Saturday, November 12, 2011

My personal exchange sacrifice


Life mirrors chess in more ways than you can imagine. However, life isn’t meant to be a game to start over if things don't turn out the way you'd like them. Rather, it requires proper attention to fully understand the position life tends to throw at you. My readers have been amply aware of my absence in the chess improvement blog community and I appreciate all the well wishers who reached out and really appreciate everyone’s understanding.

A certain series of events happened over the course of the summer starting around mother’s day concerning the most important people in my life. The perfect storm of events placed me in an untenable position where I had to chose one unfavorable solution over another and it was overwhelming.

To put it in a chess metaphor parlance, it was as if I had to exchange my queen for an unclear position in order to get out from under a very cramped situation. I’m making very careful moves as I settle into a new position which looks favorable for a minor piece assisting a pawn promotion (biological imperative overriding others). I hope to get my queen back as sometimes sacrifices are only temporary.

The dust is beginning to settle but I still have a great deal of work ahead of me. Chess is still calling me and I am barely staying afloat with occasional online games and rarer cameos at local OTB one day events. I still have that chess improvement story to complete and journey to blog. For now, it will remain a sporadic periodic update and possible chess musings. Someday, I will be back to the “time machine” and my magical history tour.

Until then, study your tactics, understand your positions, and above all, don’t sacrifice your queen for an unclear position unless you really know what you are doing.

-BP

7 comments:

lefthandsketch said...

Glad to hear from you and have you back, even if it's only sporadically. Your old posts are still up and fantastic and I'll continue to come back here and read/reference them as long as your site is up.

Good luck with your queen troubles... I also went through a similar tactical oversight several years ago, but was lucky enough to quickly promote and my new queen is so much stronger and better placed the my old one that I sometimes forget the period where I was playing down in material. Hang in there, if there's a chess metaphor that's helped me the most in life it's the theory of infinite resistance. Chess is a level draw, and so is life, the ups and downs balance out over a long enough time line.

Temposchlucker said...

It is not easy to get rid of the big squiggly lines first. I wish you all the strenght you need.

Dave Priest said...

Hey man, sorry to hear about your situation. I know how tough things can get some times. Just hang in there. They will improve I am sure. Queens are very complicated pieces, and can be difficult to understand. I wish you all the best.

BlunderProne said...

Thanks everyone.. I like MPFC.. I needed that video. :)

Anonymous said...

Is this post about divorce?

From the patzer said...

Take as much time as you need. Life is a bitch in the way that it throws unexpected and unwanted things at us that throws us of our wanted path.

Your readers/fans will patiently wait upon your return. Goodluck in what ever you decide.

transformation said...

George, i am trying to read between the lines, health, wife, daughter, work, how many can it be? I have moved back east, as you probably know. Not sure if you have my new email, david_korn at verizon dot net.

were you at the world amateur team in parsippany last year?

you look decidedly thinner in the picture, is that a hint?

love, dk