Homeless man is chess king of Washington

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Date: 11 Oct 2007 20:17:37
From:
Subject: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

Homeless man is chess king of Washington
by Virginie Montet
Thu Oct 11, 1:02 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - He sleeps on a bench, but he is king of chess
during the day at Washington's Dupont Circle, where he dazzles
beginners and masters alike with his winning moves on the park's stone
chessboards.

Tom Murphy, 49, makes what little money he has from teaching his
prodigious knowledge of the game to passersby for a few dollars.

"He has the title of expert in chess. This is the second highest
American title; above him are master. So it means he is quite good,"
said Washington's Chess Center director David Mehler.

A former math and science major and a celebrity among amateurs, Murphy
has made the Dupont Circle public square America's most prestigious
chess park after New York's fabled Washington Square, according to
some chess lovers.

"The mathematical equation has always been fascinating to me, then
when you add the caaderie, the ambiance, the open air, it's almost
irresistible," said Murphy, peering over a park chessboard that draws
players from all walks of life -- students, doctors, lawyers,
drunkards.

Garrulous and brilliant, Murphy, grew up in North Carolina and
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, two well known chess centers, and
specializes in a lightning version of chess known as "blitz."

In this accelerated version of the ancient game, players are allowed
five minutes for all their moves, and the game ends within 10 minutes.

"The appeal of blitz is that, maybe in two or five minutes, I may put
together a work of art that might last a life time," Murphy said in
his inimitable style of explaining chess basics.

The game, he said consists of "few guiding principles: king safety,
fight for the center, give every piece a job."

"At blitz he is a very strong player. He has a very fast mind and he
sees combinations very quickly. He calculates very quickly," said
Mehler, who has been teaching the board game to underprivileged
children for 15 years.

Murphy has won several chess tournaments and finished 15th in the 2005
world blitz championship.

He's not always down and out, but his addiction to booze often lands
him on the street.

"The pursuit of the ego versus the pursuit of the spirit are in
conflict sometimes," he explained. "I enjoy alcohol a little too
much."

He attends Alcoholic Anonymous meetings and admits, "when I don't
drink my chess is better."

Murphy aims to get better at chess and rise to the title of master.

"I would dearly love to go on and make my master's rating because
through that I get a credibility to increase my teaching fee," he
said.

"There is an upcoming tournament on Thanskgiving (November 22) in
Philadelphia. That's looking promising," he added.

For now, the homeless chess teacher charges 20 to 30 dollars an hour
and will match his wits with any rival for two to five dollars per
game.

"Grand masters are teaching 100 or 200 bucks (dollars) an hour,
masters can get at least 50, that's not bad," he said.

Date: 18 Oct 2007 11:23:57
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

On Oct 18, 9:36 am, "Ray Gordon, creator of the \"pivot\""
<[email protected] > wrote:

> My King's Gambit didn't impress him so much, but he taught me what to play
> against it (return the pawn with d5).

Nonsense; the King's Gambit is busted after ...d6!!! and
Black keeps the pawn. At least, that's the way the story
was told in Chess Life many years ago. : >D

> > Well, the article did not say he was one of the best
> > at street hustling on the East coast; what the article
> > attempted to do was puff him up to the status of a
> > near world-contender, basically.
>
> They should have said world open, obviously, but I think the point of the
> article was that he draws crowds down in DC.

If that was the point of the article, they might
have at the very least specified that they were
talking about D.C., and not the sate of
Washington. In my mind, I was imagining a
nice mall within easy driving range of Yasser
Seirawan and John Donaldson, and I assumed
they must have been much too busy to give
challenge to this poor fellow's dominance on
the giant chess set (surely they do shop, now
and then).

> I will say I don't know of a stronger positional middlegame player in the
> US.

Are you suggesting that he is a sandbagger?
Or that his actual results don't fit in with your
delusional perception of having found the next
Bobby Fischer? ; >D

> Some equals among GMs, maybe. Since hustling blitz usually comes down
> to that phase of the game, it's all he generally needs for his purposes.

Actually, blitz chess is priily about tactical
alertness and time-management.

> He's already too well-known for exposure to hurt him. The people who play
> him do it for the cheap lessons, not to beat him. The stronger people he
> plays for money with do it all the time to sharpen their game.

Be that as it may, I for one had never heard of
him until this thread, and even then I thought he
was from the other coast. True fame would be
someone like Sam Sloan or R. Dzindzichashvili.

