Renegade Game Studios revealed this week that they will be releasing Gravwell 2nd Edition sometime later this year. This version won't be like the last in a few ways. They've kept the gameplay as-is but they've added some awesome stuff, such as new artwork from artist Kwanchai Moriya, an increased player count so you can play with up to six people, and new ship models with unique powers for every ship in the game. Essentially, if you love the original by designer Corey Young, you still have it. But this one expands on it and allows for more insane plays with more people at the table. The game is set to be released sometime in June 2021 as of when we're writing this, but you can pre-order it on Renegade's website right now for $40.

In Gravwell you're among a flotilla of ships that survived passing through a black hole. The fabric of space and the general physics you've known have changed. You quickly discover that your engines are offline, but you can navigate crudely using your tractor and repulsor beams. By mining asteroids and collecting raw elements from space dust, you muster just enough force to move your spacecraft. You lock onto another object, perhaps a spacecraft, and creep toward it. But just as you're about to engage your tractor beam, its captain engages his beam, catapulting his ship past you. If you don't act quickly, you'll be pulled the wrong direction! It's a real mind-bender! We've updated this award-winning game with beautiful all-new art by artist Kwanchai Moriya. In addition to the game art, the player ships each feature a new and unique sculpt. With the ability to accommodate up to 6 players, and unique powers for each ship, Gravwell 2nd Edition has all the gameplay players loved in the original, and much more!

Gavin is the current Games Editor for Bleeding Cool. He has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys hundreds of other geeky things that can't be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vero, for random pictures and musings.

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Gravwell 2nd Edition Will Be Coming Out Later This Year - Bleeding Cool News

Chess has captured the imagination of humans for centuries due to its strategic beautyan objective, board-based testament to the power of mortal intuition. Twenty-five years ago Wednesday, though, human superiority on a chessboard was seriously threatened for the first time.

At a nondescript convention center in Philadelphia, a meticulously constructed supercomputer called Deep Blue faced off against Garry Kasparov for the first in a series of six games. Kasparov was world chess champion at the time and widely considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of chess. He did not expect to lose. It was perhaps understandable; 1996 was an age of fairly primitive computer beings. Personal computers were only just becoming a more affordable commodity (35 percent of U.S. households owned a computer in 1997, compared with 15 percent in 1990), the USB had just been released, and it would be another five years until Windows XP made its way onto the market.

But Deep Blue was no run-of-the-mill computer. It was a behemoth built with the sole intention of being very good at chess. And it fulfilled that mission. On Feb. 10, 1996, the reigning world chess champion lost a game to a computer for the first time in history. Kasparov would win the 1996 match four games to two, but in May 1997, an upgraded Deep Blue would defeat Kasparov 32.

The 96 match nonetheless demonstrated that the tide was starting to turn in the chess world, and the tide was deep, blue, and electronic. It introduced chess computers to the world, sparking conversations about a rise of automation in the famously romantic field.

Some version of computers had been playing chess even before the emergence of artificial intelligence as an official field in the 1950s. Alan Turing, the famous cryptographer, had developed a handwritten chess algorithm in 1950 called Turochamp. In 1957, Alex Bernstein, a researcher and chess enthusiast from the Bronx, created the first complete chess program with the help of a number of his IBM colleagues.

Computer chess changed in the 80s. says Jonathan Schaeffer, president of the International Computer Games Association and professor of computer science at the University of Alberta. That decade, pioneering American computer scientist Ken Thompson released a paper proving something that now seems intuitive: If your computer was faster, your chess program would perform better. Programs could thus analyze more and more moves per second, increasing their chances of finding the best move possible.

Accordingly, computer chess became about getting the fastest technology. When I started in the [computer chess] game, we were using a single computer. Then it became 16, then 210, and so on to chips and supercomputers, says Schaeffer. In 1988, students at Carnegie Mellon University developed a sophisticated chess computer called Deep Thought. In January of that year, Deep Thought became the first computer to beat a grandmaster in a regular tournament game when it triumphed over Bent Larsen, a Danish GM. The next year, IBM hired three of those Carnegie students, Feng-hsiung Hsu, Thomas Anantharaman, and Murray Campbell, with the express aim of building a chess computer to rival the world champion; they would be joined by Chung Jen-Tan, Joseph Hoane Jr., and Jerry Brody later in the project. In October 1989, Kasparov played two games against Deep Thought, winning both of them with ease.

The first match demonstrated that the tide was starting to turn in the chessworld.

The loss to Kasparov in 1989 demonstrated the amount of work that needed to be done, says Schaeffer, so they took it to the extreme. They went off for seven years and built new computer chips that were faster, building a system that was scaled up to not just four computer chips, but 500. They added more knowledge to it as well as a book of openings, and eventually the brain of chess grandmaster Joel Benjamin helped provide expertise. This was a very long project involving many, many people, and significant financial expense, but it paid off for IBM in the form of media clamor.

The 2,800-pound Deep Blue, complete with special-purpose chess computer chips, was the end product. It was capable of processing 200 million moves per second, or 199,999,997 more than Kasparov could manage, according to IBM. This produced a chess machine that was stronger than any of its automated predecessors, and the outside world was stunned at the eventual resulta human had been outdone by a machine in this game of intellect, wit, and judgment. At the 1997 match, Kasparov and Deep Blue would go toe-to-automated-toe in front of numerous television cameras and a large crowd.

But Kasparovs loss was not as devastating as casual observers might have expected. Computers had beaten grandmasters before; it was inevitable that someone of Kasparovs stature would fall too. And though Kasparovs loss certainly came earlier than expected, the competitive chess world continued to go about its business relatively unfettered.

I dont think it affected chess players too much, says Matthew Sadler, chess grandmaster and co-author of Game Changer, a book about modern chess engine AlphaZero, Firstly, Kasparov was probably stronger than Deep Blue at the time, despite the loss. Secondly, it didnt really inspire any chess players with its play.

It helped that Deep Blue, at the time, was the exception rather than the rulemachines of its strength werent widely available. In 2006, though, a chess computer called Deep Fritz beat thenworld champion Vladimir Kramnik. I think thats really when chess players sort of thought, Oh, my goodness, the machines really are getting stronger than us, says Sadler, when they were beating us not on supercomputers, but on relative commodity hardware.

The change here wasnt just that a computer could win, but that a computer could help human players win if incorporated into their training regimes effectively. Computers were adept at judging the quality of moves and positions accurately, particularly during opening sequences. Some found this easier than others. Sadler says: I think a lot of competitive players took a while to adjust to the new reality. For example, if you werent really computer-literate, and all of a sudden you found yourself in a world where having a computer really makes a difference, thats a difficult thing.

Despite initial resistance from certain parts of the community, the advantages that computers afforded chess players eventually made them impossible to ignore. Sam Shankland gained his international master title in 2008, right around when computers started to become a necessity. There was some backlash, but honestly, those people are mostly gone now, Shankland, now a grandmaster and 2018 U.S. chess champion, says. They either got tired of losing and quit chess or they got tired of losing and adapted.

The sheer wealth of knowledge chess players now had access to meant that determination was increasingly rewarded. I think that chess is essentially a subset of talent and hard work, says Shankland, and as training resources like computers become better and more accessible, talent tends to become less important compared to hard workwhich suits a workhorse like myself.

Such accessibility has also led to chess, once reserved for rich families who could afford tutors and other training, to become a markedly more democratized pursuit. Take India, for example, says Shankland. Apart from Vishy [Anand], they werent a particularly strong chess nation historically. Now, theyre clearly the fastest-growing country in the world in terms of rising stars, and I think a lot of that is down to training resources becoming more widely available.

The availability of advanced chess analysis at the flick of a smartphone has caused a bizarre balance of power in the media and a certain trepidation among top-level players, as Peter Heine Nielsen, coach of current world champion Magnus Carlsen, points out:

When I started working with Vishy Anand, at a postgame press conference the players would explain the games, and everybody would look at them with excitement and think, Wow, these guys are clever. Now, the player in the press conference is a bit nervous because they have only calculated themselves, while all the journalists have been using advanced technology. So they are afraid to say, I thought this wasnt a strong move in case theyre wrong.

So sometimes before a press conference I speak to Magnus and tell him the computer said this or that, just so he knows. The spectator-player dynamic has changed a lotsome of the mystery has gone.

However, while certain human aspects of the games have disappeared, recent developments have caused professional players to rethink what they know about their beloved board game. In 2017, a team of scientists at Google-owned DeepMind created AlphaZero, a self-learning neural network program that surpassed the strongest chess program after just four hours of playing against itself.

Before the computer boom, and before the neural network boom, we were thinking quite dogmatically, says Nielsen. After both occurred, we were forced to rewrite our own solutions. It led to the game becoming more exciting. Moreover, the two strongest chess enginesLeela (which is based on AlphaZero) and Stockfishare available online, which signifies a remarkably more distributive and collaborative approach to chess innovation than that which was pioneered by Deep Blue, a closed circuit.

Despite all their progress, there are still some goals to which innovators in the chess world can aspire. The next step is for engines to explain what theyre doing, says Sadler, so that the average player can understand why an engine says, No, trading that piece is a bad idea. The relationship remains one of reciprocity.

One thing is certain: Chess programs will remain the most important piece of a professional players preparatory arsenal. Not using a computer to do chess would be like not using a calculator to do math, says Nielsen, I like itbut it doesnt matter if I like it or not. Its the right way to do it.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.

Read the original:

The 25th anniversary of Deep Blue beating Garry Kasparov in a chess game. - Slate

It has been an extraordinary year for everyone, but no less so in computer chess. You would be forgiven for thinking we had seen the last major revolution in the field, thanks to AlphaZero and all the works it inspired and spawned. The neural network technology they created was staggering and incredible, and while it is still being explored and worked on, a new development has come to the chess world thanks to chesss Japanese sibling, Shogi.

Although the AlphaZero neural network is extremely powerful overall, and consequently Leela and Fat Fritz, it is held back by the need to use a GPU (graphics processor) to read it, slowing it down by over a thousand times compared to traditional speed demons such as Stockfish and Komodo. That it could still compete with them on equal terms in spite of this handicap speaks volumes on just how powerful those neural networks are.

Still, this came at a price too. The nature of its search, averaging the various outcomes, good or bad, led to a strongly exploitative style, but could fail in technical endgames or positions where surgical precision was needed. The dream of combining a large and powerful neural network with the speed and accuracy of Stockfishs search seemed just that: a dream.

Enter NNUE.

As chess players we naturally think of AlphaZero as a chess engine development first and foremost, whilst acknowledgingGo was its originator. It is easy to forget that the AlphaZero paper described its applications to three strategy games, not two, the third being the Japanese chess game known as Shogi.

Unsurprisingly, the shogi world was no less shaken up by the AlphaZero paper, but instead of just trying to reproduce it, a Japanese programmer, Yu Nasu, developed and published agroundbreaking paperfora different neural network architecture known as NNUE, inspired by DeepMinds success, whichran at full strength exclusively ona computer processor with no need for avideo card.

Just asAlphaZero and the first edition of Fat Fritz, NNUEalso builds it own chess knowledge by learning from chess positions and evaluations. NNUE completely revolutionized Shogi programs, leading to leaps of well over 100 Elo!It was their developers who shared their work with the chess world by adapting their open source Shogi NNUE code to the open source programStockfish. Based on the success of Stockfish 12, the first chess engine to implement NNUE, numerous other engine authors have also added NNUE into their work, such as the recently released "Dragon" by the Komodo team.

