2012 Russian Women's Chess Championship

Results R5:

Round 5 (August 7, 2012)
Pogonina, Natalija	- Gunina, Valentina	1-0	46	B12	Caro Kann Advanced
Girya, Olga	- Charochkina, Daria	1-0	37	A50	Queen's Indian (without e7-e6)
Galliamova, Alisa	- Ovod, Evgenija	1-0	31	E00	Catalan
Kosintseva, Nadezhda	- Kosintseva, Tatiana	½-½	14	C69	Ruy Lopez Exchange
Kovanova, Baira	- Ubiennykh, Ekaterina	1-0	26	B91	Sicilian Najdorf with 6.g3

Standings after R5 (from The Week in Chess):

62nd ch-RUS w Moscow (RUS), 3-13 viii 2012															cat. VIII (2445)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0
1.	Pogonina, Natalija	wg	RUS	2448	*	.	.	1	1	.	.	½	½	1	4	2675
2.	Girya, Olga	wg	RUS	2433	.	*	.	0	.	½	1	1	1	.	3½	2585
3.	Galliamova, Alisa	m	RUS	2465	.	.	*	½	.	.	½	½	1	1	3½	2564
4.	Kosintseva, Tatiana	g	RUS	2530	0	1	½	*	.	½	.	.	.	1	3	2529
5.	Gunina, Valentina	m	RUS	2507	0	.	.	.	*	1	½	.	½	1	3	2502
6.	Kosintseva, Nadezhda	g	RUS	2524	.	½	.	½	0	*	½	1	.	.	2½	2449
7.	Kovanova, Baira	wg	RUS	2408	.	0	½	.	½	½	*	1	.	.	2½	2459
8.	Ubiennykh, Ekaterina	wm	RUS	2367	½	0	½	.	.	0	0	*	.	.	1	2215
9.	Charochkina, Daria	wg	RUS	2353	½	0	0	.	½	.	.	.	*	0	1	2214
10.	Ovod, Evgenija	m	RUS	2419	0	.	0	0	0	.	.	.	1	*	1	2220

Gotland Treasure Trove!

I don't believe I've posted a good treasure trove story in a while, so here's one for you - from Gotland!  Good ol' Gotland!  Story at The Local.

Medieval silver treasure found on Gotland

Published: 4 Aug 12 12:53 CET

“This is an amazing find. It’s unbelievable that treasures of this scale exist here on Gotland,” Marie Louise Hellquist of Gotland’s County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen) told local newspaper Hela Gotland.

The medieval treasure was uncovered last Monday, as the landowner was moving soil. Some 500 pieces of coin were discovered in the field, and following further searches conducted once archaeologists arrived on Wednesday, that figure has swollen considerably.

“In total we’ve reached 650 pieces, so far,” Hellquist said.

Silver coins were not the only items discovered, as both jewellery and a raw silver artefact, which archaeologists believe to be part of an ancient axe, have been found at the site.

All the items are believed to be from the 12th century.

“We’ve found coins dated 1130,” Hellquist said.

It’s still too soon to say what the treasure may be worth, she pointed out.

“First the coin specialists have to go through the coins and see how unusual they are,” she said to Hela Gotland, noting that she hoped the find will remain on the island, in Gotland’s museum.

Clara Guibourg

Anglo-Saxon Warriors Uncovered by Operation Nightingale

Article at the Guardian (online -- co.uk)

Soldiers injured in Afghanistan make surprise find on UK archaeology dig

Rehabilitation project on Salisbury plain sees soldiers astounding archaeologists with 1,400-year-old treasures

Maev Kennedy

Monday 6 August 2012 11.16 EDT

An excavation on Salisbury plain has proved an unusually emotional experience for the volunteer archaeologists, as soldiers recovering from injuries received in Afghanistan have made a surprise discovery: the remains of warriors who died more than 1,400 years ago.

The haul astonished professionals from Wessex Archaeology, who led Operation Nightingale, an award-winning project to give soldiers new skills and interests as part of their rehabilitation. The excavation was expected to produce modest results after earlier digs had turned up empty army ration packs and spent ammunition. Instead, they revealed their ancient counterparts, including an Anglo Saxon soldier buried with his spear and what must have been a treasured possession, a small wooden drinking cup decorated with bronze bands.

Mike Kelly, from 1 Rifles, found a skeleton with its head covered by a shield. He believes the position was a sign of respect to a fallen warrior. "I have been to war myself and I can imagine what the soldier would have felt as he went into battle. Knowing that as a modern-day warrior I have unearthed the remains of another fills me with an overwhelming sense of respect."

