2011 FIDE Women's Grand Prix - Nalchik

Today is a rest day.  Action resumes tomorrow.  Standings after R4:

Rank	SNo.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Pts	Res.	SB	Koya
1	4	GM	Zhao Xue	2497	CHN	*		1							1	1	1	4	0	5,50	0
2	8	WGM	Ju Wenjun	2536	CHN		*			½		1	1	½				3	0	5,75	0
3	9	GM	Cmilyte Viktorija	2525	LTU	0		*				½	½	1				2	1	3,50	0
4	2	GM	Lahno Kateryna	2554	UKR				*	½	½				½	½		2	1	3,25	0
5	12	IM	Kovalevskaya Ekaterina	2421	RUS		½		½	*				½		½		2	½	3,75	0
6	3	GM	Zhu Chen	2490	QAT				½		*				½	1	0	2	½	2,75	0
	5	GM	Kosintseva Nadezhda	2560	RUS		0	½				*			½		1	2	½	2,75	0
	6	GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	2528	BUL		0	½					*	½			1	2	½	2,75	0
9	7	GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	2536	RUS		½	0		½			½	*				1½	0	3,50	0
10	11	IM	Galliamova Alisa	2498	RUS	0			½		½	½			*			1½	0	3,00	0
11	1	IM	Munguntuul Batkhuyag	2467	MGL	0			½	½	0					*		1	0	2,00	0
	10	GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	2469	RUS	0					1	0	0				*	1	0	2,00	0

Round 3 on 2011/10/11 at 15:00
SNo.		Name	Rtg	Res.		Name	Rtg	SNo.
2	GM	Lahno Kateryna	2554	½ - ½	IM	Kovalevskaya Ekaterina	2421	12
3	GM	Zhu Chen	2490	1 - 0	IM	Munguntuul Batkhuyag	2467	1
4	GM	Zhao Xue	2497	1 - 0	IM	Galliamova Alisa	2498	11
5	GM	Kosintseva Nadezhda	2560	1 - 0	GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	2469	10
6	GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	2528	½ - ½	GM	Cmilyte Viktorija	2525	9
7	GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	2536	½ - ½	WGM	Ju Wenjun	2536	8
Round 4 on 2011/10/12 at 15:00
SNo.		Name	Rtg	Res.		Name	Rtg	SNo.
12	IM	Kovalevskaya Ekaterina	2421	½ - ½	WGM	Ju Wenjun	2536	8
9	GM	Cmilyte Viktorija	2525	1 - 0	GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	2536	7
10	GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	2469	0 - 1	GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	2528	6
11	IM	Galliamova Alisa	2498	½ - ½	GM	Kosintseva Nadezhda	2560	5
1	IM	Munguntuul Batkhuyag	2467	0 - 1	GM	Zhao Xue	2497	4
2	GM	Lahno Kateryna	2554	½ - ½	GM	Zhu Chen	2490	3

The Culture of Rape

From The New York Times

Op-Ed Columnist
One Girl’s CourageBy NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: October 12, 2011

Early one morning, I came across the actress Eva Mendes, crying. She said that she was overwhelmed by all the girls she had met here in Sierra Leone who had been raped — and by her inability to help.
Ms. Mendes and I had just arrived here in West Africa to collaborate on a PBS documentary on some inspiring women around the world. In our first full day of reporting, we had met 3- and 4-year-old girls who had been raped.

It was heartbreaking, yet we ultimately found a hint of progress, partly because of the grit of a 15-year-girl, Fulamatu. A ninth grader and star of her class, Fulamatu dreams of going to university and becoming a bank manager.

Living right next door is Victor S. Palmer, a 41-year-old Pentecostal pastor and friend of her family, so close that Fulamatu calls him “uncle.” Yet, one day in May, Fulamatu says, the pastor threw her on his bed and raped her.

