Super Friends

How They Died

2005-04-16T23:07:00.000-06:00

Deaths of Chess Players
by Bill Wall

Georgy Agzamov (1954-1986) - Russian GM fell between some rocks at a beach and died
Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946) - choked to death on a piece of meat in 1946
Johann Allgaier (1763-1823) - dropsy
Adolf Anderssen (1818-1879) - heart attack
Vladimir Bagirov (1936-2000) - heart attack while playing chess in Finland
Rosendo Balinas (1941-1998) - liver cancer
Curt von Bardeleben (1861-1924) - threw himself out the window of his boarding home at age 63
Thomas Barnes (1825-1874) - too much weight loss at one time
Joseph Blackburne (1841-1924) - heart attack
Claude Bloodgood (1924-2001) - lung cancer while in prison for life
Samuel Boden (1826-1882) - died of typhoid fever
Efim Bogoljubov (1889-1952) - suffered a heart attack after a simultaneous display
Paolo Boi (1528-1598) - poisoned (murdered) in Naples
Mikhail Botvinnik (1911-1995) - cancer
Louis Bourdonnais (1795-1840) - stroke
Gyula Breyer (1893-1921) - heart disease
Henry Buckle (1821-1862) - typhoid fever
Ricardo Calvo (1943-2002) - esophagus cancer
Jose Capablanca (1888-1942) - died after watching a skittles game at the Manhattan Chess Club in 1942.
Rudolf Charousek (1873-1900) - tuberculosis
Mikhail Chigorin (1850-1908) - diabetes
Edgar Colle (1897-1932) - died after an operation for a gastric ulcer
Arthur Dake (1910-2000) - died in his sleep at age 90
Cecil de Vere (1845-1875) - tuberculosis
A. Deschapelles (1780-1847) - hydropsy
Ed Edmundson (1920-1982) - died of a heart attack while playing chess on a beach in Hawaii
Max Euwe (1901-1981) - heart attack
Janos Flesch (1933-1983) - died in a car wreck in England
Guillermo Garcia (1953-1990) - car wreck
Efim Geller (1925-1998) - cancer
Aivars Gipslis (1937-2000) - stroke while playing chess in Berlin
Karen Grigorian (1947-1989) - suicide by jumping
Nikolai Grigoriev (1895-1938) - appendicitis
Eduard Gufeld (1936-2002) - stroke
Alexander Ilyin-Genevsky (1894-1941) - died in the siege of Leningrad while on a barge
Dawid Janowsky (1868-1927) - tuberculosis
Klaus Junge - German army officer killed in action in 1945.
Paul Keres (1916-1975) - died of a heart attack returning home from a tournament in 1975.
George Koltanowski (1903-2000) - heart failure at the age of 93
Boris Kostic (1887-1963) - blood poisoning from a scratch
Nikolai Krylenko - executed in Stalin's purges in 1938.
Leonid Kubbel (1891-1942) - executed by firing squad in Leningrad
Salo Landau (1903-1944) - gassed by Nazis at a German concentration camp
Emanuel Lasker (1868-1941) - heart attack
Paul Leonhardt (1877-1934) - died of a heart attack while playing chess at a chess club in 1934.
George Mackenzie (1837-1891) - suicide: took an overdose of morphine
Frank Marshall (1877-1944) - died of a heart attack after leaving a chess tournament
Alexander McDonnell (1798-1835) - died of Bright's disease
Edmar Mednis (1937-2002) - pneumonia and cardiac arrest
Vera Menchik (1906-1944) - died in the German bombing of London
Tony Miles (1955-2001) - died in his sleep at age 46; he was diabetic
Johannes Minckwitz (1843-1901) - suicide: threw himself under a train
Paul Morphy (1837-1884) - died of a stroke while taking a cold bath
Miguel Najdorf (1910-1997) - heart attack
Aron Nimzovich (1886-1935) - died of pneumonia
Lembit Oll - suicide by jumping out of the window of his 4th story apartment
Louis Paulsen (1833-1891) - died of diabetes
Julius Perlis (1880-1913) - died in a mountain climb in the Alps in 1913.
Tigran Petrosian (1929-1984) - cancer
Vladimir Petrov (1908-1943) - died in a prison camp in Russia
Harry Pillsbury (1872-1906) - died of syphillis
David Przepiorka (1880-1940) - died in a mass execution outside Warsaw in 1940.
Cecil Purdy (1906-1979) - died of a heart attack while playing chess
Abram Rabinovich (1878-1943) - starvation
Samuel Reshevsky (1911-1992) - heart attack
Richard Reti (1889-1929) - died of scarlet fever
Karl Robatsch (1928-2000) - stomach and throat cancer
Nicholas Rossolimo (1910-1975) - fell from flight of stairs; died of head injuries
Pierre Saint-Amant (1800-1872) - died after a fall from his carriage
Carl Schlechter (1874-1918) - died from pneumonia and starvation
Vladimir Simagin (1919-1968) - died of a heart attack while playing in a tournament
Gideon Stahlberg (1908-1967) - heart attack during the 1967 Leningrad International tournament.
Howard Staunton (1810-1874) - died of a heart attack will writing a chess book
Leonid Stein (1934-1973) - heart attack
Herman Steiner (1905-1955) - heart attack after a California State Championship game
Alexei Suetin (1926-2001) - heart attack after a chess tournament
Mikhail Tal (1936-1992) - kidney failure
Mikhail Tchigorin (1850-1908) - died of diabetes
Karel Treybal - died a victim of the Nazis in 1941.
Alexi Troitzky (1866-1942) - died of starvation during the siege of Leningrad
Abe Turner (1924-1962) - stabbed 9 times in the back by a fellow employee at the Chess Review office
Alvis Vitolins (1938-1997) - suicide by jumping
Daniel Yanovsky (1925-2000) - cancer
Frederick Yates (1884-1932) - died in his sleep from a leak in a faulty gas pipe connection
Alexander Zaitsev - died of thrombosis as a consequence of a leg operation in 1971.
Johann Zukertort (1842-1888) - died of a stroke while playing chess at a London coffee-house
Stefan Zweig (1881-1942) - committed suicide.

