Did you know that you can play the vintage videogame "Frogger" for free online?

Who knew?

For one thing, we begin on move 12 in a known - if uncommon - position. I suspect the main reason it's uncommon is that few people now play that early ...Nh5. It was fairly common in the early days of the KID, especially in the Fianchetto Var (no nasty Be2 to hit the Nh5), but fell out of use. Into actual *desuetude*, even.

My knowledge of KID history is rusty, but I know the opening has developed quite drastically over the years -- in many cases you can date a (GM) game from the line played. At one recent tourney I saw a game that struck me as being somehow 'old-fashioned', even though it was a nice win by black.

And, sure enough, when I eventually got the score and checked it, it turned out to have followed a Fischer game from around 1962. Spooky.

This is only true of certain openings: most Sicilian lines, KID and Gruenfeld, Slav, etc. The Frog is more conservative, though internal fashions change. I can usually date an English opening (but last weekend I played 1970s theory in the Symmetrical Var, and then offered a draw, still in theory on move 17. It was game #3 on the Saturday, OK?)

In the KID, ...Nh5 (or sometimes ...Nfd7 or Ne8) was seen as preparation for a quick ...f5, with a thematic attack. But it came to be thought too crude, and other ideas came to the fore. That ...Nh5 removes pressure from the centre, from d5, e4, g4 etc; it won't always be easy to play ...f5 and return with ...Nf6.

Yet it opens up the Gufeld Bishop on g7, which often gets locked in and paralyzed in the KID. This puts immediate pressure on d4, maybe with support from a timely ...c5. (BTW, White played 11.b3 rather than 'my' 11.Qe2 in all games I've traced - in one of 'em, black replied with 11.b3 c5!? and seemed to be doing OK: the old story of a weakness on d6 vs activity for Black.)

All of which happened in my game, including ...c5. While the apparent refutation, 12.Nf5, turns out to have problems .... then it turns out to be maybe winning after all. And some of the key lines are confusing to engines - I have yet to see any beast actually support the exchange sac line with Rxa2.

Your analysis seems to confirm my idea that White has a definite draw with good OTB winning chances. And the to-and-fro psychology of the whole line is fascinating.

During the game, I believed that ...Nh5 was dubious, 11...c5 anti-positional and weakening, and 12.Nf5 a strong response. My opponent went along with this and duly caved in. But if he'd found 13...f4! everything would have changed.

After such a psychic counter-blow, could I have found the moves that keep the white initiative rolling, even with the queens gone? Unlikely.

"I feel like an empty cast-iron exhibition..." (Queen Victoria, L.Cohen)

http://www.frogger-free.org>;

That's actually true... only it should be http://www.freefrogger.org/

Glad you found some of my analysis useful, as it was for me... Indded a fascinating line, and as far as my "win" is concerned I was primarily intrigued with the pawn formations that arose after I played your line... The 4-2 K-side plus the (eventual) 0-2 Q-side dysbalance had me quickly looking to get the rooks off, which wasn't that hard against my beast, as it didn't smell any danger, and keep my a-pawn at a2 as to let it take as long as possible for Black to materialize its passeed pawn, and at the same time centralize my King and moving up the pawn phalanx in such a way that I wasn't too troubled by attacks from "behind" by the Black Bishop... Once I got that rolling I knew I was favored for a win while my beast had no clue --- the OCBs (BOOC) were very crucial in converting the chances I think...

Regrettably I haven't saved the score but it was played at a rapid tempo with me only taking back a move one, maybe twice...

As far as your knowledge and understanding of various opening systems is concerned, you are way ahead of me... Great information for me there and thanks.

What I take away from this is the lack of sufficient technique OTB, from my beast, in order to prohibit certain threats in time...

I installed Crafty a few days ago and have twice convincingly beat it purely by technique and in your line I floored rybka 2.1 -- though not at more than 30 secs a move I must add... But still, my sole devotion to training my technigue and harmonizing my piece play and create unbalances in pawn structures is a large part of my recent success...

Chess remains a game that fascinates me beyond I thought possible.

Some accepted abbreviations (Nimzo, Gazza, Kaspy) are cool, and humour is an asset. The word 'chess' is kosher, along with equivalents from other languages. I'm still trying to decide on the Myanmarish guy Zaw Oo ... <ZAWOO> would be good, but can we *ignore space*?

I've come close with chess names only, but hadda cheat slightly. F'rinstance:

E N S O R
N I M Z O
S M O O T
O Z O L S
R O T S A

Um, actually it appears that only *one* of these, Ozols, was a fully qualified chessplayer under the meaning of the act -- and there are moves to deligitimate him for being an alleged Nazi. He was a top Aussie player in the 1950s, but had done some murky deeds in Nazi-occupied Latvia and the Baltics in the early 1940s, or so it seems.

As for the other words: ENSOR would be that rarity, a Famous Belgian - and maybe the leading Belgian artist of the 20th century, if Magritte hadn't stolen his dreams.

NIMZO is a defence with which I lose quickly to grandmasters.

