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White to play and checkmate in 10 moves, BUT, with 2 conditions: a] No pawn moves allowed. b] It must be a knight mate! Your chess engine doesn't help? tough luck! use your brain instead! Solution:

Regional duel at Malaysia. Gary seemed well prepared and he got the advantage at around move 23 and never let it run away. Possible improvements for black? There are at least two, check the game: [site “Kuala Lumpur MAS”] [Date “2007.08.22″] [Round “6.7″] [White “IM Lane, Gary W”] [black “GM Chandler, Murray”] [Result “1-0″] [WhiteElo “2412″] [blackElo “2540″] [pgn] 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Be7 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Qg4 Nf6 9.Qxg7 Rg8 10.Qh6 Ne5 11.f3 b5 12.Nc3 Bb7 13.Qe3 Qc7 14.a3 Rg6 15.Ne2 Bd6 16.Nf4 Nxd3 17.cxd3 Bxf4 18.Qxf4 Qc2 19.Nd2 Qxd3 20.Rf2 d6 21.Nf1 e5 22.Qh4 Qb3 [22...Qd1!? Javier: A very interesting paralyzing move. 23.b4 (23.Rd2? Qxf3) 23...Rc8 24.Bb2 Qb3 Javier: And black has achieved something very important as he has prevented the white Bishop from getting to g5.; 22...Rc8 Javier: This is actually very amusing also. 23.Bg5 Rc2! Javier: Very imaginative. The point now is that if white takes the Rook on c2, then his Bishop on g5 will be pinned, as there will be a mate threat on g2. But taking the knight is met by the surprising: 24.Bxf6 Qd4! Javier: And it turns out that white can't defend his Bishop, as his queen is overloaded and the Bishop has nowhere to go. 25.Bh8 is met by 25...Rh6! 26.Qg3 Rg6 with a draw. ] 23.Bg5 Qe6 24.Rc1 Kd7 25.Rfc2 Ne8 26.Ng3 Rc8 27.Rxc8 Bxc8 28.Bd2 Bb7 29.Ba5 Qf6 30.Qxh7 d5 31.Qh3+ Qe6 32.Qh4 Qf6 33.Qxf6 Rxf6 34.exd5 Bxd5 35.Re1 Re6 36.Bc3 f6 37.Nf5 Nd6 38.Nxd6 Rxd6 39.h4 Ke6 40.Kf2 Rd7 41.g4 Bb7 42.Re3 Kf7 43.Kg3 Rd1 44.h5 Rg1+ 45.Kf2 Rd1 46.Kg2 Bc6 47.Kg3 Bb7 48.Kf2 Bc6 49.Ke2 Rh1 50.Kf2 Ra1 51.g5 Rh1 52.gxf6 Rxh5 53.Bxe5 Kg6 54.f4 Bd5 55.Rg3+ Kf5 56.Ke3 a5 57.Kd4 Bc4 58.Rg7 Rh8 59.Rg5+ Ke6 60.f5+ Kf7 61.Rg7+ Kf8 62.Bd6+ Ke8 63.Re7+ Kd8 64.Bc7+ Kc8 65.f7 Line [/pgn]

There's a misterious account on the playchess server which has everyone wondering: is it Kasparov? He uses the nick "Raffael" and nobody knows for sure who it is. Well, maybe some of the people at chessbase do know, but they're not telling: Oh yes, Garry has a nick called "Garry Kasparov", which he uses for special events. Whether he has a second account he uses to play regular games on the Playchess server? Now that will have to be kept a secret. Yasser Seirawan has said: "Everyone is saying that he is Kasparov, but I really don't know". Other people claim he's Kramnik and others still say he's Svidler. Here's a game that he played a few minutes ago. Judge for yourself.: Heimi92 (2969) - Raffael (3316) [b80] 4m + 1s, rated, 11.08.2007 [pgn]1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 Bd7 8.0-0 Be7 9.Be3 0-0 10.f4 a6 11.Kh1 Rc8 12.Nxc6 Bxc6 13.g4 b5 14.g5 Nd7 15.a3 Nb6 16.Qg4 Nc4 17.Bc1 d5 18.exd5 exd5 19.b3 d4 20.bxc4 dxc3 21.Bxc6 Rxc6 22.cxb5 axb5 23.Be3 Ra6 24.f5 Qa8+ 25.Kg1 Re8 26.Bd4 Bf8 27.Rab1 Re4 0-1[/pgn]

