Irelands new apprentices are not just heading to building sites, but to well-paid jobs in sectors such as biopharma, finance, auctioneering, ICT, and logistics.

Apprenticeship is fast becoming a new route to a wide variety of exciting, well-paid jobs for those who want to get into the workforce quickly and still want to build a solid foundation for a long career.

Traditionally, Ireland has associated apprenticeships with the construction or engineering trades, with a bias towards male participation. The man in a hard hat, hi-vis jacket, and a white van would be the picture that many would associate with an apprenticeship.

Unfortunately, while valuing the contribution that tradesmen and women make to the economy, many would generally have considered that the apprentice route was for those who either didnt want or were unable tofollow the CAO route into college after their Leaving Certificate. However, they would be wrong in making such an assumption.

Thankfully this mindset is changing, and the evolution of changes the apprenticeship area opens a vista of opportunities for school-leavers and others to embark on rewarding, well-paid careers in a range of occupations and business areas.

Since 2015, government policy driven by the National Apprenticeship Council has opened the apprenticeship area to a broader range of opportunities than ever before.

While Ireland still lags well behind Germany commonly held as the exemplar that other countries should aspire to, with over 320 recognised apprenticeships registering 500,000 new apprentices every year apprenticeship is growing and set to grow even more.

If one looks at the National Apprenticeship website, alongside engineering and construction, you will see apprenticeships in biopharma, finance, auctioneering, ICT, logistics, sales, and many others.

The new apprenticeships in these areas echo many of the features of their long-established counterparts in the craft areas, intermixing periods of on-the-job training and skills acquisition with time spent in education and training facilities studying and gaining the necessary supporting skills and knowledge for their careers.

Unlike their traditional counterparts, these new initiatives can vary in length from two to four years in duration, and lead to an aninternationally-recognised qualification on the national framework of qualifications at levels from level 5 to level 8. Level 8 is equivalent to an honours degree.

Cork Education and Training Board (CETB), as the statutory body charged with further education and training delivery in the Cork area, is leading the way with the introduction of new apprenticeships. Already, apprenticeships for accountancy technicians, commis chefs, auctioneering and property services, cyber-security and others have been added to our extensive offerings in the craft areas.

While some employers have initially been cautious about moving into this area, the feedback has been extremely positive.

If apprenticeship in Ireland is to model or resemble the European experience, one of the biggest challenges to be overcome is for school-leavers and their parents to gain acceptance of its value. The perception that the CAO college route is the only means to secure well-paid employment is a myth but nevertheless, it is one that is widely held.

If Irelands economy and workforce is going to continue to grow and prosper, apprenticeships need to become a central feature of the education and training landscape.

John Fitzgibbons is director of further education and training at Cork Education and Training Board

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Modern apprentice careers on the rise - Irish Examiner

Kieron Kendell, sales director at MAG Laundry Equipment, is of the view that laundries looking for perfect ironing results should look no further than MAG Laundry Equipment; we are well-known in the industry for supplying highquality, efficient, affordable laundry machines. He says that whether your business is small or large MAG can recommend the best machine for the job to meet your expectations and budget.

Popular models include roller irons, drying irons and finishing tables plus, says Kendell, MAG also supplies multifunctional calenders that are able to dry, iron, feed, fold and stack flatwork linen efficiently and to the highest quality.

Starting with the smaller scale devices, Kendell says MAGs roller irons are easy to use and perfect for small businesses. And he claims that they are very popular within laundries on ships, restaurants, B&Bs, care homes, and beauticians and other establishments. The roller irons are available in various sizes including one metre, 1.2 metre and 1.4 metre models which, Kendell says, are commonly used for ironing napkins, tablecloths, small bed sheets and pillowcases.

For the larger operation Kendell points to MAGs drying ironers which, he says, are popular within on-premise laundries as well as commercial laundry shops, hotels and hospitals. In his view, drying irons are designed to provide the highest quality finish and they make easy work of napkins, pillowcases, bed sheets, duvet covers, tablecloths and other flatwork items that can be dried and ironed in a single operation directly from a high spin washing machine.

