Chess Trivia: Can you recognize this talented player?
 Who is the player on the left?
Hello Everyone!
It's chess trivia time again. Can you recognize the player on the left?
Here are some hints: This player was taught by Siegbert Tarrasch and though, never became world champion, was as good as any!
A famous quote: "Against Menchik, when she was world champion, I had a won game, but I found the three stupidest moves you could think of and lost."—New Yorker, September 19, 1964.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at
Labels: Trivia
Chess Puzzle & Trivia answers
Hello Everyone!
Here are the answers to the chess puzzle and trivia questions of last week.
Four-year-old Capablanca playing chess with his father.
Yes! This is a photo of José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera who was the World Chess Champion from 1921 to 1927. In this photo, Capablanca is playing with his father. This Cuban chess master was known for his fantastic endgame understanding and pace of play. He learned to play chess at the age of four by watching his father play. Once he first pointed out a mistake in his father's game and then beat him in two games straight. Emanuel Lasker once said: "I have known many chess players, but only one chess genius: Capablanca." The annual Capablanca memorial tournament is held in Havana, Cuba. He was nicknamed the 'Human Chess Machine'.
Here was the simple puzzle with Black to move and mate in three. The answer is: 1. ... Ra8+ 2. Kb7 Ba6+ 3. Kxc7 Nd5 0-1
We had also asked you a different chess puzzle. If Black were to mirror every move of White can White mate in four moves? Here is the answer that we are sure you will enjoy. You can run it in our pgnplayer or watch the flash below.
PGN: 1. c4 c5 2. Qa4 Qa5 3. Qc6 Qc3 4. Qc8 1-0
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also read her personal blog at Labels: Puzzle, Trivia
Chess trivia: Can you recognize this talented player?
 Who is this prodigy?
Hello Everyone,
This is the photo of a very talented grandmaster as a a child. In the photo, he is playing chess with his father. Can you guess who this kid is? Also, you have to tell us what was his nickname.
All we can say is that he started playing chess at the age of four! Any more hints and you would be able to recognize him immediately. So, no more hints.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at Labels: Trivia
Where is former world chess champion Fischer's bench?
Hello Everyone!
Do you know where is Fischer's bench? Do you know that the former World Champion Bobby Fischer disappeared from the chess world right after his triumph?
We found an interesting article on the Internet about how Bobby was "happy to escape the crowds", go swimming and on a long walk with his friend Einar S. Einarsson. And, that's where there is 'Bobby's Bench'!
Read the full article here.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at
Labels: Fischer, Trivia
Flashback: Do you know what's radio chess?
 SS Campania: Players on board the ship played a match with players on board the SS Philadelphia via radio in 1902.
Hello Everybody,
This one's for all those times before telephone chess, online messengers, text-messaging and chess websites!
Radio chess is in which the moves of the game are transmitted by radio. All early games were played at sea in circumstances that suited the primitive equipment then available.
In June, 1902, games were played between SS Campania and SS Philadelphia (earlier known as USS Yale and SS City of Paris) over distances up to 160 miles in the Atlantic Ocean - the first of many such encounters.
The first radio match of any consequence was played in March 1941 between clubs in Moscow and Leningrad.
In 1946, the USSR beat England (18-6), Australia beat France (5.5-4.5) and Spain beat Argentina (8-7) in radio chess matches.
Other forms of radio chess include matches between a master in the studio and listeners and games between teams of masters in the studio, each team's consultations broadcast to listeners but kept secret from other team.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at Labels: Trivia
Searching for Bobby Fischer: A must-see chess movie
 Hello Everyone,
Chess is so fascinating that it inspires us in many ways. Chess helps us improve many aspects of our life also. Chess has, therefore, been the theme of several movies, musicals and fiction books. Searching for Bobby Fischer is one such inspiring movie.
