User Profile: offramp

Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players ·

Kibitzing

offramp
Member since Aug-16-03 · Last seen Jan-17-26

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
[what is this?]

   offramp has kibitzed 25210 times to chessgames [more...]

   Jan-17-26 Tata Steel Masters (2026)

offramp: The protest was Pro-Chess Iran. There is an armed group of Pro-Iran Authoritarians. They have opened fire on the Iranian chessplayers and shot about 600 of them, but the 1st round will begin at 3 pm, thankfully.

   Jan-17-26 offramp chessforum

offramp: Does anyone else think that Wayne Rooney looks like a Lego character?

   Jan-16-26 M Schekachikhin vs C Dolgun, 2024

offramp: The Caissa Hotel is on the Aegean Sea, in Ayvalik, Turkey. This game is very interesting all the way through, right from 4...Qh4!

   Jan-15-26 Julien Song

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

   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 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.

indicates a reply to the comment.

Ye Olde Offrampe Predicktions

< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 76 OF 86 · Later Kibitzing>
Mar-28-25		offramp: offramp: <offramp: If you have a list of great <classic> horror films, the superb <SON OF FRANKENSTEIN> (1939) could be near the top.> The book <FRANKENSTEIN> is rubbish. When <Universal> made the film they changed everything. Good idea! The book <DRACULA> is probably good; I don't know. I aint never read it. There is no book about <WEREWOLVES>.

Mar-30-25		offramp: Once a month I drink a spirit. I like to have a <JAGERMEISTER, MARTINI & <GOLD> COKE>. I call that cocktail, a <MISS SCARLETT'S CANDELABRA IN THE LIBRARY>. I believe that drinking a half pint of <MISS SCARLETT'S CANDELABRA IN THE LIBRARY> ingest <185 of your 5-a-day.> <Jagermeister> has 56 different herbs, fruits, roots, and spices. Some of the herbs used in the recipe include star anise, ginger root, licorice, citrus peel, saffron, juniper berries, and cinnamon. <Martini> has many ingredients like gentian, hyssop, elder, vanilla, bitter orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, and juniper, angelica, marjoram, mint, saffron, and cinchona.

Mar-31-25		offramp: Indonesia 🇮🇩 is a state that is made from 18,000 islands. How many islands are part of Sweden 🇸🇪? It's c. 250,000.

Mar-31-25		offramp: <Marvan Samson Atapattu> is a retired cricketer (he is now 54). His career ended with the reasonable average of 40. He played for Pakistan but had a very bad start to his Test career. He played against India and Australia and his first scores were: <0, 0\|0, 1\|0, 0\|.> What a start to a Test career!

Apr-03-25		OhioChessFan: Hello mate, I occasionally pop by and see what you're up to. I'll have to remember the islands of Sweden for my trivia contests.

Apr-03-25		OhioChessFan: A film scene I liked-though the movie overall was a great disappointment: The 400 Blows. Antoine is interviewed by a counselor or psychologist or whatever. He. Can't. Stay. Still. He rubs and rubs and rubs his hands on the table and fidgets and fuses. Perhaps it's the one and only time in his life he's honest about things. So well done.

Apr-04-25		offramp: I remember that year's Oscars. The nominees were: <200 Motels> by Frank Zappa <The 400 Blows> by Truffaut <2,000> Maniacs!> by Herschell Lewis <8½> by Fellini <<AND THE WINNER IS> 2,000 Maniacs!>!

Apr-05-25		offramp: I have been watching the old British puppets shows; the most famous is <Thunderbirds>, but my favourite is <Captain Scarlet>. I am watching <Fireball XL5> for the first time (on TVTP). This is what is shocking is the <STRINGS>. On old tellies people would not have seen them. On 21st century 4K HD tellies you can see every detail. In a way, the old programmes are better seen <WITHOUT> 4K HD.

Apr-05-25		offramp: There is a very good film, <The Sandwich Man>. It's a Michael Bentine vehicle. He is underrated. The film has two outstanding scenes with cars. 1. Bentine visits the Rolls Royce showroom on Park Lane. The salesman, Donald Wolfit, goes a bit mental and <oversells> the car. 2. The final scene: Bentine gets into his friend's car. The car is an Amphicar, it drives down the slipway into the river Thames. When I first saw it I couldn't believe my eyes.

Apr-05-25		offramp: Last night I saw a bloody spooky film - and it was <IRISH>. <FROM THE DARK> (2014). ⭐⭐⭐/6 stars. Spookinessabounds! I was spooked so much that I gave up. Serious. I switched to a comedy. As I have got old, I have become more squeamish.

Apr-06-25		offramp: I just had a funny idea: You know nothing about the game except its ECO opening code, and its final position. Then give a resumé of that game in at least 50 words.

Apr-08-25		offramp: Here is something about me, and food. (I can't be alone in the following weirdness.) I buy a white cabbage and a loaf of expensive bread. To me, they look superb - wonderful. I <don't> want to touch them. I want them to remain in their pristine condition. In a week's time, I throw the bread out. Three weeks later, I throw out the cabbage...

