Chess Collecting

It's easier than you might think to become a collector. In my house, I have the following chess sets: (1) a magnetized plastic mini-travel set; (2) an alabaster lathe-turned set and board; (3) a mahogony inlaid board and replica Lewis chess set; and (4) a carved wood set that rests inside a folding board. The style is what I would call "modern" and they are very tactile - I love playing chess with those pieces! I wasn't even trying to "collect" sets, LOL! The (1) set was received as a promotional gift back in 1999 when I joined the USCF. The (2) set was purchased on a whim one Christmas season when one of those temporary stores opened up in the mall downtown and I walked past it one day during lunch hour. I don't remember the exact price, but it was under $40. That sucker was heavy and it took me and a friend to lug it from the store back to the office, and from the office to her car after work! What a work-out! That was perhaps 6-7 years ago. As it sits in the family room off of the kitchen at the back of the house (a popular space), I've played a lot of games with that set. The (3) set was a gift I received in September, 2002 from a colleague on the occasion of both of our leaving a firm we'd worked together at for over 12 years. The (4) set was purchased in 2001 on a whim at Napoleon's, a store that carried all kinds of chess stuff (unfortunately, Napoleon's went out of business a couple of years later). I paid $80 for the set, the most money I've forked out for a set! I used to have a basic 12-inch wood board with the squares painted on, with machined but serviceable pieces that was purchased at a Kay-Bee Toy Store in 1999, but it was donated to a charity years ago. One wouldn't ordinarily think that this would be a contribution that would end up anywhere else than in the garbage can - but you would be surprised! Chess sets are regularly requested items at Christmas. My employer participates in a program - you've probably heard of or participated in something similar yourself - where a local organization aiding the disadvantaged is sponsored. Tags with requested gifts (priced $20 USD or less) are hung on a Christmas tree and you can pick a tag. You purchase the gift, wrap it, and put it under the tree. Prior to Christmas all of the donated gifts are delivered to the local charity and handed out to the recipients. I can always find a tag where a chess set is requested. (I have used the online shop that benefits the Susan Polgar Foundation, Inc. to purchase sturdy tournament-quality plastic sets and vinyl roll-up boards). I can see where the process of acquiring chess sets can become quite addicting! There are such gorgeous sets out there, each one more beautiful, or unique, or ugly or - whatever - than the next. The key to collecting, as it is to many other endeavors, is knowledge - and staying away from e-bay :) To acquire knowledge, hang around with people who have it, such as the folks who are members of Chess Collectors International. CCI puts out a quarterly newsletter that features articles on collecting and photographs of sets and other information, and holds a couple gatherings a year in different places all over the world. Read books on collecting and chess sets. Visit exhibits if you can. A lot of information is now available online (thank Goddess for the internet). I recommend you buy what "speaks" to you. My feeling is that if you buy what you like, you won't go wrong. That is the opposite, of course, of collectors who buy with an eye toward investing in something they hope will appreciate in value over time. Then, provenance, design, uniqueness of materials, rarity, etc. become important. So, you'll have to decide what kind of collector you'll be - and what your budget allows. One does not have to be a millionaire though, in order to start a collection of chess sets - as you can I've become something of an accidental "collector" myself and my family thinks I'm nuts! (Probably am...) Visit the online sites of Christie's and Sotheby's auction houses, for instance, do a search for "chess" and you'll see what I mean. Sets can be purchased at auction for under $100 USD, and many antique sets for between $100-200 USD. The sets that are pictured in this blog post are from auctions that Christie's held. Bonham's and other regional auction houses also regularly feature chess sets in their auctions. I sometimes visit the websites of my favorite auction houses and check out what they have coming up for sale or what recently sold. Sometimes I dig further back into the archives of past sales. Here are just a few from a sale at Christies.com that tickled my fancy: Sale 5198 furniture, carpets & decorative objects 30 October 2007 London, South Kensington Price Realized £75 ($154) Price includes buyer's premium (Three sets for the price of one!) A MEXICAN OBSIDIAN AND GLASS 'AZTEC' STYLE CHESS SET 20TH CENTURY With white and black marble inlaid board The king -- 4in. (10cm.) high; the pawn -- 2in. (5cm.) high; the board -- 13½in. (34.2cm.) wideTogether with a Mexican bone mounted lacquered wood chess set, second half 20th century; the king -- 5¼in. (13.3cm.) high; the pawn -- 3in. (7.5cm.) high; and a softwood and black lacquered wood 'Staunton' pattern chess set, second half 20th century, with painted finials; the king -- 4¼in. (10.8cm.) high; the pawn -- 2¼in. (5.7cm.) high (4) 30 October 2007 London, South Kensington Price realized £63 ($129) Price includes buyer's premium AN ENGLISH BONE 'OLD ENGLISH' PATTERN CHESS SET 19TH CENTURY The king -- 5½in. (14cm.) high; the pawn -- 1 7/8in. (4.8cm.) high Together with an English bone 'old English' pattern chess set, 19th century; the king -- 2¼in. (5.7cm.) high; the pawn -- 1 1/8in. (2.8cm.) high (2)

