by scribe | Jan 3, 2012 | current news, tournaments
The New Year Open ended yesterday on a very positive note for me. After winning zero prizes and having zero good tournaments in 2011, I broke both streaks. I’m not sure exactly which prize I’ll win, but I’m in line for either a tie for third place or...
by scribe | Nov 13, 2011 | chess clubs, games, positions
Mike Splane had another chess party at his house yesterday, probably about the fourth or fifth one I’ve been to, though I’m not really sure. I felt that this was the most interesting one yet, at least for me. I brought a game that I lost in the recent...
by scribe | Oct 17, 2011 | chess clubs, endings
This weekend I played (and botched) a pretty cool endgame. Here’s the scene: I’m playing tandem chess at one of Mike Splane’s chess parties. I’m Black, and my teammate is Richard Koepcke, a National Master. Our opponents are Gjon Feinstein...
by scribe | Oct 5, 2011 | chess clubs, games
When I give chess lessons at the Aptos Public Library, it’s always a challenge to make them concise enough. For this age group (roughly 6 to 12) I have found that 15 minutes is about the limit of their attention span, or 20 minutes if the lesson is going well....
by scribe | Aug 22, 2011 | games, openings, positions
Last weekend, at one of his chess parties, Mike Splane showed us the following miniature game where he won in 13 moves (!) against the Fort Knox Variation of the French Defense. Oh, were you expecting instructions for breaking into the U.S. Bullion Depository? Sorry,...
