grischuk all winning with the white peices. Gelfand and Grischuk are really acquitting themselves well in this tournament. I thought they would be "targets" and then today they step up and take full points for themselves. The only players with 2 losses so far are the players I picked as dark horses for the actual title, Aronian and Svidler.

Still one part of my early predictions is coming to fruition. Kramnik is making too many draws to win, in my opinion. Yesterday he allowed a draw as black that I gaurantee is played much further in your average weekend swiss.

Would you offer a draw after 24. ... Bxe3?

Doing a simple "Silman Imbalance Check" on this position I thought.
Black has more space, better pawns (white has two sets of double pawns to blacks 0), black controls the open D-file and after 25. Qxe3 Rd3; OR 25. Rxe3 Rd7, is ready to begin doubling on the file and penetrating the 7th rank and attacking those "weak" white pawns.

I guess that's why he is world champ and I'm not though.

Round 6 Pairings
Alexander Grischuk vs. Peter Svidler
Peter Leko vs. Viswanathan Anand
Boris Gelfand vs. Alexander Morozevich
Levon Aronian vs. Vladimir Kramnik

Qxh7# Predicted Round 6 Winners
Anand

Actual Round 6 Winners
Gelfand

Watch Round 6 Live Tuesday at 3PM ET

Round 5 Pairings - Predictions

2007-09-18T07:33:00.000-04:00

Not much time available for me atm to comment on Sunday's games. But Aronian was the only winner and has pulled in closer to the lead!!

Round 5 Pairings
Viswanathan Anand vs. Peter Svidler
Alexander Grischuk vs. Alexander Morozevich
Peter Leko vs. Vladimir Kramnik
Boris Gelfand vs. Levon Aronian

Qxh7 Predicted Round 5 Winners
Moro

Actual Winners
Anand
Gelfand
Grischuk

Watch Live at 3pm ET

Round 4 Pairings - Predictions

2007-09-15T23:54:00.001-04:00

More fighting chess today despite the 3 draws. The shortest game actually ended on a repitition which is a valid part of chess in my opinion because both sides believe their best possible move is the repeating pattern. Moro beat Svidler, but in my amateur opinion he could have fought on a bit more. He did have substantial pressure against the white monarch. I gather that Svidler thought Rg1 solidified enough that the passer would overwhelm him.

Anand vs. Kramnik was fought to a truly drawn position, but I thought Kramnik was going to win until 59. ... Rc1. Can't he simply keep moving the King over till he gaurds the a-pawn and win?

Call me a dumbass, but doesn't 59. ... Kc2 Win here?

Leko vs. Gelfand was a mammoth 100 mover. Much more spirited chess than the opening round. Good show.

Neither of my predicted winners came through. So far my prediction of Aronian and Svidler being top half of the final standings doesn't seem to be lining up. Still I think it will finish

Anand
Aronian
Kramnik
Svidler

But I'm impressed with the performance of all the players so far, especially Moro with his win today.
Round 4 Pairings
Peter Svidler vs. Boris Gelfand
Levon Aronian vs. Peter Leko
Vladimir Kramnik vs. Alexander Grischuk
Alexander Morozevich vs. Viswanathan Anand

Qxh7 Predicted Round 4 Winners
Anand
Kramnik

Actual Winners
Aronian

http://partidas.chessmexico.com/

Round 3 Pairings - Predictions

2007-09-14T20:25:00.000-04:00

Well, round two had much harder fought battles with the exception of Gelfand vs. Grischuk. At move 23 I thought Aronian had a win against Anand, but not only did Vishy ward off the white attack he capitalized on it and pulled out the full point. Kramnik did in fact win with white over Moro as I had predicted. The final game worthy of comment Svidler vs. Leko ended in a hard fought draw, even still with queens on the board and a Pawn advantage (2 if you could Leko's doubles as 1) I would have though Svidler would push for the full point.

I thought Levon was a winner after 23. f4

Round 3 Pairings
Alexander Morozevich vs. Peter Svidler
Viswanathan Anand vs. Vladimir Kramnik
Alexander Grischuk vs. Levon Aronian
Peter Leko vs. Boris Gelfand

Qxh7# Predicted Winners
Aronian
Leko

Actual Round 3 winners
Moro

http://partidas.chessmexico.com/

Round Two Pairings - Predictions

2007-09-13T19:51:00.000-04:00

Wow -- I wanted to make a table and everything like I did yesterday but its far too cumbersome with this blasted Blogger editor crap. So I will just make predictions each day on games I see a winner in.

Yesterdays games all ended in draws, many with still much play on the board. I hope that some of the players push the action for actual results soon. It is the highest level of play for the title of World Champ, so I guess you can't fault people for not wanting to take a risk on positions they may evaluate as +0.13 pawns or ==+ or what have you. Still 23 move draws with both Queens and several minors still on the board isn't exactly "fighting" chess.

Not Exactly Fighting Chess

Round 2 Pairings
Peter Svidler vs. Peter Leko
Boris Gelfand vs. Alexander Grischuk
Levon Aronian vs. Viswanathan Anand
Vladimir Kramnik vs. Alexander Morozevich

Qxh7# Predicted Winners
Kramnik

Actual Winners
Anand
Kramnik

Watch Live Beginning 3pm ET

Round One Pairings - Predictions

2007-09-13T10:41:00.000-04:00

Round 1 on Sept 13th 2007 at 14:00

White	Black	Pred Result	Actual Result
GM Kramnik Vladimir	GM Svidler Peter	1/2	1/2
GM Morozevich Alexander	GM Aronian Levon	0-1	1/2
GM Anand Viswanathan	GM Gelfand Boris	1-0	1/2
GM Grischuk Alexander	GM Leko Peter	1/2	1/2

WATCH LIVE NOW 3:37 PM ET

To beat a machine

2007-09-12T22:56:00.000-04:00

White to move

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This is a position from a game I played on my lunch hour against a Java applet on the igoogle.com site. I will post the game score to the best of my memory.

This browser is not Java-enabled.

I won the endgame and scored a very infrequent for me at least, win versus the machine.

I wanted to check my accuracy -- Crafty says the following line is +2.19 pawns for white, and the best variation at depth 15.
17. Bxf6 Nxb3 18. Rxg7+ Kf8 19. Rxh7 Ke8 20. Rxd6 Qxd6 21. Rh8+ Qf8 22. Rxf8+ Kxf8 23. Bxd8

23. Bxd8 I had missed when I played axb3 and still won.

If this is what it takes

2007-09-11T14:04:00.000-04:00

To get my daughter to play chess, I can deal with it.