“I was scared, so I didn’t tell my parents,” Fulamatu remembered. He continued the attacks, she said, and she became sick and lost weight. Finally, after two other girls reported that the pastor had tried to rape them, her parents confronted her. Fulamatu told them that she had been repeatedly raped, and a doctor determined that she had a severe case of gonorrhea.

Fulamatu wanted to prosecute the pastor, and I watched as she made her statement to the police. She was scared and embarrassed but also determined. The police set out to arrest the pastor, but they couldn’t find him.

That’s when Fulamatu had an idea: If I, as a foreigner, called his cellphone, he might agree to meet. After concluding that it would be a mistake to let an alleged rapist go free if I could prevent it, I telephoned the pastor. I introduced myself and asked to see him that afternoon. When he showed up, the police grabbed him.

The pastor firmly denied all charges. At the police station, he told me that he had never had sex, forced or consensual, with Fulamatu or tried to rape the other girls. He could not explain why the girls would say that he had attacked them.

That evening, the neighborhood celebrated outside the police station. One girl after another came up to me and described how the pastor had been preying on girls. Fulamatu was thrilled at the prospect of justice. Impunity seemed to be eroding.

Yet progress is agonizingly slow, and the International Rescue Committee says that only one-half of 1 percent of the rapes it deals with in Sierra Leone lead to convictions. I soon saw the challenges first hand.       

After Mr. Palmer was arrested, his family members came calling on Fulamatu’s family. They prostrated themselves before Fulamatu’s feet and begged forgiveness.

Under pressure, Fulamatu’s father announced that he forgave the pastor. Fulamatu’s mother told me that the family would not testify against Mr. Palmer at a trial.

The police moved on their own and released the pastor. He is now free again.

“This is very common,” Amie Kandeh of the International Rescue Committee, who battles sexual violence here, told me. She routinely sees cases dropped.

Then it got worse. Fulamatu’s father, humiliated by the furor surrounding his daughter, threatened to evict her from their house. Her mother prepared to send Fulamatu to a remote village with no school. It looked as if Fulamatu would be forced to end her studies and have her life’s hopes destroyed.

I left Fulamatu my cellphone so that she could contact me for help if necessary. That evening she phoned: Her father had kicked her out on the street. Then her parents confiscated the phone.

It’s because of girls like Fulamatu that I want Congress to pass the International Violence Against Women Act. It wouldn’t solve all the problems, but it would encourage countries like Sierra Leone to take sexual violence more seriously. And shining a light on oppression helps overcome it.

For Fulamatu, the situation is in flux. Under pressure, the family grudgingly took her back in, and the International Rescue Committee is helping her. Ms. Mendes is hoping to pay for her to go to a boarding school, where she could get an education and be safe.

There is so much in this case to shed angry tears about. Yet Fulamatu herself, while utterly humiliated, is dry-eyed and strong. She misted only when I grabbed her by the shoulders and told her that she had done nothing wrong.

It’s worth emulating her toughness and resolve as the path to change. As more girls show Fulamatu’s courage, we can some day break taboos about sexual violence and inch toward a global recognition that it is more shameful to rape than to be raped.           

Young U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team Wins Gold at Worlds!

Tue Oct 11 08:44am EDT

Young team cruises to gymnastics women’s title at World Championships

By Maggie Hendricks

Behind an inexperienced group of youngsters, the U.S. women won the gymnastics world championships in Tokyo on Tuesday. They took the lead over Russia and China early, and never looked back. Their score of 179.411 put them ahead of Russia's 175.329, and China's 172.820.

After winning the preliminary round, the U.S. lucked out with the vault as their first event. McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber each stuck their vaults, with Maroney's memorable Amanar vault scoring an enormous 16.033. Next they headed to the uneven bars, which has long been a weak spot for American gymnasts. Sabrina Vegas, Gabrielle Douglas and Wieber all had routines scored in the 14 range. It was enough for the U.S. to hold on to the lead over Russia.

