Inclination

I caught the last two rounds of the US Championship as they happened with LiveStream coverage and concurrent sports commentary. It was fun to see the nation's best find computer-like moves and also miss opportunities that the commentary and computer analysis allow us to see. I almost felt an attraction to the game of chess again. I don't think this translates into tournament action any time soon, just that the positives are coming back. I keep thinking about blogging about a game I played last year, but there are so many positions where the tide turned that I might have to do it in installments. Unfortunately, it will likely mean that I will beat one game to death, but so be it.

The RBvR endgame came up crucially in a Caruana-Svidler Candidates game. The winning strategy is still so opaque even though I have spent some time trying to understand it. Frustrating.

I read an article on grit yesterday. I don't have grit, at least not in my current moods. Sticktuitiveness is lacking even with my current pastime of playing hand after hand of Spider Solitaire. I hate it when a position is too deep or difficult to analyze, so my tolerance for a tough position is poor. But there was a day when I played two skittles games and the strategies and even the moves stuck with me. And winning was a good feeling.