Archive for August, 2022

New approach to Alekhine’s Defence

Posted in Humour on August 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

More work needed methinks.

https://twitter.com/jeje_do_role_/status/1554282872625840129?s=20&t=4rJFK2QuqjMRghOboBFH7g

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More Breaking News…

Posted in My own warped humour on August 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

There will almost certainly be a delay to today’s play at the Olympiad. There’s been an incident involving the Chief Arbiter in the playing hall lavatory. He mistakenly used Walmart toilet cleaning wipes instead of loo paper and has burnt his bum, he’s gone off to hospital to have it inspected.

They are not sure how long it’s going to take but it is not expected for him to return to his duties for today’s play. A deputy is being sought.

MJM

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Breaking News from the Olympiad…

Posted in Life beyond the chess board, My own warped humour on August 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Today’s play is facing a delay. In the city of Chennai, an escaped giant tortoise has been seen entering the playing hall. Big operation there. Once they’ve caught up with it, however long that takes, how are they gonna lift it out of there? Could be a tough one this.

They once had an escaped parrot in the Soviet Championships but I’m guessing the olympiad guys would opt for a giant tortoise over a parrot if it were put to the vote, so maybe the arbiters will just leave it be, unworried about concentration levels being disturbed by squawking, and blunders being made because of it. If we did have an escaped parrot this time, or any other noisy bird disturbing games and making players lose what we most likely will get is, if they couldn’t catch it, Grand masters going on the rampage and trying to burn the place down to get rid of it. And we don’t want a scenario where Grand masters are colluding and committing arson, aided and abetted by IM’s and FM’s in the middle of an event -that’s just unacceptable, so since tortoises are quiet and move slowly, they are easily managed and the arbiters will probably just leave it be, well that’s my take on it.

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Is a renaming of the site in order?

Posted in My own warped humour on August 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

I must admit, I am quite good at entertaining myself and would like to add a video on bird wrestling (where two birds wrestle with each other) because I think I am onto something here. If you asked most people what extra things should a chess site include, most would opt for Bird Wrestling for entertainment, and I’ve got a great video where one bird gets stomped on and get’s a claw in the head! It’s a beaut and only one minute long. I could start advertising it and monetise my site. Maybe set up a donations channel where I hunt down similar videos with different types of birds wrestling each other. I could be onto a winner here and may rename my website McCreadyandchessandbirdwrestling

With top notch videos loaded in, there’s big money to be made here I think. The whole thing is just waiting to take off with investment. I could have 5 million in the bank within 3 months…maybe 10 million, who knows?

Serious action here.

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Not for vanities sake but a better sense of bringing things home

Posted in My own endeavours, On-line journal on August 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Upon reflection, if I visited a site such as this, I would want to get to know more about the author in some shape or form. Well I do try but I don’t really make that possible because of the lay out style I have chosen (although the side bars are clearly there to offset that). I haven’t made a name for myself in chess so slotting me into the overall scheme of things mean I come out as just another chess enthusiast/addict with a blog all his own. But that simply won’t do as so many are in the same boat, thousands in fact. So I shall break rank and enable you to put a face to the posts, so you can see who is writing (this rubbish) this humorous if often inward looking content. This is an attempt at personification of the site, and you could argue that all sites should show similar intentions now and again. A chess player I may be, and the subject of the site is chess but it is called McCreadyandChess, so pics of my life beyond the board are not beyond the parameters of what it was designed for.

I’ll add some photos from facebook, taken over the years but you should know I used to be a photographer and so some pics reflect the creativity I was once noted for, but only a few. The rest depict the colourful life I have ended up with to some degree but they barely scratch the surface tbh and there’s nothing I can do about that. I put the pics in gallery form, so you can just click on them and scroll along. Maybe they give a clearer sense of who is writing or something. The title of the site does the job here I think.

Whilst a photographer 2008
Chat Am 2013
BKK 2017
Cycling gear 2017
Night club fun 2017
Night club fun 2017
Night club fun 2017
Kuwait 2008
Luton 2019
BKK 2019, that’s my daughter Grace
Phuket 2013
I do sometimes wear an inverted cross, it symbolizes a love of metal -that’s all.
BKK 2019
Riyadh 2006
In the classroom Cha Am 2013
Cambodia 2002
2013
2008
Photoshop skills
Kuwait 2008
Pattaya 2008
Japan 2008
Chiang Rai 2007
Those dreaded months as a photographer 2008 Al Ain UAE
Abu Dhabi 2008
Kor Fakkan, UAE 2008
Pattaya 2006
Kuwait 2008
Kuwait 2008 when I was running 130kms each weekend
Kuwait 2008 (my killer look according to someone)
Kuwiat 2008
Kuwait 2008
Abu Dhabi 2007
Think I was only 4 here
BKK 2007
London 1998

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A newer update

Posted in On-line journal on August 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

To restate the obvious, the title of this website is McCreadyandChess. This means you will get my interpretations of chess related content, some of which is factual, or there will be personal stuff, usually chess related although not always. So McCreadyandChess could be thought in those terms and as I have restated enough times I NEVER write to be read. The general shift in direction is towards personal stuff, as I have lead a colourful life and I love to write. Combine the two and the temptation to put pen to paper is always there. Like it says in the side headings, on the whole the site is becoming increasingly more inward looking. You could also argue that I am becoming increasing disappointed with/cynical of both chess journalism and chess theory as a literary genre, so you won’t see much of either of those from now on most likely.