Friday Night Miscellany

Yes, I'm late again. I decided to do this rather than cut the grass - but I'm feeling guilty about my shaggy looking backyard so I'll get out there shortly (now two hours later and I'm still blogging...) In the meantime, hope you enjoy this eclectic collection of stories and articles: Making urban living better by restoring an ancient waterway: Peeling Back Pavement to Expose Watery Havens. A lengthy but interesting article about what Seoul, South Korea did to restore an ancient stream bed flowing through the heart of the city that had been paved over for ages, and the unexpected benefits that occurred as a result. I think the photo says it all. American city planners - take note. Done right, this would be a way to get people back into the hearts of declining Rust Belt cities. A horrifying story out of Uganda about "ritual killings" a/k/a child sacrifice. The Ugandan Parliament is now "in the process" of crafting legislation that will make child sacrifice a "capital" crime. Guess it's still okay to sacrifice kids in the meantime. Stupid is as stupid does. At the same time the Chinese Communist Corrupts are facing massive increases in people rioting across the land because of justice denied and seething, unaddressed grievances, the government closes down a volunteer lawyer group and is stripping licenses from other attorneys. Talk about cutting one's nose off to spite one's face! The only thing the Chinese Communists have learned from Iran is to stifle the internet and tweeting faster. Guess what guys, that is not going to stop the people in either country. Three guesses as to what will happen to the corrupt Communist regime in China - the same thing that is going to happen to the corrupt Nazi regime in Iran. The only question is when :) Designing Women: -- Madeleine Vionnet threw out the corset and set women's bodies free. (Photo: Vionnet ivory bias-cut silk gown, from Fashiontribes). -- A Jewish girl from the lower east side moves uptown NYC and becomes Hattie Carnegie, one of the most influential designers in American history. Was the speed of light at one time faster than the speed of light? Thinking outside the "box" - and a lesson in questioning underlying assumptions.

2009 Canadian Open Chess Championship

Chess femme standings after Round 7 - 2 more rounds to go! Top female wins $550. Places 1 through 4 tied with 6.0 (all chess dudes) Our friend, Wayne Mendryk (CAN 1440), is also playing. He is currently in 145th place with 3.0. There are 202 players. Apologies to any chess femmes I may have omitted from the standings: 14 IM Irina Krush 2481 5.5 23 WIM Alisa Melekhina 2315 5.0 61 Dalia Kagramanov 1941 4.0 62 WFM Dina Kagramanov 2140 4.0 74 Jasmine Du 1810 4.0 96 Gabrielle Nadeau 1912 3.5 202 Leah Green 1298 0.5

We Need a Female GM or IM or WGM!

Hola darlings! As we have previously written, as part of our initiative to support local chess events and, particularly, to encourage female chessplayers to participate in such events, Goddesschess is funding class prizes for chess femmes who play in the 2009 Montreal Open Chess Championship (September 11 - 13, 2009): Special Class Prizes sponsored by Goddesschess: Section B - $45 for best finish by female player Section C - $35 for best finish by female player Section D - $25 for best finish by female player These prizes are in addition to any class prizes that may be won by female players. Goddesschess' experiences with the people who are sponsoring and putting together the 2009 Montreal Open Chess Championship have been a great pleasure. We are sympatico with those who are working to present the best-yet Montreal Open. To paraphrase Humphrey Bogart's last line in "Casablanca" - this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship :) Goddesschess is therefore pleased to announce guaranteed additional financial support for a Female GM or IM, or a WGM titled player to this year's Montreal Open. Women's World Chess Champion GM Alexandria Kosteniuk talks about this quest at her chess blog. If you are interested, or if you have a lead to a female GM or IM, or a WGM who might be interested in participating in the 2009 Montreal Open, please contact championnatdemontreal@gmail.com/ for further information on terms and financial support provided.

