Knight Skewer

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2011-11-02T00:48:00.001-07:00

Landscapes: Volume One from Dustin Farrell on Vimeo.

They say deserts and oceans are for the introspective...

2011-03-27T16:16:00.001-07:00

There are times when we must arm ourselves with dignity, deliberate action or thought. When the weapon of choice to fight, possibly to the death, is the beyonet of the mind.

2011-03-19T21:17:00.001-07:00

Book Skewer

2011-03-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hey, I started another blog. Check it out: Book Skewer I tend to read 2-4 books a month on average so a book review blog is a natural occurrence. If your an avid reader have a look. Its in the midst of the early construction stages but someday it will be even more grand than Knight Skewer. Can you imagine? And its another outlet for my opinionated rants. What could be better?

What Is Toronto?????

2011-03-07T10:21:00.002-07:00

In the eyes of IBM they recently won a huge victory by creating a ones and zeros monster named Watson. This video shows them elated in teary eyed celebration over their creepy contraption's Jeopardy win: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI-M7O_bRNg

In reality they either "Deep Blued" Trebek like they did Kasparov or they've blindly pushed the envelope of artificial intelligence closer to the end of humanity as we know it. Witness two thirds of the science fiction genre.

My concern is that IBM reaches an artificial intelligence escape velocity while only paying token attention to the consequences. No one is publicly asking "Is this the right thing to do?" Probably because IBM people don't care. Their agenda is more, faster, business domination, fortune and glory. But not everything needs to be explored. Not everything needs to be created. Until we start having serious democratic discussions on what needs to be and what doesn't, we will continue blindly into an irreversible anything goes society while stumbling deeper into Plato's cave, deeper than whence we came.

Also, whats with the Orwellian name? "Watson" is supposed to be the side kick and side kicks are never smarter than the superhero. I just cant trust that face.

Watson is not a step forward, its a step backward by its lack of ethical consideration. We know from past experience how IBM will react to any such criticism.

Here is Kasparov's take on the situation via The Atlantic:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/02/exclusive-garry-kasparov-on-ibms-watson/71584/#

Chess Baron

2011-02-28T18:42:00.004-07:00

I added a link to the Chess Baron on my sidebar. http://www.chessbaron.co.uk/ Check it out. He has good deals on chess supplies and a huge selection. You know Im all about good deals. Mostly because Im broke and smart... and broke.

Atlas Shrugged Part 1

2011-02-26T14:36:00.005-07:00

I havent been this exited for a movie in long time. Call me a huge nerd. I have a chessblog after all.

http://www.atlasshruggedpart1.com/

The Death Of A Chess Loser

2011-02-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

It appears that the infamous Chess Loser has deleted his blog. Maybe I'm way late on this funeral of subtle irony but he will be missed. May he be self deprecating where ever he finds himself.

Where's Your Head At?

2011-02-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

Endgameclothing.com released a couple new shirts a while ago. This one asks "Wheres your head at?"

Middle school: In the toilet getting a swirly.

High school: Staring at the girl who only eats lunch with other girls. Wondering how she is able to sustain herself on one yogurt per day alone.

20s: In the coffee house window looking like a hep cat pretending that drinking from a nasty mug that homeless people use doesnt bother you.

30s: Rockin out to the Smiths

The rest would just be speculation at this point.

A Word On The Protests In Madison WI

2011-02-18T15:13:00.002-07:00

What we are not hearing from the Rs the Ds or the protesters are the ideas everyone should be talking about: How does this effect the children? How will this effect Wisconsin education?

Instead we are arguing over what teachers deserve. This particular silence is much louder and more telling than words.

2010-09-05T07:03:00.003-07:00

Hello Dear Readers,

Its pretty obvious I haven't been around in a long time. Chess has faded almost completely from my life and that's not a bad thing. Along with it, Knightskewer has gone idle. I tried to pass it off temporarily to my brother but his life is full of learning new things about the world. Although he still plays the short game, his life is more focused on fortune and glory. The only other person I trust to pull the reigns stopped playing long before I did and is currently stopping bad guys from killing us all for religious and political reasons. Hopefully google doesn't shut me down for that last comment. Speaking of comments, Knightskewers comments have been disabled due to the abundance of Chinese spammers. Its unclear exactly what the Chinese will bring to the world, but whatever it is it will certainly be in large quantity. So if you'd like to comment (if you don't want to your racist) then feel free to shoot me an email at the addy on the sidebar.

Knightskewer taught me a lot about chess and the world of blogging. Someday, maybe in a year, maybe in twenty, I will return to it for recollection and recourse. Perhaps when I'm an old man and google has either returned from stardom or been taken over by the government, Knightskewer will become my third eye again. Until then I hope it serves somewhat useful for the beginning, intermediate and perhaps briefly advanced chess player.

(Edit: I attempted to start a new blog but Google has made things ridiculously complicated in an attempt to simplify things. Aside from being annoying it causes my laptop to freeze consistently in the template design screen.)

I'm starting a new blog about training and athletics. These were once part of my life before this blog and are returning at full speed. It wont be as in depth or creative as Knightskewer but will act more as a scratch pad for notes. If your into that kind of thing check it out. I will link to it once it is up and running.

... --- ...

2009-07-22T13:30:00.007-07:00

More games leads to more losses and a few wins. This several month losing streak may be coming to an end. At least now I'm recognizing the major errors in each game. And those errors are happening in the endgame. Usually when I'm winning. Then that question surfaces. Go for the kill or play out the long game while consolidating advantages? Former or latter? Former or latter? Former! Then I lose. I'm seeing the little red dot on my forehead just not moving out of the way. Without further ado... a game against Wang that he "swindled" (his word not mine) and a game against my brother that he also swindled (my word).

Wang v. Shaman

1.e4 d5
2.exd5 Qxd5
3.Nf3 Nf6
4.d4 e6
5.c4 Qd6
6.Nc3 c6
7.Bd3 Be7
8.O-O O-O
9.Bc2 Re8
10.Ne5 a6
11.Qd3 c5
12.Nf3 cxd4
13.Nxd4 e5
14.Nf5 Bxf5
15.Qxf5 g6
16.Qf3 Nc6
17.Rd1 Nd4
18.Qd3 Bd8
19.Be3 Bb6
20.Rd2 e4
21.Nxe4 Nxe4
22.Bxd4 Nxd2
23.Bxb6 Qxb6
24.Qxd2 Qxb2
25.Rb1 Qxa2
26.Rxb7 Qxc4
27.Bb3 Qd4
28.Bxf7+ Kf8
29.Qh6+ Qg7
30.Qxg7+ Kxg7
31.Bxe8+ Kh6
32.Ba4 Rd8
33.g3 Rd4
34.Bc6 a5
35.Ra7 Rc4
36.Ra6 Kg5
37.Rxa5+ Kg4
38.Ra4 Rxa4
39.Bxa4 h5
40.Kg2 h4
41.Bd7+ Kh5
42.g4+ Kg5
43.f3 Kf4
44.Kf2 g5
45.Ke2 Ke5
46.Ke3 Kf6
47.Ke4 h3
48.Bc8 Kg6
49.Ke5 Kh6
50.Kf6 Kh7
51.Kxg5 Kg7
52.f4

Bro v. Bro

1.e4 c5
2.f4 Nc6
3.Nf3 d6
4.Bb5 f5
5.Nh4 Nf6
6.e5 dxe5
7.fxe5 Ng4
8.Bxc6+ bxc6
9.O-O Qd4+
10.Kh1 Nf2+
11.Rxf2 Qxf2
12.Nf3 Ba6
13.d3 c4
14.Na3 cxd3
15.Bd2 dxc2
16.Qxc2 Qb6
17.Ng5 c5
18.Qxf5 Qxb2
19.Qf7+ Kd7
20.Qe6+ Kd8
21.Ba5+ Ke8
22.Qc6#

Also, Grecian Delight has come to Flagstaff. Mmm... Grecian.

Kasparov on US-Russian Relations

2009-07-11T20:20:00.006-07:00

Garry Kasparov is interviewed by Paul Gigot on The Journal Editorial Report about President Obamas visit to Putins paradise and US-Russians relations. The peice starts at 21:23 and the interview with Kasparov starts at 20:41.

The Deadliest Blogger

2009-07-09T11:50:00.003-07:00

Wang and I played a friendly game on Chess.com. I got hosed. It was one of those games that was lost before it even began. My chessdar was lit up with bogeys everywhere. And for some reason I knew I was going to lose. Not just because I haven't really been playing much or studying much or even thinking about the game more than a handful of times a week. Call it intuition or an educated guess it doesn't really matter. It made me realize something though. More admit than realize actually. I have little desire to make my game better in any significant way. At one time I did. But no longer. I like to occasionally play, do some studying, whatevs.

Mt. Humphreys

2009-07-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

Twigs snap, roots of large beastly trees reach out of the earth and exotic, illusive blue-green mountains disappear. Entering the Mt. Humphreys trail is like closing the door on reality. Check that. Its like slamming the door, locking the knob and flicking the dead bolt. You'll never see more than a few yards of the winding dirt path. At times its a mirage, jumping up levels, snaking around boulders and crouching behind fluorescent grass that may possibly be juiced on steroids. Its hard to tell in a place so surreal, yet so natural, exactly what this place has been doing for the last few thousand years. But one thing is definite. The path always stretches on, materializing here, immaterializing their. On and on for three to four hours up and a couple down. Down is shorter. Maybe its the rubbery legs, dreams of crammed subway subs or dreams of long naps, I don't know. But its definitely shorter. Up takes forever. Through the dense forest, the not so dense forest, the awesome views. The last fragment of rocky terrain reminiscent of lower altitudes leads to the highest peak in Arizona. The whole enchilada, you can almost taste it. But it will cost you. All day.

July 4th!

2009-07-03T11:20:00.002-07:00

In the words of Anthony Bourdain "America the weird, America the delicious, America the slightly scary. America the beautiful."

Happy Independence Day dear readers. Enjoy your grilling, enjoy your blogging and enjoy your freedom.

Remembering the Jackson Trial

2009-06-26T13:52:00.002-07:00

"Because in the over all scheme of things, who are we to pass judgement on this man, who amongst us can honestly say that they have never slept with a twelve year old boy after sharing some alcohol and pornography in the company of a chimpanzee."

Triumph and the.Michael Jackson Trial.
Uploaded by matzevolt. - Sitcom, sketch, and standup comedy videos.

2009-06-25T13:36:00.003-07:00

Haven't had much time to post lately. A lot of good stuff is in the mix, for sure, but until then if you are looking for a good read try Blunder Prone's Fathers day post. You wont be disappointed... Stop giving me that look... I'm serious.

"In case you are wondering how I got to be such a chess enthusiast, you needn’t look much further than one click up the genealogical tree in my family. Being father’s day, I thought I’d take the time and tell you the story of Ray, my dad."

More #%&! Than Carter Has Liver Pills

2009-06-18T20:39:00.009-07:00

1.The coveted Endgame crowd has finally accepted me.

2. What does doing a couple hundred mate in one puzzles and a few dozen mate in two puzzles do to my game? We will soon find out.

3. Why are people so interested in finding out what your reading when the book is enormous and dull but not when your face deep in a normal sized awesome book that your desperate to talk about, even to random strangers?

4. The person who lives upstairs from me seems to have constructed a go cart from scratch and rides it around the back yard like a lunatic. Its frightening. And I'm jealous. But mostly frightened.

5. I'm attempting a new tactic against my brother on Facebook chess. He wont have Internet access for the next couple weeks, so I'm making moves at strange hours in the hopes that he will be to slow to play in time and thus forfeit the game. Its a new low for me, kind of.

6. Gordon Ramsey Swears At You!

Conundrum

2009-06-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

I found this puzzle some years ago. Cant remember exactly where or when. White to move. Mate in something like 9 or 12. Here are a couple different perspectives to massage your egg head. It can be frustrating, which is why Ive never solved it. No screen punching and leave your answer in the comments please.

The Goat Tower

2009-06-13T00:41:00.003-07:00

Wang and I had a scheduled game tonight. The first game of our bloggers tourney. He cancelled saying that he had a long day blah blah. The truth is he got wind of my new piece "The Goat Tower." Its like a Bishop and a Rook but with goats in it. You'd be surprised what it does to the magnitude to my Scotch game. Don't be scared it wont hurt... much.

