Overall Winner Ian Dudley
In Second Place a half point behind was Vermont's only National Master David Carter
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Fifteen Chess Players Contest the Lyndonville Quick Tournament on October 2nd
Photos of the Lyndonville Quick Tournament last Sunday. Up and coming overall winner Ian Dudley is pictured with promoter Alex Relyea followed by Vermont's own National Master David Carter who finished a half point behind in second place. Thank you to all who played and helped make this a success.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Reminder--Lyndonville Quick Tournament Today
At the Grindstone Cafe
102 Depot Street
Lyndonville, VT
First round is at 10AM
6rd Swiss, G-25d3
102 Depot Street
Lyndonville, VT
First round is at 10AM
6rd Swiss, G-25d3
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Data Mining Reveals the Crucial Factors That Determine When People Make Blunders
This study focuses on chess. The fascinating discovery is that in chess there are certain "skill anomalous positions" where a player ratee 1800+ is more likely to make a blunder than a player rated 1200 to 1800.
Here are the positions taken from the research. In the first three, the GM is less likely to make a blunder that players rated lower than the GM going down to 1200 elo. The final three are the skill anomalous positions in which GM made blunders more frequently than lower elo rated opponents. 8/1k6/8/1PK5/8/8/8/8−0 2k5/8/1K6/2P5/8/8/8/8−1 1k6/8/K7/1P6/8/8/8/8−1 GMs blunder more in these 2k5/8/1P6/2K5/8/8/8/8−1 1k6/8/2P5/1K6/8/8/8/8−1 7k/8/6P1/6K1/8/8/8/8−1 Have fun.
The scholarly article can be found at this link.
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1606.04956v1.pdf
Here are the positions taken from the research. In the first three, the GM is less likely to make a blunder that players rated lower than the GM going down to 1200 elo. The final three are the skill anomalous positions in which GM made blunders more frequently than lower elo rated opponents. 8/1k6/8/1PK5/8/8/8/8−0 2k5/8/1K6/2P5/8/8/8/8−1 1k6/8/K7/1P6/8/8/8/8−1 GMs blunder more in these 2k5/8/1P6/2K5/8/8/8/8−1 1k6/8/2P5/1K6/8/8/8/8−1 7k/8/6P1/6K1/8/8/8/8−1 Have fun.
The scholarly article can be found at this link.
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1606.04956v1.pdf
Friday, September 30, 2016
Thursday, September 29, 2016
FIDE, Human Rights and International Law
FIDE, by it own principles, should never have an event for a World Championship in a country that violates norms of international law and human rights. To do so is itself a violation of international law. No human being should be placed in the position of having to choose to protect their rights by avoiding that which they have, in good faith, made their careers and livelihood.
The women who face being forced to comply with Iran's religious code that discriminates both against their religious/personal beliefs and against them because of their sex (men don't have to wear head cover as the women do) must not, as a matter of international law, be placed in such a position by FIDE. What FIDE is allowing and helping the Islamic Republic of Iran, a signatory to the UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, do is to destroy the fundamental rights of these women chess players who do not want to wear the hijab. Any of these women or any national chess federation could take FIDE before CAS for monetary and injunctive relief. This is, unfortunately, not an inexpensive process. Any affected national federation could file a complaint with the IOC, with which FIDE has a formal relationship. Those are possible short term solutions.
The long term answer, IMO, is for chess professionals and their federations to unite and form a successor organization to FIDE. If the female and male GMs and IMs, including Carlsen, refuse to play another FIDE sanctioned, game, tournament or match until there is meaningful reform, things would change quite rapidly. If not, they could form a true democratic, transparent organization. But, as NIgel Short pointed out in an interview at the Olympiad, chess players are presently sheep with no backbone to do, not only what's morally right, but what is actually in their long term best interests. Baaaaaaa, Baaaaaaa
Brian Lafferty, Esq.
The women who face being forced to comply with Iran's religious code that discriminates both against their religious/personal beliefs and against them because of their sex (men don't have to wear head cover as the women do) must not, as a matter of international law, be placed in such a position by FIDE. What FIDE is allowing and helping the Islamic Republic of Iran, a signatory to the UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, do is to destroy the fundamental rights of these women chess players who do not want to wear the hijab. Any of these women or any national chess federation could take FIDE before CAS for monetary and injunctive relief. This is, unfortunately, not an inexpensive process. Any affected national federation could file a complaint with the IOC, with which FIDE has a formal relationship. Those are possible short term solutions.
The long term answer, IMO, is for chess professionals and their federations to unite and form a successor organization to FIDE. If the female and male GMs and IMs, including Carlsen, refuse to play another FIDE sanctioned, game, tournament or match until there is meaningful reform, things would change quite rapidly. If not, they could form a true democratic, transparent organization. But, as NIgel Short pointed out in an interview at the Olympiad, chess players are presently sheep with no backbone to do, not only what's morally right, but what is actually in their long term best interests. Baaaaaaa, Baaaaaaa
Brian Lafferty, Esq.
The US Chess Non-Response to FIDE's Egregious Treatment of Women Chess Players In Iran
From Allen Priest, a member of the US Chess Executive Board posted on the US Chess Issues Forum.
We have had issues with Americas events held in Columbia, for example.
We have had issues with locations selected by FIDE for events before, and we have expressed those. Generally the response is that we are being paranoid.
As an organization we cannot endorse sending our citizens, particularly our minors, to places where our government as issued major travel warnings. At the same time we do not control what individual members do.
We have had issues with Americas events held in Columbia, for example.
And there is a real issue that as Americans we may have difficulties in areas that others may not. Some other countries experience the similar problems.
It is not encouraging when a chair of the women's committee who is based in the US seems to think this location is just fine. FIDE folks do not consider that she des not represent US Chess in any way, and some will consider her comments as an endorsement from us when they clearly are not - nor, in fairness, do I think she meant them that way.
Comment
Safety is ONE issue. The issue that has WOMEN upset is being forced to wear Muslim head attire at all times or face arrest and imprisonment in Iran. The requirement to wear head garb for religious reasons flies in the face of FIDE and the IOC's position prohibiting discrimination against women based on religion. Our own women's national champion has forcefully stated the issue in public and has been quoted in the UK press for starters, to wit, ""It is absolutely unacceptable to host one of the most important women's tournaments in a venue where, to this day, women are forced to cover up with a hijab.
I understand and respect cultural differences. But, failing to comply can lead to imprisonment and women's rights are being severely restricted in general."
US Chess must grow some cajones and take a stand here to protect the rights of it's women players and all women players to unbiased treatment that respects their religious AND social values. This is mandated by the IOC and FIDE's rules. Filing a complaint against FIDE with the IOC is the minimum that US Chess should do. To do nothing is unacceptable, PERIOD.
As for Susan Polgar---she's little more than FIDE's sock puppet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)