Paradise By The Chessboard Light

Jennifer R Yu (2341)

vs Atulya Vaidya (2118)

U.S. Junior Championship 2019 round 05

1. Nf3 f5 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. d3

(Before we go any further let us stop right here for a blast from the past. This exact position appeared on the board at a tournament in Atlanta many decades ago. My opponent was John W. Smith, or as he was called, “Smitty,” a player known for his love of the English opening. Both Stockfish and Komodo at the ChessBaseDataBase show 7 d4 as best. When I mentioned this to SM Brian McCarthy

recently he let me know in no uncertain terms, “d3 is a perfectly acceptable way of playing against the Leningrad.” Still, I recall feeling by not moving the d-pawn two squares a concession had been made. After losing, Smitty withdrew even though there were more rounds to play (uncertain how many, but I think there were at least two more games, maybe three…) and was not seen for some time. When next we did meet Smitty was not friendly…Many years passed, possibly a decade or more, until our paths crossed again. Cousin Linda and I had gotten together and stopped to eat at the Bar-B-Que Kitchen on Virginia Avenue, near the airport. As we sat down I saw Smitty at the register paying the tab. As he walked out of the door I leapt up, excused myself, and went outside to greet him. He had just gotten his wife and daughter into the car when I approached with my hand extended. Smitty had a stern look on his face as if he were deciding whether or not to take my hand. He decided to shake my hand, so I asked him why him had turned on me. “Mike,” he began, “If I had won or drawn the last game we played my rating would have gone over 2200 and I would have become a NM. Earning the certificate meant everything to me because I could show it to my children in the future. I had it all worked out, and would have withdrawn after scoring against you. It was the toughest loss I ever had, and it took it out of me. After losing that game I lost the desire to attempt climbing the hill again.” At a loss for words, I managing to get out, “It was good to see you, Smitty.” He replied, “I cannot say the same, Bacon.” He turned and got into the car without saying another word or even looking at me…As an aside, when I mentioned this to Tim Brookshear

he related Smitty had beaten him causing his rating to fall beneath 2200, and it never again crossed back into NM range. “I didn’t hold it against Smitty, Mike,” the ironman said.

7…c6 8. Rb1 a5 9. a3 Re8 10. e4 e5 11. b4 Na6 12. Qb3 h6 13. Nh4 Kh7 14. exf5 g5 15. Nf3 Bxf5 16. Ne1 Rb8 17. Ne4 axb4 18. axb4 Nc7 19. Be3 Qd7 20. Nc2 d5 21. Nxf6+ Bxf6 22. cxd5 cxd5 23. Ba7 Rbc8 24. b5 Be6 25. d4 e4 26. f3 exf3 27. Rxf3 Bg7 28. Qd3+ Kh8 29. Bc5 Bg4 30. Rf2 Ne6 31. Ba3 Bh5 32. Bb2 Nf8 33. Ne3 Bg6 34. Nf5 Ne6 35. Qb3 Bxf5 36. Rxf5 Nf4 37. Rxf4 gxf4 38. gxf4 Qf5 39. Rf1 Rc4 40. Kh1 Re2 41. Bf3 Qh3 0-1

Yu versus Vaidya with analysis:

1. Nf3 f5 2. c4 g6 (Stockfish plays 2…Nf6; Komodo plays 2…d6, or c5, depending…) 3. Nc3 (SF chooses 3 g3) Nf6 4. g3 Bg7 (Komodo & Houdini prefer 4…d6) 5. Bg2 (SF & Houdini play 5 d4) 5…d6 (Komodo @Depth 25 plays this expecting 6 d4 0-0 to follow; SF @D 40 plays 5…0-0, showing 6 d4 d6, arriving at the same position) 6. O-O (All engines show 6 d4) 6…O-O (SF plays 6…e5) 7. d3 (SF plays 7 d4) 7…c6 (SF plays 7…e5) 8. Rb1 (SF would play 8 b4 which is a TN) a5 9. a3 (SF & Komodo play 9 d4) 9…Re8 (The move is a dubious TN. SF & Komodo play 9…e5) 10. e4 (10 b4 would give meaning to white’s eight move) 10…e5 11. b4 (There are many possible moves in this position with many being superior to the move in the game) 11…Na6 (11…axb4) 12. Qb3 (12 Re1; b5; h3; exf5 & Be3 are among the myriad alternatives) 12…h6 13. Nh4 Kh7 14. exf5 g5 15. Nf3 Bxf5 16. Ne1 Rb8 17. Ne4 axb4 18. axb4 Nc7 19. Be3 Qd7 20. Nc2 d5 21. Nxf6+ Bxf6 22. cxd5 cxd5 23. Ba7 Rbc8 24. b5 Be6 25. d4 e4 26. f3 exf3 27. Rxf3 Bg7 28. Qd3+

