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Phony Benoni
Member since Feb-10-06 · Last seen Jun-11-22
Greetings, O Seeker After Knowledge! You have arrived in Dearborn, Michigan (whether you like it or not), and are reading words of wisdom from a player rated 2938--plus or minus 1000 points.

However, I've retired from serious play--not that I ever took playing chess all that seriously. You only have to look at my games to see that. These days I pursue the simple pleasures of finding games that are bizarre or just plain funny. I'd rather enjoy a game than analyze it.

For the record, my name is David Moody. This probably means nothing to you unless you're a longtime player from Michigan, though it's possible that if you attended any US Opens from 1975-1999 we might have crossed paths. Lucky you.

If you know me at all, you'll realize that most of my remarks are meant to be humorous. I do this deliberately, so that if my analysis stinks to High Heaven I can always say that I was just joking.

As you can undoubtedly tell from my sparkling wit, I'm a librarian in my spare time. Even worse, I'm a cataloger, which means I keep log books for cattle. Also, I'm not one of those extroverts who sit at the Reference Desk and help you with research. Instead, I spend all day staring at a computer screen updating and maintaining information in the library's catalog. The general public thinks Reference Librarians are dull. Reference Librarians think Catalogers are dull.

My greatest achievement in chess, other than tricking you into reading this, was probably mating with king, bishop and knight against king in a tournament game. I have to admit that this happened after an adjournment, and that I booked up like crazy before resuming. By the way, the fact I have had adjourned games shows you I've been around too long.

My funniest moment occurred when I finally got a chance to pull off a smothered mate in actual play. You know, 1.Nf7+ Kg8 2.Nh6+ Kh8 3.Qg8+ Rxg8 4.Nf7#. When I played the climactic queen check my opponent looked at the board in shocked disbelief and said, "But that's not mate! I can take the queen!"

Finally, I must confess that I once played a positional move, back around 1982. I'll try not to let that happen again.

>> Click here to see Phony Benoni's game collections.

Chessgames.com Full Member

   Phony Benoni has kibitzed 18635 times to chessgames   [more...]
   Jun-11-22 M Blau vs Keres, 1959 (replies)
 
Phony Benoni: Not a good recommendation for the DERLD. Out of 59 moves, White makes only three in Black's half of the board. And two of those conist of 3.Bb5 and 6.Bxc6.
 
   Jun-11-22 chessgames.com chessforum (replies)
 
Phony Benoni: Er, it's back. Karpov vs Timman, 1988
 
   Jun-10-22 Orlo Milo Rolo
 
Phony Benoni: Marco!
 
   Jun-10-22 Lilienthal vs Bondarevsky, 1947
 
Phony Benoni: Another one for you King Hunters. Black's monarch travels fron g8 to b8, then takes the Great Circle Route back to h3 before calling it a day.
 
   Jun-10-22 GrahamClayton chessforum (replies)
 
Phony Benoni: <GrahamClayton> I've posted a question for you at L T Magee vs J Holland, 1948
 
   Jun-10-22 L T Magee vs E L Holland, 1948 (replies)
 
Phony Benoni: <GrahamClayton> The source you cite, <Chess Review, May 1948, p. 24>, gives Black's name as <E Holland> "Chess Life" (June 5, 1948, p. 1) has a table of results giving <E L Holland>. That form also appears in USCF rating supplements for a player fro ...
 
   Jun-09-22 Biographer Bistro (replies)
 
Phony Benoni: SkinnVer Here Among the Fold?
 
   Jun-09-22 Flohr vs Bondarevsky, 1947 (replies)
 
Phony Benoni: Black's bishop makes me think of Godzilla emerging from the depths of the ocean to wreak havoc. However, in the end it's his Two Little Friends who steal the show. Well, maybe not so litt.
 
   Jun-06-22 W Ritson-Morry vs G T Crown, 1947
 
Phony Benoni: it was the last round. Rison-Morry was mired in last place. These things happen.
 