Other finds at Barrow Clump, on Salisbury Plain – which is speckled with thousands of ancient monuments around Stonehenge – included shield bosses, spear heads, a Roman brooch, hundreds of amber and glass beads, and a silver ring, alongside the remains of 27 individuals.

The site is believed be a cemetery, created by the Anglo Saxons within an already ancient burial monument, a Bronze Age barrow dating from 2,000BC. Excavation of the area was deemed essential because it was being damaged by burrowing badgers, leaving small bones and artefacts scattered on the surface.

The soldiers were so fascinated by the project that eight are now going on to study archaeology at Leicester University.

David Dawson, director of the Wiltshire Heritage museum in Devizes, described the finds as "wonderful and amazing". He plans to include many of the discoveries in a new permanent Anglo Saxon gallery, but, in the meantime, the highlights will be placed in a temporary display.

Rowan Kendrick, of 5 Rifles, said history was his favourite subject at school. "I can't believe that when I visit the Wiltshire Heritage museum, I will be looking at artefacts that I have found."

At the Met:: Buddhism Along the Silk Road

I may have already posted about this, but it's worth doing again if that's the case :)

Buddhism along the Silk Road

5th–8th Century

June 2, 2012–February 10, 2013

 

Gallery 251

Drawing together objects from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the western reaches of Central Asia—regions connected in the sixth century A.D. through trade, military conquest, and the diffusion of Buddhism—the exhibition illuminates a remarkable moment of artistic exchange. At the roots of this transnational connection is the empire established the end of the fifth century by the Huns (Hunas or Hephthalites) that extended from Afghanistan to the northern plains of India. Although this political system soon disintegrated into chaos, over the next century trade routes connecting India to the western reaches of the Central Asian Silk Road continued to link these distant communities, facilitating ideological exchange and financing the production of Buddhist imagery of great artistic sophistication.

By the fifth century, Buddhism had been thriving in Gandhara and the Swat Valley (northern Pakistan) for six hundred years, financed by the extensive trade that flowed through the Khyber and Karakorum passes. Trade with the Mediterranean began with an overland route established by Alexander the Great in the fourth century B.C. By 50 B.C. maritime routes allowed merchants to sail down the Red Sea and to take advantage of monsoon winds to cross the Arabian Sea and reach ports along the west coast of India. Trade goods were transported along the Indus River up to Gandhara and then to China via routes passing through Afghanistan or over high Himalayan passes and then through Central Asia.

Between 450 and 520 this trade pattern was disrupted by an invasion of nomadic people from the Central Asian Steppes. They swept through Afghanistan, Gandhara, the Swat Valley, and Kashmir, eventually reaching the plains of north India. The invaders probably comprised several Hun groups known by various names—notably the Hephthalites in Gandhara and the Hunas in India. They ruled briefly in Gandhara and Kashmir and fought battles in north India that destabilized the Gupta Empire. Of great significance, these invasions brought north India in contact with Kashmir, Gandhara, and, ultimately, Afghanistan. As a consequence, the Gupta artistic style of north India pervaded the Buddhist art of Kashmir and the Swat Valley, reaching as far as Afghanistan.

These invasions also appear to have forced Gandharan monks into Afghanistan and western Central Asia, and a corresponding taste for Gandharan classical forms became important at Buddhist centers in these areas. In Central Asia, prosperous Buddhist complexes were established at oases and urban centers that served as way stations for traders crossing the vast deserts. This exhibition focuses on the western regions of Central Asia in the Tarim basin—sites such as Kizil, Turfan, and Khotan—where contact with Afghanistan and, by extension, Gandhara and ultimately north India is evident. The sites around Khotan are especially interesting, as they sit at the mouth of a pass that crossed the high Himalayas to reach Gandhara and the Swat Valley.

The trade systems extending down into India and overland as far as Iran and Iraq affected the lives of nomadic peoples living in the vast expanse of Central Asia. Elite goods such as textiles provide a glimpse into the nature of this trade, and prestige items such as gold ornaments give us a sense of the tastes of these prosperous nomadic communities. These nomads are often overlooked, as they did not build cities or temples, but they were both wealthy and militarily powerful and played an important role in the artistic development of the Central Asian community.

At the Met: The Dawn of Egyptian Art

The Dawn of Egyptian Art         
April 10–August 5, 2012 Accompanied by a catalogue and an Audio Guide

(This piece isn't identified, but judging from the tiny hole drilled in the "bottom," it was a pectoral worn around the neck.  Looks like a double turtle.  I don't have a date or place of origin -- it came from the advertisement for the exhibition catalogue.) 
During the Predynastic and Early Dynastic Periods (ca. 4000–2650 B.C.), people living in the Nile Valley began recording their beliefs through paintings, sculptures, and reliefs made for their shrines and tombs. These works of art capture the evolving world view of these early Egyptians. Images of people, animals, and landscapes, some of which give rise to hieroglyphs, include forms and iconography that remained in use throughout the art of Pharaonic Egypt. This exhibition brings together some 175 objects gathered from the Metropolitan Museum's important collection of early art and from the collections of twelve other museums in the U.S. and Europe to illustrate the origins and early development of ancient Egyptian art.

