Claymation Chess

Now this must have taken some time (and creativity!)

Ottawa Chess-in-the-street 2009

Chess-in-the-Street is an outdoor chess event that takes the game of chess from the parlour to the street. Chess-in-the-Street will have numerous activities appealing to everyone: from kids to adults and from those who have never played before to the seasoned tournament player. With each game you play, your name will be entered in a draw for prizes. Chess-in-the-Street will also have GIANTCHESS!, a giant-sized chess board on the street. There will be a Simultaneous Chess Competition in the afternoon each day, featuring a Chessmaster who will battle 15 simultaneous chess opponents.

Chess-in-the-Street is an outdoor chess event, and will be held as part of Ottawa's biggest street festival WESTFEST, on Saturday and Sunday, June 13th and 14th, 2009.

For more information CLICK HERE.

New Video: Chess Blitz #9 - Extended

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2009.03.29"]
[Round "-"]
[White "jrobi"]
[Black "Nomesi"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 O-O
8. Re1 Bb4 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. h3 Ng6 11. e5 c6 12. exf6 cxb5 13. fxg7 Kxg7 14.
Qd2 d5 15. Qh6+ Kh8 16. Ng5 Qxg5 17. Qxg5 f6 18. Qg3 Bf5 19. Bh6 Rg8 20.
Qc7 b6 21. a3 Be7 22. Rxe7 Nxe7 23. Qxe7 Bxh3 24. Qxf6+
{Nomesi resigns} 1-0

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2009.03.29"]
[Round "-"]
[White "jrobi"]
[Black "stretto"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Be7 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. O-O Nc6 6. d3 O-O 7. a4 Bd7 8.
Re1 Bd6 9. e4 dxe4 10. dxe4 e5 11. f5 Bc5+ 12. Be3 Bxe3+ 13. Rxe3 Ng4 14.
Rd3 Nd4 15. Nxd4 exd4 16. Rxd4 Ne5 17. Nc3 Re8 18. b3 Qg5 19. Rxd7 Qe3+ 20.
Kh1 Nxd7 21. Qxd7 Rad8 22. Qxc7 Rd2 23. Nd5 Qf2 24. Nf4 Qe3 25. Qxb7 Red8
26. Nd3 Qe2 27. Rg1 Rxc2 28. Qe7 Rdc8 29. Ne5 Qh5 30. g4 Qh6 31. Nxf7 Qd2
32. f6 Rc1 33. Nh6+ Kh8 34. Qxg7#
{stretto checkmated} 1-0

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2009.03.29"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Yoshioil"]
[Black "jrobi"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 d6 5. f4 Nc6 6. Nf3 e6 7. Nc3 d5 8.
cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. Bd2 Bb4 11. Bxb4 Nxb4 12. a3 Nc6 13. b3 O-O 14.
Bc4 Qe4+ 15. Qe2 Qxf4 16. Qd3 b6 17. O-O h6 18. Nd2 Qxd4+ 19. Qxd4 Nxd4 20.
Rf4 c5 21. Raf1 Bb7 22. Bd3 Rad8 23. Be4 Bxe4 24. Nxe4 Ne2+ 25. Kh1 Nxf4
26. Rxf4 Rd1+
{Yoshioil resigns} 0-1

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2009.03.29"]
[Round "-"]
[White "vieque"]
[Black "jrobi"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 Nc6 6. Nc3 dxe5 7. d5 Nd4 8.
fxe5 c5 9. dxc6 Nxc6 10. Qxd8+ Nxd8 11. Nf3 e6 12. a3 Be7 13. Bd3 O-O 14.
O-O f6 15. Ne4 f5 16. Nd6 Bxd6 17. exd6 Nf7 18. Be3 Nd7 19. c5 b6 20. b4
Bb7 21. Rac1 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Nfe5 23. Be2 bxc5 24. bxc5 Rac8 25. Ba6 Rc6 26.
Bb7 Nd3 27. Bxc6 Nxc1 28. Bxd7 Nd3 29. Bxe6+ Kh8
{jrobi resigns} 1-0

Automaton Chess Player - The Turk

Here's an interesting video I came across on YouTube covering the famous Turk machine. If anyone knows the name of what discovery show this was part of please post, I would like to see the rest of the clip.



Legend has it that the "machine" defeated Napolean in a game of chess:

[Event "Schoenbrunn"]
[Site "Schoenbrunn"]
[Date "1809.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Napoleon Bonaparte"]
[Black "The Turk"]
[ECO "C20"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "48"]

1. e4 e5 2. Qf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ne2 Bc5 5. a3 d6 6. O-O Bg4
7. Qd3 Nh5 8. h3 Bxe2 9. Qxe2 Nf4 10. Qe1 Nd4 11. Bb3 Nxh3+
12. Kh2 Qh4 13. g3 Nf3+ 14. Kg2 Nxe1+ 15. Rxe1 Qg4 16. d3 Bxf2
17. Rh1 Qxg3+ 18. Kf1 Bd4 19. Ke2 Qg2+ 20. Kd1 Qxh1+ 21. Kd2
Qg2+ 22. Ke1 Ng1 23. Nc3 Bxc3+ 24. bxc3 Qe2# 0-1

For the wiki page on this machine, click HERE.

