The match that never was

In the late 1980's my game console of choice was the Sega Master System. It wasn't the most popular console on the market, but it did have a nice choice of titles. What it was missing at the time was a chess program, or if it did have one I couldn't find it.
It turns out all I had to do is wait until 1991, when Sega Chess was released. Of course by that time I had moved on to PC based games, and the Master System was banished to the garage (where it still sits today!).
But through the magic of the Internet Archives I was able to find, and play, Sega Chess, and I have to say it wasn't that bad. I started it on the beginner level, which I do against all new programs, and looked at what it would do against the Kings Gambit (my usual 'test' opening). While I wasn't surprised it dropped a piece early on (usually caused by a shallow look ahead), it played pretty sensibly after that. Certainly the moves looked like 'real chess', which was important back when newish players used chess computers to improve their own play.
The game lasted about 50 moves, but to my shame, when typing it in for this post, I realised I missed a couple of bank rank mates  on move 26 and 27! So rather than bore you with the extra moves, I will only post the moves up until that point ('and white wins' is how it usually goes).
You can find the game here (it works in your browser) and if you can stand the clunky interface and cheesy 8 bit soundtrack, it is actually a useful program for building up your tactical vision. As I have recommended in the past, start off at the lowest level, and every time you win, move up to the next level.


Press,Shaun - Sega Chess [C30]
1991 Rematch ICCF, 19.11.2019

The Chess Tournament (London 1851) - New Release

e+Books has just released a new version of Howard Staunton's book on the London 1851 chess tournament. "The Chess Tournament" was produced at the completion of the event, and contains all the games from the main tournament, as well as every game from the subsidiary events. This new edition is in algebraic notation, but the comments and analysis are the same as in the original edition.
This version is available through the ePlusChess app, which runs on iPad's and iPhone's. The app is free to download, and allows you to read a chess book, and play through the games at the same time. There is also a free copy of "Chess Fundamentals" by Capablanca, which you can download to see how the app works.
In the next few months there will be more books released. This includes Bill Egan's wonderful book "The Doeberl Cup", a updated version of "My Chess Career" by Capablanca, and a collection of classic 19th century games titled "Chess Brilliants". Currently the app has 51 published titles from authors such as Silman, Nimzowitsch, Lasker and Benjamin. There is a mixture of well known classics such as "My System" and "Common Sens in Chess" as well as new titles like "The Perfect Pirc-Modern" by Mosalenko.

*** Disclaimer: I am an employee of e+Books, and typeset "The Chess Tournament". I am also the author/typesetter for a number of books mentioned here ***

At least they got the characters names right (sort of)

I caught the movie 'Pawn Sacrifice' on TV this evening, having not seen it in it's entirety before. When I saw the initial trailers for the movie (when it was first released) I thought that the movie had made a reasonable attempt at historical accuracy. It turns out that 'reasonable' significantly oversells the accuracy of the movie.
To be fair, it is a movie, and not a documentary, but almost every dramatic scene in the movie presented an alternative version of history. Venues were changed, opponents were different, tournament results altered, and even well known facts (at least to chess players) were sacrificed for dramatic alternatives. While this often happens in film, a lot of the changes seemed unnecessary, as the truth would have served just as well.
As a movie I'd probably give it 6/10, but as a chess movie I would rate it significantly lower.

Chess and Meditation

Every now and then I get sent free stuff as a result of this blog. Usually it is books to review, but occasionally it is software. My latest review copy is a program called "Zen Chess: Mate in One", which is available on Steam.
At first I wasn't sure what the program was intended to be. It presents you with a succession of mate in 1 problems, and when you solve one, you move to the next one. It doesn't keep score (as far as I can find), and the problems don't seem to get harder the further you go.
But on a second visit I realised that the clue is in the name. It isn't so much a training program as it is a meditation tool. The program comes with a soothing soundtrack which gently plays while you solve the puzzles. The colours are very light, and the slow fade in and out of positions, is quite relaxing.
I've solved the first 60 positions so far, out of the 100 it is supposed to contain. I don't know the punishment for suggesting the wrong answer, as even in a relaxed state, I still have a competitive instinct.
The minimalist approach to the program seems to have carried over to the price, as it listed at 99c (US) on the steam website.
If you are looking for a tactics trainer, then this isn't going to be it. But if you just want to solve easy problems while imaging yourself floating in a tropical lagoon, the the cost won't kill you.