Countdown to a World Championship

2007-09-06T08:24:00.000-04:00

Click to Visit Official Site

Ipod Sharing introduces me to "CHESS"

2007-08-31T09:54:00.000-04:00

Link to the history of the label.

Where to buy the exact music I am listening to right now! Sweet.

Hip Hop Chess Strikes Back Pt II

2007-08-28T16:19:00.000-04:00

Mig's Blog Post brings up the subject again. I still dislike hiphop -- but I'm down with Hip Hop Chess. I hope the OG's become OGM's instead anyway!

My Previous Post

Mexico Preview

2007-08-28T11:15:00.000-04:00

Vishy Anand (2792)
Age: 37
From: Madras, India
Career Highlight: 1987 World Junior Champion, #1 Rating List April 2007
Prediction: If there ever was going to be a time for him to win it all, its now. He has had strong performances for the last year. Winning would cement him in Chess history, he has been one of the three best players of the last 2 decades.

Vladimir Kramnik (2769)
Age: 32
From: Tuapse, Russia
Career Highlight: Winning 2000 match against Garry Kasparov, Winning 2007 FIDE Championship match vs. Topolov
Prediction: Match play is more Kramnik's style in my opinion. Where he can study one players strengths and weaknesses and capitolize on them. He should be near the top, but I don't think he wins.

Alexander Morozevich (2758)
Age: 30
From: Moscow, Russia
Career Highlight: 4th Place 2005 World Championship
Prediction: Middle of the pack, his natural talent makes him better than Gelfand, and Grischuk, but he seems to lose energy in big events and can't compete with the top candidates.

Peter Leko (2751)
Age: 27
From: Subotica, Yugoslavia
Career Highlight: 2002 Dortmund win, to challenge Vlad for World Classic Chess title
Prediction: I see Leko making too many draws to win. He will be middle of the pack.

Levon Aronian (2750)
Age: 24
From: Yerevan, Armenia
Career Highlight: 2002 World Junior Champ, 2006 Linares win, 2007 Corus win
Prediction: I expect the match to come down to Anand, Kramnik and Aronian. This guy is a rising star! His youth and energy may pay off in the taxing event.

Peter Svidler (2735)
Age: 31
From: Leningrad, Russia
Career Highlight: 4 Time Russian Champion
Prediction: My darkhorse candidate, if he plays his best game will be in the running.

Boris Gelfand (2733)
Age: 39
From: Minsk, Belarus - now Isreal
Career Highlight: 1988 T- 1st World Junior Championship
Prediction: A strong GM, I just don't see Gelfand as being competitive with the rest of this crowd. I expect him to finish at the bottom of the list.

Alexander Grischuk (2726)
Age: 23
From: Moscow, Russia
Career Highlight: 2006 World Blitz Champion
Prediction: Bottom Middle of the Pack, losing points to Vishy, Vlad, Aronian, possible wins against Gelfand and Moro.

Chess Teacher

2007-08-21T11:18:00.000-04:00

Take some Lessons from the new addition to my sidebar. I'm glad I found the Chess Teacher, he has a nice blog.

10 years later, what did Kasparov vs. Deep Blue mean?

2007-08-17T11:50:00.000-04:00

I found this Article interesting. Exploring the similarities and differences between the "silicon" machine and the "protien" machine and how it makes complex decisions based on precalculated odds, and its own search patterns.

The fact is that the search space for chess is too big for even Deep Blue to explore exhaustively in real time, so like Kasparov, it prunes its search trees by taking calculated risks, and like Kasparov, it often gets these risks precalculated. Both the man and the computer presumably do massive amounts of "brute force" computation on their very different architectures.

Hat tip to Slashdot Games

History of Qxh7#

2007-08-14T10:55:00.000-04:00

BDK -- I really don't like to call him that, it reminds me of serial killers or presidential assassins for some reason -- has an interesting post up about getting/deserving/cultivating readership for your blog. It got me to thinking about this blog. Do I have a readership? Do I deserve one? What is the purpose of this blog? In an attempt to answer all this and more I thought about what I've done here in a little over 2 years time.

Chess Web Site - Round 1

My first attempt at a blog, before I found blogger, was a self maintained CSS website dedicated to my high school chess team. This was to try and create a history of something I found important in my life, and I am sure the other members of the Monmouth Academy Chess team did too. I also wanted to recognize the positive role-model Walter Law, my chess coach was for me. However, I quickly found that the material just wasn't readily available to make an interesting site, and those static 1 page web sites with no evolving content are extremely boring.

Chess Blog - Round 2

Later I found blogger. I was playing regularly and trying to improve my play, and thought, if I post analysis of my own games, maybe I can get some feedback here and it will help me improve. This was a great thought, its the follow through that lacks. Unfortunately playing, analysing and posting games is alot of work. Even when its fun it grinds up alot of time.

Chess Blog - Round 3

Beyond just chess, I am also an IT professional. When I got bored with blogging my games, I found an interest in modifying my Blog layout. Adding widgets, changing the template. Minor stuff really but I enjoyed making a unique look and feel for this blog.

Chess Blog - Round 4

Recently this blog has been about me keeping an interest in chess. Making chess a part of my life. I like to post bits of information I find, interesting links, a game here and there.

I don't really put effort in to cultivate a readership. I doubt many people find my posts awefully useful. People do hit the site. I occassionally visit sitemeter and check the referals, and the active pages. I find it interesting that people from all over the world come here. I would like to offer content that people found funny, provocative or interesting, but in the long run I think the blog is more about keeping me interested in Chess, than getting people interest in my blog. I would certainly rate most of the blogs on my sidebar as much higher quality than this one. But I appreciate when people pop in and comment on my posts and say hi. Hopefully you find something here at least occassionally to keep you coming back.

Long Overdue Sidebar Cleanup

2007-08-13T09:48:00.001-04:00

Some of the old standby's had to be removed from the active list, sorry Celtic Death, and so long Chess For Blood. In good news though, Druss, Dutch Defense and Montse moved back up to active.

Also new addition Chess IQ.

Killer Chess Tips

2007-08-10T15:18:00.000-04:00

Here is a link I found interesting.

http://www.chesskillertips.com/

Thought Process Needs Work

2007-08-08T09:31:00.000-04:00

In this position I made the obvious 2 Exclam !! winning move...

