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ASTANA. KAZINFORM 16-year-old WM Alua Nurmanova of Kazakhstan defeated reigning Womens World Chess Champion Ju Wenjun from China in the final of the Pro Chess League helping her team Gotham Knights to secure the win, Kazinform has learned from the press service of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation.

It is worth mentioning that Gotham Knights team featured the likes of GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Vladimir Fedoseev and GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov.

The Pro Chess League (PCL) is a global chess event bringing together 16 teams playing rapid gams for a prize fund of $150,000. The event took place from February 1 through May 15.

The final stage of the Pro Chess League featured 16 teams with such prominent chess players as Hikaru Nakamura, Alexander Grischuk, Kateryna Lagno, Anish Giri and many others.

Alua Nurmanova happens to be a member of the Kazakh national womens chess team and many-time Kazakhstan champion, the vice world champion among cadets and the Asian champion among cadets.

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Kazakhstans chess player Alua Nurmanova beats current World Champion from China - inform.kz/en

They say Everything old is new again, and thats wonderfully true in the case of the teen fad thats everywhere these days chess.

Teachers nationwide are flummoxed by students new chess obsession, the Washington Post reports:

Interviews with teachers and students in eight states paint a picture of captivated students squeezing games in wherever and whenever they can: at lunch, at recess and illicitly during lessons, a phenomenon that is at once bemusing, frustrating, and delighting teachers.

Data from Chess.com, whose usership is the highest its ever been, and anecdotal evidence nationwide suggest a fervid, growing base of young users. This months U.S. Chess Federation National High School Championships in D.C. had to add overflow rooms to accommodate a record 1,750 attendees spurring fears of a shortage of participation medals.

Of all the things that young people could spend time on, chess certainly seems like a worthwhile hobby! The game has loads of cognitive benefits and its incredibly wholesome to see kids taking such an interest in it.

Reading about the chess trend made me think of my own childrens recent obsession with the game. They became interested in chess after my grandmother sent one of my kids a chess set for a birthday gift last year. She is a lifelong fan of the game, and I remember playing with her as a child.

I expected that my kids would learn to play chess, but what took me by surprise was how their love for chess actually became a bond between them and my grandmother!

Ever since my grandmother gave my kids the chess set, my kids like to challenge her to a game of chess when we get together with her. Chess has become a warm and friendly bond of connection for them.

Its incredible to see how chess became a bridge that crosses the decades to make possible a real friendship between my eight-year-old son and my grandmother, who is in her 80s.

I wonder if chess could build this kind of connection between other grandparents or great-grandparents and young children like mine. After all, some 70% of adults play chess, so its pretty likely that both Grandma and Junior would know how to play.

It seems we need more opportunities to build these bridges. Pope Francis often says that friendship should be encouraged between young people and the elderly. He has said:

Please, do this: get grandparents and young people together to talk, to converse. And it will make everyone happy.

Another time, he said:

Grandparents need young people and young people need grandparents: They should talk to each other, they should get together!

When we do get elderly people together with young people, however, it can be hard to break the ice and find something in common to talk about.

This is exactly where chess can come into play. Chess can be such a valuable way to help our kids appreciate and enjoy time spent with elderly relatives and friends.

So the next time you visit an elderly relative with your kids, consider bringing a chess set along. Hopefully it can break the ice to build a friendship that both of them will cherish!

Read more:
Adorable teen fad is the perfect bridge between the generations - Aleteia

The highly anticipated "Baku Open 2023" international chesstournament, held in honor of the 100th anniversary of the esteemednational leader Heydar Aliyev, has concluded on a triumphantnote.

With the active participation of over 600 chess players,including 32 accomplished grandmasters, we are delighted tocongratulate Nurgul Salimova from Bulgaria as the victoriouschampion among the women's category and Leon Luke Mendonca fromIndia as the deserving winner in the men's category.

At "Nar," we take immense pride in serving as the officialpartner of the esteemed "Baku Open 2023" chess tournament. Thispartnership exemplifies our unwavering commitment to supportingmeaningful initiatives that align with our robust Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) strategy, particularly in the field ofeducation. For comprehensive details about "Nar's" impactful socialprojects, we invite you to explore further information here.

