tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-330147392024-03-07T05:03:08.472-05:00Rook Van Winkle's Chess BlogA chess blog of general interest for beginning and novice chess players on the benefits of playing and enjoying the game of chess, with a special focus on middle-aged (and older) players.Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-54561009697472216172008-08-04T08:18:00.001-04:002008-08-04T08:18:04.846-04:00Chess Events on the Agenda<p>Over the next few months there an unusual number of first class chess events on the agenda. First, here are a handful that are going on at this moment. </p> <ul> <li>Chess Classic Mainz, 07-27 through 08-03-2008</li> <li>British Championship, 07-27 through 08-09-2008</li> <li>FIDE Grand Prix, Sochi, Russia, 07-30 through 08-15-2008</li> <li>World Junior Chess Championship, Gaziantep, Turkey, 08-02 through 08-16-2008</li> </ul> <p>Coming up we can look forward to a World Championship Match, a Women's Chess Championship, an Olympiad, and much more. </p> <ul> <li>World Women's Chess Championship, Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria, 08-28 through 09-18-2008</li> <li>Grand Slam Chess Final Masters, Bilbao, Spain, 09-02 through 09-13-2008</li> <li>World Championship Match, Anand - Kramnik, Bonn, 10-14 through 11-02-2008</li> <li>European Club Cup, Kallithea, Greece, 10-16 through 10-24-2008</li> <li>World Youth Championship, Vung Tau, Vietnam, 10-19 through 10-31-2008</li> <li>38th Chess Olympiad, Dresden, Germany, 11-12 through 11-25-2008</li> <li>World Championship Challengers Match Topalov - Kamsky, Lvov, Ukraine, 11-26 through 12-15-2008</li> </ul> <p>If that doesn't satisfy your craving for top level chess, nothing will! </p> <p>Via <a href="http://www.chessabout.com">www.chessabout.com</a>.</p> Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-43768979665264946872008-03-14T14:09:00.001-04:002008-03-14T14:09:13.089-04:00Experts Link Leonardo da Vinci to Chess Puzzles<p><a href="http://lh5.google.com/princebertram/R9q_RG5mUII/AAAAAAAAAPo/e7uaw5htb5A/LeonardoTreatise%5B3%5D"><img style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="293" alt="LeonardoTreatise" src="http://lh5.google.com/princebertram/R9q_SG5mUJI/AAAAAAAAAPw/B9XIAH8NULI/LeonardoTreatise_thumb%5B1%5D" width="411" border="0" /></a> Experts say the Renaissance genius, whose interests included painting, mathematics, music, engineering, anatomy and botany, may have illustrated the puzzles in a long-lost chess treatise recently recovered in the library of an aristocratic family in northern Italy.</p> <p>Read the full USA Today article <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2008-03-14-leondardo-chess-puzzles_N.htm?csp=34" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-28677904636719961152008-02-29T08:23:00.001-05:002008-02-29T08:23:02.213-05:00Chess and Social Networking<h4><a href="http://lh5.google.com/princebertram/R8gHM5SxxfI/AAAAAAAAAPY/oL6_6-y7jD8/CNNChess%5B5%5D"><img style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="70" alt="CNNChess" src="http://lh3.google.com/princebertram/R8gHNZSxxgI/AAAAAAAAAPg/z2P750eC2hw/CNNChess_thumb%5B3%5D" width="92" align="left" border="0" /> It's your move</a></h4> <p>Even if you just checkmated your new friend in India or took your Russian opponent's rook, new chess Web sites like Chess.com are encouraging niche social networking. CNET News.com's Kara Tsuboi sat down with the site's founder to find out what has attracted more than 100,000 members in less than a year. <a href="http://www.news.com/1606-2_3-6232533.html">Watch this video</a></p> <p>via <a href="http://www.cnet.com">www.cnet.com</a></p> Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-42122617578408899692008-01-23T12:44:00.001-05:002008-01-23T12:44:38.430-05:00Dover Publications Sale - Classic Chess Titles<p>Dover Publications specializes in reprinting older publications at fantastic prices - even when they are not having a sale. I've done business with them going back to the 1970's and I highly recommend that you check out their available chess titles for some real gems.</p> <p>-Rook</p> <p><a href="http://www.doverpublishing.com/c.html?s=9go,x0tn,hoy,ew7q,6h0r,dltl,4nwu"><b>Now on Sale: Save up to 50% on Chess Books! </b></a> <br />The most legendary players in history abound in the new Winter Sale titles: Fischer, Morphy, Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnik, and more. Plus, they'll help you improve your game with expert advice on techniques and strategies—and they're all available at up to 50% off our already famous low prices. Here are just a few of the great chess titles that are now on sale: </p> <ul> <li><b><i>Bobby Fischer: Profile of a Prodigy (Revised Edition)</i></b>—Save 35%!</li> <li><b><i>Epic Battles of the Chessboard</i></b>—Save 50%!</li> <li><b><i>How Good Is Your Chess?</i></b>—Save 40%!</li> <li><b><i>Technique in Chess</i></b>—Save 45%!</li> </ul> <p>Use this link to browse Winter Sale chess books—</p> <p><a href="http://www.doverpublishing.com/c.html?s=9go,x0tn,hoy,ew7q,6h0r,dltl,4nwu">http://www.doverpublications.com/wintersale8</a></p> Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-9624613773911511052007-10-30T11:57:00.001-04:002013-05-26T00:22:55.338-04:00Chess as Played in the Real World - No. 10 - My First Rated TournamentOn Sunday I had the opportunity of playing in our first rated chess tournament. <br />
Speaking for me, "playing" might not be the best word. Let's say that I've "participated" in my first rated to chess tournament :-) My performance in my games would hardly qualify as "playing" chess.<br />
Although it was a lot of fun, I don't think I came to the tournament with as much determination as I probably should've. I played my games way too much relaxed - almost as if they were casual skittle games. Consequently, I didn't play very good chess. I did manage to get one win out of three possible games and that was my last pairing with a talented six-year-old with a 800-something rating.<br />
My final provisional rating after three games now stands at 956 points. Ironically, my best game, and a game <em>I was actually happy with</em> and enjoyed playing and found challenging and interesting, was a skittles game I played with my second opponent <em>after</em> the section that we were entered in had ended. <strong>This is the game, therefore, that I feature below in today's post.</strong> Also, for the sake of completeness - and to publicly shame myself into playing better chess - I include (without annotation) my three games from the official event.<br />
The second opponent I mentioned above - Jeff - is a friend of a friend whom I had yet to meet. He'd come to the tournament with his daughter Clarice, and like me, was wanting to finally establish an official USCF rating. My friend has played chess with Jeff at work a number of times - casually in some skittles games - so I was looking forward to meeting him and in playing some chess with him also. <br />
It turned I did have that opportunity - as luck would have it I was paired with Jeff in the second round - and played a miserable game against him I must admit. Even more interesting, my friend who had entered the "reserved" section (for those under 1000 or un-rated) was paired with Jeff's daughter Clarice - a 1st grader - in the final 4th round.<br />
So with all said and done, my friend actually came away with a better score of 2.0 than I did. I could only muster a 1.0 out of a possible 3.<br />
