Issue 9 | MM Chess | August 2021
Welcome back to the 9th issue of the Mindful Masters Newsletter, the best (and only?) monthly chess newsletter you receive. I cover chess culture and relevant wisdom I've collected along the way.
Last month we welcomed the newest MMChess.org students: Kiash, Eden, Juliet, and Meera. We also welcomed one new coach: Marc Nazario from the Philippines, aka “Marc The Spark.” Excited to have you join the team, Marc!
My story♟️
I got married on July 25th. Chess, of course, had to be a part of it. I can honestly say that this was the best wedding I’ve ever been to.
Chess Ideas 💡
🏆 While the Olympics are happening, the World Cup, a 128 chess knockout tournament, is happening at the same time in Sochi, Russia. This video provides some highlights from round 2. My favorite game from this round is Muzychuk - Abrahamyan, at about 16:00. You can follow the events here as well.
🌳 Grandmaster Sam Shankland: My friends and I are still obsessed with our fellow Brandeis alum, friend, and 2017 US Champion. He made it to the final 8, farther than any other American. Unfortunately, he lost in a tiebreaker against 2019 World Championship contended Sergey Karjakin.
Fun Chess Ideas 😄
🧠 There are more brain surgeons than chess grandmasters.
🌿 The Double Bongcloud Opening on TV? The Double Bongcloud was the answer to an impossible question on TV Show “The Chase.” It’s a ridiculous opening with a Wiki that nobody plays in real life.
🔥 Does Spending More Time On a Move Lead To Blunders? The simple answer is “no.” This chart includes the full position, as most blunders occur in the endgame because the position is complicated and there's usually only 1 good move and everything else is terrible. So you think a lot trying to find the 1 good move and then fail. However, correlation does not imply causation. The more complicated the position is, the more you'll think about it, and the more likely you are to make a mistake depending on your theoretical endgame knowledge.