I have been inactive because I forgot my password. And I didn't think I had much to say. And I don't think anyone is really interested anyway.
Every day I sign on and check out Elizabeth Vicary's Chess blog. I check out the Chess Vibes site. And I am delighted that Chessloser is writing again.
Chessloser brings a raw honesty to his chess. He writes things that many of us have thought but would not say. His wonderful love affair and occasional hate affair mirrors the experience of many with the mistress Caissa. Even Ivanchuk after a bad tournament was ready to walk away.
We all have felt like that and even done that. Tell it like it is Chessloser!
I have been tooling around with openings instead of playing. It is like a story from Mullah Nasrudin.
Nasrudin is on a train. The conductor walks up and asks for his ticket. He looks in his bag. He looks under the seat. He even looks in the trash.
The conductor asks, "Why don't you check your coat pocket?"
"Oh, I couldn't do that!" says Nasrudin, "Because if it is not in there I would have no hope."
It is like, as long as I don't play, I can imagine I'll do well. But once I play and screw up, I will have no hope.
I tell this story because I am like Nasrudin. I diddle around with my opening studies. I have a combination book in the Bathroom. I have chessbase, bookup, and a library of books, but I don't seem to get around to actually playing.
Chess opening study is to chess playing as pornography is to actual sex.
Chess opening study is to chess playing as anorexia is to eating.
So I have been making myself hang out on FICS. I look to play a fairly slow game G-30 or like last night G15:15. I do my best, then write it all down, and see where the mistakes were so I can do better next time.
My opening history does pay off from time to time. As White I have played 1.e4 c5 2.c3, 1.e4 e5 Scotch four knights (no Petroff), 1.d4 Colle-Barry-150 from Summerscale, as well as Trompowsky, I dabbled with 1d4 2c4 and now am playing 1.c4.
So on FICS as black when I faced 1.e3 e5 2.e4 (he or she likes to defend the open game) My scotch four knights worked out just fine. Of course it was not the opening but the tactics that made a difference. But familiarity with the opening brings a kind of internal equilibrium that makes chess sight stronger.
Peace
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Giving Them Their Due
Okay this is the wonderful Dr. Savielly Tartakower, and Sultan Khan, Semmering 1931.
Mr. Khan won this the final game and defeated one of the great wits of chess, the good Doctor Tartakower.
Sultan Khan was neither a sultan or a khan, which means king. It was simply his name. In life he worked as manservant for a well to do gentleman from India/Pakistan. Although his results put him in the top ten chess players of his time, and despite winning the British championship three out of the four times he entered, and despite playing first board for England three times, the World Chess Federation never granted him a title. He was neither a Grandmaster or International master. It sucks to be a dark skinned man in a white racist world.
Dr. Savielly Tartakower on the other hand has a variation of the Queen's Gambit declined, and a variation of the Caro-Kann named after him. But I rather remember him for his sweet quotes like, "The mistakes are all there, waiting to be made." "It is important that all chess players have a hobby." "I had a toothache during the first game. In the second game, I had a headache. In the third game, it was an attack of rheumatism. In the forth game, I wasn't feeling well. And in the fifth game? Well, must one have to win every game?" "A chess game is divided into three stages: The first, when you hope you have the advantage, the second, when you believe you have an advantage, and the third... when you know you are going to lose."
Therefore, by the authority vested in me as a blogger of the Internet, I hearby confer the title of Grandmaster to Mr. Sultan Khan. I confer the title Grandmaster of Chess Aphorisms to the good Doctor Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower. And I confer first place to Grandmaster Sultan Khan for best hat.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Toledo Tuesday Night Chess
Tuesday Night is weenie night for the Coffee House Chess League.
I had two dogs and a diet pop. Mike had eggs and toast and all the coffee he could drink.
I had black and was out of my book by move two!
1.c4 c6 2.b3 (What?) d5 3.cd cd 4.e3 Bf5 (I am thinking Slav exchange with b3 for white) 5.Bb2 e6 6.Bb5 Nc6 7.Nf3 a6 8.Bc6 bc (Okay, I have the Bishop pair, but the c pawn is backward. Perhaps I should have pushed it earlier) 9.d3 Nf6 10.h3 Bb4 11.Nbd2 (To take or not to take? I don't like 12.Ne5!) Bd3?! 12.a3 Bd2 13.Qd2 Bg6 14.Bf6 Qf6 15.Rc1 0-0 16.0-0 a5 17.Nd4 Rfb8
(Now I am hoping to just get back to even.) 18.Rc6 Qe7 19.a4 e5 (I am hoping to stir up everything I can, particularly my Bishop. Otherwise I think I am just going to be ground down.) 20.Nb5 d4 (Hoping to open things up even if it costs me another pawn.) 21.ed ed 22.Re1 Qh4
23.Nd4 Rd8 24.Rfc1 h6 25.R6c4 Qf6 26.Qc3 Be4 27.f3 Bd5 28.Rc5 Bb7 29.Rd1 Rac8 30.Rc4 Rc4 31.Qc4 Ba6 32.Qc3 Qe5 33.Kf2 Kf8?? (A clunker. I stared at my hands and rejoiced when Mike didn't play 34.Ne6+ Qe6 32.Rd8) 34.Qa1 Kg8 35.g4?? (Mike said he was tired of messing around and thought a general space gain was in order. However it was a most unfortunate move.) Qh2+ 36.Ke3 Re8+ 37.Ne6 Re6+ 38.Kd4 Qe5#
We both could do better. It was skittles without a clock and we went from around 6PM -9PM perhaps. That is too slow for our G60s and G90s that we have around here.
Next time I show up, I will bring my clock.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Maslow and Chess
That is Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs.
Chess has little to do with food, shelter, or safety. But it can provide a way to belong, and even to gain in self and other esteem.
I think more important than the esteem that comes from victories, is the esteem that comes from, friendliness, honesty, kindness, generosity, and things like these.
Being the soul master is actually better than being the chess master.
Chess when practiced with this greater aim in mind can then even be a tool in "self actualization."
It is better to win at life and lose at chess, than to win at chess and lose at life. Life is more than chess.
...But better yet, win at life, and chess too!
That is what I am trying to do.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Chubby Chessers
Ah the sweet beauty of chess.! What is the attraction for us old silverbacks?
I think it is the joy of victory if I win. And it is the joy of sharing the love and culture of the game otherwise.
I know with chess that I can go anywhere in the world and find a game. And if I play reasonably well, I may even get some respect.
There is a saying that, "The only thing chess players have in common is chess."
That may be true, but chess is enough. Through chess I have met many wonderful people.
Many chubby, older, manly, wonderful people.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Colonel Moreau and Ulf Andersson
Sisyphus (Colonel Moreau) Ulf Andersson
This is a learning moment. I have just added my first pictures to my blog. They are two of my chess heroes Colonel Moreau (as Sisyphus) and Ulf Andersson.
Why do I like them?
I like Ulf's gentle ways. I admire his skill. I like his way of playing chess.
I have a few challenges ahead of me before I can be like Ulf. I need a lifetime of endgame study and love. I need high level practice. I need to have the time and talent.
Strike one, two and three, the chess cellar for me.
I am far more likely to be like Colonel Moreau at the 1903 Monte Carlo tournament. Which according to Fox and James in the "Even More Complete Chess Addict" went...
C. Moreau: 00000000000000000000000000
Twenty six straight losses. I admire his tenacity.
And with the patience of Ulf Andersson and the tenacity of Colonel Moreau, I have added pictures to my blog.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Visiting My Mom
I just got back from visiting Mother Nature at a nearby campsite. The Sky was glorious with fluffy clouds travelling across a blue sky. The river kept everything nice and cool. The earth was a beautiful lawn with numerous trees. They were perfect for hammocks. I made a fire and enjoyed watching the flames dance along the sticks and logs.
My mother was fine. It was nice to see her again. Normally I am indoors and blind to the wind and weather. I surround myself with painted dry wall, cinder blocks, and concrete. It is like living in a small blind-spot in the middle of paradise.
At the campground I took a little time and studied some of Grivas' Practical Endgame play, and discovered a slight error on page 15 example 2.4. This means I am really studying and not just blindly following. Good for me.
Peace pawn pushers.
My mother was fine. It was nice to see her again. Normally I am indoors and blind to the wind and weather. I surround myself with painted dry wall, cinder blocks, and concrete. It is like living in a small blind-spot in the middle of paradise.
At the campground I took a little time and studied some of Grivas' Practical Endgame play, and discovered a slight error on page 15 example 2.4. This means I am really studying and not just blindly following. Good for me.
Peace pawn pushers.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
My Caissa Plan
The Caissa Plan
Opening Maintenance
1. Pick one opening that you can live with for the rest of your life. I pick the 1.d4-2.c4 complex as White and the Caro-Kann and Slav Defenses as Black.
2.Examine, choose, and script the first repertoire choices within the Opening complex.
3.Memorize the repertoire.
4.Play the repertoire as often as possible, against computer, FICS, and local club games to learn it under game conditions.
