Sunday's chess puzzle

A beautiful study! White's pawns seem to assure the win, but wait! Doesn't black also have a passed pawn? Navigate yourself thru the pros and cons of this study and find a sure way for white to win! Good luck!

Henri Rinck was one of the most prolific chess problem composers of modern times. When he died he was buried with a book of chess problems!

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

On being a Canadian

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

''A Canadian is sort of like an American, but without the gun.''-anon

'' A Canadian is someone who can make love in a canoe.''--Pierre Burton

Must be those damn Canadians!

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

There were two big tournaments that wound up this weekend: the 25th edition of the Cappelle La Grande open interational tournament, and the Linares supertournament.

Topping more than 100 GMs

Cappelle La Grande winner

The Cappelle tournament was won by the Ukranian chess grandmaster Yuri Vovk. Certainly I had never heard of him before this brilliant success, but what does that really mean? The Ukrane has so many great chess players coming onto the scene that it makes you wonder how much longer we will have to wait to see a World Champion from that great country! Whenever I am playing in these big european swiss tournaments it seems as though every second opponent is Ukranian! I don't know who is responsible (I hope Cherbonyl had nothing to do with it!) but well done!

Just how unkown is Yuri Vovk? When I did a google search of images ...it became clear that Vovk is best known as a car acessory!

Vovk by any other name, but certainly not Yuri

Yuri, born in 1988, finished with 7.5 pts from 9. There were 3 players with 7 pts. The tournament had more than 600 participants, of which more than 100 were grandmasters! 14 gm and im norms were achieved. Congrats to the organizers for doing a fantastic job!

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Linares (which first started in present form in 1981 unless I am mistaken; though tournaments from there date back to 1978) saw Grischuk and Ivanchuk tying for first prize, both with 8 points from 14, but with Grischuk winning on tie break (apparently he won more games than Ivanchuk).

IS THIS MAN THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD TODAY?

MAYBE! I THINK SO

TOO MANY DRAWS !

Tournament winner on tiebreak

Grischuk lost one game (against the norwegian Carlsen) but won three. Ivanchuk lost none, but only won two games. I have to admit that I don't understand the purpose of tiebreaks: isn't it easier just to throw dice?

Carlsen was third; had he won his last game (he let slip a win in a simple enough ending) then he could have tied for first. Anand finished with 7 points (50%), and last place was the Cuban whiz Dominguez with 6 pts. Clearly the organizers have to do something about the large number of draws. My solution is to make supertournaments 16 player round robbins. I am certain that many of the top 10 rated would not like that: it would do away with the rating protectionism that has kept some of these fat cats up where they do not belong!

TOO MANY DRAWS IS HURTING BIG TIME CHESS

Grischuk is one of the best known poker players amongst the grandmasters

Until Grischuk found a steady girlfriend, he did not know what to do with his hair

What do we really know about Grischuk: this is what wikipedia gives

Alexander Grischuk (born October 31, 1983 ) is a chess grandmaster from Russia. In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2000 he made it to the semi finals.In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004 he made it to the quarter finals, where he lost 3-1 to Rustam Kasimdzhanov.
He finished in the top 10 in the 2005 FIDE World Cup, which qualified him for the 2007 Candidates Tournament in May-June 2007. He won his matches against Vladimir Malakhov (+2-0=3) and Sergei Rublevsky (tied at +1-1=4, winning the rapid playoff +2-0=1), to advance to the 8 player FIDE World Chess Championship 2007 tournament. In that tournament he scored 5.5 out of 14, placing last in the eight player field.Along with being a top-level professional, Grischuk is also known as one of the best blitz chess players in the world, having once held the record for highest rating achieved on the Internet Chess Club. In 2006 he won the World Blitz Championship in Rishon Lezion, Israel with 10.5 points out of 15 games, winning 10 games.
Grischuk is married to the Ukrainian WGM Natalia Zhukova.

