(Originally posted on Monday, 5 December 2022)
Santa Claus is based on a TRUE person of Saint Nicholas. In Poland (and in some other countries too) there is no such thing as “Santa” (Claus) – everybody uses the word Saint (Nicholas), exactly as it is used to describe holy people in general.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas
Monday, 5 December 2022
Saturday, 19 November 2022
NBA 2022 MVP race – final
(Originally posted on Saturday, 19 November 2022)
For the sake of completeness I have to post these final lists for the season 2021-22.
All the statistical data I used I found on this site:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
I described my way of calculating the MVP and the MFP values in these posts:
Comparing NBA MVPs
Most frustrated NBA players
Because of the pandemic some players missed some games due to safety protocols without any fault of their own. It means that the results are skewed and there's nothing I can do about it. Well, some injuries happen also without any fault of the players and it also influences the results. We have to live with it.
The final NBA 2022 MVP race list is this:
1. Nikola Jokic: 1987.4 (team wins: 48)
2. Joel Embiid: 1834.6 (team wins: 51)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1817.0 (team wins: 51)
4. Devin Booker: 1785.2 (team wins: 64)
5. Jayson Tatum: 1678.0 (team wins: 51)
6. Luka Doncic: 1626.2 (team wins: 52)
7. Trae Young: 1503.3 (team wins: 43)
8. Karl-Anthony Towns: 1494.1 (team wins: 46)
9. DeMar DeRozan: 1460.2 (team wins: 46)
10. Chris Paul: 1448.1 (team wins: 64)
11. Stephen Curry: 1445.4 (team wins: 53)
12. Mikal Bridges: 1359.0 (team wins: 64)
13. Ja Morant: 1335.7 (team wins: 56)
14. Desmond Bane: 1297.4 (team wins: 56)
15. Pascal Siakam: 1278.5 (team wins: 48)
16. Donovan Mitchell: 1275.6 (team wins: 49)
17. Deandre Ayton: 1234.4 (team wins: 64)
18. Rudy Gobert: 1233.5 (team wins: 49)
19. Kevin Durant: 1221.3 (team wins: 44)
20. Miles Bridges: 1220.4 (team wins: 43)
Nikola Jokic won the race and he also became the official NBA 2021-22 MVP, which means that my way of calculating MVP value is simply fantastic. In the last 46 NBA seasons my calculations were perfect (1st place on my list was the official MVP) 30 times and almost perfect (2nd place on my list was the official MVP) 9 times. So my calculations were either perfect or almost perfect 39 times in the last 46 NBA seasons! This is 85% of accuracy!
Joel Embiid finished second and to me it seems that it was the best opportunity EVER to give him the MVP award.
The final NBA 2022 MFP list is this:
1. Christian Wood: 918.5 (team wins: 20)
2. Saddiq Bey: 808.4 (team wins: 23)
3. LeBron James: 771.3 (team wins: 33)
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 770.6 (team wins: 24)
5. Franz Wagner: 748.6 (team wins: 22)
6. Dejounte Murray: 743.7 (team wins: 34)
7. Wendell Carter Jr.: 727.4 (team wins: 22)
8. Cole Anthony: 677.9 (team wins: 22)
9. Jae'Sean Tate: 671.3 (team wins: 20)
10. Mo Bamba: 660.7 (team wins: 22)
11. Harrison Barnes: 649.4 (team wins: 30)
12. Cade Cunningham: 646.9 (team wins: 23)
13. Jalen Green: 645.2 (team wins: 20)
14. Kevin Porter Jr.: 638.6 (team wins: 20)
15. Russell Westbrook: 638.1 (team wins: 33)
16. Jonas Valanciunas: 616.6 (team wins: 36)
17. Trae Young: 594.3 (team wins: 43)
18. De'Aaron Fox: 592.6 (team wins: 30)
19. Jusuf Nurkic: 555.9 (team wins: 27)
20. Julius Randle: 553.7 (team wins: 37)
There is only 1 player in the top-20 both on the MVP list and on the MFP list – Trae Young (7th and 17th).
LeBron James became the first player ever (in the time-span of my calculations, so starting from the season 1976-77) who had been in the top-3 on an MVP list BEFORE he was in the top-3 list on an MFP list. All the previous times it was the other way round.
For the sake of completeness I have to post these final lists for the season 2021-22.
All the statistical data I used I found on this site:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
I described my way of calculating the MVP and the MFP values in these posts:
Comparing NBA MVPs
Most frustrated NBA players
Because of the pandemic some players missed some games due to safety protocols without any fault of their own. It means that the results are skewed and there's nothing I can do about it. Well, some injuries happen also without any fault of the players and it also influences the results. We have to live with it.
The final NBA 2022 MVP race list is this:
1. Nikola Jokic: 1987.4 (team wins: 48)
2. Joel Embiid: 1834.6 (team wins: 51)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1817.0 (team wins: 51)
4. Devin Booker: 1785.2 (team wins: 64)
5. Jayson Tatum: 1678.0 (team wins: 51)
6. Luka Doncic: 1626.2 (team wins: 52)
7. Trae Young: 1503.3 (team wins: 43)
8. Karl-Anthony Towns: 1494.1 (team wins: 46)
9. DeMar DeRozan: 1460.2 (team wins: 46)
10. Chris Paul: 1448.1 (team wins: 64)
11. Stephen Curry: 1445.4 (team wins: 53)
12. Mikal Bridges: 1359.0 (team wins: 64)
13. Ja Morant: 1335.7 (team wins: 56)
14. Desmond Bane: 1297.4 (team wins: 56)
15. Pascal Siakam: 1278.5 (team wins: 48)
16. Donovan Mitchell: 1275.6 (team wins: 49)
17. Deandre Ayton: 1234.4 (team wins: 64)
18. Rudy Gobert: 1233.5 (team wins: 49)
19. Kevin Durant: 1221.3 (team wins: 44)
20. Miles Bridges: 1220.4 (team wins: 43)
Nikola Jokic won the race and he also became the official NBA 2021-22 MVP, which means that my way of calculating MVP value is simply fantastic. In the last 46 NBA seasons my calculations were perfect (1st place on my list was the official MVP) 30 times and almost perfect (2nd place on my list was the official MVP) 9 times. So my calculations were either perfect or almost perfect 39 times in the last 46 NBA seasons! This is 85% of accuracy!
Joel Embiid finished second and to me it seems that it was the best opportunity EVER to give him the MVP award.