The fact that he is noted for -- many years ago --
winning a mere class prize tells the tale. Not long
ago I talked to a fellow who says that he nearly
became an IM in his first tournament, but threw
it away on one move. Well, okay, but why is it
that he got weaker and weaker after playing real
people in real events? Is it not supposed to work
the other way 'round? : >D

-- help bot

Date: 18 Oct 2007 20:27:26
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

>> My King's Gambit didn't impress him so much, but he taught me what to
>> play
>> against it (return the pawn with d5).
>
> Nonsense; the King's Gambit is busted after ...d6!!! and
> Black keeps the pawn. At least, that's the way the story
> was told in Chess Life many years ago. :>D

Ah yes.

Someone forgot to send Fritz that memo.

>> > Well, the article did not say he was one of the best
>> > at street hustling on the East coast; what the article
>> > attempted to do was puff him up to the status of a
>> > near world-contender, basically.
>>
>> They should have said world open, obviously, but I think the point of the
>> article was that he draws crowds down in DC.
>
> If that was the point of the article, they might
> have at the very least specified that they were
> talking about D.C., and not the sate of
> Washington. In my mind, I was imagining a
> nice mall within easy driving range of Yasser
> Seirawan and John Donaldson, and I assumed
> they must have been much too busy to give
> challenge to this poor fellow's dominance on
> the giant chess set (surely they do shop, now
> and then).

Seirawan would speak more highly of Murph than you do, and I doubt he'd give
him 5-2.

>> I will say I don't know of a stronger positional middlegame player in the
>> US.
>
> Are you suggesting that he is a sandbagger?

Not at all. He just plays infrequently. The times he's played he's given
his all, but he does have a street game that restricts his slow play. He's
a threat to win almost any blitz tournament, however.

> Or that his actual results don't fit in with your
> delusional perception of having found the next
> Bobby Fischer? ;>D

Found? Murph is always around playing outside. He played in Philadelphia
for years, and since center city has maybe five square blocks you can go
around during lunch, he was hard to miss.

>> Some equals among GMs, maybe. Since hustling blitz usually comes down
>> to that phase of the game, it's all he generally needs for his purposes.
>
> Actually, blitz chess is priily about tactical
> alertness and time-management.

Not when he plays it. It's about positional superiority and letting the
other guy self-destruct.

>> He's already too well-known for exposure to hurt him. The people who
>> play
>> him do it for the cheap lessons, not to beat him. The stronger people he
>> plays for money with do it all the time to sharpen their game.
>
>
> Be that as it may, I for one had never heard of
> him until this thread, and even then I thought he
> was from the other coast. True fame would be
> someone like Sam Sloan or R. Dzindzichashvili.

Roman is probably the strongest hustler in the world, but Murph plays him
backgammon.

> The fact that he is noted for -- many years ago --
> winning a mere class prize tells the tale.

It wasn't the class prize, it was that he entered at all and rose to the
occasion in his home city against international class competition. That was
a BIG blitz tournament.

>Not long
> ago I talked to a fellow who says that he nearly
> became an IM in his first tournament, but threw
> it away on one move. Well, okay, but why is it
> that he got weaker and weaker after playing real
> people in real events? Is it not supposed to work
> the other way 'round? :>D

A player's strength can vary up to 600 Elo points or more due to timing and
opposition.

--
Ray Gordon, The ORIGINAL Lifestyle Seduction Guru
http://www.cybersheet.com/library.html
Includes 29 Reasons Not To Be A Nice Guy

Ray's new "Project 5000" is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/project-5000

This group will be restricted to 5,000 members. All new theory from the
creator of the PIVOT!

Don't rely on overexposed, mass-keted commercial seduction methods which
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Date: 17 Oct 2007 23:28:03
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

On Oct 17, 5:55 pm, "Ray Gordon, creator of the \"pivot\""
<[email protected] > wrote:

> The 1989 World Open Blitz was an open tournament with class prizes. Murph
> kept winning early and was on the top boards for most of the tournament
> before cruising to the under-2200 prize.
>
> I played Kamsky in the first round of that myself.

Was he any good at blitz?

> >> > My point was that the article strongly implied
> >> > that the homeless guy was fifteenth in the world,
>
> >> From what I know of him he's not usually homeless either, more like a
> >> chess
> >> vagabond.
>
> > That simply reinforces my point, that the article, as
> > presented here, has way overinflated Tom Murphy.
>
> You'd have to see him hustle blitz to understand the basis for the article.
> Tom is one of the best street hustlers on the entire east coast, and he did
> win the prize of which I speak.

Well, the article did not say he was one of the best
at street hustling on the East coast; what the article
attempted to do was puff him up to the status of a
near world-contender, basically. For one thing, the
author completely ignored the existence of the SM
title, which knocks TM down another class.

