by scribe | Feb 13, 2014 | games, ruminations
The title is a question that comes up in every single chess game. While we tend to pay more attention in our studies to brilliant tactics — sacrifices, forks, pins, removal of the guard, etc. — many games are won or lost by the humble skill of exchanging...
by scribe | Jan 22, 2014 | chess clubs, off-topic, ruminations
Yesterday at the Aptos Chess Club one of the kids asked me, “So what do you do for a job?” In 17 years, it’s the first time I’ve ever gotten that question! One reason, I think, is that kids are pretty self-centered, and they don’t have a...
by scribe | Jan 11, 2014 | current news, ruminations, tournaments
The ratings for the Bay Area International chess tournament were posted on the USCF website today, and I discovered something quite surprising. Here is a list of the players with established USCF ratings (this excludes, for example, the Chinese players) who had the...
by scribe | Dec 30, 2013 | current news, people, ruminations
Just over a year ago, Magnus Carlsen made his first appearance in the Bay Area, an (apparently) hastily arranged and under-promoted event that left chess players wishing for more. Well, our wish has come true. Magnus is coming to Silicon Valley in January, and he has...
by scribe | Dec 26, 2013 | current news, ruminations, tournaments
In one week the Bay Area International will start, and if this isn’t the most fantastic tournament ever held in this area, I don’t know what is. It will have 68 players, including 15 Grandmasters and 19 International Masters. In other words, half of the...
by scribe | Dec 9, 2013 | games, people, ruminations
The December version of Mike Splane’s chess party turned out to be a small affair. Usually we get 12 to 15 people at the parties, but this is a month when people have lots of other things to do. So only five people were there this time: Gjon Feinstein, Jim...
