Question authority

The story goes I was in the back seat of the car continually asking "Why?" which seemed to disconcert my father. His mother said, "Well, Ronald, how else is he going to learn?"
The great baseball writer, and thinker, Bill James, made a career out of questioning accepted truths. He was castigated by the so-called 'establishment', but later was asked to join and accepted a job with the Boston Red Sox, who later won the World Championship.
I have many questions concerning chess. Today I will ask about statistics.
Why is it that when I looked at the pairings for the last round of the recent US Open and saw my friend IM Ron Burnett paired with GM Dimitri Gurevich I could not ascertain which player had White and which had Black? There was a letter, 'A' in front of the pairing number. The letter 'A' was before every pairing. Why could it not be the letter 'W', or 'B'?
Why is it a player has only one rating? Like a baseball hitter, who has a different batting average vs either a right-handed pitcher, or a left-handed pitcher, it would seem only logical for a chessplayer to have a rating when playing White and one for when he plays Black, would it not?
I would like to know how some of my chess playing friends have done against GM's as opposed to how they have fared vs IM's. I would like to know how they, and, for that matter, I have faired against Masters; Experts; class 'A', etc.
The great GM Walter Browne, is called 'Mr Six-Time' because he won the US Championship a total of six times. I would like to know how he fared against his opponents, not only in the US Championships, but in other tournaments as well. Many years ago there was an article in CHESS LIFE before the US Championship detailing how each opponent had fared aginst the other participants. I thought it one of the most interesting articles to appear in our magazine. It would have enhanced my enjoyment of this years Championship to have known how, for example, Hikaru Nakamura had fared vs Josh Friedel before the last round battle. It would have also have been nice to have known how they have fared against each other, with each color, and how they have done 'lately'.
As a fan of baseball, I can go to www.baseball-reference.com and find an answer to just about any question I may have concerning the history of baseball. For example, I can learn what Mickey Mantle hit vs left-handed pitching in any year he played. Because of www.retrosheet.org I can check on a statement like, for example, "Whitey Ford was used by Casey Stengle mostly against the better teams."
Some years ago while working at the Atlanta Chess and Game Center I met a young couple, Ed and Jillison Parks, who were real chess fans. I gave them lessons and Ed even came to the House of Pain to play in a few tournaments. They enjoyed getting online and keeping up with the Royal Game, just as fans of other games do. Chess needs more fans of the Royal Game. I believe better statistics would enhance the prospect of having more chess fans, and the more fans of chess, the better for those who play the game!
We chess fans can have more, and better, statistical analysis if we demand it.

Awarding half points for not playing

Recently the practice of awarding a 1/2 point for not playing the last round has become prevalent. I do not know how it has come to be, but if there is a right and a wrong, then it is, most assuredly, wrong!
I have heard it said that if a half point bye is allowed in any round, then it should be allowed in the last round. A case can be made for allowing a half point bye in the first round for those who must work; or for the third round on Sat night for those (including me) who simply cannot play three games in one day. Some players take a half point bye in the fourth round Sun morning in order to attend church. There are those (including me) who are opposed to a half point bye on the last day. The Legendary Georgia Ironman says, "When I'm at the board on Sunday morning, I am at church!"
The last round is special; different from all those that have come before it. The last round is called "The money round" for a reason. Have you ever heard any other round called 'the money round'?
While working at the Atlanta Chess & Game Center I had one player tell me he loved the last round half point bye because, if he was having a good tournament, he would be paired up in the last round, and invariably lost.
In the recent US Open three of the top five players going into the last round took a half point bye and did not play! Three of them (that's 60%!) took the gift half point bye. The current woman's world champion took not one, not two, but THREE half point byes in the last three rounds. She did not play even one game of classical chess!
Having worked at Daytona, I know NASCAR is the king of sponsorship. I recently made contact with someone who works in that field and described the format of major chess tournaments in the USA and asked him to give me his thoughts. He was incredulous that players did not have to play in the last round, mentioning golf and what would happen if a player could 'opt-out' of playing the last round by taking a par score. There would be no more sponsors for golf!
If you look at the tournament announcement for the Louisiana State Championship you will find this regarding byes: Byes: Up to two 1/2 pt byes available if requested before rd 2, but byes for both rd 6 AND 7 is not permitted.
Because of the wording it was not clear to me whether that meant that a player could take a bye in either the penultimate or the last round, but not both; or whether a player could not take a bye in either of the last two rounds, so I emailed to find out. This is the reply I receiced from Mr. Alex Steger: "A bye is not allowed in round 6 or 7. We don't want IM's to come in and play the 3 day schedule Saturday and Sunday, go home Monday, and win the tournament."
I do not know how it has come to be that a half point is given to a player who choses not to play in the last round, but the USCF should outlaw it, now!

