Visualization in chess is very important. It is excellent practice to visualize positions without the aid of a chess board. The ability to visualize well is present in all great players. In a game of speed chess against Puliukko of Finland, I visualized different positions to help me achieve victory. In the game I played white. Here are the moves of the game along with my commentary:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d6
3. Bc4 h6
Here black often pins the knight with Bg4.
4. h3 Qe7
I prevent a pin on my knight. Black makes a move that hinders his development. With the queen on e7, his king bishop has no square.
5. c3 a6
6. d4 exd4
7. 0-0 dxc
Black grabs a second pawn but at the cost of development.
8. Nxc3 Nc6
9. Nd5 Qd7
My aim is to prevent black from castling.
10. Re1 Nge7
11. e5 dxe
With the black king in the centre, I decide to open the position.
12. Nxe5 Qd8
Black's move surprises me. I visualize 12...Nxe5 13. Rxe5. This pins the knight on e7 but is better than black's passive move which allows a winning combination.
13. Nxc7+ Qxc7
Black's capture is forced. My move opens a diagonal for my bishop to mate on my next move.
14. Bxf7#
The mate is the position I visualize when I play my thirteenth move. Black's inability to develop his pieces and protect his king is critical. His fourth move, Qe7, is premature because it slows his development and makes castling more difficult.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Top Ten Gold and Silver Producers
Gold and silver are precious metals which have been valued since ancient times. In fact, with the current global economic crisis, many investors have become more interested in precious metals such as gold and silver. Though gold is currently worth much more than silver, some people believe the value of silver may increase drastically in the future. Here is a list of the top ten producers of gold and silver as of March 1, 2012:
Gold
1) China
2) Australia
3) USA
4) Russia
5) South Africa
6) Peru
7) Indonesia
8) Ghana
9) Canada
10) Uzbekistan
Silver
1) Peru
2) Mexico
3) China
4) Australia
5) Chile
6) Russia
7) Bolivia
8) USA
9) Poland
10) Canada
China is a large producer of gold and silver, first in gold and third in silver. Australia is also a large producer, second in gold and fourth in silver. The USA is third in gold and eight in silver. Russia, with a vast area, is third in gold and sixth in silver. Peru, a country with a much smaller area, is first in silver and sixth in gold. Mexico is not a top ten gold producer but is second in silver. Six countries are top ten producers of both gold and silver- China, Australia, the USA, Russia, Peru and Canada.
Gold
1) China
2) Australia
3) USA
4) Russia
5) South Africa
6) Peru
7) Indonesia
8) Ghana
9) Canada
10) Uzbekistan
Silver
1) Peru
2) Mexico
3) China
4) Australia
5) Chile
6) Russia
7) Bolivia
8) USA
9) Poland
10) Canada
China is a large producer of gold and silver, first in gold and third in silver. Australia is also a large producer, second in gold and fourth in silver. The USA is third in gold and eight in silver. Russia, with a vast area, is third in gold and sixth in silver. Peru, a country with a much smaller area, is first in silver and sixth in gold. Mexico is not a top ten gold producer but is second in silver. Six countries are top ten producers of both gold and silver- China, Australia, the USA, Russia, Peru and Canada.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Ten Popular Operas
It is not easy to determine the ten most popular operas. One can look at the number of performances worldwide, conduct a survey, determine which operas are best attended, and also compare sales of opera music. However, no one can dispute that for many Italian opera is the greatest and a list of the most popular operas always includes Italian ones.
One of the most famous opera houses, the Metropolitan Opera of New York, has eight Italian operas among the ten most performed operas. The two exceptions are the French operas Carmen and Faust. Here are the ten most performed operas at the Metropolitan Opera through March 14, 2009:
1) Giacomo Puccini La Boheme
2) Giuseppe Verdi Aida
3) Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata
4) Georges Bizet Carmen
5) Giacomo Puccini Tosca
6) Giacomo Puccini Madama Butterfly
7) Giuseppe Verdi Rigoletto
8) Charles Gounod Faust
9) Ruggero Leoncavallo Pagliacci
10) Pietro Mascagni Cavalleria Rusticana
From the list of the ten most performed operas at the Metropolitan Opera, it is clear that Italian opera is very popular. Also evident is that the composers Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi both created operas with lasting popularity. Of the ten operas on the list, they composed more than half of them- six out of ten.
