Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Reincarnation
Our atoms were once part of a multitude of things and beings before becoming us. The notion that we have a soul that survives death is a charming illusion nurtured by the ego, which fears its inevitable annihilation and yearns for permanence. People are ruled by fear to a large extent. As a myth, reincarnation is not without value, because it encourages sympathy with animals and encourages us to look for human traits in animals. I have found that cats and dogs have a certain intelligence that is different from ours in some ways and similar in others. I do not understand it completely. They grasp certain things at once that might elude a human, but are forever mystified by things that seem obvious to us.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Herman Cain
Herman Cain's sexual conduct is not germane to his run for the Presidency. As far as can be discerned, all of the candidates running for President are in possession of genitalia that they probably have used at one point or another in their long, sweet and easy lives in a manner that they would not wish everyone to discover. I won't vote for Cain because he does not understand. Period.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Alekhine's Defense
I love Alekhine's Defense, specifically the Brooklyn Defense, which wins me games in part due to its obscurity. There is considerable shock value in resetting Black's position on the second move. It is quite natural for White to feel contempt for the opening, which apparently achieves nothing after the second move, but is the contempt justified? In the following game, my opponent underestimated it--and me--and was shocked to find himself on the losing end.
I am not sure whether I played the best moves in this game, but I have no complaint with the result. I would hazard a guess that my opponent played too passively. Alekhine's is a scrap, nothing else to say about it, and those who expect the initial peace and calm of something along the lines of a Benko's Opening are in for a surprise.
[White "anon"]
[Black "igor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1856"]
[BlackElo "1882"]
[TimeControl "900"]
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Ng8 3. d4 d6 4. exd6 Qxd6
To recapture with a pawn is just too passive for Black in my opinion, although it may appeal to players of the Sicilian.
5. c4?
A mistake, in my opinion, albeit a tempting move for White because it resembles the usual pawn structure of the Queen's Gambit.
5. .. e5?!
I don't see why I can't play this move, but I have a strange feeling there could be a refutation out there. Until someone shows me the error of my ways, I intend to continue. Perhaps 6. d5 is White's best response, but I'm not quite sure yet.
6. Nf3? exd4!
White's center takes a hit. I believe I have at least equalized. White's pawn on c4 merely deprives his King's bishop of a good post. I actually tried 6. .. e4? in the past, but it's a bad idea to leave White's center intact, and defending the pawn on e4 is not really feasible.
7. Qxd4 Nc6 8. Qd3?
White would be better off trading Queens rather than giving me more tempos.
8. .. Bg4
No unnecessary pawn moves for me. After my first two 'crazy' moves, I adhere to the maxim of rapid development.
9. Nbd2?
Just too passive and reactionary. White needs to play bolder moves and sooner rather than later.
9. .. O-O-O!
Not looking good for White. I imagine he is sweating now.
10. Qxd6
Finally White wises up and gets rid of my irritating Queen.
10. .. Bxd6 11. Be2?
Again, just too passive. One does not win games through defense alone.
11. .. Nf6 12. O-O Rhe8
My development is complete, but White has a bishop stuck on the bottom rank and his rooks are idle.
13. Re1 Nb4!
Threatening a fork.
14. Nd4
I found this position complicated and spent three minutes pondering it, which seems excessive. I hadn't drunk enough tea this morning. White's potential Bxg4+ kept coming up again and again in my calculations. In the end, I decided I had to take the bishop and be done with it or else risk giving White a critical tempo.
14. .. Bxe2 15. Rxe2 Bf4!
My dark-squared bishop was idle, so I found employment for it. White's weak spot is clearly the knight on d2. White wants very much to move it to a more profitable square, but I do not wish to allow that. If 16. N2f3, then 16. .. Rxe2 17. Nxe2 Rd1+ and mate in the next move.
16. Rxe8 Rxe8 17. Kf1 Nd3 18. N2f3?
My opponent was moving too fast, angling for a time advantage, since I was down by four minutes. 18. N4f3 seems better for White. 18. .. Ne4 can be countered by 19. g3! and I don't get much more than a pawn for my trouble.
18. .. Bxc1 0-1
He could have played on, but I think he was annoyed at losing a piece to such an "inferior" opening. At any rate, with almost eight minutes remaining, I think I could have won. He challenged me to a rematch immediately after, but I don't like to play rematches immediately. I need downtime after a game to collect my thoughts. I like to engage in post-analysis of my games as well.
I must admit the chief appeal of Alekhine's for me is that it is not the Sicilian. Playing the most popular openings exposes one to prepared lines and novelties. Alekhine's lures White into playing Black's game. I feel that the Brooklyn Defense may be the optimal variation of the Alekhine's, if for no other reason than shock value and breaking out of book early. One of the things I never liked about the traditional Alekhine's was how White gets another free tempo (c4) and exiles Black's knight to Siberia over on b6, where it is of minimal use.
I am not sure whether I played the best moves in this game, but I have no complaint with the result. I would hazard a guess that my opponent played too passively. Alekhine's is a scrap, nothing else to say about it, and those who expect the initial peace and calm of something along the lines of a Benko's Opening are in for a surprise.
[White "anon"]
[Black "igor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1856"]
[BlackElo "1882"]
[TimeControl "900"]
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Ng8 3. d4 d6 4. exd6 Qxd6
To recapture with a pawn is just too passive for Black in my opinion, although it may appeal to players of the Sicilian.
5. c4?
A mistake, in my opinion, albeit a tempting move for White because it resembles the usual pawn structure of the Queen's Gambit.
5. .. e5?!
I don't see why I can't play this move, but I have a strange feeling there could be a refutation out there. Until someone shows me the error of my ways, I intend to continue. Perhaps 6. d5 is White's best response, but I'm not quite sure yet.
6. Nf3? exd4!
White's center takes a hit. I believe I have at least equalized. White's pawn on c4 merely deprives his King's bishop of a good post. I actually tried 6. .. e4? in the past, but it's a bad idea to leave White's center intact, and defending the pawn on e4 is not really feasible.
7. Qxd4 Nc6 8. Qd3?
White would be better off trading Queens rather than giving me more tempos.
8. .. Bg4
No unnecessary pawn moves for me. After my first two 'crazy' moves, I adhere to the maxim of rapid development.
9. Nbd2?
Just too passive and reactionary. White needs to play bolder moves and sooner rather than later.
9. .. O-O-O!
Not looking good for White. I imagine he is sweating now.
10. Qxd6
Finally White wises up and gets rid of my irritating Queen.
10. .. Bxd6 11. Be2?
Again, just too passive. One does not win games through defense alone.
11. .. Nf6 12. O-O Rhe8
My development is complete, but White has a bishop stuck on the bottom rank and his rooks are idle.
13. Re1 Nb4!
Threatening a fork.