Short's visit to Montreal has become a nightmare. After 7 rounds, he's on just one point. In this game, he self pinned his knight with 17.Ng6??, a move which soon resulted in one of the shortest defeats in his whole career. [pgn]Short,N (2683) - Harikrishna,P (2664) [C01] 8th It Montreal CAN (2), 20.07.2007 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d3 Nf6 6.d4 d5 7.Bd3 Bd6 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3 h6 10.Nc3 c6 11.Re1 Re8 12.Rxe8+ Nxe8 13.Ne5 Nd7 14.Bf4 Nf8 15.Qh5 Be6 16.Rb1 f6 17.Ng6 {??} Bf7 18.Bxd6 Nxd6 19.g4 Ne4 0-1[/pgn] What's happening to Nigel? it seems that it all has to do with some really awful teeth problems. I believe the story, but I wonder if the fact that Nigel has been playing too much blitz on the playchess server lately has added a certain superficiality to his play. I see him on-line just about everyday. Then again, I also see Harikrishna. HOWEVER, there could be a pattern here, and if you don't believe me, watch some of the mistakes he's making also: [pgn]Harikrishna,P (2664) - Charbonneau,P (2503) [D37] 8th It Montreal CAN (7), 26.07.2007 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.Bd3 Bb4+ 11.Nd2 Nc6 12.0-0 d4 13.e4 f5 14.a3 Ba5 15.b4 fxe4 16.Bxe4 Rxf4 17.bxa5 Nxa5 18.Qc2 h6 19.Rfe1 Bg4 20.f3 Bh5 21.Rac1 Rf8 22.Qc5 Bf7 23.Qf5 g6 24.Qf4 h5 25.Qg3 d3 26.Bxg6?? [unbelieveable! 26.Kh1 is correct. The move played in the game drops a piece for nothing. ] 26...Qb6+ 27.Kf1 Qxg6 28.Qh4 Nb3 29.Nxb3 Bxb3 30.Rc5 Rf5 31.Rxf5 Qxf5 32.Qg3+ Kh8 33.Qd6 Bf7 34.Qd4+ Kh7 35.Re5 Qg6 36.g4 hxg4 37.Re4 Be6 38.Rf4 Kg8? [38...Rc8! wins quickly] 39.Ke1 Qg5 40.Qe3 Re8?? [shocking! now white wins blacks Queen. Ok, it was the last move in the time control and Charbonneau was probably in time trouble.] 41.Rf8+ Kxf8 42.Qxg5 gxf3 ½-½ [/pgn] The final position is drawish, although I'm sure both players had had enough blunders for the day.

Since it has been clearly proven that it's extremely difficult to organize what is supposed to be the most important competition of the year in this country (Australia), perhaps we should ask New Zealand to organize it for us. Call it the "Championship of Australia and New Zealand" or something. What do you think? I trust New Zealanders when it comes to organizing national events... If they refuse, there's also Samoa Island, Papua New Guinea and other countries in the region. It would definitely give the event a tourist appeal, something which Australian Chess players seem to need when taking part in chess competitions nowadays, given the low numbers of people taking part in previous years. On more serious matters, here's an interesting endgame composition by Prokes. And I call it interesting because it's completely wrong! Your task is a double one: Find Proke's original composition (white to play and draw) and then find why it is wrong! (white's actually completely lost)

