Meathead

Although chess isn't always a sport, their is a lot of crossover that offers a wealth of often neglected knowledge.

Successful athletes, as compared to less successful athletes, are:

1. More self confident

2. Better able to use more effective cognitive strategies and coping mechanisms to retain optimal competitive focus in the face of obstacles and distractions

3. Better able to self-regulate activation efficiently

4. More positively preoccupied with sport, in terms of thoughts, images, and feelings

5. More highly determined and committed to excellence in their sport

also,

Positive perfectionists set high personal standards for achievement and are highly motivated to succeed. Negative perfectionists also set high standards of achievement, but they are overcritical in evaluating their performance and unable to accept mistakes.

Positive perfectionism in athletes is related to success, whereas negative perfectionism is related to anxiety and burnout.

White crushes his own will with the passive 4. h3?

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Jul/21/2006

White ? Black Curradojr

1. e4 e5
2. Ng1f3 Ng8f6
3. d3 d6
4. h3? c5
5. c4 g6
6. Bc1g5 Bf8g7
7. Bf1e2 O-O
8. O-O h6
9. Bg5h4 Nb8c6
10. Nb1c3 Bc8e6
11. Qd1b3 Ra8b8
12. Nc3b5 Qd8d7
13. Nb5xa7? Nc6xa7
14. a4 g5
15. Nf3xg5 hxg5
16. Bh4xg5 Na7c6
17. g4 Nc6d4
0-1

Yahsi9 Curradojr July 27 2006 time 12min

Get Your Own! View Slideshow

yahsi9 curradojr

1. e2-e4 e7-e6
2. e4-e5 d7-d5
3. d2-d4 c7-c5 French defence...
4. c2-c3 Nb8-c6 fighting for d4 and gaining development...
5. Ng1-f3 c5xd4
6. c3xd4 Bf8-b4+
7. Bc1-d2 Qd8-a5 early for a queen move but his King is very exposed and tempting...
8. Bd2xb4 Nc6xb4
9. Nb1-d2 Bc8-d7 opening for the queenside castle and developing the bishop...
10. a2-a3 Nb4-c6
11. b2-b4 Qa5-c7
12. Bf1-d3 Ng8-e7
13. Ko-o Ko-o
14. Nd2-b3 b7-b6 preventing the post...
15. Qd1-b1 Ne7-f5
16. g2-g4 Pf7-f6
17. g4xf5 e6xf5
18. e5xf6 Rf8xf6
19. Nf3-h4 Qc7-f4
20. Nh4xf5 Bd7xf5
21. Bd3xf5 Rf6xf5
22. f2-f3 Rf5-g5+
23. Kg1-h1 Nc6xd4
24. Nb3xd4 Qf4xd4
25. Qb1-e1 Rg5-e5
26. Qe1-g3 Ra8-e8
27. Rf1-g1 g7-g6
28. Ra1-c1 Qd4-d3
29. Rc1-a1 d5-d4
30. Rg1-f1 Qd3-c2
31. Ra1-c1 Qc2-e2
32. Rf1-d1 d4-d3
33. Rd1-g1 d3-d2
34. Rc1-d1 Qe2xd1
35. Rg1xd1 Re5-e1+
36. Kh1-g2 Re1xd1
37. Qg3-d6 Re8-e2+
38. Kg2-g3 Rd1-g1+
39. Kg3-f4 d2-d1(Q)
40. Qd6-b8+ Kg8-g7
41. Qb8xa7+ Kg7-h6 White resigns

X-men 3 The Last Stand

Chess is analogous to everything. Who uses Italfama pieces in the park anyway?

Queens Gambit

I used to play the queens gambit constantly. The most dynamic opening of all time. When your ready to wrestle with the mind of your opponent, begin with the queens gambit. All levels of players are challenged by its fantastic complications. and as they say "Hell hath no feary...."

1. d4 d5

2. c4... And there you have it. What shall black do now?

if ...d5xc4 Black loses the king pawn. Its easily threatened by whites bishop with 3. e3. Its gonna take time for black to develop a plan at this point. Unless hes really versed in this variation ofcourse. If hes not then hell probably be thinking about protecting that pawn and working some queenside aggression. Both of which takes time to think out, adds some anxiety to black, is relatively easy to ignore by white and will delay castling. As you can see "Queens Gambit accepted" is not my ideal choice for black.

Maybe black declines with a likely ...e6. Its best for white to ignore the gambit now. Keep the pawn out there for when you need it. Develop and keep the initiative. That exchange option will work itself out to your benefit later.

Whats whites next move? I like to transgress into the Colle system from here with Nf3. What about pushing the pawn to c5? Prepare for a massive queenside pawn battle. Its about to get locked up tight. Neither side castling and white squeaking out extra territory. Its best if your good with pawn formations with this variation and are ready to play out the long endgame. When I used to play this I often won by promoting one of the leading pawns late in the game.

Theres a thousand pages on the QG but thats my take...

Paranoia and the breakdown

Paranoia strikes deep

Into your life it will creep

It starts when you're always afraid

You step out of line, the man come and take you away

What's going on between topalov and Kramnik is pretty sad. Chess has clearly had a breakdown of societal rules. Which can be good. Its time we rebuilt them philosophically without the help of lawyers. I propose chess should follow an outline of the most valuable human and societal qualities mankind has discovered. The nature of chess is the nature of social interaction and expression after all.

1. Deference, both for those who are older and those with experience in the game. Thanks to Confucius the Chinese have utilized this idea for thousands of years...Resulting in much stability between generations.

2. Honor, win with honor, lose with honor

3. Virtue, I hear it is its own reward

4. A chessplayer should never allow another to make a decision regarding the game for him. This comprimises his own morality, puts his dignity on the line and creates a buffer between the decision and himself, leaving too much grey area of responsibility.

5. When a move or rule comes into question regarding its legality, question it only humbly and always offer to play it through even if you are positive it is not legal. This creates a mature and dignified atmosphere, allows the opponent to save face, gives the opponent a reason to respect yourself and the game and resonates a tone for future games.

test your endgame thinking 2

How should black proceed?