life



FICGS - Search results for life





There are 183 results for life in the forum.


Sebastian Boehme    (2011-04-28 11:02:40)
Active rating lists

Mr Meraiya, please also consider that much effort wss put into this site to bring it to life.
I can not understand how you can use such rude words then, one can also say it in another tone! Words make people.


Per Lea    (2006-04-08 23:09:40)
Titles

A provocative question: Do we really need titles at all? Isn't rating more informative than a title that maybe has been won when the player was at the top of his playing strength, many years ago? I admit the rating system isn't perfect, but I still claim it tells me more than a title. Being a Norwegian I am possibly less obsessed with titles (within all walks of life) than people from other countries?


Per Lea    (2006-04-09 11:50:32)
Vacations

OK, Hannes, you're right. When you leave "The modern world" my comments no longer apply... And, by the way: I fully support the idea of some sort of "vacation". After all, not everyone is obsessed with chess 24 hours/day. There are other valuable things in life as well! Often, it can be fun just to relax, and forget all about difficult middle-games, irritating colleagues at work and the disappointments of your local football team and just go away - to Vanuatu (wherever that mey be)


Thibault de Vassal    (2006-04-13 15:46:55)
New Titles

Hello Paul-Iosif.

Interesting new idea. In my opinion, there are too many titles & titled players already from official & "non-official" organizations. I think this is a mistake from FIDE / ICCF they couldn't remedy anymore. Titles from other organizations and particularly IECG are not really a problem "more", cause they are hard to achieve (rare), but I don't think this could be so attractive for players. To get a title is a reward itself. Maybe even EM title shouldn't exist.

But I think that ie. a KM title (over GM) could be an interesting idea !

Anyway, I'm ok with the commission idea, we'll vote that too.

Another interesting & controversial idea is (as IECG do) titles not to be awarded for life ! If player's rating decrease, he could lost his title... but I don't think this is very fair.


Thibault de Vassal    (2006-04-20 23:18:32)
Vote for the best game

A funny feature has been implemented : You can vote for the best game played on FICGS. I hope it will reveal great games... :)

The votes have a lifetime.


Thibault de Vassal    (2006-05-28 01:06:10)
Other quotes by famous chess players

"I really believe that Go is destined to take the place of Chess as the leading intellectual game of the Occident, just as it has reigned supreme in the Orient for some four thousand years."
- Edward Lasker, Go and Go-Moku, c. 1934

"While the Baroque rules of chess could only have been created by humans, the rules of go are so elegant, organic, and rigorously logical that if intelligent life forms exist elsewhere in the universe, they almost certainly play go."
- Edward Lasker, international chess master

"You don't have to be really good anymore to get good results. What's happening with Chess is that it's gradually losing its place as the par excellence of intellectual activity. Smart people in search of a challenging board game might try a game called Go."
- Hans Berliner, The New York Times, Feb 6, 2003


"... {it is} something unearthly ... If there are sentient beings on other planets, then they play Go."
- Emanuel Lasker, chess world champion


Lionel Vidal    (2006-05-31 21:15:10)
Weiqi komi

Hello,

Thanks for that link: it is indeed a good reading. I would suggest also to read the chapter on the rules of Go in 'The go player's almanac' (Bozulich 2001), that gives much more details.

By reading these, you can see that half a point komi is indeed quite uncommon :-)
But an important point is that it should probably depend on the chosen rule, or more precisely on the counting mode, area or territory.
BTW, what is the counting rules here in FICGS ?
Note that this rule question may be quite critical on some life-and-death situation and may change the result of a game! And some of the simplest cases (like bent four in the corner) can arise not too uncommonly.

Lionel


Thibault de Vassal    (2006-07-02 12:52:15)
rules & ratings

Hello Peter.

Indeed, you were one of the very first registered players. I have fixed the rules since this time, though it seems to me this point was the same already.

Anyway, ratings of course are not only informative (like in life :)), as it allows to play class tournaments. Now, there must be a way to choose a winner in certain cases, even if there's no "perfect" way. But if you win the tournament, there's no discussion. It only lights the battle a little more... When a player register he can ask for a >1700 rating only if he has got an "official" rating already, so the influence of choice is not so important at registration.

Your reference to 1789 is amazing, but actually we ARE equal before the law (rules). Doesn't mean the law is perfectly fair, that's impossible, of course. Like in life... The rules slightly favourize the best players. Je t'embrasse itou :)


Glen D. Shields    (2006-07-24 17:04:52)
Thanks Thibault

Thanks Thibault for the response.

I definitely concur that today's correspondence chess is different than 40 years ago. The two biggest things I miss about today's CC are the 1) blunders and 2) open tournaments. I remember the excitement of getting a postcard and rushing to check my opponent's move. Blunders weren't common, but they occured. Now they're non-existant. Blunders made for great lore!

Why no more open tournaments? Took me 40 years to get my rating where it's at. I'm not a top player, but what I've earned, I've earned mostly the "old fashioned" way. I avoid open tournaments to avoid losing to low rated players who just learned the moves, but because they have a a high powered muti-processor running Deep Fritz they can knock me down a hundred points. I miss chatting with beginners, teaching them the ins and outs of CC. Oh well :)

You mentioned the top CC players winning and then not sticking with the game because winning is too hard due to chess engines. Is the drop out rate at the WC level any different than it was in the past? Berliner won and dropped out 40 years ago. Palciauskas won 30 years ago and then he dropped out. Chess engines were not a factor when they won. I don't think top players drop out because of engines, but because it is too hard to keep a competitive edge to play at a top level for any length of time. Good results are a combination of talent, hard work and good fortune. Keeping all three together for any length of time is a HUGE endeavor.

Personally I think a bigger threat to CC burn-out is not chess engines, but chess servers. Servers make CC too easy. Today's CC today is like Bill Murray in "Ground Hog Day." You wake up to an inbox full of chess moves. You work all day/night replying. Then you wake up the following day to moves from the same people and do it all again. There are no week long breaks breaks between games like in the postcard days. Server chess is burning out everyone, not just the top players. The progressive server owners will need to address this issue someday.

Sooooo ... what's the bottomline for me? I liked the old days better, but the old days are gone. Chess engines are here to stay. Progress is part of life. I embrace progress and am determined to enjoy it. I get my thrills by learning about chess engines and their weaknesses. That gives me an edge and keeps the game fresh. But then that's me :)


Glen D. Shields    (2006-07-26 03:52:31)
Thanks Wayne, but ...

Wayne - you have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to feel guilty about. You're playing by todays rules. One of life's great pleasures is to embrace change and enjoy the fun and diversity that comes from it :)

I look forward to even more change. I'd love to see new analysis tools, new ways to analyze endings, openings, and counter-attack the engines. So much to be accomplished. So many great things still be developed :)


Thibault de Vassal    (2006-07-28 02:31:50)
Blogs !

Everyday a new feature, I keep in the rhythm ;)

You may have noticed this link ('see the players blog') at the top of the forum page. A new interface that simply looks like the forum, but built like a blogs website.

You may want to relate your Chess life or Go philosophy, your games or whatever.. you can do it there.

Like in the forum, links are automatically parsed. The html < br > tag to begin a new line. Comments by everyone are also available.


Thibault de Vassal    (2006-09-08 18:10:52)
Chess tournament : Zero-sum or not ?

While discussing about Sun Tzu's "The Art of War", and the question "Is the best player always the champion ?" (of course not IMO) , I was argued that any chess tournament "was" (actually could be "reduced to") a zero-sum game :

"In 1944 John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern proved that any zero-sum game involving n players is in fact a generalised form of a zero-sum game for two persons, and that any non-zero-sum game for n players can be reduced to a zero-sum game for n + 1 players; the (n + 1) player representing the global profit or loss. This suggests that the zero-sum game for two players forms the essential core of mathematical game theory."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_sum_game

It seems to me that it's out of topic, but I couldn't say exactly why... In my opinion, a tournament is nearer life than game, at least quite far from it. Much more rules, often complex ones, and results that depend on many parameters you couldn't influence...

The word "champion" depends on accurate rules (the best player could finish 2nd, even if he wins all games ie. in an open tournament..), the "best player" depends on general opinion (most commonly through ratings), ie. Topalov vs. Kasparov ...

What do you think ? :-)


Where the discussion started from :

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060907/sirlin_01.shtml

I agree with many points about how to win, but the use of some words seems to be dubious...

I like much this quote :

"I was surprised to see that Capablanca did not initiate any active maneuvers and instead adopted a waiting game. In the end, his opponent made an imprecise move; the Cuban won a second pawn and soon the game. “Why didn’t you try to convert your material advantage straight away?” I ventured to ask the great chess virtuoso. He smiled indulgently. “It was more practical to wait.” "

—Mikhail Botvinnik, 6th World Chess Champion


Thibault de Vassal    (2006-10-03 14:32:52)
SmartGo, Many faces of Go...

Computer Go seems to be very far from computer chess yet... (more than I thought)

Do you think a playing Go program could beat the best player in future ?
(following discussions I had with several players here :))

I've read the strongest programs could play around 8 kyu level (SmartGo, Many faces of Go). Not so bad, but I suppose it's at a blitz level, what about correspondence Go...

I train myself against gnuGO and I've been told about Kombilo, a free Go program (database), but I did not really enter it. SmartGo and Many faces of Go seem to be really good programs to learn the basics of the game.. but then ? .. Should we learn life and death structures, other things or only practice ?


Sebastian Palozzi    (2006-11-05 14:29:19)
A Moment of Clarity

I find it interesting that no matter how bizzare his life and his thoughts might be I can usually find a moment of perfect clarity and thought; his description of Capablanca's style and ability coincide very nicely with the latest computer analysis of World Champion strength and style as posted on Chessbase. It seems to me that putting aside all questions of strength or playing ability Fischer has a profound knowledge and love of chess. If he is wrong about anything he is wrong about his own feelings about the game.


Dinesh De Silva    (2006-11-05 15:06:43)
Re:

Sebastian, tha's an interesting thought. Maybe you're right. If Fischer just stuck to chess only/continued with chess playing, chess analysis & chess commentating (without getting mingled up with other worldly issues & many bizarre views), he would have been better off in life.


Charlie Neil    (2006-11-09 12:34:30)
Chess is dead?

Misha Tal was the exception to a lot of rules. A "must read" book is the Life and Games of M Tal it will re-ignite your passion for this terrible game. And on Fischer's last tourney it has to be the Interzonal at Palma de Mallorca 1970


Thibault de Vassal    (2006-11-12 18:41:41)
Incredible life of chess players...

Sometimes I'm simply stunned by the players informations I can read... :)

http://www.ficgs.com/display_informations.php?member=1065


That's great to welcome players from all horizons... and ages !


Arthur Alfred Macarsindale    (2006-11-14 11:16:06)
Thank you

To all of you who have taken the trouble to read my very very mini auto biography. If I 'pop my socks' tomorrow I can honestly say it was not a boring life!


Arthur Alfred Macarsindale    (2006-11-14 13:22:07)
Story Of Life and Chess

Often closer linked than people may think! Ask me anything you feel you want to please.Chess or otherwise.I can only answer or not answer! I was taught chess by a relative who was a rather fine player when I was aged 9 in 1921. He died when I was 12 years old and so I lost a playing partner. I was married in 1932 and, seeing the ghastly goings-on in Germany in 1930s knowing that the whole show was starting again as it had in 1914 ,I vowed to ensure that a group of thugs and criminals would not be taking a foot on the shores and shires of Great Britain and bringing along some new age of butchery and lunacy . And so the RAF was my home for the next 15 years from 1938. I revisited chess principally in 1940 and that was hot summer's days outside playing cards,chess and other games waiting for the phone to ring and 'scramble'. Unfortunately two of my chaps who I played often with were shot down and killed over Kent in August 1940. I miss them both to this day. Then I did not play for years until the advent of correspondence chess in the 1960s and 1970s through the postal mail. And since 1998 the Internet. There you have it!


Thibault de Vassal    (2006-11-14 13:49:08)
Story Of Life and Chess

Yes, a story of life and chess ! ..

In my ICCF database, the oldest archived correspondence chess games have been played (at first sight, I may be wrong) in 1989, did you kept your first correspondence chess games ? It would be great to see some from this period... In which organizations did you play before ? Thanks for your answers :)


Charlie Neil    (2006-11-19 17:05:27)
Retire and come back.

I'm sorry to read that you feel you have to leave because of the behaviour of some other people. I think that is just one of the drawbacks of having a free site on the internet. Anyone can join our "club" and conduct themselves in an unsporting manner. I think it is just one of those things. I have been the victim of similar unsportsman like behaviour in over the board games, by post and on similar sites here on the net. I just think you get that tiny minotiry (and that is all they are) who mess around. I do like playing on ficgs and , (so far) have been paired with well-mannered opponents who play fair. I have had a number of silent withdrawals but that is to be expected. I am just sad to think if any well meaning players would leave because of someone messing around. But life's like that, that's the way it is.


Daniel Khayman    (2006-11-20 22:13:29)
Messages

hello Wayne, i'm glad you've popped in. yeah, apparently not many players here like to have a friendly chat while playing but, hey, you can always find a way around it so, if you wanna talk, my friend, just post a topic here and we'll discuss it......or maybe we can do by the usual e-mails :-). thanks for your welcoming Wayne and hope to meet you soon across the board.. daniel p.s.: today my son has been hospitalised for 10 days to examine what appears to be a certain case of autism: the final diagnosis will be made at the end of this session but i'm not to optimistic anymore; he looked like he'd been improving but it was only a mirage or maybe just my irrational hope that all this be a bad dream from which i'll soon wake up. i've woken up, alright?!?! what can you do? life goes on and he's forever gonna need me so i can't afford to despair. the greatest match of my yet short life has begun. see you around Wayne.


Elmer Valderrama    (2006-12-04 14:32:04)
Deepy, the drawing monster

Now it's clear why CB was willing to pay 1 million if defeated: with Deep Jok..uh.. Fritz, they have created a drawing monster!!

At least it comes with a 1/2-point Life Guarantee

8-)


Lennart Oberg    (2006-12-16 11:35:56)
Change, please!!!!!

I´m new here, playing my first tour. and 2 guys make a few moves and then let the clocks run. Solution, every move within ( 3, 7, 10 days ) or you forfeit. That´s life in live chess! Regards, Lennart Oberg


Thibault de Vassal    (2006-12-31 14:53:21)
Blitz correspondence chess

Hello Charlie & Elmer.

Still thinking about it, I don't think it should look like standard OTB time control, some points are :

- How many games played at the same time (2-game match or tournament) ?

- Entries in waiting list will have a life period (someone agrees the challenge in the next hour, if not it's canceled)

- Adjournment is a big issue... It could cause many problems :/

- Too many time controls is not good IMO.


Nick Burrows    (2007-03-15 00:16:26)
quotationes

I think the different quotes popping up, enhance the site immeasureably. It's good that they are not all chess related, here are some more metaphysical offerings from my favourite film - 'Waking life' "Life is a matter of a miracle that is collected over time by moments flabbergasted to be in each others presence." “The quest is to be liberated from the negative, which is really our own will to nothingness…To say yes to one instant is to say yes to all of existence.” "Whatever you do, don’t be bored. This is absolutely the most exciting time we could have possibly hoped to be alive. And things are just starting.” Has anyone seen it? Peace, nick burrows.


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-03-15 00:54:30)
Waking life

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243017/

I did not hear about this film... Looks interesting. I added the last quote...


Nick Burrows    (2007-03-21 03:30:05)
order

I believe life has meaning and that the universe follows an anthropic principle, in that it is within the nature of matter to organise itself and evolve into more complex structures. All forms of life are complex organised structures that have arisen out of 'chaos'. <tr> Our minds are the only tool we have to gain an understanding of these structural facts. So we can't seperate ourselves from the 'rational' to be truly objective, but we are here nonetheless. Although if a tree falls when nobody is around, does it make a sound? Is there any reality outside of human consciousness? <tr> which other games stimulate conversations such as this!?


Elmer Valderrama    (2007-03-26 11:29:35)
How Life imitates Go

..any takers?

From what you guys write it looks more promising than Life imitating Chess.. --for if Chess can be programmed, can Life ever be ? ;-)


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-03-26 14:58:25)
How Life Imitates Chess

Did you read this book by Kasparov, Elmer ? .. What do you think about ?


Elmer Valderrama    (2007-03-26 18:15:28)
How Life Imitates Chess

Has it been already published?

To start with, something tells me that the title should have been: How Chess Imitates Life, as it is written by a chess player not a philosopher or politician.

Not just because there is nothing bigger than life, but because we would be in real trouble if we had to make use of chess methodology to find out how to make the right decisions in life.

It can help, true, but no more than it did for Napoleon, for example ;)
(--Wellington would be turning in his grove trying to claim a Master Norm for Waterloo ;)

I have real difficulties trying to grasp the link between chess and politics.

Was Churchill a chess Master? if that is so, then Bush and Blair must be ELO 1200 ;-), and Garry must be declared Russian President ipso facto

Which French presidential candidate from your list plays chess?

Which one is considering learning some chess strategy?

Would they get more votes if they declare this intention? -sort of getting into their rights minds and improving their decision making? Hey, Garry is missing some prospective customers here..8-)


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-03-26 18:59:43)
How Politics Imitates Chess

Garry Kasparov is probably not a philosopher, however it is not obvious to me that Chess Imitates Life, as (you said it) there's nothing bigger than life... Chess is a part of life. On the contrary, we could say life imitates chess because some decisions, sometimes, can be reduced (as far as possible) to chess strategies like reality can be reduced to science. The same, How Reality Imitates Science makes sense to me, whereas How Science Imitates Reality doesn't.

"How politics finally does not imitate Chess" by Garry Kasparov should be much more interesting :-) .. with a preface by Vladimir Putin : "How life doesn't imitate politics" :>


In France, the election sometimes makes me think to a.. more than chess, a Go game... I think Nicolas Sarkozy uses some chess(Go)-like strategies and knows openings/Joseki & tactics best. At least he may know very well the work of Arthur Schopenhauer : "The world as will and representation" & "L'art d'avoir toujours raison". In comparison, Ségolčne Royal and other candidates seem to use faith and "religion". Anyway, the result should be quite the same as life doesn't imitate politics much nowadays :/


Elmer Valderrama    (2007-03-26 19:18:28)
imitate = model

..nice description of the candidates' campaign strategy, Thibault :-)

How Science model Reality, and How Chess model Life, does it make sense to you? Hope so, since the object to be imitated is Reality or Life, and the imitator must be smaller/lesser by definition. (other synonyms are: imitate = try to be similar to = tend to look like = model)


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-04-01 19:00:23)
Internet Go vs. Masters

From Goama newsletter - http://gogame.info


How strong are Tygem ( http://tygem.com/ ) stars?

Korean Tygem Go server announced a tournament between top 3 Tygem players and Korean Dream team: Cho Hunnyun, Lee Changho and Yoo Changhyuk.

The results are:


First game: Cho Hunhyun, 9-dan lost by resignation to "spiderman1"

Second game: Lee Changho, 9-dan lost his game by resignation to "GoldHammer"

Third game: Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan lost by 6.5 points to "gurenarukl"


It's hard to believe it, but they played without any handicap! Each game gathered more than 5000 observers. It seems, that Tygem has lot of other good players, considering that these 3 masters are not undefeatable. Their scores: Spiderman1 , 9-dan on Tygem, W113-L51 GoldHammer, 9-dan on Tygem, W275-L60 gurenarukl, 9-dan on Tygem, W893-L360

Maybe the online Go is far from the offline Go, or do we need a special experience for playing Go on servers? How strong are Tygem star players? Do we know them in real life? There are so many questions.

Chess players will also ask about the possibilities of computer help. Unfortunately they don't have English client available.


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-04-09 18:20:26)
Chess & Go movies

Luzhin defense is a nice film, but more about love than chess... :)

I heard about "The Go Master" about the life of Go Seigen... Waiting for seeing it !

About french movies, I'll also mention "Qui perd gagne" with Thierry Lhermitte, producted by a good chess player and friend, Daniel Wuhrman, I knew at Fontainebleau chess club :)


Achim Mueller    (2007-04-22 00:42:15)
Some more answers ;-)

@Don Burden

Full ack! If the rules stay as they are now it definitely makes sense to have groups of 11 or 13 players with e.g. 2 qualifiers.

@Mikhail Ruzin

Believe it or not, I would have been glad to play in group 02! There are seven "life" players and I bet a score of 4.5 or maybe even 4 points may be enough to qualify. In group 12 it's only 4 life players, and a result of 5 points (maybe 5.5 points) won't be enough for one player. There are only two remaining games, and all three strong life players have 4.5(one game to play), 4.5(1) and 4(2).

In this special situation exactly three games will decide who will quailify if you take a deeper look at the results and the contents of the games.

@Thibault

I never said it's easy for a 2300 ELO player if he plays for a draw only. But it's a big advantage for a player in a region between 2200 and 2500 if is aware that a draw will have the same quality as a victory against a certain competitor. Take a look at the world class cc players. There is a ~70% draw rate in the big tournaments, so the probability will be more than 70% if a player seriously tries to force a draw by choosing a certain opening and avoiding complicated variations.

