Chess and the Bridge.

So after 2 hours, I finally get across the damn Bay Bridge. Apparently, there was a massive accident on the San Mateo Bridge....3 big rigs overturned, several cars "totally squashed" (as the reporter described), life alert helicopters en-route, flat bed payload all over the roadway, and the back-up extending several miles: total gridlock. There was actually a small chance that my wife and I would be commuting across...thank god we took separate cars. The folks stuck on the bridge had to systematically reverse the opposite direction...quite possibly a 6 hour ordeal for tens of thousands of very unlucky commuters.

Given the San Mateo Bridge was essentially shut down, traffic to the peninsula was re-routed over the Bay Bridge...hence my "kill me now" commute. But I'm here and blogging about it so it wasn't too bad. Missed a meeting is all.

Re. Chess: went down to our local Golf Course Bar and Grill to check out the chess club scene on Sunday. There were about a dozen guys of varying age, race, and background...all of them were cool, welcoming, funny, and most of all, competent chess maniacs. I introduced myself and they seemed totally surprised that I discovered their little group on the web. They spent the entire time I was there racking their brains about who might have posted the web invite.

After some time, I realized that all of them knew each other quite well...apparently, some of the old-times have been meeting for close to 12 years. They were apt to tease each other mercilessly about a particularly bad move and each seemed extremely comfortable about losing and quite good sports when they won. They played primarily Blitz games, with digital clocks, and at least 2 of them are ranked; state and national.

Just to jot down some notes (for my benefit mostly):
1. Roger: 50ish Slavic man, rolls his own cigarettes, moves left-handed. Did not see him play.
2. Dean: looks a bit like Grizzly Adams, relentless barbs and playful attacks, friendly, seems the coordinator of the bunch. Hates playing with a clock, "To me, that ain't chess."
3. "Doc": Doctor, very casually dressed 50 something gentlemen, sharp-tongue'd and, as he stated, "Prone to losing".
4. Richard: Tall, thin African-American man, glasses, perhaps my age, had a bag of chess boards, clocks, and pieces. They say he's their resident computer guru and blamed him for the web invite. Didn't watch him play an entire game.
5. "Asian guy with Tattoos": Quiet, muscular, very strong player. Watched him play 2 games. Very good. Could NOT keep up with his moves.
6. "Young white dude": Metrosexual guy, tall grande coffee in hand. When he walked in, he immediately sat down to play Black without as much as a hello to anyone. The other guys gave him a loud "YO" as he entered and introduced him as their resident Master. He lost to the "Asian guy with Tattoos" in short order. Actually, he resigned rather quickly. I'm simply not a good enough player to figure out why! I suppose they were looking 19 moves ahead.
7. "Old German Dude": A sloppily dressed older man, perhaps 70, gray hair, coffee and cigarettes timber in his voice, hovers over the game and points to where you should move, imbuing the ire of the players.

And I couldn't remember much about the others.

What I took from the actual game play was that they open FAST...and I mean quick. 16 moves in 30 seconds. They know their openings. Man, I got to brush up. I'm lousy at Black, and even if I were to play White, unless they reconcile my traditional E2 to E4 Ruy Lopez opening with a Ruy Lopez counter or Stienitz Defense, I'm completely lost. Talked with my Dad. He wasn't much help. He said to "Practice Caro-Khan, and the King's and Queen's Gambit."...Huh?!...what is he talkin about?

Needless to say, I didn't play. I was too much of a wuss and just watched. I'll be back next Sunday to try my hand. I hope I don't humiliate myself...I have a feeling I will.

Later...