tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48124174523639246722024-03-05T00:42:04.708-08:00Jim EadeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-13905810684987922462013-01-27T11:16:00.002-08:002013-02-01T10:17:52.655-08:00The Chess Files<!--[if !mso]>
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<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4812417452363924672" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Chess Files 16 diagram.png" border="0" height="235" src="file://localhost/Users/jimeade/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image002.png" style="cursor: move;" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2" width="234" /></a>In a previous column I asked, “At what age can you begin to
teach chess to a child?” Dr. Alexey Root made a convincing case
that you can begin as early as five years old in her new book “Thinking with Chess” (Mongoose Press.) Another book from Mongoose Press “Chess
is Child’s Play” by Laura Sherman and Bill Kilpatrick suggests that you can
begin even earlier.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The book contains a chapter on special exercises “For Two-to
Four-Year-Olds.” They say that four-year-olds
tend to move much faster through the exercises provided in the chapter than do
two- or three-year-olds, but that it all depends on the child.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some children work through these exercises in one or two
lessons, while other might spend a few months on this chapter alone. They provide the following caution: “if
they are not ready, hold off until they are.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This book is intended for parents who wish to help their
kids learn chess, but any adult working with young children will find it
useful. There is a great deal of
material and it is presented in a wonderfully unintimidating fashion. I have never worked with children that
young, but the authors clearly have.
This is a terrific resource.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mongoose Press also deserves some praise, and not just for
making these resources available.
The books are also beautifully produced. Well done!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The world’s top rated player Magnus Carlsen continues to
impress. His spectacular victory
of Hikaru Nakamura in the 75th Tata Steel Chess Tournament: 11 - 27 January 2013
in Wijk aan Zee, clinched first prize with a round to spare. Here is the final position:</div>
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Black resigned, because of the threat of f6-f7 +.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As always, you can send your chess questions directly to me
at jimeade@comcast.net.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-26556787828130127762013-01-02T16:54:00.002-08:002013-01-02T16:54:27.487-08:00Chess Files
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At what age can you begin to teach chess to a child? According to <complete id="goog_1140433100">+</complete>Dr. Alexey Root, a former
U.S. women’s champion and a senior lecturer at UT Dallas, you can begin as
early as five years old. At least
that’s what I took from her new book “Thinking with Chess” which has the
subtitle “Teaching Children Ages
5-14.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this book Root differentiates between challenges and
puzzles. The challenges use fewer
pieces and pawns than in a complete chess game, take much less time to complete,
and are manageable for children as young as 5 years old, as long as they are
paired with more advanced chess youngsters or adults. Root maintains that the challenges remain intriguing to
older children as well, because they require strategy. As I worked my way through the book, I
found no reason to doubt her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Challenges have multiple correct answers and help develop
divergent thinking. Puzzles, on
the other hand have predetermined right answers. This helps to develop convergent thinking. Both, she maintains, are important for
academic success.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I loved most about this book is how Root ties puzzles
and challenges to academic areas.
The Classify type of challenge, for example, is tied to science where a
student might be required to classify animals, for instance. This connection is critically important
to make for administrators, who might otherwise be skeptical about chess in
their schools.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The advancement of the science of chess instruction in the
last decade or so is astonishing.
My main complaint is that this was unavailable to me when I was teaching
chess in schools in the 90’s! In
those days most, if not all, of us were winging it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With this book in hand, Root asserts that even non-chess
playing adults can administer the lessons. Chess players are typically skeptical about such assertions,
but she has turned me into a believer.
