I’m going to have a T-shirt printed to show off the two clubs I am affiliated to. Here are the images I concocted. You could say I am an artist or you could say I like to play around.
MJM
Posted in Life beyond the chess board | Leave a Comment »
Ex-Luton player G. H. Diggle once described Mr. James Plaskett as Bedfordshire‘s strongest ever player and who can argue with our Geoffrey, arguably the funniest writer chess has ever seen? The claim made is undoubtably true and how wonderful it was to learn that James has a puzzle attributed to him too! Not that he composed it but in the company of the world’s best competing at a blitz tournament -drew attention to it instead! And I can assure you that with regards to puzzles per se, they are faith no more outrageous than this one! Context is provided here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaskett%27s_Puzzle and is used in the video below and yes its well worth a watch!
MJM
Posted in Life beyond the chess board | Leave a Comment »
My biggest weakness as a chess player is a lack of tactical nous. Here’s an example. I couldn’t do this puzzle, there are many good moves for white but I couldn’t find the killer blow, can you?
MJM – – Al Fursan
Posted in Chess | Leave a Comment »
It has been claimed that a GM can just throw a minor piece up in the air and it will somehow land on the right square on the board. Unfortunately, I am not a GM. In fact, I’m nothing like one chess wise and looks wise as I am much more handsome than the average GM.
I’m doing my best for my county in an online match, and reached a dilemma in the opening. ‘Just where do I put that bloody light-squared bishop?‘ Should I place it on g2, e2, d3 or c4?
How should I know what’s best? I chose c4 because I want to create pressure on the a2-g8 diagonal and push the king onto the h-file, after which I will castle long and send harry the h-pawn down the board. I am soon to play Qd3 (threatening Qxg6, and also making it easier to switch the queen to the h-file. But since I am bloody rubbish a bit rusty at chess these days, I can’t be sure if I am doing the right thing here. Any thoughts?
MJM —- Al Fursan
Posted in My Own Games | Leave a Comment »
Well, after only 5 games, I am begrudgingly playing on for my county, then it stops… .
Yes, I probably will visit the Bangkok Chess Club in a fortnight but I won’t play much… .
No, I won’t enter the Bangkok Open in April… .
However, semi-retired is the future… .
Then we die… .
MJM
Posted in Life beyond the chess board, My own endeavours | Leave a Comment »
What sort of engine splutters? 1 full of rust! 8 months of no chess at all has been vanquished but even already I am taking my foot off the pedal. I played five games on-line with a 30 minute time control and won them all and have agreed to represent my county online in 2 games with a 3-day a move time limit. Alas I am regretting it already! And why’s that? Because its the sense of occasion that I cherish most of all, the social aspect of the game if you like, and of course, that is noticeably lacking with online chess. Is if that wasn’t enough, here’s a position from the 3rd win, just look at the obvious tactic I went and missed due to rustiness! (the title of the post is the Thai word for rustiness: ความ [kwam] state of mind/being, เป็น [pen] be สนิม [sanim] rust}.
Game 3 faux pax. Thinking I was winning, here I played 28. Kh1? What should I have played?
The best move is 28. Nxc5! winning material. Quite obvious really! That’s rustiness for you! Or is it me just being rubbish anyway?
Only a fortnight away…
Bangkok chess awaits once more, this time I intend to visit with Grace, my daughter, and will make videos that focus on the social aspects of chess rather than the play itself. I shall be there. You shall see. Videos to follow.
Mark. J. McCready, 03:50am, Wednesday February 7th
Al Fursan, Dammam, KSA
Posted in My own endeavours, My Own Games | Leave a Comment »
In truth, my life is nothing more than an ensemble of addictions the longest, least pernicious, and most identity-conferring being chess! And so 7 months of no chess whatsoever is to come to an end and shall not become 8. I research chess, watch chess, chat about chess, and read chess, there is no escaping it all. Somehow, it seems somewhat unfitting to stop playing, so I will stop ‘stop playing’ and shall play on instead. It was the thought of playing 30 minute online games that did it. I’m up for that but not bullet, lightening or blitz -30 minutes no less. Then it followed that I do miss playing chess…then came the realization that I miss my chess playing friends…then the conviction that I should play in a tournament this year formed as well… .
