by scribe | Jun 1, 2019 | chess clubs, current news, endings, positions, PRO Chess League
Okay, I admit it, I’m a dinosaur. The whole chess world plays online chess, and I don’t. The last time I played online was maybe 15 years ago. But I thought it might be fun to give it another try, especially in the PRO Chess Summer League, competing as part of a team....
by scribe | Apr 9, 2019 | endings, games, positions
You know the move I’m talking about. Or if you don’t know, you SHOULD know. Ossip Bernstein versus Jose Raul Capablanca. Moscow 1914. Position after 29. Rxc3. Black to move. FEN: 3r2k1/p4ppp/1q6/8/8/2R1P3/P3QPPP/6K1 b – – 0 29 In this harmless-looking...
by scribe | Mar 20, 2019 | current news, endings, positions, PRO Chess League
With the San Francisco Mechanics not qualifying for the PRO Chess League playoffs, I didn’t watch the playoffs last night. It was my loss, because I missed the chance to watch in real time what one fan called “the best 60 seconds in PRO Chess League history” and what...
by scribe | Mar 10, 2019 | current news, endings, people, positions, PRO Chess League
Ordinarily we think of the endgame as a time when our kings are safe from checkmate, and they can roam with impunity around the board. But in complex endgames (where each side has two or more pieces, or a queen) it isn’t necessarily so. There are three ways in which...
by scribe | Mar 7, 2019 | current news, endings, people, PRO Chess League
Someone get David Pruess an ice-cold Yoo-Hoo, because he’s gonna need it. The San Francisco Mechanics’ manager was speechless after our unbelievable last-round meltdown last night. He looked like Sheldon Cooper in the TV show “Big Bang Theory,” who wrote a paper he...
by scribe | Feb 20, 2019 | chess clubs, current news, endings, games, people, PRO Chess League
There are only three words to describe the San Francisco Mechanics’ performance in the PRO Chess League last night: Danya! Danya! Danya! But if I were allowed three more words, they would be: Epic. Unbelievable. Comeback. Either description is perfect. But first, let...