All your chess questions answered

There is an old joke in computer academia that goes like this. "Professor, what programming language do you use?" "Hmmm, Graduate student I guess". These days the answer might be "Stack Overflow", and not just for university professors. For those not familiar, Stack Overflow is a website where you can ask questions about programming problems and hopefully receive a useful solution (although I do get annoyed when the only response to a question is a request for more information, followed by silence).
What I've just discovered is that Stack Overflow has a number of sister sites (through the Stack Exchange network), including chess. (chess.stackechange.com) You ask a question, answers are given, and if the answer is particularly helpful, users can upvote it (or downvote bad ones). Questions can be tagged (to allow easy grouping and searching), and you can filter questons by votes or open/closed status.
A cursory look at the questions shows a lot of questions concerning the laws of chess (or how they are interpreted). There are also questions on more general topics (best reply to d4 etc), as well as queries about online chess.
I've signed up an account, although I'm not sure how long my own interest will last (Quora takes up a lot of my time in this area). But it is worth checking out, if only because Stack Overflow has proved to be a useful resource in the past, and I'm assuming that this site will be too.

Some pretty obvious cheating

I'm not sure when I decided I was 'old', but I have no doubt that I am know. One of the warning signs is getting sucked into watching too many detective mysteries such as 'Lewis', 'Midsomer Murders' or 'Murdoch Mysteries'.
And it was the last of these shows that had a very chess heavy episode on last night. The plot revolved around the murder of a Russian chess master before a tournament in Toronto. To investigate the murder, one of the young constables has to go undercover as a competitor in the tournament.
Without giving too much away, there was a large amount of what we would now call cheating involved. To pass himself off as a chess master, the young constable (Crabtree) had the moves relayed to him via an earpiece, which was pretty novel technology for the turn of the 20th century (when the series is set). However, to transmit his opponents moves, he had to say them out loud, so they could be picked up my the microphone. No one seemed to either mind, or notice. And in at least one game, his opponent was also cheating, via the real player tapping signals on his shoulder, which most people could see.
Of course it was all part of the slightly tongue-in-cheek nature of the show, so it could be excused. Especially as  they seemed to get most of the chess right. Openings were called by their correct names (eg Queens Gambit) and even followed the correct moves. The tournament had demonstrations boards hanging up (although not used), and the tables had country flags. One thing that was missing however were chess clocks, allowing the games to be dragged out.
Overall it was a good 'chess' episode, and one worth watching if it pops up on a TV channel near you.

Chess Structures

Normally my overseas travels result in me returning with lots of books, but 2 months worth of supplies meant that there wasn't a lot of spare room in the suitcase. I did pick up a few books here and there, but there was one book that was worth its weight in excess baggage charges.
"Chess Structures: A Grandmaster Guide" by Mauricio Flores Rios turned out to be the type of book that I had been searching for for many a year. Over 22 chapters, Rios describes a number of important pawn structures, and the standard middle game plans that go with each of them. He looks at them from both sides of the board, and gives model games for each of the plans. While the structures are usually named after well known openings, he points out that they don't just come from these openings, as pawn structure isn't always a function of moves.
As an example, the Caro-Kann formation is listed under the d4/d5 section, as it arises after Blacks d5 pawn captures on e4, while White has a pawn sitting on d4. This does occur in the main lines of the Caro-Kann, but also the Scandinavian (1.e4 d5 2.exd Qxd5 often leads to the same kinds of position).
Rios focuses on  positions where the pawn structure strongly effects the strategy employed, which means tactical structures like the Dragon, or solid ones like the Closed Ruy Lopez only get a brief mention. On the other hand there are a number of chapters devoted to the Kings Indian and French structures.
And it was the section of the French that gave me some recent inspiration (and success). Having studied (from Whites point of view) the section where White plays exf6 and then targets the backward e pawn, I came to the following game better prepared than I normally am. While I didn't get a clear advantage until right at the end (and my opponent missed a tactical trick after Rxe7), I felt I at least knew what sort of moves I should have been playing throughout. As a result I didn't feel the need to lash out at any stage, and while the finish was nice, it was they play that lead up to it that was just as important.