14. Nd4
I found this position complicated and spent three minutes pondering it, which seems excessive. I hadn't drunk enough tea this morning. White's potential Bxg4+ kept coming up again and again in my calculations. In the end, I decided I had to take the bishop and be done with it or else risk giving White a critical tempo.
14. .. Bxe2 15. Rxe2 Bf4!
My dark-squared bishop was idle, so I found employment for it. White's weak spot is clearly the knight on d2. White wants very much to move it to a more profitable square, but I do not wish to allow that. If 16. N2f3, then 16. .. Rxe2 17. Nxe2 Rd1+ and mate in the next move.
16. Rxe8 Rxe8 17. Kf1 Nd3 18. N2f3?
My opponent was moving too fast, angling for a time advantage, since I was down by four minutes. 18. N4f3 seems better for White. 18. .. Ne4 can be countered by 19. g3! and I don't get much more than a pawn for my trouble.
18. .. Bxc1 0-1
He could have played on, but I think he was annoyed at losing a piece to such an "inferior" opening. At any rate, with almost eight minutes remaining, I think I could have won. He challenged me to a rematch immediately after, but I don't like to play rematches immediately. I need downtime after a game to collect my thoughts. I like to engage in post-analysis of my games as well.
I must admit the chief appeal of Alekhine's for me is that it is not the Sicilian. Playing the most popular openings exposes one to prepared lines and novelties. Alekhine's lures White into playing Black's game. I feel that the Brooklyn Defense may be the optimal variation of the Alekhine's, if for no other reason than shock value and breaking out of book early. One of the things I never liked about the traditional Alekhine's was how White gets another free tempo (c4) and exiles Black's knight to Siberia over on b6, where it is of minimal use.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Playing for Time
I am not especially proud of this win. I feel that Black played better moves on the whole, but he was too slow in our timed 15 minute game. This game showed me some of the vulnerabilities of the Polish (Sokolsky).
[White "igor"]
[Black "anon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1868"]
[BlackElo "1887"]
[TimeControl "1200"]
1. b4 c6
A most unusual response to the Polish, but as a Caro-Kann advocate I respect it.
2. Bb2 a5?!
A typical move that many players believe to be effective against Flank openings. It aims to create an isolated White pawn on the a-file, as well as gaining an open file for the Black rook. These supposed advantages often prove insignificant, and I feel that it wastes time on the whole. I would advocate developing a piece as being more in keeping with hypermodern theory.
3. bxa5
a3 may be better, but I did not see any future for the b4 pawn once Black has unleashed his dark-squared bishop. It seemed to me I would have lost time trying to defend the b-pawn in order to avoid a relatively small weakness in my pawn structure.
3. .. d5!
Black demonstrates savvy about the Polish, anticipating that I want to play c4. I begin to sense there will be no easy gotcha's for me in this Polish.
4. e3 Nf6 5. c4!
If Black takes, my bishop can recapture, obtaining a decent development. If he doesn't, then cxd5.
5. .. e6!?
Hemming in his light-squared bishop. While this is solid, I have my doubts.
6. Nf3
I'd love to play Bc3, supporting a5, but that confounds the development of my Queen's knight. Furthermore, it seems rash to delay development of my other pieces. Better to cede the pawn than delay development to such an extent.
6. .. Bd6
Aiming at an eventual e5.
7. Nc3?
Not an ideal square for my Queen's knight. Better may have been 7. Na3?! aiming for Nc2 and tempting Black to exchange his active bishop for a passive knight.
7. Qxa5
Might as well scoop up the pawn now and begin applying pressure to my weak Q-side.
8. Be2?!
Dismayed by Black's awareness of the Polish, I play a passive move out of character for me, with an eye to rapid castling. Stronger I think is 8. d4.
8. Nbd7 9. O-O dxc4
Black forces my bishop to move twice, emphasizing my waste of a move. Black prepares for an eventual b5. However, he does not realize that I can prevent that move if it is not played immediately.
10. Bxc4 O-O
Although Black neglects an immediate b5, he obtains sound, solid development. I see nothing amiss in Black's position and cannot come up with a plan, so I simply defend.
11. a4
With an isolated pawn, it is better to advance it, and a4 seems like a safe square. It also prevents the much-dreaded b5. It is at this point I notice that Black is taking far too long on his moves. He is not managing his time wisely and that suggests an alternative method to victory--time. I need only defend, not attack, and his clock will run out at this rate.
11. .. e5
Black liberates his light-squared bishop and threatens e4.
12. Qc2
Necessary to prevent e4.
12. .. Nb6!
Black gains a tempo and increases the pressure on a4.
13. Bb3 Bg4!
Black gains another tempo.
14. Ng5
The only reasonable move.
14. .. Nbd5 15. Nge4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4?
I should have recaptured with the knight, attacking the bishop and gaining a tempo. The Queen has no business moving.
16. .. Nf6?
16. .. f5! is stronger by far, forcing my Queen back and seizing control of the center. Perhaps Black fears the resulting pin of his knight, but his King could simply move to h8 and he'd be okay. Black's knight has an excellent post at d5, and there is no reason to move it.
17. Qc2 Bh5?!
A bit passive, although I sympathize with the goal of improving the bishop. Black could have developed the idle rook on f8 to e8, preparing for Be6 to get rid of my strong light-squared bishop.
18. Ne4?
I'm careless--nothing else to say about that move.
18. .. Nxe4 19. Qxe4 Bg6!
Black gains a tempo and a pawn.
20. Qc4 Qxd2
Chomp! Ouch.
21. Bc3?
I was hopeful this move might win some material, but no dice. As a matter of fact, it makes my position worse. Counter-intuitive Ra2 may have been preferable.
21. .. Qd3!
Black forces the trade of Queens and gains a powerful light-squared bishop. This should be the end for me, but should and is are two different things in chess. My opponent is behind in time by about a minute, and I hope to expand that time advantage through quick, skillful defense.
22. Qxd3 Bxd3 23. Rfd1 e4 24. Bc4? Bxh2+!
Ouch! I make my second goof. Black wins another pawn. I saw this shot immediately after Bc4, and premoved Kxh2 to save a few seconds. Time, I think to myself, is the only way I can win this game. Not pretty, but a fact.
25. Kxh2 Bxc4 26. Rd7!
If I expect Black to eat up his clock, I need to get some counter-play in this game, even if it ultimately leads nowhere.
26. .. Ba6?
Passive. The post at d3 is stronger and protects the e4 pawn. Better is 26. .. b5.
27. Re7
Not a good move, but a quick one. Speed is its only virtue. Black ponders one minute, far too much for my juvenile move.
27. .. Rfe8 28. Rd7 c5? 29. a5!
Now it is going to be difficult for Black to play b5. Black banked on the goal of capturing my a-pawn, and that dogma obstructed his reasoning.
