It is in the works! Being constructed as I write this.
The blog will still be here, but many more options will be available for all chess players.
The blog will keep you informed of the progress.
Then, the web address will be published here and a link placed on the right.
I can't wait!
Mike N. - Blog Master
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Sixteen Players this Monday! Nice Crowd for a Spring Night.
Chess lessons were given, chess games were played, stories
were swapped, pretzels were eaten and laughs were had. Just another fun night
at the LCCC!
We welcomed Arnold H. to our new facility. He was a Brighton
Barnes and Noble regular and now is with us here at the Hartland
Senior Center
– Room
Just a reminder to everyone; check out the links we have
posted on the right side of the blog!
New ones are being added all the time as they are found –
and then found to be worthy to be – and placed on the site lists.
We have recently added:
West Michigan Chess
Holland Chess
Club
Port Huron Chess
Club
110 Best Chess Moves Ever Played!
Chessville – Beginners
Chess Friends
Chess World Correspondence
Red Hot Pawn Correspondence
Instant Chess
If you know of or find a chess site you think might be “LCCC
worthy,” email the link to lcchess at yahoo dot com and it will be considered.
Until then, be sure to castle early and ignore those
poisoned pawns!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
LCCC Continues to Grow! New Record for Attendance Set!
We were visited by eighteen players on a cloudy and windy night. Not a bad start to the spring season.
We would like to welcome Luigi and Adriana and their four sons, Americo, Luigi, Luca and Marcello to our club!
And Trent brought his daughter who also played tonight, and this writer apologizes for not getting that young lady’s name. That will be corrected next post.
The LCCC Team not only welcomes you with open arms, but will guide these young chess minds into strong players in no time.
And a reminder - this blog has a “Chess Beginner’s Corner” down on the right hand side, to assist new players in their efforts to enjoy the world’s best game.
This blog also features where you can play chess on line for free, where you can join internet chess clubs and where to find the finest chess supplies at the best prices.
Fred Lindsay's Chess Supplies can offer personal assistance in selecting the right equipment and best chess books for beginner.
We are open to the public and look forward to seeing more new faces next week!
We would like to welcome Luigi and Adriana and their four sons, Americo, Luigi, Luca and Marcello to our club!
And Trent brought his daughter who also played tonight, and this writer apologizes for not getting that young lady’s name. That will be corrected next post.
The LCCC Team not only welcomes you with open arms, but will guide these young chess minds into strong players in no time.
And a reminder - this blog has a “Chess Beginner’s Corner” down on the right hand side, to assist new players in their efforts to enjoy the world’s best game.
This blog also features where you can play chess on line for free, where you can join internet chess clubs and where to find the finest chess supplies at the best prices.
Fred Lindsay's Chess Supplies can offer personal assistance in selecting the right equipment and best chess books for beginner.
We are open to the public and look forward to seeing more new faces next week!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
When is a Fork - Not a Fork?
An LCCC Member Wins at the ICC.
The Internet Chess Club (ICC). This is where the pros meet and play.
Thanks anyway, but I lose just fine on the non-membership sites.
Jason Morris sat down with White at the ICC against a player rated 150 points higher and got the win!
White: Mycroft (Jason)
Black: Zolocotroco
Opening: English Opening
1. c4 e5
2. Nc3 Nf6
3. g3 d5
4. cxd5 Nxd5
5. Bg2 Nb6
6. Nf3 Nc6
7. O-O Be7
8. d3 O-O
9. a3 Be6
10. b4 Nd4
11. Nxe5 Bf6
12. f4 Nb3
Diagram
Jason allows the lose of the exchange to grab the long black diagonal.
13. Bb2 Nxa1
14. Qxa1 Bxe5
15. fxe5 c6
16. Ne4 Bd5
17. e6 f6
18. Nxf6
Now White opens the f-file and his diagonal, while dismantling Black’s pawns in front of his king.
18. ….. gxf6
19. Bxf6 Qe8
20. e7! Rf7
Passed pawns must be pushed! They grow in power with each step.
21. e4 Be6
22. Qc1 Rxf6
23. Rxf6 Qxe7
Black returns material to try and stay alive, but it is too late for that.
24. Qg5+ Kh8
I think 24. …..Qg7 at least gives Black a chance in a bad end game. Now White gets back on that diagonal.
