Tag: Bobby Fischer

Studying games of the classics to change one’s own amateur assumptions.

January 31st, 2013 · · -, Openings, Two Knight's Defense One comment - Tags: , , , , , ,

Hi guys, it’s Simon, back from a few weeks’ hiatus, I missed writing a lot. I thought about a few different subjects for this post, but after one of my online games this week I decided to discuss a position which comes up in my own games pretty regularly:

twoknightsNh3

 

It’s a position from the Two Knights opening. The last move was 9.Nh3. Now, looking at this position, how many 1800s (and lower) players with Black pieces do you know who will resist their urge to take at h3 and claim they have a huge, probably close to winning, advantage , because of White’s kingside pawns being disrupted? Most of the people I play against take the knight without a second thought. But White’s seemingly vulnerable position has hidden powerful attacking resources- it’s not so much the extra pawn at the moment, but White will boldly castle, put his bishop on f3 and g2, move the king to h1 and the rook to the open file at g1. Then, if Black castles kingside as well, he has to be watchful for all the pins along the g-file, with Bxh6 being an obvious threat. And it’s not of the least importance that White keeps the bishop pair, whereas Black’s knight is clearly misplaced and will take a few moves to return to the game. I don’t mean to claim that White has a huge advantage, I’m far from being dogmatic in my opinions, I’d just say that this is a perfectly playable position for White where he can actually develop a strong attack rather than be attacked. Why am I even talking about this? Because most of the ‘B’ class or lower players will take. Perhaps they should study some classics. I did not write the theory of this. It was first played by Steinitz and later Fischer used it too. Would Mr. “I believe in good moves” play this on move 9 if Bxh3 was giving Black an advantage? In fact, in today’s computer era it’s a move that still comes up in grandmaster chess, but in those games Black actually resists taking the knight on h3, which in fact may be White’s main problem- he has to solve how to bring it back to play. So if you’re looking for alternatives to Ruy Lopez , Two Knights may be an option for you. Just study some classic games.

PS. A bit of shameless self-promotion- just recently I started a website where I can be contacted for chess classes that I offer. So if you’re interested, please check it out here.

 

NPR’s Radiolab Chats with Frank Brady

November 15th, 2011 · · -, Annotated Games, Games, Indian Defences No comments - Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A friend of mine sent me a link to an episode of Radiolab about “games,” and a ten minute portion of the show is about chess and the concept of the theoretical novelty. Naturally, the show is made by non-chess players, and so their version of the novelty is a bit…. let’s say abstract and philosophical. In any case, it’s an interesting show. Listen to it here. It’s from Aug. 23rd, so if you’re a regular Radiolab listener you’ve likely already heard it, but if you’re not familiar with the show this might be a good introduction. My favorite part of the show was the host’s description of the Marshall Chess Club: spot. on.

In the show, Frank Brady discuses Fischer’s famous game of the century. In the office at the Marshall Chess Club, there is a large poster of the orignal scoresheet from that game that I stare at blankly occasionally, trying to wrap my mind around what it must have been like to play a move like 17…Be6.

I don’t think I’ve ever put this game up on the blog before…so I suppose I should have it up here somewhere. (Notes from Chessgames.com)

Listening to Radiolab reminded me that I hadn’t listened to the Full English Breakfast in a while. This show, their 14th, is their one year anniversary and in it they cover some great stuff in their usual snarky tone. You can hear it here.

Grand Prix d’Echecs

September 3rd, 2011 · · -, Annotated Games, Games No comments - Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Late at night, there are a few regular characters who haunt the Marshall Chess Club, (other than Bobby Fishcer’s ghost, which I can sometimes faintly hear cursing Israel over near the water cooler.) Perhaps the most Legendary is William Lombardy, who usually shows up right when I’m closing. Recently, Lombardy stopped by the club and asked for me to make a copy of an article for him- naturally I made a copy for myself as well- and chatted with me about his dislike for Raymond Keene.

In any case, the article was about a contest from Monte Carlo, 1967, in which top GM’s at that time were invited to play by the Prince himself, and more money was made available in prize funds than had ever been up for grabs at an international event at that time before. The article contained an interesting game between Lombardy and Fischer, in which Lombardy had an edge out of the opening, and should have had a draw but for a strategic error in a long positional battle. Of interest to me is how often there are knight retreats on both sides in the following game. I’m a sucker for these long maneuvering battles.