A SMOOT is a member of the extended family of Brigadier & Mrs Smoots, Godalming. "I saw a Smoot in the wainscot, dear, so I put out some traps loaded with Wikis and Brie. Chop their vicious little heads off at the ankle, I say".

And ROTSA ... ?

Well, ROTSA RUCK.

But ROTSK (Trotsky's middle) or ROTSH (Race of the Superheroes) or ROTSE (Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment) looking at gamma ray bursts in deep space ... would also have done.

And there's another option (ROTSE) which, for some odd reason, can only be explained in Dutch:

"Die <Rotse van Liancourt> is 'n groep betwiste eilandjies in de see van Japan. Die eilande word reeds sedert 1951 deur Suid-Korea beset, hoewel Japan hulle opgeëis het."

Intriguing tale, as it happens. The island-oid (QUIP: Quasi Insular protorock?) was bombed by the USA, killing some local Koreans, and was the subject of a territorial dispute. In English, it is sometimes called <Lioncourt Rocks> which sounds remarkably like something out of an Anne Rice vampire novel. The full name of Rice's vamp hero L'Estat is L'Estat de Lioncourt.

He's meant to be French, but the usual American pronunciation of his name is <Less Tat>. Hey, I'm not being anti-American here ... Irish director Neil Jordan, who made the first movie with Tom Cruise, and Irish actor Stuart Townsend, who played 'Less Tat' in the sequel, were just as bad. And it's hard to be as <baaaad> as Tom Cruise (Top Secret *Operating Thetan Code Number* is LRH-23 -- gets you a free banana in any scientology center worldwide, apart from EISO, the Eternal Invisible Sea Org, where Cap'n Ron sails on forever like a Flying Dutchman.

Famous Explorer Lafayette R Hubbard, with First Mate T. Mapother Cruise at his side, "Discovered" the Rotse van Liancourt in 1658 CE, and named it after a vampire he met in the port of Amsterdam while hocking the family diamonds.

Less tat? More tat, really. Niels sez I got three encyclopedias in my head, but it's more than that. Like those ancient Egyptians who had six souls, except for Pharaoh, who got a 7th one on accounta being Pharaoh.

Don't knock it. Parking spaces and pensions are one thing, but how many jobs throw in a spare soul?

Most of the jobs I've seen tend to remove them, if anything.

Basta. Here are some names that might be useful to anyone attempting the <Frog Challenge>: Amaya, Amura, Afifi, Fritz, Nimzo, Anand, Makka, Mcnab, Miles, Milos, Mateo, Mione, Mista, Moles, Moore, Muter, Myhre, Lopez ...

<Domdaniel>!! It appears you actually have THREE games in the database.

Here you are PLAYING AGAINST YOURSELF IN THE <dreaded Smith Morra>...

Employing the Courageous Qc7, which I really wanted to play today but I was afraid of Nb5 AND OH CRAP just Qb8 and Black is perfectly fine.

Dagnabbit.

Er... <dom>...

I know you are a master of the esoteric artistic pursuit--

But....

GOOD GRAVY MAN!!!

(actually my Mom, a "puzzle" afficianado, would appreciate your efforts here. I'm going to mail here a printout of your "challenge". She doesn't use email- she regards it as "barbaric")

Holy shiploads full of sea-going snitches that's a toughy, man...

I intended to use my weekend for some relaxation but noooooo... nonononooo...

<Brigadier & Mrs Smoots, >

I'm Brigadier Smoot!!

I musta signed versions of that name a hunderd times here.

I want 50 pee deposited in my account every time you type "smoots" from now on.

Entertainingly, it's a Dutch name!!

I beg your pardon, Madame et monsieur...

but for now how about this 3x3 ?

Oll
Lie
Lee

please remit the winnings to

c/o Col. Haathi (Retired)
Rajput Rifles Regiment
Oodaipore

I've been dreaming about a world where would-be bankers and financiers and idealistic young derivatives traders live in an attic or garret on a pittance, eating stale bread and bananas cadged from prostitutes ... for many years, in dedication to their art, knowing they'll probably never make any money until they're dead, when their derivatives rights will be traded between rich collectors at 100 mil a pop.

Meanwhile, poets and painters start on a seven-digit salary, lose their souls on day one, but it's worth it for the 'security' innit? And jacuzzis full of champagne, and special cars that run over little people without alerting the driver. Arty scum.

Eh, sorry, opps, carried away by a daydream there... not sure where chessplayers fit in, anyhow. As usual.

OLL
LEE
LIE

O R R
R E E
R E E

[SIGNED]

A C E S
C U N T
E N I D
S T D S

I'm not sure if this counts according to the rules.

I got a real chess 4 x 4:

F R O G
R A M A
O M A R
G A R A

and a 2x2 invoking <Joe Wms>'s old friend:

N N
N N

Another is

O O
O O.

I ALMOST FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR!1

Good thing I only ever lie on my tummy when online.

I don't think this can be explained by mere coincidence.

N N
N N

It's <Gerry Casey>.

Yes, your whole name is in the title, but reversed.

Kind of like in a phone book.

Ok I'm a little frightened now.

Do you think it's a message?