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How to and not to describe the knight

Posted in Life beyond the chess board, tagged Donner chess, knight moves in chess on July 11, 2015| Leave a Comment »

How to describe the knight

The following pages are taken from Donner’s The King (New In Chess 2006). For those who don’t know Donner is a great writer with a style all his own, of which the following passage is typical in many respects.

Diagram from Rowson’s very good book ‘The Seven Deadly Chess Sins’ (Gambit 2000), pg. 122. Question, if the knight is on the edge of a board, does it still move in a circle?

More on Donner here, https://mccreadyandchess.com/2014/02/24/the-love-of-wood

How not to describe the knight

William Ward (more on him to come soon) once wrote a much maligned Laws of Chess, here is his account of the knight:

‘The Knight may be moved in any direction from the square on which it stands to the next square but one of a different colour, passing over the intermediate square, whether such square be occupied or not.’ (http://www.chessarbitersassociation.co.uk/Laws1912.pdf) more information can be found in Edward Winter’s good site here (http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/laws1.html).

We experienced players can probably guess what Ward wants to say but would someone new to chess understand Ward’s concept of the ‘intermediate square’?

Donner

Oops, that’s Donner.

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The dangers of auto-pilot

Posted in Life beyond the chess board, tagged auto-pilot chess on July 8, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Most of us play through the opening on auto-pilot, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing provided we are prepared. But when your opponent plays something unfamiliar and we continue to play what seem like natural developing moves, mistakes can be easily made. Take the following game for example, yet another howler from The quickest victories of all time by Burgess, pg 8.

M.Vokac – P.Bazant Czech ch (Turnov) 1996

1. b4 d5

2. Bb2 Nd7

3. Nf3 Ngf6

4. e3 g6

5. c4 cxd4

6. Bxc4 Bg7??

A reasonable set-up for black if it weren’t for the bishop on c4!

7. Bxf7! RESIGNS (with Ng5 and Qb3 to come)

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An immortal game?

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on July 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

The young Chinese superstar Wei Ju has played an ‘immortal game’ apparently. Immortal, in chess terms means unforgettable. In retrospect such terms carry weight but for any game to be described as such within days of being played deserves the annotation (?!) pehaps that says more about the media culture that exists at present rather than the game itself methinks…um…well…erm…the good news is that it is a fantastically interesting game and may well never be forgotten. I shall say no more, here is Kingcrusher’s emotionally charged account of the game, you can decide for yourself what status it should have or go onto to have. Enjoy.

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Old habits die hard…

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on July 1, 2015| 2 Comments »

After having a break of over ten years from chess it is easy to convince yourself that you are something of a reformed character over the board, so I was disappointed with myself to see an old habit return, that of throwing in the towel before it’s necessary. I’ve been playing with the Lucas Program (http://www-lucaschess.rhcloud.com/) a lot recently and decided to see how far up the ladder I could go regarding the numerous engines it has. I’ve made it to Chispa 4.0.3, which has a rating of 2227 but I can’t quite beat it. After a long game which I was only slightly worse, I reached the following position (I am black so black pawns go up the board) and resigned thinking that I couldn’t stop the f-pawn. However, I missed something, can you see what it is?

What should black play here after 53 f6?

53. …Kd7 doesn’t work as 54. c6+ and a pawn will queen. I looked at most but not all knight moves available, overlooking that if black plays 53. … Na4 he can, at least, draw the game. The point is that if 54. f7 Nxc5 55 f8=Q Ne6+ (and winning), white must play 55. f8=N

I assume that after 55. …a5 black is not losing.

After such a long game where I was slightly worse for most of it, thinking I was now lost, I stopped analyzing short of seeing the counter-intuitive 53. … Na4. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

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It pays to have a title!

Posted in Life beyond the chess board, tagged Hou Yifan Bangkok on June 16, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Some of us untitled players may wonder whether being titled matters. It certainly does. The higher the title the greater the perks it provides. Take for instance when Hou Yifan, the then Women’s World Champion came to Bangkok to play in 2012. There was a $10,000 appearance fee generously paid by a local retiree (sorry, not allowed to name him), and a penthouse suite at the Dusit Thani for 2 weeks was provided also -free of charge of course!

In turn, there were a few duties to fulfill, such as a simul against a select few, a photo shoot here and there, and perhaps an interview. Thankfully, Hou Yifan made a genuine effort to win the tournament, which cannot be said for all Bangkok’s guest GMs, some of whom, in the belief they have already made their money, begin each round the worse for wear after a night on the town.

GM Hou Yifan, a pleasant person to meet.

A trap that has caught many GMs out whilst visiting Thailand.

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A reversed From Gambit? Surely not!

Posted in Life beyond the chess board, tagged From gambit on June 13, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Some games defy belief. Having played 1. f4 for many years, I couldn’t help but laugh with incredulity when I saw this game on pg. 6 of The Quickest Victories of All Time by Graham Burgess (Cadogan). It is one of the funniest games I’ve ever seen, what on earth black was thinking about I don’t know. If it were a football match then we could assume he wanted an early bath!

H.Rost – J.Roscher corr. 1989

1. Nc3!? f5?! That’s not a good start as we Dutch Defense players can testify.

2. e4 dxe4

3. d3 exd3?!

4. Bxd3

If that’s not the daftest postion ever to be reached on a chess board then I don’t know what is. One more dubious move and black is lost. I understand the occasional need for experimentation but really… .

4. …Nf6

5. g4 (Nf3 is better) g6

6. g5 Nh5

If this were a true From Gambit, black would have little to worry about here if, I repeat, if he knows what to do as the g-pawn push isn’t anything to worry about.