Vega, Raisman and Wieber sailed on the balance beam, leaving just the floor exercise. They had already built up such a high score that they needed to average just 13.4 to win the gold. With the difficult routines that the American gymnasts have on floor exercise, that was no problem. Maroney and Wieber both delivered. Raisman, the one gymnast with world championships experience, needed a 10.584 to win the U.S. gold. Not surprisingly, she surpassed that with a 14.666.

This is the third world championship win for the U.S., as they also took the title in 2003 and 2007.

Heading into Tokyo, the team experienced several injuries. Returning Olympians Chelsie Memmel and Shawn Johnson did not make the team because they were rehabbing injuries. Rebecca Bross and Bridget Sloan, both world all-around medalists, also were out with injuries. That left Alicia Sacramone as the lone Olympian on the world team. Unfortunately, she ruptured her Achilles tendon on Friday. In her place, Raisman -- who is Sacramone's training partner -- and Wieber stepped up to lead the team.

Heading into the final rotation, Raisman said to Wieber and Maroney, "All we have to do is relax and have fun and enjoy it." Now, they will get to enjoy a world title heading into the London Olympics.

The U.S. won silver in the last two Olympics after winning it all at the worlds, which is a streak that they'll want to break. The tough task in front of U.S. gymnastics is now to put together a team that integrates the best of the veterans and the newcomers. With just five spots, it will be a dogfight.

Please Help the Chess Kids of IS 318

Times are hard.  Revenues are down for states and municipalities.  As is the case in so many school districts across the country, budgets are being slashed, teachers are being fired, aides are being fired, programs (those left that is, after many prior years of cutting, cutting and cutting) are being eliminated.  None of this benefits our kids.

I think all of us would agree that our kids should not be made to suffer. 

When I read the plea for help for IS 318's chess program at Elizabeth Vicary's blog, my heart went right out to the kids - in this case, chess kids!  We immediately pledged a donation.  We only wish it could be more!

For those of you who don't know Elizabeth Vicary, she has played in several U.S. Women's Chess Championships.  These events are by invitation only from the U.S. Chess Federation, to the top-rated U.S. women and those who have otherwise earned the right to participate (such as the prior year's champion and winners of certain USCF-sponsored events).  Elizabeth won the 2007 Goddesschess Brilliancy Prize for her game against WGM Camille Baginskaite at the 2007 Frank K. Berry U.S. Women's Chess Championship.  It was by virtue of that prize that I came to "know" her a little bit, and became a big fan! 

Goddesschess believes whole-heartedly in the importance of chess programs for our young people.  The many benefits that chess brings to them are well-documented and I'm not going to bore you to tears by going into them here.  Suffice to say that the tangible and intangible benefits for our young people stand as a testament to why "scholastic" chess is so popular in the United States today - and new chess programs are being added across the nation, despite budget cuts!  But, as fast as we're pedalling, we're just playing catch-up to programs that have been going on in Europe (and particularly in Russia and many countries of the former Soviet Union) for generations; and these programs are a primary reason why Chinese players have risen so quickly to the top ranks of female and male chessplayers on the world ratings lists! 

Please help the IS 318 school chess program.  If you can, please help the kids by making a donation.  A Pay-Pal account has been set up to make donating easy.  Any amount, no matter how "small" you think it might be, is welcome.  All of those "small" donations can add up quickly, darlings, if enough of us make them! Remember the story about how a mighty forest grew from one little acorn? That's what we can do, a few dollars at a time.

Your donation is deductible for U.S. income tax purposes to the extent allowable by law as a donation to a qualifying tax-exempt entity (as a public school, IS 318 is a qualified tax-exempt entity under the Internal Revenue Code).

Link to the PayPal page for IS 318. 

If you pre, checks, made payable to I.S. 318 Chess Team, can be mailed to:
I.S. 318
101 Walton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206

For more information, please contact I.S. 318 Chess Coach Elizabeth Vicary. 

