Another helper

I’m sorry that this has been such a slow month for blog posts. Too much traveling! Too much fun!

My only chess news is that I am working on my next top secret chess project. For those of you who remember my previous secret project, you might be able to guess what this one is. For the rest of you, there’s always the “search” button.

Also, I recorded a new ChessLecture today on the subject of the touch-move rule and sportsmanship (good and bad). I talked about the game between Alex Ding and Nikola Mitkov that I blogged about recently, and also about the game between David Navara and Alexander Moiseenko from the recent World Cup. I changed my opinion a little bit after my blog entry, after hearing more from Alex Ding what really happened and after reading the rulebook carefully. I also tried to define more clearly (both for myself and others) what “good sportsmanship” means. It will be interesting to see what kind of reactions I get from the listeners.

Finally, for all cat fans out there, you’ll be glad to know that I have another new chess assistant (i.e., foster kitten from the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter). His name is Mookie. Alas, that name was my wife’s choice. I wanted to name him Misha, after the great Misha Tal … but I was overruled because she thought it sounded too much like a girl’s name. Anyway, here is Misha … er, Mookie, analyzing a game on ChessBase, with Reuben Fine’s Basic Chess Endings behind him as a reference.

Mookie Tal? Somehow it doesn’t quite have the right ring to it.