"Who's Winning?": Computers vs Humans
Sure, it would be nice if you could infallibly emulate Mr Machine (and be able to spot mates in 25 e…
Mechanics Institute
An august institution indeed (founded way back in 1854)...what might even be called the chessic Pear…
My Big Fat American Open
Rest stops, football, fist fights, Tule fog--what more could you ask from a tourney? :D
The Errant Knight
We've probably all gotten stuck with one of those Terminally Bad Bishops from time to time--permanen…My Worst Moment OTB
It came in the same match as my Craziest Game Ever (the subject of another blog); indeed, it was the…
FAVORITES: Larsen vs Korchnoi 1973
The ultimate proof of an amazing move is when it seems so obviously wrong that you automatically set…
The Golden Age of SciFi
As an ancient wag once observed (regarding a topic endlessly debated in the field): "The real Golden…
Piece Hang From a World Championship Match
There are blunders and there are blunders. Then there was St Amant's blunder...
BOOK REVIEW: Learn From The Grandmasters
A rather unassuming and slight tome (only 120 pages!)...which features a wealth of entertaining disc…
FAVORITES: Taubenhaus vs Tarrasch 1885
Okay, so he wasn't necessarily the guy you'd want for a roommate (unless maybe you're Felix Unger)..…
My U S Open
Yep, somehow my first (and only) U S Open got all mixed up with The Four Liverpudlians.The Ultimate Cheapo
Everybody no doubt has their own Cheapest Win story. Here's mine. :)The Day I Played In The Argentine Championship
Way back when there was a periodical called the Players Chess News. And thanks to its pages, I once …A Textbook Cheapo
As the old joke would have it (more or less): if ever you look up "cheapo" in the dictionary, a diag…Mr Young's Room
When I got to high school, I discovered soon enough the chess club and its many cohorts. All ruled o…
"Midnight By The Morphy Watch"
A strong dose of chess lore combined with paranoia a la Stefan Zweig produced a Fischer-era chestnut…
Kolty gives a simul!
Right in the midst of the first Fischer-Spassky match, I learned that legendary blindfold whiz Georg…When Bughouse Was New!
According to wikipedia, Bughouse originated sometime (and somewhere) in the early 1960s. By the next…Mr Dietrich
We had just moved into the new neighborhood...where I found a rather unlikely playing partner.Jerry
Jerry ran our local chess club and was the first tournament director I ever met. He was also the guy…
BOOK REVIEW: The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played
An all-time classic? You bet! Did I like it? Er...not really. :)
BOOK REVIEW: The Golden Treasury of Chess
"The most famous collection of chess masterpieces ever published" (and one of the joys of my youth) …
BOOK REVIEW: Petrosian's Legacy
An incidental purchase that turned out to be a winner :)