1. e4
    Joined
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    15 Jul '15 18:58
    If you are such a skinflint to play, at least you can enjoy the games.

    http://www.chessscotland.com/

    There is a bookstall this weekend so you can hitch-hike though
    and nick a book on how to play v the French because I just checked
    you out on the Games Explorer your timid 2.d3 is no good. 41% v 47%

    And when you play 2.d4 you getting pasted 18% v 63%. (that's bad as White.)

    I have 91% from 11 games with my 2.Nf3! 😏

    Start playing the exchange till you get sorted out with a line that has guts.
    Or start playing the French so you see what's wrong with it.

    Your game explorer link.

    http://www.redhotpawn.com/chess-games-explorer/user-games.php?rpgn=e2e4_e7e6&playername=robbie+carrobie&playercolor=w

    Now everyone knows you are Mr 'free points here' v the French
    you will have to do something about it.

    and in Game 8538581 play Rxg7+ instead of automatically doubling
    the Rooks on the 7th, Rxg7+ Kxg7. Re7+ and Qxf6.

    I think Black has to take a perpetual. Though White has to be careful
    about allowing a Qb6+ as the Queens come off, Active White King and
    sole Rook on the 7th might hold - cannot see that far ahead.
  2. Account suspended
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    15 Jul '15 21:353 edits
    Originally posted by greenpawn34
    If you are such a skinflint to play, at least you can enjoy the games.

    http://www.chessscotland.com/

    There is a bookstall this weekend so you can hitch-hike though
    and nick a book on how to play v the French because I just checked
    you out on the Games Explorer your timid 2.d3 is no good. 41% v 47%

    And when you play 2.d4 you getting pasted 18 ...[text shortened]... come off, Active White King and
    sole Rook on the 7th might hold - cannot see that far ahead.
    The game that you cite was my best try against the damn French, I went for a line I knew in the Tarrasch which gave White the exchange at the cost of some development and fannying about with his queen but i got outplayed by my higher rated opponent. No regrets plus I dont care, I play 1.d4 now! no sicilians, no Caro kanners and no Frenchies!

    As for the 122nd Scottish championship I have been following it every day. Aagaard, Burnett, Grant, Tate, MacKay, McNab and Pritchett. Toady I was all geared up for an excellent match, Aagaard v Van den Doel, they played 3 moves each and made a grandmaster draw. Now I regard that as cheating, they must have colluded before the match to make an easy draw. Andrew Burnett lost very quickly today in sixteen moves, shuffling about with his pawns against a Rossolimo sicilian. MacNabs play i don't understand, he favours kingside fianchetto and puts his knight on the edge of the board and on unusual squares like f5, he's just asking for it! MacKay plays the bird opening every time with white and got a pasting by Van den Doel in one of the earlier rounds. The person who I can relate to most is Arakhamia-Grant, I like her play, she out of all the players doesn't make the most optimal moves but her play is very human. I wouldn't like to face Tate over the board, he is super accurate most of the time.

    Alex MacFarlane sent me a rather acidic email stating that Its not easy to transmit the games over the net and that i should pony up a large donation for a DGT board, volunteer to help or basically shut up. If you see him tell him the Scotlandchess website looks like something from 1992, it has a scrolling yellow banner across the top for goodness sake like its trying to sell discount furniture and the links you need a magnifying glass to read.

    I have ordered a weighted chess set and mat and i plan to join a chess club, there are two, Stepps chess club and Bishopbriggs. No one in Bishopbriggs is over 1400 and Stepps has IM Douglas Bryson. I just gonna show up with my chess mat, chess pieces and clock, kick their butts and leave, like Bruce Lee in the Japanese School!

    YouTube : Bruce Lee

    A much better site is chessbomb, they eventually showed the games after much complaining.

    http://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2015-scotland
  3. e4
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    16 Jul '15 01:50
    Hi Robbie.

    You cannot give up on 1.e4 because of the 'damn French'.

    And you cannot use the RHP grades either. The game was played July 2011.
    His grade was 1866 your were then 1740. Your February 2011 grade was 1804.

    I spoke to Jacob on Tuesday, I have to say he did not look well. There may
    be more to the short draw than you think.

    You don't understand McNab's play. Tell me about it. I did his games for Rampant Chess.
    Those in the book were hand picked by me ('cept his Korchnoi game which he wanted in).
    Those I picked I had an idea of what was going on. Some of the others.....no chance.
    (Without looking at the game and I've not seen it. Kingside finachetto with Knights
    appearing on f5 sounds like Stephan Gerzadoicz system. If you can get his book.

