Halloween Gambit

It's 'All Hallows Eve', and for this haunting holiday I have a frightening opening to show for your delight.

The Halloween Gambit is a feared opening for its brave (or foolish) sacrifice: 

                      

                      

After the normal moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6, White comes up with the shocker 4. Nxe5. Now I'm going to refer to a game I played with my chess friend.

4...Nxe5, Otherwise black's just down a pawn for no compensation,  5. d4, This move ensures a large center, some compensation for the knight.(Later I realized that the far more common move is 5. d5, because after 5...Ne5 6.f4 Ng6 7.e5 Ng6 8. d6, this makes it very uncomfortable for black) 5...Nc6 6. e5 Ng8. With no other place to go the knight is forced to go backwards. 7. Bc4 d6 8. Qf3, It's do or die now, if I don't checkmate or get material advantage soon black will have a won endgame.(also playable was 8. Qh5, though it probably would have transposed)  

 8...Be6 9. Bxe6 fxe6, I am in deep trouble. Black has successfully traded one of my attacking pieces and is threatening to win a pawn. 10. Qh5+, At this moment I panicked and played a check hoping to buy some time. 10... g6 11. Qg4, Yes! I have defended my pawn while keeping up the pressure by attacking e6. 

 11...Qe7 12. Bg5 Qf7 13. O-O-O h6 14. Rhe1?! Charge!!! Who needs bishops, but seriously I had nothing to lose, so why not go down fighting? 14...hxg5 15. exd6?! at this moment I thought I had decent attacking chances. I was sorely mistaken. 15...Qf4+! This move takes away almost all chances of attack I had.  

 16. Qxf4 gxf4 17. d5 O-O-O, Apparently my opponent had little fear of losing a knight due to the fact he was already up two pieces.  18. dxc6 bxc6 19. dxc7 Rxd1+ 20. Kxd1 Bb4 21. a3 Bxc3 22. bxc3 Kb7 23. c8=B+, Right about now I have a #1 for style, but a #10 for opening choices. 23...Kxc8 24. Rxe6 Kd7 25. Rxg6 Ne7   1/2-1/2 at this point in the game, it was time for me to go to an eye doctor appointment, and my friend said that there were drawing chances later in the game.

In conclusion this was a very instructive game about the Halloween Gambit; including: crazy attacks, awe-inspiring defense, and good old fashioned draw.

For more information on the Halloween Gambit watch the video below for the refutation, deeper analysis and alternative ways of playing it.

 

October Chess Goals

For my October chess goals, I am working on the Sicilian Dragon, Classical Dutch, and King's Indian lines. The variation I am using for the King's Indian is the 7...Na6 variation, as opposed to 7...Nc6. The book I am using for Dragon lines is Andrew Martin's Starting Out: The Sicilian Dragon, starting with Chapter 1: Yugoslav Attack: Introduction.

Next, I will be working on my chess endgame. I'm planning on studying Section 1 of The Silman Endgame Manual, and at the end of the month I will take the test at the end of the section.

On the tactics trainer on chess.com, I will try to complete at least ten tactics a day. Right now, my tactics rating is about 1600. My goal will be, within a year, to get over 1700.

For my online games, I have high hopes for several tournament games with Team USA. Though I'm worried that I'm not going to reach my goal of 1700 within a year's time.

Finally, I have my blind chess study. I will be studying out of Roldofo Pardi's book on chess visualization. The first problem presented is this: start with the Knight on a1 then without touching the Knight calculate a path to b1 Then from a1 to c1, continuing until all the squares have been visited by the Knight. My goal is to do the whole tour in under three minutes.

At the end of the month, I will be taking a 'guess the move' quiz written by Bruce Pandolfini. Pandolfini writes these articles every month for Chess Life magazine, so I'm expecting to do one of these every month.

Thanks for reading!

Chess

Chess has been a part-time passion for me, for a couple years now. It has enveloped my spare time, and is one of my favorite pastimes. However, in the last couple weeks, I have been slightly bogged down. In my last tournament, I had a won game, but I blundered in the endgame. After that game I completely botched the next one. I have found, I can't seem to get the positions I want, and can't seem to calculate long enough.

This has been really depressing lately, so I have decided to stop most of my tournament activity and focus on my chess game.

First, I wanted to make some goals:

1. I want to get my online rating over 1700
2. I want to get my tactics rating over 1700
3. I want to finish the "Silman Endgame Book" and pass all of the tests
4. Know all of my openings like a grand master
5. Learn blind chess

The final goal is to focus on my calculating in chess games. The better you can play blind chess, the easier it is to calculate positions.

As a schedule, I want to do at least 10 tactics on chess.com. Then, study one section out of the Silman book. Last, work on my blind chess by playing a blind game with myself.

Please comment if you have any ideas on how I can improve my goals or my schedule. 

Tai Chi Week Two

Today, I'm going to start learning the 8 form and formulating a more in-depth workout plan.

1. First, in the morning, I'm going to follow this small exercise described in the video below:

I am planning to do this first thing in the morning, and last thing before I go to sleep.

2. Later in the day, I want to do the exercise routine in the video below:

 

3. Last, I am going to find some part of the day to the first step of the 8 form: rising and sinking:

It's best if you can do your Tai Chi in nature, sadly,  I usually have to do mine inside. However, I make it a point to get outside and at least do the part I know of the Tai Chi 8 form in the outdoors.  

Tai Chi: Day One

Today is a day for evaluation. I want to figure some goals and establish some routines.

Self-Evaluation:

I have been doing Tai Chi for about two months, I have gained pretty good balance and control and I have started on one of the more simple forms.

Goals:

If you want to increase your level of ability in one thing or another, you have to start with goals you want to fulfill.

