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The Chess Gazette Andrew Martin Feb. 2019 The Chess Butler No. 241 CONTENTS the Chess Gazette Andrew Martin .......................12 Book Listings ...........................15 February, 2019 Books Reviewed ................... 1-6 Books Reviewed 2 .............8-11 hat is a M-I-R-A-C-L-E? Emanuel Lasker 1 ..................... 7 W I posed this question to two people I knew at a chapel Excitement 301! .....................13 I was in last night. I asked them if a major miracle had ever hap- The Gold Standard .................. 5 pened to them? They were bewildered by my question as devout The Grand Turk .......................14 as they already were. Pampering You at the Q ........ 4 Staying Awake! What is a Chess Clinic? ........... 4 I didn’t want to put them to sleep by mentioning software, hard- ware, effects, a two week struggle, and such. I had been through trials in my business as well as my personal life and now I had to put together brochures, explanations, the usual projects and do it all with something complex and the likes of which I had never done before! I didn’t WANT to deal with Adobe, my computer “fixit” shop nor people who would explain forever and yet noth- ing would dent my skull (or be accomplished). I was facing major deadlines, a dearth of orders and time (the super biggie). Trust Was The Real Answer! Finally I felt I was being led to a solution of which I am sure almost NONE of us would believe was real. TRUST. Throughout my history, turning over the reins of what I was doing, to another, was a remote and elusive concept. Struggle was all I knew, in everything I tried to accomplish. F T & M I am here to tell you, finally, I now understand the concepts of Winning More Games! faith, trust, and miracles as they pertain to me, and more followed. The above book by James Eventually I awoke from my nap. I went downstairs and turned has some quite exciting aspects on my laptop. The icons which wouldn’t open before, now opened! to it. In fact, a couple weeks ago I saw the totality of previously made PDF documents and sent sold a copy to an IM from Cali- a few out for verification… they worked! The Impossible became fornia. No one, I’m sure, would possible. Now a quote from Einstein made sense: expect this. His opponents, if he does use it, will be at an ex- “Only those who attempt the absurd perimental disadvantage. can achieve the impossible.” Not long ago I sold Morra Albert Einstein Mayhem to another stud who was all about winning. Some Look into the right column of this front page. This book, to others were buying Tay’s book quote Albert, is full of the absurd. Yet, author FM James Schuyler on the Schliemann, another achieved the “impossible” with many wins caused by inducing “discredited opening until you errors into the play of his opponents. have to face it! Much more on Through its judicious use you can score more wins. 4 copies. the next page. - 1 - [email protected] 50 Years in Chess! © 2019 Thinkers’ Press The Chess Gazette COVERAGE even available back then. The next chapter is on the Middle- Here’s what Schuyler (pron. Skylar) A telling approach is on page 9 game. covers, with games + interesting “rea- where Schuyler writes: “For the pur- Basically, it’s about “aggres- sons why” and other notes: pose of inducing errors and avoid- sive play” and some people aren’t 01. The Opening ing draws, I suggest we ignore data- equipped to do that! I’m here to tell 02. The Middlegame base statistics almost entirely [Ed.: you, that is psychological which can 03. Material Imbalances I just purchased 2019 CB’s Mega]. be a terrible crisis of confidence. 04. Harassment Far more relevant are our personal In fact, in the game Schuyler vs. 05. The Unexpected statistics with certain openings. For Sherzer (another strong player) our 06. Unusual Ideas example, I often play the London Sys- author writes “fortune favors those 07. Hating Your Opponent tems (1 d4, 2 Bf4, 3 e3, 4 c3, 5 Nf3, willing to venture things.” He’s talk- 08. Maneuvering etc.) which does not have a reputation ing about chess here not brain surgery. 