Press,Shaun - Patterson,Miles [C06]
University Cup, 07.03.2017

A twist on odds

A new chess app for iPad/iPhone is creating a bit of a buzz on the various tech news feeds I read. "Really Bad Chess" is chess game with an interesting twist. Instead of starting as a normal game, it is kind of a hyper charged version of Chess 960, with players starting with a random collection, and arrangement, of pieces.  However in this case, the arrangement, and collection of pieces is asymmetrical. One side might have 2 queens, 3 rooks, 7 knights, 2 pawns, 1 bishop and a king, while the other might start with 6 pawns, 2 rooks, 4 knights, 3 bishops and a king. The pieces start on the back two ranks, the king is always on the correct starting square (as far as I've seen),  and the moves are the same as in real chess.
Clearly this random set up favours one side or the other, but this is in fact part of the game. When you start, you will normally get the stronger collection of pieces, but as you win, your in game ranking improves. And with each improvement, the balance of forces becomes more even. Once you get above 50 (the scale is 0 to 100) then it is the app that will end up with a stronger army.
So far I've only played a couple of games, but have found it fun and challenging. Possibly the hardest thing to overcome is that unfamiliarity of the starting position, which sometimes reminds me if positions found in interschool chess. A lurking bishop or a clump of knights might cover more squares than I initially expect, so double checking every move is required. On the other hand I suspect the AI isn't that strong (deliberately so) so it is more about observation than deep thinking, which is what I would want from an app like this.
Currently it is available for iOS, and can be found by searching for "Really Bad Chess" at the app store.

A chess hotel

Looking for somewhere to stay in Paris? Doing a little random research on the internet, I stumbled across The Chess Hotel. It is aptly named. as it uses a black and white motif throughout, including a number of chessboard patterns on the floors and walls.
Looking at the hotels website I spotted a few direct chess items (chess boards and pieces), and a number of chess influenced features. More importantly it looked like a very nice hotel and seems centrally located. Of course such quality and location comes at a cost, but 150 euros per night for a double seems pretty reasonable to me.
While it is unlikely I will be in Paris any time soon, if I do end up there, I may have to make in person inspection.

Quick Chess

One Christmas present given this year, was Quick Chess, which my wife picked up at Australian Geographic. It was a gift for our grand-nieces, who are just starting school.
Quick Chess is a 2-in-1 chess game, with a learning version of the game on one side of the board, and a full version on the other. In the Quick version, the game is played on a 6x5 board (only 1 of each piece+5 pawns), and the emphasis is on learning how the pieces move. All the pieces more normally, with the exception of pawns, who only move a single square. As well there is no en-pas, no castling and pawns only promote to captured pieces.
At first glance it looks like a useful way of introducing young children to chess. The smaller size of the board allows games to finish a lot quicker, and tactical ideas are more obvious. On the other hand it isn't that far removed from proper chess to make the game completely different, and the skills learnt in Quick Chess should be transferable to normal chess.
I also believe some national chess federations are looking at using Quick Chess as part of a beginners coaching system, so there may be a new generation of players whose training starts on the smaller board.

The Big Book of Busts

"The Big Book of Busts" was one of the most imaginatively named chess books I have come across. It major purpose was to collect refutations (or 'busts') to a number of off beat openings all in one place. I have just discovered that the book has been recently updated, but sadly, so has the title. It has now become 'Taming Wild Chess Openings' , which makes it seem less interesting, although the content is still quite useful.
John Watson and Eric Schiller (the original authors) have arranged the content not in the tradition ECO order, but instead grouped the openings by the more cinematic "Good, Bad, and Ugly". They have also added some new codes to positions including "The Rabbit", "The Monkey" and "The Snake" (against weaker players, just for fun, you might get bitten, respectively).
As the emphasis of the book is on playing, or playing against, off beat lines, it is best suited for players who wish to meet opponents who have their 'pet' systems. Often these openings also have their own weird names, so when you meet the "Mkole Mbembe" or the "Drunken Hippo Formation" you will be prepared.
Of course one persons refutation is another persons challenge, so any book claiming to blow openings out of the water needs to be approached with a little scepticism. Indeed some of the suggested lines are predicated on an assumption that your opponent will play sub-optimally, but they do flag that in the notes.
I certainly will be adding it to my collection of opening reference works, and may even use it to spring the odd surprise. "Taming Wild Chess Openings" is available from e+Chess Books for $11.99US

