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This fun article is about sifting out the stuff that really matters in chess, and pinpointing the most exhilarating experiences you can extract from chess. It recognises that chess players are not simply chess machines ! They have basic human needs such as squandering cash, making mistakes, realising ambitions, racking up memories, and embarking on exotic travels, and seeking sexual adventures! Any chess player who's achieved of all the 100 things listed here fully deserves an honorary chess Grandmaster title!
1. Have breakfast with "the Boss" - Garry Kasparov!
Having breakfast with Kasparov who is arguably the greatest player the world has ever seen should be a highly memorable experience. If you ever get the opportunity, it might be interesting to ask him about the Botvinnik school, and his rise to the top of the chess world. If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, you might ask him about how he felt when he was 5 nil down to Karpov in the 1984 World championship match; his suspicions of how the Deep(er) blue team conspired to help their computer beat him! ; question if he reckons he could have beaten Fischer in his prime! Challenging him to a blitz game, might make you a happy bunny, especially if he lets you win!
Do it: and submit a report to Chess Monthly!
Done it? _____
2. Invent an opening and name it after yourself!
Frank Marshall allegedly kept an opening surprise for ten years to play against the great Capablanca. Even though he lost with his gambit, the Marshall gambit is still very popular today! Lots of players have had openings named after them, so why shouldn't you be one of them, even if it only gets known around your local chess clubs!
Do it: It could catch on at your local club!
Done it? _____
3. Date a strong grandmaster e.g. Judit Polgar
Going out with a strong female grandmaster maybe a quick route to improving your game, and especially your mating combinations!
Do it: and improve your mating combinations!
Done it? _____
4. Play a brilliant queen sacrifice to finish off a game with style!
There is nothing quite like winning with a final queen sacrifice! The Queen is the highest value piece after the king, and to give it up to deliver a final blow is quite exhilarating!
Do it: and make sure its a sound queen sacrifice!
Done it? _____
5. Play a game of living chess!
Wouldn't it be interesting to have people play out your devious chess moves!
Do it: and make sure it's not a very long game!
Done it? _____
6. Play in a foreign tournament!
Chess is a global game, and it might be an experience to play in a prestigious foreign tournament, e.g. the First Saturday tournament played in Hungary.
Do it: before all tournaments are held on the Internet
Done it? _____
7. Play in a top tournament
The Lloyds bank masters used to be a real pleasure to play in. People from all over the World used to come to the United Kingdom and play in the Lloyds bank masters. It was extremely special. Lots of Russian Grandmasters and people over 2500 who were untitled. There were demonstration boards for the top games, blitz dramas at the end of games. If you were lucky enough to win some of the early round games, you could be facing up to IM's and GM's, as your punishment! There are other top tournaments which you can play in like the Hastings congress
Do it: before the tournament stops running like the Lloyds bank masters has :-(
Done it? _____
8. Help your chess club win the local league!
Sometimes winning for yourself is not enough. If you can win also for your club, and for your club to win the local league, it can be a great sense of achievement and exhilaration!
Do it: before your chess club gets disbanded, because the price of petrol makes it too expensive to travel to it
Done it? _____
9. Play blindfold successfully!
It would be a real feat if you could play a good game independent of having a physical chess board!
Do it: while you still have that kind of concentration needed
Done it? _____
10. Crush an International master/ Grandmaster!
You've got to show that Bunnies have teeth. Strike that memorable win!
Gavriel- IM Crouch (2430) is an interesting example
Do it: and buy that poor IM lunch afterwards
Done it? _____
11. Win a chess tournament!
Even if you win a low ranking tournament, there is an sense of accomplishment and pride which accompanies winning a tournament! If you are not having much like, just have a friendly blitz tournament with some of your fellow bunny friends, and try to win that!
Do it: while you still feel competitive
Done it? _____
12. Join the Kibitzers on the Internet Chess Club (ICC)!
The ICC sometimes has live games being played from major tournaments, and often there is a lot of fun kibitzing going on. Join the fun, and make your analytical contributions!
Do it: because even bunnies/fish have something interesting to say that Grandmasters may have missed
Done it? _____
13. Pretend to be a Russian Grandmaster
The Russians still are very dominant in the game. Enjoy putting on a Russian accent and pose as a Russian Grandmaster!
Do it: while you can still put on a good accent
Done it? _____
14. Pounce on an unsuspecting chess club!
Get good at chess, go to a new chess club and beat up all the bunnies!
