I usually do not comment on a knock-out type tournament, especially one so-called a “world championship,” but the final match between a Russian and a Ukrainian with the situation, Russian encroachments and troops and tanks one the border, is the closest thing the chess world has seen to the situation when American Bobby Fischer challenged the Russian Boris Spassky for the World Championship in 1972 during the Cold War. GM Kevin Spraggett wrote about Natalia Pogonina and Mariya Muzychuk, “…who I understand are friends.” (https://kevinspraggettonchess.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/pogonina-unstoppable/) That friendship may last no matter which player wins the match, but it will not last when the real war with weapons of destruction begins.
Make no mistake, if the insane Rootin’ Tootin’ Pootin’ does not back down, there will be war. The West has no choice but to call Putin’s bluff. “Let us not forget that Ukraine has been guaranteed, in 1994, the protection of its territorial integrity by the United States. Ukraine gave up nukes! Very few people remember it was the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world. [Not honouring the gurantee] is very bad, not only for the United States – Bill Clinton’s signature was there. Ukraine gave up twelve hundred nuclear warheads, more than England, France and China combined, in exchange for guarantees from America and Great Britain. This will have implications way beyond Ukraine’s borders, because it destroys the credibility of the White House, it destroys the credibility of the free world, and it sends a message, let’s say to Iran, that you need nukes to protect your borders. Same can apply to Japan, South Korea, countries that are facing a rising threat from China. It will be a totally different world unless we follow the promises written on paper and signed by the leaders of the free world.” -Garry Kasparov
(http://en.chessbase.com/post/kasparov-on-putin-ukrainian-nukes-nemtsov)
I have followed the games of the Muzychuk sisters because they play the Leningrad Dutch, most of which I have played over in recent years, so I would be predisposed to pulling for Mariya in this prelude to war. After reading the article, and Putin as Warlord, by Gilberto Villahermosa, in the same magazine, I believe Russia will lose World War III, just as I expect the Russian, Pogonina, to be stopped and lose the match with the Ukrainian, Mariya Muzychuk.
When the Legendary Georgia Ironman first mentioned the Georgia Class had been changed to the Perdomo Class Championship I was stunned, saying, “When did Carlos die?” Fortunately, IM Carlos Perdomo lives. The usual practice has been to name a tournament after someone, or even two former players, whose spirits have departed for the chessboard in the sky. Those in control of the GCA have seen fit to do things differently. For example, the current Fun E administration seems loathe to take entry fees at the door on the day of the tournament. It was therefore no surprise when the Ironman told me he had picked up an extra lesson on Saturday, the second day of the tournament. When Tim said to the chess dad, “But I thought your son was playing in the Perdomo.” (As in the “BoKo” which is short for the Boris Kogan Memorial. Since Carlos is still with us it is the “Perdomo.” Once his spirit heads to the sky it will, no doubt, become the “Domo.”) The chess dad said, “I could not enter online, and I tried many times, until finally giving up. Every time I tried to enter it would go back a page.” Sometimes progress ain’t…I cannot help but wonder how many others had the same problem and did not participate?
Unfortunately, I only learned some of the games were broadcast live on Chess Stream after the tournament ended. LM David Vest, who, according to Tim, also had trouble entering, had mentioned the fact to the Ironman, asking him to let me know, but it slipped the Ironmind. I had previously seen the announcement on the moribund GCA website (http://www.georgiachess.org/), but nothing was mentioned about any games being broadcast live, and having been to the GCA online magazine (http://georgiachessnews.com/), I can attest to the fact that there was no mention of this fact. What is the point of having games broadcast if the news is not advertised?
Mr. Vest mentioned something about Masters receiving free entry providing they jumped through many GCA hoops. The man from the High Planes did just that but said “Katie was in Alaska and by the time I was able to enter it was too late.” I was, therefore, pleased to see the Drifter was able to play four rounds after a first round half point bye. David is a fellow Senior and obviously not ready to drift away toward the sky.
There were seventy-five players in all sections combined, about what we used to get at the House of Pain when the usual suspects were rounded up. Unfortunately, there were only eight players in the top section. This makes me wonder about reports being received concerning a boycott of GCA tournaments by the higher rated players. I have learned it is not an “official” boycott per se, in the sense that anyone has led a boycott, but more of an unofficial type boycott. Word must not have gotten to the eight intrepid players who chose to “cross the line.”
NM Michael Coralllo, who has been playing very well the past several years, was the top rated player when he sat down in the first round to play a former student of the Legendary Georgia Ironman, Albert Liang, who is now learning from GM Alsonso Zapata. I went with Tim to the home of Albert where we double-teamed the young man during a lesson, and I can relate that after leaving, the Ironman and I were the ones who felt double teamed!