I am no expert on who's who in the street hustler
business on the East coast (or anywhere else, for
that matter). However, logic would seem to indicate
that being well-known as a hustler would not be a
good thing. Ideally, potential victims ought to be
thinking of you as a deranged patzer, who should be
an easy k. Think IM Innes or Sam Sloan... . ; >D

-- help bot

Date: 18 Oct 2007 10:36:43
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

>> The 1989 World Open Blitz was an open tournament with class prizes.
>> Murph
>> kept winning early and was on the top boards for most of the tournament
>> before cruising to the under-2200 prize.
>>
>> I played Kamsky in the first round of that myself.
>
> Was he any good at blitz?

I ran him out of his book on the Black side of a Pelikan.

My King's Gambit didn't impress him so much, but he taught me what to play
against it (return the pawn with d5).

>> >> > My point was that the article strongly implied
>> >> > that the homeless guy was fifteenth in the world,
>>
>> >> From what I know of him he's not usually homeless either, more like a
>> >> chess
>> >> vagabond.
>>
>> > That simply reinforces my point, that the article, as
>> > presented here, has way overinflated Tom Murphy.
>>
>> You'd have to see him hustle blitz to understand the basis for the
>> article.
>> Tom is one of the best street hustlers on the entire east coast, and he
>> did
>> win the prize of which I speak.
>
> Well, the article did not say he was one of the best
> at street hustling on the East coast; what the article
> attempted to do was puff him up to the status of a
> near world-contender, basically.

They should have said world open, obviously, but I think the point of the
article was that he draws crowds down in DC.

I will say I don't know of a stronger positional middlegame player in the
US. Some equals among GMs, maybe. Since hustling blitz usually comes down
to that phase of the game, it's all he generally needs for his purposes.

>For one thing, the
> author completely ignored the existence of the SM
> title, which knocks TM down another class.
>
> I am no expert on who's who in the street hustler
> business on the East coast (or anywhere else, for
> that matter). However, logic would seem to indicate
> that being well-known as a hustler would not be a
> good thing. Ideally, potential victims ought to be
> thinking of you as a deranged patzer, who should be
> an easy k. Think IM Innes or Sam Sloan... . ;>D

He's already too well-known for exposure to hurt him. The people who play
him do it for the cheap lessons, not to beat him. The stronger people he
plays for money with do it all the time to sharpen their game.

--
Ray Gordon, The ORIGINAL Lifestyle Seduction Guru
http://www.cybersheet.com/library.html
Includes 29 Reasons Not To Be A Nice Guy

Ray's new "Project 5000" is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/project-5000

This group will be restricted to 5,000 members. All new theory from the
creator of the PIVOT!

Don't rely on overexposed, mass-keted commercial seduction methods which
have been rendered worthless through mainstream media exposure. It really
is game over for community material. Beware of Milli Vanilli gurus who
stole their ideas from others!

http://moderncaveman.typepad.com
The Official Ray Gordon Blog

Date: 15 Oct 2007 12:04:44
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

On Oct 13, 10:15 am, "Ray Gordon, creator of the \"pivot\""
<[email protected] > wrote:

> >> In 1989, Murph won the World Open Blitz under-2200 prize. He split his
> >> matches against Anthony Saidy and Robert Byrne, and crushed a few masters
> >> to
> >> claim the $300.00 prize, taking something like nine points out of
> >> fifteen.
>
> > Well, in that case they ought to have placed
> > rating floors under GM Byrne and perhaps AS,
> > to prevent them from taking candy from babies
> > who were their vast inferiors.
>
> Murph wasn't inferior to them in that setting, on that night. He's
> extremely good at blitz.

USCF : 2059 quick chess. Perhaps I was a bit too
subtle; GM Byrne, for instance, would not have played
in any "under 2200" section of any tournament, because
his rating was much higher than the cutoff. So you see,
the real issue is not who was better at blitz; it is why did
the article's author goof again?

> > My point was that the article strongly implied
> > that the homeless guy was fifteenth in the world,
>
> From what I know of him he's not usually homeless either, more like a chess
> vagabond.

That simply reinforces my point, that the article, as
presented here, has way overinflated Tom Murphy.

-- help bot

Date: 17 Oct 2007 18:55:27
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

>> > Well, in that case they ought to have placed
>> > rating floors under GM Byrne and perhaps AS,
>> > to prevent them from taking candy from babies
>> > who were their vast inferiors.
>>
>> Murph wasn't inferior to them in that setting, on that night. He's
>> extremely good at blitz.
>
>
> USCF : 2059 quick chess. Perhaps I was a bit too
> subtle; GM Byrne, for instance, would not have played
> in any "under 2200" section of any tournament, because
> his rating was much higher than the cutoff. So you see,
> the real issue is not who was better at blitz; it is why did
> the article's author goof again?

