Fihankra Chess Collective
Thursday, February 19, 2004
In building a chess community, information is important, places to gather are important, and the ability to visualize is also important. Having recently visited Chessphotos.com and the work of Frank Johnson, I am reminded how important it is to document the work that we do. To be able to compete and produce great ideas at the board is a powerful thing. If, however, we do this exclusively at coffeehouses, "kill time", as is naively said, and never bother to learn how to write one out of 10 down for posterity, in this Age of Information, it is as if it never existed. So many can learn from expertise, and great players bubble under in obscurity. Talent, in this instance in Atlanta, GA, is so frequently presented, but so underdocumented.
I see a need to take our dedication and bring it to a focused point. We give so much of our time over to this game and we do not archive our work. Thanks go to Frank Johnson of going to the "proving ground" again and again to document what is going on in our collective chess community. Go to the site and support his work. Buy the photos, put them up in your clubs. Treat this time as it should be treated, and use the tools we have as often as you can, in as many ways as you can.
And for those who have not yet seen Frank's skill, please get your hands on his articles from Georgia Chess. This game is from the Feb/Mar 2002 issue, and our photojournalist wrote a series of articles called "My Sicilian Love", Johnson-Reimaa (3), from an Action Tournament at Atlanta Chess and Game Center, 04.12.2001, G/30:
[Event "Tuesday Night Atlanta Open G/30"]
[Site "Atlanta Chess and Game Center"]
[Date "2001.04.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Frank Johnson"]
[Black "Sven Reimaa"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1971"]
[BlackElo "2299"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. Be3 Nc6
8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Be6 11. f3 Qa5 12. g4 Rfc8 13. a3 Rab8
14. h4 b5 15. Nxb5 Rxb5 16. Bxb5 Qxb5 17. h5 Qc4 18. hxg6 fxg6 19. Rh2 Qa2
20. Qb4 Bb3 21. Bc3 Be6 22. Qb7 Nxe4 23. fxe4 Rxc3 24. bxc3 Qa1+ 25. Qb1
Qxc3 26. Qb8+ Kf7 27. Rf1+ Bf5 28. Qb3+ Qxb3 29. cxb3 Be5 30. Rg2 e6 31.
exf5 exf5 32. gxf5 gxf5 33. Rxf5+ Ke6 34. Rxe5+ dxe5 35. Kd2 Kd5 36. Ke3 a6
37. Rd2+ Kc6 38. Ke4 a5 39. Rc2+ Kb5 40. Kxe5 a4 41. bxa4+ Kxa4 42. Rh2
{
Black resigns here.
}
1-0
(text entered by mjfarris)
His commentary is priceless. Please go and check it out. "Removing the fangs is important." --Sage words from an expert. Watch for him.
Coming up: Chess in the schools of Atlanta.
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Final note for my young variant fans: look at www.gothicchess.org and see how Bruce Pandolfini is impressed with the possibilities of the expanded board and the combinative properties of the game.
We want to give the spiciness present in the world of the game, not just one a la carte dish, falsely presented as the whole meal. Every diet, including a chess diet, needs to bring foods from all food groups. Balance in every thing.
I hope you of the Chess Collective received and were energized by the ideas in the essay I shared with you today via e-mail. The tendency of chess groups to be intellectually stingy is not helpful to the individuals or the group. Share your knowledge with others. It is seed waiting to be fertilized and nurtured into new fruits.
Another group is talking about this as well:
"Why create chess communities?" at www.playchess.de and the blog there.
Do you think it is possible? It is happening now.
One man against 6 machines. Do you need ESPN to tell you what is exciting or groundbreaking?
Ask the Grandmaster at www.chessfriend.com what a tough match is…
with Correspondence Chess MAN VERSUS MACHINES!
mjf on 16 February 2004. Producing information for the chess-playing public.
Fihankra Chess Collective will know about it.
"How would it be if we would try to demonstrate in a match wherein could lie the small but delicate difference between man and machine in correspondence chess?" proposes Arno Nickel and he points at the new CC server Chessfriend.com (CFC), which offers to present the experiment publicly and live in an appealing form, as if been created especially for this purpose.
