Why do you play chess?

IM of GM strength Boris Kogan once asked me, "Mike, why do you play chess?" I recall reading the best golfer ever, Bobby Jones was asked why he played golf. While reading the discussion forum on the American Go Assoc website (www.usgo.org) I came across the thread: Why do you play? I found this remarkable: Why inigo-weiqi plays Go
Go mimics life - very closely. Playing it on a constant basis has affected my thinking very profoundly. Somehow I've gone beyond the good vs. bad distinction when judgeing certain situations. Now, I've learned to first think before I act, and think profoundly before I act profoundly - especially when I encounter hostility from a person or group. And even when I encounter (suspicious) kindness from the same.Not only that, but also I've learned to conclude that every action has a story behind it. Just like the opening influences the middle game and the middle game influences the endgame, what a person does today is influenced by what happened yesterday and the day before - even if responsibility for an action lies with the person and not the event. Finally, Go has improved my social life a little. At least I've learned to be more subtle when introducing myself to a stranger for the first time, and when making friends. Even with my family and closest friends I take time to practice said subtlety.Go has so many merits, it's somewhat surprising that it has not been popularized here in the US or in other Western countries.I could continue posting more and more reasons as to why I play Go, but the space here is limited.

Other reasons...

There is an interesting thread on the USCF website (www.uschess.org) concerning Membership Retention Data in the USCF ISSUES catagory. Someone recently mentioned how many scholastic players were becoming adult USCF members. I said I had read, somewhere, but could not recall where, that was not the case. I've been racking my brain, or, should I say, what's left of it, trying to recall where I read it. It was, therefore, good to see this thread in a part of the forum I rarely read. I suggest everyone take time to read it.
The part that jumped out at me is a post by Mike Nolan in which he writes, "On a year-to-year basis, senior members have the highest renewal rate, but we lose them for other reasons." Whoa! That hits a Senior HARD!

Another brick in the wall

Upon walking up to the front door of USCF HQ in Crossville, Tennessee, one sees inscribed bricks on either side of the walkway. The one I recall most vividly is donated by former Georgia State chess champion, Bob Joiner. Matter of fact, the inscription tells you that he won the tournament in 1969 with a score of 5-0.I learned to play in 1966, when my father taught me. He beat me the first few games, so I purchased HOW TO PLAY CHESS, by Fred Reinfeld for a quarter and read it before playing again. I surprised my father by winning, so he wanted another game. When I won again, my father became enraged, sweeping the pieces off of the table. I beat everyone in the neighborhood, then stopped playing to continue playing baseball. Some years later I learned one of my cousins, Carl Hendrix, had worked with Bob at Southern Airways, before Bob became a prominent public defender in Atlanta. I've often wondered what would have happened if I had met Mr Robert Joiner upon first learning chess.Like me, Bob also played serious backgammon, winning many tournaments. He came by the House of Pain after retiring from the law, playing in the Tuesday night fights. He didn't do well and has not been seen since. I hope he finds his way back to our world.If I ever get to the point I have an extra $50, I intend on purchasing a brick, upon which I will inscribe: Atlanta Champion, 1974-76, winning the 1976 tournament 5-0. I would like it to go right below Bob's brick.

Ain't it the truth

There is talk of having GM Vladislav Tkachiev banned from chess for appearing inebriated for his game. The article can be found on the excellent online chess magazine, www.chessbase.com
Are you kidding me?! Give any GM too drunk to play free entry fee and pair him with ME! I'm still looking for my first GM scalp...
Seriously, let us not condem our fellow players. Stories of inebriated players abound. Many years ago a very strong player in Atlanta, who was on a rather long unbeaten streak went to the infamous world-class dive, the STEIN CLUB, between rounds. Upon returning, he lost. Yet, he is revered by those of us old enough to remember.I once mentioned to the supervisor at Checker Cab Co, in Atlanta, that one of the owner-operators, "Had a drinking problem." Slick replied, "We all have problems, Mike."
Ain't it the truth...