The final NBA 2022 MFP list is this:
1. Christian Wood: 918.5 (team wins: 20)
2. Saddiq Bey: 808.4 (team wins: 23)
3. LeBron James: 771.3 (team wins: 33)
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 770.6 (team wins: 24)
5. Franz Wagner: 748.6 (team wins: 22)
6. Dejounte Murray: 743.7 (team wins: 34)
7. Wendell Carter Jr.: 727.4 (team wins: 22)
8. Cole Anthony: 677.9 (team wins: 22)
9. Jae'Sean Tate: 671.3 (team wins: 20)
10. Mo Bamba: 660.7 (team wins: 22)
11. Harrison Barnes: 649.4 (team wins: 30)
12. Cade Cunningham: 646.9 (team wins: 23)
13. Jalen Green: 645.2 (team wins: 20)
14. Kevin Porter Jr.: 638.6 (team wins: 20)
15. Russell Westbrook: 638.1 (team wins: 33)
16. Jonas Valanciunas: 616.6 (team wins: 36)
17. Trae Young: 594.3 (team wins: 43)
18. De'Aaron Fox: 592.6 (team wins: 30)
19. Jusuf Nurkic: 555.9 (team wins: 27)
20. Julius Randle: 553.7 (team wins: 37)
There is only 1 player in the top-20 both on the MVP list and on the MFP list – Trae Young (7th and 17th).
LeBron James became the first player ever (in the time-span of my calculations, so starting from the season 1976-77) who had been in the top-3 on an MVP list BEFORE he was in the top-3 list on an MFP list. All the previous times it was the other way round.
Saturday, 5 November 2022
Kyrie Irving is truly a free man, not a slave
(Originally posted on Saturday, 5 November 2022)
Some people wanted Kyrie Irving to apologize for some thing. It's not really important what that thing was, because there will always be people who think that somebody else should do something they want him/her to do. Some people simply can't stand that some other people don't bend the knee before them.
Kyrie Irving didn't apologize, so he didn't do the thing that he didn't want to do. Like a truly free man, not a slave. Respect!
On this occasion I HAVE to repost this awesome picture:
Some people wanted Kyrie Irving to apologize for some thing. It's not really important what that thing was, because there will always be people who think that somebody else should do something they want him/her to do. Some people simply can't stand that some other people don't bend the knee before them.
Kyrie Irving didn't apologize, so he didn't do the thing that he didn't want to do. Like a truly free man, not a slave. Respect!
On this occasion I HAVE to repost this awesome picture:
Tuesday, 13 September 2022
Pro Carom Billiards – by far my favourite Android game
(Originally posted on Tuesday, 13 September 2022)
Pro Carom Billiards is by far my favourite Android game! At first I had trouble to score a single point, but now I feel like I know what I'm actually doing (at least most of the time).
Here's my own gameplay (I played both as player 1 and as player 2):
The physics seem to be much more advanced than in any billiards that I have ever played and there were some really surprising things I learned the hard way. Here are my tips:
1. The 90 degree angle of the helping lines is true only with low power shots.
2. Powerful shots “straighten the angle” of the cue ball, especially when the target ball is only brushed.
3. Powerful shots “worsen the angle” of cushion cannoning.
4. You can hit 3 cushions BEFORE hitting ANY ball (see 01:53).
5. You can actually hit “only 2 cushions”, but one of them has to be hit twice (see 01:53 or 02:40).
6. The easiest to use spin is a side spin, but it still requires lots of practise.
7. My way of “handling” the first shot works 100% of the time.
Pro Carom Billiards is by far my favourite Android game! At first I had trouble to score a single point, but now I feel like I know what I'm actually doing (at least most of the time).
Here's my own gameplay (I played both as player 1 and as player 2):
The physics seem to be much more advanced than in any billiards that I have ever played and there were some really surprising things I learned the hard way. Here are my tips:
1. The 90 degree angle of the helping lines is true only with low power shots.
2. Powerful shots “straighten the angle” of the cue ball, especially when the target ball is only brushed.
3. Powerful shots “worsen the angle” of cushion cannoning.
4. You can hit 3 cushions BEFORE hitting ANY ball (see 01:53).
5. You can actually hit “only 2 cushions”, but one of them has to be hit twice (see 01:53 or 02:40).
6. The easiest to use spin is a side spin, but it still requires lots of practise.
7. My way of “handling” the first shot works 100% of the time.
Saturday, 9 July 2022
Demolition Man – MUCH better after almost 30 years!
(Originally posted on Saturday, 9 July 2022)
When I watched Demolition Man almost 30 years ago I considered it as an action movie and I wasn't really impressed – it was fun, but I didn't like SOME action sequences. I was a teenager then and, what's much more important, the world was pretty normal then, so I didn't get half of the jokes.
Now, after almost 30 years, I watched it as a comedy and I have LOTS of laughs! The movie, like a kind of prophet, makes fun out of some stupid things that are nowadays constantly present in the leftist crazy propaganda. For example these are the cops of the future (in 2032) that are trying to contain a criminal from the 1996 who escaped from a cryo-prison after being frozen for 36 years:
By the way, Wesley Snipes plays his role perfectly throughout the movie! Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock are awesome too!
Sylvester Stallone plays a cop from the 1996 who was also frozen for 36 years. He is devastated that in the 2032 eating meat is forbidden and this is what happens when he, together with two future cops, enters the underground populated by future outcasts:
The policewoman played by Sandra Bullock is actually the most “oldschool” future police member in the movie, but she is hilarious too:
These are perfect examples that in a utopian world the “ruling class” will always break its own rules to stay in control:
And this joke is present throughout the movie (I watched the movie translated to my native language and after some time the voice lector stopped translating the automatic voice – it was heard so often in the background that a full translation was simply not possible):
“Somebody put me back in the fridge”: What a GREAT movie!
When I watched Demolition Man almost 30 years ago I considered it as an action movie and I wasn't really impressed – it was fun, but I didn't like SOME action sequences. I was a teenager then and, what's much more important, the world was pretty normal then, so I didn't get half of the jokes.
Now, after almost 30 years, I watched it as a comedy and I have LOTS of laughs! The movie, like a kind of prophet, makes fun out of some stupid things that are nowadays constantly present in the leftist crazy propaganda. For example these are the cops of the future (in 2032) that are trying to contain a criminal from the 1996 who escaped from a cryo-prison after being frozen for 36 years:
By the way, Wesley Snipes plays his role perfectly throughout the movie! Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock are awesome too!