29. .. Rac8 30. Rad1!
Now Black can no longer attempt a trade of rooks. It is not in my interest to simplify. I want the position to remain locked down and as complicated as possible.
30. .. h6
Black consumes thirty seconds to come up with a fairly humdrum move. He is ahead in material, but needs time to plan a breakout. I do not intend to give him much time.
31. Kg1?
A pointless move, but so what? Black spends twenty-two seconds pondering his next move.
31. .. Kf8
Black is desperate to trade rooks, and who can blame him? Time is running short.
32. g4
Probably unnecessary, but again, so what? I'm spitting out moves that are fairly innocuous, but Black ponders them like I'm Kasparov.
32. .. f6
A continuation of Black's cumbersome plan to trade rooks. I ignore it. I just want to get my King into play somehow. I found that Kg1 did not help me at all.
33. Kg2 Rc6?
I'm not sure what Black is doing here. He probably isn't sure either.
34. Kg3 Re7 35. Rd8+!
I decline the trade of rooks, of course. Too simple.
35. .. Kf7 36. R8d7!
Now if he takes my rook, I force his King to the last rank and positional Limbo, a prospect he doesn't much like.
36. .. Bd3!
Black imperils my rook and obtains a superb post for his bishop, but is it enough? I don't bother thinking about it, I just make the obvious move.
37. Rxe7+ Kxe7 38. f3!
I fear pawn and bishop chains. This one is much too threatening to tolerate, even though it can be replaced by another.
38. .. Ke6!
Effectively preventing me from playing Kf4 for the moment.
39. fxe4 Bxe4 40. Kf4 Bc2 41. Rd2 g5+ 42. Kf3 Bg6
Black blew another forty seconds coming up with that easy move.
43. Rb2 Kd5?
With less than a minute left, Black drops an important pawn.
44. Rxb7 f5 45. gxf5 Bxf5
Black has less than ten seconds left. I have four minutes. I could go take a bathroom break and still win. There's no point in notating any of the other moves. I could have played anything at all.
46. Rd7+ Rd6 47. Re7 Re6 48. Rxe6 Kxe6 49. a6 1-0
No, not a pretty win, and my play wasn't brilliant, but I was cunning and used time to my advantage.
[White "igor"]
[Black "anon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1868"]
[BlackElo "1887"]
[TimeControl "1200"]
1. b4 c6
A most unusual response to the Polish, but as a Caro-Kann advocate I respect it.
2. Bb2 a5?!
A typical move that many players believe to be effective against Flank openings. It aims to create an isolated White pawn on the a-file, as well as gaining an open file for the Black rook. These supposed advantages often prove insignificant, and I feel that it wastes time on the whole. I would advocate developing a piece as being more in keeping with hypermodern theory.
3. bxa5
a3 may be better, but I did not see any future for the b4 pawn once Black has unleashed his dark-squared bishop. It seemed to me I would have lost time trying to defend the b-pawn in order to avoid a relatively small weakness in my pawn structure.
3. .. d5!
Black demonstrates savvy about the Polish, anticipating that I want to play c4. I begin to sense there will be no easy gotcha's for me in this Polish.
4. e3 Nf6 5. c4!
If Black takes, my bishop can recapture, obtaining a decent development. If he doesn't, then cxd5.
5. .. e6!?
Hemming in his light-squared bishop. While this is solid, I have my doubts.
6. Nf3
I'd love to play Bc3, supporting a5, but that confounds the development of my Queen's knight. Furthermore, it seems rash to delay development of my other pieces. Better to cede the pawn than delay development to such an extent.
6. .. Bd6
Aiming at an eventual e5.
7. Nc3?
Not an ideal square for my Queen's knight. Better may have been 7. Na3?! aiming for Nc2 and tempting Black to exchange his active bishop for a passive knight.
7. Qxa5
Might as well scoop up the pawn now and begin applying pressure to my weak Q-side.
8. Be2?!
Dismayed by Black's awareness of the Polish, I play a passive move out of character for me, with an eye to rapid castling. Stronger I think is 8. d4.
8. Nbd7 9. O-O dxc4
Black forces my bishop to move twice, emphasizing my waste of a move. Black prepares for an eventual b5. However, he does not realize that I can prevent that move if it is not played immediately.
10. Bxc4 O-O
Although Black neglects an immediate b5, he obtains sound, solid development. I see nothing amiss in Black's position and cannot come up with a plan, so I simply defend.
11. a4
With an isolated pawn, it is better to advance it, and a4 seems like a safe square. It also prevents the much-dreaded b5. It is at this point I notice that Black is taking far too long on his moves. He is not managing his time wisely and that suggests an alternative method to victory--time. I need only defend, not attack, and his clock will run out at this rate.
11. .. e5
Black liberates his light-squared bishop and threatens e4.
12. Qc2
Necessary to prevent e4.
12. .. Nb6!
Black gains a tempo and increases the pressure on a4.
13. Bb3 Bg4!
Black gains another tempo.
14. Ng5
The only reasonable move.
14. .. Nbd5 15. Nge4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4?
I should have recaptured with the knight, attacking the bishop and gaining a tempo. The Queen has no business moving.
16. .. Nf6?
16. .. f5! is stronger by far, forcing my Queen back and seizing control of the center. Perhaps Black fears the resulting pin of his knight, but his King could simply move to h8 and he'd be okay. Black's knight has an excellent post at d5, and there is no reason to move it.
17. Qc2 Bh5?!
A bit passive, although I sympathize with the goal of improving the bishop. Black could have developed the idle rook on f8 to e8, preparing for Be6 to get rid of my strong light-squared bishop.
18. Ne4?
I'm careless--nothing else to say about that move.
18. .. Nxe4 19. Qxe4 Bg6!
Black gains a tempo and a pawn.
20. Qc4 Qxd2
Chomp! Ouch.
21. Bc3?
I was hopeful this move might win some material, but no dice. As a matter of fact, it makes my position worse. Counter-intuitive Ra2 may have been preferable.
21. .. Qd3!
Black forces the trade of Queens and gains a powerful light-squared bishop. This should be the end for me, but should and is are two different things in chess. My opponent is behind in time by about a minute, and I hope to expand that time advantage through quick, skillful defense.
22. Qxd3 Bxd3 23. Rfd1 e4 24. Bc4? Bxh2+!
Ouch! I make my second goof. Black wins another pawn. I saw this shot immediately after Bc4, and premoved Kxh2 to save a few seconds. Time, I think to myself, is the only way I can win this game. Not pretty, but a fact.
25. Kxh2 Bxc4 26. Rd7!
If I expect Black to eat up his clock, I need to get some counter-play in this game, even if it ultimately leads nowhere.
26. .. Ba6?
Passive. The post at d3 is stronger and protects the e4 pawn. Better is 26. .. b5.