Do it: while chess is still played in real life and not just on the Internet
Done it? _____
15. Buy some chess book classics!
By a chess book classic such as "Nimzovich My system" to see what all the fuss is about! You may be surprised how much of an impact they have on your game!
Do it: while you can still get hold of these classics
Done it? _____
16. Play drinking chess!
Combine drink with chess and you may be able to conjure up some brilliant combinations! Just don't inspect them the next day, because you may find they were a bit unsound!
Do it: especially at Christmas time or when you don't have to go to work the next day
Done it? _____
17. Gain an International FIDE rating!
There is a greater sense of global achievement when one obtains a FIDE rating, which is recognised in International chess tournaments.
Do it: and experience being an internationally rated chess player
Done it? _____
18. Win with the Sicilian Dragon !
Even though you are liable to be mated on the h file, playing this risky opening has to be done! You can sometimes crush your opponent with a Rxc3 exchange sacrifice! Besides, an opening which has this cool a name, must be worth playing!
Fossan,P - Ward,C (2300) [B76]
Arnold Cup Gausdal, 1987
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0 0 9.g4 Be6 10.0 0 0 Ne5 11.h4 Qa5 12.Kb1 Nxf3 13.Nxf3 Nxe4 14.Qd3 Nxc3+ 15.bxc3 Bxc3 0
-1
Do it: and experience the power of a dragon symbolic pawn formation!
Done it? _____
19. Win with the Kings Indian!
Shirov,A (2695) - Nunn,J (2615) [E98]
Donner mem Amsterdam (5), 1995
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0 0 6.Nf3 e5 7.0 0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Ne8 10.Be3 f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 h5 13.c5 g5 14.a4 Rf6 15.a5 Rg6 16.cxd6 Nxd6 17.Nd3 g4 18.Bh4 Qf8 19.g3 Bf6 20.fxg4 hxg4 21.Nxf4 exf4 22.Rxf4 Qh6 23.Bxf6 Rxf6 24.Rxf6 Qxf6 25.Bxg4 Ng6 26.Bxc8 Rxc8 27.Qg4 Re8 28.Rf1 Qd4+ 29.Kg2 Kg7 30.Rf4 Nc4 31.Qg5 Qd2+ 32.Kh3 Rh8+ 33.Kg4 Nce5+ 34.Kf5 Rf8+ 35.Ke6 Nd3 0 1
Do it: before you get brainwashed into playing classical boring chess like the Queens Gambit declined
Done it? _____
20. Win with a prepared opening novelty!
Catching an opponent in an opening with a prepared novelty can be very satisfying, especially if it leads to a nice win!
Do it: Because there is nothing like winning without effort at the board
Done it? _____
21. Play in an all night ICC blitz tournament!
You can do this test of endurance. See how well you can play without any sleep!
Do it: before you don't have the stamina for this kind of thing
Done it? _____
22. Produce a brilliant swindle from a completely lost position!
Its naughty but nice when one wins from a completely lost position. Exploit your opponents relaxation just when he thinks he has the game completely sown up. Find that amazing tactical resource that exposes his king to a vicious attack!
Do it: and experience the face of your opponent after they lose
Done it? _____
23. Play "exchange chess!"
Exchange chess is an addictive variant of chess where 4 players are involved. You choose a partner which plays on opposite colour to you. When you capture your opponents piece, you can hand it to you partner and vice-versa. They can then put that piece anywhere on their board! A more brutal variation of this variant is where checks are allowed, so people can put pieces on the board with check!
Do it: and experience the importance of not creating weak squares
Done it? _____
24. See GM Speelman dancing!
There is nothing quite like this experience. This British GM has a unique dancing style which cannot be missed!
Do it: and experience an important part of British chess culture
Done it? _____
25. Play in one of Adam Raoof's IM all play all tournaments!
If your feeling a glutton for punishment, and get a high enough FIDE rating, instead of having a relaxing holiday, play in a super strong tournament to try your luck against International masters!
Do it: and experience mental masochism at the highest level
Done it? _____
26. Play on a stage/enclosure
The top six boards of the old George Goodwin quickplays used to be played on a stage. Getting onto this stage was quite exhilarating. You could see the whole tournament hall from your birds eye position, and the bunnies used to crowd round to watch games on the stage. The Sutton tournaments used to have the top boards playing in an enclosure which produced a similar kind of buzz when playing there!
