ChessCafe.com Weekly Newsletter, May 20 - 26, 2009

234 Depot Rd. Milford, CT 06460 1-877-91-CHESS (1-877-912-4377) Issue #7 May 20 - 26 Welcome to the ChessCafe.com weekly newsletter. You can keep up-to-date with new product releases, read reviews of selected products, and follow the latest postings at ChessCafe.com. Plus, try your hand at solving our weekly puzzle. Enjoy! Here & There Cafe India In his debut column Arvind Aaron looks at the progress of chess in India during the last ten years and the numerous accomplishments by Indian players. Best of the Best A main goal of Novice Nook is to present novel ideas and concepts to help players improve. To celebrate his 100th column Dan Heisman reviews some of the best ideas that were presented in previous months. Bishop Endgames After investigating opposite-colored bishop endings last month, Karsten Mueller looks at same-colored bishops this time. The drawish tendency is lower than with “bees of opps,” but still quite large. Book Notes Classic Tournament Special!! Alekhine’s book on Nottingham 1936 is now available and shipping, and it is exclusively at ChessCafe.com. To celebrate its release we have created a super combo consisting of New York 1924 and St. Petersburg 1909 all at one low price! This special will only be available for one week, so act now! Don’t miss Nigel Short’s essay on his 1993 World Championship Candidates Final in the latest New In Chess magazine. He takes a no holds barred look at the match, his opponent, and even his seconds. A great selection of books, software and sets at tremendous discounts. Most are available for $9.95, some are less!! Don’t forget that all orders of $75 or more are shipped free, UPS Ground, anywhere in the continental U.S.* Reviews in Brief Nottingham 1936 by Alexander Alekhine When considering the significance of Nottingham 1936, we must consider its context not only within the chess world, but within the world at large. 1936, after all, was also the year of the Munich Olympics. It is the mid-point between the beginning of Nazi Germany and the start of World War II; it is the mid-point of the 1930s. In short, 1936 was, in many ways, a watershed year, a year of transition. As for the games: Some chess games are famous not for the quality of the play, but for the circumstances surrounding them. Some have such power and beauty that anyone beyond a novice - and even a novice - can appreciate them. But most chess games, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, great or disastrous, require annotations, annotations so we can appreciate and understand. And while there have been many great annotators, few equal and probably none surpass Alekhine when he’s at his best. I had a great deal of fun reading through the book. I learned a lot about chess. ... you deserve the privilege and pleasure of Nottingham 1936, the 21st Century Edition. Read the full review by David Kaufmann here.     Albert Beauregard Hodges: The Man Chess Made by John Hilbert & Peter Lahde This biography of A.B. Hodges is typical of McFarland publications. It features exemplary scholarship, top-notch production quality, eighty-seven historical photos and drawings, several appendices and indices, finely detailed footnotes, and a complete bibliography. The book examines Hodges’ personal life and chess career and provides 340 of his games, as well as fifteen composed problems that originally appeared in periodicals of that era. It also details how Hodges was instrumental in “transforming chess from a pleasant pastime into a social institution.” Complete tournament and match records are included as well.   New Catalog Additions 5/20: Chesscafe.com Desktop Wallpaper (free) 5/16: New in Chess Magazine, 2009/3 5/15: Nottingham 1936 5/4: Chess Opening Essentials, Vol. 3 5/3: Chess Opening Essentials, Vol. 2 5/2: Sharpen Your Chess Tactics in 7 Days 5/1: Kasparov: How His Predecessors Misled Him about Chess 4/30: My 60 Memorable Games (2008) 4/24: Foxy Openings, Vol. 80: King’s Gambit, Part 2 (DVD) 4/24: Foxy Openings, Vol. 79: King’s Gambit, Part 1 (DVD) 4/23: Foxy Openings, Vol. 78: Nimzo-Indian (DVD) 4/22: Foxy Openings, Vol. 77: Sicilian Kan (DVD) 4/20: ChessBase Magazine #129 (DVD) Weekly Puzzle   Quote of the Week White to Move/Solution Below   The inability of an experienced master to deal with the clock should be considered as grave a fault as a miscalculation. Alexander Alekhine, Nottingham 1936 Check Out the May Savings Sale Only $4.95!! Only $19.95!! Only $3.95!! Only $59.95!!  Only $9.95!! Only $79.95!! Plus dozens of other items! Puzzle Answer: 20.Nxf7! Rxf7 21.Bxf6 Bxf6 22.Rxd5 Qc6 23.Rd6 Qe8 24.Rd7 1-0 Botvinnik-Vidmar, Nottingham 1936 (Source: Nottingham 1936) * UPS Ground Only. Excludes Hawaii and Alaska. Does not apply to Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, Bulk, Foreign Orders or Multiple-Issue Subscriptions Copyright 2009 CyberCafes, LLC. All Rights Reserved. "ChessCafe.com" is a registered trademark of Russell Enterprises, Inc.