27 Apr 2012: walking the plank

I came strutting in to CHESS CLUB wearing the Incumbent Champion's Medal and slunk away without it, the Chess Pirate having won two of the three games. The Chess Visionary wasn't able to join us today, but she'll have the opportunity to square off against the Pirate next week (I'll be away).

Game 1: Chess Pirate - Gabridoodle, 1-0
Time control: Fischer; 5 minutes plus 30 seconds per move 

This was a long one by our standards, a 60 move slugfest.  The Pirate eventually got the upper hand, resurrecting her queen.  A fraction of a second after mating me, she exclaimed, "Give me the medal !"

Game 2: Gabridoodle - Chess Pirate, 0-1
Time control: Fischer; 5 minutes plus 30 seconds per move

This came to a shocking conclusion after only 14 moves (computer recreation of the end at left).  Game 1 was an honorable loss.  This one just made me angry, inspiring a better performance in game 3.

Game 3: Chess Pirate - Gabridoodle, 0-1
Time control: Fischer; 5 minutes plus 30 seconds per move

Another slugfest: 66 moves this time.  I managed to channel my rage from game 2 into this one.  The Chess Pirate fell victim to a nasty rook surprise.  Thanks to that and a bold queen sacrifice, I was in command for much of the game.  This game also introduced the Pirate to the term "discovered check."

First game with the Chess Missus !

Gabridoodle - Chess Missus, 1-0

Well, I finally got the Chess Missus to play a game. With her permission, I'll report that I won easily. However, it must be added that she's only played a little and it was a long time ago. She did make some good, logical moves, so in the future I may pay. In fact the future may be here very shortly: she's about to make me play Quiddler over cheese and homemade bread.

The illustration at left is the game's end state.

Face of a champion

As you can see here, the official Salem CHESS CLUB Incumbent Champion's Medal arrived in today's mail !

20 Apr 2012: time controls !

Spring was definitely in the air at CHESS CLUB today !

There were two (non-theoretical) novelties:

* The Chess Visionary was good enough to supply us with piratical t-shirts.

* Thanks to a netbook passed along by the Chess Missus, we now have time controls !

To answer the Chess Visionary's doubts about whether I made up the expressions "a knight on the rim is dim" and "a knight on the rim is grim," a Google search brings up more than 2,300,000 hits. Not even I could type up that many pages in several hours !

Game 1: Chess Pirate - Gabridoodle, 0-1
Time control: Fischer; 15 minutes plus 30 seconds/move.

In this one, the Chess Pirate played like I did on Winter Island a couple weeks ago. I ripped her to pieces, delivering checkmate in hardly two dozen moves. Her exclamation of the day: "If you aren't going to play like a pirate, then go home !"

Game 2: Chess Visionary - Gabridoodle, 0-1
Time control: Fischer; 15 minutes plus 30 seconds/move.

The Chess Visionary's play improved noticeably, nevertheless she was dispatched in 39 moves, proving for the second time this day that "black is okay." After her collapse began, she pretty much gave up; a bad habit will need to be remedied: at CHESS CLUB, we fight to the finish !

Game 3: Chess Pirate - Gabridoodle, 1-0
Time control: Fischer; 0 minutes plus 30 seconds/move.

This game was so ultra-brisk that it wasn't even recorded ! I put up a good fight, but the Chess Pirate's mad genius impulsiveness payed off. Ironically, she got me in the sort of pawns-only endgame that I've recently been cutting Fritz in.

13 Apr 2012: two wins for Iron Ass

This fine Friday the Thirteenth, the Chess Pirate and I welcomed the Chess Visionary to the clubhouse.

There were three orders of business:

1. We made sure the Chess Visionary understood the Three Rules.
2. We established that there was no one who needed to be cut as a result of violating Rule Three.
3. I was tasked with selecting several candidate CHESS CLUB trophies for the Chess Pirate's review.

And so, on to the games... Despite having a lingering case of woodchuck fever, I was on a roll, and wound up winning both games.

Game 1: Gabridoodle - Chess Pirate, 1-0

Proving that a leopard really can't change its spots, the Pirate began the game with her usual crazed, slashing attack (this is why no one messes with CHESS CLUB). I proceeded with my usual, methodical accumulation of small advantages. Much to the Pirate's surprise, I voluntarily exchanged queens (though I was canny enough to make an "in-between move" and leave the exchange initiation to her). As time went on (the game lasted nearly two hours), the Pirate wilted and I began to earn my new nickname "Iron Ass."

Game 2: Chess Visionary - Gabridoodle, 0-1

Puffed up from victory over the Pirate, I launched right into my first game with the Chess Visionary. Being out of practice, she made a mix of good and bad moves. As usual, I was methodical and once her collapse began, it was rapid. However, we have high hopes that she will improve, provided that she can match Iron Ass in staying power.

6 Apr 2012: another illegal move by the Pirate

At the beginning of the Friday CHESS CLUB game, the Chess Pirate boldly exclaimed, "Fritz is nothing to me !" Despite still being in the throes of woodchuck fever, I played well and checkmated the Pirate. At the end of the game she announced, "Fritz did not beat me !"

But once again, subsequent computer analysis revealed that the Pirate made an illegal move ! Curiously, it didn't involve castling this time. Instead, she had her queen (at d3 in the diagram at left) capture the pawn at a7 !

The only club business transacted was an agreement that anyone who messes with CHESS CLUB will be cut.