This past weekend was the New Hampshire Open chess tournament. Held in Manchester, NH and open to players from all states, the tournament doubles as the New Hampshire state chess championship. Grandmaster Alex Ivanov and International Master Jonathan Yedidia, both from Massachusetts, shared first place; the top NH finishers were International Master Joe Fang and FIDE Master Brad Bournival. Except for 2009, either Fang or Bournival has at least tied for the NH state champion title every year since 1998 (ties are not broken; players who finish with the same score are considered co-state champions). Congratulations to New Hampshire's new champions for a hard-earned victory!
My own performance was disappointing. I got off to a good start, defeating Class A player (and 2004 co-state champion) Erin Dame and drawing against National Master Hal Terrie (who was the NH Amateur Champion in 1974 and 1976). Going into the final day of play, I was half a point off of the lead. Unfortunately, I lost a topsy-turvy game against Vermont's #2-rated player, Haizhou Xu and then made a series of mistakes against NH expert Sherif Khater to lose despite being a piece up. I finished with 2/5 points, good only for a tie for twelfth place. Poor result or not, I had a lot of fun playing, I enjoyed my games, and I particularly enjoyed catching up with the cadre of NH, VT, and MA chess players that I only get to see at tournaments.
My next tournament is the Nashua Open in July, and I may play another match against my friend Dave Carter, the state champion and top-rated player in Vermont. After that, I will have to start looking for chess tournaments in Colorado!
About Me
- Robert
- I'm a 2009 graduate of Dartmouth College who loves Jesus, my wife and all things Northeast.
Showing posts with label Chess. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chess. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
YankeeVox comes to Twitter
For those of you who have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon (or are thinking about doing so), I invite you to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/YankeeVox. I'll be happy to give you a follow as well.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Buffalo and chess making headlines together the other day. Ken Regan, an International Master and computer science professor at the University of Buffalo, was recently lauded in The New York Times for his work in developing a program aimed at sniffing out instances of computer cheating among top chessplayers. I highly recommend the article, which is extremely accessible to both chess and computer science laypeople. Of particular interest to me was the way in which the program can be applied to not only root out cheating but also to clear players who have fallen under suspicion. Give it a look.
In other news, today was the home opener for Dartmouth baseball. I was pleased to catch the first two innings; they looked good!
I was pleasantly surprised to see Buffalo and chess making headlines together the other day. Ken Regan, an International Master and computer science professor at the University of Buffalo, was recently lauded in The New York Times for his work in developing a program aimed at sniffing out instances of computer cheating among top chessplayers. I highly recommend the article, which is extremely accessible to both chess and computer science laypeople. Of particular interest to me was the way in which the program can be applied to not only root out cheating but also to clear players who have fallen under suspicion. Give it a look.
In other news, today was the home opener for Dartmouth baseball. I was pleased to catch the first two innings; they looked good!
Chess dress addressed
Dress codes are nothing new in chess. Many top-level events--which are populated almost exclusively by men--sport requirements that participants wear a jacket and tie or similarly dignified attire. This is usually at the behest of the sponsors, who appreciate the image of professionalism that this projects. The recently concluded European Individual Women's Chess Championship, though, featured a unique response on participants' fashion choices.
The event, which was held in Gaziantep, Turkey, and won by Russian International Master Valentina Gunina, sported a "two button rule." As reported by Chessbase, and picked up by the NY Daily News, the participants were permitted to unbutton their shirts no more than two buttons from the top. Furthermore, skirts could be a maximum of ten centimeters above the knee (longer garments were, of course, allowed).
The reason for the new regulation, according to European Chess Union General Secretary Sava Stoisavljevic, is to curb crude remarks coming from the spectators. This is yet another example of a women's sport trying to find the balance between marketing itself through the quality of the game and simply trading on sex appeal. It's not an easy balance to strike--after all, if playing up participants' physical appearance were ineffective, it would have been abandoned long ago--but I can't help but think this is another example of legislation replacing common sense. Having said that, though, there would be no need for such legislation if common sense were in the driver's seat.
My favorite element of the new dress code? The rule banning excessive body odor. Now that is a rule long overdue.
The event, which was held in Gaziantep, Turkey, and won by Russian International Master Valentina Gunina, sported a "two button rule." As reported by Chessbase, and picked up by the NY Daily News, the participants were permitted to unbutton their shirts no more than two buttons from the top. Furthermore, skirts could be a maximum of ten centimeters above the knee (longer garments were, of course, allowed).
The reason for the new regulation, according to European Chess Union General Secretary Sava Stoisavljevic, is to curb crude remarks coming from the spectators. This is yet another example of a women's sport trying to find the balance between marketing itself through the quality of the game and simply trading on sex appeal. It's not an easy balance to strike--after all, if playing up participants' physical appearance were ineffective, it would have been abandoned long ago--but I can't help but think this is another example of legislation replacing common sense. Having said that, though, there would be no need for such legislation if common sense were in the driver's seat.
My favorite element of the new dress code? The rule banning excessive body odor. Now that is a rule long overdue.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Xtreme Chess
The worlds of chess and reality television have collided. "Xtreme Chess Championships," which was created by Women's Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade, her brother International Master Greg Shahade, and Daniel Meirmon, features eight young American chess talents competing in a knockout competition. You can read more about it and watch the first two episodes here. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter; they do not appear to have an official website.
It's hard to know how to feel about this program. On the one hand, any publicity is good publicity, and there may well be people out there for whom this is an attractive first exposure to chess. On the other hand, the production quality and "performances" (I hesitate to say "acting," although the heavily scripted nature of reality television is an open secret) are of such a low caliber that I couldn't help but cringe repeatedly while watching it.
In the end, I just don't think chess and the medium of the television program are well-suited for each other. You can add celebrity commentators or reduce the time control, but in the end, chess can be played rapidly but must be savored at length. I do not mean to discourage anyone from enjoying "Xtreme Chess Championships," and indeed I hope that a great many people find it appealing. I fear, however, that the problem of how to market chess to the general public has not yet been solved.
It's hard to know how to feel about this program. On the one hand, any publicity is good publicity, and there may well be people out there for whom this is an attractive first exposure to chess. On the other hand, the production quality and "performances" (I hesitate to say "acting," although the heavily scripted nature of reality television is an open secret) are of such a low caliber that I couldn't help but cringe repeatedly while watching it.
