Category Archives: Chess
Daily Chess Ratings And Daily960 Ratings Adjusted – Chess.com
SPECIAL NOTE: Chess.com has decided to revert these rating adjustments, and will solicit more feedback before proceeding.
Today, Chess.com made two significant changes to our Daily Chess rating system. First,all Daily Chess Standard ratings above 1500 have been increased by different amounts. Second, all Daily960 ratings above 1300 have been increased by different amounts.
After lots of statistical analysis of our Daily Chess ratings and comparisons to our other ratings, we have determined that increasing the ratings for players in specific ranges is the best way to achieve more accurate ratings for players in these rating pools. This change will bring the average Daily Chess rating on Chess.com in line with current Blitz Chess ratings on site.
Here is an exact breakdown of how ratings will be adjusted.
Daily Chess Rating Adjustment
Daily960 Rating Adjustment
*NOTE: If you don't see these rating updates yet, please be patient. It should process for you in the next day or two.
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Daily Chess Ratings And Daily960 Ratings Adjusted - Chess.com
Grand Chess Tour: Carlsen, Nakamura Only As Wildcards – Chess.com
GMs Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura are not among the main participants of the 2021 Grand Chess Tour. The two biggest stars of (online) chess might still participate as wildcards. The organizers announced the full field of participants on Wednesday.
The 2020 Grand Chess Tour was canceled altogether due to the coronavirus. Although the pandemic is far from over, the organizers remain optimistic. For 2021, five events have been scheduled, and the 10 regular participants have been announced.
All 10 players who had been invited for the 2020 season were invited again, but this time Carlsen and Nakamura declined to be full-tour participants. The busy schedule of the online Champions Chess Tour likely plays a role here, while it's also a world championship year for Carlsen.The two stars were replaced by GMs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Teimour Radjabov.
2021 Grand Chess Tour participants
Virus permitting, this year the tour will consist of the following five events:
The 10 full-tour participants will play in both classical events as well as in two of the three rapid and blitz tournaments. The wildcard participants for the three rapid and blitz events scheduled for Paris, Zagreb, and Saint Louis will be announced as they become available and might include Carlsen and Nakamura.
The 2021 season will feature the same five tournaments and format that was originally planned for the 2020 edition of the tour. The participants will compete for a total prize fund of $1.275 million over the course of the 2021 season.
The prize money for the two classical tournaments will be $325,000 per event, while the prize fund for the rapid and blitz events will be $150,000 each. In addition, a bonus prize fund totaling $175,000 will be awarded to the top three overall tour finishers.
The major sponsors of the 2021 Grand Chess Tour are the Superbet Foundation, Vivendi SA, Colliers International, and the Saint Louis Chess Club.
There will not be a "GCT Finals" tournament in 2021; the final tour standings will be decided based on the GCT points each tour player accumulates over the course of the five tournaments.
According to the organizers, GCT event dates have been coordinated with FIDE to avoid conflicts with FIDEs major events. However, there is a tiny overlap with the Champions Chess Tour. The sixth online "regular" overlaps one day with the Sinquefield Cup.
You can find all upcoming major events in 2021 at Chess.com/calendar.
Update: An earlier version of this article erroneously stated that the fifth online "regular" overlaps for two days with the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz.
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Grand Chess Tour: Carlsen, Nakamura Only As Wildcards - Chess.com
Pop artist Keith Haring exhibit now on display at the St. Louis World Chess Hall of Fame – KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis
ST. LOUIS While neither art nor chess is exclusive to one language, St. Louis World Chess Hall of Fame located in heart of the Central West End is continuing to further the conversation on the dynamic relationship between the two.
This year they are celebrating the legacy of Keith Haring in its newest exhibition,Keith Haring: Radiant Gambit. Haring was a popularAmerican pop and graffiti artist known for his colorful work 1980s.
Most people know him by his iconic motifs such as the radiant baby and the barking dog, said Shannon Bailey Chief Curator at The World Chess Hall of Fame.
The exhibition includes a never-before-seen private collection of Harings work and over 130 pieces of artwork placed across two floors of the institution.
This is the largest solo collection of Harings work ever shown in St. Louis, said Bailey. Its such an honor to show everyone his work.
And when asked about the publics reaction since the opening, Bailey responded Its been fantastic.
Keith Haring is such a popular, beloved artist, said Bailey. And with so many people binge-watching, The Queens Gambit on Netflixs they are feeling inspired.
Due to the pandemic, they are only allowing groups of 10 people or less inside the gallery.