Kendell reckons that MAGs commercial drying ironers are extremely popular products thanks to the excellent finish and very competitive price.

One point Kendell is keen to make is that MAGs range of drying ironers are design-led. In explaining this, he says that they are energy efficient and operate with the front feeding and front return of linen, a built-in cool down system and stainless-steel panels. Further, they are easy to maintain and can process 120kg of laundry per hour.

For laundries at the upper end of the commercial scale, Kendell suggests the CTP range which can meet the demands of the largest laundry operations. These units come with various options for the feeding, folding and stacking of linen, the prime ones being front feed and front return of linen, length fold, cross fold and stacking options, one or two working lanes, touchscreen technology and energy efficiency. Of course, Kendell wants to emphasise other products from MAG Laundry Equipment including a range of finishing equipment such as ironing tables, pneumatic presses, cabinets, universal mannequins and more for the finishing of general laundry such as clothing and bedding.

MAG offers a range of payment options and packages to suit each customer. Some customers, says Kendell, choose to purchase machines outright while others choose to pay monthly for their new commercial laundry machines by leasing or renting the equipment.

MAG Laundry Equipment also offers nationwide coverage for maintenance visits, repairs, gas certificates and service contracts for virtually all commercial laundry machines on the market

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Finishing equipment - Pressing the point home - Laundry and Cleaning Today

Canada has 250 military members working with the NATO training mission as well as dozens of special forces troops whove been working in the northern part of the country with Iraqi security forces.

Escaped inmate

Police looking for inmate who escaped in La Ronge

Police arrest man after Mountie dragged by vehicle during traffic stop

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Iraqi lawmakers approved a resolution Sunday asking the Iraqi government to end an agreement under which American and allied forces have been in the country for more than four years to help fight the Islamic State group, also known as Daesh.

The bill is nonbinding and subject to approval by the Iraqi government but has the backing of the outgoing prime minister.

The Canadian-led NATO training mission in Iraq has been temporarily suspended in the wake of the killing of top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

A U.S. airstrike Friday killed Soleimani and a number of top Iraqi officials at the Baghdad airport.

Also this

A public-health doctor is warning that people whove never smoked marijuana could be at thehighest risk of overdosing on cannabis edibles, which aresoon expected to be on store shelves across the country.

Doctor Lawrence Loh, inthe School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, saysanyone whos expecting a quick high could overdose onproducts such as cookies and brownies becausefoodtakes time for the body to absorb compared with smoking.

He says that means people couldeat more than themarked dose of a product and end up with a racing heart, panic attacks and anxiety that sends themto the emergency room.

Loh has co-authored a commentary published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal about the health risks of edibles, which Health Canada recommends should be consumed in a 10-milligramdose of T-H-C, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Regulations governing edibles, beverages, vapes and topical forms of cannabis came into effectlast October, ayear after Canada legalized fresh or dried bud, oil, plants and seeds.

Most provinces have started selling cannabis edibles, with retail sales in Ontario starting today before productsare available onlinenext week.

ICYMI (in case you missed it)

Canada is golden again at the world junior hockey championship.

Akil Thomas scoredlate in the third period to cap a furious comeback and secure a4-3 victory over Russia forthe countrys 18th title at the annual under-20 tournament.

Canada earned itsfirst medal in Europe since winning gold in 2008 when the Czech Republic last hosted. The Canadians finished a disappointing sixth on home soil last year when they were upset by Finland in the quarters.

Canadahad battled adversity throughout theevent, including an embarrassing 6-0 loss to Russia in the preliminary round, the national teams worst defeat in the tournaments 44-year history.

But the teenage roster, with the weight of a nations expectation on their collective shoulders,rebounded indramatic fashion leaving their delirious fans breathless and proud.

What we are watching in the U.S.

President Donald Trump insists that Iranian cultural sites are fair game for the U.S. military, dismissing concerns within his own administration that doing so could constitute a war crime under international law. He also warned Iraq that he would levy punishing sanctions if it expelled American troops in retaliation for a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad that killed a top Iranian official.

