Math and Chess Link

A study published by the Chess Academy, in Chicago, concludes that integrating chess and math in a workbook can improve a student's maths scores.

Our observations show that the effect of using a truly integrated math and chess workbook also provides mental entertainment and thought by pupils as more fun than traditional computation practices. Pupils were able to sit longer when working on math and chess integrated workbook than working on traditional computation worksheets.

Read more here. Now if you're wondering exactly how all this works, check out some examples on this page. I just don't know, seeing all those figurines and numbers to solve maths problems seems a bit weird. It doesn't quite work for me.

Sarah Anton in Paris

Victoria's Sarah Anton scored 4.5 points in the Open B section of the Paris International Open, the first event in her currently ongoing European tour. From there, Sarah will head off to the Saint Lo Chess Festival which is set to begin this Thursday and ending on the 16th July.

Paragua in Big Trouble

Eight games into the National Finals to determine RP's Olympiad reps, the one time super-GM Mark Paragua has posted only a measly 3.5 points! Maybe it was the jet lag after a flight across the Pacific, maybe it was that tough stint in the 1st Marshall CC International (which he topped, by the way, after another Armageddon playoff), or both, but Paragua needs to absolutely pull his resources in if he wants another Olympiad berth for his country.

In the first round of the currently running tournament in the Philippines, Paragua was shocked by the 2174-rated Haridas Pascua.

Philippine National Finals
Paragua, Mark
Pascua, Haridas
B56

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 6. Nb3 Be6 7. Be3 Nf6 8. Qd2 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Qxd5 Bxd5 12. O-O-O O-O-O 13. f3 b6 14. Bb5 Kc7 15. c4 Be6 16. Rxd8 Nxd8 17. f4 Nc6 18. Rf1 f6 19. Nd2 Nb4 20. fxe5 Nd3+ 21. Kc2 Nxe5 22. Kc3 Kb7 23. Bf4 Bd6 24. Ne4 Bb8 25. c5 Rc8 26. b4 Bd5 27. Kd4 Rd8

Position after 27...Rd8

28. Nd6+ Bxd6 29. Kxd5 Bxc5+ 30. Ke6 Rd6+ 31. Ke7 Bxb4 32. Bxe5 Rd5+ 33. Kf7 Rxb5 34. Bg3 Ra5 35. Kxg7 Rxa2 36. Kxh7 Rxg2 37. Rxf6 a5 38. Rg6 Bc3 39. Rg4 Be5 40. Kg6 Bxg3 41. hxg3 b5 42. Kf5 a4 0-1

With 9 rounds to go, Paragua has plenty of time to recover. Hopefully, he can. Current top standings, after round 8, are as follows:

7.5 Gomez
6.0 Villamayor
5.5 So
5.0 Garma
4.5 Gonzales, Laylo, Bancod, Carlos

A question of manners

The Courier Mail's Rory Gibson on his online chess experience:

We all expect common courtesy, but if the President of France can't get it, what hope have those of us running with the common herd?

I subscribe to an online chess site that allows you to play multiple games against people all over the world at any time of the day or night. When you open a board and start playing, there is a dialogue box on the page that enables you to chat to your opponent.

It's not there so you can indulge in lengthy conversations, but is more a device so you can say g'day or congratulations. In other words it is a courtesy tool.

You would not believe the number of people who will engage you in a game of chess but will not respond to a simple pleasantry.

What I have discovered is that I play differently against the people who remain steadfastly, rudely silent after I have said hello and wished them well at the start of the game.

I am more aggressive, mean-spirited (there is no point taking that pawn, but I am going to anyway just to rub it in) and satisfied if I win, or deeply disappointed if I lose. I want to reach through the computer and upend the board in their face, if there was one.

Those people infuriate me, because it's a question of manners.

From Your move. It's manners, mate.

By the way, here's the leaked footage (in French) of President Nicolas Sarkozy getting all upset at a sound technician.