Order Fat Fritz 2 in the ChessBase Shop now

Fat Fritz 2 is trained and developed using this NNUE technology, runninginside the open source Stockfish binary, butwith a completely new and different neural network that differs significantly from Stockfish's on a couple of key points:

After all, if an elite neural network could be trained from just Stockfish evaluations, imagine what it could do with the sophisticated knowledge of Fat Fritz!To this end, some four billion positions were generated on thousands of hours of the most powerful graphics cards to train it.

So what was the result of this larger neural network with deeper chess knowledge?Ina large test at 1 minuteplus 1 second, Fat Fritz 2 scored +42 Elo over Stockfish 12.Click to download the PGN games.

Score of Fat Fritz 2 vs Stockfish 12:

286 wins / 99 losses /1167 draws

Elo difference: 42.1 +/- 8.5, LOS: 100.0 %, DrawRatio: 75.2 %1552 of 1552 games finished.

Note: the reason for the odd number of games is that the suite used has 776 positions, which with reversed colours leads to 1552games.

Also, there is reason to believe that its endgame play is superior overall, though even if true, exceptions will no doubt be found. Here are a few examples:

This has often been a very tough one for engines, even when enjoying all the tablebases available. Using a modest sixcores to emulate laptop users or those with less than premium desktops, here are the results of Stockfish 12 and Fat Fritz 2:

Analysis by Stockfish 12

While taking 37 seconds might not seem like a big deal, most people will not spend that long with an engine on a position unless they already suspect there might be something to uncover.

Analysis by Fat Fritz 2

Five seconds! True, this is but a single position, yet there is a reason Shirov's move remains in modern test sets to this day.

Another curiosity actually comes from an article published a few months ago by GM Karsten Mueller. He had asked for the analysis of a development version of Fat Fritz 2, and in itone of his moves had been refuted badly... much to his delight. The reason for his pleasure was that it showed new engines might become even more valuable tools in complex endgames.

Here Fat Fritz 2gave a winningline starting with 52...e7.

This same position was then shown to Stockfish 12, which had access to 30 threads, 7-piece tablebases, and after nine billion nodes it declared 52.d6 was winning and its choice.

There doesn't seem to be much doubt with such a high evaluation, does there?

Was this a case of more than one move doing the job? 52.d6 was then shown to Fat Fritz 2, but it declared this move and line a draw! According to it,there was a blunder just five plies into Stockfish's 50-ply mainline.

Instead of 56.h3? as shown above, Fat Fritz 2's 56.Nb4! saves the game. Granted, none of this is absolute proof, but this sort of thing has been common enough to stand out.

Regardless, it is clear Fat Fritz 2 is an enormous step forward, and will offer fantastic analysis and pleasure to all who use it. Anyone who felt left out, due to the previous need to use a powerful video card to reap the benefits of a world-class neural network, can now rejoice asthis is no longer required.

Order Fat Fritz 2 in the ChessBase Shop now(best by download, to get it immediately)

No such work is the result of one person, whether directly or indirectly, and this is no less true of Fat Fritz 2.

Deepest thanks and gratitude go to my friend Daniel Uranga, a brilliant Argentinian programmer who helped realize and test every mad idea I came up with, and there were many. His help was invaluable and his skill has now been deservedly recognized by Amazon who recently hired him and brought him to the UK.

Also, warmest thanks to my friend Dietrich Kappe who is an endless source of useful scripts and ideas, and who helped take the project to the next level. His friendship and generosity cannot be overstated.

Finally, where would any of this be without the fabulous Stockfish team and their legion of contributors, as well as Yu Nasu for his groundbreaking NNUE work, and Tanuki (nodchip) for his translation of the Shogi code for use in chess.

Originally posted here:

Fat Fritz 2: The Best of Both Worlds - Chessbase News

Fat Fritz has revolutionised the world of chess engines. The AI engine is based on the famous AlphaZero algorithms: the extraordinary playing strength and the completely new analyses fascinated the chess world. Now Fat Fritz 2.0 has arrived!

Fat Fritz 2.0 is based on the Stockfish 12 engine, but uses a completely new neural network with better ratings and greater performance.

NNUE-Technology:

Fat Fritz 2.0 achieves top performance even without a high-end graphics card!

Fat Fritz 2.0 miles ahead!

In the comparative match over 1552 games Fat Fritz 2.0 clearly beats Stockfish 12 (286 wins with 99 losses, rest draws) and outperforms the previous top engine by over 40 Elo points (as of February 2021).

Incl. Fritz 17 user interface (64 Bit).

Runs on any current Windows PC or laptop.

What you receive:

ChessBase Premium-Membership (sixmonths) with access to the ChessBase Video Portal, Playchess, the Tactic-App, LiveDatabase, LiveBook etc. Database of around 1.5 Mio. Games, and much more

Order Fat Fritz 2 in the ChessBase Shop now(best by download, to get it immediately)

Or: how about trying it out on our engine cloud?

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Minimum: PC Core i3 or i5 / AMD FX or Ryzen 3, 2 GB RAM, Windows 7/8/8.1 64Bit, DirectX9, graphics card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 11 and Internet access.

Recommended: PC Core i7, i9 or AMD FX, Ryzen 7/9 and Windows 10 64-Bit, 4 GB RAM, Windows 10, DirectX10, graphics card with 512 MB RAM or more, Windows Media Player 11, DVD ROM drive and Internet access. System requirements for ChessBase Account: Internet access and up-to-date browser, e.g. Chrome, Safari. Runs on Windows, OS X, iOS, Android and Linux.

See the article here:

Fat Fritz 2.0 - The new number 1 - Chessbase News

10/18/2020 Star columnist Jon Speelman explores the exchange sacrifice. Speelman shares five illustrative examples to explain in which conditions giving up a rook for a minor piece is a good trade. As a general rule and in fact (almost all?) of the time you need other pieces on the board for an exchange sacrifice to work. | Pictured: Mikhail Tal and Tigran Petrosian following a post-mortem analysis at the 1961 European Team Championship in Oberhausen | Photo: Gerhard Hund

ChessBase 15 - Mega package

Find the right combination! ChessBase 15 program + new Mega Database 2020 with 8 million games and more than 80,000 master analyses. Plus ChessBase Magazine (DVD + magazine) and CB Premium membership for 1 year!

More...

[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]

During the Norway tournament, I streamed commentarya couple of times myself at twitch.tv/jonspeelman, but mainly listened to the official commentaryby Vladimir Kramnik and Judit Polgar.

Both were very interesting, and Kramnik in particular has a chess aesthetic which I very much like. In his prime a powerhouse positional player with superb endgame technique, he started life much more tactically and his instinct is to sacrifice for the initiative whenever possible, especially the exchange: an approach which, after defence seemed to triumph under traditional chess engines, has been given a new lease of life by Alpha Zero.

So I thought today that Id look at some nice exchange sacrifices, but first a moment from Norway where I was actually a tad disappointed by a winning sacrifice.

At the end of a beautiful positional game, which has been annotated here in Game of the Week, Carlsen finished off with the powerful

42.Re8!

and after

42...Qxe8 43.Qh6+ Kg8 44.Qxg6+ Kh8 45.Nf6

Tari resigned

Of course, I would have played Re8 myself in a game if Id seen it, but I was hoping from an aesthetic perspective that Carlsen would complete this real masterclass and masterpiece with a nice zugzwang.

You start with c4 to prevent 42.f3 c4, creating some very slight confusion and then it goes:

42.c4 Kg8 43.f3

And for example: 43...Qd7 44.Qh6 Qe6 45.Kg3 fxe4 (45...Rg7 46.Nf6+ Kf7 47.Qh8 Qe7 48.Kg2) 46.dxe4 Rf4 47.Nxf4 exf4+ 48.Kxf4 Qf7+ 49.Kg3 Qg7 50.Qxg7+ Kxg7 51.Rxf8

Black can also try43...Rh7

and here after 44.Rxf8+ Kg7

as the engine pointed out to me, its best to use the Re8 trick:

45.Qxh7+! (45.Rf6 is much messier) 45...Kxh7 46.Re8!

Mega Database 2020

The ChessBase Mega Database 2020 is the premiere chess database with over eight million games from 1560 to 2019 in high quality. Packing more than 85,000 annotated games, Mega 2020 contains the worlds largest collection of high-class analysed games. Train like a pro! Prepare for your opponents with ChessBase and the Mega Database 2020. Let grandmasters explain how to best handle your favorite variations, improve your repertoire and much more.

The black queen is trapped.

For todays examples I used my memory and the ChessBase search mask when I couldnt track down a game exactly. For instance,for the first one byBotvinnik [pictured], I set him as Black with 0-1, disabled ignoring colours, and put Rd4 e5 c5 on the board which turned out to identify the single game I wanted a hole in 1!I also asked my stream on Thursday for any examples, and one of my stalwarts, a Scottish Frenchman, found me Reshevsky v Petrosian (I couldnt remember offhand who Petrosians opponent was) and drew my attention to the beautiful double exchange sacrifice by Erwin L'Ami from Wijk aan Zee B.

Before the games themselves, which are in chronological order,it might be worthwhile to consider what makes an exchange sacrifice successful. Whole books have been written on this and Im certainly not going to be able to go into serious detail. But a couple of points:

The need for extra pieces applies particularly to endgames. For instance,this diagram should definitely be lost for Black:

Its far from trivial, but as a general schema the white king should be able to advance right into Blacks guts and then White can do things with his pawns. Something like get Ke7 and Rf6, then g4 exchanging pawns if Black has played ...h5. Play f5, move the rook, play f6+, and arrange to play Rxf7.

But if you add a pair of rooks then it becomes enormously difficult. And indeed I really dont know whether God would beat God.

Select an entry from the list to switch between games

Master Class Vol.11: Vladimir Kramnik

This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors (Pelletier, Marin, Mller and Reeh) how to successfully organise your games strategically, consequently how to keep y

See original here:

When 3 is greater than 5 - Chessbase News

from the checking-the-checkmate dept

Techdirt has been noting some interesting tech trends arising out of the increasing number of people who work and study from home because of COVID-19. One that few of us saw coming is a greatly increased enthusiasm for playing chess. That would be a good thing, except that life is never simple, as the Guardian reports:

Chess has enjoyed a huge boom in internet play this year as in-person events have moved online and people stuck at home have sought new hobbies. But with that has come a significant new problem: a rise in the use of powerful chess calculators to cheat on a scale reminiscent of the scandals that have dogged cycling and athletics. One leading 'chess detective' said that the pandemic was "without doubt creating a crisis".

When life moves from in-person to online, there is a loss of many subtle aspects that arise from being in the presence of other people. Back in May we wrote about a problem in the field of education, where some have concerns that students might be cheating when taking exams online, since there is no invigilator around to check on them. This has led to the rise of remote proctoring services that aim to cast a beady virtual eye over students who are sitting exams. According to the Guardian, similar ideas are starting to enter the world of chess:

At the heart of the problem are programmes or apps that can rapidly calculate near-perfect moves in any situation. To counter these engines, players in more and more top matches must agree to be recorded by multiple cameras, be available on Zoom or WhatsApp at any time, and grant remote access to their computers. They may not be allowed to leave their screens, even for toilet breaks.

Other approaches include tracking the movements of players' eyes, to see if they are looking away with suspicious frequency, and algorithms that are claiming to be able to spot "deviation from the proclivities of an honest human player". The fact that the once-staid world of chess is resorting to these kinds of advanced surveillance techniques is a further indication of the extent to which COVID-19 is changing the world, and deepening digital technology's impact on our lives.

Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter, Diaspora, or Mastodon.

