tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-169356602012-01-03T01:08:27.294+08:00clueless in the Opening, struggling in the Middle, and hardly realized it's the Endtoguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.comBlogger661100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-91761864335771831322011-11-09T16:19:00.000+08:002011-11-09T16:19:46.867+08:00

Found this nice strip about chess from Foxtrot, one of my favorite comic strips.  They feature chess from time to time, but I had a chuckle with this one.  Click on the pic to get to the site and enjoy it yourself.

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-38681501565905023172011-11-05T18:21:00.000+08:002011-11-05T18:21:36.304+08:00

I never thought I'd see the day when I will be linking to a Yahoo! article, but here's a decently written article on how to avoid beginner chess mistakes.  Click the pic for the link.

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-54721016738354178512011-07-04T00:51:00.000+08:002011-07-04T00:51:55.883+08:00

Well, not really.  But my 5-year-old son has started playing chess.  He's been interested in the game since last year, but it was only this year that I could get him to sit still and listen to me so I can teach him the basic stuff.  My wife was telling me "good luck" when I unfurled my vinyl chess board and started setting up the pieces while my son is looking, ready to start.  With a board full

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-2764824521011013452010-11-18T16:19:00.003+08:002010-11-21T18:29:50.499+08:00

There was this part in the movie inside the gym/recreation center of the Joes where Breaker was hunched over a chessboard, but it wasn't clear if there was an opponent on the other side. The board seems to be crowded, although a number of pieces have already been move, indicating that it's some time into the opening or maybe it's already in the middle game. It's it a bit predictable that

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-88178228453535889652010-10-24T23:49:00.002+08:002010-10-25T01:36:08.662+08:00

Chanced upon this on my way for lunch at Megamall after church. It was being held at the event center of Megamall. I guess it was the finals already, as some of the participants I saw have the word Finalist at the back of their event shirts. Looking at the schedule from the event's website (click pic at left), it was indeed the finals and it had been going on since June. Either I've been too

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-53702422287861716592010-07-20T23:04:00.001+08:002010-07-20T23:20:40.988+08:00

This is one chess site that I found through an ad in Facebook. It features itself as online chess with an attitude. How's that I don't know. Why? Because they require you to download a program through which you can play the game, and I haven't done so, so far. If there is one factor that would significantly limit the popularity of this site, it would be the need to download something. Not

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-35428614852368334652010-07-17T15:04:00.000+08:002010-07-17T15:05:28.951+08:00

Been away for some time from playing chess in Facebook that I didn't found out until recently that Chess on Facebook is now fully integrated with Chess.com. Which is good since I now have access to the community of Chess.com without having to create a separate account. It also means there is the potential to play with others that may not have a Facebook account. I've yet to try the new Chess

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-86416769135277485752010-07-11T23:28:00.004+08:002010-07-11T23:37:12.759+08:00

Just need to get this verification code up so I can hook this blog to my Empire Avenue account. If you want to know more about Empire Avenue, click the pic at the left.Verification code EAVB_EFFYFKWBXN

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-73721805667902047432010-05-08T21:05:00.004+08:002010-05-10T10:09:25.983+08:00

National Bookstore, one of the leading bookstores in the Philippines, is sponsoring a series of chess tournaments for kids and teens ages 15 and below, with three categories to qualify in. There will be five independent events scheduled up to September 2010. Hopefully more will be forthcoming and this will become a regular thing. The events are hosted at Bestsellers of Robinsons Galleria.

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-2023559534285696862010-04-24T22:05:00.005+08:002010-04-25T01:41:04.446+08:00

9 is set in an Earth that has been destroyed by a war between man and machines. The character named after the title is a ragdoll creation of a scientist who transferred his soul to a number of other ragdolls, named 1 to 8, with 9 as the last one before he died (presumably by "exhausting" his soul). 9 and the rest of the ragdolls attempted and succeeded to destroy a machine called The Beast

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-81786654406880618812010-01-01T05:00:00.001+08:002010-01-01T05:00:05.095+08:00

Happy New Year Everyone! Begin this year by honing your chess skills (or picking up your game again) right in the heart of your favorite social networking site, Facebook. What, you don't know there is chess in Facebook? Well, I wouldn't have known myself if I didn't get curious enough one day to check what will come out if I type "chess" in Facebook's Search. Unlike most games that at least

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-35123081022983883182009-09-29T21:22:00.005+08:002009-09-29T22:25:16.832+08:00

