Reason alone is never a motive to action

Years ago when I first started playing chess...Two of us would always play on the same night at the same place every week. After a while many people started showing up until their were about 15 or so total. It took many weeks before one by one (some of them new eachother outside this) most came out about being recovering alchoholics and or growing up in abusive situations. Im not sure if this goes beyond correlation or the general psychology of this type of person and chess But it is certainly curious.

As Hume says "reason alone is never a motive to action." Sentiment leads our decision making from the start. So we play chess. Who would reason logically to do such a thing? Its an expression and an art form. A way for folks without control over their lives to exert control. A small short lived psychologically structured world in a physical world of chaos. Socially rejected? Lost control of your addictions? Chess. Im sure thats not the whole picture but perhaps its a few unnoticed brush strokes.

Guarini's Problem

The earliest chessboard puzzle dates from 1512, almost 500 years ago. Guarini's Problem involves four knights, two white and two black, at the four corners of a small 3X3 chessboard. The white knights and the black knights need to exchange places. A knight can move on a chessboard by going two squares in any horizontal or vertical direction, and then turning either left or right one more square. It is a relatively simple puzzle to solve, even by trial and error.
The knights must march around a cycle, all in the same direction, either clockwise or counterclockwise, until their positions are exactly reversed.

We are no other than a moving row

Of Magic Shadow-shapes tht come and go

Round with the Sun-illumined Llantern held

In Midnight by the Master of the Show;

But helpless Pieces of the Game He plays

Upon this Chequer-board of Nights and Days;

Hither and thither moves, and check, and slays,

And one by one back in the Closet lays.

Omar Khayyam, The Rubaiyat

Test your endgame thinking

Thought I would post some of these from a book titled test your endgame thinking by Glenn Flear. The book gets continuously more difficult and thus these posts will too.

Should white exchange knights?

Blog worlds have collided...

I stumbled across another blogger and chess enthusiest from Wisconsin the other day. He has a particularly interesting blog given that he posts on numerous subjects. I find that chess can get dry without knowing a bit of the personality behind the thoughts. Since chess is at some level a reflection of ones personality. Right?

He commented on my rating and I realize it could use a little more justification. I use it loosley. But its fairly accurate. My ratings on Pogo.com and MSN chess hover around 1700. Also my opponents on chessmaster 7000 that are most equal have ratings a little over 1700. I assume if anything it is a little high but my interest in chess goes well beyond any rating system. For more clarity read one of my first posts Knight Skewer Manifesto.

He also commented on my recent post about the Colle System. He mentioned a Colle Koltanowski variation that I am not familiar with. Although I do get most of my Colle knowledge from Colle System 11th edition by George Koltanowski so perhaps I know more than I think. This is welcome motivation for a little more research and also to finish my Colle system post. Which I just did. And I am very interested in feedback on Polgars new DVD.

Welcome aboard fellow patriot I will also be checking your blog often.

Socratic Chess

"An unexamined game is not worth playing."

A movement in chess can be a considered a good move at one point in time but a poor movement at another. No move is always good, but only good in the scope of its position and surroundings. Some moves are more often good and others more often poor based on a common theory, the original setup of the board or a string of thoughts and moves from an individuals mind. Like in life their is no law of good moves or bad, of right and wrong. The complexities are so extraordinary that we go through life valuing one idea over another much the same as one values the knight over the bishop, only to learn through experiences later that you were mistaken . This process of judgment continues on throughout a lifetime getting ever closer but never concluding a "law of chess moves."

Rob V Dan sometime in 02

"Suspicion alone is not enough to speak. Once spoken out the suspicion is real enough to be the work of truth." - Rome


1. d4 e6
2. e4 d5
3. e5 Nc6
4. Nf3 g6
5. Bb5 Bg7
6. Bg5 f6
7. exf6 Bxf6
8. BxB QxB
9. BxN PxB
10. Ne5 c5
11. c3 Cxd4
12. Qxd4 Rb8
13. O-O Ba6
14. Nc6 Rxb2
15. Qxa7 BxR
16. Qa8+ Kd7
17. Na3 Qf2+
18. Kh1 Qg2+ Mate

we've come a long way.