Chess Tales

King's Gambit: second competition winner

2007-09-20T20:48:00.000Z

The winner of our second competition for a copy of King's Gambit by Paul Hoffman is:

... Hsin Jen from Singapore.

Congratulations to Hsin Jen, and commiserations to the other entrants. I'll try and recover our review copy and run a third competition!

Competition 2: win another copy of King's Gambit

2007-09-16T10:59:00.000Z

This is your second chance to win a copy of Paul Hoffman's

KING'S GAMBIT: A SON, A FATHER, AND THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS GAME

Simply answer this question:

Which chess playing artist would Paul invite to a dinner party?

Check out the concluding part of our podcast interview for a rather generous hint!

Answers by Wednesday to chesstales AT 21thoughts DOT com. The winner will be drawn at random from the correct replies. Please remember to include your address in the email.

King's Gambit competition winner

2007-09-16T10:34:00.000Z

With the help of a glamorous assistant and her lucky 50p pieces, we randomly selected a winner for the competition to win a copy of Paul Hoffman's "King's Gambit: A Son, A Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game".

The answer was the Sicilian Dragon.

Despite, having correct entries from as far afield as Buenos Aires, Kentucky, Singapore and India, our winner (based on the sequence of tossed coins) comes from Alnwick (just 30 miles up the road and home to delectable duchesses) . So, congratulations to Rob McEwan, and commiserations and thanks for entering to everyone else.

Chess World Championship bulletins

2007-09-14T14:51:00.000Z

I've managed the source the daily bulletins direct from Mexico (gracias a Santiago) for the Chess World Championship.

They're very comprehensive, but you'll need to read Spanish:

Boletin 1

Boletin 2

King's Gambit: the review

2007-09-14T07:32:00.001Z

We've had a week of the "King's Gambit: A Son, A Father and the World's Most Dangerous Game" here on Chess Tales.

When the book came through, I arranged for our contributor Martin Seeber to take a look and share his thoughts:

"We’re going to write a review said Roger, a review about a book from America. A book about chess from the land of Bobby Fischer. America.

When you read it you’ll realise that its not like other books.

Since I was a child I have loved to listen to stories and tell them too. Well Paul Hoffman you’re a great storyteller and a clever biographer. And the story, well its chess and that’s our favourite. Like a set of beautiful short tales, all interwoven together, Kasparov storming out in defeat, Karpov trying to deny his losses, genius and madness, coaches and pupils, almost undercover in Moscow, simultaneous exhibitions, epic battles between the two Ks. It’s a wonderful game so good you want to keep it all for yourself and to quite honest Mr Hoffman’s done such a brilliant job that a few more millions will join the global chess community.

I felt very touched by his references to his own game development, only one player can be world champion but many of us take part and many of us dream of being better than we are. I am sure Paul is being modest for if he played like he writes he would be cheered out of the chess hall.

Sharing your life and intimate thoughts with others is the key to any art and Paul has let us in to his personal world. My father is 82 and still has a big role in my life but I’d find it difficult to tell thousands of people about our thoughts. Paul Hoffman’s book is filled with courage and insight.

The game of chess is as modern as the latest computer and as ancient as civilization. Play it with friends, inside, outside , as a sport, pull up your chair on a winter’s night, sit on your dad’s knee, show your granddaughter the moves, imagine it all the young and the old, handicapped who play without disability, and there in the great chess libraries around the world there’s a book to inspire us all and on its cover we can read the name Paul Hoffman. Okay Paul I’m taking the King bishop’s pawn and of course without hesitation the book." Martin Seeber

Our first competition to win a copy finishes today (so hurry up with your entries). We'll have a second competition starting tomorrow.

Paul Hoffman interview: concluding parts

2007-09-12T22:32:00.001Z

The concluding parts of a fascinating interview with best selling author Paul Hoffman

Part 4: on sex, insanity, Russia, the Dragon, and Kasparov's openings (1.1MB .mp3)

Part 5: North American vs. European chess culture (1.0MB .mp3)

Part 6: on playing chess and being remembered (1.2MB .mp3)

Part 7: 5 chess players for dinner (882KB .mp3)

You should also check out Paul's blog.

Competition: win a copy of King's Gambit

2007-09-11T18:59:00.000Z

This is your first chance to win a copy of Paul Hoffman's

KING'S GAMBIT: A SON, A FATHER, AND THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS GAME

Simply answer this question:

Which 'fire-breathing' opening did Gary Kasparov use to take the lead in his 1995 World Championship match with Viswanathan Anand?

Answers by Saturday to chesstales AT 21thoughts DOT com. The winner will be drawn at random from the correct replies. Please remember to include your address in the email.

Look out for further chances to win a copy later this week on Chess Tales.

Paul Hoffman interview

2007-09-11T17:23:00.000Z

I was really fortunate last week to grab a 'transatlantic' interview with best-selling author Paul Hoffman about his latest book,

" King's Gambit: A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game ".

The interview is our first podcast on Chess Tales:

Part 1: on chess anecdotes (1.8MB .mp3)
Part 2: on Lautier, Kramnik and playing Kasparov (1.5MB .mp3)
Part 3: chess head-banging and stage-diving! (900KB .mp3)

Look out tomorrow for parts 4-7.

Paul's book is released today. We'll be publishing a review tomorrow, and running competitions throughout the week to win copies, so keep your eyes peeled.

You should also check out Paul's blog.

Why I play chess: part 3

2007-09-09T13:04:00.001Z

An essay by Emma Pierson, part 3

<< Click here for Part 2

Stereotypes are alluring because they let us be lazy–you don't need to bother to understand someone, with all their complexities and nuances, but can rely on a preconception. It didn't matter that I played piano and basketball, that I wrote essays to understand the world and dreamed of being a writer, that I empathized so deeply with people I couldn't even watch scary movies–all the quirks that make me who I am were ignored. Instead, I was a chess geek, as boring and black and white as the game that was my supposed obsession. Stereotyping someone is like reading a summary of a poem–you're missing the point, for while you may understand it well enough to pretend you've actually read it, you won't get the beauty, the uniqueness, that makes it worth reading it the first place.

The social stigma surrounding chess hits women particularly hard. Only four percent of chess players are female; when I asked girls who still play chess the reason for this lack of participation, all of them cited the social stigma surrounding chess. Girls are more confined by stereotypes than boys, something I still struggle with. After vowing fierce opposition to all social trends in junior high, I moved to a new high school and slowly reconciled my chess playing with my social life. I realized that, as foolish as social trends may be, it is necessary to conform somewhat to fulfill people's expectations–it may be too hot to wear clothes in the summer, but we still don't go naked.

my friends accept me for who I am–a girl with an eccentric habit but to whom they can still relate.

Thus, I compromise–I go to dances, I gossip about boys, but I also fly across the country to play in national tournaments–and my friends accept me for who I am–a girl with an eccentric habit but to whom they can still relate. The stigma around chess still bothers me, although I laugh about it when questioned. I was walking alongside a highway with some friends when one commented, "That car just honked at you."

"No one would honk at me," I said cynically, "I play chess." The words were bitter, but my tone was not. While I have no illusions about chess's sex appeal, I have gradually realized that people worth knowing will accept that I'm a chess player–I went out with a boy who was willing to play chess with me at three in the morning.

Still, I live in two worlds–one where I can discuss the intricacies of the Danish Gambit and the second where I can discuss the intricacies of dating–but the worlds do not intersect. And while I feel at home in both, they sometimes come into conflict. I once skipped a team tournament to attend a friend's sweet sixteen. When I finally arrived at the tournament, still wearing the dress from the party, I endured the ridicule (some joking, some serious) of everyone from the parents of my teammates to the employees at the tournament. "You skipped a chess tournament," they would say incredulously, "for a birthday party?" As incredible as it seemed to them, I'm sure my other friends would have been equally shocked had I skipped the birthday party instead. What's a girl to do?

It is ironic that chess, the game rejected by social boundaries, is the game that overcomes them.

And the stereotypes come not only from outside the chess world but from inside it as well–many boys find it hard to believe that a girl is as good as they are. I actually enjoy lower expectations; my reaction to the "glass ceiling" has always been to crash through it. There are few things more beautiful than the expression of an overconfident teenage boy–after I beat him. Once I win their respect, however, most boys I play are friendly and–at least over a chess board–outgoing. Most of the time I almost forget the gender distinction exists; for me, it is easier to be accepted inside the chess world than outside it.

It is ironic that chess, the game rejected by social boundaries, is the game that overcomes them. But it is also fitting: for chess players, who must be brave or oblivious enough not to care about social boundaries, create an environment where they dissolve. The nature of the game itself–the equality at the beginning of the game and the fact that the same rules apply to everyone–also overcomes differences.

I once played a game against an old Norwegian man with a reputation as a formidable chess player. He was a longtime friend of my grandparents; I was around ten at the time and had the sense I was upholding our family honor. I defended my position carefully and managed to force a draw; afterwards, as we analyzed the game together, he explained the nuances of the position to me in fluent, accented English. We played again the following day; overconfident from my previous success, I attacked recklessly. He defended patiently, then exploited the weaknesses I had created; soon, I was forced to resign. Again we analyzed the game; as we shared our thoughts of the past few hours, we began to see beneath the silent facade that social boundaries build. Though we were from different lands and generations, we found a link in chess.

I never saw him again. A week later, I asked my mother why he had come to visit.

"He came to say goodbye, honey," she told me softly. "He's got terminal cancer."

I turned away, standing quite still as it sunk in. Then I fled up the stairs, barely able to see through my tears. I did not understand how I had grown to care about this man so deeply over the course of two chess games. Only later would I see how chess had forged a bond between us: through cooperating to understand its infinite possibilities, we had grown to understand each other.

Why I play chess: part 2

2007-09-08T08:17:00.000Z

An essay by Emma Pierson, part 2

<< Click here for Part 1

A chess game is, in a way, very similar to a human life. Chess games are stories: brief, reckless, and dramatic, or long, slow, and careful. A chess game passes through distinct stages, from opening to endgame. To succeed at chess, you must plan in both the short and long term. Finally, chess, like life, is a mystery: there are four hundred ways for white to play the first move and black to respond, and from there the possibilities branch out to form a tree whose scale is far beyond our comprehension–there are more ways for a chess game to go than there are atoms in the universe. A chess game is a microcosm of life, decades of joy and tragedy condensed into a few hours.

...if chess is a version of life, it is only an idealized, simplified one, where everyone starts equal, the rules are known, and you really can see things in black and white.

Perhaps the attraction is that, if chess is a version of life, it is only an idealized, simplified one, where everyone starts equal, the rules are known, and you really can see things in black and white. Chess is simple enough that computers can be programmed to play it well. This is because the decisions in chess can be made using only logic; in contrast, life decisions rely much more on emotion. While you can decide to attack on the kingside through analytical thinking, it is impossible to determine analytically whether you are in love. The second major difference is that chess, unlike life, is completely individual; players must confront their difficulties without any assistance, and the only human they interact with–their opponent–is trying to destroy them. It would be impossible to withdraw into yourself and live a happy life without speaking to another person; but in a chess game, people sit in silence for hours, struggling to overcome their problems alone.

The similarities between chess and life would attract anyone–and are what inspire people like David Mehler to teach chess in schools. But the differences make chess players rare. People who enjoy chess are generally analytical, using logic rather than emotion; they also problem solve independently.

But the game itself is not the only attraction–for chess has a social aspect as well. There's a wonderful camaraderie among chess players, which probably comes from the shared experience of spending hours hunched in contemplation of a few plastic figures. I can spend hours playing blitz with people I barely know, enjoying the banter and friendly competition as much as the game itself.

There's a strange intimacy about two opponents at a chessboard; both are utterly absorbed in a world they have created together, oblivious to outsiders; for the few hours they sit across from one another, each is the most important person in the other's life.

A chess game also provides an unusual way to interact with people. In no other social setting could you sit across from someone for hours without saying a word, but since silence in tournaments is mandatory, ignoring your opponent is not rude but compulsory. Chess, in theory, is devoid of human interaction, a conflict of minds where the only communication occurs through the movement of pieces–but this is not the case. There's a strange intimacy about two opponents at a chessboard; both are utterly absorbed in a world they have created together, oblivious to outsiders; for the few hours they sit across from one another, each is the most important person in the other's life. At the same time, however, a sharp dichotomy is apparent; for white's goals are opposite black's, and the former's triumph means the latter's despair. The intimacy seems paradoxical contrasted with such opposite goals; but when I play chess, I focus as much on my opponent as on the board. For me, it is easier to interact with someone while playing chess: because of the silence imposed in tournaments, interaction feels sincere rather than compulsory. A smile, a shrug, a whispered comment–rather than social necessities, in a chess game these are genuinely friendly, because the expectations are reversed–silence, rather than conversation, is demanded. I suspect this freedom, to withdraw into one's own mind for hours at a time, without any pressure to interact with others, draws many to chess. A chess game is a risk free way to interact with someone without the potential awkwardness of conversation–which provides unusual opportunities.

I once sat down at a board, shook my opponent's hand, and moved my king's pawn forward to begin the game; in the pauses between moves, I found I was studying his face more intently than usual. By the sixth move I realized, with a combination of horror and amusement, that I had a crush on him. (A long chess game, incidently, is ideal for developing a crush on someone; during the long pauses between moves, it's easy to stare baldly at your opponent without notice, because they are studying the board. Unfortunately, from a romantic point of view, the majority of my opponents seem to be depressingly un-crushworthy.)

