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The Chess Mind Blog to Cease
July 26, 2019
The Chess Mind blog of Dennis Monokroussos is to cease.
This was posted one week ago:
OBSCURE BLOGGER TO BECOME EVEN MORE OBSCURE
FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019 AT 9:31PM
This began back in January of 2005, and here we are in July of 2019, 14 and a half years later. Many of my students weren't even alive when I started this blog. I have no idea as to how many posts I've written, but I've uploaded about 7500 games, and annotated around 5700 of them. That's a lot of time and effort.
The blog began as a way of sharing what was new in the chess world, presenting the sort of information I hoped to find when browsing the chess web, but rarely did. This meant chess news and annotated games, but a good deal more - there was more of an informal feel in those early years, and as a younger guy I had more energy and fewer responsibilities to handle. It was also new and exciting, and I threw myself into it, often posting 5-7 times a day.
I still feel satisfied when posting a well-crafted entry, but the increasingly rapid treadmill of elite events is harder to keep up with, and - unlike the situation when I first started - there are plenty of others who are doing a fine job of it. There are also other things happening in my life to which I'd like to give more attention, without having a little voice in the back of my head asking when I'm going to catch up on my coverage of this or that event.
So, dear readers, this is it...kind of. I'm considering selling the database of all the games (with the annotations), if there's any interest, and I'm also thinking of selling a bunch of my chess books. (Not all of them, but a pretty fair number of them.) You guys will get dibs on them. And I'll throw in another pitch for chess lessons - catch me here while you can (send me a note via the Contact link if you're interested). So there will still be a little bit of this and that as we close up shop, but this is just about the end. (Never say never, so who knows, but that's the plan.)
To head off any conjectures or concerns: my health is fine (as far as I know), nor is this precipitated by something terrible happening in my private life. I'm just moving on to other things, grateful for the experience of having blogged for all these years, and for the interactions I've had with many of you. Thanks a bunch, everyone, and I'll hopefully see many of you elsewhere: at live events or on chess servers, for example. I'm still doing videos on ChessLecture.com, and maybe someday I'll do videos on YouTube or try streaming on Twitch, but no guarantees.
Thanks again, everyone. God bless you.
http://www.thechessmind.net
Comments by readers on the site
- Thank you for your efforts over the years, Dennis. Despite being very moderate at chess (35 yrs old, 1400, few signs of improvement) I follow high-level chess coverage quite intensely, believing it to be somehow personally and societally improving, and your blog has always been my first port of call. Actually, I've followed your stuff since chessvideo tv days. Your measured authority on the cognitive explosion which is professional chess has been a delight. Thanks again
- Intelligence, erudition, humor, humility, and a passion for chess (and ND football).
You've done great work here. I'll miss it immensely. Thank you so very much and best wishes.
- A sad day Dennis - you've long been the only chess blog I've had the inclination or time to read. You've always had an eye for the eclectic as well as providing superb game analysis. You will be missed but many thanks.
- Oh gosh. I am so sad. You and Mig were two favorite bloggers... with Mig being gone for years... you have been the best chess material on the internet for almost a decade. I don't even know what I will read with your blog gone! I was hoping for a very long time that you would be able to find a way to monetize this blog and really make its longevity worth your while... that's why I have always tried to make annual donation... I know it has been small but I don't have much. I just wanted to show my appreciation and encourage you to keep up your hard effort!
- Thanks. Your blog was an almost daily read, and I will miss it, especially the funny ND sports takes and the occasional philosophical/religious tangents.
- Thanks for all the years of education, entertainment and encouragement. I became a huge fan of yours from the Playchess server years ago and have continued to read your blogs. Years ago, you challenged me to continue working on my tactics. Although I spend more time bass fishing and don't play many games anymore, I still solve a few tactics every day to keep that part of my chess brain alive.
Good luck as you move forward and maybe Bama and Notre Dame can meet in the Championship this year.
- You will be greatly missed. This is the only blog I found always interesting because of the content and the comments. I still think your postings on Chessbase were the most enjoyable, intelligible, and professionally done. The last time this blog went on a hiatus, I looked at dozens of other blogs to replace it and found nothing in comparison.
Thanks for all the wonderful chess to presented to your followers. May your future endeavors all be successful.
- Dennis,
I was fortunate to be one of the people you consulted when the idea of starting a blog entered your head. I am happy to say that I encouraged you to start and I have been reaping the rewards until now. You will be missed but I fully understand. The amount of uncompensated work you have done for the joy of chess is formidable.