Politiken Cup

This is the most entertaining introduction to a tournament I've ever read! What will happen to the frantic Chess Queen? Eek! There once was a queen who would do anything to fight for her king. Her powers on the battlefield were almost unlimited. She could move in any direction and get where she wanted to go in an instant. She had a small army also willing to die for their king. Eight farmers who could move only forward and not retreat, but who were good at staking out territory. Two knights on horses who jumped at a slight angle. Two elephants who moved with alarming quickness in diagonal lines across the battlefield (she started calling them ‘bishops’ after her conversion to Christianity). And two chariots (which she called ‘rooks’ from her knowledge of Persian). Her only problem was that the enemy had a queen with exactly the same powers and the same kind of ferocious army. She knew she’d have to rely on strategy rather than brute force, and that she’d have to hold back and let her henchmen spill some blood before she came along to clean up. First she sent out some farmers to establish control of the center of the battlefield. Then she sent out the knights to protect the farmers. She quickly built a human shield of three farmers and a chariot for her king to hide behind. Things were going well until the enemy elephants cut down her knights and her farmers were left exposed. The enemy farmers cut hers down like butter. ‘Useless fools!’ she screamed. She had to dash out to the rescue much earlier than she wanted. She killed the elephants and took down a knight but left herself completely exposed to enemy attack. She knew the kingdom depended on her, and for the first time in her life she felt all alone. To find out how this story ends. . . The Copenhagen Chess Festival 2009 including Politiken Cup 2009 and Nordisk Championship begins July 18, 2009 and ends July 26, 2009. Official website (English). Thanks much to Brendan Cooney for writing such a cool intro to this popular event. Traditionally, several top-rated chess femmes participate in the Politiken Cup! This year's enrollees include (this is not a full list of chess femmes): GM Marie Sebag (FRA 2531) WGM Viktorija Cmilyte (Lithuania) 2470 (Photo above) WIM Svetlana Agrest (country???) 2260 Eva Jiretorn (country???) 2150 Sebag and Cmilyte will have their work cut out for them, as the top GMs include a player over 2700 and many in the high-2600s.

Life in Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock is known for Texas Tech University's beautiful campus and, since 2007, the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE), which is part of Texas Tech. I understand that since SPICE began functioning, Texas has moved into the #1 spot for states in the United States with USCF registered chess players, thanks to its hosting of numerous new scholastic and open tournaments. (More information about SPICE and chess scholarships). And then, there is the exciting new SPICE Invitational, where up-and-coming chessplayers are invited to participate in a tournament with a chance to earn IM and GM norms, and the prestigious SPICE Cup, which started in 2007 and has grown in popularity and ELO rating since it's inaugural year! (2009 information) By popular demand, 2009 will host two sections of players for the first time! But Lubbock isn't just a college and chess town. It is also the home to one of the premiere Paleo-Indian archaeological sites in the United States. Story at The Daily Toreador Lubbock Lake Landmark offers ancient insight, historic findings Hannah Boen Issue date: 7/17/09 Section: La Vida Every July since the 1970s, university students from across the globe have gathered in the same area to catch a glimpse of human life 12,000 years ago. The Lubbock Lake Landmark is the location of a late Paleo-Indian site that continuously has been excavated since its discovery during the Great Depression. Katherine Ehlers, a graduate research assistant from Midland, has been visiting the site each July for six years to discover and study pieces of history. "The more we can learn about how people live and adapt, the better," said Ehlers, the site's crew chief. "These things are relevant to today if we can study the trends of people thousands of years ago." Ehlers has spent much of her time as an undergraduate and graduate student at Texas Tech doing regional research in the Caprock area and has the artifacts to prove it. Halfway into this year's dig, her group has found Bison bone and some stone tools, clues into what life was like for humans thousands of years ago. "I think it's neat that people have been hanging out in Lubbock for that long," she said, "and we're still here." Disa Wiberg is an osteology masters student from Lund University in Sweden, and she is spending six weeks of her summer in Lubbock to be part of Ehlers' crew. "It's a good experience," she said. "You get responsibility, and you get to learn about every aspect of archeology." Wiberg and a handful of other students spend each day digging and studying, and each night in tents near the dig site. The students work, eat, sleep and shower outdoors. Although she admitted the West Texas heat was unpleasant, this is her second year to visit this dig site, and said it would probably not be her last. "I come here partly for the experience," she said, "and partly for the great people." Nicole Cotto, a sophomore anthropology major from Loyola University in Chicago, said she has enjoyed spending time with a diverse group of students who share her interests, however, was hesitant about spending six weeks of her summer in Lubbock. "Texas seemed kind of far," she said, "and I thought, 'What the heck? Lubbock? What is in Lubbock?'" Cotto said this is her first time to work on a dig site and has enjoyed the experience and the history the site has to offer. Both students believe they are working on a site that is providing valuable experience in their respective fields. Lubbock Lake Landmark education program manager, Susan Rowe, said the site has so much history to offer, students have only made a small dent in researching the area since they began digging more than 30 years ago. In the past three decades, full skeletons have been found on site of an ancient bison, a Columbian mammoth, a giant armadillo and a giant short-faced bear. Although the dig site attracts attention from students worldwide, Rowe said it is a good opportunity for Tech students as well. "I would suggest anyone looking for field experience with archeology or anthropology look here first," she said. Lubbock Lake Landmark plans to continue to study anything they can find on their historical site, she said, in order to learn the interactions and environments of the first Lubbock residents. Students interested in volunteer opportunities at the dig site may visit http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/lll/ for more information.