Highly recommended.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is an example from the “Moves of the chessmen
worksheet.”</div>
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The white pawn can move to a3, a4, and which other square?</div>
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The pawn captures diagonally, so it can also move to b3,
capturing the black pawn.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As always, you can send your chess questions directly to me
at jimeade@comcast.net.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-48973252327047730572012-11-27T12:27:00.002-08:002012-11-27T12:27:17.182-08:00The Chess Files
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<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Woman’s World Championship is being held in Russia as of
this writing. Results can be seen
at: <a href="http://chess2012.ugrasport.com/">http://chess2012.ugrasport.com</a>. It is a fact that the best players are
almost all male, but why is that?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In many parts of the world, cultural and or religious
factors play a decisive role in preventing women from realizing their
potential. As for the United States,
I think chess progress for females might be subject to the same influences as
math and science, as detailed in Peggy Orenstein’s book “School Girls.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She reported that young girls were at least equal to boys in
math and science until they reached an age where they began to care about what
boys thought about them. Girls
were subject to negative peer pressure, if they continued to excel. This was coupled with a mostly
unconscious bias in favor of the boys exhibited by the teachers
themselves. They often
demonstrated a tendency to acknowledge boys more frequently, and were prone to
give the boys more positive feedback.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you argue that there are intrinsic reasons that males
outperform females in chess, you will undoubtedly, and correctly, be confronted
with the example of the Polgar sisters.
Home schooled, the three sisters were systematically trained in chess
from a young age. The eldest,
Zsuzsa, became a world renowned Grandmaster, and eventually Women’s world
champion. The middle sister,
Zsofia, became an International Master, while the youngest, Judit, became one
of the strongest Grandmasters in the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Polgar sisters became inspirations to young girls all
over the world. When I asked former
US Champion Jennifer Shahade who her role model as a player was, she didn’t
hesitate in naming Judit. Thanks
to players such as the Polgars and Shahade, young girls across the country now
know that the sky is the limit when it comes to chess. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Judit Polgar delivered mate in five moves from the following
position in a 1990 games against Krotonias:</div>
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1…Rd1+ 2. Kg2 Rc2+ 3. Kh3 Rxh2+ 4. Kg3 Rg1+ 5. Kf3 Rf2#.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As always, you can send your chess questions directly to me
at jimeade@comcast.net.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-71823235498993963832012-11-13T10:48:00.002-08:002012-11-13T10:48:40.103-08:00The Chess Files
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The answers are out there.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Jim Eade</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve supplied partial answers to the question: “What do you
do after you’ve learned the basic?” in previous columns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A recommendation from the first half of the
20<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century was Nimzowitsch’s “My System.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One from the middle part of the century was
Larry Evans’ “New Ideas in Chess.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
now time to turn the spotlight on a contemporary chess author.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jeremy Silman is an International Chess Master, who has won
the American Open, the National Open and the US Open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a world renowned chess teacher, who has
served many times as a coach for the US delegation to World Junior
Championships.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most importantly for our purposes, Silman has authored a
number of excellent instructional books on chess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is very difficult to choose just one, but
I am comforted in the knowledge that I can’t go too far wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Silman is just that good.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My recommendation is his “The Complete Book of Chess
Strategy.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is sub-titled
“Grandmaster Techniques From A to Z.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He has sections on the three phases of the game: Opening, Middlegame,
and Endgame, but also includes a useful section on what he calls “Practical
Matters.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each section concludes with a
set of Quizzes, which I think is a valuable methodology.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a tip of the hat to the past, Silman gives an example of
prophylaxis in chess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a term
coined by Nimzowitsch, who taught that it was sometimes more important to
prevent your opponent from playing a good move than to make one yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The example Silman uses to illustrate this
concept is given below:</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Silman writes that “White has a substantial advantage in
space and piece activity.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He continues,
“However, Black is about to play …c6-c5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What should White do about this? </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.c5!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Silman concludes as follows: “By following up with Ne5,
White can build a kingside attack at his leisure, while Black can only stare
helplessly and wait for his doom to arrive.”</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As always, you can send your chess questions directly to me
at jimeade@comcast.net.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-82839659867402961252012-11-07T08:39:00.001-08:002012-11-07T08:39:56.588-08:00chess files
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<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The US Game/30 and Game/60 Championships were held in
Pleasanton earlier this month. In
the former event each player gets 30 minutes for the entire game, while in the
latter they get 60 minutes. You
run out of time and you forfeit the game.