1. Nd5!! ... and white wins right?

WRONG

I overlooked the only refutation.. 1. ... Qxd4+ !!

Which makes 1. Nd5?

The thing that really burns me though is how obvious the refutation move is. I SHOULD have seen it because it involves giving check. In 4th grade my chess coach always taught us, before you make ANY move ensure your opponent cannot give check, mate or have any other threats, but specifically check.

/sigh

Va Tech Chess

2007-08-06T13:58:00.000-04:00

Boylston Chess Club just posted this letter

Dear BCC members and chess enthusiasts,

The Chess Club of Virginia Tech kindly requests your support and participation in its October 13 and 14 tournament commemorating the 32 lives lost and 25 injured persons in the April 16 massacre. To our knowledge, this will be the first sporting-type event to be held with all proceeds going to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. Your contributions are welcome in any form:

- chess sets and clocks to accommodate new players
- lectures and exhibitions from talented players
- corporate sponsorship
- donated items for a possible silent auction

The entire student center is reserved for the occasion, including an 88 seat lecture hall. Local hotels and restaurants are discounting rates for participants. Media attention will be strong so this is a great chance to promote your organization.

Most of all, we want you there as a chess player. Details for players will be forthcoming from the USCF and the Virginia Chess Federation.

To become involved, please contact Chuck Ronco, hokiechem -at- yahoo.com, or respond here and I'll answer what I can.

Respectfully yours,
Brian Salomon

I don't get nearly the traffic but I wanted to pass it along as well.

See Also:
VA Tech Chess Hero
BCC Article

Pin Power

2007-07-19T10:42:00.000-04:00

One of the tactical motifs you see all the time while doing Chess problems is the pin. In this position from one of my recent timeforchess.com games I found pins very effective. I haven't analyzed the game with a computer but the game played out demonstrating the power of pins even if its not 100% tactically accurate.

31. Ne4
Exploits the pin of black's knight to his king, and the pin of the f5 pawn to the knight, and even more obscurely threatens to pin the knight to black's Queen on f1 . This puts whites knight en prise but it cannot be captured.
31. ... Bd8
Protecting the Knight.
32. g4
Leaving the Knight en prise but still pressuring the pin of black's knight.
32. ... Qf7
33. Ng5 Qb7
34. Rc6 h6
35. Ne6 Kf7
36. Nxd8 Rxd8
37. Qxf6 1-0

Its important to note that black's king position and the open center of the board contribute to the power of the pins.

I'm not at all sure I even see 31. Ne4 a year and a half ago as a "candidate" move. I believe I would have instantly ruled it out as a losing move and looked for a more quiet move to solidify my position. I think this is where doing circles and studying tactical problems can help you. I recognized the pattern of the knight pinned on the diagnol to the king and pawn also pinned to the same knight on the file by the rook. It reminded me of a position I spent time on from 1001 Combinations. It wasn't the same position but it was close enough that it caused me to not abandon the 31. Ne4 candidate almost out of hand like I would have previously.

Not Everyday

2007-07-02T15:51:00.000-04:00

Do I beat a computer. Even bad computers usually beat me. So I proudly present this screenshot, I dubbed "I_win_no_takebacks" .. sorry I dont have the full score, but notice I pushed the computer all the way to the ropes once I had the advantage.

in case your Tivo was on the Fritz

2007-07-02T09:32:00.000-04:00

Here is the Assignment America Story

Turns out they were younger than teens. Still was a nice story.

Set your Tivo

2007-06-29T11:23:00.000-04:00

Tonight on CBS Evening News, Katie Couric is supposed to do an expose on teens playing championship chess.

Still Searching

2007-06-05T08:49:00.000-04:00

For Bobby Fischer?

Candidates Moving On!

2007-06-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

The first round at the candidates is over and boy wonder Magnus Carlsen has been ousted by Levon Aronian who isn't exactly an old man himself! Their match was certainly the center of attention in the first go, and rightly so. Exciting chess from exciting players. It went the full distance even in the rapid tie-break games.

Meanwhile, I almost fell over backward when Shirov came back on Mickey Adams. I figured Alexei would roll over and play dead for sure. Seems I was wrong.

As for the only American entry, I am pulling for Gata, since he seems to be fully out of his dad's shadow these days. He looked strong in his quick dispatching of Ettiene Bacrot who looked like he would much rather be playing poker.

Finally, I think the toll of having children and being a Mom is catching up with Judit Polgar. She hasn't looked quite as strong as other top caliber players since the championship tournament in San Luis.

Candidates Finals Pairings
Levon Aronian 2759
Alexei Shirov 2699

Peter Leko 2738
Evgeny Bareev 2635

Sergei Rublevsky 2680
Alexander Grischuk 2717

Boris Gelfand 2733
Gata Kamsky 2705

CTS Problem of the Day from Google

2007-05-25T08:48:00.000-04:00

I've had the CTS applet on my iGoogle homepage for a while now. Just sign into Google, click iGoogle, and Create a Tab called "Chess". Let it autopopulate with cool chess tidbits.

Its an easy way to add 3 chess problems to your daily activities. So I thought I would tell everyone else about it, in case they didn't know and show you a sample problem. And iGoogle is also an easy way to keep up with your favorite blogs.

Still Too Early for Lessons You Think?

2007-05-14T13:09:00.000-04:00

VA Tech Chess Player is Hero

2007-05-10T15:52:00.000-04:00

I don't want to comment to heavily on the VA Tech Shootings. I am disgusted by just about everything to do with it, from the acts of violence themselves, to the political and media reactions.

I do want to recognize the USCF's handling of Derek O'Dell's heroism; it was an admirable move on their part. Way to go!

Washington Times Article

Little Chess Lately

2007-04-20T15:20:00.000-04:00

Very little chess for me lately to post about. I did play a 3 game set with a challenger from the "Play the Blogger" thread. He won 2 games to 1. I was going to post the games and some analysis but unfortunately I never got around to it. News on the homefront is I am very busy with work, and I recently found out that my wife and I will have a slightly larger family by the end of the year.

Busy busy.

Patriots sign Pro-bowler, Chess Philanthropist

2007-03-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

He's a Renaissance man who puts his money and his off-day activities into making the world better. He started a chess competition for inner-city kids in Baltimore. He's worked for Habitat for Humanity.

