The Club's demo board has been found, and is now ready for duty. The demo board is a large vinyl board which hangs on the wall. It has flat plastic pieces which fit into slots on the bottom of each square on the board. We can use it to setup chess problems, or demonstrate a series of moves. I will try to find a spot to hang it in our room, and setup a chess problem on it for our next league night. Maybe we'll have a puzzle contest where members can write down their answer and stuff it in a box.

Tournament one is officially over, but there are some games yet to be made-up, so the final results are not in yet.

Tournament two will begin on January 15^th. We have at least two new players, and need at least two more to round out the teams (in which case we'll have teams of five instead of our usual four!) So, if you know of anyone who would like to play, please let me (Steve) know!

The Fall correspondence tournaments are well underway, with a few games completed already! Occasionally we get people signing our website's guestbook who express an interest in playing correspondence. It's a shame to make them wait for the start of a new tournament (since the tournaments typically last many months). Ken has challenged some of the high-ranking players to one-on-one correspondence games. Anyone can do this. So, don't think you have to wait for the start of a new tournament to try out correspondence play. It would be good if we had a pool of people who are waiting to play one-on-one. Then we could pair people up right away before they lost interest. So, let me know if I can add your name to the one-on-one correspondence list.

The Novice Corner is a place where we can share practical tips. This advice will be directed towards (and often authored by) the under-1500 crowd. It will preferably use examples from members' games, and will make no pretense at expertise or knowledge of complex theories. If you have tips you would like to share, please send them in!

This month's topic is, "Look before you leap!" This is good advice, which our mothers all gave us when we were young. Unfortunately, like most good advice, it is often ignored.

Of course, White did indeed move the Bishop: playing Bd5, pinning my Queen to my King (thanks to the diagonal I just opened by the Pawn move). I could've resigned at this point.

The point is: I knew I was ahead, and I neglected to picture how the board would look after my Pawn move, and what White's best reply would be.

Here's a less drastic example:

Finally, another example from one of my games, but this time I was White:

These blunders were all made by average club-level players, and more examples could readily be shown. So, what's the cure for this prevalent problem of failing to look before one leaps?

Always picture how the board will look after your intended move. Always. Even when you're ahead or you see a great continuation looming on the horizon.

A practical way to discipline yourself to do this is to follow this simple procedure:

1. Write down your intended move before making in on the board.
2. In your mind, picture the move as made on the board.
3. Mentally put yourself in your partner's place and ask yourself what would be your best reply.
4. Having considered your partner's best reply, if you still like the move, make it. Otherwise cross it off your scoresheet and search for a better move.

This will cost you a bit of time on your clock, but if it helps you save a game or two, it will be well worth it.

{ Black score -2.45 CENTURY 3: 11.00 -1.06 d5 Bd3 N8e7 exf6 gxf6 Re1 Rg8 Rb1 Nf8 Ba3 }

{ White score 1.38 CENTURY 3: 11.00 3.66 Ng5 d5 exd6 cxd6 Nf7 Qc7 Bb3 Qxc3 Rb1 Bg4 }

{ White score 1.48 CENTURY 3: 11.00 2.54 Ne5 fxe5 Bxd7 Kxd7 Qg4 Kc6 Qe6 Kb5 Rab1 Ka4 }

{ Black score -3.46 CENTURY 3: 12.00 -1.44 Bxb5 Qxb5+ Qd7 Qe2 O-O-O c4 Nf5 cxd5 Qxd5 }

{ White score 2.17 Nh4 CENTURY 3: 13.00 3.32 Ne5 fxe5 Qh5 g6 Qxe5 O-O-O Qxh8 Nf5 Re2 Ngh6 }

{Black score -6.61 CENTURY 3: 15.00 -4.37 Nxe7 Nxg7 f5 Nxe8 Rxe8 Qe5 Kd8 Qb8 Qc8 Qxc8 }

{ Black score -8.54 CENTURY 3: 13.00 -6.86 Nf6 Re7+ Kc8 R1e6 Nd7 Bb6 Nxb6}

{ White score 7.91 R1e6+ CENTURY 3: 10.00 9.55 Rc8+ Kd7 Ree8 g5 Red8 Ke6 Rd6 Kf7 Rc7 Ke8 }

{ White score 8.23 CENTURY 3: 10.00 9.55 Rc8+ Kd7 Ree8 g5 Red8 Ke6 Rd6 Kf7 Rc7 }

{ Mate in 7 moves starting with Ra7+}

{Black score -2.27 CENTURY 3.2: 13.00 -0.35 Nd7 c3 e6 Bb5 Ne7 Bg5 a6 Bd3 c5 Nd2}

{Black score -3.08 CENTURY 3.2: 13.00 -2.34 Nc5 dxc5 e6 Nc3 Bxc5 Na4 Be7 Bb5 Bg5 Bxg5}

{White: A wasted move. Qc2 should have been played here.