   Jun-06-22 W Adams vs M Kagan, 1947
 
Phony Benoni: Some more informztion. The game was published in <Chess Review>, March 1948, p. 23. Black's name is given as "M Kagan", and the location as "Massachusetts". There is no other game data, but I think we can now safely assume Black is <Milton Kagan>. Earlier in the ...
 
(replies) indicates a reply to the comment.

Living in the Past

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 213 OF 914 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Oct-02-10  Jim Bartle: I don't mind, really. Tomorrow's game, and Monday's if necessary, will be exciting. I assume Lincecum would go in a playoff game, a good test or him.

I was listening to Stanford-Oregon football, as Stanford got off to a 21-3 lead in the first quarter. Came back in fourth quarter, it's Oregon 45, Stanford 31.

Oct-03-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  WannaBe: <Jim Bartle> The Stanford-Oregon game reminded me of Oregon-Tennessee game earlier in the season, where the Ducks stormed back and wallopped the Vols in the second half.

Speaking of the Vols, how about that ending against LSU? Or Washington-USC game?!

What would happen if you need to go to 2 play-off games? (Monday, then Tuesday? See Scenario 3) http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/...

Oct-03-10  Travis Bickle: Hey Phony I think you have an overlay with your Lions getting 14 1/2 points vs The Packers in Lambeau. I'm sorry but getting over 2 touchdowns & extra points before they kick the ball off is alot. I bet 100 on Detroit with the spread!

Now what about my Bears? They're getting 3 1/2 vs The Giants in NY. I'm leery on this game, because The Bears have beat The Cowboys and Green Bay back to back, 2 of the teams picked as NFC powerhouses. If The Bears beat the Giants that would mean The Bears are really good. ; P 100 on the Bears again taking the points.

Oct-03-10  Jim Bartle: From the little I've read, it sounds as if there's a lot of dissension and disorganization on the Giants right now.

Only listened, but Oregon seems to be a really good team. If Stanford is going to lose to anybody, let it be Oregon or Washington, not USC or Cal.

Oct-03-10  Jim Bartle: Travis, what's this about "The Bears"? Are you by chance referring to "Da Bears"?
Oct-03-10  Travis Bickle: <Jim Bartle> Most Definitely my friend!

voice recognition
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/...

Hey JB here he is watching the game! ; P
http://www.cheekopek.com/wp-content...

Oct-03-10  Jim Bartle: I was checking facts from the often-romanticized "Summer of '49" by David Halberstam, and decided to see if Tommy Byrne routinely walked eight batters a game.

I found this game: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/...

Byrne went 10 and 2/3, gave up four hits, and walked 13. Can anyone imagine that happening today? I can just hear the announcer: "With that walk Byrne's pitch count is up to 140 now."

For the 1949 season Byrne walked 179 and gave up only 125 hits in 197 innings. You'd think the fielders would have collapsed from sheer boredom.

Oct-03-10  Jim Bartle: Here's another: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/...

Byrne goes 1 and 1/3, 3 hits and 7 walks. Also Sox starter Billy Pierce gave up 4 hits and 4 runs, got nobody out, and the reliever pitched 9 full for the win.

About the two worst starts in one game I can think of.

Oct-03-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: And that was probably in the fifth inning.

If I don't miss my guess, he walked in the winning run in the 11th.

Byrne was incredibly wild. Today, a pitcher with a lifetime SO/BB ratio of .738 would probably be a position player filling in during a blow-out. Yet, not only did he last for a decade, he was a regular starter for the dominating Yankees teams of his time.

Think about that when considering the diluted talent pool today.

Oct-03-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: Atlanta just won, so Bobby Cox gets at least one more game.
Oct-03-10  Jim Bartle: I'd love it if retrosheet had the play-by-plays for 1949, so I could check what Halberstam writes. I already know there are many errors and gross simplifications; it would be interesting to check.

