Time to Crack Open a Book

The sky's cloudy. I've made a good sized dent in the manual for my new camera, and I've not looked at a chessboard for a while. The time is ripe to crack open a chess book.

G. H. D. Gossip's 1891 book "Theory of the Chess Openings" (2nd edition) is pictured above. Mr. Gossip appears to have had strong negative feelings toward H. E. Bird, apparently stemming from Bird's failure to make any mention of the first edition of "Theory of the Chess Openings".

Bird's name can be found here and there in the footnotes of this book, but it's always accompanied by negative comments. For example, on page 178 we find: "Bird, as usual, gives this inferior contiunation . . . "

The magnetic chess set pictured above is over twenty years old and remains one of my favorite and most used sets. It's very convenient to use anywhere. In the style of the fictional TV character Adrian Monk, I now have two 'back-up' sets of similar style. One is identical except the darker pieces are black instead of brown. The other consists of an identical board and pieces placed in an oak (instead of plastic) case. One can never have too many chess sets!

Which book should I crack open? My study plan calls for devoting attention to all phases of the game. I have bookmarks in eleven books. I think I'll start the day with page one of a book on openings. Earlier I had started somewhere in the middle of the book and read over one hundred pages - encountering numerous errors in the effort. Since I want to gain at least some familiarity with all major opening systems I might as well systematically work through the entire book - a few times.

Competing in tournaments still seems a long way off for me. I'll probably make better progress studying if I completely ignore competitive chess, at least for a while. I've (still) not begun to play on any of the Internet chess servers.

Meanwhile, chess study may serve to keep my mind reasonably healthy. I read somewhere that physical excercise along with mental activity (such as chess) can prevent or drastically reduce the onset of alzheimer's disease, etc. So, with no further delay, I'll publish this post and renew my studies.

A Place to Study

I've taken one to two weeks off from my attempts at chess improvement. Nevertheless, my humble chess study area (shown above) has remained more or less intact. I cleared the table of camera related packing, papers, etc. prior to making this the first 'flash' photograph with the new camera.

Now that I have a camera I have yet another distraction from chess studies. On the other hand, I'll be able to include more images with future blog entrees!

Now there's the question of how much additional time will pass before I return to my chess studies. A day soon becomes a week. A week eventually becomes a month. And time just keeps passing by. It's easier for me to keep a routine going if I keep it to a daily schedule. Skipping just one day makes it much easier to skip another, and then another . . .

Armageddon tie-breaking

The recent U.S. Women's Chess Championship resulted in a tie after all the 'normal' games had been played. The rules that were in place for determining a single champion in the event of a tie called for playing two 15-minute games following the final round of normal games. If a tie remains, two 5-minute games will be played. If a tie remains, an armageddon game provides final resolution.

An armageddon game is a game with a total time limit between 10 and 12 minutes with no increment. One player (determined by chance) decides how the total time is to be divided between white and black. The other player gets their choice of playing white or black. The player of the black pieces receives 'draw odds'. In the event of a draw, black wins. Thus, an armageddon game cannot end without having a clear winner.

In the 2008 Women's Championship, Anna Zatonskih played black with 4 1/2 minutes on her clock. Irina Krush was white with 6 minutes. The winner of the game, and our new U.S. Women's Champion was Anna Zatonskih.

Prize money was divided equally as a result of the initial tie. Fast play-off games were used only to determine which player would be the official champion.

Clearly, the tie-breaking method used was fair, but was it appropriate? Does the method result in the better player being crowned champion? In my opinion it would have been better to allow for co-champions after all the normal games had been played. After all, the event was a normal time-control championship -- not an armageddon chess championship.

What's the solution for future events? In my opinion the same time control needs to be used for all games in an event. In other words, either accept co-champions at the end of the event or arrange for another match -- at the same time controls -- at some future date.

Bobby Fischer: 1943 - 2008

I had my nose (and mind) in a chess book this morning. After a night of windy conditions combined with blowing snow the radio was turned on and tuned to one of the nearest radio stations - about one hundred miles away - for weather updates, road conditions, etc.

Suddenly I was brought back to reality and looked up from the book when I heard the name 'Bobby Fischer' mentioned on the radio. Apparently the former World Champion chessplayer had died.

I started playing chess before I had ever heard of Bobby Fischer. I was a university student in Missoula when Fischer played his matches with Taimanov, Larsen, Petrosian, and Spassky. Fischer had managed to move chess from the obscure recesses of the underworld to the larger world of television and newspapers. Bobby Fischer made chess exciting, exciting even for non-chessplayers in the early 1970s.

