Friday, January 23, 2015

Pestaño: How you can lose games

Chessmoso
Thursday, January 22, 2015

ED Beronio of Cavite probably has the most intensive information and collection of trivia than anybody else in the Philippines. He is comparable to the legendary and hall of famer American Bill Wall. He has sent me his collection, which I have used for reference from time to time.
There are a good number of signs that you are in danger of losing a game. Watch out for these possibilities.
You have a piece or pieces that can be easily attacked by a piece of lower value or loose (unguarded) pieces.
You have one or more pieces that can be attacked via “discovered move.” Your back rank is weak or vulnerable. Also you have pinned or “skewerable” pieces along the same rank ,file or diagonal.
Watch out for pieces or squares vulnerable to a knight fork. Don`t overwork your pieces meaning, guarding more than one piece or square.
Your opponent has pawn or pawns nearing promotion or you have weak squares or pawns that cannot be defended. You have inadequately guarded pieces or squares. You are behind in the development of pieces in the opening.
You have an uncastled king or no pawn protection with queens on the board. Your opponent has opening lines for rooks, queens or bishops on your king.
Some of your piece or pieces have little mobility or might easily be attacked or trapped.
You don`t have a balanced offense or defense on both sides of the board as most of your pieces are on one side. Your opponent has three or more pieces attacking your king.
Your opponent has a “desperado” piece that is lost anyway and can give itself up for maximum destruction.
PROFESSIONS. Most GMs do not rely on chess alone to support themselves and their families although there are some exceptions. That is the reason why the parents of Wesley So do not approve his decision to quit school at Webster University, where he is a scholar and already on third year taking up business administration, to devote full time to chess.
Those who are engineers are world champion Mikhael Botvinnik, who has a doctorate degree in Electrical Engineering; like myself, Edmar Mednis, who played a simul among Cepca members in 1996, is a chemical engineer; Alex Yermolisnky is also a chemical engineer, while Alexander Kotov and Edward Lasker are mechanical engineers.
Cepca engineers are Jerry Maratas, Marvynne Gurdiana, Jimmy Ty, Loy Miñoza, Bombi Aznar, my brother Danny, Jeffrey Solis, Jun Olis, Butchie Abaya, Pablito Argamosa, Ben Dimaano, Bob Inocian, John Velarde, Ronald Galindo, Maggie Dionson and Ogie Reyes.
Among the GMs, the accountants were Henry Bird and Samuel Rehevsky, while in Cepca, the CPAs are Felxberto Balbona, Carlo Maraat, Sonny Sollano, Jun Ortiz.
Among the Pinoy players, the lawyers Rosendo Balinas and Samuel Estimo. Another lawyer who is considered the greatest player of all time is Paul Morphy, who reportedly memorized the Louisiana Code. Fridrik Olaffson, Savielly Tartakower, Josef Noa, who became a judge, Sidney Bernstein, and Michael Wilder were all successful lawyers.
Cepca lawyers are Alex Tolentino, Sisinio and his brother Andales, Manuel Iway, Damaso Uy, Migs Enriquez, former mayor Alvin Garcia and of course Mayor Mike Rama.
William Lombardy was a priest and Ruy Lopez, who is famous for the opening that bears his name, was a monk.
Karl Burger, Helmut Pfleger and Siegbert Tarrasch are both doctors and Vincenzo Castaldi is a dentist. Kevitz is a pharmacist. Darcy Tabotabo is an eye specialist. El Labunog is a Med Tech.
Those who have unique occupations are Max Harmonist, who is a ballet dancer, Robert Huebner, who is classified as a papyrologist, and Reuben Fine a psychoanalyst.
Professors were Max Euwe, who at one time was boxing heavyweight champion in Europe, and Robert Byrne, John Nunn and William Formanek, who are all mathematicians.
(boypestano@gmail.com,www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)

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