But it was a good experience. It was enjoyable. I wish I had approached my actual tournament games with a little bit more seriousness, because I realize now that your initial rating is quite influenced by those first couple games. Afterwards, I played around with the United States Chess Federation's on-line ratings calculator and found that, gee, if I had won all three games (and I was capable of doing that I think) I might have had a provisional rating of 1700 or something although I play <strong><em>no where near that</em></strong> - so maybe that isn't a good thing :-) but even if I had won two games I would have been very happy with my provisional rating which would have been much higher than what I ended up. So, currently, I stand 956 provisional after 3 games. For comparison, after 242 games on the <a href="http://www.chessclub.com/" target="_blank">ICC</a> my current rating is 1223, with a momentary peak rating of 1320 back in August.<br />
<strong>UPDATE</strong><br />
Sigh of relief! Smiles of joy. I just finished the October 2007 Monthly ICC Tourney with my best score ever: a 3.0 (thanks to a 1 point bye unfortunately). But I did manage to defeat two higher rated players to finish up with two wins! And I now have a new rating (for the fleeting moment) of 1247:<br />
<strong>October 2007 </strong><a href="http://www.chessclub.com/" target="_blank"><strong>ICC</strong></a> <a href="http://www.chessclub.com/help/STtourney"><strong>Standard Time Tourney</strong></a><br />
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 400px;"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top" width="57">RookVanWinkle</td><td valign="top" width="57">1247</td><td valign="top" width="57">B---</td><td valign="top" width="57">L7</td><td valign="top" width="57">W9</td><td valign="top" width="57">W4</td><td valign="top" width="57">3.0</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="2400" scrolling="no" src="http://rookvanwinkle.com/ChessBase19/uscfoctober2007swiss.htm" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-38524294335210648212007-10-27T12:49:00.001-04:002007-10-31T10:18:26.902-04:00Romp With Rook: Chess History - A Rare Morphy Photograph<p><a href="http://lh6.google.com/princebertram/RyNsF7LnyiI/AAAAAAAAAPI/naOm7005S-g/morphyvspaulsen857%5B6%5D.jpg"><img id="id" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="312" alt="morphyvspaulsen857" src="http://lh5.google.com/princebertram/RyNsGrLnyjI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/GWsbRNRRLck/morphyvspaulsen857_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg" width="401" border="0" /></a> </p><p>A rare photograph of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphy" target="_blank">Morphy</a> making a move against <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Paulsen" target="_blank">Louis Paulsen</a> during the <a href="http://uscfsales.com/item.asp?PID=242" target="_blank">First American Chess Congress</a> (New York, 1857). This certainly must have been a "posed" picture judging by the abominable playing conditions (LOL) and the state of photography in 1857.</p>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-53144111716676321302007-10-23T21:08:00.000-04:002007-10-31T10:19:07.634-04:00Chess as Played in the Real World - No. 9Coming tomorrow...Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-67094301705506942602007-10-17T15:30:00.001-04:002007-10-31T10:19:36.101-04:00Rant - Time to Replace the Swiss System Tournament Pairings?<p><a href="http://lh4.google.com/princebertram/RxZitqR7YII/AAAAAAAAAOw/5hREjHkCO4M/SwissPairings%5B7%5D.jpg"><img id="id" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; MARGIN: 10px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="116" alt="SwissPairings" src="http://lh3.google.com/princebertram/RxZiuaR7YJI/AAAAAAAAAO0/TZHA-hhMbeE/SwissPairings_thumb%5B5%5D.jpg" width="109" align="left" border="0" /></a> Recently on the <a href="http://www.uschess.org/" target="_blank">USCF</a> web site there was an editorial <a href="http://main.uschess.org/content/view/7854/381/" target="_blank">Greg on Chess: The Swiss is Terrible</a>. I have to agree with Greg Shahade. Although I have never played an OTB rated tournament using this system I have experienced some of the same problems in ICC tournaments - which also use the Swiss system. Why can't we change this system?</p><blockquote><p>In almost every open chess tournament, one is confronted with the Swiss pairing in which players are paired based on their rating. The field of every score group is split in half and if colors match and players haven't been paired before, the top player in the first half of the field will play the top player in the second half. (So, in a ten player tournament, #1 would play #6, #2 plays #7, and so on.) The pairing method is called "Swiss" because it was first used in 1895 at a chess tournament in Zurich. Since then, it's been commonplace. Because we have been born in a world where the Swiss is the only way, people have simply accepted it and don't seem to realize all the tremendous flaws behind the system. One of my greatest regrets in my chess organizing career is that I used the Swiss System in the New York Masters tournament series that I used to run. It was a perfect chance to be a catalyst for change that went to waste. I would never run a tournament again using this system.</p></blockquote><p>Read the entire editorial <a href="http://main.uschess.org/content/view/7854/381/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-51866023433929090712007-10-16T20:40:00.000-04:002007-10-17T15:36:30.931-04:00Chess as Played in the Real World - No. 8: Playing to WinPlaying to win or playing it safe? Personally, I'd rather take a risk playing for a win than playing not to lose. Coincidentally, yesterday's issue of <em><a href="http://www.chessville.com/newsletter_signup.htm" target="blank">The Chessville Weekly</a></em> put it this way, quoting Jean Claude Killy: "To win, you have to risk loss."<br /><br />My ICC tournament game from today could not be a better example of this philosophy - although I lost the game by taking some risks I <em>almost</em> won. In fact, I missed a forced mate in four after 24. Qxf3 (see diagram). I'll take consolation in the fact I can partially blame time troubles for that as I had 40 seconds left on my clock and just didn't have enough time to confirm and work out the combination. Ah, the joys and sorrows of chess.<br /><br />Although it is depressing to lose a game, I'm rather proud of the attempt I made to win -sacrificing both a Bishop and a Knight to try and make it happen... and it almost <em>did happen</em> as the following game will show.<br /><br /><strong>After 24. Qxf3 - Black to mate in four:<br /></strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLxRFstc9NZSWsogwgAei7MRB9iuwLfNf4F4hlTTH9rQi6OtnUrQdB9Cqxnf79Bisb6WP4bZ5SlPkhAvRjQ5RfPM7oQ430YQ-34ttpDR3Y0egNRPoB1E2qTpzejpPW2A8RSTk8w/s1600-h/BlackToMateInFour.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122391472728662194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLxRFstc9NZSWsogwgAei7MRB9iuwLfNf4F4hlTTH9rQi6OtnUrQdB9Cqxnf79Bisb6WP4bZ5SlPkhAvRjQ5RfPM7oQ430YQ-34ttpDR3Y0egNRPoB1E2qTpzejpPW2A8RSTk8w/s400/BlackToMateInFour.