Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Sign of the Times - Using Technology to Cheat

Cheating at chess is making more headlines. Today CNET, a site that covers technology news reports the following:

Checkmate for Indian chess player after phone ploy "Caught using his mobile phone's wireless device to win games, player is banned from competition for 10 years."

I'm not sure there will be anyway to stop this now that computers can beat the world champion. The possibilities for relaying computer moves to a player whether electronically or through some other means (pre-arranged codes or signals) may make competitive chess events impossible to hold.

As much as I embrace technology, there are times when I long for the good old days when chess expertise was a skill and talent possessed only by human beings and not machines.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Knight-time Practice

These two free on-line computer "knight" games were mentioned at Susan Polgar's magnificent chess blog. Personally, I can't really play them for more than a minute or two because of some painful RSI conditions, but from what I have seen of them they look like fun and could actually help your children (or yourself for that matter) learn to move and more effectively use the knight in an actual game of chess. I suspect they are also highly addictive - so you've been warned.

Crazy Chess - Chess comes to life, in this original, highly addictive real-time chess game by 2DPlay. Play as the White Knight, engaged in a fierce battle of skill against the dreaded army of Black Pawns. Defend your castle against their merciless onslaught by moving in the knight's 'L' move to kill the pawns. But here's where it gets a gazillion times more exciting - it's not turn-based! Move your Knight as fast as you can, across the board, taking out the black pawns and halting their attack march towards your castle. There are also some really neat power-ups of speed, stealth, freeze and destruction to name a few. This is a game like no other - it's Crazy Chess!

Play here at www.2dPlay.com or from Susan's original link at www.filebomb.com play here.


Troyis - The Chess Knight Puzzle Game. Welcome to Troyis, probably the most original and addictive puzzle game since Tetris! The funniest way to train your brain in minutes a day! How to play: Paint all the white cells on the board as quickly as possible, by way of the chess knight movement rule (L-shape). The faster you are, the more points and better world ranking you will get. Easy to start, but difficult to master...

USA TODAY from United States says: This clever online game utilizes the knight's movement from chess. It sounds simple; trust us on that and we'll let you figure out for yourself that it's also insanely addictive. — AG

Play here at http://www.troyis.com.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Deep Junior Triumphs in the World Computer Chess Championship


I came across this link just by chance at CNET News.com, the technology news web site in the "Resource center from News.com sponsors" section. IBM may have given up on "Deep Blue" computer chess sponsorship but Intel seems to have taken up the void left by IBM.

"Like a pit crew attending to a Formula 1 race car, an Intel application engineering team worked closely with Deep Junior developers Amir Ban and Shay Bushinsky before the competition—as well as between matches—to optimize Deep Junior performance on a next-generation Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor 5100 series-based platform (codenamed Woodcrest) to help secure the win."

ChessBase.com has an article on the tournament here: Shay Bushinsky: How Deep Junior Conquered Turin

To read more from Intel about the technology used to power "Deep Junior" click on the following link for a PDF article: Deep Junior Triumphs in the World Computer Chess Championship

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Chess Improvement Plan - Part Two: Taking Inventory

The Complete Chess Course by Fred Reinfeld. My very first chess book - which I purchased around 1969 or 1970 (as detailed in my post My Early Days with Chess). My original edition long since fell apart - quite literally - all the pages came loose as the glue in the binding cracked. For some reason I kept "Book One - The Basic Rules of Chess" - I still have that chapter stapled together. The rest of the book was eventually discarded. For nostalgia's sake, I went ahead and purchased the current Doubleday edition from Amazon. (The cover jacket illustrated here is the one I remember - which an Internet image search kindly revealed.)

I don't believe I ever got beyond book five or six. But I am enjoying reading it again - amazingly I still remember some of the example games - rather remarkable considering I last read the book in the 1970's! I'm comfortable with the old "descriptive notation" the book uses (1. P-K4 P-QB4 etc.) but it would be nice to have an algebraic edition.

I'm sure they're better books available today - but there is still a lot of good stuff here.

Friday, October 13, 2006

The Next Big Match - Fischer vs. Karpov !!!

Don't count on this ever really happening... but the report is that Fischer will play Gothic Chess against Karpov for $10 million. What is Gothic Chess? It is a chess variant with a 10x8 board and two new pieces! Check it out (sorry about the pun) at the official site www.gothicchess.com and at The Chess Variant Pages article "Gothic Chess - Ed Trice's improvement to Capabalanca's chess, played on a 10x8 board with the Archbishop and Chancellor as new pieces."

Vladimir Kramnik becomes the Unified World Chess Champion!

Quite an exciting finish! I was backing Topalov the Bulgarian. Topalov is more my style. An attacker - even if it means losing some games - or in this case the World Championship. But it is better for Chess that Kramnik won - it puts to rest a lot of potential controversy over the forfeit win that was given to Topalov when Kramnik refused to play game 5. And Kramnik did, when all is said and done, out-play Topalov. For more on the deciding final game see Susan Polgar's commentary.

Monday, October 09, 2006

October 9th is National Chess Day

Today is National Chess Day by "Presidential Proclamation". With the World Chess Championship down to the wire (see Kramnik Strikes Back) now is a good time to get yourself - and your family and friends - playing the game.

Poor Rook, however, has not been playing chess much of late. I suffered some minor injuries in a fall off of the backporch stairs. But the worst is behind me and I look forward to getting back in the groove playing chess and in updating this blog with more chess items of interest and progress updates on my chess improvement plan.

Friday, September 29, 2006

Bathroom Break Scandal to End World Chess Championship?


You just can't make up this kind of stuff. From the New York Times:

"On a day in which no game was played, Silvio Danailov, the manager of Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, sent a letter to the appeals committee of the match detailing what he said were an excessive number of bathroom breaks — more than 50 per game — by Vladimir Kramnik of Russia." For the rest of the saga read here.