Trumps comments Sunday came amid escalating tensions in the Middle East following the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Irans elite Quds force. Iran has vowed to retaliate and Iraqs parliament responded by voting Sunday to oust U.S. troops based in the country.

Trump first raised the prospect of targeting Iranian cultural sites Saturday in a tweet. Speaking with reporters Sunday as he flew back to Washington from his holiday stay in Florida, he doubled down, despite international prohibitions.

Theyre allowed to kill our people. Theyre allowed to torture and maim our people. Theyre allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And were not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesnt work that way, Trump said.

The targeted killing of Soleimani sparked outrage in the Middle East, including in Iraq, where more than 5,000 American troops are still on the ground 17 years after the U.S. invasion. Iraqs parliament voted Sunday in favour of a nonbinding resolution calling for the expulsion of the American forces.

Meanwhile, Soleimanis daughter, Zeinab, directly threatened an attack on the U.S. military in the Mideast while speaking Monday to a crowd of hundreds of thousands of mourners in Tehran that stretched as far as the eye could see.

What we are watching in the rest of the world

Australias government says it is willing to pay whatever it takes to help communities recover from devastating wildfires.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the government is committing an extra 2 billion Australian dollars (US$1.4 billion) toward the recovery effort in addition to the sums already committed.

Rain and cooler temperatures brought some measure of relief to communities battling wildfires, however the bigger blazes continued to rage out of control.

Morrison said the military was attempting to get food, fuel and water to burned-out communities, and engineers were working to reopen roads and resupply evacuation centres.

And teams had arrived at an island wildlife refuge to help euthanize injured livestock and wild animals.

The fires have killed 24 people and tens of thousands of animals as they scorched millions of hectares, gutting more than 2,000 homes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Jan. 6, 2020.

The Canadian Press

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Thomas scores winner as Canada beats Russia for gold at world juniors

Canada is golden again at the world junior hockey championship.Akil Thomas scored with 3:58 left in the third period to cap a furious comeback and secure a 4-3 victory for the country's 18th title at the annual under-20 tournament.AKIL THOMAS. 3:58. ETCHED IN HISTORY.pic.twitter.com/xyeeD7nac5 #WorldJuniors (@HC...

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Canadian-led NATO training mission in Iraq suspended amid security concerns

Canada's defence minister says a Canadian-led NATO training mission in Iraq has been temporarily suspended in the wake of the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.Harjit Sajjan confirmed a statement released by NATO earlier on Saturday, which said the security of personnel must be a top priority.The training mis...

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Canada downs Finland in world junior semis to set up gold-medal game with Russia

Canada was looking for payback.The national team got it, and then some, in a dominant wire-to-wire performance Saturday at the world junior hockey championship.The Canadians scored three times before their semifinal with Finland was four minutes old in cruising to a 5-0 victory that sets up a mouth-watering gold-medal ...

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Canada watching Iraq and cannabis edibles; In The News for Jan. 6 - larongeNOW

The cheerleading the American media radiates when discussing US military maneuvers would disturb Americans if such joy were expressed by any other country, yet it continues without self-reflection. Photograph: Hubert Delaney Iii/US Department of Defense/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump may act like a schoolyard bully and an impetuous infant, but he is not the only one to blame for recklessly bringing the world closer to a catastrophic war. While the responsibility for approving the assassination of Qassem Suleimani, Irans top general, in a drone strike near Baghdad international airport is certainly his, Trumps actions would not have been possible without the deep infrastructure for war that lies at the core of the American political system, especially since 2001.

After the War on Terror began, the United States already a deeply militarized country essentially abdicated public deliberations of war and peace when Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). The executive branch has been invoking the AUMF for almost two decades as its primary legal basis for military operations around the world.

Put another way, war isnt hell. War is mundane.

Weve already arrived at the point when even the Senate armed services committee couldnt tell you who, precisely, the United States is at war with, as a must-hear 2014 episode of the show Radiolab made clear.

