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Jun-30-25
 | | Sally Simpson: Happy Birthday Geoff.
I noticed your name is not on the 'Today's Birthday' list on the front page which is just typical of this place. Charles Jones gets a mention but not you. (daughter has been on the phone, she is in the CHESS shop in London reading off book titles asking me what I want. There is no book on the Ding - Gukesh match. Why? I have a collection of these. So I went for Donner's 'The King' and a few titles from the cheap 2nd hand bit.
Son bought me a chess t-shirt which I am proudly wearing as I type this...cards after shave, chess socks...but no mention on the front page here...chessgames.doh com have ruined my birthday.) |
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Jun-30-25
 | | perfidious: Nor will mine be in due course. |
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Jun-30-25
 | | offramp: I have a 16-year-old daughter - yeah, I know!
(My two kids... I have tried to <NOT> get them involved in chess.) But one day my daughter was going out, to the Oxford Street area.
I said to my daughter, "Are you going near the chess shop on Baker Street?"
She was happy to to that. As usual, I gave her £40 for the book, and £10 for the errand. She bought the book about Rubinstein (£40).
My daughter was <really> dressed up and <made-up>. She is very modern in a good way.
My daughter said that the two guys in the chess shop looked surprised that she chose a book within 2 minutes, paid, and left SO quickly. She nicked nuffink! Tonight is her "Prom" night. That is a modern fad.
I have given her a knife, and a gun. |
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Jun-30-25
 | | Sally Simpson: <Perfidious>
I'm sure Charlie Jones and the rest of those cherished enough to be named were pillars of society but I've been sulking all day.
This has been done on purpose because they like upsetting me,(BTW spent a day with Robert Bellin in a bar, I still recall the hangover. I did not know we shared a birthday - Happy Birthday Robert.) <offramp>
I kept my daughter away from chess players. I did not want one of you bunch weirdos as a son-in-law. Actually she more than any other here should be a chess player. She was born in what is now the analysis room at the Edinburgh Chess Club.
Not even Capa the Blanca can beat that.
We had that many false alarms we thought it was another. I was playing chess with Johnny Marr (he does not have a page here...I must put that right.) when her waters broke. He telephoned an ambulance they arrived at the same time as my daughter.
We never finished that game.
Johnny Marr, http://www.edinburghchessclub.co.uk... |
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Jun-30-25
 | | Check It Out: Happy birthday, <Sally Simpson>! I enjoy your friendly, humorous posts and the many anecdotes. |
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Jun-30-25 | | areknames: I agree with <CIO>. <Sally> is one of my favourite contributors to the site. Happy birthday! |
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Jun-30-25
 | | chrisowen: Thank-you HB :) |
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Jun-30-25
 | | keypusher: Happy birthday, Sally! If I named myself according to your method I'd be "Underture." |
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Jun-30-25
 | | Check It Out: <key> I'd be Wont Get Fooled Again, which would have been terrible considering the number of times I've been fooled. <SS> I see Karpov is one month older than you. That extra month counts for a lot as a budding young chess player. I'm forty years older than Gukesh, so let's just drop that theory. |
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Jun-30-25
 | | Williebob: Happy Birthday, <Sally>!
Probably my most appropriate Who-Name song is called, "Now I'm a Farmer". It's from the compilation album called Odds & Sods. That particular track might be both odd, and sod. |
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Jun-30-25
 | | moronovich: Happy Birthday, <Sally Simpson> ! |
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Jun-30-25
 | | Sally Simpson: Thanks lads,
I still in the huff with this lot for not having my name up with the rest of the 30th of Juners. (I had no idea there so many of us.) Wife gave me a card with £10.00 inside saying 'Buy Viagra!!!' I've no idea what that is, is it for verrucas? I met my daughters train from London to get my Donner book. Opened page at random (59), a beautiful study by A. Kovalenko but as Donner writes it is cooked (unsound).  click for larger view
White to play and win.
1. b7 h3 2. Bg1 hxg2+ ( 2...h2 wins for Black) 3. Kg7 d5 (Going for stalemate. 4. b8=B! (Threatening Bc7 Mate.) 4... Kb6 5. Bbh2  click for larger viewAnd White wins the ending.