--from a translation by Wim van Wugt, of the Netherlands, from:
Computerschach & Spiele (CSS) Vol. 4, Aug.-Sept. 2003 (page 12-14)
On October 1 2003, there began an interesting match: GM Arno Nickel of Germany (ICCF rating 2585) is competing against 6 of the 10 best chess-playing programs in the world. Followed by ChessFriend.com and ComputerSchach un Spiele magazine, he is competing against The Six: Chess Tiger 15, Fritz 8, Hiarcs 9, Junior 8, and Shredder 7.04—but he is not told which opponent is which. He only knows that he controls white against Venus, Jupiter, and Neptune, and he controls black against Mars, Saturn, and Pluto, the collective aliases of these powerful programs. Information on the engines and their hardware are available on the site, for those who might want to see how their machines hold up against the Six.
As of the writing of this article he is facing
the Nimzo-Indian, Kasparov Variation [E20] against Venus,
the Sicilian Defense [B92] against Mars,
the Nimzo-Indian, Kasparov Variation [E32] against Jupiter,
The Sicilian with c2-c3,
by different move order from the Modern Defense [B02] against Saturn,
the Nimzo-Indian, Reshevsky Variation [E46] against Neptune,
The Caro-Kann Defense, Tartakower Variation [B15] against Pluto.
He is annotating the games “live” with a annotation delay of 3 moves
Tune in and see how he thinks, how he puts his ideas together, what he thinks of his opponents’ moves.
You may “play through” the games at the site.
How does this apply to you?
The process gives you insight into a game as it is proceeding in real time. You may watch a grandmaster who has the freedom to comment on his options and opportunities as the game progresses and thickens. If the vectors of the game are similar to some of yours, play through and see where you and GM Nickel diverge, and figure out why you may play your choices, and why he plays his. Then go and PLAY THE GAME!
The match "Grandmaster vs. Computer" will be organized by the magazine Computerschach & Spiele (CSS), represented by Dieter Steinwender and the Server Chessfriend.com, CFC, represented by Reimund Lutzenberger.
Friday, February 13, 2004
Has anyone ever explained to you how to read the information below? Email me at nasmichael@hotmail.com if you have questions--more soon.
Atlanta February Scholastic (ACC -- Decatur)
Date : 15 February 2004
Category : Scholastic Tournaments
Event description
February 15 2004 ATLANTA FEBRUARY SCHOLASTIC
4-SS, G/30. In 4 sections: High School: open to 9-12. Middle School: open to K-8. Elementary: open to K-6. Primary: open to K-3. All, EF: $13. Trophies to top 4 each section (based on 10 each section, more per entries). Reg.: 12:15-1pm. Rounds: 1st at 1:30, rest as soon as possible. Awards given out right after last round. Enter: Atlanta Chess Center, 3155A East Ponce de Leon Avenue, Scottdale, Georgia 30079. (404)-377-4400. NS. NC.
Get ready for the Atlanta G/45 Championship coming up tomorrow at the Atlanta Chess and Games Center. Info at www.georgiachess.org
Coming up: Game of the week-- Nsubuga v Nolan, World Open 2001 and "Chess and Philanthropy"
2004 Atlanta February G/45 Championship
Date : 14 February 2004
Category : Open Tournaments
Event description
February 14 2004 ATLANTA FEBRUARY G/45 CHAMPIONSHIP
4-SS, G/45. Open: EF: $22. $500 b/34. $150-90-60, U1900, U1700, U1500, U1300 each $50. U1100: EF: $13. Trophies to top 5 (not part of base on). Reg.: ends 10:30am. Rounds: 11-1-3-5. Info: David Spinks (404)-377-4400. Enter: Atlanta Chess Center, 3155A East Ponce de Leon Avenue, Scottdale, Georgia 30079. NS. Nc.
Saturday, February 07, 2004
alt="EZ Search by Chessgames.com" width=120 height=186>
USE IT!
"While most Howard students basked in the pleasures of the holiday season, the Howard University Chess Club embarked on what would be their third club tournament in as many months this past December. However, the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Tournament was like no competition ever attended by the young club." So writes Zachary Kenworthy in The Hilltop newspaper for Howard University. Please go read this enlightening and encouraging article on this burgeoning team, which also has a high percentage of women on the team.