I was thinking of introducing non-chess related content, starting with ‘Bird Wrestling’ but have decided against that as it doesn’t fit into what was said in the previous paragraph but since I am always on-line I cannot promise that things which make me crack up laughing for a good day or two won’t find their way in. We have seen that of late with the guy who visited a shrine and I can’t promise we won’t again but the humour levels will, in my opinion, be way above normal, so I hope for forgiveness, and always hope that whoever comes to my site, their first thoughts are ‘what the bloody hell is all this’ and leave with ‘what was all that about’. Ultimately, if someone leaves with a wry smile -that’s good!

In the months before I temporarily agreed to become a photographer by profession (not recommended) in the UAE, I played about endlessly with Photoshop CS2. Here is a picture of myself from that time.

Sci-fi me from Abu Dhabi
It just so happens that my life online remains dominant over my life offline.

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WW3

Posted in Chess on August 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

In the chess Olympiad, England play Austria today. As you may know Austria is where Hitler was from so is this going to be WW3? Will those Austrians try and team up with ze Germans and allign forces? Will England, with it’s tail between it’s legs, go asking the Americans for help knowing Russia isn’t allowed to participate this time and so can’t be relied upon (especially when busy with Ukraine).

Let battle commence and let us hope that England are victorious for once. And I do apologize for remaining a post-modern historian, and I’m doubly sure you don’t need me to tell you BUT everything is open to interpretation, and that includes England winning WW2! (which it bloody well did not)

MJM

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No whitewash leads to ray of hope and rays of light from a glassy evening sky above the jungle.

Posted in Chess, My own endeavours, Personal Interest & Experience on August 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Laos managed to draw their match against the British Virgin Islands yesterday rather than lose 4-0. They have a point in the table now. Let us hope they pick up another or even a victory but most importantly at all, let us remember the character of the Laotians and hope/assume that no matter what the results are, they are enjoying themselves -highly probable. And so even though they face tougher opponents today, let’s hope their national character wins through and it’s fun all round!

Pak Beng, deep into the Laotian countryside and only accessible by the river Mekong at the time. Do you know I once spent an evening there some 22 years ago in early Feb? There was only one hill, only some of it had electricity, most restaurants used candles when serving evening meals. I slept on wooden boards in a hut further up the hill. There the morning after, I still remember a toddler chase after some weird looking fruit rolling down the hill (which eventually ran out of speed in a puddle, which all excited, he then coveted with a big surreptitious smile) and that further up the hill was a different tribe with their own language as you would expect. Being a tourist, all the locals wanted to sell you was food, pens or drugs -and being me I went and got high whilst there in one of the restaurants and yes I still remember standing on the banks of the river looking at the stars, pointing them out until I got rounded up by a taken aback policeman and sent off to my wooden hut -ah those were the days!
T’was about there where I stood below a glassy evening sky, pointing out the stars.

The reason I stopped off in Pak Beng was because I took the boat to Luang Prabang. So highly recommended by all. I remember wandering around streets not knowing where I was going (because I couldn’t think straight and didn’t know if I had already walked down that street already), then running into the couple I started chatting to at the restaurant when I bumped into them by chance. ‘Where’ve you been? They asked with some exasperation since we got on so well in the restaurant in Pak Beng until, well until, well until it was, erm, well…the conversation became a bit intense and started to wander at the same time also…well anyway so I put on an act and said I wasn’t well and rubbed my forehead to back it up with a slight swoon…in retrospect that was better than saying I got out of it on that shit! But the thing is, for that little tourist loop, it was quite the norm amongst backpackers back then -so I was fitting in really!

Anyway, I am not suggesting you should visit Laos and go and get high, but from personal experience, I am not sure what else you could do. I most certainly don’t recommend getting high then putting about 60 kms on your bike across the countryside in the dark -that you should not do believe me. Ah maybe drink beer and look for someone to play chess on the street? They have their own version of chess there, so be ready, it’s much more popular and you can get a game on the street anywhere, so yes, now thinking about it, do that (but not whilst high). Beer + local variants of chess, and a few photographs…phew I finally worked out how to spend time in Laos more productively!

They might be up for a game or two but which version of chess will they play.

Mark. J. McCready 11.15am August 3rd

Laksi Bangkok

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At the very bottom

Posted in Chess on August 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Laos has fallen to the bottom of the table in the Olympiad, I suspect they may have the weakest team too.

They play The British Virgin Islands today.

It doesn’t look good. Prospects aren’t really there.

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Panic in the analysis room

Posted in On-line journal on August 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Your game has only just finished. With your opponent you courteously enter the analysis room for a look at the game. You sit down together and it starts normally, then suddenly you have a massive panic attack. Visions of shrines, demons, and the wrong lottery numbers, overpower your mind and run riot within it. Flustered and emotionally charged, you jump up and start shouting in another language. You can’t think straight nor think about your game anymore. Many people are alarmed and stop what they are doing, some children look scared almost. Some minutes pass before emotions are held in check again, then it happens again. The same visions return but this time there are extra visions of being tasered by police too, as well as many bottles of booze. It causes you to have another panic attack rendering analysis impossible. Your walk becomes a limp, your head a mess. Your opponent doesn’t know what’s happening and asks what is wrong. What should you say and do?

Ride out the storm. Yes more panic attacks are coming because the visions reappear but we can ride it out.

Or you could bring the analysis to an early end as it isn’t getting me anywhere.

Or you could decide not to invest time and money in the lottery anymore.

Or you could emigrate to Russia and become an alcoholic.

Could you re-alter your sense of time somehow and perhaps avoid being tasered…oh and don’t smash anything else up.

Maybe go for therapy and go on medication?

Now look at this, I’ve got to finish this post up. I’m getting visions of visions which are warping into my own sense of humour.

Last option: make tea not war!

M.J.McCready 0607 August 2

A dark room in a big city.

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