Ok, Shirov is out of the WC Cycle after drawing his last game against Aronian. It was a rather depressing game. I'm not sure if Shirov had any seconds during this match, but his opening choice was really quite a bad one (once again). I mean, just look at the position after black's 16th move. It doesn't matter whether it's book or not, it's just a really sad position for a player with such an imagination. Watch: Shirov,A (2699) - Aronian,L (2759) [C88] WCh Candidates Finals Elista RUS (6), 12.06.2007 [pgn] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.d3 d6 9.c3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.Nbd2 Nc6 12.Nf1 Re8 13.a3 h6 14.b4 Be6 15.Ng3 d5 16.exd5 Qxd5 17.Be3 Rac8 18.Nd2 Nb8 19.Nge4 Nbd7 20.Bb3 Qxd3 21.Bxe6 fxe6 22.Qf3 cxb4 23.axb4 Nxe4 24.Nxe4 Nf6 25.Nxf6+ Bxf6 26.Rxa6 Qxc3 27.Rb1 ½-½ [/pgn] I know it's still early, but I really want to forget this WC cycle already Some people drink alcohol when they wish to forget. There's an alternative, however: endgame studies! Ok, this is one which I saw the other day and I liked. White's position seems absolutely desperate. Not only is he the exchange down, he seems to be losing a Knight as well. Can white get a draw out of this? Well, if this is an endgame study, you're probaby thinking that he can. But what if this was one of those endgame studies with an error in it? Or am I saying all this to confuse you? Who cares! would you be able to save this ending or not, that's the question!

I took this quiz today, and this is the disappointing result that I got. Now you know absolutely everything there is to know about my thinking style, so don't use it against me if we ever play each other, ok? Your Dominant Thinking Style: Modifying Super logical and rational, you consider every fact available to you. You don't make rash decisions and are rarely moved by emotion. You prefer what's known and proven - to the new and untested. You tend to ground those around you and add stability. What's Your Thinking Style? http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourthinkingstylequiz/ And talking about thinking style, what if I told you that no matter what you think about the following position, "you're probably wrong!" Take a look and try to guess the result after some calculation. White to play and...

I tried to find the ugliest move ever played in one of my games, but couldn't find any ugly moves, I wonder why? and then I remembered a position I saw during my Singapore-Sydney flight... Look at the position of white's King, I mean, it's so UGLY, isn't it? However, it's white to play and draw! If you can't find the answer, slide your mouse over the black line. That wasn't so ugly, was it? True, but look at this now: The dog above has won the "ugliest dog in the world" award for the second year in a row. Watch the full video here.

My free electronic book, "Learn chess Or Call Me An Idiot!!" has reached the first spot in the free ebooks billboard: Check it out here!. Brought up in a catholic culture, I've been programmed to behave modestly, but life's so short and there are so few things to cellebrate sometimes... what the hell, I'm happy!

Maybe, just maybe I haven't forgotten how to play chess after all. Ok, here's a game I played on-line yesterday on the playchess server against a well known WGM. It's one of those 3 minutes games. The fun happens between moves 20 and 23. White: Woman GM (I'd rather not tell her name) Black: Javier Gil [pgn]1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 Re8 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. Nf3 Nf8 10. h3 c6 11. Bf4 a5 12. O-O Ng6 13. Bh2 Bd6 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. a3 Qe7 16. Rab1 Ne4 17. b4 f5 18. Rfe1 Nh4 19. Ne5 Qg5 20. Bf1 Rxe5 21. dxe5 Nf3+ 22. Kh1 Qg3 23. gxf3 Nxf2+ 24. Qxf2 Qxf2 25. Bg2 f4 26. e4 d4 27. Ne2 axb4 28. Nxf4 Qh4 29. Nd3 Rxa3 30. Nxb4 Bxh3 31. Rb2 Qxe1+ 0-1[/pgn] Hmm... if only I could do that regularly in Stardard time controls tournaments!

What's the best move you've ever seen? On my QF6 (that's not Queen to f6! ) flight from Singapore to Sydney this morning, I could not get any sleep and had to switch on my pocket pc to review some great endgame compositions. I then found the following beauty. What would you play here as white and, more importantly, why? btw, either Airfrance or Qantas have managed to lose my suitcase. I only have a pair of trousers and a shirt to wear now...

