I Will Never Give Up My Beloved Damiano's Defense

Date: 11 Feb 2009 17:55:19
From: samsloan
Subject: I Will Never Give Up My Beloved Damiano's Defense

[quote="Brenan"]Well, Sam, if you are still playing 1 g4 and 1e4 e5 2
Nf3 f6 that may well be the case... :)[/quote]

I will never give up my beloved Spike and Damiano's Defense.

It is true that when I started playing these openings I won a lot of
games very easily on shock value. My early opponents did not take
these openings seriously.

Now they look me up on ChessBase and come prepared with the latest
analysis. I have lost a lot of games lately this way. Believe it or
not, I even lost to Ken ("The Good Sloan") Sloan with this.

However, I no longer know how to play anything else, so what can I do?

Sam ("The Bad Sloan") Sloan

Date: 12 Feb 2009 08:38:19
From: None
Subject: Re: I Will Never Give Up My Beloved Damiano's Defense

On Feb 12, 11:06=A0am, Taylor Kingston <[email protected] > wrote:
> On Feb 12, 11:03=A0am, None <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Feb 12, 10:33=A0am, Taylor Kingston <[email protected]> wrote=
:
>
> > > On Feb 12, 10:04=A0am, None <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > On Feb 11, 8:55=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > [quote=3D"Brenan"]Well, Sam, if you are still playing 1 g4 and 1e=
4 e5 2
> > > > > Nf3 f6 that may well be the case... :)[/quote]
>
> > > > > I will never give up my beloved Spike and Damiano's Defense.
>
> > > > > It is true that when I started playing these openings I won a lot=
of
> > > > > games very easily on shock value. My early opponents did not take
> > > > > these openings seriously.
>
> > > > > Now they look me up on ChessBase and come prepared with the lates=
t
> > > > > analysis. I have lost a lot of games lately this way. Believe it =
or
> > > > > not, I even lost to Ken ("The Good Sloan") Sloan with this.
>
> > > > > However, I no longer know how to play anything else, so what can =
I do?
>
> > > > > Sam ("The Bad Sloan") Sloan
>
> > > > Didn't Damiano direct Deep Throat?
>
> > > =A0 No, Deep Throat was directed by Bob Woodward. Or more accurately,
> > > the other way around.- Hide quoted text -
>
> > > - Show quoted text -
>
> > It was Gerald Damiano...you're thinking of something else...all water
> > under the gate now.
>
> =A0 I've never seen "Deep Throat," but I suspect it's not as good as
> "All the President's Men."- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

DT was a classic, President's Men was not

Date: 12 Feb 2009 08:06:34
From: Taylor Kingston
Subject: Re: I Will Never Give Up My Beloved Damiano's Defense

On Feb 12, 11:03=A0am, None <[email protected] > wrote:
> On Feb 12, 10:33=A0am, Taylor Kingston <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Feb 12, 10:04=A0am, None <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > On Feb 11, 8:55=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > [quote=3D"Brenan"]Well, Sam, if you are still playing 1 g4 and 1e4 =
e5 2
> > > > Nf3 f6 that may well be the case... :)[/quote]
>
> > > > I will never give up my beloved Spike and Damiano's Defense.
>
> > > > It is true that when I started playing these openings I won a lot o=
f
> > > > games very easily on shock value. My early opponents did not take
> > > > these openings seriously.
>
> > > > Now they look me up on ChessBase and come prepared with the latest
> > > > analysis. I have lost a lot of games lately this way. Believe it or
> > > > not, I even lost to Ken ("The Good Sloan") Sloan with this.
>
> > > > However, I no longer know how to play anything else, so what can I =
do?
>
> > > > Sam ("The Bad Sloan") Sloan
>
> > > Didn't Damiano direct Deep Throat?
>
> > =A0 No, Deep Throat was directed by Bob Woodward. Or more accurately,
> > the other way around.- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> It was Gerald Damiano...you're thinking of something else...all water
> under the gate now.

I've never seen "Deep Throat," but I suspect it's not as good as
"All the President's Men."

