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.
- posted by nasmichael @ 1:27:00 PM