Do it: and experience this important chess perk for winning
Done it? _____
27. Win your club championship!
It can be greatly satisfying to win your club's own championship!
Do it: and keep reminding fellow members that you beat them
Done it? _____
28. Play in the 4NCL!
The 4NCL is the largest and most popular league in the UK which combines chess with a great social side
Do it: and experience some weekend independence from your girlfriend/ wife for a change
Done it? _____
29. Chess customise your world!
Your computer: Customise your computer to have chess sound effects on receiving email, chess wall paper and a chess screen saver! Check out the downloads page if you want to do this - screensavers and desktop themes!
Your bathroom: You can also customise your bathroom by having a selected book in the bathroom, e.g. a great endgame book which is easy to follow from particular diagrams!
Your work: You can also make work more fun, by setting up a chess club at work, get people addicted to the Internet chess club, and have a tournament diary on the wall!
Your car: On your way to work, you could have a portable chess set in the car in case of a traffic jam and get a chessy number plate, e.g. "D2D4 WINS"
Your pets: Call your pets after famous chess players, e.g. start calling your cat Petrosian!
Your mobile phone: Find out the websites that are WAP enabled, like Chesscorner.com and bookmark them!
Do it: and make your world more chessy
Done it? _____
30. Castle after move forty
Break one of the major beginner rules about castling early. Your king doesn't have to be tucked up early in a safe position. In some situations you may be able to successfully delay castling for ages without losing horribly.
Do it: and experience breaking a beginner's rule
Done it? _____
31. Beat one of the worlds top ten players
There may be a simultaneous display opportunity where you could beat a famous chess player in. Take the opportunity and go for it.
Do it: and tell your children about it
Done it? _____
32. Using your king in a mating attack!
The King is sometimes an effective attacking piece in the middlegame! Don't rule out the possibility of using it one day when the situation demands it!
Do it: and experience how dynamic chess can be
Done it? _____
33. Point out to a grandmaster the elementary win they missed
Sometimes in the midst of a tournament game, a grandmaster might miss a simple winning move, and instead play out an inferior move. Take your opportunity to point the elegant win they missed after the game.
Do it: and show that even the top players don't always play the best moves
Done it? _____
34. Set up a web site for your chess club!
Setting up a fun website for your local club can be good fun, and adding games from club members is just one of the many things you can add to make it interesting!
Do it: because chess games unlike football is easy to present on the Internet. Example: 1. e4 e5
Done it? _____
35. Crush a GM on the Internet chess club at blitz chess!
In Blitz chess there is more likelihood of beating a Grandmaster because they could make a costly mistake at this speed. Try challenging some GM's on the ICC, and you may get lucky!
Do it: before the GM's just start exclusively playing each other
Done it? _____
36. Star in a TV quiz show!
Many chess players this year (2000) have starred in TV quiz shows successfully or otherwise. First it was Jim Plaskett in Who wants to be a millionaire but unfortunately he didn't qualify for the hot seat. But chess players were not deterred. We started invading the TV series Countdown. Abimbola Adelaja was the first one at it with Carol Vorderman as one of the show hosts (who coincidentally was involved with the Kasparov vs. Short match). Adelaja won three Countdown shows in a row before being
knocked out. Then International master Matthew Turner got to the final of Countdown on Christmas day but unfortunately he lost. We have also invaded the TV show entitled The Weakest Link. The very modest CJ was so rude he was invited back to play on the bad losers edition which he won! Matti Watton from Birmingham did best of all winning the grand final of the challenging quiz show 15 to 1. Congratulations to him!
Do it: you could become a millionaire
Done it? _____
37. Teach chess!
It can be satisfying to get others into the game, by teaching them the basics of the game, or other knowledge that you have to offer them.
Do it: because we need to spread the word about chess especially to future generations
Done it? _____
38. Do group analysis of a game finding interesting variations!
Doing a post-mortem of a game/ opening variation analysis with friends can be very revealing, finding many hidden variations and ideas!
Do it: and experience other people's ideas
Done it? _____
39. Go over a game with a strong computer program!
Programs like Fritz and Hiarcs can really be quite shocking when you put them to analyse your games. They will sometimes find brilliant tactics!