In the end, I just don't think chess and the medium of the television program are well-suited for each other. You can add celebrity commentators or reduce the time control, but in the end, chess can be played rapidly but must be savored at length. I do not mean to discourage anyone from enjoying "Xtreme Chess Championships," and indeed I hope that a great many people find it appealing. I fear, however, that the problem of how to market chess to the general public has not yet been solved.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Back from hiatus
It's been a busy 2012 so far! I'm looking forward to having more time to write in this space, however. Of the several projects that have been keeping me busy lately, one of the most exciting has been helping to restart the Christ Redeemer Church blog, "The Kingdom Perspective." Pastor Don Willeman is in the middle of a series of posts on sin and grace; check it out at http://christredeemerchurch.org/wordpress/
I've also been keeping busy with the U.S. Chess Federation's Electronic Knights correspondence chess tournament. The Electronic Knights is the email equivalent of the Golden Knights correspondence chess tournament, which is the national correspondence chess championship. The tournament is broken down into seven-player sections and you must score 4.5 points out of 6 to advance to the semi-finals. In an interesting twist, you are allowed to enter the tournament up to ten times (paying the entry fee again each time, of course). The more sections you enter, the higher your chances of being able to advance to a semi-final section. Right now I am playing in two sections, and I'm having a blast.
Finally, I'm not one to get extremely excited over industry award shows; I stopped watching the Oscars years ago, and I don't think I've ever watched the Grammys (as for the Tonys ... I couldn't even tell you if they were televised or not). But watching the Beach Boys reunite to sing "Good Vibrations" tonight was awesome!
I've also been keeping busy with the U.S. Chess Federation's Electronic Knights correspondence chess tournament. The Electronic Knights is the email equivalent of the Golden Knights correspondence chess tournament, which is the national correspondence chess championship. The tournament is broken down into seven-player sections and you must score 4.5 points out of 6 to advance to the semi-finals. In an interesting twist, you are allowed to enter the tournament up to ten times (paying the entry fee again each time, of course). The more sections you enter, the higher your chances of being able to advance to a semi-final section. Right now I am playing in two sections, and I'm having a blast.
Finally, I'm not one to get extremely excited over industry award shows; I stopped watching the Oscars years ago, and I don't think I've ever watched the Grammys (as for the Tonys ... I couldn't even tell you if they were televised or not). But watching the Beach Boys reunite to sing "Good Vibrations" tonight was awesome!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Gold medal
The World Youth chess festival wrapped up in Brazil this week. The U.S. delegation turned in a phenomenal result, capturing the gold medal in the U8 Open and the silver medal in the U10 Open sections. Awonder Liang and Ruifeng Li, respectively, accomplished these remarkable feats. (Incidentally, I still outrate Liang by more than one hundred points, but seeing as he's seven years old, I don't think that's all that impressive!) Other top American finishers were Sarah Chiang (Girls U14) and Jeffrey Xiong (U12 Open). Congratulations to all of the competitors, and thank you to the trainers, coaches, and families for all of their support of U.S. chess in general and these U.S. chess players in particular!
Speaking of chess, I would be remiss for failing to mention that the New York Knights won a dramatic U.S. Chess League championship match last weekend. This is their first title since 2009 and second overall (not bad for a league that's only in its seventh year!). Top board GM Georgi Kacheishvili also won Game of the Week honors for his victory over Chicago GM Mesgen Amanov, which he concluded in fine style with the rare and difficult bishop-and-knight versus king checkmate. Congratulations to the Knights!
As for me, I don't have any tournaments scheduled for the near future. I may play a match sometime next month, but otherwise I will just wait and see what the tournament calendar brings my way. There are a couple upcoming events that look interesting, but for various reasons the scheduling won't work out. It's a bummer, but I'm trying to use the time to study and improve so that when I do return to tournament play I will be stronger than when I entered my winter hibernation.
And while I'm at it, a hearty congratulations to my friend Dave Carter, who last month was once again crowned Vermont State Chess Champion following his perfect score at the Vermont Open in Middlebury, VT. Way to go, Dave!
Speaking of chess, I would be remiss for failing to mention that the New York Knights won a dramatic U.S. Chess League championship match last weekend. This is their first title since 2009 and second overall (not bad for a league that's only in its seventh year!). Top board GM Georgi Kacheishvili also won Game of the Week honors for his victory over Chicago GM Mesgen Amanov, which he concluded in fine style with the rare and difficult bishop-and-knight versus king checkmate. Congratulations to the Knights!
As for me, I don't have any tournaments scheduled for the near future. I may play a match sometime next month, but otherwise I will just wait and see what the tournament calendar brings my way. There are a couple upcoming events that look interesting, but for various reasons the scheduling won't work out. It's a bummer, but I'm trying to use the time to study and improve so that when I do return to tournament play I will be stronger than when I entered my winter hibernation.
And while I'm at it, a hearty congratulations to my friend Dave Carter, who last month was once again crowned Vermont State Chess Champion following his perfect score at the Vermont Open in Middlebury, VT. Way to go, Dave!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
FIDE rated at last
I played in the Bedford Round Robin chess tournament over Columbus Day weekend in (you guessed it!) Bedford, NH. Expertly organized by Alex Relyea, Nita Patel, and Ken Ballou, the tournament consisted of two randomly assigned (but roughly balanced) ten-player round-robin sections. The goal of the tournament was to generate additional FIDE-rated players in the region.
First, an explanation of the FIDE rating system. FIDE, which is the French acronym for what translates into "World Chess Federation," is the worldwide governing body for chess. It administers the World Championship, assigns international titles (i.e., Grandmaster), and so forth. A tournament can be rated both by the national federation sponsoring it--in this case, the U.S. Chess Federation--and by FIDE, although certain conditions about the time control and the number of games in the event must be satisfied for an event to be FIDE-rateable.
One of the most vexing requirements, in my view, is that an unrated player must play at least three games against FIDE-rated players in the same event and score at least 1/3--either two draws or one win--in order to receive a provisional FIDE rating. Once you have a FIDE rating, all future games played against FIDE-rated players in FIDE-rated tournaments will be FIDE rated (no more minimums). I have previously played in a number of FIDE-rated tournaments, and even faced some FIDE-rated players, but I have always fallen short of the minimum games requirement.
