Intimidation.

Intimidation!!!

A little about myself here and how it ties into a chess game that is becoming stale in its improvement. To the wise here I might be telling my age, the way I look at it is what is to be ashamed of turning 55 in a few weeks? I have sofar out lived so many of my friends who well lets say experienced the full benefits of both the 60's and 70's. Now to the subject at hand, I have suffered the pains of a very ugly divorce, later to find out only how wrong I was. Only to start over for the first time. I have had girlfriends and x-girlfriends that also resulted in a few start overs. I have seen the coming and goings of three wars, I have suffered along with most people Thur the Clinton years. Yet none of them including the "X" ever intimidated me. I have visited friends in prison and never felt the least bit intimidated. I have done public speaking in front of hundreds of people and never felt the the pains of intimidation. I have raised two teenage boys and have a third on the way, those with teenage boys or even teenage boys themselves know just how intimidating that can be.  I have played players on this site with far higher ratings then I will ever obtained and still felt no intimidations from them. Now before you get the wrong idea of where I am going with this, I am not a brave person at all, the idea of a riding a roller coaster scares the hell out of me. I have flown so many times in my past but I am now afraid of flying. After making all these confessions I have one more, nothing and I repeat nothing has intimidated me more in my life then trying to figure out where one should start to improve his game. There is so much help and information out there from the opening game to the end game and every move in between. From videos to books to study groups, from online help to personal coaches. If I had the time or could find the time I am sure it would not be so bad, however with time at premuin I need to find just the right way or way for me to improve my game. What is right for me may not be right for some one else..............so like the junkie I will just keep taking the drug that is playing chess till I find my way out of this fog.

For those of you who have ever made the trip to the bookstore with every intention of buying that one book that will add a hundered or so points to your rating, only to stand in-front of what seams like a million books and go home emtry handed I to feel your pain.

This game can be so damn intimidating in so many ways..........I LOVE IT.

A while back I played a few games with "Rael" which I am sure some of you know. I learned more in those few games then I have from any books before or after those games. For in those games we would both move and then talk about the moves, the why's the where for's behind each move. What should come next and what would be a mistake. I thank him then for the help I wish to thank again.

Well, I rambling now so, before I loose you all out there, I have this to say.....just enjoy the greatness of this game ........enjoy it all.