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)

Dreaming and Doing

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.