Monthly Archives: June 2020

Anwar Gargash: early intervention helped UAE to fight Covid-19 – The National

Posted: June 20, 2020 at 10:18 am

An early, thorough intervention based on science laid solid foundations for the UAE to fight the coronavirus outbreak and has allowed it to be in a much more confident position, Dr Anwar Gargash said on Wednesday.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said the UAE benefited from avoiding a total shutdown, doing as much as it could to protect lives without completely closing down the economy.

Dr Gargash said wide-ranging action was taken as soon as it became clear how dangerous Covid-19 was becoming.

That left the country with enough personal protective equipment for domestic needs, while allowing it to supply other countries as well.

Dr Gargash was speaking at an online seminar hosted by the Middle East Institute in Washington.

The seminar looked at the UAEs relations with the US and its foreign policy outlook, and included remarks on the Qatar boycott, the Iran nuclear deal and more.

Dr Gargash said the UAE was managing very well, as he pointed to the three million coronavirus tests carried out.

Early preparation for this, I think, has helped us a lot," he said.

"As soon as we saw developments and news coming out from the Far East, China, Korea and others, we realised that this is a pandemic.

We did not, naturally, know what the dimensions would be but we got ready very early on and we put together, in my opinion, a very active response.

"It was a response that depended on science and depended very early on on testing and tracing, and at the same time trying not to completely shut down society and the economy.

"We felt that a certain balance is required because a public health issue such as this will have repercussions in many other areas.

We are much more confident today. When Covid-19 started it was quite a novel challenge. You had to learn basically as you go and many of the steps that we took were the correct ones.

"Not every step was the right step but overall I think we did very well."

Dr Gargash said the preparation was shown in the amount of personal protection equipment, such as masks, and testing kits available.

The UAE has recorded 43,364 cases since the outbreak, 29,537 recoveries and 295 deaths.

Dr Gargash said that early on, authorities were keen to ensure that people from all parts of the UAE understood that the state would take care of them and provide necessary treatment.

Im very, very proud of how my country Im talking here as a citizen is handling this with, I think, the right balance of professionalism and rationalism, and at the same time a humanitarian urge, he said.

Tables are spread out at the Cafe Milano at the Four Seasons Hotel, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Maximum occupancy sign at the reception of Cafe Milano. Victor Besa / The National

American father-son duoRaj andSebastianDagstani last year opened a pizza restaurant in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Tables are placed at least two metres apart at the food court. in Al Wahda Mall, which reopened after a coronavirus-enforced shutdown. Victor Besa / The National

Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi is now open after a coronavirus-enforced shutdown. Victor Besa / The National

Wearing of masks has been made compulsory to beat the coronavirus.Victor Besa / The National

A woman wearing protective face mask as a preventive measure against the spread of coronavirus arrives at a bus stop in Abu Dhabi. UAE government has eased the coronavirus restriction for residents and businesses around the country. Pawan Singh / The National

A ban on driving in and out of Abu Dhabiemirate came into force on Tuesday, June 2 to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Pawan Singh / The National

Emirati security officers at a checkpoint at the entrance of Abu Dhabi, on the motorway linking Dubai to the capital, on June 2, 2020, after authorities cordoned off the city to fight the coronavirus. AFP

He spoke at length about the UAEs relationship with major powers including the EU, Russia, India and China.

Dr Gargash praised ties with India that have become stronger during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the economic partnership with China and the increasing influence of Russia in the Middle East.

But he singled out the US for particularly commendation.

The United States is our single most important strategic partnership," Dr Gargash said.

"Sometimes people, when they think of our relationship with the US, they just look at the political/military angle. But this relationship is really much, much wider.

IT, in business, investment, in soft power, in the presence of institutions such as NYU Abu Dhabi, in people like me who spent some of the best years of their lives in America.

We recognise that there has been for a while now an internal debate and dialogue about US policy overseas and in the Middle East, and we follow that keenly.

"And all I want to say is we want America to remain engaged in the region. I think that is an important part.