    'Jounal of a Chess Original' then you are in for a treat.

    Roddy M'Kay (I also did his games in R.C.) is a hero of mine so be careful.
    He's a Scottish legend. He has a lot of natural talent and OTB inspiration
    that is not something you can call up when you need it. If it don't come, it don't come.
    Also he won't be keeping up with modern theory so the Birds is to sidestep that.

    Alan Tate should be the next Scottish GM. Just needs a good run in the right company
    so he can get the Norm. (I think he needs one more - I'll find out.)

    I'll be seeing Alex on Sunday, not surprised you got one of his 'specia'l e-mails.
    He and a lot of others give up a lot of spare time to make sure chess continues
    in Scotland. It's only their errors that get mentioned, hardly any praise.

    So when someone up's and complains about things and does not offer their
    help or guidance, he tends to get a tad upset.
    (I too have felt M'Farlane's wrath over another matter - stand clear.)

    Go to the club closest to you - don't be such a grading snob.
    And go in with an open attitude. The minute you arrive you will inherit a dozen
    or so new friends. Chess friends. Chess friends are people you can rely on.

    If it's the same weighted set and mat I have then this kit is brilliant to play on.
    I found the board (green and white) a bit too bright. I dulled it with talcum powder.
    You sprinkle a wee bit on and rub it right in. Works a treat.


    When I was there Neil Berry took me to the pub and showed me his win v
    top seed Oleg Korneev. Good game. Neil first plays a Nxg6 trick and a few
    moves later offers his Queen for a mate in one.

    After all the tactics in the opening Oleg offered a couple of draws. It did look
    like he was getting back into game with his Queenside pawns and some
    players may have caved in and agreed to a draw v a GM.

    Not Neil Berry (he not nicknamed the Balerno Bull for nothing).

    But it looked a hard win till Neil finally decided to play 38.e7! which allowed
    him to activate his passed pawns. That front e-pawn had no Rook back up.
    Once it was gone the pawns rolled on.

    Funny thing in the pub. Graeme Kafka was with us and we were telling jokes
    and having fun when suddenly Neil got out his mobile to see the next round draw.
    Kafka v Berry! . The atmosphere kind of changed and Neil shortly left. (I see Neil won).

    Here is the game I mentioned - The Balerno Bull is White.

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    16 Jul '15 08:08

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  6. Account suspended
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    16 Jul '15 08:112 edits
    I was going to take up 1.e4 again GP because of Maria Muzychuk ladies world
    champion cause i fancy her. She even plays the Scotch regularly but alas what can a
    young lassie do wi an auld man! So i stuck to d4 and now Kramnik is my hero!

    As for my French game i think my opponent was underrated, he eventually made 2100
    if I am not mistaken and I think i played him six times and never won a single game! At
    one point he declared that if i survived the position he would eat his left leg, i offered
    him condiments but it was to no avail.

    Truly sorry to hear that Aagaard was not looking well, hopefully he will pick up and i
    fully agree with your sentiments on MacKay, you can tell his play is based on a kind of
    natural intuition and comes from 'the gut', as they say.

    What transpired with Mr. MacFarlane was that I asked him why I could find no trace of
    the transmission of the games on the Internet and asked rhetorically if it was really the
    best way to make use of technology and to promote not only the tournament but chess
    in general. Naturally he didn't like that and sent back a rather personal rebuke. The
    culprit was that the games were not being shown on the official tournament website but
    on Scotlandchess and was remedied after he provided the link. I will certainly heed
    your advice GP and stay clear in future.

    Yes its sounds like the same weighted set and green and white board! ill use johnsons
    baby powder if i find the square too iridescent.

    The game was amazing, i will be following Neils games more closely, he seems a
    player one can understand,

    All the best while you gallivant with the elite of Scotlands chess scene and swagger
    about that super posh colonial mansion the Stewarts Melville college. One expects
    ladies with bonnets and Indian servants to be serving tea on the lawn as the chaps ride
    past for a game of polo, what!
  7. e4
    Joined
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    16 Jul '15 13:29
    Hi Robbie,

    You cannot go around basing your opening repertoire on good looking women.
    Follow the ugly men. (I won't point them out they know who they are.)
  8. Account suspended
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    16 Jul '15 21:34
    Originally posted by greenpawn34
    Hi Robbie,

    You cannot go around basing your opening repertoire on good looking women.
    Follow the ugly men. (I won't point them out they know who they are.)
    Wow GP, Aagaard took a hit today against Amercian FM Petesch, not quite sure what went wrong even in the end position i would have played on. Weighted chess set arrived, i cannot believe how big the chess pieces are and the mat, its absolutely massive, are tournament boards really that big?
  9. e4
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    17 Jul '15 00:07
    Hi Robbie.

