September | 2016 | McCreadyandChess

Archive for September, 2016

An Exposed King

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on September 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Gawain Jones is having a great Olympiad in Baku. In Round 9 he saved England from certain defeat against a lower rated Iran. The ending is both interesting and instructional. With white Gawain shows great piece coordination in the endgame in his attempt to expose and capture his opponent’s king, saving the day for his teammates.

The position after 43. …Kf7. It’s often a sign of a great player when they are able to exchange one advantage for another. White plays 44. Bb4, allowing black to capture his passed pawn but after 44. …Rxa6 45 Rf8+ black now has the difficult decision of finding shelter for his monarch. The king wanders to b3 before being caught in the center and prompting black’s resignation.

Enjoy the ~~silence~~ game, it can be found here.

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/42nd-chess-olympiad-baku-2016-open/9/3/4

Another exposed king

Read Full Post »

He’s rather eccentric, apparently!

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on September 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »

The often described ‘eccentric’ GM Vasilly Ivanchuk, who the entire chess once world took note of when he began playing losing chess after a mid-game meltdown has chosen not to represent his country at the current Olympiad, he’s snuck off to Poland to play in some draughts tournament instead! What a strange fellow! More details can be found in the following link https://en.chessbase.com/post/where-is-vassily-ivanchuk

Of course how could we forget his missed mate in one? Go to 7.40 for the missed mate in one.

For a quality interview with Ivanchuk, the following link makes a good read.

http://www.chessintranslation.com/2011/04/vassily-ivanchuk-2-flawed-games-are-the-most-beautiful/

An oddity.

https://en.chessbase.com/post/kiing-the-queen-ivanchuk-s-new-che-game

Dr. Marion Tinsley, the greatest draughts player the world has ever seen. A person who my friend Nick McBride had the pleasure of meeting when he came to England.

Read Full Post »

That is entertainment, isn’t it?

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on September 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »

In round 9 of the current Olympiad Hungary met Georgia. This meant that the world’s two most creative and original super Grandmasters clashed with one another. Rapport had the white pieces, Jobava played with the black. It was, perhaps, inevitable that the game would depart from theory quickly and that it did. With only 4 moves on the board, Rapport’s fondness for classical attacking chess which suits his tactical acumen showed once more as he steered the game towards a King’s Gambit type position but with Jobava in fine form he capitalized on some minor inaccuracies in the middle game and won with the black pieces after some clever endgame maneuvers. The game was quite entertaining and played curiously by black in places. It’s worth taking a look at if you have time. Highlights of it appear in Jan’s entertaining show at about the 4.30 minute mark.

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/42nd-chess-olympiad-baku-2016-open/9/7/1

Read Full Post »

What do you have to do to become noticed?

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on September 8, 2016| 4 Comments »

In round 5 of the current 2016 Baku Olympiad, played out in my former home-from-home Baku, England’s GM Gawain Jones beat his Vietnamese opponent with a queen sacrifice to help England win the match yet the commentators and those involved in producing highlights of the day’s play have not said anything about it. What do you have to do to become noticed I wonder? Unfortunately for Gawain, if ever there was a day not to win with a queen sacrifice, day 5 was it as there were many hair-raising encounters in matches of greater significance.

Black plays 15. … fxe3. Is this home-prep? Is it sound even? I suspect not but his opponent is 200 points or so below him, so its not easy to find the right moves over the board. But well done Gawain nice to see him pull one off. I seem to recall his position deteriorated pretty rapidly when he played one against a certain M. Carlsen once upon a time.

Here’s da game.

https://chess 24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/42nd-chess-olympiad-baku-2016-open/5/14/3

Read Full Post »

A Mind Crime…?

Posted in Personal Interest & Experience on September 6, 2016| Leave a Comment »

My better chess and photography were always performed when in winter…for those of us from England with an adopted, enquiring mind, we understand the longevity of that season but not its gravity perhaps?

Part 1 -home & the very, very best chess weather?

What else do you want to do in such weather?

luton4-106 luton4-040a luton4-114

snowjan-132a

Part 2 – Ahead lies the very worst chess-weather imaginable after a long bleak winter…

dfgsdfg

Read Full Post »

38. … Kb1

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on September 6, 2016| Leave a Comment »

The position after 38. … Kb1

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1567830

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

How they do it in Spain

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on September 5, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Read Full Post »

Please Sir, can I go to the toilet?

