Profile
Welcome to Dana Mackenzie’s chess blog! I am a national master, two-time former champion of North Carolina, and a regular lecturer at www.chesslecture.com. Don’t let all of that stuff impress you, though. Deep down inside, I’m just an ordinary player. I don’t play chess for money or glory, just for the love of the game.
In “real life,” I’m a freelance science writer. I’ve written one book (The Big Splat, or How Our Moon Came to Be) and co-written two others. Because this is a chess blog I won’t say any more about them here, but please visit my website at www.danamackenzie.com if you want to learn more. I may write a chess book someday, too. This blog is actually a small step towards that goal.
Other irrelevant information: I’m still less than half a century old, but just barely. I’m left-handed. I don’t wear the glasses you see in the photo any more. (I started needing bifocals. Sigh.) I play the King’s Gambit as White. I also discovered a cool variation in the Grand Prix Sicilian where White sacrifices his queen on move six (!!), and I wrote an article about it in Chess Life, which a lot of you may have read. My tournament record with it is now 2-0, including a victory over IM David Pruess that was featured in the Chess Life article.
Okay, I think that’s more than enough about me. Now, sit back and enjoy the blog!
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I play the King’s Gambit as White.
I also discovered a cool variation in the Grand Prix Sicilian where White sacrifices his queen on move six (!!).
Very nice !
Where can i find your article in Chess Life ?
I know yet:
http://www.danamackenzie.com/game1.htm
I’ve written three articles for Chess LIfe, which were all more or less based on ChessLectures (but offer some additional material). You can find them online at www.uschess.org, by clicking on “Chess Life Magazine” and looking them up in the archive. But there’s a catch… you need a subscription to actually see them.
In case you do have a subscription (or can find a hard copy) here’s where they appeared:
“Sac Your Queen on Move Six! (A New Anti-Computer Variation)”
Chess Life, March 2007, p. 30
“The Hook & Ladder Trick”
Chess LIfe, July 2007, p. 44
“Don’t Just Reassess Your Chess — IMPLODe It!”
Chess Life, May 2008, p. 37
I saw your “zwischenzug” video.
very impresive, very good, ˛I`ve learned more than in any chess book, everybody (who play chess) should see. Thank you very much, Roman Barle, Slovenia
Some old NC Gambits are now up on the web including 2 years where you’re mentioned.
To stroll down memory lane some more: http://www.nc-chess.org/gambit/Archives/GambitArchives.htm
Dana,
Please let the OCC know we are interested.
John
For the Gogol ref. check “Dead Souls” - Pavel Chichikov travels round rural Russia in his coach (carriage - KARETA). The clue is that Shipov writes ’speedy YEZDA’ (not play, but riding along).
See the long passage near the end of the book of a carriage flying along at speed being an image of Russia - a famous passage, but hard to translate!
Regards BC
Hello again!
KALACH meaning a white loaf made of fine wholemeal flour is in the larger dictionaries, though marked there as old-fashioned. Note the spelling with CH though it could well be pronounced SH.
I would suggest ‘delicatessen stall’ as a close equivalent.
I feel Le should be described as a ‘newcomer’ i.e. to top-class GM events, as you state. BC
Very nice blog. By they way, you´re not actor Anthony Heald in other life, are you? =P
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn47/norrinradd_2008/anthonyheald.gif