Smashing offer mlb62 hopefully someone will take you up on it.

You can get this mag archived online which is where I go sometimes
for something to kick off a blog idea or just general browsing.

https://new.uschess.org/chess-life-digital-archives

Just slick on the year, then select a month. To see if it still
worked I selected 1997 and at random the month of July.

https://uscf1-nyc1.aodhosting.com/CL-AND-CR-ALL/CL-ALL/1997/1997_07.pdf

On page 48 we see a picture of a 10 year Hikaru Nakamura on page 47 is
his elder brother Asuka who looked destined to be just as good as Hikaru.

Hi David,

I guessed Bullet Chess right away before even looking but maybe the O.P. could
have waited until tomorrow April 1st. before posting.

Hi BigDogg,

It's not that I do like them, I do in a way, it is just that I get sucked in and other
things get left undone and appointments missed.

That one you set in 2020 (gosh as long ago as that?) by Unto Heinonen.
I got a full article out of it CHESS monthly in January 2021. I'll give the meat of it.

Murder in 22 Moves.

A very clever person once worked out how many possible positions there are on
a chessboard after five moves by each player. The figure I have seen quoted is
69,352,859,712,417. I cannot vouch for it being correct, I calculated in pencil
on the back of a brown envelope 69,352,859,712,416 one digit out.
Perhaps I missed an en passant capture somewhere.

So how many possible positions are there after 22 moves? Let us settle on quite a lot.
Now look at this position after Black has played their 22nd move.


(I then go into detail how certain moves and under promotions had to happen)

I have solved and suffered enough of these to know nothing is at it seems
and before weeping with joy after solving and then appreciating the sheer beauty
of maestro Heinonen’s handiwork, I cursed him, his parents and anyone or anything
else that came within range.

I gave up twice but was lured back because after solving it in 23 moves I knew I was
too close to just jack it in. Also the person who set it for me, [you big dogg] and they
too were cursed with leprosy when I was struggling, encouraged me by saying I was
so near (...and yet so far.)

It is time for the detective to gather the suspects into the lounge and
reveal who did what to whom and when it happened.

(I then give the game with notes explaining the why and where for.) I end with;

Is it not amazing how this and other such wonderful examples of chess creativity can
be portrayed with 32 bits of wood and a chequered board. Take me to an art gallery
and I’ll occasionally mutter ‘hmmm...not bad.’ but masterpieces like this leave me
totally gob-smacked especially when I think of the work that went into it.
Bravo Unto Heinonen. Bravo!

Hi congruent

Calrsen lost in a bullet game to Faustino Oro a 10 year old from Argentina who
I'm sure we will hear more of in the future.

I'll refrain from posting a bullet game on a correspondence site, the two are poles apart. But this lad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=l0wdfUPK-0k

is usually good. (he has even done a few of my OTB games so him I plug !)
he gets 10 minutes out of a game that took Faustino Oro 38 seconds.

I remember Battle Chess. Once you had seen 4-5 times it took too long.
The did have a standard display which I used when I played it.
Battle Chess was out for XP in a package along with a few other programs.

I don't like these flat travel sets. I use a plug in set that I was given to me in 1972/73
by B.H. Wood the editor of CHESS magazine for helping his cart a load of books and
boxes from his van into the tournament hall.

It went all over Europe and North Africa with me. the squares are faded a bit
(especially the f7 and h7 squares where I sac things.) I still have all the same pieces
and it still goes with me when I travel about.

It is good. Very good. I did look at 3.Kxe7 for about 3 seconds a day before
you gave me the hint. Of course I tried pawn to a4 first and it soon dawned on me
that it is a2-a3. Tell the composer I hate him.

The candidates to find a challenger to play Ding Liren in December starts soon.

There is another chess coincidence in the making. Ding won the world title because
Carlsen did not want to play in the final. (Ding came 2nd in the 2022 candidates)
And Abasov is in the candidates because Carlsen did not want to play.
Carlsen qualified for the candidates by winning the world cup. Carlsen beat Abasov
in the semi-final of the world cup. Abasov took his qualifying spot.
The coincidence markers are they there...

At last!

Ahh..the a-pawn promotes, my first thought was a promotion but I missed
that one completely because I was getting so close my way. Good fun though.
(please no more for a week or two.)

This is best I can do, I am probably being stupid missing something obvious.
I've given up.

Hi BigDogg

I'll figure it out...eventually. I was trying to do it whilst watching the football and now
I have to prepare a lecture for tomorrow. I'll give them this. 🙂

This is the best I can do so far.

Had a look last night.



Working on a theory the b-pawn takes on a2, b1 Knight off taking things, the
h8 Rook, the e7 pawn and c8 Bishop. a1 rook moves to b1, black pawn on a2
promotes to Rook, that Rook goes to b5 or c6, white b1 Rook goes back to a1
to vacate b1 for Knight to return home. (or something like that.)