Anand / Kramnik – Round 10.

GMs Anand and Kramnik analyzing the game position after round 10 in the World Chess Championship 07 in Mexico city. From originaldrilo.

Vishy.

Looks like Anand will finish it off in round twelve. I think what I’m coming away with here is that one has to fight to win.

USCF Story.

Round 12 match ups.

Betty Boop – Chess Nuts.

Who can resist a an old Betty Boop cartoon? From nemski.

World Chess Championship 2007.

Chess as Therapy, or Distraction.

This from the “and my readers should give a s!$t about this – why?” department.

For the past 3 weeks I’ve been dealing with pain in my right shoulder. I attribute it to one night when I drifted off to sleep on the couch. When I awoke the next morning, I rose, and there was this odd triplet of cracks from the right side of my neck, followed by a dull ache that slowly increased in intensity over the following 2 days.

That was 3 weeks ago. The pain is still there, but it comes and goes. I’ve had to reduce my morning exercise routine to something resembling a small tribute to Jack La Lanne. As can be seen, my daily blog entries have become 3 or 4 day a week entries, and my writing obligations are starting to fall behind. And these are the things that concern me – not my back.

But I’m adapting, and getting caught up. I find that exercise, not rest, is critical to my wellness. I can’t rest my back, or it gets worse. I feel much better after spending some time on the tennis court with the niece, or after cutting grass, than I would just sitting, or laying down waiting for things to get better.

Same for my mind. I’ve been following Susan Polgar’s commentary and coverage of the World Chess Championship, and playing through the games. Seems to be good mental therapy. Or perhaps it just gets my mind off of the backache. Either way, it works for me.

Court TV Chess Set.

From ariez64.

Louis Chess.

“Oh no, my King is in trouble”. From ianvirg.

I’m a Genius – Varuzhan Akobian (Part 2).

A Youtube video from ichitec. Here’s part 1.

I’m a Genius – Varuzhan Akobian (Part 1).

A Youtube video from ichitec. Here’s part 2.

Who? What? When? Where?

The FIDE World Championship games begin today, Sept 13, at 3pm est, in Mexico City. Anyone who has even a moderate interest in chess probably knows this. Or do they?

I must admit that until this morning, I had totally forgotten about it. Granted, I have other issues on my plate right now… regular feed subbers have probably noticed my slow down in posts, which I tried to publish at least once a day. And the still delayed review of Kasparov’s book, which I now see has been reviewed by Pandolfini in this months Chess Life. I’m rewriting it to include a few, shall we say, comparisons – between my opinion of the book, and that of Bruce Pandolfini.

Anyway, back to my point. Does anyone outside the world of chess know of the world championship match? I really don’t think so. I don’t watch much ESPN, but I’ll bet the subject won’t come up on sportscenter. So we have this huge publicity pothole.

To be certain, chess is not as nerdy as it once was. I think any kid that takes up chess, plays it with friends in school, etc… is proud to be known as a chess player. This wasn’t the case in my day. I’m sure not all the ridicule is gone, but a lot of it is.

But do those kids even know about the championship – the players, the ratings? This is the gap I’m talking about. I must admit some of the names are new to me, and I try my best to read and keep up with the latest news. If I mention a tennis or soccer player to my niece, she will immediately identify with that character. But the same cannot be said about Kramnik or Anand. Kasparov is the exception. Perhaps it’s the distinction between mental vs. physical athleticism. Perhaps it’s the way they dress. Perhaps it’s because we don’t see them on TV – I do think more internet video coverage and reporting would be a big boost. I love the interviews of the players – it puts a face and a voice to them.

As I write this, I am trying to find where I can catch live coverage and analysis of the championship games. Looks like Susan Polgar will be providing some live commentary and coverage.