I've always been a big fan of old chess photographs. There's something magical about players playing chess in black and white. A simpler time is brought to my mind and I'm all too happy to stay absorbed in the photos.



Edward Winter's column for Chessbase is always a source of limitless joy for me. A plethora of pictures in every article - each one having some historic value but simultaneously holding to that chess charm.

Not to mention the great photos found on Mr. Winter's history column site. I'm especially fond of the interesting article on Leo Nardus.

Chess pictures remind us of where we were in the past. They give us a sense of where we are now in the evolution of the game. Keep taking pictures whenever you can ... for posterity.

Karpov talking about Fischer and making some very good points.



I'm becoming addicted to Youtube ... I'm cutting myself off for awhile (from youtube and picking on Fischer).

I always knew Bobby was a bit strange but until now I didn't know he never finished highschool ...

Alexandra Kosteniuk is looking very sharp these days. After her win at the Women's World Chess Championship she has now gone on to win the World Mindsports Women's Blitz.

The thing that struck me the most about Alexandra's new success is what she credited with the victory. Here is an excerpt from her interview with Jerry Hanken:

"Then this year, I started training since February at home in Miami, running each morning 5 kilometers, participating in races, and studying chess like never before."

She, in essence, attributes her chess success primarily to an increase in physical activity. We could all take a lesson from this. It is well known that monstrous figures like Kasparov and Susan Polgar regularly exercised at the height of their careers and even Fischer played alot of Tennis.

So, go for a walk ... not for your health ... for your chess.

I apparently got it wrong. What I thought to be a defense of GM Keene was actually a form of satire by ejh of the Streatham & Brixton chess club.

I wrote a previous post on the subject and was understandably confused when I found an article by the disturbed/disturbing Sam Sloan making an odd case in the same light.

Thankfully, ejh commented on that previous post and tried to set me straight. The result is another post from ejh made to clear things up for me (and probably others though I only know of myself as being confused).

I'm grateful to ejh for posting that for me. It may look to some readers of the S&B blog like he's simply harping on the same issue but he gave me what I asked for ... I owe him.

Thanks to all the S&B crew ... you guys should have won the ECF website of the year this year too.