Chessvine.com - Miscellaneous

Chess Psychology PHENOMENAL Way to Turn Your Thinking Around & WIN

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:23:02 -0400

The video above is an amateur's analysis of one of his own favorite games. He ignores some of the opening inaccuracies on both sides and presents no alternative moves for some glaring errors. However, in spite of the downsides to this video the presenter possesses and enthusiasm that is refreshing to me. This video is a great introduction to the Ideas of Jeremy Silman (as well as the uncredited ideas brought to chess education by GM Alexander Kotov, my personal favorite among chess thinkers). I recommend this to all viewers concerned with either learning the fundamentals of chess thinking or to those of higher level that are looking for good methods of presenting chess material to others.

Chess - Think Different

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 13:12:20 -0400

WhyChess - In The Spotlight

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:31:28 -0400

I wanted to bring to the attention of the chess community at large a site I recently came across. A new and exciting looking website that is still growing. It is called simply WhyChess. They offer everything form free news and articles of chess interest to chess teaching and soon playing services. I'm not certain who is the mastermind(s) behind this website but they're thinking big and that's something I'm prepared to get behind and lend my support without being asked.

Truthfully, the site has not given me any kind of remuneration for this article. I've not even spoken with any of its representatives. I just happened to find it and I'm passing it on to you to look around and explore its features. Check it out!

Open Letter From Hank Anzis

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 13:32:46 -0400

Hank has had difficulty in adding this as a comment to my previous post so I'm posting it here on his behalf:

Hello Colonel Crockett (and ChessVine readers),

I’m very sorry you took the comments in my blog post of July 24th as negative criticism. I did not intend my comments to be critical in either a constructive or negative way. They were just observations based on what I observed from your blog and noting what blogs did well in last year’s CJA awards. From what I saw of ChessVine’s posts, I consider it was an excellent blog or chess portal (take your pick) and I did like the Fisher book review (although I didn’t care for the book as much as you).

I try to write with a good humor and not take myself especially seriously. I’ve written on and off about my experiences with the CJA over the past 2 years, including my CJA entry last year that garnered the absolute lowest score (1 out of 12 possible points) of all 100+ entries and the entry I submitted in 2006 where I asked the judge of my section in person the day after the awards had been made public what he thought of my entry only to have him tell me he had never heard of it! I never thought my quirky blog would win (or even be seriously considered) and writing about the entire process was a lot of fun to share with my readers. Looking at the post in question with a different perspective, I probably made too much of my chances in order to contrast it to the stories of sure things not coming through that I followed it up with. I have posted my thoughts on winning the award on August 16th, but chessvines would have been a worthy winner.

Again, I think highly of your blog and I am very sorry for your disappointment at my post. I think congratulations are in order for both of us for being willing to risk rejection and submit our creative efforts to the judge’s scrutiny.

Regards,
Hank Anzis (http://brokenpawn1.blogspot.com)

Annual CJA Awards Program Announced

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:57:40 -0400

Here is the announcement from the Chess Journalists of America (CJA):

Ramon A. Hernandez, Chairman of the CJA Awards Committee and Chief Judge, has announced the annual call for entries to the 2011 Annual CJA Chess Journalism Awards. The CJA awards honor the best in all facets of chess journalism. From journalism in print to those written and published online, the most excellent in chess articles, columns, photojournalism, infographics, layout and online are honored within their respective categories. Winners will be recognized in Chess Life and The Chess Journalist and will receive certificates."

[for full schedule click here or download the instructions in PDF format 2011 Awards Program Instructions. The entry for can be downloaded here.]

There is only three days left to submit an entry but if you're running around like mad trying to get an entry together you're not alone. It completely slipped my mind! aaargh!

Pogonina's Facts About Kramnik (Humor)

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Fri, 13 May 2011 10:09:42 -0400

Thanks to Natalia Pogonina:

1) Joanne Rowling is working on a sequel to "Harry Potter" called "Vladimir Kramnik".

2) Vladimir's Kramnik's glasses is an artefact that increases one's FIDE raing by 500 points.

3) One of the journalists asked Kramnik if he will start playing weaker without his glasses (see #2). Kramnik replied calmly: "What will happen if you subtract a constant from infinity?".

4) While Kramnik's classmates were busy proving the Pythagor theorem, little Vova proved that chess is a draw.

5) Vladimir Kramnik is not interested in all the chess positions, but all chess positions are interested in Vladimir Kramnik.

6) Candid Camera asked a cute blonde to approach Kramnik, ask for knight odds, while being secretly assisted by Rybka. Kramnik, being a true gentleman, decided not to win and made a draw.

7) Kramnik finds poker dull as his starting hand is always two kings.

8 ) Yet another eminent grandmaster has been delivered to the asylum. He claimed he can beat Kramnik.

9) Vladimir Kramnik doesn't wait for his opponents to make a move. Instead, he takes a walk and sends them the move using telekinesis when necessary.

10) There is just one player whom Vladimir Kramnik agrees to draw on move one - Peter Leko.

11) When Kramnik is playing in tournaments, book-makers don't offer odds for the winner.

