If you are daft dedicated enough to have followed this blog from the hallowed antiquity which it emerged from, you may have noticed there isn’t a great deal of chess in it. Not in terms of games and analysis. That’s more unintentional than idiosyncratic since I haven’t played that much competitive chess this millenium, and not that much at all since my daughter Grace was born. Just blitz games down the club nearest and online stuff that I will regret having started for many years to come. All it did was alleviate boredom and make me much worse than usual.
Anyway omwards and upwards I go with my electronic friend but there is a lot that needs work on and adjusting to. You could say that since I stopped in 1997, I haven’t played much since, not really, not in terms of competitive chess. Nothing like the 496 games I played before I stopped. But that’s okay, I like how it’s going .
A whim which became little more than some ad hoc experiment has resulted in me playing aggressive sacrificial stuff when I don’t mess things up and are unable to. I’ve won 28 games only and nearly won many, many, many more than that. Computers don’t give up and throw the towel in like humans do. They also understand the importance of counterplay much more so.
But the very good news is, I know what needs to be done and that it will take time. I don’t need much assistance. And I won’t start the next millenium off like this one on the chess front if I continue to get into it (sincere apologies for the attempt at humour). As you know, very few live for 3 or more mileniums (that is also not funny but off the wall, so that’s okay).
If I follow this through, all that will come of it is that I will go from being an average club player to a strong club player but will enjoy it more. Pyrric victory is it? Not quite. Nietzsche would call it a manifestation of the will to power, which is principally a life-affirming entity/phenomena/drive (to use his term), which some not so interested in him might think that’s what he thinks intentionality is or something along those lines. I swear it’s got nothing to do with getting bored easily or lack of a better idea, let me make that very clear. Even if that were the case I wouldn’t be able to own up either‘
Most people are creatures of habit and comfort and how they experience chess doesn’t change so much over the years. In fact it is possible to redefine how you approach it and experience it even late on in life because its much more challenging and quite enthralling if you can get into. Thankfully for those with such an obssessive mindset, this comes by itself anyway…and so on we go.
Very soon if not with immediacy I will start posting and commentating on my games. This I will enjoy, then you’ll realize although I can talk a good game, I’m just an average club player really but a well educated one at that.
Ressurection not no ressurection is the sum total of it. Speaking of which, here’s a number you could have a sing along to down the boozer with someone on piano. Do have a listen. I swear it’s nothing like hardcore metal, more like, er chas and dave. And yes of course the title of the post is from that song, which I got into in April/May 1989.
Please note, I am well used to being told to drop the duff jokes all the time, so comments to that affect I can’t guarentee a reply to. If it drops to less than 300 a day, I might reconsider things…well maybe. Bob Monkhouse once said, ‘when I told people I was going up on stage they were laughing at me, but when I got up there, they weren’t laughing then’. One day I might just follow in his footsteps… .
England’s self-proclaimed funniest man in chess, and also somewhat sometimes playful, ends with the words ‘Be seeing you.’
Mark. J. McCready
McCreadyandChess 