This corrosive lack of transparency recently led a bipartisan group of lawmakers to add language to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual defense budget bill, that would have required Trump to get Congresss approval before striking Iran. That bill failed in the Senate, which Trump will no doubt interpret as freeing his hand even more when it comes to war with Iran.

As Representative Ro Khanna tweeted, Any member who voted for the NDAA a blank check cant now express dismay that Trump may have launched another war in the Middle East.

I hear the objections to this point already: Trump is so lawless, some will probably say, that none of this legal parsing matters much. But its this legal infrastructure of waging war notably assassination by drone that makes Trumps actions possible in the first place. And that drone program was legally expanded and entrenched by none other than Barack Obama. Considerable responsibility lies with Obama and all those within the Democratic establishment who continued the march toward todays manifestation of the imperial presidency, which itself began under George W Bush.

And, of course, Iran would not even be a powerbroker in Iraq if Bush and his administration had not overseen what is one of the largest crimes against humanity of our time: namely, the invasion, occupation, and destruction of Iraq. With over a million of their people dead, their country in ruins, and corruption rampant, the Iraqi people are the unheralded victims of the recent strike.

Over the past months Iraqis had been peacefully rising up to protest the sectarianism of their political system and lack of opportunity to improve their lives, only to be viciously gunned down by their own government. Stuck precariously in an escalating proxy battle between Iran and the United States, their fate is bound to get worse.

But the struggles of the Iraqi people will remain largely invisible to the American public because we like our wars to be uncomplicated, to be caricatures of war, to be wars between identifiable good guys and bad guys, between cowboys and Indians. And make no mistake. Muslim are todays Indians.

This all leads to a media fascination with war that is dreadfully simplistic and sometime almost gleeful. The cheerleading the American media radiates when discussing US military maneuvers would disturb Americans if such joy were expressed by any other country, yet it continues without self-reflection. And January 2020 feels like the return of 2003.

Following the assassination of Suleimani, Fox News had on Ari Fleischer and Karl Rove, as if the Bush administration were still in Iraq. CNN interviewed Max Boot, a loud supporter of the 2003 Iraq invasion, and CNBC published an op-ed titled America just took out the worlds No. 1 bad guy.

In the media and political ecology of the United States, war isnt a catastrophe of inhuman proportions. War is a parlor game.

There is no doubt that the Iranian regime carries out a merciless foreign policy across the Middle East. Suleimani wont be missed by many especially in Syria, where he assisted the Assad regimes bloody prosecution of the Syrian civil war but he will soon be replaced.

The irony or is it more of a tragedy? is that until this assassination there were budding signs of possible thaws and shifts in the region. Iran and Saudi Arabia were engaged in peace talks in Pakistan, and while the talks hadnt yet yielded a positive outcome, they had been putting pressure on both Iran and Saudi Arabia to hash out a shared vision for Yemens future. At the same time, some of the largest anti-government protests Iran has seen in years also took place. All of this will probably now evaporate.

I worry for what comes next and I already lament the unnecessary deaths, from all sides, that will inevitably come. But, in the United States at least, nothing will change as long as our culture worships war without its consequences and as long as our politicians believe that war is good for their careers.

In order to get elected, #BarackObama will start a war with Iran, tweeted citizen Donald Trump in November of 2011. Today, people are laughing in smug disgust at his duplicitous comment. But this isnt only about Trump. Its about the deep infrastructure and logic of war that pervades American culture and the US political establishment. And its about the need for that to change.

Moustafa Bayoumi is the author of the award-winning books How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America and This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror. He is professor of English at Brooklyn College, City University of New York

Excerpt from:

Even after Iraq, too many US elites still think war is a bloodless chess game - The Guardian

Koneru Humpy has just returned from Russia after winning the World Rapid Championship title and finishing 12th in the World Blitz. But expectations are already highcan she win the Classical world title, the holy grail that has eluded her so far? On the comeback trail after a two-year sabbatical after the birth of her daughter, Humpy accepts she has had a great start in her second innings but will not be running after tournaments and titles like earlier.

If it happens, I will be very happy but I dont want to think too much about it, says the former world champion in Under-10, U-12 and U-14 sections.

