Exhibit of Egyptian Queens

From Artdaily.org
Exhibition Spotlights Women Who Were Queens of Egypt at Grimaldi Forum Monaco (Image - not from exhibit - Nefertiti, wife of Akhenaten, the "heretic" Pharaoh, from the Berlin Museum)
August 31. 2008

MONACO.- Although endless exhibitions have been devoted to the subject, the Grimaldi Forum Monaco is going one unprecedented step further by being the first to turn the spotlight on those women who were Queens of Egypt through a 4000m² exhibition.

The exhibition curator, Christiane Ziegler has collected together nearly 250 incomparable exhibits to illustrate the subject exhibits loaned by the world's most important museums in Cairo, New York, Berlin, Munich, London, Turin, Moscow etc and of course by the Louvre, where until May 2007 Ms Ziegler ran the prestigious Egyptian antiquities department.

The spectacular display is designed by François Payet, who recreated Imperial Saint Petersburg for the Grimaldi Forum's 2004 exhibition chronicling the city's history from the reign of Peter the Great to that of Catherine the Great.

The story unfolds theme by theme as visitors advance through the exhibition. Although the function of Egypt’s queens changed over the centuries, some features were unvarying: the status of women, the status of the royal family, women's living environment, their religious role, the symbols used in portrayals of them. These are the themes around which the main sections of the exhibition are built.

But exhibition curator Christiane Ziegler also wanted to spotlight major figures such as Hatshepsut, Tiy, Nefertari and Cleopatra. They have found their place in the exhibition, along with the mythical aspect of Egypt's queens that still sets us dreaming.

The exhibition starts with Cleopatra, the most popular Egyptian queen although she was actually of Greek origin. From the mythical image of Cleopatra now so familiar from films and advertising we move on to the historical figure revealed by archaeology and documents. The exhibition ends with another queen, less familiar to the general public: Queen Tausert whose tomb can now be visited in the Valley of Kings. She was the inspiration for Théophile Gautier’s well-known novel The Romance of a Mummy.

Between these two, the exhibition takes visitors on a fabulous journey of discovery through Ancient Egypt and the many facets of its royal women. First, their social status. Their titles were based on their relationship to the reigning king: they were called “mother of the king” or “wife of the king”; in some cases a pharaoh gave the title of “wife of the king” to a daughter, otherwise princesses were “daughters of the king”. Visitors are shown how the pharaoh’s close links with several generations of women probably derive from Egyptian mythology, the mother/wife/daughter association being a symbol of perpetual creation. Thus the Egyptian queens played a fundamental role in the renewal of royal power and in the pharaoh’s survival in the afterlife.

We then enter one of the most famous harems, at Gurob. Christiane Ziegler has entrusted this section to her assistant Marine Yoyotte, who is writing a doctorate thesis on the subject. The king had many secondary wives, some of whom were foreign princesses taken in marriage to strengthen alliances with neighbouring powers. Most of the royal household’s women and children lived together in institutions usually referred to as harems. A harem was both a centre of social activity and an economic hub, by no means shielded from the turbulence of political life. Echoes of palace plots hatched there from the age of the pyramids on have come down to us through the centuries.

The next section focuses on the image of the queen. Portrayals of queens extol their beauty according to an aesthetic ideal that varied from one era to another. With very few exceptions the queens are shown in the bloom of youth, the luxury and refinement that surrounded them reflected in their clothing, an abundance of jewellery and the toiletry items with which they enhanced their beauty. Like the pharaoh, the queen mother and the pharaoh’s “great royal wife” were distinguished from common mortals by symbols borrowed from the gods. The exhibition then shows the queens’ religious role. Scenes of worship show queens performing rites alongside their pharaohs; using all their charms to please the gods, they shake sacred musical instruments rhythmically to create sounds pleasing to divine ears. Their presence reflects a theology in which the royal wife is truly the “other half” of the pharaoh, guarantor of balance in the world. We discover the particular importance of the queens and princesses known as “divine adoratrices of the god Amun”. These priestesses of Amun in Thebes became increasingly important over time. In the first millennium BC they were the primary religious authority and possessed considerable wealth. At that period they took a vow of celibacy and the succession was passed down by adoption; each conqueror appointed his daughter to this strategic position. Lastly, some queens, including Ahmes Nefertari whom we meet here, were deified after death. Nefertari was worshipped during the time of the Ramses, mainly on the left bank at Thebes. She was often worshipped in the company of her son, Amenhotep I.

Did the queens exert a real influence on the governance of the country? This is the theme of the next section in the exhibition, addressed through several examples. Queen Tiy’s royal husband Amenhotep III seems to have listened to her advice and she conducted diplomatic correspondence with the greatest sovereigns of her time. Aahhotep, mother of Ahmose, probably acted as regent during a time of political upheaval. Hatshepsut is one of the few queens to have held absolute power, adopting the titles and appearance of a pharaoh. The Nubian example of the Kandakes, or “black queens”, of Meroe in modern Sudan shows that during some periods there was genuine power-sharing in the Nile valley.

I. The myth: Cleopatra In the Western imagination, the Queen of Egypt is incarnated in Cleopatra. Why has she remained the most famous of all? The Romans have handed her story down to us in which all the ingredients of success are combined: love, power, wealth, dramatic death….Numerous artists have elaborated on this theme, taking inspiration from Pharaonic models popularised by scientific publications, but often situating the scenes in a dreamed Orient. Even today, the cinema, advertising and comics successfully exploit this mythical figure.

Paradoxically, however, the best-known Queen of Egypt is a Greek descendant of Alexander’s generals. She is heir to a long line of attested sovereigns from the end of the fourth millennium before Christ - at the time when the Pharaonic institution was born. Very few of the Queens of Egypt are familiar to the public: Hatchepsout, Nefertiti, Nefertari, etc. Cleopatra was the last Queen of Egypt and also the last Pharaoh, since she exercised personal power, which was very rare for women.

II. Mother, Wife or Daughter of the King: The Status of the Queens of Egypt The title of Queen is composed in relation to the reigning king: she is “mother of the king” or wife of the king.”

Some “daughters of the king” (a title we would translate as “princess”) were given the title “wife of the king” by their father. All belong to this female galaxy surrounding the Pharaoh in which each daughter of the king can become wife and sister of the king, then mother of the king. Clearly, the Pharaoh’s intimate ties with several generations of women of the royal family must be sought in myths: the mother-wife-daughter association was conceived as a symbol of perpetual creation. For this reason, the Egyptian queens played a fundamental role in the renewal of royal power and in the survival of the Pharaoh in the beyond.

II.1. The Mother of the King She has a very important place, is often seen at his sides and benefits from a specific cult. This major role appears starting from the time of the pyramids. At this time, theologians worked out the dogma of the divine nature of the sovereign, born of the union of a god with a woman. This is what is reported in a tale from the Westcar papyrus narrating the birth of three kings whose father is the sun god Rê and the mother a mere priestess: this wonder inaugurated a new dynasty. In the New Empire, the scenes of the theogamy sculpted on the walls of the temples (Deir el Bahari, Luxor, etc.) show the union of the queen and the god Amon who comes to visit her by borrowing the appearance of her husband, then the birth of the new king born of this mystical marriage.

II.2. The Grand Royal Wife “She who sees Horus and Seth.” She is the mother of the heir prince. In principle, there is only one at a time. She can be seen beside the sovereign for the purpose of performing rites: sister or daughter of the king (problem of incest and of consanguine marriages). It is now known that royalty was not handed down by women, even though consanguine marriages strengthened the throne. According to the epoch and to personalities, the grand wife was more or less influential, and many of them remain unknown to us.

Example: Nefertari, grand wife of Ramses II, to whom a small temple in Abou Simbel was consecrated.

III. Secondary Wives, Harems and Concubines Many Pharaohs married princesses of foreign origin, thus strengthening alliances with their neighbours. A rich treasure of gold plate coming from the tomb of three secondary wives of Thoutmosis III bears witness that they bore names of Syrian origin. Documents from the New Empire, the Annals of Thoutmosis III and diplomatic correspondence from Amarna show that a large number or oriental women – daughters of the Pharaoh’s vassals – were delivered to the Court as a pledge of their country’s loyalty. They were accompanied by an army of servants. There were thus a great number of women in the king’s entourage. What became of this multitude or women? The grand wives no doubt lived in the capitals with the Pharaoh. Queen mothers and grand wives had rich domains at their disposal with their own personnel. It is probable that favourites benefited from similar endowments. And most of the women in the household were grouped together in institutions customarily known as “harems.” In our contemporary acceptance, the term is not suitable, but we shall use it for want of a precise translation. Judging by older examples, the “harem” (ipet nesout) formed the private apartments of the king. Contrary to what might be imagined, it was not a place of reclusion for eunuchs and concubines. Queens, princes and princesses lived there freely in the company of ladies of the Court or as “royal ornaments” together with an army of servants, nannies, private tutors, hairdressers and musicians who lived there with their families. The harem of Gourob was also an economic centre where linen was weaved and where wood, ivory, earthenware and vividly coloured glass were worked.

It was also in the harem that, from the time of the pyramids, plots were woven, echoes of which have been handed down to us. The gamble was to conquer power.

IV. The image of the queen: feminine beauty and divine attributes Representations of queens exalt their beauty in keeping with an ideal that changed over the epochs. Aside from very rare exceptions, they are portrayed in the bloom of youth in keeping with a convention peculiar to all Egyptian art. The luxury and refinement with which they are surrounded can be seen in the clothes, numerous jewels and toilet articles intended to enhance their beauty.

Like the Pharaoh, the mother of the king and his “royal grand wife” are distinguished from the rest of humanity by emblems borrowed from the gods. They wear the neret crown (vulture remains), the cobra-ureus, the double feather and the sign of life ankh, marking their divine aspect. Do these attributes simply reflect the exceptional intimacy shared by the women of the royal family with the sovereign, son of the gods? Or do they demonstrate that there existed a feminine counterpart to the divine concept of Pharaonic royalty? It is the latter aspect that has been brought to light by recent studies.

V. The Religious Role Cult scenes frequently show queens performing rites alongside the Pharaoh. Using their charm to conciliate the gods, they wave musical instruments about rhythmically: sistrums and sacred rattles whose music pacified and thrilled the divinities; the menat, whose rows of pearls banging together produced a rustling sound soothing to divine ears. Offered to the gods, these objects were a token of renewal and strengthened the seduction of their owner, which the texts describe as “mistress of the sistrum,” “lady of the menat” and “whose pure hands hold the sistrum to charm her father Amon with her voice […].” A major religious event was the feast of Sed or royal jubilee. The rare representations that have been kept of bas reliefs in Thebes and in Soleb for Amenhetep III, another series in Bubastis for Osorkon III, grant an important place to the Grand royal wife. Thus, Tiy appears there behind her husband Amenhetep III “like the goddess Maât before the god Rê,” the texts tell us. The comparison between the royal couple and the divine couple that presided over the creation of the world is strengthened several years later in the Amarnian epoch during which the beautiful Nefertiti is omnipresent with Akhenaton: in religious scenes where the cult seems to be co-celebrated by the king and the queen accompanied by their daughters; in official scenes where the couple receives homage from foreign countries; in scenes from private life where the royal couple is shown tenderly embracing or exchanging a kiss. The ostentatious demonstration of love that unites the couple here takes on a universal value and becomes a manifestation of the creative energy of the demiurge – a token of renewal of the terrestrial world.

V.1. Queens or princesses: the divine worshippers Whether queens or princesses, the divine worshippers of the god Amon saw, their importance grow with time. Priestesses of Amon and of Thebes, they represented the principal religious authority during the first millennium and owned considerable wealth. They were then sworn to celibacy and succeeded one another by adoption, each conqueror placing his daughter in this strategic position.

V.2. Deified queens: example – Ahmes Nfertari Evocation of this queen to whom a cult was devoted during the epoch of Ramses, mainly on the left bank of Thebes. She is often worshipped in the company of her son, King Amenophis I.

VI. The Counsellor: example – Queen Tiy Queen Tiy has a personality out of the ordinary. Her rather disdainful pout and her wilful expression give charm to a number of her statues. She is included in numerous monuments in the company of her husband, Amenophis III. A lettered queen (an ex-libris from papyri having been included in her library), she maintained diplomatic correspondence with the greatest sovereigns of her time. A temple was dedicated to her in Sedeinga in Nubia as a counterpart to the one erected in Soleb for Amenophis III. Having outlived her husband, she stayed in the new city of Amarna where she is shown in bas reliefs sharing the life of Akhenaton and Nefertiti.

VI.1. The Queen Regent: example – Queen Iahhotep Amosis, sovereign founder of the 19th dynasty, exalts the merits of his mother, Iahhotep. The text, inscribed on a stele of the temple at Karnak, sheds light on the decisive role played by the queen when Amosis was quite young: beyond doubt, his mother exercised the regency during a troubled period. Archaeology confirms the written tradition: in the tomb of Iahhotep I, discovered during the 19th century, were included gold pendants in the form of flies – supreme reward ordinarily reserved to the most valorous combatants.

VI.2. The monarch: example – Queen Hatchepsout She is one of the rare sovereign women to have exercised absolute power, borrowing the titles and appearance of the Pharaoh.

VI.3. Sharing of power The Nubian example: the “candaces” or “black queens” of Meroe (Sudan).

VII . Epilogue: The novel of the mummy Few tombs of queens have been found, and most of them have been pillaged. The only funerary trousseaux that remain intact are those of Hetepheres, mother of Cheops, which, it seems, were buried once again in the vicinity of the grand pyramid, and of Iahhetep I, whose sarcophagus was discovered by Mariette on the left bank of Thebes. However, archaeologists have unearthed burial places of concubines and of secondary wives: the princesses of Illahun and of Dachour in the Middle Empire; Thoutmosis III in the New Empire. Nefertari’s tomb with magnificent painted décor has revealed only insignificant vestiges. Thus, it’s vain to try to reconstitute the furniture of a queen’s tomb. We prefer to conclude with a reference to Queen Taousert, whose tomb was found in the Valley of the Kings and which inspired Théophile Gautier for his famous “Novel of the Mummy.”

Serving the Goddess

A lengthy but worthwhile read from The New Yorker.com

Letter from India
Serving the Goddess
The dangerous life of a sacred sex worker.
by William Dalrymple
August 4, 2008

“Of course, there are times when there is pleasure,” Rani Bai said. “Who does not like to make love? A handsome young man, one who is gentle . . .”

She paused for a moment, looking out over the lake, smiling to herself. Then her face clouded over. “But mostly it is horrible. The farmers here, they are not like the boys of Bombay.”

“And eight of them every day,” her friend Kaveri said. “Sometimes ten. Unknown people. What kind of life is that?”

“We have a song,” Rani said. “ ‘Everyone sleeps with us, but no one marries us. Many embrace us, but no one protects.’ ”

“Every day, my children ask, ‘Who is my father?’ They do not like having a mother who is in this business.”

“Once, I tried to open a bank account with my son,” Rani said. “We went to fill in the form, and the manager asked, ‘Father’s name?’ After that, my son was angry. He said I should not have brought him into the world like this.”

“We are sorry we have to do this work. But what is the alternative?”
“Who will give us jobs? We are all illiterate.”

“And the future,” Kaveri said. “What have we to look forward to?”
“When we are not beautiful, when our bodies become ugly, then we will be all alone.”

“If we live long enough to be old and to be ugly,” Kaveri said. “So many are dying.”

“One of our community died last week. Two others last month.”

“In my village, four younger girls have died,” Kaveri said. “My own brother has the disease. He used to be a truck driver, and knew all the girls along the roads. Now he just lies at home drinking, saying, ‘What difference does it make? I will die anyway.’ ”

She turned to face me. “He drinks anything he can get,” she said. “If someone told him his own urine had alcohol in it, he would drink that, too.” She laughed, but harshly. “If I were to sit under a tree and tell you the sadness we have to suffer, the leaves of that tree would fall like tears. My brother is totally bedridden now. He has fevers and diarrhea.” She paused. “He used to be such a handsome man, with a fine face and large eyes. Now those eyes are closed, and his face is covered with boils and lesions.”

“Yellamma never wanted it to be like this,” Rani said.

“The goddess is sitting silently,” Kaveri said. “We don’t know what feelings she has about us. Who really knows what she is thinking?”

“No,” Rani said, firmly shaking her head. “The goddess looks after us. When we are in distress, she comes to us. Sometimes in our dreams. Sometimes in the form of one of her children.”

“It is not the goddess’s doing.”

“The world has made it like this.”

“The world, and the disease.”

“The goddess dries our tears,” Rani said. “If you come to her with a pure heart, she will take away your sadness and your sorrows.

What more can she do?”

We had come to Saundatti, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, to see the goddess Yellamma—Rani Bai, Kaveri, and I. (The names of the two women have been changed.) We had driven over that morning from the town of Belgaum, through the rolling green plains of cotton country. The women, who had been dedicated to Yellamma when they were children, normally took the old slow bus to visit her temple, so they had jumped at the chance to make the journey in the comfort of a taxi.

It was hot and muggy, not long after the end of the rains, and the sky was bright and cloudless. The road led through long avenues of ancient banyan trees, each with an intricate lattice of aerial roots. As we neared Saundatti, however, the green tunnel came to an end, and the fields on either side gave way to drier, poorer country. Trees, cane breaks, and cotton fields were replaced by strips of sunflowers. Goats picked through dusty stubble. Women in ragged clothing sold onions laid out on palm-weave mats set along the side of the road. After some time, a long red stone ridge appeared out of the heat haze. The ridge resolved itself into the great hogback of Saundatti, and at the top, rising from near-vertical cliffs, was the silhouette of the temple of Yellamma.

Below, and to one side, stretched a lake of almost unearthly blue.
It was here, according to legend, that the story had begun.

Yellamma was the wife of the powerful rishi Jamadagni. The couple and their four sons lived in a simple wooden hermitage by the lake. Here the sage punished his body and performed great feats of austerity. After the birth of his fourth child, these included a vow of chastity. Every day, Yellamma served her husband, and fetched water from the river for her husband’s rituals. She used a pot made of sand, and carried it home in the coils of a live snake.

One day, as Yellamma was fetching water, she saw a heavenly being, a gandharva, making love to his consort by the banks of the river. It was many years since Yellamma had enjoyed the pleasures of love, and the sight attracted her. Watching from behind a rock, and hearing the lovers’ cries of pleasure, she found herself longing to take the place of the beloved.

This sudden rush of desire destroyed her composure. When she crept away to get water for her husband, she found, to her horror, that she could no longer create a pot from sand, and that her yogic powers of concentration had vanished. When she returned home without the water, Jamadagni guessed what had happened, and in his rage he cursed his wife. According to Rani and Kaveri, within seconds Yellamma had become sickly and ugly, covered with boils and festering sores. She was turned out of her home, cursed to wander the roads of the Deccan, begging for alms.

Jamadagni belongs to that class of irascible holy men who fill Sanskrit literature with their fiery and unforgiving anger. In contrast, the goddess Yellamma, like Sita in the Ramayana, is a victim, suspected of infidelities she never committed, rejected by all. Though the story is full of sadness and injustice, devadasis—as those who have been dedicated, or “married,” to a god or a goddess are known—believe that the tale shows how the goddess is uniquely sympathetic to their fate. After all, their lives often resemble hers: they are cursed for crimes of love outside the bonds of marriage, rejected by their children, condemned like Yellamma to live on the roads, begging for favors, disfigured by sadness, and without the protection of a husband.

I got a glimpse of the tensions in the devadasi’s life when we arrived in Saundatti. We had gone to a tea shop near the lake, at my suggestion. Devadasis are a common sight in Saundatti, where they often beg in the bazaars on Yellamma’s holy days of Tuesday and Friday. But they don’t usually brave the tea shops on the main street.

Long before the glasses of hot sweet chai arrived, the farmers at the other tables had started pointing at Rani Bai, and gossiping. They had come from their villages to sell cotton at the market, and, having got a good price, were now in a boisterous mood.

Although Kaveri and Rani Bai had the red tikka of a married woman on their foreheads, Rani Bai’s muttu—the necklace of red and white beads that a devadasi wears—and her jewelry, her painted face, and her overly dressy silk sari had given her away.

Kaveri had once been beautiful, but the difficulties of her life, and the suffering she had endured, had aged her prematurely, and she no longer attracted attention. Rani Bai was different. She was in her late thirties, at least ten years younger than Kaveri, and was still, undeniably, lovely. She was tall and long-limbed, and had a large mouth, full lips, a firm brown body, and a lively manner. She did not keep her gaze down, as Hindu women generally do in the villages; instead, she spoke in a loud voice, and every time she gesticulated about something—and her hands were constantly dancing about as she talked—her bracelets rattled. She wore a bright-lavender silk sari, and had rings sparkling on each of her toes and up the curve of each ear. The farmers sat there as we sipped our tea, looking at her greedily. Before long, they were noisily speculating about the relationship she might have with me, the firangi, and her cost, what she would and would not do, and wondering where she worked and whether she gave discounts.

Rani had been telling me in the car about the privileges of being a devadasi, about the way people respected her, how she was regarded as auspicious and was called even to upper-caste weddings to give her blessings. So when we finally fled the chai shop, to a chorus of laughter and bawdy remarks, her mood changed. As we sat under a banyan tree beside the lake at the edge of the town, she became melancholy, and she told me how she had come to this life.

“I was only six when my parents dedicated me,” she said. “I had no feelings at the time, except wondering: why have they done this? We were very poor and had many debts. My father was desperate for money, as he had drunk and gambled away all that he had earned and more, and he said, ‘This thing will make us rich, it will make us live decently.’

“At that age, I had no devotional feelings for the goddess, and dreamed only of having more money and living a luxurious life in a pucca house with a tile roof and concrete walls. So I was happy with this idea, though I still didn’t understand where the money would come from, or what I would have to do to get it.

“Soon after I had had my first period, my father sold me to a shepherd in a neighboring village for five hundred rupees”—about thirty-eight dollars at the time—“a silk sari, and a bag of millet. By that stage, I knew a little of what might lie ahead, for I had seen other neighbors who had done this to their daughters, and saw people coming and going from their houses. I had asked my parents all these questions, and repeated over and over again that I did not want to do sex work. They nodded, and I thought they had agreed. But, one day, they took me to another village on the pretext of looking after my sister’s newborn baby, and there I was forcibly offered to the shepherd. I was only fourteen years old.

Rest of article.

Researcher: Ancient green beads were fertility amulets

From The Jerusalem Post.com
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
August 24, 2008

Residents of this part of the Middle East started making jewelry out of green-colored beads when they made the major transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, and they chose the color - instead of white, red, yellow, brown or black - specifically as an amulet for human and agricultural fertility. So claims new research by Dr. Daniella Bar-Yosef of the University of Haifa who said the beads' green hue - which had previously been used for making trinkets - became a symbol of renewal.

Bar-Yosef, of the university's department of maritime civilizations, said archeological evidence collected by Naomi Porat of the Israel Geological Survey of Israel that large amounts of green-colored beads from this era have been found at eight sites around the country; beads of this color were not evident in previous eras. But the material from which the beads were made had to be brought in from distant locations about 100 kilometers away from where the beads were made. Their study has just been published in the Proceedings of the [US] Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Bar-Yosef said the green color was meant to symbolize the green of plants and trees in nature. The cultural change to farming, she continued, brought about higher human fertility rates, but the number of babies who died in infancy also increased. Thus it is also logical, she suggested, that green beads turned into amulets for female fertility and their delivery of healthy, viable babies.

"Even today," concluded Bar-Yosef, "There are many cultures in which green jewels symbolize fertility and health. On the basis of our findings, we can suggest that the course of these beliefs is the beginning of the transition to an agricultural society."

Supporting Local Chess: Some Announcements

TEXAS
Northeast Tarrant community calendar
September 2, 2008
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS — Watauga Chess Club, 7 p.m., North Richland Hills Parks and Recreation, 6720 N.E. Loop 820. Free. www.wataugachess.thinkhost.com.

WATAUGA — Chess club, 3-5 p.m., Watauga Public Library, 7109 Whitley Road. Ages 5-18. 817-831-6465.

September 4, 2008
KELLER — Chess and other board games, 2-3:30 p.m., Keller Public Library, 640 Johnson Road. 817-743-4841.


ILLINOIS
Southtown Star
September 6, 2008
chess/scraBble Homewood Public Library, 17917 Dixie Highway, hosts open chess and Scrabble for participants of all ages and abilities from noon to 4 p.m. the first and third Saturdays of every month. Information: (708) 798-0121, Ext. 222.


FLORIDA
OrlandoSentinel.com
September 1, 2008 Fruitland Park Chess Club, 7 p.m., Fruitland Park Community Room, next to the fire station. Details: Virgil Bell, 352-365-0750 or 352-326-5009.

SunSentinel.com
August 31, 2008 Chess Club, 1:30-3 p.m. at Weston Library, 4205 Bonaventure Blvd., Weston. Free. Call 954-389-2098.

Dylan McClain Gets It

Georgia Conflict Resounds at Chess Championships
By DYLAN LOEB McCLAIN
Published: August 30, 2008

Russia’s military action in Georgia this month is having repercussions in an unexpected realm: the world of chess.

Nine of the 64 women who qualified for the women’s world championship, being held in the Russian city of Nalchik in the Caucasus, did not appear at the start of the tournament on Thursday in protest of the war. The nine, including six from Georgia, were disqualified.

In an Aug. 12 letter to the World Chess Federation, the Georgian women, including Maya Chiburdanidze, a former world champion, asked the federation to move the tournament to a different location, saying that Georgia was in a “state of war.”

A day later, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the president of the federation, who is also president of Kalmykia, a Russian republic on the Caspian Sea, responded in a letter that the championship could not be moved for logistical reasons. He wrote that the war was “a terrible tragedy,” but that “in the current situation I appeal to all not to mix politics and sport.” He added, “All the issues should be settled at a chess board, and not beyond its limits.”

In addition to the six Georgian women, three others who signed their letter — Marie Sebag of France, Irina Krush of the United States and Tea Lanchava of the Netherlands — are boycotting the tournament. Ms. Sebag is ranked No. 7 in the world among women, Ms. Krush is No. 24 and Ms. Lanchava is No. 99. Five other women who signed the letter did show up and played their first matches.

Karen Zapata of Peru and Ekaterina Korbut of Russia also were no-shows. No explanation was given for their forfeits.

In a welcoming letter to the competitors posted on the tournament Web site, President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia spoke of the ways the championship could bring people together. “I am confident that the World Championship will become a festival for all admirers of this fascinating sport and contribute to the development and strengthening of international relations,” he wrote.

This is not the first time that a world championship tournament has been embroiled in controversy. In 2004, the federation held the championship in Libya, and three Israelis, believing that they would not receive visas to enter the country — and concerned about their safety if they did — declined to play. A Swiss player who held an Israeli passport did not participate because, he said, he received his visa too late to make it to his first match.

In solidarity and also out of security concerns, three American players, including Boris Gulko, a former dissident in the Soviet Union, refused their invitations, as did Viswanathan Anand of India, the [current] world champion.

Horror Stalks Women in Baluchistan

Legislators indifferent to sorry end of women buried alive
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
By Rauf Klasra

ISLAMABAD: As the government remained indifferent towards the sorry end of the five women who were buried alive in a desert of Balochistan last month, it has been revealed that the influential man who had killed the women is a "serial killer" and loves to kill women.

