There is a brand new book out on former world champion Emanuel Lasker with the simple title Emanuel Lasker, edited by Forster, Hansen, and Negele (2009).  This book is clearly a labor of love and with over 1,000 pages, 700 games, and 1600 diagrams it is a chess player’s book. Other areas of interest covered are his childhood and family, and along with work as both a mathematician and as a philosopher. I don’t have this book and I want one for Christmas or my birthday (early January).  Many more details on the book and a number of photos from within may be found at http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5946.

PROBLEM CHESS BOOK

I have a confession to make, I hate ‘problem books’ … composed problems that is. Why? Because they almost never have any bearing on the problems or positions I am likely to ever face on the chess board. That has changed as a result of Canadian GM Kevin Spraggett’s posting of a number of problems by the brother Platov from their famous book appropriately titled The Platov Brothers: Their Chess Endgame Studies by T. G. Whitworth.  At first I was only tantalized by a few of the problems he posted on his website, http://kevinspraggett.blogspot.com/, and then he posted this problem and I was hooked.

V. and M. Platov 1909

White to play and win

No solution provided here. If you want to find the solution visit http://kevinspraggett.blogspot.com/2009/08/saturdays-chess-puzzle_15.html and read some amazing background on these two brothers who lived in Stalinist Russia (one died in a labor camp). The actual solution is given the next day on his website.  This is another book I want for Christmas or my birthday. It is a GEM!

CHRISTMAS STORY

What a Christmas gift for a photographer to discover his great-grandfather had been a chess champion.  If you go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/4163089219/ you will see the photo he took of the silver medal his great-grandfather won for the Brilliancy Prize at Bradley Beach New Jersey (date unknown) and touching details about his great-grandfather who ‘never lost a match game for the Newark Rice Chess Club.’  Nice, really nice.

ITALIAN CHESS BOOK

Il Libro Completo degli Scacchi by Chicco and Porreca which translates (using an online translator) to “The Complete Book of Chess” or “The Book Full of Chess”.  I will choose the former if you don’t mind.  I found out about this book in the July 2004 issue of the British magazine CHESS in its “Find the Winning Moves” section. Usually “FTWM” is from actual games, here they were not, but they were all fantastic and I greatly enjoyed the 11 problems provided and learned a lot from each one.  Here is one example,

White to play and win

I have used this problem as a teaching tool many times.  By the way – I want this book for Christmas or my birthday as well. I want to find out what else is in the book!

PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

I have three personal recommendations for chess lovers for Christmas.

• Number 1 is Gambits by World Correspondence Chess Champion GM Yakov Estrin which is a delightful little book, 88 pages plus a games index. His writing and analysis makes for great reading and the games – well my favorite is his 10+ year battle with GM Paul Keres over a variation of the Falkbeer Counter Gambit against the King’s Gambit where school boy Yakov defeated GM Keres in a simultaneous exhibition by sacrificing a piece in what must have initially looked like a ‘patzer’s’ move. For only $3.95 plus a like amount for shipping you can get this book on www.Amazon.com – you should get it as it belongs on your Christmas list if you do not have it.

• Number 2 is an old masterpiece still very worthwhile, The Art of the Checkmate by Renaud and Kahn.  I don’t know if it is available in algebraic notation, but even in descriptive notation it is worth much more than the $9.95 www.Amazon.com is asking for it. For any tournament player below Expert, this is a foundational book. Extremely well written with great explanations of various mates it rates 4 stars out of 4 stars. It belongs on your Christmas list..

• Number 3 is one of my favorites, my copy is very dog-eared, and while not a masterpiece it is a very practical book for the aspiring player. Predicament in 2-Dimensions: The thinking of a chess player by NM Ariel Mengarini. Incredible in its ability to address the problems an amateur chess player faces when at the chess board in a tournament game. Did you analyze a variation deeply enough? Should you go back and analyze a particular variation again or not? This book is now a collector’s item and it shows on www.Amazon.com with the 1982 edition out of stock and the 1979 edition, used, going for $23.53. However, it is worth it. Put it on your Christmas list. No, you may not borrow my copy. Nope, not happening!

CHRISTMAS CHESS CARTOON

So how do you feel about chess cartoons? Christmas cartoons?  Well, how about a Christmas Chess Cartoon by a GM and not “just” a GM, but a world champion?  Try this one on for size by World Champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk at http://www.chessblog.com/2009/12/my-christmas-chess-comic.html

GIFT FOR ABEL

If you have played chess at the Dayton Chess Club for long you will end up playing Abel Mantle sooner or later.  Able has a terrible habit of playing way too fast and his over the board rating suffers as a result, not reflecting his real ability. He can be very punishing if you give his knights free rein on the chess board.  Thus when going over the following position from GM Wolfgang Uhlmann vs GM  Bent Larsen, 1971 (www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1144365) I thought of Abel. Why? Because as I solved for the reason that Black resigned after White moved in the following position I thought to myself, “Abel would have known the answer to this one immediately.”

Uhlmann vs. Larsen (1971)

White to move after 48. … Kg6

On move 49 White played Nxc5 and Black resigned. Why?  Ask Abel (or me) at the club some evening.

Uhlmann vs. Larsen (1971)

On move 49 White played Nxc5 and Black resigned. Why?  Ask Abel (or me) at the club some evening.