But the movie is not really about the genius former World Chess Champion Fischer. It is the story based on the life of Joshua Waitzkin as a little boy. The kid's parents find that he has a special gift for chess. They hire Bruce Pandolfini to teach him.
The sub-title of the move goes: "He wasn't afraid of losing the match... just his father's love."
Here are two sweet scenes from the movie:
I
Tournament Director: Ok. I want to remind you to conduct yourselves like adults. I don't want any trouble. You know exactly what I'm talking about. If you're going to watch the game, do so from behind the player. No throat noises. No comments. No eye contact. Nobody cares if you're guilty or not. If you all behave yourselves, I think we'll all have a very good time. I'm not kidding. Tournament Director: [walks away] Parents: [follows him complaining] My son can't play w/ - My daughter needs her own clock... Parents: [more various complaints] Tournament Director: [spins around and shows serious look. Everyone shuts up, and he walks away again] Parents: [starts complaining about him] Oh! This is unfair!
II
Bruce Pandolfini: [sets each chess piece up] Now, which one is you? Josh Waitzkin: What do you mean? Bruce Pandolfini: Which one is you? Josh Waitzkin: They're just pieces. Bruce Pandolfini: [places King in front of Josh] This is you!
The movie is a must-watch for both kids and grown-ups who love chess.
Meanwhile, here is a nice game between Zsofia Polgar and Josh Waitzkin. (And, it's a King's Gambit, Falkbeer Countergambit variation!)
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at
Labels: joshua waitzkin, movie, Trivia
Do you know the etymology of the word 'chess'?
 Hello Everyone,
Nearly every European language derives its name for chess from the Arabic word for the king, 'shah'.
The main exceptions are Spanish and Portuguese which take their terms 'ajedrez' and 'xadrez' respectively directly from the Arabic name of the game 'ash-shatranj'.
In Latin, the international language of the Middle Ages, the term 'scacus' was used originally for the king, but as time passed it was used for any board game piece.
In plural, 'scaci' was used for the game of chess itself, and the romance languages still use plural forms e.g. 'les echecs' (French), 'gli scacchi' (Italian). The English word, chess, comes from earlier French forms, 'escas' and 'esches'.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at Labels: Trivia
Do you know what's a half-pin in chess?
Hello Everyone,
We all know what's a pin: When a piece cannot move because it is shielding a piece of greater value behind it.
But do you know what's a half-pin in chess?
It is a situation in which two pieces of the same color are so placed on a file or rank that if either were moved off the line then the other would get pinned. The term was invented by Mansfield in 1915 and is mostly used by composers although half-pins are not unusual in play. Here is an example. There is a half-pin on the a5-e1 diagonal.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at
Labels: study, Trivia
Answer to Chess Trivia Question: Yes! It's Humphrey Bogart
 American actor Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in Casablanca
Hello Everyone,
Most of you got it right. This photograph is indeed that of American actor Humphrey Bogart as the character Rick Blaine - a chess player - in the movie Casablanca.
Bogart was not only an accomplished chess player but also a United States Chess Federation tournament director plus an active member of the California State Chess Association. A strong player, he is known to have drawn a game with US champion Samuel Reshevsky. Bogart was also friends with many top international players.
In his biography 'Bogart and Bacall', Joe Hyams writes that Bogart played chess to earn some money after the Depression of 1929.
As an act of support for US soldiers abroad during the World War II, Bogart played correspondence chess till the FBI stopped him for fear of secret codes being sent abroad. Bogart often played chess on the sets with the crew of his movies.
In 1945 he appeared on the cover of Chess Review magazine to help promote that years Pan American Chess Congress. The cover featured Bogie playing a game against fellow actor and chess aficionado Charles Boyer as chessmaster Herman Steiner and Lauren Bacall look on.
Here is an interesting game between Humphrey Bogart and American actress Lauren Bacall. You can run it in our pgnplayer or watch it in the flash below. Don't miss how Bogart piles up his attack on the e-file.
