AzeezA

Much ado about coffee If you've played chess more than a few times you'll know that your results are very much linked to your state of mind. My fellow chessheads, feel free to nod your head in agreement; if you feel good, optimistic, sharp, these feelings naturally play out on the board as you skillfully defend your king - whilst simultaneously applying pressure till your opponent cracks. But, when we feel negative, drained, scattered, then this is reflected in a lacklustre performance that can be worlds apart from the chess we know we're capable of. The Rza said something similar to this in his book, The Tao of the Wu ; it was the first time I'd come across someone articulate my experience and I remember thinking, ahhh, so I'm not alone... Now, this brings me to coffee - specifically its chief component, caffeine - as many can attest, a fresh brew is a reliable vehicle for delivering a tasty dose of motivation. Recently, there was a ...

The setting was Druids Head pub. The occasion was a club night. The twist was Fisher Random Chess. What is Fisher Random Chess (a.k.a Chess960)? According to chess folk lore, the mighty Bobby fisher, having crushed all competition was disenchanted with conventional chess. Specifically, the same old openings that seasoned players memorise, and for the most part continue to play year after year. He instead opted to play and advocate a chess variant where the pieces on the back ranks start on unfamiliar squares, therefore producing a much spicier affair. Sea food Us chess heads rely on our favourite opening(s) to get us to a familiar, advantageous position in the middle game. But when are favorite pieces start the game in strange places (as they do in Fisher Random Chess), your tried and tested openings are of little use. Fisher Random Chess can transform even the mightiest chess club, chess boss into a fish out of water. And on this occasion there was much flapping as w...