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Chesstories

2007

January 27, 2008

Seeing is believing! But sometimes what lies on the surface is not enough to convince us. This week's Random Roundup concentrates on what lies beneath!

The Archeology Channel Explore the human cultural heritage through streaming media. Travel through time and feel the thrill of discovery. Examine the wonderful diversity of the human experience!

Women warriors may have battled in ancient Cambodia: Archaeologists have found female skeletons buried with metal swords in Cambodian ruins, indicating there may have been a civilisation with female warriors.

The "Lost Lady of Rome": 2,000 year old intact female burial inside a lead coffin discovered in the Village of Aldborough, near Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire - once the site of a major Roman town, Isurium Brigantium (England)

An intact skeleton of a female has been excavated from an ancient tomb dating back to around 2,200 years ago in central China's Hubei Province.

Ancient tomb in Henan excavated.  It is believed the graveyard in which the tomb is located dates back to the Eastern Wei Dynasty about 1,500 years ago

Why gambling is good for you The current discussion on the pros and cons of gambling has concentrated on what are often the tragic results of poor judgment and lack of self-control. Maybe, maybe not! See Prudence Jone's Guardian article, then decide for yourself.

BURIED ALIVE! (but still breathing...)

The Death of Checkers

"Checkers has been around for more than 400 years, has been enjoyed by billions of players and has taught generations of young children the joy of strategy. And now it’s all over. This July, Jonathan Schaeffer, a computer scientist at the University of Alberta in Canada, announced that after running a computer program almost nonstop for 18 years, he had calculated the result of every possible endgame that could be played, all 39 trillion of them."

January 20, 2008

Archaeological collection discovered after relic hunter’s death An unusual collection of over 3,000 archaeological items was discovered two years ago in a Prague apartment whose owner died in a fire. Archaeologists who have examined the collection say it contains some unique artefacts – with very little scientific value because vital information about their origin is missing. Experts complain that people with metal detectors who dig for treasures of the past are causing more harm than they might think.

Designers sought to conserve Da Vinci Code church Rosslyn Chapel, the Scottish church made famous by Hollywood blockbuster The Da Vinci Code , is seeking architects to improve visitor access and provide 'comprehensive conservation of the chapel'.

Self-Paced Brain-Computer Interface Gets Closer to Reality Using the human mind to control computers could lead to a wide range of applications, such as giving people with limited motion the ability to operate machines. However, translating thoughts into actions is a great challenge for researchers. How can a system determine which thoughts should be acted upon, and which thoughts are merely personal thoughts and therefore should be ignored by the system?

Ancient "Lost City" Discovered in Peru, Official Claims Ruins recently discovered in southern Peru could be the ancient "lost city" of Paititi, according to claims that are drawing serious but cautious response from experts

Indian Sphinx
With a lion’s body and a human head, the sphinx is a well known symbol of ancient art and myth. For the ancients, it was an elevated spiritual being, embodying secret knowledge and wisdom, that guarded sacred places. The most famous example is the Great Sphinx of Egypt, guarding the pyramids. Though it usually is connected with the ancient civilizations of Greece and Egypt, many depictions are found also around the Mediterranean and in the Middle East. But as seen in this video, the sphinx (or purushamriga) is also part of Indian art and tradition.

RIP Bobby Fischer (1943-2008)
Thoughts of Robert J. Fischer

Although it is impossible to condone some of Bobby Fischer's more tactless remarks and outspoken views, it is equally impossible to overlook his genius. Like the game he played with such incredible mastery, there will be many different views on the man and his legacy. R.I.P. Bobby Fischer.

January 13, 2008

As a companion to Andrew Monkman's Showcased (see below) "flower of life", in The Heart of the World, Ian Baker describes his expedition to find the mythical Tsangpo Gorge in Beyul Pemako, the 'Hidden Lotus-Shaped Land'. (Amazon US).

Better late than never. We missed getting this dispatch into Random Roundup in due time. To make amends... Auction Watch:

Sotheby's New York
November 21, 2007
Lot 207 
Sergio Carmargo (1930-1990)
CHESS SET: 32 PIECES

Estimated 20,000—30,000 USD
Lot Sold.  Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium:  20,000 USD
MEASUREMENTS 
smallest pawns: height::1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm), diameter: 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm); alternate measurements: largest pawns: height: 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm), diameter: 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
DESCRIPTION
white marble and black belgian marble
Edition of 10

"Someone or something bashed a guy known as Mummy No. 7 in the back of the head more than 1,500 years ago. Cal State Bakersfield anthropology professor Robert Yohe is trying to figure out the mystery behind his death."

Isotope analysis of teeth left behind from skulls removed from burials on Vanuatu give researchers new clues to the lifestyle and origins of the mysterious Lapita people, ancestors of today's Polynesians and Melanesians.

A little something for Russian chess researchers to ponder. An international archeological expedition to Lake Issyk Kul, high in the Kyrgyz mountains, proves the existence of an advanced civilization 25 centuries ago, equal in development to the Hellenic civilizations of the northern coast of the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) and the Mediterranean coast of Egypt.

An Iranian-Italian archaeological team has started an emergency operation to restore one of the damaged bastions of Bam Citadel, severely damaged in an earthquake in 2003

The "Flower of Life"...

...can be found in all major religions of the world. It contains the patterns of creation as they emerged from the 'Great Void'. Everything is made from the Creator's thought."

Andrew Monkman's websites - (click here and here) offer many visions to behold and some excellent research as well. Those interested in the rosette patterns appearing as decorative facets in chess and other board games may take note that the earliest use of rosette or asterid epigraphy is also Egyptian.

Although the so called Royal Game of Ur (c. 2600 BCE) does apply similar imagery, the first known use of the rosette appears meticulously and repeatedly incised with painstaking perfection onto at least one schist senet board of 33 squares. Currently stored in the Petrie collection, the board in question is of pre-dynastic (c. 3200-3300 BCE) Egyptian provenance. Like many other Egyptian precedents in sacred geometry, this discovery may give one pause to reflect on certain outlying possibilities buried deep beneath Egyptian soil.