But no more! Provided that each player in the section scored at least one point out of the nine games, every player in the section would receive a FIDE rating. From that standpoint, the tournament was a complete success, as all the requirements were met and approximately a dozen new FIDE ratings were issued (some of the players already had FIDE ratings).
From a chess standpoint, it was a mediocre event. I won a couple nice games, and I saved a couple draws (and even one victory) from difficult positions, but on the whole my score of +3 -3 =3 was a disappointment, especially considering I had the highest USCF rating in the section. There was a silver lining, though (beyond obtaining a FIDE rating, which truthfully was my sole goal going into the event). A couple mistakes popped up in almost all of my games at the event, bringing to light holes in my game of which I had been previously unaware. I will be much better able to target my studying now. My goal is to attain the National Master title, and I believe it is well within reach!
First, an explanation of the FIDE rating system. FIDE, which is the French acronym for what translates into "World Chess Federation," is the worldwide governing body for chess. It administers the World Championship, assigns international titles (i.e., Grandmaster), and so forth. A tournament can be rated both by the national federation sponsoring it--in this case, the U.S. Chess Federation--and by FIDE, although certain conditions about the time control and the number of games in the event must be satisfied for an event to be FIDE-rateable.
One of the most vexing requirements, in my view, is that an unrated player must play at least three games against FIDE-rated players in the same event and score at least 1/3--either two draws or one win--in order to receive a provisional FIDE rating. Once you have a FIDE rating, all future games played against FIDE-rated players in FIDE-rated tournaments will be FIDE rated (no more minimums). I have previously played in a number of FIDE-rated tournaments, and even faced some FIDE-rated players, but I have always fallen short of the minimum games requirement.
But no more! Provided that each player in the section scored at least one point out of the nine games, every player in the section would receive a FIDE rating. From that standpoint, the tournament was a complete success, as all the requirements were met and approximately a dozen new FIDE ratings were issued (some of the players already had FIDE ratings).
From a chess standpoint, it was a mediocre event. I won a couple nice games, and I saved a couple draws (and even one victory) from difficult positions, but on the whole my score of +3 -3 =3 was a disappointment, especially considering I had the highest USCF rating in the section. There was a silver lining, though (beyond obtaining a FIDE rating, which truthfully was my sole goal going into the event). A couple mistakes popped up in almost all of my games at the event, bringing to light holes in my game of which I had been previously unaware. I will be much better able to target my studying now. My goal is to attain the National Master title, and I believe it is well within reach!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Playoffs!
The Major League Baseball season drew to a close yesterday, with the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals securing the American League and National League wild card playoff spots, respectively. While the division races were decided days (or even weeks) before the end of the season, not even nine innings were sufficient to determine the final standings. Both the Yankees-Rays game and the Phillies-Braves game went deep into extra innings before things were decided. And while it's tempting to rub in the demise of the Yankees' nemesis, I think the Red Sox's September record is punishment enough. Actually, I take that back. Watching the Yankees' ticker-tape parade next month will be punishment enough.
The U.S. Chess League is at the halfway point of the season, with the Philadelphia Inventors and the New York Knights tied atop the Eastern Division with a record of 3.5-1.5 (though Philadelphia currently holds the edge on tiebreaks). In the West, the Chicago Blaze are the class of the league, with an unbeaten 5-0 record. The San Francisco Mechanics are in second place with a 3-2 record. Next week sees interleague action, with New York taking on the Seattle Sluggers and Chicago facing off against the Baltimore Kingfishers.
Despite living in Buffalo for more than a year, I never acquired a rooting interest in the Bills. Nevertheless, I am pleased that the Bills' 3-0 start in the NFL season has given them something to cheer about. Whether or not it will last remains to be seen, but for the time being life is good in Orchard Park.
In other news, Ellen is running in her first marathon on Saturday. Everybody wish her luck!!
The U.S. Chess League is at the halfway point of the season, with the Philadelphia Inventors and the New York Knights tied atop the Eastern Division with a record of 3.5-1.5 (though Philadelphia currently holds the edge on tiebreaks). In the West, the Chicago Blaze are the class of the league, with an unbeaten 5-0 record. The San Francisco Mechanics are in second place with a 3-2 record. Next week sees interleague action, with New York taking on the Seattle Sluggers and Chicago facing off against the Baltimore Kingfishers.
Despite living in Buffalo for more than a year, I never acquired a rooting interest in the Bills. Nevertheless, I am pleased that the Bills' 3-0 start in the NFL season has given them something to cheer about. Whether or not it will last remains to be seen, but for the time being life is good in Orchard Park.
In other news, Ellen is running in her first marathon on Saturday. Everybody wish her luck!!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Tunbridge World's Fair
Ellen and I decided that no one who lives in New Hampshire should go without visiting the Tunbridge World's Fair at least once. The fair, which is in its 140th year, is held in Tunbridge, VT and while I can't figure out where the "world" part came from, it's not definitely not small. Ellen and I enjoyed the livestock and crop exhibits in particular. I, for one, had never before seen a 700 pound pumpkin! (Nor, for that matter, a fifteen-pound zucchini.) Unfortunately the timing didn't work out for us to see the Antique Tractor Pull, but we were able to catch the first heat of the pig races. In case you're wondering what exactly transpires during pig races, it's precisely what it sounds like. Pigs run (surprisingly quickly) around a miniature track and the first one to cross the finish line is the winner. Coming soon to an OTB near you.
Earlier this week, Ellen and I visited Henniker, New Hampshire, a charming town on the Contoocook River. Henniker has two major claims to fame: It is home to New England College and it is, to quote what is evidently the town motto, "The Only Henniker on Earth." The weather held out beautifully, and we really enjoyed our time there. A special shout-out to the Henniker House B&B, which was our first exposure to a bed-and-breakfast and will no doubt set the bar for all others to come.
In other news, the U.S. Chess League season is well underway, and the New York Knights are tied for second place along with the Manhattan Applesauce. The Boston Blitz, fresh off their Week 3 victory over the Knights, currently enjoy a half-point lead in the standings. Next up for the Knights are the Carolina Cobras; I predict a return to form. Go Knights!
Earlier this week, Ellen and I visited Henniker, New Hampshire, a charming town on the Contoocook River. Henniker has two major claims to fame: It is home to New England College and it is, to quote what is evidently the town motto, "The Only Henniker on Earth." The weather held out beautifully, and we really enjoyed our time there. A special shout-out to the Henniker House B&B, which was our first exposure to a bed-and-breakfast and will no doubt set the bar for all others to come.