We are doing everything to ensure safety, said Bailey. Once you enter you will get your temperature taken, and fill out a quick questionnaire and be asked to stay 6 feet apart from other guests.
During the exhibition, you will also be able to see several Keith Haring-inspired chess sets and murals from four local St. Louis artists. We love working with St. Louis artists, and this year we have partnered with four.
Bailey said she wants everyone who visits to leave feeling entertained and informed. You dont have to feel intimidated when you come in, said Bailey.
If you are a seasoned chess player or grandmaster you will learn something cool about art, and if you are an artist you are going to learn something about chess, Bailey added. We want to make sure that everyone learns something new.
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Pop artist Keith Haring exhibit now on display at the St. Louis World Chess Hall of Fame - KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis
Oli has played a chess move to save his position; impact on Nepal to be seen – Economic Times
The dissolution of Parliament and the announcement of mid-term polls in April-May 2021marks a new phase of political turmoil and uncertainty in Nepal. Faced with a no-confidence motion from his own parliamentary party colleagues, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli quickly pre-empted this move with the solid backing of President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
The president herself had been under attack with rumours of an impeachment motion against her, given her unstinted support to PM Oli in the swift promulgation of several ordinances that strengthened the position of the prime minister, particularly in making appointments to constitutional bodies, including the all powerful anticorruption authority. There has been widespread condemnation of Olis moves in Nepal, by political leaders, constitutional experts and the media.
Over the last few months, Nepal has been facing multiple crises. The poor handling of the Covid pandemic and its economic fallout, the internal dissensions within the ruling party, the street agitations by those in favour of the monarchy and a Hindu State, protests by the opposition Congress party all reflected the failure of the Oli regime to make progress towards the goal of Samriddh Nepal, Sukhi Nepali.
Chinese efforts to facilitate a patch up between the two factions of the Nepal Communist Party were unsuccessful. As long as the Chinese were supporting Oli, things were fine but when Oli realised that China was more interested in the NCP remaining united rather than in the continuation of his leadership, his strategy changed. From a time when he was playing the anti-India nationalism card symbolised in the new map of Nepal, Oli changed tack and started making overtures to India.
India responded positively by sending a series of visitors, including the chief of RAW, the army chief, the foreign secretary and, most recently, the head of the foreign affairs cell of the BJP to Nepal in quick succession. Given her core interests in Nepal, India did not want the long hiatus in India-Nepal cooperation to continue, particularly in view of the expanding Chinese footprint.
The fallout from Olis constitutional coup remains unclear. Challenges against the dissolution are now pending before the Supreme Court but when and how the court will act remains uncertain. Within the ruling NCP both factions are planning their respective strategies. While seven ministers belonging to the Prachanda-Madhav Nepal faction have resigned, two erstwhile Maoists remain; there are rumours that other ex-Maoists are waiting in the wings to join.
However, if past precedent is any indicator, there is no certainty that elections will be held during the current time frame in which case Nepal would be faced with another grave constitutional crisis. This would indeed, put a question mark on Nepals new Constitution adopted in 2015 amidst considerable tumult. Should this happen, many of the old issues of federalism, secularism, republicanism could be reopened, ushering in another phase of conflict and turmoil and prolonged instability in the country. India has historically supported movements for democracy and progressive change in Nepal.
Nepals security and stability is in our interest. Prolonged instability will make Nepal vulnerable to inimical influences, including from third countries and actors. Though in the short term it may lead to a weakening of the communist force in Nepal, the longer term implications for democracy in Nepal are worrisome. India has thus far not commented on recent developments on the grounds that these are internal matters of Nepal.
It is important to monitor the situation and evolving developments; however the touchstone for our policy should be to support the democratic aspirations of the people of Nepal. Oli, who has lost support within his party, has made a chess move to save his own position. The longer term impact on democratic process in Nepal remains to be seen.
The writer is a former envoy to Nepal
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Oli has played a chess move to save his position; impact on Nepal to be seen - Economic Times
Buffalo chess detective busier than ever with online cheating on the rise – WGRZ.com
The pandemic has forced competitive chess matches online and with that has been a huge increase in cheating and a UB professor is a leading chess cheating detective
BUFFALO, N.Y. Imagine youre playing chess and youre accused of cheating, or suspect the person youre playing is cheating. What do you do?
If this were an in-person match youd likely flag an official and plead your case.
But the pandemic has forced competitive chess online and with that has been a rampant uptick in cheating for sanctioned chess matches.
When chess officials need to investigate an alleged cheater, they call Kenneth Regan, PhD.
