by scribe | Jan 6, 2014 | chess clubs, Chess Lecture, current news, people, tournaments
We’re now entering the “European” phase of the Bay Area International, with just one game a day for the last three rounds. (It’s a week-long tournament, with 1 game the first day, 2 the second, then 1-2-1-1-1.) This is almost the first time...
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 16, 2013 | Chess Lecture, Chess Life, games, people, positions
Lately, over the last month or so, I have been playing more chess against the computer. This training technique (if you can call it that) needs to be employed with the utmost caution, if at all. The reason is that it’s so easy to become discouraged and get...
by scribe | Dec 13, 2013 | current news, people
It’s pretty cool when I am surfing a website that has nothing whatsoever to do with chess, and up pops an article that’s not only about chess but about somebody I know! I wrote about Luke Harmon-Vellotti here back in 2008, when I managed to defeat him in a...
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...
by scribe | Dec 2, 2013 | current news, people, tournaments
This weekend I played in the California Class Warfare Tournament, and for me it was a forgettable weekend. I started out well enough, with a half-point bye in round one and a win with Black in round two. However, after that my old nemesis, time pressure, returned. I...
