Why do chessmasters play so well?
Psychologists studied chessmasters and rank beginners regarding their abilities to assess chess positions, including attributes and general comprehension.
They found that masters analyze chess positions better than patzers because masters have larger piece groups and fewer of them. This enables masters to more easily parse the dynamics between arbitrary groups, -however notionally defined. Beginners have many small sets of pieces, so they must work harder.
Sets are often defined by motif, such as "the set of king-side attacking pieces." As elements are added to a set, the associated possibilties increase.
A useful method of assessing and debugging chess positions is "Pawn Stucture Chess". We know that two types of flat maps exist. Political (depicting country names, locations and borders) and topographical (showing elevations with contour lines, rivers, etc.)
I tried to improve my chess by memorizing openings from Informants. I did this for thirty+ years and my USCF rating consistently hovered at low class A (1800).
The problem was that my opponents strayed from recommended continuations somewhere between moves 8 to 12. And I simply didn't know how to respond. I abandoned this method, as it was getting me nowhere.
Enter "Pawn Stucture Chess". The premise is that categorizing the pawn topographies and playing accordingly, is easier for humans than to laboriously attempt to assimilate the various knowledge by playing over hundreds of games from books or computers.
Note that there about ~12 shortcut major pawn topographies, well within the grasp of most players. You can always augment and fine-tune your opening repetoire by reading dedicated chess opening monographs later.
For example: A common pawn topography is the "isolated queen pawn", often present in popular openings, including the French Defense exchange, the Caro-Kan Panov-Botvinnik attack, Queen's Gambit accepted, and even occasionally in the Sicilian defence. Or the popular: "open Sicilian-English."
I read it and became a USCF National Master in three months (1982).
Budding masters can (and do) save a lot of shoe leather by learning the associated strategies behind several topographies. Often the pawns tell the pieces where to move, where to attack and where to defend, how to equalize, where to advance, associated pawn rollers and exchanges, etc.
There is no "good side" or "bad side" to any pawn layout. Just criteria each side should know and apply. Yes, the player with the "isolated queen pawn" has things to do and things to avoid. Same with the opponent. The nature and level of aggresion (and positional considerations) applied hinges on the pawn setup.
How can aspiring chessplayers improve?
By counting ("chunking") and striving to create the largest thematic groups of pieces for easier and effective analysis.
That pen and pencil jar at home? Count the items, but not singly. Count three pens plus two pencils. Don't count 1-2-3-4-5! Practice until you can quantify or "take in" a single group of all five items. Count cars in a parking lot. Count pictures on a wall. Count a handful of coins. This will make your chessboard analyis groups constructs larger and easier to parse, evaluate and manipulate.
How can I assess a chess position?
Think of time, material, and space as individual coins offered and exchanged regularly during a chess game.
Only rarely can a player snatch an opponent's coin without surrendering one his own coins.
Decide whether such a swap is advisable. Is acquiring the opponent's shiny coin really worth compromising what you actually want?
You might be a low master if you...
Play the first few rounds of a tournament then drop out to avoid meeting serious opposition.
Neglect post-mortem sessions which give duffers insight about your valuable, secret pet lines.
Believe that the key to winning chess games is automatic pawn exchanges.
Rely on computers assessments rather than doping it out yourself.
Trust the latest analysis from Moscow rather than your own instincts.
Scrutinize the player list to see if you will face serious opposition. And walk out if prospects look bleak.
Prefer grabbing material (mostly pawns) rather than playing good chess.
Consider yourself the custodian of your USCF rating, rather than simply enjoying chess.
Worry about dipping below 2200, because your USCF rating is the fashion statement that defines you.
Played a USCF-rated match with a player rated 150 points below you to safely push your rating over 2200.
You might be a high master if you...
Play to improve your position, following principles and themes, eschewing material loss or gain.
Routinely show others correct lines, knowing that you will have more ideas and lines later.
Acknowlege computer assessments, but realize that being up "+1.43" isn't really saying anything.
Are willing to match anyone at any time.