Anita Maksimiuk, 2010 IS 318

Elizabeth Vicary (left) and some of the girls from the 2007 IS 318
Chess Teams.  IS 318 was honored by the Mayor's Office in 2007!

I would also like you to know that Goddesschess' donation will be used as follows:  [W]e decided to use the money to send girls to girls nationals, in honor of your blog. The total should cover the entry fee for 10-12 girls. Obviously, we'll still have to cover other expenses, but the assistant principal said he would find the money.

Information on the wonderful chess program at IS 318:

You can read up close and personal accounts of Elizabeth's work with these kids at her blog.

I.S. 318 Chess Team

IS 318 Chess Team

The Story of IS 318: Interview with the Director of Chess Movie
by Jennifer Shahade
April 5, 2010

April 20, 2011
Remainders: IS 318 wins national chess tournament
by Philissa Cramer, at 7:28 pm

Information on Elizabeth Vicary:

E. Vicary on Chess, Girls and Genius
by Jennifer Shahade
June 26, 2007

Some of Elizabeth's games at Chessgames

Braden Bournival on Elizabeth

According to the U.S. Chess Federation's current statistics, Elizabeth is currently ranked 49th of U.S. women, with a USCF rating of 2076 and a FIDE ELO of 2154.  She reached her peak USCF rating near the end of 2007. As so often happens with promising U.S. female chessplayers, Elizabeth has not played in many events recently - her life is now filled up with other demands on her time, including her teaching career.  Her most recent event was in May of this year, the 2011 World Amateur Team and US Team East. 

Botswana International Open 2011 Ladies Section Gaborone, Botswana

Final Ranking after 9 Rounds

Rk.		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	WCM	Tembo Epah	ZAM	1909	7.5	46.5	36.0	38.50
2	WFM	Mudongo Boikhutso	BOT	1864	6.5	47.0	36.5	30.75
3	WCM	Francis Onkemetse	BOT	0	6.5	45.5	35.5	30.75
4	WFM	Botlhole Kgalalelo	BOT	1535	6.5	44.0	34.0	26.75
5		Marx Inge	RSA	0	5.5	37.5	30.0	21.50
6	WCM	Mokgacha Keitumetse	BOT	1886	5.5	34.5	28.5	19.25
7	WCM	Sabure Ontiretse	BOT	1734	5.0	48.0	37.5	21.00
8		Katisenge Keenese	BOT	0	5.0	40.0	31.5	19.00
9		Gorata Leso	BOT	1733	4.5	52.0	40.0	24.00
10	WCM	Francis Thapelo	BOT	0	4.5	46.5	38.0	18.25
11		Thamuku Boitshwarelo	BOT	0	4.5	41.5	32.5	19.00
12	WCM	Lame Kolaatamo	BOT	0	4.5	35.0	28.5	15.25
13		Mbakhwa Faith	BOT	1515	4.0	49.5	39.0	18.50
14		Mbo Mabedi	BOT	0	4.0	36.5	28.5	11.00
15		Kelebeile Nametsego	BOT	0	4.0	36.5	26.5	12.25
16		Mam Abha	BOT	0	3.0	33.5	26.0	6.00
17		Mothule Naomi	BOT	0	3.0	33.0	25.5	7.25
18		Montsho Otlarongwa	BOT	0	2.5	34.0	26.5	8.75
19		Mpedi Bonolo	BOT	0	2.5	33.0	25.5	5.75
20		Ntseane Jessica	BOT	0	1.0	36.0	28.0	2.50

From The Monitor
Monday, 10 October 2011 | Issue: Vol.12 No.37

Players lose fide ratings after poor show

Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe
Staff Writer

As many as 15 leading local players who participated in the Botswana International Open, held over the Independence holidays, have been degraded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) due to poor form at the FIDE-rated event.

