Question:
this thread may live but I'll bet it dies. post your chess puzzle graphics here and who's move it is.
first one is for beginners
black moves and mates in one
any links to chess books, art, photos, tournaments, boards and pieces anything chess is welcome.
Chess programs, Fritz anyone? Whats the strongest program running on PC's these days?

Answer:
Frederick,
I seem to recall that you made a funny remark about playing blindfold chess. Was that on the level? If so, my hat is off to you.
I don't usually go for those "Blah to move and win" short puzzles, but I still like to play now and then. I was a USCF tournament player previously. Here's some trivia for you - I had some chess lessons from John Collins. A very fond memory. If you actually know what I'm talking about, we should have a game sometime! Of course, if you can play well blindfolded, you'll probably kill me.
Nowadays I usually only play against chess software.
Oh, I almost forgot... knight to F3, of course. Go ahead, give me the tough stuff.
Cheers, Dave

Answer:
I never played blindfolded the way Capablanca and Alekine did. Nor like the wildman Paul Morphy. I could play a full game of chess over the phone or in another room and the picture of the board in my mind was as clear as if I was with it. This was 25 years ago maybe a bit more or less. I had knee surgery in 1988/89 and I think the anesthesiologist took me a bit too deep. Long story short I've had some mini strokes and may be continuing to get them. Concentration comes and goes on it's terms now. There are a whole host of other CNS issues I'm dealing with so if I play now... well I have a computer.
I haven't played over a board in 17 years. I've read the history of the game which I've found more fascinating than the game itself. all for now. we'll talk again.
oh yea I almost forgot knight to F3 wins easily. Kudos to your playing at tournament level. I played my friend who styled himself after Bobby Fischer and I played at lunch at work for 20 or so years.
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White to play and win in 5 moves.
good luck all

Answer:
Whoa! Lessee here....
Just tuned into this thread. Nice. I used to play quite a bit many years ago but havent tried in years.
Seems the bishop check is necessary as any move not checking the Red King at this point leads to White's demise rather quickly? Also, driving the Red King onto the b1-h7 diagonal via subsequent checks seems a good stratagy, giving the white bishop a possible skewer and relieving the pin on the White rook by the Red Queen with a rook move/check later. Taking the checking bishop by the Red King leads to an early mate by White so that seems out. Also, letting the Red King escape via c6 looks bad for White.
1. d1-a4+ (looks like the key)...b5xa4
2. e2-c3+....d3
3. f1-d2 mate

OR

1................c4
2. b2-b3+....d3
3. c4-b5+....e4
4. g6-g4+......f5
5. f1-e3mate
Am I missing something? I dont have a board anymore and find it much more difficult than years ago to hold positions in my mind and play with them
kbe

Answer:
Originally Posted by kbe Whoa! Lessee here....
Just tuned into this thread. Nice. I used to play quite a bit many years ago but havent tried in years.
Seems the bishop check is necessary as any move not checking the Red King at this point leads to White's demise rather quickly? Also, driving the Red King onto the b1-h7 diagonal via subsequent checks seems a good stratagy, giving the white bishop a possible skewer and relieving the pin on the White rook by the Red Queen with a rook move/check later. Taking the checking bishop by the Red King leads to an early mate by White so that seems out. Also, letting the Red King escape via c6 looks bad for White.
1. d1-a4+ (looks like the key)...b5xa4
2. e2-c3+....d3
3. f1-d2 mate

OR

1................c4
2. b2-b3+....d3
3. c4-b5+....e4
4. g6-g4+......f5
5. f1-e3mate
Am I missing something? I dont have a board anymore and find it much more difficult than years ago to hold positions in my mind and play with them
kbe nice work.
1 Ba4+ Kc4 If 1....Kxa4 then 2. Nc3+ Kb3 3. Nd2++ is Mate 2 b3+ Kd3 3 Bb5+ Ke4 4 Rg4+ Rf4 or 4. Rg4+ Kf5 5. Ne3++ Mate 5 Rxf4++ Mate
it's like music. if you don't use the instrument for years it feels like a foreign object all over again, but it comes back quick. Of course if I spend all day studying chess, how am gonna shop??

