-- no, wait, wrong script. OK, just the first part, then, about the greetings. Also, thanks, where applicable. :)

My respect for you as an active chess warrior has no bound- to be playing rated OTB chess against expert class players at rapid time control is <real chess>, and it's surprising how few of us chess addicts actually put ourselves on the line like that.

<Jess> thanks. :) Well, I'm actually <more> comfortable in rapid than in classical, against anybody - I have more confidence in being able to get away with my beloved tactical "cheapos". ;)

The thing people who never played OTB - like those morons over at IM & WGM Dembo's forum, who kept trying to make something of a comparison of OTB results to cc - don't really understand, is that OTB the name of the game is 'stress', rather than 'chess'. Sitting in a large room, opposite a real live opponent (who, you can be sure, at least in chessical terms, does <not> wish you well), and any number of spectators passing by, or worse, stopping and looking on... ticking clocks, uncomfortable chairs, too hot, too cold, etc. - is nothing, <nothing>, like playing online, while sitting in the privacy and leisurely comfort of your home. It's immensely more stressful - there is no comparison.

...BUT it's also more fun, and yes, "the real thing", and definitely worth it. :)

BTW, I decided a while ago not to announce here ahead of time when I'm going to play OTB, because simply knowing that then people will be waiting for the "report" on it afterwards, adds another stress level when I sit down to play. ;s

I play most weekends now, though, either classical or rapid.

<[...] and probably try to adopt you as well.>

Heh - maybe because I sound a lot younger on that one. ;) That's 'cos I raised the pitch to keep the "r" from sounding too rough, as the recording tends to render it, at my normal lower-pitched voice.

<Thanks for that TOP SECRET information about the admins plans. I'm glad of that and I wish them every success, let's be optimistic about it eh?>

Yup. Not top secret, btw - they posted about it here: chessgames.com chessforum. I email Daniel very rarely, ackshly. :)

<"Speaking" of languages, how's your German?>

Close to zero, and I'm not sure from which side, heh. But I can probably reproduce the sound and rhythm of it, with a bit of a reminder from some German-language youtube clip. :)

I really needed a reminder of what French "sounded like", and your explanation gave it - I usually know the "sterile" pronunciation of the letters, it's the rhythm and "character/flavor" of the language (where the accent goes in the words, what underlying "hidden vowels" to use for stringing together those letters - particularly strings of consonants - to produce an authentic-, rather than mechanical-sounding word...) that I mostly forget. And, actually, I don't think I'm very good in that regard with the Slavic languages... bear that in mind re. the Czech names.

German pretty 'normal' ist, apart from like Yoda sprechen.

Plus 'W' is pronounced like English 'V', and 'Z' is 'TZ'. And 'J' is like an Anglo 'Y', but almost all civilized languages do that.

If one has a particularly English accent, Etienne is somewhere between 'Esh Yen' and 'It Yearn'. But *that* accent is noted for disappearing sounds - not only have the Anglos done away with 'R', they no longer distinguish between 'W' and 'WH'. Not even the Prince of Whales.

BTW, at that chess tournament I heard several players touch pieces and mutter 'adjust' or 'I adjust'. Not that I'm well-adjusted myself, but what's wrong with "j'adoube" ... ?

Or Zhad Ewb, even.

<Annie> Hi babes, I reckon this qualifies as 'later'. So, uh, Linares?

Laud knows he deserves one.

Laud - the Anglican Bishop of that name, not the deity - has as good a claim as anyone to be the inventor of America, as his persecutions caused 17th century puritans to flee there. We've seen the result.

And yet they persist with Columbus Day - a 19th century innovation to commemorate a Mediterranean mercenary who thought he'd found Chipango.

But rounds 3 and 4 of a 6-round swiss? Then I'm dangerous.

But you knew that, dear.

<chancho> hope you'll feel better than "so and so" soon. Daughter is on vacation, or finished her studies there?

<Dom: <BTW, at that chess tournament I heard several players touch pieces and mutter 'adjust' or 'I adjust'. Not that I'm well-adjusted myself, but what's wrong with "j'adoube" ... ?

Or Zhad Ewb, even.>>

How about a compromise: j'adjust? ;)

<Laud knows he deserves one.>

Laud knows he <needs> one, anyway. I hope it's a vacation, and not a mental breakdown or something. ;s

<Vess Pootchie woulda had fits.>

Heh. Cor Tess mighta had a few choice words to say about it too.

<And yet it's the only kind I play -- I can't take computers or online opponents seriously, and I don't warm up fast enough for a one-off club game.>

I never play computers, and I don't take online opponents very seriously either, that's just for fun and practice. :)

BTW, I've had another bunch of fun French games recently - IOW, opponents who managed to find amusingly horrible ways to self-destruct, with just a little help from me. ;p

And yes, the "warm up" issue - a very real phenomenon for me too. I have an online blitz habit of losing my first two games of the day, before the chess mental functions kick in - unfortunately, the tradition tends to carry over to OTB, which is not very good for "just" 5- or 6-round rapid tourneys (played all in one day). Or the openings in classical games. :s

I also dropped out of the club scene since I started tournament play - no time nor "need" for both, at the moment. And that reminds me, I was going to add that "mere" club games are not much like rated tournament games either, stress-wise.