See that beauty above? It can reach peak speeds of more than 300 Km an hour. It's called "AVE", spanish for "Bird" and also an acronism meaning "Spanish High Speed" (Alta Velocidad Español). Today I travelled from Madrid to Zaragoza (350 km) in 75 minutes. I didn't even have time to take a short nap! But then again, isn't that what's happening all over the world? isn't everything going and happening a lot faster than it ever was? tranport, internet connections, food gets cooked in a matter of minutes in your microwave, marriages last months.... and what not! Yes, what not, even chess! Some masters no longer enjoy 5 minutes chess, they find it "too slow" for casual chess and are now taking on 1 minute chess, an absurd form of chess where just about anything can happen: an 1800 rated player can beat a 2700 GM, being a Queen down is fine provided you can use your mouse faster than your opponent, nothing wrong with blundering, chances are your opponent won't see it... the only thing which is missing is the dice! Here's a game I witnessed the other day on the playchess server between GM Winants (Belgium) and GM David Howell (UK) (yes, I know that annotating a 1 minute blitz game is just about the most ridiculous thing you can do, but isn't playing it more ridiculous still? Anyway, it's all done in good fun and the notes are not very deep at all!) GM Winants - GM David Howell [C28] 1m + 0s, rated, 04.05.2007 [pgn] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nc3 Na5 5. f4 Nxc4 6. dxc4 Bb4 7. fxe5 Nxe4 8. Qg4 Nxc3 9. a3 {Apparently a novelty at the time. Only 9.Bd2 had been tried.} Ba5 10. Qxg7 Qh4+ 11. Kf1 Qxc4+ 12. Kf2 Bb6+ (12... Nd1+ $1) 13. Kf3 Qe4+ ( 13... Qf1+ $1 14. Kg3 Bf2+ 15. Kf4 (15. Kh3 d6+ $19) 15... Bxg1+ 16. Kg4 Qxg2+ $19) 14. Kg3 Qe1+ 15. Kh3 d6+ 16. g4 Qf1+ $2 (16... Bxg4+ 17. Kxg4 h5+ 18. Kh3 (18. Kg5 O-O-O $19) 18... Qf1+ 19. Kg3 Bf2+ $19) (16... Qxe5 {Even this is enough for a winning advantage.} 17. Qxe5+ dxe5 18. bxc3 Rg8 $19) 17. Kh4 Qf2+ 18. Kh5 Rf8 19. Bh6 {White has survived the worst!} Bxg4+ 20. Qxg4 f5 21. Qg7 O-O-O 22. bxc3 Be3 23. Bxe3 Qxe3 24. Qg3 f4 25. Qxe3 fxe3 26. Ne2 Rf5+ 27. Kg4 Rxe5 28. Kf3 Rg8 29. Rhg1 Rf8+ 30. Kg3 Rfe8 * [/pgn] And you'd NEVER believe white's next move. NEVER, EVER, EVER!! To tell the full story, most Masters and Grandmasters only play 3+1 fast chess, which is actually fairly close to a 5 minutes chess game, a reasonable speed and often you DO see some pretty good games.

A few days ago we saw how Seirawan killed Harry Potter, but as you know, anything can happen when you play a 3+1 game of chess. Yes, I do mean anything, for example losing in just 16 moves... (btw, the numbers in brakets are blitz ratings on the playchess server. Accord is one of the strongest blitz players on this server). Accord (3146) - Yasser Seirawan (3127) [b15] 3m + 1s, rated, 02.05.2007 [pgn] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 g6 Javier: Strange that Yasser should choose this line where Black usually struggles... 4.h3 Bg7 5.Nf3 Nh6 6.Bf4 f6 7.exd5 cxd5 8.Nb5! Na6 (8...0-0 9.Qd2 is very annoying. However, 9.Nc7 is not so clear after 9...e5! 10.Bxh6 Qxc7 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.dxe5 Qa5+ 13.c3 -13.Qd2 Qxd2+ 14.Kxd2 fxe5 Javier: And Nxe5 can be met by ...Rxf2.- 13...fxe5 14.Nxe5 Re8 15.f4 Nc6 Javier: With excellent compensation for the Pawn.) 9.c4 0-0 10.Nc3 Be6 11.Qb3 dxc4 12.Qxb7 Qa5 [12...Qb6 13.Qxb6 axb6 14.d5 Nb4 (14...Bf7 15.Bxc4 Javier: With a clear advantage to white.) 15.dxe6 Nc2+ 16.Kd2 Nxa1 17.Bxc4] 13.Be2 Nf5 14.0-0 Nb4? (Javier: c7 had to be covered! White could have played 15.Bc7! right now, but he saw it next move.) 15.g4? Nh6? [15...Nd5!] 16.Bc7! 1-0 [/pgn] Anyway, I have to say that GM Seirawan is one of the nicest people around: he'll often play much lower rated players (and I'm talking about people rated 1200-1800). Losing to one of these people can mean dropping 100 rating points, and beating them means you get no elo points. How many other GMs do that on a chess server?