SI.com Article by Peter King

Maine Chessplayer of the Year

2007-02-06T12:34:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Leroy Doucette. Chessmaine.net details the accomplishment.

I will update the Maine Chess Champions list to include this accomplishment!

Maine Chessplayer of the Year is driven primarily by participation and it shows alot of dedication to win the award. Most of the tournaments you need to attend to qualify are in the winter when driving conditions in this state are terrible. You have to really love the game to come out and play in these events. Kudo's to you Leroy.

More Wedding Pictures

2007-02-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

Just in case Edukator's wife missed the Chessbase article, I thought she might like to see more of the previously mentioned wedding pictures.

Chessbase Link

Fire on Board? More like "Fired, I'm Bored"

2007-02-01T15:58:00.000-05:00

The most amazing news to me out of Corus Wijk an Zee was the performance *cough* of Alexei Shirov. He managed just 1 win and 7 draws to go along with 5 losses, after entering as the 4th seed. Formerly one of the biggest attractions in the game he is probably the most rapidly decending star of the moment, followed closely by Judit Polgar who at least has the excuse of child bearing to stand on.

Alexei was as recently as 2 years ago the most exciting chess player in the world to watch. Every game was a tirade. What's going on with him now?

---- ok last post today, sorry I had alot of topics I wanted to catch up on.

Where have you gone Joe Dimaggio?

2007-02-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

Or Garry Kasparov for that matter.

So the undisputed in all but title World #1 Chess Man of the Millenia "retires" ... the chess world is primed to actually be able to re-unite the World Champion title. Everything is going to go so much more swimmingly from now on. We have the PCA and everything now, the internet so world wide fans can follow the world wide game etc etc... and what to we get.

Toilet Gate.
Computer Assisted Cheating.
Accusations of "Non-Verbal Communication" between Player and manager.
Nigel Short... dude seriously, your ugly and the chicks don't dig you.

Please come back Garry. Make this a gentleman's game again. I mean it was so much better when we were only worried about whether the KGB was fixing the championship. This stuff is just too retarded to care about.

link to news: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3635

Welcome to "EduKator" or is it "Recess-Bully"

2007-02-01T15:36:00.000-05:00

http://recess-bully.blogspot.com/

I will put you on my sidebar. You have an interesting twist on the Chess Blog thing. There's quite a bit of talk about putting Chess in Schools, I will be interested to hear what you think about the idea from the slant of a chess playing Educator versus the Chess Player who thinks education is key.

Wonder if She Knows

2007-01-25T08:56:00.000-05:00

What he was doing all that time in the bathroom in Elista?

Link to article on Chessbase.. http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3628

Think Tactics Training Might Help Me?

2007-01-11T10:31:00.000-05:00

Its black (me) to move....

So naturally I play 15 .. Nb4
And we end up with... TADA.. Mate in 1.

Carry on!

Happy New Years

2007-01-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

I'm sure that my rating will be flatlined for another 365 days. However, hopefully this year I will be able to provide everyone with at least a few witty comments or interesting posts. Best to everyone.

More on Chess Lobsters and Maine

2006-12-13T11:21:00.000-05:00

Apparently Susan Polgar is in on the act. She has this post about a rare genetic anomally found on a Maine Lobster.

FYI -- Jeff and Qxh7# are one in the same. I've changed the way I post to make it easier to coexist between here and another blog.

Club Night! Or..

2006-12-11T21:55:00.000-05:00

How to get beat up by "old men" and lose your lunch money.

It started out poorly.. when the Illustrious Sci-Fi author, Kinzel, ridiculed my taste in fantasy literature then pounded me with his obscure opening.

I'd analyze but I think you can see I just frankly stunk the joint up and lost badly within 15 moves.

Then in the night cap (since the first game was so fast) Ed showed me how not to play the French Defense. I think in retrospect I shouldn't have played c4.. even if it did when a tempo at the time I played it. I made mistake after mistake tonight.

We post mortemed the game afterwards and think I possibly had drawing chances if I play the ending right, but thats ONLY after he missed the killer rook fork on my queen and bishop.

Just think.. I paid a dollar to sit in a cold church and take this abuse!

A Real Chess Post

2006-12-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

When I was about 13 or so I used to play chess daily with a school friend. We both played on the chess team and we were very competitive with each other. We both wanted to be "first board" at the annual state championship. I can admit today that he was a stronger player than I was, (still is today too) but at the time I refused to admit it. What I do remember is he was certainly a better tactical player than I was. At the time I didn't recognize it that way. I remember thinking he was better at the "king pawn" openings. He liked to play the "Sicilian" and the "Ruy Lopez" and he would probably beat me 90% of the time in those openings.

Refusing to believe he was better than me, I adapted by learning to play "closed" openings. I would counter his 1. e4 with the French Defense, and I played 1. d4 to avoid the sharp and tactical Sicilian play. Perhaps he still won 90% of the games, but the games took longer and I felt like I won more often although I don't have any real record of what our score was. We literally played 1000 games from 7th grade till I graduated a year before he did.

I think the fact that he beat me so handily so many times has kind of handicapped me in a way. Because I never really practiced playing "open" tactical games since then. I've played games that I refer to as races. With pawn structures like.

or

The goal in games with pawn structures like this.. closed centers.. is almost always to mobilize your forces to one side of board, break through and conquer before your opponent does the same on the other side of the board. There's really nothing wrong with this and it can be exciting chess at times. However its often very strategic and not very tactical. Its about maintaining tempo and attacking the "right" square to make your break through before your opponent does.

When I started blogging and reading the "Knights Errant" blogs, and came into first contact with the MDLM credo I realized that I would need to play more "open" games in order to improve at chess. Its a tough process for me because opening play does make a difference at 1600 level. Not a huge difference, but you can lose in the openings. So learning all new lines of play has been as tough as studying tactics. Anyway I have been experimenting with the Benko as one opening that seems slightly more "open" without being completely outside my comfort realm. A typical Benko pawn structure looks like this

Which still has a closed center but open play for both players on the queen side of the board. I hope to post a couple annotated games in which I played the Benko soon.

I still can't make that leap to playing 1. e4 though. I've tried it here and there in blitz and OTB but it feels too awkward for me. Like trying write with the wrong hand. Anyone else struggling to incorporate strong tactics into closed game play? I read all your comments so let me know.

Chess Players Key to WWII Codecracking

2006-12-07T08:09:00.000-05:00

Churchill thought chess players had the right stuff.

