Chess Around the Net

Funny story about Bob Baladan

Balaban says he was browsing through chess books at the tournament hotel
when he posed a question to a woman he didn’t recognize.“I said, ‘Do you read any of Susan Polgar’s books?’ ‘No,’ she said. ‘I write them.’ ”

"The ICL says it will increase fines and penalties against chess 'goons'" ... click to read entire article ... very funny!

It looks like this blogger is intent on explaining all the openings. It has potential.

You may have seen this before, but here is a cool site where you can play chess and watch the computer think ... you'll be amused.

Interesting read about chess. Has anyone seen this chess set before?

There once was a Soviet chess set manufactured in porcelain during the first half of the twentieth century. The theme was, of course, capitalists versus socialists. Socialists were red, capitalists were white (probably echoing the Russian Revolution). The communist side spoke in the language of Soviet propaganda and mythology, and featured a wholesome, corn-fed farmer king and his chaste queen. On the other side of the board/world, the capitalists took up arms with a whorish queen, pawns bound in chains, and a king with a skull for a head.

I Googled it (the above described chess set) and found this link.

Chess Around the Net

The Politics of Chess is an article that offers similarities between real life and life on the 64. For obvious reasons, I was curious about what the author would say about rooks. He says,

"Ahhh… the safety and security of bricks and mortar are the lesson to be learned here. How solid and dependable are the rooks? They occupy and guard the outer edges of the world, keeping the other players safe from invading paws of curious kittens and insurgencies of spilt beverages. But how high is the price of such security? I’ll tell you – it’s a terrible toll. Severely restricted movement, and a mindset programmed to think in unbending lines. Compare this to the United States, where the price of freedom is restrictions beyond their wildest nightmares – a government hellbent on tying down its own people to protect them from themselves, and others.Thus, the Rooks are the US Government of the chess world. Bulky, cumbersome and programmed to defend and destroy, or die trying.

Go take a read ... you'll be amused.

Aladdin (as in the Disney character) now teaches chess. I guess since he's off the streets now, he has lots of time on his hands. It looks like this software is geared towards teaching children chess.

Interesting blog (and wiki).

A sketch of a couple playing chess.

Does anyone use bit torrents? I'll have to read up on this. If you use them, here is an interesting link. It looks like they have something to do with file sharing.