The 1989 World Open Blitz was an open tournament with class prizes. Murph
kept winning early and was on the top boards for most of the tournament
before cruising to the under-2200 prize.

I played Kamsky in the first round of that myself.

>> > My point was that the article strongly implied
>> > that the homeless guy was fifteenth in the world,
>>
>> From what I know of him he's not usually homeless either, more like a
>> chess
>> vagabond.
>
>
> That simply reinforces my point, that the article, as
> presented here, has way overinflated Tom Murphy.

You'd have to see him hustle blitz to understand the basis for the article.
Tom is one of the best street hustlers on the entire east coast, and he did
win the prize of which I speak.

--
Ray Gordon, The ORIGINAL Lifestyle Seduction Guru
http://www.cybersheet.com/library.html
Includes 29 Reasons Not To Be A Nice Guy

Ray's new "Project 5000" is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/project-5000

This group will be restricted to 5,000 members. All new theory from the
creator of the PIVOT!

Don't rely on overexposed, mass-keted commercial seduction methods which
have been rendered worthless through mainstream media exposure. It really
is game over for community material. Beware of Milli Vanilli gurus who
stole their ideas from others!

http://moderncaveman.typepad.com
The Official Ray Gordon Blog

Date: 13 Oct 2007 04:14:41
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

On Oct 12, 2:51 pm, "Ray Gordon, creator of the \"pivot\""
<[email protected] > wrote:

> In 1989, Murph won the World Open Blitz under-2200 prize. He split his
> matches against Anthony Saidy and Robert Byrne, and crushed a few masters to
> claim the $300.00 prize, taking something like nine points out of fifteen.

Well, in that case they ought to have placed
rating floors under GM Byrne and perhaps AS,
to prevent them from taking candy from babies
who were their vast inferiors. Next you'll be
telling us that in 1999, Bobby Fischer took the
unrated prize at the Icelandic Open, a full
twenty points ahead of Rob Mitchell and some
twenty-nine points ahead of Sanny.

My point was that the article strongly implied
that the homeless guy was fifteenth in the world,
which is about as near to the truth as saying
that I am the reigning world champion, because
nobody has beaten me on GetClub.

-- help bot

Date: 13 Oct 2007 11:15:00
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

>> In 1989, Murph won the World Open Blitz under-2200 prize. He split his
>> matches against Anthony Saidy and Robert Byrne, and crushed a few masters
>> to
>> claim the $300.00 prize, taking something like nine points out of
>> fifteen.
>
>
> Well, in that case they ought to have placed
> rating floors under GM Byrne and perhaps AS,
> to prevent them from taking candy from babies
> who were their vast inferiors.

Murph wasn't inferior to them in that setting, on that night. He's
extremely good at blitz.

> My point was that the article strongly implied
> that the homeless guy was fifteenth in the world,

From what I know of him he's not usually homeless either, more like a chess
vagabond.

--
Ray Gordon, The ORIGINAL Lifestyle Seduction Guru
http://www.cybersheet.com/library.html
Includes 29 Reasons Not To Be A Nice Guy

Ray's new "Project 5000" is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/project-5000

This group will be restricted to 5,000 members. All new theory from the
creator of the PIVOT!

Don't rely on overexposed, mass-keted commercial seduction methods which
have been rendered worthless through mainstream media exposure. It really
is game over for community material. Beware of Milli Vanilli gurus who
stole their ideas from others!

http://moderncaveman.typepad.com
The Official Ray Gordon Blog

Date: 13 Oct 2007 04:07:36
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

On Oct 12, 11:27 am, Kenneth Sloan <[email protected] > wrote:
> raylopez99 wrote:
>
> >>> "He has the title of expert in chess. This is the second highest
> >>> American title; above him are master.
> >> ... and Senior Master, making Expert the third
> >> highest American title. Looks like a reporter
> >> is just winging it here, shooting in the dark.
>
> > GM, IM, M, E. Making him 4th.
>
> Expert is not a title - it's a rating class.

I think you are correct. No certificates or titles
are issued when a player slides past the critical
1999 k, but there are numerous people who
regard their status the very same as if it were an
official title, and just looking at it you can see
that the USCF seems to have run out of letters
(Class D, Class C, Class B, Class A, oops).

In this particular context, I did not consider the
claim to having a USCF "title" to be an error of any
real consequence; let those who are my superiors
have their day in the sun. Let them call themselves
titled players, even if it is not official or sanctioned.
Let them strive for still higher titles -- but please, do
not let them just make stuff up ("I'm the Arch Duke
of Canterburry, descended from King Arther by way
of y Poppins") or get their USCF titles all mixed
up with those of FIDE. Such utter incompetence
deserves to be pointed out, noted.

