Everything/Anything and…Chess…"Despite the documented evidence by chess historian HJR Murray, I've always thought that chess was invented by a goddess"–George Koltanowski: from the foreword to:"Women in chess, players of the Modern Age"
Vishy Anand, current World Champion and seven times winner of the Magistral, comes back to Leon to face the strongest Spanish player, Alexei Shirov, on the 24th edition. This tournament is already a classic, one of the most prestigious in the chess calendar.
Anand and Shirov will play in Leon with a large audio-visual setting that will allow the public to “see the chess stars thinking”, thanks to big screens and live audio comments (by GM Illescas, eight times Spanish champion) and IM Michael Rahal.
The rules, written by the prestigious arbiter Joaquin Espejo, indicate that Anand and Shirov will play six games (Friday to Sunday, two per day) with 45 minutes per side plus Thirty seconds increment after each move in the magnificent León Auditorium. If needed, there will eventually be a tie-break of several five minute games.
SCHEDULE Thursday, June 2nd PLAYERS ARRIVAL – 20.00 Drawing of lots, CONDE LUNA HOTEL. Friday, June 3rd GAMES 1 AND 2 (16.30), LEON AUDITORIUM. Saturday, June 4th GAMES 3 AND 4 (16.30), LEON AUDITORIUM. Sunday, June 5th GAMES 5 and 6 (16.30) and, eventually, tie-breaks, LEON AUDITORIUM. Monday, June 6th – Prize giving 14:30 Simuls (17.30), LEON UNIVERSITY.
Game 1 Anand vs Shirov:1/2
Game 2- Anand vs Shirov : 1-0 Click HERE to play through their games.
Game 3 – Anand vs Shirov 1-0
Game 4 Anand vs Shirov – 1/2
Game 5- Anand vs Shirov
Game 5 – Anand vs Shirov 1/2
I love this next picture which I put together in Fireworks – it is a combination of about 10 different images.
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1233404 On one of the chess sites, I’m busy playing a tournament and this particular player sent me the above link on chessgames, to highlight a ‘better’ move for one of the moves I’ve made. When looking at the game, I realised that our game was almost this game, in particular the first few moves. I felt sort of ‘thrilled’ by the idea of playing the start of Morphy’s famous game called: ‘Night at the Opera’. The moves in blue are the first moves of our game -I played white- and you can compare it with Morphy’s game in this entry.[maybe, if I didn’t castle, I could have had move 9 with move 7 – which was Morphy’s move – he castled move 12.] I hope you like Dolannes Melody by Jean-Claude Borelly, you can listen to it at the bottom of this post.
In 1858 the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard invited the American master Paul Morphy to the Paris Opera to watch The Barber of Serville, then asked their guest to play chess with them. Morphy was more interested in watching the opera, but could not courteously refuse.
Morphy played white, while Brunswick and Isouard consulted on black. He took his opponents apart in 17 moves, enabling him to watch the rest of the show without distraction, and incidentally proving that teaming two mediocre players does not double their talents.
This game is one of the best known in chess, exemplifying as it does the advantages of quick development over the pursuit of minor advantages. The game features a queen sacrifice that leads directly to mate.
The score of the game follows:
Paul Morphy vs Duke of Brunswick & Count Isouard, Paris Opera House, 1858. Philidor’s Defense.
Paul Morphy “The Pride and Sorrow of Chess,” was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and an unofficial World Chess Champion. He was also one of the first chess prodigies in the modern rules of chess era.
The “Opera game” – a casual game against inexperienced opponents, but at the same time one of the clearest and most beautiful attacking games ever. Often used by chess teachers to demonstrate how to use time, develop pieces and generate threats.
While most of the audience was following the performance of The Barber of Seville, Paul Morphy was busy at the chessboard, facing noble opposition. His opponents, working together, played well enough for a while, but they allowed Morphy to set two deadly pins.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Bg4 4. d x e5 B x f3 5. Q x f3 d x e5 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. Qb3 Qe7 8. Nc3 c6 9. Bg5 b5 10. N x b5 c x b5 11. B x b5 + Nbd7 12. O-O-O Rd8 13. R x d7 R x d7 14. Rd1 Qe6 15. B x d7 + N x d7 16. Qb8 + N x b8 17. Rd8 mate
These two images found on google and edited it slightly – beautiful poster – the second image.
I spoilt myself the last few days with a few chess games and even a few tournaments, but work is calling again! The following two games were played against the same opponent – you will notice in both games, my Knights were used – in conjunction with the Queen – to checkmate my opponent. I always prefer to save my Knights – I will even sacrifice my Bishops in order to keep my Knights for the reason as in these games and also for their tricky moves.
