Posted in Chess on October 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I’ve decided to stop playing chess online. Two bad habits are taking hold and turning my play into something of a joke, so I have stopped. I feel much better for it somehow. A righteous path has been chosen or so it feels. All that is left is to do nothing. Shouldn’t be too hard… .
Posted in Chess on October 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I’ve noticed recently that I am playing too much chess on line and that a lot of it is poor. I’ve had to think about why that is and I have noticed two things in particular, both of which spring from the fact that online chess isn’t taken very seriously, generally speaking and myself included.
Overall, it’s not good and doesn’t lend itself to playing with any sense of pride. A quick game online here and there to fill in the time isn’t for the best, and so it’s something I shall put a stop to soon. That is for the best.
MJM
Posted in Chess in Thailand on October 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »
The Bangkok Chess Open has reached its twentieth year and can be followed on the link below:
https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/20th-bangkok-chess-open-2022/1/1/1
The tournament is being held in Chiang Mai this year at the beautiful 5-star Shangri-la hotel.
The field is stronger than usual, with the Norwegian number two, Aryan Tari joining the already strong contingent of GMs. Oftentimes in the past the tournament was held in April and clashed with the Dubai Open, however, despite having much less prize money in play comparatively, the tournament remained popular and has continued to flourish across all levels in the game. This is down to the fact that it is known to be a well-organised tournament in a popular destination, with many participants wanting a bit of holiday thrown in with their chess -which they get!
Chiang Mai? Where’s that then? It’s in the north of the country and is the largest city up there. Steeped in tradition more so than anywhere else, the city centre is encompassed by a huge wall, within which is no end of temples both ancient and modern. Some have so much care and attention poured into them that an epicentre for Buddhism is the vibe floating through the streets which criss-cross it. There’s a great, sprawling night market there too, with something on sale for everyone, and a chilled atmosphere amongst the many bars and restaurants discovered. And yes, as you can perhaps guess, it is your beloved author’s favoured location in Thailand, and for many reasons too! Besides Chiang Mai there’s a huge mountain. It’s easy to travel up and you can find a famous temple offering stunning views of the city as well as indigenous people -who are more than happy to have their photo taken with you! What is the symbol of Chiang Mai and how do I find out more about the chess scene in Thailand? Just click on this link http://bangkokchess.com/
Sadly, I just can’t make it this year. I played in and functioned as photographer enough times in the past but this is the sixth consecutive year of non-participation. In truth, since suffering from a major head injury in 2016 I haven’t been able to play competitively, and perhaps that’s how it has to stay.
Bias aside, should you ever consider participating in an international tournament, I strongly recommend the Bangkok Open -it ticks all the boxes. May I also strongly suggest that you don’t party too hard if do you sign up and play on. So many have done in the past, including visiting GMs, and were much the worse for wear because of it. It’s perhaps an exaggeration to say its become something of an embarrassment amongst those of us in the know but the preferred option is that we see less of it -of that there is no doubt. Defining what a ‘chess’ holiday should be something of an open question…but still. Moderation is what I, your beloved author, recommends along with fighting chess each and every day.
Mark. J. McCready
Room 306, Helwa Apt.
10.26 pm, October 22nd 2022
Sakaka, Saudi Arabia
Posted in Life beyond the chess board on October 18, 2022| Leave a Comment »
It helps if I listen to music when I write. My mood should be altered also, that makes an even bigger difference. The humour I make attempts at seems to come by itself as the post progresses. They don’t take very long at all. When I start laughing at what I’ve wrote, I know I am doing well, that’s when I go into overdrive. I think some of the stuff I right is absolutely hilarious but I understand not everyone will. No matter what anyone thinks, I enjoy doing it greatly.
Posted in Chess on October 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »
It could be the case that a pleasant, if long, train journey to what is my favourite place in Thailand, for nine days of chess, where I get to meet up with old friends is the sort of thing that dreams are made of. The sort of thing that makes holidaying all the worth while. Afterall, who wouldn’t want to go off travelling to play some chess. Stands to reason doesn’t it? But that might only be true if impulses are at the heart of our decision making process. But you do have to be in the right frame of mind and that’s just not the case with myself. I have to pass up the opportunity, and its for the best. I’m too wounded to limp on. So I shall stay at home and spend time with my well-loved child instead. It’s helpful to remember that chess isn’t that important, and sometimes circumstances prevent it from ever being so.