Holocaust Memorial Museum Shooting

2009-06-10T14:07:00.001-07:00

After reading this story it seems like a good idea to share it.

"Regular readers will probably remember my that my father-in-law Frank Burstin, who passed away about a week before last fall's elections, was a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp. For that reason, as you may imagine, the news this afternoon about a shooting at Washington's Holocaust Museum hits pretty close to home for me and for my family."

Read the whole thing: http://www.pollster.com/blogs/this_is_personal.php

Menage a pawn

2009-06-08T10:30:00.031-07:00

My brother showed me this set of moves in England when we were visiting last. We were analyzing a game (I lost) and talking about "The Grip" pawn formation when he busted it out gloriously. Its an interesting and useful formation that is relatively simple. I also have no idea what its called, if it has an official name at all, so were going with Menage a pawn in the hopes that no bone fide title ever emerges. Note that the placement of the king is key. If the king is within striking distance of the pawns the scenario changes completely. Take a gander, gander takers:

What shall white do?

Black now has two options. Push one of the outside pawns or capture with one of the outside pawns. Lets explore how neither option wins.
Black pushes.
White captures and can promote to whatever he wants shortly. Black has no recourse. If he pushes the center pawn white can simply capture and gain another advantage.
Black captures.

At this point the one and only way white wins is by pushing the pawn into the fray.
If black takes the courageous pawn, White modestly pushes the other.

And if black takes the other pawn, white captures the center pawn and is in the clear once again.

In other news, if your looking for chocolate covered bacon on a stick this August I have some good news for you: http://www.wistatefair.com/09_web/food/food_stick.html

Donate Button?

2009-06-02T21:12:00.004-07:00

Ive added a donate button and wish list to the sidebar. Why? Its simple.

This is what Knightskewer brings you.

This is what the government brings you.

Who would you rather donate to?

Doe Mountain Calm Before The Storm

2009-05-28T23:19:00.006-07:00

Memorial Day 09

2009-05-25T17:05:00.002-07:00

I had an American moment today as I was waiting for a friend to pick me up from a trail head. My keys were in the center compartment chillin with some tapes, along with the shiny spare tucked inside a leather wallet. And the doors were locked. I don't know how they became locked. Lets just say it happened. So sitting on the trunk of a dusty green car, Ipod battery fatigued, at a mountainous beginning to endless trails I had no choice but to soak it all in. And it couldn't have been a more American scene without Abe Lincoln walking out of the woods swinging a Happy Meal. It didn't hit me until a spankin new car with a "Women for Obama" sticker drove up to the trail blasting country music and sporting a curious dog looking out the back. The music really set the scene. A lone dirt road with a crooked reddish "Dust Abatement" sign resting half on some rocks. At least a half dozen small stars and stripes flags sticking out of the ground, waving in the wind in front of an oddly formed middle class subdivision. Rain on one side of the sky, creeping closer and sun on the other, like clouds had never existed. A large white cross maybe ten feet high, to one side, oddly placed and for no obvious reason. No one else was really around, except for the woman and her dog walking past the log fence and bypassing the trial to walk straight up a small rocky hill. I'm pretty sure that's what its all about and I may have just written a country song.

US Chess Championship 09 Finale

2009-05-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hikaru Nakamura

St. Louis, MO, May 12, 2009 -- Defending champion Yury Shulman, of Barrington, Ill., and Varuzhan Akobian, of North Hollywood, Calif., broke from the pack to take the joint lead of the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Saint Louis, May 13, 2009 -- After five rounds of the U.S. Chess Championship, Michael Brooks of Kansas City, Mo., has an impressive three points, putting him just one point out of first place. Brooks, of Kansas City, has defeated two grandmasters with ratings higher than 2600, including the seventh- and 15th-ranked players in the country.

St. Louis, Mo., 14 May, 2009 -- The leaderboard flipped Thursday in the seventh of nine rounds of the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. At the end of the day, the three top seeds coming into the tournament, and a 17-year-old rising star, shared first place.

Saint. Louis, May 16 -- After eight rounds of tense competition at the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship, two young players enter the final round tied for the lead and the title.

Saint Louis, May 17 -- Hikaru Nakamura, 21, of White Plains, N.Y., won the the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship after winning in the ninth and final round at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

It's like water boarding, if by water you mean bacon.

2009-05-18T09:18:00.001-07:00

My current game. I am white. Place your bets.

1.d4 d5
2.Nf3 Bg4
3.h3 Bh5
4.c4 c6

US Chess Championship 09

2009-05-09T22:41:00.002-07:00

Their is a St Louis Tourny going on for the US Chess Championship. Yes, yes their is. Here is the site: http://www.saintlouischessclub.org/About/Profile

And here's a round up of the goings on so far:

ST. LOUIS, May 5, 2009 -- Two-time American Women's Chess Champion Jennifer Shahade helped kick off festivities for the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship in St. Louis with a marathon afternoon of 25 simultaneous contests against members of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, host of this year's U.S. Chess Championship May 7-17 in the showpiece, new $1 million facility.

ST. LOUIS, May 7, 2009 -- Aloha Mischeaux, a finalist in the fourth season of the popular American Idol TV show, kicked off the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship in rousing fashion with a stirring rendition of the national anthem at the opening ceremonies for the tournament at the Saint Louis University Museum of Art on Thursday, May 7.

Saint Louis, May 9, 2009 - The defending champion of the U.S. Chess Championship, along with the top two rated players in the United States all were victorious Friday in the first round of the 2009 championship at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

St. Louis, MO May 10, 2009: It's the big clash of the contenders and rivals in round three of the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, with the early top board pairing of the defending champion, Yury Shulman from Illinois, and the #1 seed and favorite for the title, Gata Kamsky from Brooklyn. The top two are on full points and leading the chase for bonus $64,000 Fischer Memorial Prize for any player with a perfect sweep of 9-0. The prize is in recognition of the phenomenal feat of the late American world champion Bobby Fischer, who won 11-0 to take the 1963/64 title - the only player in the long and distinguished history of the U.S. Championship to win with a sweep.

Colle Zukertort Revolutionized

2009-05-03T10:18:00.001-07:00

I recently read Zuke 'Em The Colle Zukertort Revolutionized by David Rudel and I have to say, this is a book for us. Not the masters or the grand masters but us, the silent swarm of class, coffee house and club players that stealthily infiltrate society. The cover is odd no doubt, but don't be put off by it. It represents a new style in chess analysis and writing. Openness perhaps even on a daring scale. A lot of people don't respect the Colle of any variation. You may be one of them, I don't know. But Zuke 'Em acknowledges this lack of respect and goes one step further. We know the system has problems, but hey, lets address them, lets take a sparkling new unconventional look and see what we come up with. And we'll find some things. Like many of the toxic beliefs against the system are unfounded. And that black knight is going to c6 regardless of the cunning plan you've been working on for the last two hours.

As someone who has used the Colle for many years. Starting with the Koltanowski and slowly transitioning into the Zukertort by what seems to be an evolution of necessity. They're are a few articles in the book I found invaluable. Or at least I hope that whey will be. Chapter three dips into every piece on the board and notes what its good for and what its probably going to do. Chapter six covers Bf5. How I loathe Bf5. More importantly it reads like chess players think which is why it isn't sitting on the shelf, in the half read chess book section.

P.s. The answer to number 4? Because shes a lesbian.

Endgame Clothing

2009-04-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Years ago, during the long casual games that overtook the Comet on chilled Tuesday evenings. Before all you can eat bacon, when the idea for Knightskewer was still frantically swimming upstream. We talked about making Tshirts related to chess that wouldn't inspire the general public to swashbuckle over and make our pupils dance to the rhythm of the reverberations inside our skull. Oh, we had ideas. Post work, over caffinated ideas that would make Kasparov blush. But we never found the right combinations. Our beakers were left half full at best, if not exploding blue bubbly chemicals altogether.

While we were daydreaming, a new nexus was forming in California that could give the average chess player a symbol, a flag, something that inspires head nods and knowing looks. Someone was actively tailoring fantasy into reality. Someone who weaves fashion and chess with the testosterone laced fibers of ultimate fighting. Someone that can advertise chess without inspiring brutality. Who's beakers commingle with Bunsen burners like they were born to be together. My friends, its here. http://endgameclothing.com/.

2009-04-24T20:18:00.002-07:00

Rook of Jungle Healing

2009-04-21T13:56:00.004-07:00

Ive written about the healing power of chess before. While reading Out of Captivity: Surviving 1967 Days in the Colombian Jungle I came across another smirk producing passage. One of the captives spent a year carving all 32 pieces and was able to scrounge a piece of cardboard to put them on. The piece carving and the marathon games took their minds away from the brutal imprisoning by the FARC. It did what it always does to the human mind.

"Eventually I got so immersed in chess that I would skip lunch if i was in the middle of a game so that I could study the board and plot my next moves. During our marathon, day long matches, the guards who had gone off duty at the start came up to us later in the day for an update. These titanic struggles between the master and the pupil loomed large in everyone's imagination. I was grateful for the distraction the games provided; they helped me take my mind off of Ingrid and the others. I prayed for her nightly and hoped she was well."

Its like imagining a time without sandwiches.

2009-04-06T21:43:00.009-07:00

The beginning/middle of a game my brother and I are currently entrenched in. I slacked. Leaking knowledge. He won the last four games. But I can feel it returning. When the doors open up in your mind and the water rushes out, like its been waiting, but it had to because it wasn't the right time. The Colle System felt right. The rust had to be scraped off eventually. He tends to get spiderwebbed in conservative games, while I get hosed on the open Field finding complications where their are none and missing the path of trampled grass aiming for the king side. What to do now? I don't know. He is on a short vacation. But it will be mindful. And if I lose their is always a fallback: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/upgrade/4311795.html

1. d4 d5
2. Nf3 Bf5
3. e3 e6
4. Bd3 Bg4
5. Nbd2 Bd6
6. O-O Nf6
7. Re1 O-O
8. e4 dxe4
9. Bxe4 c6
10. h3 Bh5
11. a3 Nbd7
12. c4 Rc8
13. b3 Bb8
14. Bb2 Qc7
15. g3 Rcd8
16. Kh2

Hows your butt feel?

2009-03-24T18:09:00.003-07:00

Thats the title of a new tv show Im pitching. Kind of like Anthony Bourdains No Reservations but all you eat is bacon. All kinds of delicious bacon from countries around the world with travel and culture mixed in. Mmm.

Did you know their is a chess game on international flights. That little screen that you cant quite see, ya you can use it to play against the binary brains of the aircraft. The controls are either awful or a well planned design to stall for as much time as possible so you dont have a cabin fever freak out. Thats the good news. The bad news is that it hangs pieces on medium and hard cant possibly be over 1200. What does that mean for aircraft technology? Well, I landed safely.

Also, facebook has a chess application now. Its move within three days stuff. Ive been playing a game with my brother on it and so far so good. Havent had time to explore it thoroughly though. Just wanted to give a heads up for you electronic hipsters.

Open Your Mind

2009-03-09T12:00:00.001-07:00

Preparation for the upcoming match against the brohim.

Deal with all personal psychological issues before play. A swamping brain always makes for poor decision making.

Eliminate the ego. Once the ego is in play commitments get squirrely. Ownership of moves is bad, moves are, the game is. Keep emotions free and think of the game.

When five minutes is left on the clock keep the moves to approximately five seconds. I like to mull. And mulling doesn't do a lot of good when the clock is spiraling through time at an awaiting flag.

When we have less than fifteen seconds left the position of the board greatly decreases as it will be irrelevant if the flag falls. We must now move at a rate of no more than one second per move.

Keep your vision. Don't let your mind stray and pay attention to knight jumps and sniping bishops. Play book openings as far out as possible and save time so the endgame can contain good strategy.

Seize, retain and exploit the initiative. Through offensive action, a commander preserves his freedom of action and imposes his will on the enemy.

If you blunder, don't give up fighting. After getting the advantage, your opponent may relax and let you escape.