09. Provocativeness for generating decisive results, to say By the way, there are plenty of Si- 10. Lost Positions the least (it is often called “The Bor- cilians in this book and the solutions, 11. The Clock ing Opening.”) even by GMs are not always “book.” 12. The Endgame Basically, there’s a lot of HOW to 13. Ploys REASONS WHY think for yourself in this book. Re- 14. Stripping A very fine chapter which is also about member how when you were a kid 15. Lasker circumstances (“reasons why?”) and how you had to do that? I think my 16. Why Isn’t This Working? other bits which some will avoid great granddaughter, Aurora, could be 17. Final Thoughts reading at their peril. a Grandmaster at that. If she wants The Introduction identifies our Prob- In his very first game presentation, something and you say “no” she can lem, talks about our Opponent, and Schuyler has the black pieces and he re-attack you with 10-15 more ways many of us are NOT looking for a quickly discovers he has entered the of still trying to get you to do what draw! If we can turn, perhaps 50%, “Brombacher” variation which he had she wants! of those draws into wins, it’s worth decided was “practically a refutation Want to see a win with the Pirc De- investigating isn’t it? of the BDG.” fense for a change? The word critical Everything is pretty much good The game went 54 moves to mate. means what? Look at game 11 in Har- but most people are looking for the James says to “believe in your oppo- kins vs. Mackenzie, 1995. “opening hook,” as in, what openings nent’s incompetence, whether they are does he cover? 1200, 1800, or 2400…” THE UNEXPECTED In game 2 Schuyler is found playing The Surprise. We all have them and THE OPENINGS the Latvian Gambit with (important) a get them. They attack the nerves. A That’s helpful but he also goes over dose of his own home-analysis! Black moment of panic and a poker face. In the “mindset” of all of this. He knows wins in 40 moves! a Budapest Gambit Black has been that if he goes over the Latvian Gam- Not all the games are from Schuy- known to win his share of games. bit he will be attacked by some and ler’s notebook. In Game 3 (Polok- Kasparov had been known for playing feared by others. Malaniuk, 2012) Polok is outrated by “impossible” looking moves! Game I can recall discovering I was about nearly 400 Elo. White wins in 42. 16 is Bluff and Counter-Bluff as well to walk into someone’s Blackmar I used to play the English Defense as interesting… Karpov vs. Kasparov Diemer Gambit. I was so distracted, against selected opponents. (1 c4 b6! 1985. This book is worth owning. trying to avoid the “transposition that according to Schuyler who writes, There’s so much more, but as they I had to work very hard in order to it is “the most successful statisti- say, space is limited. An unusual and avoid a loss to someone much lower cally of any defense to 1 c4.” Valu- better than average work as he anno- rated than I was. I am more than sure able notes info, this book has alot tates very well. A thoroughly useful he felt vindicated. This book wasn’t of these.) James takes 40 to win this. value at $19.50. The Best in Chess Literature - 2 - Editor: Bob Long Feb. 2019 The Chess Butler No. 241 Shuffle Dancing? at Karpov-Hort, Moscow 1971. Philidor taught that “Pawns are Do you know what it is? It’s Here’s a good one from Efim the soul of chess.” rhythm dancing using feet, an- Geller: πp∏P kles, legs, hands, great looking “It is well-known that the The single best way to improve your shoes and often Elvis songs. real difficulty lies not in cal- game the most is to take several It can be a freestyle or small culation, but in assessing the weeks [or more—Ed.:] and study groups which takes a lot of position after an Exchange pawn structure and related-strate- practice by these young girls. Sacrifice.” gies. This was quoted on the QUORA But, they love what they are do- website (Quora.com for stronger ing so much you can tell they than usual questions, answered by are having a great time. “experts.”) In another video there are • The BEST way is to come to a two 5 performers; Barry Gibb, the hour lecture on pawn structures at Gatlin Brothers, and Roy Or- the May 25th Super Chess Clinic bison. They are doing a song, by IM Andrew Martin. You will learn together, Indian Summer. The a useful “ton” of the really good 5 performers come into the au- stuff. Details elsewhere in #241. dio at various times to do their work. When it is Orbison’s What Are Your Critical Posi- turn, he comes in with such Here’s another tidbit which tional SKILLS? honest high, but not contrived, you should memorize, taken Don’t assume you think I am melodies that Barry looks to from Max Euwe’s The Middle asking about when you feel you the others as if to say, “Is this Game: are losing, have the initiative, guy unbelievable or what?” He • a Knight on the third rank or you believe you have a WIN did that again a little later with is good for defense, especially and want to wrap it up.
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