How I Got Here, and What Comes Next

by | Jun 26, 2015 | literature, ruminations

First, let me make a promise: This will be the last post in which I write the number 2203. I am sure that some readers are getting bored of it by now. However, I do want to write one more entry about how I got my rating over 2200 after these many years, because I know...

Burgoyned

by | Feb 11, 2015 | games, literature, off-topic, people, positions, ruminations

Last week I finished reading a military-history book called Saratoga: Turning Point of America’s Revolutionary War. I am totally not a military history buff, but recently it bothered me to realize that I do not know a single battle of the American Revolution,...

0.00ooops!

by | Mar 30, 2014 | literature, openings, positions

Back when I wrote my Chess Life article about the Bryntse Gambit (White’s queen sac on move six in the Grand Prix Sicilian, 1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 de 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4?! 6. Qxg4!) I described it as an “anti-computer” opening, because very few...

Two Milestones

by | Mar 12, 2014 | current news, literature

I’d like to send congratulations to two Bay Area players who scored impressive recent accomplishments. First, Daniel Naroditsky was recently named the winner of the 2014 Samford Fellowship, which is more than just a scholarship — it’s a living wage...

Easy card game, hard math problem

by | Jan 13, 2014 | current news, literature, off-topic

Today the New York Times Numberplay blog features a card game that I co-invented, along with a mathematical problem: What is the best strategy? Here are the rules for “Stern-Mackenzie One-Round War.” The game requires three people, one of whom serves only...