The ability to produce duos is the most important measure of the value of a pawn formation.

Remember the Windmill.

And you were raped.

2009-02-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Two games that I actually won! By being a sneaky bastard no less. I like being a sneaky bastard.

Delemak curradojr
1 Pe2-e4 Pe7-e5
2 g1-f3 b8-c6
3 Pd2-d3 Pd7-d6
4 Ph2-h3 Bc8-e6
5 Pc2-c4 c6-d4
6 f3xd4 Pe5xd4
7 b1-d2 g8-f6
8 d2-f3 Pc7-c5
9 Bc1-g5 Bf8-e7
10 Qd1-c1 Qd8-a5+
11 Bg5-d2 Qa5-c7
12 Pg2-g3 Ko-o-o
13 Bf1-g2 Be6-d7
14 Ko-o Pb7-b5
15 Pb2-b3 Pb5-b4
16 Kg1-h2 Pa7-a5
17 Pa2-a3 Ph7-h6
18 Pa3xb4 Pc5xb4
19 f3xd4 Pg7-g5
20 Qc1-b2 Pg5-g4
21 Ph3-h4 f6-h5
22 Rf1-c1 Rd8-g8
23 Rc1-e1 Pd6-d5
24 Pe4xd5 Be7xh4
25 Kh2-g1 Bh4xg3
26 Pf2xg3 h5xg3
27 Re1-e3 Ph6-h5
28 Kg1-f2 g3-f5
29 d4xf5 Bd7xf5
30 Re3-g3 Ph5-h4
31 Rg3-e3 Qc7-f4+
32 Kf2-e1 Ph4-h3
33 Re3-e2 Ph3xg2
34 Re2xg2 Rh8-h1+
35 Ke1-e2

curradojr Dave77234
1 Pe2-e4 Pc7-c5
2 Pc2-c4 b8-c6
3 b1-c3 Pd7-d6
4 Pg2-g3 g8-f6
5 Bf1-g2 Pe7-e6
6 g1-e2 Bf8-e7
7 Ko-o Ko-o
8 Pd2-d3 Pb7-b6
9 Bc1-e3 Pe6-e5
10 Pf2-f4 Bc8-b7
11 Pf4xe5 c6xe5
12 Ph2-h3 Ra8-b8
13 Be3-f4 e5-g6
14 Ra1-b1 f6-h5
15 Kg1-h2 Pf7-f5
16 Bg2-f3 h5xf4
17 e2xf4 g6xf4
18 Pg3xf4 Pf5xe4
19 Bf3xe4 Bb7xe4
20 c3xe4 Qd8-c7
21 Qd1-g4 Rf8-f7
22 Rf1-f3 Rb8-f8
23 Rb1-f1 Ph7-h6
24 e4-g3 Qc7-c6
25 Pf4-f5 Pd6-d5
26 Pc4xd5 Qc6xd5
27 Qg4-e4 Qd5xa2
28 Rf1-f2 Be7-f6
29 g3-h5 Bf6xb2
30 Rf2-g2 Qa2-b3
31 Pf5-f6 Bb2xf6
32 Rf3xf6 Rf7xf6
33 Rg2xg7+

Psychotic Chess

2009-02-16T13:42:00.011-07:00

Chess: –noun, a game played by two persons, each with 16 pieces, on a chessboard.

Insanity: –noun, plural -ties. 1. the condition of being insane; a derangement of the mind.

Add them together, combine in a bowl, mix well, set aside. Later add intensity, some giddiness and an unusual lack of social skills for a chess player.

Now you know my experience in behavior health a few months ago. I neglected to write about it for some time because, well you know, it was really, really strange.

Their had been talk of this middle aged, scruffy looking man who played chess constantly on the unit since the moment I arrived. He apparently could and had beaten every staff member so far. Intriguing as it was to meet this guy, my options were limited to following around someone who's meds got screwed up. Which in turn caused him to have a magnificent episode involving the works, including the padded room. So I waited. And sometime half way into the evening another babysitting staff member saw my sultry gaze layed gently onto the crazy man and his checkered board. He volunteered some time and I took it. Graciously. So scruffy, potbellied, crazy man and I played a couple games. I couldn't tell you any specifics of the game. Only things like the gross stain on his white tshirt, the over medicated shaking hands, his body language unremorsefully spilling the turmoil in his head outward and what seemed to me to be a true desire to figure the best moves. We played four games in all over two days. After I won the first game he was challenged. It was clear in his eyes and the the way he hastily found me every few hours to thrust the pieces in my direction meekly. They were fun games. For someone who probably had almost no literacy level and spent months at a time in the nuthouse he played remarkably well. And during the final game I debated the situation. How many games would a psychotic man who is used to winning lose before losing it altogether. I let him win.

Bounce On The Double

2009-02-12T10:20:00.005-07:00

I get out of class on Monday for presidents day. Really I do. Tell me that's not absurd. So whats the appropriate celebration? Work! And maybe a stop at the overcrowded chess club over the tracks. Ill let you know how it goes.

"Im just a pawn in this game of life!"

2009-02-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

Played a couple games on Pogo the other day. Won them both. My rating had dropped down to below 1600. Yes I know Pogo rating blah blah. But he hung his queen twice and was rated 200 points above me. It seemed odd and he said he was having an off day. When I got to thinking about it, maybe over thinking, my tactics were pretty solid. I'm bringing "solid" back from the fifties with the help of an elderly woman in case you were wondering. He brought his queen out a little too early both games. I hunted his queen, cause that's fun, especially with knobs on Pogo who don't know how to handle it. Well it paid out in spades as it frequently does, plus it gave me a chess ego boost. And it gave me an excuse to post that hilarious picture.

Diluted

2009-02-01T14:36:00.007-07:00

I'm not sure what I'm going to blog about today. The Super Bowl is about to start and I'm buying time before the Cards do some unpredictable rampaging. People are still coming to this site even though nothing of any real value has been posted in some time. Which is appreciated for sure. But its strange that certain posts hold enough substance to get a continued readership.

The last games I played were back in Milwaukee over the new year at the much aforementioned Bremen Cafe with the notorious Rob. You know the one who just joined the Army? We went one and one for two games that didn't have any fireworks. That's kind of what was nice about them though. Some times the best games are the midday slowbies that are only vaguely memorable.

On a related note, Ive been steadily churning through books on battles in Fallujah and Baghdad. Probably not going to improve my chess game a whole lot with them, but they definitely give a good grounding on invasion and urban warfare tactics. Its surprising how much detail they are allowed to go into. The two best so far and both highly recommended by yours truly are "On Call In Hell" and "No True Glory." If you cant get a good sense of the people, battles and culture of Fallujah from these two your probably mildly retarded. Or you cant read, in which case you shouldn't just stare at books for no reason. If their is anything chess related one can glean from such writings its that you should finish what you start on the board. Having a good feasible plan only to pull it back for something better is a risk to big to take.

Steakums and stuff

2008-10-16T11:33:00.004-07:00

Well, my nerdy brother has joined the ultimate nerdom of the Oxford Chess Club. I guess I should probably get back on my game. I cant very well let him win. It probably has something to do with the way he horded the Steakums when we were growing up. Man those were delicious.

Not too much on the chess scene over the previous few months. You probably noticed by the lack of posts. In fact, you probably just stopped stopping by. A few random games with scantily clad ladies late at night, Pogo kids with serious ADHD and a small competition with my bro back home a couple months ago make up the entirety of recent chess adventures. Their have been many adventures to be sure, I settled a feud between the Scottish and Northern Irish, held hands with the many of the dying, got hit with a cane, held some peoples heads down while others shoved tubes down their throat, played eight hours of "soccer" with an abused Hispanic kid and saw much of the Southwest to name a few. But those aren't particularly chess related. So we shall see how some studying does me. Wouldn't want to be all hat and no cattle after all.

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T13:41:00.002-07:00

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

Posting resumes. Celebrate memorial day, most of us arent heroes and those that are deserve every meat smelling, smoke filled back yard that we can muster.

Ahh Wisconsin

2008-04-01T20:23:00.005-07:00

Even in the town of Flagstaff you wouldn't hear a story like this. Sorry kid religion offends people, well Christianity does, those other religions are OK though. The hippies say the gov is taking away our rights. Yes they are hippies, yes they are.

From Fox News
"Millin showed the student a policy for the class that prohibited any violence, blood, sexual connotations or religious beliefs in artwork. The lawsuit claims Millin told the boy he had signed away his constitutional rights when he signed the policy at the beginning of the semester."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,344350,00.html

It almost makes me long for home

Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy

2008-03-30T12:06:00.005-07:00

You may have noticed I haven't been around much lately. Chess has been almost completely out of my life for the first time in many years. Its gotten me through many hard times. Through many good times too for that matter. It filled the gaps in time when fluff and boredom take hold. Times when the pulse of work slowed to a grueling tick. Times when monotony sucks imagination into a time warp. It cultivated friendships when nothing else was in common and brought many strange adventures, most of which I have tried to share with you. Their are some best kept to ones own memory, however. But as of late life has taken some new turns. As Yogi Berra likes to say "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." Well I now have a fork, some chopsticks and a knife that says Usinger Sausage on it.

Speaking of utensils, The Biggest Loser is one of the greatest shows ever. Guess who's going to Bobs book signing in Tuscon?

Also, I have been willingly thrust into a world of deafness. Ive met someone who is completely deaf in one ear and coincidentally (if your into that kind of thing) has a dog that can hear nothing except its own internal cravings to taunt cats and urinate in inappropriate places. Ive also met someone who speaks sign language and has a deaf sibling. This has led me to read a book entitled "Deafness" by David Wright. Needless to say deafness is not the world most people think it is. Its a testament to our humanity really. The deaf aren't angry or bitter or anything like that. They just simply live their life in a slightly different way from the hearing. They have some advantages, like sleeping, and drawbacks, like only being able to be engaged in one conversation at a time. What is to be learned from all of this? People who wear ipod headphones in one ear look silly. Talking to animals is more for our benefit than it is theirs. Think about that for a minute if you have animals. And the Spanish did a lot more good than we give them credit for during their tenure as world super power.

Politics are heating up and this is one the best political adds of all time.

Following politics is great but engaging in it with other people is usually pretty obnoxious. So Ill keep this part short. The problems ignored for many decades have finally been dug up during this administration. They are not all solved nor will they be for a long time, but we can no longer sweep them under the rug while wearing the veil of political correctness or being blindly smitten by partisan leaders. Lets find someone who will solve these issues one at a time instead of someone who ignores them all or tries to tackle them all at once.

But mostly I haven't been hooking up with underage girls.

More on my recent travels in the desert and beyond soon. I wish chess was more appealing right now. But the Gods have a preoccupation with wrapping wishes in a suitable coating of irony so be careful what you wish for.

2008-03-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters

"Not just talking bullshit but acually living the bullshit. Thats the earmark of a true candidate."
The Onion is guileless... as usual. If your not familiar with The Onion newspaper, your stupid.

Happy New Year Asians!

2008-02-21T17:38:00.007-07:00

Alas, it is the year of the Rat and in the spirit of curiosity I did some research worthy of most major news outlets utmost respect. Wikipedia.

"Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat's natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust."

One question comes to mind in regards to the year of the Rat. What the f#*@ does any of this have to do with Rats? I'm disappointed in you Asians. First rice and now this. Is it too much to ask to get a zodiac symbol that makes some sense?

Being unprepared... Mount Elden and the looming battles

2008-02-17T18:29:00.021-07:00

Admittedly I was totally unprepared for the hamburger in a can. Not that Ive eaten one or would. No... I would.

Mostly unprepared for a man who wears a singlet and acts like a wolf. Pleasantly unprepared but unprepared none the less.

Mount Elden looks like a smaller mountain from the bottom. You can barely distinguish the look out tower at the top.

Their is a tournament on Saturday at NAU. This will be my second tourney ever, although it seems like Ive been to a million of them. Perhaps its the long evenings with large groups of players or the lack of nervous intimidation usually associated with social events.

The mountain side is covered with boulders, random escalating foliage and androgynous jogging Native Americans.

Im just not rattled by nerds even when they travel in packs. In a worse case scenario I can just roll up my sleeves and ramble on about the osmolarity of my blue Gatorade.

