Chess Anyone?

[tony_glazebrook]

Hi to all you chess freaks. I know that some of you have expressed your interest in chess in previous posts. There are many good places to play over the internet but if anyone has the time I'm happy to play - I've just joined a mob at gameknot.com - my userid is "OldKingColle" (after the Colle opening I used to like)...I'm also a member at Playchess.com

I have some time at the moment but will have more starting in May. I am just an average club player looking for a good correspondence game or two...


Cheers

[Ed Rotondaro]

Hi to all you chess freaks. I know that some of you have expressed your interest in chess in previous posts. There are many good places to play over the internet but if anyone has the time I'm happy to play - I've just joined a mob at gameknot.com - my userid is "OldKingColle" (after the Colle opening I used to like)...I'm also a member at Playchess.com

I have some time at the moment but will have more starting in May. I am just an average club player looking for a good correspondence game or two...


Cheers

Tony:

I am so out of practice with chess that I wouldn't provide much of a match. But maybe I'll give it a try sometime. Hope everything's good in Oz. Are you still experiencing drought conditions?

[old_pop2000]

Tony:

I am so out of practice with chess that I wouldn't provide much of a match. But maybe I'll give it a try sometime. Hope everything's good in Oz. Are you still experiencing drought conditions?

That is pretty much my situation, however, I do enjoy discussing chess games. Here is something for all of you.

I came across two books, years ago by Logician and author Raymond Smullyan.

They are:

The Chess Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes

The Chess Mysteries of the Arabian Nights

They are not chess problems in the same venue as mate in two. They are 50 chess problems where you have to solve for the last move for one side or where he will place a piece between two squares and asks where the piece belongs. They are exercises in retrograde analysis. They are not easy, by any stretch, but taxing for the mind.

He has a statement by Holmes, to Watson that is appropos. "When you have eliminated the impossible, what ever's left, no matter how improbable has got to be the answer".

In that vain, an interesting link: http://www.janko.at/Retros/

Two more books that I have always kept were:

The logical Approach to Chess by Max Ewe

Lasker's Manual of Chess by Dr. Emanuel Lasker

I used to have others, but these have always done well for me. Another, that I don't have anymore, is Fred Hoyle's "Why you lose in chess?"

[tony_glazebrook]

That is pretty much my situation, however, I do enjoy discussing chess games. Here is something for all of you.

I came across two books, years ago by Logician and author Raymond Smullyan.

They are:

The Chess Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes

The Chess Mysteries of the Arabian Nights

They are not chess problems in the same venue as mate in two. They are 50 chess problems where you have to solve for the last move for one side or where he will place a piece between two squares and asks where the piece belongs. They are exercises in retrograde analysis. They are not easy, by any stretch, but taxing for the mind.

He has a statement by Holmes, to Watson that is appropos. "When you have eliminated the impossible, what ever's left, no matter how improbable has got to be the answer".

In that vain, an interesting link: http://www.janko.at/Retros/

Two more books that I have always kept were:

The logical Approach to Chess by Max Ewe

Lasker's Manual of Chess by Dr. Emanuel Lasker

I used to have others, but these have always done well for me. Another, that I don't have anymore, is Fred Hoyle's "Why you lose in chess?"


Dennis - the Hoyle book sounds interesting, I hadn't heard of it. I think this is one I could profitably study!

Cheers

[tony_glazebrook]

Tony:

I am so out of practice with chess that I wouldn't provide much of a match. But maybe I'll give it a try sometime. Hope everything's good in Oz. Are you still experiencing drought conditions?

Ed, no worries, there is no rush, I was just putting out feelers anyway. Actually, the weather here has been superb for the last 2 weeks - we had some much needed rain and then good consistent warm sunny weather for over a week. My wife's sister is over from England and I've been delighted to show the place off looking greener than it has for a while AND warm as well. She is getting an early summer and we are getting a late one.

Keep well my friend

[old_pop2000]

Dennis - the Hoyle book sounds interesting, I hadn't heard of it. I think this is one I could profitably study!

Cheers

Tony- The author was not Hoyle but Fred Reinfeld. It's been a long time since I've had the book. I was written in 1956.

