NO I don't!!!

If you find it for me I promise to send many, many burritos to you in the mail as soon as I can get to a Hispanic country.

Mrs. Viva Zapata

haha

Well I really can't thank you enough.

I'm going to read the article for breakfast tomorrow so it will inspire me in my <Yahoo> game.

First game in five days!!

Branko signed in today!!

heh...

So, You got plans for tonight then, eh?

Good Show!

Kortchnoi is the dedicated chess fighter and my favorite all time "king of hearts"...have you seen the clip where he snaps at Sophia Polgar? HA MY HERO!!

"THis was the FIRST and LAST time you beat me, young lady....the LAAAASSSTTT!"

I get butterflies in my stomach when I think of that. I aspire to be such a tough old buzzard when I'm 80!

Also your correspondence agony reminds me of that awesome book Kasparov wrote about his game vs the Rest of the World...he was in agony too every day for a year over it I think! He had all his machines working on that game...plus that book proves decidedly that endgames are every bit as complicated as middlegames...and also how fretting a Bg7 can be on the mind of the supergenius grandmaster!!

Later.

Oh and that reminds me of two books I used to have and wish I hadn't let go...on account of the woodcut illustrations and fine elegant 30s hardback backs....Crime and Punishment with some shivery "the scream" type illustrations and Frankenstein ditto.

ETC.

P.S. my Korean realtor is quite amused by your cultural reports. As am I. any time you wish to drop some other cultural insights do so at my forum where they will be cherished. Tell me about canadians! One Albertese told me once that "everyone from BC is crazy". What did he mean exactly?

Later.

heh yes I've watched that <Kortschnoi> Blitz vid more than a few times.

Too bad he never got WC for sure.

There are a couple of brief "Korea reports" over at <Howard's> at the moment.

tell your realtor friend "anyang haseo" from me.

Tell her I am the "Bangu Master".

Yes, all people from BC are crazy.

Also, I believe it has the lowest median IQ rate in the world.

If the fruit didn't drop off the trees in BC, everyone would starve because all they do is smoke dope and lie around on the beach all year round.

Nice work if you can get it I suppose.

Oh yes and they gutted the social safety network as well so if you're out of money you're out of luck, no matter how old or sick.

They just let you die in the street like a dog.

Good news for libertarians!!

Albertans are among the most deeply ignorant people on the planet. Fun to party with but I doubt you'd want to live there.

Unless you wanted to be able to wear a cowboy hat without people laughing at you.

And hate gay people.

Oh and black people as well.

And women.

My Dad was raised in Calgary, Alberta.

Once I asked him "Dad, is Calgary a good city?"

I was very young, but I clearly remember him saying:

"They should put a giant plastic bag over it and let it compost."

Did you know that his head takes up almost three cubic metres of "space"?

They have to use special cameras to take his head shots because normal cameras can't fit it in to the frame.

Which wasn't too difficult given that he played <1.e4 e6 2.Qh4????>

I'm still overplaying <1.e4> White piece games hoping, in vain, for a <Ruy> to practice against.

A: the game was so atrociously played by both sides that it's actually embarrassing me at the moment.

B: I'm worried that overplaying the White pieces will make me rusty with Black.

C: I can't decide if I should play another <Yahoo> game, and if I should play with White or Black if I do, or if I should spend the rest of the day training with the <Ruy> against my Engine and taking notes in my chess journal.

D: I will go for a brisk walk in the fresh air here and I will look for an "omen" to guide me as to the best course of chess action for the rest of the day.

Well I got what I wished for and I'm crying in my beer now.

Or I would be if I drank beer!!

Ok so I decided on a second game with White <1.e4> and finally I got a guy almost a hundred points higher than me and he played a <Berlin>-

So this has been the highlight so far of my "chess comeback" since I was layed up for so long over the Holidays. I finally got a chance to test out the work I've been doing with my Engine, training on the White side of the <Ruy> mainly.

To test it out against a stronger player even- but as it turns out I don't think he was any better than me. Although who knows about that all you have is the one game in front of you-

1/2-1/2

Positives:

A: I remembered the opening theory well enough not to make a hash out of the opening.

B: He, however, played better out of the opening and he managed to fix my backward <d-pawn> as a permanent target-- I haven't checked with my Engine yet, but I'm pretty sure Black was better at that point.

C: I had, however, some opportunites for some active Kingside pressure so I mounted an attack- Most of his pieces were on the Queenside, so I made some headway.

Then he made what I believe was a serious tactical error in the middlegame- I will post that position later after analysis- But I'm pretty sure White is better at this point.

D: Now the heartbreak- after his error, I was able to turn up the heat on my attack until it broke his position- He was forced to sac one of his Rooks for my e-pawn.

So now I'm sitting with a "won game" but he's going to make me work for it.

So I calculate- at the point of me having this "won game"-- that he has one and one only chance for active Queenside counterplay, or he'll be mated or lose even more material.

I will post this position also, and I'm <DEAD CERTAIN> my engine will show me with a <HUGE WINNING ADVANTAGE> here.

So I know the position well- I know where he's going to move even- but he spends almost 10 minutes before he moves there, and of course I'm calculating away my continuation after the new position will arise.

AND I HUNG MY ROOK.

No excuses. I was overexcited and elated and unable to control my emotions, even though I deliberately took a bit of a break and walked around.

I failed- for the 22 millionth time in my life- to do the simple <Before you move checklist> that prevents us from hanging pieces.

So then he is a pawn up and I felt like resigning and I'm psychologically crushed.

E: I suppose the ending of this story is a positive- I got really mad and I hunkered down and pretended I was starting a new game from the present position. And despite him having what was probably a winning positional advantage (I think-), I managed to play down to a theoretically drawn endgame- in which neither of us blundered so it turned out a draw.

OK I'm going to post what I thought were the three critical positions in this tragicomedy after some Engine analysis.

Needless to say, I have very mixed emotions right now!!!

I will say one thing though- this was by far the most thrilling game, and the best chess I've managed to play, since my comeback.

Think of that- if your best game you've played in three months was a game in which you <HUNG A ROOK>...

Ok back later--

Maybe a lot later, because after I analyze this heartbreak with my Engine, I'm going to attempt to convert my won game against my <Shredder> on full blast.

<CRITICAL POSITION ONE:>

Opening after

1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bb5 a6
4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 b5
6.Bb3 h6? (I knew this wasn't the main theory)
7.Re1 Bc5
8.c3 0-0
9.d4 exd4
10.Nxd4 Nxd4
11.cxd4 Bb4
12.Bd2 Bxd2
13.Nxd2 Bb7
14.f3 d5
15.e5

click for larger view

I was thinking I had a long term structural weakness with my fixed backwards <d-pawn>, but <Shreddy> says White is perfectly fine here.

#######################

<CRITICAL POSITION TWO>

click for larger view

Black has just played
<23...cxd4??>

I certainly wasn't expecting him to make this move- three moves earlier, while calculating, I imagined that if <23...cxd4>, then <24.Qxd4> gives me absolute command and a ripping Kingside attack

So when he did make this blunder, I didn't spend a lot of time considering my 24th move- but <Shredder> says I have <forced Mate in 8> after <24.f6+!!>.

Oh well.

So at least I know I'm winning here- I don't see how he is going to be able to stop the advance of my <e-pawn> now, and of course he can't.

After I played <24.Qxd4> I'm expecting probably <24...Rh8>, but in all the variations I considered in my head, it seemed to me that no matter what he moves here I can advance my <e-pawn>, and he cannot prevent a devastating loss of material. Which <Shredder> confirms.

So when he played the very weak

<24...g5??>

I started thinking I had won already- which turned out to be a really big mistake. So I didn't take much time to push <25.e6+> which wins a Rook by force--

Although maybe I should have taken some time because again, <25.f6+!> is <Mate in 9>. apparently!

I thought about <f6+> several times, but quickly dismissed it because I couldn't see the forced win -- but I could see that my original plan of pushing my <e-pawn> DID win material by force, so I suppose I took the <Rook in the hand> as opposed to the <Checkmate in the bush>.