2012 Russian Women's Chess Championship

After R 3 (cross-table from The Week in Chess):

62nd ch-RUS w 2012 Moscow (RUS), 3-13 viii 2012															cat. VIII (2445)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0
1.	Gunina, Valentina	m	RUS	2507	*	.	.	.	.	½	1	.	.	1	2½	2705
2.	Girya, Olga	wg	RUS	2433	.	*	.	.	.	.	½	1	1	.	2½	2706
3.	Pogonina, Natalija	wg	RUS	2448	.	.	*	1	.	½	.	½	.	.	2	2541
4.	Kosintseva, Tatiana	g	RUS	2530	.	.	0	*	½	.	.	.	.	1	1½	2444
5.	Galliamova, Alisa	m	RUS	2465	.	.	.	½	*	.	.	½	½	.	1½	2435
6.	Charochkina, Daria	wg	RUS	2353	½	.	½	.	.	*	.	.	.	0	1	2333
7.	Kosintseva, Nadezhda	g	RUS	2524	0	½	.	.	.	.	*	.	½	.	1	2324
8.	Ubiennykh, Ekaterina	wm	RUS	2367	.	0	½	.	½	.	.	*	.	.	1	2323
9.	Kovanova, Baira	wg	RUS	2408	.	0	.	.	½	.	½	.	*	.	1	2349
10.	Ovod, Evgenija	m	RUS	2419	0	.	.	0	.	1	.	.	.	*	1	2338

Obituary for Controversial Archaeologist James Mellaart

From The Telegraph:

James Mellaart, born November 14 1925, died July 29 2012

James Mellaart, who has died aged 86, ranked among the most controversial archaeologists of the 20th century after claiming to have uncovered priceless royal artefacts plundered from Dorak, near the ancient city of Troy, which he said had been missing since the site was first excavated in the 1920s.

6:28PM BST 03 Aug 2012

He later played a prominent part in the discovery and excavation of the world’s oldest known cities at Hacilar and Çatal Hüyük in Turkey. These Neolithic settlements contained not only the earliest textiles and pottery known to man but also, Mellaart reported, the earliest paintings found on walls (as distinct from caves) which he described in breathless detail.

While there was no doubt about the importance of the textiles and pottery, the discovery of many of the paintings was questioned when Mellaart explained that the original murals had proved impossible to remove or preserve. They were damaged, he said, and been impossible to photograph before they crumbled to plaster dust. Indeed, the only evidence of their existence were hurried sketches made by Mellaart and not released to public examination for 25 years, when they only added to the debate.

There was no independent way of testing the accuracy, even the existence, of the elaborate wall paintings, which Mellaart said depicted erupting volcanoes, scenes of men sowing and tending livestock (the earliest evidence of the domestication of cattle), and formalised patterns of animals, birds and human figures in which Mellaart detected the origins of the Turkish kilim.

If his work at Hacilar and Çatal Hüyük proved contentious, however, it was as nothing to the mysterious, faintly sinister, Dorak affair, which dogged Mellaart’s career.

In 1959 he had astounded historians of the ancient world by claiming that he had been shown a hoard of treasure — gold and silver bracelets, jewellery and a fabulous collection of bronze and silver figurines — that had been illegally dug up at Dorak during the Turko-Greek war (1919-1922) from two royal tombs of the Yortans, neighbours of the Trojans.

Among the treasures, he said, were fragments of a gold sheet adorned with Egyptian hieroglyphics bearing the name of Pharaoh Sahure (believed to have ruled between 2487 and 2473 BC). There was also what he described as a “silver sword of state”, decorated with seagoing ships. From these pieces Mellaart deduced that a major seafaring nation existed in northwest Anatolia, adjacent to Troy, around the time of the Egyptians — possibly the Biblical “Sea People” .

The circumstances of Mellaart’s disputed discovery of these treasures were, in their way, no less remarkable. In 1958 he had been travelling by train to Izmir (the ancient city of Smyrna) when, as recounted by the British traveller and journalist Lord Kinross, “he picked up, or was picked up by, an attractive girl wearing a gold bracelet of a type that had been found only at Troy”.

Responding with “a nose for a site that amounts to genius,” Mellaart told the young woman he was an archaeologist, and was invited to her home. There he found a trove of similar objects taken from ancient tombs at Dorak. Although having no camera, and forbidden by his new acquaintance from hiring a photographer, Mellaart spent four days sketching the objects and taking rubbings.