Brunei Internet Tournament

Our Asian neighbour Brunei is about to embark on an entirely new concept for their local chessers - but foreigners, thankfully, are also invited. The BCF has just announced the inaugural Brunei Internet Chess Blitz tournament to be held this coming July 15. Games will be facilitated via the Internet Chess Club.

From the Borneo Bulletin.

Pinoy Legends Snub Dresden

While Aussie chessers are selected for Olympiad duties, their Philippine counterparts, on the other hand, have to go through the rigors of a qualifying tournament. Reports from RP earlier this week indicate that local legends, grandmasters Torre and Antonio, have opted out of that tournament, thus ruling them out of Dresden.

For Torre, missing the Olympiad this year will also mean breaking his 19 straight appearances in the competition. He told The Star paper, "I am not feeling well lately and it would be very difficult for me to still go through such kind of a grueling qualifying...I also think that it wouldn’t look good at my age to still play for RP team berths against our young players."

Not feeling well, eh? What about Antonio? When we last saw him here in Sydney a couple of months ago, he certainly looked as healthy as ever! Then again, heaven knows, what affliction can befall a man in just a few short weeks.

RP's Journal Online has another take: "[H]ighly-reliable sources said Torre and Antonio both wanted to be seeded to the national team to the Olympiad outright, a request turned down by NCFP president Prospero “Butch” Pichay and the members of the NCFP board."

Even without the two long-time legends, RP's potential lineup could still turn out to be very impressive, with 5 grandmasters and strong IMs entered in the qualification tournament. I predict these guys to finish way, way above their Aussie counterparts.

Glassy Pieces

Another chess set design to add to our collection. This one's courtesy of Yasmin Sethi.

Image courtesy of Yasmin Sethi

Alice Chess Set.

2008 Malaysian Chess Festival

Our man in KL, Andrew Ooi, has just sent me a link to this year's Malaysian Chess Festival details. Download them here.

Garry's Dangerous Game

The ex-World Champ Garry Kasparov writes a special web exclusive for Newsweek magazine. On what else but Russian politics.

I was fully aware from the start that our chances for success were terribly slim, and that I was one of the few Russians who could run away from the dangers. It has never been my style, on the chessboard or in life, to back down from challenges when the odds are against me or when there is a safer option. When there is a moral imperative at stake, you don't calculate the odds. It may sound strange coming from a chess player, but some decisions we don't make with our heads. We make them with our hearts.

In A Dangerous Game.

Indians Go Topless in Dresden

Quite a surprising development particularly in conservative India. The country's Daily News & Analysis website reports that, "The Indian team for the Chess Olympiad will be topless."

Chess Between Strangers

Timothy Taylor, writing in the Globe & Mail, reminisces of a time when a game of chess was that conduit between strangers.

In this professionalized environment, the travel chess set is highly anachronistic. From the era of Atlantic crossings and six-week visits to Venice for the air, the travel chess set was intended to give strangers a way to bridge the long gaps that used to arise while travelling: gaps in time created by inevitable delays, and the social gap between strangers, which could be bridged politely and enjoyably over a game.

Read more in Make the time for a slow game with strangers.

Russian Edges Wohl for Vinos

Russian IM Eduard Fomichenko took out the 11th International des Vins du Médoc Open with 8 points in total. He pulled that one off on account of a superior tiebreak over Alex Wohl who also tallied the same number of points. For Wohl, his solid performance there (drawing against two international masters and beating all others over 9 games) should give Australian selectors some extra consideration for the upcoming Olympiad.

On that note, the number of women putting their names in for the Olympiad selections has increased dramatically since our last posting. Ex-dance star WIM Arianne Caoili, and who is presently Australia's leading woman player, has decided to apply along with seasoned weekend warrior WIM Narelle Szuveges and Queensland talent WIM Alexandra Jule. Who will I pick, you ask. Here goes:

IM Irina Berezina
WIM Arianne Caoili
WIM Laura Moylan
Giang Nguyen
WIM Alexandra Jule

Giang is good. She scored 5.5 and 5.0 points in this year's SIO and Doeberl Cup respectively, in both cases finishing above more fancied players. As for Jule, well, there's a giant killer right there. On her day, the Queenslander can be quite dangerous. Who can forget this?