PGN: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. d3 d5 5. exd5 Qxd5 6. c4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Qd6 9. a4 Bd7 10. Ba3 Qf6 11. Qe2 Nge7 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Bxc6 Bxc6 14. Nxe5 Bxg2 15. Rg1 Bh3 16. Rg3 Be6 17. d4 c6 18. d5 cxd5 19. cxd5 Bxd5 20. c4 Be6 21. Re3 f6 22. Nd3 Kf7 23. Nf4 Rae8 24. Nxe6 Qb4+ 25. Kf1 Re7 26. Re1 Rhe8 27. Nd8+ Kf8 28. Rxe7 Rxe7 29. Qxe7+ Qxe7 30. Rxe7 Kxe7 31. Nxb7 1-0
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at Labels: Trivia
Checkmate: Chess movie world première on August 20
Hello Everyone,
The movie 'Checkmate' is going to be released on August 20. It is the story of a young man who wants to "find his destiny" and win a national chess tournament.
The film is written and directed by Arvin N. Berner. It was filmed in the Modesto area. You can see a trailer and read more information about the movie at www.bernerfilm.com.
BernerFilm is the artistic enterprise of Arvin N. Berner. Arvin lives in Northern California where he enjoys good movies, good music, and creating both. 'Checkmate' is the first feature film produced by BernerFilm.
As an answer to the question how he decided to make a movie with chess as the main theme, Berner says: "I’ve always enjoyed Chess. I played the game a lot as a kid. I never played any tournament like in the movie, but it was a fun hobby. Then as I was developing one of my other scripts, I found myself thinking about chess. So I started to research it, and I was hooked. I knew I wanted to make a movie that featured chess."
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at Labels: movie, Trivia
Do you know about a chess manuscript called Alfonso MS?
 Introduction, Alphonse dictating the book
Hello Everyone,
An important historical source of information about chess and other indoor diversions, this beautifully illustrated manuscript of 98 leaves was completed in 1283 by order of Alfonso The Wise (1221-84), King of Castile and Leon.
The first of the seven parts is devoted wholly to chess, and contains 103 problems both Arabic and European. The fourth part contains 14 fairy problems and descriptions of several unorthodox games, including forms of great chess and must capture chess. Two significant departures from the laws of Shatranj are noted. - The Oxford Companion to Chess, by David Hooper & Kenneth Whyld
There is very little matter available on the manuscript but you can check this interesting and painstakingly built website - possibly the only one on the Internet - for more information about the Alfonso MS.
Labels: Trivia
Can you recognize this chess player?
Can you recognize this chess player? And, where was this photo taken?
This person has played chess for 50 cents a game at Sixth Avenue, New York, during hard times. He later started playing chess for a dollar a game at an arcade.
---------------- Another hint -------------------
If you still cannot guess then we must tell you that he was also on the cover of Chess Review magazine once and was doing very well in another industry before the Depression of 1929!
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at Labels: Trivia
Chessbot - A nice automated arm for moving opponent's chess pieces
Hello Everyone!
What if while playing online with your opponent, thousands of miles away, you could still play via a chessboard instead of a computer screen? That's possible nowadays with several digital boards available in the market. But, the problem is, you still have to move your opponent's pieces!
So, how about a chess robotic arm to take care of your opponent's moves? We found this nice video on the Internet.
There have been different types of chess robots developed over the last three decades. Chessbot, as shown in the video, uses a Lynxmotion AL5D robotic arm to pick up and move pieces. The arm is mounted on a mobile platform that aligns it perfectlay to any square on the board.
Of course, ChessBot does not understand the game of Chess and is only a mechanical user interface that does what it is told - by a human or chess engine interface!
You can see more videos and read about the Chessbot here.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at
Labels: Trivia
Trivia Question: Did you guess the chess master?
Hello Everyone!
Some days back we had asked you to guess whose photo was this?
