by scribe | Jun 28, 2011 | Chess Lecture, people, US Chess League
Last weekend I had an opportunity to attend a class for masters (and a few experts) that was led by grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian. Akobian was teaching kids at the Berkeley Chess School last week, and my friend Robin Cunningham, who also works at the Berkeley Chess...
by scribe | Mar 24, 2011 | literature, people, tournaments
As long-time fans of the Peanuts comic strip know, Charlie Brown’s favorite baseball player is one Joe Shlabotnik, whose claim to fame is that he gets sent down to the minor leagues and bats .143 (which is really bad). He epitomizes the same sort of lovable...
by scribe | Jan 11, 2011 | current news, off-topic, tournaments, US Chess League
Here’s my joke for the day. Q: What did Gilligan say when the other castaways fought over places on the raft? A: “Why can’t we all just get a log?” Somehow I think this is relevant to the current world of politics — i.e., if we...
by scribe | Jun 2, 2010 | current news, people, tournaments
The Chicago Open (which I wrote about in my last four blog entries) was not the only chess event that happened on Memorial Day weekend. In Stillwater, Oklahoma, there was big news in the chess grouposphere (a separate, parallel universe to the blogosphere), because...
by scribe | May 31, 2010 | Chess Lecture, current news, tournaments
At most big Swiss system tournaments the last couple rounds are filled with draws on the top boards. But not the 2010 Chicago Open! In the penultimate round, Loek van Wely and Sam Shankland scored impressive victories and went into the last game tied at 6½ points out...