In other news, the U.S. Chess League season is well underway, and the New York Knights are tied for second place along with the Manhattan Applesauce. The Boston Blitz, fresh off their Week 3 victory over the Knights, currently enjoy a half-point lead in the standings. Next up for the Knights are the Carolina Cobras; I predict a return to form. Go Knights!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Border Battle
New Hampshire defended its chess honor against Maine yesterday in a ten-board, twenty-game match held at the Portsmouth Public Library in Portsmouth, NH. This event was held for two years in the late 1970s before beginning a thirty-five year hiatus. It was resurrected last year (New Hampshire won 12-8) and the organizers are hoping it will become an annual event. This year's edition saw New Hampshire field a slightly stronger team than in 2010, and when the dust settled, the Granite State retained bragging rights by a score of 14-6. Maine managed to save face, however, by scoring two second-round upsets; International Master Joe Fang lost to David Oshana and yours truly went down in a topsy-turvy game against Adam Schaff. I had an absolute blast playing, and I hope I will still be in New Hampshire for the 2012 edition!
I recently finished Closing Time by Joseph Heller. This 1994 novel is the sequel to his seminal work, Catch-22, and several characters return. I wanted to like Closing Time, I really did. As much as it occasionally irritated me, I found Catch-22 hilarious. Closing Time, unfortunately, just didn't make sense. I finished it half out of a sense of obligation and half in the hope that Heller would explain it all in the end (he didn't). If you enjoyed Catch-22, you may want to read Closing Time if only to see where all the characters' stories end. But if you decide not to, I wouldn't blame you a bit.
Now that the weather is turning cooler and the leaves are beginning to lose their verdancy, back to school is not far from mind. My schooling is, for the time being, complete, and as a graduate student Ellen works year-round. But DOC Freshman Trips is well underway, and Move-In Day for the Dartmouth freshmen is this coming Tuesday. Ellen and I strolled through campus this morning, and I was hit with a feeling of nostalgia. It's hard to believe that it was only six years ago that I was in their shoes.
And of course, no post published on this day would be complete without a mention of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Every generation has a day that comes to define it--November 22, 1963 for some, December 7, 1941 for others--and I think September 11, 2001 will be ours.
I recently finished Closing Time by Joseph Heller. This 1994 novel is the sequel to his seminal work, Catch-22, and several characters return. I wanted to like Closing Time, I really did. As much as it occasionally irritated me, I found Catch-22 hilarious. Closing Time, unfortunately, just didn't make sense. I finished it half out of a sense of obligation and half in the hope that Heller would explain it all in the end (he didn't). If you enjoyed Catch-22, you may want to read Closing Time if only to see where all the characters' stories end. But if you decide not to, I wouldn't blame you a bit.
Now that the weather is turning cooler and the leaves are beginning to lose their verdancy, back to school is not far from mind. My schooling is, for the time being, complete, and as a graduate student Ellen works year-round. But DOC Freshman Trips is well underway, and Move-In Day for the Dartmouth freshmen is this coming Tuesday. Ellen and I strolled through campus this morning, and I was hit with a feeling of nostalgia. It's hard to believe that it was only six years ago that I was in their shoes.
And of course, no post published on this day would be complete without a mention of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Every generation has a day that comes to define it--November 22, 1963 for some, December 7, 1941 for others--and I think September 11, 2001 will be ours.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Turning 24
I turned twenty four years old on Sunday. To celebrate, Ellen and I went down to Manchester for the New Hampshire Open chess tournament. Manchester plays host to several of New Hampshire's biggest chess tournaments throughout the year, and perhaps none is bigger than this. The tournament is open to any member of the U.S. Chess Federation, but the top-scoring New Hampshire resident in the Open section is crowned State Champion. In the final round I was paired with Black against five-time state champion FM Brad Bournival. Unfortunately, after a game filled with ups and downs, neither side could break through in the end. Our draw gave IM Joseph Fang his fifteenth (!) state title. All in all I was pleased with the way I played, and I had a great time! And it was especially nice having Ellen there with me. Maybe next time I can convince her to play!
Other than the birthday festivities, it has been pretty much business as usual around here. I am in the process of joining Enfield FAST (First Aid Stabilization Team); they are a paid-on-call transporting ambulance company serving, you guessed it, Enfield. The call volume is not high--last year they responded to 132 calls and this year is on pace to be even slower--but the equipment is fairly nice and most importantly it's a way for me to help out and give back to the community. Their biggest personnel need is daytime hours during the week, and that just happens to be when I'm home with nothing to do. I've been granted "ride-along" status currently and I'm looking forward to finishing the rest of the paperwork so I can become a full-fledged (or at least probationary) member.
Ellen is doing well; she has begun what will probably be the final year of her Ph.D. and is otherwise keeping busy training for her first marathon. I am proud of her and extremely impressed (but not in the least surprised) by all she has accomplished.
In other news, the space shuttle program officially came to an end today. I've been to Cape Canaveral, and it was an impressive site to visit. I wonder how this latest development will affect the area, tourism and all.
Other than the birthday festivities, it has been pretty much business as usual around here. I am in the process of joining Enfield FAST (First Aid Stabilization Team); they are a paid-on-call transporting ambulance company serving, you guessed it, Enfield. The call volume is not high--last year they responded to 132 calls and this year is on pace to be even slower--but the equipment is fairly nice and most importantly it's a way for me to help out and give back to the community. Their biggest personnel need is daytime hours during the week, and that just happens to be when I'm home with nothing to do. I've been granted "ride-along" status currently and I'm looking forward to finishing the rest of the paperwork so I can become a full-fledged (or at least probationary) member.
Ellen is doing well; she has begun what will probably be the final year of her Ph.D. and is otherwise keeping busy training for her first marathon. I am proud of her and extremely impressed (but not in the least surprised) by all she has accomplished.
In other news, the space shuttle program officially came to an end today. I've been to Cape Canaveral, and it was an impressive site to visit. I wonder how this latest development will affect the area, tourism and all.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Summer begins
Happy third day of summer! Tuesday's solstice marked the start of my favorite season of the year. To make things even better, we had a church league softball game on Tuesday. Warm weather, lots of light, softball ... you just can't beat it. Ellen was a little bit apprehensive about the arrival of summer since that often heralds extremely high temperatures, but she has been pleased to see high temperatures in the upper 60s these past couple days. Not even a rainy, Marchlike day can dampen my enthusiasm for this new season, though.