Posted in Chess on October 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »
How do we assess our current level? It’s an inexact science but nonetheless correlated to how often we play. I think rustiness is defined in terms of being out of the game for some time. But if we aren’t rusty per se and we aren’t playing regularly enough, how do we define where we are, and thus, what we are capable of? Just how do we measure by graduation and what exactly is the criteria being used. We have a few expressions which readdress the matter but mostly they are colloquial and are a bit vague. It seems to me that assessing where you are at with your chess is not as straightforward as it may first appear. I’m not talking about competitive chess here, instead I am taking about approximate level. Lack of match practice is a separate issue.
We all like to know where we are with things but it seems we must stick to generalities as knowing exactly where you are isn’t so simple. I play online quite a lot but never take it seriously, as is so often the case. How much does that count for? Hard to be sure. I don’t know how useful it is to dichotomize chess into online and OTB, and perhaps it is the case OTB chess carries with it certain things which online chess cannot but establishing the seriousness of your online play and using that as a yardstick to gain some idea of overall level is far from straightforward. Form should, in itself, be transient but what the conditions are for the development of form, or improvement to put is simply, are unclear. Detachment doesn’ t lend itself to explication and most likely we never are well aware of what shape we are in. The question is why should it matter, and the answer to that might just be down to a manifestation of guilt through not trying hard enough with online chess. In all probability attachment to a club or institute of some kind will embed experience with more definitive results and participation. The bigger questions determine to what extent life is being led properly. Life led in some quandary zone, never being neither here nor there doesn’t sound quite right to me. Nor does looking for answers to issues to help plan things more carefully.
If there is a solution then it lies with objectification. Go to tournaments, win some games, climb up ladders, and so on. Basically, don’t sit around doing nothing anymore and wonder what it’s left me with, and instead be active. Whatever the solution may be, it lies in that direction I would say.
Posted in Chess on October 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »
A principal quality to becoming a strong chess player is pattern recognition and it has much value beyond the board too.
And so the upshot is I am less excited about a return to OTB chess. Why? I’ve been here before too many times. There’s nothing new about it and too much that is familiar. It’s tempting to think I go round in circles. Even if I don’t, the truth of the matter is not too far off. I seem to be quite good at putting my foot in it (reckless bugger), and so the sense of familiarity is too strong and enthusiasm somewhat lacking this time around.
There is a transition in play when you go from online to OTB. Etiquette comes back into play, the sense of occasion over-arches all. The games come thick and fast in BKK chess club because they only play blitz there. There’s also nearly 2 hours of travel to the chess club. It’s a welcome transition but it has to be remembered that chess is just a board game and there are far more important things in life to be getting on with. Well, admittedly chess is a passion too and that does elevate its status.
General considerations should never be overlooked and so, owing to circumstances, I might not be too up for it. Hard to be sure.
Posted in Chess on October 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Chess on October 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »
It’s highly likely that I will be able to play in a 9 round tournament this month if I want to. I don’t want to though. I’m too rusty amongst other reasons. It doesn’t help being cursed by an artificially low rating as well. I suppose we have to be informed enough to know when its a good idea to play and not a good idea. It takes 7 rounds for me to get into the groove sufficiently, and that’s just too much. It’s just not possible to enjoy the tournament when most of it is spent in a state of unreadiness. Perhaps I will take the train up and spend a day or two watching games and catching up with old friends…that might be better.
The frontage from such decisions don’t really help decide where the balance of importance is going to lie in terms of playing on-line and playing down the club. It seems stupendous to suggest that my off line life may overtake my on line life but you never know. In retrospect there is, of course, no comparison between OTB chess and online chess. The caveat is, though, with OTB you get those who suffer from NBPE syndrome (not been punched enough) and they can be bloody annoying gits if they want to be…ah yeah, there is that I suppose…
Mark
Posted in Chess on October 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I will be frequenting one of my clubs again quite soon but for how long I don’t know yet…
It will be nice to play OTB chess again…
Snow falls in winter and when it falls all is silent…
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.
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