Ciao

acepoint


Marc Lacrosse    (2007-04-22 11:59:10)
win against Anand :-)

Yesterday world number one Vishy Anand played a 90-minute simul against 19 opponents on ICC to raise funds for his favorite charity in India.
I had bought a seat and intended to play an unorthodox opening if possible.
I happened to be lucky enough to get the opportunity to play my favorite Basman-Sale sicilian defence...
... and I won !

In the very next days I will publish the game with a few comments on my site at chessbazaar.mlweb.info

This is the most beautiful day of my chess life :-)

Marc

the game :

[Event "ICC 90 5 u"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2007.04.21"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand"]
[Black "Bluesette"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ICCResult "White resigns"]
[WhiteElo "2786"]
[BlackElo "2155"]
[Opening "Sicilian defense"]
[ECO "B41"]
[NIC "SI.41"]
[Time "12:04:06"]
[TimeControl "5400+5"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb6 6. Nc3 Ne7 7. Bf4 d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bb5+ Nc6 11. O-O O-O 12. c3 Bf5 13. Qd2 a6 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. Be3 Bc7 16. Bf4 Bb6 17. Rfe1 Qf6 18. Be5 Qg6 19. Qf4 Be4 20. Qg3 Rfe8 21. Bd4 Bc7 22. Qxg6 Bxg6 23. Nc5 a5 24. b3 Bf5 25. f3 h5 26. g3 f6 27. Kf2 Kf7 28. Na4 g5 29. Rxe8 Rxe8 30. Bb6 Bxb6+ 31. Nxb6 Rb8 32. Na4 Rb5 33. Rd1 Be6 34. Ke3 c5 35. Kd2 c4 36. bxc4 dxc4 37. Kc1 Rf5 38. Rf1 Re5 39. Rf2 Re3 40. f4 gxf4 41. Rxf4 Re1+ 42. Kb2 Re2+ 43. Ka3 Rxh2 44. Nc5 Bg4 45. Ne4 f5 46. Rf2 Rxf2 47. Nxf2 Kf6 48. Ka4 Kg5 49. Kxa5 f4 50. gxf4+ Kxf4 {White resigns}
0-1


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-04-22 12:32:08)
win against Anand :-)

Great & congrats ! :) .. such a thing does not happen every day. It's a real honor to beat a top class player, even in a simul - and with Black. (would have been even more pleasant in "real life" for sure)

Do you still play some FIDE events / tournaments, Marc ?


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-04-30 14:05:46)
The meaning of Go for modern Russia

An interesting (as usual) article from IGN "Goama" newsletter - http://gogame.info


Alexander Rodin, the member of Go Federation
"The meaning of Go for modern Russia"

I'll try to state my thoughts about the meaning of the Go for modern Russia.

To begin with I suggested that we extrapolate Go models on the political and economical maps. These maps are very important as the spheres of social life, because the questions that are discussed at political and economical levels touch upon our lives, the lives of ordinary Russian citizens. In these spheres they continue the fierce struggle for life and death; in these spheres rivalry is especially keen and the made decisions define the vectors of our country development.

Let's imagine a situation if somebody inadequate came to power and set the totalitarian regime! Then all social "dissident" institution would start dying and so would do the Go Federation as a phenomenon which unifies people with independent thinking. Then it would be inevitable to start "hiding in basements" to keep the organization and set the secret addresses. Under conditions of modern Russia such kind of reasoning seems to be mostly fantastic than real. But if we look behind into our history we’ll remember that we have already had this phase of social development and know everything about it.

I am for that only "adequate" people, patriots, must hold power (I mean all its levels: federal, regional, local and busyness elite as well). These people must think independently and it would be just perfect if they were the people who both understand the very notion of strategy and use in their activity all the arsenal of strategic instruments and among them principles, stratagems and Go philosophy.

Someone can argue: "What are the patriots who set Japan draughts?" the heart of the problem is not in the fact that somebody sets draughts and even the Japan ones. The matter of fact is that there is a "pacific" model the centre of which is the idea of balance and peaceful division of the territory and influence. If someone of us can offer something better, so let him rule. In my opinion, it's the same as to rewrite the Bible or "The Treatise of Military Art" Soun Tsi.

The Go essence manifests in the state scale in the following aspects:

The first one is historical and cultural. The game has a great history and longstanding traditions. Go is no less than a civil game with the development of which hand by hand goes statehood making in many countries. Besides, it's followed by strengthening of spirituality and moral principles of society.

The second aspect is social. Go unifies people, sets friendly relationships between them. Through Go a man manifests quickly, through it s/he can see his/her reflection. Owing to "open spiritual fight" your adversary is likely to become your best friend without saying a word during a game.

The third aspect is pedagogical. Through Go they bring up the grown generations and form their active civil position. Like chess, Go forms and consolidates dynamical stereotypes showing in following behavioral models of people. Penetrating and consolidation happen imperceptibly when sleeping, during the junction of conscious and unconscious.

The fourth aspect is economical. Why are business people interested in Go? Because through the game model a man learns how to manage material and non-material resources. Via the game s/he realizes economical and management notions: market (territory), economical integration, SWOT-analysis (the analysis of weak and strong aspects) etc. Managers start realizing the importance of interconnection and interaction of structural subdivisions ensuring. These subdivisions shouldn't be isolated from each other. They should work time in time like a well-tuned tuning fork.

The fifth aspect is political. The idea of community in politics is as relevant as the idea of group of stones. When a group is weak there is always a possibility of dividing it and this is a sign for the whole group. When our country, being a federal union of equitable subjects, was going through its stage of making a number of subjects had a wish to use the weakness of this chain. So, in 1992 ­ 1994 for the first time after the collapsing of the USSR there appeared first separatist tendencies. E.Rossel, the governor of Sverdlovskaya region, A. Philipenko, the governor of HMAO, claimed about the possibility of Ural republic creation. The emissary of Chechen separatists Gokhar Dudaev proclaimed the independence of Chechen-Ingush republic. The detachment didn't happen but the country paid with blood for it. Nowadays we can see demonstration of political integration and isolation on the modern political world map. Take a strong unity of the European Union and states-outsiders: Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Iran.

In terms of remaining of the USA's striving for establishment of world hegemony (from V.V.Putin's speech at the recent Munich conference), Russia needs the processes of integration and consolidation with other countries aimed at its strengthening. The unified countries have a lot of dame. Now we can observe the stronger split in the CIS as a consequence of energetic and territorial policy of Russia that uses economical instruments of pressure upon "unfriendly and opposing" countries. Is it good or not? It's more likely that it‘s bad. But there are some positive tendencies: the role of the EurAsEC as a community which's built not on the basis of "strange brotherhood" and the role of Russia in it are increasing. Go is an ideological and spiritual base making us related to the countries of Asia-Pacific region. Go teaches how to see and distinguish creative and destroying processes.

The sixth aspect is psychological. The game develops thinking, in particular such processes as analysis and synthesis. It develops the ability of seeing the whole board and its details, the ability of seeing processes proceeding at global and local levels.

The seventh aspect is verbal and lexical or even philosophical. Through studying of the game theory we realize such categories as life and death, territory and influence, reliability, stability, the whole and the parts etc.

So, what is the Go meaning on the country scale? I assume that Go, as philosophy (an ideological and spiritual base), is a very important instrument of upbringing of strategic leaders, those who make decisions at high economical and political levels that influence the country's fate. Because in Go the idea of peaceful co-existence shows the way to harmony. The most pleasant is the fact the "Go way" doesn't have an end and there sky's the limit.


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-06-01 18:05:21)
Vladimir Kramnik interview

An interesting interview with Vladimir Kramnik on the current world of chess in Chessbase news, speaking of the chess world championship in Mexico, the current format, the place of Topalov in it, also his illness and married life... Very clear, looks like his chess :)

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3894
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3899


Wolfgang Utesch    (2007-06-23 19:31:56)
FICGS vs. IGAME.RU

If you want to have a fair and friendly match so discover the nicknames of your team and show their real names! I'm not interested to play against Donald Duck or other figures of virtual life!


Wolfgang Utesch    (2007-06-27 10:31:35)
Rules

Rules are very immportant! For all the same rules. If rules will changed about actual serious problems by a few players, it will be a disadvantage for all other players, which have arranged themselves with the same rules, independent from their own difficulties with that. Maybe sometimes they have thought less time for a single move as they would have wished - maybe they have lost therefore, but they have accepted the rules - that is the game (and that is life also).


Christophe Czekaj    (2007-06-27 13:33:55)
What a mess !

Hi everybody ! I'm totally agree with Charlie Neil ! What a mess for a friendly match ! I know "chess is life" but before it's a friendly game. So let's just play chess !


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-06-27 14:50:19)
+1

I must say that Glen's argument is very pertinent. The more vacation, the more games, the more difficulties... Quite logical, and I don't say that for you Miguel as it's probably a mechanical effect. Anyway I agree with you that a few more days would give a welcome breath, but as Wolfgang said, time is a part of the game, that's life. Sorry if you felt a bit of irony or cynicism in our posts, I suppose it was difficult to avoid it to justify our opinion...

Best, Thibault


Thomas Tamayo    (2007-07-10 00:05:19)
I play Real Life games

I mostly play IRL at clubs and tournaments. I need to drive about an hour for a quarterly tournament in Boston. I used to play on KGS, Dragon (PBM), and Little Golem (PBM)... they're all blocked at work now (no lunch playing) and I don't have a lot of free time at home. So I also play a lot at FICGS.


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-07-15 14:17:47)
Rybka vs. Human

Hello Jason.

You are right, but I doubt this "war" will end soon. Unlike pure calculation, chess is a symbol of intelligence, even if it's said to be pure calculation since Deep Blue won the match over Kasparov 10 years ago. It will be always possible to draw against the best computers, so there will always be challengers to try to equalize in a match against the king Rybka or any other super-calculator. Some will succeed, undoubtly... That's a question of time. And they will be chess heroes :)

About Go, the same cars on another circuit are not so successful, so why not to continue the race championsip anyway ? .. There is life, so there's hope... :)


Wolfgang Utesch    (2007-07-15 14:55:22)
Rybka vs. Human

Thibault, in my oppinion problem is your definition of intelligence. Is Kasparov really more intelligent than i.e. Jean-Paul Satre (or Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)??? A man like Bobby Fisher was/is showing, that excellent specialised skill (of chess) nothing has to do with enough intelligence for life!


Ilmars Cirulis    (2007-07-24 02:21:03)
Second possibility...

... is to get to next stages of FICGS championship and meet him. I will try.

Thank you for adding more merriment in my life, Jason. :)


Ilmars Cirulis    (2007-07-24 02:25:00)
:D

Don't worry, be happy!

Life is beatiful. :)


Nick Burrows    (2007-07-28 22:41:30)
a question

Is it possible that after playing too much chess, the intense desire to win seeps into all areas of life?
So having the effect that a conversation becomes something to win, rather than a means to understand each other better.


Polina Stefanova    (2007-08-02 16:13:21)
Threatened to kill the person

...in Moskow.

Unfortunately I inform, that --- [moderator : name deleted] from Ukraine promised to employ killers and to kill in Moscow the strongest chess player Igame - Sex God (2 place in rating Igame).

Sex God should play for command Igame against ficgs on the third board.

Sex God was against participation --- [moderator : name deleted] in match Igame – ficgs, because he supports addicts and played for a command which captain is the sick person and addict R2.

In Russia against a narcotism, including this illness a harm, however the command headed by addict R2, exists on Igame till now :(

As a result captain Igame, being afraid for a life and health Sex God has been compelled to exclude Sex God from a command.

Best wishes, Polina Stefanova (the leader of rating Igame)


Ivan Pljusnin    (2007-08-03 21:35:57)
:-)

Thibault, but you are agree that murders of strong correspondence chessplayers bring some excitement into their boring life, aren't you? :-)


Vitalii Bocharov    (2007-08-10 22:34:42)
+

I have been afflicted, when have seen --- [moderator : name deleted]'s message at a forum: http://igt.forum24.ru in which IM --- [moderator : name deleted] publicly, promised to kill Dmitry. In this case it is necessary to address in court, I the lawyer. Similar cases already were, when a mad star, sentenced to the large penalty and socially useful works - the life of people is more dear than ranks and ratings.


Ilmars Cirulis    (2007-08-13 20:07:40)
My try.

Life is like Internet - nothing interesting, but noone want to leave it. <NN>


Christophe Czekaj    (2007-09-01 12:43:09)
Free of chess engine

Thanks Thibault for reconducing me to this past forum. Very interesting. The part about "real" elo and correspondance elo is edifying. I know correspondence players could have a huge better elo than their real life one (if they have any) : more time to think, no stress, no pressure (or less) but I believe players who play without engines have a coorespondence rating approximately equal to their over the board one. Personnaly, I play coorespondence chess to try new opening, to train generally since I cannot play over the board so often since 2 years. I often play from the office, wtih sometimes a couple of minutes on a move, or sometimes I go home with the moves to think about my response in over the board conditions (30 minutes maximum on one move). My correspondence elo is around 2000 (with a good start with a peak to 2098, but declining since ;-D) and my over the board rating is now 1990 (with a peak to 2040 last year, and a rapid elo around 2100). So I sometimes feel a bit fed up with playing against chess engines, notably, but perhaps I'm wrong I have remarked that since I got an advantage, often opponents defend very very well, like computers in fact. Ok it's part of the game, and I know t could be a good training, fight hard to win a game, display a good technique, etc. but it could be disappointing to have the impression of play with a human opponent and have to finish with an another, i.e. the computer. Perhaps could we compare over the board elo, with correspondence elo to know if there is computer help or not ? Anyway, a special category of tournament will be great, and I'm eager to play with other ficgs "OTB-correspondence" players.


Tano-Urayoan Russi Roman    (2007-09-28 08:09:33)
Question about e-points

A quote from the rules: "When you buy tickets, a virtual account in E-Points is created (or modified) with a limited lifetime of 2 years, meaning the account will be emptied at the end of this period. Member's account lifetime will be reconducted each time tickets are bought by the member. The number of E-Points added to the account is the amount in Euros paid to FICGS. Tickets are not paid back." This means i lost the E-Points after 2 years? So what i do with E-Points if: "Tickets for tournaments (E-Points) can't be sold to other members, exchanged with cash money or paid back" In the summary that you wrote you said: "... then play money tournaments with entry fees and prizes (bronze, silver, gold) with low rakes in E-Points, finally ask for money prizes instead of E-Points for the tournaments you choose" This is not clear. For example, I join a gold tournament i must choose before hand if i want E-Points or a money prize. Also why i want to play more tournaments before redeeming a money prize if i could do nothing with my remaing E-Points (see above) Any help in my queries will be appreciated.


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-09-28 11:23:24)
Tickets / E-Points

Ok, I'll clarify that. It means that you can choose AFTER a tournament to ask for a money prize (exchanged with E-Points as a prize, not a redeeming). About the 2 years, it means that you have to ask for money prizes if you don't buy more E-Points until this delay - there must be such limits in time, but the aim is surely not to apply such a rule - anyway if you buy ie 10 more E-Points, the account lifetime is reconduced.

In brief, tickets are E-Points you buy, prizes are E-Points or money you win after a tournament.

I'll update it today.


Don Groves    (2007-10-22 07:14:48)
Re: Kasparov and humour

Hi, Dinesh -- Kasparov seemed so relaxed and spontaneous with his humour on the show, it seemed like he had been that way all his life. Maybe he has been lurking on FICGS for quite a while ;-)


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-11-20 19:56:40)
Le Grand Journal de Canal+

Frenchies Michel Denisot and Ariane Massenet interviewed (during 5 minutes at most) former world champion Garry Kasparov.

He explained in a few words how life imitates chess and how the rest of the world help Putin to make russia a dictatorship.

During the rest of the show as usual full of nothing, Kasparov was obviously quite impatient to leave and I understand him :)


Don Groves    (2007-11-20 23:21:28)
Life imitates chess

It's interesting how we humans invent things and then begin to to behave like our own inventions, or let them run our lives. Money, time, ..., chess. Is the Matrix coming or is it already here in a more subtle form?


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-12-03 03:04:56)
"Chess is like" series

Just tried a Google search on "chess is like" :


- Chess is like life (Spassky, Kasparov, Polar or so.. Fischer said Chess IS life :))

- A game of Chess is like a sword fight ! You must think first, before your move...

- To some extent face to face chess is like poker in that it can help to "read" your opponent's body language.

- Chess is like a box of choclates, once you start a game you never know what your gonna get.

- Chess is like body-building. If you train every day, you stay in top shape.

- Chess is like marriage. You cannot have a mate without a check. (Brian Wood)

- To me chess is like a patient and faithful lover; I may not always be there for her - er, it - but it is always there waiting by the phone for me to call and start up with the affair all over again. (Graham Moore)

- Chess is like snooker: once you slip a little it is very hard to get back because there are so many good young players fighting their way up.

- Chess is like golf, 50 percent mental, 50 percent physical.

- Chess is like the saxophone. You can pick it up and learn it, but it takes a lifetime to become any good.

- Chess is like tug-of-war, but it's also like "a cork bobbing up and down."

- Playing chess is like looking out over a limitless ocean; playing checkers is like looking into a bottomless well.

- Chess is like a symphony. The first phase of this piece was a furioso, leading to a quiet second movement, a positional struggle between two very different personalities. (about a Fischer's game)


... and so on. Finally anything's like everything :)


Thibault de Vassal    (2008-01-21 04:29:10)
Bobby Fischer in the news

Quite impressive to hear so much about Fischer's death in the medias taking his past into consideration... Fischer was a living legend whatever his thoughts & life after the century match in Reykjavik 1972 against Boris Spassky (actually the whole world already).

FICGS statistics from search engines and particularly Google exploded these last days.. "Robert James Fischer", "Fischer Spasski", "Fischer champion du monde", "La partita del secolo", "Fischer random chess", "Fischer Palma de Majorque" ... and so on... sometimes stranger (even quite frightening) keywords associated to him.

Anyway, Bobby continues to promote the chess game all over the world !


Christophe Czekaj    (2008-01-30 13:34:08)
Chinese Chess

I played some games of chinese chess on itsyourturn, and it could be fun ! I was totally crushed bya asian players :-D But I found a player in Rotterdam who was on the same level (just beginners ;-D) and we had some interesting games. I think its a good idea to play chinese by correspondence because, to say the least, it's not easy to find players in "real life" !


Thibault de Vassal    (2008-01-30 19:25:07)
Chinese Chess

Maybe this game will have a second life on the internet soon.. We need more players from China :)

What about kurnik.org ? .. or did you try www.clubxiangqi.com also ?


Iouri Basiliev    (2008-02-13 16:40:48)
FICGS vs. IGAME.RU, the games

I don't pretend to make the conclusion, but looking for the games quality i must admit the very high average level of play. Nearly all the tables! Fantastic! I personally think it's a historical (sorry for the overpathetic) event in the life of both sites.


Thibault de Vassal    (2008-03-18 19:43:35)
Quote festival, part 4

Now everyone (but newcomers) know the principle :)

Feel free to let your madness go and share your own quotes about chess, life and whatever.. The best ones will enter the FICGS quotes files :)

... just like in this previous thread :

http://www.ficgs.com/user_page.php?page=forum_read&id=3448


- Hello Thibault, if I have had a plan (and I had one, I hope), I have forgotten it during the last week... - Hello Heinz-Georg. What do you mean a plan ? :)

(Anonymous players during a Big Chess game)


Mark Hailes    (2008-03-20 23:23:16)
Voting For Best Game

Hi thibault------ I’m a bit envious of those carriage returns you manage to get in your posts... >>>> Voting will be more difficult <<<< I do tend towards laziness in my daily life (I can’t imagine life without a dish washer for instance). But even so the fractional mouse movement & additional click would not I think cause me such effort as to eschew voting, but it might make it more likely that I’d vote for what I consider to be the best game rather than a random one :-). So that’s one vote for the confirmation! >>>> There's no criteria... 'best' game, according to each player :) <<<< I assume then (from this somewhat enigmatic comment!?) that voting is for the best game in the tournament. Perhaps it might make sense not to allow voting on a game until it is finished? It may be that after playing well in the early part of the game, the player/s collapse later and mess it up. BTW. If I vote again for another game, is my vote removed from the first game I voted for? or not counted? Or can I in fact claim that multiple games are the best game in the tournament? What happens if I vote for the same game more than once?


Jason Repa    (2008-05-06 21:54:09)
Bird Brain loses in 33 Moves!

"Obviously playing the From or the approach adopted by black in these games is not an accurate response!"

That's not obvious at all. What's obvious is that I beat you quite easily when you and I played cc so you're far from being any kind of authority whatsoever!

"1f4 does not lose or lead to a worse gane for white - it just allows black to get equality very quickly and easily"

I just finished trying to explain to you, in the way a young child should be able to understand, that there is more to think about in chess than trying to play what current theory considers to be the best try for an opening advantage. Yet here you are rambling on about the same nonsense you were in your previous posts. Was Fischer's 2.d3 against the French the objectively strongest move? Even against (and perhaps especially against) computers, it can sometimes be better to play sidelines or moves which may serve to confuse an opponent. Is the King's Indian Attack the best try for an opening advantage for White? Probably not. But it was used by Kasparov to defeat Deep Blue. If you still can't understand the concept I've been trying to teach you, after several posts, I don't know what more I can do for you. Just keep mindlessly playing what established theory tells you are the strongest lines,(without having even the incipience of an understanding as to why) and keep mindlessly trusting the evaluations your program gives you, and you'll keep getting CRUSHED by guys like me.

"1 f4 doesnt develop any piece (except the king!) and is a bit committal and slightly weakening of the king side."

After this statement, if I didn't know better, I would have thought you were someone who just learned how to set up the pieces. It might be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard anyone say. Does 1.e4 develop a piece? How about 1.d4? I suppose those moves are "a waste in cc" as well. We should all be playing 1.Nf3 and 1.Nc3 according to you, lol.

1.f4 grabs space. It stakes out influence both in the center and on the kingside. It effectively prevents 1...e5 (lest White goes into a dubious gambit system) as an alternative to other moves which achieve this. There are also other intangibles that are part of the picture, such as the psychological effect the move may have, the lack of preparation an opponent may have against it, etc. If you ever began to understand chess at a level beyond just plugging moves into a program, you might start to appreciate that allowing concessions (such as the slight weakening of the White kingside resulting from 1.f4) is all part of the game. Fischer's famous quote: "you gotta give squares to get squares" is a famous example. If allowing static liabilities were something to be avoided at all cost, you'd never see a Sicilian Scheveningen. It allows all sorts of weaknesses.

As for your so called "analysis". It's a complete joke! For starters, you're "analyzing" a game resulting from the Leningrad Variation of the Bird's Opening. I line I've never played in my life, let alone here on FICGS. Is this how you try to win an argument/debate? By misrepresenting the facts? An intelligent person who genuinely felt that their argument had a leg to stand on, would simply take one of the 4 games I provided to you and do some analysis from there. Showing where Black could have improved. Then finally, after trying to "score points" with examples of the Leningrad Variation of the Bird's Opening, which I have never played, you post a game where White played poorly and lost to a lower rated player. As if that's never happened before in chess, lol. You don't even know enough to post the date of the game. I couldn't find this game on any of my databases(totally over 4,000,000 games), so if you didn't just make it up out of thin air, perhaps you got more wrong, such as the actual moves that were played, in addition to incorrectly stating:

"Look what happened to Evgeny Alexseev as black - a very strong 2600+ GM at the time - he continued 6 ..b6 7 h3 c5 8 Qe1 Bb7 9 g4 and lost to IM Sengupta."

Is it Black that lost here or White?

I took a brief look at the game, and it's hardly representative of proper play by White. 7.h3 was dubious at best. I prefer 7.Ne5. White then misses another opportunity to play the knight to e5 after 7...c5. Then 9.g4? is a gross thematic mistake. The only thing this game proves is that you're completely incapable of discussing chess in an intelligent way. Real chess players look for games that illustrate the critical lines for both sides, and try to arrive at some actual insights.

There is a reason I crushed you when we played cc last year.


Jason Repa    (2008-05-07 06:46:43)
Bird Brain loses in 33 moves!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the behavior of this lowlife. After all, I beat him in chess and beat him in debate. I also caught him RED-HANDED telling lies and exposed him for what he is. What else is a sniveling coward to do but dig up old flame wars on the internet from four years ago, that have not an iota of relevance to any of the topics being discussed here. I bet his parents are real proud of him, LOL!

"Black's ...f5 stakes a serious claim to the e4 square and looks towards an attack on White's kingside in the middlegame. However, it weakens Black's own kingside somewhat, and does nothing to contribute to Black's development" My point exactly about 1 f4"

Another typical tactic from a chronic liar....to change the very premise of what was being argued. I'll refresh your memory since you don't have the mental capability of remembering your own words. The statement you made was: "1 f4 at cc seems a waste of white". That is what I contested. I never disputed that there is some weakening of the kingside involved here. But some weakening of the kingside doesn't mean it's a poor opening choice. You're trying to win an argument with lies and misrepresentation. Try being honest and sticking to the facts for once in your life.

My otb tournament rating is currently 2010, but my active rating is not anywhere near what you're suggesting. I'm actually much stronger in both 30 minute active and blitz chess. I won more blitz tournaments in 2007 AND 2008 than anyone else in my region, ahead of 2 FM's. And my performance in active events is in the mid 2100's based on all the otb active events I've played in over the last 5 years.

In the region I play in we don't have many active events. So I've only played in 2 that were rated, and that was over a decade ago. The provisional ratings used were far below what everyone was worth (not just me). We had a strong FM who was competing at 1800 and change, while both his FIDE and national rating were in the neighborhood of 2300. Stranger things have happened in small clubs.

Did anyone notice how the coward won't discuss what HIS national otb rating is? We don't hear a word from him about that. Very telling indeed!

Then the little weasel reposts a game that he already posted in this thread earlier. Could it be that the poor loser whom I CRUSHED in chess, has run out of ammunition with which to compensate for the fact that he lost to me? I've lost 6 games, drew 59 and won 117 on FICGS, including the beating I gave to you. I beat you EASILY and I'm HIGHER RATED than you. Keep crying about that. Its entertaining.

Again, crybaby, if 1.f4 is a waste at cc, why did I gain rating points here playing 1.f4. And why did I beat you so easily at chess? I think I proved on the chess board, that you don't know what you're talking about. All you have is lies, slander, and random usenet group flame wars from 4 years ago. I have FACTS:

I BEAT YOU IN CHESS AND I'M HIGHER RATED THAN YOU ARE.

""Look what happened to Evgeny Alexseev as black - a very strong 2600+ GM at the time - he continued 6 ..b6 7 h3 c5 8 Qe1 Bb7 9 g4 and lost to IM Sengupta." Alexseev lost and the criticisms of IM Sengupta's moves by Mr Repa are quite funny "

You're copying and pasting the same nonsense you posted earlier. Did you even read the words you typed? You're saying "look what happened to Evgeny Alexseev as Black", as if he's the one who lost. Then You switch it around and suggest that Evgeny Alexseev was White and say that he played 9.g4. Are you pretending to be this stupid or is this really how you are? As I said earlier, you're probably making the whole game up, or at least changing moves around, etc, because it doesn't appear anywhere that I could find, and you're still not bright enough to figure out how to post the whole game as you were asked to do earlier. It's a pretty sad state of affairs of that's the ONLY game you can think of to try to smear a legitimate and recognized opening such as Bird's Opening. Whoever played White played very poorly. I spelled out for you the moves that White played that were very poor. Did I use any words too complex for you to understand?

" 1 f4 has been championed by GM Jakubiec who is the only GM who has played it regularly"

This is also pure nonsense. There are MANY strong GM's (and super GM's)who haved played 1.f4 in serious games. GM Henrik Danielsen used it as a MAIN MOVE for many years also.

Keep posting lies, slander, and irrelevant 4 year old flame wars from the internet little man. I defeated you in chess and in debate. I proved that what you said is pure nonsense. All you have is hot air!


Jason Repa    (2008-05-07 06:57:07)
Bird Brain loses in 33 moves!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the behavior of this lowlife. After all, I beat him in chess and beat him in debate. I also caught him RED-HANDED telling lies and exposed him for what he is. What else is a sniveling coward to do but dig up old flame wars on the internet from four years ago, that have not an iota of relevance to any of the topics being discussed here. I bet his parents are real proud of him, LOL!

"Black's ...f5 stakes a serious claim to the e4 square and looks towards an attack on White's kingside in the middlegame. However, it weakens Black's own kingside somewhat, and does nothing to contribute to Black's development" My point exactly about 1 f4"

Another typical tactic from a chronic liar....to change the very premise of what was being argued. I'll refresh your memory since you don't have the mental capability of remembering your own words. The statement you made was: "1 f4 at cc seems a waste of white". That is what I contested. I never disputed that there is some weakening of the kingside involved here. But some weakening of the kingside doesn't mean it's a poor opening choice. You're trying to win an argument with lies and misrepresentation. Try being honest and sticking to the facts for once in your life.

My otb tournament rating is currently 2010, but my active rating is not anywhere near what you're suggesting. I'm actually much stronger in both 30 minute active and blitz chess. I won more blitz tournaments in 2007 AND 2008 than anyone else in my region, ahead of 2 FM's. And my performance in active events is in the mid 2100's based on all the otb active events I've played in over the last 5 years.

In the region I play in we don't have many active events. So I've only played in 2 that were rated, and that was over a decade ago. The provisional ratings used were far below what everyone was worth (not just me). We had a strong FM who was competing at 1800 and change, while both his FIDE and national rating were in the neighborhood of 2300. Stranger things have happened in small clubs.

Did anyone notice how the coward won't discuss what HIS national otb rating is? We don't hear a word from him about that. Very telling indeed!

Then the little weasel reposts a game that he already posted in this thread earlier. Could it be that the poor loser whom I CRUSHED in chess, has run out of ammunition with which to compensate for the fact that he lost to me? I've lost 6 games, drew 59 and won 117 on FICGS, including the beating I gave to you. I beat you EASILY and I'm HIGHER RATED than you. Keep crying about that. Its entertaining.

Again, crybaby, if 1.f4 is a waste at cc, why did I gain rating points here playing 1.f4. And why did I beat you so easily at chess? I think I proved on the chess board, that you don't know what you're talking about. All you have is lies, slander, and random usenet group flame wars from 4 years ago. I have FACTS:

I BEAT YOU IN CHESS AND I'M HIGHER RATED THAN YOU ARE.

""Look what happened to Evgeny Alexseev as black - a very strong 2600+ GM at the time - he continued 6 ..b6 7 h3 c5 8 Qe1 Bb7 9 g4 and lost to IM Sengupta." Alexseev lost and the criticisms of IM Sengupta's moves by Mr Repa are quite funny "

You're copying and pasting the same nonsense you posted earlier. Did you even read the words you typed? You're saying "look what happened to Evgeny Alexseev as Black", as if he's the one who lost. Then You switch it around and suggest that Evgeny Alexseev was White and say that he played 9.g4. Are you pretending to be this stupid or is this really how you are? As I said earlier, you're probably making the whole game up, or at least changing moves around, etc, because it doesn't appear anywhere that I could find, and you're still not bright enough to figure out how to post the whole game as you were asked to do earlier. It's a pretty sad state of affairs of that's the ONLY game you can think of to try to smear a legitimate and recognized opening such as Bird's Opening. Whoever played White played very poorly. I spelled out for you the moves that White played that were very poor. Did I use any words too complex for you to understand?

" 1 f4 has been championed by GM Jakubiec who is the only GM who has played it regularly"

This is also pure nonsense. There are MANY strong GM's (and super GM's)who haved played 1.f4 in serious games. GM Henrik Danielsen used it as a MAIN MOVE for many years also.

Keep posting lies, slander, and irrelevant 4 year old flame wars from the internet little man. I defeated you in chess and in debate. I proved that what you said is pure nonsense. All you have is hot air!


Pablo Schmid    (2008-05-07 08:29:01)
My last message to you

Too much insults. My OTB rating is stronger than yours, but I don't wanna tell you my life. But even the level is not the problem. Every GM that played against me always respected me, so they can be better and sympathic. Before a chessplayer, I am an human and I hope in real life you don't speak like that to the people. No need to insult, I never did to you and I won't even if you did. Now I won't speak with you anymore and if I play with you one day by the server, I will try my best to beat your machines. Thibaut De Vassal, j'espčre que tu vas réagir face ŕ un tel comportement, car je pense que tu es d'accord avec moi que c'est intolérable, un tel manque de respect.


Andrew Stephenson    (2008-05-10 20:10:02)
Quote

Don't worry about life we're just passing through anyway - New York Taxi Driver


Jason Repa    (2008-05-13 12:32:23)
Repa vs Stephenson 1-0

What's clear, Stephenson, is that you're a very sad and pathetic individual. You obviously have no life whatsoever. You've been harassing me and trying to provoke me nonstop. First you start this troll behavior in the other thread....now you're doing it here as well. Is this what you do to everyone who outsmarts you and beats you in chess, as I have done?

It's one thing to follow me around from thread to thread and harass me, but the brown-nosing and whining to the admin you've been doing has made me lose all respect for you entirely. Not that I had much to begin with.

You even go so far as to obsessively comb through all of my games, just to try to find one that you think will someone embarrass or offend me. You even start a thread featuring one of my games. Obviously none of your own games are worthy of mentioning, so you focus on me and my chess games, lol. Well I have news for you Stephenson, I'm not embarrassed at all about my correspondence chess game losses (or any losses in chess for that matter). I've learned a lot more from my losses than my wins. My 6 losses on FICGS have taught me more than my 118 wins here, including the easy win against you and your chess program.

Perhaps others can benefit from my 6 losses as well. Do the FICGS community a favor and post my other five losses, not just the French Defense I played against Bucsa Ioan, that you felt warranted starting a thread to discuss.

Unlike you, I'm a real chess player. I enjoy learning and wish to take my OTB game to the next level and I believe that correspondence chess is helping me to do just that.

What is YOUR OTB chess rating? Interestingly you didn't respond to that question when it was asked of you more than once previously, lol. Big surprise!


Jason Repa    (2008-05-16 00:23:32)
Repa vs Stephenson 1-0

Geez Stephenson, I thought you were done stalking and harassing me and had found something else to amuse your little mind with. Something shiny and metallic perhaps? But here you are continuing your trollish ways.

Actually, what this thread is REALLY about, is a pathetic little character who doesn't handle losing at chess very well. As was stated before, it's pretty sad that you don't have any chess games of your own worthy of publication or discussion, so you post one of mine and continue to rant, and rant, and rant about nonsense. I already BEAT YOU in chess. Quite easily, in fact. Could there be anything more ridiculous than a guy who loses at chess criticizing the play of the victor?

Normally when someone obsesses over me like this it's a female doing the obsessing. But hey, each to their own.

And yeah, it's pretty obvious you're someone with a lot of time on your hands. Nice of you to share that with us. But you only speak for yourself in that regard. Even with all your free time I was still able to beat you easily when we played chess.

Just look at this latest drivel you're posting. You go on and on and on about why I shouldn't have lost a chess game I played a year ago like this is some life and death event for you. It's really not a big deal to me. So why is MY game such a big deal to you? If you're trying to make an argument that I'm such a terrible correspondence chess player based on this game, why did I beat you so easily when you and I played? I'm also higher rated than you as well. If you're going to harass me with one of my losing games, at least have enough intelligence and imagination to vary the game once in awhile. You have 5 more to choose from.

Sorry but I've never met anyone clued out enough to put DOWN LOAD and DATA BASE before. This isn’t a minor spelling mistake or typo. This is a surprising lack of education. What’s next, “COMP -UTER”? A chess player should especially be familiar with the word DATABASE. But as I said earlier, some people mindlessly trust machines, and don't have the capacity to think for themselves. People like that like to brag about their meticulous spelling, because even a chromosome-deficient inebriate can figure out how to use spelling software. Most of us couldn't be bothered, because we realize that spelling is not important when making casual internet forum posts.

And no, Stephenson, the "point" about ELO is not dead. It's your ability to learn and understand simple concepts that appears quite dead here. This has nothing to do with me not "agreeing" with you. This has to do with objective fact. An ELO rating could be talking about GO, Backgammon, or other games, that FIDE has absolutely nothing to do with, in addition to national rating organizations. You were wrong. End of story. Continuing to defend your ignorance of the meaning of ELO is just making it all the more obvious what it is you are to everyone reading this. Again, Stephenson, LOOK IT UP.


Mladen Jankovic    (2008-05-27 16:21:52)
Local chess saying

"Life is like chess, just when you think everything is OK, some horse comes along and takes your queen!"


Jason Repa    (2008-06-04 21:22:00)
Poker

Here we go again eh groves? You're a bored old man with no purpose in life other than to harass and annoy people on the internet.

Ah, I get it, you couldn’t cut it in chess, so you ran to Go, lol. But you can’t play that game either, so what’s it going to be next....tic tac toe? Unlike you, groves, I don’t have all day to sit around and play games. My gaming time is limited to chess and poker.

Perhaps it’s true what has been said about how people of a very advanced age start to become like children again. It’s especially sad when you’re dealing with someone who was less than impressive, even at their peak.


Jason Repa    (2008-06-10 04:52:22)
Senility is a terrible thing

"Ah, here they come -- the insults so typical of you"

Sorry groves, but I was simply stating facts. It's difficult to find anything to say about you that you won't construe as an "insult". Everything that has spewed out of your keyboard thus far is evidence of your complete lack of reasoning ability, and very modest IQ.

"I thought I remembered 150. If that's not correct you have my sincere apology"

You "think" a lot of nonsense that isn't true, groves. This is nothing new.

"-- add the condition that, in order to qualify for the exception, the player must be within 25 ELO of the next higher classification"

I realize that with your condition you can scarcely recall your own words from moments ago, but it was YOUR idea that the player in question be seeded into the higher rating classification event REGARDLESS of their rating. So now the little light bulb went on in that melon head of yours and you now realize what I was telling you earlier....about there being no guarantee that the tournament winner is rated near the top of his classification? If you're going to change what you proposed earlier, and only allow players who are within 25 elo of the higher classification, what's the point of it? You might as well let him get the remaining 25 elo on his own and enter the higher classification event normally.

I'm so sorry I made you repeat yourself.

You're doing an awful lot of apologizing, groves. Your very existence seems to be one big apology. I'm sure quite a few people in your life have to repeat themselves, ad nauseum, for your benefit.

"You can have the last word now"

The last word should have been my previous post. As usual, you've contributed nothing of value here. Just more pathetic whining and blabbering, as per usual.


Pablo Schmid    (2008-06-10 21:33:16)
Always the same guy

It's always the same guy, I don't even want to write his name, he would be happy. In each topic where he speaks there is a new victim, he is sure to be the most intelligent and take everything personnally, and insult anybody who don't think like him. I don't know why Ilmars's comment have been deleted, I didn't read them but the King of insults seems to have impunity. If you put his name on google you will see how much trouble he makes everywhere. That behavior should really not be accepted here. I never saw a chess player so rude in my life.


Wayne Lowrance    (2008-07-20 02:38:48)
Rybka Opening Book

In fact I will share an opinion that I have become to trust. That is, even the best books offered have a very short life expectancy. Certainly less than six months with active chess players such that play on "play chess" and even here. Book lines soon become refuted by these centaurs and a new private book of theirs emerges. I will admit that such is the case with me here on Ficgs. I have/use recognized good books that are available, but have my own small book that I consult. Just an opinion and hope this shared info is taken in the helpful way I intended. So this would indicate that R3.ctg probobly is a great book, but against active centaurs will soon reduce its effectivity. Thanks Wayne


Andrew Stephenson    (2008-07-26 21:42:52)
The lady rocks

Normajean the lady who said that is a feminist lesbian (not martha):) "By midlife and early old age, as the hormones of both genders change, women are in total, despotic control of their marriages." "women's goodwill is crucial for preserving the male ego, which requires, alas, daily maintenance" "It is woman's destiny to rule men. Not to insult them, demean them, or stereotype them as oppressors" "Women are in league with each other, a secret conspiracy of hearts and pheromones"


Normajean Yates    (2008-08-13 04:00:37)
well so the latvian fraser is dead..

Well it has had a long life :)

What I am sad about is Mehmoud Dervish's death during open-heart surgery last Saturday...


Benjamin Block    (2008-08-18 08:52:18)
Try to translate!