Opening Theory

2005-04-05T17:13:00.000-06:00

From Man de la Maza:

My theory is that if one learns one opening really well one will be introduced to all the major themes in chess strategy. Sort of like great literature. It is said that you if you read the whole body of work of any one great author -- Shakespeare, Dante, Proust, Faulkner, or Spider Robinson -- you will introduced to all the major themes of literature.

What Businesspeople Can Learn from Chess

2005-04-03T21:49:00.000-06:00

From an interview with Gary Kasparov:

“The first rule is: Never, ever, underestimate your opponent. Whenever I am playing at grand master levels, I always, always assume that my competitor is going to see everything I do—even when I plan to make an unexpected move in order to confuse him.”

“It’s also critical to keep a psychological edge. I am not a big fan of pop psychology, but I do believe that getting the other guy off balance is a real skill. You have to go on fighting even if you are in a winning position—in fact, especially if you are in a winning position.”

“You also have to make yourself comfortable in the enemy’s territory. If you can convince your enemy that you’re comfortable on their ground, then you can often trick them into moving into your own territory.”

What’s Wrong with a Draw?

2005-04-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

THIS column has often wondered why chess needs the rule that players are allowed to agree draws at any stage of the game. Players can call a halt to hostilities after a few moves, shake hands and adjourn to the pub. It doesn’t happen in any other sport and it shouldn’t happen in chess. Draw offers are highly distracting for players who are trying their hardest to win. It is so easy to damage your position since rejecting the draw makes you feel obliged to play something aggressive just to show how uninterested you are in your opponent’s peace proposals.

A category 20 tournament in Bulgaria next month will forbid draws by mutual agreement.

The Openings

2005-03-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

A chess poetry blog (link from Boylston Chess Club)

Upon the horse a deep
abiding affection rode in on
the town monorail. World rocking
would likely commence, like an
erotic and fretful schoolboard.
With an eye towards noodling
wolves at the 5&10, the stategies
were both casablanca and fargo.

What About the Rest of Us?

2005-03-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

Lakdawala, a pro player at the international master level, says having the skills to be a top chess player is something one is born with.

Chess and the Nativity

2005-03-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

No need to pack away your nativity scene at the end of the Christmas holidays. Just remove the stable, straw and manger and add more shepherd pawns and another virgin queen from the box. Hand-carved Masonite figures, such as long-eared ass knights, rest on a checkered, tropical cardboard surface to adorn your home during both religious and competitive interludes.

Though the elephant castles look a little out of place crowding the stable and can only move in straight lines, the pious practicality of the unique chessus set is unbeatable. I still recall the response of its craftsman, a Palestinian carpenter and immigrant from Sydney. When I asked if payment should be made with card or cash, Joe replied, “Check, Mate.”

If Not a Sport, then What?

2005-03-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Dennis Monokroussos argues against chess as sport:

It might at first seem that chess is a sport. First of all, it's clearly a competitive activity, which seems to be a necessary if not sufficient condition for something's being a sport. Second, the same sorts of general mental and physical disciplines needed by the sportsman (e.g. mental toughness, strong self-confidence, endurance, etc.) are required for chess players to succeed. To take a prominent example, Karpov's (then-) frail physique nearly cost him twice in big matches against Korchnoi (one for the world championship, the other in a final candidates match) and quite possibly did cost him the title to Kasparov when he lacked the endurance to finish him off in 1984.

Yet despite the above, I think that chess is not a sport.

The Key to a Different Life

2005-03-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

Chess, said Thomas-El, forces children to think critically, to be patient and to be problem solvers, and "that is the key to a different life -- learning to make good decisions."

Archaeological Find

2005-03-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

A grubby green cousin of the world's most famous chessmen is puzzling archaeologists.

The little knight on horseback, recently found by an amateur using a metal detector on farmland in north Nottinghamshire, is startlingly similar to chesspieces found hundreds of miles away in 1831, on a beach on the isle of Lewis.

Chess Puzzles from Cappelle la Grande

2005-03-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

W.T. Harvey posted some puzzles taken from the chess games of strong players at the Cappelle la Grande tournament in February. Except where noted, it's "White to Move and Win".

a) http://wtharvey.com/n2005a.png White Mates in 7. Mark Hebden vs Sebastien Feller, Cappelle la Grande, 2005 2k2br1/4pp2/3qP2p/1Q1b4/1PpP2p1/2P5/3B2PP/R5K1 w - - 0 1

b) http://wtharvey.com/n2005b.png Nicolas Gerard vs Gregory Israel, Cappelle la Grande, 2005 r1b2rk1/ppp2ppp/8/q3B3/2BP2n1/2P2Q2/P4PPP/1R2R1K1 w - - 0 1

c) http://wtharvey.com/n2005c.png White Mates in 6. Davit Shengelia vs Tristan Calistri, Cappelle la Grande, 2005 r4r2/3q1k2/pp1p1n2/2pP1pRp/1PP1pP1B/P7/1Q4P1/3B2K1 w - - 0 1

d) http://wtharvey.com/n2005d.png Petra Schuuman vs Abdel Medghoul, Cappelle la Grande, 2005 r4rk1/p2b1pnp/2p4q/1p3Pp1/3PN1P1/3B4/PPQ4P/1K1R3R w - - 0 1

e) http://wtharvey.com/n2005e.png White Mates in 3. Throstur Thorhallsson vs Sylvain Leburgue, Cappelle la Grande, 2005 b4rk1/5Npp/p3B3/1p6/8/3R4/PP4nP/6K1 w - - 0 1

You can find the solutions at the top of http://wtharvey.com/prodex.html.

