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Digitalization keeps on coming to one of the oldest games in the world as FIDE, the International Chess Federation, announces its plans for a nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace. The group said that the marketplace, which launches at the end of November, will be called ChessNFT.

FIDE is the first global sports federation to create its own NFT ecosystem and it does so ahead of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2021. The event is set to take place at the Expo 2020 Dubai from Nov. 24 to Dec. 16.

Just last month, the reigning world champion,Magnus Carlsen, won an NFT trophy in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. A replica trophy was auctioned off to a fan for 6.88 ETH, with the winner also getting the chance to play with Carlsen.

By further delving into the world of NFTs, FIDE said that it hopes to welcome a new crypto demographic through the gamification of iconic match moments, unique collectibles, chess-related art and more.

They partnered with TON Labs, the core developer of the FreeTON Network, rebranded as Everscale, to bring the ChessNFT marketplace to life. The NFTs will utilize a new variation of the technology called TrueNFTs, which are a product of the Everscale Network. TrueNFTs store the actual media files on the blockchain, itself, rather than merely linking to disruptable content, often hosted elsewhere. The platforms interface will also accommodate the use of both fiat and cryptocurrencies, according to the release.

ChessNFT.com joins the rapidly growing list of NFT marketplaces, which is currently led by Opensea in terms of cumulative settlement volume.

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The International Chess Federation is first global sports association with its own NFT marketplace - Cointelegraph

Dallas Cowboys WR Michael Gallup is one of the more underrated receivers in the game, but will make his season debut at the right time Sunday vs. the Falcons. The Cowboys offense is coming off of their worst performance of the season, only managing two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter against the Broncos to turn a 30-0 deficit into a 30-16 loss.

The Cowboys were far from the only contender to take a step back in week nine, and this league-wide trend towards parity continued with the Dolphins win on Thursday against the Ravens. While some clubs made moves at the trade deadline, the Cowboys remained insistent the players returning from injury can provide a boost for the 6-2 NFC East leaders. Gallup will get the first chance to do so, rejoining a position group that already ranks among the leagues best.

Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Cedrick Wilson have all made up for the loss of Gallup in Kellen Moores offense. Lamb has matched Gallups career average in yards per reception at 15.4 this season, but with the Cowboys offensive line not at full strength the chances for Dak Prescott to throw downfield have been limited.

Though it hasnt taken away from their balanced running game, the connection Prescott and Gallup have on deep passes has been missed. Last week, the Broncos consistently brought one more than the Cowboys could block both in the run game or on blitzes. They did so by trusting their secondary in man coverage. Gallup is the type of player that can make contested catches in coverage look easy, while also taking the top off of a defense.

Theres a mantra in roster building around the NFL that if a team feels they have a position group capable of winning them games, add another contributor as opposed to striving for balance across the roster. The Cowboys will also get help on defense back today as DT Trysten Hill comes off IR, but Gallup fits this mantra perfectly. Proving the Broncos loss as an outlier for this explosive offense is something Gallup can help with immediately.

Dallas should still find ways to incorporate players like Wilson and Tony Pollard into their passing game, something they can do with more creativity now that the projected starting lineup of Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb is back together. Using these pass catchers in motion to help with the blocking scheme and ease the loss of Tyron Smith is something the Cowboys should be prepared for.

Gallup was targeted five times with two catches against the Falcons last year, a signature 40-39 comeback win for Mike McCarthys team. Just how ready he is to exceed this stat line and contribute today, or if his role will be as more of a decoy, remains to be seen. It will take even longer for the Cowboys to reclaim their status as one of the NFLs top teams after their week nine setback, but getting the ball to Gallup is a step in the right direction.

The Cowboys have only scored a touchdown on half of their red zone trips this season. Just the Bengals, Jets, and Giants have an equal or worse conversion rate. For as effortless as this offense looks moving the ball at times, not finishing drives with seven points leaves the door open for Dan Quinns defense to be exposed. Theyve done a great job getting the ball back to the offense when needed in close games, but perform even better attacking with the lead. This takes opponents out of their running game, something the Cowboys never did against the Broncos.

Simply having to prepare for all the options the Cowboys will now have on offense is close to enough for opponents to come into their matchup expecting to keep up only by throwing at a high volume.

On the receiving end of six red zone touchdowns through his Cowboys career, there hasnt been much missing from Dallas passing attack so far this season but Gallups ability to go up and get the ball will stand out as the Cowboys look to bounce back against a defense allowing 237 passing yards per game.

The Falcons have allowed over 30 points in three games this season, escaping with a road win at the Saints 27-25 last week.

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WR Michael Gallup Could Be Chess Piece Cowboys Offense Needs - Inside The Star

Saying that the lockdown didn't turn us all into chess enthusiasts at some point would be an understatement. While the Netflix originalThe Queen's Gambitmade us believe that we all have been a prodigy all along after a stunning win over that six-year-old cousin, online chess tournaments helped us make new friends and keep in touch with the old ones (along with other games such as Ludo, Among Us and Skribbl, of course).

Well, if you could relate to the aforementioned stuff, then you definitely had been watching Samay Raina's streams on YouTube. From chess to gaming and random pranks, this stand-up comic surely has kept us all entertained during the two years of lockdown while we were drinking our Dalgona coffee in some dark corner of the house. His streams playing chess proves it that something as "sophisticated" as a game of chess can be funny and an absolute delight to follow!

We picked up some of the best moments and streams of Raina for you, so read on!

1. When he and his followers ended up crashing a chess website

Samay had invited his followers to an online game of chess. Simple, right? But when 3000 of the people turned up, the whole website crashed globally!

2. The hilarious invitations to random people for playing chess

The streams where Samay tries to convince random people to play a game of chess with him will leave you in splits!