Engineers at NeuroSky have big plans for brain wave-reading toys and video games. They say the simple Darth Vader game - a relatively crude biofeedback device cloaked in gimmicky garb - portends the coming of more sophisticated devices that could revolutionize the way people play. Technology from NeuroSky and other startups could make video games more mentally stimulating and realistic. It could even enable players to control video game characters or avatars in virtual worlds with nothing but their thoughts. (Read full article HERE) Here's some more information from their website: NeuroSky has developed a cost effective bio sensor and signal processing system for the consumer market. Their wearable technology unlocks worlds of new applications such as consumer electronics, health, wellness, education and training. The neurons that comprise the brain work on electrical impulses. The last century of neurological research has shown that brainwaves of different wavelengths indicate different emotional states, like a focused awareness, a meditative state, or drowsiness. Brainwaves have been used in medical research and therapy for years. Neurosky is bringing it to the consumer world. ThinkGearTM module with Dry-Active Sensor Brainwave signals, eye movements, and other bio-signals are captured and amplified via our patented Dry-Active Sensor technology. » Non-Invasive » Small Form Factor » Dry active sensors that do not use contact gels » Accuracy eSenseTM Algorithm Library Signal processing unit runs proprietary interpretation software to translate biosignals into useful logic commands. » Neural-signal interpretation (such as emotions) » Based upon established technology from existing databases, algorithms, and new inventions . Before a machine can read your thoughts, how about if you concentrate a little for a change and solve the following endgame study? white to play and.... ?

I was reading the Sydney Morning Herald today and learned that "A large English cheddar cheese has become a star of the internet, attracting more than 1 million viewers to sit and stare at it as it slowly ripens" (Click here Visit the website!) Oh well, what can I say? , if you think perhaps you might have something A LITTLE BETTER TO DO (particularly if you're a chess player!) you might want to watch the following game which I saw last night on the playchess.com server. GM Andreikin - GM Jobava [b12] 3m + 1s, rated, 25.04.2007 [pgn] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 dxe4 4. fxe4 e5 {This variation has always been considered very risky for black. GM Jo bava has his own ideas} 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 exd4 7. O-O Bc5 8. e5 {8.Ng5 This is probably a more dangerous move here.} Nd5 9. Ng5 O-O 10. Nxh7 (10. Qd3 $1 g6 11. Ne4 {Javier: With good attacking chances for white}) 10... Ne3 (10... Kxh7 11. Qh5+ Kg8 12. Bd3 $1 {This looks strong for white.}) 11. Bxe3 (11. Qd3 $1 {This was probably stronger, one of the ideas being:} Nxf1 $2 12. Nf6+ gxf6 13. Qg6+ Kh8 14. Qh6+ Kg8 15. exf6 $18) 11... dxe3 12. Bxf7+ Kh8 $1 13. Qe2 Bg4 (13... Rxf7 14. Rxf7 Qd1+ $3 15. Qxd1 e2+ $19) 14. Qc4 e2+ 15. Qxc5 exf1=Q+ {And white resigned.} * [/pgn]

Harry Potter is dead, I saw it with my own eyes! I guess such a sad loss is not something I should be sharing with others, , but some of the stuff I watch on TV nowadays has taken away all the sensitivity left which I had! Oh, and for the record, Harry Potter WAS NOT WHITE, HE WAS BLACK! [pgn] 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 c5 4.e5 Ng8 5.d4 cxd4 6.Qxd4 Nc6 7.Qe4 d6 8.Nf3 dxe5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.Qxe5 Nf6 11.Bf4 Bb4 12.Be2 0-0 13.0-0 Bd7 14.Rfd1 Qc8 15.Nb5 Bxb5 16.Qxb5 Bc5 17.Bf3 Bb6 18.Bd6 1-0 [/pgn] This happened yesterday (April 25th 2007). May he rest in peace! This story is not fiction. It really happened. To find all the details, you know what to do with the black line... For those who care, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will be released sometime in 2010.

One of the best movies I've seen in recent months has been "The illusionist", with Edward Norton (a most versatile actor) and Jessica Biel. Now take a look at the following position. It's black to play and... win????????? Yes, this is not an illusion, it's not a magic trick. And I really ought to know it because I was black and my opponent resigned after my next move! As usual, avoid tmptation and do not slide you mouse pointer over the black line unless you know the answer! By the way, if you want to know more about "The illusionist", you can check the official website HERE!

I was kibitzing some blitz games on the playchess server last night and was surprised by the unexpected result of this game. There's a couple of errors on move 29 for black and 30 for white, but other than that the game is pretty good. The interesting moment comes on move 41, when Nigel tries to make some progress on the Kingside overlooking black's chances on the Queenside. By means of a nice sacrifice black was able to get a passed pawn and win the game. With a FIDE rating of 2248, 18 year old Kestutis Labekas, from Lithuania (AKA Lordi_forever on the playchess server) is probably no match against a GM like Short, but as they say, "Blitz is blitz!". Nigel Short (2942) - Lordi_forever (Kestutis Labekas, from Lithuania) (2742) [b11] 3m + 1s, rated, 21.04.2007 [pgn] 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 Bg4 4.h3 Bh5 5.d4 e6 6.Bd3 Nf6 7.e5 Nfd7 8.g4 Bg6 9.Bxg6 hxg6 10.Ne2 c5 11.c3 Nc6 12.Kf1 Be7 13.Kg2 Rc8 [13...Qc7 Planning 0-0-0 looks safer.] 14.a3 b5 15.Be3 c4 16.h4 a5 17.Qd2 a4 18.Bg5 Bxg5 19.Nxg5 With the Queenside being blocked, white stands better as he has better chances on the Kingside. 19...Qe7 20.Rh3 Ndb8 21.Rah1 Kd7 22.h5 gxh5 23.Rxh5 Rxh5 24.Rxh5 Rg8 25.Rh7 Nd8 26.Ng3 Nbc6 27.Nh5 Qf8 28.f4 Ne7 29.Qc2 Rh8? After this white can simply take on g7, Nxg7. 30.f5 ? 30...Rxh7 31.Nxh7 Qh8 32.f6 gxf6 33.N7xf6+ Kc8 34.Qc1 Ng6 35.Kg3 Nc6 36.Qg5 Kc7 37.Nf4 Nce7 38.Qh5 Kd8 39.Qxh8+ Nxh8 40.Nh3 Nc6 41.Kh4 ? 41...Nxd4 !! 42.cxd4 b4 Sentence: one of black s pawns will be promoted! 43.Nf2 c3 44.bxc3 [44.Nd3 cxb2 45.Nxb2 bxa3] 44...bxa3 45.Kg5 a2 46.Kh6 a1=Q 47.Kg7 Qxc3 48.Kxh8 Qxd4 49.Nh3 Qxe5 50.g5 Qf5 0-1 [/pgn]

Who or what are we in this infinite universe of ours? How meaningless are our daily actions and thoughts? is there any reason to believe that we are any smarter, more creative, artistic, important, relevant, useful (or any other positive adjective that you can think of) than others? Perhaps the answer was found by "Kansas" guitarist Kerry Livgren when he was reading a book of Native American poetry. The line that caught his attention was "For All We Are Is Dust In The Wind..." That might well be true, but in 1932 Holm composed the following study, which, in my opinion, is much more than a bit of dust in the wind! White to play here. Can he save the game? Be honest and slide your mouse pointer over the black line ONLY when you a] think you know the answer or b] give up after having tried! Anyway, Kerry went on to write a wonderful song which you probably know already (and if you don't you should!) : Dust in the wind (Kansas) I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind. Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind [Now] Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy. Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind Dust in the wind, everything is dust in the wind.

