Links for You ---

Sorry - it's one of those weeks. 'Normal' may return by mid-week next week. Starting tomorrow through Monday will be absolutely crazy personally, including my very first every OTB chess tournament, so please bear with me, darlings :)

Here is a selection of links to stories I hope you will enjoy:

Indianexpress.com
Tarini wins national chess title
Posted: Mon Oct 11 2010, 01:17 hrs
Posted by Chandigarh
Adding another feather to her cap, Tarini Goyal, the chess prodigy from Chandigarh, won the title in the 24th Under-9 Girls National Chess Championship played at Ahmedabad. Tarini, a Class IV student of Sacred Heart School, scored 10 points in the 11-round tournament.

Check out Pogonina at Chessbase.com:
Sexy and smart: Natalia on Brazilian Radio Xadrez
11.10.2010 – She is beautiful, smart, fun and super strong in chess. We are talking about the WGM Natalia Andreevna Pogonina, 25 years old, a resident of Saratov in Russia. At 2491 Elo points (she's had up to 2501), she defended the #1 board of Russia-2 in the Chess Olympics. Now Natalia, a law student, has given an indepth interview on different aspects of her life.

Perhaps the most exsquisite silk made in ancient China, "jili" silk, may soon go the way of the dinosaur. How absolutely fricking sad. This silk was traded along the ancient Silk Road, that introduced games from the east into the west, and games from the west into the East.  Hey - China - can't you learn from the mistakes of countries that entered the "industrial age" 150 years before you, heh? Geez!
From The New York Times:
Silk Craft Fades in Village That Clothed Emperors
By EDWARD WONG
Published: October 11, 2010