This entry is more about a new Afrikaans song by Steve Hofmeyr – he sings in English too, and if you like the voice of Neil Diamond, then you will surely like his music too. Anyway, this new Afrikaans song is a protest song and I was reading on the link, in this post, about protest songs. Afrikaans is a young language and since the start Afrikaans struggled to survive. The British settled in South Africa in 1820 and then after the South African-British War – Boer War – Afrikaans was also ‘banned’. In primary schools, if you dared to speak your mother tongue [Afrikaans], you got a board around your neck stated ‘Donkey’ on it. At the moment, Afrikaners [not Africans] again, have to fight to survive. Not just to survive as a human race, but also the language as such. Farmers get murdered on a weekly basis [don’t forget the murders in the towns and cities too.] The world is IGNORANT! Goethe said, “There is nothing more frightening than active ignorance.” I’ve found the lyrics to the song and also some English words to it [to part of it], but you will get the ‘message’. ‘Apartheid’ was nothing comparing to what happens now in our beautiful country. And if you really think you know everything about Apartheid, then I think you know just a tiny drop in the ocean of what it really was. Being in the UK now for long enough to know what they ‘know’ about ‘Apartheid’, is enough to tell me that they believed anything that was dished up to them as ‘Apartheid’. We all know what the ANC tried to achieve with their ‘campaigns’ and with a world full of narrow-minded people, they achieved what they wanted including the toi-toi on Trafalgar Square in the 1980’s and their sad sing-songs in America. Also, I think some of us know WHY things happened as it happened – like the Zimbabwean-ordeal – and it is just a matter of ‘time’ and South Africa will be there too – then those ‘waiting’ will ‘close in’.[and I’m not referring here to ‘those’ as the Afrikaners]. During the Boer War the British found it hard to win the war… we are a nation made up from different nations. We will fight and stand up again. Ex Unitate Vires= Unity is Strength
Read more about us here:
THE BOER NATIONS
Take a community of Dutchmen of the type of those who defended themselves for fifty years against all the power of Spain at a time when Spain was the greatest power in the world. Intermix with them a strain of those inflexible French Huguenots who gave up home and fortune and left their country for ever at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The product must obviously be one of the most rugged, virile, unconquerable races ever seen upon earth. Take this formidable people and train them for seven generations in constant warfare against savage men and ferocious beasts, in circumstances under which no weakling could survive, place them so that they acquire exceptional skill with weapons and in horsemanship, give them a country which is eminently suited to the tactics of the huntsman, the marksman, and the rider. Then, finally, put a finer temper upon their military qualities by a dour fatalistic Old Testament religion and an ardent and consuming patriotism. Combine all these qualities and all these impulses in one individual, and you have the modern Boer — the most formidable antagonist who ever crossed the path of Imperial Britain. Our military history has largely consisted in our conflicts with France, but Napoleon and all his veterans have never treated us so roughly as these hard-bitten farmers with their ancient theology and their inconveniently modern rifles. —Arthur Conan Doyle
Click THIS link to read the entire article by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), Scottish author and creator of the oft-quoted detective-hero Sherlock Holmes wrote The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1891)
On THIS LINK link, – on my blog – I said in 2007 that I hope we as a nation will – again – rise and stand together one day. Eventhough we are scattered all over the planet at the moment, I do look forward to that day when things will ‘come together’ for all of us.
What is protest music? In April 1966, Bob Dylan arrived in Stockholm as part of his controversial “electric” world tour, and a local interviewer asked him why he was no longer writing and performing protest songs. Dylan, irritated and more than a little out of it, objected to the question’s premise and called one of his new rock ’n’ roll compositions the very height of protest music: “Very, very protesty. And, uh, one of the protestiest of all things I ever protested against in my protest years.”
Ons sal dit oorleef – Steve Hofmeyr “Daar’s ‘n land en ‘n volk in een taal gedoop Met gebede en buskruit en bloed gekoop Wat weer en weer van sy knie af moet streef Ons sal dit oorleef…
Uit die kake van oormag deur die vuur op ons werf Staan die engele by ons vroue en die kinders wat sterf Elke grafsteen een standbeeld vir die wat bly leef Ons sal dit oorleef…
My hart klop toktokkie waar hy breek vir my volk Voor die kakie kanon of die k****r se dolk Dit maak nie meer saak nie waar ons ons begeef Ons sal dit oorleef…
Ek lig my oë tot die berge op Waar sal my hulp tog vandaan kan kom Ag my God jou woorde lê deur my geweef Ons sal dit oorleef…
Ek staan vandag op jou plaas ou vriend Daar hang stof oor die stilte sovêr ek kan sien Maar die geeste van gister sal more herleef Ons sal dit oorleef
Some of the words in English.
My heart beats toktokkie where it breaks for my people against the English (Khaki) canons or the Kaffir’s dagger It matters none where we now are heading We will survive this ordeal …
I raise my eyes to the mountains ask where will my help arrive from? Oh my Lord your words are woven within me… We will survive this ordeal…
English lyrics: whatishappeninginsouthafrica.blogspot
Conversation between Theodore A… and Steve on Twitter [you might want to click the image for a clear view]
Spoken by great men:"Give me 20 divisions of American soldiers and I will breach Europe. Give me 15 consisting of Englishmen and I will advance to the borders of Berlin. Give me two divisions of those marvellous fighting Boers and I will remove Germany from the face of the earth." - Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery, Commander of the Allied Forces during WW2.
"The Americans fight for a free world, the English mostly for honour, glory and medals, the French and Canadians decide too late that they have to participate. The Italians are too scared to fight, the Russians have no choice. The Germans for their Fatherland. The Boers? Those sons of Bitches fight for the hell of it." American General, George 'Guts and Glory' Patton.
Chessalee 