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A POPULAR club based in Oswestry has made a return to face-to-face game nights after the pandemic.

Oswestry chess club recently reconvened at the senior citizens club in Lord Street for its first in person club night for 18 months.

During the long absence from over the board chess, members have kept themselves busy by playing in several online competitions.

Adrian Bailey, club member, said: Im thrilled to be back.

"While I have enjoyed playing online, and online competition will continue going forward, nothing beats over the board chess with real people."

At present, until it is clear what the demand will be, the club will meet fortnightly on Thursdays from 7.30pm and its next meeting is on Thursday, September 23.

New members of any age and standard are welcome to join us.

For more information, please contact club secretary Jon Smith, on 07855 093828.

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Check us out: Oswestry Chess Club makes face-to-face return after Covid - Border Counties Advertizer

What separates the exceptional from the mundane? The superlative from the good? The greats from the rest? The sport of chess is separated by those who are grandmasters and those who are not.

Ireland has only one chess grandmaster, and he was born 400km east of Moscow, in what was then the Soviet Union and is now Russia. His name is Alexander Baburin, and he lives in Dublin.

Baburin was introduced to the world of chess at the age of seven, when two life events coincided: his father bought him a set, and a woman came to his school to start a club for it. In his spare time he found himself studying chess books and playing the game. My parents were working and I was an only child. There were maybe one or two programmes on television. So chess really was the game to play, he says.

As he grew so did his game, even during his two-year mandatory stint in the army, when he honed his craft, practising as much as possible. When the Soviet Union started opening up to the world, in the late 1980s, Baburin started travelling to chess tournaments in other countries.

His journey towards Ireland began by pure chance, when he was competing at a tournament in the north of France in 1993. Over breakfast I met two Irish chess players at the hotel. One of them was Eamon Keogh the chairman of the Irish Chess Union at the time who had a dream to invite someone from the former Soviet Union to come to Dublin and work for a year. He asked me if I knew anyone who would be interested. I began to think of people who might be interested, but it wasnt until later that I found out he was actually meaning me. He wanted me, but I just wasnt aware of that phrase of speech, he says, laughing.

In the autumn of 1993, after a visit to Dublin earlier in the year, for a tournament over Easter, Baburin moved to Ireland with his family initially for one year, but ultimately for very many more.

He just coached originally, which proved to be an uneasy way to make a living, forcing him to play internationally again and pursue the grand-master title, which he achieved in 1996. In simple terms, to become a grandmaster you must have an international rating of over 2,500, and to have won two major tournaments which include other grandmasters, as winning once could just be a fluke.

Initial reaction to Baburins presence in Ireland wasnt completely positive. Some people thought of me as an invader, coming here and winning tournaments. The funny thing is that I would have had more opportunities elsewhere, but I chose to live here I wanted to live here. I believe Ive contributed a lot to Irish chess since. It happened, but I look at it philosophically: it would have happened anywhere.

Chess is all about confrontation. You quickly learn that youve got to toughen up. Youll have to stand up to some pressure. Besides, for the one person who doesnt like you because youre different, you may have five people who do like you for the very same reason, he says.

In 2008, after 15 years in Ireland, Baburin entered the Irish chess championship for the first time, and won. He hasnt competed at the highest level for more than 10 years; nowadays he mainly focuses on teaching not only the methods and styles of the game but also the variety of life lessons it offers.

Chess teaches people how to deal with stress and cope with defeat. Children can often grow up quite sheltered and not face too many challenges, but if you lose in chess you have no one to blame but yourself while also making you humble in success, as you know how the other side is feeling.

Baburin had his Rocky Balboa moment last month, as he returned to the ring for one last bow, finishing with the bronze medal in the 100th Irish Championship.

The games profile has risen a lot in the past year because of the hit Netflix series The Queens Gambit, in which Anya Taylor-Joy plays Beth Harmon, an orphan who rises inexorably to the heights of international chess after largely teaching herself to play the game, in part by using drugs to help her find winning strategies.

Baburin found the programme to be enjoyable and accurate, except for one part. Substance abuse is far, far removed from the game of chess. In chess you learn to plan ahead and weigh the pros and cons. You are forced to think in a rational way.

Baburin was also unconvinced by the series notion that people can become extraordinary on their own. I could lock myself away with a violin, but I wont come out a virtuoso, he says. I would need to hear other people and need them to hear me. The same goes for chess.