But when his findings were published by the Illustrated London News, a Turkish newspaper accused Mellaart of having robbed the tombs himself and smuggled the treasure out. Despite Mellaart’s protestations of innocence, a search for the young woman proved fruitless. The name she had given – Anna Papastrati – turned out to be unknown and her address did not exist. A letter he produced that contained her name appeared on examination to have been typed by Mellaart’s Turkish-born wife Arlette.

British journalists believed Mellaart’s story, however, and cast him as the victim of unfounded Turkish suspicions that Mellaart had been involved in the antiquities black market.

The Turkish secret police compiled a dossier on him, and after three years of clamour in the Turkish press about the smuggling of artefacts abroad — some objects apparently from Mellaart’s sites had turned up outside Turkey — the authorities in Ankara announced that Mellaart was part of a plot to smuggle £48 million-worth of Dorak “national treasures” out of Turkey.

Although a criminal case against him was dropped in a general amnesty in 1965, Turkey’s Department of Antiquities cancelled Mellaart’s permit to dig.

Some experts have suggested that the mysterious girl was a honeytrap working for a gang of dealers seeking authentication for their treasure from a respected archaeologist before selling it to a wealthy collector. Mellaart, who stoutly maintained the truth of his story, was inclined to agree. Another theory held that while the Dorak treasure did exist in whole or in part, Anna Papastrati did not.

In 2005 the Scottish archaeologist Professor David Stronach, who conducted excavations with Mellaart at Hacilar, was quoted by an American journalist, Suzan Mazur, as saying that Mellaart had invented the whole story, calling it a “dreamlike episode”. But as another American, the author Michael Balter, noted after investigating the Dorak affair: “Unless the treasure shows up one day, the mystery is likely to remain unsolved.”

James Mellaart was born on November 14 1925 in London. His Dutch immigrant father, descended from Scottish migrants called Maclarty (a division of the Clan Macdonald), was an expert in Dutch Old Master paintings and drawings.

When Jimmy was six, the family moved to Holland following a downturn in the art market. When he was 11 an uncle gave him a book on ancient Egypt. He was spellbound; as a teenager he taught himself Ancient Egyptian, followed by Ancient Greek and Latin.

At the outbreak of war he was drafted to serve in the slave labour force of the occupying Nazis. But his father managed to secure him a job in the National Museum of Antiquities at Leiden which, as James recalled, “kept me out of German hands”. Surrounded by archaeological finds from around the world Mellaart sealed his fascination with antiquities. In 1947 he became a student of Ancient History and Egyptology at University College, London, graduating in 1951.

Even as a boy he seemed to have had an sixth-sense for ancient remains: he found an Iron Age brooch on a seemingly barren hill fort in Herefordshire, and, on a trip to Cyprus, a hoard of Mycenaean bronze. In what was then Palestine, he was sent out one morning into the Biblical city of Jericho to look for tombs by the archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon, a pupil of the celebrated Sir Mortimer Wheeler. Mellaart returned at lunchtime to say he had found one, intact.

When Kenyon left for the weekend, having dug down to what she believed was the extremity of the bedrock outside the city’s famous walls, Mellaart rashly seized the opportunity to dig down further still. On her return, Mellaart explained that he knew they could dig no further because instead of pottery fragments he had found fish fossils.

This (as one enthusiastic account put it) was the moment “when modern man took over from his cave-dwelling ancestors, the moment when he turned from hunting and gathering to agriculture.”
Appointed assistant director of the British Institute of Archaeology in Ankara, Mellaart helped to direct excavations on Turkish archaeological sites , leading his first dig at Hacilar (1957–60) before turning his attention to Çatal Hüyük (1961-63). There, with almost the first slice of the spade, he discovered the ruins of a Neolithic city. Under a huge mound 20 metres high, 13 layers of habitation were revealed that dated back 9,000 years and housed up to 10,000 people.

Inside the mud brick houses and shrines – so densely packed that they had no front doors but were entered through the roof – Mellaart and his team found bull’s heads, skeletons, mirrors of black obsidian and plaster reliefs, as well as the wall paintings that would prove so contentious.

Mellaart’s triumph at Çatal Hüyük earned him both academic and popular acclaim, and his book Çatal Hüyük, a Neolithic Town in Anatolia (1967) became an classic.

He was for two years a lecturer at Istanbul University, but as pressure against him mounted in Turkey he left, in 1964, to take an appointment to lecture in Anatolian archaeology at the University of London, where he remained until 1991.

Considered charming but naive — “an innocent duped” was one authoritative verdict — Mellaart remained sanguine about his notoriety, which he ascribed to the rivalry and jealousies besetting the archaeological world. “As for all the unpleasantness, I’ll just say this: honi soit qui mal y pense.”