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEQSsPvshy4OYoYTOdLNzJEclQ9cg-aajhIyyw5lDIyaNOpuDJxG2BiNRjs4vbnES-S9LgvTUYs5f6J7IPbbxQkShg6yC1tWUxfIs2cDje01ZDEA013JXzj0W6kbY9ySk3pt_Qg/s1600-h/BlackToMateInFour.jpg"></a><strong>Replay the entire game below:</strong><br /><br /><br /><div style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 1px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><iframe src="http://rookvanwinkle.com/ChessBase16/iccoctober2007rd2.htm" frameborder="0" width="420" scrolling="no" height="1600"></iframe></div></div>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-76373376886500999242007-10-15T12:16:00.001-04:002007-10-15T12:27:29.330-04:00Rook's Rudimentary Resources - Yasser Seirawan "Winning Chess Series"<p><img alt="" src="http://www.everymanchess.com/books/ystactics_rev.jpg" /><img alt="" src="http://www.everymanchess.com/books/ysstrategies_rev.jpg" /></p><p>This is not necessarily a recommendation (or even a review), I'm listing it simply as a resource to be explored. </p><p>This series was first brought to my attention by Greg over at <a href="http://gregschess.blogspot.com/">Greg's Chess Progress</a>. Greg has used several books in the series to improve his game, and having moved on to more advanced things and through a very magnanimous gesture - Thanks, Greg! - sent me several books in the series he no longer had a use for.</p><p>From what I can gather about the series, they were first published by <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/learning/books/default.mspx" target="_blank">Microsoft Press</a> as four volume set and then later expanded to six volumes. Eventually the series was picked up by <a href="http://www.everymanchess.com/" target="_blank">Everyman Chess</a> and they currently publish the entire series. Everyman says the Winning Chess Series is "probably the best-selling series of chess books ever published." It certainly seems to be a comprehensive series, starting from the very basics with volume one <em>Play Winning Chess</em> and from there covering tactics, strategies, openings, endgames, and combinations.</p><p>So far, I have only been able to read a single chapter, chapter one entitled "Early Days" in the <em>Winning Chess Openings</em> book. It was great fun to read! I actually laughed out loud while reading it because, in the example games he gives, I saw myself doing the same things he did (and millions of other beginners have done) when they first learn how to play the opening. Not only were the games amusing they were very educational - thanks to the insightful comments by Mr. Seirawan. If the rest of the material is up to this quality I expect this series to be very good. As I work through the books I hope to give full reviews of each. That's going to takes some time though ;-) For what it's worth, I noticed the customer review’s at Amazon were uniformly high – 4 to 5 stars – for all seven volumes!</p><p>Here is a detailed list of the series (including the back cover summaries):</p><h3>Winning Chess Series by Yasser Seirawan</h3><ol><li><strong><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Play-Winning-Chess-Yasser-Seirawan/dp/1857443314/ref=pd_sim_b_5/102-2100200-4471319" target="_blank">Play Winning Chess</a></em> - An introduction to chess and some basic strategies.</strong> "In this first of a four part series, Seirawan talks to the chess novice. He explains the game's development and basics of play, sharing stories of some of the wild and wonderful characters from chess history and Seirawan's own experiences. The language is simple and nontechnical enough for the greenest newcomer, who will hardly seem green at all after absorbing the lessons of this terrific introduction to chess."<br /><h6>Microsoft Press 1990, 1998</h6></li><li><strong><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Tactics-revised-Everyman/dp/1857443861/ref=pd_sim_b_1/102-2100200-4471319" target="_blank">Winning Chess Tactics</a></em> - An introduction to tactics with puzzles.</strong> "This is the second in Seirawan's four volumes, taking the reader from the very basics of chess through appreciation of advanced play. He does a remarkable job of discussing tactics that usually appear only in books for advanced players and communicating them to anyone with a grasp of playing fundamentals. The first part of the book deals with basic tactics and how they can be used individually and in combination. In the second part, Seirawan introduces some of the great chess tacticians and their games, further illustrating tactics as they work out in real-life play. "<br /><h6>Microsoft Press 1992, 1998</h6></li><li><strong><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Strategies-revised-Everyman/dp/1857443853/ref=pd_sim_b_1/102-2100200-4471319" target="_blank">Winning Chess Strategies</a></em> - A book on how to use small advantages and use strategies to make them.</strong> "This is the third of Seirawan's four-volume series, which takes the reader from chess greenhorn to a player advanced enough to understand grandmaster play. Here, Seirawan shows how to set long-range goals for a game and systematically gain a superior position. His deft explanations give anyone with basic chess knowledge (covered in his previous books) the insights to leap levels in play. As usual, he tackles the subject with an infectious enthusiasm, communicating the sporting thrill as each piece of a meticulous plan comes together. Throughout the book, engrossing chess puzzles help teach strategic points."<br /><h6>Microsoft Press 1994, 1998</h6></li><li><strong><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Brilliancies-Everyman/dp/1857443470/ref=pd_sim_b_5/102-2100200-4471319" target="_blank">Winning Chess Brilliancies</a></em> - Notable games in chess that are analyzed by the author.</strong> "Seirawan does more than present 12 of the most brilliant grandmaster games of the past 25 years. His lively move-by-move analysis delves into the minds of many of chess's greatest players, explaining the reasoning (or errors) behind each. Readers with a grasp of chess basics, tactics, and strategies (covered in the first three books of Seirawan's four-book series) will come away with an appreciation of the subtleties of grandmaster play and the inspiration to stretch their skills and understanding to higher levels. Have another chess player nearby when you read it--you'll want to play afterwards."<br /><h6>Microsoft Press 1995, 1998</h6></li><li><strong><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Openings-Everyman/dp/1857443497/ref=pd_sim_b_2/102-2100200-4471319" target="_blank">Winning Chess Openings</a></em> - Gives a brief description on hundreds of the most popular openings, as well as opening strategies.</strong> "The two greatest challenges for beginning chess players are not only to survive the openings phase, but also to choose appropriate attack and defense formations in the process. Winning Chess Openings shows you how to do both. In Yasser Seirawan's entertaining, easy-to-follow style, you're shown formations that can be used with other White or Black pieces. Winning Chess Openings explains how to: build a safe house for a king; estimate losses of ten moves or fewer; utilize the elements: time, force, space and pawn structure; plan strategy based on time-tested opening principles; employ a defense for Black against any White opening; apply an opening for White used by World Champions."<br /><h6>Microsoft Press 1998</h6></li><li><strong><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Endings-Everyman/dp/1857443489/ref=pd_sim_b_3/102-2100200-4471319" target="_blank">Winning Chess Endings</a></em> - Introduction to the endgame.</strong> "Good books about endgames for beginners are few and far between. Winning Chess Endings is a great one - a gripping introduction to what you need to know to win chess endings, taught by American Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan. His entertaining, easy-to-understand style, incisive stories and insiders advice will help you develop a solid grasp of proven principles that you can apply with confidence whenever a game goes the distance. You'll learn to prevail time and again in endgames with common and uncommon combinations and pieces. Winning Chess Endings explains how to: relentlessly find checkmates, from easy to hard, in all basic endgame patterns; master the intricacies of King and Pawn Endings; win consistently in the most common endgame - the Rook ending; master the pros and cons of Bishop vs. Knight Endgames; seize the advantage in Rook Pawn and Queen Pawn endings; play like a grandmaster in solitaire endings."