What advice would Baburin give a younger version of himself? Hard work compensates for a lot in chess. My highest [international] ranking was 70, and Im convinced I could have reached 20. That would not have been impossible. Now, whether that would have made me a happier person, I dont know, he says.

It is difficult to make a living off chess, but very few players ever give it up. Its a way of life. Let me put it this way: Im very glad that lady came to my school. Chess was good to me.

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You quickly learn that youve got to toughen up. Youll have to stand up to some pressure - The Irish Times

Humpy had expressed apprehension over the possibility of difficulties on arrival at the European port: AICF secretary

The All India Chess Federation is awaiting a confirmation of spearhead K. Humpy for the upcoming FIDE World womens team chess championship beginning at Sitges, Spain, on September 27.

According to the AICF secretary, Bharat Singh Chauhan, since Humpy has taken Covaxin vaccine (and not Covishield, as preferred by European nations), she will be required to undergo a 10-day quarantine on arrival.

Humpy had expressed apprehension over the possibility of difficulties on arrival at the European port. In the event of Humpy opting out, Mary Ann Gomes will join the team, since first-choice replacement Padmini Rout, too, has taken Covaxin. I am awaiting some clarity in a day.

The other members of the team are D. Harika, R. Vaishali, Tania Sachdev, and Bhakti Kulkarni.

Twelve teams, divided into two groups of six each, will play the league phase. Top four teams from each group will qualify to the quarterfinals. In the knockout phase, each tie will consist of two sets of matches.

Competitions will be held over four boards and the time-control is 45 minutes each for both players plus 10-second increment for each move. The final will be on October 2.

Originally posted here:
AICF awaits Humpys confirmation for upcoming World womens team chess championship - The Hindu

Spanish football enjoyed a golden age as the new millennium ticked towards its second decade, as a new age of footballers emerged and exerted an unprecedented manipulation of possession.

The success of the Spanish involved several central figures, but at the heart of La Rojas defining period of dominance was Xabi Alonso, amongst the most talented of a crop of midfielders unlikely to ever again be produced simultaneously by one nation.

Alonsos footballing venture began in the Basque region of Tolosa, born into a footballing family with his father, Periko, having twice won La Liga titles with Real Sociedad before earning a third winners medal upon signing for Barcelona.

Alonso quickly identified himself as a midfielder as he honed the technical side of his game, and alongside his brother, Mikel, followed in his fathers footsteps after being inducted into the Sociedad system.

He progressed through the ranks and was thrust into the senior side as an 18-year-old, though his debut proved one to forget as Sociedad suffered the ignominy of a home defeat to struggling second-tier outfit Logros in the Copa del Rey.

Alonso was sent on loan to Eibar for further experience over the opening half of the following 2000/01 campaign, a period which coincided with the midfielders father failing to turn around Sociedads faltering fortunes in a short-lived managerial appointment.

John Toshack was appointed as Alonso seniors successor and opted to recall junior from his loan spell, with the promising starlet thrust into a relegation dogfight at the bottom of the division.

Alonso provided an assured presence that defied his inexperience at the base of the midfield, his performances in Sociedads climb from danger so significant that he was awarded the club captaincy whilst only recently out of his teens.

The trademarks of Alonsos game an accelerated perception of the game around him and crisp passing across all ranges attracted interest from bigger clubs, with Real Madrids interest piqued after Alonsos role in Real Sociedads surprise title fight against the capital giants in 2002/03.

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Sociedad missed out on the title by the narrowest of margins and after failing to replicate those performances the following season allowed their most coveted asset to leave.

Liverpool won the race for Alonsos signature, as Rafael Benitez looked to his compatriot during his first summer of overhaul at Anfield.

Alonsos arrival on Merseyside came at a time when few Spanish imports had left a lasting impression on the Premier League, but he showed swiftly that he could adapt to the challenges English football presented.

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Whilst never the quickest in foot, his speed of mind ensured he flourished in Benitezs side, the frantic pace of the Premier League a perfect learning curve as he honed his metronomic talents.

Alonso had proven he could run a midfield during his time at Sociedad, but at Liverpool he had to show he could do so at an increased pace, with time in possession minimal and opposition challenges containing added bite.

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He starred as Liverpool upset the odds to reach the Champions League final during the 2004/05 season, his calming influence in a deeper role complimenting the steel of Dietmar Hamann and the explosive drive of Steven Gerrard.

