From Mark Weeks,
No one catches up with Garry Kasparov. In our 2003 tribute, on the occasion of his 40th birthday, we guessed, 'He is certain to play a leading role in the chess world for many years to come.' We were right for the wrong reasons. Five years later, it's time to catch up with the greatest living chess player, who has packed more living into that five year period than most other people pack into a lifetime.
In the year 2003, when we last looked at his chess career, Kasparov was grabbing headlines with two high profile man-machine matches against strong computers: six games against Deep Junior in January and four games against X3D Fritz in November. Both matches were drawn. That same year saw the release of 'Game over: Kasparov and the Machine', a documentary by Vikram Jayanti on the 1997 man-machine match lost by Kasparov against IBM's Deep Blue.
Kasparov was the non-FIDE World Champion at the time of the match and has never accepted that Deep Blue won by any other means than foul play.
June 2003 saw the publication of 'My Great Predecessors Part I', covering the first four World Champions, Steinitz through Alekhine. It was followed the same year by 'Part II', Euwe through Tal. The landmark series, destined to be a classic before it was published, covers the history of each of the first 12 undisputed World Champions through a selection of deeply annotated games and a discussion of important turning points in the players' careers.
Despite his critical and commercial success as an author, all was not rosy in Kasparov's world. After losing his non-FIDE World Champion title to Vladimir Kramnik in 2000, and then finding Kramnik unwilling to arrange a rematch, Kasparov had been pinning his chess future on the outcome of a title reunification plan begun in 2002.
A key component in the reunification process was a match against FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov of the Ukraine. In August 2003, not long after it was reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma would attend the opening ceremony to make the first moves for their compatriots, the match collapsed through no fault of Kasparov's.
FIDE arranged a competition in 2004 with the objective of replacing Ponomariov as FIDE World Champion. This time the title was won by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, a little known player from Uzbekistan. FIDE announced that the Kasparov - Kasimdzhanov would take place at the beginning of 2005, but this collapsed in December 2004.
Kasparov had had enough. In January 2005, he announced his exit from the World Championship cycle.
As for unification, I cannot see an avenue to contribute further. For those who saw me as an obstacle, I will be one no longer. I am not giving up on chess. I will compete as well and as long as I am able to play my brand of chess. I will continue to serve chess and those who love our game. I have now held the no.1 ranking for 20 years and I will defend my position against any opponent. My only retreat is from the battlefield of chess championship politics.
His vow to 'compete as well and as long as I am able to play my brand of chess' lasted less than two months. In March, after winning the annual Linares super grandmaster tournament, and still ranked world no.1, he announced his retirement from professional chess.
It could come as a surprise to many of you. But before this tournament I made a conscious decision that Linares 2005 will be my last professional tournament, and today I played my last professional game. [...] I may play some chess for fun, but it will no longer be professional competitive chess.
Instead of playing professional chess, he intended to finish the 'My Great Predecessors' series, to work on a new book titled 'How Life Imitates Chess', and to 'devote a certain amount of time to Russian politics, as every decent person should do, who opposes the dictator Vladimir Putin'.
Already back in December 2003, on a trip to Denmark, Kasparov had criticized Putin publicly; 'Russia is rapidly turning into a police state. Every week and every month adds more power into President Putin’s hands. Let’s not forget that he was a KGB officer -- and we say there are no ex-KGB officers. He doesn’t know any better, he believes that the country needs, if not a dictatorship, at least a very strong hand, an iron fist.'
Shortly afterwards, he joined other prominent Russian personalities in announcing the formation of 'Committee 2008: Free Choice'. The objective of the movement was to bypass the 2004 election, which Putin was expected to win easily, and oppose him in the 2008 election. Kasparov, as chairman of Committee 2008, continued to speak out against Putin throughout 2004.
I found this article very interesting on Kasparov. You can read more about him here. http://chess.about.com
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Thursday, 24 April 2008
Monday, 21 April 2008
Gender Stereotypes and Style in Chess
Gender Stereotypes and Style in Chess
from the Boston Globe April 20, 2008Uncommon Knowledge: Surprising insights from the social sciences
CHESS IS A man's game. Not only do men vastly outnumber women in competition, but the perception that men are better seems to make women play worse.