5.Maintain the repertoire by staying current with theory, refurbishing or altering deficits, and researching for novelties.
6.Add additional variations to the repertoire to make preparation more difficult for opponents, and provide play to win or play to draw options.
Shot and Blunder Recognition
1.Work through a basic workbook of typical shots (Palliser) over and over until they are down cold.
2.Repeat with the next book
3.Spot shots from within the repertoire and from Game post mortems. Never make the same mistake twice.
Technique
1.Work through the fundamental endgames (Grivas) over and over until they are down cold.
2.Repeat with the next book on more complicated endgames.
3.Learn endgames from within the repertoire from GMs and from post mortems.
Strategy and Planning
1.Study complete GM games from within the repertoire and take note of the nuances.
2.Study general strategic thought from texts.
3.Conduct regular post-mortems in order to understand the heart of the positions I play.
4.Conduct self-assessments regarding psychological strengths and weaknesses as well as clock management.
Mental Health
Enjoy Chess. You are not a professional. Play what you like. Do your best, and don’t permit harmful accusatory self-talk. Be kind and courteous to everyone. Enjoy chess people and chess culture. The ratings are what they are. Accept finitude with grace and peace.
Opening Maintenance
1. Pick one opening that you can live with for the rest of your life. I pick the 1.d4-2.c4 complex as White and the Caro-Kann and Slav Defenses as Black.
2.Examine, choose, and script the first repertoire choices within the Opening complex.
3.Memorize the repertoire.
4.Play the repertoire as often as possible, against computer, FICS, and local club games to learn it under game conditions.
5.Maintain the repertoire by staying current with theory, refurbishing or altering deficits, and researching for novelties.
6.Add additional variations to the repertoire to make preparation more difficult for opponents, and provide play to win or play to draw options.
Shot and Blunder Recognition
1.Work through a basic workbook of typical shots (Palliser) over and over until they are down cold.
2.Repeat with the next book
3.Spot shots from within the repertoire and from Game post mortems. Never make the same mistake twice.
Technique
1.Work through the fundamental endgames (Grivas) over and over until they are down cold.
2.Repeat with the next book on more complicated endgames.
3.Learn endgames from within the repertoire from GMs and from post mortems.
Strategy and Planning
1.Study complete GM games from within the repertoire and take note of the nuances.
2.Study general strategic thought from texts.
3.Conduct regular post-mortems in order to understand the heart of the positions I play.
4.Conduct self-assessments regarding psychological strengths and weaknesses as well as clock management.
Mental Health
Enjoy Chess. You are not a professional. Play what you like. Do your best, and don’t permit harmful accusatory self-talk. Be kind and courteous to everyone. Enjoy chess people and chess culture. The ratings are what they are. Accept finitude with grace and peace.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The Current USCF Mess
Because I plan to compete this Fall in tournaments I need to purchase a membership in the United States Chess Federation.
So I thought I would look around a bit. I read about this USCF staff cutting and Polgar lawsuit. So I dug a little deeper. I went to Susan's site and read her side. Then I cast about for non polarized opinions and read wikapaedia and some newspaper columns on the subject.
It is an ugly thing. In order to get to some semblance of fact I would need to actually understand law and accounting. I would need to do retro-email traces for the one side, which may not be within my legal rights to do. And I would need to read the actual legal accusations, offers, and decisions. Did Susan actually offer to settle for $1?
Did members of the USCF leadership, in a conflict of interest utilise the organization for their personal political benefit? If done, was this illegal, or simply immoral? Is the accountability structure of the USCF sufficient? If not, how can the organization become more transparent? If sufficient accountability rules are in place, are they being duly enforced? Who enforces the enforcer? Were the lawsuits and counter lawsuits properly decided upon by the elected leaders?
Did Susan's husband post bogus e-mail comments that directly effected an election outcome? If so, should the Democrat or Republican parties hire him? (joke)
I believe things are quite messy now. However I am not without hope. First of all I believe that alleged corruption in chess has been an ongoing problem in FIDE too. For that matter there is alleged corruption in the Vatican. So my first point is that organizations by nature suffer from moral lassitude in direct proportion to the leadership's power and institutional opacity. So I am not overly impressed.
Secondly, despite the ugly polarization that exists now, and the dirt flying about, I believe that a thorough investigation and reasonable post-mortem is possible. There are plenty of records available for an interested chess historian. The truth is out there. This may take time and may even never be done. And it will not fix the current dust up. Yet even so, the chess rating apparatus is still operating.
I personally do not need the USCF except for the official rating. I play chess on line. I play at the local chess hotspots. I read chess books and buy chess dvds. I am not a kid in scholastic chess. I am doing just fine without the USCF. All I need is the recognized authentic rating.
This does not mean I am heartless and do not care about the integrity of the organization and the impact on Chess. On the contrary. I think the USCF should probably: 1.Make polity changes that ensure simplicity of operation, full transparency, and conflict of interest required reclusion, with mandated enforcement. 2. Make polity changes that make the leadership of the organization more vulnerable to democratic direction. 3.This is just me, but I think the USCF should make chess more amateur and more professional. What I mean is that chess at the class and lower master levels is about the thrill of competition and the love of the game. It should not be about the money. On the other hand Grandmaster level chess should provide some sort of significant financial reward to permit the existence of United States Chess professionals. To make my case I think first of Poker. Everyone buys in, but only one walks away with the prize. And this is quite successful. For my second supporting point, look what a little money did for Linares through the years. I personally would be happy to see my tournament entry fee go towards world class chess, rather than to a sandbagging u-1800. 4. Promotion of the game in general and the development of scholastic competitive chess as a joy in itself and talent discovery vehicle should remain a high priority for the USCF and be part of their mandate. 5. Having another talent and story like Bobby Fischer would do wonders for chess' popularity. And this is more likely to happen with a broadening of the base through scholastic chess and well run local tournaments. 6.Most importantly the USCF and FIDE for that matter need to stop sabotaging the beautiful game with stupid personal issues. It seems to me that chess organizations have often been their own worst enemy.
Caissa help us!
So I thought I would look around a bit. I read about this USCF staff cutting and Polgar lawsuit. So I dug a little deeper. I went to Susan's site and read her side. Then I cast about for non polarized opinions and read wikapaedia and some newspaper columns on the subject.
It is an ugly thing. In order to get to some semblance of fact I would need to actually understand law and accounting. I would need to do retro-email traces for the one side, which may not be within my legal rights to do. And I would need to read the actual legal accusations, offers, and decisions. Did Susan actually offer to settle for $1?
Did members of the USCF leadership, in a conflict of interest utilise the organization for their personal political benefit? If done, was this illegal, or simply immoral? Is the accountability structure of the USCF sufficient? If not, how can the organization become more transparent? If sufficient accountability rules are in place, are they being duly enforced? Who enforces the enforcer? Were the lawsuits and counter lawsuits properly decided upon by the elected leaders?
Did Susan's husband post bogus e-mail comments that directly effected an election outcome? If so, should the Democrat or Republican parties hire him? (joke)
I believe things are quite messy now. However I am not without hope. First of all I believe that alleged corruption in chess has been an ongoing problem in FIDE too. For that matter there is alleged corruption in the Vatican. So my first point is that organizations by nature suffer from moral lassitude in direct proportion to the leadership's power and institutional opacity. So I am not overly impressed.
Secondly, despite the ugly polarization that exists now, and the dirt flying about, I believe that a thorough investigation and reasonable post-mortem is possible. There are plenty of records available for an interested chess historian. The truth is out there. This may take time and may even never be done. And it will not fix the current dust up. Yet even so, the chess rating apparatus is still operating.
I personally do not need the USCF except for the official rating. I play chess on line. I play at the local chess hotspots. I read chess books and buy chess dvds. I am not a kid in scholastic chess. I am doing just fine without the USCF. All I need is the recognized authentic rating.
This does not mean I am heartless and do not care about the integrity of the organization and the impact on Chess. On the contrary. I think the USCF should probably: 1.Make polity changes that ensure simplicity of operation, full transparency, and conflict of interest required reclusion, with mandated enforcement. 2. Make polity changes that make the leadership of the organization more vulnerable to democratic direction. 3.This is just me, but I think the USCF should make chess more amateur and more professional. What I mean is that chess at the class and lower master levels is about the thrill of competition and the love of the game. It should not be about the money. On the other hand Grandmaster level chess should provide some sort of significant financial reward to permit the existence of United States Chess professionals. To make my case I think first of Poker. Everyone buys in, but only one walks away with the prize. And this is quite successful. For my second supporting point, look what a little money did for Linares through the years. I personally would be happy to see my tournament entry fee go towards world class chess, rather than to a sandbagging u-1800. 4. Promotion of the game in general and the development of scholastic competitive chess as a joy in itself and talent discovery vehicle should remain a high priority for the USCF and be part of their mandate. 5. Having another talent and story like Bobby Fischer would do wonders for chess' popularity. And this is more likely to happen with a broadening of the base through scholastic chess and well run local tournaments. 6.Most importantly the USCF and FIDE for that matter need to stop sabotaging the beautiful game with stupid personal issues. It seems to me that chess organizations have often been their own worst enemy.