The view gets wider on the way up. Its hard to capture the sky but its very blue and the temperature is a scorching 60ish.

But as the title suggests, I dont have a clue what Im going to do at this tourney. I havent studied much, save for a few weekly puzzles, Mondays chess club and some wiley games with my roommate. My opening repertoire is stagnant at best and my vision of the board is mired in a cataract fog.

Below you can see the "east side" of Flag. For a city with so few inhabitants it has a remarkable ability to section areas off and unofficially name them.

So Ive put together a list of fundamentals that address some of my greatest weaknesses. What will happen at the tournament? I dont know. Really Im just going for the hell of it. It might make a good story. How could it not with a couple hundred characters gathered around to mull over a game in the hopes of leaving their daily lives and thought processes.

Its getting colder and snowier on the way up. The clouds gather near the peak in some bizarre meteorological formation.

Hundreds of people. Who am I kidding. It will probably be thirty moderately uncomfortable dudes, most of whom have long unkept hair that give them clout in the world of role playing hippies.

Lots of mountains in the distance.

Alas, it doesnt matter. It will be a good time in one way or another. So back to the list.

1. Eliminate the ego. Once the ego is in play commitments get squirrely. Ownership of moves is bad, moves are, the game is. Keep emotions free and think of the game.

Sideways view. It started getting steep. So steep in fact that I got worried about getting back down in my trusty New Balance.

2. When five minutes is left on the clock keep the moves to approximately five seconds. I like to mull. And mulling doesnt do a lot of good when the clock is spiraling through time at an awaiting flag.

This is about as far as I could get in a tshirt with running shoes on. The look out will have to wait for another day.

3. Be a tactical savage. Scalp the opponent and take the advantage. Artistic play is brilliant but tournaments arent an awaiting canvas. They are a battlefield of small squares containing plastic soldiers with high morale.

Back at the bottom the mountain grows tall again.

4. Keep your vision. Dont let your mind stray and pay attention to knight jumps and sniping bishops. Play book openings as far out as possible and save time so the endgame can contain good strategy.

This picture captures the feel of Mount Elden, perhaps better than all of the others.

The tourney is five round Swiss. I dont even know what that means.

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-13T20:43:00.003-07:00

Borderline Retarded

2008-02-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

I started feeling about as retarded as Amy Whinehouse when it comes to chess. If you dont think shes got issues watch the video without sound and tell me she didnt recently climb out from the depths of a special needs class. After fourteen straight losses discouragement is an understatement. And it seems like Im not the only one. A couple people have posted on the levels of rising apathy and how its all part of the improvement cycle. This was the give up type of apathy though. Some of the losses were so horrendous I felt like I had just started learning the game and everything that the opponent was doing was a giant cosmic mystery. Blitz, untimed, didnt matter. Book openings played by memory were getting smoked. Sooo....

I go to the chess club tonight after climbing a nearby mountain (pictures coming soon)and get my ass handed to me once again. I start playing this guy who seems pretty cool. He sets up for a blitz game of 5 mins and I take a deep sigh. Then I lose. Then I lose again. I start thinking about whats going on so I make some conversation. Maybe digging in to some psychological well will reveal something thats clearly missing. It does. Ive been playing against masters. Not fake ones. Masters rated over 2200, including the highest rated player in Arizona. I felt somewhat justified. In a weird sort of way, like when you eat a frozen pizza and spend two hours on the toilet. Then when your wiping your chafed butt you remember your lactose intolerant. It doesnt make things better but you see the light and its the annoying environmentally friendly kind.

Super Bowl Commercials

2008-02-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

I didnt watch the superbowl for the commercials. I watched it for cheesehead vindication. But the commercials were still funny so they are posted in the correct order of humor. If you havent seen them you need to.

Audio Fischer

2008-02-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

NPR covers Fischers life with past audio clips and an interesting interview with Kasparov. Worth listening too once you get past the carbon copy reiteration of what Fischer was like. Their is a second program further down the page. Its not too bad but probably nothing you havent heard before. Except that his parents were Jewish and if Im not mistaken Jewish law states that if you are born of a Jewish mother you are always considered to be a Jew. Hmm.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18228001

Drew Carey and the rebirth of reason.

2008-02-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

I always liked Drew Carey. His first couple shows were so/so but it seems as though the more he does the more likable he becomes. He definately doesnt take a partisan veiw and in this day and age thats a welcome relief.

Youll notice a couple changes on the side bar. I added a bunch of links cause Im tired of the pretentious blog roll. It was getting annoying and didnt give credit to all the blogs out their that are worth some time. So check'em out and if your not on it give knightskewer a heads up and you will be. Thanks again to all the bloggers who have me on their blogroll.

Mondays blunderland

2008-01-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Sedona Part 2 and the chess roommate

2008-01-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome Phillips family wherever you are this cold winter night. Thanks again for helping me load the trailer.

Seeing Slide Rock is understanding why native Americans worshipped the land.

"where the statue stood
Of Newton with his prism and silent face,
The marble index of a mind for ever
Voyaging through the seas of Thought, alone."
-William Wordsworth

A few minutes down, a stream begins to pick up speed.

The roommate and I have played a few games now. Some in the afternoons and a couple at night over a beer. He is quite the gamesman or hobbyist if you will. Pool, Backgammon, chess and a guitar player. I imagine this variety of activity collects somewhere in the mind and branches out new innovative thought when challenged.

Everywhere in Sedona has a mesmerizing view. I had to pull over and snap this one.

He has lost four in a row now to yours truly. It definitely burns him up a little but our games are always good natured so their are no hard feelings. I am quite pleased with the way the games have gone. No major blunders or ridiculous endgame stupidity on my end and he has racked up only one blunder.

From the same place on the road. The curvy mountain roads are so tight they section off small areas next to red rock banks to pull over in case of an emergency.

The games have had a good pace to them, playing without the clock. Games seem to be a lot friendlier without the clock so I prefer it unless the situation is really competitive. But the speed is controlled and time is given on moves where it is apparent that it is needed. He clearly has as much experience as I do but his is further away, some lost to time.

Aaahhh a thousand or more feet down and we reach Grasshopper Point. So far my favorite place in the world. The water is clearer than it looks in the picture. The mountain streams form tranquil mini waterfalls that hush the sparse wildlife.

The latest duel we had happened on a Sunday afternoon. I turned on the military channel for added strategic emphasis. Their is nothing like hearing mortar rounds and rolling tank treads while duking it out otb. Its like a cross between eating chicken nuggets in the back of a pick up truck filled with crates of chickens and a civil war reenactment. Something about irony and simulacra.

A little ways down those rocks is the perfect place to chill and meditate on life.

He castled Queen side again which really freaked me out. He has done this in three of the last four games. It may have been a sneaky subterfuge at one point in time but now it just accelerates my attack. At some point it costs him tempo. Maybe at the end of the middlegame or the beginning of the endgame when an slew of pawns and major pieces are bearing down on the weakly fortified castle. Anyway, every time I see the Queen side maneuver I start pushing pawns and the game turns out in my favor.

This place has everything. Forestry, gentle streams, high red rock cliffs and strange unfamiliar plant life. Imagine discovering this after weeks through the desert on a horse.

Why does he castle Queen side? Does he fear a quick aggressive attack? or maybe hes giving room to his own pawns in an attempt to launch a siege.

A cactus eye view from Grasshopper Point.

The latest game was quite even in every way until we neared the endgame. I'm not sure where I read it, but somewhere it says that as soon as you enter the endgame begin moving your king up the board into the action. This has been my mantra and I think it has improved my game exponentially. Why its taken this long to learn such a simple trick is bizarre.

I think its a seasonal river bed. The sign says No Glass On The Beach and Animals Have Rabies. Hmm.

His biggest flaw is one that we've all faced at one time or another. Relying on a sense of vision that just isn't their. Maybe it once was, maybe your in the midst of learning it, maybe your mind is a cloudy mess for any reason. Once you start to rely on it, you begin to habituate your actions. If at any time the vision subsides the game collapses like a Chinese house in a snowstorm.

The city area of Sedona. A half mile of tourist shops on either side in a sort of old west nouveau style. I got some candies from "Grandma Horr's Cookies, The Best Little Horr House In Sedona." Who could resist. They couldn't.

I am not saying that one shouldn't or cant rely on it. I'm saying that we must be wary of the times when it will fail us. To have a contingency plan. To be able to fall back on a more alert, artistic way of game play when necessary. Not to submit defeat at the first loss of a major piece. Instead we should begin a new train of thought that explores pathways not yet seen. To explore true thought during the game, not just what you have learned. To open up intellectual perception at a moments notice, recognize that all realms of mind can be used to create new ideas on the board and to understand it, alone.

That little railing is preventing me from falling a very long scary death. The size of the bridge juxtaposed with the canyon can cause some serious vertigo. That trail down is for another time.

Looking away from the bridge the rocks have been waiting to taunt us for millions of years.

Sedona really ignites the spirit of nature and displays the smallness of man.

Sedona and the Macy's chess club part 1

2008-01-22T23:26:00.000-07:00

Not even kitties can resist the Route 66 Doghaus. I had to make a dog stop before the journey. Mmm the hickory bacon dog is like a roller coaster in your mouth and digestive system.

I stopped over at Macy's cafe Monday night to check out their chess club. Last Monday they had three boards goings and a limited number of creepy old guys so I inquired as to how often they meet. A white bearded man said every Monday until 10. So I penciled it in.

My mountainous home. Partly cloudy through a dusty windshield. Also analogous to life.

Macy's is a self described "European Cafe." What makes it European other than the prices is still a mystery. It keeps busy most of the time and kind of reminds me of a pseudo hippie Panera but with all vegetarian food. The clientele is pretty mixed. Ive seen babies, dirty hippies, old pretentious hippies and chess players all in the same ten foot radius. You'd think that would open some sort of vortex.

A picture from Oak Creek Canyon Lookout. Pictures just don't give it justice, it is so huge.

So Monday night rolls around and I return with the intention of getting a good game in and finishing my book. I talk with the girl behind the counter for a couple minutes cause I cant figure out if shes a hippie or a lesbian. The tattoos and short hair really go either way and shes obligated to make conversation.

Certain death from the canyon drop.

Their are four games going with a fifth guy hanging out harassing the other players. I took my hot apple cider over and asked if he was up for a game. He kindly gestured to sit down and started making conversation. Flagstaff has a unique small talk that isn't so much "What do you do?" or Hows it goin?" Its more of a "What are you doing here?", "What adventures do you bring?" introduction.

Something green is growing on the outer edge of the canyon. Look at that lush forest in the background.

I tentatively spill a small life story and he does the same. I start to wonder if were ever going to play some chess and hes still talking about old friends and places from long ago. It doesn't take long to realize no one is actually from Flag, everyone has a story to tell and they all want to tell it.

It goes on forever and the cold nights keep a little remaining snow to make small native American snow men with. Then they scalp them with snow tomahawks.

We set the timer for ten minutes a side and I start as white. The cafe is a buzz with activity even for eight in the evening on a Monday night. I know he underestimates my play because he starts with some crazy post modern fianchetto. I beg him with the queens gambit but he denies.

You cant fight the sun up here nor the awesome mountains.

We get into a tough middle game where I dominate the center but he is launching a complex counter attack. I know the he knows that he played to soft in the opening. He gets that concerned look because time is starting to tick down and he needs a good plan quickly.

The road to the city leads right through that.

We come out of the middle game and into the endgame dead even on material. My position is slightly better and we both a several major pieces left. His time is dwindling fast while I have a couple minutes left. At this point I'm thinking about the strongest piece, the clock. He is too. I'm not subtle about looking at it.

A view of Slide Rock about 1500 ft down the canyon. Its being shadowed by the cliffs on the other side.

Then I blunder. Their goes a rook. Hes not relaxing, he has almost no time left. Mine is running short too and its my only hope. I foolishly make an exchange in the hopes of complicating the endgame further. Gambling on his endgame skill is really all I have left. But he pulls through in the end by queening an untouchable pawn and mating me with about four seconds left. That was a burner and I didn't want another game.

Chess rock landed on us.