<br /><h6>Microsoft Press 1999</h6></li><li><strong><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Chess-Combinations-Everyman/dp/1857444205/ref=pd_sim_b_4/102-2100200-4471319" target="_blank">Winning Chess Combinations</a></em> - Teaches players how to recognize the main combination patterns</strong>; somewhat of a follow up to Winning Chess Tactics. "Winning Chess Combinations is a unique work that doesn't merely repeat the wonderfully rich and vast numbers of combinations, asking readers to solve a particular diagrammed position; it is a work that is far more realistic. A combination involves a sacrifice upsetting the balance of forces, but will it work or tragically boomerang? The reader is invited to solve this critical question by identifying the advantages that a specific position holds which might make the combination successful."<br /><h6>Everyman 2006</h6></li></ol>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-12249085867269406482007-10-13T18:32:00.001-04:002007-10-13T18:33:16.687-04:00Romp with Rook - An English "Barley Corn" Chess Set from 1820<p></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.google.com/princebertram/RxFHh6R7YGI/AAAAAAAAAOY/9lSdA0oMfxs/EnglishBarleyCornChessSet1820%5B4%5D.jpg"><img id="id" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="307" alt="EnglishBarleyCornChessSet1820" src="http://lh3.google.com/princebertram/RxFHiqR7YHI/AAAAAAAAAOc/h4sYNyXhEdU/EnglishBarleyCornChessSet1820_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg" width="455" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>I really like this set - including the "removable" flags on the rooks. Nice!</p> Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-66590337889555747302007-10-13T18:17:00.000-04:002007-10-13T18:26:07.298-04:00Fridays by the Fireside No. 8 - More Odd, But True Chess Trivia<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z3a83GTnp2RjXZo7YReZt4Kq6-__-hgZ1Z4OZRkMJU6acy0V-eSI5EyO6R42f50uGD6v5eDZgxil5SNtmiDt_G70gpkmupzVojvh8demnfM6r0tumU2lzbLy1728c2QhdX4Z8w/s1600-h/The+Fireside+Book+of+Chess.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105027359288027762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z3a83GTnp2RjXZo7YReZt4Kq6-__-hgZ1Z4OZRkMJU6acy0V-eSI5EyO6R42f50uGD6v5eDZgxil5SNtmiDt_G70gpkmupzVojvh8demnfM6r0tumU2lzbLy1728c2QhdX4Z8w/s200/The+Fireside+Book+of+Chess.jpg" border="0" /></a>In our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">eighth</span> installment of <strong><em>Fridays by the Fireside</em></strong> we feature some more odd, but true chess trivia from the Irving <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Chernev</span></span></span> and Fred <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Reinfeld</span></span></span> book <a href="http://rookvanwinkle.blogspot.com/2007/08/favorite-chess-books-fireside-book-of.html" target="blank">The Fireside Book of Chess</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Chapter - The Magic of Chess</strong><br /><strong>Section - Odd, But True</strong><br /><strong>Item - 8 - 12</strong><br /><strong>Page - 72</strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><li>Many a good player would like to try his skill against the masters in a tournament, but dreads the possible outcome—a long string of zeros. Not so Colonel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Moreau</span>, who played in the Monte Carlo Tournament of 1903. He played two games with each of 13 opponents, and lost 26 times in succession. Not even so much as one measly draw could he get! <li>What is the best move to begin a game? At one time the masters began automatically with 1 P—K4; then they switched to 1 P—Q4. Paul Morphy, considered by many critics the greatest chess genius that ever lived, never played 1 P—Q4. In contrast, Ernest <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Gruenfeld</span>, one of the greatest living authorities on opening play, ventured on 1 P—K4 only once in his entire tournament career (against <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Capablanca</span> at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Karlsbad</span> 1929). When asked why he avoided 1 P—K4, he answered, "I never make a mistake in the opening!" </li><li>Chess is thought of so highly in the Soviet Union that it is taught in the public schools. Yet, blindfold play is forbidden by law! (Do they realize, we wonder, that a master player analyzing a combination ten moves deep is really playing blindfold chess?) </li><li>Franz <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Gutmayer</span> wrote a book on how to become a chess master, but could never become one himself! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Gutmayer</span> never won a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Hauptturnier</span> first prize, a requisite in Germany for the title of master. </li><li>Dr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Lasker</span> was certainly a hard man to beat. Marshall won from him in May 1900, and then once again on another May day. But that second victory came after forty years of tournament and match play, in the course of which they had met many times.</li></ul>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-53355347210050542042007-10-06T08:44:00.001-04:002007-10-06T08:46:04.266-04:00Romp with Rook: Halloween Costumes for the Chess Nut<p>...and you'd have to be nuts to wear <a href="http://www.buycostumes.com/Search_All_chess/Category/0/Product/31332/ProductDetail.aspx" target="_blank">these</a> costumes from BuyCostumes.com:</p><p><a href="http://lh5.google.com/princebertram/RweDGqR7X8I/AAAAAAAAAM4/ewE06gKaolg/ChessCostume%5B4%5D.jpg"><img id="id" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="297" alt="ChessCostume" src="http://lh5.google.com/princebertram/RweDHqR7X9I/AAAAAAAAANA/5OtSHRR1KrA/ChessCostume_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg" width="180" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.google.com/princebertram/RweDIKR7X-I/AAAAAAAAANI/bEMVcJbipjo/ChessQueenCostumeLarge%5B3%5D.jpg"><img id="id" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="295" alt="ChessQueenCostumeLarge" src="http://lh5.google.com/princebertram/RweDIqR7X_I/AAAAAAAAANQ/y23ixk9z7_4/ChessQueenCostumeLarge_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg" width="179" border="0" /></a> </p><p>For those who look to the past here's an idea from the National Archives of Canada:</p><p><a href="http://lh3.google.com/princebertram/RweDJKR7YAI/AAAAAAAAANY/K73QA_tKldY/OldChessDress%5B2%5D.gif"><img id="id" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="244" alt="OldChessDress" src="http://lh4.google.com/princebertram/RweDJaR7YBI/AAAAAAAAANg/KVNrAnuZCuM/OldChessDress_thumb.gif" width="193" border="0" /></a> </p><p><a href="http://www.megachess.com/phats.htm" target="_blank">Chess Hats</a> from MegaChess.com:</p><p><a href="http://lh6.google.com/princebertram/RweDJ6R7YCI/AAAAAAAAANo/xQbpnj4sJTw/ChessKnightHelmet%5B2%5D.jpg"><img id="id" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="244" alt="ChessKnightHelmet" src="http://lh3.google.com/princebertram/RweDKKR7YDI/AAAAAAAAANw/xeX0B-HVD1k/ChessKnightHelmet_thumb.jpg" width="123" border="0" /></a> </p><p><a href="http://www.megachess.com/ptunics.htm" target="_blank">Chess Tunics</a> from MegaChess.com:</p><p><a href="http://lh5.google.com/princebertram/RweDKqR7YEI/AAAAAAAAAN4/AtPe9i5iax8/ChessTunics%5B2%5D.jpg"><img id="id" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="244" alt="ChessTunics" src="http://lh6.google.com/princebertram/RweDK6R7YFI/AAAAAAAAAOA/EIuRE2dLdXM/ChessTunics_thumb.jpg" width="93" border="0" /></a></p>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-20450922547216548272007-10-05T16:34:00.001-04:002007-10-05T19:01:27.503-04:00Rave - "The Immotal Game" Now in Paperback<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-QTdTEDjWZro7EPthMyLVxvMXERFt8LxrKczp7VjtFdH0i_ipTmD-XUaPKROAR_-bXSPIPauf_Dzazs6GLf8RiAZz681xuLVAohXDTC7-oqLJkPBAnsejzYwXVPLCQIAZpQD1Q/s1600-h/TheImmortalGame.