The Covid-19 pandemic has caused millions of Canadians to lose their jobs or have their hours cut, but the situation for women is especially dire. In what has been dubbed the She-cession, Women have seen proportionately steeper job losses than men. In May, Statistics Canada reported that 1.5 million women lost jobs over March and April, a 17% drop in employment from February levels.

Why has this time been more economically difficult for women? There are a few reasons. Women are more likely than men to be employed in part-time or precarious work, make less money than men do, and work in sectors that were impacted early on by the pandemic. Women occupy only 31% of senior management positions in North America, and as a result, there are more women in non-leadership positions that are more at risk of being eliminated. Women also make up about half of Canada's workforce, so an economic recovery is not possible without them being able to work again.

The mission of Dress for Success is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie have been making changes to go virtual, as they anticipate being busier than ever with serving their clients needs during this catastrophic pandemic.

Their Suiting Program, where volunteers and staff assist women in selecting professional attire for job interviews and workplaces, has been adapted to become completely contact-free and virtual. The programs new moniker is Pick & Pack: Virtual Professional Clothing Assistance Program. How does it work? Clients receive a form to use for measuring themselves in addition to a form for stating their colour and style preferences. The client then has a virtual appointment with a volunteer or staff via GoToMeeting/Webinar. Preferences are discussed further in that appointment, and the client is shown what has been picked for them based on those initial forms.

If none of the clothes selected for that appointment are suitable for the client, the staff and volunteers pick other clothes based on their conversation. The clothing is then packed in a bag. Clients in Simcoe County can pick up clothes from the Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie office, and clients in Orillia can have the clothes delivered to them. Once the clothes are received, a follow up phone call with the client is made to make sure the clothes fit and are appropriate for them to wear. There is a large selection of business-casual clothing available in sizes 0-26, as well as non-slip shoes, steel-toed boots, and un-used scrubs.

Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie is also adapting their Breakfast Club program to a virtual model, which will be beginning in July. The 9-week program will run online via Go To Meeting/Webinar, with one meeting each week for all their clients. The content of the meetings will be delivered via PowerPoint presentations, videos, webinars run by volunteers, and with the guidance of the facilitators. Topics covered will include goal setting, professionalism, communication skills, confidence, motivation, mental health and self-care, personal branding and job interviews.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already been and will continue to be a difficult time for employment. Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie is more committed than ever to ensuring that women in Simcoe County have the professional clothing, confidence and support network they need to help them thrive and succeed in obtaining employment.

Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie is going to be settled in to a new location as of August 1st. The new address is 320 Bayfield St. Unit 79, Barrie, ON L4M 3C1. Please note that clothing donations are on hold until September. Lists of what we do and do not accept with regards to clothing is available at our website on the donate page.

For more information on Dress for Success Orillia and Barries programs, contact program coordinator Samantha Sceviour at samantha@dfsorilliebarrie.org or 705-252-9200.

Interested in volunteering with Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie? Contact volunteer coordinator Agnes Pec at agnes@dfsorilliabarrie.org.

Continued here:
Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie is Helping Women Virtually - simcoe.com

Imagine the most relaxing place you can think of. Envisioning your living room? Probably not. The truth is, most of us would prefer to be on a tranquil getaway right now (or, like, any time) rather than dealing with our current reality.

Say it with us: Theres no place like Thailand, theres no place like Thailand, theres no place like Thailand

Assuming you, also, failed to click your ruby red heels and magically arrive at the wellness destination of your dreams, were bringing you the next best thing, courtesy of Tourism Authority of Thailand: Thai-inspired, self-care practices to create your own at-home wellness retreat (and make your living room feel a tiny bit more like that tranquil oasis).

Thai culture has values that are very in tune with body and mind, heart, soul, and spirit.

Thai culture has values that are very in tune with body and mind, heart, soul, and spirit, says Karina Stewart, founder and chief wellness director at Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa in Thailand. When [those values, the warmhearted people, ancient healing traditions, extraordinary cuisine, and mindfulness practices] come together, there are not many places in the world that can compare.

Of course the tropical climate, diverse flora and fauna, and gorgeous architecture also help make Thailand a top wellness destination, she says. But just because you cant teleport all of Thailands beauty into your living space doesnt mean you cant tap into some of those vacay vibes. Enter: Your very own at-home wellness retreat.

While we could probably all go for a Thai massage right about now, moving your body on your own can achieve almost the same effect. Thai massage therapists include a lot of stretching in their actual massage, Stewart says. A healthy stretching regime, where every joint of the body is stretched on a regular basis, happens when we do yoga, pilates, Tai Chi, or Qigong.