Under President Donald Trump, the US and UAE outlook on Iran appears more similar than that under the previous administration of Barack Obama.

Mr Trump has been highly critical of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, and withdrew the US from it in 2018.

Tehran has begun enriching uranium above the limits of the 2015 deal after Mr Trump renewed sanctions and diplomatic efforts have failed find a way to ease the dispute.

Pressure is particularly high in the Arabian Gulf, where Iran seized foreign-registered oil tankers last year.

Dr Gargash said it was unrealistic to go back to the nuclear deal but added that it was in the interests of everyone to reduce the tension.

We have to be clear and say that the we have a major issue of global significance, and this is not going to go away unless we create a process to resolve this issue, he said.

Having said that, I think clearly the countries of the region, the Arab countries of the region, dont believe that the 2015 [deal] was an effective formula.

"Were not part of the process, we were never involved.

Dr Gargash said he felt that exclusion hurt the process rather than supporting it.

I think that Iran understood the 2015 agreement as a carte blanche for it to play the role of a regional power, he said.

Dr Gargash said countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia needed to be involved in future discussions but Irans regional policy also had to be addressed.

What I know very clearly is that this time around, countries like ours, countries like Saudi Arabia, should be part of this process," he said.

"If were really talking about resolving this issue of irans relationship with the region and the relationship with the US and with the world, I think that we need to have something that is more thorough. There has to be our input.

Regional powers have clashed with Iran over its support for Lebanese group Hezbollah and Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain, is also in a dispute with Qatar over its support for extremism.

Dr Gargash said he backed the approach of the Saudis, who have taken the lead in solving the crisis.

But he said it depended on whether Doha wanted to change its behaviour.

You know Ive said publicly that we dont really want to spend too much time on it," Dr Gargash said.

"I think when the Qataris are ready and are willing to do some sort of self-analysis of where they went wrong with their policy, I think the doors will be open to their reintegration.

That is one thing, but you cannot also resolve an issue on the surface and have another crisis in six months time, four years time.

Dr Gargash also said that Turkey remained a major trading partner with the UAE, but Ankaras policies in the Arab region were not sustainable".

Updated: June 18, 2020 02:48 AM

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Anwar Gargash: early intervention helped UAE to fight Covid-19 - The National

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Plan Your Next Move – Dayton Chess Club

Posted: at 10:15 am

Dayton Chess Society(Home of the Dayton Chess Club)18 W. 5th Streetis located in beautiful Downtown Daytonjust a few doorsdown from Spaghetti WarehouseFree parking after 6pm!!and yes, theres plenty of street parking.Scroll down to see our hours of operation & membership fees.

If interested to see results of Dayton Chess Society tournaments,

click on the Who Beat Who tab

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Thursdays evening:6:30pm-9:30pmThis is our Scholastic Knights evening, geared towards K-12 students learn to play, learn simple tactics. And yes, even adults are welcome! Special evening rate for all: $4.00. Every first and third Thursday of the month no lecture. Instead, there will be a G/10 unrated 4 rounds.

Friday evenings 6:30pm-12:30am Every Friday evening (with a few exceptions for when we have weekend tournaments with the first round on Friday evening), theres a USCF rated tournament ($12 for DCC members /$22 for non DCC members, includes 1 month DCC membership) and there are usually a few players who opt to play casual chess. These tournaments start at 7:30 PM, with subsequent rounds following quickly. On the first Friday of the month, this will be Quick rated (G/24, 5 sec. increment), other Fridays will be holding dual rated tournaments.

FEES

EVENINGS: $4 K-12 & Seniors. $5 Adults (with exception of Thursdays: all $4)MONTH: $12 K-12 & Seniors. $16 Adults6 MONTHS: $55 K-12 & Seniors. $75 Adults1 YEAR: $80 K-12 & Seniors. $120 Adults

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Plan Your Next Move - Dayton Chess Club

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Auto Chess – Auto Chess PC client is officially released in …

Posted: at 10:15 am

Develop strategies in order to deploy the ideal chess piece army to defeat the other players in the lobby. You use the chess pieces from a shared pool to create your own lineup, and then they enter the battle phase and fight each other automatically. You will be facing against seven other chess players during each match, while defending your own chess board. Meanwhile, your troops will also be attacking the enemy's army on their chessboard. Your goal is to be the last person standing.

