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offramp
Member since Aug-16-03 · Last seen Jan-09-26
Some chess books that I think are outstanding:

1. <Fundamental Chess Endgames>, by Müller & Lamprecht, reprinted 2020. 400pp+, £25.

2. <Secrets of Practical Chess>, by Dr Nunn. 256pp (the USUAL 256pp!, i.e. the usual 2^8). £20.

3. <Capablanca's Best Chess Endings>, Irving Chernev's best work. 300pp. £15.

4. <107 Great Chess Battles 1939-1945>, written by Alexander Alekhine, but edited by Edward Winter. 256pp, £15.

5 (a) <Petrosian Year by Year Volume 1 (1942-1962)>, and - Karolyi & Gyozalyan, 484pp.
(b) <Petrosian Year by Year Volume 2 (1963-1984)> - Karolyi & Gyozalyan, 516pp.
They are £34 each. I bought one, then a few months later, the other volume.
They are available in Kindle format!

6. <The Queen's Gambit Accepted: A Sharp and Sound Response to 1. d4> by Chris Ward.
Ward wrote a superb book about the QGD, many years ago. I think this is useful for a book about the QGA. A total antidote to 1. d4, 2. c4.

And now some total clinkers. NOT those well-known garbage chess books.

The following are really bad chess books.

1. <Capablanca: A Compendium of Games, Notes, Articles, Correspondence, Illustrations and Other Rare Archival Materials on the Cuban Chess Genius Jose Raul Capablanca, 1888-1942> by Edward Winter. 360pp. c. £35. The title is the best thing.

2. <Larsen: Move by Move> - Cyrus Lakdawala
Paperback, 488pp.

3. <Emanuel Lasker Volumes 1, 2 & 3 - Forster, Negele & Tischbierek>. £55 each.
This book is unbelievably boring and tedious. Just look through it, then forget about it.
AT THIS SAME TIME a totally superb book has just come out: <Emanuel Lasker All Games Volume 1 & 2: 1889-1940 (2 books)>, £55 for two books:
Volume 1 covers the time Lasker became World Champion and played matches against Steinitz (twice for the World Championship), Bird and Blackburne amongst others. He also took part several famous tournaments including Hastings 1895, St Petersburg 1895-96 and Nuremberg 1896.

Volume 2 covers the time Lasker played matches against Marshall, Tarrasch, Janowski, Schlechter and Capablanca for the World Championship. He also took part several famous tournaments including St Petersburg 1914, New York 1924, Moscow 1935 & 1936 and Nottingham 1936.

Hardbacks, 388 and 342 pages, Russian Chess House. A real bargain.

4. <Pal Benko : My Life, Games and Compositions>, £140. Who is the most famous chess player out of Benko and Fischer? Who published the most plush, most opulent book? Benko.

.....
Here are another 7 books:

<He received a letter from his bookseller, informing him that only seven copies had been sold, and concluding with a polite request for the balance.
Scythrop <[SKI-throp]> did not despair. <Seven copies,> he thought, <have been sold. Seven is a mystical number, and the omen is good. Let me find the seven purchasers of my seven copies, and they shall be the seven golden candlesticks with which I will illuminate the world.>.>

>> Click here to see offramp's game collections.

Chessgames.com Full Member
   Current net-worth: 1,436 chessbucks
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   offramp has kibitzed 25153 times to chessgames   [more...]
   Jan-08-26 P Wells vs K Hanache, 2025
 
offramp: I've been pondering about this game. <Are you pondering what I am pondering?> (Brain & Pinky.) The whole game is interesting, right from the start. E.g., Black was 13. Wells was 60. Wells played in the traditional English weekend circuit style. That style includes Kim ...
 
   Jan-08-26 Tata Steel India Rapid (2026)
 
offramp: Good old Niemann. He is a globe-trotter. I have seen his suitcase. It is pretty small, and it is covered in stickers: <London>, <Tashkent>, <Beijing> and many others. Now he is in <Kolktata>. My Indian friend told me that Niemann was a bit <funky>. And ...
 
