Day: January 1, 2015

OffMyChess.com Yearbook Now Available!

On January 1, 2015

When I began writing this blog back in May of 2014, I promised myself that I wanted it to be something simple…merely a way for me to share my chess experiences, thoughts, and passions. I have developed a significant obsession for the game over the past year or so and I am excited to announce that the first major publication from this site is now available for free download! The OffMyChess.com Yearbook 2014 is the culmination of a monumental solo-effort to compile the “greatest hits” from this site throughout the last year. There are several articles reprinted from the blog in PDF format creating an exceptional collection format.

What you will find in the yearbook:

God and Chess
Movie Review: Life of a King
Magnus Carlsen: The World Champion Reigns
Is Chess Losing Public Appeal?
Product reviews including Chessmate, Plycounter, and various chess boards.

Additionally, the yearbook contains 30 games annotated by myself for the OMC Weekend Review. This compilation features the news, stories, and articles from twenty weeks of OMC Weekend Review and have been revised with new annotations and diagrams to explain key moves and positions. Finally, the Yearbook is also available in ChessBase format and includes annotated copies of each game from the PDF document.

The OffMyChess.com Yearbook has been a labor of love since June of last year when I began publishing the weekly updates. It is my goal to expand on that practice through 2015 and continue to collect games that I believe are instructive and representative of the challenges that people face when undertaking a monumental task such as learning to play good chess. In the meantime, head over to the Publications page to get the PDF and ChessBase database files to enjoy the inaugural edition of OffMyChess.com Yearbook 2014!

Happy New Year!

By Commander Exorcist

On January 1, 2015

In Blog Updates

Wow! It is 2015 and I can really say is, Where did the time go? It seems like only a few months ago I was putting the finishing touches on my plan to launch this site and begin to share my chess thoughts and journeys with others. Now, we are all looking down the barrel of a new year which will bring new loves, new hopes, new hurts, and challenges. I have to wonder as time continues to pass by at what seems to be an ever-increasing rate, Are we ready for what lies ahead? The world is changing so incredibly fast and it seems to get smaller with every passing moment. Chess games that were once inaccessible to people around the world are now at the touch of our fingertips and even a patzer like Wesley Surber can create and run a moderately successful chess blog. I think it is safe to say: what is this world coming to?

What is New in 2015?

Before the new year gets into full swing, I wanted to take care of some housekeeping items around here and outline the future of this blog. Since May 2014, I have been posting weekly updates with game commentary, news, and reviews. In between those entries were other posts that included product reviews, tournament updates, and other minutia that I felt were interesting and important for chess enthusiasts. Effective today, the format of OffMyChess.com will be changing slightly. The primary focus moving forward will be on the weekly updates. OMC Weekend Review will remain the official title of these weekend posts, but they will now become the main communication method of news and reviews here on the site. However, there will be intermittent posts made throughout the week as I find necessary and possible, but these entries will no longer be a primary focus for the site. This is due in large part to the launch of my theology blog, The Narrow Path, and also to improve the quality of the game analysis and post content here on OffMyChess.com.

Chess is my game. Chess is our game. Chess is a game that belongs to the whole world, has changed the world on countless occasions, and rest assured that OffMyChess.com is in it for the long haul. So raise your glasses and let us toast to a Safe and Happy New Year as we set focus on the future and look to make a difference on and off the board.

Sincerely, Wesley Surber Editor, OffMyChess.com