Apr-11-25		offramp: https://youtube.com/shorts/s3oBPDba... Potato dauphinoise

Apr-13-25		offramp: I don't normally watch musicals (BTW I am straight). I specifically wanted to watch <Hello Dolly> (1969) with the well-known English actor <Michael Crawford>. Imagine <1969>!! In the film Michael Crawford really really was just Frank Spencer with an American accent. He was very good. Some of the dancing was brilliant. He must have been very young. I could not believe my eyes when I realised that the Parade was a set-piece - at first I thought it <must> be stock footage; it is not possible for a studio to PAY to employ 1000s of people to make a colossal parade. <BUT they did>. The last half-hour is also superb: the interior of a restaurant called Harmonia. Dozens of funny set pieces. The highlight is <Louis Armstrong> singing <Hello Dolly> to Barbra Streisand. Barbra is an avatar of Winehouse Sad that Barbra outlived Amy🥺🥀❤️‍🩹. Perhaps I should take up <the Gay> and watch more musicals.

Apr-13-25		offramp: <Joe Biden> deserves a second term. He did fairly well as President. After Trump's second term, <LET'S LET JOE HAVE ANOTHER GO>🏛️🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🦅 🦅‼️‼️.

Apr-14-25		offramp: Do you know the song <"Green, Green Grass of Home">? Jerry Lee Lewis sang it, and Tom Jones sings it. Here are the words: <The old home town looks the same As I step down from the train And there to meet me is my Mama and Papa Down the road I look and there runs Mary Hair of gold and lips like cherries It's good to touch the green, green grass of home Yes, they'll all come to meet me Arms reaching, smiling sweetly It's good to touch the green, green, grass of home The old house is still standing Tho' the paint is cracked and dry And there's that old oak tree that I used to play on Down the lane I walk with my sweet Mary Hair of gold and lips like cherries It's good to touch the green, green grass of home Yes, they'll all come to meet me Arms reaching, smiling sweetly It's good to touch the green, green grass of home Then I awake and look around me At the four grey walls that surround me And I realize, yes, I was only dreaming For there's a guard and there's a sad old padre Arm in arm we'll walk at daybreak Again I touch the green, green grass of home.> This song would be <MUCH MUCH BETTER> if the last verse would be omitted. This verse...: <Then I awake and look around me At the four grey walls that surround me And I realize, yes, I was only dreaming For there's a guard and there's a sad old padre Arm in arm we'll walk at daybreak Again I touch the green, green grass of home.> ...should <NOT> be included in the song.

Apr-21-25		offramp: Which actor was in <CARRY ON LOVING> (1970) and <THE SHINING> (1980)?

Apr-21-25		offramp: Here is a better version of that question. Which actor was in two <CARRY ON> films and in two Stanley Kubrick films? They were <CARRY ON LOVING> (1970), <CARRY ON AT YOUR CONVENIENCE> (1971), <A CLOCKWORK ORANGE> (1971), <THE SHINING> (1980).

Apr-22-25		offramp: The actor was <Phillip Stone>.

Apr-22-25		offramp: I am going back to brilliant scenes from films. Here are two scenes from <UNCLE BUCK> (1989). <John Candy> was a loss to Canada and the world. He died pretty young. <Chris Farley> also died young. Oh my garshk!! The first funny scene was when John Candy opened his cupboard, a bowling ball fell on his head. The second one was the clown arriving for a children's party. Buck spotted that the clown was a bit tiddly. Buck have the clown TWO big punches on his red nose. <Very funny>.

Apr-23-25		offramp: I believe in crystal healing. At the board I wear glasses with one yellow and one blue lens. I send good vibes to my opponent, chanting, "Nam-Ryioko Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō!!" I have great results.

Apr-25-25		offramp: I always like popes. They will always have had interesting lives even before they became popes. 1. <Giovanni 23rd>. He died in 1963 so I didn't remember him at all. 2. <Paolo Sesto>. I grew up with him, but he never said a word. In those days all popes were Italian, like... 3. <Giampaolo>, in 1978. He had a heart problem. 4. <Giampaolo Duo> was a Pole. I never really liked him. He was a bit conservative. When he took over at the Vatican he got a shock to see the financial cabal that was in control there. 5. <Benedetto Sedicesimo>, a German. There have been a load of German popes - and many African popes. 6. <Francesco> was an Argentinian. That was great news! He took over as pope in 2013. The trouble is that he was very old when he took over. We need a pope in his 50s.

Apr-25-25		offramp: I am not sure about the rules, but have we had a female pope recently? I would nominate <KATY PERRY>! She went out in to space, she was the pilot of the team of astronauts. She would be Pope Catherine the First. She will be brilliant!

Apr-25-25		offramp: A good rhyme I thought of: tomatoes/comatose.

Apr-25-25		OhioChessFan: <This verse...: <Then I awake and look around me At the four grey walls that surround me And I realize, yes, I was only dreaming For there's a guard and there's a sad old padre Arm in arm we'll walk at daybreak Again I touch the green, green grass of home.> ...should <NOT> be included in the song. > I was in maybe 6th grade when a teacher told me that the four gray walls were a coffin. And the narrator, though dead, was telling us about a dream he had. Which is probably the stupidest basis for a song story every created. I therefore hated the song. I was corrected on a public message board after repeating that silly scenario, to my everlasting shame.

Jump to page # (enter # from 1 to 86)
search thread:
< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 76 OF 86 · Later Kibitzing>

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
Nothing in violation of United States law.
No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
No trolling.
The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.

NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific user only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

Participating Grandmasters are Not Allowed Here!

You are not logged in to chessgames.com.
If you need an account, register now;
it's quick, anonymous, and free!
If you already have an account, click here to sign-in.