27. Re7
Not a good move, but a quick one. Speed is its only virtue. Black ponders one minute, far too much for my juvenile move.
27. .. Rfe8 28. Rd7 c5? 29. a5!
Now it is going to be difficult for Black to play b5. Black banked on the goal of capturing my a-pawn, and that dogma obstructed his reasoning.
29. .. Rac8 30. Rad1!
Now Black can no longer attempt a trade of rooks. It is not in my interest to simplify. I want the position to remain locked down and as complicated as possible.
30. .. h6
Black consumes thirty seconds to come up with a fairly humdrum move. He is ahead in material, but needs time to plan a breakout. I do not intend to give him much time.
31. Kg1?
A pointless move, but so what? Black spends twenty-two seconds pondering his next move.
31. .. Kf8
Black is desperate to trade rooks, and who can blame him? Time is running short.
32. g4
Probably unnecessary, but again, so what? I'm spitting out moves that are fairly innocuous, but Black ponders them like I'm Kasparov.
32. .. f6
A continuation of Black's cumbersome plan to trade rooks. I ignore it. I just want to get my King into play somehow. I found that Kg1 did not help me at all.
33. Kg2 Rc6?
I'm not sure what Black is doing here. He probably isn't sure either.
34. Kg3 Re7 35. Rd8+!
I decline the trade of rooks, of course. Too simple.
35. .. Kf7 36. R8d7!
Now if he takes my rook, I force his King to the last rank and positional Limbo, a prospect he doesn't much like.
36. .. Bd3!
Black imperils my rook and obtains a superb post for his bishop, but is it enough? I don't bother thinking about it, I just make the obvious move.
37. Rxe7+ Kxe7 38. f3!
I fear pawn and bishop chains. This one is much too threatening to tolerate, even though it can be replaced by another.
38. .. Ke6!
Effectively preventing me from playing Kf4 for the moment.
39. fxe4 Bxe4 40. Kf4 Bc2 41. Rd2 g5+ 42. Kf3 Bg6
Black blew another forty seconds coming up with that easy move.
43. Rb2 Kd5?
With less than a minute left, Black drops an important pawn.
44. Rxb7 f5 45. gxf5 Bxf5
Black has less than ten seconds left. I have four minutes. I could go take a bathroom break and still win. There's no point in notating any of the other moves. I could have played anything at all.
46. Rd7+ Rd6 47. Re7 Re6 48. Rxe6 Kxe6 49. a6 1-0
No, not a pretty win, and my play wasn't brilliant, but I was cunning and used time to my advantage.
Alekhine's Defense
Perhaps it's the lingering traces of chess romanticism obtained from studying the games of the old masters, but I'm in favor of White's push to e5, attacking the Black knight in Alekhine's Defense. It seems a bit passive, not to mention unromantic, for White to give Black's knight a pass. At any rate this is what my opponent did in the following game, which I like because I feel I played strong moves, relative to my ability. In truth, if my opponent had found better moves, he could have easily drawn the game or even won the game, but he played too passively and lost as a result of that and a blunder involving a knight-and-bishop combination of mine.
[White "anon"]
[Black "igor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1857"]
[BlackElo "1870"]
[TimeControl "900"]
1. e4 Nf6 2. d3
Had White pushed the e-pawn, I would have retreated my knight, choosing the Brooklyn Defense, which most players believe cedes an advantage to White. Perhaps it does. I am curious to find out. If GM Joel Benjamin favored it, then it cannot be that bad, in my opinion, and the regular Alekhine's isn't all that great, either, with the King's knight exiled to Siberia on b3.
It is better to lose than to play boring chess.
2. .. e5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 O-O 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. a3 Ba5 7. b4 Bb6 8. Na4 d5 9. Nxb6 axb6 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Be2 Bf5 12. O-O e4 13. dxe4 Bxe4 14. c4 Nf6 15. Bg5
My Queen is in a sticky situation here. I spent a lot of time on the next move, a quiet move intended to avoid the trade of Queens and permit a rook to be placed on e8. I suspect that with better moves, White may have obtained an advantage over me, because he has a potential pin of my bishop.
15. .. Qe7
16. Re1 h6
I sense danger. A trade would be to my advantage, so h6 does not lose time. I planned to follow up with g5, if necessary, to drive the accursed bishop away. However, g5 weakens my King position.
17. Be3?
White obliges me and negates the need for g5 by placing his bishop on a passive square. This is clearly a mistake, handing me the initiative.
17. .. Rfd8!
I seize an open file.
18. Qc1 Ng4
I begin my attack using the unpinned, idle knight.
19. h3?
I do not understand why White wastes a move in this way. I blogged recently about my detestation of such moves.
19. .. Nxe3!
Eliminating that pesky bishop and along with it White's two-bishop advantage. The knight on f6 had been too passive.
20. Qxe3 f5!?
I am not altogether sure about my aggressive f5 push, but it proved extremely useful later. White salivated at the idea of trapping my bishop, but did not find the right moves. Perhaps such a trap was possible, but I did not see it on the immediate horizon.
21. Nh2
I believe the safer route for White would have been to initiate a trade of bishops and knights. It is commonplace to trade down in order to neutralize an attack, and this situation is no different. In an end game, White might have a small advantage due to my doubled pawns.
21. .. Nd4
Threatening a deadly fork of his Queen and rook. White does not view this threat with sufficient urgency.
22. Rac1
The trap White lays is transparent and easily countered. He expects me to launch the fork immediately and risk my Queen. I think not.
22. .. Qe8
Now my lady is secure.
23. f3?
My opponent figures a bishop and knight for a rook is a good deal, but he neglected to note that my knight has a suicide attack.
23 .. Nc2 24. Qb3 Nxe1 25. fxe4 Nxg2!
This is the pivotal move that launches a killer attack against White's King, which is no longer safe.
26. Kxg2 Qxe4+
White has already lost, but does not know it yet. All of the pieces are already in place, and there is no possible way he could win. It is almost like magic how all the pieces are aligned perfectly to my advantage. I must confess that I did not foresee everything unless it was by intuition. I am not clever like a computer. I wouldn't say the win was luck, but I just aimed for general positional and material advantages, and somehow everything lined up to my advantage.
27. Bf3 Rd2+ 28. Kh1 Qf4 29. Bg2
White defends his King in a competent manner, but it only delays the inevitable.
29. .. Rxg2 30. c5+ Kh8 31. Kxg2 Qxc1 32. Nf3 Rxa3
My material advantage is mounting in sync with my positional advantage.
33. Qf7 Qc2+ 34. Kg3 Qe4 35. Qh5 f4+!
Now the f-pawn serves a most valuable purpose.
