"Cool" Chess Variant

Ice Age Chess

In this game, empty squares (those not occupied by pieces) are filled with ice cubes. These ice cubes block the path of pieces until they are captured. However, every 20 moves, a new Ice Age refills empty squares with a whole new set of ice cubes! If the ice cubes completely surround a piece at this time, it is "frozen" and removed from the board (and replaced by none other than another ice cube). If a king is either frozen or checkmated, the game ends. If both kings freeze, it is a draw. This game brings a completely different way to strategize and emphasizes the value of time. Have fun!

http://www.chessvariants.org/boardrules.dir/iceage.html

Play it online: http://play.chessvariants.org/erf/IceAgeCh.html

Chess in the snow!

This week's theme is...Snow (and ice)!!!!

To start off, here are some cool pictures I found online. Amazing!

Playing chess anywhere...any season

His opponent must be a rock-solid player!

Beautiful sculptures

I hope my opponent won't mind if I take a bite...

Ice is nice

And of course...get ready to count down!

Top Ten

The chess player's top 10 ways to stay warm this winter:

1. Play chess! While skiers and snowboarders are out catching colds, chess players can enjoy the warmth of their local indoor chess club.

2. Play blitz/rapid. The fast pace sure generates some heat!

3. Play a super grandmaster. Trust me, you won't have time to think about the cold.

4. Remember to shake hands with your opponent. Perfect for melting the frost before an important match.

5. Travel to a tournament abroad, such as the 19th annual North American Open in Nevada (December 26 - 29) http://www.chesstour.com/nao09.htm

6. Make sure the organizer has turned on the heater (if possible). You may be fine at first, but nobody likes coughing five hours later.

7. Dress warmly. I know you want to wear your patriotic chess t-shirt, BUT please don't forget a sweater!

8. Don't stay in one spot the whole time. By moving around every so often, your body generates much needed heat. When not playing a game, also look for opportunities to get some exercise.

9. Eat properly. Hot foods and drinks are good choices to re-energize. Eat regularly to regulate your metabolism and keep warmer!

10. Enjoy yourself. You are much more likely to feel cold for extended periods of time when you get tired or bored. Have fun and time will just fly by!

Winter Super Challenge for Juniors

Yuanling Yuan and her school, Victoria Park C.I., are hosting the 2009 Winter Super Challenge next week.

For: K - 12
Date: Sat. Dec. 5, 2009 (9 am - 6 pm)
Location: Victoria Park C.I.
Information: http://chesstournamentintoronto.webs.com/
CMA rated. CFC rated for higher sections.

Today is the LAST DAY to sign up for the advanced entry fee of $25.75 using Paypal. Late fee is $10.

Preregistered List: http://www.chesstalk.info/forum/showthread.php?t=2370

Hazel's Jokes!

Continuing with my "desert" theme...

Why would Tutankhamun always lose (or draw) at chess?

Answer: Because a king can never checkmate!

Tutankhamun was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh who lived and ruled in the early 14th century BC/BCE. Today, he is commonly known as "King Tut", or the "Boy King".

In chess, a lone king cannot checkmate because it never directly attacks the enemy king. Instead, a player must use other pieces in order to achieve a win.

To find out more about the interesting life of King Tut, visit:

http://www.kingtutone.com/tutankhamun/life/

http://africanhistory.about.com/od/egyptology/a/KinTut.htm

The Art Gallery of Ontario is also hosting a Tutankhamun exhibition from November 24, 2009 to April 18, 2010: "The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs"

http://www.ago.net/kingtut

Egyptians and Chess

Sorry this is so late. I didn't forget to post today, but I had to study for a surprise math quiz.

Anyway, along the lines of my "desert" theme, I thought you might enjoy learning a little about a board game in ancient Egypt.

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/games.htm

http://www.xmission.com/~psneeley/Shareware/senet.htm

Ancient Egyptians played a variety of games before they became popular in the modern era. This included wrestling, tug of war, ball games, ..., and senet! This game was played by two opponents, each controlling seven pieces. The pieces could be maneouvered on a perw, a 3 x 10 checkered board that resembled the 8 x 8 versions used in chess and checkers today. Moves were determined by throwing astragals, or sticks. The stick positions would guide pieces around a track while landing on certain squares (representing good or bad fortune), which would then affect the player's strategy. Simple versions of the game were sometimes marked out on pavement or stone, though more precious boards could be found in the tombs of the wealthy (including Tut's). It was Egypt's national game for 3000 years!

You can play a modified version of the game at:

http://www.humanities-interactive.org/ancient/tut/senet/

Enjoy!

Thinking About Drier Places...

A rainy day in Waterloo gave me a much "drier" idea.

Two camels were slowly marching through a large, dry desert. Time only inched forward, and the camels often found themselves extremely bored. They were tired of simply basking in the sun...so they decided to look for something new.

One early morning, something caught their eye. Through the dense air, they could see someone playing a game, but they didn't know what it was. As they approached, the image appeared to be fading. The first camel said "We must be hallucinating!" -- yet his friend refused to agree. They approached further, and further. Eventually the image faded. What was this game?

The camels contemplated for days, but found no clues. They were beginning to lose hope.

Then, all of a sudden, the image came back. They could see it quite clearly in the distance, but still couldn't make out what it was. The camels moved quickly towards it, despite weakness in their legs from a long haul the previous day. They pushed on and on. Finally, they reached it...a small table and two men....playing a game they called "chess".

...to be continued!!!