After confirming that there is a widely held stereotype - shared by men and women - that men are better at chess, researchers set up a chess tournament on the Internet to match comparably ranked men and women against each other.
When the players were unaware of their opponent's gender, women played just as well as men. When the women were told that they would be playing a man and "that recent studies had shown that men earn clearly superior scores than women in chess games," their performance was cut in half.
Their performance did not suffer if they were told they were playing against another woman, even if they were actually playing a man. The researchers found the women's performance drop was caused by a change in their style of play: they became less confident and aggressive, and more defensive.
Maass, A. et al., "Checkmate? The Role of Gender Stereotypes in the Ultimate Intellectual Sport," European Journal of Social Psychology (March/April 2008).
Check out further articles at http://boylston-chess-club.blogspot.com
from the Boston Globe April 20, 2008Uncommon Knowledge: Surprising insights from the social sciences
CHESS IS A man's game. Not only do men vastly outnumber women in competition, but the perception that men are better seems to make women play worse.
After confirming that there is a widely held stereotype - shared by men and women - that men are better at chess, researchers set up a chess tournament on the Internet to match comparably ranked men and women against each other.
When the players were unaware of their opponent's gender, women played just as well as men. When the women were told that they would be playing a man and "that recent studies had shown that men earn clearly superior scores than women in chess games," their performance was cut in half.
Their performance did not suffer if they were told they were playing against another woman, even if they were actually playing a man. The researchers found the women's performance drop was caused by a change in their style of play: they became less confident and aggressive, and more defensive.
Maass, A. et al., "Checkmate? The Role of Gender Stereotypes in the Ultimate Intellectual Sport," European Journal of Social Psychology (March/April 2008).
Check out further articles at http://boylston-chess-club.blogspot.com
Sunday, 20 April 2008
3D Chess
Join the Discussion : 3D Chess From Mark Weeks.
Coincidence? We've recently had two forum posts touting the advantages of chess played in three dimensions: 3D Chess and 3D Chess Set. • Is chess reaching the point where we should take a serious look at variants? Tell us what you think by posting to our forum or entering a comment right here.
This may be of interest to some of you.
More info at http://chess.about.com/
Coincidence? We've recently had two forum posts touting the advantages of chess played in three dimensions: 3D Chess and 3D Chess Set. • Is chess reaching the point where we should take a serious look at variants? Tell us what you think by posting to our forum or entering a comment right here.
This may be of interest to some of you.
More info at http://chess.about.com/
Saturday, 19 April 2008
ChrissyBear Turns Tail
I have just read this article, and it is pretty interesting.
ChrissyBear Turns Tail
Update on the Thursday Night Swiss, currently running.Paired against sometime expert Jason Rihel, Shabalov-killer Chris Williams was mortally wounded when Jason uncorked the stunning 1. e4! After struggling to a draw in the previous round, Chris was already reeling in this event before this loss. Although Jason had slightly exposed his king by moving its pawn cover, ChrissyBear turned tail and fled, forfeiting the game and incurring the Boylston Chess Club forfeiting penalty.After Eric Godin and Simon Warfield played to a draw, Jason's defeat of the frightened ChrissyBear put him into a tie for first place going into the final round.Update update: (Translation: Jason played e4.! and started Chris's clock. Chris never showed up, and he forfeited. Jason assumes Chris was scared off by his bold play.)
You can check this out and more at http://boylston-chess-club.blogspot.com/ with more of the same, I thought you nice people might like to check it out.
ChrissyBear Turns Tail
Update on the Thursday Night Swiss, currently running.Paired against sometime expert Jason Rihel, Shabalov-killer Chris Williams was mortally wounded when Jason uncorked the stunning 1. e4! After struggling to a draw in the previous round, Chris was already reeling in this event before this loss. Although Jason had slightly exposed his king by moving its pawn cover, ChrissyBear turned tail and fled, forfeiting the game and incurring the Boylston Chess Club forfeiting penalty.After Eric Godin and Simon Warfield played to a draw, Jason's defeat of the frightened ChrissyBear put him into a tie for first place going into the final round.Update update: (Translation: Jason played e4.! and started Chris's clock. Chris never showed up, and he forfeited. Jason assumes Chris was scared off by his bold play.)