Speaking of Ellen, she departs on Saturday for a weeklong conference in New Mexico. At the conference, she will presenting a poster summarizing some of her recent work as well as attending sessions of interest and reconnecting with space physicists from other schools and labs. It's an annual conference and this is not the first year she has gone; she's looking forward to being back. I'm excited for her and proud of her, although I'm certainly going to miss her while she's out West.
On the chess front, I contested a match last weekend with Dave Carter, the top-rated player in Vermont. Although I am not the top-rated player in New Hampshire (I come in at #7), we met at a tournament a couple months ago and play for the same online correspondence chess team. Dave, who has been a master for twenty nine years, is an extremely genial fellow and a strong chessplayer to boot. I had to battle back from a disadvantageous position in game one, ultimately securing a draw, and in game two the roles were reversed, with me carrying a slight plus into the endgame. Then disaster struck, however, and I blundered away the game in heart-breaking fashion. Until next time!
Conan O'Brien delivered the Commencement Address at Dartmouth's 241st Commencement on June 12. His speech deftly mixed the humor you would expect from a famous comedian with profundity you might not, and Ellen and I enjoyed watching it (albeit later on Youtube later that day). Congratulations Class of 2011! And perhaps most meaningfully for me, Commencement of two weeks yore marked the two-year anniversary of this blog. Thank you for reading, and here's to years more!
Speaking of Ellen, she departs on Saturday for a weeklong conference in New Mexico. At the conference, she will presenting a poster summarizing some of her recent work as well as attending sessions of interest and reconnecting with space physicists from other schools and labs. It's an annual conference and this is not the first year she has gone; she's looking forward to being back. I'm excited for her and proud of her, although I'm certainly going to miss her while she's out West.
On the chess front, I contested a match last weekend with Dave Carter, the top-rated player in Vermont. Although I am not the top-rated player in New Hampshire (I come in at #7), we met at a tournament a couple months ago and play for the same online correspondence chess team. Dave, who has been a master for twenty nine years, is an extremely genial fellow and a strong chessplayer to boot. I had to battle back from a disadvantageous position in game one, ultimately securing a draw, and in game two the roles were reversed, with me carrying a slight plus into the endgame. Then disaster struck, however, and I blundered away the game in heart-breaking fashion. Until next time!
Conan O'Brien delivered the Commencement Address at Dartmouth's 241st Commencement on June 12. His speech deftly mixed the humor you would expect from a famous comedian with profundity you might not, and Ellen and I enjoyed watching it (albeit later on Youtube later that day). Congratulations Class of 2011! And perhaps most meaningfully for me, Commencement of two weeks yore marked the two-year anniversary of this blog. Thank you for reading, and here's to years more!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Ellen and I went to see "Beatlemania Now" at the Claremont Opera House two weeks ago. The show, which was the penultimate offering in the Opera House's 2010-2011 season, billed itself as a "Multimedia tribute to the Beatles." I'm a big Beatles fan and I always enjoy hearing their songs performed live. Unfortunately, the impersonators just weren't very good. They didn't look much like the actual band members (which is hard to blame them for, but still, the realism wasn't there) and they didn't sound much like them, either. "John" actually came pretty close, at least with the songs from the early period, but the rest of the band was underwhelming. Still, it was an energetic show and I enjoyed getting to go out with Ellen and see it.
On Saturday I played in the White River Open, a one-day, four-round tournament held in White River Junction, VT. The tournament was small but surprisingly strong; the Open section featured a Grandmaster, a Senior Master, an International Master, a National Master and two Experts. In fact, of the nine players in the section, five were rated above 2180! I took a first-round bye so I could sleep after getting off work in the morning, and I defeated southern New Hampshire Expert Clay Bradley in my second-round game. Unfortunately I faltered at a key moment against IM Danny Kopec in Round 3 before getting blown off the board by SM Denys Shmelov (rated 2529!) in the final round. My final tournament score was +1 -2 =0, which was good for a sixth-place tie. It's hard to be disappointed by my result, but I can't help wishing I'd been able to keep up the pressure in my game against Kopec. Regardless, it was a lot of fun to play, and I'm looking forward to my next rated event (which at this point is looking like a match in June against top-rated Vermonter Dave Carter).
Living in New Hampshire, I've come to accept the fact that many of my neighbors are (for some reason) Red Sox fans. My sports affiliations have, consequently, caused some good-natured friction at work. And after the Yankees were swept by the Red Sox over the weekend, I knew I was going to be in for it on Monday. And sure enough, when I returned to the station following an early-morning emergency call, I was met at the ambulance door by a coworker brandishing a broom.
In other news, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 opens on Friday. Apparently they are starting a new trilogy featuring some but not all of the old characters (Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rusch are back; Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are not). I'm looking forward to seeing it soon.
On Saturday I played in the White River Open, a one-day, four-round tournament held in White River Junction, VT. The tournament was small but surprisingly strong; the Open section featured a Grandmaster, a Senior Master, an International Master, a National Master and two Experts. In fact, of the nine players in the section, five were rated above 2180! I took a first-round bye so I could sleep after getting off work in the morning, and I defeated southern New Hampshire Expert Clay Bradley in my second-round game. Unfortunately I faltered at a key moment against IM Danny Kopec in Round 3 before getting blown off the board by SM Denys Shmelov (rated 2529!) in the final round. My final tournament score was +1 -2 =0, which was good for a sixth-place tie. It's hard to be disappointed by my result, but I can't help wishing I'd been able to keep up the pressure in my game against Kopec. Regardless, it was a lot of fun to play, and I'm looking forward to my next rated event (which at this point is looking like a match in June against top-rated Vermonter Dave Carter).
Living in New Hampshire, I've come to accept the fact that many of my neighbors are (for some reason) Red Sox fans. My sports affiliations have, consequently, caused some good-natured friction at work. And after the Yankees were swept by the Red Sox over the weekend, I knew I was going to be in for it on Monday. And sure enough, when I returned to the station following an early-morning emergency call, I was met at the ambulance door by a coworker brandishing a broom.