I think it is something like that?
Hello Xavier and first congratulations on your victory in the match which t'opposait the MI (ICCF) Gino Figlio [Peru] in the final candidates. You should avoid at all costs void in all parties, finally brought blacks t'ont chance, how do you explain this result? X
avier: Hello, thank you for the congratulations. It is true that in case of zero for all parties, the regulation states Figlio winner in the event of a tie with victory (s) and defeat (s) I won the match. So I had to take risks in attacking and it is with blacks that I did it because I thought Gino, in these parts, expected without taking risks to ensure the void.
-- Can you tell us about how you approached this match against Gino and his conduct as different phases of the game?
X: It's pretty simple, in this match I was not at all favorite because with more than 200 ELO points FICGS to my disadvantage, and Gino titled Master International, with more than 2480 ELO ICCF point, I thought I n ' not resist going on 8 simultaneous games as a part everything is possible but on 8 parts ... it was for me a great challenge! In the course of the game I played diversity in my beginnings with white 4 parts 4 different strokes: 1.e4 1.d4 1.c4 1.Cf3. Gino did the same: 1.e4 1.d4 1.Cf3 1.Cc3. What made me doubt also because 1.Cc3 surprised me, I thought he had planned an early tonitruand and this is where I said that I should take risks with blacks. As the different phases of the game I assured the zero positions balanced for me concacrer deal has two parts, one with blanks and one with the black for at least make a difference in part to ensure victory. And ultimately it 3 victories me back, which seemed impossible given the quality of the game Gino played on this site to reach the final of the championship candidates.
-- You have made during a championship course without fault, no losses to report, you also posters statistics stratospheric to 78% against an average elo to about 2200, what's your secret?
X: My secret? I have no secret. If I had a secret I do not dévoilerais if I do win more! I think I got a little lucky because he is required by little I am not qualified to stage 3 (round-robin final) because there were 3 players equally and I had l 'advantage classifying the departure of this tournament as indicated by the regulation. As for my statistics, it is also thanks to the errors of my opponents who allowed me to win parts in balance.
-- What do you think the system mid-ko, semi-all-round championship FICGS and its new départages in matches in 8 parties? What changes would it be?
X: Very good question! The system mid-ko for me is a little too fast since a coup by day is overtime analyses to operate a complicated position, which is difficult when several parties in progress. Especially when you work. It is perhaps also through this pace that my opponents lack of time, made some uncertainty regarding postions or exploited my mistakes. But the pace has an advantage over the cadences ICCF which is 5 days a coup is that the parties had to 5 times less time! The départage new games to 8 parts is excellent, forcing the favorite to ensure all matches to nil win this duel and otherwise obtain an additional victory against the challenger is a very well thought out. The amendment that I could make is perhaps time management which is fast for a game system per server. Perhaps increase the clock starting 15 days, starting with 45 against 30 days at this time. And also the possibility of taking a vacation only on the tournament underway to manage other parts of the site. For example, take 7 days vacation on a chess tournament championship and be able to play a tournament Big Chess, Go or another chess tournament during the holidays. Being able to choose a start date of holidays in advance would also be appreciated.
-- Why t'ętre invested in correspondence chess? T'apportent there are other rewards compared to traditional chess and blitz?
X: I prefer chess match over time. For the classical chess is often play the weekend at a specific time and often on the move to make a tournament. The advantage for me, correspondence chess is that I can connect at any time to play my shots, which allows me, for example, making family meals on weekends and late at night to play a coup, which is not possible chess classics.
-- You knew not to succumb to the temptation and you only play a very reasonable number of parties on the site throughout the championship, do you think nevertheless that the correspondence chess are addictive and at what point? Did they affect your everyday life?
X: Yes! Limiting my number of games in progress is essential for me to try to have parts of quality rather than quantity. Have a lot of parts simultaneously is still something very difficult to manage! This is perhaps the key to my victory against Figlio, I watched its games in progress, it had nearly 90 on the site of the ICCF, it has been felt on his time devoted to analysis our parties on FICGS 8. On the everyday life impacts are family because it is true that I spend more time to analyze the parts and less time with my family, which is quite difficult for me. But when the results are there I do not regret!
-- What do you think about the current position of engines for analysis (Rybka, Shredder, Fritz and others) in correspondence chess? What are the qualities you complementary core player by correspondence, now centaur with the machine for legs?
X: The engines of analyses in chess matches are used by 95% of players ... Now we must adapt and learn to use these machines to calculate. Car simply play the best shot of Rybka 3, Fritz 12 or Hiarcs 12 mentally without thinking leads to zero if the opponent does the same or possibly lose if the opponent gives himself the trouble to consider using them as well. Knowing that when you're in the middle part of these programs give you often 4 to 5 strokes assessed similarly, and that is that we must choose the right time when it is not even necessarily cited by the analysis engine ...
-- You get the Big Chess now on the site, curiosity or interest? What do you think of this strange version of chess?
X: For curiosity and fun and I think Rybka 3 is not yet the Big Chess! This version is almost unprecedented I did not know this form of chess before therefore the one who invented this game was very well done! About I'm the one who asks you a question on the Big chess ... Is there possibility of castle with this game if so, how? (Editor's note: No, it is impossible to castle the Big Chess)
-- And finally the question that everyone arises, especially Francis and Wolfgang disputing that the second final candidates, think you can defend your title next year? :)
X: of course! I will defend the title! I would like if possible to know the timing and pace of the match. And I wish Francis and Wolfgang a beautiful final! I must honor in this competition which is well organized!
-- The match should be able to start during the first week of January 2009, the pace will again 30 days and 1 additional day by coup. Thank you for your answers, and even congratulations for this excellent performance!
X: Thank you! And see you! Bonne continuation to all and good parties!


Andrew Stephenson    (2008-08-18 16:06:16)
translation

I will have a go off the top of my head at giving a sense of the interview in english (I dont know the phrase tonitruand but I am guessing it means dynamic!)?: Hi Xavier and first of all congratulations on your success in the candidates final match against IM (ICCF) Gino Figlio [Peru] You had to avoid drawing all the games and finally you succeded with the black pieces. How did that happen? Xavier: Hi thank you. Its true that if all the games had been drawn then under the rules Figlio would have won whereas if the match was drawn but with a win and loss I would win. Because of this I had to take risks and attack. It was with Black that I did this because I thought that Gino would play safely to be sure of a draw. - Tell us how you approched the match and how the different phases of the game went x: Its quite simple, I was not the favorite I have 200 ELO less on FICGS and Gino is an IM on ICCF with a 2480 rating. I did not think I could survive 8 games at once - in a single game anything is possible but 8 games .... it was a big challenge for me! In the openings I chose 4 different moves 1 e4 1 d4 1 c4 1 Nf3 Gino chose 1 e4 1 d4 1 c4 1 Nc3 I was surpised by 1 Nc3 because I was expecting dynamic openings and it was then that I decided I must take some risks with black. I kept most of the games balanced with a draw in hand and concentrated on 2 games 1 white and 1 black to get a result. In the end I got 3 wins which seemed an impossibility given the quality of the games Gino had played on this site to reach the final. - you have not lost any games in the championship and you have fantastic statistics 78% against an average elo of about 2200. What is your secret? x: My secret? I havent any secret and if I did I would not say because I would not win anymore! I think I have been a bit lucky because in the the Round Robin final there were 3 of us on the same score and I went through under the rules because of my rating. As for my statistics I was helped by mistakes by opponents who allowed me to win some drawn games. - What do you think of the system for the FICGS championship (round robin and knock out matches)and what changes would you make? x: Very good question. The matches are a bit too fast for me - 1 day per move when there are hours of analysis needed to exploit a complicated position its difficult when you have several games running Particularly if you are working. Perhaps that is why my opponents have made errors or failed to exploit my mistakes. But this time limit has an advantage over ICCF where it is 5 days per move the games here are 5 times quicker! Having 8 game matches is an excellent idea and obliging the favorite to draw all the games and the challenger to get a at least 1 victory is very well thought out. The change that I would suggest is to have 15 days extra starting time that is 45 days at the start instead of 30 and also the possibilty to take holidays for tournaments for example take 7 days for championship games and to be able to play big chess go or another chess tournament during the holiday. To be able to choose the start of a holiday in advance would also be good. - Why do you like cc and how does it compare to blitz and normal chess? x: I prefer cc because of the time factor. Classical chess is often played at the week end at a fixed time and you have to travel to the tournament. The advantage for me at cc is that I can connect at any time to play a move which allows me for example to have meals with the family at the weekend. Late night moves for example are not possible at classical chess. - You limited the number of your games on the site to a reasonable amount throughout the championship. Do you think nonetheless that cc is addictive? Does it affect your daily life? x: Yes! Limiting the number of my games is essential to try to have games of quality not quantity. Having a lot of games going at the same time is something very difficult to handle. It is perhaps the key to my victory against Figlio - I looked at his games - he had not less than 80 games going on at ICCF this must have affected the amount of time he could spend analysing his 8 games at FICGS. The effects on daily life are felt by the family because the reality is if I spend more time analysing the games I spend less time with the family. Thats difficult for me. But when the results come I dont regret it! - What do you think of the role of chess engines (Rybka Fritz etc)in cc. What are for you the important skills of a cc player - to supplement the machine? x: Chess engines are used in cc by 95% of players. You have to adapt yourself and know how to use the engines. To play just the best move of Rybka 3 Fritz 12 or Hiracs 12 without thinking leads to a draw if your opponent does the same or to a loss if your opponent is thinking. You have to choose bewteen 4 or 5 moves with a similer evaluation from the engine during a game and sometimes the best move is not among these. - You play Big chess. Interest or curiosity? What do you think of this strange version of chess? X : Curiosity and amusement and I think Rrybka 3 cannot yet play Big Chess! This version is new and I did not know it and the inventor has done a good job! By the way I would like to ask is it possible to castle at Big Chess? [No its not possible] - Finally the question that everyone is asking particularly Francois and Wolfgang who are contesting the 2nd candidates final. Do think you will be able to defend your title next year? :) x: Definitely I will defend the title I would like to know if possible the date and time limits for the match. I wish Francois and Wolfgang a great match! I would also like to express my appreciation for this tournament which has been well organised! - the match should start in the first week in January next year the time limit will be 30 days plus 1 day per move. Thank you for your answers and once again congratulations on a great performance. x: Thank you. Cheers. Best wishes to everyone and good games!


Normajean Yates    (2008-08-21 11:15:31)
that is quite convincing!

Marc Lacrosse - thanks for quoting that ... though a good algorithm shouldnt have trouble but with heavily nested variations, many of then terminating 0-1 .. it would complicate algorithms. Programmers' time is expensive ...

I am convinced now that allowing O-O and O-O-O is a good decision - then yacc and lex can do most of the parsing etc.

[btw it should be simple to write a program to convert simple algebaraic (by simple I mean nested variations are treated as comments and left untouched) to simple descriptive and vice versa, in the formal case without redundancy in descriptive output. [again lex-yacc (or whatever latest tools have superceded them) can do most of the work]. So it is surprising I couldn't find any such free open-source utility on the internet -- (and I am too lazy now to write simplest code any more - written more than enough for a lifetime ;) )


Normajean Yates    (2008-08-27 04:49:14)
unofficially...

I said i am in as black, but so far it is unofficially. If I am too overloaded -- chess [here and elsewhere] is already taking up too much of my time, and chess is not life, not for me, so I will have to think before officially entering.


Denis Ivanchenkov    (2008-09-29 17:51:37)
Iouri Basiliev

"Russian and ukrainian are my native languages" So you must know the simple fact that more than 70% of Crimea people consider Russian as their native language. For East and South of Ukraine we also can see that majority of people speak Russian. So saying about "artEficial introduction" of Russian in Ukraine, about "talking about country, not the region" - you demonstrate your own (one-eye blind) vision or it was adopted during your life in "not the raSist countries" or (what I believe is the most probable case) maybe both? as to you professorship - in Ukraine we already saw one "professor of Columbian University" of enormously great merits and honors but ... without a diploma - Roman Zvarych. http://www.pravda.com.ua/en/news/2005/7/23/543.htm his named turned into nickname for those from outside who being dressed up with different "titles & honors" like a Christmas trees teaches us Ukrainians how to live.


Normajean Yates    (2008-11-01 23:43:03)
Benjamin Block - I agree

It seems there is some HP product that offers 5x5 chess of various kinds including the one I describled - it is called 'Gardner minichess' now. English-wikipedia 'minichess' entry has a link to that - and in a discussion forum on that HP thing I found - "recent play suggests that Gardner minichess is a draw".

So the first decent engine for it would finish it, it seems, as thibault said earlier in this thread...

Someone modify crafty for 5x5 and check - yawn - I am toooo lazy --- plus crafty [and all later closed source engines I suppose] are too strongly low-level optimised for 8x8 chess --- writing an engine from scratch? Well I know the seven steps [they are/were on an internet in a nice article] --- but I have retired from writing code --- written enough for three lifetimes; no more programming for me.

*Proving* that Gardner-minichess is a draw would be more difficult -- 20-piece tablebases! (okay, in a much smaller space) - that's for the universities --- they have to do something to give out M.S.'s and Ph.D.s - so let them do it :)

[they did it with draughts <called checkers in the USA> - it is solved ie proven to be a draw -- let them try Gardner-minichess now :)]

3x3 - as I said there are complate tablebases now including for positions with pawns on first rank -- so it is very-strongly solved [i.e. given *any* position, the result and the best play for that result are known - in fact online accessible -- instant results of course... you'll find the link on eng-wikipedia -- I have accessed it [3x3 chess site] before but yesteday it seemed to be down - the old link was http://kd.lab.nig.ac.jp/3x3-chess/ but it is broken now...


Denis Ivanchenkov    (2008-11-13 22:19:23)
wrszzzzzyrdybooom

>"do you blieve in the wrszzzzzyrdybooom! ?"
God is Who gives sense to man's life.
God (either existing physically or just as guiding idea in head of a man) is who/what struggles against destruction forces of material world.
God is the force that raises man up, that leads man to perfection in both material and spiritual world.
this is my definition of God


Denis Ivanchenkov    (2008-11-14 09:41:12)
wrszzzzzyrdybooom

It is up to the man which God to choose. Somebody choose God. Somebody choose wrszzzzzyrdybooom.
I think that man should not be surprised that everything else in his life is the result of this very first choice.


Normajean Yates    (2008-12-15 05:02:07)
to Scott Nichols

"Too many players use a vacation to delay the inevitable defeat"

Too many people use healthy lifestyle, medicine, careful driving etc. to delay inevitable death :-)


Normajean Yates    (2009-01-14 10:39:24)
Scott Nichols, I misunderstood ..

Scott Nichols, I misunderstood your prev post.. I am sorry. Really.
,br> [grumble] modern life -> forced multitasking -> stress + fatigue + have to read fast -> sometimes misunderstand -> i am not superhuman [grumble grumble mumble mumble] :(

feeling guilty now [re scott, NOT re Tom]


Thibault de Vassal    (2009-01-27 16:40:31)
We need more Big Chess players !

Come on, let Rybka & other chess engines work in your 8x8 games & play Big Chess with us, that's the real life, amazing chess & the only way to see such incredible moves :)

http://www.ficgs.com/user_page.php?page=viewer&game=24656&move=85

Waiting lists > Big Chess standard tournaments !

Waiting for strong players in Big Chess standard M tourney.


Arsenis Selalmazidis    (2009-02-21 11:43:32)
wise words

`` You cannot know the meaning of your life until you are connected to the power that created you `` H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi


Sebastian Boehme    (2009-02-25 23:06:06)
Very nice alternative

The Modern Defense is a very nice way to avoid playing always e4 c5 as black

One famous person, I forgot his name, once said about life in general: "Variety is the spice of life."

So why not some variety also amongst the chess top levels! ;-)


Normajean Yates    (2009-02-26 05:07:20)
to Arsenis Selalmazidis

Arsenis Selalmazidis wrote: "`` You cannot know the meaning of your life until you are connected to the power that created you `` H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi"

Sorry, but I'd rather stay away from this: it sounds like an invitation to electrocute oneself ;)


Michael Sharland    (2009-04-19 04:31:12)
Reduce the time bank maximum

If the goal is not to shorten games but to allow lost or abandoned games to conclude in a timely manner than the solution is simple. Just reduce the maximum time bank from 100 days to something much lower such as 20 days. This will force some level of steady play without changing the speed at which almost all games are played. A maximum of this level can be built to quickly but still allows for a temporary suspension of a game if life intrudes. I think this is a fair compromise.


Normajean Yates    (2009-04-28 09:12:25)
to Don:Ah well, if you dont recall it...

Mr Groves,
So you don't recall it; and then there is the fact that I thought *all* the chat-posts were available for recall if one clicked 'more messages' at the bottom of the chat column, but I saw that there was a cutoff there so unless *someone else* remembers or unless Thibault has the archives, I am in the unenviable position of not being able to prove it...

My memory says there was in fact no emoticon with your comment. But my present higher-than-the-usually-high blood-pressure plus a colitis-attack I am down with, means that I cannot be sure of that...

However, in my experience, my hypertension and the occasional colitis attack doesn't trigger the confabulation of a whole sentence like "what are you smoking"?

In view of the other interactions between you and me here I will let bygones be bygones; and I still would even were that chat-post still available...

However, I try to avoid *unnecessary* stress and complications in my life; so henceforth for my own protection I prefer to keep a safe distace from you, at least for a certain indeterminate cooling-off period. Thats fair enough, I think.




Normajean Yates    (2009-04-29 13:48:23)
Nick Burrows, great idea!

"Maybe you two can share a joint sometime? ;-))" - yes, that works.

Thib is a real sage; truly said Scott!

And Don,I agree "all we need is weed" - as long as it is not jimsonweed (Datura) - I tried it three times and I think that is two times more than one should in a lifetime... oh I dont know, some people *can* handle it, so who am I to advise them ? [in case any datura-veteran happens to read this]


Scott Nichols    (2009-06-03 03:09:30)
Chess is dead? Not hardly.

In his book "The world of chess" by Anthony Saidy the following paragraph appears. "Later in his (Capablanca) career, his play became ever more technical and drawish. He expressed the idea that with the perfection of modern knowledge it would soon be impossible to win a game against a master. Chess would soon reach a "draw death". He even proposed interchanging the initial positions of the Bishops and Knights to inject new life into the game."

An exact quote found earlier in this same book exemplifies more of what this thread is about---In reply to a Steinitz comment Tchigorin replied "Chess is a limitless forum for the human imagination. Each position is a fresh challenge. Rules and book openings, to the creative player, are no more than guidelines to be transcended. Individualize. Each position is new--terra incognita that may contain the seed of a beautiful combination. Gladly give up a pawn in return for the attack. Play chess with joy."


Thibault de Vassal    (2009-06-22 16:41:00)
Discussion at Rybkachess

That's an interesting discussion... Once more, the confusion reigns between Freestyle chess (commonly played at classical & blitz time controls) and Correspondence Chess, particularly for centaur players who did not experience correspondence chess at a 2500+ level.

IMO (in brief) on several points :

1) All these made-for-engines books have no other interest than to "manipulate" chess engines & other made-for-engines books, actually this has almost nothing to do with correspondence chess (where they are completely useless at a high level, let's say 2300+) or even chess.

2) Many players do not realize the multitude of factors that appear to be more important that the basic strength of centaurs once the correspondence chess 2400 mark is reached and that still increases at 2500 and 2600... The higher the level, the more "opening books" depend on the recent games played by the opponent (and his level), the number of current games played, the score to reach in 8 games matches, the importance of rating, the goal in life, even the month/season for a few players and many other things according to the persons... Actually these "openings books" just live the time to use it one time, so a better term is preparation, actually opening books do not exist anymore in correspondence chess at a very high level, at most it may be useful against weaker players.

3) The previous point is enough to explain the rating changes of most 2400+ players ! In example...

- GM Farit Balabaev is a very experienced player who constantly has(had) more than 100 running correspondence chess games at several places for years, he's also a fast player, it is quite logical to me that he looks for quiet games and fast draws (or lose sometimes to very strong players who want to win more)

- Wolfgang Utesch, FICGS WCH finalist, like many players at one time in their life, decided that other things were more important and that correspondence chess was too time consuming, particularly once the 2500 mark has been reached...

- Eros Riccio obviously decided to win every correspondence chess competition at FICGS while playing a high number of games at several places AFTER having topped the FICGS rating list with the highest rating so far (which he did), so it is natural to look for a few quick draws in matches if 8 draws mean a victory for him (and a few rating points lost, that is quite inhuman anyway :))

- Michael Aigner tops most FICGS rating lists by playing only games at 40 days + 40 days / 10 moves time control, which is an enormous performance as obviously the longer the time control, the higher the rate of draws. I do not know how many current games he's playing at ICCF or IECG and other organisations but I suspect he plays a quite reasonable number of games.

- Xavier Pichelin may top the FICGS rating list this year as he's an incredibly dangerous player with White and Black and with a reasonable number of running games.

Many strong players also choose to play some tournaments for "fun" or to experiment openings and may lose some points while their real strength is over 2500 or more... so it is quite hard to make the difference between the real strength and correspondence chess ratings. So many parameters... It is likely that we'll see one day a 12 games match between Eros and Xavier (Michael do not play fast correspondence chess time control, yet I hope), we all wonder what rating could achieve Vasik Rajlich (Rybka's creator) and other very strong freestyle players but it is very hard to predict only by knowing their results in freestyle tournaments. Correspondence chess is a mirror of real life.


Thibault de Vassal    (2009-08-05 17:16:53)
Bruce Lee quotes

I did not know the quotes by Bruce Lee, so I looked for more :) Among the best I found :

"Life is wide, limitless. There is no border, no frontier."

"The meaning of life is that it is to be lived, and it is not to be traded and conceptualized and squeezed into a pattern of systems."

"Knowledge will give you power, but character respect."

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee


Daniel Parmet    (2009-08-11 20:08:24)
Quotes!