This match is significant, even symbolic, for several reasons. For one, it shows how chess has gone down in popularity after these so many years. Yahoo! didn't even consider it worthy of an article, featuring it only as several pictures in its Yahoo! In Photos section. Next, Googling the event will land you in several regional internet news agency like this one, not really big at all

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-18176586746564443672009-05-07T11:16:00.011+08:002009-05-07T12:44:22.688+08:00

Now, what has this got to do with chess? Well, if your regular OTB meetings experience a decline in attendance especially in the teens bracket, you may have a suspect here. Or this is simply just one of those things that one can get excited with side by side with chess. Blizzard is set to give beta test accounts a few weeks from now. You can find the full mechanics on how to get one on their

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-55681983905264434452009-05-06T10:54:00.002+08:002009-05-06T10:56:20.475+08:00

No, it's not another movie review. This is about games that computers play. You read that right. The International Computer Games Association (click pic to get to the site) started out as the International Computer Chess Association, which holds regular championship events for computer vs. computer matches. It has been renamed in 2002 as ICGA, and now caters to other computer games and game

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-24362378567921680312009-03-08T18:45:00.002+08:002009-03-08T20:35:25.888+08:00

Good things comes in threes. And what chess federations stand for is no exception. The Hip-Hop Chess Federation goes by the same trilogy of ideals. One look at their website (click pic for the link) will quickly give you the impression they are reputable enough that they gather considerable attention in major news outfits. And I really like the logo. It says a great deal about fusing chess

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-34439015659907335302008-10-22T23:14:00.000+08:002008-10-22T10:28:10.354+08:00

I find it really professional and classy for a film company to actually consult for the services of an International Master of chess in preparing for a chess position or scene in a movie. Especially one where the moves can become the subject of much scrutiny long after the movie has been replaced in the theatres and the DVD copies have been neatly filed in the cabinets at home. But then again,

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-6200235148876918882008-10-12T01:01:00.001+08:002008-10-12T01:01:00.864+08:00

Like Chess Tempo which I featured earlier, Chess Tactics Server is also an interactive site to hone your chess skills especially in the middlegame. For each position that you are presented with, you are subsequently rated and the next problem shown will be within the range of your perceived strength. The problems have time limits in which to make the correct move. Interactive chess sites like

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-7616623938175769982008-10-05T01:08:00.001+08:002008-10-05T01:08:00.386+08:00

A friend of mine recently told me that he has been using Chess Tempo to improve his skills in chess tactics. He happened upon this site from one of the Google ads in my blog. As I have discussed recently, your performance in the middlegame can be considerably improved if you can recognize patterns intended to take advantage of your pieces or position. One of the ways to improve recognition of

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-24692482463921491382008-10-01T00:01:00.001+08:002008-10-11T13:18:09.441+08:00

Being considered one of the predecessor of modern chess, I am a bit reluctant in calling Shatranj a variant. Because it sounds like saying you were born before your mother! Then again, for the casual observer, that's the way this game would look like at first glance. But a few minutes into the game and you would get the feeling that indeed this game isn't a variant after all. Rather, it could

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-45507931042352136182008-09-28T05:04:00.000+08:002008-09-28T05:04:00.846+08:00

After my stint as a Team Captain of Team Philippines in Schemingmind, I agreed to take on the role of an assistant League Manager for league games in the site. It seems that there would be a need for somebody to fill in the shoes of the current League Manager soon. There wil be two of us assisting him for the rest of the season, and then one of us would assume the post eventually. It is an honor

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-50999620217575146472008-09-24T01:59:00.001+08:002008-09-24T01:59:00.474+08:00

Here's one way to get the young ones to try the royal game. Crazychess is a simple arcade-style game that features the Knight and Pawn as the main pieces. The game has a simple objective: not allowing enough Pawns which spawn from the other side of the board to reach your side by using the Knight to attack and take them out. Also, when there is no pawn on the board, gold coins appear which the

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-2027410558320001572008-09-21T07:01:00.002+08:002008-10-11T13:27:47.920+08:00

Here's the latest Suicide Chess game I played...and lost! I mean, won, so I lost! I mean...well, just watch it...Learn more about Variants! Click HERE!