In other news, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 opens on Friday. Apparently they are starting a new trilogy featuring some but not all of the old characters (Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rusch are back; Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are not). I'm looking forward to seeing it soon.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Change is in the wind
Dartmouth College announced on Tuesday that beginning in the 2012-2013 academic year, the fall term would be moved up so that classes start earlier in September and end by Thanksgiving. Currently, the first day of class is often as late as the fourth week of September and students return to campus following the Thanksgiving holiday for another week of classes followed by reading period and exams. I enthusiastically support this change, although neither Ellen nor I will be affected by it. Sending students home for five days only to recall them for a week and a half and then send them home again for three more weeks just doesn't make sense, and all the more so when you have as geographically diverse a population as Dartmouth does. The only potential downside is the overlap between Sophomore Summer final exams and the early sections of First-Year Trips, but that has always been an issue anyway and I doubt it'll be difficult to procure sufficient numbers of non-sophomore trip leaders.
As far as weird sporting happenings go, this one is right up there. The Rockies-Mets baseball game on Tuesday featured a rain delay, which is in and of itself relatively unremarkable, but the at-bat that was underway when the rain delay was called was a bit less pedestrian. Due to injury and fatigue (once pitchers cool down--as during a rain delay--they almost never go back out to pitch when play resumes), there were two pitchers and two hitters in a single at-bat! I'm with the sportswriter on this one; I doubt this was a precedented occurrence!
In other news, Gata Kamsky defeated Veselin Topalov in their quarterfinal Candidates match. His next opponent is Boris Gelfand of Israel; their first game today was a draw. Good luck Gata!
As far as weird sporting happenings go, this one is right up there. The Rockies-Mets baseball game on Tuesday featured a rain delay, which is in and of itself relatively unremarkable, but the at-bat that was underway when the rain delay was called was a bit less pedestrian. Due to injury and fatigue (once pitchers cool down--as during a rain delay--they almost never go back out to pitch when play resumes), there were two pitchers and two hitters in a single at-bat! I'm with the sportswriter on this one; I doubt this was a precedented occurrence!
In other news, Gata Kamsky defeated Veselin Topalov in their quarterfinal Candidates match. His next opponent is Boris Gelfand of Israel; their first game today was a draw. Good luck Gata!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Trauma season is here
Now that warmer temperatures and longer days are here, people are taking full advantage of the nice weather. Bicycles and motorcycles are now common sights, and with the resurgence of outdoor activities begins what the emergency medicine community calls "trauma season." So please remember to always wear your helmet and/or seatbelt when on the roads and trails and make sure your passengers do the same.
While I'm making public service announcements, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the World Championship Candidates' Matches that begin tomorrow. These are, in essence, the "quarterfinals" of the cycle to determine a challenger for current World Champion Viswanathan Anand of India. Participants play a series of knockout-style mini-matches until there is only one player left standing. Russia and Azerbaijan are the best-represented countries with two players each (Vladimir Kramnik and Alexander Grischuk from Russia; Teimour Radjabov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov from Azerbaijan); the other competitors are Levon Aronian (Armenia), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Boris Gelfand (Israel) and last but not least recently-crowned U.S. Champion Gata Kamsky. Notably absent is former world number-one ranked player Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who withdrew a few months ago in protest of administrative decisions that had been made surrounding the matches. Good luck to all the participants and go Kamsky!
As I reluctantly predicted last week, the New York Knicks were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. I'm disappointed but not surprised by the result. As for the rest of my predictions, the Bulls are not off to a good start in their matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, and it looks like the Miami Heat will continue their manhandling of the Celtics. I had predicted the Bulls over the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, and I remain confident that Chicago will come through against Atlanta, but it seems that I misjudged the Celtics-Heat series.
In other news, The New York Times published an amusing article about the ploys people have tried in order to sidestep receiving parking tickets. Ever tried any of these? How'd they work for you?
While I'm making public service announcements, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the World Championship Candidates' Matches that begin tomorrow. These are, in essence, the "quarterfinals" of the cycle to determine a challenger for current World Champion Viswanathan Anand of India. Participants play a series of knockout-style mini-matches until there is only one player left standing. Russia and Azerbaijan are the best-represented countries with two players each (Vladimir Kramnik and Alexander Grischuk from Russia; Teimour Radjabov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov from Azerbaijan); the other competitors are Levon Aronian (Armenia), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Boris Gelfand (Israel) and last but not least recently-crowned U.S. Champion Gata Kamsky. Notably absent is former world number-one ranked player Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who withdrew a few months ago in protest of administrative decisions that had been made surrounding the matches. Good luck to all the participants and go Kamsky!
As I reluctantly predicted last week, the New York Knicks were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. I'm disappointed but not surprised by the result. As for the rest of my predictions, the Bulls are not off to a good start in their matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, and it looks like the Miami Heat will continue their manhandling of the Celtics. I had predicted the Bulls over the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, and I remain confident that Chicago will come through against Atlanta, but it seems that I misjudged the Celtics-Heat series.
In other news, The New York Times published an amusing article about the ploys people have tried in order to sidestep receiving parking tickets. Ever tried any of these? How'd they work for you?
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Kamsky repeats!
Grandmaster Gata Kamsky clinched his second consecutive U.S. Chess Championship title yesterday with a 1.5-0.5 victory over Yury Shulman in the finals. Kamsky is now a three-time winner, with his first title coming in 1991. The last player to win back-to-back titles was Lev Alburt in 1984-1985. The women's championship has gone to tiebreaks and will be decided today; by this time tomorrow either Tatev Abrahamyan or Anna Zatonskih will be newly coronated. Last year's champion, Irina Krush, finished in third place.
Two of my former colleagues were recently highlighted for unveiling their culminating engineering project, a combination blood pressure / atrial fibrillation monitoring system. Adam Strom '10 and Jeff Spielberg '10, good friends with whom I served for multiple years on the Dartmouth EMS officer board, completed this project while finishing their BE degrees this winter. The first patient for the device was none other than Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim. This is an exciting achievement that has great potential. Way to go, guys!
Speaking of Dartmouth EMS, they organized the second annual Northern New England Collegiate EMS Conference this past Saturday at Dartmouth College. Comprised of a series of training sessions and two mass-casualty incident drills, the event was attended by squads from Tufts, Mt. Holyoke, the University of Vermont, the University of Massachusetts--Lowell, Amherst, Colby and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, along with host Dartmouth. I had the privilege to participate in the event, first as a drill evaluator and later as an actor in one of the simulations. It was an impressive undertaking, and I take my hat off to them for pulling it off in fine style.
