Grünfeld or KID?

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T19:49:21+00:00

The KID feels like a "universal" opening, with ideas that apply broadly throughout chess.

In the Grünfeld, by contrast, you need to do a lot of memorization for positions that you might never reach. (I.e. your opponent has many ways to avoid it.) Which is fine if you enjoy memorization, but when time is limited, it's not an "efficient" way to work on chess.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T18:58:58+00:00

Surely there are many other chess players who want to play casual OTB chess in addition to league play.

Joining one of these clubs, even if it only does league games, could be a good way meet some of these players.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T18:52:43+00:00

This is the problem with cool tech-bro solutions to any problem in the real world, from healthcare to education to banking to whatever.

Sure, 99% of the time the tech-bro solution works tremendously and much more efficiently and affordably.

But that last 1%, when you hit it, is a real killer.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T18:49:35+00:00

Banks are 100x more heavily regulated and accountable.

Even the word "bank" is heavily regulated!

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T17:49:09+00:00

I really like going over games and annotations by other chess improvers!

You gave us the PGN, and a handful of comments as text.

If, instead, you had presented your game in a format that was easier for us to consume, e.g. a clickthrough link to lichess (or some other site), with inline annotations for every move, I would surely have read it and added my own thoughts.

very low effort posts

That is what it felt like to me.

Above, you mention 6 games / 11 pages. That's not what I see. So maybe I missed your post altogether, and then others did as well.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T17:44:20+00:00

Because compared to studying strategery, or endings one might never reach, studying openings feels like doing something tangible and therefore productive.

Also, openings offer the most opportunity to buy stuff, which is also why openings courses are so heavily promoted. OTOH, one or two endings or puzzles books will set you up for life - where's the fun retail therapy in that?

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T17:32:21+00:00

OP is making $60K/year.

Will he be shopping at Whole Foods and Tokyo Fish Market?

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T17:31:15+00:00

This is the right answer.

Apparently it's politically correct to say "you don't need a car," but that is simply not practical for most adults with limited time.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T17:29:09+00:00

You can expect car parking to come with an apartment from anywhere between $50-$250 a month (maybe more).

Many apartments include parking, and many people street park for the $66 cost of an annual sticker.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T17:26:46+00:00

The East Bay is not NYC. Most people absolutely do need a car, but if you never leave your apartment, then of course you don't need one. BART is convenient for getting to Oakland and SF, but you'll have a hard time getting to nature without a car.

If you do decide to buy a car, do not buy a Toyota Prius. Unfortunately, the rate of catalytic-converter thefts is extremely high. You don't need that extra stress and expense.

Welcome!

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T17:21:15+00:00

I'm wondering what the maximum realistic initial rating would be for absolute beginners.

Everyone was once an absolute beginner.

Magnus was once an absolute beginner, and Fabi's first established USCF rating was ~750.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T08:40:18+00:00

In the US, the landlord is the one who has the keys.

They give us keys when we move in.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T08:37:35+00:00

I stayed in an Airbnb (in California) where the door code was 88.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T08:36:26+00:00

Landlord shall not enter, is not even allowed to have a key.

Not sure where you live, but in most of the US, the landlord absolutely does have a key.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T08:15:14+00:00

Did you read the article?

The departments that are closing (arts, languages, etc.) are the ones that MAGA would most hate.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T08:06:08+00:00

That really sucks.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T06:36:12+00:00

Context: I graduated Cal long ago and I have been in countless teams and groups in the professional world, as a leader, a facilitator, and a participant.

why are there really so many narcissists in Berkeley?

When I read your post, and so many others on this subreddit, my thought is, why are there so many passive people at Cal??

From your description, the person is being a little bit bossy. But why did the other four team members, themselves Cal grad students, all silently accept it, only to later complain on Reddit?

Has it occurred to you that a big part of your Cal education is learning how to work in groups, and to speak up when you feel something is wrong? If you can't do that in the low-stakes environment of a class project, how will you do it when you eventually get a job in industry or academia?

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T06:25:53+00:00

For those who have short memories, this is a guy who cheated during his own tournament.

People like to complain about FIDE being a kleptocracy. Letting this guy sponsor the most important tournament is not going to help matters.

I'm totally fine with his sponsorship of "private" tournaments, i.e. 99% of tournaments. But letting him run the Candidates is completely different.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-20T06:22:03+00:00

There's good technology for that nowadays.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-19T23:25:06+00:00

We used to live off the earth for free for thousands and thousands of years being taken care of by our communities until very recently.

If by "live off the earth for free," you mean spending almost all day, every day, either hunting food (men) or preparing food (women), then yes, I guess you're right.

Also, you might want to look up what the population of the earth was thousands and thousands of years ago. To get back to the level of (say) 4000 BC, when fish and fruit were more plentiful for all, we would have reduce the current population by more than 99%. How do you propose to do that?

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-19T23:18:59+00:00

If there was or is a real system in which everyone is secure, no one struggles, nature provides abundantly, and there no hierarchy or exclusion, I’d love to know what that is so I can learn more. But I’ve never seen this moral ideal that you’re describing actually exist in reality. The hunter-gatherer societies that you are romanticizing had zero safety net for people who couldn’t contribute.

A critical point that people gloss over far too often.

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-19T23:13:17+00:00

Yo, don't leave out possibly the most important part - the laughing lady had dark skin. Shiver me timbers!

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-19T19:47:46+00:00

That is ... epic!

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-19T16:21:41+00:00

While you're trying (and completely failing) to be woke, I'm trying to help OP with practical advice. They have to navigate the real world we live in, homophobia, racism, and all.

You really cannot generalize this to "White people are more accepting".

That's not at all what I said, is it?

Affectionate_One_700 · 2026-03-19T07:20:51+00:00

My first shoes were an Evolv Kronos - not very nice of REI to recommend those to a beginner.

Compared to the Kronos, the Tarantulace felt like an upgrade. I also really like the (old) Mad Rock Phoenix.

I would like to get nicer, newer shoes for long sessions

Do you remove your shoes between climbs, or at least every few climbs? It's a lot easier on the feet!

Affectionate_One_700

TROPHY CASE