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Chess the Musical announces stellar all New Zealand cast for five semi-staged shows coming to Auckland in June. Photo / Supplied

Producers of Chess the Musical are delighted to announce a stellar all New Zealand cast for five semi-staged shows coming to Auckland's Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre this June.

Playing the lead roles of Frederick and Anatoly fierce competitors on the chess board and for the love of one woman are music chart-topping pop artist Michael Murphy, and international opera star Edward Laurenson.

Caught in their love triangle is Florence, played by Heather Wilcock whose glorious soaring voice landed her the role of Elphaba in Wicked in multiple New Zealand productions. She has also played Tracy in Hairspray and Eva Peron in Evita in both Auckland and Wellington.

Trying to bring order and dignity to the game as Arbiter will be one of New Zealand's favourite entertainers, Jackie Clarke (MNZM). Jackie's highlights include performing in The Lady Killers with Tina Cross and Suzanne Lynch for 15 years.

Television and theatre star Stephen Butterworth (Ngati Porou) will be playing Walter. Stephen achieved a cult following for his roles at Pop-up Globe and has appeared in The Lord of the Rings and Shortland Street.

Playing Anatoly's sidekick, Molokov, is Matthew Cutts, a Kiwi whose star has shone brightly on the West End in London and across Europe, performing in some of the world's biggest productions, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express, Miss Saigon and Mamma Mia!.

Playing Anatoly's ex-wife Svetlana, is Rebecca Wright who has enjoyed an illustrious career in the musical theatre industry, most recently performing the role of Fantine in Les Misrables at The Civic in Auckland, to critical acclaim.

The production will also feature an outstanding ensemble and mass choir.

Written in 1984 by Abba's Benny Andersson and Bjrn Ulvaeus, and Sir Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita) Chess the Musical features hits including I Know Him So Well recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest-selling UK chart single ever by a female duo and the upbeat pop favourite, One Night In Bangkok.

Chess the Musical tells the story of a complex love triangle combined with dramatic political intrigue, set against the background of the Cold War in the early 1980s, where Soviet and American forces attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political gain.

The musical originally premiered in London's West End in 1986 (where it was revived in 2018), starring the beloved Elaine Paige. The season ran for three years, resulting in a BBC listener poll ranking Chess the Musical seventh in a list of Number One Essential Musicals of all time.

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Chess the Musical is produced by the makers of last year's theatrical extravaganza Jersey Boys and is directed by Jeremy Hinman (Jersey Boys, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert).

Venue: Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland.

Dates: Performances from June 16, 2022.

Times: Thursday 7.30pm; Friday 7.30pm; Saturday 2pm & 7.30pm; Sunday 2pm.

Tickets: Tickets from $49.10. A service fee applies.

Tickets available from Ticketmaster.

Visit link:
Chess the Musical announces all-star Kiwi cast for new Auckland production - New Zealand Herald

So argues John Mac Ghlionn in todays Martin Center article.

In chess, he writes, Every action has a reaction. Decisions have consequences. The game of chess teaches people basic life skills, like the importance of patience, perspective, and proper planning. It is, in many ways, a highly effective, highly instructive educational tool. Right now, the US is very much lacking such tools.

Thats right. Playing chess builds, to use Hercule Poirots favorite phrase, the little gray cells.

Ghlionn explains that, Researchers have found that the schema used by chess players is eerily similartothe scientific method, with great emphasis placed on calculations and assessments. Other researchers havedocumented the ways in which chess improvesattention, memory, concentration, and reasoning among players.

If American schools (including colleges) would encourage chess, that would have great benefits for the individuals and, in the long-run, for the country.

Go here to see the original:
How Teaching Kids Chess Will Benefit the U.S. - National Review

Make Your Movechess tactics appear monthly inChess Lifemagazine, an exclusive US Chess member benefit. Not a member? Join today!

This month's 9 puzzles are all taken from the 2021 World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Warsaw, Poland. The puzzles start from easy (1) and gradually move toward being difficult (9). Please note that "easy" is a relative term. Newer players will find the "easy" puzzles to also be a challenge.

First, try to solve the puzzle without checking the hint. If you cannot, open the hint to get a clue. Try your best to solve the puzzle completely on your own before checking the solution.

If you were unsuccessful, return to the puzzle in a few weeks to see if you can solve it. That way, you gradually expand your tactical vision and you'll be more likely to spot tactics when they occur in your own games.

Whatever you do, do not use an engine to solve the puzzles. You will only be cheating yourself out of improving your game.

