McCreadyandChess

Read Full Post »

Grace contemplates a double-knight sac in one move.

An unusual position created by Ms. McCready

Read Full Post »

‘Love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real. Love, and so art and morals, is the discovery of reality.’ Iris Murdoch – The Sublime and The Good

No sooner had I come in from the cold in some ex-soviet backwater, than I got roped into a quickplay tournament by the sweaty ChaoPraya river, Bangkok in some chess-themed bar entitled ‘The Checkmate Bar and Bistro’. A recent change in the law in Thailand states that whilst ensconced in the country, foreigners must now spend their entire savings on alcohol as opposed to a mere 95%, as per usual. Unfortunately for we chess players, the only appropriately themed bar in the country just had to be devoid of atmosphere and for those who want to be part of the ‘in crowd’ only. Thankfully, the ‘in crowd’ lurk during the evenings when the whole area comes to life (more on that to come). During the day it is dead. That few dozen melancholy woodpushers of which I was one, were left to wander around in the sweltering sun, far away from that filth that is the non-chess-playing pubic.

Not a number, not a free man… .

Since I play so infrequently, I thought that the tournament might help show where I’m at with my chess, given that I will participate in a major tournament next month….if my FIDE ID can be reactivated in time that is. Until I become a number again, I am not free to play in any official FIDE tournament. In an act of embittered patriotism, I was denumbered after being away from England’s green and pleasant lands for too long by the ECF.

I went window shopping today, I bought four windows! – Tommy Cooper

I’d never been to Asiatique, where the Checkmate Bar & Bistro is itself; Asiatique is a night bazaar, at best a pastiche of Asian culture for tourists, local teenagers, the occasional entrepreneur, and just about anyone out of the six million or so nearby; at worst, it’s a packed, over-priced, pretentious free for all lacking in any real character. In Asia most nationalities are either indifferent to, ignorant of, or utterly contemptuous towards one another, and when ethnic minorities or indigenous peoples’ become involved, attitudes become even more ungracious, generally speaking of course! Thankfully, whilst eating each others’ food and drinking their beer, all is forgotten. Even the Chinese can get stuck into some Sukiyaki whilst guzzling Asahi without fear of indigestion should the horrors of the Nanjing Massacre ever repeat on them during their meals -hence the commercial, not cultural, success of Asiatique. I thought that once the sun went down over the river; the Ferris wheel standing over it, the free boat rides along it, the endless lanes of stalls and entertainers leading to it, the crowds of shoppers wandering along it, and the light shows that shone onto it would be nice for the little one to see -and I was indeed correct.

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection -Freud. Society and its Discontents

Even though parenthood and playing chess do not compliment one another well in such close proximity, I could not leave Grace for the weekend for chess. My daughter owes her very existence to chess, as it was at a tournament where I first met her mother. Even her name carries a slight sense of her father’s optimism, as her initials are GM (I requested that no middle name be given so she could be forever entitled). It always seems right, rudimentary even, to bring her along to tournaments, though never quite logical: if, however, logic is concerned solely with the present that is. As any sensible parent can tell you, in having children you are, quintessentially, committed to their future and its unfolding. And planning in the context of parenthood requires much more diligence and care than in chess for if you get it wrong over the board you only lose your position/game, but as a father the consequences of a poorly formed plan can be far more reaching. Circumspection is tuned more finely by parenting than chess…and so a day’s chess became the backdrop for a family outing with the calm vital between rounds impinged upon heavily by parental duties and the calm during play disrupted frequently by the need to check that all is fine with the little one.

Tragedy strikes after a solid start

Something so very, very odd happened on the way home. I fell asleep in the taxi, only awaking when we finally arrived home. I do not remember the last time that happened, it was many years ago for sure. Then, when I managed to climb the stairs, I fell asleep again for hours more even though the tv was blaring out, the lights were on full, my wife was chatting to her mum, Grace kept climbing all over me because she wanted to play, but the sleep I fell into was so deep that I could neither move nor respond. Grace even gave me a little kiss at one point when she saw I wasn’t moving but I could do nothing. When I finally awoke, I couldn’t walk properly. Somehow I had slipped into a state of chronic fatigue. Eventually I woke at 3 pm the next day. I had missed the entire second day. Unbelievable!

Nothing more than a mere caricature in a strange land?

Whilst stuck in snowy Azerbaijan, somehow I just ate, and drank, and ate, and ate, and ate and lost my appetite for chess altogether. Worse, I stopped exercising too, became untalkative and rather unhappy, suddenly 15 kgs heavier. I suspect I was still paying the price for such indulgence as on the eve of the tournament, I had to check if I was doing the right thing…what a pity that the timing was so awful. Only those who enjoy keeping fit and exercising regularly can truly understand this paragraph I think.

The saddest of all expressions… .