Date: 12 Feb 2009 08:03:13
From: None
Subject: Re: I Will Never Give Up My Beloved Damiano's Defense

On Feb 12, 10:33=A0am, Taylor Kingston <[email protected] > wrote:
> On Feb 12, 10:04=A0am, None <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Feb 11, 8:55=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > [quote=3D"Brenan"]Well, Sam, if you are still playing 1 g4 and 1e4 e5=
2
> > > Nf3 f6 that may well be the case... :)[/quote]
>
> > > I will never give up my beloved Spike and Damiano's Defense.
>
> > > It is true that when I started playing these openings I won a lot of
> > > games very easily on shock value. My early opponents did not take
> > > these openings seriously.
>
> > > Now they look me up on ChessBase and come prepared with the latest
> > > analysis. I have lost a lot of games lately this way. Believe it or
> > > not, I even lost to Ken ("The Good Sloan") Sloan with this.
>
> > > However, I no longer know how to play anything else, so what can I do=
?
>
> > > Sam ("The Bad Sloan") Sloan
>
> > Didn't Damiano direct Deep Throat?
>
> =A0 No, Deep Throat was directed by Bob Woodward. Or more accurately,
> the other way around.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

It was Gerald Damiano...you're thinking of something else...all water
under the gate now.

Date: 12 Feb 2009 07:33:14
From: Taylor Kingston
Subject: Re: I Will Never Give Up My Beloved Damiano's Defense

On Feb 12, 10:04=A0am, None <[email protected] > wrote:
> On Feb 11, 8:55=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > [quote=3D"Brenan"]Well, Sam, if you are still playing 1 g4 and 1e4 e5 2
> > Nf3 f6 that may well be the case... :)[/quote]
>
> > I will never give up my beloved Spike and Damiano's Defense.
>
> > It is true that when I started playing these openings I won a lot of
> > games very easily on shock value. My early opponents did not take
> > these openings seriously.
>
> > Now they look me up on ChessBase and come prepared with the latest
> > analysis. I have lost a lot of games lately this way. Believe it or
> > not, I even lost to Ken ("The Good Sloan") Sloan with this.
>
> > However, I no longer know how to play anything else, so what can I do?
>
> > Sam ("The Bad Sloan") Sloan
>
> Didn't Damiano direct Deep Throat?

No, Deep Throat was directed by Bob Woodward. Or more accurately,
the other way around.

Date: 12 Feb 2009 07:04:54
From: None
Subject: Re: I Will Never Give Up My Beloved Damiano's Defense

Date: 11 Feb 2009 19:35:21
From: help bot
Subject: Re: I Will Never Give Up My Beloved Damiano's Defense

On Feb 11, 8:55=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected] > wrote:

> [quote=3D"Brenan"]Well, Sam, if you are still playing 1 g4 and 1e4 e5 2
> Nf3 f6 that may well be the case... :)[/quote]
>
> I will never give up my beloved Spike and Damiano's Defense.
>
> It is true that when I started playing these openings I won a lot of
> games very easily on shock value. My early opponents did not take
> these openings seriously.
>
> Now they look me up on ChessBase and come prepared with the latest
> analysis. I have lost a lot of games lately this way. Believe it or
> not, I even lost to Ken ("The Good Sloan") Sloan with this.
>
> However, I no longer know how to play anything else, so what can I do?

What can be done when you "know nothing else"?

Good question. A while back, I tried "winging it"
in some sharp Sicilian Defense line and got killed
by what appeared to be a book style refutation in
an online game.

On the other hand, when I play at GetClub, nine
times out of ten I find myself in unfamiliar territory
early on, and yet I feel comfortable... because
chess is 90% tactics. On those occasions in
which I have failed strategically, I try to learn the
root cause and not make the same mistake again
... at least, not right away. Twice I have found
myself up about two pawns in an OCB ending,
unable to win-- even against GC; those were
strategical errors, mixed with unexpected,
random improvements in the strength of
opposition.

The truth is, I have forgotten so much about
openings theory that I find myself experimenting
with just about any opening these days, and
yes, this costs valuable time on the clock. But
I also feel somewhat better-rounded as a player
now... no longer reliant upon tricks and traps I
never could have discovered OTB, and which
apply only to a tiny sampling of chess positions.

So, the question is, why does Mr. Sloan feel
trapped inside these inferior openings? Why
can't he just whip off, say, 1. Nc3 or 1. e4 d5.
Is it possible that, aside from a few cheap tricks
taken from books, Mr. Sloan has no tactical
resourcefulness in unfamiliar positions? If so,
how does one account for poor Mr. Brock's
destruction? For the FEAR displayed by the
quivering duo from Vermont? Surely, Mr.
Sloan is not so old a dog he can't learn a few
new tricks.

-- help bot