The right way to run a tournament

The particulars of the Louisiana State Championship, Sept 4-7, are: G/150; Byes: Up to two 1/2 pt byes available if requested before rd 2, but byes for both rd 6 AND 7 is not permitted. Also, I would like to bring your attention to the fact that the hotel has free parking, a free continental breakfast, and...FREE EVENING COCKTAILS! I wonder why Wilder Wadford has not thought of this?

How NOT to run a Senior tournament

I have made the decision to only participate in Senior events. One of the reasons is I simply do not enjoy playing faster time limit chess. Chess is a game requiring thought; thought requires time. It is simply not possible to appreciate the vast beauty contained in a chess game when one does not have the time to even see that beauty. A great deal of the beauty in chess is in what is NOT played; the variations in the mind while deliberating.
This notice for an upcoming Senior event caught my eye:
Sept. 12 Ohio Senior Championship
A State Championship Event! Open to anyone born before 1960. 2 sections, Open and U1600. 4SS, Rnd 1 G/75, Rnds 2-4 G/90. The University of Toledo Health Science Campus, Mulford Library Basement Café, 3000 Arlington Ave., Toledo, Ohio 43614. See web site for campus map: http://www.toledochess.org// EF: $30 by 9/10 $35 at site, $2 off for OCA members. Reg.: 9-10 a.m., Rds.: 10, 1, 4, & 7. Prizes: $1000 b/30, $200-150-100, 1st Class A ,B, $100, 1st U1600 $150, 1st Class C,D/under, $100. Trophy to Open and U1600 winners. Ent: Jonathan Doran, 4120 Walker Ave., Toledo, OH 43612. 419-350-1971. E-mail: admin@toledochess.org.

As if G/90 is not bad enough, the first round will be fought even faster! As we age we tend to slow down, which would indicate the need for MORE, not less, time.
But the truncated time limit is not the worst thing about this particular format. Please note this is a ONE DAY event. It will be AROUND THE CLOCK chess for Seniors, with nary a break for food, much less rest. This is a lot to ask from young players! It is far too much to ask from Seniors.
This is, quite simply, not a serious event. As a matter of fact, it could be extremely harmful to the health of Seniors! As far as I am concerned,it does not merit consideration.