While promising woman chess master (FM) Kgalalelo Botlhole, saw her rating of 1535 points soar by 52.5 points, it was a different story for the majority of her compatriots. National team player Gorata Leso, with FIDE rating of 1733, lost 35.1 points after performing poorly at the event won by Zambia's Epah Tembo.

Another woman national team player and medallist from the just-ended All Africa Games in Mozambique, Ontiretse Sabure, with a rating of 1734 points, lost 41.1 FIDE points. After finishing second at the event, Boikhutso Mudongo (1848) added 7.8 points to her ratings, but another national team player, Keitumetse Mokgacha (1886) dropped 18 points. In the men's category, Providence Oathotse, despite losing only one game, and drawing four, lost 5.5 points from his 2253 FIDA points. Promising youngster and national team player, Thabo Gumpo, also lost 3.75 points, while former national team player, Mosenya Ndawana, lost 9.3 points. Boikhutso Cinky will have 10.2 points deducted from his rating (2031).

2011 FIDE Women's Grand Prix - Nalchik

Round 2 on 2011/10/10 at 15:00
SNo.		Name	Rtg	Res.		Name	Rtg	SNo.
12	IM	Kovalevskaya Ekaterina	2421	½ - ½	GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	2536	7
8	WGM	Ju Wenjun	2536	1 - 0	GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	2528	6
9	GM	Cmilyte Viktorija	2525	½ - ½	GM	Kosintseva Nadezhda	2560	5
10	GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	2469	0 - 1	GM	Zhao Xue	2497	4
11	IM	Galliamova Alisa	2498	½ - ½	GM	Zhu Chen	2490	3
1	IM	Munguntuul Batkhuyag	2467	½ - ½	GM	Lahno Kateryna	2554	2

Rank after round 2
Rank	SNo.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Pts	Res.	SB	Koya
1	4	GM	Zhao Xue	2497	CHN	*							1				1	2	0	1,50	1
2	8	WGM	Ju Wenjun	2536	CHN		*								1	1		2	0	1,00	0
3	1	IM	Munguntuul Batkhuyag	2467	MGL			*	½	½								1	0	1,00	1
	2	GM	Lahno Kateryna	2554	UKR			½	*			½						1	0	1,00	1
	12	IM	Kovalevskaya Ekaterina	2421	RUS			½		*	½							1	0	1,00	1
6	7	GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	2536	RUS					½	*				½			1	0	0,75	½
	11	IM	Galliamova Alisa	2498	RUS				½			*		½				1	0	0,75	½
8	10	GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	2469	RUS	0							*	1				1	0	0,50	0
9	3	GM	Zhu Chen	2490	QAT							½	0	*				½	0	0,50	½
	6	GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	2528	BUL		0				½				*			½	0	0,50	½
11	5	GM	Kosintseva Nadezhda	2560	RUS		0									*	½	½	0	0,25	0
	9	GM	Cmilyte Viktorija	2525	LTU	0										½	*	½	0	0,25	0

I'm Mad I Tell You, Mad...

I just couldn't help myself:

This is a McCall's pattern I happened to come across while I was looking at McCall's fall offerings.  She's so cute - look at the expression on her face!  You just know she's saying "Doh! Hey Mom, why are you dressing me in this horrid green check?  You know I love pink..."

So, this is what happens when a woman catches Sewing Fever.  Geez!  If my doggies were still alive, I'd probably stitch this up for each of them - but not in this horrid green. 

Seriously, the other day I saw something on a pattern website and now do you think I can find it for the life of me?  Hell no.  It was a particular material that was used to make a blouse that I'm after - not the pattern nor the blouse itself.  It was a dark autumnal colored print with a repeating pattern across the material.  It sort of reminded me of the best most rich Indian paisleys, but it wasn't a paisley print. 

