by scribe | Jan 13, 2016 | current news, off-topic, people, tournaments
It’s been a while since my last tournament, as some of you may have noticed. Let’s put it this way: When I played my last tournament, the baseball season was still going, IM Emory Tate was still alive, and there had been only one Republican presidential...
by scribe | Jan 3, 2016 | current news, endings, people, positions
Yesterday I played my first chess of the year, getting together with Gjon Feinstein and Mike Splane and Juande Perea and Austen Green for speed chess. I had a very good time except for the fact that I kept losing on time. Five-minute chess is not my thing, especially...
by scribe | Dec 30, 2015 | current news, endings, games, people, positions, tournaments
My old friend from North Carolina, Robin Cunningham, decided this year to fly to England for the New Year and play in the traditional Hastings tournament. He did it once before and enjoyed the experience. This year, he’s doing more than just enjoying it:...
by scribe | Dec 19, 2015 | chess clubs, games, people, positions
One of the kids who has been coming longest to the Aptos Library Chess Club is named Alex. He’s maybe 12 or 13 years old. Over the years he has gotten more interested in chess and less interested in making trouble, and he has now reached the point where he is...
by scribe | Nov 22, 2015 | current news, games, people, positions, ruminations
“Hey, I just saw this great game by some kid from Brooklyn, Bobby what’s-his-name … you won’t believe it, he sacrificed his queen and won, like, 15 moves later. Here, let me show you!” Among all the possible conversational gaffes that a...
by scribe | Nov 18, 2015 | chess clubs, games, people, positions
At Mike Splane’s latest chess party, Austen Green showed one of his games from the recent U.S. Game/30 championship. Although his score was only 2½ out of 5, he beat an International Master and drew a Grandmaster, so it was a very good tournament for him. He...