Tennessee Senior Open

The Tennessee Senior Open was a wonderful event! Not feeling my best, I decided to play the first round Sat morning, in lieu of Fri night, but attended the opening ceremonies at the Fair Park Senior Center that evening. The Mayor, J.H. Graham III, welcomed us with open arms. I told him this story: I left my hotel room after changing pants, as it was warm enough for shorts. After ordering a couple of burrito’s at Taco Bell, I realized I had left my money in the jeans. I felt foolish, but the employee, Nan Turner, handed me the grub, saying it would be on her! I simply could not believe it! I mean, that does not happen in a large city like Atlanta. This is a perfect illustration of the difference between a big city and a small town. I learned that during my stay in Hendersonville, NC. My theory is that people are much more friendly in a small town because they realize the people they encounter one day at a restaurant may be the same person they encounter at the library the next day. In a big city, one thinks they will never see that person again. It is the people who constitute a community, whether Crossville, Tn., or our small chess community. This has to be one of the major reasons Crossville was chose to be the new USCF HQ. A better place could not have been located!The next morning, upon my arrival, the Mayor greeted me, giving me his card and asking if I would send him the tale I told him the previous night via email. I agreed, and have already done so. Then, when it came time for the picture, the Mayor asked me to stand beside him! Several others said a few words in greeting us, too, so the first round began a little late, which is very unusual for ‘Head ‘em up, move ‘em out Harry Sabine, as he’s known for getting the round started on time. Then, there was a drawing for prizes donated by the Crossville community. There were many drawings and I was fortunate enough to win one! There was free coffee, drinks and snacks for all the players, which was a real nice touch!Harry was the head TD, capably assisted by Susan Houston, an employee of the USCF, and her son, Charley, who kept us updated on the US Championship. Harry is training Charley; passing the torch, so to speak. Charley is quite young, and was, therefore, reluctant to tell us Seniors to be quite, so I told him he was a TD, and to say what he needed to say, since he was ‘The Man’. I had to smile when Charley told a group, including me, to “keep it down.”Susan remarked that the tournament had a different feel to it than any other she has attended, with the players acting more like a family reunion, or homecoming. Susan handled the ‘puter and also served as I like to think of her, as ‘Chess Mom’! She also coordinated trips for the players to the HQ. I went by earlier in the week, seeing old friends like Chuck Lovingood and Jay Sabine (and watching games from the US Championship!), Walter Brown, Alan Kantor, etc., and meeting new friends.The Fair Park Senior Center was a fine place for the tournament. The lighting was superior, far better than the recent Ga St Champ, for example. The lighting is especially important for Senior players. Different folks from the Senior Center welcomed us, making us feel right at home. As I sat there listening to these wonderful people, I thought that this is the kind of greeting I’ve read about on the web in European countries. It made me real proud to be a chess player! These wonderful people made us feel special.There were 35 players, far exceeding the small turnouts for previous Tn Senior tournaments, which were only a one day event with a G/60 time control. I think part of the reason was a tribute to Harry Sabine. We still miss the Fairfield Glade after all these years! One year it snowed heavily and we were stranded Sunday night and the Glade did not charge us for the room!Players came from half a dozen different states, with one player originally from England and one from the Netherlands. NM Henry Robinson took first, 4-0. The fine Chess Café historical writer, Jerry Spinrad, was clear second with 3 ½. Seven players tied for third with a score of 3-1. I am proud to say I was in that group, losing only to Henry. An ornate chess set was donated by the Fair Park Senior Center and it was decided it would go to the biggest upset (I asked Harry if that meant the largest rating differential, or the player who got the most upset with a loss!). My first round opponent, Larry Grohn, rated 880, bested my third round opponent, Wieb Van Der Meer, 1420, in the last round to take the prize.Mucho Kudos to Harry Sabine for holding this event! Although Harry and I have had our differences over the years, I prefer to think of it as a disagreement with a TD, not the man. The man is someone with whom I can share a drink of JD (what else would Harry drink?!), invite into the Atlanta Chess Center on a day it was closed and I was the only one there, make a cuppa joe, have a conversation, and show around. The worst thing I heard about Harry while in Crossvile was that he is a “fine man.” And I heard it not once, but many times. “Oh, you know Harry Sabine? He’s a such a nice man.” You must come to Crossville in order to understand what having the USCF HQ means to this community! These people are PROUD, and Harry Sabine, as the Mayor said, deserves much credit. The modest Harry pointed out the work of others…I can think of no one better than Harry to coordinate a Senior tournament in all 50 states! Senior chess is bringing players back to the game, in some cases after many years out of chess, to raise a family, and or work.I would like to thank Harry, Susan, Charley, and everyone else for a wonderful time here in the mountains.

