Watch a trailer of this great new dvd. search "elliott" on ChessHouse.com. Following the first "Pawn" Level recently released this new dvd gives you the next items you need to learn in a clear, fun, and engaging manner. You can now order a copy of this second outstanding DVD anticipated by numerous parents and teachers. go to ChessHouse store for more details and the video preview.

1 minute per side! 120mph chess. It's been at least a year and a half since we've played each other. now 11pm at Elliott's chess center on April 30, how about 4 quick games to end the day? Sounds like fun. The minds behind ChessHouse.com and Chess4Life.com face off for some fun games of chess. Result? Elliott 3, Raphael 1 :) Video quality? horrible. If there's a next time - we promise to use a better camera.

Setting records each year, Washington's chess championships held in Redmond, WA this year drew 1414 kids and their parents to set records once again. It's the biggest yearly event in the state, and many winners go on to the chess Nationals, some even receiving scholarships.

Parents love the 2 day chess event. It's a big commitment to travel from many parts of the state, but the fun, camaraderie, and craziness of the whole thing is part of the fun.

Here's the number of players competing in each grade level:
6th Grade - 144
5th Grade - 244
4th Grade - 258
3rd Grade - 311
2nd Grade - 223
1st Grade - 138
Kindergarten - 96
Total: 1414

That's amazing! for Washington State alone.

Here are the offical results of Grade 6. Do you see anything in common about the last names of the first 10 players? Good for them... or is it true that American kids are lazy?

 pos last name first       id numb   start end/#gms  rd1 rd2 rd3 rd4 rd5 tot 
  1 YUE, BRYAN             LMAGE863  1717  1749/ 60  W37 W51 W17 W11 W8  5.0
  2 LEE, NATHAN            ISMG3203  1816  1833/167  W44 W56 W81 W10 W7  5.0
  3 LI, WILLIAM            HSCG6452  1665  1700/159  W114W78 W12 W14 W9  5.0
  4 LEE, MEGAN             OMSG8702  1807  1824/113  W79 W85 W33 W29 W6  5.0
  5 MAY, SARAH R           HSCG3806  1551  1556/326  W55 D71 W34 W25 W29 4.5
  6 ZHU, ALEX              IMSG7231  1517  1527/156  W21 W59 W16 W20 L4  4.0
  7 SEN, SAMIR             TRUGA453  1523  1534/ 98  W36 W32 W18 W19 L2  4.0
  8 HO, ALEC               HOMG1448  1826  1817/203  W80 W23 W22 W13 L1  4.0
  9 WANG, MICHAEL          OMSG6449  1833  1822/115  W77 W40 W15 W30 L3  4.0
 10 SUN, TRISTAN           IMSG1094  1474  1481/231  W45 W41 W31 L2  W32 4.0

Here are the complete results.
http://www.whsca.org/2008StateElem.html

Friday, March 14, 2008 (AP)
Experts Link Leonardo to Chess Puzzles
By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer

  (03-14) 09:55 PDT ROME, Italy (AP) --

  Leonardo da Vinci drew everything from war machines to anatomy sketches.
Now it seems he may have also been an early illustrator of the chess
puzzle.

  Experts say the Renaissance genius, whose interests included painting,
mathematics, music, engineering, anatomy and botany, may have illustrated
the puzzles in a long-lost chess treatise recently recovered in the
library of an aristocratic family in northern Italy.

  The manuscript was penned around 1500 by Luca Pacioli, a mathematician and
friend of Leonardo, and some experts believe the artist may have drawn the
elegant pieces that illustrate the chess puzzles discussed in the
treatise.

  "The pieces are exceptional for that era," said Franco Rocco, a
Milan-based architect and sculptor who studied the illustrations. "Even
today they look futuristic."

  The treatise, "De Ludo Schaccorum" — Latin for "Of the Game of
Chess" — includes more than 100 chess problems that challenge the
player to reach checkmate in a certain number of moves. Today such
mind-twisters are popular fixtures in newspapers.

  The sole copy of the treatise was found in 2006 among 22,000 volumes
collected by the Coronini family in their palace in Gorizia, on Italy's
border with Slovenia.

  "It was like a Holy Grail of chess," said Serenella Ferrari Benedetti,
cultural coordinator of the foundation that manages the Coronini estate.
"We knew it existed but nobody had ever seen it."

