Top Blogger
Top Blogger
By Paul Anderson
Colorado Springs Chess Club President
The Colorado Springs Chess Club is an affiliate of USCF and meets every Tuesday night for OTB chess. We typically have a month-long, Swiss tournament (G/90+30) at 6:00pm. See the calendar for details:
https://sites.google.com/view/colorado-springs-chess-club
I began a newsletter for the club called Colorado Springs Chess News on March 1, 2004 to put to use the analysis and publishing features of my Fritz 8 (which I still use to this day!). Originally, the newsletter was hosted by my AT&T dial-up internet service. When the company decided to drop their free web pages in 2010, I had to scramble to find a new host. My son found a site called Webs.com, and he was nice enough to move six years of newsletters (156) to the new site.
This site is where I learned that what I was actually writing is called a “blog.”
However, nothing stays the same for long.
In 2020, the Webs.com site was bought out and turned into a pay-for-service website. I decided to test out the blog on a new, free site called Blogger. So, I filled in my Blogger profile and continued my journey with a new title:
https://www.blogger.com/profile/09924781680695933666
Who knew my hobbies would turn me into a blogger? It all started in 1994, with a playoff pool, as a way for a couple of college buddies (Paul and Shawn) to stay in touch. We wagered a pizza over which one of us could predict the NFL playoffs better. Shawn won. It was probably just handled by a phone call each week, but, by 1998, the pool had grown enough to span the country and turned into an email list. In 2002, the SPAM Football Pool website was created (https://spamfootball.blogspot.com/). I began the chess newsletter on March 1, 2004, as a way for me to receive and distribute any last minute schedule changes about the Colorado Springs Chess Club (https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/). Finally, I created the Bible study website, in September 2006, as a way to motivate me to stay in the Word (https://acts512.blogspot.com/). I had to move sites in 2010 when my provider ended their free website hosting but stayed in the website format. The new site lasted 10 years, but again the free hosting was terminated.
In 2021, I became a blogger.
This time I had to move the archive of blogs myself. While the other two hobbies were not that hard to move to a new platform, the chess archive of blogs just seemed too daunting. I had published a chess game each week during half the year for a total of 468 blogs over 18 years (6 AT&T + 11 webs + 1 Blogger). I would need something to motivate me to do the work of moving each blog to the new site.
Fortunately, a couple of people have inspired me to get chess blogging again this year.
First, John Brezina became the editor of the Colorado Chess Informant and asked if I could write something for it. I have done a couple of articles for him in January and April. The nice thing about the Informant is that only having to write once a quarter is much less daunting. Plus, I can take the Informant article work and double the reward by turning it into a blog.
Second, IA Judit Sztaray as Director of Chess Club Relations for Chess.com sent out a survey asking affiliates how they could help club’s meet their 2024 goals. So, I asked her if she could make me a Top Blogger. I had been reposting my blog on Chess.com since 2012, and the rebirth of my Informant articles made me realize how it helped promote the club.
https://www.chess.com/blog/cschessnews
Well, I just noticed that Judit got it done and got me my new title!
The Colorado Springs Chess Club is an affiliate of Chess.com and meets every Sunday night for online chess. We typically have a 30-minute, Blitz Arena at 6:15pm followed by a Rapid Swiss at 7:00pm (4SS, G/10+10).
https://www.chess.com/club/colorado-springs-chess-club?ref_id=7846680
Here is the first chess blog I wrote 20 years ago:
The Mission
The Colorado Springs Chess News website is dedicated to providing a source for sharing information about chess in the Colorado Springs area. You can receive a FREE newsletter by email or save the address to your favorites and check back when you like. You can send in your own articles or games to be published or just leave a comment in our guest book.
Game Of The Week
by Paul Anderson
Monday March 01, 2004
For my first attempt at publishing a game, I was inspired by the “Miracle on Ice.” I took my son out to the movie for our first father-and-son-movie, and we learned about how it all started right here in Colorado Springs.
On February 22, I realized that it was on that date in 1980 that the US Olympic Hockey Team beat the Soviets, who had not lost the gold since the 1960 games, for what was the biggest upset in the history of sports. Well, it turns out that was not the only major upset to occur on that day and have a Colorado Springs connection.
Sixteen years later, a young, amateur chess player with no postal experience took on the veteran, who had taught him the game, in an email chess match. The veteran had already beaten IM Greg De Fotis and had been trained by the evil empire, before it was broken up (Bell Labs). But, despite having never beaten the veteran and falling behind early in the game, the novice rallied back to record the second biggest upset in the history of sports:
Anderson,Douglas - Anderson,Paul [B76]
Email Game 1 Colorado Springs, 22.02.1996
[Anderson,Paul]
The Miracle On Wood: This is the game that started my chess career. I wanted to play my dad at chess just to get some email and did not expect to win. But as you can see, miracles can happen on wood as well as ice!