Ok so now I'm elated and it did in fact affect my judgment in a truly unfortunate way.

###############

<CRITICAL POSITION THREE>

Black has just recaptured my SECOND QUEEN <27...Rxf8>

click for larger view

Now, the tragedy.

I had already calculated my continuation here before I won his Rook by force-

The plan was to play <28.Re6> which is also <Shredder's> first choice.

When I was calculating prior to this FEN, I thought, "OK after <28.Re6> he will play <28...Qa3> but there's no real threat to me and all I have to do is double my Rooks and his position is collapsing."

Which is true.

But when the actual position occurred-- (from the FEN, <28.Re6 Qa3>), I started "thinking" that maybe before I double rooks <29.Rce1>, I could first move <29.Re7+??> to put even more pressure on him, with tempo-- and also after this move his bishop as well as knight is <en prise> and I'm thinking OK since I can make this move with tempo I can just double my Rooks on the next move.

However, as you may notice, <29.Re7+?> hangs the Rook.

Sigh.

1/2 -1/2

I think your feeling you describe in your last post as I write this, is showing the right attitude: 1.5/2 and indeed a crushing position reached against a 100 points higher rated, PLUS you reaped the rewards from your recent studies into the RUY... Lotsa positives!

And you have passed on the Case Closed baton: (from the linares page)

khursh: <This was truly interesting round, unfortunately with many blunders?! If Aronian's and Grischuk's blunders can be explained by time pressure, then Carlsen blundered because of overconfidence.

<CASE CLOSED> :))>

Except he used the smiley of course, wich doesn't supply FULL CLOSURE!!

YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS OUT!!!!!

BEETHOVEN! BEETHOVEN! BEETHOVEN!

I do, however, hope to point out a few inaccuracies both you and your opponent made in the opening, with 6...h6 as you pointed out, but also 8...0-0, and another one....

I don't want to be nitpicking, but precise opening play and punishing opponent's deviations/inaccuracies is very important if you are in effect in a "project" to acquaint yourself with- and learn from- a RUY study.

Basically it's all general principles involved like being offered- and GAINING, taking advantage of, a TEMPO.

This is the main thing in many openings, but esp. in the RUY as played here with the Re1 pressure on the <e8> king- lines.

Slip ups early on in a well known opening should ideally be punished directly and IMMediately.

If you are able to do that on a regular basis we are of course talking about Master level play, or at least expert in that particular opening, which is what you aim for.

I can play an immediate <7.d4!> after his <6...h6?> because if he takes <7...exd4> I can push my <e-pawn> with tempo and then pick up his <d-pawn> almost at my leisure with initiative and a more aggressive set up from the get go...

You know part of my failure to even consider this move was the "learning" I'd done that White delays the <d4> push in the <Ruy>...

but of course once I recognize he has gone OUT of <Ruy> main lines I should be looking hard to find ways to punish these moves OTB, like <Boomie> told me to do.

To find out WHY the "tactics not played," as he puts it, are not in fact played.

So <10.cxd4> is more accurate because then he has to move his Bishop off of the senstive <a7-g1> diagonal--

Ok - I pointed at ...0-0 as a mistake by black, which you started to punish correctly with <d4>! - but after exd4, <cxd4> would instantly pose problems, because, wait here's the FEN

click for larger view

Not only is the pawn on c3 the designated one to recapture on d4, usually, but here in poarticular, you get to kick the Bishop to say <b6> after which you can play <e5> and the N on f6 has almost nowhere to go except h7

click for larger view

Although I just realised that instead of 10...Bb6, it can do damage control by playing ...Bb4 with an attack on your e1 rook, yet after developing the Knight to <c3> - you can still build on a healthy advantage.

You're indeed probably tired right now, so just see my posts as a way of conducting an exploration of the opening subtleties, also indeed with the help of your engine, as Boomie advised.

I'm just at the start of my weekend, so brimful of energy after an early brisk walk with Lars, while you just wanna relax, I reckon.

ARRIGHT!