Winning Chess by Self-control

Computers have damaged, and helped, popular chess tournaments. Contradiction? Sure. The last word's not in. Postal chess still flourisdes and consulting a computer is no longer banned. LA Times Chess Columnist IM Jack Peters justifies this inevitability by pointing out that the human can make intuitive judgments that can beat the computer's judgment. He's a dear man, and I've always been fond of him, especially when I took chess lessons from him, but Jack, I can almost promise you, wishes the computer had never been applied to chess analysis. Some years ago, in  the same chess column he admitted that the computer had stunted attendance at weekend, popular tournaments. Maybe all chess players have swallowed the inevitable, and have collectively decided to play on.

World Champion, former Soviet player, Kasparov it has been announced in today's paper has retired from competition. He was a splendid popularizer of chess. He came on the David Letterman Show and later played a match with Letterman via telephone. Many jokes were cracked. I would like to think that Kasparov offered him a draw, Letterman refused (LOL!) and so Kasparov mated him. That could have happened. Former World Champion (1961) Mikhail Tal offered me a draw and I gobbled it before he could change his mind. Grandmasters sometimes offer wood pushers like me a draw in simultaneous exhibitions. I will perhaps post the score of that game. (I have to go to Word's stored files to find it.)

Kasparov lost to an IBM computer called Deep Blue. That was a huge shock to every chess player on the planet. Now, even that program has been much strengthened.

I have a chess program called Chessmaster 7000. It regularly eats me. To have an even contest I must confine it to one or two seconds per move, and give myself unlimited time. There are other ways to limit the computer's strength. It is sobering to be beaten over and over.

The other day however I won twice against the computer set at two seconds per move, but rated at 2206, just at 'Master' level. I didn't employ 'Mentor" once, not once. These wins are totally insignificant except for the fact that I could link up good humor, rest,optimism, patience, and willingness to work, as having been responsible for the change in playing success. Chess strength belongs to youth. Kasparov is only in his early 40s, yet he is retiring. I suspect that older players can play just as well given unlimited time (postal chess results might substantiate this guess) but canot keep themselves physically relaxed, and their emotions under control, to the same degree that young players have accomplished.

Playing chess is essentially a waste of time so I have to justify it by telling myself I'm learning self-control and physical relaxation, both very difficult to master under pressure, even in swimming races.

Barry

SIMULTANEOUS

LABATES INTERNATIONAL 03/13/88

White: Mikhail Tal (World Champion 1961)

Black: Barry Bartle

1. e4 g6

2. d4 Bg7

3. Nc3 c3

4. Bc4 d5

5. ed5 b5

6. Bb3 b4

7. Ne4 cxd5

8. Nc5 Nf6

9. Nf3 O-O

10. O-O Nbd7

11. Nd3 a5

12. a4 (a) Ba6

13. Re1 Rc8

14. Ne5 e6

15. Bg5 Qc7

16. Bf4 Qa7

17. Be3 Ne4

18. f3 Bd3

19. Qd3 Nec5

20. dxc5 Ne5

21. Qd2 Nc6

22. c3 Rb8

23. Bd1 Rfd8

24. Rac1 bxc3

25. bxc3 Bf8

26. Kh1 Bxc5 (b)

27. Bh6 Ba3

28. Rc2 Rb1 (c)

29. DRAW

Offered by White

(a) First non-book move. Correct, or 'Book,' is 12.a3

(b) Winning a pawn with no compensation for White.

(c) Threatening to double Rooks