Everything OK there?

Here is a very cool video of all the World Champions- a photo and a memorable quote from each.

And there's a game too- you're supposed to leave a comment saying

1. Who was the greatest of all?

2. What is your favorite chess quote?

Anyway, this is just a heads-up and the forthcoming subject title shall undoubtedly be: <"Late night ramblings from Mal in Berzerkeley">

My Best Always, Your pal, - Mal

PS: Read your fine current post over at <twinlark>'s house - "Lark's tongues in aspect" // twinlark chessforum

Oct-02-09: <jessicafischerqueen: Hmmm plenty of drama in the Gallery tonight-

[...] If he wanted, he could put the whole gallery on ignore and then read his own posts.

This would be the "internet" version of "talking to yourself whilst riding on the bus">

~ROFL~

I too felt obligated to add my two cents with...

Oct-02-09: <malthrope: <parmetd: twinlark you're missing the obvious: we all have engines at our disposal if we want them so why post that junk here?>

Personally I don't use an engine myself... ;) Although sometimes I will monitor <SUPER GM> games with them just to keep track of the blunders. Besides, <twinlark> is quite tasteful in his use of abbreviated engine lines of analysis to point out some ideas of interest... I have no problem with that. :))>

FYI: Now posted on page -7- (of 18 pages, atm) of the game 'Carlsen-Radjabov' Pearl Spring, Round #5.

I look forward to the TOP SECRET PLANS-

Also, I did indeed read your spirited and accurate defense of <I Doggimus> during the live broadcast.

I've actually seen almost every minute of every round live- but given the absolutely excellent quality of the commentary in this tournament I've kept a "low profile."

Almost no Trolling except for the insolent <pterodactyl>- as <Niels> pointed out during the game, the commentary was almost all non-engine to begin with.

I don't like a lot of Engine posting on Live Games pages, but if it really bothers someone you can just use temporary ignore function.

I used to be fanatically against Engines- but I've been forced to make peace with them.

It's a little ridiculous to keep ranting against Engines when in actual fact, my modest <Shrubby III Classic> is a "Grandmaster in my pocket" who has made himself available to me for three years now- and all for a modest 25 dollar investment.

Plus he's my slave- he only does what I ask him to do.

Bloody Engines. Don't get me wrong- I love them.

I'd just like to destroy them all.

I look forward to the TOP SECRET PLANS->

Me too! ~lol~ Not sure yet how extensive my e-mail will actually be. Mainly I'm concerned with constructing a decent framework from which we both can work effectively upon. In addition, I'll be telling you some things about the story line in "My Day with Bobby" that only a small handful of Chess personalities (friends of mine) know of (that I've actually told them face-to-face). I'm <sure> you're <ready> for that! ;)

<Almost no Trolling except for the insolent <pterodactyl>- as <Niels> pointed out during the game, the commentary was almost all non-engine to begin with.>

Right Jess! Good ol' Niels *luved* it when he posted this one:

<achieve: <users that are bothered by the massive amount of computer analysis posted.> It's the complete opposite; you should be so happy right now you'd be dancing around in your... whereever it is you are.>

~lol~

<Plus he's my slave- he only does what I ask him to do.

Bloody Engines. Don't get me wrong- I love them.

I'd just like to destroy them all.>

You're the boss Jess! :D

<But only if I could afford to hire a human GM to tutor me on a daily basis.>

We are so fortunate to have WGM Natalia Pogonina as our fearless leader commenting on the Pearl Spring's Chess tourney... What a wonderful job she is doing. :)) To now say that she's a credit to this website now becomes an understatement of titanic proportions! ;) Can't wait for the 2nd half at Pearl Spring's to begin...

Later tonight (my timeline less then an hour away now) we'll all be yelling and screaming:

<"The games afoot!"> :P

I wanted to watch <Jakovenko v. Topalov>...>

[Event "Nanjing Pearl Spring Tourney"]
[Site "Nanjing/China"]
[Date "2009.10.04"]
[Round "6"]
[White "JAKOVENKO, DMITRY."]
[Black "TOPALOV, VESELIN."]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Robot 3"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qb3 dxc4 7. Qxc4 O-O 8. Bf4 Na6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 Nh5 11. Be3 cxd4 12. Qxd4 Bc6 13. Be2 Qa5 14. O-O *

click for larger view

er.. nobody cares about these losers now.

It's all Magnus all the time-

er.. nobody cares about these losers now.>

Do you eat brain?

Contrary to the popular- and generally fervent- belief that you can get "Mad Cow" just by sitting on a cow's toilet seat-

In point of fact, science (not to mention history) supports the correct judgment that you CANNOT get <Jacob Kraut Hammerstein> disease unless you eat part of the CNS.