His continental class and control of proceedings helped Benitez pragmatic side nullify the threat of Juventus and Chelsea in the knockout stages, before a chaotic evening at the Atatrk Stadium in Istanbul saw Liverpool crowned European champions in unforgettable fashion.

Trailing 3-0 at the interval with Alonso overran in an uncharacteristically open midfield, Liverpool fought back to stage a stunning comeback with the Spaniard netting the equaliser at the second attempt from the penalty spot.

That night in Istanbul is characterised by several narratives, from Gerrards lung-busting drive to the heroics of Jerzy Dudek in goal, but Alonsos improvement after the break alongside a mental fortitude to take his first penalty in professional football in a Champions League final was amongst the unsung tales.

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FA Cup success followed in 2005/06 with Alonso scoring one of the goals of the tournament in the third round, a left-footed effort from inside his own half as Liverpool beat Luton 5-3 in a thriller.

Luton goalkeeper Marlon Beresford had joined the attack in desperate search of an equaliser, before a half-clearance finds Alonsos feet.

Ignoring the calls from Gerrard to his left, the Spaniard executed a finish of perfect power and precision from just short of the centre circle to send the Reds through.

Far from a fluke, he netted a second goal from inside his own half two seasons later, a fantastic display of technique to arrow an effort over the back-peddling Steve Harper against Newcastle.

Alonso remained a key figure across the following seasons, though cracks appeared in his relationship with Benitez as the managers plans to add Aston Villas Gareth Barry to his midfield line-up caused unrest.

Javier Mascheranos arrival had altered Alonsos role in the side and the pursuit of Barry was deemed as an indication of the Spaniards diminishing importance to the side.

The deal for Barry failed to materialise and Alonso remained to enjoy an outstanding 2008/09, having formed part of the Spain squad that won a drought-breaking major tournament at Euro 2008 that summer.

He formed a brilliant two-man axis with Mascherano that allowed Gerrard the freedom to wreak havoc with Fernando Torres further forward, as Liverpool lost just two games across the entire Premier League season. However, an inability to turn draws into wins saw the Reds miss out on the title to Manchester United.

That season proved to be his final on Merseyside, as Real Madrid came calling once again as a second wave of Florentino Perezs Galactico regime took place at the Bernabeu.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema joined Alonso as new arrivals in the Spanish capital, as Real Madrid sought to combat the emerging force that was Pep Guardiolas Barcelona.

His first season saw Real finish as runners-up despite a record points total, but his disappointment proved short-lived as Spain travelled to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.

Alonso had struggled to command an automatic role in their European triumph two years earlier, but he was ever-present as Spain were crowned world champions for the first time.

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The triumph of Vicente del Bosque was a celebration of control and dominance, as Spain passed their opposition to submission and tiki-taka conquered.

Alonso was at his ethereal playmaking best, rarely roaming far from the centre circle as he sprayed passes with lasered precision across the South African pitches.

That summer also saw thearrival of Jose Mourinho as manager of Real Madrid, an appointment which helped Los Blancos oust Barcelona in the battle for Spanish supremacy.

The Copa del Rey was won during Mourinhos maiden season, before the 2011/12 campaign brought a host of divisional records and a first league title winners medal to add to Alonsos ever-growing collection of honours.

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Euro 2012 brought a third consecutive major tournament success for Spain with Alonso named in the Team of the Tournament, a match-winning double against France in the quarter-finals the highlight of a campaign that saw La Roja make unprecedented history.

Reals revolving door of managers also continued, with the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti providing a coolness in the often blistering heat of the Bernabeu hot-seat.

Ancelotti with Alonso as fulcrum of his engine room led Real to a historic tenth Champions League title during the 2013/14 season, though La Decima was secured despite the absence of the suspended Alonso for the showpiece.

To the surprise of many, the midfielder was allowed to leave that summer for Bayern Munich, a move which united one of footballs finest minds with one of the games great midfield dictators.

In Pep Guardiola, Alonso viewed his new manager as a man who shared his footballing principles and together the duo enjoyed huge success as back-to-back Bundesliga titles were secured.

The Catalans blueprint proved the perfect match for the ball-playing Basque native, who orchestrated the symphony of a Bayern side with little genuine competition on home soil.

Alonso earned a third Bundesliga winners medal under the guidance of former manager Ancelotti during the 2016/17 season, before deciding to hang up his boots for the final time.

