“Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it.”
― Yves Saint-Laurent
''The devil tempts all men, but idle men tempt the devil''.--Arab proverb
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Saturday potpourri and other nonsense!
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
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IS THIS THE BEST YOU CAN DO?
Doesn't look like the 'horror' look at all! More like someone stuck a finger up her ass!
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Today's Rationalization!
''I am not addicted to COCAINE; I just like the way it smells!''
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WHERE'S JUNIOR??
Just kidding!
Only in America!
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Usually what happens when you try to find your own path...
Learn to improvise...
MEANWHILE, BACK TO SOME MORE MUSIC!
Shitty idea!
My kind of pub....
One of those weekends!
Hospital for chess addiction!
BACK DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND!
Modern marriage?
Guess who?
Where I get my coffee every morning!
Yet...
Great , sexy vídeo!
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IS THIS THE BEST YOU CAN DO?
Doesn't look like the 'horror' look at all! More like someone stuck a finger up her ass!
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Today's Rationalization!
''I am not addicted to COCAINE; I just like the way it smells!''
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WHERE'S JUNIOR??
Only in America!
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MEANWHILE, BACK TO SOME MORE MUSIC!
Shitty idea!
Hospital for chess addiction!
BACK DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND!
Where I get my coffee every morning!
Friday, May 24, 2013
Today's winning LESSON!
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
“The only things you learn are the things you tame”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Friday coffee...
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
Catalan Chess Federation applies for separate FIDE membership status
This past Tuesday the Catalan Chess Federation applied for separate FIDE membership status. LINK You can find some opinions about this HERE
This is not the first time that this application has been made. Apparently 12 years ago the Catalan Federation also applied ...but the application was rejected because FIDE insists that only states with UN seats can become separate FIDE members.
For my Canadian readers, the similarity with the Québec Chess Federation's application for separate FIDE membership status in the 1980's is clear. And FIDE also declined, along the exact lines as described above.
The people within the Catalan Chess Federation no doubt know that this week's application will also be rejected, but the separatist aspirations of many within Catalunya will not be discouraged. No doubt other sporting activities inside Catalunya are seeing similar applications made to the international bodies responsible.
For outsiders , such as myself, Spain is actually a very diverse community consisting of autonomous regions that even have their own separate languages (not Spanish--which is actually castellano). For exemple, Galiza speaks galego. Pais Basque speaks basque. Catalunya speaks catalan. The rest of Spain speak castellano. Basque and catalan have virtually nothing in common with castellano.
Furthermore, there are strong Independence movements inside both the Basque country and Catalunya. Economically, for the rest of Spain, allowing Independence would be a nightmare as the Basque country and Catalunya are the richest parts of Spain, both having just slightly less GDP-per capita ratios than Switzerland!
There are 3 million basques and 7.5 million catalans (Spain has a population of approximately 37 million) The Basques and Catalans argue that their taxes are going to support the rest of Spain, which they consider unfair.
Spain with/without Catalunya, compared with the rest of Europe. LINK
Fortunately for me, this is none of my business and so I don't take sides one way or the other! I consider Spain a great modern country with a long, fascinating and rich history. And I love the different cultures and languages I encounter when I am inside Spain--which is often. I think it is for the people living inside Spain to decide their future.
Ofcourse, when talking about Quebec's Independence aspirations, I have an opinion: I think Canada is stronger with Québec. If one day Québec decides to go its own way, however, then I would accept that decision.
WESLEY SO takes Calgary International!
Congrats to youngster Wesley So for a super performance at the Calgary International which took place between the 14th and 20th of May! Scoring 8 points from 9 games, he finished 2 points ahead of gm's Van Kampen, Hansen and Mikhalevski.
While So's performance can hardly be better, much as in the case of some of Fischer's greatest successes-- what happened on the board did not always reflect in the final score. So had a number of difficult positions and could have lost at one or two points. However, I would not call this luck...Wesley simply never gave up in any game, always made it difficult for his opponent and kept landing on his feet! This is why So is a great player...
Readers can find games to download HERE .Plus you can get much more coverage at Michael Yip's blog Canada Chess News
Below is So's very interesting victory over Mikhalevski
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2013 CZECH CHAMPIONSHIP
This is taking place right now until the 29th and features some pretty strong players, Navara being highest rated. LINK The tournament is run as a round robbin and has ten players, including 7 Gm's!
Navara played a very instructive game against Cvek in the second round, featuring some very nice tactics--in an effort to take advantage of Cvek not having castled early:
POSITION AFTER WHITE'S 21st MOVE (21.g3)
gm NAVARA
gm CVEK,Rob
The game continued very energetically
21...Bg4+!
If now White retreats to the back rank (for example, 22.Ke1) then Black breaks thru decisively with 22...Rxc3 23.QxR d4! with a huge attack. Equally discouraging is 22.f3 when Black gets a clear edge with 22...Bxf3+! 23.KxB Qf5+!, recovering the piece and having an extra pawn. However, this is the best that White can do in this position....INSTEAD, Cvek thought he had better:
22.Kd2?! Rc4!!
If now 23.PxR PxP 24.Nb5!? (what else?) 24...RxQ+ 25.NxQ Qa5+! and the White King will get cut down in the cross fire of the Queen-Bishop team.
Probably completely taken by surprise, Cvek collapsed completely with
23.Qxa7? Qf6!
The game soon ended
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A PIC IS WORTH A 1,000 WORDS!