One of the most famous opera houses, the Metropolitan Opera of New York, has eight Italian operas among the ten most performed operas. The two exceptions are the French operas Carmen and Faust. Here are the ten most performed operas at the Metropolitan Opera through March 14, 2009:
1) Giacomo Puccini La Boheme
2) Giuseppe Verdi Aida
3) Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata
4) Georges Bizet Carmen
5) Giacomo Puccini Tosca
6) Giacomo Puccini Madama Butterfly
7) Giuseppe Verdi Rigoletto
8) Charles Gounod Faust
9) Ruggero Leoncavallo Pagliacci
10) Pietro Mascagni Cavalleria Rusticana
From the list of the ten most performed operas at the Metropolitan Opera, it is clear that Italian opera is very popular. Also evident is that the composers Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi both created operas with lasting popularity. Of the ten operas on the list, they composed more than half of them- six out of ten.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Victory in Chess
In a game of speed chess against Timmy Forsberg of Sweden, I forced resignation on his 21st move. In this game he played black. It was an open game with many captures. Here are the moves along with my commentary:
1. e4 c5
2. d4 d6
Here it is common for black to play cxd. If black does not wish to capture, e6 is possible. The move d6 does not effectively challenge white's control of the centre.
3. Nf3 Bg4
4. Be2 Bxf3
Black helps me to develop.
5. Bxf3 cxd
6. Qxd4 Nc6
7. Qc3 e5
I place my queen on the ideal square for my queen knight. The move Qa4 is better.
8. 0-0 d5
9. exd Bb4
10. Qb3 Nd4
Black forks my queen and bishop.
11. Qxb4 Nxc2
Nxf3+ is a better move for black. He forks my queen and rook but the move is a mistake.
12. Qa4+ b5
13. Qxc2 Nf6
14. Nc3 b4
Black is aggressive with the pawn but it is overextended.
15. Qa4+ Ke7
16. Qxb4+ Ke8
17. Qb5+ Qd7
Down in material, black should not offer to exchange queens. A better move is Kf8.
18. Qxd7+ Nxd7
I am happy to exchange queens.
19. Re1 f6
20. d6 Rf8
My move takes away the e7 square for the black king and allows my bishop to threaten the rook on a8.
21. Bxa8
With his material deficit and his exposed king, black decides to resign. Black makes a number of aggressive moves in this game such as Nxc2 on his eleventh move, but he does so at the expense of his development and the safety of his king. My twelfth move, Qa4+, which leads to the loss of black's knight, is one of the key moves of the game.
1. e4 c5
2. d4 d6
Here it is common for black to play cxd. If black does not wish to capture, e6 is possible. The move d6 does not effectively challenge white's control of the centre.
3. Nf3 Bg4
4. Be2 Bxf3
Black helps me to develop.
5. Bxf3 cxd
6. Qxd4 Nc6
7. Qc3 e5
I place my queen on the ideal square for my queen knight. The move Qa4 is better.
8. 0-0 d5
9. exd Bb4
10. Qb3 Nd4
Black forks my queen and bishop.
11. Qxb4 Nxc2
Nxf3+ is a better move for black. He forks my queen and rook but the move is a mistake.
12. Qa4+ b5
13. Qxc2 Nf6
14. Nc3 b4
Black is aggressive with the pawn but it is overextended.
15. Qa4+ Ke7
16. Qxb4+ Ke8
17. Qb5+ Qd7
Down in material, black should not offer to exchange queens. A better move is Kf8.
18. Qxd7+ Nxd7
I am happy to exchange queens.
19. Re1 f6
20. d6 Rf8
My move takes away the e7 square for the black king and allows my bishop to threaten the rook on a8.