The following 11 quotes are all by me:
1- "Experiences are the keys to life."
2- "Happy endings are just stories that haven't finished yet."
3- "If you expect nothing then the following will happen: either 1) you will receive nothing and thus can be happy your expectations were met or 2) You will receive something and thus be happy you have received something. And.... Happiness ensues..."
4- "Step up and face your fear or you will never be what you should be."
5- "A mistake is only a mistake if you let it happen twice. Otherwise it is a learning experience. your experience."
6- "Life is painting a picture over many years with different paints and tools."
7- ""Horney concluded that love was at least a temporary escape from all her anxiety and insecurity" - Karen Horney
Does anyone else think that someoe named 'Horney' shouldn't be talking about love?"
8- "Take each event in a singularity and say if time passes will any of this matter?"
9- "Plans are ideas that never come to fruition."
10- "You should only get upset about the little things cause you have no control over the big things."
11- "Causing another problem without fixing the initial problem just makes the initial problem worse as time continues"

The following are classic quotes:
11- "If you lose the game you should win the analysis!"
12- "Every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around." - Vanilla Sky
13- "Life is pain my dear and anyone who says otherwise is selling something." - Princess Bride
14- "The 7ps: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance" - U.S. Military
15- "Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink!" - Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner
16- "You can get in way more trouble with a good idea than a bad idea cause you forget the good idea has limits" - Warren Buffet
17- "Teach a child to be polite and courteous and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto the freeway."
18- "Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone."
19- "There is no tomorrow without the pains and pleasures of today" - Gabriel
20- "If life weren't this complicated, it would be nowhere near as fun. Why? WHY NOT!" - Catch-22
21- "When you've done things right people won't know you've done anything at all." - Futurama
22- "The right perception of any matter and a misunderstanding of the same matter do not wholly exclude each other." - Kafka's the trial
23- "the Trausi follow the normal practices of Thracians in general, except in one particular- their behaviour, namely, on the occasion of a birth or a death. When a baby is born the family sits round and mourns at the thought of the sufferings the infant must endure now that it has entered the world, and goes through the whole catalogue of human sorrows; but when somebody dies, they bury him with merriment and rejoicing, and point out how happy he now is and how many miseries he has at last escaped." -Herodotus Viv
24- "When a Persian herald demanded the surrender of arms, the king shouted back 'come here to get them'; and when he had seen that he was surrounded, he commanded his men to have a good breakfast since their dinner would be served in hell." - Herodotus
25- "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it"
26- "Why, we don't even know what living means now, what it is, and what it is called? Leave us alone without books and we shall be lost and in confusion at once. We shall not know what to join on to, what to cling to, what to love and what to hate, what to respect and what to despise." - Fyodor Dostoyevsky Notes from the Underground
27- "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." - Scott Adams
28- "Nobody is always a winner and anyone who says otherwise either is a liar or doesn't play poker."
29- “The darkness immutable tranquility holds sway.” - Jun’ichiro Tanizaki
30- “People who are constantly asking 'why' are like tourists who stand in front of a building reading Baedeker and are so busy reading the history of its construction, etc., that they are prevented from seeing the building.” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
31- “Either move or be moved.” - Ezra Pound
32- "The real meditation is the meditation of one's identity..... You try finding out why you're you and not somebody else. And who in the blazes are you anyhow??" - Ezra Pound.
33- “The image is more than an idea. It is a vortex or cluster of fused ideas and is endowed with energy.” - Ezra Pound
34- “The thought working its way towards the light.” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
35- “There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” - Ansel Adams
36- “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” - Ansel Adams
37- "Wanting to think is one thing; having a talent for thinking is another." - Ludwig Wittgenstein
38- “Philosophers use a language that is already deformed as though by shoes that are too tight” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
39- “Nothing is more important for teaching us to understand the concepts we have than constructing fictitious ones” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
40- “don’t for heaven’s sake, be afraid of talking nonsense! But you must pay attention to your nonsense” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
41- “In a conversation: One person throws a ball; the other does not know: whether he is supposed to throw it back, or throw it to a third person, or leave it on the ground, or pick it up and put it in his pocket, etc” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
42- “I really do think with my pen, because my head often knows nothing about what my hand is writing” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
43- “What I am writing here may be feeble stuff; well, then I am just not capable of bringing the big, important thing to light. But hidden in these feeble remarks are great prospects.” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
44- “I ask countless irrelevant questions. If only I can succeed in hacking my way through this forest!” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
45- “Even to have expressed a false thought boldly and clearly is already to have gained a great deal” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
46- “Don’t concern yourself with what, presumably no one but you grasps!” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
47- “when you are philosophizing you have to descend into primeval chaos and feel at home there” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
48- "You cannot step into the same river twice." - Heraclitus
49- "Eternity is a child playing, playing checkers; the kingdom belongs to a child." - Heraclitus
50- "Nothing endures but change." - Heraclitus
51- "For a guest remembers all his days the hospitable man who showed him kindness." - Odyssey Book 15 Line 75
52- "Watching [GM Nigel] Short peruse the photos of young women, I had a fanciful notion that the development of specialized skills and character traits in early childhood is like a country fair in which you are alotted a fixed number of tickets to spend on the various concessions. This particular fixed number of tickets to spend on the various concessions. This particular fair is of short duration and happens only once in a lifetime. Nigel took the chess roller-coaster a dozen times, and rode the honesty ride twice, and so he had insufficient tickets left to take the Train Beyond Adolescence more than a stop or two. I myself missed the athletic concession, and I should have ridden -damn it- the chess coaster three or four times." - King's Gambit: A Son, A Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game by Paul Hoffman page335
53- “I don’t know, but I do know with great precision why nobody else knows either.” - John H. Cochrane
54- "One must have chaos within oneself, to give birth to a dancing star." - Friedrich Nietsche
55- "I created chaos on the chess board and my strength lay in finding hidden harmonies. I always cultivated being at peace in chaos. manifest your unique character on the chess board." - Josh Waitzkin
56- "Leave numbers behind and ride the wave of the game." - Josh Waitzkin
57- "The weakness of an artist is dogma." - Josh Waitzkin
58- "Everything i've learned, i've eventually unlearned. I spend more time unlearning than learning. You must challenge your own micro thought constructs." - Josh Waitzkin
59- "It is like a tunnel, the deeper you get into the more you see there is to learn." - Josh Waitzkin
60- "Your emotions are there for a reason. Observe their ripple." - Josh Waitzkin
61- "The same mold, teachers have learned a certain way. great teachers should listen first." - Josh Waitzkin
62- "Change from psychology and technical errors, transition from opening prep to first middlegame decision or tactical to strategical." - Josh Waitzkin
63- "There is some part about any discipline that should appeal to any person." - Josh Waitzkin
64- "Identify thematic connections by breaking down the walls between different disciplines." - Josh Waitzkin
65- "You know your country is dying when you have to make a distinction between what is moral and ethical, and what is legal." - John de Armond
66- "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
67- "When you stop learning you start dying." - Scott Adams
68- "If you could buy some people for what they are worth, and sell them for what they "think" they are worth, there would always be a profit margin."
69- "Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about."
70- "Life is too short to waste time hating anyone."
71- "When in doubt, just take the next small step."
72- "When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer."
73- "Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?" - Ellis
74- "If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back."
75- "Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need."
76- "There are three sides to every story: your side, their side and the truth." - Bablyon 5
77- "Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher." - Japanese Proverb


My apologies if some of the classics are in the ficgs quote file already as I just keep my own (and pull quotes from everywhere). I tried to cull out the duplicates.


Rodolfo d Ettorre    (2009-08-12 04:33:35)
More Quotes

I life is a school, a funeral must be a graduation ceremony.


Nick Burrows    (2009-08-14 14:50:13)
more quotes

Don't know who the first 2 are by...

'I would rather have a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal labotomy'!

'Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy'

'Life is the sum of all your choices' - Albert Camus

'Don't go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first.' - Mark Twain

'An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.' - Ghandi

'In spite of the cost of living, it's still popular.' ~ Kathy Norris


Lazaro Munoz    (2009-11-06 05:14:51)
Minims

I had this great little book on "Minims". Now minims is the opposite of maxims. Mimins make statements that are obvious, but funny. eg:

"No man has ever achieved immortality in his own life time."

"There are more things in heaven and earth than practically anywhere else."

"The early worm gets eaten by the bird."

Does anyone have this book? (I have long since lost my copy) And remember any of the other minims.


Don Groves    (2009-11-18 05:01:43)
Bil Gates

The man was so attached to Microsoft, it's a wonder he had time to even think of anything else. He did play in a few duplicate bridge tournaments later in his working life.

A former co-worker of mine told me he was turned down for a job at Microsoft because "he had too many outside interests." Gates was once quoted as saying "If a programmer doesn't spend all his waking time thinking about making his program better, he hasn't got religion."


Thibault de Vassal    (2009-11-27 19:30:34)
Ivanchuk may quite professional chess

What's wrong with Vassily Ivanchuk ? In his interview in Chessbase news, he says he may quit professional chess because of this match lost to an unknown player... Not only a match, a "crucial" match he said (like any other?), but it seems to me that there are a lot of things hidden behind the words. Maybe it's just time for him to change his life, at least I hope it is so simple.

End of the interview : "I only feel that the world has crashed down around me. Everyone is against me, and I don't see the way out…"

Strange...

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5941


Don Burden    (2010-01-14 18:45:42)
Quote festival, part 6

Ah, beer! The cause of, and the solution to, all of life's problems.
Homer Simpson.


Nick Burrows    (2010-01-14 20:27:42)
Simpsons

"Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try."

"I want to share something with you: The three little sentences that will get you through life. Number 1: Cover for me. Number 2: Oh, good idea, Boss! Number 3: It was like that when I got here."




Daniel Parmet    (2010-01-29 15:52:43)
Quote festival, part 6

"Chess is stupid. I'm a war historian. You never have all the facts in life or real war as in chess. Napoleon didn't waste his time on chess. Napoleon knew luck was more important than any genius. Chess hasn't been played since IBM solved it back in 2000 when Kas- err Karm I mean Kapov couldn't... beat it. No human has ever even drawn a computer since that match when chess was solved." - Dave Daring


Thibault de Vassal    (2010-03-03 17:56:23)
Poker is...

life, also :)


Daniel Parmet    (2010-04-05 04:41:09)
Chess is...

Chess is the ultimate test. Your parallels are never ending to the battles you will face all through out life. The same skills are needed... effort, hard work, concentration, memory and research abilities.


Thibault de Vassal    (2010-04-24 00:08:44)
GoDiscussions & LifeIn19x19

FICGS Go players may have read this article in the latest AGA newsletter on the 2 Go forums... So there is a new Go forum called lifein19x19.com , but what happens with GoDiscussions?

Like many other members I experienced some problems regularly for a few months but what is behind the technical problems?

Does anyone have more informations on this?

http://godiscussions.com
http://www.lifein19x19.com


Daniel Parmet    (2010-05-09 03:36:39)
How many games at once?

If you lower the time limit for response on games to 7 days then I will ask for you to delete my account. This little time defeats the entire point of correspondence. You have no right to dictate how I can and where I should spend my time. The reason I play correspondence is because I can spend 10 days on juicy positions or sit on draw offers or if my real life gets too busy ignore my games all together. If you take this away from me then correspondence is dead to me or at least this site is.


Don Groves    (2010-05-09 05:01:36)
How many games at once?

Vacations take care of life getting too busy to play. The other stuff is a matter of opinion. Ours are different.

I have no problem with taking 10 days for a juicy decision, but some here take several days for almost every move! That becomes too much.

Another thing that happens is that when a new tournament begins, one player may let his clock go red before he starts to move in a game. Then he will play one move per day to avoid losing on time, but the other player must wait for several weeks before the game begins. Is this fair?


Kamesh Nookala    (2010-05-12 19:08:03)
I need a break !

Dear friends,

Day after day, i am getting addicted to playing chess at this forum as well as other servers. I think it is time for me to cater and spend some valuable time with my lovely family. I am damn sure that i am failing to perform the responsibilities of a loved husband and father towards my little daughter and my adorable wife. And here I made the decision.

I am gonna quit playing for present, not sure when i will be back (i may come back). But i need to do a severe restructuring of my entire personal life. Balance things. I can be a good player when i have a good family and for that I need to perform (every individual) needs to perform his or her obligations.

I am honored and highly indebted to you guys who played with me and gave me a chance to showcase my skills.

I render my sincerest thanks to each and every player.. As a beginning, i am resigning all my games here and I wont be in action for indefinite period.

Good Luck all, you guys simply rock !!


Sebastian Boehme    (2010-05-12 20:53:16)
I need a break !

Hey Kamesh,

Sad to hear this. This shows how quickly things in life can change. One day happy in chess, next day issues in family due to chess. I hope you can regain your happiness in family.

Best wishes,
Sebi


Francisco Gramajo    (2010-06-15 01:44:15)
10 moves rule for Poker

My oponent CALLED ALL-IN with better cards than me in three times.

He had top pair 1st.
Better pair
and A-K
<CR>
We are playing one to one poker (Heads Up) In the real life I saw many Heads Up matches end up in the 1st hand.
<CR>
This Rule must be voided for poker.


Scott Nichols    (2010-08-09 21:12:59)
Entry fee for higher class tournament

Just a note to say how this new rule is affecting at least one player here (me), :) I "earned" entry to a higher class tournament by winning the class just below. I paid my ten E-points and received entry into the next higher class. We have been playing for a while and I am holding my own ok. I have met new players and am overjoyed at the chance to play them. They are all friendly and welcoming. Life couldn't be better, ......but....... Maybe it's just me, but I feel at this point that I never REALLY earned my way into this realm. The old way was to suffer through months and years of climbing the rating ladder a little at a time and then finally reach that next level. Also, just my opinion, is that these days there really isn't a big difference in strengths between 1850 and 2450 given that we all have fast computers running on Rybka mostly. The difference I find is the human side of the ratings. The old days whether Shredder could beat Fritz, or Deep Junior could beat Hiarcs are long gone. So I guess what I'm trying to say without rambling any further, is that as much as I like playing in the higher section, I would prefer to "EARN" it the old way. Just one players opinion, Thank you


Thibault de Vassal    (2010-08-12 11:46:58)
Quote festival, part 6

A few ones more? :)

"Correspondence chess is not all about chess, it is about life as well."

I would be surprised if noone said this one before...


Thibault de Vassal    (2010-09-17 00:29:38)
Svante Carl von Erichsen on Go WCH #4

As you probably read in the news, Svante Carl von Erichsen won the 4th FICGS Go WCH, beating his challenger Huayong Yang 3-2, Svante Carl wins the Go championship for the 4th time in a row!

http://www.ficgs.com/user_page.php?page=tournament&tournament=FICGS__GO__WORLD_CHAMPIONSHIP__000004

Svante Carl kindly accepted to answer a few questions on his match & computer Go:

FICGS - Hello Svante Carl, congratulations once again for winning this match against a surprising challenger who started here a few months ago with a 10 kyu rank, Huayong Yang, now rated 2438 after scoring 2 points in your 5 games match (which is a great achievement for sure). What did you think about his play & yours in these games?

Svante Carl - I think that he greatly underestimated his rank initially. As far as I know, he had not played for a long time and believed that his ability had therefore deteriorated. I do not think that you can drop more than one or at most two stones, though -- it is like cycling or swimming, you never unlearn it. I had the impression that we were quite evenly matched in summa, but our strengths are in different aspects of the game; I cannot really put my finger on the difference, though.

FICGS - After a previous win, you said that you spend a quite long time to analyze, which probably helps you to reach a higher level than 2 dan (your EGF rating) compared to OTB play... It looks obvious to me that correspondence chess moves generally ask for much more time than Go moves at a high level but I may be wrong, how much time did you spend on your longest analysis during the match? Do you remember for which move?

Svante Carl - I usually spend at least a few minutes on each move, except when the continuation is obvious. I often use more, and if I do not find a satisfactory move then, I will even postpone the move to another day, so that I can sleep over it and let my subconcious work on it.

FICGS - Do you watch other games played by your future opponent before starting your match? Do you think that this is really important in preparation like it can be in Correspondence chess?

Svante Carl - I sometimes glance over the games in the championship qualification tournament, but I do not try to prepare this way. I do not think that such preparation has any value in Go, especially in correspondence Go, since you have time during the game to do deep analysis. I usually try to take each game out of standard fuseki patterns pretty quickly, anyway. Of course, I know that my opponents in these title matches are always very tough and demand my utmost respect.

FICGS - Do you still follow the recent developments in computer Go? What do you think about the latest Go engines? How much time do we have yet before the best Go players are caught by computers according to you?

Svante Carl - I have the impression that the currently most promising technology (Monte Carlo/UCT) has the potential to achieve a rank of about 2 or 3 dan (EGF/KGS). I think that the next fundamentally new idea or breakthrough might add 2 stones, to get to 4 or 5 dan. I do not have any idea where it might go from that, but I think that it gets always harder.

What I would find interesting is having more intermediate board sizes. The best bots are almost on par with the best professionals on 9x9 now. I would propose to try to achieve a similar level on 11x11, then 13x13, then 15x15 etc.. Regarding 9x9, I think that the currently predominant komi of 7.5 points is too big, and that this has a negative impact on the experiments because the bots do not play in a balanced environment. It might be worthwhile to introduce the Taiwan rule (last move compensation) to get more fine-grained scores.

FICGS - What programs did you use this year to analyze? (just trying, of course it may be part of your secrets ;))

Svante Carl - It is not a secret. I just use an editor, usually EidoGo or CGoban3, to visualize the variations I imagine.

FICGS - Finally, what thoughts would you like to share on your 5 games, that could help us not to miss the best times or to help us to understand the most complex moves...

Svante Carl - I cannot give a detailed commentary, but I can try to summarize my impressions.

I think that Game 5 was quite balanced until move 21, but I think that the white invasion was a bit ambitious then. Of course, White did not need to die there, but after moves 32-33 I think that Black had a good result anyway (move 32 should go out faster in my opinion; note how E14 helps Black in enclosing White).

In Game 3, I think things got quite difficult for White in the lower left, but I let him take the initiative by backing off at move 35 (I should have simply closed off F10 then). White gained control of the centre as a result, and in the large endgame, I lost too many points there.

In Game 4, I fell behind in the opening through some slow moves (there was some discussion on the Life-in-19x19 forum about this, see the link in the comments of that game). In the endgame, Black then lost some points in the centre, so that I was a bit ahead when the game timed out.

In Game 1, I made some bad decisions on the left side, and never managed to turn things around. I think I was behind by about 5 points in the end.

In Game 2, I think that Black should not have ignored move 24. After I got quite some territory from my moyo and also reduced his top side, I could play it safe.

I look forward to the games with Olivier Drouot that recently started, but I also hope that Yang Huayong will re-enter the championship cycle.


Daniel Parmet    (2010-09-19 00:57:47)
Corr. Chess Maxims

upon looking through my games I found only one instance where I went overboard on draw offers and my opponent asked me to stop at which point I did (it should also be noted I managed to lose the drawn position in the end though I was playing way too many games at once close 150).

Anyways, I know to some Corr ratings are the end all be all of life but to me they are the most meaningless rating I have. Even my blitz ratings are more meaningful. Because, corr is where I test ideas and see if they work or not. I'm never playing seriously and I really don't care about the results hence you see me in way more thematics and unrated events than rated events.

But I will say this, the difference in strength between a 1800 and 2100 is almost zilch. OTB that difference is HUGE. Corr it is meaningless. 80 pts? This difference is less zilch, you might as well be the same rating. So when you talk about "the right" to offer draws based on rating, I have to laugh at you. These are certainly unacceptable "maxims" and if you want maxims to be followed they have to be acceptable otherwise they will simply be ignored.

I played OTB two weekends ago against a player who outrated me by 400 pts. I was crushing him. In his lost position, he offered me 7! Draws. After I beat him, several players came up to me stated I should have called the TD over the repeated draw offers. Being a TD myself, I replied the ambiguity of the situation. It is his RIGHT to offer those draws. I was by no means forced to accept them (and did not). But there is a gray area in the rules that repeated draw offers (in the rule book it says LITERALLY every single move for 10 moves) the td could rule as distraction and issue nothing more than a warning. A second offense also the punishment is only a warning. ONLY on a third offense can the td actually do anything punitive.

So the real answer is, if you don't want a draw. Turn it down. If you don't want to be offered two draws, tell your opponent so. Each person is different and views their scenarios differently. But trying to make up a rule that no one will follow is beyond silly. I will offer a draw to someone whether they are 1000 pts above or below me if I think the position is drawn.


Scott Nichols    (2010-09-19 23:26:52)
Corr. Chess Maxims

Of course you don't get it, and by this point I am sure you never will. In the analogies, we all have met "these" type of people. Sometimes they get punished, sometimes not. I think anyone playing in your tournaments could get away with most anything.

AGAIN, in my system as you call it, it is just a GENERAL rule of conduct. Of course players rated 1 point apart do not fall into this category. The main point I make is that most players take their rating seriously. Players work their whole life to achieve a Master or Grandmaster title. They are titles awarded players as a token of respect for their accomplishment from their peers. Maybe we aren't IM's or GM's, but our rating has been EARNED.

So for one player who is a good deal lower rated than the other to offer a draw, especially in the early part of the game, is showing a lack of respect for what that person has accomplished. If fact one draw offer is not bad at all, no matter what, it happens, but to keep at it again and again is bad form.


Don Groves    (2010-09-23 07:57:36)
Quote festival, part 6

If I was "attacking" anything it's the idea that reason is the greatest human achievement. There are a great many important things in life that are unreasonable.


Kamesh Nookala    (2010-10-07 19:27:54)
Paul König is dead

It's a very unfortunate thing to happen. Somebody is here with you today and the next day you realize he is no more. The cruelty of life. That's why i like to enjoy my time, playing chess and meeting people from very cultures.

May his soul rest in peace. I had the honour to play vs. him in couple of tours during the early phase of my career here.


Wayne Lowrance    (2010-10-15 23:37:53)
Serious new Virus

Subj: Confirmed by SNOPES: Important - read immediately



VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THIS - These e-mails are floating around currently in HP


Anyone-using Internet mail such as Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL and so on. This information arrived this morning, Direct from both Microsoft and Norton Please send it to everybody you know who has Access to the Internet. You may receive an apparently harmless e-mail titled "Here you have it" If you open either file, a message will appear on your screen saying: 'It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful....'