25. Qe5 Nd7???
26. Rf8++
Nice win Jason!
The Internet Chess Club (ICC). This is where the pros meet and play.
Thanks anyway, but I lose just fine on the non-membership sites.
Jason Morris sat down with White at the ICC against a player rated 150 points higher and got the win!
White: Mycroft (Jason)
Black: Zolocotroco
Opening: English Opening
1. c4 e5
2. Nc3 Nf6
3. g3 d5
4. cxd5 Nxd5
5. Bg2 Nb6
6. Nf3 Nc6
7. O-O Be7
8. d3 O-O
9. a3 Be6
10. b4 Nd4
11. Nxe5 Bf6
12. f4 Nb3
Diagram
Jason allows the lose of the exchange to grab the long black diagonal.
13. Bb2 Nxa1
14. Qxa1 Bxe5
15. fxe5 c6
16. Ne4 Bd5
17. e6 f6
18. Nxf6
Now White opens the f-file and his diagonal, while dismantling Black’s pawns in front of his king.
18. ….. gxf6
19. Bxf6 Qe8
20. e7! Rf7
Passed pawns must be pushed! They grow in power with each step.
21. e4 Be6
22. Qc1 Rxf6
23. Rxf6 Qxe7
Black returns material to try and stay alive, but it is too late for that.
24. Qg5+ Kh8
I think 24. …..Qg7 at least gives Black a chance in a bad end game. Now White gets back on that diagonal.
25. Qe5 Nd7???
26. Rf8++
Nice win Jason!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
What's the Best Move?
I like putting up the rare ones that stumped me on the first two guesses. After all, there are not that many that do.
Ok, a lot of them do.
Ok, they ALL do!
Black to move. Find the best one. Here are the choices:
A. Nc7
B. Kg7
C. Ra1+
Thursday, April 5, 2012
A Chinese Prodigy is Finally Produced
[Ed. Note: Tuesday was for the beginners. - and the links to beginner's sites are posted on the right of the blog. For the upper strength players, I give you this posting.]
"Gary Kasparov was a product of the Soviet coaching system, in which the most talented kids were selected from a large number of chess-playing children.
The Chinese tried to emulate it (Ed. Note: copy it – as they do everything) and succeeded in producing a few women's world champions and a formidable women's team that keeps winning the gold medals at Chess Olympiads. But the Chinese men were behind. Now there is a hope.
In 2005, the then 15-year-old untitled player Wang Hao took clear first at the seventh Dubai Open with seven points in nine games, leaving behind 53 grandmasters. Who is he?
He was on the Chinese team at the Chess Olympiad in Calvia, Spain in 2001, but did not play well.
However, a more mature player showed up in Dubai. Let's see how he outplayed an experienced Georgian grandmaster, Georgi Kacheishvili, in the Slav defense in the last round.
Kacheishvili-Wang
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7
(The old-fashioned way to play the Slav defense. Not everybody has the nerves to enter the sharp line 6...e6 7.f3 Bb4 8.e4 Bxe4 9.fxe4 Nxe4 that still remains unsolved.)
7.Nxc4 Qc7 8.g3 e5 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.Bf4 Nfd7 11.Bg2 f6 12.0-0 Nc5!?
(A move embraced by the Russian GM Alexander Morozevich, stressing active piece play.)
13.Ne3 Bg6 14.b4 Ne6
(The agressive14...Rd8 is refuted with 15.Ned5! cxd5 16.bxc5 with white's advantage.)
15.b5 Rd8 16.Qc1
(Black should not have problems with this passive move. Trying to invade black's position via the b-file with 16.Qb3!? Bf7 17.Bxe5 fxe5 18.bxc6 bxc6 19.Rab1 Nd4 20.Qb7 is more critical.)
16...Bc5!? (More aggressive than 16...Be7.)
17.bxc6
(Not much can be gained by 17.a5 0-0 18.a6 b6! 19.Bxe5 Qxe5 20.Bxc6, because after 20...Nd4 the activity of black's pieces easily compensates the small material loss.)
17...bxc6 18.Bxe5 (Scattering black's pawns, white also gets the square e4, but the activity of black's pieces easily compensates for his deficiencies. [Ed. Note: You have to be of grandmaster strength - or playing loose as a goose, confident and 'going for it' in the final round of a tournament to play Black's position here!])