Answer:
Thanks. I was rated USCF in the 1800's once upon a time. Lost to Walter Brown in 25 moves once...beat Eduardo Celorio the only two time I played him, once in a tournament and once in a 20-player simultaneous he gave, and both times was playing way above my level. Probably played with anywhere from high 1700s to low 1900s strength in tournaments and matches, depending on the mood...

Answer:
Originally Posted by kbe Thanks. I was rated USCF in the 1800's once upon a time. Lost to Walter Brown in 25 moves once...beat Eduardo Celorio the only two time I played him, once in a tournament and once in a 20-player simultaneous he gave, and both times was playing way above my level. Probably played with anywhere from high 1700s to low 1900s strength in tournaments and matches, depending on the mood... those are respectable numbers ;-)
The friend I referenced above played Donald Byrne to a draw in an exhibition chess match. I think he had boned up on his openings and how to jam up the center of the board so that no would want to play it through.

Answer:
Byrne was a strong Grandmaster in his heyday for sure. I was friends with Anthony Santasiere in his retirement years in Florida, where he continued to play tournaments with at least Master strength for some time. I played many, many off-hand games with him and I can't remember winning even one!
I knew a fellow whose 10 year old daughter could beat him (he was a class A player at the time) with him playing over the board and she playing blindfold!
Unfortunately, his wife detested chess and wouldn't allow the little girl to continue to play. I often wonder if she ever became a strong over the board player as I lost touch with them right after that incident in the early 1970's. I am trying to remember his name without success..Ben was his first name..
George Koltanowski you probably remember used to play well into old age both blindfold and doing the "Knights Tour" without board sight. Morphy's Cafe de la Regence blindfold exhibition with 8 extremely strong French players, winning 6, still ranks up there as one of the most memorable blindfold feats IMO, given the time when it occured.
I had an early version of Fritz loaded on an old IBM Aptiva that crashed and burned the hard drive and I must have lost the disk also as I never found it after to re-load on a new computer. It regularly kicked my butt though when I did play it at full bore..

Answer:
Interesting! White's rook is pinned. The key is to prevent the king from escaping "backwards" through c6.
Ba4 Kc4 (if Kxa4, Nf6, Kb3, Ne2 mate)
b3 Kd3
Bb5 Ke4
Rb4 Kf5 (if Rf4 Rxf4 mate)
Ne3 mate
I see you guys worked this out before me.
I admire the pure beauty of Morphy's games, Alekhine's great attacks, Capablanca's classical elegance, etc., but my style, such as it is, is most similar to a junior Lasker, or maybe Nimzovich - that may tell you something. You could almost tell someone's personality by their style, just as you can with frags! But as you said, frags tempt the ladies much more than chess.
Good to make your acquaintances!
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Originally Posted by kbe Thanks. I was rated USCF in the 1800's once upon a time. Lost to Walter Brown in 25 moves once...beat Eduardo Celorio the only two time I played him, once in a tournament and once in a 20-player simultaneous he gave, and both times was playing way above my level. Probably played with anywhere from high 1700s to low 1900s strength in tournaments and matches, depending on the mood... Cool! Walter Browne - I remember seeing him play a long time ago - wow, I never got up high enough to play someone like that. My rating was somewhat below 1800 when I moved on to other pursuits, but I was able to beat some higher rated players.
The best guy in my club was Class A, and I got him to blunder in a tournament game when he got impatient against my piggish French defense.
This same guy went cuckoo a few years later; he was an airline passenger, and when the plane started to descend, he ran into the cockpit and tried to take the controls. The plane went into a dive, but the crew managed to restrain the guy and land the plane safely.
They questioned him in police custody, and he claimed that the KGB was chasing him, and that he had to stop them. Maybe it's just as well I gave up tournament play - I could have gone bipolar!
I managed to beat a couple of top players in simuls: Jon Tisdall and Edmar Mednis. Maybe one of you guys will be up for a game sometime!
Dave

Answer:
Byrne played Fischer and I believe annotated the "famous game" for the New York Times. The last game which he lost in their match together. Grandmasters didn't understand Fischer's continuance of a game where he had clearly blundered. None of them except Fischer seeing that his sacrifice won. I think Fischer was still in his teens. Sad that even by the time he played Spassky he was already becoming unhinged.
Morphy died young as an alchoholic, Alekin it was rumoured was still sleeping with mom in his adulthood. He admitted to practicing in her bed.