The alleged serial killer had reportedly killed three persons, including one girl, before killing the five women. But he has never been captured or punished for his acts against humanity. Even parliamentarians who had raised hue and cry over the issue of Dr Aafia Siddiqui and passed a joint resolution in this regard remained silent on the sorry fate of the five women.

The women were killed in a remote village Baba Kot, some 80 kilometres from Usta Mohammad, Jafferabad. It is believed that a PPP minister used his influence and position to hush up the matter. Information Minister Sherry Rehman only issued a one-line statement that the killers would be arrested, which never happened.

The five women include Fatima, Jannat Bibi, Fauzia and two others girls, aged between 16 to 18 years. They were living at the house of one Chandio at Baba Kot village and were set to leave for a civil court at Usta Mohammad, so that three of them could marry the men of their choice. But news of their plan leaked out and Abdul Sattar Umrani, the brother of the PPP minister, came with more than six persons and abducted them at gun point. They were taken in a Land Cruiser jeep, bearing a registration number plate of the Balochistan government, to Nau Abadi, in the vicinity of Baba Kot.

Abdul Sattar Umrani and his companions took the three girls out of the jeep and thrashed them before allegedly spraying them with bullets. The girls were seriously injured but still alive when they were buried. The two older women — one was an aunt of Fauzia while the other was the mother of one of the girls — were later buried along with the three girls when they resisted. After completing the burial, they fired several shots in the air.

When The News contacted Sadiq Umrani, a provincial minister, he confirmed the incident, saying only three women were killed by unknown persons. He denied his or brother's involvement. He went on to say that the police would not disclose any information on the case as it would implicate them. There are reports that the alleged perpetrator, Abdul Sattar Umrani, was also involved in murder of three other persons, including one young woman, in January 2006. A school teacher, Mohammad Aslam, was going with his would-be wife in a taxi to a civil court to marry. They were intercepted at Manjo Shori, Tumboo, Naseerabad. The accused reportedly killed the two along with the taxi driver, Jabal Aidee. The police did not institute a murder case until the intervention of Iftikhar Chaudhry, the deposed chief justice, and also that of the deputy speaker of the Senate. But only one person was arrested and the accused Abdul Sattar Umrani remained at large.

***************************
From The International Herald TribunePakistani lawmaker defends honor killings
Associated Press August 30, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: A Pakistani lawmaker defended a decision by southwestern tribesmen to bury five women alive because they wanted to choose their own husbands, telling stunned members of Parliament this week to spare him their outrage.

"These are centuries-old traditions and I will continue to defend them," Israr Ullah Zehri, who represents Baluchistan province, said Saturday. "Only those who indulge in immoral acts should be afraid."

The women, three of whom were teenagers, were first shot and then thrown into a ditch.

They were still breathing as their bodies were covered with rocks and mud, according media reports and human rights activists, who said their only "crime" was that they wished to marry men of their own choosing.

Zehri told a packed and flabbergasted Parliament on Friday that Baluch tribal traditions helped stop obscenity and then asked fellow lawmakers not to make a big fuss about it.

Many stood up in protest, saying the executions were "barbaric" and demanding that discussions continue Monday. But a handful said it was an internal matter of the deeply conservative province.

"I was shocked," said lawmaker Nilofar Bakhtiar, who pushed for legislation calling for perpetrators of so-called honor killings to be punished when she served as minister of women's affairs under the last government.

"I feel that we've gone back to the starting point again," she said. "It's really sad for me."

The incident allegedly occurred one month ago in Baba Kot, a remote village in Jafferabad district, after the women decided to defy tribal elders and arrange marriages in a civil court, according to the Asian Human Rights Commission.

They were said to have been abducted at gunpoint by six men, forced into a vehicle and taken to a remote field, where they were beaten, shot and then buried alive, it said, accusing local authorities of trying to hush up the killings.

One of perpetrators was allegedly related to a top provincial official, it said.

Accounts about the killings have varied, largely because police in the tribal region have been uncooperative. Activists and lawmakers said a more thorough investigation needed to be carried out.

The Asian Human Rights Commission, however, said the two older women may have been related to some of the teenage girls and were apparently murdered because they were sympathetic to their wishes.
___
Associated Press reporter Munir Ahmad contributed to this report.

2008 Women's World Chess Championship

News from Chessdom's coverage of the R1 playoffs: Katherine Rohonyan, playing for USA, is through to the second round, after having scored against Natalia Zhukova 1,5:0,5. Congratulations to Rohonyan, who joins Anna Zatonskih (USA) going through to Round 2 by default.

USCF Speaks About the WWCC!

Well - sort of. There is a report up now after the conclusion of Round 1 indicating that Rohonyan must go to a play-off against Zhukova while Zatonskih "got two days extra rest!" Whooppee!

Mentioned at the end was the fact that America's best hope for earning a WWCC title, IM Irina Krush, declined to participate in the Championship because of security concerns (like, yeah, why would anyone in their right mind want to go to an area where bombs could fly at any second, separatist terrorists could attack at any second, or you could be abducted by bandits on a city street - or even out of your hotel room). Seems to me the chess femmes who showed up have placed very little value on their lives: $3,750, exactly, for surviving the first round; and only $5,500 for surviving the second round. That's a rather sad commentary on the state of women's chess, isn't it.

2008 Women's World Chess Championship

I have updated my coverage at Chess Femme News through the end of second game of the first round. The following players are advancing to the next round:

CHN Xu, Yuhua
IND Koneru, Humpy
CHN Hou, Yifan
BUL Stefanova, Antoaneta (by default)
SWE Cramling, Pia
POL Gasik, Anna (by default)
CHN Zhao, Xue
RUS Kosintseva, Tatjana
RUS Kosteniuk, Aleksandra
LTU Chmilyte, Viktorija
SLO Muzychuk, Anna
VIE Nguyen, Thi Thanh An (by default)
HUN Hoang Thanh Trang
UKR Ushenina, Anna
ITA Sedina, Elena (by default)
UKR Gaponenko, Inna
ARG Amura, Claudia (by default)
IND Harika, Dronavalli
RUS Kosintseva, Nadezhda
USA Zatonskih, Anna (by default)
CHN Shen, Yang
CHN Tan, Zongyi
MGL Mongontuul, Bathuyang
RUS Matveeva, Svetlana (by default)

Players denoted "by default" did not have to play either of their two games because of the absence of 11 top players from the WWCC - the Georgian "team" of 6 players and five other players, including USA's IM Irina Krush and France's GM-elect Marie Sebag, who recently earned her third GM norm by her excellent performance in the "Men's" European Individual Chess Championship held earlier this year.

In my opinion, these four players received an automatic pass to the next round who might not have made it otherwise: Anna Gasic, POL 2211; Nguyen, Thi Thanh An VIE 2323; Sedina, Elena ITA 2344; Amura, Claudia ARG 2345.

It is also my opinion that these three players obtained an unfair advantage over the rest of the field by not having to play the first or second games and because they didn't have to expend time to prepare for the second game: Stefanova, Antoaneta BUL 2550; Zatonskih, Anna USA 2446; Matveeva, Svetlana RUS 2412.

Also in my opinion, THIS IS NOT FAIR TO THE OTHER PLAYERS. There is no way to compensate for some players having to play two full chess games while other players did not!

The following players will play-off tomorrow:

UKR Zhukova, Natalia v. USA Rohonyan, Katerine
AZE Kadimova, Ilaha v. GER Paehtz, Elisabeth
ROM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca v. POL Socko, Monika
ARM Mkrtchian, Lilit v. AUT Moser, Eva
SRB Bojkovic, Natasa v. CHN Ju, Wenjun

Gold Wreath Found in Puzzling Burial

Ancient gold treasure puzzles Greek archaeologistsBy NICHOLAS PAPHITIS – 22 hours ago

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A priceless gold wreath has been unearthed in an ancient city in northern Greece, buried with human bones in a large copper vase that workers initially took for a land mine.

The University of Thessaloniki said in a statement Friday that the "astonishing" discovery was made during its excavations this week in the ruins of ancient Aigai. The city was the first capital of ancient Macedonia, where King Philip II — father of Alexander the Great — was assassinated.

Gold wreaths are rare and were buried with ancient nobles or royalty. But the find is also highly unusual as the artifacts appear to have been removed from a grave during ancient times and, for reasons that are unclear, reburied in the city's marketplace near the theater where Philip was stabbed to death.

"This happened quite soon after the original burial; it's not that a grave robber took it centuries later and hid it with the intention of coming back," excavator Chryssoula Saatsoglou-Paliadeli told The Associated Press. "It probably belonged to a high-ranking person."

The "impressively large" copper vessel contained a cylindrical golden jar with a lid, with the gold wreath of oak leaves and the bones inside.

"The young workman who saw it was astounded and shouted 'land mine!'" the university statement said.

Saatsoglou-Paliadeli, a professor of archaeology at the university, said the find probably dates to the 4th century B.C., during which Philip and Alexander reigned.

"Archaeologists must explain why such a group ... was found outside the extensive royal cemetery," the university statement said. "(They must also) work out why the bones of the unknown — but by no means insignificant — person were hidden in the city's most public and sacred area."

During the 4th century B.C., burials outside organized cemeteries were very uncommon.

In a royal cemetery at Vergina, just west of Aigai, Greek archaeologists discovered a wealth of gold and silver treasure in 1977. One of the opulent graves, which contained a large gold wreath of oak leaves, is generally accepted to have belonged to Philip II. The location of Alexander's tomb is one of the great mysteries of archaeology.

The sprawling remains of a large building with banquet halls and ornate mosaics at Aigai — some 520 kilometers (320 miles) north of Athens — has been identified as Philip's palace.

Aigai flourished in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C., attracting leading Greek artists such as the poet Euripides, who wrote his last tragedies there. The Macedonian capital was moved to Pella in the 4th century B.C., and Aigai was destroyed by the Romans in 168 B.C.

Kasparov Comments on Miniputin's Misstep in Georgia

This article points out how Putin cut off his nose to spite his face. Tsk tsk.

Fears of isolation as investors flee Russia
By CATRINA STEWART – 6 hours ago
MOSCOW (AP) — At the outset of this year, Russia proudly proclaimed itself an island of stability at the annual economic gathering in Davos, setting itself apart from the tumult of the global financial crisis.

Then came the war with Georgia, which some here regard as Russia's 9/11.

Within hours of Russia's retaliation to Georgia's move to take back its breakaway republic of South Ossetia, Russia had attracted widespread condemnation and threats of isolation and expulsion from the international community.

"For the first time since the Crimean War, Russia has no allies," said Garry Kasparov, chess grandmaster turned opposition politician. "We are encircled by countries that are either suspicious or alienated and very angry."

On the economic front, investors are hightailing out of Russia, while Western politicians have hinted at sanctions, visa restrictions and even the denial of Russia's right to host the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Increasingly cut off from the global world, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev risks undoing many of the successes of the past 10 years, ranging from the country's robust economic growth to a growing sense of national prestige and purpose.

Stock markets plunged, and Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said more than $7 billion was pulled out of the country in just two days, exposing the fragility of Russia's nine-year economic boom.

Stock markets plunged, and more than $7 billion was pulled out of the country in just three days, exposing the fragility of Russia's nine-year economic boom.

The economy was already under strain.

The five-day war followed months of bad news on Russia's corporate front, led by a high-profile shareholder tussle for control at TNK-BP, the Anglo-Russian joint venture.

In early summer, Bill Browder's Hermitage Capital blew the lid on a catalog of intimidation and corporate theft at the hands of Interior Ministry officials, and in July Prime Minister Vladimir Putin publicly attacked steelmaker Mechel, sending its shares into a tailspin. Inflation was running at nearly 15 percent.

But while the storm clouds gathered, investors clung on.

The war was the tipping point, said James Fenkner, managing partner at Red Star Asset Management.

French investment bank BNP Paribas has estimated that more than $25 billion has been withdrawn from the country since the outbreak of the conflict, and Russian stock markets have plunged more than 30 percent since May.

It's a far cry from last December, when investors and analysts said 2008 was the year that Russia's stock markets would recover from the previous year's mediocre performance, even in light of the global turmoil.

Now investors are pulling their money out in droves.

"Very few investors have to be here now," said Fenkner. "Unless they are Russia-dedicated, they will move to friendlier environments. Sentiment is just very bad."

To many, Russia's fundamentals look very attractive.

"Russia is extremely cheap, and most of the growth dynamics are still in place," said Peter Halloran, whose hedge fund Pharos Fund has $150 million under management in Russia. "If I look forward 12 months, I want to own Russia."

But as the uncertainty continues, Russia could be seen as a high-stakes geopolitical gamble.

"If there is a perception of Russia as a risky place or as an undesirable place to invest, then the damage will be more long term," said Chris Weafer, chief strategist at UralSib. "It will restrict the development of the economy and hurt the government's plans to create a more diversified the economy."

The war has played well at home. Russians have rallied to the government's decision to punish Georgia for what it calls aggression and recognize the independence of South Ossetia and another separatist-controlled region, Abkhazia.

Alexander Konovalov, president of Moscow's Institute of Strategic Assessment, said many in Western countries see a "big, strong, unmanageable Russia" attacking "a small, democratic, innocent Georgia."

"In Russia," he said, "it is big, aggressive, undemocratic and irresponsible Georgia who took small and innocent South Ossetia."

As Western politicians warn of sanctions and consequences, many ordinary Russians feel increasingly isolated — and blame the Western media for painting a distorted picture of the conflict.

Russians "are sad about the situation and I have had many e-mails from people asking why the media is reporting the situation only from one side," said Lioudmila Siegel, chairman of an organization for Russians in Sweden.

A minority of Russians, though, have denounced the government's decision to use military force in the conflict.

The Union of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, for instance, has railed against the use of conscripts in Georgia, despite promises by the Defense Ministry that it would not do so.

Boris Nemtsov, an opposition politician, has said the invasion was a blunder, and that ordinary Russians will pay for it.

"This is a strategic and long-term mistake, the effects of which will be felt by virtually all Russians," Nemtsov wrote. "This is the beginning of a new arms race."

It could, he predicted, also mean visa restrictions, expulsion from the G8 group of countries, discrimination against Russian business abroad and a reversal of the decision to give Russia the 2014 Winter Olympics.

But for the most part, liberal opposition to Russia's actions has been relatively subdued. "The liberals have been extremely quiet," said Konovalov. To stand up for "democratic values and cooperation with the West ... will be seen as a betrayal."

David Cameron, head of Britain's Conservative opposition party, called for the British government to suspend visas for some Russian nationals and even, possibly, suspend Russia's membership of the G8 club of rich nations.
Since the murder of Alexander Litvinenko on British soil nearly two years ago, relations between London and Moscow have deteriorated, and British tabloids were quick to pick up on anti-Russian sentiment.

On Thursday, the Daily Mirror tabloid newspaper condemned British foreign secretary David Miliband for allowing "hundreds of Russian oligarchs who prospered under Vladimir Putin" to use "Britain as a bolthole."

But while there is some popular bashing of Britain's very rich Russians — who the tabloids have long loathed because they benefit from Britain's relatively generous expat tax laws — the overwhelming political and business view of Russians in Britain is still positive.

But analysts warn that, even if Russians themselves are welcomed abroad, it may become more difficult for Russian big business to expand there — especially in sensitive areas such as defense and energy.

In a fit of pique two years ago, then-President Putin canceled foreign participation in the Shtokman gas project after European objections to a move by VTB, a major Russian bank, to acquire a minority stake in Europe's EADS aerospace and defense group.

"This Russia phobia is nothing new," said Fenkner. "But it's going to turn up a couple of notches. It's not a trend reversal."
___
Associated Press writers Emily Flynn Vencat in London and Malin Rising in Stockholm contributed to this story.
(This version CORRECTS SUBS 7th graf to correct time span.)

Good News for Peru Chess Champion!

29 August, 2008 [ 17:27 ]
Peru company donates $10,000 to young chess champ
Living in PeruIsrael J. Ruiz

Martín Seminario, a young chess player from Chiclayo - the capital city of the Lambayeque region, will be able to fulfill his dream of traveling to a world chess championship in October in Vietnam.

After reading reports of the help Martin and his father were seeking, Peruvian businessmen from Topy Top clothing company have offered to pay all of the expenses necessary for the chess champ to travel to Vietnam.

Over the past weeks, Martin and his father were going to soccer matches in Chiclayo to ask for people's support. Many of the city's citizens were touched by the cause and donated money to help Martin, who recently won the Pan American title. With 1,500 soles donated by the governor of Lambayeque and 2,500 raised by Martin and his father, the father-son duo had managed to raise just over $1,000.

$10,000 were needed for the trip.Topy Top representatives contacted Martin and his family on Friday afternoon and offered to pay the cost of the trip to Vietnam.

Howard Industries BUSTED!

I got a large laugh reading this article in this morning's Journal/Sentinel. Found it in full here:

AP
Factory had tension between union, immigrants
By HOLBROOK MOHR Associated Press Writer
LAUREL, Miss.
Friday, August 29, 2008 11:46:48 AM PT

Union bosses in this region of rural Mississippi have long grumbled that the largest factories here hire illegal immigrants, and that the immigrants were starting to get more overtime and supervisory positions.

Friction between the union and immigrant workers, along with a tipoff at an electrical manufacturing plant, boiled over this week into the biggest workplace immigration raid in the nation's history.

When the first of the 595 suspected illegal immigrants was taken into custody Monday, some fellow workers broke into applause. A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the investigation started three years ago after agents received a tip from a union member.

In interviews with The Associated Press, both union members and immigrants spoke of a simmering tension. At least one immigrant said scare tactics were used to pressure people to join the union.

Union members said they resented immigrants, who were often allowed to work as much as 80 hours of overtime a week when other workers were discouraged from doing so. All declined to give their names, saying they feared for their jobs. [Gee, I wonder why the illegal aliens were allowed to work as much overtime as they wanted???]

Howard Industries, which makes dozens of products from electrical transformers to medical supplies, is in Mississippi's Pine Belt region, an area known for commercial timber and chicken-processing plants.

Robert Shaffer, head of the Mississippi AFL-CIO, said Wednesday that members have long complained that companies in southern Mississippi hire illegal immigrants.

"Jackson, Hattiesburg, Laurel and all areas along the coast, it's a little Mexico," Shaffer said. "I'm not against people trying to make living. I have a compassion for those folks. But at the same time, the taxpayers of Mississippi shouldn't be subsidizing a plant that won't even hire their own workers."

In 2002, Mississippi lawmakers approved a $31.5 million, taxpayer-backed incentive plan for Howard Industries to expand. The company, with 4,000 workers, is the largest employer in Jones County, which includes Laurel.

About 2,600 of Howard Industries' workers are in the union. Shaffer said he did not know whether any of those picked up in the raid were union members, or if nonunion workers were offered overtime while union workers were not.

Shaffer said offering immigrant workers union membership would depend on the situation, but he doubted it could be done if immigrants were in the country illegally.

Those detained in the raid came from Brazil, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

Contacted Wednesday, Howard Industries referred reporters to the statement it issued Monday, which said the company "runs every check allowed to ascertain the immigration status of all applicants for its jobs. It is company policy that it hires only U.S. citizens and legal immigrants."

No executives were detained in Monday's raid, but a spokeswoman said the raid was just the first part of an ongoing investigation.

A 30-year-old immigrant from Mexico who has worked at the transformer plant for three years said union representatives pressured immigrants to join the union, sometimes visiting their homes, offering gifts such as shirts and indicating that if they joined the union they would make more money. [Oh, boo hoo! Here's an illegal alien complaining about UNION treatment??? Gag me!]

The immigrant, who was not caught in the raid because he works the night shift, spoke on the condition that he be identified only by his first name, Jose, because he was concerned about being detained. [I certain hope they hunt this a-hole down and deport his butt - after detaining him in jail for five years or so.]

"The union uses the tactic of saying immigration was coming and the members of the union would not be taken," he said through a translator.
Jose said he did not join the union because he wasn't convinced it would come to his side if he were detained, and he felt his dues would not be returned. [Just like our income taxes are not returned - DUH.]

At least eight of the workers caught in the raid face criminal charges for allegedly using false Social Security and residency identification.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people lined up outside the plant to apply for jobs as news of the raid spread. A billboard had gone up last week, before the raid, saying the company was hiring.

"I need a job and got kids. I heard that they need some help now," said Willie Keys, 20, who applied Wednesday. "All them Mexicans got fired because they didn't have a pass ... All these businesses have been taking Americans' jobs." [Willie Keys, you do not know how right you are].

The unemployment rate in Jones County was 6.5 percent in July, slightly higher than the national rate of 6 percent but below the state's 8.5 percent rate.

William Gunther, an economics professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, said Mississippi has a labor shortage because people aren't moving there, which could explain why companies might hire illegal immigrants. [Yeah, right. Can everyone say BULLSH*T altogether now! What did the paragraph above say - hundreds of people lined up to apply for jobs once the word was out that the illegal aliens had been arrested. These people take away jobs from Americans. Is there any wonder why there was "tension" at the plant? Hooray and BRAVO for whoever it was who turned in these illegals.]

"That leaves businesses with a serious problem," he said. "That doesn't justify, but it certainly explains why they might be hiring individuals who show up and say, 'I'll work for you.'"

He said businesses could face higher wage costs and consumers could face higher costs for products and services if immigrants are taken out of the economy. [What is it the Republicans are so fond of saying - a rising tide raises all boats??? Ditto here, folks. Ditto here.]

Ruben Castro, who owns La Fiesta Brava Mexican restaurant, is already seeing the effects. He had to bring in workers from a store in another town [ILLEGALS???] because he was so short-handed after the raid, when five other Mexican restaurants in Laurel closed because employees were afraid to come to work. [Do we really need MORE Mexican restaurants in the USA???]

"It hurts the community," he said, because the town will lose 600 people who frequented stores like Wal-Mart [WAL-MART! Oh yes, that BASTION of American enterprise - gag me - locking workers in their buildings against the law, depriving workers breaks they are entitled to under state laws, depriving workers of health insurance, shifting hours so no worker can claim "full time" status", etc. etc. Oh yes, by all means, let's bow down and worship at the dregs of Wal-Mart] and paid sales taxes [the most regressive form of tax there is, hits the poor the hardest - but don't tell the "middle class" (fast disappearing) that - they may panic because, percentage wise, they pay the next highest in sales taxes!].
___
Associated Press writers Shelia Byrd and Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson and Eileen Sullivan in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
**********************
Oh yes, Howard Industries absolutely abided by the law in every respect in VETTING 595 ILLEGAL ALIENS. They ran "every check." And not a red flag to be found. Anywhere. Among 595 illegal aliens with illegal social security numbers. Yeah, right.

China Sends Two Old Women to "Re-education Camp"

I saw this article this morning on the "editorial/opinion" page of the local Journal/Sentinel newspaper and tracked it down online. I think this says all that has to be said about the regime in China - sending two old women to jail for a year. The rotten dirty filthy slimeballs. Will people remember this - or the fake fireworks and the fake singer and the drugged-up Chinese athletes hijacked from their parents at age 2 to go to "training school" and forced to perform on the world stage at ages 10 and 12 for the greater glory of China? Or will they remember the greater glory of the Borg showing their "superiority" over the rest of the world???

This photo was not part of the online article. There was a photo in the hard-print newspaper showing the two ladies, but I could not locate it online. I found this photo of the two grandmothers here.

Web Posted: 08/24/2008 12:00 CDT
Human spirit wins in Beijing
Jonathan Gurwitz

The Beijing Olympics have provided spectators with many inspiring individual achievements: Michael Phelps' eight gold medals, Nastia Liukin's graceful pantomime and Usain Bolt's superhuman speed among them.

The most powerful performance in Beijing this fortnight was not, however, delivered by athletes. Not by the young and spry. Not by the swift or strong.

Wu Dianyuan is 79. Wang Xiuying is 77. Both, reports the New York Times, walk with the help of a cane. Wang is blind in one eye.

Neither had ever expressed any public discontent with the Chinese government. But they dared to apply to hold a legal protest in one of three zones designated for limited demonstrations during the Olympic Games.

China's authoritarian leaders created the zones under pressure from the International Olympic Committee. Though strictly controlled, they were a nod to Olympic ideals about human dignity.

On Monday, Beijing police announced they had received a total of 77 applications for protest. None was approved.

The New China News Agency quoted a government spokesman as saying that 74 applications were withdrawn because the issues being raised were “properly addressed by relevant authorities.” Two applications were rejected because they were incomplete, one because the proposed protest violated rules. In China, the worlds of Orwell and Kafka seem to intersect.

This is a small measure of the kinds of insults to human dignity that 1.3 billion Chinese people suffer on a daily basis. The spectacle of the Olympic Games can't disguise those indignities. The glare from digitally enhanced fireworks can't obscure them.

The Chinese people deserve our admiration for economically, educationally and technologically raising their nation into the 20th century, in spite of oppressive and corrupt leaders. The oppressive and corrupt Chinese government deserves our disdain.

Little Yang Peiyi is admirable. If you watched the opening ceremonies, it was her seven-year-old voice you heard singing the patriotic anthem, “Ode to the Motherland.”

The Chinese authorities who deemed her to be insufficiently beautiful to serve the state are loathsome. They forced the little girl to sing backstage while a nine-year-old model of socialist perfection lip-synched before the audience of 90,000 at the Bird's Nest and millions more television viewers around the world.

Yet another insult to human dignity.

Presumably, the application to protest filed by Wu and Wang was among those that were “properly addressed.” They wanted to demonstrate against the limited compensation they received when the government seized their homes for redevelopment.

Another insult to human dignity.

For their effort, Beijing police sentenced the frail women to one year of “re-education” at a labor camp. Is it any wonder, then, that the authoritarian rulers who fear the strength of their small protest also fear the strength of “unofficial” churches, temples and mosques? Is a government that sentences old women to labor camps really deserving of the world's admiration?

No crowd cheered Wu and Wang as they wrote out their application for protest. No high definition camera captured the moment when they filed it with authorities.

No one saw their triumph. But Wu and Wang captured the gold in Beijing for the human spirit.

****************

I have one word for the current Chinese regime: PUKE! Sad to say, I wonder how many Americans, upon reading this, will even understand the allusions to Kafka and Orwell?

2008 Women's World Chess Championship

It's official. Eleven (11) players have "withdrawn" from the WWCC:

Maya Chiburdanidze (2489), Georgia (#18 on FIDE Top 100 Women)
Lela Javakhishvili (2461), Georgia (#31 on FIDE Top 100 Women)
Maia Lomineishvili (2414), Georgia (#55 on FIDE Top 100 Women)
Nino Khurtsidze (2413), Georgia (#57 on FIDE Top 100 Women)
Sopio Gvetadze (2355), Georgia
Sopiko Khukhashvili (2408), Georgia (#62 on FIDE Top 100 Women)
Irina Krush (2470), USA (#24 on FIDE Top 100 Women)
Karen Zapata (2180), (Peru)
Marie Sebag (2529), (France) (#7 on FIDE Top 100 Women)
Ekaterina Korbut (2459), (Russia) (#35 on FIDE Top 100 Women)
Tea Bosboom Lanchava (2358), (Netherlands)

I believe that GM Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO 2376), ranked 83rd on the FIDE list of Top 100 Women, also declined to attend the WWCC due to its location. Although Gaprindahsvili was not playing, she was named on the official website as a member of the appeals committee. Hmmmm, so now the appeals committee only has 2 people on it. So how do they break "ties"?

There is no denying that there are some very powerful chessplayers on this list - including some former SOVIET champions. Do you hear laughter, Miniputin?