The first game of the return to the fold: https://www.chess.com/game/live/100301551075
Some addictions are more insidious than others…R. I. P Layne Stayley -a sorely missed singer!
Mark. J. McCready
Posted in My Own Games, Personal Interest & Experience | Leave a Comment »
Leighton Buzzard – Nov 1988 Snow & Heavy Metal music (Iron Maiden)
Letchworth - Feb 1989 Set off in wrong direction & Nose bleeds
Islington - May 1989 Sunshine & Heavy Metal music (Acid Reign)
Hitchin - 1989 – 1991 6 times & no great games
St. Albans - April 1992 Unable to wake up & bad chess
Portsmouth - Feb 1993 Solid chess & fond memories
Nottingham – April 1995 No real interest in the tournament
Those are the places and dates I played tournaments in. Nothing to write home about.
MJM
Posted in My own endeavours, Personal Interest & Experience | Leave a Comment »
In the early to mid-90’s I achieved the following at my club:
- The only junior to represent East Anglia U-18. 1990.
- B – Team Captain for 6 years 1991.
- Best improver of the year award 1992.
- I became the club tournament organizer for years 1993.
- First player to write match reports for his team 1993.
- Club championship finalist 1994.
- I was moved up to the County A team 1994.
- Only player to represent England at draughts 1995.
- Only player to save the A team from relegation 1995.
- I took on and beat a former county champion with ease 1995.
So what is it I am not saying?
- I suffered with depression for most of that decade…
- I was poor tactically…
- I always fell into time trouble…
- I only talked about chess at the club…
- I was always scared of those with a higher rating than me…
- I took it all too seriously…
- I got bored of it all and stopped playing…
- I deliberately let fireworks off outside during a match once…
- I used to wear outrageous T-shirts + bandanna + DM boots with very long hair…
- I never paid for my own drinks at the bar…well very rarely did…
Oops!
Mark. J. McCready
Posted in My own endeavours | Leave a Comment »
Back in the 90s the word on the street across Bedfordshire was that Luton’s most handsome chess player was myself and that Luton’s best player was Andrew Perkins. This is probably true (though unconfirmed). However, I can confirm Mr. Perkins appears in the 1973 BCF rating list, which at the very least shows how strong he was in his youth:
This tells us there were 21 players rated 187 in 1973.
I believe this tells us his previous rating was 180.
Should you wish to take a closer look yourself, here’s the link: https://www.saund.co.uk/pdf.js/web/viewer.html?file=../../britbase/pdfs/1973gradinglist.pdf
MJM
Posted in History of Bedfordshire Chess | Leave a Comment »
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A side note on how to read old Tom Sweby's columns
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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
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- I’m either 10 or 11 here
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- 1982, myself versus Brian from Sunderland.
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- At the Thai Junior chess championships. My daughter of course.
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- Pattaya 2011
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- 2011
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- Thai Junior Championships
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- 2008
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- 2011
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- Around 2011
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- 2011
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- Pattaya 2009
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- 2011
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- Kuwait 2008
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- 2012
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- 2012
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- 2011 BKK Chess club
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- 2011
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- 2011 Thai Open
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- 2011 Thai Open
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- 2013 approx
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- Around 2014
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- 2010
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- 2012
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- Around 2011
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- 2011
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- 2011
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- 2013
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- Around 2011
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- Around 2011
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- 2020
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- 2011
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- 2008
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- 2011
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- 2013 or thereabouts
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- 2010
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- 2017
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- 2014?
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- 2010
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- 2024
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- 2024
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- 2024
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