Monday coffee
”Acting is the expression of a neurotic impulse. It’s a bum’s life. Quitting acting, that’s the sign of maturity.”
Marlon Brando (1924–2004)
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Coffee and sleep…
Today’s recommended COFFEE link
…are not mutually incompatable. While the myth of the successful executive and four-hour nights may have been officially busted, every individual is different with respect to his/her work efficiency , daily coffee in-take as well as amount of sleep needed to maintain a balanced and rational lifestyle.
I confess to being a coffee addict and I happily choose to ignore the mountain of scientific studies surrounding the health benefits/risks . I feel that the normal rules don’t seem to apply to me, anyway: sometimes, if I have difficulty falling asleep, I get up and make myself a small coffee! The relaxing effect helps me to fall asleep…figure that out. Ofcourse, this happens rarely enough, and my wife can testify that I just need to be stetched out on the sofá in front of the TV to fall asleep within 2 minutes…I fit into that category of person who can fall asleep any where, any time and under any conditions. So clearly LACK of sleep is not a problem for me…
But I do admit that sleeping during the night and waking up about 6 or 7 in the morning leaves me feeling more energetic than other cycles. This is what I have been doing most recently–as opposed to the habitual night-owlish routine of working thru the night and sleeping only at dawn–and there is such a GREAT satisfaction in getting up before the rest of the world and being able to leisurely enjoy a coffee before the hectic pace /madness of the world we live in sets in.
Coffee is a positive influence in my life. It encourages social interaction, gives me energy, makes me feel good and keeps my headspace focused and organized. You can not get more for $1 or less…
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Catalan Team Championship (Rd5)
I just got back from Barcelona. My team, EEBCN won the critical 5th round matchup against up to now undefeated Sant Andreu, practically assuring my team of a place in the top-4 grand finale of the super-strong Catalan Team Championship.
This year’s format is different from the all-play-all format used in previous years. The top 4 teams from the above table will decide amongst themselves this year’s winner. This should start in about 2 weeks time…
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My adversary this weekend was the experienced Armenian born GM Karen Movsziszian, who has spent the last 15 years or so in Spain. We know each other very well, having played about a dozen times or so. Karen has always been a difficult opponent for me; we rarely draw and the Armenian is as tricky as a rattle-snake (and with the same lethal bite!). This time LUCK was on my side as Karen ran short of time and miscalculated, though it must be admitted that he was in an inferior position at the time and did not like his game…
Karen deep in thought. Notice my trademark coffee thermos!
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Spraggett, K – Movsziszian,K
1:0, 22- 2-2014.
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. f4 Nc6 5. Bb5 a6 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. Nf3 Nf6 8. O-O O-O 9. Kh1 Rb8 10. Qd3 Nd7 11. b3 c5 12. Be3 cxd4 13. Bxd4 e5 (13… Bh6!) 14. fxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5! dxe5 16. Qc4² c6 17. Rad1 Qb6 [17… Qa5 18. Ng5!] 18. Rd6 [18. Na4!? Qb5 19. Qc3] 18… Be6 19. Qd3 Rfe8 [19… Rbd8!] 20. Na4! Qb4 [20… Qc7 21. Nc5! Bf8 22. Rxe6 Bxc5 23. Rf6 Be7 24. Rxf7!] 21. c3 [21. Ng5!] 21… Qb5 22. c4 Qb4 23. Ng5!
White is clearly better , probably winning, as Black’s pawns are about to fall. With just minutes on the clock (the time control is a harsh 90 minutes plus 30 seconds for the entire game) Movsziszian makes a fatal miscalculation. Normally a great Blitz player, on this day he did not check out all of the tactical details:
23…Bxc4?
This is the kind of mistake that is easy to make when short of time. Black’s idea is very clever–providing it works! My Queen is defending the Rook, and if 24.PxB QxN Black can still wiggle. I played
24.QxB!
Here Karen thought a minute and a half before resigning. He realized he had overlooked a neat tactical point! Do you see it?
ORIGINALLY, the Armenian grandmaster had thought that everything was undercontrol after the intended 24…QxR:
If now 25. Rxf7 Kh8! and Black survives ; worse still, 25. Nxf7?! Qe6! and Black is better!
KAREN had overlooked that after the simple 25.Qxf7+! Kh8 White comes out a piece ahead after 26.QxR+! and 27.Nf7+! A simple tactic, to be sure, but even world champions sometimes fall prey to the most basic tactics.
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CAPPELLE starts next weekend!
One of the world’s strongest open tournaments celebrates its 30th anniversary this year! Cappelle La Grande needs no introduction to my readers. The tournament looks as though it will have some 500-plus participants, including about 100 gms! Not sure about other Canadians playing, though Raja Panjwani told me he was planning to play. Normally other Canadians also enter. I will be playing in something like my 8th tournament! I will keep my blog readers up to date with how things develop…
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More news from Alicia and Sid Belzberg!
Following Saturday’s blog post on the Belzberg’s restoration of the ORIGINAL Batmobile, Sid wrote to me: ”We had a lot of fun with that project, the car won first place in the handbuilt sports car class at America’s oldest indoor car show , the Sacramento Autorama. The 800 cars in the show were amazing and we were thrilled to see it win a class prize at the début!” In the photo above, you can see Alicia proudly glowing with the trophy won at Sacramento. CONGRATS!!
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BELZBERG’S?
Restoring the world’s first flying car, the Moulton Taylor Aerocar, circa 1947!! Taylor was the creator of what was perhaps the most successful flying car ever developed and flown. Accordingly he is revered by many as the patron saint of the flying car movement.
I found the above vídeo on youtube. You can also find more information, including vídeos, related to Taylor’s work at the Smithsonian HERE.
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Sid also sent some photos along with the news:
