Twisted Tuesday - Puzzles

These are the puzzles I selected for the OGCC this past weekend (+ added the rhymes). Try them for yourself!

Kindergarten - Grade 1
"I really want to take the knight, but after 2. Kc2 the game is tight. Can I win material in three? Help me, help me, what can you see?"


Grade 2
"When I got his queen, my advantage grew. Now I have mate in two!"


Grade 3
"Two knights patiently wait, for the next two moves become checkmate!"


Grade 4
"My access to black's king seems quite low. But wait, isn't he on the back row?"


Grade 5
"A few moves here and there - I'm sure to get to his king - beware!"


Grade 6
"Now we're starting to get in the groove. Tell me, tell me, what's the best move?"


Grade 7 - 8
"Pieces, pieces, point east and west. Which move here is the best?"


Grade 9 - 12
"A couple ways to end this game. More or less, the checkmate's the same."

Marvelous Monday - Joke!

How does chess relate to furniture?
Answer: There are winners, losers, and "drawers"!

Looking for chess table designs like the one above? http://www.thisnext.com/tag/wood-chess-table/

More Stuff Soon!

Hey Readers!!!

How is everyone doing? Hope you aren't under the weather - I hear a lot of illnesses are going around & it's been raining like crazy in Toronto. Let's cross our fingers for a sunny weekend!

You may be wondering why there has been a delay in blog posts. I've been extremely busy with errands + preparing activities for the OGCC (this Saturday). Time just seems to fly by! However, I do have plans starting next week to keep this blog fresh & up to date:

Weekday Posts -

Marvelous Mondays
* Begin each week with a "Checkmate!" classic - joke, quote, top ten, would you rather?, ...

Twisted Tuesdays
* Come back for brain teasers, puzzles, variants, strategy, ...

Wacky Wednesdays
* Reserved for newer features like chess libs, personality quizzes, contests, art/animations, ...

Totally Thursdays
* News, written pieces, links, visits/photos, gift guides, ...

Weekend + Friday Posts -

* surprise posts = a variety of chess-related topics, games, jokes, etc. depending on my mood

Monthly Posts -

* tournament and link updates
* camel story continuation
* player or game of the month

+ other fun stuff :)

- feel free to send in your games, photos, suggestions, etc.

If you're attending the OGCC, hope to see you there! If not, have a nice weekend & check back next week for more exciting posts!

Hazel

A 'Handy' Brain Teaser

How many hands might you find at a standard chess game involving two people?
Assume there are no other people around, and pieces do not have hands.

(Answer below)

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
V

Answer: Eight! Two hands per player and two sets of hands on a chess clock (if it is analog).

GM Mark Bluvshtein at WLU

This event was held quite awhile ago (Mar. 30), but I thought I should post these photos anyway:

Mark did a great job communicating with participants. Above, he answered a question before the start of this participant's game. As you can see, when Mark speaks, he commands attention of everyone around him - people were so interested in what he had to say!

Mark made his way around the simul tables at a very fast pace. Sometimes he would stop at a board, but rarely stand directly in front of it. Above, you can see his angled posture - ready to take down his next opponent!

Making another move...

...and proceeding once again.

I would call this my 'front row seat', at least for a simul. Notice the intensity!

The camera on my phone has a cool black and white option. Personally, I think photos look very artistic in black and white.

My 'front row seat' view in black and white.

Here he comes!

Crowds grew quite large throughout the simul. Students, faculty members, even parents and people from the community! Above, my photo got squeezed out by the crowd, but I love it!

More crowds!

People were literally standing everywhere!

This photo was a bit of a joke. My friend didn't want me to take a picture of him playing his game, so we agreed his hand could be famous instead :)

There were a bunch of cool Laurier posters that completely roll up after use (talk about convenient storage!) and a microphone for announcements + speeches. At the microphone above is Dr. Hasan Shodiev, a physics professor interested in promoting chess at Laurier. He organized the whole event!

We also had a few journalists and photographers! Smile!