New Discoveries at Xi'an

Ongoing excavations at Xi'an have revealed exciting new finds. Archeologists report new findings at terracotta army site www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-17 13:40:04 XI'AN, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Archeologists have found up to 100 terracotta warriors and an army officer at the world heritage site in Xi'an, northwest China's Shanxi Province, a month after they began a third excavation of the site. "Our most exciting discovery so far is the army officer," said chief archeologist Xu Weihong. He said the life-sized figure was found lying on its stomach behind four chariots. "We can't see its face yet, but the leather gallus on its back is distinct." Xu said the gallus was typical of army officers in the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.- 207 B.C.). "We need extra care to bring it out of the pit and restore its original color, which may take a few months." He said the figure was originally painted in different colors. "The original colors have faded after more than 2,000 years of decay, but a corner of the officer's robe suggested it was in colors other than the grayish clay." Except for its broken head, the army officer was largely intact compared with other newly-discovered clay figures, most of which were found seriously damaged, some even fragmentary, Xu said. Liu Zhancheng, head of the archeology arm of the Xi'an-based terracotta museum, estimated the year-long excavation would hopefully unearth about 150 terracotta warriors. Richly colored clay figures were unearthed from the mausoleum of Qinshihuang, the first emperor of a united China, in the previous two excavations, but once they were exposed to the air they began to lose their luster and turn an oxidized grey. The 230 by 62-meter No. 1 pit, which is currently under excavation, was believed to contain about 6,000 life-sized terracotta figures, more than 1,000 of which were found in previous excavations, said the museum's curator Wu Yongqi. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage approved the museum's dig of 200 square meters of the site, and the excavation is likely to continue if it proves fruitful. Most experts believe No. 1 pit, the largest of all three pits, houses a rectangular army of archers, infantrymen and charioteers that the emperor hoped would help him rule in the afterlife. The army was one of the greatest archeological finds of modern times. It was discovered in Lintong county, 35 km east of Xi'an, in 1974 by peasants who were digging a well. The first formal excavation of the site lasted for six years from 1978 to 1984 and produced 1,087 clay figures. A second excavation, in 1985, lasted a year and was cut short for technical reasons. The discovery, listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO in December 1987, has turned Xi'an into one of China's major tourist attractions. Editor: Li Xianzhi

Vinland Map Back in the News

I love old maps, I find them - and their stories - absolutely fascinating! The Vinland Map is one of the most controversial. Is it real? Is it a fabulous fake? Article at Reuters Vinland Map of America no forgery, expert says Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:09pm EDT By John Acher COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The 15th century Vinland Map, the first known map to show part of America before explorer Christopher Columbus landed on the continent, is almost certainly genuine, a Danish expert said Friday. Controversy has swirled around the map since it came to light in the 1950s, many scholars suspecting it was a hoax meant to prove that Vikings were the first Europeans to land in North America -- a claim confirmed by a 1960 archaeological find. Doubts about the map lingered even after the use of carbon dating as a way of establishing the age of an object. "All the tests that we have done over the past five years -- on the materials and other aspects -- do not show any signs of forgery," Rene Larsen, rector of the School of Conservation under the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, told Reuters. He presented his team's findings at an international cartographers' conference in the Danish capital Friday. The map shows both Greenland and a western Atlantic island "Vinilanda Insula," the Vinland of the Icelandic sagas, now linked by scholars to Newfoundland where Norsemen under Leif Eriksson settled around AD 1000. Larsen said his team carried out studies of the ink, writing, wormholes and parchment of the map, which is housed at Yale University in the United States. He said wormholes, caused by wood beetles, were consistent with wormholes in the books with which the map was bound. He said claims the ink was too recent because it contained a substance called anatase titanium dioxide could be rejected because medieval maps have been found with the same substance, which probably came from sand used to dry wet ink. American scholars have carbon dated the map to about 1440, about 50 years before Columbus "discovered" the New World in 1492. Scholars believe it was produced for a 1440 church council at Basel, Switzerland. The Vinland Map is not a "Viking map" and does not alter the historical understanding of who first sailed to North America. But if it is genuine, it shows that the New World was known not only to Norsemen but also to other Europeans at least half a century before Columbus's voyage. It was bought from a Swiss dealer by an American after the British Museum turned it down in 1957. It was subsequently bought for Yale University by a wealthy Yale alumnus, Paul Mellon, and published with fanfare in 1965. The lack of a provenance has caused much of the controversy. Where the map came from and how it came into the hands of the Swiss dealer after World War Two remain a mystery. (Editing by Tim Pearce)