<But rounds 3 and 4 of a 6-round swiss? Then I'm dangerous.>

I would happily listen to you lecture for hours on any subject- so might a lot of others.

I'd suggest being a "spokesperson" but that doesn't really apply because your own discourse has <actual content>, which is more than can be said for the discourse of a few really strange people around these parts.

Recently, I noticed- I may well ask you about this in private, out of curiosity.

At any rate, the new names sound wonderful- added to the growing folder of proper chess master pronunciations.

I hope you are also saving the files because why not a CD?

<Dom> thanks for the assist on the WOLFGANG AMAEDEUS MOZART.

I suspected Milos Forman never got that one right.

Hey isn't he Hungarian?

<Annie> I bet I can say his name-

"Forman Milos"

Forr mahn Mee lohsh

Howard Staunton = Harvard's Downturn

Henry Bird = Ennery Beuhd

Ray Keene = Rake Eeny

Anthony Miles = Toni Meiss

Nigel Short = Najdorf Shawshank/ Nial's Heart/ Nosher/ usw.

Michael Adams = Micky Add ems/ Mikhaila Damns

Of course in practice 'Nigel' and 'Michael' are pronounced almost identically. A trained phoneticist will note that the initial nasal sound uses a different nostril in each case, and that the central syllable is a polite cough in both names, but more polite in Nigel.

Annie isn't the only one with a sexy voice, yanno. When I get around to recording the complete works of Myles na Gopaleen I'll send you an mp49.

Baburin: Bah BOO rin
Lopez: Lope Etz
Heidenfeld: Hello, Field

Gearoidin Ui Laighleis:

Gyarr Oy Deeny Lye Lesh

(Or you could try to annoy her by insisting on 'translating' her name into English - "Oh, is that Geraldine Lawless ...?")

Such Neo-Gaelic names have become fashionable. I blame Enya.

And I wouldn't wear one m'self.

This was adressed to Saint Annie, of course, but I peeked. ("If you see Saint Annie, please tell her thanks a lot"). Srsly, Ma'am.

Anyhoo. That thing about discourse and strange people. Look, I know I'm not actually *perfect*. But no, you had to 'spill the beans' - and in Annie's Forum, of all places.

People actually read this.

And thanks for all teh compliments - I see you're even succeeding in making <Dom> feel a bit jealous there - good work, good work. ;)

<Dom> but don't worry, dear, we still love you. ;p

<chancho> aha, so you have her back home, that's great. :)

OK, this just in -

[Event "FICS rated blitz game"]
[Date "2011.01.29"]
[White "AnnieK"]
[Black "NN"]
[WhiteElo "1494"]
[BlackElo "1410"]
[TimeControl "600+0"]
[Mode "ICS"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. Bb3 d6 7. Nbd2 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. Nf1 Nd4 10. cxd4 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Bxd4 12. Ne3 c5 13. O-O b5 14. Bd1 a5 15. Qg3 c4 16. dxc4 bxc4 17. Nf5 g6 18. Bh6 Nxe4 19. Qg4 Nf6 20. Qg5 Bxf2+ 21. Rxf2 Ne4 22. Qxd8 Rfxd8 23. Ne7+ Kh8 24. Rxf7 Rd7 25. Bg7# 1-0

Heh. Blitz <iz> fun. QED.

Oh, and here's my latest classical OTB - from yesterday, opponent being a little kid, but not overrated for once.

[Site "Haifa"]
[Date "2011.01.28"]
[White "Moner Bulhazar"]
[Black "Annie Kappel"]
[ECO "C53"]
[WhiteElo "1405"]
[BlackElo "1728"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 d6 5. h3 a6 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 Ba7 8. Nc3 Nf6 9. Bg5 h6 10. Be3 O-O 11. O-O Re8 12. Qb3 Qd7 13. Bd3 b5 14. Qc2 Ne7 15. Ne2 Nc6 16. Ng3 Nb4 17. Qc3 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 Bb7 19. d5 Bxe3 20. Qxe3 Bxd5 21. Rfe1 Bxe4 22. Nxe4 Rxe4 23. Qd3 Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 c5 25. Rd1 d5 26. Ne5 Qe6 27. Re1 Nd7 28. Nxd7 Qxe1+ 29. Kh2 Qe4 30. Qg3 Qe7 31. Qg4 Rd8 32. Nb6 Qd6+ 33. Qg3 Qxb6 34. Qh4 d4 35. Qe4 c4 36. Qe2 d3 37. Qd2 Re8 38. f3 Qd6+ 39. Kh1 Qg3 40. Qd1 Re1+ 41. Qxe1 Qxe1+ 42. Kh2 d2 43. b3 d1=Q 44. bxc4 Qd6+ 45. f4 Qxf4+ 46. g3 Qfxg3#

I was tired - sleepy, in fact, and didn't have nearly enough caffeine in the system... ;) I played a rather uninspired and very imprecise game. Luckily, the kid played even worse. :s

Ackshully 'Sloth' was one of the names I hoped might come up in the Holiday Quiz ... laziest player ever?

<<Dom> but don't worry, dear, we still love you. ;p >

One comment, on 30. Qg3 -

click for larger view

when I played 29...Qe4, I was hoping he'd decline the Q exchange and play that move, as he did, in hope of something like 30...d4 31.Nf6+.