[Diagram after 18. Bxe5]
18...fxe5 19.Ne4 Be7! (The bishop controls many dark squares in black's camp.)
20.Nc4 Nd4 21.Ra2 0-0 22.Kh1 Kh8 23.e3!? Nf3 24.Ncd2
(Trying to drive the pesky black knight away from the square f3.)
24...Qd7! 25.Qa1
(After 25.Bxf3 Rxf3! 26.Nxf3 Bxe4 black wins.)
25...Qe6 26.Nc5?
(White should have tried 26.Nxf3!? Bxe4 27.Qxe5 Qd5 28.Qxe7 Bxf3 29.Bxf3 Qxa2 30.Bxc6 Qc2 31.Bd5 [Ed. Note: On 31.Bb5 comes 31...a6!] 31...Qxa4 32.e4 with some fighting chances for the exchange.)
26...Bxc5 27.Nxf3 Be4!
(Spelling trouble for white on the long diagonal h1-a8.)
28.Ne1
(A sad retreat, but after 28.Nxe5 Bxg2+ 29.Kxg2 Bd6, the knight can't go back, for example 30.Nf3 Qe4 31.Qd1 Bxg3 32.Qe2 Bc7, and black wins; and on 30.f4 comes 30...Bxe5 31.fxe5 Qd5+ 32.e4 Qxe4+ 33.Kh3 Rxf1 34.Qxf1 Qxe5 and black is a pawn up and the white king is exposed. Grabbing the pawn with 28.Qxe5 leads after 28...Qc4! 29.Raa1 Rd5 to a winning position for black.)
28...Bd5 29.Bxd5 (After 29.Rc2 Bxe3! decides.)
29...Qxd5+ 30.Kg1 Bxe3!
(Punctuating the attack with a piece sacrifice that helps black hunting down the white king.)
31.fxe3 Rxf1+ 32.Kxf1 Qh1+ 33.Ke2 e4!
(Closing the net. The white king can't escape.)
34.Kf2 Qxh2+ 35.Ng2 Rf8+ 36.Ke1 Qxg3+ 37.Kd2 Qxg2+ 38.Kc3 Qg5 White resigns."
Hat tip to Lubomir Kavalek and the Washington Post
"Gary Kasparov was a product of the Soviet coaching system, in which the most talented kids were selected from a large number of chess-playing children.
The Chinese tried to emulate it (Ed. Note: copy it – as they do everything) and succeeded in producing a few women's world champions and a formidable women's team that keeps winning the gold medals at Chess Olympiads. But the Chinese men were behind. Now there is a hope.
In 2005, the then 15-year-old untitled player Wang Hao took clear first at the seventh Dubai Open with seven points in nine games, leaving behind 53 grandmasters. Who is he?
He was on the Chinese team at the Chess Olympiad in Calvia, Spain in 2001, but did not play well.
However, a more mature player showed up in Dubai. Let's see how he outplayed an experienced Georgian grandmaster, Georgi Kacheishvili, in the Slav defense in the last round.
Kacheishvili-Wang
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7
(The old-fashioned way to play the Slav defense. Not everybody has the nerves to enter the sharp line 6...e6 7.f3 Bb4 8.e4 Bxe4 9.fxe4 Nxe4 that still remains unsolved.)
7.Nxc4 Qc7 8.g3 e5 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.Bf4 Nfd7 11.Bg2 f6 12.0-0 Nc5!?
(A move embraced by the Russian GM Alexander Morozevich, stressing active piece play.)
13.Ne3 Bg6 14.b4 Ne6
(The agressive14...Rd8 is refuted with 15.Ned5! cxd5 16.bxc5 with white's advantage.)
15.b5 Rd8 16.Qc1
(Black should not have problems with this passive move. Trying to invade black's position via the b-file with 16.Qb3!? Bf7 17.Bxe5 fxe5 18.bxc6 bxc6 19.Rab1 Nd4 20.Qb7 is more critical.)
16...Bc5!? (More aggressive than 16...Be7.)
17.bxc6
(Not much can be gained by 17.a5 0-0 18.a6 b6! 19.Bxe5 Qxe5 20.Bxc6, because after 20...Nd4 the activity of black's pieces easily compensates the small material loss.)
