@metal-brain said
I believe honest and fair debates are the best way to find the truth about controversial people. Here is your chance to judge what Bill Gates' intentions are.

https://www.ccn.com/bill-gates-conspiracy-theorists-might-not-be-as-crazy-as-you-think/

I don't think any informed person would claim Bill Gates is a saint, but how good or bad is he? Let's debate the facts an ...[text shortened]... myths surrounding this very wealthy and powerful man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvjwYgu1Mgg

Bill Gates is no saint, he cut some legal corners when building Microsoft, no doubt about it, but your silly conspiracy theory clip is of low quality, even for you.

Here's a novel idea, rather than listening to your comedy talk show drones, try going to the source and find out what Bill and Melinda actually do.

https://www.gatesfoundation.org/

@greenpawn34 said
Black to play:

[fen]r4rk1/3qbppp/p3pn2/3p4/1p1P4/4B1Q1/PPP1NPPP/R3K2R b KQ - 0 15[/fen]
Not liking 15...Rfc8. I'd go for 15...Ne4 (which is surely the idea behind 14...b4.)

Then After White moves the Queen f7-f5 - which is why I like to keep the Rook on f8.
Later If White does not 0-0 and challenges the e4 Knight with Ng3 do not
take it as it opens the h-file. ...[text shortened]... about Qa5 which may squeeze out b3
and then Rac8 hitting a genuine backward pawn on an open file.

Thank You

@duchess64 said
My point is to encourage you NOT to panic and adopt such a defensive state of mind.
Even if Black did NOTHING, White's Bh6 is parried by Ne8.

Examine the original position. Is Black behind in development?
No, Black's slightly ahead in development because White has not castled yet.
Has Black weakened his king's defenses?
No, then why should such a superficial White ...[text shortened]... to continue doing so.
Why should Black be so terrified of losing to a sudden attack out of nowhere?

Why should Black be so terrified of losing to a sudden attack out of nowhere?



Because he's mentally inferior.

I won't ask again....goodbye

@Ragwort

Thank You. Much appreciated.

@duchess64 said
First of all, you should try to improve your notation, which has several errors.
Sloppy notation does not help a player think clearly.

If I were Black, after I noticed White's first several blatant errors, I would conclude
that White has no understanding of what he's doing. I would feel that I don't
have to try hard to win; I most likely would just have to wait for ...[text shortened]... secure kingside.
So why are you already worried about defending? Just relax and enjoy the position!

Just relax and enjoy the position!

OK - Now that I'm relaxed, could you please enlighten this inferior talent (with the poor notation) how to defend against the threat of Bh6 and mate on the next move?

I'm playing black here and reached the following position recently in an OTB game, fortunately I won. Apologies for the notation here, I don't know how to place a diagram in the post box.

1. e4 c6 2. Bc4 d5 3. exd cxd 4. Bb4 Bd2 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bxd7 N(b)d7 7. d4 e6 8. Nf3 Be7 9. Qe2 0-0 10. Ne5 Qc7 11. Nxd7 Qxd7 12. Be3 a6 13. Qf3 b4 14. Qg3 ...

Please try to ignore the inaccuracies by both sides up to this point, but I've lost game after game in similar kingside positions with the white bishop on the c1-h6 diagonal, and the white queen on the g file. White's threat is Bh6. The engine gives 14....b4 here, which is all well and good, however once white's knight moves out of harms way, the same threat remains. I thought 14. ... Nh5 was a decent resource, but the engine gives this a question mark. So, how does black defend here? 15.
Bh6 g6 loses the exchange, and defending the g7 pawn with only the king loses immediately. I can't find a resource in my book. It's black to move. Any ideas??

@couch-curls said
Book recommendations for average player?

Chess Tactics for Champions - Susan Polgar and Paul Truong. Finished it 2 weeks ago. Chapter 20 on traps and counter traps was especially interesting. Anatoly Karpov and Boris Spassky don't write glowing praises on mediocre books, both praised this one in the forward by Karpov and back cover by Spassky. A few typo's are only a minor drawback from this otherwise great book.

@averagejoe1 said
The news is covering e’thing we talk about, re-hashing is boring. How bout list all the stuff ‘coming down the pike’ to your importance? Certainly Kamala’s ‘ Equitable means at the end of the day we will all end up in the same place. “,,,,, That would be number one. ( The pilot who landed the plane will walk by a little janitor cleaning out the lavatory, both being equi ...[text shortened]... an forgiveness for those who haven’t paid their loans, disregarding those who have?

What say you?

I know, it's so silly of those Liberals to focus on the events of January 6th. Boys will be boy's right? Let's dredge up another Hunter Biden story, nit pick about whether we should pay employees a living wage, or keep them below the poverty line. Let's not forget that becoming less dependent on oil and more on cleaner, cheaper renewable energy sources, means we "stop oil" Education - keep those kids in debt, how dare they try to better themselves! Who needs education anyway when you can blow up the planet?! 😠

@sonhouse said
The republican party is now the Trumpican party and they are literally morally bankrupt, not in the slightest interested in an actual democracy but ONLY in keeping their worthless selves in office, in power no matter WHAT so when they 'acquit' Trump, they show their true colors, which will be forever DARK.

