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June 07, 2012 20:38 pm
We’re still a couple of months away, and already the first drama for the 2012 Chess Olympiad has begun.  And it promises to be a real doozy. The Turkish Chess Federation has written an open letter refusing the applications of arbiters from a bunch...
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May 23, 2012 23:37 pm
I’m disappointed. I’m watching Game 9 from the World Chess Championships between the reigning champion, Vishy Anand from India, and Israeli Grandmaster Boris Gelfand.  In fact, I’ve been closely watching all of the games, and commentating on them...
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May 09, 2012 12:53 pm
  (* If you think that’s a bad pun, just keep reading – you’re in for a real treat.) It’s time for that great biennial chess event again: the 2012 World Chess Olympiad will be held in Istanbul, Turkey in August.  Preparations for the greatest teams...
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April 17, 2012 0:40 am
August:  The 2012 Chess Olympiad, Istanbul, main playing hall.  A large crowd has gathered around the last game to finish.  Australia is playing against an unspecified Eastern European team, the match locked at one and a half each, and so teammates...
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April 06, 2012 20:23 pm
As many of you know, I’ve been channeling my inner hippy for the last twelve months, with remarkable success.  Of course, that depends on your definition of success; an aversion to shaving, repetitive lounge music and ownership of a solitary pair of...
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March 31, 2012 22:16 pm
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun, And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. The work of hunters is another thing: I have come after them and made...
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March 26, 2012 10:50 am
  There was a time when chess only made an appearance in the movies if the director felt the need to add some intellect and cunning to his evil villain’s persona.  The recent Bond baddie in Casino Royals is a typical example, and the John Travolta/...
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March 20, 2012 16:08 pm
I got a rare chance during my Australian return to visit my old chess club, Club Bullwinkle.  Perhaps better described as a creatively Bohemian community than a chess club, Bullwinkle is known for its energy, spontaneity and perhaps above all else,...
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March 14, 2012 17:29 pm
  Dear Karma,   Thank you for your recent visit – it was a pleasure, as always.  It had been a while between meetings; if I recall correctly, the last time we spent some quality time together was in Buenos Aires, where you kindly brought round a...
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February 23, 2012 20:32 pm
I’ve been offline for a while, thanks largely to: (a) The deaths of both of my computers (well, one remains in Computer Hospital); and (b) Concerted efforts to survive the coldest Dutch winter in twenty years. To be honest, the time away from my...

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