tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27875190266989704862024-03-14T01:12:21.739+08:00SIFU.mycaturSIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.comBlogger1647125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-2169729235201771192018-09-21T04:41:00.003+08:002018-09-21T04:42:15.382+08:00SIFU.mycatur Telah Kembali Kerahmatullah<br />
Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Illaihi Rojiun.<br />
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Hj Saleh mendapat berita tentang Encik Abdul Latiff Mohamad yang juga dikenali sebagai SIFU.mycatur iaitu tuan punya laman blog ini telah pulang ke rahmatullah jam 9:00pm semalam (ie Khamis 20/9/2018).<br />
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Hj Saleh mengenali Allahyarham Encik Latif sejak 2009 terutamanya ketika Kejohanan Catur MMU dan KLCA Open.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymLRwtDBtg4b6IxczcPTSLZqWuW4yZYW6qL5C9UEc6nU5_Tg4nwdOz74027XDAX8r-uVTBqukqV1IuniVXTHycsFRfLvmvxVaf4EypOv2Sd3NlHLq5IXk01_MQkNpj3DFH8KNsBzkw-UK/s1600/Sifu+and+wife.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymLRwtDBtg4b6IxczcPTSLZqWuW4yZYW6qL5C9UEc6nU5_Tg4nwdOz74027XDAX8r-uVTBqukqV1IuniVXTHycsFRfLvmvxVaf4EypOv2Sd3NlHLq5IXk01_MQkNpj3DFH8KNsBzkw-UK/s400/Sifu+and+wife.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SIFU bersama isteri</td></tr>
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Allahyarham Encik Latif merupakan seorang chess arbiter yang sangat berpengalaman terutamanya menggunakan sistem manual.<br />
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Ketika zaman Allahyarham aktif sebagai arbiter kejohanan catur, swiss pairing manager masih belum ada.<br />
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Banyak juga pengalaman dan kisah2 catur di Malaysia yg Allahyarham cerita dan kongsikan dengan Hj Saleh. Hj Saleh yg dikenali sebagai GiLoCatur di kalangan komuniti catur tanahair sangat berbesar hati kerana Blog Catur Hj Saleh merupakan salah salah satu blog dalam Blog List Allahyarham Encik Latif.<br />
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Allahyarham juga telah menjadikan Hj Saleh sebagai author laman blog catur beliau di URL - http://sifumycatur.blogspot.com/<br />
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Hj Saleh mendoakan agar Allahyarham Encik Latiff berada di kalangan orang2 beriman dan soleh.<br />
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Salam takziah buat keluarga Allahyarham Encik Latiff.<br />
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Al-Fatihah!GiLoCaturhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09968355170801869859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-29658685843777400082013-11-20T18:35:00.001+08:002013-11-20T18:35:47.510+08:00GEMPAR!!! Gambar Misteri Masjid Di Atas Gunung [SAKSIKAN...] | Berita OMG™ | Blog Isu Hangat, Semasa Dan Terkini<a href="http://beritaomg.blogspot.com/2013/11/gempar-gambar-misteri-masjid-di-atas.html#.UoyPof2VSBE.blogger">GEMPAR!!! Gambar Misteri Masjid Di Atas Gunung [SAKSIKAN...] | Berita OMG™ | Blog Isu Hangat, Semasa Dan Terkini</a><br />
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<a href="http://beritaomg.blogspot.com/2013/11/gempar-gambar-misteri-masjid-di-atas.html" style="border: none; color: #fcd000; display: block; text-decoration: none;">GEMPAR!!! Gambar Misteri Masjid Di Atas Gunung [SAKSIKAN...]</a></h1>
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Written By admin on Rabu, November 20 | 2:13 PTG</h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GEMPAR!!! Gambar Misteri Masjid Di Atas Gunung [SAKSIKAN...] </b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Masjid yang di atas gunung ini adalah Masjid Al Khidhr (as). Ianya terletak di atas gunung Nabi Khidhr di Qum-Iran. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Walaupun berada di atas gunung, masjid ini tidak asing bagi jemaah-jemaah islam yang sentiasa berkunjung dan menggunakan masjid ini seperti masjid-masjid yang lain. </span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-49723874740654168062013-11-20T06:48:00.001+08:002013-11-20T06:48:17.122+08:00 Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make In Your Chess <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Written by Yury Markushin </span>
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Wednesday, 13 November 2013 00:54 </td>
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<a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/18-general-information/298-11-mistakes-you-dont-want-to-make-in-your-chess"><img alt="11 chess mistakes to avoid" height="83" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/11-chess-mistakes-to-avoid.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; float: left; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" title="11 chess mistakes to avoid" width="146" /></a>We
all love the game of chess. Some love it because of its infinite
possibilities that even computers cannot calculate. Some love it because
of its very competitive nature. Some love it because most of the games
are decided by skill and not by luck. <br />
Regardless of that '<b><i>why</i></b>' these are the <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/18-general-information/298-11-mistakes-you-dont-want-to-make-in-your-chess">11 mistakes you don't want to make in your chess</a>.<br />
<h2>
11. Playing chess to win prize money</h2>
I've met people that honestly think that they can spend a few hours on chess, enter a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Open_chess_tournament">Big Open Tournament</a> and <b>BOOM </b>win
$10,000. Wrong. Unless you have a passion for chess, spend a lot of
your time to study and practice chess you cannot succeed at any chess
tournament. The tournaments with a big prize fund are especially
competitive. Don't do it, if you want to save yourself a big
disappointment and time. Money shouldn't be a motivation at whatever you
do, chess included.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="don't play chess for money" height="267" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/dont-play-chess-for-money.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="don't play chess for money" width="400" /></div>
<h2>
10. Quitting playing chess after a lose</h2>
It's not a good habit to quit anything (except for smoking) if you
fail once. All players, big and small have lost games. It's normal. If
they had quit, there would have been no Fischer, Kasparov or Carlsen as
we know them today. Loss in chess should be a signal to you that more
training is necessary. It should motivate you to work harder and to
play better in the next game. If you think about a loss from this
perspective, you will succeed.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="don't give up" height="225" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/dont-give-up.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="don't give up" width="400" /></div>
<h2>
9.Stressing out too much about a chess game</h2>
Some players get extremely stressed out before and during chess
games. Stress is a negative, disruptive factor which will not do
anything good to your cool head and logical thinking. In a state of
stress, you would waste extra time double checking variations and will
not be able to completely focus on the position. In order to play high
level chess, you need to stop caring about the outcome and just to play
your game. If you take a serious tournament game with the same ease you
play a friendly game you will relax and your results will improve. Give
it a try.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="manage stress at chess" height="266" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/stress-at-chess.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="manage stress at chess" width="400" /></div>
<h2>
8. Blaming somebody else for your failures</h2>
In order to improve at chess you need to be honest with yourself and
take full responsibility for your actions (moves). That means if you
lose a game, you shouldn't say something like 'that's because of the
stupid blunder on move 20' or 'I did not get enough sleep, so couldn't
concentrate', etc. By finding a true cause of your loss, you will
benefit much more than if you come up with some common excuse. You may
want to read about identifying strengths and weaknesses of your game <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/227-finding-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-your-chess">here</a>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="fail at chess" height="136" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/fail-chess.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="fail at chess" width="400" /></div>
<h2>
7. Not learning from your own mistakes</h2>
Of course it would be perfect if we could learn from somebody else's
mistakes. Unfortunately, that's not how it works at chess. In most
cases, we need to actually lose a game or two by getting back-rank
mated in order to start being aware of certain dangers. Use this
extremely powerful learning tool to your advantage. You can learn much
better from things if you have experienced it yourself. Read <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/24-7-deadly-chess-mistakes-every-novice-player-makes">7 deadly mistakes every novice player makes and</a>... avoid it. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="mistakes at chess" height="300" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/mistakes-at-chess.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="mistakes at chess" width="400" /></div>
<h2>
6. Putting chess in front of everything else</h2>
Some people get involved with chess so much that they forget
everything else: work, family, responsibilities, health, etc. Of
course, it is good for your chess career to concentrate only on chess.
But be careful, you may lose motivation and get 'burned out' by chess.
The best strategy is to study chess by little bits during a long period
of time. Remember, chess is a marathon, not a sprint. Read about chess
time management in <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/295-10-chess-improving-rules-most-players-forget">10 Chess Improvement Rules Most Players Forget</a>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="priorities and chess" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/priorities-and-chess.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="priorities and chess" width="400" /></div>
<h2>
5. Spending too much time accumulating knowledge you would never use in a real game</h2>
It's is true that if you study chess more, you will become better at
it. But the key is to study the right things. For example, reading about
the history of chess will not help you much in your next 1.d4 game.
Memorizing 25 different variations of Sicilian defense 20 moves deep
will not help you to become a better chess player. In fact, if your
opponent plays <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/1-openings/196-elephant-trap-queens-gambit-declined">Queen's Gambit Declined</a>, it won't help you at all. If you just spend a quarter of this time <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/resources/solve-tactics/tactics-gym">solving tactics</a>, <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/3-endgame">working on endgames</a> and <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/17-chess-how-tos/133-how-to-analyze-a-chess-game">analyzing your own games</a>
you will progress much faster, and all the work will pay off quickly.
You can check the following things about improving at chess: <a href="http://thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/295-10-chess-improving-rules-most-players-forget">this</a> and <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/132-chess-self-improvement-guide">this</a>. <br />
<h2>
4. Buying many chess books and never reading them</h2>
The point of chess books is that they possess knowledge that can make
you a better chess player. That is only true with one condition: you
actually need to <strike>read</strike> study them. Chess books are no
good if they are just sitting on the shelf. Studying of a chess book
includes reading it, thinking about the ideas presented and going over
the positions presented on a chess board. Many people just read chess
books, instead of studying them, skipping diagrams and notations. It may
be good from the entertainment point of view, but does little good for
the training process.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="chess books" height="343" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/chess-books.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="chess books" width="400" /></div>
<h2>
3. Worrying about rating points more than the game itself</h2>
Some player get more worried about losing <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/18-general-information/136-deeper-look-at-elo-chess-rating-system-">rating points</a>,
than about the game of chess in general. Points are just given to you
for an estimation of your strength purpose. Rating should not act as a
disrupting factor, especially during the game.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="rating drop" height="213" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/rating-drop.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="rating drop" width="400" /></div>
<h2>
2. Having "I'm always right" attitude</h2>
This is a kind of attitude that would prevent you from making
progress at chess or significantly slow it down. In order to improve,
you need to be self-critical and to admit your own mistakes. If you lost
because of the badly played opening, you should analyze the lines and
make corresponding corrections in your repertoire. If you lost due to
some other reason you need to work on that, it's probably your weak side
of chess.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="I'm always right!" height="290" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/im-always-right.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="I'm always right!" width="400" /></div>
<h2>
1. Pursuing chess as a professional career</h2>
While playing chess may seem like an amazing opportunity to be turned
into a professional career you should consider all pros and cons. There
are only about 1300 grandmasters in the world. Their rating varies from
about 2500 to 2800 something. These are considered "professional chess
players", meaning they are making most of their living playing chess.
Peter Zhdanov of Pogonina.com published <a href="http://www.pogonina.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1529">a list of highest earning chess players of 2012</a>
from which it's clear that only 2-3 players made more than $1,000,000
in year 2012. The number 10 player made about $150,000 the same year.
Just think about it #10 player in the world is about 2730 ELO. What
about those who are 2500-2600. How much you think they make? You've got
the idea.<br />
The point is simple, unless you are in the <a href="http://ratings.fide.com/top.phtml?list=men">top 100</a>,
it's not easy to make decent leaving from playing chess, especially if
you need to play opens instead of invitational tournaments with
appearance fees which are only available for top GMs.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="professioanal chess" height="225" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/11-mistakes-in-chess/professioanal-chess.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="professioanal chess" width="400" /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Please share your opinion in <u>comments</u> field below!</b></div>
Credits:<br />
<i>Images of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/76657755@N04/">money</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rwhitesell/">don't give up</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sriram">stress</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ncc_badiey">fail</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alandd">mistakes</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hockadilly/">priority</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/46183897@N00/">chess books</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ennor">I'm always right</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr_po">pro chess</a> are taken from flickr and used under creative commons license. </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-25898364921142051872013-11-20T01:28:00.003+08:002013-11-20T01:28:57.063+08:00How to get better at chess: guide for all levels<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="small">
Written by Yury Markushin </span>
</td>
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<tr>
<td class="createdate" valign="top">
Monday, 05 October 2009 22:01 </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top">
<div class="tweetmebutton">
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<span></span><br />
A lot of people are asking the same question over and over again, how
to improve in chess? So, I have decided to write this whole thing once
and for all. First of all it is important to know at what level you are
playing now. It would really depend what to study and how to improve
from the player's current (estimated) rating. Here is a chart that gives
an idea on what should players work on at different levels of their
chess career:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Below 299</b>: Learn basic rules of chess, how pieces move, and special rules (en passant, castle etc).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>300-1000:</b> Learn basic chess ideas such as checkmate, simple attacks, etc.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>1000-1199:</b> Learn basic opening ideas. It's recommended to
play 1.e4 as white and sharp variations as black. Learn basic checkmates
(King + Queen vs. King, Queen + Queen vs. King, Rook + Rook vs. King,
King + Rook vs. King). Practice them until you are completely confident
and can checkmate anyone (even a GM) in these positions.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>1200-1399:</b> Study more openings, but do not stick with "rarely
played variations". It is a huge mistake that a LOT of chess player
make while studying openings, to study rarely played/unusual lines which
most likely would never come up in real life tournaments. Studying
standard opening lines would yield a lot more results!<br /> Spend maximum
of 20% of your study time to study openings. Until 1800 level openings
aren't very important. Concentrate more on middle game and tactics. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>1400-1599: </b> Endgame is the key on this level. Only imagine
the advantage you get against your opponent if you know how to play
endgame well and your opponent does not. The odds are that your opponent
will loose the endgame almost immediately. Study basic endgame schemes:
King + Pawn vs. King, King + 2 Pawns vs. King, King + Pawn vs. King + 2
Pawns and so on. Besides the endgame do tactics problems (puzzles).
