A world champion for 26years, Emanuel Lasker was a towering figure. It speaks well of chess that
he should find so much in it.

His friend, Albert Einstein, who described Lasker as one of the most interesting people he had
met, saw a tragic note in this passion.

“He could never free his mind of this game,” Einstein said, “even when he was occupied by
philosophical and humanitarian problems.”

Lasker saw the chessboard as an arena in which humanity might show its best qualities.

“There is magic,” he said, “in the creative chess master.”

In his philosophical tome
Struggle, Lasker wrote that life and chess mirror each other. The common denominator, he
said, was “what human nature mostly delights in: a fight.”

A visitor to his home of later years might be ushered before a chess table and challenged by the
aging grandmaster, who would make a move and declare: “Defend yourself.”

Lasker was an avowed disciple of what is true. Conventional education, he said, was “frightfully
wasteful of time and values.”

In chess and in life, he declared, one should seek out challenges, not avoid difficult
tasks.

Chess legend Jose Capablanca once labeled Lasker as “the most profound and imaginative player I
have ever known.”

Shelby Lyman is a Basic Chess Features columnist.

 

Beginner’s corner

Hint explanation:

Better than gxf3.

Solution to Beginner’s corner:

1. g3! (with the unstoppable threat of Rh2 mate).

 

How the masters play

Below is a win by Dusko Pavasovic against Vladimir Hamitevici from the European Individual Chess
Championships in Rijeka, Croatia.

 

 

Black resigns

 

THE Tour Down Under has come down to a race of three cyclists who have officially distinguished themselves from 130 others – some, like Robbie McEwen, Allan Davis and defending champion Andre Greipel, remained in contention until yesterday, while the likes of Mark Cavendish and Lance Armstrong were never really in the hunt despite their superstar status.

Fittingly, the major pieces in what will be a furious game of chess today in downtown Adelaide are three of Australia’s brightest young things.

A glance at the overall standings would suggest it is 23-year-old Cameron Meyer’s crown to lose given the national time-trial champion and Garmin-Cervelo pro has a handy eight-second advantage over 24-year-old Matthew Goss, and 12 seconds over Michael Matthews who, at age 20, became world junior road-race champion last October. But anyone who hasn’t heard Goss, or his HTC-Highroad teammates, spruik the burning form he is in hasn’t been concentrating. And in a flat, 90-kilometre street race that will determine the tour’s 2011 king, he is the far better bet.

Those partial to smokies will tip that Meyer, Goss and their respective teams will be so obsessed this afternoon with monitoring and covering each other’s every move that Matthews will spring up from fourth in the general classification and surprise them all.

Interestingly, at the conclusion of a tense stage five yesterday, which was won by Spanish Movistar rider Francisco Ventoso, Meyer’s team boss declared it a race of just two.

”For sure, [it's now] a two-horse race,” Matt White said after a day that didn’t go entirely to plan after Jack Bobridge, set to claim the stage and thereby protect the 10-second time buffer Meyer had held, crashed.

That Meyer’s advantage was reduced by two seconds put the race on a knife’s edge after Goss and Matthews snuck in for minor placings after the most taxing stage of the tour at Old Willunga Hill.

”I am feeling good. The sprint is there. My legs are good,” said Goss, confident he could make up the difference and win his first top-division stage race.

”There are 16 seconds of [time] bonuses tomorrow, so it’s still do-able.”

Matthews’s Rabobank camp was not shy to talk up the chances of its main man.

”Wow, it’s gonna hurt tomorrow. He’s going to have to win both intermediate sprints and the stage basically, and if he can do that he can win the tour,” veteran Graeme Brown said before adding he thought all of that was possible.

Matthews considers Goss the man to beat, but didn’t discount that he could do it: ”Gossy’s in awesome form so it’s going to be really hard to beat him, but we’ll try to make him make a couple of mistakes and try to hurt him a bit coming into the sprints.”

The Green Bay Packers were a mess when they hired Dom Capers as their defensive coordinator 2 years ago, and the Chicago Bears had issues on offense when they turned to Mike Martz after last season. Now look at them.

The Packers and Bears meet in the NFC Championship Game tomorrow, and the outcome just might hinge on the chess match between two veteran coordinators.

“Mike has certainly been doing this for a lot of years, and he has a lot of little intricacies that are true to his system, I think, that you never know when that’s going to come out,” Capers said.

Martz called Capers “a terrific teacher” whose teams have always been “well schooled.” And Green Bay’s defense sure earned high grades this year.

“They show you a lot of looks,” Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said. “They’re really good. Dom Capers does a great job of preparing each and every week and keeping offenses off balance, which they’ve done to us in the past.”

With Martz, many wondered whether the architect behind “The Greatest Show on Turf” in St. Louis was the right fit.

“He’s a great coach, great mentor, great teacher,” receiver Earl Bennett said. “He’s one of those coaches that always can help you get better. By having a guy like him around, he can take your game to a whole ‘nother level.”

In injury news, Bears safety Chris Harris practiced on a limited basis for the first time this week after suffering a hip pointer in a playoff win over Seattle on Sunday.

 

Noteworthy

 

* New York Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis sat out practice with a knee ailment, but coach Rex Ryan said he’ll play in tomorrow’s AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Wide receiver-kick returner Brad Smith (groin), safety James Ihedigbo (right knee/ankle) and defensive back Drew Coleman (knee) were limited and also listed as questionable.

Steelers starting cornerback Bryant McFadden practiced for the first time this week after suffering an abdominal injury during a playoff victory against Baltimore last Saturday. McFadden said he will see how he feels today before a decision is made about playing.

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (Achilles’ tendon) also returned to practice and will play.

* Titans backup quarterback Chris Simms rejected a plea deal after being charged with driving while high on marijuana on July 1, putting the case on track for a trial as soon as March.

* Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had surgery on his throwing shoulder is expected to be ready by training camp.

* Former University of Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt agreed to a multiyear deal to become the Buffalo Bills assistant head coach, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. Wannstedt has worked in the NFL at Miami, Dallas and Chicago.

* The Panthers hired Mike Shula as quarterbacks coach. *