Gizmos, etc at the Ga St Championship

Although I was playing in the 2009 Ga St Championship, I would like to try and write this as a reporter.The tournament was held in a large room at the student center at Emory U. There was a small room which served as the director's room between the playing hall and the cafeteria. One of the titled players complained about his opponent's friend talking with him as the friend had a hand held gizmo and headphones. The young fellow had been my opponent in the third round and I said nothing about his listening until he placed the gizmo on the table and the screen became lighted. I asked the TD, Scott Parker, if he knew the young man and he said he did, so that was good enough for me. The titled player, who is from outta town, later complained about his opponent, a recent big winner at the Supernationals, because his opponent would go talk to his father, who was on a 'puter! Scott said it was a legitimate complaint and took care of the matter, going on to tell me he had seen a computer IN THE PLAYING AREA on Chessbase! He did not say to whom the 'puter belonged, or any more about it, but there were many functioning computers in the playing hall, along with many other types of gizmos, some plugged in, some not.During the final round, a cell phone went off...and off...and off. It just rang & rang many times before the player realized it was his. His opponent went to get the TD and was informed the offender would incur a ten minute penalty. "A TEN MINUTE PENALTY, he excalimed, "Why a GRANDMASTER gets forfeited, yet this man only gets a ten minute penalty? The aforementioned titled player siad it had been announced before the tournament. "That don't make it right!"The business meeting was held before the last round and therefore, the round began late. Once the round began, the politicians who were not there to play chess, rather than going down to the lounge area two floors below, stayed in the director's room. Every time the door opened, and you know it opened frequently with all the players and spectators, there was a cacophony of noise. One player said he would rather they leave the door open, as it would be easier to get used to the constant noise in lieu of the intermittent blast. Another said, concerning one of the parents with a particularly loud and piercing laugh, "If this wasn't so serious, I'd have to laugh, too. Or CRY!"A personal note: It was my opponent with the ringing cell phone in the last round. When a cell phone goes off, it's analogous to a person standing up and flailing his arms about; he can do it in an empty room, but not in a crowded one. The man's phone disrupted EVERYONE in the playing hall, and for this he received only a ten minute penalty! When his phone blasted off, I had 48 minutes left. By the time the TD changed clocks (because neither he, or my opponent could subtract ten minutes from the clock, that, I believe, at one time was the official clock of the USCF-you know the one, the cheap plastic thing that makes a loud 'Thwack' every time it's punched), and I got it back together and made my move, I had only 28 minutes remaing, so it cost ME more time than HIM! Anyone bring a cell phone into the playing hall shows a definite lack of respect for his opponent; the other participants; and for the Royal Game! The fact that my opponent incurred only a short time penalty shows just backward chess has become in my home state. GRANDMASTERS get forfeited for it! It is WAY PAST TIME to rid the plaing hall of ALL cellphones! The penalty should be an IMMEDIATE forfeit and banishment from the site FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TOURNAMENT! It is WAY PAST TIME to rid the playing arena of ANY electronic device that could potentially be used for cheating purposes!I have just spent some time with one of the players in the event, going over the games played. His wife was there, and it was her first time at a tournament. She asked me if it was always so loud at a chess tournament and if it bothered the players? She also asked if it is legal for a player to go outside to the tables to look at his computer! He made such an impression on her that she, not knowing anyone other than her husband, and me, went to the pairing list in order to ascertain the name of the youngster (he will, for obvious reasons, remain nameless).I was appalled by the noise made by the pooh-bahs, former pooh-bahs, parents, players, and hangers-on. The TD's did an extremely poor job keeping it quiet. I played at a Barnes & Noble in Louisville recently, where our G/60 had to compete with people, in our midst, on cellphones, etc. THE CONDITIONS THERE WERE BETTER THAN THE CONDITIONS AT THE GEORGIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!This is the major tournament of the year in my home state. How can we expect chess to be considered a PROFESSIONAL game when even the board members show such a lack of respect for the players trying their hardest to concentrate?