Play as much chess as possible especially in real life over the board
tournaments with a long time control (that's where you learn the most).<br /> <br /> </li>
<li><b>1600-1799:</b> If you got on this level it means you are already
strong, very solid chess player which knows a lot about all stages of
the game of chess. Keep working on your middle game, strategy and
tactics. Try to play blindfold chess. It is easy these days, since
programs like Chessmaster 10th offer really nice options of blindfold
chess. You are basically only see the chess board with no pieces on it,
but you can move these empty squares and play chess (because you know
that knights are on b1 and c1, bishops are on c1 and g1 and so on).
During the game you have to keep all the pieces in your head, since they
are invisible which is hard in the beginning. Play really weak players
first.<br /> Blindfold chess helps to develop player's visualization
ability and eliminates most blunders. All GMs are able to play blindfold
chess well.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>1800-1999:</b> Wow, you are ready to become an expert. Now it is
a good time to systemize your opening repertoire. Ideally, you should
know very well 2-3 openings for white and 2 for Black. The key to
advancing to the expert level here is to analyze your own games. After
the game, sit down with a chessboard, paper and pen and go over the game
move by move writing down thoughts on your own and your opponent's
moves. Only then you may check your game with an engine (Rybka, Fritz,
etc). The number #1 mistake chess players make, they either do not
analyze their games at all or analyze them by using chess program right
away. This is a big mistake which slows down chess progress.The main
idea of analysis is not to look at what computer thinks was a good move,
but to look for that move yourself! Would it make sense to solve chess
tactics puzzles by plugging them into a chess engine? Probably not.Also
it is great idea to go over GM games and think them over. The best way
to go over these high level games is to first go over all the moves
without author's comments and only second time read the comments and
annotations. This works great with the openings too. Remember that when
you read your opening book tomorrow.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>2000-2199:</b> Congratulations, you are now an Expert. Keep
working on chess and I'm sure you'll be able to make at least a Master
sometime soon and when you do, please, send me a message saying "Hi! I
am a Master now!"</li>
</ul>
Follow up on this article: <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn/articles/9-training-techniques/132-chess-self-improvement-guide">Chess self improvement guide</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-43318407276810460762013-11-20T01:26:00.000+08:002013-11-20T01:26:31.634+08:00Rapid Chess Improvement: Evaluation of Positions <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="contentheading" width="100%"><a class="contentpagetitle" href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/120-rapid-chess-improvement-evolution-of-positions">Rapid Chess Improvement: Evaluation of Positions</a>
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<span class="small">
Written by Yury Markushin </span>
</td>
</tr>
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<td class="createdate" valign="top">
Monday, 08 February 2010 19:27 </td>
</tr>
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<a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn/articles/9-training-techniques/120-rapid-chess-improvement-evolution-of-positions"><img alt="rapid chess improvement" height="153" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/graphics/articles/elo.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;" width="204" /></a>What
exactly to do in order to improve my chess? It is a common question I
hear from different players all around, including my page on Facebook
and Twitter. <br />
I already gave an outline <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn/articles/17-chess-how-tos/19-how-to-get-better-at-chess-guide-for-all-levels">how to get better at chess</a>, you may want to review it before reading further.<br />
In
this article, I will suggest the list of things you need to take care
of in order to quickly and effectively improve your game and gain elo
points.<br />
<br />
I believe that very important aspect of the rapid chess
improvement is properly organized training process. It can be divided
into the following categories:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Evaluation of Position</i></li>
<li><i>Opening Repertoire </i></li>
<li><i>Tactical Vision</i></li>
<li><i>Calculation Technique</i></li>
<li><i>Strategy</i></li>
<li><i>Endgame</i></li>
</ul>
These are very broad categories; many books have been published on
each and every category from this list. You may ask why the Middle game
is not present here? Actually it is, Middle game is represented in form
of evaluation of position, strategy and calculation. But, these elements
can also be applied to other stages of the game as well. If you want to
learn to play chess better you will need to master all these aspects of
play.<br />
I will discuss Evaluation of Position in detail today, and save other categories for later time.<br />
<b>Evaluation of Position</b><br />
What is evaluation of position? Basically it is a technique or an
algorithm that let a chess player know what side is better in particular
position on the board. It is a very important component of the game of
chess. Based on that evaluation, chess player is making decisions for
his next move or sequence of moves. It is well known fact that <b><i>if you having a positional advantage you must attack, else you’re risking losing it.</i></b>
Needless to say, mistakes in evaluation of position can turn out to be
deadly. Here is a quick example: if a player thinks that he will win
that endgame after the rook exchange, but his evaluation of position
isn’t correct, he will lose the endgame by exchanging the rooks.<br />
Why computers can play chess so well? They have precise algorithm of
how the position changes with one or another move. Why GMs always beat
amateurs? Because they can evaluate positions extremely well. Lesson?
In order <b><i>to play good chess you need to learn to evaluate chess positions precisely</i></b>.<br />
Very common guideline for evaluating all chess positions consists of 4 categories:<br />
<ol>
<li>King’s safety</li>
<li>Material on the board</li>
<li>Pieces activity</li>
<li>Pawn structure</li>
</ol>
We can assign for each of these categories the numeric value similar
way that it is assigned in chess programs such as Fritz and Chessmaster.<br />
<b>King Safety</b> – the difference of positions of the Kings. If one
King is relatively safe in respect to the other one he gets a value
from +1 to +2 points. We don’t take into account positions where a
forced mate exists.<br />
<b>Material on the board</b> - standard numeric values for the pawns
and pieces can be used here. So, Pawn = 1 point, Bishop = 3 point,
Knight = 3 points, Rook = 5 points, Queen = 9 points, King is assigned
to 3.5 points in the endgame.<br />
<b>Pieces Activity</b> - defined as the difference of activity
between your piece and similar piece in the opponent’s camp (example
Knight vs. Knight, Rook vs. Rook and Queen vs. Queen, etc.) Maximum
difference in activity will be 1.5 points or 1.5 pawns.<br />
<b>Pawn Structure – </b>control of important<b> </b>squares (center)
by pawns, weak pawns, strong pawns, isolated pawns past pawns can give
maximum advantage of 2 points. Of course we don’t take into account
extreme cases where pawn can checkmate or promote to a Queen. <br />
If White is better in particular position we will assign a positive
value, such as +3, would correspond that White is 3 pawns up in position
and material together. If Black is better we will write -3, which
would mean Black is 3 pawns up. Take a look at the position below:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="rapid chess improvement" height="308" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/graphics/articles/analisis1.jpg" style="margin: 0px 5px;" width="308" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> White to move</b></div>
Let’s evaluate the position above according to our 4 categories.<br />
<ol>
<li><b>King Safety</b> – White King have castled, while Black King is stuck on f8 and cannot castle. We assign a score of <b><i>+0.5</i></b>, or half a pawn, to White, since there is no immediate danger due to position of Black King. </li>
<li><b>Material – </b>White<b> </b>has an extra pawn on the King’s side. We give <b>+1</b> to White, and total score becomes <b>+1.5</b>.</li>
<li><b>Piece Activity –</b> White’s Rook on a1 is equal to Black’s Rook on a8, White’s Rook on f8 is somewhat more active than Black’s Rook on h8 <b>(+0.25</b>), White’s Bishop on c1 is less active than the Black’s Bishop on d6 <b>(-0.25</b>),
White’s Bishop on b5 is equal to Black’s Bishop on e6, White’s Queen
on d5 seems to be more active than Black’s Queen, but it’s also more
vulnerable for threats by Bishops, so we assume they’re equal. Total
Score <b>+1.5</b> </li>
<li><b>Pawn Structure</b> – as we said previously White is a pawn up,
which gives them a King’s side 4 to 3 majority. There is an equal number
of pawn on the Queen’s side. We have counted pawn’s majority in
Material section, total score doesn’t change: <b>+1.5, </b>or we can say that White is 1.5 pawns better.</li>
</ol>
If we check this position with the computer (I used Fritz 10), it gives +- 1.54 at depth of 3/43 and recommends the line <b>16.Qxb7 Rb8 17.Qa6 Bc5 18.f5 Bc8 19.Qc6 Qe7 20.Ba6 Bxe3+ 21.Kh1 Bxh6 22. Qxh6 +- . </b>Our evaluation of +1.5 seems to be pretty good there.<br />
I recommend practicing this system on some random positions and
applying this method to your own over the board (OTB) games. It is not
necessary to apply this method after each move, in fact it would be very
time consuming and impractical to do that. You need to do the deep
evaluation only in critical positions, such as after the end of an
opening theory or a critical position when it is hard to see what to
play. It is a very good method to apply if you don’t know what to do in
positional game. It will guide you through the game, show what pieces to
exchange (your inactive pieces for active pieces of your opponent).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-81860933283155066362013-11-20T01:21:00.001+08:002013-11-20T01:31:04.773+08:00Chess Training Program Outline (for up to 2100 ELO) <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</td>
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Written by Yury Markushin </span>
</td>
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<tr>
<td class="createdate" valign="top">Wednesday, 08 August 2012 14:37 </td>
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<a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/228-chess-training-program-for-up-to-2100-elo"><img alt="chess study plan" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/chess-study.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; float: left; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" title="chess study plan" /></a>Today's article is somewhat a continuation of the last week's chess saga about <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/227-finding-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-your-chess">finding strengths and weaknesses of your chess</a>. We will talk about developing a chess study program that would suits individual needs for players it's designed for.<br />
What is the most important in the chess program? Of course it needs
to be effective, meaning that after investing your time in it your <i>chess</i> strength should increase. It is very difficult to create a universal study plan that will suit all chess players. <br />
The plan should be based on two main parameters: players overall
chess ability (rating) and player's individual strengths and weaknesses.
In order to evaluate which positions you understand the best and what
type of openings yield best performance I suggest reading <b><a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/227-finding-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-your-chess">finding strengths and weaknesses of your chess</a>. </b><br />
I will show you detailed chess training program that is designed for a
players up to 2100 rating. If your rating is much below that you should
not feel intimidated. Regardless of your current chess level you will
greatly improve your chess by following the themes presented below.<br />
<b><u>Chess Training Program (up to 2100 ELO)</u></b><br />
<b>1. TACTICS BASICS [20 hours]</b><br />
This a very or maybe even the most important part of chess training.
Surprisingly enough most chess player don't like working on chess
tactics puzzles and get very surprised why the miss easy tactics and
lose the game against those that do. Don't make this mistake and spend
enough time on it. Chess progress will come quick if you stick to daily
tactics routine.<br />
You can jump start your tactics training with simple exercises from <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/resources/solve-tactics/tactics-gym">here</a> or <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/resources/solve-tactics/tactics-trainer">here</a>. For more serious training I would recommend getting a specially designed software like CT-ART. Chess Master and Chess King (<a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/42-cool-chess-things/215-chess-king-review">review</a>) have some solvable tactics problems as well.<br />
<i> The main idea of solving tactical problems is to improve your
calculating ability, increase board visualization ability and overall
chess awareness. </i><br />
<b>2. STRATEGY BASICS [30 hours]</b><br />
<b> </b>This are very fundamental middle game themes that every chess
player should know. You should find chess literature and study the
following topics thoroughly. If you have an access to a chess database
with the ability to search games by themes (like ChessBase) you should
select some of these themes and study related masters/grandmaster games.
If you have annotated game collection, it's even more useful. After you
read theory and study high level games, you should spend some time on
analyzes of your own games on these themes and solving tactics problems
related to these themes.<br />
<u>List of topics to study:</u><br />
- Pawn advantage on one side of the board<br />
- Pawn chain<br />
- Better pawn structure<br />
- Blockade<br />
- Isolated pawn in the center<br />
- Weak pawns<br />
- Closed center<br />
<b>3. ENDGAME BASICS [30 hours]</b><br />
Endgame is another extremely important area of the game that needs to
be studied thoroughly in order to get consistently good results at
chess. The method of studying endgames is similar to those of middle
games. You should first read some theory about the endgame themes below.
For that I would recommend using books such as <i>Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual</i> , <i>Pandolfini's Endgame Course </i>or
any other endgame resource you wish to use. Then, again if you have an
access to a chess database with ability to search by themes, you can
sort out high level games on the particular ending and go through it.
