Who’da thunk it? According to the Ericson Family’s blog, for ten years now, Pyrex has been quietly using a different formulation for their glass cookware. No longer does it contain the borosilicate that gave it that famed indestructibility. Now, it’s just, well… glass. Kinda sad.
There’s hope yet though as their labware still has it. So, why not bake that next casserole in a drying dish? Or a beaker for a measuring cup.
A quick heads up to my fellow chessplayers and their friends and family. . . I got an email today that Chess House is offering free shipping on ALL orders in the US through Mother’s Day, this Sunday, May 11th. You’ll need to use coupon codec3043. And even if you’re not in to chess, the sets make for beautiful decor. Just remember, it’s “light on the right.”
Last weekend I competed in what I’ve come to fondly dub my “anniversary tournament.” The appropriately named Queen City Open was my introduction to the world of competitive chess a little over half my lifetime ago at age 16. I still remember how nervously excited I was. With so many butterflies, all I could stomach for breakfast that morning was a muffin and juice to which my grandmother treated me at the hotel before the first round. I’ve made it a point not to miss a year since!
My first round encounter with the Expert Leonard Morrissey promised to be one of the best games I’ve played in some time. As it was, after a brilliant series of moves that exemplify the adage “the best defense is a good offense,” I slipped and let it all go in one fell swoop.
In college, I had a roommate on the tennis team. He dabbled in chess, but finally concluded it was too unforgiving a sport for him. You see, after many hours of effort, even a “won” game can be lost in a momentary lapse. He liked that, in tennis, with each point and each game a fresh slate, you almost always have a chance to come back.
Black has just played 22…Bc6 attacking the knight on f3, the key defender of the h2-pawn. 23.Rfd1! Rh3 24.Ra3! b6! Giving his King breathing room. 25.Bxb6 Basically forced, but it works beautifully, as 25…Bxa3 is answered by 26.bxa3 Rxf3 27.Qc5! and despite being a rook down, White is winning. 27…Qb7 28.Rad3! Kb8! 29.exf6 gxf6 30.Qf4+?? Hoping for 30…e5 31.Nxe5 fxe5 32.Qxe5+ and White crashes through first. Alas, the simple 30…Ka8 turns the tables for the last time. Rybka gives 30.Ne5, continuing the fun. A truly heart-wrenching way to end this pretty slugfest.
You’ll recall I went coffee-free for over a week in preparation for this event—an experiment I’m happy to say I’m still continuing. I did get a little tired during this 3.5 hour contest, but I also felt concentrated.
The next round, I had a full-point bye and kicked back in the hotel room watching the Presidential primary results roll in. Regarding coffee, as a calorie restrictor, finding a similarly robust replacement is difficult. I really like Teeccino and all its flavors, but it’s actually rather calorific (20 per Tb), especially when replacing an 8-12 cup a day habit.
In the morning, I was ready to kick butt, feeling good about my overall play, if not the result, and fueled by an all-fruit breakfast of a couple apples, an orange, and a banana. I had the Black pieces against the young Class A player Kevin Ma. Apparently, I played a new move as early as the eighth—rare these days in the ultra-booked environment of modern-day chess.
My Theoretical Novelty in the Accelerated Dragon
8…Bxf3 Previously, only 8…Ne5 had been played. Now White has to take 9.Bxf3, retaining a slight edge. Instead he fell into the trap and continued with 9.dxc6 Bxe2! 10.Qa4? The mistake must be admitted, and the damage minimized to the loss of a pawn, by recapturing on e2. 10…Bxc3+! 11.bxc3 b5 12.Qd4 e5 13.Qd5 Bc4 14.c7 Bxd5 14…Qc8 15.Qxd6 allows too much counterplay. Better to return the piece and head into a relatively easy endgame without all the risk. 15.cxd8/Q+ Rxd8 16. exd5 Rc8 etc..
In the final round, I achieved a better position in the early middlegame against the legendary Master, 76 year old John Curdo. I then sacrificed a pawn for an attack that unfortunately came up short. He gave back the pawn and in the resulting equal late middlegame / early endgame with rooks and queens, proceeded to outplay me. My opponent took a share of third place for his efforts, and I missed out on a portion of the Under 2100 prize by half a point.
On the whole though, a most enjoyable tourney and much needed vacation. I didn’t even do any work on the internet! I can proudly say I read a few emails and that’s it. Waiting for me at home was a ton of shoveling. Indeed, the drive home was treacherous and slow, with at least a dozen cars off the road along 293 out of Manchester. Yikes. Even at 20 MPH, my anti-locks felt the need to kick in on occasion.