  The illustrations of the red and black chess pieces were themselves a
puzzle. The slender, abstract design was so unusual that Ferrari Benedetti
asked Rocco to study the drawings.

  After a year of research, Rocco concluded that Pacioli enlisted Leonardo's
help to draw the pieces.

  Rocco, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, noted that the
two men had earlier collaborated in Milan when Leonardo helped illustrate
a treatise on proportion while also painting "The Last Supper."

  Rocco said the futuristic style of the chess pieces is in sharp contrast
with the way other pieces were represented at the time.

  Every piece also was proportionally related to each of its parts and to
the other pieces, a trademark of Leonardo's art, he said. In addition,
some pieces directly recall other works by Leonardo, including a queen
similar to a fountain drawn in one of the artist's manuscripts.

  Not all the pieces display the same quality and some were drawn with a
right hand and others with a left, Rocco said. This indicates that
Leonardo, who was left-handed, may have only drawn a few pieces to provide
examples, or that he simply suggested the designs to Pacioli, Rocco said.

  Alessandro Vezzosi, the director of a museum dedicated to the artist in
his hometown of Vinci, told the AP that the idea that Leonardo drew the
pieces is plausible, but documented proof would be needed.

  "We can't say that he drew the pieces. It's a very interesting hypothesis,
but it needs to be verified," said Vezzosi, who was not involved in
Rocco's research.

  Pacioli's manuscript, normally not on public display, was exhibited last
summer in Florence and will be briefly shown in Gorizia in June. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2008 AP

A video review of the phantom force chess computer will be posted on youtube soon.

It's currently the only available self moving chess computer.

the chess pieces are very light weight on purpose so the computer can actually slide them across the surface. therefore the board surface is also very slippery. any jolt will displace the pieces so you'll just need to have it sitting on a firm surface.

This is the most interesting and intriguing chess computer. It will amaze anyone. We have noticed that operation is not silent though.

While copies last or the link is still active, you can use the coupon code magnus to receive a free copy of the very interesting, Magnus Carlsen chess dvd, titled Prince of Chess. Right now, It's free at ChessHouse with any order of any size. Keep in mind this is the PAL version so you're player will need to play PAL movies not just NTSC movies. Most laptops play PAL and NTSC.

Follow chess prodigy, 13-year-old Norwegian Magnus Carlsen through important tournaments as well as daily life, trying to understand the workings of his brilliant mind. The film also looks at the game of chess as a player in both cultural history and international politics. Magnus has one ultimate dream: To outwit the chess king above all, world Champion Garry Kasparov - and to one day claim that throne for himself.

Can you provide information and tips on how to start a chess club?

This question has been posed frequently. I would like to give assistance to those seeking tips on how to start a chess club. Since the means and methods very greatly, I will mention a few general points and let our readers weigh in from their own experience.

Identify your reason for starting the club. Keep it simple, and focus on your goal. Even a few friends can form a small group meet-up style club, completely informal and fun. Whatever the size you hope to start, you'll have a motivating purpose and person, or group of persons behind your new chess club.

Often in keeping with this motivating purpose which inspired you to start a chess club, you'll create your club's signature event. It can be extremely simple, but think about your location, interests of the members you have or plan to attract, and choose a beginning venue, time, and playing standard. These elements are entirely up to you, and you should think about it carefully. Will you layout rules, or keep it very informal?

Starting a club requires some commitment. State your motivational purpose, and move right ahead. Here are some things to keep in mind.

-- Does the club target a particular age group? Seniors? College students? High School? Elementary? Surfers? All of the above?
-- Will you foot the bill entirely yourself, or require dues or donations? Count the cost before hand. Will you consider sponsorship?
-- What atmosphere do you want? This is largely created by the venue, and your people.
-- Is the purpose entirely fun? or will you emphasize learning opportunities, and make it benefit a group or community?
-- what is your target size? how many members do you want? larger is not necessarily better.
-- will you build in incentives such as premium equipment to top achievers?

Since chess clubs in education are starting in rapid numbers, let's focus there. With numerous parents discovering the value of chess for their kids, parents are taking the initiative to get their kids involved in after school chess programs, chess classes, and essentially chess clubs.

