Maverick Philosopher

Footnotes to Plato from the foothills of the Superstition Mountains

Category: Chess

  • Would You Have Seen It?

  • The One Chess Book a Player Should Have

    I have been asked about this on several occasions, most recently by Kevin W.  So here is a redacted repost from over six years ago. …………………………………. Joe from New York writes: I have a question about chess. Would you be kind enough to tell me in your opinion what is the one chess book a…

  • On ‘Over-Represent’

    If you fancy yourself clear-thinking, then you  ought to be very careful with the word 'over-represent' and its opposite.  They are ambiguous as between normative and non-normative readings.   It is just a fact that there are proportionately more Asians than blacks in the elite high schools of New York City.  But it doesn't follow that…

  • Mirabile Dictu: Irish Reader Finds New Yorkers Civil and Friendly

    London Karl, an Irish resident of London, checks in with this update: I'm just back from my first ever trip to America. Only New York, which I am reliably informed is representative of nothing other than itself, but I was touched and impressed by the civility and friendliness I encountered. People there are way friendlier…

  • The Greatest Chess Understatement of All Time?

    Dennis Monokroussos writes:  "It's not very likely that a player will produce a deep combination in a 1-minute game. . ." That's just one bite out of a very big and tasty enchilada. One thing I have noticed is that after playing 1-minute and 3-minute games, five minutes seems like an ice age. "Come on,…

  • My One Claim to Chess Fame: The ‘Famous’ Vallicella Trap in the Caro-Kann

    What follows are two posts written by Dennis Monokroussos from his first-rate chess weblog, The Chess Mind.  For purposes of comparison, here are the United States Chess Federation ratings of four, actually five,  chess playing philosopher friends. For detailed stats click on the names.   Dennis Monokroussos: 2385.  Timothy McGrew: 2196.  Victor Reppert: 1912.  Ed…

  • Chess and Philosophy

    In chess, the object of the game is clear, the rules are fixed and indisputable, and there is always a definite outcome (win, lose, or draw) about which no controversy can arise.  In philosophy, the object and the rules are themselves part of what is in play, and there is never an incontrovertible result.  So I…

  • Philosophy and Chess

    Both can be utterly absorbing, and yet both can appear in a ridiculous light.  Thus both can appear to be insignificant pursuits far removed from 'reality.'  The difference is that only philosophy can tackle the inevitable question, What is reality? The denigrator of philosophy himself philosophizes, unlike the denigrator of chess who remains outside chess.…

  • Garry Kasparov on Socialism

    The following has 'gone viral' as they say: I'm enjoying the irony of American Sanders supporters lecturing me, a former Soviet citizen, on the glories of Socialism and what it really means! Socialism sounds great in speech soundbites and on Facebook, but please keep it there. In practice, it corrodes not only the economy but…

  • Anti-Chessism not Confined to Muslim Lands and Why Competition is Good

    It is not just crazed Islamists who condemn chess. Grandmaster Larry Evans, in his column "Evans on Chess" (Chess Life, September 2005, pp. 46-47), reproduces a letter from an anonymous high school science teacher from Northwest Louisiana. It seems that this fellow introduced his students to chess and that they responded enthusiastically. The administration, however,…

  • Further Proof of the Inanition of the Muslim World

    Chess is evil according to Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti. “It causes enmity and hatred between people,” he declared. For your people, perhaps.  Just as women who are not dressed up like nuns cause Muslim men to go berserk with lust. 

  • The Perils of the Royal Game

    "An Italian man was arrested in Dublin on Sunday and charged with killing his Irish landlord and attempting to eat his heart after an argument about a game of chess." (here) When the irascibility of the Italian collides with the pugnacity of the Irishman, look out!  The above incident adds resonance to a well-known chess…

  • Life and Chess

    What has been said about chess may also apply to life:  For a game it is too serious, and for seriousness too much of a game.

  • A Pawn Sacrifice

    Despite the lukewarm reviews, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  But then I am a chess player who lived through the Fischer era and who remembers that far-off summer of '72 when Caissa and Mars colluded to give a chess match geopolitical significance. Boris Spassky had the support of the Soviet state; Fischer stood alone, his…

  • ‘Traditional Marriage’ or ‘Natural Marriage’?

    This from long-time reader, Bill Tingley: As always, Bill, I find reading your blog enlightening and enjoyable. I note you are using the term "traditional marriage" to refer to marriage. Now that the Supreme Court has redefined marriage as nothing more than a civil union, the meaning of the word "marriage" is in turmoil. So…