3. When he and other stand-up comics played with the Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand

Can you imagine Viswanathan Anand playing an online chess game, instead of sitting in front of other international players? Well if you can't, watch this video right away!

Also Read:How Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath Hacked A Chess Game To Beat Grandmaster Vishwanathan

4. When he prank called chess grandmasters unapologetically like a pro!

These prank videos about Samay playing along with his fellow players will leave you wanting more!

5. Chess battles and pep talks

Apart from Raina himself playing chess with people, one can also find various battle streams on his YouTube channel. While he leads one team, other chess streamers go with another, and the battle begins! Samay's pep talks to his team will motivate you to work today, I swear.

6. When he couldn't resist singing to his heart's content, butchering our fav songs on the way

And then we couldn't resist laughing to our heart's content. Well, seems like Samay likes butchering songs and corrupting their lyrics as much as he likes chess, so here's to more funny content!

7. A game with Tanmay Bhatt

Many a times, you can find comedian and co-founder of All India Bakchod Tanmay Bhatt in his streams, which are as fun to watch as these two comics themselves!

8. When he played Antakshari with other chess players

If his streams weren't enough, Raina brought another refreshing stream where he along with others played the game of (not-so)melodies: antakshari!

9. The game of chess with BB ki Vines

Yes. A full stream with Bhuvan Bam, the star comedian. Naam hi kaafi hai.

Here's to chess making our lockdown bearable: check and mate!

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9 Of The Best Moments From Samay Raina's Streams That Left Us In Splits - ScoopWhoop

Fifteen times is the charm for GM Nikita Vitiugov, who won his first national title at the 2021 Russian Championship Superfinals, scoring 7/11 to take clear first place over GM Maxim Matlakov. After three third-place finishes and a playoff loss to GM Peter Svidler in 2017, the St. Petersburg native had a lot to celebrate, including (as he told Etery Kublashvili in an interview for ruchess.ru) the recent birth of his son!

Vitiugov won three games to go along with eight draws in Ufa. Here is perhaps the most impressive of those victories.

This years Open Superfinal included a woman for the first time. GM Aleksandra Goryachkina finished with a reputable 4 points, although the 23-year-old could have bettered her debut with a bit more technical precision. Her second-round win over longtime Russian national team trainer GM Alexander Motylev is an excellent example of how to play against two weaknesses.

GM Valentina Gunina took top honors in the Womens Superfinal with 8/11. Her victory was assured only after her final round battle with IM Polina Shuvalova, one of Russias most promising talents. With just a half-point separating the two, Gunina had to overcome an opening misstep to complicate and eventually wrangle the necessary draw.

For more games from the Superfinal, visit our Lichess Study. To replay the live video coverage from Ufa, check out the Russian Chess Federation YouTube channel.

2021 Russian Championship SuperfinalOctober 9-20, 2021 | Ufa, Russia

Open Superfinal:

1: GM Nikita Vitiugov, 7/11. 2: GM Maxim Matlakov, 6. 3-5: GMs Andrey Esipenko, Dmitry Andreikin, Vladimir Fedoseev, 6. 6-8: GMs Pavel Ponkratov, Alexander Motlyev, Kirill Alekseenko, 5. 9: GM Alexandr Predke, 5. 10-11: GMs Aleksandra Goryachkina, Aleksandr Rakhmanov, 4. 12: GM Maksim Chigaev, 4.

Womens Superfinal:

1: GM Valentina Gunina, 8/11. 2-3: IMs Evgenija Ovod, Polina Shuvalova, 7. 4: IM Alina Kashlinskaya, 6. 5-6: WGMs Natalija Pogonina, Leya Garifullina, 6. 7: IM Alisa Galliamova, 5. 8: GM Olga Girya, 4. 9: IM Marina Guseva, 4. 10-12: IM Alina Bivol, WGM Daria Voit, IM Anastasia Bodnaruk, 3.

The rest is here:
Vitiugov and Gunina win 2021 Russian Championship Superfinals | US Chess.org - uschess.org

Geopolitical tensions have risen dramatically in Northern Europe. The root cause is energy, or rather the lack of it, and the refugees forced up against the Belarusian-Polish border are just expendable extras in a confrontation masterminded by Russias Vladimir Putin.

A functioning Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will isolate Ukraine and give Russia effective control over Western Europe, whose political elite have aided Putins plans through their panicked attempts to save the planet by unilaterally ditching fossil fuels. Neither Putin nor Chinas Xi Jinping attended COP26. Northern Europe will have a difficult winter on several fronts.

The SA summer promises to be little better, with last weeks Eskom outages and concerted chorus for the removal of CEO Andr de Ruyter. Cable theft, suspected power station sabotage and multiple fires in KwaZulu-Natals rail and port infrastructure in the aftermath of the July insurrection, look more like destabilisation than just incompetence or mindless violence.

Could the Kremlins chess master be playing a similar game with SA? Former president Jacob Zuma has always had close Russian ties and the failed nuclear deal was a severe blow to Putins African plans. The two Davids, Mahlobo and Mabusa, have made pilgrimages to Moscow under various pretexts and are still in positions of political influence.

Was the intelligence fiasco behind Julys riots solely due to administrative malfunction, or a concerted effort to ensure Ramaphosa did not get wind of the preparations? Are the internal ANC struggles between the radical economic transformation and CR17 factions more sinister than just the contortions of a geriatric organisation?

Could agreement to construct at least some of the eight promised nuclear reactors suddenly make many of Eskoms problems disappear?I hope not, for while I back De Ruyter in a business sense, it is difficult to see how he could prevail if a geopolitical aspect was also involved, especially as Ramaphosa already appears to have been effectively neutered.

James Cunningham, Camps Bay

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LETTER: Zuma, Kremlin chess and nuclear power - Business Day