... this means that there are many Suttles games, familiar to you, which I have *never* seen. So I just downloaded Lawrence Day's 'Hot Rats' game collection -- thank Evans for other people's good taste.

Of course not. The remarkable thing about the stuff Suttles plays is that he *always* generates some sort of unlikely counterplay, be it an exchange sac, a mad king walk, a pawn storm from nowhere. This has a lot to do with the potential energy inherent in Modern/Rat/Robatsch systems; you'll always come out of the fog with a position that looks sort of familiar but at the same time is mixed up with your opponent's efforts at imposing classical principles earlier in the game. The Suttlesian spirit, therefore, can be defined as the over-the-board attempt to intuit the true nature of one's recent dreams.

<Hot Rats... I believe you mentioned sherry?>

Ah yes, a fine collection that.

The mention of Zappa and beverages to accompany chess recalls a couple of old conversations. First Mondo on how best to enjoy playing over a Reti (31st December 2004):

<a good bottle of vintage port and schuberts trout quintet or death and the maiden-use a really good set and board and i think you will find it hard to better in the chess enjoyment stakes.>

Then <whiskeyrebel>, 20th February 2006 over on the Bruce Harper page:

<I like to think of Suttles as the "Frank Zappa" of chess considering the fact that they created during the same time period and could be counted on for something "bizarre".>

I very much like the idea that we should marry different players with specific music and booze. It seems only natural from all of the above that Peaches en Regalia ought to be playing whilst you start to go over Kavalek-Suttles, but as to drink, I'm not sure. Choose wisely.

Recent dreams? Oh, no. I have these stately architectural dreams with vast buildings and nobody in them. Too many Resnais and Greenaway movies in my subconscious, I suspect. The chessic equivalent would be something repellent like Capablanca.

also remember to exchange your Bishops for Knights, Nimzo was dead on, Catholic Bostonian Bishops like Father O'blivion being as dangerous as they are ....gimme a Knight in shining armour anyday on a Pygmy Pony ..

"We restrain, we blockade, but it is the enemy who has the two bishops in his oily grasp".

PS. I'm in wireless mode at the moment. As a being from a long-forgotten century, I normally don't trust connections without actual cables, wires, and visible means of support. But I'm extending my range today.

I never had the courage...

By the way, I'm so feverish that I can't even find your counter-anagram... (yes, yes)

DOH

Re the Nimzo thead, couldn't resist. Fred Reinfeld as a comparison!? The man who looks at this position from Nimzowitsch vs Tarrasch, 1914 and gives the move 11.cxd a question mark??

click for larger view

http://www.20secondschess.com

Sooner you nor me, mate.

I had a look at my Irish championship games recently and came to the conclusion that my play was consistent with copious use of class A drugs. Terrible in spots, goodish in others, but mostly incomprehensible.

Yeah, and I'm hoping to at least qualify from the group stage. I tend to be up on the clock anyway because most of my opponents spend about half an hour staring at things like ...Nh6. Plus my play's been sharpening up of late - here's hoping I come up against one of the four 'very special guests' that these 20 second lads are shouting excitedly about.