"I'm an international master title with the federation."
Dr. Regan is an associate professor of computer science and engineering at the University at Buffalo, and hes one of the most sought after investigators when it comes to cheating in chess.
According to data published on Chess.com, the uptick in fair play violations has tripled since November of last year. Over 18,000 accounts were deleted on by Chess.com over cheating violations in November, the highest ever on that platform. The number of players online has also increased because of the pandemic and also thanks to the popularity of the Netflix hit "The Queen's Gambit."
Dr. Regan says there are well-documented cheating methods for over-the-board matches.
Hidden cameras, earpieces, computer in the shoes, phones hidden in the loo's," Regan said. "Online, it's unfortunately, so easy.
Dr. Regan says because people are isolated during the pandemic, it's easier for them to cheat.
There are possibilities of circumventing camera setups by having acquaintances off-camera signal you if your microphone is cardioid, not omni-directional, it has a shadow, you know, all sorts of things like that.
Dr. Regan says players may utilize additional computers to try and cheat, and he says people are getting away with it.
But chess federations and other platforms reach out to Dr. Regan when they suspect a cheater because he has developed a computer model that can detect uncharacteristic moves from a player. With so many players ranked and skill-level easily detectable, Dr. Regan's platform can use the data from a match and prove if a player is using a move above their skillset.
Dr. Regan utilizes the supercomputing power of the UB Center for Computational Research. Dr. Regan inputs the appropriate information from the alleged cheating incident into the model and the supercomputer runs the numbers to determine if there has in fact been cheating.
It's completely data-driven, it does not use the special sauce of my equations, but it identifies cases that should be looked into further," Regan said.
Dr. Regan says the temptation for cheating seems to be intensified online, compared to traditional board play.
The unfortunate number that impacts my life the most is a factor of 100x's," Dr. Regan said. "100x's more likely for someone to be cheating online than over the board in person chess, which is what my model deals with.
Chess is popular again: over 158 million matches were played on Chess.com in November, and that's not including other chess federations and portals.
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Buffalo chess detective busier than ever with online cheating on the rise - WGRZ.com
St. Louis’ World Chess Hall of Fame Hosting Massive Keith Haring Exhibit – Riverfront Times
The Keith Haring: Radiant Gambit exhibit is currently on display at the World Chess Hall of Fame (4652 Maryland Avenue, 314-367-9243) in the Central West End.
The exhibit is the largest solo collection of Harings work ever shown in St. Louis and it includes more than 130 works spread across two floors, including a never-before-seen private collection of the artist's work.
The World Chess Hall of Fame is honored to present the art of Keith Haring in this exhibition, which includes work spanning the entirety of his career, said WCHOF Chief Curator Shannon Bailey. Harings influence, even though he passed away over 30 years ago, is still prevalent to this day. He believed art was for everybody, just as the World Chess Hall of Fame believes chess is for everybody."
Keith Haring: Radiant Gambit is open now and runs through May 21, 2021.
For more information about the exhibit or to find details about the safety procedures and guest guidelines at the show, visit worldchesshof.org.
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St. Louis' World Chess Hall of Fame Hosting Massive Keith Haring Exhibit - Riverfront Times
Anya Taylor-Joy Infiltrates the Boys Club of Chess in The Queens Gambit – Den of Geek
So when Frank, a long-time friend, invited her to join the series and spend a few months shooting in Berlin, Heller saw it as the perfect opportunity to, in her words, keep my street cred as a director who was an actor. As a director who seeks out projects about the uncomfortable things that people dont talk about, Heller found that Alma embodied those same sensibilities: Shes someone who has a lot of pain in her past, and that makes her most interesting; shes not some version of a 50s housewife that doesnt feel real. So much of what I try to do as a director is to tap into that thing that has made somebody the way they are.
Despite mother and daughters initial friction, as Beth carves out her niche in the chess world, and Alma begins accompanying her on her more glamorous tournaments, the older woman is inspired to revisit her own long-abandoned dreams of devoting her life to a creative pursuit. For Alma, Heller says, she had this dream deferred. She was somebody who wanted to be a pianist and artist and never could, and thats a pain that I feel is very human, and I totally connected to.
Whats remarkable about The Queens Gambit is that each of its female characters experiences a different and specific struggle for the time period. Scott did that really beautifully, Ingram says of playing adult Jolene, advocating for change during the Civil Rights movement while Beth is moving up through the ranks of the chess world. He didnt let us forget what point in time we were in the worldwere in the 60s, in the smack-dab [middle] of civil unrest, because people arent being treated fairly. And I loved that Jolene is out front and being a crusader, being a champion for change, when very clearly all shes known is white people her whole life. So it was beautiful to see that shes found herself later, in changing the worldtrying to, at least.
