SEPTEMBER’S FINEST

Greetings to the following Soulfriends of the Month: (in alphabetical order)

Lady Orithya, Inspector-General

Sir Radagast, Ambassador to the Cordilleras

Sir Remujanathan, and 

Lady Wren Shannara…….

Here is one of those “oldies” dedicated to Sir Radagast, and to the three of you as well.

Enjoy!

WHEN SUMMER IS GONE
(Written by Sonny Curtis)
Gary Lewis & The Playboys

And I’ll see you in September when summer is gone
Have a good time but remember
Come back to me when summer is gone.

INSPECTOR-GENERAL’S EVALUATION

SCI AS OF SEPT 27, 2010

SOULFRIEND OF THE DAY (Sept 27, 2010)

Lady Shamaness

Vice President for Internal Affairs

Greetings! 

Your understanding of our mission vision and your dedication to surmount our toughest challenges is unsurpassed.

You are the Soulfriend of the Day! Congratulations!

Mabuhay ka!

In the service of humanity, 

Sensei

TO LORD TEMUJIN

Sir Temujin, 

Greetings!

Welcome to the Soulfriends!

From the steepes of Mongolia, to the creation of the silk road, the Mongol hordes shook the earth.

It is an honor to share the field once more with you.

This time, we shall cleanse our country with bright ideas, actual practices, management strategies and altruistic endeavors.

You are also promoted as Acting Vice President of the Soulfriends Visayas-Mindanao branch!

Congratulations and more power!

In the service of humanity, 

Sensei

YESTERDAY’S NORM OF SWORDS

For yesterday’s lesson, the following obtained the Norm of Swords: 

Hiromatsu, 

Persephone, 

Wren, and Oliver.

Congratulations! 

Guys, kindly take note of your norms in the various elemental competitions ok?

Goodluck!

NORM OF PENTACLES

The Norm of Pentacles is awarded to the following:

Lady Isis and 

Lady Arwen, 

for this astounding performance!

And to Sir Radagast the Brown for your generous spirit!

Mabuhay po kau!

Also today, Lady Isis has set the norm for the highest recorded SCI as of this date. 

At 2750 SCI, you are setting standards of performance for Apprentices of the Central Path!

Congratulations and more power!

A QUOTATION

“Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.”  – Alfred North Whitehead.

SOULFRIENDS OF THE DAY

Lady Menandore and Lady Persephone, 

Congratulations and more power!

Blessed be!

THE LEMURIAN CHRONICLE

Dear Soulfriends,

The Lemurian Chronicle, Official Publication of the Soulfriends, shall ride again!

Kindly send your contributions either to my personal email, or to                              soulfriends.evolve@gmail.com

We welcome:

Essays, articles, news items, stories, book reviews, poems, jokes, artwork, etc

You may also email me your suggestions/recommendations on the technical aspects of the paper, like

Over-all design and design of certain sections

The number and kind of articles we should be featuring

Sequencing, sectioning

The artwork that we should be exploring and featuring per volume, etc

For example, I recommended to our consultant, Lady Ny, that we should be featuring Celtic artwork this volume.

As Editor-in-chief, may I make the following tentative appointments:

Associate Editors: Isis, Menandore and Paul Atreides

Features Editor: Paul Atreides

Literary Editor: _______________________

News Editors: Orithya, Arwen

Circulation Managers: Hiromatsu, Persephone and Wren

Once again, the Soulfriends Learning Organization is setting the standards and pushing the boundaries of performance for humanitarian esoteric organizations here in the Philippines and Asia.

Mabuhay!

FROM THE TOOTH FAIRY: TOOTH

TO SOMEONE IN THE ANCIENT PAST

TIME Lyrics (By Alan Parsons Project)

Time, flowing like a river
Time, beckoning me
Who knows when we shall meet again
If ever
But time
Keeps flowing like a river
To the sea

Till it’s gone forever
Gone forever
Gone forevermore

SEPT 21 SOULFRIENDS OF THE DAY

Congratulations to the following: 

Lady Wren Shannara and

Remujanathan (again!) for being the Soulfriends of the Day!