I've spent an hour and a half trying to repair it without losing the final idea. Two Bishops locking the Queen in on h1. No joy, but I know I'll keep trying...and trying...that wonderful idea deserves a better fate. |
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Jul-01-25
 | | fredthebear: Viagra Falls is a leading tourist attraction in the USA. Lost of lovers go there. https://www.niagarafallsusa.com/nia... Your wife must want a third honeymoon across the pond. You could study that strange 2. Bg1?! puzzle on the flight over, and the flight back. |
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Jul-01-25
 | | Check It Out: <ftb> what are you going on about? |
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Jul-01-25
 | | Sally Simpson: Hi Fred,
Viagra Falls, I guess that is where swimmers get verrucas from. I'll go to the chemist today and ask for some foot Viagra, I bet I get some funny looks. |
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Jul-04-25
 | | Sally Simpson: I spent a while fixing that cooked study today. Success! Geoff Chandler (kibitz #270) Just needs tidying up pruning. |
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Jul-05-25 | | Olavi: That's great news. Now, which ingredients are indispensable? The move Bg1 and promotion, I think the discovered check not necessarily, particularly as a stationary knight is captured. |
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Jul-05-25
 | | Sally Simpson: <Hi Olavi>
I was going to make an article out of it for CHESS.
Some of the articles I have written for CHESS in the past started out as posts on here.
In fact in my next article for CHESS I mention this and say I sent it to CHESS 'because it is far too good for likes of them.' (them being this lot here) It should be in the August issue. I tried to keep as much of the Kovalenko position and idea as possible.  click for larger view1.b7 hxg3+
If 2.Kg8 Qh3 3. b8=Q Qxd3+ and 4...Qxb3 allows the Black King to take on a4 and Black is winning.
2. Kg8 Qh3 3.d5 stops that but after...
2. Kg7 ....
The win is simple - provided you see the idea.
2 ... d5
The only option is the stalemate try.
If Black allows 3.b8=Q it is mate in a few moves. 3.b8=B!
Threatening 4. Bc7 mate.
3...Kb6 4.Bh2
 click for larger viewIt is still a bit loose, 2. Kg8 and 3.d5 should win in the long run but as 2.Kg7 narrows the path to only moves and I still have the bones of the original position and remember in the original solution Black actually wins, I'm leaving it as that. I'll call it 'A. Kovalenko Part II' |
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Jul-05-25 | | Olavi: I'll do an ad hominem in reserve so to speak and as a studies editor on four different decades declare that much is lost with the move 2.Bg1. With the bishop on g1 to start with, half the cage is already in place - it's a weakness from the artistic point of view just as is the capturing of the stationary knight in the original Kovalenko. But if it's not doable... |
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Jul-05-25
 | | Sally Simpson: <Hi Olavi>
Yes it is crude, not as polished as I would like it. This is the simplified Kovalenko. I did have a working model featuring Bg1 but it started to differ drastically from the original - I wanted to use as much of the original as possible. Allowing a hxg discovered check and keeping the BQ on h8 is a challenge. Last Tuesday at the club, everyone else was playing chess, I was in the corner of the room reconstructing this. Every now and then letting out a moan and a groan. People approached - I gave them the 'keep your distance, master at work' look.
(I make it sound like a toil but I was enjoying every minute of it. I'll leave it for a week and come back to it.) |
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Jul-06-25 | | Olavi: <Sally Simpson> The obvious comparison piece is naturally https://www.yacpdb.org/#277316 |
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Jul-06-25
 | | Sally Simpson: Thanks for that Olavi, never knew about this one. Yes very close. The Kovalenko study is dated 1947. Smyslov's is 1936! click for larger viewFrom a 15 year old Smyslov. (if it was just V. Smyslov and due to the age you could be tricked into thinking it was Smyslov's father who for a while studied chess along with Chigorin. ) I too in my first attempt had the King going to the 4th of 5th rank (on the g-file) with pawns on h6 and h7 or h5 and h6 keeping the Queen boxed in on h1.
I was meeting Qxg1 and Queen checks. I struggled trying stop to them and keep the B8-h2 clear for Bishop to trap the Queen and keeping d5 available for Black stalemate.
Smyslov uses the Knight. I never thought of that, I was giving the Knight up as in the Kovalenko study. I found a four minute vid of the study and apparently Timman has found a small improvement. The chappie giving the vid does not explain what that is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5F... |
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Jul-06-25 | | Olavi: When Vasily Vasilyevich returned to composing 60 years later, he toyed with this sort of idea: https://www.yacpdb.org/#277322
and
https://www.yacpdb.org/#277324 |
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Jul-06-25
 | | Sally Simpson: <Hi Olavi>
And why not, it is a charming concept.
I'll get back to the Kovalenko study and use Smyslov's idea of a Knight on e2. (though I'd prefer to sac it) New title:
A Kovalenko study based on a Smyslov idea (not his father) with an unknown improvement from Timman unearthed and butchered by Sally who was encouraged to do so by Olavi. |
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Jul-06-25 | | Olavi: The special thing about 2.Bg1 in the Kovalenko, compared with these Smyslovs at least, is that the bishop is not protected there. |
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