Hip Hop Chess Federation Reaching out to the Youth

Henry Bird Games Added to http://www.jrobichess.com

I have added the games of chess legend Henry Bird to http://www.jrobichess.com/. Bird worked full time as an accountant, yet was a brilliant chess player. He squared off against the likes of Morphy, and has a chess opening that bears his name: "The Bird's Opening" which despite repeated attempts to refute, continues to be a solid opening choice for white.

Emanuel Lasker and Wilhelm Steinitz Chess Games added to the Grandmaster Collection on http://www.jrobichess.com

The games of Emanuel Lasker and Wilhelm Steinitz are now in the Grandmaster Collection section on the main page of http://www.jrobichess.com

Action Star Vin Diesel Discusses Working out the Mind with Imagination

New Video: Mamedyarov's Questionable Cheating Accusation

[Event "Aeroflot Open"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2009.02.22"]
[EventDate "2009.02.17"]
[Round "6"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Shakhriyar Mamedyarov"]
[Black "Igor Kurnosov"]
[ECO "D70"]
[WhiteElo "2724"]
[BlackElo "2602"]
[PlyCount "42"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7
7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O f5 10. h4 fxe4 11. h5 gxh5
12. d5 Ne5 13. Bh6 Nec4 14. Qg5 Rf7 15. Bxc4 Nxc4 16. Rd4 Qd6
17. Bxg7 Rxg7 18. Qxh5 Qf4+ 19. Kb1 Bf5 20. fxe4 Bg4 21. Nge2
Qd2 0-1

Game over - Kasparov and the Machine

This is definitely one of the best chess-related videos I have ever seen. Enjoy it and here's to a great weekend!

PART 1



Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

When you finish watching all of the parts, feel free to post what you think about the match that took place between Kasparov and Deep Blue.

Aquarium Update 3.1.0

Links

ChessOK.com
Patch Notes

Patch 3.1.0 Notes

Major features
=======================
* New, more convenient, 'Paint-like' way of editing color markers in the game and in the tree.
* You can read Aquarium i-Books. Editing possibilities are limited, they'll be enhanced in futher update. However, if you are not afraid of writing a Wiki-formatted text, you can edit/create new i-Books.
* You can run Game Analysis from the Sandbox.

Major bugfixes
=======================
* Fixed occasional header fields loss when pasting a game into the database game.
* 'Remove before' no longer cripples games that stared from non-initial positions.
* Randomizer match dialog is now displayed correctly.
* Engine evaluations are now printed correctly.

Minor features
=======================
* Added a popup menu for changing tree configuration in the Tree window header.
* Added possibility to view only main tree moves in a tree configuration.
* Smart Input is now 'even smarter': you can right-click (with left button pressed) to cycle through available moves.
* You can manually edit opening book play probability for each move in the tree configuration.
* You can set clocks during the game in Play mode (double-click the clocks).
* Allowed playing against Fritz via Auto232 network protocol (works OK on all our computers, but not tested much).
* Using Ctrl+move to exclude moves from infinite analysis now changes the analysis pane display.
* There is a clearer indication of which window has focus. Helps to determine whether we are browsing tree or notation.
* New feature: opponent move to limited depth. After reaching this depth the engine switches to normal analysis.
* Ribbon double-click minimization is more convenient now.
* Board sounds now active in the Sandbox and database game view.
* Export options dialog changed slightly to be more logical.
* Newly created database is added to the Recent list.
* When loading a EPD string, the leading and trailing spaces are now ignored.

Minor bugfixes
=======================
* Fixed memory leak issue in analysis chart.
* Display options dialog: checkbox for 'Show board navigation' is consistent with 'Material imbalance'.
* Fixed occasional clearance of game header by Game Analysis.
* Improved hit detection when clicking on the game flag in the games list.
* Fixed tree window reappearing after it was hidden by the user.
* Selected cell in Games list is no longer made gray.
* Ctrl+move in Two clicks input mode now works as well. If it's done during IA it excludes the move from the search, otherwise it adds a variation.
* Using Ctrl+move to exclude moves from infinite analysis works with Smart move too.
* Fixed occasional incorrect conversion of PGN NAGs to 'Long after' comments.
* Tree options dialog: advanced controls no longer peek out of the bottom of the window.
* Notation position change after switching to another application and back is partially fixed.
* 'Insert deleted moves to clipboard' option works now.
* Fixed smart move inability to drag the pointer from destination to the source square.
* Cursor is position correctly after 'Delete variation'.
* Fixed occasional mouse pointer disappearance when editing the game header.
* Analysis pane is no longer cleared when the mate score is achieved.
* Engine match view now respects board cursor settings.
* IDEA display now respects board orientation.
* Game Analysis now respects 'Show coordinates' and 'Show board navigation' settings.
* Fixed diagram display in HTML export.
* Fixed absence of sampled search display after switching to Rybka 3 from another engine.
* Fixed small bugs in tree custom coloring.
* Finished Engine Competition date is no more reported as 30/12/1899.
* Fixed some issues in CTG book handling.