His curtail call came with a substitution during a 4-1 win against Freiburg, as football waved goodbye to a footballer often worth the admission fee alone.

Elegant in his manner and expansive in his passing, Alonso quietly became one of the best midfielders of the modern era.

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Midfield Magicians: Xabi Alonso, the grand master of 4D chess - The Football Faithful

Ever since 2020, chess has seen tremendous growth as a game. In December 2019, chess was averaging at a little over 1,900 viewers per month on Twitch. Fast forward to February 2021, when PogChamps 3 was happening, and that number grew to 30,000.

While events like PogChamps and The Queen's Gambit have elevated the game's popularity to new heights, that doesn't explain why chess is still so successful. After all, hype can only last for so long. Millions of the newer chess players are still enjoying the game, long after Beth Harmon made her last move against Borgov.

So, why is this ancient board game so magnetic? What makes chess one ofif not thegreatest games of all time?

Here are 11 reasons:

Have you ever tried to eat a juicy and delicious steak using nothing but flimsy plastic silverware? If you haven't, let me tell you: it's a terribly frustrating experience. You try to savor that fine meal, but the plastic fork shatters in your hands while your food gets colder and colder.

Playing a game with beautiful graphics and a great storyline but awful gameplay is much like that experience. You sit there trying to have a good time, but you simply don't have the means to do it. In the gaming world, gameplay is king.

Gameplay is, at an elementary level, the way a user interacts with a game. There are quite a few technical factors that go into "great gameplay," and let me tell you: chess hits them all. And it hits them hard. Good playability, just the right balance between challenge and reward, plenty of tools for players to improve... you name it!

Chess.com makes this point stick out even more! Fair pairing is a no-brainer; you can't make illegal moves (even that mysterious pawn move is legal!); we take care of your clock for you; you can learn all the rules for free. What a great time to be alive!

That alone would be reason enough to make it a great game, but there's more.

Time for some mind-boggling numbers. Let's suppose two random people are playing a game of chess. After only two moves by each player, the game could've reached one of 197,281 different positions (including the Fool's Mate). After four more moves for each side, there are 84,998,978,956 possible positions.

In the video below, Dr. James Grime from the Numberphile YouTube channel talks about the number of possible chess games. If you like numbers, I highly suggest you watch the video. If you don't like numbers, I still think you should watch it as it'll blow your mind.

According to Dr. Grime, if we take into consideration only three sensible moves per player per turn and a 20-move game (20 moves for each side), you would still have 1040 different games that could arise. I know this doesn't mean much to us, but Dr. Grime puts it into perspective: "If, for example, everyone in the world paired off and they had to play a [different] game of chess every day, (...) to play all possible games, it would still take you trillions and trillions of years to play them all."

Mind-blowing.

As you can see, chess is a game that's full of possibilities and replayability. You'll hardly ever play the same game twice unless you're playing for a quick draw with the Bongcloud. Yet the game is consistent enough that it doesn't feel like you're navigating a sea of chaos every time you start a new game. That balance is just divine!

If you do a quick search online, you can find a complete tournament chess set and board for less than $20. What's more, that chess set will probably last for a lifetimeno patches or upgrades needed.

If you don't feel like you need a tournament-approved chess set, the price goes even lower. For less than $15, you can find decent sets that will also last forever.

Would you rather spend $15 on a month of Netflix? That's fine. You can play chess for free on Chess.com! And if you're good enough, you don't even need an internet connection to playyou can do it using nothing but your mind! Take that, Grand Theft Auto!

Do you know that Dragonite you spent hours training to make it invincible in? When you turn your console off (or play the next generation of Pokemon), all that work will go down the drain. What a waste.

As satisfying as it is to level up your character or the monsters you carry around in your pocket, there's nothing like leveling yourself up. When you're playing chess, you are the one getting faster, sharper, and stronger. Not only that, but you can also transfer the skills you've acquired from chess to other aspects of your life.

We also have the added benefit that people think chess players are geniuses. Would you mind not letting them know that's not true? I appreciate it.

"Appealing visuals in chess? Are you serious? Have you ever seen games like Assassins Creed or Watch Dogs? How can you even compare chess to them?" Well, first of all, I'm not comparing chess to those games. Chess is clearly much better (wink).