In order to form a lineup, your first step should be to strengthen your pieces. Since the pieces in the game have class synergy, and are divided into 1-star, 2-star and 3-star tiered units, you need upgrade your chess pieces' level. The rule of upgrading is usually 3 for 1, which means three 1-star pieces can be combined into one 2-star piece. Three 2-star pieces can be combined into a 3-star piece. Pick your favorite chess pieces in the Store and try starring them up!

To defeat your opponent, you also need to achieve the maximum profit with the lineup. In addition to star levels, chess pieces also have the race and class synergies. Different chess pieces with the same race or class will trigger the corresponding synergy which help to make your chess pieces stronger and more powerful. Let's take Cave Clan as an example. When two chess pieces from the Cave Clan are deployed on the chessboard, they will both increase all allies' HP by 100. As more and more chess pieces enter the battlefield, the player can overlap synergies, and create their own unique chess lineup.

Game modes include: Ranked Mode, Casual Mode, Fantasy Mode and Quick Mode.

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Chess is blowing up on Twitch – The Verge

Posted: at 10:15 am

One of the fastest-growing games on Twitch is also one of the oldest. Over the past few months, the ancient board game chess has become a mainstay on the streaming platform, thanks to a combination of popular streamers and big-name chess champions playing online. According to data from analytics firm SullyGnome provided by StreamElements, the hours watched on Twitch for chess have nearly doubled every month this year; in May, the number topped more than 8 million hours watched.

The surge has been led by Hikaru Nakamura, a five-time US chess champion and the youngest American to ever achieve the grandmaster title. Nakamura has seen particular success coaching popular streamers like Felix xQc Lengyel, Faze Clans Nate Hill, and League of Legends streamer Albert boxbox Zheng as part of Chess.coms Pogchamps tournament series, which runs through June 19th. Its getting big exposure in a way that I dont think has happened in a very long time, Nakamura told Wired about the games recent popularity. He even played alongside Game of Thrones star and professional strongman Hafr Jlus Bjrnsson.

Of course, chess is far from the only game to see increased viewership during the pandemic. Twitch numbers are up in general, while esports competitions and games like Valorant have seen notable jumps. Even still, chess stands out among the top 20 games on the platform, which is typically dominated by shooters and strategy games like Fortnite, League of Legends, and Call of Duty.

Twitch has a long history of chess players dating back to its earliest days, but it wasnt until 2017 when they partnered with Chess.com that they most prominently embraced the game of kings, StreamElements CEO Doron Nir said in a statement. Since then the game has enjoyed moderate growth, yet nothing compares with the rise it experienced in recent months when some of the top streamers, such as xQc, Reckful, and LIRIK, streamed it. While the chess community has achieved a lot of success on its own, this latest move illustrates the power of influencers to broaden the appeal of a brand.

If youre curious, you can still catch the later stages of the Chess.com tournament through the rest of the week. The complete schedule is here.

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Chess is blowing up on Twitch - The Verge

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Voyboy Defeats Boxbox, Will Face Hutch In Final – Chess.com

Posted: at 10:15 am

The Chess.com PogChamps semifinals started Thursday, with Hutch, MoisCr1tikal, and VoyBoy advancing to the finals. In the championship bracket, Hutch defeated NymN in a close match that went to a tiebreak game while Voyboy beat Boxbox. Hutch and Voyboy, two of the pre-tournament favorites, will meet in the final.

In the consolation bracket, MoistCr1tikal beat SlikeR in an exciting match that also went to a tiebreak game. MoistCr1tikal advances to the final where he will play the winner of the xQc-Ludwig semifinal match which takes place on Friday at 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time (20:45 Central Europe).With today's results, the PogChamps championship bracket final matchup is set and will be starting on Friday at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time (22:00 Central Europe).