You can practice playing certain endgame positions against the computer
and then check it with <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/resources/nalimov-endgame-tables">Nalimov's Tablebase</a>.<br />
<u>List of topics to study:</u><br />
- Bishop vs. pawns<br />
- Opposite color bishops<br />
- Same color bishops<br />
- Knight vs. pawns<br />
- Knight endgames<br />
- Bishop vs. knight<br />
- Rook vs. pawns<br />
- Rook endgames<br />
- Queen endgames<br />
<br />
Good luck with training program. Remember if you stay dedicated to one thing, the results will come!</td></tr>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-9633625416022992542013-11-19T23:31:00.001+08:002013-11-19T23:31:53.739+08:0010 Reasons Why Most People Are Not Good at Chess (and how to fix it) <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="small">
Written by Yury Markushin </span>
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<td class="createdate" valign="top">
Sunday, 17 November 2013 22:51 </td>
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<div class="tweetmebutton">
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<a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/18-general-information/301-10-reasons-why-most-people-are-not-good-at-chess-and-how-to-fix-it"><img alt="why most people are not good at chess" height="105" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/10-reasons-most-people-not-good/not-good-at-chess.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; float: left; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" title="why most people are not good at chess" width="132" /></a>About 8.6% of the world’s population or roughly 700 million people play chess. <br />
Majority of these players will never reach even 1000 rating level which is considered to be a beginner’s strength. <br />
Why is that the case? How to change it? <span style="color: red;">Most people are not good at chess because they:</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"></span><br />
<h2>
1. Don’t take chess seriously enough</h2>
Many novice chess players don’t really care about the outcome of the
game. They just play chess for fun, without being competitive and
without the drive the win. These players forget about the game once
it’s over and never come back to look at it again. With this attitude
it's difficult to become a better player.<br />
<h3>
Quick fix:</h3>
The only way to become better at something is to be serious about it, care about the outcome and spend time on training.<br />
<h2>
2. Give up chess too soon</h2>
Some people give chess a try by playing one or two games. The
decision, if they like the game or not, greatly depends on the outcome
of these two games. If a person wins, he would probably stick with chess
for a few more games. If he loses he would probably say, chess is not
for him.<br />
<h3>
Quick fix:</h3>
Don’t give up chess after a negative outcome of the game. Play more
games against opponents of different strengths, watch professional chess
tournaments, look over a few chess books or magazines and then decide
for yourself if it’s a game for you. Many <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/18-general-information/225-test">famous people play chess</a>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="don't give up chess" height="233" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/10-reasons-most-people-not-good/giveup-chess.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="don't give up chess" width="350" /></div>
<h2>
3. Don’t take any steps to get better at chess</h2>
Many people play chess for fun without taking any <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/132-chess-self-improvement-guide">steps for improvement</a>.
They play infinite number of games, playing the same openings, trying
to checkmate an opponent the same way. If they have a flow in their
chess understanding (almost 100% true for this level) they would lose
limitless number of games the same way too. Finally they say the game is
boring and stop playing at all.<br />
<h3>
Quick fix:</h3>
Analyze your games. Even a short replay of your own game can help you
to conclude what usually goes wrong. Then, work on fixing it. You will
enjoy chess much more, once you become a better player!<br />
<h2>
4. Don’t calculate variations</h2>
There are many novice players out there, who don’t feel like
calculating deeper than one move ahead. They use their intuition to
judge if the move is good or not. Although, the intuition can be a
valuable resource for a chess player, calculation of variations is
something that will help you win a lot more games, than solely relying
on intuition and luck!<br />
<h3>
Quick fix:</h3>
Try not to play moves without first seeing the whole line. At first,
you will be able to see 1-2 moves ahead, then once you train more, you
will be able to improve your calculation abilities to 3-4 moves ahead.
Grandmasters can calculate up to 20 moves deep in some positions.<br />
<h2>
5. Don’t mind giving up pawns (or even pieces)</h2>
The simplest rule of chess states that if you don’t want to lose the
game too early do not give up material for no reason. Novice players are
struggling from this mistake the most. They can get too concentrated on
some minor things (castling, development, etc.) that they forget to
move their pawn and pieces to safety. Lost pieces = lost games.<br />
<h3>
Quick fix:</h3>
Before making moves, make sure none of your pieces are under attack.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="give up pawns and pieces " height="240" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/10-reasons-most-people-not-good/drop-chess-pieces.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="give up pawns and pieces " width="360" /></div>
<h2>
6. Think that it’s impossible to improve at chess</h2>
Some players think that it’s not possible to improve at chess more
than they already have achieved. They think that chess level is limited
by inherent factors such as IQ and cannot be increased. I’m not sure if
the <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/4-healthpsycology/223-chess-rating-and-iq-score-correlation">IQ of a person</a>
can be increased or not, but I’m 100% sure that any chess player, no
matter how strong or weak can still make progress at chess if follows
the right training program.<br />
<h3>
Quick fix:</h3>
Follow a training program which included combinational training:
openings, tactics, attack techniques and the endgames. You should check
out the following programs: <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/228-chess-training-program-for-up-to-2100-elo">here</a> and <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/9-training-techniques/120-rapid-chess-improvement-evolution-of-positions">here</a>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="chess iq" height="315" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/10-reasons-most-people-not-good/chess-iq.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="chess iq" width="360" /></div>
<h2>
7. Play self-invented openings</h2>
While it may be a good idea to surprise your opponent, playing a
self-invented opening is definitely not the best way to do it.
Reinventing the wheel is something that you probably should avoid at
chess. Playing standard lines is a better idea, since they are developed
to give a player (you) the most favorable position possible.<br />
<h3>
Quick fix:</h3>
Study one opening line for white and one line for black to start with and then build up on this basic opening repertoire.<br />
<h2>
8. Don’t have any plan</h2>
Having a plan at chess is <b><u>really</u></b> and I mean it, <b><u>really</u></b> important. A player with a bad plan would likely a player who has no plan at all.<br />
<h3>
Quick fix:</h3>
Always have a plan in your games. It doesn’t have to be completely
accurate, but you should always have an idea of what to do next.
Planning small things like castling and developing rooks on open a and b
files is really essential for success at chess.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="chess plan" height="240" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/10-reasons-most-people-not-good/chess-pieces-plan.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="chess plan" width="360" /></div>
<h2>
9. Don’t see the whole chess board</h2>
Many novice chess players have difficulty seeing the whole chess
board. Well, they see the board, but they don’t see all the threats that
may be coming from the opponent’s pieces located far away from them
(geographically, say in the opposite corner of the board). This leads to
lost queens and checkmates in one. Even <a href="http://www.thechessworld.com/learn-chess/18-general-information/294-top-10-biggest-grandmaster-blunders-at-chess">grandmasters miss mates</a> like that sometimes.<br />
<h3>
Quick fix:</h3>
Look at all the pieces on the board equally. If some pieces are
further away from your king than other, it doesn’t mean they are less
dangerous.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="chess board" height="233" src="http://www.thechessworld.com/images/stories/10-reasons-most-people-not-good/chess-board.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black;" title="chess board" width="350" /></div>
<h2>
10. Don’t look for checkmates</h2>
This maybe a continuation of a previous point, but surprisingly
enough, many novice chess players protect their queen much better than
their king. This leads to many missed mates and disappointments.<br />
<h3>
Quick fix:</h3>
You need to develop a sense of danger for the king protection. Until
you develop it, always check the possibilities of attacks on your king.
You will save many games, by avoiding mates-in-1.<br />
<span style="color: green;"><b>Comments are as always welcome!</b></span></td></tr>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-50978339484649612892013-10-18T21:31:00.001+08:002013-10-18T21:31:25.405+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1>
Checkmate! Champion chess coach poaches entire TEAM of players to new college</h1>
By
<a class="author" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=David+Gardner+In+Los+Angeles+" rel="nofollow">David Gardner In Los Angeles </a><br />
<br /><div class="thinFloatRHS">
<img alt="Poached: Chess champion Susan Polgar brought an entire chess team to a new university" class="blkBorder" height="284" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/04/14/article-2129615-1296B59C000005DC-517_233x284.jpg" width="233" />
<div class="imageCaption">
Poached: Chess champion Susan Polgar brought an entire chess team to a new university</div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It’s not unusual in sport for a richer rival to prey on the best players of a competing team after they’ve found success.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">But even the New York Yankees couldn’t match the check-mate move that has shocked the genteel world of chess.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">For
just days after winning their second consecutive national college chess
title the entire Knights Raiders team has jumped ship, poached by
another university.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">America’s
reigning chess queen, four-time world champion and five-time Olympic
gold medallist Susan Polgar, masterminded the unprecedented switch.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
team coach is taking all seven of her players with her from Texas Tech
to the private Webster University in St Louis, Missouri.</span><br />
<div class="thinCenter">
<img alt="Brains: America¿s reigning chess queen, four-time world champion and five-time Olympic gold medallist Susan Polgar, masterminded the unprecedented switch" class="blkBorder" height="313" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/04/14/article-0-126945DF000005DC-372_468x313.jpg" width="468" />
<div class="imageCaption">
Brains: America¿s reigning chess queen,
four-time world champion and five-time Olympic gold medallist Susan
Polgar, masterminded the unprecedented switch</div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">A chess prodigy herself, chess grand master Ms Polgar became the world’s top ranked female player when she was just 15.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Her team, all chess masters, were offered full scholarships by their new college, an offer that Texas Tech couldn’t match.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The Midwest city is also hosting the US chess championships next month and is home to a brand new 6,000 square foot chess club.</span><br />
<div class="clear">
</div>
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘St Louis today is the centre of
chess in America,’ Ms Polgar told the Associated Press. ‘It just seemed
like a perfect fit. The university is an overall good choice for them,
but it is a decision each member made individually.</span><br />
<div class="clear">
</div>
<div class="thinCenter">
<img alt="Switch: The team coach is taking all seven of her players with her from Texas Tech to the private Webster University in St Louis, Missouri" class="blkBorder" height="303" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/04/14/article-2129615-1296B449000005DC-460_468x303.jpg" width="468" />
<div class="imageCaption">
Switch: The team coach is taking all seven of
her players with her from Texas Tech to the private Webster University
in St Louis, Missouri</div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘We are one family and in that spirit
they know how much I fight for them and not just about chess, but with
whatever they need help with. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">‘They
all are international students and it is part of my job to ensure that
they find a home away from home. I am very proud and very happy for
them,’ she added.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Her team consists of players from around the world, including Germany, Iran, Israel, Brazil, Hungary and Aberbaiijan</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Provost
Julian Schuster, a native of the former Yugoslavia who calls himself 'a
very strong fan and casual player,' helped broker the deal after
learning of Ms Polgar's interest through mutual friends. </span><br />
<div class="thinCenter">
<img alt="Game on: Webster University provost Julian Schuster is looking forward to his new chess team" class="blkBorder" height="514" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/04/14/article-0-127BC0BB000005DC-244_468x514.jpg" width="468" />
<div class="imageCaption">
Game on: Webster University provost Julian Schuster is looking forward to his new chess team</div>
</div>
<div class="thinCenter">
<img alt="Commitment: Schuster was instrumental in bringing the defending national champion chess team from Texas Tech to little-known Webster University near St. Louis" class="blkBorder" height="301" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/04/14/article-0-127BC0AB000005DC-897_468x301.jpg" width="468" />
<div class="imageCaption">
Commitment: Schuster was instrumental in
bringing the defending national champion chess team from Texas Tech to
little-known Webster University near St. Louis</div>
</div>
<div class="clear">
</div>
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">He envisions a broader academic focus
revolving around chess, espousing a 'dream of connecting chess as not
only a game but as a didactic tool, to apply in a learning setting.'</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Neither Ms Polgar nor Schuster would discuss the specifics of the financial commitment to attract the program.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">About
30 schools nationwide have competitive chess teams, from Yale and
Princeton to Miami-Dade College and the University of West Indies. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">And
while college chess remains a niche activity, Ms Polgar's unprecedented
move has given the game a brief moment in the spotlight</span><br />
</div>
SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-57924410626035305392013-10-18T19:29:00.000+08:002013-10-18T21:33:15.448+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h2 class="entry-title">
<a href="http://www.mychessblog.com/playing-chess-helps-children-excel-in-maths/" rel="bookmark" title="Permalink to Playing chess helps children excel in maths">Playing chess helps children excel in maths</a></h2>
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<span class="author vcard">Posted by on </span><abbr class="published" title="2009-10-11T14:52:06+0000">October 11, 2009 – 2:52 pm</abbr> </div>
<div class="entry-categ">
<br /></div>
<b>Chess is a thinking game.</b> It is a fair game in that the player is
responsible for the fate of the game and there is no other thing
intervention in the game either in the form of luck or in the form of
chance. One thing that can be said to be a chance or luck is nothing but
the mistake of the opponent.<b> In general, the player needs to think,
analyze, visualize, plan, decide and execute a series of moves applying
tactics and strategies to say “checkmate” to the opponent.</b><br />
If children were taught this noble game at their tender age and
encouraged to play the game, they will perform better in their academic
career and outshine others – this is a finding of a research study.
Many countries have introduced the game of chess as part of their school
curriculum and have made it a subject or game that each child should
learn and play regularly.<br />
How the game of chess will help children perform well in mathematics? Read on….<br />
One of the important subjects that a child is taught in his schooling
days is the subject of mathematics. This is a very important subject
and one needs to master it to have a better score in the examinations
and also to pursue higher studies.<br />
The importance of the subject of mathematics is that it cannot be
learned by memorizing it by heart. If you are learning a subject like
history or literature, then it is easy to memorize the lessons,
reproduce the things memorized in the examination hall, get enough marks
to promote to the next grade. You can safely forget about that
subject, because history is not going to help you lead a life unless you
want to choose to become a historian or an archeologist.<br />
But that is not case with maths. You cannot just memorize the
formulas of algebra, reproduce it in examination and get away. The
basics of mathematics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division needs to be understood thoroughly and will be of use during
your lifetime. Memorizing the nuances of mathematics and making use of
the same at times of necessity is next to impossible. One needs to
understand the concept thoroughly and apply thinking to solve the
problems of mathematics.<br />
Thinking, concentration, problem-solving and analytical abilities are
the pre-requisites for the game of chess as well. And the good thing
is that these good skills are taught in a fun way. Children enjoy the
game and as part of their play, they learn these good skills.<br />
Understanding the concepts, applying concentration, attention and
analyzing the various types of problems is what is required in
mathematics.<br />
Playing chess will not only help children perform better in
mathematics, but also teach very important and invaluable lessons to the
children. According to research, it has been found that playing chess
helps children to develop and enhance their:<br />
<ul>
<li> visual memory</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> attention span</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> spatial reasoning skills</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> capacity to anticipate events</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> capacity to predict events</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> ability to use analytical skills to make decisions, and</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> ability to evaluate alternatives.</li>
</ul>
Most of these things are used to learn and excel in the subject of
mathematics and also to face the problems with confidence and lead a
successful life.<br />
Now, teaching children the game of chess and encouraging them to play
the game with fun has become much easier, thanks to the advancement of
technology and the increased use of the Internet. <a href="http://www.chessxpress.com/">Online chess</a> helps children learn the game in a playful way with innumerable puzzles and tutorials.<br />
It is true that children would live to play a lot in their young age.
