ChessCafe.com Weekly Newsletter, September 23 - 29, 2009

PO Box 1201 Harwich, MA 02645 1-877-91-CHESS (1-877-912-4377) Issue #23 September 23 - 29 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 Structure and More Structure It should be a familiar situation to many: You feel as if you have been playing chess for a lifetime and still have trouble with some of the basics. Bruce Pandolfini has the answer. Englund Gambit Ian Simpson sent Stefan Buecker a new idea that slightly improves Black’s chances in the Englund Gambit: 1 d4 e5 2 dxe5 Nc6 3 Nf3 Qe7. If you feel the desire to play 1...e5, just do so. Lion Tamer Garry Kasparov and Anatoly arpov are still able to fire the enthusiasm of the media and also that of seasoned chess watchers, including Hans Ree. One thing is clear: whatever Kasparov does, he does with full commitment. Groundbreaking Work Hearst’s and Knott’s Blindfold Chess brings much needed order to the confusing realm of blindfold chess simultaneous exhibitions. According to Olimpiu G. Urcan, the authors deserve a great deal of credit for even venturing there. Magic Position This video explains the concept of the “Magic Position” for driving the defender’s king to the mating corner once it is confined to the edge of the board. Book Notes The Advanced Travel Chess Computer offers a clever combination of features tailored to suit anyone from beginners to the most accomplished players. With sixty-four levels to choose from, it offers a wide selection of playing modes to challenge and enhance your ability. Plus, during the month of September, you can save $30.00! You can also save $30.00 on the Chess Assistant 10, Starter Package. It includes Rybka 3 (ELO 3150), Chess Opening Encyclopedia 2008, a powerful search system, and many more features that are indispensible to the competitive player. Reviews in Brief Blindfold Chess by Eliot Hearst and John Knott, McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, 2009. 437pp. $65.00 This 437-page volume from McFarland represents the combined effort of two men who, in the last few decades, manifested a consistent interest in blindfold chess: Eliot Hearst, a professor of psychology, USCF Senior Life Master, and former US Olympic Team captain (1962), and John Knott a London-based legal consultant. The book received enthusiastic reviews and deservedly won the USCF Book of the Year 2009 Award. The challenge undertaken by Hearst and Knott is revealed by the ambitious subtitle of their book. No author has ever dared to systematically clarify the entire body of blindfold chess from when this form of chess began to be documented. Hearst’s and Knott’s Blindfold Chess brings much needed order to the confusing realm of blindfold chess simultaneous exhibitions. The authors deserve a great deal of credit for even venturing there. They dedicated decades of their lives to systematize a large amount of material, verify some key parts from independent sources, and put together the most complete account of blindfold chess to date. While this comes in the form of an edition that has few outstanding revelations to feed the insatiable appetite of historians interested in late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century chess, we are rather confident that the public at large will find this book engaging, entertaining, and exceptionally informative. Read the full review by Olimpiu G. Urcan here! Subscribers who order before 11:59 p.m. EST, Wednesday can save 15% off the cover price of Blindfold Chess, just enter the coupon code “blind15” (without the quotes) at checkout to receive Blindfold Chess at the incredibly low price of $55.25. This offer is good while supply lasts and expires September 24.     New Catalog Additions 8/17 Shirov: The Sicilian with 3.Bb5 (DVD) 8/16 Davies: The f4 Sicilian (DVD) 8/15 Bologan: The Caro-Kann (DVD) 8/14 Kaissiber #34 8/13 ABC of the Vienna (DVD) 8/12 ChessBase Magazine #131 (DVD) 8/11 The Safest Sicilian 2 8/10 Endgame Workshop 8/7: New In Chess Magazine, 2009/5 8/6: New Club Special Set (weighted) 8/6: New Club Special Set (unweighted) 8/6: Pirc Alert (2nd edition) 8/5: The Classical King’s Indian Uncovered   Weekly Puzzle   Quote of the Week White to Move/Solution Below   There is life outside of chess. John Valentine Georgia Chess, Sept/Oct 2002 Check Out the September Savings Save $30.00! Save $30.00! Save $50.00! Only $5.95! Only .99 cents! Only .99 cents! Plus dozens of other sale items! Puzzle Answer: 29.N6f5+ Kh8 30.Qxh7+!! Kxh7 31.Rh1+ 1-0 Anand-Vallejo, Amber Blindfold 2004 (Source: Blindfold Chess) Copyright 2009 BrainGamz, Inc. All Rights Reserved.