Do it: and experience why computers are overtaking us
Done it? _____
40. Watch a World championship game live!
It can be very interesting to see a world championship game live! Some of the Barnet bunnies went to see the first game of Kramnik-Kasparov this year
Do it: and experience people playing the Berlin variation
Done it? _____
41. Outplay someone in a quiet endgame position!
Capablanca used to value the endgame more than other areas of the game. Show this acquired skill by beating people in seemingly dull endgames! You can often use your king very aggressively!
Do it: and experience using your king aggressively rather than being tucked away
Done it? _____
42. Play the Morra-Smith gambit against the Sicilian
This gambit is more dangerous than you would imagine at club player level. Read a paper on it, and give it a try at your local club!
Do it: and experience a quality gambit
Done it? _____
43. Visit some of the excellent chess websites on the Internet!
The Internet has some great places that are well worth bookmarking for the avid chess enthusiast. A very short selection of places that are highly recommendable are:-
Tim Krabbe's excellent chess curiosities website! This website has all sorts of interesting stuff. Make sure you try out the Bobby Fischer cube!
Visit the Chess Cafe website! This website has really high quality articles!
Keep up to date with the Week In Chess!
If you haven't heard of this site, then your missing out! It should be one of your top bookmarks for keeping you informed of what is happening in the chess world!
Keep up to date with the British Chess Magazine web site!
This now has international as well as British chess news. There is excellent coverage of the 4NCL chess league. There is also a brilliant archive - BritBase as well as the most up to date diary of UK events!
See Scott Mcloud's "My obsession with chess" cartoon website and see how your obsession with chess matches up!
ChessCorner.com is an attractively designed website that has some really great things! There is a very active chess forum, a huge ICQ members group, a really nice gallery of World champion pages, a really nice set of tutorials for the beginner/ intermediate chess player!
Kasparovchess.com is packed with great content and is also the most heavily funded web site in history at the time of writing!
Do it: and bookmark them for future viewings
Done it? _____
44. Be a chess hustler for a day!
There are plenty of places like pubs, cafes and parks where one can hustle for chess. A successful hustler with subtly lose the first few games to gain their victim's confidence. Once this has been achieved, the stakes are generally raised, and the hustler pounces on the unsuspecting victim.
Do it: and win some pocket money
Done it? _____
45. Get ChessBase!
ChessBase is not just for the professional chess player. It makes chess games more interesting in its latest version by actually showing photos of the players, and choosing the most relevant age picture of that person. For example you can see John Nunn and Mestel above aged 22 and 20 respectively!
Do it: and experience how chess players dress sense and hair styles has evolved over the decades
Done it? _____
46. Watch your top player in the club get crushed by Fritz/ Hiarcs
See how your top club player does against your computer chess program at blitz chess. These programs have really improved!....
Do it: and publish some of the most crushing computer wins on your club's web site
Done it? _____
47. See "Chess" the Musical!
You must see Chess the musical which captures some of the drama of the chess world in its story lines!
Done it? _____
48. Visit a Russian Chess Club!
It would be interesting to visit a Russian chess club, such as the Moscow central chess club which Fischer gave a visit once!
Do it: because you wouldn't go to Russia otherwise
Done it? _____
49. Play two different games at the same time!
GM Michael Adams once did this successfully at a junior chess championship!
Do it: and get on the fast route for increasing the number of games you play in a season
Done it? _____
50. Visit some chess shops!
The London chess centre is a fun shop to visit in London, which has tonnes of books and equipment as well as some very friendly chess playing staff! Give Chris Duncan/ James Coleman a thrashing at blitz chess while you search for your chosen chess accessories!
The BCM chess shop is also well stocked with great chess accessories and is well worth a visit
Do it: and get yourself some quality chess accessories
Done it? _____
51. Take up one minute chess!
One minute chess is the fastest form of blitz chess, where all your moves have to be played within a minute or you lose on time
Do it: before your reactions slow down too much
Done it? _____
52. Give a blindfold simultaneous!
The World champion Alexander Alekhine pulled off this remarkable feat, by actually winning against strong opposition!
Do it: and experience not knowing for sure where any of your pieces are
Done it? _____
53. Get entangled in a chess newsgroup controversy!
The accused- NatalieR aka Sundaygirl
Beat off those trolls in the newsgroups by defending the honour of a Russian chess beauty!
Do it: and see how active a seemingly boring chess newsgroup can suddenly become
Done it? _____
54. Play a game of correspondence chess by Email!
A great website for you to play Email chess is www.very-best.de
Do it: and experience having a really long game of chess
Done it? _____
55. Play tournament chess in an Italian restaurant setting!
There is nothing quite like this experience!
