by scribe | May 5, 2021 | Chess Lecture, games, off-topic, positions, ruminations
It’s still inspiring to look back at my diary for 2003. So many great things were happening that year. My first book, The Big Splat, or How Our Moon Came to Be, was published in April, and like any first-time author I was alternating between the heights of...
by scribe | Jul 18, 2016 | Uncategorized
One of the most impressive things about Bobby Fischer’s 60 Memorable Games was his inclusion of two losses, which is not normally done in a “greatest games” collection. But he called his book memorable games for a reason. I think he was not...
by scribe | Jun 11, 2016 | Chess Lecture, current news, games, people, positions
Recently it seems a lot of people are passing away in chess… not only big names like Viktor Korchnoi, but also medium-sized names like Frank Berry, who died this week at age 70. I didn’t know Frank Berry really well, but he and his brother Jim were always...
by scribe | Feb 1, 2016 | games, positions, tournaments
I’ve got a new tactical trick for you! Of course, there is nothing new under the sun in chess, but this is a sneaky trick involving two rooks that I don’t think has ever been given a name before. (I hope someone will correct me if I’m...
by scribe | Aug 1, 2014 | current news, people, positions, tournaments
A few years ago, Santa Cruz seemed to have more good players hiding in the woodwork than any other city its size. But this week, one of them has come out of hiding in a big way! I refer to James Tarjan, a grandmaster and frequent contender for the U.S. championship...