Mellaart was the author of several books, as well as chapters in Cambridge Ancient History (1964) and numerous scholarly articles in Anatolian Studies and other learned and specialist journals.
He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1980.

He married, in 1954, Arlette Meryem Cenani, with whom he had a son.

Ridiculous Title to Article - But the Sentiment is Correct

At Phys Org
Stone age man had 'feminine side'
July 31, 2012

Dr. Karina Croucher, who has studied buried remains of people living between 7,500 and 10,000 years ago across the Middle East, says the stereotypical view of how Neolithic men and women lived is wrong. 

Unlike today, she argues, it was normal for men and women to show compassion for each other- and gender was not so clearly defined. The researcher argues male bias in archaeology has distorted our understanding of how ancient peoples lived, in a new book published by Oxford University Press.

Of the 40 people buried in a “death pit” in South Eastern Turkey where she was part of an excavation team, there were equal numbers of men and women. Her theory is also based, in part, by the find of a teenage girl’s skull buried carefully by the pit, called Kim by the team. The girl – between 15 and 17 years old - whose face has been reconstructed by Chris Rynn and Caroline Wilkinson, now at Dundee University with Stuart Campbell from The University of Manchester, was deeply cared for by the men and women who tended the site.

The facial reconstruction creates an emotive picture of the girl who lived 7,500 years ago. Kim was carefully placed next to the death pit. The pit contained the fragmented remains of around 40 people, along with animal remains, pottery, flint, obsidian, and other material culture. It also displays signs of cannibalism.

Though the finds to modern eyes are gruesome, Dr. Croucher says, they show a compassionate side to both Neolithic men and women. She said: “In the Death Pit, a specific choice was made to inter these human remains - including Kim - within its context, and that undoubtedly required care and effort, not only in its construction, but additionally in keeping the area protected and clear of scavengers.

Even the cannibalism was probably seen by these people as a compassionate act. "When human remains from across the region are examined, it becomes apparent that it was difficult for the living to let go of their loved ones. For example, human faces were recreated onto the skulls of the dead using plaster, and they were cared for within houses. This treatment was not dependent on age or gender, but according to relationships and emotive ties.

“This and other evidence shows that it’s clear the relationship between men and women during the Neolithic Period does not conform to the modern age.

“The stereotypical and inaccurate view of male hunters dominating their more submissive female counterparts is an articulation of male bias in archaeology.  It was much less well defined than that: Men and women were treated equally in death and were shown equal compassion, and their tasks were likely to be thought of as equal during life. Our biases in the present were not relevant to our ancestors, and are not natural or inherent behaviours.

“So we should not understand the past in our own terms: it’s more about their relationships with each other; materials and animals."

Dr. Croucher's book was made possible by a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship. Provided by University of Manchester



Indeed, one need only think of the human interments beneath the floors of houses excavated in Catal Hoyuk (also in Turkey).  The misleading and silly title of this article aside, it makes an important point. 

Gender bias in research has long been a problem.  We do tend to filter archaeological findings and historical records through our own modern "filters" -- with all the resultant flaws those filters incorporate.  The classic study that I like to point is from the 1970s dealing with the mating habits of mustangs in the southwest United States.  I've written about it several times.  You can read the article in this May 5, 2007 blog post. 

2012 Goddesschess Canadian Women's Chess Championship

Hola, darlings!

First round action has come and gone!  You can find the latest news on the Women's Championship at dedicated pages -- see the links on the top of the left hand margin that will take you to round by round reports!  Coverage includes results, standings, games in PGN, photos and video.

Here are the standings for the Canadian zonal after R1:

Classement après la ronde 1

Rg.		Name	FED	ELO	Club/Ville	Pts.
1	GM	SAMBUEV Bator	CAN	2523	QC	1.0
	IM	NORITSYN Nikolay	CAN	2472	ON	1.0
	IM	GERZHOY Leonid	CAN	2448	ON	1.0
	IM	HEBERT Jean	CAN	2410	QC	1.0
	IM	PANJWANI Raja	CAN	2394	ON	1.0
	FM	JIANG Louie	CAN	2337	QC	1.0
	FM	PECHENKIN Vladimir	CAN	2334	AB	1.0
	FM	HAMILTON Robert	CAN	2305	ON	1.0
	FM	MILICEVIC Goran	CAN	2287	ON	1.0
	FM	KHASSANOV Marat	CAN	2273	QC	1.0
		CHABOT Roland	CAN	2231	QC	1.0
		KRAIOUCHKINE Nikita	CAN	2204	QC	1.0
		QIN Zi Yi (joey)	CAN	2198	ON	1.0
		HUMPHREYS Michael	CAN	2179	ON	1.0
		ROBICHAUD Louis	CAN	2100	QC	1.0
		OUSSEDIK Elias	CAN	2005	NB	1.0
17	GM	KOVALYOV Anton	CAN	2605	QC	0.5
		MASSE Hugues	CAN	2232	QC	0.5
		SONG Michael	CAN	2154	ON	0.5
		UPPER John	CAN	2036	QC	0.5
21	FM	WANG Richard	CAN	2338	AB	0.0
		BOLDUC Steve	CAN	2229	QC	0.0
		CARRIER Claude	CAN	2154	QC	0.0
		LAROCHELLE Martial	CAN	2153	QC	0.0
	CM	GUSEV Nikita	CAN	2117	ON	0.0
		BER Yves	CAN	2114	QC	0.0
		CHIKU-RATTE Olivier Kenta	CAN	2107	QC	0.0
		DERRAUGH Geordie	CAN	2097	ON	0.0
		FILIPOVICH David	CAN	2091	ON	0.0
		PREOTU Razvan	CAN	2080	ON	0.0
		ANASTASOVSKI Nikola	CAN	2070	QC	0.0
		ITKIN David	CAN	2058	ON	0.0
		ZHU Hong Rui	CAN	2029	QC	0.0
		LUO Zhao Yang	CAN	1991	QC	0.0
		LEUTSCHAFT Martin	CAN	2143	QC	0.0
		CARDIN Guillaume	CAN	1790	QC	0.0

WIM Yuanling Yuan Retiring from Chess in the Library

Yuan will be starting college in the fall - at Yale University.  No, she's not an over-achiever, is she. 

Yuan writes that it wasn't due to press of the demands on her time that led her to hand over the reins of the program she founded in 2009 in Toronto, Chess in the Library.  Whatever the case, she leaves a healthy thriving organization that will now be run by an Executive Board and a Junior Executive Board.  You can read more of what will probably be her final post at Yuan's Chess in the Library blog. 

Of course, this does not mean The End is Nigh for Chess in the Library!  Far from it!  Chessplayer Tina Fang is taking over the blogging reins at Chess in the Library's blog as the new Outreach Coordinator.

Good luck to Yuan, and to Tina and all of the volunteers who make up this great program!

2012 Russian Women's Chess Championship

Cross table after R2 (from The Week in Chess):

62nd ch-RUS w 2012 Moscow (RUS), 3-13 viii 2012															cat. VIII (2445)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0
1.	Gunina, Valentina	m	RUS	2507	*	.	.	½	.	.	.	1	.	.	1½	2631
2.	Girya, Olga	wg	RUS	2433	.	*	.	.	.	.	.	½	1	.	1½	2659
3.	Kosintseva, Tatiana	g	RUS	2530	.	.	*	.	.	?	.	.	.	1	1
4.	Charochkina, Daria	wg	RUS	2353	½	.	.	*	.	.	.	.	.	?	½	2507
5.	Galliamova, Alisa	m	RUS	2465	.	.	.	.	*	.	?	.	½	.	½	2408
6.	Pogonina, Natalija	wg	RUS	2448	.	.	?	.	.	*	½	.	.	.	½	2367
7.	Ubiennykh, Ekaterina	wm	RUS	2367	.	.	.	.	?	½	*	.	.	.	½	2448
8.	Kosintseva, Nadezhda	g	RUS	2524	0	½	.	.	.	.	.	*	.	.	½	2277
9.	Kovanova, Baira	wg	RUS	2408	.	0	.	.	½	.	.	.	*	.	½	2256
10.	Ovod, Evgenija	m	RUS	2419	.	.	0	?	.	.	.	.	.	*	0

More on Discovery of King Den's Funerary Boat

From al-Ahram:
2 - 8 August 2012
Issue No. 1109

Sails set for eternity

The oldest funerary boat ever found was discovered early this week at the Abu Rawash archaeological site, Nevine El-Aref reports

 

 

Situated eight kilometres northwest of the Giza plateau, Abu Rawash contains vestiges of archaeological remains that date back to various historical periods ranging from the prehistoric to the Coptic eras.

Abu Rawash displays exclusive funerary structures relating not only to the different ancient Egyptian periods but also their places of worship until quite late in time.

There at the prehistoric necropolis dating from the archaic period and located at the northern area of Mastaba number six (a flat-roofed burial structure), Egyptologists from the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo (IFAO) have uncovered 11 wooden panels of a funerary boat used by ancient Egyptians to transport the soul of their departed king to the afterlife right through eternity. It is the earliest such boat ever found.