Chess Vision Trainer

2005-03-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

I found this at An Experiment in Rapid Chess Improvement. Would love to know if it works.

In 2003 I wrote a little Flash application to help do Chess Vision training drills per MDLM. I never really used it much, but if you are in the middle of doing find-the-fork drills I hope it will prove helpful. Been wondering if you found all the possible forking squares? Well wonder no more, just click the handy Next button in the program and see for yourself.

What Makes a Good Player?

2005-03-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

What makes a good chess player? Typically, players with analytical minds make good player. Former world champion Max Euwe was a mathematician, and Mikhail Botvinnik was an electrical engineer. Is that it? No.

Talent – Talent is innate, but can be improved.
Knowledge – Openings, tricks, endgames, tactics. Many of these are learned. How often you seen them depends on your talent.
Time Management – Time pressure can cause blunders and lose games.
Clear Head – You need to be in the right frame of mind to play.

Einstein and Chess

2005-03-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

Although Albert Einstein played chess, his public position on the game was that it was a waste of time:

I do not play any games. There is no time for it. When I get through work I don't want anything which requires the working of the mind.

Chess grips its exponent, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom and independence of even the strongest character cannot remain unaffected.

I always dislike the fierce competitive spirit embodied in [chess].

Einstein was a good friend of Dr. Emanuel Lasker (1868-1941). Lasker thought Einstein's theory of relativity was wrong and that the speed of light was limited due to particles in space. Lasker did not think there was a perfect vacuum.

Einstein knew Edward Lasker (1885-1981). On one occasion, Edward Lasker visited Einstein at Princeton and gave him an autographed copy of his book Go and Gomoku, written in 1934. Einstein, in return, gave Edward Lasker an autographed copy of one of his papers on relativity. The book given to Einstein later showed up in a Baltimore used bookstore. When someone told Edward Lasker about this, Lasker replied, "That's all right. I left his relativity paper on the subway."

Einstein thanked Edward Lasker for his book, but then asked, "You are obviously an intelligent man; clearly a great deal of work went into this book. But why for such a trivial and unimportant topic?" Edward Lasker replied, "A friend of mine recently said the following, and I must say I agree with it: 'We are born and we die, and in between these two events of a lifetime, there is a lot of time that must be wasted. Now, whether it is wasted by doing mathematics, practicing law, or playing games, it is really quite insignificant.'"

World Chess Beauty Contest

2005-03-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

There is nothing wrong with making chess sexier by highlighting the hip, interesting players who participate. But I find the World Chess Beauty contest project misguided and juvenile and would be embarrassed to be a part of it.

Find the rest of Jen Shahade's account of her invitation to this novel chess event.

And ChessBase News offers even more details.

Overstated?

2005-03-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Found this in The Edmonton Journal:

Marketers of live theatre, newspapers, chess, classical music and curling share the same challenge -- their audiences are too old.

Ghetto Chess

2005-03-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

Team Rating Rises

2005-03-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

We're up to 40th place on the GameKnot Team Tables with a team rating of 1338. Excellent work!

What Makes a Master?

2005-03-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

What makes a strong chess player? One hypothesis is that people who become chess masters have exceptional intelligence or memory, but there is little evidence to support this view. Most researchers have found minimal correlations between measures of IQ and official chess ratings. On the other hand, many chess masters appear to have a phenomenal memory. They can recall games played years ago, move by move, and when shown an unfamiliar chess position for only a few seconds, they can reproduce it virtually without error on a new board and set. The catch, however, is that this feat is only possible when they are given positions taken from actual games. When the position is random, the master does only about as well as the amateur. General intelligence and memory by themselves do not appear to distinguish great chess players from ordinary ones.

Read the rest of the article from J. Corey Butler

Opening Don'ts

2005-03-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

ModBlog offers some quick and easy rules for chess game openings:

1) Don't move the same piece twice (without serious justification).

2) Don't waste time on prophylactic moves with the rook pawns (developing the pieces faster is more important).

3) Don't bring the queen out to early (choosing the right place for the queen is a crucial task).

4) Don't be rushed into a premature, unprepared attack.

5) Don't go in for pawn-hunting ( especially in open positions where a lead in development makes an immense difference).

Chess & Dating

2005-03-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

ChessNinja surveys players on how chess has affected their relationships:

If I recall, there were four married couples playing in the 2003 US Championship. Does the couple that analyzes the Queen's Gambit together stay together? Or should chess be avoided in a relationship between two competitive players? You have to have something else to talk about, right? (Please say yes.) Or should your romantic life be an escape from chess?

2005-02-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

We're back up in the top-100 today, ranked 64th on GameKnot's team tables with a decent rating of 1307. Keep up the good work!

Vietnamese Cafes Feature Chess

2005-02-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

The centre of Ha Noi is host to a collection of new cafes. Here, apart from enjoying the tasty coffee or the refreshing fruit juices, patrons spend their time browsing newspapers and magazines that the cafes regularly order. And as always, the ubiquitos chess boards pop up for admirers of the game.

For many, the game of chess can take up an entire evening at cafe. Even couples in love can share a love for the game. One can see young couples sitting together over a game, moving the pieces gently and attentively, and exchanging their thoughts and feelings.

No Longer Nerds

2005-02-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

Some high school kids think the image of chess has changed from a game for geeks to one for the intellectually cool.

Adlai E. Stevenson High School Junior and chess aficionado Asher Meyers said, “I was just talking with a couple of friends and the other day they were playing at Starbucks and they actually started picking up girls by playing chess, so I think that pretty much sums it up.”

Need Cheap Chess Books?

2005-02-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

I've been buying chess books at Borders or Barnes and Noble. Looks like I've been throwing away money.