If your TV gets it, check out the Giants-Pads game just starting. Everybody is nervous as heck: pitchers, hitters, fielders, umpires (a drive kicking up chalk on the left-field line was called foul). Crowd is really amped up. (Best sign: "End the Suffering Today.")

Oct-03-10  Jim Bartle: Lions and 49ers both lost by two points, though by different means.
Oct-03-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: It's all over now: Giants have scored 2 runs. What could possibly go wrong?
Oct-03-10  dakgootje: nail-biter though with those 2 on, top-7th. Still, going to bottom 7th so only 6 more batters to survive.
Oct-03-10  dakgootje: Giants have won the West :)
Oct-03-10  Jim Bartle: All right. SF vs. Philadelphia now? At least they can start Lincecum in Game 1.
Oct-03-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: No, SF is actually the #2 seed, since they finished one game ahead of Cincinnati.

Phillies can't play wild-card Braves (same division), so they get #3 Reds and Atlanta goes to San Francisco.

Oct-03-10  Jim Bartle: OK, that'll give them a better shot to reach the next round. I thought Cincinnati had a better record than the Giants.
Oct-03-10  Jim Bartle: At pregame ceremonies for Bobby Cox today, Chipper Jones called him "the greatest manager any of us will ever know."

Easy for you to say, Chipper!

I think Jones is deserving of the Hall of Fame. How many Hall of Famers played their entire careers for a single manager? All of the A's from the first half of the last century, of course, plus a few under McGraw. But would Jones be the first since 1950 (assuming he retires)?

Oct-03-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: That surprised me too. The Reds clinched so long ago it seemed they had to have the better record.
Oct-03-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: Actually, I'm having trouble finding HOFers who played their entire careers under Mack or McGraw. Every one I've checked so far has played for other teams, but I haven't looked exhaustively.

Since 1950, though, I can give you at least two: Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale for Walter Alston.

Oct-03-10  Jim Bartle: Good catch. Koufax and Drysdale.

I was thinking at least Lefty Grove for the A's, but I just saw he pitched for Boston as well.

Oct-04-10  Russian Grandmasters: Hello <Phony Benoni>!

I was hoping you had control over this biography here-

Alexander Flamberg

Or you know who does- because it would benefit from a correction:

<Flamberg> did not win the Warsaw Championship in 1910.

He won it in 1901 and 1902.

In 1910 he finished third behind <Rubinstein> and <Rotlewi>.

Can you (you guys?) change it?

Source:

<Akiva Rubinstein Uncrowned King> Donaldson and Minev
2006
pp. 213-215

Thanks if you can help me (us).

Oct-04-10  Jim Bartle: I'm having fun using retrosheet to fact-check "Summer of '49." My impression is that Halberstam believed a lot of stories he was told, and didn't bother to check if they were true.

For example, he writes that the first time Ted Williams faced Lefty Gomez at Yankee Stadium, he hit a home run. Red Ruffing asked him what he hit and Gomez said "fastball." Next day Ruffing gave up a longer homer to Williams and Gomez told Ruffing, "Just as long as it wasn't a fastball."

Here's the first game I found where Gomez pitched to Williams in NY: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/...

No Williams homers, and Ruffing didn't pitch the next day.

Of course it's possible Gomez was referring to a different year. But Halberstam really needed to check his facts.

Oct-04-10  Jim Bartle: However the story of the 9-2 force out at home in this game is apparently true:

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/...

In the ninth inning, the Sox loaded the bases, as the day became darker. Trailing by one run, Zarilla lined a single to right. But neither Pesky on third nor the third-base coach could see the ball well, and Pesky went back to tag before running.

The rightfielder threw home where Berra caught the ball while touching the plate, and the ump called safe. "You didn't tag him!" he told Berra. And Berra (naturally) said, "It was a force play." And the ump changed the call to out. A rightfielder-to-catcher forceout.

According to the book Williams running from second almost ran over Pesky, stopping just in time.

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