Bobby Fischer Against the World: Wednesday, June 22, 2011

June 20th, 2011 · · -, New York Chess, NYC related posts No comments - Tags: ,


The museum of the moving image is showing a new documentary about bobby fischer that just came out and won some awards at sundance. It will be screened at 7 pm, and an hour before Frank Brady will be giving a lecture and book signing.

In 1972, Brooklyn-born chess genius Bobby Fischer captured the public imagination when he defeated Russian Boris Spassky for the World Championship. During the height of the Cold War, Fischer was a brilliant lone American who defeated the dominant Soviet chess establishment. In the following years, Fishcer renounced his title and his country, and seemingly went mad. His gripping story is the subject of Lis Garbus’s fascinating new documentary which premiered at Sundance. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Dylan McClain, chess columnist for The New York Times; and Frank Brady, author of the acclaimed new Fischer biography Endgame: Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall. Prior to the screening, there will be a book signing with Brady in the Museum Store.

TICKETS: $15 public/ $10 Museum members- order online at movingimage.us or call 718 777 6800

Details about the film here.

4th Annual New York International!

May 29th, 2011 · · -, New York Chess, NYC related posts 4 comments - Tags: , , , ,

There’s less than a month until the 4th Annual New York International, one of the largest chess events to take place in the New York City area in years. Sponsored by the famous Marshall Chess Club, the tournament will take place in Tribeca at the St. John’s University campus under the auspices of Dr. Frank Brady, International Arbiter and author of the best selling authoritative biography of our home town hero, Bobby Fischer. Get All the details here.

Plus, check out this cool post card promo for the event.

There will be GM and IM norms possible in the open section, as well as two class sections: an U2200 and an U1800, with $25k in prizes guaranteed and $40k projected!

Register online!

Asa Hoffmann Lecture at Spectacle, Tuesday March 22nd @ 8 p.m.

March 10th, 2011 · · -, Annotated Games, Evan's Gambit, Games, New York Chess, NYC related posts, Openings 2 comments - Tags: , , , , ,

Brooklyn 64 is sponsoring a lecture by legend Asa Hoffmann this month at Spectacle. The event space is suggesting at 5 to 10 dollar donation per guest, and the topic will most likely be uncommon opening ideas. I expect Asa will go over some of his own games in his signature witty style, quizzing the audience for ideas and variations.

Asa is a cornerstone of the New York City chess scene. He is at the Marshall Chess Club almost every evening, where he teaches, plays in tournaments regularly, occasionally lectures, and is an active member of the board. He was also formerly the vice president of the Manhattan Chess Club. To give a taste of his tactical brilliance, behold the following masterpiece in which he trounces Bobby Fischer:

Spectacle is an independent, not-for-profit theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY that screens hard to find and out of print films, silent movies, and hosts symposiums and presentations. It’s located at 124 South 3rd Street, Brooklyn, New York; between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street.

Directions

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Around the Interwebs

February 13th, 2011 · · -, New York Chess One comment - Tags: , , , , , ,

While the rest of the bloguniverse is still digesting Dr. Frank Brady’s biography of Bobby Fischer (which will be reviewed by Kasparov in the forthcoming New York Review of Books and just made it on the nytimes bestseller list at number 31.), a similarly well-timed documentary that was featured at Sundance Film Festival is poised for release. This afternoon I had the pleasure of viewing portions of it at the Marshall Chess Club, where one of our members had an advanced copy. I have also emailed the someone who may be able to get me an advanced copy- fingers crossed- but in any case I have word from an inside source that it will likely run for one week at the Film Forum. Naturally, this is something that would be perfect for the Spectacle theater- so hopefully we can drum up a copy.

In other news, the Full English Breakfast is out with another show. I believe they are up to episode 7 by now. It’s a great podcast about chess, and is better than any of the drek shows on ICC- plus it’s free.

Also, for those of you who enjoyed the Blog Carnival, be sure not to miss it next month when Blunderprone will be hosting it here. Be sure to submit the best chess material from your favorite blogs and if you’re interested in hosting don’t hesitate to speak up. It’s a great thing for bringing blogs together and driving traffic to your site. This Carnival has really taken on a life of its own and we’re hoping it grows and grows over time.

