Just listening to Ryan(not Brian)Adams,Live at Roskilde Festival. Nice and clear music I haven´t heard of before.

I've heard about Abbe Pierre and I'm glad that you had the opportunity to stay near him for some time. I'm sure it was quite an experience, as you said. What exactly consisted your meditation of, starting with 1978? I mean, was it on a systematic basis, with a program etc., or you just let yourself in deep thoughts about everything around, when you had some spare time? And what were you meditating about, mostly? The state of our world? God? The inequalities/unjustice around us and their roots and what it's to be done about it?

in the mean time, Karjakin strikes and Nakamura loses, I've looked at the game and honestly, while calculating, I was considering the c1 rook only going to f1 to maybe attack f7 square - which was useless - so couldn't see why Naka's capture on d3 didn't equalise. And then, hey, the rook can also go up on c7 to attack on f7 and wow it also attacks the bishop on b7! It pays to be a top GM ;) Very strange the limitations of a patzer like me while calculating variations - I simply didn't look/consider that the rook has also a whole free column to go up and strike both on f7 and b7. Didn't a certain Bobby Nemenyi told us to look on ALL the surface of the chess board before moving a piece?

3 minuttes to pawn off !

Only one son who turns 41 in july and no
grandkids.He was the one who got braindamaged almost 10 years ago ):

My meditation was something called "dynamic meditation".Breathing technique and using a mantra with the aim of trying to become as "empty" as possible.Or rather filled with warmth and no thoughts,but "only" just being.In which I succeeded.

Yes I know this experience you have had with the Karjakin-Nakamura game.And it can be both funny and somewhow scary to discover ones shortcommings...But OTHO,no way around when we want to improve.Once after a(sucessfully) tournament I wrote a list with my weak and strong spots.I found at least 35-40
weak ones ! Yesterday you were perhaps in good(or bad;)Company with Hikaru:)

Now the fun has started and let us enjoy!

In generally I think there is more fighting chess in round 3 than the first 2 ones.But I dont have any statistics.

Ah, so a sort of Yoga-type of meditation. I too tried a bit some 10-15 years ago.

Strange opening play by Topalov today, losing 2 pawns in the process and suffering quite a bit for the rest of the game. Tomorrow the first rest day. Oh, and for me the Agon site relay works well.

It's been a quiet weekend.

Yes a strange opening play by Topa who seems to be out of form and contention already.

The weekend was fine(except for the bookies,moneywise and buckwise.Svidlers lack of fightingspirit vs Topalov and then not being able to convert(though objectively drawn)vs Naka was not what I wanted)and the weather today is fine as well.The early spring is about getting a grip.The sun,the birds,the smell of !?,the small flowers:it is all there.So a good day going to town to meet KJ as we have swept from the usual Wednesday to monday due to chessfever :)

Ha ha, yes, I've made quite a jump from almost last in betting contest after round 1, to second and now first. I remember 2 or 3 years ago getting gold in one of the three sections, after submitting predictions for all rounds from the beginning of tournament - just like this time. Lets see if I will be able to maintain the advance. Sorry that you didn't have a good day at bookies though. I hope that you had a good day in compensation at your meeting with KJ :)

Spring still here.It is great.
And a great battle between Nakamura and Giri,after f5 being played.Wish for Naka but some money on Giri :) Put some money on Topa(10:1) as I thought he he may be after a rest day could be better prepared than Caruana and not being afraid of loosing:But still a longshot..

Kudos to Hou,Hou definately is the strongest female player for the moment. But I still feel like the match almost never took place...

Oh yes it is,but OTOH,if we have to predict something, it shall be before it has occured.Though it may be nice to recieve the results of sundays events in the saturday newspaper :)

So hi again to you ! Are you ready for the round that is starting in 2 minuttes ? And has spring also arrived in Romania ? (forgot to check Bucarest this morning).Here it is sunny and already some gardening has been done and I am ready for the show in Moscow !

Spring in Romania sounds great and there will hopefully be some heat later on to comfort you!Today it is foggy,but warmth inside as we will celebrate the 22th anniversary.22 years ago I went with a chessfriend into a newly opened irish pub.Trying to figure out how he could become a GM. Hang around for hours and even run out of money.But a certain busdriver was OK with givnig me beers and luckily I later had the occasion to thank him cause this beers prolonged the stay and then SHE turned up !! So dinner at a little local place today and we joke about that I still owe her a drink from that very evening.Which I think is true :)

My journey with chess was the classic recipe:some talent,motivation and hard Work.Probably a kind of bounceback from the schooldays were I didn´t like to do homework.At all:)But with chess it was meaningfull to me.And then the desire and ability to go in depth sometimes.

Off they are in Moscow with very interesting opening play in Topa-Giri and Aronian-Nakamura.

