Williebob Member since Jul-31-18 · Last seen Jun-07-23 I live in the often lovely little town of Washington, D.C. Occasionally, my travels take me near the US Capital Building, and I have never missed a chance to point to that unmistakeable dome and say to my exasperated children, "See that? That's where they spend all the money!" Since some regulars have responded to my posts, I thought it would be friendlier to add this mostly anonymous bio; you all have my admiration and respect, and I thank you for giving me a spot in an extraordinary community. Music is my main gig. Chess-wise, I am a hack, but I'm also spending some newly acquired free time in 2020 "booking up" with the goal of acquiring an official USCF rating. I suspect my current ability is under 1600, so... plenty of room to soar! ... January 2022. A resolution for this year: I will play over-the-board chess again, re-activating my USCF rating (I ceased my rare tourny outings more than ten years ago after barely crossing the provisional twenty game rating threshold). If I can crack 1600 in the minnow ponds around the D.C. area, I will be satisfied as a chess enthusiast and maybe someday expert. Excelsior!

Williebob has kibitzed 624 times to chessgames   [more...]

May-25-23 Superbet Blitz Poland (2023)    Williebob: <perfidious> It's much too difficult to pick just one, now that I've spent more than a mouse click actually thinking about it! Should anyone get the wrong impression, I have a history of violently reacting to the "weak" label, however applied, to the world's Top 10, 20, ...      May-16-23 Magnus Carlsen    Williebob: <fredthebear: Do you think they'll jump kids in Europe to steal their MC shoes like they did for Air Jordans in the states?> If they do, it'll be two sidewalk squares forward then one from the side.      May-12-23 Andras Adorjan    Williebob: Not a pun, but a memorial: <Black is OK Forever> <perfidious: It is small wonder really that so many strong players have passed on, aged 64...> Let's all remember to leave the board occasionally and go for a nice walk. Break a little sweat every day and thank ...      Apr-30-23 Nepomniachtchi vs Ding Liren, 2023    Williebob: Dontcha mean World Rapid Champion (by proxy)?      Apr-25-23 F Finkilshteyn vs R Fischer, 1995    Williebob: Thanks, <Stoney>! Now we can turn our attention to that most glorious name, Feliks Finkilshteyn. Of all the names that are fun to say, it's got to be one.      Apr-20-23 Nepomniachtchi - Ding World Championship Match (2023)    Williebob: Watching that post-game joke that Ding made, which was charming and funny, I immediately cringed at the seeming lack of appreciation in the room for lighthearted humor (I think I heard maybe one or two people quietly chuckle). It seems that the huge nerves are affecting the media ...      Apr-13-23 Ding Liren vs Nepomniachtchi, 2023    Williebob: "Bad joke" also works.      Apr-09-23 Emanuel Lasker    Williebob: Thanks for the excellent post, <FSR>. No argument here per Lasker's greatness! One similarity between Lasker and Botvinnik: They both got robbed of opportunities during (arguably) their peak years, by World Wars 1 and 2 respectively. But that aside, Lasker's longevity of ...      Apr-08-23 Niemann vs Carlsen, 2022   Williebob: One and Done      Mar-29-23 E L Dayton vs F Ouchi, 1952    Williebob: <SFoD>, Thank you for the thoughtful reply. Perhaps like David Barr my view of Dr. Fauci's role will change, but for now I am still feeling the sting of unintended consequences. Maybe my biggest concern is, I think that the USA is too damn big to grant an individual the ...

