june 23 2020
The new software worked again without a hitch as a support for this course with as many listeners as ever and good energy in the variants.
We will meet again in September and until then, have a good "learning" holiday!
Below is the report of our Master, always at the top of his game
Master's words
"The "system" consists of a small number of insiders from the highest levels of international finance, pursuing the old messianic dream of world government under the authority of a stateless oligarchy" (J. Bordiot quoting Carroll Quigley). "The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole".
"If I am killed, I will regret absolutely nothing. The future termite mound frightens me. I hate the virtue of robots. I was made to be a gardener" (last letter of Saint-Exupéry).
"Don't tire yourself out, Totoche, we belong to the same world -- [...] -- I'm getting old, I don't distinguish a gentleman from a herring any more" ("Mélodie en sous-sol", 1963).
"Any man who has had a woman in his arms can have her later... on his arms and finally... on his back" (L. de Funès in "La vie à deux" by Guitry).
"Where did you learn to say so much bullshit? -- Two years of TV" (Sim & Mireille Darc in "Elle boit pas..." 1970).
"I've already seen a lot of arseholes, but you are a synthesis" (ibidem).
"One cannot protest enough against the stupid idea that genius could be the result of universal suffrage.
"With enemies like the system, there is no need for friends, they come by themselves" (Elise Blaise, lautréamontising the famous phrase).
"The real right is not serious, which is why the left hates it, as an executioner would hate a victim who laughs and mocks before dying" (In Memory of Jean Raspail).
"The grotesque is the only reasonable way out when greatness is no longer recognised by all" (idem).
"As for the miniskirt: everything depends on the legs" (H. Albrecht about the supereconomy in chess problems).
The conjugated squares are an essential theme of the Kings and Pawns endgame. But we find them in many other domains: remember the struggle Rook against Queen of Nadareishvili http://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/pages/tools/cb-2013/les-nouveaux-diagrammes-du-maitre.html and Queen against Queen of two other great Georgian composers (6 March 2007).
Also Bishop vs Queen, Bron's study of May 9 2017; King vs Queen (Marwitz, January 10 2012); King vs Bishop (Marwitz, March 6 2018); Knight vs Bishop (Adamson, January 25 2011); Rook vs Knight (Didukh, June 21 2016). Not to mention King-King matches when there are not only pawns! For example in Knight vs Bishop (Kozlowski, February 1st 2011), King vs Bishop (Fritz, ibidem and Dvoretzky, October 18 2016) and Rook vs Knight (Arestov, March 19 2013).
Today, it's Bishop vs. Bishop from the "Labyrinth"'s author (October 24 2017), but much simpler! And a particular subtlety of motifs.
The practical endgame has two interests: a breakthrough showing that the activation of the King can be more important than a "beautiful" pawn structure, an K+P/K+P where a simple precaution largely facilitates the task. To which is added a pawn endgame find, for which I am entirely indebted to the audience.
A festival of sub-promotions of a great player and composer, who already appreciated studies 50 years ago: at the "Maison des Echecs" rue Vivienne, he had solved one by simply observing a diagram I had lent him, while the whole circle was drying using chessboards.
Finally an "aristocratic" amusement (without pawns). You have to win a piece... or mate.
No holiday homework, which will give you time to review the above-mentioned endgames.
"Theory". Some have affirmed that Morphy had introduced a "theory" which had allowed the blossoming of modern Chess, based on the principle "development first". Thanks to him, chessmen finally express themselves at their ease! Theory of course not expressed, since he did not write any book, but underlying in his hundreds of brilliant games.
Absurd! Do you think that La Bourdonnais, Anderssen and the others had not understood the virtues of development? Morphy simply used his intuition more. 
He calculated much less than his predecessors. Not that he was incapable of calculation (!) but with his numerous games with the advantage of a Knight or a Rook (played in a very short time), where pure analysis only led to defeat, he had to find something else. He understood that at that time people were reluctant to give the Queen, even against three figures, and other such things. So he constantly found the move that would complicate his opponent's task. In this, he is the ancestor of Tal, who also calculated very little (remember the hippopotamus anecdote: if you have forgotten it, let me know, I will tell it here).
Two games of the big match, including a very underrated miniature. Once again, we see that the 1858 openings are very popular in our so "intelligent"-sic 21st century. In the first one, at the 24th move, the good and the bad must be interchanged in comparison with the 19th century analyses, as in the last course. The second is a miniature, where the brilliant 13th move is spoiled on the 14th.
Fairy: don't miss the Gockel where anti-distanciation is preached!
Training: several 2# with trials, the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 11th & 12th. Four very dissimilar 3#: 2nd moves found in the 3rd, a hyper-active White King, model mates and an unchained Queen. Strategy and model mates in the 4#. A long problem by Carlos, a living legend, who presents us with an echo-chameleon of stairs! The solution is unfortunately stuck (again anti-distanciation).
A youthful helpmate #2 (with only one solution!) from the Bosnian sorcerer, then three long, fairly easy helpmates (mate-echo in the last one). A cyclic selfmate where we forbid reading the solution. Ditto for the long and difficult selfmate of the famous Rätselonkel.
Last minute: a joke by Jean Riz (you know what I mean): a simple mate in 2, but the move we want to play... doesn't fit, without the need to be called Michel to understand why! Last minute bis: tribute to Mukkur Parthasarathy. "Good people die, scum remain".
Have a good time. Once again, we don't say goodbye. We're staying alive ! May God protect you this summer.
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