Good chess players and those skilled at completing crossword puzzles were viewed as having the potential to turn their abilities to cracking codes. The Daily Telegraph was asked to organise a crossword competition to help them identify potential recruits.

I found this while looking at some Pearl Harbor related information and thought it an appropriate day to pass it on. Having spent 4 years of my own life on board ship I have an appreciation for those sailors in Hawaii that day. Fair winds.

Prawn to King 4?

2006-12-06T10:52:00.000-05:00

It seems Olympia Snowe is all fired up about Red Lobster's and other bloggers are relegated to chess puns.

Not exactly Magnum PI

2006-12-02T16:59:00.000-05:00

I'm no Dick Tracy, but this Maine PI has a hot & sexy chess playing partner. Looks like an interesting tandem.

Maine Chess Champions

2006-12-02T11:56:00.001-05:00

Maine Chessplayer of the Year
2006 Leroy Doucette
2004 Ralph Townsend
2001 Ruben Babayan
2000 Ruben Babayan
1999 Jon Buxton
1998 Joe Wrba
1997 Ruben Babayan
1996 tie Gary Mitchell, Ruben Babayan
1995 Michael Moore
1994 Joe Robillard

Maine Closed Champions
2006 Joseph St. Pierre
2005 Joseph St. Pierre
2004 tie Jarod Bryan, Ruben Babayan
2003 Jarod Bryan
2002 tie Ralph Townsend, Ghezai Menelik
2001 Timothy Bishop
2000 Ruben Babayan
1999 Stanley Elowitch
1998 Jarod Bryan
1997 Ruben Babayan
1996 Chandler Yergen
1995 Aaron Lewis
1994 tie Timothy Bishop, Chandler Yergen

Maine Open Champions
2001 tie Henry Terrie & Braden Bournival
2000 tie Stanley Elowitch & Roger Pedersen
1999 Stanley Elowitch
1998 John Curdo
1997 John Curdo
1996 Jarod Bryan
1995 April Yergen
1992 Jarod Bryan

Maine High School Team Champions
1992 Monmouth Academy
1991 Monmouth Academy
1990 Monmouth Academy
1989 Monmouth Academy

Maine High Individual Champions
2004 Vassil Kakaradov
2001 Sean O'Brien
1999 tie Isaac Marnik, Josh Clapp
1992 tie Stephen E. Smith, Micheal Rickert
1990 Adam J. Schaff

Maine Junior High School Team Champions
1988 Monmouth Academy
1987 Monmouth Academy

Maine Junior High School Individual Champions
2006 Andrew Babbitt
2001 tie Kevin Townsend, Nick Ciomei
1999 Ben Mohlile
1992 Gary Hooper
1988 Adam J. Schaff

Maine Elementary School Team Champions
1985 Monmouth - HL Cottrell School

Maine Elementary School Individual Champions
2004 Keji Xu
2001 Amy Ouellette
1999 Michael Ennamorati

Maine Chess League Champions

Please provide more information if you have it. I've put in what I was either part of, or able to find. Links to other documents (USCF Tournament Crosstables, Newspaper Articles, etc) are appreciated.

Side Bar Maintenance

2006-12-01T10:46:00.000-05:00

I removed a couple of 404 blogs from the sidebar. Sorry guys.
Some of the "less active" got moved back up to the normal blogroll, and some of blogs got moved down to "less active". I will spend some time soon figuring out if I am missing any of the blogs I see frequently from my lists. Obviously, I'm not as dedicated to maintaining my links as DG.

If you have a chess related blog and you'd like to be linked to from here leave me a note and I will check your site out.

Additional Side Bar Links

2006-12-01T07:41:00.000-05:00

I've added a section for links to Maine Chess Player's blogs. Your blog doesn't need to be chess specific to get a spot. If you want to be on my sidebar and you play chess in Maine let me know!

Maine Doctors + Arts & Crafts + Chess = Perverse?

2006-11-30T09:37:00.000-05:00

The larger pieces — the king, queen, bishops and rooks — were doctors, and the pawns were patients, all dressed in hospital gowns with their little butts sticking out.

I wonder if the Waterville chess club's very own doctor was the man who commissioned this lady's work.

Return to Waterville Chess Club

2006-11-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

So last night I went to the club for the first time in about 9 months. Must be winter again. I was a bit late and ended up the odd man out, so I watched the games until one finished and then I played a bunch of blitz games with a couple of folks.

They roped me into signing up for the "club championship tournament" which is apparently a double round-robin format G/90 time control. Basically the goal is to play all your games by some date in March informal pairings. Just grab someone each week and try to get a game in. Gives me something to be focused on though, a reason to put effort into chess. We'll see if I can stick to showing up every week though. Sometimes that commitment is tougher than it should be.

Meanwhile I observed this position in a post mortem last night and thought it was fun.

Black to Move

Is it a draw?

Mate in 1 problems vex World Champ

2006-11-28T07:28:00.000-05:00

Perhaps Vlad should take up the MDLM Mantra and start visiting the blogosphere daily. It seems a few rounds of knight sight, and a couple thousand mate in 1 problems would go a long way in improving his chess.

Patrick points out
vs.

Hmmmm.

Seriously though, I think this really illustrates why man is doomed to fall by the wayside to machines in chess. Machines just don't miss mate in one. Human's no matter how talented can over look mate in 1, or hang a rook. Computers won't.

Updated Template

2006-11-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

I've moved to the blogger beta. Took a couple hours to get my template straightened back around. I've been adding labels and such. I hope to be able to tag posts with labels and make the blog a bit more organized. Just FYI, if you use blogger and have made significant template changes be prepared to work at it for a while when they make you switch over.

Eat Maine Lobster and Play Chess

2006-11-24T23:13:00.000-05:00

Some experts say these are the things necessary to keep a keen edge and having a successful career. Work overtime or go play some blitz on FICS? Well you could make more money with a few hours on FICS, at least over the course of your entire career.

On a side note, playing fellow bloggers in blitz games on FICS is always a humbling experience. Grats CD, nice fork.

An easy one

2006-11-23T09:08:00.000-05:00

Black to move

White misplaced his Queen moving it from h6 to h5, and Black goes from an =- position to ++. Can you convert it?

Typical Error

2006-11-20T13:37:00.000-05:00

White to move in the above position. I just wanted to share my erroneous thought pattern.

I can see that b4 is attacked by the b1 Rook if I clear the b3 Bishop. I also see that the b3 Bishop is able to give check. A move earlier I realize then that black cannot capture the b4 pawn with the Queen.

