february 3 2026

For this second session of 2026, the core group was present.

We still regret the absence of our friends from Bordeaux and Africa, among others, but the event was lively, starting with a beautiful pawn endgame in which player with black pieces did not perform at her best. This was followed by the other exercises from the previous session, with some of the the finest vintage studies.

The game of the day saw Kasparov triumph over the rest of the world in unusual circumstances. The game was nonetheless very interesting, with resources on both sides not always well assessed by the aforementioned player.

To finish, of course, there were a few fairy compositions, including a rather disturbing Anti-Kings one!

Happy reading, everyone, and see you on february 28 2026.

Master's word

https://youtu.be/NpQRsXrduc8 Just like me, they long to be close to you. Thanks Karen ! She was so "close to me" during my early professional years.

"The most decisive argument against democracy can be summed up in a few words: the superior cannot emanate from the inferior, because the greater cannot come from the lesser; this is a mathematical certainty, against which nothing can prevail." (R. Guénon).

"It is not enough for a good life to have noble friends; one would also like to have noble enemies." (A. Bonnard).

"Reading your words, sir, makes me want to crawl on all fours." (Voltaire to Rousseau).

"Today, lads, we're going to look each other in the eye and see if we've got balls." (a rugby coach).

We are "invaded by the poor, bought by the rich", Pauwels said already in 1989.

"Without the silence of the press, the establishment of the supranational supremacy of an intellectual elite and global bankers would have been impossible." (D. Rockefeller in 1991). But isn't "global governance" falling apart??

"It's difficult to be alone on the peaks" (M.-F. Garaud).

"For the salvation of our Empire We will fight all vultures Hunger and death make us smile When we fight for our loved ones" (The song of the Africans).

"Creativity arises when one masters the ability to connect different moments of one's own experience, which at first glance do not seem directly related." (A. Shirov, about his ...Bh3!! against Topalov, recalling that a similar idea had been played by Andersson seven years earlier.).

The endgames in this course are not overly complex. An important ZZ in the pawn endgame that these charming ladies probably did not see. With a phenomenon that is not widely discussed in endgame treatises: in this ZZ, one attempts to bring one's King closer to the opposing pawn, whether playing White or Black.

Two pawns against a Rook: which one to push? With a little stroll through R/N, reminding us of a classic. Then a virtuoso Rook against a future Queen, in Georgian form (transposing into an important theoretical exercise) or Belgian form.

For March: a difficult Rook endgame with a distant passed pawn, a rest with a minor pawn endgame, then a curious win of a black Rook and a spectacular Romanian battle.

A monstrous game, preceding the dawn of the new millennium, in which we see a great player playing very well... but analysing poorly, as we have known for 40 years. On the 37th black move, the king's pawn must be moved one or two squares. But the right move is the one he gives as wrong, and vice versa. Nevertheless, he sometimes gives interesting sequences, let's admit it! And at least the refutation of his mistakes is fruitful, leading to mini-studies, such as on the 26th, 31st, 36th, 37th and especially 38th moves. Enjoy other beauties too, refutations or not.

Just one observation: this great player claimed to be playing against the "world", which was in fact largely advised by a few people, including three junior "professionals". In particular, there was a friendly American woman of Ukrainian origin named Irina Krush (pronounced correctly, because in French, "cruche" is not romantic) who denounced the crazy blitz games (clock punching monkeys, she said), before becoming a regular herself!

Training: The first four are by a great composer, Touw Hian Bwee, who has just passed away. The second and third will make you think. Among the others, the first, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth require a little attention.

A 3# discovered at a tender age made me, along with a few others, fall in love with chess problems for good. Not particularly difficult, I'll let you savour it. Next are two more 3#s, one showing interceptions, the other an active battery.

The helpmates, somewhat neglected in our course, are back: two in 3 by the Bulgarian genius, two longer ones by the Argentine expert. Good resolution!

To conclude, a classic by the Indonesian genius in... 32 moves.

With a glass, or even two, of Sancerre., of course ! https://youtu.be/QEzqT3jFFVY

Enjoy your meal. See you in a few weeks if Deus vult.