 Paul Morphy (June 22, 1837 – July 10, 1884)
We gave you hints about this chess master and even one of his games. Almost all of you got the answer right!
This is indeed Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837 – July 10, 1884). He was an American. Morphy was considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and an unofficial World Chess Champion! He was also one of the first chess prodigies in the modern rules of chess era.
The game we posted for you was Morphy's famous Opera Game from Paris, 1858. The Opera Game was played between Paul Morphy and two strong amateurs - the German noble Duke Karl of Brunswick and the French aristocrat Count Isouard, who consulted, playing together as partners, against Morphy. Morphy won the game in an instructive manner. The game is one of the most popular games used by chess teachers in the classroom!
You can read more about The Opera Game here and about Paul Morphy here.
Meanwhile, you can see more Paul Morphy's games here.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see my personal blog at
Labels: Morphy, Trivia
Sandglasses and Chess
 Sandglasses were once used for the timing of moves in a chess game. Two sandglasses were typically used for a match.
One, for the player to move, was set upright while the other was on its side. When a move was made the upright sandglass was laid on its side and the other raised, sometimes the wrong way up!
Unlike clocks, sandglasses were free from mechanical breakdown and their standing or resting position could be seen at a glance. But they could be set for only a fixed period of time.
They were first used in the Anderssen-Kolisch match of 1861. They were superseded by clocks in the 1880s. It's anyone's guess what would happen to sandglasses and players during a blitz match or during a time scramble!
- The Oxford Companion to Chess by
David Hooper & Kenneth Whyld.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Labels: Trivia
Trivia: This prose piece is about which chess champion?
Here is an interesting prose piece. Actually, it's an insight into any chess player's mind. Can you guess who has written this or about whom is this prose piece?
She did not open her eyes even to see the time remaining on her clock or to look across the table or to see the enormous crowd who had come to this autitorium to watch her play. She let all of that go from her mind and allowed herself only the chessboard of her imagination with its intricate deadlock. It did not really matter who was playing the black pieces or whether the material board sat in Moscow or New York...
She did not even hear the ticking of the clock. She held her mind in silence and let it move over the surface of the imagined board, combining and recombining the arrangements of pieces so that the black ones could not stop the advance of the pawn she would choose...
For a moment her mind became numb with weariness and the board unclear. She heard herself sigh as she forced it back to clarity. She leaned wearily back in her chair with her eyes still closed and let the screen of her mind go dark for a moment. Then she brought it back for a final look. And this time with a start she saw it. Mate in nineteen.
She opened her eyes and squinted for a moment at the brightness of the stage before looking at her clock. She had 12 minutes left. Her eyes had been closed for over an hour. If she had made an error there would be no time for a new strategy.
When she set the knight down there was complete silence...
Is it about Almira Skripchenko or has she written it?
Is it about Alisa Galliamova or has she written it?
Is it about Zhao Zhue or has she written it?
Well, if you haven't guessed it, this interesting piece of prose is from the novel The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis. The novel is about Beth Harmon who is orphaned at eight and has to take tranquilizers at the Home she is kept in. But in the novel Beth goes on to become a world-renowned chess champion! Read more about the novel on Wikipedia.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.comLabels: Trivia
Olympics Trivia Win Kosteniuk's Chess Blitz Fever DVD
 Guess who is next to me and win a prize!
Hello everybody!
Today I had the visit of a very well known sports champion.
Some hints: she has won several Olympic Gold medals and European titles. Many people also know her from a TV program...
The first person to put the correct answer in the comments will get my DVD.
Posted by Alexandra Kosteniuk Women's World Chess Champion
Labels: Trivia
Trivia Guess where I am and win a prize
Dear friends & chess fans,
This photo was taken yesterday, next to a Christmas tree and snow on my head - be the first to guess exactly where I am and send me an email about it, and you might be the winner of an autographed gift!
Good luck!
Posted by Alexandra Kosteniuk Women's World Chess Champion Labels: Prize, Trivia
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