Newsletter - September 2015
Dan Heisman Learning Center
Contents
Welcome!
News
Dan's Corner
Puzzles of the Month
Easy Links
Want to get in touch with the newsletter crew? Write to them at DHLCNewsletter@gmail.com
WELCOME!
Newsletter September edition, volume 29
Welcome to the Dan Heisman Learning Center!
All members of the DHLC share a common interest and we all have the strong desire to improve our chess playing. We are truly a group BY the members FOR the members. No matter if you are a master or completely new to the game, we welcome you. Please do take a look around the forums to see where other members can help you improve or you can help others as well.
We at the DHLC encourage active participation, good sportsmanship and above all, fun in learning this wonderful game. Whether your preference is for live chess, longer correspondence (“online”) games, some vote chess or working your way through the instructional articles written by some of our stronger members, there is something for everyone at DHLC.
DHLC Massive Team Challenge
The Dan Heisman Learning Center (DHLC) is announcing that it is issuing challenges to the top groups at Chess.com to compete in the largest Slow Chess Team Challenge event ever!
Each group will muster as many players as they can to play G/90+30 on the Chess.com Live Server using our regular negotiated time tournament format. You don't need to be a qualified league player (but you can't be suspended or banned), but you do need to be a member of a participating Chess.com group. When you sign up to play here on slowchessleague.org you simply check which Chess.com group that you'll be playing for. The group with the highest team score will win. Of course, there will also be individual winners. There will be an initial practice round for new players to learn the ropes. Then 2 rounds, then a week off, then a final 3 rounds for a total of 5 rounds of official play. Signups will open by Monday, September 7 and remain open until 22:00 League Time on Friday, October 2. The practice round will begin on Monday, October 5. Don't miss out on this! Participating groups will need experienced league players to help with their members who haven't tried slow chess tournament play yet. So, qualified league players should post notes or forum entries in the group they will be playing for offering to help other players learn the ropes.
Will you be playing for the Dan Heisman Learning Center .... or another group? Which groups should the DHLC challenge?
What's Going On at the New Slowchessleague.org Website?
SirIvanHoe
Signups are now open for our September tournaments.
Choose G/45+45 or G/90+30. Choose Chess.com or ICC or now choose FICS. Signups will close again on Friday, September 4 at 22:00 League Time. Round 1 begins on Monday, September 7.
Need to qualify for league play? You need to sign up for:
September League Qualifier
Already qualified? You can sign up for up to 4 games per week (+ICC or FICS sections) of G/45+45 or G/90+30 competition:
for Chess.com players only:
August Open Swiss - traditional swiss pairing - the winner of the G/90+30 section gets a guaranteed seat for the 2015 championship tournament
for Chess.com or ICC or FICS players:
August Swiss 1-2-3 - swiss pairing with 1-2 pairing options - the winner of the Chess.com G/90+30 section gets a guaranteed seat for the 2015 championship tournament
August Quad Doubles - double round robin (or hybrid)
The league player with the most games played (win lose or draw in any section or on any server but without forfeit) in September will get a guaranteed seat for the 2015 championship tournament.
To sign up just edit your profile on slowchessleague.org. Look for the tabs September League Qualifer and September Tournament Signups. For instructions and a video go to Tournaments | Signups on the main menu. Please note: players who do not check that they have read and agree to abide by the rules will not be paired.
Watch for these upcoming events -
In October/November – the biggest slow chess team challenge ever
In December/January – the Slow Chess League Championship 2015 – We’ll be using a Quad Double Knock Out format (limited to 16 players)
What's different about slowchessleague.org?
- Signups via Profiles -- not a link to a link to old fashion signup topics with comments
- See all your games on one My Games panel -- no more sorting through playing sub-groups, forums, and pairing lists
- See any Tournament Status with schedules and finished game scores on one page
- Rules, time conversion links, time till deadline -- all in the Game Topic sidebar, not buried in some forum
- Multiple chess servers, multiple time controls, multiple pairing options -- no 'one size fits all'
- Brand new League Ratings spanning both chess servers coming soon!
