Action!

I got a lot of necessary busy work done today - joined the USCF and got my number,  set up premium membership here so I can use the chess mentor fully,  drove the hour and half north (and back) to check out the venue for next month's  tournament, paid the tourney entry fee, got the gear I'll need - vinyl, pieces, clock, scorebook, and even a nifty case for it all.

The guy at the venue threw out a few puzzles for me, and we talked tactics a little - he was trying sell memberships to his club,  which I'm not biting on.   He did recommend a good book, though, which I got -  How to Beat Your Dad at Chess, by Murray Chandler.   It's a nice set of forced mates,  presented as puzzle positions with annotations, with four to six variations on the theme demonstrated.   I like.

Now I'm trying to decide if I want to play tonight, or just chill out and study -- I think the head cold restaging the London Blitz in my sinus is telling me to chill out.