New Findings on "Snake Cult"

Oh yes, the Goddess in the form of a serpent rears up and - well - you can read for yourself. Just be sure to substitute feminine pronouns for masculine pronouns, and Goddess for God, and the article will make very good sense. Please also keep in mind that the Iron Age is relatively recent in historical terms. New findings on snake cult challenge Iron Age theories John Henzell Last Updated: July 16. 2009 1:29AM UAE / July 15. 2009 9:29PM GMT New research into a snake cult that lived in the mountains near Masafi during the Iron Age will be presented next week at the world’s leading conference on Arabian archaeology. Initial excavations at the Al Bithnah site, between 2000 and 2004, indicated that it had been the meeting place for a religious cult based around snake iconography between 2,500 and 3,100 years ago. Anne Benoist, the French archaeologist who headed the dig, will tell the Seminar for Arabian Studies in London that a new meeting place has been found near the first, with their proximity challenging theories about territorial organisation, religion and collective life in eastern Arabia during that era of the Iron Age. The artefacts unearthed by Dr Benoist’s group include incense burners and posts decorated with snakes, along with signs that copper had been mined and smelted. They indicated a god symbolised by a snake, in common with iconography found elsewhere on the Arabian peninsula [and much older serpent iconography in both Mesopotamia and Egypt, not to mention well-established serpent-worshipping centers elsewhere in the Middle East], and supported theories that there was an ancient but complex society with separate roles for priests and bureaucrats. At the time, snakes were considered to be symbols of knowledge and prosperity. Similar sites have been found elsewhere in the UAE and in Oman, Yemen, Bahrain and southern Iran, suggesting that there were cultural and trade links during the Iron Age. Dr Benoist’s presentation will be one of dozens at the three-day seminar in the British Museum, which begins next Thursday. Other speakers will address connections between the Levant and Southern Arabian communities in the Pleistocene era, the use of fragments from early Qurans to describe the development of written Arabic, and new methods to investigate sites at the bottom of the Gulf, which was above sea level 18,000 years ago at the last glacial maximum.

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Cf. All the stuff in the Old Testament about the Copper Serpent (a well-established goddess-worshipping cult exported out of Egypt when the Hebrews left for the "Promised Land") For a "far out" take on ancient serpent symbolism in the Middle East, check out "The Gnostic Secret of Solomon's Temple" by none other than Philip Gardiner See also this entry from Ancient Goths, a Google blog, for lots of images of Iron Age serpents and serpent symbolism from the Iron Age See also references to serpent goddesses in When God Was a Woman, by Merlin Stone (couldn't the author come up with a better name than that???), at Google books. The reference to the goddess "She" reminded me so much of my college days when, for some course or other, I ended up reading the classic H. Rider Haggard novel She.

San Sebastian International Women's Chess Tournament

(a/k/a Donostia Chess Festival) July 7 - 16, 2009 Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa Tournament Final standings for the chess femme event: 1 IM Milliet Sophie FRA 2388 2 WGM Melnikova Yana RUS 2285 6,0 3 IM Tania Sachdev IND 2410 6,0 4 WGM Zakurdjaeva Irina RUS 2305 5,5 5 WGM Pokorna Regina SVK 2381 5,0 6 WGM Michna Marta GER 2379 4,0 7 WIM Rozic Vesna SLO 2239 3,5 8 WGM Hamdouchi Adina-Maria ROU 2324 3,5 9 WGM Ionica Iulia-Ionela ROU 2263 2,5 10 WGM Karlovich Anastazia UKR 2211 2,0 Results of games Round 9: WGM Ionica Iulia-Ionela 2263 1/2 WGM Pokorna Regina 2381 WIM Rozic Vesna 2239 0-1 IM Tania Sachdev 2410 WGM Melnikova Yana 2285 1/2 WGM Zakurdjaeva Irina 2305 WGM Michna Marta 2379 1/2 IM Milliet Sophie 2388 WGM Karlovich Anastazia 2211 1/2 WGM Hamdouchi Adina-Maria 2324 IM Tania Sachdev had the only decisive game in Round 9, moving her up to take third place. I expect Sachdev is disappointed with her showing in this event. More studying, Tania! That will do the trick.