Make sure to tune into Chess.com's official semifinals and finals coverage of the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps on Friday at 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time (20:45 Central Europe) on Chess.com/tv.

The first PogChamps Semifinal match saw Hutch facing NymN. Both players were undefeated in PogChamps, but Hutch had a 400+ rating point advantage. NymN played a Nimzo-Indian Defense in game one, where he quickly gave up the bishop pair to double Hutch's c-pawns.

Hutch missed a couple of early opportunities to play the strong e4 pawn push in the opening, instead opting for a quieter kingside fianchetto.NymN made the first error of the game and gave Hutch an opportunity to win a piece, but Hutch missed the right idea and instead played 15.Nd2.

After Nd2, some exchanges occurred and Hutch's light squares around his king were very weak. Hutch made a mistake by allowing 18...Ne5 with mating ideas, NymN missed the winning plan but could have won Hutch's d4 pawn. Instead, he opted for 23...c4 creating two passed pawns. After more exchanges and under considerable time pressure, NymNnavigated the rook and pawn endgame extremely well and brought home the full point.

NymN remained undefeated in PogChamps, and Hutch was handed his first loss.In game two, Hutch found himself with his back against the wall for the first time in the entire PogChamps event and played the Gruenfeld Defense. Both players navigated the opening well and reached a balanced position early. NymN made the first misstep with 11.b4, which simply lost a pawn:

Hutch won the pawn and had a pleasant position with the bishop pair and an extra healthy pawn. Hutch maintained his advantage and NymN made a second error with 20.Rc1 and lost a piece. The position turned into a minor-piece endgame, and Hutch was able to convert his large advantage to bring home the full point.This game not only leveled the match score at 1-1 but also marked NymN's first loss of the entire event. The game two result also meant that the match was heading to a game three tie-breaker blitz game.

In the three-minute tiebreak game, Hutch had the White pieces and NymN played the Nimzo-Indian Defense again. Hutch played a much sharper line in this game and had a monster wall of pawns early after 8.f4!

Hutch's control of the center turned into a kingside attack after 12.e5, and Hutch didn't let goHe delivered checkmate on move 26. Hutch won the tiebreak game and the match.

Despite being knocked out of the tournament, NymN played extremely well both today and in the entire event. Going undefeated until his second game against Hutch is no easy task! The chess world hopes to see more of NymN's methodical play in the future.With this victory, Hutch advances to the championship bracket final where he will play Voyboy.

In the consolation bracket, MoistCr1tical faced SlikeR for a spot in the final. Ludwig joined the commentators at the start of this match and saw SlikeR play a Philidor Defense as Black in game one. He offered a pawn on move five, which MoistCr1tical declined for many moves. SlikeR started pushing pawns and fell behind in development. After 12...0-0-0 a sharp position arose with opposite side castlingbut SlikeR still hadn't developed a single piece on the kingside:

MoistCr1tical made the first blunder of the game with 16.Bg5 which should have lost a piece, but SlikeR missed the shot 16...Bxf3 and instead played 16...Be7. Both players maneuvered for some time, and a level position was reached after 23.Qe4, and then SlikeR hung a forced checkmate with 24...Nc5. Instead of starting a mating attack with 25.Ne7+, MoistCr1tikal initiated a series of exchanges.

Time trouble became an issue for both players, and MoistCr1tikal missed a royal fork on move 29. Despite having multiple opportunities, MoistCr1tikal lost the thread of the game and dropped a piece. SlikeR took over both on the board and on the clock. Then, as SlikeR was starting to make progress, he gave the piece back, but then MoistCr1tikal lost his queen and SlikeR took the game. A back and forth see-saw game, to say the least!

In game two, SlikeR played 2.Qh5 and MoistCr1tikal defended well in the opening. The game developed normally until MoistCr1tikal blundered a piece with 12...Be6:

SlikeR won the piece and continued to nurse his material advantage as MoistCr1tikal desperately tried to keep his hopes alive by attempting to create some counterplay on the kingside. SlikeR's advantage dropped noticeably after 28.h3, a pawn which MoistCr1tikal immediately captured with his rook. MoistCr1tikal created some serious chances on the kingside, while SlikeR started marching his passed pawn down the board.