Though he was lower-ranked than I was, I soon found myself losing because I was focusing more on his eyes than on the position. It was a happy, dreamy nonchalance; I was completely uncompetitive, content to lose slowly if it meant I could stare at him for another hour or two. Then, very suddenly, rationality triumphed over hormones. I realized that I didn't even know my opponent's name and would probably never see him again, but if I lost this game because of the color of his corneas (green) I would regret it for the rest of my life. Furious at myself, I resolved to salvage the mess I had made. When I played the move that won his queen, he stared in disbelief, perhaps shocked that his idiotic opponent of an hour before had suddenly improved so dramatically. He eventually ran out of time, which was fine with me: I had both won the game and gotten to stare at him for four hours. In what other social setting could you do that?

The attraction to chess, then, has two main parts: the game itself and the social setting. But what explains why so few play chess? While the attractions of the game are unusual, there is a third factor which makes chess players so rare: the social stigma.

I'm not going to explore the reasons behind the stigma that surrounds chess, because it would be like trying to justify any baseless prejudice. A more interesting question is why people continue to play in spite of it. There were two reasons I didn't stop playing chess in spite of the stigma: at first I didn't realize it existed; and by the time I did, I didn't care.

I viewed myself as a hero, quixotically fighting not to fit in; my classmates probably viewed me as a dork.

I'm not sure when I realized chess wasn't a normal activity for a kid; I had always seen it as something like basketball. When I was in fifth grade, I endured the mockery of my classmates for months for stubbornly insisting that chess was a sport. In seventh grade, I would spend my break playing speed chess with a friend while a popular boy tried to break our clock by stepping on it. I was always oblivious of social trends, partly because of my parents' insistence on not having a TV, partly because of my personality. Even when I was, however, I struggled not to conform. I refused to go shopping, although part of me wanted to have pretty clothes; I refused to wear jeans, although I liked their color and texture. I was fiercely contemptuous of the popular kids in my grade–I felt superior to them because I refused to follow their trends, even though part of me desperately wanted to fit in. When I watched One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest at the end of middle school, I wept for half an hour, empathizing with McMurphy's struggle not to conform, to resist the Combine. I viewed myself as a hero, quixotically fighting not to fit in; my classmates probably viewed me as a dork. >>

Look out for part 3 tomorrow on Chess Tales.

Why I play chess: part 1

2007-09-07T17:21:00.000Z

An essay by Emma Pierson, part 1

It is getting late. I am sitting across the table from a guy, our knees not quite touching. Around us, the room has gradually emptied and now we are alone. Our eyes meet for half a second; he looks away. I continue to study his face, searching for clues. He seems composed; my hands are shaking. I watch intently as he meets my eyes again and reaches slowly towards me.

As my energy has ebbed, however, my antipathy has grown; at this point, my need for food is compensated for by my desire to destroy my opponent.

Then he moves his rook two squares to the right and taps the clock, starting my timer counting down. I cup my chin in my hands, trying to overcome my exhaustion. We have been playing for four hours, and I have not eaten dinner; my headache has faded to a mental numbness. As my energy has ebbed, however, my antipathy has grown; at this point, my need for food is compensated for by my desire to destroy my opponent. I contemplate hideous chessboard revenges–first, I'll skewer him, then I'll fork his rooks; I'll finish him off with a vicious zugzwang. He resigns half an hour later, to my relief, and I feel my anger fading. No longer my opponent, he now seems likeable once more. As we pick up the pieces, I remember what it's so easy to forget–it's only a game.

My grandfather taught me to play chess when I was seven. We played at a local French café; I learned the rules over baguettes and crepes with strawberries and whipped cream. We must have made a strange sight, a seven year old and a seventy year old, his expression of fierce concentration mirrored on my pudgy face. We became regulars, arriving at 9:00 each Sunday and lingering for hours; slowly, I began to grasp the tactics and gain an intuitive sense of the game, though it would be years before I could beat him. On occasion, the owner of the café would comment on our game, asking who was winning. "She's a killer," my grandfather would say proudly, shaking his head and grinning.

I have played reverends and accused felons, football players and math prodigies, the young and the dying and everyone in between.

By the time I was nine, my interest had grown to the point that my parents were searching for other players. A man who taught at the U.S. Chess Center in D.C. destroyed me. Realizing my position was hopeless, I offered him a draw. He looked at me sternly. "That's poor sportsmanship," he said. Chagrined, I turned to go, but he stopped me at the door. "Who taught you to play?" he asked.

"My grandfather," I replied.

"Tell him that he did a good job," he said.

That summer I went to a camp at the Chess Center; in the years that followed, I have been there more times than I can count. The Chess Center was founded by David Mehler, a chess expert, polymath and Harvard dropout, in a crusade to improve children's lives through chess. His theory–substantiated by scientific evidence–is that chess improves concentration, memory, and general academic ability. Mr. Mehler is brilliant and caustic; he mocks adults and children alike. Although he can be a patient and subtle teacher, he swiftly rewards stupidity or arrogance with biting sarcasm. If I am playing when he enters the room, I will try to avoid moving until he has left, for fear of his reaction to a mistake. He does not tolerate troublemakers in his domain; pushups are doled out as punishment for mischief, and he even stuffed one miscreant into a trash can. ("Don't do it after lunch," he advised the boy, "It'll be full then and I'll stick you in upside-down.") His demeanor seems at odds with the philanthropy of his actions. The Chess Center is a non-profit organization housed in a basement, apparently kept alive through donations or bankrolled by Mr. Mehler. Whatever the reason for his crusade to save the world through chess, profit was certainly not one of them. Mr. Mehler's personality epitomizes the qualities that I find so often in chess players. The layers of sarcasm and introversion, the eccentricities and prickliness, often disguise a person well worth knowing.

There is no such thing as a typical chess player; I have played reverends and accused felons, football players and math prodigies, the young and the dying and everyone in between. In spite of this diversity, there are commonalities that draw us to the game.

Look out for part 2 tomorrow on Chess Tales.

Meet Emma Pierson

2007-09-07T17:01:00.000Z

Meet Emma Pierson:

I am 16 years old and have been playing chess since I was 7. I love words, competitions of all kinds, being outside, and sarcasm. My friends think I'm cynical; I think I'm idealistic. I live in Virginia, USA; I love our country but not our president.

Emma's a very decent chess player, and an excellent writer. Two weeks ago she sent me an essay she'd written:

I recently wrote an essay about my experiences playing chess -- not just about the game itself, but about the unusual social environment it creates, and why it does not attract more girls.

We are going to serialise it in 3 parts, starting today, on Chess Tales.

China in Liverpool

2007-09-03T00:13:00.000Z

Martin Seeber writes for Chess Tales:

Talking to Charlie Storey last week he mentioned his forthcoming chess campaign in Liverpool in the major open (good luck CS) , where he will chase an IM norm.

The games last all week but the top billing goes to the England-China international match. Wor(our) team are led by Adams and Short who outgrade their Chinese opponents, however further down the line-ups the Chinese are strong. The women are also playing with Jovanka Houska representing us. It will be fascinating to see the games, especially the style of the top Chinese players.

I have a Chinese friend called Keith who I met at my daughter's swimming lesson. He was playing a little boy who showed alot of talent for his age. The third week they played I went up to Keith to tell him I was impressed with his pupil but as he was just learning English he thought I wanted a game. So we met at a local pub played chess and talked about the world. He showed me how to play Chinese chess, but he killed me as I couldn't always remember the pieces as they were in Chinese characters.

Whatever happens in the match everybody wins from an event like this.

Looking forward

2007-08-24T10:24:00.000Z

Apologies that the output on Chess Tales has been fairly sparse during August, but we are going to finish the month on a real high.

We have a great chess essay from a young woman player in the States, which with her permission, we'll serialise next week. We'll then follow that up with a review of a very exciting and novel (excuse the pun) chess book, that's due to be published in September. We've even got some copies that we'll be giving away as competition prizes.

The ever popular Friday Chess Puzzle will be up and running again throughout September and beyond, which, of course, will be accompanied by our usual eclectic mix of tournament coverage, opening reviews, great games, and trips to the chess attic.

Up, up and away!

One step forward, Two steps back

2007-08-21T01:54:00.000Z

Martin Seeber writes for chess tales:

My daughter Sophie played in her last UK chess challenge competition over the weekend in Leamington Spa. She has competed every year since she was 9. This year she had qualified for the Terafinal, a champion of champions event, in which children from all ages do battle for a £2,000 prize.

Her progress in the event was very up and down. In round 1 she played an u9 boy, it was a Queen's Gambit Declined and he was swinging his feet together in excitement. The game started and in the opening he lost a pawn. It was then that he suddenly got up from his chair and announced that he had to go out for a breath of fresh air. He came back and Sophie tore away his centre pawns. Good start I thought.

She then played Philip Makepiece in round 2, he was one of the favourites. Sophie was on the black side of a Sicilian and they castled on opposite sides, when that happens its like Blitzkrieg (lightning war) as both sides rush in. Sophie pushed a pawn into c4 but as Philip had a pawn on c3 we thought it was best to advance the b pawn down to b4 so it could change with its white rival. The battle went on for nearly two hours before Sophie's king, breathless couldn't quite match Philip's. Philip's prize was to sit on board one for the next game. For Sophie a step back.

Round three a Queen's Indian and a promising position faded away. We couldn't work out what had happened. She had an attack but black defended and she didn't really want to talk about it. So we went to this bar in Coventry to have tea and she cheered up a bit. I had a stella and I cheered up a bit. Overnight we woke at 4 in the morning and we started talking about the game and then we are calling out move sequences for better attacks, suddenly white is winning with a beautiful temporary sac, that's right leave the bishop on f6 and run the h-pawn. Then she says Dad where is his other minor piece? I dunno I said. Is on f8 ? No the rooks there. You changed it off for your Knight on f3. Ah christ that means you haven't a knight for the mating attack. Forget it I said play your pieces back and across to the centre. Yes that's it, put the telly off we are going back to sleep.

Next day I had a great chat with Dominic Rabbitte's dad. He is telling me about Golf and he talks about a titanic match between Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. One's up, then its equal and so on. Finally Player downs a wonder put to win it and then he is champion and he is interviewed. Gary explain's his approach to sport. 'I seem to get luckier the more I practise.'

Sophie practices a bit but then there's the waitressing, boyfriending, A-levelling. Then she's back with a big smile. 15 moves dad, mate dad. Well done, in the back of the net Soph. That's when coach here probably made a mistake to point out that as the leading girls had all lost, she needed two more points and there was a chance of tieing for first. Dad don't go there she said.

She was playing really well. She spotted that her opponent had opened her kingside with h6-g5. Normally we all know to try and bust it open with h4. But Sophie came up with a really deep idea she would fasten down the weakness first with g4, then her knight could travel in to f5 from e2-g3. Desperate, the girl counter-attacked, rook e2 check. Sophie needs to block with her rook and the games soon over for black but she moves the king up one. 10 moves later and it all falls apart with the black rook stabbing the white king in the back.

I said Sophie never leave a rook in there like that. You wouldn't leave a rat in your house you'd get it out of there. Then I thought is this my last chess lesson with my daughter?

I stood out in the rain and looked through the windows to try to see some of her last game. She looked tired and kept playing with her hair. Maybe an hour later she had capitulated. 2/6 and we're disappointed, but what a gutsy
attempt.

World Blind Championships: call for help!

2007-08-17T14:21:00.000Z

Dave Clayton is desperate for someone to input games at the World Blind Championships in Durham, his inputter fell ill. Can anyone help?
Anyone who can manipulate Chessbase or Fritz please contact dave a.s.a.p. at:
dgclayton@btinternet.com

Attack the Najdorf way

2007-08-09T13:51:00.000Z

Martin Seeber writes for Chess Tales:

The world has changed.

When you play chess or anything else, the result seems everything. This is crazy its much nicer when we think about the quality of the game and the fun of it all. I told my students about Pele the footballer and that when I was their age they beamed his image across the world on the new satellites. He was very creative and always looking to produce new moves, pushing back the boundaries of the sport. In one game he let the ball cross the box as the keeper came out, he dummied to let the ball run across him and the poor keeper who was left stranded, he ran around the back of him to collect the ball and fired it back towards the net and he didn't score but the result was visually jaw dropping.

Okay so how is this connected to chess? Well I took one chess book on my holidays to Italy and it was Najdorf's life and games by Batsford. I recognised the name when I got the book but what really attracted me was the fact that he came from a different age and he wasn't a world champion. Because to me the game is brilliant because its for all of us.

Najdorf helped develop that interesting opening, the Sicilian defense. Bobby whats his name he played it and Garry that Russian guy who liked to attack used it a bit and even I bought a book on it when I was seventeen. I also knew Najdorf liked tactics and attacks. The book tells how he was left stranded in Argentina as Poland was blitzkrig by the Germans. His family disappeared, he was left with chess.

Sitting in the Italian sun playing through some of the games I thought this guy was amazing.

My daughter Sophie who has played for England this year was sitting beside me and I said look at this game. First there was one sac, then another I then told her that Tal reckoned that two sacs usually sorted the problem and finished off the defense, then came sac three at that stage I said to my daughter who is a very defensive player what will Najdorf do next and she looked at the board and then she said he'll have to sack the knight to win dad. She was right and I burst into laughter 4 sacs to win- magic. Pele! Najdorf!