What is the worst expression a chess player could ever hear? It must surely be the words ‘I hate chess’. But what could cause someone to say such a thing with such venom directly to me? Only those who are forced to play chess against their wishes. I wasn’t the opponent but I did see the game unfold until both became too fed up to continue. I found it saddening to see children being forced into playing chess, they ought to choose what they do with their free time. Though my child will grow up around chess I would never force her to play or do anything she didn’t want to for that matter. Hopefully she will take an interest in it herself (Grace if you are reading this as an adult please take note) but if she doesn’t that’s fine too.

Cruel words sleep above me, mounting and teasing… .

After almost four decades of playing chess I fell asleep during a quickplay game for the first time ever…ah the joys of occasional chess!

Ye Olde daughter at the grand old age of 11 days

Even our resident Grandmaster couldn’t draw inspiration from the surroundings.

The irrepressible Tommy, once disrupted some chess action in Luton in the early nineties, owing to his wonderful humour

The greatest vocalist and front man since the alleged big bang occurred a few years back….or whenever it was…his skin isn’t a layer of soot, I doubt whether cruel words mount above him. A man even more obscure than myself.

Once upon a time… I mean when I did my MA I took a trip to north Wales to do a photo shoot here. I was a number back then too, and (drum roll please) a free man…any thoughts on the font used in the image, its history and the instrument that fashioned it?

Read Full Post »

What better way to start the new year with some mind-bending questions about chess could there be? That’s right, none whatsoever. I’ve drawn material from Mr.Winter’s Chess Facts and Fables (2006) and added some broader general knowledge questions to balance things out a little. Solutions can be found below. Enjoy:

1) The New York Leger paid which player a sum of $3000 (approx.$60,000 in today’s world) to write a weekly chess column for a period of one year starting in May 1859?

2) Which country did Capablanca once claim to be ‘most suitable’ for producing chess players, courtesy of its ‘raw climate’?

3) Prior to F.I.D.E’s decision to hold a tournament to decide the vacant world championship in 1948, a match between which two players was suggested by Eugene Znosko-Borovsky as an alternative solution following the death of Alekhine?

4) What is the shortest decisive game in a world championship match?

5) Against which former embattled F.I.D.E president did Mikail Tal play his first game as world champion at the Leipzig Olympiad 1960?

6) What infamous event concerning the chess player F.Womersley occurred in Hastings on September 13th 1911?

7) Which ex-world champion was accused of being a collaborator with the nazis by much of the chess world?

8) Which player has beaten 7 world champions, (including two with the opening move f4?)

9) As of 2013, Russia has more registered Grandmasters than any other country, but which country is second according to F.I.D.E?

10 Who is the only Englishman to compete in a F.I.D.E world championship final?

Answers, (page numbers refer to Chess Facts and Fables)

1 Paul Morphy, (pg 69)

2 England, (pg 90)

3 Euwe and Botvinnik, (pg 93)

4 Anand-Gelfand (http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1666558)

5 Campomanes

6 He was shot dead. (pg 163)

7 Alekhine

8 Bent Larsen

9 Germany

10 Michael Adams

Your score:

7-10. You clearly have a fantastic knowledge of chess. If knowledge and ability were one and the same, you’d be a 2600 player for sure.

3-6. You can talk a good game no doubt and can contribute to any pub conversation. Everyone will think you are a tidy little FM.

0-3. Time for you to buy Chess Facts and Fables.

MJM

Read Full Post »

A player can sometimes afford the luxury of an inaccurate move, or even a definite error, in the opening or middlegame without necessarily obtaining a lost position. In the endgame … an error can be decisive, and we are rarely presented with a second chance.  – Paul Keres

An eight-month period away from the board is about to come to an end, here’s a few reoccurring thoughts whilst out of action:

1. The endgame offers the club player much profit.

The endgame is a place where wow factor and whizzbangers are scarce but winning chances are aplenty: if a titled player can go wrong on a regular basis in the final phase of the game, why won’t your untitled opponent against you? In truth he/she will probably offer you a smorgasboard of opportunity without even realizing it. All you need to do is capitalize. And to capitalize, all you need to do is merely dedicate yourself, and in doing so, an emerging love of the endgame will help reacquaint you with an old flame you may have forgotten about -good, old-fashioned elbow grease….or not, as the case may be.

But seriously, considering that chess is a balanced and solid game, you may not get winning chances against your closely matched opponent until the endgame. The endgame may be your best, or even only hope, of snatching victory: if like myself, you are a club-player, your opponent won’t have the knowledge to play the entire endgame accurately. It’s not like in the opening, where you can copy moves out of a book blindly, concrete knowledge of the endgame is much harder to come by. Go to move 23 of the following game http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1111742 . It looks drawish yet Larsen didn’t think so and he didn’t even need his opponent to make a mistake.