The Championships were organized by Salman Azhar, and were directed by
John McCumiskey and Tom Langland.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is the optimal amount of time for serious game of
chess? When I began playing in
tournaments it was standard to have 2 ½ hours for 40 moves, and an hour for the
next 20. Every time you completed
20 moves you were given another hour. This was referred to as the time control.
Five hour games were routine, and
in the US, we would often play two rounds in the same day! Eating and sleeping properly became
logistically challenging.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eventually, the initial time limit was reduced from 2 ½ hours
to two for the first forty moves.
The thinking was that this would shorten the games by about an hour on
average. You would think the
players would’ve welcomed this change, but many of them complained that it was
destroying the quality of the games, by forcing players to move faster.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the development of digital chess clocks, it became
possible to give a small amount of time for every completed move. This meant that you could keep playing
as long as you liked, as long as you kept moving quickly. This caused most games to be completed
in five hours or less, but there were howls of protest!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Younger players, who grew up with the new rules, generally
had no such complaints. They were
used to moving quickly and accurately!
Older players would either have to adapt, see their results suffer, or
drop out entirely. There is still
some grumbling, but most of it has died down. The fact is that today’s players can produce high quality
chess games at almost any speed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you don’t like a certain time control, you can always
organize an event yourself. Or,
better yet, get Salman Azhar to do it for you!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had the white pieces in the position below. Black probably expected me to capture
his rook in b3, but White has a far stronger continuation.</div>
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1.Nf6+ forces mate.
Because, the black king is in check by both the rook on d1 and the
knight on f6, it must move. It’s
only legal move would be to play 1…Kc8, which would allow 2. Rd8#. Checking the king with two pieces
simultaneously is called “double check” and it can be one of the most powerful
maneuvers in chess.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As always, you can send your chess questions directly to me
at jimeade@comcast.net.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-26845236087779813022012-10-29T11:59:00.002-07:002012-10-29T11:59:17.891-07:00Chess Files
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is no single answer to the question: What do you do
after you’ve learned the basics? I
will assume that learning the basics includes becoming proficient at basic
tactics, such as forks and pins.
Indeed, I maintain that you should do tactical drills until you’re
seeing knight forks in your sleep.
Then what?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You’re really trying to develop a positional or strategic
understanding of chess at this point.
My first column on this subject recommended Aaron Nimzowitsch’s book “My
System.” Published in the first
part of the 20<sup>th</sup> century, it quickly became and remained a classic
work in the field.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today, I am recommending a book from the mid-part of the 20<sup>th</sup>
century: Larry Evans’ “New Ideas
in Chess.” Putting aside his bad
habit of using words such as “New” or “Modern” in some of his titles, which had
the unfortunate consequence of dating his works, Evans was a four time U.S.
Champion and an excellent writer.
His explanations of difficult concepts are clear and concise.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He begins with a light, but interesting, examination of the
evolution of chess up to the time of his writing. He then turns his attention to what he considers the
elements of chess: Pawn Structure,
Force, Space and Time. He
concludes with chapters on problems taken from actual play, his approach to
chess openings, and one called “Summing Up.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Any book first published in 1958, and still in print today,
has to have something going for it.
This one does. Anyone who
studies this fairly thin book cannot fail to come away with a deeper
understanding of the game. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Evans taught about the importance of converting advantages in
one element into an advantage in another.
The following example illustrates the conversion of an advantage in
Space into an advantage in Force.</div>
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Solution: 1.e6 fxe 2. Qxe6+ Rf7 3. Nc7 Nf8 4. Rxd8 Bxe6 5.