Sylvester Stallone plays a cop from the 1996 who was also frozen for 36 years. He is devastated that in the 2032 eating meat is forbidden and this is what happens when he, together with two future cops, enters the underground populated by future outcasts:
The policewoman played by Sandra Bullock is actually the most “oldschool” future police member in the movie, but she is hilarious too:
These are perfect examples that in a utopian world the “ruling class” will always break its own rules to stay in control:
And this joke is present throughout the movie (I watched the movie translated to my native language and after some time the voice lector stopped translating the automatic voice – it was heard so often in the background that a full translation was simply not possible):
“Somebody put me back in the fridge”: What a GREAT movie!
Sunday, 27 March 2022
NBA 2022 MVP race – part 4
(Originally posted on Sunday, 27 March 2022)
Part 4 ends with games played on 26 March 2022.
All the statistical data I used I found on this site:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
I described my way of calculating the MVP and the MFP values in these posts:
Comparing NBA MVPs
Most frustrated NBA players
Before the 2021-22 season is over I have to make mathematical projections of the MVP and the MFP values. The assumption behind the projections is that every player and every team will play exactly the same way they have been playing so far (the numbers of projected team wins are rounded to whole numbers).
Because of the pandemic some players have already missed some games due to safety protocols without any fault of their own. It means that the results are/will be skewed and there's nothing I can do about it. Well, some injuries happen also without any fault of the players and it also influences the results. We have to live with it.
With the assumptions described above, the current NBA 2022 MVP race list is this:
1. Nikola Jokic: 1957.9 (projected team wins: 48)
2. Devin Booker: 1871.4 (projected team wins: 66)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1828.8 (projected team wins: 51)
4. Joel Embiid: 1809.8 (projected team wins: 52)
5. Jayson Tatum: 1706.4 (projected team wins: 51)
6. Stephen Curry: 1601.7 (projected team wins: 53)
7. Karl-Anthony Towns: 1545.8 (projected team wins: 47)
8. DeMar DeRozan: 1524.3 (projected team wins: 48)
9. Chris Paul: 1513.7 (projected team wins: 66)
10. Luka Doncic: 1472.8 (projected team wins: 50)
11. Ja Morant: 1464.0 (projected team wins: 57)
12. Mikal Bridges: 1428.8 (projected team wins: 66)
13. Trae Young: 1404.6 (projected team wins: 41)
14. Desmond Bane: 1343.2 (projected team wins: 57)
15. Donovan Mitchell: 1334.2 (projected team wins: 50)
16. Deandre Ayton: 1296.3 (projected team wins: 66)
17. Jaren Jackson Jr.: 1263.4 (projected team wins: 57)
18. Nikola Vucevic: 1243.4 (projected team wins: 48)
19. Rudy Gobert: 1243.0 (projected team wins: 50)
20. Zach LaVine: 1238.2 (projected team wins: 48)
Nikola Jokic is the leader of the race, but I think his team's seed is too low for him to win the MVP award. I think Devin Booker will not win the MVP award over Chris Paul. Giannis Antetokounmpo already has two MVP awards, so it seems that this year belongs to Joel Embiid.
With the same assumptions (described above) the current NBA 2022 MFP list is this:
1. Christian Wood: 954.0 (projected team wins: 22)
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 877.6 (projected team wins: 23)
3. Saddiq Bey: 846.6 (projected team wins: 22)
4. Dejounte Murray: 810.3 (projected team wins: 33)
5. Franz Wagner: 790.3 (projected team wins: 22)
6. Wendell Carter Jr.: 784.1 (projected team wins: 22)
7. LeBron James: 769.8 (projected team wins: 35)
8. Cole Anthony: 722.0 (projected team wins: 22)
9. Jonas Valanciunas: 690.9 (projected team wins: 34)
10. Cade Cunningham: 665.7 (projected team wins: 22)
11. Harrison Barnes: 663.5 (projected team wins: 30)
12. Trae Young: 650.9 (projected team wins: 41)
13. Jae'Sean Tate: 648.8 (projected team wins: 22)
14. De'Aaron Fox: 648.0 (projected team wins: 30)
15. Julius Randle: 646.4 (projected team wins: 35)
16. Mo Bamba: 631.5 (projected team wins: 22)
17. Russell Westbrook: 604.0 (projected team wins: 35)
18. Jerami Grant: 571.8 (projected team wins: 22)
19. Darius Bazley: 566.8 (projected team wins: 23)
20. Kyle Kuzma: 561.0 (projected team wins: 35)
Currently there is only 1 player in the top-20 both on the MVP list and on the MFP list – Trae Young (13th and 12th).
Part 4 ends with games played on 26 March 2022.
All the statistical data I used I found on this site:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
I described my way of calculating the MVP and the MFP values in these posts:
Comparing NBA MVPs
Most frustrated NBA players
Before the 2021-22 season is over I have to make mathematical projections of the MVP and the MFP values. The assumption behind the projections is that every player and every team will play exactly the same way they have been playing so far (the numbers of projected team wins are rounded to whole numbers).
Because of the pandemic some players have already missed some games due to safety protocols without any fault of their own. It means that the results are/will be skewed and there's nothing I can do about it. Well, some injuries happen also without any fault of the players and it also influences the results. We have to live with it.
With the assumptions described above, the current NBA 2022 MVP race list is this:
1. Nikola Jokic: 1957.9 (projected team wins: 48)
2. Devin Booker: 1871.4 (projected team wins: 66)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1828.8 (projected team wins: 51)
4. Joel Embiid: 1809.8 (projected team wins: 52)
5. Jayson Tatum: 1706.4 (projected team wins: 51)
6. Stephen Curry: 1601.7 (projected team wins: 53)
7. Karl-Anthony Towns: 1545.8 (projected team wins: 47)
8. DeMar DeRozan: 1524.3 (projected team wins: 48)
9. Chris Paul: 1513.7 (projected team wins: 66)
10. Luka Doncic: 1472.8 (projected team wins: 50)
11. Ja Morant: 1464.0 (projected team wins: 57)
12. Mikal Bridges: 1428.8 (projected team wins: 66)
13. Trae Young: 1404.6 (projected team wins: 41)
14. Desmond Bane: 1343.2 (projected team wins: 57)
15. Donovan Mitchell: 1334.2 (projected team wins: 50)
16. Deandre Ayton: 1296.3 (projected team wins: 66)
17. Jaren Jackson Jr.: 1263.4 (projected team wins: 57)
18. Nikola Vucevic: 1243.4 (projected team wins: 48)
19. Rudy Gobert: 1243.0 (projected team wins: 50)
20. Zach LaVine: 1238.2 (projected team wins: 48)
Nikola Jokic is the leader of the race, but I think his team's seed is too low for him to win the MVP award. I think Devin Booker will not win the MVP award over Chris Paul. Giannis Antetokounmpo already has two MVP awards, so it seems that this year belongs to Joel Embiid.
