Counterplay
Bruce Pandolfini , Chess Educator of the Year
I was delighted to see the article on Bruce Pandolfini in the May 2012 issue . He is a gifted educator / communicator , as well as a talented master . In fact , if it hadn ’ t been for Mr . Pandolfini , I might well have given up on chess books as a form of instruction .
When I finally got out of school ( decades ago ) and could afford “ luxury purchases ” such as chess books , I was greatly disillusioned : The vast majority of chess books appeared to be little more then sparsely annotated , self-indulgent game compilations that I could only assume the master-level authors had undertaken in an undisguised effort to gain some extra coin . After several disappointing purchases ( have to buy before you can read , back then ) I realized that an author ’ s chess prowess was meaningless if he couldn ' t effectively teach / communicate . And though I admired their over-theboard prowess , the vast majority of grandmaster authors didn ’ t seem to be able to write their way out of a pawn-lined paper bag .
Then I found one of Mr . Pandolfini ’ s books ! At last ! Someone who not only had talent , but could organize material into logical topics and break down information into a systemic presentation ! It restored my faith in chess as a science as well as an art ! Chess literature has improved ( somewhat ) over the years , but even today , few come close to the effectiveness of Bruce Pandolfini . ( In fact , just this month I purchased a DVD from U . S . Chess by a supposedly reputable grandmaster , only to be subjected to a rambling , obviously unscripted series of “ lectures ” that , as a professional technical communicator , made me wince .) Caveat emptor , indeed . These days , I teach ( entry and intermediate ) chess on the side and the two authors I most commonly recommend are Fred Reinfeld and Bruce Pandolfini . I view him as one of the most important , yet under-recognized forces in the chess world over the past several decades — and I very much appreciated and enjoyed the article .
Douglas Holzworth Raleigh , North Carolina
For more on Pandolfini , see the facing page . ~ ed .
Rating overlap The rating system overlap between quick chess and regular chess is needlessly confusing for players and organizers . A clean break needs to be made so that one is either playing a quick game or a regular game — not both . I suggest that Game / 5 to Game / 59 with a three-second delay be quick rated and quick rated only ! Longer time controls can use the regular rating system . In any case , the exact point of the break is less important than that the systems be separated and separated promptly .
Ron Deike life member via e-mail
Ratings committee chair Mark Glickman responds :
While having a completely separate quick and regular rating system may seem “ cleaner ,” it is arguably more principled to keep the two systems connected . It is undeniable that players who are strong in quick chess are also generally strong in regular chess , so the formulas take advantage of results in events with Game / 30- Game / 60 time controls to learn about both ratings . If we were to move to a system with disconnected quick chess and regular ratings , then we could have players whose quick and regular ratings differed by hundreds of points , and the rating system would lose credibility .
Rules book editor Tim Just provides further perspective :
The Ratings committee looks at the statistics and then recommends how to tweak the system . In this case it looks like you disagree with their recommendations . If you want to change the system you can get your , or any , USCF delegate to introduce a motion to be considered by the delegates at their annual convention . Your motion ’ s wording would disallow dual ratings and introduce the system you propose here . A technical motion like this would probably get passed along to the Ratings committee for an evaluation to be reported on at the next delegate ’ s convention . So when the motion is ready , you or your delegate might consider getting a leg up on the system by also sending it directly to the chair of the Ratings committee . That way when the delegates consider your motion the committee will already have its report in hand .
While the task of making a change might seem like a lot of work it can happen . At the 2011 delegates meeting a new tiebreak system was added to the rulebook ( see updates published on the USCF ’ s web page : New to Chess ? - > Official Rules- - > Rulebook Changes Since the 5th Edition ). There is no reason that your idea can ' t follow the same path .
Send your letters to letters @ uschess . org . If Chess Life publishes your letter , you will be sent a copy of Test , Evaluate and Improve Your Chess ( see ad to left ).
6 Chess Life — July 2012 uschess . org