Prefer playing real chess rather than bean-counting pawns and pieces.
Don't sweat dipping below 2200, because a USCF rating is just a number.
Routinely assess positions more descriptively than a chess engine.
An excursion into club software ends
I'm playing less in-person chess now and coding web pages less frequently. Until recently, I maintained a web app that helped run the club weekly event.
They prefer to address the tasks of accounting, maintaining the club membership list, pairings, and USCF rating reports using time-honored, old-school methods. It's a free country and they can quietly pursue a life of religious fulfillment, if they so choose.
The Little Girl Who Met Jesus
There was an atheist couple who had a daughter. The couple never told their daughter anything about the Lord. One night, when the little girl was five years old, the parents fought with each other and the dad shot the mom, right in front of the child. Then, the dad shot himself.
The little girl watched it all. She was sent to a foster home. The foster mother was a Christian and took the child to church. On the first day of Sunday School, the foster mother told the teacher that the girl had never heard of Jesus, and to have patience with her.
The teacher held up a picture of Jesus and said, "Does anyone know who this is?" The little girl said, "I do. That's the man who was holding me the night my parents died."
Holy Sojourners has more heart-warming religious stories.
2nd Amendment gun rights in 2023
Some Americans want to own military-grade weapons. But the increased firing rate of large capacity magazines enables well-armed crazy people to shoot up schools while tagging scores of innocent children.
The U.S. Constitution's 2nd Amendment guarantees gun ownership rights to most Americans. But it was not drafted to protect sportsmen who hunt animals. Read on.
About twenty years ago I was watching C-SPAN coverage of a U.S. Senate hearing on gun control. A large table displayed various "street-sweepers" Mac 10's and the like. Some Senator, an obvious sportsman and gun enthusiast, opined that these guns shown were absolutely useless for hunting animals.
The NRA representative retorted that, indeed, the guns were not intended for hunting. "They're for you."
Long guns should be restricted to single shot bolt action rifles. Armed with six-shot revolvers, cops used to load only five bullets. This left the hammer aligned with a blank chamber. Impossible for a cop to accidently shoot himself. He didn't worry about having one less bullet in his war against violent criminals. He knew that if he couldn't finish a perp with five shots, then he couldn't do it in six.
Same thing applies today with sport hunting. If you can't shoot well enough to bring down a deer with one shot, perhaps you need more practice at a rifle range. After all, our ancestors had no alternatives to a basic one-shot fire and reload rifle.
Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy
Presently the USA depends on China (and Taiwan) ) to supply the computer chips powering our cameras, smartphones, TV's, military hardware, and more. The problem is that one day the Chinese may say, "No more chips for you, USA!"
Perhaps Ramaswamy, a billionaire Republican, has an inclusive solution to America's chip deficit crisis. Manufacturing these chips requires a skilled labor force. He believes we'll need the talents and expertise of our inner city Americans to craft those high-tech chips. I couldn't agree more.
Businesses can select all the talented engineers needed right now from American inner cities. Set aside stereotypes that suggest that such employees often live in areas with high crime rates. Crimes are basically forgivable. We could toughen up and come together. End racism and accept the fact that other races actually owe America zero allegiance. The new miracle workforce could solve our chip deficit and loosens the stranglehold that the Chinese enjoy over the USA.
The Week in Chess Magazine
Weekly digest of chess news and games by Mark Crowther. Founded 1994. Visit The Week in Chess Magazine for more info and TWIC in ChessBase or PGN format. I use Linux and chessx pgn database and viewer to read TWIC pgn data files.
blitz chess is evil incarnate but fun
Back in the 60's the Rochester Chess Club had a 10-second per move electric buzzer that was rarely used. Then we used chess clocks for 5-minute games. This remained popular for at least fifty years. Older players claimed it was harmful and ruined chess. Younger players scoffed and continued to win.
With the advent of the internet, chess servers are largely devoted to blitz and bullet games. ICC and chess.com offer 5-minute games,
3-minute games, as well as 1-minute games.