You are correct that unlike when you started there are multiple sources of chess information. It is as if the evil genie granted fans their wish. Everywhere you turn there is 'must watch/read chess information.' It is too much.
I am certain you will put your newly found free time to use - even if it is only to relax.
- Wishing you the very best, Dennis. I think I can be ranked amongst your oldest readers. Not sure, but have been reading/commenting since around 2006-7.
Definitely remember closely following the coverage during all those Anand wc matches (gosh already almost a decade since Sofia?!)
Anyway, once again, all best wishes, and take care!
- The Chess Mind has been a part of my daily life since its very early years. Taking a little break from work, getting a fresh cup of coffee and checking out the latest post from Dennis ... I will miss it. Thank you for all these years of shared chess enjoyment.
- I don't know how long I've followed this blog. It's at least been since its first incarnation--maybe 10 years? I've read or checked it every day (largely through a third-party app), and it has been my primary conduit to the chess world. I've found the news succinct and informative, with the little editorializing to be clear and insightful, while having no small share of wit. The book reviews were clear and the articles about chess players always fresh.
- I don't even really play chess more the g/10 at lunchtime, but I've still looked here first thing ever morning. A lot has happened in the chess world in that time, and you've always been there with news, commentary, and analysis. Thanks for being so committed to this blog and your readers. I will miss it but I hope you enjoy being free of the constant stream of chess events, not to mention, get other work done.
- please allow me to echo the sentiments of other longtime fans and lurkers of your blog. while i haven't been an active commenter, this blog has been a key resource in my chess fandom, and a standard stop in my daily internet routine. in fact, chessmind has been prominent on my browser shortcut bar for well over a decade. your love of tal, as well as all the associated chess videos and annotations you made on him and other luminaries of chess history and chess present, were instrumental in stoking my love of chess. so, once again, thank you for everything you've done, and for all that you've given us over the years here. best of luck to you as you shift your focus moving forward!
- Wow - this feels like losing a member of the family. From the early days where I'd check out your blog every day looking for the latest updates to ordering your video analysis during world championships to these days where I don't expect output from you everyday but still come back for the content, I have enjoyed all the work you've put in. Most of all, I have appreciated your comments on the state of chess as well as on the flow of individual tournament games. You always have an opinion that is your own and always considered and considerate - attributes that are becoming ever so rare in modern life
July 26, 2019
The Chess Mind blog of Dennis Monokroussos is to cease.
This was posted one week ago:
OBSCURE BLOGGER TO BECOME EVEN MORE OBSCURE
FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019 AT 9:31PM
This began back in January of 2005, and here we are in July of 2019, 14 and a half years later. Many of my students weren't even alive when I started this blog. I have no idea as to how many posts I've written, but I've uploaded about 7500 games, and annotated around 5700 of them. That's a lot of time and effort.
The blog began as a way of sharing what was new in the chess world, presenting the sort of information I hoped to find when browsing the chess web, but rarely did. This meant chess news and annotated games, but a good deal more - there was more of an informal feel in those early years, and as a younger guy I had more energy and fewer responsibilities to handle. It was also new and exciting, and I threw myself into it, often posting 5-7 times a day.
I still feel satisfied when posting a well-crafted entry, but the increasingly rapid treadmill of elite events is harder to keep up with, and - unlike the situation when I first started - there are plenty of others who are doing a fine job of it. There are also other things happening in my life to which I'd like to give more attention, without having a little voice in the back of my head asking when I'm going to catch up on my coverage of this or that event.
So, dear readers, this is it...kind of. I'm considering selling the database of all the games (with the annotations), if there's any interest, and I'm also thinking of selling a bunch of my chess books. (Not all of them, but a pretty fair number of them.) You guys will get dibs on them. And I'll throw in another pitch for chess lessons - catch me here while you can (send me a note via the Contact link if you're interested). So there will still be a little bit of this and that as we close up shop, but this is just about the end. (Never say never, so who knows, but that's the plan.)
To head off any conjectures or concerns: my health is fine (as far as I know), nor is this precipitated by something terrible happening in my private life. I'm just moving on to other things, grateful for the experience of having blogged for all these years, and for the interactions I've had with many of you. Thanks a bunch, everyone, and I'll hopefully see many of you elsewhere: at live events or on chess servers, for example. I'm still doing videos on ChessLecture.com, and maybe someday I'll do videos on YouTube or try streaming on Twitch, but no guarantees.
