Why We Study Tactics

One the reasons, no, the main reason chess players study tactics is to enable them to use the tactics against their opponents at the board. Just as important, but seldom talked about, is that we study tactics to avoid having our opponent use them against us.

Sometimes it is to no avail, due to time trouble or just trying to find something, anything to stay in the fight.

The following two positions are from a game I won – barely – and as will be shown I should have lost. The game was played in round 3 of Dayton Chess Club’s #44 Next To Last 2011 Quick , game in 25 minutes, time delay of 5 seconds.

I was in dire straits through much of the game so I did something I seldom do afterwards. I went over the game and critiqued my moves and those of my opponent, Andre Jaworowski.

I chose a poor plan and Andre properly punished me for such a poor plan. The following position is after white played 31: Bd3
















Black to move.

The following week, I wanted to show Andre the position because he should have won the game directly here with 31. … Qxg3 and if 32. hxg3, then 32. Rh6 mate. Pretty neat and something I wanted to make sure I didn’t give Andre an opportunity to do again.

Imagine my chagrin when Andre set up an earlier position after the moves 25. Bxf8 Bxf2+ 26. Nxf2 Qxf2+ 27. Kh1 with black to move. Andre already in time trouble, played 27. … Rxf8. Instead he had an absolutely killer move. Do you see it?
















Black to move.

Do you see it yet? Andre set it up at the Dayton Chess Club and told me a killer move was there, but I didn’t see it.

Okay, the move is 27. … Qxd4!! where not only is white’s Rook on a1 threatened, but if the Rook moves a mate in three (3) ensues. 28. R moves, Nf2+ 29. Kg1 Nh3 dble+ 30. Kh1 Qg1 mate.

So I tip my imaginary hat to Andre while telling myself I will never (NEVER) let him have this opportunity to do this again.

Yeah, Right!

Interesting Quotes

Last year while reading the executive summary of a 60 page report on
“Working Towards Rules For Governing Cyber Conflict” published January 2011 by the EastWest Institute I came across three interesting quotes.

They were made all the more interesting because of the unusual range of the writers. One a Russian expatriate and American citizen, one a famous American writer of the 19th century noted for his cynicism, and the other a famous Russian playwright and writer.

“The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see.” Ayn Rand.

“Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.” Mark Twain.

“Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.” Anton Chekhov.

Confession, I was once a great fan of Ayn Rand and read much of Mark Twain, but have read little of Anton Chekov's writing.

I should also mention these quotes, which were interesting in and of themselves, helped keep me interested in a very dry (to me) document.

Finally, Anto Chekhov's quote reminded me of a line from the movie The Grace Card delivered by Louis Gossett Jr about the Christian faith and church, "Sundays are the classroom, Monday through Saturday are the application."

Decadence

Look up the definition for decadence online and you will find three definitions
- the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay
- moral degeneration or decay; turpitude
- unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence.

To me the third definition given above is the core of decadence, for moral degeneration or decay cannot take place without some form of excessive self-indulgence. Likewise excessive self-indulgence would also lead to deterioration and decay.

Today we see evidence of this all around us and especially in the world of entertainment. Michael Medved wrote about this in Hollywood vs. America almost 20 years ago. To read his book today is to see it as a place marker as the self-indulgence of Hollywood has become more and more unrestrained and excessive.

Another marker came up today, it is a movie The Children’s Hour from 1961. Gary North in an article to his subscribers described a conversation he had with an actress (whom he did not name) who was offered a role in said movie at the tender age of ten (10). Without explanation her agent warned her against it. He could not explain why to a ten-year-old, but she took his advice. [Gary North] remarked, “He was looking out for you.” She agreed.

Sadly today two major things would be different. The ten-year-old would know what lesbianism is and most agents (and parents) in their unrestrained and excessive desire for money (greed) would now encourage the ten-year-old to take such a role.

She would know because of the incredible level of sexualization in today’s post Christian culture in the United States that includes a constant barrage of lesbianism/homosexuality in the entertainment world – movies and television and now entering comic books.

At one time parents would have fought to avoid the process of sexualizing their children letting them be children. Today, many parents would not object at all and in many liberal homes would actually encourage their ten-year-old or younger to explore “their sexuality” always assuming it is a good thing.

Why? To justify the parents’ self-indulgence in their own activities. Truly unrestrained self-indulgence leading to moral degeneration, putting the adults’ feelings and values above the protection of their own children.

Decadence indeed. Jesus had something to say about this as well, "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!" (Matthew 18:6-7)

Stupid Things Smart People Say

I am soon to be 64 years of age. Luckily I feel healthy and relatively young.

I thought I had seen and heard just about everything. But I was wrong. Again.

Richard Dawkins, one of the Smartest People around - at least in his own mind that those of his admirers - said one of the absolutely Stupidest Things I have ever heard.