Two of my former colleagues were recently highlighted for unveiling their culminating engineering project, a combination blood pressure / atrial fibrillation monitoring system. Adam Strom '10 and Jeff Spielberg '10, good friends with whom I served for multiple years on the Dartmouth EMS officer board, completed this project while finishing their BE degrees this winter. The first patient for the device was none other than Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim. This is an exciting achievement that has great potential. Way to go, guys!
Speaking of Dartmouth EMS, they organized the second annual Northern New England Collegiate EMS Conference this past Saturday at Dartmouth College. Comprised of a series of training sessions and two mass-casualty incident drills, the event was attended by squads from Tufts, Mt. Holyoke, the University of Vermont, the University of Massachusetts--Lowell, Amherst, Colby and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, along with host Dartmouth. I had the privilege to participate in the event, first as a drill evaluator and later as an actor in one of the simulations. It was an impressive undertaking, and I take my hat off to them for pulling it off in fine style.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
First thunderstorm
To paraphrase Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "Spring ... limps along, but it gets here all the same." With the first thunderstorm of the season this morning, I'm beginning to think winter might actually end this year. Saturday's snow flurries were a big of a downer, but the appearance of the first buds on the trees yesterday more than made up for that. It's not that I don't like winter, but ... enough already!
The U.S. Chess Championships are in full swing; youth is carrying the day so far. Surprise leaders include college students Robert Hess and Sam Shankland (technically speaking, Hess has not yet started at Yale, where he will be a freshman in the fall). Veteran participants--and past champions--Alexander Onischuk and Gata Kamsky are also at the top of the crosstable. The women's field is starting to clarify as well, with Sabina Foisor finally faltering as pre-tournament favorites Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih make up ground.
Unfortunately, my fantasy chess team is shaping up to be a basement-dweller this year. Some players are perennially high scorers, but my "dark-horse" picks have had rotten performances so far. I'm hoping for a second-half turnaround, but I have a sinking feeling that my fantasy chess team is going the way of my NCAA March Madness bracket. It's a good thing I don't gamble.
In other news, the 2011 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced this week; recipients included Joseph Rago '05 for his editorial contributions to The Wall Street Journal. Congratulations to all the winners!
The U.S. Chess Championships are in full swing; youth is carrying the day so far. Surprise leaders include college students Robert Hess and Sam Shankland (technically speaking, Hess has not yet started at Yale, where he will be a freshman in the fall). Veteran participants--and past champions--Alexander Onischuk and Gata Kamsky are also at the top of the crosstable. The women's field is starting to clarify as well, with Sabina Foisor finally faltering as pre-tournament favorites Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih make up ground.
Unfortunately, my fantasy chess team is shaping up to be a basement-dweller this year. Some players are perennially high scorers, but my "dark-horse" picks have had rotten performances so far. I'm hoping for a second-half turnaround, but I have a sinking feeling that my fantasy chess team is going the way of my NCAA March Madness bracket. It's a good thing I don't gamble.
In other news, the 2011 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced this week; recipients included Joseph Rago '05 for his editorial contributions to The Wall Street Journal. Congratulations to all the winners!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
U.S. Championships underway
The U.S. Chess Championships began yesterday in St. Louis. There are sixteen players in the men's tournament and eight in the women's; last year's women's champion Irina Krush declined her automatic invitation to the men's tournament and chose instead to defend her title. Unfortunately for her, she was upset in the first round by Sabina Foisor, but there's a lot of chess still to play and anything can happen. On the men's side, most of the first-round games were drawn, with only Grandmasters Ben Finegold and Alexander Shabalov falling, to GM Alexander Onischuk and GM Larry Christiansen, respectively.
Closer to home, the New Hampshire Quick Chess Championship was contested earlier in the month, but I was unfortunately unable to attend. I would have liked to play, but the tournament just didn't fit into my schedule. I did get to play in the Vermont Resort Open in Fairlee, VT last month, and even though I suffered a last-round defeat at the hands of FIDE Master Nelson Castaneda which dropped me out of the prize money, I still had a great time. Hopefully I'll play in another tournament soon!
The NBA playoffs begin today, although I have a feeling my interest will soon wane once the Knicks are annihilated by the Celtics. I know that Sun Tzu would disapprove of my attitude, and I also know that the Knicks have shown flashes of brilliance this season during which they can beat any team, but I fear their inconsistency will match up poorly against the Celtics' experience. Though that experience (read, age) will catch up to them as they, in turn, fall to a surprisingly talented Bulls team. And despite the preponderance of individual stars in the East, I'm predicting another Western Conference NBA champion this year. There, I said it.
In other news, the Internet has been ablaze with the story of Kevin Na, the PGA golfer who required sixteen strokes to finish a par-4 hole on Thursday. You have to admire the man's persistence, though. I usually call it quits on a mini-golf hole after eight shots.
Closer to home, the New Hampshire Quick Chess Championship was contested earlier in the month, but I was unfortunately unable to attend. I would have liked to play, but the tournament just didn't fit into my schedule. I did get to play in the Vermont Resort Open in Fairlee, VT last month, and even though I suffered a last-round defeat at the hands of FIDE Master Nelson Castaneda which dropped me out of the prize money, I still had a great time. Hopefully I'll play in another tournament soon!
The NBA playoffs begin today, although I have a feeling my interest will soon wane once the Knicks are annihilated by the Celtics. I know that Sun Tzu would disapprove of my attitude, and I also know that the Knicks have shown flashes of brilliance this season during which they can beat any team, but I fear their inconsistency will match up poorly against the Celtics' experience. Though that experience (read, age) will catch up to them as they, in turn, fall to a surprisingly talented Bulls team. And despite the preponderance of individual stars in the East, I'm predicting another Western Conference NBA champion this year. There, I said it.
In other news, the Internet has been ablaze with the story of Kevin Na, the PGA golfer who required sixteen strokes to finish a par-4 hole on Thursday. You have to admire the man's persistence, though. I usually call it quits on a mini-golf hole after eight shots.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I'm not wearing a speck of green today. Better fix that before I go outside next. Purple and blue are not a problem right now, but it's not St. Eggplant's Day, so that really doesn't count for much. As far as I can tell, Enfield, New Hampshire does not have a St. Patrick's Day parade on the order of New York City or Chicago (they actually don't seem to have one at all). Neighboring Lebanon is celebrating with a 5K race this weekend, though, and Ellen decided to enter. I'm looking forward to going and rooting her on!