    No it is larger than the normal set used in club and tournaments
    but once you start thumping those heavy bits out about that surface you will love it.

    I see the Bull drew against another GM today. Tomorrow (well later on today).
    He's playing Black v McKay.
  10. Account suspended
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    17 Jul '15 09:12
    Originally posted by greenpawn34
    Hi Robbie.

    No it is larger than the normal set used in club and tournaments
    but once you start thumping those heavy bits out about that surface you will love it.

    I see the Bull drew against another GM today. Tomorrow (well later on today).
    He's playing Black v McKay.
    Wow its gonna be soooo awesome, the Bull v MacKay! I was looking at the tables, Calum MaQueen is doing pretty awesome but he draws GM today, also Sarah Smith who is rated 888 has managed to make draws with 1800+ rated opponents and sits at 1.5, Sams Connoly has yet to take a point, so ill be rooting for him today, he's currently .5 although i don't know how he achieved it. The main thing is the tournament is wide open, its anyone's for the taking!
  11. Account suspended
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    18 Jul '15 02:161 edit
    I love this game, MacNab falls prey to a very simple Colle like set up against his favoured Pirc.

  12. e4
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    19 Jul '15 20:15
    Hi Robbie,

    Neil won the Scottish Championship on tie break,
    watched him win v Keti Arakhamia-Grant, in the last round.

    He also scored an IM norm with this win.
  13. Account suspended
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    19 Jul '15 20:31
    Originally posted by greenpawn34
    Hi Robbie,

    Neil won the Scottish Championship on tie break,
    watched him win v Keti Arakhamia-Grant, in the last round.

    He also scored an IM norm with this win.
    Yes! He must feel amazing, was also following his game with Mrs Grant but it looked even at the point I left off 😀
  14. SubscriberPaul Leggett
    Chess Librarian
    The Stacks
    Joined
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    113497
    19 Jul '15 21:02
    Originally posted by greenpawn34
    If you are such a skinflint to play, at least you can enjoy the games.

    http://www.chessscotland.com/

    There is a bookstall this weekend so you can hitch-hike though
    and nick a book on how to play v the French because I just checked
    you out on the Games Explorer your timid 2.d3 is no good. 41% v 47%

    And when you play 2.d4 you getting pasted 18 ...[text shortened]... come off, Active White King and
    sole Rook on the 7th might hold - cannot see that far ahead.
    In my opening database (over 6 million games and analysis), after 1. e4 e6 the three most popular responses and win percentage are:

    2. d4 scores 54.3% from 617423 games
    2. d3 scores 55.8% from 53097 games
    2. Nf3 scores 44.8% from 31201 games

    It appears that the guys playing 2. d3 are too timid to lose, and the guys playing 2. Nf3 are too brave to win! Perhaps you need to get more of your games into the databases and show 'em how to do it, as the other guys playing 2. Nf3 seem to be making a hash of it. 😉
  15. e4
    Joined
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    19 Jul '15 23:011 edit
    Hi Paul,

    That must an OTB database. After 2.Nf3 is White playing the 4.b4 line.
    or are some chickening out with 3.exd5.

    1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e5 c5 4. b4



    On here after 4.b4 it's 55% wins v 34% losses from 220 games.
    (on here if I get this far I have 100% - ).

    I have some good OTB wins as White with 4.b4, recollect only a few losses, one
    was v GM Colin McNab and I was happy with the messy position I got and enjoyed myself.

    Quite a few of the OTB wins were due to surprise value some saying they had never seen
    it before and came to the board armed with Winawer variations 20 moves deep which
    they never got to use.

    Like all games from any opening it comes down to who is happiest
    playing the position who is the better chess player, who plays the better
    chess on the day and more than anything, who blunders last.(a few of my
    wins, including those here I was losing but tricked a win.... infact when I
    think about it, I am probably losing after 4.b4! in all the games.)
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