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Filed Under: chess, covid, games, surveillance

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COVID-19 Is Driving The Uptake Of Chess -- And Of Surveillance Tools To Stop Online Players Cheating - Techdirt

In one chess tournament, five of the top six were disqualified for cheating. In another, the doting parents of 10-year-old competitors furiously rejected evidence that their darlings were playing at the level of the world No 1. And in a third, an Armenian grandmaster booted out for suspicious play accused his opponent of doing pipi in his Pampers.

These incidents may sound extreme but they are not isolated and they have all taken place online since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chess has enjoyed a huge boom in internet play this year as in-person events have moved online and people stuck at home have sought new hobbies. But with that has come a significant new problem: a rise in the use of powerful chess calculators to cheat on a scale reminiscent of the scandals that have dogged cycling and athletics. One leading chess detective said that the pandemic was without doubt creating a crisis.

The problems are not confined to chess, with similar issues reported in poker, bridge and even backgammon, but they are perhaps most disruptive for a game with a reputation for gravitas and class.

The pandemic has brought me as much work in a single day as I have had in a year previously, said Prof Kenneth Regan, an international chess master and computer scientist whose model is relied on by the sports governing body, Fide, to detect suspicious patterns of play. It has ruined my sabbatical.

Fides general director, Emil Sutovsky, described it as a huge topic I work on dozens of hours each week, and its president, Arkady Dvorkovich, said computer doping was a real plague.

At the heart of the problem are programs or apps that can rapidly calculate near-perfect moves in any situation. To counter these engines, players in more and more top matches must agree to be recorded by multiple cameras, be available on Zoom or WhatsApp at any time, and grant remote access to their computers. They may not be allowed to leave their screens, even for toilet breaks. In some cases they must have a proctor or invigilator search their room and then sit with them throughout a match.

Sutovsky has also suggested eye-tracking programs may be a way to raise a red flag if a player appears to be looking away with suspicious frequency.

Chess.com, the worlds biggest site for online play, said it had seen 12 million new users this year, against 6.5 million last year. The cheating rate has jumped from between 5,000 and 6,000 players banned each month last year to a high of almost 17,000 in August.

Gerard Le-Marechal, the head of the sites fair play team, said he had brought in three new members of staff to deal with the problem. I think its to do with people being cooped up. Its just so easy to do, so alluring, and its without doubt creating a crisis.

The growth in cheating and a corresponding explosion in social media discussion of the problem has created a new atmosphere of suspicion and recrimination. Paranoia has become the culture, said Le-Marechal, whom a friend declared the cyber chess detective when he got the job. There is this very romantic vision of the game which is being scuppered.

While chess.com is reluctant to reveal details of its system, Regan describes his as a model that detects cheating as the deviation from the proclivities of an honest human player. With enough evidence, such models produce a high level of confidence that a given player could not possibly have played a particular set of moves unaided.

The most prominent of the recent disqualifications came in the PRO Chess League when the St Louis Arch Bishops, a team made up of top American players, lost in the final to the underdog Armenia Eagles.

The Eagles victory rested on the performance of Tigran Petrosian, an Armenian grandmaster and the world No 260, who stunned commentators with his victory over Fabiano Caruana, ranked second in the world.

Petrosian attributed his play to the gin he sipped during the game. But suspicious observers suggested he seemed to be glancing away from his screen frequently, and chess.com later overturned the teams wins and banned him for life.

Petrosian later called the claims idiotic, invented allegations. He posted a lengthy rant addressed to another opponent, the world No 8 Wesley So: You are a biggest looser [sic] I ever seen in my life! You was doing PiPi in your pampers when I was beating players much more stronger than you! you are like a girl crying after I beat you!

So, for his part, told the Guardian in an email that he felt sorry for Petrosian. Perhaps thinking of Lance Armstrong, he added: I was a big fan of a certain cyclist and a part of me understands the pressure to succeed at all costs. At the same time I feel pain for other competitors ... Who will restore what was taken from them?

Conrad Schormann, who has covered the cheating crisis as news editor of chesstech.org, notes that Petrosian did not appear to get help on every move, making the suspicious behaviour even harder to spot. In his games there were abnormalities, sequences that he played godlike, but there were blunders as well, he said.

Such controversies have been replicated even in the lower-stakes world of junior play. Sarah Longson, a former British ladies champion who runs the Delancey UK Schools Chess Challenge, said at least 100 of 2,000 online participants cheated.

The cheating was blatant, she said, with mediocre preteens at the level of the world champion, Magnus Carlsen. But only three of them admitted it, which is pretty disgusting. After realising the night before the final that the top three qualifiers had all been cheating, she said, we stayed up til 3am deciding what to do and nearly cancelled altogether.

Its the children from the private schools, sadly, she said. When I ring their parents they just get angry with me. Theyre under such pressure to succeed.

Without a significant culture change, most say, the cheats are unlikely to go straight. Regan is realistic but determined. If you cheat on a single move I will disclaim any ability to catch you, he said. You can fly under the radar. But if you keep going at the same rate, you will come into the radar in the end.

See the rest here:

Chess's cheating crisis: 'paranoia has become the culture' - The Guardian

Coronavirus has made many people across the country feel powerless, with lives restricted and rules preventing individuals doing the things they love.

After the Government's recent announcement that England would be placed under a coronavirus three tier alert system, it would not be wrong for people to start questioning how these crucial decisions are being made.

London was placed in Tier 1, 'medium risk', but the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has already hinted that London is just days away from entering the 'high risk' Tier 2 level in which meeting people from other households indoors would be banned.

One of Pubic Health Englands (PHE) roles is to ensure that it has the right information available to make informed decisions and put strategies in action.

For more news and features about London directly to your inbox sign up to our newsletter here .

To help understand the spread of Covid-19, PHE uses a wide variety of real-time data at both local and national level.

Data to establish coronavirus prevalence in the community and which demographics are being affected is gathered from a wide range of sources, such as GPs, hospitals or even Google searches.

In a recent blog from PHE it said: "Surveillance systems are chosen so they can be measured regularly and consistently. No single piece of data tells the whole story of any outbreak, nor can any system provide a definitive figure for exactly how many people could have Covid-19 as many will have a mild illness and never report it to the health services.

"By bringing together a wide range of data we can make well informed judgements about emerging trends, geographical variations and the groups of people most affected."

Here are the different ways that PHE build its understanding of coronavirus in London and England:

Across the country teams of experts and scientists in infectious disease outbreaks are on the lookout for outbreaks in venues like schools or care homes.

The information gathered is used to build an understanding of the pandemic movement and initiate responses both locally and nationally.

Internet-based surveillance also tracks the volumes of people searching for typical symptoms of coronavirus on search engines like Google, and PHE look for evidence that numbers of these searches are increasing above normallevels.

PHE also use an online FluSurvey which is completed by members of the public and tracks self-reported respiratory symptoms.

The tool has been adapted to monitor community prevalence and the amount of symptoms related to Covid-19.

GPs across the country submit data to PHE regarding coronavirus in the community.

PHE monitors the daily number of GP consultations where patients have presented a range of respiratory symptoms including Covid-19 cases.

Around 4500 GP surgeries are submitting data daily with out of hour contact also being recorded and analysed.

Cases in hospitals are also monitored by PHE to help build a picture of the prevalence of coronavirus in the country.

The Emergency Department Syndromic Surveillance System monitors the number of daily visits (from people suffering with respiratory illnesses) to a network of around 70 emergency departments across England.

Another system called the Covid-19 Hospitalisation in England Surveillance System, or CHESS, was set up specifically for surveillance purposes and is used to help estimate the daily rate of new hospital admissions for people with coronavirus.

PHE also use a laboratory surveillance tool for monitoring major respiratory viruses circulating in England.

Samples from laboratories based in all parts of the country are analysed to gather the percentage of tests that are positive for Covid-19.

Changes in the proportion of tests that are positive are an early indicator of changes in the number of infections.

Information on the number of people who have been hospitalised with confirmed Covid-19 in England and subsequently died is recorded along with as monitoring any abnormal increases in other causes of deaths that may be linked to the pandemic.

PHE also looks at confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the world including the overall number of deaths.

See more here:

Google searches help infectious disease experts track the spread of coronavirus - My London

9/2/2020 The second-to-last week of our Summer Special has arrived, and we are offering yet another great DVD bundle, this time with Fritztrainers by Victor Bologan. The Moldovan grandmaster teaches us how to win with the Kings Indian attack, an opening which is very popular amongst several titled players. We have also added his DVD Kings Indian: A modern approach, where Bologan presents a full repertoire in over seven hours of instruction. To sum the bundle up, you will also get the openings 2019 Powerbook and Powerbase DVDs, with over 100,000 games. And finally, we add another signed-DVD raffle to all buyers!

Play it like former World Champion Bobby Fischer!

I have always loved the Kings Indian. My trainers, Ion Solonar and Vyacheslav Chebanenko, taught me to play it with Black, and also showed me how play the Kings Indian setup with an extra tempo. An important extra tempo: Black plays the Kings Indian Defence, White plays the Kings Indian Attack! This opening was also a favourite of chess legend and 11th World Champion Bobby Fischer, who is known for his aggressive play and his wish to win every game. With the Kings Indian Attack he scored 8out of 9, creating a number of fine modelgames that teach us how to attack with the setup.

The Kings Indian Attack is mainly reached via the French Defence (1.e4 e6 2.d3) and the Sicilian with 2e6, but it can also arise from the Reti Opening, when Black plays e6 and d5 to reach structures from the Queens Gambit Declined. Thirty years ago the Kings Indian Attack was considered to be an interesting and original way to avoid theoretical battles. But todays theory sees the Kings Indian Attack in line with the modern approach to postpone the fight for the centre to the middlegame. The Kings Indian Attack is full of positional and tactical ideas and is often an unpleasant surprise for the opponent. The opening is easy to prepare but its important to remember that the Kings Indian Attack is more about ideas and plans and less about forced and complicated lines. Since my junior days it has been a reliable weapon and it still serves me well today.

Video running time: 4 h 27 min(English) With interactive training including video feedback Extra: Database with more than 50 model games Including CB Reader

Author Victor Bologan about his DVD: If chess players are in Iceland, they usually pay tribute to the genius of Bobby Fischer, the 11th World Champion, by visiting his grave in Selfoss in Reykjavik. With this DVD I also want to express my gratitude to Fischer: for his great contribution to chess in general and because he helped to make the Kings Indian more popular in particular. As a junior, when I was ten years old, my coach advised me to study the openings of Fischer and I discovered the Kings Indian. Later I learned about the different approaches Black has in the Kings Indian. He can keep his structure flexible and put his pawns on d6 and c6; he can play the sharp and principled Nc6 in the classical lines and in some sidelines he can sacrifice a pawn with b5 as in the Benko.

Top players such as Geller, Smirin, Kasparov, Radjabov, Nakamura and Ding Liren all played and play the Kings Indian and they all have a different style, a different approach. When preparing the material for this DVD I studied the games of these experts, checked analyses with modern engines and used a lot of material from correspondence databases. Every day my Kings Indian vocabulary got better, richer, and more varied. At the same time my confidence and my belief in the Kings Indian also got bigger. If you study this DVD carefully and solve the interactive exercises you will also enrich your chess vocabulary, your Kings Indian vocabulary, build up confidence in the Kings Indian and your chess and win more games.

Video running time: 7 hours 14 min (English) With interactive training including video feedback Database with more than 50 instructive games, extensive analysis of the theory shown on this DVD Including CB 12 Reader

If you want to play for a win with Black against 1.d4, 1.c4 or 1.Nf3, the Kings Indian remains a good choice. Of course the risk is correspondingly somewhat higher. That was recognized even by Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov who for years had the Kings Indian opening in their repertoire, but did not employ it in their WCh matches. Our powerbook gives you the chance to make valuable discoveries: variations which are above averagely successful for White as well as secret weapons for Black.

