Archive for November, 2020
A well chosen example methinks
Posted in Chess on November 7, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Saturday it’s a Saturday
Posted in My own endeavours on November 7, 2020| Leave a Comment »
What better way to begin thine weekend than delving into how nuanced endgames be. And for reasons pragmatic in their persuasion, I ain’t going beyond King Prawn curry King & Pawn or Rook endgames though -no roller skates necessary.
The pangs of a postmodernist
Posted in On-line journal, Postmodern History on November 4, 2020| Leave a Comment »
It’s becoming increasingly difficult, if not downright impossible to watch videos entitled ‘Great players of the past’. I am yet to find a single video which is more about the subject and less about the presenter and the games he likes in particular. And I am most likely to give up on that very soon. Some are so blatant that almost nothing is learnt about the player being discussed but a great deal is conveyed about the person presenting…
888
Posted in On-line journal on November 3, 2020| Leave a Comment »
As it stands from April to present:
Chess.com 596 games
Lichess.com 254 games
chess24 33 games
That’s 888 games.
Koshed into third
Posted in On-line journal on November 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The lie of the land?
Posted in Chess, On-line journal on November 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »
I think we can safely say that with the vast majority reverting to the internet for chess instruction it has, invariably, become something of a free for all. Youtube has many channels, and is in all probability the best place to go, but how much of what is on offer is worth watching? Not much, I can assure you.
But in recent months I have noticed that the Americans are getting some things not just right but spot on…for what it’s worth, the following two channels are thoroughly recommended.
https://www.youtube.com/c/STLChessClub/featured
https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessClubandScholasticCenterofAtlanta/featured
Olcmarcus
Bridging the gap
Posted in Chess on November 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Before chess became the obsession that took centre stage back in 1987, I loved board games of all kinds. But there was one I liked especially because its similarity to chess. This held true particularly in the early teen years, and here it is.
Another day off from chess fail!
Posted in On-line journal on November 1, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The more you live the more you…?
Posted in Chess, My own endeavours, On-line journal, Personal Interest & Experience, Selected on-line games, Tournament Chess on November 1, 2020| Leave a Comment »
For the first time last night I represented England. A match against Finland was held. Of the 81 participants, around 30 were titled, of course there were Grandmasters playing. The time frame was 1h 20m, games were set at 3m, 2s increment. I won almost every game I played, held firm in joint 11th for the most part then slipped up in my final game to someone rated 2227. I finished 16th out of 81 even though those finishing both above and below me were on average 300-500 points above me. I punched well above my weight and feel proud of myself for stepping up to the mark against very strong opposition. England gave Finland a sound beating and I did my country proud by sticking in earbuds and bopping away with my favourite 80’s band (A Flock of Seagulls) as I blitzed my way up the leaderboard. All music video images in the screenshots below are of A Flock of Seagulls, the first one being from the song ‘The More you Live The More you Love’. I don’t know about you but the more I live the more I love playing chess.
The match was commentated upon. Rather amusingly it begins with comments of mine where I boast about drinking beer when I studied The Philosophy of Science in Finland as an undergrad back in Autumn 96; when I once beat a Finnish FM with 1.f4 down the pub named The Three Beers in Turun Yliopisto.
There’s two videos from me and now two videos I will bop away to quite happily if given the chance.
Olcmarcus
Love is the drug
Posted in On-line journal on November 1, 2020| Leave a Comment »
‘Love is the drug and I need my score’ dah-da-dah, dah-da-dah, dah-dah-dah
With chess board put to one side, does the twangy title ‘Love is the drug’ conjure anything? Grace Jones and a cheesy music video or perhaps if we go back a decade more Roxy music? Mental scrimmage aside, allow yourself to stick with the latter for future reference, and trust me on that. Although I grew up in the 80s, I am aware that pop music is, for the most part, ingratiating and the product of an industry that is, primarily, profit based…I mean who would have thought even old Frankie Sinatra was being somewhat disingenuous when he sang ‘My Way’? Well he did sing it his way but that song wasn’t his, was it? Only after the yanks plundered the French for it, was it popularized in America by him.
I had hoped for the weekend off from chess and began branching out into draughts and othello.
But then I was asked to represent England for the first time and that changed things (more on that to come). And so here I sit on the first November Sunday, pondering over the following position in a tough game of Round 1 in The British Open.
And so I sit, musing, listening, and pondering… .
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A side note on how to read old Tom Sweby's columns
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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
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- I’m either 10 or 11 here
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- 1982, myself versus Brian from Sunderland.
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- At the Thai Junior chess championships. My daughter of course.
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- Pattaya 2011
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- 2011
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- Thai Junior Championships
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- 2008
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- 2011
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- Around 2011
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- 2011
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- Pattaya 2009
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- 2011
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- Kuwait 2008
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- 2012
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- 2012
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- 2011 BKK Chess club
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- 2011
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- 2011 Thai Open
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- 2011 Thai Open
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- 2013 approx
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- Around 2014
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- 2010
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- 2012
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- Around 2011
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- 2011
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- 2011
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- 2013
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- Around 2011
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- Around 2011
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- 2020
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- 2011
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- 2008
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- 2011
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- 2013 or thereabouts
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- 2010
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- 2017
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- 2014?
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- 2010
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- 2024
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- 2024
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- 2024
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