Often I've heard or read about Fischer's "natural" talent for the game of chess. Evidently few people realize that Fischer had to work very hard prior to reaching the top of the chess world. World-class chessplayers are not born. As with expertise in any other discipline, talent is the result of dedication and hard work.

Fischer worked harder at chess than his contemporaries and paid a very high price for his extraordinary skills at the chessboard. He sacrificed a normal life in his efforts to become the world's best chessplayer. He succeeded in his goal. Unfortunately, after achieving that goal Fischer appeared to have difficulty re-directing his life in a positive manner.

Away from the chessboard, life can be far more complicated. Genius has difficulty understanding the non-genius and vice-versa. Such is life. Who would have imagined in the 1960s and 70s that an American chessplayer would one day be labeled a criminal as a direct result of playing a chess match in another country? I can understand some of Fischer's anger and contempt, but his generalizations appear to be a bit extreme.

Bobby Fischer has left behind a treasury of hard fought chess battles. Unlike many grandmasters, Fischer was not satisfied with a draw. He strived to win every game. He was fortunate to have reached his peak prior to the day when computer chessplayers would become stronger than their human counterparts. No one can claim that Fischer used a computer to cheat at chess!

Hansen's Ice Cream

After high school (1970 - 71) I relocated to Missoula, Montana to further my education at the University of Montana. Eventually I learned that a master-level chess player (the strongest player in the state) was on the faculty. This individual had personally known former World Champion, Alexander Alekhine. He had played the famous child prodigy and former U.S. Champion, Samuel Reshevsky to a draw in tournament competition. He had played against the (already) legendary Bobby Fischer (and lost) at a U.S. Open. Of course, I had to meet this guy! I gave him a call. He suggested that on Saturday afternoon I go to Hansen's Ice Cream on the west side of Higgins Street, just south of the bridge.

Hansen's Ice Cream was a small 50s style ice cream shop. When I first showed up there was no sign of any chess players anywhere. I asked the gray-haired man in the red and white striped shirt and hat behind the counter about chess. He smiled and directed me to a door in the back of the store. Behind the door I found a small room with a long table -- and a couple of people playing chess!

I continued to play at Hansen's as long as I remained in Missoula. It's tough to describe the colorful chess personalities that frequented this hidden, little, recess; but I'll try. In addition to the master, another former Montana State Champion was a 'regular'. Those two individuals were perhaps the two strongest players in the state at that point in time. Rounding out the field was a handful of others including a musician and a gentleman from Greece who (due to a bad eye) had a knack for making illegal moves. Consequently, an illegal move made by anyone was instantly referred to as a "Dimitry Move"! My first game at Hansen's was with Ralf Hansen, the father of the gentleman I had met when I first entered the ice cream shop.

As time went on I racked up quite a large number of informal games at Hansen's, including numerous games against the master. In the end, prior to my moving away from Missoula, I had managed to draw one (maybe two) of those games. One game was lost by the master, but I would be hesitant to say that I had won that game. The game ended with the master sweeping all the pieces from the board! When I ask why, he was too embarrassed to show me.

My first attempt at blindfolded chess was made at Hansen's. My opponent, who suggested I give it a try, was normally a more or less even match for me. The game began with some very unorthodox opening moves on my opponent's behalf in an effort to confuse me. That strategy came close to backfiring! After perhaps twenty moves or so I was finding it too difficult to keep track of all the pieces. I gave up, turned around, and looked at the board. My opponent expressed surprise and said; "Why did you stop? You were winning!" Years later I played another blindfold game. Fortunately that game did not last very long before I managed to end it with a checkmate.

The last time I passed through Missoula I looked for Hansen's Ice Cream, but failed to spot it. To me, Hansen's will always be Montana's equivalent to the legendary Parisian chess haunt -- the Cafe de la Regence.

Montana Joins the USCF

I don't recall the exact year, but I do recall the incident. In the years up to about 1970 (give or take a few years) Montana was a non-USCF (United States Chess Federation) affiliate. A business meeting was held concurrently with the annual Montana Open. For a few years running Montana's chess players voted on whether or not to become affiliated with the USCF.

I was present at the Montana Open when the vote went in favor of the USCF. The field was divided nearly 50/50. One of the arguments against joining the USCF was cost -- the cost for individual players to join the federation. One of Montana's strongest players (a former state champion) had a limited income and stated outright that he would refuse to become a member for that reason. Then there was the all but useless (in the opinions of many) official publication: Chess Life. Why should anyone have to pay for a monthly magazine (or even a membership fee) in order to play competitive chess?