Can you spell U-P-S-E-T? Mr. Corallo did not let this loss upset him, playing the swiss gambit the way it is supposed to be played by winning his next four games and taking clear first. That is showing your class in style!
I was surprised to see the move 6 Bc4 has only scored 48% according to the CBDB. Back in the day it was THE MOVE. White has scored 54% against 11…0-0, and it is the preferred move of the big three “engines” shown on the CBDB, but 11…b4 has held White to only 45%. After 12…Ne8 365Chess.com calls this the, B90 Sicilian, Najdorf, Lipnitzky attack, which is a new one on me…
The game Rojas, Luis (2432) – Andaur, Claudio (2095) CHI-ch, 02/12/2002, varied with 13…Kh8 14. Bg5 Bxg5 15. Qxg5 Qb6 16. Qe3 Bd7 17. Qf2 Nc6 18. Nxc6 Qxf2+ 19. Rxf2 Bxc6 20. Rd2 Rd8 21. Rad1 g5 22. Ne2 Rg8 23. h3 Rg6 24. c4 bxc4 25. Bxc4 Bb7 26. b4 h5 27. Kf2 Kg7 28. e5 d5 29. Bd3 Rh6 30. Nd4 Nc7 31. Rc2 Rd7 32. Rdc1 Na8 33. Nb3 f6 34. Nc5 Re7 35. Nxb7 Rxb7 36. Bxa6 Rf7 37. Rc6 fxe5 38. b5 g4 39. b6 Nxb6 40. Rxb6 gxf3 41. gxf3 Rhf6 42. Rg1+ Kh6 43. Ke2 Rxf3 44. Rxe6+ R3f6 45. Rxf6+ Rxf6 46. Bb5 e4 47. Rd1 Rf3 48. Rxd5 Ra3 49. Rd2 Rxh3 50. a4 Kg5 51. Rd8 Ra3 52. Rd5+ Kf4 53. Rxh5 Ra2+ 54. Kd1 e3 55. Rh8 Ke4 56. Kc1 Kd4 57. Rd8+ Ke4 58. Kb1 Rh2 59. Rc8 Kd4 60. Rc2 Rh1+ 61. Kb2 Rh5 62. Kb3 Rh3 63. Kb4 Rh1 64. Ka5 Rh6 65. Be2 Kd5 66. Kb5 Rh1 67. a5 Rb1+ 68. Ka4 Rb8 69. a6 Ra8 70. Kb5 Rb8+ 71. Ka5 Kd6 72. Bb5 Rd8 1-0
The third round featured this game between the two Masters in the field.
As Bobby Fischer famously said, “That’s what chess is all about. One day you give your opponent a lesson, the next day he gives you one.” (http://www.chessquotes.com/player-fischer)
Playing over this English brings back memories of the High Planes Drifter regaling us with tales of the daze he was moving around the left coast in LA and of GM Eduard Gufeld and NM Jerry Hanken, who loved playing 1 c4. Up through 4…Be7 365Chess shows this as “A13 English opening,” but when Mr. Vest played 5 0-0 it became a, “A14 English, Neo-Catalan declined.” 10…Nd7 is the new move. Previously the two most common moves have been Qc7 and Qd7, the move of Houdini, but the new World Chess Champion thing, known as Komodo, prefers 10…Re8, but what does IT know?
Albert drew with the always dangerous Carter Peatman in the last round to finish in a three-way tie for second place with Djordje Nedeljkovic, who is a provisionally rated NM after eighteen games, and Expert Sinclair Gray, all with a score of 3-2.
Jeremy Banta took clear first in the class A section, Matt Mayhew, from Tennessee was also clear first in the B class, as was Anthony John Morse in the C class, and Sanjeev Anand did the same in class D. Not to be outdone, Harold Blackmarr also won the below section, for everyone else, a half-point ahead of the pack.
Unlike most chess fans I look forward to the opening round of an Open event in lieu of the final round because the last round usually devolves into a song by Big Maybelle, better known from the 1957 rockabilly song by Jerry Lee Lewis, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” Or as the Legendary Georgia Ironman, who has done a fair amount of shakin’ himself, has been heard to say, the last round usually turns into a “Big ‘ol group hug.” The first round is more interesting because of the huge rating disparity, affording the possibility of an upset. Players of my level, “weakies” according to Bobby Fischer, have a chance at glory. Lower rated players can benefit from playing over the games of other lower rated players in order to discern where they went wrong; what kind of mistakes they made. In addition, more “offbeat” openings are played in the opening round and not the “round up the usual suspect” openings. It may be true that one should play so-called “main lines,” but how interesting is it to play over a game when the same twenty moves have been trotted out yet again?