But many teachers and parents are clueless as to what to do to start a club. Many are taking action out of pure motivation, wanting to help these groups of kids and give them this wonderful activity.

Here are some basics to consider:

1. What special need or goal do you want to achieve? Ultimately, the pure fun, and challenge, with reasonably organized leadership will be a great positive experience for the kids.
2. Who will organize and lead the class or club?
3. Where will you meet. And how often will you meet?
4. How many kids will participate - how many will you reach?
5. will your school back or fund your endeavor, partially, or entirely? If not, this is not reason to give up!

These are some things you will normally consider. In the next article, I want to give you more specific resources, facts, and tips you can use to get off the ground and make it REAL and fun!

Friends, if you have start a chess club, and have experience, go right ahead and share some specific tools and resources you have found most effective.

For example.
1. How did you organize your first tournament?
2. Did you use software to run your club?
3. What chess equipment did you find essential?
4. What organization(s) if any provided helpful info?

Same company - new look! It's almost here! There are many exiting things heading your way folks. Isn't it time for a new, better site? It's going to function in pretty much the same way you're used to, but be a lot more helpful and informative.

What do you like most about Chess House? What could we do better? You've given us a lot of great ideas to date. Thanks for that!

As some would say... "the queen has been captured".  In this case though, a win-win. I'm delighted to share that God purposefully crossed our paths in Colorado nearly two years ago, and just a short time ago we got engaged. Joanna is a wonderful, dedicated girl and we both look forward to a future of impacting family relationships in a positive way and donating both time and resources towards special causes.

Dear friends, chess.com offers a lot to chess players. If you're crazy about chess you can watch and post youtube-like chess videos. There's so much you can do! Play chess with other people, communicate on member forums...

Chess.com is now promoting ChessHouse.com as a store.

Please RATE ChessHouse.com here!

What is your opinion of chess.com? Are you a member? What resources do they have that you think people should know about?

this new Fritz 11 chess software is packed with sweet features for everyone! If you like pure chess playing horsepower, adjusting the playing style of the computer, or playing around with tons of cool chess board display settings and amazing 3D views, get yourself the latest Fritz chess software.

If smashing your opponent in FAST action, 1 minute per player chess over the internet excites you and gets your adrenaline going just thinking about it, you need to grab Fritz 11 and log into the chessbase.com playing server where you can find opponents of all levels, newbies to grandmasters all playing, watching others, or awaiting a match.

That's right! You can actually watch multiple games at one time. Watch several grandmasters, your friends, and other games all at one time. It's amazing! Totally cool.

I'd like to post some screen shots to show you exactly what I'm talking about, but right now I don't have the software handy.

Fritz 11 lets beginners learn, get hints, and be coached by built-in learning tools. It's really a great product for you to play against the computer, but more than that, it's packed with learning tools interesting visuals!

If you like chess, it doesn't matter what level you are. Fritz 11 is a great first timers program. It's also excellent for the chess software junkies that need the latest version. It's going to have minor but significant changes so get yourself the latest version 11.

As always ChessBase does not offer upgrades to their Fritz products. With the US dollar going so far south, the retail price of Fritz has been climbing ever so much faster. It's now at $72.99. You can get a copy of Fritz 11 chess at ChessHouse.com for $59.99.

A chess board that moves it’s own pieces is… well… just plain cool. For many people it’s just a dream, but this month, Excalibur plans to start shipping the Phantom Force “autonomous” electronic chess well in time for Christmas!

I don’t see any hands on reviews yet, as the product apparently hasn’t reached anyone, but you should be able to get one in your hands by the end of this month, November!

The feature list is quite exciting, but without a hands on review, we don’t know what pros or cons to look at yet. But even if a few quirks did show up, I feel it’s still the only thing of it’s type and will create quite a stir.

I’m going to get my hands on one as quick as possible. I really think it’s time to jump on this amazing chess game for this Christmas.

whisper: If you want to get yourself a Phantom, act quick and reserve one… Excalibur usually says “sorry, where expecting more…” sooner than most people like to hear.

There’s a lower price for pre-order too encourage you to act quickly. As soon as it’s in stock, we’re going to revert to the normal price.

In a wide-ranging examination of chess, David Shenk uncovers the hidden history of a game that was invented in India around 500 A.D. and seems more popular than ever today.

