Good morning to my one reader out there. I suppose that would be me.

Dear Self,

Q-How is that Caro-Kann, Slav, London opening working out for you?

A-It is going fine. I am fairly relaxed in the opening. I am becoming more and more familiar with the typical lines and troubles.

Q-What are the troubles?

A-Believe it or not, I have had difficulties with the Slav-exchange. If I am not careful, I get into trouble there. I have made mistakes with the London system where after Black plays 2...c5 and 3...cd, the tempo saved by not yet having played d5 has permitted some active bishops. I have seen the Bb4 pin with Qa5 and Ne4 more than once.

Q-So are you doing badly?

A-No. Actually I am doing well. It is a patient old man way of playing that suits my patient old man self. Quite often I find myself reaching equality, and then slowly turning it the other way. I know it is nothing much, just chesscube, but I like being over 1800.

Q-What other openings tempt you?

A-I am tempted to go straight out with Mihail Marin's English Opening System as White, and the Accelerated Dragon as Black. I have considered that book called the Sniper, where after the fianchetto, ...c5 is played. I wonder about this as a sort of King's Indian, hybrid.

Q-Are you falling for shots? How is your endgame?

A-I am not falling for to many shots. I don't make them much either. I think this is in part, the nature of the solid system and style that I like. But it is an area where I know I need improvement. As for the endgame, I know I have made draws where I could have pushed for more, but because of the shortage of time on the clock. I like a safe half point, more than an error and a loss.

Q-Thank you very much for your time. Good luck in 2011.
A-Thank you. May your family be happy and safe, and may things go well for you at work.

The Easy Life

I am living the easy life. I am just snoozing with the London System as White, and the Caro-Kann and Slav as Black.

I'm playing when I want to on Chesscube and FICS. I am rated in the low 1700's on both.

I'm a slacker, anti-hacker, non-sacker.

I still fight. I just looking for no fuss, no rush, just a risk free crush.

Rubinstein French

I have been looking at the Rubinstein variation in the French.

I don't know if I will enjoy it. But I'll try it out at Chess cube.

It could be a stepping stone into the myriad French variations.

Mediocrity

I went to chess cube in order to play easy ego-free chess. The idea was that I needed to relax and just play. Chess is supposed to be fun.

Furthermore, because I am nowhere near the place where masters are in my chess understanding, fine tuning my game is not my game. I still need to fix big problems.

I believe children improve in chess quickly because they play often and have fun. We adults get a bit too serious.

The problem is I signed up as serious player and was given a provisional rating of 1800! Then quickly saw it drop into the 1600s. I played on and now it is in the 1800s.

But now I feel I am getting too attatched and defensive about my rating. And this is not even USCF official. This is not with anybody I even know.

So I am making myself lighten up and play.

I accept my limitations, my mediocrity.

I will do my best, and have fun.

GM Jekyll & Patser Hyde

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a class chess player. That means I play like Jekyll/Hyde. Sometimes I am sharp like a knife. Other times I am dull like a spoon.

It reminds me of an old zen story where the master was always holding up one finger to explain enlightenment. One disciple used to imitate him by holding up his finger the same way.

One day the master catches him doing it. He tells him he has it all wrong. He cuts off the disciples finger! Then the master makes the familiar gesture and looks at the disciple. In that moment the student reaches enlightenment.

So much for zen stories. I think everyone should read Brian Victoria's Zen at War for an education on the nature of religions.

In my imagination my hero Ulf Andersson plays 1Nf3. He sees me play 1.Nf3 and in anger and horror, he sweeps the pieces off the board. After setting them up again he plays 1.Nf3. And I get enlightenment! I understand that I cannot play 1.Nf3 like Ulf plays Nf3 until I can play endgames like Ulf does.

Then I bow to the great Master Ulf, and play, 1.e4. Nigel Short comes into the room and sweeps my pieces off the table. How could I assume I can play 1.e4?

Perhaps I should open with 1.h4?

Chess Cube

I have been playing on chess cube. I am not being too serious and annotating my games. I am just playing and having fun. I do take note of the opening, and where I got screwed up. If I get blown off the board, I look for where I went astray.

I am playing the Caro-Kann and Slav as black, and the Queen's Gambit main lines if I ever get them as white.

First of all by just seeking any old 15 minute game I discovered that I play black about 80% of the time. Mostly these have been Caro-Kann exchange variations. I got blown off the board against an advance with an early g4. And the Slavs have all been exchanges. I have fared more poorly than I expected against it. As White it has been a Queen's Gambit Accepted every time but once.