With the same assumptions (described above) the current NBA 2022 MFP list is this:
1. Christian Wood: 954.0 (projected team wins: 22)
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 877.6 (projected team wins: 23)
3. Saddiq Bey: 846.6 (projected team wins: 22)
4. Dejounte Murray: 810.3 (projected team wins: 33)
5. Franz Wagner: 790.3 (projected team wins: 22)
6. Wendell Carter Jr.: 784.1 (projected team wins: 22)
7. LeBron James: 769.8 (projected team wins: 35)
8. Cole Anthony: 722.0 (projected team wins: 22)
9. Jonas Valanciunas: 690.9 (projected team wins: 34)
10. Cade Cunningham: 665.7 (projected team wins: 22)
11. Harrison Barnes: 663.5 (projected team wins: 30)
12. Trae Young: 650.9 (projected team wins: 41)
13. Jae'Sean Tate: 648.8 (projected team wins: 22)
14. De'Aaron Fox: 648.0 (projected team wins: 30)
15. Julius Randle: 646.4 (projected team wins: 35)
16. Mo Bamba: 631.5 (projected team wins: 22)
17. Russell Westbrook: 604.0 (projected team wins: 35)
18. Jerami Grant: 571.8 (projected team wins: 22)
19. Darius Bazley: 566.8 (projected team wins: 23)
20. Kyle Kuzma: 561.0 (projected team wins: 35)
Currently there is only 1 player in the top-20 both on the MVP list and on the MFP list – Trae Young (13th and 12th).
Thursday, 24 February 2022
NBA 2022 MVP race – part 3
(Originally posted on Thursday, 24 February 2022)
Part 3 ends with games played on 17th February 2022.
All the statistical data I used I found on this site:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
I described my way of calculating the MVP and the MFP values in these posts:
Comparing NBA MVPs
Most frustrated NBA players
Before the 2021-22 season is over I have to make mathematical projections of the MVP and the MFP values. The assumption behind the projections is that every player and every team will play exactly the same way they have been playing so far (the numbers of projected team wins are rounded to whole numbers).
Because of the pandemic some players have already missed some games due to safety protocols without any fault of their own. It means that the results are/will be skewed and there's nothing I can do about it. Well, some injuries happen also without any fault of the players and it also influences the results. We have to live with it.
With the assumptions described above, the current NBA 2022 MVP race list is this:
1. Chris Paul: 1948.8 (projected team wins: 68)
2. Nikola Jokic: 1875.2 (projected team wins: 47)
3. Stephen Curry: 1869.3 (projected team wins: 58)
4. Devin Booker: 1864.7 (projected team wins: 68)
5. DeMar DeRozan: 1734.7 (projected team wins: 53)
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1720.3 (projected team wins: 49)
7. Joel Embiid: 1639.3 (projected team wins: 49)
8. Ja Morant: 1462.3 (projected team wins: 56)
9. Jayson Tatum: 1432.5 (projected team wins: 46)
10. Nikola Vucevic: 1405.5 (projected team wins: 53)
11. Luka Doncic: 1392.5 (projected team wins: 49)
12. Mikal Bridges: 1387.9 (projected team wins: 68)
13. Karl-Anthony Towns: 1352.9 (projected team wins: 43)
14. Trae Young: 1329.4 (projected team wins: 40)
15. Zach LaVine: 1311.8 (projected team wins: 53)
16. Donovan Mitchell: 1300.1 (projected team wins: 51)
17. Fred VanVleet: 1273.7 (projected team wins: 46)
18. Desmond Bane: 1261.3 (projected team wins: 56)
19. Jaren Jackson Jr.: 1252.0 (projected team wins: 56)
20. Rudy Gobert: 1231.9 (projected team wins: 51)
Recently I felt as if something (somebody?) were pushing me to make my MVP calculations and I wondered why. When I look at the list above I know why – this year Chris Paul had a legit shot at the MVP award. It seems that Phoenix Suns could win 68 games! Unfortunately he suffered an injury and his MVP value will go down very quickly.
It's worth to notice that DeMar DeRozan, after his historic span of games (that will hopefully last even longer), climbed to the 5th place ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. And Ja Morant is 8th – so far he has never been so high on the list.
With the same assumptions (described above) the current NBA 2022 MFP list is this:
1. Christian Wood: 970.4 (projected team wins: 21)
2. Saddiq Bey: 911.9 (projected team wins: 18)
3. Franz Wagner: 875.3 (projected team wins: 18)
4. Wendell Carter Jr.: 865.5 (projected team wins: 18)
5. Dejounte Murray: 824.5 (projected team wins: 32)
6. Cole Anthony: 779.4 (projected team wins: 18)
7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 738.2 (projected team wins: 25)
8. Jonas Valanciunas: 726.2 (projected team wins: 32)
9. Jae'Sean Tate: 707.1 (projected team wins: 21)
10. Julius Randle: 669.4 (projected team wins: 35)
11. Trae Young: 664.7 (projected team wins: 40)
12. Harrison Barnes: 663.8 (projected team wins: 30)
13. Mo Bamba: 654.7 (projected team wins: 18)
14. Cade Cunningham: 652.7 (projected team wins: 18)
15. Josh Giddey: 647.9 (projected team wins: 25)
16. LeBron James: 639.5 (projected team wins: 38)
17. Luguentz Dort: 622.0 (projected team wins: 25)
18. De'Aaron Fox: 607.8 (projected team wins: 30)
19. Brandon Ingram: 591.8 (projected team wins: 32)
20. Jusuf Nurkic: 585.3 (projected team wins: 35)
Currently there is only 1 player in the top-20 both on the MVP list and on the MFP list – Trae Young (14th and 11th).
Part 3 ends with games played on 17th February 2022.
All the statistical data I used I found on this site:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
I described my way of calculating the MVP and the MFP values in these posts:
Comparing NBA MVPs
Most frustrated NBA players
Before the 2021-22 season is over I have to make mathematical projections of the MVP and the MFP values. The assumption behind the projections is that every player and every team will play exactly the same way they have been playing so far (the numbers of projected team wins are rounded to whole numbers).
Because of the pandemic some players have already missed some games due to safety protocols without any fault of their own. It means that the results are/will be skewed and there's nothing I can do about it. Well, some injuries happen also without any fault of the players and it also influences the results. We have to live with it.
