Modern Architecture and Chess

A view from inside MIT's Stata Center.

A message from Mothers Against Drunk Chessplaying

With New Year's Eve upon us, a public service announcement seems appropriate -- a tragic story about the dangers of mixing alcohol and chess:

But one thing I learned, don't play drunk chess, especially when you don't have proper shot glasses.

See also "How to Play Chess With Beer".

Velvet G's Chess Photostream

Mounting Forces - War - Check

Very cool!

Chess, Personality and Madness revisited

In my post on Chess, Personality and Madness, I posed the hypothesis that "Playing chess doesn't turn one into a 'difficult case', but rather 'difficult cases' are more likely to be attracted to chess." Richard Feynmann offers his take:

I have to say I completely agree when taking myself as the entire population. I am a difficult case. I speak my mind with disregard for the consequences (I'm usually aware that what I say is controversial but don't normally care), I have little time for the needs of others and am generally considered to be inconsiderate ... all charges to which I plead guilty ... it sounds arrogant to admit that I have these faults and to then follow it up by saying "I don't care" but I really don't care as I have no interest in spending my time tiptoeing around people ... I barely have enough time for my interests as it is! So in answer to DG's question ... I'd say yes difficult cases are attracted to chess and I think the reason is that you have to be difficult to get anywhere as chess absorbs life for those who get seriously involved!

Those who know the grip it takes once you get involved in the game know that the rest of life pales into insignificance ... and I think one reason why it's only difficult people who get that far is that difficult people tend to have unfulfilling personal lives and thus have little to counter the appeal of chess. Again referring to my own case I plead guilty to that ... I had friends at one point, I had a social life, I had hope for my career ... now all I want to do is study weak squares ...

See also "Watch Richard Feynmann go mad - Live!".

Chess - it's a killer game?

Marianne at whywhywhy.net mentions that chess was the favorite game of several serial killers. Unfortunately she doesn't provide any names or sources.

Does anyone have any specific knowledge on this topic?

Chess in Tucson

Courtesy of the The Arizona Daily Star.

Chess Knights - Borders, 5870 E. Broadway. A chess challenge for players of any skill level. Boards and pieces provided. 6 p.m. Mondays. Free. 584-0111.

Is chess the ultimate metaphor?

I posted awhile back on the use of the term "chess piece" to describe Ukraine's current geopolitical status. But there seems to be no end to the metaphorical use of chess in describing politics, war, life, in fact - just about anything. Particularly popular is the use of "pawn(s)" to describe a person or group who is unaware, controlled, being duped, left out of the loop, etc.

Here is a typical example from Froggy Ruminations' post "Usama bin Laden is NOT Dead":

....But at some point, muslims are going to have to realize that they are acting as pawns in a global chess game being played by a handful of despotic psychopaths who are all too willing to sacrifice them in what will clearly be a losing effort.

Here is another example, on the topic of Marxism by Diplomad:

It's a call to keep certain people as either an ethnic curio on the shelf for the enjoyment of European and North American anthropologists or, equally vile, as exploitable pawns for the use of political activists.

And in a post entitled "Rumsfeld's Gambit", the So-Called Austin Mayor states:

It seems the wing-nuts were wrong to consider Spc. Wilson a pawn of the liberal media. He's actually a pawn of the Bush administration -- just like all the other troops in Iraq.

Fireplace Chess

The last move was ...Qh2#.

Play chess at the bank

Someone hacks a German ATM and turns it into a chess computer.

Link - Pictures - Hat Tip: RootSecure.net

Close-Up Chess

Link

The newest Knight

Don Q's entourage on the de la Maza quest continues to grow. Give a big BCF welcome to Pawn Sensei - The Chess Wanderer.

In his most recent post, Sensei informed us that he "woke up with a killer sore throat and a headache." Let's hope he isn't following the same path as the Orange Knight.

Simpson's Chess

Link

Before it's too late

As we get older, we often become fodder for the youngsters on their way up the rating ranks. I've heard many a complaint about games lost to under-rated juniors. I, however, have generally taken a different view on this phenomenon. I choose to relish those times when I've caught these youngsters early in their development and showed them a lesson or two (or at least didn't lose).

I might have trouble today in a game against the likes of Noah Pang, but several years ago I schooled him in the Vienna. While I'm sure he has long since forgotten the game, I haven't! And then there was my only encounter with Josh Friedel back when he was a B-player. While I only managed a draw in a Ruy Lopez - Schliemann, what I remember most is that thanks to some strange last round pairings I managed to win the tournament a half-point ahead of him. It's these memories of small victories that keep us going as we grey.

What brought back these images today? This piece by Waddling Thunder on his long ago encounter with Hikaru Nakamura (unfortunately for him, not as pleasant a memory).

Chess Dream

From Kenna's Live Journal:

Had that dream segment where I was playing chess with giant flamingos as the chess pieces again...it seems to be a repeating segue segment...very bizarre.

I wonder what Freud would say (if he weren't dead, that is).

Another version of...

...chessboxing. Here's the original form.

Do you want to be a film star?

"Chess Game"

SVA student film directed by award-winning student filmmaker Mike Capone. Two exes meet by chance in a coffeehouse. They seek closure in a clash of wills. “Chess Game” is a character-driven script which will give actors the chance to display a broad range of emotions. We will be shooting over a long weekend in late January on Long Island. No pay, but copy/ credit/ transportation/ housing provided. SAG waiver is available. If interested, please submit a copy of your digital portfolio to this casting director.

Courtesy of Elite Casting Network.

One person's junk is another's treasure

Team Birkhead is psyched about receiving that same Red Sox-Yankees chess set. There's only one problem:

Neither of us wants to be the Yankees...

That's what gift certificates are for

Rich Maclone was obviously hoping for something else for Christmas:

What do you do with the gift that you hate? It's a conundrum that much is sure....

I ... got a Red Sox-Yankees chess set. What am I supposed to do with that. I don't play chess and none of my friends play chess. I guess I could set it up like a display item, but then the kids are going to grab the pieces and I'll be stepping on rooks and queens and killing my feet and it will be a bad scene.

First rule of chess club...

DO NOT TALK ABOUT CHESS CLUB!

When the kids are more mature than the parents

What is it about grade-school chess articles that bring out the worst in some people? Chess [news] stories ... bring out of the apparent woodwork upset readers from what some have called “the cutthroat world” of K-12 chess.

....I anticipated some negative feedback, and got it, but didn't expect to hear things along the lines of: "My child is better than that child" or "Why wasn't my child listed in the story?" and "So-and-so did well because they had a handicap."

Read "Chess stories bring out competitive emotions" from The Brownsville Herald.