Hi Bob! 

I'm back in my home. it looks good, but I'm broke on the Eve of the Great Economic Meltdown. My SChess set is set up and I'm ready to roll. So...

RB vs BN 

1. e4

BN vs RB

1.....

Xmas Cheers

Rob

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5

BN vs RB

1. c4

Holiday Greetings to you too.  I'll bet it's cold up there!  It's even going to be cold here in Houston for a couple of days.

-Bobby

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5

It's -17 Celsius -33 (-27 F) in the wind. I'm wearing long johns under a woolen Stanfield Shirt, wool Pants, and a down filled vest and all of these under a coat when I go outside.  The sun is shining though.

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2.Nc3(Hb1)

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2.Nc3(Hb1) Nf6

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2.Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3.Nf3

I just read your blog on names for chess pieces.  For the bishop, I would suggest "Archer", as the piece movement suggests the flight of an arrow.

Hope you're keeping warm.  Having lived so long in Texas, it's hard to relate to the thought of temperatures below freezing.  We think it's cold in Houston when it's just near freezing.

I've been to parts of B.C. (Vancouver & Victoria), so I know some of the beauty of that area. 

We may be about the same age.  While in grad school, I was inspired by Bobby Fischer to study chess and become a better player.  I am now retired from my previous career as a systems analyst, and work part-time as a chess instructor in after-school "chess clubs".  Fortunately, one need not be a chess master or expert to teach kids the game.  By the way, I also am an amateur musician and play the alto sax.

-Bobby

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nc3

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2.Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6

Archer would be a dandy name, certainly preferable to Bishop with all its religious connotations. 

I'm 59. Coincidentally, my wife is the principal of a pair of elementary schools. i go there every Wednesday and run a chess club for her. There are presently about 35 kids showing up, too many to adequately instruct so I urge them to play as many games as possible and give them the URLs of a few sites where they can play other kids and computers. Out of this ferment a half dozen promising players have emerged. I spend extra time with them working on endgames and tactics. It amazes me that, in this age of electronic games with astounding graphics, chess still has a strong appeal to these little urchins. 

Being an alto saxophonist, you're probably fond of jazz. One doesn't see too many saxophones in C&W and Classical music. 

Cheers have a nice xmas feed!

Rob

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6(Hb8)

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2.Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3

I'm 61.  I learned the alto sax in Jr-high school, but my musical tastes have changed a lot since then; it's not the instrument I would choose today.  I like most types of music, but listen mainly to "Early Music".  I do volunteer work for Houston Early Music: (http://www.houstonearlymusic.org/)

I also like bluegrass music, Alison Krauss for example.

Hope you enjoy the holidays.  My wife and I will probably enjoy some quiet days at home.  She is still a full-time State employee so the xmas holidays are a much-needed break for her.

-Bobby

Hi Bobby!

Small world. I had a Renaissance Lute built for me back in the last century so that I could play the music of Dowland and his contemporaries on the instrument they played and composed for. It had cat gut frets, friction pegs, and it was as light as an egg shell. Tuning was a serious pain in the neck, however. I was willing to put up with that hassle but unwilling to struggle with the fingernail problems. The lutenists–-as you can see from paintings by the Renaissance masters-- played with their finger tips and and held their right hand so that the thumb was behind the fingers. This posture enabled them to play rapid scale passages alternating between their thumbs and their index or middle fingers. This video of Hopkinson Smith playing the vihuela, the Spanish lute, gives and excellent view of this (and the playing is gorgeous.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlNUpgptomQ

Notice the Smith rests his pinky on the belly of his instrument.

Now compare that to this video of the world's premiere guitarist, David Russell, using modern guitar technique, in which the nails alone produce a brilliant tone. Note that David's right hand is held perpendicular to the face of the guitar. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1akRj3CTMck&feature=related

A few guitarists played lute and guitar, the most notable being the great Julian Bream. But as you can hear form this performance, using nails on a lute creates a brittle, brassy sound. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55D8MpALmzw&feature=related

 There is a compromise. A guitarist can attach a capo to the second or third fret of his instrument raising the key a minor third or a whole tone, as Russell does in the next video, with decent results, but because a guitar has fewer courses than a lute, the wonderful low bass notes have to be raised an octave or omitted in some Elizabethan music and all Baroque music. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3h05hixYzo

Some guitarists have gone to the alto guitar to solve this problem, but the damn things cost so much that a guy would need a bail out from the federal government to make ends meet after purchasing one. Here's Goran Sollscher playing one. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-ft05YxnDE&feature=related

Eventually, I sold the lute and took the compromise route. 

Youtube is really a fatastic resource when it comes to music of any kind including the so-called early stuff. 

No alto saxes in the early stuff, though. But there is alway the recorder, the racket and shwamm. 

Anyway, I forgot all about the chess. 

I saw your note about using a 10% discount to buy a set from the House of Staunton. I have one of their sets. It had some problems. Some of the pawns are bent. The seams are obvious and one of the queens split at the base. I let the people at chez Staunton know of this and sent photos. They send me back a bunch of vinyl boards and three queens, hoping to buy my silence. 