In mutual time trouble, 43...Qxa3 was a serious mistake from MoistCr1tikal, as he had checkmate in one move with 43...Qxe2#! But several moves later the same theme occurred and MoistCr1tikal delivered checkmate, swinging from the brink of defeat to the top of the mountain of triumph in a single movean electric game which forced a game three blitz tiebreak.

In the tiebreak game, MoistCr1tikal had the White pieces and SlikeR tried a dubious opening. A comedy of errors started with 12.Qe2, where both players were hanging pieces left and right. After the dust settled, SlikeR was up a piece, but his king was open. SlikeR's queen was hanging after 21...Kd7 and MoistCr1tikal capitalized.

Extreme time trouble reared its ugly head for both players, but it was MoistCr1tikal who kept his head above water with SlikeR eventually flagging (He ran out of time.) in a lost position. With this victory, MoistCr1tikal won the match and advanced to the consolation bracket final.

The post-match interview was lively, and it was apparent that SlikeR was upset that he had been eliminated. MoistCr1tikal spoke highly of SlikeR's performance and is happy to be advancing to the consolation bracket finals after his come-from-behind victory.He will face the winner of the xQc-Ludwig match that begins on Friday at 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time (20:45 Central Europe).

In the second championship bracket semifinal match, we saw the undefeated Voyboy facing Boxbox, who had been wanting this match for the entire eventIn fact, Boxbox participated in this event solely to beat Voyboy. In the first game, Voyboy played the Advance variation against Boxbox's Caro-Kann. Boxbox blundered quickly with 8...Nc6, hanging his dark-squared bishop on c5 (8...Nd7 was called for):

Voyboy's advantage was stable, but he got a little too aggressive and made a misstep with 14.Qxb7 (14.Nxc6 was a cleaner way to play the position.). Voyboy got his queen stuck in a precarious position on the a7-square. Boxbox spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to trap Voyboy's queen but bailed on the plan and played 17...Qh4. Voyboy made the decision to give up his queen, even though he could have saved it.

This choice to enter a materially imbalanced position immediately paid off for Voyboy, as Boxbox quickly blundered his knight. The position transitioned to an endgame where Voyboy had two rooks and a knight vs. Boxbox's queen. Voyboy nursed his lead in material and his large lead on the clock to eventually deliver checkmate on move 41.

The second game was a must-win situation for Boxbox, who played a fianchetto line (like he has the entire event) against Voyboy's Pirc Defense. After both players navigated the opening well, the position became closed. The commentators, GM Robert Hess and GM Hikaru Nakamura, both noted that the opening choice by Voyboy played to Boxbox's strengths, as he knows the plans in these types of positions. The position was pleasant for Boxbox after 9.gxf4:

Boxbox found a strong idea with 11.e5, with the dual threats of 12.exf6 (winning a knight) as well as 12. Bxb7 (winning the exchange). Voyboy opted to give up his rook for Boxbox's light-squared bishop, and the position turned sharp with Boxbox ahead on material but Voyboy had very active pieces. Boxbox fell below one minute when he misstepped with 24.e5 (ironically, the same move that gave him the advantage on move 11), allowing his queen and rook to be forked. Voyboy was ahead on the clock and on the board after picking up Boxbox's queen and cruised to victory.

In the post-match interview, Boxbox was all smiles and said that he felt "great" and had a fun time participating in the event. Boxbox said he was down to keep playing chess, as long as there is something to compete for (which there always will be).Voyboy praised Boxbox's play and admitted that he was nervous (possibly for the first time in the event).With this match win, Voyboy is the last undefeated player in the field and advances to the championship bracket final where he will face Hutch.

xQc,Ludwig Fight For Finals Spot

xQc and Ludwig start the action tomorrow in the last Semifinals matchup. Ludwig has been commentating on the event for the past two days and even got a preview of xQc's play when he defeated Fuslie on Wednesday. Will Ludwig's insight into xQc's thought process be a deciding factor, or will xQc's unpredictable play win out?Clocks will start at12:00 p.m. Pacific Time (21:00 Central Europe) on Chess.com/TV.