PIN!

[Event "World Rapid 2021"][Site "Warsaw POL"][Date "2021.12.28"][Round "11.80"][White "3.3 Aziz, Husain"][Black "Nasuta, G.."][Result "0-1"][ECO "C47"][WhiteElo "2357"][BlackElo "2521"][Annotator "FM Carsten Hansen"][SetUp "1"][FEN "r2qr1k1/p1p2ppp/2p2n2/3p4/1b2P1b1/2NB4/PPPB1PPP/R1Q1R1K1 b - - 0 11"][PlyCount "3"][EventDate "2021.12.26"][EventType "swiss (rapid)"][EventRounds "13"][EventCountry "POL"][SourceTitle "Chess Life March 2022"][SourceDate "2022.03.01"][SourceVersion "1"][SourceVersionDate "2022.03.01"][SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 11... dxe4 $1 12. Nxe4 $4 ({White responded a little too quickly andmisses Black's tactical point. If} 12. Bxe4 $4 {then} Bxc3 {removes thedefender and wins a piece. Therefore, White has to play}) (12. Bc4 {when} h6 {leaves Black with a solid pawn up and clearly better chances.}) 12... Rxe4 $1 ({White resigned on account of} 12... Rxe4 13. Rxe4 Bxd2 14. Qxd2 Nxe4 15. Qb4Nf6 {and Black would be a clear piece up.}) 0-1

[/pgn]

First step, then kick.

[Event "World Rapid Women 2021"][Site "Warsaw POL"][Date "2021.12.27"][Round "6.16"][White "3.4 Ovod, E.."][Black "Atalik, E.."][Result "0-1"][ECO "C55"][WhiteElo "2366"][BlackElo "2420"][Annotator "FM Carsten Hansen"][SetUp "1"][FEN "r1b2r1k/1pp3pp/p7/P2Pb3/2BBp2q/7P/1P3PP1/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 19"][PlyCount "10"][EventDate "2021.12.26"][EventType "swiss (rapid)"][EventRounds "11"][EventCountry "POL"][SourceTitle "Chess Life March 2022"][SourceDate "2022.03.01"][SourceVersion "1"][SourceVersionDate "2022.03.01"][SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 19... Bd6 $1 {The bishop drops brack to avoid being exchanged andsimultaneously preventing White from playing Ra3 which would help defendWhite's king.} 20. Qb3 ({White tries to defend on h3. If White instead plays}20. Re1 {to give the king an escape square, then Black simply continues} Bxh3$1 21. Qd2 ({or} 21. Bxg7+ Kxg7 22. Qd4+ Rf6 23. gxh3 Qxh3 {and Black forcesmate}) 21... Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Rf4 23. Rg1 e3 24. Bxe3 Rxc4 25. Kf1 Qh3+ 26. Ke2Rf8 {with an ongoing, decisive attack.}) 20... Rf3 $1 {A beautifulinterference move.} 21. gxf3 ({Or} 21. Qc2 Bxh3 {and it is over for White.})21... Bxh3 ({This capture wins, but Black can force mate with} 21... Qf4 $1 22.Rfb1 Bxh3 $1 {and White's king is stuck in the trap and White can only delaymate by giving up her material, e.g.,} 23. Bxg7+ Kxg7 24. Qc3+ Kg6 {and it isover for White.}) 22. f4 Bxf4 23. Ra3 Bg2 ({Also} 23... e3 {wins.}) 24. Qg3 ({And White resigned at the same time as} 24. Qg3 Qh1# {would have ended thegame.}) 0-1

[/pgn]

Link:
Make Your Move, March 2022 - Tactics III and IV - uschess.org

Photo: Theo Wargo (Getty Images)

Last December, Grimes released a new song from her upcoming album Book 1. The track, called Player of Games, was speculated to be inspired by her relationship with Elon Musk. One of the lyrics, Im in love with the greatest gamer, got me thinking: what kind of video games does Musk play when hes not reinventing public transit or allegedly abusing his employees?

A recent Vanity Fair interview with Grimes revealed that Musks latest obsession is The Battle of Polytopia, which he describes as a much more complex version of chess. Apparently, hes even beaten the creator at his own game at least once, which hes very proud of. While hes obviously boasting about his big brain for his fawning fans, I wouldnt be a video game journalist if I didnt check out the game for myself. So, I downloaded Polytopia and played a single game.