Wholesale Chess is ramping up for a full launch of hundreds of new book titles, intended to all be priced at or below Amazon.com prices. "We want the chess players of the world to have One place they can come to for all of their chess needs, and to have them know that they will get their items immediately and at the guaranteed lowest prices," stated Erik Allebest, owner of Wholesale Chess.

No Chess in Iraq

2005-02-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Cricket is allowed but chess is "absolutely forbidden". Women may not shake hands with men. Music is permitted but only if it is not for enjoyment. Men cannot pray when wearing earrings.

These are the views of the most powerful man in Iraq. After the US invasion, various American officials and generals believed they occupied this position. They turned out to be wrong. As the election victory of the Shias has confirmed, the most influential figure in Iraq, dressed in tattered grey robe and black turban, is Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Rising Again

2005-02-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

It may not last for long, but Super Friends is back in GameKnot's top-100 today, with a team rating of 1303. That puts our group in 66th place on the team tables.

A Sport?

2005-01-27T05:59:00.000-07:00

I read this from an article on the U.K.'s National Chess Week:

"After football, chess is the most popular sport in the world, bringing people of different ages, abilities and backgrounds together. The game is currently enjoying a revival with celebrity fans including Madonna, Jude Law, Sting and Lennox Lewis."

But is it really a sport?

Unruly Behavior

2005-01-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

A chess development programme, first launched in seven primary schools in Aberdeen’s Northfield housing scheme in 2001, has led to improved attendance at school, enhanced numeracy and literacy skills and better behaviour in the classroom, according to a report to go before members of the city council’s education and leisure committee.

Read the full article.

What the Master Learned

2005-01-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

"If you develop the ability to enjoy what you are doing, even work would be a pleasure. Chess has helped me grow as a person. It has taught me self- control. It has taught me not to get emotional as the opponent would be able to sense it. You develop the courage to take risks in life." --VISHWANATHAN ANAND

One of the world's top-10 players gives his perspective on chess and the new year in this article.

Back in the Game

2005-01-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Congratulations! We're back in the top-100 active teams at GameKnot.com today, appearing at 50th place with a team rating of 1305.

Year-End 2004

2005-01-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

We ended the year with a team rating of 1243, 43 points higher than when we started with our first team win back on August 5, 2004. Super Friends entered 2005, ranked 135th out of the active teams on GameKnot.com, a respectable finish to a holiday season fraught with timeout losses.

Among my New Year's resolutions: 1) Captain our team back into the top-100 (where we belong), 2) Improve my own game (and rating).

Take a moment to click on "Comments" below and add a sampling of your own goals for the new year.

Super Friends Team Update for December 2004

2004-12-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Super Friends has struggled along the last month under the weight of timeout losses, and I've been a largely absent captain with travel, wisdom teeth being pulled, and big changes in my working life. But I believe we're back on track, headed toward future successes and the very real possibility of working our way back into the top-100 teams here at GameKnot. Here's a quick update on what's happening with the team and what you can look for in the near future:

Team Rating — In spite of ups and downs over the last two weeks, we've climbed more than 30 points from a record low of 1138 on Thursday, Dec. 16. There's nowhere to go from here but up.

Old Accounts — Any team member, who has not visited the GameKnot site in 25 or more days, has been removed from the team. This cuts the team down to a more-manageable 29 team members (from the previous 35).

Restricted Accounts — Quite a few of you remain unable to take on new team matches because of restrictions placed on your accounts by the site. Several of you have discussed starting new accounts, and purchasing a membership is always an option for restoring full access. Leaving GameKnot is also a choice that some others, in your same situation, have already made. Whatever you decide, please keep me updated by e-mail at dirtwindow@myway.com. If you decide to leave the site or start a new account, I will remove your present team membership to make it easier for me to keep up on recordkeeping. (I hope, however, that you all figure out some way to stay.)

Super Friends XI: New Social Forum

2004-11-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

Old discussion section is moving down the page, so here's a new spot for visiting. Click on "COMMENTS" to add a question or start a discussion. Anything goes.

What's Wrong Here?

2004-11-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

I received the following message from JVOLD: I just played a game against J_taveres and I got checkmated in 8 moves! I can't understand what I did wrong because I've been using this opening forever. Can you please post it for team analysis?

Take a moment to look at the game and then click on the comment link below to help JVOLD figure out what went wrong.

Chess Fonts

2004-11-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a tool that may prove useful:

With chess fonts you can make chess diagrams or print games with figurine notation. On this page you can view and download fonts.

Life Lessons

2004-11-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here are the life lessons I learned while learning to play chess:

1. Learn the basics.
2. Think before you do.
3. Think possibilities and outcomes.
4. Keep your aim in mind.
5. Have a plan but stay flexible.
6. Make your time count.
7. Protect your material.
8. Accumulate small gains.
9. Choose your friends carefully.

Read this article and get the story on how one old man followed through on his commitment to quit getting kicked all over the board.

More Chess Violence

2004-11-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

This story of assault proves correspondence chess is safer.

Is Chess Getting More Popular?

2004-11-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

The U.K. superstore chain, Tesco, said it was expecting to sell more than 35,000 chess sets in the run-up to Christmas.

It has seen sales of chess sets far exceed other board games in store such as Connect 4 and Cluedo.

Karen Harris, senior buying manager at Tesco, said: “Chess, of all the really traditional board games, has undergone an image transformation.

“Being able to play chess is fast becoming a very cool skill for young people.”

Too cool? Just a fad? What do you think?

super friends X the one everybody can post at

2004-11-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

just thought i would make a forum that we can all post at. i'm not sure why gameknot won't let us post in our forum. anywho, post away.

Violence in Chess

2004-11-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

There are, of course, a few isolated cases of violence in chess, attributed to the more eccentric among the old chess masters.