Two of the pre-tournament favorites have made it to the championship bracket final. Voyboy and Hutch have the highest ratings in the tournament, and both were undefeated heading into Thursday's matches. This highly-anticipated pairing will determine who takes home the PogChamps title!Clocks will start at1:00 p.m. Pacific Time (22:00 Central Europe) on Chess.com/TV.

MoistCr1tikal already has his ticket to the consolation bracket finals. He can sit back and relax while he watches the xQc-Ludwig match, as he awaits the outcome to see who he will fight for the consolation bracket title.Clocks will start at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (23:00 Central Europe) on Chess.com/TV.

Still deciding who to root for in the first-ever Chess.com PogChamps? Here's a quick sampler of each streamer:

Make sure to tune into Chess.com's official semifinals and finals coverage of the 2020 Chess.com PogChamps on Friday at 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time (20:45 Central Europe) on Chess.com/tv.

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Chess Federation Chooses Algorand Blockchain to Host Player Rankings – CoinDesk – CoinDesk

Posted: at 10:15 am

Algorands blockchain platform has been selected by the official online body of chess to record the ratings and titles of players.

In an announcement on Thursday, Algorand said it will record FIDE Online Arena World Chess players data and provide a transparent platform where participants can view game information thats updated in real time.

FIDE Online Arena is the federations internet server that is solely responsible for official digital tournaments and world championships in which players earn international ratings and titles.

Its exciting to continue bringing innovation to chess, Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World hess, said in the press release. The advent of digital games on the internet made chess more popular than before, and now we cant wait to further explore blockchain innovation for digital chess.

Algorands public ledger will be used to store game results as well as verify player ratings in a format that aims to provide activity free from fraud or manipulation. World Chess will also use Algorands blockchain platform to develop rewards and incentives for the chess community via internal currency and blockchain-based betting.

This historic moment brings the blockchain community one step closer to mainstream adoption, as a widely popular competitive game like chess leverages distributed ledger technology to serve as the official record for trust of millions of online chess players and fans,said Sean Ford, COO of Algorand.

Founded in 1924, FIDE is the governing body of the sport of chessand regulator of international chess competitions.

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.

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How to Play Chess in the Linux Terminal – Tom’s Hardware

Posted: at 10:15 am

Known to be over 1,200 years old, chess remains a key test of strategy, mental ability, computational power and is generally a good way of passing the time. If you can represent an eight by eight grid with suitable symbols for the pieces then you can have a game of chess. So why not play chess in your terminal?

There are a host of accomplished open source chess engines which any front-end that feels the need can plug into. The most common is one called Stockfish, often described as the strongest conventional chess engine in the world and who are we to argue?

The first thing youll want to do is install Stockfish. The version in the repository will be fine, and in these Ubuntu 20.04 days that would be the current v11-1 release. Install by typing:

The terminal front-end we plumped on is called chs and is written in Python 3. Ideally, youd install this with the standard Python package manager pip. Install that with sudo apt install python3-pip if you dont have it already. Oh and of course youll need Python3. Ubuntu 18.04+ offers 2 and 3 by default, but run a sudo apt update && sudo apt -y upgrade if you dont already have it, to ensure youre all up to date. A quick python3 -V should put your mind at ease.

To install chs you can now run:

You might notice a WARNING towards the end of the install, suggesting you add the .local/bin directory to the $PATH environmental variable, else your terminal is going to be left confused as to where chs is. To do this type:

Now try launching the game by typing chs at the command prompt. However, you may get this error: Uncaught error FileNotFoundError, exiting the app.

