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Jun-21-14
 | | Paint My Dragon: No, he made a positive contribution throughout his career ... I certainly wasn't being disparaging of Beckham, who was capable of goals from free kicks and accurate crosses that could tear apart weaker opposition. But as I implied above, that sort of game strategy is only good enough to get you there. Up against the best, you need a lot more in the locker - a few mavericks who are prepared to take risks and make something happen. Alas, England players/managers are mostly too scared of falling flat on their face and bruising their inflated egos / reputations / wage packets. The English media must also take some blame. They would be quick to demonize or scapegoat anyone who stepped out of line and tried something different, should it fail. Consequently, you end up with a strict adherence to the traditional old recipe that <offramp> describes. |
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| Jun-21-14 | | HeMateMe: I don't know enough of the game to describe it accurately, but it seems like teams who try to dribble through a strong defense lose the ball. The distance kick, to a man advanced who will head it in or bicycle kick it seems to have a better shot than trying to advance the ball through a tangle of legs, kicked shins, and people pulling on your jersey. Unless of course you are Diego Maradona, who could dribble like Houdini. Maybe the junior teams in the U.K. need to stress improved dribbling, if the Beckham long ball technique has it's limitations? I guess the pubs will be full, either way, this weekend. Those who would have been cheering an advancement to the knockout will be drowning their sorrows in ale. Hopefully they won't be laughing, if the USA gets killed by Portugal on Sunday. |
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Jun-21-14
| | Paint My Dragon: Yes, of course, the whole dribbling thing is much less prevalent in the modern era. Defenders are stronger, fitter and faster than ever, and get away with a lot of shirt pulling, shielding, blocking etc. It's more about switching the play, staying unpredictable, doing everything at pace and having an end-product (to bundle up a few common clichés)! There may well be some 'drowning the sorrows' this weekend. I was at the pub on Wednesday and surprised at how empty it was, considering how many large screens were dedicated to the world cup. |
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| Jun-21-14 | | SimonWebbsTiger: @<Ray>
yep, a tighter defence was the ticket. Those test games v. Ecuador and Peru ought to have been warning enough for Roy. Surprised you, an old Oxbridge alumini, would suggest Petrosian. I would suggest "Blackadder Goes Forth" -- ie. suggesting the boys XI have a couple of Vickers Machine Guns in the defence. :) |
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| Jun-21-14 | | Refused: The way Costa Rica Italy ended, a draw would have been in all likelihood a ticket home, too. Costa Rica would have been out of reach with 6 points, and if Italy manages to hold on to a point it would have been light's out, too.
Realistically it was a do or die game.
Although I expected England to go home after three games, I did not expect Costa Rica to win that group. And in their first game England did much better than most people would have thought. Maybe if more homegrown talents get playing time in the EPL and ECL, maybe then England will have a decent again in four to six years. |
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| Jul-08-14 | | SimonWebbsTiger: @<Ray>
Sad news. Andrew Whiteley has passed on. I was wondering if you could share some of your memories since many cg.com users probably know precious little about him. |
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| Jul-21-14 | | HeMateMe: Hello, Ray. Will you be participating in the upcoming World Mind Games in China? I think you were there last year? |
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Aug-05-14
 | | ray keene: I am going to China but for the world memory championship in Hainan. My obituary for Andrew Whiteley appeared in The Times of July 19-its in The Times online archive. |
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| Aug-05-14 | | Petrosianic: The World Memory Championship! I forgot all about that! |
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| Aug-15-14 | | HeMateMe: Hello Ray. Do you have any thoughts on the recent Olympiad? China put quite a stamp on things! What about Judit Polgar's retirement? Have you met her or either of her sisters? Have you by chance a favorite Judit game, something that sticks in your memory? She did have some Talesque combinations. |
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Sep-13-14
 | | offramp: Ray, I thought you might like this great puzzle from the recent Olympics. It is from Hon Ki Tsang vs R Singh, 2014, after 30...Kg5. 
click for larger view
White to play and win.
The solution is at that other game page. (White missed it!) |
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Oct-04-14
| | offramp: The above position was in fact used in the Times of Saturday 4th October 2014. Good puzzle! |
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Oct-25-14
 | | MissScarlett: < times chess @Times_Chess · Oct 13 My most popular tweet last week with 5577 individual views was that naming Dr Manahel Thabet and Prof Tony Buzan as my 2 favourite geniuses!> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manahe...
That's not a Wikipedia article, it's a PR release. |
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Jan-11-15
 | | thegoodanarchist: <ray keene: I am going to China but for the world memory championship in Hainan.> Let me know if any of the participants forgot their plane tickets :) |
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Jan-29-15
 | | Penguincw: Happy Birthday Raymond Keene! |
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Feb-18-15
 | | Ron: More great stuff from Nigel Farange:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0R... |
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Feb-26-15
| | offramp: Ray, do you (or anyone) know when this year's Oxford v Cambridge chess match. I think it's on the seventh of March, a Saturday, but I'm not sure. The internet seems to have no info. |
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Feb-26-15
| | MissScarlett: <Ray, do you (or anyone) know when this year's Oxford v Cambridge chess match.> Wot?
<The internet seems to have no info.> http://chess.soc.ucam.org/
That took 2 minutes to find. You're either incompetent or just plain attention seeking, possibly both. |
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Feb-26-15
| | MissScarlett: Since Ray became a <Knight of the Order of the White Swan> (or was it an <Officer of the Companionate of the White Swan>?), he no longer seems to have much time for our plebeian website. |
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Feb-26-15
| | offramp: <MissScarlett: <Ray, do you (or anyone) know when this year's Oxford v Cambridge chess match.>
Wot?
<The internet seems to have no info.> http://chess.soc.ucam.org/ >
Thank you!
I did see that, but the location was a bit vague:
<5. 133rd Varsity Match: 1st Varsity team (07.Mar), location: London> Big place, London. I think it'll be at the RAC on Pall Mall. |
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Feb-26-15
| | MissScarlett: You mean, like it has been for the past few years, at least? After all that, are you actually intending to go? |
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Feb-26-15
| | offramp: <MissScarlett: You mean, like it has been for the past few years, at least? After all that, are you actually intending to go?> Erm... Are you going? |
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Feb-27-15
| | ray keene: Varsity match is at RAC Pall Mall Saturday March 7. Starts around noon. I have written pieces with the info for The Sunday Times, The Times and The Spectator. |
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| Feb-27-15 | | SimonWebbsTiger: @<Ray>
will you be writing a bit about "the crusties." ie John Nunn, Jon Speelman, Keith Arkell, Terry Chapman and the most self confessed senile of them all, Nigel Short? (World Senior Team Chp, 50+.)So great to see that part of the silver Olympiad team back together. |
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Mar-01-15
| | Paint My Dragon: Hmmm, quite easy to construct a best 50+ squad, but what would England's best 65+ squad look like? Keene, Hartston and Botterill come to mind instantly ... but if you had been compelled to play in Dresden this year Ray, which four over-65s would you have wanted alongside you? |
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