IM Fluffy Cares Naught for Your Opening Surveys

I needed to get good and drunk after this one. Enjoy!

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Poor Concept, Poor Execution

The Pre-Taped Call In Show. The ending to this is priceless (apparently David Cross was a big Monty Python fan, and you can definitely see their influence here).

Amateur Team East, Round 2

Sorry for the lack of posting recently: a combination of illness and laziness. Here is another game from this year's Amateur Team East tournament.

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My Contribution to the Page of History

CRR's immutable law of human nature: Songs with the word "human" in the title shall never rock. Examples include "Human" by the Killers, "The Human Song" by The Human League, and... um... look, I'm sure there are some more. The point is, musicians should not write songs about humans. And that's what I'll be remembered for prophesying.

(ed. -- "Only Human," by "K". Get a last name, pal!)

Amateur Team East, Round 1

As usual, annotation will appear in the text box beneath the board as you play through the game.

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Eastern Amateur Team Championships

Many congratulations to Paul MacIntyre, Brian Hulse, Libardo Rueda, and Alan Price, the winners of this year's Amateur Team East tournament! Out of the 250+ teams participating, theirs was the only team with a perfect 6-0 score, sealed by MacIntyre's clutch win (the game was actually agreed drawn in order to seal the match) over GM Kaufman in the last round. The Boston-based squad will play for the national championship in March, and we wish them well.

Your humble scribe also participated in the tournament, and over the next few days I will try to post some of my games, with analysis. In the meantime, I have to put down an insurrection from my cat, who apparently took my absence as a sign that she is the true master of the house, and is now stealth-biting me at every opportunity.

A Restaurant Review (?!)

I should really leave this sort of thing to G (who, unlike me, actually knows food), but I do have one recommendation: If you're ever at Tartufo in Newton Center, order the signature dessert. It's a scoop of coffee gelato in a thin shell of walnut shavings, with fruit and whipped cream. Delicious, and definitely the highlight of my evening there.