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The Games of Boris Spassky – Part VII – Spassky’s Immortal Game

by IM Holland Mills | Recreation & Sports

Known as the Match Of The Century two years prior to Spassky’s defense of his title against Fischer, the USSR v The Rest of the World match held in Belgrade during the spring of 1970 was a truly unique event featuring four rounds of play on ten boards involving two dozen of the best grandmasters of the time.

The World Championship was firmly in Soviet hands since 1948, so half of the Soviet team held the title: Spassky, Tigran Petrosian, Mikhail Tal, Vasily Smyslov and Mikhail Botvinnik. As reigning champion, Spassky played on the top board facing Bent Larsen whose string of recent successes elevated him to first board over the until recently inactive Fischer.

Brattleboro District 3/9 Forum

by fidel | Activism

REMINDER

District 9 forum to discuss the revised Brattleboro budget to be considered at the Special Representative Town Meeting:

Wednesday 14 May, 7 pm, Community Room, Brooks Memorial Library

Heat Fund Update

by RDavis | Activism

The 20th year of the Windham County Heat Fund has made it clear that we need to maintain our efforts. The need is growing. When Daryl Pillsbury and I started the fund we thought it would only need to continue for a few years because the cost of home heating fuel was so high. We quickly learned that the cost of fuel was not the most important factor in the equation.

As the United States economy has widened the gap between the have’s and have not’s average Americans struggle to pay their bills. Paying for fuel to heat their homes often takes a back seat to paying the rent, buying food and medicine and paying for other basic necessities.

Our goal has always been to raise $50,000 a year and we exceeded that this year. Over the past 20 years we have raised over one million dollars and provided help in about 2000 cases, whether individuals or families.

Please Feed the Bees Instead of Mowing Your Lawn! Happy Bee-Mommy Day!

by Cris Ericson | Home & Garden

Daisy and I are not mowing our lawn as long as there are dandelions, wild strawberries and other wild ground cover the BEES need for food! I never had children and like many women I was bruised by Vice President J.D. Vance’s remark, before he was elected V.P., calling women with no kids “childless cat ladies” or something like that, so, after sending flowers on social media to women family and friends who did have children, then, I declared today “Happy Bee-Mommy Day” for all the childless cat ladies like me, even though Daisy is a dog!

A Moment for John Carnahan

by cgrotke | Obituaries
John Carnahan at EOM

John Carnahan was one of the first true Brattleboro folks I got to know. He and I worked together with many others to bring the Estey Organ Museum to life.

John had great knowledge of Brattleboro and Vermont history, and seemed to know just about everyone.

He politely corrected me when, early on, I would mention the city of Brattleboro. “”Brattleboro is a town.”

The Problem With Real ID With An Affidavit of Fact

by PeytonE | Activism

The Real Id was created on the basis of the recommendations of the 9/11 commission, or so DHS tells us, and TSA as well. But did the 9/11 commission actually recommend search of all Americans, and a national ID  with unilateral biometric surveillance and control in mind?

Here is an Affidavit of fact style statement of ONE of the issues with Read ID, more to follow soon.

Rain On His Parade

by RDavis | Activism

The time has come for the protesters of the current administration to take it to the next level. There have been marches on Washington over the years and they have had some degree of effect, while sending messages that need to be heard from loud voices.

The difference in 2025 is that there is more at stake than ever before. Trump is quickly transforming our democracy into an oligarchy that will eventually become a dictatorship if there is no massive pushback. It is worth repeating that not enough legislators in congress are willing to fight against the new king. If they don’t kiss his ring they are subject to vindictive retribution.

April 2025 Precipitation Report

by local | Nature

A little wetter than average April with cool weather in the first half but warmer days in the second half. Measured 4.62″ this month with measurable moisture on 17 of 30 days compared to the normal of 3.85″.  For the calendar year my number is 14.54″ compared to the NOAA average of 13.97″.

Also recorded 2.7″ of snow, bringing the season total to 54.5″. My snow average is 62.6″ per season.  All numbers are from my location in the SE corner of Brattleboro and do vary with location.

The Games of Boris Spassky – Part VI – Fischer-Spassky 1992 Game 5

by IM Holland Mills | Recreation & Sports

The 1992 Fischer-Spassky match was a race to ten wins; if tied at 9, the match would be abandoned as “undecided”.  After four games both players had one win; Fischer opted for “Spanish Torture”, improving on move 18 in a position where he strayed badly in game 3.  Spassky defended an inferior position well, and a series of slips by Fischer allowed 25… f5!! which turned the tide towards Black.

The ensuing fireworks produced an extra rook for Spassky, giving him a 2-1 lead in the match; in the postgame press conference he said “I may be an old lion, but don’t put your head in my mouth, or I’ll bite it off.”

The Next Step

by RDavis | Activism

Outrage and anger. Many Americans are feeling things that make them feel powerless to change. The talking heads are telling us what we already know. The Trump administration is ignoring the legal system and defying any constitutional restraints that a moral and ethical administration would respect. The dictator is firmly in place and no one is willing to make him accountable.

Can the people of this country figure out a way to stop the madness, to force a madman who has become completely intoxicated with power to follow the rule of law? Every day we wake up to a new assault on our freedom. The rest of the world looks at the U.S. and realizes that we are in turmoil and that we have become vulnerable to economic assault. The measures that Trump is putting in place are hurting Americans the most.

Expressing My Gratitude

by Norsehorse | Health

Since having been diagnosed with, among other things, a malignant cancerous colon tumor while at CVMC for two full weeks late last year, I have been the recipient of a priceless wealth of kind and generous encouragement as well as support that has taken many forms, including deliveries of food (e.g., freshly homemade omelets and scrambled eggs as well as, recently, breakfast and a half dozen donuts from the Wayside Restaurant and so on).

This is what I term as going the gracious extra mile and beyond.
 
Everyone who has done so, has my deepest gratitude.

Hands Off March in the Rain in Brattleboro

by local | Activism

A good size crowd (estimated at near 2000 by the Reformer) met at the Center Congregational Church on Main St.  There they listened to Rep. Becca Balint speak, then walked to the Town Common For more speeches.  It was a loud but civil crowd.  All on a rainy day.

Political Murder

by RDavis | Activism

Over six million Americans who rely on federal government fuel assistance to heat their homes or pay electric bills to fend off extreme heat may have to find another way to pay for things that keep them alive. The government office that administers the LIHEAP (Low Income Energy Assistance Program) has been gutted and all of the staff have been fired.

Theoretically, the money still exists to meet people’s needs but there will be no way to get that money to people. The bottom line is that if this program doesn’t do what it has done in past years a lot of people are going to suffer and die. This kind of action by the Trump administration is nothing short of murder.