Chess Queen: Aurora Stella Esquivel

From UNAL Website Her Focus: Checkmate in the International Tournaments Date: (15/7/2009) Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica Aurora Stella Esquivel — FIME´s student that represents the UANL in chess — faces new challenges before the world preliminary and the Centro American and Open Chess Tournament. By Karolina E. Cárdenas Acosta After seven years reigning within the State and Regional Chess Tournament and a National Championship — obtained in August 2008 in Mexico City by competing against 49 participants in the open category — Aurora Stella Esquivel de Leon will encounter a new challenge. Supported by our Leading Academic Institution’s President, Engineer Jose Antonio Gonzalez Treviño, the young chess player participates in international competitions promoted by her father, Joaquin Manuel Esquivel Rivera and by the Cuban trainer, Justo Triano. Her long experience in this board game has taken her to the most important tournaments by being part of the national selections for either individual or team’s competitions. Such was the case of the individual world’s eliminatory round that currently takes place in El Salvador — from July 10th to the 15th — and where the best chess players from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela, and Mexico compete. In the same way, and after her commitment in that country is fulfilled, the 18 year-old player will participate in the Centro American and Open Chess Tournament in Colombia. However, her agenda has no empty pages. When she comes back to Mexico she will show her best moves and strategies at the “UAEM 2009 Universidad Nacional,” which will take place from August 24th to September 9th in Cuernavaca, Morelos. Besides, she will also partake in other tournaments, on the next month, within the country. Expert chess player reveals the secret to success After ten years of experience in the mental sport — due to the complexity and the intellectual exercise to which the player is subjected to —, the fifth semester School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering’s (Spanish abbreviation FIME) student assures that training, effort, and this sports liking are key for the triumph. “Training is essential for the chess´ development. The player must know how to memorize, and analyze the game in order to have alternatives. I practice on the Internet to get familiar with more movements,” explains the national champion and the national selection representative. Her experience at the Pan-American Games in Ecuador 2005, the interuniversity tournaments, the “Universiadas Nacionales,” and the World Championship in Germany,— where she participated with the Mexican Olympic team — are proof of her quality in this board game. Though this has been his favorite game, a few people know the other side of the story of such a brilliant player for this versatile student of Electronics and Communications Engineering practices more than one. Basketball, softball, and soccer are part of Aurora Esquivel sport’s résumé. “I have always loved sports, and I have had the opportunity to stand out in some of them, mostly in softball and football soccer,” commented the FIME´s team leading player, with which she was twice champion in the Football Soccer University´s Tournament. Backed up by her perseverance, intelligence, and capacity, this multifaceted sports player, embarks in this trip with the purpose of becoming the world’s champion.

IM Tania Sachdev Nominated for Arjuna Award

Summarized from The Times of India: AICF recommends Negi, Tania for Arjuna Mohammad Amin-ul Islam, TNN 17 July 2009, 12:36am IST New Dehli: Here's some good news for Capital's chess followers. Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi and International Master Tania Sachdev are the only two recommended by All India Chess Federation (AICF) for this year's Arjuna awards. Interestingly, till date, no chess player from the Capital has got this award. Last year, Dronavalli Harika was the only Arjuna awardee in chess. While Negi became world's second youngest GM in 2006, Tania is still an IM beside being a WGM which doesn't fall in the same rank as a GM which is harder to achieve. Arjuna awardees in chess over the years: Manuel Aaron (1961), Rohini Khadlikar (1980), Dibyendu Barua (1983), Pravin Thipsay (1984), V Anand(1985), DV Prasad (1987), Bhagyashree Thipsay (1987), Anupama Gokhale (1990), S Vijayalakshmi (2000), K Sasikiran (2002), Koneru Humpy (2003), Surya Sekhar Ganguly (2005), P Harikrishna (2006), D Harika (2008). (Bolded names are female).

San Sebastian International - Women's Tournament

Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa Tournament (part of Donostia International Chess Festival a/k/a San Sebastian International). One more round to go! Standings after Round 8 (information from Chessdom.com; see also official website in English): WGM Pokorna Regina 2381 ½ – ½ WGM Karlovich Anastazia 2211 WGM Hamdouchi Adina-Maria 2324 ½ – ½ WGM Michna Marta 2379 IM Milliet Sophie 2388 1 – 0 WGM Melnikova Yana 2285 WGM Zakurdjaeva Irina 2305 1 – 0 WIM Rozic Vesna 2239 IM Tania Sachdev 2410 1 – 0 WGM Ionica Iulia-Ionela 2263 1. IM Milliet Sophie FRA 2388 - 6,5 2. WGM Melnikova Yana RUS 2285 - 5,5 3. WGM Zakurdjaeva Irina RUS 2305 - 5,0 4. IM Tania Sachdev IND 2410 - 5,0 5. WGM Pokorna Regina SVK 2381 - 4,5 6. WIM Rozic Vesna SLO 2239 - 3,5 7. WGM Michna Marta GER 2379 - 3,5 8. WGM Hamdouchi Adina-Maria ROU 2324 - 3,0 9. WGM Ionica Iulia-Ionela ROU 2263 - 2,0 10. WGM Karlovich Anastazia UKR 2211 - 1,5