Subsequently you will LOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PC, And the person who originated it will gain access to your Name, e-mail and password. This is a new virus which started to circulate on Saturday afternoon.

AOL has already confirmed the severity, and the anti virus softwares are not capable of destroying it.

The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself 'life owner'.

PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THIS E-MAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS, And ask them to PASS IT ON IMMEDIATELY!

THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY SNOPES.
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/hereyouhave.asp


Daniel Parmet    (2011-03-07 19:24:44)
FICGS chess World Championship #9

How hard is really for these people to play 9 games? I would amend choice 5 to say no provisional unless they provide another corr website they play on to get a point of parity for their rating (like LSS/ICCF). I mean really the players most likely to timeout are those who have never played a single game of correspondence ever in their life.

I would also point out that if the special rating group is extended to 2100 then I won't be playing. No reason for me to play stage 1 if i'm top seed.

Why did the groups get changed from 8 man groups to 6 man groups?


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-03-11 21:49:16)
WBCCC Round 2 Pairings

Time has finally come for Round 2 to come and the long a waited pairings are out. Just for notes B=Board #

B1-Loboestepario (Gino Figilo) vs CumnorChessClub (Kevin E.Plant)

B2-Moz vs Sekos

B3-Mark Eldridge vs David Evans

B4-Stephanie vs Fulcrum2000

B5-NATIONAL12 vs Kamesh

B6-ppipper vs jitan

B7-Wayne Lowrance vs tomski1981

B8-Uly vs indrajit_sg

B9-Balabachi vs Sebastian Boehme

B10-Schachmatt (Matt O'Brein) vs Weirwindle

B11-donkasand vs Ruben Comes

B12-natmaku vs ralunger (Ramil Germanes)

B13-Scott Nichols vs Omprakash

B14-Keoki010 (George Clement) vs deka

B15-parmetd (Daniel Parmet)vs SpiderG (Peter Marriott)

B16-Banned for Life vs TheHug(Jimmy Huggins)

2nd game of Round 2

B1-CumnorChessClub (Kevin E.Plant) vs Moz

B2-jitan vs Loboestepario (Gino Figilo)

B3-Fulcrum2000 vs Mark Eldridge

B4-Kamesh vs Stephanie

B5-David Evans vs National12

B6-Sekos vs ppipper

B7-indrajit_sg vs Wayne Lowrance

B8-tomski1981 vs Uly

B9-Sebastian Boehme vs Schachmatt (Matt O'Brein)

B10-Weirwindle vs donkasand

B11-Ruben Comes vs Balabachi

B12-ralunger (Ramil Germanes) vs keoki010 (George Clement)

B13-Omparakash vs natmaku

B14-deka vs Scott Nichols

B15-TheHug (Jimmy Huggins) vs parmentd (Daniel Parmet)

B16-SpiderG (Peter Marriott) vs Banned for Life

I will post links in the next post. I still have to move the game threads over to the WBCCC Forum. Good Luck to everyone in Round 2! :)


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-03-12 06:13:27)
WBCCC Round 2 Pairings

Oh ok here are the links to the games threads for Round 2!

B1-Loboestepario (Gino Figilo) vs CumnorChessClub (Kevin E.Plant)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21163

B2-Moz vs Sekos
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21164

B3-Mark Eldridge vs David Evans
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21165

B4-Stephanie vs Fulcrum2000
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21166

B5-NATIONAL12 vs Kamesh
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21167

B6-ppipper vs jitan
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21168

B7-Wayne Lowrance vs tomski1981
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21169

B8-Uly vs indrajit_sg
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21170

B9-Balabachi vs Sebastian Boehme
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21171

B10-Schachmatt (Matt O'Brein) vs Weirwindle
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21172

B11-donkasand vs Ruben Comes
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21173

B12-natmaku vs ralunger (Ramil Germanes)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21174

B13-Scott Nichols vs Omprakash
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21175

B14-Keoki010 (George Clement) vs deka
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21176

B15-parmetd (Daniel Parmet)vs SpiderG (Peter Marriott)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21177

B16-Banned for Life vs TheHug(Jimmy Huggins)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21178


2nd set of Games

B1-CumnorChessClub (Kevin E.Plant) vs Moz
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21180

B2-jitan vs Loboestepario (Gino Figilo)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21181

B3-Fulcrum2000 vs Mark Eldridge
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21182

B4-Kamesh vs Stephanie
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21183

B5-David Evans vs National12
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21184

B6-Sekos vs ppipper
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21185

B7-indrajit_sg vs Wayne Lowrance
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21186

B8-tomski1981 vs Uly
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21187

B9-Sebastian Boehme vs Schachmatt (Matt O'Brein)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21188

B10-Weirwindle vs donkasand
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21189

B11-Ruben Comes vs Balabachi
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21190

B12-ralunger (Ramil Germanes) vs keoki010 (George Clement)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21191

B13-Omparakash vs natmaku
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21193

B14-deka vs Scott Nichols
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21194

B15-TheHug (Jimmy Huggins) vs parmentd
(Daniel Parmet)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21195

B16-SpiderG (Peter Marriott) vs Banned for Life
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21196


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-04-29 14:45:26)
WBCCC-New stuff and Round 2 Update

The last round was very exciting! And this round has had some great games as well. To speak of there is just 4 games left. Here is the report of the most important games this round.

Starting at the top boards. We have have...

B1-Loboestepario (Gino Figilo) vs CumnorChessClub (Kevin E.Plant)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21163-

This game followed a Catalan. Gino makes ambitious choice to go with 5.Nbd2! I gave this move a ! Not because of its theoretical standing. But because it will lead to a position were white will give up a whole pawn for rapid development. Never the less, black is equal to the task and managers to hold on to the pawn for most of the game and keep the game balanced. With my human eyes, I thought for sure white had an advantage! After move 20.Be4, It looks like white has 2 racking bishops. While black has one black locked in! But in depth analysis shows, that black can hold on. And shows great defensive technique. Down the stretch. Well played by Gino and Kevin. On of my favorite games to follow.

B3-Mark Eldridge vs David Evans
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21165-

David has gotten tested in both his black games in this tournament. And this game was no different. We had another B90 line in this game. And ...8.h5 was used. This is becoming a common line in this tournament. Mark's treatment on the white side was great! I think his future opponents will think twice before trying this line again. At move 22, the game reaches the sharpest point. After move 22.fxe5! I thought that Mark had a chance vs David. But David founds some good moves to exchanges pieces and hold for a draw. The best of which was the combo of ...33.Rf3 and ...36.Rxg3! This was a nice find by him. Great job to David and Mark! I look forward to seeing both these players again.

B4-Stephanie vs Fulcrum2000
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21166-

I would normally just post FICGS member games here. But this maybe one of the top 2 or 3 most important games of this round. In what turns out to be the most exciting game of the round IMO. White has shown that they are quite good in the opening phase. At move 18 they choose 18.b3 which was suggested as being the novelty move. White gets a very strong game and after a king tour to capture the pawn. It looked like a win for sure!, but it seems a mistake was made at move 38. Instead of 38.Qc1!? the move 38.Qe8! seems to be a near winner. I thoughts on why this move was missed is because, White was in time trouble in both games. I have to believe this was a favor. As we speak Stephanie is close to defeat in the other game that I will talk about shortly. I would watch her for the reminded of the tournament. I think they will learn form this experience and be even stronger going future. Well done by both players.

B5-NATIONAL12 vs Kamesh
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21167

Two of my good friends battling here. This was a B90 battle. The novelty move was the straight forward looking 27.h4, but after some exchanges. White has to settled for equality. A good match to follow, the one other note made was this was a line pioneered by Eros Riccio.

B7-Wayne Lowrance vs tomski1981
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21169-

Wayne plays a good line vs the french vs tomski. In fact by the database expert, it was in a 100% win line!! But after the queens come off the board. It burns out to a quiet draw. Wayne has had good opening results, but has yet to get in the winners column. I have faith that Wayne will win a game very soon. Good game to both in this one.

B8-Uly vs indrajit_sg
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21170-

This was a nice game to follow. A french defense was chosen. The point in which it gets interest is the choice to play 19.bxc3!? Which leads to 21.Nh6+!? I loves this sires of moves! 27.Rh3! was also a good move here. But its seems black has just enough resources to hold the balance. ..54.Bxg6! was a good finally touch. Well played by both players.

B9-Balabachi(William Fuller) vs Sebastian Boehme
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21171

What was talked about as a drawish Ruy position. I found to be quite a game with all the early fireworks. I also liked the material imbalance in this game. Sebi has a rep of being very difficult to beat with the black pieces. This helps when you have the Ruy and the Posion pawn line of the Sicilian. As two of your best weapons. ;)

B10-Schachmatt (Matt O'Brein) vs Weirwindle
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21172-

This was an interesting Richter-Rauzer game. 15.Qf4 was the novelty move, Form there it got crazy. 21.Nb3 seems to invite a pawn race. Which in the end white loses. This was a tough game for white. I think he should have been able to hold it. But it was still a good game to follow.

B11-donkasand vs Ruben Comes
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21173

This was a nice positional game by Mike (Donkasand), This was a 6.h3 Sicilian. And we get the usually good defense here. ..7.h5 White gets great positional pressure for the whole game and even gets a pawn, but Ruben wholes for a draw.

B12-natmaku vs ralunger (Ramil Germanes)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21174

This game was a Petroff with 5.Nc3. This kind of move gives white rapid development. Its seems black equalize pretty quickly. And on move 21 a draw was agreed on.

B13-Scott Nichols vs Omprakash
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21175

This was an interesting King's Gambit game. I think Scott didn't study his opponents rep. :) The King's Gambit is Om's specialty. So this was an easy draw for black.

B14-Keoki010 (George Clement) vs deka
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21176-

In this game black returns to his pet line of the Sicilian with 2.a6(Which he played in the last round) I believe this is called the O'Kelly variation. This time around he goes for ..7.Qb6 which looks a little better than ..7.Bb5!? A draw probably should have been possible, but George was able to grid out a win. Well played by both players.

B15-parmetd (Daniel Parmet)vs SpiderG (Peter Marriott)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21177

This was a King Indian by black. And white does a good job of out playing his opponent in this game. Unfortunately it seems Peter has gotten busy in his life. This game was decide by time.

B16-Banned for Life vs TheHug(Jimmy Huggins)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21178

I face off against Alan who has the white pieces. And is consider to be one of the best players when playing 1.b3. It was a difficult game for me as I decide before hand to play a dangerous line. Needless to say I lose this game after a few small mistakes on my part. I am founding that all the players in the WBCCC are good, I maybe better off being a commentator lol, but no one would have that.

This was the first set of games.

Here is the 2nd game of the 2nd round in the next post.


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-04-29 18:36:20)
WBCCC-New stuff and Round 2 Update

B1-CumnorChessClub (Kevin E.Plant) vs Moz
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21180

Kevin makes an interesting choice here with 2.a4!? vs the Silicon Defense. Not exactly sure what he wanted out of the opening. I can only guess he wanted to mix it up here. Anyway, black equalizes fairly quickly and is better. But after 18.a5! He finds the best way to equalize and both agree to a draw.

B2-jitan vs Loboestepario (Gino Figilo)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21181-

The somewhat unknown Jitan has had a good tournament. And is given his ICCF SM opponent all he can handle. In a game that is still going. Gino is down a pawn, but it appears to be a draw and I would guess the game is about to finish. This was an interesting approach by Gino who gets in b5 and h5 very early in this game. And Jitan plays the most naturally looking sac. 13.Nbxd5! it looked like for a long time Gino was in trouble, but he has found enough resources IMO. A well played game by both players.

B3-Fulcrum2000 vs Mark Eldridge
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21182

This was a nice French game to watch. The novelty move was ..11.Na5, OTB I would like white in this game and I had a feeling that white possibly could have risked an attack, but this game came down to endgame play and White was able to outplay black in the end.

B4-Kamesh vs Stephanie
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21183-

In my opinion this is the most important game the round and it is reaching its fianlly stages. I believe Stephanie to be one of the top players in this event. She has been doing well, but Kam has played the near perfect opening and got her in trouble. If you remember my previous post you remember I talk about Stephanie was in time trouble. Which has not help the cause. The one move I enjoyed the most so far in this game was 36.Ra5!, this was a nice exchange sac. And its given Kam nice pass pawns on the Queen-side. I would guess this game will be over soon. It has been a nice game to watch.

B5-David Evans vs National12
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21184

A battle of the English Countryman here. :) This was the Open Defense of the Ruy. Form the comments I got, it seems that the opening was played about as perfectly as you can get. David posed some problems to Paul(National12), but it ends in a fairly easy draw. One finally note ..10.d4 IMO is a very difficult move to beat.

B6-ppipper vs jitan
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21168-

This is one of the finally 4 games still playing. What looks like to be a draw here. The white black has been dancing for a few moves now, but blacks back rank is weak. That equals a drawish game. :)
This game started out form B90 and so has a ton of theory.

B7-indrajit_sg vs Wayne Lowrance
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21186

I fairly quiet B90 game. I don't think white got much out of the opening. Well played by Wayne here.

B8-tomski1981 vs Uly
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21187

A battle of good friends here. IMO I thought white played the this Queens pawn opening passively. And so we had an early draw at move 26.

B9-Sebastian Boehme vs Schachmatt (Matt O'Brein)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21188-

This is one of the 4 last games. And I have to say its been a good game. We had an interesting Sicilian position. I had thought black was in trouble. But after he tripled up on the d-file. Then got massive exchanges. He looks like its headed toward a draw.

B10-Weirwindle vs donkasand
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21189-

This was a nice positional Sicilian game. Although it ends in a draw. Its a must see game! Watching the drawing combo at the end is very beautiful. It starts with ..27.e4! and you can watch it form there.

B11-Ruben Comes vs Balabachi(William Fuller)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21190

Ruben opened up this rep with 3.h3!? and we ended up with a closed type of Sicilian. But his opponent stayed strong. Though out the game. Even if it looked like Ruben had some pressure. In the finally position.

B12-ralunger (Ramil Germanes) vs keoki010 (George Clement)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21191-

This game saw the Exchange variation in the Queen's gambit. It has a high rate rate. But to Ramil credit he manage to give George a couple of weak pawns in the endgame, but not enough for any real advantage.

B13-Omparakash vs natmaku
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21193-

I would have hoped for more in this game. As I'm a lover of the 6.Bc4 (Sozin) Sicilian. After 14.e5!? this forces unneeded exchanges. After which, the game looked like a draw. And that is how it ended.

B14-deka vs Scott Nichols
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21194

Usually the Exchange Slav is pretty drawish. And this game was no different. But both players did try to mount some kind of advance. Both had good posts on each others side of the board. But a drawish opening is a drawish opening.

B15-TheHug (Jimmy Huggins) vs parmentd
(Daniel Parmet)
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21195

I tried my luck in an opening that was not something with e4. And it didn't go as well I had hoped, Daniel was able to get a equal position fairly quickly. In my try at making new theory in a very uncommon line vs the King's Indian Defense.

And finally we have this last game.

B16-SpiderG (Peter Marriott) vs Banned for Life
http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21196

This would have promised to be a nice Larson Attack game. By alas Peter timed out in this game as well. I would have loved to seen this attacking game with both sides castled on opposite sides.

Well that would do it for my reports for this round. This was a great round, and the next promises to be great as well. I will post info for the next round after the last game is over with.

Any feedback is welcome!


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-05-15 13:08:49)
WBCCC Round 3 links and more

Here are the links for Round 3. Plus I have a quick announcement. I have talked to Garvin and I'm in the running to consider adding a 2nd tournament to the WBCCC. Probably called the WBCCC Inv. -> Invitational. This will be more of the standard style of blitz tournament. Something like 14d+1d per move, I don't want to set exact time control yet, I will probably open this discussion up after WBCCC 1 is over. What details I will give is this. What over the prize is next year will split with the other tournament plus a plaque to the winner. My hope is to have another drawing card for the WBCCC and I know this will probably bring more top players in.

Anyway here are the links for you to follow the games you wish to watch this round.

As always we will start at the top boards and work are way down. This time I will just do both of each board at the same time.

B=Board

B1- CumnorChessClub (Kevin D. Plant) vs Fulcrum2000- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21828

B1- ppipper vs CumnorChessClub (Kevin D. Plant)- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21814

B2- Kamesh vs ppipper- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21829

B2- Fulcrum2000 vs Kamesh- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21815

B3- jitan vs Sebastian Boehme- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21830

B3- National12 vs jitan- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21816

B4- Loboestepario (Gino Figilo) vs WeirwindleX- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21817

B4- David Evans vs Loboestepario (Gino Figilo)- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21831

B5- Sebastian Boehme vs David Evans- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21818

B5- Weirwindle vs Banned for Life- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21832

B6- ralunger (Ramil Germanes) vs National12- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21833

B6- donkasand vs ralunger (Ramil Germanes)- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21819

B7- tomski1981 vs donkasand- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21834

B7- parmetd (Daniel Parmet) vs tomski1981- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21820

B8- Banned for Life vs Ruben Comes- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21821

B8- indrajit_sg vs parmetd (Daniel Parmet)- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21835

B9- Keoki010 (George Clement) vs Indrajit- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21822

B9- Mark Eldridge vs Balabachi- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21837

B10- Wayne Lowrance vs Stephanie- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21838

B10- Balabachi vs Wayne Lowrance- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21823

B11- StephanieX vs Mark_Eldridge- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21824

B11- Omprakash vs Keoki010 (George Clement)- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21839

B12- natmaku vs Scott Nichols- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21825

B12- Ruben Comes vs deka- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21840

B13- deka vs Omprakash- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21826

B13- Scott Nichols vs Schachmatt (Matt O'Brien)- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21841

B14- Schachmatt (Matt O'Brien) vs TheHug (Jimmy Huggins)- http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21827

B14- TheHug (Jimmy Huggins) vs natmaku http://rybkaforum.net/cgi-bin/rybkaforum/topic_show.pl?tid=21842

Before I get off, I would like to thank Thib for letting me ask his great players to play in my tournament. Best wishes to all and enjoy this next year!

Jimmy


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-05-15 13:34:12)
WBCCC Round 3 links and more

After 2 rounds FICGS has 5 of the top 10 places in the standings in the WBCCC 1. With Kevin #1 and Kamesh #4 at the top with 3 points and Gino #6, David #7, and Sebi #10. Well Rybka Forum has 4 of the top 10. Fulcrum2000 #2, ppipper #3, WeirwindleX #8, National12 #9.

Many of these players are facing off against each other. Here are just a few games you that are must watch for this round.

Banned for Life vs Ruben Comes- Banned for Life (Alan) is one of the best with 1.b3. It should be interesting to see how Ruben combats this expert with the Larson System.

Sebastian Boehme vs David Evans- These two have crossed paths before on the freestyle field before. I took great interest in this match because Sebi has 1 on the highest winning % with the white pieces in the field and hasn't last a white game on FICGS. That I have seen. I can bet on some fireworks in this game.

Kamesh vs ppipper- Kam put on a good show with the white pieces vs one of the toughest opponents in the field (with my human eyes) and ppipper has done great with the black pieces. With both of his wins coming with the black pieces! O_o Should be fun :)

jitan vs Sebastian Boehme- Jitan is showing to be one of the top tier players in this event. I truly enjoy the tactical opening he played in his only win in the tournament so far in round 1 vs George. And gave Gino all he could handle in Round 2 (With my human eyes again) :)

A lot of the other games speak for themselves. Also keep on eye on Board 1 with Kevin. :)


Thibault de Vassal    (2011-05-26 02:45:13)
I am exhausted

Hi Wayne,

Surely we all can understand what you feel at different levels, personal life is a great part of correspondence chess games, and sometimes we lose because of such factors (it happened to me as well, but you didn't need it to beat me :))... Such a situation is always really hard to accept, particularly after having fought during months/years like a lion just like you did here, but IMHO time will remind you (in days or months) that all this is definitely only a game after all.

Fortunately good games always remain... and bad ones are not so important. I learnt that.

Just do what you have to do.

All the best,
Thib


Eros Riccio    (2011-05-28 08:06:21)
I am exhausted

Wayne... don't worry about the match against me, it's not important, and it can be resumed later... now only focus on playing the most important match, which can't be delayed, with life. Fight Wayne, and I am sure you will be the winner.

Eros.


Sebastian Boehme    (2011-05-31 03:15:10)
I am exhausted

Two really great corr chess players and see how quickly life can take big burdens on you....this is sad to read and also from me all the best wishes that are possible to give.


Kamesh Nookala    (2011-06-01 14:08:38)
I am exhausted

@ Wayne - There is always a start point and a corresponding end point. You have done so much in your life. But, now, your life needs a bit care from your end. I am just 34 and your chess experience and game play are far bigger than my age. But, the end is inevitable. It is better to put an end for your games Wayne, which you did. What is important for me at this point of time is you and not your games. So, follow what doc says, take rest and I am pretty sure you will be strong enough again. But, then again, just WATCH chess, do not play it.. Else, it may drain your energy again. For whatever happened to me at WBCCC, I quit the tour Wayne. Just enjoying my life :)
Warm regards my good friend...

