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Kelly Needs High-Level Annotated Games: 659.1 Do Smoking &/or Drinking Effect Your Chess Strength? Are Chess Games Won Or Lost? - 626.1 Opening Research With Chessbase 8 Looking For Books On Composing Chess Studies Dan Heisman Needs Games For Possible Book - 620.1 NCO vs DB Opening Report 150 Attack Sicilian Database Alekhine-Chatard Attack In the French Evan's Trading Booth - 327.16 Memorizing Games - 640.1 Memorize Which One Game? 642.1 Overwhelmed! Chicken & the Egg - 628.1 Brother7's Journal: From Class B To Master - 613.1
GAMES Pablo's Picks Shirov,A (2697) - Volokitin,A (2545) [B09] European Club Cup Halkidiki (2), 23.09.2002 1.e4 g6 Bischoff,K (2554) - Ivanchuk,V (2711) [D15] European Club Cup Halkidiki (1), 22.09.2002 1.c4 c6 Adams,M (2752) - Bareev,E (2726) [C07] European Club Cup Halkidiki (3), 24.09.2002 1.e4 e6
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September 29th, 2002 In This Issue
[FEN "6K1/3r3r/5kn1/5p2/5P2/6N1/8/4R1R1 w - - 0 1"] White to move and win - Find the
Solution Online Chess League Update In the Summer 2002 Tourney the Under-1800 Section saw the closest finish in the history of the OCL, going right down to the last game before the issue was decided. Amateur Minds (Paco Blanca, Dan Triplett, Caren Park, and Captain Michael Walsh) finished first on tiebreaks over Beam Me Up Scotty (Bob Kraemer, Keith Bean, Raymond Stonkus, Captain Toby Landes, and Weldon MacDonald). Both teams scored 6.0 match points, but Amateur Minds had the microscopic edge of 22.0 to 21.5 in game points. Congratulations to both teams! The Fall 2002 Tourney is still open for registration through October 6th. To register, click here. One of my team mates on the NDV All-Stars during the Summer 2002 tourney was IM David Smerdon. David beat GM Ian Rogers and IM Laszlo Hazai and almost beat GM Heikki Kalli on his way to victory in the recently concluded Gold Coast (Australia) tourney. Here is his victory over GM Ian Rogers from that event: Rogers - Smerdon, Gold Coast Classic, 1.c4 g6 2.Nc3
Nf6 3.d4 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5 Ne4 6.cxd5 Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6 8.Qd2 exd5 9.Qe3+ Kf8
10.Qf4 Bf6 11.h4 Kg7 12.e4 dxe4 13.Bc4 Qxd4 14.h5 h6 15.Qxc7 Rf8 16.Rd1 Be5
17.Rxd4 Bxc7 18.Ngxe4 Nc6 19.Rd1 f5 20.Nd6 Ne5 21.Be2 Rd8 22.Nxc8 Rxd1+
23.Kxd1 Rxc8 24.hxg6 Ba5 25.Kc2 Kxg6 26.Rd1 Bb6 27.f3 Nc6 28.Rd6+ Kg5 29.Kb1
Rd8 30.f4+ Kxf4 31.Rxh6 Rd2 32.Bf3 Bd4 33.Bxc6 bxc6 34.Rxc6 Rxg2 35.Rd6 Ke3
36.Nd5+ Ke4 37.Nc3+ Kd3 38.a4 f4 39.Nb5 Rxb2+ 40.Kc1 Rb4 41.Nxd4 Rxd4 42.Ra6
f3 43.Rxa7 f2 0-1
The Retrograde Analysis Corner This site provides a comprehensive look at chess compositions involving Retrograde Analysis. It was first created by Philippe Schnoebelen in April 1995, with the goal of providing "a repository where all retro-enthusiasts can find easy access to material pertaining to Retrograde Analysis." Later Joost de Heer took over maintenance of the materiel, and he continues to assist the current curator, Otto Janko. This site is an awesome example of what a large group of enthusiasts can accomplish. The material collected here "has been gathered ... from a large set of benevolent contributors, who spent their time and energy in the interest of the Retro community." The first section to visit, if you are new to Retrograde Analysis, is called "What Is Retrograde Analysis?" The short answer: "Retrograde Analysis is a genre of chess problems where the legality of the position is a key element. A position is legal if it can be reached through a legal chess game (no matter how weird). Retros (i.e. problems with a Retrograde Analysis content) may ask for e.g. a mate in two, but the main content (at least in modern retros) is in explaining the history of the position. Part of it anyway. This is essentially a matter of logical reasoning, with high appeal for puzzle enthusiasts." Let's look at an example from the sites pedagogical gallery:
The problem at right is a Mate-In-One, by W. F. von Holzhausen (Akademische Schachblätter, 1901) and that is all the information you are given. See if you can figure it out on your own before reading the following explanation. Give up? There is no immediate mate IF it is White to move. If it is White to move though, then what was Black's last move? Right, there is no legal move Black could have made last, to reach this position. Therefore White moved last, and it is now Black to move. Once you figure that part out, the rest is fairly simple: Black has only three moves possible - 1...Kxa7 2.b8=N mate. Or 1...Kxc7 2.bxa8=N mate. Or 1...Rxa7 2.Rc8 mate. This could be the easiest Retro problem you will ever see! That the site is well maintained is evidenced by the fact that there are 19 entries listed under "What's New" for the summer months of June, July, and August. The contents include a Retro Glossary, resources & books for Retro enthusiasts, problems from recent Retro columns, current Retro tourneys for composers, and several galleries of retro problems (including thematic collections prize winners, etc.) There is even a mailing list you can join to discuss Retros, and it appears to be fairly active, with 70 posts so far this month from 138 list members. While the home page's organization might be improved (it is essentially one long list) it hardly detracts from this fascinating genre of chess puzzles, nor from the amazing collection of material. This may be the single best online resource for Retro puzzles and resources. Drop in and look around, but be forewarned: Retro puzzles can be addictive! Here is one more puzzle suggested by Otto Janko as a good choice for the not-so-experienced retro solver:
The challenge is to decide Who mates-in-one! Remember - you
have to figure out how this position could be legally reached in order to
decide who's turn it is to move. Click
here for the solution.
Video Review: An exclusive review of Bad Bishop Production's first instructional video release. Problem of the Week: (N.B.: This is not the same series of problems which appears in The Chessville Weekly.) Annotated Game: Lasker v. Steinitz, WC Game 7, 1894. The turning point of the match!!! Book Review: Can You Be a Positional Chess Genius?
Online Resources and
ECO Codes for the French Defense.
The Scheming Scandinavian The Scheming Scandinavian, by Andrew Martin (Bad Bishop Productions, 2002). Video. Black’s constant quest to find an answer to 1.e4 continues into the 21st Century. All the average Black player is looking for is a defense that doesn’t take a lifetime to master (that rules out the Sicilian), doesn't require that he learn 20 different openings not including individual variations (1…e5 just disappeared) and doesn’t require him to defend for 50 moves to get a draw (there goes the French and the Caro Kann). Enter the Scandinavian, or as Andrew Martin calls it in his new video, The Scheming Scandinavian. Martin covers the variation 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5. Those of you yearning to play 2..Nf6 or 3..Qd8 will have to be content with the standard book format for now. A number of things distinguish this videotape from other
products on the market. First, it is over two hours long, so Martin gives
you a good solid look at the defense. It is comprehensive in that it looks
at all of the main ideas, including the Blackmar Diemer Gambit, which is a
response that essentially ignores the defense and offers a pawn. While he
gives concrete variations, Martin concentrates on teaching a player the
strategies and concepts behind the opening. In addition to learning about
the opening, you get pointers on the middlegame strategy necessary to win
with opening as well. Read Bill's entire review
here.