Caissa help us!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Bobby Fischer in Argentina
Today I went into Frogtown Books in Toledo Ohio. I asked where the chess books were and the owner was kind enough to show me a bit of history. He pulled out a score sheet from a chess Tournament in Argentina. Bobby Fischer was playing black. It was in the old descriptive notation. Bobby lost in around 32 moves.
It was sweet to look at it. And it was comforting to remember that even the great ones take their losses.
All the moves and signatures are on one side because the game was short enough. I can imagine it framed and hanging on some wall in Argentina today.
If I had the extra cash, I would buy it, and hang it in my office.
Everyone must emotionally overcome their defeats.
It was sweet to look at it. And it was comforting to remember that even the great ones take their losses.
All the moves and signatures are on one side because the game was short enough. I can imagine it framed and hanging on some wall in Argentina today.
If I had the extra cash, I would buy it, and hang it in my office.
Everyone must emotionally overcome their defeats.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
One a Day Vitamin
I am trying to hold myself to one chess game a day. Unlike other maniacs that are trying to play down to one a day, I am playing up to it.
The philosophy is that if I can learn one chess thing a day, it is enough. Trying for more might just lead to a diminishing return.
The second part of this is that the game be as slow as possible against the highest rated opponent as possible. On FICS right now I am 1701. For me G-15 is too fast. But I take it if that is what is available.
I am sticking with Jeremy Sillman's starting opening recommendations. It is a sound if narrow path.
On another note, I surprised my wife by taking her to see a covered bridge today. She was delighted, and I am happy.
The philosophy is that if I can learn one chess thing a day, it is enough. Trying for more might just lead to a diminishing return.
The second part of this is that the game be as slow as possible against the highest rated opponent as possible. On FICS right now I am 1701. For me G-15 is too fast. But I take it if that is what is available.
I am sticking with Jeremy Sillman's starting opening recommendations. It is a sound if narrow path.
On another note, I surprised my wife by taking her to see a covered bridge today. She was delighted, and I am happy.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Fight the Temptation!
I need to call a friend. Do they have a group for Opening Switchers Anonymous?
I have been playing one opening for about a month now. I am gaining familiarity with it.
Today I won my FICS game and suddenly I feel like switching.
I am tempted to go from the Colle to the standard 1d4-c4 Queen's Gambit as white. To make matters worse I have been toying with switching from the Queen's Gambit Declined to the Slav, and the Caro-Kann to the Open.
It is too soon!
Be strong my soul!
I have been playing one opening for about a month now. I am gaining familiarity with it.
Today I won my FICS game and suddenly I feel like switching.
I am tempted to go from the Colle to the standard 1d4-c4 Queen's Gambit as white. To make matters worse I have been toying with switching from the Queen's Gambit Declined to the Slav, and the Caro-Kann to the Open.
It is too soon!
Be strong my soul!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Everyone Loses Sometimes
Losing is part of playing chess. Because we are all humans with brains that function like a committee, we all make mistakes. Beyond that, unless we are the strongest in the world, we simply get out played.
A few years ago I came up with a tongue in cheek Chess Dhamma.
1. Chess is suffering.
2. Suffering arises from mistakes.
3. There is a way of liberated non-suffering.
4. Quit Chess.
But I still choose chess. The good games give me encouragement to continue. Life is not about avoiding suffering but about skillfully navigating it.
My daughter has a sign on her apartment wall.
"When life gives you lemons,
wait till life is not looking
and throw them away."
A few years ago I came up with a tongue in cheek Chess Dhamma.
1. Chess is suffering.
2. Suffering arises from mistakes.
3. There is a way of liberated non-suffering.
4. Quit Chess.
But I still choose chess. The good games give me encouragement to continue. Life is not about avoiding suffering but about skillfully navigating it.
My daughter has a sign on her apartment wall.
"When life gives you lemons,
wait till life is not looking
and throw them away."
Monday, May 4, 2009
Life Happens
I love chess and enjoy studying and playing it. I like chess people. I particularly like winning and not losing. But there is always so much more going on in my life.
In Jesus' parable of the sower, some people begin and forget. Some people start fast but quit when it gets difficult. Some people just have too many other things on their plate. And only a few stick with it until they succeed.
I think chess is the same. And I am a person with too much on my plate. I have a house, a job, and a family. I also study history, religion, economics, science, and politics.
Life is good. But with a life like mine. I should not expect my chess to be good.
Chess is a little eight by eight board, with clear rules for only six different kinds of pieces in two colors. How hard can that be?
Ha, Ha Ha, Ha Ha Ha, Ha Ha Ha Ha. "Whew!"
In Jesus' parable of the sower, some people begin and forget. Some people start fast but quit when it gets difficult. Some people just have too many other things on their plate. And only a few stick with it until they succeed.
I think chess is the same. And I am a person with too much on my plate. I have a house, a job, and a family. I also study history, religion, economics, science, and politics.
Life is good. But with a life like mine. I should not expect my chess to be good.
Chess is a little eight by eight board, with clear rules for only six different kinds of pieces in two colors. How hard can that be?
Ha, Ha Ha, Ha Ha Ha, Ha Ha Ha Ha. "Whew!"
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Fast Times, Easy Excuses
I have been playing and losing. I am getting tangled up in the openings, then letting something slip away. I don't feel particularly bad about it. I tell myself I was playing at a fast speed. I am going back over the game and correcting my point of straying. But I am not correcting my losing.
This can't be good.
I should care more.
But I don't.
This can't be good.
I should care more.
But I don't.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Remember Chess Digest?
I remember when I saw my first Chess Digest catalogue. It was like I had died and gone to chess heaven. There were so many wonderful books to study.
Ken Smith and John Hall gave advice too. They gave a recommended opening repertoire for beginners and advanced players. Their advice if I remember was, "Learn one opening as well as anyone in the world." Their other advice was that until someone was master, their first, middle, and last name should be tactics.
I did not follow their advice. I played all sorts of things, looking for easy wins and easy plans. And I did not spend too much time on tactics either. I did enjoy Pandolfini's sprightly little endgame monograph.
One of my old touchstones was John Hall's "Opening Systems for Competitive Chess Players" that recommended the Torre Attack as White, and Caro-Kann, Queen's Gambit Declined Tartakower system as Black. It is a good plan, and close to Jeremy Silman, and Cecil Purdy's advice.
I believe it was Temposchlucker who pointed out that at our level the opposition deviates from our studied opening around moves 6-10. I have found this to be true in online and club chess. I have yet to see if it will be true in a tournament.
Ken Smith 1930-1999
So it goes.
Ken Smith and John Hall gave advice too. They gave a recommended opening repertoire for beginners and advanced players. Their advice if I remember was, "Learn one opening as well as anyone in the world." Their other advice was that until someone was master, their first, middle, and last name should be tactics.
I did not follow their advice. I played all sorts of things, looking for easy wins and easy plans. And I did not spend too much time on tactics either. I did enjoy Pandolfini's sprightly little endgame monograph.
One of my old touchstones was John Hall's "Opening Systems for Competitive Chess Players" that recommended the Torre Attack as White, and Caro-Kann, Queen's Gambit Declined Tartakower system as Black. It is a good plan, and close to Jeremy Silman, and Cecil Purdy's advice.
I believe it was Temposchlucker who pointed out that at our level the opposition deviates from our studied opening around moves 6-10. I have found this to be true in online and club chess. I have yet to see if it will be true in a tournament.
Ken Smith 1930-1999
So it goes.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Why I think Kids Improve Faster
I think kids improve faster because ...
1) Beginning chess players can improve quite a bit with just a little study. Afterwards improvement requires more effort. Children as beginners improve easily.
2) Perhaps children's brain plasticity makes learning easier. If Chess is like language, children can learn it faster than adults.
3) Children might have less ego issues. They know they are learning and improving. Adults may reject needed help because of pride.
4) Children might have better balance between play and study. This is based on the theory that adults study chess more and children play chess more.
5) Children have more time than adults. For example I have worked every morning, afternoon, and evening this week.
I would write more but I have to get back to work.
1) Beginning chess players can improve quite a bit with just a little study. Afterwards improvement requires more effort. Children as beginners improve easily.
2) Perhaps children's brain plasticity makes learning easier. If Chess is like language, children can learn it faster than adults.
3) Children might have less ego issues. They know they are learning and improving. Adults may reject needed help because of pride.
4) Children might have better balance between play and study. This is based on the theory that adults study chess more and children play chess more.
5) Children have more time than adults. For example I have worked every morning, afternoon, and evening this week.
I would write more but I have to get back to work.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The House of Death
Today was another day visiting an old friend at the local hospice center. It is something to face death. Ernest Becker wrote a Pulitzer prize book years ago called "The Denial of Death." I'm sure he would see our chess as a way of striving against the obliteration of death.