Fair enough. He was born on Halloween, and I guess that explains a lot! He is obviously a super talent, and belongs to that generation of players that has still to dominate. I met Alexander only once, in Calvia two years ago, and at a pub filled with other chessplayers such as Bacrot and Bologan. He seems like a very nice guy. I played Alex's wife in Gibraltar in 2007, and only drew! Afterwards she told me that I had a reputation for being a crazy attacking player (!)

I have been called worse things!

Getting back to Grischuk: let me go on a limb and call him the best player in the world today. I have been following his games for several years now, and I am very impressed. In my opinion it only makes sense that a player in his mid 20's would be the best player, and not someone who is almost 40. I only hope that he lives up to this promotion!

For those of you who have never heard of Alexander, here is a link to a recent video interview

http://baku2008.fide.com/video-interview-of-gm-alexander-grischuk-3.html

Saturday's perspective

'' It's never just a game when you are winning''.--George Carlin

Some guys have all the luck! First he won 50,000,000 dollars in a lottery. Two days later he found the love of his life!

True love at last!

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

Saturday's chess puzzle

A very cute study by Rinck! At first appearances, it seems obvious. But wait! There are some very subtle points to be found before white can win. Good luck!

Henri Rinck was one of the world's most prolific chess composers.

Once we have calmed our breathing and focused our attention on the board in front of us (without annoying thoughts or distractions from daily life) the next step is ready to taken. This stage is from where we find inspiration and creativity/ we still ourselves completely. We still our feet;our hands; our head; our legs; our body. We simply don't move any part of ourselves!

Being still is difficult at first. But with practice it becomes easier. Stilling ourselves reduces the amount of energy we spend on movement and transfers it to our brain, where it is converted into a different form. It takes us to a higher level of existing.

I suggest that you try to solve several chess problems while in this state: you will experience something completely new and refreshing. A different perspective on ourselves

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

Robert Byrne Quotations

Not the famous chess grandmaster

BUT

Robert Byrne, the famous billiard player and noted author

Robert Byrne is the author of seven novels, five collections of humorous quotations, seven books on billiards, two anthologies, and an expose of frauds in the literary world. One of his novels, Thrill, was made into NBC’s Monday Night Movie, which aired for the first time on May 20, 1996. Four of his novels were selections of Reader’s Digest Condensed Books and published in many languages. His style is widely praised for its clarity and wit. Byrne’s Standard Book of Pool and Billiards, published in 1978 and expanded in 1998, has sold over 400,000 copies

HERE IS A SELECTION OF WITTY QUOTATIONS:

• A promising young man should go into politics so that he can go on promising for the rest of his life.


• 
  
  Anybody who believes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach flunked geography.


• 
  
  Byrne's Law: In any electrical circuit, appliances and wiring will burn out to protect fuses.


• 
  
  Democracy is being allowed to vote for the candidate you dislike least.


• 
  
  Doing a thing well is often a waste of time.


• 
  
  Everything is in a state of flux, including the status quo.


• 
  
  Getting caught is the mother of invention.


• 
  
  Learning to dislike children at an early age saves a lot of expense and aggravation later in life.


• 
  
  Memorial Service: Farewell party for someone who already left.


• 
  
  No one ever committed suicide while reading a good book, but many have tried while trying to write one.


• 
  
  One reason people get divorced is that they run out of gift ideas.


• 
  
  Partying is such sweet sorrow.


• 
  
  Prejudices save time.


• 
  
  The purpose of life is a life of purpose.


• 
  
  There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on.


• To err is human, to purr feline.


• Until you walk a mile in another man's moccasins you can't imagine the smell.


• Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours."

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

Friday's chess puzzle

How good are you really? Try this problem. If you solve this in less than one half hour, then even I will be impressed! Good luck!

