tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9707468103248986042023-11-16T11:53:12.084+01:00Lost On TimeWe all lose on time in the end.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.comBlogger298125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-28166337922217011792019-10-29T12:00:00.000+01:002019-10-29T12:01:33.514+01:00Ever get the feeling you've been cheated - there's nothing there<i>Banned from the Roxy, OK</i><br />
<i>I never much liked playing there anyway</i><br />
- Crass<br />
<br />
I've been playing competitive chess for more than forty years, over the board, by correspondence and on the internet. This is, by a margin, the most disgusting thing - and the most upsetting thing - that has ever happened to me in all that time.<br />
<br />
As you might surmise, I don't really give a damn whether I ever play another game on Chess.com. There are other places.<br />
<br />
What I do give a damn about is my good name, and the willingness of Chess.com to dirty my name, just as they have dirtied other people's names, without having to justify themselves in any way, without having to put forward even the smallest scrap of evidence.<br />
<br />
It's not just the principle of the thing, that the process is plainly contrary to natural justice. It's the effect of being accused, without being able to see, let alone challenge, what is alleged against you. That's psychologically distressing in a way that I don't think I can describe. So I won't attempt to, except to observe that it's cost me an awful lot by way of stress and disturbed sleep.<br />
<br />
Of course Chess.com are a private company. They have the right, within the law, to have who they want on their site and to ban who they want from their site.<br />
<br />
What they don't have the right to do is to call somebody a cheat without backing it up.<br />
<br />
But that <a href="https://www.chess.com/daily/game/232591978">is</a> what they have done.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzQDycHkd1NBlhXkbgpZ-c9RwAbVNfRUqHOVXm0qzq4OtkzILFKbaH8see5qY5d2KwO7LgyQEsklqSL6oleG3CzzkF_7qgGfrEPp3XkRmeAA1h5XDVMye9YBUeaeF6Uwmob3IiUkkbqqp/s1600/Justinpatzer+banned+image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzQDycHkd1NBlhXkbgpZ-c9RwAbVNfRUqHOVXm0qzq4OtkzILFKbaH8see5qY5d2KwO7LgyQEsklqSL6oleG3CzzkF_7qgGfrEPp3XkRmeAA1h5XDVMye9YBUeaeF6Uwmob3IiUkkbqqp/s320/Justinpatzer+banned+image.png" width="279" /></a></div>
<br />
And that's disgusting, when you're on the receiving end. That's mud, and mud sticks.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Just as I don't much care if I ever play on Chess.com again, I don't much care how and why they came to do this. I certainly don't owe it to them to presume they're acting in good faith, any more than they have presumed the same about me. (Which is to say, not at all.)<br />
<br />
The best construction I can put on their actions is that they made a serious error, either because their system is badly flawed or for some other reason, and that they have been unwilling to contemplate the possibility that they did so. Perhaps because to do so would open themselves up to other complaints. Perhaps for other reasons. Who knows? I really don't care.<br />
<br />
But I do care about my reputation, and Chess.com really ought to apologise for putting that at risk, with whatever grace they are able to muster. And if they don't, I hope it is their reputation, and not mine, that suffers in the long run.
<br />
<br />
I mean what is any of this <i>for</i>? What's the point?<br />
<br />
Look at the games. <i>There's nothing there</i>.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-1771594463284962142019-10-29T11:00:00.000+01:002020-05-02T12:56:25.290+02:00Ever get the feeling you've been cheated - wrong in fact, wrong in theory?So how does Chess.com's system work anyway?<br />
<br />
I don't really know, and I don't particularly want to speculate, not more than I'm obliged to. It ought to be up to them to explain themselves, not up to me.<br />
<br />
But I also don't know<br />
<ul>
<li>whether that system has been assessed independently, and even if so, how thoroughly and how expertly</li>
<li>how much it risks (and is understood to risk) catching the wrong people as well as the right ones</li>
<li>how much its reliability may vary (and is understood to vary) according to the sample size of games</li>
<li>how much it may depend (and is understood to depend) on fallible human inputs, human judgments and so on.</li>
</ul>
I don't know. But I do know that Chess.com aren't in possession of a foolproof system. Of course they aren't, because there's no such thing as a foolproof system. And I do know that they are wrong in this particular instance. <i>Spectacularly</i> wrong.<br />
<br />
What I <i>think</i>, however, is that their method to some degree involves looking at the moves you have played, and seeing how many match with the preferred choice of a computer program. Whether they do anything else, or what precisely their criteria are, who knows. (But how reliable those criteria are - on that, I <i>do</i> have a well-informed opinion.)<br />
<br />
One question this raises is - since there is such a thing as theory in chess, when in the game do they start scrutinising? Presumably not on move one. But if not, at what point <i>does</i> the matching begin? If they start too early, when in fact you're still in book (because book use is permitted in these games) isn't that a point where errors can be committed? Because moves which you're finding from a printed source are being marked down as moves you're finding with a program?<br />
<br />
Let me give you an example. Let me give you several examples.<br />
<br />
When you finish a game on Chess.com, you get a little game report, which includes some basic computer analysis, and a chart that looks like this.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMI7cyvBAr5PCCYwzFkEkF4P6DCvVYVV4CJSTUXju1_JZRrzHL0uDFsPIjhA-Y7dcVj34-cxEZ2FNxEwF7Dxk5E7AboNTSjizqeE7fKhss4EItTxGQR11opyG9fRHAFhcF3zGX01zYefs/s1600/Passy+book.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="378" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMI7cyvBAr5PCCYwzFkEkF4P6DCvVYVV4CJSTUXju1_JZRrzHL0uDFsPIjhA-Y7dcVj34-cxEZ2FNxEwF7Dxk5E7AboNTSjizqeE7fKhss4EItTxGQR11opyG9fRHAFhcF3zGX01zYefs/s320/Passy+book.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
What it means precisely, I couldn't say, but I can guess what <i>Best Move</i> means, and what <i>Book</i> means. And I can guess that 99.3 is a high figure, whatever it means precisely and however they're calculating it. The game it refers to is this one.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Site "Chess.com"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Date "2019.07.01"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[White "passy234"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Black "Justinpatzer"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Result "0-1"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[WhiteElo "2055"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[BlackElo "2149"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[EndDate "2019.07.05"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 c6 4. c4 e6 5. O-O Nf6 6. Qb3 Qb6 7. Qc2 Nbd7 8. cxd5
exd5 9. d3 Qc5 10. Qb3 Qb6 11. Qc2 Qc5 12. Qd1 Bd6 13. Nc3 O-O 14. Be3 Qa5 15.
a3 Rfe8 16. b4 Qd8 17. Rc1 a5 18. Qb3 Qe7 19. Rb1 axb4 20. axb4 Ne5 21. Nxe5
Bxe5 22. Rfe1 d4 0-1</span><br />
<br />
So we've got a twenty-two move minature, in which Black plays five moves of theory, and then turns over White in short order with an extremely high Accuracy rate. Which is pretty suspicious, isn't it?<br />
<br />
Except it isn't. Because this, which suggests that theory ends after five moves on each side<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU29JI97OghBHmMlmf2kPYTJYNjDfwgDz3BThTP32oPaM1-2UX-xoX0ANsu70_H2CwNtb4bXyx4zaOtCXDlNXQQPZeap9IlIjcQZEJZTgDuT2Shvyatk6rv07oPGh-vf6cGRfTB6OEz_RO/s1600/Passy+book+highlighted.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="378" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU29JI97OghBHmMlmf2kPYTJYNjDfwgDz3BThTP32oPaM1-2UX-xoX0ANsu70_H2CwNtb4bXyx4zaOtCXDlNXQQPZeap9IlIjcQZEJZTgDuT2Shvyatk6rv07oPGh-vf6cGRfTB6OEz_RO/s320/Passy+book+highlighted.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
and which would mean that the players were playing their own moves from this position<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgZRh-CTfBkb3F9loWzv8eqJOmMuQSBb-x7GU7NsmYUPNBZJwXt0yYcPwkwzwOU6Bt3Y2KlmN7gkiayo0__nrzZIsCkGXvJNhwpg-5uG03iTCamlYK-HGJ7J2gT27_KoZNqW1hYn_ZpCg/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Reti+earlier+diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgZRh-CTfBkb3F9loWzv8eqJOmMuQSBb-x7GU7NsmYUPNBZJwXt0yYcPwkwzwOU6Bt3Y2KlmN7gkiayo0__nrzZIsCkGXvJNhwpg-5uG03iTCamlYK-HGJ7J2gT27_KoZNqW1hYn_ZpCg/s320/Chess.com+theory+Reti+earlier+diagram.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<br />
is wrong. Very wrong.<br />
<br />
In fact Black was playing published theory until <i>move sixteen</i>.<br />
<br />
Specifically, he was following Petrosian v Vovhannisyan, <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1795595">Lake Sevan 2015</a>, which you can see below (to move 14, but as there was a repetition, we had played two more moves apiece) as it appears on page 202<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIAF0qV_zHicrwEEILgFGrMye8G7reXuQsKwfnSHPyW7N_0mNfu8sWJYN8YVYhy27d9guJbGSvXsRe_Ys4S59eDK3K8QZJ1n7oUfnX8vz7GUZ8kdAO0XdeDCcO2LnIXzjBGhkm6m7FQzh/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Reti.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="413" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIAF0qV_zHicrwEEILgFGrMye8G7reXuQsKwfnSHPyW7N_0mNfu8sWJYN8YVYhy27d9guJbGSvXsRe_Ys4S59eDK3K8QZJ1n7oUfnX8vz7GUZ8kdAO0XdeDCcO2LnIXzjBGhkm6m7FQzh/s320/Chess.com+theory+Reti.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
of Delchev and Semkov, <i>Attacking the English/Reti</i>, Chess Stars, 2016<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIVQ_sK6pQd6CxogX1Ihc5JTL30rzzDRqVgtDiyNkFUBr9TJITJzYuHyAk3cqHxCMxnK_zveOjoLl2njNJVYmXepHvRveJzNKcwvGq-Y8tj2qMQzRet-3IStdzHOQICYhZDwNOg3sFdaI/s1600/Delchev+English+Reti+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIVQ_sK6pQd6CxogX1Ihc5JTL30rzzDRqVgtDiyNkFUBr9TJITJzYuHyAk3cqHxCMxnK_zveOjoLl2njNJVYmXepHvRveJzNKcwvGq-Y8tj2qMQzRet-3IStdzHOQICYhZDwNOg3sFdaI/s320/Delchev+English+Reti+book.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<br />
which I have on my bookshelves.<br />
<br />
Which is how I came to be in the position below, after Black's 16...Qd8, before I had to play any moves of my own.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf3MDfQGYRRM4i2qc3uStIHc5e065p7WfMPFuowCVQMX5-uKZ1U6OtYEcdcIfBlskxbaqb1Vq9hTcTLN-nrvlHEhAP_epajljdFA6YZOFJyKedoIkuyijjbv6e7U5LCVW0KfA5y_sq9C3/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Reti+diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf3MDfQGYRRM4i2qc3uStIHc5e065p7WfMPFuowCVQMX5-uKZ1U6OtYEcdcIfBlskxbaqb1Vq9hTcTLN-nrvlHEhAP_epajljdFA6YZOFJyKedoIkuyijjbv6e7U5LCVW0KfA5y_sq9C3/s320/Chess.com+theory+Reti+diagram.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<br />
White then varied with 17 Rc1. So my original contribution consisted of five moves - five very ordinary moves - and then, after a simple blunder by White<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJ7LsCEmYT6SeqqICm0YBMrWrJy6kALHJTSTxATGoGOFeg7yIxvnofaTnPaD2DGK7IAu4j0S0aswepZDG-5xrDz5Fbdyxif3hJlv0TG8Xek_QPXjNnKIdBj6CxhRn_sge3sEaeO58Gr8z/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Reti+end+diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJ7LsCEmYT6SeqqICm0YBMrWrJy6kALHJTSTxATGoGOFeg7yIxvnofaTnPaD2DGK7IAu4j0S0aswepZDG-5xrDz5Fbdyxif3hJlv0TG8Xek_QPXjNnKIdBj6CxhRn_sge3sEaeO58Gr8z/s200/Chess.com+theory+Reti+end+diagram.png" width="196" /></a></div>
<br />
a very obvious pawn fork to win the game.<br />
<br />
Suddenly the game looks very different, doesn't it? Suddenly it's perfectly normal, unexceptional. Suddenly there's nothing odd about it <i>at all</i>.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Here's a few more examples. This game, for instance.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Site "Chess.com"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Date "2018.12.25"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[White "Dave_1969"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Black "Justinpatzer"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Result "1/2-1/2"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[WhiteElo "2015"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[BlackElo "2096"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[EndDate "2019.01.08"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Termination "Game drawn by agreement"]
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Ne2 d5 6. a3 Bd6 7. c5 Be7 8. b4 b6
9. Nf4 c6 10. Be2 Nbd7 11. Nd3 a5 12. Bd2 Ba6 13. O-O Qc7 14. f4 axb4 15. axb4
Bc4 16. Qc2 Rfb8 17. Rfb1 Qb7 18. Bf3 Ne8 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. fxe5 Ra6 21. Rxa6
Qxa6 22. Qd1 Nc7 23. Ra1 Qb7 24. e4 b5 25. exd5 cxd5 1/2-1/2
</span><br />
<br />
According to Chess.com, we have seven moves of theory for White, and six for Black<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2r3h-apow7YScIze7rvVh3gn_iwwBqaJ6eH0NLCi0cJK4pOxIA220ePkBbkclCy0HZJi1TtJY5MpC7MAouKVEGTMMnR2T0UFY-Oq_M30irl-yPfc_oIxVC-WYzmBdLdua0eADmh4Bdlb0/s1600/Dave1969+book.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="376" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2r3h-apow7YScIze7rvVh3gn_iwwBqaJ6eH0NLCi0cJK4pOxIA220ePkBbkclCy0HZJi1TtJY5MpC7MAouKVEGTMMnR2T0UFY-Oq_M30irl-yPfc_oIxVC-WYzmBdLdua0eADmh4Bdlb0/s320/Dave1969+book.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
which is a funny thing to say anyway, since Black's seventh is forced. But leaving that aside, it would get us this position, where Black is apparently starting from scratch.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyOCYGxRjekuadD6qNH3q_-VAhfxvpGRsyHlmk7To6mvZnRTvLxxwYq9BSY2vxDpWSuBftT8l2QsU4aBThYDxkRm0eoKjzOMbRhZyIW8wqaL5iylZAyXEUaEq8nDv2Cg61deHGCaYuCtp/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Nimzo+earlier+diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyOCYGxRjekuadD6qNH3q_-VAhfxvpGRsyHlmk7To6mvZnRTvLxxwYq9BSY2vxDpWSuBftT8l2QsU4aBThYDxkRm0eoKjzOMbRhZyIW8wqaL5iylZAyXEUaEq8nDv2Cg61deHGCaYuCtp/s320/Chess.com+theory+Nimzo+earlier+diagram.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<br />
But he's not starting from scratch. he's not even halfway there. Because in my theory here goes as far as <i>move twenty</i>, as per Guliev-Arkhipov, <a href="https://www.365chess.com/tournaments/dubai_op_1999/8091/?p=1&start=100#down">Dubai 1999</a>. You may have to hunt about a bit there to locate the score, or you can find it, as I did, on page 174<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nby4TVB3ypU3j4lUskPg2C445oTkIdfbVv3lECroVVuOyM_ROz3Niy_tZkOTcYIk9WKvEOv-EzOl1LO_DyUcIyKUkuG6hHJU9wOeGHEwhjWv-qTWjC5GkUlSI4bK3td8sXdw0M3YZHlg/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Nimzo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nby4TVB3ypU3j4lUskPg2C445oTkIdfbVv3lECroVVuOyM_ROz3Niy_tZkOTcYIk9WKvEOv-EzOl1LO_DyUcIyKUkuG6hHJU9wOeGHEwhjWv-qTWjC5GkUlSI4bK3td8sXdw0M3YZHlg/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Nimzo.png" /></a></div>
<br />
of Emms, <i>The Nimzo-Indian move by move</i>, Everyman, 2011<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTNMER0y9_SxHIFWgmlVu63yor_PFHRn6EvSoHdKmQEl_PdUeWWNmo71a00_8Goai_XVWTqooC8UkIevYAR4pojDZXzD7j0gso7EXkhOn_xIAyuONJl1wmtu5R2QehHtWoCfGqQLY6UMO/s1600/Emms+Nimzo+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="946" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTNMER0y9_SxHIFWgmlVu63yor_PFHRn6EvSoHdKmQEl_PdUeWWNmo71a00_8Goai_XVWTqooC8UkIevYAR4pojDZXzD7j0gso7EXkhOn_xIAyuONJl1wmtu5R2QehHtWoCfGqQLY6UMO/s320/Emms+Nimzo+book.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<br />
which I have on my bookshelves and which brought me to this position without yet having had to play any of my own moves.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHHHQr3zFnum7OhX9TTg36GzDiVZp6v8X576eEiBLhWVD5sEGOLO9iBuijeN7fC_6T_6qB0y_fk_7fklvuH1DzwtIfh1qVjtlvOC3ZkrAqAZjtlc_6aEZns3scjyXfZNYC4MyuyGikV4-/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Nimzo+diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHHHQr3zFnum7OhX9TTg36GzDiVZp6v8X576eEiBLhWVD5sEGOLO9iBuijeN7fC_6T_6qB0y_fk_7fklvuH1DzwtIfh1qVjtlvOC3ZkrAqAZjtlc_6aEZns3scjyXfZNYC4MyuyGikV4-/s320/Chess.com+theory+Nimzo+diagram.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<br />
After 21 Rxa6 I once again played five moves - in my view even less distinguished moves than in the previous example - and I then asked for a draw.<br />
<br />
(Why would Black, by the way, be using computer assistance in order to play a dull draw in twenty-five moves? Nobody knows. But none of this makes sense.)<br />
<br />
Then there's this game, another draw as it happens.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Site "Chess.com"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Date "2019.01.08"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[White "rembooooo"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Black "Justinpatzer"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Result "1/2-1/2"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[WhiteElo "2076"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[BlackElo "2111"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[EndDate "2019.01.22"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Termination "Game drawn by agreement"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. c3 Nxe4 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 d5 8.
dxc5 dxc4 9. Qe2 Qd3 10. Re1 f5 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Nxe4 fxe4 13. Qxe4 Bf5 14. Qf4
Be6 15. Ne5 Qd5 16. Qg3 Nxe5 17. Qxe5 Qxe5 18. Rxe5 Rfe8 19. f4 Rad8 20. Be3 Bd5
21. Bd4 Bc6 22. Rxe8+ Bxe8 23. Bc3 Bc6 24. Re1 Kf7 25. Re5 Rd1+ 26. Kf2 Rc1 27.
g4 Rh1 28. Kg3 Rf1 29. Rf5+ Kg8 30. Rg5 g6 31. f5 Rf3+ 32. Kh4 Kf7 33. fxg6+
hxg6 34. Re5 Rf2 35. h3 Rf3 36. Re1 Bd5 37. a4 c6 38. a5 a6 39. Re2 Rd3 40. Rf2+
Rf3 41. Re2 Rd3 42. Rf2+ Rf3 1/2-1/2</span><br />
<br />
in which according to Chess.com<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWId6NgHH3-rneaijb_NfozBwzKno8EqR-hNuAlbVnr_0Pp8sOkzA1JRSM3GkviAWJL8venBH5XW6uPY2W6etGLMUV4TQ_Qogw7upe8vsYZh5-J-ZPSW4Y8WN6udYqQqxPeE1vse7O_4P/s1600/Rembooooo+book.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="391" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWId6NgHH3-rneaijb_NfozBwzKno8EqR-hNuAlbVnr_0Pp8sOkzA1JRSM3GkviAWJL8venBH5XW6uPY2W6etGLMUV4TQ_Qogw7upe8vsYZh5-J-ZPSW4Y8WN6udYqQqxPeE1vse7O_4P/s320/Rembooooo+book.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
we played five moves of theory for White, and four for Black, reaching this position.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPq3nJuyoda7lKX3YIfnn4pxhpOeC0H9nMtCcXJI2lYgdDeiDubpi7ZLEgs0Qo_-T5AllV12tPlfpesv5vqJx0nsZTeSl-cYnLtpGFEpO7ZeLUwERqtAZsY21wHsI-J3dBzwaPaQ_OCBPk/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Italian+earlier+diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPq3nJuyoda7lKX3YIfnn4pxhpOeC0H9nMtCcXJI2lYgdDeiDubpi7ZLEgs0Qo_-T5AllV12tPlfpesv5vqJx0nsZTeSl-cYnLtpGFEpO7ZeLUwERqtAZsY21wHsI-J3dBzwaPaQ_OCBPk/s320/Chess.com+theory+Italian+earlier+diagram.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<br />
In fact Black at least was following all<i> fourteen</i> moves of a recommended line on page 379<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DM8MHkcvLCuRhr8Gd95AuZYUYbbs7wz7Oowh0y9FZh_ScC4g5ikp6ZJThPzExs0gFk0L4maZA-zLntqw67ifpbeBvB9aYrFrwPRAPiDzAxzofFF2bRY2SY70KMVnLRT2XNUJXW-UzH8f/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Italian.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DM8MHkcvLCuRhr8Gd95AuZYUYbbs7wz7Oowh0y9FZh_ScC4g5ikp6ZJThPzExs0gFk0L4maZA-zLntqw67ifpbeBvB9aYrFrwPRAPiDzAxzofFF2bRY2SY70KMVnLRT2XNUJXW-UzH8f/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Italian.png" /></a></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLu8P7REwrBia2QpGAcIGh23g8GaIyV5-XYG46UcfjMzZYWb0gzEWLgCiLmmOZ5CQbok8YOebpeNOMg7Vl7g5WvCpi40aBfsT7_4d58FtGSVYGBnwuvF10mzBbEykYCgUKvdQyvQgW0Ml-/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Italian+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="340" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLu8P7REwrBia2QpGAcIGh23g8GaIyV5-XYG46UcfjMzZYWb0gzEWLgCiLmmOZ5CQbok8YOebpeNOMg7Vl7g5WvCpi40aBfsT7_4d58FtGSVYGBnwuvF10mzBbEykYCgUKvdQyvQgW0Ml-/s320/Chess.com+theory+Italian+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
of Bologan, <i>Bologan's Black Weapons</i> (etc), New In Chess, 2014<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5foM0NGCnhuFl0QlCBWXUSzISXNfjZofgNZn-bpauCqWqAJ_l3tmczFZ1GqdKQ__bt-Ggp_HjXE8oyMMkdDaaKYRcPheFng1YC64b5fFN6byuyExKeJaF5482qn81Va4_k9dq4R4GRRF/s1600/Bologan+Open+Games+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="362" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5foM0NGCnhuFl0QlCBWXUSzISXNfjZofgNZn-bpauCqWqAJ_l3tmczFZ1GqdKQ__bt-Ggp_HjXE8oyMMkdDaaKYRcPheFng1YC64b5fFN6byuyExKeJaF5482qn81Va4_k9dq4R4GRRF/s320/Bologan+Open+Games+book.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
<br />
so original play only started here.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofdhqM1LBywcAuT5sdDCXS8q8ZYgYkEzFO-mU3Lk8aJrrOfHbgaDpXncwRsP3Qkx4y0FNxdPBnS97BXTOrqg6a5FpW5IoGzZMciLdsu2sZJNUcNbQwT1OjO7h1n4Vi4Ipcp5kftIIE2zo/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Italian+diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofdhqM1LBywcAuT5sdDCXS8q8ZYgYkEzFO-mU3Lk8aJrrOfHbgaDpXncwRsP3Qkx4y0FNxdPBnS97BXTOrqg6a5FpW5IoGzZMciLdsu2sZJNUcNbQwT1OjO7h1n4Vi4Ipcp5kftIIE2zo/s320/Chess.com+theory+Italian+diagram.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<br />
Again, why Black would user computer assistance to play forty-two dull moves for a draw is a question for Chess.com. It's not a question they seem keen on answering.<br />
<br />
One more, for now.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Site "Chess.com"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Date "2019.07.07"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[White "MRValero"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Black "Justinpatzer"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Result "1-0"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[WhiteElo "2182"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[BlackElo "2167"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[EndDate "2019.07.26"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Termination "MRValero won by resignation"]
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. d3 a6 8. Ba4
h6 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. fxe3 d6 11. Nbd2 b5 12. Bb3 Be6 13. Bc2 Qe7 14. h3 d5 15.
exd5 Nxd5 16. Qf2 g6 17. e4 Nf4 18. Nxe5 Nxh3+ 19. gxh3 Nxe5 20. Qg3 Qg5 21.