It occurred to me afterward that the material would make a perfect chessboard pattern with no need to patchwork together alternating squares of color (checkerboard effect, tired by true), although it might be a little large.  But as a cloth board that could be sewed on a backing and rolled up, who cares if it's 20 inches square?  Perfect and lightweight.  I've got to find that material again --


Update:  11:34 a.m.  I found the fabric!  It was at the Butterick's pattern store online that I saw it.  Here's a photo of the jacket done up in it:

In looking at it now, it does look rather like a paisley, doesn't it.  Anyway, it would be perfect for what I have in mind.  Can anyone help me identify this fabric by maker and pattern number and where, if possible, I might be able to buy it online??? 

2011 Indian National Girls U-13 Chess Championship

Monnisha continues her wining ways:

From Indian Sports News

Sunday, 09 October 2011 20:14 New Delhi: [Excerpted]  In the girls’ section, defending champion Monnisha G K on course to her title defence as she produced an impressive victory over Shoumi Mukerjee in the tenth round. Playing with white pieces in Sicilian defence, Monnisha displayed her sheer class to overcome her West Bengal rival in 55 moves to extend her sole lead to full point. Meanwhile top seed Ivana Maria Furtado suffered her first defeat in the championship by the hands of M Mahalakshmi of Tamilnadu. Playing white side of Rubinstein variation of Nimzo-Indian defence, Mahalakshmi exposed Ivana’s defence with her bishop and rook in the middle game to register a crucial win in her favour. In the final round Monnisha takes on Mahalakshmi, who is occupying the second spot with eight points. Ivana and Priyamvada Karamcheti of Andhra Pradesh, who beat Vaishali R of Tamilnadu in the penultimate round, are in joint third spot with seven and half points. [Furtado's defeat has put her out of contention for a medal.] Important Results:   Round-10 Girls :  Monnisha G K of Tamilnadu (9) beat Shoumi Mukerjee of West Bengal (7); Mahalakshmi M of Tamilnadu (8) beat Ivana Maria Furtado of Goa (7.5); Shiny Das of Tripura (7) drew with Anigani Kavya of Andhra Pradesh (7); Priyamvada Karamcheti of Andhra Pradesh (7.5) beat Vaishali R of Tamilnadu (6); Manjula R of Tamilnadu (7) beat Rutuja Bakshi of Maharashtra (6); Ashwini U of Tamilnadu (7) beat Chandreyee Hajra of West Bengal (6); Tarini Goyal of Chandigarh (6.5) drew with Megha Gupta of Gujarat (6.5); Divya Garg of Maharashtra (7) beat Akankhya Kabi of Orissa (6); Nishi Mahalaxmi Iyer of West Bengal (6) lost to Hilmi Parveen of Kerala (7); Sunyasakata Satpathy of Orissa (6.5) beat Dhanashree Pandit of Maharashtra (5.5); Varshini V of Tamilnadu (5.5) lost to Asmita Das Munshi of West Bengal (6.5); Shweta Priyadharshini of Uttarpradesh (6.5) beat Smaraki Mohanty of Orissa (5.5); Divya Lakshmi R of Tamilnadu (6.5) beat Gange Tanmayee of Maharashtra (5.5); Meghna C H of Kerala (6) drew with Chitlange Sakshi of Maharashtra (6); Manasa H R of Karnataka (6) drew with Dharani Sree R of Tamilnadu (6).

Wine Glass Divination

Hola, darlings! Well, the grass out back did not get cut today. It was just too nice a day, and these days are so short on the menu this time of year, I couldn't bring myself to work, I just could not.

After I hiked to the Pick 'n Save and back to stock up on essentials (WINE and whatever, oh yeah, toilet paper), I settled out on the deck and did this and that online, and then I experimented with the webcam on my little Acer Notebook and took some pics of yours truly in preparation for the first Brewers v. Cardinals game at Miller Park, the beginning of the seven-game series to decide who will be Major League Baseball's National League Champion! The reason I did so was because I was doing some Wine Glass Divination, darlings, and if the Goddess is channeling correctly, she predicts that the Brewers will win the first game of this crucial series by 3 runs. I channeled a score of 10-7 Brewers - but don't hold the Goddess to that.