Nearly 20% of the total amount of players having withdrawn will certainly skew the results of the remaining players, giving easy victories to some players to pass to Round 2 who would not otherwise have done so. This affects prize money awards too. I wonder what the other players will think about this after the fact???

By its obstinate refusal to move the WWCC to a safer venue, FIDE has single-handedly made a laughing-stock and total joke of the WWCC. Why did FIDE not just cancel the event outright rather than go through and put its official "stamp" on this mockery of an event? FIDE and Fearless Leader Kirsan have thus signalled their obvious contempt for female chessplayers of all nationalities, while kow-towing to the Russians. Shame, shame on you FIDE and Kirsan.

Here are the "results" from the first game of Round 1. Second game is tomorrow, and then 2 days of tie-breaks if needed, before Round 2 starts.

1 1-64 Xu, Yuhua (CHN) 1 0 Solomons, Anzel (RSA)
2 63-2 Alaa El Din, Yorsa (EGY) 0 1 Koneru, Humpy (IND)
3 3-62 Hou, Yifan (CHN) 1 0 Khaled, Mona (EGY)
4 61-4 Zapata, Karen (PER) - + Stefanova, Antoaneta (BUL)
5 5-60 Cramling, Pia (SWE) 1 0 Sanchez Castillo, Sarai (VEN)
6 59-6 Gasik, Anna (POL) + - Sebag, Marie (FRA)
7 7-58 Zhao, Xue (CHN) 1 0 Zuriel, Marisa (ARG)
8 57-8 Muminova, Nafisa (UZB) 0 1 Kosintseva, Tatjana (RUS)
9 9-56 Kosteniuk, Alexandra (RUS) 1 0 Pourkashiyan, Atousa (IRI)
10 55-10 Golubenko, Valentina, CRO) 0 1 Cmilyte, Viktorija (LTU)
11 11-54 Muzychuk, Anna (SLO) 1 0 Velcheva, Maria (BUL)
12 53-12 Zakurdjaeva, Irina (RUS) 0 1 Ruan, Lufei (CHN)
13 13-52 Zhukova, Natalia (UKR) 0 1 Rohonyan, Katherine (USA)
14 51-14 Nguyen, Thi Thanh An (VIE) + - Chiburdanidze, Maya (GEO)
15 15-50 Hoang Thanh Trang (HUN) 1 0 Arribas Robaina, Maritza (CUB)
16 49-16 Kadimova, Ilaha (AZE) 1 0 Paehtz, Elisabeth (GER)
17 17-48 Ushenina, Anna (UKR) 1 0 Le Thanh Tu (VIE)
18 47-18 Foisor, Sabina-Francesca (ROM) 1/2 1/2 Socko, Monika (POL)
19 19-46 Krush, Irina (USA) - + Sedina, Elena (ITA)
20 45-20 Zhang Jilin (CHN) 1/2 1/2 Gaponenko, Inna (UKR)
21 21-44 Javakhishvili, Lela (GEO) - + Amura, Claudia (ARG)
22 43-22 Nebolsina, Vera (RUS) 0 1 Harika, Dronavalli (IND)
23 23-42 Kosintseva, Nadezhda (RUS) 1 0 Mohota, Nisha (IND)
24 41-24 Gvetadze, Sopio (GEO) - - Korbut, Ekaterina (RUS)
25 25-40 Zatonskih, Anna (USA) + - Bosboom Lanchava, Tea (NED)
26 39-26 Kachiani-Gersinska, Ketino (GER) 1/2 1/2 Shen, Yang (CHN)
27 27-38 Mkrtchian, Lilit (ARM) 1/2 1/2 Moser, Eva (AUT)
28 37-28 Tan Zongyi (CHN) 1/2 1/2 Tania, Sachdev (IND)
29 29-36 Bojkovic, Natasa (SRB) 1/2 1/2 Ju, Wenjun (CHN)
30 35-30 Mongontuul, Bathuyang (MGL) 1 0 Rajlich, Iweta (POL)
31 31-34 Lomineishvili, Maia (GEO) - - Khukhashvili, Sopiko (GEO)
32 33-32 Matveeva, Svetlana (RUS) + - Khurtsidze, Nino (GEO)

I invite my readers to do the math for themselves. The red marked players didn't show up. Some players got free passes to the next round, and FIDE didn't do a thing to change things, although it certainly had ample notice that some players, at least, would not appear.

FARCE! How is FARCE spelled in Russian?

I feel very sorry for the other players who showed up to play.

Fair Decision?

Friday, August 29, 2008
Pestaño: An unfair decision
By Frank “Boy” Pestaño
Chessmoso

MY BARKADA and drinking buddy in college Rogelio “Tata” Morelos who, belongs to a family of chess players, just gave me a handwritten note criticizing the showdown between grandmasters Eugene Torre and Joey Antonio that was dubbed as the QC Chess Road Show.

“Dear Chessmoso, Just recently, two top Filipino grandmasters had a showdown with a reported P200,000 as prize money offered by the sponsors.

I was eagerly waiting for the result of the seven-game confrontation, which to my dismay ended in a draw.

What left a bad taste to my gin and tonic-watered mouth was that the two, who tied on the sixth game, did not play the tiebreak seventh game, but instead, decided by themselves to divide the pot money.

I find this to be beggarly and highly impolite for the GMs to do. It is like Pacquaio and De La Hoya stopping at the 10th round of a scheduled 12 rounds and deciding to call it a draw after being informed by the judges that both have the same scores.

Are the actions of the two GMs allowed in chess tournaments? If so, the people who drafted the rules should be made to swallow the chess pieces of that tournament and add the board as dessert. The tournament was supposed to be a showdown on who is the master of whom.”

I personally would like to know who the better player is, as I have been following their careers for a long time. Now, after much hype and publicity, there is no decision. I don’t know the inside story but isn’t it unfair to the chess-playing community?

*******************

Interesting. I wonder what the reaction of the "chess world" would have been if Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih had decided amongst themselves to stop playing and split the prize money at the 2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship - and declare themselves de facto "co-winners." Would that have generated as much screaming, hair-pulling and collective angst (mostly among male players, it seems) as the Armageddon play-off that actually place did?

Koneru Humpy a Favorite at Women's World Chess Championship

Assuming she doesn't get injured or killed by a terrorist bomb or arrested by Russian forces because she is deemed a "threat" to the local peace (not to mention Alexandra Kosteniuk). This isn't exactly a solo article on the Indian GM Koneru, more like a review of the team of Indian women participating in the WWCC at Nalchik. All of them are armed - and dangerous OTB. By the way, I don't know where the newspaper dug up that ancient picture of Koneru - she has grown into a quite lovely young lady these days. I think that photo was taken when she was about 15 and experiencing lots of growing pains personally, professionally, and with her image. How well I remember being that age. Eek!

Story from Zeenews.com
Nalchik, Aug 28:

Grandmaster Koneru Humpy will have a chance to make history for India and put the nation on top of the chess world when she starts her campaign in the World Women's chess championship here. Humpy, who spearheads the Indian challenge, is the top-rated player in the event. If she lives up to her billing and come out triumphant in the tournament, India will rule the game as Viswanathan Anand already enjoys the World champion tag in the men's section and D Harika and Abhijeet Gupta are the world junior champions in the men's and women's category respectively.

Apart from Humpy, much is also expected from International Master Harika who is fresh from her triumph in the World junior girls' championship. However, with a busy schedule in the recent past the Andhra-girl candidly admitted that she did not get enough time to prepare herself for the World Championship.

Another Indian, expected to make her presence felt in the tournament that kick starts later today, is Asian women champion and IM Tania Sachdev.

However, it might turn out to be a tough going for Woman Grandmaster Nisha Mohota. The only thing that might work in her favour is the experience of playing at the big league.

"It's never easy to participate in such big events and one has to play consistently to make an impact here," said Nisha, who was the only Indian to make it to the second round of the 2001 World Championship.

Meanwhile, defending champion Xu Yuhua of China, her 14-year old compatriot Yifan Hou, Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria and Alexandra Kosteniuk of Russia are the main contenders in the premier women's event that has come first time to Nalchik.

For the records, 64 participants will take part in a knock out event spread over three-weeks. There will a mini-match of two games in each round with both white and black pieces and the final will be spread over four games. In the event of a tie in mini-matches, the result will be decided in games of shorter duration.

Indian players: Koneru Humpy, D Harika, Tania Sachdev and Nisha Mohota.
Bureau Report

**************

Well, darlings, not exactly 64 players. Earlier today Chessdom.com reported that 53 players will participate in Round 1.

Virgin Mary in Tree Trunk

A giant snicker for this one :)

From The telegraph.co.uk

Virgin Mary spotted in suburban tree trunk
A likeness of the Virgin Mary spotted in the trunk of a suburban tree is being touted as a divine “blessing”.
By Matthew Moore
Last Updated: 4:53PM BST 28 Aug 2008

The image, which resembles the mother of Jesus in her traditional open-armed pose, has reportedly been causing local residents to shake and cry in wonder.

Christopher Moreau, who first spotted the tree’s markings in his neighbour’s garden in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, believes that it may have helped the health of his mother-in-law, who recently recovered from cancer.

"At first I thought I was seeing things," the 47-year-old said. "Then I went and got my mother-in-law to tell her. She was overwhelmed by it. She was crying."

"I don't know why it's there, but I think it's a blessing," he told the Toronto Sun newspaper, adding that he hoped it would help others looking for a miracle.

"She's not there just for me. She's there to share."

Eulalee Hamilton, Mr Moreau’s neighbour and the owner of the tree, said that she was happy for people to come see the likeness as long as they did not damage her garden.

Laughing off suggestions that it was a sign from God, she said that the Virgin Mary image was just the scarring from a limb that was cut off the tree a year ago.

"Chris can have all the people he wants on his back deck but I don't really want people trampling on my garden," she said.

Mr Moreau has admitted he was drinking in his garden when he first spotted the likeness, but insists he was completely sober. "I'm not a wacko," he said.

"It raises the hair on your neck, it gives you chills," he added.

A spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto said that it does not investigate the veracity of such “appearances”.

There have been hundreds of "sightings" of the Virgin Mary down the centuries, but recent years have seen her appearing in ever more unusual places.

A decade-old toasted cheese sandwich said to bear her image was sold on eBay $28,000 in 2004.

Pre-Incan Wari Female "Mummy" Excavated

Check this out. Notice the interesting burial position of this female - she was buried in a sitting position. And - well, you'll see...

From Reuters
Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:08pm EDT
Pre-Incan female Wari mummy unearthed in Peru
By Dana Ford

LIMA (Reuters) - Archeologists working at Peru's Huaca Pucllana ruins pulled a mummy from a tomb on Tuesday, thought to be from the ancient Wari culture that flourished before the Incas.

Besides the female mummy, the tomb contained the remains of two other adults and a child. It is the first intact Wari burial site discovered at Huaca Pucllana in the capital Lima, and researchers believe it dates from about 700 AD.

"We'd discovered other tombs before," said Isabel Flores, director of the ruins. "But they always had holes, or were damaged. Never had we found a whole tomb like this one -- intact," she said, standing on the ancient plaza, a huge partially excavated mound of rocks, bricks and dirt.

Workers wrapped the female mummy in tissue paper before lifting it onto a flat wood board. They exposed her face, revealing two big, bright blue orbs in her eye sockets. They extracted the other adult mummies, which were also whole, earlier in the week.

"Her face startled me at first," said Miguel Angel, 19, a worker at Huaca Pucllana who helped unearth the tomb.

"I wasn't expecting to find anything like that," he said. It was not clear what the fake eyes were made of.

The Wari people lived and ruled in what is now Peru for some 500 years, between 600 AD and 1100 AD. Their capital was near modern-day Ayacucho, in the Andes, but they traveled widely and are known for their extensive network of roads.

Flores said about 30 tombs have been found at Huaca Pucllana, surrounded by Lima's busy streets.

When in good condition, Wari tombs can be identified by the ceramic and textile offerings placed around the dead.

Small children were often sacrificed and it is common to find their bodies alongside adult ones. The child discovered with the adult mummies at Huaca Pucllana was likely sacrificed.

The discovery at Huaca Pucllana confirms the Wari people buried their dead in what is now Lima and offers a more complete picture of how burials were done. "This enriches Lima's story," Flores said.
(Editing by Fiona Ortiz and Kieran Murray

************************

Aside from the bug-eyes - how interesting! - made out of a blue mineral??? Wonder what they'll find. Well, anyway, compare this sitting-down image of a Peruvian mummy to this much OLDER image of a "Bactrian princess." Note that the Peruvian mummy seems to have been buried encased in some kind of clay-like shroud (baked???) that has stayed intact all these years. That, in and of itself, is absolutely amazing.

As far as I have been able to determine, the earliest "Islamically correct" images of a Wazir/Vizier/Mantri (in Europe, the Queen) chess piece was a figure slightly smaller than the "king" piece, but otherwise identical in all respects, depicted as a sort of anthrophomorphic throne. That's about the same time the Wari female may have been buried. The most interesting part of this puzzle is that the "Bactrian princess" figurines go back to at least 600 BCE - almost 1000 years before. I find the resemblance striking.

Turin Shroud Update

New "news" on the latest effort at definitively dating the Shroud of Turin, putative relic from Christ's Passion and Death:

From The Sunday Times
August 24, 2008
Age of shroud of Turin disputed again
John Follain

A LEADING expert on the shroud of Turin has won the support of an Oxford University laboratory for new carbon dating tests on the venerated but controversial relic, which was dismissed two decades ago as a fake.

Carbon dating tests carried out in 1988 indicated that the shroud, long revered as the winding-sheet in which the body of Jesus was wrapped for burial and bearing his imprint, had been made between 1260 and 1390. The Catholic church admitted at the time that the shroud could not be authentic.

John Jackson, a physicist at Colorado University and a prominent expert on the relic, has argued that the tests were skewed by 1,300 years because of high levels of carbon monoxide. He said many other elements of the shroud, including details of the image, indicate that it is much more ancient.

“It’s the radiocarbon date that, to our minds, is like a square peg in a round hole. It’s not fitting properly and the question is ‘Why?’,” Jackson told an interviewer.

Oxford has agreed to work with Jackson to reassess the age of the shroud. He will now try to demonstrate through experiments in his laboratory that the results were flawed, in the hope that this could prompt new tests on the relic itself.

Christopher Ramsey, head of the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit that tested the shroud in 1988, said: “There is a lot of other evidence that suggests to many that the shroud is older than the radiocarbon dates allow and so further research is certainly needed.”

Scepticism about the 1988 tests is widespread. A conference at Ohio State University earlier this month heard findings from the Los Alamos National Laboratory that they were unsound because the samples tested came from a portion of cloth that may have been added during medieval repairs.

Monsignor Giuseppe Ghiberti, spokesman for the commission that manages the shroud at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Turin, said any new tests would have to wait until after it is put on public display in 2010.

“The decision is a matter for its owners, that is the Holy See, and the Vatican has said nothing must be touched,” he said.

An Encounter with a Juvenile Racoon

Okay okay, so I know it's all my fault for feeding the flora and fauna in the neighborhood for the past 19 years - hey, let's go over to Jan's, they all say, she's got good stuff! I always have fresh water and I feed 365 days a year. But that doesn't mean I invite unruly teenagers! I don't like unruly teenagers. They are so - so - so - disrespectful! Arrrggghhh!

This guy isn't afraid of anything! Unfortunately, since I was watering another part of the yard with the sprinkler, I did not have my first weapon of enforcement at hand - the water hose. Drat! I thought I had picked up all of the unconsumed peanuts for the night but I sure was wrong! This fella found them with unerring ease, and he wasn't afraid of me banging the patio door, yelling at him, chasing him away from the deck (which he came up on twice!) or flashing the camera at him either. This is one of the best pics I took - the sun was already down and it was that in-between time where the human eye can still see just fine, but the camera's eye isn't so good. I had two other shots that came out not totally black, lol! But this one will do. I'm not familiar enough yet (or an instinctive photographer) with this camera to have thought about changing the setting to night shots - I just grabbed it off of the bookcase in the family room and started shooting as fast as I could. I think the batteries are running low... Notice the evil glowing eyes (cue spooky music) wooowhooohooooo...wooowhooohoooo... Is this a Demon From Hell Sent To Torment Me???

Er, alright, not the best damn shot in the world - looks rather like a bunny, or a large cat. Drat! Should have tried to get the stripes.

Study Shows Crows Recognize Faces

Well - I could have told them that if they'd asked! After feeding families of crows here for nearly 20 years, I can tell you that not only do they recognize the place (house/yard), they also recognize me as opposed to my sister, Darlene, who looks very like me. They also distinguish me from Don, which is much easier - he's the skinny one with white hair!

From The New York Times
Friend or Foe? Crows Never Forget a Face, It Seems
By MICHELLE NIJHUIS
Published: August 25, 2008

Crows and their relatives — among them ravens, magpies and jays — are renowned for their intelligence and for their ability to flourish in human-dominated landscapes. That ability may have to do with cross-species social skills. In the Seattle area, where rapid suburban growth has attracted a thriving crow population, researchers have found that the birds can recognize individual human faces.

John M. Marzluff, a wildlife biologist at the University of Washington, has studied crows and ravens for more than 20 years and has long wondered if the birds could identify individual researchers. Previously trapped birds seemed more wary of particular scientists, and often were harder to catch. “I thought, ‘Well, it’s an annoyance, but it’s not really hampering our work,’ ” Dr. Marzluff said. “But then I thought we should test it directly.”

To test the birds’ recognition of faces separately from that of clothing, gait and other individual human characteristics, Dr. Marzluff and two students wore rubber masks. He designated a caveman mask as “dangerous” and, in a deliberate gesture of civic generosity, a Dick Cheney mask as “neutral.” Researchers in the dangerous mask then trapped and banded seven crows on the university’s campus in Seattle.

In the months that followed, the researchers and volunteers donned the masks on campus, this time walking prescribed routes and not bothering crows.

The crows had not forgotten. They scolded people in the dangerous mask significantly more than they did before they were trapped, even when the mask was disguised with a hat or worn upside down. The neutral mask provoked little reaction. The effect has not only persisted, but also multiplied over the past two years. Wearing the dangerous mask on one recent walk through campus, Dr. Marzluff said, he was scolded by 47 of the 53 crows he encountered, many more than had experienced or witnessed the initial trapping. The researchers hypothesize that crows learn to recognize threatening humans from both parents and others in their flock.
After their experiments on campus, Dr. Marzluff and his students tested the effect with more realistic masks. Using a half-dozen students as models, they enlisted a professional mask maker, then wore the new masks while trapping crows at several sites in and around Seattle. The researchers then gave a mix of neutral and dangerous masks to volunteer observers who, unaware of the masks’ histories, wore them at the trapping sites and recorded the crows’ responses.

The reaction to one of the dangerous masks was “quite spectacular,” said one volunteer, Bill Pochmerski, a retired telephone company manager who lives near Snohomish, Wash. “The birds were really raucous, screaming persistently,” he said, “and it was clear they weren’t upset about something in general. They were upset with me.”

Again, crows were significantly more likely to scold observers who wore a dangerous mask, and when confronted simultaneously by observers in dangerous and neutral masks, the birds almost unerringly chose to persecute the dangerous face. In downtown Seattle, where most passersby ignore crows, angry birds nearly touched their human foes. In rural areas, where crows are more likely to be viewed as noisy “flying rats” and shot, the birds expressed their displeasure from a distance.

Though Dr. Marzluff’s is the first formal study of human face recognition in wild birds, his preliminary findings confirm the suspicions of many other researchers who have observed similar abilities in crows, ravens, gulls and other species. The pioneering animal behaviorist Konrad Lorenz was so convinced of the perceptive capacities of crows and their relatives that he wore a devil costume when handling jackdaws. Stacia Backensto, a master’s student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who studies ravens in the oil fields on Alaska’s North Slope, has assembled an elaborate costume — including a fake beard and a potbelly made of pillows — because she believes her face and body are familiar to previously captured birds.

Kevin J. McGowan, an ornithologist at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology who has trapped and banded crows in upstate New York for 20 years, said he was regularly followed by birds who have benefited from his handouts of peanuts — and harassed by others he has trapped in the past.

Why crows and similar species are so closely attuned to humans is a matter of debate. Bernd Heinrich, a professor emeritus at the University of Vermont known for his books on raven behavior, suggested that crows’ apparent ability to distinguish among human faces is a “byproduct of their acuity,” an outgrowth of their unusually keen ability to recognize one another, even after many months of separation.

Dr. McGowan and Dr. Marzluff believe that this ability gives crows and their brethren an evolutionary edge. “If you can learn who to avoid and who to seek out, that’s a lot easier than continually getting hurt,” Dr. Marzluff said. “I think it allows these animals to survive with us — and take advantage of us — in a much safer, more effective way.”

Peru Pan American Champ Needs Funds

From Living in Peru.com

Peru's Pan American chess champ needs funds to travel to Vietnam
Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz
August 26, 2008

Due to a lack of support from the Peruvian Sports Institute, Martin Seminario, Peru's Pan American chess champion and his father have been forced to take to the streets and ask strangers for money.

In an effort to travel to Vietnam and take part in a world chess championship, the young Peruvian champ and his father are asking for money on the streets of Chiclayo to raise what is needed for plane tickets.

The father-son pair began collecting funds on Sunday at a match between Cienciano and Juan Aurich football clubs.While young Martin was supported by those sitting in the stadium's less expensive seats, authorities and businessmen in higher priced seating ignored the Pan American champ, reported El Comercio.

Martin's father made a call to all private businessmen to help his son participate in the world championship by helping him raise the $10,000 needed to cover airfare and accommodation costs.

The only person in Lambayeque that has helped us is Governor Yehude Simon Munaro, who donated 1,500 soles to pay for our trip, said Martin's father.

The young champion had the same problem when he wanted to compete in Argentina, where he won the Pan American title.

Dronavalli Harika

Dronavalli Harika won the gold medal at the recently concluded World Juniors Chess Championships (Girls) with 10.5/13, finishing 1.5 points ahead of her nearest competitor. Chessbase has an interview with Dronavalli and, at the end of the article, a list of some of Dronavalli's accomplishments (cut short at 2004, perhaps copied from a website that has not updated the list in quite a while!)

Irene Kharisma at Malyasian Open

From The Jakartapost.com
Irene best women's player in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesia's Irene Kharisma was declared the best women's player at the Malaysia Open chess tournament, which ended in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, a release said.

Women's International Master (WIM) Irene, who on Saturday was assured of a GM norm, defeated Igor Goldenberg of Australia on Sunday to earn overall points of 7.5 from 11 rounds. Achieving a GM norm puts Irene one step away from attaining a full GM title.

GM Li Chao of China won the tournament with 9 points, followed by GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore with 8.5 points.

Indonesian chess star Susanto Megaranto was in a group of five players with 8 points, and, after a Solkoff tiebreaker, ended up fourth below Marat Dzhumaev of Uzbekistan, said Kristianus Lien, Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) spokesman. --JP

Senet Image from 6th Dynasty Tomb

I found this tonight while scooting around the Louvre website and using their search feature - it's all in French though and my French (learned in high school eons ago) is not up to the task!

Peintures du tombeau de Métchétchi vers 2350 avant J.-C. (début 6e dynastie) Saqqara ?

By guesswork and deduction more than my skills as a translator, I believe this is from the Tomb of Metchetchi, about 2350 BCE, Egyptian 6th Dynasty (Old Kingdom), possibly from Saqqara.

This tomb painting of two people playing Senet is part of a series of scenes showing Metchetchi in a variety of domestic situations - with his wife, with his children (sons and daughters), his daughters playing musical instruments, his sons engaged in various activities, Metchetchi and his wife on a boat, etc.

6th Dynasty is incredibly old but, even more incredibly, this tomb painting showing Senet is about 1,000 years younger than some of the oldest senet boards excavated in Egypt.

Squirrel to Protect Chessplayers in Nalchik

Breaking news from CNN.com:

Armed and dangerous: a squirrel from an undisclosed country is headed to Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Russia, CNN has learned, to protect any chessplayers who show up for the Women's World Chess Championship scheduled to begin in Nalchik on August 28, 2008.

Thus far, ten percent of the invited chessplayers have chosen to withdraw from the lucrative championship rather than risk travelling to and staying in the unstable Caucasus region.

Sources within FIDE (the International Chess Federation) who declined to give their names because they have not been authorized to speak with the press, have informed CNN that the warrior squirrel was hired as a last ditch effort by FIDE presiden Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to "save" the WWCC from increasing world wide concern about the safety of the female contestants travelling to an area in such close proximity to Georgia, which was invaded by Russian forces on August 7, 2008. Nalchik itself was the site of terrorist attacks in 2005. Ilyumzhinov took the step, sources say, to stop the spread of condemnation for FIDE's perceived capitulation to the Russians and refusal to address the concerns of Georgian chessplayers published in an "open" letter at a popular internet web site, Chessbase.com on August 12, 2008.

"Fearless Leader does not wish to be seen as one with weak-knees," said one source."

He continued "Therefore, FL has hired relative of Rocky Flying Squirrel, graduate of Rambo Training School in Annapolis, Maryland, USA, to protect women chessplayers from all threats."

Maoists Move to Abolish Living Goddess Custom

What a bunch of party-poopers. What is wrong with maintaining an ancient religious tradition - oh, I forgot - these dudes are MAOISTS. They don't believe in anything except communist corruption.

From the guardian.co.uk
Randeep Ramesh, South Asia correspondent
Thursday August 21 2008

Nepal: Goddess has right to go to school
A centuries-old custom in Nepal of worshipping a virgin girl-child residing in a palace as a "living goddess" has been scrapped after it was branded outdated by the supreme court, which ruled that the "deity" must go to school.

Religious authorities are searching for a new Kumari - chosen from a handful of three-year-olds - after it was revealed the current living goddess would retire later this year. Such a process looks likely to be scrapped, however, after the country's highest court accepted arguments that keeping a girl locked up in a medieval palace in the capital, Kathmandu, breached her fundamental rights.

"There should be no bar on the Kumaris from going to school ... as there are no historical and religious documents restricting Kumaris from enjoying child rights," the supreme court said. Analysts said the ruling was in response to a new atmosphere in the Himalayan nation under former rebels, now ruling Maoists, who are determined to end feudal practices.

Kumaris, which are revered until they menstruate, preside over key Hindu festivals in Nepal. The tradition was started in the 16th century by the Nepali monarchy, which believed the girl would protect them. Attributes are said to include a voice "as soft and clear as a duck's, the body of a Banyan tree and the chest of a lion".

One of the first acts of the Maoist government was to scrap the 240-year-old monarchy. It was custom for Nepal's king to be blessed by the Kumari, whose horoscope had to match that of the monarch.

Maoist MPs have described the institution as an "evil symbol", although some would say a Kumari's life is not too harsh: she can eat what she likes and act with impunity. Her parents are not allowed to tell her off.

Supporting Local Chess: Announcements

MARYLAND
From the Baltimoresun.com
Chess
The Elkridge library, 6540 Washington Blvd., sponsors a chess club for ages 13 and older from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Players of all abilities are welcome, but they must know how to play chess. Snacks will be provided. 410-313-5077.

From the Baltimoresun.com (different edition)
The South Laurel Recreation Council is accepting registration for fall classes, which begin Sept. 13 and thereafter. Chess classes will be held in South Laurel elementary schools and at the Montpelier Neighborhood Park.
Information or registration: 301-776-2805, or stop by the Deerfield Run Community Center on Route 197 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The registration deadline is Sept. 10.