Qxg5 hxg5 22. d4 Nc4 23. Nxc4 Bxc4 24. Rf2 Be6 25. Kh2 c6 26. Rg2 Kg7 27. Rxg5
Rh8 28. Rg3 Rh4 29. Rf1 a5 30. a3 b4 31. axb4 axb4 32. Rf2 b3 33. Bd3 Ra1 34.
Rd2 Rc1 35. Re3 g5 36. Rg2 Kh6 37. Rg1 Rxg1 38. Kxg1 g4 39. hxg4 Kg5 40. Kg2
Rxg4+ 41. Rg3 Kf4 42. Rxg4+ Bxg4 43. Kf2 f6 44. c4 c5 45. dxc5 Bd7 46. Be2 Kxe4
47. c6 Bc8 48. Bd1 Kd4 49. Bxb3 Kc5 50. c7 Kd6 51. Bc2 Kxc7 52. Ke3 Bh3 53. b4
Kc6 54. Bd3 Kd6 55. Kf4 Kc6 56. Ke3 Kd6 57. Kd4 1-0</span><br />
<br />
You may remember some fragments from this game in the previous posting (and as I asked then, why would Black be using a computer to lose a long game with lots of errors in it?) but in this one, theory supposedly takes us to move five<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JSlKfD5o0NKQMio4IICY_7oh-HrJbPp3NnQz_ltIo-0L62dBBrKALSL5ZqiQMPbExchdsqQDieGsAidg2uxyuHIP4xYg08NQ2dRr8wK0gdnKlo0U8s-nzf_QPb1Y46-7bwtVvYK7972k/s1600/MRValero+book.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="390" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JSlKfD5o0NKQMio4IICY_7oh-HrJbPp3NnQz_ltIo-0L62dBBrKALSL5ZqiQMPbExchdsqQDieGsAidg2uxyuHIP4xYg08NQ2dRr8wK0gdnKlo0U8s-nzf_QPb1Y46-7bwtVvYK7972k/s320/MRValero+book.png" width="320" /></a></div>
which is this position.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZB7BGJlpWm3Bw7RX90jzYidrjxveMXm6BfYQ_92uvpOz04EZCwHLynDs6AGoI_j2bKCwEF-t98FCQPaTvEqJmrbIvXLJad9wTFD42KkjQIj8Yyq1TddQsxFU6V_Bk2siW8JsrLbTd_5DZ/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Berlin+earlier+diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZB7BGJlpWm3Bw7RX90jzYidrjxveMXm6BfYQ_92uvpOz04EZCwHLynDs6AGoI_j2bKCwEF-t98FCQPaTvEqJmrbIvXLJad9wTFD42KkjQIj8Yyq1TddQsxFU6V_Bk2siW8JsrLbTd_5DZ/s320/Chess.com+theory+Berlin+earlier+diagram.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<br />
But in fact, I was following, by transposition, Meijers v Crouan, Sautron 2009. No link, sorry, but here it is on page 99<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHpcZBlixpNPA6RH2ALvc5QiQu8ggLSubPHCWDxMM-NxvFYesJfIVduI3OZpg3r_B7fG7dopUaijZLXvzURCk7WjoF1jEARJwmjOsDSUhQZ9YUc5BPKhx-ICOL6_cUyy5v-PCyIp4HGRR/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Berlin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="417" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHpcZBlixpNPA6RH2ALvc5QiQu8ggLSubPHCWDxMM-NxvFYesJfIVduI3OZpg3r_B7fG7dopUaijZLXvzURCk7WjoF1jEARJwmjOsDSUhQZ9YUc5BPKhx-ICOL6_cUyy5v-PCyIp4HGRR/s320/Chess.com+theory+Berlin.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
of Lysyj and Ovetchkin, <i>The Berlin Defence</i>, Chess Stars, 2012
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8LWIFx4DVa3UaPbTLZI374m_pjmmeOKHausD7g611aQLNetj8yFNgQ-BhKMz797BT4g8XRZ26L-x2i7s1PA9LKwBwwcFygf_VB3o6zUPiuHsUBRAFLBl4a8CAMw12B3-j0fftfdsVjNL/s1600/Lysyj+Berlin+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8LWIFx4DVa3UaPbTLZI374m_pjmmeOKHausD7g611aQLNetj8yFNgQ-BhKMz797BT4g8XRZ26L-x2i7s1PA9LKwBwwcFygf_VB3o6zUPiuHsUBRAFLBl4a8CAMw12B3-j0fftfdsVjNL/s320/Lysyj+Berlin+book.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
so I was still in theory up to here.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmYYY8xlsVFPqikUJWnynnPggpZxK57PsBQvh5F1S4dzZ6evCa3qISMMmVZltpfGUU0C6LfaaHZzlZqZdOxuOTdN6sHKqNGlRwqpe-FIennYoOFXL5XjLhjXW2bwqP841A9NIL7VdOntV/s1600/Chess.com+theory+Berlin+diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmYYY8xlsVFPqikUJWnynnPggpZxK57PsBQvh5F1S4dzZ6evCa3qISMMmVZltpfGUU0C6LfaaHZzlZqZdOxuOTdN6sHKqNGlRwqpe-FIennYoOFXL5XjLhjXW2bwqP841A9NIL7VdOntV/s320/Chess.com+theory+Berlin+diagram.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<br />
I've not been through all my games for this exercise, by the way, wishing to bore neither myself nor the reader. But even so, I'm aware that there are more examples than just these four.<br />
<br />
I don't, of course, know for sure - or really at all - how Chess.com come to their conclusions, nor what role may be played by the Accuracy or Book figures.<br />
<br />
I don't know, because they do not say. But I know that some of what they <i>do</i> say is a manifest nonsense.<br />
<br />
And what <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_in,_garbage_out">happens</a> if you try to draw conclusions from nonsensical data?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[For the record, I referred the first two of these queries to Chess.com, and they ignored them. I've added the other two to this piece, because why not.]</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxZUrlDVGLIcNFFDnhPpgzWHfeJnt5WrmssXUvYGAbHWFJBbk_VqVYMASJdqQm7GMxnhl5jNXh_k3ZdfKCYw25TZcVpTzfQu4xuTzVxtdoNSwxOr0FLh8t7s39I6qgYtx1IHRzGYK1_Ty/s1600/Booskshelves+theory+books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="447" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxZUrlDVGLIcNFFDnhPpgzWHfeJnt5WrmssXUvYGAbHWFJBbk_VqVYMASJdqQm7GMxnhl5jNXh_k3ZdfKCYw25TZcVpTzfQu4xuTzVxtdoNSwxOr0FLh8t7s39I6qgYtx1IHRzGYK1_Ty/s320/Booskshelves+theory+books.png" width="258" /></a></div>
ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-20532590337902210342019-10-29T10:00:00.000+01:002019-10-29T10:03:34.920+01:00Ever get the feeling you've been cheated - what would be the point?I'd like to look at a few positions from some of the games I played on Chess.com.<br />
<br />
I've not been through all the games I played on that site. Nor do I intend to: I shouldn't have to and I haven't got the energy.<br />
<br />
So why these games and why these positions? Because when Chess.com said I was banned, several games immediately came to mind, in which I remembered (having analysed tham after they were over) having made blunders of one kind or another. Missed wins, missed draws, other weak moves.<br />
<br />
Which makes Chess.com's claim all the more incomprehensible. There may be no such thing as computer moves - but there may be such a thing as moves you <i>don't</i> play, if you're seeking to win games with the help of a program. And below, you can see some of them.
<br />
<br />
Analysis is pretty perfunctory where it's provided at all, because I assume readers have access to computers, and probably better ones than mine. I looked at these with DroidFish running on an Android phone and rarely getting much above 20-ply. So I'm not vouching for everything it claims, and once again, if your view differs from the one given here, that's what the comments box is for.<br />
<br />
All of what follows has been put to Chess.com. (In fact, rather more than this: when emailing them I drew attention to quite a few manifestly inferior moves, ones where the computer sees many superior alternatives. I've omitted them here for the sake of relative brevity, but they are there to be found, if it should please you to look for them.)<br />
<br />
I've not received an answer to any of them.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
- - -
</div>
<br />
Here, as an aperitif, is a quick game, but not one so brief that it doesn't contain a remarkable miss by the winning side.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Site "Chess.com"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Date "2019.02.27"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[White "Justinpatzer"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Black "FathiAli77"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Result "1-0"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[WhiteElo "2124"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[BlackElo "1976"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[EndDate "2019.03.04"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1. Nf3 Nc6 2. d4 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Bg4 5. Ne5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 Nd7 7. Qxd5 c6 8. Qe4 Qa5+ 9. Nc3 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Ng6 11. O-O-O e6 12. Qc4 Rc8 13. Bd6 Ne5 14. Bxe5 1-0
</span><br />
<br />
White played 12 Qc4 here, a perfectly good move, and for that matter one after which White may well be winning.<br />
<br />
However, there is something stronger. See if you can spot it.<br />
<br />
Or if you can't, ask your program, which will point it out immediately.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJH2C3M0v__TpXojM5vpYIRKaZLnxJRpNIpsKJeibc3i-gyIFuQj0n0YCKg7eqag1nSgdtx1xxme4r8xxRFpN31R9PBz5nfJXLXrwo6IVzl2fZ5jipq8wL1sjudcwVWneLO6jGuqFdRx5/s1600/Chess.com+FathiAli77+W12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJH2C3M0v__TpXojM5vpYIRKaZLnxJRpNIpsKJeibc3i-gyIFuQj0n0YCKg7eqag1nSgdtx1xxme4r8xxRFpN31R9PBz5nfJXLXrwo6IVzl2fZ5jipq8wL1sjudcwVWneLO6jGuqFdRx5/s320/Chess.com+FathiAli77+W12.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Position after 11....e7-e6</span></b></div>
<br />
Did you see the spectacular win? I didn't. It's 12 Qxc6+.<br />
<br />
DroidFish did.<br />
<br />
But I didn't ask DroidFish, did I? Not until after the game had finished.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Next, take a look at the game below, or just skip to the three diagrams that follow it.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Site "Chess.com"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> [Date "2019.07.22"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> [White "3foldcountergambit"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Black "Justinpatzer"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Result "0-1"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[WhiteElo "2125"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[BlackElo "2210"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[EndDate "2019.08.10"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. Nbd2 g6 7. Nf1 Bg7 8. Bg5
h6 9. Bh4 O-O 10. Ne3 Qe8 11. a4 a6 12. Bc4 Be6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. Bxd5 Nd8 16. O-O c6 17. Bc4 Ne6 18. a5 Rd8 19. Qb3 Nc5 20. Qb6 Rd7 21. b4 Bd8 22. Qa7 Ne6 23. Bxe6 Qxe6 24. Qe3 f5 25. Qxh6 f4 26. Ng5 Bxg5 27. Qxg5 f3 28. Rae1 Rf4 29. gxf3 Rh7 30. Re3 Rh5 31. Qg3 g5 32. c4 Kh8 33. Rb1 g4 34. Kf1 Rh3 35. Qg1 gxf3 36. Ke1 Rg4 37. Qf1 Qh6 38. Kd2 Rg2 39. Kc3 Rgxh2 40. Qd1 Rxf2 41. Re1 Rhh2 42. b5 cxb5 43. cxb5 Qe6 44. Rh1 Qc8+ 45. Kb3 Qc5 46. Rxh2+ Rxh2 47. bxa6 Qb5+ 48. Kc3 Qxa5+ 49. Kb3 Qxa6 50. Kc3 Qc6+ 51. Kb3 Qb5+ 52. Kc3 Qa5+ 53. Kb3 Qa2+ 54. Kc3 Rh7 55. Rb4 Qa3+ 56. Rb3 Qc5+ 57. Kb2 Rh2+ 58. Kb1 Qf2 59. Rxb7
Qa2+ 0-1
</span><br />
<br />
There's any number of second-rate moves in this game. Here are just some of them.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiP-RLE9xXJuRoPrGqso2v2ocI639W2UBbYmYM3acfRBYRk2sF6d4P8yPf2ogmFH5gl4MwZVdCI-2BDVRfpqn_wk6U3cPZ4rVLhliYFD1F0oxS6_endHDQ_cHIH94Uk8ttTnW-Dd2Rlewg/s1600/Chess.com+3foldcountergambit+B25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiP-RLE9xXJuRoPrGqso2v2ocI639W2UBbYmYM3acfRBYRk2sF6d4P8yPf2ogmFH5gl4MwZVdCI-2BDVRfpqn_wk6U3cPZ4rVLhliYFD1F0oxS6_endHDQ_cHIH94Uk8ttTnW-Dd2Rlewg/s320/Chess.com+3foldcountergambit+B25.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Position after 25 Qe3xh3</span></b></div>
<br />
In this position I played 25...f4. But why not play 25....fxe4? It gives me a winning advantage after an exchange sacrifice on f3.<br />
<br />
DroidFish sees it immediately. But I didn't see it. Could these two things be connected?<br />
<br />
And why play 25...f4 anyway? White could have played 26 Qh3 with a sizeable advantage. Droidfish sees that move.<br />
<br />
But I didn't see it.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVdITsCfAaR5txkokcZzQsLpbz2i_V4DEKhPHCwhpbQHkYx3Wv_H1Nunr89AGZhyphenhyphenPJi4S_lBUgxNQ8vlvJ-DrtYlCp3j7oiZN2yfWvbJNnR_LINOkHIzpvKcVernJByjl1pflvqk4-vWI/s1600/Chess.com+3foldcountergambit+B31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVdITsCfAaR5txkokcZzQsLpbz2i_V4DEKhPHCwhpbQHkYx3Wv_H1Nunr89AGZhyphenhyphenPJi4S_lBUgxNQ8vlvJ-DrtYlCp3j7oiZN2yfWvbJNnR_LINOkHIzpvKcVernJByjl1pflvqk4-vWI/s320/Chess.com+3foldcountergambit+B31.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Position after 31 Qg5-g3</span></b></div>
<br />
I played 31...g5 here, which gives White a couple of ways to establish a large advantage. (32 Kg2 and 32 d4 are favoured by Droidfish.) Why play like that? Why not play one of several better alternatives?<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlgAwBuoxA56LuwljtMt7u6JZulosRqyXizFJlXvT6SI2F5I4jn1FDbhPstLDy5BVpVWg2x5uTSMO-6MAHbzxw66QYLbuRzSxKW_g9e2ox4QCcjbSeavOHlWQQgCaAUw3eP_TUYvouX_q/s1600/Chess.com+3foldcountergambit+B32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlgAwBuoxA56LuwljtMt7u6JZulosRqyXizFJlXvT6SI2F5I4jn1FDbhPstLDy5BVpVWg2x5uTSMO-6MAHbzxw66QYLbuRzSxKW_g9e2ox4QCcjbSeavOHlWQQgCaAUw3eP_TUYvouX_q/s320/Chess.com+3foldcountergambit+B32.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Position after 32 c3-c4</span></b></div>
<br />
Black now played 32...Kh8 (again, there appear to be several superior moves available) with the idea of ...g4. But this idea fails to 33 Kg2! g4 34 h3, which DroidFish sees easily but which - because it allows the captures on h3 - is a lot harder to see without one.
<br />
<br />
Which is probably why I didn't see it.
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
- - -
</div>
<br />
Next example.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Event "No computers please"]
[Site "Chess.com"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Date "2018.11.22"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[White "Aminou80"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Black "Justinpatzer"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Result "0-1"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[WhiteElo "1734"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[BlackElo "1965"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[EndDate "2018.12.01"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Nh4 Bc8 7. e3 e5 8. Bxc4 exd4 9. exd4 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Re1 Na6 12. Bg5 Nc7 13. Nf3 Be6 14. Bd3 Ncd5 15. Rc1 h6 16. Bh4 Re8 17. Bb1 Nb4 18. Ne5 Nfd5 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 20. Ne4 Bf5 21. Nc5 Bxb1 22. Rxb1 b6 23. Ncd3 Nxd3 24. Nxd3 Qf6 25. Ne5 c5 26. Nf3 Rxe1+ 27. Qxe1 cxd4 28. Qe4 Rd8 29. Qxd4 Qxd4 30. Nxd4 Nb4 31. Nf5 Rd2 32. Ne7+ Kf8 33. Nc8 Nd3 34. b4 Rxf2 35. Nxa7 Ra2 36. Nc8 Rxa4 37. Nxb6 Rxb4 38. Rxb4 Nxb4 39. Kf2 Ke7 40. Ke3 Kd6 41. g4 Nd5+ 42. Nxd5 Kxd5 43. Kf4 g6 44. h4 f6 45. g5 hxg5+ 46. hxg5 f5 47. Kf3 Ke5 48. Ke3 f4+ 49. Kf3 Kf5 50. Kg2 Kxg5 51. Kf3 Kf5 52. Kg2 g5 53. Kf2 Ke4 54. Kg2 g4 55. Kf2 g3+ 56. Kg2 Ke3 0-1
</span><br />
<br />
Again, there's all kinds of inaccuracies in this game (just to draw your attention to one of them, 17...Nb4 allows 18 Rxe6 which is at very least a promising sacrifice) but the way play went from the position below seems to me inexplicable. Inexplicable, at least, if we're looking to computer use as an explanation.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UXUdRtYTzt9xnR9J2CXO4v11AFlIJTHdkCzACFeITqz0VQWEne78owevCEQd-ygdWJjeZjSQf6awmluO7nEhRU7hHIaeH7IX5iOs_knSk485J9sU5B4YXU3MreouPWBVvkGdCinvIHWX/s1600/Chess.com+Aminou80+B33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UXUdRtYTzt9xnR9J2CXO4v11AFlIJTHdkCzACFeITqz0VQWEne78owevCEQd-ygdWJjeZjSQf6awmluO7nEhRU7hHIaeH7IX5iOs_knSk485J9sU5B4YXU3MreouPWBVvkGdCinvIHWX/s320/Chess.com+Aminou80+B33.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Position after 32 Ne7-c8</span></b></div>
<br />
Black can win a clean pawn here with 33...Nc6, trapping the knight and forcing 34 b4 Rd8 35 b5. I also have some winning chances if I play 33...Rd7.<br />
<br />
I played neither move, but instead chose 33...Nd3 - which demonstrably leads, and did in fact lead, to an extremely drawn ending (even though White contrived to lose it with 41 g4??).<br />
<br />
Why would I play like this if I knew there was better? Why turn winning chances into a draw?<br />
<br />
It's nonsense, isn't it?<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
- - -</div>
<br />
The following game includes a number of spectacular oversights. In fact, with the first three diagrams I'll invite the reader to solve them without even consulting a program.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Site "Chess.com"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Date "2018.11.25"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[White "Justinpatzer"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Black "PeterNL"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Result "1-0"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[WhiteElo "2003"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[BlackElo "1856"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[EndDate "2018.12.02"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Termination "Justinpatzer won by checkmate"]
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. g3 c6 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 cxd5 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3 Ne4 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Ne5 f5 11. Qb3+ e6 12. Rd1 Qd6 13. Bf4 Qa6 14. Rac1 Nd7 15. Nxd7 Bxd7 16. Rc7 Ba4 17. Qb4 Rac8 18. Rdc1 Bc6 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. Qb3 Kf7 21. e3 Qa5 22. Bf1 a6 23. Rc5 Qd8 24. Bc4 Qd7 25. d5 Bxd5 26. Rxc8 Qxc8 27. Bxd5 exd5 28. Qxd5+ Ke8 29. Qg8+ Bf8 30. Bd6 Qc1+ 31. Kg2 Qd1 32. Qxf8+ Kd7 33. Qe7+ Kc6 34. Qc7+ Kd5 35. Qc5+ Ke6 36. Qe5+ Kd7 37. Bb4 Qf3+ 38. Kf1 Qh1+ 39. Ke2 Qf3+ 40. Ke1 Qh1+ 41. Kd2 Qxh2 42. Qe7+ Kc8 43. Qe6+ Kc7 44. Bd6+ Kc6 45. Be5+ Kb5 46. Qd7+ Kc4 47. b3+ Kc5 48. Bd4+ Kb4 49. Qa4# 1-0</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT0DShgedjJH8fp493uhDr1e8P2ooYKoNTZP7NMcNJvUcwwQOskU3wqBMxwIjai-1X0qF7Rk0uw-SMaQL9dF7BECPEdfcvc2j8O0ArpsLm-075nBWTiMGqMjeKowi0ZGwACEMQoPvyMWv/s1600/Chess.com+PeterNL+W15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT0DShgedjJH8fp493uhDr1e8P2ooYKoNTZP7NMcNJvUcwwQOskU3wqBMxwIjai-1X0qF7Rk0uw-SMaQL9dF7BECPEdfcvc2j8O0ArpsLm-075nBWTiMGqMjeKowi0ZGwACEMQoPvyMWv/s320/Chess.com+PeterNL+W15.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(a) position after 14...Nb8-d7</span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(b) position after 21...Qa6-a5</span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPp6cg9fpjTt6xXFXLmeV4JPv_j8MJVYPpnzFJ0MQJRbl2-liMAfNOSbeaQZve8byTI1-cpG4HvjnI2x5qqhONcINA1t5JyoMuDxKe4-ZsdZaRQQBQiGmf_dYZKWzH4tEOWcAMVMYxWHXM/s1600/Chess.com+PeterNL+W23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPp6cg9fpjTt6xXFXLmeV4JPv_j8MJVYPpnzFJ0MQJRbl2-liMAfNOSbeaQZve8byTI1-cpG4HvjnI2x5qqhONcINA1t5JyoMuDxKe4-ZsdZaRQQBQiGmf_dYZKWzH4tEOWcAMVMYxWHXM/s320/Chess.com+PeterNL+W23.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(c) position after 22...a7-a6</span></b></div>
<br />
(a) I played 15 Nxd7, which is level. Why not just win the game with the elementary 15 Rxc8, getting me two pieces for a rook?<br />
<br />
(b) I played 22 Bf1. A minor point is that this allows 22...Bd5, after which White would have had a hell of a jopb trying to create winning chances. But a more immediate point is that 22 Rxc6 wins immediately!<br />
<br />
(c) I played 23 Rc5. But I think you can find the right move, if you have not found it already.<br />
<br />
DroidFish sees all this instantly, of course. And at this point I'd invite you to consider how galling it is, after having found these moves only after the game and with a program, to be told that I must have been using a program during the game itself.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9M5HCptE4FA5pGxJ25zL_ab5OzDGMMx6kvGbGJvCBCkXb2WSFOcQMWJZU3JfmCTrrwvKU1gSuVNEu0v3mnqKAkxB-Eq-VjEIODzdZUlq31HYHu5PSGTyNHGoXm3XtXvuQI4pO-Wgv1L_/s1600/Chess.com+PeterNL+W17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9M5HCptE4FA5pGxJ25zL_ab5OzDGMMx6kvGbGJvCBCkXb2WSFOcQMWJZU3JfmCTrrwvKU1gSuVNEu0v3mnqKAkxB-Eq-VjEIODzdZUlq31HYHu5PSGTyNHGoXm3XtXvuQI4pO-Wgv1L_/s320/Chess.com+PeterNL+W17.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Position after 16...Bd7-a4</span></b></div>
<br />
This last example from this game isn't quite so serious, but worth looking at, because there are two moves for White here that don't lose instantly. I found one of them all right, but the one I found, 17 Qb4, was clearly the worse of the two. (17 Qa3, which makes ... Bc6 hard to achieve, gives White the advantage.)<br />
<br />
Why would I play like that?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
- - -
</div>
<br />
This is a game I lost, Why I am playing with the help of the computer in order to get beat? Come to that, why am I playing in order to get beat in games lasting more than fifty moves on the board and more than a fortnight in time?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Site "Chess.com"]</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Date "2019.07.07"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[White "MRValero"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Black "Justinpatzer"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Result "1-0"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[WhiteElo "2182"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[BlackElo "2167"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[EndDate "2019.07.26"]</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[Termination "MRValero won by resignation"]
