#29 HAS SIGNED UP

Ed Reedy, who came to our Clinic last year is back again. The Illinoisans may have passed those from Iowa. I'd like to see that change! Ed, besides being a martial arts guy, works at Rock Island Arsenal and he said he had a great time last year and we were glad to have him at the dinner that evening.

He stopped by and saw all the activity here and said "he couldn't believe how much I get done." It's called "no life Ed." I hope that changes, this year!

There's a possibility #30 will sign up by the end of this week if someone else doesn't beat him to it. Several have already paid for the "Secrets" book in advance now so that means I HAVE to get it finished and I have been working on it. This little 100+ page project is almost 150! And it will get bigger. It will be the size dimensions of my other book, The Chess Assassin's Business Manual (7x10). The Secrets book already has a title change but I will tell you what it is later. It is the same book, same idea, but I want to broaden the title to increase sales for those who are interested in things besides chess, even though I use it as a metaphor in this book.

The Chess Clinic appears to be heating up. Get those Hotel Reservations in folks... nto joking about that.

Glad you're coming Ed. Have also been talking to someone, not connected with chess, to help me at the sales table this year. We'll see how her schedule stacks up.

CHESS DVDs FROM ANDREW MARTIN CAME IN TODAY

We'll explain more in this weeks The Chess Reports. About 7 different and updated titles from Foxy Openings. Remember them?

The artwork for Lasker, Blackburne, and the new edition of My Search for Chess Perfection has been done. You guys are in for a real treat! Finishing up the books will keep me busy. I'll also have Andrew Tochers new book in a couple days: In Your Face Chess Novelties.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

ADDING FREQUENT FLIER MILES IN OCTOBER

FROM OUT OF TOWN
Over the weekend I heard from a customer who lives in New Zealand. He needed some questions answered about what kind of airport is here in the area where I live (MLI=Moline International) because he will be on a business trip to Orlando, FL just a few days before the Chess Clinic takes place. At one time he viewed this (before the business trip) as a 0% chance even though he wanted to meet Andrew Martin. Now he rates it as 5%. I mentioned a 95% chance as being really more fun. So we'll see.

I have a customer in Germany who also asked similar questions. Moline International handles quite a bit of aircraft every day. One of the popular airlines between Moline and Orlando, Florida is AirTrans as they have a hub here (I think American and United do also). The hotel, the Clarion, does have pickup and delivery service to the airport. It's about 10 miles from the Clarion.

A feather in our bonnet would be anyone who shows up from WAAAAY out of town!

MIA!

Speaking of out of town, "Mia" is coming to the Last Chess Clinic. She's from Chicago, and I am guessing that her Dad (William Shehan) is bringing her! Good show Dad! She gets in at the Special Student rate ($99). If you have a similar situation, let me know. Thanks for coming Mia. When you folks get here, make Mia feel welcomed. She's doing more, through her Dad, than most people would. A few years ago James Hodina brought his son and that seemed to be a positive experience. Hope he comes again. Barbie Fortune is coming with her husband Jon also. This is the first time we have had females attend (wow, I've been all for that for years!). So I will have to rewrite future copy for any other events that are created to include the fairer sex.

Speaking of people making an effort, I am reminded of a funny story I just read the other day. It seems that a fellow came to one of Dan Kennedy's seminars on better marketing, how to put yourself in Scrooge McDuck's shoes, and so on. After the event was over (several days long) he was really, really pumped. Ramped up. He came up to Dan afterwards and said, "I am really jazzed about this. I think I can do it, I want to do it, I am ready to do it but I can't work on the business on Tuesday night." Dan probably knew he shouldn't ask "why?", but he did. The guy replied, "Tuesday is my bowling night!"

That may make you laugh but it does show the short-sightedness of many. If this guy had taken the tools to make his business grow, and generate lots of new income through a better marketing system, he could BUY a bowling alley. Bowl ANY time he wanted to! Bowl at 3 a.m. in the morning. I used to tell my friends in the scientific community to accomplish anything, you GOTTA WANNA. After that, you GOTTA DOA.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

A LENGTHY INTERVIEW ABOUT FISCHER

If you like Larry Evans and former editor of Chess Life Larry Parr, you will get a lot out of an interview between those two and one that was also conducted on CNN with Larry, Don Schultz, and Paula Zahn. I picked up a couple tidbits from Larry that I hadn't known. It's at the Chessville website. Go to:

http://www.chessville.com/Editorials/Interviews/GMLarryEvansInterviewOnBobbyFischer.htm

An interesting read.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE CHESSBASE WEBSITE LATELY?

Two things I've noticed, one of them not so obvious.

First, what is with that ad for DVDs plastered right in the middle of the screen? I understand commerce, and I know there is an X box in the upper right hand corner to "close" this ad out, but its blatancy is like getting an email from someone written in all CAPS.

Secondly, I can't seem to "easily" find (if it is at all possible) older NEWS articles unless you pick a specific subject in the "search" box. Sometimes I would want to scroll back (using the lower right hand portion of the screen) for a couple weeks to see something I have missed. If it's still around, I don't know where it is.

LAST NIGHT

I emailed out my first Newsletter for "Chess Company" and it is a little news (for now) but contains a big DVD pricelist with a new pricing structure. Also, on the back page is a list of past ChessBase magazines and other products I am selling in LOTS.

I hope in the end this pricing system will be more popular. It's a well known piece of advice to try to make thinks more understandable and simpler these days, but sometimes we (the industry) tries more complicated things to see if it can strike a better chord. The deal for today is that if you order by Midnight tonight you will get FREE shipping anywhere in the USA.