Fortunately, I'd purchased a plastic set from The Chess Store a year earlier. For a plastic set, it's really fine: the seams are all but invisible, the knights are beautiful and it's rugged. It's the nicest plastic set I've ever owned. It is also the same colour as the elephant and hawk sold by the House of Staunton. I simply use the new pieces with the Chess Store set and it works fine. So you may want to use your discount to by the elephants and hawks and treat yourself to the aforementioned plastic set. Here's the URL.

http://www.thechessstore.com/product/PCSCSBKCL/Crown_Series_Plastic_Chess_Set_in_Black_Camel__4_King.html

Excuse the digression. I'll get back to my set and figure our my moves and send them tonight. 

Cheers,

Rob

Hi, Rob!

Thanks for the interesting links. I enjoyed them all.  In April, Houston Early Music will present a concert featuring Richard Savino on theorbo.   He has performed many times in Houston and has been well received.  If you are not familiar with him, here is a link:

http://www.magnatune.com/artists/savino

http://www.houstonearlymusic.org/front/season

Yeah, the saxophone is not exactly a "period" instrument for early music, but I sometimes play Bach.  A friend once gave me an intro lesson on recorder, but I really didn't have the patience to learn a new instrument.

I already have a couple of plastic sets, and of course the Seirawan pieces from House of Staunton, but have seen no problems like you describe.  Anyway, what I received from them yesterday is a $10 gift certificate, so I'm thinking of just ordering another set of the $9.95 Seirawan pieces.  I'll just have to pay shipping.

-Bobby

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6(Hb8) 5. Nf3

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2.Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Nd4

It occurred to me the other day that a handy labour saving device would be to affix the first letter of an elephant or hawk to the move when they are introduced. Thus your second move in out second game would be notated Nc3(H). The only time when this wouldn't work would be in the event of castling since, when castling king''s side as white, for example, the piece being introduced could be on either h1 or e1. Then the move would have to be written this way: 0-0 (Ee1).

By the way, in case you haven't noticed, the House of Staunton men come in two styles, the classic and the Marshall. You may want to order the set you don't have.

Hadn't heard of Richard Savino. Thanks for the URL. Very pleasant stuff. Here's a guy that probably makes the eyes of traditional lutenists pop out of their heads. I thinks he's a wonderful player. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVWvfnGpF-Y

and check his technique on this one; Part one--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmHVj6tiIi0&feature=related

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBr5-m-AkHQ&feature=related

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6(Hb8) 5. Nf3 Nf6

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2.Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Nd4 5.Bg2

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6(Hb8) 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2.Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Nd4 5.Bg2 d6

Happy New Year, Bobby.

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6(Hb8) 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 e6

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2.Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Nd4 5.Bg2 d6 6.Nxd4

Happy New Year to you!  Getting some snow up there?

Two feet of snow here and -5. It's been a good winter. The lakes are as hard as concrete. Folks are out skiing, ice fishing, and playing hockey on them. I went cross country skiing yesterday.  This afternoon I strapped on the snowshoes  and went for a tramp through the pine forested mountain in my back yard. I spotted the tacks of hares, coyotes, marten, deer, records of their activity in the rigorous season.  I don't know what time of year I enjoy more, summer or winter. Everything is a little more effort in the cold season but everything you do is rewarded by a sense of accomplishment at its end and there is no easier time to explore the beauty of solitude.  

Best New Year's wishes to you and your good wife.

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6(Hb8) 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 e6 7. 0-0 

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Nd4 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nd4 ed

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6(Hb8) 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 e6 7. 0-0 Be7 

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Nd4 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nd4 exd4 7.Ne4

Thanks, Happy New Year to you and your wife also.

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6(Hb8) 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 e6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. Qe2

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Nd4 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nd4 exd4 7.Ne4 Bf5(H)

Instead of using the longer form, I'm placing the letter of the piece to be dropped on the move that it is introduced. In the case of castling I'll designate the specific square to avoid ambiguity.

RB vs BN 

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6(Hb8) 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 e6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. Qe2 O-O(Eh8)

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Nd4 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nd4 exd4 7.Ne4 Bf5(H) 8.d3

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6(Hb8) 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 e6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. Qe2 O-O(Eh8) 9. Rd1(E)

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Nd4 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nd4 exd4 7.Ne4 Bf5(H) 8.d3 Bh3

Sorry, but I think your move in game one is illegal, according to Seirawan's rules at:

http://www.seirawanchess.com/index.html

"When a player first moves a piece from its original square, that player has the option of placing the Hawk or Elephant on the vacated square, as part of the player's move."

Your only rook that could move to d1 has already moved in move 7.  (7.O-O). So you can move it of course, but can't drop the Elephant.

BN vs RB

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3(Hb1) Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Nd4 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nd4 exd4 7.Ne4 Bf5(H) 8.d3 Bh3 9.Bf3