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1145720149365399462008-09-17T06:01:00.002+08:002008-09-17T06:01:00.634+08:00

Continuing our topic on the middlegame, I think it's worth mentioning here two aids that can help in improving one's game.Chess tactics resources - this can come in the form of instructional materials that describe and illustrate moves and positions aimed at weakening your opponent, either by loosening his defense or capturing a major piece. Or it can be interactive materials, like simulated

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-32885750931571917692008-09-14T04:01:00.004+08:002008-09-14T04:01:00.439+08:00

For as long as I can remember, I felt it awkward to have a Queen piece in chess. Not only is she the only piece with the connotation of being female, it just doesn't feel "right" that she is the most powerful. Add to that the connotation that she is "the queen" leads to the question: then what is the King?I don't know how much others are preoccupied with this, but I found a site that actually

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-74715634360619552832008-09-10T07:01:00.003+08:002008-09-10T07:01:00.890+08:00

The opening part of the game, if played "by the book", will eventually lead to the middlegame. Personally, I still feel kind of lost when I reach this part of the game. Usually, this is the part where the board is still pretty much filled up and cramped. Since opening theory was followed, each piece and position is usually poised to exploit any weakness in the other side. And for a beginner, the

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-9491102299185415942008-09-07T06:01:00.000+08:002008-09-07T06:01:00.811+08:00

I was watching Death Note a couple of nights before and I don't remember now if it's at the end of the first movie or the start of the second (I was watching it back-to-back) that the bitter rivals of the movie, L and Light, sat down for a game of chess. It made me wonder what are the reasons for putting chess in a movie. What character or atmosphere does it lend to the movie? Does it make it

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-85578370594788122572008-09-03T05:01:00.002+08:002008-10-11T13:22:48.988+08:00

Whoever said winning is hard should try losing in this chess variant. Here, the objective is getting all your pieces taken by your opponent. There is no checkmate, the King is just another piece, and castling is not allowed. You start with either the board set up as in standard chess or in chess960, and then proceed to have your pieces taken. You must take your opponent's piece if you are allowed

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-8163574851938795672008-08-31T07:01:00.001+08:002008-08-31T07:01:00.988+08:00

It has been a month or so since I've gotten back into the habit. I am almost finished with the mini-tournament I joined in Schemingmind (the remaining ones are pretty much decided). If ratings are any indication, my efforts in improvement has paid off. I have made considerable increase in my ratings after the month-end calculation, which unlike this month, did not include any defaults on time. I

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-21677906653898706362008-08-27T06:01:00.002+08:002008-08-28T11:17:43.941+08:00

As I have beeen discussing opening theory lately here and here, let me just point you to an internet resource that I have used extensively. Chessops is a free internet resource that allows you to explore various openings. In their own words:An interactive series of +8,000 unique board positions, from first moves through to full development of pieces, covering all major openings, defences and

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-86352326560835415752008-08-24T06:01:00.002+08:002008-08-24T06:01:00.963+08:00

The Pinoys in Schemingmind have started our 2nd team-exclusive tournament. I wrote about the first one here. Planned as a "monthly" event, it's very likely that we won't be having the next one soon enough, as the first one took a year to finish. Much as we would like to open up a new one every month, it would limit the standard (free) members of the team from joining the other mini-tournaments in

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-81298310201994961012008-08-20T05:01:00.002+08:002008-08-20T06:24:34.614+08:00

A few posts ago, I mentioned about the value of utilizing opening books/databases to improve one's performance in chess. Understanding opening theory is a necessary part of growing in chess because whether we like it or not, the initial position of any standard chess game will always be the same, and it would be a good idea to learn early on the basic principles of chess.The ideal scenario is

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-49336435071776341692008-08-17T05:01:00.002+08:002008-08-19T23:01:53.735+08:00

The 1st Team Philippines Monthly Knockout Tournament in Schemingmind has just recently concluded. What should have been monthly took a year to finish! And so I think we need to reconsider the time controls we use on this one. The championship round is between two of our higher-rated players (as expected). Below are the two championship games played.

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-65504891133167770542008-08-13T04:01:00.006+08:002008-08-28T11:20:49.777+08:00

Most correspondence chess sites allow the use of opening books/databases as part of the resources available to a player during a game. This resource is often ignored or underused by most players, especially those new to the game or have only begun to take chess a bit more seriously. A variety of reasons account for the neglect of opening books and resources. For some, they simply don't know that

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-39397349858447327482008-08-10T04:01:00.002+08:002008-08-10T04:01:01.528+08:00

A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of four novels by George R. R. Martin. It's set in a medieval fantasy land of warring kingdoms with the usual cast of royalty , knights, lords, wizards, dragons, and some more that are not commonly found in other medieval fantasy epics. The titles in the series are "A Game of Thrones"; "A Clash of Kings"; "A Storm of Swords"; and "A Feast for Crows. I am

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-66733337799385029982008-08-06T03:01:00.008+08:002008-10-11T13:25:02.074+08:00

I first came across Chess 960 in Schemingmind. What attracted me to it is the way it was being promoted as an approach to chess that does not require a deep knowledge of opening theory. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, as I just emerged from being floored in several of my games in standard chess (I think I researched variants precisely because I got so depressed about standard chess).

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-66335807506428544762008-08-03T02:01:00.003+08:002008-08-03T02:01:01.023+08:00

In a game steeped in history and tradition, characters can take on a mythical or personal meaning for players. And I get to wonder if current chess players have a particular piece they associate themselves with more than the usual attention. A piece whose every move is more important for you than any of the other pieces. Or one that you would probably forego sacrificing for no sane game-related

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-66380771163595303072008-07-30T00:15:00.001+08:002008-07-31T11:17:41.926+08:00

The first few posts after the "revival" of this blog has been mostly teasers of what's to come in future posts. And I hoped that it helped to provide a sense of anticipation. For my part, it has helped to sharpen the focus of what I will be doing and blogging about in the next few weeks and months. But before I proceed any further, I think it's only proper that I look back to a memorable event

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-19946396964716885932008-07-27T02:01:00.003+08:002008-10-11T13:11:32.166+08:00

Like a good song that has been around for quite some time, the popular form of chess as we know it is bound to have its own sets of "remakes" and "versions". It can even be argued that the chess we have right now is actually a derivation of an older form of the game. Current practice, however, does not actually make a distinction between whether a "variant" was a predecessor of the modern form of

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-57650636158863156302008-07-24T01:01:00.000+08:002008-07-24T01:01:00.339+08:00

One of the series I ran in this blog discusses on the factors that affect one's games in correspondence chess and how to manage and master it to be able to improve one's performance. I will be revisiting the series, perhaps making some edits or even rewriting major parts to incorporate my additional experiences and lessons learned. I will also be polishing it up so it will be easy to link parts

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-34274172739428630802008-07-21T00:01:00.005+08:002008-08-23T10:19:25.260+08:00

I started and finished some games a few weeks before I made this entry. Somewhere along the way, I got the impression that I will get more playing with players rated higher than me. For one, the Glicko formula used in Schemingmind to compute ratings actually encourages one to challenge stronger players, since the impact on your ratings losing against someone higher than you is much less than if

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-13185554033903648542008-07-17T00:01:00.000+08:002008-07-17T00:01:00.690+08:00

It has been a while since I last made a post here. I had since transferred the captainship of Team Philippines (see immediate previous entry), and been away from the boards. Actually, I have been "away" from the boards even while I am still playing, proverbially just "making the moves", which evidently showed in how my rating snowballed down the hill. But now, I have picked up the game again,

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-21849735861803061702007-02-19T09:44:00.000+08:002007-02-19T14:09:15.597+08:00

Some good soul in Schemingmind.com gave me a year of full membership, which allows me to create and manage teams of my own (in addition to lifting several other restrictions of free members). Within a day, I was able to create a national team and invite all my countrymen who play there. Soon, we will be up to the challenge of other teams! That, along with other benefits of being a full member,

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1170123579064295082007-01-30T10:06:00.000+08:002007-01-31T12:28:46.836+08:00

Just another game that could have gone the other way. Read on...1. d4 g6 - classified as Modern (or Robatsch) Defence. The idea is that white will overextend itself early, and Black can exploit. The fianchetto is sure to be a prominent fixture here.2. Nf3 Bg7 - White's 2nd and 3rd move are considered interchanged in terms of "acceptable" move.3. e4 e6 - Black's move is not preferred over d6,

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1167726899183432182007-01-02T16:25:00.000+08:002007-01-31T11:10:02.746+08:00

This would be the first in this series. All of the games here are analyzed and opening books are consulted only after the games have ended. Although opening books are allowed to be used during games, I have limited myself to consulting them only after the end of a game for personal reasons, primarily that I retain more of the lessons learned that way. Your feedback and additional insights on the

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1167379288858117292006-12-29T10:45:00.000+08:002007-01-02T14:05:41.686+08:00

