by scribe | Apr 24, 2011 | current news, people, positions, tournaments
The last round of the Reno Far West Open featured some great fighting chess, a nice change of pace from the drawfests that one often sees in the last round of big-money Swiss system tournaments. Both of the games on the top two boards were decisive. On board two,...
by scribe | Apr 24, 2011 | current news, positions, tournaments
After 5 rounds of the Reno Far West Open, the leaders are IMs Steven Zierk and Vladimir Mezentsev. Zierk had been in clear first place after beating Enrico Sevillano in round four to go 4-0. The game had a neat conclusion: White to move. As Steven explained to me,...
by scribe | Apr 23, 2011 | current news, games, positions, tournaments
I’m playing this weekend in the Far West Open in Reno, one of the two traditional big tournaments of the year in this city. This year it seems somewhat smaller than in the past, with around 160 players. The top of the wall chart is also missing some familiar...
by scribe | Apr 20, 2011 | people, ruminations, tournaments
Yesterday I read a rather strange post on chess.com by IM Jeremy Silman, called Seeking Chess Fame. Apparently Silman gets a fair number of e-mails from people who want to be famous at chess. Or as Silman says: Can a non-titled, low rated player who desperately wants...
by scribe | Apr 18, 2011 | current news, positions, tournaments
My alert correspondent, Jim Krooskos, spotted an occurrence of the Hook and Ladder Trick in the first round of the U.S. Women’s Championship (currently taking place in St. Louis). Here’s the position. Defending champion Irina Krush was White, and Sabina...
by scribe | Apr 13, 2011 | ruminations, tournaments
Do you ever dream about chess? Here’s a typical dream I had a couple nights ago. I am at a chess tournament in Las Vegas, and eating lunch at Harrah’s casino. The tournament is in another hotel, and suddenly I realize to my horror that (of course) it is time...