-- help bot

Date: 13 Oct 2007 11:19:03
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

A better term than "expert" is "under-2200 eligible" or "under-2000
eligible."

Wait, Tom's rating is under 2000?

Shit.

Good luck.

--
Ray Gordon, The ORIGINAL Lifestyle Seduction Guru
http://www.cybersheet.com/library.html
Includes 29 Reasons Not To Be A Nice Guy

Ray's new "Project 5000" is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/project-5000

This group will be restricted to 5,000 members. All new theory from the
creator of the PIVOT!

Don't rely on overexposed, mass-keted commercial seduction methods which
have been rendered worthless through mainstream media exposure. It really
is game over for community material. Beware of Milli Vanilli gurus who
stole their ideas from others!

http://moderncaveman.typepad.com
The Official Ray Gordon Blog

Date: 13 Oct 2007 03:57:39
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

On Oct 12, 10:15 am, raylopez99 <[email protected] > wrote:

> > This reminds me of Jude Acers; although he was
> > likely a much stronger player.
>
> I didn't know Jude Acers was an alcoholic.

Or a drug addict. Or a blue whale Or a vegetarian.

> > > "He has the title of expert in chess. This is the second highest
> > > American title; above him are master.
>
> > ... and Senior Master, making Expert the third
> > highest American title. Looks like a reporter
> > is just winging it here, shooting in the dark.
>
> GM, IM, M, E. Making him 4th.

It is a curiosity that America does not run world
chess, does not dole out world titles. Somebody
(who obviously knew nothing) founded the
international chess federation in some insignificant
European country, instead of the USA. As they
say, "sh*t happens".

> > Um, drinking is not actually an occupation.
>
> It is if you're a professional drinker (wine taster).

No, for then you are being paid not to consume
the wine, but merely to taste it. There is one case
where you are paid for consumption, and that would
be the hot dog eating contests. (Of course, I am
not trying to imply that there is any alcohol content
in hot dogs.)

> > This looks like yet another gaffe; he did finish 15th
> > in an ordinary blitz tournament held at the World
> > Open. If that was indeed a "world championship", it
> > must have been the weakest one on record.
>
> Good catch but you're ruining the story Bot.

Perhaps the story was a bit over-inflated.

> > Perhaps he would do well to study the games of
> > Mr. Blackburne?
>
> Or "Mason" the Irishman, who wrote a book and also was a boozer.

I didn't know that. I did know about his book.

> > Looking at the USCF ratings page, I noted that he
> > seems to be "working on" his blitz rating; now it
> > seems to me that as a teacher, he ought to prefer
> > working on his regular, OTB rating, but then, that
> > might be a hopeless task.
>
> He's a member of USCF? WOw, how can he afford the dues.

The article says he makes twenty or thirty bucks
an hour teaching chess; three hours and he's set.

> > How much can a Class A player expect to get?
>
> If he's a celebrity more than you.

Ah, I knew it! So then, he is related to Paul Morphy.

The article seems to indicate that he is not making
celebrity wages, but desires to do so by moving up
the USCF rankings to the next level. I just found it
a bit strange that he seems to focus heavily on his
blitz rating, which many people would regard as of
little value in measuring the worth of a teacher.

My own blitz rating of course is sky-high, so this is
not any attempt on my part to demean blitz chess or
blitz chess ratings. Check my results against the
GetClub Beginner level and you can see for yourself
how amazing I am at this kind of play, how it has
moved me well ahead of pretenders like IM Innes,
Rob Mitchell, and even 2300+ Taylor Kingston. ; >D

-- help bot

Date: 13 Oct 2007 11:18:02
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

>> > Looking at the USCF ratings page, I noted that he
>> > seems to be "working on" his blitz rating; now it
>> > seems to me that as a teacher, he ought to prefer
>> > working on his regular, OTB rating, but then, that
>> > might be a hopeless task.
>>
>> He's a member of USCF? WOw, how can he afford the dues.
>
> The article says he makes twenty or thirty bucks
> an hour teaching chess; three hours and he's set.

People sometimes pay his entry fees too. Tom's grandmother died about 10
years ago and he left town for DC. He was working a regular job there last
I saw of him at a world open here a few years ago.

>> > How much can a Class A player expect to get?
>>
>> If he's a celebrity more than you.
>
> Ah, I knew it! So then, he is related to Paul Morphy.
>
> The article seems to indicate that he is not making
> celebrity wages, but desires to do so by moving up
> the USCF rankings to the next level. I just found it
> a bit strange that he seems to focus heavily on his
> blitz rating, which many people would regard as of
> little value in measuring the worth of a teacher.

