by scribe | Dec 30, 2008 | Chess Lecture, literature, off-topic, ruminations, tournaments
The last post of the year calls for two things: something fun and off-topic, and New Year’s resolutions. WHY I LOVE THE INTERNET I love the Internet because on any given morning, when you’re least expecting it, just surfing along aimlessly, you can come...
by scribe | Dec 18, 2008 | Chess Lecture, games, positions, tournaments
OMG, will someone please tell this guy which century it is? In round two of the Berkeley International 2008, David Pruess channeled Harry Nelson Pillsbury, circa 1899, with his brilliant 15. Bxh7! combination against Jesse Kraai. But not satisfied with that, in round...
by scribe | Dec 15, 2008 | Chess Lecture, games, people, tournaments
 Yesterday the Berkeley International 2008 chess tournament got started, with a field of 18 players including six grandmasters. Although I am not playing in the tournament (my current FIDE rating being too low to qualify), it isn’t every day that an...
by scribe | Dec 2, 2008 | Chess Lecture, games, tournaments
As I promised, here is my game from round five of the Thanksgiving Festival. My opponent was Paul Richter, a class A player who looks to be 13 years old or so (but we know how bad I am at estimating ages). It’s just the sort of game that I love, with pieces...
by scribe | Nov 30, 2008 | Chess Lecture, games, tournaments
The Thanksgiving Festival in Milpitas is now over. When the 2-day and 3-day sections were merged, the total turnout was quite respectable: 17 in the Master-Expert section, 23 each in the A/B and C/D sections. And that’s not even counting all the kids who were...
by scribe | Nov 25, 2008 | Chess Lecture, games, openings
We now move on to the third part of my series on the Bird Variation of the Ruy Lopez, and here it will get a little bit more challenging for Black. Michael Goeller notes, in his comment to “Bird by Bird, part 2,” that he has been playing the Bird Variation...
