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Chesstories

2007

June 29, 2008

Migration Theories:

• Evidence from the archaeological site in southern Chile confirms Monte Verde is the Americas earliest known settlement and is consistent with the idea that early human migration occurred along the Pacific Coast more than 14,000 years ago, but questions remain about just how rapidly that migration occurred.

• But, some evidence suggests man was already in Alaska 40,000 years ago: Jacques Cinq-Mars, a renowned archeologist living in Longueuil, is heading to Beringia - a vast territory that once spanned the Yukon, Alaska and Siberia - in hopes of resolving a controversy he unleashed nearly 20 years ago

• Did Humans Colonize the World by Boat?  Research suggests our ancestors traveled the oceans 70,000 years ago.

• New research analyzing mitochondrial DNA reveals that the "Out of Taiwan" theory of populating the islands of Southeast Asia is wrong!

• A dinosaur bone discovered in Australia has defied prevailing wisdom about how the world's continents separated from a super-continent millions of years ago (or perhaps the prevailing theories about evolution is wrong, although current science won't admit it...)

• For the past 10 years, University of South Carolina archaeologist Dr. Albert Goodyear has been digging up artifacts that indicate humans lived here 37,000 years before the Clovis people arrived. His is a controversial theory he tries to prove each time he dusts off a rock or stone tool fragment.

Navigation/Ancient Trade:

• Sailing Round the Dark Continent:  British sailor Philip Beale aims to rewrite a bit of African history by sailing round the continent in a boat built with the same materials he believes the Phoenicians used 2,500 years ago to make the same trip, when it was originally underwritten by Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt in 600 BCE.

• 6000-Year-Old Trade Link Between Clare & Cumbria Identified: Clare Museum and the Irish Stone Axe Project (ISAP) at University College Dublin have uncovered evidence of a 6000-year-old trade link between Ireland and Great Britain.  (This doesn't seem extraordinary; there is evidence of ancient trade between cultures all around the world, including Egyptian maceheads dated to about 3500 BCE excavated in northwestern China in 2001).

• L'Anse aux Meadows (Newfoundland) likely represents the first European contact with the New World, more than 1,000 years ago and 500 years before Columbus

• Myth of a "Pure" Race:  A team of forensic scientists at the University of Copenhagen that studied human remains found in two ancient Danish burial grounds dating back to the Iron Age discovered a man who appears to be of Arabian origin. The findings suggest that human beings were as genetically diverse 2000 years ago as they are today and indicate greater mobility among iron age populations than was previously thought. The findings also suggest that people in the Danish iron age did not live and die in small, isolated villages but, on the contrary, were in constant contact with the wider world.

Astronomers look skyward to track Odysseus

• Homer's ancient Ithaca may not be Ithaki
• Homer's Ithaca located

NEW YORK, June 24 (UPI) -- Astronomers from North and South America completed their odyssey determining when Odysseus slew his wife's suitors after returning home from the Trojan War.

June 22, 2008

The Devil, you say?

More than a mouthful... on memes, tropes, cultural bias, perception, automata, chess symbolism, the "inevitability" of good and evil and how culture often portrays the idea of "evil" through denegrating stereotypes that affect our navigation of the world in general.

A meme is:
• An idea that, like a gene, can replicate and evolve.

• A unit of cultural information that represents a basic idea that can be transferred from one individual to another, and subjected to mutation, crossover and adaptation.

• A cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one generation to another by nongenetic means (as by imitation); "memes are the cultural counterpart of genes".

The term and concept of meme is from the 1976 book by Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene. Though Dawkins defined the meme as "a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation," memeticists vary in their definitions of meme.