2008-01-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Took a trip to Sedona a couple days ago. What a fantastically awesome place. Pictures just cant do justice to the beauty and enormity of the cliffs and canyons that envelope the whole place.

I'm still on a winning streak with my new roomy. Hes a little rusty so he makes some really great, mind melting moves and then misses a pin of his Queen to his King. Its enjoyable to play against him because hes laid back and doesn't take the game personally. He also brings in some new ideas that I'm unfamiliar with. Like playing the guitar as a ridiculous psychological ploy or launching a full on attack only to pull it back a couple moves later.

Everything in Sedona makes one feel super small. Can you see that road?

Going out to Macy's cafe on Monday night for chess club. I cant believe I found such a place only a few days after arriving in Flagsaff. I noticed a couple heated middlegames last Monday as I was reading Asimov's Fantastic Voyage. Great read btw. Very seventies sci fi but in the human body. Anyway, after approaching one of the more casual games the bearded man said they meet at Macy's every Monday for a few hours. It was a couple old guys and a couple young guys so it will be interesting to explore the new dynamic.

I'm headed back to Sedona in a few days to capture a gazillion photos of Oak Creek Canyon, Slide Rock, a random beach I found with no water and whatever else strikes my fancy.

It will also be interesting to see how I fare. In the past year I tore up the UWM chess ranks, some friends and family and a few random strangers at coffeehouses. I frequently lose the first game but once I get a handle on their strategerieness they get hosed like were playing kick the kid with one shoe.

"I am very sorry, but Bobby Fischer is dead. Goodbye." -Spassky

2008-01-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

He was a brilliant man who is an inspiration to most if not all serious chess players and will continue to be. His contribution of Fischer Chess to the chess world will live on in eternity as a training technique and a new game growing in popularity. In the style of a true genious he didnt fit in well with the rest of the world but could comprehend it in a way no other could. I often wonder what the world would be like had he taken up astrophysics, painting or music instead of chess. He died at 64. Thats an odd coincidence.

"Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, president of the World Chess Federation, called Fischer "a phenomenon and an epoch in chess history, and an intellectual giant I would rank next to Newton and Einstein.""

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,323730,00.html

"The 1972 match made chess fashionable, even sexy, some experts say."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7195840.stm

"Former Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov said Fischer would be remembered as "the pioneer, some would say the founder, of professional chess" and called his death "very sad news.""

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/18/fischer.obit/index.html

Pawn Shaman has moved!

2008-01-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

To Flagstaff AZ. Sorry for the long delay in posts. Traveling across the country and getting settled in takes a bit of time. Thanks to those who didn't give up on me though. And thanks to Chess Loser for the link in his recent LOLcat post. Snuggles Gambit!

So traveling doesn't leave a lot of time for chess but does leave a lot of time for a chess vacation. Everybody knows a good vacation can boost motivation and concentration when it is all over. Ive purposefully taken some cheescations in the past but this one was more of the Taoist variety. It flowed like an uncarved block, which is as far as my analysis goes. It paid off in spades though when an unexpected game from a local gun slinger fell in my lap.

My Apt. No stalking please.

I have two roommates. One is a gay dude around 30 with an iffy sense of design and an open mind. The other a college freshman in his early twenties who is quite independent and a craigslist ladies man for what its worth. So one day CLM (craigslist ladies man) and I head to the local pub for a brew. The Road.

It doesn't take long to get a little fuzzy on booze at seven thousand feet. Some of you may already know this. After a couple, CLM challenges yours truly to a game of chess. What?! Is this some kind of universal law of chessnerds that we naturally gravitate towards each other. The Law of Social Chess Magnetism: Chess players/nerds naturally progress towards each other socially due to common personality traits and thus similar taste in watering holes and bistros. Sometimes their paths collide but often a strange gravitation occurs where many chessies orbit the same locale completely unaware of one another.

One of many mountain peaks in this area.

CLM brings out a small board from the back showing his familiarity with this particular bar. We set it up, I am black, and I get the mysterious fat green pawn which is aptly named the Leprechaun pawn. We are both feeling the altitude and I express in arrogance that I am not going to let him win, ever. He takes it in stride. I then pull the "bishop and knight in the wrong place" trick to see if he is paying attention and judge his reaction. He noticed and didn't say anything so I switched them back. So far no psychological clues at all. The game progresses and I play Ba3 to block his castling ability and leave my bishop totally exposed. It was a calculated risk, against my better judgement. He forks my king and bishop a few moves after and now a wild attack is bearing down on the black king. He plays haphazardly and I regain lost points by assassinating a slew of pawns. Now he must activate his pieces to equalize the tempo so I pin them in a web of annoyance. One lone green pawn shuffles toward the end of the board until it is too late and he offers his hand in resignation.

Chess me out

2007-12-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

An interesting candid documentary on some chess masters and their perspective. It lasts about 43 minutes so if you have some time to kill, check it out.

"If you have the concentration you literally don't here the bombs."

http://www.tubechess.com/index.php?id=107

Oh no my link was busted, but its fixed now.

Some things just arent right.

2007-12-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

I found this Q and A with Bruce Pandolfini over at ChessCafe.com. Ive heard of this kind of game before but have never been in an actual circumstance where people are playing it. I knew a guy once who talked about three person chess and that weirded me out a little bit. This "bug house" chess thing weirds me out too as does that kreepy Kermit picture and our misconceptions as to where our energy comes from. Enjoy:

"Question What is Bug House chess? Folks in this area enter Bug House chess tournaments and I have never heard of it until arriving in this city. Ted McNair (USA)

Answer It’s a variant of chess (though many teachers consider it a disease, the way many juveniles love to play it instead of standard chess) where you play with two boards and sets of pieces and have a partner. If you get white, your partner gets black. If you have black, your partner must take white. You play essentially with the same rules, the primary difference being that everything you capture is given to your partner (or teammate), who is then allowed to put these captured “other board” pieces and pawns on his or her own board, with each placement counting as a separate move. There are other differences, too, such as most Bughouse players allow the king to be taken, and such a capture ends the game. Naturally, you can also win by checkmate or time forfeiture. If you win, you win on both boards; that is, your team wins.

In the past it’s also gone by other names, such as “insanity chess” or “tandem put back chess,” and I think it’s had a few other names as well. I’m attracted to the claim that it was first popularized at the Marshall Chess Club in the 1960s by the Diplomacy playing group of adolescents and young players then inhabiting 23 West Tenth Street, though that’s never been confirmed, even though I was very much a party of that clan. I simply viewed it as the other experiment we tried when we got tired of Kriegspiel."

Plus for all you hippies, here is the EPAs website that shows how you get your electricity by region and compares it to the national average. Quite interesting indeed.

Blogline

2007-12-26T08:38:00.001-07:00

An interesting piece from NPR on the long history of blogging, dating back to Caesar's war journal.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17421022

And...

Whatever happened to His Best Friend? Is he gone from us forever? Or should he be buried in the graveyard?

Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa

2007-12-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite Christmas video.

The only person I know who is dating a black man asked me a unique question yesterday. "What is Kawanza?" At first I thought she was joking Because I am in fact one of the whitest people known to humanity. Some people hide in the shadows, I hide behind those white Christmas trees in department stores. If Fox produced White Idol, the Simon Cowell equivalent would shed a tear for my brilliance. So in the spirit of the season here is a short lesson on Kwanzaa:

Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits" in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language.

It is:
a time of ingathering of the people to reaffirm the bonds between them;

a time of special reverence for the creator and creation in thanks and respect for the blessings, bountifulness and beauty of creation;

a time for commemoration of the past in pursuit of its lessons and in honor of its models of human excellence, our ancestors;

a time of recommitment to our highest cultural ideals in our ongoing effort to always bring forth the best of African cultural thought and practice; and

a time for celebration of the Good, the good of life and of existence itself, the good of family, community and culture, the good of the awesome and the ordinary, in a word the good of the divine, natural and social.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May God bless you and your crappy blog.

Instapundit

2007-12-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

I snagged this from Glenn Reynolds over at http://instapundit.com/ . A thought provoking snippet for fellow bloggers.

ADVICE TO NEW BLOGGERS from Jorn Barger, who coined the term "weblog." I like this one: "If you have more original posts than links, you probably need to learn some humility." But then, I would, wouldn't I? Plus this: "Being truly yourself is always hipper than suppressing a link just because it's not trendy enough. Your readers need to get to know you."

and...

65%

Looking for payday loans?

I am an endgame disaster

2007-12-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I enter the endgame up six points:

This is the creepiest thing ever:

This is a pretty cool link for all of you science nerds out there:

http://lifeboat.com/ex/videos

And now a poem by my favorite author James Ellroy...

2007-12-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

woof woof hear the demon dog bark,
hes got a twelve inch wang and it glows in the dark,
his brain is big but his dick is bigger,
his right wing fingers on the nuclear trigger,
yes my friend hear this ode,
I forked a lizard and a lobster and a horny toad,
I'm the king of writers woof woof woo woo,
Ive got a two year old girlfriend strung out on glue,
Ill end this poem with a sauerkraut fart,
and ill pick up this book and write straight from the heart

If your opponent has knees, take them.

2007-12-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

I played a game over at the Bremen Cafe yesterday evening. It started well with myself as white. I opened postmodern, playing as I felt instead of what may have seemed most appropriate. With a lot of impending changes in my life and the stress attached it was sure to have some peculiar maneuvering. Blacks response was appropriate and strong throughout the opening. Black didn't control the center for too long since it was lunch time for some stop square eating pawns.
What we hadn't realized about the evening was that it was open mic night. For those of you who have been to an open mic night during any time in your life and understand the idiosyncrasies attached to it fear not for I imagine little has changed. The first guy took the mini stage apparently straight from a hard day of ice fishing. He was an amateur guitarist. Shocking. The second "act" was another guitarist but he was different. He had been sitting with a girl I dated many years ago...and her dad. This could be quite a distraction during the game. But as fate would have it my opponent was equally distracted because he had dated her too. Not that either of us were torn from the game. Frankly it had been so long ago that no one really had anything attached and simple acknowledgements were sufficient. But the game was odd to begin with and then it became doubly odd.
I castled Queenside quickly to protect my piece proprietor and align the Alekhine annihilation machine. Black didn't have time to do the same so he began to lose the middle game. Black owned the center with a bishop and knight. White had strong posts on three corners of the board with a solidified taunting position. Unfortunately taunting was all I did for about ten moves. Then I set a plan in motion haphazardly hoping for some heroic promotion. My sight grew bleary and I missed the move that would have ended the game. Black ate the best pawn on the board because of a hasty run to the corner. From then on the endgame was a strange display of strategies from the hip that caused my eventual demise.

Some lessons were learned though:

Never knock on someones door and burst into a one man be-bop a-cappela without expecting to get tasered.

If your opponent has knees, take them.

Kasparov Forked

2007-11-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

From the BBC:

"Police moved in when protesters tried to march to the election commission, which had barred Other Russia candidates from next week's election."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7110910.stm

From FoxNews:

"The protesters were demanding an end to the authoritarian rule of President Vladimir Putin."

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Nov24/0,4670,RussiaProtestMarch,00.html

From the NY Times:

"In a statement, Mr. Kasparov said the court proceedings had been “a choreographed farce from beginning to end.” He added, “It was a symbol of what has happened to justice and the rule of law under Putin.” "

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/world/europe/25russia.html?ex=1353646800&en=fe1218488dd9f149&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Putin cannot serve a third term in office, nor does he plan too. He is however setting himself up a nice cushy seat in the parliment and a successor who follows his ideology. Im not sure exactly what the protest was about, other than we hate Putin and want him gone even earlier than planned. He is a remarkably poor President/Dictator that has tanked relations with the US and the Russian people while choosing Iran as a good friend. His mafia style rule has set the country back decades. The best that can be said is that he held the country together during tough times. However, a steady, consistent, popular change is needed to steer Russia back to a moral political path. The best change comes from the inside and he should serve out his term. This was a bad move by Kasparov and an even worse move by Putin.

UPDATE: Kasparov has been jailed for five days (starting saturday) for leading an 'unauthorized march.' (Note the scare quotes they are intentional)

UPDATE: "Kasparov was convicted of organizing an unsanctioned procession, chanting anti-government slogans and resisting arrest after Saturday's protest, held eight days before parliamentary elections."