Nattering nabob of negativism

After reading an article in the Tuesday, Sept 1 WSJ entitled, OLDER, WISER, SLOWER by Kevin Helliker http://online.wsj.com/SB10001424052970204047504574384973660445730.html ), I received an email from a person who had read my latest and took exception, calling me a "Nattering nabob of negativism!" Shades of Spiro Agnew...At least he did not call me a 'pusillanimous pussyfooter'. To that I may have taken exception!
Since I have been challenged to produce a better US Senior, here goes...If I had the means I would hold a US Senior in a venue close to an extended stay hotel. It comes equipped with a full kitchen. There is one within a short walk of the hotel where the Southern Open has been held in recent years. One can stay at an extended stay for a week for the same price one will pay for two days at a hotel.
The tournament would begin on a Monday, with players arriving and getting ensconced Sunday. The rounds would begin at ten am, with a time control of 40/2, followed by an additional hour AND with thirty seconds added only in the secondary time control. There would be only one game per day, as two per day for a Senior is one too many! Games would be played each day thru Saturday, with an awards ceremony and banquet Saturday evening. Players could leave Sunday to return home.
I would do 'whatever it takes' to find sponsorship. There are a great many companies catering to the 'baby-boomers' who would be willing to sponsor something as worthy as the US Senior Championship! There would, therefore, be no entry-fee for the players.
I would pay Harry Sabine to direct the event for obvious reasons!