The Kings Indian Powerbook 2019 is based above all on 252 000 games from the engine room of playchess.com, supplemented by 99 000 games played by human beings. Setting the threshold average Elo of both players at 2375 guarantees the high quality of the statistics. But what makes the Powerbook so valuable is that it is possible to find lovely secret variations for both sides with only a minimum of searching.

The 754 selected annotated games offer an incredible amount of material for study. Top players such as Carlsen (1 annotated game), Caruana (1), Ding Liren (2), Giri (4), Mamedyarov (1), Anand (1), Aronian (1), So (2), Radjabov (6), Kramnik (1), have analysed their own games, with in addition Kings Indian experts like Hazai (221), Stohl (101), Krasenkow (100). There is a total of 9780 games, where the average rating of the players was 2575.

The database shows the games list. With a double click on a game, the game is loaded. By clicking on the tab Players you can sort the list by frequency. By doing this you can examine the games of Kramnik or Aronian further who have played the opening a lot.

Games can be replayed and examined with an engine or likewise with a powerbook.

Two chess grandmasters who both reached a rating of over 2800 have signed our chess engines Fritz 16 + 17. While Fabiano Caruana signed the Fritz 16 DVD, Garry Kasparov autographedFritz 17. Anybody who buys the Kings Indian Attack bundlewill get achance to win either one of these signed DVDs. Good luck!

Whoever bought our bundlesSummer Special - The power of the Nimzo Indian,Play the Najdorf with the help of GarryorSommer Spezial I - Franzsischer Reichtumhad the chance to win a signed DVD by either Kasparov, Sarin or Gukesh!

With the big help ofour cats, wefound our four lucky winners.Congratulations!

Follow this link:

Winning with the King's Indian and our summer special! - Chessbase News

Curve Digital revealed this week that their upcoming indie space simulator title Space Crew is coming out next month. Along with developer Runner Duck, the game is essentially a sci-fi sequel to the sandbox hit Bomber Crew. This should make fans of the game happy as you're getting a lot of the same gameplay and mechanics as the first title, now with a space theme and a few added bonuses that will make any sci-fi fan happy and also laugh hysterically. The game is set to be released on PC via Steam as well as all three major consoles on October 15th, 2020. You can read more about it below and check out the latest trailer before the game arrives in six weeks.

The United Defense Force will allow you to set across the galaxy on a campaign to defend Earth. It will be your responsibility to help stop all of humankind being wiped off the intergalactic stage by the mysterious extraterrestrial threat known as the Phasmids. The U.D.F. is doing their part, are you? Join the Space Crew today!

Ship-to-ship combat is strategic and deadly; manage your resources and crew abilities to stop ship invasions, repair systems, tackle fires and take evasive action. From captain to comms officer, weapons officer, engineer and more you will create your own unique crew with customisable equipment, loadouts, appearances and names. Personalisation doesn't end at your crew, customise your spaceship from weapons, armour, engines, escape pods, liveries, and more to make your ship your very own. Precarious asteroid fields, harmful radiation, the freezing vacuum of space and black holes all pose a danger to even the most experienced space crew. Travel throughout the Galaxy and defeat the threat to humankind through a range of single player missions from reconnaissance to bounty hunts, reclamation and more.

Gavin is the current Games Editor for Bleeding Cool. He has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys hundreds of other geeky things that can't be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vero, for random pictures and musings.

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Space Crew Will Officially Launch On October 15th - Bleeding Cool News

by Carlos Alberto Colodro

8/31/2020 The 2020 FIDE Online Olympiad came to an end on Sunday, with an internet outage prompting FIDE to declare finalists Russia and India as joint winners. The match had started with a tie in the first six-game mini-match. In the second encounter of the day, however, Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh disconnected towards the end of their games and lost on time. First, the Russians were declared champions, but after Indias appeal, on the grounds that their players lost connection as a consequence of a massive internet outage, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich decided to grant gold medals to both teams.

ChessBase 15 - Mega package

Find the right combination! ChessBase 15 program + new Mega Database 2020 with 8 million games and more than 80,000 master analyses. Plus ChessBase Magazine (DVD + magazine) and CB Premium membership for 1 year!

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It was a strange end to a unique edition of the traditional Chess Olympiad. Due to the restrictions imposed amid the covid-19 crisis, FIDE decided to organize a massive online event in which each national team had to present a lineup including a mix ofmen, women, juniors and girls. Organizing such a large-scale tournament online was a brave decision, given the difficulties related to potential cheaters and unpredictable internet-connection problems.

Already during the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, connectivity issueshad slightly disrupted the normal flow of the events, with Ding Liren losing a couple of games on time after his connection was lost. Luckily, the problems were solved and normal service was restored.

In the Olympiad, things did not go as smoothly, particularly in the incident that involved India and Armenia during the quarterfinals. Nihal Sarin had defeatedHaik Martirosyan after the latter had lost his connection. The Armenian team appealed the result, pointing outthat the specified player was connected to the Zoom call during the whole incident, and the video call was not interrupted.

Citing that the quality of the internet connection is the responsibility of the player, the Appeals Committee rejected Armenias request, noting that the Indian national teamhad previously lost two games against Mongoliafor similar reasons.

Fast forward to Sundays final, which kicked off with a thrilling first mini-match. All games ended drawn, but only after Ian Nepomniachtchi and Kateryna Lagno showed great resourcefulness in defence to save half points against Vidit Gujrathi and Humpy Koneru respectively. Nepo gave up his rook to muddy the waters in a complex position:

Winning against the Grnfeld

The Grnfeld is a highly dynamic opening in which Black's position often seems to hang together by a single thread; and yet, this apparently precarious equilibrium appears to be enough to make it entirely viable up to the highest level.

White is a pawn up and has the initiative. Vidits best move here was 24.c5, the kind of crucial manoeuvre that can only be precisely calculated with plenty of time on the clock. The Indian went for thenatural 24.Qe5 instead, and saw his opponent lash out with 24...Rxf2 the engines do not like this picturesque sacrifice, but from a human perspective Black is now the one calling the shots. In the end, it was Vidit who gave perpetual check to secure the draw.

After the 3:3 result in the exciting first mini-match, the teams made key substitutions for the second round. Anand and Praggnanandhaa replaced Harikrishna and Nihal Sarin in the Indian squad, while Dubov, Goryachkina and Esipenko replaced Artemiev, Lagnoand Sarana among the Russians.

The one decisive result that was nota direct consequence of a disconnection in round two saw Aleksandra Goryachkina beating Humpy Koneru with the white pieces. Nonetheless, Humpy did lose her connection for a while, and although she managed to reconnect she had lost some valuable time in the 15-minute game.

Then came the main incident of the day. Nihal Sarin andDivya Deshmukh lost on time against Andrey Esipenko and Polina Shuvalova after losing their connections. Nihal had equalized what had been a worse position for most of the game, while the young Indian girl had a superior position with the white pieces.

The Fashionable Caro-Kann Vol.1 and 2

The Caro Kann is a very tricky opening. Blacks play is based on controlling and fighting for key light squares. It is a line which was very fashionable in late 90s and early 2000s due to the successes of greats like Karpov, Anand, Dreev etc. Recently due to strong engines lot of key developments have been made and some new lines have been introduced, while others have been refuted altogether. I have analyzed the new trends carefully and found some new ideas for Black.

The Indian team immediately sent an appeal to the committee formed by Arkady Dvorkovich,Michael Khodarkovsky and Sava Stoisavljevic. Since Dvorkovich is Russian, he recused himself from involvement in the decision. Nevertheless, after the remaining two members were unable to reach a unanimous decision, the FIDE President declared both teams as joint winners and published the following official statement:

The Online Chess Olympiad has been impacted by a global internet outage, that severely affected several countries, including India. Two of the Indian players have been affected and lost connection, when the outcome of the match was still unclear.

The Appeals Committee has examined all the evidence provided by Chess.com, as well as information gathered from other sources about this internet outage. After being informed of their considerations and in absence of aunanimous decision, and takinginto account these unprecedented circumstances, as FIDE President I made the decision to award Gold Medals to both teams.

In their official report, FIDE mentions thatthe internet outage was caused by a Cloudflare crash.

Of course, the fact that Dvorkovich is Russian put him in a particularly propitious spot to negotiate with the team that would have been granted tournament victory had the appeal been rejected it was informed that Russias team captain was contacted and accepted the decision. Had other teams been involved, it would have been more difficult for the FIDE President to make that call.

Not all members of the Russian team were happy with the decision, however. Ian Nepomniachtchi tweeted:

Smart decision to please Indian chess community, meanwhile forgetting about other fans & players. Selective nobleness.

Former womens world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk also shared her thoughts:

Lets clarify one thing: India didnt win the Olympiad, but was rather named by FIDE a co-champion. Imho, there is a huge difference between actually winning the gold or just being awarded one without winning a single game in the final.

Master Class Vol. 12: Viswanathan Anand

This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, consequently how to keep your opponent permanently under press

Let us not forget that, although the Russians are the traditional chess superpower, they have not won the Olympiad since 2002, so getting this gold medal without controversy would have been a major success and would have rewarded the fact that they presented an impressively strong lineup inthe online event.

For India, on the other hand, this was a great achievement. As it is already indisputable, the incredible work made to promote the game in the Asiancountry during the last decade or so has shown impressive results. Once over-the-board chess fully returns, the Indian squad will be surely among the favourites to take gold in the next Olympiad, when they will most likely fight neck in neck with chess superpowers Russia, China andUnited States not to mention Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Poland and others.

Vishy Anand, the man who started it all,spoke to DD News:

Obviously Im thrilled with this result. Today was quite eventful, and its one of the features of the new format, but I think, in the whole, in the Olympiad the Indian team showed a lot of spirit. Especially I can say that [to get] this medal the biggest contribution came from the youngsters and it shows the bright future we have for chess in India.

Link:

FIDE declares India and Russia joint winners of the Online Olympiad - Chessbase News

IT Cubes are opening all over the country. This new project aims to develop digital education for children. This became possible thanks to the implementation of the national project Education.

The key goal of the project is the availability of quality education regardless of where the child lives. At the same time, a good education includes not only the opening of new modern schools, but also the development of additional education for children, including in promising areas. Special attention in the national project is paid to the development of a digital educational environment, including the creation of digital education centers IT-cube.

IT-cube is a center for the education of children for programs aimed at accelerating the development of relevant and demanded knowledge, skills and competencies in the field of information technology. The project forms a modern educational ecosystem that brings together leading companies in the IT market, experienced mentors and novice developers from 7 to 18 years old. Education in such centers is free of charge and available to every child. The project is a modern educational ecosystem that unites the leaders of the IT market, experienced mentors who have been trained by partners participating in the project, and most importantly, schoolchildren who plan to connect the future with modern technologies and the digital economy. Now there are more than 20 such cubes in the country, by the end of 2020 there will be 70, and in 2024 340.

On September 1, the IT-cube of Tambov was opened. It has, according to the first visitors, a qualitatively new level of equipment and modern design of educational spaces. Training here will go in six areas: Mobile Development, Python Programming, VR-AR Development, Cyberhygiene and Big Data, System Administration and Robot Programming. In addition, the site includes a coworking area and a chess lounge. It is planned that annually 400 children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 will be able to study at the center. More than 1,500 children from all cities and districts of the region will be involved in the events held by IT-cube of Tambov together with partners.

