have a glass of chess
wouldn’t it be cool if i could just drink knowledge and understanding. like, you get a bottle of chess, drink it down, and you know chess, kinda like the matrix where you can plug in and learn. then i could get a bottle of guitar and learn to rock like i’ve never rocked before. (oh, i’ve rocked, i just haven’t rocked as hard and amazing as i would have liked to). i think i would also drink a bottle of drawing so i could draw the kick ass art that i have in my head but can’t get out on paper.
so yesterday i didn’t have to work, but i didn’t get online like i normally would. at about 8:30 am i sat down at my chess desk and went through a book on the gruenfeld. i just went over and over the games, trying to learn the nuances, every nook and cranny of each game.
and a few hours later, i was done. funny thing was it didn’t seem like hours, but when i stopped, it was 12:00 in the afternoon or so. i’ve looked at games online, with the computer, but for me, i seem to get a better understanding if i sit at a desk and use a chess set. the act of physically moving the pieces seems to help with the “muscle memory” and i seem to understand a bit better. i can click away all day through games on the computer, but it doesn’t seem to sink in as well, my brain seems to say “yeah, seen this” and ignore it, whereas moving the pieces with my hands, looking at the board, my brain seems to respond to this better.
so after i “awoke from my chess fugue” and realized i had lost a few hours, i went to the gym and had a pretty good workout, so that felt good. then i came home and made “the most awesome french onion soup ever” and that was cool.
since the day had gone so well, i logged on to play some chess. and i lost all the games. why? why does it have to be like that? perhaps because i only play blitz, and i only play against guys rated much higher than me? ahh, i consider it training for the tournament.
hiesman said it, wang says it, most people say it: i need to play slower games. so now i’m trying to play 30 minute games. thing is, no one seems to want to play a 30 minute game. i’ve had one so far, a 14 move game where the guy resigned in 2 minutes cause i took his rook that he left hanging.
so today i gotta go to work, but i have the morning to do what i want, so i shall continue to look for 30 minute games and go over some grand master games on the board, not the computer.
then maybe tonight, when i get home from work, instead of actually playing, i’ll just have a few glasses of chess and see if i know the game any better.
Jason said,
January 24, 2008 at 8:31 am
I was wondering. Do you mind sharing a little about your history. Where you grew up and how you ended up in Fruita?
Thanks
Jasn
drunknknite said,
January 24, 2008 at 10:26 am
I get more out of sitting at a board then sitting at my computer too, although I think more recently it’s been about the same cause I’m getting more efficient with my comp. I wouldn’t worry about losing, just keep studying and keep playing and one day something will happen. Have faith.
Wahrheit said,
January 24, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Jason, chessloser is usually too modest to talk about his experiences so I will do it for him–in verse:
He was born in the wagon of a travelin’ show
His Mama would dance for the money they’d throw
Papa would do whatever he could;
Preach a little gospel, sell a couple bottles of Dr. Good.
chessloser he could hammah,
He could whistle, he could sing,
He went to the mountain early in the mornin’
To hear his hammah ring,
To hear his hammah ring.
chessloser
chessloser
Every morning at the mine, you could see him arrive.
He stood 6 foot 6, weighed 245.
Kind of broad at the shoulders, narrow at the hip.
And everybody knew you didn’t give no lip
to chessloser.
chessloser
chessloser
big bad chessloser
Nobody seemed to know where chessloser called home
He just drifted into town and stayed all alone.
He didn’t say much, kind of quiet and shy
And if you spoke at all, you’d just said hi to chessloser.
Somebody said he came from New Orleans,
Where he got into a fight over a Cajun Queen.
And a crash and a blow from a huge right hand,
sent a Lousiana fella to the promise land.
chessloser
There, hope that answered your questions…oh yeah, he moved to Fruita ’cause after he won the gold at the Athens Games in Judo and then broke up the Islamist ring that plotted to attack the Army Intelligence base in Arizona (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312901,00.html)
he needed to get away from the throng of attractive young women that constantly tried to break into his house in order to tear off his clothing. So he and his lovely wife moved to a quiet little Colorado town where nobody knew him.