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. d3 a6 8. Ba4 h6 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. fxe3 d6 11. Nbd2 b5 12. Bb3 Be6 13. Bc2 Qe7 14. h3 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Qf2 g6 17. e4 Nf4 18. Nxe5 Nxh3+ 19. gxh3 Nxe5 20. Qg3 Qg5 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. d4 Nc4 23. Nxc4 Bxc4 24. Rf2 Be6 25. Kh2 c6 26. Rg2 Kg7 27. Rxg5 Rh8 28. Rg3 Rh4 29. Rf1 a5 30. a3 b4 31. axb4 axb4 32. Rf2 b3 33. Bd3 Ra1 34. Rd2 Rc1 35. Re3 g5 36. Rg2 Kh6 37. Rg1 Rxg1 38. Kxg1 g4 39. hxg4 Kg5 40. Kg2 Rxg4+ 41. Rg3 Kf4 42. Rxg4+ Bxg4 43. Kf2 f6 44. c4 c5 45. dxc5 Bd7 46. Be2 Kxe4 47. c6 Bc8 48. Bd1 Kd4 49. Bxb3 Kc5 50. c7 Kd6 51. Bc2 Kxc7 52. Ke3 Bh3 53. b4 Kc6 54. Bd3 Kd6 55. Kf4 Kc6 56. Ke3 Kd6 57. Kd4 1-0
</span>
<br />
<br />
At the risk of boring the reader through repetition, there are quite a number of poor moves in this game and when writing to Chess.com I gave a lot of examples. But let us here confine ourselves to two.<br />
<br />
In order to lose a game, you have to miss chances <i>not</i> to lose it, and I did. Once again, why would I do that?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClAmqHb-nmtSx6K6hOoHiBycRcu-LX4Z6jPWvRINUuSR3OL2tcNMEQ52yjrHoiLXcQuThZc1EQSmcxGpNPx5DpeAiXSeeDrGxbRHJHCUUC9zcwxSKxCifEUnNiopBjCI35087PJ_Tziw1/s1600/chess.com+MRValero+38B.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClAmqHb-nmtSx6K6hOoHiBycRcu-LX4Z6jPWvRINUuSR3OL2tcNMEQ52yjrHoiLXcQuThZc1EQSmcxGpNPx5DpeAiXSeeDrGxbRHJHCUUC9zcwxSKxCifEUnNiopBjCI35087PJ_Tziw1/s320/chess.com+MRValero+38B.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Position after 38 Kh2xg2</span></b></div>
<br />
You'll quite likely need to look at both examples on your computer, and for all I know your computer will disagree, but I played 38...g4 here, which DroidFish tells me is losing.<br />
<br />
I did not play 38...Bxh3, which it tells me is pretty much level.<br />
<br />
Maybe I should have asked it at the time, eh? Instead of what I did, which was to spend long hours analysing both moves, and choosing the wrong one.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVwPOyFvwjok_qN5J8XmINLZZzdKOP08sAihVPBWLL3NUB_YZiZ1G8WMSt_-CpYDQh-SUZuqiZI_L1gN5OobaTWVjWbaW1ncUx4nLwPKC86HkMqseWhFPFkpHjZOnKlDec7iW2sPC1yEf/s1600/chess.com+MRValero+44B.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVwPOyFvwjok_qN5J8XmINLZZzdKOP08sAihVPBWLL3NUB_YZiZ1G8WMSt_-CpYDQh-SUZuqiZI_L1gN5OobaTWVjWbaW1ncUx4nLwPKC86HkMqseWhFPFkpHjZOnKlDec7iW2sPC1yEf/s320/chess.com+MRValero+44B.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Position after 44 c3-c4</span></b></div>
<br />
I had a second chance, and blew it. DroidFish tells me there are all kinds of bishop moves here which appear to comfortably hold. But I panicked, and played 44...c5, which doesn't hold at all.<br />
<br />
I don't think this is how somebody plays when they're using "outside assistance". I think it's patently how they play when they're not.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
- - -
</div>
<br />
Of course there's an obvious answer to any and all of this, which is that a sophisticated computer user would of course seek to disguise their computer use by making mistakes here and there.<br />
<br />
Well for sure, no doubt they would.<br />
<br />
But tell me, if the effect of that supposed disguise is to play in the same way, with the same mistakes, in the same style, with the same level of results as I would without it - what in the name of God would be the point?<br />
<br />
I mean maybe I just played these five games clean, and employed a program in all the others. Fine, show me how that works, the other seventeen games must be some high-level stuff, yes? But if you take a look, you may find that on the whole they're plodding games, like the ones I usually play.<br />
<br />
You can never prove you weren't using a computer. But does any of this make sense? <br />
<br />
Course it doesn't.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-79471919951321877332019-10-29T09:00:00.000+01:002019-10-29T09:02:58.166+01:00Ever get the feeling you've been cheated - my 22 unmemorable gamesAttached, at the foot of this piece, are the scores of all the games I played on Chess.com since I began to play regularly. There's only twenty-two of them, which isn't many.<br />
<br />
Prior to that I think I only played casual games with friends, although, not having access to my account to check, I can't be sure. On completion of a game, players receive an email with, among other things, the score of the game. I have listed every game of which I had an email in the appropriate file. If anybody has access to earlier games, please let me know and I'll add them.<br />
<br />
All games were played at the rate of one day per move. I preferred opponents with ratings relatively close to mine (150 or 200 points) and ones who had already played a lot of games on Chess.com. I tried not to be playing more than two games at any time (occasionally three if one were already all but over). They were played in two periods within the last twelve months: from 19 November 2018 to 4 March 2019 and from 1 July 2019 to 10 August 2019.<br />
<br />
My overall results in these games were 15 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses (though one loss and one win were on time, and one loss was against a player subsequently disqualified, for what it's worth). These won't be unusual statistics at all for a player who is basically working their way up, given that most of my opponents - early on, especially - must have been rather weaker in playing strength than I am.<br />
<br />
In fact <i>nothing</i> about the games, their course or their outcome seems to me at all out of the ordinary. But if you think differently, or have any other comment to make, go ahead. That's what the comments box is for. (Comments with consistent names, handles or initials only, please.)<br />
<br />
For your convenience a file of these games is available by request in the comments box - please leave your email address or other contact details - or via my <a href="https://twitter.com/ejhchess">Twitter account</a> (either tweet or send a Direct Message) or via the <a href="https://www.ecforum.org.uk/">English Chess Forum</a> where I am JustinHorton or via my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/libraryjustin">Facebook account</a>. It may be shared as you see fit.<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.07.22"]<br />
[White "3foldcountergambit"]<br />
[Black "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Result "0-1"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2125"]<br />
[BlackElo "2210"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.08.10"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]<br />
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. Nbd2 g6 7. Nf1 Bg7 8. Bg5
h6 9. Bh4 O-O 10. Ne3 Qe8 11. a4 a6 12. Bc4 Be6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15.
Bxd5 Nd8 16. O-O c6 17. Bc4 Ne6 18. a5 Rd8 19. Qb3 Nc5 20. Qb6 Rd7 21. b4 Bd8
22. Qa7 Ne6 23. Bxe6 Qxe6 24. Qe3 f5 25. Qxh6 f4 26. Ng5 Bxg5 27. Qxg5 f3 28.
Rae1 Rf4 29. gxf3 Rh7 30. Re3 Rh5 31. Qg3 g5 32. c4 Kh8 33. Rb1 g4 34. Kf1 Rh3
35. Qg1 gxf3 36. Ke1 Rg4 37. Qf1 Qh6 38. Kd2 Rg2 39. Kc3 Rgxh2 40. Qd1 Rxf2 41.
Re1 Rhh2 42. b5 cxb5 43. cxb5 Qe6 44. Rh1 Qc8+ 45. Kb3 Qc5 46. Rxh2+ Rxh2 47.
bxa6 Qb5+ 48. Kc3 Qxa5+ 49. Kb3 Qxa6 50. Kc3 Qc6+ 51. Kb3 Qb5+ 52. Kc3 Qa5+ 53.
Kb3 Qa2+ 54. Kc3 Rh7 55. Rb4 Qa3+ 56. Rb3 Qc5+ 57. Kb2 Rh2+ 58. Kb1 Qf2 59. Rxb7
Qa2+ 0-1
</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.07.26"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "MRValero"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2191"]<br />
[BlackElo "2162"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.08.05"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won on time"]
<br />
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 a5 8. O-O
O-O 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Nc3 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Ng5 hxg5 13. Bxb7 Ra7 14. Bg2 c6 15.
Rad1 d5 16. e4 dxc4 17. d5 Qe7 18. Rfe1 1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.07.07"]<br />
[White "MRValero"]<br />
[Black "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2182"]<br />
[BlackElo "2167"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.07.26"]<br />
[Termination "MRValero won by resignation"]
<br />
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. d3 a6 8. Ba4
h6 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. fxe3 d6 11. Nbd2 b5 12. Bb3 Be6 13. Bc2 Qe7 14. h3 d5 15.
exd5 Nxd5 16. Qf2 g6 17. e4 Nf4 18. Nxe5 Nxh3+ 19. gxh3 Nxe5 20. Qg3 Qg5 21.
Qxg5 hxg5 22. d4 Nc4 23. Nxc4 Bxc4 24. Rf2 Be6 25. Kh2 c6 26. Rg2 Kg7 27. Rxg5
Rh8 28. Rg3 Rh4 29. Rf1 a5 30. a3 b4 31. axb4 axb4 32. Rf2 b3 33. Bd3 Ra1 34.
Rd2 Rc1 35. Re3 g5 36. Rg2 Kh6 37. Rg1 Rxg1 38. Kxg1 g4 39. hxg4 Kg5 40. Kg2
Rxg4+ 41. Rg3 Kf4 42. Rxg4+ Bxg4 43. Kf2 f6 44. c4 c5 45. dxc5 Bd7 46. Be2 Kxe4
47. c6 Bc8 48. Bd1 Kd4 49. Bxb3 Kc5 50. c7 Kd6 51. Bc2 Kxc7 52. Ke3 Bh3 53. b4
Kc6 54. Bd3 Kd6 55. Kf4 Kc6 56. Ke3 Kd6 57. Kd4 1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.07.09"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "3foldcountergambit"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2194"]<br />
[BlackElo "2138"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.07.22"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
<br />
1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. e3 Nf6 5. d4 cxd4 6. exd4 e4 7. Ne5 Bb4 8. Be2
Qa5 9. Nxc6 dxc6 10. Bd2 O-O 11. O-O Re8 12. a3 Bxc3 13. Bxc3 Qg5 14. Qc1 Qg6
15. Qe3 Bg4 16. h3 Bxe2 17. Qxe2 Nh5 18. Qg4 f5 19. Qxg6 hxg6 20. g3 e3 21. Rfe1
exf2+ 22. Kxf2 Nf6 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Kf3 Ne4 25. Re1 Kf7 26. h4 Re6 27. Kf4 Re8
28. Re3 Rh8 29. d5 cxd5 30. cxd5 Rc8 31. h5 gxh5 32. Kxf5 Nd6+ 33. Kg5 Rc5 34.
Rd3 g6 35. Bb4 Ne4+ 36. Kh6 1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.07.01"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "passy234"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2169"]<br />
[BlackElo "2043"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.07.07"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]<br />
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Bg5 d6 5. Bxf6 exf6 6. e4 a6 7. a4 b4 8. Bd3 g6
9. Nbd2 Bg7 10. Nc4 O-O 11. O-O Bb7 12. a5 Ra7 13. c3 bxc3 14. bxc3 f5 15. Rb1
fxe4 16. Bxe4 Bxc3 17. Rb6 Qe7 18. Bc2 Rd8 19. Qd3 Bg7 20. Rfb1 Qc7 21. Qb3 Rd7
22. Ng5 h6 23. Ne4 1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.07.01"]<br />
[White "passy234"]<br />
[Black "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Result "0-1"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2055"]<br />
[BlackElo "2149"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.07.05"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]<br />
1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 c6 4. c4 e6 5. O-O Nf6 6. Qb3 Qb6 7. Qc2 Nbd7 8. cxd5
exd5 9. d3 Qc5 10. Qb3 Qb6 11. Qc2 Qc5 12. Qd1 Bd6 13. Nc3 O-O 14. Be3 Qa5 15.
a3 Rfe8 16. b4 Qd8 17. Rc1 a5 18. Qb3 Qe7 19. Rb1 axb4 20. axb4 Ne5 21. Nxe5
Bxe5 22. Rfe1 d4 0-1
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.02.27"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "FathiAli77"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2124"]<br />
[BlackElo "1976"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.03.04"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]<br />
1. Nf3 Nc6 2. d4 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Bg4 5. Ne5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 Nd7 7. Qxd5 c6 8.
Qe4 Qa5+ 9. Nc3 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Ng6 11. O-O-O e6 12. Qc4 Rc8 13. Bd6 Ne5 14. Bxe5
1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.02.19"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "rembooooo"]<br />
[Result "0-1"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2109"]<br />
[BlackElo "2104"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.02.27"]<br />
[Termination "rembooooo won on time"]
<br />
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 b5 4. a4 c6 5. axb5 cxb5 6. b3 e6 7. bxc4 bxc4 8. e3
Nf6 9. Bxc4 Bd6 10. O-O Bb7 11. Qe2 O-O 12. Bb2 a5 13. Nc3 Bb4 14. Rfd1 Nbd7 15.
Ne5 Rc8 0-1
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.01.31"]<br />
[White "cgisbert"]<br />
[Black "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Result "0-1"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2098"]<br />
[BlackElo "2136"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.02.18"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
<br />
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. d3 Nd4 7. Nxd4 Bxd4 8. h3
O-O 9. O-O c6 10. Kh2 d5 11. f4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 exf4 14. Bxf4 g6 15.
c3 Bg7 16. d4 Be6 17. Qc2 Qa5 18. Bd6 Rfe8 19. a3 Qh5 20. Bg2 Bxh3 21. Bf3 Bg4+
22. Kg2 Qh3+ 23. Kg1 Bh6 24. Qh2 Qxh2+ 25. Kxh2 Bxf3 26. Rxf3 Re2+ 27. Kh3 Rd8
28. Bc7 Rc8 29. Be5 Rxb2 30. Raf1 f5 31. Bd6 Bf8 32. Bb4 Bxb4 33. axb4 Re8 34.
g4 fxg4+ 35. Kxg4 Rg2+ 36. Kh3 Rge2 37. Rf7 R8e7 38. R7f6 R2e3+ 39. R6f3 Kg7 40.
Kg2 Rxf3 41. Rxf3 g5 42. Rg3 Kg6 43. Kf2 h5 44. c4 g4 45. d5 cxd5 46. cxd5 Rd7
47. Rd3 Kf5 48. Ke3 Ke5 0-1
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.01.17"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "cgisbert"]<br />
[Result "1/2-1/2"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2111"]<br />
[BlackElo "2107"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.01.31"]<br />
[Termination "Game drawn by agreement"]
<br />
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 Bf5 8. d5
Na5 9. Nd2 Ng4 10. e4 Bd7 11. h3 Nh6 12. Qe2 c6 13. Nf3 cxd5 14. cxd5 Rc8 15.
Bf4 Nc4 16. Rac1 f5 17. e5 dxe5 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Bxe5 20. Qxe5 Nf7 21. Qd4
b6 22. Rfe1 e5 23. dxe6 Bxe6 24. Qxd8 Nxd8 25. Rcd1 Bf7 26. Re7 a5 27. Rdd7 Nc6
28. Rxf7 Rxf7 29. Bd5 Ne5 30. Rb7 Kg7 31. Bxf7 Nxf7 32. Rxb6 Ne5 33. Rb7+ Kh6
34. Nd5 Nd3 35. Nf6 g5 36. Rb6 Kg7 37. Nh5+ Kg8 38. Rb5 Rc5 39. Nf6+ Kf7 40.
Rxc5 Nxc5 41. Nd5 Ke6 42. Nc3 Nd3 43. Nd1 Kd5 44. Kg2 1/2-1/2
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2019.01.08"]<br />
[White "rembooooo"]<br />
[Black "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Result "1/2-1/2"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2076"]<br />
[BlackElo "2111"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.01.22"]<br />
[Termination "Game drawn by agreement"]
<br />
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. c3 Nxe4 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 d5 8.
dxc5 dxc4 9. Qe2 Qd3 10. Re1 f5 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Nxe4 fxe4 13. Qxe4 Bf5 14. Qf4
Be6 15. Ne5 Qd5 16. Qg3 Nxe5 17. Qxe5 Qxe5 18. Rxe5 Rfe8 19. f4 Rad8 20. Be3 Bd5
21. Bd4 Bc6 22. Rxe8+ Bxe8 23. Bc3 Bc6 24. Re1 Kf7 25. Re5 Rd1+ 26. Kf2 Rc1 27.
g4 Rh1 28. Kg3 Rf1 29. Rf5+ Kg8 30. Rg5 g6 31. f5 Rf3+ 32. Kh4 Kf7 33. fxg6+
hxg6 34. Re5 Rf2 35. h3 Rf3 36. Re1 Bd5 37. a4 c6 38. a5 a6 39. Re2 Rd3 40. Rf2+
Rf3 41. Re2 Rd3 42. Rf2+ Rf3 1/2-1/2
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.12.30"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "RDS00"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2114"]<br />
[BlackElo "1942"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.01.18"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
<br />
1. Nf3 Nc6 2. c4 e5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Be6 7. d3 Qd7 8. Bg5
O-O-O 9. a3 h6 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. b4 Bb6 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. cxd5 Ne7 14. a4 a6 15.
Qb3 h5 16. Qc4 Rdg8 17. a5 Rg4 18. Bh3 Rxc4 19. Bxd7+ Kxd7 20. dxc4 Ba7 21. Rfd1
Rg8 22. Rac1 Nf5 23. e3 Rg4 24. Kf1 Re4 25. Rd3 Rg4 26. Rb3 Ne7 27. Rbb1 f5 28.
Nh4 Rg8 29. Ke2 f4 30. e4 f5 31. exf5 Rf8 32. f3 Nxf5 33. Nxf5 Rxf5 34. c5 c6
35. dxc6+ Kxc6 36. b5+ axb5 37. cxd6+ Kxd6 38. Rxb5 fxg3 39. hxg3 Rg5 40. f4
Rxg3 41. fxe5+ Ke6 42. Rxb7 Bd4 43. Rb5 Bxe5 44. Rc6+ Kd7 45. Rh6 Bf4 46. Rb7+
Kc8 47. Rhh7 Re3+ 48. Kf2 Re6 49. Rbf7 Bg5 50. Rh8+ Bd8 51. Rff8 Rd6 52. a6 Rxa6
53. Rxd8+ Kc7 54. Rd3 Rf6+ 55. Rf3 Rd6 56. Rxh5 Rd2+ 57. Ke1 Rd4 58. Rc3+ Kd7
59. Rh2 Ke6 60. Re3+ Kf5 61. Rf2+ Kg4 62. Kf1 Kh4 63. Kg2 Kg4 64. Rg3+ Kh5 65.
Rf8 Rd6 66. Rh8+ Rh6 1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.12.25"]<br />
[White "Dave_1969"]<br />
[Black "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Result "1/2-1/2"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2015"]<br />
[BlackElo "2096"]<br />
[EndDate "2019.01.08"]<br />
[Termination "Game drawn by agreement"]<br />
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Ne2 d5 6. a3 Bd6 7. c5 Be7 8. b4 b6
9. Nf4 c6 10. Be2 Nbd7 11. Nd3 a5 12. Bd2 Ba6 13. O-O Qc7 14. f4 axb4 15. axb4
Bc4 16. Qc2 Rfb8 17. Rfb1 Qb7 18. Bf3 Ne8 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. fxe5 Ra6 21. Rxa6
Qxa6 22. Qd1 Nc7 23. Ra1 Qb7 24. e4 b5 25. exd5 cxd5 1/2-1/2
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.12.25"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "Haiduk3"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2104"]<br />
[BlackElo "1983"]<br />
[EndDate "2018.12.30"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]<br />
1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Qc7 4. d4 Bf5 5. c4 Nf6 6. O-O e6 7. Nc3 dxc4 8. Ne5
Nd5 9. e4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Bg6 11. f4 f6 12. Nxg6 hxg6 13. Qe2 Nd7 14. Qxc4 Qd6 15.
a4 Nb6 16. Qb3 Qd7 17. a5 Nc8 18. Be3 Bd6 19. c4 O-O 20. c5 Be7 21. f5 gxf5 22.
exf5 Kf7 23. fxe6+ Qxe6 24. d5 1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.12.12"]<br />
[White "passy234"]<br />
[Black "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Result "1/2-1/2"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2094"]<br />
[BlackElo "2079"]<br />
[EndDate "2018.12.20"]<br />
[Termination "Game drawn by agreement"]<br />
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. c4 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Nc6 7. O-O e5 8. Nc3
Bc5 9. Qb5 Qd6 10. Nxe5 O-O 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Qa6 Qe6 13. d3 Bh3 14. Re1 Qf5 15.
Nd1 Qh5 16. Qxc6 Rac8 17. Qa4 Rfe8 18. Bd2 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rxe2 20. Rxe2 Qxe2 21.
Bc3 Bb6 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Qf4 Rc2 24. Rc1 Rxc1 25. Qxc1 Qxd3 26. Qc8+ Kg7 27.
Qg4+ Kf8 28. Nc3 d4 29. Nd5 f5 30. Qf3 Qc2 31. Kh3 Qe4 32. Qb3 Qg4+ 33. Kg2 Qe4+
34. Kh3 Qg4+ 35. Kg2 Qe4+ 36. Kh3 1/2-1/2
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.12.02"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "JPGuerrero"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2077"]<br />
[BlackElo "1970"]<br />
[EndDate "2018.12.12"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
<br />
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. a3 Be6 6. Nbd2 Nge7 7. Nb3 Bxc4 8.
Nbxd4 Qd5 9. Qc2 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. e3 Qd5 12. Qxc4 Qxe5 13. Be2 f5 14. Bd2
Qxb2 15. Bc3 Qb6 16. O-O O-O-O 17. Bf3 Qg6 18. Rab1 c6 19. Qa4 a6 20. Be5 Qe6
21. Qa5 Rd7 22. Bf4 Nd5 23. Qxa6 Kd8 24. Rxb7 Rxb7 25. Qxb7 Qd7 26. Qa8+ Qc8 27.
Qa5+ Ke8 28. Bxd5 cxd5 29. Qxd5 Qd7 30. Qb3 Qc6 31. Rd1 h6 32. Qd3 Qe6 33. Bd6
Bxd6 34. Qxd6 Qxd6 35. Rxd6 Kf7 36. Ra6 Rc8 37. h4 Rc1+ 38. Kh2 Rc2 39. Kg3 Rc4
40. f3 h5 41. a4 g6 42. a5 Ra4 43. Ra8 Kf6 44. a6 Kg7 45. a7 Ra3 46. Kh2 Ra5 47.
e4 Ra4 48. e5 Rxh4+ 49. Kg1 Ra4 50. e6 Kf6 51. Rf8+ Kxe6 52. a8=Q Rxa8 53. Rxa8
Kf6 54. f4 Kf7 55. Ra6 Kg7 56. Kh2 Kf7 57. Kg3 Kg7 58. Kh4 Kh6 59. Ra7 1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.12.01"]<br />
[White "DavidMarkosyan"]<br />
[Black "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Result "0-1"]<br />
[WhiteElo "1955"]<br />
[BlackElo "2044"]<br />
[EndDate "2018.12.07"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
<br />
1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. O-O e6 5. d3 Nd7 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. e4 Ne7 8. Re1
O-O 9. h3 Bh5 10. b3 a5 11. a4 Qb8 12. Bb2 b5 13. Qc1 Rc8 14. g4 Bg6 15. e5 Bc7
16. Nf1 bxa4 17. bxa4 c5 18. h4 h5 19. gxh5 Bxh5 20. N1h2 Nc6 21. Rb1 Ra6 22.
Ba1 Rb6 23. Rxb6 Qxb6 24. Qg5 Bxf3 25. Nxf3 Qb4 26. h5 d4 27. h6 g6 28. Qh4
Ncxe5 29. Rxe5 Nxe5 30. Qf6 Qb1+ 31. Bf1 Nxf3+ 32. Qxf3 Be5 33. Qb7 Qxb7 0-1
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.11.25"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "PeterNL"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2003"]<br />
[BlackElo "1856"]<br />
[EndDate "2018.12.02"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by checkmate"]<br />
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. g3 c6 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 cxd5 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3
Ne4 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Ne5 f5 11. Qb3+ e6 12. Rd1 Qd6 13. Bf4 Qa6 14. Rac1 Nd7 15.
