by scribe | Nov 30, 2015 | current news, literature, off-topic, ruminations
This weekend the British science fiction show Doctor Who, of which I am an avid fan (though not a rabid fan), had an episode that can only be described as an instant classic. Over the weekend its user rating on IMDb was 9.7 stars out of 10, which would make it the...
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...
by scribe | Nov 10, 2015 | Chess Lecture, people, US Chess League
Not much going on in my chess life right now, so I’ll write a little bit more about the U.S. Chess League. The playoffs are entering their second round, and now all of the top teams are in action. On paper we should have some very close matches, with New Jersey...
by scribe | Nov 3, 2015 | chess clubs, current news, US Chess League
The regular season of the U.S. Chess League has now ended, and the playoffs begin this week. This year perhaps the biggest story is the successful debut of the Las Vegas Desert Rats, who finished third in the Western Division. I’ve been quite aware of them...