Rxa8 Rxf4 6. Nxe6 1-0 </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As always, you can send your chess questions directly to me
at jimeade@comcast.net.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-70340621292718744322012-10-21T09:49:00.001-07:002012-10-21T09:49:08.634-07:00Chess Files
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<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The
Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The stereotypical chess scene involves two elderly men
playing in the park. Chess is a
great solace in old age, but the question is: Is chess a young person’s
game? My answer is an emphatic:
Yes!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The number of players who remained at a world class level
after turning 50 can be counted on one hand. The number of players remaining among the world’s elite past
age 40 is almost as bleak. It is
true that Anand is 42, and he is the current World Champion, but things are not
looking up for him these days.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Consider the latest list of the highest rated players in the
world:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: LinaresCBWIN; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWIN;">1. Carlsen -
2847.6 age 21<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: LinaresCBWIN; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWIN;">2. Aronian -
2815.4 age 31<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: LinaresCBWIN; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWIN;">3. Kramnik -
2795 age 37<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: LinaresCBWIN; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWIN;">4. Radjabov
- 2789.7 age 26<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: LinaresCBWIN; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWIN;">5. Caruana - 2786.5 age 21<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anand had been a top five mainstay for years. It’s become increasingly difficult to
imagine him ever making this list again. Furthermore the Grand Slam finals were
just completed in Bilboa, Spain, and Carlsen won on tie breaks. Here are the final standings:</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: LinaresCBWINBold; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWINBold;">1-2.
</span></b><span style="font-family: LinaresCBWIN; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWIN;">Carlsen and Caruana - 17,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: LinaresCBWIN; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWIN;">3. Aronian -
11,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: LinaresCBWIN; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWIN;">4. Karjakin
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: LinaresCBWIN; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWIN;">5. Anand -
9,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: LinaresCBWIN; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: LinaresCBWIN;">6. Vallejo - 6.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The amazing thing is not that Carlsen won, but that Anand
did not manage to win a single game!
Carlsen is favored by virtually everyone to not only become the next
world challenger, but to dethrone Anand as well. The gap between them in ratings and results is simply too
much to ignore.</div>
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Carlsen had White in the following position, and Anand, who
was in a hopeless position, resigned.</div>
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As always, you can send your chess questions directly to me
at jimeade@comcast.net.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-31771816036647103402012-10-13T14:19:00.003-07:002012-10-13T14:19:51.259-07:00Chess Files
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Alex Sunshine recently asked<span style="color: red;">,</span>
“What do you recommend for a player who already knows the basics?” The more I thought about my initial answer,
the more I thought it was incomplete, and I will return to this theme in
subsequent columns. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve always maintained that the best way to improve early on
in your chess development is by systematically drilling yourself on
tactics. You must be able to spot
forks, pins, skewers etc., if you are to have any hope of surviving chess
combat. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, Alex was asking a different type of question. How do you develop your strategic (or
positional) chess understanding?
The classic work in this area is “My System” by Aaron Nimzowitsch
(1886-1935). His play was
considered odd, even ugly, and he had to battle to get his ideas understood by
his peers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His work was broken into three sections: 1. The Elements 2.
Positional Play and 3. Illustrative Games. My first copy of this book has not survived the years. It is now in the public domain and
multiple publishers have come out with new editions, so it can be purchased
fairly inexpensively.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of Nimzowitsch’s ideas have not stood the test of
time. He was in love with a
concept he called “Overprotection” but today’s theoreticians consider it to be
too eccentric.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most of his insights, however, are thought to be as valid
today as they were when he first proposed them. His writing style was very personal, and could leave lasting
impressions on players of all ages.
I still recall his description of a passed pawn calling it “was a dangerous
criminal, which had to be kept under lock and key.” I don’t think it would’ve been as memorable if he had simply
written that you should try to prevent a passed pawn from advancing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The importance of restraining a passed pawn led Nimzowitsch
to develop the concept of the blockade.
A blockade is used to prevent a pawn’s advance. If a pawn cannot advance it is
immobilized, and Nimzowitsch demonstrated how, if you can’t move your pawns,
your pieces will have trouble moving too!</div>
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He provided the following example from one of his own games.</div>
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Classical theory taught that you should not move knights to
the edge of the board, because it limits the knight’s mobility. No wonder people shook their heads when
Nimzowitsch played 1. Na4. He
correctly saw that he needed to prevent the pawn on c6 from advancing to c5. Today’s masters would spot this move
immediately, but they didn’t understand it back in 1912!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As always, you can send your chess questions directly to me
at jimeade@comcast.net.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-56790962107697646252012-10-11T09:37:00.004-07:002012-10-11T09:37:51.578-07:00Chess Files
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The U.S. Chess Trust is a 501 (c)(3) organization, which
means donations are tax deductible.
