by scribe | Oct 20, 2012 | Chess Lecture, current news, games, positions, tournaments
What a crazy day at the Western States Open! First, I should update the leaders. After three rounds we had a nine-way tie for first place at 2½-½! The nine leaders were also the nine highest-rated players in the tournament. I’m afraid that I don’t remember...
by scribe | Oct 19, 2012 | current news, games, positions, tournaments
One round down, and the Western States Open started on a positive note for me. I drew against a 2400 player named Alexander Kretchetov in only 20 moves. Before you say “grandmaster draw,” take a look at the final position. FEN:...
by scribe | Sep 24, 2012 | chess clubs, people, positions
One of the most common mistakes in chess, from the beginning level all the way up to accomplished players, is to think that just because you can capture a piece, you should capture it. Perhaps we could call this “the checkers fallacy,” because in checkers...
by scribe | Sep 9, 2012 | endings, positions, tournaments, Uncategorized
“I woke up with a headache like my head against a board/ Twice as cloudy as I’d been the night before/ And I went in seeking clarity.” — Indigo Girls, “Closer to Fine” Besides being a line from one of my two favorite songs in the...
by scribe | Sep 6, 2012 | current news, endings, positions, US Chess League
The U.S. Chess League started its eighth season this week, and for the first time I watched online at chess.com. (Thanks to Gjon Feinstein for tipping me off to the fact that the games were being streamed there.) I mostly followed the San Francisco – Carolina...
by scribe | Aug 30, 2012 | endings, people, positions, ruminations, tournaments
This is the 500th post on “dana blogs chess”! In honor of the occasion, I am posting a recap of my first tournament, the 1972 Indiana State Closed Chess Championship, which was played at Bernard Parham’s chess studio in West Lafayette, Indiana. See...