36. Kh4 Rxf3 37. Qg4 g5+ 38. Kh5 Qe8+ 39. Kxh6
I spent over two minutes studying the next move, because I was well ahead in time and did not want to make a careless error that might lose my game, as I have done in the past through overconfidence and a desire to press a time advantage. It is better to play slowly and carefully when one has the time available to do so. Arrogance does not win games.
39 .. Qf8+ 40. Kxg5
White does not have a better move than this.
40. .. Rg3 41. Qxg3 fxg3 42. h4 g2 43. h5 g1=Q+ 0-1
[White "anon"]
[Black "igor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1857"]
[BlackElo "1870"]
[TimeControl "900"]
1. e4 Nf6 2. d3
Had White pushed the e-pawn, I would have retreated my knight, choosing the Brooklyn Defense, which most players believe cedes an advantage to White. Perhaps it does. I am curious to find out. If GM Joel Benjamin favored it, then it cannot be that bad, in my opinion, and the regular Alekhine's isn't all that great, either, with the King's knight exiled to Siberia on b3.
It is better to lose than to play boring chess.
2. .. e5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 O-O 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. a3 Ba5 7. b4 Bb6 8. Na4 d5 9. Nxb6 axb6 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Be2 Bf5 12. O-O e4 13. dxe4 Bxe4 14. c4 Nf6 15. Bg5
My Queen is in a sticky situation here. I spent a lot of time on the next move, a quiet move intended to avoid the trade of Queens and permit a rook to be placed on e8. I suspect that with better moves, White may have obtained an advantage over me, because he has a potential pin of my bishop.
15. .. Qe7
16. Re1 h6
I sense danger. A trade would be to my advantage, so h6 does not lose time. I planned to follow up with g5, if necessary, to drive the accursed bishop away. However, g5 weakens my King position.
17. Be3?
White obliges me and negates the need for g5 by placing his bishop on a passive square. This is clearly a mistake, handing me the initiative.
17. .. Rfd8!
I seize an open file.
18. Qc1 Ng4
I begin my attack using the unpinned, idle knight.
19. h3?
I do not understand why White wastes a move in this way. I blogged recently about my detestation of such moves.
19. .. Nxe3!
Eliminating that pesky bishop and along with it White's two-bishop advantage. The knight on f6 had been too passive.
20. Qxe3 f5!?
I am not altogether sure about my aggressive f5 push, but it proved extremely useful later. White salivated at the idea of trapping my bishop, but did not find the right moves. Perhaps such a trap was possible, but I did not see it on the immediate horizon.
21. Nh2
I believe the safer route for White would have been to initiate a trade of bishops and knights. It is commonplace to trade down in order to neutralize an attack, and this situation is no different. In an end game, White might have a small advantage due to my doubled pawns.
21. .. Nd4
Threatening a deadly fork of his Queen and rook. White does not view this threat with sufficient urgency.
22. Rac1
The trap White lays is transparent and easily countered. He expects me to launch the fork immediately and risk my Queen. I think not.
22. .. Qe8
Now my lady is secure.
23. f3?
My opponent figures a bishop and knight for a rook is a good deal, but he neglected to note that my knight has a suicide attack.
23 .. Nc2 24. Qb3 Nxe1 25. fxe4 Nxg2!
This is the pivotal move that launches a killer attack against White's King, which is no longer safe.
26. Kxg2 Qxe4+
White has already lost, but does not know it yet. All of the pieces are already in place, and there is no possible way he could win. It is almost like magic how all the pieces are aligned perfectly to my advantage. I must confess that I did not foresee everything unless it was by intuition. I am not clever like a computer. I wouldn't say the win was luck, but I just aimed for general positional and material advantages, and somehow everything lined up to my advantage.
27. Bf3 Rd2+ 28. Kh1 Qf4 29. Bg2
White defends his King in a competent manner, but it only delays the inevitable.
29. .. Rxg2 30. c5+ Kh8 31. Kxg2 Qxc1 32. Nf3 Rxa3
My material advantage is mounting in sync with my positional advantage.
33. Qf7 Qc2+ 34. Kg3 Qe4 35. Qh5 f4+!
Now the f-pawn serves a most valuable purpose.
36. Kh4 Rxf3 37. Qg4 g5+ 38. Kh5 Qe8+ 39. Kxh6
I spent over two minutes studying the next move, because I was well ahead in time and did not want to make a careless error that might lose my game, as I have done in the past through overconfidence and a desire to press a time advantage. It is better to play slowly and carefully when one has the time available to do so. Arrogance does not win games.
39 .. Qf8+ 40. Kxg5
White does not have a better move than this.
40. .. Rg3 41. Qxg3 fxg3 42. h4 g2 43. h5 g1=Q+ 0-1
Black Friday & Pepper Spray
Pepper spray, that accursed torture device of the modern era, made the news again, this time not in conjunction with police brutality, but with competitive shopping at Wal Mart.
Wal means pig, and Mart means sty. I don't care about Black Friday, and I don't care about their sales. I don't want any of their video games, and I don't want their shiny plastic gadgets. Would you wish to be caught dead in Wal-Mart? At any rate, I'd rather be pepper-sprayed by the police than by a goofball in Wal-Mart. In the former case, I would have an injustice committed against me that would make me stronger, and that is a story I would repeat a hundred, no make that a thousand times before I die. In the case of a Wal-Mart spraying, it is embarrassing in the first place to admit that one was in Wal-Mart with the other pigs trying to feed at the trough.
Wal means pig, and Mart means sty. I don't care about Black Friday, and I don't care about their sales. I don't want any of their video games, and I don't want their shiny plastic gadgets. Would you wish to be caught dead in Wal-Mart? At any rate, I'd rather be pepper-sprayed by the police than by a goofball in Wal-Mart. In the former case, I would have an injustice committed against me that would make me stronger, and that is a story I would repeat a hundred, no make that a thousand times before I die. In the case of a Wal-Mart spraying, it is embarrassing in the first place to admit that one was in Wal-Mart with the other pigs trying to feed at the trough.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Worm Food
On the November 3rd, 2011 episode of the Daily Show, I watched a Republican get up in Congress and say we had to have "In God We Trust" as our national motto, or else we're just worm food, and government is pointless, and anarchy might as well prevail.
I don't care about the contents of his cranium or even the stupid bill that they passed by a landslide.
The only thing interesting about the little kobold is his remark that we could just be worm food.
I think about Death. I can't imagine he thinks anymore than he has to in order to work his scams. The only thing I imagine a Republican caring about is power, money, and sex, in that order; I don't expect anything else out of them. If anyone is just worm food, they are, for sure, no doubt about it, take it to the bank and cash it. If they have a soul, up is down, left is right, and white is black. I'd sooner believe my cat has a soul.
However... there is a mystery about life, death, and the universe. The question, "why are we here?" occurs to anyone who thinks about things.