Thursday, February 05, 2004
"A man's life is what his thoughts make of it." --Marcus Aurelius
I was reading a book today--good mental food about business sense, discipline, and integrity called Being Happy by Andrew Matthews (don't let the title fool you)--and was reminded about the words of Dr. Daaim Shabazz in this month's issue of the Drum; his focus is this year turning to the dual role of teaching at the site as well as journalism. His "65th Square" is excellent and thought-provoking; the section on Drum Majors of Chess lets the public know how many chess players in the diaspora are active on the world scene. Go go the library--the Drum Majors of Chess Games Library, that is--and check out the ideas presented.
Go also to www.chessgames.com and look at the games I consider my favorites and "Kibitz" with me--dialogue at the free site, and let iron sharpen iron. Let us sharpen each other.
Also, contribute some of your gifts to the sites that please you. Money, talent, time, --all support and extend the energy that is focused here.
Players: dialog about the games we play and love at www.chessgames.com. Look to my favorite games and let us build there as an example. Support that...and then PLAY THE GAME!
For those who saw PBS tonight, I want to say well-done. Maurice Ashley did a powerful job in presenting the EXCITEMENT of the game as a doorway to academic prowess and development of the mind as a tool to build up one's own truth. The wall of acceptance letters to colleges of all the children who participated in Ashley's program in the HEAF (Harlem Educational Activities Fund, Inc.) Chess activists in Atlanta are doing similar things, and we must remember to speak of them aloud and market them to each other just as if we are profiting directly from them. We do.
If you missed it, the episode on Wednesday February 4th on PBS was called "East Coast: Ebony Towers" and it also shared stories from Colin Powell, Russell Simmons, Vernon Jordan, Franklin Raines and the first African-American chess grandmaster in history, Maurice Ashley.
If you missed it, you missed it. Buy the DVD.
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
For similar games as the Bezaleel-Vest(3) game
go to this link at the ChessGames.com Explorer to see some of the other ideas put forth in recent chess history. By move 9, Vest takes them out of well-traveled territory as set forth by the ChessGames.com database. Of 262, 014 games, 755 are concerned with Bird's Opening and only 2 are similar up to move 9.d3 --travel to Leningrad 1938 or move forward 20 years to Yugoslavia 1958 and you have the closest parallels. Two others at Chessbase --Tartakower-Pirc 1951 in Birmingham, England and Beltz-Medic 1999 in Nove Gorica Women's Euro Championship are also worth checking out. Territory not explored has a richness and adds to the arsenal. Also check out Dr. Ned Munger's journey, speaking of history, at The Chess Drum. "For those with ears, let him hear." Now PLAY THE GAME!
Speaking of a battle with different armies:
I looked at the Kings and Queens match played in 2003 in Yong Chuan, China, and was astounded by the play of the team Zhao/Short who took control of white versus Zhu Chen/Seirawan and ended up in a very interesting endgame of 2 knights and 2 bishops versus 2 rooks. Play it through yourself at Chessgames.com and be astounded at the boldness of this team. Vision is key, and to think that the team could not discuss the moves as they played showed how an alignment of styles and the possibility of team play in chess has yet to be explored this way in modern play, let alone scholastic play.
We spoke with one of our local favorites, and Master-Class player Negash Bezaleel and were once again thrilled by his calm demeanor and positive energy. It is no wonder this well-centered man does so well in competition. A game of his [Bezaleel-Vest (3), 19.07.2003] came up in discussion recently with some other players, and this writer feels it should be posted for the public to see once again. It was originally published in the September/October issue of Georgia Chess Magazine, in reference to the Peach State Open July 18-20 2003. In the game which I had the fortune to review with the Master Bezaleel the main push forward was done to cramp his opponent controlling the black pieces and force decisions upon him that put Mr. Vest in a bad position. The control of space on the board allowed Bezaleel to throw his men forward toward a king who, although competent himself, and seeking equal space, had some of his men jostling to get each other out of the way for an attack. David Vest, a very strong player in his own right, is featured on the cover of the latest issue (January/February 2004) of the magazine, and deservedly so; his win of the 2003 Georgia Open on November 21-23. His strong play is detailed by Scott Parker, and I encourage you to get the issue and play through some of his games. In a similar vein I eagerly look forward to the day when Master Bezaleel is also the cover story on the magazine, and also deservedly so.