(My review copy of this book was supplied by e+Chess Books)

Endgame

Pay-TV in Australia has just started showing the Canadian TV series, Endgame. It is about a former World Champion Arkady Balagan, who becomes a detective, after his fiancée is killed. In the tradition of Nero Wolf, he does not leave the hotel (due to Agoraphobia), and so requires others to gather evidence for him.
The first episode was quite interesting, although the ending seemed a little rushed. The creators of the series have resisted the temptation to play Balagan as the 'crazy' Grandmaster (agoraphobia notwithstanding), but they do give him a healthy does of arrogance. As for the chess content, there wasn't a lot, but at least they didn't muck it up.
The series was made in 2011, but only 13 episodes were produced. There was talk of it coming back at a later time, but this has been ruled out by the producers. If you do have Foxtel in Australia, it is being shown at 7:30pm on Monday nights on FX, and I'm sure it will be repeated at various times during the week.

The chessiest sequel ever

Frustrated with chess. Think the game needs 'fixing'. Then help is on the way. A new version of chess called 'Chess-2: The Sequel' is about to be released for the Ouya game platform. The original release of the game was in 2010 (as a card set), and this is supposed to be the first electronic form of the game.
The game can be played with a normal set, but the pieces can be given different powers. These powers are defined on a card, which you select before the game (in secret) and then reveal at the start. There are 6 cards in the set, and a players do not have to use the same cards. Therefore there are 21 different 'games' possible.
To give the designers credit, they haven't gone completely overboard with the modifications. For example the 'Nemesis' army allows pawns to move 1 space towards the enemy king (up/down, sideways or diagonal), while the queen can neither capture or be capture, except by the enemy king (it still gives check as normal btw). In fact it looks as though they have looked at various existing variants, and made a selection that doesn't leave any army too OP.
If you want to check it out before its release the rules are available for free from the developers site. However as this 'free' purchase still requires jumping through some online shopping hoops, I suggest you follow this link to boardgamegeek instead. If you click on the images section you can see pictures of the cards.
The report on the electronic game is here. Probably the best information about the game is in the comments section!

Chess as War

In the past I've mentioned my dislike for ornate chess sets, which have occasionally been purchased for me as a gift. A simple Staunton designed chess set is all I need for most occasions, and anything above that is needless frippery.
However I don't mind fancy sets that come with computer chess programs. While I was not that 'into' Battle Chess when it first came out, I did see the appeal of it to non-serious chess players. Even to this day when I talk about chess to work colleagues and non-playing acquaintances, Battle Chess still gets a regular mention.
Given the appeal that Video Games/Chess crossovers have, it is hardly a surprise that new products in this genre are still being released.
The latest one I've spotted is 'Chess War - Borodino' which is a chess playing program with a Napoleonic's feel. The design of the pieces is based in the French Army from around the time of the Battle of Borodino, and as usual, each movement or capture is accompanied by a little animation. Apart from that it is a pretty straightforward chess program, albeit with some nice graphics.
It runs on both the iPad (for 99 cents) and Android devices (free but with ads), and you can by extra content if you so wish. Oddly one of the extras is the ability to play Fischer Chess (for an extra $1.99) but in the app they called is 'Fisher' Chess.
As for its strength, it started of giving me a challenging game on the default setting, but eventually missed a two mover and lost all its pieces. I'm sure it will play better on the harder levels (as most programs do).