Tropes are: ... (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

Function as a noun and derive in etymology from the Latin tropus, from Greek tropos turn, way, manner, style, trope, from trepein to turn

1 a: a word or expression used in a figurative sense : figure of speech b: a common or overused theme or device : cliché (the usual horror movie tropes)

2: a phrase or verse added as an embellishment or interpolation to the sung parts of the Mass in the Middle Ages

Conspicuous Chess Tales and Allegories

(ed. note: The Devil personified as female shows a common medieval presumption that also carries over into Renaissance chess literature. This trend appears in Lucena's world via Roja's "La Celestina" (see also "Lucena an Escape into Chess" - pdf - by Dr. Ricardo Calvo and Runoko Rashisdi's outlook on the "Black Oppressor" - listed below...)

Paulo Boi and the Devil
This is a loose translation of a story which appeared in Les Cahiers de l'Echiquier Français (november-december 1936). Story, problem and drawing are by V. Barthe

Paul Morphy and the Devil "If chess was a religion, Morphy would be God." Chopin. A vignette describing Morphy's superhuman abilities appears in this religious reflection. "When the Devil Gets Kicked out of Heaven for Good " - Revelation 12:7-17

A Guide to Invernesshire's Mysterious Sites
Ruthven Barracks "The castle that once stood on the site of the barracks, was said to be haunted by its notorious lord, who was trapped in limbo playing cards with the Devil."

Conspicuous Humour

A local goddesschess event - In which the wrath of a ruthless goddess takes hold of Harold J. Ruthven Murray and puts him in his place... eternally...

The Devil's Dictionary of Chess
Kurt Godden's blog is inspired by Ambrose Bierce’s 1911 book The Devil’s Dictionary.

Conspicuous Philosophy

ed note: Chess provides a "memetic" structure around which eternal controversies take up formal position, However, seldom is the morality involved entirely "innocent" of cultural biases.)

Damned Chessmen
The Damned Chessmen are netherworld-crafted chess pieces which appear in Devil May Cry 3. They move of their own accord, and whether the game of chess is based on these demons, or vice versa, is said to be unknown.

A.D. 1250 Mabinogion, Welsh epic, attains written form. Chess mentioned.

Chess in any language "I find it fascinating that each language has a unique word for "Chess" and also the Welsh word "Gwyddbwyll" is important because I think there is a myth associated with it. Anyone familar with it?"

The Mabinogion was a collection of eleven (twelve) tales from the Welsh myths. The tales of the Mabinogion were preserved in two manuscripts, White Book of Rhydderch (c. 1325) and the Red Book of Hergest (c. 1400).

Arthur and Owain Playing Gwyddbwyll
Alan Lee - Illustration, 1984

Peredur and the Black Oppressor
The African Presence in Welsh Tradition - Tales from the Mabinogion by Runoko Rashisdi "My name is the Black Oppressor, and I am called that becasue I never left anyone round me without doing him violence, nor did I ever grant compensation." --The Mabinogion

The Chess Artist The true story of J.C. Hallman's friendship with Umstead wanders from interviews with chess-playing murderers to encounters with Nobel Prize-winning scholars to speed chess matches with Mongoliian girl champions and finally to the office-cum-throne room of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov...

Conspicuous Dreams - memes while we sleep?

Dreams
Chess Devil - Dreamed 1997/8/5 by Chris Wayan
http://www.worlddreambank.org/2/2GAME.HTM

The World Dream Bank: GAMES
Dreams of games, including chess, go, tag, puzzles, and cards, plus some strange dream games harder to name. The World Dream Bank has 1500 dreams and dream images plus 500 other pages on dreamwork and shamanism, creativity, genius, art, surrealism and fantasy. Unless otherwise noted, all material copyright Chris Wayan, 2001-2006.

Conspicuous Religious References

In the beginning was the board...
...and the board was empty and monochromatic. Then God created the pieces – the pawns, rooks, knights, bishops, queens and kings. And He saw that the game was somewhat gross, but still it was good. And then He played a first game against the One Whose Name Should Not Be Uttered. Alex Shternshain has annotated it.