From its enthusiastic adoption by the Persians and its spread by Islamic warriors, to its 21st century importance to the development of artificial intelligence and use as a teaching tool in inner-city America, chess has been a omnipresent factor in the development of civilization.

Research shows that brain is much like the body -- it needs continual activity to remain strong and supple and fight off the predations of old age.

And researchers have determined that chess is uniquely well-suited to "exercising" the brain. It is simple to play, but offers nearly limitless variation.

It requires memory, problem-solving skills, abstract thought, and creativity. And it turns out that the people who play it regularly in their older years -- along with related activities like crossword puzzles -- are less likely to develop Alzheimer's and related conditions.

source: ABC News Article

I want your opinion whether or not you are a fan of chess variants! GM Susan Polgar drew a lot of attention to chess variants with her blog post on Omega Chess, something I thought kind of unusual from such a purist, dedicated chess player. While I'm not personally a fan of chess variants, I would love to get your opinion on Omega Chess. Or shall we call it Islamic chess? It looks interesting though.

We're eagerly anticipating this new book in November 07!

The Complete Chess Workout
Train your brain with 1200 puzzles!

All top chess players agree that to keep your tactical muscles in shape it’s imperative to continue training, and the easiest and most fun way to do this is by performing tactical exercises. Even solving a few puzzles for ten minutes each day can be of utmost benefit for the aspiring player. But where can one find the required number of suitable puzzles to satisfy this demand?

Look no further than The Complete Chess Workout. In this book, tactics expert Richard Palliser presents the reader with a massive 1200 puzzles, all checked for accuracy by the latest computer engines. There is something for players of all levels here: many basic tactics – forks, pins, skewers and checkmates – to appeal to beginners and improvers, and a considerable number of brain-teasers that will tax even the strongest of players. Palliser has meticulously collected puzzles from practical play in recent years – a large percentage of the exercises here will be completely new to most readers. All the important tactical themes are covered, while there are special sections on opening traps and endgames. Work your way through this book, and your opponents will soon be on the receiving end of your increased tactical powers!

*A comprehensive training manual for chess tactics
*Ideal for all levels of player
*All puzzles checked by computer engines

Richard Palliser is an International Master with numerous tournament successes to his name, and in 2006 he became Joint British Rapidplay Champion. He has already established a reputation as a skilled and prolific chess writer; previous works for Everyman Chess include Starting Out: Sicilian Najdorf and Beating Unusual Chess Openings, both of which were warmly received by the critics and chess public alike.

An Open Letter and $100,000 challenge to FIDE President Kirsan N. Ilyumzhinov

May 31, 2007

Dear Mr. President,

First, let me start by commending you for your entry into computer chess with the organization of The Ultimate Computer Chess Challenge 2007. Computer chess has seen dramatic improvements in the past few years. Some chess engines have progressed dramatically from the primitive beancounters of yesterday and I believe that our games too now qualify as art. Chess at this level inevitably attracts the attention of chess players all over the world.

Unfortunately, the lack of an open, formal qualification procedure for your event was disappointing, and your choice of the two opponents was downright bizarre. You have snubbed my program, Rybka, which leads every single computer chess rating list by a considerable margin at all time controls from blitz games to long tournament games [1]. In many cases the gap between Rybka and her nearest competitor is well over 100 Elo. None of this is anything particularly new - Rybka was released on December 4, 2005, and since then her smallest lead ever in any major rating list at any time control and on any hardware was 60 Elo. In addition to this, she has competed in all eight major international tournaments held since her first release and taken clear (unshared) first place in seven of them. [2] Rybka has also displayed her superiority in competitions against human players. It's no wonder that Rybka is generally considered the undisputed strongest chess program in the world.

Some of the other aspects of the match also raise questions. Chessbase exclusively markets three of the world's top ten engines, so it's a curious coincidence that two of them will participate. Also curious is the involvement of the ICGA - after all, their own self-titled "World Computer Chess Championship" is being held on overlapping dates. This type of apparent division between insiders and outsiders runs counter to all principles of sport and fairness, and I call on you to uphold democratic FIDE norms in the organization of such events.