In the opening round of the recent 2015 Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival Badrakh Galmandakh, representing Mongolia, rated 2240 by the FIDE, sat down behind the White pieces to battle GM Alexander Motylev, rated 2665, the 78th highest rating in the world. As he played his first move Badrakh reached for his Queen pawn, and moved it one square, to d3. This caused me to think of the famous game between World Champion Anatoly Karpov and English GM Tony Miles at the 1980 European Team championship when, in reply to Karpov’s first move of 1 e4, Tony answered with a move which shocked Karpov and stunned the chess world, 1…a6. The game ended in victory for the Englishman.
Upon reflection I also considered something contained in the regular column by GM Andy Soltis in the January issue of Chess Life magazine, “It seems to me that in non-standard positions, chess players have become significantly weaker,” GM Boris Gulko said in a recent Chesspro.com interview. “Because all their strength and energy goes into working with the computer.”
Like I said, everyone loves an upset, except the one having been upset. Galmandakh did not stop there, but played 1 d3 again, and again. He played it in all five games in which he opened the game!
Badrakh Galmandakh faced three GM’s, and two IM’s, and battled them to a draw with the Mieses opening, scoring 2 1/2 out of 5 games. He was out rated by an average of 308 points and finished the tournament with a PR with White of 2548.
If you are curious, as was I, about how he played as Black, here are the games:
It is an established fact that it is much more difficult to play chess having the Black pieces. Still, Badrakh finished only -1 in his five games playing defense, for a PR of 2360. To put this result in perspective, Kenny Soloman recently earned a GM title and his FIDE rating was 2399 at the time. Badrakh Galmandakh finished the tournament in the middle of the field with a score of -1 and a PR of 2428. The new GM, Kenny Soloman also played in the Gilbralter Masters, and although he finished with an even score, ahead of Badrakh by 1/2 a point, Soloman’s PR was only 2320. (http://chess-results.com/tnr158561.aspx?lan=1&art=9&fed=RSA&turdet=YES&wi=821&snr=96).
I know nothing more about Badrakh Galmandakh than what I have been able to find online. He is 25 years of age and #17 in Mongolia. My hat is off the “Big Bad” Badrakh Galmandakh!
I write this because Vladimir Putin is the power behind the world chess organization, FIDE. Kirsan ET Illuminatus is only a titular figurehead.
I know something about the effects of Asperger’s syndrome because a friend, also a chess player “back in the day,” was diagnosed with it. Upon first reading about Asperger’s I got in touch with my friend because what I read described him. He informed me he felt the same, and scientist’s wanted to study him as he was considered the quintessential exemplar of the disorder. He did not wish to be studied then, but came to regret his decision later. As he described it at that time, Asperger’s syndrome is basically a high functioning autistic person. Much more is known about the disorder now.
“Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome)
I could have used WebMD.com (http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/mental-health-aspergers-syndrome) but decided to use Wiki because my friend loathed Wikipedia, much preferring Encyclopaedia Britannica. I brought to his attention an article reporting on a comparison of Wiki with EB in which the number of mistakes found was about the same. He simply refused to believe it. New ways often come hard to those who are fortunate enough to grow old(er).
“The diagnosis of Asperger’s was eliminated in the 2013 fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and replaced by a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder on a severity scale.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome)
When this was first proposed it caused my friend much consternation. As is the case with many people with Asperger syndrome my friend also suffered with clinical depression. From what I have read about Bobby Fischer his inherited mental illness grew worse as he aged, just as it had with his real father, Dr. Paul Nemenyi. The same happened to my friend. Having known him as an intelligent and vibrant man when younger, with not one, but two PhDs, it was difficult to see him deteriorate before my eyes. Even though other people in the chess community counseled me to be extremely careful about being around someone who is severely depressed because of the fear it could have a deleterious effect upon me, I ignored their advice because he was my friend and had asked for my help.
His depression grew to the point the only thing that would help was extremely strong drugs. They would help for a short while until toxic levels would build in his blood and the doctors would be forced to stop drug treatment altogether, with my friend begging them to please continue. The doctors would then find some new drug and the cycle would repeat. My friend lived in fear of reaching a point when there would be no new drug to try.