The 32-year-old from Vijayawada spoke to Hindustan Times about how people took to her comeback and the difficulties, the difficulties of re-entering competitive chess, and why the Moscow win was unexpected.

Excerpts.

You have finally won a World Championship title after missing the Classical world title despite repeated attempts. Were you expecting this breakthrough?

Of course, I didnt expect to win the rapid title at all. It was never my focus and I was like 13th seed in the tournament. When I started the event, I thought just getting a medal would be a great result for me. But on the last day of the event, after a few rounds, I felt that I had a good chance of finishing at the top. My final game with the Chinese player (Tan Zhongyi) was crucial; when I beat her, I was sure of getting silver (medal). At the same time the other Chinese player (Lei Tingjie) lost her game so I got an opportunity to play the tiebreak.

Things worked for you in crucial moments in rapid section, but not in blitz as you lost the last three games to finish 12th

I am not a strong blitz player either and even though I lost the last three games, I can say that this is the best blitz result I have ever had. It went pretty well till the 14th round and I was in clear second spot, at some time I was also joint first. I think at that stage I felt like I got exhausted and collapsed, because in blitz once you lose the thread, it is very difficult to come back because of shorter time control.

But you had a great start, five wins in first five rounds.

Yeah, I had a great start and on the first day I lost to (Kateryna) Lagno (the eventual winner) a crucial game (in which) I was completely winning and I would say I was just unlucky to lose that game.

In general I am satisfied with my play. Not like before when I would lose on time, without giving much fight. It was not like that (this time), I fought, and I fought till the end.

How difficult was for you to decide on a comeback?

I was always intending to continue playing chess, I never had thoughts of stopping. I just took a break because it was needed but once my baby was born, I thought okay, I need to be with her. I told the doctor, she is one year old, so I decided to start playing. It was a well-thought of plan that I want to get back to chess.

Preparation wise, how difficult was it?

It was not so easy for me because a two-year break from chess is something very big because a lot of development happened during that time and also I lost board practice completely. I hadnt seen chess at all during this period. So, it became quite difficult and I had my share of failures when I came back. After three tournaments, I slowly started playing at my level and then I came back.

Is it more difficult now to keep your focus on the game when you have a family, a baby?

No, actually when I am playing a tournament, I dont get distracted at all. Once I start travelling for an event, my complete focus will be on chess itself, and I never get a second thought. But when I am at home practicing, then it is not completely chess. Its like any other normal person, I have other family things.

Do you plan to have a shortened calendar, or go full throttle into the circuit?

No, I wont be playing many tournaments, I will be very choosy about what I am playing. Even in 2019, I started by playing in Gibraltar, which is a strong mens tournament. I took part in that because I was playing after a long time and I thought it will help improve my game. After that I took a break for two months and then I played in some Chinese leagues, they were just four games, three games, so it was easy for me to travel and stay in touch with family. Thats how I maintained a balance. After that I played in the Grand Prix Series, which is the official FIDE event. So, I played two Grand Prix events and European Club Cup, three Chinese leagues and of course Gibraltar and then this World Rapid and Blitz Championship. I was in all the major official tournaments and the rest I played to keep myself focussed and to stay in touch. I will do the same thing this year also.

The Grand Prix Series was quite successful for you in one event (Skolkovo, Russia) you finished first and in the second (at Monaco from Dec 2-15), joint first. How was it playing against top women players?

It was very difficult for me because when you play a round-robin tournament you need very good preparation to outclass your opponents. Its not just the game but you also need very concrete stuff in the opening. For that I really had to work hard, not only before the tournament, but even during the event. I felt I was back into the game after the Chinese leagues and Gibraltar. But the only problem was the lack of opening preparations but I somehow managed without that in my first Grand Prix event. But now I think I am more or less in the normal state that I was before the break. In that sense, the first Grand Prix event was crucial.

How was the reaction when you made a comeback?

