november 9 2021
For this second session of 2021/2022 the audience was sparse, no doubt due to the school holidays.
Nevertheless, those present were active in giving the reply to the Master, whose report is given below
Master's words
"If God existed, I would be the first to know about it" (Anna de Noailles' reply to Cocteau).
"I have to be injected to protect the vaccinated who had their 2nd dose which does not protect them... In other words : A non vaxxed in full health, without any symptom, can contaminate a full vaxxed... protected. Am I right?". "For the first time in human history, healthy people can transmit a disease they don't have to other people who are vaccinated against it... Fascinating!" (read on the internet).
"Vaccinees deny the negative impact the vaccine can have on their bodies and even encourage people to get vaccinated. In other words: I've been fooled and I don't want to be the only one, I want others to be fooled either. The vaccinated: submissive people who want to submit" (J. Robin). "This virus was not created to kill, but to scare. What is dangerous is the vaccine that will follow" (Li-Meng Yan in November 2020).
"The QR code was invented by Toyota to track spare parts. I am not one of them and therefore will not have a 'pass'". (I. Rioufol).
"There is one thing that cannot be grafted, and that is balls, for lack of donors" (J. Chirac, quoted by B. Lugan).
"I'm not yet old enough to have a nappy basket" (Helen Mirren in "Red 2").
"I love that slight twist of the toes as you shoot -- you take my mind off it" (Brian Cox & Helen, ibidem).
"So, Bathiat, how are you feeling this morning? -- Not very resistant, M. le Juge" (Léonie Bathiat, known as Arletty, imprisoned at the "liberation" -sic).
"The losers won't miss you" (G. Bernanos).
The French language is being lost. Apart from benign French mistakes such as "on y va" (instead of "nous y allons"), the term "on" being adequate only in the sense of "someone" or "people" ; more serious as "opportunities" (instead of occasions), "traffic" (instead of circulation), unbearable as "celles et ceux" or "toutes et tous" (in French we say "ceux" and "tous", including ipso facto the formerly "weak" sex), we hear thousands of uneducated people talking about "fâchchistes". A simple reminder: the word "fascist" is pronounced "fasist". In fact, one goes on the stage, not on the "chene", one does not "aquièche", one nods, one does not "shit" the wood, one saws it.
"In the castle of Laze Perhaps Jane, at the time when I'm being crushed, will have a little pain But my last sentence will be so that I'm pitied Since she'll be given another fiancé And I won't be able to get rid of this one". (M. Polnareff).
Sometimes, in an endgame, one hesitates between two plans. It is more exceptional that one must lean for one, then for the other during ten moves, the preference depending on tiny details in the pawn structure. This is a Homeric struggle of a Knight against what it fears most, a rook-pawn. Both sides will play perfectly natural moves... but wrong! And the amateurs will have their share of reciprocal zugzwangs!
Rest with a pawn rush dominating a bishop. But where to start? Then another kind of domination, that of a Queen.
For next month, a R+2P / R+P: would you rather have the move? Then a problem theme in study, a wild "middle game" that smells like the end and a Ukrainian study with two surprises.
Another tribute to Reshevsky and the Rubinstein system, after the game of the 2nd round http://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/pages/cours/cat-2013/22-octobre-2013.html where Black had defended himself in an exceptional way.
On the subject of one of the "best books in history" (on the 1953 Candidates tournament), if some mistakes in analysis were inevitable, their rebuttals being inhuman, others are incomprehensible at this level, from D. Bronstein or his alleged co-author. On the other hand, some of the analyses stand up brilliantly to the monsters of the 21st century.
Moreover, there are some fascinating conceptions, including this one on the "black & white" theme: "A weakness on black squares leads to a vulnerability of figures and pawns placed... on white squares" (D. Bronstein). But yes, because on the black squares thus conquered, the figures (except the Bishops) exert an influence on the white squares. This makes also think of actions on the Queen-side which... are suddenly transformed into an assault on the King-side: one cannot have a schizophrenic vision of Chess!
Training. The 2#: variations in the 1st, 3rd & 4th, trials in the 2nd & 7th, variations & trials in the 8th. Sacrifices and model mates in the 3#.
Continuation of our tribute to Loschinsky. The first 2# is humorous and is in collaboration with a great author of books on the problem. The second presents us with mates changed from a trial, not an artificial "JA" (apparent play) as is so often the case. The last one offers us 3 temptations. The first 3# shows triple nailed mats, the 2nd Novotny. The 3rd has something in common with the first 2#.
The 5# is one of the problems that particularly marked me in my youth (so far away, yet so close). The 7# is an unexpected tribute to a great French composer. For these two, our magnanimity makes us omit to delete the solutions.
Two amusing unpins in the 2# helpmate; the one in 3 shows us "pinning checkmates with function exchange". The h#6 was called "two-coloured Indian", which is an abuse of the term, but presents a good festival of interceptions.
Two selfmates, one in 3 with sacrifices, the other in 5 (here again, we leave the solution, begging you not to read it too quickly) which caused a hecatomb at the 2018 Russian championship.
Have a good time. Adeus até à próxima. Zostańcie z Bogiem.
Last minute: the winner of the Riga super-blitz on 8 November, including the best players in the world, is Kirill Shevchenko, the kid who came 5th in the world problem-solving championship in Ohrid in 2018 (where yours truly finished 19th). See http://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/pages/concours-de-solutions/cat-2018/ohrid.html But of course, the "pedagogical" nullities of our beautiful country, which occupy the media space, will continue to serenade you that chess problems are "useless" for the game and constitute a waste of time...
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