"The boat is in a very well-preserved condition and is almost intact, thanks to the preservation power of the dry desert environment," Minister of State for Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim said. He added that each panel was six metres tall and 1.50 metres in width.

Ibrahim continued that early studies of the panels revealed that the boat belonged to King Den of the First Dynasty, who was not buried in Abu Rawash but whose tomb was found at the royal necropolis of the Early Dynastic kings in the Upper Egyptian town of Abydos.

Because of his young age, King Den shared the throne with his mother, Meritneith. It was said that Den was the best archaeologically attested ruler of his period. He brought prosperity to the land, and many innovations were attributed to his reign. He was the first to use granite in construction and decoration, and the floor to his tomb is made of red and black granite.

During his reign Den established many of the patterns of court ritual and royalty used by his successor kings.

The newly-discovered panels of the boat have been transported to the planned National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) for restoration and reconstruction in the museum's laboratories. Once the museum is opened next year, the funerary boat will be exhibited in the Nile Hall.

King Den's boat is far from the first funerary boat to be discovered. In 1954 historian and archaeologist Kamal El-Malakh discovered the two solar boats of the Fourth-Dynasty king Khufu intact inside two pits beside the pyramid. One of these boats was restored and reconstructed by the renowned restorer Ahmed Youssef and was put on display in a special exhibition hall near the Great Pyramid, while the second one remained in the pit until 1992 when a Japanese archaeological team carried out research on the boat inside the pit. In 2011, the Japanese-Egyptian mission began the first stage of a three-phase project to lift the cedar panels, reconstruct the boat and place it on display at the side of its twin in the planned Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) overlooking Giza plateau, which is planned to be open in 2015.

The Abu Rawash site was described in the early 19th century by European travellers including Howard Vyse and John Shae Perring. Four decades after Karl Lepsius published the results of his research on the pyramid complex of King Djedefre, son of the Great Pyramid builder King Khufu, in 1842, Flinders Petrie -- renowned as the father of Egyptology -- conducted a survey on the funerary complex between 1880 and 1882.

In 1901 and 1902, the IFAO was the first mission to begin in-depth archaeological excavations at the eastern fa³ýade of the pyramid at Abu Rawash. The dig was led by the IFAO Director Emile Chassinat, who discovered several archaeological complexes including the remains of a funerary settlement, an empty boat pit and numerous statuary fragments that bore the name of King Djedefre, which allowed for the identification of the tomb owner. Under the direction of Pierre Lacau, the IFAO continued the excavation work and found new structures to the east of the pyramid of Djedefre.

However, an earlier presence was indicated at Abu Rawash as was evidenced by objects bearing the names of the First-Dynasty kings Aha and Den that were found near the pyramid.

Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly.