Nxd7 Bxd7 16. Rc7 Ba4 17. Qb4 Rac8 18. Rdc1 Bc6 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. Qb3 Kf7 21. e3
Qa5 22. Bf1 a6 23. Rc5 Qd8 24. Bc4 Qd7 25. d5 Bxd5 26. Rxc8 Qxc8 27. Bxd5 exd5
28. Qxd5+ Ke8 29. Qg8+ Bf8 30. Bd6 Qc1+ 31. Kg2 Qd1 32. Qxf8+ Kd7 33. Qe7+ Kc6
34. Qc7+ Kd5 35. Qc5+ Ke6 36. Qe5+ Kd7 37. Bb4 Qf3+ 38. Kf1 Qh1+ 39. Ke2 Qf3+
40. Ke1 Qh1+ 41. Kd2 Qxh2 42. Qe7+ Kc8 43. Qe6+ Kc7 44. Bd6+ Kc6 45. Be5+ Kb5
46. Qd7+ Kc4 47. b3+ Kc5 48. Bd4+ Kb4 49. Qa4# 1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.11.22"]<br />
[White "Aminou80"]<br />
[Black "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Result "0-1"]<br />
[WhiteElo "1734"]<br />
[BlackElo "1965"]<br />
[EndDate "2018.12.01"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
<br />
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Nh4 Bc8 7. e3 e5 8. Bxc4
exd4 9. exd4 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Re1 Na6 12. Bg5 Nc7 13. Nf3 Be6 14. Bd3 Ncd5
15. Rc1 h6 16. Bh4 Re8 17. Bb1 Nb4 18. Ne5 Nfd5 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 20. Ne4 Bf5 21.
Nc5 Bxb1 22. Rxb1 b6 23. Ncd3 Nxd3 24. Nxd3 Qf6 25. Ne5 c5 26. Nf3 Rxe1+ 27.
Qxe1 cxd4 28. Qe4 Rd8 29. Qxd4 Qxd4 30. Nxd4 Nb4 31. Nf5 Rd2 32. Ne7+ Kf8 33.
Nc8 Nd3 34. b4 Rxf2 35. Nxa7 Ra2 36. Nc8 Rxa4 37. Nxb6 Rxb4 38. Rxb4 Nxb4 39.
Kf2 Ke7 40. Ke3 Kd6 41. g4 Nd5+ 42. Nxd5 Kxd5 43. Kf4 g6 44. h4 f6 45. g5 hxg5+
46. hxg5 f5 47. Kf3 Ke5 48. Ke3 f4+ 49. Kf3 Kf5 50. Kg2 Kxg5 51. Kf3 Kf5 52. Kg2
g5 53. Kf2 Ke4 54. Kg2 g4 55. Kf2 g3+ 56. Kg2 Ke3 0-1
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.11.24"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "Jan-de-Jong"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "1934"]<br />
[BlackElo "1743"]<br />
[EndDate "2018.11.25"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]<br />
1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 g6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O
e5 9. Ndb5 Ne8 10. Nd5 a6 11. Nbc3 d6 12. Be3 Nd4 13. Qd2 Bf5 14. Rac1 Rc8 15.
b3 Be6 16. Rfd1 Rb8 17. Bg5 Nf6 18. e3 Nf5 19. g4 Bxd5 20. Nxd5 Nh6 21. Nxf6+
1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.11.21"]<br />
[White "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Black "Bodrov21"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "1888"]<br />
[BlackElo "1702"]<br />
[EndDate "2018.11.24"]<br />
[Termination "Justinpatzer won by resignation"]
<br />
1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. O-O e6 5. d4 Nc6 6. c4 b6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. e4
Ndb4 9. d5 Ba6 10. dxc6 Bxf1 11. Qxf1 Nc2 12. Na3 Nxa1 13. Bf4 Bd6 14. e5 Be7
15. Qxa1 O-O 16. Nd2 Rc8 17. Qc1 f6 18. Nac4 g5 19. Be3 f5 20. Nd6 Bxd6 21. exd6
Qxd6 22. Nc4 Qc7 23. Bxg5 Rce8 24. Bf4 e5 25. Bd5+ Kh8 26. Qc3 Re7 27. Nxe5 1-0
<br /><br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2018.11.19"]<br />
[White "alamouri-70"]<br />
[Black "Justinpatzer"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "1855"]<br />
[BlackElo "1775"]<br />
[EndDate "2018.11.21"]<br />
[Termination "alamouri-70 won by resignation"]<br />
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. Nc3 Bd7 6. O-O Be7 7. Be3 O-O 8. a3
h6 9. h3 Re8 10. Re1 Bf8 11. Ba4 a6 12. Bb3 Be6 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. exd5 Ne7 15. c4
c6 16. dxc6 Nxc6 17. d4 e4 18. Nd2 d5 19. cxd5 Nxd5 20. Qh5 1-0</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-63306258946753253892019-10-29T08:00:00.000+01:002019-10-29T12:00:38.001+01:00Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?I hadn't expected to be posting here again, not really. But something came up, something important - important to me, because I'm involved, but also potentially important for other people.<br />
<br />
I had a good summer, on the chessboard: placed second in <a href="http://chess-results.com/tnr434886.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9">Paignton</a>, qualifying for the British Championship. And then, a few days after I got home, I received an email which began like this....<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Hello Justinpatzer
<br />
<br />
Unfortunately your Chess.com account has been closed because we have determined it to be in violation of our Fair Play Policy.
<br />
<br />
We are always sad when we close any account. We want everyone to be able to enjoy chess. However, we must protect the integrity of the game and cannot allow players to use outside assistance in their games (advice from other players, chess engines/computers, etc).</i></blockquote>
This came as a shock. A huge shock. Because I have not used outside assistance in my games. Nor thought of doing so.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>What shocked me particularly is that I couldn't understand where they might be getting this from. I still can't.<br />
<br />
- I hadn't beaten anybody much better than me. I hadn't even played anybody much better than me.<br />
- I hadn't won lots of games in a streak. I hadn't even played lots of games. I hadn't won any more than I would expect to.<br />
- I hadn't won games in spectacular style, with tactically brilliant moves. The most obvious thing about my games, to me at least, was how many good moves I'd <i>missed</i>.<br />
<br />
I couldn't even see the point. I mean, I understand that people cheat - but I couldn't see how, or where, I was supposed to have done this. Or why, what I was supposed to have got out of it, how I was supposed to have benefitted.<br />
<br />
So, assuming that some kind of mistake had indeed been made - and that mistakes will be put right - I got in touch with Chess.com as fast as I could, asking what this was about. They wouldn't say.<br />
<br />
It turns out that they don't give any explanations. None. You don't get to see anything which might constitute a case against you. No specifics, no reasoning, <i>nothing</i>.<br />
<br />
All they do is invite you to appeal, which is quite a hard thing to do since you have no idea what you are appealing against. Though they do suggest you give some details of your playing strength, which of course I <a href="https://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=412228">did</a> - and assumed that shortly this would all be put right. It wasn't.<br />
<br />
And at that point, I ran out of goodwill towards Chess.com, and I got angry. And angry is what I have remained. I sent them some more emails, listing, in detail, a large number of mistakes in my games which simply weren't compatible with the claim they were making.<br />
<br />
They had no interest in hearing it.<br />
<br />
So I was put in the position in which Chess.com had put me - and a nasty position it is. I <i>could</i> just accept it, let them call me a cheat, and hope nobody noticed or nobody cared. Or I could put all this in the public domain.<br />
<br />
Who wants to do that? Who wants to have to discuss something like this in public?<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, what I chose was to put it all in the public domain.<br />
<br />
Partly, because I don't want to have to explain, some time down the track, how come this happened and I didn't make any fuss about it.<br />
<br />
But mostly because - why <i>should </i>I just accept it? I've done nothing wrong. There is nothing for me to be ashamed of. I have nothing to hide.<br />
<br />
So, I won't hide.<br />
<br />
This <a href="https://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6064&p=127725">isn't</a>, by the way, the first time (<a href="http://chess-news.ru/en/node/19269">nor</a> the only time) Chess.com have pulled a stunt like this, libelling one of their users. You may perhaps wonder whether in this instance, somebody who lives in Europe is in a position to take legal action against a company based in Palo Alto, and you may have good cause to wonder.<br />
<br />
But I <i>am</i> in a position to refer this to the court of public opinion. So in the next few posts, which will be published today, and linked to here, you can see:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/10/ever-get-feeling-youve-been-cheated-my.html">all my games on Chess.com</a> since I began to play regularly</li>
<li><a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/10/ever-get-feeling-youve-been-cheated_29.html">some episodes from some of those games</a> which illustrate what a nonsense this is</li>
<li><a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/10/ever-get-feeling-youve-been-cheated_89.html">some other aspects of my games</a> which may serve to cast doubt on Chess.com's methods</li>
<li><a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/10/ever-get-feeling-youve-been-cheated_67.html">a conclusion</a>, if it can be called that.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Have a look at the games, if you would. See what there is to be found.<br />
<br />
But you won't find anything. Because <i>there's nothing there</i>.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-32905064812818452782019-07-04T08:00:00.000+02:002019-07-04T13:12:29.997+02:00ZzzzzzzThis blog is in hibernation until such time as its author rediscovers some enthusiasm for it.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-82797436807521471962019-05-22T08:00:00.000+02:002019-05-22T08:00:02.809+02:00The Monkey's PawI never - until yesterday - knew that <a en.wikipedia.org="" he_monkey="" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" https:="" s_paw="" wiki="">The Monkey's Paw</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajnGpjt69g9b2bHTHNr6nZMP8bIlZrdz_PJV-9detkt_3699rqjuRoQxnxPZYEWIzyi3ws4yZaDG9hYm9eLKG7C5nD7hVa0yuv7GLnUMA4h3fMRoPPLHegXFTMGVhO4As5Ps49hmQp6z7/s1600/519p055efjL._AC_SY400_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="283" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajnGpjt69g9b2bHTHNr6nZMP8bIlZrdz_PJV-9detkt_3699rqjuRoQxnxPZYEWIzyi3ws4yZaDG9hYm9eLKG7C5nD7hVa0yuv7GLnUMA4h3fMRoPPLHegXFTMGVhO4As5Ps49hmQp6z7/s640/519p055efjL._AC_SY400_.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/j/jacobs/ww/monkey/">begins</a> with a chess game.
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekml3lRF8DNqVGIn1pdprUdVSFslGGZpik2CAM2bjCLxmykiX43iTdg_DPrMY0VwkQPX-1Y4fVrwxi-XH6kKKst1jdL1PBogfODrwH1JQ3w4AQMCo8TTJAMvZGVl9PUZCDYEU1a-sbWl5/s1600/Monkey%2527s+Paw.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="518" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekml3lRF8DNqVGIn1pdprUdVSFslGGZpik2CAM2bjCLxmykiX43iTdg_DPrMY0VwkQPX-1Y4fVrwxi-XH6kKKst1jdL1PBogfODrwH1JQ3w4AQMCo8TTJAMvZGVl9PUZCDYEU1a-sbWl5/s640/Monkey%2527s+Paw.png" width="605" /></a></div>
<br />
No wonder they came to no good.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2006/01/literary-reference-index.html">Also see</a>]</span>ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-75967492309102332352019-05-20T08:00:00.000+02:002019-05-20T09:32:20.284+02:00Jimmy RiddleI don't read the British Chess Magazine, since it's <a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2017/11/bilge.html">full of trash</a>, but I do know people who do, and so I happen to know that for some reason, it has devoted eleven pages of its latest issue to a review of a review.<br />
<br />
The review in the first instance (which you've probably seen already) is Olimpiu Urcan's <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/meal-ticket-23138934">piece</a> discussing Ray and Byron's book on the Caruana-Carlsen match (which you probably haven't). But you might recall that this review was the <a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/01/no-way-ray.html">ostensible</a> reason for Chess and Bridge Magazine ceasing to stock the book.<br />
<br />
The review in the second instance is a review of Olimpiu's review.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcHWXm12bjjdOrM6ltsQrUFUNQ6dNeD_9rZnhwJtiPsB3mCUxH42IiT9Ejh1i4sE37t3xjgHJEHektsAh8AADsog66ETcD3KHEgHE8Vw4r1sqPPJ9JWm3YEOZXXVAg06byCrsdjuVjGgp/s1600/20190520_071955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcHWXm12bjjdOrM6ltsQrUFUNQ6dNeD_9rZnhwJtiPsB3mCUxH42IiT9Ejh1i4sE37t3xjgHJEHektsAh8AADsog66ETcD3KHEgHE8Vw4r1sqPPJ9JWm3YEOZXXVAg06byCrsdjuVjGgp/s400/20190520_071955.jpg" width="400" height="168" data-original-width="720" data-original-height="302" /></a></div><br />The BCM is considerably closer to Ray, right now, than is its rival, and the review's appearance, and the book's disappearance from Chess and Bridge, are very much connected.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_cCR8gI_xZZb-JnBlQQPzM9x8TmrZ4PmwSkTN23RPixPaUIGiFgpIfCs1t-L5Tgqo2rU6qOu92RaEYqYmTLS2JsvYlMzPuPbNVuSN8OFGAQ8nuTl2XbrjxS-7N43xlhu1ZId2mFjp3d1/s1600/Jimmy+Adams+BCM+Olimpiu+website.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="64" data-original-width="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_cCR8gI_xZZb-JnBlQQPzM9x8TmrZ4PmwSkTN23RPixPaUIGiFgpIfCs1t-L5Tgqo2rU6qOu92RaEYqYmTLS2JsvYlMzPuPbNVuSN8OFGAQ8nuTl2XbrjxS-7N43xlhu1ZId2mFjp3d1/s1600/Jimmy+Adams+BCM+Olimpiu+website.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBHpk5aJ_VqdSkT7L0NdU5VezkuBrOagI21pZVLaEH9lcrO9bcKTIY_n3Kf7eJNmO0nzu-l1y5-gLhXJeoWnmEucv5PxkBVk3VyRnZhBYo6-4yJnU3yUnmw3eQvM8Icl4GypEpUiJbsJ_/s1600/Jimmy+Adams+BCM+Olimpiu+website+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="64" data-original-width="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBHpk5aJ_VqdSkT7L0NdU5VezkuBrOagI21pZVLaEH9lcrO9bcKTIY_n3Kf7eJNmO0nzu-l1y5-gLhXJeoWnmEucv5PxkBVk3VyRnZhBYo6-4yJnU3yUnmw3eQvM8Icl4GypEpUiJbsJ_/s1600/Jimmy+Adams+BCM+Olimpiu+website+2.png" /></a></div>
<br />
The review is by Jimmy Adams, and it is a load of old balls from start to finish, including, in just one sentence above, the claim that Olimpiu's <a href="https://www.patreon.com/urcan">website</a> is <a href="http://patreon.com/">patreon.com</a> - see the difference, Jimmy? - and a grim inability to actually spell the name of the chap he's criticising, which is Olimpiu, not Olympiu, a misspelling that appears at least twenty times. To be fair Jimmy says more than once that he doesn't go looking for "typos and mistakes" and Lord, that surely is the truth.<br />
<br />
I'm not going to give the piece much more attention than it deserves - although if you've read this far, I probably have already - not least because I doubt Jimmy believes very much else of what he wrote. The point of rebutting charges in which the prosecution don't believe in the first place has always eluded me, and this particular indictment is written in a style reminiscent of Bart Simpson<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomw8hCVeac5LMrM0stbQ9dT4vXbXmL_Q-6a_3WxSuYyEIS3RHawpD757p5BnW8j-nX6x5-sbEm1yxVriQfNBOWk0uYK-ojWbtyLW9gbGQPVYMaq5US6-uXtxUWa7921fydbIw9a7X6-KR/s1600/Bart+didn%2527t+do+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomw8hCVeac5LMrM0stbQ9dT4vXbXmL_Q-6a_3WxSuYyEIS3RHawpD757p5BnW8j-nX6x5-sbEm1yxVriQfNBOWk0uYK-ojWbtyLW9gbGQPVYMaq5US6-uXtxUWa7921fydbIw9a7X6-KR/s400/Bart+didn%2527t+do+it.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
<br />
except we might describe Jimmy Adams' version as "there's nothing wrong with this - well only a little - well maybe more, but who cares anyway". Jimmy doesn't, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
There's an old saying about not going mud-wrestling with a pig, as there is a newer one about not feeding the trolls. When Jimmy Adams, who has been writing about chess for many years, pretends not to know what's wrong with a writer publishing the same material in several places without saying where it's appeared before - <i>of course</i> he knows. So why bother arguing? It'd constitute getting oneself dirty while the pig enjoys it. That said, this little passage is worth a moment of our time.<br />
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I know you don't believe what you're writing, Jimmy, but what <i>are</i> you actually writing here? <a href="http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/index.html">Chess Notes</a> contains 'essentially "cut and paste"'? In what sense? In some sense comparable to Ray's prodigious recycling of his old material? In some other sense? What, Jimmy, are you talking about?<br />
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We don't know, and neither does he. At very least, he doesn't care whether what he's saying makes any sense or not, and that's not an argument, nor an advocate, that you can engage with. What else can you make of this?<br />
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There's no evidence for it, but it "may very well be true". Alas, Jimmy doesn't go on to explain why, because, pffft, anything may be as true as anything else, if I only choose to say so.<br />
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As I <a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2018/11/600-million-and-one-reasons-not-to-read.html">wrote</a> before:<br />
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if you don't know any better than that, you don't know enough to be worth reading</blockquote>
and Jimmy is not worth reading seriously. (By all means have a go yourself, if you want. But I am not that soldier.)<br />
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Still, one more nonsense, just for fun, before we leave Jimmy to his maundering. He attacks Olimpiu for wondering where the term Rossolimo Variation has got to in the book, given that it occurred three times in the match.<br />
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Aha, says Jimmy, that's because Ray doesn't give it that name!
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"There is no doubt in my mind", he says. Well, Jimmy, there's plenty of doubt in mine, because I happen to have Ray's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tony-Miles-Englands-Chess-Gladiator/dp/1843821761">book</a><sup>1</sup> on the late Tony Miles
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in which the <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1714936">game</a><sup>2</sup> Sigurjonsson v Miles, London 1975, is headed...
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...and indexed...
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...as you see.<br />
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Yuk yuk.<br />
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Well, we could be at this game all day, but that's very much what I am trying to avoid: this is rubbish, rubbish produced in defence of rubbish that should never have been produced. Let us waste no further time on it. I have no idea what, specifically, induced Jimmy Adams to go kissing Penguin arse on this occasion
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but it's not the first time that a long-established chess writer has chosen to take that path, nor that the BCM has accompanied them on the road. And what a tawdry and disreputable path it is as well.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1 I was very pleased to see an Amazon review by <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-likely-customer.html">Hugh Davies</a>.]</span>
<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2 Just in passing, what was Black's third move? <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tony-Miles-Englands-Granmaster-Grandmaster/dp/0713488093">It's Only Me</a> has 3...Qa5, see below.]</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5-fSR3FVBfGLnukkhABoEHm0qPWLuex-6CS10oFYJlyH9yPLJlfVSCbW1iVtUvW6sGcFE6jLK6hY89bzQZtj15Nd8Haa_RJzHN12R9rR_rbeR9d9sxhCZmAgcPjSKBjgze21vInV4qx2/s1600/SigurjonssonMiles.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5-fSR3FVBfGLnukkhABoEHm0qPWLuex-6CS10oFYJlyH9yPLJlfVSCbW1iVtUvW6sGcFE6jLK6hY89bzQZtj15Nd8Haa_RJzHN12R9rR_rbeR9d9sxhCZmAgcPjSKBjgze21vInV4qx2/s320/SigurjonssonMiles.png" width="320" height="180" data-original-width="539" data-original-height="304" /></a></div>ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-9530455255322504592019-04-19T08:00:00.000+02:002019-04-19T08:00:07.216+02:00Think againOn this blog's predecessor, we used to maintain a regular feature called <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2006/10/bad-book-covers-index.html">Bad Book Covers</a>, trying to identify the best of the worst in our particular field.<br />
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I've not really been keeping up since, but looking back, the last <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2016/01/bad-book-covers-xxxiv.html">item</a> in the series was from <a href="https://www.thinkerspublishing.com/">Thinkers Publishing</a>, and its Thinkers Publishing whose eyewatering efforts have been drawn to my attention again recently.<br />
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Take for instance Improve Your Practical Play in the Middlegame, by Alexey Dreev, <a href="https://www.thinkerspublishing.com/catalogue-webshop-alexey-dreev-improve-your-practical-play-in-the-middlegame.html">published</a> last <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Improve-Your-Practical-Play-Middlegame/dp/9492510316">year</a>. What is that disembodied hand? Why is it trying to put the pawn's eye out? Is that king some kind of ghost? Who drew this? Who thought it was a good idea?<br />
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Talking of disembodied, this is Edouard's My Magic Years With Topalov, <a href="https://www.thinkerspublishing.com/catalogue-webshop-romain-edouard-my-magic-years-with-topalov-paperback.html">due</a> later this <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Years-Topalov-Romain-Edouard/dp/9492510448">month</a>, but what are those heads doing on the cover? Who did this to them? Will they ever be at rest?
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<a name='more'></a><br />We move on to The Tactics Bible, by Efstratios Grivas, <a href="https://www.thinkerspublishing.com/catalogue-webshop-efstratios-grivas-the-tactics-bible.html">out</a> last <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tactics-Bible-Magnum-Opus/dp/949251043X">month</a> and with the sort of cover where you assume it was done on a paint by numbers basis, but choosing the wrong colours. My eyes!<br />
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<br />Much the same can be said of the last of our selection here, which ends where we begin, with Ivan Sokolov, co-author with Iván Salgado López of The Chigorin Bible, <a href="https://www.thinkerspublishing.com/catalogue-webshop-i-sokolov-i-salgado-lopez-the-chigorin-bible.html">also</a> out this <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chigorin-Bible-Classic-Defence-Lopez/dp/9492510413">month</a>. I might even get this one, but not with the intention of balancing a number of multicoloured pawns on top of a sickly-looking knight. It looks well pissed off and who can blame it, eh?