Martin Seeber

'Friday' Chess Puzzle 17

2007-08-04T09:00:00.000Z

Our latest Friday Chess Puzzle...

Ok, I know it's Saturday; my children have been playing in a football tournament this week, which has kept me away from the computer.

... is from Brighton 1983. Nunn won the all-play-all event, with Watson and Short tying for second place. Short was brutal against the overseas opposition, scoring 5 out of 5, but struggled against his fellow brits.

In this position he has the Black pieces, and has just played the seemingly crushing ...Qa3. Can you see how Hodgson, playing White, finished him off?

Answers to Chess Tales. I'll post the solution next Wednesday.

Local successes at the British Championships

2007-08-01T18:46:00.000Z

It's good to see some of our local North East players getting off to great starts at the British Championships:

David Eggleston began by holding Grandmaster David Howell to a draw in round 1, whilst Charlie Storey was beating a 2400+ opponent, but pride of place goes to Graeme Oswald. Graeme defeated Grandmaster Glenn Flear in a long battle in round 3, and co-leads the event with an incredibly impressive 3 out of 3. Fingers crossed that he can keep his run going.

You can follow the event (patchily) on the BCF website.

Friday chess puzzle 16: the solution

2007-08-01T18:32:00.001Z

Last week's Friday chess puzzle from Van Scheltinga vs Stahlberg, Amsterdam 1950, generated a lot of interest.

White has just played Bd5, apparently catching Black's knight on e6 in a pair of deadly pins, but Stahlberg found a forced win for Black:

Most of you spotted the first couple of moves without problem:

1 ... Rxd5; 2 Rxd5 Qb7

and then after 3 Qg2, Black doesn't play 3 ... Nf4?? which loses to 4 Rd8!, but instead wins by a lovely queen manouevre:

3 Qg2 Qb1+; 4 Qg1 Qe4+; 5 Qg2 Qxg2+; 6 Kxg2 Nf4+ winning the rook, and Black emerges a piece up.

Congratulations to Paul Devisser, Chris Wardle, and 'averageplayer', amongst others.

British Chess Championship

2007-07-30T09:16:00.000Z

The British Chess Championships gets underway in Great Yarmouth today. Top seed is defending champion Jonathan Rowson, who at 2599 outgrades the next highest competitor by some 50 points.

Unfortunately, I won't be taking up my qualifying place this year. So, my next event is likely to be either the Isle of Man or an event in Mallorca that caught my eye on IM Georgios Souleidis's blog.

Friday chess puzzle 16

2007-07-27T09:30:00.000Z

This week's Friday chess puzzle is from Van Scheltinga vs Stahlberg, Amsterdam 1950.

White has just played Bd5, apparently catching Black's knight on e6 in a pair of deadly pins.

Unfortunately for Van Scheltinga, appearances can be deceptive.

Can you see how Stahlberg, one of the strongest players in the world at the time, turned the tables, and forced a win for Black from this position?

La question people du mercredi

2007-07-25T08:52:00.000Z

Philippe Dornbusch has another excellent picture teaser,
La question people du mercredi, on his Chess and Strategy blog... I'm struggling this week, can you name the film?

Friday chess puzzle 15: the solution

2007-07-25T08:31:00.000Z

This Friday's Chess puzzle was a miniature in which Black delivered the final blow after just 8 moves.

It was Leonhardt playing Black against 'an amateur', and I asked you to find the winning move after

1 e4 e5; 2 d4 ed; 3 Qxd4 Nc6; 4 Qe3 Nf6; 5 Bc4 Ne5; 6 Bb3 Bb4+; 7 c3 Bc5 (see diagram); 8 Qg3?

Congratulations to Ryan Emmett, Paul Dargan, Chris Wardle, all of whom spotted the winner:

8 ... Bxf2+!!

and whether White recaptures with king or queen, there is a knight fork (e4 or d3) winning the queen to follow.

Friday chess puzzle 15

2007-07-20T09:45:00.000Z

This week's Friday Chess puzzle is from Leipzig in 1903. It's Leonhardt playing Black against 'an amateur'.

One of the first things we learn as chess players is not to develop our queens too early. This game is a fine case in point:

1 e4 e5; 2 d4 ed; 3 Qxd4 Nc6; 4 Qe3 Nf6; 5 Bc4 Ne5; 6 Bb3 Bb4+; 7 c3 Bc5

reaching the position above. White cannot capture the bishop, so instead played 8 Qg3 and attacked the exposed knight on e5.

Can you see how Black forced an immediate win after 8 Qg3?

Answers to Chess Tales. I'll publish the solution next Wednesday.

Friday chess puzzle 14: the solution

2007-07-18T19:11:00.000Z

Last week's chess puzzle was from 1893 and Tarrasch's match with Tchigorin.

From the position above (after 20 moves), Tarrasch found the following mating finish:

21 Rxf6!! Kxf6; 22 Bg5+ Kg7; 23 Qh6+ Kg8; 24 Rf1 Rf8 (... Rb7 holds off the mate, at the cost of the rook); 25 Bf6 Qxf6; 26 Rxf6 resigns (the threat is 27 Rxg6+ hg; 28 Qxg6 mate)

Congratulations to Chris Wardle, Karlheinz Vogel and Paul Dargan, all of whom found the initial move.

Nimzo Indian strategic dream

2007-07-17T12:23:00.000Z

Apologies that there have been no posts for a couple of days. I ended up in hospital on Sunday, but a raging temperature, two saline drips, and some awful headaches later, I'm finally starting to recover (I hope!).

Two weeks ago, I showed you one of my best games, where Black ventured an unusual move order in the Nimzo Indian to try and establish a strong knight on c4, but the idea was torn apart by immediate energetic play from White.

The game below, a strategic dream for any Nimzo Indian player, shows how strong the Black knights can become, especially if White plays negatively. It was played at Carlsbad in 1929 by the great Aron Nimzowitsch (who the defence was named after). White's play is insipid at best, but Nimzowitsch's handling of the Black side is exemplary:

Mattison - Aron Nimzowitsch, Carlsbad 1929
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 d6 6. Qc2 Qe7 7. Ba3 c5 8.g3 b6 9. Bg2 Bb7 10. O-O O-O 11. Nh4 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Qb7+ 13. Kg1 Qa6 14. Qb3 Nc6 15. Rfd1 Na5 16. Qb5 Qxb5 17. cxb5 Nc4

18. Bc1 a6 19. bxa6 Rxa6 20. dxc5 bxc5 21. Ng2 Nd5 22. Rd3 Rfa8 23. e4 Ne5 0-1

Friday chess puzzle 13: the solution

2007-07-14T17:41:00.000Z

Somewhat overdue, but here's the solution to our 13th Friday chess puzzle (8 days ago)

It was Boris Spassky about to win against Marszalek, and there were two questions:

1. Which move did Boris, White, play (it forces mate in 5)?

A lot of you spotted the winner 1. Qh6! ... so, congratulations!

2. Does anyone know Mr Marszalek's first name?

Two of you also made a great effort on this one. Winand Simons and Christophe Kriegstumpf (aka. the Haymarket Sage) both suggested Rafal, although after some further research the Sage then suggested it might actually be Josef.

Any further suggestions on this one welcome.

Don't forget to check out yesterday's Friday Chess Puzzle as well.

Friday chess puzzle 14

2007-07-13T18:38:00.000Z

Our chess puzzle this week is from 1893 and Tarrasch's match with Tchigorin.

Tchigorin played a couple of poor moves in the opening (... Bb4 and ... Ba5), allowing Tarrasch to tear into his position.

Having reached the position above after 20 moves, Tarrasch found a very energetic way to finish off his opponent, can you find the move?

Answers to Chess Tales. I'll publish the solution next Wednesday.

As the game is so impressive, I thought I would give you the first 20 moves as well:

Tarrasch - Tchigorin, Match 1893
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Nd5 Ba5 7. O-O b5 8. Bb3 d6 9. d3 Bg4 10. c3 Ne7 11. Nxe5!! dxe5 12. Nxf6+ gxf6 13. Qxg4 Ng6 14. Bd5 Rb8 15. f4 c6 16. Bxc6+ Ke7 17. Bd5 b4 18. fxe5 Qb6+ 19. Kh1 Nxe5 20. Qh5 Ng6...

Apologies for the lateness of today's post. I was in a tribunal all day; I won the case, but it was a long day.

Revisiting the French

2007-07-12T17:57:00.000Z

Position after 10 ... f6

Paul Dargan and I were discussing openings the other day, and briefly exchanged a few thoughts on French Defence.

The French has a reputation as a solid but un-adventurous defence, and I must admit that when I played it as a junior the games typically fitted that description. I would win by exchanging off pieces down the c-file and gradually exploiting weaknesses in White's pawn structure. As my opponents got better and this simplistic approach stopped working, I dropped the French from my repertoire and sought adventure in the Sicilian.

However, in reality, the French, and in particular the Winawer variation, can lead to some very dynamic and unbalanced positions where wild attacks rage. This game played in 1977 Candidates final match is a perfect illustration.

Boris Spassky - Viktor Korchnoi, Game 4, Candidates 1977
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. a4 Bd7 8. Nf3 Qa5 9. Bd2 Nbc6 10. Be2 f6

Here's where the fun really begins. Black had been getting into difficulties with 10 ... c4, so in the mid 70's Korchnoi started adopting the double edged 10 ... f6.

11. c4 Qc7 12. exf6 gxf6 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. c3 O-O-O 15. O-O Rhg8 16. Re1 e5 17. c4 Bh3

18. Bf1 Nb6 19. d5 Nxc4! 20. dxc6 Qxc6 21. g3 Bxf1 22. Rxf1 e4 23. Qb3 Qd5 24. Rac1 Nxd2

Here, 24... Ne5 looks strong and is Fritz's recommendation. After 25. Rxc5+ Qxc5 26. Rc1 Nxf3+ 27. Kg2 Qxc1 28. Bxc1, Fritz considers Black is better, although both Keene and Timman consider White's co-ordinated Queen and Bishop give him the upper hand.

25. Nxd2 Qxd2 26. Rxc5+ Kb8 27. Rb1 Rg7 28. Rb5 Rdd7 29. Qe6 e3 30. fxe3 Rge7 31. Qg8+ Rd8 32. Qb3 Rdd7 33. Qg8+ Rd8 34. Qb3 1/2 - 1/2

Check out Jan Timman's excellent 'Art of Chess Analysis'for a thorough study of this game.

La question people du mercredi

2007-07-11T09:29:00.000Z

Phil Dornbusch's latest picture quiz La question people du mercredi is available on Chess & Strategy.

Great sleep; great chess

2007-07-10T13:13:00.000Z

I've talked in the past about how important physical fitness can be for top level chess. Of course a good diet goes hand in hand with this, but for me the most crucial immediate factor can be how well I've slept the night before. My plummeting Internet blitz rating after a bad night bears testimony to this.

This is particularly on my mind because one of my current Internet projects is for a new healthcare company whose products include a range of mattresses for sports people. The mattresses have a special polymer core that improves sleep and recovery amongst other things, and are attracting interest in Premier League football and with elite athletes.

I'm wondering how long it will be before our elite chess Grandmasters start to demand healthcare as part of their tournament conditions.

The only bad thing about this project is that it's not leaving me anytime for the blitz chess, which is probably all well and good considering the amount of sleep I've not been getting!

In the chess blogosphere

2007-07-09T18:45:00.000Z

Inna Iasman at the Paris Championships

I've begun work on a really interesting web project, so time to write today has been a little scarce.

I have had chance to peruse the chess blogosphere though, and found some stories of interest:

International Master Georgios Souleidos always presents instructive chess analysis, and today is no exception as he examines a pair of good knight vs. bad bishop endings, including a Karpov win against Kasparov, and a lovely knight sacrifice of his own to leave 2 passed pawns that overpower the bishop.

Over on Chess Vibes, Peter Dogger is continuing to report on his 'grand tour', whilst Philippe Dornbusch's Chess & Strategy has coverage of Anand's victory in Leon, and is keeping a close eye on the Paris International Championships. I have fond memories of playing in Paris, so will be following the stories with interest.

Finally, my friends in Buenos Aires at Solo Ajedrez are way too busy watching the Copa America to be writing about chess at the moment: apparently, it was 4-0 against Peru last time out with goals for Riquelme (2), the fantastic Mascherano, and Messi.

Book of the week

2007-07-08T12:23:00.001Z

Can you spare a couple of hours a day for a week?

Then our next Chess Tales 'book of the week' might be just the thing for you. It's the latest offering from International Master Gary Lane.

Gary is a profilic author, famous for his opening repertoire works and chess help columns. He also beat yours truly in an indecently small number of moves (but I won't hold that against him).

His new book, "Improve your chess in 7 days", is a break from the opening treatises and, judging from the title, is the perfect chess book for our modern hectic lifestyles.

From the synopsis, it's:

"... packed with practical tips, hints on how to improve, learn from the champions and find out how to beat them - in just a week. With one short chapter for each day of the week, the book is ideal for social chess players and includes a sprinkling of chess cartoons to keep you smiling as you read: Day 1 - So You Want to be Good? Day 2 - Understanding the Openings; Day 3 - Strategy versus Tactics; Day 4 - Creating the Attack; Day 5 - Avoiding Blunders; Day 6 - Mastering the Ending; and, Day 7 - The Art of Swindling. With comments and advice after each move, this is as clear a guide to improving your chess as you will ever need."