2012 FIDE World Junior Championship (Girls)

Rank after Round 3

Rk.			Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1
1		IM	Bodnaruk Anastasia	RUS	2414	3.0	4536
2		WGM	Ziaziulkina Nastassia	BLR	2342	3.0	4534
3		WIM	Bulmaga Irina	ROU	2380	3.0	4455
4		WGM	Guo Qi	CHN	2358	3.0	4352
5		WGM	Kashlinskaya Alina	RUS	2391	2.5	4499
6		WGM	Vojinovic Jovana	MNE	2337	2.5	4492
7		WFM	Kulon Klaudia	POL	2259	2.5	4474
8			Ivekovic Ana	CRO	1959	2.5	4454
9		WIM	Arabidze Meri	GEO	2379	2.5	4418
10		WGM	Goryachkina Aleksandra	RUS	2361	2.5	4253
11			Wang Jue	CHN	2355	2.0	4533
12			Manelidou Maria	GRE	2056	2.0	4529
13		WGM	Cori T Deysi	PER	2413	2.0	4513
14		WIM	Varga Klara	HUN	2181	2.0	4495
15			Batkovskyte Dominyka	LTU	2096	2.0	4485
16		WIM	Schut Lisa	NED	2305	2.0	4482
17		WCM	Cemhan Kardelen	TUR	1938	2.0	4444
18		WIM	Sihite Chelsie Monica	INA	2162	2.0	4434
19		WIM	Kulkarni Bhakti	IND	2159	2.0	4414
20		WCM	Orozco Lina Yomayra	COL	2150	2.0	4408
21			Unapkoshvili Nani	GEO	2011	2.0	4367
22		WFM	Medina Warda Aulia	INA	2218	2.0	4325
23		WFM	De Seroux Camille	SUI	2101	2.0	4287
24		WGM	Mona Khaled	EGY	2121	2.0	4207
25		WFM	Ivana Maria Furtado	IND	2102	2.0	4133
26			Klek Hanna-Marie	GER	2248	2.0	4107
27		WFM	Petrova Irina	UKR	2173	2.0	4038
28			Iordanidou Zoi	GRE	2166	2.0	4016
29			Galunova Tsveta	BUL	2091	1.5	4607
30			Nevioselaya Maria	BLR	2057	1.5	4527
31		WFM	Liao Simone	USA	1933	1.5	4383
32			Ibrahimova Sabina	AZE	2091	1.5	4360
33		WIM	Rodriguez Rueda Paula Andrea	COL	2196	1.5	4319
34		WIM	Semenova Elena	RUS	2134	1.5	4291
35			Messam-Sparks Lateefah	ENG	1947	1.5	4272
36			Owens Megan R	WLS	1816	1.5	4196
37			Imeeva Aisa	RUS	2095	1.5	4075
38		WIM	Pavlidou Ekaterini	GRE	2237	1.5	4074
39		WIM	Abdumalik Zhansaya	KAZ	2193	1.5	4069
40			Edes Zsofia	SVK	2081	1.0	4572
41			Sargsyan Shushanna	ARM	2047	1.0	4572
42		WFM	Kolaric Spela	SLO	2071	1.0	4552
43			Serefidou Despina	GRE	1865	1.0	4504
44			Lefevre Margaux	FRA	2043	1.0	4504
45		WFM	Frey Alisa	GER	2035	1.0	4496
46		WFM	Osmak Iulija	UKR	2171	1.0	4469
47		WCM	Narva Triin	EST	2028	1.0	4455
48			Chiarion Elisa	ITA	1978	1.0	4430
49			Nonkovic Bogdana	SRB	1950	1.0	4411
50			Lolici Iselin-Amanda	ROU	1967	1.0	4391
51		WIM	Pon Nkrithika	IND	2119	1.0	4366
52			Koutsogiannopoulou Theodora	GRE	1897	1.0	4230
53			Psofimi Milia	GRE	1437	1.0	4197
54			Dominguez Gisella	ARG	1831	1.0	4154
55			Tuzi Bruna	ALB	1546	1.0	4107
56		WIM	Abdulla Khayala	AZE	2217	1.0	4006
57			Anusca Madalina-Maria	ROU	2079	0.5	4327
58			Kalaydina Regina Veronicka	CAN	1928	0.5	4253
59			Vatkali Dimitra	GRE	1936	0.5	4252
60			Medeiros Thauane Ferreira	BRA	1855	0.5	4191
61			York-Andersen Anna	ENG	1828	0.5	4130
62			Kurbonboyeva Sarvinoz		2143	0.0	0.0
			Bucar Natasa	SLO	2022	0.0	0.0
			Terzidaki Alexandra	GRE	1958	0.0	0.0
			Sena Moura Danielle	BRA	1876	0.0	0.0
			Forsa Elise	NOR	1836	0.0	0.0

2012 FIDE World Junior Championship (Girls)

It didn't take long for the standings to shake out!  Here are the top female players after R2:

Rank after Round 2

Rk.			Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1
1			Ivekovic Ana	CRO	1959	2.0	2237
2		IM	Bodnaruk Anastasia	RUS	2414	2.0	2181
3		WGM	Cori T Deysi	PER	2413	2.0	2171
4		WGM	Kashlinskaya Alina	RUS	2391	2.0	2162
5		WIM	Arabidze Meri	GEO	2379	2.0	2159
6		WIM	Bulmaga Irina	ROU	2380	2.0	2150
7		WGM	Guo Qi	CHN	2358	2.0	2134
8		WGM	Ziaziulkina Nastassia	BLR	2342	2.0	2121
9			Wang Jue	CHN	2355	2.0	2119
10		WIM	Schut Lisa	NED	2305	2.0	2102
11		WGM	Vojinovic Jovana	MNE	2337	2.0	2101
12		WFM	Kulon Klaudia	POL	2259	2.0	2095
13		WFM	Medina Warda Aulia	INA	2218	2.0	1967
14			Batkovskyte Dominyka	LTU	2096	1.5	2248
15		WCM	Cemhan Kardelen	TUR	1938	1.5	2196
16			Klek Hanna-Marie	GER	2248	1.5	2096
17		WGM	Goryachkina Aleksandra	RUS	2361	1.5	2057
			Iordanidou Zoi	GRE	2166	1.5	2057
19		WIM	Rodriguez Rueda Paula Andrea	COL	2196	1.5	1958

The lone female representative for the USA:

41

WFM

Liao Simone

USA

1933

1.0

2217

Early days yet, and anything can (and sometimes does) happen.  Stay tuned!  There's a lot of chess yet to play.  I expect the Chinese players to score higher than their artifically depressed ELOs; I expect Cori Deysi, who is the real thing, to do well, but probably not win it.  I'm rooting for her, though.