For sure many thought I will not get back to chess because I took such a long break. I havent played even online tournaments and I was not in the chess circuit. Even when I came back, they had doubts about how much I will do. Some of them said to me, now that you have a kid, it will be difficult to concentrate on the game. Its better to enjoy your life. Everyone has their opinion but at the end of the day the passion and the ambitions you have will help you to rise.

Do you think there is some unfinished business for you, winning the Classical World Championship, maybe?

Yeah true, thats haunting me. But I dont want to think about it too much. Just want to concentrate on improving my game and I really dont know whether I will end up winning the world title or not, but I will keep on trying.

Continued here:

Chess star Koneru Humpy opens up on comeback and Moscow title win - Hindustan Times

Ju Wenjun, the reigning Womens World Chess Champion, will defend her title against Aleksandra Goryachkina, of Russia this month. Photo from an earlier encounter in September 2019.

Editors Note: The Womens World Chess Championship match is from January 3-26, 2020. The first six games will be played in Shanghai, China and the remaining six games, plus any tiebreak games, will be played in Vladivostok, Russia. The match features Womens World Champion Ju Wenjun of China against challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina, of Russia. Here, Alexey Root, a lecturer teaching courses about chess in education at The University of Texas at Dallas, answers questions about the Womens World Chess Championship.

The Fdration Internationale des checs (FIDE) was established in 1924 and, in 1927, held the first Womens World Championship and the Mens Olympiad. According to Mark Weeks, who served as the Chess Guide for About.com, FIDE organized just these two events for its first two decades. Eventually, FIDE gained control of other prestigious chess events, most notably the World Chess Championship.

The present Womens World Chess Championship cycle parallels the World Chess Championship cycle. The World Chess Championship cycle is open to both men and women, though only men have reached its final stage, a two-person match for the champions title. Preliminary stages include the Candidates Tournament, an eight-player double round robin where the winner becomes the challenger for a title match.

Most chess tournaments are open, to all ages, all genders, and all nationalities. In the United States, the annual U.S. Open is one example. However, segregated championships exist, by age (junior championships), geography (state chess championships), by gender, and even by profession (U.S. Armed Forces Open Chess Championship). These segregated tournaments allow those playing to get media attention, benefit financially, and make friends with people with whom they share some similar characteristics. Separate tournaments dont speak to whether there are advantages or disadvantages.

Likewise, separate tournaments for girls and women dont mean that girls and women are more or less capable than boys and men at chess. However, there may be less interest in chess among girls and women compared to boys and men. Based on 2019 statistics, 14.6% of US Chess members are female, and that is a new, record-high percentage. Thus logically, and in reality, a smaller base of females means fewer women than men at the top of the chess rating list, as one study found. Offering occasional female-only tournaments may make chess more attractive to girls and women, for the financial, social, and publicity reasons mentioned above.

The Womens World Chess Championship match is the culmination of a two-year cycle of events. Those events financially help the current top women players to concentrate on chess exclusively, as there is prize money for each event in the cycle. If the cycle were abolished, then it would be much harder for those women players to make money from playing in chess tournaments. Women would also become relatively invisible in media stories about chess.

A four-time Womens World Chess Champion, Hou Yifan, is ranked at #75 among men and women combined. Though she is the highest-rated woman on the list of active chess players, as #75 she likely would not qualify for the Candidates Tournament in the World Chess Championship cycle and the prize money and media attention associated with it. Sponsorship money might also be lost to the chess world, as some sponsors specifically target chess for girls and women.

However, segregated tournaments for girls and women are not universally supported. For example, Judit Polgr, the highest-rated woman of all time who at her peak in 2005 was ranked #8 in the world, wrote that she makes it a point to never separate girls and boys nor award special prizes for girls in the childrens tournaments that she organizes. Meanwhile, national federations use their resources, and public subsidies are creating more female-only competitions, Polgr wrote. It is high time to consider the consequences of this segregation because in the end, our goal must be that women and men compete with one another on an equal footing.

To get to equal footing, however, separate championships may provide a leg up. The prize fund for the Womens World Chess Championship match is 500,000 Euros, and you can follow the championships games at this same link. Perhaps that prize money will enable the two competitors to invest in more chess training for themselves so that maybe, someday, they can compete also in the World Chess Championship.

