On this day in 2011, I can be seen playing chess in a top I brought in Japan whilst on holiday, and some cap bought somewhere in Bangkok, probably MBK, in the quality facebook video below: I wasn’t even a father then -my how the time has flown!
Regarding the game per se, I have no recollection of it whatsoever but I can tell you that my opponent is Thotsaporn Thanatipanonda, who I have been friends with for many years. He’s usually rated between 2100-2200, and I have seen him beat strong titled players before including a strong Israeli IM once with his pet line in the French Winawer (Boguljubow variation). Thotsaporn, or Aek, now Lecturer in Mathematics at Mahidol University where he does research, would normally win our games. Chess enthusiasts may note that the very talkative Irish FM Colm Daly appears playing in the video also.
If you can make it as far as the 1.50 mark, you shall see that I don’t look too happy with my position as it is rather lost! I do have to say though that I like this video very much, as this is the most expressive I have ever seen myself over the board!
The subtitle of this website states‘Some thoughts on the beautiful game‘. The adjective chosen does foretell what you will not, thankfully, ever see on this site…unwritten rules and regulations if you like.
Examples of investigative journalism
Given that by background I am a qualified philosopher and have also led a rich and very colourful life across the globe, I do not wish to expose anything that casts a negative light on chess, irrespective of the alleged wrong-doing involved. The ancient Greeks taught us that everything is a question of character thus not ability so irrespective of how good at chess someone may be, that and those miscreant does not appear on this site. Instead this website is really just a celebration of writing and content I find interesting, that’s all!
Documentation of and references to crimes committed
Related to that above with similar reasons. I do have an extremely large number of contacts, some of which do conduct investigative journalism but I do not wish to, and shall not document such matters.
Corruption and criticisms
Most know the governing bodies of chess, FIDE being at the apogee obviously, usually do not have an exemplary past or one of which they are entirely proud of. But I am simply not interested. Nothing pertaining to such matters will ever be posted here.
Footage of chess portrayed in a negative light
Chess players, professional and amateur, who do not conduct themselves accordingly will not be shown on this website, whatever it may be.
Once again, this site is, if anything, it is a celebration of writing & chess. So all that above you shall not see as it is not identity conferring and by that I mean it goes against the aims of the site.
A love of travel has pushed me far and wide. Two months ago I arrived in my 38th county, down yonder Latin America to Colombia in fact, courtesy of that leitmotiv of mine (all that is left now is Africa and Australasia). This afternoon, I headed further north than usual in the capital city, to give training to a headmaster at an International school. After it had concluded, I cut through the small but exclusive shopping mall I saw opposite his luxury apartment -you can find it and its name on the map here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ixdGsHkqyfmaRcsH9.
It had two floors only, the second being a food court, so I decided to take a look. Much to my surprise I noticed ten or so elderly gentlemen -like me- playing skittles. Within minutes I was beckoned to play at a table by the windows. This was to be my first game in Colombia, my first game in Latin America. Perchance I looked English for I was offered the white pieces, and being English, naturally I opened with 1. c4. I played all my moves almost instantly except one or two -as if it were bullet chess with no clock! But with my heroes being Carlsen and Karpov, yes I went for a Catalan, opting for some space grabbing on the queenside with an a-pawn thrust that knocked his knight on b6 back to the eighth rank before opening the centre up with a d-pawn push that put my opponent on the backfoot even further in order to blockade it. He made no mistakes, however, but his defensive minor piece placement in the middlegame allowed me much activity in the endgame, which when my king came marching in, eventually cost him the full point. I did not write anything down for it was only skittles but I do recall the final position.
In playing Kc7 my opponent accepted defeat
Even though the weather is inclement, the start to the day often inauspicious, the culture in Bogota is vibrant nonetheless. They like to live their life to the full here, they are pragmatic about it also, well for the most part. They don’t only play chess in parks, they also congregate in food courts to deliver checkmate, until of course they come up against McCready the conquistador! My play was consistent in approach and effective too, and that made me proud, putting a smile on my face as I left. It was already dark then, the time some twenty minutes or so after dusk had fallen. I walked towards the Transmilenio bus stop named Alcalá, my mood jovial, my state of mind aloof somewhat. Getting on the right bus, that being number 8, but going several kilometers in the wrong direction towards the northern edge of the city was more laughable than it was regretable, such was my mood: I came, I saw, I conquered I told myself, and not I came, I saw (the bus), I conquered a seat on it but off it went in the opposite direction and I almost got myself bloody lost again! It wasn’t an unfitting end to an afternoon of discovery followed by achievement but simply a brief return of ‘old dafthead’ as Worzel Gummidge would have put it -or so I like to jest!
Nothing more than a cameo in this episode?!?
To end, my greatest passion in life isn’t chess, it’s music; therefore, the thing I connect with the most here isn’t that chess is enjoyed in public but rather heavy metal is popular indeed instead. The song of the day, then, has to be this appropriately named, and rather catchy, 1980’s German metal massacre.