5-minute chess is probably is fastest you can play without ruining your game. Most players who play 1 0 bullet chess find that their playing strength is permanently ruined. They will never be able to play good chess at standard OTB time limits again. That's just tough beans...
Today, Chess 1-2-3 is popular among young players aged five to twelve. Play two moves, and then exchange a piece or a pawn. Rinse and repeat. No planning or strategy is required. And yet, they win with it.
Some lessons from blitz, Does playing blitz chess really hinder your progression (sic) as a chess player?, Blitz Chess - Is it Ruining Our Minds?.
European tournament standards differ from American
In America, tournament directors are not held to the same annoyingly high standards as in Europe where all TD's are well-trained. You can't become a TD there by just paying fees. You study and pass multiple tests in front of a serious commission.
A chess TD in Europe is constantly vigilant and frequently intervenes, wexcluatching everything and noting violations, similar to American basketball, baseball, and football referees. But in American chess tournaments, the TD may see problems but doesn't interfere with play unless requested to by a player. Normal in USCF practice. It's practically a totally different chess culture in Europe.
Suppose a European Qualification Committee member, let's say in a Zurich chess club, noticed irregularities in a rated tournament. Players noisily eating potato chips, slurping soups over the board, almost using the board as a plate or a tray, talking during the game, not keeping score sheets, making moves with one hand and pressing the clock with the other, offering a draw more than once, etc. All of which regularly happens in RCC.
If the TD there condones that type of behavior, he would lose his TD certificate and the club would lose its license. They would be told, "You can have good time here socializing and playing chess, but forget about being affiliated with the national federation and FIDE. Just enjoy yourselves and you don't need any TDs at all."
The Rochester Chess Center must turn a profit to survive. But in a socialist country like Europe, businessmen are often well-dressed philanderers, supported by their rich contessa wives. What keeps the Rochester Chess Center afloat is snack bar sales. A genuine business, of course.
Resistance bands or resistance loops?
Physical therapists often recommend these as an easy, safe mode of exercise for women, the disabled, or elderly patients. These good folks typically head over to Amazon to shop for a compact set of inexpensive workout resistance elastics. Resistance bands (aka "bands") are simply open-ended strips of rubber. Resistance loops (aka "loops") are closed strips of rubber. Both methods have clear advantages. Which is better?
Resistance bands are adjustable, and longer than resistance loops. Easy as pie to wrap around one's back and perform exercises. The same task is more difficult with shorter resistance loops. But achievable by daisy-chaining multiple loops. Bands are more popular. Loops are safer, convenient, compact, easier to use, and the better choice for travel.
A simple and safe beginner's resistant loop setup and modification begins with a set of multi-colored resistance loops (not bands!) from Amazon. Cost around $10 for a set of five bands of various colors and strengths.
The bands are rubber and they dry out and can even break after repeated stretching. Often they feel tacky and awkward, even when new. Of course manufacturers treat their resistant loops with "special oils" and powder to extend the working life. Not good enough! Check out Amazon resistance loops lube products.
After receiving the loops and lube, unpack the shipping box and carefully remove the cellophane from each loop. (Careful with that knife, Eugene.) Gather the loops loosely in your hands. Apply one teaspoon of lube directly onto the bundle of loops. Massage the oil into the band bundle. Spread the lube onto both sides of each loop. This helps to protect the loops from dehydrating and disintegrating and maintains the springiness of the loops.
Let's add powder to tone down the oilyness. Throw the freshly oiled loops into a reusable shopping bag. Add about a half-cup of body powder, baby powder, or talcum powder to the bag containing the loops. Swish the bag around to coat the loops in powder for at least one minute. Find an old dish towel. Remove a loop, and hold it firmly with one hand. Grasp the loop in the dish towel. Rotate the loop to remove the excess oil and powder from both sides. Repeat for each loop. The loops look and feel better, and will last longer. Generally, the silicone-based lube is non-toxic. Washing and reusing the slightly oily dishrag is entirely possible.