Do we need a chess charity?
In the spirit of full disclosure, I am the Trust’s President, but my
answer remains an unqualified yes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Trust was a co-sponsor with the University of Texas at
Dallas (UTD) of the Second Koltanowski Conference on Chess and Education last
November. The conference brought
together teachers, researchers and other interested parties from all parts of
the country and included speakers from other countries. The key finding from this conference
was new research showing that playing chess builds character.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Trust also supports American players in the World Youth
Championship, the Collegiate Final Four, the World Junior, and the U.S. Blind
Championship. We also support a
scholarship program that is based on a combination of academics and chess.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We help sponsor the Denker Tournament of High School
Champions every year, which awards a scholarship to UTD. This year’s winner was Atulya Shetty of
Michigan. We also help sponsor the
Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions, which was won this year by Tommy He of
Texas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Trust sends chess sets to Title 1 schools nationwide and
to Americans serving in our armed forces overseas. We also sponsor scholastic memberships in the United States
Chess Federation for qualifying schools.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I urge you to visit our web site: <a href="http://www.uschesstrust.org/">www.uschesstrust.org</a>, and check out this
year’s Scholar-Chessplayer award winners, or write to us at:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
US Chess Trust</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PO Box 838</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wallkikill, NY</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12589</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As always, you can send your chess questions directly to me
at jimeade@comcast.net.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-18023343438555314602012-10-05T13:39:00.001-07:002012-10-05T13:39:26.121-07:00The Chess Files
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="f223"><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks to the generosity of Tibor Weinberger, the Mechanics’
Institute of San Francisco held the <b>Third Imre Konig Memorial</b> on
September 22-23. The event, which began as a way to commemorate the 20th
anniversary of the death of International Master Konig, the first really top
rated player to reside in San Francisco, was held as a seven-player
round-robin, featuring a rapid chess time control of Game in 30 minutes, with a
15-second increment from move one.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="f223"><span style="color: #333333;">The invited players consisted of
the top six rated players from the Bay Area: Grandmasters <b>Sam Shankland,
Nick de Firmian, Vinay Bhat, Jesse Kraai</b> and <b>Walter Browne</b>, and
International Master <b>Daniel Naroditsky</b>. It was won by Shankland and Naroditsky with four out of seven.</span></span><span class="f223"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="f223"><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The real story, however, might
be the return to play by Walter Browne.
Browne, born in 1949, and the past winner of six US Championships has
been fighting ill health the last several years. He recently completed a new book: </span></span><b>The
Stress of Chess: My Life, Career and 101 Best Games.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My question was, “Is it
worth it to keep playing chess, if you find it stressful?” According to Browne, the answer is: “If
you’re competing, you’re a winner, regardless of the result.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Browne stills has a few
tricks up his sleeve as can be seen from his game against Bhat in this event.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Browne played 31…Rxd5, and after 32. Rxd5 Rxe6+, which is the move
that Bhat said surprised him. Bhat
was forced to play 33. Re5, and after 33…dxe5 34.Bxe5, Browne was a pawn
up. The game ended in a
draw, but, if you’re still catching the younger generation by surprise at this
stage of your career, you should by all means keep playing!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-74151199190422775002012-10-01T14:01:00.001-07:002012-10-01T14:01:14.016-07:00The Chess Files
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<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been so long (1986) since a team from the US has
beaten a team from Russia that you could be forgiven for wondering whether it
would ever happen again. It
has. Although the US team
ultimately finished in 5<sup>th</sup> place in Istanbul, where it was
originally seeded, it scored a 9<sup>th</sup> round win over Russia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the Olympiads, teams are comprised of four players
each. The US team scored wins on
boards 1 and 2, the Russians won on board 4 and the board 3 game was a
draw. Kamsky’s win over Grischuk
on board 2 was not too surprising.