In the Republic of Tatarstan, on September 1, a new center for digital education of children IT-cube.Almetyevsk was opened. This is the second such center in Tatarstan. 400 students aged 8 to 18 years will be trained here this year. At the center, children will be taught the basics of programming in JAVA, programming in the SCRATCH language, developing VR / AR applications, cyberhygiene and big data, mobile development, PYTHON programming and system administration.

In the Chuvash Republic, from September 1, classes will continue in IT-cube.Kanash. With the support of Yandex.Lice, the guys will learn programming in Python, and with the support of the Samsung school, mobile development. Also for children are available directions for developing VR / AR applications, system administration, basic programming skills in C-like languages. According to Anna Keshko, head of IT-Kub.Kanash: The goal of IT-Cuba is to interest the child. Small victories that motivate a person to do something are given almost immediately in IT. We give what a person will encounter in the profession, so that the guys can actually work in their specialty, so that they immediately have an idea of industrial programming. Now knowledge of a programming language is the same as knowledge of at least one foreign language. The threshold for children to enter the IT specialty is getting lower.

In the Lipetsk region IT-cube. Lipetsk is also ready to teach children in the new academic year. In addition to programming and mobile development, children here can get acquainted with artificial intelligence technologies: schoolchildren will perform laboratory work using a pre-trained set of neural network models and will take a full production course for creating a neural network model. They will develop standard gaming networks for chess, checkers and a chat bot for communication, which will respond to key phrases, conduct a simple dialogue, and answer questions using search engines.

Continued here:

Development in a cube. 20 new digital education centers opened in the country - Pledge Times

Photo Credit: Mark Harkin / Wikimedia

When Kuwait Airlines refused to sell tickets to Israelis, The Lawfare Project sued, forcing it to cancel all its inter-European flights and its popular JFK-London route.

When Saudi Arabia wouldnt allow Israeli players to participate in a chess tournament two years ago, The Lawfare Project again sprung into action, and the International Chess Federation ultimately moved the tournament to Russia.

Numerous Jewish organizations protest insults against Jews or Israel, but The Lawfare Project was founded 10 years ago to fight back in a very specific way: through the courts. And so far, it has achieved some remarkable victories.

To learn more, The Jewish Press recently spoke to its founder, Brooke Goldstein.

The Jewish Press: Whats your background?

Goldstein: I was born and raised in Canada. I went to McGill University and then to Cardozo Law School.

I come from a very proud Zionist Jewish family. My grandparents are Holocaust survivors, and I was raised with a love for my identity. I hope to give the same love for Jewish history and the Jewish people to my children.

Why did you start The Lawfare Project?

When I was in law school, I worked as in-house counsel for Daniel Pipes at the Middle East Forum, and I was also running The Legal Project, which was a litigation defense fund for people in the counter-terrorism and moderate Muslim communities who were being sued for speaking about radical Islam.

I started studying where the money for these lawsuits came from and learned that there were hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars being funneled through organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Muslim Legal Fund.

I also studied how organizations like the ACLU and NAACP operate, and it occurred to me that the way that you really make change in this country is through seminal civil rights lawsuits.

I realized, though, that there has never been a Jewish litigation defense fund or a Jewish civil rights movement in this country. So in 2010 I founded The Lawfare Project, and since then we have filed over 80 groundbreaking civil rights cases in almost 20 jurisdictions around the world.

What would you say have been your biggest victories?

The most recent significant victory was a settlement we entered into with the National Lawyers Guild. We sued the National Lawyers Guild which is one of the oldest lawyers guilds in the United States for discrimination against our client, an Israeli company.

The guild had passed a resolution not to do business with Israelis, but enforcing such a resolution violates New York States anti-discrimination law. Just like you cant have a restaurant with a sign No Chinese allowed or a bar with a sign No blacks allowed, you cant have a business and say, No Israelis allowed.

Our client had attempted to buy ad space in the National Lawyers Guild annual journal, and the guild sent an e-mail back saying: Sorry, we dont do business with Israelis. So we sued them. The National Lawyers Guild realized it didnt have a case, so it settled with us and changed its anti-discrimination policy.

Its quite significant because it shows that if you engage in BDS, you will be held accountable, you will be sued, and eventually if youre stupid enough to go to court you will be held liable. In this case, they did the smart thing and settled and reversed their policy. Theyre doing business now with the Israeli company.

Is it true that you once successfully sued Google?

We have a lawyer who operates out of Europe, and he filed a legal action against Google. We ended up reaching an understanding with Googles lawyers to block defamatory content against the Jewish people, including material that promotes Nazi ideology and denies the Holocaust.

Our lawyer in Europe is now working very closely with Googles in-house counsel to make sure Google is following its own policy and abiding by European law, which is actually much more strict on Internet providers and search engines [than America] when it comes to content that defames people because of their race or ethnicity.

You also apparently once successfully blocked Hamas or Hezbollah from broadcasting in America.

Yes, that was actually one of our first legal actions. An intern who was working with us pointed out that Hamas TV and Hezbollah TV were being broadcast illegally in the United States through two U.S.-based companies. So we were able to put together a legal memo and share it with law enforcement, and they took down the two channels.

One of your more impressive victories is one you scored against Kuwait Airways. Can you talk a bit about that?

Its actually an ongoing action. We forced Kuwait Airways to cancel its route from JFK to London because its illegal in this country to discriminate against someone based on his or her national origin, which is exactly what Kuwait Airways is doing. [It bars Israeli from its flights.]

Weve also filed several actions against Kuwait Airways in different European jurisdictions. Some have been more successful than others, but we were successful in the sense that we got Kuwait Airways to cancel all its inter-European flight paths.

The last challenge is to work with European countries to ensure that their anti-discrimination laws are enforced even for Kuwait Airways flights that fly to Kuwait because we believe its completely unacceptable in the 21st century in the West to allow companies to do business in our countries and make money while engaging in barbaric discrimination.

Your organization has also been involved in fighting European laws that require products made in the West Bank to be labeled as such. Can you talk about that?

We were retained by Psagot, which is an Israeli winery in Judea and Samaria, and we challenged a French regulation that required Jewish products made in Judea and Samaria to be labeled a certain way which is discriminatory.

We ended up going all the way to the European Court of Justice, but in a really stunning ruling last November, it basically said that consumer protection requires labeling products to indicate anything a consumer may desire to know vis--vis ethics, and this includes whether or not a product is made by a Jew or a Muslim in the so-called disputed territories.

It was an outrageous and shocking decision that will have enormous implications and ripple effects. It has really opened the floodgates for consumers to sue companies for all sorts of things. For example, if youre buying a product form the United States and you want to know whether the owner of the manufacturing company voted for Trump, you should be able to demand, as an ethical consumer, that that information appear on the label.

I think courts are quickly going to realize how untenable enforcement of this European Court of Justice ruling really is.

Whats the most recent case youve taken on?

Well, we recently filed a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to find out what was really was behind the blatant discriminatory treatment of the Jewish community when it came enforcing coronavirus regulations.

I think its pretty obvious that [Mayor Bill] de Blasio singled out the Jewish community. He blamed the Jewish community for the spread of the coronavirus and threatened members of the Jewish community with arrest.

You cant treat two categories of people differently based on their religion or viewpoint. The government cant say its okay to gather to protest for Black Lives Matters, but its not okay to gather to pray. If you have a regulation, it has to be applied equally across the board to all people regardless of their religion or skin color.

How many lawyers does The Lawfare Project have?

Right now, we have four full-time in-house staff including myself. We have one lawyer who works for us based out of Europe, based in Spain. And then we have a network of over 400 lawyers and over 35 major law firms that have dedicated themselves to working pro bono, or reduced rate, on cases we bring to them.

Why would they work pro bono or at a reduced rate?

Ive spent the last 11 years of my life recruiting firms and lawyers really, the best of the best. We have the top law firms and minds in the world working on our cases.

I think our cases appeal to them because were really at the forefront of the Jewish civil rights movement. Were using the legal system in a way that enforces the basic civil rights of the Jewish community which should have been done 50 years ago.

I think theyre also very moved by the quality of the cases and the plight of the plaintiffs that we bring to them. One of our clients, for example, was punched in the face at Temple University and subjected to anti-Semitic epithets. Theres no place for this in the United States or in the 21st century.

You once said the change you can make with one lawsuit or even one legal letter is enormous. So you dont even have to go to court? A letter does the trick?

Yes. And Id like to think that most of the time the people we write letters to have just forgotten what their obligations are under the law. Were just reminding them, and they do the right thing.

How often does a letter work?

Very often. Id say nine out of 10 times. A lawsuit is always the last resort. You dont want to waste your time and money in a court.

And were not in this game for monetary damages. Were in this game to change the national dialogue, to remind people and educate people that Jews deserve equal protection; that the civil rights laws that apply to other communities to the black community, to the Muslim community, and to women also apply to Jews.

Some people believe our country is too litigious. By taking all these actions, are you contributing to this litigious atmosphere? Or is it your contention that if every other group is doing it, we have to do it as well and that the benefits outweigh the costs?

The beautiful thing about living in a liberal democratic society is that the way you enforce change is not through violence. Its through lobbying, legislation, and the court system. Its a beautiful thing that if you have been wronged, you are able to negotiate a settlement with someone or go to a court of law and have a judge rule on the dispute.

Were not rioting. Thats not how we enforce change in this country. We enforce change civilly by using the court system. And Jews have every right to enforce their civil rights. The rights enjoyed by women, by blacks, and others in this country are all products of seminal civil rights cases that were brought to the courts, and they changed the fabric of our society.

When people accuse us of being a litigious society, the last thing I think theyre talking about is civil rights litigation. Were not talking about ambulance chasers. Were talking about plaintiffs bringing extraordinarily important cases before the courts of law of this country to enforce principles that every other minority community will benefit from.

As a minority community, we deserve equal protection. And thats the way forward to launch a civil rights campaign in this country to demand that we be treated with respect like every other minority community.

Go here to see the original:

We Can Sue, Too: An Interview with Brooke Goldstein, Founder of The Lawfare Project - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

Ive seen the Genesis GV80 more this year than some family members.

Some of that has to do with, well, you know, but the other reason is that this mid-size SUV is a monumental model for the fledgling luxury brand. Ask anybody on the street what sells in the 2020 car market and theyll tell you its SUVs. Genesis has been racking up awards pretty much since inception for its cars, but the volume play was always going to need to be a high-rider.

Thats why we spent a portion of a day with the GV80as well as the G80, which will get its own preview articlepoking around the impressive new rig. Since its debut at the start of the year, Genesis has slowly trickled out more information on what prospective buyers can expect when it touches down soon. Its still a little while before we can drive it, but here are the highlights from our hands-on time with the new SUV.

Photo by Harry Zhou

Both Kia and Hyundai have been killin it with sales of the Telluride and Palisade. It wouldve been easy for Genesis to simply crib that platform for its first SUV. Instead, the brand is underpinning the GV80 with a foundation of its own design, one that also supports the 2021 G80 mid-size sedan. The rear-drive-based architecture should afford the GV80 the necessary level of dynamicism to challenge the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLEthough of course, well have to wait until proper go behind the wheel to know for sure.

Of course, the GV80 will also offer all-wheel driveand in fact, only that in Canada. Two turbocharged engine options will be available in both markets: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a 3.5-liter V6. The larger engine will only be available with AWD. These are both powerful engines, with the smaller model putting out an even 300 hp and 311 lb-ft, while the six-pot produces 375 hp and 381 lb-ft. For those keeping score at home, those stats compare favorably to the four- and six-cylinder models from the Germans.