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Out of book 7...Nf6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.Qxd5
The Soviets come out flying, out-shooting the Americans by a wide margin. Craig keeps his team in the game, only down a point
13...Be6 14.Qxd8 Rfxd8 15.Rxd8+ Rxd8 16.b3 a5 17.a4 Rc8 18.c4
The world's best goaltender, Tretiak, is replaced by backup Vladimir Myshki [18.Ba6 Rd8 19.Bc5 Ra8 20.Bc4 Bxc4=]
18...Rb8 19.Kc2 Bf5+ 20.Bd3 Bxd3+ 21.Kxd3 Rxb3+ 22.Ke4
Vasily Pervukin's clearing pass is stopped by Pavelich!
22...f5+
Eruzione scoops it up, skates into the high slot and throws a 25-foot wrist shot past Myshkin!
23.Kd5 Rxe3 24.Rc1 Be5 25.h3 e6+ 26.Kc6 Kf7 27.Rd1 Kf6 28.Kb5 Bc3 29.c5 Re5 30.Kb6
Leaving younger, fresher players on the bench, Tikhonov trusts his veterans [30.f4 Re3 31.c6 Bb2 32.c7 Rc3=]
30...Re2 31.Rd3 Rb2+ 32.Kc7 Be5+ 33.Kd7 Rb7+ 34.Kc6 Rc7+ 35.Kb6 Rc8 36.c6 Rb8+ 37.Kxa5 Bc7+ 38.Ka6 Rb6+ 39.Ka7 Rxc6 40.Kb7 Rc4
Eleven moves
41.Ra3 Rc5
You got ten moves, the countdown going on right now
42.Ra2 Kg5 43.Kc8 e5 44.Kd7 e4 45.fxe4 fxe4 46.Ra3 h5
Five moves left in the game
47.g3 Kf5 48.Ke7 Re5+ 49.Kd7 Ba5 50.Re3 Bd2 51.Re2 e3
Do you believe in miracles? Yes!
0-1
The Miracle on Wood!
http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=90986
[Event "Game 1"]
[Site "Email"]
[Date "1996.02.22"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anderson, Douglas"]
[Black "Anderson, Paul"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B76"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "1995.10.23"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nf6 8. Qd2
O-O 9. O-O-O d5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13. Qxd5 Be6 14. Qxd8
Rfxd8 15. Rxd8+ Rxd8 16. b3 a5 17. a4 Rc8 18. c4 Rb8 19. Kc2 Bf5+ 20. Bd3 Bxd3+
21. Kxd3 Rxb3+ 22. Ke4 f5+ 23. Kd5 Rxe3 24. Rc1 Be5 25. h3 e6+ 26. Kc6 Kf7 27.
Rd1 Kf6 28. Kb5 Bc3 29. c5 Re5 30. Kb6 Re2 31. Rd3 Rb2+ 32. Kc7 Be5+ 33. Kd7
Rb7+ 34. Kc6 Rc7+ 35. Kb6 Rc8 36. c6 Rb8+ 37. Kxa5 Bc7+ 38. Ka6 Rb6+ 39. Ka7
Rxc6 40. Kb7 Rc4 41. Ra3 Rc5 42. Ra2 Kg5 43. Kc8 e5 44. Kd7 e4 45. fxe4 fxe4
46. Ra3 h5 47. g3 Kf5 48. Ke7 Re5+ 49. Kd7 Ba5 50. Re3 Bd2 51. Re2 e3 0-1
This Week In Chess
Monday March 01, 2004
The times are a-changin’. This past Tuesday the Colorado Springs Chess Club raised their dues for the first time in six years. During an emergency meeting called by the club officers, the membership was presented with a proposal to change the dues structure. The reason for the increase was to help offset the change in rent the club has to pay for use of its location. The membership passed the 5 point proposal with only a few minor changes:
- Dues are now $2.
- Dues are required each week.
- Sign in is required each week.
- No dues will be used for prizes.
- The officers can adjust the amounts promised for special events.
The changes included charging no dues for members who are 65 and older and allowing members to buy a six-month membership for $35. The new structure takes effect 3/2/04. Once the meeting was adjourned, several members played ladder games.
Upcoming Events
3/2/04 Speed Tournament, CSCC
3/6/04-3/7/04 Colorado Springs Open, CSCA
3/9/04 Lecture, CSCC
3/16/04 Quads, CSCC
3/23/04 Ladder games, CSCC