Grand Prix in Greece this week! Photo of Kamsky (with the cap) playing Grischuk; Nakamura--dressing very italian-- kibitzing (!) Earlier this month FIDE proposed a dress-code that prohibits caps...what would happen if Kirsan saw Kamsky sporting a cap? Do you think he would flip out?
No! Kirsan saw the cap and did not say a word! Moral of the story: rules are made to be broken!
Schmid Part II : Chess games and tactics
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
Grandmaster Lothar Schmid: 1928--2013
Continuing our dedication to the late Lothar Schmid, below are some very nice tactical positions from his games. Possessing a very classical style tempered with a fine feel for the initiative, it is therefore not surprising that many of the finishes to Schmid's games have that brilliant Paul Morphy shine to them!
im MEDINA-GARCIA,Ant
LOTHAR SCHMID
From Gstaad, 1973. Position after 24 moves. Material is even but White holds a number of key trumps, including having the better coordinated and active pieces, control of the d-file and (most important here) it is his move!
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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LOTHAR SCHMID
gm PORTISCH,L
Leipzig ol, 1960. White has been pressuring Black for a long time and finally an opportunity has arisen for the break-thru. Notice that virtually all of Black's pieces are undefended...usually not the thing to do when team-work is required to hold things together...
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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gm DARGA,Klaus
LOTHAR SCHMID
Germany, 1967. Position after 29 moves. This position is the culmination of one of Schmid's best efforts, in my opinion. An unimpressively played opening followed by some truly extraordinary middlegame play, the student will do well to study Schmid's play starting from move 24.
Here it seems as though White has a lot of dangling , uncoordinated pieces. BUT this can not be farther from the truth!
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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KINZEL,Ant
LOTHAR SCHMID
Siegen ol, 1970. Position after 23 moves. This game reminds me of something from Paul Morphy! Both players have played very sharply and it seems that Schmid might have over extended. Black threatens ...a6, winning a piece, as White's Knight must defend the White Rook.
A closer look at the position reveals some interesting tactics; if 24.Qe5 (threatenng a nasty discovered check), then 24...Rd5! holds. Or if 24.Qf4 then 24...Ka8! and Black is hanging on.
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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PEDERSEN
LOTHAR SCHMID
From a correspondence game, 1963. A super sharp French Defence has kept both players on their toes! Black has just played 28...Rxe3. If White now takes the Rook then 29...Qe4+ is atleast a perpetual check.
What I like about this example is that it seems as though the White King is the more vulnerable, an observation proven untrue by Schmid's continuation...
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
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CASTALDI,V
LOTHAR SCHMID
WHITE TO PLAY AND MATE IN TWO MOVES!
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BHEND,Ed
LOTHAR SCHMID
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CASTALDI,V
Bern, 1957. Pins and more pins! White has a wide choice of promising continuations, most good enough to win. HOWEVER, there is only one line that I am interested in!
WHITE TO PLAY AND MATE IN TWO MOVES!
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BHEND,Ed
Venice, 1953. Black has played a risky, gambit-inspired middlegame but Schmid's last move (22.c4) is a serious error that gives Black the opportunity that he had been hoping for...
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN!
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GUMPRICH
LOTHAR SCHMID
Position after 21 moves of a correspondence game played in 1952. Schmid has played a great game, one that the student would do well to study. He must have felt very good when he played his next move and announced forced mate in 9-moves!
WHITE TO PLAY AND MATE IN 9 MOVES!
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gm ROSSOLIMO
LOTHAR SCHMID
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN!
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gm ROSSOLIMO
Heidelberg, 1949. Black has made no effort to hide his ambition to attack the White monarch, but Schmid seems to have everything under control. If now 27...Bc8!? (to theaten some sacrífice on h3) then the calm 28.Qd1! follows and White even stands better!
Curiously, the Black Bishop on b7 is VERY well placed...(hint!)
BLACK TO PLAY AND WIN!
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SOLUTIONS
Schmid. Lothar
--Medina-Garcia ,Antonio :
25.Rg4! (25.Bf6 also does the trick) 25…Kh8 26.Bf6! winning 26…Qxg4 What else? 27.hxg4 gxf6 28.exf6 Nc5 29.f4 Rg8
30.f5 Rxg4 31.Qe8+ Rg8 32.Qxf7 Ne4 33.Qe7 Ng5 34.f7 Nxf7 35.Qxf7 1-0
Portisch, Lajos –Schmid,
Lothar :
41.Rxe5! 1-0 Not wanting to
witness 41…PxR 42.Ne6!! PxN 43.QxR+ Rh7 44.Qxg6
and mate is unavoidable
Schmid, Lothar –Kinzel,
Anton :
24.Rxb7+!! Qxb7 25.Qe5+ Ka8 26.Nc7+ Kb8 and now 27.NxB+ , 28.NxR and
29.Qxg7 is the cleanest way to win.
Schmid, Lothar –Pedersen: 29.Rxf7+!! 1-0
After 29…KxR 30.Rf1+ either
forces mate or wins the house.
Schmid, Lothar –Castaldi,
Vincenzo :
28.Qxe5+! 1-0 if 28…NxQ 29.Bf6++
Schmid, Lothar --Bhend
Edwin :
22… Bxg3!! wins by force: 23.hxg3
Bh3! 24.Bg5 Bg2 25.Bh4 Qg4 26.Ne5 Qh3 0-1
Schmid, Lothar –Rossolimo,
Nicholas :
27… Rxg2+! 28.Kxg2 Rxf2+!! 29.Bxf2 e3+ 0-1
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