A Gentle Glossary Revisited
August 6, 2008
In the last issue, we asked you to find the “less than truthful” definitions supplied by Elliot Hearst back in 1962. We said there were 24, but there were actually 25, as pointed out by Max Chen. When you get a chance, go back and look at the following definitions and see if you don’t agree.

Algebraic Notation (2nd definition)
Analysis
Bishop, Good
Bird, Harry
Blitz (2nd)
Castling (2nd)
Chess Club
Combination
Draw (Grandmaster)
Endgame (2nd)
En prise
Fish (2nd)
Giuoco Piano
Kibitzer (2nd)
King’s Indian Reversed
Opponent
Perfect Game
Patzer
Pin
Sacrifice (2nd)
Skill
Skittles Room (2nd)
Won Game
Woodpusher



And then we asked you to send in a few of your own definitions.


From Max Chen we have:


Seventh Rank
– A place where pigs and hogs often end up on.

Resign
– Something many people discourage to beginners, but grandmasters often do.

Pawn
– The soul of chess

I Adjust
– Something I always say when touching a piece to avoid the “touch-move” rule.

Good Bishop
– A bishop that does what you want it to do.

Chess Problem
– Something that supposedly boosts tactical skill, but is always set up and never usable in a real game.

Skewer
– Something used for kabobs.

Swindle
– The way you accuse an opponent who beats you, but your opponent smugly denies it.

Zwischenzug
– A sophisticated word that makes you sound like a genius.

Opening Principle
– Something beginners are taught to follow, but grandmasters like breaking.

En prise
– A move you describe as a sacrifice that gave you no compensation.

Underpromotion
– A move that people have a hard time using due to the great power of the queen.

The Fifty Move Rule
– Has probably never happened.

Scoresheet
– Something to record a game that will not ever be seen again.

Check
– Something the beginners love to do.

Blindfold Chess
– Chess games used by grandmasters to brag how great they are.

Opening
– Totally solved by all the high tech computers.

Bishop and Wrong Rook
– A disappointment to people who have a huge material advantage.


And from Richard Lowenburg:


Beginner – One who still thinks they can be a grandmaster.


And fom Kimmy Ding:


King’s Gambit – An opening when White walks his king out into the middle of the board and begs his opponent to mate him.

Tournament Director
– The man who walks around the tournament room criticizing everyone he sees.

Coach
– The man who always gives a long explanation on how bad your move was.

Dad
– The guy you can never beat.


Winning copies of Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman were Victor Chen, Karthik Seenivasan, Kimmy Ding, Aniruddha Kappangantu, Richard Lowenburg, Ted Zhu, and Max Chen.


GIVE IT A SHOT!


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It looks simple enough. Noah Weisz of Maryland sent in this little puzzler for you to solve. Black to Move and White to Checkmate Black. But there are conditions …

With Black to move first, what is the longest sequence of moves that can be played, with every move for Black AND White, being a check, AND the last move (by White) being checkmate?

Got It? Give it a shot. You’ll have fun. And if you send the correct solution, you will be eligible for a book prize. The winning entry in the drawing will again be chosen by my gnomes in Outer Mongolia. Send your solution to: [email protected], or by snail mail to Glenn Petersen, 44-D Manchester Court, Freehold, NJ 07728. The book prize will be Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman.