Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen, more commonly known is Magnus Carlsen, and sometimes mistakenly thought of as the current world champion, plays with more daring in the opening than anyone else. In the past I have seen him win with Alekhine’s Defence and play 1.f4 against both GM Kramnik and GM Michael Adams -beating them both with it! Look at this from two days ago at the European Club Championships, Round 3.
His opponent is no pushover, so how can he justify this? I think his rationale is something like ‘I don’t need to gain an advantage in the opening, I can outplay you in the middle game or the endgame.’ Or perhaps it was ‘I am rated over 300 points above you, I can play whatever I like.’
Bedford’s Neil Hickmann -who when we last met over the board was quick to point out that he always lost when we played was quickly reminded that in the opening game of the 93/94 season he did actually defeat me with the From gambit -has brought out a publication entitled ‘Memorable games of British Chess’, reviewed here:
As I read, I stumbled across the following passage.
I am very happy to announce that someday very soon, I shall veer away from the content I have posted more recently -often to shock and challenge the conservatism rampant in chess – and focus more on research, which I like doing.
Mark. J. McCready, 03:01 am, Friday September 22nd 2023
Al-Fursan (Fursan means knight in English), Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
In England, the government has agreed to invest £500,000 in promoting chess for children. What this is likely to achieve I don’t know. Most likely not very much as throwing money at things doesn’t usually accomplish anything. Promoting chess-playing members of society who could work as a source of inspiration appears to be off the agenda.
‘Those that can do, those that can’t teach.’ -Proverb
The haves
Those who are titled, and classified as professional, interact with chess across a variety of mediums, the most prominent being electronic in today’s world. They can pick and chose aware that the future is digital.
Income from what they do may come from entering tournaments, classes/teaching/coaching, writing, online chess courses, commentary, sponsorship, online streaming, I could go on. I would imagine its a good life if Nietzsche is correct insomuch as we should ‘live by our passions’.
Most probably he has a good life
The have nots
You may not have a title, you may only be an amateur, nonetheless you are who you are. And don’t you love yourself? If not then you should because if you can’t then who can? Okay, so personal profit is not in play with regards to chess. So what is then? Personal pleasure or identity-conferring experience or social interlinkage or improvement or lack of a better idea?
Do you actually know why you play chess and what you get out of it? Is it important? Isn’t it important to know who we are and what we do? After all, that is how we define ourselves right? But where does all this lead? Put simply, knowledge is power as Francis Bacon once said. To get more out of what you do, you should know what you get out of it in the first place right?
Improvement or Contentment -the big question or is it?
The biggest of all questions should be what do you play chess for? Improvement, contentment or both (assuming that’s a false antithesis in play there). Improvement? Okay, let’s scrap that you can work it out yourself! May I suggest you seek out the right literature as a starting point then find your own way in? For the time being, let’s focus on contentment. Actually scrap that too -it’s too broad. Instead allow me to personalise matters then you decide to take whatever you want or so wish.
Consciousness -my only friend!
Loss of contentment = dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction = enquiry into what’s changed. I noticed that I was not playing to the best of my ability and that my play was too sloppy. I wasn’t thinking about my opponents moves enough or establishing threats in the position when it was my turn to move. Why? Online chess was why. I played too much and often at inopportune moments. This ushered in bad habits. Easily distracted, my thoughts wandered during my games all too easily. This ran through my mind last week during a game:
Conversation in a clinic
” ‘as ee got da krab?” (krab is a play on words with crabs. Crabs is English slang for pubic lice!?!)
” ee got da krab”
” ya see da smoke?” (da smoke means smoke produced when someone itches their pubes with such great intensity, smoke is produced)
“I saw da smoke”
It all got too casual. Things had to change. And change they would.
‘Of flesh and blood I’m made’
‘I’m only human, of flesh and blood I’m made. Human, born to make mistakes’. And so too my opponents from…well from now on from. Online chess was banished with thunder and lightening to keep it real, to make it fresh again. Online viewing banned too! OTB chess and OTB chess only now. Flesh and blood across the table was the order of the day. Once conscious of what was wrong, fix it so did I. Job done.
…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… .
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
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