Streetfighting Chess

"Streetfighting Chess" by Andrew Burnett is a book I quite enjoyed. Burnett, a Scottish tournament player, aims the book at players in the 1500-2000 rating group, with the aim of showing how a more aggressive style can improve your enjoyment of chess. Importantly he notes at the start of the book that his book will not make you a World Champion, but that does not stop you from achieving other, more reachable goals.
In the book he provides a number of example of "Streetfighting Chess" from his own games, as well as a selection from other players (Tal and Larsen amongst them). The obvious themes in this book are of course tactical awareness and the importance of the initiative. He does however make the distinction between attacks based on practical considerations and the 'mad hackers' school of chess, where multiple sacrifices leave you without enough pieces to effect a checkmate! Sacrifices are a lot sounder if you still have the rest of your army ready to go to work.
There is also a healthy dose of psychology in the book, recognising that the reputation as an attacking player can put your opponent on the defensive, even before a move has been played. While not advocating the hollow bluff, moves that pose multiple numbers of questions to your opponents may result in them finding the wrong answer.
Overall I found the book especially appealed to me, as it took me back to my early days of chess. Before I tried to be the super serious player, often my tournament were measured in the number of sacrifices I played, as opposed to the points I ground out. Burnett seems to have a similar approach to the game, as he freely admits that not all his moves would escape the scrutiny of an exacting (or computer aided) post mortem. Indeed he is refreshingly honest in his own analysis, pointing out where his missed better moves, or where he mucked up his opening prep.
If you are looking for an enjoyable book that is geared towards the average club player, the I would highly recommend this one. I enjoyed playing through the games, and some of his observations on how to conduct attacks were new to me.

My copy of "Streetfighting Chess" is courtesy of e+Books which provides chess books via their excellent e+Chess reader for the iPad.

ZChess Clock

I really don't have any hard and fast rules about product reviews/endorsements on this blog, so when something turns up in my email I do at least have a look at it (However, there is a certain online chess club which will never get a good word from me).
The latest product to be drawn to my attention is the ZchessClock Lite, for the iPhone/iPad. As the name suggests it is a chess clock, and as with most 'lite' products, a fairly simple one. You simply set the number of minutes for the game (which can be different for White and Black), and then start. The display is the old style analog display, and even has the traditional red flag which rises as the minute hand approaches the hour. Unlike to traditional clock, it also has a second hand, so you know exactly how much time is left. Touching the clock face on your half of the iPad stops your clock and starts your opponent.
The other interesting feature is an index of chess club webpages, arranged by country. Possibly in anticipation of this review, the ANU Chess Club is one of the clubs listed!
The product itself is free, although you do need to have an iPod/iPhone/iPad to run it. If you are interested in the package, just search for ZChessClock at the App store, or just click on this link http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zchessclock-lite/id543185475?l=es&ls=1&mt=8

Paul Morphy: A Collection of His Games with Detailed Notes by Geza Maroczy

There have been a number of books written about Paul Morphy but what may be the best of these has not been available in English until now. Paul Morphy: A Collection of His Games with Detailed Notes was written by Geza Maroczy in 1909, but was only published in German. A little over 100 years later the first English translation of his work is available, from ePlusBooks. ePlusBooks produces electronic chess books for the iPad/iPhone/iPod with the emphasis on providing an interactive reading experience. Along with the text, each of the games can also be followed on an electronic chess board, which is part of the reading software.
For this book on Paul Morphy, the feature is a real bonus. Geza Maroczy put a huge effort into researching and producing this book, as it contains 408 games. More importantly he has annotated each of these games, including the games right at the end of his career against his friend Charles A. Maurian (played at Knight odds). The book is divided into chapters the focus on a significant periods or tournaments in Morphy's life, and Maroczy provides the historical background to each event. On the great controversy of Morphy's life, his non-match against Howard Staunton, he is reasonably circumspect, simply laying out the facts as they were then known, without attributing any supposed motives to Staunton's behaviour.
One of the great things about this book, is that Maroczy clearly devoted himself to the task of explaining as much of Morphy's play as possible. In his forward he states "I have striven for a correct and economical review of them that is not stingy with praise but which also does not skip lightly over mistakes ..." As the book was written over 100 years ago there is obviously no reliance more modern tools (ie computer software), or even a reliance of previously published works. This allows Maroczy to approach everything with a fresh eye.
Overall this book is a fantastic collection of games played by one of the great figures of chess. Not only can it be read for enjoyment, it can also serve as an excellent teaching tool, with many of the lessons from Morphy's games still relevant today. It is available through the e+Chess Books app for iOS (iPad/iPhone/Ipod) for around $16 (Aus). If you have so far been reticent to spend some of your cash on chess books on the iPad, I would strongly recommend you change your mind and grab this book.