This is a known bug in the latest release that may be fixed at some point, but was still a problem at publish time. Theres an easy fix that requires editing a line in the Stockfish config file. Use nano or your favourite text editor to open this file, and replace the phython3.X with the point release youre running likely 3.6 or 3.8 (find out by typing python3 -V):

The file path to the Stockfish executable is incorrect for Linux. Towards the top of the file is an if elif else statement. Change the Linux engine_path declaration from stockfish_10_x64_linux to /usr/games/stockfish. Then press Ctrl + O and Ctrl + X to save and quit.

Type chs and youll find yourself staring at a terminal-based chess board!

By default chs plays on the easiest Stockfish level (one), but its more than a match for our puny brains. You can up the level with chs level=8 that has it on the hardest setting, if you fancy a challenge.

If youre used to playing chess then you might be aware of chess algebraic notation, and this is how you enter moves in chs. Pieces are known by a single letter Knight (N), Rook (R), Queen (Q), King (K), Bishop (B) while Pawns are blank. To make a move you simply enter the piece letter and the destination grid coordinate; chs works out the piece you mean. So for example, an opening Pawn e2 to e4 would simply be e4. To move the Kings Knight youd use Nf3. Move the Kings Bishop out and with your following move you can castle with O-O (not zeros). Youd castle on the Queens side with O-O-O.

To capture one of your opponents pieces you use an x between the piece and the move. So in our imaginary game using the white pawn at e4 to take the d5 pawn you would just write xd5. If it were any other piece youd start this with the pieces letter. This brings up potential situations where that move could be completed by more than one white pawn perhaps if there was one also at c4. To eliminate conflicts youd include the row letter (or file number, whichever removes the conflict) to the start, so exd5, for this example.

A couple of special commands let you cheat, erm, we mean revise your game. The back command takes back your last move(s), as far back as you like, while the hint command gives you a bit of advice from the Stockfish engine. That should be enough to get you up and running there are some further details such as Queening or En Passant, but youll work it out when you need to!

The default board is annoyingly small, and the default mono typeface in Ubuntu wont scale the ISO chess piece images with the terminal type. If you want a larger board you have two options. In the terminal window (provided you are on the desktop), you can select Edit>Preferences>Profile and switch on Custom font and use, as an example, the Ubuntu Mono Regular type, which scales to larger point sizes. Alternatively, use the Menu>Scale option or View->Zoom several times (depending on what your terminal window has) to simply magnify everything.

Youd be right to think that weve missed an obvious chess playing option and thats the Free Software Foundations GNU Chess. This is another terminal-based game, but not as visually pleasing as chs. If this is a problem then theres a GUI that plugs into the GNU Chess engine and you can pick up things from there. It has the advantage of being GPLv3 licensed and is a middle-aged 36 years old.

Youll find out all about GNU Chess over at http://www.gnu.org/software/ chess. To get up and running in a terminal use:

Then start it by simply entering gnuchess at the prompt.

It uses the same standard algebraic moves as weve discussed and will present a board after each move. To get the GUI in place type:

Enter xboard to fire it up.

Alternatively, the Gnome Chess game youll find in the Software Centre of most distros is based on the same GNU Chess engine, which as it turns out has a relatively strong rating of 2,813 Elo points (which means it is a challenging opponent).

This article originally appeared in Linux Format Issue 264.

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How to Play Chess in the Linux Terminal - Tom's Hardware

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Chess is becoming massively popular on Twitch – Critical Hit

Posted: at 10:15 am

Im going to admit to being one of those people that honestly doesnt see the point of watching people play games. While I no doubt get the allure of seeing certain people play the game at its absolute best, I would just rather be playing the game itself rather than watch someone do it for me. Still, services like Twitch remain incredibly popular as a place for people to live-stream themselves playing games and for people to watch these pros to do so, while allowing them a chance to make some money in the process.

It should be no surprise that Twitchs numbers have only risen during the COVID-19 pandemic as people, starved of entertainment, are looking for something to watch and share their gaming experiences. Its not just video games though, as board games have also started to become part of the streaming community as people can no longer meet up with their friends to play them, and so are left having to watch others play it for them.