[Event "Peach State Open 2003"]
[Site "Atlanta Chess and Game Center"]
[Date "2003.19.07"]
[Round "3"]
[White "N. Bezaleel (2079)"]
[Black "D. Vest (2148)"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. b3 d5 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. e3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8.
Ne5 Bd7 9. d3 d4 10. Nxd7 Qxd7 11. e4 Rad8 12. Nd2 e5 13. f5 Bh6 14. Bc1
Be3+ 15. Kh1 b5 16. Qe1 Kg7 17. Qg3 Bf4 18. Qh3 h6 19. Nf3 Bxc1 20. Raxc1
g5 21. Qg3 Qe7 22. Nxg5 hxg5 23. Qxg5+ Kh8 24. Qh6+ Nh7 25. f6
Black resigns here. 1-0!
FINAL POSITION:
EPD: 3r1r1k/p3qp1n/2n2P1Q/1pp1p3/3pP3/1P1P4/P1P1B1PP/2R2R1K b - - 0 25
Play through it at www.chessgames.com or download into your game viewer.
Monday, February 02, 2004
"Study is the Soul of Chess."
Welcome, chess fans, to February. There are a few tournaments to visit locally:
February 10th is East Point Library's SECOND TUESDAY Chess Night at 2757 Main Street, East Point, Georgia, 30344. Come and support us here, and tell others about the opportunity.
Contact Librarians David Thrash and Derek Wilson at (404)762-4842 and thank them for their efforts to share the game with the community.
Anxious to make the heart beat fast on Valentine's Day weekend? Atlanta Chess and Game Center, "The House of Pain", is holding the Winter G/45 Championships at 3155 East POnce de Leon Ave, one block from the Dekalb International Farmer's Market, and registration ends around 9:30. Come and test your skills!
Cajun Chess is sponsoring a 2- and 3-day tournament from February 20-22, 2004. the $10,000 Southeast Amateur Championship will be held in the Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown near the Georgia Tech campus. They make an effort always to host a strong and entertaining event, and it is well managed.
The Columbus Open will be on Feb 28th, and will be held at CV Chess and Games, 5870 Veterans Parkway M2, Columbus, Georgia 31909. Lamar Causey is the contact person at (706) 507-3461.
I spoke to a local radio host Terrence McKnight, a businessman of strong knowledge and insight, recently about the possibilities of chess in the community and in the school system, and I showed him an old essay I had written when I pitched an idea to a local high school about establishing a chess club there. Here is a reprint of a piece of it:
Children that have taught me to love the game:
Abeeku Ayize * Dylan C. Cribb * Matthew Goodwin *
Brooklyn Jackson * Louis Johnson * Danielle Kirkland *
Matthew Mauldin * Evan Morrison * Ikenna Edward Ogbu *
Alyx Davila-Poblete * Kamau Sowande * Kennedy Nicole Toliver
Thank you all for your appreciation, your diligence, and your time. You could, of course, have been watching TV all those hours.
I am currently in a correspondence tournament with humans from Belgium, Croatia, France, Sweden, Guatemala, and Russia. I make the human distinction because several computers are also “enjoying” The Game internationally. What a world this has become when we the people are competing against our tools for supremacy over these 64 squares. The book Adventures in Chess by IM Edward Lasker spoke of the increasing power of electronic chess programs; an article current as of 08.18.03 (“DNA basis for new generation of computers”, Associated Press, San Francisco, California—see www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/08/18/biological.computing/ap/index.html ) speaks to the incredible potential of looking at solving our technological problems in ways that use material from our own bodies as tools. So many ideas float around us by cellphone, internet, television, movies, books that can be translated in hours and minutes instead of years and months, that it can seem overwhelming. Which brings me to my point in my years of teaching: I feel that when a focal point is identified by one person, others can follow and make use of that same point. In the Hadith, Muhammad (PBUH) has said, “Knowledge is one point which the foolish have multiplied”; it is, in my view, the advertising power of the foolish that have confused so many people in their understanding of the world. I work with children, who, at their best, are pure, clear-thinking, responsive, and incessantly curious about their world. Everything interests them, especially when the one who exposes them is excited. As an adult I have worked for myself and for others. I have worked for “THE CLOCK” and have volunteered my time for free to others out of concern and out of compassion. I have dedicated myself to making the world a clearer, more easily understood place in a way that only I can do. Each individual is important; and the wealth we desire exists in every fiber of our reality. Like a puzzle it only needs to be reconfigured. How does this relate to chess, you ask? Let us find out together.