Grischuk is rated slightly higher, but Kamsky has been one of the
world’s top players for many years.
Players of that caliber are all capable of defeating one another on any
given day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was somewhat surprised by Nakamura’s win over Kramnik on
board 1. Kramnik is a former World
Champion, who is still at the top of his game. Upon further reflection, however, I realized that Nakamura
is now firmly planted in the world’s top ten, and he has established himself as
a world title contender. Should
anyone be surprised when Nakamura beats anyone? Not anymore.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The only real surprise was the way their game ended. I cannot recall a similar piece
configuration as the one presented below:</div>
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Black resigned in this position, because White will play
Ne4+ forcing the Black king to, and trapping it on, the h-file. Checkmate would then be
inevitable. If you can find
another game that ended with three minor pieces against one, please write to me
about it at: jimeaade@comcast.net.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Defeating the Russians is always a newsworthy event, as is
defeating past World Champions.
September 6<sup>th</sup>, 2012 was certainly a day to remember for US
chess.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-76329679904977147692012-09-14T08:42:00.001-07:002012-09-14T08:42:20.321-07:00Unlikely Olympian
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Chess Olympiads (the world’s most prestigious team
tournament) is going on this month in Istanbul. One of the most improbable participants is a teen aged girl
from Katwe, one of the slums near Kampala, Uganda. Her story is told in the “Queen of Katwe” by Tim Crothers
(Scribner, October, 2012) and if you can read it without crying, I will be
surprised.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She is Phiona Mutesi, whose world revolved around not the
pursuit of happiness, but the pursuit of a single meal a day. The crushing poverty and sheer cruelty
of her daily existence is nearly unimaginable, although Crothers does a first
rate job of forcing you to try.
Could chess possibly make a difference in her life? The answer is an unqualified yes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Robert Katende escaped those same slums through a
combination of faith and soccer.
He returned to them as an adult in order to make a difference in those
children’s lives. They came more
for the free bowl of porridge then for anything else, but they came, and some
of them stayed. Robert knew he
needed more than soccer to hold on to these children and he began to teach them
chess.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A handful of the kids took to the game, and one of them was
Phiona’s brother. She followed him
one day, and learned the moves from a girl less than half her age. To the astonishment of all, she began
winning championships even when playing against the “big girls.” In 2010, she travelled to Siberia to
play in her first Olympiad. Before
chess, she had never been in a car let alone an airplane.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, chess can transform people’s lives, but the real story
is Phiona’s and Katende’s. The
girl who became a champion, and the man who made it out, but chose to go back
and make a difference.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Phiona had the White pieces in this position from one of her
games in the 2011 Uganda Championship.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Notice how the White king is sheltered from checks by the
Black rook by Black’s pawn on b5.
White threatens checkmate with 1. Rd8#. If Black captures the rook, 1…Bxd7, White simply plays cxd7
and Black cannot prevent White from getting a new queen on d8.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-52730784548561079262012-09-08T17:08:00.001-07:002012-09-08T17:08:43.155-07:00The Chess Files
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many people wonder why some players improve quickly, while
others don’t seem to. Chess is a
game of pattern recognition. Some
people absorb these patterns easily, and some don’t. Patterns come in many forms in chess from opening pawn
configurations to final mating sequences.
Until a player becomes quite good indeed, the primary road to chess
success is spotting tactical patterns.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tactics involve the preparation or prevention of
threats. These threats usually
involve winning material, but they can also range from as minor as disrupting
your opponent’s pawn structure to a direct threat against the enemy king. The fastest way to make progress in
chess is to become proficient in tactics.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the most common tactics in chess is the fork, which
is a direct and simultaneous attack on two or more pieces by a single
piece. Knight forks have decided
many a chess game, because knights usually attack pieces that are more valuable,
and because these types of forks can be devilishly tricky to spot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The key to finding the solution to today’s diagram is to
spot the potential knight fork on d7, where the knight would be attacking the
black king and queen simultaneously.