It's currently on offer (30% off) on Amazon:

Speelman's Best Games

2007-07-07T12:26:00.000Z

On Friday I confessed to being rather ignorant with regard to Jon Speelman's games. Fortunately, it seems there are plenty of people out there who are not, and that not only does he play fascinating chess, but he also writes tremendously.

When I posted my list of 'must have books' over on Chess Forums, a number of readers were quick to suggest that Speelman's work Best Chess Games, 1970-80 should be on the there

"Speelman's book is great, it 'tells you a story': when playing through his games, you feel as you were really there, living the drama." Chamaco, Chess Forums

It seems his seductive style extends to his own games' collection, Jon Speelman's Best Games, as well:

"This book is hugely instructive from the practical player's point of view, because it gives insights into how chess games are really decided at the highest level. None of your crystal-clear strategic crushes here, consistent from first move to last. Speelman is breathtakingly candid about his thought processes and the sometimes apparently random factors that make the difference. A study of his games is bound to make anyone's play more resilient and resourceful - as well as being great fun and, occasionally, awe-inspiring." TD Welsh, Amazon Review

Echecs gourmands

2007-07-06T09:13:00.000Z

WGM Natalia Zhukova. Photo: Fred Lucas, Momentoo

Last week, I introduced a couple of alternative chess sets.

Now Natalia Zhukova is advising on a novel set as part of the coaching regime. I suspect her "echecs gourmands" has a shorter lifespan: Le conseil de Natalia pour ce week-end

Friday chess puzzle 13

2007-07-06T08:44:00.001Z

Our position today is from the World Students' Team Championship 1958, and future World Champion Boris Spassky about to win against Marszalek.

There are two questions:

1. Which move did Boris, White, play (it forces mate in 5)?

and

2. Does anyone know Mr Marszalek's first name?

Send your solutions to Chess Tales. I'll publish the answer next Wednesday.

Speelman's Schliemann

2007-07-05T11:29:00.001Z

Position after 12 ... Qh3

I have to admit I wanted to shout it to the rooftops the other day when I found out about Jon Speelman's coverage of my game against Colin Crouch (My head's subsequently reduced a little in size, although give it a while longer before normality returns). After all, Jon's one of England's greatest players, he qualifed twice for the Candidates matches, and as I posted previously on Chess Tales, he was once ranked number 4 in the world.

Despite this, I also have to admit to a shocking lack of knowledge of his games and results. One game that I do remember well though was in his Candidates 1/4 final match with Jan Timman in 1989. If my memory serves me right, it was the final game and Jon needed a win with the Black pieces to force the match into a play-off.

His choice of opening for the game was the Schliemann Defence (1 e4 e5; 2 Nf3 Nc6; 3 Bb5 f5!?), one of the wildest lines Black can adopt against the Ruy Lopez. Originating in the 1840's, and truly at home with the romantic gambit play of the 19th Century, it's certainly not something you'd have expected to see in a modern Candidates Match.

Play went down one of the main lines, where White hopes to prove that Black's queen is offside and to gradually pick off the weak Black pawns. As compensation Black has active play for his pieces, and as happened in the game, the Queen can actually prove to be well posted to support an attack.

I was so impressed with the game line, that I twice foresook my Sicilian and adopted it as a surprise weapon. The results were good: a win and a draw against strong opposition.

Jan Timman - Jon Speelman, Candidates 1/4 Final 1989
1 e4 e5; 2 Nf3 Nc6; 3 Bb5 f5; 4 Nc3 fe; 5 Nxe4 d5; 6 Nxe5 de; 7 Nxc6 Qg5; 8 Qe2 Nf6; 9 f4 Qxf4; 10 Ne5+ c6; 11 d4 Qh4+; 12 g3 Qh3 (see diagram); 13 Bc4 Be6; 14 Bg5 0-0-0; 15 0-0-0 Bd6; 16 Nf7 Bxf7; 17 Bxf7 Rhf8; 18 Bc4 Rde8; 19 d5 c5; 20 Rhf1 Kb8; 21 Bf4 Rd8; 22 Bg5 a6; 23 Bxf6 gf; 24 Qxe4 Qxh2; 25 Rh1 Qxg3; 26 Rxh7 Rfe8; 27 Qf5 b5; 28 Bf1 Re1; 29 Qh5 Qf4+; 30 Kb1 Qxf1 0-1

What chance the British?

2007-07-04T15:31:00.000Z

I had renowned chess tactician Charlie Storey on the phone earlier, asking if I would be interested in sharing an apartment with Danny Gormally and himself at the British Championships.

Having previously decided not to play, I'd taken on an exciting Internet contract, but if Charlie can find somewhere decent to stay I might be tempted to change my mind (and work my socks off to get the contract out before the tournament starts).

I'll keep you updated.

Friday chess puzzle 12: the solution

2007-07-04T12:54:00.000Z

Last week's chess puzzle proved rather difficult.

It was Alexei Shirov on the wrong end of a super move from Lukin at Daugavpils 1989.

The move that Lukin found was the 'bayonet thrust' 1 g6!! creating a very pretty picture with the 5 pawns adjacent to each other.

The main threat now is simply to play 2 Bxe6 winning. Black has no good defence, for example:

1 ... hg; 2 Bxe6 fe; 2 Rxf8+ Kxf8; 30 h7

or

1 ... gh; 2 Bxh6

A best game

2007-07-03T08:53:00.000Z

Position after 15 Bg5!

Yesterday, I put out an appeal to find the game score for one of my best chess performances. Big thanks are due to Paul Runnacles, who not only found the score, but also an article by Grandmaster Jon Speelman about the game. I didn't know it had been covered nationally, so Paul's discovery was a real treat.

I was going to annotate the game for you, a thematic Nimzo Indian Saemisch Variation where Black tried an unusual sequence to counter White's standard plans, but instead will give Jon Speelman's analysis and a little background to the game.

It was played in the final round of the Durham Open 2000, and I had the White pieces against International Master Colin Crouch. Colin led the event, but a win would allow me to catch him. To be honest, I shouldn't have been in the running: I'd lost badly in round 1, won in 2, and had a draw with Alan Grant (a 2240 player) in round 3. Amazingly, despite my 50% score I received a full point bye in round 4 (it was a very small field) to set up the encounter with Colin Crouch. I'll let Jon Speelman pick up the story:

The decisive action took place in the last round when Coathup, who is only rated 2130, unexpectedly defeated Crouch in the game below: while Grant won against Yugoslav Dusan Zdjelar, to share the spoils.

In a Nimzo-Indian, White's mobile pawn centre gave him some advantage after a dozen moves but Crouch's 12...h5 and 13...h4 and 14...g6, while thematic, simply didn't work and after 15.Bg5! Black is very close to, if not entirely, lost.

If 15...dxe4 16.fxe4 gxf5 17.e5 Nxe5 (17...Qd5 18.Bxf6 Qxg2 19.0- 0-0 is a better try but still foul for Black) 18.Qe2! White wins a piece. 19.g4! ripped open the kingside after which the admirably calm 22.Rh5 and 23.Qxf5 removed a vital pawn.

With 25.Bg5!, Coathup got the bishop out of the way prior to advancing the f pawn. An impressively smooth and unharried performance against an opponent who is not only a grandmaster but also rated nearly 300 points more than the winner.

Grandmaster Jon Speelman, The Independent, 20 April 2000

Thanks Jon!

Roger Coathup - Colin Crouch, Durham Open 2000
1 d4 Nf6; 2 c4 e6; 3 Nc3 Bb4; 4 a3 Bxc3+; 5 bc d5; 6 cd ed; 7 e3 Nc6

An unusual move. Normally Black plays c7-c5 to pressure the White centre, but Crouch had an interesting plan in mind to swap off the light squared bishops and manouevre this knight via a5 to a strong point on c4.

8 Bd3 Bg4; 9 f3 Bh5; 10 Ne2 Bg6; 11 Ng3 Bxd3; 12 Qxd3 h5; 13 e4!

For me this was the key move in the game. Black's play, albeit at the cost of several tempi, has all been directing at stopping it. If White doesn't play e4 now, Black will follow up with h4 driving back the g3 knight, and move the c6 knight to c4 dominating White's bishop. 13 e4 needed a lot of calculation though, in particular envisaging 15 Bg5 and analysing the variations (as given by Speelman) that follow.

13 ... h4; 14 Nf5 g6; 15 Bg5! (see diagram above) gf; 16 e5 Qd7; 17 Bxf6 Rh7; 18 Kf2 Qe6; 19 g4!

19 ... hg+; 20 hg Rxh1; 21 Rxh1 Kd7; 22 Rh5 a6; 23 Qxf5 Qxf5; 24 Rxf5 b5; 25 Bg5! Ke8; 26 Rf6 Na5; 27 Rh6 Kd7; 28 Rh7 Ke6; 29 g4 Na5; 30 f4 Nxa3; 31 f5+ 1-0

This was my maiden Open Tournament first place at standard time limits.

Botvinnik book update

2007-07-02T18:52:00.000Z

source: ChessBase.de

The autographed book by Mikhail Botvinnik finished on eBay on Sunday evening.

It was a popular auction with some frantic bidding in the last 20 minutes that doubled the final price to £77.

I'm really pleased with the way it went: I've had the pleasure of having Botvinnik's autograph on my bookshelf for a year, and made a decent profit on the deal. Whilst, the buyer has managed to pick up a wonderful book at what is still a very good price. I'm also reassured to know that the book is going to a 'good chess home' and to a real fan of Botvinnik.

This week I'm going to auction one of the most unusual but nonetheless fascinating chess books ever published. I'll tell you more later, but for now I'll give you a clue: the book, written by one of the strongest players of the 20th Century, only contains one game of chess. Can you guess which book it is?

Game score appeal!

2007-07-02T12:29:00.000Z

I was going to annotate one of my best games for you, a win against International Master Colin Crouch from the Durham Open in 2000. Unfortunately, I've misplaced the game score.

I've scanned online, but am struggling to find it. If anyone knows where I can pick up the pgn, please let me know.

British Championships deadline

2007-07-02T10:25:00.000Z

The deadline for my entry to the British Chess Championships is drawing near and it's starting to look increasingly likely that I won't play.

The tournament is 2 weeks long in a distant seaside town (Great Yarmouth) in the height of the summer holidays; finding accommodation is proving very difficult. I'd love to play in the event, but want to be comfortable. I don't want to be cooped up in a small B&B for so long.

The ideal would be a cottage with Internet connection, but, even if one were available, the accommodation combined with the high entry fee would take the cost to take part in the tournament to over £1500 (US $3000). That's just way too much.

The Scottish Championships, 9 rounds in Edinburgh in July, looks far more enticing. Failing that, it will be the Isle of Man at the end of September and the chance to battle against some big names.

Chess in the Attic: Tilburg 1989

2007-07-01T13:15:00.000Z

Starting at the age of 16 with a victory by 2 clear points in Banja Luka from a field that included Petrosian, Andersson, Adorjan and Browne, Garry Kasparov's chess career delivered a never ending string of spectacular tournament performances.

When I was in the attic last week, flicking through some old copies of the German magazine Schach Report, I came across the tournament report for his victory at Tilburg 1989:

The statistics are incredible, in this 8 player double round event Garry Kasparov only conceded 4 draws, winning the event by 3.5 points from Viktor Korchnoi. The field wasn't weak either, along with the two leaders there was Vassily Ivanchuk, Lubomir Ljubojevic, Candidates Gyula Sax, Johann Hjartarson, and Simen Agdestein, and the dangerous local Grandmaster Jeroen Piket.

The event is memorable not just for the margin of victory, nor for the destructive power of Garry Kasparov (many of the games were won in 30 moves or less), but also for the fact that this is the event that propelled Garry Kasparov past Bobby Fischer's ELO rating record of 2780.

We've already covered his superb King's Indian victory over Jeroen Piket at Tilburg, so instead let's look at his quick dismissal of Norwegian Grandmaster and sometime international footballer Simen Agdestein.

Simen Agdestein - Garry Kasparov, Tilburg 1989
1 c4 g6; 2 Nc3 c5; 3 g3 Bg7; 4 Bg2 Nc6; 5 e3 d6; 6 Nge2 Nf6; 7 0-0 0-0; 8 d3 Bd7; 9 h3 a6; 10 b3 Rb8; 11 Bb2 b5; 12 Qd2 Nb4!?; 13 Rfd1 Re8; 14 e4?! Nc6; 15 Nd5 e5; 16 Kh2 h5; 17 f4 bc; 18 dc Nd5; 19 Qd5? Nd4!; 20 Nd4 cd; 21 Qd6 h4!; 22 g4 Bf8; 23 Qa6 Re6; 24 Qa7 Ra8 0-1

Alternative sets

2007-06-30T13:50:00.000Z

I love stylish chess sets, and am now thinking about an interior design scheme to accomodate a couple of great sets that I discovered on a trawl of the Internet this afternoon.

The first, a Sandstone chess set, 'Nature Does Battle', created by Balinese artist Daniel Wijaya, has the pieces inset onto sandstone pebbles. It's small but exquisite.

The second, the Auto part chess set, 'Rustic Warriors', is part of a series by Mexican artist Armando Ramirez. It's a completely different beast made from recycled car and machinery parts: it boasts a 5.7 inch king and weighs in at over 20lbs.

They are both available online from Novica.com, a store run in conjunction with National Geographic, that sources its products direct from artisans around the globe. They have a large number of different sets and if you hurry are offering a $10 discount to new customers, quote discount code: NOVICA243.

Chess on Second Life

2007-06-30T12:29:00.000Z

My attention was caught by a brief notice this week on Phil Dornbusch's blog about Chess on Second Life.

For those of you who don't know, I suspect most, Second Life is a virtual world on the Internet where people can live, as the name suggests, a second life. You can shop, build a house, start a business, go on holiday, and now it seems even follow chess.

I talk about Second Life when I speak to businesses about future directions for the Internet, and it usually meets with either guffaws or embarrassed faces in the audience. The potential is interesting though, there are several million members, you can make and lose money (it has it's own 'convertible' currency), some big business have a presence, and, apparently, Sweden is even going to open an embassy on the site.

The chess coverage, if my French is upto scratch, is the final of the French women's team championship and is being relayed online from a 3D reconstruction of the Palais du Luxembourg.

The French Chess Federation (FFE) has sponsorship from the BNP Paribas banking corporation. Their excellent chess website has details of the championship along with other news, and a host of excellently presented material for discovering and learning the game. How many other Federations can boast as clean an interface? All that remains is to learn how to read French!

Ein Gruß aus Dortmund

2007-06-29T09:27:00.000Z

In the blogosphere: International Master Georgios Souleidis has an on-the-spot report, Ein Gruß aus Dortmund, from the Dortmund chess festival. Check out his notes to a masterly positional crush by Kramnik (Carlsen was the victim in a Catalan) and an interesting ending between Anand and Naijditsch.

Friday chess puzzle 12

2007-06-29T08:49:00.000Z

Our chess puzzle this week sees Alexei Shirov on the wrong end of a super move. It's from Lukin - Shirov, Daugavpils 1989. White can gain a clear advantage by 1 hg, but instead Lukin played an even stronger move that forces a much greater advantage, can you spot it?

Send your answers to roger AT 21thoughts DOT com. I'll publish the solution on Wednesday.

Botvinnik's autograph

2007-06-28T16:26:00.000Z

I've just listed an exceptionally rare book on eBay: a first (english) edition of Mikhail Botvinnk's Championship Chess.

It's Botvinnik's first book and he reportedly spent 3 years writing it. It covers the 1941 match-tournament for the championship of the USSR: the 3 years' dedication is evident in the depth of his annotations to the games.

I'd intended to list the copy a while ago; I'd spent a lot on it, but knew its value. However, as I prepared the listing I noticed there was a 'scribble' on one of the inner pages below a dedication to his brother who'd been killed in the Battle of Leningrad.

At first I thought the 'scribble' was a previous owner testing his biro, but then it struck me: maybe my rare book was actually signed by Botvinnik. Thankfully, the Internet quickly gave me the answer, and sure enough my 'scribble' matched the few examples of Botvinnik's signature that are available. My rare book suddenly became exceptional.

As for the tournament itself, Botvinnik won the six player (4 games against each opponent) event from a magnificent field of Keres, Smyslov, Bondarevsky, Boleslavsky and Lilienthal.

Here's a sparkling brevity from the 8th round:

I Boleslavsky - A Lilienthal, 12th USSR Ch. Leningrad / Moscow 1941

1 e4 e5; 2 Nf3 d5; 3 Nxe5 Qe7; 4 d4 f6; 5 Nd3 de; 6 Nf4 Qf7; 7 Nd2! Bf5; 8 g4 Bg6; 9 Bc4 Qd7; 10 Qe2 Qxd4; 11 Ne6 Qb6; 12 Nxe4 Nd7; 13 Bf4 Ne5; 14 0-0-0 Bf7; 15 N4g5 fg; 16 Bxe5 Bxe6; 17 Bxc7!! 1-0

World chess

2007-06-28T09:15:00.000Z

One of the best thing about writing Chess Tales is the feedback I recieve in emails and comments. It's allowed me to correspond and build friendships with an amazing number (and diversity) of people. Chess is a much stronger (and friendlier) bond than I'd appreciated when I began the blog, and as you can see from the graph of recent readers, it stretches right around the world.

About 60% of the readers come from the UK and US / Canada, but Germany and France are growing quickly, and there's always been a strong base in the Netherlands. I'm always excited though when I get a reader from a far flung or unexpected corner of the World.

My day job sees me advising companies about the Internet, web2.0 and how to market effectively. I find myself giving ever increasing references to the chess world! I've also written some international snippets of code for the blog, so, for example you should now see adverts at the top and bottom that are relevant to your country (well if you live in the US, Canada, France or Germany you should).

I've got some interesting posts planned for the next few days including another trip to the 'chess attic', a favourite game, and a great position for Friday's chess puzzle. There's also the story of a Botvinnik autograph that nearly got away.

Friday chess puzzle 11: the solution

2007-06-27T20:09:00.000Z

Last Friday , I asked you to find how Beni (playing White) forced a quick win in his game against Schwarzbach from Vienna 1969.

There are actually 2 winning moves (but both have the same idea): either 1 Qh3!! (as played in the game) or 1 Qh5!!

I like these moves (and also rate them as tough to find) not just because they offer a queen sacrifice, but they are also quiet: they don't make a capture and they don't make any obvious threat to win material. Black, however, has no defence:

Taking the Queen leads to mate:

1 Qh5!! Qxh5 2 Rxg7+ Kh8; 3 Rxf7+ Kg8; 4 Rg7+ Kh8; 5 Rg8 mate.

(taken from "Tactics in the Sicilian" by Gennady Nesis)

A number of you emailed in correct solutions: special mention to Chris Wardle, Andrew, Paul Dargan and Paul Runnacles.

Apologies for the slow posting of the solution, and the lack of material today on the blog: we had a powercut late yesterday evening that knocked my wireless router out of sync. Fortunately, everything is now back up and running.

Kalashnikov in Dortmund

2007-06-26T08:11:00.000Z

With the Dortmund chess tournament now in full swing, it's a good opportunity to remember a startling Kalashnikov game from the 2003 event. Viktor Bologan, the outsider, was the surprise tournament winner, finishing a full point ahead of Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik, but the game we are interested in was played by Teimour Radjabov.

Radjabov, only 16 at the time, had already beaten Garry Kasparov at Linares earlier in the year. At Dortmund, a queen sacrifice in the Kalashnikov added current world no.1 Anand to his list of scalps:

"In the Sveshnikov (what we in England used to call the Pelikan) Black plays 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 and then 5...e5. The Kalashnikov (with 4...e5 and 5...d6) is the Sveshnikov's even brasher younger brother. Black has a horrible pawn structure but plenty of compensatory activity.

Radjabov gave up a pawn to mobilise his centre - as he would - and then when Anand initiated tactics with 21.f4 and 22.Rf2 played the queen sacrifice followed by the gorgeous 22...Nb5! regaining a piece since if eg 23.Bxb5 Bd4++ 24.Kg3 Bf2 mate or 24.Ke2 Rf2 mate.

Anand returned a further exchange to try to get control but the centre pawns rolled. If 33.Qxe4 Rc1+ 34.Kh2 Ne3 35.Qxh4 Black has at least perpetual check with Nf1+. Anand tried to race with his b pawn but came in second." GM Jonathan Speelman, The Independent 2003

Viswanathan Anand v Teimour Radjabov, Dortmund 2003

1.e4 c5; 2.Nf3 Nc6; 3.d4 cxd4; 4.Nxd4 e5; 5.Nb5 d6; 6.c4 Be7; 7.b3 f5; 8.exf5 Bxf5; 9.Bd3 e4; 10.Be2 a6; 11.N5c3 Bf6; 12.0-0 Nge7; 13.a3 0-0; 14.Ra2 Qa5; 15.b4 Qe5; 16.Re1 b5; 17.cxb5 axb5; 18.Bxb5 Nd4; 19.Bf1 d5; 20.Rd2 Be6; 21.f4 Qxf4; 22.Rf2

23...Qxf2+; 23.Kxf2 Nb5; 24.Kg1 Nxc3; 25.Nxc3 Bxc3; 26.Bb5 Bxe1; 27.Qxe1 Nf5; 28.Bb2 Rac8; 29.Ba4 Rf7; 30.h3 h5; 31.b5 h4; 32.Be5 d4; 33.b6 e3; 34.Kh2 d3; 35.Qb4 e2; 36.Bc3 Rxc3; 37.Qxc3 Ng3; 38.b7 Rxb7; 39.Qa5 Rb8 0- 1

Active rook

2007-06-25T17:16:00.000Z

I've talked previously about the value of good endgame technique. One 'rule of thumb' I gave for rook endings is that the active continuation is usually better than the passive. The following ending from round 2 at Hawick graphically illustrates that rule:

Roger Coathup - William Hulme, Hawick 2007.

Playing White, I'd given up a pawn in the opening, but received little in return. In this position (with Black to move) I was holding out some hopes of salvaging a draw after 1 ... Nc6; 2 Bb4 Nxb4; 3 ab.

Instead, Black played poorly:

1 ... Rc7?; 2 Bxa5 ba; 3 Rhc1!

And the threat of a back rank mate not only prevents Black from doubling rooks, but also forces him to concede the open file.

3 ... Rxc1; 4 Rxc1 Rb8; 5 Rc7

With an active rook and better king postion, White now has a clear advantage. Black's best try is probably 5 ... h5, stopping the mating threat and also looking to generate counterplay on the kingside by the manouevre Rb8-b2 x h2.

5 ... Kf8; 6 Kc2

Not the immediate 6 Rxa7 because of 6 ... Rb3+, followed by 7 ... Rxa3. I also avoided 6 Kc3, because of 6 ... a4! renewing the threat of ... Rb3 with gain of tempo. Kc2 also has the advantage of denying Black access squares on the b-file to activate his rook.

6 ... Ke7?!

Better is 6 ... a6 denying the White king access to the b5 square.

7 Rxa7 Rb5;

Attempts to go active now with ... Rb1, intending ... Rh1xh2, fail as White's a-pawn will advance too quickly.

8 Kc3 f6; 9 a4 Rd5; 10 Kc4 fe; 11 fe

The perfect illustration of the power of an active rook over a passive one. The rook on d5 has no moves, and Black has no good way to prevent Ra7-b7-b5 exchanging into a winning king and pawn ending.

11 ... Kd8; 12 Rb7! d6; 13 ed Rxd6; 14 Rxg7 h5; 15 Rg5 1-0

Recommended endgame reading (Amazon links):
Fundamental Chess Endings: A New One-volume Endgame Encyclopaedia for the 21st Century
Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge (Cadogan Chess & Bridge Books)

This week in the chess blogosphere

2007-06-25T10:19:00.000Z

A couple of sites to watch this week in the chess blogosphere are Chess Vibes (english and dutch), where the Dortmund Sparkassen festival is being covered in depth, and Chess & Strategy (french), who along with the regular weekly puzzle from WGM Natalia Zhukova (pictured) are running a series of enlightening interviews about chess in Japan.

Dortmund is always a strong event, and this year is no exception. The field of 8 in the top tournament is Viswanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Magnus Carlsen, Peter Leko, Boris Gelfand, Evgeny Alekseev, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Arkadij Naiditsch.

Bronstein and the King's Indian

2007-06-24T08:33:00.000Z

With my eBay auction of a super book, "The World Chess Championship 1951", about to finish, it's a good opportunity to talk again about David Bronstein, who tied that 1951 match with Mikhail Botvinnik.

Full of enthusiasm, Bronstein was a great tactician who played adventurous attacking chess. He had deep views about the game and contributed some of our finest chess literature.

He was responsible for re-introducing the King's Gambit to top level play, but the opening he will always be most associated with is the King's Indian, where he contributed not only tactical, but also a wealth of new positional and strategic ideas.

This game against Pachman from 1946 showed a new way for Black to fight against the fianchetto variation, with Bronstein using a number of tactical shots to realise his goals in first the centre, then the queenside and finally also the kingside of the board (like the dutch football team of the 70's, this is 'total chess'):

Ludek Pachman - David Bronstein, Prague vs. Moscow 1946
(notes abridged from "Tactics in the King's Indian" by Gennady Nesis)

1 d4 Nf6; 2 c4 d6; 3 Nc3 e5; 4 Nf3 Nbd7; 5 g3 g6; 6 Bg2 Bg7; 7 0-0 0-0; 8 b3 Re8; 9 e4 ed; 10 Nxd4 Nc5; 11 Re1

After 11 f3 Black would get an excellent game with 11 ... c6 and 12 ... d5! Also bad is 11 Qc2 because of 11 ... Nfxe4; 12 Nxe4 Nxe4; 13 Bxe4 Bxd4.

11 ... a5; 12 Bb2 a4!; 13 Rc1 c6; 14 Ba1 ab; 15 ab Qb6; 16 h3 Nfd7! 17 Rb1 Nf8; 18 Kh2 h5!

White was planning to strengthen his position in the centre with 19 f4. But Bronstein is alert to his opponent's intentions: after 19 f4 he is ready to start a fight for the initiative on the kingside with 19 ... h4! 20 g4 Nfe6!, when the f-pawn also becomes a weakness.

Now the fireworks begin (RC):

19 Re2 h4!; 20 Rd2

20 ... Rxa1!; 21 Rxa1 Bxd4; 22 Rxd4 Nxb3; 23 Rxd6

The idea of this strong riposte is that on 23 ... Nxa1 there follows 24 Nd5! and 25 Nf6+. But, once again, Bronstein has foreseen everything.