With the assumptions described above, the current NBA 2022 MVP race list is this:
1. Chris Paul: 1948.8 (projected team wins: 68)
2. Nikola Jokic: 1875.2 (projected team wins: 47)
3. Stephen Curry: 1869.3 (projected team wins: 58)
4. Devin Booker: 1864.7 (projected team wins: 68)
5. DeMar DeRozan: 1734.7 (projected team wins: 53)
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1720.3 (projected team wins: 49)
7. Joel Embiid: 1639.3 (projected team wins: 49)
8. Ja Morant: 1462.3 (projected team wins: 56)
9. Jayson Tatum: 1432.5 (projected team wins: 46)
10. Nikola Vucevic: 1405.5 (projected team wins: 53)
11. Luka Doncic: 1392.5 (projected team wins: 49)
12. Mikal Bridges: 1387.9 (projected team wins: 68)
13. Karl-Anthony Towns: 1352.9 (projected team wins: 43)
14. Trae Young: 1329.4 (projected team wins: 40)
15. Zach LaVine: 1311.8 (projected team wins: 53)
16. Donovan Mitchell: 1300.1 (projected team wins: 51)
17. Fred VanVleet: 1273.7 (projected team wins: 46)
18. Desmond Bane: 1261.3 (projected team wins: 56)
19. Jaren Jackson Jr.: 1252.0 (projected team wins: 56)
20. Rudy Gobert: 1231.9 (projected team wins: 51)
Recently I felt as if something (somebody?) were pushing me to make my MVP calculations and I wondered why. When I look at the list above I know why – this year Chris Paul had a legit shot at the MVP award. It seems that Phoenix Suns could win 68 games! Unfortunately he suffered an injury and his MVP value will go down very quickly.
It's worth to notice that DeMar DeRozan, after his historic span of games (that will hopefully last even longer), climbed to the 5th place ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. And Ja Morant is 8th – so far he has never been so high on the list.
With the same assumptions (described above) the current NBA 2022 MFP list is this:
1. Christian Wood: 970.4 (projected team wins: 21)
2. Saddiq Bey: 911.9 (projected team wins: 18)
3. Franz Wagner: 875.3 (projected team wins: 18)
4. Wendell Carter Jr.: 865.5 (projected team wins: 18)
5. Dejounte Murray: 824.5 (projected team wins: 32)
6. Cole Anthony: 779.4 (projected team wins: 18)
7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 738.2 (projected team wins: 25)
8. Jonas Valanciunas: 726.2 (projected team wins: 32)
9. Jae'Sean Tate: 707.1 (projected team wins: 21)
10. Julius Randle: 669.4 (projected team wins: 35)
11. Trae Young: 664.7 (projected team wins: 40)
12. Harrison Barnes: 663.8 (projected team wins: 30)
13. Mo Bamba: 654.7 (projected team wins: 18)
14. Cade Cunningham: 652.7 (projected team wins: 18)
15. Josh Giddey: 647.9 (projected team wins: 25)
16. LeBron James: 639.5 (projected team wins: 38)
17. Luguentz Dort: 622.0 (projected team wins: 25)
18. De'Aaron Fox: 607.8 (projected team wins: 30)
19. Brandon Ingram: 591.8 (projected team wins: 32)
20. Jusuf Nurkic: 585.3 (projected team wins: 35)
Currently there is only 1 player in the top-20 both on the MVP list and on the MFP list – Trae Young (14th and 11th).
Saturday, 19 February 2022
Sunday, 30 January 2022
NBA 2022 MVP race – part 2
(Originally posted on 30 January 2022)
Part 2 ends with games played on 29 January 2022.
All the statistical data I used I found on this site:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
I described my way of calculating the MVP and the MFP values in these posts:
Comparing NBA MVPs
Most frustrated NBA players
Before the 2021-22 season is over I have to make mathematical projections of the MVP and the MFP values. The assumption behind the projections is that every player and every team will play exactly the same way they have been playing so far (the numbers of projected team wins are rounded to whole numbers).
Because of the pandemic some players have already missed some games due to safety protocols without any fault of their own. It means that the results are/will be skewed and there's nothing I can do about it. Well, some injuries happen also without any fault of the players and it also influences the results. We have to live with it.
With the assumptions described above, the current NBA 2022 MVP race list is this:
1. Stephen Curry: 1957.8 (projected team wins: 61)
2. Chris Paul: 1877.3 (projected team wins: 67)
3. Nikola Jokic: 1850.7 (projected team wins: 46)
4. Devin Booker: 1759.5 (projected team wins: 67)
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1663.7 (projected team wins: 50)
6. Joel Embiid: 1597.5 (projected team wins: 50)
7. DeMar DeRozan: 1528.7 (projected team wins: 51)
8. James Harden: 1506.6 (projected team wins: 49)
9. Kevin Durant: 1447.4 (projected team wins: 49)
10. Ja Morant: 1395.0 (projected team wins: 55)
11. Zach LaVine: 1360.7 (projected team wins: 51)
12. Rudy Gobert: 1333.5 (projected team wins: 49)
13. Andrew Wiggins: 1298.3 (projected team wins: 61)
14. Jayson Tatum: 1293.1 (projected team wins: 42)
15. Miles Bridges: 1291.6 (projected team wins: 46)
16. Trae Young: 1281.1 (projected team wins: 39)
17. Mikal Bridges: 1248.5 (projected team wins: 67)
18. Donovan Mitchell: 1216.3 (projected team wins: 49)
19. Nikola Vucevic: 1214.9 (projected team wins: 51)
20. Desmond Bane: 1207.6 (projected team wins: 55)
Stephen Curry is still the leader of the race. Chris Paul and Devin Booker complement each other perfectly. Nikola Jokic is again awesome, considering especially the number of big injuries on his team. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are also great, but their MVP values are a little too low for them to be true contenders.
It's worth to mention that there are 3 surprising names on the list: Miles Bridges, Mikal Bridges and Desmond Bane. Respect!