We also are looking to see who it was who guided the traitors on J ...[text shortened]... icature of a party now, MUCH too afraid of the Trump base to do ANYTHING against the corrupt Trump.

It was almost funny to watch 40+ Republican Senators staring at their shoelaces during the impeachment proceedings yesterday, trying so very hard not to listen to the charges, the evidence, and the sloppy manner in which Trump's lawyers presented their case. I have a feeling they'll be a lot more shoelace examination before this is all over. They all know very well Donald Trump is as guilty as sin, just as they know if someone named Obama, Clinton, or Biden did something like this, they'd be pounding the pulpit, demanding their head.

@duchess64 said
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/feb/09/how-many-husbands-have-i-had-not-enough-vanessa-redgrave-meets-miriam-margolyes

"I came from a very middle-class Jewish background, always Tory-voting.
And then at university, I was changed into somebody with a heart.
I’ve never looked back!"
--Miriam Margolyes

That's interesting. Many people apparently believe tha ...[text shortened]... on't believe that. It is our duty as human beings to report
the truth as we see it."
--Wikipedia

"Margolyes is a member of the ENOUGH! coalition, a UK group which advocates
the boycott of Israel. She is also a signatory of Jews for Justice for Palestinians.[32]
She said, "What I want to try to do is to get Jewish people to understand what's
really going on, and they don't want to hear it. If you speak to most Jews and say,
'Can Israel ever be in the wrong?' they say, 'No. Our duty as Jews is to support Israel whatever happens.' And I don't believe that. It is our duty as human beings to report the truth as we see it."
--Wikipedia


Interesting post. To your original question I would answer, YES! A university education can change hearts. I've seen many examples of this through the years, in fields such as business, law, engineering etc. people have entered university with rigid views, only to have changed them when they acquire a deeper understanding of not only their selected fields of study, but the university's core curriculum, and of of the world around them. It's a pity higher education has become something to be insulted and scorned of here in America.

@mghrn55 said
If you want to have an intelligent conversation about where humanity is going this century, you might want to factor in our current climate crisis.
At this point the crisis is being driven by 2 factors, imo...
1 - our pursuit of economic prosperity, which is a good thing. But we have to manage that intelligently and responsibly. Our notion that our resources are infinite (r ...[text shortened]... open the link provided. Won't get involved in conspiracy fantasies. Or your Bill Gates fantasies.

btw ....... I didn't bother to open the link provided. Won't get involved in conspiracy fantasies. Or your Bill Gates fantasies.


The fact that you didn't bother to open the link provided simply proves your willful ignorance of the facts. I would also point out that Mr. Gates' views are not driven by anything but hard data.

I'm sensing a little "green eyed monster" problem here. Would the fact that Bill Gates is a real billionaire, and could buy and sell a recently departed President out of his pocket change have anything to do with your views?? 😏

@dood111 said
Maybe you should STFU.
LOOK at all the damage done by democrats over the last year and all the people they have beaten and murdered and businesses they have destroyed.

Maybe you should STFU-


- No

@earl-of-trumps said
'Woke' American Ideas Are a Threat, French Leaders Say

[i]PARIS — The threat is said to be existential. It fuels secessionism. Gnaws at national unity. Abets Islamism. Attacks France’s intellectual and cultural heritage.

he threat? “Certain social science theories entirely imported from the United States,’’ said President Emmanuel Macron.

French politic ...[text shortened]... ave been pushing for a race war for a long time. It isn't working. But it's the thought that counts.

Maybe we should bust into the capital building, kill a few people, destroy some property, then start sniveling about Hunter Biden for the 633rd time.

Sound like a plan? 😴

@gratis-pawn said
I think you need to detach yourself from Master play and focus on being an intermediate player first.

Get there before you assume you understand Master play.

Anyone under 1800 has no idea what a GM or a Master is doing.

On the 3 big sites I am 1850+ at 10 minute games and I have never assumed I was smart enough to understand Master play.

You seem to assume you do.

That is your problem.

Thank You for pointing out "my problem" However I once competed successfully at the 1700 level (USCF) before leaving the OTB game for 2 1/2 decades, and I'll get there again (and more). I suggested playing through GM games to recharge, not to try to understand every facet of GM play.

And (with all due respect to your class A status) I still think it's better than doing nothing. 😉

@gratis-pawn said
Did China release covid to block a Trump re-election?

No - They were too fearful of those Jewish space lasers starting wildfires in central China, as well as Mexico paying for that border wall, because it might rival their great wall.

Get a grip, will ya!