by scribe | Oct 24, 2010 | Chess Lecture, people
I’ve been taking a break from chess, so you haven’t seen much analysis here recently, but this weekend I did have some friends (Gjon and Cailen) over to my house for some videos and speed chess. We watched one of Jesse Kraai’s recent videos on...
by scribe | Sep 3, 2010 | Chess Lecture, ruminations, tournaments, US Chess League
Tomorrow I will start playing in the Cal Chess Labor Day Open, which is a 3-day, 6-round Swiss. It also serves as the northern California state championship, which has been won by Sam Shankland the last two years. With Sam now “retired” (except for the...
by scribe | Jul 7, 2010 | Chess Lecture, Crestbook, off-topic, people
I’ve kind of hit a momentary lull in things to write about here. My latest translation for Crestbook, part two of the Alexander Khalifman interview, will probably go up early next week. The reason for the delay is that Khalifman has asked to read over the...
by scribe | May 31, 2010 | Chess Lecture, current news, tournaments
At most big Swiss system tournaments the last couple rounds are filled with draws on the top boards. But not the 2010 Chicago Open! In the penultimate round, Loek van Wely and Sam Shankland scored impressive victories and went into the last game tied at 6½ points out...
by scribe | May 30, 2010 | current news, games, people, positions, tournaments
 Sam Shankland had a pretty disappointing performance at the U.S. Championship, as he tied for last place and had no wins in nine games. But here at the Chicago Open, he has turned it around. This round he beat Alex Lenderman to move into a tie for first with...
