Week Seven, part one

Boston vs. Philadelphia:

The Philadelphia Flyers spoiled the Boston Bruins' Stanley Cup ceremony this week and I see that trend continuing, minus the cup and the ceremony. Philadelphia.


New York vs. New Jersey:

If I were to point out a propos of this match that New Jersey holds a lifetime 5-3 edge over New York, and if Phil Mushnick of the NY Post sports section were suddenly to start covering the USCL, I would be eviscerated for mindlessly spouting an inane and irrelevant statistic. I think I'll hang on to my intestines, thank you. New York.


Los Angeles vs. Miami:



This one is for advanced solvers. Advanced in just what, you may decide. LA.


Seattle vs. St. Louis:

If memory serves, St. Louis is more often on the giving end of time odds than the receiving. If if it doesn't, hey, I still have my emotions and motor functions to work with. The Archies, #1 with a bullet this week.

Week Six, part two

Miami vs. New England:

I tend to pick Miami when it's close and Becerra seems likely to get a Ruy Lopez. But being a diligent researcher, I checked Hungaski's opening history and found he plays a mix of things against 1 e4. So I predict no Ruy Lopez, and New England wins the match.


Chicago vs. Baltimore:

A tough match that Chicago could just conceivably not win. Ok, I've crawled out jst about far enough on that limb. Chicago.

St. Louis vs. Philadelphia:



I seem to have regressed a couple of centuries in my understanding of perspective. Luckily, this is the 21st century, so there are plenty still to work with. This would also have worked out better as the color drawing this week, since the logos would then have stood out more, but tradition is not to be trifled with. Anyway, Philadelpia. By two, even.


San Francisco vs. Manhattan:

I didn't really know Jay Whitehead, but he was friendly when I spoke to him on the phone. I see San Francisco winning for the former Berkeley Rioter.

Week Six, part one

Carolina vs. Dallas:



Perhaps a brief explanation is in order here: in resuming my increasingly desperate search for jumble ideas, I came across an “indie pop” combo of which I had never heard called “Ivy”. This is no reflection on them, as I am pretty far removed from the music scene, but I fear it is possible to be in much closer touch than I am and still be unfamiliar with this band. But after exposing myself to the dangers that lurk on just about every song lyrics site on the web, I feel it would be a sad waste to refuse to avail myself of the use of a song title from the brand new Ivy album that was scheduled to be released this past September 20 and for all I know was in fact. The drawing is based on the one photograph that the band has on their web site; I imagine in an actual concert they would be holding instruments. Also, the guy on the right looks less effeminate/androgynous in the actual photo (and, I assume, in real life) than he turned out in my rendition, so apologies to him. And Dallas by two.


Boston vs. Arizona:

Larry C is playing making his season debut tonight. Does this mean he is a big Red Sox fan? Not that I would gloat. As the famous Athenian lawgiver Solon used to say, back in the Golden Age, before the financial crisis, "count no man happy until he is dead. Only lucky". "Happy" had a different connotation then, and so did "lucky", but the point remains. Arizona.


New York vs. Seattle:

When a 59-points-per-board rating average dog wins, that is a full-blown upset. This is where I make my name. But I will give the players their share of credit. Seattle.


New Jersey vs. Los Angeles:

A late switch in the New Jersey lineup leads to big time odds and big rating deficit. This on top of the glamour odds they always have to spot New York and Manhattan makes it hard to see NJ getting much tabloid space. LA.

Week Five, part two

New York vs. Manhattan:

I once arrived about 40 minutes late for a game against Walter Shipman, and eventually lost. In the post-mortem he attributed the move that got me into trouble as likely due to the time I had sacrificed. I didn't see why time was so much likelier the culprit than faulty understanding, but I suspected it was his way of chiding me for being so late, even though outwardly he didn't act offended. Anyway, the lesson was clear, but apparently not to everyone. Manhattan.


Philadelphia vs. Baltimore:

Damon Runyon once wrote "the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet." At least, if you don't have to beat a point spread or lay money odds. I don't. Philadelphia.


Chicago vs. St. Louis:

This jumble came hard, and it is just as hard to say what the point of it is. Even so, I would be remiss in not thanking Yahoo's "search assist" feature for its help. I still use Yahoo as my home page, simply because my primary email is there, simply because it already was when Google started to take over and there didn't seem enough point in changing to change. It is likely that Google's search assist would have served just as well, but I don't think I need to thank it for what it would have done when it didn't actually do anything. One for the Ethicist's column.



The "surprise answer", to use the language of the newspaper Jumble™,® or whatever (to give them their due), is 7,6, though the end got slighty cut off in the picture. Chicago "FTW", as the kids say.