Theravada Buddhists are supposed to reflect on death. In the cemetery contemplations of the mindfulness sutta, we are taught to observe a corpse and say, "verily my own body is of the same nature, such it will become, and will not escape it."
In a way there is a comfort in death. In a canticle attributed to St. Francis, sister death is a great friend and equaliser. One good thing about it is that all our ancestors were able to do it, and we can too.
I am going to die if it's the last thing I ever do!
Checkmate supposedly comes from Shah matt, or the king is dead. Chess is a game of death. We may beat our opponents in many games and sports but in checkmate, we kill them. And on the other hand when we lose by mate, we die.
Fight for life! Do not surrender!
Dylan Thomas wrote...
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Dylan Thomas has the right attitude for defending in chess.
Theravada Buddhists are supposed to reflect on death. In the cemetery contemplations of the mindfulness sutta, we are taught to observe a corpse and say, "verily my own body is of the same nature, such it will become, and will not escape it."
In a way there is a comfort in death. In a canticle attributed to St. Francis, sister death is a great friend and equaliser. One good thing about it is that all our ancestors were able to do it, and we can too.
I am going to die if it's the last thing I ever do!
Checkmate supposedly comes from Shah matt, or the king is dead. Chess is a game of death. We may beat our opponents in many games and sports but in checkmate, we kill them. And on the other hand when we lose by mate, we die.
Fight for life! Do not surrender!
Dylan Thomas wrote...
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Dylan Thomas has the right attitude for defending in chess.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
If other sports had resigning
Imagine if football games went on and on until one team resigned. Imagine a game of soccer with only two opponents that went on and on until one resigned. Imagine cricket going on and on for days .... um, okay that one already goes on for days.
The point is that chess is tough. It ends with checkmate or resignation... except when it is stalemate, three fold repetition, fifty moves without a capture or pawn move, insufficient force to deliver mate, or a draw by agreement. But apart from that it is pretty tough!
I don't remember where I saw this little hypermodern gem, but here it is.
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nb1 Nb8 4.Ng1 Ng8 1/2-1/2
Notice the brilliant redeployment of the knights for maximum flexibility and the sly concealment of opening plans. Nimzowitsch roll over!
The point is that chess is tough. It ends with checkmate or resignation... except when it is stalemate, three fold repetition, fifty moves without a capture or pawn move, insufficient force to deliver mate, or a draw by agreement. But apart from that it is pretty tough!
I don't remember where I saw this little hypermodern gem, but here it is.
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nb1 Nb8 4.Ng1 Ng8 1/2-1/2
Notice the brilliant redeployment of the knights for maximum flexibility and the sly concealment of opening plans. Nimzowitsch roll over!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Winning Losing and Stalling
Sometimes I wish I were a more highly evolved chess player. Because some of my unstudied friends think I am smart, I feel like I have to live up to it. And when I put together a string of wins on line or at the club I generally feel like I have been playing lesser skilled players and deserve no praise for it. In addition I begin to slow down not wanting the loss which will inevitably come.
On the other hand, when I lose, I think I am hopeless and should take up golf, bowling, or birdwatching or something. When I blunder I am particularly hard on myself.
So when I win it is because I was not challenging myself enough. And when I lose, I suck. Chess can be so miserable, yet I keep coming back to it. Caissa is a like that for me.
Here I am playing black on FICS and losing a Four Knights Game. DenSeTho-PrudentStudent G10:29 April 6, 2009. (I don't know how to load in those neat little chessboards with animation.) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 (Yes I was dreaming of Berlin. I am a very boring player who idolizes Ulf Andersson) 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.0-0 0-0 (I am actually out of book already. My excuse is I dabble between the Caro-Kann, Accelerated Dragon, and Open and really don't know enough of any of them.) 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Bc3 8.bc Bd7 9.Rb1 a6 10.Bc4 Na5 11.Bb3 Nb3 12.cb3 h6 13.Bh4 Qe7 14. Qd2 Qe6 15.Rfe1 Nh5 16.d4 f5 (Now things get interesting.) 17.de fe 18.Re4 Bc6 19.Nd4 Qg6 20.Nc6 Qe4 21.Ne7 Kh7 22.Re1 Qh4? (Taking the Bishop too. I felt like I was doing well. But I wasn't.) 23.Qd3 Kh8 24.Ng6 Kg8 25.Qd5 Rf7 26.Nh4 (And there she went! I played a few more hopeless moves in shock. I am busted.) Rf8. 27.e6 Re7 28Ng6 1-0
I hear the warblers are migrating this time of year.
On the other hand, when I lose, I think I am hopeless and should take up golf, bowling, or birdwatching or something. When I blunder I am particularly hard on myself.
So when I win it is because I was not challenging myself enough. And when I lose, I suck. Chess can be so miserable, yet I keep coming back to it. Caissa is a like that for me.
Here I am playing black on FICS and losing a Four Knights Game. DenSeTho-PrudentStudent G10:29 April 6, 2009. (I don't know how to load in those neat little chessboards with animation.) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 (Yes I was dreaming of Berlin. I am a very boring player who idolizes Ulf Andersson) 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.0-0 0-0 (I am actually out of book already. My excuse is I dabble between the Caro-Kann, Accelerated Dragon, and Open and really don't know enough of any of them.) 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Bc3 8.bc Bd7 9.Rb1 a6 10.Bc4 Na5 11.Bb3 Nb3 12.cb3 h6 13.Bh4 Qe7 14. Qd2 Qe6 15.Rfe1 Nh5 16.d4 f5 (Now things get interesting.) 17.de fe 18.Re4 Bc6 19.Nd4 Qg6 20.Nc6 Qe4 21.Ne7 Kh7 22.Re1 Qh4? (Taking the Bishop too. I felt like I was doing well. But I wasn't.) 23.Qd3 Kh8 24.Ng6 Kg8 25.Qd5 Rf7 26.Nh4 (And there she went! I played a few more hopeless moves in shock. I am busted.) Rf8. 27.e6 Re7 28Ng6 1-0
I hear the warblers are migrating this time of year.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Ordinary Chess
I wonder about focusing on the Chess Grandmaster elite. I understand that they are our celebrities. But I think that for Chess improvement, I would do better to analyze my own games and shore up my own weak aspects.
Like professional football, basketball and such, they are fun to watch. But I cannot dunk, and I cannot throw like they do. I never could. I never will. I can enjoy a friendly soccer game but I have no illusions of greatness.
I don't need to be great. I am happy to get better.
Better tactical alertness. Better positional understanding. Better endgame technique.
Perhaps the best way to improve is to pick someone who is two hundred points higher, and study them. Then the style and typical mishaps of over the board chess will reveal themselves in all their low class splendor.
Power to the Patzers!
Like professional football, basketball and such, they are fun to watch. But I cannot dunk, and I cannot throw like they do. I never could. I never will. I can enjoy a friendly soccer game but I have no illusions of greatness.
I don't need to be great. I am happy to get better.
Better tactical alertness. Better positional understanding. Better endgame technique.
Perhaps the best way to improve is to pick someone who is two hundred points higher, and study them. Then the style and typical mishaps of over the board chess will reveal themselves in all their low class splendor.
Power to the Patzers!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Chess and Cheap Air Travel
My idea to study Bernd Rosen's "Chess Endgame Training" while traveling has pretty much been a bust. Air travel on the cheap is pretty stressful. First I had to get to the airport early in order to get through the security checks. Once inside I had to find a seat where I could watch for the boarding. On the airplane we were wedged in like sardines. There was no clear sense of armrest territory, and physical contact with strangers, shoulder to shoulder and leg to leg, was not restful. The air quality on airplanes seems diminished somehow. Perhaps it is just all us big animals breathing in a small space. I couldn't stay awake, and I couldn't really sleep.
So after four flights and one night on an airport bench my progress was page 22! That's as far as I got. At least this time some of the examples were less daunting than the last time I worked with Rosen's book. I think I have made progress.
From my perspective the problem with endgame study, once one is past the fundamentals, is that they do not come up often. In club play the endgame material imbalance or positional lock is so extreme that the finer points of endgame technique are not necessary.
Still I am enjoying Rosen more than ever, and appreciate his method. I want to be a solid endgame technician.
So after four flights and one night on an airport bench my progress was page 22! That's as far as I got. At least this time some of the examples were less daunting than the last time I worked with Rosen's book. I think I have made progress.
From my perspective the problem with endgame study, once one is past the fundamentals, is that they do not come up often. In club play the endgame material imbalance or positional lock is so extreme that the finer points of endgame technique are not necessary.
Still I am enjoying Rosen more than ever, and appreciate his method. I want to be a solid endgame technician.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Endings in the Air
I am traveling this weekend. I will be at airports and on airplanes. So I will not be blogging.
I will be taking Bernd Rosen's "Chess Endgame Training" Gambit 2003.
1. The book is an endgame course complete with exercises.
2. The endings within are simple and practical, good for a non expert like me.
3. It is well illustrated and designed so that no board is required.
4. Learning these endings will make me a much stronger player.
5. The book fits into my jacket pocket.
When I get back I'll tell how it went.
