Pomplamoose Channel
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Chess Snapshot Analysis 3 - Can you find any improvements?
There are improvements on both sides, can you find them?
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
New Chess Video: Chess Position Practice #5 - Candidate Moves
Game PGN Data
[Event "Carlsbad it, CZE"]
[Site "Carlsbad it, CZE"]
[Date "1907.??.??"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Aron Nimzowitsch"]
[Black "Mikhail Chigorin"]
[ECO "D02"]
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Bg4 3. Ne5 Bf5 4. c4 e6 5. Nc3 c6 6. Qb3 Qb6
7. Bf4 Nf6 8. c5 Qxb3 9. axb3 Nbd7 10. b4 Nh5 11. Nxd7 Kxd7
12. Bd2 Be7 13. b5 Nf6 14. e3 e5 15. Be2 Ne8 16. bxc6+ bxc6
17. dxe5 Nc7 18. Na4 Rhb8 19. O-O f6 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. Bc3 Bc2
22. Rfc1 Bb3 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Nc3 Rb4 25. Bd3 h6 26. Ne2 a5
27. Bf5+ Ke8 28. Nd4 Ba4 29. b3 Bb5 30. Ra3 a4 31. Rca1 Ra6
32. bxa4 Rbxa4 33. Rxa4 Rxa4 34. Rxa4 Bxa4 35. Bd3 Kd7 36. Kf1
Bb5 37. Bxb5 cxb5 38. Ke2 b4 39. Kd2 Na6 40. c6+ Kd6 41. Kc2
Kc5 42. Kb3 Kb6 43. g4 Nc5+ 44. Kc2 Ne4 45. f3 Nd6 46. Kb3 Nc4
47. Kxb4 Nxe3 48. Kc3 Nc4 49. Kd3 Ne5+ 50. Ke3 Nxc6 51. Nxc6
Kxc6 52. Kd4 Kd6 53. f4 Ke6 54. Kc5 f5 55. h3 fxg4 56. hxg4 d4
57. Kxd4 Kd6 58. f5 1-0
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Chess Games of Grandmaster Mikhail Chigorin Added to http://www.jrobichess.com
I have added the game collection of chess Grandmaster Mikhail Chigorin to the main site at http://www.jrobichess.com. Chigorin was a leading Russian chess player. He served as a major source of inspiration for the "Soviet school of chess," which dominated the chess world in the middle and latter parts of the 20th century.
Chigorin has several chess openings or variations of openings named after him, the two most important being the Chigorin Variation of the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5) and the Chigorin Defence to the Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6). Another opening line invented by Chigorin is 1.e4 e6 2.Qe2 in the French Defence. It is now generally regarded as a forerunner of King's Indian setups, but Chigorin also played it with other ideas (such as b2-b3) in mind.
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Tom Brokaw Explains Canada
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
2010 Vancouver Winter Games
Personally I really enjoyed these games. The level of competition and overall spirit of all the events were amazing. Vancouver did an outstanding job as host to this international event, so many props to all the people who invested time, resources, and energy in British Columbia (and across the nation) to help make these winter games one of the best ever! I also have to tip my hat to CTV. They did an amazing job covering the games, better than any other network in our history.
That being said, however, it was heartbreaking that Nodar Kumaritashvili, a Georgian athlete, died in his training run. The very thought of an Olympic athlete dying never crosses anyone's mind, and when that tragic accident took place it was a very sad moment. I know that people from all over the world felt horrible, and everyone's heart goes out to Nodar's family, friends, and the Georgian team and nation.
Another downside to the Olympic experience was the Canadian media. Just before the end of the first week I heard nothing but anti- "Own the Podium" references on cable television and talk radio. To those unfamiliar with the Canadian "Own the Podium" initiative, it's basically a catch-phrase for supporting athletes financially. I believe Canada spent around 117 million over the past several years to bolster the support of our Olympic athletes to help them train and prepare for the games. Historically, Canada has spent very little supporting Olympic athletes, so the "Own the Podium" program was the first of its kind in Canada.