Look up a soothing Tai Chi flow to help you replicate that post-massage Zen feeling. Plus, Khun Sasi, an applied Thai traditional medicine doctor at Kamalaya, says even just changing your posture every 15 to 30 minutes while youre sitting at your computer can help energy flow more freely through your body, according to traditional Thai wisdom.

Yes, eating counts as a form of self care, and Stewart says nourishing your body, Thai-style, is all about simple, plant-forward dishes made with fresh fruits and vegetables and plenty of herbs and spices. Adding fresh herbs and spices into our cuisine has an amazing impact on our rejuvenation, in our digestive health, in our immune health, on our emotional balance, and on our mental clarity, she says.

Meal prepping not exactly part of your ideal staycation? Brew an herbal teaanother Thai stapleto sip on whenever you want to relax. Sasi recommends boiling one cinnamon stick and two to three cardamom seeds for 15 minutes, then adding either the juice of one lime (if youre feeling constipated, this works wonders, says Sasi) or half a teaspoon of organic honey (she counts this as a bloat-buster) for a soul-soothing, wellness-supporting brew.

Prioritizing your own needs is important for your mental well-being, but caring for others can sometimes be a major boon for your mood. In Thailand, peoples social network is very strong, Stewart says, which translates to more compassion and warmheartedness. So call a relative you havent spoken to in awhile, write a letter to a friend, or simply wave to your neighbor. Even if it only boosts your mood for a few minutes, thats still a self-care win.

Meditating with an ocean view sounds amazing, but taking a few minutes to focus on your breath can happen pretty much anywhere. Mindfulness practices are a very big part of Thai culture especially with regards to Buddhism, Stewart says. It is regulating stress, helping us sleep, calming our emotions, and also showing us how to be more self aware. And with that we are able to observe ourselves and make better choices in our day to day lives.

Throw on a video or audio track of ocean waves crashing, and carve out some time to sit quietly with your eyes closed. Bonus points if you light a sea salt-scented candle to really soak in the serenity vibes with every deep breath.

Dont wait until youre on a wellness retreat to get in tune with your body. According to Stewart, Thai people are known for listening to their bodies, especially through the understanding of yin and yang energy, adopted from the Chinese. By balancing hot and cold energy, Stewart explains, you can encourage your body to come back to center. And who couldnt use a little more balance in their life?

You can use foods to tap into that energy by sipping on a cooling beverage like coconut water or mint tea when youre feeling hot or irritable (they dont call it being hot-headed for nothing), or cooking with warming spices like cinnamon or ginger when youre feeling down or just straight-up chilled from too much AC.

And with that, were off to stretch, call our mom, and plan our future IRL vacay to Thailand.

Sponsored by Tourism Authority of Thailand

Photo: Getty Images/Cavan Images

Original post:

Missing your travel plans? These home self-care practices will make you feel like youre on a Thailand retreat - Well+Good

School communities must stick together. The current pandemic is a testament to this.

Through a cohesive campus community, it is possible for students to be safe and healthy, with no compromise to their academic progress.

It goes beyond shifting education online. International schools in Asia are making daily deliveries of schoolwork, even laptops, tablets and Wi-Fi hot spots. Teachers hold daily virtual Zoom sessions with students. Administrators meet daily to check on the academic and emotional well-being of students. Digital learning tools from Google Hangouts to Microsoft Teams are being implemented full force.

Everyone is doubling down to keep learning going.

With team spirit and support, schools are proving that they can remain focused despite lockdowns, with the added benefit of students and faculty learning the true value of community.

A recent study by National University of Singapore psychology researchers Francesca Wah and Tick Ngee Sim also found that teamwork impacts academic performance.

Source: Jerudong International School

Wah and Sim recruited 1,005 students from three government-aided, co-educational Singapore primary schools to see if a common goal of winning encourages students to perform better at tasks. They found that children of all abilities who competed in groups against other teams for rewards such as actual prizes and verbal praise achieved higher scores. Students also said they prefer a team-learning approach to an independent-study approach.

Co-operation plays a key role in cultivating social connectedness, said Wah.

These unprecedented times call for nothing less. Here are four international schools in Asia with supportive campus communities keeping students inspired and engaged.

At International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC), community comes first.

The investments it has made over the past three months to safeguard students and faculty as well as adapt to COVID-19 is exemplary in its depth and breadth.

This stems from ISHCMCs deep-rooted culture of care to balance academic outcomes with the social and emotional needs of the community given the current environment.

