Isn't Life Tricky?

A few days ago, my friend bitterly told me about her friend who began to change. And after a while, the story actually reminded me of one endgame position study which very aptly describes my friend's situation. It even surprised myself because I'm actually not someone who likes to connect life's issue with our beloved sport, chess.


The endgame position that I'm happy to show here is taken from the book "Dvoretsky Endgame Manual", one of the must-read endgame books for every chess player. Enjoy! :)


Svacina - Muller, Wien 1941 
 
Black cannot capitalize on the active position of his king. He thought up an amusing psychological trap: retreating his king instead.

1...¢c4 [1...g4 2.¢e1 ¢c2 3.¢e2=; 1...f4 2.gxf4 gxf4 3.exf4=] 2.¢c2 ¢b5 Black attempts to trap opponent and he succeeded! 3.¢b3 

3... ¢c6 4.¢b4 ¢d6 5.¢b5 ¢d7 6.¢c5 ¢e6 7.¢c6?

And it worked! White, having no idea what his opponent was up to, naively marched his king deep into enemy territory - no doubt, he was already expecting to win. But now, Black plays the pawn breakthrough. 7...g4! [7...h4 8.gxh4 gxh4 9.¢c5 f4 10.exf4 ¢f5 11.¢xd5 ¢xf4 12.¢c5 e3 ( 12...h3? 13.gxh3 ¢f3 14.d5 ¢xf2 15.d6 e3 16.d7 e2 17.d8£ e1£ 18.£h4++-) 13.fxe3+ ¢xe3! 14.d5 ¢f2 15.d6 ¢xg2 16.d7 h3 17.d8£ h2= Minev] 8.¢c5 f4! 9.exf4 [9.gxf4 h4 … h3–+; 9.¢c6 h4 10.gxh4 g3–+]

9...h4! 10.gxh4 g3 11.fxg3 e3 0–1

Not only life, our opponents are (almost) always tricky. Beware!





  

I'm Back

Hi all, it's been a while since I last blogged. I'll tell you what this all about. At the beginning of this month, I was preoccupied by a chess tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The result was not too bad, at least I won a 15 rating points. After that, I have to go back to the training preparation for the SEA Games which to be held in Indonesia in November. Our coach demands us (my teammates and I) to do physical exercise every day even though our time is also largely consumed by chess. As a result, I saw my body look even thinner this week, not bad :)

Lately I try to spend the book The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. The book focuses on success and the hard work, social context and cultural background that explains why some people excel and others do not. A very good one, no wonder it has become a bestseller since the very first it printed to public. As soon as I finish reading this book, I'll be back to read the writings of Barbara Cartland or her successors who also wrote about the historical romance theme. I need some entertainment among my daily routines and books are just perfect!

Next month there will be Indonesia International Chess Open Tournament on Oct 12th-19th. I heard a lot of good players come from overseas as if who doesn't interest with USD 10.000 cash prize? I'm really looking forward to it, not only because of the tournament itself, but I'll also catch up with some foreign friends whom I haven't met for so long. 

So this is it, people. I'll try to upload a photo or 2 in my next post. Wish you have a good day! :) 

1 Syawal 1432 H

The essential meaning of each religion is to answer the question "Why do I live and what is my attitude towards the infinite world around me?" No single religion, from the most sophisticated to the most primitive, which does not make the definition of people's attitudes toward the world as a baseline.

At the core of every religion lies a simple truth that unites. Although the Persians wear tavoid, Jews wear hats, Christians make the sign of the cross, Muslims have a symbol of the crescent, we must remember that it is beyond the symbolic. Common core of all religions is love of neighbor, and this is what was asked by Jesus, Manuf, Zoroaster, Buddha, Moses, Socrates, St. Paul, and Mohammed.

Happy Ied, my Muslim friends!

Pengaplikasian Iman

Apakah gunanya, saudara-saudaraku, jika seorang mengatakan bahwa ia mempunyai iman, padahal ia tidak mempunyai perbuatan? Dapatkan iman itu menyelamatkan dia? Jika seorang saudara atau saudari tidak mempunyai pakaian dan kekurangan makanan sehari-hari, dan seorang dari antara kamu berkata: "Selamat jalan, kenakanlah kain panas dan makanlah sampai kenyang!", tetapi ia tidak memberikan kepadanya apa yang perlu bagi tubuhnya, apakah gunanya itu? Demikian juga halnya dengan iman: Jika iman itu tidak disertai perbuatan, maka iman itu pada hakekatnya adalah mati.... Jadi kamu lihat, bahwa manusia dibenarkan karena perbuatan-perbuatannya dan bukan hanya karena iman... Sebab seperti tubuh tanpa roh adalah mati, demikian jugalah iman tanpa perbuatan-perbuatan adalah mati.

Yakobus 2:14-18, 24, 26

Faith

If you do not believe that in the beginning of your life comes from the soul, why do you look for it somewhere else, think you could find a soul to it elsewhere? Those who behave like this is like ones who lit a lantern in the middle of the bright sunlight.

Do not be afraid to break free from everything that is bothering your attention, everything is material, everything that can be seen or felt. The more you purify the spiritual core of your faith, the stronger your faith.

1 Corinthians 13: 1-13

If I speak in the tongues of men and angels,
but have not love,
I have become sounding brass or a tinkling symbol.
 
And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing. 
 
And if I dole out all my goods, and
if I deliver my body that I may boast
but have not love, nothing I am profited.
 
Love is long suffering,
love is kind,
it is not jealous,
love does not boast,
it is not inflated.
 
It is not discourteous,
it is not selfish,
it is not irritable,
it does not enumerate the evil.
It does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth 
 
It covers all things,
it has faith for all things,
it hopes in all things,
it endures in all things.
 
Love never falls in ruins;
but whether prophecies, they will be abolished; or
tongues, they will cease; or
knowledge, it will be superseded. 
 
For we know in part and we prophecy in part. 
 
But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will be superseded.  
 
When I was an infant,
I spoke as an infant,
I reckoned as an infant; 
 
when I became [an adult],
I abolished the things of the infant.  
 
For now we see through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know as also I was fully known. 
 
But now remains
faith, hope, love, 
 
these three; 
 
but the greatest of these is love.