Kindred’s Special -Advice to Youth

Good advice comes from those who have experienced the path to fun, challenge, and mentally developing one’s talent.  Here are some views of today’s and yesterday’s stars.

Pay equal attention to every aspect of the game. It is important to be good at calculation and tactics but also work on opening and positional theories.  Good physical fitness is an asset. Patience in developing skill is a good virtue.

Have fun playing and don’t worry about a result.  In chess, wins and losses both form the learning process.  Success in your student life or at a job will carry over into your chess development and goals. Developing good study habits create opportunities to master scholastic and a well balanced temperament.

A transition from child-teen-adult alters a youth’s learning direction where values take different forms in such transformations.  To enjoy chess, one must grow to appreciate lessons experienced in planning, judgment, decision-making , ever being resilient in time or speed of tempi as it affects attacks/defense and a healthfully fighting spirit.

Good to review this one occasionally.  Go Chess!

 

Don’s Comic Venue

Aries – You have so much experience to share but not always have receptive readers.

For Better or Worse -Surprise Birthday card present enclosed.  Dancing lessons!  You signed us up!  Oh, you are such a thoughtful and loveable husband.  You sweet, thoughtful, romantic wonderful man!  Actually, it was your sis’s idea.  Huh?? (Grrr. You blew it.)

The Family Circle – Her grandson interrupts her knitting with this age old child reflection. Did you know that in dog years I am a grown-up?

Ziggy – Warning!: The following Presidential Debate may not be suitable viewing for children.

Don’s Look at the Comics

Ziggy –  In this election cycle, it is harder to tell where the news ends and the comics begin!

The Family Circle – No. The TV remote needing new batteries is not an emergency.

Shoe –  My shrink said I should take an interest in my husband’s activities.  So you took up golf?   No.  I hired a private detective.

Aries – Sometimes people are just misinformed.

Bridge – A game that can leave a pair very happy or make one very mad.

Blondie – Dithers secretary tells her boss that today is GOOF OFF DAY.  As he passes Bumstead’s office door, he notices  a nap snorer.  No big deal. We celebrate that every day here.

Pickles – Mom is rapping at her daughter’s door again. Sylvia responds.  Oh!  You’re alive!!  Thank goodness!!  You did not answer your phone so I thought you must be sick or dying!  Oh…sorry Mom, my battery must be dead.  Sylvia turns to her husband.  You were right, Dan. Just turning off my phone doesn’t work.

Peanuts – Charlie Brown, I’ve been wanting to ask you something.  From the pitcher’s point of view, has the lowering of the mound affected the game very much?  Oh, yes, definitely. It’s easier to walk up onto it!

Life & Death Need Time for Peace

In this world of ours, sorrow comes to all.  Sometimes it reflects agony; other times it brings memories of good and not so good times where a good cry is acceptable.  Perhaps it is Godly blessing to see such sorrow flushed away with tears.  Perfect relief is rarely possible except by the passing of time.  Eventually sadness is overcome by the realization that, like all things, there is a birth, a growth, a fruit of joy, and a blessing of fulfillment to be the final blessings of faith to this life’s adventure.  –Don.

Don’s Baseball Tidbits pre-WWII

My grandfather George Reithel was a catcher and a local star whose fame was really to share the joy of baseball with his grandson Raymond, creating a memorable scrapbook of newspaper clippings and stories.

Joe McCarthy wins ball games even in his sleep.  Known to be the most successful manager of the New York Yankees, he never competed as a player in the major leagues.  He won pennants in both American and National Leagues and managed his team to three championships in a row–one of them  using an invalid pitcher.  He managed some of the greatest Yankee players.

In 1908, Detroit’s Sam Crawford led the American League with 7 home runs.

Rochester Red Wings, the farm club of the Saint Louis Cardinals annual get together of two great managers,  the Red Wings headed by Billy Southworth and the Cardinals Ray Blades. The lineups of both teams were the pride of Rochesterians who saw many stars returning to Rochester in Cardinal uniforms combat the Red Wing roster who lost a heartbreaker.

Apparently the tiff between manager Ray Blades and outfielder Joe Medwick regarding some disgruntlement between the two is settled.  Joe has been playing great again which explains the Cardinal run up of nine straight wins.

Rochester Red Wings will take the field with George Fallon, Hank Gornicki, George Kurowski, Frank Crespi, Bob Ssheffing, Dain Clay, Estel Crabtree, Lincoln Blakely and Augie Bergamo.  Jimmy Hitchcock is a new Wing infielder.  Battling the rival gang from Newark, the fans were entertained for 17 innings after the Wings put 3 in the top of the first and Newark came back with 5 runs in the third.  Wings added a run in the 4th and 7th to tie.  With the score 5/5 through the 17th, the Umps called the game due to darkness.

The sad news for the Red Wings is that they lost a double-header to Jersey City while lst place Newark iced Montreal in their double-header dropping the Red Wings to 4th place in the standings. (1940 era).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’s Breakfast Coffee Break

Thought of the Day:  You know how to take care of yourself.  Helping  someone is always  your thought and goal.  Still,  it always seems to turn out the same way.  You wind up being the benefactor in this give and take world.

