by scribe | May 24, 2021 | Chess Lecture, games, literature, openings, people
Many of you know the game I’m going to write about today. Don McLean doesn’t play a concert without “American Pie.” And I’m not going to write a lifetime retrospective of my chess games without my game against David Pruess. It’s...
by scribe | Jan 1, 2021 | endings, games, literature, ruminations, Uncategorized
Welcome to 2021! One of my resolutions is to somehow, some way, play chess against live, human, in-person opponents before the end of the year. Of course, that depends to a considerable extent on factors I can’t control — the progress of the epidemic and...
by scribe | Dec 24, 2020 | current news, literature, people, positions
Two days ago I hinted at a piece of good news that I had to keep secret for the time being. I can now reveal what it is. This morning, the New York Times published my article about Jessica Lauser, the U.S. Blind Chess Champion. For people who like print, the article...
by scribe | Dec 1, 2020 | current news, literature, off-topic, people, ruminations
Taking a one-post break from my retrospective series to jot down my thoughts on “Queen’s Gambit,” the television series on Netflix. I know I’m way behind, because I like to take my television in small doses, so everyone else has already...
by scribe | Nov 22, 2020 | games, literature, openings, people, tournaments, Uncategorized
The next year in my retrospective, 1985, was my busiest year ever, with 60 tournament games, so there are lots of games to choose from. And it was the year that I won the title of North Carolina state champion for the first time, which of course I consider to be one...
by scribe | Sep 7, 2020 | chess clubs, games, literature, people, tournaments
As we move forward through the years, we come to an unexpectedly sad entry. It’s not that 1973 was a bad year. Quite the opposite! It was a great year, in which I played four tournaments, won three trophies, scored 14-6 (close to my best year ever), and advanced...