-Peace
I will be taking Bernd Rosen's "Chess Endgame Training" Gambit 2003.
1. The book is an endgame course complete with exercises.
2. The endings within are simple and practical, good for a non expert like me.
3. It is well illustrated and designed so that no board is required.
4. Learning these endings will make me a much stronger player.
5. The book fits into my jacket pocket.
When I get back I'll tell how it went.
-Peace
Running to the Bathroom
I drink a fair amount of coffee, diet pop, and iced tea. They all can send me flying off to the bathroom. Add to that the excitement and adrenalin rush of a good emotionally invested chess game, and I can be dancing in my pants.
The problem is that it could look like "toilet gate". To make matters worse, occasionally I have been known to string up to four or five Fritz first choices in a row. This is on very rare occasion sadly.
All I can figure is that I need to lighten up on the caffeine and liquid intake before a tournament.
I read years ago that a Grandmaster said, "A brain without sugar is not a brain." So I think I should plan on managing my physical energy through proper diet somehow. I'll drink my coffee black, whiskey straight, toast burnt, and eggs over medium with fried onions in the potatoes.
Paul Morphy probably smoked a pipe, ate doughnuts, and drank whiskey at the board for all I know. Capablanca must have smoked Havanas. Alekhine drank. Euwe was named after a sheep. And look what happened to them. They are all dead now.
Should I get a doctor's permission to play chess?
The problem is that it could look like "toilet gate". To make matters worse, occasionally I have been known to string up to four or five Fritz first choices in a row. This is on very rare occasion sadly.
All I can figure is that I need to lighten up on the caffeine and liquid intake before a tournament.
I read years ago that a Grandmaster said, "A brain without sugar is not a brain." So I think I should plan on managing my physical energy through proper diet somehow. I'll drink my coffee black, whiskey straight, toast burnt, and eggs over medium with fried onions in the potatoes.
Paul Morphy probably smoked a pipe, ate doughnuts, and drank whiskey at the board for all I know. Capablanca must have smoked Havanas. Alekhine drank. Euwe was named after a sheep. And look what happened to them. They are all dead now.
Should I get a doctor's permission to play chess?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
R.A.C.E.T.W.A.
Racetwa is my little memory device for playing chess.
R=record. I need to record the move.
A=Ask why did he/she play that? Is it a dual purpose move?
C=Choose. Stop his/her shots. Make my shots. Improve. Prevent.
E=Execute. Make the move.
T=Time. Punch that Clock.
W=Write down your move.
A= Analyze. What is going on? What are the plans?
I am hoping this will help me with my problems in keeping an accurate scorecard. I am amazed how when I get excited, I miss writing down my opponent's move. Soon I am writing my moves as if I were the other color. Then when I discover it I have to go back and correct things, wasting time.
My other problem is when the other player responds to one of my threats with a defensive move that also has a threat in it. I think that they are just reacting, and do not take care to observe the poison on the retreat.
I did not play any chess today. I only studied a little. It was a day for yard work, and then I was fortunate to go with my wife to opening day of baseball here in Toledo.
As far as I know. Nobody is reading this blog. Still, I like writing it. First of all I enjoy writing and talking about chess. Secondly it gives me a little bit of public accountability which might help me stay on course with my stated plans. And finally it is a kind of journaling.
So if no one else reads this I wish myself a good night and ongoing chess improvement and happiness.
R=record. I need to record the move.
A=Ask why did he/she play that? Is it a dual purpose move?
C=Choose. Stop his/her shots. Make my shots. Improve. Prevent.
E=Execute. Make the move.
T=Time. Punch that Clock.
W=Write down your move.
A= Analyze. What is going on? What are the plans?
I am hoping this will help me with my problems in keeping an accurate scorecard. I am amazed how when I get excited, I miss writing down my opponent's move. Soon I am writing my moves as if I were the other color. Then when I discover it I have to go back and correct things, wasting time.
My other problem is when the other player responds to one of my threats with a defensive move that also has a threat in it. I think that they are just reacting, and do not take care to observe the poison on the retreat.
I did not play any chess today. I only studied a little. It was a day for yard work, and then I was fortunate to go with my wife to opening day of baseball here in Toledo.
As far as I know. Nobody is reading this blog. Still, I like writing it. First of all I enjoy writing and talking about chess. Secondly it gives me a little bit of public accountability which might help me stay on course with my stated plans. And finally it is a kind of journaling.
So if no one else reads this I wish myself a good night and ongoing chess improvement and happiness.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
No New Books Today
I have the week off so today I made a scouting trip. I am looking for a place where I can camp and pretty much be by myself. I checked out a nice State Park in Michigan, but it was eighty miles one way. It felt good. But it was so far away. So I think I will search closer to home.
Whenever I am in Ann Arbor I go to the book store. I always check the chess books. Today I looked at Rizzitano's Queen's Gambit Declined, The algebraic Vukovic "Art of Attack", and Pandolfini's "Ultimate Guide to Chess", or something like that.
I am a big fan of Rizzitano. I think his "How to beat 1d4" is excellent. He is my repertoire reference for the black side of the Colle, Tromp, Veresov, London, and such. His lines feel more solid than the lines recommended by Kaufman or Cox.
The encouraging part of the book was to see the numerous opening choices that were available to Black. As a Queen's Gambit Declined player that is good news for me. I liked how he took time for the Tarrasch and Semi-Tarrasch instead of passing that off to another book. But with my current lines already in place, there was not enough on my lines to warrant my purchase.
I have been putting off buying the Art of Attack for years. It remains a book that I believe I will have to get around to some day. But that was not today.
Pandolfini's book, was in a question answer format. The book is a dialogue between a student and a teacher. I like Bruce's writing and his sense of humor. I looked through it to see if there was anything in there for me. But although my games may not show it, I thought the book was too elementary for where I am. I don't need any more "How to Learn Chess" books.
There is an old Bible verse I like, Ecclesiastes 12:12, "To the writing of books there is no end, and too much studying is wearying for the soul."
My plan is to use appropriate books for my opening, Palliser's "The Complete Chess Workout" for shot recognition, GM games for strategic plans, and Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht "Fundamental Chess Endings" for technique. If I could only discipline myself to study these books I already have, rather than going out and getting more.
I am like the golfer who is only weak in three areas, driving, chipping, and putting. Apart from openings, tactics, planning, and endgames, my chess is tight!
Whenever I am in Ann Arbor I go to the book store. I always check the chess books. Today I looked at Rizzitano's Queen's Gambit Declined, The algebraic Vukovic "Art of Attack", and Pandolfini's "Ultimate Guide to Chess", or something like that.
I am a big fan of Rizzitano. I think his "How to beat 1d4" is excellent. He is my repertoire reference for the black side of the Colle, Tromp, Veresov, London, and such. His lines feel more solid than the lines recommended by Kaufman or Cox.
The encouraging part of the book was to see the numerous opening choices that were available to Black. As a Queen's Gambit Declined player that is good news for me. I liked how he took time for the Tarrasch and Semi-Tarrasch instead of passing that off to another book. But with my current lines already in place, there was not enough on my lines to warrant my purchase.
I have been putting off buying the Art of Attack for years. It remains a book that I believe I will have to get around to some day. But that was not today.
Pandolfini's book, was in a question answer format. The book is a dialogue between a student and a teacher. I like Bruce's writing and his sense of humor. I looked through it to see if there was anything in there for me. But although my games may not show it, I thought the book was too elementary for where I am. I don't need any more "How to Learn Chess" books.
There is an old Bible verse I like, Ecclesiastes 12:12, "To the writing of books there is no end, and too much studying is wearying for the soul."
My plan is to use appropriate books for my opening, Palliser's "The Complete Chess Workout" for shot recognition, GM games for strategic plans, and Karsten Muller and Frank Lamprecht "Fundamental Chess Endings" for technique. If I could only discipline myself to study these books I already have, rather than going out and getting more.
I am like the golfer who is only weak in three areas, driving, chipping, and putting. Apart from openings, tactics, planning, and endgames, my chess is tight!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Chess Friendships
Our city is blessed to have a man named Bill who has been organizing area club chess for sixteen years. There is a place to play chess every day of the week not counting weekends. The various locations include, a pizza shop, a bank, a hot dog place, a community college, a department store, a grocery store, a mall, and a senior center. Bill says 1700 persons have come though his club. He and volunteers keep track of wins and losses and maintain club ratings.
Tonight we were at the place called Rudy's Hot Dogs. One of Toledo's coolest chess families was there tonight. They are a grandfather, son, and grandson. I believe all three play in local USCF tournaments. I got to play the grandfather. He is a kind and friendly man.
There is a saying, "The only thing chess players have in common is chess."
Even so chess can be a gateway to friendship.
Here is an old spiritual story reworked for a chess club.
A new chess player showed up at the chess club.
"What kind of people play chess here?" He asked.
The president responded, "What kind of people were they in your old chess club?"