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Why there's a separate World Chess Championship for women - The Conversation US

The alternative, then, is the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. But the regime has shown its willingness to slaughter hundreds and even thousands in order to stay in power, most recently in its brutal suppression of price riots. Such brutality works, at least for a time. And since the United States has, for now, gone out of the business of invading Persian Gulf countries, an external power is unlikely to facilitate regime collapse. Thus, even before recent events, Washingtons tactics seemed to have had no discernible way of getting to a strategic outcome.

Which brings to the fore the largest problem: the Trump administrations national-security team. There is no such thing as a Platonic ideal of strategy. There is, rather, only strategy as can be executed by a particular group of people at any time. Any warand if you are in the business of blowing people up, you are at warinvolves improvisation and reaction. As Winston Churchill somberly observed, Always remember, however sure you are that you can easily win, that there would not be a war if the other man did not think he also had a chance. Iran cannot beat the United States in the field, but it can win the war politically, and may very well do so.

Graeme Wood: Two questions to ask now that Qassem Soleimani is dead

The dominant tone in the American government is military assertiveness. The American military has in its theater commander, General Frank Mackenzie Jr., and its chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, two tough, experienced, aggressive commanders, with lots of time downrange in Iraq, where they personally felt the sting of Soleimanis tactics. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is forward-leaning, while Defense Secretary Mark Esper, promoted unexpectedly from being secretary of the Army, has been a capable organizer but has not articulated a distinctive strategic point of view. Neither has the national security adviser, Robert OBrien. None has shown a substantial inclination to buck the presidents wishes or even his inclinations.

As the United States has learned to its cost, good decision making requires a forceful brake, or at least a counterpoise, to a tempting decision like the one to eliminate Soleimani. There seems to have been no one playing that role, and thereby ensuring that second- and third-order considerations had been identified and explored. Beneath the Cabinet officials is an uneven crew, many of its members filling acting positions. And above them all is a mercurial, impulsive, and ignorant president who has no desire to be pulled into a Middle Eastern war in an election year, and who wants to look tough without being prepared to follow through. This is a recipe for strategic ineptitude, and possibly failure.

The novelist James Gould Cozzens observed higher headquarters at close range during World War II. He drew on that for his masterly World War II novel, Guard of Honor. In one passage, his protagonist admits to himself that some of his seniors were not complete fools. However, he noted,

it was the habit of all of them to look straight, and not very far, ahead. They saw their immediate duties and did those, not vaguely or stupidly, but in an experienced firm way. Then they waited until whatever was going to happen, happened. Then they sized this up, noted whatever new duties there were, and did those. Their position was that of a chess player who had in his head no moves beyond the one it was now his turn to make. He would be dumbfounded when, after he had made four or five such moves (each sensible enough in itself) sudden catastrophe, from an unexpected direction by an unexpected means, fell on him, and he was mated.

Minus the compliments, that may be where the United States government is headed.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

Original post:

Trump Is Playing Chess One Turn at a Time - The Atlantic

Viswanathan Anand, speaking on the latest episode of India Today Inspiration, shed light on the physical demands of chess and how he has still not figured out how to get a good night's sleep after a bad day at the office.

Viswanathan Anand stressed the importance of physical training for chess players (Reuters Photo)

If you thought chess is all about outsmarting your opponent who is at the other end of the board, then you are mistaken.

Legendary chess player Viswanathan Anand said physical training is crucial to a chess player. Wondering why?

Anand, speaking to India Today Consulting Editor Sports Boria Majumdar in the New Year episode of 'India Today Inspiration', said he would make sure he went out running or climbing on the morning of almost all of his chess matches.

Anand said getting tired during a long match will spell doom and his focus was always on building stamina.

"The most important thing is stamina. You want to be able to handle 6 hours attention and then your brain not to get tired. When you get tired you tend to forget things and then blunders happen. And also it is no use playing 5 good hours and weakening," Viswanathan Anand told India Today.

