june 25 2024
For this last lesson of the school year, the number of students was still small, the other listeners being in faraway lands.
We began with a pawn endgame in which Black had resources that he did not exploit to the end.
The other exercises were then corrected, followed by 2 games of Larsen, who is a good client for the course because his style of play is anything but orthodox!
And to finish off, some very beautiful fairy compositions duly selected by the Master, who is always at the top.
The next course will be held in end of September or beginning of october.
Happy reading!
Master's words
"We've got time, there's no hurry -- Yes, because according to her wishes, she'll be cremated tomorrow." (Wasabi, avec Ryōko Hirosue). https://youtu.be/haeM9IDxcXw
"No country has done more for its own misfortune than France, and yet everything has turned out well for it’ (Charles-Quint). But alas! Hardly...
"If you don't have character, you're not a man, you're just one thing." (Chamfort).
« On the one hand we spoil children, on the other we kill them: it's the same hand that slaughters the innocent and rots them with caresses. Some have to die so that others can be pampered and adored: human sacrifices are made to these little gods! I once knew someone who had killed four children in her womb and who thought it monstrous that a child could be hit to correct him. The gap between emotional sensitivity and deep-rooted morals is measured by the distance between the murdered child and the spoiled child. » (Gustave Thibon).
"The frightening thing about holiness is that it's within our grasp" (An. France).
"Saint Louis dispensed justice under an oak tree, X... [replace name with any minister of justice] dispenses justice like an acorn" (A. Santini en 1989).
« Politically, the weakness of the lesser evil argument has always been that those who choose the lesser evil very quickly forget that they have chosen evil. » (H. Arendt).
"If someone strikes you on one cheek, do you turn the other? -- Yes, but if he strikes me on the other cheek, then I am free: Christ did not consider this case" (a 2nd row rugby player).
"Just one smile to make my life worth living" (Scott Walker).
"Got the wings of Heaven on my shoes. I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose. We're stayin' alive" (Bee Gees).
"No matter how well we think we know chess, there is always so much more to be learned" (S. Slumstrup Nielsen).
"The worst thing you can say to a child who has just lost a game is: ‘It's nothing serious’." (Y. Gozzoli 8-6-2024). Indeed, it's serious because he's crying, it's even very serious because he's (momentarily) devastated. But it's not the end of the world. You have to tell him that life doesn't stop, explain to him how to get back on track, through hard work and confidence. You have to tell them about the snakes and rhinoceroses that great champions have had to swallow. And, apart from chess, the extraordinary resurgence in a host of fields..
Of course, we are vehemently opposed to the degeneration of competitive chess that the Norwegian ex-world champion, incidentally an ex-fashion model, is trying to impose on the whole planet through savage cadences, even going as far as the unspeakable ‘armageddon’. Clearly, Indian players agree with us, with obvious success. No ‘noway chess’ (one ‘r’ was clearly too many) but silence and time for reflection for our course, leading to the quintessence of Chess.
When a pawn is attacked by an opponent's pawn, there are generally three possible moves: taking the attacking pawn, pushing your own pawn, or defending it. Sometimes only one of these three is correct. This was the case in this exciting 50th anniversary endgame, with both players doing quite well, certainly better than a certain world champion pretending to analyse it. No, this isn't the calamitous principal you've all been thinking about! This champion is much older, and has already been pinpointed here https://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/en/pages/lessons/cat-2016/november-8-2016.html
As you can imagine, this pawn endgame contains a large number of ZZs (reciprocal zugzwangs), but sometimes we get round them, as in the battle of the 3 linked pawns on each wing studied here https://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/en/pages/lessons/cat-2021/january-19-2021.html On that occasion, we humorously referred to it as ‘cheating’, but Chess is not Mathematics! This curious endgame ended with a sacrifice with a deferred effect, transposing it into Queen endgame with two pawns less (!) but a much more advanced candidate for promotion.
A pawn on 7th is sometimes worth a Rook, but will it be worth Rook and Bishop? We'll have to call on the most familiar problem theme, but one that is usually used for purposes other than defence. Then a duel of four Rooks, which is longer than you might have thought. Finally, the choice of the best square for the white King, for the future Queen vs Pawn endgame. Reminiscent of Spassky's favourite study (our exercise 340).
No exercises for the summer holidays, but you can reread a few ‘masterclasses’ that your tight schedule has caused you to neglect!
Our first game of the day shows the brilliant Dane cheerfully giving away his bishop g7, supposed to be the main defender of the king g8, against a knight. The rest of the game sheds light on this choice, which was acclaimed at the time but not really understood.
The second could have ended very badly for him, an incredible combination, with a double heavy piece sacrifice on the same square, having been missed by the prestigious Svetozar. And of course, our favourite theme, albeit toned down: good doesn't become completely bad!
Training: the 2nd & 8th two-moves are mystifying; tries in the 3rd, 4th, 9th, 11th & 12th. A slightly arduous series, but you have the summer to rest up! Brilliant Queen in the first 3#, then an easier 60s French strategic. A 16# originally demolished, which Guy and I corrected by adding a black pawn a7. Guy even pointed out that with another NP on d7, it became a 21#!
After two charming 2# helpmates, one with pretty mates and the other with interceptions, we continue our tribute to Guy. An helpmate 3# with a single solution (a rarity), an echo-chameleon, a 5.5 reminiscent of the Loyd-Turton theme. Finally, three longer and more difficult problems where we leave the solution.
The sadness of the month: the death of Françoise. I've been warming my heart to her wood for so long. May we continue to experience, thanks to her, all those beautiful things... https://youtu.be/Pqomd7Ic4E4 Isn't love ‘stronger than death’? Requiescat in pace.
Enjoy your meal and all the joys of summer. Deus vos custodiat.
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