Photo by Harry Zhou

Genesis may have debuted its current design language on the facelifted 2020 G90 sedanfull review on that coming later this monthbut the GV80 is the first clean-sheet example of the look. The face, with the bold diamond-shape grille and the twin-line headlights framing it, isnt subtle. But move around to the side and the flanks are clean and unfussy. The designers have split the difference between upright practicality and high-angle style for the rear hatch glass too, emphasizing the rear haunches. Enormous wheels are par for the course these days, and the GV80 obliges with massive 22-inch wheels in this pre-production form. Smaller rolling stock will be available too.

While Im sure not everyone will dig the new family look, its just that: familial. With the opportunity to look at the GV80 and G80 together, theres a cohesiveness to their looks without falling into Xerox territory. The GV80 is not simply a higher-riding G80 station wagon.

Genesis Canadas Jarred Pellat explains that designer SangYup Lee looks at the lineup as a chess set. When you look at a chess set, maybe its a marble set or a wood set, you can tell that all the piecesthe pawns, the rook, the queen and the kingtheyre all from the same family, explains Pellat. They all have the same finishes, they all have that same identity. But theyre all a different shape, they all have their own unique character. Thats what the Genesis lineup is becoming.

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Photo by Harry Zhou

Coming in either two- or three-row forms, the GV80 will likely be more of a family-hauling road trip machine than any Genesis before it. So the automaker has loaded it up with a laundry list of features, both standard and optional, that should help melt away the miles for driver and passengers alike.

Lets start with the Road Active Noise Cancellation (RANC). The system uses sensors and microphones dotted around the car to pick up exterior noise, and then pumps opposing sound waves through the sound system to cancel it out. It results in what Genesis is calling one of the quietest cars you can buy. Optional massaging seats should also go some way to relieving stress on the road.

The GV80 features an augmented reality navigation system. Similar to other setups on the market, this displays a live feed from the front camera on the central infotainment screen, with arrows overlaid. The nose of the GV80 also houses sensors to scan the road ahead to pre-emptively adjust the suspension for any uneven surfacesa segment first. Again, well have to reserve judgment for our first drive, but all of the above should combine to provide a serene mile-muncher.

Not all of the GV80s family-friendly appeal comes from high tech toys, either. One of the simplest design features is the height of the exterior door panels. The door takes the sill section with it on opening, ensuring no mud or road grit gets all over your pant leg on entrance or exit. Clever.

As I mentioned earlier, the GV80 will be more of a family vehicle than previous Genesis models. To that end, it comes with a panoply of standard safety features to keep you and yours safe. These include the usual automated emergency braking, lane keep assist, and blind spot warning systems. The latter uses side-mounted cameras to show a live feed in the infotainment screen whenever a turn signal is active. In addition, the GV80 will feature a rear cross-traffic alert and a driver attention warningon every trim.

Higher tech includes a machine learning-powered adaptive cruise control. This world-first application learns from the driver and then applies their habits to its own driving when active. Highway Driving Assist II is a partially-autonomous driving aid that helps in heavy traffic, including performing safe lane changes when the driver activates the turn signal.

Should the worst happen, the GV80 is equipped with 10 airbags. These include a segment-first central airbag between the driver and front passenger, keeping them safely separated in the case of an accident.

Photo by Harry Zhou

If youre considering the GV80, please do yourself a favor: buy one of the unique interior color schemes.

Nothing says old money quite like another somber, black leather interior. The GV80 offers a unique green-and-brown interior scheme that sets it apart from the pack. Diamond-quilted leather seats look good and are eminently adjustable. Even the little kneepads lining the center console are diamond-quilted. The fit and finish, even on this pre-production model, feels well on par with the establishment.

The overall interior design is calming and minimalist. A huge 14.5-inch touchscreen sits atop the dash, though users can also interact with it via a center console-mounted dial. Thisand all the dials found inside the GV80has that sort of tactile response found on a classic iPod. It clicks as you spin it, but can also be poked and prodded for simpler four-direction navigation. The center of the scroll wheel also accepts handwriting.

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These multiple input options were an intentional part of the design according to Genesis; the goal is to allow users to interact with the GV80 in whichever way they find most comfortable. Thats important: this is the biggest rethink of the brands infotainment since launch, and these systems ease-of-use are increasingly important to customers. Look no further than the annual J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, where Genesis scored as the top luxury brand for 2020. On initial encounter, the new system is naturally more complicated than the current one, but not so much that a few minutes of fiddling doesnt fix.

Theres other trick tech in here too. Look ahead of the steering wheel and youll find a head-up display and the worlds first 3D digital instrument panel. Its a clever bit of kit that I cant trick during my short time with it, but those that prefer a flat display will be happy to know it can be turned off.

Photo by Harry Zhou

So a static poke around the GV80 suggests the upstart will upset the established order when it lands later this year. With an entry price of $49,925 for a rear-drive four-pot in America including destination, it will seriously undercut rivals while maintaining a level of luxury buyers expect for that sort of sum. Canadians will be looking at $64,500 to hop inthough part of that has to do with standard all-wheel drive and added features. But the most important question remains: how does it drive?

Like it did to so many other car launches this year, COVID-19 delayed the GV80s roll-out too. Well be getting behind the wheel soon though, and then well really know for sure whether or not Genesis has another hit on its hands. Based on this latest meeting with the GV80 however, and the young brands track record, we wouldnt bet against it.

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2021 Genesis GV80 Preview: Hands On With the New Luxury SUV - AutoGuide.com

While many parents in the U.S. have had their little ones home during normal school for months, many are preparing for their children to continue remote learning into the new school year. In fact, major school districts such as LA and San Diego have already made the decision to go fully-virtual this fall. Even schools that do open up for in-person teaching are likely to have strict social distancing guidelines and the elimination of traditional after-school activities.

To help you out during this time, we rounded up 35 ways to keep your kids entertained and stimulated while learning virtually.

Tangiplay: Tangible Coding Toys + Interactive Puzzles Solving Games for Kids, now on sale for $84.99 (14% off)

Boost your childs coding, spatial awareness, and math skills with this games 120+ puzzles and 12 interactive robot toys.

Dragon X5 Bluetooth Gaming Controller, now on sale for $39.99 (29% off)

Pair this gamepad with the smartphone, tablet, or console of your choice to defy traditional controlling limitations.

H102 Velocity High-Speed Remote Control Boat, now on sale for $59.99 (14%)

This 13 boat can fly across pools and lakes at a whopping speed of 20mph.

SunFounder Robotic Arm Edge Kit for Arduino, now on sale for $54.99 (21% off)

Create your own functional robot arm with this DIY electronic kit.

DIY Robotic Art Kit for Ages 6 to 9, now on sale for $44.99 (34% off)

This introduction to STEM learning kit allows kids ages 6 to 9 to explore an infinite number of DIY projects.

Crowtail STEAM Educational Basic Starter Kit (with Microbit Board and Tutorial), now on sale for $65.99 (11% off)

Learn the ins and outs of programming by following along to any of the 12 included STEAM modules in this awesome kit.

ARCKIT Multi-Stadium Model Building Kit, now on sale for $149.99

This Architeizer A+ Award-Winning kit allows you to build your very own 3D sports stadium.

ARCKIT Architectural Scale Model Building Kit, now on sale for $99.95

Recommended for ages 14+, this A90 open-ended design tool allows you to build your own impressive structure up to 960 square feet.

DIY Coding Kit for Ages 8 to 12, now on sale for $79.99 (19% off)

Let your child learn how to code while having fun with this super STEAM kit and corresponding mobile app.

Glitzy Glamping Kit, now on sale for $54.99 (35% off)

From dress-up games to scavenger hunts, this glamping kit will keep your little one busy for hours on end.

Go Plus 2.0 Kids Architect Scale Model House Building Kit, now on sale for $59.99

This open-ended architecture kit allows you to explore vast building design possibilities such as curved floors and walls.

ArckitPLAY Cityscape Architect Building Kit for Kids, now on sale for $69.99

Empower your childs inner architect with this cityscape scale model miniature kit.

MAKERbuino Educational DIY Game Console (Standard Kit), now on sale for $69.99

Have your child build their very own gaming device with this DIY kit.

Go Colors 2.0 Architect Scale Model House Building Kit for Kids, now on sale for $59.99

Perfect for ages 8+, this kit allows your child to play with colors and shapes to create a 3D model miniature house.

Planetary System Set, now on sale for $109.95 (14% off)

Perfect for any kid obsessed with spacethese polished gemstones are cross-referenced with NASA satellite images to ensure they are accurate representations of their corresponding planets.

Little Architect Kids Model City-Building Kit, now on sale for $49.99

This open-ended little city building kit allows kids aged 4+ to create skyscrapers, roads, and parks.

Circuit Scribe: DIY Circuit Kits, now on sale for $32.99 (44% off)

This kit allows you to build exciting circuits using Circuit Scribes conductive ink pen, sweet magnetic modules, and plain old printer paper.

SparkMaker Original SLA 3D Printer Starter Bundle, now on sale for $259 (34% off)

This easy-to-use 3D printer creates high-resolution models using SLA and UV LCD resins.

Speech Blubs Language Therapy: Lifetime Subscription, now on sale for $59.99 (40% off)

Rated 4.4/5-stars on the Apple App Store, this app offers a variety of fun, educational activities that will boost your childs speech and social development.

Zubi Flyer: Hackable Frisbee, now on sale for $89 (10% off)

With 12 games and real coding, this frisbee combines STEM learning with physical activity.

Remote Control 2-Wheeled Jump Car Toy, now on sale for $119.99 (13% off)

This Jump Car, which features 360 rotation, 7Kph speed, and flexible wheels, packs enough fun for the entire family.

Crowtail Starter Kit For Micro:bit 2.0, now on sale for $89.99

This pocket-sized computer can be used to create everything from robots to musical instruments with just a little bit of coding.

Dancebot Dancing Robot, now on sale for $49.99 (37% off)

This super-cute, AI robot doubles as a Bluetooth speaker!

Mokuru Card Game, now on sale for $34.99 (25% off)

This card game can help sharpen your focus and improve your hand-eye coordination skills.

Ringo DIY Mobile Phone Kit + Tools, now on sale for $179.95 (7% off)

This Kickstarter-funded gadget allows your child to build their own mobile phone complete with apps and games.

3-in-1 Folding Wooden Chess Set, now on sale for $18.95 (24% off)

Stretch their minds while having fun with this 3-in-1 game set that includes the necessary pieces for chess, backgammon, and draughts.

3D VR Headset with Built-in Stereo Headphone, now on sale for $85 (15% off)

Immerse yourself in a virtual world with this 3D VR Headset.

Elecrow Raspberry Pi 3 Starter Kit, now on sale for $108.99

This kit includes everything you need in order to build a tiny gadget that can surf the web.

Bandai Kamen Rider Drive DX Ride Crosser, now on sale for $23.99 (23% off)

Start your engines! This four-wheel car is sure to keep your little ones entertained.

Arduino Automatic Smart Plant Watering Kit 2.0, now on sale for $69.99

Watch your plants grow with this DIY smart watering kit.

Papumba Fun Learning App for Kids: Lifetime Subscription, now on sale for $49.99 (86% off)

This app offers 500+ interactive games and learning activities that will give your kids a head start in STEAM skills.

Ninja Dragons Powerful 5G WiFi FPV Drone with 4K HD Camera, now on sale for $199 (20% off)

This palm-sized drone is not only fun to fly, but it can capture incredible ariel videos from above.

2.4Ghz Remote Control 4WD High-Speed Monster Truck, now on sale for $154.99 (22% off)

This Remote Control 4WD High-Speed Monster Truck lets you bring insane stunts to life.