Sorry. Fred Hoyle was an imminent astronomer.

[Ed Rotondaro]

Ed, no worries, there is no rush, I was just putting out feelers anyway. Actually, the weather here has been superb for the last 2 weeks - we had some much needed rain and then good consistent warm sunny weather for over a week. My wife's sister is over from England and I've been delighted to show the place off looking greener than it has for a while AND warm as well. She is getting an early summer and we are getting a late one.

Keep well my friend

Tony:

Glad to hear that your weather is good. Does it ever really get cold in Oz during the winter? I mean like with water freezing?

[tony_glazebrook]

Tony- The author was not Hoyle but Fred Reinfeld. It's been a long time since I've had the book. I was written in 1956.

Sorry. Fred Hoyle was an imminent astronomer.

Dennis - I knew Fred Hoyle was an astronomer. I also knew he was eminent, tho' I didn't know he was imminent! Hehe. I have had great fun pinging you on this my friend -you seem to have so much knowledge about engineering subjects, correcting leeser mortals, I couldn't help myself...:-) I hope you take this in the spirit it was intended - which is what we aussies would do when, half tanked at the local, we would rubbish each other's choice of footy (or in your case probably baseball) team as it was getting a drubbing...

Cheers

[tony_glazebrook]

Tony:

Glad to hear that your weather is good. Does it ever really get cold in Oz during the winter? I mean like with water freezing?

Water has been known to freeze but generally we don't get your extremes, bushfires apart.

Continental Oz has been around for so long, relatively undisturbed, with so little volcanic activity that the mountains have all largely eroded, so we have a huge largely flat land mass.

I was in central Australia about a year ago, holidaying at a place near Uluru (or Ayers Rock as we whiteys used to call it). You have probably seen pictures of it - world's largest rock etc. Well the bit you see is like an iceberg - only the top 10% shows; the rest is buried underground; and the that is because of the erosion and land fill caused by countless millions of years of weather on nearby mountain ranges - that once stood as tall as the Himalayas apparently.

This is where my brain starts hurting...

But I do worry about those of you west of the San Andreas fault. I read Simon Winchester's "Earthquake" recently. America is a much more volatile place tectonically than Australia. Then again, almost anywhere is more volatile than Oz. Our last PM used to want to make us all "relaxed and comfortable". I reckon Oz is about the only place on earth where this might be remotely possible for any length of time.

Which makes it an excellent place to grow (and sample) wines. To return to one of your favourite themes Ed, if you had space in your cellar for only 12 bottles, what would they be?

[Ed Rotondaro]

Which makes it an excellent place to grow (and sample) wines. To return to one of your favourite themes Ed, if you had space in your cellar for only 12 bottles, what would they be?

Tony:

Any excuse to discuss fine wine is good with me. I'm going to limit my choices to wines that the average bloke could afford, no Chateau Mouton Rothschilds or Petrus here.

To start with I would go with 7 reds and 5 whites. No dessert wines like Port or Sherry. A solid foundation of good drinkable food friendly wines for me.

1. A Lindeman Merlot (they're very inexpensive and generally quite good)
2. A Kendall Jackson Cabernet Savignon (One of the better California growers)
3. A Joel Gott Zinfandel (Another great California wine maker)
4. A Calera Pinot Noir (A small and very expensive California wine maker, say $30 a bottle)
5. A Pino Grigio from either Kendall Jackson or Yellow Tail (A fine Aussie wine maker)
6. A Chardonnay from Black Swan or Lindeman's (California Chards are too oaky and buttery)
7. A bottle of Moet Chandon White Star Champagne (My wife's favorite)
8. A good Savignon Blanc from New Zealand like Babich
9. A good German Riesling like a Zeller Schwartz Katz
10. A good Italian Amarone from Bolla (this will be another expensive bottle but worth it)
11. A Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale from Ruffino (Hey I'm Italian, I need a good wine for pasta)
12. Finally not a wine per se, but close, a bottle of Courvoiser Cognac. Man does not live on wine alone and good brandy is joy to be savored.

Thus endth my 12 bottle cellar.

