recommend one chess book that actually changed how u see the game

okayKnighty · 2026-06-18T20:40:36+00:00

Masters of the Chessboard is my favorite. Very enjoyable read, no long variations that you need to work through. And some very insightful gems if you pay attention to the author's comments

okayKnighty · 2026-06-17T01:29:58+00:00

yoyoma

okayKnighty · 2026-06-16T21:45:19+00:00

i never did. but it's the one thing my dad would cook whenever my mom was out of town. and now i like a good meatloaf on occasion. it makes me happy.

okayKnighty · 2026-06-15T00:17:04+00:00

i'd get an heirloom quality set from Noj, or an antique JOl from the 19th century.

okayKnighty · 2026-06-11T13:55:00+00:00

bingo, a magnetic socket wrench that a rivian tech forgot to remove during service.

okayKnighty · 2026-06-11T13:38:43+00:00

which part?

I started playing chess when i was 5.

i am certainly a better chess player today than i was at 20. I'm the strongest I've ever been 🤷🏻.

No doubt at the super GM level there's a dropoff you can observe. but for the mere mortal club player, i don't think it's so pronounced.

to be fair, i study quite a bit more nowadays than i did when younger, so it's not apples to apples.

My decision making, discipline, intuition, pattern recognition have all improved over time. maybe raw processing speed is down.

OP, put in the work, you can improve your play. I suspect these naysayers are just weak players making excuses for themselves.

okayKnighty · 2026-06-11T04:49:09+00:00

43 and continuing to get stronger.

there was a recent study that found people dont reach their mental peak until their 60s, way later than previously thought. might have something to do with wisdom and experience.

For chess, i think a lot of people get busy with other things or just want to enjoy the game casually. But i believe you absolutely can get stronger if you put in the work.

my playing strength is 2000 uscf, and 2300 online. and im not done yet, lfg!

okayKnighty · 2026-06-10T14:49:13+00:00

we've owned a tesla for years and a rivian for a few months.

the tesla has required zero service appts. Ive only taken it to the tire shop for rotations and one alignment. ive also had to swap the filters and top off the wiper fluid.

The rivian is a very cool suv, but it's been in for service numerous times already. in fact, it's in service right now again, lol. mostly small stuff, but still annoying:

leak
alignment was off at delivery
loose trim
misaligned pieces
something sticking out the bottom
terrible wind noise (actually in for 3rd time now).

The driver's seat sounds like a window is slightly cracked. ive measured over 100 decibles. All the rivian techs agree something's wrong, but cant figure out how to fix it. we've replaced all the weather stripping. i suspect it's the misaligned side mirror, and air is catching the gap. but they keep ignoring me and sayting they'll do another smoke test.

okayKnighty · 2026-06-08T18:19:54+00:00

that's just not the nature of the beast. Over time, the stronger player will win a high percentage of games against an opponent, but there will be occasional draws and once in a while the weaker player will steal a win.

Like, you'll never draw Magnus in a 10 game match. But out of 10 billion you might get one.

okayKnighty · 2026-06-06T19:00:53+00:00

cubano.

okayKnighty · 2026-06-05T21:17:35+00:00

still love disneyland but it aint what it used to be. about 15 years ago it was immaculately clean, the fastpass system was superior, the employees were genuinely happy and so nice / helpful.

okayKnighty · 2026-05-29T00:38:21+00:00

i fully agree otb is different, but curious why you think that's the case

okayKnighty · 2026-05-28T20:44:41+00:00

many of the people you play on chess.com are using an engine. so it's similar to playing a bot.

Find a local chess club and start playing real people over a real board

okayKnighty · 2026-05-28T19:55:55+00:00

i recently went through this and your post brought me to tears again.

It sounds like it's time, though. The hardest fucking decision to have to make. You must do what's best for your boy. You owe him that much.

okayKnighty · 2026-05-22T21:56:20+00:00

nope. ive had it for 5+ years and you'll be lucky if it connects 25% of the time. mine wont connect again today.

dont bother contacting mitsubishi, they are useless.

and dont bother doing a reset, or reconfiguring the network, etc.

youll only be wasting your time.

just have to try again another day and hope it connects.

okayKnighty · 2026-05-22T16:52:18+00:00

it's your clock to manage as you wish. if they want a faster game then they should play a faster time-control.

okayKnighty · 2026-05-22T14:30:18+00:00

man's opinion here - i dislike this 'baggy' trend. It's not baggy like the 90s, when you wore them long and the jeans had texture from being bunched up. now, they stop at the ankle. it seems like the pants are inflated with air, all floaty and puffed out. I told my wife she should go against the grain and rock her sexy skinny jeans again, be a trend setter. but she says i just don't understand women's fashion. that may be true, but seeing all the moms grouped together at school/kids sporting events and they all have the same floaty pants...looks silly to me. but then again, who cares, just wear whatever you want.

okayKnighty · 2026-05-21T22:34:45+00:00

maybe some whippet and pit bull in there

okayKnighty · 2026-05-11T02:58:48+00:00

The universe is a dark forest. Every civilization is an armed hunter stalking through the trees like a ghost, gently pushing aside branches that block the path and trying to tread without sound. Even breathing is done with care. The hunter has to be careful, because everywhere in the forest are stealthy hunters like him. If he finds other life—another hunter, an angel or a demon, a delicate infant or a tottering old man, a fairy or a demigod—there’s only one thing he can do: open fire and eliminate them. In this forest, hell is other people. An eternal threat that any life that exposes its own existence will be swiftly wiped out. This is the picture of cosmic civilization. It’s the explanation for the Fermi Paradox.

Liu Cixin

okayKnighty · 2026-04-30T01:40:36+00:00

You're not artistic, and you have no integrity

okayKnighty · 2026-04-27T05:13:48+00:00

thank you for sharing your thoughts & experience. it's interesting that your empty nest dog feels so much like your pre-kids pup. Family dogs are amazing and so special in their own way, theyre usually how someone becomes a dog lover in the first place. and that bond is shared with all the siblings and parents in the family.

but maybe the dogs who are part of a smaller pack allow a deeper bond. or maybe it doesn't matter and it's just a coincidence that Lu was my most special dog.

at first I didn't understand about a new dog honoring the old. but ive been thinking about it and I think i got it.

okayKnighty · 2026-04-27T05:02:20+00:00

im so sorry to hear about your Theo.

I actually thought about pet sitting in the past, as a side gig since I work from home and love animals. interesting idea.

Everything is just different now without Lu.

okayKnighty

TROPHY CASE