Early into the games, when some Canadian athletes didn't perform as well as the media had hoped they would, they began to question the worthiness of the "Own the Podium" program. The general theme they were tossing around indirectly, and sometimes directly, was that the program was a waste of money. Of course, what this basically boiled down to was the Canadian media jumped ship on their own athletes. If you're going to say it's not worth investing money on your athletes, what you're also saying is that you don't find them, or their cause, worthy enough to spend money on. You can't just do the athletes lip service and call it a day.
However, the good news is that our athletes didn't back down, didn't get disheartened, and continued to give their very best. In the end, they broke the all time record for gold medals won in any winter Olympic games with 14 of those beauties and achieved third overall in the total medal count standings. For a nation with a population a tenth of a size of the United States, this is an outstanding accomplishment! Now those in the media that were against the "Own the Podium" program will be doing a complete 180, and I am sure we will hear tons of good things about the worthiness of the program for a long time to come. Welcome back on board Canadian media, although I am sure many didn't miss you anyway.
Nonetheless, the games were amazing and what a finish! To have the Canadian men win hockey gold in such a dramatic fashion was a storybook ending to a very entertaining and memorable winter Olympics. Canada has definitely raised the bar for hosting the Games, and that has caused a swell of pride across the nation!
Top 3 Nations
1. United States 9 Gold - 15 Silver - 13 Bronze
*New all time total medal count record with 37 total
2. Germany 10 Gold - 13 Silver - 7 Bronze
3, Canada 14 Gold - 7 Silver - 5 Bronze
*New all time gold medal total record with 14
For full final standings, visit the official website of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
That being said, however, it was heartbreaking that Nodar Kumaritashvili, a Georgian athlete, died in his training run. The very thought of an Olympic athlete dying never crosses anyone's mind, and when that tragic accident took place it was a very sad moment. I know that people from all over the world felt horrible, and everyone's heart goes out to Nodar's family, friends, and the Georgian team and nation.
Another downside to the Olympic experience was the Canadian media. Just before the end of the first week I heard nothing but anti- "Own the Podium" references on cable television and talk radio. To those unfamiliar with the Canadian "Own the Podium" initiative, it's basically a catch-phrase for supporting athletes financially. I believe Canada spent around 117 million over the past several years to bolster the support of our Olympic athletes to help them train and prepare for the games. Historically, Canada has spent very little supporting Olympic athletes, so the "Own the Podium" program was the first of its kind in Canada.
Early into the games, when some Canadian athletes didn't perform as well as the media had hoped they would, they began to question the worthiness of the "Own the Podium" program. The general theme they were tossing around indirectly, and sometimes directly, was that the program was a waste of money. Of course, what this basically boiled down to was the Canadian media jumped ship on their own athletes. If you're going to say it's not worth investing money on your athletes, what you're also saying is that you don't find them, or their cause, worthy enough to spend money on. You can't just do the athletes lip service and call it a day.
However, the good news is that our athletes didn't back down, didn't get disheartened, and continued to give their very best. In the end, they broke the all time record for gold medals won in any winter Olympic games with 14 of those beauties and achieved third overall in the total medal count standings. For a nation with a population a tenth of a size of the United States, this is an outstanding accomplishment! Now those in the media that were against the "Own the Podium" program will be doing a complete 180, and I am sure we will hear tons of good things about the worthiness of the program for a long time to come. Welcome back on board Canadian media, although I am sure many didn't miss you anyway.
Nonetheless, the games were amazing and what a finish! To have the Canadian men win hockey gold in such a dramatic fashion was a storybook ending to a very entertaining and memorable winter Olympics. Canada has definitely raised the bar for hosting the Games, and that has caused a swell of pride across the nation!
Top 3 Nations
1. United States 9 Gold - 15 Silver - 13 Bronze
*New all time total medal count record with 37 total
2. Germany 10 Gold - 13 Silver - 7 Bronze
3, Canada 14 Gold - 7 Silver - 5 Bronze
*New all time gold medal total record with 14
For full final standings, visit the official website of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Chess Snapshot Analysis 2 - Can you find any improvements?