Tom is geared towards blitz play for money during athon sessions. It's a
far different skillset than OTB.

--
Ray Gordon, The ORIGINAL Lifestyle Seduction Guru
http://www.cybersheet.com/library.html
Includes 29 Reasons Not To Be A Nice Guy

Ray's new "Project 5000" is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/project-5000

This group will be restricted to 5,000 members. All new theory from the
creator of the PIVOT!

Don't rely on overexposed, mass-keted commercial seduction methods which
have been rendered worthless through mainstream media exposure. It really
is game over for community material. Beware of Milli Vanilli gurus who
stole their ideas from others!

http://moderncaveman.typepad.com
The Official Ray Gordon Blog

Date: 12 Oct 2007 15:51:01
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

In 1989, Murph won the World Open Blitz under-2200 prize. He split his
matches against Anthony Saidy and Robert Byrne, and crushed a few masters to
claim the $300.00 prize, taking something like nine points out of fifteen.

The 9:00 p.m. starting time and the blitz format on his home court was too
much for his rating peers to handle.

> Homeless man is chess king of Washington
> by Virginie Montet
> Thu Oct 11, 1:02 AM ET
>
> WASHINGTON (AFP) - He sleeps on a bench, but he is king of chess
> during the day at Washington's Dupont Circle, where he dazzles
> beginners and masters alike with his winning moves on the park's stone
> chessboards.
>
> Tom Murphy, 49, makes what little money he has from teaching his
> prodigious knowledge of the game to passersby for a few dollars.
>
> "He has the title of expert in chess. This is the second highest
> American title; above him are master. So it means he is quite good,"
> said Washington's Chess Center director David Mehler.
>
> A former math and science major and a celebrity among amateurs, Murphy
> has made the Dupont Circle public square America's most prestigious
> chess park after New York's fabled Washington Square, according to
> some chess lovers.
>
> "The mathematical equation has always been fascinating to me, then
> when you add the caaderie, the ambiance, the open air, it's almost
> irresistible," said Murphy, peering over a park chessboard that draws
> players from all walks of life -- students, doctors, lawyers,
> drunkards.
>
> Garrulous and brilliant, Murphy, grew up in North Carolina and
> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, two well known chess centers, and
> specializes in a lightning version of chess known as "blitz."
>
> In this accelerated version of the ancient game, players are allowed
> five minutes for all their moves, and the game ends within 10 minutes.
>
> "The appeal of blitz is that, maybe in two or five minutes, I may put
> together a work of art that might last a life time," Murphy said in
> his inimitable style of explaining chess basics.
>
> The game, he said consists of "few guiding principles: king safety,
> fight for the center, give every piece a job."
>
> "At blitz he is a very strong player. He has a very fast mind and he
> sees combinations very quickly. He calculates very quickly," said
> Mehler, who has been teaching the board game to underprivileged
> children for 15 years.
>
> Murphy has won several chess tournaments and finished 15th in the 2005
> world blitz championship.
>
> He's not always down and out, but his addiction to booze often lands
> him on the street.
>
> "The pursuit of the ego versus the pursuit of the spirit are in
> conflict sometimes," he explained. "I enjoy alcohol a little too
> much."
>
> He attends Alcoholic Anonymous meetings and admits, "when I don't
> drink my chess is better."
>
> Murphy aims to get better at chess and rise to the title of master.
>
> "I would dearly love to go on and make my master's rating because
> through that I get a credibility to increase my teaching fee," he
> said.
>
> "There is an upcoming tournament on Thanskgiving (November 22) in
> Philadelphia. That's looking promising," he added.
>
> For now, the homeless chess teacher charges 20 to 30 dollars an hour
> and will match his wits with any rival for two to five dollars per
> game.
>
> "Grand masters are teaching 100 or 200 bucks (dollars) an hour,
> masters can get at least 50, that's not bad," he said.
>

Date: 12 Oct 2007 09:49:40
From:
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