- Game Topic status shows when deadlines are met or the game is scheduled
- Player time zone info linked at the top of each Game Topic
- Real league game archives with over 6,000 games from both Chess.com and ICC
- Upcoming Events calendar for planning ahead
- Custom programmed website designed for Slow Chess League play
- Game Finder calendar to find slow chess games without entering another tournament or spamming group notes
Dan's Corner
NM Dan Heisman
We win the 1972 US Amateur Team Championship. In the first round Donald Byrne sat out, which made me first board against A.Alexander (I believe that may have been the Franklin-Mercantile "B" team vs our Penn State Team". I got an opening advantage and slowly outplayed Mr. Alexander to get us off to a good start:
Want more tips? Turn to Dan's Tip of the day!
http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/dans-tip-of-the-day
Puzzles of the Month
Farnel
Some of the 110 Most Fantastic Moves
What seems like an age ago, I came across the 1985 book Chess Curiosities, by Tim Krabbe. It was a real joy to read, with such varied insights into chess and the exploits of the great (and not so great). I was delighted when, many years later, I found that Tim had created an online version, or companion site, also called Chess Curiosities. He maintained the online site for a number of years but sadly has not been able to add to it for a number of years. The site is still there at http://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/chess/chess.html with all it's wonderful diversity. I would recommend it for anyone who has more than a passing interest in the incredible varity of entertainment the game of chess can provide. A few of my favourite parts of the Chess Curiosites website include the Open Chess Diary, the Diagram of the Century and associated Sons of Babson column and the 110 Most Fantastic Moves Ever Played pages. It is from the latter column that the puzzles have been selected for this month. Tim has selected 110 of the most amazing moves ever played to showcase the incredible imagination and insight possible in chess. Of course everyone creating a similar list would probably come up with a somewhat different list, but many of his selections would also make it onto my list of fantastic moves. So this month, all of the puzzles require you to only find one move. Easy eh? Of course they are, as long as your imagination and vision are working well! Only one move to find in each puzzle, but the ideas behind them may be a little more challenging. You may need to prepare for a few surprises I think.
First off, a position from a Tal game from a simultaneous exhibition in Sturrgart in 1958. In this position, his opponent had just taken a rook on h1 with the move ... Rxh1. Probably expecting Tal to recapture Rxh1, he may have felt safe here. But white is Tal, and this was a Sicilian and he was a magician with that opening. It is white to play - can you do as well as Tal here?
Next, a position where white has already invested a piece to open up the black kingside and
seems to have a strong attack going, but black seems to have everything covered for now. And whites knight on g5 is in danger. How did Timman as white show his opponent that he did indeed have a winning attack?
In our next puzzle, we have a position that is achieved after only 9 moves have been played. Sadly for white it doesn't go much further after black finds a move that surely only a genius or a madman would find. What was the wining move here?
Karpov was perhaps not best known for being an great attacking player but you don't get to be world champion for 10 years without a great deal of tactical skill. Here is the conclusion of one of his attacks. How did he force immediate resignation in this position?
Finally, here is a move that I remember I was quite stunned by when I first discovered this game. It took me a while to see the point. Once you see it, it does seem "obvious" but without clues it's another of those ideas that I don't think would ever occur to me in a game. Perhaps that is why I am not a GM. What is blacks winning move here?
I hope you enjoyed that little selection from the 110 Most Fantastic Moves Ever Played. Going to the Chess Curiosites website will give you the full selection and the games so that you can see all these great moves in context.
EASY LINKS
NEW! Slow League chess league website
Past newsletters
http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/dhlc-newsletters
All the DHLC newsletters, linked in one convenient place.
Game Analysis Department
http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/game-analysis-department3
A forum where any DHLC member can post a game for others to help out with ideas, analysis and advice. It is not meant as a showcase of brilliancies or only winning games. You learn much more from your losses so those are probably the best options for anyone who is serious about improving.
Find a Study Buddy
http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/find-a-study-buddy
Use this forum to find someone to work with to improve your skills.
I Want to be a Slow Chess Friend
http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/i-want-to-be-a-slow-chess-friend
Post to get other DHLC members who have a similar interests and a "study buddy".
My Last Lesson With Dan
http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/my-last-lesson-with-dan
We can all benefit from members' lessons.
The DHLC Store
Not just a place to get cool DHLC gear, 100% of the profit goes directly to Dan's charity, the Dan Heisman Chess Support Fund. Find out more about it here:https://www.facebook.com/ChessSupportFund
DHLC Suggestion Box
http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/-suggestion-box
Use this for any suggesitons for improving our DHLC.
Slow Chess League
http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/slow-chess-league2
The place to meet for the players of the DHLC.
Online Chess League
http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/online-chess-league
