Pawn Sacrifice---The Usual Suspects

Here we are last night, The Usual Suspects, taking a break from watching Pawn Sacrifice to enjoy pizza from Barnie's of Concord, VT prepared by Chef Mike Chadburn. Excellent crust and flavor!! The film was interesting. IMO, the best performance was by Peter Sarsgaard as GM Rev. William Lombardy. 

Chess Players' Brains Really Are Different---In Good Ways

http://mic.com/articles/119332/how-chess-players-brains-are-different-from-everybody-else-s#.S9mDJ9yio

Chess Forbidden in Islam, Rules Saudi Mufti

Not the first time this has happened in the Islamic world. A waste of time, perhaps. But encouraging gambling?? Betting on the players perhaps, but not the game itself. A court in NYC correctly ruled after trial with expert testimony that chess is NOT a game of chance. NYC sought to stop chess in Washington Square Park and other parks because it is played for money and claimed chess was a form of gambling---NOT.


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/21/chess-forbidden-in-islam-rules-saudi-arabia-grand-mufti

Silman's Great Courses Chess Lectures Start This Week at Lyndonville Chess Club

Want to improve your game, no matter what level you're presently at?? Jeremy Silman's Great Courses Lectures on How to Play Chess will begin this week at our regular meeting at the Grindstone.

The first seven or eight half hour lectures are good but basic and likely too basic for most of us. So we'll begin with the following over the next few weeks.

Week 1----Legendary Attacking Greats of Chess
Week 2----Open Files and the Positional Rook
Week 3----Pawns-The Positional Soul of Chess
Week 4----Positional Weaknesses and Targets In Chess

Hope to see you all Tuesday. The lecture starts at 6:30 followed by playing chess.

Lydonville Chess Club In The Caledonian-Record Newspaper, 1/15/2016

Jeremy Silman's Great Courses Lectures Will Begin Tuesday Evening, January 19th at Lyndonville Chess Club

Please join us for these half hour lectures that are enjoyable, informative and which will likely improve your chess game no matter what your level of play currently may be.
We meet at
The Grindstone Cafe
102 Depot Street
Lyndonville, VT
6pm to 9pm

Paul Keres Born This Day A Century Ago

The legendary Estonian chess master Paul Keres never had the opportunity to play for the World Chess Championship. He is said to have been the strongest player to never be champion. Here are two of his games that are well worth playing through. The first is against Alekhine at Margate in 1937 and the second is against then World Champion Botvinnik in Moscow, 1956. Enjoy!!

[Event "Margate"]
[Site "Margate"]
[Date "1937.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Keres, Paul"]
[Black "Alekhine, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C71"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "1937.04.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c4 Bd7 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 Bg7 8. Be3
Nf6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Bc5 Nh5 11. Nd5 Nf4 12. Nxf4 exf4 13. e5 g5 14. Qd5 Bf8
15. Bxf8 Rxf8 16. O-O-O Qe7 17. Bxc6 Bxc6 18. Qd3 Bd7 19. Nxg5 O-O-O 20. Nf3 f6
21. exf6 Rxf6 22. Rhe1 Qb4 23. Qxd7+ 1-0

[Event "Alekhine Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1956.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Keres, Paul"]
[Black "Botvinnik, Mikhail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B63"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1956.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 h6 8.
Bxf6 gxf6 9. O-O-O a6 10. f4 h5 11. Kb1 Bd7 12. Be2 Qb6 13. Nb3 O-O-O 14. Rhf1
Na5 15. Rf3 Nxb3 16. axb3 Kb8 17. Na4 Qa7 18. f5 Be7 19. fxe6 fxe6 20. Rxf6 Rh7
21. Rg6 b5 22. Nc3 Qc5 23. Na2 Ka7 24. Nb4 Rf8 25. Bf3 h4 26. h3 Bc8 27. Nd3
Qc7 28. Nf4 Rf6 29. Bg4 Rxg6 30. Nxg6 Bb7 31. Bxe6 Bd8 32. Bd5 Bxd5 33. Qxd5
Rf7 34. e5 1-0

Jeremy Silman's Great Courses Chess Lectures Comes To Lyndonville Chess Club

I've ordered this series of 24, half hour lectures that track in great measure the outline of the latest edition of his best selling book, Reassess Your Chess. Once they arrive, we'll set a start date.

http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/how-to-play-chess-lessons-from-an-international-master.html

Carlsen vs Chao Channeling Larsen and Steinitz??

Play through these three games by Carlsen, Larsen and Steinitz. Be prepared to be amazed.

http://en.chessbase.com/post/huffington-great-chess-minds-think-alike

Passing of US Master Steve Bradwein Noted

Nice obituary/remembrance of Bradwein and the passing of what seems to be a simpler era for those of us of a certain age.
http://en.chessbase.com/post/us-master-steve-brandwein-passes-away-at-73

The New Chess Year Begins for the Lyndonville Chess Club

We're back at our regular time and place.
The Grindstone Cafe
102 Depot Street
Lyndonville, VT
Tuesday Evenings from 6 to 9.