"...it's not the first time you have kidnapped Africans and enslaved them." "Are you ready to work with us?  Otherwise your situation is gonna be very bad," the [US interrogator] continued. "You know that I know that you know that I have done nothing."  I said.  "You're holding me because your country is strong enough to … Continue reading Guantanamo Diary and #blacklivesmatter →

I'm sure I'm not the only one whose mind went back to thoughts of watching HBO's The Wire after the recent events in Baltimore.  In fact, I know I'm not, because a student of mine shared a blog post from The Nation, by Dave Zirin, provocatively titled "'The Game Done Changed’: Reconsidering ‘The Wire’ Amidst the Baltimore … Continue reading Baltimore Real and Imagined →

In chess it can be very gratifying to weather the storm--i.e., to fend off an opponent's attack with precise, logical moves.  Even better if you can emerge from the skirmish with an advantage, something that happens often when players of my caliber, on the offensive, make mistakes or overextend themselves.  This is what I thought happened … Continue reading Weathering the Storm →

Chess is all about seeing the threats and possibilities that each new position affords.  That, it turns out, is an extraordinarily difficult thing to do.  Positions change constantly, and once you're through the 'opening' stage of the game odds are you'll find yourself in a position you've never seen before.  Seeing what to do--and what … Continue reading The Chess Project: Installment #7: The Back Rank Mate →

In chess the Queen is the most powerful piece on the board.  As the most powerful piece, it is, somewhat paradoxically, the most easily threatened, since it (usually) must flee when any other piece on the board (except for the Queen of opposing color, of course) threatens to capture it.  Because it's easily chased away … Continue reading The Chess Project : Installment #6 : The Overeager Queen →

Fred Reinfeld was a popular American chess writer in the second half of the 20th century, and a pretty accomplished player in his own right.  He wrote scores of books on chess, addressed primarily to players at the advanced beginning-intermediate level.  Unlike a lot of other chess books I've looked at which claim to be … Continue reading The Chess Project: Installment #5: Reinfeld’s Nine Bad Moves →

Here's another gem from my collected works.  I found it in 'Drafts,' and, as you'll discover, it's way too good not to publish. Love Poem   My love for you is a rash That comes and goes.   Inflames, burns, embarrasses-- Then it’s gone.   Where does it go when it’s not upon me? This … Continue reading Love Poem →

Suppose you're fortunate enough to find yourself playing White in the following position: [fen]8/8/8/3k4/8/8/6K1/1R2R3 w - - 0 1[/fen] Mating's a breeze with two rooks against a lone King, and illustrates really nicely the Rook's long-range power.  Simply drive the opponent's King to an edge of the board by cutting-off ranks or files.  Once you … Continue reading The Chess Project: Installment #4: Mating with the Rook(s) →

I recently played an 8 (5) blitz game with my friend (each side has 8 minutes to play all his moves, with a 5 second increment added after each individual move).  Since my first post in this series was on mating with the Queen, and since this game ends with me applying the exact procedure … Continue reading The Chess Project: Installment 3: Passed Pawns →

A famous chess player--I forget which one--once said that even positions that look objectively hopeless often have hidden resources, if only one is persistent enough to find them.  That's a nice line; it intimates the beauty and depth of the game, and also why creativity is as important as calculation (unless you're a computer which … Continue reading The Chess Project: Installment 2: A Chess Puzzle →