The new player said, "They were arrogant difficult people, judgmental and unfriendly."
"You will find the same kind of people here." The president replied.
He went away angry.
Then another new player showed up.
"What kind of people are they that play in this club?" He asked.
The president responded, "What kind of people were they in your old chess club?"
The player said, "They were wonderful. They were warm friendly, and helpful."
"You will find the same kind of people here." Said the president.
And they lived happily ever after.
Tonight we were at the place called Rudy's Hot Dogs. One of Toledo's coolest chess families was there tonight. They are a grandfather, son, and grandson. I believe all three play in local USCF tournaments. I got to play the grandfather. He is a kind and friendly man.
There is a saying, "The only thing chess players have in common is chess."
Even so chess can be a gateway to friendship.
Here is an old spiritual story reworked for a chess club.
A new chess player showed up at the chess club.
"What kind of people play chess here?" He asked.
The president responded, "What kind of people were they in your old chess club?"
The new player said, "They were arrogant difficult people, judgmental and unfriendly."
"You will find the same kind of people here." The president replied.
He went away angry.
Then another new player showed up.
"What kind of people are they that play in this club?" He asked.
The president responded, "What kind of people were they in your old chess club?"
The player said, "They were wonderful. They were warm friendly, and helpful."
"You will find the same kind of people here." Said the president.
And they lived happily ever after.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Chess Practice is Like Music Practice
The idea of practicing Chess like musicians practice their craft has been helpful to me. I think it may keep me from wandering off from my chosen repertoire.
I was reminded of this by a friend who said that her son practices all the time. Today I heard my wife downstairs practicing the piano. And I remember the months and now years that it took me to play my two instruments passably well.
Last night on Yahoo Chess (I have no FICS because something is wrong with my Java, and I am too cheap right now for ICC) I played four games at about 15,10 with a person who was better than me. I had black all four games. I lost both my Queen's Gambit Declined games, and got a win and a draw with my Caro-Kanns. I truly enjoyed myself.
This morning I looked up my losses and saw where I went wrong. Now I hope to never drift into the pressure I faced last night in that line. I am happy.
I am looking at my solid, narrow, beginning opening repertoire like a musician learns simple toons first. No super-Semi-Slav, anti-Moscow, Sicilian Dragon, Najdorf Poisoned pawns for me. Just a humble Colle, Caro-Kann, Queen's Gambit declined player here.
A Claw-Hammer Banjo friend of mine brings two banjos with her when she plays. This is because those five strings, require re-tuning for different keys. Having two banjos makes that easier. But what she says when people ask her why she brings two is, "I want people to know I can play more than one instrument!"
I hope that my first chess toon can be called not losing.
Then my second chess toon could be winning.
And losing is my chess instructor.
I was reminded of this by a friend who said that her son practices all the time. Today I heard my wife downstairs practicing the piano. And I remember the months and now years that it took me to play my two instruments passably well.
Last night on Yahoo Chess (I have no FICS because something is wrong with my Java, and I am too cheap right now for ICC) I played four games at about 15,10 with a person who was better than me. I had black all four games. I lost both my Queen's Gambit Declined games, and got a win and a draw with my Caro-Kanns. I truly enjoyed myself.
This morning I looked up my losses and saw where I went wrong. Now I hope to never drift into the pressure I faced last night in that line. I am happy.
I am looking at my solid, narrow, beginning opening repertoire like a musician learns simple toons first. No super-Semi-Slav, anti-Moscow, Sicilian Dragon, Najdorf Poisoned pawns for me. Just a humble Colle, Caro-Kann, Queen's Gambit declined player here.
A Claw-Hammer Banjo friend of mine brings two banjos with her when she plays. This is because those five strings, require re-tuning for different keys. Having two banjos makes that easier. But what she says when people ask her why she brings two is, "I want people to know I can play more than one instrument!"
I hope that my first chess toon can be called not losing.
Then my second chess toon could be winning.
And losing is my chess instructor.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Learning the Violin
How long does it take to learn the violin? How much work is involved in becoming a master violinist? How much of it is hard work, and how much is natural talent?
First of all, most people can play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on a violin after an hour of assisted practice. It will sound terrible. But it is a start. And most people can learn chess in about the same amount of time.
Like Chess, violin mastery requires a huge commitment in study and practice. Like chess an early start and immersion in the classics is helpful.
Simple things like tuning the violin, and running scales must be done over and over. A good musician practices for hours nearly every day. This must be continued for years. It is the same for chess progress.
Even then few violinists become masters. Most run out of drive. This is linked in part to running out of talent. Mastery takes both.
Now I love chess. I want to improve. But I have no illusions about being great. I am an adult with a job. I have a wife and kids. Chess is not my life. So I guess I don't have what it takes. I am too old and busy for Chess mastery. But I can still get stronger, do my best, and have fun.
A few years ago, I was playing fiddle with some friends. I told them that I prayed to God to be able to play the fiddle. I wanted to play so badly.
My friend said, "God answered your prayer. You do play the fiddle so badly!"
I only hope that when I enter a Chess tournament this Summer or Fall that I will not play badly.
First of all, most people can play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on a violin after an hour of assisted practice. It will sound terrible. But it is a start. And most people can learn chess in about the same amount of time.
Like Chess, violin mastery requires a huge commitment in study and practice. Like chess an early start and immersion in the classics is helpful.
Simple things like tuning the violin, and running scales must be done over and over. A good musician practices for hours nearly every day. This must be continued for years. It is the same for chess progress.
Even then few violinists become masters. Most run out of drive. This is linked in part to running out of talent. Mastery takes both.
Now I love chess. I want to improve. But I have no illusions about being great. I am an adult with a job. I have a wife and kids. Chess is not my life. So I guess I don't have what it takes. I am too old and busy for Chess mastery. But I can still get stronger, do my best, and have fun.
A few years ago, I was playing fiddle with some friends. I told them that I prayed to God to be able to play the fiddle. I wanted to play so badly.
My friend said, "God answered your prayer. You do play the fiddle so badly!"
I only hope that when I enter a Chess tournament this Summer or Fall that I will not play badly.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
The Search for the Holy Grail
Chess begins with the opening. The search for the right opening is like the search for the Holy Grail. It is a never ending quest for wanderers like me. Chess is a journey. And all the Chess authors out there can be grateful for players like me.
I respect and admire people who have one opening and stick to it. I just can't do it. I am as faithful to opening systems as Casanova on Viagra. I have learned to accept this about myself. I am not a professional. I am a coffeehouse player. I can play what I want.
I have come to the point where I tell myself, "All openings are bad." I believe I will never find the Holy Grail, that perfect match, descending from above. Instead I will be wonderfully making do with this and that. Perhaps some day I will settle down. In order to play well in a real tournament, I know I must. But it is hard. The grass always looks greener, somewhere else.
About all openings being bad... Offbeat openings tend to play out quickly. They are not suitable for the long haul. Simple solid universal systems may suffer the same fate unless they can be broadened later. And Main Lines have so much to learn. It is overwhelming.
Here we go. 1.e4 You must have an answer to the Sicilian, Open, French, Caro-Kann, Scandinavian, Pirc, and Alekhine specialists. The Alapin can make the Sicilian player groan. The Open has the Spanish or Scotch Four Knights, or the Glek as a forcing line. The French is a Wench. Black has so many options it is hard to find a long term playable line that gives you the repertoire preparation study edge. (Perhaps the Advance?) I like Peter Wells suggestion (Grandmaster Secrets, The Caro-Kann, Gambit 2007) 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Be2 Pretty much leaving ...Bf5 6.Nf3 e6 and a straight forward Short System. There is the Alekhine exchange. And the Pirc-Modern is another slippery beast to manage. 1.e4 is a lot of work, even with this very limiting repertoire.
1.d4 main lines mean, one has to be prepared for the Gruenfeld, King's Indian, and Benoni, as well as the Slav, Semi-Slav, Queen's Gambit declined, and Dutch. Plus if Black plays something like 1...e6, 1...c6, 1....d6, 2.e4 may be the best response which begs the question, "Why not just play 1.e4 then? It dodges the Sicilian? Even that is not always true, as some Black ...c5 moves are best met by a transposition into an Accelerated Dragon.
1.c4 According to Roman is the easiest way to play for an opening advantage. But truly that is a slippery beast to handle from both sides. Black has numerous solid and adventurous responses. I personally have had problems with the reversed sicilian where Black pretty much puts me on my toes on the kingside.
I could go on.
For now I have decided to play the most humble chess possible. Following the advice on Jeremy Silman's website, I am playing the Queen's Gambit Declined, and Caro-Kann as black, and the Colle-Torre as white.
I am hoping that Caissa will be like God who is "Opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
I respect and admire people who have one opening and stick to it. I just can't do it. I am as faithful to opening systems as Casanova on Viagra. I have learned to accept this about myself. I am not a professional. I am a coffeehouse player. I can play what I want.