Keep it up! Blessed be!

SCI UPDATE (AS OF SEPT 20, 2010 MIDNIGHT)

(Note: The SCI can increase or decrease, depending on performance. It is not the same as the classical Keeper’s Points, which only increases through time. A third evaluation system, the Inspector-General’s Assessment, shall complete the picture.)

CHESS GAME UPDATE

White (Hiro, Persephone, Andro, Arwen , Iesu and company) vs

Black (Chuang, Orithya, Wren, Oliver, Shekinah and company)

1. d4

White opens with the Queen’s Pawn Opening which has been the choice of a lot of World Champions and World Championship contenders. Its proponents include such chess luminaries as Akiba Rubinstein, Jose Raul Capablanca, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vassily Smyslov, Gary Kasparov, and now the strongest chess player in the world, Magnus Carlsen.  In contrast, the greatest player of all time, Bobby Fischer, invariably began with e4. Still, it is a matter of taste. With this move, White heralds the inauguration of the close games format. It leads to a strategic maneuvering for both sides. 

…………d5

And Black responds with the classical reply to White. In the opening it is imperative to gain control of the centre, whether directly (Classical Chess) or indirectly (Hypermodern Chess). This is achieved by moving one or two central pawns and then developing the minor pieces to suitable squares. 

2. Nf3

A good developing move by White. It is one of the best squares to post the king’s knight. In addition, it supports the pawn at d4. There is an adage in the chess openings: “develop knights first before bishops.” Now Black has some good continuations. We expect a good maneuvering game for both sides, with a view to good endgame chances. 

…………Bf5

Black opts to develop its queen’s bishop first. An interesting choice. In avoiding the mainlines of the Slav, Black intends to explore uncharted waters and take White away from bookish lines. How shall White respond?

3. e3,  Nc6

Both sides are still maintaining the time-honored principles of opening play. In the opening, development and control of the centre take precedence above all others. However, the way to effect this universal principle varies according to the predilections of chess players. The classical school of chess, as championed by Steinitz, Tarrasch and Rubinstein, would prefer immediate occupation of the center with the classical pawn structure. On the other hand, the hypermodern school of chess, as championed by Reti, Nimzowitsch, and their adherents, would prefer to fight for the center indirectly. Both schools have their merits and both paradigms have immeasurably enriched the game of chess.

Back to the game……..

4. Bb5

White had the choice of three good continuations. One was Bd3, challenging the opposite bishop and defending the c2 point. Another is a3, a prophylaxis move, preventing the knight incursion, and the third is Bb5, which pins the knight. By the way, from now on I shall desist from commenting on the tactics of the game itself because it might affect the outcome (Schroedinger’s Cat theorem). Instead, we shall explore both chess lore and its esoteric interconnections. 

Black, it is your turn and you have to face a decision now. Goodluck to both camps. Enjoy!

………..a6

The pin enacted, this is the move which says: “State your intentions.” White can retreat or attack. And the 5th move is:

5. B x c6+

The bishop opts to take the knight, with an ensuing check. Black’s hand is now forced. 

………….b xc6

6. Ne5 

Here White has seized the initiative. It is not in itself sufficient to win, but it does put pressure on Black to defend accurately. Thus far we have seen how development is the key principle in the opening. In the close games, White has a lot of leeway, because many of the lines are not forced from its point of view. In contrast, Black in many of the standard opening systems must always strive to maintain the balance. In the hypermodern defenses to d4, like the Nimzo Indian and especially the King’s Indian, Black begins to disturb the equilibrium early in the game. It tries to disturb the balance in a dynamic way, allowing White to build a classical pawn centre while trying to strike at the wings. For a dynamic player like David Bronstein, one of the most artistic chess players of all time, the KID is a suitable environment to test his creative powers. 