Fair Use Law

The "new" issue of what was formerly the award winning GEORGIA CHESS magazine is finally out. Although it is almost November, the issue is, in fact, the JULY-AUGUST issue. Although many months late, it is good to see it has been published, quelling the rumors of it's demise. Unfortunately the editor(s) decided to publish an article I wrote, THE ATLANTA CHESS CENTER NEEDS YOU, even though I sent an email asking they NOT publish anything I had previously sent them, including this article. As a matter of fact, I saw Colin Potts at the House of Pain, and, upon seeing the aforementioned article in print, asked why it had been published. Colin said, "Oh, we did not think you meant this one."
After hearing the Legendary Georgia Ironman say the last issue of the award winning GEORGIA CHESS (published way back in the spring) had "too many book reviews and not enough games," I wrote an article for the magazine, since posted on the BaconLOG (http://baconlog.blogspot.com/http://blog.chess.com/nocab), SCCA DATABASE, posted August 18, 2008. It was NOT published in the GEORGIA CHESS magazine because the editor, Paul Taylor, upbraided me for not getting the permission of my friend Mike Decker, and Randall Ferguson, to reprint their annotations. I have stayed in touch with Mike through the years, and all it took was one email to receive his permission. As for Randall, a NM I've played in the past, I was unable to learn anything about him from the officers of the SCCA. He has long been out of chess and our search turned up zilch! Knowing Mr Ferguson as I do, I decided to publish the article WITHOUT his permission ON MY BLOG! I simply cannot imagine, if Randall ever reads the article, that he will be displeased...Although I had previously sent it to be published in GEORGIA CHESS, I sent an email to the editors, the GCA board, and others, in which I wrote, "As a writer who has been victimized by an editor using work by someone else (I refer to Daniel Lucas truncating my article THE REST OF THE STORY to include something from an old column by GM Larry Evans), I am particularly sensitive to using anything if it violates the law, legal or moral. I do not know the laws pertaining to the use of something on the internet, which I thought to be in the public domain. Although I have sent emails, as you are no doubt aware by now, asking for permission, or how to get in touch with the author in order to ask permission, I have had second thoughts on the matter. For example, you used a quote about Boris in the magazine you said you got off the internet, although it was not attributed. Did that mean you could use it because it was NOT attributed? Is that why you never informed me of where, or by whom, you found it, as I asked? I do not have the answers to these questions. I must, therefore, ask that you NOT publish the article until I have the answers. As a matter of fact, I would greatly appreciate it if you NOT use anything I may have sent you in the award winning GEORGIA CHESS magazine until I can research the law. And I will say that this has caused me to consider what I put into print on my blog!"
After receiving a long and detailed email from Mr Potts, which began, "I teach this stuff as part of our Computing and Ethics class."..., I sent the editors this: "Thank you for the elucidation, Professor. My writing days are over. I have published my last article."
Although part of the delay in the publication of the magazine can be attributed to the fact that Mr Potts took on some of the responsibility and then found he did not, because of work, have time to deal with it, he did say that the picture on the cover (which I like!) can be attributed to him. The picture with the article I wrote can also be attributed to Colin. The current Georgia State and Georgia Senior champion, Mr David Vest, said, "I do not like that picture showing the guys smoking in front of the House." That is one of the nicer things I've heard about the picture! If a picture of me was needed to go along with the article, certainly I would have allowed a picture, like the one of Mr Spinks, to have been taken. But then, I would have known the article was to have been published, would I not?! Let me just say that using that picture could be considered "ill-advised," to say the least.
Mr Taylor wrote, "The ability to research, write, and cite properly is what should be expected of a college graduate." I took that to be a knock against me in that, although I have attended several different colleges, I am not a college grad. As anyone who knows me will attest, I have spent my life in pursuit of knowledge. For some people, learning continues after obtaining a degree...
These two men are both college professors. It is simply NOT POSSIBLE that they could have thought, as stated to me by Mr Potts, that all other articles, except for this particular article, was not to be published! What part of, "I would greatly appreciate it if you NOT use anything I may have sent you in the award winning GEORGIA CHESS magazine...", can they NOT understand? What part of, "My writing days are over. I have published my last article" cannot be understood?!
What these so-called "editors" have done was stated best by Tim Brookshear: "They would not publish your article (SCCA DATABASE) in fear of violating copyright law, yet they violated YOUR copyright by publishing an article you asked NOT be published!"
The article was to have been published in July. Circumstances have changed since then. Even if the problems that came after (with the SCCA DATABASE article) had not occured, I would not have allowed the article to be published after these many months, if anyone had had the decency to have asked...