@ Thib - Yes, lot many changes. Had to quit smoking, though that was never a concern or a cause for my illness. I received only humiliation round after round at WBCCC. I couldn't take more and had to put an end to my corr. chess career for the time being. I am regrouping myself. And, certainly, FICGS is the place where I will come back to.

@ Sebi - Thanks friend. I am not a great corr. chess player. Just a player :p

Regards
Kam


Wayne Lowrance    (2011-07-19 05:57:38)
More statistics for every player

Yes, Thank you so much. I try and keep up with all here. I love this site and it has been a very part of my life.

wayne


Garvin Gray    (2011-08-12 16:22:08)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

I think if you are going to close entries early and post pairings for round one, then there will need to be a decent entry fee.

If entry is free and pairings are posted early, it is extremely likely that one or more people will pull out through dis-interest, when in all likelihood they were not that interested in the first place and as soon as the pairings are posted, they realise the full magnitude of having entered the competition.

While an entry fee will reduce the total number of entries, it will certainly make your life easier in actually running the competition.

Another idea is to introduce a bond system. Everyone pays a set amount up front and then those who have played all rounds get their money back. Those who do not complete the competition for any reason do not get their money back.

Especially relevant with more than one night competitions.

Thinking more about time zones, for what I favour depends on number of days and number of rounds.

If just two days, then I favour Saturday/Saturday. If more than two days, I favour Friday/Saturday/Saturday.


Heinz-Georg Lehnhoff    (2012-03-07 18:27:21)
50+ Poker Games

I like Paul's idea of special counting the number of running game. This eliminates 5 of my games.

But I hope, that the idea to estimate poker games, will not be implemented. That is not a solution of the problem.

In some of my games my opponent and I can move only once per day, because we have a different rhythm of life. My opponents are playing in the morning and I at night. So we are online rarely at the same time. Furthermore, my games often last longer than 1000 moves. Therefore, it is only natural that these games take a long time. I don't like that these games will be estimated after a year.


Thibault de Vassal    (2012-04-16 22:08:04)
About Pinformant

I agree that the site's purpose is not clear enough yet, I have much to do in this way... But one thing is clear, this website has nothing to do with chess but if you personaly use it this way (like I do)!

The interest is (IMHO) that if you like to share web stuff with friends but do not like the way of Facebook e.g. by using real name, things about private life & so on... This is one more alternative. The main difference with similar social networks is that you share full web pages instead of extracts (saves time, boost sites traffic).

To fully use it, like in every social network, you must have friends (so you probably need to invite friends, that can be done easily thanks to a really great script named Adiinviter - that will be used at FICGS very soon). That way the site may become viral - after some work, we'll see.

How it helps FICGS: This year I launched several websites in this aim and one thing is still missing: a massive source of visitors, in other words a big sponsor! Advertising is quite expensive and it will help this way. So you'll see changes here as fast as Pinformant's traffic will increase...


Scott Nichols    (2012-04-24 04:32:03)
Do the cards really matter?

I hope this doesn't sound to dumb, but I was thinking about this. I've played poker for about 40 years from penny ante with the family to no limit games where if you don't win, the rent don't get paid.

Some people try to calculate the odds, the number of "outs" etc. Play the game scientifically, others play by the feel of the game. I've seen and believe that when the stakes are up there, the cards don't really matter.

Imagine like in a movie, you were put in a position that you had no choice but to play a game of hold-em for your life. A lot of people dream to play in the million dollar tourney's in Vegas, but for 99% of them, the dream shatters, and it ends up being their life for a great many of them. So the question is, could you call his "all-in" knowing what happens if you lose?


Don Groves    (2012-07-28 07:07:22)
FICGS IS BACK !!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Thib, for all your hard work to bring FICGS back to life !


Alvin Alcala    (2012-08-18 07:34:30)
This is Russia :(

The biggest blunder of Kasparov in his entire life is entering politics. It's simply not his game! :(


Rolf Staggat    (2012-08-18 17:56:35)
This is Russia :(

No sad day for me.....

This man still thinks, he is the most important person in the world.

He only went to "Pussy Riot", because he wants to be seen on TV. He hates people like the Pussies, but he thinks it is good for HIM to provocate in front of the cameras of west-medias.

He does not know, what is reality. So now some policemen have to show him, what is real. No average intelligent person would try to find that out.

He never will be president of Russia, to be against Putin does not mean to be for Kasparov.

Kasparov only thinks in "white" or "black", but there are many more colours in real life.

By the way, the Pussies would never be known outside Russia with the noise that they call music. Now they have the time to learn.

2014 number 1 in all charts:
"Pussy Riot featuring Grandmaster Garry" the new super-group with their new song "Who is the greatest idiot"

I more prefer Grandmaster Flash.....He knows about real life.


Dmitri Mamrukov    (2012-08-21 06:04:19)
This is Russia :(

Vadim, oil prices fluctuated over years. Up and down. The real question is how much revenue the Russian budget received (hence, how good the lifestyle is). In the 1990s, almost none as oligarchs reaped most in their offshores and deposited their "earnings" in Western banks.

"This honey collection is the best-guarded secret of capitalist superiority."

Caribbean Sea Pirates in Crisis
http://www.israelshamir.net/English/Crisis_Ed.htm

That changed after the nationalization (either directly or oligarchs became socially responsible) happened after 2000.


Michael Aigner    (2013-06-11 13:25:26)
Vacation: change for 3 days minimum?

In my opinion there is no need to change the rules. As far as I understood some people see the normal use of vacation which is defined by the rules as abuse which in itself is a contradiction. Anybody (could) know the rules before starting a game.

I understand that it is kind of a little disadvantage when some people have to use their vacation for vacation or for emergencies while others use it for analyzing their games but that’s life.´
There are many other factors one could consider as unfair e.g. faster hardware, no family to care of, retiree, students versus people who have to work the whole day which have much more influence then this "abuse" of vacation time.

By the way, I think it is very hard to play “good” correspondence chess (in a complex position) by using just one day per move, so I am not unhappy if my opponent have to take one day of vacation to have the time to decide for a move to make.


Thibault de Vassal    (2013-07-15 14:16:39)
Interview with new FICGS Go champion

Yen-Wei Huang, winner of the 8th FICGS Go championship, kindly accepted to answer a few questions for this very interesting interview!

_______________________


- Hello Yen-Wei and congratulations for winning the FICGS Go championship! Xiao Tong was obviously a tough opponent, yet you won 5-0, what happened during this match?

Hi Thib. Thanks again for your kind invitation. Xiao is definitely one of the strongest Go players on FICGS, and I was really, really lucky to have won all five games. In fact, I was behind in three of them until Xiao made some mistakes late in the games: in game 69092, I forced a tough ko fight which jeopardized my lower group. Xiao made a mistake at P2 as he missed my T3 could force another ko. Game 69093 was very close towards the end but I think the move at C13 caused him the game. Game 69096 was even closer that I won by half a point thanks to the big 7.5 komi. The other two games were not easy either and I am glad I could have hung on to the lead. Overall I really enjoyed our match and I would love to have a rematch with Xiao in the future.

- You're from Taiwan, could you tell us a bit more about you? At what age did you learn Go? Do you have any other ranks (e.g. at other sites)?

I learned Go when I was 5 and I have always enjoyed playing all my life. I used to play on servers like KGS and Tygem and I was around 6-7 dan on these sites. Recently I don't have that much time to play so that's why turned to turn-based server like FICGS.

- What do you think about the world of Go these days? Who is the very best player in the world according to you?

I think the past two years were the "warring period" in the world of Go. I would say Lee Sedol was the best player two years ago, but he seems to have lost his dominant position recently. There are many rising stars that are winning the world champions. I am especially keeping an eye on Yuta Iyama, who I think is No. 1 in Japan and has started to threaten the dominance of Chinese and Korean players.

- What about computer Go and its future? How many years do you give to the human before losing to the machine?

As a software engineer I foresee the computer Go beats the world's No. 1 player in two decades. Crazy Stone already beat Yoshio Ishida with four handicap stones earlier this year, and I believe it wouldn't take long for computers to beat pros in two handicap stones. The real challenge will come when computers need to go from handicap games to even games since they need to advance from defensive mode to attack mode. I am really excited to see how Artificial Intelligence can surprise us with its "creative" moves when the time comes.

- Do you use engines or databases? What advice would you give to beginners (and to your future challengers :))?

I know there are many useful Go engines and databases that are being developed these days, unfortunately I don't really know much about them. I do use http://ps.waltheri.net/ if I need to look something up, and I go to http://tom.com for commented games (they're in Chinese, nonetheless). Advice to beginners: just go to any search engine and you can easily find all the free resources you want. Advice to my future challengers: just try the new variations since I know none of them :)

- What new features would you like to see at FICGS?

Firstly I'd like to thank Thib for maintaining such a wonderful site. I enjoy playing Go and Poker here and maybe I'll start playing Chess sometime (I really suck so I'm not ready to embarrass myself yet). The ability to play different games is what makes FICGS unique. As Thib mentioned earlier, we need much more players, and I think FICGS simply needs to host much more tournaments, probably some with shorter time settings. With more games and more player engagement, more people will stick around. Another feature I'd really like to see is FICGS client for cellphones/tablets. The main advantage of turn-based servers is that it allows people to play wherever for whatever period of time: a 1-min ride in the elevator, a 10-min wait at the bus stop, or a couple of hours at home. If playing on FICGS is made easier, I know I will be more addicted to it :)

- Thank you very much and good luck in the next final match...

Thanks! And please go easy on our Poker match...


George Clement    (2013-09-25 22:16:46)
My tournament activity

Wayne it has been a privelige to know and play you. I hope you do alright if life.


Bogoljub Teverovski    (2013-10-18 12:07:02)
Communism

As history of XX century tells us, the classless society in reality is just impossible. I was living in the communist country the most part of my life, and I know very well that society with its own classes. Go to North Korea or Cuba if you like communism.


Garvin Gray    (2013-12-22 09:17:43)
Withdrawal from all standard time events

I thought I would bring this topic up to let everyone know.

After a few years here, I have decided that it is almost certain that I will no longer be entering standard time control events on this site until the time control changes.

I find that most players in that time control just waste the time provided and are able to play faster, but choose to run their time down, and then make 8 moves in 10 days, then wait another 30 days before making another 8 moves in 10 days, or similar behaviour.

Sorry Thibault, but I have better things to do in my life than have my life wasted like this.

If you want me to return to standard time control events, change the time control.

This means I will only be playing in rapid time control events, which is a much better time control.


Garvin Gray    (2013-12-24 07:24:52)
Withdrawal from all standard time events

The issue is not with the amount of time taken when players use a few days per each move, say 3 days on one move, 4 days on the next, 2 days on another and so forth, throughout the 10 moves for 40 days and so arrive at the end of the 10 moves with about 5 days to spare (playing it safe). That is how the time control is 'meant' to work.

No, my issue is with players who completely waste my time with behaviour that shows that they are able to move faster and can do so, but believe that is ok not to do so.

Most of us know exactly who they are and would have no problem naming them. If I had the option not to play them again, I would be comfortable doing so.

This is how they 'game' the time control. At the start of the game, they will make their first few moves in the first few days, leaving 35 or so days for 5 moves, then you will not see them for another 30 days, then they come back and make another 5 moves in 5 days (making the time control).

Then you do not see them again for another 30 days, except for maybe one or two moves, then they make 10 moves in less than 10 days (making the time control again).

And they keep repeating this behaviour for the whole game. Time period after time period.

In my period, this wastes 30 days per cycle of my life and I do hold Thibault partly responsible for it. He designs a time control that allows it to happen.

At least with the rapid time control, players who do this eventually end up having to make one move per day for the rest of the game, so they run the risk of running out of time. They show poor time management and get punished for it.

There is a simple way to stop this behaviour, change the time control.


Garvin Gray    (2014-02-03 02:10:36)
Standard time control abusers

Suffering again with two players abusing the time control.

Sick of this site with an administrator who will not doing anything about it when he has the ability to do so. I believe it is time to start naming and shaming these people and will start to do so in the next post after replies from others. I really do not care anymore, it is time this issue is exposed for the disgrace it is. Perhaps by exposing them, they will be gotten rid of. They hide under the cover of anonymity.

I am strongly considering resigning both games, telling Thibault what he can do with his site and leaving. I have had a F****** gutful of these actions and having months of my life wasted.


Thibault de Vassal    (2014-02-04 15:37:11)
Standard time control abusers

Time controls are the only rules... and rules are dedicated to be abused, early or lately. That's the same in life, unfortunately, noone can hope to stop it.

But we can discuss examples (without mentioning names, that's not useful IMO) to try to improve it - while avoiding to complicate it too much.


Garvin Gray    (2014-02-15 08:59:20)
Standard time control abusers

Ok, I have long had enough of this and since Thib believes that everything is a ok, it is time to start naming the abusers and their actions. Perhaps that will force Thib to start taking action against these people, because I, for at least one player, have had a bloody gutful of this player wasting my life.

The player concerned is: Mariusz Maciej Broniek and the game in question is: https://ficgs.com/user_page.php?page=viewer&game=71232

He has repeatedly made all his moves in the last 5 days of the time control, then let his time run down to the 5 days and then made another 10 moves and rinse-repeat and will do it again.

Mariusz is clearly able to move faster, but is deciding to 'game' the time control in an attempt to either annoy the S*** out of me, or hope that I will resign.

The significance of this game is that whoever wins, wins the tourney and all the e points, totalling 48 e points. I am +10 ahead and it is time Thibault stepped in and put a stop to this behaviour.

Either Thibault applies the 'bringing the game into disrepute rule' against players like this, by firstly giving a warning and then declaring the game lost, or Thibault makes it clear he stands on the side of those who seek to abuse and 'game' the time control and does not give a stuff about the lives of the members who they continue to stuff over.


Thibault de Vassal    (2014-02-15 23:44:49)
Standard time control abusers

Garvin, I know why Mariusz can play this way in general (like a few other ones) and this 'may have' nothing to do with any kind of abuse. Anyway this game seems really close to finish and everyone has the right to play games until the end. One could have chosen rules that say "every game with Rybka +/-5.0 is won" or even more complex rules involving evaluation and clocks, but this is not the case here (fortunately, anyway any rule can be abused). One can't know everyone's personal life.


Garvin Gray    (2014-02-25 11:36:55)
Standard time control abusers

Broniek is now down to seven days in my game against him and has 9 moves to make. I have no doubt that he will make the time control, then will sit on the game for another 35 days.

Thanks Thibault for wasting my life like this.

You have a choice, you can either be on the side of the abusers or the victims. It is clear which side you are choosing. At the clear cost of the site.

I know why most people are not commenting and this because they are scared to offend you, even though they hate behaviour like this. Instead they just do not participate in the events.

I have noticed that no one is promoting ficgs anymore. Perhaps it is because the members have grown tired of seeing a site admin allowing members to act in manners like this and not being held to account for it.


Garvin Gray    (2014-03-01 03:29:31)
Standard time control abusers

And once again your response is to sit on your hands and do nothing. That is your clear response all the time to this major issue.

You ask for solutions, some of us attempt to offer solutions, you reject them. You ask for other sites rules, we offer them, you reject them saying they won't work. It is clear that you have no intention of doing anything about this and that you really believe that allowing my life to be wasted is acceptable, well I don't and I am sure the others who are trapped in this same situation do not.

I really do not understand how you can think it is acceptable to allow your members to have their lives wasted by players who are clearly just acting out of spite?

Your actions are really against the best interests of this site. I know as the site administrator that is a big call, but I really do feel it is the right call to make.

When you side with the abusers and not the victims, that is what happens.


Alexis Alban    (2014-08-27 14:49:01)
Standard time control abusers

I don't think that's the problem Don. For example the player Garvin is talking about only has 9 running games. However his profile says that he's doctor, so perhaps life responsibilities is causing his slow play rate.

I have well over 20 games running on this server and 5 on ICCF, and I feel like I can easily handle 20 more. There are times when I'm sitting there just waiting for my turn. I am however not a doctor, although I do work 40 hours a week.


Scott Nichols    (2015-09-13 19:52:19)
New quotes?

There is more to poker than life. (Tom McEvoy)


Scott Nichols    (2015-09-14 15:44:05)
New quotes?

A great joy in life is to have a job where FICGS screen is hiding just behind my work screen, :)


Jan Ohlin    (2015-10-14 07:08:13)
Wch Match Tie Break Rules

If playing a lot more games it is like forcing mistakes instead of good games?! Social life will become ruined... Whom will bother about become a "world champ"? Not me who also have small kids to take care of.
And the opposite, if instead play fewer games it will force the challenger to play even more risky openings. The games will become more exciting to watch.


Peter Brodie    (2016-09-19 22:38:00)
Missing chat

I figured some time ago you were one of those pathetic internet princesses who likes starting meaningless arguments for their own sake as it gives you a hard-on..I'd suggest you get a life but I suppose that isn't possible..As for abuse, you gave as good as you got you little shit so don't start accusing and playing the little hurt dove..how sad..How obvious....lol...


Garvin Gray    (2016-11-30 11:16:28)
Future penalties for games lost on time

Since I have referred to the ICCF policies on the matters of players losing on time, I should directly quote their policy:

It is under section 5 of Code of Conduct:

Types of disciplinary action available are as follows:
(i) Formal Written Warning – for breaches in behaviour incompatible with ICCF statutes, principles, or rules. Continuing or repeated misbehaviour will result in (ii) being implemented
(ii) Disciplinary Action with Penalty/Sanctions – for serious or recurring breaches in behaviour
incompatible with ICCF statutes, principles, and/or rules. Immediate penalties/sanctions should be imposed, the degree of which should be related to the severity of the misdemeanour.
The following scale of penalties/sanctions should be used:
(a) A serious behavioural issue, e.g. silent/unacceptable withdrawal from a tournament, unacceptable, or abusive behaviour to players/officials/ICCF as a first offence – ban from all international CC tournaments and activities for a period of 2 years, from the date of decision.
(b) A repeated serious behavioural issue, e.g., repeated silent/ unacceptable withdrawal from a tournament, repeated abusive behaviour to players/officials/ICCF – ban from all international CC tournaments and activities for a period of 5 years, from the date of the latest decision.
(c) Outrageous behaviour or further repeated behavioural issue, e.g., theft, belligerent action towards ICCF or any of its officials, assault, etc. – ban from all international CC tournaments and activities for life duration. Appeal for remission of sentence is available after 10 years.
(d) Extremely slow play in a clearly lost position is not proper behaviour in CC play, and is subject to a warning from the TD, and will result in disciplinary action if it continues or is repeated in other games.
When dealing with disciplinary matters and considering penalties/sanctions, care should be taken to ensure consistency and those penalties are commensurate with the “crime” committed.
In all cases of disciplinary action, an individual has a basic right to express his/her case, with reasoning, before a decision is taken by an official/tournament director or tournament office, etc.


Scott Nichols    (2016-12-02 18:28:58)
Future penalties for games lost on time

First loss on time, suspension for 3 months. Second loss on time, banishment for life. With the long time controls here, there is NO good reason to lose on time.


Thibault de Vassal    (2016-12-02 22:06:28)
Future penalties for games lost on time

Hi all,

On dead man defence, Herbert said it all and as far as I can see, this rule works (when used, of course)!

On losses on time, I'm still not sure of what rule is best but I'm quite sure that simple rules are often best. However, I guess that rules could be more incitative about finishing games even without sanctions ("threat is stronger than execution") I'm not sure how efficient it could be on a free website though, FICGS context is not ICCF context. So I'm open to any change but I'm still not favourable to any suspension or banishment (that could lead to even more games lost on time). Also, I do know that life events could lead to this, I do know that there are many good reasons to lose on time, unfortunately :/


Roger Llull    (2017-01-20 21:29:00)
GM Eros Riccio 12th WCH & chess

Pablo, changes to the WCH wouldn't make a difference for many years because the rules of each running event can't be changed now without sacrificing site credibility.

But I don't think this is about fixing the WCH final. This is about getting rid of the big frustration that represents the almost total impossibility of winning at the top level.

You can't mix thematic and classic CC Elos for the same reason you can't mix the Elo of classic time controls and the Elo of bullet time controls.

Thibault has an opportunity to bring new life to correspondence chess, but we need to see things from a different perspective. Let's make the most of what's already in place, -like Epoints- and introduce ways to add and influence new events even before they start. Because connecting with others and participating in more ways would bring new interest and benefit a lot more people than tring to fix what's already perfect -sort of- but stale.


Thibault de Vassal    (2017-01-27 00:21:27)
Poker Poll

Well, now you're #2, where there's life, there's hope ^^


Thibault de Vassal    (2018-03-14 23:12:38)
A few questions to Nelson Bernal Varela

Nelson Bernal Varela is an early FICGS correspondence chess player, now rated 2277 but also rated 2359 at ICCF (Correspondence Chess Master - CCM).

Last but not least, and as all poker holdem players here probably noticed, he is also our ranked #1 for years, who just reached an outstanding poker rating of 2382, while number two is now rated "only" 2212. A good occasion to ask him a few questions, that he kindly accepted to answer.

-----------------------

- Hello Nelson! You are the 2nd most active player at FICGS for years now. Everyone here probably noticed your incredible results in poker tournaments. "Correspondence poker holdem" was probably a strange idea as it is very unusual and very different from "Internet poker". What's your opinion on this and on the presence of a card game (played without money) at FICGS?