You can check this out and more at http://boylston-chess-club.blogspot.com/ with more of the same, I thought you nice people might like to check it out.
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Choosing Materials For Your Chess Set.
Tips for Choosing a Material for Your Chess Set
By Bradford Roegner
With the abundance of options in chess sets, it is easy to become overwhelmed, especially at the delicate pricing point. This article will point out the reasons for price variation on chess sets, for a given l. Of course such choices as size of the chess pieces, the length of the chess board, or thickness will have an overall effect on the price. This article focuses on the relative differences when all such things are held equal.
The first thing that will dictate the price of the chess set is choice of the materials that are used in its production. The most popular options include Metal and Wood. Additionally there are several woods that are available and each will influence the price of the chess set.
Chess pieces that are made from metal are going to be the most expensive, while chess pieces that are made from wood are less expensive, in some cases extraordinarily so. Metal chess pieces are more expensive because of the extra equipment that is needed. The hardness of the metal that are used will force replacement of equipment due to wear faster than wood. Additionally, mining the ore needed for metal is usually more expensive than that of obtaining wood.
Even with choosing wood chess sets, there will lie a large price variation in pricing amongst the possible woods. Sheesham wood, Rosewood and Ebony are the three most popular choices for chess sets. This also their order of increasing cost. Sheesham is a lighter colored brown. It is an excellent choice for chess pieces, with its ability to be carved. Identical sheesham set can be up to 50% less that Rosewood set and 70% less that Ebony. Sheesham pieces are just as beautiful as their counter part, with a warm traditional feel to them.
Rosewood chess sets are then next on the ladder. Rosewood is a darker wood with even darker grain running through it. It is also a harder wood and more difficult to procure. As such, the skill needed to work with rosewood drives the cost higher. The wood varies in color from a Brown to a very deep coffee color, and can be found to have red hints throughout. As such, this wood produces a rich chess set that is a beautiful centerpiece to any chess collection.
Finally there is Ebony. When a player is looking to make a statement in a room or in a match, this is certainly the choice to make. Ebony is a dense hardwood that is difficult to find. The wood will vary in color from dark purple to deep black. Carved, it is a very impressive as chess pieces. Because of how hard it is, creating chess pieces from ebony is something that left to the most skilled of the trade. That, coupled with its rarity and demand causes the ebony chess sets to rise in price. The result is a severe and well heeled chess set.
With all the chess set that are available for purchase, this article was able to provide the guidelines explaining the source of the costs in a chess set. While there is a large range of the prices to choose amongst, a chess set is an investment that will return hours of joy and satisfaction to anyone who empowers them selves to own one.
Bradford Roegner is webmaster for BraRoe Chess Sets He is available to help provide people with the tools to bring chess into their life. You can contact him Bradford@braroechess.com any time with question.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bradford_Roegner
By Bradford Roegner
With the abundance of options in chess sets, it is easy to become overwhelmed, especially at the delicate pricing point. This article will point out the reasons for price variation on chess sets, for a given l. Of course such choices as size of the chess pieces, the length of the chess board, or thickness will have an overall effect on the price. This article focuses on the relative differences when all such things are held equal.
The first thing that will dictate the price of the chess set is choice of the materials that are used in its production. The most popular options include Metal and Wood. Additionally there are several woods that are available and each will influence the price of the chess set.
Chess pieces that are made from metal are going to be the most expensive, while chess pieces that are made from wood are less expensive, in some cases extraordinarily so. Metal chess pieces are more expensive because of the extra equipment that is needed. The hardness of the metal that are used will force replacement of equipment due to wear faster than wood. Additionally, mining the ore needed for metal is usually more expensive than that of obtaining wood.
Even with choosing wood chess sets, there will lie a large price variation in pricing amongst the possible woods. Sheesham wood, Rosewood and Ebony are the three most popular choices for chess sets. This also their order of increasing cost. Sheesham is a lighter colored brown. It is an excellent choice for chess pieces, with its ability to be carved. Identical sheesham set can be up to 50% less that Rosewood set and 70% less that Ebony. Sheesham pieces are just as beautiful as their counter part, with a warm traditional feel to them.