Hey, how do you like my autobot?: Transformers, the movie produced by Spielberg, premiers worldwide on July 4th. The Decepticons (known as Destrons or on occasion Deathtrons in Japan) are the enemies of the Autobots, and the villains in the fictional universe of the Transformers toyline and related spin-off comics and cartoons. Their best known leader is Megatron. Despite being the villains, the Decepticons are very popular. Part of their popularity comes from having many more memorable personalities within their ranks than their Autobot foes. Examples include the eternally depressed Stunticon Dead End, the 'one robot Black Market' Swindle of the Combaticons, street thug Rumble, the ever-loyal Soundwave and the legendary traitor Starscream. (See Wikipedia) Anyway, there's "more than meets the eye" in the following position too: White to play and... (slide your mouse pointer over the black line ONLY when you think you know the answer!) Click here to visit Tansformers, the movie site. (Wallpapers, movie trailer, etc.)

I was thinking about an old story the other day: An old lady buys a bottle of wine at the bottleshop. She pays 10 dollars for it and then she leaves. She walks for 10 minutes and then, all of sudden, the following questions enter her mind: "do I really want this wine?, isn't alcohol supposed to be bad for me? Shouldn't I have bought an orange juice instead, which is not only healthier but also a lot cheaper?" So, she turns around and walks back towards the bottle shop. When she gets there, the cashier, who happens to be quite a nice man, gives her the 10$ back with no questions asked. Then, when the lady is about to leave the shop, she turns around and walks towards the cashier again: "Excuse me, I've given you 10$ and a bottle of wine worth another 10$, which makes a total of 20$. However, you've only given me back 10$, so I believe you still owe me another 10$. The cashier thinks about it for a few seconds and then, -can you believe it- quickly appologizes and gives the old lady another 10$!! I'm pretty sure the cashier must have felt like an idiot a few minutes later upon realizing the stupidity of his action. GM Daniel Cámpora must have felt something very similar when, back in 1992, at Ponferrada, he resigned the following position: Here GM Ubilava Played ...Nb1 with the idea of ...a3, and Campora... resigned! Think about the position and answer whether you would have resigned too! Only then slide your mouse over the black line. What about you, have you ever been ripped off at the board?

Timoshenko's has won the Sydney International Open and I figured that I might as well publish one of his games on my blog. It's kind of funny, but I actually have had a lot of trouble finding the typical "spectacular" victory of his in this event! I'm not saying that his games were not interesting, but they were not very eye catching (don't we all wish we could play so efficently too?). Anyway, I finally came accross the game that he played on round one against a player who was rated nearly 600 points below him. The game is OK, but something odd happens on move 34. Why did Georgy play 34.Re8+? when he could have played 34.Qf8# instead? surely it was not a blunder, but then, what was it, a little joke on his opponent, toying with his corpse? [Event "Sydney International Open"] [Date "April 2007"] [Round "1"] [White "Timoshenko, Georgy, Elo 2566"] [black "Forster, William, Elo 1983"] [Result "1-0"] [pgn] 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Be2 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Bg7 9.O-O O-O 10.Bg5 Be6 11.Qd2 Qa5 12.Rac1 Rfc8 13.b3 a6 14.f4 b5 15.f5 gxf5 16.exf5 Bd7 17.Bd3 bxc4 18.bxc4 Bc6 19.Kh1 Rab8 20.Rfe1 Rc7 21.Re2 Kf8 22.Bh6 d5 23.Bxg7+ Kxg7 24.Qg5+ Kf8 25.Qh6+ Kg8 26.Rxe7 Rxe7 27.Qg5+ Kf8 28.Qxf6 Reb7 29.Re1 Kg8 30.Qg5+ Kh8 31.f6 Rg8 32.Qh6 Rg6 33.Bxg6 fxg6 34.Re8+ Bxe8 35.Qf8+ [/pgn]

