Sicilian Najdorf: Chess: Understanding the Sicilian Defense (Najdorf Variation) Part I

I think instead
of saying, "I'm
in love with you,"
one should say,
"I'm in lust
with you."
Love is definitely
the most potent
drug around.
I wonder if Ron
Jeremy ever goes,
"Oh-hhh, it's work
already."
I wish Obama
had won, but
it's also good
to see HRC is
still around.
I love to pro-
create!!!!!!!
With zealous piety
Sister Esther
said she was
going to see
the King but
I quickly killed
her delusion by
having her know
the King
died of AIDS
back in '88.
How come noone
ever tells newly-
weds that they're
going to get
sick of each other,
eventually anyway?
We'll always
have Paris,
and the Muppets!
So big, so round,
so firm, Dr. you're the best!

“Meanwhile, Fischer had been playing with ease, spending relatively little time on his strong moves. How come that the challenger always knew what he was doing? According to Najdorf the secret lay in the nature of Fischer's work in chess.
The American grandmaster never bothered too much about the initial moves. He studied the different types of positions, thousands of them, even from the forgotten past, and searched and memorized the reasons for a player's defeat. That way apart from his gift for the game, he possesses an experience and personal knowledge without parallel in chess history. Whatever position arises, with a very few exceptions (e.g. the fourth game), he knows where "it hurts." That is how Fischer oriented himself so excellently while Spassky vacillated in the fifth game.”

FISCHER
vs.
SPASSKY

The Chess Match
of the Century

Described and Annotated by Grandmaster

Svetozar Gligoric

“Although by that time there were many strong players, Mikhail Botvinnik, Grandmaster No. 1, surpassed them all. His outstanding successes in international tournaments in the 1930s advanced him into the ranks of the contenders for the world title. In 1935 Alexander Alekhine unexpectedly lost the title match to Max Euwe of the Netherlands. According to the terms signed before the start of the match, Alekhine had the right to a return match and Euwe, expecting here again he would easily outplay Alekhine, who had lost his sporting form, readily agreed to one. Botvinnik thus had to wait to discover who would be world champion after the return match in 1937.”

The Soviet Chess School

A. Kotov,

M. Yudovich

‘I was once coaching a lady in the United States Women’s Invitational Championship. She was thinking over her fourteenth move and, after taking fifteen minutes, made a horrible lemon. Another mistake or two followed and she was crushed without mercy. After the game she explained that she could not find a good idea. Since she had used fifteen minutes in a fruitless search, she decided to do anything rather than risk getting into time pressure. Naturally, as her position weakened she used more and more time trying to save herself. Soon she was in time pressure and the proud owner of a lost position! Instead of going through the above she should have continued to break down the position until a reasonable plan had come to mind. In this way she might still end up in time pressure but she most likely would have enjoyed a good situation on the board. Never pass in the hopes that an idea will come to you next move! As I stated earlier, every move you make should strengthen your position in some way.
I remember when I was thirteen years old and my chess teacher asked me why I played a particularly useless move. I replied, “It was my move and I had to do something!” You can have all the talent in the world but laziness will still lead you to the well of defeat.’

How To Reassess Your Chess

The Complete Chess Mastery Course

Expanded 3^rd Edition

JEREMY SILMAN

INTERNATIONAL MASTER

“[Lasker] would adapt his game with uncanny insight and precision to the personality and present mood of his opponent and the circumstances of that particular game. If the opponent (such as Capablanca in the decisive game at St. Petersburg, 1914) was desperately anxious for a draw, Lasker would saddle him with a position the very logic of which demanded boldly attacking tactics; if the opponent (such as Janowski in many a match game) was over-impetuous, Lasker would lure him on, so as to hoist him with his own petard; if the opponent was timidly bent on avoiding complications, Lasker would stir up the troubled waters ever more, trusting his own cool head and strong willpower to get the better of such frightful complications. ‘It’s just a bit of common sense and applied psychology,’ he told me with a smile when, one day, I asked him about the ‘secret’ of his great success.”

THE DELIGHTS OF CHESS

Revised through the Fischer-Spassky Match

ASSIAC

“I can’t help dedicating this book to the chess-widows all over the world.”

“Before I pronounce you husband and wife,
if you’ll just sign this disclaimer…”

“I think it’s pretty serious, Doctor…
He just slept through the game.”

Letters To Cleo

Hi Andrew,

How are you doing? A friend of mine commented the
other day that when she googled my name, a bunch of pictures of Ozzie the cat showed up, so I looked and found the picture of everyone from German House in the fall and remembered that I hadn't talked to you in a long time.

I'm still living on the NY/CT border going to schoolat Hunter College. It's okay, but it certainly isn't
intellectually stimulating, even though I've been
taking enough classes that I was busy all semester.
Now that it's nice outside I'm having a really hard time concentrating on my work! Mitch and I bought a
canoe last year, so I'm hoping to go canoeing some this summer. There's a bike path that's almost finished between my house and the school, and although it's an 8 mile ride each way, I'm hoping to start biking to school when it's finished.

Mitch and I are getting married this month in Iowa, where we met. It's going to be a rather small ceremony, but I think it will be nice. It will be very simple, since I'm still not fond of being the center of attention in a big group of people.

My house is getting in better shape. I still need to paint it, but I found a porch swing for $5 at a garage sale, and since it's covered in peeling white paint, it matches the exterior of the house perfectly! I
have some flowers around the yard, and I've planted
vegetables in my backyard and at the community garden in town, so it's starting to feel like a home instead of just a house.