Source: International School Ho Chi Minh City

With the support of an experienced Student Support Service team, a number of Wellbeing Guides were developed aimed at keeping parents and students engaged and empowered through challenging times. Emotional support is available to caregivers and learners virtually as needed.

This holistic response is well-received by ISHCMCs students and parents alike. They are grateful to have compassionate leaders at ISHCMC who have offered stability to keep the community spirit alive. This is particularly true for Grade 12 students, who are about to embark into a post-COVID-19 world.

ISHCMC Secondary School Principal Will Hurtardo said, We are defined as humans not by the situations put in front of us but by the way we face them, respond to them and overcome them. More than ever, you have faced adversity with courage and resilience in a way we find truly humbling. The future is full of optimism and hope because you are the people shaping it.

Read more about how ISHCMCs Class of 2020 responded during school closures and their success stories getting accepted to the top universities around the world.

At Jerudong International School, community spirit is at the centre of everything that students do.

For instance, the Middle Years (Years 7-9) community follow the Way of the Meerkat.

Meerkats are renowned for working together, and older meerkats mentor the younger ones. Middle Years students are encouraged to think about the role they each play in creating a community at JIS and influencing Junior School students.

Source: Jerudong International School

In the Upper Years (Years 10-13), the curriculum focuses on the core values of JIS: resilience, positive relationships, thinking, healthy living and mental health. These values help to create an engaging and cohesive learning experience for all.

JIS Wellbeing Captains also receive Mental Health First Aid training and are free to organise events such as Random Acts of Kindness Day and Mental Health Day.

Through its Polio Points programme, students get to earn points by achieving their schools aims. If a student achieves all of the aims, JIS then donates money to UNICEF to pay for one Polio vaccination (sponsored by Aetna) last year, their efforts paid for 8,265 polio vaccinations in developing nations.

These initiatives show the holistic approach JIS takes to instill global citizenship in its students. At JIS, its always an encouraging environment for students to reach out to others and to think about how their actions have a positive impact on their peers.

It did not take long for Bangkok Patana School to act to keep its campus community safe. From mandating temperature scans and providing masks, this international school put its students and facultys safety first and foremost.

And once international schools in Asia are allowed to open again, Bangkok Patana will continue to prioritise the safety of its pupils by abiding the Thai governments safety guidelines.

Source: Bangkok Patana School

Bangkok Patana also prepares students for future challenges through a broad range of subjects explored within the International Baccalaureate (IB) and outdoor learning.

For instance, Year 3 students get to learn in an Outdoor Classroom where they interact with nature, plan gardens and create their own tropical fruit, vegetable and herb patches. Secondary students learn to look beyond their personal needs and make a positive impact on society at large via community service, gaining valuable experience and networking opportunities in the process.

Through this process, students gain a greater understanding of their responsibility to contribute to the global sustainability movement.

Singapore American School (SAS) is an international school with heart.

To keep their community safe during the pandemic, they closed their campus and decided to integrate distance learning into their curriculum.

Source: Singapore American School

Alongside temperature checks, temperature screening slips are issued to ensure that all students, parents and educators are healthy before coming to campus.

Student wellbeing is paramount and the schools eco-conscious campus also shows their community how sustainability helps to build a better world.

Their campus sits by a two-acre natural rainforest that their science classes use as a living laboratory, and they have one million kilowatt-hours of electricity running through their campus solar panels.

Through this commitment to sustainability and student safety, SAS is setting an example for schools around the world.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

ISHCMC: Empowering students to drive the sustainability agenda

3 international schools in Asia that prepare students for future success

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schools in Asia that stick together during a pandemic - Study International News

League of Legends streamer Albert Boxbox Zheng adored chess in elementary school, but stopped playing when he was around nine. One day, after hearing about some grandmaster chess guys stream popping off, he dropped into Nakamuras channel to watch him play blindfolded. I wrote in his chat afterwards, like, That was amazing. Then he saw my name in the chat, and was like, Is that the BoxBox? Nakamura fished Zheng out and asked him to come on stream and play against him.

He blew my mind with how deep chess goes, says Zheng.

Nakamura challenged Zheng to a game, but Nakamura would start without a queen. Zheng thought, Theres no way he can beat me without a queen. Of course, Nakamura crushed him. Nakamura began removing more pieces, starting the game with fewer and fewer, until, Zheng says, I finally won when he basically had nothing. I was hooked.

