Diploma in Chess Mastery

No joke! Yes, the country where chess originated is now creating a formal university qualification in chess. Would-be grandmasters can earn their diploma in chess at the Symbiosis University, in India.

Dr Satish Thigale, faculty head at the university:

The game originated in India, but over the years the West has left its mark on the game due to persistent efforts and systematic coaching. It’s time we change that and the best way to go about it would be developing it in school.

The idea certainly contributes to India's very high ambitions of notching up 100 grandmasters by the year 2012. So far, they have 14 - a long way to go!

The idea of chess being part of some kind of tertiary study is probably nothing new. I'm pretty sure the Russians have been doing it for years. But I'm not certain if they had a stand-alone qualification like a "diploma in chess". Perhaps our more learned readers can clarify.

Big Chess in Chatswood

I didn't realise that they had this big board in Chatswood. Check out this shot in flickr.

Don't Worry, Be Happy, Play Chess

Last night, while out having drinks with the boys, we got to talking about chess. As usual, we found ourselves in the Spanish Club - the scene of many a blitz battles right into the early hours of morning. We were specifically talking about entry fees into chess tournaments.

Somebody said, "I don't play chess any more. The entry fees are extortionate". He was complaining about NSWCA entry charges of around $70 plus or so.

To which another fellow replied, "What are you gonna do with your money? When you die, you can't take any of it! Just play and have a good time".

'Nuff said!

In NSW there are a couple of excellent tournaments to play in. The Teams Challenge is always fun and has been the most popular event in the NSWCA's calendar over the last 2 years. And I just love it. Knowing that you're playing, not just for yourself, but for a team gives brings on extra pressure. The excitement of that last deciding game puts everyone on edge. If you're in NSW, get yourself a team and play the Teams Challenge.

Later this month, of course, is the annual state championships. At one game a day, it's ideal for those who prefer a more relaxed pace with plenty of time to prepare for a game or recover from a traumatic loss.

Chess Makes Better Students

At the Central Catholic Elementary Schoolin Texas, "Chess makes better students".

Link: "Chess champs at Central Catholic"

Friday Open Thread

Our two posts on Matt Sweeney's Australian Chess Club Forum are breaking records by being the two most commented posts so far in the blog's history. Both have 20 comments or more each. You can read the first post here and the second one here.

Perhaps the most amusing comment was from an anonymous poster who said that Matt Sweeney's new forum was basically a split thread from Australia's liveliest chess bulletin board.

Unfortunately, as I add more posts, the old ones are pushed further and further down. So dear readers, feel free to continue the discussion here.

Have a happy weekend.

Chess Variants Tourney

We received an email from PhD student Jason Chan, who is also the president of the Sydney University CC, about an interesting little side show during the Australian Universities Rapid Championships (AURC). During the lunch break of AURC, the players got down to some interesting games playing chess variants with names like "grand crossing", "stationary king", "explosion chess" and "hidden clock".

They played one variant per round over 9 rounds.

In his report, Jason says, "We ran each round at the blitz time control of 5 minutes, and just before the start of each round, a variant was randomly chosen and then the rules quickly explained."

Sounds like it was a day of jolly good fun! I regret to have missed it.

Jason Lyons' Blog

Local international arbiter Jason Lyons has began a blog. It's called "Mise En Scene". It's a little short on content but if you know Mr Lyons, then you can keep a track of him via his blog. As I understand it, he's currently somewhere in the United States.

Aussie FIDE Ratings

That scholar and gentleman, Fide Master Greg Canfell has set up a special page packed full of information about Aussies' FIDE ratings.

You can view the page here.

Natasha Fairley: Chess is Sport

Continuing our series on women chess players with something to say, we now have an entry from across the Tasman. Natasha Fairley is a familiar face to Aussie chess fans. She's been seen in a Doeberl Cup and I last spotted her at the Queenstown Chess Classic tournament.

In this interview with New Zealand's Stuff, Natasha says: "When people say it's not a sport I always have a little argument with them...Using your brain and controlling your brain is just as hard as running or lifting something. In fact you could say it's harder".

We agree with Natasha. Read the complete interview here.

Kosteniuk: Life Is Not Eternal

It seems every chess playing woman described as an "Anna Kournikova" of chess is giving out their bits of wisdom. Speaking to Satya Siddharth Rath, Alexandra Kosteniuk said:

I always feel I must do something in life. Life is not eternal, one must always keep moving ahead. I want to leave behind a trace of my passage on earth by doing some good deeds, by showing people the joys of the game of chess, which has given me a lot of happiness.

From DNA Sport.