Monday, January 24, 2011

Bookmance

The question left to my post Book of the Year is, "What other books would you recommend for enjoyment?"
Two books by GM Jonathan Rowson, The Seven Deadly Chess Sins & Chess for Zebras: Thinking Differently about Black and White, come to mind. Edwin Schlossberg wrote that, "The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think." GM Rowson does this extremely well. I like the honesty with which he writes. I have always liked quotes, and I love the quotes he uses. His column in the best chess magazine in the world, New in Chess, is the first article I read. From a letter to the editor in the current issue, 2010/8, it would seem one Boris Kazanski did not care for Rowson's piece in the previous issue, A Fine Bromance. Rowson writes "...that the bond between male friends is somehow different, and more intense than female friendship..." Hence, 'Bromance'
I will admit the term chosen by the GM turned my stomach, making me somewhat uncomfortable. I would have preferred the term 'friendenemy'. Enemies across the chess board; friends away from the board.
I thought about the time my long-time chess friend, my 'friendenemy', the Legendary Georgia Ironman, NM Tim Brookshear and I met in Ft Lauderdale for the US Open. Tim did not care for the location I had found, one of those extended stay places, so he went on a scouting mission, landing a place on the beach. Unfortunately it had only one bed. Upon showing the place to me I saw that Tim had taken the pillows from the couch, which happened to be shaped in such a way that they would stand up, and placed them in the middle of the bed, therefore making it like two separate beds. "Look Bacon, there's no chance we will touch!", he exclaimed. We brought FM Big Head Todd, the Monster, Andrews in to stay with us and he will attest to the veracity of this story! I think Tim still remembered the time I told him I had to share a bed at a backgammon tournament and my 'bunkmate' hugged me during the middle of the night, proclaiming his 'love' for 'Ginger'! Needless to say, I got no more sleep that night!
I am comfortable with my heterosexuality, and I am comfortable with the Ironman's as well! Just because we have been friends for going on four decades now and have shared the same hotel room far too many times to count, whether at a chess tournament or a sports card show, does not imply that we have some kind of 'bromance'!
I love books and have previously worked in several bookstores. I will admit to having a romance with books-a 'bookmance'.
I would like to mention a book I am currently reading, True Combat Chess, by IM Timothy Taylor. I have never, and will never, review a book unless I have read it cover to cover, and I have not finished this book, but I can say that I am enjoying it immensely!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It should be "frenemy", not "friendenemy", you old fool.