by scribe | Feb 13, 2022 | chess clubs, endings, games, people, positions
The headline says it all! Yesterday, my student Atlee (~1500) scored his first draw against me in our weekly training game. I knew this was going to happen eventually, and I wondered what it would take for Atlee to draw or win. The short version: I blundered a piece...
by scribe | Feb 1, 2022 | chess clubs, games, positions
As I mentioned before, I’ve been playing a training game each week with one of my students from the Aptos Library Chess Club, Atlee, who is about a 1500-strength player (I’m guessing). The games follow an interesting pattern. I win, I teach Atlee a lesson,...
by scribe | Nov 10, 2021 | current news, endings, people, positions
Today I found out that my lifetime total of International Masters defeated had increased by one… and I didn’t even have to lift a finger! The catch is — as everyone knows — that the best time to defeat a chess genius is when they are still...
by scribe | Oct 9, 2021 | chess clubs, games, positions, ruminations, tournaments
Some of you might wondering, “When are you going to write Year 50 of your 50 Years of Chess series?” Patience! We are still in year 50. Actually, I had a plan that went awry. I was going to play in the “Real Bay Area Championship” in Santa...
by scribe | Oct 3, 2021 | Chess Lecture, current news, people, positions, tournaments
Okay, I admit that I have not been following this extravaganza called the Meltwater Champions Tour, which Magnus Carlsen has now won with two rounds to go. (Yawn…) Mostly I don’t care about it because it’s rapid chess (game/15 with 10 seconds per...
by scribe | Jul 11, 2021 | games, openings, positions, tournaments
Recently I wrote a post in which I listed my best and worst tournaments by rating improvement or rating loss. But one of the highlights of my chess career was a tournament where I gained only 2 rating points! I also didn’t win any prize money or beat any USCF...