On the other hand, the open games heralded by the e4 openings are hypertactical and feature thrust and counter-thrust quite early in the opening. There are so many traps and zaps in these opening systems and both sides must tread carefully. Attacking and combinative players like Tal, Keres, Alekhine, Nezhmetdinov, Kasparov, and Shirov have regaled the chess public with their artistry handling the e4 openings. If you have e4 in your opening repertoire, then you must commit yourself to study the lates chess theory so as not to be caught unawares. 

…………..f6

Challenging the knight, and then

7. N x c6

The knight accepts the gambit. How about we should call this the Queen’s Pawn Opening, Soulfriends Gambit?! Interesting, hehe………

Gambits have a long and exciting history in the game of chess. During the time of the chess genius Paul Morphy, it was the norm. Chess players played gambits all the time during the Romantic period. It was considered rude not to accept a gambit of course and so tactics and combinations ruled the day. Morphy and Anderssen led the luminaries during this phase. The King’s Gambit was extremely popular: e4, e5 then f4 and pieces will combine all over the board in a slashing style reminiscent of the Zorro movies. Many have tried to refute the King’s Gambit but if it is fallacious, then why does the strongest woman chess player of all time, Judit Polgar, include it in her repertoire? Case in point. Perhaps gambits like the American western movies inspire the adventurous spirit in all of us. 

Then Steinitz became World Champion and the game started to change. He wanted to structure the game along logical lines, perhaps like Newton’s laws. This is an attempt to advance a chess philosophy where certain rules are ascendant like universal principles in mathematics. I love to call this phase the Steinitz universe. It is possible that the chess genius Akiba Rubinstein was the greatest exponent of this school. As to Capablanca, he belongs to a different chess universe altogether. 

Some say Lasker was one of the greatest exponents of the principles of Steinitz. This viewpoint could be correct also. But Emanuel Lasker was a different animal, he was a practitioner of daes d’emar, meaning he inculcated psychology into his chess practice. The results are simply amazing. Lasker ruled for 27 years!  And then, Capablanca and Alekhine arrived. 

Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine, the first golden triangle in chess history. Chess masters of the highest order. How incredible it would have been if they got a chance to match brains with Fischer, Kasparov and Carlsen! Who is the greatest chess player of all time? Perhaps I shall announce my pick at the conclusion of this historic chess game of the Soulfriends!

To the Filipino chess players participating in the Chess Olympiad, mabuhay kayo!

……………Qd6

8. Na5

The knight retreats from his successful foray, but it has been relegated to the edge of the board.

…………..Qb4+

The sudden activity of the black queen is causing some disturbances in the balance this early. White, realizing the nature of the situation, now has to make a defensive move. 

9. Qd2

This is the best move, because the black queen was threatening both the white knight at the edge of the board, as well as the b2 pawn. The white bishop at c1 had to stay behind to defend the b2 pawn. The game is becoming interesting. Who shall seize the initiative now? 

……………….e6.

………………………………………………………………………………….

Commentary by QZP

AKO AY PILIPINO

Ako ay Pilipino
Ang dugo’y maharlika
Likas sa aking puso
Adhikaing kay ganda
Sa Pilipinas na aking bayan
Lantay na Perlas ng Silanganan
Wari’y natipon ang kayamanan ng Maykapal

CHORUS:
Ako ay Pilipino,
Ako ay Pilipino
Isang bansa isang diwa
Ang minimithi ko
Sa Bayan ko’t Bandila
Laan Buhay ko’t Diwa
Ako ay Pilipino,
Pilipinong totoo
Ako ay Pilipino,
Ako ay Pilipino
Taas noo kahit kanino
Ang Pilipino ay Ako!

KALESA LYRICS

1

Matulin din sa kalsada
Tumatakbong maginhawa
Wala pang gasolina.

KUDOS TO HIROMATSU

Sir Hiromatsu of the Soulfriends, 

Greetings!

