by scribe | Sep 7, 2020 | chess clubs, games, literature, people, tournaments
As we move forward through the years, we come to an unexpectedly sad entry. It’s not that 1973 was a bad year. Quite the opposite! It was a great year, in which I played four tournaments, won three trophies, scored 14-6 (close to my best year ever), and advanced...
by scribe | Mar 22, 2020 | 2020 world championship, current news, games, positions, tournaments
The big story in round 5 of the FIDE Candidates Tournament is that we have a single leader for the first time. In a matchup of two of the leaders, Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia and Wang Hao of China, Nepo took advantage of a subtle mistake by Wang and won. It was an...
by scribe | Feb 24, 2020 | chess clubs, current news, positions, tournaments
At last week’s U.S. Amateur Team West tournament, one game stood out for me as the most important. It was the fourth round of the tournament, and the Kolty Club team went into the round with two wins and a surprise defeat in round three. We were paired against...
by scribe | Dec 13, 2019 | chess clubs, current news, games, positions, tournaments
Sometimes chess is about logic and finding the right moves. Other times, chess is about the things that sports are about: coping with adversity, finding opportunities, and exerting your will. That was the kind of game I played last night in the sixth round of the...
by scribe | May 12, 2019 | chess clubs, ruminations
Last week I was talking with one of the chess parents at the Aptos Library Chess Club, and she asked me a really good question: “When is it okay to resign?” She has never been part of the chess world before, and she was genuinely curious: What is the...