What's next:
We are going to enhance the editing possibilities for Aquarium i-Books, so that you can easily write such books yourselves. This, and some more minor fixes and features, will make a 3.1.1 update.
Then it'll be time for another 'large' project. Maybe it'll be IDEA this time, but I don't know yet.

GM Igor Kurnosov (Russia) Responds to Allegations of Cheating

In the blog post "Grandmaster Accuses Fellow GM of Cheating at Tournament" we talked about GM Shakhryiar Mamedyarov's accusation that his opponent GM Igor Kurnosov cheated during their game. There has been to date absolutely no evidence to support this claim, and now Kurnosov has responded to the accusations in the following letter:

Dear Colleagues and chess lovers,

With regard to the discussions in the press of Mamedyarov's letter, I must explain the situation. I present the game Mamedyarov-Kurnosov from round six of the Aeroflot Open, with my brief notes:

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Be3 0–0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0–0–0 f5 10.h4 fxe4 11.h5 gxh5. A well-known theoretical position, which I consider to be better for Black. Here my opponent played a move which was new to me. 12.d5 Ne5 13.Bh6 Nec4. I also looked at Rf7, but I did not like the fact that after Rh5 the knight is attacked with tempo: 13...Rf7?! 14.Bxg7 Rxg7 15.Rxh5. 14.Qg5 Rf7. The only move. 15.Bxc4. This move seemed dubious to me, but objectively, it is not bad. 15...Nxc4. After thinking over his previous move for 40 minutes, my opponent now offered me a draw. However, I considered that I had a serious advantage, and saw no grounds for taking a draw. 16.Rd4? It seemed to me as though the move Qd6 gave me a serious initiative. It turns out that instead, Nb2 led to a decisive advantage, but I did not consider this move. Just think how much I would be to blame if I had analysed this position at home!? 16...Qd6?! 17.Bxg7 Rxg7. The only move! 18.Qxh5 Qf4+. Also forced, and mate was threatened, and the knight en prise. Now I would invite any competent player to give themselves three minutes on the clock, and try to find Black's next three fairly straightforward moves. I think the majority of people would manage this! 19.Kb1 Bf5 20.fxe4 Bg4 21.Nge2? Losing immediately. 21.Qh6 Qf2. 21...Qd2! 0–1. Black has a winning position. Here, my opponent stopped the clocks and, without shaking hands or signing the scoresheet, approached the arbiters' table. The rest you know yourselves...

I believe that every chessplayer, regardless of titles or ratings, should have respect for himself and his colleagues, and should not make accusations of computer use, without any foundation or evidence whatsoever. Especially when they have played the game quite weakly! Mamedyarov's claim, that I left the playing hall after every move, taking my coat with me, and went into the toilet, does not correspond with the facts. During the first twelve moves, which we played quite quickly, I did not once leave the hall. Whilst my opponent was thinking for 40 minutes over his 15th move, I twice went to the smoking area, which was located just two metres from the door into the hall, and where there were always quite a few other players, arbiters and also security guards. I also several times went and splashed cold water over myself, without ever speaking to anyone. Neither before, nor after, the protest did the arbiters show any unusual interest in me, as claimed in the press. I behaved exactly as I always do. Whilst my opponent is thinking, I find it easier to think about the position whilst walking round, without looking at the board. As far as I know, most other chessplayers do exactly the same.

Unfortunately, all these negative things could not but have an effect on my play in the rest of the tournament... I should like to thank all those who supported me on the pages of the Internet, or in personal conversations. I should also like to make the following proposals:

That the organisers of top tournaments install metal detectors and other such devices at the entrance to the playing hall, so as to exclude the possibility of players receiving outside help, and also to rule out unfounded and insulting accusations, which can seriously impact on a player's reputation.

That the international chess organisation adopt a rule, under which serious sanctions would apply both to those who use outside help, and also to those who make unfounded accusations of such, against other players.

IGM Igor Kurnosov
28.02.2009

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2724) - Igor Kurnosov (2602)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2Nc6 9. O-O-O f5 10. h4 fxe4 11. h5 gxh5 12. d5 Ne5 13. Bh6 Nec4 14. Qg5 Rf7 15.Bxc4 Nxc4 16. Rd4 Qd6 17. Bxg7 Rxg7 18. Qxh5 Qf4+ 19. Kb1 Bf5 20. fxe4 Bg4 21.Nge2 Qd2 0-1*

Personally, I believe GM Shakhryiar Mamedyarov needs to step forward and apologize. With the lack of evidence I see no other alternative. Any thoughts on the issue?

New Video: Chess Endgame Study - The Lucena Position

I went back and updated my old Lucena Position video due to some mistakes near the end in the drawing line. Here is the new and updated version:



To practice this endgame position and other staple endgame positions, visit http://www.jrobichess.com and click on the Endgame Practice link on the main page.