Somehow in my convoluted mind this gets twisted into thinking I can capture b4 with my Queen and when recapture Qxb4 I will win the Queen with Bxf7+ .... Rxb4. Failing to realize that I'm in fact giving up a Queen and a Bishop in order to capture only my opponent's Queen. This type of error is one that often finds me on the down side of the tactical equation and I've given up several points from solid "positions" due to tactical blunders like this.

Elimination of them is not so easy as recognizing a pattern of behavior though.
.
.
.
As diagrammed with Steve Eddin's Chess Diagram from FEN script.

Chess with Deer?

2006-11-17T11:05:00.000-05:00

This Maine huntsman is engaged in a tactical game for life and death with a White Tail buck. I used to play this variety of chess, but frankly its too cold and wet out there for me to really enjoy a deep think. I prefer to stay at home and play indoors these days.

Jackman Maine, Beer Chess Capital of the Universe?

2006-11-16T13:05:00.000-05:00

I tripped across this Maine/Chess connection which could lead to some seriously bad chess... but may explain the Toilet Gate fiasco on the world chess scene recently. I can see this game increasing liver transplants among the chess playing populous, however I've heard the amount of pre-arranged draws and unfought draws is significantly reduced.

I can certainly understand how this game was invented in Maine. What else are you going to do around here when its 10 below zero and snowing. If it was invented anywhere else on the planet I'm sure at least the quality of beers used would be better.

"Of the Year" Awards

2006-11-14T10:46:00.000-05:00

I recently found this list on the British / English Chess Federation website. It makes for a nice recommended reading list for those interested in improving at chess. Year end awards are often over done, but its also a nice way to look back and remember just what was going on during each year. Like a little refresher course on modern history, this time with a Chess slant.

Hat-tip to Mig for highlighting the 2006 Book of the year.

Does Chess Publisher make it easy to post games?

2006-11-03T14:32:00.000-05:00

Well... this is a test of that question. I liked the look and feel of my self published games using the Java Applet but this could be superior.

It seems you have to format your PGN like Rae1.. not Ra1e1 which is how PGN is reported from timeforchess.com. Really makes it easy to add games to your blog though. Great JobChess Publisher.

Distracted

2006-11-02T12:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been distracted.

Hat tip: Blue Devil Knight

Change in scope

2006-10-18T11:00:00.000-04:00

I've changed the description of this blog to more accurately depict what I like to post about. I often want to discuss my games, and my journey to improving at chess. Other times I'm less inclined to push for chess improvement but like to post interesting tidbits about chess I see on the web or chess events in Maine. I hope this will continue to interest the few readers I have.

Pumpkin Chess?

2006-10-16T13:24:00.000-04:00

It seems a Floridian gardener has visited Maine and found reason to mention his trip in his blog.

I liked the pictures.

World Championship United, for now

2006-10-13T12:28:00.000-04:00

Well in a match that will be more remembered for the .potty conspiracy, held in about the most remote part of the world imaginable, FIDE has finally managed to unite the Chess Crown and we can once again say we have a true World Champion.. Vlad Kramnik. Congrats to him. He fought through alot of adversity in the match, and I'm even gonna put myself out there and say I don't believe he was cheating when he used the bathroom 50 times in 4 hours.

So until, another fued breaks out, FIDE has managed to provide us with a single, unified chess champion. This is good news. Now lets work up a GOOD system to determine a challenger, and make it a cycle that can be played out over and over again. So that we can get back to exciting, interesting, high caliber chess again

Players poopoo on match

2006-10-02T11:06:00.000-04:00

New York Times reports that Topolov is upset with Kramnik's lack of bladder control.

Seriously I think I would be upset too if my opponent had to use the bathroom 50 times in a game. The unsaid allegation of course is that he is using some sort of computer or communication device while in the bathroom and not on surveillance. If Kramnik truly is using the mens room 50 times in 5 hours I would be concerned about it too. Oh well, such is the chess world we live in today.

Championship not Super Bowl

2006-09-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

Just in case you were tempted to call the Topalov vs. Kramnik match the "superbowl of chess" this article warns you of the dangers of trademarking. Wouldn't want Kirsan and FIDE getting sued by the NFL now would we.

Seriously, Kramnik is a match play giant. Just as he surprised Kasparov in their championship duel in 2000, Kramnik has jumped out to a large lead. Just as in 2000, Kramnik is the underdog. Kramnik's play style is to tend towards precision rather than dynamic play which makes him tough to beat in a match. They say he is a drawing master, but if you make a mistake he will make you pay for it. This match so far is giving me a great deal of respect for Kramnik. I think playing "match style" championships is a completely different game compared to "tournament" style championships.

More Maine Chess! Congrats Ms. Bryan

2006-09-22T14:21:00.000-04:00

This essay details a young Maine girl's trip to a national chess tournament. Apparently the experience has really given her an even bigger appetite for the game. When I played Scholastic chess in Maine (ahem 15-20 yrs ago) there were 3 or 4 fairly strong young women who I had to compete against. I'm glad to see the scholastic chess, and women's chess is still going strong in Maine.

This state is difficult to find tournaments in, due to sparse population and winter road conditions. However, theres nothing better to do on a snowy day with temperatures hovering around 0 F than to play chess. I would think Maine would have a stronger chess following.

My original purpose in this blog/website was to try to post some historical information about the Monmouth Chess Teams I was a part of. This post brings back a bit of that desire to chronicle some of the moments that made chess such a big part of my life. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us Margaret.

Hat tip to: Chessmaine.net as well for the Polgar tournament coverage.

World no longer like Chess?

2006-09-21T08:39:00.000-04:00

We often see things compared to chess. The football game was like a chess match between the two coaches. But this U. Maine Preque Isle student's article says the world is no longer like a chess match between two world powers. Apparently there are too many players today.

Personally I just think Osama is a patzer.

And I thought I was indefensible

2006-09-20T15:17:00.000-04:00

Apparently this blogger disagrees. He has other posts about backwards pawns too.

MF Yanks worship Caissa, while cruising to Playoffs

2006-09-20T09:17:00.000-04:00

As I mourn my redsox this September the Boston herald decides to illustrate the MFY's composure with this statement.

While pitcher Cory Lidle gave the media a vague-sounding medical dissertation about how his fingers are hurting because he’s throwing a splitter too much, backup catcher Sal Fasano and pitching coach Ron Guidry were enjoying an intense, quiet game of chess.

