Tense standoff at Derby Joe ends peacefully

While the promised tournament didn't materialize, chess was still played at Salem's inimitable Derby Joe café.  CHESS CLUB would like to congratulate the proprietor on the birth of his brand spanking new daughter.

It must be confessed that in the Chess Pirate's absence, the players took the opportunity to play without clocks !

Meanwhile, a very energetic puppy gave the Gabridoodle's panther-smelling pants a thorough sniffing.

In a long, scholarly, positional game between the Gabridoodle and the Boa Constrictor, a tense endgame ended peacefully in a draw-by-insufficient-material.

St. Valentine's Day massacre

Perhaps due to recent snow events, there was only a small crowd at Boston's South Station for this month's simultaneous exhibition given by grandmaster and three-time US champion Larry Christiansen.  The result, of course, was very brisk play.  A dead-ender like the Gabridoodle was able to get five games in.  Christiansen started doing his trademark leg pump fairly early, and indeed, he was out to destroy us all, Valentine's Day or no Valentine's Day.  At one point, the Gabridoodle joked to a neighbor, "There's a 20 move quota today."

Game 1

A 20 move miniature with the Gabridoodle resigning when mate became unstoppable.

Game 2

Another quickie -- this time a mere 19 moves.  The Gabridoodle resigned before Christiansen's material lead became even more yawning.

Game 3

This game was actually somewhat reasonable.  The Gabridoodle made Christiansen work for it, even winning The Exchange at one point.  It ended with Christiansen inflicting a pretty mate at move 30.  Ever the gentlemanly grandmaster, Christiansen did allow, "You had a good game going."

Game 4

With Christiansen sporting a two-piece advantage after 24 moves, the Gabridoodle decided to visit Resignsville and move on to another game.

Game 5

This one began with the Gabridoodle conceding, "You refuted the French, so we'll do the Sicilian."  As in game 3, the Gabridoodle kept Christiansen on his toes and the game even reached an honest-to-goodness endgame.  The Grandmaster's two-pawn edge was sure to grind out the victory (and the king at g4 obviously meant business), so the Gabridoodle resigned with a touch of bravado: "Luckily for you, I have a train to catch."