New Oxford Journal (pdf files) Articles require regisitration and purchase fees. Chess and the Devil Notes and Queries, 1897; s8-XII: 354. ......University Press reply REPLIES CHESS AND THE DEVIL R. R. Boston, Lincolnshire...fashion upside down. T. WILSON. Harpenden. CHESS AND THE DEVIL (8th S. xii. 207, 251...story referred to in the Philidorian, a chess periodical of the early part of this century......

God, Mankind, the Devil and the classic chess game.
"In the old books, they say God and the devil used to be good friends. Some even go as so far to call the devil God's favorite. It goes on to say that God and the devil used to play many games."

The Devil is a Logician
(A Homily for First Sunday of Lent)
Bottom line: Satan uses logic to tempt Jesus - and us. (ed. note: No doubt Richard Dawkins would be very critical of this "logical" assumption.)

Conspicuous Reseach and Attempted Correctives

The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil from the Earliest Times to the Present Day by Paul Carus - (ed. note: It appears as though some historical conjuring tricks were performed over a long stretch of time...)

The Devil and the Pathology of History by Aaron Ross - "Throughout history, humanity has been faced with the problem of evil."

Chess With Death
Death and the Knight, from Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal.

"The opponent looked long and hard at the board. The abbot waited to see what long-term, devious strategies were being evolved. Then his opponent tapped a piece with a bony finger."

More:

As the Devil Commands (1933)
Mae Clarke, Neil Hamilton, and Alan Dinehart

Chess in the Movies
The award for best supporting game goes to...

Movies wih Chess Scenes by Bill Wall
(Note: a more thorough list can be found in the book Chess in the Movies by Bob Basalla

June 15, 2008

Digging the dig...

• Royal Burials in Iran: The female burials discovered at Ramhormoz (southern Iran) in May, 2007 are being examined by a team of archaeologists who think the girl and woman were most likely members of an Elamite royal family.  A golden armlet with floral motifs, two golden bracelets bearing deer-head patterns at each end, some ornamental stones with floral decorations, 155 golden buttons of various sizes, several statuettes of goddesses, a golden necklace, golden plaques with floral motifs, 99 golden necklace beads, 23 golden necklace pendants of various sizes, three marble stone dishes, earthenware and bronze dishes, several bronze bracelets, a fish-shaped goddess ornament, and a number of other artifacts have been discovered at the site.  More coverage with two photographs.

• A fresh analysis of a 5,000 year old mass grave excavated in Germany reveals a mystery: "Our analysis points to the local women being regarded as somehow special and were therefore kept alive."  Were the women captured simply for "companionship," as the story asserts?  Or was there something more going on?  

• Ancient Greek Burial:  A 2,300-year old grave containing a female skeleton, accompanied by four gold wreaths and gold earrings in the shape of dogs' heads set with semiprecious stones was uncovered during subway construction in Thessaloniki.  More coverage with photographs

• Alexander the Great's "Crown," Shield Discovered?  A re-examination of the original excavation done in 1977 yields surprising new findings.

• Honoring the Dead: Three Bronze Age round barrows excavated at Cossington, Leicestershire reflect Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Anglo Saxon times, showing how the three barrows were used in repeated ceremonies to honour the dead. They offer the first definite example of an Anglo Saxon cemetery sited on an earlier monument to be found in Leicestershire.  Silliest quote in the story:  “The re-use of the barrow by Iron Age, Roman and Anglo Saxon people is very interesting. These people could not have had any knowledge of the original use and meaning attached to the monument – but it survived as a prominent landmark in a fairly flat landscape and became the focus for settlement in these periods."  Really?  How arrogant to assume that the people who inhabited the area had no history and traditions passed down orally from generation to generation... 

• Older than Caral:  Is Bandurria in Peru the mother of all ancient American civilization? 

Guardians of Antiquity?

 
James Cuno, president and director of the Art Institute of Chicago, posits in his new book Who Owns Antiquity? (Princeton University Press, $24.95) that the UNESCO treaty and laws enacted around the world aimed at applying its principles have done nothing to stop looting and have succeeded only in inhibiting the global movement of art. UNESCO, he argues, has impoverished our understanding of one another and contributed to a stale, narrowly nationalistic view of culture.