I bet if Curt Schilling played Chess instead of video games the sox would still be in the post-season chase!

Unification? Whoopty doo

2006-09-18T16:05:00.000-04:00

So there's this big match coming up. I guess I should be thrilled, I've kind of followed the destruction of FIDE since Kasparov initially split 15ish years ago. However, as long as Kirsan the criminal is president of FIDE a dubious cloud will hang over any championship.

I guess we can all hope for some good Chess. Starting Sept 23rd Topalov and Kramnik will play a 12 game match in Elista, Kalmykia. Topolov is the FIDE champion having won a tournament for the title early this year. Kramnik holds the "Classical Chess" title when he won a match vs. Garry Kasparov before Kasparov officially came back to FIDE. This match is supposed to unify the titles and again bring the Chess Championship title under FIDE and Kirsans control. I think there is still some animosity about who gets a "title shot" and who doesn't since Kramnik has slid down the world ranking list since he defeated Kasparov.

At least when this is over I will hopefully be able to just say "The Chess Champion of the World" and not have to launch into some lengthy explanation.

Paranoia over the board

2006-09-18T13:57:00.000-04:00

This post at the Boylston Chess Club blog revels in a rules changes that mandates a player must move and then write down his move, not vice-versa. Apparently it is "note-taking" if you write down a move before its made. Honestly this doesn't send my blood pressure sky-rocketing to dangerous levels.. but I think its a pretty weak rule.

First let me decribe my typical move process.

1. Write down opponents recently made move
2. Analyze position
3. Select a move
4. Write down selected move
5. Perform "blunder check"
6. Make move
7. Press clock

The action of writing the selected move, then performing the blunder check breaks your train of thought enough to sometime catch overlooked and often obvious mistakes. I find it a useful tool. Its also a tool that may come into play once every 2 or 3 games. I do on occassion change my mind after writing down the move and performing the blunder check, but not frequently enough that it should bother any one.

And that brings me to the real issue I have here. Why does any one care what I've written down. Look at the board and the position instead of what I am doing. That is what chess is all about. It was brought up that people could potentially come to the board and write down reams of notes that they had crammed just prior to a game. To this I call hogwash. In all the tournaments I've ever been a part of I've never seen anything even close to this.

I'm unsure where I actually stand on note-taking .. I mean actual note taking .. not just writing down your move before the move is played. It some respects I don't see the problem with someone writing down a line as they work it out at the board. Its their time on the time control. Why should someone who works better on paper be penalized over someone who works best in their head. Come to think of it, I don't like when someone looks up and to the left during a game. That indicates the brain is accessing long term memory and gives me a distinct disadvantage. Can we outlaw that too?

Anyway even IF note-taking should be illegal I think tournament directors should decide what is and isn't note-taking on a case-by-case basis. This rule is a bit far reaching and misguided in my opinion. At least if it was a TD decision and I didn't like a particular decision I could just boycott tournaments directed by that particular TD in the future.

Anyway let the debate rage on. At least I've tried to formulate a counter argument and I feel a bit better about the whole issue now that I've said my peice.

Edit: For the record while I pre-write my moves, I never have attempted to "cover them up". Either way I direct you to my previous comment, "who cares what I'm doing, study the board bloke".

Oh Em Geee

2006-09-14T15:06:00.000-04:00

I read Chessbase just about everyday, and they often have pictorial reports with stunning chess footage but this article takes the cake. I've played chess with an attractive female before a time or two... but not with anybody THAT perky.

Just a fair warning, this could be concidered unsafe for work content.

Crushed by a Patzer

2006-08-22T11:10:00.000-04:00

Just thought I would post a note so people can see that I'm still playing a bit. Our very own Irish Patzer laid the smack down on me in this Time for Chess game. Hope everyone's studies are going well. Maybe once it gets a bit colder outside I will feel more like cozying up with some problems again.

[Event "Challenge"]
[Site "http://www.timeforchess.com"]
[Date "2006.07.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Stonedog"]
[Black "St Patzer"]
[Result "0-1"]
[GameId "2243181"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nb1c3 Bf8b4 4. e3 Ng8f6 5. Bf1d3 dxc4 6. Bd3xc4 O-O
7. Ng1f3 a6 8. O-O b5 9. Bc4b3 Bc8b7 10. Bc1d2 Bb4d6 11. Bb3c2 c5
12. dxc5 Bd6xc5 13. e4 Qd8b6 14. e5 Nf6g4 15. Nf3g5 Bc5xf2 16. Rf1xf2 Qb6xf2 0-1

Sloan and Moan

2006-07-25T14:49:00.000-04:00

The Sam Sloan fiasco is crazy. I think he is likely just what the USCF needs to get off its duff and change some things that need changing. No one is asking you to let your kids spend the night at his house. If you don't trust him with your kids, don't let your kids be alone with him.

This is a win / win for the USCF general membership. Either he will change things for the better... OR ... he will make such a nuisance of himself someone will step up and do something about it and maybe THEY will then have the support to make the necessary changes in the USCF.

Hiatus

2006-05-12T11:19:00.000-04:00

As I posted about in one of the first entries on this blog, I've burnt out on chess for the time being and moved on to another passtime. I'll be back to chess, I'm sure of it. I always come back to chess. And I am still playing games on www.timeforchess.com so if you want a game challenge "Stonedog" on that website.

In the meantime if people want to update their links to me as, retired or what not, concider yourselves informed.

Until I return... you can mark this move with a ?! as a dubious idea. Qxh7#

Falling Behind

2006-03-21T23:32:00.000-05:00

Well, with work and play taking time away from chess I'm falling way behind in my training and blogging. The good news is I'm playing some thrilling games on Time For Chess.

Here's a Free Trial of Chessmaster if your interested. Ubi decided to send me the link in email and I'm gracious enough to pass it on to you LOL.

Anyway I will be posting some game results soon. At least the next episode in St. Patzer vs. Qxh7# will be ready for publication within a few days I'm sure.

Chinese only play Fischer Random?

2006-03-09T07:37:00.000-05:00

I'm usually not big on decorative sets, but this one caught my eye while I was window shopping in Chinatown on my San Francisco trip. Did you notice the shopkeeper has the rooks and bishops mixed up?