TEXAS (Fort Worth)
From the Startelegram.com
Northeast Tarrant Community Calendar
Tuesday (August 26, 2008)
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS — Watauga Chess Club, 7 p.m., North Richland Hills Parks and Recreation, 6720 NE Loop 820. Free. www.wataugachess.thinkhost.com.

Wednesday (August 27, 2008)
WATAUGA — Chess club, 3-5 p.m. Watauga Public Library, 7109 Whitley Road. Ages 5-18. 817-831-6465.

Thursday (August 28, 2008)
KELLER — Chess and other board games, 2-3:30 p.m., Keller Public Library, 640 Johnson Road. 817-743-4841.

ILLINOIS
From Southtownstar.com
Tuesday (September 9, 2008)
Chess club
Steger-South Chicago Heights Public Library, 54 E. 31st St., Steger, offers a chess club from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month. Beginners can join the club. Registration: (708) 755-5040.

From Southtownstar.com (different edition)
Saturday (September 6, 2008)
chess/scraBble
Homewood Public Library, 17917 Dixie Highway, hosts open chess and Scrabble for participants of all ages and abilities from noon to 4 p.m. the first and third Saturdays of every month. Information: (708) 798-0121, Ext. 222.

GEORGIA
From Savannahnow.com
A different way to get involved in chess - this agency is looking for volunteers to play chess with blind people:
Savannah Association for the Blind
The organization is looking for volunteers to help at the agency, located at 214 Drayton St., as well as in the homes of some of the group's clients. Some activities volunteers participate in include manning the Talking Books Library, bowling with clients, playing chess and other board games, writing grant proposals for the agency, grocery shopping, assisting with writing and paying bills and more. Call 232-6048.

CANADA
West Vancouver
From the North Shore News canada.com/northshorenews
Another opportunity to volunteer and play chess:
Chess players are needed at Parkgate Community Centre. Info: 604-983-6376.

PENNSYLVANIA
From Lancasteronline.com
Chess, 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Perkins Restaurant, 2175 Lincoln Highway. Call Bill Dillon, 396-0097.

IOWA (Keokuk)
From the Dailygate.com
Monday (August 25, 2008)
Tri-State Chess Club - 7 p.m., Keokuk Hy-Vee, 3111 Main St. Open to all levels of play.

Treasure hunter finds medieval diamond ring

Article by Jessica Salter
Last Updated: 12:19PM BST 21 Aug 2008

John Stevens, 42, from Hinckley saw that the ring had lettering when he brushed the mud off that indicated it was from the early medieval period, possibly the 11th century.

The ring has not yet been valued but is thought it could be worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Antiquities specialist Brett Hammond said: "It was clearly an important item of treasure. It is a gold ring possibly containing a rare black diamond.

"It is a beautiful early medieval inscribed finger ring that would have been owned by a very wealthy person, in the Church or possible even royalty.

"Common people in that era were not even allowed to own gold, so it must have been owned by a powerful person."

Black diamonds are rare today and would have been even rarer nearly 1,000 years ago, having come from Africa.

Mr Stevens said he was with friends in a ploughed field when he came across the ring about five inches down.

He said: "It is boldly inscribed with lettering that certainly looks very early medieval to my untrained eye.

"I don't know yet what the letters spell out, but if they indicate a royal owner it might be worth tens of thousand of pounds."

Gold Pendant Discovered by Metal Detectorist

Metal detector find dates back 1,500 years
Published Tuesday August 19, 2008
by Gerry Warren

When a Kent metal detecting enthusiast found something in a field of stubble he thought it looked interesting...and he was right!

The gold pendant he discovered dated back more than 1,500 years and has been declared treasure trove.

Fork lift truck driver Andy Sales, from Deal, found the ancient artefact near Worth.

A coroner has declared the item treasure trove after an expert from the British Museum examined and dated it to between 491-518 AD. In his report to the hearing, the curator in early medieval coinage, Dr Gareth Williams, said it was a gold tremissis bearing the image of the Byzantine emperor, Anastasius the First.

But he said the coin was actually not Byzantine but a later visogothic imitation.

Mr Sales, 43, has been metal detecting for 25 years. He said: "I have found all sorts of stuff including Roman and Saxon broaches and coins but nothing that has been declared treasure trove before. I still don't know if it's of any great value."

**********************

Hmmm, I don't know about you, but on this view of the coin/pendant, it doesn't look like an emperor's image to me! For one thing, there are too many appendages...

Wild life of a white warrior goddess

Star Of The Morning: The Extraordinary Life Of Lady Hester Stanhope
by Kirsten Ellis (HarperCollins, £25)
By Katie Hickman
Last updated at 5:30 PM on 22nd August 2008

What is it about ‘the east’ that seems to attract powerful Englishwomen?

Some of our most fearless travellers - Isabel Burton, Lady Jane Digby, Gertrude Bell – all found something there answering to the deepest part of themselves. Each of them, however, was following in the footsteps of Lady Hester Stanhope, first among equals, and the subject of this spirited new biography.

'What are we going to do about this English princess?' a Syrian sheik once sighed. 'After all, she is not merely a woman.'

A sentiment which, for different reasons, was shared by almost everyone who knew her.Other women feature little in Hester Stanhope’s life. All her life she preferred the company of men, and they she.

The daughter of the renegade 3rd Earl Stanhope, Hester had an unusual degree of independence from an early age. She learnt to use firearms, and was a superb horsewoman (skills which, in later life, greatly impressed the Bedouin, and may even have saved her life).

After the death of her mother she kept house for her uncle, William Pitt the Younger, at Walmer Castle in Kent, where she mixed with men of power and influence, and embarked on a number of affairs with them - a degree of promiscuity unusual even by randy Georgian standards (where most aristocratic women waited to be safely married, with at least a couple of legitimate children, before branching out).

Ellis calls this behaviour ‘slightly scandalous’, but it was surely more than this, and does much to explain the almost total absence of women friends. After the death of Pitt, Hester decided to leave England, and set out with her lover Michael Bruce - a man thirteen years younger than she - on a journey to the Levant. Their open co-habitation, even if it was in far-flung lands, was a scandal that even Hester could not contain: she never returned to England.

If Hester cared a fig for her English ‘reputation’ it was not in her nature to repine. Instead she kept on travelling, to Constantinople, to Egypt, the Holy Land, and finally to Syria. She adopted eastern dress (a man’s, of course) and rode astride, and such was the reputation that preceded her that when she arrived among the Bedouin in Palmyra they greeted her ‘like a white warrior goddess’, like Zenobia herself. 'I shall soon have as many names as Apollo,' she wrote triumphantly. 'I am the sun, the star, the pearl, the lion, the light from Heaven.'

Star Of The Morning is a fascinating and atmospheric biography of a truly remarkable woman. Kirsten Ellis has left no stone unturned in this admirable book, doing some mean travelling of her own in the process, and it is not her fault if the personality of Lady Hester remains curiously elusive. Who really knew her? Even in her own lifetime Hester seems to have evaded those who knew her longest. She was attracted, as if by a magnet, to anything secret. In later life, by now permanently settled in the Lebanon, she offered herself, with her by now vast knowledge of the internecine politics of the region, as an agent to the East India Company, and at one point had no fewer than five men collecting intelligence on her behalf.

She dabbled in mysticism, in esoteric cults, in treasure hunting and freemasonry; at one point she seems to have believed herself to be the Messiah. It is no surprise to learn that many people believed her to have supernatural powers; and others that she had gone quite mad.

It seems inevitable that a personality as ‘violent’ as Hester’s should end in what can at best be described as eccentricity. In England she was too often dismissed as ‘poor, mad Lady Hester’, but this would be to underestimate her very real gifts, and particularly her subtle political mind.

In the Lebanon her legacy is somewhat more macabre. In 1988, when the 150 year old remains of a woman were found in the hills, the local people were in no doubt who it was. The British Embassy was told that they belonged ‘to a famous Englishwoman still well remembered in these parts’. In Joun, near the hill-top fortress that was her last home, those still living can remember the elders of the village talking about her: ‘You can have dinner with El Sytt, and even sleep with her, but do not stay in her house. When a man goes to be with her, it will not be long before he will not wake up.’

Kirsan Speaks - Again (Ad Nauseum)

I just cannot go to bed until I report the latest from The Fearless Leader of the Chess World. Yes, the one, the only, the incredibly (fill in your own adjectives here) Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, President of FIDE, has once again opened mouth and inserted foot!

I did not think it was possible, but it's a miracle! Kirsan yet again makes an absolute doofus of himself and, like the Emperor in his new clothes, doesn't know it!

Here's the latest from Chessbase (also reported at Susan Polgar's blog and Chessdom.com):

FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DES ECHECS
Recognized by the International Olympic Committee
9 Syngrou Ave., 11743 Athens, Greece
Tel: (+30) 2109212047, Fax: (+30) 2109212859, Email: office@fide.comwww.fide.com
Elista, 21 August 2008

Letter by FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
to Mr. M. Saakashvili, President of the Republic of Georgia

Dear Mikhail Nikolozovich!

I am addressing my letter to you on behalf of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and millions of aficionados of the wisest game on the planet in respect of the statement of the Georgian Chess Federation regarding participation of Georgia’s representatives in the Women’s World Chess Championship. [Notice, he makes no mention whatsoever of the women's letter of August 12, 2008 - now he's blaming everything on the Georgian Chess Federation instead of the Georgian women chessplayers].

Following the decision of the FIDE Presidential Board regarding the said tournament, it is scheduled to be held in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria, Russian Federation, from 28 August to 18 September 2008.

Six Georgian sportswomen – Maia Chiburdanidze, Leila Dzhavahishvili, Sopio Gvetadze, Maia Lomineishvili, Sopiko Khukhashvili, Nino Khurtsidze – received the right of participation, having gone through a most difficult process of selection, or, by a personal invitation, due to personal high rating.
Highly esteemed Nona Terentievna Gaprindashvili has been appointed a member of the appeals committee of the tournament. Mr. Evgeni Melikset-Begi is a member of a arbiters’ board. Thus, it was supposed that the Georgian representation be one of the largest at this most prestigious event in women’s chess. I think that one should not mention the level of authority and respect which is being enjoyed in the world by the Georgian chess school and its representatives, who personify intellect and beauty of Georgia. [This is all true - shows the real impact, doesn't it, of the Georgian chess players' absence from what is fast becoming a farce of a Women's World Chess Championship].

Several days ago we all have become witnesses of a horrible humanitarian catastrophe. In my previous statements I have expressed my most sincere condolences to families of the catastrophe’s victims and FIDE’s position on this issue. Unfortunately, we are unable to change the dates and venues of the Championship. [Yeah, right - how about Elista, Kirsan? You've got a vacant chess palace just sitting there begging to be used].

Fully realizing all complexity of the present situation for the Georgian chess players and understanding their dear wish to defend honour of their country at the chess board, I am appealing to you for your kind assistance in providing the sportsmen with conditions for smooth participation in the World Championship. This is especially valuable and urgent during the days of the Olympic Games.

Looking forward to your understanding.
Gens Una Sumus
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
President

*****************

Dear Fearless Leader, you've addressed your letter to the WRONG DUDE. Just what the hell do you think the President of the Georgian Republic can do in the face of Russian tanks and troops dug in all around his country? Infrastructure destroyed, roads blockaded and mined -- you should be petitioning Miniputin - he's the guy shooting off the guns and bombs, after all.

Oh, I have an idea. Kirsan, why don't you fly your private jet into Georgia and pick up the Georgian chessplayers and cohorts, and fly them to Nalchik, personally guaranteeing their safety and providing body guards for the entire party. I mean, come on, you're the one who's been spouting off about "we're all one big family" - so be a man and do the right thing. Politics has nothing to do with it, darling! As a man of honor, we expect no less of you.

Friday Night Miscellany

Hola darlings!

Check this out - Russian pin-ups! No wonder the Russian army doesn't want to come home from Georgia. I mean, come on darlings, what young Russian bear wants to come home to his great-grandmother in a bikini? Compare these ladies to the Georgian female chessplayers who are sitting out this year's Women's World Chess Championship in Nalchik, Russia. If you were a young man, where would YOU want to be? The beautiful women are all in Georgia.

This photo is from The New York Times photos of the day on 8/22/08. They're greeting the first Russian warship to return home from the Georgian invasion. Hmmm, they rather resemble the Willendorf Venus, don't they...

This is a day for photographs. Here's the 16-year old Chinese bronze medalist on 10 meter platform diving from 8/21/08, Xin Wang. When I saw her on t.v. last night, my first thought was "ohmygoddess, she's anorexic." Taking a close look at this photo today, this 16 year old is, in my opinion, definitely suffering from something, and she is NOT healthy. Doesn't her facial expression in this photo resemble that famous painting "The Scream" - horrifying thought, isn't it? Was it the thought that a woman 11 years older and many pounds heavy and many inches taller beat her out for the silver medal? HOORAY TO THE CANUCK Emilie Heymans! Or was it the thought that while gold medal winners in China can live a life of ease compared to the hungering masses, what does a bronze medal winner get? Probably a trip to a work camp for failure to adequately express the Great and Positive Aspects of Chinese Culture - BORGISM.

Good old China, you can always depend on the Dragon to make an ass of itself - arresting six Americans for protesting about Tibet occupation is just the latest gaffe; of course, everyone knows that at least three of their gold-medal winning "women" gymnasts are about 10 to 12 years old, not anywhere near 15-16 as their "official passports" purport! LOL! But the sad thing is that the international gymnastics federation will most likely let China get away with this, just like the international swimming federation let the East Germans get away with systematic doping of their female athletes back in the 1980's. Everyone knows what's going on, but "officially," no one knows nuthink!

Tonight while writing about this stuff an old Tom Clancy novel came to mind - "The Bear and the Dragon." Anyone out there remember it? I had a rip-roaring good time reading it when it first came out. The basic story line is that an increasingly population overflowing, hungry, restive for human rights and natural resources deprived China starts casting envious eyes on the overflowing riches of Siberia. After much convoluted plotting, the Chinese launch a blitzkrieg-type invasion of Siberia! The Russians are not in position to immediately respond (and, after reading a story today at The New York Times about a 1960's era tank that no longer turns left, I can well imagine why) but - ta da! NATO comes to the rescue!

Now darlings, just imagine for a moment. Wouldn't that be the ultimate in ironic justice? Russia coming hat in hand to NATO asking for military help to fend off the hungering hordes of China. Har!

Truth is often stranger than fiction. We may well see this happening in less time than anyone thinks.

The Remarkable Trypilian Culture (5400-2700 BC)

This sounds absolutely fascinating! I saw it tonight at Art Daily and searched out the exhibition information at the website for the Royal Ontario Museum:

Mysteries of Ancient Ukraine: The Remarkable Trypilian Culture (5400-2700 BC)
November 29, 2008 to March 22, 2009

Who were the Trypillians? How were they able to build the largest settlements in Europe, well over five thousand years ago? And why did they burn them down? These and other questions are explored in this fascinating exhibition that uncovers the secrets surrounding this mysterious people.

Nestled in the forest steppes of modern-day Ukraine, the prehistoric Trypillian people lived and prospered between 5000 and 2750 BCE. Highly sophisticated, the Trypillians were both farmers and hunters. Their ability to adapt to different terrain led to their prosperity, and soon they had the largest population growth of any other Neolithic people. They built the largest settlements in Europe at that time, some with an estimated population of 10-15,000 people. Every 60 to 80 years, they burned some settlements to the ground and moved to settle another location.

In 1896, Ukraininan archaeologist Vikenty Khvoika discovered one of these settlements near the village of Trypillia. The artifacts he uncovered were instrumental in reconstructing the daily lives of this prehistoric civilization.

Ancient Ukraine presents household tools, evidence of clothing, spiritual artifacts and art, all of which help to build the story of how the Trypillians lived, flourished and then all but mysteriously disappeared.

This exhibition was organized by the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, Kyiv in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, The Archaeological Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, The Odessa Archaeological Museum, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and The Vinnytsia Regional Museum, Ukraine.

More information at Art Daily. Extracted:

To place the Trypilian culture in context, The Neolithic Revolution examines the development of human societies in Europe from the end of the last Ice Age to the arrival of Copper Age cultures, including Trypilian. Other Neolithic cultures, such as the Halaf, from what is now known as northern Syria and south-eastern Turkey, and the Vinca from what is now known as modern Serbia, are juxtaposed, their artistic legacies having much in common. Here, visitors can study the earthenware portrait of a pensive male face, created by the Vinca approximately 7,500 years ago, and which bears striking similarity to the ‘realistic’ portraits of Trypilia.

Spirituality and Artistic Expression highlights various puzzling pieces of ceramic art made by the Trypilians - specifically anthropomorphic figurines (ranging from stylized to quasi-realistic) and containers decorated in various ways (incised, monochromatic, polychromatic). Found in many Neolithic cultures, the female figurines on display, with exaggerated feminine features, are believed by some scholars to represent a ‘great mother goddess’. Other ceramic objects, such as footed platforms, and enigmatic, hollow “binocular” pieces, attest to the spiritual and ritual life of the Trypilians.

A continuity/continguity of cultures and images of the great mother goddess - in this case, this is a "bird" goddess, a common iconic form throughout neolithic Europe and the Middle East. The photo is not specifically identified, it is from the ROM website with this under-tag: Photographs by Petro Hrycyk, from the exhibition "Ukraine -- Images from 5000 to 4000 BC: Treasures of the Trypillian Culture", The Ukrainian Museum, New York, 1993.

For Real?

From Yahoo.sports

Thursday, Aug 21, 2008 4:42 pm EDT
IOC orders investigation into He Kexin's age
By Chris Chase

The International Olympic Committee has ordered an investigation into the age of Chinese gymnast He Kexin, The Times of London reports. Faced with almost insurmountable evidence which suggests that He is two years younger than the birth date listed on her Chinese passport, the IOC has launched an inquiry that could result in the stripping of He's gold medals.

This news comes on the heels of another Times report that details the findings of a New York computer security expert who found official Chinese documents that list He's age as 14 years and 220 days. Mike Walker used a Chinese search engine's cache feature to find He's actual date of birth on spreadsheets from a Chinese government website. The spreadsheets were taken down off the site recently and He's name had been removed.

Assuming the IOC is committed to a real investigation and not some dog and pony show, the revelation that the Chinese government covered up the ages of gymnasts could end up being the defining moment of these Games for the host country. Officials wanted the Olympics to be a coming out party for a new China. But while the Games have been a huge success, there is a legitimate possibility that China's legacy from Beijing '08 will be that of a massive government cover-up, not the magical Opening Ceremony or the transformation of Beijing or anything else positive.

All the good work China did to put on these Olympics could be forgotten because of an unnecessary, arrogant move by the government. Why risk everything to put a 14-year old in the competition when they could have replaced her with an of-age 16-year old gymnast? Sure, He is a better gymnast than the Chinese gymnasts who were eligible to compete, but with the judges they had at the Olympics, would it really have mattered?

(Photo: from prior file, He Kexin at 2008 Olympics).

Soumya Swaminathan, India's Newest WGM

Congratulations to Soumya!

Pune girl becomes state’s third woman Grandmaster
Express News Service
Posted online: Friday , August 22, 2008 at 12:40:27

Pune, August 21 City-based Soumya Swaminathan became the country's 11th woman Grandmaster when she made her third and final WGM norm at the Benasque Open Chess tournament at Spain last month. Soumya scored 6.5 points out of 10 rounds and was also judged the best woman player of the tournament. She is also the third WGM from Maharashtra and also from Pune, behind Swati Ghate-Teli and Eesha Karavade.

Swaminathan made her first WGM norm in July last year at the Balaguer Open which was also held in Spain, while her second WGM norm came four months later at the Women's National A, held in Pune last November. She had tied for first place in the tournament, and was placed third on tiebreak, which assured her a place in the Indian team. She had also crossed the 2,300 rating mark in this year's January Rating list, which is a requirement for becoming a WGM apart from getting three WGM norms.

Swaminathan played three tournaments in Spain last month, as part of the Indian junior girls team, and gained a total of 25 Fide rating points from the whole tour. Soumya had become a WIM in the same tour last year, where she had made a total of five norms, which included three WIM norms, one WGM and an IM norm.

Though she started playing chess at an early age of eight, major results started coming in after 2004 when she won the U-17 National girls title. She went on to win the national junior girls title for 2005 and 2006. Last year was a fantastic run for Soumya when she not only became a WIM but also earned herself a place in the Indian Women's team and gained around 150 points in two rating lists. Soumya had infact narrowly missed her third WGM norm at the Commonwealth championship last year. At the international level, she has three bronze medals from various age group Asian championships and 1 silver medal in the junior category from the Commonwealth Chess championship 2006.

Soumya was initially coached by Anjali Palande Sagar and was later trained by I M Arun Vaidya. She is currently practising in Kunte's Chess Academy where she works with other Pune players like Amruta Mokal and Eesha Karavade. The 19-year-old is a final year B.Com student in BMCC and is under scholarship from Indian Oil Corporation for the past two years. Her future tournaments include Commonwealth Chess championship, which will be held in September 2008 at Nagpur and Women's National A in December.

Women Ruled in Iran - 5500 Years Ago...

Remember the babe with the Golden Eye Ball? I'm sure I wrote about her somewhere - maybe at Random Round-up. She was, according to the latest, a personage of some importance in the ancient scheme of things.

Here's more about the ancient history of "The Burnt City" a/k/a Shar-i Sokhtah (various spellings), where was exacavated an amazing wooden game board of 20 squares, carved in the classical shape of those game boards recovered from the Royal Tombs of Ur by Woolley dated to about 2600 BCE, but with the "squares" (playing cases) composed entirely by the intertwined bodies of two serpents! Serpents, as we've seen here in numerous posts, are ancient symbols of The Goddess.

5000 years ago women in control of Burnt City
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 - ?2005 IranMania.com [Does this mean this story dates back originally to 2005?]

LONDON, August 12 (IranMania) - Recent studies of a team of archeologists have shown that 5000 years ago (3200 BC) women had the economic control of the Burnt City.

Some paleo-anthropologists believe that mothers in the Burnt City had social and financial prominence, director of the team working at the Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran said recently.

Addressing the archaeology students at Zabol University, Seyed Mansour Seyed Sajjadi said that 5000 year-old insignias, made of river pebbles and believed to belong only to distinguished inhabitants of the city, were found in the graves of some female citizens.

"Some believe the female owners of the insignias used them to place their seal on valuable documents. Others believe the owners may have used the seal to indicate their lofty status in society", he added.

In December 2006, archaeologists discovered the world's earliest artificial eyeball in the city's necropolis, thought to have been worn by a female resident of the Burnt City. The artificial eye is a hemisphere with a diameter of just over 2.5 cm (1 inch). It consists of very light material, probably bitumen paste. The surface of the artificial eye is covered with a thin layer of gilding and is engraved with a circle at its center to represent the iris. The eye includes gold lines patterned like the rays of the sun. A hole has been drilled through the eyeball, through which a golden thread is thought to have held the eyeball in place.

Microscopic research has revealed that the eye socket of the female remains bear clear imprints of the golden thread, suggesting that the woman must have worn the eyeball during her lifetime. With her shining golden eye she must have been a striking figure, perhaps a soothsayer or an oracle. The woman with the artificial eye was 1.82 m tall (6 feet), much taller than the average women of her time. She was aged between 25 and 30 and had dark, exotic skin. Her Africanoid cranial structure suggests her origins were the Arabian Peninsula. [Interesting - a business woman who set up shop far from home? Or an imported bride?]

Experts say that her skeleton dates to between 2900 and 2800 BC, when the Burnt City was a bustling, wealthy city and trading post at the crossroads of the East and the West. It is thought that the woman may have arrived at the city on a caravan from Arabia. Archeologists have not yet revealed the cause of the woman's death.

Paleopathological studies on 40 teeth unearthed in the Burnt City's cemetery show that the inhabitants of the city used their teeth as a tool for weaving to make baskets and other handmade products.

"More than 40 teeth lesions have been identified, the most prominent of which belongs to a young woman who used her teeth as a tool for weaving baskets and similar products," said Farzad Foruzanfar, director of the Anthropology Department of Iran's Archeology Research Center (ICAR) in an interview with CHN.

The use of teeth as a tool in the Burnt City is seen in both males and females of different age groups. Evidence shows that weaving was more than a hobby in the prehistoric city. It was one of the most common professions in the city which required a special skill. Residents made a variety of weaved products such as carpets, baskets and other household items.

The city, called Shahr-e-Sookhteh, sits on the banks of the Helmand River along the Zahedan-Zabol road in the southeast province of Sistan.

The excavations at the Burnt City also suggest that the inhabitants were a race of civilized people who were both farmers and craftsmen. No weapon has ever been discovered at the site, suggesting the peaceful nature of the residents.

The Burnt City has been continually excavated since the 1970s by Iranian and Italian archaeological teams, with new discoveries periodically reported.
Covering an area of 151 hectares, the city was built around 3200 BC and abandoned over a millennium later in 2100 BC.

The city experienced four stages of civilization and was burnt down three times. It took its eventual named because it was never rebuilt after the last fire.

Learn more at Goddesschess.

Classic Jewelry - 2,500 Years Old

From thisislondon.co.uk
Unearthed after 2,500 years, the gold earrings that could have been made yesterday

Last updated at 03:39am on 17.08.08

It's the sort of classic jewellery favoured by modern women except these earrings were worn 2,500 years ago.An archeologist discovered gold earrings, a ring and other funeral gifts dating back to the 5th century B.C. while excavating a Thracian tomb near the village of Kushare, about 280km from Sofia, Bulgaria.

Some of the oldest examples of gold jewellery and artifacts have been discovered in Bulgaria and it's Black Sea coast is considered the birthplace of the world's metal production.

What are Bulgaria's borders today were part of several ancient civilizations, including Thracian cultures which existed from the 5th millennium BC up to the end of Roman rule.

Bulgarian archeologist Georgi Kitov, who made these discoveries, specializes in Thracian cultures and is well known for his controversial excavation practices, such as using earthmoving machines.

Last year his team unearthed a gold mask belonging to a fourth century B.C. Thracian King in southeastern Bulgaria.

More on the Venus of Willendorf

Venus of Willendorf still hot at ripe old age of 25,000
1 day ago

VIENNA (AFP) — Plump and 25,000 years old, this lady remains a mystery even after 100 years in the limelight.

The Venus of Willendorf, a small ochre-coloured figurine from the Paleolithic period, takes her name from the village in northern Austria where she was excavated on August 7, 1908 by three Austrian paleontologists.

"This was the first statuette (from this period) that had such detailed features and it was also the first statuette to be discovered at the time on an archeological site," says Walpurga Antl-Weiser, head of the prehistory section at Vienna's Natural History Museum.

On the 100th anniversary of her excavation, this Venus is being honoured with a special exhibition at the museum, alongside other artefacts from the same period.

Carved from oolitic limestone, she is a round woman, standing with her arms resting on her breasts and belly, her bowed head hiding her face but showing off elaborate hair.

"This statue is really remarkable and when you look at the way she was carved, the way the muscles and different parts of the body are rendered, you can tell the sculptor used a model," says Antl-Weiser.

This Venus "resulted from perfect observation of the human body, but she was also arranged to make her curves more harmonious," she adds.

The first and only statuette of her kind before the French Venus of Lespugue and the Russian Venus of Kostienki joined her two decades later, the lady from Willendorf can still attract crowds.

"I think a lot of visitors come to the museum just to see the Venus," says Antl-Weiser.