No, it has nothing to do with the TV show. Rather, it will be about games I played where I eventually lost. More of self-discovery/self-therapy for me, which is precisely what this blog is all about (though being read and eventually helping others out is not a far-off consideration too). But I will try to inject as much "formal" theory in the analysis as practicable, especially in the openings

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1164902856333620762006-11-30T23:54:00.004+08:002008-07-19T22:28:24.120+08:00

A Closer Look at OpeningsI wasn't really sure at first about considering this article as part of the "Discipline" series, but I guess the mere fact that I am not practicing what I will soon be talking about just shows the need for "discipline" in this area of my games. What I observed in most of my games, whether won or lost, is the lack of understanding of how my opening moves affected the

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1164077302133216882006-11-21T10:11:00.004+08:002008-07-19T22:29:53.752+08:00

Plateau SeasonFor several months now, I had seen my rating settle in a range. Despite a conscious effort to produce games of better quality, the aspect of strategy seems to escape me. There is a certain numbness that creep in one's game after playing day after day. You become inattentive, even careless. The ratings and game results show it. And no one else knows more about what's happening than

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1163639926120567352006-11-16T09:12:00.000+08:002006-11-16T09:18:46.143+08:00

I was playing cc the other day and my opponent on the other end who happen to be online also and trading moves with me complimented this blog I started. I had not been updating this for more than a month now for lack of time to concentrate on some articles, but now that I know at least a soul may probably come back for some new stuff, how can I not oblige? :-) not that it's a burden, but

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1158802023168803282006-09-21T09:21:00.000+08:002006-09-21T09:27:03.183+08:00

Good news to those who enjoy playing chess and are also on the lookout to get wider audience coverage for their blogs. Schemingmind (www.schemingmind.com) is now hosting rss feeds of blogs of their members (free members included). And I suppose the blog doesn't even have to be chess-related, though mine is. This is just one of the many features that are currently being added in a frenzied

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1155403423249031512006-08-13T01:19:00.000+08:002006-08-13T01:27:54.256+08:00

July 20 marked a year of active correspondence chess activity for me, as well as a year of actively trying to learn the game more. I can no longer recall what brought me to a renewed interest in chess, nor the circumstances that led me to search for it on the Net which eventually led me to discover the correspondence style of play. I couldn't have been happier, though. It has been a year of fun

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1154793770669105102006-08-06T00:00:00.006+08:002008-07-19T22:30:22.398+08:00

Managing transitions between games Correspondence chess is usually played with several games simultaneously ongoing, each one in different levels of completion. It would be very seldom that an entire game, even a short one, would be completed in one sitting. Moves are spread out over several days and a player can expect to make, at the most, several moves in several games. In each of these games,

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1154327093537944122006-07-31T14:20:00.003+08:002008-07-19T20:51:20.087+08:00

Managing TensionManaging tension in a game is a very crucial discipline to master, both in correspondence and in OTB games. I have not played in official OTB matches, and so I wouldn't really know how it works in those situations. For cc, I guess it wouldn't be too much to say that playing games in one of several available cc sites would be quite comparable to the "official" tournaments being

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1153900012977777152006-07-26T10:59:00.000+08:002006-07-31T14:30:18.016+08:00

First, I left my key to the office at my desk, along with my car key, when I went to a meeting. Then, the meeting went for hours that the rest of the people in the office already left for home, since it's a weekend. Thankfully, they decided to clear my table and lock my laptop up - such nice folks. So, when I got back, the door is locked and I can't get in. Luckily, I have a spare car key in my

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1152876398406246502006-07-14T19:24:00.000+08:002006-07-14T19:26:38.443+08:00

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned my involvement in ICCF's 2nd Webchess Open Tournament, and I promised to give some updates. I was included in group 38, which has seven players including myself. Total number of games to be played is 6. Time control is 10 moves in 50 days (about 5 days per move). Three of my opponents are provisional rated like myself at 1800 and the other three are ranked

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1152367496127303582006-07-08T21:59:00.003+08:002008-07-19T20:49:38.697+08:00

RatingsWhether we like it or not, we are affected by ratings- ours, our opponents, and the rest. A normal chessplayer wants to win and improve his game over time. The primary barometer of this would of course be the ratings. The downside is that it can get to a point that it interferes with your games. If you are playing a lower rated player, you may have a tendency to rush things, get it over

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1151675743978224382006-06-30T21:21:00.003+08:002008-07-19T20:29:18.844+08:00