Topalov showed up for game 5 (with complaints) but Kramnik's demand to have his bathroom unlocked was not met and thus he forfeited game 5. Topalov gains a point so the score is now Kramnik 3 and Topalov 2.

At least the match will now get the media coverage it has been missing! There's no such thing as bad publicity after all :-)

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Rook Takes First Place in OTB Tournament!

In 1979 I took first place with a 4-0 finish in the 1979 Beginners/Unrated section in the 2nd Annual Pontiac Open Chess Tournament. That was my first and only tournament experience until just a few months ago.

History repeats itself. On Saturday, September 16th, twenty-seven years later, I took first place 4-0 (shared with another 4-0 finisher) in the "All the King's Chessman's" Beginner's Unrated Chess Tournament. Unlike last time where I only got a cash prize, this time I did get a trophy! (See picture).

To be fair, the pairings worked in my favor. Although there were four or more adults entered, in rounds 1-3 I was paired with a novice teenager, a 5-year old, and a 10-year old. In the last round I played board 2 against an adult player. Since my game finished quickly, I had an opportunity to view board 1. I'm pretty certain if I had been paired with either player from board 1 they would have trounced me - it was obvious by the way they played they were very experienced chess players.

Here is my winning game from the last round:

Opening "Scandinavian (Center Counter) Defense"
ECO "B01"
White "James M. (Rook Van Winkle)"
Black: "Rod B."

1. e4 d5
2. e5

I have no idea what opening this is. I decline the pawn offer and push forward to prevent Nf6 and to follow up with d4. The opening information above is what the ICC reports it is.

2. ...Nc6
3. d4 e6
4. Nf3 Bb4+



5. c3

The bishop will retreat and I will continue an advance in an attempt to trap it.

5. ...Ba5
6. b4 Bb6



7. b5

If not the bishop, hassle the knight. I know I am probably violating opening principles by making all these pawn moves and ignoring piece development - but I can't resist the temptation.

7. ...Nce7
8. Ng5

I move here just because I can. It will annoy black and threaten the f7 square, especially if I can follow up with 9. Qf3.

8. ...h6



With 8. Ng5 I didn't even think to consider what black's response would be - I'm still very much playing like a beginner! I was annoyed at moving the knight there only to have to move it a second time to safety. It was at this point I found something interesting that I had not planned for at all.

9. Qh5!?

Threatening the f7 square with the queen. Black can now take the knight with the pawn, but he is loath to give up the rook after 9. ...hxg5 10. Qxh8.

9. ...Nf5??

Just about the worst move black could make since the d7 flight square will be lost with the displacement of the knight from e7.

10. Qxf7#

P.S. In the 1979 tournament I checkmated my last opponent in 12 moves - a bit surprising considering my opponent had won his previous 3 games. In this tournament I checkmated my last opponent, who also won his first three games, in only 10 moves. It was SPOOKY that I won so quickly because it felt exactly like a moment in time had repeated itself. Unfortunately I cannot credit any great skill or technique on my part in either win – it really was more a case of my opponents losing their games :-)

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Kramnik Takes a 2-0 Lead Over Topalov

See the Susan Polgar Chess Blog for the best up-to-date coverage of the 2006 World Chess Championship Match and check out her analysis of game one and game two. You can also get live coverage of the match at the Internet Chess Club or official coverage at FIDE.

Hopefully, Topalov will rebound just as Bobby Fischer did when he was down 2-0 back in 1972. I'm pulling for Topalov (Bulgarian) over Kramnik (Russian) simply on the principle that the Russians have dominated chess much too long :-)

Friday, September 22, 2006

What World Chess Championship?

"In what is regarded as the most important match for 13 years, Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik will face each other across a board for the right to be undisputed world chess champion."

And yet there is absolutely zero coverage by the American media! Fortunately, there are alternatives sources for information on the match - but anyone outside of the world of chess will know nothing about it. How sad.

For those in the know, here at least is a good article on the match at www.timesonline.co.uk.

P.S. Rook has been tied up in a new home purchase - but lots of new material coming soon...

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Chess Improvement Plan - Part One: Goals

Chess: The cerebral frontier. These are the voyages of the patzer, Rook Van Winkle. His never ending mission to explore the strange world of chess, to seek out new tactics and odd openings, to boldly move where no pawn or piece has gone before...

I was just working on a brief statement defining my overall goal in undertaking my chess improvement plan and somehow Star Trek popped into my mind.

But now let me be serious. My "About Me" section describes why I have gotten back into chess after all these years - so I won't repeat that. What I need is a simple statement describing why I want to become a better chess player.

Ultimate Goal: To become a better chess player in order to enjoy the game better.

I don't want to set any artificial goals such as a) I will become an Expert Level Player before I die, or b) I will win 75% of all the games I play, or c) I will complete 5000 tactical problems in five minutes.

The better I am and the more I know about chess the better I will a) appreciate my games and the games of others (amateur and master alike) b) grasp the nuances of the openings, middle, and end games and c) derive satisfaction from every hard fought well-played game that I play - win or lose.

Obviously, concerning item c), the stronger I am as a chess player the more likely I can offer myself and my opponent a hard fought well-played game :-)

My Specific Goals:

These are based mainly on recommendations by Dan Heisman, Susan Polgar's advice to Emily Liu at Emily's Chess Blog, and other suggestions I've come across from other chess player's chronicling their own chess improvement plans.