It was at this point that my friend was offered a new experimental therapy, Transcranial Magnetic Polarization Therapy. He was happy at the prospect of being cured of his malady, as happy as a person suffering from clinical depression can be, I suppose. Since he was no longer capable of digesting what he read I was asked to do the research. He waited patiently as I read everything on the subject. He was crestfallen when I tendered my report. The statistics promulgated by those doing the zappin’ were not as good as promised. I found that for some of those counted as being helped by the zappin’ the effect did not last. After all those hours reading studies I concluded his chances of success were less than fifty percent. I also found it strange that it was difficult to ascertain the negative effects of the zappin’. Nevertheless, my friend decided upon the procedure, as if there had been any question he would not, because when a drowning man is thrown a life vest he will grasp it, and hold on for dear life.
I drove my friend to and from the procedure for weeks. It was obvious there were no positive results, which caused him to go even deeper into his depression. It seemed to me what he was undergoing only tended to exacerbate an already tenuous situation. The scientists decided to ramp up the juice and when that did not show positive results they jolted him with even more juice until a threshold was crossed and my friend was in uncharted territory where no man had gone before. They finally stopped, having to admit the treatment was a failure, something they were extremely reluctant to do because there is big money involved. Later there was a question about whether the insurance company would pay for the treatment. My friend had been so desperate he had paid some money out of pocket, expecting the insurance company to reimburse him, and so had the company. There was a lawsuit and the company won, and my friend was sent a rather large check in the mail.
I mention this because I know from personal experience just how dangerous a man is Vladimir Putin. When Richard Nixon found himself cornered during Watergate, he was found wandering around the White House talking to pictures of those who had previously held the office of POTUS. Putin’s wife divorced him recently and the walls around him are closing in. He is like the rat he cornered as a young boy. His mind is deteriorating rapidly, and he has his finger on the nuclear trigger. “The world is “3 minutes” from doomsday. That’s the grim outlook from board members of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.”
With what I have learned about those with Asperger syndrome and depression, I would say the clock should be something like 30 seconds from midnight.
“That’s what chess is all about. One day you give your opponent a lesson, the next day he gives you one.” -Bobby Fischer
In the fifth round of the Ga Open, played Saturday night, Reece Thompson sat down behind the Black pieces to battle grizzled veteran IM Ronald Burnett. Both were undefeated, having won the four prior contests.
A check of http://www.365chess.com shows these players having played the position most often after the move 4…c6:
As Black
Vladimir P Malaniuk 46 games
Joerg Hickl 45 games
Alonso Zapata 28 games
This caused me to reflect upon the time Craig Thompson, the father of Reese, and I were conversing at a chess tournament when GM Alsonso Zapata appeared. The conversation ended so Craig could talk with the GM about lessons for his son. The most often played fifth move is e4, the choice of both SF and the Dragon, the program known as Komodo; it has scored 57%. The second most popular move, g3, has scored 56%. 5 Bg5 has scored 54%.
6 Bh4 has been played far more often than any other move, scoring 56%. The move chosen by IM Burnett, 6 Bf4, has only scored 44%! Stockfish gives 6…b5, a TN. After 6…g5 Houdini brings the Bishop all the way back to c1, but SF plays 7 Bd2.
When Bobby Fischer battled Boris Spassky in the 1972 match for the Championship of the World, the NYT was where we obtained the score of the games. Back in those days there was a column every Tuesday and Sunday, written by GM Robert Byrne. Every trip made downtown to visit, and play chess, with friends like W.A. Scott, Bob Joiner, Mike “Mad Dog” Gordon, and John “Smitty” Smith, who all worked near the heart of the city, 5 Points, would find me at the public library, making copies of chess columns from not only the NYT, but the LA Times as well. When Karpov battled Kasparov I was driving a taxi for Buckhead Safety Cab. The Lenox Inn was the first stop for the early morning newspapers and the employees got to know me so well they would “reserve” a NYT for me during the WC chess matches on those occasions I was not awaiting delivery.
The number of times I have had people come talk with me about chess while sitting with the NYT chess column, and my chess board, defies counting. Now the only people reading a newspaper are older. The young people sit with a gizmo glued to their nose. When people talk now they say things like, “You mean people still play chess? I thought the game died when that Russian lost to the IBM computer.” Times change, and so do people. Something has been lost, never to return.
Five Man Electrical Band – Signs (Exclusive Video)
The Legendary Georgia Ironman once remarked, “Chess is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” With my eye swollen shut I had time to reflect upon his statement while contemplating the question, “What is chess?”
