Issue 11 | MM Chess | October 2021
Welcome back to the 11th 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.
In August we welcomed the newest MMChess.org students: Krishna, Irina, Lucky, and Oliver. We also welcome back Sebastian and Aharon!
Reviews help MM grow. Please review the coaches on Google and you’ll receive $10 off next month’s chess lessons.
My story
I’ve taken a non-traditional career path. I’ve worked as a waiter, in a non-profit, taught chess, and now run 2 companies!
While I enjoy giving and taking chess lessons, what I really love is helping people. In addition to MM Chess, I am the Director of Senior Living Experts, a Chicago-based start-up that helps families find the best senior living community for their older parents. I saw how difficult it is for my own family to take care of our grandmother, and want to help others.
In chess, there is often more than one right answer to victory. But you need to be able to see farther ahead than your opponent. I believe that skills, not a specific career, are what makes us great. If you’d like to hear more from me, let’s connect on Linkedin.
Chess News This Month 😄
🏆 The Queen’s Gambit Wins 11 Emmys! Anya Taylor-Joy said, the Queen’s Gambit “inspired a whole generation of girls and young women.”
🚸 Sweater Weather In Norway. Yes, that’s world champion Magnus Carlsen to the right and Ian Nepomniachtchi (the world championship contender) to the left, posing for a photo-op after the Norway Chess. Magnus, of course, won the tournament!
🥊 The Most Incredible Sacrifice. World #6, US player Wesley So plays a knockout sacrifice that leaves the commentators flabbergasted.
👎 Carlsen Loses Another Game. The world champion is winning tournaments, but even he loses his fair share. On Sept. 28th, he lost to 23-year-old Russian grandmaster Artimev. Here’s the game.
Chess Ideas 💡
🌎 Chess Builds Confidence. This month, I was asked if chess builds confidence. I had to do some digging, and discovered that the The St. Louis Chess Club conducted its own research in 2019-20 and found that:
65% of students look forward to school more on days they get to play chess.
72% of students say that learning to play chess has made them more confident when learning difficult material.
75% of students say that playing chess encourages them to challenge themselves more in the future.
One of the clear benefits for students of all ages.
😣 Those close to "100 levels” keep playing until they pushing and pushing. At least, that’s so according to the Lichess rating distribution. So if you’re at 1090, you’ll keep pushing until you break that 1100 barrier.
♚Which piece survives the longest? A programmer used a database of 2.2 million games and created this chart below. Most obviously, the king’s space says “100%” because it can never be taken.