23 ... Qxf2!

Now it is clear how important it was to advance the pawn to h4. Owing to this pawn it is now not possible to play 24 Qxb3 because of 24 ... hg+ 25 Kh1 Bxh3! 26 Rg1 Bxg2+ 27 Rxg2 Qf1+ 28 Rg1 Qxh3 mate!

24 Ra2 Qxg3+; 25 Kh1 Qxc3; 26 Ra3 Bxh3; 27 Rxb3 Bxg2+; 28 Kxg2 Qxc4; 29 Rd4 Qe6; 30 Rxb7 Ra8!

Black inflicts a blow on the enemy king from the queenside.

31 Qc2 h3+! 0-1

White has no satisfactory defence. On 32 Kg1 there follows 32 ... Qe5! 33 Rd1 Ra3! and then ... Ne6-f4.

You kan't play like this

2007-06-23T20:35:00.000Z

My first round nightmare at Hawick: It's hard to believe the first 10 moves in this game were played in an Open!

Lindsay McGregor - Roger Coathup

1 e4 c5; 2 Nf3 e6; 3 d4 cd; 4 Nd4 a6; 5 Bc4?!

You can't play this against the Kan, well leastways you shouldn't be able to. Black will get in Qc7 with gain of tempo.

5 ... Nf6; 6 Qf3?

This now has the feel of someone playing for fool's mate!

6 ... Qc7; 7 Bb3 Nc6?!

7 ... Qe5! wins the e4 pawn for nothing.

8 Be3 Bd6; 9 Nc3 b5?!; 10 0-0-0 Rb8??

Missing White's 13th move.

11 Nc6! dc; 12 Rd6! Qd6; 13 e5 Qe7; 14 ef gf; 15 Qg3 Rb7; 16 Ne4 Rd7; 17 Bc5 1-0

I must have lost a shorter game, but I'm choosing not to remember it!

Reality check

2007-06-23T18:09:00.001Z

After the success at Hartlepool, Hawick has given me a harsh chess reality check.

I played two poor games in the opening rounds, losing to a well-found combination after just handful of moves in round 1, and then swinging an endgame win in round 2, but only after having a lost position earlier in the game.

In round 3, the game appeared to be going well, and I was looking forward to crowning a strong attacking position, when I suddenly realised there was no good defence to a simple counter-threat by my opponent.

I ended up withdrawing from the tournament, something I haven't done for many years. I'll post some of the games later.

Karpov French miniature

2007-06-22T10:35:00.000Z

Anatoly Karpov played a sparkling miniature in the penultimate round of the Valjevo tournament.

It's a great example of how to take advantage of a slight slip by Black and dismantle a French Rubinstein (1 e4 e6; 2 d4 d5; 3 Nc3 de) setup.

International Master Georgios Souleidis has written a really instructive analysis of the game on his Entwicklungsvorsprung blog: Karpov kann auch taktisch.

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Friday chess puzzle 11

2007-06-22T08:41:00.000Z

Our latest Friday puzzle is a tough one (I think!). It's a typical Sicilian position, with castling on opposite wings, from Beni vs. Schwarzbach, Vienna 1969.

White sacrificed a rook for a strong attack, but it appears that it has come to an end, and that Black will consolidate and emerge the winner, e.g. 1 Bxg7 Qxg7; 2 Rxg7+ Kxg7 is good for Black.

However, White has a beautiful way to win from this position, can you find it?

Answers to roger AT 21 thoughts DOT com. I'll publish the solution on Wednesday.

(Today's puzzle is taken from "Tactics in the Sicilian" by Gennady Nesis)

How they used to open

2007-06-21T17:31:00.000Z

Staunton's "The Laws and Practice of Chess" (see eBay listing) is split into three 'books': the first deals with the laws and a guide to playing the game, and the second two books to 19th Century opening theory.

Amazingly, the entire second book (50+ pages) is devoted to the King's Bishop Opening (1 e4 e5; 2 Bc4).

The final book, some 361 pages, covers the theory of all the other openings. Our question for today is to guess how many of those pages are devoted to the King's Gambit:

A) 90 pages
B) 120 pages
or
C) 150 pages?

I'll post the regular Friday chess puzzle before I leave for Hawick tomorrow.

Hawick chess

2007-06-21T09:11:00.000Z

I took the plunge last night and decided to enter the Hawick Chess Congress this weekend. Wish me luck!

Actually, this is a pretty brave decision: I played at Hawick once before and vowed never to go back.

That visit started with what seemed like a great idea at the time, why don't we camp and play chess. If this has ever crossed your mind, my only advice is DON'T.

Our excuse, as Darren and I rushed off to buy our tents was something about saving money on accomodation, but in truth, it was more the call of the wild:

"chess player against the elements"

I can still imagine the dream vividly: kayaking through chilly northern seas, across some remote sea loch, scaling the great mountains via a towering ridge, making a bivouac for the night, and then well fed on bacon butties (from a slaughtered wild pig of course) strolling into town to play swashbuckling chess.

It was with this 'nirvana' in mind that we drove up to Hawick on a Friday afternoon in early summer, pitched our tents between a couple of caravans on a campsite with full facilities, and armed with just ultra-lite portable stoves prepared to face the worst that nature could throw at us.

The chess started well with a win on the Friday night, but Saturday and Sunday were horrors. No sleep (roll-out mat useless), nowhere to get food (the only restaurant we could find was full), poor decision by the arbiter (he told me later he was wrong), and to cap it all no points that I can remember.

This year I won't be camping!

The tournament itself is quite strong for a 'remote' weekend swiss event. I played Steve Mannion, an International Master in round 2 on my visit, and I notice that despite last year's Open field having only 14 competitors, it included a Grandmaster (Colin McNab), 2 International Masters, and a FIDE Master.

As for Hawick, it's one of a string of towns in the Scottish Borders (rolling hills along the border with England) that grew up around the wool & textile trade. It has some impressive buildings, including the Town Hall which is the congress venue, but does have a bit of a forgotten feel.

If I can find accomodation with an Internet connection, I'll keep you updated during the tournament.

Chess fitness

2007-06-20T13:44:00.000Z

I began my training régime today for the British Chess Championships, and if I'm honest, to do something about a 'lifestyle' physique that's starting to say "chess and blogging". I'll be doing some mental preparation as well, but the physical will be perhaps more important, especially as an underdog in what will be a gruelling 11-round event.

I used to be a bit of a 'jock', playing a lot of cricket and football (soccer), belting round the squash court and those sort of things. Even last year, I would think nothing of going for a 5 or 6 mile run (including with a hangover to collect a car left behind the night before). Today though, six months of inactivity hit me: at 2 miles I was struggling; I dragged myself to 3, but then had to resign.

"Kasparov showed to the world the importance of physical fitness to chess players. His training regimen included swimming, playing football and cycling. Truly, his high energy level kept him going." Hinduonnet

There are about 6 weeks until the tournament begins, I'm reckoning that's about 18 runs and a lot of sit-ups and press-ups. I can feel the lung capacity coming back already!

I once thought about Pilates as well and bought a book by Brooke Siler (she's famous for getting a number of Hollywood stars looking sleek), but so much is about correct technique and control that I think it would only really work with a good trainer alongside. So Brooke, if you fancy learning chess in exchange, give me a shout and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out.

Friday chess puzzles 10: Solutions

2007-06-20T11:00:00.000Z

Last Friday, I asked you to find two elegant finishes played by Richard Réti.

In the first against Dr Max Euwe in Amsterdam in 1920:

Réti played 1 ... Bh3! either winning the White queen or forcing mate. The game continued:

2 Qxa8 Bc5+; 3 Kh1 Bxg2+; 4 Kxg2 Qg4+; 5 Kf1 Qf3+; 6 Ke1 Qf2 mate

Our second position was the conclusion to Réti's brilliancy prize winning miniature against Efim Bogojuboff at New York 1924:

Réti played 1 Be8 and Black resigned.

There is no satisfactory defence against the threat of 2 Qxf8, Even 1 ... h6 leads to immediate mate: 2 Qxf8+ Kh7; 3 Bg6+! Kxg6; 4 Qf5 mate

There were few correct solutions to the puzzles, although Brian Wood did suggest 1 ... Bf5 in the first position, which also leads to a very big advantage for Black.

The game against Bogojuboff is regarded as one of the greatest ever played, here it is in full with notes by Alekhine from the tournament book:

Richard Réti - Efim Bogoljubov, New York 1924

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6

As for the merit of this system of defence, compare the game Reti vs. Yates in the
sixth round.

3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Bd6 5.O-O O-O 6.b3 Re8 7.Bb2 Nbd7 8.d4

To our way of thinking, this is the clear positional refutation of 2...e6, which, by the way, was first played by Capablanca (as Black) against Marshall and is based upon the simple circumstance that Black cannot find a method for the effective development of his Queen's Bishop.

8 ... c6 9.Nbd2

In the game referred to, Capablanca, in a wholly analogous position, played ...Ne4 and likewise obtained an advantage thereby. Of course, Reti's quieter development is also quite good.

9 ... Ne4

If the liberating move of 9...e5, recommended by Rubinstein and others, is really the best here then it furnishes the most striking proof that Black's entire arrangement of his game was faulty. For the simple continuation 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Bxe5 13.Bxe5 Rxe5 14.Nc4 Re8 15.Ne3 Be6 16.Qd4, would have given White a direct attack against the isolated Queen's pawn, without permitting the opponent any chances whatsoever. Moreover, the move selected by Bogoljubow leads eventually to a double exchange of Knights, without moving the principal disadvantage of his position.

10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Ne5 f5

Obviously forced.

12.f3

The proper strategy. After Black has weakened his position in the center, White forthwith must aim to change the closed game into an open one in order to make as much as possible out of that weakness.

12. ... exf3 13.Bxf3

Not 13.exf3, because the e pawn must be utilized as a battering ram.

13. ... Qc7

Also after 13...Nxe5 14.dxe5 Bc5+ 15.Kg2 Bd7 (after the exchange of Queens, this Bishop could not get out at all) 16.e4, White would have retained a decisive advantage in position.

14.Nxd7 Bxd7 15.e4 e5

Otherwise would follow 16.e5, to be followed by a break by means of d5 or g4. After the text move, however, Black appears to have surmounted the greater part of his early difficulty and it calls for exeptionally fine play on the part of White in order to make the hidden advantages of his position count so rapidly and convincingly.

16.c5 Bf8 17.Qc2

Attacking simultaneously both of Black's center pawns.

17. ... exd4

Black's sphere of action is circumscribed; for instance, 17...fxe4 clearly would not do on account of the two-fold threat against h7 and e5, after 18.Bxe4

18.exf5 Rad8

After 18...Re5 19.Qc4+ Kh8 20.f6, among other lines, would be very strong.

19.Bh5

The initial move in an exactly calculated, decisive manouver, the end of which will worthily crown White's model play.

19. ... Re5 20.Bxd4 Rxf5

If 20...Rd5 21.Qc4 Kh8 22.Bg4, with a pawn plus and a superior position.

21.Rxf5 Bxf5 22.Qxf5 Rxd4 23.Rf1 Rd8

Or 23...Qe7 24.Bf7+ Kh8 25.Bd5 Qf6 26.Qc8, etc. Black is left without any
defence.

24.Bf7+ Kh8 25.Be8

A sparkling conclusion! Black resigned, for, after 25...Bxc5+, he loses at least the Bishop.
Rightfully, this game was awarded the first brilliancy
prize. 1-0

La question people du mercredi

2007-06-20T10:57:00.000Z

Can any of you solve Phil Dornbusch's latest name the Grandmaster quiz?

Chess Tales: the essay

2007-06-20T10:08:00.000Z

It looks like 'DK' will be featuring Chess Tales in one of the essays over on his Chess Improvement blog. I'll let you know when it appears.

Chess listings on eBay

2007-06-19T18:13:00.000Z

I've put 3 more books up for auction on eBay, this includes excellent editions of Reuben Fine's "Basic Chess Endings" and Howard Staunton's classic "Laws and Practice of Chess". The star item in the lot though is a very rare first edition of "The World Chess Championship 1951" by William Winter and RG Wade.

The 1951 Championship match was a fluctuating battle between Mikhail Botvinnik and David Bronstein, with some fabulous chess, that ended in a 12-12 tie. There is some speculation that Bronstein threw the penultimate game under orders from the Kremlin not to beat the champion.

Entwicklungsvorsprung: International Master blog

2007-06-19T12:06:00.000Z

Entwicklungsvorsprung (Development Advantage) is an interesting blog written by International Master Georgios Souleidis.

The blog, written in German, is a mix of stories, photos,opinions and master analysis. Check it out.

Chess photos: another blog

2007-06-19T08:51:00.000Z

I pulled today's picture of Keres, Botvinnik, Euwe, Reshevsky and Smyslov from one of Sarah Beth's many chess blogs.

It has to be said her blogs are a nightmare to navigate, but she has written a huge amount of material and amalgamated a wonderful collection of chess photos (including the odd and the unusual).

I suggest starting your read at "Sarah's Journal Archive", although some of you might want to jump straight into "Chess - Romance, Love and Sex".

The one thing that seems to be missing from Sarah's sites is information about who she is. I'm guessing she's American, anyone know anymore?