But where she came from and whether she represented a goddess or women's elevated place in society remains a mystery.

"We don't think she represented prehistoric women," says Antl-Weiser.
"She's a rather older woman, one who has certainly already had children," she explains.

"Moreover, we can't prove that women played a predominant role during this period and that these female statuettes honoured them: there are many other statuettes (from that period) representing animals, part-humans and part-animals or assexual human beings."

Rather than being a goddess, the Venus of Willendorf could have been part of a ritual or a belief shared by several tribes over 20,000 years ago.

Although excavated at opposite ends of the continent, the French and Russian Venuses are similar in form to their Austrian sister.

"They could have been expressions of a single belief that spread through Europe," says Antl-Weiser.

But this does not explain where the lady from Willendorf came from.
While other artefacts and statuettes were excavated near the same village in Lower Austria, no traces remain of the rock out of which she was carved.

Antl-Weiser concludes: "From that point of view, either the Venus was brought here, or the rock fragments disappeared when a railroad was built there in the 19th century."

The exhibition runs to February 1.

2009 U.S. Chess Championships

Knock me over with a feather, darlings! I read about this last night but was just too tired to post about it.

Instead of an 11th hour bid coming in to save the U.S. Chess Championships, there is actually a venue AND a total prize purse of $100,000 several months in advance! The venue is none other than the fabulous new chess club that recently opened in St. Louis, Missouri:

This is an abbreviated version of the article that appeared at (I think) USCF, at the St. Louis Business Journal Online, August 21, 2008:

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis has been selected by the U.S. Chess Federation to host the 2009 U.S. Championship.

The championship will be held May 2009.

Invitations to potential tournament participants will be issued to some of the top-rated U.S. players, top-rated women and wild card participants who will be announced later.

It will be a nine-round event, using the Swiss system with one round per day and a rest day between rounds five and six. Games will be played with 40 moves in two hours, with the remaining moves in one hour.

The championship will have a purse of $100,000, with $30,000 awarded to the winner, twice the amount of last year's tournament.

The center, which was founded by retired investment fund manager Rex Sinquefield and opened in July, is located at 4657 Maryland Ave. in the Central West End.

The three-level, 6,000-square-foot facility features DGT chessboards, wooden chess tables, LCD-screen televisions, overhead paging and an adjustable lighting system.

*************************

With top prize at $30,000 I imagine that will attract more top GM talent.

Will a different prize structure be in place for the women players who, given the round-robin structure, will be mixed in playing against men and likely several of them end at the bottom of the results? What will make it worthwhile for any of them to play if their prizes should be lower than they earned in the 2008 U.S. Women's Championship? (I assume this will not be allowed to happen, but who knows?) How many players will be invited? What is the break-down of the prize structure?

This is a great coup for the USCF and I wonder, what is the story behind this gift from Heaven?

This is not meant to be a dis on Frank K. Berry, who single-handedly rescued the US Chess Championships after A4FC's contract terminated with USCF with the completion of the 2006 U.S. Chess Championships. Despite advertising for months in the useless Chess Life Magazine - yeah, like top corporate execs and sponsors READ it or visit Chesslife Online, lol! - only Mr. Berry put together consecutive bids for the 2007 and 2008 Men's and Women's championships. Without him, these events would most likely not have been held.

In addition to providing playing venues both years (I have no idea how much this cost; I assume it would be several thousands of dollars more), Mr. Berry also provided prizes worth $55,000 cash for the 2008 Men's Championship, with an additional prize for the Men's Champion as an instructor on a cushy cruise worth another $5,000, and $25,000 cash for the 2008 Women's Championship, for a total of $85,000. In 2007, Men's cash prizes totalled $65,000, of which $25,000 was provided by Eric Anderson of AF4C (I do not know if these funds were ever received by USCF). The Women's Championship prize fund was $25,000. So, over the course of two years, Mr. Berry provided prizes of at least $145,000 plus the cost of providing the playing venues plus the cost of the cruise package for the 2008 U.S. Chess Champion.

Thank you, Mr. Berry, for your generous sponsorship which allowed a totally disfunctional and unworthy USCF to keep the U.S. Chess Championships going for the past two years. Will Mr. Sinquefield prove to be as generous as you were - or will the entrenched bureaucrats at USCF manage to disgust him and chase him away too?

A Napoleon Chess Table and Set

Thanks to Isis for sending me information on this interesting topic.

There has been quite a bit published on the internet (much of it false) about Napoleon the chess player. If you do a search, you'll see what I mean :)

This information is provided by the Biltmore Estate (Museum), Asheville, North Carolina, USA:

The Vanderbilt Vision Continues at Biltmore
America's Largest Home and More
Asheville, NC
August 2007

from press release): ...A chess set and gaming table, which belonged to Napoleon when he was in exile at St. Helena, are on display in the salon ...

From the Biltmore Gift Shop!!! - a replica of the Napoleon chess chess, only $300 (image above): Sharpen your chess skills on this tabletop set that is part of Biltmore Estate For Your Home's collection. This piece replicates the beauty of Napoleon's chess set found in the Salon of Biltmore House. Gaming pieces are red and white.

No provenance to authenticate the set as Napoleon's was provided at the Biltmore's website. I suppose they figured no one would be interested :)

Chess News

I've done updates at Chess Femme News (there are 3 pages for August, 2008!), including updated coverage on the PRE-events to the Women's World Chess Championship. Mr. Don has also done his weekly update of Random Round-up at Goddesschess! Enjoy!

Women's World Chess Championship

The ridiculousness and obscene farce of FIDE leadership continues to play out on the world stage for all chess fans to see. Chessbase and Susan Polgar's blog have published a new letter by FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov that - ONCE AGAIN - totally ignores the thrust of the initial open letter written by the Georgian women chessplayers, which is their personal safety. Fearless Leader Kirsan has chosen to act the part of an ostrich and keep his head in the ground. For shame! Shame, shame on Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. He has once again chosen not to do the right thing, the brave thing, the honorable thing.

August 19, 2008
Dear chess friends!

During last several days I have received a number of letters, including an open letter from six Georgian chess players in respect of a possible change of a venue and dates of the World Women's Chess Championship. As you know, the championship is scheduled to take place from 28 August to 18 September in Nalchik, capital of Kabardino Balkaria.

I have already expressed my opinion several days ago. I reiterate: we should not mix sports and politics, and should not involve FIDE into various disputes and arguments. Once again I express most sincere condolences to all victims of the humanitarian catastrophy.

As a response of the Georgian Chess Federation I would like to note that there are not any grounds for such a change. The Organisers have undertaken all necessary steps and carried out a good preparation and are ready to host all the guests. It is not their fault that blood was shed. We can't help taking into consideration interests of other participants, who purchased the tickets and are practically on the way to the venue of the tournament. But, first and foremost, the interest of lots of admirers of the talent of chess players should not suffer, as they are looking forward to the start of the Championship.

I fully realise all complexity of this situation, I call on all participants, trainers, officials, guests and journalists – all without any exception – to come to Nalchik and show in fact, and not in words – that we are one family.

Gens Una Sumus
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
President

Let's say it all together now - GAG!

To it's credit, Chessbase has published a sampling of emails it has received about the issues. While a few are obviously trying to inflame political passions - not even addressing the issue of personal safety raised by the Georgian chessplayers - most are supporting of the players' request to move the location of the championship because Nalchik IS NOT SAFE.

I also learned the following today - also from Chessbase:

Dear ChessBase,

I would like to remark that when FIDE and the Organizing Comitee write that the open letter was written by Georgian chess players they never say that it was later signed by eight more players from different countrys. They all agree with us 100%, that this champioship should be moved to another place. Here are their names:

Irina Krush, USA
Claudia Amura, Argentina
Monica Socko, Poland
Iweta Rajlich, Poland
Anna Gasik, Poland
Ketino Kachiani-Gersinska
Tea Lanchava-Bosboom, The Netherlands
Marie Sebag, France

These are playes whom we were able to contact. I'm sure that if we had the emails of others they would suport us as well. So, please, if you have a chance, ask them to contact us at one of the following addresses:

info@gcf.org.ge
wchampionship@yahoo.com

Many thanks and best regards
IM Maia Lomineishvili, Georgia

IM Lomineishvili, I'm not an invitee to the WWCC, but I do support you and all of the other players who have grave concerns about playing chess in Nalchik. Let us not forget that during the recent Grand Prix in Sochi, there was a terrorist attack - though not at the chess venue, thank Goddess!

The entire region is a powderkeg. Why put chess players needlessly at risk?

Supporting Local Chess: Southwest Chess Club

Join in the fun this Thursday night!. We will have two parallel 3-Round Swiss events, 3 games in one night, August 21st.

You have the option of risking your Regular USCF & Action USCF ratings in the Game/30 event (which is "Dual Rated"), or you can play it safe and risk only your Action Rating points in the Game/29 event (Action-rated only).

Summer Actionade Cooler II: August 213-Round Swiss, Two Sections: Game/29 Minutes and Game/30 Minutes.USCF Rated. EF: $5 members, $7 others. (½ Point Bye available for only first round if requested prior to round).
TD is Becker; ATDs are Fogec/Grochowski.

BEFORE the tournament, Allen Becker will give a lecture at 6:00 PM on PLANNING IN CHESS.

Looking ahead into late August and September, we will remain at the GREENDALE location until further notice (Layton State Bank (downstairs), at 5850 Broad Street. Here is a map to the club).

Doggy Chess Days Extravaganza: Aug. 28, Sept. 4 & 11 -Round “Round-Robin” (a “Quad”). Four chess players to a Quad.Game/90 minutes. USCF Rated. EF: $5 members, $7 others. TD is Grochowski; ATDs are Fogec/Becker.

Divine Justice?

Just wondering...

I find it interesting that Russia has (thus far) had such an anemic showing at the Olympics. As of today’s reporting, the USA has exactly twice as many medals (72) as Russia (36), and yet their population isn’t that much lower than ours. Hmmmm…. Will Miniputin now follow China and pour billions into training athletes from infancy on, to Borg perfection? Is the Great Goddess having a joke at Mother Russia’s lying expense?

I find it interesting that while China adamantly refused and continues to refuse to use any of its influence to mediate the Darfur crisis, while China ruthlessly silences all dissent by immediately arresting any Chinese person and immediately deporting any foreign person who dares apply for a license to hold a protest rally in any of the designated "protest parks", and while China uses thug tactics to silence grieving parents of thousands of children killed in shoddily constructed schools during the June earthquake, China’s great track star was unable to race, being sidelined by a lingering injury to his ACHILLES’ HEEL. Now is that poetic justice or what?

Are people all around the world now snickering into their hands at these two "super" powers – tee hee hee…

Remember that great line uttered by Ann Baxter (as Neferteri) to Yul Brynner (as Pharaoh Rameses) in "The Ten Commandments: Do you hear laughter, Pharaoh?

Supporting Local Chess: Southwest Chess Club Simul!

News from Allen Becker at Southwest Chess Club (Hales Corners, Wisconsin):

Congratulations to Anthony Parker, who won all six of his games, and becomes the new SWCC Club Champion! Blog. (If that link doesn't work, see entries on August 6th and August 8th.

The tournament is now rated at USCF.

Here are the results and prizes. See me next Thursday on arranging to receive your prizes.

Don't forget, next week we have a one-night 3-round tournament, either Game/30 (Dual-rated), or Game/29 (Action-only rated). See you then!

Well - I couldn't get the table to come out right in this blog format - it does not allow for tables! So, I posted it at Chess Femme News under August 18 entries.

Kudos to Anthony Parker for a strong performance!

FIDE, ECU and WWCC Organizing Committee in La La Land!

If you haven't already read their issued statements in response to a heart-felt open letter published at Chessbase on August 12, 2008 by several Georgian women chess players who asked that the location of the Women's World Chess Championship be moved from Nalchik to a place of greater safety, I've got all the words of the fearless chess leaders (that I sincerely will one day come back to bite them on their big fatt butts) recorded along with a history of the events at Chess Femme News. Susan Polgar also has been following developments in her blog.

A blogger at Chessvine.com wrote about the situation too and posted a comment here.

Yesterday the Parrot at Chessville (a/k/a Phil Innes) wrote about the situation too in his latest (8/16/08) column.

Does the United States Chess Federation have anything to say about the subject? I would be interested to know if the Executive Board is willing to take a stand and publicly urge FIDE to move the WWCC to a safer location or, at the very least, a neutral location so that players from all countries will feel comfortable and welcome (and safe).

World Juniors Chess Championship (Girls)

The official website reported the following norms were earned by the players:

GM Norm:
Hou Yifan CHN 2661 (Hou Yifan earned her first GM norm at Aeroflot earlier this year, so this is norm #2, not norm #3 as I believe I reported in an earlier post)

WGM Norm:
Kübra Öztürk TUR 2413 (Ozturk's first WGM norm, and the first ever earned by a Turkish female chess player according to official site)
Miranda Mikadze GEO 2410

WIM Norm:
Preethi Rajkumar IND 2277
Sarah Hoolt GER 2283
Khayala Isgandarova AZE 2254
Zusana Borosova SVK 2256
Narmin Kazimova AZE 2321 (Yah, Narmin!)
Anastasia Bodnaruk RUS 2294
Zoja Severiukhina RUS 2296
Guliskan Nakhbayeva KAZ 2297
Tatev Abrahamyan USA 2266 (Yah, Tatev!)
Adriana Nikolova BUL 2269
Nafisa Muminova UZB 2261
Homa Hour Alavi IRI 2266
Sona Pertlova CZE 2256

KRUSH OUT OF CHAMPIONSHP!

I just saw it confirmed in this report at Chessbase: IM Irina Krush, one of three U.S. players who qualified for the upcoming Women's World Chess Championships (along with Anna Zatonskih and Katherine Rohonyan), decided prior to Russia's invasion of Georgia to withdraw from the event because the area is unstable and unsafe and the U.S. government has specifically warned Americans to avoid the Caucasus region because of banditry, terrorism and kidnappings.

This brings the total number of withdrawn players to 7 thus far, more than 10% of the field.

Good for Krush! She is demonstrating sound common sense and a refreshing lack of greed in bypassing the prize money promised at the WWCC (less FIDE's 20% cut, of course). I hope more players withdraw. This is the only way to send a message to FIDE, the leadership of which has rocks in its head, scheduling an important world championship event in such a dangerous area!

It is a shame and a scandal that FIDE has refused to take any steps to reschedule the event in a safer environment. I guess we all know who's calling the shots at FIDE, and it isn't Fearless Leader Kirsan - it's the Kremlin.

Goddess: Tamar, Georgian Goddess of the Sky

In Georgian mythology, Tamar was a Georgian sky goddess who controlled the weather patterns. Tamar enslaved Dilis Varskvlavi, the Morning Star, who was master of winter; whenever he escaped, snow began to fall, but annually she captured him and brought summer back to the land. She was an eternal virgin who rode through the air on a serpent saddled and bridled with gold.

This serpent-riding sky goddess is also identified with the Georgian goddess Lamara - "eye of the Earth."

Lamara is probably a cognate of Lamia. According to Barbara Walker's "A Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets":

Lamia
Greek name for the Libyan serpent-goddess -- Medusa, Neith, Athene, Anatha, or Buto.(1) Lamia was probably a variant of Babylonian Lamashtu, "Mother of Gods" worshipped at Der as a serpent with a woman's head. Though Lamashtu was feared as a Kali-like Destroyer, yet she was also revered as a supreme goddess, called Daughter of Heaven and Great Lady.(2) Greek myth made her another rival of Hera.

The Latin Vulgate Bible gave "Lamia" as a translation of Hebrew Lilith, Adam's recalcitrant first wife. The Authorized Version rendered lamia as a screech owl [the owl was Greek goddess Athena's totem animal and is a carry-over from the archaic eye-goddess tradition of paleothic times, where the bird represented a shaman's ability to fly through the three realms of reality: the Earth, the Underworld, and the Heavens]. The Revised Version translated the same word as "night monster." During the Middle Ages, lamia became a general term for a witch. A 15th-century German professor of theology stated authoritatively that lamiae were "demons in the shape of old women."(3) See Vagina Dentata.

Notes:
(1) Graves, G.M., 1, 205.
(2) Budge, A.T., 117.
(3) Robbins, 295-96.

Medusa - archaic Greek goddess of life and death; Neith - archaic goddess of Upper Egypt who, despite her warrior aspects and control over life and death, introduced weaving and other domestic arts to the proto-Egyptians; Athene - archaic Athene was a fierce killing goddess who sent people deemed worthy to death to be born again, in later Greece she was "domesticated" to a thematic warrior goddess but primarily identified with Wisdom, who in totemic form rode on her shoulder in the shape of an owl; Anatha - archaic mother goddess of the greater Middle East controlling life and death through fertility (cognates: Inanna, Anath); Buto - archaic serpent goddess of the delta region of pre-dynastic Egypt, a goddess of fertility and resurrection and an icon of protection for the pharaohs.

You can probably figure out what Vagina Dentata signifies! Hint: Think about the chewing gum "Dentine" and the word "dentist." Both words spring from the proto-Indo-European root word -'den.' Oh, what the heck - here's Barbara's Walker entry on the chomping vagina. Think about the imagery of a backgammon board with all of those "pointy monster teeth"...

Vagina Dentata
"Toothed vagina," the classic symbol of men's fear of sex, expressing the unconscious belief that a woman may eat or castrate her partner during intercourse. Freud said "Probably no male human being is spared the terrifying shock of threatened castration at the sight of the female genitals."(1) But he had the reason wrong. The real reason for this "terrifying shock" is mouth-symbolism, now recognized universally in myth and fantasy: "It is well known in psychiatry that both males and females fantasize as a mouth the female's entranceway to the vagina."(2)

The more patriarchal the society [right now I'm hearing the Village People's "Macho Man" playing through the strains of my mind...] the more fear seems to be aroused by the fantasy.

I'm not going to copy the entire entry, which is lengthy but filled with fascinating information:

Stories of the devouring Mother are ubiquitous in myths, representing the death-fear which the male psyche often transformed into a sex-fear. Ancient writings describe the male sexual function not as "taking" or "possessing" the female, but rather "being taken," or "putting forth."(7) Ejaculation was viewed s a loss of a man's vital force, which was "eaten" by a woman. The Greek sema or "semen" meant both "seed" and "food." Sexual "consummation" was the same as consuming (the male). [We now see the deep psychological roots for rape, which is not a crime of passion but a crime of fear, a desprate attempt to overcome fear by "domination." And who has not heard the old "wisdom" that a male athlete is not to have sex with a female before a major event, because it will "sap" his energy?"]

Distinction between mouths and female genitals was blurred by the Greek idea of the lamiae - lustful she-demons, born of the Libyan snake-goddess Lamia. Their name meant either "lecherous vaginas" or "gluttonous gullets."(9) Lamia was a Greek name for the divine female serpent called Kundalini in India, Uraeus or Per-Uatchet [Buto] in Egypt, and Lamashtu in Babylon. Her Babylonian consort was Pazuzu [Damuzi, Tammuz], he of the serpent penis. Lamia's legend, with its notion that males are born to be eaten, led to Pliny's report on the sexual life of snakes that was widely believe dthorughout Europe even iup to the 20th century: a male snake fertizlizes the female snake by putting his head into her mouth and allowing himself to be eaten.(10) [Too bad so much of western culture is based upon "Greek" ideas - they've really screwed things up, haven't they.]

Sioux Indians told a tale similar to that of the Lamia. A beautiful seductive woman accepted the love of a young warrior and united with him inside a cloud. When the cloud lifted, the woman stood alone. The man was a heap of bones being gnawed by snakes at her feet.(11)

Mouth and vulva were equated in many Egyptian myths. Ma-Nu, the western gate whereby the sun god daily re-entered his Mother, was sometimes a "cleft" (yoni) and sometimes a "mouth."(12)

According to Philostratus, magical women "by arousing sexual desire seek to devour whom they wish."(15) To the patriarchal Persians and Moslems this seemed a distinct possibility. Viewing women's mouths as either obscene, dangerous, or overly seductive, they insisted on veiling them. Yet men's mouths, which look no different, were not viewed as threatening. [I make exception here - as far as I can tell from their art, pre-Islamic Persian women did not wear veils; in fact, they dressed much as Persian men did, in loose-fitting trousers and tight sleeved blouses with over-vests resting at the waist.]

"Mouth" comes from the same root as "mother" - Anglo-Saxon muth, also related to the Egyptian Goddess Mut. Vulvas have labiae, "lips," and many men have believed that behind the lips lie teeth. [Gee, how did we ever manage to survive as a race if men were/are so afraid of having sex? Is that why alcohol, in its earliest forms of beer and wine, was invented???]

Well, you get the picture :) I'll leave you with this thought: Moslems attributed all kinds of dread powers to a vulva. It could "bite off" a man's eye-beam, resulting in blindness for any man who looked into its cavity. A sultan of Damascus was said to have lost his sight in this manner. Christian legend claimed he went to Sardinia to be cured of his blindness by a maraculous idol of the virgin Mary - wh0, being eternally virgin, had her door-mouth permanently closed by a veil-hymen.(20)

Okay, so just why is it that male pilgrims in Mecca kiss a yoni-shaped silver-lipped idol which is part of a meteorite built into Islam's holiest site but was worshipped as a symbol of the Mother Goddess before the advent of Mohammed?

Chess Politics in India

From merinews.com, August 13, 2008

National B Chess Tournament in crisis
National B Chess Tournament, schedule to be held in Goa from September 15 to 23, 2008, may be cancelled as the GSCA is a defunct body. Barve, who represented Goa at National 'B' Annual Chess Tournament held in Tamilnadu, revealed this startling fact.

SHRIKANT BARVE who represented Goa at National ’B’ Annual Chess Tournament held at Dindigul, Tamilnadu. in 2007, has raised his objection for holding National B Chess Tournament in Goa by Goa State Chess Association. He has submitted his objection to Sports Authority of Goa, which controls sports activity in Goa and finances Goa State Chess Association.

Reason for objection: Goa State Chess Association (GSCA) is a defunct body.

Barve came to know about the status of GSCA when he applied for certified copy of registration of GSCA. In reply, the registrar had stated that Regd No 39 of 78, in the name of All Goa Daman Diu State Chess Association alias Goa State Chess Association has not renewed its registration certificate till today. Therefore, it becomes an unregistered society under section 3(B)(5) of the Societies Registration (Goa Second Amendment ) Act, 1998.

GSCA had a opportunity on April 27, 2008, to renew its registration under Registrar of Societies Act. An annual general body meeting of GSCA was fixed on April 27, 2008. This was fixed on January by the executive body meeting, wherein, Barve was also invited. Barve had offered the venue for annual general meeting (AGM) and an ex member had accepted Barve’s offer and he had booked an air-conditioned hall for April 27, at International Centre Goa (ICG), Dona Paula. In fact, on January, an executive meeting was also held at ICG. But Sameer Salgaocars, All India Chess Association vice president and president of GSCA and others cancelled that meeting without informing Barve. Had that meeting been held, everything would have rectified by now. But now it is too late.

Please also note that selection for Goa team to represent Goa at National B has not been held till date. For the past 20 years, it was always held in last week of May or first week of June. GSCA knows that the state has not bothered to hold selection tournament for Goa team to represent Goa at National B.

Also, a civil suit filed by Taleigao Chess Academy (TCA) against GSCA came up for hearing on August 12, 2008. It was regarding affiliation of TCA to GSCA. Barve is one of the respondents in that case. Next hearing of that case is on August 30, 2008. Defunct status of GSCA may crop up on August 30!

Hnefatafl Reborn

From BBC News
August 15, 2008

Ancient Viking board game revived

Enthusiasts in the Shetland Islands are staging the first world championship of an ancient Viking board game.

Hnefatafl was popular in northern Europe for hundreds of years until it was eclipsed by the rise of chess.

The game simulates a Viking raid, with the king and his defenders trying to escape a larger force.

The contest between a dozen players, on the island of Fetlar, will be played on wooden boards with 121 squares and the king starting in the middle.

Hnefatafl is a game with a pedigree stretching back 1,000 years.

Warlike contest
It was taken to Shetland by the Vikings and there were references to Welsh and Irish versions in the Norse adventure stories known as sagas.

The game was popular because - like chess - it was a warlike contest.

There will be no medals in the competition on Fetlar but the winner will receive a board, a set and the title Hnefatafl Grand Master.

The games will be followed from as far afield as Texas and New York, where new players have been learning online.


An interesting history of hnefatafl from Game Cabinet. See also Hneftafl: An Experimental Reconstruction.

South Ossetians Looting and Worse in Georgia

For those of you out there who don't think the Georgia women chess players have legitimate fears for their safety playing on Russian soil in Nalchik, read this:

From The New York Times
By SABRINA TAVERNISE and MATT SIEGEL
Published: August 14, 2008

TBILISI, Georgia — As the conflict between Russia and Georgia enters its second week, there is growing evidence of looting and “ethnic cleansing” in a number of villages throughout the area of conflict.

The attacks — some witnessed by reporters or documented by a human rights group — include stealing, the burning of villages and possibly even killings. Some are ethnically motivated, while at least some of the looting appears to be the work of profiteers in areas from which the authorities have fled.

The identities of the attackers vary, but a pattern of violence by ethnic Ossetians against ethnic Georgians is emerging and has been confirmed by some Russian authorities. “Now Ossetians are running around and killing poor Georgians in their enclaves,” said Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Borisov, the commander in charge of the city of Gori, occupied by the Russians. [Why are the Russians in Gori? - it's not in South Ossetia.]

A lieutenant from an armored transport division that was previously in Chechnya said: “We have to be honest. The Ossetians are marauding.”

The hostilities between Russia and Georgia started last week when the Georgian military marched into the disputed territory of South Ossetia, and the Russians responded by sending troops into the pro-Russia, separatist enclave and then into Georgia proper.

Dozens of houses were on fire on Tuesday in the northern suburbs of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia. Reporters saw armed men moving on the streets, carting away electronics and other household items. It was not clear who the men were. They did not appear to be part of the Russian forces, but the Russians were not stopping them.

“We’re not a police force, we’re a military force,” said a Russian lieutenant colonel in response to a reporter’s question. “It’s not our job to do police work.”

Still, there was some evidence that the Russian military might be making efforts in some places to stop the rampaging. A column of 12 men with their hands on their heads, several wearing uniforms, were marched into the Russian military base in Gori on Thursday afternoon. The identities of the men were unclear. [Probably Georgian prisoners of war.]

Human Rights Watch issued a report on Thursday that documented attacks by ethnic Ossetians in and around Tskhinvali on Wednesday. Researchers saw a number of houses on fire in the town of Java. They quoted a South Ossetian intelligence officer as saying that his fighters had burned the houses to “make sure” that the Georgians could not come back.

The report’s findings also seemed to indicate that early Russian accounts of casualties, which in the first days of fighting reached 2,000, were far too high. In Tskhinvali , where the heaviest fighting took place, the local hospital received 44 corpses and 273 wounded people from Aug. 6, after clashes between separatists and Georgians, to Aug. 12, the report said, citing a doctor.

The report quoted the doctor as saying that the majority of the wounded were affiliated with the military, although it was not clear if he meant the Russian or Georgian armies or Ossetian fighters. As of Aug. 13, none of the wounded remained in the hospital, the report said. Many were transferred to mobile hospitals in the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

An elderly woman from the village of Kurta who gave only her first name, Elene, said she had been forced to walk three days to safety after Russian-speaking men broke into her house. An Ossetian man was with them, she said. “They entered the houses, took whatever they liked, and burned everything.” They threatened to shoot her after taking her valuables, but her neighbor, a Russian woman, intervened on her behalf.