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117959659184676786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-QTdTEDjWZro7EPthMyLVxvMXERFt8LxrKczp7VjtFdH0i_ipTmD-XUaPKROAR_-bXSPIPauf_Dzazs6GLf8RiAZz681xuLVAohXDTC7-oqLJkPBAnsejzYwXVPLCQIAZpQD1Q/s200/TheImmortalGame.jpg" border="0" /></a>I've blogged about David Shenk's excellent book "<a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/immortalgame/play.php" target="blank">The Immortal Game</a>" several times (<a href="http://rookvanwinkle.blogspot.com/2006/09/listen-to-kqed-radio-interview-with.html" target="blank">here</a> and <a href="http://rookvanwinkle.blogspot.com/2006/09/abc-news-how-chess-can-help-stave-off.html" target="blank">here</a>) and I'm happy to say it is now available in a paperback edition ($10.17 from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Game-History-Chess/dp/1400034086/ref=ed_oe_p/102-1490806-6981739" target="blank">Amazon</a>). If you are looking for a very entertaining chess book you can read away from a chess board this is it. Mostly it is a history of chess, but it also examines why the game has fascinated so many millions over the past millennium or so. You don't even need an understanding of how to play chess to appreciate this book - just an interest. The most technical thing in the entire volume is an on-going examination (between chapters) of the famous "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immortal_Game" target="blank">Immortal Game</a>" a chess game played in 1851 by <a title="Adolf Anderssen" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Anderssen" target="blank">Adolf Anderssen</a> (playing white) and <a title="Lionel Kieseritzky" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Kieseritzky" target="blank">Lionel Kieseritzky</a>. There are plenty of diagrams and easy-to-understand explanations of what is happening in the game. This would be a great book to give someone that may have expressed an interest in chess but, for whatever reason, has been hesitant in taking up the game. Highly recommended!Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-43049450687452736542007-10-05T16:20:00.000-04:002007-10-05T16:29:18.462-04:00Fridays by the Fireside No. 7 - More Odd, But True Chess Trivia<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z3a83GTnp2RjXZo7YReZt4Kq6-__-hgZ1Z4OZRkMJU6acy0V-eSI5EyO6R42f50uGD6v5eDZgxil5SNtmiDt_G70gpkmupzVojvh8demnfM6r0tumU2lzbLy1728c2QhdX4Z8w/s1600-h/The+Fireside+Book+of+Chess.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105027359288027762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z3a83GTnp2RjXZo7YReZt4Kq6-__-hgZ1Z4OZRkMJU6acy0V-eSI5EyO6R42f50uGD6v5eDZgxil5SNtmiDt_G70gpkmupzVojvh8demnfM6r0tumU2lzbLy1728c2QhdX4Z8w/s200/The+Fireside+Book+of+Chess.jpg" border="0" /></a>In our seventh installment of <strong><em>Fridays by the Fireside</em></strong> we feature some more odd, but true chess trivia from the Irving <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Chernev</span></span> and Fred <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Reinfeld</span></span> book <a href="http://rookvanwinkle.blogspot.com/2007/08/favorite-chess-books-fireside-book-of.html" target="blank">The Fireside Book of Chess</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Chapter - The Magic of Chess</strong><br /><strong>Section - Odd, But True</strong><br /><strong>Item - 108 - 113</strong><br /><strong>Page - 103</strong><br /><br /><br /><ul><li>In 1891 a match was played at the Manhattan Chess Club between the bald-headed members and the hirsute ones (hirsute: one who removes his hat when he gets his hair cut). The baldheads won the match by 14 points to 11. </li><li>Playing simultaneously in Europe from June 1927 to March 1928, Geza Maroczy compiled the almost incredible score, from a total of 943 games, of 825 wins, 113 draws and only 5 losses! </li><li>One of Harry N. Pillsbury's favorite stunts in the realm of memory and imagination was to give a simultaneous display where he engaged ten chess players and ten checker players blindfolded, meanwhile taking a hand in a rubber of whist! </li><li>In ten years of tournament and match chess, from 1914 to 1924, Capablanca lost only one game! </li><li>Dr. Emanuel Lasker complimented Fred Reinfeld and Reuben Fine on their Dr. Lasker's Chess Career, but regretted the fact that none of his lost games were included in the book! (A modest chess master is a rare bird!)</li><li>Leonardo da Vinci may have been "perhaps the most resplendent figure in the human race," but Benjamin Franklin was a worthy runner-up. So many and varied were his interests that it should occasion little surprise that the man who was a printer, publisher, philosopher and Postmaster-General, the inventor of the lightning-rod, the rocking chair and bi-focal spectacles, should also have been the first player and writer on chess in America. For more on Benjamin Franklin and chess see <a href="http://rookvanwinkle.blogspot.com/2007/09/regal-games-from-realms-of-yore_23.html" target="blank">Rook Van Winkle's Chess Blog: Regal Games from the Realms of Yore - Benjamin Franklin and André Danican Philidor</a><br /></li></ul>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-39296037408954092672007-10-03T09:31:00.000-04:002007-10-03T09:52:32.492-04:00Rave - Age Over Youth: Viswanathan Anand Oldest World Champion Since Mikhail Tal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUsAq1FpYQTfLOEYZOwy3g_BDoqhyphenhyphenCxXWIDwSdTF_y3QHMSNPHFRWJh6CEG3JVFJeaikEArSoTK0mFAqrzIBc-3rQXIgmaQO_wYmOcSgBP9oUdoVa0zaEm5vzHwBQjKkUW6dU6A/s1600-h/Mexico07_ENGlogo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117107825435959202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUsAq1FpYQTfLOEYZOwy3g_BDoqhyphenhyphenCxXWIDwSdTF_y3QHMSNPHFRWJh6CEG3JVFJeaikEArSoTK0mFAqrzIBc-3rQXIgmaQO_wYmOcSgBP9oUdoVa0zaEm5vzHwBQjKkUW6dU6A/s200/Mexico07_ENGlogo.jpg" border="0" /></a>According to an article at the USCF, Viswanathan Anand is the oldest player to win the World Championship since Mikhail Botvinnik regained the title in 1961 from Mikhail Tal. I take great comfort in that :-)<br /><br />Some other interesting "oldest in chess" (courtesy of Bill Wall's <a href="http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/old.htm" target="blank">Oldest in Chess</a>)<br /><br /><ul><li>The oldest world chess champion was Wilhelm (William) Steinitz, who won a world championship match from Chigorin at the age of 56. He was world champion until he lost it in a match with Lasker in 1894 at the age of 58 years, 10 days. </li><li>The oldest qualifier for the World Chess Championship was Vassily Smyslov (1921- ), who became a Candidate by taking 2nd place in the 1982 Las Palmas Interzonal at the age of 61. </li><li>The oldest player to become a master was Oscar Shapiro. He became a USCF master at the age of 74. </li><li>The oldest person to win a national chess championship was Edith Price (1872-1956), who won the British Ladies Championship in 1948 at the age of 76. </li><li>The oldest person to win a state chess championship was Harlow Daly (1883-1979), who won the chess championship of Maine in 1969 at the age of 85. </li><li>Encrico Paoli is the oldest active chess player in the world as of 2004. He is 96.