Nakamuras impressive, lightly trollish chess gimmicksblindfolded matches, matches without queens or rooks, solving as many puzzles as he can in five minuteshave spurred Twitchs top personalities to try the game for themselves. Instead of looking down his nose at these pro gamers who come to him for guidance, he exudes respect for Lengyel (legendary character), who has three million followers, or Saqib Lirik Zahid, who has 2.6 million followers (honored by his visit). Now, top Hearthstone, Fortnite, and Valorant streamers are sliding into Nakamuras DMs asking for coaching. Nakamura has in turn developed his own streaming persona, somewhere between a proud dad and a laughing supergenius.

On stream, Nakamura has described his new role as Twitchs chess ambassador as his calling. In retrospect, he says, it makes sense; after winning his first championship in 2005, Nakamura says he went over to the hotel lobby to play blitz, or speed, games against random audience members until two or three in the morning. (Nakamura is now the top blitz player in the world.) Ive always wanted to bring it to the masses, he says. In his chat, viewers tell Nakamura that they hadnt played or watched chess since they were kids, but were intrigued by their favorite streamers newfound interest.

When I work with streamers, Im trying to get them to have fun, but also these aha! moments, says Nakamura. Moments where they see little combinations or little tricks, thats really the goal. Theyre not going to be great, but if they can learn something from it and theyre having fun, for me, that means Im doing a good job.

Nakamuras mission to bring a populist movement to chess runs up against the games marked culture of elitism. Theres a tendency among some chess devotees to look down on streamers learning, and sometimes making mistakes, so publicly. Zheng has been shocked at how antagonistic his Twitch chat gets when he streams chess; sometimes, he cant even look at it. League is known for toxicity. Chess, surprisingly, is even worse, he says, describing the phenomenon as backseat gaming.

There are a lot of people who are miles better than meI dont deny thatwho get mad that me, a new player, cant pick up the game and instantly be an expert at it, says Zheng. People will shove and yell moves down my throat. Not only is it annoying, oftentimes its wrong and very aggressive.

"Ive always wanted to bring chess to the masses."

Hikaru Nakamura

Chess mastermind and Twitch streamer Alexandra Botez, a Woman FIDE Master, who has also seen huge growth in her channel, says that elitism extends to the broader chess community, too. Your worth is really determined by your ranking, especially in the tight-knit circles of people who dedicated their lives to chess. Shes watched on as a lot of other top chess players have tried streaming on Twitch without seeing anywhere near her or Nakamuras success. She attributes it to Nakamuras ability to engage with Twitch culture on its own terms, memeing with viewers and gamely replying to their questions. Other top players prefer to remain distant, viewing Twitch as a platform rather than a cultural organism.

See the rest here:

The Grandmaster Who Got Twitch Hooked on Chess - WIRED

This week we return to notation to allow readers a better understanding of how the pieces move and capture, how to react when the King is in check and how to bring a chess game to its conclusion. The best way to do this is by going through the motions of solving the puzzle.

The aim of chess is not to swap pieces. Rather, it is to checkmate the King. The King cannot be removed from the chess board during a practical game. Every other piece or pawn can be captured and removed. Checkmating the King means placing the King in a hopeless position. The word checkmate is also used in situations pertaining to life. In chess, checkmate is when the King is unable to escape, similarly in life.

When check is announced, you have to leave everything you are doing and attend to it. You can block a check, move your King out of check, or capture the piece that is announcing the check. The goal of all chess puzzles is to checkmate your opponents King no matter what moves he makes. You have to administer checkmate in the required number of moves.

Some chess puzzles are created from actual chess games and some are chess compositions. I prefer the ones from actual games. In some compositions, we can reach a position that cannot be reached in a chess game. Chess puzzles are automatically verified so that the solutions are correct and complete. Sometimes a shorter solution to a puzzle exists.

My chess colleague Loris Nathoo has the rare ability of finding a shorter solution to a puzzle. He works on the puzzle on Sundays and presents me with the solutions. The two puzzles in Diagram 1 and Diagram 2 are taken from actual grandmaster games.

In Diagram 1, it is Black, played by Vitaly Chekhover, to play and win. The game was played at Leningrad in 1934. Black plays Re1+ (+ is an abbreviation for check). The Rook goes down on the back rank and calls check. White has to attend to this check immediately. He cannot take the Rook with his Rook which is stationed at d1 because White will lose his Queen with check. So White is forced to play Kf2. Black plays Re2+. White cannot capture the black Rook since it is protected by the black Queen. White is forced to retreat to f1 or g1. When he does, the black Queen will take the g pawn and it is checkmate since the white King cannot evade the check.