Rosewood chess sets are then next on the ladder. Rosewood is a darker wood with even darker grain running through it. It is also a harder wood and more difficult to procure. As such, the skill needed to work with rosewood drives the cost higher. The wood varies in color from a Brown to a very deep coffee color, and can be found to have red hints throughout. As such, this wood produces a rich chess set that is a beautiful centerpiece to any chess collection.
Finally there is Ebony. When a player is looking to make a statement in a room or in a match, this is certainly the choice to make. Ebony is a dense hardwood that is difficult to find. The wood will vary in color from dark purple to deep black. Carved, it is a very impressive as chess pieces. Because of how hard it is, creating chess pieces from ebony is something that left to the most skilled of the trade. That, coupled with its rarity and demand causes the ebony chess sets to rise in price. The result is a severe and well heeled chess set.
With all the chess set that are available for purchase, this article was able to provide the guidelines explaining the source of the costs in a chess set. While there is a large range of the prices to choose amongst, a chess set is an investment that will return hours of joy and satisfaction to anyone who empowers them selves to own one.
Bradford Roegner is webmaster for BraRoe Chess Sets He is available to help provide people with the tools to bring chess into their life. You can contact him Bradford@braroechess.com any time with question.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bradford_Roegner
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Chess Downloads.
Chess Games For The Computer
By Tom Gosselin
If you fancy a change from playing traditional chess, or you simply can't find an opponent, why not turn to your computer to play chess games on your own?
There is a wealth of chess games available online, ranging from simple two dimensional versions of the classic game up to three dimensional ones where all the playing pieces come alive as you play.
Suitable For All Ages?
There are a number of online games which are aimed at younger players who are learning chess. One is based on Disney's Aladdin, which allows the player to visit different worlds and meet all kinds of characters while learning the rules of chess.
This makes the process of learning much easier to digest for younger players, who can find chess a little hard to understand at first. The extra elements (and the colourful three dimensional game boards) make it much more enjoyable.
Free Downloads
Many sites offer free downloads but sometimes you will only get a limited version of the game to try at home. If you want the full version you will have to buy it, which you can do immediately online if you wish.
For the more advanced player seeking to improve on their game, there are chess games available in which you can pit your wits against the ultimate player. This kind of game acts as a tutorial and teaches you the best moves, making it easier to learn how the game can be played.
Two Views
All computer chess games have one of two views. The first one is the two dimensional overhead game, where you are looking down on the pieces directly from above. The second one is more like a real life game - three dimensional and viewed from behind your chess pieces, as it would be in a real game.
This is more realistic but it can take a little getting used to on the computer screen. You will often find you can adjust the viewing angle to see the board from different positions however. This provides an excellent learning tool as you can get a better idea of how your pieces look to your opponent.
Computer chess games will never replace the excitement of playing a real live opponent, but if you are struggling to find good players to learn from, your computer could be the best chess player you've ever known.
As long as it has the right software.
Tom Gosselin is a chess enthusiast who created http://www.unique-chess-sets.com/ as a resource site for those interested in learning and playing chess.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Gosselin
By Tom Gosselin
If you fancy a change from playing traditional chess, or you simply can't find an opponent, why not turn to your computer to play chess games on your own?
There is a wealth of chess games available online, ranging from simple two dimensional versions of the classic game up to three dimensional ones where all the playing pieces come alive as you play.
Suitable For All Ages?
There are a number of online games which are aimed at younger players who are learning chess. One is based on Disney's Aladdin, which allows the player to visit different worlds and meet all kinds of characters while learning the rules of chess.
This makes the process of learning much easier to digest for younger players, who can find chess a little hard to understand at first. The extra elements (and the colourful three dimensional game boards) make it much more enjoyable.
Free Downloads
Many sites offer free downloads but sometimes you will only get a limited version of the game to try at home. If you want the full version you will have to buy it, which you can do immediately online if you wish.
For the more advanced player seeking to improve on their game, there are chess games available in which you can pit your wits against the ultimate player. This kind of game acts as a tutorial and teaches you the best moves, making it easier to learn how the game can be played.
Two Views
All computer chess games have one of two views. The first one is the two dimensional overhead game, where you are looking down on the pieces directly from above. The second one is more like a real life game - three dimensional and viewed from behind your chess pieces, as it would be in a real game.
This is more realistic but it can take a little getting used to on the computer screen. You will often find you can adjust the viewing angle to see the board from different positions however. This provides an excellent learning tool as you can get a better idea of how your pieces look to your opponent.
Computer chess games will never replace the excitement of playing a real live opponent, but if you are struggling to find good players to learn from, your computer could be the best chess player you've ever known.
As long as it has the right software.
Tom Gosselin is a chess enthusiast who created http://www.unique-chess-sets.com/ as a resource site for those interested in learning and playing chess.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Gosselin
Decorative Chess Sets.
Chess Game Pieces
By Eddie Tobey
The game of Chess contains two sets of 16 pieces, made up of one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and eight pawns -- all having distinct positions on the board. Chess pieces have always been crafted in various styles and materials, giving them not just game value but also a decorative worth.
The latest traditional pieces are very are beautifully carved with intricate and elegant details. These chess pieces are triple weighted, providing a rich feel with excellent balance. The extra wide and oversized profile makes them amazingly striking and excellent for play. They are made in various types of woods such as rosewood and boxwood, red sandalwood and boxwood, ebony and boxwood and even bud rosewood and boxwood.
There is outstanding range of chess pieces in metal and brass. These chess pieces are eloquently sculptured, and beautifully combined with wood. Chess pieces in metal and brass are marvelously crafted, in patterns of different themes such as Egyptian Chess pieces, Samurai Chess pieces, Lansquenet Chess pieces, Napoleon chess pieces, Roman emperor chess pieces, Small Carnelot chess pieces, and Barbarians chess pieces. The theme chess pieces are also hand painted, making them look exquisite and awe-inspiring.
The latest chess pieces are made in plastic that are used for tournaments. These chess pieces are available in combinations of black and ivory, red and ivory, black and caramel and burgundy and caramel. The plastic chess pieces are made from a durable solid plastic and are virtually indestructible. The chess pieces are single weighted and padded with green field paper for balance. These pieces are predominantly used in high-end chess clubs and for international tournaments.
Special Chess pieces are made with a magnetic base, mainly used during travel. Creativity and art has reached its reach peak as far as making of chess pieces are concerned. Many chess pieces are sculptured so finely that they are treasured as family heirlooms.
Chess Game provides detailed information on Chess Game, Free Chess Game, Online Chess Games, Free Chess Game Downloads and more. Chess Game is affiliated with Glass Chess Sets.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eddie_Tobey
By Eddie Tobey
The game of Chess contains two sets of 16 pieces, made up of one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and eight pawns -- all having distinct positions on the board. Chess pieces have always been crafted in various styles and materials, giving them not just game value but also a decorative worth.
The latest traditional pieces are very are beautifully carved with intricate and elegant details. These chess pieces are triple weighted, providing a rich feel with excellent balance. The extra wide and oversized profile makes them amazingly striking and excellent for play. They are made in various types of woods such as rosewood and boxwood, red sandalwood and boxwood, ebony and boxwood and even bud rosewood and boxwood.
There is outstanding range of chess pieces in metal and brass. These chess pieces are eloquently sculptured, and beautifully combined with wood. Chess pieces in metal and brass are marvelously crafted, in patterns of different themes such as Egyptian Chess pieces, Samurai Chess pieces, Lansquenet Chess pieces, Napoleon chess pieces, Roman emperor chess pieces, Small Carnelot chess pieces, and Barbarians chess pieces. The theme chess pieces are also hand painted, making them look exquisite and awe-inspiring.
The latest chess pieces are made in plastic that are used for tournaments. These chess pieces are available in combinations of black and ivory, red and ivory, black and caramel and burgundy and caramel. The plastic chess pieces are made from a durable solid plastic and are virtually indestructible. The chess pieces are single weighted and padded with green field paper for balance. These pieces are predominantly used in high-end chess clubs and for international tournaments.
Special Chess pieces are made with a magnetic base, mainly used during travel. Creativity and art has reached its reach peak as far as making of chess pieces are concerned. Many chess pieces are sculptured so finely that they are treasured as family heirlooms.
Chess Game provides detailed information on Chess Game, Free Chess Game, Online Chess Games, Free Chess Game Downloads and more. Chess Game is affiliated with Glass Chess Sets.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eddie_Tobey
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