Sunday, May 06, 2007

300

I have Lev Alburt's 300 positions . He has 300 positions that he claims are essential for tournament players. It’s my take everywhere book. I ma on my third pass on this and still feel more like the kids in Sandlot rather than the crimson caped, speed-o wearing Spartan 300. Thus I present the Sandlot 300 because this is more like the noise in my head versus the reality OTB.




In other news, I missed Tuesday night chess club and was hankering for a game. I decided to give FICS a try again. Normally I have been opposed to internet chess since I play quickly. But I’ve been playing a lot this week, only playing higher rated players. So far my rating after a little over 20 games is 1641. Its hard to practice real chess, but I am having some good games in the sandlot.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

sometimes i think sandlot chess is where it's at, more so than regulated official chess. i think i need that book now....

Unknown said...

oh, as much as i don't like the online chess, it's really all i have. i use it to practice wierd moves and reienforce ideas and learn openings and such. my opponents think they are beating me, and yeah, they win, but they don't realize they are little more than practice dummies for me. they feel good about themselves, i get practice, everyone wins...

BlunderProne said...

I see the "sandlot" as a means of practice. I am seriously trying to avoid playing quickly. G15's standard rating is up to 1711 but my blitz rating is 1034 becuase i was trying to do G3.0. I can't blitz AND think at teh same time.

takchess said...

this is a good book that is great for a few bites at a time when you get a moment here and there. I took it with me camping on the cape and my in-laws kept looking at the cover thinking I was a leach. I have since put duct tape on it.8) I am doing a slower game type situation review of L20 simalar to what you are doing now.

takchess said...

should of read Letch 8)

Cratercat said...

I like chessloser's sneaky win/win attitude. :o) Internet chess is great, but it doesn't prepare me for the internal head game that happens otb.

Blue Devil Knight said...

That cover is like something from a 1950s Eastern European porn. Not that I have seen 1950s Eastern European porn, but I imagine it having the same vibe as that cover.

I've heard the positions in that book are pretty tricky, like 2000 ELO or so.

takchess said...

Bdk,
the positions range in simple to difficult for example one is the classic smothered mate. I think that there is an element of finding 300 positions one should know however some are selected for entertainment value/coolness factor I believe.

transformation said...

i WORSHIP upon the alter of that book. i spent eight months on it, every single day.... s l o w l y .... first pass many solved correctly but some big puzzles unresolved! second pass, very slowly, and found some more answers to the few missing parts, and ONLY then looked up the answers.

as you already know better than me, when you do it right, you almost never need to check the answer, but some really need a hint!

to continue my ability to luxurate away from the flat screen realm, the Reinfield is now allowing me to continue this before i do his second book, then of course the good John Emms, UCPB--thus making a grand 3003 in 1.5 years as i concertedly plan. then i will carry around maxim blokhs combination motifs cum CTA-3.0 till it disintegrates to finish the series at 4,200 or so. by then i aught to again have a girlfriend who thinks brains are sexy, as i recently said at temposchluckers blog.

while 1001 S&C has many far easier problems, i am now doing twenty a week, similar to alburt only faster, but, mark my words, imbeded within the guts of Reinfields OOS&C are some really difficult problems, and you never know when they are gonna pop up.

like many, i tried to alter my cover, no pun intended, but in the end gave up, since what was glued on with lesser grade glue always popped off given the slick paper, and i knew it was my destiny not to carry this book around at work... on breaks. despite his marketing schmultz, his work is good, but i am a lot less Keene on his opening books, which are a bit hyped up. id rather take colllins and watson and fine and seirawan for primers, if i must have them.

did you see my lattest blog III & IV, starting with Tolstoy, the fox and hedgehog quandary by Isaiah Berlin of Russian then Oxford kind, then onto Bateson type III learning, then the analysis of few versus many games? if you drink, might i recommend a quiet late night scotch? even a picture of perfect breasts. and cobalt blue physics spirols.

warmly, dk temporarily housed on the east coast honoring parents of both genders.