"In an appeal heard Monday, Kasparov argued that he had followed police orders and was illegally detained. He also cited contradictory testimony from police officers, who told the court in Saturday's hastily organized trial that they had been ordered before the rally to arrest Kasparov, one of Putin's fiercest critics."

Corruption of Blood

2007-11-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the life of the Person attained.

Backward Pawns plague us all. The questions are: When are they considered backward? and What in the hell do you do with them once they have become Copperheads?

The book Pawn Power (I'm sure most of you are familiar with it. It is stuffed with content but reads like stereo instructions) puts it this way:

"A half-free pawn, placed on the second or third rank, whose stopsquare lacks pawn protection but is controlled by a sentry, is called a backward pawn or, as we alternately speak of it, a straggler."

Backward pawns aren't a problem I run into regularly. I know little about them other than through frustrating experiences OTB. It will take more research to get a solid knowledge of how they effect the game but this has been sitting in the folder as a draft for so long I just had to get it out.

Everything

2007-11-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

Between talking to my brother about his high level philosophy class and Transformations mind absorbing posts Ive started to become reaccustomed to thinking philosophically. Its really a fantastic way of aproaching an issue. To take in everything around you, to account for everything your mind has to offer and attempt to apply it in one direction.

When I first started playing chess, a group of us were playing at the Comet and talking about what we would bring to the game. I wanted to bring a mind altering new perspective. No one knew what that meant, including myself. But it seemed like a great idea, to try to find some real answers rather than follow a common linear path. I suppose that leads us outside of the game and into the interrelationships of the world. As you can see I still have no idea what Im talking about.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

So much to be thankful for.

Enjoy the Rockyesque cinematography.

2007-11-19T02:30:00.000-07:00

I predicted two weeks ago that it will be a Packers, Patriots Super Bowl. I want to go on the record saying that not only will that happen but the Packers will win it in a pseudo-upset. The Patriots are an outstanding team with a lot of talent but the Pack have an organic mix of new and old, rookies and veterans, that's giving them the ability to grow organically. We will soon see the truth of the matter when the Pack staves off the Lions this Thanksgiving.

If I may be so boldly nerdy as to compare it to Wolff's Law of Bone: Wolff's law is a theory developed by the German Anatomist/Surgeon Julius Wolff (1835-1902) in the 19th century that states that bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads it is placed under. If loading on a particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself over time to become stronger to resist that sort of loading. The converse is true as well: if the loading on a bone decreases, the bone will become weaker due to turnover as it is less metabolically costly to maintain and there is no stimulus for continued remodeling that is required to maintain bone mass.

The Impossible Question

2007-11-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Their is a book by Krishnamurti entitled The Impossible Question. Krishnamurti was chosen at birth by Theosophists to be the coming of a great religious leader. At age thirty four he dissolved the organization that was created for him, released his followers and returned all donations back to his contributors. He then traveled the world seeking to obtain peace and often left it in the wake of his wisdom. He was by all means a brilliant man but would never accept such a title.

This particular book takes a great deal of time to understand and Ive only read portions of it. Id like to share a passage from it that takes some thought and release from the usual mental constraints. Then I will pose a question.

"Sirs, look, we never put the impossible question - we are always putting the question of what is possible. If you put an impossible question, your mind then has to find an answer in terms of the impossible - not what is possible. All the great scientific discoveries are based on this, the impossible."

How can you checkmate your opponent with only one move?

Veterans Day

2007-11-11T22:20:00.001-07:00

Take a moment to pray for those who served our country. If you've ever experienced hardship or tragedy you know how it can be. They have experienced it too, only they did it for you.

To Teach Or Not To Teach.

2007-11-09T04:11:00.000-07:00

So the same friend that is from the previous post sent me an email about a position teaching chess to middle school kids that was posted on Craigslist. I will refer to him from now on as "Dude" as to not put his business on the web. Dude has the best of intentions despite the fact that he is recently unemployed. I just quit one job so another sounds silly at first but upon further investigation I find it pays thirty dollars an hour but only for three hours a week. That's a fine wage for a thirty year old man to pursue his hobby. I say what the hell and set up an informal interview. We settle into Starbucks on one of the first days of the establishing cold. Chilly I should say but for those of you in the south its down right cold. He drops a board on the table and we talk casually over a nicely paced game that I tank on purpose. He asks questions, I ask questions and the universe is in harmony. "Do you mind wearing a sailor hat?" he asks me. What in the hell kind of question is that? Grown men don't wear sailor hats unless they live in San Fransisco or are actually in the Navy. Which begs the question, but I didn't ask. Admittedly kids are as foreign to me as reverse bulimia, but I have no intention of ruining a perfectly good hobby by humiliation. "Yes it does bother me." I say concerned. Then I proceed to schedule a day to start training in the hopes that the sailor hat thing will magically disappear. It didn't. I show up at an intermediate school (Is that what they are calling middle schools these days? Is middle school now somehow offensive?) and much to my dismay the teacher is in full mock sailor uniform. At that moment of time realization struck me that it was never going to happen. Who can pass up an opportunity to watch a grown man in a sailor outfit try to teach bratty rich kids chess immediately after the school day is over? I cant. So I hung around and watched as a couple kids understood what was going on and the others.... well here's a list of what you can expect if you ever decide to pursue such a thing:

Peacefully setting up the board only to yank the roll up out excitedly like Copperfield before the ruffies set in.

Reaching behind another player to snatch their king for an excuse to run in circles wildly.

Broken Queens.

Pawns will enter nasal cavities. I didn't think it was possible either.

One kid going ballistic because hes obviously starved for attention in his home life.

Someone will cry.

Now I know something about kids. Until I have my own they are obnoxious little monsters.

Captain Stupid Questions

2007-11-03T10:06:00.001-07:00

So I'm getting a leisurely game in with a Friend of mine a couple weeks ago. The game goes well for me in spite of the fact that one or two games per week has been the norm lately. I make some unsound moves but somehow pull ahead in position. Then I lose all sense of chessality (chess reality) and hand him everything he wants positionally in the middle game. Seriously, the middle game used to be my strong point back when contemplation and artistic thought were the joys of the play. What has changed? Everything. That probably has something to do with it. Alas, I end up fighting out a lost endgame against someone whose vision of the endgame has been superior to mine for a long time. But about half way through the endgame something interestingly retarded happens. A guy in a local phone company outfit starts watching from a few feet away. Now normally this doesn't bother me, in fact usually its for the better as someone who stops to watch most likely has some experience and thus a reasonable sense of insight. As apposed to inshight which is when an onlooker thinks they have some sagaciousness going for them but its actually useless dribble. You can imagine which one this guy had. So he watched the remaining few moves of the game and then decries to me "were you white?" At this point I'm thinking maybe he doesn't know the game well, we will answer a few questions and hell vanish into phone company land. Alas, this is not the case. He proceeds to hang around and make statements like "I used to play in tournaments" and "I was state champion back in" blah blah blah. Seriously it is some sort of coffeehouse phenomenon that every state champion of every year in every state hangs around the Milwaukee loop. I imagine their is a unique brand of wormhole located in the ninth dimension of a trophy somewhere, sucking state champions into circa 2007 Milwaukee. So this guy proceeds to tell me that I will play better if I look six moves ahead each move. Thanks for the advice douchebag I never would have thought that. After that gem things start to get uncomfortable. Mind you its intentional on my part because ten minutes of this have been quite enough. My friend agrees and clearly is working toward the same end. So the guy leaves and I ask "If you could give that guy a name what would it be?" He says "Captain Stupid Questions." All is right with the world once again.

omnis consecrare prima luce

2007-10-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia:

Halloween did not become a holiday in the United States until the 19th century, where lingering Puritan tradition restricted the observance of many holidays. American almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th centuries do not include Halloween in their lists of holidays.[17] The transatlantic migration of nearly two million Irish following the Irish Potato Famine (1845–1849) finally brought the holiday to the United States. Scottish emigration from the British Isles, primarily to Canada before 1870 and to the United States thereafter, brought the Scottish version of the holiday to each country.
Scottish-American and Irish-American societies held dinners and balls that celebrated their heritages, with perhaps a recitation of Robert Burns' poem "Halloween" or a telling of Irish legends, much as Columbus Day celebrations were more about Italian-American heritage than Columbus per se. Home parties would center around children's activities, such as bobbing for apples, and various divination games often concerning future romance. Not surprisingly, pranks and mischief were common as well.

Don't forget to check out the one and only Halloween webcam where the entertainment of trick or treaters is at your leisure: http://www.komar.org/cgi-bin/halloween_webcam

Fear

2007-10-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

Is it superficial?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-pu78b9XvFg

White PawnShaman2

Back IlyaP8

1.e4 e5

2.d4 exd4

3.c3 dxc3

4.Bf1c4 cxb2

5.Bc1xb2 d5

6.Bc4xd5 c6

7.Bd5xf7+ 1-0

2007-10-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

This article cracked me up. This guy writes a blog about cars and using logic and a slippery slope argument he concludes that thier may be "a national crisis in which flaming squirrels are plummeting from our skies."

Taking a break momentarily from my own Car Lusting, I wanted to give a brief nod to the New Jersey-area squirrel that destroyed a 2006 Toyota Camry.According to the news story, a squirrel had been chewing on a power line suspended above the Camry; when the squirrel chewed through the line, the power of the current lit it on fire, and the flaming rodent "slid into the engine compartment and blew up the car." The car was a total loss, but the family honored the squirrel flambe with a plastic tombstone--happily, just in time for Halloween.

This leaves some important questions unanswered. For example:

1. Is there some significance that the squirrel chose a 2006 Toyota Camry to immolate? Was the squirrel imbued with especially strong buy-American leanings? If so, the squirrel should issue a strong apology to the good people in Georgetown, Ky., who make the Camry.

2. How exactly did the flaming squirrel slide into the engine compartment? Was the hood open? Otherwise, I don't want to think about how a half-immolated squirrel might get into the engine compartment.

3. If one squirrel chews on power lines, I'm guessing more do. And if millions of squirrels nationwide are chewing on power lines, I'm guessing this isn't the only one to chew through and light itself on fire.

Is there a national crisis in which flaming squirrels are plummeting from our skies? If so, it's being dramatically underreported by the media. I, for one, am worried.

--Chris H.

Strip Chess

2007-10-23T13:08:00.003-07:00

A friend of mine relayed a story to me recently. He played strip chess with a girl and then they did it. I don't know the intimate details because I wasn't their, thankfully. But if I knew them I would share them with you. The epitome of nerdiness and grand symbol of status were combined and that deserves its own post. You know who you are.... Ahole.

This post has been receiving an enormous amount of traffic lately, so Ive taken the initiative and updated it for those more interested in the aforementioned topic. Pervs...

Wikipedia on Strip Chess:

Chess
Strip chess is a variant of chess in which an article of clothing is removed for each piece taken by the opponent, often excluding pawns.

Strip chess introduces a secondary goal which can diverge from the game's normal goal and substantially alter the way the game is pursued. While in some games (such as poker), the pursuit of the normal win condition also furthers the disrobing of one's opponent, in strip chess this is not always the case. In chess, the normal win condition is to checkmate the opponent, not to capture pieces. Capturing pieces is often useful, but if at a given time, a player is to choose between checkmating his opponent and capturing a piece, he would traditionally be expected to checkmate. However, in strip chess, the player may prefer to capture a piece to force their opponent to remove additional garments.

In chess, there is no actual relation between strategic success and the number of individual garments lost, because in chess, there is no numeric way to measure which person has the upper hand (unless you are counting the value of each piece); the number garments lost, and therefore the number of pieces captured, is only an approximate measure of success (as opposed to strip poker, where an inverse relationship exists between success in the game and the number of garments lost).

Classic Rules of Strip Chess:

If you want to keep things simple, then stick with the classic rules of strip chess. Both players wear no more than 10 articles of clothing (2 socks, 2 shoes, underwear, pants, undershirt or bra, belt, and 2 accessories are common). Each time a Knight, Bishop, or Rook is captured, then whoever’s piece was taken removes one article of clothing. However, if one of those above pieces is captured by a pawn, then two pieces of clothing come off. If the queen is captured, two pieces comes off. A player can get one article of clothing back if his or her King or Queen takes a piece. Checkmate means the loser must take off three pieces of clothing.