Do it: and experience chess in an Italian restaurant
Done it? _____
56. Celebrate chess club victories in the local pub!
There is nothing like the pub for celebrating after a great victory! The picture is above is one of Barnet's classic victories over Hertford in the Hertfordshire chess league!
Do it: and experience the alcohol making the victory seem even more satisfying
Done it? _____
57. Win an inter-club blitz chess tournament!
Winning a blitz tournament is quite exhilarating if you can pull it off. Some of the Barnet bunnies managed to win the Capes Trophy in 1999
Do it: and experience group victory
Done it? _____
58. Get coaching from a top grandmaster!
If you can afford it, why not go for a personal chess tutor of the highest calibre!
Do it: and possibly improve very quickly
Done it? _____
59. Meet your chess hero!
Who is your favourite Grandmaster? Kasparov? Shirov? Kramnik? Colin McNab? Try and get to meet them. Look out for tournaments in your country which they are likely to play in, and try and be there!
Do it: and try and get some chess tips from them
Done it? _____
60. Play the perfect miniature!
If you can create a nice miniature with a nice little combination early on in the game, it can be really satisifying! See some of Capablanca's miniatures as examples!
Do it: and experience chess move efficiency for winning
Done it? _____
61. Revive old chess enthusiasts!
Awaken the interest of chess ex-enthusiasts by highlighting to them what they are missing nowadays. With the Internet they can now play conveniently against a wide range of opposition and keep track of the latest news for example!
Do it: and help chess become more popular
Done it? _____
62. Learn to lose in an honourable way!
Losing can be painful, but its best to lose with grace! There will often be other opportunities to get revenge!
Do it: because there is a one in three chance that you will lose, as well as draw or win unless you include the possibility of the game being aborted/ suspended etc
Done it? _____
63. See ChessBase magazine multimedia of Kasparov's face pulling!
Kasparov has been known to be able to intimidate his Grandmaster opponents. He is known for some interesting and amusing face pulling!
Do it: and experience unique chess multimedia that you don't often get on websites
Done it? _____
64. Get a perfect score at a tournament!
Winning a tournament is great, but winning a tournament with a perfect score is brilliant. There is nothing as pleasing as getting 100% in these chess "exams" of your playing strength!
Do it: and experience perfection
Done it? _____
65. Be a great chess raconteur!
Don't just be a great chess player, be a great story teller, helping to spread the gossip in the chess world!
Do it: because there is some interesting gossip in chess
Done it? _____
66. Dress with style at tournaments!
Chess players have a reputation for not being the best dressed people at tournaments. Help reduce this reputation by dressing up in style, and show professionalism for this great mind sport!
Do it: and help chess players become as professional as snooker players
Done it? _____
67. Entice receiving an Email from a relative of a legendary chess player!
When the relative of a legendary chess player Emails you, it can come as a really shocking but quite exhilarating experience! You can maximise your chances of this happening by creating webpages for famous chess personalities in the past as a kind of fishing net! Remember to put a few typos in also!
Do it: and report it to the chess newsgroup/on a website
Done it? _____
68. Observe high rated games on the ICC while you are waiting to play a game!
There is no need to hang around waiting for a game on the ICC, when you can type "ob *" and see a high rated game while you are waiting!
Do it: and experience quality blitz chess
Done it? _____
69. Crack the alias names of famous Grandmasters on the ICC!
Chess players used to be employed at cracking codes during the war. It should be easy enough to find out some of the true identities of GM's on the Internet chess club!
Do it: because they may be one of your chess idols
Done it? _____
70. Subscribe to quality chess magazines!
New In Chess! is arguably the greatest International chess magazine to get hold of. It has some really dramatic in depth articles, that you will very rarely get a glimpse of on the Internet!
Chess Monthly! is a really good chess magazine to get, to add to your enjoyment of chess! Magazines unlike websites can be read on the way to work, and their articles are often of a higher quality than websites! This magazine has some great features including "How Good is your chess", "Addicts corner", "Bits and Pieces", "Problem Album", as well as events coming up for your chess diary.
British Chess Magazine Subscribe to a magazine with a really rich history and culture! The famous British Chess Magazine, established 1881, is a must for every real enthusiast of the game. Every month, for well over 100 years, top contemporary chess writers have submitted fascinating reports on current tournaments, historical features, and a host of other chess-related topics. If you are interested in new chess books, the modern-day BCM is a source without parallel - their substantial reviews
section appears every issue and covers every important new chess book released.
Kingpin is a very entertaining chess magazine with a clear emphasis on humour!
It is arguably the most entertaining chess magazine you can get! And apparently Kingpins readers are all very good looking and intelligent like the example reader above!
Do it: and experience great chess content which you can read on the train
Done it? _____
71. Set a grading goal and achieve it!
There is something very satisfying about setting goals and achieving them!
Do it: and improve your ego
Done it? _____
72. Organise a chess club trip to another country!
Get your local chess club to organise a trip abroad to play against a foreign chess club!
Do it: and experience a different country's chess culture
Done it? _____
73. Make your club champion play a simultaneous against everyone!
The winner of the club championship should play a simultaneous against everyone!
Do it: and hopefully crush your club champion
Done it? _____
74. Play losing chess
In this variation of chess, the objective is to lose all your piece before the opponent!
Do it: to get leaving pieces en-prise out of your system
Done it? _____
75. Play through some of the brilliant games of the "Romantic chess" era!
Some of the games of the "Romantic chess" era are really beautiful to play through! See for example Chesscorner.com's excellent page and make sure you play through Andersson-Kieseritzky 1851!
Do it: and experience truly exciting and dramatic games
Done it? _____
76. Play in a tournament which has extremely rich heritage, tradition and culture behind it!
Some tournaments have been a fixture for the International tournament calendar for many years even centuries!!. One example is the Hastings Chess Congress! Experience the culture of such an event!
Do it: and experience what a tournament with a great history is like
Done it? _____
77. Watch a brilliant blitz chess player in action!
In some tournaments, you can get to see high class blitz games in between rounds. These can be very exciting to see how quickly combinations can be found! And sometimes these combinations are sound! If you can't be bothered to see some great blitz players in real life, then you could cop out with To Do number 68 above!
Do it: and experience James Bond like chess resourcefulness
Done it? _____
78. Keep your greatest wins in good condition, for your chess autobiography!
You never know, you might want your games published in the future. Even if they are not published in a chess book, they may find their way on your local chess club's website!
Do it: and gain chess immortality through your games
Done it? _____
79. Experience Nimzovich's blockade and restraint concepts for yourself!
Nimzovich was arguably one of the greatest chess writers in history. If you have to play the Nimzo-indian a few times to experience the satisfaction of blockade and restraint, then do it! There is nothing like doubling the opponents pawns and blockading them. You can also sometimes ruin the power of the opponents bishops in the process!
Do it: and experience what all this Nimzovich hype is about
Done it? _____
80. Subscribe to rec.games.chess.misc!
This is one of the most active Internet newsgroups for chess, and often has some very interesting threads which you would be hard pressed to find covered elsewhere!
Do it: and get involved in the interesting threads
Done it? _____
81. Get revenge on an opponent!
It is very satisfying to beat someone that has crushed you in the past. Make sure you play long enough and as many times as needed against that player to reap a well deserved revenge! It helps if that player is not rated over FIDE 2700!
Do it: and get sweet revenge
Done it? _____
82. Try and get hold of "The World of Chess" by Saidy and Lessing
This is a really beautifully illustrated "passionate "chess book which has all sorts of great pictures like the one above which shows one of Moscow's greatest chess halls!
Do it: and see more pictures like the above
Done it? _____
83. Win a decisive team game of a team match
Winning the decisive game of a team match can be hugely satisfying. For example if you team wins the league as a result of your win.
Do it: and experience being the hero of the team
Done it? _____
84. Talk to a chess enthusiast about the impact of the Fischer Spassky match!
The Fischer Spassky match was arguably one of the greatest matches in chess history. Talk to a chess enthusiast who was around at the time, and find out how it impacted the chess world. This match symbolically represented the United States versus Russia!
Do it: and find out why this match gripped the general media let alone the chess media
Done it? _____
85. Buy (or even better get bought) a "luxury" chess set for your living room!
Do it: and impress visitors with your level of cultural sophistication and elegance, but whatever you do, don't play blitz chess with it
Done it? _____
86. Agree a ten move draw with a grandmaster
If a grandmaster simply has to draw the last round of a tournament, they will quite often be willing to agree a draw even with a much lower rated opponent. So here lies your chance to offer a quick draw.
