It's been awhile since I read from the Streatham & Brixton Blog. They still produce gems of chess knowledge and culture and it is refreshing to see it still going strong!

"That’s the problem with modern chess. There’s no authenticity in wacky explanations for blunders anymore - and that's just one more reason why chess was better in the 1970s."

The following photo appears above the caption "A decade summed up in one small picture –
The 1970s: bad hair, bad clothes, great chess"


Source: The Streatham & Brixton Chess Blog

After my recent article on the Streatham & Brixton Blog I received the following e-mail:

Dear Colonel Crockett

Thaks for your link of today-. Just a note - it's actually the Stretham and Brixton Chess Blog. There's no "Club". (There used to be, but we decided to separate ourselves just a little, mostly in order to establish that responsibility for what we write lies with ourselves and not with the chess club.)

All the best

Justin Horton

I just wanted to share that info with my readers in case there was any confusion. I have always applauded the S&B blog because they raised the bar for other chess bloggers. Bravo and keep it up!

It's been quite awhile since I did a piece on The Streatham & Brixton blog. They've been publishing articles on the British Championships and other interesting and detailed work related to their major audience.

I have always applauded their efforts and I recommend all my readers to take a good long look at their blog.

Tom Chivers, the brains behind the Streatham & Brixton Chess Club Blog which is an ECF based success, has published his pick for The Best Ever Chess Book Cover. Here's that cover ...
I do tend to agree that this cover is really cool. I really hate to compare chess covers because it seems like modern artists work really hard to make each one unique, even those in a series ... like GM Lev Alburt's Comprehensive Chess Course (the work of my strong acquaintance Jami Anson ... a former Chess Life art director).

Chess Life and other magazine covers ... are they included in the 'best chess covers' category? That's a question for Tom I guess. At any rate until I know more I can't honestly say that Tom's pick is a good or bad one. I can definitely agree that the cover he features is a really cool one!

I was reading a recent article by Tom Chivers and it reveals a sentiment that those who know me best will know I agree with ...

When it comes to chess, I'm not particularly big on sharing. For instance, the more children who learn about the delights of our game, the more who will beat me in a few seasons time. Ideally, I'd like chess to become increasingly unpopular to the point of vanishing: for therein lies my only real chance of gaining the World Championship.<

While I don't necessarily agree that discouraging people from playing is the best solution to our fears of inadequacy I certainly relate to the sentiment. I seriously doubt that Tom feels the way he writes in his article as well but the messages undercurrent is apparent. I love his little cartoon as well ...