For a longer version of the game, where the loser isn’t determined by checkmate, is when a player is simply checked, that player removes one piece of clothing. The loser is the one who gets completely nude.

P.S. If you like this page or this site, make a donation of $1. These are tough times, every little bit helps.

Contrast

2007-10-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

This morning I was playing a disastrous game as white on line. We had started vying for control of the center from the gates. Soon I was losing material and my position was cascading into a nightmare. Stubbornly determined to fight to the bitter end, my pieces were repositioning into a small defensive force part way up the right side of the board. Then the site crashed and the game disappeared into eternity.

Fast forward to this evening. Reading the news I followed a link to http://www.whitehouse.gov/ and read the Presidents speech where he presents the Medal of Honor to a fallen Navy SEAL. People like this actually exist and are fighting bravely probably even as I type this. Its amazing when brave souls have the courage to battle the enemy in the worst of terrains, outnumbered and in a lost position. This morning I pretended in a mock battle. This afternoon someone who gave their life with the spirit of a true soldier is honored.

Two excerps from the speech:

Today, we add Lieutenant Michael Murphy's name to the list of recipients who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Deep in the mountains of Afghanistan, this brave officer gave his life in defense of his fellow Navy SEALs. Two years later, the story of his sacrifice humbles and inspires all who hear it. And by presenting Michael Murphy's family with the Medal of Honor that he earned, a grateful nation remembers the courage of this proud Navy SEAL.

On June 28th, 2005, Michael would give his life for these ideals. While conducting surveillance on a mountain ridge in Afghanistan, he and three fellow SEALs were surrounded by a much larger enemy force. Their only escape was down the side of a mountain -- and the SEALs launched a valiant counterattack while cascading from cliff to cliff. But as the enemy closed in, Michael recognized that the survival of his men depended on calling back to the base for reinforcements. With complete disregard for his own life, he moved into a clearing where his phone would get reception. He made the call, and Michael then fell under heavy fire. Yet his grace and upbringing never deserted him. Though severely wounded, he said "thank you" before hanging up, and returned to the fight -- before losing his life.

And so it goes....

2007-10-15T20:50:00.001-07:00

Ive decided to mix things up a little bit on this blog. Chess has definitely taken a back seat to other things like school, work (quit one of my jobs by the way, but were still on good terms)and a renewed social life. I'm still playing but quickly loosing the sharp, crisp view of the board that takes so long to acquire. With that in mind Ill be posting things that I find interesting or funny from time to time. Chess will still be the number one feature but as life changes so does blog.

Ondine's Curse is a disorder where the automatic respiratory functions are disabled. Every breath has to be voluntarily taken otherwise the person will die. Normally the autonomic nervous system will take over and "breath for you." We have that great option of choosing to breath voluntarily or not depending on our mood. So Ondine's Curse must be diagnosed quickly otherwise when the person falls asleep they will quickly die. Luckily for us it comes with a nice mythological story line which I snagged from Wikipedia.

Ondine was a water nymph in German mythology. She was very beautiful and (like all nymphs) immortal. One of the "only threats" to a nymph's eternal happiness is if she falls in love with a mortal and bears his child - she will lose her "gift" of everlasting life.

Ondine fell in love with a dashing knight - Sir Lawrence - and they were married. When they exchanged vows, Lawrence said, "My every waking breath shall be my pledge of love and faithfulness to you." A year after their marriage Ondine gave birth to Lawrence’s son. From that moment on she began to age. As Ondine’s physical attractiveness diminished, Lawrence lost interest in his wife.

One afternoon Ondine was walking near the stables when she heard the familiar snoring of her husband. When she entered the stable, however, she saw Lawrence lying in the arms of another woman. Ondine pointed her finger at him - Lawrence felt it as if he was being kicked, and woke up with a start. Ondine uttered her curse: "You swore faithfulness to me with every waking breath, and I accepted your oath. So be it. As long as you are awake, you shall have your breath, but should you ever fall asleep, then that breath will be taken from you and you will die!"

Warning Signs

2007-10-10T18:42:00.001-07:00

Dont let this happen to you. This guy wants to kill one person for every square of the chessboard. He almost succeeded. If you have any of these symptoms while playing chess stop what your doing and do not murder:

Desire to Kill
Insanity
Love of Cats

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6987688.stm

2007-10-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

Kasparov was trying to run for office in Russia. It didnt work out so well. Atleast hes not dead and someone in that country still believes in basic democratic freedoms. The video in the upper right of the screen is quite good. But I dont know how long it will last.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Oct10/0,4670,RussiaOpposition,00.html

2007-09-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Lets not forget how bad things can get when we stand idly by. Not only in foreign policy but in every aspect of our lives. God bless.

Meritable Links

2007-09-09T02:59:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed I added a couple of links recently. I don't like to add links frivolously, so take note both of these are very deserving. I add links only after consideration and regular viewing. Surely this leaves out a lot of good chess links but since deliberate action and consistency are recent themes in my life it seems appropriate to apply them here. Without further ado I present to you:

http://dk-transformation.blogspot.com/ AKA Transformation
To call him a guru would be insulting. Where as I have been known to cast a spell over a rook from time to time, With thought alone he opens trans-dimensional warp riffs over the board. It is rumored that once in a dark coffee house game, he opened a mental wormhole and slayed the black king without ever giving him check.
Transformation brings a new perspective to the chess board and to chess blogs. His ideas can be difficult to digest when he writes in a strange business-philosophical-meditation amalgamation. However, with a little time it becomes clear that his posts are quite genuine and insightful.

http://geo47.libsyn.com/ AKA Military History Podcast
As someone who works in a gym and an occupational clinic Ive come to be a huge fan of crosstraining for prevention, improvement and enjoyment. This military history podcast is truly interesting and I highly recommend giving it a chance. Military history is fascinating in its own right, but I think its also a good tool to introduce new ideas into your chess game. Be warned that the podcaster can be a bit dry. His content more than makes up for it which you will soon hear.

2007-09-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

Have a good Labor Day. If your like me youll be half relaxing half doing things you havent had a chance to do in the past few weeks. Maybe we should change it to "second chance day" or "do that shit youve been puting off day."

From the U.S. Department of Labor:

http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.
In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Labor Day Legislation

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

Kasparov continues to push pawns politically

2007-08-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

GARRY KASPAROV writes editorials for the Wall Street Journal on occasion. He's openly against Putin and has been arrested at peaceful protests for reasons people in democratic countries don't get arrested for. I found this recent article quite candid and amusing. Be warned Kasparov's ideas on international politics are very aggressive. If you are an anti-war hippie that gets easily fired up I advice you to read no further.

"But if you really wish to understand the Putin regime in depth, I can recommend some reading. No Karl Marx or Adam Smith. Nothing by Montesquieu or Machiavelli, although the author you are looking for is of Italian descent. But skip Mussolini's "The Doctrine of Fascism," for now, and the entire political science section. Instead, go directly to the fiction department and take home everything you can find by Mario Puzo. If you are in a real hurry to become an expert on the Russian government, you may prefer the DVD section, where you can find Mr. Puzo's works on film. "The Godfather" trilogy is a good place to start, but do not leave out "The Last Don," "Omerta" and "The Sicilian.""

If Putin's Russia is what Kasparov says it is then personally I think he is in over his head. Assassinations don't take place over the chess board, but they do in dark alleys and bath houses.

Read the rest:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110010398

The Dr. is out and the Shaman is in.

2007-08-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

Looks like I get a couple days of "vacation" due to the doctors long weekend. He don't work, I don't work. So I can finish this TAG post that BDK has been subtly nagging about. Did I say subtly because blatantly is a little more apt.

Here you go dear readers. On the QT and strictly Hush-Hush....

1. How long have you been playing chess? Have you played it consistently since you started, or were there lulls in your play? How did these lulls affect your performance?

Ive been playing somewhat regularly since late circa 1999 if my memory serves me right. So thats about eight years. The age of a small child. Thats creepy. I did learn it early as a child from my father and brother but didnt take it at all seriously until '99.

Consistently? Yes and No. Ive been involved in it with one aspect or another since then. But playing OTB and online gets boring, as does studying, so Ive wobbled back and forth between the two. This blog ties in too. As a way to keep near the game during the times when Im not interested in playing but dont want to lose the edge.

Lulls you ask? Of course thier are lulls. Anyone who doesnt have these glorious pauses is some sort of machine. The lulling effect? Its added a lot of diversity to my game. Forcing artistic play from a swiss cheese memory and filling in the blanks on vaguely remembered gambits. Yes, its probably the biggest crutch for all of us. If we studied it eight hours a day seven days a week we would all be grandios masters. But hey, we are human and its a game of pleasure not of pain that should be treated so.

2. Aside from playing games, what is your primary mode of training?

Primary? studying from books. Secondary? Talking out games and ideas with my bro. Playing out masters games and puzzles. Watching annotated games. Doing endgame and knight drills. Blogging about the game and letting new ideas flow.

3. What is the single most helpful method of improvement that you have ever used?

This one is easy. Talking out games while playing OTB. Discussing ideas and tactics, why I made this move and you this move, all while playing, digging deeper and deeper into the game. My biggest strides have all arrived from this sort of analysis.

4. What is your favorite opening to play as white? As black against e4? As black against d4?

I don't really have favorites anymore. Whatever is best for the mood and the opposing player really. But if I had to choose it would be the Danish Gambit, French Defence (Go get'em Sarkozy) and the reverse Botvinnik Formation.

5. Who is your favorite chess player and why?

Mikhail Botvinnik. When I first started playing I used his formation and the French Defence as a basis for my game. Later I did a little reading, learning that he also preferred the French and that our styles of play were not all that different despite our differences in mastery of the game. Today I focus on endgame studies much as he did and its paying out in spades.

6. What is your favorite chess book?

I like Pawn Power. Its dry and it sucks to read but every time I pick it up I learn something new and useful. That one will last a lifetime.

7. What book would you recommend for a friend who knows only the rules of chess?

From the book review post:

http://knightskewer.blogspot.com/2006/07/books-i-have-and-recommend.html

The Complete Book of Chess Strategy by Jeremy Silman. This was my first book about chess. It covers numerous aspects of chess from opening, middlegame, endgame and practical matters. It is very well written unlike most chess books and is very easy to understand. It is a perfect book for beginners and like all chess books look for it used and you will probably find it for two dollars.

8. Do you play in in-person tournaments? What is your favorite tournament experience?

I played in one. I took fifth out of twenty some at a UW Milwaukee tournament. I shouldve taken second but I didn't. It was four hours long which is frankly too long for me to play chess. I stopped caring into the third hour and blew what should have been a win. Later I redeemed myself by trouncing the second place winner repeatedly at the chess club. I learned a lot at that tournament though. About the diversity of people that play and how the tournies are run. This year I will gun them down with relative ease.

9. Please give us a link to what you consider your best two blog posts (on your own blog).

http://knightskewer.blogspot.com/2006/07/knight-skewer-manifesto.html

http://knightskewer.blogspot.com/2007/06/game-unravels.html

10. What proportion of total chess time should be spent studying openings for someone at your level?

Well since I don't spend much time on them these days... Ive memorized six or seven good openings/defences and can play another five by ear. I'm not a master of them but can play three openings through to mate if given the opportunity. So to answer the question: at my level someone should study openings as much as they desire, without getting bored and without spending more than 25% of your allotted study time.

Has Let me tell you about my best friend been tagged yet? Well he has now.

In case you havent seen it yet.

2007-08-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

Blackcoat Disguise

2007-08-12T03:12:00.000-07:00

My brother "ReverendDominus" emailed this game to me a few days ago. Hes not actually a Reverend, well hes an internet Reverend with veiwpoints quite contrary to Christianity. This does not take away from his chess game.