Trip to San Fran

2006-03-05T09:41:00.000-05:00

Well I just got back from a business trip to San Francisco. While I was there I dropped in on The Mechanic's Institute Chess Club for a visit. The club was a little slow when I was there, apparently Yermo usually gives a lecture on Tuesday's but he was already headed down to the AF4C's U.S. Championship in San Diego.

Anyway John Donaldson was there (and also kind enough to answer my emails) and he gave a lecture. The talk centered mostly around his performance at a local tournament. It was humourous, he talked about not just needed to win all 5 games over the weekend, but wanting to spend no more than 1/2 hour thinking each game so that he could conserve energy. The lecture summed up to be about the importance of the Maroczy Bind
position in GM chess, and the importance of NOT just learning an opening up to the "starting point". Basically he was talking about not learning the moves up to move 10 or 12 or 15, where the books say =+ or += then quitting. That's where your opening preparation should really be starting. Reviewing Database games, and finding out what the common plans for both sides from that position are. He was a very humorous and engaging speaker.

I also got to play a couple of games with the locals while I was there. A group of (apparent) Russian immigrants played chess there and they invited me to play a couple of them. Very nice men. The first man I played did not speak any English, but his friend did and he translated a bit for us. He was very amused to inform me that he was 82 years old and could still kick my butt! We played an odd French Defense where white fianchettoed his Queen's bishop. I was able to hold my own and win an endgame in that one after an interesting middle game with a lot of tactical threats but no real finishing moves. When I played his friend I lost on the black side of a Nimzo Indian.

All in all it was a very good few hours at Mechanic's Institute. I enjoyed the chess atmosphere and the friendly games. Not to mention the free lecture. I suggest giving a stop by if your ever in SF. Its on 57 Post St, right in the middle of the financial district.

+2 -1 =1

2006-02-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

Click to Download the .PGN
Or click on the image to view the game with the Java Game Viewer

Game 4 of the St Patzer vs. Qxh7# series resulted in a win for me. It was an equal game until a small endgame error resulted in a decisive advantage. I'm sure he will get me next time to even up the match score.

Tactical vs. Positional

2006-02-18T08:12:00.000-05:00

Click here to download the .PGN
Or click on the image to go to the Java Game Viewer

So I wanted to show a position from a recent game. On move 16 I dropped the exchange in a tactical blunder. Actually on move 15 I dropped a pawn but either my opponent overlooked it or decided to go for bigger fish. In any event, after winning the exchange my opponent made one critical mistake. Instead of making a freeing move to unbind his position, he went immediately for liquidation of the position.

The resulting trades left him materially ahead and positionally crushed. I've reviewed the game with Crafty which did not spot any chances for White here, but I think if I had held on to the exchange and achieved this position I win easily. It just goes to show that you can't rely on tactics or positional parts of the game alone to win. You need to meld elements of both into your style.

A Knight's Value

2006-02-14T22:24:00.000-05:00

I was real glad I read King of the Spill's post about interference when I came across this problem. I don't think I would have found the solution if I hadn't. Thanks for the pointer!

Overconfidence leads to bad chess

2006-02-13T22:40:00.000-05:00

Click to download the .PGN file
Or simply click the image to go to the Java Game Viewer

Another tough loss at the club. Ed is a quality player and he seems to be just 1 step ahead of me when we play. I enjoy the tense games though. Good practice to go along with tactics training.

Behind schedule, but making some progress

2006-02-12T15:21:00.000-05:00

Well I took a two week break in the middle of my cirlces but I'm at last making some progress again. I've supposedly learned 720 new tactics. That is pretty good I think. Now its on to Module 2.

My Eyes Bleed

2006-02-10T23:35:00.000-05:00

720 Problems in 3 hours 35 minutes. Now thats what I call review.

Even My Cartoon Coach is After Me

2006-02-10T20:09:00.000-05:00

Ut oh! Tchekov is mad at me too!

The Secret to Grand Mastery

2006-02-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

Wear a jacket and tie.

+1 -1 =1

2006-02-08T23:10:00.000-05:00

Click to download the .PGN file

Or Click on the Image to go to the Java .PGN Viewer

So I finally evened up the score with St. Patzer. He made a whoopsie and fell into a pawn fork on his minor peices in the opening. So not a commanding, over powering win, but a win I will take just the same given my recent string of losses at timeforchess.com.

A quick synopsis of the game is, Patzer blunders the minor for a pawn. I quickly simplify the position with a bunch of forced trades. In the end its R+B vs. R and I use one of the R+B mating motifs to force a resignation.

Updated Template

2006-02-07T19:30:00.000-05:00

I changed the template and made a .css file for my websight so that when I put up a .PGN viewer to showcase a game or two it kind of ties into this blog look and feel wise. I hope you like it. I'm not real artistic but the colors don't clash too badly in my mind. I had my wife check it out and she said it looks ok too. So I hope that means I'm safe.

Mores posts coming soon. I have to at least post my victory over St. Patzer since I posted the draw and loss I suffered to him.

The Ups and Downs of Chess

2006-01-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

Click here to Download the .PGN File
Or click the picture to replay the games online

Posting a couple games to get back into the swing of things. Both of these were played at www.timeforchess.com which I have linked to several times.

The first game is the UPS... when I take advantage of a Class A Players endgame miscues and carry the day for a victory.

In the second game St. Patzer proves once again that if he is a patzer I'm a fish and wallops me good. See if you can find the moves he does in the attack from the position shown above.

Sorry about the lack of posts. I've really struggled to get back into the swing of things since my surgery. Its midwinter in Maine, I've had business travel, illness, and surgery so while the excuses are pretty good, in the long run I'm still making excuses for not sticking to my study plan. Tonight, going to the Chess club and posting these games is a step back in the right direction though.

Now... press "publish post" and go do a couple units in Personal Chess Trainer.

OOOOOOOO one more thing... my wife is from Alabama, so we are both big Crimson Tide football fans. So naturally I've been following Shaun Alexander since he came into the NFL (I even draft him in my fantasy leagues) well it turns out he is a chess supporter and enthusiast.

Back

2006-01-24T09:10:00.000-05:00

I've been home since Friday night in truth. I'm ashamed to admit that while I was away on travel I got sucked into a novel and have been reading during my chess practice time instead. I hope to be getting back into the swing of things tonight with PCT. Anyway, if I can tear myself away from Westeros and George RR Martin's characters I might get better at chess.

To the rest of you bloggers, WOW, when you take a few days off the amount of posts to catch up on is amazing.