This week's FunMasterMike Fun Moment comes at the expense of a future friend. It just goes to show you that even though you are trying to beat someone at the chess board, you can still be friends with that person in real life.
Long before my opponent would go on to become a fellow chess journalist like me (actually, he was first!), we played as kids at the 1994 U.S. Open in Chicago.
I found out later his teammates prepared him to play me. They told him to form a "cup" of pawns in the center: c5, d6, e6, f5. Never heard of a "cup"? Yeah, neither had I! It goes to show you that just because you haven't heard of a chess idea, doesn't mean you have to be afraid of it!
The key idea for me was getting a "head start" in the pawn race. When the kings castled on opposite sides, I was way off the starting line!
PinkHamster has two more excellent examples of the race. Watch part 1 and part 2!
See you next Wednesday for "FunMasterMike's Most Fun Moments!"