No, I am not red-skinned, that's just the way the sun was shining at the moment and with my red-toned hair, well, so it goes.  That's me without any make-up on, EEK!

Soooo, right now it's 8-6 Brewers batting in the bottom of the 7th. EEK! The lead has been yo-yoing back and forth, back and forth, that's how closely matched these teams are. But the Brewers have the Goddess on their side this time...

Updated 7:03 p.m.:

BREWERS WIN.  Final score 9-6.  It wasn't 10-7 but that three run margin is there!  The Goddess is on the side of right, truth, Motherhood, Milwaukee, the Brewers and me (I hope)!  YAH!  Did they hear me yelling my head off in St. Louis during the bottom of the 9th when our Ace Closer struck our first one, then two, and everyone except Cardinals fans were on their feet stomping and screaming (just like me), for that third out...and then our Ace Closer fielded a HOT grounder and kept his poise long enough to get out number .  OHMYGODDESS!

YEEEE HAWWWW, DARLINGS!

2011 FIDE Women's Grand Prix - Nalchik

Results R1:

Round 1 on 2011/10/09 at 15:00
SNo.		Name	Rtg	Res.		Name	Rtg	SNo.
1	IM	Munguntuul Batkhuyag	2467	½ - ½	IM	Kovalevskaya Ekaterina	2421	12
2	GM	Lahno Kateryna	2554	½ - ½	IM	Galliamova Alisa	2498	11
3	GM	Zhu Chen	2490	0 - 1	GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	2469	10
4	GM	Zhao Xue	2497	1 - 0	GM	Cmilyte Viktorija	2525	9
5	GM	Kosintseva Nadezhda	2560	0 - 1	WGM	Ju Wenjun	2536	8
6	GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	2528	½ - ½	GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	2536	7

Standings R1:

Rank after round 1
Rank	SNo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts	Res.
1	4	GM	Zhao Xue	2497	CHN	1	0
	8	WGM	Ju Wenjun	2536	CHN	1	0
	10	GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	2469	RUS	1	0
4	1	IM	Munguntuul Batkhuyag	2467	MGL	½	½
	2	GM	Lahno Kateryna	2554	UKR	½	½
	6	GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	2528	BUL	½	½
	7	GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	2536	RUS	½	½
	11	IM	Galliamova Alisa	2498	RUS	½	½
	12	IM	Kovalevskaya Ekaterina	2421	RUS	½	½
10	3	GM	Zhu Chen	2490	QAT	0	0
	5	GM	Kosintseva Nadezhda	2560	RUS	0	0
	9	GM	Cmilyte Viktorija	2525	LTU	0	0

Kosteniuk takes revenge on Zhu Chen

Sunday, 09 October 2011

On Sunday, October 9, in Spa-hotel “Sindika” the games of the first round of chess Grand-prix FIDE took place. The symbolic initial move in the game of Zhu Chen from Qatar and Alexandra Kosteniuk from Russia was made by the minister of sport, tourism and resorts of KBR Aslan Afaunov. It’s interesting that these two players played the final match of the Women’s world chess championship about ten years ago, in winter 2001, and since then they haven’t met at the board. That time Kosteniuk lost and her opponent became the champion of the world. This time Alexandra won the game. On the press-conference she said that this game was very symbolic for her and that she was glad about the victory which also turned out to be the first for the former world champion on Grand prix stages. The first game day was lucky for the sportswomen from China. Zhao Xue with white defeated Viktorija Cmilyte from Lithuania, Ju Wenjun with black defeated N.Kosintseva from Russia. Three games resulted in a draw.

GO ALEXANDRA!  YOU GO GIRL!

Someone Buried Their Favorite Doggy With a Bone

I'm all hormonal today, it seems.  This story made me cry.

From MSNBC
Someone gave that prehistoric dog a bone...