(Patzer sees a check, patzer gives a check…28 Ne3 retains the advantage) 28…Kh8 29. Bc5 Bg4 (29…Bg8) 30. Rf2 Ne6 31. Ba3 Bh5 32. Bb2 Nf8 (32 Rf8) 33. Ne3 (33 Rfb1) 33…Bg6 34. Nf5 Ne6

35. Qb3? (35 Rfb1 seems plausible. Until this point the game had been an interesting, hard fought battle, but here the young lady let go of the rope…) 35…Bxf5 36. Rxf5 Nf4 37. Rxf4 gxf4 38. gxf4 Qf5 39. Rf1 Rc4 40. Kh1 Re2 41. Bf3 Qh3 0-1

After writing, “Before we go any further” above I sat back and reflected as an old song containing the line had been jogged from my memory.

Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Meat Loaf
Featuring Ellen Foley
Produced by Todd Rundgren
Album: Bat Out of Hell

1. PARADISE
BOY: Meat Loaf
I remember every little thing as if it happened only yesterday
Parking by the lake and there was not another car in sight
And I never had a girl looking any better than you did
And all the kids at school, they were wishing they were me that night
And now our bodies are oh so close and tight
It never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we’re glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
C’mon! Hold on tight!
Well c’mon! Hold on tight!

BOY and GIRL:
Though it’s cold and lonely in the deep dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard light

GIRL: Ellen Foley
Ain’t no doubt about it, we were doubly blessed
Cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed
Ain’t no doubt about it, baby got to go and shout it
Ain’t no doubt about it, we were doubly blessed
Cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed

BOY:
Baby doncha hear my heart? You got it drowning out the radio
I’ve been waiting so long for you to come along and have some fun
And I gotta let you know, No you never gonna regret it
So open up your eyes, I got a big surprise, it’ll feel all right
Well I wanna make your motor run
And now our bodies are oh so close and tight
It never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we’re glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
C’mon! Hold on tight!
Well c’mon! Hold on tight!

Though it’s cold and lonely in the deep dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard light
Though it’s cold and lonely in the deep dark night
Paradise by the dashboard light
You got to do what you can
And let Mother Nature do the rest
Ain’t no doubt about it
We were doubly blessed
Cause we were barely seventeen
And we were barely-

BOY and GIRL:
We’re gonna go all the way tonight
We’re gonna go all the way and tonight’s the night
We’re gonna go all the way tonight
We’re gonna go all the way and tonight’s the night
We’re gonna go all the way tonight
We’re gonna go all the way and tonight’s the night
We’re gonna go all the way tonight
We’re gonna go all the way and tonight’s the night

[Funky Breakdown]

RADIO BROADCAST: Phil Rizzuto
OK, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going here
Two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth
There’s the windup, and there it is, a line shot up the middle
Look at him go. This boy can really fly! He’s rounding first and really
Turning it on now, he’s not letting up at all, he’s gonna try for
Second; the ball is bobbled out in center, and here comes the
Throw, and what a throw! He’s gonna slide in head first, here he
Comes, he’s out! No, wait, safe – safe at second base, this kid
Really makes things happen out there. Batter steps up to the
Plate, here’s the pitch-he’s going, and what a jump he’s got
He’s trying for third, here’s the throw, it’s in the dirt-safe at
Third! Holy cow, stolen base! He’s taking a pretty big lead out
There, almost daring him to try and pick him off. The pitcher
Glances over, winds up, and it’s bunted, bunted down the third
Base line, the suicide squeeze is on! Here he comes, squeeze
Play, it’s gonna be close, here’s the throw, here’s the play at the plate
Holy cow, I think he’s gonna make it!