17...bxc6 18.Bxe5 (Scattering black's pawns, white also gets the square e4, but the activity of black's pieces easily compensates for his deficiencies. [Ed. Note: You have to be of grandmaster strength - or playing loose as a goose, confident and 'going for it' in the final round of a tournament to play Black's position here!])
[Diagram after 18. Bxe5]18...fxe5 19.Ne4 Be7! (The bishop controls many dark squares in black's camp.)
20.Nc4 Nd4 21.Ra2 0-0 22.Kh1 Kh8 23.e3!? Nf3 24.Ncd2
(Trying to drive the pesky black knight away from the square f3.)
24...Qd7! 25.Qa1
(After 25.Bxf3 Rxf3! 26.Nxf3 Bxe4 black wins.)
25...Qe6 26.Nc5?
(White should have tried 26.Nxf3!? Bxe4 27.Qxe5 Qd5 28.Qxe7 Bxf3 29.Bxf3 Qxa2 30.Bxc6 Qc2 31.Bd5 [Ed. Note: On 31.Bb5 comes 31...a6!] 31...Qxa4 32.e4 with some fighting chances for the exchange.)
26...Bxc5 27.Nxf3 Be4!
(Spelling trouble for white on the long diagonal h1-a8.)
28.Ne1
(A sad retreat, but after 28.Nxe5 Bxg2+ 29.Kxg2 Bd6, the knight can't go back, for example 30.Nf3 Qe4 31.Qd1 Bxg3 32.Qe2 Bc7, and black wins; and on 30.f4 comes 30...Bxe5 31.fxe5 Qd5+ 32.e4 Qxe4+ 33.Kh3 Rxf1 34.Qxf1 Qxe5 and black is a pawn up and the white king is exposed. Grabbing the pawn with 28.Qxe5 leads after 28...Qc4! 29.Raa1 Rd5 to a winning position for black.)
28...Bd5 29.Bxd5 (After 29.Rc2 Bxe3! decides.)
29...Qxd5+ 30.Kg1 Bxe3!
(Punctuating the attack with a piece sacrifice that helps black hunting down the white king.)
31.fxe3 Rxf1+ 32.Kxf1 Qh1+ 33.Ke2 e4!
(Closing the net. The white king can't escape.)
34.Kf2 Qxh2+ 35.Ng2 Rf8+ 36.Ke1 Qxg3+ 37.Kd2 Qxg2+ 38.Kc3 Qg5 White resigns."
Hat tip to Lubomir Kavalek and the Washington Post
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Chess Beginners: Help Links from LCCC
LCCC has another fun Monday night of chess as nine players arrived to mix it up over the board.
As LCCC expands, we realize that chess…..is hard! But that does not mean it cannot be fun!
Everyone wants to improve at chess, and that takes time. The trick is to enjoy the journey, and not worry about the destination. Besides, by the time you get to where you want to be, in chess, you can always go farther.
So be sure to enjoy the trip. Here are some chess sites to use as a “travel guide”.
Chess is Fun – by John Edwards. Google search it - and it will come up as a Princeton edu site to click on. A comprehensive introduction to chess!
Chessvariants dot org – A nicely designed page explaining the rules of chess.
Chesskit dot com – One of the most complete and fully instructional sites around.
Chesscorner dot com/tutorial/learn.htm – Tutorials from basic to intermediate.
Anyway, LCCC is here for all that want to learn this great game!
As LCCC expands, we realize that chess…..is hard! But that does not mean it cannot be fun!
Everyone wants to improve at chess, and that takes time. The trick is to enjoy the journey, and not worry about the destination. Besides, by the time you get to where you want to be, in chess, you can always go farther.
So be sure to enjoy the trip. Here are some chess sites to use as a “travel guide”.
Chess is Fun – by John Edwards. Google search it - and it will come up as a Princeton edu site to click on. A comprehensive introduction to chess!
Chessvariants dot org – A nicely designed page explaining the rules of chess.
Chesskit dot com – One of the most complete and fully instructional sites around.
Chesscorner dot com/tutorial/learn.htm – Tutorials from basic to intermediate.
Anyway, LCCC is here for all that want to learn this great game!
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