On Oct 12, 10:15 am, raylopez99 <[email protected] > wrote:
> On Oct 12, 1:34 am, help bot <[email protected]> wrote:.
>
>
>
> > This reminds me of Jude Acers; although he was
> > likely a much stronger player.
>
> I didn't know Jude Acers was an alcoholic.
>
> > > "He has the title of expert in chess. This is the second highest
> > > American title; above him are master.
>
> > ... and Senior Master, making Expert the third
> > highest American title. Looks like a reporter
> > is just winging it here, shooting in the dark.
>
> GM, IM, M, E. Making him 4th.
>
> > I generally take a week of in May to rejoice in
> > the greatness of this unknown amateur; my
> > justification is that he just might be distantly
> > related to Paul /Morphy/.
>
> Good one.
>
> > Um, drinking is not actually an occupation.
>
> It is if you're a professional drinker (wine taster).
>
>
>
> > This looks like yet another gaffe; he did finish 15th
> > in an ordinary blitz tournament held at the World
> > Open. If that was indeed a "world championship", it
> > must have been the weakest one on record.
>
> Good catch but you're ruining the story Bot.
>
> > Perhaps he would do well to study the games of
> > Mr. Blackburne?
>
> Or "Mason" the Irishman, who wrote a book and also was a boozer.
>
> > Looking at the USCF ratings page, I noted that he
> > seems to be "working on" his blitz rating; now it
> > seems to me that as a teacher, he ought to prefer
> > working on his regular, OTB rating, but then, that
> > might be a hopeless task.
>
> He's a member of USCF? WOw, how can he afford the dues.
>
> > How much can a Class A player expect to get?
>
> > -- help bot
>
> If he's a celebrity more than you.
>
> RL

We need a homeless man to sue the USCF in IL. That would be perfect!
Does he want a
job?

cus Roberts

Date: 12 Oct 2007 16:00:23
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

> We need a homeless man to sue the USCF in IL. That would be perfect!
> Does he want a
> job?

Tom would be great working for USCF, and really needs work. Few love chess
as much as he does, as he's been playing blitz on the streets forever.

I think he has places to crash occasioanlly and isn't truly homeless per se,
but he definitely lives the chess hustler's lifestyle. He was actually
working for several years down there before his recent hard times. He still
comes up here for the big tournaments and hustles in the skittles. Just
about every player on the east coast has seen him.

--
Ray Gordon, The ORIGINAL Lifestyle Seduction Guru
http://www.cybersheet.com/library.html
Includes 29 Reasons Not To Be A Nice Guy

Ray's new "Project 5000" is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/project-5000

This group will be restricted to 5,000 members. All new theory from the
creator of the PIVOT!

Don't rely on overexposed, mass-keted commercial seduction methods which
have been rendered worthless through mainstream media exposure. It really
is game over for community material. Beware of Milli Vanilli gurus who
stole their ideas from others!

http://moderncaveman.typepad.com
The Official Ray Gordon Blog

Date: 12 Oct 2007 09:47:27
From:
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

Date: 12 Oct 2007 15:26:44
From: SBD
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

On Oct 12, 10:15 am, raylopez99 <[email protected] > wrote:
> > > "He has the title of expert in chess. This is the second highest
> > > American title; above him are master.
>
> > ... and Senior Master, making Expert the third
> > highest American title. Looks like a reporter
> > is just winging it here, shooting in the dark.
>
> GM, IM, M, E. Making him 4th.

I don't think GM and IM are American titles.

Date: 12 Oct 2007 08:15:16
From: raylopez99
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

On Oct 12, 1:34 am, help bot <[email protected] > wrote:.
>
> This reminds me of Jude Acers; although he was
> likely a much stronger player.
>

I didn't know Jude Acers was an alcoholic.

> > "He has the title of expert in chess. This is the second highest
> > American title; above him are master.
>
> ... and Senior Master, making Expert the third
> highest American title. Looks like a reporter
> is just winging it here, shooting in the dark.

GM, IM, M, E. Making him 4th.

> I generally take a week of in May to rejoice in
> the greatness of this unknown amateur; my
> justification is that he just might be distantly
> related to Paul /Morphy/.
>

Good one.

> Um, drinking is not actually an occupation.
>

It is if you're a professional drinker (wine taster).

>

> This looks like yet another gaffe; he did finish 15th
> in an ordinary blitz tournament held at the World
> Open. If that was indeed a "world championship", it
> must have been the weakest one on record.
>

Good catch but you're ruining the story Bot.

> Perhaps he would do well to study the games of
> Mr. Blackburne?
>

Or "Mason" the Irishman, who wrote a book and also was a boozer.

> Looking at the USCF ratings page, I noted that he
> seems to be "working on" his blitz rating; now it
> seems to me that as a teacher, he ought to prefer
> working on his regular, OTB rating, but then, that
> might be a hopeless task.
>

He's a member of USCF? WOw, how can he afford the dues.

> How much can a Class A player expect to get?
>
> -- help bot

If he's a celebrity more than you.

RL

Date: 12 Oct 2007 11:27:30
From: Kenneth Sloan
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

raylopez99 wrote:
>
>>> "He has the title of expert in chess. This is the second highest
>>> American title; above him are master.
>> ... and Senior Master, making Expert the third
>> highest American title. Looks like a reporter
>> is just winging it here, shooting in the dark.
>
> GM, IM, M, E. Making him 4th.
>

Expert is not a title - it's a rating class.