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<br />Besides, it's been done <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2010/08/something-to-try-if-youre-bored-on-rest.html">better</a>.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-82963367347495246442019-04-03T08:00:00.000+02:002019-04-03T08:10:14.556+02:00About SchmidtOver the last few days, I've found quite a lot of adverts popping up for this book on my smartphone.<br />
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Matter of fact, it popped up three times during the course of one single article.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjhFnDPFktsgYIkx-FFMiMtd6Nz8QGjccCWUKcHSwRqXaZlJL3N5uD-2gWHHNWH0yQwF3AuaTFjiazHuQ8KDwq6kuIIHxSMFxokQtIuorgBN9Tzn42t045M-Qf_sM8B43L_giszRd19Fc/s1600/20190331_230646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjhFnDPFktsgYIkx-FFMiMtd6Nz8QGjccCWUKcHSwRqXaZlJL3N5uD-2gWHHNWH0yQwF3AuaTFjiazHuQ8KDwq6kuIIHxSMFxokQtIuorgBN9Tzn42t045M-Qf_sM8B43L_giszRd19Fc/s400/20190331_230646.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyKl3x2MuGSCEeDtIVUt1kbShESdFWE1hN9a5xihTz3H-KJwMQzVI772mn4SxYem8S1VlnHZ1_1qDYCs_GNF06S_BsJSHZBH4R-5nsBbgYQEsqQXJYeeBP02lI6mdnHa_4ZOIubRh_O0f/s1600/20190331_230658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyKl3x2MuGSCEeDtIVUt1kbShESdFWE1hN9a5xihTz3H-KJwMQzVI772mn4SxYem8S1VlnHZ1_1qDYCs_GNF06S_BsJSHZBH4R-5nsBbgYQEsqQXJYeeBP02lI6mdnHa_4ZOIubRh_O0f/s400/20190331_230658.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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Naturally I was curious to look up the book, since £6.99 is pretty cheap for a chess book these days. Or any day in the last, what, couple of decades? (By contrast, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Opening-Repertoire-Queens-Gambit-Declined/dp/1781942609">this one</a>, due out later this year, will set you back £19.99, and that's not bad at all by today's prices.)
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So <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-win-Lopez-Hans-Kleider/dp/1798743612">what</a> are we getting for our money?
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You may well ask, since the blurb is unsure even what opening we are discussing
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDqfIBPz-ee0BWfdDcnJSvI88p1xU_MW_EIcwYteKicInIVztHj8bEa7gQF-yyyLdJtCK7qtUwdm4T2245WoO0kw3hA7M1vL20gQ4rA8fKRValVPxT-7tDSiRokOF8zMpZyp1qlChwLx1/s1600/Kleider+Amazon+error.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="153" data-original-width="672" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDqfIBPz-ee0BWfdDcnJSvI88p1xU_MW_EIcwYteKicInIVztHj8bEa7gQF-yyyLdJtCK7qtUwdm4T2245WoO0kw3hA7M1vL20gQ4rA8fKRValVPxT-7tDSiRokOF8zMpZyp1qlChwLx1/s640/Kleider+Amazon+error.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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which may undermine our confidence that the games have been "carefully selected".<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I'd never heard of Mr Kleider, so I looked around to see what other works he might have produced, and was surprised to find <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44040284-how-to-win-with-caro-kann-defense">this</a> item on Goodreads<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb0Zkb_AMvsIvM-EPTldbhk20QQDVRRhoj5HckG3UeuiZ1NUfesTk-COKYn6AADYcI6yd7NmucJy-e-17V5nzOE4000ce2Ryqw3Bp-u2PAf_n5xpDpKZ_j9ScGGLa1NnYN6mTFUXUeMov/s1600/Kleider+Goodreads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="634" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb0Zkb_AMvsIvM-EPTldbhk20QQDVRRhoj5HckG3UeuiZ1NUfesTk-COKYn6AADYcI6yd7NmucJy-e-17V5nzOE4000ce2Ryqw3Bp-u2PAf_n5xpDpKZ_j9ScGGLa1NnYN6mTFUXUeMov/s400/Kleider+Goodreads.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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and particularly surprised to see a publication date of 15 February, given that our Queen's Gambit Declined book was apparently published on 4 March. Not even Cyrus Lakdawala churns them out that quickly.
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In fact, if you search on <a href="http://amazon.co.uk/">amazon.co.uk</a> for <i>Hans Kleider</i>, you get bucketloads of these books. I think I counted twenty-seven of them. This image is as small as I could reasonably reduce it, and I'm still not getting all of them in.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6dgU8B5Z06RsmMWyQX8rBrEZz9_6vld-LVPIUCCBRJMaN7_xYV-yNE6dH38MKbFjPiaBXS2je-JYzYxNaqCrdwUBlpd3h2Y_GUVKXwvvJGIDPbZcqgaoE9vL9nYeeLnlCgJfeCiUjDpV/s1600/Kleider+collection.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1197" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6dgU8B5Z06RsmMWyQX8rBrEZz9_6vld-LVPIUCCBRJMaN7_xYV-yNE6dH38MKbFjPiaBXS2je-JYzYxNaqCrdwUBlpd3h2Y_GUVKXwvvJGIDPbZcqgaoE9vL9nYeeLnlCgJfeCiUjDpV/s400/Kleider+collection.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Well how bizarre. Let's have a look at a little of what's in <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-win-Lopez-Hans-Kleider/dp/1798743612">one</a> of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPTCSlD5olkC4hE1hc15zT5Y9A3Gf7iCg7y0I437jpqJFqBN8K4TMZgN_ncvbC2XC7evNyZHYR3dt43cOrPMjb4Nw-W5KUxq1_VcrHbR4tBmN7w4RMpKbhXaKBZMdiVp3UqB4c8TIPCbC/s1600/Kleider+Amazon+perfectionate.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPTCSlD5olkC4hE1hc15zT5Y9A3Gf7iCg7y0I437jpqJFqBN8K4TMZgN_ncvbC2XC7evNyZHYR3dt43cOrPMjb4Nw-W5KUxq1_VcrHbR4tBmN7w4RMpKbhXaKBZMdiVp3UqB4c8TIPCbC/s1600/Kleider+Amazon+perfectionate.png" /></a></div>
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"20 annotated games to", ah, "perfectionate your game". There's a preface, which may look a little familiar.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA74KHgC4uZrJS0IiFSnVrNfeABJCTOLRGOcfo243tHeBod17NaebcQF_U52BQX3VrvyiMI8Y4BANO2Z84_6Of9DKyxEjRABPDURhNRA0YBbyi5itLGgZT47ceNDJ1OwUwRi3cyLHZtbbj/s1600/Kleider+preface.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="639" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA74KHgC4uZrJS0IiFSnVrNfeABJCTOLRGOcfo243tHeBod17NaebcQF_U52BQX3VrvyiMI8Y4BANO2Z84_6Of9DKyxEjRABPDURhNRA0YBbyi5itLGgZT47ceNDJ1OwUwRi3cyLHZtbbj/s1600/Kleider+preface.png" /></a></div>
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<i>All games are annotated</i>? Well, not very.<br />
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Not very much at all. This is as good as it gets.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg46t70NULjj5tosro-sHpuciQUdrgVoEBNTwSxm0GUg4X6UwZIGLQab_75sFVCgIekE8n_JhKHbjKOXOFgo3KsM_ysBjsxHrZ9qPtCeaZbN5B_UwmRZiEtmme6MPkJRm5RLlWbiSn5mLV/s1600/Kleider+annotations.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="449" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg46t70NULjj5tosro-sHpuciQUdrgVoEBNTwSxm0GUg4X6UwZIGLQab_75sFVCgIekE8n_JhKHbjKOXOFgo3KsM_ysBjsxHrZ9qPtCeaZbN5B_UwmRZiEtmme6MPkJRm5RLlWbiSn5mLV/s400/Kleider+annotations.png" width="354" /></a></div>
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I'll spare you any further investigation of the books, since all the books (and all the annotations of all the games in all the books) are basically like that - no original content and no annotations. But having seen that the publisher was apparently somebody called Fluo Chess<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxIPGHHYcQmMvKYc65jcdbxos7D-d4U1RFt8ZKc6RZaTVCf22DTIHo3AnTwIarYmJSDDMxD3VP3w2-xmJpw8zxNsUKkuP8nTJbzMLyE-9T0PcDYdYxBczK_wUArvYiizsdvJMtKc1Eawp/s1600/Kleider+Fluo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="54" data-original-width="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxIPGHHYcQmMvKYc65jcdbxos7D-d4U1RFt8ZKc6RZaTVCf22DTIHo3AnTwIarYmJSDDMxD3VP3w2-xmJpw8zxNsUKkuP8nTJbzMLyE-9T0PcDYdYxBczK_wUArvYiizsdvJMtKc1Eawp/s1600/Kleider+Fluo.png" /></a></div>
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I googled them, and got a <a href="https://www.fnac.com/e375261/Fluo-Chess">page</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fnac">FNAC</a>, the French retail chain.
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There are twenty-one entries, all, this time, for e-books, all published in November 2016. And this time, they're not by Hans Kleider, but by somebody called J. Schmidt.
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Here's one of them.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzdIvAVDJpGQFq2VQHVHPZ36aUghmUfyPmZzMgVFG8-EWzm4aFYMZq7PZ59CXr6KJOglpAz1DjG5ELjWJBiyT3OC99fcQGk3xT6FUCTzLjAKNWqwJimwBLe63Lqx5XWg5dzAKrnBeIMxp/s1600/Kleider+Schmidt+FNAC+French.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="642" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzdIvAVDJpGQFq2VQHVHPZ36aUghmUfyPmZzMgVFG8-EWzm4aFYMZq7PZ59CXr6KJOglpAz1DjG5ELjWJBiyT3OC99fcQGk3xT6FUCTzLjAKNWqwJimwBLe63Lqx5XWg5dzAKrnBeIMxp/s400/Kleider+Schmidt+FNAC+French.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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See this before?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRSWJZvTPH0uDheblJ3RbUOQC3TegAJtStlj3gFG4eb6AlkM-uVt9WK15pPfVi4AZxouAS5b_gwvtMTEuHS_lfP0dJF956DeSGpbegAUY37PUQxCKzgVAnC41biOUvR1AN6OGWiAsIAKa/s1600/Kleider+Schmidt+FNAC+French+r%25C3%25A9sum%25C3%25A9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="675" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRSWJZvTPH0uDheblJ3RbUOQC3TegAJtStlj3gFG4eb6AlkM-uVt9WK15pPfVi4AZxouAS5b_gwvtMTEuHS_lfP0dJF956DeSGpbegAUY37PUQxCKzgVAnC41biOUvR1AN6OGWiAsIAKa/s1600/Kleider+Schmidt+FNAC+French+r%25C3%25A9sum%25C3%25A9.png" /></a></div>
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There's a few of these on Amazon too - for instance, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chess-Openings-Example-Ruy-Lopez-ebook/dp/B01N3ND1M1">this one</a>. Naturally the contents follow the precise pattern of the Kleider books (or rather, since they predate them, the other way around). No more than some game scores, Stockfish evaluations each move and some diagrams. In other words, nothing original at all.<br />
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Now I have no more idea who Mr Schmidt is than I have about Hans Kleider, though for all I know they may be the same person. It's not important, except that they, assuming there <i>are</i> two of them, are a couple of rip-off merchants, and would be if their books retailed for no more than a penny apiece. It's not illegal, but then again, just because it isn't illegal doesn't mean it's not a scam.<br />
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I'd be interested to know if other people have been getting these ads - I don't know, let alone understand, how these ads are selected, but my guess is that I'm far from alone in having them placed on my phone.<br />
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Hopefully they're not getting a great deal of business out of it. If you're considering giving them any, here's an appropriate <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chess-openings-the-beginners-cheatsheet-j-schmidt/1125124471?type=eBook">title</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOL0hMJ6PXgFv63gU2O1sYmyrm1RwvmmxEBNi0nPh86t4jDtiP8wmYpRqWkeQV4zFe0-U0FmQ3HtejJPnUpdZxaDifYwaDvb3ZsP5JlWKrSIhe5YxPWJc_JUjLbZJVdkFxx24SqXQtEFOQ/s1600/Kleider+Schmidt+B%2526N+Cheatsheet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="930" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOL0hMJ6PXgFv63gU2O1sYmyrm1RwvmmxEBNi0nPh86t4jDtiP8wmYpRqWkeQV4zFe0-U0FmQ3HtejJPnUpdZxaDifYwaDvb3ZsP5JlWKrSIhe5YxPWJc_JUjLbZJVdkFxx24SqXQtEFOQ/s400/Kleider+Schmidt+B%2526N+Cheatsheet.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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They're having a laugh.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e4Eo4-oyejk" width="560"></iframe></div>
ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-29933074360585640022019-03-29T08:00:00.000+01:002019-03-29T08:29:25.647+01:00SurprisesIt was my wife's birthday on Sunday, and as we were due to be working in Madrid in the coming week, we went up a day early, had lunch in a couple of bars near the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Rastro">Rastro</a> and then had a walk round the Manzanares, beginning at the abandoned <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicente_Calder%C3%B3n_Stadium">Vicente Calderón</a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi316HJBWQNi_XnigPoSq9DQ7UERGXF3xX3atoDh5u8kBIWFYHmRKAHOPeCFZRqPeqmUzZ76q5QB7MAJ9GAoKj5xV22k9iA-xuBTa-zuSAJ3NdDXJ_X0n1uPwRiVxDWWv5e4A1BI3orJK9i/s1600/20190324_153228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi316HJBWQNi_XnigPoSq9DQ7UERGXF3xX3atoDh5u8kBIWFYHmRKAHOPeCFZRqPeqmUzZ76q5QB7MAJ9GAoKj5xV22k9iA-xuBTa-zuSAJ3NdDXJ_X0n1uPwRiVxDWWv5e4A1BI3orJK9i/s400/20190324_153228.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>dead football stadium</b></span></div>
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and spotting, to our surprise, some turtles on the way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW42nE0BBUB9AhbBi-n2kSYsA-yOByIV8PNiNVoyAfjLnZxVRRgM9kyZBSKMINOaXoPEeh19621AOKGtw1VfgGwuo1j8oWsWxqDtNdC6ubJVjT2WOcqCoQcejLbeaElb1kmdAOhxLvRj30/s1600/IMG-20190328-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="898" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW42nE0BBUB9AhbBi-n2kSYsA-yOByIV8PNiNVoyAfjLnZxVRRgM9kyZBSKMINOaXoPEeh19621AOKGtw1VfgGwuo1j8oWsWxqDtNdC6ubJVjT2WOcqCoQcejLbeaElb1kmdAOhxLvRj30/s400/IMG-20190328-WA0001.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>live turtles</b></span></div>
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As we were going to the pictures in the evening, we left the riverbank to go over up the hill that takes you to the area, just off the Plaza de España, where there are several cinemas, and just before we reached the railway bridge
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstSyzNCICC2UDjeayZhqEkSD4YmdiQ_T69l3Ov_A3uZrNqgZMim0o-C0MHmCq9zhrHq0L-lJexj-XkWyx3yXZueSbxrHD8k_LMpTqIdBEars24sZzb0KNqRCPr8YdePLj-WyG3A4BLAE8/s1600/Madrid+chess+map+arrow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="488" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstSyzNCICC2UDjeayZhqEkSD4YmdiQ_T69l3Ov_A3uZrNqgZMim0o-C0MHmCq9zhrHq0L-lJexj-XkWyx3yXZueSbxrHD8k_LMpTqIdBEars24sZzb0KNqRCPr8YdePLj-WyG3A4BLAE8/s400/Madrid+chess+map+arrow.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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we had a second surprise. By the side of the road, a small group of people had set up a homemade chessboard, with a set of plastic pieces.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfk7HWAcn_M88RNu9wURnfgGnNAQDPrK9n6EyHIb2LYnLUhU5bsa-7E_hWcUrM0WHdbMd2u-_ShgJtTqragNo22iTUyA2Q3RBNxA1mRO6w9dRHVGdsY94hirn4Nt0H1sz6-qI24yF2zVC8/s1600/IMG-20190324-WA0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="898" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfk7HWAcn_M88RNu9wURnfgGnNAQDPrK9n6EyHIb2LYnLUhU5bsa-7E_hWcUrM0WHdbMd2u-_ShgJtTqragNo22iTUyA2Q3RBNxA1mRO6w9dRHVGdsY94hirn4Nt0H1sz6-qI24yF2zVC8/s400/IMG-20190324-WA0012.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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So I did what you would have done, which was to wander up to the players in the hope - rewarded, as it happens - of being invited to play a game.
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The board was the wrong way round. The dark squares were indicated by a round zig-zag pattern, the white squares left untouched, but although A to H and 1 to 8 had been added to the perimeter the piece were set up with A1 and H8 occupying the righthand squares, and the kings and queens each occupying the correct colour square, but the wrong side of the board. I wasn't sure I wanted to reset the whole board in the middle of a group of total strangers, but I did switch the kings and queens, which people seemed to be happy with.
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One of the players suggested I should pay five euros if I lost, an offer I accepted, and then invited me to have a cigarette and a can of Heineken, two offers I turned down (being a lifetime non-smoker, and having already had a couple of vermouths at lunchtime).
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDVq7J4eleUjKs4ZBM9_Ag8faaTIJHKgqg-oSXKjRKdpCpV1RxZLZ4ox1sb70R4n5009TNy73J04TcNPA-oTjumnuFeGA6Hrj0ds9CuhOOyb_AuN6yLftS8tLambbLjKsMAr9Or9N5Tlt/s1600/IMG-20190324-WA0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="898" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDVq7J4eleUjKs4ZBM9_Ag8faaTIJHKgqg-oSXKjRKdpCpV1RxZLZ4ox1sb70R4n5009TNy73J04TcNPA-oTjumnuFeGA6Hrj0ds9CuhOOyb_AuN6yLftS8tLambbLjKsMAr9Or9N5Tlt/s400/IMG-20190324-WA0010.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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So we began <b>1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nc6 4 Bxc6 dxc6 </b> and after a few more moves, for some reason that I didn't grasp at the time and haven't worked out since, the guy who was sitting at the board got up and left, and the chap who's squatting in the next photo
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQ86-eHEgAfGuX02XvmBllGF80p1I3tSFmFW5puNBDi2XoWiosfn3-gxzbUueBq6kIVM9ABRXjZfTh6LOA46OmtMbcEwADIhOM2_ka5nDw8wB48hGYwbgpvFBkf3xAXLhyphenhyphentPIiaHaqifB/s1600/IMG-20190324-WA0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="898" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQ86-eHEgAfGuX02XvmBllGF80p1I3tSFmFW5puNBDi2XoWiosfn3-gxzbUueBq6kIVM9ABRXjZfTh6LOA46OmtMbcEwADIhOM2_ka5nDw8wB48hGYwbgpvFBkf3xAXLhyphenhyphentPIiaHaqifB/s400/IMG-20190324-WA0011.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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got up and took his place, setting up the pieces, as he did so, for a new game.
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While this was going on my wife was talking to some of the other players, and learned that they were Romanian. They seemed to be workless, and homeless, and passed the time by playing chess together. (I didn't think of John Healy at the time - I was too busy thinking about my moves.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0I_eBGfIffia_WwrXXs1h1Kyjii2Wx_zEBrZXnJgb6hxRWxEsyyaYUMJfbjvOvVDHnJ5Z25obktpkSnzPD-ChQlJilJIEBkc7HksptS6Gtb9yx6VxmhYPhmdB7hN6UfkTxbllJ2F-DcrB/s1600/Grass+Arena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0I_eBGfIffia_WwrXXs1h1Kyjii2Wx_zEBrZXnJgb6hxRWxEsyyaYUMJfbjvOvVDHnJ5Z25obktpkSnzPD-ChQlJilJIEBkc7HksptS6Gtb9yx6VxmhYPhmdB7hN6UfkTxbllJ2F-DcrB/s400/Grass+Arena.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
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The second game began <b>1 g3 d5 2 Bg2 c6 3 3 b3 Nf6 4 d3 </b>and proceeded in that fashion for a while. The new guy, and the first one, were OK players. Not strong players, not average club players, but real players, not...h5 and ....Rh6 players, players who knew a little about how to open the game, players who could see a threat or set one up.<br />
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It wasn't as simple as that, though, since later in the game we had a discussion about whether you could have two queens at the same time, the guy believing (as some people apparently do) that you had to promote to a piece which you no longer had. (This would have been a knight or a bishop, since I still possessed both rooks, which meant neither one was available for upturned duty. A bottle top stood in as a makeshift queen instead.) There was also a short discussion about the true position on the board - after a sequence <i>Nd5 Nxd5</i> couldn't be met with exd5 due to a rook on e8 pinning that pawn - but such things are not unknown for Sunday afternoon pub games, which to all intents and purposes this was.<br />
<br />So I won, kept my <i>cinco pavos</i> and said goodbye - a shame, as I'd like to have stayed, but the film was on soon. Nice to come across some casual chessplayers, it's something I'd like to happen more often. I hope they had a better place to live than where they were sitting - though Spain, like Britain, has people living in all sorts of places that aren't fit for human beings to live in.<br /><br />So if you've been reading this, and thinking - on one level, perfectly naturally - that it's unusual to see homeless people playing chess, perhaps it would be better if that sentence were a little shorter, and we still found it unusual to see homeless people.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-29053496438960582242019-03-20T08:00:00.000+01:002019-03-20T08:00:06.779+01:00Is this really a good way to promote women's chess? II<a href="https://twitter.com/VCmilyte/status/1107563462350327809">Well said</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUbvdCnBo8mvdnjb3grw2J2MWj40AQ5KA-Z3QhuSg2lqMlRnlfn-KMCiDeNofh0PqgN2N1GgS-HhH1SIOUK3JhSIifsfy6aucCteWy1xvE0s_BA5SKutC1lY2zlgLJRs0HSkvEayqtdt1/s1600/BlondesBrunettesCmilyte.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUbvdCnBo8mvdnjb3grw2J2MWj40AQ5KA-Z3QhuSg2lqMlRnlfn-KMCiDeNofh0PqgN2N1GgS-HhH1SIOUK3JhSIifsfy6aucCteWy1xvE0s_BA5SKutC1lY2zlgLJRs0HSkvEayqtdt1/s1600/BlondesBrunettesCmilyte.png" /></a></div>
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It would be good to see less of <a href="https://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1107425704289992704">this</a> kind of tat in the future.<br />
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And, for that matter, <a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/01/is-this-really-good-way-to-promote.html">this</a>.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-66399953207916599752019-03-18T08:00:00.000+01:002019-03-18T08:00:13.115+01:00TheoryThere's a Twitter account I follow and a Tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/freezeframebot/status/1105776945164443648">last week</a> happened to catch my eye.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pDTs3wvHyS0Plhyh9QlSuOaI57X2455YQpWtEvfBbDZAFFmIqGy6Z8MXh0ClhUsXFqEKG0YVCibEi1U42m9EFOymVqaFPwPAzJcqhaABPTrnYaqHqNzUFxX34uDcpYN2YQLbmRhGJQIx/s1600/Freeze+Frame+Bot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="415" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pDTs3wvHyS0Plhyh9QlSuOaI57X2455YQpWtEvfBbDZAFFmIqGy6Z8MXh0ClhUsXFqEKG0YVCibEi1U42m9EFOymVqaFPwPAzJcqhaABPTrnYaqHqNzUFxX34uDcpYN2YQLbmRhGJQIx/s1600/Freeze+Frame+Bot.png" /></a></div>
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If you have the sound on you might have recognised <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_O%27Riley">Baba</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2KRpRMSu4g">O'Riley</a> and you might even recognise the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/5cvpvd/what_movie_does_this_robot_chicken_clip_reference/">meme</a>, though I confess I find this example a particuarly obscure rendering. But never mind that -
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- what's this?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsko7o9rrRI1nn4KgcZBjMT6qnLYO1F3ZPHenWBxxW530LAkmA2iIYdNDrnRMoNqnhCrE707TeavU9WBZ7XUrqGjrTs16Tp0bkZsLMYfgH1dxEed3WWj8OJxGgyTNmnJ1V6Tqqv6W56iB-/s1600/Abromont+circle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="613" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsko7o9rrRI1nn4KgcZBjMT6qnLYO1F3ZPHenWBxxW530LAkmA2iIYdNDrnRMoNqnhCrE707TeavU9WBZ7XUrqGjrTs16Tp0bkZsLMYfgH1dxEed3WWj8OJxGgyTNmnJ1V6Tqqv6W56iB-/s400/Abromont+circle.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Guidede-th%C3%A9orie-musicale-Claude-Abromont/dp/2213609772">this</a>.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUWPnQYnWMl1ICpRH3dciCCW8yAdUbh_9urgeLCTb7IBWX9ZmLRSqYXAzm2zGjeo8uQcsI3cDiUZqfonXMD454tHA_9fDS90P3MtzfrXgoK5CtmUMIkatsEUJxu6wKFk7Ee2iVZdcYgyMK/s1600/Abromont.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUWPnQYnWMl1ICpRH3dciCCW8yAdUbh_9urgeLCTb7IBWX9ZmLRSqYXAzm2zGjeo8uQcsI3cDiUZqfonXMD454tHA_9fDS90P3MtzfrXgoK5CtmUMIkatsEUJxu6wKFk7Ee2iVZdcYgyMK/s1600/Abromont.png" /></a></div>
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I've never come across that cover before.
