May 15 2009
The Big 1000
No, this is not our 1000th post, nor did we just make $1000 off the site. I found an article in an old fitness magazine I had lying around. It was about doing 1000 reps of a single exercise (push ups, sit ups, bench presses, etc) in one work out. I am interested in giving it a try, however I know that I can’t do that many push ups in one work out, and doubtful even in one day. The idea crossed my mind to challenge you readers to see how long it takes to do 1000 push ups. Feel free to post below how many push ups you do as you do them. Kevan, Chad, Robert, Dad, Greg, Alan, I dare you all to compete. First person to reach 1000 wins.
Now, back to my goals. People who know me know that I am really into chess. In fact, one of the first ten goals was about chess. When I started putting together this list, I had several goals about chess. I ended up getting rid of a few because they were repetitious. Like playing in the US Open (I’ve listed a couple different tournaments already) and playing against Hikaru Nakamura (I’ve listed enough different people I want to play with). I think that the seven goals I kept are enough to represent that facet of my life and my dreams.
11) Win the Virginia Open – The Virginia Open is a chess tournament that I have gone to a couple times. It happens every January. Both of the times that I played, I lost every game. While I did learn something from those loses, I also realized that losing sucks. After the last tournament I decided to quit competing until I got better at chess. I plan on attending the one next January. By doing what I mentioned in goal 6, I should have improved my skills considerably and might be able to win some rounds, if not all of them. It will be my triumphant return to the world of chess.
12) Play a game against Gata Kamsky and
13) Play a game against Susan Polgar – I’m going to talk about both of these goals together. Gata Kamsky is currently the highest ranked chess player in the United States and Susan Polgar is one of the highest ranked players in the world. Both of them have competed in various international tournaments, included the World Championship. It would be an honor to have a chance to put my soon-to-be-improved game up against their championship level game. I don’t expect to beat either of them, but it should be a learning experience.
14) Play a game against Josh Waitzkin and spar against him – Josh Waitzkin has been a hero of mine. He was a chess prodigy. He was the US under 18 champion three years in a row and was on the verge of becoming a grand master when he quit playing chess professionally. The movie Searching for Bobby Fischer was a dramatization of his childhood. He has since started practicing pushing hands tai chi and has won several tournaments. I would like to be able to test my skills both over the board and on the mat against him.
15) Get a grand master norm in the Gibraltar Open – I have read about the Gibraltar Open several times in Chess Life (a monthly chess magazine). It has been something of my dream tournament. It happens at the end of January or the beginning of February and it seems that everyone goes there to get grand master norms (a grand master norm is a requirement to become a grand master in chess. You have to play in tournaments against grand masters from different countries and receive favorable results). Many of the prominent chess players compete there, including Irena Krush. Which leads me to my next goal…
16) Go on a date with Irena Krush – if I’m lucky, I will have a chance to meet her at the Gibraltar Open. Irena is a rising star in the chess world. The twenty-five year old international master first got a name for herself on the message boards during the Kasparov vs. the world match where she demonstrated considerable analytical skills as everyone discussed the next moves. She’s been on the cover of Chess Life a couple times. The last issue I saw her in was about her earning a grand master norm in the Gibraltar Open.
18) Play in the World Championship – I think this goal might be one of the hardest to achieve and I’m not sure I should even include it on the list, but it does give me something very high to shoot for. To play in the World Championship you have to be one of the best players in the world. I would have to be able to beat Kamsky and Polgar and any other player I have mentioned. I will keep practicing my game and see how far I can go. Maybe you’ll see me on the cover of Chess Life after I beat Anand.
