Author Archives: chessmusings

Anamnesis 

     Emory Tate “was a man, take him for all in all. I shall not look upon his like again.” – William Skakespeare (Hamlet)

A 75-year-old man saved children from knife attack during chess club

   He’d finished his tutorial and was walking around the room to survey the children’s chess moves when a man brandishing two knives burst into the room threatening to kill them. The children, aged 7 to 14, froze in their seats…. Read the full article via http://ift.tt/1Mv6Sut

The Richest Chess Tournament Ever is Happening Right Now in Vegas (Excerpt from Maxim)

   While chess is definitely having a moment — the recent release of Pawn Sacrifice, starring Toby Maguire as eccentric chess whiz Bobby Fischer; the rock star status of current world champion Magnus Carlsen, the highest-rated human to ever play the game — I’ll admit this upfront: It does not ge… Read the full articleContinueContinue reading “The Richest Chess Tournament Ever is Happening Right Now in Vegas (Excerpt from Maxim)”

#NationalChessDay

Did you know that the second Saturday of October is National Chess Day? I celebrated the occasion with my family at the Weibel Quads in Fremont, California. The tournament was well run and I had a great time reviewing chess games, visiting with friends and celebrating chess.Kudos to Alan Kirshner for another nice event.  ContinueContinue reading “#NationalChessDay”

On Chess: Millionaire Chess offers high gloss and high risk

Part of any good chess player’s repertoire includes gambits, sacrifices and risks. Specific player’s style of play makes them take this path more often than others; this includes those who prefer a high risk/high reward situation rather than consistency…. Read the full article via http://ift.tt/1R1UXHY

Pawn Sacrifice: Bobby Fischer Chess Puzzle 2

In today’s puzzle, we try to find an improvement over Fischer’s Qd6+. The unplayed improvement is actually a forced mate in 3 that Bobby Fischer missed over the board. I imagine that the then 15-year-old Fischer was so caught up in the excitement of slaying the dragon that he failed to search for a betterContinueContinue reading “Pawn Sacrifice: Bobby Fischer Chess Puzzle 2”

Review: ‘Pawn Sacrifice’ ably follows Bobby Fischer’s unraveling, move by move

LOS ANGELES – No sports fan need be reminded of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, but what about the agony of victory, the unraveling that can occur when your triumph is so complete there are no more worlds to conquer?… Read the full article via http://ift.tt/1FXZV7X

Pawn Sacrifice: Bobby Fischer Chess Puzzle 1

The movie Pawn Sacrifice has put the games of Bobby Fischer back into the spotlight. Below is a puzzle from one of Bobby’s games. Can you spot the winning combination?     Here is the complete game for your further enjoyment:   [Event “Curacao Candidates”] [Site “Willemstad CURACAO”] [Date “1962.06.14”] [EventDate “1962.05.02”] [Round “22”] [ResultContinueContinue reading “Pawn Sacrifice: Bobby Fischer Chess Puzzle 1”

A conversation with ‘Pawn Sacrifice’ producer Gail Katz

ST. LOUIS — Once in awhile, in my role as a movie critic, other grand opportunities present themselves and my fortuitous meeting with “Pawn Sacrifice’s” producer at an industry cocktail party rates as one such opportunity. The St…. Read the full article via http://ift.tt/1LrBUss

The Age of Bobby Fischer: Before Facebook Mated Eccentrics

The brilliant new Hollywood movie “Pawn Sacrifice” portrays the life of tormented chess genius Robert James “Bobby” Fischer from his early days as a prodigy to his historic 1972 match, at age 29, with Russian world champion Boris Spassky…. Read the full article via http://ift.tt/1Gp9F6f

Review: PAWN SACRIFICE (2015) ‘Tobey Maguire is first-rate as the world’s greatest chess player’

He may have lacked social skills, but Bobby Fischer is regarded by most as the greatest chess player of all time…. Read the full article via http://ift.tt/1L7n9ZO

Der Fischer Konig vs. Der Burgermeister

I have been teaching more from the games of Bobby Fischer lately due to the recent release of the movie Pawn Sacrifice. Below are the notes to a lesson I gave last week about Bobby Fischer’s shortest recorded loss. Enjoy… [Event “Bobby Fischer’s Simultaneous Exhibition Tour”] [Site “San Francisco (USA)”] [Date “1964”] [Round “”] [WhiteContinueContinue reading “Der Fischer Konig vs. Der Burgermeister”

Interview: Steven Knight on Mastering the Game in “Pawn Sacrifice”

Of the many things Steven Knight has been up to in recent years as a writer, biographies have rarely been among them, but there was something different about “Pawn Sacrifice…. Read the full article via http://ift.tt/1Vl3jvn

‘Pawn Sacrifice’ Examines Genius Of Chess Champion Bobby Fischer

NPR’s Robert Siegel talks with chess writer and grandmaster Andy Soltis about 11th World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer and the movie Pawn Sacrifice. In the summer of 1972, the world’s attention was improbably focused on chess…. Read the full article via http://ift.tt/1NDQNIs