Do it: and tell everyone you once drew with a Grandmaster
Done it? _____
87. Hold blitz tournaments at your house!
Chess can be fast and furious. Arrange mini four way blitz tournaments at your house, and provide lots of coke, crisps and peanuts to much on during the games!
Do it: Because chess isn't just about long boring games
Done it? _____
88. Create an aesthetic unique chess position!
Alterman - Deep Fritz, KasparovChess, 15 November 2000
Putting all your pawn's on the eighth rank like Alterman did to beat a strong computer, made the game famous because the wall has a very strong aesthetic quality.
Do it: And experience chess enthusiasts around the world talking about your game
Done it? _____
89. Create a famous chess quotation
"The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made. - Tartakover"
You don't necessarily have to be an elite chess player to have quotations after you. Sometimes general wittiness and humour go a long way, for the less well known players. This was true for example of Tartakover, who although was never world champion, has an exceptional number of chess quotations!
Do it: and look out for your quote being used in the chess media
Done it? _____
90. Play over the games of Paul Morphy
Morphy may not have been a brilliant positional player, but his tactical ability was and is stunning even by today's high standards. He was an uncrowned King who may very well have been able to defeat Staunton had Staunton not avoided a match against him.
Do it: and be inspired
Done it? _____
91. Use underpromotion
Promoting a pawn to a queen is not always the best kind of pawn promotion. Some positions demand that under-promotion be used. For example promoting to a knight forcing mate or promoting to a rook to avoiding stalemating the opponent.
Do it: and experience this rare occasion
Done it? _____
92. Be one of the last ten people to leave at the bar the night before the next round of a tournament!
This is a great way to catch up on the latest gossip and news in the chess world.
Do it: and see how well you can play the next day
Done it? _____
93. Get the opponent in an opening trap
Sometimes it pays off to play a trappy move/ opening to gain a quick victory against an unsuspecting victim. The above diagram can be reached after the following moves:-
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Qe2 Ngf6 6.Nd6# Qe2 is not the best move in the world. But White could follow up if black played e6, with g3 and Bg2
Do it: and gain a quick victory
Done it? _____
94. Get an outrageous blitz rating on the ICC
It is possible in a single evening to win over 100 rating points. You just need a good run of wins!
Do it: and experience being a 2600 (ICC rating)
Done it? _____
95. Learn Russian just so you can read Russian chess literature!
Ex-world champion Robert Fischer learnt the basics of Russian so that he could
understand Russian chess books and magazines!
Do it: and gain a new avenue of chess education
Done it? _____
96. Write a best selling chess book!
You needn't be a GM or IM to write a best selling chess book but it helps. Kingpin magazine provide some useful pointers if you wanted to give it a try.
Do it: and gain fame and fortune
Done it? _____
97. Win on time in a completely lost position
At some point or another you are bound to do this, except if you always do the honorable thing and resign in a completely lost position. But sometimes you could have been swindled from being previously winning, or your opponent might have consumed vast amounts of time on seemingly obvious moves. Whatever the pre-cursor, it can be satisfying in a naughty way to win on time in a lost position.
Do it: and teach the opponent to move quicker
Done it? _____
98. Give checkmate in an interesting way
By castling! Now this is checkmating your opponent in style! It might be difficult however to bring up a situation which this is likely to occur!
By smothered mate
Slade,R vs Hooper DV WECU Bristol 1947
Another way of checkmating your opponent in style is with a knight in a smothered mate.
With only bishop and knight! There is a pattern for mating with just a bishop and knight against the opponents king which is quite beautiful and contains a seemingly paradoxical bishop movement. It is helpful to learn it before trying to do it in a real game!
Do it: and experience checkmating in style
Done it? _____
99. Get your opponent in Zugzwang!
Nimzovich has just played the quote h6 in the "immortal zugzwang" game!
Saemich vs Nimzovich 1923
Zugzwang is a frequent visitor in endgames with much reduced material. However it can sometimes happen in the middlegame. It is very satisfying to run the opponent out of useful moves, until any move they make loses.
Do it: and experience winning in style
Done it? _____
100. Join Barnet chess club!
If you happen to live in the UK, you could join Barnet chess club!
Do it: and get your games published on this website!
Done it? _____
Copyright 2000-2005 by Tryfon Gavriel, all rights reserved.
About the Author
Tryfon Gavriel is the webmaster of the
http://www.chessworld.net casual correspondence chess server and Barnet chess club
online - http://www.gtryfon.demon.co.uk/bcc/
.
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