Involving in physical exercises, games, and sports activities make
their body stronger and healthier. If the game of chess is also taught
to the children, their brain would also be exercised and the children
will become a healthy one – both physically and mentally, filled with
confidence.</div>
SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-79270300260835323172013-10-18T07:42:00.003+08:002013-10-18T07:42:19.911+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="date">7</span><span class="time">6:53</span>PM +00:00 <br />
<hgroup><h1 class="heading size-1">
The month Senegal were better than France -- Remembering Metsu</h1>
</hgroup><div class="author">
<address>
Posted by <strong>Michael Cox </strong></address>
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<img border="0" src="http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2013/1017/soc_g_metsu01jr_576x324.jpg" width="440" /><cite>Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images</cite>Bruno Metsu and Senegal gained worldwide attention due to Les Lions' performances in the 2002 World Cup. </div>
As World Cups go, the 2002 edition was not a classic.
<br />
<br />A combination of stifling heat and a draining European club season
combined to leave the best players woefully out of form, with joint
favourites France and Argentina both departing at the group stage.
<br />
<br />There's nothing wrong with successful underdogs, of course -- but
there was a feeling that the quality throughout the competition was
particularly low. Turkey and South Korea both reached the semifinals, a
genuinely remarkable achievement for both -- but neither side will be
remembered particularly fondly by neutrals.
<br />
<br />Instead, the side who emerged from the tournament with their
reputation most enhanced was Bruno Metsu's Senegal. In fact, their
victory over France in the tournament's opening game was the most
memorable contest of the entire tournament, which both underlines the
disappointment of the latter stages and what an enormous shock it was
for Senegal to defeat the defending champions.
<br />
<br />France, of course, had won the World Cup on home soil in 1998, and
proved it wasn't a fluke by winning the European championship two years
later. Metsu, a Frenchman, considered them almost invincible.
<br />
<br />"They have the best team, made up of the best players," he told
World Soccer magazine before the start of the competition. "They are
really exceptional, and don’t seem to have any weaknesses. At the top,
most teams have one, two or three superb players, but France has a whole
team full of superb players. I honestly do not see who could beat
them."
<br />
<br />Many were speaking about Senegal as something like France's B team.
Patrick Vieira, of course, was a Senegalese-born midfielder who opted to
play for a significantly stronger France side -- and although not all
of Senegal's squad were eligible to represent France, 21 of the 23-man
squad played their football in Ligue 1, with the two reserve goalkeepers
the only exceptions.
<br />
<br />Metsu, despite his belief in France's strength, was insistent about
his side's quality. "People are saying we are like a French reserve
team. Listen, we have quality players, players who are good enough to
get into the full French squad." It seemed a particularly optimistic
observation.
<br />
<br />However, Senegal were a genuinely impressive outfit. Metsu took
charge when Senegal were winless in their qualification group, but they
went on a tremendous run of form to qualify ahead of Egypt, Algeria and
Morocco, considerably more experienced sides. They also reached the 2002
Africa Cup of Nations final, where they were defeated by Cameroon on
penalties. Still, some bookmakers had France as 4-1 favourites for the
World Cup, and Senegal 300-1 outsiders.
<br />
<br />Metsu had Senegal organised, but he also had them motivated and
confident. "Above all, I try to make the players feel as confident as
possible; I talk very little to them about their opponents, a little bit
at the beginning of the week of the match, then nothing other than to
point out their weaknesses," he said.
<br />
<br />The use of video footage was particularly prominent in his
preparation for the game against France. "There are coaches who
emphasize the opponents to such an extent that the players come onto the
pitch feeling frightened. I use videos a lot; before the opening match
against France, I showed the players all Le Bleus' weakness. I never
spoke of the qualities possessed by Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet or
Emmanuel Petit ... the players knew them already."
<br />
<br />Sure enough, there was a fearlessness about Senegal -- they were
tactically disciplined but clearly unafraid of France. Playing in a
defensive-minded, counterattacking 4-1-4-1 formation, Senegal were up
for the challenge.
<br />
<br />
<div class="mod-inline image full">
<img border="0" src="http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2013/1017/soc_g_diop_576x324.jpg" width="440" /><cite>Shaun Botterill/Getty Images</cite>Papa Bouba Diop's game-winning goal against France was arguably the biggest surprise of the 2002 World Cup. </div>
The
only goal was extremely scrappy -- Papa Bouba Diop firing in from on
his backside, after a mix-up in the French defence. "It wasn't a pretty
goal," admitted Metsu. Still, it was a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqGniuFzHSw" target="_blank">perfect demonstration</a> of three things Senegal did excellently.
<br />
<br />First, they won the ball quickly in midfield by pressing France.
Slightly lost without either Zinedine Zidane or Robert Pires through
injury, France were ponderous in possession, and were repeatedly forced
into quick turnovers because of the vigorous closing down from Diop,
Aliou Cisse and Salif Diao.
<br />
<br />Second, they transferred the ball forward quickly to El-Hadji Diouf
in the channels. Strange as it might seem today, Diouf was genuinely
magnificent at this point -- the reigning African Footballer of the
Year, he'd already been snapped up by Liverpool for 10 million pounds.
He spent the match roaming the channels, pulling the Chelsea pensioners
of Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf out of position, before attacking
in behind them. Desailly, Lebouef, Vieira and Petit were all forced into
fouls, while Diouf was flagged offside an incredible 12 times --
illustrating his strategy, even if it was a damning indictment of his
inability to time runs. Nevertheless, for long periods, it was Diouf
against France.
<br />
<br />Third, they got midfield runners into the box. Diouf was brilliant
with his movement out wide, but not consistently a goal threat, and Diop
provided the finish -- the first of his three goals in the competition.
<br />
<br />The players were fantastic, but Metsu -- with his relaxed demeanour
and his confident but measured postmatch comments -- attracted most
attention. Frankly, we were still trying to get our head around the two
Camaras, the two Diops and the three N'Diayes plus Daf, Diouf, Diao and
Diallo. With his distinctive Carles Puyol-esque hair on the sidelines,
Metsu was the symbol of Senegal.
<br />
<br />"It is like a dream -- not a miracle, though," he said.
<br />
<br />--
<br />
<br />Next up, Senegal faced Denmark, who had won their opening match
against Uruguay. This contest was played in midafternoon in Daegu, at 32
degrees Celsius -- such ridiculous conditions for a World Cup match
that the Danes had unsuccessfully appealed for the kickoff time to be
moved, fearing Senegal would acclimatise better.
<br />
<br />However, Denmark were the better side throughout the first half,
going ahead with a Jon Dahl Tomasson penalty. Senegal’s approach was
exactly the same as against France, with Diouf taking just two minutes
to be flagged offside, but they needed to be more proactive.
<br />
<br />Therefore, at halftime Metsu made a bold double substitution --
throwing on forwards Souleymane Camara and Henri Camara for winger
Moussa N’'Diaye and central midfielder Papa Sarr. Senegal switched from
4-1-4-1 to more of a 4-2-1-3, and dominated the second half.
<br />
<br />Their equaliser, scored by Salif Diao, was arguably the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3nRFNSEMq0" target="_blank">goal of the tournament</a>.
A 13-second counterattack took Senegal from a tackle in their
right-back zone to the opposition penalty area -- courtesy of two
first-time passes and a fine assist from Khalilou Fadiga. This time the
goal was beautiful, and again it summed up Senegal -- direct, powerful,
energetic and wonderfully cohesive.
<br />
<br />"In the second half, with three strikers, Senegal were very dangerous," admitted Danish coach Morten Olsen.
<br />
<br />Confidence was rising. Diao, later sent off, underlined the belief
throughout the Senegal squad. "We think all the time about the Cameroon
run in 1990 [to the quarterfinals], and anything is possible now," he
said. "The problem in Africa has been that we have not had the
discipline of European players. Now the Senegalese and many other
Africans are in Europe, and they have that mentality to play for a win,
that only victory counts."
<br />
<br />--
<br />
<br />Senegal's final group game was against Uruguay; a draw would see
them progress, a defeat would probably send them out. During the first
half, they produced probably their best spell of football under Metsu,
leading a decent Uruguayan side 3-0 at halftime thanks to a penalty from
Fadiga, and two from Diop, bursting forward from midfield yet again.
<br />
<br />At this point, Senegal were cruising through. But then,
astonishingly, Metsu's side managed to let a three-goal lead slip. A
double halftime substitution from his opposite number, Victor Pua, was
crucial -- substitutes Richard Morales and Diego Forlan both scored,
before Alvaro Recoba converted a penalty with two minutes remaining.
Suddenly, one more concession and Senegal were out.
<br />
<br />Amazingly, Morales contrived to miss a simple late header, and
Senegal progressed. A British journalist described it as "one of the
most dramatic games in World Cup history." Sadly, most of the world
didn't see this game -- they were instead glued to France’s match
against Denmark, wondering whether the reigning holders and
pretournament favourites would crash out at the opening stage. They did,
failing to score a goal in their three matches.
<br />
<br />"It is a historic day for Senegal -- it was engrossing, moving,
difficult and it was a fantastic spectacle," said Metsu. "I'm really
pleased to have made it to the last 16, and now we want to create a
wonderful story for African football."
<br />
<br />--
<br />
<br />The second-round match, against Sweden, was a slow-burning game lit
up with a couple of moments of brilliance from Henri Camara, who scored
both goals -- including a fine golden goal winner. In fact, this game
probably saw the best "golden goal" period in its brief usage in World
Cup football -- it was frantic, end-to-end stuff.
<br />
<br />Again Senegal rode their luck -- a superb spin-and-shot from Anders
Svensson was inches away from sealing Sweden's progression, but Senegal
fans would point out that Diop was denied his fourth goal of the
tournament because of a wrong offside flag earlier in the game.
<br />
<br />Now Senegal really believed in their chances. Diouf, in particular,
had an interesting message. "Today we are representing Senegal, Africa,
but also France," he said. For Metsu, who had rarely distinguished
himself in his home country but now found himself as France's only
representative in the competition, that was particularly true.
<br />
<br />--
<br />
<br />Then came the quarterfinal against Turkey. This was as far as an
African side had ever gone in the World Cup, and Senegal were being
spoken of as a genuine World Cup winner, given the exits of many major
contenders.
<br />
<br />Unfortunately, their performance at this stage was extremely poor.
There was one near-miss, after 17 minutes when Camara somehow managed to
block a goal-bound shot from an offside position, but while Turkey took
until extra time to score, with Ilhan Mansiz's fine strike, they fully
deserved the victory.
<br />
<br />The strange feature of the game was Metsu's insistence upon keeping
his starting XI on the pitch for the duration, even into extra time.
<br />
<br />In a tournament played at extraordinarily high temperatures, with
games coming thick and fast, and considering his excellent use of the
bench previously, it was a peculiar decision, and remains something of a
mystery. There was a surprising level of criticism for the performance
in the Senegalese press, but one player pointedly hit back. "In ten
years' time, they will look back on this as the golden age of Senegalese
football," he said.
<br />
<br />Later, Metsu would hint that his squad became overconfident,
believing in their own hype too much. "Ahead of our quarter-final
against Turkey, the press started to talk about us reaching the semis,
which perhaps indirectly affected our determination," he told FIFA.com a
decade later. That element of complacency was certainly glimpsed
against Uruguay in the group stage.
<br />
<br />Senegal were out, but their achievement in reaching the quarterfinal
was rightly celebrated. They'd equalled the best ever achievement by an
African side, and had recorded arguably the greatest one-off shock in
World Cup history with the win over France.
<br />
<br />"Yes, we lost to Turkey, but if we made any mistakes they were down
to the errors of youth and over-enthusiasm," said Metsu after the
defeat. "I take my hat off to the players, not just as players but as
men. They are marvellous men and it is no wonder everyone has fallen in
love with them."
<br />
<br />--
<br />
<br />The tournament seemed to signal the emergence of Senegal as a
genuine international force, and introduced a raft of talented
footballers set to have a major impact at club level. Yet neither has
occurred -- Senegal haven't qualified for a World Cup since, and while
no fewer than 11 footballers from the 2002 squad ended up joining
Premier League clubs, few were genuinely successful. It demonstrates
what a magnificent job Metsu performed with, in hindsight, a relatively
limited group.
<br />
<br />Perhaps the key to Metsu's success was how totally he embraced his
new country -- he later married a Senegalese woman and converted to
Islam, changing his name to Abdullah Metsu.
<br />
<br />"I've seen a number of European coaches and even Frenchmen fail in
Qatar, the UAE or Africa because they arrive very sure of themselves and
want to apply principles imported from Europe," he once said. "It
doesn't work. We should not forget that we are brought in to serve the
players, to take their environment and habits into account in order to
increase efficiency on the pitch."
<br />
<br />He spent the remainder of his career in the Middle East, winning the
AFC Champions League in 2003, and the Gulf Cup of Nations with the UAE
in 2007. Nevertheless, he was forever linked to Senegal, and was linked
with a return to their managerial role in 2012.