Link:

35 ways to keep your kids entertained and stimulated while learning remotely - New York Post

Its August, which means its time for our annual art issue.

It probably sounds odd, but when I see August and art in the same sentence I cant help thinking about a couple of long-passed relatives. My grandfathers name was August, and I had an uncle named Art.

August Schwardt could build or fix pretty much anything. One of my most prized possessions is a beautiful, hand-carved wooden chess set that he made. I keep it in an old round, wooden tobacco box, which he also made with a homemade lathe that he rigged up in his shop. When you open the lid to the box, you can still catch a rich whiff of his pipe tobacco.

He was a quiet, thoughtful man who could be comically absent-minded. He once spent months building a boat in his shop, and as he showed it to one of his friends, the friend asked, Howre you gonna get it out the door, Gus? Grandpa said nothing for days, but spent hours examining the boat, the shop and his tools. Finally, he tore the boat apart and never spoke of it again.

Math fascinated him, and he loved talking theories and equations with the math teachers at the Kansas school where he worked as a janitor. Hard times and family moves had forced him to quit school early.

My Uncle Art, on the other hand, was an engineer with a big oil company in Kansas City. He and Aunt Marge would come out West to visit our family every summer, and Art would bore the pants off my father and me as he threw open the hood of his enormous sedan and started holding forth about how fuel really worked in internal combustion engines.

Art was also a Scoutmaster, and he insisted on taking me on tortuous hikes and quizzing me on the knots hed tried to teach me to tie the summer before. But I never listened and usually forgot everything he said within minutes. Which hole was the bunny supposed to jump through to complete the knot again?

But Uncle Arts true passion was barbecuing. Seizing control of our patio grill to set off the inescapable family cookout portion of his visit, he often sent flames curling high above the eaves of our house. There now THATS a fire, Art would say triumphantly as my father watched in horror and my mother retreated to the kitchen.

Wow sorry. Guess I kind of wandered off there. But maybe that gets us to the real point anyway. While August is generally one of the best months to be in the Yakima Valley (normally, of course, wed be in the thick of a packed schedule of festivals, concerts, wine-tastings and other events), this year is clearly different.

It doesnt mean art and creativity arent still thriving, though.

Far from it. Maybe all this isolation and social turmoil is actually forcing us all to think a little more creatively than usual.

Consider local art teachers like East Valley Central Middle Schools Ken Weyrick. As he tells our Glenda Tjarnberg, hes had to redouble his own professional creativity to teach creative arts to his students. Or think about people who long to be on ocean cruises or exploring exotic places this travel season, but are stuck at home during this global pandemic. Christine Conklin reports that theyve had to turn up the creativity, too which for some means taking virtual trips and seeing the sights from their computer screens.

The creative challenges have been just as great for the artists who look forward to annual events like the Downtown Yakima Chalk Art Festival. Molly Allens story offers some colorful memories of past festivals and addresses when artists might return to the citys sidewalks.

If theres a lesson here, its that nothing seems to crush creativity for long. Despite our current situation, art adorns most of what youll read about in this issue. From the handsome designs of Timberloom that Shannon Mahre describes, to the sweeping beauty and captivating paintings of Robert and Lisa Vickers home, which Melissa Labberton tours in this months Yakima Abodes feature, the Yakima Valleys artistry is flourishing.

See? Arts as vibrant and vital as ever, and it can take you a lot of places. Lets go see some of them

- John Taylor

The rest is here:

In Honor of August and Art - Yakima Herald-Republic

On July 4, the day the United States of America celebrates its independence, let's take a look at the best chess players in American history.

The United States has long produced top chess talent, with some of the game's finest players, authors and theoreticians calling the U.S. home.

In recent years, the U.S. has been a force on the international chess scene, and its "big three" grandmasters are staples at the world's top tournaments. The United States had a world-championship contender in 2018, with GMFabiano Caruana coming up just short against the world champion, GMMagnus Carlsen.

Caruana obviously makes the list of the best-ever U.S. players, but where does he rank? And who is ahead of him?

There are many ways to make a "best-of-all-time" list. Your selections will be different from mine. I am using peak playing strength as my primary metric, not overall career achievement because I am most interested in the best possible chess produced by each American on this list.

Peak rating: 2763

Gata Kamsky is a true chess prodigy. He became a strong grandmaster at age 16 and reached his peak in the 1990s. His career pinnacle was in the 1996 FIDE world championship bracket, where he made the finals but dropped the championship match against the reigning FIDE world champion, GMAnatoly Karpov.

Kamsky was born in the Soviet Union but moved to the United States early in his career. Kamsky won the U.S. chess championship five times (1991, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014), cementing his status as an American chess legend.

Here is a 22-year-old Kamsky beating the super-GM Nigel Short in 26 moves.

Peak rating: 2768

Even with much recent success, Leinier Dominguez Perez remains an underrated American chess talent.

Dominguez Perez officially became an American chess player less than two years ago, in December 2018, when he transferred federations to the United States. Before that, he was the five-time Cuban chess champion.

His career peak was likely his sole first place in the 2013 FIDE Grand Prix leg in Greece, finishing ahead of 11 other super-GMs, including three others on this list.

Dominguez Perez's attacking prowess was on full display in 2014 when he practically wiped future-compatriot GMWesley So's kingside off the board in this brutal miniature.

Peak rating: 2811 (estimated by Edo)

It's not a stretch to call Paul Morphy the father of American chess.

A true prodigy, Morphy was not just a chess force at an early age. His game was also about 100 years ahead of its time in terms of style and even tactical strength.

GM Bobby Fischer called Morphy "the most accurate player who ever lived," which should tell you something because many chess fans give that title instead to Fischer.

Morphy's game peaked quite early, and the apex was his European tour in 1858 at age 21. Morphy pretty much destroyed every strong player the European continent could throw at him, and by the time he returned to the United States, he was recognized as the unofficial world champion.

Morphy retired from competitive chess a year later to begin his law practice, never returning to the game before his death at age 47.

Morphy is the author of arguably the most famous chess game ever played, an exhibition against the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard at an opera house in Paris. If you're going to show a chess beginner one game, use this one.

Peak rating: 2816

Hikaru Nakamura, while quite a formidable traditional chess force, is truly a chess player of the modern age.

Nakamura has made his mark as unquestionably the best American blitz chess player ever, and also the best American online chess player ever. Since most chess games in 2020 are both played online and at fast time controls, these are fairly important arenas.

Nakamura has also established a tremendous following on the live-streaming site Twitch and was called "the grandmaster who got Twitch hooked on chess" by Wired magazine. On Chess.com, Nakamura has won the two most recent editions of the Speed Chess Championship (2018-2019).

Of course, Nakamura has enjoyed solid over-the-board success as well, winning the U.S. championship five times.

No game quite captures the modern, fun, and online-friendly nature of Nakamura's style like his thorough trolling of the computer engine Crafty back in 2007, when Crafty was one of the world's strongest engines and Nakamura was just 20 years old.

Peak rating: 2822

Wesley So transferred to the United States federation six years ago, and since then he has established himself as one of the world's best players.

So is 26 years old and it's reasonable to think that his chess peak is just getting started. So's style of play is precise and safe, rarely getting himself into trouble. This less-risky approach has been cited (mostly unfairly) as evidence that So is not an exciting chess player.

That argument went right out the window last November when So destroyed the classical world chess champion, Carlsen, in the finals of the first FIDE world Fischer random chess championship. So ran up the score, winning the match 13.5-2.5, putting to rest any doubts of his brilliance and creativity.

In this famous game against the top Chinese GM Ding Liren, So answers any lingering questions you might have about whether three pieces are better than a queen.

Peak rating: 2844

Fabiano Caruana is currently at the top of his career and sits just 28 rating points behind Carlsen on the live list. Caruana and Carlsen are the only players above 2800. The pair fought a close battle in the 2018 world chess championship, with Carlsen needing the tiebreaks to retain his title.

Caruana is still in contention for the next world championship whenever that process resumes, with the American one game off the lead of the 2020 candidates' tournament at the time of its postponement halfway through the schedule.

Caruana's chess highlight reel is too extensive to fully appreciate in this space. He won the U.S. chess championship on his first try in 2016, and he was the four-time Italian chess champion before transferring to the U.S. federation.

Why pick a draw for Caruana's showcase game, when all the other players get wins?

This game against Carlsen in the 2018 world chess championship represents the peak of chess on two levels. On the surface, you have the tremendous underdog Caruana outplaying and pressuring the world champion Carlsen, who was lucky to escape with the draw and maintain an even match.

On a deeper level, there is a beautiful and inscrutable endgame lurking in this game that astounded everyone who analyzed it. The chess super-computer "Sesse" found a forced checkmate for Caruana in 30 moves in real-time, as millions watched the game around the world. The legendary former world champion GMGarry Kasparov said no human could ever spot the win. Yet it was in there, on the board as surely the 64 squares themselves.

I still get goosebumps playing over this endgame.

Peak rating: 2785

Bobby Fischer stands as the most legendary U.S. chess player ever and is universally considered one of the three greatest world champions, along with Carlsen and Kasparov.

Fischer was responsible for a renaissance in American chess in the 1970s as he racked up ridiculous winning streaks on his way to the world title over GMBoris Spassky in 1972. Fischer elevated the game of chess to geopolitical philosophy, representing American individualism against the Soviet chess machine.

The most striking aspect of Fischer's chess was how far ahead he was of his competition. His peak rating of 2785, earned before the considerable rating inflation in the 50 years since would place him near the top of the chess world even today.

Computer studies have confirmed Fischer's strength and accuracy as other-worldly for his time. His style was universal, elegant and above all, accurate. His fierce competitive spirit is something the computer engines can't measure; Fischer had one of the strongest wills to win in chess history.

Fischer's career was cut short by disagreements with chess organizers along with mental and physical health problems. Nonetheless, in the short time he spent at the top of the game, he changed it forever with the millions of American players he inspired.

Almost as a side note, Fischer invented Fischer random chess (chess 960), which is considered one of the most creative chess variants. Fischer also held a patent for a chess clock with an increment, which is the preferred time control today of many players.

The below game, one of the most famous in chess history, shows the stunning chess clarity possessed by Fischer even as young as age 13 when he eviscerated a leading American chess master, Donald Byrne.

Peak rating: 3500+

I can already see the objections in the comment section. But the headline in this article said "chess players," not chess humans, and I am a big fan of non-human chess.

AlphaZero is an artificial intelligence project that plays chess. Given just the rules of the game, AlphaZero taught itself to play chess to superhuman levels in mere hours using machine-learning techniques.

It stormed onto the chess scene in late 2017 when its operators released the results of a 100-game match with Stockfish, the traditional champion chess engine.

AlphaZero plays chess differently from most computers, possessing an almost-intuitive understanding of the game and handling many positions in a beautiful, human-like manner. Of course, AlphaZero is stronger than any human, but if you played through its games you'd think it had a distinct personality. Maybe it does.

AlphaZero inspired a whole wave of neural-network chess engines, including the international open-source project Lc0, which currently sits second behind Stockfish on the computer ratings list. The machine-learning approach pioneered by AlphaZero transformed the scientific basis of computer chess, and it will be the neural-network engines that evolve the game to its next levels, wherever that may be.

Is AlphaZero American? AlphaZero runs on American TPUs. The project's inventor, the AI company DeepMind, is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but the company has been owned by an American corporation (Google/Alphabet) since before there was an AlphaZero.

If George Washington was born a British subject but can still be considered a founding father of the United States, we can extend that same leeway to AlphaZero, especially on the American day of independence from Great Britain.