  1. Play at least one game of chess per day.
  2. Improve my knowledge and utilization of chess tactics and set aside time each day to practice those tactics - even if only 15 minutes per day to start.
  3. Pick one opening to specialize with when playing white and learn it well.
  4. Learn two good openings as black to use against 1.e4 and 1.d4.
  5. Improve my understanding of endgame positions.
  6. Improve my understanding of middle game strategies.
  7. Improve my time management during a game, i.e. slow down and make the most use of the time allocated.
  8. Learn not to always recklessly attack but to play defensively when the situation requires it. (This is a particularly bothersome deficiency of mine)
  9. Annotate my own games immediately after playing them – especially my losses in order to learn from my mistakes
  10. Get more practice at recording my moves in algebraic notation.
  11. Get more practice playing games with a chess clock.
  12. Observe some annotated games of the top rated players.

Some possible additional long term goals :

  1. Have a basic recognition of all the major openings by name, their first few defining moves, and the resulting board positions or "tabiyas".
  2. Become familiar with some of the classic games of the "masters" past and present.
  3. Read (and hopefully learn from) some of the classic books on chess.
  4. Teach other novices, kids and adults, the basic of playing chess.

That ends my initial list of goals - although I may come back to them later to add, delete, or re-order them.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

"The Mad Genius of Bobby Fischer" Cable TV Special


PROGRAM LISTING

The Mad Genius of Bobby Fischer - Repeat. "The tactics Bobby Fischer used to become
one of the world's best chess players."

... is showing on the Game Show Network (GSN) ON September, 23rd from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM EDT. You can find the GSN channel and program guide for your region here.

I probably watch TV less than 98% of the American population - maybe about 4 or 5 hours per week. However, because we have a Microsoft Media Center PC I can search the program guide for the word "chess" - which is how I came across the program when it aired back in August. It is now being repeated if you care to see it.

Needless to say, the show is less about chess than it is about the tragic life of the man himself. However, I did find the show interesting because there was a lot of video of Bobby Fischer playing chess from his early career up to the point when he abandoned serious play. The other great thing about the show is that they interview many famous US chess personalities. After hearing some of these names mentioned for years and years it was nice to actually match their names up with faces.

The 2nd half of the show had a lot of coverage (and video) too but it was less interesting from a chess perspective and probably of more interest to behavioral psychologists.

Whatever one thinks about Bobby Fischer, with all of his appalling behaviour and hateful invective, he did inspire a whole generation to get involved chess and made the game an exciting thing for those of us growing up in the fifties, sixties, and early seventies.

NOTE: The picture above is from the Time Magazine covering the 1972 match - which I still own and treasure to this day.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Chess D-Day - An Improvement Plan

On June 6th of this year I played a game of chess. I can mark that as the day that Rook Van Winkle awoke from his 25-year chess slumber.

It is now fourteen weeks later. Since then I’ve played maybe a 150 or so games (mostly on the Internet), participated in one OTB beginner’s tournament and successfully competed in my first Internet chess tournament.
But now it is time for me to stop procrastinating and to begin in earnest a “chess improvement” plan.
Before I proceed, I need to mention the number one thing I have learned about improving at chess. Play chess. Play more chess. Play even more chess. In an earlier post I complained that chess was being played better today than it was 25 years ago (What Happened to the Woodpushers?). I still think that is true. The amazing thing though is how much better I am playing just by playing. I’ve not really done any serious reading or study or practice. Just through hard earned experience (winning and losing) I am getting better.

Sidebar - To be honest, I also have to give some credit here to Dan Heisman. He is the host of the ICC’s radio show “Ask the Renaissance Man”, writes the “Novice Nook” column at ChessCafe.com, and is the author of the remarkable book “Everyone’s 2nd Chess Book”. So far I have only perused his book (I’ll write a full review of it once I’ve read it all). By following the list of guidelines in his book I’ve seen a tremendous improvement in my game. Thank you, Dan Heisman. Take this advice: If you are a chess novice or a low rated experienced player you must really buy this book. You will not regret it.

As a former teacher, I know the importance of a curriculum. My very first step then is to design my personal chess curriculum. To begin, I need to complete some tasks. For now I will simply list these tasks. Later I will follow up on each of them with more detailed posts:
  1. Define my goals. What is it that I personally want to accomplish with my chess improvement plan? How will I measure my progress?

  2. List of the chess resources I already have and those I may wish to add:

    • Books I already own
    • Books I may wish to purchase
    • Software I already own
    • Software I might wish to purchase
    • Helpful Internet resources I can use
    • My chess history – what score sheets and PGN records of my games do I have?
  3. Plan an agenda using selected resources from my list.

  4. Implement a schedule for study and game playing.

  5. Follow through conscientiously with my plan and see what
    happens.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Listen to the KQED Radio Interview with the Author of the "The Immortal Game"

Michael Krasny discusses the intersection of chess, war, art and science with David Shenk, author of "The Immortal Game: A History of Chess."

Host: Michael Krasny

Guests: David Shenk, author of The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science, and the Human Brain

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Mystery Chess Set


Yesterday I came across a picture of an English "Barleycorn" chess set. Suddenly, my memory was jogged. I seemed to recall a somewhat similar set that my grandmother once had. It was part of a collection of games she had brought from Scotland when she moved to America in the 1920's. Checking with my family it turns out that my brother had latched on to it - and he was kind enough to supply a picture of it which you can view above.

They are very inexpensive light wood pieces. They are not weighted and do not have felt bottoms. There was never a chess board (that we know of) that went with it.

Doing a little research, I have come across somewhat similar sets on the web. The House of Staunton calls them "Pre-Staunton Sets." Evidently this style was quite popular in Great Britain and Germany in the 19th and early 20th century before losing out to the more standard Staunton design. But what do I call it? An English Barleycorn? A French Regence? Or perhaps a St. George or a Calvert design?

Any comments would be appreciated...

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

The World Chess Championship 2006 or What Ever Happened to Dr. Zukhar?