[old_pop2000]

Dennis - I knew Fred Hoyle was an astronomer. I also knew he was eminent, tho' I didn't know he was imminent! Hehe. I have had great fun pinging you on this my friend -you seem to have so much knowledge about engineering subjects, correcting leeser mortals, I couldn't help myself...:-) I hope you take this in the spirit it was intended - which is what we aussies would do when, half tanked at the local, we would rubbish each other's choice of footy (or in your case probably baseball) team as it was getting a drubbing...

Cheers
No problem, mate. Just another senior moment.

[old_pop2000]

Tony:

Any excuse to discuss fine wine is good with me. I'm going to limit my choices to wines that the average bloke could afford, no Chateau Mouton Rothschilds or Petrus here.

To start with I would go with 7 reds and 5 whites. No dessert wines like Port or Sherry. A solid foundation of good drinkable food friendly wines for me.

1. A Lindeman Merlot (they're very inexpensive and generally quite good)
2. A Kendall Jackson Cabernet Savignon (One of the better California growers)
3. A Joel Gott Zinfandel (Another great California wine maker)
4. A Calera Pinot Noir (A small and very expensive California wine maker, say $30 a bottle)
5. A Pino Grigio from either Kendall Jackson or Yellow Tail (A fine Aussie wine maker)
6. A Chardonnay from Black Swan or Lindeman's (California Chards are too oaky and buttery)
7. A bottle of Moet Chandon White Star Champagne (My wife's favorite)
8. A good Savignon Blanc from New Zealand like Babich
9. A good German Riesling like a Zeller Schwartz Katz
10. A good Italian Amarone from Bolla (this will be another expensive bottle but worth it)
11. A Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale from Ruffino (Hey I'm Italian, I need a good wine for pasta)
12. Finally not a wine per se, but close, a bottle of Courvoiser Cognac. Man does not live on wine alone and good brandy is joy to be savored.

Thus endth my 12 bottle cellar.
Hey Ed- Have you ever had Calvados from the Calvados coast. Very important area in history.

[john964]

Tony:

Any excuse to discuss fine wine is good with me. I'm going to limit my choices to wines that the average bloke could afford, no Chateau Mouton Rothschilds or Petrus here.

To start with I would go with 7 reds and 5 whites. No dessert wines like Port or Sherry. A solid foundation of good drinkable food friendly wines for me.

1. A Lindeman Merlot (they're very inexpensive and generally quite good)
2. A Kendall Jackson Cabernet Savignon (One of the better California growers)
3. A Joel Gott Zinfandel (Another great California wine maker)
4. A Calera Pinot Noir (A small and very expensive California wine maker, say $30 a bottle)
5. A Pino Grigio from either Kendall Jackson or Yellow Tail (A fine Aussie wine maker)
6. A Chardonnay from Black Swan or Lindeman's (California Chards are too oaky and buttery)
7. A bottle of Moet Chandon White Star Champagne (My wife's favorite)
8. A good Savignon Blanc from New Zealand like Babich
9. A good German Riesling like a Zeller Schwartz Katz
10. A good Italian Amarone from Bolla (this will be another expensive bottle but worth it)
11. A Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale from Ruffino (Hey I'm Italian, I need a good wine for pasta)
12. Finally not a wine per se, but close, a bottle of Courvoiser Cognac. Man does not live on wine alone and good brandy is joy to be savored.

Thus endth my 12 bottle cellar.

Ed, Have you ever considered wines of Washington like the cellers of Arbor Crest and Columbia Crest. In a recent blind compition Columbia Crest beat several California and French wineries.

[Ed Rotondaro]

Hey Ed- Have you ever had Calvados from the Calvados coast. Very important area in history.

Dennis:

Yes, and it was worth the price. Hard to find more than one example of it around here though.

[Ed Rotondaro]

Ed, Have you ever considered wines of Washington like the cellers of Arbor Crest and Columbia Crest. In a recent blind compition Columbia Crest beat several California and French wineries.


Hi John:

I have had Columbia Crest and it certainly belongs in anyone's cellar. I will look for Arbor Crest and give it a try. I was mainly going off the top of my seriously balding head with my choices LOL! I do tend to try anything at a tasting but I have a stable of proven favorites that I rally back to when I can't make up my mind. We may need to start a new thread here.

