may 28 2019

For this May course, a new recruit, in the person of Clément, came to compensate the absence of Pierre and the others.

No major technical problems apart from some freezing and sound problems which did not prevent the Master from delivering the good message.

Below is the report

Master's word

"So is youth: give them beauty, and you can keep wisdom!" ("Dr Ling" in "Salome", 1945).

"When a man loves a woman half his age, his love must have three qualities: generosity, tenderness and... generosity" (ibidem).

"The French have a ring in their nose. Talking about freedom to oxen will not make them free".

"First condition of a perfect society: to be able to kill all those you hate" (E. M. Cioran).

"It has been claimed that 'God is dead'. But the first word in the sentence automatically cancels out the following words" (Edward K. "Duke" Ellington).

"To triumph, evil needs only the inaction of good men" (E. Burke).  

Apotheosis of the creeping King by a former world number 1. Where the White King adopts a curious way to centralize himself: by retreating... in the corner of the chessboard!

A defensive struggle of a Knight, crowning a beautiful defence with two pawns less. Then two studies, a nice model stalemate and a Rook domination by a Bishop (any allusion to a certain September 11 would be pure coincidence).

The last 3 exercises before the summer: after a nice appetizer, a little revision of the Troïtzky zone... with an exception. A wPc4 loses, as everyone knows (or should know), against two Black Knights (if one is on c5), which does not mean that it is a draw with the wP on c5, simply that the win is no longer automatic. In this case, White draws if his king goes to a8, but loses otherwise. The winning technique is not necessary to solve the study!

Then a mid-game study, albeit it concludes in an endgame. White has only one pawn less, which is still on the 7th rank and... impregnable. Great Costeff.  

Our great Franco-Russian-Polish player and teacher is the hero of the day: three games selected for exceptionally interesting fragments, two of them against world champions.

A small enigma for linguists: knowing that Rzeszewski (pronounced "jéchevski"), naturalized American, logically became Reshevsky (the "j" does not exist in innegliche), that Aljechin, naturalized French, logically became Alekhine, why did Saviely Tartakower, naturalized French and champion of France 1953 and 1954, not become Xavier Tartacover, even in the "great base" 2018, that is to say more than 70 years after his naturalization?

Let us note that Tartacaviar, therefore of foreign origin, like Cioran and many others, practised a sumptuous French which should put to shame many natives of all ages, but even more so the new generation, vomiting in most cases an unspeakable sabir, when it is not screwed to a mobile TV. If you haven't noticed yet, get on any bus at rush hour. Total failure of the beautiful "republican school".   
 

The first game shows us a remarkable refusal of pinning, preparing a... battery. The opening is the speciality of one of the most prominent members of our circle. Then a false win miss against the previous world champion, finally a real win miss against... the future world champion! The latter is a King's gambit, the most beautiful opening in my opinion, notwithstanding what has just been said!

Concerning the "false win", don't miss to compare the analysis of the 25th & 26th moves! Concerning the "true win", see why, of the two moves c6 & d6, one is sometimes better, then the other (30th & 31st). And many other things!

Training: Strydom's 2# seemed simple to me, although it embarrassed some tenors. A few others could make our enthusiasts think, notably the Ukrainian puzzle (our 7th). We finish with two French problems, the first one a bit trickier.

In 3#, a world champion, a Greek... Bohemian, another world champion, finally a festival of interceptions (B/N, B/R & R/N). A German 4# and a French 4#, both equally amusing. The 6# is from the same Ukrainian star and has some "prises en passant". Finally a French helpmate, another Hungarian (the "set play" means that there is a solution in 1.5 moves, i.e. W-B-W mate), and a selfmate by the Russian genius, easier than his usual works.

Have a good time. See you in June for the last lesson before the summer. Idzcie z Bogiem.

Master's diagrammes