7. Ne4 d5

8. Ng3 Nxg3

9. hxg3 Bg7?

Black had to play Qd6 after which he is holding with a material advantage.

10. Rxh7 O-O??

11. Bxg6 Qd6

12. Qh5

12. …Qe6

13. Be3 Resigns

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Another Trompowsky disaster

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on June 13, 2015| Leave a Comment »

If people are going to play anti-chess openings, they deserve everything they get.

M. Wickert – M.Adams Islington 1992

1. d4 Nf6

2. Bg5 Ne4

3. Bf4 c5

4. d5 Qb6

5. Nd2 Qxb2

6. Ngf3?? (If Nxe4 then Qxb4+) Nc3

7. Nc4?? Nxd1

0-1

This is how you play the Trompowsky, Michael Adams beats Kasparov!

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1014405

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‘Forward, into battle!’

Posted in Life beyond the chess board, tagged Tolush Chess on June 12, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Tolush, Spassky’s old trainer, was a colourful figure over the board and won many brilliancy prizes in his day. Unfortunately, there were times where he was gung-ho to the point where you wonder whether he deserved the title he had. Here is one game where he fails in spectacular fashion it is, apparently, one of Khalifman’s favourite games: 14th Soviet Championships, Moscow

Tolush – ~~Bondarevsky~~ Boleslavsky (Cafferty’s mistake not mine)

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5

The Trompowsky played in the 40s!

2. …c5

3. dxc5 Ne4

4. Bf4 Nc6

5. Qd5

I don't play the Trompowsky but this looks cavalier to me.

I don’t play the Trompowsky but this looks far too cavalier to me. Some kingside development is surely in order here rather than the move actually played.

5. … f5 6. Qxf5

Again this doesn’t seem right. White must now attend to his queen before developing.

6. … d5

7. Qh5+ g6

8. Qh4 Nd4

Note that half of white’s moves have been with his queen, which is danger of having no good squares left if black is allowed to play Nf5 on his next move.

9. Be5 Nxc2

I think we can say that the opening hasn’t been a great success for white.

10. Kd1 Nxa1

11. Bxh8 Qa5 12. Nc3 Nxc3+

13. Bxc3 Qxa2

14. e3 Qxb1+

An extraordinary position. How does white get into such a mess within 15 moves? By ignoring just about every opening principle that exists, that’s how.

15. Ke2 d4 Black opens up the position. 16. Qxd4 Bd7 Black prepares to castle.

17. Qb4? Hard to understand. Boleslavsky thought Nh3 was better

17. … O-O-O

18. f4 Nc2

19. Qa5 Qc1 20. Bd4 Nxd4

21. exd4 Qxb2

Still no kingside development!

22. Kf3 Qxd4

23. Ne2 Bc6+

24. Kg4 h5+

25. Kh4 Qf6+

26. Kg3 e5

1 – 0

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The meekest tiger?

Posted in Life beyond the chess board, tagged Petrosian on June 11, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Tigran Petrosian, who as we all know went on to become world champion, made a rather nervous start at the Soviet Championships in his debut game. At the 18th Championships in Moscow, 10th November to 12th December 1950, the meekest of all tigers came up against Kotov in the first round.

Here is the game: Kotov – Petrosian

1. d4 d5

2. c4 e6

3. Nc3 Nf6

4. cxd5 exd5

5. Bg5 Be7

6. e3 c6

7. Qc2 Ne4?

9. Bxe7 Qxe7? The king had to capture.

10. Nxd5

Courtesy of his previous move, black is already lost but he plays on.

10. …cxd5

11. Qxc8+

The whole point. The unguarded bishop is now lost.

11. …Qd8

12. Bb5+ Nc6

13. Bxc6

13. …bxc6

14. Qxc6 Resigns.

Two pawns down and with an uncastled king, black resigns. Not quite what you would expect from a future world champion.

A picture of a distraught Petrosian taken just after the game.

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Is this the worst move ever played in the Soviet Championships?

Posted in Life beyond the chess board on June 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »

The following diagrams are from Tolush against Ilivitsky in the 1948 Championship held in Moscow. We pick up play from move 21.

21. Rad1 Rad8?? (worse is yet to come)

Black copies white but for what reason? To pin his own bishop? His position is not good even though he has some standing in the center. There are too many holes in his position and the king is not secure. Better was 21…h5 after which Rg4 threatens to remove the queen from its dangerous diagonal.

White naturally plays 22. Nd5.

According to Cafferty (The Soviet Championships Cafferty & Taimanov, Cadogan, pg. 62)

‘Black sees that 22…exd5 23. exd5 threatens both 24. Rfe1 and 24. Rxd4; he decides to guard against 23 Rxd4 and then Nf6+’

22. Rg6?? As Wittgenstein once noted, we fail to see what is right in front of our eyes.

23. Qe7 ++

Here is the game for those in disbelief.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1240274

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…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… .

Mark. J. McCready

9.56 pm Monday, October 28th 2024

Bangkok, Thailand
Categories
Posts which McCready is mighty pleased with

Malpractice — Replete with dark humour and literary devices

Bedfordshire Chess in the 70s its past and its future — Local History

Our Clash of Future Champions — Local History

Fond Memories of Bedfordshire Chess — Humour & Reflection

Bedfordshire Outfoxed -local chess history

Reflections 20— Reflection & Warm Condolence

Reflections 17 — Colourful reflections from afar
Luton & The University of Bedfordshire Chess Club
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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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