Posted in Life beyond the chess board, tagged wee wee chess on September 4, 2016| 2 Comments »

The anti-transparency organization FIDE, who just happen to be the governing body of chess also, have once more confirmed how out of touch they are with reality at the current Baku Olympiad with yet another draconian ruling which is ‘absurd, humiliating, unworkable’, so it has been claimed. Some of the world’s leading players have signed a petition to have it removed, the ruling in question is as follows:

Players of every match MUST inform their Match Arbiter when they leave the playing area in order to go to the toilet, to the bar or to the smoking area. They are not allowed to leave the playing venue while their game is still in progress. The Captains are not allowed to leave the playing venue either while their Match is still in progress. If they want to be replaced by another person, they have to inform the Match Arbiter in writing. The replacement will be allowed only once per round.

http://www1.bakuchessolympiad.com/content/73

Further background info can be found here, I have to say all this reminds me of when I was at school and had to ask for permission to do a wee-wee or poo-poo:

https://chess24.com/en/read/news/olympiad-protest-at-anti-cheating-toilet-rule

Whether or not any player or group of players can influence this particular FIDE policy is yet to be seen but a twitterstorm is brewing:

https://twitter.com/kalliste28/status/772332372968738816

Read Full Post »

If you mess with the best…

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on September 3, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Poor old Enamul Hossain from beleaguered Bangladesh, forced to play for his country and defend its honour against world champion Magnus Carlsen. It is the second round of the 2016 olympiad, and after 16 moves the following position has been reached.Both commentators pointed out that even though black is not material down the position is completely lost! Black has given world champion Carlsen a free hand on the kingside, thus resignation is not far off. The game is here below.

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/42nd-chess-olympiad-baku-2016-open/2/39/1

Read Full Post »

A drunken knight?

Posted in My own warped humour on September 1, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts

Recent Posts
September 2016

M T W T F S S

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

« Aug Oct »
Archives
Archives
…on what this site initially became…on what this site is now becoming…on what this site cannot become…

On what this site initially became…

…once upon a time, the chess-related musings of an adrift academic were bound playfully and electronically in this online journal of sorts. They grew and grew as the decade did too. I kept on because I love to write whether I had much to say or not; therefore, being read by others was usually of little or no importance, comparatively speaking. Content was based on personal thoughts and experience on various topics with no intended audience borne in mind. With topics broadening, my own take on things always shaped the narrative I constructed: I often thought I was insightful but never that I was right. Sometimes imagination gave rise to originality: and of that I have always remained proud. I often introduced humour, believing that I am funnier than I really am. Sometimes, I found my own style antithetical to the conservatism I believe chess is plagued by -oftentimes that has put a gracious smile on my face… .

On what this site is now becoming…

…this site is now becoming a collaboration of chess in Bedfordshire: much more so of the past than the present -that has become the dominant trend. I document the history of chess in Bedfordshire as much as I can, and as time has passed I have become more thorough and resourceful. However, I am not a trained historian as my background lies principally in philosophy but yes it is true I did study some modules on history as both an undergraduate and a post-graduate too; furthermore, I have trained myself up, particularly in terms of postmodern history. Since 2015, I have only read history and historiography as well as those philosophers who have been so influential on postmodern history, such as Nietzsche (whom I once wrote a 19,000 word dissertation on, entitled: Can the Will to Power be Found in The Birth of Tragedy?), also Richard Rorty and Foucault and I suppose certain structualists such as Claude Levi-Strauss too. Regarding postmodernism, mostly I keep to Hayden White, Keith Jenkins and Alan Muslow.

Some friends and former playing partners back home describe me as the ‘go to guy’ for the history of chess in Bedfordshire. This compliment says more about the lack of interest in the subject than my own endeavour. As mentioned, I am too adrift from academia to feel chuffed by it. Rather, I tend to lament that my historical research, like my chess, just isn’t what it should be. Even though I may well have a broad understanding of Bedfordshire chess history courtesy of the volume of research put into it, all of which began in 2014, this is not something I am particularly proud of. Nonetheless, out of courtesy compliments are graciously received. If the truth be told, I just see it as my job and only that – after all someone’s got to do it and no one else is that interested!

Amongst the many others, I have created three categories: ‘Bedfordshire Chess’ and ‘History of Bedfordshire Chess’ and ‘Luton Chess Club’. This website is slowly moving towards a consolidation of those (all of which can be found in one of the toolbars to the right).