The bands are typically a set of four, sometimes five. One black band, usually labeled "HEAVY-X", should not be used as a foot loop, because the dirt and grit from the shoe sole will perforate the loop, weakening it. Instead, roll your own, from rugged nylon or polypropylene webbing.
A handy addition is an aluminum (not steel) rock climbing oval carabiner, such as the SMC Oval Aluminum Carabiner, which serves as a handle and organizes the individual loops for quick accessibility. Permits simultaneous grasping of one to five loops to increase or decrease the resistance. Avoids scattering the individual resistance loops all over the room or car. Stuffing the ganged loops into the little nylon storage bag becomes easier, faster and less cumbersome. Method: place all the resistance loops into the carabiner.
Construct a foot loop from 1" x 36" webbing, nylon or polypropylene.
For simplicity, safety, and easy inspection, we'll keep hardware to a minimum. Fuse-burn ("seal") both strap ends with a low-flame Bic lighter to prevent the loop ends from fraying and disintegrating. Might need to trim, shorten the strap length later.
Join the two ends of the sized webbing strap with zinc alloy metal adjustable Webbing release buckles. Metal, not plastic!
Insert the entire set of resistance loops into the foot loop. Place the foot loop over your foot, even with shoes on. Grab a resistance loop and try a few curls. Or just pull up on a loop. Not enough resistance? Add an additional loop, so that you're working against the combined strength of both loops. Too much resistance? Select a single, lighter loop.
However, be aware that these modifications with a non-looped resistance band is risky and not recommended. Knotting together the two ends of a resistance band degrades the band rubber, due to the inevitable knot stress.
Nothing to see here, folks. Please ... move along.
The unimpeachably honest media folks at CNN and MSNBC maintain that the US unemployment is down, and the economy is doing well. To them, the Southwest border crisis is a hoax perpetrated by Donald Trump's dangerous maga minions.
Most of our leaders are promoting the Democrat progressive liberal marxist socialist woke agenda. This misdirects the focus of attention of the American people. Meanwhile, the left-wing's crooked buddies are happily bankrupting US coffers while compromising US state secrets to hostile foreign governments (for cash, naturally). It will take at least five to ten years for the US to begin to recover, if at all.
Why .... would you bother voting in elections when our government is rapidly becoming little more than an upscale third world kleptocracy? What's the point of endorsing corrupt leaders who expropriate a country's wealth for their own personal benefit? Democracy is dead. Yes, I know that US Congress members (except Rep. Matt Gaetz) are on the take from special interest lobbyists. Greed certainly rules.
Related personal disclosure
About thirty years ago, I had an apartment in the trendy Park Avenue section of Rochester, NY. I was comfortable in my political dishonesty, if not truly happy, in my absurd viewpoints.
One bright Sunday afternoon, I walked through the RMSC grounds. I met "Steve" (another Gemini) walking his dog (actually an 80% Alaskan wolf). He shared his novel insights. I briefly considered calling the police, but that remedy seemed impractical and was quicky dismissed.
I listened a few minutes more and we parted. But something was wrong. I quickly ran home, tuned the TV to PBS, in a fruitless attempt to retrieve my previous, safe outlook and all its radical liberal views. Unfortunately, it was too late. I had lost something. Deeply saddened, I knew that there was no turning back. The jig was up. Steve's world view had changed my life. The most insightful conservative commentator is Mark Levin.
The Wedding Crasher
No one knows his name, where he's from, or much about him. He crashes weddings and just seamlessly blends in. Sometimes he's joking with the groom's crowd, other times he mingles with the bride's people.
Just before the marriage vows, from outside the church, he swings on a rope and crashes through a stained-glass window. Pistol in hand, he shoots the bride between the eyes, and shouts, "You'll thank me later!" And he runs off, leaving the crowd horrified.
Now, understand... the police aren't even looking for this guy. They have moon-bat crazy wives of their own, so they kinda understand the motivations involved. Of course, the case isn't really closed. However, progress doesn't seem forthcoming.