Unfortunately, the d7 square is covered by black’s bishop in e6. Is it possible to deflect the bishop’s
attention elsewhere?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The best way to build up your tactical muscles is through
repetition. Nowadays, there are
lots of useful software programs to assist you in acquiring tactical pattern
recognition. However, the old
fashioned way of solving a bunch of diagrams in a book is also extremely useful
and less expensive. You can pick
up a book by Fred Reinfeld, such as “1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations”
which was written over 50 years ago, and find it just as instructive today as
it was back then. There is no
mystery to improving your pattern recognition. It is the same way you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice,
practice, practice.</div>
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Solution: Deflect the bishop away from the d7 square by
playing 1. Nxd5. If Black plays 1
…Bxd5 then 2. Nd7 forks the Black king and queen.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-43193307083231625142012-09-04T15:25:00.002-07:002012-09-04T15:25:17.536-07:00Chess Files
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<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i>The answers are out there.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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By Jim Eade</div>
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White moves first in chess, and that is an advantage. Many people have compared the advantage
to having the serve in tennis. The
question is: what do you do, if you don’t have a good serve?</div>
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Cole Erskine is an experienced tournament chess player, and
he is very happy with his opening systems as Black, but he is less than
comfortable with his openings as White.
I can relate. As Black, you
can prepare a response to White’s most common opening moves, but as White you
have to prepare against any number of possible Black defenses. If you put in the work, you will get an
advantage, but who has time to put in that much work?</div>
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Edgard Colle (1897-1932) many time champion of Belgian,
solved this problem by adopting the same set up as White, regardless of what
Black played. Today’s diagram
illustrates his typical opening configuration. White plays the central pawns to d4, e3 and c3. The knights are developed to f3 and
d2. The light square bishop is
placed on d3, followed by castling. California’s greatest chess organizer,
George Koltanowski, advocated for this system for decades.</div>
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The primary problem with this configuration of pieces is the
lackluster prospect for the dark square bishop on c1. White has a hard time getting that piece to an effective
square. That is why I prefer what
is called the London System. White
develops the bishop first by playing 1.d4 and 2.Bf4 and then arranges the
pieces according to the Colle System. This secures all of the positive attributes of the
Colle, without suffering its drawbacks.
If you want a decent opening system as White, without having to spend
hours of study time to perfect it, I recommend the London System.</div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-59089530629737402872012-08-07T16:14:00.003-07:002012-08-07T16:15:14.954-07:00The Chess Files<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The answers are out there.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Jim Eade</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today’s chess mystery is: Is chess talent born or
created. Many people contend that
there are child prodigies in chess, just as there are in music and
mathematics. A story about the 19<sup>th</sup>
century American champion, Paul Morphy, seems to confirm this. He is said to have learned the game
simply by watching his father and uncle play. He reportedly astounded them by pointing out an illegal move
his father had made and his uncle had not noticed.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This would be impressive anecdotal evidence indeed, if a
similar story wasn’t told about the great Cuban champion, José Raúl Capablanca, as well. It seems that the only people convinced
of an innate ability to play chess well are chess players!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
scientific evidence to date indicates that there is a definite correlation between chess ability and facility with
spatial relations. The hard truth
is that although you may be born with a predisposition to play chess well, you
still have to work at it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you have a chess mystery you would like solved, write to
me at <a href="mailto:jimeade@comcast.net">jimeade@comcast.net</a>, and I’ll
take a crack at it.</div>
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Today’s position was shown to me by my old friend the late Grand Master Arnold Denker. The
Denker Tournament of High School Champions is held every August. White mates in three moves.</div>
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Solution: 1. Qg4+ Bxg4 2. Rxh6+ gxh6 3. Bf7#</div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-55141517135705372162012-07-31T10:02:00.001-07:002012-08-01T08:48:23.760-07:00The Chess Files<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Chess Files<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The answers are out there.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Jim Eade</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Russian player Alexander Grischuk won the World Blitz
Championship earlier this month, finishing one half point ahead of Norway’s Magnus
Carlsen, the highest rated player.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which
leads us to consider this issue<span style="color: red;">’</span>s chess
mystery:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is blitz chess good or bad for
the developing chess player?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you ask seasoned chess trainers, their answers will be
all over the map.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are adamant that
blitz chess is harmful to their students, teaching them bad habits such as
going for cheap traps instead of the best move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Other are just as certain that blitz chess is just one of many
activities that gives a growing player needed experience.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the days of analog clocks, blitz chess meant that both
players had five minutes total for the entire game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you ran out of time, you lost the
game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nowadays, digital clocks are the
norm and the standard practice is to start with a certain amount of time and
then give bonus time for every completed move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The World Blitz Championship’s time control was 3 minutes plus 2 seconds
per move.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can’t give a definitive answer to whether blitz chess is
good for your game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can, however, tell
you that it is fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent many, many
hours playing blitz chess when I was young, and I had a blast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: red;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you have a chess mystery you would like solved, write to
me at </span><a href="mailto:jimeade@comcast.net"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">jimeade@comcast.net</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, and I’ll
take a crack at it.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today’s puzzle comes from the just concluded World Open in
Philadelphia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is white’s turn to
move.</span></div>
<img src="webkit-fake-url://23D4A6D4-49AE-473F-BC06-A8BC36058772/application.pdf" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Solution: 1. Bh6+</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If 1…Kxh6 then 2. Nxf7+ wins Black’s Queen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If instead Black retreats with 1…Kg8 then 2.g5 forces the
knight on f6 to move, allowing white to play 3.Qxf7+ with a straightforward
win.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-72312430246333197632012-03-31T09:53:00.001-07:002012-03-31T09:54:09.908-07:00Just another sweet sixteenI don't know how coach Tara does it, but we're going to Denver!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-42678582978867046242012-03-11T11:44:00.003-07:002012-03-11T11:46:50.034-07:00Banner day for Cardinal fansI was able to listen to the Stanford women beat Cal in the Pac-12 tournament championship game, while watching the baseball team beat #4 ranked Rice. I was sitting next to a friend who went to Rice (her-hee,) and it was near perfect weather-wise. Basically, it doesn't get much better.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-44032474572085559082012-02-27T09:57:00.002-08:002012-02-27T09:57:51.955-08:00Once a Minuteman...http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/94aec8f8#/94aec8f8/42Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-892257719138020102012-02-24T14:03:00.001-08:002012-02-24T14:03:54.931-08:00Minuteman makes goodhttp://viewer.zmags.com/publication/94aec8f8#/94aec8f8/42Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-84124982117082466012012-01-30T12:56:00.000-08:002012-01-30T12:57:20.141-08:00stimulus vs. austerityhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/opinion/krugman-the-austerity-debacle.html?_r=1<div><br /></div><div>I vote with Krugman.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-60219665571290284112012-01-28T11:04:00.001-08:002012-01-28T11:04:51.576-08:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;"><div><div id="gk-daily-puzzle"><!--s=0,b=1-->Play <a href="http://gameknot.com/">online chess</a></div></div><div><script type="text/javascript" src="http://gameknot.com/daily-puzzle.js"></script></div></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-79868135709249116882012-01-27T10:16:00.000-08:002012-01-27T10:17:03.287-08:00<div><div id="gk-daily-puzzle"><!--s=0,b=1-->Play <a href="http://gameknot.com/">chess online</a></div></div><div><script type="text/javascript" src="http://gameknot.com/daily-puzzle.js"></script></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-82310917531521437812010-08-25T15:08:00.000-07:002010-08-25T15:09:04.225-07:00Book signing partyI had a great time at the book signing party. There were zero chess players! (Not counting me!)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812417452363924672.post-42528156590506717712010-08-16T10:26:00.001-07:002010-08-16T10:27:15.180-07:00US Chess Trust PresidentI was named President of the US Chess Trust at the annual meeting earlier this month. I had been Treasurer for 5 years.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15385645324696771576noreply@blogger.com0