In Diagram 2 Vishy Anand is playing the black pieces. The game was contested at Salonika in 1984. It is Black to play and win. Black plays Ra1 if Rxa1 (x means capture) Nf2+. To prevent checkmate, White has to capture the Knight with his Queen which gives black a decisive advantage.

The rest is here:

An Introduction to Chess: More notes on notation - Stabroek News

The Rwanda Chess Federation (Ferwade) general assembly on Sunday, June 14, elected a new executive committee to help steer the ship for an interim period of 12 months.

This came after the general assembly last week agreed to hold elections using any viable virtual platform due to limitations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Elections to usher in a new leadership team could not be held in April when the outgoing team's four-year term ended because of the Covid-19 lockdown.

The last poll was held in April 2016.

The totally new team has Ben Tom Zimurinda as president, Valentin Rukimbira, vice president, Elysee Tuyizere, secretary general, and Eddy Christian Nkuyubwatsi as treasurer.

The outgoing team was led by Kevin Ganza, deputised by Rugema Ngarambe. Niyibizi Alain Patience and Christella Rugabira were secretary general and treasurer, respectively.

During the meeting before Sunday's poll, it was agreed that an interim leadership team be set up. Its job is to urgently, among others, help ailing clubs get their houses in order before another poll can be called in a year's time.

Zimurinda's team is tasked with designing a roadmap that clearly defines desired outcomes and the major steps needed to succeed.

"I thank everyone who voted. But I also wish to make it clear that taking on such responsibilities is not about prestige. It's a struggle," Zimurinda told the general assembly.

Zimurinda knows that his team has a huge task. But he is undeterred.

For the federation to function as a legal entity, at least three member clubs must be fully registered. But only one, Vision Chess Club, currently fulfills requirements. There must be at least three registered clubs for a proper election to be held.

So much will, therefore, depend on how the new leadership team manages to rally people with divergent opinion and interest as well as bringing clubs back to life.

"We will need to come up with an action plan, and that's urgent. In not more than 30 days we must have a clear roadmap."

Besides contending with the problem of dormant clubs, Zimurinda must also mind major characteristics of good governance such as transparency and accountability if he is to succeed in steering the ship in the right direction.

jkaruhanga@newtimesrwanda.com

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Chess: Interim executive team elected to run federation for a year - The New Times

White, playing as usual up the board in the diagram, can force checkmate in two moves, however Black defends.

This weeks puzzle is the opening round of a national contest where Guardian readers traditionally perform strongly. You have to work out how White, playing, as usual, up the board in the diagram, can force checkmate in two moves, however Black defends.

The puzzle is the first stage of the annual Winton British Solving Championship, organised by the British Chess Problem Society. This competition is open only to British residents and entry is free. The prize fund is expected to be at least 1200, plus awards to juniors.

If you would like to take part, simply send Whites first move to Nigel Dennis, Boundary House, 230 Greys Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, RG9 1QY. Or by email to winton@theproblemist.org.

Include your name, home address and postcode and mark your entry Guardian. If you were under 18 on 31 August 2019, please include your date of birth.

The closing date is 31 July. After that, all solvers will receive the answer and those who get it right will also be sent a postal round of eight problems, with plenty of time for solving.

The best 20-25 entries from the postal round, plus the best juniors, will be invited to the championship final in February (subject to Covid-19 restrictions). The winner there will qualify for the Great Britain team in the 2021 world solving championship, an event where GB is often a medal contender.

The starter problem, with most of the pieces in the lower half of the board, is tricky and with an unusual twist. Obvious checks and captures rarely work. It is easy to make an error, so review your answer before sending it. Good luck to all Guardian entrants.

Magnus Carlsen survived some anxious moments this week in his quarter-final match in the online Clutch International before the world champion overcame Americas top junior Jeffery Xiong. The 19-year-old Texan had a purple period in the middle of the 12-game series when he had a run of five games with two wins and three draws.

Carlsen was dominant at the start and the finish and his best two victories were imaginative attacks where the rare knight move Nh7! featured.

The event, financed by the St Louis billionaire Rex Sinquefield who has made his home city a global chess centre, has the highest prize fund yet, $265,000 (approx 207,000), for an internet tournament.

Carlsen controlled the first session of his semi-final on Thursday evening as he led Armenias Levon Aronian 6-2 without losing a game. Wesley So also led 6-2 in the all-American semi-final against the world No 2, Fabiano Caruana.

