april 26 2022
The session was able to proceed without any connection difficulties.
Again, the attendance was low for this session with, in addition, a false jump from the recorder.
Below is the report of the very enthusiastic Master.
For information, the next session will be held on Saturday 21 May ( dated Tuesday 24)
Master's words
"Beauty is the splendour of Truth" (saint Augustin).
"Dios nunca muere" (G. Garcia Moreno, 1875).
"Intellectuals are on the left, intelligence is on the right" (H. Taine).
"Gas stations are the only place where the one holding the gun is also the one being robbed" (F. Roussel).
"The amount of energy needed to disprove bullshit is much greater than the amount of energy used to create it" (A. Brandolini).
"The election is the tide of mediocrity" (H. de Balzac).
What is the most reliable way of recognising a complete idiot? By this sentence: "I believe in the justice of my country". So said a great journalist to me 40 years ago. Of course, but there are other "sure" ways, for example the one that says: "You didn't vote, so you can't complain". Or the one who continues to wear a muzzle in the street. Etc.
« You can only govern properly for the good of all by knowing that men are evil fools and treating them as such. But if you tell them, they get angry. Hence the repugnant necessity for the leaders of the people to overwhelm the herd with indecent flattery » (P.-A. Cousteau).
"Honest and timid citizens, the wicked are watching, and you are sleeping. The wicked have the courage of interest, the courage of envy, the courage of hatred; and the good have only innocence and do not have the courage of virtue" (A. Chénier).
"Without you baby, what good am I ? You're my reason for laughin', for cryin', for livin', and for dyin'" (B. Medley & B. Hatfield, 1966).
"The difference between a married man and a dead man? A married man is buried alive and shares his tomb" (Agatha Christie).
"Good or bad, this move MUST be played, without knowing if it wins or not" (B. Ivkov). Phrase often attributed to A. Miles, because he used it.
Our endgame of the day deals with the difficulty to convert an advantage of a figure: it is a Bishop accompanied by a rook-pawn whose promotion square is of the wrong colour. An opponent's pawn on the Knight file can sometimes move it, otherwise it is imperative to move the defending King away from the corner. Note also that white pawns f5 & g4 can keep bBe7 & bPg5 at bay.
It follows two studies of the Knight's virtuosity: in defence to neutralise a dangerous pawn, with a revision of Queen against Bishop + Knight, then in attack to checkmate in company with the Queen (remember that the two figures cannot occupy the same square, at least at the same time). Finally a walk ending in the middle ages!
Exercises for the next session: the "Knight support committee" that you met in LF2 on the occasion of our exercise 600 reminds us, having appreciated our Bishop vs Pawns struggle and logically asking for an analogous Knight vs Pawns conflict.
Then a curiosity which will enchant the aforementioned committee: 3 Knights squaring a Rook. It follows a Czech study which had pleased our great Halberstadt and an Austrian one where two Rooks are not impressed by two pawns linked in the 7th rank.
Today's game once again shows the verve of our beloved Tartacaviar as a player and commentator. His opponent is no slouch either. As is often the case, we don't really know who is "playing for the win", probably both of them. The material is highly heterogeneous, Rook and 3 pawns against Knight and 2 Bishops, a real provocation to errors of judgement.
A cute retro where one justifies a capture en passant.
Training: tries in the 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th and last 3 2-moves. A brilliant 3# from the 19th century, a more incredible one from the 21st. The 5# is easily solved if you realise that the obvious move will be much stronger... in the 3rd.
In helpmate, two delicious 5-units model mats, then a beautiful cycle and finally a nice echo. In selfmate, a Macedonian masterpiece and a "Gamni" where we give the solution.
Have a good time. Adeus até à próxima. Zostańcie z Bogiem.
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