21. Bxa8
With his material deficit and his exposed king, black decides to resign. Black makes a number of aggressive moves in this game such as Nxc2 on his eleventh move, but he does so at the expense of his development and the safety of his king. My twelfth move, Qa4+, which leads to the loss of black's knight, is one of the key moves of the game.
Friday, October 26, 2012
English Stress
English stress can fall on any syllable of a word. This can be seen in the words never, polite and afternoon. However, English stress is not entirely unpredictable. For example, rules can be given for words with penultimate and antepenultimate stress.
Consider the following words: (An Introduction to Phonology: Katamba)
a) cinema Agatha overture Malibu
b) Galapagos America rhinoceros epitome
c) tornado rhododendron aroma bronchitis
The words in (a) and (b) have antepenultimate stress. The ones in (c) have penultimate stress. The difference between the words in (a) and (b) and the ones in (c) is that in (a) and (b) the penultimate syllable is light and in (c) the penultimate syllable is heavy.
The second syllable in cinema consists of a nasal and a schwa. This classifies the syllable as light. Because it is light, it does not bear stress. In the word overture, the second syllable has a schwar or schwa with r-colouring. In many accents of British English, the vowel is not a schwar but rather a vowel similar to the schwa with a longer duration.
The second syllable of tornado consists of a nasal and a diphthong. This classifies the syllable as heavy. For this reason it is stressed. The third syllable of rhododendron consists of a mid front unrounded lax vowel and a nasal. This combination of a vowel and consonant classifies the syllable as heavy. As a result, it carries stress.
Although stress varies in English, it is not entirely random. Rules can be given for English stress. One such rule is the one which determines penultimate and antepenultimate stress in loan words. The rule states that if the penultimate syllable is heavy, it is stressed. On the other hand, if the penultimate syllable is light, stress is then placed on the antepenultimate syllable.
Consider the following words: (An Introduction to Phonology: Katamba)
a) cinema Agatha overture Malibu
b) Galapagos America rhinoceros epitome
c) tornado rhododendron aroma bronchitis
The words in (a) and (b) have antepenultimate stress. The ones in (c) have penultimate stress. The difference between the words in (a) and (b) and the ones in (c) is that in (a) and (b) the penultimate syllable is light and in (c) the penultimate syllable is heavy.
The second syllable in cinema consists of a nasal and a schwa. This classifies the syllable as light. Because it is light, it does not bear stress. In the word overture, the second syllable has a schwar or schwa with r-colouring. In many accents of British English, the vowel is not a schwar but rather a vowel similar to the schwa with a longer duration.
The second syllable of tornado consists of a nasal and a diphthong. This classifies the syllable as heavy. For this reason it is stressed. The third syllable of rhododendron consists of a mid front unrounded lax vowel and a nasal. This combination of a vowel and consonant classifies the syllable as heavy. As a result, it carries stress.
Although stress varies in English, it is not entirely random. Rules can be given for English stress. One such rule is the one which determines penultimate and antepenultimate stress in loan words. The rule states that if the penultimate syllable is heavy, it is stressed. On the other hand, if the penultimate syllable is light, stress is then placed on the antepenultimate syllable.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Exciting Chess Game
I played an exciting game of speed chess against Tcet of Croatia. In this game my opponent played black. We attacked from start to finish. Here are the moves of the game along with my commentary:
1. e4 d5
2. exd Qxd5
3. Nc3 Qe6+
The check achieves nothing.
4. Be2 c6
This is an excellent square for the knight.
5. Nf3 h6
6. 0-0 Nf6
7. d4 Qd6
Now black can advance the king pawn.
8. Be3 e6
9. h3 Be7
10. Qd2 b6
11. Rad1 Ba6
12. Bf4 Qd8
13. Bxb8 Bxe2
I hope for Qxb8 or Rxb8 so that I can win the bishop on a6, but black does not fall for this.
14. Nxe2 Rxb8
15. c4 0-0
16. Ne5 c5
Black fails to prevent the fork.
17. Nc6 Qc7
18. Nxb8 Rxb8
19. d5 exd
20. cxd Bd6
21. Nc3 a6
Black prevents Nb5 which forks the queen and bishop.