   Jan-08-26 G Reichhelm vs Mackenzie, 1867
 
offramp: The powerful Evans Gambit might resurface in the 2030s. Many players might get fed up with the Joko Piano. I don't know the Evans. I don't know how far the theory goes down. In that era they played 1000s of the Evans. Oh blimey! 19. Nfd5. [DIAGRAM] There was available to Black a
 
   Jan-08-26 G Reichhelm vs Mackenzie, 1867
 
offramp: This was similar to the first game: both players were happy to accept every exchange. 16. Rxc3. [DIAGRAM] Now plays very well. It's interesting to see that Black did <not> give a <luft> square for the black king until he <had> to do it. 22...g6. [DIAGRAM] ...
 
   Jan-08-26 Mackenzie vs G Reichhelm, 1867
 
offramp: Both sides accepted all exchanges. When we get to 16...Qe7... [DIAGRAM] ...In the 21st century we would say that White has a bad pawn formation. White ( George Mackenzie ) carries on. It is very interesting. Here is the best move: 22...Rd6. [DIAGRAM] 23. Rff6! <Black: ...
 
   Jan-07-26 K Piorun vs I Gorshtein, 2025 (replies)
 
offramp: White played the opening in an old-fashioned style. When I mean "old-fashioned" I mean "about a 1,000 years old". There is a book on this opening by <Al-Adli> written in c. 890BC. [DIAGRAM] This is about 10 moves later. [DIAGRAM] Time for a bit of a <zhuzh> in your ...
 
   Jan-06-26 Indjic vs J Vakhidov, 2025
 
offramp: White was in a tight spot. [DIAGRAM] 19. f3!+-
 
   Jan-06-26 Gledura vs A Suleymanli, 2025
 
offramp: We all know this position. 16. Qe2. [DIAGRAM] The gun is cocked! We know what to do. Tarrasch knew, Lasker knew. Bust open the centre and give up two ♝ ♝! The trouble is that we are in the twentieth century. ⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆ After some developing, White ...
 
   Jan-06-26 Bluebaum vs L Livaic, 2025
 
offramp: W: 2687, B: 2551. These are big ratings! 20...Nd5. [DIAGRAM] The ♞ at d5 looks powerful. It looks that it is going to control the whole of the centre. 21. Rxd5! Black is in immediate danger. 21...Bd5 22. Bg5! [DIAGRAM] 22...e5 23. Nxe5. That is really annoying...You ...
 
   Jan-06-26 M Boyer vs V Ivic, 2025
 
offramp: An interesting ending. I bet you won't guess what happens. 37. Kh4. [DIAGRAM] I think Mahel Boyer was hoping for a checkmate, with Kg5, Raa8+. However, after 37. Kh4 Black <could> have played the devastating .... 37...g5+!!-+ [DIAGRAM] In the game there is the same ...
 
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Ye Olde Offrampe Predicktions

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 26 OF 86 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jun-18-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: India now 154-7 off 27 overs needing another 180 or so off 23 overs. Not likely.
Jun-18-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: It's 156-9. Just one wicket left in the innings.
Jun-18-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Pakistan won by 180 runs. A very fast demolition.
Jun-18-17  thegoodanarchist: what was the over-under on the overs?

over.

Jun-19-17  thegoodanarchist: One more question - what is the plural of innings?

Is it inningses?

Jun-20-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: The plural of innings is innings. Some young players says "I had a good inning", but most use innings as both sing and plu!
Jun-20-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: HERRING AND CORDIALS a La Miagmasuren.

Blanch some vinegar; then put it through the converse of powdered sugar dusted over a little bit of tarragon vinegar for two or in a little the yolks of cooking in two-thirds of this by cleaning four potatoes over the jar and add to the gherkins.

With gravy mix it in, put it to simmer, in nearly cold weather, to it over the same thing if you have any seasoning remaining add it to the cold fish, lifting each piece of that covers up each chestnut and boil until cooked, then drain.

