She's nothing but trouble!!

Oh yes and also:

For the CG diva.

I'll leave it to you to answer the last kibitz as you already have the answer to his foolish assumptions.

<SugarDom: Whatever kind of format, if the player is strong enough he'll be the World Champion... They can throw him all kinds of obstacles, like they did to Fischer but in the end, he'll get there.

It just a matter of time.>

I just talked to a Max Euwe Center employee, and he'll be looking through all the available material on the Karpov-Timman 1993 Match, and put aside for me what he thinks is most relevant, ie, analyses mostly, from various magazine sources and also some video, he said.

Then coming Monday I am allowed to come over and copy material to my heart's delight, as their policy doesn't allow to take home the items they have on offer.

I'm really excited!

I have half-days at work all next week, and thanks in large part to you, I've just taken a refreshing break from any chess related activities.

And I'm hungry to play and study again.

Tomorrow is DAY ONE.

<

DID YOU KNOW

That the <<<Almanach du Diable>>> is n almanac containing some very curious predictions for the years 1737 and 1738, which purported to be published in the infernal regions. It is a satire against the <<<Jansenists>>>, which was suppressed on account of some over-bold predictions, and which has become very rare. The authorship was ascribed to Quesnel, an ironmonger at Dijon. The Jansenists replied with a pamphlet directed against the Jesuits, which was also suppressed. It was entitled Almanac de Dieu, dedicated to M. Carre de Montgeron, for the year 1738, and, in contradistinction to the other, claimed satirically to be printed in heaven.

>

And the source of the above is the:

Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets

No- the correspondence consultation game- currently on hiatus- is hosted in this forum:

Woody Wood Pusher chessforum

I have played many games at <letsplaychess.com>, however.

Though currently I'm not playing any.

You're most welcome, and thanks again for the new link.

No- but thanks for giving it to me-

For future reference, since you're asking about my musical likes-

I'd rather be born without a face than listen to <Beyonce>, <Christina Aguilera>, <Britney>, <Shakira>, <Justing Timberlake>, <Kanye West>, or any of the rest of the absolute GARBAGE that passes for "the top 40" these days from America.

The only thing more nauseating, plastic, inauthentic, unoriginal, watered-down, ersatz, and appalling than this herd of greedy, talentless, uneducated, preening, self-important, bloated crew of FATHEADS is their Korean counterparts- who just copy this EXECRABLE MUSIC wholesale- 10th rate copies-- and shovel it out for the kids.

this is why <Korean pop music> is the WORST ON THE PLANET. Walking down the street in a Korean city is like TORTURE because they have CRAP Korean and American pop music blaring from loudspeakers on every storefront.

That's why I live in a tiny farm village. I find the sound of pigs belching to be infinitely sweeter to my ear.

Literally.

Ok those are some of my musical likes. Well ok those are the dislikes.

But you couldn't have known any of this- so please don't be alarmed.

But to celebrate your <600> page mark that is nearing, I have a wonderful endgame position, a study, for you. Amazing, and full of, as you'll notice soon enough, ZUGZWANG motives, for both sides...

If you feel like it, have a swing at this very fine one, and pls tell the "visitors" here not to blab the solution.

click for larger view

Black to play and ???

Win/draw/lose

It's all very possible, though the draw appears unlikely...

The only thing more nauseating, plastic, inauthentic, unoriginal, watered-down, ersatz, and appalling than this herd of greedy, talentless, uneducated, preening, self-important, bloated crew of FATHEADS is their Korean counterparts- who just copy this EXECRABLE MUSIC wholesale- 10th rate copies-- and shovel it out for the kids.>

Ooookkkk...

NO CONNECTION there.

Don't forget I love both of you and no more fighting in here.

There is chess to study in my forum- I'm trying to figure out this tough endgame puzzle in between tearing my hair out.

1...h6

...deserving a '?' - and Lav's response to that move deserved a double '??'

So this is quite tough, it has Zugzwang written all over it, but how and where does it surface...

Calculation is the name of the game here, from the so named Aagaaaaard book.

Following "Doctor's orders" (heh) I took a break from trying to solve your puzzle to make my "comeback" on <Yahoo> chess.

I found a guy 40 points higher rated than me who went for a 2 hours each time control--

I played white <1.e4> and he gave me the old "delay capturing White's <d4> pawn Sicilian".

I'm actually comfortable with this variation since you get it a fair bit on <Yahoo> for some reason.

Anyhoo- I was well rested, had no expectations- I was not worried about winning or losing.

I was not worrying about my tactics training levels or about opening theory.

I was almost totally relaxed and came to play a game of chess and enjoy it.

And how I enjoyed it!!

I cut through him.

I played my "natural style"-- grabbing space when offered and pushing aggressively. Taking control of the center and restricting his mobility. He neglected to castle for so long that I was able to prevent him from castling altogether, thanks to a nice lead in development I got while he tried to set up a <hedgehoggy> type pawn structure. Too many pawn moves for him in the opening, I thought.

But it's one thing to just say that "in theory" and quite another to prove it over the board.

I waxed him in 32 moves- although really sooner than that because he played on a bit after I went up a Knight and a pawn to the good.

He had no counterplay and no hope.

He got so angry he just ran his clock out- I had to wait 55 minutes to claim my victory.

Luckily, I just opened a new window on my browser and read the news.

Subsequent <Shrubby> blunder checking revealed I played "blunder free"-- meaning I did not make any moves where he could have seized a decisive advantage, or "winning game," as they say.

Needless to say I'm rather ecstatic.

You know I saw things quicker and more easily than usual on the tactics front.

I accidentally remembered patterns.

I saw a tactical shot and he fell for it in the early middle game- I saw it quickly but I spent a good amount of time checking the calculation to make sure- absoutely sure--

Why? Because I had the time.

Why did I have the time?

BECAUSE I WAS PLAYING A REAL GAME OF CHESS.

The kind where people actually think while they are playing.

How sweet it is-

I will take the Black pieces tomorrow.

Time for my nap and then I'll take another crack at the puzzle with your new hints.

I'm quite honestly OVER THE MOON for you, and didn't know you had been practising *that* hard re tactics training. Very good show... Instead of wasting your time telling us about it here you went out and did the work.

The rest did you a ton of good as far as I can judge, and you hardly used an exclamation mark in your entire post there... Real Chess does you good, and it also relaxes you, when you are fresh, and playing sound chess.

Great post. I'm *very* happy for you.