Having recently come back to chess, I’m greatly looking forward to following my first major chess championship since 1978. I got a chuckle recently reading an old Time Magazine clipping I saved concerning that match – the one between Korchnoi-Karpov-Zukhar. I of course jest here concerning Dr. Zukhar – but at the time he seemed to be as much a part of the contest as the players themselves.

As a refresher to the 1978 match, let me quote from Wikipedia’s entry on Anatoly Karpov:

In 1978, Karpov's first title defence was against Viktor Korchnoi, the opponent he defeated in the previous Candidates tournament. The situation was vastly different from the previous match, because in the intervening years Korchnoi had defected from the Soviet Union. The match was played in Baguio in the Philippines, and a vast array of psychological tricks were used during the match, from Karpov's Dr. Zukhar who allegedly attempted to hypnotize Korchnoi during the game, to Korchnoi's mirror glasses to ward off the hypnotic stare, Korchnoi's offering to play under the Jolly Roger flag when he was denied the right to play under Switzerland's, to Karpov's yogurt supposedly being used to send him secret messages, to Korchnoi inviting two local cult members (on trial for attempted murder) into the hall as members of his team.

Now I’m not sure this latest match will be as entertaining off the board as that match was, but it does look to be interesting.

Check out the excellent article Who will win the Topalov-Kramnik world championship? at Chessbase.com.

If you read only one article on the match, this should be the one. It presents an excellent background to the match, especially helpful to people like me who have been away from chess or for new players just taking up the game. The article also explains the match format, provides player’s biographies, and even speculates who will win the match. Best of all, it concludes with a complete “Schedule of the World Chess Championship 2006” which you can copy and paste somewhere so you don’t miss a game. Highly recommended.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Chess on the Web - Installment One

Bill Gates once said [at least I think he did] the ultimate goal of technology would be to have all the world's "information at your fingertips." We seem to be getting there at an alarming pace, especially as concerns information on the Internet. The exponential growth of this information is mind boggling.

Which brings me to the topic of chess resources on the web. Where do I begin? There are so many great resources it is impossible even to list them all. What's worse is that nearly every site leads you on to another and another and another… so I will show some much needed restraint here and limit myself to mentioning (every so often) several fantastic Internet chess destinations you definitely must visit.

Today I would like to mention three "chess blogs":

  • Getting into Chess "A beginner's Journey into the complex world of chess."

    This blog was one of the first to catch my eye - since the writer of this blog is on a journey very similar to that of yours truly, Rook Van Winkle. If you too have decided it's time to give chess a try I think you'll find a lot of interesting reading here and lots of links to good information.

  • Chessola - "The David Moody Chess LiveJournal."

    I just recently discovered this site by a fellow Michigander. It appears to have an incredible list of very interesting games of all types and at all levels of play. David provides a lot of entertaining commentary on each of the games. In fact, he is on a mission to preserve thousands of chess games "from average players" played in Michigan tournaments over the last 20 or 30 years. Amazingly he has built up a database of 27,000 of these games! I wonder if he has any score sheets from "The 2nd Annual Pontiac Open - Unrated Section" held in Rochester, Michigan in December of 1979? As you can read in an earlier post, that's was the only chess tournament I had ever played in until just this past July. I am fortunate to have score sheets from the first and last of my games, but not the second and third.

  • Susan Polgar's Chess Blog "The Official Chess Blog of Susan Polger - The #1 female player in the US and #2 rated in the world."

    This is one incredibly good chess blog. Susan has it constantly updated with recent chess news, recent events and games, chess problems and puzzles. She also includes a lot of inspirational articles about young players and has published a number of student written essays. It is worth checking every day because there is always something new. In fact, she is so up-to-date she seems to have the scoop on all the latest events in the chess world before any other of the "chess news" sites get around to publishing them. She is also one of our greatest American "chess ambassadors" promoting the game as a very worthwhile activity, not only for women and girls, but for young and old alike.
There are dozens of other very interesting chess blogs you should check out. Thanks to the incredible work of Mark Weeks at http://www.about.chess.com/ I can simply refer you to his list Chess Blogs - First Posts. And while you are there, be sure to check out the rest of his site for great advice, articles, chess resources, and hundreds of chess related links….

ABC News: How Chess Can Help Stave Off Alzheimer's


I was glad to see the game of chess getting some good press this morning - or any kind of press for that matter :-) - on the September 4, Labor Day edition of ABC's "Good Morning, America."

The lead in to the segment was "It is one of the most beloved games in the world... and it [may help] to prevent Alzheimer’s disease..."

The interview was with best-selling author David Shenk, who has written a new book on the history of chess titled "The Immortal Game." He has also written a book on Alzheimer's disease. When asked about the connection between the two he responded:

"Everyone in the Alzheimer's community is searching for a way to prevent Alzheimer's and it turns out that one important way - it's not a sure fire way - but you need to use your brain. As you get older, particularly, you need to exercise your brain in any way and the more exercise you get in your brain - it's just like keeping fit and keeping your body fit - the better off you are, the better chance you stand for preventing diseases like Alzheimer's.”

“Chess turns out to be a particularly good brain builder for this..."

Here's an excerpt from the http://www.abcnews.com/ web site:

How Chess Can Help Stave Off Alzheimer's
Writer David Shenk Traces the History of Chess in 'The Immortal Game'

Sept. 4, 2006 — In a wide-ranging examination of chess, David Shenk uncovers the hidden history of a game that was invented in India around 500 A.D. and seems more popular than ever today.

From its enthusiastic adoption by the Persians and its spread by Islamic warriors, to its 21st century importance to the development of artificial intelligence and use as a teaching tool in inner-city America, chess has been a omnipresent factor in the development of civilization.