What he said was, "... that somebody as intelligent as Jesus would have been an atheist if he had known what we know today.”

Really?! The arrogance of some men simply knows no bounds. Maybe Mr. Richard Dawkins is the Nimrod of our day - full of himself even when standing before God (see Genesis 10:9).

One request: Mr. Dawkins, please don't be a Nimrod (again), you are just a man no matter how smart you are, while Jesus is God.

Deal with it.

What is it like?

What is it like to die?

What is it like to be brought back to life?

What is it like to live in a coma for 10 days?

What is it like to be in recovery with instructions to always try to “do more,” but not “too much?”

What is it like, days later while walking about, to see the one, “I take one look and know the man, as well as I know my brother. This man was my “respiratory therapist.” His was the first face I saw on waking from my coma.”

One of his thoughts, “To say what you feel towards these people and all the others of your friends and family is a sense of "gratitude" does not even begin to get on the scale of what you feel.....”

This is Gerard Van der Leun's story. It happened to him. You may read his story/essay here. It is a great read - as are the comments.

More importantly though after reading Gerard's story, wonder how it be when we finally recover from this life and meet Jesus in the eternal next life.

The author of the above article gives us a glimpse of what it will be like to meet the man who gives us eternal salvation.

Perhaps, (paraphrasing) “To say what I will feel towards the people and all the others, friends and family, who never stopped praying for me and my salvation is a sense of "gratitude" that does not even begin to get on the scale of what I feel. After all, I am in heaven and could have ended up in hell."

My gratitude? Boundless.

Don’t Quit! Don’t Give Up!

Letter to my Dear Daughter,

You don’t know (maybe you suspect) the number of times I have hoped and prayed you would quit and give up your dream of making a living from handmade jewelry and hand dyed yarn.

Tonight is a different story. Don’t Quit! Don’t Give Up! I was wrong. I think I knew I was wrong in my heart of hearts (you know – the place sealed by the Holy Spirit) and that’s probably the reason I never voiced my concerns to you. Now I won’t be voicing them, except to say (with a great deal of humility), “I was wrong.”

Just watched two videos on “made by hand” and the first one was on handmade kitchen knives (kitchen knives!) of all things. Something gritty inside me really responded to that video. Maybe it was time spent around machinery in a machine shop, working in my Dad’s garage a few times, or working in my own garage when I used to do my own automotive maintenance.

Maybe it was something else. I don’t know.

I do know something in me responded deeply to the video.

Then I watched the second video on a startup micro distillery. It was part way through the second video I began to understand you and your passion for almost anything handmade.

To tell the truth, I still don’t get all of it. But I get enough of it now to say to you Dear Daughter, “Don’t Quit! Don’t Give Up!”

I love you and as always wish you the greatest success in your endeavors. Now fill up your website, DaharaDreaming.com, with handmade products ready for the market.

Love you,

Dad, nwJ

PS: One day you may have to give up, but only after you have tried your best and your hardest.

(h/t americandigest.org for initial links)

Seven Billion

Sometime on Monday, October 31, 2011 a human being was born increasing the number of living humans to 7,000,000,000 or seven billion on planet earth.

Now one billion is a big number (really big as one billion seconds is approximately 31.7 years) and seven billion is obviously seven times greater.

Many people are already in despair and claiming the sky is about to fall because we now have seven billion people on our planet. They are asking, "What are we going to do about this incredible population explosion before we are all lost and drown in this sea of humanity."

First of all a little perspective is called for here.

Let's just answer one question first, "Where in the world could we put so many people?"

Answer: "How about Texas? It is the second largest state in the USA with 268,820 sq. miles which computes to 7,494,271,488,000 square feet (sf) or about 7.5 Trillion sf."

A little division and that comes out to about 1,071 sf available per person in Texas alone for all (every single person) seven billion.

Imagine that, everyone in Texas and the rest of the world vacant, empty, devoid of mankind.

But few people will live alone in their 1,071 sf (lots of folks, like married couples and families) will share 1,071 sf or a bit more. If apartment buildings are used for most people, then half or more of Texas would be vacant as well. Or would it be vacant?

Probably not. The rest of Texas would be full of roads, shopping centers, restaurants, manufacturing and anything else 7,000,000,000 people might be interested in.

Heck, if the apartment buildings for all seven billion are Texas sized (many stories high) and made available for most people, then all 7 billion people could fit in less that 33 percent of Texas leaving 67 percent vacant ... along with the rest of the world.

So, forgive me, but no cries of despair here.

However, there is one question that keeps bothering me, "How is the world are we to get the gospel of Jesus Christ to all 7 billion people on this wonderful earth of His?"

It would surely be easier if they were all in Texas.