For example, one of the few known instances of violence in chess occurred maybe a century ago when that redoubtable master of the hyper-modern school, Aron Nimzowitsch, threw a tantrum after losing a game. He stood up to hurl the chessboard and pieces across the room, loudly protesting: “Why must I lose to this idiot?”

Now, fast forward to the present.

gameknot related

2004-11-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

ummm......it has come to my attention that i can no longer post on our gameknot forum. i'm a little confused, seeing how i was never banned by mike, and if i was banned, i was not informed of it. is anyone else having this problem??

Xbox Gets Chess

2004-11-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ubisoft announced that Chessmaster is now available in North America for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Chessmaster is the first chess program available for Xbox where players will be able to improve their chess skills. Chess fans will be able to challenge other players and receive a player ranking via Xbox Live.

Beanobuddy Asks for Help

2004-11-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Beanobuddy has raised his rating more than 100 points in the last year but is looking for more help, improving his game. He asked if I'd post this game. Take a look and add a comment on how he's played, what he might need to do differently in future matches.

Update for Week 13

2004-10-30T23:17:00.000-06:00

Super Friends team members completed 80 games over the last two weeks, bringing the total count of finished matches to 457. As of Saturday night, our team rating was at 1241, which moved us down to 130th place in the GameKnot team tables (our first time out of the top-100 since we first appeared on the established teams list in August). Many of our losses came from timeouts rather than poor play, and we've spent most of the last two weeks in the top-20 teams, so it shouldn't take long before we're back up into the top-100.

Send me a message if you're having trouble keeping up with the number of matches I've assigned. I can always give you fewer games or ask other teams for longer limits (up to 7 days per move).

Our team record for the two weeks on finished matches was 36 wins, 36 losses, and 8 draws, bringing our total to 217/211/29 for a team score of positive 6. Wins in the two-week period came in from 1987DODGE, BEANOBUDDY, BRISTEN, CHECKING4FUN, DALEMAN, DODGER69, ETERNAL_SHADOW, HOME_ALONE_MARV, JASQUET, JVOLD, PIZZAKEITH, PUPPY_KING, RKBA6, ROKHOUND, SIR_LANCELOT, and THELLOO.

We gained three new members in the last two weeks, bringing our team up to a total of 33. New members include: CROCODILOPOLIS, EDGATAN, and TREVO33. Welcome to Super Friends!

Anyone can make anonymous comments on this site, but you have to be a member to make posts like this one. E-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com if you would like to have me sign you up with a username and password for posting messages.

Analyze This

2004-10-26T17:29:00.000-06:00

Mike_maxted recently lost this match against nranil1, and sent me the following message:

"I wonder if we could publish the game on the SF site and see if anyone can suggest where I went wrong?"

Take a look at the game, and share any insights you have.

Is chess as fun as it used to be?

2004-10-18T18:01:00.000-06:00

This article exerpt comes from the San Antonio Express-News.

Some things in sports hardly change: the height of a basketball net, the length of a football field or the circumference of a baseball diamond.

Chess is different: evolution, change, even a variety of forms characterize this very unusual sport. Astonishingly, a game can take six or more hours to play. But there are also specialists in one-minute chess.

As the exploration of opening moves probes deeper and deeper, the chess battleground itself is being redefined. In an increasing number of today's game, the first 15 or 20 moves may have been played before.

And a once quintessential human role is changing. In a July interview, Vladimir Kramnik estimates that 80 percent of opening preparation depends on computer analysis which often substitutes for human analysis, creativity and insight.

The knowledge explosion limits human mastery in another way, says Kramnik. Today's grandmasters concentrate of necessity on a narrower repertoire of openings. Finding themselves frequently on unfamiliar ground, they are more willing to accept draws.

Update for Week 11

2004-10-17T15:43:00.000-06:00

Super Friends team members completed 90 games over the last two weeks, bringing the total count of finished matches to 377. As of Saturday night, our team rating was up to 1353, which moved us up 60 spots to 32nd place in the GameKnot team tables (our highest-ever, end-of-week rating!)

Our team record for the two weeks on finished matches was 42 wins, 41 losses, and 7 draws, bringing our total to 181/175/21 for a team score of positive 6. Wins in the two-week period came in from 1987DODGE, BILLYTHEWONDERGOAT, DALEMAN, DODGER69, ETERNAL_SHADOW, GOGETEM, HOME_ALONE_MARV, JAMES55, JASQUET, JVOLD, LETHAL_MUTANT, MRUCK, PIZZAKEITH, PUPPY_KING, RKBA6, ROKHOUND, SIR_LANCELOT, SJMACK, and THELLOO.

We lost one member over the last two weeks, leaving us with a solid group of players, 30 in all. Feel free to extend an invitation to players you know. Anyone can sign up to join Super Friends by visiting our team profile page.

E-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com if you would like to have me sign you up with a username and password for posting messages at this site.

Guerila Fighter

2004-10-16T09:18:00.000-06:00

Island chess match memorializes local grandmaster and Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. He long claimed that the game developed his intellect and an ability to think strategically.

Chess Rehab

2004-10-12T09:08:00.000-06:00

"Chess is better than selling crack," he says. "It's better than stealing, than pimping. It's better than doing prostitution. It's all we have."

The Fable-Makers Have a New Story

2004-10-07T19:46:00.000-06:00

Two of three top grandmasters, including former world champion Ruslan Ponomariov, lost in the first of four rounds of the “People vs Computers” match at the Bilbao International Chess Festival in Spain, it was learned Thursday.

Is this a repeat of the John Henry and Paul Bunyan legends? If this is simply a repeat of man vs. machine, what exactly is at stake? Isn't the result inevitable?

Intuition

2004-10-06T09:42:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time, when the word "geek" had nothing to do with computers, a scientist named John von Neumann designed a giant "calculation machine" with thousands of vacuum tubes and switches.

It could perform 10,000 commands per minute, but it was approximately the size of Rhode Island - which is why the word "laptop" wasn't included in its description.