And to all “MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Players came from 8 different states. Primarily from Ohio, but seven other states were represented as well: Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, West Virginia, Virginia, and New York.

Want to take a quick look at the final standings in all sections?  Then go to USCF’s website at http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?200906143581.1-12556822 and look through all the sections to your heart’s content.  Want to take a look at how FIDE rated the OPEN Section?  Go to FIDE’s website at http://ratings.fide.com/view_source.phtml?code=42844#8 and note how a number of players are not rated for rounds 1 and 2.  Why? Because the time controls for rounds 1 and 2 of the 2 day schedule were too fast for FIDE rating purposes. However, keep reading to find the winners – some unexpected – in each section below.

In the OPEN Section Kentucky took first place when GM Alex Goldin scored 4.5 points! Clear second went to Indiana NM Jim Dean with 4.0 points. Third/Fourth place was shared by Ohio’s NM Carl Boor and Tennessee’s NM Jerry Wheeler with 3.5 points each. Another, not so obvious winner in the OPEN Section was Missouri’s young Kevin Cao with the longest third round game where he finally drew with NM Jerry Wheeler. NM Wheeler complimented young Kevin Cao saying, “5 or 6 times you saved your game by finding the ‘only move’”.  Kevin also picked up 30 rating points – the largest gain in the OPEN Section.

In the U2000 Section Ohio’s (and DCC’s) Les Whorton won clear first with 4.0 points after withdrawing from the OPEN section to join the U2000 where there were only 7 players (where were the A players?). Les Whorton also picked up 32 rating points, the greatest gain in the section. Clear second was taken by NM Carl B. Boor’s father (also from Ohio) Carl R. Boor with 3.5 points helped along by Andre Jaworowski’s last round loss.  Nonetheless, Ohio’s Andre Jaworowski tied with Missouri’s Henry Cao for third place.  In last place in the section was Missouri’s Margaret Hua – but she won’t be there long – she drew the number 1 seed and the first place finisher and hated the fact she did not win either game.  Look out for her in the future.

In the U1800 Section Ohio’s players, James Lake and Joe Roberdeau duked it out in the last round. James Lake won, so he and Joe Roberdeau shared first place with 4 points each. Three Ohio players tied for third with 3.5 points each – Daniel Jones, Jeffrey Baugham, and Robert Dennis. Robert Dennis also gained 78 (!) rating points for his efforts – more than anyone else in the section.

In the U1600 Section, Ohio’s Jose Abutal took first place with a perfect 5.0 score (the only one of the tournament) and picked up an amazing 99 rating points.  Way to go Jose!  Tied for second/third were Ohio players David Wen and Spencer Carran with 4.0 points each.  Spencer Carran also went from a provisional rating of 966 to 1273 as well! William Franklin (New York), John Sefton (Kentucky) and Joshua Mullet (Ohio) all finished back another half point (3.5) just outside of the prize money. Better luck next time fellows. 

It was a terrific tournament to direct with only 2 disputes to resolve. We think the tournament numbers will increase to 80+ next year with players from maybe 9 or 10 states. Where were Michigan and Pennsylvania this year?

RileyD, nwJ – TD

The purpose of this regular column is to share items big and small about chess found around the web on chess that catch my interest and that I believe in turn will be of interest to you and others.

Chessedelic

For instance today, Friday, June 19, 2009, for my first recommendation from Chess Here And There I would like to bring to your attention a website with the improbable name “chessedelic” of all things – inspired by the term “psychedelic”.

It is not the name that has drawn me www.chessedelic.com, but instead a chess video on the site. A lecture if you will on a game between super GM’s Magnus Carlsen and Veselin Topalov at video #37: Carlsen vs. Topalov … the only complaint I have about the lecture is sometimes Waldemar Moes (FIDE 2036 currently) sometimes speaks too quietly. That may be more a function of my hearing rather than my volume settings.  Check out the video and let me know what you think.

Chess Shots

Chess Couple

My next recommendation is due to a picture/photograph on GM Alexandra Kosteniuk’s website/blog under the heading Chess Couples showing the Bride and Groom as the King and Queen … does anyone recall an Ohio wedding with a chess motif and written up in the Ohio Chess Bulletin by yours truly?

Next are few of my favorite photos found around the web … two men playing chess next to the Ganges river in India.  Then there are two sets from Menton on the French Riviera showing the range of interest in chess with the older and younger alike here and here.

Missing Snap

Then there is the photo that got away, sorry. It appeared somewhat basic with a title “Chess Lesson” with a board and two players up front – one older and one much younger – with 1 or 2 other games going on in the background in some café. What drew me to the photo was the thought the man was instructing the boy until I started a piece count and the boy was clearly giving the man ‘a lesson’ or a whupping.  If any of you know of this photo please let me know … I would really like to share the actual photo rather than a description.

Chess and Baby Boomer Fears

Finally (for today) there is Chess and Alzheimer’s published on ChessNinja.com aka “The Daily Dirt Chess Blog” … for those of us ‘baby boomers’ this is an article of real interest and motivation to maintain our “dedicated amateur” status as noted in the article. While I clearly come down on the side of chess or chess like activities may help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease, the discussion on this topic was very interesting no matter which side of the argument you take.

And now it is time to say goodbye until our next C.H.A.T. Thanks for reading and feel free to send any suggestions you have for C.H.A.T. topics in the future.

RileyD, nwJ

Riley D. Driver