Henri Rinck was one of the most prolific problem composers of modern times




SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

Today's insight into what it means to be Canadian

''I don't even know what street Canada is on.''---Al Capone

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

Thursday's chess puzzle

The following beauty was first published in 1914. Material is equal, and at first sight it seems as though there is still a lot of fight left in the game. So what is this ''white to win'' stuff? Good luck!

If you can get this problem in less than one hour, then you deserve the Master title!

Chess mastery has a lot to do with patience. Being able to sit down, breath calmly and stay focused on little tasks for an extended period of time. When one is able to push out of one's mind all the little annoying distractions of daily life, the worries and the responsibilities that are attached to it...then what remains are the tools of the trade of mastery . Chess mastery is more a state of mind than an accomplishment. Once that state has been attained, and can be called upon at will, then it is amazing what one can then accomplish!

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

Henri Rinck was one of the best known problem composers of the last century.

A PICTURE GUIDE TO CFC POLITICS

PART I : The politics of greed, incompetence and betrayal

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

Chapter One.

Just for fun, I put the entire CFC president's message to pictures: Enjoy!

THE CFC PREZ' MESSAGE IN GL4

''Let's talk about chess!! After all, that's why we are all here. ''

''Topalov-Kamsky is tied after four games. A big surprise.... ''

''Chess in Toronto has been dormant for many years.....''

''...but Brian Fiedler's PriceWaterhouse Coopers Toronto Open has stirred up a lot of excitement. Kudos to Alex Ferreira for reviving the Hart House Chess Club and weekend tournaments in Toronto.''

''There are rumours that some local organizers will be putting a bid in for the 2010 Canadian Open and CYCC.''

''Its nice to see local activity!! ''

''The CYCC and Canadian Junior look like fantastic tournaments and Mark Dutton is organizing a great tournament in Vancouver in April. Check out all the tournament announcements on the discussion board and start planning your summer now!''

''I'm looking forward to my first tournament in years and so long as Sicilian theory hasn't changed since the 1970's I should be fine. ''

''Of course, the really big CFC news is the selling of the building. Unfortunately, it was one of the few pieces of real estate that didn't increase in value over the past 20 years.''

''But the sale was necessary and will ensure that the CFC can stand on its feet.''

''Bob, Paul, and Vince did a phenomenal job moving the office, along with many volunteers. It was a huge task and there were many late nights.''

''Fundamentally, it doesn't matter where the physical office is. Good people can get the job done regardless of geography.''

''On the political front there is still a lot to be done.''










''I've put forward two motions designed to stop the financial bleeding.''

''The CFC spends about $10,000 in putting tournament results into the rating software. We've been losing about $30,000 a year so a $10,000 savings is substantial. If we are going to have a balanced budget in 2010 this is a very important step to take.''

'The last thing we want to see is the funds from the sale of the building frittered away.''

''There has also been a lot of debate on the Discussion Boards about the Tournament memberships.''

''Personally, I'd be happy to eliminate them altogether....'''

.... but I doubt that motion would pass. Instead,I suggest we move it from $10 to $20. Some people think that a $10 increase will prevent people from playing but this is such a nominal amount.''

''A bad movie costs $13.50 and last two hours.''




















'' A great tournament lasts all weekend.''

''On that matter, if memory serves, membership cost more in 1972 (adjusted for inflation) than it costs now. People became members because they wanted to play tournament chess. No other reason, but it was reason enough.''

''One weekend Swiss provides 20 hours of pleasure...''

''...so membership works out to about $2 per hour. What other entertainment costs so little and provides so much?''

''I don't think that people stop playing chess because its too expensive, they stop for other reasons.''

''The webzine is up but it does need more work. It needs to be much easier to navigate so that it becomes a real destination for chess in Canada.''

''I've added a thread on the Discussion Board and I hope all of you will make some suggestions. ''

''There are also other things going on but nothing to report.''

''Everything seems to take longer,has more loose ends, and more questions, than are anticipated.''

''The goal is still to present a balanced budget by the end of the fiscal year, April 31st.''

''Best wishes to all. '' David

spraggett on chess