"Prions"-

Do not occur in muscle, bone, or anything else- except for CSN cells -- VIZ- the brain or spinal chorus line.

You actually have to eat a cow's CSN-Miami to get it.

Pommies eat brain, which is why they went down.

Remember when they slaughtered all the "hoof and mouth" cows in <Hud>?

What a great movie.

<Melvyn Douglas> to his son <Paul Newman>:

"Hud, you're an unprincipled man."

Or is it just a coincidence?>

heh

That's a rather upsetting photo- until you realize that the smaller "bear" is actually Ray Mears.

This is a record of his famous escape out of the arctic without benefit of snowshoes or snowmobile.

Are heretics allowed to join?
> well if you mean you would like to join the HIARCS Headbangers which is the HIARCS forum chess team, then by all means register at www.hiars.net and send a private message there to Dark Horse which is my handle there :)

I may check it out.

Is it OK to call you <Big Red> when you post with the Communist Propaganda Avatar?

I have to say that I am surprised by your astute observations. What you mentioned is very true in general, and it is worth considering for sure. Let me try to do my best to explain this somewhat complicated phenomenon, which might take a few days. Once I get to the point where I can express my thoughts by words, I will post that on my blog (exclusively for you!) and let you know.

There are various positions in which the weaker side can hold the draw, but most boil down to something like this.

click for larger view

Drawn for any position of the White king. Black can use his rook as a “desperado” as capturing it with the king results in stalemate.

<In positions of [this] type, the defender draws if his rook is operating along the first rank or the g-file.>

In other, happier positions:

<The winning plan consists of forcing the opponent's king into a corner or onto the edge of the board and creating mating threats. In defending, the weaker side is forced to separate his forces, which leads to the loss of the rook by coming under a double attack by the queen. The basic method of achieving the goal is zugswang.>

click for larger view

Black is in zugswang. Anything loses; e.g. 1...Rh7 2. Qe5+ Ka8 3. Qa1+ Kb8 4. Qb1+ Ka7 5. Qxh7+

Here's one that's a little more involved:

click for larger view

Black to move.

<Black's hopes are associated with stalemate. He begins pursuing the enemy king, trying to force it to take the rook, but the king can escape from the checks.>

1...Ra6+ 2. Kc5 Ra5+

<2...Rc6+ 3. Kd4 Rd6+ 4. Ke5 > 3. Kd4 Ra4+

<White maneuvers such that one of the checking squares is covered by the queen. Thus after 3...Rd5+ 4. Qxd5 the black king is released from stalemate.>

4.Kc3 Ra3+ 5. Kb2

<Now both squares – a3 and b3, from which the rook can continue the attack, are controlled by the queen, and White wins. Note should be made of the typical movement of the white king, which approaches the rook along a diagonal adjacent to the queen's.>

Anytime Black has to separate the rook and king without giving check, White should look for a way to check, check, check, fork with the queen.

<

Oct-05-09
Pearl Spring Chess Tournament (2009)
ontocaustic: a man show his sober in his thoughts and his deed to will a win even when seemingly draw in the terrible black hole of draws of grandmaster so it was Fate you say to force carlson to make draw when he could show his sober blood to win but when that is the case i think that even the fighting spirit diminishes and kasparow will loses his glory prize as the outcome these people i think maybe you are one of them betting in the chess bookie may get rich on it but for the splendid world of chess it is deficit the way on big wall street new yorker can end us economy there is no gold for chess in chess bookie and even kasparow knows this which is why my puzzles

>

I think these 150-ish-word posts may possibly cause a light spin of the head; but if you put all onto's miniatures in a row (like I just did with the search function), then I agree, it *does* become DIZZYING, as you said.

<even kasparow knows this which is why my puzzles> must surely be a flash of genius

I am obsessively thinking what his mother tongue could be... Perhaps there's a clue in here:

< ontocaustic: if carlson was here right now he would prove it to you that he is the best and the only real chess player alive right now who takes his moves from the greatest kasparow it is an insult to the greatness of carlson to belief that nakamura can scratch his heavy carapace the only credit i can give nakamura is his blitz game which is very fast and his win over krasenkow was okay but carlson would had easily found a quicker way >

carapace = rear end ?

Italian?

I have to make a decision whether or not the time and effort it would take to actually understand this mate is worth the effort, in terms of "cost-benefit" in chess study time terms.

<Niels>- OK good idea. What language has no punctuation?

??

But really, I am going to ask him, man to man, what country he is from.

Ironically, <laskereshevsky> was/is from Italy, and he used <excessive> punctuation, remember?

But <the same> lyrical, semi-intellectual, phonetic at times- vocabulary... My bet is he is Italian