April 28 2026

For this first session under the summer timetable, the usual group turned up and worked hard on the various exercise corrections, the first of which, as usual, took up quite a bit of our time.

The game of the day was full of good ideas and intentions from White, but came up against a tenacious defence from Black. A truly splendid battle!

What followed was fairy, featuring, amongst other delights, a brilliant bolero-style PG.

The next session is scheduled for 30 May.

Until then, happy reading to all.

Master's word

"Sunshine almost always makes me high"   https://youtu.be/g5sbTHMP0Ig?list=RDMM

Take nothing less  Than the supreme best  Do not obey rumors, people say  So you can pass the test  With just a little faith  You can put your mind to it  You can surely do it.   https://youtu.be/iN3KsbnQZxU

‘A Gaullist? — No, a Gaulish woman!’ (Arletty’s reply)

“France is lost as far as human eyes can see. The chaos that has taken hold of French society is merely the result of three key factors: the falling birth rate, the total absence of authority, and the absence of public morality” (Colonel A. Argoud in 2004).

‘There is no reason of state, there is no law in the world that can compel a man to make perjury his daily bread’ (General Maurice Challe at his court case, in May 1961).

Ferhat Abbas, before becoming one of the leaders of the FLN, wrote in 1936: ‘If I had discovered the Algerian nation, I would be a nationalist and would not be ashamed of it as if it were a crime. But I will not die for the Algerian homeland because that homeland does not exist. I have examined history, I have questioned the living and the dead, I have visited the cemeteries, and no one has spoken to me of it. Undoubtedly, I have found the Arab Empire and the Muslim Empire, which honour Islam and our race, but those empires have faded away. One does not build on thin air. We have therefore cast aside once and for all the clouds and chimeras to bind our future definitively to that of the French enterprise in this country.” Later, he would assert: “France has committed a crime. It has delivered the Algerian people into the hands of killers and murderers. ”

“The United States of America is the only country to have passed directly from barbarism to decadence without ever having known civilisation” (O. Wilde). Which does not rule out a return to barbarism, adds your “master”. Make America smaller again.

‘What is an alcoholic? — Someone you don't like who drinks as much as you do’ (‘Bullitt’, 1968).

‘To awaken rather than to teach; to be rather than to say’ (J. Evola).

‘When the enemy is in the wrong, one must above all not interrupt him’ (Talleyrand).

"Gross beginnt Ihr, Titanen" (Goethe).

You Titans are undertaking a monumental task.

‘If I realise someone is giving me a point, I’ll leave a piece in check myself and resign shortly afterwards’ (M. Botvinnik, responding to an attempt at trickery by Krylenko in the final round of Moscow 1935).

"I strive to highlight a masterpiece through the richness and precision of my commentary. It is a rule I apply to all endgames... I feel as though we are being presented with a beautiful woman whose face has first been disfigured with acid" (A. Chéron in 1965, regarding the Halberstadt 1938 study presented here https://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/en/pages/lessons/cat-2014/october-7-2014.html où Kasparian aurait omis de mentionner les sous-promotions).

A Bishop versus Pawns endgame, masterfully played by a multiple French champion who was your master’s pupil… for a few hours, 30 years ago! A former world champion, 70 years ago, had failed to win it. Don’t miss the follow-up 6…e5+, a move of double artistry. Nor the ‘good-bad’ move on the 7th move.

A missed study in a Knight vs. Pawns endgame. Could you have done better, and found 18 good moves? Let’s finish with a sub-promotion (but with a slight bonus) and a “petite difference”: in a Rook vs. Knight endgame, the position of the Black King changes everything!

For the next session: a pawn endgame played better than the players themselves realised, a mini-study carried out during a tournament, a more-than-just-a-draw result, and a lesson in keeping one’s cool.

A historic defence that secured an unexpected place in the 1971 Candidates Tournament. It is rare for a game to suddenly become so exciting from the 40th move onwards! The White player’s analysis is sound, except on move 47, where he "forgets" a move by each of the kings in succession, and on moves 42 and 57, where he fails to spot a winning position. He makes up for this with an excellent move by the black king in the variation on move 51, involving a "good-bad" situation.

Practice: A rather challenging set of 2#s – take comfort in the easy 1st, 4th and 11th! In 3#, a fine piece by the Russian titan, a cycle and a curious variation on the Roman theme. A Drumarian No. 5 explained in detail. Four easy helpmate puzzles; we’ll leave the solution to the last one to you: enjoy the echoing mates. Two selfmates to finish: one Croatian and one Serbian. Good luck.

Enjoy the feast.  Да хранит вас Бог. Möge Gott Sie beschützen.