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I've never come across the position before either, though I've been close once or twice.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdg65rzlGT1dF3blHuUGnxoqeICP4fFZAOGfFqBoIj8qIWglOyxAvu4-nRq6Lwp2NrRXqp4wq5VfsVbLGBmqMR2rcq_63Gar_3HTW_p73NIRAsms7GOP7lSerL3GQbsN3R-wDYBcQEv1gt/s1600/Abromont+diagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="387" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdg65rzlGT1dF3blHuUGnxoqeICP4fFZAOGfFqBoIj8qIWglOyxAvu4-nRq6Lwp2NrRXqp4wq5VfsVbLGBmqMR2rcq_63Gar_3HTW_p73NIRAsms7GOP7lSerL3GQbsN3R-wDYBcQEv1gt/s400/Abromont+diagram.png" width="393" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />How do we get there? Maybe via the Vienna or Bishop's Opening, less plausibly a Petroff with 3 Nc3, so let's assume something like 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Bf6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Nf3 and now Black has had a punt with 4...O-O?!. You can play around with that position yourself, but I'd have left the treble clef and the mezzo-forte where they were for a little bit longer.
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<br />As it happens you can also see the chess theme on the cover of the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Abrégé-théorie-musique-bases-1Cédérom/dp/2213613044">abridged version</a>, though it's not so interesting
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzy1yI-BejVFOaXEViXvWrLr-sH3zS7dHc83NqlN4fVtuYW1Gd0V5oeU8SBpORMU8H0tcC68GzrZQ6vYHPbI9DJYaiSZ3z3hTweRxvQuTSqoXiVZrtsVgXEAeBUhmbHXQEJDsOTTTQLaY/s1600/Abromont+abridged.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="249" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzy1yI-BejVFOaXEViXvWrLr-sH3zS7dHc83NqlN4fVtuYW1Gd0V5oeU8SBpORMU8H0tcC68GzrZQ6vYHPbI9DJYaiSZ3z3hTweRxvQuTSqoXiVZrtsVgXEAeBUhmbHXQEJDsOTTTQLaY/s400/Abromont+abridged.png" width="270" /></a></div>
<br />and if you recognised The Who, but not the music that they interrupted, it's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No._8_(Beethoven)">Beethoven</a>.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AZFwFyiWYbzRG8b3kfcc_NTlt7sWyxuWYEUJE36W6y2_d6r-UtHe6Px7XVmOGkqetFKPUMlosVI0kLcvSZ65Otymrjn5PBqLoBUTgFbc78eFtwRu3LFUHXHEmto2IVzTlTBrizkQuTBw/s1600/Abromont+Beethoven.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="662" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AZFwFyiWYbzRG8b3kfcc_NTlt7sWyxuWYEUJE36W6y2_d6r-UtHe6Px7XVmOGkqetFKPUMlosVI0kLcvSZ65Otymrjn5PBqLoBUTgFbc78eFtwRu3LFUHXHEmto2IVzTlTBrizkQuTBw/s400/Abromont+Beethoven.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Take it away, Daniel Barenboim.
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ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-64656281573207333592019-03-16T08:00:00.000+01:002019-03-16T08:48:17.199+01:00Three out of fourI logged on relatively early on Thursday for the last round of the World Team Championship, I guess an hour or so in, which is relatively early when it's kicked off at seven in the morning, Anyway I checked Chessbomb for early results and I could see that there were three of them, all in the Azerbaijan v Egypt match. <br />
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<a href="https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2019-world-team-chess-championship/09-Naiditsch_Arkadij-Amin_Bassem">Naiditsch-Amin</a> on board one had already finished early in a popular repetition
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXFAzWO5m9fttew2HK8tNIV_e7-_xtNp-YQN00jDVXnTyKEluSAujw6V_1eJBTVHWTEKxRGPVgxhfp_Ivtmvf4nnmrfGsCw6H5YHaLIT2Jx3MQrB60eaoJmBHdqPTeead5I29mTeYupTU/s1600/AzerbaijanEgyptNaiditschAmin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="845" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXFAzWO5m9fttew2HK8tNIV_e7-_xtNp-YQN00jDVXnTyKEluSAujw6V_1eJBTVHWTEKxRGPVgxhfp_Ivtmvf4nnmrfGsCw6H5YHaLIT2Jx3MQrB60eaoJmBHdqPTeead5I29mTeYupTU/s400/AzerbaijanEgyptNaiditschAmin.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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as indeed had <a href="https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2019-world-team-chess-championship/09-Adly_Ahmed-Mamedov_Rauf">Adly-Mamedov</a> on board two, in another popular repetition<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DQhdC2f4IHFkYN5AusNuCHzCqkBK8fI-xChEp_8mDm7SLK8vQJvNU8DDb1ypkf3n0PiWir3U0ThqA70QdRbmL0KVxidImz5qpYLSPUAEf-ClAypvn46KU80TylQhIv4XqHaJZgf4UXzZ/s1600/AzerbaijanEgyptAdlyMamedov.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="853" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DQhdC2f4IHFkYN5AusNuCHzCqkBK8fI-xChEp_8mDm7SLK8vQJvNU8DDb1ypkf3n0PiWir3U0ThqA70QdRbmL0KVxidImz5qpYLSPUAEf-ClAypvn46KU80TylQhIv4XqHaJZgf4UXzZ/s400/AzerbaijanEgyptAdlyMamedov.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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one so popular, in fact, that you could also see it on board four, in <a href="https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2019-world-team-chess-championship/09-Hesham_Abdelrahman-Safarli_Eltaj">Hesham-Safarli</a>.<br />
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Guseinov and Fawzy still seemed to be playing on board three, so I took a look, expecting to see another draw unfold before my very eyes.
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Not a bit of it.
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In fact I'm not totally sure whether it was before or after Black's twelfth when I looked in, but it's not of any importance, since the game was pretty much up already
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and had been for a couple of moves.<br />
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So what's going on there then?<br />
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<a name='more'></a>What I mean is, you don't get three grandmaster draws in a team match spontaneously. It must have been agreed beforehand. But I've never before heard of anybody arranging for three draws and leaving the other game to follow its own course: a package deal is usually the whole package, no?<br />
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I'm not saying that didn't happen here - far from it, it's very much what happened. What I don't understand is <i>how</i> it happened. Did Guseinov - with 203 Elo points and the White pieces to his advantage<br />
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say beforehand that he didn't fancy it, so they played three draws instead of four? Or did <i>Fawzy</i> want to play?<br />
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And has a team match ever been reduced to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_combat">single combat</a> in this way before?ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-91666243041352796712019-03-15T08:00:00.000+01:002019-04-15T00:48:45.118+02:00Chess in Art Revisits 3. Dorothea TanningThis Revisit is to Tate Modern for the splendid retrospective of Dorothea Tanning (1910 - 2012) who passed away just a few years ago, but not before we had the chance - <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2010/09/chess-in-art-postscript-happy-birthday.html">back in 2010</a> - to wish her 'Happy Birthday' on the occasion of her 100th. The exhibition runs until June 9th, so plenty of time to catch it. She has been insufficiently appreciated, perhaps, on this side of the pond, yet offers many treats - if you like her sort of thing.<br />
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Ms Tanning made a mark chess-wise when she was caught up in the surrealist art-scene in and around World War 2 in New York, where Marcel Duchamp - who featured in <a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/03/chess-in-art-revisits-2-tom-hackney.html">Revisit 2</a> - was causing a stir, along with the other 'ship-wrecked Surrealists' as she called them: refugees from continental Europe - among them Duchamp himself, Man Ray, Leonora Cannington, and of course Max Ernst (1891 - 1976). Many of them, Dorothea included, were involved in '<i>The Imagery of Chess</i>' exhibition which ran from 12 December 1944 to 31 January 1945 at the Julien Levy gallery in New York City. Levy himself was a chess enthusiast - 'a single brain-cudgeling <i>parti </i>with him could last for days' reported Tanning. He sought to feed his passion for the game by tapping the creativity of this coterie of surrealists so as to produce new sets, new chess-themed art-works, and even some chess music. On January 6th George Koltanowski played a blindfold simul against several of the artists - Duchamp was in on the action as referee.<br />
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For the '<i>Imagery of Chess</i>' Dorothea Tanning produced '<i>Endgame</i>', which is the first work you encounter at Tate Modern. It looks a bit smaller than I imagined (17 inches square; about the size of a proper board) and a little bit dowdy, being now 75 years old: but such a piece of chess-in-art is a welcome sight in any exhibition.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dorothea Tanning (1910 - 2011)<br />Endgame (1944)</b></td></tr>
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It was created in the home-cum-studio that Tanning and Ernst were already sharing two years before their marriage in 1946, and it can be read in the context of their nuptial manoeuvrings. Ernst was a German and was on the move because of the war. He had a rough ride in France (he was an 'enemy alien') besotted, as he was, with the other-worldly Leonora Carrington, and then more or less so with the this-worldly Peggy Guggenheim. She got him into the States, and they married in 1941. The US authorities also gave him a hard-time on and off: here, too, he was regarded as an 'enemy alien', real or imagined. In 1942 he met Tanning, the year in which she was untangling from a unsuccessful marriage.<br />
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Max extricated himself from his fraught relationship with Guggenheim in 1946 when she accepted the advice ('end it') offered by her bi-sexual lover Kenneth MacPherson. The Ernst/Tanning marriage followed without further ado. As Peggy Guggenheim observes in her autobiography '<i>Out of the Century</i>' (which gives an ungenerous account of the episode, perhaps understandably: an older woman displaced by one younger) Dorothea could play chess, something she, Peggy, could not. Max played, and it was over a game (so they said) that he and Dorothea fell in love. They were, it is also said, devoted to each other thereafter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>In 1948<br /><a href="https://www.dorotheatanning.org/life-and-work/view/509/">Photograph by Robert Bruce Inverarity</a></b></td></tr>
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So, '<i>Endgame</i>' is readable as a commentary on the preliminary marital mayhem. The white shoe/Queen stamps on the black Bishop (representing the institution of marriage) making waves all about. She zips around the board and emerges from the darkness to perform the <i>coup de grâce. </i>The<i> </i>old order is rent asunder below, where the sunlit uplands of domestic harmony beckon.<br />
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Above right sits a set of four rooks, about which the commentators say little concerning their symbolic significance, seeing them simply as yet more pieces that the Queen has taken (i.e. conquered) on her rampage. But, in the midst of this symbol-fest, might they not signify something more pointed? There <i>must</i> - surely - be a hidden meaning. And now I think I have got it. They are (why didn't we think of this before?) 'castles in the air': that is 'imaginary or unrealistic plans, projects or hopes' (as says my dictionary). The Queen's head had been in the clouds, but now that she has been there and done that she gets on with it, for real, on the Queen's side.<br />
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To offer my personal view once again: <i>Endgame</i> is rather low-key Surrealism. It isn't stuffed with ominous polymorphic entities welling-up, dream-like and uncensored, from the unconscious - as we would expect to find in the high-octane variety (some of which comes later in the exhibition, and in this post). In the absence of the human form <i>Endgame</i> appears rather diagrammatic, and relies pretty much on one-for-one substitution of meaning based on familiar tropes of chess allegory (even in its title). And thank God for that, some would say.<br />
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The Tate exhibition displays, alongside <i>Endgame</i>, the chess set of Ernst's own design: he and Kolty played with one in the latter's seven-board simul in January '45. That event was captured in a well-known photo-montage (made by Tanning) on show in a cabinet nearby. We saw and blogged it in London, <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2012/07/stop-press-historic-chess-picture-in.html">back in 2012</a> - yellowing sellotape and all (as below) - and it is nice that it's in the show.<br />
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You can see Ernst and his chess set on the extreme right, Tanning is next to him on a Staunton. The montage contains a little joke, given away by the repeat on the left-hand wall. An extra chess board has been smuggled in. Ha ha!<br />
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There is one other Tanning chess-piece in the Tate exhibition: <i>Max in a Blue Boat </i>(1947). However, as there is only an empty board in the painting - a bit of a tease for the chess lover - we'll pass on to the real question: could Dorothea and Ernst play proper chess - the sort of thing you'd expect to find down at the club? There is some slight, but suggestive, photographic evidence, plus something documentary.<br />
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We have two pictures (cropped above) of Ernst and Tanning playing (with Ernst-designed sets, of course). On the left, in 1945, they are at the Levy Gallery (thanks to the <a href="http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/112410.html?mulR=440894783|37">Philadelphia Museum of Art</a> for the photo). On the right they are posed, in 1948, at their home in Sedona, Arizona (<a href="https://www.dorotheatanning.org/life-and-work/view/791">thanks to Bob Towers and the Tanning website</a>). In the first, Ernst is playing a recognisable King's Indian against which Tanning has a conventional set-up (though some might have preferred their white-squared bishop on e2). On the right their game is further advanced, but it looks like a rational position. His King's side looks a bit leaky - I'd say she has the initiative and might even have played some kind of b4, a3 Wing Gambit to acquire it.<br />
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As for documentary evidence: Tanning mentions at least a couple of times (in her biographical writing) that she played sessions when Marcel Duchamp came visiting, even as late as the 1960s when he and wife Teeny Matisse, together with the Ernst-Tannings (now living in France), went to Monte Carlo: 'for the chess tournament ...equal time was spent watching the greats and playing on our own boards'. You'd have to be beyond the 1. P-R4...2. R-R3 stage to get quality chess-time with Duchamp.<br />
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The exhibition charts Dorothea's long and fruitful career. She had a happy childhood (her parents were unpretentious Swedish immigrants) so uneventful in small-town Illinois that 'the most interesting thing was the wall-paper' - and the Gothic novels she devoured. One could say that her art, in its different evolving styles, was rooted in autobiography. It employs several recurring motifs: open and closing doors (for opportunities offered or missed); pet dogs (sometimes in unseemly human abuttment); and (in spite of her childhood contentment) down-home dramas - enough to make your hair stand on end (another motif frequently applied).<br />
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After her early surrealist efforts, where it seemed as if her censorious super-ego had the upper-hand, she later loosened up and found her inner id. It erupted in paintings of fleshy abandon, and in creepy sculptures fashioned from stout cloth on her Singer sewing-machine. The show-stopper is the claustrophobic diorama <i>Chambre 202, Hôtel de Pavot</i> of 1974. It re-creates a tawdry hotel room infested by slug-like humanoids oozing from, or back into, the furniture. As if to comment on the cheapskate flimsiness of the partitioning in such down-market establishments: glabrous and repellent squabs blunder through here and there (the wall-paper is rather more interesting now!), either blind or in libidinous embrace. There is an alarming disjunct between the homely Dorothea, as displayed on the Tate's signage, wholesome in her all-American skirt, blouse and pinny, and her rampaging imagination seeded by her adolescent addiction to the Gothick. <br />
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She survived Ernst by almost 40 years during which she formed another fruitful relationship - this time poetical - although Max's successor also pre-deceased her. She had a long and creative life as a writer, poet, stage-costume designer, as well as a prodigious artist. You may not warm to everything she produced during it, but she certainly merits this fine retrospective and the posthumous attention it brings her.<br />
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<b>Previous Tanning/Ernst posts</b><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2008/09/chess-in-art-xiii.html">Chess in Art XIII</a><b> </b><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2006/03/chess-in-art-postscript-significance-of.html">The Significance of Seeing Ernst</a><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2010/09/chess-in-art-postscript-happy-birthday.html">Happy Birthday</a><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2012/07/stop-press-historic-chess-picture-in.html">Historic Chess Picture in Town</a><br />
<a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2016/09/chess-in-art-miss-tannings-appendix.html">Miss Tanning's Appendix</a><br />
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<a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/03/chess-in-art-revisits-1-john-ruskin.html">Chess in Art Revisits 1. John Ruskin</a> ; <a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/03/chess-in-art-revisits-2-tom-hackney.html">2. Tom Hackney</a><br />
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<a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2016/02/lost-in-art.html" style="font-size: small;">Lost in Art</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2006/10/chess-in-art-index.html">Chess in Art</a></span><br />
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Martin Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616856982265044441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-22408118235106573342019-03-13T08:00:00.000+01:002019-03-13T08:00:04.510+01:00"Sometimes"<a href="https://twitter.com/RobGMacfarlane/status/1105362883762745344">Oh really</a>?<br />
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One wonders which instances of players "sometimes" yelling <i>Zugzwang</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Macfarlane_(writer)">Robert Macfarlane</a> has in mind.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[<a href="http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter35.html#5019._Nimzowitschs_lamentation">Vaguely relevant</a>]</span><br />ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-28495111030669645312019-03-08T08:00:00.000+01:002019-03-23T11:33:57.947+01:00Chess in Art Revisits 2. Tom HackneyFor the second of these <a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/03/chess-in-art-revisits-1-john-ruskin.html">Chess in Art Revisits</a>, we catch up with Tom Hackney, about whom we have blogged frequently during his Chess in Art career (<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2012/05/chess-in-art-postscript-its-thought.html">since 2012 in fact</a>; see full list appended below). Back in January Tom was exhibiting at the London Art Fair, where we had a chance for a chat.<br />
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He was showing a variation (which we will come to in a moment) on his theme of the painted chess games of Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968). Duchamp was, as you know, a profoundly influential conceptual artist, and a strong international chess player. His commitment to the game was such that it was said he gave up art for the game...which may not be completely true, but makes a good story.<br />
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Back in 2017 Tom had exhibitions in the States (pre-viewed <a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2017/09/hackney-hits-hundred.html">here</a>), including at the <a href="http://www.francisnaumann.com/index.html">Francis Neumann Gallery</a> (a Duchamp scholar and co-author of a <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2009/08/we-are-not-amused-iii.html">fascinating book Duchamp's life, art and chess</a>), and at the <a href="https://worldchesshof.org/">World Chess Hall of Fame</a> where Tom - as ever thoughtful, and articulate - was interviewed about his work by GM Ben Finegold.<br />
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In the background you can glimpse one of Tom's signature black and white pictures, where - as he explains in the interview - you see the last moves of the selected Duchamp game. In this approach he paints the tracks of the moves on an 8 x 8 grid, starting at the beginning of the game, laying down each in turn (black/white) after the preceding move (that's variation 1 - my numeration, not Tom's). Because the white paint is translucent, up close you can see the faint imprint of earlier moves. The game is presented in retrospect - the last moves are on top. There is raw canvas visible here and there, indicating that no piece passed that way; the accumulating layers also build up a differential relief, adding further intrigue.<br />
<br />
By contrast, variation 2, seen in the coloured-grid picture next to it, is in glorious technicolour. It uses hues derived from the Duchamp's own coloured-coded chess set: and here the <i>last</i> moves are painted in first, and the rest of the game painted 'backwards' with the end result that you see the game 'forwards' (as you would in reality). However, because here opaque paint is used only a little of the future of the game is apprehendable - just as in a real game, where you see the possibilities only through a glass darkly.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the video clip doesn't show what I'm calling variation 3 (though I'm not sure that this numbering follows the order of conception, or public exhibition). This is the one-colour picture, in which all moves are in the same hue.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkBkn358_Bj1iT6llimnqoNrUsAoYwE5CtpMZaaU4-OLob4KZbWoCozdrFSu9eFlBYqhftgtinK_RxdQ2i9ed7UAoh7wFvrpzNaLcqJWwb5VYY6-wzu1FB4Mgmy_XgtV4e1McAdgThXmc/s1600/No+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="400" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkBkn358_Bj1iT6llimnqoNrUsAoYwE5CtpMZaaU4-OLob4KZbWoCozdrFSu9eFlBYqhftgtinK_RxdQ2i9ed7UAoh7wFvrpzNaLcqJWwb5VYY6-wzu1FB4Mgmy_XgtV4e1McAdgThXmc/s320/No+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: "roboto" , "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Chess Painting No. 101. Lancel vs. Duchamp, Brussels, 1923</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: "roboto" , "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">48 x 48 cm | gesso on linen, oak frame | 2017</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Here, the only visual highlight might be a cheeky peep of bare canvas. This enigma variation - where just the hint of a game appears - has been evocatively likened by one commentator to the registration of the 'pure thought' of the players. Here, then, the trace of the moves is effaced, as if relegated to some parallel symbolic universe. This variation invites you to remember that the moves are the product of the intangible 'rolling thought' (Tom's phrase) of the players. This gives them meaning: they are nothing in themselves. Another way of looking at it is to see variation 3 as the pictorial representation of blindfold chess.<br />
<br />
In contrast to the mute minimalism above, there is the buzzy maximalism of variation 4. Here it is thought and comprehension that seem to be banished to the back of beyond: you are confronted by an apparent chaos of hieroglyphic marks.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hDnMs-gc3IvS2lQO9F1IumzYKe-ZPgszJHX4hE9qrbd6dtAVHSnE82qubuJx_vLnewMEGgzG-vT_LzUqtFUgAxZb5Gjj6nf-NxOTx8pmhUllMnAMJEF7dnHIPdJDH5fJjRZ4dUKIgobh/s1600/Chess+Painting_no_31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="398" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hDnMs-gc3IvS2lQO9F1IumzYKe-ZPgszJHX4hE9qrbd6dtAVHSnE82qubuJx_vLnewMEGgzG-vT_LzUqtFUgAxZb5Gjj6nf-NxOTx8pmhUllMnAMJEF7dnHIPdJDH5fJjRZ4dUKIgobh/s320/Chess+Painting_no_31.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Chess Painting No. 31 <br />Michel vs Duchamp ,Strasbourg, 1924</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When deciphered they reveal all the moves of a game shown graphically and simultaneously (though in their proper sequence): see <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2013/10/hackney-seen-in-clerkenwell.html">this earlier post</a> for an explanation.<br />
<br />
So what then is this other variation on the theme (variation 5)? We did touch on it <a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2017/09/hackney-hits-hundred.html">before</a> when Tom got to his 100th Duchampian chess painting: but let's visit it once more. Incidentally, in the course of Tom's project to re-present all of Duchamp's games, his research - collaborating now with a student based in Germany - has recovered some new game scores. Moreover, when in the States,Tom was able to examine Duchamp's own copy of the book he co-authored with Halberstadt in 1932: <i>Opposition and Sister Squares are Reconciled </i>(on King and pawn endings). It has Duchamp's autograph notes and comments in coloured ink, and Tom has adopted these colours for the 'notation drawings' below. They use dilute ink on vellum, with the white moves are this side - recto - and the black moves verso, producing these delicate veiled images (and like snowflakes, no two would be the same).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEUlqLgNWfpF4EAde80TOPuAhPuBgO31XhYAHgtk2nEjxP2UoktTMLKu0xz6G-Rp-iUnwK7C15veoal5JMTVxqiQDdHdW63bVrI36JGR1QKH6f6mEF08OtvBDUh-JrfTWSUJcckVawUkQ/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="527" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEUlqLgNWfpF4EAde80TOPuAhPuBgO31XhYAHgtk2nEjxP2UoktTMLKu0xz6G-Rp-iUnwK7C15veoal5JMTVxqiQDdHdW63bVrI36JGR1QKH6f6mEF08OtvBDUh-JrfTWSUJcckVawUkQ/s320/Untitled.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Notation
Drawing No. 6 </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Duchamp
vs. Lilienthal, Folkestone, 1933</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">34 x 34 cm | pigment ink on archival paper | 2017</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JvqqOYRrmcq6V9akyGlz-OhJzBIOyePqIrZfhKS2KnMTATVXTnR5F6bswgkYx_w_t9Ojq2reueROgQaEnEpoHbkjkY5btN2Od-zjChsBtz9fn52mo0F0Mi8D81S7H4r40GHdDC4I5YKx/s1600/Untitled+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="534" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JvqqOYRrmcq6V9akyGlz-OhJzBIOyePqIrZfhKS2KnMTATVXTnR5F6bswgkYx_w_t9Ojq2reueROgQaEnEpoHbkjkY5btN2Od-zjChsBtz9fn52mo0F0Mi8D81S7H4r40GHdDC4I5YKx/s400/Untitled+2.png" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Notation
Drawing No. 11 </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kleczynski
vs. Duchamp, Paris, 1924</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">39 x 39 cm | pigment ink on paper vellum | 2018Add caption</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
You are 'seeing the game' from White's point of view (not necessarily Duchamp's, nor that of the winner). This 'white at the front' is deliberate: to acknowledge the convention of white moving first (as Tom explained when I asked him about it). The effect of this method is to register how often a square is traversed by both sides. It provides a record of the footfall, of the traffic, in the game. As we might expect, the centre is the congestion zone.<br />
<br />
The back-to-back disposition of the two sets of moves alludes to the confrontation in a game of chess. Black's and White's moves are separate but interdependent, in conflict at one level, but co-operating in some higher sense. They each have a life of their own, but need each other to make a game of it.<br />
<br />
This is Tom's take: '<span style="font-family: inherit;">the vellum acts as a membrane which
enables the interlocking/overlaying characteristics to be made visible'; and so w</span>e could try yet one more chessic correlation: in these 'notation drawings' you see the black moves, verso, through the veil of the white moves (and the sheet of vellum) - just as (supposing you are white), when you mentally register the moves of a game you see those of your opponent through the prism of your own....<br />
<br />
I also asked Tom what was the motivation for the 45° twist suspecting that nothing in Tom's work would be accidental, nor - in his very rational artistic domain - done just for the look of it. Here is his explanation:<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
'Regarding
the diamond, I’m interested in how rotating the square 45’ changes the dynamic. A regular square is very stable and static to look at, whereas
the diamond format has a more delicate balance. The effect of this on the
drawings is (I hope) that it animates them, emphasising the movement contained
within, and where there’s movement there is also time. The drawings are
concerned with the mechanism contained within the game, something like the
mechanism of a clock.' </blockquote>
It's an answer that appears to teeter dangerously close to the 'retinal' ('static to look at...delicate balance'), before stepping back from the brink on to the home turf of conceptualism ('movement contained within...something like the mechanism of a clock'). It is not so much about layers, but of interlocking parts that work together to provide a concrete indicator of an abstract notion: as in clock and time, and - by analogy - chess moves and chess ideas... But better not try and push the analogy too far: the wheels may fall off.<br />
<br />
As in any analysis of variations, some selectivity is involved, and I have omitted many of the cross-overs and meldings that you can see in the examples displayed on <a href="https://tomhackney.com/news">Tom Hackney's excellent website.</a><br />
Back to that interview with Ben Finegold: Tom mentions that he played chess as a junior, but stopped playing when having to use a chess clock took the fun out of it. He said to me that he is currently finding again an interest in playing the game. Maybe he might be tempted to join a club, and living in that eponymous borough in North East London you can guess <a href="http://hackneychess.org.uk/">which one</a> would be most convenient.... <br />
<br />
<b>Previous Tom Hackney posts:</b><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/chess-in-art-postscript-its-thought.html">It's The Thought That Counts</a><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/he-might-not-have-been-amused-ix.html">He Might Not Have been Amused IX</a><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/hackney-in-clerkenwell.html">Hackney in Clerkenwell</a><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/hackney-seen-in-clerkenwell.html">Hackney Seen in Clerkenwell </a><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/hackney-seen-again-in-clerkenwell.html">Hackney Seen Again in Clerkenwell</a><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/nette-and-tom-and-diana-makes-three.html">Nette and Tom (and Diana Makes Three)</a><br />
<a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/chess-art-in-our-time.html">Chess Art in Our Time</a><br />
<a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/hackney-seen-in-new-york.html">Hackney Seen in New York</a><br />
<a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2016/06/hackney-seen-in-stlouis-etc.html"><span id="goog_1424644659"></span>Hackney Seen in St. Louis etc</a><span id="goog_1424644660"></span><br />
<a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2017/09/hackney-hits-hundred.html">Hackney Hits a Hundred</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/03/chess-in-art-revisits-1-john-ruskin.html">Chess in Art Revisits 1. John Ruskin</a>; <a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/03/chess-in-art-revisits-3-dorothea-tanning.html">3. Dorothea Tanning</a><br />
<a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2016/02/lost-in-art.html" style="font-size: small;">Lost in Art</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2006/10/chess-in-art-index.html">Chess in Art</a> </span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />Martin Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616856982265044441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-5588236630222862822019-03-05T08:00:00.001+01:002019-03-05T11:46:22.163+01:00Follow byI was saying just <a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/03/examining-examiner.html">yesterday</a> that carelessness is a Ray characteristic. There's a million examples to choose from, but here's a nice one from his Spectator <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/2019/02/rock-solid-3/">column</a> from the last issue but one, in which Ray annotates the <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1944332">game</a> Artemiev v Nakamura from Gibraltar.<br />
<br />
Better put, in which the game Artemiev v Nakamura from Gibraltar is annotated.<br />
<br />
Not that Ray is pretending it's all his own work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzroEfG_D023aPvx0KXwnIKabemjrTnmvmDanZSbsxqqFih_uxl1MJM6vSOOr9sNDtP-yGwyCSIvcbCXZVy0DanMpSQoetq3DBseg1waIv1Gr_O_nI7sr6SnshNiDMkjgIGdscKKG5NAd/s1600/Artemiev+Nakamura+Ray+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="543" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzroEfG_D023aPvx0KXwnIKabemjrTnmvmDanZSbsxqqFih_uxl1MJM6vSOOr9sNDtP-yGwyCSIvcbCXZVy0DanMpSQoetq3DBseg1waIv1Gr_O_nI7sr6SnshNiDMkjgIGdscKKG5NAd/s400/Artemiev+Nakamura+Ray+1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Based on? <a href="https://www.gibchess.com/round-7-2019">They surely are</a>.