Match chess player with chapter

2007-06-19T08:21:00.000Z

On Sunday I challenged you to correctly match a set of famous chess players with their profile chapter titles from "The Delights of Chess" by Assiac.

The correct matches are:

Youthful veteran - Paul Keres
Paradise regained - Mikhail Botvinnik
Warbling world-beater - Vassily Smyslov
Veteran prodigy - Samuel Reshevsky
He conquered a nation for chess - Dr. Max Euwe
Never a dull game - David Bronstein
Genius is never satisfied - Mikhail Tal

Congratulations to Ryan Emmett for getting the most correct answers.

Chess picture challenge: Answer

2007-06-18T09:03:00.000Z

Saturday's chess picture challenge caused some problems. Most of you spotted Boris Gelfand (on the right) without too much problem, but the youngster on the left was harder to identify. It's not Gata Kamsky, as many of you thought, nor Dolmatov or Timoschenko, but is in fact Alexei Dreev, who went on to face Anand in a candidates semi final match, and win strong tournaments such as Dos Hermanas in 2001. He peaked at 2705 in the FIDE list. Gelfand, of course, is still involved in the current candidates series.

Only two of you managed to get Dreev. Congratulations to Philippe Dornbusch who got it straightaway (including the venue!) and to Alberto Alvarez, who got it at the second attempt. Both are esteemed chess bloggers, Philippe writes Chess & Strategy, and Buenos Aires based Alberto is the lead blogger on Solo Ajedrez.

I haven't had many suggestions so far for Sunday's match the chapter with the player puzzle, answers tomorrow.

King's Indian Defence: fashion victim?

2007-06-18T09:00:00.000Z

Martin Seeber writes for Chess Tales:

I was playing chess in the afternoon with my friend Roger, our top blogger. We even had a nice Czech beer to help the brains work better. Roger's a big fan of the King's indian so by game 3 I played d4 and we were on his battleground. I played g3 and advanced the centre pawns. Roger then announced that he had seen it all before or similar, it was an excellent practice game, first he dominated on the Queenside and then I hit back with a pawn sac. He played really well and I lost. Roger identified the game which was similar, it was Botvinnik vs Tal, once he mentioned it I remembered it too. When I got home I looked at my books, he was right, but of course Tal played it better than Rog! Botvinnik placed his queen on d3 instead of e2 but later it went back. I checked my theory book and it wasn't there- that's seriously out of fashion. I suppose it's not smart to tread a pathway where a world champion got murdered.

I think the King's indian is starting to fade as one of the top openings. I play it myself as black and its because I wanted to follow Fischer and Kasparov, not that I have any chance of playing like them but it's rather that their play has sprinkled magic dust on the board and one battlefield you remember is the King's Indian. Copy some of the moves and its like your recalling the action, remember when you're ten and its football and you are the players, we used to pick them, my friend was Pele and I was Alan Ball and when we scored we'd shout PELEEE!

The openings too complicated for me but who cares. It gives a disadvantage for black, that's okay we all play for fun don't we.

Getting back to my opening remark. None of the top players seem to play it and now Garry has left the world game maybe the young will grow up on slav defences and different Sicilians to the Najdorf. When Kramnik killed Garry Kasparov in the King's Indian could that have been the end of a chapter for the opening?

Then I checked back on famous moments in the opening:

Tal - Fischer, Bobby took a Tal pawn and asked him to prove it, well he did and its one of the best games ever.

Piket- Kasparov with Garry sacking on g3 with the black knight.

Okay its an addiction, maybe I'll leave the Slav alone for another year!

Martin

eBay chess update

2007-06-17T21:01:00.000Z

A quick update on the eBay listings that ended today:

Réti's Best Games at £21.50 sold for close to expectations, but the buyers picked up excellent bargains with Leningrad '63 going for £3.15 and The Delights of Chess for just £5.50.

I'll be putting three more super books on next week: The World Chess Championship 1951 first edition by Winter and Wade, a 1922 edition of the Laws and Practice of Chess by Howard Staunton, and an immaculate copy of Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings.

I'll keep you in the loop.

The Delights of Chess

2007-06-17T08:00:00.000Z

The bulk of the book "The Delights of Chess" by Assiac (see eBay listing) is taken up with fascinating written portraits and anecdotes about a number of chess masters. The portraits, written in the late 50's and mainly based on personal encounters, feature expected stars such as Botvinnik, Reshevsky, Gligoric, Tal, Smyslov, and Keres; greats of yester-year including Lasker and Euwe; the upper echelons of English chess such as C.H.O.D. Alexander, Leonard Barden, Harry Golombek and an emerging Jonathan Penrose; a pair of German players (reflecting the author's background) Unizicker and Uhlmann; and a very surprising inclusion, the young American William Lombardy.

As well as being a Grandmaster, William Lombardy was also a catholic priest. He was a fine player, he won the World Junior title in 1958, but is perhaps best known as Fischer's second and the man instrumental for ensuring that Fischer actually turned up for his 1972 World Title match with Spassky in Reykjavik. Lombardy's own account of the events around the match is a fascinating read.

The chapter titles in "The Delights of Chess" are abstract yet descriptive of the subject player. Lombardy's chapter is entitled "Solid young man", not just a reference to his style of play!

Our teaser today is can you match the following seven chapter titles with the correct player?

Chapters:

Youthful veteran
Paradise regained
Warbling world-beater
Veteran prodigy
He conquered a nation for chess
Never a dull game
Genius is never satisfied

Players (jumbled order): David Bronstein, Vassily Smyslov, Samuel Reshevsky, Mikhail Tal, Mikhail Botvinnik, Dr. Max Euwe, Paul Keres

Good luck!

Check out "The Delights of Chess" on eBay.

Chess picture challenge

2007-06-16T15:36:00.000Z

Lest any of you should be worried that recent articles featuring Anna Matnadze and Almira Skripchenko show Chess Tales adopting a certain sexual bias, let me quickly balance the coverage by showing this photo of two fine young men:

The photo is scanned from the February 1989 edition of Schach Report, and shows them at the European Junior Chess Championships where they tied for first place. They both went on to become Super Grandmasters and compete in the candidates matches. Can you name them?

The first rule of chess club is... nobody talks about chess club

Chess in the attic: February 1989

2007-06-16T14:33:00.000Z

On my latest trip to the attic, I "discovered" a collection of German chess magazines from a great year I spent in Bavaria after graduating. Bavaria is beautiful, crazy, fantastic and a whole collection of paradoxs, but that's a heap of other stories.

The magazine, Schach Report, is the German equivalent of the British Chess Magazine. It combined two publications, Deutsche Schachblatter and Deutsche Schachzietung. The February 1989 edition contains a host of interesting snippets.

It was Candidates quarter final time, and surprise names had made it into the last 8: Canadian Kevin Spragget who was playing Artur Yusupov in Quebec, Icelander Johan Hjartarson up against Anatoly Karpov in Seattle, and Jonathan Speelman who had already defeated Nigel Short. The final match featured two 'expected names' Lajos Portisch up against Jan Timman in Antwerp.

Actually, Speelman's name shouldn't be too much of a surprise. He was ranked number 4 in the World at the time, and was to qualify for the next Candidate's cycle as well, allowing Nigel Short to extract revenge for this defeat. It was a peak time for English chess, the magazine shows 3 Englishmen in the top 10 in the FIDE list:

1 Garry Kasparov 2775
2 Anatoly Karpov 2750
3 Nigel Short 2650
4 Jonathan Speelman 2640
5 Alexander Beliavsky 2640
6 Vassily Ivanchuk 2635
7 Valery Salov 2630
8 Zoltan Ribli 2625
9 Ulf Andersson 2620
10 John Nunn 2620

In the Bundesliga, defending champions Porz, strengthened by the arrival of two American GM's Larry Christiansen and John Federowicz, were putting some pressure on Bayern Munchen (top boards Wolfgang Hubner and Zoltan Ribli) the league leaders. Amazingly Wuppertal, a team that included Grandmasters William Watson and Daniel King languished at the bottom of the second division with no wins.

The strong Groningen tournament had been won by Ian Rogers ahead of favourite John Nunn. The field included two up and coming young players: future FIDE 'World Champion' Alexander Khalifman and French superstar Joel Lautier. Meanwhile in the accompanying open tournament, Tony Miles was making 15 moves out of 38 with his king in this crazy loss to Hergott:

Hergott - Tony Miles, Groningen Open 1988
1. Nf3 d6 2. g3 e5 3. c4 f5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d4 e4 6. Nh4 c6 7. f3 exf3 8. exf3 g6 9. Bg5 Bg7 10. Qd2 Kf7 11. O-O-O Re8 12. Bd3 Qb6 13. g4 fxg4 14. fxg4 Bxg4 15. Bxf6 Bxd1 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Nf5+ Kg8 18. Rxd1 Qc7 19. Ne4 Re6 20. Nh6+ Kh8 21. Rf1 Na6 22. Nf7+ Kg8 23. Nf6+ Rxf6 24. Rxf6 Rf8 25. Nh6+ Kg7 26. Rxf8 Kxf8 27. c5 dxc5 28. Bxa6 bxa6 29. dxc5 Ke8 30. Qd6 Qxd6 31. cxd6 Kd7 32. Nf7 h5 33. Ne5+ Kxd6 34. Nxg6 Kc5 35. h4 Kd4 36. Nf4 Ke3 37. Nxh5 Kf2 38. Nf6 Kg1 0-1

Do any of you know Hergott's first name?

And finally, a dispute was brewing up between FIDE and the Grandmasters' Association (GMA) in battle for power at the top of world chess, with Garry Kasparov refusing to play in anymore FIDE tournaments whilst Campomanes remained president. It wouldn't be chess without a FIDE dispute.

Chess in the attic: Leningrad 1963

2007-06-15T19:59:00.000Z

Viktor Korchnoi was probably the favourite to win the USSR Championship at Leningrad in 1963. He was the defending champion, had performed magnificently a few months previously in Havana, and Leningrad was his home town. His strenuous schedule in 1963, and perhaps the pressure of expectation, took it's toll though, and his wins were punctuated with some morale sapping losses that finally ruled him out of the battle for first place.

Leonid Stein was a somewhat surprise winner, at the time, of the tournament. He finished ahead of not just Korchnoi, but also Spassky, Bronstein, Geller, Taimanov, Polugayevsky and other stars. Stein went on, though, to win 2 more Soviet chess championships and host of strong international tournaments. He remained in the World's top 10 until his untimely death from a heart attack in 1973 (he was just 38 years old).

The tournament book is still available on eBay at a bargain price!

In last Friday's chess puzzle, we looked at quick win by Gligoric with the Black pieces in a Najdorf Poisoned Pawn. At Leningrad 1963, it was Gipslis with White winning a miniature in the line against Korchnoi:

Aivars Gipslis - Viktor Korchnoi, USSR Ch. Leningard 1963
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4
Qb6 8.Qd2 Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.f5 Nc6 11.fxe6 fxe6 12.Nxc6 bxc6
13.e5 dxe5 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Ne4 Be7 16.Be2 O-O 17.Rb3 Qa4 18.c4
Kh8 19.O-O Ra7 20.Qh6 f5 21.Rg3 Bb4 22.Nf6! 1-0

Chess master: Anna Matnadze

2007-06-15T13:32:00.000Z

Chess Tales had some visits today from possibly the longest name in the blogosphere: LAS, Las aventuras de Sarakhatkhan. Of course, I had to check to it out. It turns out the blog belongs to International Master and Women's Grandmaster Anna Matnadze.

Anna's blog is quirky, fun and full of photos. She's the latest in a long line of fabulous women players from Georgia (her rating is about to climb to 2409) but is residing in Barcelona and blogs in Spanish.

I'll work hard on some excuses to feature a lot more of Anna on Chess Tales!

Chess photos

2007-06-15T12:17:00.000Z

Today I discovered some fascinating old chess photos and incredible videos on a Brazilian chess site, xeque.net. It's definitely worth a visit, even if you don't speak Portuguese.

One photo I came across was Boris Ivkov playing Tigran Petrosian in 1979, we featured their encounter at this event (albeit with colours reversed) in a recent Friday chess puzzle:

The first image that caught my eye though, was this incredible picture of what I guess must have been the Leningrad Boys Chess Team:

Without the captions, it would have made for a great quiz question.

Other highlights on the site include video coverage of Tal, Fischer, Keres and Benko at Zagreb 1959, and amazing footage of Capablanca, Alekhine, Grunfeld and others from the Moscow tournament in 1925!

Friday chess puzzles 10

2007-06-15T08:00:00.000Z

Today's chess puzzles are both elegant finishes played by Richard Réti.

Réti's Best Games of Chess on eBay

The first is against Dr Max Euwe in Amsterdam in 1920:

How did Réti, playing Black, force a win from this position?

Our second position is the conclusion to Réti's brilliancy prize winning miniature against Efim Bogojuboff at New York 1924:

How did Réti, playing White, finish this masterpiece?

Answers to roger AT 21thoughts DOT com. I'll publish the solutions next Wednesday.

Chess and Poker

2007-06-14T11:40:00.000Z

I worked for a while in Johannesburg, and a colleague and I would often head up to Sun City for the weekend, play some golf on the crazy but fantastic Lost City course (it includes one hole where you play over a pit full of huge crocodiles), eat great food, and enjoy the rays. Around midnight, my colleague would head off to the casino and play a few hands of poker or blackjack. He played against the other punters rather than the house, and never once failed to cover the costs of his hotel, golf, food and had a few rand left over to pay for beer.