Rethymno 2009 International Open

One Hundred (100) players are taking part in this tournament in beautiful Rethymno, Greece, July 12 - 19, 2009. Here are the standings of the chess femmes participating (hope I didn't miss any) after R5: (9) IM Dembo Yelena GRE 2466 4,0 (13) IM Gaponenko Inna UKR 2428 4,0 (18) GM Stefanova Antoaneta BUL 2535 4,0 (24) WGM Paulet Iozefina ROU 2327 4,0 (37) IM Turova Irina RUS 2387 3,5 (46) WIM Chulivska Vita UKR 2304 3,0 (48) WIM Stiri Alexandra GRE 2163 3,0 (67) Sirletti Sonia ITA 1942 3,0 (78) Markaki Sofia U12 GRE 1709 3,0 Current leaders: (1) GM Werle Jan NED 2575 4,5 (2) GM Tukhaev Adam UKR 2534 4,5 (3) IM Smith Bryan G USA 2467 4,5 (4) GM Antic Dejan SRB 2523 4,5 Come on Stefanova, you can beat these dudes! Who is IM Bryan G Smith USA? I do not believe I have heard of him before!

1st Artemis Cup

I love the name of this tournament! Taking place on Leros island takes place 11th-19th July 2009 (72 players). Report from The Week in Chess: Some early surprises: Mchedlishvili (2592) - Post (NED, 1951) ½ - ½ ! (1st rd.), Kostiukova L. (2208) - Shneider Al. (2539) ½ - ½, Nikolaidis I. (2510) - Muhren W. (NED, 2188) 0-1! (2nd rd.). The top-5 encounters of the 3rd rd.: Miroshnichenko (UKR, 2696) - Estremera (ESP, IM 2394) ½ - ½, Hunt Ad. (IM, 2428) - Gelashvili (GEO, 2605) ½ - ½, Kourkounakis (IM 2378) - Timoshenko G. (2556) ½ - ½, Mastrovasilis Ath. (2475) - Kotrotsos (2359) 1-0, Calzetta (WGM, 2344) - Jeremic (2487) ½ - ½. Top chess femme standings after 3 Rounds: 8. Calzetta Ruiz Monica WGM ESP 2344 2.5 14. Muhren Bianca WGM NED 2312 2 23. Frank-Nielsen Marie WFM DEN 2000 2 Monica Calzetta was a favorite player of The Chief (IM Ricardo Calvo).

2009 Canadian Open Chess Championship

Taking place in Edmonton, Alberta, July 11 - 19, 2009. Coverage and website provided by Monroi. The top-rated female player in the Canadian Open (203 players) is IM Irina Krush. After Round 4, five players are tied for first place with a perfect score of 4.0: 1 GM Victor Mikhalevski 2631 4.0 2 GM Hua Ni 2701 4.0 3 GM Mark Bluvshtein 2598 4.0 4 GM Surya Ganguly 2637 4.0 5 FM Raja Panjwani 2418 4.0 Krush is currently in 20th place with 3.0. Other chess femmes (I apologize to any I may have missed): 61 Dalia Kagramanov 1941 2.5 62 Gabrielle Nadeau 1912 2.5 64 WFM Dina Kagramanov 2140 2.5 77 WIM Alisa Melekhina 2315 2.5 107 Jasmine Du 1810 2.0 108 Nicka Kalaydina 1879 2.0

Moza Al Mansouri Wins Gold for UAE

Rich haul for UAE junior chess team By K.R. Nayar, Senior ReporterPublished: July 15, 2009, 22:41 Dubai: The UAE junior chess team has returned with two gold medals, one bronze and a silver from the Arab Junior Chess Championship held in Damascus, Syria. The promising juniors hailing from the different emirates performed brilliantly in the Under-eight, Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 age categories. Nine-year-old Moza Al Mansouri of Al Ain Club emerged as the Arab Junior Chess Champion in the Under-10 category winning all of her nine games. She became the only player to achieve a 100 per cent score. . . . Speaking to Gulf News, Moza said: "I dedicate this victory to my country. I won mainly due to the excellent preparations, ideal playing conditions and support from my team members". Rest of article.