</li></ul>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-87992811251010316872007-09-29T10:26:00.000-04:002007-09-29T10:52:54.398-04:00Romp wth Rook - The Chess Art of Veronika KasatkinaHere is a sample of chess art designed by the famous Russian graphic artist Veronika <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kasatkina</span>. Her work graces the covers of software made by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Convekta</span> and the <a href="http://www.64.ru/?/en/" target="blank">Russian Chess Magazine 64</a>. She works mostly with digital media, and deals with a chess theme. You can purchase a set of <a href="http://www.chesscentral.com/beyond_chess/postcards.htm" target="blank">28 Chess Art Postcards</a> or a set of <a href="http://www.chesscentral.com/Victoria-s-Posters-Set-of-8-p/2122356.htm" target="blank">eight 8" x 12" posters</a> from <a href="http://www.chesscentral.com/" target="blank"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ChessCentral</span></a>. Individual posters are also available from <a href="http://store.convekta.com/shop_model.asp?gid=195&sView=Catalog" target="blank"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Convekta</span> Chess Store</a>. Here are a couple of my favorites:<br /><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;">"Night"<br /></span></em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HBhl0gwa-ScxpmCuenumC0kjvwFeYKjFIYikkBpX3eHU1QxNHoqSsMUtFkO_g3e3rO-DMC6urbcXajX-EOIJRflxvViiXH06xOLFVY1OEWny2ySq4LjYamu9H8F9thZASW7n8w/s1600-h/Night+by+Veronika+Kasatkina.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115636249381265250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HBhl0gwa-ScxpmCuenumC0kjvwFeYKjFIYikkBpX3eHU1QxNHoqSsMUtFkO_g3e3rO-DMC6urbcXajX-EOIJRflxvViiXH06xOLFVY1OEWny2ySq4LjYamu9H8F9thZASW7n8w/s400/Night+by+Veronika+Kasatkina.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;">"River of Time"<br /></span></em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdhvAeaL1dJoFBK3mgeOWN_vzAtZbNQXRLYHBwTe-QZCkWaEXkHRuUNth18OVl259Ma7sDY4x06MNGrUuXqGgmsZhKkzPMU5nYBj7lwF7YlclEZXY8awzgtwS9ovxkgzywk1ZlA/s1600-h/River+of+Time+by+Veronika+Kasatkina.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115636494194401138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdhvAeaL1dJoFBK3mgeOWN_vzAtZbNQXRLYHBwTe-QZCkWaEXkHRuUNth18OVl259Ma7sDY4x06MNGrUuXqGgmsZhKkzPMU5nYBj7lwF7YlclEZXY8awzgtwS9ovxkgzywk1ZlA/s400/River+of+Time+by+Veronika+Kasatkina.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;">A collage of her work:<br /></span></em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiho-BlLwULRlH5hJWXr6hfKGqd3-YF-7Aqly-xjWao40dlpbEj5TCgNBGiwu2w1mU5jb3jjPQ3Vyu2o8B9BSOL2QCo0HeW4JzRVzg5UPZ9qN9KXQtJQMse6RyqsCvcryQu5ntwbA/s1600-h/Chess+Art+of+Veronika+Kasatkina.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115636781957209986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiho-BlLwULRlH5hJWXr6hfKGqd3-YF-7Aqly-xjWao40dlpbEj5TCgNBGiwu2w1mU5jb3jjPQ3Vyu2o8B9BSOL2QCo0HeW4JzRVzg5UPZ9qN9KXQtJQMse6RyqsCvcryQu5ntwbA/s400/Chess+Art+of+Veronika+Kasatkina.jpg" border="0" /></a>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-62151538996786958822007-09-28T15:03:00.000-04:002007-09-28T15:16:29.767-04:00Fridays by the Fireside No. 6 - More Odd, But True Chess Trivia<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z3a83GTnp2RjXZo7YReZt4Kq6-__-hgZ1Z4OZRkMJU6acy0V-eSI5EyO6R42f50uGD6v5eDZgxil5SNtmiDt_G70gpkmupzVojvh8demnfM6r0tumU2lzbLy1728c2QhdX4Z8w/s1600-h/The+Fireside+Book+of+Chess.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105027359288027762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z3a83GTnp2RjXZo7YReZt4Kq6-__-hgZ1Z4OZRkMJU6acy0V-eSI5EyO6R42f50uGD6v5eDZgxil5SNtmiDt_G70gpkmupzVojvh8demnfM6r0tumU2lzbLy1728c2QhdX4Z8w/s200/The+Fireside+Book+of+Chess.jpg" border="0" /></a>In our sixth installment of <strong><em>Fridays by the Fireside</em></strong> we feature some more odd, but true chess trivia from the Irving <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Chernev</span></span> and Fred <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Reinfeld</span></span> book <a href="http://rookvanwinkle.blogspot.com/2007/08/favorite-chess-books-fireside-book-of.html" target="blank">The Fireside Book of Chess</a>.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Chapter - The Magic of Chess</strong><br /><strong>Section - Odd, But True</strong><br /><strong>Item - 52 - 57</strong><br /><strong>Page - 89</strong><br /><br /><ul><li>Emanuel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Lasker</span> made a clean sweep at the New York tournament of 1893. He won 13 games straight, without allowing a single draw! But history repeats itself. In the New York tournament of 1913, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Capablanca</span> too faced 13 opponents and mowed them all down in quick succession, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">without</span> allowing a single draw! </li><li>Do you sometimes wish your opponent would let you move the pieces around to help analyze a position? In 1911, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Spielmann</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Alapin</span> played a match at Munich, in which analysis by means of moving the pieces was permitted. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Alapin</span> used this privilege; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Spielmann</span> decided not to do so. P.S. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Spielmann</span> won the match! </li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Steinitz</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Capablanca</span> had race horses named after them! </li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Steinitz</span> was once misjudged to be a spy! Police authorities assumed that the moves made by him in playing his correspondence games with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Tchigorin</span> were part of a code by means of which important war secrets could be transmitted. </li><li>Rubinstein won only six games at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Teplitz</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">SchOnau</span> in 1922. But of these six games, four were winners of brilliancy prizes! </li><li>G. A. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">MacDonnell</span> was the winner of a tournament played at London in 1868. All the competitors began their games with the positions of their Knights and Bishops reversed. The reason? They wanted to avoid book play! (And this was way back in 1868!)</li></ul>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-66281522432201776972007-09-27T17:49:00.000-04:002007-09-27T18:32:40.114-04:00Rook's Recommendations - Chess Articles at Wikipedia.com<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriq-e9I6tCe-bHcDBhRhyH7cs3ldV5HPtq-SQLwvEsttFf-9Es3GggABPZ1h9M5LKCSLsWoqnPxC-4DXPXEkISs-aepaGwJV1vX6YiiVm1Zb1coCGJbjnJxmx3BRS0XfZFwzS0g/s1600-h/Wikipedia.