22. Rfe1 Nh5
23. Re2 Nf4
24. Re3 Nxg2
Black's move surprises me.
25. Kxg2 Bf4
Black's knight sacrifice allows him to pin my rook with his bishop.
26. Rde1 Re8
Black wants to increase the pressure on e3 but this move is a mistake because I can check.
27. Rxe8+ Kh7
28. Qd3+ g6
29. R8e7
My fork of the queen and pawn convinces black to resign. With my control of the e-file and my material advantage, I have a dominant position.
This is a memorable game. It features a knight sacrifice and pin by my opponent, a check that enables me to break the pin, and a rook fork that ends the game. The key move of the game is undoubtedly my 27th move, Rxe8+.
1. e4 d5
2. exd Qxd5
3. Nc3 Qe6+
The check achieves nothing.
4. Be2 c6
This is an excellent square for the knight.
5. Nf3 h6
6. 0-0 Nf6
7. d4 Qd6
Now black can advance the king pawn.
8. Be3 e6
9. h3 Be7
10. Qd2 b6
11. Rad1 Ba6
12. Bf4 Qd8
13. Bxb8 Bxe2
I hope for Qxb8 or Rxb8 so that I can win the bishop on a6, but black does not fall for this.
14. Nxe2 Rxb8
15. c4 0-0
16. Ne5 c5
Black fails to prevent the fork.
17. Nc6 Qc7
18. Nxb8 Rxb8
19. d5 exd
20. cxd Bd6
21. Nc3 a6
Black prevents Nb5 which forks the queen and bishop.
22. Rfe1 Nh5
23. Re2 Nf4
24. Re3 Nxg2
Black's move surprises me.
25. Kxg2 Bf4
Black's knight sacrifice allows him to pin my rook with his bishop.
26. Rde1 Re8
Black wants to increase the pressure on e3 but this move is a mistake because I can check.
27. Rxe8+ Kh7
28. Qd3+ g6
29. R8e7
My fork of the queen and pawn convinces black to resign. With my control of the e-file and my material advantage, I have a dominant position.
This is a memorable game. It features a knight sacrifice and pin by my opponent, a check that enables me to break the pin, and a rook fork that ends the game. The key move of the game is undoubtedly my 27th move, Rxe8+.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Dissimilation
Dissimilation is a phonological process. In assimilation sounds become more similar to one another. In dissimilation, however, the reverse occurs- sounds become less similar from one another.
In Kurundi, an African language spoken in Burundi, a consonant in the prefix must disagree in voicing with a the first consonant of the root to which it is attached. The rule can be states as follows:
A voiced root initial segment requires a voiceless consonant in the prefix and a voiceless root initial segment requires a voiced consonant in the prefix. The data illustrates this:
Imperative
rya eat
1st person singular present
tu-rya
Imperative
mwa shave
1st person singular present
tu-mwa
Imperative
soma read
1st person singular present
du-soma
Imperative
kubita hit
1st person singular present
du-kubita
The prefix variant du occurs with roots that have a voiceless initial segment in the root. With roots that have a voiced initial segment in the root, the prefix variant tu occurs. The examples from Kurundi serve to illustrate the phonological process of dissimilation.
In Kurundi, an African language spoken in Burundi, a consonant in the prefix must disagree in voicing with a the first consonant of the root to which it is attached. The rule can be states as follows:
A voiced root initial segment requires a voiceless consonant in the prefix and a voiceless root initial segment requires a voiced consonant in the prefix. The data illustrates this:
Imperative
rya eat
1st person singular present
tu-rya
Imperative
mwa shave
1st person singular present
tu-mwa
Imperative
soma read
1st person singular present
du-soma
Imperative
kubita hit
1st person singular present
du-kubita
The prefix variant du occurs with roots that have a voiceless initial segment in the root. With roots that have a voiced initial segment in the root, the prefix variant tu occurs. The examples from Kurundi serve to illustrate the phonological process of dissimilation.
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