The intersection of ascending and descending trajectories.

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Unk's Troll-free Private Saloon : One Thread

Thursday I was at the local version of John Gotti's Social Club. A woman brought her 7 year old grandson who was visiting from California. Ian was hot for chess so I allowed myself to amuse the little feller with a game.

An hour and a half later we wrapped with a stalemate. I was lucky to escape with that. The lil' bugger was so fast. His secret weapon was to move quickly and then make loud obnoxious video game noises while I was moving slowly.

He was sharp. He was a natural and had received good instruction from his dad. If I had played him a year ago, I would have waxed him. If I play him a year from now, he will wax me.

The seasons of our lives. Thank you Ian.

-- (lars@indy.net), January 06, 2002

Answers

I hadn't played in a while. I couldn't remember the rules for "castling". Ian didn't know either. Anyone who can help?

-- (lars@indy.net), January 06, 2002.

It's been years since I played, so take this with a grain of salt.

You may only "castle" if neither the particular rook involved nor the king have been moved during the game, and all the intervening squares are open. After the move, the king occupies the knight's square and the rook occupies the bishop's square.

-- Little Nipper (canis@minor.net), January 06, 2002.


Thanks. Does that work in either direction? I know, I could look this up on the Net.

-- (lars@indy.net), January 06, 2002.

The king occupies the knight's square only when castling on the king's side. It occupies the bishop's square on the queen's side.

The king may not castle to escape a check, nor may it pass over any square which is attacked by an opposing piece.

-- Malcolm Taylor (taylorm@es.co.nz), January 06, 2002.


It is better to castle fairly early in the game.

-- Oxy (Oxsys@aol.com), January 06, 2002.


I feel your pain, Lars. I taught my son how to play chess at an early age and [at the time], I could think about other things. THEN, he joined the Chess Club at school, played Chess on the internet, etc., and ended up beating me. I think our last game was played when he flew here for a few days and his return flight was delayed. He'd won the game the night before he left, and I brought the game to the airport (just in case). His flight was 3-6 HOURS delayed, and we played ONE game that ended in a stalemate.

NOW when he asks if I'm interested in a game, I change the subject. Heh.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), January 06, 2002.


Years ago, my mother was playing my brother and won. I, who had been observing the game off and on, made the mistake of saying "Gee, that was good, mother, I didn't see that coming." Whereupon she declared that she had beaten us both, and retired the cup, never playing either of us again (prior to this triumph, she usually lost).

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), January 06, 2002.

While in college, I learned along with a 14-year-old boy in Mexico, and we were evenly matched. Later, when teaching my son to play, we would turn the board around and switch sides every time he started to lose, sometimes switching back and forth 4 to 5 times in one game. It worked well.

I was then able to invoke the same privilege once he started beating me. Like debate, a good way to learn the essentials without negative reinforcement.

-- Oxy (Oxsys@aol.com), January 06, 2002.


Sounds pretty shifty to me

-- (lars@indy.net), January 06, 2002.

Lars, I knew if I pitched you some misinformation, someone more knowledgable would step in and set you straight. Thanks, Malcom.

Oxy, that idea of switching sides is an example of brilliant simplicity! It deserves wider dissemination.

-- Little Nipper (canis@minor.net), January 06, 2002.



Moderation questions? read the FAQ