The new people who have entered the chess world because of the scholastic craze do not seem to understand this simple fact. Their ignorance is masked by new slogans and “vision statements.” A recent example can be found on the forum of the North Carolina Chess Association. It is election time in the Great State of NC and Sara Walsh has thrown her hat into the ring, running for the post of VP. Unlike my home state of Georgia, the NCCA has a forum where mud can be slung, and from reading the comments on said forum, it is being fast and furiously flung. In her post of Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:14 pm Sara wrote, “While working on a project and looking for content, I realized that there was no About Us page on the NCCA website. So my challenge to you is to come up with a portion of an About Us page. A succinct overview of what defines the NCCA and its role in NC Chess. Think about what’s on the website, what’s in the Bylaws/Charter. One might include a Mission Statement, Vision, Objectives, a short history, possibly some highlights, or anything else you think belongs on an About Us page. Any thoughts?”
Sara
There it is again, the “vision” thing. What is it with women and a “Vision statement?” Does chess need a “vision statement” to answer the question of “What is chess?” Women evidently think it does.
The USCF has put all its eggs in the one basket of scholastic chess. Chess has become a game for children. Chess has become a “learning tool.” For example, the new Executive Director of the USCF, Jean Hoffman, writes in the August 2014 issue of Chess Life that one of the USCF goals is to, “Educate children, parents, teachers and school administrators on the benefits of chess as a part of a school curriculum and as an extra-curricular activity.” Thus far this new century has been devoted to transforming the Royal game into a frilly fun game for children in hopes it will give them a warm fuzzy feeling. Chess is anything but warm and fuzzy. The children learn chess at a young age. As they start to mature they realize what chess is in actuality and stop playing. Children are much smarter than some adults give them credit for, and are astute enough to know when adults are selling them a bill of goods.
Chess is a difficult game to learn and even more difficult to play. The game of Go, or Wei Chi in other parts of the world, has only a few rules and is much simpler to learn, and it does all the things chess people have sold to educators. The number of people on the planet who have taken to the game this century, most of whom are children, has tripled, and is increasing exponentially. Chess is a game of the past, while Go is the game of the future.
Chess is a war game. War does not instill the “warm fuzzys.” The mentally deranged yankee general, William Tecumseh Sherman, is best known for uttering, “War is hell.” Chess is hell. I have heard chess called many things, including, “Mental torture.” I have seen grown men brought to their knees by a game of chess. I have seen grown men cry after losing a game of chess. GM Vassily Ivanchuk once beat his head against a wall so hard and so long after losing a chess game that it left blood on the wall and dripping from his face. Chess is a psychic knife fight. Chess is pure and simple combat, which takes place in the mind.
Over the years I have read chess called many things by the greats of the game, and other notables. Here are some examples:
Chess is war over the board. The object is to crush the opponents mind. – Bobby Fischer
Chess is ruthless: you’ve got to be prepared to kill people. – Nigel Short
Chess is, above all, a fight. – Emanuel Lasker
By some ardent enthusiasts Chess has been elevated into a science or an art. It is neither; but its principal characteristic seems to be – what human nature mostly delights in – a fight. – Emanuel Lasker
A chess game, after all, is a fight in which all possible factors must be made use of, and in which a knowledge of the opponent’s good and bad qualities is of the greatest importance. – Emanuel Lasker
Chess is a test of wills. – Paul Keres
Chess is a contest between two men which lends itself particularly to the conflicts surrounding aggression. – Rueben Fine
Chess is a sport. A violent sport. – Marcel Duchamp
Chess is mental torture. – Garry Kasparov
In the Soviets’ view, chess was not merely an art or a science or even a sport; it was what it had been invented to simulate: war. – Pal Benko
There is no remorse like a remorse of chess. It is a curse upon man. There is no happiness in chess. – H.G. Wells
Chess has been sold to the parents of young children as something it is not, a wonderful game where everyone goes home a winner. Life is not like that, something which the children learn the hard way. As the author Gore Vidal so eloquently put it, “It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.” Many aspire to be the best, but there can be only one World Chess Champion.
The following is taken from an episode, “Three Coaches And A Bobby” (season 3, episode 12), of the cartoon show, “King of the Hill.”
The problem with Soccer
I dedicate this version to my friend for over four decades, the Legendary Georgia Ironman, a BIG fan of…
REO Speedwagon Only The Strong Survive
I dedicate this version to myself because it was popular at the time I lost my first love and helped me out of the funk:
Jerry Butler Only the Strong Survive
And here is a live performance many years later:
Jerry Butler – Only The Strong Survive
I dedicate this cover to my crazy cousin Linda who had three passions in life, with Elvis being one, and include it because although many have been called the “King” of popular music, there can be only one King:
Elvis Presley – Only The Strong Survive ( Alt.Take,X Rated )