White score 3.62 CENTURY 3.2: 13.00 4.27 h3 Kd7 Be2 Qg8 Nd2 Ne7 hxg4 hxg4 Rxh8 Qxh8}

{White score 3.40 CENTURY 3.2: 12.00 3.93 Re1 Qd7 Bc1 Kf7 Nd2 Nf5 Nb3 Rae8 Nc5 Qc6}

{Black score -4.43 CENTURY 3.2: 11.00 -3.79 O-O-O Bd2 Qb6 a5 Qc6 Qa4 Qd6 Rhe1 hxg3}

{Black score -9.03 CENTURY 3.2: 13.00 -4.17 Qc6 Rh6 Rgf8 Rah1 Rf7 Rh7 Rdf8 Be2 Nf5 Bxg4}

{Black score -6.15 CENTURY 3.0 :11.00 -1.59 b6 Qe2 Qd7 Bg3 Bd6 d5 exd5 Nh4 Bxg3 Nxg6 }

{Black score -8.05 CENTURY 3.0 :13.00 -6.06 Qxf3 Qxf3 Nxd4 Qf4 Rg4 Qe3 Bf6 h3 Rg6 c5 }

{Black score -11.04 CENTURY 3.0 :13.00 -8.88 Nxf5 Qxd7 Kf7 Be5 b6 Qb7 Rd8 Qxa7 Nh4 Bg3 }

{ Black score -15.25 CENTURY 3.0 :13.00 -13.04 Nxc6 Rxe6 Bf8 Qd7 a5 Re8 Rxe8 }

{White score 14.07 CENTURY 3.0 :14.00 15.64 Re5 Nc2 Qxc2 Bd4 Rxe6 Rf8 Bg3 Bc5 Rxc6 Bb6 }

{White score -5.41 CENTURY 3.!!: 11.00 -0.99 Ba3 h4 Bxc5 dxc5 Rac1 Qh5 Qe3 hxg3 fxg3 Ng4}

{Black score 4.32 CENTURY 3.0: 12.00 5.87 Qxg3+ Kh1 Qh3+ Nh2 Nb4 Ba3 Nxd3 Bxc5 dxc5}

{Mate in 12 moves for Black, starting with Qxg3+. CENTURY 3.0: 11.01 -4.27 Ba3 Qxg3+ Kh1 Qh3 Nh2 a6 b4 axb5 bxc5 bxc4}

{Black score 0.00 CENTURY 3.0: 11.00 Mate in 12 moves Qxg3+ Kh1 Qxh4 Kg2 Qxg5 Kh2 Qh4}

{White score -2.06 CENTURY 3.0: 14.00 0.00 Nd1 Rdf8 Ng5 Rxf2 Nxh3 Re2 Kf1 Rxd2 Bxd4 Nh2}

{Black score 0.00 CENTURY 3.0: 14.00 3.07 Bf1 a3 Bb6 Na4 Bxe2 Nxb6 cxb6 axb4 Rf1 Kg2}

{Black score -2.26 CENTURY 3.0: 12.00 0.00 Bxh4 Kg2 Rh6 Nd5 Rg6 Ng1 Nf2 Kh2 Nxd5 exd5}

{Black score -5.04 CENTURY 3.0: 13.00 -2.38 Rxb1 Rxb1 Bxh4 Rf1 Nf6 Kg1 Rh6 Rg2 Nd3 Bc1}

{Black score -10.39 CENTURY 3.0: 13.00 -5.30 Rf1 Nd5 Nc6 Bd3 Rff8 Rg2 Nf6 Nxf6 Rxf6 Kh2}

{Black score -15.39 CENTURY 3.0: 13.00 -10.54 c5 Rf8+ Ka7 Ne7 Kb6 Nc8 Kc7 e5 dxe5 Ne6}

{Mate in 7 moves for White starting with Bf5+ CENTURY 3.0: 12.00 -15.47 dxe5 Bf5+ Kc6 Rf7 Rg2 Kxg2 Ne3 Nxe3 dxe3}

{White score 9.90 CENTURY 3.0: Mate in 6 moves Rc8 Rd3+ Bxd3 Nxc4 Rxc7 Kxd5 bxc4}

{Black score -13.38 CENTURY 3.0: 10.00 -10.41 Kb6 Ne6 Ka5 Nxc7 Re2 Ned5 g6 Bc8 b5}