Nar currently provides high-quality services to 2.2million subscribers. Nar is the leading mobile operator in thecountry according to the Customer Loyalty Index for the last 4years. Committed to its customer-centric strategy, Nar deliversexcellent (best-in-class) service at an affordableprice.

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Winners of "Baku Open 2023" Chess Tournament Announced in ... - Trend News Agency

The Miami Dolphins entered 2022 with a defensive backfield advertised as a potential top-tier unit within a unit. On paper, and on the strength of a 2021 season in which the defense helped Miami win eight of their final nine games, 2022 could have been another leap for the group, but last year was a tale of another secondary.

2021 had a defense that was manned by then-head coach Brian Flores, who despite an arduous exit from the team following Week 18, had the blueprint of his zero-blitz scheme left with defensive coordinator Josh Boyer.

Even though a new regime of coaches came to Miami in 2022, Boyer was retained through the shuffle. After a sub-par season, he was fired a few days following the Dolphins playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. Boyer, of course, had to deal with not only a slew of injuries on his defense, especially in the secondary, but veteran cornerback Byron Jones didnt play a snap all season due to complications in his recovery from Achilles surgery.

Jones, who was signed in 2020 to play opposite Xavien Howard, arguably didnt live up to his expectations and will be officially cut on June 1, thus ending the three-year relationship between him and the Dolphins.

Boyer, who was the defensive coordinator with Flores for two seasons, and one last year with Mike McDaniel, is now out, and Jones is gone as well. In, are new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and superstar defensive back Jalen Ramsey, whom the Dolphins traded for in March.

Further adding some pop to the secondary was their 2023 second-round pick, South Carolinas cornerback Cam Smith. Smith was a surprise selection when his name was written down by general manager Chris Grier and then called by Dolphins offensive lineman Terron Armstead, who was guest-calling the selection at the podium in Kansas City back in April.

Despite the initial surprise around Dolphin circles, when thinking about the significance of the Smith pick, it made tremendous sense for a few reasons. Primarily, the additions of Ramsey and Smith add to Howard, and second-year rising star in 2022 undrafted free agent Kader Kohou. Another undrafted free-agent cornerback is also set to return for Miami, that being Nik Needham. Needham and Kohou can be flexible as boundary corners as well as slot defenders.

With last seasons injury woes, a deep secondary is something Miami needs as necessary insurance, as well as thinking long-term, as they have a number of young players within the group to add to Howard and Ramsey.

In fact, all of Miamis cornerbacks could be considered flexible, outside or inside coverage backs, with the exception of Howard. Even adding to the flexibility and the options for Fangio would be safeties Jevon Holland, DeShon Elliot, and another defensive back returning from a 2022 injury, Brandon Jones.

Jones was a 2020 third-round draft pick out of Texas and, in his first two seasons as a pro, showed promise for Miami. Excelling in 2021 in the pass-rushing element of his game, Jones was the league leader in sacks from a defensive back with five in just his second NFL season.

He had a great 2021 season overall, adding 79 total tackles (six for a loss), 10 quarterback hits, a pair of fumble recoveries, an interception and a forced fumble.

Jones was on pace for a similar season in 2022 before getting injured in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jones tore his ACL and, prior to that game, recorded a pair of sacks with 49 total tackles and even was improving in his pass coverage, which was an early knock on his overall game.

As a rookie, Jones was getting his NFL secondary sea legs, so to speak, and in his pass coverage duties, he yielded a completion percentage of 80% when targeted against and a 105.2 passer rating. 2021 showed a bit of a coverage improvement, with a similar 81.8% completion percentage and a 95.7 passer rating.

In a bit more than six games last year before getting hurt against the Steelers, Jones trimmed his targeted-against completion percentage to 62.5% and a much-improved 78.0 quarterback rating.

