Saturday, October 24, 2009

Where have all the Knights gone?

While perusing the blogs this morning, I read two posts (Nezha and tanc (happyhippo)) in a row about chess players with tactics on their minds. As I kept reading through their posts, I was almost anticipating them saying something about a new Knights Errant quest, but no mention was made.

After looking at the Knights Errant blog, I counted only eight Knights in the heat of battle. And I wonder if they are really in the heat of battle or if the blog is even being kept up to date at all.

Anyone know who the current secratary is? Are there people out there who are still convinced the Michael de la Maza method really works? Back in the hey day, it seemed like there was a lot of discussion about the effectiveness of the MDLM method. But that discussion seems to have dried up.

I was also curious about the man who started it all - the original Don Quixote - and his last post still remains as of June 20, 2007 wherein he says he's done nothing with chess since November 2006 and that he was in the middle of a career change.

8 comments:

  1. Hey Rocky Rook,

    I think the discussion has dried up. I think most people would agree that repetitious tactics based training is an important part of chess improvement. I personally never agreed with MDLM's end all be all 1000 puzzles in a day climactic blow out. That seemed like a recipe for disaster in that it made tactics the end as opposed to them being a means to an end. But tactics training itself is key. I have been going tactics crazy since May and I must admit I can see things on the board better!

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  2. Good question. I think that the network hubs disappeared (especially DG of the BCC Blog) and so no one has been doing much to keep them organized.

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  3. Anonymous2:15 PM

    I found an excellent site:
    www.chesstactics.org

    They give you ideas how to find tactics. It already helped me, just after 1 day spent there.
    Frankly, I do not believe (at least I can't force myself to do that) in artificial exercises, but if you have a bunch of patterns (loose piece or pieces on the same diagonal) constantly in your head I think it can improve your tactics a lot.

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  4. Anonymous3:26 PM

    The Knights Errant were deprecated. They were to be replaced with the Eggs Errant, but it never worked out.

    In all seriousness: Tacticus Maximus is the current secretary, I believe, but he has not kept up with it.

    Most of the chess blog world that I follow has been slowly dying (Knights and non-Knights). Although there are a few, like Temposchlucker and Prodigal Pawn, which seem to be resurrecting recently.

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  5. I'm still here! Tempo writes a lot but says nothing :-), Tacticus Maximus has passed the torch to the endgame tactician.

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  6. Anonymous4:06 PM

    And the Endgame Tactician is MIA, although with a new kid, it's hard to blame him :D

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  7. I find it hard to think of many people who can commit to that kind of study routine. Besides most of the Knights did mini - circles, at least I think they did. I mean in the end I figured that I would have to take a week off from work in order to finish the last 3 circles.

    Blue Devil Knight still blogs and Blunder is still around, they are Knights Victorious, but they are still Knights.

    I would love to expand on MDLM's methods and I think there is a more sane way to do it, but with Grad school I just haven't the time.

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  8. New Knight here.
    good to see knights in battle!!

    smiteknight.blogspot.com

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