A Carlsen v So final would be far from a done deal for the world champion, as So is currently in excellent form. The semi-final is also not over yet due to the Clutch scoring system where the final two games (of six) count double on the first day and triple on the second. In his interview after the Thursday session, Aronian declared his intention to go into berserk mode for the last six games, taking extra risks to get back into the match.

Both semi-finals can be viewed live online for free with grandmaster commentary, starting at 7pm on Friday.

Read more:

Chess: national solving championship opens for entries from Britain this week - The Guardian

In one of my recent articles, I called Magnus Carlsen a "born entertainer" and asked, "Who could forget the barbs he exchanges with GM Anish Giri on Twitter?" Our world champion never fails us. The very day after my article was published, we could witness the following conversation on Twitter:

I hope that a book will be published one day where all the Twitter exchanges between these two great players will be collected together. Besides the obvious entertainment value, such a book could teach people something about chess. Let's see for example what Carlsen and Giri are talking about in this particular tweet. Here is the game that started this rumble:

For most people, this game will be remembered for the grotesque blunder at the very end. This is what Giri is referring to when saying, "no more horse blunders in the knockout." But to understand the true meaning of "those types of positions" or "Julio Granda style," you need to know a bit of chess history.

For starters, let's go 74 years back. The world was just recovering after the horrendous war and the match Moscow vs. Prague was one of the first international chess events. As you can easily guess, there was not much intrigue in that match since the team of Moscow grandmasters could probably win the olympiad, let alone beat a team of just one city. So the match would have been remembered only by chess historians if not for two games won by David Bronstein. This is where the King's Indian Defense was officially born. This dynamic opening had many names in the first years of its development: "an irregular opening," "the Indian Defense," "the Ukrainian variation," etc... The two games of GM Bronstein turned what considered a semi-correct opening into a formidable weapon! Let's look at the key points of this new opening strategy.

Here is the second Bronstein game from the same match:

If you compare the game Carlsen vs. Dubov with Bronstein's masterpieces, you can see many similarities: the same "hopeless d6-pawn" according to Alekhine turned out to be not so hopeless, the h-pawn push which made the position of White King vulnerable, the powerful Bg7, etc. Now you can see the type of positions Carlsen and Giri discussed in their Twitter exchange.

The last mystery we need to solve is the "Julio Granda style" reference. I played the talented Peruvian grandmaster only once, but I always respected his unique talent. While he was never a true professional chess player (He even retired from chess for a couple of years to take care of his farm.), he could beat almost any player on a good day. He always had his special vision of chess and produced many outstanding games. What did Carlsen mean by saying "Julio Granda style." Fortunately, the power of modern databases helps us to easily solve this mystery by providing the following game:

Yes, it turns out that GM Granda beat Anish Giri in exactly the same kind of position in which Carlsen lost to Dubov. The whole episode gives us another opportunity to admire Carlsen's chess knowledge. Remember Magnus Carlsen's biggest secret? Does he really remember all the games played by grandmasters, or does he just pay extra attention to the games played by his frenemy Giri? Also, it is a fine example of chess karma when GM Giri's joke returned back to him as a boomerang.

I cannot wait for the next round in the Carlsen vs. Giri Twitter match!

Read this article:

Carlsen Vs. Giri: The Trash Talk Edition - Chess.com

Russian Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin played a game of chess against cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner on Tuesday 9th June to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1st ever Space-Earth game. The cosmonauts were 400 km above the Earth on the International Space Station, which recently welcomed NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley and their SpaceX spacecraft, while Sergey played from the Moscow Museum of Cosmonautics, exactly 50 years after the first game was played in 1970.

The game was organised by the Moscow Museum of Cosmonautics, the Russian space agency Roscosmos and the Russian Chess Federation and broadcast live from 11:00 CEST, in English.

And in Russian:

The game ended in a fast and sharp draw, where almost all of the moves were perfectly played:

1. e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. xc6 dxc6 5. O-O e6 6. b3 c5 7. xe5 d4 8. c4 xc4 9. bxc4 xa1 10. c3 b5 11. h5 f6 12. f3 b4 13. e5 O-O-O 14. a3 xf1+ 15. xf1 bxc3 16. exf6 cxd2 17. a8+ d7 18. d5+ c8 19. a8+ d7 20. d5+ e8 21. e4+ d7

1/2-1/2

2016 World Championship Challenger Sergey Karjakin needs no introduction on a chess website. Cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner have been on the International Space Station since April 9th, when they arrived together with NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy.

