Thursday, November 18, 2010

Chess in Movies: GI Joe: The Rise of the Cobra

There was this part in the movie inside the gym/recreation center of the Joes where Breaker was hunched over a chessboard, but it wasn't clear if there was an opponent on the other side. The board seems to be crowded, although a number of pieces have already been move, indicating that it's some time into the opening or maybe it's already in the middle game.

It's it a bit predictable that Breaker, the resident nerd, would be the one in front of the board. Even more telling is that he doesn't have anyone else to play with. Not that he is the only one that may be considered brainy in the team, with Scarlett being an academic super-achiever herself. Still, I wonder if there was any reason for having that episode of chess in the movie.
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Sunday, October 24, 2010

Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship

Chanced upon this on my way for lunch at Megamall after church. It was being held at the event center of Megamall. I guess it was the finals already, as some of the participants I saw have the word Finalist at the back of their event shirts. Looking at the schedule from the event's website (click pic at left), it was indeed the finals and it had been going on since June. Either I've been too busy or they were hiding this event from plain sight :)

It's good to know that they chose the Rapid Chess format for the event, with the game to be finished in 25 minutes or less. The speed of the game can help in keeping the audience interested, as longer time controls can really get boring especially for those that are not really into the game yet.

It was nice seeing all those game tables and youngsters drooling over the pieces. And it is good that my young ones seem interested as well. Hopefully one of these days we can be watching events like this together. Or better, they can be battling it out in one of those tables.

Got a chess event that you know of, especially in the Philippines? Do let me know so we can feature it here.
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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

ChessJam - Online Chess with an Attitude

This is one chess site that I found through an ad in Facebook. It features itself as online chess with an attitude. How's that I don't know. Why? Because they require you to download a program through which you can play the game, and I haven't done so, so far. If there is one factor that would significantly limit the popularity of this site, it would be the need to download something. Not only are people nowadays wary of downloading stuff, it also limits the opportunities one has to access the game. It may not always be possible to download the program whenever one has access to the Internet, as in the case when you are using a computer at work where such download (and install) activity is not allowed. Same case when accessing the Internet from public computers, such as internet cafes or a library.

It was also indicated in the website that they are now integrated with Facebook. However, I think it still require downloading and installing the program first, as described above.

But i just might give this site a try some time. If you, however, have been playing chess in ChessJam, do let us know and give some feedback.

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Saturday, July 17, 2010

Chess on Facebook and Chess.com

Been away for some time from playing chess in Facebook that I didn't found out until recently that Chess on Facebook is now fully integrated with Chess.com. Which is good since I now have access to the community of Chess.com without having to create a separate account. It also means there is the potential to play with others that may not have a Facebook account. I've yet to try the new Chess on Facebook, and hopefully the integration will be seamless.

What still needs to be done, as I mentioned in a previous post, is to drum up interest in the game by regular advertisement. Despite the integration, one would hardly know that you can play chess in Facebook. I think that even a short-term advertisement campaign can significantly increase the players, and even possibly bring chess to the mainstream.

I'll update on this as I get back in the game.
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Sunday, July 11, 2010

Hooking up with Empire Avenue

Just need to get this verification code up so I can hook this blog to my Empire Avenue account. If you want to know more about Empire Avenue, click the pic at the left.

Verification code EAVB_EFFYFKWBXN
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Saturday, May 08, 2010

First Move by National Bookstore

National Bookstore, one of the leading bookstores in the Philippines, is sponsoring a series of chess tournaments for kids and teens ages 15 and below, with three categories to qualify in. There will be five independent events scheduled up to September 2010. Hopefully more will be forthcoming and this will become a regular thing. The events are hosted at Bestsellers of Robinsons Galleria. Medals and gift certificates will be awarded to winners.

It's quite encouraging to see a major company sponsoring an event like this. In our digital age peppered with games where kids kills mobs of monsters, there is a feeling of nostalgia and comfort in seeing them face each other across the board in a game of mental prowess. Slowly, some of the companies are starting to take notice. Toys R' Us already got on board in terms of giving additional prizes for the winners. Hopefully this would snowball into something big, much like what happened with the badminton craze before. And the coming rainy season may just be the perfect timing as majority of open field sports take the backseat.

You can also follow the latest about this event at the Pinoychess website.
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Saturday, April 24, 2010

Chess in Movies: 9

9 is set in an Earth that has been destroyed by a war between man and machines. The character named after the title is a ragdoll creation of a scientist who transferred his soul to a number of other ragdolls, named 1 to 8, with 9 as the last one before he died (presumably by "exhausting" his soul). 9 and the rest of the ragdolls attempted and succeeded to destroy a machine called The Beast which was the primary reason for the destruction of the planet. But not without some sacrifices, as some of the ragdolls "died" in the process. It was a nice and entertaining fantasy movie, although a bit on the serious side and devoid of humor.

You first see chess early in the movie inside the tower of a church where a group of ragdolls led by 1 is hiding, waiting for The Beast to sleep. The chess board has only 4 pieces in it, with only a white King. It appears to be a forgotten item, and I wasn't expecting to see it again. But it turns out again during the time when the ragdolls inside the church were being attacked by a metallic flying bird created by The Beast. 9 got hit by the bird, and he goes sliding to the chess board. In the process, the King in the chess board was swept by his body and dropped to the ground of the church.

I am not really sure if any symbolism or importance was intended to be placed on the chess and the pieces. Is the single King denotes the winning in a struggle where only one can win? Did the falling King alludes to 9? The fact that it appeared twice in the movie may have some meaning. Feel free to share your thoughts about it.
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Friday, January 01, 2010

Chess at Facebook

Happy New Year Everyone! Begin this year by honing your chess skills (or picking up your game again) right in the heart of your favorite social networking site, Facebook. What, you don't know there is chess in Facebook? Well, I wouldn't have known myself if I didn't get curious enough one day to check what will come out if I type "chess" in Facebook's Search. Unlike most games that at least advertise itself in the sidebars, the developers either thinks demand isn't there and decided there's no way they can drum it up or maybe thought you would look for it if you really want it. In both cases, the full potential of the application didn't get to be utilized.

But enough with the whining. As it is, there's a correspondence-type chess is in Facebook and it's being run by Chess.com. Time controls available are 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14 days per turn, with no time increments. Meaning, you have to move within the specified time allotted or you forfeit the game (if your opponent choose to claim it). You can, however, see if your opponent is online and so sit out the game, with the board refreshing everytime a move is made. You can either challenge your friends in Facebook, or play with other people outside of your contacts by either making or accepting Open Challenges. In addition, you can also play real-time against a computer opponent. Resources to help you improve your game are also available.

Having chess in Facebook can allow more of your friends to at least try out the game, with none of the intimidating feeling of playing in a dedicated chess site. It also helps that they can play the game while going about their usual Facebook routine. So, give it a try! We might even see each other across the board in one of the Open Challenges.
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