MARK RUBERY CHESS

Today we feature the lighter side of chess.

Yogi Berra is an oft-quoted baseball player uttering quips along the lines of “I really didn’t say everything I said.”

There are a number of Yogi Berra’s sayings that can apply to chess: 1. “Chess” is 90% mental, and the other half is physical. 2. “Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t winning”.

3. “If you can’t imitate a GM, don’t copy him.”

4. “You got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”

5. “How can you play “chess”, and think at the same time?” 6. “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” 7. “If people don’t want to “play chess”, how are you going to stop them?” 8. “I don’t want to make the wrong mistake.”

A chess game is divided into three stages: the first, when you hope you have the advantage, the second when you believe you have an advantage, and the third, when you know you’re going to lose! – Savielly Tartakower

The following is an anecdote from Boris Spassky related in Seirawan’s delightful book ‘Chess Duels: My Games with the World Champions’:

‘During a Soviet Championship I was at a restaurant with my trainer Isaac Boleslavsky when we were approached by a lady who was in the Women’s Championship being played at the same time. She was in a rage as she had lost that day and implored Boleslavsky to help her for the next round. Boleslavsky nodded his assent and asked who was her opponent. On hearing her reply he gave a deep breath through his nose and continued “She will play

1 e4. You will play 1…e5. She will play 2 Nf3.

You will play 2…Nc6. She will play 3 Bc4. You will play 3…Nd4. She will play 4 Nxe5. You will play 4…Qg5. She will play 5 Nxf7. You will play

5…Qxg2.” The next day the lady comes rushing to the restaurant and to our table in extremely high spirits. “Thank you very much! The game went exactly as you said it would! I have won brilliantly!” Then the lady turns to me, looks me up and down with a look of complete disgust and says, “Ha! With such a second, I could be World Champion too!”