Also, for anyone looking to follow some top notch tournaments, be sure to check out Aeroflot and Gibralter, which was convincingly won by chuky. I haven’t given much coverage to either of them because I’ve been terribly busy lately, but I’m hoping to comb through the games and pull out a few interesting ones later this week.

Endgame: Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall

December 30th, 2010 · · -, Book Review One comment - Tags: , ,

Frank Brady’s biography of Bobby Fischer is due out in February, but the publisher was kind enough to forward me a copy of it to review. It made for perfect reading while stuck at LaGuardia Aiport this Christmas, mentally transporting me out of one manic world and into another. By employing the popular style of creative non-fiction, this biography reads like a novel and pulls the reader down the rabbit hole along with Bobby into his madness, obsessions, religious confusion and many hatreds. Finishing the book, I couldn’t help but reach the conclusion that Bobby Fischer had been a flesh and blood tragic hero, whose greatness and failures were rooted in the same flaw: resolute and unyielding stubbornness. The amount of details, facts, letters, and quotations that Dr. Brady has assembled here is remarkable. Through careful research as well as from his own recollections, (Dr. Brady’s life has run parallel to Bobby’s,) Dr. Brady has produced an emotionally charged portrait of our hometown hero.

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It’s Official: Magnus Will Not Participate in Candidates

December 23rd, 2010 · · - No comments - Tags: , , , ,

Magnus Carlsen, fashion model and celebrity, has officially missed his deadline to participate in the 2011 World Championship Cycle of Candidates Matches. Perhaps he has calculated that his chances of defeating Justin Bieber at guitar playing are better than defeating Anand and just needs time to practice basic chord progressions.

Honestly, I’m a huge fan of Carlsen and I’m endlessly disappointed in his illogical decision to withdraw. At the moment, I’m reading a fantastic biography of Fischer by Dr. Frank Brady, which I will review next week before it is released, and I have to say that, unfortunately, I see parallels between Carlsen’s absurd demands and those of Fischer. I hope that Carlsen doesn’t lose his mind and disappear from the world stage the way Fischer did. There are so many unanswered questions regarding his decision: Was the decision his and his alone? Is it motivated by money? Will Magnus pursue the title in the future if organizers refuse to capitulate to his demands?

It’s bizarre how the journalists who have recently interviewed Magnus haven’t asked a single question about his decision, and the only information coming out of the black box of Camp Carlsen concerns their many corporate endorsements. Perhaps this journalistic endeavor is a job for Mig Greengard and his behind the scenes connections.

Losing to a Legend: an interesting c3 Sicilian

December 21st, 2010 · · -, Annotated Games, Games, Sicilian 2.c3/Alapin, Sicilian Defense No comments - Tags: , , , , , ,

This evening at the Marshall Chess Club, I had the pleasure of playing chess with IM Renato Naranja, former Champion of The Philippines, Pan-Asian Champion, World Championship candidate, 10 time Chess Olympian, and who drew Bobby Fischer in Palma de Mallorca.

For a while, he chatted with me amiably while I studied games from John Watson’s “Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy.” Playing through variations and discussing ideas, he illuminated concepts I would not have otherwise noticed, much less grasped. Many strong players refuse to play friendly games of chess, demanding money for their valuable time. This was not the case with Renato. He was as genial as he was genius, basically giving me a friendly chess lesson in exchange for nothing more than pleasant conversation.

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Mecking v. Fischer 1970, Buenos Aires, Grunfeld with 4.Bg5

November 26th, 2010 · · -, Book Review, Grunfeld, Openings No comments - Tags: , , ,

I recently came across a biography of the Brazilian GM Henrique Mecking titled “Latin Chess Genius,” edited and written by Stephen W. Gordon. I particularly liked Gordon’s inscription: “For the girls, the only reason I do anything,” which no doubt refers to his daughters but is also a rather humorous double entendre, since to think of a chess player writing a chess book “for the ladies” is in itself pretty laughable… in any case, the book is wonderful for a few reasons. First of all, it contains a wealth of biographical insight condensed into only 20 or so pages, providing the reader with details about Mecking’s illness and its effects on his career, as well as filling in a few gaps with anecdotes from his showdowns with the worlds greatest. In the 1960′s and 70′s, Mecking was a breakout chess player who scored well against the top players of the day, reaching a candidates match with Kortchnoi which he lost by 2 points, tragically weakened by illness.

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