(** The review copy of this book was provided to me by ePlusBooks **)

PGN reader for iPad

iPad's are good for a lot of things, but heavy duty chess work is not necessarily one of them. There are number of chess playing programs available (I have stockfish on mine), and a few eBook apps devoted to chess (e+Chess Books another that I use).
However the most common question asked of me concerns PGN readers. As with most things in the iPad world, there are a number of apps you can purchase. As with most things in the chess world, most people don't want to do that. So the real question is: Is there are free pgn reader? The answer is yes, a couple, but the quality varies. But if you want a simple, free reader that works, then Chess Viewer from Everyman Chess is the one I use. While it is designed to enable you to view ebooks you purchase from them, it also reads standard pgn files.Loading them onto your iPad is fairly straightforward, as long as they are available on the web (you specify the web address of the file). After that you can select games to play through, and it even handles sub variations etc.
The only drawbacks for a players point of view are (a) no analysis engine and (b) no editing or data entry capabilities (it is just a game viewer).
So, this package is best for playing through games from tournaments etc. If you are looking for something that will do prep, post game analysis etc, then the first place to look is in your wallet.

From e-book to print book

A couple of months back I reviewed "Exploration in Chess Beauty" by IM Andras Toth. At the time the book was only available in electronic format for the iPad (and related devices). Clearly the response to the book was positive, as the author fielded a number of requests from non-iPad users to make the book available in alternative formats.
I'm pleased to say (as a collector), that the book is now available in the traditional print format (not that I minded the electronic version). While it loses the interactivity of the iPad version (you have to avoid glancing at solutions), it does allow you to flick through the book in a more familiar manner. Otherwise the differences between the two versions are so minimal, that it simply comes down to a matter of taste.
If you wish to purchase a copy of the book, the current price is $30$33 and you can order a copy by sending an email to info@sydneyacademyofchess.com.au

(Note: My review copy was supplied to me by the author)

Exploration in Chess Beauty

"Exploration in Chess Beauty" is the aptly named book by IM Andras Toth. It is a book that looks at chess problems and the joy that such problems bring, both to the solver, and to the observer. Toth highlights this feeling with a story about his own father. He recalls showing his father the solution to a problem by Kubbel. Despite his own modest chess ability, his father was so impressed by what he had seen, that he grabbed the set, the problem and Andras himself and went next door to share the solution with his brother, an even weaker player. The fact that two "non serious" players were so excited about a chess problem had a lasting effect on Andras.
While the starting point of the book, as well as each of the chapters are problems related to a theme ("The Mighty Pawn", "The Tricky Knight", "The Secrets of the Starting Position"), the book does not deal exclusively in puzzles. There are a number of games drawn from contemporary praxis, which utilise the same ideas and motifs. An example is in the section on pawns, where after demonstrating the power of the pawn in constructed positions, the game Serper -Nikolaidis shows how mighty the pawn can truly be. It is this marriage of the "theoretical" with the "practical" that I feel is the real strength of this work.
If you have read "Secrets of Spectacular Chess" then the theme of this book may seem a little familiar. Toth recognises this, even going so far as to declare "Secrets of Spectacular Chess" as the best book in this area. Nonetheless he hopes that he has written at least the second best book in the field, using a simpler and less scientific approach. While devotes one chapter to the beauty of composing problems (and the technical issues involved), he does not get bogged down in the jargon of composition.
While this book is good enough to stand on its own, it is worth mentioning the form it takes. It is an eBook from e+Chess, and is available for the iPad/iPod/Iphone platform. The benefit of this format is twofold. Firstly the solutions to each of the problems are initially hidden, and will only be revealed at the time of your choosing. Secondly, you don't need a chess board to play through the solutions or games, as the book comes with its own board, and you can simply move through the games with the touch of a finger.
Overall I found this book both interesting and challenging, and I would recommend it to anyone who regards chess as more than simple competition. Toth has clearly put a lot of effort into a subject close to his heart, and it shows in the final product.