TPS Report #3

Did 270 problems on Chess Tempo. Thanks to Robert Pearson for pointing it out. I like Chess Tempo's interface much better than Chess Tactics Server. And I like that there are two modes: Blitz (time dependent) and Standard (time independent). I'm a little dismayed that even taking 5 minutes on every problem, my solving percentage in Standard is 70%. My percentage at CTS was 90% now drifting down to 85%. One additional nice thing at Chess Tempo is that the ratings are inflated. At CTS, my ego-bruising number is 1500-1600. At Chess Tempo, I'm 1850-2250. Nothing like a little rating inflation fantasy to make believe that my master title is just around the corner.

Started the first 7 exercises with Perfect Your Chess. This is almost over my head as I can only get vague senses of the lines I'm supposed to come up with. Still, the fact that I don't recognize so many ideas tells me that I'm actually getting something from this book. No pain, no gain.

I visited Chicago last weekend to hang out with my college buddies and watch Northwestern beat Indiana in an exciting seesaw battle. I used to think that the only football games I enjoyed were total domination. Perhaps being a Northwestern student has lowered my expectations enough that even little victories are appreciated. One my friends continually celebrated moral victories when things were going badly on the field. A bit of adversity is healthy for the soul to put things in perspective and make you appreciate the good things.

I didn't have time to visit the Chess Pavilion, so I'll have to go back to Chicago later. Goichberg seems to run two tournaments a year there and I've yet to play in a CCA event. I've got my eye on the Chicago Open, but it already looks like there's a scheduling conflict.