June 15 - 28, 2009
Our universe is expanding! During recent weeks Goddesschess has been undergoing a massive enlargement of content and categories. Meanwhile, extrordinary events continue to unfold on that little blue planet we call home ...
Women and men in chess – smashing the stereotypes Chessbase
article By WGM Natalia Pogonina and Peter Zhdanov "They're all weak, all women. They're stupid compared to men.They shouldn't play chess, you know. They're like beginners. They lose every single game against a man.
There isn't a woman player in the world I can't give knight-odds to and still beat." - Robert James Fischer, 1962, Harper's Magazine
The Shira Chess Challenge By JanXena (a/k/a Jan Newton) June 23, 2009
: : "From a little acorn, a mighty oak can grow. Thus goes the old saying. Nah, this isn't about acorns! It's about kids, and a friend from many moons ago, and computers, and a chess challenge!
Stress and chess
While Jan Xena cusses Win Zip files the square planet - video (2:57) - paints an interesting portait of players performing under duress. Elsewhere, at Chesstories, Karah Pino (pdf) takes us on a literary tour of her own experiences with a game that some say is not really a game...
"Memories - light the corners of my mind..."
"First Image of a Memory Being Made By Clara Moskowitz LiveScience Staff Writer – Fri Jun 26, For the first time, an image of a memory being made at the cellular level has been captured by scientists.
Reconstructing lost memories - and memes:
The History of India - by Vikas Kamat
Events in the Land of The Timeless Theater
How we know what we know?
Sources of Indian History Professor R.C. Majumdar (portrait - interview), a noted Indian historian has said that "... although it is difficult to accept, the Indians totally lacked the historical sense". The ancient Indians made great inroads into astronomy, physics, mathematics, all kinds of literature and arts but never seriously took to documenting their history and their indifference has cost their posterity very dearly."
Iraq - More posterity unfolds online at the Virtual Iraq Museum
Muscial Way-Back Machine
'Oldest musical instrument' found By Pallab Ghosh - Science correspondent, BBC NewsScientists in Germany have published details of flutes dating back to the time that modern humans began colonising Europe, 35,000 years ago.
Musicians Network: No Neaderthal compositions recorded on this otherwise massive compilation - but there is always hope... Included on this site - an annotated bibliography of musical compositions related to chess.
John Greschak - Connections between Music and Chess
Synopsis of The Magic Flute (German title: Die Zauberflöte)
An Opera by W A Mozart: "The libretto to "The Magic Flute" is considered such a jumble of nonsense that it is as well to endeavour to extract some sense from it."
"The Magic Flute will protect you, and sustain you in the greatest of misfortunes."
The Chess Museum has a nice store of Chess book bibliographies: "The amount of chess literature written over time is immense - and it is necessary to have bit of guidance via bibliographical works. Especially since most collectors of chess books will specialize - some in tournament books, others in autographed books, in game collections, chess magazines, chess instructing books, grand classics, books on chess history, books by eminent problemists etc."
A large catalogue of books can be found at chessbookshop.com - which also includes a section on Chess History
Mark Weeks also supplies a nice selections of reference items Chess Bibliography:
Some of the best chess books ever written "There are thousands of books available on chess, covering just about every aspect you can imagine. Listed here are a few titles considered classics by many experts on the subject. Classic chess books frequently go in and out of print. If you can't find a new copy of a title that interests you, check out used book resources. And don't forget your local library!
Also noted earlier by Mr. Weeks: "During our reviews of chess history sites, we've encountered three online catalogs of chess books. These were the...
Cleveland Public Library - John G. White collection
Koninklijke Bibliotheek - Van der Linde - Niemeijeriana collection
Max Euwe Centrum - Amsterdam, NL
Everything is like chess! "If you do any reading or communicate with anyone, you are bound to hear how something/anything is like chess. Below is a partial list - of games/ideas/work/thoughts/etc. that people think are like chess. I won’t kid you, there are a lot of games and sports, but there are some oddities as well. Maybe one day no one will ever say anything is like chess except chess. Enjoy."
More books on board games and the people behind their creation and history for relaxed summer reading...
"Will it go 'round in circles - will it fly high like a bird up in the sky?" (Billy Preston)
Solstice 2009 : Going round in cycles and on cycles
Partygoers Greet Solstice at Stonehenge By Nardine Saad, AP STONEHENGE, England (June 21) - Pagans and partygoers drummed, danced or gyrated in hula hoops to stay awake through the night, as more than 35,000 people greeted the summer solstice Sunday at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge.
Huge Pre-Stonehenge Complex Found via "Crop Circles" James Owen in London for National Geographic News June 15, 2009 -
Given away by strange, crop circle-like formations seen from the air, a huge prehistoric ceremonial complex discovered in southern England has taken archaeologists by surprise.
White Mares and Crop Circles Epona is a Celtic horse goddess - a White Mare. A nice play of words could be made on Night Mare, and probably was, hmmm..
Knights Eco-Tour on Bikes Saturday, June 13, 2009
Canadian Press Jessica Murphy - Montreal cyclists bare it all to raise awareness on green issues: - Sporting only helmets, shoes and a blatant disregard for full body sunburns, some 25 nude cyclists took to the streets of Montreal to raise awareness of global environmental issues.
Knight's Tour Notes compiled by George Jelliss — © 2000 – 2004 The mother of all knight's tour web sites...
GoddessVision
"The Godesschess
Brooklyn Gambit 2009"
video (4:34)
Our first video adventure takes us to Egypt via the Brooklyn Museum. Our lips are padlocked - but the Goddesschess Light Orchestra plays on. An original composition "Everybody's Searching for Home", by Dondelion provides the sonic muse for some mysteriously and typically Egyptian board game items, but it is Babi the blue baboon who steals the whole show. No chess in Egypt says H.j.R. Murray - but apparently lots of Egypt in chess ... quite apparently...