Perhaps you have become bored with inactivity, 

or perhaps you sense the crucial nature of this period in time

whatever the case, this day proves that you are still the best when it comes to hurdling the most challenging assignments!

You are the Soulfriend of the Day, congratulations! 

(Bad news for the Soulfriend of the Year contenders neh? Haha)

WOMEN’S BLITZ CHAMPIONSHIPS

Kateryna Lahno – Women’s World Blitz champion

By WGM Yana Melnikova

The Russian State Social University and the Moscow Chess Federation in co-operation with the Russian Chess Federation and under the aegis of FIDE organized the 2010 FIDE Women’s World Blitz Championship from September 15 to September 18, 2010.

The final tournament was a double round-robin between the 16 finalists, for 30 rounds total, held September 17 and 18th.

The participants and dignitaries of the 2010 Women’s World Blitz championship

The leader of the Ukrainian national team, grandmaster Kateryna Lahno (2539) was crowned the Women’s World blitz champion, after winning the event on Sunday in Moscow, taking home 10 thousand Euros for her efforts.

Kateryna Lahno with her winner’s plaque

Lahno is well-known for her blitz skills, having won a tournament in Youzhy near Odessa at the age of fourteen, ahead of a strong field including GM Efimenko, Kruppa and others. In the world championship, she led throughout, and in the latter half maintained a two-point lead, securing gold with a round in advance, despite a 1.0/5 finish, and ended on 20.0/30.

Tatiana Kosintseva leap-frogged Valentina Gunina in the last round to take silver.

Russian Tatiana Kosintseva, who ended with one point less, took silver. This finish was actually very fortunate, since entering the last round, she trailed Muscovite Valentina Gunina with 18.0 to the latter’s 18.5, and faced tournament winner Lahno no less. However, Gunina ended up losing her game to Zhukova, while Lahno blundered into a mate in one, allowing Kosintseva to leap frog her rival and take clear second, and 8000 Euros. Valentina Gunina came third and took home 6000 Euros for her result. 

Valentina Gunina receiving a lovely basket of flowers along with her third place prize.

This particular event in Moscow is the first of its kind in recent history. The previous edition, the actual first in history, took place in 1992, and was won by ex-world champion Zsuzsa Polgar (Susan Polgar as she is known in the US).

The tournament’s prize fund was very generous, and one hopes that this will instigate a welcome tradition in female tournaments.

 
Recap of the first day of the Women’s World Blitz finals.(video courtesy of Europe Echecs)

Final standings after 30 rounds

2010 champion, Kateryna Lahno, in action.

Nadezhda Kosintseva was also voted the FIDE Caissa Award
for 2009 Female Player of the Year after playing through 2009
without losing a single game!

Top-seed GM Humpy Koneru was unable to convert her Elo favoritism and finished 5th.

Vera Nebolsina, who had finished second in the qualifying stage, was the caboose
in the final.

Ukrainina IM Mariya Muzychuk

The playing hall with large displays to allow spectators to follow the non-stop action.

Players and dignitaries at the opening ceremony of the final.

The tournament arbiters

The tournament poster

French GM Marie Sebag

IM Irina Krush was unable to reproduce her form from the semi-finals
and finished on 12.0/30.

Nazi Paikidze

The Kosintseva sisters, Tatiana and Nadezhda, ranked 4th and
5th respectively in the world.

Valentina Gunina facing Vera Nebolsina

French champion Almira Skripchenko

Pictures By WGM Yana Melnikova and Vadim Zukov

IKAW LANG ANG MAMAHALIN LYRICS

Sa bawat pag-ikot ng ating buhay
May oras na tayo’y kailangang maghiwalay
Puso’y lumaban man, walang magagawa
Saan pa, kailan ka muling mahahagkan

Kulang man sa ‘tin itong sandali
Alam ko na tayo’y magkikitang muli
Hangga’t may umaga pa na haharapin
Ikaw lang ang mamahalin