Mammoth treat probably put there by human; find shows relationships with canines

By Jennifer Viegas

updated 10/7/2011 2:33:59 PM ET2011-10-07T18:33:59

 

The remains of three Paleolithic dogs, including one with a mammoth bone in its mouth, have been unearthed at Predmosti in the Czech Republic, according to a new Journal of Archaeological Science paper.
The remains indicate what life was like for these prehistoric dogs in this region, and how humans viewed canines. The dogs appear to have often sunk their teeth into meaty mammoth bones. These weren’t just mammoth in terms of size, but came from actual mammoths.

In the case of the dog found with the bone in its mouth, the researchers believe a human inserted it there after death.

"The thickness of the cortical bone shows that it is from a large mammal, like a rhinoceros, steppe bison or mammoth," lead author Mietje Germonpre told Discovery News. "At Predmosti, mammoth is the best represented animal, with remains from more than 1,000 individuals, so it is probable that the bone fragment is from a mammoth."

Germonpre, a paleontologist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, and colleagues Martina Laznickova-Galetova and Mikhail Sablin, first studied the remains, focusing on the skulls, to see what animals they represented. In the fossil record, there is sometimes controversy over what is a wolf, dog or other canid.

"These skulls show clear signs of domestication," Germonpre said, explaining they are significantly shorter than those of fossil or modern wolves, have shorter snouts, and noticeably wider braincases and palates than wolves possess.

She described them as large, with an estimated body weight of just over 77 pounds. The shoulder height was at least 24 inches.

"The shape of their skull resembles that of a Siberian husky, but they were larger and heavier than the modern Husky," she said.

The dogs died when they were between 4 and 8 years old, suffering from numerous broken teeth during their lifetimes.

Based on what is known of the human culture at the site, the researchers believe these dogs “were useful as beasts of burden for the hauling of meat, bones and tusks from mammoth kill sites and of firewood, and to help with the transport of equipment, limiting the carrying costs of the Predmosti people.”

Since mammoth meat was likely the food staple, the scientists further believe that the surplus meat “would have been available to feed the dogs.”

The dog skulls show evidence that humans perforated them in order to remove the brain. Given that better meat was available, the researchers think it’s unlikely the brains served as food.

Instead, based on these archaeological finds and the ethnographic record, it’s possible that the body manipulation after death held ritual importance.

"Among many northern indigenous peoples, it was believed that the head contains the spirit or soul," Germonpre explained. “Some of these peoples made a hole in the braincase of the killed animal so that the spirit might be released.”

The mammoth bone in the dog's mouth could signify "that the dog was 'fed' to accompany the soul of the dead person on its journey."

Rob Losey, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Alberta, told Discovery News that the new study is "very convincing," and shows "quite clearly that the dog domestication process was underway thousands of years earlier than previously thought."

He added, "The distinctive treatment given some of the remains also is compelling, and this indicates to me that a special connection had developed between people and some canids quite early on — long prior to any good evidence for dogs being buried."

© 2011 Discovery Channel

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What the article didn't address specifically is how OLD the burials are estimated to be? 

I did a little digging around and found that Predmosti is well known for a long-term established "camp" of mammoth hunters dating from between about 27,000 to 24,300 years ago!  Does that mean that the dog burials are that old too?  That would be incredible.  Modern theory now acknowledges that dogs were domesticated in several different places by several different populations, independently of each other  - there wasn't just one group of dogs from which all current domesticated dogs spring.  As far as I'm aware, the oldest evidence for dog domestication is froma bout 16,000 years ago.

This is an incredible discovery.  If this dating is correct, the domestication of the dogs at Predmosti was already well established about 10,000 years BEFORE the other oldest evidence of domestication we know of currently.  WOW! 

That final touch - putting a bone in a beloved doggy's mouth - that's what got me.  Although it's been seven years since the youngest of my three doggies died, there's not a day goes by that I don't think of them and miss them.