With the same assumptions (described above) the current NBA 2022 MFP list is this:
1. Christian Wood: 924.8 (projected team wins: 23)
2. Franz Wagner: 920.2 (projected team wins: 16)
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 917.5 (projected team wins: 24)
4. Domantas Sabonis: 912.3 (projected team wins: 29)
5. Dejounte Murray: 847.1 (projected team wins: 31)
6. Wendell Carter Jr.: 840.8 (projected team wins: 16)
7. Saddiq Bey: 828.1 (projected team wins: 19)
8. Cole Anthony: 779.1 (projected team wins: 16)
9. Jonas Valanciunas: 773.9 (projected team wins: 30)
10. Tyrese Haliburton: 712.2 (projected team wins: 29)
11. Cade Cunningham: 697.2 (projected team wins: 19)
12. Trae Young: 689.8 (projected team wins: 39)
13. Mo Bamba: 685.1 (projected team wins: 16)
14. Jae'Sean Tate: 673.8 (projected team wins: 23)
15. Harrison Barnes: 649.3 (projected team wins: 29)
16. Luguentz Dort: 639.8 (projected team wins: 24)
17. De'Aaron Fox: 635.7 (projected team wins: 29)
18. LeBron James: 624.2 (projected team wins: 39)
19. Brandon Ingram: 618.4 (projected team wins: 30)
20. Josh Giddey: 617.6 (projected team wins: 24)
Currently there is only 1 player in the top-20 both on the MVP list and on the MFP list – Trae Young (16th and 12th). Interestingly LeBron James is only on the MFP list while Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis aren't on either list.
Part 2 ends with games played on 29 January 2022.
All the statistical data I used I found on this site:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
I described my way of calculating the MVP and the MFP values in these posts:
Comparing NBA MVPs
Most frustrated NBA players
Before the 2021-22 season is over I have to make mathematical projections of the MVP and the MFP values. The assumption behind the projections is that every player and every team will play exactly the same way they have been playing so far (the numbers of projected team wins are rounded to whole numbers).
Because of the pandemic some players have already missed some games due to safety protocols without any fault of their own. It means that the results are/will be skewed and there's nothing I can do about it. Well, some injuries happen also without any fault of the players and it also influences the results. We have to live with it.
With the assumptions described above, the current NBA 2022 MVP race list is this:
1. Stephen Curry: 1957.8 (projected team wins: 61)
2. Chris Paul: 1877.3 (projected team wins: 67)
3. Nikola Jokic: 1850.7 (projected team wins: 46)
4. Devin Booker: 1759.5 (projected team wins: 67)
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1663.7 (projected team wins: 50)
6. Joel Embiid: 1597.5 (projected team wins: 50)
7. DeMar DeRozan: 1528.7 (projected team wins: 51)
8. James Harden: 1506.6 (projected team wins: 49)
9. Kevin Durant: 1447.4 (projected team wins: 49)
10. Ja Morant: 1395.0 (projected team wins: 55)
11. Zach LaVine: 1360.7 (projected team wins: 51)
12. Rudy Gobert: 1333.5 (projected team wins: 49)
13. Andrew Wiggins: 1298.3 (projected team wins: 61)
14. Jayson Tatum: 1293.1 (projected team wins: 42)
15. Miles Bridges: 1291.6 (projected team wins: 46)
16. Trae Young: 1281.1 (projected team wins: 39)
17. Mikal Bridges: 1248.5 (projected team wins: 67)
18. Donovan Mitchell: 1216.3 (projected team wins: 49)
19. Nikola Vucevic: 1214.9 (projected team wins: 51)
20. Desmond Bane: 1207.6 (projected team wins: 55)
Stephen Curry is still the leader of the race. Chris Paul and Devin Booker complement each other perfectly. Nikola Jokic is again awesome, considering especially the number of big injuries on his team. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are also great, but their MVP values are a little too low for them to be true contenders.
It's worth to mention that there are 3 surprising names on the list: Miles Bridges, Mikal Bridges and Desmond Bane. Respect!
With the same assumptions (described above) the current NBA 2022 MFP list is this:
1. Christian Wood: 924.8 (projected team wins: 23)
2. Franz Wagner: 920.2 (projected team wins: 16)
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 917.5 (projected team wins: 24)
4. Domantas Sabonis: 912.3 (projected team wins: 29)
5. Dejounte Murray: 847.1 (projected team wins: 31)
6. Wendell Carter Jr.: 840.8 (projected team wins: 16)
7. Saddiq Bey: 828.1 (projected team wins: 19)
8. Cole Anthony: 779.1 (projected team wins: 16)
9. Jonas Valanciunas: 773.9 (projected team wins: 30)
10. Tyrese Haliburton: 712.2 (projected team wins: 29)
11. Cade Cunningham: 697.2 (projected team wins: 19)
12. Trae Young: 689.8 (projected team wins: 39)
13. Mo Bamba: 685.1 (projected team wins: 16)
14. Jae'Sean Tate: 673.8 (projected team wins: 23)
15. Harrison Barnes: 649.3 (projected team wins: 29)
16. Luguentz Dort: 639.8 (projected team wins: 24)
17. De'Aaron Fox: 635.7 (projected team wins: 29)
18. LeBron James: 624.2 (projected team wins: 39)
19. Brandon Ingram: 618.4 (projected team wins: 30)
20. Josh Giddey: 617.6 (projected team wins: 24)
Currently there is only 1 player in the top-20 both on the MVP list and on the MFP list – Trae Young (16th and 12th). Interestingly LeBron James is only on the MFP list while Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis aren't on either list.
Since when a heart attack and very serious health condition leading to amputation of both legs are linked to Covid-19 instead of the vaccine?
(Originally posted on 30 January 2022)
Since when a heart attack and very serious health condition leading to amputation of both legs are linked to Covid-19 instead of the vaccine? Do they think that people are idiots? Just search for “Claire Bridges” and read how they comment about her illness. Unbelievable!
Since when a heart attack and very serious health condition leading to amputation of both legs are linked to Covid-19 instead of the vaccine? Do they think that people are idiots? Just search for “Claire Bridges” and read how they comment about her illness. Unbelievable!
Saturday, 29 January 2022
“You suck Canada” must be sprayed also in French
(Originally posted on Saturday, 29 January 2022)
Recently I have been on a spree of watching movies with John Candy. I have loved Spaceballs (co-starring with Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis) for a long time, but recently I have also watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles (co-starring with Steve Martin), The Blues Brothers (a small role), 1941 (a small role) and Canadian Bacon (co-starring with Alan Alda, Kevin Pollak and several other fun actors).
The movie Canadian Bacon is AWESOME! It's hilarious on so many different levels that it's hard to describe! I picked some Youtube videos, but they are taken out of context, so they are even more funny while watching the whole movie.
By the way: I didn't know that Dan Aykroyd (a small role) is a Canadian and I learned that John Candy was a Canadian only recently. It makes their roles even more hilarious! There are many other references to Canadian customs or people which are really funny.
And this double-performance is simply awesome!