[old_pop2000]

Hi John:

I have had Columbia Crest and it certainly belongs in anyone's cellar. I will look for Arbor Crest and give it a try. I was mainly going off the top of my seriously balding head with my choices LOL! I do tend to try anything at a tasting but I have a stable of proven favorites that I rally back to when I can't make up my mind. We may need to start a new thread here.
I am going to look for both on my cruise. I might try to get a box of Columbia Crest and send it home. The Winery is located, IIRC, on the Columbia River in Eastern Washington. I wonder if we will go near it?

[tony_glazebrook]

Hi John:

I have had Columbia Crest and it certainly belongs in anyone's cellar. I will look for Arbor Crest and give it a try. I was mainly going off the top of my seriously balding head with my choices LOL! I do tend to try anything at a tasting but I have a stable of proven favorites that I rally back to when I can't make up my mind. We may need to start a new thread here.

Ed - you have put together a fine looking list! I could suggest some aussie wines a bit better than yellow tail though in substitution but I'm not sure if they would be available in NY. Some time soon I'll send you my pick of aussie and NZ wines; I'm no expert by any means but you might like to try them if they're available. to see what you think.

I am more a scotch than a cognac fancier - have been slowly going through a beautiful bottle of Bruichladdich Islay single malt. I must try cognac again - for some reason I didn't like it many years ago and have stayed away, but my tastes have probably changed. Do you have your cognac neat? warmed?

[tony_glazebrook]

I am going to look for both on my cruise. I might try to get a box of Columbia Crest and send it home. The Winery is located, IIRC, on the Columbia River in Eastern Washington. I wonder if we will go near it?

Dennis - where are you going to on the cruise?. Sounds like you are that enviable stage of life where you have the time and money to really enjoy yourself :-)

[tony_glazebrook]

No problem, mate. Just another senior moment.

Thanks Dennis for being OK with my rather poor taste ribbing. I can be a bit of a smart a*** sometimes, for which I apologise! My sense of humour has gotten me into some trouble over the years...

[old_pop2000]

Ed - you have put together a fine looking list! I could suggest some aussie wines a bit better than yellow tail though in substitution but I'm not sure if they would be available in NY. Some time soon I'll send you my pick of aussie and NZ wines; I'm no expert by any means but you might like to try them if they're available. to see what you think.

I am more a scotch than a cognac fancier - have been slowly going through a beautiful bottle of Bruichladdich Islay single malt. I must try cognac again - for some reason I didn't like it many years ago and have stayed away, but my tastes have probably changed. Do you have your cognac neat? warmed?
I going on a cruise on the Columbia and Snake River.

[Ed Rotondaro]

Ed - you have put together a fine looking list! I could suggest some aussie wines a bit better than yellow tail though in substitution but I'm not sure if they would be available in NY. Some time soon I'll send you my pick of aussie and NZ wines; I'm no expert by any means but you might like to try them if they're available. to see what you think.

I am more a scotch than a cognac fancier - have been slowly going through a beautiful bottle of Bruichladdich Islay single malt. I must try cognac again - for some reason I didn't like it many years ago and have stayed away, but my tastes have probably changed. Do you have your cognac neat? warmed?

Tony:

My old son, I am a whisky fan from way back, I only included Cognac on the list because it is made from grapes. I prefer single malt Scotch above all else followed by good small batch bourbon and well made Irish whiskey (they spell it differently believe it or not!). On Friday, April 11th, it was the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in the US (we stupidly thought we could ban drinking in this country from 1920 to 1933. Organized crime blossomed from that bit of stupidity) and some of my mates and I had few beers and shots of whisky to celebrate. Ahh we live on!

Stay well well matey!:D

[Ed Rotondaro]

I going on a cruise on the Columbia and Snake River.

And you will be having a good time while the rest of us work hard! I want pictures!

[old_pop2000]

And you will be having a good time while the rest of us work hard! I want pictures!
Yup! And I will be thinking about you guys the whole time......YEAH RIGHT!!!:rolleyes:

Pictures it is.