2006 Queenstown Chess Classic
Jule, Alexandra
Dive, RJ.
A47

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. c3 b6 4. Bf4 Bb7 5. e3 d6 6. Be2 Nbd7 7. Nbd2 Qc7 8. h3 e5 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Bh2 Nd5 11. Nc4 f6 12. a4 Be7 13. Qb3 a6 14. Rd1 Rd8 15. O-O Bc6 16. Ncd2 Qb7 17. e4 Nc7 18. Nh4 Bxe4 19. Nxe4 Qxe4 20. Bg4 c4 21. Bxd7+ Rxd7 22. Qxb6 Nd5 23. Qc6 Kd8 24. Qa8+ Kc7 25. Qxh8 Qxh4 26. Qa8 Nb6 27. Qa7+ Kc6 28. Rxd7 Nxd7 29. Qxa6+ Kc7 30. Rd1 Bc5 31. Qa5+ Kc8 32. Qa8+ Kc7 33. Qf3 h5 34. Rd2 Qg5 35. Qd5 Qf5 36. a5 Qb1+ 37. Rd1 Qf5 38. Kh1 g5 39. Qxc4 g4 40. b4 gxh3 41. bxc5 Qxf2 42. Qd5 hxg2+ 43. Qxg2 Qxc5 44. Qd5 Qe7 45. a6 Nc5 46. a7 1-0

Grandmasters Sign Up for Queenstown

Just received an update from the 2009 Queenstown Chess Classic organisers. Thirteen grandmasters have now confirmed their entries along with international masters Stanislaw Zawadzki, of Poland, and Australia's Alex Wohl. There are also a couple of women grandmasters including the elegant Slovenian Jana Krivec (pictured left) who was in this part of the world last April for the JAPFA WGM tournament in Indonesia where she finished in fourth place.

Now in their press release, the kiwis took the trouble of sending us a photo of German GM Klaus Bischoff. I think, however, that our readers will prefer our selection, which I found courtesy of www.chesspics.com.

Ex-RP Captain for Intchess

My post last week, Campo: Outsourcing Is Insulting, has made it to the mainstream in the RP press. Ex-Olympiad captain and now prominent columnist Bobby Ang has a rejoinder on the whole matter in his "Chess Piece" article for Business World.

Responding to Campo and others who have criticised the NCFP's move to outsource, Bobby writes:

Gosh, I am so sorry, but I have to disagree with all this criticism. It smacks of what President Manuel L. Quezon used to say: “I’d prefer a Philippines run like hell by Filipinos, rather than one run like heaven by the Americans.” All this is nice to hear, but the truth of the matter is whoever runs the organization like heaven is the one we all have to support.

The Managing Director of Intchess Asia is Mr. Ignatius Leong, the Secretary General of FIDE and an esteemed professional manager. Together with some partners he started Intchess in 1996 and now they handle the chess education of more than 70 schools in Singapore. If the national chess organization was as good as the Singaporeans then how come so many of our players have transplanted themselves (in many cases together with their families) to the Lion City? Look at all these names: International Masters Luis Chiong, Lito Maninang, Rico Mascarinas, Enrique Paciencia, Domingo Ramos, National Master Eric Gloria, and Arbiters/Trainers Louie Polistico, Lincoln Yap and Joey Moseros. And the exodus has not yet stopped.

Bobby's article should be available online by next week over at IndoChess. Meanwhile, you can read his past articles, just look on the right side-bar of that site.

And one more thing. Mr Ang refers to yours truly as a "Filipino engineer now based in Sydney". Well, of course, I'm no engineer!

Malaysian Attracts FIDE's Fire

Quah Seng Sun took aim at FIDE. And he got no less than Ignatius Leong firing back.

I wonder if the local ACF has had problems with that FIDE Ratings Server.