As far as I can tell, there's no one keeping score, but that doesn't mean the Golden Rule is no longer applicable. Karma's not negated.
I wonder sometimes at night if I will die in my sleep or if I'll wake up with some kind of cancer. I suppose anything could happen at any time. Game over. I imagine myself being remembered by a handful of people until the end of their lives, and then forgotten forever as though I never existed, just like everyone else except for luminaries like Shakespeare, although they, too, will probably be forgotten in due course. But no one is keeping score. Life is not win-or-lose. It is an opportunity to create beauty and happiness and pleasure. That seems to be the most logical course of action. Of course there are many who prefer to do otherwise. They want to create strife. There has always been evil in the world.
When my atoms have finished with me, they will be reused for other beings, until eventually Earth is done with and finished as a living planet.
I don't know the answers to the ultimate questions, such as what created the universe and why and how and when. But I don't need to know. I am just a small being of limited resources. I have just enough ability to wonder, but not to discover the answers on my own, unassisted. I can't say it's satisfying to me, because I like learning and I like knowing things, but I have no option other than to accept life, death, and the world as experienced. I think life and the universe are good in general, and I would rather be alive than dead. Death seems frightening, and I dread it, and I think it's horrible that I have to face it along with everyone else, but on the other hand, birth too must be horrible. It is such a drastic and rapid change to go from nonexistence to a human baby. Yet all of us have done it, and we have no bad memories about the experience, because at the time we were not thinking at all about becoming alive or about being born into the world. The answer I suppose is not to think too much about the finality of life, but simply to accept death when the time comes like one accepts hunger, thirst, satiation and pleasure. Just do it.
I don't care about the contents of his cranium or even the stupid bill that they passed by a landslide.
The only thing interesting about the little kobold is his remark that we could just be worm food.
I think about Death. I can't imagine he thinks anymore than he has to in order to work his scams. The only thing I imagine a Republican caring about is power, money, and sex, in that order; I don't expect anything else out of them. If anyone is just worm food, they are, for sure, no doubt about it, take it to the bank and cash it. If they have a soul, up is down, left is right, and white is black. I'd sooner believe my cat has a soul.
However... there is a mystery about life, death, and the universe. The question, "why are we here?" occurs to anyone who thinks about things.
As far as I can tell, there's no one keeping score, but that doesn't mean the Golden Rule is no longer applicable. Karma's not negated.
I wonder sometimes at night if I will die in my sleep or if I'll wake up with some kind of cancer. I suppose anything could happen at any time. Game over. I imagine myself being remembered by a handful of people until the end of their lives, and then forgotten forever as though I never existed, just like everyone else except for luminaries like Shakespeare, although they, too, will probably be forgotten in due course. But no one is keeping score. Life is not win-or-lose. It is an opportunity to create beauty and happiness and pleasure. That seems to be the most logical course of action. Of course there are many who prefer to do otherwise. They want to create strife. There has always been evil in the world.
When my atoms have finished with me, they will be reused for other beings, until eventually Earth is done with and finished as a living planet.
I don't know the answers to the ultimate questions, such as what created the universe and why and how and when. But I don't need to know. I am just a small being of limited resources. I have just enough ability to wonder, but not to discover the answers on my own, unassisted. I can't say it's satisfying to me, because I like learning and I like knowing things, but I have no option other than to accept life, death, and the world as experienced. I think life and the universe are good in general, and I would rather be alive than dead. Death seems frightening, and I dread it, and I think it's horrible that I have to face it along with everyone else, but on the other hand, birth too must be horrible. It is such a drastic and rapid change to go from nonexistence to a human baby. Yet all of us have done it, and we have no bad memories about the experience, because at the time we were not thinking at all about becoming alive or about being born into the world. The answer I suppose is not to think too much about the finality of life, but simply to accept death when the time comes like one accepts hunger, thirst, satiation and pleasure. Just do it.
a3 & h3 & a6 & h6
Too many chessplayers are infatuated with unnecessary pawn moves. The purpose of the opening is development. I see too many players fiddling and farting around with a3 and h3, if White, or a6 and h6, if Black. These moves have two motivations. One is to complicate the development of the other side's bishop. That's okay in some positions, where the opponent's bishop is not likely to find a better post, and if the knight that would otherwise be pinned is deemed useful to the position. The other purpose is preparation for a flank attack. That's okay too, in certain positions such as those common to flank openings such as the Grob or the Polish. However, nine times out of ten, I feel contempt for these moves, because time is being lost with little gain. In too many games I have watched, one side has some pieces loitering on the back rank due to this sort of negligent behavior, and their opponent has obtained a superior position with attacking chances.
Due to this bias of mine, this urgency I assign to development, I was extremely reluctant to play h3 in the Grob. It was only after literally hundreds of games that I determined it was sometimes necessary to prevent the pawn at g4 coming to grief. I will postpone or avoid it altogether if possible, but I will play it if need be.
One of the problems with White's position in many games where Black plays Alekhine's Defense is that he has squandered so many moves on his pawns, whereas Black, if he is wise, has developed enough pieces to mount a counter-attack.
The ideal in the opening is two pawn moves, the minimum necessary to develop all minor pieces.
Due to this bias of mine, this urgency I assign to development, I was extremely reluctant to play h3 in the Grob. It was only after literally hundreds of games that I determined it was sometimes necessary to prevent the pawn at g4 coming to grief. I will postpone or avoid it altogether if possible, but I will play it if need be.
One of the problems with White's position in many games where Black plays Alekhine's Defense is that he has squandered so many moves on his pawns, whereas Black, if he is wise, has developed enough pieces to mount a counter-attack.
The ideal in the opening is two pawn moves, the minimum necessary to develop all minor pieces.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Gedult's Opening
After further practice, I'm willing to concede that Gedult's Opening, if challenged with competent play by Black, proves to be a passive opening. It's not my favorite anymore. White's King position is just too precarious for my taste, and White's development is retarded. However, Wikipedia really goes overboard dumping on it. The truth is White can play anything at all on the first move and be okay. That simple fact is hard for chess snobs to swallow. Black's options are limited by White's first move.
Gedult's has value to chessplayers as a surprise weapon and a novelty that explores different lines. I fall asleep watching the Sicilian. To me, it's boring. Everybody plays it. I hate it. I hate the Sicilian, the Ruy Lopez, Guicco Piano, and Queen's Gambit. What's wrong with them? Nothing. Nothing at all from a theoretical perspective. They are solid, sound, and strong. Unlike Wikipedia, I won't dump on openings I don't care for. They're just commonplace. Old hat. Boring to the point where the first eight to twelve moves are pretty much known beforehand. I've played those openings for decades.