I have come to the point where I tell myself, "All openings are bad." I believe I will never find the Holy Grail, that perfect match, descending from above. Instead I will be wonderfully making do with this and that. Perhaps some day I will settle down. In order to play well in a real tournament, I know I must. But it is hard. The grass always looks greener, somewhere else.
About all openings being bad... Offbeat openings tend to play out quickly. They are not suitable for the long haul. Simple solid universal systems may suffer the same fate unless they can be broadened later. And Main Lines have so much to learn. It is overwhelming.
Here we go. 1.e4 You must have an answer to the Sicilian, Open, French, Caro-Kann, Scandinavian, Pirc, and Alekhine specialists. The Alapin can make the Sicilian player groan. The Open has the Spanish or Scotch Four Knights, or the Glek as a forcing line. The French is a Wench. Black has so many options it is hard to find a long term playable line that gives you the repertoire preparation study edge. (Perhaps the Advance?) I like Peter Wells suggestion (Grandmaster Secrets, The Caro-Kann, Gambit 2007) 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Be2 Pretty much leaving ...Bf5 6.Nf3 e6 and a straight forward Short System. There is the Alekhine exchange. And the Pirc-Modern is another slippery beast to manage. 1.e4 is a lot of work, even with this very limiting repertoire.
1.d4 main lines mean, one has to be prepared for the Gruenfeld, King's Indian, and Benoni, as well as the Slav, Semi-Slav, Queen's Gambit declined, and Dutch. Plus if Black plays something like 1...e6, 1...c6, 1....d6, 2.e4 may be the best response which begs the question, "Why not just play 1.e4 then? It dodges the Sicilian? Even that is not always true, as some Black ...c5 moves are best met by a transposition into an Accelerated Dragon.
1.c4 According to Roman is the easiest way to play for an opening advantage. But truly that is a slippery beast to handle from both sides. Black has numerous solid and adventurous responses. I personally have had problems with the reversed sicilian where Black pretty much puts me on my toes on the kingside.
I could go on.
For now I have decided to play the most humble chess possible. Following the advice on Jeremy Silman's website, I am playing the Queen's Gambit Declined, and Caro-Kann as black, and the Colle-Torre as white.
I am hoping that Caissa will be like God who is "Opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Friday, April 10, 2009
Children's Chess
I firmly believe that before higher chess concepts become effective I must understand the basics. Just as I think a good way to learn another language is to begin with children's books and children's TV programs, I think a great way to learn chess is through children's chess books. I read that Tal was not above looking at elementary tactical problems. I think it never hurts to go back over the basics from time to time.
I have read that "How to beat your Dad in Chess" is actually a sparkling little book on basic Checkmate combinations. Pandolfini's "Beginning Chess" might be a good starting alternative to the circles of hell of De la Maza's "Rapid Chess Improvement." And I found Robert Snyder's "Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors" to be a great manual for those preparing to play in rated tournaments regardless of their age.
I was sitting at a Subway restaurant, reading Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors, while enjoying lunch. A couple of men were sitting at a table nearby. They were wearing the rough clothes of their job. I must have been quite the sight, sitting in my suit and tie, meekly reading a children's chess book.
"What'cha reading?" One of them asked knowingly.
"Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors." I replied.
"Don't you know how to play chess?" He asked.
"I am trying to learn it." I replied. (Jesus gave good chess advice when he said to always take the low seat.)
"I'm pretty good." He said.
I then told him two places where I knew people played chess in the city, and invited him to come play.
There was ice in my veins.
Chess is like that. It is crack for testosteronies. Right then and there I think both of us were ready to throw down a board and destroy each other. Chess is like an old West movie where everyone wants to be the fastest gun. I am no master, but I didn't have to be. I only had to be better than him, there and then, in that Subway restaurant, at high noon.
I had to go back to work, and so did they, so we never played.
But I'm ready.
"Set 'em up partner!"
I have read that "How to beat your Dad in Chess" is actually a sparkling little book on basic Checkmate combinations. Pandolfini's "Beginning Chess" might be a good starting alternative to the circles of hell of De la Maza's "Rapid Chess Improvement." And I found Robert Snyder's "Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors" to be a great manual for those preparing to play in rated tournaments regardless of their age.
I was sitting at a Subway restaurant, reading Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors, while enjoying lunch. A couple of men were sitting at a table nearby. They were wearing the rough clothes of their job. I must have been quite the sight, sitting in my suit and tie, meekly reading a children's chess book.
"What'cha reading?" One of them asked knowingly.
"Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors." I replied.
"Don't you know how to play chess?" He asked.
"I am trying to learn it." I replied. (Jesus gave good chess advice when he said to always take the low seat.)
"I'm pretty good." He said.
I then told him two places where I knew people played chess in the city, and invited him to come play.
There was ice in my veins.
Chess is like that. It is crack for testosteronies. Right then and there I think both of us were ready to throw down a board and destroy each other. Chess is like an old West movie where everyone wants to be the fastest gun. I am no master, but I didn't have to be. I only had to be better than him, there and then, in that Subway restaurant, at high noon.
I had to go back to work, and so did they, so we never played.
But I'm ready.
"Set 'em up partner!"
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Getting Bent?
Bent Larson was once asked, “How do you get better at chess?” He responded, “First you learn one thing really well. Then you learn something else really well. Then you go on to something else. Pretty soon you know a lot.”
There is more good advice out there regarding chess than I can follow in my lifetime. Some writers say, "Play all sorts of openings. Don't stunt your development by staying with a narrow repertoire." Others say, "Specialization is the key to Chess success. Pick one opening and stick with it." "Between the Opening and the ending the gods have placed the middlegame." "Chess is 99% tactics." "Tactics do not emerge from thin air but are the fruit of positional play." "The difference between chess players is most evident in the endgame." "Study the endgame if you really want to understand the powers of the pieces."
Chess is good because it is difficult. Tic-Tac-Toe is solved, and after elementary school there is no more point to it. But chess for me even after years of study, play, and enjoyment, has more secrets to offer than I have time to learn. Yet every lesson seems to give some incremental advancement, and they add up. That is Caissa's charm.
To sum it up, I say, "A chess player only has to be good at one thing, and that is everything."
There is more good advice out there regarding chess than I can follow in my lifetime. Some writers say, "Play all sorts of openings. Don't stunt your development by staying with a narrow repertoire." Others say, "Specialization is the key to Chess success. Pick one opening and stick with it." "Between the Opening and the ending the gods have placed the middlegame." "Chess is 99% tactics." "Tactics do not emerge from thin air but are the fruit of positional play." "The difference between chess players is most evident in the endgame." "Study the endgame if you really want to understand the powers of the pieces."
Chess is good because it is difficult. Tic-Tac-Toe is solved, and after elementary school there is no more point to it. But chess for me even after years of study, play, and enjoyment, has more secrets to offer than I have time to learn. Yet every lesson seems to give some incremental advancement, and they add up. That is Caissa's charm.
To sum it up, I say, "A chess player only has to be good at one thing, and that is everything."
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Confessions
"In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king."
There is a big difference between casual chess dabblers and hardened tournament players. When I lived in West Virginia, I did not find anyone who played chess seriously. I was living in a place where there was only one stop light in the whole county. I loved it there and the people were wonderful. Dwight Diller possibly the most gifted teacher I have ever met, was kind enough to teach me how to claw hammer banjo, and start up on fiddle. But when it came to chess I was a one eyed king.
I moved from West Virginia in 1990. Living near a small city, I registered with the USCF, and entered a local tournament. I had the black side of a Ponziani the first game and got a draw. Every game after that was a crushing defeat for me. It was not a matter of time management. For me punching the clock and writing down moves was high class sexy stuff. Basically my chess up to that point had been, stay solid, and the other guy will self destruct. Only here I faced people who knew more than I did about chess. It was an education.
So I went on with my work and my family. I continued to study chess, and play off and on in local coffee houses, and on line. I figured I would study enough, then return. But I was so busy. My three children grew up. My work changed. I was divorced then re-married. And like Rip Van Winkle about twenty years passed!
So now I am fifty. My kids are out of the house. And I am preparing myself to play again.
Sometimes I play so well on line and in club chess that I think I'm pretty good. Other times I blunder and feel that I will be a Patzer for life.
We will see.
There is a big difference between casual chess dabblers and hardened tournament players. When I lived in West Virginia, I did not find anyone who played chess seriously. I was living in a place where there was only one stop light in the whole county. I loved it there and the people were wonderful. Dwight Diller possibly the most gifted teacher I have ever met, was kind enough to teach me how to claw hammer banjo, and start up on fiddle. But when it came to chess I was a one eyed king.
I moved from West Virginia in 1990. Living near a small city, I registered with the USCF, and entered a local tournament. I had the black side of a Ponziani the first game and got a draw. Every game after that was a crushing defeat for me. It was not a matter of time management. For me punching the clock and writing down moves was high class sexy stuff. Basically my chess up to that point had been, stay solid, and the other guy will self destruct. Only here I faced people who knew more than I did about chess. It was an education.