<br />
<br />He was diagnosed with cancer last year. "I have learned a lot about
myself and family values," he told L'Equipe in July. "Today, I can watch
my children grow up and I have had nine months of happiness at their
side and it's so much better than football." He also spoke of taking
great inspiration from the story of Eric Abidal.
<br />
<br />He died earlier this week, at just 59. Perhaps the most telling
tribute came from one of the 2002 heroes, Souleymane Camara. "More than a
coach, he was a big brother to us," he said. "What I liked about him
above all was that when we needed to work, we worked, but when we needed
to have fun, we had fun too." At the 2002 World Cup, Metsu’s Senegal
provided the fun. </div>
SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-19370061132009139102013-10-15T19:25:00.001+08:002013-10-15T19:25:49.573+08:00Haj enters final stage with stoning ritual | Business Standard<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/haj-enters-final-stage-with-stoning-ritual-113101500544_1.html#.Ul0jhcW2nzo.blogger">Haj enters final stage with stoning ritual | Business Standard</a><br />
<br />
<br />
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It been a year today Missed the </div>
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<strong>
Press Trust of India |
Jeddah </strong>
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<strong content="2013-10-15" itemprop="datePublished">October 15, 2013</strong>
Last Updated at 16:21 IST </div>
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<h1 itemprop="headline" style="color: #1c3c65;">
Haj enters final stage with stoning ritual</h1>
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Over a million Muslims, including
more than a lakh Indians, today participated in the symbolic stoning of
the devil in Mina Valley of <a class="storyTags" href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Saudi+Arabia" target="_blank">Saudi Arabia</a>, the final stage of the annual Haj pilgrimage.
<br /><br /> The pilgrims converged in Mina Valley to hurl stones at
concrete pillars representing the devil. The ritual began early this
morning and sizeable numbers of pilgrims, wearing the ihram or two-piece
seamless white garment, participated throughout the day.
<br /><br /> The ritual is meant to mirror Ibrahim's stoning of the devil
when he appeared to try to dissuade the prophet from obeying God's order
to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated to commemorate
the bravery of Ibrahim.
<br /><br /> After offering prayers at Mount Arafat yesterday, pilgrims
travelled to nearby Muzdalifa to collect stones for the ritual in Mina
Valley, located on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca.
<br /><br /> Early this morning, they began assembling in Mina for the
stoning ritual, which has been marred in the past by stampedes and fires
in tent camps.
<br /><br /> To overcome these problems, Saudi authorities have expanded the
stoning area to accommodate more pilgrims and fire-proofed the tents.
<br /><br /> About 1.5 million pilgrims are performing the Haj this year.
Some 100,200 Indians are among 1.38 million Muslims from 188 countries
who have converged in Saudi Arabia.
<br /><br /> The total figure is almost half the 3.2 million, including 1.75
million foreigners from 190 countries, who performed the pilgrimage to
Mecca, Islam's holiest site, last year.
<br /><br /> Saudi Arabia reduced the number of foreign pilgrims by 21 per
cent this year and cut permits for domestic pilgrims by over 50 per cent
over fears linked to the MERS respiratory virus and due to projects to
expand the capacity of the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
<br /><br /> Even as the Haj entered its final stage, Muslims in some
countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and the tribal belt of
Pakistan, celebrated Eid-ul-Azha.</div>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-2748197013899661232013-10-10T15:32:00.001+08:002013-10-10T15:32:14.078+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Think you’re about to be fired? Here’s how to stay three moves ahead of your employer</h1>
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<span class="npAuthor"><a href="http://business.financialpost.com/author/howardlevitt/" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name">Howard Levitt</span></a></span><span class="npDateline"> | Published: <span content="2013-10-07T21:58:12+00:00" itemprop="datePublished" property="dc:created">07/10/13</span></span><br /><span class="npAuthorLinks"><a href="http://business.financialpost.com/author/howardlevitt/">More from Howard Levitt</a></span></div>
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When is employment law like a chess match? When you have to think three moves ahead.<br />
That’s typically the advice for executives who, though they have not
been terminated either expect to be, or believe they have been
constructively dismissed.<br />
How the employee reacts to these situations can make the difference
between checkmate and stalemate. If you are still working, you have
definite advantages, including access to people and information.<br />
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Related</h4>
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<li><a href="http://business.financialpost.com/2013/09/24/workplace-racism-allegations-should-be-taken-seriously-but-dont-presume-guilt/">Workplace racism allegations should be taken seriously but don’t presume guilt</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
Here are some tips to help you make the right moves:<br />
<strong>Don’t jump to conclusions</strong> Too many senior employees
draw unwarranted conclusions. For example, employees who are transferred
or provided new responsibilities often feel shunted aside — their
previous contributions and service disregarded. Yet, the employer may,
instead, be placing great faith in the employee, giving them new or
additional responsibilities.<br />
If you are in this situation don’t immediately resign, instead sit
down with your employer and discuss the reasons for the changes and what
might lie ahead. If the explanation is acceptable, then the employment
relationship has been repaired and any misapprehensions eliminated.<br />
If it turns out it is a demotion, then you know where you stand and
you have a stronger constructive dismissal case. At the very least, this
dialogue prevents the employer concocting a less culpable explanation
later.<br />
<strong>Retain relevant documents</strong> If you are still
working but feel your dismissal is pending, use the opportunity
to discreetly take home copies of relevant memoranda or financial
information to rebut any allegations your employer may make against you.<br />
When I proffer this advice, some say, technically accurately, “If it
is relevant the employer must produce it in the litigation process.”<br />
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Without
casting aspersions on employers, most of whom obey the rules, evidence
can be deleted inadvertently, innocently overwritten, lost through
normal business processes or simply not located given the volume of
electronic and paper transactions. If there is a large volume of
material, it should be done discreetly over a few days. I don’t
recommend emailing such information to your house (or lawyer’s office)
because that can easily be detected. And be careful that the information
you take home is not used for any other purposes. If it is, for
example, used for competitive purposes it constitutes cause for
dismissal and would be fatal to any claim for wrongful or constructive
dismissal.<br />
<strong>Record important meetings</strong> Although I rarely
recommend this, it is not illegal to record a meeting or telephone
call in which you participate. It is sometimes useful to record an
important call or meeting. With smartphones, the technology is readily
available and raises no suspicion. How and when to use such evidence is
up to your lawyer. If litigation ensues the recording must be produced.<br />
<strong> Put nothing in writing without your legal advisor’s input</strong>
Where the employee’s feelings have been hurt, there is an inclination
to lash out and write seething denunciations of the employer’s actions.
Although cathartic, it may seal the employee’s fate and the judge’s
potential sympathy. Harsh words can cause irreparable harm to the
relationship and provoke your dismissal when that had not been the
employer’s intention.<br />
Above all, do not resign. If you have correctly adduced the employer’s intention, why forfeit the severance pay?</div>
</div>
</div>
SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-74160702378869681862013-09-21T06:50:00.001+08:002013-09-21T06:50:10.969+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Avoid These 3 Business Errors (They Weaken The Strongest Brands)</h1>
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In
business, every move you make speaks volumes about your brand. At its
core, a brand is a promise. Never let customers lose trust in that
promise.<br />
During my career so far, I’ve seen people repeat the same
counter-productive business moves. These mistakes give your competition a
leg up and make you look like a novice.<br />
Lean in, because you never want to make these errors:<span id="more-3597"></span>
<br />
<strong>1. Don’t Be A Copycat</strong><br /> It’s great to take good
ideas and build on them, adapt them or simplify them. But if you
flat-out copy what your competition does, it tells customers you don’t
know what you’re doing.<br />
Your customers aren’t stupid. They notice these things.<br />
Copying also makes your customers question the <em>authenticity</em> of your brand. If you’re a true leader in your industry, let your passion and expertise speak for itself.<br />
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<span class="advoice"><span class="brandvoice">NetApp</span>Voice: </span>
Disrupt Or Be Disrupted! 5 Innovations Shaping Tomorrow's Business
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<strong>Annalisa Camarillo</strong>
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Formula 1 Goes Further, Faster; Making Fans Happy
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<strong>Richi Jennings</strong>
<span class="desc">@NetApp</span>
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<span class="advoice"><span class="brandvoice">NetApp</span>Voice: </span>
Time Is More Than Just Money For The Denver Broncos
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SSD Flash Storage Is Transforming Tomorrow's Business
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</aside>I was struck by this powerful sound-bite from <a href="http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-04-19/business/35452535_1_radio-stations-brand-strategy-second-station" rel="nofollow">Susan Waldman</a>’s Washington Post column:<br />
<div align="center">
<strong><em>“Become the leader in serving your purpose—not a follower in serving someone else’s.”</em></strong></div>
Ironically, the biggest danger of copycat marketing is the risk of
perpetuating failed tactics. The competitor you’re copying may be
experimenting at your expense. They’ll be learning from their mistakes, <em>but you won’t be</em>.<br />
<strong>2. Never Give Your Competition Publicity</strong><br /> Almost all publicity is good publicity. Or, as Oscar Wilde put it:<br />
<div align="center">
<strong><em>“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”</em></strong></div>
And the best kind of publicity is <em>free</em> publicity. Think
about it: You invest time and money on creating precious mindshare for
your brand. So why would you want to give that away for free to your
competitors?<br />
This is another example of telling your customer that you don’t know what you’re doing.<br />
In their book, <em><a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780066620305" rel="nofollow">The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing</a></em>, Al Ries and Jack Trout say it’s not important to be the first in the market, but it <em>is</em> important to be first in the mind of consumers (Law #3: <em>The law of the mind</em>).<br />
When you spend time talking about a competitor, you’re donating your mindshare to them. <em>Don’t do it.</em><br />
<strong>3. Stop Using Outdated, In-Your-Face Tactics</strong><br /> I
love the schoolyard taunt, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but
words will never hurt me.” It’s a cliché that still holds true today.<br />
What you <em>say</em> about your competitor will never hurt them. Why? Because you’re the “competitor’s competitor.” So everyone knows you’re biased!<br />
If you’re a true leader in your industry, let your business prowess speak for itself.<br />
Bashing your competitors also says you’re defeated and you’ve resorted to bullying. <em>Not a good look.</em><br />
<strong>What <em>Should</em> You Do? Cultivate Brand Authenticity!</strong><br /> Think about it: The most credible voice for your brand is your customers. Focus your attention on giving them the stage.<br />
What I’ve always tried to master is enchanting my customers. I’ve
found that what most enchants a customer is the authenticity of your
brand. <strong></strong><br />
But you’ll kill any chance to be authentic if you make any of those three mistakes.<br />
<strong>The Bottom Line<br /> </strong>Your competition will always try
different tactics to beat you. The worst thing you can do is to get
distracted or intimidated by it—and let them win.<br />
Let them be the ones making these mistakes—not you.<br />
<em>What lessons would you add? <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/netapp/2013/09/06/avoid-3-mistakes/#comment_reply" title="jump to comments">Weigh in with a comment</a> below…</em><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<em>By <a href="https://plus.google.com/102371390204861394818?rel=author" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Annalisa Camarillo</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/lisaanna73" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@lisaanna73</a>)</em><br /> <em>Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/workflo/6788971416/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Florent Darrault</a> (cc:by-sa)</em></div>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-20723687674952501852013-09-19T01:42:00.003+08:002013-09-19T01:42:37.971+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Checkmates: how artists fell in love with chess</h1>
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Knights, monarchs and pseudo-sacrifice – it's no wonder artists from Marcel Duchamp to Tracey Emin have been fascinated by chess, as a new exhibition shows</div>
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<a class="mask" href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2012/9/6/1346946221692/The-Art-of-Chess-Saatchi--001.jpg" id="show-big-picture-link" itemprop="contentUrl representativeOfPage" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; clear: left; color: #005689; display: block; float: left !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="View larger picture"><img alt="The Art of Chess, Saatchi Gallery" data-pin-description="Detail of Yayoi Kusama's Pumpkin Chess in The Art of Chess. Photograph: Saatchi Gallery. Click for full image" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2012/9/6/1346946232894/The-Art-of-Chess-Saatchi--009.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="460" /><img alt="View larger picture" class="mask" height="83" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/static/0a930815902f7af4cfe6298996b16ceae51be162/common/images/magnifying-glass-mask.png" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; bottom: 0px; left: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 0px; top: auto; vertical-align: bottom;" width="83" /></a><div class="caption" itemprop="caption" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #666666; display: block; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Detail of Yayoi Kusama's Pumpkin Chess in The Art of Chess. Photograph: Saatchi Gallery. Click for full image</div>
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<a href="http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/current/the-art-of-chess.htm" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">The Art of Chess</a>, which opens at London's Saatchi Gallery on Saturday, features<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/chess" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Chess">chess</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>sets designed by artists such as<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/emin" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Tracey Emin">Tracey Emin</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2004/jun/23/art" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Maurizio Cattelan</a>. The American artist<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/nov/11/paul-mccarthy-artist" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Paul McCarthy</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>has made a chess set from stuff he found in his kitchen.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.timnobleandsuewebster.com/" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Tim Noble and Sue Webster</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>have made one out of dead animals, with a tree stump as a chess board.</div>
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Why does this particular game have such a strong appeal for artists? The second-greatest artist of the 20th century,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.marcelduchamp.net/news.php?id=718" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Marcel Duchamp</a>, officially retired from art to become a competitive chess player, the first greatest,<a href="http://www.pablopicasso.org/bull-fight.jsp" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Picasso, preferred bullfighting</a>).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.chess.com/forum/view/endgames/marcel-duchamps-problem" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Duchamp wrote a book about chess endgames</a>. He can be seen playing chess in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=91485" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">René Clair's film Entr'acte</a>.</div>