Von Neumann was one of a group of government scientists hired to come up with a device to speed up the tedious process of calculating mathematical equations. Instead, the scientists started playing around with Von Neumann's machine and came up with a chess program. As the story goes, the only person the computer could beat was someone who'd only learned the game the previous week.

"That was because computers don't play by intuition," said Angelina Thomas of the Hemet Chess Club. "That's the difference. We put a man on the moon before we built a computer that could beat a chess master."

So what exactly is intuition? Do we truly rely on a "sense of the board" over tried-and-true logic? How would you develop that kind of loosey-goosey skill?

Fitting Chess into a Disabled Life

2004-10-04T16:29:00.000-06:00

Jamie Duif Calvin was an obsessive reader and an avid chess player, one the top 100 women in the US. But then disability struck, not as a graceful transition, but "more like falling overboard in the middle of the night into a dark, cold, choppy sea." However, thanks to modern computer technology she has taken up chess again. Here is Duif's story.

Update for Week 9

2004-10-02T22:31:00.000-06:00

Super Friends team members completed 43 games this week, bringing the total count of finished matches to 287. As of Saturday night, our team rating was down to 1271, which moved us down 52 spots to 92nd place in the GameKnot team tables (still in the top-100!)

Our team record for the week on finished matches was 17 wins, 21 losses, and 5 draws, bringing our total to 139/134/14 for a team score of positive 5. Wins this week came in from 1987DODGE, ADAMSKI, BORBA, DODGER69, ETERNAL_SHADOW, JASQUET, JVOLD, LETHAL_MUTANT, PIZZAKEITH, ROKHOUND, and SIR_LANCELOT.

Super Friends added one new member for a team record 31 players as of Saturday night: BRISTEN (on Sept. 27). Welcome to Super Friends!

Feel free to extend an invitation to players you know. Anyone can sign up to join Super Friends by visiting our team profile page.

E-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com if you would like to have me sign you up with a username and password for posting messages at this site.

Update for Week 8

2004-09-25T22:16:00.000-06:00

Super Friends team members completed 31 games this week, bringing the total count of finished matches to 244. As of Saturday night, our team rating was up to an end-of-week record 1342, which moved us up 31 spots to 40th place in the GameKnot team tables. That's our highest finish ever!

Our team record for the week on finished matches was 19 wins, 11 losses, and 1 draw, bringing our total to 122/113/9 for a team score of positive 9. Wins this week came in from ADAMSKI, BEANOBUDDY, BILLYTHEWONDERGOAT, CM26, DALEMAN, HOME_ALONE_MARV, JAMES55, MRUCK, PIZZAKEITH, PUPPY_KING, and ROKHOUND.

Super Friends added two new members for a team record 30 players as of Saturday night. Here are our recent additions: DODGER69 and EL_UNICO (both on Sept. 20). Welcome to Super Friends!

Feel free to extend an invitation to players you know. Anyone can sign up to join Super Friends by visiting our team profile page.

E-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com if you would like to have me sign you up with a username and password for posting messages at this site.

a question for the greats.......

2004-09-23T21:57:00.000-06:00

sorry, thats just my catchy title. i was wondering why my opponent lazarus_a resigned in this game, but is still playing this one?? i don't get it, i appear winning by more in both position, and pieces on the second game. also no comments on the current game, that is unless you are complimenting me:)

Yet Another Forum

2004-09-23T20:58:00.000-06:00

GameKnot Team Forums only hold 50 messages each, and we filled up #6, so the new one is now available. It's titled Super Friends VII: The Newest Forum.

GameKnot Forum

2004-09-20T10:53:00.000-06:00

It's happened again. We ran out of space on the old GameKnot Team Forum, so DALEMAN started a new one. It's called ummm......super friends episode 6??.

Chess vs. Halo

2004-09-19T17:30:00.000-06:00

Does playing chess actually improve your mind more than, say, playing a video game?

Men's Health magazine asked the question earlier this month. What do you think?

Update for Week 7

2004-09-18T22:41:00.000-06:00

Super Friends team members completed a record 57 games this week, bringing the total count of finished matches to 213. As of Saturday night, our team rating was steady at 1305, the same as last week, which moved us down 2 spots to 71st place in the GameKnot team tables. We've maintained our top-100 spot for more than a month now. Excellent!

Our team record for the week on finished matches was 28 wins, 26 losses, and 3 draws, bringing our total to 103/102/8 for a team score of positive 1. Wins this week came in from 1987DODGE, BEANOBUDDY, BORBA, DALEMAN, ETERNAL_SHADOW, HOME_ALONE_MARV, MIKE_MAXTED, PIZZAKEITH, PUPPY_KING, and ROKHOUND.

Super Friends added four new members for a team record 28 players as of Saturday night. Here are our recent additions: BAAL, LETHAL_MUTANT, MRUCK, and SJMACK (all on Sept. 18). Welcome to Super Friends!

We also lost two players this week: XTERMINATOR and Z-DAWG. They joined up early on when we were struggling to get the team started and will certainly be missed. XTERMINATOR offered this parting message: "Sorry team, I have gotten a little too busy to be able to keep up with team matches, and I don't want to be a negative to this team, so I am am going to have to quit. It's been short but great being on your team! GOOD LUCK!"

Feel free to extend an invitation to players you know. Anyone can sign up to join Super Friends by visiting our team profile page.

E-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com if you would like to have me sign you up with a username and password for posting messages at this site.

Anybody going?

2004-09-18T19:46:00.000-06:00

The richest open tournament in chess history.

Here's more.

Here is a good one.