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEEOcrV0K5DagxtITzUzATkW0LbFy_n6DlGauXtHLw8CxSEiEgvvOZNhFfJMSTZEw4Ujh0sW-udbRIB8b_icyHBD5uZa7yQu396WpFu7_Ph6fy0MugLj6e0IAHfQ_ba1h1NYCaEWuGNkE/s1600/Artemiev+Nakamura+Saunders.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="1057" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEEOcrV0K5DagxtITzUzATkW0LbFy_n6DlGauXtHLw8CxSEiEgvvOZNhFfJMSTZEw4Ujh0sW-udbRIB8b_icyHBD5uZa7yQu396WpFu7_Ph6fy0MugLj6e0IAHfQ_ba1h1NYCaEWuGNkE/s640/Artemiev+Nakamura+Saunders.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gibraltar bulletin</span></div>
<br />
After a couple of early notes of Ray's own making, most of what follows from move 21 onwards is straightforward copying out.
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0db9dHH5Jm9YlTE4KqO07IKKY2iUhK-OQ9ceZO7OdjpGpX-NCL-1YUn2yjPq6ePB6c8kXmT6GVobqwrt5FnfLTklPa5pJ_vjhmRGpnr_EFj1rWeVM8FoHRxLFxTLRkQj4OWGmpuz9_TL/s1600/Artemiev+Nakamura+Ray+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="543" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0db9dHH5Jm9YlTE4KqO07IKKY2iUhK-OQ9ceZO7OdjpGpX-NCL-1YUn2yjPq6ePB6c8kXmT6GVobqwrt5FnfLTklPa5pJ_vjhmRGpnr_EFj1rWeVM8FoHRxLFxTLRkQj4OWGmpuz9_TL/s400/Artemiev+Nakamura+Ray+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVsUN6nF2I02FaxInCcatuPb3WRdDNUSuT3tQuouDHyjaoG1-GytnV0L9lCFfmzsQKCQRhX2AsZrnR8_jKYkEzCoiRIS5JuzdSM1A-D2gliXBG5zWkDBV_n3hdD7AlPw9ps9jki4qcdoe/s1600/Artemiev+Nakamura+Ray+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="537" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVsUN6nF2I02FaxInCcatuPb3WRdDNUSuT3tQuouDHyjaoG1-GytnV0L9lCFfmzsQKCQRhX2AsZrnR8_jKYkEzCoiRIS5JuzdSM1A-D2gliXBG5zWkDBV_n3hdD7AlPw9ps9jki4qcdoe/s400/Artemiev+Nakamura+Ray+3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ray in the Spectator</span></div>
<br />
Well, that's what Ray does, it's what he's been doing for forty years. I particularly like this example, though, because, the Gibraltar bulletin being prepared for publication quite quickly, it contains, understandably enough, a couple of obvious errors. (Happens here all the time.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKHt6aZ0GcKoydIFMtx77-u9QIVS2g_6uoEt-d-gqoJTVT_fWS7q8MFYtqXITcF4nRNUY3D4Geyi4w4W4G51sDiSiD5279ZGIcE9wKLio1p69iVPmPluIlrbeoxWOW79pXxTC255zzlX-/s1600/Artemiev+Nakamura+follow+Saunders.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="27" data-original-width="994" height="17" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKHt6aZ0GcKoydIFMtx77-u9QIVS2g_6uoEt-d-gqoJTVT_fWS7q8MFYtqXITcF4nRNUY3D4Geyi4w4W4G51sDiSiD5279ZGIcE9wKLio1p69iVPmPluIlrbeoxWOW79pXxTC255zzlX-/s640/Artemiev+Nakamura+follow+Saunders.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1y8PtmIcgeSJmswDYVzWNRX9kRETcVUMxeB3A5_xufy3R6yOPabxh6i-L-yftRVRPUvQ89_ykEQgxg2-sBjlI3tignCJS1lTUSKk9CTiVUTkwI3m8l-Wzn-prue9KAIRsWbnVU-9EfUt/s1600/Artemiev+Nakamura+exploit+Saunders.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="28" data-original-width="1010" height="16" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1y8PtmIcgeSJmswDYVzWNRX9kRETcVUMxeB3A5_xufy3R6yOPabxh6i-L-yftRVRPUvQ89_ykEQgxg2-sBjlI3tignCJS1lTUSKk9CTiVUTkwI3m8l-Wzn-prue9KAIRsWbnVU-9EfUt/s640/Artemiev+Nakamura+exploit+Saunders.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But - and I do love this - although Ray is happy to change a word here and there just to make it look like he's doing some original work,<i> he's left the errors entirely intact.</i><br />
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ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-73789313867026264232019-03-04T08:00:00.000+01:002019-03-04T08:01:50.578+01:00Examining the examinerComing back to Ray's <a href="http://www.kingpinchess.net/2019/01/brain-scam/">fake charity</a>, the Brain Trust, and its <a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/02/brain-drain.html">accounts</a>, I mentioned <a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2018/09/brain-you-cant-trust.html">before</a> that up to year ending 31 March 2016 the accounts were examined by the accountancy firm <a href="https://www.blickrothenberg.com/">Blick Rothenburg</a>, but not subsequently.<br />
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This might help explain a couple of things, one of which<sup>1</sup> might be the deterioration in quality of the 2017 accounts in particular, perhaps best illustrated by the fantastic upside-down, back-to-front page that appears there, giving the impression that whoever submitted them didn't really know what they were doing. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeHAZ_-335hcTafYqCXAXAh79F4osDhI3MVtJOoUanKbfOuRE6_OF5GalS4tjQ3Mph_AoyMp2EqjsuqV813tsmJmmzXd8yisKegdBQea-N2I3OUALETjN0y2sosh2Vdd2a6f6ia6a1iLF/s1600/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+upside+down.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="471" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeHAZ_-335hcTafYqCXAXAh79F4osDhI3MVtJOoUanKbfOuRE6_OF5GalS4tjQ3Mph_AoyMp2EqjsuqV813tsmJmmzXd8yisKegdBQea-N2I3OUALETjN0y2sosh2Vdd2a6f6ia6a1iLF/s400/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+upside+down.png" width="331" /></a></div>
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Other examples, of various kinds, include the section numbers skipping from 14 to 16, missing out 15
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEV1FiemfFP7oAwLio2w5zvi0gdIdnp3EcnP2PsLLoGQJGoYr9OcGfEbZcrMdfZNTC8eVV5ax1MUgTO_m1L-V-PqXugrO8wwlnDRl2xbrEnQkwfW9v-1-yfYyPVlEXhBN-bX5fasnNVBa0/s1600/Brain+Trust+accounts+Match+2017+no+section+15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="640" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEV1FiemfFP7oAwLio2w5zvi0gdIdnp3EcnP2PsLLoGQJGoYr9OcGfEbZcrMdfZNTC8eVV5ax1MUgTO_m1L-V-PqXugrO8wwlnDRl2xbrEnQkwfW9v-1-yfYyPVlEXhBN-bX5fasnNVBa0/s400/Brain+Trust+accounts+Match+2017+no+section+15.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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the retention of an <i>x</i> where there ought to be a specific figure
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRwW4c_5oxz2gFOsKhSCbAwjL2NxY58qdJ0Mp4l4i5ORH-ytiLSLiPXDTFBhWgWxqT4b3BMOx47YoYjzGvO5v-flVbj9TszLp0aL700T7JKVFyRQTGK0ncd4vI9G9g7njEkSJMitzPUGC/s1600/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+x+marks+the+spot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="57" data-original-width="858" height="27" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRwW4c_5oxz2gFOsKhSCbAwjL2NxY58qdJ0Mp4l4i5ORH-ytiLSLiPXDTFBhWgWxqT4b3BMOx47YoYjzGvO5v-flVbj9TszLp0aL700T7JKVFyRQTGK0ncd4vI9G9g7njEkSJMitzPUGC/s400/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+x+marks+the+spot.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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and a failure of arithmetic (it's £90,333).
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRumTN7Kpm59naMQLC0WWppjd1-AnxZOg8S78j3r4OwRi9Vt2l9zEJDqKL5nn1ICMuFeYvDVd_W1pk82SqiozVw9-e6HPSOkOwIjpZI_imVPAeeUBCrR_wi-e1ZOOgMW4wkpfSujtuXjh/s1600/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+Analysis+of+grants.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="464" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRumTN7Kpm59naMQLC0WWppjd1-AnxZOg8S78j3r4OwRi9Vt2l9zEJDqKL5nn1ICMuFeYvDVd_W1pk82SqiozVw9-e6HPSOkOwIjpZI_imVPAeeUBCrR_wi-e1ZOOgMW4wkpfSujtuXjh/s400/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+Analysis+of+grants.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfTsV0Plp8RRxwH-G7da21P-ydmAT3BitbHQx7Sqil-98pCFJPR8wOK20AgLOsVUo97ttlj6TzQ_qGDCBvBNkxXs9-EM65fHjjhrtG64L69NPOcSH6twWFQE1vYKmZf1e3lt410-PU7ZT/s1600/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+Analysis+of+resources.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="785" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfTsV0Plp8RRxwH-G7da21P-ydmAT3BitbHQx7Sqil-98pCFJPR8wOK20AgLOsVUo97ttlj6TzQ_qGDCBvBNkxXs9-EM65fHjjhrtG64L69NPOcSH6twWFQE1vYKmZf1e3lt410-PU7ZT/s400/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+Analysis+of+resources.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Or from the latest accounts, year ending 31 March 2018, there's an inability to get the name right of one of the grant-receiving entities<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZcOwdKljG9MIr1sMPkcp8Rjo7sPoOXS5cRWRZW15c2bupuv2ZSmh44ZZb6109B6oeZuqFqqy7d34vgO0Ksum9dyYWDhB46SapM9dFqqOwqWJ2VDy6tDhhzLTVm16kYonyanpVzz-SNUz/s1600/Brain+Trust+Accounts+to+31+March+2018+Grants+UK+Memory.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="1033" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZcOwdKljG9MIr1sMPkcp8Rjo7sPoOXS5cRWRZW15c2bupuv2ZSmh44ZZb6109B6oeZuqFqqy7d34vgO0Ksum9dyYWDhB46SapM9dFqqOwqWJ2VDy6tDhhzLTVm16kYonyanpVzz-SNUz/s400/Brain+Trust+Accounts+to+31+March+2018+Grants+UK+Memory.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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and getting the wrong date for Eric Schiller's death (it was 3 November). Really you'd think they'd get <i>that</i> right.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9f_sY1saI15kR5L-VtdNYD1_4DDGAHop2WT5OdgFEefzDQFxnAjBITanV-P97BdaoAEB-5s2X_n1yy5mE42dCTyHtfmT81WFqsuZ6esyQam_0LhnNAZEuOZ8MRy-b_lL32kUKzYxYGPY/s1600/Brain+Trust+Accounts+to+31+March+2018+Eric+Schiller.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="515" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9f_sY1saI15kR5L-VtdNYD1_4DDGAHop2WT5OdgFEefzDQFxnAjBITanV-P97BdaoAEB-5s2X_n1yy5mE42dCTyHtfmT81WFqsuZ6esyQam_0LhnNAZEuOZ8MRy-b_lL32kUKzYxYGPY/s400/Brain+Trust+Accounts+to+31+March+2018+Eric+Schiller.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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But this kind of carelessness is of course a Ray characteristic. It might also be the sort of thing a professional would put right before approving and submitting the accounts. So why deprive yourself of their useful services? One possible reason might be the difference in remuneration due to the Independent Examiner, which hopped up to four grand in Blick Rothenburg's last year
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmsn_GBVVWyFaFU7p_9K-fsqImzswOztuFlkBkXqhVHfIsHLS70qUS1wmSV56rnzKBQwWzMVMaB1R0OKZ-kWWAT-rKoQjqqsMdFEcJi5FB-ZihNDCtUuOUK8wQngbnSaxZdlbtEGsrUag/s1600/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2016+Independent+examiner%2527s+remuneration.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="837" height="57" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmsn_GBVVWyFaFU7p_9K-fsqImzswOztuFlkBkXqhVHfIsHLS70qUS1wmSV56rnzKBQwWzMVMaB1R0OKZ-kWWAT-rKoQjqqsMdFEcJi5FB-ZihNDCtUuOUK8wQngbnSaxZdlbtEGsrUag/s400/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2016+Independent+examiner%2527s+remuneration.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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and then hopped down.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfPHktb-d_z36WQW8j0Aa_cIniXwD7LdXKSUMYSWa_VMLKvB2toCHQJ24jLQiXIO-Bxza8fwhQKBAU7vDbhlAbi9p6RbEo6tH1WryLolYNCfWZ9AXmxo5ty1H41BGWNhtKkxiKH1l7ypk/s1600/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+Independent+examiner%2527s+remuneration.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="824" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfPHktb-d_z36WQW8j0Aa_cIniXwD7LdXKSUMYSWa_VMLKvB2toCHQJ24jLQiXIO-Bxza8fwhQKBAU7vDbhlAbi9p6RbEo6tH1WryLolYNCfWZ9AXmxo5ty1H41BGWNhtKkxiKH1l7ypk/s400/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+Independent+examiner%2527s+remuneration.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZOPCnI2dfZaxTwee8-L8tmEvPYTd52ed_1PiMepErONyVA7pDMkwT5-UDYuGV43wAC3mGLTHNAy7rgpAqRExtE6PEGKDvRh8L-z40OJe5He12LcjE5j8qjuA9cKVm8orRGOAhvZePGc5/s1600/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2018+Independent+examiner%2527s+remuneration.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="90" data-original-width="810" height="44" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZOPCnI2dfZaxTwee8-L8tmEvPYTd52ed_1PiMepErONyVA7pDMkwT5-UDYuGV43wAC3mGLTHNAy7rgpAqRExtE6PEGKDvRh8L-z40OJe5He12LcjE5j8qjuA9cKVm8orRGOAhvZePGc5/s400/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2018+Independent+examiner%2527s+remuneration.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another possible reason might be that the new Independent Examiner, David Massey, doesn't just come cheap, but doesn't appear either to be independent, or to do any examination. Why would you care that all the major grants go to Ray's old friends and business partners, when you're one of them?
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So who's David Massey? As I wrote <a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2018/09/brain-you-cant-trust.html">last September</a>, he seems to be<br />
<blockquote>
<i>the same David Massey who was CEO of Brain Games Network all those years ago</i></blockquote>
and who gets a couple of mentions apiece in two of David Levy's <a href="http://satyricon20.tripod.com/sat33-Levy-Is-Fraud-a-Braingame.htm">pieces</a> on the <a href="http://www.anusha.com/rtg.htm">subject</a>.<br />
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This was, shall we say, a controversial period. In <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Book-World-Chess-Championships/dp/9056916351">The Big Book of World Chess Championships</a> (New In Chess, 2016) Andre Schulz summarises thus:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_89GQkTFEsq8IqOUGeVLbMTj7u52kcPGCbAgYlazHY97GhvbZgaa3BzMRw7b20EEsL8Pt62fLNjSBhk34PovWkdWTL2NO6Y_9cjV5Jb1sBwFU00BeeFRKnM1swoZxzhxTCgL9bAVarvP8/s1600/Schulz+Morris+Massey.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="591" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_89GQkTFEsq8IqOUGeVLbMTj7u52kcPGCbAgYlazHY97GhvbZgaa3BzMRw7b20EEsL8Pt62fLNjSBhk34PovWkdWTL2NO6Y_9cjV5Jb1sBwFU00BeeFRKnM1swoZxzhxTCgL9bAVarvP8/s400/Schulz+Morris+Massey.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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So what's Mr Massey doing now, apart from picking up a grand from the Brain Trust every year in return for not very much? He's the sole director of a company called <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/11788052">Bordelais Investments Ltd</a> which was incorporated five weeks or so ago and has as its registered office address 1 Charterhouse Mews, London, Greater London, United Kingdom, EC1M 6BB<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAxDaaXhFHl1axAl64XgkIuyE3dn_GXmqMzYDqLTLoJUZIBG6vRGWA_X73a_bkKUqsxCyvFScBGEV5Pr2aPsR4oEh2NJp8gvirxeVO94jRTU5B0yWFlclj7TbLrH9kVC58emS9eXfwprl/s1600/Borderlais+Companies+House+overview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="909" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAxDaaXhFHl1axAl64XgkIuyE3dn_GXmqMzYDqLTLoJUZIBG6vRGWA_X73a_bkKUqsxCyvFScBGEV5Pr2aPsR4oEh2NJp8gvirxeVO94jRTU5B0yWFlclj7TbLrH9kVC58emS9eXfwprl/s400/Borderlais+Companies+House+overview.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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which is something of a coincidence, as somebody else moved their registered office address to somewhere very similar the day before.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQHY3A7xq_QVZR9gh4WQQYIB19FCs3x26B3t6zKh5XIMg3WFn9o9H-7lRlSARBtOl1BbGupkV0wFDxIT_NLBgI5qY1l9JYYFAsfqrNeGFv6JpFU9v5mW39kVpadIf-m9q-s6-2ithrYcQ/s1600/Brain+Trust+Companies+House+address+change.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="909" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQHY3A7xq_QVZR9gh4WQQYIB19FCs3x26B3t6zKh5XIMg3WFn9o9H-7lRlSARBtOl1BbGupkV0wFDxIT_NLBgI5qY1l9JYYFAsfqrNeGFv6JpFU9v5mW39kVpadIf-m9q-s6-2ithrYcQ/s400/Brain+Trust+Companies+House+address+change.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Massey's directorial <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/11788052/officers">record</a> also shows this oddity: he was a director of a company called <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04355887">Intellectual Leisure Limited</a> for twelve days in January 2002.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwDhXFGyAfJ3cuAskHcjb4liSPSxyJu1EO6_q2OUin6Yc-6OipMSKGFeNWKK6TePXWC8P4NxyJcKdH0QWQBFOFiVimLj921LT3UTNR69x7bocqRsC1FiJnnV0CmdGzvuwUZMUZCcr_Eku/s1600/David+Massey+Companies+House+Intellectual+Leisure.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="943" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwDhXFGyAfJ3cuAskHcjb4liSPSxyJu1EO6_q2OUin6Yc-6OipMSKGFeNWKK6TePXWC8P4NxyJcKdH0QWQBFOFiVimLj921LT3UTNR69x7bocqRsC1FiJnnV0CmdGzvuwUZMUZCcr_Eku/s400/David+Massey+Companies+House+Intellectual+Leisure.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I wonder if you can guess who else was a director of a company called Intellectual Leisure Limited for the same twelve days in 2002?