<did you ever feel, just over night, or on the ocasion of some specific game, that, hey, I'm good!>

Yes and now.I was very surprised thatI became champion of the club after just 1-½ year.But after that it was a mixture of heurekas and back to the workingtable.

Send you all the best spring greetings
and may you also say hello to your wife from me !

Hmm...interesting 6th round yesterday, to say the least. Anand in tiger-mood and Nakamura, oops, trying to dodge the touching of the king with "j'adoube", well, that just didn't work with Aronian and so he had to really move it and then lose the game. Leaving the hall and not attending the press conference, what can I say, Actually I'm not sure if all press conferences were attended by both respective players, so shouldn't be quite a big deal. But now I see on Chessbase news article that it can be quite a big deal after all. Oh, and Aronian trying to "teach the lesson" of winning that endgame - which, again, in Chessbase last article was shown as a draw. What can I say? I'm not the master here, so...why don't you tell me what do you think?

A rest day today and maybe time to gather some thoughts, playing a couple of games on the internet, maybe drinking some wine later in the day, listening a bit of music or just watching tv - after all, it's weekend ahead...oh, wife left this morning for Onesti (I've sent her your hello) and then at noon they (together with her sister and brother in law) head to Bucharest to visit her nephews (children of her sister) and spend some time with her lovely grandson who is a bit over an year old.

Hmm,sounds like more than a good plan...

Hope you will succeed ! In Danish we say:when the cat is out of the house,the mice are dancing on the table.

And how nice you and yours met roughly spoken on the same day as I and my life companion...vive la march !Something in the air or water.As today I very unconventionally went to town and met with JWH with wonderfull exchanges as usual.Life is good !

And the rookincident ? Well,after all they are only young men,almost boys,so in the heat of the battle stuff happens..so no big deal in my book.But I suppose we shall have a big battle tomorrow were both Naka and Topa will go all in.

I´ll go all in in trying to enjoy the remains of this evening were wife is at the handballarena with friends.

So see you later and, yes we are lucky and take care and I´ll try the same!

Good night.

And off they are.Svidler is playing a very interesting idea with this early Ng5 in the so far most interesting game of the round IMO.Wont Peter out immediatedly:)

Yes my dizzyness has lowered somehow,10-15%,since the treatment started.Better stomach too.So I am so far(knock wood)very satisfied.E.g. improvising going to town yesterday was a huge privellege !And progress.

Hope you´ll have a fine weekend and perhaps enjoying your time on your own !?

This early morning there were minus 2 degrees in Iasi, wow, but otherwise sunny. I made a wrong mix of the pills I'm taking on a daily basis (for my thyroid problem), which never happened in 2 years, and I'm sort of experiencing a funny feeling atm; but as long that I can type correctly I guess I'm fine :)

Haha, 'when the cat's out of the house, the mice are dancing on the table' - we have this expression in Romanian too. Never heard of 'right out of his nose' though - as of someone ressembling another's face. But I guess if we were to study particular expressions a bit, we would be astounded by their variety and imagination that is embedded into their meaning...

Naka took a bite on Topa yesterday, and I'm still first in betting ranker half way into the tournament, but who knows what future will bring about?

Going to town without preparation was/is a huge progress to me,cause I´ve had an issue too with my stomach as well and when both have improved,then I may be closer to my "good old self".Haven´t mentioned the stomachissue,so I can understand if it is not soo easy to understand.Hope this clarifies and that we will se some fightingchess today,which is very likely.Now it is the second half and they have to take of their gloves and go for the jugular. Perhaps we will even see Naka open with the KID !? And who dont remember the clashes between Svidler and Karjakin at the World Cup ?...Topalov will perhaps go all out like yesterday,trying to have some fun and Anand will perhaps profit from this..

In a couple of hours we shall get,perhaps:),some of the answers.Till then:Take care and let us enjoy !

And how was your weekend?

Going to the needleman soon,so must leave the players for themselves ):

2 hours to pawn off !

And everything to play for.The stakes are high.Second place doesn´t really count.Incredible if we will have Carlsen-Anand version 3 at he end.But admiration for the old man who keeps on playing at such a high level and yes it was an endgame were he showed excellent technique,but OTOH I am not shure the level of difficulté was that high as mentioned several places...And I am glad Caruana survived so he still is in the running.

Had a wonderful sleep tonight and yes it is great that the needlemans good work is felt.A long way to go still ,but so far every improvement is dearly appreciated!

And how are you doing ? Any easterplans
and/or wishes ?

Anyway best wishes from here,as I am going to the bookies now while wife is(hopefully;) preparing lunch.Aronian is the key.

Great to see you are getting better and keep up the good work - this in referrence also to your fight against tobacco.