“She said, ‘Please don’t do this,’ ” said the woman. The men shot at the ground several times and then left. She fled.

Five villages in her area were looted and people driven out, she said. In one of them, Oreti, she said she saw the bodies of two women decomposing. The walk was terrifying. She spent one night in an empty house.

She was reminded of the violence that took the life of her husband in the early 1990s, when Ossetians and Georgians fought an all-out war. “I wish I’d died soon after my husband,” she said. “There are so many deaths.”

A Georgian official said some of the worst “ethnic cleansing” was in the towns of Eredvi, Ditsi, Tirdznisi and Kuraleti. A man from the village of Karetezhvyari said he returned to check his house on Thursday, only to discover several houses on fire.

The man, who gave only his first name, Nukri, was livid about the lootings and the Russian advance. “They were a big empire, and they fell,” he said, “but they can’t stop acting like one.”

Sabrina Tavernise reported from Gori and Tbilisi, Georgia, and Matt Siegel from Tskhinvali, Georgia. Bryon Denton contributed reporting from Gori.

Kill the Oceans, We All Die...

What would happen if the oceans could no longer sustain life? Think about it...

From National Geographic News
"Dead Zones" Multiplying Fast, Coastal Water Study Says
Anne Minard
August 14, 2008

"Dead zones" are on the rise, says a new study that identified stark growth in the number of coastal areas where the water has too little oxygen to sustain marine life.

There are now more than 400 known dead zones in coastal waters worldwide, compared to 305 in the 1990s, according to study author Robert Diaz of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Those numbers are up from 162 in the 1980s, 87 in the 1970s, and 49 in the 1960s, Diaz said. In the 1910s, four dead zones had been identified.

Diaz and co-author Rutger Rosenberg, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said in a press release that dead zones are now "the key stressor on marine ecosystems" and "rank with overfishing, habitat loss, and harmful algal blooms as global environmental problems."

Their study appears in the August 15 issue of the journal Science.

Dead Zones
Dead zones occur when excess nutrients—usually nitrogen and phosphorus—from agriculture or the burning of fossil fuels seep into the water system and fertilize blooms of algae along the coast.

As the microscopic plants die and sink to the ocean floor, they feed bacteria, which consume dissolved oxygen from surrounding waters. This limits oxygen availability for bottom-dwelling organisms and the fish that eat them. (Related story: "Ocean Dead Zones Growing; May Be Linked to Warming" [May 1, 2008])

Many marine ecosystems experience low oxygen levels between spring and fall, Diaz said. But the lack of oxygen becomes persistent if nutrient levels stay high.

Earth's largest dead zone, in the Baltic Sea, experiences oxygen deprivation year-round, the press release said.

The second largest dead zone surrounds the mouth of the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico. Despite decades of efforts to clean up U.S. rivers and lakes, high nitrogen levels are currently combining with strong water flow to make that dead zone larger than it has ever been.

Government-supported scientists not involved with Diaz's review are forecasting an expansion of the Gulf of Mexico dead zone to a record 8,800 square miles (23,000 square kilometers), an area larger than New Jersey.
(Related story: "Gulf of Mexico "Dead Zone" Is Size of New Jersey" [May 25, 2005])

Nancy Rabalais, executive director and professor at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, said the paper "shows that there is a lot of lost production of [seafloor] animals—those living in the sediments—that could be food" for fishery stocks.

Diaz and Rosenberg note in the press release that dead zones tend to be overlooked until they start to affect organisms that people eat.

Another researcher at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, fish pathologist Wolfgang Vogelbein, said high rates of disease [missing word?] Bay stripers are due to the stress they encounter trying to escape the Chesapeake Bay's summertime dead zone.

Mixed Efforts
Some local and regional governments have stepped in with conservation and cleanup efforts to combat dead zones.

Maryland, for instance, gives $18 million a year in grants to farmers who plant additional crops after their harvest to absorb leftover fertilizer before it ends up in the Chesapeake Bay.

Rabalais, who was not involved in the Diaz review, said she has seen little sustained effort to combat nutrient runoff in the Mississippi River.

"In the recent years of increased acreage of corn and biofuels, the amount of fertilizer used and the amount of nitrogen per volume of Mississippi River water has increased dramatically," Rabalais said.

"What we have is this pulse of nutrients that are coming down our rivers every year," Diaz added. "Somehow we have to find a way to stop that.
"The loss of fertilizer is an economic drain on the industry. It is not something the farming community wants to happen, and controlling it is the key to controlling the spread of dead zones."

Georgian Chess Femmes Refuse to Play In Russia

For their own safety, the Georgian women's chess team has withdrawn from the Women's World Chess Championship which begins on August 28, 2008 in Nalchik, in a Russian Republic not far from the war zone of South Ossetia, Georgia.

I just cannot fathom how some people refuse to understand why the Georgian women do not want to play in a Russian republic close to the war zone! For goddess' sake, take your heads out of your doofusses!

I saw the announcement at Susan Polgar's blog (as always, her blog is on top of the news) and tracked down the link. Here is the article:

From Signonsandiego.com
Report: Georgian chess team won't play in Russia
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11:23 a.m. August 15, 2008

MOSCOW – The Interfax news agency says the women's national chess team in Georgia is refusing to play in the World Women's Chess Championship because it will be held in Russia.

The team's refusal stems from the conflict between Georgia and Russia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Interfax quoted Maya Lomineishvili, a member of the team, as saying it is not boycotting the championship, but rather refusing to play in Russia.

The tournament is scheduled to begin in two weeks in Nalchik, Russia, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the South Ossetian border.

Boris Kutin [note the name - a Russian], president of the European Chess Federation, says on the event's Web site that he cannot see an alternative to holding the event as planned.

Women's World Chess Championship

More baloney from Russian puppets mouthing from Putin's script. Does no one in Europe have any cojones other than the chess femmes who made the initial protest? Shame, SHAME on the ECU. Shame, SHAME on anyone who is not speaking up about this travesty!

First, this statement from European Chess Union President Boris Kutin - yes, you read that right, BORIS KUTIN. Sure sounds Russian to me, smirk.

Reports from Chessdom.com

Statement of the ECU President Boris Kutin
regarding the World Woman Chess Championship in Nalchik
After yesterday's message from the FIDE President Kirsan Ilymzhinov regarding the Women World Chess Championship in Nalchik, today a letter from the ECU President Boris Kutin followed.

14.08.2008
Following the recent dramatic developments in South Ossetia and the public reaction of certain chess players concerning the World Women's Championship in Nalchik (Russia), I would like to emphasize that mixing politics with sports is clearly against the spirit of the international chess community. Always and everywhere. From my side I cannot see any alternative other than organising this event as planned and doing everything possible in order for all participants of the World Championship to arrive in Nalchik and start, without any postponement, the battle for the highest title in women's chess.
Gens Una Sumus!
Boris Kutin President of the European Chess Union

Well of course there ARE alternatives, so why put the women players and, particularly, the Georgian players, in danger near a war zone? Why would any female player in her right mind want to play chess anywhere in Russia and possibly subject themselves to the "tender care" of the Russian army and/or armed militia from North and South Ossetia roaming around the area? Is Kirsan going to provide the players with armed body guards? Can he absolutely guarantee their physical safety from snipers and would-be rapists? Is he going to put a cordon of tanks around the hotel and playing venue to prevent a raid? For that matter, one shell dropped on the roof and kaboom, good bye top women chessplayers. Think I'm kidding? Think again. Putin is capable of ANYTHING.

Then, this statement - it's a "gag me" but what would you expect from another Russian puppet? Why would anyone give any veracity to a statement made by the RUSSIAN ORGANIZING COMMITTEE? Like - DUH!

Statement of Arsen Kanokov
Chairman of Organizing committee of the World women’s championship 2008
The Organizing Committee of the Women’s World Chess Championship 2008 is deeply disappointed and bewildered by the attempts of some circles by no means spots ones to break up the competition of the strongest women chess players of the world scheduled to be held in Nalchik.
Sharing entirely and fully attitude of FIDE and European Chess Union toward an open letter of Georgian women chess players, we believe that representatives of a famous chess school shouldn’t be pawns in somebody's unworthy game.
The preparation for the Championship has entered its final stages and the Organizing Committee claims that high requirements of FIDE to all aspects of preparation and holding the most significant chess event of the year will be met and nothing will prevent chess players of the participating countries from showing their game potential.
See you in peaceful and hospitable capital of Kabardino-Balkaria!
We are one family!
Arsen Kanokov, Chairman of Organizing committee of the World women’s championship 2008. Nalchik, 14 august 2008

These people are the ultimate hypocrites and totally lacking in moral courage to say and do the right thing. "We are all one family." Yeah, right, dudes. I hope they get their just desserts some day from the Devil and his pitchfork!

World Juniors Chess Championship (Girls)

The results are in!

Here are the top results for the final round:

1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 10 ½ - ½ 8 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE
2 WFM PAIKIDZE Nazi 2277 GEO 8 1 - 0 9 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR
3 WIM GOMES Mary Ann 2316 IND 8 1 - 0 8½ WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO
4 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 8 1 - 0 8 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND
5 WFM BODNARUK Anastasia 2394 RUS 7½ 1 - 0 7½ WFM SGIRCEA Silvia-Raluca 2167 ROU
6 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 7½ 0 - 1 7½ WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284 AZE
7 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE 7½ 1 - 0 7½ GUO Qi 2048 CHN
8 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS 7 1 - 0 7 ALAVI Hour Homa 1723 IRI
9 WIM NADIG Kruttika 2241 IND 7 1 - 0 7 WGM CORKE Anya 2255 HKG
10 WIM YILDIZ Betül Cemre 2236 TUR 7 ½ - ½ 7 MUMINOVA Nafisa 2242 UZB
11 ISGANDAROVA Khayala 2207 AZE 6½ 0 - 1 6½ WGM FOISOR Sabina-Francesca 2337 ROU
12 WIM HAMRAKULOVA Yulduz 2145 UZB 6½ ½ - ½ 6½ WIM MAJDAN Joanna 2323 POL
13 WIM DAULYTE Deimante 2288 LTU 6½ 1 - 0 6½ WIM IVAKHINOVA Inna 2248 RUS
14 MISOVIC Sanja 1914 MNE 6½ 0 - 1 6½ WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA

Here are the top final standings:

Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts
1 1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 10½
2-5 2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 9
31 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 9
7 WIM GOMES Mary Ann 2316 IND 9
14 WFM PAIKIDZE Nazi 2277 GEO 9
6-10 18 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 8½
12 WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284 AZE 8½
4 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE 8½
38 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE 8½
3 WFM BODNARUK Anastasia 2394 RUS 8½
11-13 10 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 8
8 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS 8
25 WIM NADIG Kruttika 2241 IND 8
14-23 33 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 7½
13 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA 7½
23 WFM NIKOLOVA Adriana 2242 BUL 7½
48 GUO Qi 2048 CHN 7½
24 MUMINOVA Nafisa 2242 UZB 7½
26 WIM YILDIZ Betül Cemre 2236 TUR 7½
5 WGM FOISOR Sabina-Francesca 2337 ROU 7½
16 WIM POURKASHIYAN Atousa 2269 IRI 7½
11 WIM DAULYTE Deimante 2288 LTU 7½
34 WFM SGIRCEA Silvia-Raluca 2167 ROU 7½

Congratulations to all of the chess femmes!

The Indian women are proving a power house. Dronavalli ran away with the event this year with 10.5, good for her! Mary Ann Gomes played excellently in the second half and finished in 4th place with 9.0! Tatev Abrahamyan won her final game and finished in 15th place with 7.5 - a score achieved by several players.

Narmin Kazimova was impressive, finishing in 9th place with 8.5 after a final round victory and picking up 45 ratings points. If she had not run into the buzz saw named Dronavalli, she would probably have finished much higher; but actually, 9th in the world juniors girls is an amazing achievement for a player who has not had much international exposure. (Well, she did mix it up with the elite women in the European Individual World Chess Championship earlier this year - valuable experience).

Special congratulations to Kubra Ozturk who wins the bronze medal for her home country, host of this year's World Junior Championships. The hype surrounding Ozturk in the Turkish press has been justified (she picked up 57 ratings points for her performance) - but she's not a player who has been much on the chess radar. It's great to see that Turkey has stepped forward and has hosted some excellent events over the past couple of years, raising it's profile as part of the continental European chess scene.

In the World Juniors, WGM Hou Yifan finished in 6th place with 9.0, behind winner GM Gupta Abhijeet (IND 2551), with 10.0. Yifan gains 19 ELO ratings points, a performance rating of 2661 and her second GM norm.

Job Vacancy: Apply To Be a Kumari Today!

From the Independent (UK)
Situation vacant: Girl, 3, wanted for role of living goddess. Must offer blessings
By Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent
Thursday, 14 August 2008

Nepal's astrologers are reviewing horoscopes to find the replacement for the current goddess, who is 11.

"If we don't change her now, we'll have to wait until next year which could be late," said Deepak Bahadur Pandey, a senior official at the state-run Trust Corporation that oversees cultural affairs in the politically turbulent Himalayan nation.

"If the girl starts menstruating while serving as kumari, it is considered inauspicious."

For hundreds of years, living goddesses have been held sacred in Nepal and their blessings have been sought by officials and others seeking good fortune.

Many campaigners believe the practice is outdated and harmful to the young girls, who must be willing to give up a normal childhood, live a cloistered life and offer occasional blessings. The contract is terminated when they reach puberty. There are more than a dozen kumari in Nepal, but it is the Kathmandu or chief Kumari that is the most important goddess.

The abolition of the 240-year-old monarchy earlier this year and the declaration of Nepal as a republic has complicated the selection process this time.

Traditionally, Nepal's king received the Kumari's annual blessing and astrologers would look for a child whose horoscope matched that of the monarch. Now officials have to find someone else to fill the king's shoes.
Chunda Bajracharya, a professor of cultural studies at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, said the republican status of Nepal was no excuse to drop centuries-old traditions. "We cannot end these traditions just because there is no king."

For the Kathmandu Kumari, cut off from the outside world, carried everywhere and not allowed outside her temple, life is not easy. Yet many families still put forward their daughters for the role, both for the supposed honour and for the modest compensation given to the family.

In recent years campaigners have pointed out the detrimental effects of the tradition and former kumaris have told of their difficulty in adjusting to normal life once their contracts have been terminated.

Three years ago, Pundevi Maharjan, a human rights lawyer in Kathmandu, filed a lawsuit claiming the children's rights were being abused and demanding reform. "I said exploitation and discrimination has been going on. This should be eliminated," she said last year. "We don't want to end the tradition but we have to change for the protection of the culture."

But Mr Pandey said the secret selection process was already well under way for a new kumari. The girl must have perfect eyes, teeth, hair and not even the smallest scratch on her skin.

Nepal held elections in April and former rebel Maoists are now poised to form the country's new government.

Having campaigned stridently against the discrimination of the Nepalese Hindu caste system and for the establishment of a republic, it is unclear whether they will allow the kumari tradition to continue.

Another person already out of a job is the former royal priest, Madhab Bhattarai. Perhaps not surprisingly, he regrets the abolition of the increasingly unpopular monarchy.

"For centuries Nepal has remained socially harmonious, despite being a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-faith country," he said. "It was the king who was a central point of unity."

GM Maurice Ashley in Madison, WI!

I think GM Ashley is just one of the coolest guys, ever. So, it bothers me that this event did not get the publicity it deserves! It's tomorrow, for goddess sake! If I had known ahead of time, I'd have arranged things so I could have been at Madison to watch the proceedings in person. As it is, all I can do is write about it now. The GM is in Madison to promote financial education in America, and this is vital information for each and every one of us. If I had known 40 years ago what I've learned about investing since I joined my first investment club in 2001, I'd be a millionaire x2 by now. Sigh.

University of Wisconsin-Madison News
Play a chess grandmaster at Memorial Union
Aug. 14, 2008
by Nicole Fritz
Chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley will simultaneously play up to 25 of the best chess players at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., at an event scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15.

Up to a dozen playing places remain available for UW-Madison students, faculty and staff on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, e-mail info@assetbuilders.org with your name, phone number, age and address.

Ashley is a world-renowned chess player and the only African American international grandmaster of chess. The Asset Builders of America are sponsoring Ashley's visit to Madison, as part of a weekend-long conference about financial education."

As part of the conference, to be held Saturday, Aug. 16, at Wright Middle School, Ashley will also lecture on chess openings and address the conference about chess as a metaphor for life.

"The mission is to promote financial education and wealth building for low and moderate income families and communities," says Robert Wynn, director of Asset Builders of America. "A lot of financial success is built off of education and education requires analytical thinking. Chess helps to develop cognitive and analytical thinking. We approach our mission from a very big picture perspective."

World Juniors Chess Championship (Girls)

See the news story in the prior post below!

Here are the top results for the chess femmes in Round 12:

1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 9 1 - 0 7½ KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE
2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 8½ ½ - ½ 7 WFM BODNARUK Anastasia 2394 RUS
3 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 7½ ½ - ½ 8 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO
4 WFM PAIKIDZE Nazi 2277 GEO 7 1 - 0 7½ WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ
5 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE 7 1 - 0 7 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS
6 ALAVI Hour Homa 1723 IRI 7 0 - 1 7 WIM GOMES Mary Ann 2316 IND

Here are the top standings after Round 12:

Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts Fide Rtg+/- Ra Rp 1
1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 10 66 8 2244 2517
2 2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 9 63 9 2273 2466
3 18 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 8½ 58½ 35 2245 2403
4 31 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 8 54 48 2304 2354
5 10 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 8 52½ 14 2224 2349
6 7 WIM GOMES Mary Ann 2316 IND 8 51 7 2215 2320
7 4 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE 8 48½ -6 2217 2342
8 14 WFM PAIKIDZE Nazi 2277 GEO 8 44½ 5 2166 2274
9 33 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 7½ 56 36 2267 2290
10 12 WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284 AZE 7½ 49½ -2 2178 2256
11 38 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE 7½ ½ 39 2217 2311
48 GUO Qi 2048 CHN 7½ 47½ 60 2271 2336
13 3 WFM BODNARUK Anastasia 2394 RUS 7½ 44½ -18 2209 2231
14 34 WFM SGIRCEA Silvia-Raluca 2167 ROU 7½ 40 0 2088 2116

The 1, 2 and 3 spots remained the same - but there are several players who are gunning for that 3rd spot. Narmin Kazimova dropped from 6th place to 11th place after losing to Dronavalli - well, I knew she'd had a tough match-up but to put her up against the #1? Wow!

Turkey's WFM Tubra Ozturk is having a great tournament and rebounded after her loss to Dronavalli. Can Kazimova do the same tomorrow?

India has 3 players in the top 10. Other than one lone player in the Junior Girls, Guo Chi (#12 currently), I guess the Chinese put all their money on Hou Yifan, about whom Susan Polgar wrote about earlier today will become a GM by virtue of her results in the Juniors Tournament. Nothing wrong with promoting Hou Yifan, of course, but since it seems the Chinese are intent on nothing less than TOTAL DOMINATION of all forms of sport, why the chintzy response to the World Juniors? Perhaps they spent all their allowance this quarter on the Olympics... Hou Yifan is in 7th place with 8.0 after 12 rounds, and a performance rating of 2641. Thus far, she's gained 14 ELO points on her rating of 2557, which would not be enough to push her up to 2600 needed to qualify for that GM title she will earn her third and final norm form in this event.

How did our girl Tatev Abrahamyan do?
WFM SGIRCEA Silvia-Raluca 2167 ROU 6½ 1 - 0 6½ WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA

As a result of this loss, Tatev fell to 21st place. Keep your eye on this young lady, she's got the goods. The problem is, she's playing in the USA, and we don't support our chessplayers and certainly don't provide them with anything approaching a living should they choose to attempt to do so playing chess on a full-time basis. And chess is a jealous mistress - she doesn't countenance less than full devotion. That's why the USA usually loses it's most promising young players to the mundane reality of having to earn a living in the real world!

Okay, enough editorializing for the day. I've got a casserole calling my name...

Dronavalli Wins World Juniors (Girls)

Ohmygoddess! They parired Narmin Kazimova against Harika Dronavalli!

From sports.indiatimes.com
Harika wins World Junior Chess; Chance for an Indian double

GAZIANTEP (Turkey), August 14: Top seeded International Master India's D Harika proved her top billing right by winning the World Junior Girls Chess Championship with one round to spare after beating Narmin Kazimova of Azerbaijan in the 12th and penultimate round.

Harika took her tally to an unassailable 10 points out of a possible 12 and steered a full point clear of Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine who was held to a draw by Anastasia Bodnaruk of Russia.

It implies that, with her better progressive score, Harika is assured of the title with one round still to come in the premier junior event for girls. Harika is the second Indian girl ever to win the Junior World champion title after Koneru Humpy in 2001.

Harika had won the 2006 World under-18 girls title and was plain unlucky not to win this title last year when she lost the last three rounds after being in lead.

Harika had to work hard in the final round game against Narmin Kazimova as the latter played cautiously for the major part of the game.

Starting off with English open as Harika established a minimal advantage and later liquidated to a better rook and pawns endgame. Kazimova lost a pawn first and when it became a race between passed pawns, Harika's forces were more adequately deployed.

For the records, the game lasted 68 moves. While the 20 member Indian contingent rejoiced at Harika's brilliant show, there was more good news coming in as Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta grinded overnight leader Arik Braun of Germany in the open section and jumped in to joint lead along with compatriot Parimarjan Negi and David Howell of England.

With all these three leaders on 9 points, it is clear that the winner will be amongst these three only which gives a chance for an Indian double in the championships organized simultaneously.

It was a fine effort by Abhijeet with white pieces in a Slav defense game. Getting an interesting endgame, the Indian junior champion outclassed Braun after winning a rook for knight.

Parimarjan also displayed top form in defeating Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam in a French defense game while Howell won a long drawn affair against second seed Maxim Rodshtein of Israel.

State-Sponsored Cheating at Olympics

Hola! This will be my 1,501 post since the start of this blog on April 28, 2007. Well, no one ever accused me of being shy, retiring, and never having enough to say...

Saw this news report. There have been other stories about the discrepency in reported ages for three of the Chinese "women" gymnasts and what their "official" passports say. Come on - I remember what Michelle Kwan looked like just after turning 13, and how her coaches try to "mature" her with costuming and fancy make-up. While Kwan was, indeed, a figure-skater mature beyond her years, no amount of make-up or costuming could disguise her youth when you saw her right next to a 16 or 17 year old skater.

These Chinese girls - they are babies. In this photo of He Kexin from a few days ago, she doesn't even have breasts - she could wear a tee shirt, she doesn't have enough bustline to fill out a training bra!

The world gymnastics federation says they accept passports issued by the government as valid proof of age (avoiding the issue, of course, about the veracity of the issuing authority!) and the US Gymnastics Association won't make a fuss - it's up to the world federation, they say. But we all know what the truth is. China's totalitarian regime and its butt-kissing yesmen can (bullshit - oops - delete that naughty word) DISSEMBLE all they want about the "true" age of these girls - and get the girls to parrot correct responses to the press (I mean, it can't be that hard for the girls and even their parents to lie with a straight face, who'd want to go down in history as a known cheat - and lose gigantic "face" under the mores of Chinese society?) I had a good laugh over Zhang Hongliang saying that the writers of CHINESE press reports in CHINESE newspapers didn't check to get the ages of the girls right! Yeah, right. That may fly as "truth" in Bejing, but it doesn't play here, darlings!

It's very sad. The Chinese don't HAVE to cheat. They've got more than enough talent who meet the age requirements (which have been around at least as long as the Chinese Communist government's extensive programs to breed and raise autobot athletes for the Brave New World) to win fair and square. How pathetic.

Yahoo news
State-media story fuels questions on gymnast’s age
By JOHN LEICESTER, Associated Press Writer 10 hours, 49 minutes ago
BEIJING (AP)—Just nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government’s news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13, which would have made her ineligible to be on the team that won a gold medal this week.

In its report Nov. 3, Xinhua identified He as one of “10 big new stars” who made a splash at China’s Cities Games. It gave her age as 13 and reported that she beat Yang Yilin on the uneven bars at those games. In the final, “this little girl” pulled off a difficult release move on the bars known as the Li Na, named for another Chinese gymnast, Xinhua said in the report, which appeared on one of its Web sites, www.hb.xinhuanet.com

The Associated Press found the Xinhua report on the site Thursday morning and saved a copy of the page. Later that afternoon, the Web site was still working but the page was no longer accessible. Sports editors at the state-run news agency would not comment for publication.

If the age reported by Xinhua was correct, that would have meant He was too young to be on the Chinese team that beat the United States on Wednesday and clinched China’s first women’s team Olympic gold in gymnastics. He is also a favorite for gold in Monday’s uneven bars final.

Yang was also on Wednesday’s winning team. Questions have also been raised about her age and that of a third team member, Jiang Yuyuan.

Gymnasts have to be 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible for the games. He’s birthday is listed as Jan. 1, 1992.

Chinese authorities insist that all three are old enough to compete. He herself told reporters after Wednesday’s final that “my real age is 16. I don’t pay any attention to what everyone says.”

Zhang Hongliang, an official with China’s gymnastics delegation at the games, said Thursday the differing ages which have appeared in Chinese media reports had not been checked in advance with the gymnastics federation.

“It’s definitely a mistake,” Zhang said of the Xinhua report, speaking in a telephone interview. “Never has any media outlet called me to check the athletes’ ages.”

Asked whether the federation had changed their ages to make them eligible, Zhang said: “We are a sports department. How would we have the ability to do that?”

“We already explained this very clearly. There’s no need to discuss this thing again.”

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has said repeatedly that a passport is the “accepted proof of a gymnast’s eligibility,” and that He and China’s other gymnasts have presented ones that show they are age eligible. The IOC also checked the girls’ passports and deemed them valid.

A May 23 story in the China Daily newspaper, the official English-language paper of the Chinese government, said He was 14. The story was later corrected to list her as 16.

“This is not a USAG issue,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “The FIG and the IOC are the proper bodies to handle this."

The Giuoco Piano a/k/a C50 in ECO Terms

Hola darlings!

Rick Kennedy, one of the three people who read my Chessville column every month emailed me a little while back and something I wrote back to him (for the life of me, I have no idea what), triggered a brilliant idea in his mind to write about whether/if, etc. chess femmes play something called Jerome's Gambit.

I had a vague idea that it must have something to do with chess but for some unknown reason "go fish" pops into my mind whenever I read the words "Jerome's Gambit." The other thing "Jerome's Gambit" conjures up is a memory from my murky past long long ago, on a planet far far away...of a street hustler named Boney Jerome who used to hold court on the steps outside the apartment building where I lived at the time. Boney Jerome tried to lure me into an "unspecified relationship" by attempting to bribe me with large gold and cubic zirconia rings (the gold was probably as fake as the stones), which I always rejected with a sweet smile. He eventually gave up on me, declaiming to all in the neighborhood that I was way too smart and sassy-mouthed for my own good, always throwing quotes from Shakespeare at him. For my part, I was impressed that Boney Jerome knew the name Shakespeare.

I digress. Today Rick did write about chess femmes and the Jerome at his blog entirely devoted to the Jerome Gambit, and now I actually understand it's a series of moves at the beginning of a chess game that starts out e4/e5, Nf3/Nc6, and has nothing to do with fishing, the card game "go fish" or street hustlers. Well, darling, why didn't you just say so to begin with?

After doing a little research, I found a database at Chessgames.com where this opening sequence of moves is not called the Jerome's Gambit but is called something like Guicci's Piano, only it's not Guicci the designer, it's some Italian guy who played chess ages ago or maybe he didn't really play, he just wrote about chess like I do, but he managed to get something named after himself like any good designer should. It seems Jerome's Gambit is an offshoot of Guicci - a Chinese knock-off, one could say.

The first game recorded under the ECO "C50" is from the 1600s! Cool!

As per usual there aren't a lot of games by chess femmes, but there are enough to show that they do play the Piano.

Chess' Fearless Leader Has Spoken!

Reading between the lines, Kirsan is actually saying "Girls, I don't care if your butts may be in danger by playing chess in Nalchik. Suck it up. We're all going to have a good time pretending nothing, absolutely nothing is wrong." Er, I think Fearless Leader had better start wondering if his republic (Kalmaykia) might soon be on the terrorist Putin's short list of countries to invade during his spare time...

Here's the official poop from FIDE:

Dear chess friends!

After having read the open letter of several participants of the forthcoming World Chess Championship in Nalchik (Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, Russian Federation), I would like to make the following statement:

The World Chess Federation is in close contact with the Russian Chess Federation and the Championship's Organising Committee. The FIDE delegation visited the city of Nalchik during 5-6 August and took part in the meeting of the Organising Committee.

According to the information received, the preparation for the tournament has entered its final stages, and a lot of attention has been given to the issues of food, accommodation as well as the provision of all necessary security. [Meaning: I have accepted a lot of bribes and cannot back out now, unless I want to find a dead horse's head on my pillow tomorrow morning.]

We are aware of the recent developments in South Ossetia, and would like to express our most sincere condolences to all who have become victims of this terrible tragedy.

However, in the current situation I appeal to all not to mix politics and sport, and not to involve FIDE and the world chess community into political, territorial and other disputes. [Oh, this is rich, really rich, coming from a consummate chess politician who has single-handedly done more to f*ck up the world of chess through his years of interfering in local politics, particularly in third world countries.] All the issues should be settled at a chess board, and not beyond its limits. [Meaning: Girls, you cannot come up with enough money or other incentives to tempt me to do the right thing.] This issue is particularly critical during the days of the Olympic Games. [There goes Kirsan, marching off into the red sunset with his Chinese Communist Politburo buddies, har!]

I am confident that we shall witness a very interesting World Championship in Nalchik [he's actually wondering whether any of the chess femmes will take a bullet between the boobs like I mentioned in this month's column at Chessville, and whether he can find a way to make money off such an event], which will be organized on a proper level.

See you in Nalchik.

We are one family. [Gag me - what a frigging hypocrite.]

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
FIDE President

Elista, 13 August 2008

Empty Seats at Olympics

Okay - isn't this rather unusual? I'm watching volleyball on t.v. at the moment and the place is at least half empty. And who IS it that is playing that goddess-awful ancient pop rock junk music in the background with those cheesy kind of pre-recorded cheers one only hears in baseball and NFL stadiums?

I thought Olympics were always THE hot tickets. I also noticed a lot of empty seats last night during the Women's gymnastics finals. Now you can't tell me that isn't one of the hottest tickets in the world - but plenty of people either didn't show up - or the seats were never sold in the first place...

Guess the Chinese government kept out a few too many foreigners, heh. LOL! Supposedly all the tickets were sold. Yeah, right. Here's the official poop:

From BBC News
Tuesday August 12, 2008
Empty Olympic seats cause concern
By Michael Bristow BBC News, Beijing

Chinese officials have admitted that they are concerned about the lack of spectators at some Olympic events.

They have hired volunteers, dressed in yellow shirts, to fill up empty venues and improve the atmosphere inside.

But Wang Wei, a senior official with the Beijing organising committee (Bocog), said other Olympics had experienced similar problems. [Oh, really? Which ones would those be?]

The comments came after spectators and journalists noticed that certain
venues were far from full, even though all events are sold out.

Weather?
Speaking at a daily press briefing, Mr Wang said: "We are also concerned about this not full stadium [issue]."

He said a number of factors had contributed to this, including the hot and humid weather in Beijing, as well as the rain. [Yeah, like the Bejing weather during the summer is some big frigging surprise! Isn't it always hot and humid and rainy there during this time of year? Of course it is. Duh!]

Mr. Wang said some spectators were also only turning up for specific events, even though they had tickets for a whole session.

"For competitions like beach volleyball and basketball, [spectators] have one ticket for the whole afternoon, morning, evening," he explained.

"They may choose to go to one of them, but not all them."

Mr Wang, executive vice-president of Bocog, said local authorities were hiring volunteers to fill empty seats. "If they find that there are not enough people, or if they find that there are too many empty seats, they organise some cheerleaders," he said. These cheer for both sides to "create a good atmosphere", he added.

Although some events are full - such as Sunday's clash between the men's basketball teams from China and the United States - others have been less well attended.

Corporate sponsors
These include sessions of judo, badminton and water polo.

"There were heaps of empties. It's sickening," said one spectator who went to the judo expecting to see a full house.

There were even a number of empty seats at the opening ceremony on Friday.

One reason for less-than-full venues could be that seats allocated to corporate sponsors are not being used. Many of these tickets are handed out the night before events take place, sometimes too late for those who get them to attend, according to someone with access to these tickets. [Where are the people they're handing out the tickets located? The North Pole?]

World Juniors Chess Championship (Girls)

Round 11 has finished. Hold on to your hats!

Results (top chess femmes):
1 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 7 0 - 1 8 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND
2 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS 6½ ½ - ½ 8 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR
3 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 7½ ½ - ½ 6½ WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE
4 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE 6½ 1 - 0 7½ WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ
5 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 6½ 1 - 0 6½ WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284 AZE
6 WFM BODNARUK Anastasia 2394 RUS 6 1 - 0 6 WGM CORKE Anya 2255 HKG
7 WGM FOISOR Sabina-Francesca 2337 ROU 6 ½ - ½ 6 WFM NIKOLOVA Adriana 2242 BUL
8 WIM GOMES Mary Ann 2316 IND 6 1 - 0 6 WFM BOROSOVA Zuzana 2254 SVK
9 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA 6 ½ - ½ 6 GUO Qi 2048 CHN
10 WIM DAULETOVA Gulmira 2267 KAZ 6 0 - 1 6 WFM PAIKIDZE Nazi 2277 GEO
11 ALAVI Hour Homa 1723 IRI 6 1 - 0 5½ WFM HOOLT Sarah 2298 GER

Dronavalli is back on top at 9.0 after having dispatched Ozturk, who was having an excellent tournament :) Tatev Abrahamyan moved to 6.5 after a draw with Guo Qi. And Narmin Kazimova is having another one of those streaks where she can do no wrong! She won today, to go to 7.5 points and - well - you'll see:

Here are the top standings after Round 11:

Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts Fide Rtg+/- Ra Rp
1 1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 9 56 6 2252 2514
2 2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 8½ 54 9 2262 2473
3 18 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 8 50 34 2241 2416
4 33 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 7½ 48½ 41 2266 2320
5 10 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 7½ 44½ 15 2221 2354
6 38 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE 7½ 40 42 2194 2327
7 31 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 7 46 37 2301 2321
8 7 WIM GOMES Mary Ann 2316 IND 7 43 5 2238 2340
9 8 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS 7 42 6 2223 2325
10 4 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE 7 40½ -12 2209 2311
11 3 WFM BODNARUK Anastasia 2394 RUS 7 37 -18 2191 2213
60 ALAVI Hour Homa 1723 IRI 7 37 87 2073 2327
13 14 WFM PAIKIDZE Nazi 2277 GEO 7 36½ 0 2166 2249
14 13 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA 6½ 47½ 7 2240 2305

1-2-3 stay the same as they've been for the past three rounds. Tatev Abrahamyan's draw today did not prevent her from dropping lower in the standings - from 11th yesterday to 14th today. Tatev is at the top of a large group of players with 6.5 points. And Narmin - she's jumped from 10th yesterday to 6th today, with 2 games to go! Go Narmin! She will probably have her hands full tomorrow, as I expect she'll be matched with one of the players above her - not a pleasant prospect.

There were 9 draws today, up from yesterday's 4. That left 24 decisive matches.

Goddess: Chudel Mata

From The Times of India
Witch temple is 'high court'
13 Aug 2008, 0256 hrs IST, Ashish Vashi,TNN

KUNGHER (PATAN): Looks like people of this small village want justice from none other than the almighty. In Kungher village in Patan, high court is temple of Chudel Mata (witch goddess).

Thousands flock to the temple on Sunday with their grievances. "People find that their problems get sorted out quickly when they come here. That's why the temple has been dubbed 'high court of Kungher'. Now, that's how it's commonly referred to," says Umedbhai Patel, temple trustee.

Rush of devotees has risen in the last two to three years because of favourable word-of-mouth publicity. "The village has had a small shrine for the goddess for more than two decades. But, it was considered evil and people were frightened to come near it. Now, people are showing tremendous faith in Chudel Mata and her popularity is soaring by the day," says Jayantibhai Naik, another trustee.

Interestingly, the temple has no idol of the goddess and people worship a flame representing her. The faithful stand in queues for hours to catch a glimpse of the flame.

Kungher has also changed in character. It's now dominated by small shops selling photographs of the goddess, audio-cassettes, coconuts, chunadis, toys and sweets. Khakhi-clad villagers keep order among the crowd.

Immense popularity of this temple has also been a boon to the entertainment industry. More than 50 audio-cassettes and music videos are in the market with bhajans and songs about Chudel Mata.

Moreover, there are a couple of telefilms also available titled 'Chudel Mata, High Court of Kungher'. Two Gujarati films are also on the floor with legend of the goddess as central theme.

Russian Hackers Attacking Kasparov Website

The Putin Russians - what a bunch of juvenile assholes. They need to be spanked and set to bed without their supper.

From Associated Press/Google
Russian hackers continue attacks on Georgian sites
By PETER SVENSSON – 8 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Attacks by Russian hackers against Georgian Web sites, including one hosted in the United States, continued Tuesday even as Russian President Dmitri Medvedev ordered a halt to hostilities against Georgia.

Tom Burling, acting chief executive of Atlanta-based Web-hosting firm Tulip Systems Inc., said the Web site of the president of Georgia was the target of a flood of traffic from Russia aiming to overwhelm the site. Burling said bogus traffic outnumbered legitimate traffic 5000 to 1 at president.gov.ge.

"Literally, our people aren't getting any sleep," Burling said.

Tulip's firewall was blocking most of the malicious traffic. The site has been periodically inaccessible, though it was working midday Tuesday. Burling said the attacks have been reported to the FBI.

The site was transferred from servers in Georgia, the small nation south of Russia, on Saturday. Georgian-born Nino Doijashvili, Tulip's chief executive and founder, happened to be in the country on vacation when fighting broke out Thursday. Doijashvili offered help to the government when it became apparent that Russian hackers were getting the upper hand, shutting down several government and news sites.

The U.S.-based Shadowserver Foundation, which tracks Internet attacks, said they had noticed commands to attack Georgian sites being issued over the weekend to "botnets," or networks of computers that have been surreptitiously subverted by hackers. The computers are used to send bogus traffic to targeted sites, slowing them or in some cases bringing them down.

The same botnets are also targeting Russian news sites and the Web site of Gary Kasparov, the Russian chess player and political activist, according to Steven Adair at Shadowserver.

On Monday, hackers took over the Web site of Georgia's parliament and replaced it with an image that drew parallels between Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili and Adolf Hitler, Adair said.

World Juniors Chess Championship (Girls)

You know it's getting serious when only 4 games were drawn out of 33 today, in Round 10. Three more rounds to go.

Here are the top results:

1 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 7 ½ - ½ 7½ IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND
2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 7 1 - 0 6½ WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND
3 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 6½ 1 - 0 6 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA
4 WFM NIKOLOVA Adriana 2242 BUL 6 0 - 1 6 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR
5 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE 5½ 1 - 0 6 GUO Qi 2048 CHN
6 WFM BOROSOVA Zuzana 2254 SVK 5½ ½ - ½ 5½ WGM FOISOR Sabina-Francesca 2337 ROU
7 PREETHI Rajkumar 2183 IND 5½ 0 - 1 5½ WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS
8 WFM HOOLT Sarah 2298 GER 5½ 0 - 1 5½ KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE
9 WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284 AZE 5½ 1 - 0 5½ WIM NADIG Kruttika 2241 IND
10 WGM CORKE Anya 2255 HKG 5 1 - 0 5½ WFM PERTLOVA Sona 2217 CZE

As you can see, Dronavalli drew her game with Mikadze (a player who snuck up into the top 3 without seeming to draw any attention at all!), so she stands at 8 points of 10. Meanwhile, Maria Muzychuk (younger sister of Anna) defeated Swaminathan of India, and with the full point she is now in a tie-score with Dronavalli! The sole American, Tatev Abrahamyan, can't seem to get unstuck from 6 points, losing her game, while young Narmin Kazimova won her game behind the black pieces against a player rated 150 points higher! Way to go, Narmin!

Here are the top standings after Round 10:

Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts Fide Rtg+/- Ra Rp
1 1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 8 47 5 2259 2499
2 2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 8 45½ 10 2259 2499
3 18 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 7½ 42 32 2228 2421
4 33 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 7½ 41 49 2279 2384
5 31 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 7 39 40 2283 2344
6 10 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 6½ 37 7 2214 2324
7 12 WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284 AZE 6½ 35½ -1 2161 2250
8 8 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS 6½ 35 3 2204 2314
9 4 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE 6½ 33½ -9 2205 2315
10 38 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE 6½ 32½ 34 2197 2306
11 13 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA 6 41 11 2259 2331

Playing in the Juniors, Hou Yifan has slipped to 13th after drawing her Round 10 game today. She was defeated yesterday by IM Arik Braun and currently has 6.5 points. The sole juniors leader is GM Maxim Rodshtein with 8.0. Barring a complete collapse at the top, Hou won't be able to medal, but I'm sure she wants to pull herself into at least the top 10 and will be going no holds barred for the last 3 games.

2008 Women's World Chess Championship

From Susan Polgar's blog today:

The following Open Letter was published by ChessBase.com:

Open letter by the participants of the Women World Championship of FIDE

We, the participants of the Women World Championship 2008, express our worry about the current dangerous situation near Cabardino-Balkaria. We think when there is such a tense situation, it is not expedient to hold such a high level tournament in that area. That’s why we kindly ask you to move this tournament to the safer place, which would be convenient for all the participants.

If you agree with the above, please join us with signing this letter, and please send it to FIDE and to us (Maia Chiburdanidze, Lela Javakhishvili, Sopio Gvetadze, Nino Khurtsidze, Maia Lomineishvili, Sopiko Khukhashvili) by e-mail: wchampionship@yahoo.com

We do not have the email addresses of all participants and kindly ask you to send this message to other participants you know.

I was informed this past weekend that at least one of the U.S. players has withdrawn due to safety reason. I do really hope that this can be changed ASAP.
******************************************************************************************
For those of you not so familiar with chess, the women who "signed" the letter are all Georgian chessplayers. Maia Chiburdanidze, a highly respected and well-liked player, is a former Women's World Chess Championship, holding the title from 1978 to 1991. The other players are all highly ranked Georgian women.

The Women's Championship is scheduled to start later this month - August 28th I think, in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria, Russian Republic. Obviously the Georgian players would feel somewhat "concerned" about playing in Russia after it has invaded Georgia and bombed and shelled innocent civilians, engaging in ethnic cleansing of all Georgian peoples from the invaded territories preparatory, no doubt, to annexation into the Russian Republic. And people call America a barbaric country - ha! Putin is the undisputed leader, surpassing even Al Qaeda for terrorism.

Mig at his Daily Dirt blog pointed out a few months ago that Nalchik has a past history of violence itself. The Georgian players would be walking targets and the people who are running Russia now wouldn't care if there was "collateral" damage - so what if a few stupid women chessplayers from other countries get killed in the process of taking out the Georgian enemies of the state!

Here is the story at Chessbase. The handy map there shows that Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria borders Georgia to the north, including (it appears) at least part of South Ossetia (where the Russians have invaded).

See WGM Anjelina Belakovskaia's commentary on the situation. Belakovskaia, who immigrated to the US in 1991, is a three-time U.S. Women's Chess Champion (1995, 1996, 1999). Here is her personal website.

Little Girl Singer at Olympics Part of a Switcheroo!

From the Guardian.co.uk
Olympics: Child singer revealed as fake
Tania Brannigan, in Beijing
guardian.co.uk,
Tuesday August 12 2008 12:34 BST

When nine-year-old Lin Miaoke launched into Ode to the Motherland at the Olympic opening ceremony, she became an instant star.

"Tiny singer wins heart of nation," China Daily sighed; "Little girl sings, impresses the world," gushed another headline, perhaps in reference to Lin's appearance on the front of the New York Times. Countless articles lauded the girl in the red dress who "lent her voice" to the occasion.

But now it emerges that Lin lent someone else's voice, following high-level discussions - which included a member of the Politburo - on the relative photogenicity of small children.

The recording to which Lin mouthed along on Friday was by the even younger Yang Peiyi. It seems that Yang's uneven teeth, while unremarkable in a seven-year-old, were considered potentially damaging to China's international image.
"This is in the national interest. It is the image of our national music, national culture. Especially the entrance of our national flag; this is an extremely important, extremely serious matter," Chen Qigang, the event's general music designer, explained to a Beijing radio station.

Chen said that director Zhang Yimou - who created the ceremony - had demanded a "very cute" child; a standard certainly met by Lin and, many would suggest, by Yang.

"We made the decision that the voice we would use was Yang Peiyi's. The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression.

"Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects. But in the aspect of voice, Yang Peiyi is flawless," he explained.

But at the last minute, officials decided a switch was needed, according to the translation by the China Digital Times website.

"We had been through several inspections - they were all very strict. When we rehearsed at the spot, there were spectators from various divisions, especially a leader from the Politburo, who gave us his opinion: It must change," said Chen.
"I think it is fair to both Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi. That is to say, we have a perfect voice, and a perfect image and representation - in our team's view - combined together."

It appears that Lin, already a veteran of TV adverts, may not have been aware that Yang's voice was used. Chen said they had recordings of both girls and their voices were fairly similar.

Yang appears to have taken the snub in her stride. Asked by a CCTV journalist whether she was sad to have missed the opening ceremony, she replied: "No, my voice was there."

Not everyone has reacted so calmly. "Adults may lie, but leave the kids out of it," one angry internet user wrote.

Her tutor, Wang Liping, wrote in her blog that Yang is cute and well-behaved, with a love for Peking opera.

"She doesn't like to show off. She's easygoing," she added. Yang's school could not be reached today.

The switch may reflect underlying cultural preferences as well as the incredible attention paid to Olympic preparations.

Research by Daniel Hamermesh, an economist at the University of Texas, has suggested that the "beauty premium" in parts of China is far more pronounced than in the west for women.

Dr Hamermesh's work shows that ugly people earn below the average income while beautiful people earn more. In Britain, attractive women enjoy a +1% premium. But in Shanghai, the figure was +10%.
*********************************************************************************
Lots of coverage on this story - here's direct quotes and a u-tube video of the ringer's performance.

When you cut out the crap, they changed up singers because they considered the original little girl too ugly to represent their "national image" even though her voice was "flawless."

Now I'm wondering - was that little boy prancing around with the big basketball player actually nine - and was he actually a hero? Come to think of it, wasn't his presence something of a slap in the face to all of the parents who lost children in schools that collapsed in the June earthquake while all around other buildings withstood the quake with minimal damage? Thousands of children were killed and rather than investigating official corruption and malfeasance in office, the central government is trying to buy off bereaved parents with a couple hundred bucks each.

432 - An Interesting Number

August 11, 2008
There Are More Things In Heaven and Under The Earth, Horatio.
An archaeological dig has uncovered what could well be the remnants of the theatre where Shakespeare's plays debuted to adoring crowds.

The theatre was discovered during excavations carried out by Museum of London staff at a site in Shoreditch, East London. Prior to excavation the site was an old garage and was scheduled to be demolished to make way for a brand-new theatre. Builders clearing the site unearthed the structure and quickly called in archaeologists to prevent further damage.

The discovery of the 432 year-old foundations did not come as a complete surprise to archaeologists at the Museum of London. They have suspected that the site had some exciting secrets to yield for some time. Despite suspicions that the theatre was around the Shoreditch area, the exact location of the building was difficult to pin down. A lack of maps, drawings or even reliable descriptions of the bard's debut playhouse made tracking down the forgotten remnants of the building near-impossible.

When it opened in 1576 the newly-rediscovered Elizabethan playhouse was simply named "The Theatre" and was among the first dedicated playhouses in England. Shakespeare and his company performed at The Theatre in the 1590s and it has been suggested that many of the bard's best known works such as, Romeo and Juliet and Richard II premiered at the site.

Of course, the theatre is in no fit state to be used, spending over four centuries underground has done it no favours. The ravages of time were not the only factor in the decay of The Theatre. A dispute with a landlord in 1597 forced Shakespeare and the Lord Chamberlain's men to move. As they owned the theatre but not the land the building was simply disassembled, moved across the Thames and renamed "The Globe". Only the foundations were left behind and it is these that archaeologists have discovered.

Academics are very excited about the find, suggesting that the foundations will reveal a great deal about the playhouses of Elizabethan London. The Tower Theatre Company are equally excited about the discovery as the site is going to be home to their new theatre. Talks are underway between English Heritage, the Tower Theatre Company and their architect to attempt to find a way to leave the thrilling find in-situ.

The Tower Theatre Company is a tiny, two-man company who stage up to an incredible 18 shows a year in London with no external funding. The discovery of Shakespeare's first theatre in what will become their basement is undoubtedly a lovely surprise for the company who need all the publicity they can get for their upcoming fund-raising campaign. Money raised by this campaign will be used to purchase the freehold for the site and to begin construction of the new theatre.

One can only imagine what an inspiration the find will be to future performers at The Tower Theatre Company's new venue. The opportunity to tred the boards mere feet from where the bard himself once performed is enviable indeed. Published by: Jonathan Dudley
**********************************************************************************
Check out the fascinating significance of the number 432.

Oh oh...

It seems I just posted some stuff about climate change a few days ago - darlings, I can't keep track, it's all a blur...

But this isn't funny. Instead of taking 60 years (I'd more than likely be buried - oh yeah, and dead - by then, being about 110 years old if I survived - on the other hand, who the heck knows, hmmm...) - it is now being estimated that the North Pole could be free of ice in just five years. Yep, that's not a mistake. Five years. Scary stuff. I hope the Russians get drowned first, the dirty buggers. They started a new cold war and then heated things up, well, they're going to get zapped for their pains from an unexpected source!

From the Guardian.co.uk
Meltdown in the Arctic is speeding up
Scientists warn that the North Pole could be free of ice in just five years' time instead of 60

Robin McKie, science editor
The Observer,
Sunday August 10 2008
Article history

Ice at the North Pole melted at an unprecedented rate last week, with leading scientists warning that the Arctic could be ice-free in summer by 2013.

Satellite images show that ice caps started to disintegrate dramatically several days ago as storms over Alaska's Beaufort Sea began sucking streams of warm air into the Arctic.

As a result, scientists say that the disappearance of sea ice at the North Pole could exceed last year's record loss. More than a million square kilometres melted over the summer of 2007 as global warming tightened its grip on the Arctic. But such destruction could now be matched, or even topped, this year.

'It is a neck-and-neck race between 2007 and this year over the issue of ice loss,' said Mark Serreze, of the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Boulder, Colorado.

'We thought Arctic ice cover might recover after last year's unprecedented melting - and indeed the picture didn't look too bad last month. Cover was significantly below normal, but at least it was up on last year.

'But the Beaufort Sea storms triggered steep ice losses and it now looks as if it will be a very close call indeed whether 2007 or 2008 is the worst year on record for ice cover over the Arctic. We will only find out when the cover reaches its minimum in mid-September.'

This startling loss of Arctic sea ice has major meteorological, environmental and ecological implications. The region acts like a giant refrigerator that has a strong effect on the northern hemisphere's meteorology. Without its cooling influence, weather patterns will be badly disrupted, including storms set to sweep over Britain.

At the same time, creatures such as polar bears and seals - which use sea ice for hunting and resting - face major threats. Similarly, coastlines will no longer be insulated by ice from wave damage and will suffer erosion, as is already happening in Alaska.

Other environmental changes are likely to follow. Without sea ice to bolster them, land ice - including glaciers - could topple into the ocean and raise global sea levels, threatening many low-lying areas, including Bangladesh and scores of Pacific islands. In addition, the disappearance of reflective ice over the Arctic means that solar radiation would no longer be bounced back into space, thus heating the planet even further.

On top of these issues, there are fears that water released by the melting caps will disrupt the Gulf Stream, while an ice-free Arctic in summer offers new opportunities for oil and gas drilling there - and for political disputes over territorial rights.

What really unsettles scientists, however, is their inability to forecast precisely what is happening in the Arctic, the part of the world most vulnerable to the effects of global warming. 'When we did the first climate change computer models, we thought the Arctic's summer ice cover would last until around 2070,' said Professor Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University. 'It is now clear we did not understand how thin the ice cap had already become - for Arctic ice cover has since been disappearing at ever increasing rates. Every few years we have to revise our estimates downwards. Now the most detailed computer models suggest the Arctic's summer ice is going to last for only a few more years - and given what we have seen happen last week, I think they are probably correct.'

The most important of these computer studies of ice cover was carried out a few months ago by Professor Wieslaw Maslowski of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Using US navy supercomputers, his team produced a forecast which indicated that by 2013 there will be no ice in the Arctic - other than a few outcrops on islands near Greenland and Canada - between mid-July and mid-September.

'It does not really matter whether 2007 or 2008 is the worst year on record for Arctic ice,' Maslowski said. 'The crucial point is that ice is clearly not building up enough over winter to restore cover and that when you combine current estimates of ice thickness with the extent of the ice cap, you get a very clear indication that the Arctic is going to be ice-free in summer in five years. And when that happens, there will be consequences.'
This point was backed by Serreze. 'The trouble is that sea ice is now disappearing from the Arctic faster than our ability to develop new computer models and to understand what is happening there. We always knew it would be the first region on Earth to feel the impact of climate change, but not at anything like this speed. What is happening now indicates that global warming is occurring far earlier than any of us expected.'

World Juniors Chess Championship (Girls)

Girls' results after Round 9:

Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts Fide Rtg+/- Ra Rp
1 1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 7½ 39 7 2259 2532
2 2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 7 37½ 7 2255 2475
3 18 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 7 34½ 28 2202 2422
4 33 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 6½ 33½ 40 2280 2348
5 10 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 6½ 30½ 12 2192 2358
6 13 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA 6 35 21 2269 2394
7 23 WFM NIKOLOVA Adriana 2242 BUL 6 32 18 2211 2336
31 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 6 32 31 2289 2315
9 48 GUO Qi 2048 CHN 6 27½ 46 2258 2353 10
32 PREETHI Rajkumar 2183 IND 5½ 30 16 2234 2221 11
25 WIM NADIG Kruttika 2241 IND 5½ 29½ 16 2239 2308
12 9 WFM HOOLT Sarah 2298 GER 5½ 29 -2 2203 2283
12 WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284 AZE 5½ 29 -7 2152 2208
27 WFM PERTLOVA Sona 2217 CZE 5½ 29 24 2264 2323
15 8 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS 5½ 28½ -2 2206 2286
16 21 WFM BOROSOVA Zuzana 2254 SVK 5½ 27½ 0 2167 2247
17 4 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE 5½ 27 -11 2222 2302
18 38 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE 5½ 26 23 2185 2265
19 5 WGM FOISOR Sabina-Francesca 2337 ROU 5½ 25 -18 2150 2230

I just can't see that Dronavalli is going to give up her lead - consider her the gold medal winner. So - the fight is for silver and bronze. Dronavalli drew with countrywoman WIM Soumya Swaminathan (IND 2293) (I don't know if her name should be reversed - I should check that, but I'm just too tired tonight).

The early leader, USA's Tatev Abrahamyan, fell down to 9th after Round 8 (eek!), but has bounced back to 6th place after her defeat today of WIM Inna Ivakhinova (RUS 2248), and is still in the medal hunt. Go, Tatev, go!

Narmin Kazimova (AZE 2148) has moved up in the standings to 18th place, after drawing with fellow countrywoman WGM Turkan Mamedjarova (AZE 2284).

Only four more rounds to go!

Supporting Local Chess: Announcements

From the Emporia Gazette (Emporia, Kansas, USA):
The Emporia Chess Society meets from 1:30 to 4 p.m. and from 6:30 to 9 p.m. every Saturday at at the Granada Coffee Company. All ages and skill levels are welcome, including children. There is no charge.

Arianne Caoili

Now that I've got your attention :)

The press loves beautiful women, and when a beautiful woman also happens to be a Woman International Master of chess, she naturally warrants a column indicating where she will be playing next (but naturally!) This beauty isn't adverse to such publicity, but take note - she's got brains too.

From Goldcoast.com.au
Dance star to play chess on Coast
Steve Spinks
August 12th, 2008

SHE has danced with the stars and is one of Australia's top chess players, but Arianne Caoili has put the pursuits that shot her to fame behind her as she grapples with university study.

The 21-year-old will make a rare appearance on the Gold Coast later this month when she plays in the Surfers Paradise Chess Open.

Caoili is using the event as practice before heading to Beijing later in the year to represent Australia at the Chess Olympics.

She is also hoping to improve her rating from international master to grandmaster.

"I haven't played for a while so that's why I'm going up," said Caoili.

"I've been studying in Canberra and in Germany for various reasons. I'm doing my honours in international relations so I've stopped doing some things because I want to be able to give everything to my study.

"I'm happy at the moment and I'm enjoying what I'm doing."

Caoili last shot to national prominence when she made it to the final of the Channel 7 program Dancing With The Stars.

The Australian chess champion eventually lost out to AFL footballer Anthony Koutoufides after being partnered by Carmello Pizzino.

Caoili made headlines around the country after accusations she had professional dance training before the show and had lied about it when questioned by controversial judge Todd McKenney.

But that was two years ago and the former Gold Coast girl is looking forward.

"I just want to finish university with flying colours," she said.

"I like to succeed in what I'm doing so I'm really doing a lot of work and it's enjoyable because it's different ... a completely different focus from what I was doing."

The chess pin-up caused a storm in 2006 when she was dubbed the 'Anna Kournikova of chess' after a love rivalry ended in a nightclub punch-up in Italy.

The former Somerset College student was branded a temptress by the international media, but she said the incident was blown out of proportion. [Check out Goddesschess' take on the subject, "Tussle in Turin"]

Caoili was dating GM Levon Aronian for several months and was depicted in several photos with the GM at various chess events; I don't know if they're still a couple.

Iranian Islamic Regime Destroys More Persian Culture

10,000 sq.m. of Partho-Sasanian Site in Susa Destroyed to Built a Hotel
From CAIS
August 11, 2008

LONDON, (CAIS) -- The ancient city of Susa is renowned for its thousands of years of history and its resident-archaeologists are angry and tearful as the Islamic republic has rubbed them out of their heritage.

Last week a hotel construction company belonging to the prominent members of the Islamic Republic bulldozed out 10,000 sq.m. of the pre-Islamic ancient Iranian site of Susa in order to prepare a foundation for construction of a hotel.

Experts have dated the destroyed strata to the late Parthian (248BCE -224 CE) and Sasanian (224-651 CE) dynasties.

The dug out area is 100x100 metres wide and 6 meters deep. During the excavation a human skeleton most probably being either Parthian or Sasanian, large Partho-Sasanian earthenware vessels, a large number of Partho-Sasanian potsherds and other relics were taken away and destroyed.

The illegal permit for construction of Laleh Hotel was issued by Khuzestan’s Province Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation (KCHHTO).

Speaking with journalists in Tehran, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei the head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation (ICHHTO) on Sunday, asserted the wrongdoers will be prosecuted. Although it was Rahim-Mashaei himself who attended the commencing-ceremony along with the director of KCHHTO, and ordered the construction to begin.

To add insult to injury, when Rahim-Mashaei was questioned by journalists about his participant in the destruction of the site, the director of ICHHTO, claimed that he was not aware of the historical importance of the site.

Susa was registered on Iran’s national heritage site in 1930s and every elementary school child in Iran knows the historical importance of Susa and its special place in Iranian history and civilisation.

According to the archaeologists with the Susa Research Centre, the dug out earth from the site was taken away to a secret location unknown to them, perhaps to destroy any traces of pre-Islamic Iranian heritage.

Philippines Chess: Mary Israel Flores Palero

From the Sun Star Davao
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Mary Israel Palero: Exuding beauty and brains
By Marianne L. Saberon-Abalayan

"CHESS is the battle of the brains," replied the five-foot-three Mary Israel Flores Palero when asked why she chose chess as a sport.

When you see this 15-year-old daughter of Joseph and Eden Gener Palero, you wouldn't think of her to be involved in a serious sport as chess.

With her height and good looks, she could even give beauty pageant contestants a run for their money. But Mary confines herself to the challenge of pushing pieces and outwitting her rivals, whether male or female.

In the recently-concluded Gaisano South Citimall and Primovit Rapid Age-Group Chess Championships, she won against a male opponent bringing home the P2,000 runner-up cash prize in the under-16 category.

"I started playing chess at age nine. My father encouraged me to play the sport," she told Sun.Star Davao.

Mary, a graduating High School student at the Holy Cross of Davao College (HCDC), made her competition debut during the Davao City Athletic Association (DCAA) Meet in 2003 where she also finished second. She at last won the DCAA title in 2004 but she landed at the fifth spot during the Davao Regional Athletic Association (Davraa) Meet, thus, denying her a slot in the Palarong Pambansa. In the 2005 Davraa Meet in Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte, she captured the crown. She then kept the title for the next two years. She finished fifth place in Palaro at the Iloilo City (2005) and in Naga City (2006). She occupied the sixth slot in the 2007 Koronadal Palaro and in the 2008 Puerto Princesa Palaro. Mary, however, has her own share of triumphs like bagging the kiddies' title of the 2006 Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship Davao-Mindanao leg held at SM City Davao.

"I feel proud of myself when I became champion because I did not expect it," she said.

She also swept the championship trophies in the 2005 Araw ng Dabaw chess tournament, 2005 Kadayawan Sportsfest and 2005 Pahalipay ni Mayor sa Pasko chess tournament. She placed fourth in the 2008 National Age-Group Chess Championships in Metro Manila, earning her a slot the to country's team set to see action in the World Youth Chess Championships in Vietnam in October.

Mary completed her elementary education at the Banganga Elementary School in Cabantian. She got into the HCDC High School varsity chess team through the recommendation of HCDC coach National Master (NM) Prospero "Bebot" Cruz to sports coordinator Billy Cruzada. Mary however said she continues to give studying importance.

"I'm enjoying a full scholarship now being a varsity scholar. I also avail of allowances. I also put weight on my academics while I train for chess," she said. "I usually wake up at 5 a.m. for my regular exercise then I'm off to school. When I return home, I go through my home works and study then I give myself two to three hours to play chess before I sleep," she added.

She said being in sports has helped her to be more outgoing because she is a shy person. "I've met different people from different places with different values and skills in playing chess. I've been learning a lot through these experiences," she said.

She hopes that she could get sponsors for her stint in Vietnam this October so she could also be exposed in an international competition. "It's really my greatest dream to be the most popular woman chess player in the world," she shared. Mary also dreams of becoming a successful flight attendant 10 years from now with two bachelor degrees to her credit. [Okay, if she earns two bachelors' degrees, why would she want to become a flight attendant? Is that what educated women in the Philippines do?]

Susan Polgar On Chess

Here is her latest column from Lubbock Online:

Polgar: Many winners, great success for chess tourney held on Tech campus
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Story last updated at 8/10/2008 - 3:31 am

A record 52 players from across the country participated in the fifth annual Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls held at the Frazier Alumni Pavilion, which ended Aug. 1.

This is the first year this prestigious event was held at Texas Tech University. In past years, it was held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (2004), Phoenix (2005), Oak Brook, Ill. (2006), and Cherry Hill, N.J. (2007).

The winner of the 2008 SPNI is Courtney Jamison of Texas. Even though she had come close before, she was not able to capture this elusive title. However, this was her year.

After starting out on fire with five straight wins, she took a quick draw in the final round against a dangerous Linda Diaz of New York to clinch the title.

2008 SPNI Final Top 10 Standings
The winners are listed below by name, rating, state and final score:
1. Courtney Jamison, 2,046, Texas, 5.5
2-3. Linda Diaz, 1,726, N.Y., 5.0
2-3. Ashley Carter, 1,877, Michigan, 5.0
4-6. Rebekah Liu, 1,699, California, 4.5
4-6. Angel Bohannon, 1,700, Texas, 4.5
4-6. Nisha Deolalikar, 1,726, California, 4.5
7-13. Brianna Conley, 1,573, Ohio, 4.0
7-13. Michelle Xue Chen, 1,762, Massachusetts, 4.0
7-13. Amelia Wheeless, 1,711, North Carolina, 4.0
7-13. Rita Mirchandani, 1,813, Florida, 4.0
7-13. Sylvia S Yang, 1,911, Texas, 4.0
7-13. Michelle Farell, 1,506, Oklahoma, 4.0
7-13. Fiona Lam, 1,727, Maryland, 4.0

• Nisha Deolalikar (California) was the winner of the Texas Tech four-year academic scholarship as the highest-finishing player who has not graduated from high school by August. The scholarship must begin the following year at Texas Tech in Lubbock.

• Linda Diaz (N.Y.) was the winner of the $500 Ursula Foster award as the highest-finishing player younger than 14.

• Crystal Qian (Arkansas) won the 2008 SPNI Miss Congeniality award. She received the highest total of votes from her fellow players.

• Faith Munoz (Texas) was the winner of the SPNI Sportsmanship Award.

• Morgan Mahowald (Minnesota) won the biggest upset award. She is rated 994 and defeated a player with a rating of 1,683 in the first round. For her effort, she received a $100 cash scholarship, sponsored by Dewain Barber and American Chess Equipment. Melanie Newell (Mississippi) scored the biggest cumulative upset.

• Randy Wheeless, father of Amelia Wheeless, president of the N.C. Chess Association, was the co-winner of the SPNI Parents & Friends Open. He tied for first with my elder son Tommy Polgar. Chess Dad Greg Gossell won the Parents & Friends Unrated Section.

Congratulations to all.

Special thanks to Jerry Perez, Dr. Hal Karlsson, Dr. Rich Rice, Chase Watters, Peggy Flores, Paul Truong, Mr. and Mrs. Grimaud, Randy Wheeless, and all other volunteers for transporting the players and their families from and to the airport. Also special thanks to Chief TD Frank K. Berry of Stillwater, Okla., for running the tournament and chess dad Matt Mahowald for running the Parents & Friends and Bughouse events. This was truly a team effort to make the tournament a big success.

More than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded in this event and an additional $25,000 was budgeted for housing, meals and organizational costs, etc.

This level of support for chess from a university is unprecedented.

Once again, special thanks to Texas Tech, the Susan Polgar Foundation, American Chess Equipment, Internet Chess Club, Lubbock Convention and Visitor's Bureau, U.S. Chess Trust, and others for sponsoring this fantastic event. I am looking forward to an even bigger and better 2009 SPNI.

Prior to this tournament, only one of the 52 players had visited the magnificent Texas Tech campus. At the end of the tournament, I asked the players to fill out a tournament survey.

After spending a week on campus, approximately 40 of the 52 players expressed interest in attending TTU in the future. In fact, some have started the process to apply.

Thank you for sending in many wonderful comments. Please keep questions and comments coming by e-mailing me at susan.polgar@ttu.edu. You can also find a lot of information at http://www.SPICE.ttu.edu or through my daily chess blog, http://www.susanpolgar.blogspot.com.

Venus of Willendorf Celebrated

A feminine icon of fertility and goddessness receives her due. Mature women with post-menopausal "bulge" around the middle and bountiful breasts, revel in your beauty!

Austrians fete voluptuous, prehistoric Venus
By VERONIKA OLEKSYN, Associated Press Writer
Thu Aug 7, 5:26 PM ET

VIENNA, Austria - It's Venusmania in Vienna, where Austrians are celebrating the discovery 100 years ago Thursday of a tiny but voluptuous figurine that dates back 25,000 years to a time when mammoths roamed the region.

Venus wine, Venus chocolates, and pancakes with Venus jam — Austria is going all out Friday to fete the limestone beauty known as the Venus of Willendorf for the hamlet along the Danube where archaeologists stumbled upon her a century ago.

The Venus of Willendorf is just 4 inches tall but is celebrated for her undeniably curvy, feminine figure. Experts say the statuette dating back to the Paleolithic era is among the world's oldest depictions of a woman.

But exactly what she represents — or who carved her all those thousands of years ago — remains a mystery. Was she a fertility symbol, a lucky charm, a goddess — maybe even a prehistoric piece of pornography?

"That's of course an interpretation question," said Walpurga Antl-Weiser, an expert at Vienna's Natural History Museum who has written a book about her, adding that it's hard to know what the humans of that era were thinking.

The figurine wasn't made from local materials, and over the years, similar statuettes have been found elsewhere, including France and Russia, Antl-Weiser told The Associated Press.

Back then, mammoths, bison and woolly rhinos roamed Willendorf, with humans living in camp communities, according to the Natural History Museum.

Modern-day archaeologists found the statuette during an excavation in 1908 and brought her for safekeeping at the Natural History Museum. She made her public debut in 1998.

Before Friday's big bash, she'll make a brief homecoming trip back to Willendorf. Starting Saturday, the Venus of Willendorf — along with several "sisters" from Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — will be on display at the Natural History Museum until February.

Fact is, the figurine continues to fascinate. Reproductions of the Venus are widely available — as chocolate, marzipan, even as soap. On Friday, Austria's post office will officially unveil a special stamp in her honor.

To Antl-Weiser, the interest is easy to explain.

"She's very corpulent but still very beautiful," she said. "One gets the feeling she has become an icon."

Treasurer Trove!

Roman ring is unearthed in field
Published Date: 31 July 2008
(Pocklington Post)
By Staff Copy
A RING found by treasure hunters in Dunnington could date back nearly 2,000 years, an inquest has heard.

The silver Roman ring had been unearthed by a man using a metal detector in a local field.It was subsequently sent to the British Museum for examination.Weighing 4.3 grams, it is made of silver and bears a palm branch motif – a symbol of victory during the Roman era.Experts estimate it could date back to between 100 and 300AD.

York coroner Donald Coverdale classified the ring as treasure and said he hoped the Yorkshire Museum would take it.
************************************************************************************
Amateur treasure hunter finds £25,000 bejewelled cross in field with metal detector
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:16 PM on 06th August 2008
Amateur treasure hunter finds £25,000 bejewelled cross in field with metal detector
A pure gold cross dating from the 7th century has been discovered by a man with a metal detector.

The inch-long piece of Anglo Saxon jewellery is made out of 18-carat gold and was probably worn as a pendant. Experts believe the English-made piece could be worth at least £25,000. It is thought the cross, which is decorated with fine detail and adorned with red gemstones, might have originally held a religious relic. Two of the four gemstones and any relic are missing. It is made with gold probably melted down from Merovingian French coins.

Two of the red cabochon gemstones are missing as is the relic that would have been kept in its centre. The red stones are among the world's most ancient gems and were used by ancient Greeks who called them granatum, the same word they used for pomegranate seeds.

The anonymous finder discovered the 1,400-year-old cross just 12 inches beneath the sod on a farm in Nottinghamshire. He had already unearthed a Saxon penny and beaten copper plate before probing deeper.

'Instinctively I put down the digger and scraped gently at the soil with my gloved hand,' he said. 'Then I made contact with a piece of metal that made me want to remove my glove. It seemed warm, almost alive, to my touch.

'My fingers closed on it and when I opened them I was gazing down, literally with my jaw dropped in astonishment, at the most wonderful find I've ever recovered. 'The actual moment of the discovery remains as sharp as ever in my memory, but the remainder of the day, even the next few days, have since become a blur thanks to my excitement.'

The finder rushed to show his find to the farm's owner. 'Farmers being farmers, he didn't show quite the same excitement as he might have displayed if I'd shown him a prize-winning cow, but he seemed quite pleased,' he said.

He handed the find to a coroner who declared it as treasure trove at an inquest. This means the finder will get half the proceeds of a sale. He is likely to split his earnings with the farmer.

The specific location of the find is being kept secret for fear that so-called 'nighthawks' will descend on it in case there is anything else to be found.

Another story on this find (with more details).

Free E-Book on How the Olympics Began

BAR (one of my favorite websites) is offering a free e-book on the how the ancient Olympics began if you sign up to get the email newsletter of the Biblical Archaeological Society. Got to love Herschel Shenks!


Get your FREE e-book, “The Olympic Games: How They All Began,” on the ancient origins of the modern Olympics when you sign up for our FREE weekly newsletters with breaking news, features, contests and more.

Cleopatra Buried in Paris?

The translation from French to English if a bit suspect in parts, but this is a fascinating story. Could there possibly be truth to it???

Is the mummy of Cleopatra buried in Paris?
The following is a translation of La momia de Cleopatra se esconde en París by Ramón Llanas for lavanguardia.es
(Posted August 3, 2008)

Cleopatra VII, the great Cleopatra, the big nose of geopolitical power, is in Paris. It is a matter of justice, because what would be better for a woman like her? Specifically, she is buried in the gardens of the National Library of France, at its old headquarters of the Rue Vivienne, near the Louvre and the Palais Royal. That is what Juan Angel Torti, former Chilean journalist and possibly the most elegant retiree in Paris, has been sustaining for years. This former reporter for Agence France-Presse, whose headquarters is a stone’s throw from where the Egyptian queen supposedly lies, looks forward to the moment when archaeologists reach access to the end of the 120 meters long tunnel at the temple of Tabusiris Magna, 50 kilometers from Alexandria, where the sarcophagi of Cleopatra and Marco Antonio are allegedly located. That is expected to happen later this year, as announced by the Egyptian authorities. But Torti is certain they are in for a big disappointment: “The tomb of Cleopatra is empty.”

Author of a book on this subject (Cleopatra in Paris, published in Chile and recently translated into French), Torti stumbled upon a publication in which former Théodore Mortreuil, conservative and secretary-treasurer of the National Library, who died in the 50’s, argued that the female pharaoh was buried in the gardens of the institution. From there, Torti began an investigation which brought many surprises, some not related to Cleopatra, such as the existence of an artificial lake with fish in the basement of the Palais Garnier, the Opera Theatre of Paris, or the presence of other mummies buried at the foot of the monument of the Bastille. Torti argues that the mummy of Cleopatra is part of a batch of three (two men and one woman) given to General Bonaparte in his failed expedition to Egypt. “They were among the few things that the future Napoleon I was able to draw from Egypt after the French defeat by the English. Those three mummies were exhibited at the National Library upon his return, to a wide audience. The whole world would see Cleopatra and all newspapers spoke of the event. ”

In 1870, Napoleon’s nephew, Napoleon III, declared war on Prussia. The Prussians defeated the French, arriving in Paris. “It was the first time that Prussian troops paraded under the Arc de Triomphe, and the last one, because after the First World War, the Unknown Soldier was placed at the foot of the monument and the German soldiers had no choice but to march around it in 1940. ” The Prussians eventually got tired of parading through Paris. “What happened to the National Library during their stay? Its officials had built a wall to seal a room in which they concealed the priceless possessions of the institution to save them from looting, including the three mummies.” When the danger subsided, the wall was destroyed, but the humidity had begun to decompose the mummies. Nevertheless, they were shown again. “Shortly thereafter, in 1871, the city saw the arrival of the Paris Commune, the popular uprising that became especially strong in the north part of the capital, creating chaos.” One high ranking official of the military in charge of protecting the National Library found the smell that emerged from the mummies irritable and gave the order to bury them in the garden, under the cloak of night. Monsieur Mortreuil was shocked, but had no choice but to accede to the wishes of the military and, shovel in hand, headed the entourage that carried on with the burial.

“Torti hopes that when the Egyptologists fall flat upon the empty tomb of Cleopatra, the French authorities will assume their responsibilities and, again, someone will go to the beautiful gardens of the National Library, shovel in hand. This time, however, it will be to rescue Cleopatra, the most Parisian of the queens of the world.

Chess Legend to Play Rising Chess Star

What a great idea - kudos to the promoter who came up with this idea. It's a perfect way to promote chess in the Philippines and, indeed, garner international interest, since folks are interested in GM Wesley So's progress in the chess world. Story from Sports. Inquirer.Net

Chess Legend vs Chess Wonder Boy P1 million showdown slated
By Marlon Bernardino
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 09:43:00 08/09/2008

IT'S all system's go for the richest sports event in the country when the undisputed Chess Legend takes on the Chess Boy Wonder in a P1 Million showdown to be held in Quezon City, Davao, Iloilo and Cebu.

Eugene Torre, Asia's first grandmaster, and Wesley So, presently the world's youngest grandmaster at 14, will face each other in a one-on-one duel consisting of ten games.

Two games each will be played in Quezon City, Davao, Iloilo and Cebu and if the match remains unresolved, another two games will be played in Quezon City. A knockout game will ensue if the duel is tied at 5-5.

This was announced yesterday by the event's project director lawyer Samuel Estimo after Quezon City representative Matias Defensor agreed to bankroll the match in a meeting last Monday.

“Magandang proyekto ito kaya nagpapasalamat tayo kay Cong. (Mat) Defensor na sumuporta sa event na ito,” said Estimo, a former secretary-general of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

NCFP region 11 coordinator James Infiesto is pleased when he learned that Davao City is one of the four venues of the event dubbed as “Dream Match.”

“We are privileged and honored that our city is one of the four venues in the Torre and So one-on-one duel,” said Infiesto. “Maganda ito, legend versus future of Philippine chess.”

“Tiyak aabangan ito hindi lamang sa Pilipinas kundi pati sa buong mundo,” said Reginald Tee, consultant and spokesman of Wesley So who is currently playing in Turkey for the World Junior Chess Championship.

The match will be held at a date to be agreed upon by the two GMs preferably after So and Torre have fulfilled all their international tournaments.

“Baka February 2009 after sa event ni Wesley (So) sa Corus,” said Tee.
Torre will leave on August 8 for the United States where he will also visit his daughter, Nicolle, who is now based in Alaska.

According to Estimo, the two chess luminaries had drawn their three previous games with Torre nearly winning their last encounter.

The first to score 5 1/2 (5.5) points will win the match and the P600,000 winner's prize while the loser will earn P400,000. Another P100,000.00 will go to the winner of each leg while the loser will take home P50,000.

It shall be recalled that Torre and arch rival GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr., settled for a 3-3 draw in their recent “Quezon City Chess Road Show” one-on-one.

Copyright 2008 Cebu Daily News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

According to my calculations, 1 million P equals $22,540.30 USD (1.00 PHP = 0.0225403 USD)

Harika Dronavalli Leads World Juniors Girls

Article from Press Trust of India:

Harika beats Nakhbayeva, takes sole lead in World Jr Chess
From Our Chess Correspondent Gaziantep (Turkey), Aug 9 (PTI)

Top seeded International Master India's Dronavalli Harika today scored a clinical victory over Guliskhan Nakhbayeva of Kazakhstan to emerge as the sole leader after the 7th round of ongoing World Junior Girls' Chess Championship here.

Playing the white side of a Nimzo Indian defense, Harika attained a slight advantage out of the opening and nurtured her position well enough to knock down one black pawn before tightening the noose. Guliskhan did not have answers of the precise technical display and called it a day when she was about to lose the second pawn too.

The victory helped Harika take her tally to 6 points out of a possible 7 and she now enjoys a half point lead over nearest rivals Adriana Nikolova of Bulgaria and Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine.

Amongst the other Indian girls in the fray, only Soumya Swaminathan scored a victory and inched herself up to 5 points at the expense of compatriot Kruttika Nadig. Soumya won with black pieces.

Also reaching 5 points with her cool display was R Preethi, who held erstwhile sole leader Tatev Abrahamyan to a draw in a rook and pawns endgame.

Top chess femme standings after 7 rounds. USA's Tatev Abrahamyan is in 4th place with 5.0, leading a pack of several chess femmes also with 5.0.

Art and Chess

A fine article in The Telegraph.co.uk about artists who happen to be chessplayers (or is that vice versa?) (Cruella DeVille as the black queen by Maurizio Cattelan)

From Duchamp to Damien Hirst, chess has long inspired the big names of the art world.
Alastair Sooke reports
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 09/08/2008

In 1927, Marcel Duchamp, the French-born trail-blazer of conceptual art, married a young heiress called Lydie Sarazin-Lavassor. The honeymoon did not go well. "Duchamp spent most of the week studying chess problems," recalled the artist's close friend Man Ray, "and his bride, in desperate retaliation, got up one night when he was asleep and glued the chess pieces to the board." Bad move. They were divorced three months later.

Full article.

Correspondence Chess

In the old days, it was done with postcards. Now, it's played on the internet. I didn't realize it, but I've been playing correspondence chess for years! It's any game at a website server where you make a move, the other player is notified via email and has a certain time limit to make a responsive move, etc. etc. I have played at Its Your Turn and Red Hot Pawn. Unfortunately, this format practically invites unethical players to cheat by utilizing a chess program to "suggest" moves. Of course, no one has to cheat against me, I'm so bad a player you can win even if I were using a computer! Been playing for years and I still hang pieces, don't understand the concept of controlling the center, and manage to lose winning positions (but I don't know they're winning positions). LOL!

I saw this announcement at Susan Polgar's chess blog:

The International Correspondence Chess Federation is considering holding a World Championship for young women, and is asking anyone who is possibly interested to contact us so we can determine if there will be enough participants to schedule the event.

The event will be played on the ICCF webserver (www.iccf-webchess.com). Moves are made on a chessboard via drag and drop, an easy way to play, with the server sending the move to the opponent, and keeping track of moves, time used, and even sending reminders.

Any young woman who will have her 20th birthday after March 1, 2009 will be eligible to play, and is requested to send a note expressing your interest to schakels@comcast.net. Any questions will certainly be welcome.

Details will be determined later, but there are no ICCF dues, and the entry fee for the recent Junior World Championship was 20 CHF, about $20. Time controls are typically 50 days for 10 moves.

Finally, I want to express heartfelt thanks to Susan Polgar for volunteering to post this note on her websites and blogs.

Corky Schakel, ICCF-US Secretary