They were recently joined by astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken, whose SpaceX vehicle was the first to be launched from US soil since the last flight of the Space Shuttle in 2011 and the first ever crewed commercial orbiting spacecraft. NASA estimated 10 million people watched the launch, with their arrival on the ISS also streamed across the world:

There are few details about the game to be played against Sergey Karjakin, except that Space plays White, but its value is symbolic, marking 50 years since the first such game.

Cosmonauts Andrian Nikolayev (1929-2004) and Vitaly Sevastyanov (1935-2010) were the first humans to spend two weeks in space (Neil Armstrongs Apollo 11 flight to the moon and back a year earlier took just over 8 days), with their Soyuz 9 flight ultimately lasting almost 18 days, or exactly 424 hours of weightlessness, as recorded on commemorative stamps.

The mission was in preparation for the Soviet Unions early space station, with Vitaly Sevastyanov in 1986 telling the Russian chess journal 64:

When Nikolaev and I were preparing for our flight they told us: Youre going to be flying for a long time. You need to think of how to meaningfully spend your rest time during the hard work of the flight. What do you want to take onto the spaceship? Andrian and I were great chess enthusiasts and answered together: Chess! Unexpectedly the psychologists were wary. There are two of you on the flight. Itll turn out that one of you always beats the other and there can be unnecessary negative emotions for the loser. Thats no good. Come on, we objected with one voice. On earth we play at the same level. Why should one of us always win in Space?

The psychologists gave in and chess went into space, though it was a special chess set designed for zero gravity by a young engineer called Mikhail Klevtsov. Magnets werent allowed (and still arent today on the ISS) due to their potential to interfere with instruments, and the pieces were instead kept in place but movable by a series of grooves, so they didnt accidentally fly into the mouth of a sleeping cosmonaut (Sevastyanov).

The players on the ground were General Nikolai Kamanin (1908-1982), the head of the cosmonaut training program, and cosmonaut Viktor Gorbatko (1934-2017), with another cosmonaut, Valery Bykovsky (1934-2019) hosting the broadcast:

The game lasted 6 hours, or 4 orbits of the Earth, with the players only able to transmit their moves while the spaceship was above the Soviet Union. You can catch some glimpses of the game in this video focussed on Vitaly Sevastyanov:

The game ended in a draw, which you can replay below:

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 e5 4. xc4 exd4 5. exd4 c6 6. e3 d6 7. c3 f6 8. f3 O-O 9. O-O g4 10. h3 f5 11. h4 d7 12. f3 e7 13. g4 g6 14. ae1 h8 15. g5 eg8 16. g2 ae8 17. e3 b4 18. a3 xc3 19. bxc3 e4 20. g3 c6 21. f3 d5 22. d3 b5 23. h4 g6 24. f4 c4 25. xc4 bxc4 26. d2 xe1 27. xe1 d5 28. g5 d6 29. xd5 cxd5 30. f4 d8 31. e5+ f6 32. gxf6 xf6 33. xf6+ xf6 34. e8+ xe8 35. xf6+ g8 1/2-1/2

Space missed the best chance to conquer the Earth on move 23:

23.g5! wins a piece, since the only move for the knight is 23Nh5, but then 24.Qg4! forces 24Qxg4 25.hxg4 and after the again forced 25Ng3 26.Rf2 there are various ways for White to pick up the trapped knight.

One of the most interesting things about the game is that it was commentated on widely by the best Soviet chess players. David Bronstein wrote in the Izvestia newspaper:

That game will undoubtedly go down in the annals of the 1000 year long history of chess as the game that spread the sphere of influence of this wise game beyond our planet. Everyone can understand the emotion with which I look over the moves sent from space. The first Space Earth game is very interesting to play over on a board. From the moves its easy to see that both sides love sharp, puzzling situations and show no lack of courage and invention in creating them. And the fact that neither side managed to win bears witness to the skill of the players not only in attack but also in defence.

Later that year on the 24th November 1970 the cosmonauts visited Moscows Central Chess Club for an evening featuring World Champion Boris Spassky, former World Champions Mikhail Botvinnik and Tigran Petrosian as well as other top players.

It was right in the middle of the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal that would mark a sea change in chess, with Bobby Fischer going on to win by a huge 3.5 point margin. Of the six players who qualified for World Championship Candidates Matches only Efim Geller and Mark Taimanov represented the USSR, with Fischer, Bent Larsen, Robert Huebner and Wolfgang Uhlmann taking the remaining places. Alexander Kotov, best known now for his Think Like a Grandmaster book, referred to that as he tried to look 40 years ahead, i.e. to 2010, that evening:

Im sure that then well have not an Interzonal but an Interplanetary Tournament. And the grey-haired, now ex-World Champion, Boris Spassky, will come out with a big article where as a journalist hell criticise the organisers that for some reason they allocated two places to weak players from Jupiter, reducing by two the representation of the lunar base And chess fans, gathering in an even more luxurious club to assess the outcome of the Interplanetary Tournament will of course recall the first game played in space that opened a new era for the ancient game.