Thanks again, everyone. God bless you.
http://www.thechessmind.net
Comments by readers on the site
- Thank you for your efforts over the years, Dennis. Despite being very moderate at chess (35 yrs old, 1400, few signs of improvement) I follow high-level chess coverage quite intensely, believing it to be somehow personally and societally improving, and your blog has always been my first port of call. Actually, I've followed your stuff since chessvideo tv days. Your measured authority on the cognitive explosion which is professional chess has been a delight. Thanks again
- Intelligence, erudition, humor, humility, and a passion for chess (and ND football).
You've done great work here. I'll miss it immensely. Thank you so very much and best wishes.
- A sad day Dennis - you've long been the only chess blog I've had the inclination or time to read. You've always had an eye for the eclectic as well as providing superb game analysis. You will be missed but many thanks.
- Oh gosh. I am so sad. You and Mig were two favorite bloggers... with Mig being gone for years... you have been the best chess material on the internet for almost a decade. I don't even know what I will read with your blog gone! I was hoping for a very long time that you would be able to find a way to monetize this blog and really make its longevity worth your while... that's why I have always tried to make annual donation... I know it has been small but I don't have much. I just wanted to show my appreciation and encourage you to keep up your hard effort!
- Thanks. Your blog was an almost daily read, and I will miss it, especially the funny ND sports takes and the occasional philosophical/religious tangents.
- Thanks for all the years of education, entertainment and encouragement. I became a huge fan of yours from the Playchess server years ago and have continued to read your blogs. Years ago, you challenged me to continue working on my tactics. Although I spend more time bass fishing and don't play many games anymore, I still solve a few tactics every day to keep that part of my chess brain alive.
Good luck as you move forward and maybe Bama and Notre Dame can meet in the Championship this year.
- You will be greatly missed. This is the only blog I found always interesting because of the content and the comments. I still think your postings on Chessbase were the most enjoyable, intelligible, and professionally done. The last time this blog went on a hiatus, I looked at dozens of other blogs to replace it and found nothing in comparison.
Thanks for all the wonderful chess to presented to your followers. May your future endeavors all be successful.
- Dennis,
I was fortunate to be one of the people you consulted when the idea of starting a blog entered your head. I am happy to say that I encouraged you to start and I have been reaping the rewards until now. You will be missed but I fully understand. The amount of uncompensated work you have done for the joy of chess is formidable.
You are correct that unlike when you started there are multiple sources of chess information. It is as if the evil genie granted fans their wish. Everywhere you turn there is 'must watch/read chess information.' It is too much.
I am certain you will put your newly found free time to use - even if it is only to relax.
- Wishing you the very best, Dennis. I think I can be ranked amongst your oldest readers. Not sure, but have been reading/commenting since around 2006-7.
Definitely remember closely following the coverage during all those Anand wc matches (gosh already almost a decade since Sofia?!)
Anyway, once again, all best wishes, and take care!
- The Chess Mind has been a part of my daily life since its very early years. Taking a little break from work, getting a fresh cup of coffee and checking out the latest post from Dennis ... I will miss it. Thank you for all these years of shared chess enjoyment.
- I don't know how long I've followed this blog. It's at least been since its first incarnation--maybe 10 years? I've read or checked it every day (largely through a third-party app), and it has been my primary conduit to the chess world. I've found the news succinct and informative, with the little editorializing to be clear and insightful, while having no small share of wit. The book reviews were clear and the articles about chess players always fresh.
- I don't even really play chess more the g/10 at lunchtime, but I've still looked here first thing ever morning. A lot has happened in the chess world in that time, and you've always been there with news, commentary, and analysis. Thanks for being so committed to this blog and your readers. I will miss it but I hope you enjoy being free of the constant stream of chess events, not to mention, get other work done.
- please allow me to echo the sentiments of other longtime fans and lurkers of your blog. while i haven't been an active commenter, this blog has been a key resource in my chess fandom, and a standard stop in my daily internet routine. in fact, chessmind has been prominent on my browser shortcut bar for well over a decade. your love of tal, as well as all the associated chess videos and annotations you made on him and other luminaries of chess history and chess present, were instrumental in stoking my love of chess. so, once again, thank you for everything you've done, and for all that you've given us over the years here. best of luck to you as you shift your focus moving forward!
- Wow - this feels like losing a member of the family. From the early days where I'd check out your blog every day looking for the latest updates to ordering your video analysis during world championships to these days where I don't expect output from you everyday but still come back for the content, I have enjoyed all the work you've put in. Most of all, I have appreciated your comments on the state of chess as well as on the flow of individual tournament games. You always have an opinion that is your own and always considered and considerate - attributes that are becoming ever so rare in modern life
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