Humans love to play. I play with months-old children, and already the need to play is showing itself. This need never abates in people that are making efforts to Live, in the sense that they are cultivating and multiplying that LifeForce necessary for and active life, whatever the stage. My four-and five-year-olds reflect the results of years of study by professional educators that play is the most effective hands-on education young humans use to develop themselves (see Creative Curriculum, HIGH/Scope studies); they love to learn when it impacts them directly, not through tertiary means.
It must be IN THEIR FACES.
It must be LIVE AND DIRECT.
It must be DUPLICATABLE AND CONTROLLED BY THEM and not at the mercy
of the teacher.
It must be TOUCHABLE and AFFECT THEM PERSONALLY. It must TEACH ON MULTIPLE LEVELS SIMULTANEOUSLY.
You can think of this as a Mogen Adam of learning for children. Simple and active, they learn as we all learn best. We must be there where the action is. Then it is real. This shield is a covering for all our learning styles, whether it be verbal, tactile, visual, or auditory. I have seen that chess takes them there. Children, just as adults do, take the game personally. And that, given the proper perspective, is a good thing.
There are 3 areas that geniuses expose themselves early: Chess, Music, and Mathematics (Lasker, Adventures and also Chess for Fun and Chess For Blood). I would add myself, the genius of Movement. Children become adept at their selective talents by having the opportunity of repeating their actions at their leisure and also by being able to share time with those who are where they want to be. Field trips to fire departments, grocery stores, farms, petting zoos, chiropractors, nature parks, all let them know the kinds of worlds that exist. The physical travel to places allows them to put together a map of the outside world. I have seen that not enough is done to let them also make a “map of the inside world”. It is done by many an early education teacher when we design a classroom that accents the different styles of learning with a block area, reading area, sand/water play area, discovery area, dramatic play area, and art area. We as educators get to see WHAT interests the children and HOW it interests them. Then we provide more of that, refine their tools, and ask them questions. George G.M. James’ book Stolen Legacy invests itself in discussing the power of Greek, and before them, Egyptian Mystery Schools’ use of repetition and revisitiation of ideas to bring new understanding to the learner. I also use repetition in my teaching so that every child gets the information often enough to make her or his own connections to it, and may go as deeply as desired. Often we come to new ideas together; just as often they fill in their own blanks. In either case knowledge is internalized.
Chess is a tool for that internalization. It allows for direct access, personal use, repetition, direct manipulation, and access to ideas on multiple levels.
“Excelsior!” to all the chess fans and parents of fans, in the spirit of entrepreneur/modern writer Stan Lee. We can collectively use our experiences with The Game, whether direct or not, in this growing organism that I call Chess Possessed. Tell me your stories also. The children need a resource book; parents need to hear the diversity of stories and ideas and anecdotes. Morehei Ueshiba’s Art of Peace speaks of this wisdom: “At the instant /A warrior /Confronts a foe, /All things /Come into focus”. I have seen children spend HOURS at the tables, silent, weighing responses, fighting hard for every move, learning to hold back the hand, looking first for one answer, then for a better one. I have seen the joy in the eyes of the victor, and I have comforted the one who has learned a lesson through loss—but it is those moments which strengthen the young warrior, because we together seek the WHY in things, and it is a bridge across which we all have walked. The moment brings connection of spirit, and it is then they learn what gifts connectedness brings, and what growth it cultivates.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Play the game!
--mjf 08.21.03, Thursday
East Point, Georgia, 14:35 hrs, EDT, GMT –4, Western Hemisphere, ....
I hope you enjoyed the ideas presented here. Now that you have fed your mind some "Mental Vegetables", as I call them, go and PLAY THE GAME!
