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)