When the vote was taken the USCF won by a small margin. The strong chess player referred to above never joined the USCF and never played in any of Montana's USCF affiliated tournaments. He continued to play chess on weekends in the back room at Missoula's Hansen's Ice Cream (my next entry will take you to Hansen's), and often showed up even years later at Montana USCF tournaments (at least in Missoula) as a spectator. Over night Montana Chess changed from a small, non-profit, mom and pop organization into an affiliate of the more costly (and therefore more exclusive) USCF.

I had mixed feelings back then, and some thirty years later I remain with mixed feelings. I can't help but wonder if the situation might be better for Montana Chess and Montana's chess players if the Montana Open along with the Montana State Championship had remained independent from the USCF. At present Montana has about 80 USCF members, not all of which are active tournament players. Yet, the state has far more than 80 chess players. In my opinion, with the vote to become affiliated with the USCF, chess in Montana moved into a exclusive 'members only' club that effectively excluded (and still excludes) many who lack sufficient disposable income to participate.

The rural nature of a large state like Montana makes it even more costly for any Montana chess player who doesn't live in or near one of the few cities where USCF tournaments are held. Currently, to the best of my knowledge, no Montana USCF tournaments are held east of Billings. Furthermore, for the past several years all of Montana's USCF tournaments have been in the neighborhood of 100 miles or more westward of Billings. This has left a huge portion of Montana to stagnate in a virtual chess desert.

In fairness, Montana's affiliation with the USCF has had positive benefits as well. All of Montana's tournament players ended up with USCF ratings. Some of Montana's players, after becoming USCF members, have ventured beyond the border to compete in other state and national events. I have many positive experiences with Montana's USCF tournaments and the wonderful people who have made up Montana's modest force of tournament chess players.

In the Beginning . . .

Back in my Jr. High and High School days (late 1960s) I hung out with Eugene and Mark. We occasionally played pool, Risk, etc. in the basement of Eugene's house. Sometimes the game of choice was checkers, but Eugene wanted to teach me how to play chess. On multiple occasions he offered to teach me the game of kings and queens. My standard reply was that chess was too complicated.

Finally, one day Eugene caught me in a moment of weakness and I gave in. Shortly thereafter I bought my first chess book, Fred Reinfeld's The Complete Chessplayer. Determined not to lose at the new game (Mark, Eugene, and I were pretty competitive when it came to games), I soon managed to make my way through the entire (rather fat) book. Within a few weeks or months I was able to hold my own in our friendly competitions. Thus began my (sometimes) obsessive involvement in the wonderful world of chess.

Thank you Eugene and Mark for your positive influences!

My Return to Chess

The long road back: It's been more than a decade since I last participated in a chess tournament. Off and on during 2007 I managed to devote some (not as much as I would have liked) quality-time to chess. This year I hope to begin a more rigorous self-improvement plan.

After researching various approaches to chess improvement I've put together my own, personal improvement plan. Most of the plan involves work that I know I can accomplish, but one aspect is going to require a pretty serious commitment in time and effort. Hopefully I'll be able to stick to the new plan long enough to reap some benefits!

Tournaments: I have mixed feelings concerning a return to tournament play. My years of inactivity (in addition to an ever increasing age) make me hesitant on the grounds that I may not be capable of playing at the same level (USCF Class A) as I used to play. On the other hand, I have hopes that the work I've recently completed combined with a bit of future progress will be enough to move me up to or (hopefully) beyond that level within a reasonable length of time. Other concerns have to do with changes in organized chess. Regardless: sooner or later, weaker or stronger, I'm likely to return to tournament play.

As for this blog, I'm not sure at this point in time how I'll utilize it. At least initially my entrees are likely to be few and widely separated, but all is subject to change. I'm likely to end up addressing some current event issues from time to time, and I'm likely to share my feelings and concerns about various changes that have occurred with organized chess. Some history relating to chess in Montana is likely to show up. I might even (eventually) end up sharing some of the details of my improvement plan, but perhaps it would be best to wait and see if that plan is practical enough and good enough to work!!

Moderated comments: I encourage comments to my blogs, but due to some unpleasant experiences with an Internet Usenet Group, and the knowledge that anything can occur in the absence of moderation, comments will be moderated. On the other hand, I intend to publish all comments that are reasonably on topic and appropriate for a general audience - regardless of whether I agree or disagree with the comments themselves.