It’s February 1st, time to start those New Years resolutions! And, if you’ve slipped, now’s your chance to pick yourself up and give it another go. Don’t worry, I’ll refrain from saying “I told ya so.”
Several of the good folks over at rawfoodsforhealth (a Yahoo! group) are participating in a February Challenge of sorts. Some are doing extended fasts, others are committing to 100% RAW, etc..
While it’s not a resolution of mine to quit drinking coffee altogether, I do want to show my support and solidarity, and have agreed to cut it for a week.
Ooooh, I know, big whoop, a week. But, for me, it could be rough going; I’m thoroughly addicted! I’ve gone without for months at on many occasions. Unfortunately, the first few days often trigger a beaut of a migraine. Here’s hoping this time’s different. If I notice positive changes, who knows?, I might it extend it. After all, my veganism started as a two-week “experiment”—though from a solid base of 10-plus years as a low-fat vegetarian.
The timing is good too since I have a chess tournament coming up next weekend. By then, I should be done with the inevitable headache. It’ll be interesting not to be nursing that bottomless mug of coffee throughout the battle. Wish me luck (on both counts).
This weekend saw the 32nd annual New Hampshire Amateur Chess Championship, held in Manchester, NH.
Unfortunately, since my back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004, I’ve been unable to repeat. It was another break-even tournament result for me, but I did manage one pretty game.
I’m White here and have just played Qg4, threatening mate on g7. My opponent failed to defend accurately with …g6, instead playing …Bf6?.
Can you spot the petite combination I used to make the win just a “matter of technique?”
While you could argue competitive chess puts excessive strain on a player, there’s no doubt the game Gary Kasparov is now waging is far more dangerous…
Kasparov, World Chess Champion for a whopping 15 years from 1985-2000, has put himself in the precarious position of fighting for Democracy in Russia. He does so despite fully understanding the risk. For his courage, he should be applauded, and we wish him well.
As you know from my reading list on the right, I had the opportunity of reviewing a copy of his new book pre-release. I found it quite an interesting read. Although the connections between chess and life are, at times, tenuous, to get a view of the way such a great mind goes about problem-solving was itself thought-provoking.
Recently, he made the rounds on several U.S. news programs to promote his mainstream offering (he has authored many books on his games and those of his predecessors, which really only appeal to hardcore chess enthusiasts).
In the process, he has become something of a go-to guy for our media when they want an inside, no-holds-barred, perspective on Russian politics.
HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher:
After this interview, Chris Matthews of MSNBC, who expressed deep admiration for Kasparov’s intellect and honesty at the end of the clip, invited him onto Hardball. Unfortunately, I don’t have that one for you.
CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer:
Before both of these, he also appeared on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. Appropriately enough, it was the same episode wherein Stephen announced his bid for the US Presidency. I was going to present it here as well, but frankly it’s not worth it; too short and that’s even if Colbert had let him get a word in edgewise.
Yesterday, I competed in a one-day tournament of three games at G/60. And, I won, 3-0! There was definitely a fair amount of luck involved, but that’s to be expected at these faster time controls.
Here’s a critical position from my last round win over the top seed.
I am Black here and have just pushed my pawn forward to e4, attacking his knight. My opponent moved the knight out of danger with Nd4?? How was this move punished?
A most enjoyable day. I like these three rounders. They’re just the right amount of chess to satisfy the competitive craving, and you get home at a decent hour. Four in a day can run kind of late for this homebody!
This chess moment brought to you by watermelon: powering brains everywhere with its healthy sugar. 8 ounces per game. Well, that and copious infusions of fair-trade coffee.
The title is Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day and is defined as “a morbid fear of the number 13 or the date Friday the 13th.” If you’re only afraid of the date and not the number, you have a more specialized case known as paraskavedekatriaphobia.
Is there a connection to be made to food here? Not sure. I’d just suggest staying at home and curling up with the darkest chocolate treat you can find or even some raw cacao nibs.
There is, however, an important link with recent chess history. On this ominous day in October 2006, the World Chess Championship Reunification match between Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov was decided in a tense series of tie-break games. My man, Vlad, emerged the victor.
But, I know most of you don’t come here for the chess, so I’ll leave with you with a little gem that looks like it could have potential. Just discovered this site with its clever name (think disco [though I’m sure they’d prefer only some of the connotations of that moniker be associated with their site. Maybe fun and community?])
Anyway, their goal is a laudable one, “to have the most comprehensive directory of restaurants available.” But, it doesn’t end there. And this is where I’m really drawn to their story as a fellow software developer. They are taking their experience investigating the Netflix Prize and incorporating not only reviews and forums, but working the ratings back into a “collaborative filtering” system to make recommendations, ala Amazon. So, head on over, lend your support, and add some local (vegetarian!) restaurants.