More specifically, these laws have prevented museums like his from acquiring antiquities as they have in the past. He calls them "nationalist retentionist cultural property laws," and views them as one outcome of what he sees as the chauvinistic nationalism that has infected governments and led to the suppression of minorities and even ethnic cleansing.

“It is right to teach young people that chess is not a game of war, but is a beautiful game.”

(Russian Chess Grandmaster - Yuri Averbakh)

June 8 , 2008

The Goddesschess "Fighting Chess" Award
2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship
Winner selected by G.M. Susan Polgar

Congratulations!



TATEV ABRAHAMYAN winner of the Goddesschess Fighting Chess Award,
who finished with six wins, three losses and no draws.

Some easy reading and listening...

Connections between Music and Chess by John Greschak: July 22, 1998 - May 24, 2008

Eshu's Cap: Improvisation at the Crossroads of the Diaspora
Marshall Soules, Ph.D. Malaspina University-College: "In his vernacular theory of the blues, Houston Baker situates the African-American idiomatic music at the railway junction, the place where road crosses tracks..."

Playing Chess With RZA By Dylan Loeb McClain
RZA, one of the founders of the Wu-Tang Clan, the rap super group, is a huge chess fan, and a pretty good player. On Monday, in conjunction with Chesspark, he launched a Web site called Wuchess.com, where fans of the group (and even those who are not) can play chess and socialize online. Video interview

CHESS RECORDS

In late 1949, Leonard and Phil Chess purchased the interests of the Arons and became the sole owners of Aristocrat Records. On June 3, 1950, they reorganized the company and changed its name to Chess Records. Chess Records flourished in those early days of both rhythm and blues and independent record companies. Chess along with Atlantic, Aladdin, Specialty, Imperial, Modern and King were giving the public music that they could not get from the larger, established "major" record companies...

Chess Records specialized in blues, R&B, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases. Run by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess, the company produced and released many important singles and albums, which are now regarded as central to the rock music "canon." Musician and critic Cub Koda described Chess Records (more info) as "America's greatest blues label."

Collectors items from ChessRecords available by mail

And Checker Records too...

Stop, look and...

Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008)
was an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Often cited as a key figure in the transition from blues to rock and roll, he introduced more insistent, driving rhythms and a hard-edged guitar sound. He was also known for his characteristic rectangular guitar. Music video at U Tube

Beyonce Starring In Chess Records Film:
The 10-time Grammy winner has signed on to executive produce and star in Darnell Martin's "Cadillac Records" for Sony BMG Films. Knowles will play Etta James in the 1950s period film about the Chicago record company Chess Records.

The Chessmen
consist of five vocalists, who play piano, keyboards, harmonica, saxophone, drums, percussion, bass, guitar, dobro, violin, mandolin and banjo.

ALL World: African- West albums
a large selection of downloadable African sounds from which the following two were selected...

The Healing Drum
Authentic Sacred Shamanic Drums of The Yoruba Tribe of West Africa. These come from traditional sacred Ifa Drum rhythms and rituals. Ifa and Voodoo is the spiritual tradition of the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria and Benin of west Africa. Available MP3 downloads

Zebra Crossing
African Jazz that ROCKS - Beautiful Sth African vocals and kalimba. Intricate West African Percussion. Soaring jazz sax and flute. 'Valanga Khoza, Ray Pereira and Leo Dale make music that keeps the outside world at bay. Available MP3 downloads

E4 is a chess inspired "Ambient Techno" album
produced by Onde-Spirale and Chess Art. E4 was created with the help of many talented people and was a labor of love. This album aims at capturing some of the many emotions that chess, and its relationship to real life, can evoke. (From John Greschak's website)

The Twist - Chubby Checker - U Tube
(What happens when tables turn on the dance floor...)

Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino - U Tube
(The thrill of victory!)

Beggin You - The Royal Chessmen - U Tube
(The agony of defeat...)