I hope everyone out there who reads this today has a great weekend.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

ANDY ANSEL FROM NEW YORK #27 + BOOK!

My long time friend Andy Ansel is coming to the Last Chess Clinic Oct. 22-23. I also think he could use the vacation! (Me too!) Andy's into everything chess whether teaching, playing, and definitely, collecting. He will talk about David DeLucia's book (Retail $300!), the photographs, the contents, Morphy, Fischer, Capablanca, etc. on FRIDAY night (Oct 22). Another reason to come, plus, if you order AFTER the Chess Clinic is over, you can save BIG bucks on this book--a collector's treasure trove (yes, I have one, and I don't collect anymore!) It's a beaut.

Welcome Andy and thanks to another New Yorker.

Someone (not a chessplayer per se) told me the reason I have so many out of staters is that no one locally has any money! That's a pure crock. When the economy was humming along just fine, they still didn't come to my events SO.... I am going to contact people who MIGHT be interested in chess (people talk about it a lot), learning more, having fun. Those who just play in club night events, well... I can't do anything about them... maybe they're afraid of you! Thanks to the rest of you however!

There are thousands of people at the John Deere Classic golf tournament, there are thousands of people playing slots and black jack at the 3 casinos here. 40% of Davenport's work force lives across the river in Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline. Those who talk like this do not market, do not look, they just HOPE things will return to the way they were once upon a time. We are entering a NEW economy, the old one is history. History.

OTHER NEWS

I have the proof in front of me, Andrew Tocher's new book: In Your Face Chess Novelties. It looks great, I will be ordering my copies tonight. The retail is $15.95 and it runs 115 pages. Send that amount plus $2.50 for shipping and I will send out your copy as soon as I get them!

Also, there will be a one day sale tomorrow, from Friday to Saturday. Can't tell you yet what it is, because I don't have the details worked out except in my head. But, it WILL be worth your while... guaranteed!

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

YOUR CHESS TAX DOLLARS AT WORK

Every now and then it is time to stir up the hornet's nest. It always makes 1-2 people feel squeamish or uncomfortable and that is the point.

When I was in H.S. my senior year we had this nun at Cardinal Stritch who was big on tests, tests of all kinds, day in and out. I don't know if she got to see the results and find out whether we knew anything or not but besides the SATs, PSATs, ACTs, and whatever else was out there we also had the Air Force Entrance Exam!

What I discovered is that I had a flair for "pattern recognition." Guess what else that is good for? Okay, no bonus points for getting that one.

But I was thinking recently about when I make a bulk e-mailing about the Chess Clinic or a catalog invariably I get one or two "please unsubscribe mes." They are usually polite and short. I have notes besides the email addresses of many I email to in case they ask me where I got their email address, etc.

Guess who is the biggest group of "please unsubscribe mes?" It is our chess politicians! You know, those people who "organize" events, or direct tournaments, or just love being in the limelight.

I know one guy who moved from one state to another and when I was at a banquet in honor of Anatoly Karpov I heard someone say, "That loser (the announcer of Karpov, in a long drawn out speech) moved from one state they wanted him to leave to this one!" Yes, the voters are watching you! This is not uncommon.

In 1975 I was at the US Open in Lincoln and walked into a journalists meeting after most of the people there had received some several sheets of announcements. But some were asked to share because there weren't enough. At that time I was reporting on a variety of stuff and this guy lunged a copy of HIS announcements to me lest I "vote against him for USCF president." I overheard other scuttlebutt years later about another person running for that office (and I think, got it) who felt they had put in THEIR time as a state organizer, etc. and NOW they wanted to be president of the USCF. Over the years we have had some pretty strange officials in that office. I never wanted to run for anything in that capacity lest I be treated as a "guilt by association" type of individual.

I remember being at another US Open where the late Jerry Hanken was holding forth about this and that (he was a delegate from CA) and people wanted to lynch him for not saying his piece and sitting down. I was told he always did this. I remember sitting in one "back room meeting" many years ago where money deals were trying to be worked out. Finally, a solution came about (??) and it would be implemented at next year's event! It never happened, the guy with the $$$ changed his mind. If there was a bidding process for some venue I found out that it leaked like a sieve, with insiders telling outsiders what the current bids were. The reason for that is that someone had a reason for wanting their man in place, so other bidders ALWAYS lost unless there was ONLY one bidder.

What is amazing is that of all these people I knew, in some capacity, none ever bought a book, a set, a dvd, or anything from me. Some of them even expected things to be given to them! You might've guessed how far that got. But except for a small percentage, maybe 20%, most of these people did not play chess, nor talk about chess. I've even been told this was common practice in USCF Policy Board meetings!

I will give these people credit for one thing (sort of), for some reason, known only to God, they "love" something about chess enough to continue having tournaments, scholastic events, and so forth. Maybe they like seeing their name in the State Newsletter, I don't know, but the average chess player, in many instances, wants to play chess and not run chess or organize chess. Practically speaking, they are both selfish.

Well citizens, any thoughts? (In the interests of boring disclosure, I have run 30-40 events in the last century but never held a state or national office, nor did I seek one.) No I am doing Festivals and Clinics and those don't seem to be political at all.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

CHESSBASE EXTRAS, THE MAGAZINE, AND DISCS

Last night I sent out a pricelist on Four lots of ChessBase materials to a few customers. I have been holding on to these for years. Some materials I sold several months ago, this is another selection of magazines, the EXTRA issues (discs), and the like. If you would like a copy just send me your email address and I will fire one off to you right away.

In the meantime, am swamped with projects, so will see you here tomorrow.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com