In the spirit of open competition, I am formally offering a $100,000 computer chess challenge from Rybka to FIDE, who will be represented by the winner of the Ultimate Computer Chess Challenge 2007. My challenge consists of a 24 game match, at classical time controls, on unlimited hardware and with unlimited opening books, held at 2 games per day over twelve days, with Rybka giving a handicap of one point plus draw odds and thus requiring a score of 13 out of 24 or better to win the match. The prize fund of $100,000 should be a winner-takes-all, loser-pays-all proposition.

As the Ultimate Computer Chess Challenge 2007 takes place during the Candidates Matches in Elista, it is appropriate that the winner's match vs Rybka be played in Mexico between September 12 and October 1, 2007, during the FIDE World Chess Championship.

Gens una Sumus,

Vasik Rajlich
author of Rybka
FIDE International Master

source: http://rybkachess.com/docs/ChallengeToFIDE.htm

Here's a fun chess set made by one of our customers and friends.

Here are a couple pics of one of the chess sets I made.  As a side note, last week two of my sons said they keep their chess sets always set up and that they are constantly in use.  They have become the game of choice for both families.
--john

Talk about breaking the game down to the nuts and bolts.
I like the brass and metal color as well as the sizing and selection of each piece.

How about a cup of coffee and a game of chess?

Think they go together?

Ok, let's be honest here! ... the cup of coffee really isn't that... it's a macchiatto, a frappe, a latte, a hot mocha... right?

The coffee crazy has addicted so many of us coast to coast. Talk about chess addiction? Now it's double addiction.

Thousands of unique coffee joints offer a quiet place to play chess, but most of the time you've gotta bring your own chess set. How would you like it if more shops provide a nice chess set just for you to play?

A few years ago, I placed a nice small wood chess set into Woods coffee. I couldn't believe how much people loved to play with that chess set.

Yet, I could never predict who it would be! Last time, a dad and his 5 year old daughter were playing. He seemed to enjoy the time with his daughter immensely... what great way to spend time with her. She was obviously loving this chance to play her dad.

In Michigan, I ran across a Starbucks offering a small artistic wood chess set ready for anyone joining the 4 chair seating.

Like the idea?

Let's bring it on. Where do you want to see a chess set? Where have you ALREADY seen a chess set? Let's hear from our current and future double-addicts.

-- Raphael

There is an entire collection of tournament chess volumes 1-33 on ebay now.

Tournament Chess will include games scores, in languageless algebraic notation, from major (category7+) chess tournaments held throughout the world. Full cross-tables and indexes will also be provided in each volume. Tournament organizers are requested to send copies of their tournament bulletins to the chess editor at Pergamon Press (Oxford), for possible includsion in the series.

Editor: Murray Chandler, IM Advisory Editor: Tony Miles, IGM

Volume 1...

The ISBN for book number one is 0080268889. Volume 1 contains complete game scores, in figurine algebraic chess notation, of over 1600 games from the following 19 international grandmaster tournaments.

Baden, Bad Kissingen, Banco di Roma, Banja Luka, Bochum, Brasilia, Dortmund, Hastings, Helsinki, Hungarian Championship, IBM, Keszthely, Linares, Lone Pine, Moscow, New York, Pamporovo, Tilburg, Wijk aan Zee

What does the Personal Chess Manager do for you? It makes recording your chess moves ridiculously EASY. It's like an electronic scoresheet. A bright LCD screen showing your chessboard lets you "tap" your last move on-screen.

Imagine having your game in an electronic format ready for review as soon as you are finished playing! No more lost games. Your games will be automatically saved for later analysis. With Personal Chess Manager you will stay connected with your family and friends wherever you are through live broadcast of each and every one of your moves during tournaments.

Personal Chess Manager uses pictorial symbol recording, allowing a user to record chess games, to review games instantly, and to upload and download chess games from a computer.

The Personal Chess Manager isn't a sophisticated analysis tool with brilliant features, and a chess playing program. No, it's a simple, very well designed chess game recording tool with smart, intuitive features.

Unplug the memory disk once you have some games saved, plug it right into your computer, and you instantly have a PGN list of your games which you can open with your favorite chess software for analysis.

It's a new generation of technology in chess, capable of wirelessly communicating with a Monroi tournament manager device, which can even send the tournament games right to the World Databank of Chess games where you can often watch LIVE tournament games!

Read the entire Monroi PCM Chess Review here