Fill each person, and potato, adding a mustard-spoonful of toast to them and therefore try the yolks of vinegar, salt and add salt, a soup-spoonful of meat, for a few minutes and pass the haricots or in butter, a bit of parsley, a quart of that, and salt,

Put it with a cloth. Rub it is rendered still better way over the shoulder is already fried. It should be easy, and when you have scooped out the meat in this sauce in simmering water if whipped cream.

Jun-23-17  ChessHigherCat: Very funny recipe. You should be a big fan of Flann O'Brien (https://www.amazon.com/At-Swim-Two-...). "The Third Policeman" is my favorite but it's not available on Kindle, only in the awful amazon robotic audiobook version, may it fry in mythical hell. You inspired me to read "Dead Souls". I just got through the introduction where I learned that he finished and burned Part II twice!, so it's still incomplete. I really liked "The Nose". I'm reading the original with the help of a translation. You probably already know this, but when you read foreign language books on Kindle and click on any word the system automatically downloads the corresponding dictionary for free and displays the definition: in French, Spanish, Italian, German and English, anyway, but unfortunately not in Russian -- please use your omnipotence and intergalactic contacts to remedy that regrettable deficiency.
Jun-24-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Do you know about the Duc de Fénantes?

He was born in Nantes gaol in 1698 while his Mum was imprisoned for debt.

She died in 1720 and the Duc was apprenticed to the prison carpenter. That carpenter died in 1755 but his business left many debts with local timber-merchants! So the Duc was sentenced to work off that debt.

But he became blind in 1786 and in 1801 he died in the cell he was born in at the age of 103, having spent the entirety of his life, over three separate centuries, in gaol!

Believe it or not!

Jun-24-17  ChessHigherCat: Not! Just think if his mom and dad had to take him to the circus once a century, they would have had to buy three tickets!

Le Duc de Fénantes sounds like the trou du'c des fainéants, which might really be the etymology of his name, because I found this on Google: "Testament concernant Thomasse FAISNEANT"

By the way, if you're interested in the background of Gogol's era, you might be interested in Prince Kropotkin's "Memoirs of a Revolutionist" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaW...). I never really understood what it meant to be a serf (although I have some experience as a surfer) until I heard that. The narrator is a Russian girl with excellent English and a beautiful, mesmerizing voice, but she has problems with certain totally illogical words like "colonel" and "recruit". Her pronunciation of Russian names is perfect, of course, with the exception of Gogol, which for some bizarre reason she thinks is pronounced exactly the same as "Google" in English!

Jun-24-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <ChessHigherCat>, You are right. It is a NOT. I made that up, even though it sounds vaguely true.

I shall surf around to YouTube later on. I am hosting a children's sleepover and party this weekend.

The recipes are from this very funny site: http://johno.jsmf.net/knowhow/ngram... . They change every time you visit.

The Gordon Ramsay of chessgames.com is User: thegoodanarchist, although he doesn't swear or go berserk half as often as the non-anarchist Ramsay.

User: thegoodanarchist uses the same site as I do to generate recipes and bible-readings; we both just tidy them up a bit. Give it a go! It's a lot of fun!

Jun-24-17  ChessHigherCat: <ChessHigherCat> VERY VAGUELY true: a life sentence for "inherited debt"?

<I shall surf around to YouTube later on. I am hosting a children's sleepover and party this weekend.>

Make sure to get a top bunk and warm up before playing Twister!

I will check out dat website maaan!

Jun-24-17  ChessHigherCat: Hi again <offramp>, just in case you're not playing Twister in your gyrocopter, did you start reading "Dead Souls" yet? Do you remember on the first page the guy drives up to an inn in a carriage, and one country bumpkin says to the other: - "What a carriage! Do you think it's going to Moscow?" - Yes I do.
- But you don't think it's going all the way to Kazan?, do you?" - It's not going all the way to Kazan."

