Must be some kind of chess mania, or something...

[alexpgp]

Galina went to sleep early, at around 7:45, so she missed the endless news reports and the official announcement about the start of the disarmament process in Iraq. I hied myself downstairs to my office and went online with U.S. Chess. After observing a couple of games, I accepted a challenge to play a 300+12 game (which means that each side starts with 5 minutes, and 12 seconds are added to the clock after each move... which basically means you can't dawdle over your moves).

It turned out to be a pretty game:

[Date "2003.03.19"]
[Time "23:15:13"]
[White "AlexPGP"]
[Black "PAOLO721"]
[Result "1-0"]

{ After a wild opening, we arrived at the following position, with White a pawn down but far ahead in development.


I looked hard at 14. Bxh6 in this position, which is a perfectly good move, but wanted keep the Black f pawn immobile, so that the queen could not come to the defense of g7. So I played... }
14. Rf6!
{ Sticks the rook right under the pawn's sword and dares Black to take, which - as it turns out - leads to some wild complications that (I think) lead to a White victory. Black, however, didn't bite. }
14...Qd5?
{ 14...Qe7!? 15. Rdf1! }
15. Bxh6!!
{ There is a kind of aesthetic appeal in placing a second piece in jeopardy. Here, 15...Ne7 was required, after which 16.Qg3 Ng6 17.Bxg6 fxg6 18.Rxg6 was likely, with an eventual win for White. Instead, Black plays... }
15...Qxa2??
{
White now can mate in 5 moves, though when I'm attacking like this in a timed game, I don't calculate such things out to the end. After all, you don't get anything "extra" if you win a game by announcing a mate in so many moves. In any event, I didn't see the mate that starts with 16.Bxg7 (and allows Black to delay the inevitable with two annoying checks, 16...Qa1+ and 17...Qxd1+). However, I did see a move that I was pretty sure led to mate - and which both prevented the spite checks from the Queen and placed yet a third piece under the gun! The sequence starts with... }
16. Bh7+! Kh8 17. Bxg7+ Kxg7 18. Qh6+ Kh8 19. Bg6+ Kg8 20. Qh7#
{ Black is checkmated. } 1-0

It's too early to tell whether this "mania" for chess is a small bubble or something more serious. Historically, I've had periods during which I actively pursued the game, followed by long intervals during which I did nothing at all.

We'll see.

Cheers...

Comments

[brenk.livejournal.com]

Please don't take this as a jibe or a personal attack, but I was interested to see you call 'the disarmament process'... what the rest of the world seems to be calling 'war'.

I do know that the justification used by the US (or some of it) is to 'disarm Iraq and protect the people against a dangerous dictator'. I don't disagree with the principle, don't get me wrong - just the way it's being done.

I know we don't agree on that: fair enough. But... 'disarming them'? If somebody tried to 'disarm' the US by firing missiles at it, I have the feeling you'd call it something else. 'Disarming' sounds like a rather odd euphemism to me, that's all.

Sorry. Didn't sleep much last night and I probably sound very cranky. Maybe because I am.

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

No problem. I probably should have put "the disarmament process" in quotes. It was the wording (give or take a word or two) used by Ari Fleischer when he announced, around 7:45 our time, that the President was going to make an announcement at 8:15, and it, too, struck me as an odd - yet in a way, appropriate (and I'll leave it at that) - euphemism.

And throughout our brief exchanges, please know that none of my comments have been intended as jibes or personal attacks, either, okay?

Cheers...

[brenk.livejournal.com]

:)

I enjoy debate and other points of view, y'know. Respect people's convictions too. So no problems and we can happily continue discussion any time you like.

If we dare have a giggle about it, just received a txt message from my daughter on my mobile phone. It says (verbatime) 'Mum we manifestated about the war with all the schools this morning so will be late as now have to do physics'. A 'demonstration' in French is a 'manifestation', but I rather like the idea of 'manifestating'. I can only presume that 'physics' is... 'physics'. If so, she'll come home and tell me about her 'experiences' or 'experimentations'. Gotta love bilingual kids :)