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Course you can.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZNlcmeb9XEnz-8p6xlKdGXwd5sPTd5he2qIvzGwTp1ePK9Dj2Tf2kxrDCwFpjGga75L5c-pEkQpU3G3Uuj4itEC-UgqpJc-VSIvQlqwBe4g_3NfRaSfENGHJ7FKyRC7aCKZA-CNv4A1u/s1600/Ray+Companies+House+Intellectual+Leisure.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="959" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZNlcmeb9XEnz-8p6xlKdGXwd5sPTd5he2qIvzGwTp1ePK9Dj2Tf2kxrDCwFpjGga75L5c-pEkQpU3G3Uuj4itEC-UgqpJc-VSIvQlqwBe4g_3NfRaSfENGHJ7FKyRC7aCKZA-CNv4A1u/s400/Ray+Companies+House+Intellectual+Leisure.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Naturally one wonders whether those twelve days were related to the transfer of marketing rights referred to by Schulz here.
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At any rate, the point, for our purposes is that the Independent Examiner<sup>2</sup> of a charity's accounts is probably not, ideally, somebody who has a business history with the leading trustee of that charity, nor somebody whose registered office address and that charity's registered office address are the same. <br />
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Unless you <i>didn't</i> want any independent examination done. Then it's exactly who you'd want, isn't it?<br />
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<sup>1</sup> Another is the sudden increase in the figure below which donations are not identified, from one thousand to five thousand pounds.
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<sup>2</sup> Accounting for charities is governed by the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) <a href="http://www.charitysorp.org/media/619101/frs102_complete.pdf">FRS 102</a>, where FRS stands for Financial Reporting Standard. Guidance for Trustees is at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charity-reporting-and-accounting-the-essentials-november-2016-cc15d/charity-reporting-and-accounting-the-essentials-november-2016-cc15d--2">CC15d</a> <i>Charity reporting and accounting: the essentials</i>. Guidance for independent examiners is covered by <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/672779/CC32_-_Independent_examination_of_charity_accounts.pdf">CC32</a> <i>Independent examination of charity accounts: Directions and guidance for examiners</i> reinforced by the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/663847/Matters_of_Material_Significance_reportable_to_the_UK_version_for_publication_by_OSCR__CCEW__004_.pdf">document</a> <i>Matters of Material Significance reportable to UK charity regulators</i>.
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<br />
There's an awful lot of wordage in these documents and if you try to work through them you'll inevitably get lost (though don't let me stop you!) but if it helps, it is perhaps worth drawing the reader's attention to the <a href="ttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/charity-commission-launches-updated-guidance-for-independent-examiners">press release</a> that accompanied the issue of the latest version of CC32, and this part in particular
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and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/reporting-matters-of-material-significance-guidance-for-auditors-and-examiners">the one</a> accompanying the issue of Matters of Material Significance<br />
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and also this from Matters of Material Significance.<br />
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It will be obvious not only that none of this has happened, but that it not happening has been the whole idea.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-68565358127160336912019-03-01T08:00:00.000+01:002019-03-23T11:35:28.331+01:00Chess in Art Revisits 1. John RuskinChess in Art has been a bit thin on the ground recently. However, a few things of interest have popped up that encourage several visits to our back-catalogue (<a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2016/02/lost-in-art.html">here </a>and <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2006/10/chess-in-art-index.html">here</a>) - which we'll do over the next few weeks.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
First up, viewed more in hope than expectation, was <a href="https://twotempleplace.org/exhibitions/">John Ruskin at Two Temple Place</a> (it's down by the Embankment; on until 22 April). The venue is a late-Victorian neo-Gothic no-expense-spared extravaganza built in the 1890s for William Waldorf Astor, supposedly then the 'richest man in the world'.<br />
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<img alt="Two Temple Place exterior" src="https://twotempleplace.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Two-Temple-Place-Exterior-643x409-c-center.jpg" /><br />
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It was the hub of his business empire, but is now the home of an entrepreneurial networking trust, which once a year puts on a scholarly exhibition (with treasures brought in from the provinces) on some aspect of British 19th/20th century art. The shows are always worth a visit - also for the opportunity to gawp again at the building (much more spectacular inside than out).<br />
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This year, on the <a href="http://www.ruskin200.com/">200th anniversary of his birth</a>, the focus is on the Professor (1819 - 1900), and the exhibition offers a chance to admire the intensity of his visual and intellectual interrogation of things natural and architectural. In his time he was an intellectual superstar, and could also paint a mean (and meticulous) picture - many are on show - including this hyper-realist study used to promote the exhibition. Its baroque curlicues seem to congeal into fuzzy abstraction.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7-PGS6T1lHSHRENlGc_9h5cmSQ2w9eB5MG8R51DiUmaREOX9KSIH7YuPhdrTRm2gfAEYEv3MS4w2qdy9B9EGfiJ2E03noEZhw1HL-aBtazgvDy16lxxsjYh9SvC5i0F0i0UXbsZQJqKC/s1600/Study+of+moss+etc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7-PGS6T1lHSHRENlGc_9h5cmSQ2w9eB5MG8R51DiUmaREOX9KSIH7YuPhdrTRm2gfAEYEv3MS4w2qdy9B9EGfiJ2E03noEZhw1HL-aBtazgvDy16lxxsjYh9SvC5i0F0i0UXbsZQJqKC/s640/Study+of+moss+etc.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Study of Moss, Fern and Wood Sorrel, upon a Rocky River Bank (1875-79).<br />Collection of Guild of St George/Museums Sheffield.</b></td></tr>
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And the same could be said for his prose. Ruskin wrote prodigiously, with daunting and serpentine prolixity (I've tried him several times, and given up). His acclaimed anti-capitalist critique <i>Unto This Last</i> (1860) is also, and rather counter-productively, heavy-going. However, in a practical and more accessible vein he founded, in 1875, a museum atop a hill on the edge of Sheffield aiming to expand the cultural horizons of the steel-workers - whilst clearing their lungs. <br />
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A <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2012/08/streatham-strolls-2.html">blog-past</a> stumbled on John Ruskin, and his chess. He was peripherally of this parish, but never, it seems, a member of any local (or city) chess club - though he reported a visit, in 1874, to the Crystal Palace, by coach, to play Charles Cooper's 'Automaton'. John Brown, of our local <a href="http://www.streathamsociety.org.uk/">Streatham Society</a>, recently acquired a couple of period photos of it, which he has kindly shared with us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mr Hooper's Automaton (aka Ajeeb) at the Crystal Palace in the 1871.</b><br />
<b>Charles Hooper (under the fez), autographed the photos on the reverse. </b><br />
<b>Pictures courtesy of John Brown and the Streatham Society. </b></td></tr>
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Ruskin's <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/users/ruskinlib/eSoV/notes/h1ruskinsenthusiasmforchess.html">correspondence</a> says that he played three games against it: no doubt the Prof would have said so had he been victorious. From his Herne Hill redoubt Ruskin wrote to Henry Bird (the English chess master) with such frequency that Bird was moved to complain. It is said that Ruskin's preference was for the 'grand-style' of play à la Morphy and Bird himself - i.e. what he took to be the application of 'genius and imagination'; and that the Professor disdained prolonged 'calculating and analysing'. He was a Vice-President of the British Chess Association and, with unabashed immodesty, offered his compendious tomes as tournament prizes.<br />
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Not that you get any of his chess in the exhibition, nor (should you be interested) anything of his marriage. Mrs Ruskin (better known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effie_Gray_(film)">Effie Gray</a>) succeeded in getting it annulled in 1854 on the grounds that after six years her husband had not discharged his obligations, something John Everett Millais wasted no time putting right. A year later, and decently joined in matrimony, he and Effie had the first of their eight children.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Millais_Ruskin.jpg/220px-Millais_Ruskin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="343" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Millais' portrait of Ruskin (1853-4).<br />It was while painting this commission that Millais and Effie Gray </b><br />
<b>(holed-up in Scotland with JR) got entangled. </b> </td></tr>
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As this is his bi-centenary, we can expect more of the polymathic Ruskin over the year. I hope someone, somewhere, remembers his chess.<br />
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Another revisit coming soon.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">See also <a href="http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/ruskin.html">John Ruskin and Chess</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/03/chess-in-art-revisits-2-tom-hackney.html">Revisit 2 Tom Hackney</a>; <a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2019/03/chess-in-art-revisits-3-dorothea-tanning.html">3 Dorothea Tanning</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://lostontime.blogspot.com/2016/02/lost-in-art.html" style="font-size: small;">Lost in Art</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2006/10/chess-in-art-index.html">Chess in Art</a> </span> </div>
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<br />Martin Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616856982265044441noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-91352834860622856622019-02-26T08:00:00.000+01:002019-02-27T08:21:16.238+01:00Brain DrainNow here's a thing - the latest <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/02383683/filing-history">accounts</a> for the Brain Trust, Ray Keene's <a href="http://www.kingpinchess.net/2019/01/brain-scam/">fake charity</a>, are out. They're late, but they're out.<br />
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What do they tell us? Not much we didn't know already, so if you were expecting all the large donations to have gone to Ray, Tony Buzan and their mates, there is nothing here to disappoint you.<br />
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If you look at the notes carefully, you'll be doing more than anybody was when they wrote them, or for that matter when they signed them off, since <i>UK Schools Memory Initiative</i> seems to have become <i>UK Memory Sports Council</i> between the list of grants and the notes to that list. Nevertheless, they were "approved by the Board of Trustees on 20 December 2018" and signed off by Ray, as well as the charity's Independent Examiner, Ray's old business partner David Massey.<br />
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I'm not actually sure that anything called the UK Schools Memory Initiative<i> </i>exists at all but no matter, the accounts themselves cite Ray and Tony as having an involvement in these two entities, organisations, bank accounts, whatever they may actually be. They don't suggest the same for the Chinese Memory Championship, perhaps surprisingly as the <a href="http://www.world-memory-statistics.com/home.php">World Memory Statistics webpage</a>, not updated for a while, trumpets the then-upcoming World Memory Championships, to be held in China, in December 2017<br />
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where they duly <a href="http://www.worldmemorychampionships.com/report-26th-wmc-china-finals/">took place</a>, with Ray and Tony visible in many of the <a href="http://www.worldmemorychampionships.com/photos-2017-wmc/">photos</a>.<br />
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The other major payment is to Professor Michael Crawford, Ray's old friend and Dean of the similarly specious <a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2018/09/guilt-by-association.html">Gifted Academy</a>. As there is a dash next to Professor Crawford's name you might wonder where his handout is, unless you've read the relevant footnote from my Kingpin piece, which I hope is sufficiently explanatory.<br />
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Still, only six grand is a bit of a comedown after last year's jackpot of more than four times that figure. Never mind, there are other members of the circle to be catered for, like for instance APS Keene, who is Ray's son, Alex<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqduyVpd7XtFlPEYPmVVw70DG0TseM9Ibxit_2en4PNZS4OnH7AHUcaEIntEmEqkVU3rd_vsujOXEjqq1GadmFIYQJXZBcaCbnMJce9JVcBpyOjAkF4tM_AtbVeVzJZgCrtqjcEm_Jr_YW/s1600/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+Net+Income.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="79" data-original-width="658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqduyVpd7XtFlPEYPmVVw70DG0TseM9Ibxit_2en4PNZS4OnH7AHUcaEIntEmEqkVU3rd_vsujOXEjqq1GadmFIYQJXZBcaCbnMJce9JVcBpyOjAkF4tM_AtbVeVzJZgCrtqjcEm_Jr_YW/s1600/Brain+Trust+accounts+to+31+March+2017+Net+Income.png" /></a></div>
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which is curious because the Brain Trust <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170623214847/http://www.braintrust.org.uk/about-us/">website</a> (down as I write, so I am accessing it through the Wayback Machine) assures us<br />
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but hey, maybe just because you're a Trustee and a Director doesn't actually mean you're a member.<br />
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Other curiosities in the accounts include a chunky thirty-eight thousand for office costs<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqqWJaNQI9SdMB8bPtKtuykm2GTRrY334zSE6YNyOJ2sVG2FXQwaOyqrXnLdnwO8K-P5prVY9Bqgzr9qNd11ozOM-HVFU5SMv-v81Oaxb7qDaGTGa1eOFW2nxHqX_Gvy-PLZdhyELEEWT/s1600/Brain+Trust+Accounts+to+31+March+2018+Support+Costs+office+costs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="28" data-original-width="569" height="30" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqqWJaNQI9SdMB8bPtKtuykm2GTRrY334zSE6YNyOJ2sVG2FXQwaOyqrXnLdnwO8K-P5prVY9Bqgzr9qNd11ozOM-HVFU5SMv-v81Oaxb7qDaGTGa1eOFW2nxHqX_Gvy-PLZdhyELEEWT/s640/Brain+Trust+Accounts+to+31+March+2018+Support+Costs+office+costs.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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which does rather raise the question of where this office is, given that the Brain Trust claims to be located at Ray's house on Clapham Common.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZpd5WN0rszwmgpVGHLlti_W68Yh4Xlu1vu7_Yl5LCJ6RawattVY79VhfcTIOinydvN-MJLTvieBM8krulQokTCkTsvy37kGWCdog00zmBl8YCl2IBi0_7mSsgFnRx7MEq1vyPRjI49YH/s1600/Brain+Trust+address.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="53" data-original-width="743" height="44" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZpd5WN0rszwmgpVGHLlti_W68Yh4Xlu1vu7_Yl5LCJ6RawattVY79VhfcTIOinydvN-MJLTvieBM8krulQokTCkTsvy37kGWCdog00zmBl8YCl2IBi0_7mSsgFnRx7MEq1vyPRjI49YH/s640/Brain+Trust+address.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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All questions that could no doubt be answered, if anybody at the Brain Trust ever answered any questions. But pending that particular day of the Greek Kalends, it may seem to you, as it seems to me, that the conduct on view here is the sort of thing that Trustees are there to stop. But <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quis_custodiet_ipsos_custodes%3F">who</a> will stop the Trustees?ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-59402932211518885342019-02-18T08:00:00.001+01:002019-02-18T08:17:06.250+01:00Missing millions<a href="https://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?p=227566#p227566">Good spot Rog</a>.<br />
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The Chessbase <a href="https://en.chessbase.com/post/the-olympic-dream">article</a> on the FIDE campaign to be accepted as a sport at the 2024 Olympics is, as it says, a translation of a piece, in <a href="https://perlenvombodensee.wordpress.com/2019/02/13/paris-2024-der-olympische-traum-lebt/">German</a>, by Conrad Schormann, on the blog Perlen Vom Bodensee. It has appended to it, though, the text of a FIDE press release<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeH-96oGWOB7EzR8oCJelqPgfcopB3Oh9CSTO9KUZDGFtmkb7Avpy3UC9DHizK3_uadNQfeFvRdmrwPaLHr199sQZbAFmZZkDugz9GS2WTK9aSV1zmTzEeUdRwKNVCaHu0ETA2xmApgp0/s1600/FIDE+600+million+press+release.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="674" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeH-96oGWOB7EzR8oCJelqPgfcopB3Oh9CSTO9KUZDGFtmkb7Avpy3UC9DHizK3_uadNQfeFvRdmrwPaLHr199sQZbAFmZZkDugz9GS2WTK9aSV1zmTzEeUdRwKNVCaHu0ETA2xmApgp0/s640/FIDE+600+million+press+release.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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whch as Roger observed, makes our favourite claim, and does so in two places.
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We'll just note in passing the date on that press release (12 February, the day before the Chessbase piece) and the fact that it invites us to contact a Véronique Revoy who among other things is General Secretary of the <a href="http://www.europechess.org/federations/france/">French Chess Federation</a>.
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I took up that invitation and last Friday I swapped a few emails with Mme Revoy.
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Just for once, I'll not bore you with the whole exchange, but suffice to say that when I, ever-so-slightly-disingenously, asked where the figure came from, she drew my attention to a <a href="https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/6376-agon-releases-new-chess-player-statistics-from-YouGOV-Fide">press release from 2012</a>. I say "drew my attention" but my attention had in fact been drawn to precisely the same press release, a long time ago.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYts5IfuQ3WINoCZURqiRKXePubekX7412MNsHpA64EMLGHGm3husshOnEYyDSYq19R9IW3kkSKyMobszOPNBw8bnWAjKQ5hHiZkO8YXeJBU_RGMU4G1spNTkQsEgeacVzUK-gcCv6qiQ6/s1600/FIDE+600+million+SB+piece+press+release.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="70" data-original-width="768" height="58" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYts5IfuQ3WINoCZURqiRKXePubekX7412MNsHpA64EMLGHGm3husshOnEYyDSYq19R9IW3kkSKyMobszOPNBw8bnWAjKQ5hHiZkO8YXeJBU_RGMU4G1spNTkQsEgeacVzUK-gcCv6qiQ6/s640/FIDE+600+million+SB+piece+press+release.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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That's from <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2013/02/figure-of-fun.html">here</a> - a piece which, in my turn, I drew to Mme Revoy's attention. She thanked me and asked me if I had any alternative figure in mind. I said I didn't.
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<br />
Anyway, I thought nothing more of it until writing the matter up this weekend, when I looked for the press release on the FIDE website. I found it <a href="https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/11421-chess-candidate-to-join-the-paris-2024-olympic-games-.html">here</a>. Or maybe I didn't, because it's not the same one. Well it is, and it isn't.<br />
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It's dated 15 rather than 12 February, the text is pretty different and most importantly for our purposes, neither reference to 600 million is present. So that's all good. <br />
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All good, but odd all the same, since if we Google a phrase from the press release in the Chessbase article - say "are determined to see chess join the Paris 2024 Games" - we get the very press release, on the same FIDE page, <i>that no longer includes the phrase</i>. (Or the claims about 600 million players.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRY-wDfsihnWmxgLpFvN0WzNFI5hnOeHygZQJOoS0xQ42lfIvjV7825VS6g7tm7KagMAAYMcmRIgClB3MfT7uULTPBsiHQ-TAhnsGNbnvxQGcjd8T1CBzT2cchqsZM6_uU3UHAk5UF0IFb/s1600/FIDE+600+million+Google+search.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="841" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRY-wDfsihnWmxgLpFvN0WzNFI5hnOeHygZQJOoS0xQ42lfIvjV7825VS6g7tm7KagMAAYMcmRIgClB3MfT7uULTPBsiHQ-TAhnsGNbnvxQGcjd8T1CBzT2cchqsZM6_uU3UHAk5UF0IFb/s640/FIDE+600+million+Google+search.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm not particularly bothered by this - I mostly just mention it for the historical record - and more than anything else, I'm pleased that the 600 million number has disappeared.
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Let us hope we never see it again.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-6709516212341103862019-02-11T08:00:00.000+01:002019-02-11T08:00:04.498+01:00Cut ShortFunny thing is I was just wondering whether to renew my <a href="https://en.chessbase.com/post/gibraltar-international-chess-festival-2">subscription</a>. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Szx43_ah4ys?start=2785" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
<br />I've not seen the first issue of 2019 yet - well, I've seen the front cover<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETOig5pFUCHOZCfRMcyuPIBphBMNl4e0iTge9vA3xVnH8eXvbwthVLf4ONyO6nvCndmZyyJHbaP2GjZObc1nQja72rMhoU1wbZhLTB7ZvunXd6ALPk1IhWx1O68cEwV9IMGPubEvS4ufy/s1600/NewInChess2019v1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETOig5pFUCHOZCfRMcyuPIBphBMNl4e0iTge9vA3xVnH8eXvbwthVLf4ONyO6nvCndmZyyJHbaP2GjZObc1nQja72rMhoU1wbZhLTB7ZvunXd6ALPk1IhWx1O68cEwV9IMGPubEvS4ufy/s400/NewInChess2019v1.png" width="315" height="400" data-original-width="405" data-original-height="514" /></a></div>
<br />but the rest of it, the last one that I've currently paid for, is late. And if it and when it does turn up, there's not going to be any Nigel Short in it.<br />
<br />This is a good thing.<br /><br />I'd stopped reading his column some issues back anyway, partly because it really wasn't very well written (too much convoluted phrasing in preference to plain English) but partly because after a few years the combination of ego, obnoxiousness and permanent points-scoring just isn't that compelling any more.
<br /><br />I mean yes, if what you're looking for is <a href="https://twitter.com/LeonWatson/status/1093870272388755457">controversy</a> <br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZm1r3utqM7RXn_f5H_mKMOSoJr98kOAnQrueZ90hmruoz1xqqJLrM0ceu4jtKKFkL6oRLFEzTs0Exqy7rlMDU4dWuTNey5_-b0pqcXu_JQnM8UKBiv1L1eqzKOenlRgnnRi0rWiFt0Kmp/s1600/Nosher+sacked+Leon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZm1r3utqM7RXn_f5H_mKMOSoJr98kOAnQrueZ90hmruoz1xqqJLrM0ceu4jtKKFkL6oRLFEzTs0Exqy7rlMDU4dWuTNey5_-b0pqcXu_JQnM8UKBiv1L1eqzKOenlRgnnRi0rWiFt0Kmp/s400/Nosher+sacked+Leon.png" width="400" height="208" data-original-width="626" data-original-height="326" /></a></div><br />then it's a good thing to have a motormouth on the scene.
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<br />But what if you're looking for is for <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2009/07/swiss-toni-writes-for-new-in-chess.html">women</a> to be <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2010/09/some-tourists-go-too-far.html">treated</a> with <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2015/04/baby-you-cant-drive-my-car.html">respect</a>? Is that important at all, Leon, or is the controversy the thing?<br />
<br />What if you would like <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2014/11/kilts-and-haggis.html">other nationalities</a> to be treated with respect too? What if you find his propensity to bullying and <a href="http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2009/06/is-this-pig.html">feuding</a> distasteful?<br />
<br />It's not an optional extra, it's the whole man, the whole style. The "controversy" he produces is misogyny, prejudice and bullying. And I think we ought to be able to do better than that. <br />
<br />I'd like that to be the reason he's gone. Of course it <a href="https://twitter.com/LawrenceTrentIM/status/1094517015996452864">isn't</a>, whatever this may actually mean -
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<br />but it's the reason why, if and when my copy does turn up, I'll be renewing my subscription.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-7871948896963258402019-01-28T08:00:00.000+01:002019-01-28T08:08:21.429+01:00Is this really a good way to promote women's chess?I doubt <a href="http://https//twitter.com/GibraltarChess/status/1089438010096189440">it</a>
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especially since the <a href="https://www.gibchess.com/news/opening-ceremony-2019-39">Opening Ceremony</a> involved parading round a Miss Gibraltar<br />
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<br />
once
<a href="http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2018/01/picture-post.html">again</a>.<br />
<br />
So maybe this observation from last year will do for this year too:<blockquote>...let's go back to our image. An old guy surrounding himself with much younger women.
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If you're anything like me, you might think that image wouldn't be happening if he wasn't the guy paying for it to happen.</blockquote>No matter how much money he's spraying about, Brian Callaghan is a sleazy old man.ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970746810324898604.post-91026139987508931112019-01-27T08:00:00.000+01:002019-01-27T08:00:10.973+01:00Brain operationIf you haven't seen it yet, here's my email to Ray, as yet unanswered, in <a href="http://www.kingpinchess.net/2019/01/brain-scam/">Kingpin</a>.<br />
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<br />ejhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01582272075999298935noreply@blogger.com3