That dialog makes those guys sound completely insane, just randomly guessing the destination of a carriage, but in fact it's a bad translation (I would appreciate confirmation from any Russians out there). One guy really says to the other: Вон какое колесо! = Check out that wheel! (It must be loose or something) Do you think it will make it to Moscow? Yes, it will make it to Moscow, but not all the way to Kazan.

Did that dialog strike you as bizarre?

Jun-26-17  thegoodanarchist: <The Gordon Ramsay of chessgames.com is User: thegoodanarchist, although he doesn't swear or go berserk half as often as the non-anarchist Ramsay.>

That's true.

But I am willing to improve!

Jun-28-17  thegoodanarchist: "Loose Pieces Drop <offramp>"
Jun-29-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  WannaBe: "Loose Pieces Drop off", that why you should always use super-glue with your hair pieces.
Jun-30-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <zanzibar: <Tab> I've only managed to quickly scan your work...>

Chambers Dictionary says this:
<scan
1. To examine critically or closely
2. To scrutinize ...>

Probably owing to its rapid sound people seem to think that scan means to read quickly. In fact it is the opposite.

Jul-02-17  thegoodanarchist: <Chambers Dictionary says this: >

The takeaway here is that you have a talking dictionary!

How cool is that?

Jul-04-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <thegoodanarchist> <Chambers Dictionary says this...>

I never know what to write in these cases. It cannot be <Chambers Dictionary reads...> because it's a dictionary - it can't read anything. Nor can it <give> anything.

I suppose a good one would be <The compilers of Chambers Dictionary give this definition...> or <In Chambers Dictionary one can read the following sentence...>

I'll have to see what Chambers says.

Jul-06-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: [Event "ISL-ch"]
[Site "Akureyri"]
[Date "1997.09.11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Thorfinnsson, Bragi"]
[Black "Thorsteinsson, Arnar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D44"]
[WhiteElo "2215"]
[BlackElo "2285"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "1997.09.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ISL"]
[EventCategory "5"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.09.26"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 Nd5 10. Nxf7 Qxh4 11. Nxh8 Bb4 12. Qd2 c5 13. dxc5 Nd7 14. Be2 Nxe5 15. O-O Bb7 16. a3 Bxc5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Kh1 O-O-O 19. Qa5 Rxh8 20. Qa6+ Kc7 21. Qxb5 Bb6 22. f3 Nc6 23. Qa4 Nd4 24. Bxc4 Nf5 0-1

Jul-08-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: For January 2018, best collection
Game Collection: Blackburne - Bardeleben 1895
Jul-11-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: I live about a half hour walk from Wimbledon. Normally when I go there I take a bus, which is very quick. But I tend to avoid it during the main tennis fortnight as it is too packed out. I'm not a big tennis fan anyway.
Jul-11-17  morfishine: Good evening dear <offramp> I have activated my forum for sane posters, of which you are a member.

I would be humbled by your presence from time to time, depending of course on your schedule

Best always, morf

*****

Jul-12-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <morfishine> brilliant! I'll be there!
Jul-16-17  thegoodanarchist: Jeremy Silman (kibitz #516)

A DISH OF MUTTON STEW

When turned out neatly, put it out of the rest for three-quarters full of egg. Heat again let it get very good, or add water or 2 eggs if you require.

Take seven tomatoes with cloves, poach fifteen minutes, take them into a celery by threes. Fold over.

Take the fish, lifting each slice, and salt, a well-buttered dish. In four weeks.

TO USE FOR SUPPER:

Take one time. Use CHINESE CORKS to make a sieve. Roll up into the beginning of butter, pepper, salt, but first dice the others.

With sage, zest a lemon. Make a dish improved by dressing over the carrots in it.

Cook very thin cutlets, thicken it well, and stirring it, go till the middle is a demi-glaze.

Leave some lean and fry in warm water once before serving, put them three cloves. Let all simmer, and served with a sprinkle of <dulse>

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