analyze this
monday morning, just got back from running. why i wake up before 6 .am. to run baffles me. i can’t say i honestly enjoy it, but i do it. not always, but enough. when i run, in addition to thinking “this sucks, i hate this, i want to stop, i could be eating a pizza, ” i also think about other crap, like how much i want to really really really learn chess, it’s mysteries, its inner secrets. running isn’t teaching me about chess, but it does build up my tolerance for suffering, so i can handle losing at tournaments a bit better.
the tour de france is over. someone came in last. that guy, for the rest of his life, can brag about it. people can say “yeah, but you finished last in the tour de france” and he can, with all pride, answer “yup. i FINISHED the TOUR DE FRANCE.” first off, the guy finshed. second, it was le tour. to come in last in le tour is cooler and better than winning some of the smaller races. it’s the freakin tour.
well, i kinda wanna be that guy in chess. i don’t need to be a grand master, i don’t need to dominate and destroy. but i want to be good enough to come in last at the highest levels. i want to look at a position and correctly say “oh, white looks strong, and more developed, but black’s king is safer and black is generating a strong attack against a weaker white king, so black has a better position. i’d move b5.”
i’m probably going to enter the chess tournement in reno, nevada, october this year. gives me something to train for, something to shoot for. and i might get to meet r.l. pearson of wahrheit chess blog fame. and it’s reno, so there is that.
i shall leave you with a puzzle. it’s not tactics, it’s positional.
white to move and eventually win. i’ll post the answer tomorrow evening arizona time.
Pawn Shaman said,
July 30, 2007 at 8:47 am
1.Bf4 will win a pawn unless …Kg7
2.g3 if black moves any piece besides the bishop he will lose a pawn and likely create a candidate…Bb7
3.Kd2 the king swings around the outside to attack the e pawn and close in on the king. With out the e pawn whites d pawn can promote or threaten enough to promote the a pawn. Whites bishop is good only to stop the promotion on the A file since all of blacks pieces are on dark squares. Having opposing bishops in the end game often leads to a draw so its important to keep a good eye on the pawn placement …Ba8
4.Kc3 …you get the idea.
Wahrheit said,
July 30, 2007 at 3:51 pm
I’ve been running at lunchtime for about six weeks now, it does give one time to think–I think stuff like “I’m tired now, but one more lap to go, and it’s like a tournament game, move 50 after four hours and I’m going to raise my stamina, keep concentration and win!” So I think it could help my chess, plus my HDL and all that unimportant stuff. Glad to hear your considering the Western States Open in October. If you can come that would be SWEET–we’ll make the scene a little classier, a little more dangerous, a little more FUN!
chessloser said,
July 31, 2007 at 6:55 pm
pawn shaman - close, that is what i thought, but that’s not it…
wahrheit - dude, i am THERE. we are gonna party like it’s on sale for 19.99!
liquideggproduct said,
August 1, 2007 at 6:58 pm
You’re thinking about pizzas at 6am? But, yeah, that kind of regimen is hell, and either talking with someone or listening to music help a lot to get your mind off the strain. Of course, part of why you do it is to fight against the strain…
CK said,
August 4, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Thats rather difficult. What was the solution?
chessloser said,
August 4, 2007 at 4:27 pm
liquid egg product - i am always thinking about pizza…
ck - the answer is in the next post…king to g3, bishop to f4, sac bishop and get a passed pawn on h, then f3 gets another passed pawn