The Mad Aussie's Chess Trivia "World Champion Tournament Player": The Ostend 1907 featured players such as Tarrasch, Schlechter, Marshall, Burn and Chigorin. After winning the tournament, Tarrasch was crowned the "World Champion Tournament Player" by the tournament organizers. No-one took the title seriously, and it quickly disappeared into chess history. Doubles, Anyone?: In April 1929, Jose Capablanca and Geza Maroczy played a 4-game match in London, but not with the standard board and pieces. Instead, a 16 X 12 board was used, with 2 sets of pieces placed side by side. Pawns were able to move up to 4 squares on the first move, with en passant still being allowed. Kings could only castle in their own "half" of the board. The object of the game was to mate either one of the opponent's kings. Capablanca won the match 3-1 (+2, =2). This appears to have been the only "doubles" match played between major international players. "Thanks to everyone for sending me their favorite trivia. I hope to use many of these suggestions in future columns. Keep those e-mail messages coming! - Graham 'Mad Aussie' Clayton Submit your trivia to the
Mad Aussie!
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The Chess Cafe Scholastic Chess Update - Vol 2 Issue 7, September 2002 Chess FM - Check Out This New Site With Live Broadcasts Of Major Chess Events With IM Commentary! Chess CityEduard Gufeld In Memoriam: Reports, Photos, 1300+ Games, Annotated Games Fritz vs Junior: The True Story About Kramnik's Opponent Man vs Machine: Official Rules About.com Chess - Build An Opening Repertoire, Part II Chessbase Deep Shredder vs Russian Junior Champion GM Kiriakov IM Ricardo Calvo, 1943-2002 Drug Testing In Biel Rapid Ratings List - SURPRISE! The Globe and Mail - Chess Geeks At Muscle Beach Pakistan Chess PlayerLev Khariton's 200 Words: FIDE A Democracy? Mecca - New Links Mechanics' Institute Chess Room Newsletter #106 by IM John Donaldson FIDE Online FIDE Congress General Assembly Agenda for 11/2-11/02 in Bled Ignatius Leong: Statement On Withdrawal Of His Candidacy The Chess Drum The Mind of A Grandmaster - Interview With GM Maurice Ashley Seagaard Chess Reviews C. J. S. Purdy's Fine Art of Chess Annotation, Volume 2 + 3 by Purdy & Tykodi Frank Marshall, United States Chess Champion by Andy Soltis World Chess Network Larry Evans: The Fix Was On - 1948 World Championship Tourney RusBase Part Two - More of 1977 Added Annotated Games Chess SiberiaNottingham 1936: Botvinnik-Fine, Flohr-Capablanca, Winter- Vidmar Robert Byrne in The NY Times Polgar-Kasparov, Moscow 2002 Lubomir Kavalek in The Washington Post Forman-Kasparov(C), Shorov-Svidler Moscow 2002 Jack Peters in the LA Times Three Games By GM Eduard Gufeld Puzzles & Problems - A new tactical puzzle every day!Chessville - Problem of the Week Bruno's Chess Problem of the Day - Endgame Compositions National Scholastic Chess Foundation - Problem of the Week Problemesis - Issue #29: Tourneys, Problems
Chesshaven - Tactical Exercise of the Day Tell us about your favorite site that you would like us to
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Newsletter@Chessville.com Position of the Week: Solution
This week's position is perhaps the most famous early chess composition. It is by Abu'n Na'am, and recorded in the Al-Adli manuscript, circa 820 A.D. 1.Nh5+ Rxh5 2.Rxg6+ Kxg6 3.Re6 mate.
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Kelly's In chess, as it is played by masters, chance is practically eliminated. – Emanuel Lasker Heaven knows, we all make mistakes. That's life - and chess. – Woody Allen Half the variations which are calculated in a tournament game, turn out to be completely superfluous. Unfortunately, no one knows in advance which half. – Jan Timman
GAMES Eduard
Gufeld
E Gufeld - M Tal, USSR Ch. 1959, Exchange Lopez 1.e4 e5
V Bagirov - E Gufeld, USSR Ch. 1973, King's Indian Defense 1.d4 g6
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