When I say "appealing visuals," I'm not talking about mind-boggling 3D effects or ultra-realistic representations of reality. But if you've ever taken some time to appreciate the beauty of a wooden chess set, you know what I mean. Take an extra eight minutes to watch the video below, and I dare you to not fall in love with the shapes and elegance of chess pieces:

Chess is one of the oldest board games in the world. The last time chess had a meaningful change in its rules was most likely more than 400 years ago. Compare that to the fast-paced world of online games where new versions or new game patches come out very often.

While some might say that's boring, I would suggest it's marvelous. Try watching a replay of Counter-Strike 1.6 or playing the first few versions of FIFA. You'll tear up, and not positively. Aside from the nostalgia, there's little value to doing that.

Now, I invite you to take a look at this game played in 1851, aptly called the Immortal Game. If this game doesn't give you the chills, I don't know what will.

If you enjoy classical, near-perfect intellectual battles, chess is the game for you. If you like fast-paced games fueled by trash-talking, chess is also the game for you. Chess has something for everyone.

From the classy World Chess Championship to the meme-esque PogChamps, chess appeals to all audiences and brings us all together. It's hard to see a game that can bring together men in suits, women in dresses, and streamers wearing whimsical shirts. Yet, somehow chess can pull it off.

If you like gambling, this is probably not a good thing about chess. But if you enjoy playing games where the outcome depends (almost) purely on your ability, chess is perfect for you!

While games of chance can be fun, they can also be disheartening. There is a scene in the hit show "The Office" that illustrates this point. Kevin, the office's accountant and seasoned poker player, is at a poker table that includes Phillys, a saleswoman with no poker experience. Kevin goes all-in with three queens but loses after Phillys accidentally finds out she had "all the clovers" (a flush).

While skilled poker players do tend to win more in the long run, this sort of unlucky blow can and does happen occasionally. And let's face it: once is more than enough. So, apart from the sporadic mouse slip, the future of your chess games depends exclusively on you.

"Now you're just pushing things." I know, this seems like a bit too much. I don't blame you if you call me out in the comments. However, let me explain myself.

While two people sitting down and staring at a board for hours on end may not seem like much, in reality, it is. With every passing second during a chess game, both players intensely calculate the infinite possibilities ahead of them. Although the board remains unchanged for several minutes, the players and spectators constantly move pieces around in their heads. IM Levy Rozman's video lets you peek behind the curtain to appreciate all the action going on inside GM Garry Kasparov's head while playing against GM Anatoly Karpov:

I don't know of many games where both players are always playing. Even people watching the game are thinking about multiple variations and trying to figure out the next move. Now, that's what I call action!

I understand if you're not satisfied with my logic, though. You prefer "real" actionintense battles with stuff flying around the screen and where every millisecond counts. Well, I leave you with this short clip:

When it comes to online gaming, chess is the OG. Chess was the first app on a computer and the first game ever played online. If that's not cool enough for you, I'll give you one more: chess was likely one of the first games played between Earth and space. It happened in 1970, when two Russian cosmonauts played against ground control. They even had a special zero-gravity chessboard with them to make this possible.

Does Valorant have special zero-gravity gear for their players? Didn't think so.

There's only one thing that can bring together art, science, and fun togetherand no, I'm not talking about papier mache volcanos.

Chess competitions have been around for a few hundred years. As with any other competitive game or sport, serious players who dedicated their lives to chess have developed numerous techniques to improve and get ahead of the pack. In particular, GM Mikhail Botvinnik (who even looks like a scientist, by the way) gets credit for giving chess a systematic training approach for professional players. Chess improvement became a science.

Still, chess leaves room for improvisation and creativity. Take some time to go over some of GM Mikhail Tal's best games and I dare you not to be awestruck. Much like Salvador Dali paintings, Tal's jaw-dropping sacrifices can take you to a surreal world that will leave you breathless.

Tal's games are only a tiny fraction of the truly stunning games played throughout history. Check out this masterpiece created in 1912. Legend has it this game was so beautiful that spectators started throwing gold coins over the board after the game was over. Simply exquisite!

Now, the best part of it all. Not everyone is as smart as a scientist or inspiring as an artist. Yet, we can all have fun with chess. Sure, my games lack precision and when I move my queen within the enemy pawn's reach you can bet good money it's a blunder. Nonetheless, I still have a lot (maybe even too much) of fun with chess.

And my guess is that if you play chess (or if you start playing) you will too.

What are your favorite things about chess? Let us know in the comments below!

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11 Reasons Why Chess Is The King Of All Games - Chess.com