II. LET ME SLEEP ON IT
GIRL:
Stop right there!
I gotta know right now!
Before we go any further!
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away and will you make me your wife?
Do you love me!?
Will you love me forever!?
Do you need me!?
Will you never leave me!?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life!?
Will you take me away and will you make me your wife!?
I gotta know right now
Before we go any further
Do you love me!?
Will you love me forever!?

BOY:
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
I’ll give you an answer in the morning
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
I’ll give you an answer in the morning
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
I’ll give you an answer in the morning

GIRL:
I gotta know right now
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away and will you make me your wife?
I gotta know right now!
Before we go any further
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?

What’s it gonna be boy?
Come on, I can wait all night
What’s it gonna be boy? Yes or no?
What’s it gonna be boy? Yes or no?

BOY:
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
I’ll give you an answer in the morning
I gotta know right now!
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away and will you make me your wife?
I gotta know right now
Before we go any further
Do you love me!?
Will you love me forever!?

Let me sleep on it

GIRL:
Will you love me forever?

BOY:
Let me sleep on it

GIRL:
Will you love me forever!!!!

III. PRAYING FOR THE END OF TIME
I couldn’t take it any longer
Lord I was crazed
And when the feeling came upon me
Like a tidal wave
Started swearing to my god and on my mother’s grave
That I would love you to the end of time
I swore that I would love you to the end of time!
So now I’m praying for the end of time
To hurry up and arrive
Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you
I don’t think that I can really survive
I’ll never break my promise or forget my vow
But God only knows what I can do right now
I’m praying for the end of time
It’s all that I can do
Praying for the end of time
So I can end my time with you!!

BOY:
It was long ago and it was far away
And It was so much better that it is today
It was long ago and it was far away
And It was so much better that it is today
It was long ago and it was far away
And It was so much better that it is today
It was long ago and it was far away
And It was so much better that it is today
It was long ago and it was far away
And It was so much better that it is today
It was long ago and it was far away
And It was so much better that it is today
It was long ago and it was far away
And It was so much better that it is today

GIRL:
It never felt so good
It never felt so right
And we were glowing like
A metal on the edge of a knife

https://genius.com/Meat-loaf-paradise-by-the-dashboard-light-lyrics

If that was not enough for you here is a second helping of Meat Loaf Left Overs:

RepublicaNazi’s

One of the things I liked about playing Chess was the people whom I met along the Chess road. The road led me to twenty five states in which I participated in a USCF tournament. Some people make a point of attempting to play in every state. In my case it was happenstance.

I came of age in the South. You can take a boy out of the South, but you can never take the South out of the boy. My father was a Southern Baptist; my Mother was not. My father said he “knew” he was going to heaven. My Mother asked, “How can he know? Nobody knows…” I am agnostic.

Southern Baptists are very conservative people who feel threatened by change, or by anyone who is “not like us.” They do not like anyone who is “different.” The people among whom I came of age did not like John F. Kennedy because he as a “Catholic.” They hated “Jews” because they had killed Jesus Christ. I pointed out Jesus was a Jew and was turned on with venom. “Jesus was NOT A JEW! Jesus was GOD!”

My parents voted for Barry Goldwater

because he was a “conservative,” which was a code word for “racist.” My father worked for a new newspaper, the Atlanta Times, because it was an alternative to the “liberal” (pronounced “liBRUL”-as in “He’s one of ‘dem damned liBRULs!) Atlanta Journal & Constitution, for whom my father once worked. The newspaper was ahead of its time and went belly-up, and so did my father, who had put EVERYTHING into the paper.