Let me know what you're up to, and keep in touch.

-Cleo

Dear Brianna,

"We've got more work to do." That was my first reaction as I saw last night's election results come in. And today in New Hampshire, I'm pounding the pavement, looking for every last vote in next Tuesday's primary.

With your help, we can make it clear that the Democratic Party needs a nominee who can go the distance in a long, challenging campaign to win the White House, and that the American people need a president who can be an effective champion for them on day one.

Iowa sounded the opening bell of this campaign. New Hampshire is only four days away -- and the pace only quickens from there.

The stakes couldn't be any higher. Events couldn't be moving any faster. With everything on the line, let's show them what we're made of.

Please contribute now.

You and I know just what to do at times like this. Work harder than everyone else and rely on each other every step of the way. If we do that, I know we'll win.

You've already done so much. But today, I'm turning to you to help fund crucial activities in New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and beyond.

Brianna --

There is something happening in America.

A week ago we were 14 points behind, and no one imagined that we'd accomplish what we did in New Hampshire last night.

There is something happening when Americans who have never participated in politics turn out in numbers we've never seen before.

There is something happening when people vote not just for the party they belong to but the hopes they hold in common.

Change is what's happening in America.

We are ready to take this country in a fundamentally new direction, but we need your help to make it happen.

We are about to enter the most decisive period of the campaign. We need to act immediately to build up our organization to compete in Nevada, South Carolina, and the 22 states that will hold their contests on February 5th.

Please make a donation of $25 now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/yeswecan

We can lead this nation out of a long political darkness.

We can overcome the division and distraction that have clouded Washington.

Because when we challenge ourselves to reach for something better, there's no problem we can't solve -- no destiny we cannot fulfill.

Thank you,

Barack

Dear Brianna,

Only six days into the voting in this presidential race, and we've already been through so much together. In the days ahead, you and I have to keep speaking from the heart. We have to keep listening and learning, always understanding that this campaign is about high aspirations for America and hard work.

Because of your passion and commitment, our campaign begins today with new energy and new momentum. We won last night because we showed the leadership people are looking for in the face of difficult challenges and because we connected with people who share our vision for a new, more promising future.

But just as surely, we won because we made more phone calls, knocked on more doors, and put more get-out-the-vote vans on the road. And now we face our next big challenge: doing all of that not in one state, but in more than two dozen states that will vote between now and February 5. Let's go for it.

Contribute now to keep our momentum going.

We Democrats are in a hard-fought, spirited campaign that will continue to widen across the nation in the weeks ahead. All of our hopes, dreams, and aspirations for America are wrapped up in this election. And because I've been able to count on you, we're entering this next phase of the campaign with the wind at our back.

Brianna --

The lines have been out the door and around the block.

Undecided voters are coming out of our events decided.

I've been in New Hampshire a few days, and the crowds and energy have been incredible.

You can feel it in our campaign offices and at rallies all across the state -- this is something more than a typical political campaign.

Today is Primary Day, and our momentum has hit New Hampshire. Thousands of people are realizing that fundamental change is within reach. The improbable is now possible.

But to keep our campaign going beyond today, and to build a movement across the entire country, I need your help.

Now is the time to take the next step and be a part of this historic moment. It's critical that we build a national campaign infrastructure in the next few weeks if we are going to compete.

Please make a donation of $25 now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/momentum

My husband is a special leader. He has an amazing ability to bring people to the table and create real change.

But he is the first to admit that this is bigger than him.

Americans are ready for change and ready to work together to make it happen.

It's humbling and inspiring, but more than anything, it's an awakening for each one of us.

It's a wonderful thing to see what's happening here in New Hampshire.

But we are taking nothing for granted, working hard to get every last vote out today in the Granite State, and we have to keep the momentum going in Nevada, South Carolina, and the 22 states on Feb 5.

We can't let up for a minute.

To keep our momentum going and to build our movement all across this country, we need your help.

Make a donation of $25 and help us compete in every state in the nation:

https://donate.barackobama.com/momentum

Iowa was a good beginning. But the pace has intensified, the campaign has become more fluid, and our challenges have become even more complex.

It's going to take a commitment from each one of us to make this happen. If we each accept that responsibility, this can be the start of something incredible.

Thank you for all you have done for the campaign -- we will be thinking of you tonight in New Hampshire.

Michelle

P.S. -- Check out these photos from events around New Hampshire:

Understanding the Sicilian Scheveningen (Keres Attack)

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 g4 Line

What's the game plan for White?

White intends to gain space on the kingside
( 6 g4, 7 h4, h5) and pressurize Black's game
in that sector
(8 Rh1-g1, 9 gxh5
10 Bg5).
In the center, he aims to take advantage of the half open d-file
( 11 Qd1-d2, 13 0-0-0)
and execute an appropriate f2-f4 advance.

However, the isolated h-pawn could be a
potential weakness in his set-up.

Dear Brianna,

I'm asking our best volunteers -- like you -- to help Hillary win in New Hampshire.

You can help by making calls from home to New Hampshire voters in the next four days before Election Day. You'll be inviting them to see Hillary in the next few days and helping identify Hillary voters to turnout on Tuesday.

To increase the impact of your time -- we are implementing a new technology that will allow you to make even more calls from home. The new system will help you reach people with no need to dial, no voicemails, and no wrong numbers. It's critical because you'll be helping us contact thousands of New Hampshire voters.

Can you make calls?

“The Smedleys’ divorce just came through and we’ve been invited to the reception next Saturday!”