Exercise Log - Fall 2008

"Beaver Creek Bridge", on the campus of Clackamas Community College, Oregon City, OR (2008). Photo taken by Frank Niro. Signed copies, matted and framed, are available from the photographer. Proceeds will be donated to The Geezer Gallery, Portland, OR. Contact: ChessSafari@yahoo.com for more information.

Note: Recent changes in my medications have made it difficult to exercise vigorously, but I do what I can and hope that things will get better soon.

Clackamas C.C.

Sep 01, 2008 (224) 36:08
Sep 02, 2008 (223) 38:44
Sep 03, 2008 (224) 36:40
Sep 05, 2008 (222) 35:07
Sep 07, 2008 (222) 27:09
Sep 08, 2008 (221) 47:40
Sep 09, 2008 (220) 28:39

O.C. Promenade

Sep 16, 2008 (221) 14:33Oregon City Promenade, September 2008
Time out 9/17/08 to 10/17/08 due to injury

Clackamas River Park

Oct 18, 2008 (224) 14:35 14:53 29:28 (4:48)
Oct 20, 2008 (223) 14:25 14:32 28:57 (4:41)
Oct 22, 2008 (222) 14:00 14:45 28:45 (4:35)
Oct 24, 2008 (223) 14:37 14:44 29:21 (4:50)
Oct 26, 2008 (222) 14:33 14:08 28:41 (4:30)
Oct 28, 2008 (222) 14:11 14:18 28:29 (4:32)

Nov 02, 2008 (221) 13:58 14:27 28:25 (4:34)
Nov 03, 2008 (220) 3M NTT
Nov 05, 2008 (220) 2M NTT

[TIME OFF -- INJURED]

Best Times:
f 1/3 split
4:26 Jul 17, 2008
4:30 Jul 19, 2008
4:30 Oct 26, 2008
4:32 Oct 28, 2008
4:33 May 10, 2007
4:34 Nov 02, 2008
4:35 May 29, 2008
4:35 Jul 13, 2008
4:35 Oct 22, 2008
4:38 Mar 18, 2008
4:39 Jun 09, 2008
4:39 Jun 30, 2008
4:39 Jul 16, 2008
4:40 Mar 22, 2008
4:40 Jul 11, 2008

1M lap
13:47 May 10, 2007
13:51 Jul 13, 2008
13:53 Jul 17, 2008
13:55 Jul 19, 2008
13:58 Nov 02, 2008
13:59 Jul 17, 2008
14:00 Oct 22, 2008
14:02 Jun 09, 2008
14:02 Jun 22, 2008
14:03 Jul 16, 2008
14:06 Mar 22, 2008
14:07 Jul 19, 2008
14:08 Oct 26, 2008
14:11 Mar 24, 2008
14:11 Jun 25, 2008
14:11 Jun 27, 2008
14:11 Oct 28, 2008
14:13 May 05, 2007
14:17 Jun 30, 2008
14:18 Oct 28, 2008
14:18 Jul 03, 2008
14:22 Jul 11, 2008
14:24 Mar 24, 2008
14:25 Oct 20, 2008

2M loop
1. 27:52 Jul 17, 2008
2. 28:02 Jul 19, 2008
3. 28:10 Jul 13, 2008
4. 28:24 May 10, 2007
5. 28:25 Nov 02, 2008
6. 28:29 Oct 28, 2008
7. 28:35 Mar 24, 2008
8. 28:41 Oct 26, 2008
9. 28:42 Jun 09, 2008
10. 28:44 Jun 27, 2008
11. 28:45 May 05, 2007
12. 28:45 Oct 22, 2008
13. 28:50 Jul 11, 2008
14. 28:52 Jul 16, 2008
15. 28:54 Jul 03, 2008
16. 28:57 Mar 22, 2008
17. 28:57 Oct 20, 2008
18. 29:01 Jun 29, 2008
19. 29:01 Aug 18, 2008
20. 29:04 Jun 22, 2008
21. 29:06 May 29, 2008
22. 29:21 Oct 24, 2008
23. 29:22 Mar 18, 2008
24. 29:24 Jul 01, 2008
25. 29:28 Oct 18, 2008

3M best
43:37 May 10, 2007 (13:47-14:37-15:13); 4:37, 4:37, 4:33

recap (top 3 + W)
May 10, 2007 4:33, 9:10, 13:47, 18:40, 23:30, 28:24
Jul 13, 2008 4:54, 9:37, 14:12, 18:49, 23:28, 28:10
Jul 17, 2008 4:37, 9:13, 13:59, 18:45, 23:26, 27:52
(W)Jul 19, 2008 4:43 9:25 13:55 18:37, 23:19, 28:02

most recent:
Nov 02, 2008 4:42, 9:24, 13:58, 18:44, 23:32, 28:25

Chess Combination: SOLUTION

This is the solution to the position posted in my main blog on September 2. Click here to go back.

White to move. The features that stand out are the absolute pin on black's pawn at g6, the potential pin against the black queen on the same diagonal as its king, black's vulnerable 7th rank, and the fact that the pinned pawn is attacked and defended 3 times so that removing a guard from g6 will lead to the win of material (the same point is true of the pawn on f5, which turns out to be the key to the solution).

White plays: 1.Rxd4!

"The forcing, violent move - a capture - initiates action on the long diagonal." -- Reinfeld

1...exd4

This move is forced. Otherwise Black will remain a rook behind. The next move is the tougher one to see.


2.Bxd4!

The Pin. The queen screens the king from attack but cannot move away.


2...Qxd4

The capture of the white bishop is forced, setting the stage for the decisive knight-forking check.


3.Nxf5+

"This forcing violent knight-forking check wins black's queen because the king knight pawn is pinned..." -- Reinfeld

SOURCE -- The Secret of Tactical Chess: A Manual of Chess Victory by Fred Reinfeld (1958), Collier Books (1973), softcover, diagram 85, page 129.
The themes are pin and knight fork (double attack). This was one of the first books on chess tactics that I studied. It was republished by Collier during the Fischer-Spassky boom in Great Britain and the United States. Note the cover price of $2.45. The same book would be released at ten times that much today.