Archaeological Site Destroyed in Iran

The Islamic Nazis in Iran are up to their old tricks - business as usual - while the prisons are full of fresh meat (due to recent upheavals that the regime is trying very hard to keep out of the eyes of the world) to torture, rape and kill at the leisure of the Revolutionary Guard. Isn't it ironic that the very things the Iranian people fought to overthrow 30 years ago are now embodied in an "Islamic republic." Here's the article from CAIS: A Large Parthian Site in Khuzestan Province Seriously Damaged & Partly Destroyed Tuesday, 14 July 2009 08:11 During the widening of a road by the Islamic Republic’s controlled Iran’s National Oil Company near the city of Ahwaz, a large historical site dating back to the Parthian dynasty (248 BCE - 224 CE) was seriously damaged and some sections were completely destroyed, as reported by the Persian service of the Friends of Khuzestan’s Friends of Cultural Heritage Society (TARIANA). Apparently the destruction of the site began over a decade ago by the Islamic Republic’s Construction Jihad Foundation. The name and the exact location of the site have been kept secret for security reasons. “Destruction of this important site which its’ name cannot be disclosed for security reasons, began in 1990s by the Jihad Foundation,” said Mojtaba Gahestuni, the director of Tariana. “The ancient site is over 150 hectares and there is evidence of mudbrick walls, large cut stones, stone-constructions, a fire-alter as well as decorated potsherds scattered over the site,” said Gahestuni. He continued “in this site there is a large cemetery which is covered with broken pieces of large red coloured-torpedo shaped earthenware urns, typical of Parthian dynastic art and black-wares dating back to the 1st millennium BCE.” Currently the ancient Iranian site is left unprotected at the mercy of the Oil Company’s bulldozers and smugglers alike. The responsibility of the security of the site lies with the provincial Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organisation (KCHHTO) but no action has been taken yet to protect it. Not so surprisingly, but ironically KCHHTO has been responsible for the destruction of many pre-Islamic Iranian sites in the Khuzestan Province. “KCHHTO is fully aware of the site’s cultural and historical importance, not only have no measures been taken to secure the site, but also no steps were made to register the site on the national heritage list or commission a preliminary archaeological survey to demarcate the boundaries of the site,” said Gahestuni. Registering a site in today’s Iran does not mean anything as many archaeological and historical sites which were registered on the list some since 1930s have been damaged and even totally obliterated and nothing was done to protect them, such as last years destruction of a Partho-Sasanian site in Susa. The Parthian site contains a free-standing stone structure which is believed to be a Parthian Mausoleum. “In the site there is a large cubic-structure made of stone and saruj mortar, which is 2 meters in height, 6 meters wide and has a 2 meter foundation. Primarily we thought the structure was an ābanbār (water storage), but it is more likely to be a mausoleum.” He concluded “if any archaeological researches are to be conducted on the site we will surly find the coinage and written-evidence to obtain more information about the ancient site.”

The Great Goddess: A Random Round-Up :)

Pardon my borrowing from Goddesschess, dondelion, webmaster of Goddesschess for many years and editor (along with chief cook and bottle washer) of G'chess' popular weekly column "Random Round-up." Here are a couple of goddess references I came across tonight that I thought you would appreciate:

• I saw this tonight, posted at - the Daily Kos! Durga Piercing the Heart by NLinStPaul Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 03:02:38 PM PDT What?, I said to myself? So I read it. I'll say this much - the beginning of enlightenment is recognizing that something is wrong to begin with...
• St. Bridget of Kildare – Pray for Burr Oak Cemetery Families and Give Them Comfort! PATHICKEY July 13, 2009 The desecration of tombs at a local cemetery in Illinois gives rise to musing about the ancient triple goddess Brigit a/k/a "St. Bridget."

Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls

GM Susan Polgar has sponsored a national all-girls invitational chess tournament for the past six years. It seems like yesterday when I first read about this prestigious event, and the rigorous qualification requirements! Here we are in 2009. The following information is from a press release issued by the USCF website about the 6th Annual Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls: New Chess Champion to be Crowned at Texas Tech University FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 14, 2009 Contact: Dr. Rice Rich LUBBOCK, TEXAS The sixth, annual Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls (SPNI), which is the most prestigious all-girls national championship in the United States, will take place July 26-31, 2009 at the Frazier Alumni Pavilion on the Texas Tech University (TTU) campus in Lubbock, Texas. To be eligible to play, each state can nominate one talented young female chess player 18-years-old or younger. Winning the Susan Polgar National Open for Girls or the Susan Polgar World Open for Girls also qualifies one to compete at SPNI. The defending champion and current members of the Susan Polgar All-Star Chess Team also receive invitations. Thousands of girls compete annually in a variety of events to gain eligibility. This is the second year that Texas Tech University will host this prestigious event, and it has an agreement with the USCF to do so until 2017. Thanks to the generous sponsorship from the TTU’s Provost’s office, each qualified player receives free accommodation on TTU’s campus at Gordon Hall, as well as three free meals a day on campus at the “Fresh Plate” for the duration of the six-day event. In addition, TTU will award a four-year academic scholarship each year to the highest-finishing player who has not graduated from high school by August of the year of the tournament. A record fifty-two players from across the country participated in the main event in 2008. The winner of the 2008 SPNI was Courtney Jamison of Texas. This year, the record will be broken as sixty young and talented young female players have already confirmed their participation. Further information is contained in the rest of the press release.