Your Next Car

If only, eh? Hat tip: Britannica Blog.

How to Handle a Chess Loss

Win with dignity . . . lose with grace?

Wiping Off the Dirt

This clip hardly needs commentary, though I would point out that one of the hidden subtexts of the speech is obviously chess. Can you spot it?

A Concise History of the World

Penn historian Alan Charles Kors sums it all up for our short attention spans. Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan.

Frozen New York

This is brilliant.

Good Friday in Mexico

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato

Bring Out Your Dead

Your Slacker Friday Moment of Zen

Now this.

And if you're going to the Illinois K-8 State Championship, which begins tonight with blitz, here is your map.

Obama on Education

He doesn’t mention chess by name, but clearly it’s implied in “a whole host of other things.” Obama wants a broad curriculum full of enrichment activities is how I read this; more evidence that he’s a chess guy. And the rest of what he says makes sense to me, too. What do you think?

Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan.

Happy Casimir Pulaski Day, especially to those who have the day off.

(revised Monday PM)

New World—Brave or Cowardly?

This video has nothing to do with chess, and I don’t even agree with all of it, but I find it captivating nevertheless.

Your thoughts?

Kasparov Jailed Again

For at least the second time this year, former world chess champion Garry Kasparov has been arrested in Moscow for leading a protest against the government of the Vladimir Putin.

After his April arrest, Kasparov was fined and released. This time he was sentenced to five days in jail. The Associated Press has details and photos. The video clip below is from an earlier protest at which Kasparov spoke.



Since retiring from competitive chess in 2005, Kasparov has stepped up his opposition to the Putin regime. As a leader of the dissident group The Other Russia, Garry is running against Putin for the Russian presidency, and although he has no chance of winning the government apparently regards him as a serious enough threat to harrass him continually.

You can protest Garry’s arrest by writing to the Russian consulate, calling them at (212) 348-0926, or sending snail mail to 9 East 91st Street, New York, NY 10128.

Sound Familiar?

This should strike a responsive chord with parents




Hat tip: Ms. Averill

Chessdude, Belatedly

He lives here in the Chicago area, he’s one of the most promising young chess players in the country, his parents are friends of mine, and this very cool tribute his mother produced is one of the most popular chess videos on the Internet.

And yet I’ve never posted it here, even though it’s been out there for the better part of a year. Sure, the family dog gets publicity here, but somehow the brilliant chess kid has fallen through the cracks. Why? What’s taken me so long to show you what everyone else in the world saw months ago?

I could give senility as my excuse, but I have to be careful how often I go back to that particular well. So forget the excuses. Here it is, the early and brilliant chess career of Eric Rosen, a.k.a. Chessdude64, submitted to you belatedly but nevertheless in full. As usual, click twice on the screen to play the video. And see how many grandmasters you can spot in the show.

Two Knights Defense

The Two Knights Defense is one of the most popular and playable openings for scholastic players, and here Igor and Gleb give you a nice primer on it. What I like about this video is that the guys don't encourage you to memorize lines; they show you the ideas, how each line works, and where some of the traps and blunders lie. Watch as many times as you like to learn the basics, then move on to books and other sources to learn the opening more deeply. For example, the variation where White sacrifices his knight to bring the Black king out into the open where it is then attacked by the White queen is called the Fried Liver Attack, and it gets very complicated and interesting after the last move shown here, where the White queen forks the Black king and knight.

Click twice on the screen to watch the video.

Scholar's Mate: the Movie

Check out this hilarious film clip.



Of course, the opening sequence commonly known as Scholar’s Mate (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qh5 Nf6 4.Qxf7#) is not just a funny video; it is, as Chess Corner observes, “the most common trap a beginner falls into.”

It’s common because it’s an easy way for the attacker to get a fast and, some would say, cheap victory. Scholar’s Mate works by exploiting the weakness of the opponent’s f7 pawn, which at the beginning of the game is guarded only by the King. If you can quickly build up an attack on that square and send in your Queen with protection, your opponent’s King can neither escape nor capture the attacking piece. The heartbreaking result: checkmate on Move 4.

Because Scholar’s Mate is so widely played in scholastic tournaments and chess clubs, it should be one of the first things every new player learns. Learning the right defensive moves is all it takes.

Scholar’s Mate raises ethical questions, most notably: Should you yourself use it when you suspect your novice opponent may not be prepared for it? One could argue that every new player should be on the receiving end of Scholar’s Mate once, just so he or she knows what it’s like and learns to combat it. I won’t pass judgment on the issue, but if nothing else all chess kids should know Scholar’s Mate and how to avoid it. Go here to learn how to do that.