I knew a chess teacher who asked his students if they looked at an entire menu of ice cream offerings before ordering. He was working at getting the kids to examine all the choices before jumping at a move. That’s not how proficient chessplayers operate, but little kids would surely benefit from that habit. I once heard my teacher pose the same question, though it wasn’t I’ve cream, but some other menu items. RRS told the kids that adults have a harder time at chess because they’ve already made their minds up about so many things, and considering a wider …
What?!
I watch this card magician Jeremy Tan on Insta. Holy shit! How does he DO that!? Yeah, I know, that’s how you’re supposed to react when you’re 6, and certainly not when you’re old and jaded. But this dude has restored the wonder in me — his signature close to a trick is “WHAT!?”, which is what we’re doing. My friend Steve — student’s dad (heaven help me, I can’t remember the kid’s name) — showed me a card trick. Wow, I said, sincerely but not most enthusiastically. Later, his son wanted to show me the same trick. I said: …
Golden State guard Chen finds a new gear
When I’m following a team, I wish for them to be: 1) Good, or if they can’t be good, then 2) Bad in a record-setting fashion, or at least 3) Interesting. The trouble with the Los Angeles Sparks is that they’re none of the three. They were interesting Monday at Golden State while Kate Martin — back in Ballhalla for the first time since a rather shocking training camp waiver — was on the floor. I can’t be the only one who noticed that Martin was the only Spark to register a net positive +/-. The Valkyries are good and …
Golden State 78 Los Angeles 58
The Chase Center crowd didn’t disappoint me when it was time to welcome back Kate Martin. The Valkyries showed a Martin highlight reel with her voiceover, but that couldn’t be heard over the crowd roar. I rode the 9:15 a.m. train northbound this morning, and have boarded the 10:25 p.m. southbound to get home. That’s a long day in order to watch one basketball game, so of course I hoped for a better game than Golden State 78 Los Angeles 58. I said at the post-game press conference: “In the days when I was the only person you had to …
That roar is not the San Andreas Fault cracking, but the Ballhalla crowd greeting Kate Martin
Golden State crowds welcomed back Monique Billings (now with Indiana) and Carla Leite (thriving in Portland) with loud, loving ovations — the roving cameras found a kid with Leite sign _crying_, for heaven’s sake. Tonight, Los Angeles and Kate Martin visit. “Fan favorite” doesn’t fully describe Martin’s position in the Chase Center’s hearts. I’ll put it this way. I met a doctor with whom I talked baseball while he examined me. His name was Dr. Brooks Bahr, and in the course of conversation, he said he was born in Baltimore in 1970. My eyes widened. “They named you after…” Dr. …
For Golden State to beat visiting Los Angeles Monday, force Plum to keep the ball
The unkindest quip I’ve read about the 2026 Los Angeles Sparks is that their offense mostly devolves into four people standing around while Kelsey Plum dribbles. Which isn’t much different from my suggestion for how to beat them: Don’t let Plum share the ball. Even if Plum scorches her lone defender, you’re better off. Consider: In Plum’s three worst assist games — 2 vs. LV, 4 vs. IND, 6 vs. DAL — the Sparks are 0-3, even though Plum shot a smoking 58% (29-for-50). The rest of the team shot .421 on 64-for-152. In the Sparks’ other seven games, in …
On Alan Rickman’s birthday
On Alan Rickman’s birthday, I’ll say that I imagine in Galaxy Quest fandom, there’s a rift that’ll never be fixed. Half the fandom thinks it’s the “sons of Warvan”, as though Warvan was a patriarch. The other half thinks it’s the “suns of Warvan”, like Warvan is a planet. I think it’s suns of Warvan, for two reasons. One, since Grabthar’s hammer is a lifeless object, why not point the other half of the oath in a similar direction. Two, we don’t know anything about Warvan, or his sons. Even though Dr. Lazarus is one of the greatest characters ever …
South Park has the Kaden Rummler shooting covered
Kaden Rummler, 21, was shot in the face and blinded in the left eye during a protest rally Friday in Santa Ana. Department of Homeland Security officials said federal agents were defending themselves when the rally turned violent, while local officials and witnesses said the rally was peaceful until feds started making arrests. South Park already has the pieces in place for this: South Park for years has mocked “stand your ground” laws by enabling gun nuts Jimbo and Ned to shoot _anything_ as long as they first say “It’s coming right for us!”. South Park also depicts homeland security …
Thomas-Keres, Margate 1937
The best way to practice chess is not playing chess. Playing chess is kiddie funsies time, but if you want to improve your play, the best practice is to play through a master game, guessing the winner’s moves as you go. Cover the gamescore, play through the opening without guessing (trying to guess a master’s opening play will drive you crazy, and is not beneficial), start guessing around move 10 or 12 (sooner if an original position arises early) by playing the move on the board (so you’re committed to it), then uncovering the move actually played. If you guess …
Wristwatches
Yesterday afternoon, I stopped on the freeway ramp to assist a stranded motorist, who offered me his bling and his watch if I’d help him get to Florida. Too weird to be true, and maybe he was working a scam. The funny thing is I look at ads for watches all day, because if you look at one ad for a gizmo, you’ll see all the ads for gizmos. Maybe I should’ve taken a closer look at that guy’s watch. I noticed a chessplayer wearing a wristwatch last week, and I thought: Who wears a wristwatch these days, when the …