I can still recall the first time I saw an American of African descent. An older, dark-skinned woman was walking on our street, about to head up what we called, “the hill.” One of my sisters noticed her and yelled for us to come to the picture window. There were black people living within walking distance of us, but we never saw them because that’s just the way it was in those dark days. The high school I attended, College Park, was integrated the year after I graduated.

Chess helped expand my horizons. I met a fellow whom we called “Mad Dog” with affection. He was really a meek and mild kinda guy, except when sitting across from you at a Chess board. Someone said he played the Alekhine defense “like a mad dog,” and it stuck. I, too, would play the Alekhine defense in those days, and invariably had difficulty playing against the Mad Dog’s Alekhine defense.

Mad Dog was Jewish, but had been excommunicated from his family when he married a gentile, with whom he had a daughter. Like my father, the Mad Dog worked for the Atlanta Journal & Constitution. We would sometimes get together and play Chess in the Central City Park, located at Five Points in the heart of the city of Atlanta. Former Georgia Chess Champion Bob Joiner also worked downtown in the office of the Public Defender. John “Smitty” Smith worked for the state downtown, and we would play Chess during lunch hour. Years later Chess tables were put in the park, which had a different name. I had to travel to Grady hospital to participate in a memory study in my sixties and walked around our old stompin’ grounds, surprised to see one of those really large Chess sets, in addition to the usual size tables, which were full of players.

Mad Dog was my friend. We did things (he was then divorced) like get together after work at a bar called “The Beer Slug,” which was actually named The Beer Mug. The Slug provided free wings and held things like trivia night. One time a legendary Chess player was with us and we were leading with only one question left to answer. We were having trouble coming up with the answer because they were distracted by two pretty young women. I was racking my brain to no avail when I had to hit the head. “I’ll be back in a moment guys, so do not answer until I return.” They agreed, all smiles as they turned back to the pretty girls. I had a “eureka” moment while whizzing and returned with the correct answer, only to learn they had already turned in our answer, which had been provided by one of the girls. Unfortunately, it was WRONG! I will admit being a prick about it, but, what the hell, I thought later, these two guys, not exactly ladies men, were having the time of their lives…One time the three of us went to a tennis court to hit the ball around, or so I thought. The legendary one and I were attempting to warm up, but the Mad Dog would have none of it. “Let’s PLAY!” he yelled. “Don’t you want to warm up, Mad Dog?” asked the legendary one. “Hell no. Let’s PLAY!” Mad Dog served and I hit a wicked return that caused him to move quickly and…he went down like he had been SHOT! He was crumpled up on the court, writhing in pain. That ended our evening of tennis…Mad Dog was tuff, though, as he refused going to the emergency room. I spent the night on his couch in case he needed help later…

Mad Dog and I would discuss all kinds of different subjects, but the one I recall most vividly is the time he discussed his Jewishness. When he told me his grandparents had been in Nazi concentration camps and had the serial numbers on their bodies to prove it, I was SHOCKED! I mean, it’s one thing to read about such things, but to know someone descended from concentration camp survivors is another thing entirely. The words to a Dylan song came immediately to mind:

When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side

http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/god-our-side/

The Dog became interested in Bob Dylan

rather late, relatively speaking, but when he did, he almost became a Bob Cat. He may have liked to quit his job and travel with the Bob Cats, but the Dog limited his shows to a reasonable number. He knew I had been a fan since early teenage years and, after he became a fan, thought more of me. The Dog asked me to drive him to a Dylan concert in Bristol, Virginia. The venue turned out to be what looked like some medieval castle, which we thought was appropriate, but which was a local school of some sort. The Dog had gotten involved with other “Bob Cats” online, with whom he hooked up, having the time of his life. I, on the other hand, was under the weather, but nevertheless made the best of the situation, and have wonderful memories for proof.

The last time I saw Mad Dog we were at the 350 Pizza joint across from the House of Pain, which was the Atlanta Chess & Game Center, for those of you who are unaware. His father had passed away and the Mad Dog was attempting to inform me that since his father had died, he was now the man of the family. “It’s a Jewish thing,” I recall him saying. He was telling me this life was over and a new one beginning. I told him I understood, though the legendary one never got his mind wrapped around that fact. Mad Dog enriched my life, and I am a better person for having known him. People come and go throughout one’s life, but sometimes the memory lingers…

In an interview promoting his new book,

David Cay Johnston

was asked about support of the Trumpster by Joy Reid,

“Why aren’t those numbers getting worse. They seem to have stayed exactly the same.” She was talking about the mid-thirty percent where his support seems to hover.

“Well Joy, as we begin season two of Trump: The White House Reality Show, we are getting a very good measure that there is a segment of the populace who are going to support Donald Trump no matter what… I mean if the worst possible thing could happen, if Robert Mueller

proves Donald Trump is a traitor, you’re going to see a segment of the population supporting him for an entirely different reason. Unfortunately there are people in this country who hate the civil rights movement and those people are going to be with Donald till the end of his life.”

http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/david-cay-johnston-trump-book-recaps-president-s-first-year-1141632579707

Adolph Hitler

had about the same kind of support when he became leader of Germany as the Trumpster has now. Hitler never had a majority of the people behind him, and neither does the TrumPet. His support emanates from a little above one third of the people of the United States of America. Do not forget THREE MILLION MORE Americans voted for Hillary Clinton

than voted for the Trumpster. If EVERY VOTE COUNTED in our country Donald Trump would NOT BE PRESIDENT! If every voted counted in our country, George Dubya Bushwhacker

would not have become POTUS! A war was fought in this country in the 1860’s to decide whether we would be ONE COUNTRY or FIFTY STATES. Why is it that some, if not most, of those states are “not in play.” If you happen to live in a “red” state, such as Georgia, it matters not for whom you vote. Why vote? This will change only when young people become mad as hell and decide to not take it anymore. Now is the time, but where is the outrage?

Donald poppinJay Trump

is a Republican, or as I think of them, RepublicaNazi. The RepublicaNazi party spawned poppinJay, just as they have accepted “Nazi-avowing Holocaust-denier Arthur Jones

who is running unopposed in the March 20 Republican primary for the 3rd Congressional District.” (http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/opinion/ct-sta-slowik-gop-nazi-st-0207-20180206-story.html)

There is a reason this man is running as a Republican. Unfortunately, he is not alone.

All The White Supremacists Running For Office In 2018

Plus candidates who’ve said white supremacist things, hung out with white supremacists, or talked to anti-Semitic publications.

By Christopher Mathias

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/white-supremacists-running-for-office-2018_us_5a7da926e4b0c6726e1285c1

The leader of any country sets the tone. One does not need a weatherman to know which way the RepublicaNazi wind is blowing.

When young there were so-called, “liberal” Republicans. Now there are no longer even any “moderate” Republicans. The party has become the RepublicaNazi party. You are either, as we say in the South, “With ’em,” or “Against ’em.” I want the world to know I stand with the latter group. The RepublicaNazi’s need to be eradicated like the German Nazi’s were during the second world war.

‘Year One’: A visual reflection of the first year of the Trump presidency

Mark Peterson/Redux Pictures

A gathering of hundreds of white nationalists in Virginia took a deadly turn when a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters and killed one person on Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. The state’s governor blamed neo-Nazis for sparking the unrest in the college town of Charlottesville, where rival groups fought pitched battles using rocks and pepper spray after far-right protesters converged to demonstrate against a plan to remove a statue of a Confederate war hero. The violence was the latest clash between white supremacists – some of whom have claimed allegiance to Donald Trump – and the president’s opponents since his January inauguration. (Photograph by Mark Peterson/Redux Pictures)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/one-visual-reflection-first-trump-slideshow-wp-130638742.html

Another Sign of Chess Decline

It was with sadness I read this notice at the end of the chess column in the venerable New York Times: “This is the final chess column to run in the New York Times.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/12/crosswords/chess/after-rocky-start-grand-prix-finds-a-favorite-in-the-lead.html?_r=0)
This is yet another sign that when it comes to chess, the public has turned off.

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)