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It is not just artists who adore chess.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://samuel-beckett.net/endgame.html" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Samuel Beckett's play Endgame</a>takes its title from the same chess problems that fascinated Duchamp.<a href="http://www.satyajitray.org/films/shatran.htm" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Satyajit Ray's film The Chess Players</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>uses chess to dramatise a moment in history on the eve of the Indian Mutiny in the 19th century. This is a game that pervades world culture.</div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chess" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Chess originates in India</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>where a version of it was being played before the 6th century AD; within a few hundred years it spread to Europe. It is a game that creates an imaginative world, with powerful "characters": this must be why artists were inspired to create designer chess sets long before modern times. In the British Museum you can see<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/i/ivory_chess_pieces.aspx" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">ornately carved chess pieces from 7th century Samarkand</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>as well as the famous<a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_mla/t/the_lewis_chessmen.aspx" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">medieval Lewis Chessmen</a>.</div>
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Let's not forget the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Wizard%E2%80%99s_Chess" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">magical wizard chess game</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, either.</div>
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The modern chess sets in The Art of Chess are just the latest examples of this great game's perennial appeal to the imagination that has inspired everyone<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.beautifullife.info/industrial-design/top-15-original-chess-sets/" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">from medieval craftsmen to Yayoi Kusama</a>.</div>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-25287078285283122042013-09-16T08:23:00.001+08:002013-09-16T08:23:33.052+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Boy wonder Wei Yi shows grandmasters the Chinese way at World Cup</h1>
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3320 Mark Hebden v Keith Arkell, British championship 2013. Two old rivals met in a tight contest. How did White (to play) score the point? Photograph: Graphic</div>
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Wei Yi, aged 14, stole the early show in the current World Cup at Tromso when he knocked out two eminent grandmasters and gave China its best prospect yet. The boy is already the youngest GM in the world and the fourth youngest of all time.</div>
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Beijing has long hankered to match its dominance in women's <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/chess" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Chess">chess</a> with a similar rise in the men's game but until now its best GMs have stalled at the top 20-50 level. Now China will pour financial and technical resources into ensuring that the fast improving Wei Yi fulfils his potential.</div>
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More generally the early World Cup games showed that Russia and Ukraine possess elite GM strength in depth which other nations can only dream of. The round of the last 32 had 17 GMs from Russia/Ukraine and five of these reached Saturday's quarter-finals.</div>
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Vladimir Malakhov, 32, who abandoned a career in nuclear physics to become a chess pro, will remember Tromso with horror. He was short of time but crushing the No2 seed, Fabiano Caruana, and could have mated by a queen-rook crossboard checking sequence so simple that it is taught to children as 'The Lawnmower'. Malakhov missed it. Two moves on he could have won Caruana's queen for nothing by a couple of obvious checks. Malakhov missed that, too.</div>
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The quarter-finals this weekend will offer free and live online coverage at worldcup2013.liveschach.net, where a single page shows all four games, Houdini computer analysis and live video commentary by Nigel Short.</div>
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The US champion, Gata Kamsky, played a fine attack below, though his 18 f5! sacrifice was good for only a draw until Black weakened by 23...Kg7? (Qb6) and 26...Bd6? (Be7). White's final rook offer leads to gxh5 31 Rf6+ Kg7 32 Rg6+ Kh7 33 Qg7 mate or Kxh5 31 Qg7! Rh8 32 Qxg6+ Kh4 33 Rf5 and mates.</div>
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<strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Gata Kamsky v Shak Mamedyarov</strong></div>
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<strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1 </strong>e4 c5 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">2 </strong>Nf3 e6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">3 </strong>d4 cxd4 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">4 </strong>Nxd4 Nc6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">5 </strong>Nc3 Qc7 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">6 </strong>f4 d6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">7 </strong>Be3 Nf6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">8</strong>Qf3 a6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">9 </strong>Bd3 Be7 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">10 </strong>O-O O-O <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">11 </strong>Kh1 Bd7 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">12 </strong>Rae1 b5 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">13 </strong>a3 Rab8 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">14</strong>Nxc6 Bxc6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">15 </strong>Qh3 Rfd8 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">16 </strong>Bd2 d5 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">17 </strong>e5 Ne4 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">18 </strong>f5! Nxd2 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">19 </strong>fxe6 Ne4<strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">20 </strong>exf7+ Kh8 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">21 </strong>Nxd5 Bxd5 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">22 </strong>Rxe4 g6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">23 </strong>Ref4 Kg7? <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">24 </strong>e6 Rf8 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">25 </strong>Qe3 Bc5 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">26 </strong>Qe1 Bd6? <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">27 </strong>Rh4 Be7 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">28 </strong>Qe3 h5 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">29 </strong>Qd4+ Kh6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">30 </strong>Rxh5+! <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1-0</strong></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">
One of the fastest wins, where Black's 18...Rad8? (Bxf3!) allowed the decisive 21 Bd5!</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Pavel Eljanov v Sergey Karjakin</strong></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1 </strong>Nf3 Nf6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">2 </strong>c4 b6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">3 </strong>g3 c5 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">4 </strong>Bg2 Bb7 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">5 </strong>O-O g6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">6 </strong>Nc3 Bg7 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">7 </strong>d4 cxd4 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">8</strong>Qxd4 d6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">9 </strong>b3 Nbd7 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">10 </strong>Bb2 O-O <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">11 </strong>Rfd1 Ne4 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">12</strong> Qe3 Nxc3 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">13 </strong>Bxc3 Bxc3<strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">14 </strong>Qxc3 Qc7 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">15 </strong>Qe3 Nf6 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">16 </strong>Rd4 h5 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">17 </strong>Qh6 Qc5 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">18 </strong>Rad1 Rad8? <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">19</strong>Ng5! e5 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">20 </strong>Bxb7 exd4 <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">21 </strong>Bd5! <strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1-0</strong></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">3320</strong> 1 Nd6+ Kg5 2 Nf7+ Kf5 3 g4 mate.</div>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-35328932935546895852013-09-16T08:19:00.001+08:002013-09-16T08:19:09.019+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand start world title mind games</h1>
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<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span itemprop="name" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="contributor" href="http://www.theguardian.com/profile/leonardbarden" itemprop="url" rel="author" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Leonard Barden</a></span></span></div>
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<li class="publication" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian" itemprop="publisher" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">The Guardian</a>, <time datetime="2013-09-13T22:55BST" itemprop="datePublished" pubdate="" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Friday 13 September 2013 22.55 BST</time></li>
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<img alt="Chess 3323" data-pin-description="3323: Hikaru Nakamura v Levon Aronian, Sinquefield Cup 2013. The world No2 as Black can play either Qc6 or Qb5. Which was his losing blunder and why?" height="460" itemprop="contentUrl representativeOfPage" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2013/9/13/1379096371763/Chess-3323-001.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="460" /><div class="caption" itemprop="caption" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
3323: Hikaru Nakamura v Levon Aronian, Sinquefield Cup 2013. The world No2 as Black can play either Qc6 or Qb5. Which was his losing blunder and why?</div>
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<strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong>The Vishy Anand v <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/magnus-carlsen" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Magnus Carlsen">Magnus Carlsen</a> world title match is still almost two months away but its mind games are already in full swing.</div>
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Two defining parameters are the venue, Anand's home city Chennai, and the match length of 12 games, half that of the historic Bobby Fischer v Boris Spassky series of 1972. Carlsen is a hot favourite, 2-5 on in the betting market, but he fears the Indian climate and food. So the match contract has a clause, well-known in the 24-game matches of half a century ago but long since discarded, that either player can ask for a two-day sickness break.</div>
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A few weeks ago the Norwegian team, including Carlsen's personal cook, visited Chennai to inspect the venue and facilities. Anand was pointedly absent and has gone into purdah while he prepares, communicating with interviewers only by email.</div>
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Carlsen got a warm welcome including one from 2000 screaming girl fans, but the Indians had also prepared a trap, one used by the Soviet Union in the 1930s and by England in the 1970s for top foreign grandmasters. The world No1 was asked to play a simultaneous match against 20 children, who all turned out to be national champions and world youth prizewinners. India is a top nation in junior <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/chess" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Chess">chess</a>, as were the USSR and England in the old days, and Carlsen won only 10 games, conceding six draws and four defeats.</div>
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Generally, though, Indian expectations for the result are low. The respected GM commentator Praveen Thipsay wrote last week that Anand's best results are in attack and against opponents with logical and strategic styles. He does worse against street fighters like Carlsen and Garry Kasparov who are at home in unclear, tactically driven positions.</div>
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A new analysis claims that Anand's chances, based on his 90-point inferior rating, are less than 10% but that only around four of the 12 games will have a decisive result. This suggests that Anand's strategy will be a high draw count with the hope that he can sneak a vital win by a home-brewed opening bomb or a Carlsen blunder. If they reach 6-6 and speed tie-breaks, Anand's chances improve because he used to be the world's best at rapid chess.</div>
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Carlsen is well aware of the danger and is likely to accentuate one of his own favourite techniques, very long games which he wins by stamina against a tired opponent.</div>
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Before the current Sinquefield Cup in St Louis Carlsen visited the local Webster University, which boasts the world's best college chess team. However, he spent his time there playing soccer and basketball, demonstrating his physical fitness and having it all recorded in photos which Anand would be sure to see on the internet. The subliminal message was that Carlsen, 21 years the younger, will be happy to grind on for 80, 100, even 150 moves when they meet at Chennai.</div>
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The Sinquefield Cup, Carlsen's last warm-up before his title challenge, has its final two rounds this weekend. You can watch it free and live online starting 7pm Saturday and 5pm Sunday.</div>
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<strong style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">3323</strong> If Qc6 Nakamura would have offered a draw. The game went 1...Qb5?? 2 Qxb5 axb5 3 Nd7 winning rook for knight since if Rfe8 4 Nf6+.</div>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-75541383881100501772013-09-12T06:47:00.000+08:002013-09-12T06:47:33.116+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="mod-article-title" data-url="http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1549875/former-manchester-united-boss-sir-alex-ferguson-reveals-secrets-success">
<div class="headline">
<h1 class="h2">
Ferguson reveals secrets of success</h1>
<div class="date">
September 11, 2013</div>
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<div class="subhead">
<span class="blogs page-actions">
<cite class="source">
By <author>Richard Jolly</author></cite>
</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has outlined eight key
principles that underpinned his successful managerial career.<br />
<br />
• <strong><a href="http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1548882/ferguson-granted-freedom-trafford">Freedom of Trafford for Fergie</a></strong><br />• <a href="http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1517451/alex-ferguson"><strong>Greatest Managers: Sir Alex Ferguson</strong></a><br />
<br />
Ferguson, who retired in the summer after winning 49 trophies, revealed
the theories behind his management in interviews with the Harvard
Business School.<br />
<br />
Ferguson’s blueprint is published in <a href="http://hbr.org/2013/10/fergusons-formula/" target="_blank">October’s Harvard Business Review</a>, and his eight core beliefs are:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Start with the foundation</b><br />
<br />
Ferguson: “From the moment I got to Manchester United, I thought of only
one thing: building a football club. I wanted to build right from the
bottom.”<br />
<br />
<b>2. Dare to rebuild your team</b><br />
<br />
Ferguson: “I believe that the cycle of a successful team lasts maybe
four years and then some change is needed. So we tried to visualise the
team three or four years ahead and make decisions accordingly. Because I
was at United for such a long time, I could afford to plan ahead.”<br />
<br />
<b>3. Set high standards and hold everyone to them</b><br />
<br />
Ferguson: “Everything we did was about maintaining the standards we had
set as a football club -- this applied to all my team building, my team
preparation, motivational talks and tactical talks. I expected even more
from the star players [than the rest].”<br />
<br />
<b>4. Never, ever cede control</b><br />
<br />
Ferguson: “I wasn't going to allow anyone to be stronger than I was. If
the day came that the manager of Manchester United was controlled by the
players -- if the players decided how the training should be, what days
they should have off, what the discipline should be and what the
tactics should be -- then Manchester United would not be the Manchester
United we know. “<br />
<br />
<b>5. Match the message to the moment</b><br />
<br />
Ferguson: “No one likes to be criticised. Most respond to encouragement.
