James A Tucker

@MZHemingway Make sure you don't have it on speaker. That can interfere with recognition of pressing 1 or 0

I called back. And have now been on hold for more than one hour and nine minutes. Average wait time, I was told by AI, was 1/2 hour. Not entirely sure anyone is going to answer this call, but mom says to keep holding, so I shall. Maybe tell me your best joke as I wait, lol.

Congratulations to the Social Security Administration, which is celebrating a federal holiday today, according to the survivor benefits line I just called.

@RealJamesWoods Rhonda Vincent or Tish Hinojosa

I got an email from one of my subscribers that got me thinking. Terry suggested I get a great lady country singer to do a cover of NO TOMORROW, DESPERADO. I’m going do a playlist based on your suggestions. So who would you pick? Here’s the song in case you haven’t heard it…t.co/i0pUniMuqc

@SusanPolgar Pragg

Who would potentially be the most dangerous opponent for World Champion Gukesh in his title defense? 1. Caruana 🇺🇸 2. Pragg 🇮🇳 3. Erigaisi 🇮🇳 4. Someone else ♟ (Name the player)

@RealJamesWoods High Noon

The Wild Bunch

@SusanPolgar I'd compare the Harris/Walz loss to Alekhine's loss to Euwe in their first WCh match: a perfectly reasonable confidence and expectation that what worked in past efforts would work again, but then realizing the strength of the opponent's approach when it was too late.

Using chess logic, what happened? (270 is the magic number) What went right for the winning side and what went wrong for the losing side? (No insult to either side, just chess like analysis please) - Kamala Harris - Tim Walz: 224 (went from 81,283,501 votes to under 70 million votes) - Donald J. Trump - JD Vance: 277 + leading in Michigan 15, Arizona 11, Nevada 6 and Alaska 3 (potentially 312) + winning the popular votes + winning/leading in all 7 swing states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, N. Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) GOP will control the Senate and potentially the House.

@SusanPolgar I'd compare the Trump/Vance approach to the best of Karpov or Petrosian Python Strategy or Nimzovich overprotection: incremental building of strength upon strength across the whole board (rural and metro) with special attention to key squares.

@ChrisBirdIA @STLChessClub One of the hardest-working tournament officials. Happy Birthday!

No playoffs today, so we decided to celebrate the US Women's Championship Chief Arbiter's birthday with lunch at the Kingside Diner. Please join us in wishing a happy birthday to IA Karen Pennock! 🥳 @STLChessClub

Round 5 loss on White side of a Reti. Apparently bishops can move backwards too.... a good game until it wasnt. 4/6 with one to play.

Uneventful draw on the White side of a Reti. Now at 4/5. 8 game unbeaten streak going back to previous tourney. Probably jinxed the next round. #chesspunks

Won Round 4 on the Black side of a Pirc. Set the table with 3 forks for the win. Sitting at 3.5/4 now.

Took a draw in Round 3 on the white side of a Reti. Exchanged a queen for rook and bishop and chances for pawns. Neither of us had a winning position during the game, but he had an advantage at the end. He had 91% accuracy, so a draw will let me sleep. #chesspunks

Won my Round 2 game on the Black side of an English Defense (or Defence since it's English). Opposite side castling with back and forth pawn storms, but I stormed first. 2/2 with 5 rounds to go. #chess. #chesspunks

Won Round 1 on the White side of a Reti that came down to my K+B+P vs K+P. 6 rounds to go.

Been lurking for a while. Playing OTB this weekend. Began USCF in 1400s, in the 1990s as a chess dad, dropped to low of 1006 last year, and now up to 1110. How high will I go now that age 68 is fast approaching? #chess #chesspunks

@HansMokeNiemann I don't know, but I hope my 2 young grandsons don't mimic him

Who is the bad boy of chess?

@RealJamesWoods The Twilight Zone. The Dick Van Dyke Show. Oddly cool: The Prisoner. Coronet Blue.

I know this is out of left field, but tell me your favorite TV series from the early days of television up to, say, the year 2000. For every obvious one, name one more obscure, but oddly cool in some way.

@hartmannchess Top 3 past Americans I'd like to see: Jackson Showalter, Harry Pillsbury, and Sammy Reshevsky. Top 3 past non-Americans: Joseph Blackburne, Mikhail Chigorin, and Bent Larsen

Thinking of putting together a small games collection for #NaNoWriMo and pondering which player it should focus on. What say ye, tweeps? I'd prefer an American from the past, but open to all suggestions! #chesspunks

@BuckSexton In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick

You’re marooned on a tropical island for a year. You only get one history book. No religious books or novels. Non-fiction history, hardcopy. But you get to read it as though it’s your first time again. What is that HISTORY BOOK? 📚 📕

@anishgiri Thinking Carlsen wins. On the women's side, thinking it'll be Kosteniuk.

Chess World Cup is about to start, who are you rooting for? Who do you think is going to win? These are two different questions so please leave two separate comments.

@anishgiri Rooting for D Gukesh and David Howell. On the women's side, rooting for the Muzychuks and Irina Krush.