The movies with John Candy I am going to watch in the near future are: Uncle Buck, The Great Outdoors, Armed and Dangerous and Who's Harry Crumb? (all starring or co-starring John Candy; in The Great Outdoors he is co-starring with Dan Aykroyd).
Recently I have been on a spree of watching movies with John Candy. I have loved Spaceballs (co-starring with Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis) for a long time, but recently I have also watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles (co-starring with Steve Martin), The Blues Brothers (a small role), 1941 (a small role) and Canadian Bacon (co-starring with Alan Alda, Kevin Pollak and several other fun actors).
The movie Canadian Bacon is AWESOME! It's hilarious on so many different levels that it's hard to describe! I picked some Youtube videos, but they are taken out of context, so they are even more funny while watching the whole movie.
By the way: I didn't know that Dan Aykroyd (a small role) is a Canadian and I learned that John Candy was a Canadian only recently. It makes their roles even more hilarious! There are many other references to Canadian customs or people which are really funny.
And this double-performance is simply awesome!
The movies with John Candy I am going to watch in the near future are: Uncle Buck, The Great Outdoors, Armed and Dangerous and Who's Harry Crumb? (all starring or co-starring John Candy; in The Great Outdoors he is co-starring with Dan Aykroyd).
My previous New Year's resolution (for the year 2021)
(Originally posted on Saturday, 29 January 2022)
My previous New Year's resolution (for the year 2021) was to exercise twice a day. That would give me 730 sets of exercises in the whole year. I described is my own set of exercises here:
My previous New Year's resolution
With 5 reps (repetitions) of each kind of exercises it would give me 3660 reps of each kind of exercises! In reality in the year 2021 I managed to do only 16 (SIXTEEN) sets of exercises, which is only 2.2 % of the plan. Abysmal result, but it still means that during the year I did 80 push-ups, 80 knee-bends, 80 “leg-ups”, 80 dumbbells lifts and 80 reps of every other kind of exercises I do during every set. Better this than nothing.
My New Year's resolution for the year 2022 is less ambitious – to exercise once a day. And I also allow myself to do two sets of exercises in one day in order to catch up my “days off”. On 29 January 2022 I have already done 10 sets of exercises, which is 65.5% of all the sets of exercises in the previous year! Yep, to me the year 2021 was even worse than the year 2020.
My previous New Year's resolution (for the year 2021) was to exercise twice a day. That would give me 730 sets of exercises in the whole year. I described is my own set of exercises here:
My previous New Year's resolution
With 5 reps (repetitions) of each kind of exercises it would give me 3660 reps of each kind of exercises! In reality in the year 2021 I managed to do only 16 (SIXTEEN) sets of exercises, which is only 2.2 % of the plan. Abysmal result, but it still means that during the year I did 80 push-ups, 80 knee-bends, 80 “leg-ups”, 80 dumbbells lifts and 80 reps of every other kind of exercises I do during every set. Better this than nothing.
My New Year's resolution for the year 2022 is less ambitious – to exercise once a day. And I also allow myself to do two sets of exercises in one day in order to catch up my “days off”. On 29 January 2022 I have already done 10 sets of exercises, which is 65.5% of all the sets of exercises in the previous year! Yep, to me the year 2021 was even worse than the year 2020.
Respect for Evangeline Lilly!
(Originally posted on Saturday, 29 January 2022)
Evangeline Lilly is 100% right as far as anti-covid vaccines are concerned!
“I was in DC this weekend to support bodily sovereignty while Canadian truckers were rallying for their cross-country, peaceful convoy in support of the same thing.
I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will, under threat of:
-violent attack
-arrest or detention without trial
-loss of employment
-homelessness
-starvation
-loss of education
-alienation from loved ones
-excommunication from society
…under any threat whatsoever.
This is not the way. This is not safe. This is not healthy. This is not love. I understand the world is in fear, but I don’t believe that answering fear with force will fix our problems.
I was pro choice before COVID and I am still pro choice today.”
Evangeline Lilly is 100% right as far as anti-covid vaccines are concerned!
“I was in DC this weekend to support bodily sovereignty while Canadian truckers were rallying for their cross-country, peaceful convoy in support of the same thing.
I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will, under threat of:
-violent attack
-arrest or detention without trial
-loss of employment
-homelessness
-starvation
-loss of education
-alienation from loved ones
-excommunication from society
…under any threat whatsoever.
This is not the way. This is not safe. This is not healthy. This is not love. I understand the world is in fear, but I don’t believe that answering fear with force will fix our problems.
I was pro choice before COVID and I am still pro choice today.”
Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Sunday, 2 January 2022
I won a chess game without ANY deep thinking!
(Originally posted on Sunday, 2 January 2022)
In this post I use the Chesstempo PGN viewer that can be found on this site:
https://chesstempo.com/pgn-viewer/
Today I was playing an online chess game and my almost-7-year-old son asked me if he could watch it. Obviously I said “yes”, but I also started making short explanations of some of my moves. Even my wife got interested. When the game ended I realised that it was a game that I won without ANY deep thinking! A great example for all chess newcomers. I was playing white.