Research shows that brain is much like the body — it needs continual activity to remain strong and supple and fight off the predations of old age. And researchers have determined that chess is uniquely well-suited to "exercising" the brain. It is simple to play, but offers nearly limitless variation.

It requires memory, problem-solving skills, abstract thought, and creativity. And it turns out that the people who play it regularly in their older years — along with related activities like crossword puzzles — are less likely to develop Alzheimer's and related conditions
.

You can read the entire article and an excerpt for Shenk's new book "The Immortal Game" here: How Chess Can Help Stave Off Alzheimer's.

The author's website can be found here: "The Immortal Game"

The book can be ordered here: The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain (Hardcover) by David Shenk

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Chess on TV?

Would you, or anyone you know, actually watch a game of chess on TV for entertainment?

ChessBase News has an interesting article that proposes an idea that might work. Hey, if it can work for TV poker why not chess?

ChessBase columnist, Steven A. Lopez, makes the claim "Yes, chess on TV works if you do it right. The whole trick is to engage the audience."

Read the article - I think he might have a workable idea. What do you think?

Technology Making This Blog Possible

Although not chess related, I really do want to put in a plug for two pieces of technology that have made this blog possible.

Having suffered repetitive stress injuries (RSI), I am not able to use a computer for extended periods of time using ordinary means. With the help of a "Tablet PC" and voice recognition software (see Dragon NaturallySpeaking) things have become much more tolerable.

The Tablet PC provides great flexibility in terms of how you can position the computer for working with it and it offers numerous alternative methods for inputting data - from handwriting and pointing to voice recognition.

Voice recognition software has actually become practical - as the very existence of this blog proves. If you are still a skeptic concerning just how good it can be check out the following three links: Dragon Naturally Speaking — First Impressions, David Pogue's New York Times Review, and jkOnTheRun - Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 Released

All is not perfect using these two tools - there are many computer tasks - like application development and programming for example - that you just can't do in any kind of practical way with voice recognition software and other alternate input methods.

And I still haven't found a workable way to play Internet or computer chess using only my voice for making moves. If anyone one has any advice or suggestions as to how to accomplish that, I would love to hear your comments.

Just a final note. If you find it painful working at a computer, do not ignore the pain. Permanent injury can result. For more information please see Computer Injury? Me? and Your computer may be a pain in the neck.

My Third Chess Tournament - Good Results

Well, after an embarrassing start, I have finished up my first Internet Chess Club tournament with positive score of 2.5 out of a possible 4 - two wins, a 1/2-point bye, and one loss. This was also my first "rated" tournament, the other two tournaments I have played being unrated OTB (over-the-board) beginner tournaments.

I had to take a 1/2 point bye in the first round since I had a scheduling conflict. I then lost the first game by putting myself into a back-rank mate - that just happened not to be on the back rank but along the g and h files. On the bright side, a painful lesson is a lesson well learned. But I played well in my last two games and won both of them.

All in all, I am very happy with how well I played. I am now looking forward to three more tournaments – the September Standard Time Tourney at the Internet Chess Club, another OTB unrated beginners tournament in September, and my first USCF (United States Chess Federation) "rated" OTB tournament (if I am physically up to it) in October.

Humphrey Bogart - Chess Expert

Here's something I didn't know. In looking over the "Famous Games" in Chessmaster 10, there is an entry from 1952 "George Koltanowksi vs Humphrey Bogart!" Turns out that this was a game played by Humphery Bogart against chess writer and columnist George (Kolty) Koltanowski who "in his newspaper office played without sight of the board against movie star and chess expert Humphrey Bogart, who lost by a mere pawn."

According to GameColony.com "It turns out that Bogart was a very accomplished chess player. (Bogart's rating would probably be equivalent to modern 2100.)"

The City Collge Chess web site has some more interesting details: "Before becoming a movie star, Humphrey Bogart hustled strangers at 5-minute chess for 50 cents a game in chess parlors in New York Times Square. In 1943 the FBI prevented him from playing postal chess, thinking the chess notation were secret codes. He was a USCF tournament director and active in the California State Chess Association. He once drew a game against Reshevsky in a simultaneous exhibition. He made 75 films and chess appears in several of his movies. He and his wife, Lauren Bacall, appeared on the cover of CHESS REVIEW in 1945 playing chess with Charles Boyer."

Play it again, Sam... :-)

Exercise Smartens Up the Aging Brain


To play chess well, don't negelect the body. Exercise is important for chess players as well.

Susan Polger, the #1 female player in the US and #2 rated in the world, was asked how she prepares for a big chess event and replied in the Susan Polgar Chess Blog: My weekly commentary "One of the most important parts of training for me is physical fitness. I cannot stress this enough. I worked very hard on my physical condition before World Championships, Olympiads, Women’s World Chess Cup and big events..."

Lack of physical fitness is something old Rook Van Winkle will have to address even with his disabilities. One can always find excuses... but neglect of physical health has such serious consequences that excuses cannot be tolerated. Trust me on this one :-)

The following recent article form HealthDay lends even more truth to this:

Review of the data finds activity keeps mental decline at bay
-- Robert Preidt

(HealthDay News) -- Exercise may slow age's impact on brain function, helping maintain whip-smart cognitive ability well into the senior years and preventing dementia-like illness, a new review of the data shows.

While there are varying opinions on the brain benefits of exercise and activity, "our review of the last 40 years of research does offer evidence that physical exercise can have a positive influence on cognitive brain functions in older animal and human subjects," wrote the study authors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"We have found that physical and aerobic exercise training can lower the risk for developing some undesirable age-related changes in cognitive and brain functions and also help the brain maintain its plasticity -- [the brain's] ability to cover one function if another starts failing later in life," the authors wrote.

The researchers presented their findings Friday at the American Psychological Association's annual convention in New Orleans.

