RIP Lubomir Kavalek 1943-2021

[Corcaigh]

Chess Grand Master. Three-time US Champion. Ranked #10 in the World at one point. WaPo columnist.

 

Czech-born, defected in 1968 after using prize money from a tournament in Poland to buy crates of vodka with which to bribe the border guards and drove to West Germany. Studied at George Washington University and settled in Reston, VA.

 

 

[Forehead]

I remember reading his stuff growing up as a kid, mixed into the comics sections.  White mates in three moves and stuff like that, not that I could ever figure it out unless the other side played really stupidly.

[Dan T.]

Dumb segue, but I finished watching The Queen's Gambit a couple weeks ago, and it made me want to set up a chess board again.  I haven't played a game in years.

 

Chess is the antithesis of today's video-game culture.  For me, it might be a beach week activity when time isn't such a pressing concern, kinda like jigsaw puzzles.

[China]

YouTube AI Blocked Chess Channel after Confusing 'Black' and 'White' for Racist Slurs

 

Did YouTube block a chess channel over violation of community guideline and usage of racist language? Late last year, a YouTuber who produces popular chess videos found that his channel was blocked over charges of 'harmful and dangerous' content.

 

Even though the channel was restored within 24 hours, the YouTube did not explain why it had blocked Croatian chess player Antonio Radic, also known as 'Agadmator,' from its platform briefly, the Dailymail reported.

 

Experts suspect that it was the usage of words like "black" and "white" that confused the Yutube's AI filters. They found that 80% of chess videos that were flagged for hate speech actually ahd terms like 'black,' 'white,' 'attack' and 'threat.'

 

The researchers now suggest that social-media platforms should incorporate chess language in their algorithms to avoid future incidents like this.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Abhimanyu Mishra, 12, becomes youngest grandmaster in chess history

 

Abhimanyu Mishra is now the world's youngest chess grandmaster. The tween from New Jersey, all of 12 years, 4 months and 25 days, broke Sergey Karjakin's 19-year-old record with a third norm in Budapest on Wednesday. Karjakin, who was a world championship challenger to Magnus Carlsen in 2016, had earned his GM title at 12 years, 7 months.

 

In chase of the GM title, Abhimanyu and his father have been camping in Budapest since April this year. He earned two norms over two months, and his final norm arrived with a win over Indian GM Leon Mendonca with black pieces at the Vezerkepzo GM mix on Wednesday in what was his final tournament opportunity in the Hungarian capital before he travels to Sochi for the Fide World Cup.

 

For a grandmaster title, a player must score three GM norms and touch an Elo rating of 2500 and above. The norms can be awarded only in tournaments where at least 50% of the opponents are titleholders, and at least one-third of them GMs.

 

Abhimanyu has made something of a habit of youngest-ever distinctions and currently holds the record for youngest international master.

 

Click on the link for the full article