Chess needs bizarre openings. Every single possible first move can and should be fully explored. There are many I've not tried yet. My favorites so far are the Grob, the Polish, & Gedult's for White. For Black, I am currently exploring the Brooklyn Defense, which seems to me the optimal line of the Alekhine Defense.
Chess needs to be stimulating, fresh, and challenging. Bizarre openings may even come with defects that require extra care and patience, but that's okay. I think it is good exercise to play a difficult opening, and it may even be a way of giving a weaker opponent a small advantage.
Gedult's has value to chessplayers as a surprise weapon and a novelty that explores different lines. I fall asleep watching the Sicilian. To me, it's boring. Everybody plays it. I hate it. I hate the Sicilian, the Ruy Lopez, Guicco Piano, and Queen's Gambit. What's wrong with them? Nothing. Nothing at all from a theoretical perspective. They are solid, sound, and strong. Unlike Wikipedia, I won't dump on openings I don't care for. They're just commonplace. Old hat. Boring to the point where the first eight to twelve moves are pretty much known beforehand. I've played those openings for decades.
Chess needs bizarre openings. Every single possible first move can and should be fully explored. There are many I've not tried yet. My favorites so far are the Grob, the Polish, & Gedult's for White. For Black, I am currently exploring the Brooklyn Defense, which seems to me the optimal line of the Alekhine Defense.
Chess needs to be stimulating, fresh, and challenging. Bizarre openings may even come with defects that require extra care and patience, but that's okay. I think it is good exercise to play a difficult opening, and it may even be a way of giving a weaker opponent a small advantage.
Alekhine's Defense
One secret that players of the White pieces seldom grasp when playing against the Alekhine's Defense, Caro-Kann and other openings is that, by erecting a pawn wall, they inhibit their own pieces as well as Black's. I see no reason to solve White's problems for him by exchanging pawns within that wall, at least until such time as I have completed my own development. In my opinion, wall-builders waste time with their excessive pawn moves and have an unfocused game.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Fascists Vs. Freedom Fighters
Reading the news tonight, all around the world, the fascists are killing and harming freedom fighters, whether in Egypt, Syria, or the U.S. of A.
But I've got a feeling in my little pinkie finger that in the end, freedom wins. Because fascism is stifling & sterile. It isn't any fun at all. It's anti-human. Eventually even the fascists come to realize that. It just takes them more time. They have to suffer a great deal. They have to feel pain. Fascists are like animals in that way. The only thing they understand is pure physical animal pain. But they will learn, because Karma is a teacher that is willing to accommodate their special needs.
In the final analysis, a robot would be the perfect fascist, because it has no conscience, but only a human being would be the perfect freedom fighter.
But I've got a feeling in my little pinkie finger that in the end, freedom wins. Because fascism is stifling & sterile. It isn't any fun at all. It's anti-human. Eventually even the fascists come to realize that. It just takes them more time. They have to suffer a great deal. They have to feel pain. Fascists are like animals in that way. The only thing they understand is pure physical animal pain. But they will learn, because Karma is a teacher that is willing to accommodate their special needs.
In the final analysis, a robot would be the perfect fascist, because it has no conscience, but only a human being would be the perfect freedom fighter.
Pepper Spray?
When a police officer pepper-sprays nonviolent American citizens, that police officer has declared himself a traitor. He is worse than Al-Qaeda by about fifty thousand to one. I think all pepper spray should be confiscated from all police departments, because it is the most abused torture device in the world and it is used exclusively by fascists.
The UC Davis Police Chief, Annette, sounds like she would machine-gun anyone who littered and drop a nuclear bomb on any city that had above-average pollution.
Cowardly pig torturing unarmed protesters. He should have been shot.
I think the entire police force at UC Davis should be fired, because it is probably all rotten from the top on down.
The UC Davis Police Chief, Annette, sounds like she would machine-gun anyone who littered and drop a nuclear bomb on any city that had above-average pollution.
I think the entire police force at UC Davis should be fired, because it is probably all rotten from the top on down.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Gingrich and his 1.6 Million Dollars
If anything that issues out of Gingrich's lips is worth $1.6 million dollars, then the world is upside down, right is wrong, and one is zero. Gingrich did the old "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," it seems to me.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The Grob
Today I was amused by the 'refutations' of the Grob (1. g4) offered by a Mr. Silman on his web site. I have played the Grob a long time and have encountered all of the little tricks that Silman finds devastating against 1. g4. I do not find any of his ideas particularly threatening. I have seen online players pause for two minutes in order to check out one of the 'refutations' online. I know they're checking the book, and it doesn't bother me. I have seen players borrow one or several of his ideas and use them in our game, but they often lose anyway, if they're near my rating or below. The truth is there is no refutation.
My win ratio is high with both the Polish (1. b4) and the Grob. The Grob boosts my strength considerably against chess snobs by taking them from their cozy memorized lines and forcing them to think from the first move on, so I'm more than satisfied with it and have no intention of abandoning this sound, solid, and safe line of attack.
Some claim the Grob is unsound. I don't know why, but they do. Detractors have a tall task before them. They must first overcome their arrogance, not an easy thing for a chess snob who believes the opening must involve the c, d, or e pawn or else a knight. Even if snobbery is overcome, the Grob's underlying principles continue to mystify outsiders. No amount of memorization will ever prepare them for the Grob. International Master Basman summarizes the strategic theory in a few paragraphs in his excellent book, "The Killer Grob", which is recommended reading.
There is an advanced lesson in the game of chess. Most players think they must castle. But castling is not always a good idea. It is not always necessary. One must evaluate the situation with great care. Castling is a major operation, forever changing the configuration of two key pieces, a rook and a King. For my part, I am not sold on castling as something to be done automatically. There are positions where the King is better off in the center. In Grob games, this is often the case.
Many players fret about the weakening of White's King position, as though it is a fortress where every brick must remain in place. That is okay if you have a defensive mentality, if you believe you must hold your fort against the mighty barbarians. The player who plays the Grob does not have the bunker mentality. He is not a defender, but an attacker. He perceives a fluid and dynamic nucleus from which he launches attacks in all directions. He is not overly concerned with King safety because it is felt that the other player should worry about his King safety instead.
By 1. g4, White enables superb and safe development of a Bishop. He prepares an attack on Black's knight, if developed to f6. He may complicate the development of Black's Queen bishop. And he seizes control of two squares at the frontier. Thus, 1. g4 is more aggressive than 1. g3 and for that reason preferred. As an added bonus, he tears his opponent out of book from the first move, which is always, always a very good thing to do. So many players have memorized the first ten moves that chess openings do not always involve much thinking. Openings like the Grob change that. Thank goodness there is not an overabundance of theory surrounding this precious obscure opening.
My win ratio is high with both the Polish (1. b4) and the Grob. The Grob boosts my strength considerably against chess snobs by taking them from their cozy memorized lines and forcing them to think from the first move on, so I'm more than satisfied with it and have no intention of abandoning this sound, solid, and safe line of attack.
Some claim the Grob is unsound. I don't know why, but they do. Detractors have a tall task before them. They must first overcome their arrogance, not an easy thing for a chess snob who believes the opening must involve the c, d, or e pawn or else a knight. Even if snobbery is overcome, the Grob's underlying principles continue to mystify outsiders. No amount of memorization will ever prepare them for the Grob. International Master Basman summarizes the strategic theory in a few paragraphs in his excellent book, "The Killer Grob", which is recommended reading.
There is an advanced lesson in the game of chess. Most players think they must castle. But castling is not always a good idea. It is not always necessary. One must evaluate the situation with great care. Castling is a major operation, forever changing the configuration of two key pieces, a rook and a King. For my part, I am not sold on castling as something to be done automatically. There are positions where the King is better off in the center. In Grob games, this is often the case.
Many players fret about the weakening of White's King position, as though it is a fortress where every brick must remain in place. That is okay if you have a defensive mentality, if you believe you must hold your fort against the mighty barbarians. The player who plays the Grob does not have the bunker mentality. He is not a defender, but an attacker. He perceives a fluid and dynamic nucleus from which he launches attacks in all directions. He is not overly concerned with King safety because it is felt that the other player should worry about his King safety instead.
By 1. g4, White enables superb and safe development of a Bishop. He prepares an attack on Black's knight, if developed to f6. He may complicate the development of Black's Queen bishop. And he seizes control of two squares at the frontier. Thus, 1. g4 is more aggressive than 1. g3 and for that reason preferred. As an added bonus, he tears his opponent out of book from the first move, which is always, always a very good thing to do. So many players have memorized the first ten moves that chess openings do not always involve much thinking. Openings like the Grob change that. Thank goodness there is not an overabundance of theory surrounding this precious obscure opening.
Why I Didn't Vote
I didn't vote in my local election because there was no one to vote for. The incumbent was a right-wing business criminal who has stolen money for his personal enrichment, and his challenger was another right-wing business criminal. Which would you prefer, to be robbed by X or robbed by Z? I decided I didn't care who did the robbing, but the heck if I was going to waste any time trudging to the polls. At least I was not robbed of a half-hour of my time.
Such is the normal state of affairs in our "republic," better termed a kleptocracy. There is no one to vote for but criminal "A" or criminal "B", each of whom wants to steal the maximum amount of money without being detected, or if that is not possible, at least without too many negative consequences.
In my locality, voter participation was 8%, meaning that the candidates failed to interest 92% of the electorate.
Such is the normal state of affairs in our "republic," better termed a kleptocracy. There is no one to vote for but criminal "A" or criminal "B", each of whom wants to steal the maximum amount of money without being detected, or if that is not possible, at least without too many negative consequences.
In my locality, voter participation was 8%, meaning that the candidates failed to interest 92% of the electorate.
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Naga Air Elementalist
By analyzing the attributes chart, kindly provided by the Crawl developers in the documentation, as well as the species descriptions, I determined that the most optimal race for Air Elementalist, and possibly for all other magical professions, is the Naga. Although this seems counter-intuitive at first (kenkus and drow elves are much better at Air and Conjurations), there is a simple reason for the choice. An Air Elementalist absolutely must be robust in order to cast Static Discharge with relative impunity, and kenkus and drow elves are not, but Nagas are. Static Discharge is the jewel in the crown of the Air Elementalist, the workhorse, the bread and butter, akin to Mephitic Cloud for Venom Mages. A kenku or drow elf will die soon; a naga will endure. The supposed disadvantage of the naga (slowness) is mitigated when the Naga can zap every creature surrounding it. However, Nagas must study shields and must learn defensive spells in order to thrive. The slower rate of learning in magic for the Naga is no great hardship anymore, now that players can direct their learning. Also, Ashenzari will assist the skills of his devotees.
Democracy
When I went to school, teachers drilled into our little brains that our country was a democracy. The smarter teachers preferred the term republic. The country is a republic, but it's also a kleptocracy. There are only six honest members of Congress.
Perhaps one day, after the world is blown up, and it probably will be, some record, maybe even this one (who knows all the finer details of the Internet archives?) will survive to help historians of a future age piece together what went wrong with the U.S. of A. I think the work of people like Gore Vidal is more likely to survive in some form. Basically, the problem with the U.S. has always been corruption, negligence and complacency. People at the top spin their wheels without really accomplishing that much or addressing any of the national problems. The people at the top only care about enriching themselves and their friends. That is why the country is in bad shape.
Perhaps one day, after the world is blown up, and it probably will be, some record, maybe even this one (who knows all the finer details of the Internet archives?) will survive to help historians of a future age piece together what went wrong with the U.S. of A. I think the work of people like Gore Vidal is more likely to survive in some form. Basically, the problem with the U.S. has always been corruption, negligence and complacency. People at the top spin their wheels without really accomplishing that much or addressing any of the national problems. The people at the top only care about enriching themselves and their friends. That is why the country is in bad shape.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Diary of a Call Girl
Billie Piper is simply amazing as the lead in Diary of a Call Girl.
I do like that show, although it is very exploitative, obviously. I am in favor of legalizing prostitution, in a similar style as in Holland, so do not object to the show on moral grounds. Nevertheless, I do feel a trifle guilty watching a show about the petty and often silly life of a high-class escort, whose world seems to revolve around appearances and sex.
I mean, I know the show ain't Shakespeare. But on the whole, the show is amusing and it is impossible to keep one's eyes off of Billie Piper. She is dazzling to behold. I thought so in Dr. Who and I think so in this show.
Diary of a Call Girl does seem formulaic though, and I probably lose a few thousand brain cells every time I watch. In every episode, Billie is getting stick from someone. In many, she has a little tear trickling down her face. Sometimes I find the situations contrived and ridiculous, even absurd. I think the writers are trying to conceal her limitations as an actress and their limitations as writers by using such a formula.
I do like that show, although it is very exploitative, obviously. I am in favor of legalizing prostitution, in a similar style as in Holland, so do not object to the show on moral grounds. Nevertheless, I do feel a trifle guilty watching a show about the petty and often silly life of a high-class escort, whose world seems to revolve around appearances and sex.
I mean, I know the show ain't Shakespeare. But on the whole, the show is amusing and it is impossible to keep one's eyes off of Billie Piper. She is dazzling to behold. I thought so in Dr. Who and I think so in this show.
Diary of a Call Girl does seem formulaic though, and I probably lose a few thousand brain cells every time I watch. In every episode, Billie is getting stick from someone. In many, she has a little tear trickling down her face. Sometimes I find the situations contrived and ridiculous, even absurd. I think the writers are trying to conceal her limitations as an actress and their limitations as writers by using such a formula.
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