So I went on with my work and my family. I continued to study chess, and play off and on in local coffee houses, and on line. I figured I would study enough, then return. But I was so busy. My three children grew up. My work changed. I was divorced then re-married. And like Rip Van Winkle about twenty years passed!
So now I am fifty. My kids are out of the house. And I am preparing myself to play again.
Sometimes I play so well on line and in club chess that I think I'm pretty good. Other times I blunder and feel that I will be a Patzer for life.
We will see.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
I Trashed Chess for Love
When I was a seminary student, my wife and I had our first child. I was going to school full time, working as a night watchman, and serving as a youth pastor. I still loved chess and would sit in class and play using a pencil and paper. It was interesting to see where the game would go, and to try out all sorts of attacks and defenses.
Non chess people do not understand how a person could play themselves. They would always ask, "Do you win?" My response after a time was "No. I always lose!" And I was telling the truth. I would discover that at some point I had made an error. My games still have all kinds of errors in them.
On Thursday nights I would go down to the local library where they had a chess club. I loved it there. I was with people who knew how to talk chess and play chess. They understood my passion for the game. I was not the best or the worst. It was a good night out for me.
One night a young man came in and claimed that he was going to be the next chess world champion. My guess was that he had never yet played anyone who had studied the game. I was the open board and so it was my lot to provide him with an education. Fortunately I was successful. I wonder where he is now.
My wife was having a tough time of all this. Her life was very stressful. Perhaps she had post partum depression. Perhaps she thought I was avoiding her with all my work and study. And when I had a free night I played chess instead of going out on a date with her. We were so poor I think it would have been hard to pay a sitter. And because of how parents are with first children, we would barely have trusted anyone with her. She was at her breaking point.
One night she gave me an ultimatum. "Me or Chess!" I took the books I had accumulated through the years, and my sets, and threw them in the trash. I never saw them again. I never went back to the club either. I still miss the childhood set I threw away and a tactics problem book that fit in my pocket. In hindsight I could have given the stuff to someone. But we were in tense immediate negotiations.
We divorced after eighteen years. I wish her well and harbor no ill will towards her. As our marriage and family progressed we had many wonderful times, and some very difficult times. Chess slowly crept back in to my life. Books slowly re-accumulated. She learned that chess is part of who I am. I figure some men fish and hunt, some watch or play sports. I play chess.
Chess is War. -Bobby Fischer
War is Hell.- General Sherman
My Chess has gone to hell. -I. M. Patzer
Non chess people do not understand how a person could play themselves. They would always ask, "Do you win?" My response after a time was "No. I always lose!" And I was telling the truth. I would discover that at some point I had made an error. My games still have all kinds of errors in them.
On Thursday nights I would go down to the local library where they had a chess club. I loved it there. I was with people who knew how to talk chess and play chess. They understood my passion for the game. I was not the best or the worst. It was a good night out for me.
One night a young man came in and claimed that he was going to be the next chess world champion. My guess was that he had never yet played anyone who had studied the game. I was the open board and so it was my lot to provide him with an education. Fortunately I was successful. I wonder where he is now.
My wife was having a tough time of all this. Her life was very stressful. Perhaps she had post partum depression. Perhaps she thought I was avoiding her with all my work and study. And when I had a free night I played chess instead of going out on a date with her. We were so poor I think it would have been hard to pay a sitter. And because of how parents are with first children, we would barely have trusted anyone with her. She was at her breaking point.
One night she gave me an ultimatum. "Me or Chess!" I took the books I had accumulated through the years, and my sets, and threw them in the trash. I never saw them again. I never went back to the club either. I still miss the childhood set I threw away and a tactics problem book that fit in my pocket. In hindsight I could have given the stuff to someone. But we were in tense immediate negotiations.
We divorced after eighteen years. I wish her well and harbor no ill will towards her. As our marriage and family progressed we had many wonderful times, and some very difficult times. Chess slowly crept back in to my life. Books slowly re-accumulated. She learned that chess is part of who I am. I figure some men fish and hunt, some watch or play sports. I play chess.
Chess is War. -Bobby Fischer
War is Hell.- General Sherman
My Chess has gone to hell. -I. M. Patzer
Monday, April 6, 2009
In the Beginning, Chess.
Chess became part of my life during the Fischer-Spassky World Championship in 1972. That summer I was camping with my parents and sisters in a VW bus traveling around the cheap places of Europe. I don't remember how I learned the game, but I followed the descriptive notation of every game. My older sister and I played chess and fought over rules so much that we quit playing each other. Bobby beat the Russians. I wanted to beat my older sister.
After that my chess education consisted of reading about it in the encyclopedia Britannica. I remember it included a game between Bobby Fischer and Mikhail Tal. It was a French Winauer poisoned pawn. I was amazed how quickly and accidentally I memorized that game. I think it was because of the direct forcefulness and logic of every move. I felt pretty special and wondered if I had something.
When I was in high school my sister brought a boyfriend home that I did not like. He seemed way too full of himself. When he said that he played chess my sister sent him my way. I beat him rather convincingly. And I think that is what really hooked me. I thought I was good at chess.
I jumped the backyard fences and slipped down the hill to our public library. There I found a book on elementary tactics. It was enough to give me a head start on other kids. I didn't play much. But when I did I won. But I had no idea about how hard chess really was and how tough the competition could be.
During college I worked during summers at a camp. I played all the chess I could. I met my first tough chess players there. First there was a Russian named Max. I remember he took so long to move. He beat me tactically and positionally. From Max I learned that it is okay to take time to think, that Rooks, even behind a Bishop and Pawn can suddenly become active, and that pawns go on the opposite color of the Bishop for maximum mobility. He crushed me, yet encouraged me regarding my choices so I still had some pride and hope.
The second tough chess player was a paralyzed young man named Alfonso. I visited him at the state children's hospital because someone made me promise I would go see him. I was afraid. The place was dark, depressing, and smelled of urine. Alfonso turned out to be both cheerful as a human being, and a much better chess player than me. I would move, then I would move his pieces where he told me to put them. Alfonso showed me the Bh7+ Greek gift sacrifice. And in the following game demonstrated that while I was slowly weaving a net around his knight, he was building up for yet another sacrificial destruction of my castled King's cover. Alfonso taught me how dangerous Chess could suddenly be.
I suppose I could have lost hope except for all the other pick up skittles games I was winning. Apart from Max and Alphonso I won every game against ordinary unstudied players except one. And I still kick myself for doing it. Black had Bb7 and Qc6, I had Nf3 and Bg2 and played Ne5?? or something like that, foolishly thinking about uncovering the Bishop on the queen. Of course he played Qg2#. It shows a bad habit that comes from playing against planless easy opposition. I was so far ahead that I ignored that he might have a good move.
Savielly Tartakower is still right. "The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made."
Chess is a love-hate relationship.
After that my chess education consisted of reading about it in the encyclopedia Britannica. I remember it included a game between Bobby Fischer and Mikhail Tal. It was a French Winauer poisoned pawn. I was amazed how quickly and accidentally I memorized that game. I think it was because of the direct forcefulness and logic of every move. I felt pretty special and wondered if I had something.
When I was in high school my sister brought a boyfriend home that I did not like. He seemed way too full of himself. When he said that he played chess my sister sent him my way. I beat him rather convincingly. And I think that is what really hooked me. I thought I was good at chess.
I jumped the backyard fences and slipped down the hill to our public library. There I found a book on elementary tactics. It was enough to give me a head start on other kids. I didn't play much. But when I did I won. But I had no idea about how hard chess really was and how tough the competition could be.
During college I worked during summers at a camp. I played all the chess I could. I met my first tough chess players there. First there was a Russian named Max. I remember he took so long to move. He beat me tactically and positionally. From Max I learned that it is okay to take time to think, that Rooks, even behind a Bishop and Pawn can suddenly become active, and that pawns go on the opposite color of the Bishop for maximum mobility. He crushed me, yet encouraged me regarding my choices so I still had some pride and hope.
The second tough chess player was a paralyzed young man named Alfonso. I visited him at the state children's hospital because someone made me promise I would go see him. I was afraid. The place was dark, depressing, and smelled of urine. Alfonso turned out to be both cheerful as a human being, and a much better chess player than me. I would move, then I would move his pieces where he told me to put them. Alfonso showed me the Bh7+ Greek gift sacrifice. And in the following game demonstrated that while I was slowly weaving a net around his knight, he was building up for yet another sacrificial destruction of my castled King's cover. Alfonso taught me how dangerous Chess could suddenly be.
I suppose I could have lost hope except for all the other pick up skittles games I was winning. Apart from Max and Alphonso I won every game against ordinary unstudied players except one. And I still kick myself for doing it. Black had Bb7 and Qc6, I had Nf3 and Bg2 and played Ne5?? or something like that, foolishly thinking about uncovering the Bishop on the queen. Of course he played Qg2#. It shows a bad habit that comes from playing against planless easy opposition. I was so far ahead that I ignored that he might have a good move.
Savielly Tartakower is still right. "The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made."
Chess is a love-hate relationship.
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