At the same time, you need to point out mistakes. You play different
roles at different times. Sometimes you have to be a doctor, or a
teacher, or a father.”<br />
<br />
<b>5. Prepare to win</b><br />
<br />
Ferguson: “Winning is in my nature. There is no other option for me. I
am a risk taker and you can see that in how we played in the late stages
of matches. All my teams had perseverance -- they never gave in. It's a
fantastic characteristic to have.”<br />
<br />
<b>7. Rely on the power of observation</b><br />
<br />
Ferguson: “My presence and ability to supervise were always there and
what you can pick up by watching is incredibly valuable. Sometimes I
could even tell that a player was injured when he thought he was fine.”<br />
<br />
<b>8. Never stop adapting.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Ferguson: “When I started, there were no agents and, although games were
televised, the media did not elevate players to the level of film stars
and constantly look for new stories about them. Players have led more
sheltered lives, so they are much more fragile than players were 25
years ago.”</div>
SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-87944572272308353692013-09-08T10:12:00.001+08:002013-09-08T10:12:23.586+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h1 style="color: #1e1e1e; font-size: 2.4em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.16em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px;">
Michael Adams victorious in Dortmund</h1>
<h2 style="color: #404040; font-size: 1.6em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;">
Malcolm Pein hails a brilliant tournament win for England's number one</h2>
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By<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/chess/malcolmpein/" rel="author" style="color: #234b7b; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Malcolm Pein">Malcolm Pein</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span>Chess correspondent</span></div>
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4:45PM BST 05 Aug 2013</div>
<div class="comments" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 0px -418px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; color: #3f3f3f; display: block; float: left; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; height: 16px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 10px 0px 0px; width: 460px;">
<img alt="Comments" src="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/template/ver1-0/i/share/comments.gif" style="border: 0px; display: block; float: left; margin-right: 5px; overflow: hidden;" /><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/chess/10223781/Michael-Adams-victorious-in-Dortmund.html#disqus_thread" style="color: #234b7b; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">1 Comment</a></div>
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<div id="mainBodyArea">
<div class="firstPar">
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.48em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.7em;">
The England number one, Michael Adams, neatly channelled his last-round game against Vladimir Kramnik to a draw and secured the half point he needed to win the Dortmund Sparkassen tournament with an unbeaten 7/9. This was one of Adams’s finest career moments and the most outstanding tournament performance by an English player in recent memory. Adams ended half a point ahead of Kramnik, for whom Dortmund is almost a second home. The 14th world champion has won the event no less than 10 times, but he was denied by Adams, who pulled out a string of victories over elite players.</div>
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M. Adams - V. Kramnik<br /><strong>1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 Bg7 7.Qb3 Nb6 8.a4! d6<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong>(8...a5 9.d5 threatening Be3)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>9.a5 Be6</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(9...N6d7 10.Ng5 e6 11.a6! with all kinds of nasty tricks: 11...bxa6 12.Qf3; 11...Nxa6 12.Bxa6 bxa6 13.Qf3; 11...Qb6 12.Qxb6 axb6 13.Na3 bxa6 14.Nb5)<strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>10.Qb5+ Bd7 11.Qb3 Be6 12.Qb5+ Bd7 13.Qb3</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(White has some initiative after 13.Qd3 Nd5 14.Qb3 Bc6 15.Bc4 e6 16.0–0 0–0 17.Bg5 but a draw secured first prize)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>13...Be6 14.Qb5+ Bd7 draw</strong></div>
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<img height="285" name="5aug1" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02636/5aug1_2636036a.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline; overflow: hidden;" width="276" /></div>
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At the British Championships, David Howell took a half-point lead over the field by defeating Peter Wells to reach 5.5/6. His round three win was over a former British winner:</div>
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C. Ward - D. Howell<br />Nimzo Indian<br /><strong>1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0–0 5.e4 d6 6.e5 dxe5 7.dxe5 Ng4 8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.Qxc3 Nc6 10.Nf3 f6 11.exf6 Nxf6 12.Be3 e5 13.Rd1 Qe8 14.Be2 Bg4 15.h3 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Nd4 17.Rxd4 exd4 18.Qxd4 c6 19.0–0 Qe7 20.b4 Rfd8 21.Qc5</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(21.Qc3!?)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>21...Qxc5 22.Bxc5 Rd3 23.b5 Nd7 24.Bb4 a5! 25.bxa6 Rxa6 26.c5 Rdxa3!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong>(The c5 pawn will fall and the endgame is a technical win)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>27.Be2 R3a4 28.Bc3?! Ra8 29.Rd1 Nxc5 0–1</strong></div>
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J. Friedland - T. Thorpe<br /><strong>1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 Nbd7?! 6.Be2 0–0 7.Qd2 Re8? 8.h3 b6??</strong></div>
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<img height="285" name="5aug2" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02636/5aug2_2636035a.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline; overflow: hidden;" width="276" /></div>
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White to play and win</div>
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<strong><i>Answer:</i></strong><br /><strong>9.e5 dxe5 10.dxe5 Nh5 11.g4 Bb7</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(The knight is trapped)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>12.gxh5 Nxe5 13.Qe3 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 Nc4 15.Qc1 Ne5 16.Bg2 Rb8 17.0–0 gxh5 18.Rd1 Qc8 19.Nd5 1–0</strong></div>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-36001594857877812432013-09-08T10:08:00.001+08:002013-09-08T10:08:18.563+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h1 style="color: #1e1e1e; font-size: 2.4em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.16em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px;">
Kramnik crowned king</h1>
<h2 style="color: #404040; font-size: 1.6em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;">
Vladimir Kramnik wins the FIDE World Cup final at Tromso</h2>
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By<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/chess/malcolmpein/" rel="author" style="color: #234b7b; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Malcolm Pein">Malcolm Pein</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span>Chess correspondent</span></div>
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3:56PM BST 04 Sep 2013</div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.48em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.7em;">
Vladimir Kramnik won the FIDE World Cup, completing victory over Dmitry Andreikin with a draw in the fourth game of the final at Tromso. Kramnik prevailed 2.5-1.5.</div>
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Kramnik only played the World Cup because he was forced to by FIDE. He had already qualified for the 2014 WCC Candidates on rating.</div>
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Under the circumstances, and given that the knockout system with no rest days is entirely unsuited to a relative veteran, one might have expected a lack of motivation, but Kramnik demonstrated that he is a class above much of the world’s elite.</div>
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<img height="292" name="5sep1" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02661/5sep1_2661580a.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline; overflow: hidden;" width="276" /></div>
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Position after 34.gxf5; one possibility is 34...Nc5 with a mighty passed pawn and Nd3 to follow</div>
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<strong>D. Andreikin - V. Kramnik</strong><br />Symmetrical English</div>
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<strong>1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.a3 b6 6.d3 Bb7 7.Bd2 Nf6 8.Nh3</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(Leaving the g2–b7 diagonal open so that b2–b4 may be played in one move)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>8...0–0 9.0–0 e6 10.b4 d6 11.b5 Na5 12.e4 d5 13.cxd5 exd5 14.e5 Ne8 15.f4 Nc7 16.Rb1 f6 17.exf6 Qxf6</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(Black is at least equal with a pawn centre and activity. Only the Na5 is a problem)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>18.Ne2 Rae8 19.g4!? d4 20.Ng3 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Nd5 22.f5 Qe5 23.Nf4 c4 24.Qf3 Ne3+ 25.Bxe3 dxe3 26.d4?! Qd6!? 27.Ne4?! Qxd4 28.Ng5 e2</strong>(28...Qd2+ 29.Qe2 gxf5 is also winning and 29.Ne2 gxf5 30.Rbd1 fxg4! 31.Qxg4 Rxf1 32.Rxd2 exd2 33.Ne6 Rf7 is easy to calculate for a computer. Kramnik’s move is the human choice, simplifying while retaining the advantage)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>29.Nxe2 Qd2 30.Ne4 Qc2 31.N4g3 Nb3 32.Rbd1 Kh8 33.Qf2 gxf5 34.gxf5 draw</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(See board above).</div>
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A terrible blunder produced this miniature from the 14th Karpov Poikovsky in Siberia. I have said it before and I’ll say it again; loose pieces drop off!</div>
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<strong>I. Cheparinov – E. Inarkiev</strong></div>
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<strong>1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 c5 6.0–0 cxd4 7.Qxd4 Nc6 8.Qf4 d6 9.Rd1 Be7 10.b3 Qc7 11.Nc3 a6 12.Ba3 Ne5 13.Ng5 Bxg2 14.Kxg2 0–0 15.Nge4 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 Ng6 17.Qf3 ??</strong></div>
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<img height="292" name="5sep2" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02661/5sep2_2661579a.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline; overflow: hidden;" width="276" /></div>
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Black to play and win</div>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-62760031211160225472013-08-22T19:43:00.001+08:002013-08-22T19:43:18.696+08:00OBSITY NOT IN CHESS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://postnoon.com/2013/08/22/chemicals-in-plastics-may-boost-kids-risk-for-obesity/140930" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Chemicals in plastics may boost kids’ risk for obesity">Chemicals in plastics may boost kids’ risk for obesity</a></h1>
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August 22, 2013 </span>
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<a href="http://postnoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Chemicals-in-plastics-may-boost-kids%E2%80%99-risk-for-obesity-1.jpg"><img alt="Chemicals-in-plastics-may-boost-kids’-risk-for-obesity-1" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-140942" height="291" src="http://postnoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Chemicals-in-plastics-may-boost-kids%E2%80%99-risk-for-obesity-1-435x291.jpg" width="435" /></a></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Chemicals used in plastic food wraps
and containers could be contributing to childhood diabetes and obesity,
two new studies claim.</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One study links phthalates to increased
insulin resistance in children, while another associates bisphenol A
(BPA) with high body-mass index (BMI) and expanding waistlines. Both
studies appear online Aug. 19 and in the September print issue of
Pediatrics.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“There is increasing concern that
environmental chemicals might be independent contributors to childhood
diseases related to the obesity epidemic,” said phthalates study author
Dr. Leonardo Trasande, an associate professor of pediatrics and
environmental medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. “Our research adds
to these growing concerns.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Trasande’s study reviewed insulin
resistance and urinary levels of phthalates in 766 kids aged 12 to 19.
Previous studies have linked phthalate exposure to insulin resistance in
animals and human adults.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Phthalates are chemicals used to soften
and increase the flexibility of plastics and vinyl. They are suspected
endocrine disruptors, and manufacturers have discontinued their use in
baby products like teething rings and pacifiers.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The study found that insulin resistance
in children increased with levels of a phthalate called
di-2-ethylhexylphthalate, or DEHP. The association held even after
researchers took into account the children’s caloric intake, BMI and
other risk factors for diabetes.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“There are lab studies suggesting these
chemicals can influence how our bodies respond to glucose,” Trasande
said. “In particular, they are thought to influence genes that regulate
release of insulin. There are other potential mechanisms, but that is
the main mechanism of concern.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the other study, researchers Dr.
Donna Eng and colleagues at the University of Michigan found that high
urinary levels of BPA are associated with increased risk of obesity.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
BPA is used to make polycarbonate and
epoxy resins for a wide variety of products. For example, aluminum cans
use a BPA lining to prevent corrosion. It has been linked to a wide
variety of health concerns, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
has banned its use in sippy cups, baby bottles and infant formula
packaging.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The study reviewed data on about 3,300
kids aged 6 to 18, and found that children with high BPA levels tend to
have excessive amounts of body fat and unusually expanded waistlines.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
However, in a related journal
commentary, Dr. Robert Brent of Cornell University pointed out the
limitations of using urine levels alone to determine the extent or
impact of chemical exposure.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Dr. Hugh Taylor, chair of the Yale
School of Medicine’s department of obstetrics, gynecology and
reproductive sciences, said these studies “point out the vulnerability
of children to environmental chemicals. It seems the younger you look,
the more things are developing and the more vulnerable they are to these
type of insults.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
However, Taylor added that the food
wrapped in containers with phthalates and BPA likely are doing as much
or more to contribute to diabetes and obesity as the chemicals
themselves.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“It’s probably more about the type of
diet these kids are eating,” Taylor said. “A move toward healthier
natural food is always a good idea, not just because of the elimination
of BPA and phthalates but for all the other health benefits. If we think
about more common-sense eating of healthy foods that aren’t packaged in
a way that would introduce BPA and phthalates, we would be so much
better off.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Trasande recommends that parents avoid
using plastic containers with the recycling numbers 3, 6 or 7, in which
phthalates or BPA are used.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“I also advise families not to microwave
plastics, hand wash plastic containers, and throw away plastic
containers where there is etching or other damage to them,” he said.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While the new studies found associations
between chemicals in plastic and insulin resistance and obesity in
children, they did not establish cause-and-effect.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<em>Source: WebMd</em></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://postnoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Chemicals-in-plastics-may-boost-kids%E2%80%99-risk-for-obesity.jpg"><img alt="Chemicals-in-plastics-may-boost-kids’-risk-for-obesity" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-140940" height="493" src="http://postnoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Chemicals-in-plastics-may-boost-kids%E2%80%99-risk-for-obesity-435x493.jpg" width="435" /></a></div>
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<div class="tags">
<strong>Tags: </strong> <a href="http://postnoon.com/tag/bisphenol-a" rel="tag">Bisphenol A</a>, <a href="http://postnoon.com/tag/bmi" rel="tag">BMI</a>, <a href="http://postnoon.com/tag/body-mass-index" rel="tag">body mass index</a>, <a href="http://postnoon.com/tag/bpa" rel="tag">BPA</a></div>
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<strong>Category</strong>: <a href="http://postnoon.com/category/health" rel="category tag" title="View all posts in Health">Health</a>, <a href="http://postnoon.com/category/health/health-news" rel="category tag" title="View all posts in Health News">Health News</a></div>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-81325760015748643352013-08-19T21:15:00.001+08:002013-08-19T21:15:47.159+08:00http://pogonina.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1996&Itemid=1&lang=english<a href="http://pogonina.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1996&Itemid=1&lang=english">http://pogonina.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1996&Itemid=1&lang=english</a><br />
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<tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td align="left" colspan="2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" valign="top" width="70%"><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="small" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Written by Administrator </span> </span></td></tr>
<tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="createdate" colspan="2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" valign="top"><span style="background-color: white;">Monday, 19 August 2013</span></td></tr>
<tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td colspan="2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" valign="top"><span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="Image" border="0" height="250" hspace="6" src="http://pogonina.com/images/stories/008gormally.jpg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Image" width="188" /><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />by GM Daniel Gormally</em><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Bookmark and Share" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="125" /></a> <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Reading through the FIDE rating list (I know what you're thinking, he should get out more) is interesting reading at times (really).<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />For example I noticed that very few players rated below 2520 (my classical ELO rating is currently 2514) have anything like my rapid and blitz ratings of 2546 and 2571 respectively. Which I like to take as an example that I am underrated. Or that I'm just a speed chess expert?! More on this subject later.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Quite frightening can be reading through the <a href="http://ratings.fide.com/topfed.phtml?ina=1&country=RUS" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">top of the Russian rating list</a>. Basically on my current rating I wouldn't even get in the top 100 in that country. Being over 2700 doesn't even ensure you a place in the top ten!<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Why is Russia so strong? This is hardly a new development either, Bobby Fischer was complaining about "those damn Ruskies" before I was even born.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Well I think there are several factors to take into consideration. Firstly chess is in the culture over there. I can't say I'm a great expert on Russian cultural history, but it is obvious that after the Russian Revolution in 1917, chess was been used a promotional tool by the ruling communist elite, as a means to demonstrate Soviet intellectual dominance.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Ever since the early days of Botvinnik, Russia has been pretty dominant in world chess. It's only in recent years that Ukraine have started to challenge that, and while Armenia has cleaned up in the last few Olympiads, they have nothing like the strength in depth of Russia, and it should also be pointed out that both Ukraine and Armenia are former Soviet-bloc countries.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I think it also helps that Russian people tend to be both naturally analytical and creative at the same time, a potent combination for chess. They also have a large population to draw upon, almost 150 million, which dwarfs the population of England for example, but probably can't be used as an explanation, as both China and India have far more people, yet nothing like the amount of strong players (although both are catching up.)<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />There's also the factor of long and cold Russian winters, poring over a chessboard deep in concentration seems a more natural prospect in that kind of environment, than in a sweltering Miami summer. But that can't be the only reason.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />The biggest factor in my eyes is simple- success breeds success. You have a large group of players, you are more likely to develop more strong players, than if you are isolated and don't analyse with anyone.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Most of the top Russian players doubtless live in the big cities like Moscow and St Petersburg. They work together and they work hard. It's a serious profession. You spend time working with strong players you are not certain to get to their level, but you are more likely to do so than if you don't at all.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />That's what makes the success of Magnus Carlsen so impressive, coming from a country with very little chess history. There aren't any other players in Norway even approaching his strength. But not only is he an exceptional talent, I'm sure he's also worked with strong foreign trainers from a young age. <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Essentially what I'm saying from this is that it's much easier to reach a high level in Russia than it is in other countries. It's like the analogy of a racing stable. You have good horses working together, eventually they will all start running really fast and start beating horses from other stables, because they will be used to running fast as they do it at home all the time.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />If Botvinnik was the archetypal analytical, scientific style of player (in fact he pretty much pioneered this approach)<a href="http://www.pogonina.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1094" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Alexander Morozevich</a>, currently competing in the <a href="http://pogonina.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1987&Itemid=1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Chess World Cup</a>, is much more the creative type.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />He got through in R2 against another creative and strong player, the Brazilian Leitao. It's always fascinating watching Moro's games and I would expect him to go a long way in this tournament- I would not be surprised at all if he won the whole thing. </span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">GM Daniel Gormally is open for chess lessons. You can contact him using this <a href="mailto:danielgormally@msn.com" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">e-mail</a></em><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></em></strong></td></tr>
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<br />SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-24089737114744625712013-08-16T22:33:00.005+08:002013-08-16T22:33:48.991+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h1 class="hed6">
Chess game ends in long stand off with Bellevue cops </h1>
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A chess match between neighbours turned into an
eight-hour police stand off after a Bellevue man pulled a gun on his
opponent early Thursday morning. </div>
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By <a href="http://search.nwsource.com/search?searchtype=cq&sort=date&from=ST&byline=Christine%20Clarridge">Christine Clarridge</a></div>
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Seattle Times </div>
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A chess match between neighbours turned into an eight-hour
police stand off after a Bellevue man pulled a gun on his opponent early
Thursday morning, police said.<br />
Police said the man ultimately surrendered peacefully and was taken
into custody on investigation of assault shortly after 10 a.m.<br />
According to Bellevue police spokeswoman Carla Iafrate, officers were
called to the Bellefield Manor Apartments at 1830 108th Ave. S.E.