[White "ReverendDominus"]
[Black "nytrade4u69"]
[Result "1-0"]
1.e4 e6
2.d4 d5
3.e5 c5
4.c3 a6
5.Bc1f4 b5
6.Bf4g3 h6
7.f4 Ng8e7
8.Ng1f3 c4
9.Bf1e2 Ne7f5
10.Bg3f2 g5
11.fxg5 hxg5
12.g4 Nf5h6
13.Nb1d2 Nh6xg4
14.Bf2g3 Ng4e3
15.Qd1c1 Ne3g2+
16.Ke1f2 Ng2f4
17.Bg3xf4 gxf4
18.Rh1g1 Nb8d7
19.Nd2f1 Bf8h6
20.Kf2e1 f5
21.Qc1d2 Nd7f8
22.Ke1d1 Bc8d7
23.b4 a5
24.a3 axb4
25.cxb4 Ke8f7
26.Nf3e1 f3
27.Be2xf3 Bh6xd2
28.Bf3h5+ Kf7e7
29.Rg1g7++ 1-0

My Brilliant Brain

2007-08-12T02:43:00.000-07:00

Zsuzsa (Susan) Polgar is the focus of this presentation on National Geographic. I found it on her site which is worth checking out from time to time. Its episode two of a fascinating show about what makes one "brilliant." They use Susan and her chess noggin to reflect a few different theories. It starts a little slow, but stay with it and youll find it to be the best documentary on chess and the human brain you've ever seen. Episode one is equally interesting and although it has nothing to do with chess they use phrases like "rage the master." Six parts in all, you can find them on Youtube. Let me set your gray matter ablaze with parts one and two:

2007-08-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

[White "BETsunami"]
[Black "PawnShaman2"]

1.d4 d5
2.e3 e6
3.a3 c5
4.Ng1f3 cxd4
5.exd4 Bf8d6
6.c4 Ng8f6
7.Nb1d2 b6
8.b4 O-O
9.Bc1b2 Nb8c6
10.Ra1c1 Rf8e8
11.Bf1e2 Nc6e7
12.O-O Ne7g6
13.cxd5 Nf6xd5
14.Nf3e5 Bc8b7
15.Nd2f3 Nd5f4
16.Be2b5 Re8e7
17.g3 Bd6xe5
18.Nf3xe5 Ng6xe5
19.dxe5 Nf4h3++
0-1

2007-08-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

The difference between me and George Washington is that if somebody offered me the title of king, I would accept it.
Both games carry the same theme. A relatively evenly matched opening. The games start out closed with no wild exchanges or sacrifices. I start to falter in the middle game and then return in the endgame to snatch victory from the claws of defeat.

1.c4 e6
2.Nb1c3 Bf8c5
3.g3 Ng8e7
4.Bf1g2 O-O
5.e4 d6
6.Ng1e2 Bc5b4
7.O-O Bc8d7
8.d3 Nb8c6
9.a3 Bb4xc3
10.bxc3 Nc6e5
11.f4 Ne5g4
12.h3 Ng4f6
13.Bc1e3 c6
14.c5 d5
15.e5 Nf6e8
16.d4 Ne7f5
17.Qd1d3 Nf5xe3
18.Qd3xe3 g6
19.Kg1f2 Ne8g7
20.g4 b6
21.Rf1h1 f5
22.g5 bxc5
23.dxc5 Ra8b8
24.h4 Qd8a5
25.Ra1b1 Qa5xa3
26.Rb1a1 Qa3b3
27.Rh1b1 Qb3c4
28.Bg2f1 Rb8xb1
29.Ra1xb1 Qc4a2
30.Rb1b7 Rf8d8
31.Kf2f3 Qa2a6
32.Rb7b4 Qa6a1
33.Ne2g3 Qa1d1+
34.Qe3e2 Qd1a1
35.Qe2b2 Qa1e1
36.Rb4b7 Qe1d1+
37.Bf1e2 Qd1a4
38.Rb7b4 Qa4a5
39.Kf3e3 Qa5xc5+
40.Rb4d4 a5
41.h5 gxh5
42.Be2xh5 a4
43.Bh5d1 a3
44.Qb2a2 Qc5xc3+
45.Rd4d3 Qc3e1+
46.Ng3e2 Rd8a8
47.Bd1c2 c5
48.Rd3d1 Qe1a5
49.Rd1h1 Bd7c6
50.Rh1h6 d4+
51.Ke3f2 Bc6d5
52.Qa2a1 Ra8b8
53.g6 hxg6
54.Rh6xg6 Rb8b2
55.Qa1g1 Rb2b7
56.Bc2b1 Qa5d2
57.Rg6g3 Kg8f7
58.Rg3xg7+ Kf7e8
59.Qg1g6+ Ke8d8
60.Qg6f6+ Kd8c8
61.Qf6f8

1.e4 Ng8f6
2.Nb1c3 e5
3.Ng1f3 Bf8b4
4.Bf1c4 O-O
5.O-O d5
6.Nc3xd5 Nf6xd5
7.Bc4xd5 Bc8g4
8.a3 Bg4xf3
9.Qd1xf3 Bb4xd2
10.Bc1xd2 Nb8a6
11.Qf3g3 Ra8c8
12.Bd2h6 Qd8f6
13.Bh6g5 Qf6g6
14.f4 exf4
15.Rf1xf4 Kg8h8
16.Bd5xb7 Qg6b6+
17.Kg1h1 Qb6xb7
18.Ra1f1 Qb7b5
19.e5 Qb5xe5
20.Rf4f5 Qe5xb2
21.Bg5e7 Rf8e8
22.Rf5xf7 Re8g8
23.Rf7f8 Rc8xf8
24.Be7xf8 h6
25.h3 Qb2b5
26.Rf1f4 Qb5b1+
27.Kh1h2 Qb1xc2
28.Rf4g4 Qc2h7
29.Bf8b4 Na6xb4
30.axb4 g5
31.Rg4c4 Qh7e7
32.Rc4xc7 Qe7xb4
33.Qg3e5+ *

These quizzes are addicting

2007-07-31T07:43:00.001-07:00

You scored as Acetylcholine,You are acetylcholine! You are the person that everyone likes. You are outgoing, flexible, kind, giving, creative, funny.. just an all around amazing person! You have an amazingly quick-witted mind and your imagination is impeccable. You are very lucky to have this dominant neurotransmitter, it is a rare gift! But be careful, sometimes you can become paranoid and feel that life is taking advantage of you. Be sure to take your DMAE to keep your acetylcholine levels balanced!

Which Neurotransmitter (Brain Chemical) Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

Acetylcholine

92%

Endorphins

75%

Dopamine

58%

GABA

50%

Serotonin

50%

Norepinephrine

42%

Which Neurotransmitter (Brain Chemical) Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

Italfama

2007-07-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

Italfama makes the best chess pieces and boards in my opinion. The pieces they craft are mostly metal but some are a metal and wood combination. Ive been eyeing these particular pieces for a couple years. They are sleek and difficult to distinguish from one another. Everything I look for in a set.
Here is a link to Italfamas elegant collection that will someday be mine.
http://www.italfama.net/Italfama/Ita/start.html

Yugoslav Attack

2007-07-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 O-O 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4.

As Jonathan Maxwell puts it in his book Blitz Theory:

"The magic in this attack lies in the perfect starting position of the king rook and dark squared bishop. Since our opponent's fianchetto structure defines the weaknesses for us at f6, h6 and h7, we have a tailor made plan for a rapid and lethal battle. We just exchange dark bishops with our queen battery, then pry open the "h" file with our pawn."

I have had a chance to play this opening a few times in the past week. All internet play, against some strong players and some wannabe kid hustlers. Like the other opening analyses on Knight Skewer:

http://knightskewer.blogspot.com/2006/07/danish-gambit.html

http://knightskewer.blogspot.com/2006/07/botvinnik-formation.html

http://knightskewer.blogspot.com/2006/07/french-defense.html

http://knightskewer.blogspot.com/2006/08/budapest-gambit.html

http://knightskewer.blogspot.com/2006/08/colle-system.html

I will continue to update this post as I learn the ins and outs of the Yugoslav. Its definately aggressive and a balanced knowledge of attacking is going to be key. Powerful attacks are on of the weaker aspects of my game, but perhaps not for long.

What is this guy thinking?!

2007-07-19T20:36:00.001-07:00

Chessloser posted a link to some sexual chess pics the other day. Its impossible to resist the urge to look at them. Truly ridiculous and disappointing that someone thought of this and executed it before we did. When I saw this picture I became genuinely curious about what he is thinking. Really, what could be going through your head at a moment like that? Dildo to e4? My fiancee has the bishop in her dresser? Please, create a caption and maybe we can get closer to the truth of such absurdity.

Welcome to the Pawn Shaman Circus

2007-07-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

Best if watched with music that is heavy on the accordion. Like Illinois Street Lounge from http://somafm.com/ .

My first attempt at using the Yugoslav. Look at those ponies go.

[White "PawnShaman2"]
[Black "ReverendDominus"]
[Result "1-0"]

1.e4 e5
2.Ng1f3 d6
3.d4 exd4
4.Nf3xd4 Ng8f6
5.Nb1c3 c5
6.Nd4f3 Bc8g4
7.Bc1e3 Bf8e7
8.Bf1e2 O-O
9.Nf3g5 Bg4xe2
10.Nc3xe2 h6
11.Ng5f3 Nf6xe4
12.Qd1d3 Ne4f6
13.O-O-O a6
14.Qd3d2 b5
15.Be3xh6 gxh6
16.Qd2xh6 Nf6h7
17.h4 f6
18.g4 Rf8f7
19.Rd1g1 Rf7g7
20.g5 fxg5
21.hxg5 Be7xg5+
22.Nf3xg5 Qd8f6
23.Ng5xh7 Qf6xh6+
24.Rh1xh6 Rg7xg1+
25.Ne2xg1 Nb8d7
26.Nh7g5 Ra8f8
27.Rh6g6+ Kg8h8
28.Ng1h3 Nd7e5
29.Rg6xd6 Rf8e8
30.b3 c4
31.f4 Ne5g4
32.Rd6d8 Re8xd8
33.Ng5f7+ Kh8g7
34.Nf7xd8 c3
35.Nd8c6 Kg7f6
36.Nc6d4 Ng4e3
37.Nh3f2 Ne3d5
38.Nf2e4+ Kf6e7
39.f5 Nd5b4
40.f6+ Ke7f7
41.a3 Nb4d5
42.Kc1d1 Nd5e3+
43.Kd1e2 Ne3d5
44.Ke2d3 Kf7g6
45.b4 Nd5xf6
46.Ne4xf6 Kg6xf6
47.Kd3xc3 Kf6e5
48.Nd4c6+ Ke5d5
49.Nc6b8 1-0

Dance rook Dance!

[White "ReverendDominus"]
[Black "PawnShaman2"]

1.e4 Ng8f6
2.e5 Nf6d5
3.Bf1c4 e6
4.d4 c5
5.Bc4xd5 exd5
6.c3 d6
7.Ng1f3 dxe5
8.Nf3xe5 Bf8d6
9.Ne5xf7 Ke8xf7
10.Qd1f3+ Qd8f6
11.Qf3xd5+ Qf6e6+
12.Qd5xe6+ Bc8xe6
13.O-O cxd4
14.cxd4 Rh8e8
15.f4 Nb8c6
16.f5 Be6c4
17.Rf1d1 Bc4e2
18.Rd1d2 Bd6b4
19.Rd2c2 Be2d3
20.Rc2xc6 bxc6
21.Bc1f4 Re8e1+
22.Kg1f2 Re1f1+
23.Kf2g3 Bb4e1+
24.Kg3g4 Bd3e2+
25.Kg4h3 Rf1xf4

Trecherous waters ahead

2007-07-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

The thundering storm clouds are ominously rolling in from the east. I am sick. The doctor said the new meds will take at least a couple more weeks to kick in. They make my stomach churn and chap my lips to hell. On top of it I just got over a cold. Eighteen hours of class per week for the next two. Twenty to thirty hours of work to boot. (Cue the Bagpipes) One more albatross might have me jumping ship. Its time to batten down the hatches and hold as close to course as possible. Its time for a new opening. One that terrifies the enemy. Breaks his spirit. Causes him to resign at the sight of unholy destruction. One born of angst and pain. The Yugoslav Attack.