A rare photograph of Morphy making a move against Louis Paulsen during the First American Chess Congress (New York, 1857). This certainly must have been a "posed" picture judging by the abominable playing conditions (LOL) and the state of photography in 1857.
...and you'd have to be nuts to wear these costumes from BuyCostumes.com:
For those who look to the past here's an idea from the National Archives of Canada:
Chess Hats from MegaChess.com:
Chess Tunics from MegaChess.com:
Here is a sample of chess art designed by the famous Russian graphic artist Veronika Kasatkina. Her work graces the covers of software made by Convekta and the Russian Chess Magazine 64. She works mostly with digital media, and deals with a chess theme. You can purchase a set of 28 Chess Art Postcards or a set of eight 8" x 12" posters from ChessCentral. Individual posters are also available from Convekta Chess Store. Here are a couple of my favorites:
"Night"
"River of Time"
A collage of her work:
Source: Daytona Beach News Journal
Here’s a chess puzzle that Women’s Grand Master Susan Polgar rates as a one-and-a-half stars out of four for difficulty. Even Rook should be able to solve that! I've created my own version of the puzzle using ChessVideoTV's free puzzle generator.
This puzzle is from an actual Grand Master game played just this past Thursday (09-13-07) between David Navara vs Jan Timman at the Czech Coal Carlsbad Tournament 2007.
White to move and win in 1 turn. I doubt I would have seen this move if it had been in my own game - but I did figure it out after about a minute of thinking it through. If you are an absolute beginner the hints I have added may be helpful.
To use the puzzle – once you have figured out the solution – make the winning move on the chess board (it appears you must use the 'Full Size' view to do this with this particular puzzle). If you are correct a message will appear showing how White wins. If you find it too difficult – you can get up to two hints by clicking the “Need a hint?” link near the top (hints are available only from the 'Full Size' view of the puzzle).
You can replay the complete game here thanks to the nice people at ChessGames.com.
How the game of Chess survived the great flood:.jpg)
Chess Ark by Kosobukin Juri (USSR)
Here's one of my favorite chess cartoons - especially appropriate for Rook Van Winkle :-)
Do you know of a good chess bumper sticker, T-Shirt, or mug? Or do you have a good slogan for one?
My personal favorite bumper sticker was this one offered by the USCF back in the 1980's:
(Click on the above picture to view full-size)
It's those little fists that I like. :-)
ChessUSA has three chess bumper stickers for sale, including the familiar "Chess Nut" one:
Cafe Press have a wide selection of chess-related T-shirts, mugs, and other things. A sample:
It's always better to sacrifice your opponent's men. - GrandMaster S. Tartakower
For even more visit there Chessopolis Shop.
Finally, there are many crude (and sometimes rude) attempts to use the word "mate" in a bumper sticker slogan, but here's one that is really rather nice:
Romance is like a game of chess: one false move and you're mated
Next Saturday we'll be back with another installment in the series Romp with Rook. Until then, have fun with chess!
Chess: A Poem
AnonymousTHE WRETCHED captive in the dungeon laid,
His body wasted and his mind decay'd,
Unwept, unfriended, comfortless, alone,
With nought but horror now to call his own,
Pines o'er his limbs with ruthless bonds confin'd,
But most deplores th' enthralment of his mind.
Yet yield him here the luxury of Chess,
To soothe his sorrows and abate distress.
And lo! once more dear Freedom's breath he draws,
Tho' clasp'd his chains, and barr'd his prison doors
His soul unshackled and his fancy free
He broods no more on his captivity.
—1858
For our first installment in Rook's new series Romp with Rook, Rook does a little horsing around - sharing this amusing little cartoon "Chess Centaur" by Estis Oleg (SSSR):.jpg)