2004-09-13T22:00:00.000-06:00

Here is my most recently finished team game. This shows how openings set the pace for the rest of the game. It also shows how sacrificing minor pieces for position really pays off. I got a rook for the first piece I sacrificed; for my second, I got the win. daleman vs. mappet

Update for Week 6

2004-09-11T22:57:00.000-06:00

Super Friends team members completed a record 43 games this week, bringing the total count of finished matches to 156. As of Saturday night, our team rating was up 13 points from a week ago to 1305, which moved us up 15 spots to 69th place in the Gameknot team tables. We set a record end-of-week team rating last week, but effortlessly surpassed it this week. Congratulations!

Our team record for the week on finished matches was 22 wins, 21 losses, and no draws, bringing our total to 75/76/5 for a team score of negative 1. Wins this week came in from ADAMSKI, BEANOBUDDY, HOME_ALONE_MARV, JAMES55, MIKE_MAXTED, PIZZAKEITH, PUPPY_KING, RKBA6, and ROKHOUND.

We have no new members this week but could always use the addition of people who love to play. Feel free to extend an invitation to players you know. Anyone can sign up to join Super Friends by visiting our team profile page.

E-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com if you would like to have me sign you up with a username and password for posting messages at this site.

Once Again

2004-09-10T08:27:00.000-06:00

It's happened again. We ran out of space on the old GameKnot Team Forum, so we've started a new one. Visit Super Friends V: The Forum, and join the fun!

Cheating the ICC

2004-09-09T13:04:00.000-06:00

How to Cheat at Chess: A Security Analysis of the Internet Chess Club

Click on the PDF link on the bottom for the full report.

yet another game analysis

2004-09-06T22:18:00.000-06:00

this one is from mike maxted. here is the game.

and here are his comments.
My unfinished game against Nesocharis could be very instructive for the team, I had a bishop pair and was striving to open up the game against a Bishop and Knight, the knight being far more powerful in the closed positions.He has eventually cracked and allowed the exchange of dark square bishops into a losing end-game but he defended briliantly up till then. Had he not exchanged bishops I would probably have offered a draw, my analysis showed that he could hold the position.Can anyone see a winning line?Had I played BxN a move earlier, I believe that this is also drawing, anyone disagree?This also demonstrates the need for accuracy in endgames

Update for Week 5

2004-09-04T22:33:00.000-06:00

Super Friends team members completed a record 38 games this week, bringing the total count of finished matches to 113. As of Saturday night, our team rating was up 17 points from a week ago to 1292, which moved us up 10 spots to 84th place in the Gameknot team tables. That's our highest end-of-week finish since I started compiling these reports!

Our team record for the week on finished matches was 18 wins, 18 losses, and 2 draws, bringing our total to 53/55/5 for a team score of negative 2. Wins this week came in from 1987DODGE, BEANOBUDDY, DALEMAN, JASQUET, JVOLD, MIKE_MAXTED, PIZZAKEITH, and ROKHOUND.

Super Friends added one new member for a team record 26 players as of Saturday night. Our newest member is CHECKING4FUN. Welcome to Super Friends!

E-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com if you would like to have me sign you up with a username and password for posting messages at this site.

Origins of Chess

2004-09-04T11:12:00.000-06:00

Where did it come from? How did it start? What was its purpose? Asthpada, a four-handed race game, is thought by some to be the earliest form of chess. But others disagree.

"The theory that chess is a development of an earlier race game involves the hypothesis that some reformer changed the whole nomenclature in order to make it self-assistent as a war game and secured the agreement of all his contemporaries. I find this hypothesis incredible."

-H.J.R. Murray (1913)

This site presents a collection of essays on the origin and evolution of chess.

Man vs. Machine

2004-09-03T21:44:00.000-06:00

This image demonstrates computer analysis of a chess game. It raises the question of whether the game is a complex art or mathematical computation. Is it possible for machines to destroy the joy of chess?

For the Record

2004-09-01T11:04:00.000-06:00

The longest chess game? 269 moves.
Most moves in a tournament match without a capture? 72.
Earliest stalemate? 27 moves.

Check out Tim Krabbe's chess records: "This inventarisation is limited to the practical game; no longest winning streaks; youngest grandmasters; selfmates in 418. 'This is the record' means: 'this is the record as known & recognized by me.'"

Update for Week 4

2004-08-29T22:51:00.000-06:00

Super Friends team members completed a record 33 games this week, bringing the total count of finished matches to 75. As of Saturday night, our team rating was down 10 points from a week ago to 1275, which moved us down 5 spots to 94th place in the Gameknot team tables. Let's work on maintaining a spot in the top-100.

Our team record for the week on finished matches was 16 wins, 16 losses, and a draw, bringing our total to 35/37/3 for a team score of negative 2. Wins this week came in from 1987DODGE, BEANOBUDDY, HOME_ALONE_MARV, JAMES55, JASQUET, JVOLD, PIZZAKEITH, and PUPPY_KING.

Super Friends added three new members for a team record 25 players as of Saturday night. Here are our recent additions: RKBA6 (Aug. 22), SIR_LANCELOT (Aug. 27), and THELLOO (Aug. 28). Welcome to Super Friends!

DALEMAN set up a new team forum on the Gameknot site. It's a bit random and irreverent and not at all related to chess, but it's another way to get to know your teammates, so I encourage you to at least visit if you get a chance. The Gameknot forums run out when they reach 50 posts, so we'll let you know when we start a new one.

E-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com if you would like to have me sign you up with a username and password for posting messages at this site.

More Chess Openings

2004-08-28T22:34:00.000-06:00

Here's another helpful study tool.

"Since the beginning of the sixteenth century, chess theory has been the subject of intense investigation. The majority of this study has been dedicated to the Chess Openings. Since these opening moves will eventually determine the course of the game, it is understood that the first moves are those of greater importance."

--Al Horowitz & Fred Reinfeld

Poor Sportsmanship

2004-08-26T09:20:00.000-06:00

"Maybe the guys were just trying to impress someone by saying they were grandmasters," he said. "Or maybe they were trying to give chess players a bad name."