--
Kenneth Sloan [email protected]
Computer and Information Sciences +1-205-932-2213
University of Alabama at Birmingham FAX +1-205-934-5473
Birmingham, AL 35294-1170 http://www.cis.uab.edu/sloan/

Date: 12 Oct 2007 17:17:25
From: David Richerby
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

raylopez99 <[email protected] > wrote:
> help bot <[email protected]> wrote:.
>> Um, drinking is not actually an occupation.
>
> It is if you're a professional drinker (wine taster).

Professional wine tasters tend not to drink on the job. If you're
tasting fifty or sixty wines (not unusual), a few sips of each will
leave you in no fit state to do any job.

Dave.

--
David Richerby Radioactive Shack (TM): it's like a
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ house in the woods but it'll make you
glow in the dark!

Date: 12 Oct 2007 01:34:57
From: help bot
Subject: Re: Homeless man is chess king of Washington

[email protected] wrote:

> Tom Murphy, 49, makes what little money he has from teaching his
> prodigious knowledge of the game to passersby for a few dollars.

This reminds me of Jude Acers; although he was
likely a much stronger player.

> "He has the title of expert in chess. This is the second highest
> American title; above him are master.

... and Senior Master, making Expert the third
highest American title. Looks like a reporter
is just winging it here, shooting in the dark.

> So it means he is quite good,"
> said Washington's Chess Center director David Mehler.
>
> A former math and science major and a celebrity among amateurs

I generally take a week of in May to rejoice in
the greatness of this unknown amateur; my
justification is that he just might be distantly
related to Paul /Morphy/.

> Murphy
> has made the Dupont Circle public square America's most prestigious
> chess park after New York's fabled Washington Square, according to
> some chess lovers.
>
> "The mathematical equation has always been fascinating to me, then
> when you add the caaderie, the ambiance, the open air, it's almost
> irresistible," said Murphy, peering over a park chessboard that draws
> players from all walks of life -- students, doctors, lawyers,
> drunkards.

Um, drinking is not actually an occupation.

> Garrulous and brilliant, Murphy, grew up in North Carolina and
> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, two well known chess centers, and
> specializes in a lightning version of chess known as "blitz."
>
> In this accelerated version of the ancient game, players are allowed
> five minutes for all their moves, and the game ends within 10 minutes.
>
> "The appeal of blitz is that, maybe in two or five minutes, I may put
> together a work of art that might last a life time," Murphy said in
> his inimitable style of explaining chess basics.

If that is a chess basic, then I may never advance
beyond the rank of front-row spectator.

> The game, he said consists of "few guiding principles: king safety,
> fight for the center, give every piece a job."
>
> "At blitz he is a very strong player. He has a very fast mind and he
> sees combinations very quickly. He calculates very quickly," said
> Mehler, who has been teaching the board game to underprivileged
> children for 15 years.
>
> Murphy has won several chess tournaments and finished 15th in the 2005
> world blitz championship.

This looks like yet another gaffe; he did finish 15th
in an ordinary blitz tournament held at the World
Open. If that was indeed a "world championship", it
must have been the weakest one on record.

In 1988 Mikhail Tal won a real world blitz championship
ahead of players like OTB champion Gary Kasparov, GM
Karpov, GM Vaganian, etc.

> He's not always down and out, but his addiction to booze often lands
> him on the street.
>
> "The pursuit of the ego versus the pursuit of the spirit are in
> conflict sometimes," he explained. "I enjoy alcohol a little too
> much."
>
> He attends Alcoholic Anonymous meetings and admits, "when I don't
> drink my chess is better."

Perhaps he would do well to study the games of
Mr. Blackburne?

> Murphy aims to get better at chess and rise to the title of master.
>
> "I would dearly love to go on and make my master's rating because
> through that I get a credibility to increase my teaching fee," he
> said.

Looking at the USCF ratings page, I noted that he
seems to be "working on" his blitz rating; now it
seems to me that as a teacher, he ought to prefer
working on his regular, OTB rating, but then, that
might be a hopeless task.

> "There is an upcoming tournament on Thanskgiving (November 22) in
> Philadelphia. That's looking promising," he added.
>
> For now, the homeless chess teacher charges 20 to 30 dollars an hour
> and will match his wits with any rival for two to five dollars per
> game.

I shall notify Mr. Seirawan immediately; there is
more than one way to out-wit the IRS.

> "Grand masters are teaching 100 or 200 bucks (dollars) an hour,
> masters can get at least 50, that's not bad," he said.

How much can a Class A player expect to get?

-- help bot