{This is a game that I won without ANY deep thinking! A great example for all chess newcomers.}
1.d4 {I ALWAYS start with 1.d4.} 1...d5 2.Nf3 {This is my second move in vast majority of cases.} 2...e6 3.Bf4 {Fearing ...Bd6.} 3...Nf6 4.h3 {Making a hiding place for my bishop.} 4...Be7 5.c3 {My typical pawn setup.} 5...c5 6.e3 {Fearing ...cxd4.} 6...cxd4 7.exd4 {I prefer the e-file to be semi-open instead of the c-file to be completely open.} 7...O-O 8.Bd3 {My typical setup.} 8...a6 9.O-O {I would have to castle sooner or later.} 9...b5 10.a3 {Preventing ...b4.} 10...Nbd7 11.Nbd2 {My typical setup.} 11...Bb7 12.Re1 {Placing my rook on the semi-open file. A useful move in the long run.} 12...Nb6 13.Qc2 {Aiming at the h7 pawn.} 13...Nc4 14.Bg5 {Threatening to remove the defender of the h7 pawn.} 14...h6 15.Bf4 {Retreating and waiting for the opponent to make a move.} 15...Rc8 16.Rac1 {I want to move my queen to b1, but first I activate my second rook.} 16...Qb6 17.Qb1 {Moving my queen away from a potential threat from the c8 rook.} 17...Rfd8 18.Ne5 {Making things happen one way or another.} 18...Rf8 19.Ng4 {I want to exchange knights and bring my second knight to the same area.} 19...Nxg4 20.hxg4 {Recapturing.} 20...Nxd2 21.Bxd2 {Recapturing.} 21...Qd6 22.Re2 {Making a place for my dark-square bishop.} 22...Bf6 23.f3 {Making another place for my dark-square bishop.} 23...Qg3 24.Be1 {Attacking the queen.} 24...Qd6 25.Rcc2 {Making way for my queen.} 25...Bg5 26.Qd1 {Bringing my queen closer the action.} 26...Bf4 27.Bf2 {Making another way for my queen.} 27...Bh2+ 28.Kh1 {Moving out of check.} 28...Bf4 29.Qg1 {Placing my queen on the same diagonal as my bishop.} 29...Rce8 30.Be3 {I want to exchange bishops or achieve a draw by threefold repetition.} 30...Bg3 31.Bf2 {Offering a draw.} 31...Bf4 32.Be3 {Offering a draw.} 32...Rc8 33.Bxf4 {I was short on time, so my opponent kept playing for the win by allowing me to exchange bishops.} 33...Qxf4 34.Qh2 {I want to exchange queens.} 34...Qf6 35.Qe5 {I want to exchange queens.} 35...Qd8 36.Rcd2 {Making way for my bishop.} 36...Rc6 37.Qe3 {My plan is to place my bishop on b1 and my queen on d3 threatening mate at h7, but I make this move first, so my opponent would realise my plan later.} 37...Bc8 38.Bb1 {As planned.} 38...Qf6 39.Qd3 {As planned.} 39...g6 40.Qe3 {Attacking the h6 pawn.} 40...Qg7 41.Qe5 {I want to exchange queens.} 41...Qxe5 42.dxe5 {Recapturing with my pawn to keep the enemy bishop blocked by his (or her) own pawns.} 42...Bb7 43.Kg1 {Bringing my king closer to action and preventing a possible long-rang threat of ...Rc1+ after which I would lose my bishop.} 43...Rfc8 44.Kf2 {Bringing my king closer to action and preventing a possible long-rang threat of ...Rc1+ after which I would lose my bishop.} 44...Kg7 45.Rd4 {Blocking the d5 pawn.} 45...Rc4 46.Red2 {Fearing ...Rxd4.} 46...Rxd4 47.Rxd4 {Recapturing with my rook and keeping the c file semi-open (instead of opening it completely).} 47...Rc4 48.Ke3 {Bringing my king closer to action.} 48...Bc6 49.Rxc4 {Making my king my main weapon.} 49...dxc4 50.Kd4 {Going for the a6 pawn.} 50...a5 51.Kc5 {Attacking the bishop.} 51...Be8 52.Be4 {Aiming at c6.} 52...h5 53.Bc6 {Good enough, but g5 would be better.} 53...Bxc6 54.Kxc6 {Recapturing.} 54...hxg4 55.fxg4 {Recapturing.} 55...Kh6 56.Kxb5 {Winning a pawn. It's a race now.} 56...Kg5 57.Kxc4 {Winning another pawn.} 57...Kxg4 58.Kd4 {Making way for the c3 pawn AND protecting the e5 pawn.} 58...Kg3 59.c4 {Four moves left to reach a queening square.} 59...Kxg2 60.c5 {Three moves left.} 60...Kf2 61.c6 {Two moves left.} 61...g5 62.c7 {One move left.} 62...g4 63.c8=Q {Reaching a queening square.} 63...g3 64.Qc2+ {I want to check the king for as long as it takes to prepare for another move.} 64...Kg1 65.Qd1+ {Getting closer to the king.} 65...Kh2 66.Qh5+ {Pushing the king in front of the pawn.} 66...Kg1 67.Ke3 {Getting my king closer to the enemy king. It also freezes the enemy king - ...Kg2 would make no sense and ...Kf1 would be met with Qe2+ (pushing the king back to g1).} 67...g2 68.Ke2 {I missed that Qd1+ followed by Kf2 was winning right away.} 68...a4 69.Qxf7 {I want to queen my e5 pawn, but from now on I have to avoid a stalemate AND prevent the g2 pawn from queening.} 69...Kh2 70.Qh5+ {Pushing the enemy king back in front of the g2 pawn.} 70...Kg1 71.Qg6 {Avoiding stalemate while placing my queen on the 6th rank.} 71...Kh2 72.Qh6+ {Checking the king AND aiming at the e6 pawn.} 72...Kg3 73.Qxe6 {Capturing the pawn that was blocking my e5 pawn.} 73...g1=Q 74.Qg6+ {Another point of my previous move - the enemy queen has no chance to act at all.} 74...Kh2 75.Qxg1+ {Exchanging queens.} 75...Kxg1 76.e6 {Going to the queening square. Black resigned.} 1-0
Please notice that it was a blitz game (3m+5s), so there was no time for really deep thinking by definition, but my own thinking was extremely “short-sighted”.
PS.
Recently I changed my chess clock setting (previously it was 3m +10s) and while the games are clearly shorter, my results are actually better. Interesting.
In this post I use the Chesstempo PGN viewer that can be found on this site:
https://chesstempo.com/pgn-viewer/
Today I was playing an online chess game and my almost-7-year-old son asked me if he could watch it. Obviously I said “yes”, but I also started making short explanations of some of my moves. Even my wife got interested. When the game ended I realised that it was a game that I won without ANY deep thinking! A great example for all chess newcomers. I was playing white.
Please notice that it was a blitz game (3m+5s), so there was no time for really deep thinking by definition, but my own thinking was extremely “short-sighted”.
PS.
Recently I changed my chess clock setting (previously it was 3m +10s) and while the games are clearly shorter, my results are actually better. Interesting.
Second day in a row!
(Originally posted on Sunday, 2 January 2022)
Game winning buzzer-beating 3-pointer by DeMar DeRozan for the second day in a row! Wow!
Please notice that it wouldn't be possible without Zach LaVine: 35 points on 11-22 shooting, including 7-12 3-pointers. What a pair of ballers!
Game winning buzzer-beating 3-pointer by DeMar DeRozan for the second day in a row! Wow!
Please notice that it wouldn't be possible without Zach LaVine: 35 points on 11-22 shooting, including 7-12 3-pointers. What a pair of ballers!
Saturday, 1 January 2022
What a great way to start the new year!
(Originally posted on Saturday, 1 January 2022)
In my home city it was already past midnight when I saw this:
What a great way to start the new year!
In my home city it was already past midnight when I saw this:
What a great way to start the new year!
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