In that endeavor, Jolene describes herself as a radical, though Ingram also feels that the word was a fitting theme for the series overall.
I think its radical that Beth, as a woman, is this far into the chess world at this point in time, she says. Its unheard of that shes there, and everyones shocked by it. Its definitely a story of radical love, and radical faith.
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Anya Taylor-Joy Infiltrates the Boys Club of Chess in The Queens Gambit - Den of Geek
Photos/Video: First Look at the Russian Premiere of CHESS The Musical – Broadway World
The show officially premiered on October 17.
On October 17, Chess the Musical made its Russian premiere at the MDM Theatre, Moscow.
A legendary play about a confrontation between Soviet and American chess masters for the world chess crown, set against the backdrop of the Cold War, has finally made it to the Russian audience.
Get a first look at the production in the photos and video below!
The world premiere of CHESS was held in 1986 at London's West End. Created by Benny Andersson and Bjrn Ulvaeus of ABBA and Sir Tim Rice, CHESS has since been staged all around the globe.
Four great chess masters: Boris Spassky, Bobby Fischer, Victor Korchnoy, and first and foremost - multiple-time world champion Anatoly Karpov, became prototypes for the two main characters.
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Photos/Video: First Look at the Russian Premiere of CHESS The Musical - Broadway World
Nominating Committee Announces Call for Interest for Executive Board Candidates – uschess.org
During the August 2020 Special Delegates Meeting, the Delegates adopted a recommendation from the Governance Task Force to create a Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee (Committee) will:
For the 2021 Executive Board election, the Committee will make recommendations for prospective candidates who will be permitted to use the Committees endorsement as one element of their campaign marketing. The Committees candidate recommendations in no way preclude others from self-nominating for the election. All candidates for the Executive Board (endorsed or not) are required to obtain signatures on their petitions for office. That petition form is available here. (A fillable petition form is also available.)
The Committee, composed of six Delegate-appointed and two Executive Board-appointed members, recently began meeting. The Committee has established the following steps for US Chess members to express their interest in becoming an endorsed candidate:
The Committee seeks interested candidates who bring the following leadership experience and skills:
Since all candidates for the Executive Board are required to obtain petition signatures from a diverse pool of US Chess members, the Committee recommends beginning this process as soon as possible. All completed candidate petitions are required to be submitted to governance@uschess.org or postmarked and mailed to Governance, US Chess, PO Box 3967, Crossville, TN 38557 by 11:59 pm (CT), December 31, 2020. There are no exceptions.
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Nominating Committee Announces Call for Interest for Executive Board Candidates - uschess.org
Asian Online Chess: India start favourites in both mens and womens events – The Indian Express
By: PTI | Chennai | October 9, 2020 10:18:03 pmThe Indian men and women teams will start as favourites in the Asian Online Nations (Regions) Cup Team Championship, beginning on Saturday.(Representational Image)
The Indian men and women teams will start as favourites in the Asian Online Nations (Regions) Cup Team Championship, beginning on Saturday. Grandmaster Surya Sekhar Ganguly will lead the mens team which also includes B Adhiban, Nihal Sarin, S P Sethuraman and K Sasikiran. However GM Viswanthan Anand is not taking part in this event.
The Indian squad is the highest ranked among the 39 teams and is the top seed followed by Kazakhstan and Iran, who are expected to provide stiff challenge.
The Indians had last month won the gold medal in the FIDE Online Olympiad. Three members of the triumphant squad-Sarin, Bhakti Kulkarni and R Vaishali will be seen in action in the Asian team event.
The top-seeded womens team includes Bhakti Kulkarni, WGM Mary Ann Gomes, Padmini Rout, Vaishali and P V Nandhidhaa, and is the highest rated among 31 nations taking part.
Apart from India, Kazakhstan and Indonesia are likely to be among the contenders for the top prize.
The tournament will be played on nine-round Swiss System preliminaries in both mens and womens division with a time control of 15 minutes + 5 seconds increment.
The top eight teams will qualify to the knockout stage of quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. Each stage will be a duel of two matches. Cash prizes worth USD 20,000 and gold, silver and bronze certificates as individual board prizes in the preliminary stages are up for grabs.
The tournament will conclude with the finals on October 25.
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Asian Online Chess: India start favourites in both mens and womens events - The Indian Express