Cathy Rogers, publicity officer for the Sydney International Open, wrote on Friday: "The biggest disappointment of the tournament has been the dismal showing of top seed, Russian Grandmaster Sergei Shipov, formerly ranked among the best 25 in the world. His world ranking will suffer enormously from this result." She actually wrote this before learning about his dramatic loss in game 8 against Bernardino, from the Philipines, a player rated 2146 (around 450 points below the Russian GM!). But Shipov's run in this tournament is one to forget: a draw against Chow (elo 2220) on round 2, a loss agaisnt Chokshi (elo 2168) on round 4, another draw against Bennett, rated 2134 on round 5, and draw against local player Zvedeniouk (rated 2121) on round 6. After his game in round 8, he's on 4.5/8. Something must be affecting the Russian GM. One can only speculate, but my bet is that it has to do with this tournament's unusual playing schedule (most rounds start at 9:30 in the morning, whereas most tournaments in Europe are played in the afternoons). [pgn] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3 Bd6 6.Bd3 0-0 7.0-0 Nbd7 Javier: A rather passive variation. 7...dxc! is the main line of the Meran variation of the Semi-Slav defence. 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 Nf6 11.Bc2 b6 [11...h6 Javier: This is considered a better move for black.] 12.Bg5 Javier: Without having done anything special, white enjoys a small advantage. 12...Bb7 13.Qd3 g6 14.Rad1 Be7 15.Qe3 Qc7 16.Qe5 Qd8 17.Rfe1 Javier: Whites initial slight advantage is growing... 17...Re8 18.Qe3 Nh5 19.c5 Ng7 20.g4!? Javier: My first impression was: sure, this takes away the f5 square from blacks Knight, but is this weakening of the Kingside really necessary? However, I now believe that g4 is actually quite a good move. What happens over the next few moves, however, is very strange indeed. [20.Bxe7 Qxe7 21.Be4 Javier: With a slight advantage.(21.Qh6 f6) ] 20...h5? Javier: Looks very tempting, but this is actually a serious error. 21.Ne5?? Javier: Absolutely unbelieveable. Not only does white miss what looks like a forced win, he blunders a Bishop instead. [21.Bxe7 Qxe7 22.Qh6! Javier: And the threat of Knight g5 leads to a winning attack for white. Unlike other variations where black hasnt moved his h pawn, ...f6 is not available now as g6 would be on.] 21...f6?? Javier: 21...Bxg5 wins a piece for nothing. ADDED NOTE: theres probably some transcription error, Ive copied the game from SIOs site, but this is just too hard to believe, white must have played h4 at some point. 22.Bxf6 Bxf6 23.Qh6 [23.Bxg6 Javier: This was interesting also.] 23...Bxe5 24.dxe5 Qh4 25.Bxg6? [25.f3 Javier: With threats such as Rd7, or taking on g6. Blacks h Pawn remains pinned.] 25...Qxg4+ 26.Kf1?? [26.Kh1 Javier: And given whites threat of Qh7 and Qh8, black must force perpetual with ...Qf3 and ...Qg4.] 26...Ba6+ 27.Rd3 Bxd3+ 28.Bxd3 Nf5 Javier: Blocking the white Bishop. Whites attack vanishes now. 29.Bxf5 exf5 30.e6 Qc4+ 31.Kg1 Re7 Javier: And white resigned. [/pgn]

[Event "Sydney International Open"] [Round "6.5"] [White "Bjelobrk, Igor, 2386"] [black "Matamoros Franco, Carlos 2523"] This position happened on board 5, round 6 of the Sydney International Open. Both players were probably in time trouble. White has just played 37. Rf1. Think about it. Take your time. What would you play now as black? When you think you're ready, put your mouse pointer over the black line and simply slide it.

Australia's number 1 player, GM Ian Rogers, is currently leading the Sydney International Open with 5/5. If you're wondering how Ian can still play at the top after nearly 3 decades of success, I have but one answer: let the games speak by themselves! [Event "Sydney International Open"] [Date "Apil 10th, 2007"] [Round "4"] [White "Rogers, Ian, ACF 2621"] [black "Lane, Gary W, ACF 2452"] [Result "1-0"] [pgn] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Be6 10.d4 Bxb3 11.Qxb3 d5 12.exd5 Na5 13.Qd1 exd4 14.Nxd4 Nxd5 15.b4 c5 16.Nf5 Nc6 17.a4 Bf6 18.axb5 Nxc3 19.Qxd8 Nxd8 20.Rxa6 Rxa6 21.bxa6 cxb4 22.Nxc3 Bxc3 23.a7 Ne6 24.Rd1 b3 25.Rd7 b2 26.Bxb2 Bxb2 27.Ne7+ Kh8 28.Nc6 Rc8 29.Rb7 [/pgn]