User Profile: offramp

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offramp
Member since Aug-16-03 · Last seen Jan-16-26

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.

   Current net-worth: 1,436 chessbucks
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   offramp has kibitzed 25202 times to chessgames [more...]

   Jan-15-26 Julien Song

offramp: The first game is dead level. I reckon Song will win this match easily.

   Jan-15-26 Tata Steel Masters (2026)

offramp: This tournament is going to be one of the best <EVER>. I suddenly had an idea that the World Champion, <Gukesh>, would win it. I think he is going to fully show his huge mettle. I think that he really has gird up his loins to show the Indians, and the whole world, that ...

   Jan-15-26 Giri vs Niemann, 2025

offramp: Giri said... <"Before the game I visualized a victory against Niemann. There's this technique.... I saw myself win. Then I went a bit too far and I started thinking about who would be in my team for the Candidates' - and that's when I realized I had gone too far."

   Jan-15-26 offramp chessforum

offramp: <𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗣 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗟 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 is taking place HERE from 14:00, 17th January 2026 to 1st February 2026. ...

   Jan-15-26 Dickson

offramp: Someone asked, "What the dickens??" The answer is "No."

   Jan-15-26 S Rosenthal vs Count Isouard, 1871

offramp: "Is You Is or Is You Ain't Isouard?"

   Jan-14-26 Keymer vs Carlsen, 2023

offramp: Keymer Rouge.

   Jan-14-26 Garry Kasparov

offramp: <Petrosianic>. I dislike stories about the 3rd Reich... Kasparov was expounding about Molotov and Stalin and the Germans. I could have followed the details but I <hate> checking WWII facts on Google because you get sucked into a whirlwind of right-wing horror. So I am ...

   Jan-14-26 J Puccini vs J P Gomez, 2015

offramp: Good pun and a good game. The final move is hard-to-spot! I was expecting some hay-maker final blow, but it is a quiet move. In fact, that last move, 19. Qd2, could be a <CREEPING MOVE>. Creeping moves can only made by queens; Spassky specialised in them.

   Jan-13-26 C Gilberg vs Dickson, 1866

offramp: That's a great pun, and the game has a really good ending! BTW, Sally Simpson, instead of referencing the Washington Bridge, would you be interested in buying the Brooklyn Bridge?

indicates a reply to the comment.

Ye Olde Offrampe Predicktions

< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 65 OF 86 · Later Kibitzing>
Dec-28-21		Penguincw: Hi <offramp>. Hope all is good with you. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Dec-29-21		offramp: Happy Christmas and New year to User: Penguincw especially.

Feb-13-24		Octavia: Did you really win strictly? Then I should know you - not so long ago an older guy won it.

Feb-14-24		offramp: I am afraid I did not. I am going to change that bio. My bio used to have nothing. I put something there as a "placeholder", and I will change that tomorrow.

Feb-14-24		offramp: I got one single message from anyone - a woman, thankfully. In fact, over the last 30 years I have have had in total 2 St Valentines cards.

Feb-29-24		offramp: Careless checks cost tempi.

Mar-06-24		offramp: I remember that my dear old Dad used to get a bee in his bonnet. Here is an example: he sometimes he saw a film actor and could not remember the actor's name. A great example is <Elisha Cook Jr>, from <The Maltese Falcon>. Dad would see him in <another> film. Then he would go absolutely radio rental trying to remember that actor's name. In those days it wasn't possible to use Google. There was no Google. I had Leonard Maltin's Film Guide, but each film only listed 3 or actors. My Dad & I would think about it for ages. Luckily I was in those days <THE MEMORY MAN> and if I think about it for 3 or 4 hours - andthen I would burst in to Dad's front room and I'd say: "Elisha Cook Junior!" Dad had these frequent struggles with Hollywood actors' names. Google ended that era.

Mar-07-24		saffuna: Younprobably saw Cook pretty often, too. He was in 200 movies, often as a small-time crook not as smart as he thought he was.

Mar-25-24		thegoodanarchist: Now see here, good sir. I cannot understand your antipathy toward Edgar Colle You stated < offramp: ..... AS FOR Mr COLLE I have never much liked I know that he invented the opening - but beyond that he is a Belgian freak. No offence.> Is this comment supposed to be some form of humor?