As The World Turns:  Our little world is seen in Shoe where we find our two critics of the way things are in discussion.  It’s tough being a lawyer these days.  How so?  Legal fees have gotten so high, a lot of my clients have decided to just tell the truth.  It’s cheaper!

Blondie:  Life experiences rarely find new paths.  Dagwood is napping and his little neighbor pops in to ask a favor of Mr. B.  Sorry to bother you Mr. B.  Would you sign my report card?  Don’t you think your mother and father should do that?  No way!  Not this card!

Pickles remains one of my favorites.  I took the Downton Abbey quiz to see which character I was most like.  It turns out I’m Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess.  I checked for you.  You’re Jimmy the footman.  She leaves  him alone on the couch with the dog.  He speaks to the dog as he puts down the newspaper he was reading.  What is a Downtown  Abbie?

From the Pages of the Past

Giuoco Piano opening was an Italian favorite and for the amateur especially contains a lot of poison from either side of the board.  The following game was played between Tom Emery (before his forced evacuation in 1939.)  Vera Menchik was the Woman’s World Champion who lost her life in a Nazi bombing raid in England.

White:   Tom Emery     vs.   Black:  Vera Menchik     Opening:  Giuoco  Piano  1939

1. P-K4 … P-K4 /  2. N-KB3 …  N-QB3 / 3. B-B4 …  B-B4 /

From the earliest times, f2 & f7 were recognized as weak points.

4. P-B3  … N-B3  /  5. P-Q4 … P:P / 6. P:P … B-N5 + / 7. N-B3 … N:KP / 8. O-O  … B:N /

9. P-Q5! …/

This is the Moller Attack which had the reputation of creating many beautiful games.

9. … B-B3 / 10. R-K1 …  N-K2 / 11. R:N  … P-Q3 /

Putting the King into safety by castling was needed to remove the King from the center files.

12. B-KN5  … B:B /  13. N:B  … B-B4 / 14. Q-B3!  … B:R  /  15. Q:P+ … K-Q2 /

16. Q-K6+ … K-K1 /  17. Q:B  … Q-Q2 /  18. R-K1  … P-QR3 /  19. N:P … K-Q1 /

20. N-N5 …  R-K1 /  21. N-K6+ … K-B1 / 22. N:P …  Resigns.

&^^^&

Riga, Latvia produced genius playmakers.  The greatest was Mikhail Tahl aka Tal who came out of the 1950s where he first caught the imagination of days of old with his spectacular attacking style.

White:   Tal   vs.  Black:   Skuja   Opening:  Scandinavian Defense

This defense has had periods of ups and downs with a variety of variations played over many years.  It has regained considerable interest over the past decade or two.

l. e4  d5  2. e:d5  Q:d5  3. Nc3  Qa5  4. d4  e5  5. Nf3  Bb4 6. Bd2  e:d4  7. Qe2+ Ne7 8. N:d4 O-O 9. a3  Bd6  10. Ndb5  Qb6 11. O-O-O Be6 12. Bg5  Ng6 13. N:d6 c:d6

Notice how the piece movement is fluid-like.  Examine the square count; the Bishop is gone and the exchange has a Q/P isolani.  The developed minor Knight now becomes a target to harass as well as the Queen.

14. h4!  Nc6  15. Be3  Qa5  16. h5  Nge5  17. Rh4!

Typical Tal!  Also good was simply 17. Rxd6 but that pawn is a distractor that compels Black to try to defend it while Tal continues to hit the K-wing.

17. … d5  18. h6  g6  19. f4  Nc4  20. f5  N:e3  21. Q:e3  B:f4  22. N:d5  Rad8  23. b4 Qa4 24. Qc3

Defending against the mate threat with one of his own in tit-for-tat.

24. … Ne5  25. Ne7+

Finally getting to attack the King directly.

25. … K-h8  26. Q:e5+f6  27. Q:f6+ Checkmate in two moves. So, Black resigns.

Such brilliant plans and both attack and defense modes continue to entertain us attests to the fact that chess is alive and well in the 21st century!

38th Marchand Open

$16,400 Prize Fund Guaranteed with 150 Grand Prix Points

MARCH  19 – 20,  2016

STRONG’S  NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PLAY

One  Manhattan Square / Rochester, NY 14607

For entry form and particulars please call The Rochester Chess Center, 221 Norris Drive, Rochester, NY 14610 /  Telephone # (585) 442-2430.  Ron Lohrman or one of his staff will be happy to assist you.

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The Rochester Club master, Ben Dean – Kawmura, repeated his 2014 victory march to lst place when he defeated Grandmaster Bryan Smith in the final round, knocking Smith out of a cash prize, having suffered two losses.  The top winners in the Open section were Ben Dean-Kawmuta (M)with 4 wins, l loss; Robert Sulman (M) 4 wins, 1 loss; Pedro-Juan Garan Martin 2497 (unrated) 4 wins, 1 loss; Alexander Stripunsky (GM) 3 wins, 2 draws; Eugene Perelshteyn (GM) 3 wins, 2 draws; Sergey Kudrin (GM) 3 wins, 2 draws; Razvan Preota (M) 3 wins, 2 draws.

Each of the 7-players (total 4 points each)received $1129.00. ($7903) of the total prize fund.

In the class sections, there was a great battle among the more than 130 players who fought gallantly to achieve the remaining cash prizes.