Come to find out, these criminal offenders might not even know how to play chess. The most disturbing part of the story, however, is the number of bodies discovered in the last week. (Once you get to the story, the body count is in the fact box on the right.)

Another Game to Analyze

2004-08-25T19:04:00.000-06:00

Thanks again, Daleman, for posting the first game. I'll go next. Here is a game I'd like to have help thinking through. I felt like I was playing pretty well, building up my forces to bear on his king in the corner. But something didn't work, and I ended up minus a minor piece, enough to let him whittle away at my pawns in the endgame. Is there a single mistake here that any of you can see? Sure would appreciate your help.

New Gameknot Forum

2004-08-23T13:30:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Daleman for setting up the new Gameknot team forum. It's a convenient spot to discuss just about anything, but it's limited to 50 posts, so we'll let you know when it's full and where we've put the new one.

Update for Week 3

2004-08-22T00:49:00.000-06:00

Super Friends team members completed a record 22 games this week, bringing the total count of finished matches to 42. As of Saturday night, our team rating was up 21 points from a week ago to 1285, which moves us up 20 spots to 89th place in the Gameknot team tables. Brilliant!

Our team record for the week on finished matches was 10 wins, 11 losses, and a draw, bringing our total to 19/21/2 for a team score of negative 2. Wins this week came in from 1987DODGE, BEANOBUDDY, DALEMAN, ETERNAL_SHADOW, PIZZAKEITH, and ROKHOUND.

Super Friends added two new members for a team record 22 players as of Saturday night. Here are our recent additions: XTERMINATOR (Aug. 16) and PUPPY_KING (Aug. 21). Welcome to Super Friends!

E-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com if you would like to have me sign you up with a username and password for posting messages at this site.

Chocolate for the Win

2004-08-21T07:46:00.000-06:00

Jonathan Rowson, ranked 150 in the world and a grandmaster since 1999, proved that you can "Make it Happen with Snickers" when he attributed his win at the British Chess Championship to the American-made chocolate bar. Looks like an easy way to improve your game, but I'm not sure it would work for me.

Game Analysis

2004-08-19T15:50:00.000-06:00

If you have a game you would like the team to look at and comment on, just leave the location of the game board, and/or the game notation. Here is the game I want you all to look at. I know I made mistakes in my opening, and mid game. Please help me see what these are.

Extra Skill

2004-08-18T17:24:00.000-06:00

This article suggests that learning to play chess helps children with creative thinking, reading, and math. But has playing chess helped you?

This Week at Super Friends

2004-08-15T20:21:00.000-06:00

Super Friends team members completed a record 19 games this week, bringing the total count of finished matches to 20. We entered the Established Teams table Saturday night at a team rating of 1264 or 109th place. Let's work on getting up into the top 100.

Our team record for the week on finished matches was 8 wins, 10 losses, and a draw, bringing our total to 9/10/1 for a team score of -1. Wins this week came in from 1987DODGE, DALEMAN, KAVJACK and PIZZAKEITH. Our only completed game the previous week and first-ever team win was due to the efforts of ETERNAL_SHADOW.

Super Friends has a team record 20 members as of Sunday afternoon with JVOLD topping off the list as the newest Friend. Here are some of our recent additions: BORBA and Z-DAWG (joined Aug. 13); BILLYTHEWONDERGOAT (Aug. 11); JASQUET, JAMES55, and MIKE_MAXTED (Aug. 10); KAVJACK (Aug. 9); PIZZAKEITH (Aug. 8). Welcome to Super Friends!

DALEMAN and I have started work, developing a team philosophy. Please e-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com or send either one of us a private message if you would like to be involved or have helpful ideas.

Announcements

2004-08-10T23:39:00.000-06:00

Here are just a few team announcements:

Thanks to Daleman for setting up the new Gameknot team forum. It's a convenient spot to discuss just about anything, but it's limited to 50 posts, so we'll let you know when it's full and where we've put the new one.

Welcome to new team members: James55 and Jasquet joined today. Since we're still a fairly new team, I encourage you to click on comments after this post and introduce yourselves.

If you haven't already done so, send me a private message or e-mail me at dirtwindow@myway.com regarding team games. I'd like to know the maximum number of games you are willing to play at any one time and whether you need more than the standard three days to move on team games.

Chess City

2004-08-08T21:30:00.000-06:00

Looks like I've finally found a reason to visit the Middle East. Chess City, a Russian-funded development in the United Arab Emirates, will include 32 buildings shaped like chess pieces when complete.

Favorite Openings

2004-08-06T23:28:00.000-06:00

i would like to hear everybody's favorite opening and why they like it.

Favorite Resources

2004-08-06T22:42:00.000-06:00

I'm developing links (on your right) to useful chess resources. What are your favorites?

New Members

2004-08-05T10:23:00.000-06:00

Our team is growing. Rokhound — from the Boise, Idaho area — just joined us this morning. Send him a message welcoming him to the team if you get a chance. Right now, we're getting two or three team challenges a day, but I have to reject most because we don't match up very closely on ratings. Our biggest holes are at 1150 (we need two players in the 1100 to 1250 range) and at 1600 and above. Let me know if you have some ideas for players we should recruit.

Opening Mistakes

2004-08-04T09:54:00.000-06:00

I've been on Gameknot for just over a year now, and my rating's already gone up almost 200 points. But when I visited this site last week, I realized that I'm still making silly mistakes in my openings. Unfortunately, it's small errors like these that lead to bigger problems later in the game.

Chess Forum

2004-08-02T16:49:00.000-06:00

This is superfriends social forum.

Welcome!

2004-07-31T09:17:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Super Friends chess team forum. Anybody can make comments on this forum by clicking the "comments" option following each entry. If you are a member of the team, send me an e-mail at dirtwindow@myway.com. I'll sign you up and send you instructions on how to make regular posts.