Mar-25-24		thegoodanarchist: Seeing as how Mr Colle is NOT a member of chessgames.com, you haven't violated posting guideline #3. But the comment still seems rather uncalled for.

Mar-25-24		Cassandro: <but beyond that he is a Belgian freak.> Freemasons are the real freaks :)

Mar-27-24		paavoh: <In fact, over the last 30 years I have have had in total 2 St Valentines cards.> You are popular.

Mar-27-24		offramp: <paavoh: <In fact, over the last 30 years I have have had in total 2 St Valentines cards.> You are popular.> On reflection, I have had 2 cards in the last <40> years, not <over the last 30 years>. It's possible I received some cards years ago, that I have forgotten about. Do normal humans, like you, User: paavoh, get a load of St Valentine's cards every year? I get nothing, <anonymous or not>. Even nothing from the missus.

Mar-27-24		offramp: User: thegoodanarchist invented the User: thegoodanarchist checkmate. That is a checkmate delivered by a lone queen and a pawn.

Mar-29-24		offramp: <Mas0nic>. "<..All Chapters Rose-Croix are held on Thursday before Easter: this meeting is indispensable...> I told you!

Mar-31-24		offramp: Who is up for a <PREDICTION CONTEST>?? I am setting 10 <YES/NO> questions. There is no tie-breaker. You simply answer each question <yes or no>. The rules could be written on the back of a stamp. Here are those crazy questions: 1. In Round 1 will Caruana beat Nakamura? 2. Will the Scotch be played; i.e. any C45 game? 3. Will Firouzja lose 2 or more games? 4. Will a game be 25 moves or less? 5. Will a game go to 100 moves or more? 6. Will Nakamura score 50% against Firouzja? 7. Will this ending appear: ♗♗ v ♘♘, and no heavy pieces? 8. Will the 3 Indians (Gukesh, Pragg & Vidit) draw all their games among them? 9. Will Abasov end up on 50% or more? 10. In the final round will Caruana beat Nepomniachtchi? And you could use these: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Mar-31-24		paavoh: <Do normal humans, like you, User: paavoh, get a load of St Valentine's cards every year?> It is up to others to judge my normalcy, but no, I do not get a load of these cards. So we belong to the same group in this respect.

Mar-31-24		paavoh: I will give it a go: 1. NO 2. YES 3. YES 4. YES 5. YES 6. NO 7. YES 8. NO 9. NO 10. NO

Mar-31-24		offramp: I almost forgot my go...: 1. YES 2. NO 3. NO 4. YES 5. YES 6. NO 7. YES 8. NO 9. YES 10.YES

Mar-31-24		EvanTheTerrible: 1. Yes. 2. Yes. 3. No. 4. Yes. 5. No. 6. No. 7. No. 8. No. 9. No. 10. No.

Mar-31-24		Messiah: Originally I wanted to post: < 1. maybe 2. maybe 3. maybe 4. maybe 5. maybe 6. maybe 7. maybe 8. maybe 9. maybe 10. maybe > But the following is possibly somewhat better: 1. no 2. no 3. yes 4. no 5. yes 6. no 7. yes 8. yes 9. yes 10. yes

Apr-01-24		offramp: I had the idea to put the questions again so people don't have to scroll up and down all the time. 1. In Round 1 will Caruana beat Nakamura? 2. Will the Scotch be played; i.e. any C45 game? 3. Will Firouzja lose 2 or more games? 4. Will a game be 25 moves or less? 5. Will a game go to 100 moves or more? 6. Will Nakamura score 50% against Firouzja? 7. Will this ending appear: ♗♗ v ♘♘, and no heavy pieces? 8. Will the 3 Indians (Gukesh, Pragg & Vidit) draw all their games among them? 9. Will Abasov end up on 50% or more? 10. In the final round will Caruana beat Nepomniachtchi?

Apr-01-24		Schwartz: 1. No 2. No 3. No 4. No 5. Yes 6. No 7. Yes 8. No 9. No 10. No

Apr-01-24		Captain Hindsight: Predictive hindsight: 1. No 2. No 3. Yes 4. Yes 5. Yes 6. Yes 7. Yes 8. No 9. No 10. No

Apr-01-24		Sally Simpson: 1. No 2. No 3. Yes 4.Yes 5.Yes 6.Yes 7.No 8.No 9.No 10. No

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