Some studies that included men and women over age 65 found that those who exercised three times a week for at least 15 to 30 minutes a session were less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease -- even if they were genetically predisposed to the condition.

And a study that examined the association between exercise and brain function in people ages 62 to 70 found that "those who continued to work and retirees who exercised showed sustained levels of cerebral blood flow and superior performance on general measures of cognition as compared to the group of inactive retirees."

Another study that compared older adults who walked and those who did stretching and toning found that those who walked were better able to ignore bothersome distractions.

"Aerobically trained older adults showed increased neural activities in certain parts of the brain that involved attention and reduced activity in other parts of the brain that are sensitive to behavioral conflict," the review authors said.


Pasted from <http://health.msn.com/centers/alzheimers/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100142626>

Friday, August 25, 2006

Book Review: Chess for Children

Here is a good book with some great ideas for teaching chess to young and old alike. Although written for children ages 9 to 12, I think its best use is for a teacher or parent wanting to teach a a young child (or anybody for that matter) the game of chess in an easy-to-understand kind of way.

The book succeeds splendidly at this by introducing small “chunks” of chess knowledge. Using a variety of chess game variations, puzzles, and activities, the student gradually learns all the rules of the game in a fun and interesting way.

Take for example “The Pawn Game”. What’s so great about this is that you can begin to play a simplified form of chess having only learned how a single piece moves and captures! Even better, you are actually learning solid chess fundamentals as to how to use pawns in the full game of chess.

In addition to “the Pawn Game” the authors introduce many other “mini” chess activities like the “Attack of the Mad Queen” game and the “Knight Driving Test” challenge.

Because of this approach, learning the rules of chess becomes something fun and not a confusing and overwhelming experience for the new player.

Highly recommended!

Chess for Children (Paperback)
















  • by Ted Nottingham, Bob Wade, Al Lawrence
  • Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Paperback: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Sterling; New Ed edition (June 30, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN: 0806904534
  • Product Dimensions: 10.0 x 8.0 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.88 ounces
  • Average customer review: 4 out of 5 based on 8 reviews

My copy was purchased from http://www.amazon.com/.com re-seller the_book_depository_ltd. To buy from the Amazon listing click this link Used & new then select the "New" tab and you'll see them. Good price - total with shipping from the U.K. was only $13.85. Got it delivered in about 10 days. New and used copies are also available from other re-sellers too.

Why Should You Play Chess? What are the Benefits?

For about a dozen years I was a certified teacher teaching computer skills to children and adults here in the state of Michigan. As a teacher I think chess could and should be just as an important curriculum subject as computer skills, math, social studies, or science. I'd would not be surprised if chess as a subject for students and for baby boomers is really going to take off in the next several years because of the tremendous benefits it can provide. Not convinced? Consider then this comphrehensive list from the Chess Dominion web site:

Chess is a game for people of all ages. You can learn to play at any age and in chess, unlike in many other sports, you don't ever have to retire. Age is also not a factor when you're looking for an opponent --young can play old and old can play young.

Chess develops memory. The chess theory is complicated and many players memorize different opening variations. You will also learn to recognize various patterns and remember lengthy variations.

Chess improves concentration. During the game you are focused on only one main goal -- to checkmate and become the victor.

Chess develops logical thinking. Chess requires some understanding of logical strategy. For example, you will know that it is important to bring your pieces out into the game at the beginning, to keep your king safe at all times, not to make big weaknesses in your position and not to blunder your pieces away for free. (Although you will find yourself doing that occasionally through your chess career. Mistakes are inevitable and chess, like life, is a never-ending learning process.)

Chess promotes imagination and creativity. It encourages you to be inventive. There are an indefinite amount of beautiful combinations yet to be constructed.

Chess teaches independence. You are forced to make important decisions influenced only by your own judgment.

Chess develops the capability to predict and foresee consequences of actions. It teaches you to look both ways before crossing the street.

Chess inspires self-motivation. It encourages the search of the best move, the best plan, and the most beautiful continuation out of the endless possibilities. It encourages the everlasting aim towards progress, always steering to ignite the flame of victory.

Chess shows that success rewards hard work. The more you practice, the better you'll become. You should be ready to lose and learn from your mistakes. One of the greatest players ever, Capablanca said, "You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player."

Chess and Science. Chess develops the scientific way of thinking. While playing, you generate numerous variations in your mind. You explore new ideas, try to predict their outcomes and interpret surprising revelations. You decide on a hypothesis, and then you make your move and test it.

Chess and Technology. What do chess players do during the game? Just like computers they engage in a search for the better move in a limited amount of time. What are you doing right now? You are using a computer as a tool for learning.

Chess and Mathematics. You don't have to be a genius to figure this one out. Chess involves an infinite number of calculations, anything from counting the number of attackers and defenders in the event of a simple exchange to calculating lengthy continuations. And you use your head to calculate, not some little machine.

Chess and Research. There are millions of chess resources out there for every aspect of the game. You can even collect your own chess library. In life, is it important to know how to find, organize and use boundless amounts of information. Chess gives you a perfect example and opportunity to do just that.

Chess and Art. In the Great Soviet Encyclopedia chess is defined as "an art appearing in the form of a game." If you thought you could never be an artist, chess proves you wrong. Chess enables the artist hiding within you to come out. Your imagination will run wild with endless possibilities on the 64 squares. You will paint pictures in your mind of ideal positions and perfect outposts for your soldiers. As a chess artist you will have an original style and personality.

Chess and Psychology. Chess is a test of patience, nerves, will power and concentration. It enhances your ability to interact with other people. It tests your sportsmanship in a competitive environment.

Chess improves schoolwork and grades. Numerous studies have proven that kids obtain a higher reading level, math level and a greater learning ability overall as a result of playing chess. For all those reasons mentioned above and more, chess playing kids do better at school and therefore have a better chance to succeed in life.

