by scribe | Jan 7, 2019 | chess clubs, current news, people, tournaments
This morning, as I drove to Burlingame for the last round of the San Francisco International tournament, I felt like a Survivor contestant who has reached the final day of the competition. After eight rounds I was still standing (unlike a lot of people who withdrew...
by scribe | Jan 4, 2019 | current news, games, openings, positions, tournaments
For those who have never heard it, the phrase in the title apparently comes from Edward Lasker in 1913, but it has bounced around from one chess writer to another for the last century. It seems like an appropriate description of what happened to me in the San...
by scribe | Dec 19, 2018 | games, people, positions, tournaments
For the Bay Area International I am preparing in two different ways. I am doing tactics puzzles at chess.com, and I am studying games by Baadur Jobava. The puzzles are (for the most part) Tactics Lite, where the answers are short and clear-cut. Jobava’s games...
by scribe | Dec 18, 2018 | current news, people, PRO Chess League, tournaments
I’ve been pretty quiet here lately, but in 2019 that is going to change. First, starting on January 1, I’m planning to play in the Bay Area International. This super-strong tournament features lots of players whom we don’t usually see in these parts,...
by scribe | Nov 30, 2018 | current news, people, tournaments
I will be brief because I’m still in some shock. I got on Facebook this evening and read several posts saying that Ruth Haring, former USCF president and current US zonal representative, has passed away. The news is also confirmed by a release from the USCF and...
by scribe | Nov 3, 2018 | 2018 world championship, chess clubs, current news, endings, positions, tournaments
As many of you know, I had a disappointing tournament in Reno last month, and I plan to write at least two or three posts trying to understand the reasons for my failure. But I’d like to start with a “failure” that really wasn’t — it was...