"So during all my matches, in the morning, we would meet up, I go for a run, climbing or whatever it is that could really raise the heart rate.

"That was also good because chess builds up tension, you are constantly lost in your thoughts. You get a lot of positive and negative emotions sitting inside and they are knocking around. I wonder sometimes if the physical training you do is to get rid of tension or build your ability to sustain pain.

"You often feel that one hour you spend by yourself, running or lifting weights, is one hour you are not thinking about chess and that's its main value."

Viswanathan Anand also said proper sleep is another important aspect for chess players but he has still not figured out how to get a good night's sleep after a tough loss.

"The other thing is again good sleep. It's hard. The usual routine works well for me. I am quite exhausted by 11-12 every day. And in the morning I get a sound sleep. I wake up at 8 or 9 am in the morning.

"On the days, I lose a game, despite your best efforts that night is going to be miserable because you're going to keep on waking up recollecting the moment of horror where things went wrong. I haven't found a solution for that."

See more here:

Stamina most important thing in chess, physical training key to get rid of tension: Viswanathan Anand - India Today

Are you looking for an easy way to add chess content to your website, blog, or social media account? Chess.com has a variety of tools you can use to easily embed chess games, puzzles, streams, diagrams, and more!

In this short guide, we show you how to easily find and use these tools.

Daily Puzzle

Thousands of users solve the Chess.com daily puzzleevery day, and you can add it to your website or blog with the following simple embed code:

Embed Streams

Much like the daily puzzle, official Chess.com streams can be easily embedded using the "share" option on our Twitch channel and on archived Twitch videos. Just add the embed code to your website or blog.

Embed Games, Puzzles

Probably the most advanced and little used feature here is the group of "Embed" options in our "share" modal. The embed tab allows you to easily add any game from Chess.com to your website. You can also create your own games and annotations at Chess.com/analysis.

Additionally, you can customize the chessboard and piece set, coordinates, and options to present the embed as a puzzle.

GIFs

GIFs are incredibly easy and popular ways to share chess games, especially on social media. You can easily make and share GIFs in two places on Chess.comthe "share" modal for games and chess.com/gifs.

To access GIFs with the "share" modal, just use the highlighted share button and "Download" the GIF from the "Animated GIF" tab once it's ready.

Creating your own GIFs from any PGN is simple! Go to Chess.com/gifs and paste in a PGN. Then click "Create GIF" once you've selected your preferred options. The GIF will now open in a new tab, and you can right-click to download it.

Diagrams

A diagram image can be accessed and downloaded for any position from the "share" modal. Just open the share modal when looking at any game or chess position, and "Download" the diagram from the "Image" tab.

Originally posted here:

How To Embed And Share Chess.com Media - Chess.com

Back in the United States, Aydin is climbing the national ranks. This year I became a national co-champion in the ninth grade, he said. And also I got fifth place in the twelfth-grade high school nationals.

Aydin has to travel to take part in his sport. Theres not too many tournaments around (the Midwest), he said. Usually I go to Chicago or St. Louis or we have to fly somewhere. He Skypes with a chess tutor in California.

Although Eva Turgut Satell joins her son during many of his chess competitions, she knows the sport is more of a father/son activity. He would rather be there, because he understands and can coach him, too, she said about her husband.

Aydin may enjoy chess, but the sport can take a toll. While attending the eighth grade in Mount Zion, Aydin missed more than 30 days of school. Theres a lot of making up I have to do, he said.

He is able to keep up, though. His current grade point average is 4.0, and he excels in math, which is beneficial for the game.

There is a lot of visualization in your head, he said. So it helps with calculating stuff.

Aydin Turgut plays a game of chess against his father, Tansel. Aydin has been playing chess since he was 2 years old, and has represented the United States in eight World Youth chess tournaments.

Now a sophomore atCulver Academy in Indiana, Aydin works with the schools administration and teachers to enable him to attend as many chess tournaments as possible. Future tournaments include a trip to Texas and possibly Portugal.

Read the original here:

Checkmate: Decatur teen a whiz on the world chess circuit - Herald & Review