around 2 a.m.<br />
Police said a man had invited his neighbour over to play chess and
have a few drinks when, for reasons yet unknown Thursday afternoon, the
man pulled a gun and threatened the neighbour.<br />
The neighbour ran out of the building and called 911, police said. <br />
Because the man was known to have at least one weapon, and possible
access to others, police evacuated neighbours and closed several streets,
including some of the city’s major transportation arteries.<br />
The closures caused lengthy delays for morning commuters, police said.<br />
Police attempted to talk the man into surrendering and also used a
robot equipped with a camera, flash bangs and tear gas, according to The
Associated Press. <br />
The man finally surrendered by waving a white flag out his window.<br />
<em>Christine Clarridge can be reached at cclarridge@seattletimes.com or 206-464-</em></div>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-25311567273170505922013-08-16T22:20:00.000+08:002013-08-16T22:20:07.438+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2>
iana Mirza's dad has nurtured her talent but many of our gifted children need more support</h2>
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<div class="w67" data-domain="www.independent.ie" data-gallery="Check mates: Meet the teenage chess queen" data-section="lifestyle" data-slideshow-var="slideshow6231">
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<figcaption>Queen of the castle: Diana Mirza and her father Gabriel pictured at home in Limerick</figcaption>
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<strong>Chrissie Russell</strong>
– 22 July 2013</div>
<h2 class="p">
Like many 13-year-olds Diana Mirza is a big <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Rihanna">Rihanna</a> fan. The Limerick schoolgirl is also a devotee of top teen fiction writer <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Jacqueline_Wilson">Jacqueline Wilson</a> and has been engrossed in her hit Queenie.</h2>
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So far, so standard but Diana's third idol is a little unusual. "<a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Bobby_Fischer">Bobby Fischer</a>," she says proudly, "he's my absolute favourite."<br />
There
aren't many teenage girls who could tell you the name of the deceased
American chess grandmaster (let alone list him as a hero) but Diana
Mirza isn't just any teenager.<br />
The pretty, quietly spoken girl has
just been crowned Irish Women's Chess Champion, is the only Irish chess
player to win silver and bronze medals at the <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/European_Union">European Union</a>
Youth Chess Championships and, when she entered the World Youth Chess
Championships last year, she was ranked 36th in the world.<br />
Today,
she is competing with the Irish Chess Union's national team against the
cream of young chess talent from England, Ireland, Scotland and <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Wales">Wales</a> in the Glorney Cup in Cardiff.<br />
Her
father, Gabriel Mirza (47), knew he had a prodigy on his hands when his
daughter picked up the complicated board game at the tender age of five
and, spurred on by his promise of a one-off €100 cash prize, beat him
in a game aged just 11.<br />
The Romanian-born chess coach, who runs a
chess club at Limerick's St Michael's sports club, now tries to support
his daughter's talent by bringing her to tournaments where she can
improve by competing against more demanding opposition.<br />
But
perhaps the biggest challenge Diana faces is the lack of support –
financial or otherwise – for young talent in the chess world.<br />
"In 2011 I almost didn't go to the World Youth Chess Championship in Brazil because it was so expensive," she explains.<br />
"My school helped me raise some money but this year I have the same problem with going to the <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/European_Union">EU</a>
Youth Championships in Austria in a few weeks. I think this year I
could win gold but flights and accommodation are expensive and I need
funding."<br />
While typically attending a tournament can run to around
€1,000 a pop – and Diana tries to enter more than 20 a year – chess
prize money is meagre.<br />
Today's Glorney Cup is for a trophy and
title only while even the larger events on the Irish circuit only run to
a top prize of a few hundred euro.<br />
This hopeful future
grandmaster's only means of honing her skills is competing against her
eight-year-old brother, reading books and practising two hours daily on
the laptop she bought with her winnings.<br />
Unfortunately as a child prodigy or gifted child, Diana is far from alone in lacking support to hone her skill.<br />
While America, Russia, <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/China">China</a>
and other densely populated countries can afford to set up centres of
excellence for their skilled youngsters, Ireland lags behind.</article></div>
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-64779670272911361432013-08-16T22:11:00.001+08:002013-08-16T22:22:39.665+08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h1>
Chess cool for thinking kids
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<a href="mailto:james.greenland@fairfaxmedia.co.nz?subject=Chess%20cool%20for%20thinking%20kids">JAMES GREENLAND</a>
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<div id="story_features">
<img alt="chess" class="photoborder" src="http://static2.stuff.co.nz/1376005697/736/9022736.jpg" width="238" />
<br />
<div id="photocredit">
<span class="photocredittext">ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ</span></div>
<div class="photocaption">
MIND GAME: Roderick Morrison, of Nelson, ponders his next move.</div>
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Chess. It's a thinking person's game, and you need only your brain
to play, boasts grand master-in-the-making Roderick Morrison.
<br />
Nayland College hosted an interschool regional chess tournament
yesterday, with a bumper turnout of 164 keen young competitors
suggesting that the traditional board game might be making a comeback,
among even the coolest kids.
<br />
Friends Fabian Strauch, 11, and Roderick Morrison, 12, both learned
to play chess under the tutelage of their fathers, and both honestly
admit they have never beaten them - yet.
<br />
Roderick, of Nelson College Preparatory School, said he had played
chess "since he could lift a piece". He liked the strategic board game
because it "doesn't run on batteries", and you "don't need wi-fi" to
play, like many computer games require these days.
<br />
Fabian said, frankly, "it's just a really good board game".
<br />
Nayland maths teacher Andrea Adair was charged with keeping the
peace in the frantic chess hall, which hosted 539 individual matches
between competitors from primary, intermediate, and secondary schools
from across Nelson and Tasman.
<br />
Adair also organised a sausage sizzle fundraiser, with proceeds
appropriately going towards the purchase of a giant chess set for the
college.
<br />
"It feels like this is the revival of chess," she said.
<br />
"There are more than double the number of competitors as last year.
It just shows that young people are not just about video games. Some
kids do still want that mental challenge."
<br />
She said chess, a game of logic and strategy traditionally popular
among males, was clearly also appealing to girls, who made up at least
half of the competition.
<br />
Adair said all players were fair and put fun ahead of serious competition.
<br />
"It's great the academic kids have an opportunity to compete, and not at sports.
<br />
"It's not all about sports, and these kids really embrace it."
<br />
The tournament was brought to Nelson by Auckland company Chess
Power, and was arbitrated by Bruce Pollard, who said Nelson's regional
tournament was by far the most well-attended in the country.
<br />
"Nelson are over-achievers at chess," he said.
<br />
He said the top 20 players from each region would be invited to
compete at the national championships in Auckland next month.
<br />
Ten-year-old Rosie Brazendale, of Motupipi Primary School in Takaka,
said she was having heaps of fun, and it had been worth waking up at
6am to drive to Nelson.
<br />
Hira School's Chi Kavanagh, 10, went out of his way to thank the
people who had organised the chess tournament, the first he'd ever taken
part in."[Chess] helps your brain think," he said.
<br />
<br />
<strong> - © Fairfax NZ News</strong></div>
SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787519026698970486.post-32950948626840478592013-08-16T22:03:00.000+08:002013-08-16T22:03:12.779+08:00 BOBBY FISHER'S CHESS PRECOCITY<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="mainFlex clearfix" id="headline">
<h1 class="articleHeadline" id="articleHeadline">
Chess / by Shelby Lyman </h1>
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<div class="date left">
<br /></div>
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In retrospect, Bobby Fischer’s chess precocity was mind-boggling.</div>
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</header><div class="articleBody clearfix">
<div class="articleP">
In 1958 at 15 he was the world’s youngest grandmaster. <br />
If we look at his early recorded games we encounter evidence of a remarkably mature approach to playing chess.<br />
How did this self-taught Brooklyn boy become so good so fast? In particular, whence the early maturity of style?<br />
The
clue may be found in his unusual beginnings. Chessboards have two sides
to accommodate two players. But Bobby’s early experiences were
solitary.<br />
When his sister Joan defaulted as an opponent, later
explaining that “we Fischers do not like to lose,” the younger brother -
abandoned to his own resources - had to do it alone.<br />
He would first make a move from one side of the board, then from the other. <br />
We
can imagine Bobby Fischer with the black pieces playing Bobby Fischer
with the white pieces. Both of his avatars, Bobby One and Bobby Two, of
course, unwilling to give an inch or cede a single square. As much as
each passionately wanted to win, each hated even more to lose. <br />
Willy-nilly, the games would have mimicked the wariness of modern grandmaster play.<br />
Did this kind of play boost his early maturity.<br />
Is this fanciful reconstruction realistic? There is no way to know.<br />
But
we do know that he had an enormous capacity to do it alone. Perhaps an
interval of solitaire chess, Fischer-style, did play a role in his early
development?<br />
<br />
Below is a win by Hao Wang against Anish Giri from the FIDE Grand Prix in Beijing, China.<br />
</div>
<div class="articleP">
<h3>
FIDE Grand Prix</h3>
<br />
Hao Wang Anish Giri<br />
<br />
1. d4 ..... d6 <br />
2. e4 ...... Nf6 <br />
3. Nc3 ..... e5 <br />
4. Nf3 ..... N(b)d7 <br />
5. Bc4 ..... exd4 <br />
6. Qxd4 .... Be7 <br />
7. Bxf7ch .. Kxf7<br />
8. Ng5ch ... Ke8 <br />
9. Ne6 ..... c5 <br />
10. Qd1 ..... Qb6 <br />
11. Nxg7ch .. Kf7 <br />
12. Nf5 ..... Bf8 <br />
13. O-O ..... d5 <br />
14. Nxd5 .... Nxd5 <br />
15. Qxd5ch .. Ke8 <br />
16. Bg5 ..... Qg6 <br />
17. R(a)d1 .. Rg8 <br />
18. f4 ...... a5 <br />
19. e5 ...... Qxf5 <br />
20. Qxg8 .... Ra6<br />
21. R(f)e1 .. Rg6 <br />
22. e6 ...... Black resigns<br />
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SIFU. MYCATURhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045795336541511817noreply@blogger.com0