The Battle of Polytopia is a civilization simulator in which you control one of twelve different tribes. You try to expand the territory of your empire by collecting resources, exploring uncharted territory, and destroying rival civilizations. In short, its the exact sort of game that might appeal to a white billionaire who benefitted from apartheid in South Africa. He loves it so much that at one point, Polytopia was added as a playable game to Tesla carsyou know, before the government started asking questions about a feature that might take your attention away from driving.

Read More: Genshin Impact Cancels Elon Musk Event Following Fan Pushback

I played one game, which lasted twenty-five rounds. Every round, I could move my military units one space across the map, and I would be rewarded with stars each turn. These resources could be invested into extractive technologies for things like forestry or fishing, or they could be put into new kinds of soldiers. The goal was to wipe out as many enemy factions as possible before the turn limit.

Polytopia is not as complex as Musk described. If anything, winning against the computer-controlled enemies was easier than any chess game Ive ever played. There were more opponents than in a chess game, but its difficulty was inherently constrained by the number of possible actions per turn. Polytopia is an approachable game for newcomers to the civilization builder genre, but its definitely not what I expected from the so-called Player of Games.

Go here to read the rest:
I Played The Game Elon Musk Is Obsessed With So You Don't Have To - Kotaku

Iart Luca Shytaj

He was born in Albania (Tirana) in 1986. His parents moved to Italy when he was six years old and he became an Italian citizen in 2007.

Luca (as he is known to friends) is a very strong player whowon the Albanian Chess Championship in 2003 and represented Albania twice in Olympiads (Calvia 2004 and Turin 2006) and Italy once in an Olympiad (Dresden 2008 the picture above, by Cathy Rogers, was taken there) and once in a European Team Championship (Novi Sad 2009).

He won the Albanian Championship (2003), the Italian Rapid Championship (2009), and the Italian Team Championship in 2016 playing for the Fischer Chieti team.

Luca was awarded the title in October 2018, the 14th Italian player to achieve the title of GM.

In the scientific field Luca holds a master degree in Genetics and Molecular Biology (from the La Sapienza University in Rome). He obtained a PhD in Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, working on an HIV cure project under the supervision of Andrea Savarino. Later he performed his research at the Italian Institute of Health in Rome and at Heidelberg University in Germany. He is currently a visiting Professor at the Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

When I showed Luca the click-baittitle of my article, he asked me if I knew Betteridge's law, which states that "any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no". I definitely hope that this is not the case here. I have urged Luca to abandon his attempts to rearrange little pieces of wood on a checkered board slightly better than other people, and concentrate on the more urgent global tasks that need to be solved.

Luca and his team have been working on Cobicistat, a drug used in HIV/AIDS therapy, showing that it could have an effect against COVID-19. That is the result of a study, until now conducted only in vitro and in an animal model, published in the journal of the American Society of Microbiology, mBio.

The international team of authors proved thatCobicistat inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 with a different mechanism from those of the drugs currently used, i.e. by blocking the fusion of the virus to its target cells. Furthermore, the drug can attenuate the progression of the disease in a hamster animal model (Mesocricetus auratus), by enhancing the effect of another drug previously tested against COVID, i.e. Remdesivir.

If you are interested in the details of the research, the article on COVID is now published and free to read:

Combinations of direct-acting antivirals are needed to minimize drug resistance mutations and stably suppress replication of RNA viruses.

Currently, there are limited therapeutic options against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and testing of a number of drug regimens has led to conflicting results.

Here, we show that cobicistat, which is an FDA-approved drug booster that blocks the activity of the drug-metabolizing proteins cytochrome P450-3As (CYP3As) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication. Two independent cell-to-cell membrane fusion assays showed that the antiviral effect of cobicistat is exerted through inhibition of spike protein-mediated membrane fusion. In line with this, incubation with low-micromolar concentrations of cobicistat decreased viral replication in three different cell lines including cells of lung and gut origin.

When cobicistat was used in combination with remdesivir, a synergistic effect on the inhibition of viral replication was observed in cell lines and in a primary human colon organoid. This was consistent with the effects of cobicistat on two of its known targets, CYP3A4 and P-gp, the silencing of which boosted the in vitro antiviral activity of remdesivir in a cobicistat-like manner.

When administered in vivo to Syrian hamsters at a high dose, cobicistat decreased viral load and mitigated clinical progression. These data highlight cobicistat as a therapeutic candidate for treating SARS-CoV-2 infection and as a potential building block of combination therapies for COVID-19.

Excerpt from:
Can a chess grandmaster save the world? - ChessBase