When I signed up for the (free) account I said I was serious. So I was given a starting rating of 1800. In my first several games, I saw it dive to the 1690's. But I have slowly gotten used to the (for me) fast 15 minute games, and my openings and I have climbed into the upper 1700s.

It is just a game.

Tartakower said "Every Chess player should have a hobby."

Chess is a Great Equalizer

Chess is a rare game where persons can compete with little regard for age or gender. Statistics show that given the smaller number of women who chose to play chess, statistically they are just as strong as the men. Likewise a child can learn chess and with a little help and some natural ability can quickly compete with adults.

Is there any other game like chess that is known around the world that can be played with such fairness?

The Joys of the French

I am playing the French instead of my prior CaroKann and Accelerated Dragon because of repertoire flexibility. For example in the advance Caro-Kann White can fairly force black to play his game. According to Peter Wells for example 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Be2 Bf5 6.Nf3 e6 and we have move ordered into the Short System. Likewise in the Accelerated Dragon there are sometimes scant pathways available to equality.

But the French is wanton. There are many repetoire choices that push things from the Black side. For example after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 There is the Rubinstein including the Fort Knox, there is the Winower family, the obscure Romanishin line and the classical Nf6. Then if white does not play e5 but Bg5 then there is the Burn, the MacCutcheon, as well as the classical Be7.

In playing the French I have been truly crushed. But sometimes I got crushed in the Caro-Kann too. However by playing it over and over, I am growing into it. I understand what I am doing more and more. When I am losing, it is deeper into the game. And sometimes things really go my way and I get the benefit of a crush.

I am around game 45 of my 1001 Arabian Knightmares.

GM Kevin Spragett

GM Kevin Spragett

I am a man in my fifties. I have a job and family and play chess for a hobby. I work weekends so I am limited in when it comes to real tournaments. So I enjoy reading about and studying chess I play on FICS (as PrudentStudent) and am currently trying to learn Nigel Davies repertoire for old men (English, French, Franko-Indian). And I troll around the web looking for interesting chess stuff.

When I came across Kevin Spragget's blog http://kevinspraggett.blogspot.com/ It quickly became one of my favorite stops.

So yesterday I e-mailed him a photo I thought he might enjoy, and he responded with a nice note of thanks. Getting this note from GM Spragett for a chess fan like me is like some old Philadelphia native ice hockey fan getting a note from Bobby Clark.

Kevin Spragett, You are a GM and a gentleman. Come through Toledo and I'll buy you dinner.

My Chess Dream

It is my thinking that Dr. King was a great man who did not close his understanding or his action after his famous "I have a dream speech." He went on to work against systematic economic exploitation and militarism. One year after his "Breaking Silence" where he came out against the Viet-Nam war, he was shot dead.

On to Chess:

I am around game 38 in my 1001 Arabian Knightmares project. I can feel myself getting a feel for some of the openings. But I lost another French today. She is a tough mistress, and I intend to make her come around.

As White I am playing the English, (Kosten-Marin lines) As Black I am using Nigel Davies e6 repertoire with the Lasker QGD against the specific, 1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5.

With chess, sometimes I am in heaven and sometimes in hell. But mostly I am in purgatory.

Caissa have mercy on me.

1001 Arabian Knightmares

1001 Arabian Knightmares is my project. The idea is to force myself to play 1001 games with a single opening system. This way I will learn it well and not be overly surprised by variations.

I play my games primarily on FICS. I play the slowest game at the highest rating I can find. After the game I write it into my 1001 Arabian Knightmares book, and look where the mistakes are. I look where we departed from book. I look for the shots and missed shots. I look for strategic errors. And I try to see how the endgame was played. I use my own head, then Chessbase, Fritz, as well as opening books and openind Dvds to do my analysis.

I am also slowly working through Jesus de la Villa's 100 Endgames you Must Know, Grooten's Strategy for Club Players, and Palliser's 1200 tactical exercises book.

I think I am at around game 24. So I have a long way to go. It is about learning, not about ratings. Still the ratings are a measuring instrument that offers some degree of assesment.

I like that I am forcing myself to play. I read that one of the reasons kids learn so fast is that they play more.

And it is fun. Winning is fun. Losing is even fun, if I can admire the skill of the other player, and they are nice.

I try not to let the malcontented one's effect me too much. Usually this is when I am winning, but not fast enough for my oponent's liking. Usually it is an endgame where I have a clear advantage and no need to rush. I play simple practical safe moves and secure the point. It seems to drive some people nuts.

I'll keep you informed. (Imaginary readers of this unknown blog)