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115013534957920082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriq-e9I6tCe-bHcDBhRhyH7cs3ldV5HPtq-SQLwvEsttFf-9Es3GggABPZ1h9M5LKCSLsWoqnPxC-4DXPXEkISs-aepaGwJV1vX6YiiVm1Zb1coCGJbjnJxmx3BRS0XfZFwzS0g/s200/Wikipedia.jpg" border="0" /></a>There is a great wealth of chess material at <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/" target="blank">Wikipedia</a> that is worth exploring. Thanks to the "categories" feature you can explore areas of interest. Here are some of the categories I think you'll find useful and interesting:<br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><br /><li><a class="CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chess_books" target="blank">Chess books</a> A short list of the most famous books on chess.</li><br /><li><a title="Category:Chess checkmates" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chess_checkmates" target="blank">Chess checkmates</a> Links to articles on checkmate patterns that are so common they have names.</li><br /><li><a title="Category:Chess games" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chess_games" target="blank">Chess games</a> A short list of the most famous games of chess.</li><br /><li><a class="CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chess_magazines" target="blank">Chess magazines</a> A list of chess magazines.</li><br /><li><a title="Category:Chess openings" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chess_openings" target="blank">Chess openings</a> A comprehensive listing of the articles pertaining to chess openings.</li><br /><li><a class="CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chess_organizations" target="blank">Chess organizations</a> A list of the major chess organizations.</li><br /><li><a title="Category:Chess players" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chess_players" target="blank">Chess players</a> A list of well-known chess players.</li><br /><li><a class="CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chess_tactics" target="blank">Chess tactics</a> A good summary list common chess tactics.</li><br /><li><a title="Category:Chess traps" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chess_traps" target="blank">Chess traps</a> A list of the most notorious chess traps.</li><br /><li><a title="Category:Chess terms" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chess_terms" target="blank">Chess terms</a> Links to articles covering a large variety of chess terms.</li><br /><li><a title="Timeline of chess" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_chess" target="blank">Timeline of chess</a> A fascinating chronological list of chess history.</li><br /><li><a title="World records in chess" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_records_in_chess" target="blank">World records in chess</a> Another interesting short list of chess records.</li></ul><p>If you need a master index look here:</p><ul><li><a title="List of chess topics" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chess_topics" target="blank">List of chess topics</a> Something in this list from the incredible amount of chess material at Wikipedia will catch your eye.</li></ul><p>Wikipedia is a great chess resource - use it to learn and improve.</p>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-55431633760668491742007-09-26T11:00:00.000-04:002007-09-26T11:19:59.395-04:00Rant - No Hope for Adults to Improve Their Chess Rating?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgIE4LNPMLmUmEf3eWcDYiVo1vHNVDn1bbBErkAHU3rIt1OnM0ZIuBvg9KNRU0SmCNJfzAFcztHiV0JpZAHSZhNuKrPdwkhizLG525sUaWMOZjUE3qNHUlDcjuPv4WhiWkU8zNw/s1600-h/Despair.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114532120663646018" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgIE4LNPMLmUmEf3eWcDYiVo1vHNVDn1bbBErkAHU3rIt1OnM0ZIuBvg9KNRU0SmCNJfzAFcztHiV0JpZAHSZhNuKrPdwkhizLG525sUaWMOZjUE3qNHUlDcjuPv4WhiWkU8zNw/s200/Despair.jpg" border="0" /></a>Abandon hope! That's seems to be the general message from the August 2007 Chess Life's <a href="http://main.uschess.org/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=319&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=164" target="blank">Chess Coach Symposium</a> article when the following question was put to the experts: "<strong>If an adult has been the same rating for many years, does she/he have any hope of improving?</strong>"<br /><div></div><br /><div>Here are the answers supplied by the chess coaches:</div><br /><ul><li>IM Greg Shahade says "...it's a large, large mountain to climb. You have to be happy after you gain 20 points; it’s a miracle if you get 50. You have to refocus your attitude towards being completely, completely obsessed by the game. Of course, you can also get a little worse, if you get too old. Like Korchnoi."</li><br /><li>FM Craig Jones says "As we age, we lose the ability to change. And, if you think about it, the only way to improve is to change."</li><br /><li>FM Aviv Friedman "It’s very hard. I can’t think of anyone who has. "</li><br /><li>GM Miron Sher says "From age 25-40, there are many possibilities for improvement. After age fifty, it’s good if you can stay the same rating."</li></ul><div>Thoughts, anyone?</div><br /><div></div>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-7258937574037616662007-09-25T20:16:00.000-04:002007-09-26T10:58:34.856-04:00Chess as Played in the Real World - No. 7I've finished the ICC September tournament with a score of 0-4. I lost my last game. I think mostly because I came out of the opening pretty poorly. Well, at least I didn't throw the game away with a complete blunder. Still, it's a bit <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">disappointing</span> not to win (or draw) a single game! I was next to the lowest ranked player (and that player even scored above me thanks to a bye in an earlier round). Here's the game:<br /><div style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 1px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><br /><iframe src="http://rookvanwinkle.com/ChessBase15/iccseptember2007rd4.htm" frameborder="0" width="420" scrolling="no" height="1600"><br /></iframe></div>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-70379096653962357752007-09-24T16:54:00.000-04:002007-09-24T18:14:35.515-04:00Rook's Rudimentary Resources - Correct Pronunciation of Chess Words<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ__cwk2CFT4B_pDo4oeoP2gL9CdC69E0otf64MQsXFalJ-KBtgWYRTKbN0o5Fo-jCx9gcQ6MiQpKHV57rhyBNCUNxhMS_BSN4sDsaxxZbvLs7ZbDFVhpboVJBN65Q7VPvzYupjw/s1600-h/BrownChessPieces.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113894863481036594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ__cwk2CFT4B_pDo4oeoP2gL9CdC69E0otf64MQsXFalJ-KBtgWYRTKbN0o5Fo-jCx9gcQ6MiQpKHV57rhyBNCUNxhMS_BSN4sDsaxxZbvLs7ZbDFVhpboVJBN65Q7VPvzYupjw/s200/BrownChessPieces.jpg" border="0" /></a>If you are new to chess you will start building a new vocabulary pretty quickly consisting not only of new terms but also names of famous chess players. Don't get in the bad habit of mispronouncing these words - learn how to pronounce them correctly from the start.<br /><br />Fortunately there are some good resources to help you with correct pronunciation. For the more common chess terms you can visit the <a href="http://www.m-w.com/" target="blank">Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary site</a>. At their site you can listen to correct pronunciation (and definitions of course) for the following chess terms:<br /><ul><li>en passant</li><li>en prise</li><li>j'adoube</li></ul><p>Correctly pronouncing the names of famous players presents a slightly more difficult problem - this is especially true when you hear players talk about chess openings. Here's a sampling:</p><ul><li>Alekhine - pronounced <strong><em>ahl-Yeck-een</em></strong></li><li>Giuoco Piano - pronounced <strong><em>Joke-o Pee-Ah-no</em></strong></li><li>Najdorf - pronounced <strong><em>NIGH-dorf</em></strong></li><li>Pirc - pronounced <strong><em>Peerts</em></strong></li></ul><p>For an exhaustive list see <a href="http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/lab/7378/pronounc.htm" target="blank">Pronounce that Chess Word by Bill Wall</a></p><p>And these last two are just plain fun to say:</p><ul><li>Zugzwang (TSOOKS-vahng) position in which the move makes a worse result</li><li>Zwischenzug (TSVEYE-shun-tsook) in-between move</li></ul><p>Finally, we have this <a href="http://chess.eusa.ed.ac.uk/Chess/Trivia/pronunciation.html" target="blank">excerpt</a> of a poem from the Edinburgh University Chess Club:</p><blockquote><p>A rather funny poem appeared in Chess Review in 1949 entitled "Pronunciation." Some excerpts: </p><p>Oh! she is the Tarrasch<br />Of this parish.