With this improving combination of coverage, and his ready-made ability to blitz, track ball carriers and deliver missile-like hits, Jones could excel in Fangios system in a hybrid role thats prevalent in his systems.

The Jack linebacker, which yes, sounds like a name that may be confusing as Jones is a safety, is more a freelancer type who plays inside the box, where Jones specializes.

To play the Jack in a 3-4 set, you need to have that pass-rushing ability, and Jones has that nailed, as hes been sent on 131 blitzes in his 38 games as a Dolphin, about 3.5 per contest.

Enter Fangio, and the potential usage of Jones in this Jack role, which in its description is essentially a pass-rusher or run-stopper with coverage abilities, so you get a jack-of-all-trades. Simply put, theyll play against the run, rush the quarterback and drop back in coverage.

This isnt a set position for him, yet an area in addition to his traditional safety role which could create an element of intrigue for Jones as a versatile defender with the ability to rotate with other defensive backs and share in the snap counts, thus keeping players fresh and healthier for what could be a long season deep into the winter.

In Fangios 3-4 that hes utilized as Chicago Bears defensive coordinator and Denver Broncos head coach, you can see the outside Will or Sam linebackers rotating like edge-rushers Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Andrew Van Ginkel. While your Mike linebackers are more inside or middle defenders such as Jerome Baker and newly-signed free agent David Long.

Jones, being that type of player who has the speed to rush the passer, the strength to shed blockers and hit runners in the backfield, as well as get better in the coverage game, could make him the surprising or hidden chess piece for Fangio.

Most can see or expect players like Ramsey, who could man the defensive back role in a variety of ways as well, to excel, yet Jones has extreme potential to be a valuable component in Fangios unit while opening up snap counts and playing time for Miamis ocean-deep secondary.

In a league where passing is king and quarterback royalty resides in the AFC, a cornucopia of defensive backs isnt only prudent but needed. Now, with the flexibility of players like Jones playing inside that box within the front seven in certain scenarios and situations, your defensive backfield could in that instance, be a combination of four of Howard, Ramsey, Kohou, Smith, Holland, Needham, Elliott, or even deeper with players in development such as Trill Williams and Verone McKinley III pending the down, distance and area of the field.

The options are nearly endless for Fangio, and the number of players at his disposal with positional versatility could create a deep, ball-hawking unit that would be a far cry from last seasons 24th-ranked scoring defense.

Jones has been reportedly rehabbing ahead of schedule and should be 100% heading into the start of the regular season. With organized team activities, training camp and preseason games still a bit down the road, Jones has plenty of time to get back to full strength and learn a system that could see him as whats also affectionately called by some football people as a Joker.

Ironically, Joker is a moniker Dolphins fans have tagged on the young, budding star of what is shaping up as a fearsome defensive unit.

Follow the Dolphins at Dolphins Wire, and the best local South Florida news, entertainment and culture coverage, subscribe to The Palm Beach Post.

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A healthy Brandon Jones could be key chess piece for Vic Fangio - Dolphins Wire

Roughly every five years in the last three decades, the semiconductor industry has faced notable chip shortages. These were commonly due to external influences like economic downturns or natural catastrophes. But sometimes it "just happened" as a result of increased demand for emerging technologies or the introduction of new digital products or next generation devices. This "routine" cyclicality was disrupted in 2020 by the pandemic which first halted production in the Far East before triggering an unprecedented increase in demand. The supply-demand balancing act of the past (fluctuations between demand, increased production, surplus, slowdown in production, shortage, and so on) was replaced by a more complicated reality. Today, with supply chains finally regaining stability, the market was also expected to steady. But into the picture entered the geopolitical tension between the United States and China, with the semiconductor industry in the line of fire.

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Renana Ashkenazi, General Partner at Grove Ventures.

(Yoram Reshef)

The current state of the industry is a good opportunity to review some macro events and trends that have a significant impact on it:

Whats between the US-China mess and the semi industry?

You dont need to be a geo-political expert or a semi enthusiast to have heard about the link between the two.