Back then it was hard to imagine that the last men to travel to the Moon would have done so just two years later in 1972, with no Soviet cosmonaut ever standing on the Moon.

3-time World Chess Champion Mikhail Botvinnik also referred to the Interzonal Tournament while talking about the head of the cosmonaut training program:

36 years ago I saw Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin for the first time, if Im not mistaken, in the Grand Peterhof Palace not far from Leningrad, when the Chelyuskin Heroes were being honoured there. Back then we were both very young and both could have become cosmonauts. Now, of course, Im no longer fit for that.

I look on General Kamanin with great envy. Although were the same age hes taken great care of himself and is in charge of our cosmonauts. Besides that, Ive already stopped playing chess myself, while Kamanin, as we just got to see, still continues to perform well in events.

From the stories of Andrian Nikolaev and Vitaly Sevastyanov it became clear to us what difficulties a man faces in space. The first is physical weightlessness, which can be compared to what the participants in the Interzonal Tournament in Palma de Mallorca feel, when theres only a rest day once in every 9 days. The second difficulty is, if we can put it like this, intellectual weightlessness.

When a man finds himself on the Earth in everyday life hes constantly confronted by the solution of complex problems or, to put it another way, inexact problems. Its not so simple to cross a street, to decide how to spend an evening to go to the cinema, theatre or find a more frivolous activity. But on a spaceship a man has none of that and he can forget how to solve complex, inexact problems. And here chess comes to the rescue because chess is a typical complex, inexact problem. After all, its long been known that people playing chess drift and find the correct decisions with difficulty.

I by no means want to suggest that cosmonauts should be picked from among chess players. On the contrary, I think that if our grandmasters will play the way theyve played at the start of the Interzonal Tournament in Palma de Mallorca (not counting, of course, Geller), then well need to find chess reserves from among the cosmonauts

Of course since 1970 chess has been played in space, with some astronauts having had plenty of time as they spent hundreds of days on Mir and now the International Space Station. The US Chess Federation in particular organised anEarth vs. Space matchgiving the chance for kids to take on astronauts. Chess always makes for good photo opportunities!

Tuesday's game will be a memorable celebration of some of the early pioneers of space flight.

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Karjakin vs. Cosmonauts | Earth vs. Space 50th anniversary chess game - chess24

Grandmasters Pravin Mahadeo Thipsay and Vidit Gujrathi, on Saturday, launched the official website of Maharashtra Chess Association (MCA), the official chess body of All India Chess Federation (AICF) for Maharashtra.

The website has been launched by MCA to bring Chess enthusiasts across the country closer on a digital platform, in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic. On the website one can not only find all relative information about MCA, the office bearers, registration procedure, future initiatives but also interact and play the game.

The MCA has sprung into action ever since the AICF restored their affiliation after a protracted legal dispute was resolved. The dispute had originally stemmed from a factional tussle within the MCA, which was registered as a society in 1975, by amalgamation of the then five regional chess bodies in the state. The association was then granted affiliation by the AICF in 1978.

In 2012, the AICF asked all its affiliates to amend bye laws to adapt with the one nation, one federation norm. But the tussle within MCA factions, however, resulted in delay of the completion of the entire process. In December 2016, the AICF disaffiliated the MCA for not amending their bye laws in time.

Finally, in April this year, in a Special General Body Meeting (SGM), a five-member panel decided to restore the affiliation of MCA along with Rajasthan Chess Association. Earlier this month, the Pune-based chess body hosted a unique Blitz Grand Prix tournament, brought by LetsUp.

The Blitz tournaments, which have a total prize fund of INR 155000, are being held every Wednesday from June 3 to July 1. Each tournament has a total prize fund of INR 25000 and top five GP finishers get a total of INR 30000. The event has been sponsored by Nasik District and Novel, Ahmednagar District and Narendra Firodia Unicorp, Pune District and Amanora, Jalgaon District and Jain Irrigation and h2e, and lastly, the Sangali District and Chitale Bandhu.

Also read: Maharashtra Chess Association hosts grand five-day Blitz Grand Prix

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GMs Pravin Thipsay, Vidit Gujrathi launch Maharashtra Chess Associations official website - The Bridge