Best-played loss

My friend Gjon Feinstein, a chess master, is organizing a chess party of sorts this weekend. Everyone is supposed to bring two games: 1) their best-played loss, and 2) a game where they were able to carry out one plan to victory. This was an interesting assignment,...

Jerry Hanken on Reshevsky vs Fischer

A couple years ago, when Bobby Fischer died, I had the bright idea of writing an article about the aborted match between Sammy Reshevsky and Bobby Fischer from 1961. I think I may have even mentioned the idea on this blog. The thing that interested me about this match...

Chessketball

Every now and then, when I’m listening to a sports broadcast, I’ll hear the announcers say something about how the game is a “chess match” between the coaches. Usually I scoff at such comments, because the calculations that go on during a...

Counting Pilcrows

¶ For those of you who are wondering about how Jesse Kraai, David Pruess, and Arun Sharma are doing after their auto accident, I have not heard anything more. I assume that means everything is okay. I’ll let you know if I hear anything else. I also do not have...

Scary news

I just received an e-mail from Sam Shankland (and a followup from Jennifer Shahade) saying that Jesse Kraai, David Pruess, and Arun Sharma were in a serious car accident coming back from the Far West Open in Reno. All three were taken to the hospital but they have now...