NBV: There are more important things than money and one of those is HONOR; It is honorable to be a chess master, international master, grandmaster, world chess champion at ICCF and at FICGS and to be number one in the ranking. It is honorable to be a FICGS world champion at Go and to be first in the ranking, it is honorable to be poker world champion at FICGS poker and in my case, it is an honor to be number one at poker here at FICGS during the last years, understanding that our general level of play has improved remarkably. None of these activities produces money, but to achieve any of the mentioned titles, it is necessary to have extraordinary abilities.

When I was about 18 years old, I had the opportunity to meet a person with immense material wealth, we spent whole evenings playing chess and then I told him my perceptions about each movement of the game. He thanked me for my chess explanations and paid me with good money. That wealthy man in his turn told me about life and recommended that I should always be proud of the gifts I had, since he knew, with all the money he had and being able to hire the best grandmasters in the world, that it could hardly come at the level of chess master. That person told me that the intellect can be turned into money whenever you want.

Now, by playing poker without money at FICGS, I understood that it was my extraordinary and wonderful opportunity to study-learn-perfect and test my poker theories without costing me a single dollar. In FICGS there is no money, but thanks to the knowledge I gained playing poker in FICGS, today I can go after the money in online poker rooms and probably in OTB poker tournaments. I am studying the possibility of becoming a professional poker player.


- The understanding of your opponent's behaviour is usually quite important at Poker. Do you manage to establish some profiles while playing so many simultaneous hands & games? Did you build any method?


NBV: Today I am sure that the most important thing to raise, and keep raising my level in poker, has been to build a psychological profile of mine, to get to know Nelson Bernal Varela in depth and above all to understand me, accept me, love me and be work every day eliminating my technical errors, strategic, psychological that make me play badly. I am aware that in poker I can play perfectly and still lose, what I can not forgive me is playing badly, which is why I work hard correcting my wrong decisions.

Of course, there is a space in my brain where I have built a psychological profile of each contender, that profile I have been able to elaborate with all the information that is provided to me in each hand we play. The way each of us plays, gives reliable information about our personality.

About my method I can write the following: A few years ago, I created a table in excel, where I had all the games with each contender, I identified them with the FICGS numeration and each movement in each hand (preflop, flop, turn, river ) it I was writing and studying; I started to add technical-psychological variables that seemed important to me, resulting in 20 variables that I had to qualify in each movement. With the passage of time and my effort, I no longer needed the excel table and I did not use it again (it was exhausting and time consuming) because I was assimilating things faster and with greater depth. Today I can say that I evaluate these 20 variables in a natural way, as if I was breathing and that when I am at a poker table, online or real, after a few minutes I get the psychological profile of the table and each of my opponents. In the pocket of my shirt I keep a small paper with the list of variables, periodically reread it and I wonder if I should modify, remove or add something.


- You won 1007 poker games, and lost only 380, with a ratio usually going from 57% to 80% according to your best opponents. Undoubtly you know the mathematics hidden behind poker but that may not explain everything. How did you learn to play?


NBV: Mathematics is an ingredient in poker, in the same way that my psychological aspects and of my opponents (I recommend reading-studying about four times the book “The Poker mindset” of Ian Taylor and Matthew Hilger), it is vital to understand the Law of Large Numbers. Next I make a list of topics that I consider important to raise the level of poker; compete with EV+ cards, you have to know the small ball theory of Negreanu (but not apply it, hahaha) you have to always look at the texture of the board, you have to evaluate your reality and your future, also that of your opponents (act and power), the position to talk is important, the stack, the personality of the table, know who has the panic button on. All these and other variables must be evaluated in the few seconds they have to make a move and the only important thing is to make the right decision according to the circumstances. There is a good list of poker books to read... it is mandatory to have read about 15 poker books.


- As for me, I may be wrong but I can't imagine that you reached such a rating without special techniques & maybe by optimizing it in some ways... Of course, "rating management" is not a problem, and it is only one thing with a limited impact, but maybe you have some other secrets? What about this "+1" technique that I noticed in many of our games, if this is not a secret? :)


NBV: In these years I have used different techniques that I had to read, study, learn, repeat, modify, invent and sometimes eliminate. Poker is a sport that seems easy, with time one manages to understand that it has an amazing complexity, today I consider poker to be as complex as chess and I study them in a "similar" way. As an example, I have tried to create "openings in poker"; based only on probabilities I invented something that I called mirror theory and another "opening" that I called opposite outs. I am fascinated by mathematics and from the mathematical perspective they are perfect "theories-openings", but I have lost tournaments and a lot of money for applying such theories in mistaken emotional moments. In poker it is important to never lose sight of the Law of Large Numbers and be aware that this LAW likes to make fun of each one of us... I am working on giving an emotional nuance to my theories "mirror" and "opposite outs". There are moments when perfect mathematics becomes an unforgivable psychological error...

For the last few months I have modified my way of playing and my results have improved; Today it must be much more difficult to win a game me, thanks to small and imperceptible adjustments that of course only I know, because I have followed my mistakes-successes-evolution in the game over several years.


- Isn't it too frustrating for you to play heads up only (here at least) ? Of course it is a way to improve this important technical case but we know that many complexities come with 3 to 8 players on the table, which is the most common case in professional poker tournaments.


NBV: Currently I spend little time every day playing heads-up in FICGS, thanks to the fact that I have the profile of each contender. The 4-5 hours that I study poker daily, include practice in micro limits in cash tables of 6 players and tournaments in tables of 8-9 players. I think I'm covering the whole range of possibilities, experiencing game situations between 1 and 8 contenders.


- What do you think about computer analysis in poker? Do you think it could make a difference here just like the way we play advanced chess?


NBV: I think the algorithms are ready to be written in machine language and the question is where are those algorithms? Well, in the brains of the best players in the world and in their games compiled in huge databases. But programming language can be accelerated with artificial intelligence brains, making A.I. studying databases of the best professionals, playing with itself millions of games and building an invincible TACTIC-STRATEGIC SYSTEM, similar to chess software and GO... I think preflop and flop play would be very similar between humans and artificial intelligence, but on the turn and on the river artificial intelligence would take considerable advantage, but in the short time the level of human poker would rise because artificial intelligence would teach us to play poker, this event that would diminish the profits of the professionals. It will always be said in favor of poker that because it is an incomplete game of information, to make computer algorithms are quite complicated, but despite that, I am sure that artificial intelligence will far surpass the best human poker player. It is possible that an artificial intelligence that plays a perfect poker already exists, but unlike GO and chess, poker does produce a lot of money. Due to the money factor, in today's world, it is very difficult that there is a Prometheus willing to steal fire from the gods and give it to mankind...


- How would you describe your relation to games in general?


NBV: I can summarize it in one of the first chess books I had the fortune to read, by the great Danish master Bent Larsen, "I play to win"


- When did you start to play chess & poker? Do you play other games?


NBV: My first contact with chess was at the age of nine, it was love at first sight and until death separates us; I must confess that for some years we have been separated, due to my stupidity and my erroneous decisions. I have always been self-taught in any subject, my method is to buy about 10 to 15 books of the subject that interests me and I read them thoroughly, sometimes 3 or 4 times; already with that information in my head and thanks to the constant practice, I build MY SYSTEM (Nimzowitch) according to my personality, my dreams, my desires, my anguish, my fears... I was youth champion of Bogotá, for 4 years , my OTB level was strong, but I had to abandon chess because I had to work and survive; Being an athlete in Colombia is an absolutely difficult thing, but being a chess player is extremely complicated since there is no support or respect from society and you can not live by chess, because it does not produce money.

I met poker in 2009 in FICGS, at that time I was in a terrible emotional situation, trying to get away from a relationship with a woman that I should never approach and where I wasted valuable time and energy. In that context, looking for my thoughts to be occupied, I ended up playing the FICGS C-24 poker tournament and tied the first place with three more players; I kept playing, without understanding what was happening with the cards and obviously, losing, until in 2010 I won the FICGS D-21 tournament with perfect score, 6 out of 6. I had already bought-read my first beginner book: Poker for Dummies of Harroch and Krieger, but my poker was coarse, wild, street, intuitive, amateur, without dedication or study. In the background of this paragraph, the affection and gratitude that I have for FICGS is condensed, a place where I have been able to build-practice-study-test MY SYSTEM in poker.

I play Backgammon, I do not care that it may sound pretentious-petulant, but I have a very strong level and I have not read my first book yet. Hahaha. Any year I register as a participant in the world championship and I will cause disgust to more than one professional. Hahaha. Unlike chess and poker, backgammon does not cause me stress, on the contrary, I feel a lot of joy and pleasure when I play backgammon. I feel something similar with math, reading and music. It's true and I'm proud, I've always been a NERD.


- We all know how difficult it is to reach a number 1 rank but it is even more difficult to keep it during a long time. What is your motivation? Do you have more goals to achieve (chess & other games included) ?


NBV: My motivation in any activity I undertake in my life is to do it with absolute passion (passion is everything you would do to get a breath of air, in the second before dying by drowning or suffocation).

I have several goals to accomplish before December 2021; In the ICCF correspondence chess I must reach the 2400 elo and get the titles of International Master, SIM and Grand Master, also perform outstanding performances in world championships. In FICGS Chess I must complete my Master and International Master titles and overcome the 2450 elo, also snatch the title from our eternal champion Eros Riccio. You're warned Eros, hahaha. On the LSS site where I also play, www.chess-server.net I want to be a world champion.

In POKER I find myself playing micro limits bets in several online sites; in June 2018 I hope I have built some bankroll. In July of 2018 I must be evaluating my poker to know if my immediate goal is to become a professional poker player, that would completely change my chess goals and I would have to dedicate myself to OTB poker. At the moment I study and practice poker every day, about 4-5 hours a day. At this moment my poker is full of errors that I am eliminating one by one. MY SYSTEM needs to win and raise money in the micro limits, so that it can succeed in professional poker.
In chess OTB I should become a great master, but that topic should be left as a goal for after 2021. I could achieve the record of being the oldest human in getting the title of Grand Master OTB. Hahaha.

In backgammon I would like to play some important tournaments in USA and Europe and maybe to be OTB world champion, but at the moment I do not have clarity on how to do it. I must mature that idea.
I hope they invent immortality before I die and that I have enough money to buy it, because time is what I need to realize all these and other dreams...


- Finally, playing so many games on several websites (obviously with serious ambitions in each game & place) may look quite inhuman and exhausting, does your body or brain say "stop" sometimes? Do you train by melting sports and brain games just like Kasparov did in the past?


NBV: It's true, it takes willpower and a lot of resistance to sustain the pace that I carry. To take care of my body, I am doing daily exercise for 60 to 90 minutes, including routines of strength, elasticity, speed and endurance. I also practice table tennis to preserve the agility of my body. I'm also divorced and I do not have a girlfriend... Hahaha


- By curiosity, do you consider playing Go in the future, even after... 2021? (which would surely be an enormous charge more, but the game is really interesting)


I have a kind of commitment with the best Colombian GO player, exchange of classes, he makes me a competitive player of GO and I turn him into a competitive player of backgammon. But the truth is that I do not have time... it could be after 2021...


- Do you confirm that you are not (entirely or partly) AlphaZero or any kind of A.I. (yet) ? :-)


NBV: Hahaha, of course I would like to be a real centaur, human with machine power, I do not care what physical form I should adopt. I offer myself publicly as a guinea pig in projects of technological singularity. Hahaha


- Many thanks for your detailed and instructive (impressive as well) answers! My best wishes of luck in all your games and future tournaments.


Rolf Staggat    (2018-04-02 15:00:31)
Poll: renaming the Queen as Dragon

We have enough dragons in real life - Angela Merkel, Theresa May and many others.....
Don´t need dragons on the chess-board. And the king is called Donald (Trump) then?
Or this North-Korean joke of a man is a pawn, better a double-pawn?
In a few years, when the Chinese rule the whole world, the king will be called Mao. :)


Herbert Kruse    (2018-11-19 19:41:33)
World Championship Tie-breaks

http://www.ficgs.com/user_page.php?page=viewer&game=97242&flip=1
u lost already, and in real life even quicker


Thibault de Vassal    (2019-01-24 18:58:12)
James Romig

Hi all,

Well, it seems to me that a website administrator shouldn't intervene in players private life / ask for or discuss players private life if it does not come from players or players families (as it happens regularly, most often for bad news).

Of course general forfeits happen quite/too often, sometimes there are expressed concerns from other players, sometimes unexpressed concerns or nothing at all, whatever... so IMO the website administrator/referee shouldn't have to act according to such criteria.

Finally, it seems to me that we have to wait for news (but of course friends can contact each other).

As Garvin said, sometimes players make some choices (e.g. if not taking vacation days for any reason is considered as a choice) and there may be unfortunate consequences for themselves & for their opponents. That's what can happen on chess websites... more than in real tournaments, of course.


Ilmars Cirulis    (2020-11-08 19:27:01)
THE QUEENS GAMBIT...

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/11/queens-gambit-a-real-life-chess-champion-on-netflixs-new-hit


Thibault de Vassal    (2020-12-08 15:33:13)
What happened to all the players?

Thanks for the enlightments!

1) Interesting idea, I did not think it this way but that sounds credible.

2) Too many possible reasons IMHO, first could be the lower rate benefits/investment, added to the constantly growing place of chess engines (particularly since the Rybka era) in the game and the way our lives changed all over the years (real life, social networks, Netflix & so on).

3) That's quite surprising to me but well, at least chess found a way :)

4) I did not hear about that rule yet, what's the idea?


Thibault de Vassal    (2021-04-18 22:39:47)
Wch 22 Stage 2 ended

With all my respect Garvin, you couldn't be more wrong on that one... To me, FICGS is everything but perfect. Actually it is so heavy (mainly because it was coded very very fast - way too fast - with the [bad] idea to make it simple and to save as much processor & memory as possible) that some changes are very difficult to make. In this way, some good ideas could be very hard to bring to life.

But these 2 changes asked in the 2 running threads would be very easy to make! So it is only a question of time (it is most often bad to make a change fastly). For now, I have no clear opinion in this discussion and we could easily add a rule that states that any stage could start as fast as possible. And in the other discussion, the 10 moves rule could disappear even if I think it wouldn't be a good idea. Or it could evolve as it has been mentioned.


Thibault de Vassal    (2022-07-17 02:22:23)
Unvaccinated correspondence chessplayers

Sorry, I forgot to answer your question:

""Thibault de Vassal: "Fortunately, the context of correspondence chess is not the same as parliaments."

— Yes, but this is precisely the question: what's the difference?""


IMO, difference is firstly motivation (particularly on this topic)... People are not the same in parliaments and in correspondence chess organizations. Usually, they don't want/have to force this or that to other people, in their real life at least... That's what I meant.


Herbert Kruse    (2023-11-14 07:36:04)
A Public Appeal to Chess Organisations

jews fear for their lifes in germany now, i hoped that shouldnt happen again after our history
if children learn hate, nothing good comes frm it


Juri Eintalu    (2023-11-15 01:32:18)
A Public Appeal to Chess Organisations

Herbert Kruse:

"jews fear for their lifes in germany now"

Collective punishment is banned by the international law.

Collective punishment during war activities is considered a war crime.

Right now, Israel is applying collective punishment towards the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

It was amazingly explicit in the speech of Israel's president.

The current rise of antisemitism outside of Israel is a reaction to Israel's war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, but this antisemitism is too collective punishment.

In my Public Appeal, I have explicitly said that in the case of chess sanctions, the Jews should not be targeted. No discrimination is allowed based on nationality.

My Public Appeal addresses only Israel's current administration.

Besides, there are some interesting facts about Jewish great thinkers.

After WWII, Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt published her famous book

"The Roots of Totalitarianism"

The Stalinist regime and the Hitlerian regime were both regarded as totalitarian regimes in that book.

I have read that Arendt had conflicts with ultra-Zionists after WWII.

Albert Einstein wrote a letter on 10 April 1948. It was 1 day after the Deir Yassin massacre, committed by Israel's radical Zionists. Einstein called them "terrorists" and declared that he did not want to see them or talk to them.


Herbert Kruse    (2023-11-17 08:00:18)
A Public Appeal to Chess Organisations

btw, the palestinian have rich friends, who could use their money to make their lifes better, but the use it for weapons and make the people their pawn sacrifice to destroy israel und jews at all


and i must say, that in my opinion netanyahu should be in prison for his corruption and try to weaken the democraty, which obvioulsly a lot of israelis think too as u could see in the big protest month ago.


Juri Eintalu    (2023-11-20 02:21:47)
A Public Appeal to Chess Organisations

"Israeli Security Establishment: Hamas Likely Didn’t Have Advance Knowledge of Nova Festival"
Haaretz, 18 November 2023

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-18/ty-article/.premium/israeli-security-establishment-hamas-likely-didnt-have-prior-knowledge-of-nova-festival/0000018b-e2ee-d168-a3ef-f7fe8ca20000

"Hamas had not planned to attack music festival, Israeli report says"
Al Jazeera, 18 November 2023

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/18/hamas-had-not-planned-to-attack-israel-music-festival-israeli-report-says

'“An investigation into the incident revealed an [Israeli military] combat helicopter that arrived at the scene from the Ramat David base fired at the terrorists and apparently also hit some of the revelers there,” the Haaretz report cited an unnamed police official as saying.'

The funniest thing is that after Mr Herbert Kruse claimed that I should be in jail for not thinking that the official narrative on the 07 October attack was entirely true and proven - the very next day Israeli newspapers reported that some unspecified number of civilians were killed not by Hamas but by Israeli helicopter.

The sad thing is that the discussion of the 07 October events is absolutely irrelevant to my Public Appeal.

As I have explained above several times.

Suppose that all the 1200 people killed on 07 October were civilians. Suppose that Hamas is a terrorist organisation (I have not checked their background, I heard the name "Hamas" first time in my life on 07 October). Suppose that the 07 attack was a terrorist attack and all the civilians were killed intentionally.

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING can be inferred concerning my Public Appeal.

I have explained already several times that Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip are in no way justified by 07 October events.

It follows from the international conventions, from the entrenched definitions of "war crime", "genocide", etc.

I have also explained, already in my Public Appeal, that there is no need to impose sports sanctions on Hamas, as Hamas has been announced to be a terrorist organisation by the European Union, shortly after the 07 October events.

Moreover, I have explained above, that one cannot expel Hamas from the chess organisations like FIDE or ICCF, because it has never been there.

I do not want to talk to such demagogues as Herbert Kruse and Thibault de Vassal.

Among other things, both have completely ignored my arguments and the actual text of my Public Appeal.

There is an ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Compared to the enormous crimes of Israel, the scale of killing unarmed civilians, the Russian Chess Federation has been sanctioned for small things, while the current racist, fascist Nazi-Israel has remained untouched, with impunity.


Scott Ligon    (2025-04-24 16:36:24)
Stockfish unbeatable at modest settings?

Yeah you found a line that beat the 10 million node strategy which I hadn't analyzed. Congratulations! I'm not interested in arguing with you about the next strategy I choose to play. You might find a winning line against Stockfish 17.1 @ 10 million nodes, or maybe I'll find it first, or somebody else will. Or maybe nobody will find it because it doesn't exist (this is the possibility you completely discount). I've got nothing more to say to you and I can't imagine how many stupid fights you probably pick with people for no good reason in your day to day life, but your attitude is hilarious.


Ulises Pineda    (2025-06-22 13:45:25)
Stockfish unbeatable at modest settings?

Harsh words? I took that as a compliment. Getting some credit was a life changer.

I forgot to explain the joke I made when I played 62.Ba3 and said "That must be a new record"; in all our previous games I played into a position where the script was about to play a losing move you had to avoid, in this game I did it twice.


Ulises Pineda    (2025-11-18 10:33:59)
Clarification of Rating Groups

I demand a button that buys a ticket automatically when a player is elegible for playing a higher rated tournament and the Epoints to pay it are available, because right now, I have no idea how to do such a feat, in that case, Jempty outsmarted us all, unironically.
Not that my demands have any weight, I think people's lives have gotten better since they ignored me, and perhaps it'd be better for everyone if these rules remained hidden and nobody ever used them again (except Jempty would continue to play a tier up when able), but it's worth a try.
I don't have a bad taste but this has caused me physical pain in the lower back part of my head, is it stressful?
It's nothing personal against George, it's just that climbing the rating ladder is one of the most difficult tasks one can do in life, so when one sees a 2400 player, one respects them, because of all the time and effort they had to put to get there, which, for all players below that tier is immeasurable, if we could measure it we could have that rating too.
But someone getting there by buying tickets that allowed them to face higher rated opposition and take shortcuts to avoid dealing with lower rated players does cheapen the meaning of the number.
I guess it's all about the money, pay to win iff someone buys the Epoints for this reason, and holds a higher rating to skip a tier (note I said iff, not if, not accusing anybody of doing that.)
It's like buying a car instead of running the marathon, and the rating doesn't actually reflect chess skill anymore.




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You are for me the Queen on d8 and I am the Pawn on d7 !! (Eduard Gufeld)

Dazzling combinations are for the many, shifting wood is for the few. (Georg Kieninger)

A good sacrifice is one that is not necessarily sound but leaves your opponent dazed and confused. (Rudolph Spielmann)




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