Week 5 HW Wed.

I am so looking forward to getting PTAP over with. I really don't like the Friday night group work and the lectures and the book and all the crap. Why can't I have two classes that are enjoyable? Why does it have to be that when I really enjoy one class, the other class really sucks?

I only attempt to study PTAP out of guilt. I love to study for game theory, but PTAP is just a thorn in my side.

The good thing about the module system (and I think I've said this before) is that if you don't like a class, you only have to endure it for a couple of months.

I realized today that my finals for these classes will be on a Monday and Tuesday. That means the week of April 24 will be VERY hectic. I'll go to class on the 24th and 25th and then I'll have to study (cram) from the 26th to the 29th. The bright side of this is that I'll have an extra long break between semesters. I'm not at all worried about game theory's final. PTAP's final will be brutal. But there is hope ... assuming that we continue to get a 100% on our 2nd case and 2nd project and assuming I get all 5 percentage points from participation, then I could possibly get a 66% on the final and still reasonably get an A- in the course. I'm such a bum.

Quixote Update
End of Chapter 29

I read for a half hour last night (finally). The group gets Quixote out of the mountains. There were a few close calls (the priest's fake beard falls off), but they use Quixote's madness to their advantage and make up some crazy excuse which Quixote believes.

Chess Update

I played for a couple of hours last night. I played 3 15 minute games ... which by FICS standards are standard time-control games. My RD was up over 200 for standard, so I decided that I should probably play a few standard games and work to get that RD back below 80 so I can get an accurate estimate of which group to join when I enter the 45/45 and 60/15 tournaments later this year. Last night, I lost all three of them ... due to tactics. Yep, I blundered big time. I was like Santa Claus giving out pieces right and left. Oh ... you want that knight? Sure, I'll exchange my knight for your pawn. Here, please take this rook ... I'm too careless to keep him. It was embarrassing.

After losing 3 straight, I played a blitz game and won ... then I logged off.

The 4/13/06 chessgames.com puzzle is 25. ... ? I'd say Nf6. I'm seeing a fork of the Q and K on g4. Plus both the black Q and B are aiming for g2 threating mate.

The answer is Nd2 ... it was the same strategy, but the knight went the other direction. The queen takes g2. If the rook takes the queen, then the knight moves f1+ thus forking the Q & K. The bishop can then capture the rook and black is up a rook.