Chess opens up the world for you. You don't need to be a high ranked player to enter big important competitions. Even tournaments such as the US Open and the World Open welcome players of all strengths. Chess provides you with plenty of opportunities to travel not only all around the country but also around the world. Chess is a universal language and you can communicate with anyone over the checkered plain.

Chess enables you to meet many interesting people. You will make life-long friendships with people you meet through chess.

Chess is cheap. You don't need big fancy equipment to play chess. In fact, all you may need is your computer! (And we really hope you have one of those, or else something fishy is going on here.) It is also good to have a chess set at home to practice with family members, to take to a friend's house or even to your local neighborhood park to get everyone interested in the game.

CHESS IS FUN! Dude, this isn't just another one of those board games. No chess game ever repeats itself, which means you create more and more new ideas each game. It never gets boring. You always have so much to look forward to. Every game you are the general of an army and you alone decide the destiny of your soldiers. You can sacrifice them, trade them, pin them, fork them, lose them, defend them, or order them to break through any barriers and surround the enemy king. You've got the power!

Pasted from: library.advanced.org/10746/reasons.html

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

What Happened to the Woodpushers?


Is it just me or are people playing chess a lot better than they did 25 or 30 years ago?

Since I've taken up chess again I've played maybe 50 games over the Internet, first mostly using Chessmaster 10 and lately at the Internet Chess Club (http://www.chessclub.com/). I also played in only my second OTB tournament - an "Unrated Beginner's Open" (my only other tournament experience being another "Unrated Beginners" tournament I played over 25 years ago).

Now I'm not great stuff by any means, but it sure seems like I have to fight a lot harder to win a game nowadays than I used to 25 years ago when I played in the school lunchroom or even in the low key college chess club I ran. And the kids I played in the beginner's tournament were remarkably skilled - I played one 5 year-old in particular that could very well have beaten me!

Chess players seem to be just plain better than they were 25 years ago - at least in terms of beginners, students and casual players.

Why is this? My best theory is younger people (and everyone in general) today have so much more resources for playing and learning the game.

More games...

Thirty years ago I had a heck of a time just finding someone to play chess with. Now you can find thousands of opponents on-line day or night. And if you can't do that you can use any dozens of chess playing software programs.

Side Note: Speaking of chess playing software programs - they are so tough to beat at any setting I think those that persevere beyond the initial novelty of playing against the computer simply must get better or simply give up. I wonder what percentage of Chessmaster buyers immediately put the program aside because of frustration at losing. Let's face it - a computer just can't play like novice even as much as the programmer's try to throw in "human behavior" characteristics.

More Instructional Materials…

For the motivated student of chess there are dozens of excellent training software packages out there - so many I can hardly keep track of them. And they're a lot more engaging than trying to read through a 400 page chess book by a Capablanca or a Nimzovitsch. Years ago the best thing I had as a beginner was the "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" book - thanks to a diagram on every page - but that was the closet we came to the likes of the "chess tactics" software packages of today.

More of Everything...

And my goodness - speaking of books, there were a good number of chess books back in the 70's but how many hundreds of thousands can you get now? But that is not the end to it. We have:

  • chess TV (DVDs)
  • chess radio (www.chessfm.com)
  • chess web sites (thousands upon thousands)
  • chess databases (on-line and off-line CD and DVD's)
  • live Internet chess match relays
  • chess coaches (locally and on-line)
  • chess curriculums (for use in the schools)
  • etc., etc.
Good grief!

Information overload for most, but to a motivated player there has never been a time in history were such a wide array of learning resources were so available.

My conclusion is that because of this huge mass of chess material the average player is no longer an average player.

As for me, I'm still trying to work through Fred Reinfeld's "Complete Chess Course" that I purchased at age 10 and still haven't finished :-D

Hope For Me Yet - At 40, The Brain's Best Years Are Still Ahead!

Need some incentive to take up chess or to reacquaint yourself with the game?

Based on the recommendations from Gene Cohen, M.D., PH.D from a recent article in Newsweek, playing chess accomplishes at least 4 of the five recommendations on his list - 5 if you include "chess boxing." :-D

Research has identified several types of activity that can, if practiced regularly, help boost the power, clarity and subtlety of the aging brain.

  • Exercise physically. Numerous studies have linked physical exercise to increased brainpower. This is particularly true when the exercise is aerobic—meaning continuous, rhythmic exercise that uses large muscle groups. The positive effects may stem from increased blood flow to the brain, the production of endorphins, better filtration of waste products from the brain and increased brain-oxygen levels.
  • Exercise mentally. The brain is like a muscle. Use it and it grows stronger. Let it idle and it will grow flabby. So choose something appealing and challenging—and don't be surprised if, once you start, you want to do more. One of the programs I co-chair, the Creativity Discovery Corps, strives to identify unrecognized, talented older adults in the community. A 93-year-old woman we recently interviewed advised us that she might find scheduling the next interview difficult because she was very busy applying for a Ph.D. program.
  • Pick challenging leisure activities. Getting a graduate degree isn't the only way to keep your brain fit. An important 2003 study identified five leisure activities that were associated with a lower risk of dementia and cognitive decline. In order of impact (from highest to lowest), the winners were dancing, playing board games, playing musical instruments, doing crossword puzzles and reading. Risk reduction was related to the frequency of participation. For example, older persons who did crossword puzzles four days a week had a risk of dementia 47 percent lower than subjects who did puzzles only once a week.
  • Achieve mastery. Research on aging has uncovered a key variable in mental health called "sense of control." From middle age onward, people who enjoy a sense of control and mastery stay healthier than those who don't. The possibilities for mastery are unlimited, ranging from playing a musical instrument to learning a new language to taking up painting or embroidery. Besides improving your outlook, the sense of accomplishment may also strengthen the immune system.
  • Establish strong social networks. Countless studies have linked active social engagement to better mental and physical health and lower death rates. People who maintain social relationships during the second half of life enjoy significantly lower blood pressure, which in turn reduces the risk of stroke and its resulting brain damage. Social relationships also reduce stress and its corrosive effects, including anxiety and depression.

    Pasted from <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10753221/site/newsweek/page/3/>

Sunday, August 20, 2006

A Chess Confession...


Several years went by before I played chess again.

When I went to college in the late seventies, I earned a “student life” scholarship. One of the requirements for continuing the scholarship was to play a part in campus activities. "Aha!" I thought, "I could get involved in the college chess club." The college administration responsed: “College Chess Club? We don’t have a college chess club – we did a few years ago but not now. You could start it up again!” Gulp. So the die was cast. With trepidation (afraid that my chess skill and experience was inadequate for the title of club “president”) I volunteered to run the chess club.

As it turned out, it was great thing for me – I met a lot of nice people. For the first time in my life I played against a wide variety of opponents with unique chess styles. There really were people playing something other than 1. P-K4 to open their games! Even though there was never a tremendous interest in the chess club we did average about a half-dozen to a dozen students dropping by each week.

Now for my chess confession: In my senior year we established contact with a local city chess club who wanted us to host a USCF tournament on campus. This was a great opportunity – I had never even played in a tournament! Even better, this would be an official USCF sanctioned event and I could establish a provisional rating! Now I could get at least a rough answer to the question that plagues every chess player - just how good am I really?

The tournament was scheduled the weekend before winter break began – and although I could attend on Saturday I had to leave on the Sunday for home. Darn! As a compromise I ended up entering the unrated “beginners” section since it was a one day event held on that Saturday.

Much to my surprise I won the event 4-0 "free-and-clear" and took home the $40 first place prize. Yikes! To this day I still feel sort of guilty about it – was it not a conflict of interest for the “President of the University Chess Club” to take home a cash prize? And worse, should the “President of the University Chess Club” have entered the unrated “beginners” tournament in the first place?

Two other things I remember about the tournament. My final round opponent (another college student) tracked me down before the last round and proceeded to psychologically brow-beat me by telling me how fast he was going to beat me and words to the general effect that I might as well resign before even sitting down at the chess board. I had the last laugh however; I beat him in 12 moves! Even I could have told him not to bring out his queen on the second move!

The other thing I remember is that they did not give out a trophy or a ribbon or a certificate - just the cash prizes! I still regret they did that to this day. So a few weeks ago (more than 25 years later) I decided to go on-line and buy my own trophy (it cost me only $15 engraved!) I must say it feels good to have it – even if technically, as chess club president, it may have been a little unfair to enter the beginner’s tournament in the first place. However, since this may be the only chess trophy I may ever have – I won’t feel too badly about that. :-D

My Early Days with Chess

I think I learned to play chess from a book in 5th grade. Each week Mrs. Sawyer would take the entire class to the school library and our assignment was to find a book to read and enjoy. I have no idea what the title of the book was or who wrote it – but it must have been a pretty good book for me to learn the rules of chess using only it to help.

I also remember getting my very own first chess book soon after - I think I was in the sixth grade at the time. My parents would let us pick out our own Christmas gifts at the large and distant department store 30 miles from our small home town. There I found “The Complete Chess Course" by Fred Reinfeld. Wow - over 700 pages of chess goodness.

Finding someone to play was my biggest problem. No one in my family played. It wasn’t until a few years later in about 8th or 9th grade that I learned my best friend knew how to play chess too! From then on we played when we could – mostly during lunch hour (and if we could sneak it in – even during class time). We even occasionally played chess over the telephone calling out our moves using descriptive notation. I think I won the majority of our games – my secret weapon being some of the advice good old Fred gave me in that huge tome of chess wisdom. I never did get more than half way through that book – there was just so much there!

I still remember to this day how in Orchestra class my friend and I set up a chess set (my treasured “Cardinal” folding magnetic chess set - which I still own to this day) on the chair between us so we could play. The music teacher had a terrible habit of lecturing nearly the whole class period instead of having us play our instruments. So why not take advantage of all this wasted time with a game of chess? Oh my god, did the sparks fly when he spied us blissfully playing chess and not at all paying attention to him! Just another example, I am sure, of how we all have suffered anguish and pain at one time or another for love of the game of chess!

Later in high school I met others kids who played chess and I would play during lunch hour with them too. I even played several teachers who had an interest in chess – even beating them occasionally. Sadly our school had no chess club – and the idea of even having a chess club never occurred to any of us! After high school I really had no one to play chess with. It wasn’t until my last two years of college that I found an opportunity to play chess again. But that’s a story for another post…

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Why this Blog...

You’ve probably figured out the name of this blog is a take-off on “Rip Van Winkle”. Why? Because just as Rip Van Winkle slept for 25 years as the world went by, as far as chess goes, I have had a similar experience. I have had nothing to do with chess for about 25 years. Although I once really enjoyed chess, ordinary living got in the way and I "resigned" myself to a life without “the game of kings”. What a shame!

But now, for reasons of mental health and general well being, I have taken up chess again. What a joy it is to rediscover the thrill and excitement of the game again after all these years.

So here I am – Rook Van Winkle – awake from my 25 years of chess slumber with this blog detailing my new adventures in the realm of the world’s most fascinating game!

It is my sincere hope that others new to chess, or those like me getting reacquainted with the game will find some entertainment – if not useful information – reading this blog.

If you have any suggestions related to chess improvement (or any observations concerning the posts on this blog) please feel free to add your comments…