Mall Chess

So a few hours ago I went out and drove by what will be my apartment in less than a week. They had cleaned up some stuff, but clearly were not done fixing up the place to be ready to move in. Nearby I found a place to get the money order I’d need to move in. (Easier than a cashier’s check given my bank’s closest branch is Indiana.) That taken care of, I went looking for food. Right across the street from the apartment complex is what looks like a little strip mall. It has a Barnes and Noble, a Circuit City, a Sports Authority and a bunch of other stuff. I discovered though that it also had a hidden indoor Mall type area. Mostly a food court (although a nifty one with non-chain type places and a wide variety of food). But some other stores. And… at one end between the food court, a grocery store and a board game store… was this:

There was a whole area in the mall filled with people playing chess. With chess clocks and nice sets and all. (Not hundreds of games or anything, but there were probably around six games going.) The highlight was the giant chess set. Two people were playing and there was a croud of people on all sides watching. The giant board plus some of the other stuff was obviously set up as a semi-perminant feature. You do NOT see this in Palm Bay.

Maybe I’ll like this area after all. :-)

Which reminds me, a couple days ago, since I have a usable computer again, I decided to once again start playing chess, not just against people on ICC where my rating has fallen so low that it is hard to find opponants now, but against the computer again. I’m working my way up through the Chessmaster 9000 personalities starting at the lowest rated and working my way up. I’ll play one until I win, then move up to the next one. The first bunch should be easy. They are really really bad players. And then it will get harder. Hopefully this way I’ll actually improve again. I seem to be a much worse chess player now than I was a number of years back… and I was never very good.

I’ve been considering posting the games I play. But does…

[Date 2006.2.16]
[White Abulsme]
[Black Cassie]
[TimeControl 120+12]
[Result 1-0]

1.e4 g6 2.Nf3 Na6 3.Nc3 Nb8 4.Bd3 Bg7 5.O-O Bxc3 6.bxc3 f5 7.Bb2 Kf8 8.c4 b5 9.Bxh8 bxc4 10.Bxc4 c5 11.Ng5 d5 12.exd5 Ke8 13.Qe2 Nh6 14.Nxh7 Bb7 15.Nf6+ Kf8 16.Rfe1 a5 17.Nh7+ Ke8 18.d6 Be4 19.dxe7 Qd6 20.Nf6+ Kxe7 21.Nxe4 Ng4 22.Nxd6+ Kd7 23.Nb5 Ne3 24.Qxe3 Kc8 25.Qe8+ Kb7 26.Re6 g5 27.Qe7+ Nd7 28.Qxd7+ Kb8 29.Re8# 1-0

Mean anything or have any interest to anybody reading this?

Didn’t think so. :-)