On what this site cannot become…

…I like to be both creative and amusing when I can be, factor in that playfulness has been an ever-present factor, the content of this site should be thought of as multifarious. It could be said I continue to enjoy undermining the conservatism I believe chess is underpinned by even after all these years, and often try to use humour to do it still, believing I have got better at it. Consequently, despite the general direction its going in, this site cannot only be about Chess in Bedfordshire and nor will it be. It may become noted for that yes -in fact that’s been the case for years already even by established historians, archivists, and whoever else. External factors aside, this site is titled McCreadyandChess. I cannot, nor will I not, remove my own personal thoughts and experiences of chess from the posts of this site -especially if I think they are funny or original for they constitute my writing at its very, very best. In addition, the number of categories alone tells you that breadth of content is important to me. I am proud of my site, it is identity conferring and that is how it shall stay -end of story. All you really have are: ‘Some thoughts on the beautiful game’, which, incidentally, just happen to be my very own; nothing more, nothing less, take of it whatever you please… .

Mark. J. McCready

9.56 pm Monday, October 28th 2024

Bangkok, Thailand
Categories
Posts which McCready is mighty pleased with

Malpractice — Replete with dark humour and literary devices

Bedfordshire Chess in the 70s its past and its future — Local History

Our Clash of Future Champions — Local History

Fond Memories of Bedfordshire Chess — Humour & Reflection

Meme 16 — Dark Humour & Parody

Reflections 20— Reflection & Warm Condolence

Reflections 17 — Colourful reflections from afar
Luton & The University of Bedfordshire Chess Club
The University of Bedfordshire Library, Vicarage St. Luton
01582 743921/07710036246 (Humuyan)
kitefighter@gmail.com
Tuesdays from 7.30 pm, The Library, Ground Floor

Please go to:
https://www.lutonchessclub.com/
Blog Stats
- 32,081 hits
Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address:

Join 39 other subscribers
A side note on how to read old Tom Sweby's columns
Not perhaps, but quintessentially, Old Tom Sweby is best thought of as a passionate devotee to the newspapers he wrote for. He was well read and knowledgeable of the Bedfordshire chess scene and well beyond, given that he was the president of the S.C.C.U. once upon a time. He was generally well-respected and rubbed shoulders with many, if not all, of those eminent within British chess circles. It would, however, be a critical mistake to see his column is primary source material entirely. That it is not. You will also find secondary source material quoted too, and the reliability of that is not quite as Tom hoped. Given that he wrote for decades, this is to some degree inevitable, and after all we are all prone to error whether we realize it or not. Thankfully, with regards to old Tom Sweby, they are infrequent and for the most part old Tom continued to document events and developments in the Bedfordshire league from the get go as best he could but, of course, everything lies open to interpretation. Despite this, and generally speaking. this does indeed make him informative and thus worth reading. Dare I say his columns constitute a narrative describing the latest developments, match reports and changing nature of the Beds league...he knew his audience and wrote according. This manifested itself over decades but brevity was always in play courtesy of the restictions imposed by writing a column. Should you wish to read a in instrumental figure of the Beds' league post WW2, you are quite welcome to peruse what has been posted here... . :-) I should, however, point out that as the decades wore on he gradually moved on away from narratives concerning the Bedfordshire league towards affairs both historical and international. The reasons for this are multifarous, old age was a predominante factor presumably, however, the bottom line is with regards to how the Bedfordshire chess scene developed post WW2: old Tom Sweby is your go to guy. He wrote more about chess in Bedforshire than anyone else did but given he was a Lutonian and writing for a Luton newspaper there is both bias and greater coverage of his hometown than the rest of the county.
Gallery

I’m either 10 or 11 here

1982, myself versus Brian from Sunderland.

At the Thai Junior chess championships. My daughter of course.

Pattaya 2011

2011

Thai Junior Championships

2008

2011

Around 2011

2011

Pattaya 2009

2011

Kuwait 2008

2012

2012

2011 BKK Chess club

2011

2011 Thai Open

2011 Thai Open

2013 approx

Around 2014

2010

2012

Around 2011

2011

2011

2013

Around 2011

Around 2011

2020

2011

2008

2011

2013 or thereabouts

2010

2017

2014?

2010

2024

2024

2024
To add comments, please see the bell at the top of the page.