Key players in the global supply chain: Both the U.S. and China play crucial roles in the global semiconductor supply chain. The U.S. is a leader in chip design and advanced manufacturing processes, while China is the largest consumer of semiconductors and plays a significant role in assembly, packaging, and testing.

Trade restrictions: The trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. government have limited the access of certain Chinese technology companies to American-made semiconductors and software. The U.S. issued embargo regulations over China in 2022, which prohibit the sale to China of advanced chips with high performance and fast interconnect speeds. The provisions also restrict any sale to China of equipment used to manufacture advanced chips. In a rare move, those restrictions target not only companies but also individuals: If an American citizen, green-card holder, or entity wants to assist China in developing its semiconductor industry, they must apply for prior approval. Considering the fact that U.S. companies design more than 95% of the AI chips that are used in China, and produce manufacturing equipment that is used in every single Chinese chip factory, this inevitably is forcing Chine to try to become self-sufficient.

Efforts to boost domestic production: As a result of the tension and the perceived vulnerability of the supply chain, both countries are taking steps to boost their domestic semiconductor capabilities. The U.S. is investing billions in domestic chip production and R&D to reduce dependence on foreign supplies, while China is investing heavily in its semiconductor industry to achieve self-sufficiency. These actions will undoubtedly reshape the global semiconductor landscape.

National security concerns: Semiconductors are critical not only for PlayStations and Teslas, but they are also critical for military and defense technologies. This makes the control over semiconductor technology and supply chains also a matter of national security for both countries a tricky situation even among friends.

Supply chain has increasingly become one of our industry's most significant challenges.

A typical chip might be designed by ARM (Japanese-owned, UK-based) by a team of engineers in California and Israel, using design software from the United States. When the design is complete, it's sent to a fab in Taiwan, using silicon and gas sourced from Japan. Many of the etching tools in the fab are produced by a Netherlands-based company. The chip is then packaged and tested, often in Southeast Asia, before being sent to China for assembly. This is what youd call a global supply chain.

In the wake of the 2020 crisis, organizations have had to alter their approach to supply chain management, enhancing production and material availability capacity in a variety of ways, such as:

Diversifying sourcing options - including dual sourcing and finding new suppliers.

Smart design - modifying designs to reduce component count.

Streamlining supply chains to decrease lead time cycles.

Using express shipping to cut down transportation time.

Companies are also working to expand the pool of available materials, by improving the repair cycle, salvaging more used parts, and enhancing supplier risk management.

Globalization a thing of the past?

While globalization was once encouraged, it now seems we're heading in the opposite direction. As the U.S. and China lock horns, the American congress has allocated $53 billion to move manufacturing from the far east to the USA, and several European nations are also planning to establish local fabs.

The semiconductor industry used to thrive on a complex global supply chain, with each region contributing based on its strengths. The U.S. is known for its superior core IP and chip design, while East Asia leads in wafer fabrication, supported by substantial capital investment and government incentives, and China dominates in assembly.

Not only did this model work well, but it also saved a lot of money. But it clearly suffers from its vulnerabilities as it relies on free trade which can be compromised by geopolitical tensions, mother nature, and the current global virus. Semiconductors have become a critical resource, so having 80% of their supply concentrated in a single region probably should have never made sense in the first place and doesnt make sense now. The only realistic solution is geographic diversification, and we are definitely seeing localization trends which will impact cost but also create plenty of local opportunities.

Some optimism to end with:

Given the ubiquity of digital devices in our everyday lives, the need for semiconductors hasnt shown any signs of stopping, thanks to the growth of cloud computing, cryptocurrency mining, 5G, and AI. Consequently, the long-term growth projection for the industry remains promising. Cutting-edge technologies in fields such as cloud computing, big data, AI, crypto mining, 5G, mobile, medical devices, and electric vehicles demand ever-increasing computing capabilities, further propelling leading industries and the microelectronics sector. It's anticipated that by 2030, electronics will account for 45% of the manufacturing cost of autonomous vehicles.

Renana Ashkenazi is a General Partner at Grove Ventures

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From chip shortages to global chess: Geopolitical struggles are ... - CTech