Ellen and I recently discovered Netflix and we're enjoying it so far. It's nice having ready access to such a wide selection of movies. We don't have terribly esoteric tastes, but there have been a number of films Ellen or I enjoyed growing up that we've been wanting to share with each other that we haven't been able to obtain at the local video outlets. Most recently we watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which we both enjoyed. And I was pleased to learn that Butch Cassidy's real name is Robert.
I was reading recently that the discontinued production of sodium thiopental (also called pentothal), the first of three drugs used in the lethal injection "cocktail," has wreaked havoc with some states' lethal injection plans. Texas, for example, has hundreds of inmates on death row but a stockpile of pentothal that expires at the end of the month. Pentobarbital, another drug in the barbiturate family, is widely seen as the successor to pentothal. Ohio and Oklahoma both use it, and Texas has announced its intention to adopt it as well. Defense attorneys are vigilantly monitoring the proceedings to make sure that the rights of their clients are not infringed upon, but I don't expect the replacement of pentothal with pentobarbital to have any functional impact on the way death row inmates' cases play out. If the medical community has deemed pentobarbital safe when patients are intended to survive its use, presumably the legal community will not object to its use in an execution setting.
The 2011 U.S. Chess Championships start April 14 ... which means Fantasy Chess is almost here!
Ellen and I recently discovered Netflix and we're enjoying it so far. It's nice having ready access to such a wide selection of movies. We don't have terribly esoteric tastes, but there have been a number of films Ellen or I enjoyed growing up that we've been wanting to share with each other that we haven't been able to obtain at the local video outlets. Most recently we watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which we both enjoyed. And I was pleased to learn that Butch Cassidy's real name is Robert.
I was reading recently that the discontinued production of sodium thiopental (also called pentothal), the first of three drugs used in the lethal injection "cocktail," has wreaked havoc with some states' lethal injection plans. Texas, for example, has hundreds of inmates on death row but a stockpile of pentothal that expires at the end of the month. Pentobarbital, another drug in the barbiturate family, is widely seen as the successor to pentothal. Ohio and Oklahoma both use it, and Texas has announced its intention to adopt it as well. Defense attorneys are vigilantly monitoring the proceedings to make sure that the rights of their clients are not infringed upon, but I don't expect the replacement of pentothal with pentobarbital to have any functional impact on the way death row inmates' cases play out. If the medical community has deemed pentobarbital safe when patients are intended to survive its use, presumably the legal community will not object to its use in an execution setting.
The 2011 U.S. Chess Championships start April 14 ... which means Fantasy Chess is almost here!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Chess-music
A friend of mine, Alex Barsamian '04, recently brought to my attention one man's idea for "Chess-Music." Pretty nifty, if you ask me (but not to be confused with Chess-Boxing) . Musical renditions of only a few famous chess games are posted on Mr. Stokes's blog, but his method could be used to transform any chess game, played anywhere by players of any level, into a piece of music. Those of you who appreciate aurally "pleasing" notes may or may not be satisfied with Chess-Music; after all, the notes are dictated by the chess moves, which were not played with this project in mind. But that raises the question: What would happen if you did it in reverse? Took a piece of music and played it out as a chess game, either using Mr. Stokes's system or another? My guess is an illegal position would be reached in short order, but I'd nevertheless love to see what a Beethoven symphony would look like on the chessboard.
I recently picked back up Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. I had started it last December but had to return it to the library before finishing. It's an easy book to get back into, however, and I had no trouble picking up where I left off. And once again I was struck by how poor a sailor I would have made. I don't think I would have lasted a week under Captain Bligh's command.
The Dartmouth featured an article recently highlighting the decision by Harvard and Princeton to reinstitute their early admission policies (I hadn't been aware they'd been done away with). Both are opting for a policy known as Early Action Single-Choice, under which applicants can be offered a non-binding admission offer or rejected outright. Schools also have the option of deferring action on a student's application and placing it in the regular admission applications for consideration in the spring. The difference between EA and its counterpart program, Early Decision, is that Early Decision admission offers are binding. If accepted, a student must attend that school (which of course means that only one ED application can be submitted, lest both be received favorably). And while EA is non-binding, schools featuring EA Single-Choice do not permit students to apply early to multiple schools. I don't know for sure what happens if you violate this regulation, but it's probably not good.
Dartmouth has always featured an ED program, and Dean of Admissions Janet Lavin was quoted in the article as saying that there are no plans to change this. Having never gone through the ED process, I don't have any strong opinion about it, but with the college application process as frenetically paced as it is, I can't help but think that compressing everything still further only increases the pressure on high school students. Some schools offer a competitive advantage to students applying early--that is, you are likelier to get in if you apply ED than if you apply regular decision--but not every college does this. I'm just glad the entire college-application process is behind me!
I recently picked back up Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. I had started it last December but had to return it to the library before finishing. It's an easy book to get back into, however, and I had no trouble picking up where I left off. And once again I was struck by how poor a sailor I would have made. I don't think I would have lasted a week under Captain Bligh's command.
The Dartmouth featured an article recently highlighting the decision by Harvard and Princeton to reinstitute their early admission policies (I hadn't been aware they'd been done away with). Both are opting for a policy known as Early Action Single-Choice, under which applicants can be offered a non-binding admission offer or rejected outright. Schools also have the option of deferring action on a student's application and placing it in the regular admission applications for consideration in the spring. The difference between EA and its counterpart program, Early Decision, is that Early Decision admission offers are binding. If accepted, a student must attend that school (which of course means that only one ED application can be submitted, lest both be received favorably). And while EA is non-binding, schools featuring EA Single-Choice do not permit students to apply early to multiple schools. I don't know for sure what happens if you violate this regulation, but it's probably not good.
Dartmouth has always featured an ED program, and Dean of Admissions Janet Lavin was quoted in the article as saying that there are no plans to change this. Having never gone through the ED process, I don't have any strong opinion about it, but with the college application process as frenetically paced as it is, I can't help but think that compressing everything still further only increases the pressure on high school students. Some schools offer a competitive advantage to students applying early--that is, you are likelier to get in if you apply ED than if you apply regular decision--but not every college does this. I'm just glad the entire college-application process is behind me!
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