San Francisco vs. Seattle:

In the Cold War classic "How to Beat the Russians at Chess", the late Edmar Mednis wrote "the Russians, though far from invincible with White, are more likely to lose with Black". Twenty-two years after the Berlin Wall came down, I think we can recognize and state out loud that the Russians are people just as we are, and that we Americans too, though far from invincible with White, are more likely to lose with Black. I think that Kraai will not lose and that the Mechanics will win, but I only have to be right about the latter thing, and really, what's going to happen if I'm wrong twice?

Week Five, part one

New England vs. Boston:

Last week's Kacheishvili-Sammour game was featured in the New York Times on Sunday the 25th (yesterday, if you are reading this hot off the press). It shared the space with a couple of other news items and there was a partial game from the recent Women's Grand Prix in Russia, but K-S was the star attraction. That, IMO, is even more prestigious than being the sole feature, because it makes clear that a choice was made and the USCL game deemed worthy of most attention.

I just noticed that this is already the second meeting of the year for these teams. Imagine if the Brooklyn Dodgers were done with the New York Giants by the end of May? Perhaps the league feared street riots in the event of a late-season showdown. Of course, if the Nor'easters don't step it up soon, this may turn out to be late-season after all, for practical purposes. I say they do. New England by a NECCO wafer.


New Jersey vs. Carolina:




The Cobras by a tongue-length.


Arizona vs. Miami:

Another rematch. Maybe the schedule maker is just not very imaginative. I take a certain satisfaction in the fact that I had the experience in my chess career of sealing a move before the green movement to save the envelope came along. But sadly, having a game adjudicated seems destined to remain unchecked on my bucket list. The Mateer-Pelaez game in Week One, though, finished just this way! In Anno Domini 2011, or this year, whatever your religious persuasion. I may have made this my jumble game had I noticed it earlier, but maybe next year. Anyway, I say Miami takes its revenge today. By a flagler.


Dallas vs. Los Angeles:

I guess when you're overwhelmed by such weird letters as C, Y, and J, it seems as though the order hardly matters, but I am pretty sure it is "Patrycza" and not "Patrcyza". However, I am not Polish, even though ten to fifteen thousand years ago a patrilineal ancestor of mine of European origin was born on the grassy steppes in the region of present-day Ukraine or Southern Russia, so I could well be mistaken. The Vibe by a shiver.

Week Four, part two

Manhattan vs. New Jersey:



And the Sauce will be boss.


Carolina vs. New York:

Last week saw the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and there were many solemn commemorations, but I now will share a more light-hearted chess-related remembrance of the WTC. One day during the Kasparov-Anand world championship match, the day's game had just ended, and a woman asked where the bathroom was. She was pointed to a room with the word "black" taped to the door. This did in fact match her approximate skin color, but she was nonetheless taken aback, as it was already 1995 and she was comfortably north of the Mason-Dixon line. She briefly rationalized that a hundred-odd floors above street level, the winds of history might blow somewhat differently. Eventually, though, she realized that she had been directed to one of the player bathrooms, since they began to shut down the space as soon as the day's game was over.

I allowed on Monday that to call my pick of New England over Philadelphia an "upset special" would be grossly hyperbolic, but in light of the 0.5-3.5 outcome, I have changed my mind. That was the "upset special". If you missed it, buy your ticket now for next week's. New York.


St. Louis vs. Arizona:

St. Louis's lineup of GM, IM, FM, Untitled is æsthetically pleasing, but Arizona's IM, IM, FM, FM, while perhaps more commonplace, is nonetheless in quiet good taste. Scorpions.


Los Angeles vs. Chicago:

I may be missing a golden opportunity here, but I used "Amanov" in one of last year's jumbles. I do reserve the right, though, to use either Amanov's first name, if I learn how to pronounce them. On the other hand, maybe it's better not to learn the offical correct pronunciation, because that way, I get to decide. Anyway, let us hope that the losing Amanov deals with defeat better than I did when Angelo won the battle of the Youngs. Chicago.

Week Four, part one

Philadelphia vs. New England:

I don't mean to get off cheaply on my promise by picking an upset that's not really an upset, but as I don't know Wednesday's lineups just now, I can't promise that won't happen. New England.

Baltimore vs. Boston:

Ironically, though the term "sneakers" for what are also known as "tennis shoes" is thought to have originated in Boston, it is Baltimore whose lineup spells out KEDS reading down. I therefore pick the latter to walk over the former.

Miami vs. San Francisco:

I know it's boring to pick just by adding numbers, but with three Mechanics having Wikipedia pages to just one Shark, it's too convenient to resist. San Francisco.


Seattle vs. Dallas:



Ok, this one is even a bit more strained than usual. But at least it's in color. Dallas.