12) In 1990 Kramnik was surprised to learn that the Berlin Wall has fallen, and promised he will "fix it soon".

13) After all, Botvinnik did create an artificial intelligence that plays chess. His name is Vladimir Kramnik.

14) Some openings are called after eminent masters. Chess is sometimes called "the game of Kramnik".

15) Vladimir Kramnik uses chess engines only to find out why annotators keep making mistakes when analyzing his games.

16) The Drawmaster character of the ChessMaster series is a pitiful attempt to imitate Kramnik's play.

17) Few people know that Deep Blue self-destructed after losing a chess match to Kramnik's tennis racket.

18) One day Kramnik was invited to the world chess puzzle solving contest. After he handed in answers to all the FIDE albums ahead of time, he doesn't visit these events anymore.

19) The statement "e4 is winning, d6 doesn't lose" is not against the laws of logic since it works only for Vladimir Kramnik.

20) The aliens who visited Ilyumzhinov have captured all the other planets of the Universe after defeating their best chess players. Unfortunately for them, Kirsan had Kramnik's phone number...

21) Kramnik solved checkers while being in the maternity home.

22) Kramnik says his wife plays chess on amateur level. Indeed, she still enjoys beating Rybka over and over again.

23) Kramnik was named the best painter of all times since no one can match his drawing technique.

24) Few people know that the Pepsi machine from the famous commercial that delivered a knock-out punch to Kasparov was just Kramnik wearing a special uniform.

25) Kasparov, Karpov and Fischer all failed to make it past round 1 of the "Who wants to be a millionaire" show since the question was "Who is the greatest chess player ever?" and the options - a) Kasparov b) Karpov c) Fischer d) Kramnik

Nigel Davies Analyzes Bronstein - Istratescu, Rishon Le Zion 1991

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 10:45:38 -0400

National Survey Citation

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:12:17 -0400

The National Survey statistics that I mentioned in my previous article are from the following:

The survey was conducted online with a random sample of 576 men and women who have a child under the age of 18 who plays chess or is learning to play chess.

The Impulse Research proprietary online panel has been carefully selected to closely match US population demographics and the respondents are representative of American men and women who have a child under the age of 18.

Research was conducted in March 2011

As I said in that previous article use the available information for promotional purposes. Our ultimate goal should always be to get more people playing and enjoying chess!

National Survey Statistics on Chess

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:56:28 -0400

Okay guys, it's been a while but I'm back with some interesting statistics for you. I got these stats from the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. I'm also including my commentary in Italics:

According to a recent national survey–

Of parents who noticed a change in their child’s grades since the child began playing chess, 93 percent said they’ve seen a positive improvement! Anyone who is interested in chess for any length of time knows this one to be true. I remember having little trouble in school or college ... I owe a lot to chess.

Parents whose children had improved learning skills since taking an interest in chess saw the most significant improvement in math, science and reading. Sixty-six percent reported improved math grades, 46 percent saw improvements in science grades, and 41 percent saw improvements in reading grades. I'd like to know what the differences between scores in Algebra and Geometry. That could constitute a significant understanding in how the brain functions in chess calculation.

Over half (55%) of children who play chess began playing between the ages of 6 and 8. Ninety-five percent of children began before the age of 12. The younger the better!

Go forth my friends and use these stats in your chess promotions ... I'll be looking into this survey and getting you the citations. Keep watching!

Natalia Pogonina - 2 minute interview (Russian)

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:59:53 -0400

I need this video that was uploaded to youtube by Eugene Potemkin translated from Russian into English:

Lipstick Checkmate: Play Like A Girl (Trailer)

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:50:54 -0500

The Greatest Chess Trainer (of All Time?)

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:13:20 -0500

I've always thought GM Viacheslav Ragozin was a remarkable chess trainer. Many are the stories of the practice matches between Ragozin and Botvinnik, etc. In an article for Chess.com GM Julio Becerra brings the point home! check it out

Knight Teasers

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 10:06:18 -0500

Saw an interesting brain teser today that I had never before thought about ...

Q. How many knights can you place on a chessboard so that none of the knights attack one another?

A. (drum roll) 32! Knights always attack squares of opposite color so if you out 32 knights on all the black or the white squares they can't capture each other! I didn't really have time to think about this problem before I was given the answer. I wonder how long it would have taken me otherwise?

Also, here is an older idea but still a huge challenge if you don't have the answer (and by answer I mean the concept to victory). The knights tour ... from any square on the board move a knight to all the other squares without moving to a single square more than once.

(that's a touring knight, btw)

Here is a simple knight's tour from the corner

Chess Legends

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:18:17 -0500

I'm sure that most people have heard the legend of the "great master and the rice" and other such old tales regarding chess but I urge you to read an article by my friends at chessdom that I recently discovered. They produce a great many quality articles over there so if you're in the mood to navigate the site please do so! Just don't forget about little old me over here.

Merry Christmas! Alexandra Kosteniuk Goodwill Simul

nospam@example.com (ColonelCrockett) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:05:49 -0500

Merry Christmas Everyone!