by scribe | Apr 5, 2016 | current news, games, off-topic
This will be a mostly off-topic post, for which I apologize, but I’ll bring it back to chess at the end. If you’re a college basketball fan in the U.S., you know what the title is about. Every year, at the end of the NCAA men’s basketball...
by scribe | Mar 29, 2016 | chess clubs, Chess Lecture, games, people, positions
Last weekend I played a 7-minute game that combined three of the things that I am best known for: the Bird Variation of the Ruy Lopez, the Hook and Ladder Trick, and … losing on time. Although I have written about the Hook and Ladder Trick many times and...
by scribe | Mar 23, 2016 | chess clubs, endings, games, people, ruminations
At present the two strongest players in the Aptos Library Chess Club are named Luke and Alex. It’s so interesting to watch them play, because they have contrasting strengths. I think Luke overall has a more solid understanding of the game. He has actually done...
by scribe | Mar 21, 2016 | games, positions
I’ve been playing my computer a lot recently, in case you haven’t noticed. And if you have noticed, and you’re tired of seeing me write about meaningless games against my computer, I apologize. I alternate between thinking it’s a useful...
by scribe | Mar 10, 2016 | games, openings, positions
Quick update on the go match: AlphaGo won game two and leads, 2-0. Lee Sedol sounds pretty discouraged. I think he may be beaten psychologically, which makes his chances of coming back to win the match slim to none. And now, back to chess and to my own struggles...
by scribe | Mar 8, 2016 | games, openings, positions
This weekend I met with Gjon Feinstein and Eric Montany and showed them some of my games from my most recent tournament, the U.S. Amateur Team West championship. One of my games was weird. The good news is that I beat a 2300 player, Steven Jacobi. Because I...