Mental PreparednessOne of the challenges in playing correspondence chess (especially the internet variety) is being in the "game mode" when you face the boards. A usual internet cc player can expect to make moves in several concurrent games at least once a day. Unlike on-the-board games where momentum builds up as the match progresses and which is usually over in a couple of hours, cc games lasts

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1149644492284456972006-06-07T09:39:00.005+08:002008-07-17T22:54:22.435+08:00

Having been immersed in correspondence chess for almost a year now, I had begun to take notice of my performance. While before I wouldn’t mind being floored by other players, now I take notice of that. For one, if I have to lose, I want to lose because my opponent has a better strategy, and not because I didn’t see that I placed my queen in harm’s way without being forced to do so. And because of

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1145926398814821542006-04-25T08:51:00.000+08:002006-04-25T21:41:11.396+08:00

View the game here http://www.schemingmind.com/game.aspx?game_id=47165 (note: clicking on the link will take you to the logon page first. Enter "guest" for both username and password. Or better yet, register for an account and start playing! It's free anyway, and it's a nice community).Played black and lost in 13 moves. I have asked several of my friends to annotate this game, for a change :)

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1145863484991723492006-04-24T15:02:00.000+08:002006-04-24T15:24:45.000+08:00

Just found out today, accidentally, that someone new to ICCF can have their first open tournament for free and get an ICCF ID and rating afterwards. I had just been accepted as a participant to the 2nd ICCF Webchess Open Tournament, due to start this coming June.Will keep you posted! And if you are not yet an ICCF member and want to join the tournament for free also, here are the instructions:

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1145586834374697302006-04-21T10:22:00.000+08:002006-04-21T10:33:54.383+08:00

It's kinda funny, but after almost a year of playing correspondence chess, only now was I recognizing the value of the "private game note" feature that I suppose is available in almost all cc sites (it's available in both sites I play in, mentioned elsewhere in this blog). With the feature, one can add game comments, series of expected moves, reasons you have for making a move, etc. And all

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1145514429122439182006-04-20T14:13:00.000+08:002006-04-20T14:39:10.883+08:00

View the game here http://www.schemingmind.com/game.aspx?game_id=43852 (note: clicking on the link will take you to the logon page first. Enter "guest" for both username and password. Or better yet, register for an account and start playing! It's free anyway, and it's a nice community)Played white and lost. Resigned after 37 moves. Game ended last 19 April 2006.Right at 3. Nd5 I disregarded one

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1145513562331813482006-04-20T13:59:00.000+08:002006-04-20T14:42:16.260+08:00

After a string of losses in my games at www.schemingmind.com, I decided that I will analyze each game where I lost in order to understand what went wrong. Somehow, the mere knowledge of what went wrong helps you from repeating the same. This is also one of the tips to improve one's game by no less than International Grandmaster Maurice Ashley (read the article here http://www.angelfire.com/fl/

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1136816702587680882006-01-09T16:27:00.000+08:002006-04-20T14:44:03.503+08:00

One of the usual things one who is excited about chess does is to plunge into games without much concern to the principles behind the game. This has been my case when I started playing correspondence chess. I plunged into the maximum allowed in one site (for nonpaying members) and opened up additional games in another site. I ended up with a lot of games that I hardly think through when making my

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1135058584758677622005-12-20T13:55:00.000+08:002005-12-20T14:03:04.766+08:00

This is the newest site I am playing correspondence chess in. Just started playing a few days ago, and I already have a couple of games running (already lost in one!). Rating system is a bit different from Schemingmind.com since there is some sort of a provisional rating period for the first 25 games you will play. Only after will your rating be considered "real". The manner of computing the

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1127237734573831212005-09-21T01:19:00.000+08:002005-12-22T10:59:25.296+08:00

I had the privilege of going to Washington D.C. for about a week, and got a chance to see Deep Blue in one of their huge museums. Deep Blue is the chess program that IBM developed which was able to defeat Kasparov twice, the second game lasting only 19 moves as Kasparov decided to resign. On display was one of the two tower processors (not at all different outside to the usual CPU, it's the black

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16935660.post-1127236242803537562005-09-21T00:55:00.000+08:002005-09-21T01:16:37.673+08:00

It's been two months now since I signed up with www.schemingmind.com , one of the several dozen sites dedicated to correspondence chess. So far, it has been such an enjoyable experience. The site allowed me to play against a variety of players I may never even get to meet in person. Although it requires somewhat a different discipline compared to live on-the-board chess games, it allows people

toguintshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00666815185497779148noreply@blogger.com0