{White score 11.67 CENTURY 3.0: 12.00 14.83 Rc2+ Ke1 Nd5 b6 Be4 g5 Rff2 gxh4 Kxh4 d3}

{Black score -15.55 CENTURY 3.!0: 11.00 -11.56 c6 Bc8 b6 Bb7 Kc3 Bxc6 Kb4 Be4 b5}

{White score 12.55 CENTURY 3.0: 12.00 15.89 Bxd3 c6 R8f3 Kc3 Nf5 Kb4 a3 Kc5 Nxg7 a5 Ne6}

{Black score -12.10 CENTURY 3.0: 12.00 -9.04 Nc5}

{White score 3.26 CENTURY 3.0: 12.00 12.47 Rf2+ Kc3 Rxe1 d3 Rc1}

{White score -1.80 CENTURY 3.0: 14.00 4.38 Rb2 d3 Kf2 Kc1 Rxb7 a5 Rb6 a4 Rxd6}

{Black score -0.86 CENTURY 3.0: 12.00 0.81 Nf4 Re3 Rec8 g3 Ng6 Rec3 bxc6 Rxc6 Rxc6 bxc6}

{Black score -2.96 CENTURY 3.0: 12.00 -0.83 Nf6 f4 Kf8 Re1 a5}

{Black score -8.31 CENTURY 3.0: 13.00 -5.33 Kxf7 Nd4 Re7 h5 Kf6 f4 Re8 Nxe6 Rc8}

{Mate in 10 moves for White starting with Ng6+ CENTURY 3.0: 14.00 -6.63 Rc7 Rd6 Ke7 Rxd5 Ke6 Rd7 Rxd7 Nxd7 Kd6 Nxb6}

{Mate in 10 moves Ng6+ Kf7 Rxe7 Kxg6 c7 Kf6 Re1 g5}

{White score 16.53 CENTURY 3.0: 13.00 Mate in 11 moves f4 Kf5 c8=Q+ Ke4 Kf2 g5 Qc2+}

{White score 21.84 CENTURY 3.0: Mate in 7 moves b6 g5 b7 h5 b8=Q gxh4 Qb5+}

{White score 19.57 CENTURY 3.0: Mate in 4 moves Ke1 gxh4 Qc4+ Ke3 Qc1+ Kd3 Qd2+}

On our site, we have attributed the original puzzle (along with its clever accompanying poem) to Walt James, circa 1933.

Recently I found a very similar puzzle (attributed to "an unknown composer") on page 268 of Lasker's Manual of Chess (first published in 1932). Could James have drawn inspiration for his puzzle from Lasker's book?

Here is the position after Black's second move, as given by James:

 And here is the position after Black's first move, as given by Lasker:

Both of White's Knights, the Black King, one of Black's Knights and one of Black's Bishops are on the same squares in both versions.

Also, in an uncharacteristic departure from his rather somber manner, Lasker included "dialogue" between the pieces. This humorous dialogue is in the same vein as the poetry in the version by James, and suggests, once again, that it may have served as the inspiration for his version.

Here is Lasker's version in toto, for your own comparison. (I have taken the liberty of converting from descriptive to algebraic notation.)

The White Knights speak: "A pretty mess. We have to do the fighting. It is a joke. Well, we must do our bit. Will you start Checking?"

"No, you'd better."

"Well then, here goes.

1. Ng4+ "Check, Mr. King!"

1. ...Ke7 "Be careful," the King says to the Knight, "that one of my servants does not lay his hands on you, you good-for-nothing."

2. Nf5+ "Did you speak to me, Mr. King?"

2. ...Kd7 "Insolent fellow."

3. Ne5+ Kc8 Home at last.

4. Ne7+ To the Bishop on d8: "Keep watch on our Rook in the corner, or you will hurt yourself." The Bishop only stares at the Knight.

5. Nd7+ Ka7 "Oh! Terrible, this narrow lane. But also that helps some, the boys won't be able to follow here." The White Knights think he will get away. Over such rough ground no horse can go.

6. Nc8+ "Hullo, here I plunge."

7. Nb8+ I must mind my horse doesn't stumble here.

7. ...Kb5 "Ah! Here I have room!"

The White King: "Do not come too near me, Your Majesty; whenever feet are to be trod upon, I like to take the initiative."

8. Na7+ That was some jump!

9. Na6+ "That's better than yours."

10. Nb5+ "Open country, at last!"

11. Nb4+ "This is fine."

12. Nc3+ Kf2 "Quickly away from the horrible e1."

17. Ng4+ "Shall we run it all over again, Mr. King?"