Lastly, I’m inclined to believe that the endgame is the area of chess where the literature has improved the most with some great writers, such as Dr. John Nunn, Muller and Mark Dvoretsky, raising the standard. Not just by offering improved analysis but by questioning the often elaborate publications of previous generations. I was one of the many who owned series such as Averbahk’s yet found the scope of material and attention to detail to be so great that far too much information was left ignored. In general, terms a shift away from covering every single aspect of the endgame towards the general and more practical has helped no end.

2. A more cautious approach towards chess literature has emerged.

Without parodying some authors I have recently encountered, I’ve had to distance myself from a great many books on chess theory, especially those with cheap, gimmicky titles such as ‘Secrets of crap chess books’ by GM Der Brain. In general I find them to be sloppy on too many levels. There is often a lack of distinction in such literature between ability and knowledge, and a prevailing assumption that one necessarily follows from the other. This is naive to say the least and rather damaging considering that chess is often defined as an intellectual pursuit. Some publishers are guiltier than others, I have been appalled by some Everyman Publications I’ve come across in the last few months but have gained respect for Gambit as well as Hardinge Simpole. Coming from an academic background, I find it hard to accept literature which has a bibliography you could write on the back of a stamp, if that, does not cite or reference correctly, if at all, and is saturated by lazy generalizations, incoherent analysis and poorly thought-out remarks. Many titled players are quite frankly, charlatans: great chess players they may be, but great writers, communicators, researchers, or even instructors, they are not. I don’t want to be overly critical, there are some great books out there but they are few and far between. Furthermore, it is too easy and unfair to attribute blame solely on certain individuals: the primary purpose of producing a book on chess is profit, publishers are partly responsible for publishing material which is inferior and in need of substantial revision, but ultimately, if anyone is to blame it is the chess-playing public for buying such literature in the first place. It would be nice to think that given some on-line content is not only free but qualitatively superior in many cases, that this would help push literature upwards…but perhaps it is me who is being naive here.

3. Chess is furnished with a lavish history.

To really understand who a player really is or was, it is necessary to leave chess theory and enter into biography and chess history. Games and analysis alone are too easily subject to misinterpretation and are often used to support pre-existing views of the player in hand. You might get a game showing the brilliance of Capablanca in the endgame and how effortless his play is but using games purely to support your own ideas doesn’t teach anything significant. If anything it only shows how unimaginative the writer is. Moreover, chess players often have interesting lives and careers. Quite often it isn’t possible to understand a player’s game or tournament when it has been taken out of context. An obvious example of that concerns Spassky’s demise in his match with Fischer. Clearly the circus going on around him had a massive effect on his play and generated an unparalleled drop in results in a world championship match. It is sad that more effort isn’t invested in the background surrounding play as it often provides important clues on how to read a game. There are many semi-retired players & historians that write well about the history of chess, this I have learnt. I look forward to reading the 15 books I have ordered on-line as they offer a feint pulse of professional writing in chess.

4. The predilections of the Arabs are not conducive towards proper chess play.

Earlier this year, whilst in Al Ain and then Abu Dhabi UAE, I was disposed to play some chess. I noticed that the heads of the kings had all been cut off on every single chess set in both clubs, presumably for appearing ‘Christian’. In Al Ain, the kings’ heads had been replaced by a star and a crescent moon, which I found to be rather distasteful. Given the number of arguments going on and total lack of respect for tournament regulations, I have concluded that chess is not played in the proper manner by the Arabs.

Dubai is frequented by the current FIDE president. In truth the club itself is enormous in its global stature as a number of regional officials have positions at the club. But what, if anything, do the Arabs have other than money? The FIDE president has been friends with a number of rulers in the area, Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein spring to mind initially, though I am sure there are others. Much of the chess world has failed to understand these friendships but when you consider the perennial lack of funding in chess, befriending those ruling opulent nations isn’t such a strange maneouvre. Political instability and human rights issues are part and parcel of every oil-rich nation, it is only a matter of time before FIDE courts controversy once more if it continues to operate from the region with such surety and regularity. A sad reflection on a global level but understandable, since greater financial stability in chess ranks more highly than the occasional question mark concerning personal loyalties. Regionally, this is all wonderful news for the aspirational youngsters who have already fallen in love with chess.

5. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I do not return to chess feeling rusty or out of sorts, I return with more confidence than before. A deeper appreciation of the subtleties of the game has emerged through a slower and more careful study of the game itself. Facing a wealth of on line resources, I have invested enormous effort into establishing my own personal library. Approximately half of the publications I found on-line, the other half I purchased. Experience is the best teacher in chess but given the theoretical nature of the game itself, study plays an essential supporting role. Study, though, is never solely about studying what has been played, it is also involves comprehension of what has been played, analysis itself in chess is tethered to self-examination…I do hope that ‘Chess For Tigers’, my once-upon-a-time favourite book, reconfirms this when it arrives through the post. With this in mind, I will end with the following quotation:

 “If approached with an open heart, chess can become a fascinating channel of self-expression and self-discovery.” -Josh Waitzkin

Read Full Post »