Selected content considered more relevant to he who types these words can be found below. Furthermore, though unnecessary, content most recently re-read from the world’s most educated Grandmaster, or not far off it, posted below. There to be savoured and also learned from.
Opponent Monarch 1.7 ELO 2100 (ECF184). I am white, have the better game but let it slip at the end. Good game: I am implenting what I told myself now but more time is needed.
Playing for pleasure and playing to win are two different things altogether.
I have upped the engine on Lucas Chess to Monarch 1.7 (ELO2100/ECF184).
I have not yet fully absorbed the advice I previously posted from Rowson’s The Seven Deadly Sins of Chess. Because of this, I lost the second game against it when I should really have won. But for the first time I also did the other thing required, to look at my games and learn from my mistakes (more on this to come).
Now there are conditions too:
Firstly, play with a clear head.
Secondly, make sure I am ready to play and want to play.
Thirdly, allocate more time to the games, as this will help.
From the harrowing loss, I have learnt I am missessing the position and not spending enough time on that. I also need a broader approach and play with more caution. By this I mean give less emphasis to wanting to seize the initiative all the time, which I tend to do. I really couldn’t believe I lost.
Clearly winning but misassessed.
Here I went a bit wrong. The correct move is 27. …. h5 and not 27. …. Qxh1. I should have eased off grabbing material and seen that my knights were controlling the position and essential to retaining control of it. I should have made more effort to assesss the position and not thought more in terms of the result. /
32. Ka4 Kh8 22. Bh2 Nc4?? That move lost me the game whenI thought I had it won. Nd7 is better. The position is not won, it’s marginally worse. I just thought he’s bound to get mated when in fact the king is safe there.
3-6 months it stays. About right for someone so out of practice. On we go.
Back in blighty a.k.a me old stomping ground, a very great many club and county players exhibit both strengths and weaknesses which are not entirely disimilar to one and other. The reasons for this are variable but a trait more commonly found amongst them mentioned above is too much attention paid to their moves and position and not enough to their opponents moves and position. But who doesn’t like to do what they want to do, or put differently, pull off what they think will bust their opponent in one way or another.
In deciding to invest both time and effort into this whimiscal experiment I conjured up on the khazi whilst walking past some bogs, I have realized that the nature of the play I am attempting to win with exhibits a weakness I have attempted to eliminate by implementing what I read in my youth. But since my games were charaterised by drawish openings and positional play, this was not the necesssity it now is. The transformation in style I have begun playing with requires good calculation skills and tactical nouse; neither of which I have been any good at since I’ve always believed evaluation triumps over calculation. Ye olde electronic friend has a penchant for counterplay and the little git is rather more gifted at it than I to say the least.
I have noticed that I am not considering candidate moves in the way that I learnt from Kotov long, long ago. Below is some of his thoughts, which when implemented should help me to consider not one but several moves that electronic pal of mine might spring on me. It is a weakness that must be attended to on the double.
That above, gleaned from that masterpiece Mr & GM Kotov affectionately penned characterizes the way I go awry whenever I mistakenly tell myself ‘I am winning’ or ‘I got the position won now’ or worse still as well as more likely ‘I can win this anyway I want now.’ How much truth lies in the platitude ‘pride comes before a fall’ there is, know I do not. For myself pride and the colatteral it gets clobbered by comes after the fall.
However, it matters now. Learning is a life long process there is no escaping from whether you like it or not, even for old geezers those of us going grey.
That’s all from he who thinks he’s funnier than he is aka Mark. J. McCready
I do hope you, who reads what is written here, learns that you are never too old to learn. Which, unfortunately, is a barrier a great many place in front of themselves mistakenly.
Given the nature of the style of play I have adopted, the importance of the result has been conflated. Quintessentially, my play can be defined most profundly in terms of sacrifices and attacking chess combined -hopefully with a devastating and winning attack.
The experiment which initiated this radical transformation of play began some seven weeks ago. What I first noticed was that I often obtained winning positions but failed to convert them. This became increasingly frequent, making it something of an embarrassment if I am being honest. I realized as soon as I thought I had the game won, I took my foot off the pedal and all too often lost the victory I was so sure was mine.
Upon reflection I realized that I was making a mistake I had learnt not to make from reading GM Jonathan Rowson’s book ‘The Seven Deadly Sins of Chess’, which was recommended to me whilst participating in the 2011 BCC open in Pattaya by friend and playing partner Ron Hoffman. To fix priority number one, I thought it best to read the first of Jonathan Rowson’s publications, and also his best, and have placed the content from the chapter where he discusses the nature of the mistake I have been making, as well as some suggestions on how to fix it.
In case you don’t know GM Rowson is a celebrated author too and has a Ph.D from Oxford on wisdom. He’s an exceptionally clever man and very knowledgeable about chess. Even super GM Lev Aronian once said the book that helped him improve his chess the most was the aforementioned title above. By all means enjoy the content below.
…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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