Even that chair was intimidating :)

A few people rolled their eyes when I took this photo, but I couldn't help it. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful building!

Mark's sponsors donated an assortment of chess equipment, including this giant display board, for use in the WLU Chess Club next year. I will be the incoming president of the club, and will work with Dr. Shodiev to organize activities + a team. I was surprised when Mark said there wasn't really a chess team he could play on when he was at York University, yet this simul alone gave him a lot of positive energy. Therefore, I hope to see chess increase at the academic level (especially in universities) in the future!

Thanks to GM Mark Bluvshtein and Dr. Hasan Shodiev for an amazing event!

P.S. Mark won all his games!

2011 OGCC Happy Face Pin Coupon

I will be volunteering at the 2011 Ontario Girls' Chess Championships on May 7. If you wish to receive a free happy face pin (blog gift) at the event, please print this coupon. Note that only the first five coupons presented to me in person at this event will be accepted. One free pin per family. You do not need to be a participant in the OGCC to claim the gift. Expires May 7 at 4 pm.

OGCC site: http://www.freewebs.com/ogcc/

Would You Rather? - my answers

1. Would you rather play chess in a room that's a bit too bright or a bit too dark?

Seeing that I already like to dim my computer screen, I guess I'd prefer a bit dark to a bit bright in a chess room.

2. Would you rather have a chess-themed picnic or chess-themed campfire?

Picnic...as long as no one invites the ants :) I've never been much of a camping person.

3. Would you rather receive a bag of promotional items (pens, coupons, etc.) or free refreshments (water, coffee, juice, etc.) at a chess tournament?

Well, with a sore throat right now, I feel biased towards refreshments. However, on a usual day, I would prefer the promotional bag - I love surprises! Plus, I suppose a promotional bag means the tournament got sponsorship, which is a huge benefit for chess.

4. Would you rather have a friend/family member play on the board next to you or on the other side of the room?

Next to me, especially if we're on the same team. It's nice having family support nearby (just not in front - wouldn't really want to play against a family member unless it's for fun).

5. Would you rather play a chess game in a beautiful plaza (with cafe, fountain, trees, etc.) or next to a beautiful ocean?

Hmmm...maybe a plaza. I'm picturing one in Europe, or in Boston (Harvard Square is beautiful).

6. Would you rather play online chess games under your own name or a made-up name?

I don't play online chess much, but since it's just for practice/fun, I would make up a name to change things up a bit.

7. Would you rather play chess on top of the Great Wall of China or directly below the Eiffel Tower?

Part of me thinks the Great Wall would be amazing, but I don't think I could handle the smog. You can't see much directly beneath the Eiffel Tower (I've been there once before, after the WYCC), but I would probably choose that option anyway, play my game, then go up the Eiffel Tower or walk to another area of Paris to enjoy the wonderful sights!!! Now, if only someone would pay my travels fees :)

8. Would you rather come to a chess tournament on a bad hair day or after getting only four hours of sleep?

Again, this would depend on the circumstance. If I've been getting a lot of sleep most days, and only four hours one night, I would survive quite easily. However, if it's something similar to exam week, where I'm getting four hours or so regularly, I would choose the bad hair day.

9. Would you rather play in a chess tournament at a moderately-nice venue with free parking or a deluxe venue with pay parking?

It doesn't take much to excite me, so a moderately-nice venue is usually good enough. Pay parking is a bit of a turn-off so yet another reason to choose the moderately-nice venue. However, I do have to say, the way the Canadian Open has organized its Toronto venue is starting to change my mind a bit, in terms of large, prestigious tournaments.

10. Would you rather have pairings made under the Swiss system (with large section size) or Round Robin system (with small section size)?

I've always preferred Swiss. As mentioned, I like surprises, and the fact that you can be matched in many different ways, and face a variety of opponents is exciting. It's true, Round Robin can help with preparation and managing expectations, but it works two ways. If I can prepare against my opponent, he/she can usually prepare against me. So it's not as straightforward as it sounds...therefore, I prefer the surprise :)