I hope this helps.
d! said,
January 24, 2008 at 4:57 pm
my horrible coach in high school said something interesting (the only thing BTW.) he said that its good to play people who are better than you to get better at a game but if the idea of the game is to win you have to practice at that too.
you have to play people who are worse than you you you can develop the skill of winning not just playing. feelin’ me?
for every 3 badasses you play you must also play a loser to develop your closing skills. if you don’t you won’t be able to close against more worthy opponents.
jus’ a thought on competition from good ol’ -d!
d! said,
January 24, 2008 at 4:58 pm
wakka wakka
Pawn Shaman said,
January 24, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Interesting you say that. I heard:
He was found floatin down the river,
With a cold and shiver,
When an asian strolled by,
and fed him some apple pie.
He was taught the martial arts,
Wilst pullin wagon carts,
But his heart it dreamt of pawns,
and the eagerness to spawn.
One afternoon he strolled away,
Said goodbye to the ox and hay,
He came upon a local pub,
Where the locals gave him the snub,
So he kicked some towny ass,
and moved to Fuita.
Please forgive my aweful poetry.
Edwin said,
January 24, 2008 at 6:29 pm
When you talk blitz, what time limit are we talking about? I mean you have blitz blitz and you have blitz (not to mention 1 minute or less bullet chess). What i call blitz blitz is like 3 to 5 minute games. And it is hard to judge your chess playing abilities on games like that. And maybe your just not a blitz blitz person. I don’t consider myself a blitz blitz person. I feel it is a talent. Or maybe something you can be good at at a very high level like grandmasters. I do mean those who manage to play a reasonable game within 3 to 5 minutes. I am not refering to those cocksuckers who think they’re Bobby Fischer and get you out of book at move 3 and start pushing pawns here and there just to win on time and have builded up maybe an 1800 internet rating. Anyway, i myself prefer to play blitz. Not blitz blitz but blitz. And what i refer to as blitz is like 8 minutes and more. I prefer to do searches of my own of 10 minutes. But i’m willing to accept like 8 minute games as well from time to time. 7 minutes even. But i prefer 10 minutes. And you can really play a reasonable game even within 10 minutes. You can actually make it look like you thought the game over. Anyway, maybe you should try 10 minute games sometime. They get accepted quite often as opposed to 30 minute games. Maybe you like it. But then again, treat these game as what they are. Blitz. It is not to be compared to OTB tournament games. You should use them for practice with the emphasis on your opening play.
Liquid Egg Product said,
January 25, 2008 at 5:27 am
What do you want to bet that after we’re dead, someone will figure out a way for us to drink books; having the knowledge go directly into the head? Technology is not predictable.
Wahrheit and Pawn Shaman: thank you for the revelations of chessloser’s past. Hopefully, he’s not too upset about you guys ripping the shroud that conceals his true identity.
chessloser said,
January 25, 2008 at 8:15 am
jason – i was born at a young age, i started out as a child and worked my way up to adulthood. i moved to fruita because of the mountain biking, seriously, that’s the reason. i was a cyclist waaaay before i cared about chess. other than that, warheit and pawn shaman pretty much covered it.
drunknknight – yeah, i am waiting for that one day, that great epiphany when it all makes sense. god i hope it happens…
Wahrheit – other than the height and weight, you pretty much summed it up. you rock man, thanks….
d! – damn good advice, i do need to play the occasional person below me, if nothing else, just to remember the joy of winning…
Pawn Shaman – nothing to forgive, that was some awesome lyrics there, and pretty accurate as well. thanks man….
edwin – my blitz games are either 5 to 10 minutes, nothing less than 5. and that is exactly what i use them for, practicing openings and trying stuff out. i’m gonna post on this tomorrow, thanks….
Liquid Egg Product – i would love to drink books…that would rock…and i’m not upset about Wahrheit and Pawn Shaman outing me, i knew the truth would come out sooner or later…
Polly said,
January 25, 2008 at 10:11 am
I want a bottle of the wine! That is totally cool!
I definately think looking at positions on the board is better then the computer. The one thing I like about the computer is that you can back to the main line with out having reset everything. However I think I see and absorb more if I’m seeing it the way I’d see it in tournament play.
I suck at Internet chess for exactly that reason.
Nikita said,
August 19, 2008 at 4:46 am
Cool! Send me one too!