Here's an unrated game I played as white against the 2. ... E6 Sicilian. What improvements could black have made (or white)?
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
My First Post (New Contributer - David)
This game was between myself David and a friend of mine I was playing with the white pieces.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
We are the World For Haiti - Official Video
To donate $10 dollars to Haiti relief efforts with the Red Cross through your cell phone, follow this step:
Text "haiti" to 90999
So far millions of dollars have been donated this way for Haiti relief efforts, surpassing the entire amount gathered through cell phone donations in 2009.
Source: American Red Cross Twitter Page
Friday, February 19, 2010
Chess Snapshot Analysis - Can you find any improvements?
I thought it would be fun once and awhile to post up a game and ask for snapshot analysis. If you think you see any improvements, jot them down in the comment section and then check them out with your engines to see if you're right. Feel free to post for both sides of the board.
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Chess Movie: The Story of I.S.318
CHESS MOVIE (working title) from Rescued Media on Vimeo.
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Sicilian Defence Dragon Variation - Yugoslav Attack: New Annotated Chess Opening with Computer Practice on www.jrobichess.com
I have added an annotated opening for the Sicilian Defence Dragon Variation with computer practice and Grandmaster examples on the main site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
One of Great Britain's strongest grandmasters John Emms notes that "I can safely say that the Yugoslav Attack is the ultimate test of the Dragon. White quickly develops his queenside and castles long before turning his attentions to an all-out assault on the black king. To the untrained eye, this attack can look both awesome and unnerving"
That being said, black has more than enough tools within the Dragon lines to equalize and have solid winning chances. As always, all resources and training materials on http://www.jrobichess.com are free for everyone to use to improve their game. You can find the new opening practice and exploration for the Yugoslav attack in the "Chess Opening Study with Computer Practice" section of my site.
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Chess reduces the chance of getting Alzheimers by 60 to 75 Percent
For the article on how chess greatly reduces the chance of getting Alzheimers by 60-75% click here. Spread the word around and get all your friends and relatives pushing the pieces on the 64 square battlefield!
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Crazy Dragon Chess Game - Some mistakes but a failure to capitalize for white.
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
New Chess Video: Sicilian Defence - Dragon Variation - Yugoslav Attack
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
New Video on the Washington Post's decision to discontinue GM Kavalek's Chess Column
Email the Washington Post at letters@washpost.com to request the return of the online Chess Column by GM Lubomir Kavalek.
To read Mr. Kavalek's last article, visit: http://tinyurl.com/yemt3mv
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
The Washington Post Cancels Chess Column
The Washington Post has ended its chess column written by Lubomir Kavalek. The final column, was published Jan. 4. Kavalek wrote about chess for the newspaper for 23 years.
Lubomir is a noted Czech-American chess player who obtained his Grandmaster distinction in 1965. Kavalek also coaches chess, and is an award winning writer.
Email the Washington Post at letters@washpost.com to request the return of the online Chess Column by GM Lubomir Kavalek. Here is what I sent them - please send them your own letter to the editor through email:
I am writing this quick letter to request that you bring back your online chess column written by Lubomir Kavalek. Mr. Kavalek is an internationally recognized professional in the world of Chess, and an award winning writer. To have his work as part of your online offerings helped increase the overall scope and prestige of your publication. Many notable media organizations support chess columns, such as the New York Times to name one. I hope you reconsider your decision to cancel Mr. Kavalek's chess column, and that he can once again provide quality chess articles for your readers.
Source (Entire Article): The New York Times
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
Problems with the Fur Industry
A lot of what PETA does is sickening in and of itself (using billboards of murdered women to make a point for example) however on some issues they do expose practices that definitely need to change.
As everything boils down to freedom of choice, this video gave me several more reasons as to why I won't (and haven't) bought anything made from animal fur / exotic skins:
As everything boils down to freedom of choice, this video gave me several more reasons as to why I won't (and haven't) bought anything made from animal fur / exotic skins:
jrobichess makes chess videos and has a chess blog along with a personal chess site at http://www.jrobichess.com.
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