I didn't think much of it at the time, but over recent years it's been difficult to miss the rapid growth of poker in the UK. At business seminars, I've met accountants who tell me they are European ranked and operate poker businesses as a sideline, and increasingly you hear stories linking chess and poker.

Apparently, there is a school of thought that chess players, as master strategists with the ability to concentrate for long periods of time, are ideally suited to be poker sharks. It even turns out that team mate and Chess Tales contributor Paul Dargan is something of a poker expert.

In France, they took the chess and poker tie-in very seriously, inviting WGM Almira Skripchenko to take part in a televised poker competition. It seems Almira, pictured above, impressed (unsurprisingly!) and an appearance at the Ladies World Poker Championship followed.

Other chess celebs 'turning poker' include International Master Angus Dunnington who liked it so much he's now working for a poker company, and Greg Shahade, who's managed to get PokerStars.com to sponsor the US Chess League.

Poker like chess is also being played increasingly online. In the UK, the betting exchanges lke Betfair and Betsson, and traditional bookmakers / casinos like Betfred Poker are running some good introductory offers (free bets!) if you fancy trying the game. Whilst, in the US, you might want to check out DuplicatePoker:

Play Texas Hold'em. Play for Free or Play for Cash. Get $25 Free for First Time Users. DuplicatePoker.com

And finally a few pointers to further reading:

Poker replaces chess as favourite intellectual pastime

Poker theory... playing chess

and from the USCF, ten reasons not to quit chess for poker

Computer chess Q&A

2007-06-14T07:50:00.000Z

For those of you interested in computer chess and programming: Phil Dornbusch's Chess and Strategy blog is hosting a question and answer session with Stefan Meyer-Kahlen, the developer of the Shredder computer chess program.

Chess and Strategy is a french blog, but I'm sure Philippe won't mind you hijacking it with a few questions in english.

Richard Réti: New York 1924

2007-06-13T12:07:00.000Z

To coincide with listing Réti's Best Games of Chess on eBay, I'll talk this week about some of his finest moments.

At the famous New York International Chess Tournament 1924 Richard Réti defeated two World Champions, Capablanca and Alekhine, and won the 'first brilliancy prize' for a 25 move miniature against Bogoljuboff. Capablanca lost very few games in his career, and incredibly, his defeat against Réti was his first loss for 8 years!

This is the crucial position, after 25 moves, where Réti, playing White, found a move that sounded the death knell for Capablanca:

26 Nd4!

The game concluded:

26 ... Bxg2; 27 Kxg2 Qe5; 28 Nc4 Qc5; 29 Nc6 Rc7; 30 Ne3 Ne5; 31 R1d5 resigns

I was amazed to find that 31 R1d5 was actually a sealed move. Did they really play sessions as short as 30 moves at New York?

You can play through the games against Capablanca and Alekhine online.

Friday chess puzzles 9: the solutions

2007-06-13T10:57:00.000Z

On Friday, I set you two great chess finishes to find from Sicilian encounters. The response was great, with particularly detailed and accurate analysis from Prashant, Chris, and Yemon.

For the first:

Gligoric finished Maric off with 1 ... Rb3!!

And in the second:

Nunn's killer against Murshed was 1 Be5!!

You can find both these games, and a host of other fabulous Sicilians in Nesis's book, "Tactics in the Sicilian".

You can play through Maric - Gligoric and Nunn - Murshed online

Antique Chess Books on eBay

2007-06-12T15:47:00.000Z

I've listed 3 wonderful 'antique' chess books (all first editions) on eBay today:

The USSR Chess Championship Leningrad 1963, won by Stein ahead of a field that included Spassky, Korchnoi, Bronstein, Polugayevsky, Geller, Taimanov, Furman, Cholmov. One of the nice 'quirks' about this book is that includes a description of the benefits of algebraic notation.

The Delights of Chess by Assiac. Published in 1960 this is a collection of annotated games, essays and anecdotes about the world of chess, players and tournaments throughout the late 1950s. It is written by Heinrich Fraenkel, author of the famous Assiac column in the New Statesman.

And finally, the pièce de résistance, Reti's Best Games, chosen and annotated by Golombek. One of the finest games collections ever written: 70 games, and much more, played by the great Hypermodern who died tragically young from Scarlet Fever.

Karpov in Valjevo

2007-06-12T12:15:00.000Z

Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov is playing in the Gorenje chess tournament at Valjevo in Serbia. The tournament starts tomorrow, and is Karpov's first round robin event since 2003.

Bulgarian site Chessdom is covering the event in depth.

World Computer Chess Championship

2007-06-12T08:53:00.000Z

Phil Dornbusch has let me know that, starting today, his Chess & Strategy blog will be carrying a series of 'on the spot' articles from the World Computer Chess Championship:

Exclusif: Chess & Strategy publie ce matin un reportage sur le championnat du Monde des ordinateurs à Amsterdam, un premier article signé Fabian Brau, notre correspondant sur place.

I have a couple of computer engines, Fritz on my PC and a free version of Hi-arcs on the Mac, but am never tempted to play against them, just using them in the background when I'm analysing a game.

With the 24/7 availability of human opponents online, do you ever play a game against Fritz, Junior, Rybka or any of the other engines out there?

Sponsoring chess players

2007-06-11T17:39:00.000Z

I had lunch today with the owner of a sports management agency, and moved the conversation onto the concept of businesses sponsoring chess players (ok, more truthfully, I asked, tongue in cheek, "who was going to sponsor me to play at the British Championships").

Having initially dismissed it as a non-starter, we then decided that whilst obviously not in the same league as golfers, tennis players and footballers, chess players might nonetheless be a more attractive association for some businesses than we'd first thought.

I know that some national chess organisations have received 'philanthropic' backing from businesses, but I'm not aware of many individual players having sponsors, Luke McShane with Psion and Garry Kasparov with Intel are exceptions that come to mind.

Are you aware of any other sponsored chess players?

What's the most exciting thing chess players could do to attract sponsors, and what's our least attractive attribute?

What businesses would make the worst and best targets for chess?

Bishop pawns: the solution

2007-06-11T15:28:00.000Z

On Saturday I showed you a line in a bishop and bishop pawn vs. knight ending, reaching this position:

I then asked you to find the first 2 moves of Black's drawing solution from here.

The draw relies on a stalemate theme (bishop pawns are an interesting customer when it comes to stalemate themes). In this position, Black should play:

1 ... Ka8!

when 2 Kxc8 is stalemate

and if 2 Kc6 then 2 ... Nb6! and again any capture of the knight gives stalemate.

So, White can make no progress and the game is drawn.

Several of you spotted the first move, but finding the second ... Nb6 proved more difficult.

Whilst knight endings are relatively uncommon, it does pay to know some of the drawing (and winning) resources.

Le 'blogosphere des echecs'

2007-06-10T16:21:00.000Z

Le monde français throws up some interesting sites in the chess blogosphere. The latest site I've discovered there is "Echecs, cinéma, TV et DVD... léger", which translated (I had to look up léger!) means "chess, cinema, TV and DVD... lighthearted".

Anyway, it's a fun site that spots chess scenes / references on the big and little screen, and welcomes 'spots' from its readers.

Everytime I try to speak french, I'm reminded of the Fawlty Towers episode where Basil is getting increasingly 'hot under the collar' as he's teased suggestively by a french guest:

Basil: Et maintenant un peu café?
Mrs Peignoir: Ah, oui, s'il vous plait. Café au lait.
Basil: Café what?
Mrs Peignoir: Au lait.
Basil: Ah! Café... Olé!

BBC Mastergame chess series

2007-06-10T13:05:00.001Z

Does anyone have the BBC Mastergame on VHS / DVD?

The Mastergame was a series of chess programmes that the BBC ran back in the late 70's / early 80's. It covered a collection of games from tournaments put on by the BBC, and included some great players such as Karpov, a young Short, Miles and Gligoric.

Highlights of the game were shown along with the Grandmasters talking about the thoughts and ideas they had during play. It was great chess TV.

I wanted some footage for a previous 'chess in the attic' post, and now, Sean Parker, over on chessforums.org is also looking for copies of the programmes.

Best endgame guide

2007-06-09T23:10:00.000Z

I've sung the praises of Averbakh's Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge more than a few times on Chess Tales, but have been reprimanded by one reader for not mentioning Karsten Muller's Fundamental Chess Endings.

The subtitle includes the word 'Encyclopedia' which usually makes me wary, but I have to say the reviews are outstanding and the blurb sounds enticing: firstly it's accessible to beginners (and experts!), providing tuition, principles, and practical play guides as well as reference, and secondly, it benefits from computer endgame tables and analysis to ensure the variations are sound.

Let me know your thoughts if you have a copy. Thanks!

Soviet School update

2007-06-09T19:16:00.000Z

The Soviet School of Chess sold on eBay. I'd hoped the book would raise more; the French buyer has picked up a wonderful bargain.

The market for 'antique' chess books on eBay is hard to judge, although seems a lot quieter now than a year or two back. I've sold some great chess books for more than £50 (around $100) in the past; we'll see how the Botvinnik autographed book does, it's definitely a buyers market at the moment.

Have any of you Chess Tales readers had any experience of selling on eBay?

Bishop pawns

2007-06-09T09:35:00.000Z

One piece of advice I heard recently was:

"don't bother too much with the theory of knight endings"

Which is probably fair comment.

Knight endings don't occur very often and the manouevres required to force a pawn through to queen can be complex. However, it's still useful to have an idea whether a position should be won or lost, and 'fun' to look at the occasional solution.

Knights can usually defend against a bishop and pawn if you can get your king in front of the pawn, but fail when the king can't blockade the pawn. The typical win, in this case, involves manouevring the bishop to restrict the knight's mobility and then advancing the pawn. When the pawn is a bishop pawn though, the drawing chances (as usual!) increase.

Take a look at this position from Averbakh's Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge,

White carries out the first stage of the 'winning' manouevre, restricting the knight's mobility:

1 Kd7 Nc8; 2 Bd4 Ne7; 3 Be3 Nc8; 4 Bc5

Everything seems to have gone to plan, but can you see how Black salvages a draw (first 2 moves of the solution)?

Hartlepool Chess Photos

2007-06-08T14:56:00.000Z

Martin Seeber has sent some photos from the final round at Hartlepool.

This is me starting to lose the drift in my final round encounter with Jimmy Simpson:

Chess Tales contributor Paul Dargan in action against Eddie Hurwitz:

Antonio Moneva Jordan, who wrote the piece on chess in Zaragoza:

And finally, Jimmy Simpson looking worried despite having built up a dangerous initiative. On board 2 back to camera is Jonathan Hawkins, winner of the Major Open at the British Championships:

La question people du mercredi: pinky dream!

2007-06-08T11:15:00.000Z

Check out Philippe Dornbusch's latest chess picture quiz:

La question people du mercredi: pinky dream!

Friday Chess Puzzles 9

2007-06-08T09:40:00.000Z

We have two superb Sicilian chess finishes for you to find today.

The first is Maric vs Gligoric from Belgrade 1962, and it's a Najdorf Poisoned Pawn game (1 e4 c5; 2 Nf3 d6; 3 d4 cd; 4 Nxd4 Nf6; 5 Nc3 a6; 6 Bg5 e6; 7 f4 Qb6; 8 Qd2 Qxb2). The super risky Poisoned Pawn variation was all the rage in the 60's and 70's, even being ventured by Fischer in his world title match with Spassky, but is seldom seen in top level chess nowadays.

How did Gligoric, playing Black, force a win on the spot from this position?

Our second game, Nunn vs Murshed from London 1985, is another typical Sicilian, sides have castled on opposite wings and both launched potentially mating attacks.

Black's last move (... Rd2, threatening ... Rxb2) appears devestating, but Nunn, playing White found a spectacular winning move, can you find it?

You can find both these games, and a host of other fabulous Sicilians in Nesis's book, "Tactics in the Sicilian"

Answers to roger AT 21thoughts DOT com. The solutions will be published on Wednesday.

The trouble with eBay

2007-06-07T18:06:00.000Z

The trouble with eBay, actually it could equally well be the trouble with Analytics, or Adsense, or you techy name it, is that it is too addictive.

I put the Soviet School of Chess on earlier this week, and end up checking every 5 minutes how it's progressing. The auction finishes on Saturday; I'm hoping the price will quadruple, we'll see.

New to eBay?

Openings on Chess Tales

2007-06-07T12:09:00.000Z

I just prepared a reply to someone on a forum, and realised that we've reviewed ideas in a quite a few openings on Chess Tales.

Here's an index:

I have notes that Yemen would like to see something on the Scandanavian with Nf6, and Prashant on the Queen's Gambit Accepted. If there's anything else you'd like to see, please let me know.

Chess in Lisbon, Portugal

2007-06-07T10:15:00.000Z

If anyone's heading out to Lisbon to play chess, or knows the details of any strong tournaments over there, please let me know. A friend of mine has a great apartment available to rent in the Estoril district of the city.

One of the challenges in playing a long tournament is finding good accommodation: hotels are fine for weekend events, but can be claustrophic and wallet draining for a week long event. With the need to access online games databases, and of course to blog!, a broadband connection is also pretty much essential.

Maybe we should set up a chain of 'chess friendly rentals' around the globe. Any recommendations for great tournaments & accommodation welcome.