<br />Tartakover<br />Is her<br />lover,<br />and Ragozin<br />is her cousin.</p><p>Will she, will she<br />Always Flohr me?<br />Will she never Phil-adore<br />me?<br />Will she never<br />Care a damn bit<br />For my Center<br />Counter<br />Gambit?</p><p>I will have to pull my neck in<br />For she dotes upon Alekhin.<br />I will have<br />to pull my oar in<br />For she dotes upon Tchigorin!</p><p>Yes --<br />An' what of<br />Kotov?</p><p>The full text may be found in "The Treasury of Chess Lore" by Fred Reinfeld.</p></blockquote><p></p>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-32433497502546786282007-09-23T16:36:00.001-04:002007-09-23T16:53:51.000-04:00Regal Games from the Realms of Yore - Benjamin Franklin and André Danican Philidor<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGa2sddkGYQvehUxtdu0EC6LAwBnFlPGwdKeahHrJoWpDL9SYyZ9wp4QYxkPF8fqEX1171SFMH9QI3bx_1EARHiOqH4-r2lA8KjFIW7-sJ_oZWj6IMLafm4spPFZI1hIHr-x3bDw/s1600-h/Rook.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103172895488829922" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGa2sddkGYQvehUxtdu0EC6LAwBnFlPGwdKeahHrJoWpDL9SYyZ9wp4QYxkPF8fqEX1171SFMH9QI3bx_1EARHiOqH4-r2lA8KjFIW7-sJ_oZWj6IMLafm4spPFZI1hIHr-x3bDw/s400/Rook.gif" border="0" /></a> <p>Today, in our Sunday <a href="http://rookvanwinkle.blogspot.com/2007/08/new-daily-chess-blog-entries-planned.html" target="_blank">series</a> <em><strong>Regal Games from the Realms of Yore</strong>,</em> we feature Benjamin Franklin - one of the most talented and remarkable men from the annals of history. It should come as no surprise that Franklin was a chess player. Bill Wall has done an admirable documenting information concerning Benjamin Franklin's life long involvement with chess at his web page <a href="http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/franklin.htm" target="_blank">Benjamin Franklin and Chess by Bill Wall</a> and John McCrary, past president of the USCF and the US Chess Trust has authored an interesting PDF document <a title="CHESS AND BENJAMIN FRANKLIN-HIS PIONEERING CONTRIBUTIONS" href="http://www.benfranklin300.org/_etc_pdf/Chess_John_McCrary.pdf" target="_blank">Chess and Benjamin Franklin: His Pioneering Contributions</a></p><p>That got me thinking whether or not there are any games on record as having been played by Benjamin Franklin. The answer appears to be "no." So, as a substitute I shall have to offer a game by <strong>Captain Smith vs François André Philidor, London, England 1790, Bishop's Opening: Berlin Defense (C24), 0-1</strong> which features "a good sample of Philidor's ideas about pawns; plus a nice mating combination at the end." Franklin had the opportunity of meeting and playing chess with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois-Andr%C3%A9_Danican_Philidor" target="_blank">Philidor</a>, probably the greatest chess player of the 18th century, at the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_de_la_R%C3%A9gence" target="_blank">Café de la Régence</a> in Paris.</p><br /><div style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 1px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><br /><iframe src="http://rookvanwinkle.com/ChessBase14/smithvsphilidor1790.htm" frameborder="0" width="420" scrolling="no" height="640"><br /></iframe></div>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-45199245754878624652007-09-22T11:26:00.000-04:002007-09-22T11:37:53.225-04:00Romp With Rook - Little Known Chess Facts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZwIkaUU6SQHjzFr-hwOvqzmbsNHQTVd1WJiiSmmIzhesvHRV58D_u-X0-mVyBjKeyn0cDa2n86DlV2GHPuCiQfRiK0yP2-pF_Oh3d4uNho78ZTQsHW3FtylNHX4npJ8VeiUs9w/s1600-h/ClayWizardsChessSet.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113052611804356386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZwIkaUU6SQHjzFr-hwOvqzmbsNHQTVd1WJiiSmmIzhesvHRV58D_u-X0-mVyBjKeyn0cDa2n86DlV2GHPuCiQfRiK0yP2-pF_Oh3d4uNho78ZTQsHW3FtylNHX4npJ8VeiUs9w/s400/ClayWizardsChessSet.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><ul><li>The longest chess game theoretically possible is 5,949 moves. </li><li>The record number of moves without the capture of a piece is 100. </li><li>The longest recorded time for a chess player to make a move is 2 hours and 20 minutes. </li><li>The word "checkmate" comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat," which means "the King is dead." </li><li>Rookies are named after the rook in chess. Rooks generally are the last pieces to move into actions, and the same goes for rookies. </li><li>Iran is the only country in the world that bans chess. Ayatollah Khomeini said the game "hurts memory and may cause brain damage." </li><li>The most popular PBS television show aired was the 1972 Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky chess match. </li></ul><p><span style="font-size:78%;">Source: Daytona Beach News Journal</span></p>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33014739.post-63983764039258656102007-09-21T17:48:00.000-04:002007-09-22T11:21:16.541-04:00Fridays by the Fireside No. 5 - Chess As It Is Played - The Two Rook Sacrifice<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z3a83GTnp2RjXZo7YReZt4Kq6-__-hgZ1Z4OZRkMJU6acy0V-eSI5EyO6R42f50uGD6v5eDZgxil5SNtmiDt_G70gpkmupzVojvh8demnfM6r0tumU2lzbLy1728c2QhdX4Z8w/s1600-h/The+Fireside+Book+of+Chess.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105027359288027762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z3a83GTnp2RjXZo7YReZt4Kq6-__-hgZ1Z4OZRkMJU6acy0V-eSI5EyO6R42f50uGD6v5eDZgxil5SNtmiDt_G70gpkmupzVojvh8demnfM6r0tumU2lzbLy1728c2QhdX4Z8w/s200/The+Fireside+Book+of+Chess.jpg" border="0" /></a>In our fifth installment of <strong><em>Fridays by the Fireside</em></strong> we feature a dramatic two rook sacrifice from the Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld book <a href="http://rookvanwinkle.blogspot.com/2007/08/favorite-chess-books-fireside-book-of.html" target="blank">The Fireside Book of Chess</a>.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Chapter - Chess As It Is Played</strong><br /><strong>Section - The Two Rook Sacrifice</strong><br /><strong>Page - 315</strong><br /><br /><blockquote>When a master has a reputation for brilliancy, his opponents play against him with extra caution and thus reduce his opportunities for combinative fireworks. But despite his reputation as a 'Peck's bad boy,' Mieses was still able to produce such light-hearted classics as this one:<br /></blockquote><br /><strong>English Opening - London 1939<br />Craddock vs. Mieses</strong><br /><div style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 1px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><br /><iframe src="http://rookvanwinkle.com/ChessBase13/craddockvsmieseslondon1939.htm" frameborder="0" width="420" scrolling="no" height="700"><br /></iframe></div>Rook Van Winklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567592979918686066noreply@blogger.com0