Submitted by
kurtgodden on Fri Jul 4, 2008 10:48pm.
In Steinbeck’s sequel to his famous book Cannery Row, his richly deep and delightful character Doc proclaims that “chess is possibly the only game in the world in which it is impossible to cheat.” He was, of course, talking... Read more »
Submitted by
kurtgodden on Wed Jul 2, 2008 11:09am.
Chess is a mental playground for mathematicians. How many ways can you place 8 rooks on a chessboard such that none of them attacks another? This is similar to the 8 Lonely Queens problem that I discussed in another blog. For the... Read more »
Submitted by
kurtgodden on Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:49am.
Five years before Alekhine became World Champion, he was defeated so surprisingly that he resigned after 55 moves by throwing his king across the room. Alekhine was not exactly the most sanguine player as I have described in a previous blog,... Read more »
Submitted by
kurtgodden on Sat Jun 21, 2008 12:01pm.
In 1848 Max Bezzel published what has become one of the most famous chess puzzles in history. His article appeared in the German chess magazine Die Schachzeitung and introduced the ‘8 Queens’ problem. The task is to place 8... Read more »
Submitted by
kurtgodden on Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:07am.
Little is known of the reclusive 17th century Italian monk who lends his name to the opening that begins: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 There are no academic histories available regarding Mons... Read more »
Submitted by
kurtgodden on Sat Jun 7, 2008 12:36pm.
French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, having an impact on Dada, Surrealism, and Cubism, among others. He invented the genre of Readymades. He was also excellent at chess and pla... Read more »
Submitted by
kurtgodden on Sun Jun 1, 2008 9:39am.
In 1824 William Davies Evans (pictured here) of Wales was captain of the first Royal Mail steam ship, christened the Auckland, that made a run from Milford Haven to Waterford. Like all sailing men he was faced with a choice of diversions whe... Read more »
Submitted by
kurtgodden on Mon May 26, 2008 7:20pm.
In a related essay I argued that Chess is Good for Your Mind. However, for every coin there is a flip, and heads sometimes become tails. Water is a healthy drink, but imbibe too much of it too fast and you can die of water intoxication... Read more »
Submitted by
kurtgodden on Sun May 25, 2008 8:32am.
Many people believe, or perhaps hope, that playing the game of chess is somehow beneficial. Ben Franklin wrote an essay that is widely available on the web about how chess improves one’s moral character. Let’s consider more... Read more »
Submitted by
kurtgodden on Fri May 16, 2008 8:13pm.
As we saw in previous installments of this series that discuss the players behind the named openings, the Caro-Kann Opening (1. e4 c6) draws its name not from its inventor. Rather, the opening is named after Englishman Horatio Caro (18... Read more »