It is with great pleasure that I am announcing a huge upgrade to this blog. For the last dozen years, chessmusings.wordpress.com has allowed me to share my great passions for writing about and teaching chess with a global audience. I’ve covered the local Northern California scholastic chess scene with the same excitement as the many World Championship Matches I wrote about. I’ve met and interviewed a ridiculous number of chess celebrities and enjoyed sharing all these experiences with my readers. But the time has come for chessmusings to level-up to a premium site. From now on, all new content will be posted at https://dailychessmusings.com I look forward to continuing to serve the chess community and my loyal readers.
1. e4 {At the age of 13, Paul was already a much stronger player than his father Alonzo. So, to keep things interesting, Paul played this game with only one rook.}
Position after 1. e4
1… e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 {A young Paul Morphy was a fan of the Italian Game.}
Position after 3. Bc4
3… Nf6
4. Ng5 d5
5. exd5 Nxd5
6. Nxf7 {The famous Fried Liver Attack!}
Position after 6. Nxf7
6… Kxf7
7. Qf3+ {Paul Morphy develops his queen by simultaneously
attacking the exposed king on f7 and the pinned knight on d5.}
7… Ke6
8. Nc3 {Again, developing with threats against the pinned knight.}
8… Nd4!? {What is normally considered a mistake, instead raises eyebrows when played at rook’s odds.}
Position after 8… Nd4
9. Bxd5+ Kd6
10. Qf7 {Threatening Ne4#!}
Position after 10. Qf7
10… Be6 {Alonzo Morphy makes a crucial mistake. Better was:} (10. .. Qe7 11. Ne4+ Kd7 12. Nc5+ Kd8 {and Paul Morphy is forced to start trading pieces.})
11. Bxe6 {Sometimes the only reasonable response to the fork is to eat off of it.}
11… Nxe6
12. Ne4+ Kd5
13. c4+ {Throwing the kitchen sink at black’s king is preferable to agreeing to a draw by repetition (Nc3+ kd6 Ne4+.)}
Position after 13. c4+
13… Kxe4
14. Qxe6 Qd4?? {The move that seals the deal. What looks to be a strong move for the queen in actuality steals the king’s escape route. If only Alonzo had played Kd3 instead. But then we never would enjoyed this game’s spectacular finish.}
Position after 14… Qd4
15. Qg4+ Kd3
16. Qe2+ {Attacking the king and his escape route on c4.}
16… Kc2
17. d3+ {A cute little discovered check keeps black’s king on the run.}
Position after 17. d3+
17… Kxc1 {Of course with perfect play, black could have survived longer. However, the opportunity to be checkmated by O-O doesn’t occur very often.} (17. .. Kb1 18. O-O Bc5 19. Be3+ Kxa2 20. Bxd4 Bxd4 21. Qc2 b5 22. b4+ Ka3 23. Rb1 bxc4 24. dxc4 Bb2 25. Qxb2+ Ka4 26. Ra1#)
José Raúl Capablanca‘s chess delivered and still creates an irresistable masterful impact. In his games an inclination towards straightforwardness prevailed, and in his seemingly effortlessness brilliance there was a one of a kind delight of veritable simplicity. Indeed, his style, one of the most perfect, most completely clear in the whole history of chess, still dumbfounds chess engines with his rationale. Perhaps the greatest natural talent in chess history, I find Capablanca’s recorded games, even a century later, nearly sufficient for building a modern curriculum on chess.
Regardless of your efforts, stress and losses are an inescapable part of life and chess. Because of this, chess helps us effectively train to deal with the challenges we face in life. However, sometimes all that can be done is to seek to learn from mistakes and try to find meaning in disappointing experiences. For the most painful experiences, try to learn about personal limitations/capabilities as well as gain compassion for others who are suffering in similar or more extreme situations. You are not alone in your experience and unlike chess, overthinking your position will cause more harm than good.
Where: Learning Bee Learning Center, 39977 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA 94539
When: 10/19, 11/16, & 12/21 R1 @ 1:00 pm
What: Scholastic (K-12) 3 Round Quad – G/30 d5
Cost: $30/quad or all 3 for $75.00 A $10 late fee will be added if you register after 5pm the day before the quad
USCF Rated QUAD Format: All players must be USCF members. All players must understand USCF tournament rules. USCF Membership fee is $17, per year. QUAD Format – The players in each quad play a round robin, one game against each of the players in their section, for a total of three games each. Quads are created by rating, grade and experience. All quads will be Game in 30 min +5 second delay (each player). Sets and boards provided. Clocks will be provided, but players are encouraged to bring their own. Trophies are awarded to top player in each quad. All other players will receive a prize for participating and free game analysis.
*Round Times: R 1 @ 1:00pm R 2 @ 2:00pm R 3 @ 3:00pm Trophies awarded at the conclusion of each quad.
Sign up for any 1 week camp for ONLY $200 and your child will also receive:
** A 1 year gold membership to ChessKid.com (a $50 value)
** A copy of Learn Chess the Right Way by Susan Polgar (a $20 value)
** And two online private lessons with Chris Torres (an $80 value) at no extra charge. That’s an additional $150 worth of educational chess products for no extra charge!
Each weekly chess camp is custom designed to give your child:
* The Valuable tools and skills needed to excel as a chess player.
* An extraordinary chess camp experience with a top-tier chess instructor.
* The confidence and motivation necessary to surpass their chess goals and fast track improvement.
In addition, as part of the camp experience, every child will receive a complimentary copy of Susan Polgar’s book “Learning Chess the Right Way” (a $20 value) as well as a gold membership to ChessKid.com (valued at $50.) In addition, we will also offer two free online lessons (valued at $40/hour) to every registered camp attendee in order to follow up with each child individually and ensure that they are still on track for rapid chess improvement.
For nearly a quarter century, Chris Torres has been teaming up with the biggest names in chess and education to bring top-tier chess instruction to the Bay Area at an incredible value. His meticulous approach has paved the way for the success of his students regardless of their entry skill level. A true leader in California chess, Chris Torres creates unique a curriculum perfectly suited for each and every class he teaches.
Please contact Chris Torres at chesslessons@aol.com if you have any questions. Checks should be made payable to the TCAMA 16691 Colonial Trail, Lathrop, CA, 95330, OR visit http://www.fremontchess.com/ to register online.
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