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Nov-16-20    morfishine: You can establish your USCF rating by playing one tournament. At least thats the way it used to be. If you go in unrated, I think they put you somewhere in the middle, like the 1700 group, that prevents "sandbagging" and after your 5 games (typical weekend swiss) you have an official rating to use for your next tournament. Good Luck! Nov-16-20    Check It Out: <Williebob> <Music is my main gig> Tell me more! I've played in a (used to be) gigging band for the past 25 years, let's chat. Nov-21-20    Williebob: It only just occurred to me to check my own dang profile page for kibitzes, and lo and behold! <morf>, thanks for the post. Time to polish up an opening or two! <Check it Out>, for the last 15 years I have been entertaining families around the D.C. area in a group called Rocknoceros. Original songs, often meant for children, but our approach has always been to make Beatles-sounding songs that grown ups can enjoy as much as the wee ones. What's your gig, and do you think you'll get it back soon?!?! Nov-21-20    Check It Out: <Williebob> Nice to hear from you! that's great that you write music for kids and grown ups. You can never go wrong with a Beatles-type format; so much to dig in to, not to mention all the great harmonies. Is it the lyrics that make is kid-oriented? I play guitar and sing in a heavy rock band. We do all originals and have been together now about 10 years, played maybe a 100 gigs or so during that time. Mostly angular riffs, odd time signatures, and tight arrangements, with a two alternating lead vox approach. We have continued to rehearse and write and can't wait for that time when we can play our stuff again for folks. I anticipate we will get to gig in the second half of 2021, so we hang in there, like you, I'm sure. Rocknoceros - is that like Rhinoceros? Nov-22-20    Williebob: <CiO> Yes, like "rhinoceros". Definitely the lyric writing is the most "geared" toward a family-friendly thing. We like to think our approach is like a Pixar movie - keep children and parents interested together. To our small community of fans, we have succeeded on that front. I love the description of your band! I started out as a bass player, loving and studying Rush and Yes bass licks, and have played some hard rocking type stuff in my lifetime. In high school, I got to play "One" by Metallica in front of about 2,000 peers and parents, a fond memory. We killed it! Would totally check out your band - do you have recordings out there? I record and mix a lot of stuff at home, trying to get back into making song demos. Nov-22-20    Check It Out: <W> Nice videos! Pleasant stuff. You guitar playing is smooth, and has some nice jazz, rockabilly, and rock n roll sounds to it. I'd love to post some of my band's songs, but right now I'm thinking maintaining my anonymity on this site is best. Sorry about that. If there is a way to relay it to you without posting it here I would. Nov-29-20    Williebob: <Check It> Thanks for checking out the goods, and the kind comments. We continue our search for improvements! Understood regarding privacy. It's too bad that CG doesn't have a PM! Still, I look forward to further music chat and otherwise - see you around :) Nov-30-20    Check It Out: <Willie> I wonder if you have experience with this phenomenon: I am the main riff, melody, and lyricist writer for my heavy rock band. The bass player is the "editor": he slices and dices the ideas, and we end up with these rock constructions that hold up against any "mean" rock band live. But, when I'm simply writing for myself I tend to write these rather traditional-type songs, with jangly rhythms, happy melodies, and sappy lyrics. What gives? Dec-15-20    Williebob: <Check it Out> Clearly your creativity is more universal than one band can accommodate! Recording has been tough in 2020, I've got a youngster at home while schools remain closed, but dangit I need to make some demos! Remind myself that I occasionally write. I say, try to devote some time to developing all your ideas, especially pop songs. (when I write 'pop' I mean pretty much all song craft, vs. more compositional type work... a fuzzy line but I think you know what I mean.) Heck, <Check>, you could write a hit, or a piece of one! I know people in L.A. who have careers based on a single hook - not even verses, just a good chorus. Probably the lyrical side of the hook is the thing most worth toying around with. Apr-21-21    Check It Out: Thanks, <W>. I didn't mean to come off as arrogant there. It's just that my natural "singer/songwriter" style is so different from what happens in my band, even though I write the riffs in both arenas. I was looking for others who experience this phenomenon, and what they make of it. I've also heard, come in with a strong chorus and then go from there. May-14-21    Williebob: <CiO> I keep forgetting to check out my page! I detected no arrogance from your post, my apologies if my reply sounded reactionary or else... my meaning was from the heart; I think it's great to have any number of influences and ideas. Pushing the boundaries outward. You know, over many years now, I have heard quite a few very successful bands (if YouTube play count is a reliable indicator of success, anyhow) which blend the heavy riffing of metal and more melodic singerly stuff. My daughter played for me this band called Dance Gavin Dance. They have two singers... well, one singer and one "growler". I cannot say I was enchanted by tunes I heard, but had to admire their attempt to blend "wimpy" with "hard" (using these adjectives with maximum flexibility and humor - no judgement. I like Paul Simon and Metallica!). Not least impressive was the quarter billion views(!) Dude, if that seems like a possibility for your band - integrating traditional chorus melodies with the more expanded forms of metal, you could be raking in the Internet as we type :) Hope all is well. Rocknoceros is gigging again this summer, almost back to normal-ish. To paraphrase Frank Zappa: Musicians refuse to die! May-14-21    Check It Out: That's great that you will back to gigging soon! Us too. We are back to rehearsing and writing new tunes, and as soon as the local clubs are booking we will play out. We have a new-ish drummer who started with us right when covid hit, so he's never played a gig with us yet. We need to pop the corona cherry :) As for raking in the internet, I'm afraid we are not outward looking enough to get there. We dream of making song videos, etc., but publicity is not our strong suit. We do plan to get in to record our 2nd full length album in the next year. That, new songs, and gigs, that's all we need :) Here's a good tune by Larry Coryell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lva...

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