1. Learn the 8 form of Tai Chi
2. Learn the 24 form 
3. Learn a Tai Chi sword form 
4. Flexibility

The last one I have listed is a very large one for me because I am extremely inflexible, and I would like to have some normal flexibility.

Routines:

For now I am sticking with holding several Tai Chi poses (which I will include in later posts) and several supplementary Tai Chi workouts by the Jake Mace youtuber.

In my next blog post I'm going to put more about my routine in there.

I hope that you'll join me again in my Tai Chi journey.

Tai Chi Study

For a while now, I have been doing Tai Chi, a relaxing martial art. Recently, I have been considering stepping it up a level and learning the forms, weapons, and Kung Fu. If you're interested in my experiment to see how far I can go with this journey of ancient arts, please stay tuned for further blog posts.

If you're interested in following along with me, I will include links and videos that I have been using.

            

Tai Chi has been really fun for me in the past few months. My schedule of martial arts exercise has consisted of holding several Tai Chi poses for long periods of time that are designed for balance and stability, and several Kung Fu workouts that Jake Mace posts on YouTube:

This is a really good video for a work out (and is painfully hard [at least for me :) ]).

I'm hoping to post more about my Tai Chi and Kung Fu study, and I hope you'll join me for most of it.

British Literature Moral

Here is an assignment for British literature involving writing an epic poem about King David I had to do for school:

A long time ago in Israel, there once was a kid named David.
A tough little kid, or so it is said, though in size resembled an aphid.
But the one day the prophet Samuel came by;
Saying to Jesse, let me see your sons.
So I may anoint one to be king, for the King Saul is doomed to fail.
Son after son came, but to each God said no.
Then in painful frustration, Samuel asked "Have you no more?"
“Yes”, Jesse said, the smallest one who is tending the flocks;
"Bring him to me." said Samuel.
And so he did!
Then, when Samuel asked God if this was the one;
the answer was “Yes”.
So David was anointed by Samuel
and the spirit of the Lord descended upon him.

With all his brothers gone to war, he’s stuck counting the sheep.
While tuning his banjo and trying not to fall asleep.
One day, his father sent him with food for his brothers to the battle field at hand.
When he arrived he saw a large hill,
a hill so high, so skinny and tall;
It couldn’t be much of a hill at all.
Then, he couldn’t guess what would happen next, the hill moved, a little to the left.
Well, David was befuddled until his brothers called him over.
They told him it was Goliath, born and raised by the Philistines.
His challenge was one of mortal combat
with King Saul or one of his men.
Though David, the Aphid was a shak'n
and his nerve felt like a break’n;
He said, “I’ll do it” with a look of fear in his eyes.
After the stunned silence that followed, he inquired:
“What’s the matter?”
But all they responded with was laughter.
They laughed till dawn and dusk and a little in the afternoon,
But Saul the King, one of them all replied: “Sure”.
Received with a shocked countenance from all,
Saul took Aphid David to his tent. 
He gave him a suit of armor
That was ten sizes too larger.
So David the Aphid declined the offer.
Settling for sling and stone,
Walking up to Goliath, saying “I’ll fight you!”
The Giant gave a little chuckle and said “OK”.


So the stage was set, Goliath the Giant and David the Aphid-
The first with sword and spear;
The other with stone and sling.
Goliath charged, but David slung his stone
Slamming straight through Goliath’s bone.
With that shot the Giant was down;
Rejoicing was inevitable, David the Aphid: Hero of Israel

Afterwards he was made War General for his work.
David won many battles for Israel with that title,
But Saul was not please.
For he was fearful and jealous of David’s power;
Fearful that he would rise up against him,
And jealous of the people’s praise.
So Saul tried to kill the aphid, but David escaped his wrath,
Running into the wilderness with his men.
Through many harrowing adventures and close encounters, 
David found Saul in the King’s camp.
He showed Saul that his life was in his hands, yet he would not take it!
The king had nothing to fear from him;
they parted with peace.

But unknown to both,  all of Israel’s foes were coming.
From the East, West, North and South.
In that great battle Saul’s sons fell one by one,
But Saul would not be taken.
He retreated to a cave,
And when his servants would not slay him, 
He took his own life.
All hope seemed lost, but David the Ex-Aphid came;
He drove out the evil armies of hate
And established his kingship.
David,  Ex-Aphid took kingship with grace and dignity;
The greatest king of all Israel!





 The moral of this story is not to be picky when the teacher says its okay. I DID NOT want this to be a silly rhyming poem, half Shel Silverstein, half Dr. Seuss, but I had to get it done. Even though the teacher said it was okay, I still did not want it to half rhyme and have only partial meter. But finally, when the assignment was due in two days, I finally relented and made it rhyme. Even though It wasn't too bad under the circumstances.

Particle Physics!!!

Today, I would like to bring up one of my favorite topics... particle physics.

Particle physics may sound strange and weird and full of crazy formulas and odd collections of equations that no one, except geniuses like Stephen Hawking or Einstein, could fathom. However, this is not the case. I am a living example that you do not need to understand the enigmatic equations and fancy formulas to unwrap the mysteries of the quantum world. Though my math is incredibly limited on the particle physics' side of things, I can still grasp some of it's mysteries. 

If you're interested in looking up more on particle physics. I would highly recommend going to Symmetry Magazine.  This is a extremely good website containing lots of information on the latest discoveries in the quantum world.

 This is a video by one of my music heroes John McSherry, great Uillean pipe player, great tin whistle player, great musician.                                                                                                                                             
  
  Hope you enjoyed it. : )                                                              

Hello, this is Daniel Jean.
In "life music chess" you will find everything from music clips to chess openings to tai chi to anything else I can think of that's of interest to me.