Of course, there are many other American chess engines, most of them far stronger than the human players on this list, but here they are collectively represented by the intrepid AlphaZero, which changed computer chess forever.

I'll never forget where I was when I saw this game by AlphaZero against the reigning top computer engine Stockfish, and if you care about the evolution of chess, you might not either.

Who do you think are the top chess players in American history? Let us know in the comments.

View post:

Who Are The 8 Best U.S. Chess Players Ever? - Chess.com

Letter to out-of-school youth of blended learning

Before K to 12, there was blended learning. Now that school as we know it, traditional face-to-face is indefinitely out until someone comes up with a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, there may be no other way to continue ones education but through blended means: a combination of indoor and outdoor, online and offline, giving credence to the gospel of hard knocks, claiming theyve learned as much if not more outside the classroom than in it.

Maybe nows the time to catch up with the classics theres only so much one can watch on Netflix, cable or free TV, and when thumbs get tired from Playstation what else can one do but twiddle them? By classics we mean the required reading from the old school, whether or not these be the tangible hard copy or digital soft, whichever is accessible, many of them having accompanying Cliff or Monarch notes for better understanding and analysis to guide discussions.

In the high school of the old days, there were, in fact, comics or graphic versions of the Rizal novels Noli and Fili, perhaps our first exposure to a kind of blended learning. And while Google and similar search engines have all but made the once-indispensable encyclopedia go the way of the dinosaur, there can still be found some quaint wonderment while perusing editions of Britannica or Book of Knowledge displayed on the creaky shelf indeed as if they were museum pieces.

Meanwhile the karaoke joints have all emptied, no one daring to pick up the mic or insert a coin into the machine, lyric book ready. Even the billiard halls are no longer the hangouts they once were, though in some backstreet dives in Mandaluyong the hustlers continue to hold fort, waiting for a chance to spring a quick buck. The chess puzzles on the sidewalks of Sta. Cruz mate in three for 20 pesos havent seen those in a while. Underneath the LRT, theres still a ghost of a chance of purchasing a Seamans Book, but what for? Many ships are in dry dock due to COVID.

But blended must continue, whether whisky rum or knowledge, or a combination thereof. Back In the day we learned as much drinking our first beers under an aratiles tree by Juniors sari-sari store in UP Village, trying to figure out what the acronym printed on our bottles stood for: Sa Aming Nayon, May isang Grupong Umiinom, Eh Lasing. Never did remember what Pale Pilsen meant, lost in the rap style burp of a buddy breaking into laughter.

These days on TV we catch the marathon hearings on whether to grant a franchise to ABS-CBN, which, as kids, we understood to be Alak, Babae, Sugal, Cabaret, Babae Na naman, and not at all associated with oligarchs. A chance here to get reacquainted with the Panatang Makabayan citizens oath, which an anti-oligarch pro-dictator congressman wanted the dual citizen broadcast owner to recite, in thought word and deed, how he loves the Philippines land of his parents birth. The home of his race, which has given him shelter and help in order to be strong, nationalistic and ever reliable.

Not everyone can have the comfort of drinking beer under an aratiles tree, at least not in places with lingering liquor ban under GCQ (gift certificates quarantine). Pag Aratiles Lang Eh Palibhasa Inumin Lang Sana Eh, No?

In the US the race riots unravel a deep-seated confusion. On home soil the Anti-Terror Bill debate has divided a COVID-wracked nation. The Philippine Collegian has just released a collectors edition which editors said could be the last in a long while in the time of virus and terror. If anyone has a spare copy you know where to send it, certainly not the last gasp of the fourth estate.

Back to the classics, then. Apart from Noli and Fili, we remember Hectors kid Astyanax thrown down the burning walls of Troy from where Aeneas fled with his father Anchises on his back. Which image was used by Nick Joaquin for the unseen painting in Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino. Whose other story, May Day Eve, is read aloud annually at a bookstore in Baguio City almost lost in the clouds. Blended with or without internet or Wi-Fi is the only way to go, for the tailor who thought he looked like Thomas Mann, and the portrait of the artist as a Mangyan. (Last two puns courtesy of Cesar Ruiz.)

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Letter to out-of-school youth of blended learning - Philstar.com

Blues rocker Laith Al-Saadi will perform July 31 in a drive-in concert at the Macomb Center for Performing Arts in Clinton Township.

Photo by Doug Coombe

CLINTON TOWNSHIP Audiences might know Laith Al-Saadi from watching him perform at venues around the state, or maybe fans will recognize him from season 10 of The Voice on NBC.

This Friday, Al-Saadi and his band will bring their flavor of blues, soul and classic rock n roll to the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts for a drive-in concert from 7 to 8:30 p.m. If youre in the mood for some Memphis groove or could use a shot of classic rock, the show is for you.

The July 31 drive-in concert is a first for the Macomb Center as a way to provide live entertainment in a safe environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The center is located at 44575 Gareld Road, on the Macomb Community College Center Campus in Clinton Township.

First State Bank is presenting the concert, which will be held in parking lot no. 10, located on the west end of the campus, parallel to Dalcoma Road.

Tickets cost $45 per car, and the limit is four people per vehicle. Since the box office is currently closed, tickets are available online only at http://www.macombcenter.com.

Since March, Al-Saadi has been entertaining his followers through virtual shows at 8 p.m. Friday evenings from his Facebook page. The upcoming Macomb Center show will mark Al-Saadis second live performance since the shutdown; his first was at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts in the Petoskey area. Al-Saadi cant wait for showtime, something he has been missing since live music was mostly silenced due to the pandemic.

I am incredibly happy were still able to go forward with this new format. Im excited to play with the band, the Ann Arbor native said. Music is a unifying force. It puts smiles on peoples faces. It brings people together.

Al-Saadi has been bringing people together since age 4 when he joined the Boychoir of Ann Arbor. He also honed his talent on the local musical theater circuit and began playing piano although he admitted that he didnt practice. By the time he was a teen, Al-Saadi was writing songs and learning guitar.

I wanted to sit around the campfire singing Beatles songs with friends, the musician said. Al-Saadi also found his calling playing guitar and upright bass in the jazz program at Community High School in Ann Arbor.

It was bands like Led Zeppelin, Cream and Pink Floyd that influenced the budding musician, as did Motown artists and blues greats Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon and Robert Johnson.

At age 15, Al-Saadi was in a band known as Blue Vinyl, which cut a CD and once opened for bluesman Buddy Guy in Battle Creek. Before the show and carrying his Stratocaster, Al-Saadi knocked on Guys dressing room. For about 30 minutes, the pair bonded over stories about Chess Records and the Chicago blues.

He was excited about cultivating my love for the blues, Al-Saadi said.

Feeling he had nothing to lose, in 2016 Al-Saadi auditioned for The Voice, got on the show and was coached by Maroon 5s Adam Levine.

It gave me some good exposure and increased my gigs around Michigan, said the guitarist, who has played all around the country and even in the Netherlands. I was able to play live blues on national television. Adam was nice to work with. He was a cool guy.

The Voice also paved the way for him to perform on stage with Joe Walsh of the Eagles and Keith Urban on Walshs Rocky Mountain Way. Another highlight came in 2019, when Al-Saadi opened up for another homegrown artist Bob Seger, who also grew up in Ann Arbor. While having a pre-show conversation with Seger back-up singer Shaun Murphy, he met the Ramblin Gamblin Man himself.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and said Laith, Laith, Al-Saadi recalled. I turned around and its Bob Seger. It was really wonderful to be tied in with that rock n roll history.

Event officials have set forth procedures for the concert that meet COVID-19 state-mandated guidelines. Only passenger vehicles will be admitted. Full size vans, recreational vehicles and trucks with campers are not permitted. No one may enter by foot, bicycle or motorcycle, and every vehicle must have a ticket. Attendees must present their printed ticket at the entrance tickets on phones will not be accepted.

Vehicles will be parked at the discretion of the event manager and within distanced markings. Vehicles with an overall height of over 5 feet, primarily pickup trucks and large sport utility vehicles are to park in the back half of the parking area.

Attendees may open a rear hatch and sit if the hatch does not go higher than the roof of the vehicle. Those in attendance may sit in the bed of a pickup truck. Attendees must remain in their vehicles except to use the restrooms provided. When outside of a vehicle, concert-goers must wear masks and maintain six feet of distance from others.

Alcohol is not permitted, and all vehicle engines must be turned off until the end of the performance. Anyone not complying with the regulations or the directions of event staff will be asked to leave. The event is subject to change based on inclement weather conditions or a change in COVID-19 state regulations.

More information about the July 31 concert is available at http://www.macombcenter.com.

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Macomb Center for the Performing Arts to host drive-in concert - C&G Newspapers

By: Tech Desk | Updated: July 20, 2020 9:27:04 am There is an abundance of chess games available on Google Play Store (Source: Play Store)

There can be a million first-person shooter game like PUBG, 3D endless running games like Temple run, graphics-heavy racing games like Asphalt but Chess is still one of the most basic and interesting games around on smartphones. You dont need a high-end smartphone to run this game as they can run on almost any smartphone, not taking too much space.

If you are surfing, looking for a Chess game to download heres a list to choose from as per your needs from the abundance of versions available on Play Store.

Chess (by AI factory limited) is the highest-ranked paid chess game on Android. It has 12 playing levels from novice to expert. Apart from the usual single-player and multiplayer mode it also has a casual mode which helps you understand the game better with hints and move take backs. If you are a serious player, the pro mode is the best as it does not hold back any punches. You can also track your history which will help you improve.

The game lets you play online as well. You can choose between a wide array of 2D and 3D chess boards. You can also review your previous game. It has a 4.7 rating on Play Store. There is also a free version available which has over 1.5 million downloads.

Play Magnus is a two-dimensional chess game where your opponent will be Grand Master Magnus Carlsen. You have control over whether you want to play against a Magnus as young as five years old or a 27-year-old. The chess engine of this one is different as well as it has the same opening as Magnus depending on the age of AI-powered opponent. Features like Brain Power boost and Magnometer help you identify whether the opponent is bluffing with the next move or not. If you are new to the game, there is an option of training videos as well.

To add more to it, you have a chance to qualify to play Magnus Carlsen Live at a secret location. The app has a 4.3 rating on Play Store after over 23,000 downloads.

This version has a more minimalistic approach to the game. Despite being simpler than other versions available it lets you play in analyse mode, choose between different playing engines, adjust the playing strength. It also has different colour themes, animated moves and even a blindfold mode. Third-party engines are also configurable in this game to boost the diversity of moves of the opponents. It has a rating of 4.6 on the Play Store. The game is closing in on 16,000 downloads.

Instead of giving you a head-on game, this chess game gives you different puzzles, situations to solve. The game lets your choose between three modes. Solve daily puzzles mode helps you solve new problems every day. Solve offline puzzle packs is something that comes preloaded with the app. The third one, Progress Mode is an interesting take as it gives you random as per your level. You can also play on different boards, see your level history and bookmark puzzles to solve again. It has a 4.5 rating on Play Store after over 54,000 downloads.

Its not just the 3d style of the game that makes it interesting but a Harry Potter Hogwart-style chess board to add a little drama in your gameplay. It will be a little nostalgic for Harry Potter fans as humanoid chess sets and graphics add another dimension to the game which the aforementioned dont possess.

It has five humanoid chess sets: Barbarian, Dwarf, Skeleton, Orcs & Spartan. There are three difficulty levels. You can also play the game online. However, if you are into the game and not into graphics, this is not the one. The Battle Chess 3D has a 3.7 rating and over 37,000 downloads.

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These are the best Chess games you can play on Android phone - The Indian Express