Teaching old dogs new tricks

I have played at least one USCF rated game in 25 different states, more than any other native born Georgian. The Legendary Georgia Ironman, Tim Brookshear, is catching up to me, but since he was born in the great neighboring state of Tennessee, my record will still be safe for some time. I had hoped to participate in the US Senior in Oklahoma this year, as it would give me another state and keep the Ironman at bay.
I went through Oklahoma in 2002 in my van and was pulled over by the state troopers for not wearing a seatbelt. The thing is, I WAS wearing my seatbelt! I gave them permission to search the van because the alternative was to be taken to jail while they found another pretext to search. Another trooper was called to keep watch on me, so I was, for all intents and purposes, 'detained'. After taking everything out of the van ("You sure gotta lotta chess books, boy. Why you got so many?" After explaining I was headed to a chess torunament, I was asked, "Ain't they got no chest toonuments in Georgia?") they found no contraband and told me I was free to go. This as it began to rain. They laughed when I asked if they were going to help me put everything back in the van! After an experience like that, I'm sure readers can understand my trepidation about going back into the 'belly of the beast'.
Oklahoma is in the middle of the country, so the cost just to get there will be great for everyone. Since it is not near any large metropolitan area, it cannot draw from a local 'crowd' of chessplayers. The prize fund is not really an inducement to travel to the tournament.
There are two rounds per day. Writing about IM Jack Peters column in the LA Times (Jack Peters (LA Times)), IM John Donaldson, in his fine Mechanic's Institute Newsletter (Mechanics' Institute Chess Room) says: Peters questioned seven titled players, all in their late 40s or older, how they had been affected by aging. Most of the respondents cited fatigue as a significant factor, particularly playing two games a day ( by far the norm in the US).
If two rounds a day are mandatory, and I question whether there should be two rounds a day for Seniors, then there should be at least two hours between rounds. A Senior needs that time to replinish the drained energy supplies and to rest, while having the food ingested have time to begin to digest. With two hours, at minimum, between rounds, A Senior would have time to go over the game he has just finished without constantly checking the time to ascertain how many minutes remain until the next round.
The Legendary Georgia Ironman has taken a stand; drawn a line in the sand. He refuses to play in a tournament in which the time limit is faster than what in total would be a five hour game. Many times I've heard him quote IM of GM strength Boris Kogan, "You must be strong in the fifth hour!"
I have decided I would not play in a tournament in which the time control is faster than G/2. I have discussed it with Tim, and others, with my point being four hours is long enough for a 'real' game of chess, if one has to play two games in one day. My thinking has been that if one goes to work at an eight hour job, one usually works half a day, takes a break for lunch, and works the other half of the day. Also, I will admit to a great deal of fatigue in the 'fifth hour', especially in the second game of the day. When players are evenly matched the game is usually decided in the endgame, which takes place, most often, in the fifth hour of play. The unfortunate thing is that my brain, like my body, is not as quick as it once was, and that means it takes me longer to work things out, putting me into time pressure and seeing me blunder away a better, if not won, position.
I have never played in the time control that will be used at this years US Senior. I believe it is the new FIDE time control of G/90 plus 30 seconds added after every move. If you figure an average game to be 40 moves, then 90+20=110, which is less than G/120, my minimum time control. I do not know who came up with this time control, but, since Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is the gangster in charge of FIDE (do you really believe his 'body guards' took it upon themselves to murder Anna Politkovskaya?), and he has come up with many other absurd ideas, the possibility exists that USCF pooh-bahs are marching in lock-step with him by using this ridiculous time control.
Seniors 'cut their teeth' by playing in tournaments with a secondary time control. I won the Atlanta Championship in 1976 with a time control of 40/2 1/2, followed by a secondary time control of the sort Jerry Weikel uses in Reno. Granted, there was only one game a night for five weeks...IM of GM strength Boris Kogan strongly advised getting up from the board after the time control and going to the men's room, if necessary, to refresh one's mind. This is not possible with this time control. Not to mention the fact that one can never be certain when the game will end, especially in a, say, Queen & Pawn ending...
I sent out an email asking Seniors, and future Seniors, if they had ever played in a tournament with this time control. Not one responded in the affimative!
After being informed the Georgia Chess Association planned on using the very same FIDE time control at their Senior tournament next month, I queried the Legendary Ga Ironman and was astonished to read he intended on playing, writing, "You at least get into the fifth hour." His desire to play had caused him to compromise his principles. I informed my friends back home I would not play. Some time later I received an email from the President of the GCA, Mr Scott Parker, informing me they had decided to change the time control to G/100, with the 30 second increment! A game of 40 moves will now translate to a G/2, and I hope to play. It is not what I consider ideal for a Senior tournament, but then, it does conform to my stated minimum. A chessplayer who stands for nothing will fall for anything.
As the time ticks away, a Senior realizes each event could possibility be the last in which he participates. I've missed so many US Seniors for various reasons, and hate to miss another...I will NOT attend the US Senior this year, and the time control is the main reason.

That's odd

How has it come to be that a weekend tournament has an odd number of rounds? Since it is a fact that the player with the White pieces has an advantage, it would seem only logical to have an even number of rounds, would it not?
Some years ago the irrepressible tournament promoter Thad Rogers decided to try a four round tournament in Atlanta. Much grumbling was heard about not having enough rounds to determine a clear winner. As I recall, it transpired that there was a clear winner in every section! Because the players realized there were fewer rounds the games were particularly hard fought and there were fewer draws. In spite of this, the experiment was not tried again. Tournaments soon had a Friday night round, followed by two games on Sat & Sun. That was changed to an opptional first round on either Friday night, or Saturday morning. As time went on it became obvious there were not enough players for the Friday night round, and sometimes for the Saturday morning round, oftentimes with only one player in a section, who would receive a full point bye because of not having an opponent in his section.
It has further devolved to faster time limit games in the early rounds. As one delegate said to me at the recent US Open, "G/60 in the US Open is an abomination!" The reason given for the faster time limit games is to get more players to attend. Unfortunately it has not worked out the way it was intended.
It comes down to quality versus quanity. More chess does not translate to better chess. An odd number of rounds gives an advantage (theoretically) to the player having an extra White. Since quanity has been given preference for some time, maybe it is time we gave some consideration to quality chess.