Shoutout to the big streamers who've discovered chess. Some do it once or twice, some every single stream. Some are casual visitors to our game, some are becoming obsessed. Streamers like @xQc @BoxBox @voyboy @Papaplatte @Yassuo @nymnion Chess thanks you for all the new fans.

Perhaps the biggest surprise story though comes from a game that is not exactly made for spectator viewing: Chess. A game that has been around for thousands of years and still remains as popular as ever, the surge in the popularity of the game on Twitch has been led byHikaru Nakamura, a five-time US chess champion and the youngest American to ever achieve the grandmaster title. Nakamura has seen particular success coaching popular streamers like Felix xQc Lengyel, Faze Clans Nate Hill, andLeague of Legendsstreamer Albert boxbox Zheng as part of Chess.comsPogchamps tournament series

StreamElements CEO Doron Nir also revealed in a statement (via The Verge) how Chess has actually had a long history with Twitch before its recent boom:

Twitch has a long history of chess players dating back to its earliest days, but it wasnt until 2017 when they partnered with Chess.com that they most prominently embraced the game of kings. Since then the game has enjoyed moderate growth, yet nothing compares with the rise it experienced in recent months when some of the top streamers, such as xQc, Reckful, and LIRIK, streamed it. While the chess community has achieved a lot of success on its own, this latest move illustrates the power of influencers to broaden the appeal of a brand

I personally love playing chess and while I still cant picture myself watching it from a spectator side of things, but I can definitely see how it can help improve a persons game. Its great to see how an ancient classic like this is finding new audiences in the modern gaming scene.

Last Updated: June 19, 2020

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Chess is becoming massively popular on Twitch - Critical Hit

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The Grandmaster Who Got Twitch Hooked on Chess – WIRED

Posted: at 10:15 am

League of Legends streamer Albert Boxbox Zheng adored chess in elementary school, but stopped playing when he was around nine. One day, after hearing about some grandmaster chess guys stream popping off, he dropped into Nakamuras channel to watch him play blindfolded. I wrote in his chat afterwards, like, That was amazing. Then he saw my name in the chat, and was like, Is that the BoxBox? Nakamura fished Zheng out and asked him to come on stream and play against him.

He blew my mind with how deep chess goes, says Zheng.

Nakamura challenged Zheng to a game, but Nakamura would start without a queen. Zheng thought, Theres no way he can beat me without a queen. Of course, Nakamura crushed him. Nakamura began removing more pieces, starting the game with fewer and fewer, until, Zheng says, I finally won when he basically had nothing. I was hooked.

Nakamuras impressive, lightly trollish chess gimmicksblindfolded matches, matches without queens or rooks, solving as many puzzles as he can in five minuteshave spurred Twitchs top personalities to try the game for themselves. Instead of looking down his nose at these pro gamers who come to him for guidance, he exudes respect for Lengyel (legendary character), who has three million followers, or Saqib Lirik Zahid, who has 2.6 million followers (honored by his visit). Now, top Hearthstone, Fortnite, and Valorant streamers are sliding into Nakamuras DMs asking for coaching. Nakamura has in turn developed his own streaming persona, somewhere between a proud dad and a laughing supergenius.

On stream, Nakamura has described his new role as Twitchs chess ambassador as his calling. In retrospect, he says, it makes sense; after winning his first championship in 2005, Nakamura says he went over to the hotel lobby to play blitz, or speed, games against random audience members until two or three in the morning. (Nakamura is now the top blitz player in the world.) Ive always wanted to bring it to the masses, he says. In his chat, viewers tell Nakamura that they hadnt played or watched chess since they were kids, but were intrigued by their favorite streamers newfound interest.

When I work with streamers, Im trying to get them to have fun, but also these aha! moments, says Nakamura. Moments where they see little combinations or little tricks, thats really the goal. Theyre not going to be great, but if they can learn something from it and theyre having fun, for me, that means Im doing a good job.

Nakamuras mission to bring a populist movement to chess runs up against the games marked culture of elitism. Theres a tendency among some chess devotees to look down on streamers learning, and sometimes making mistakes, so publicly. Zheng has been shocked at how antagonistic his Twitch chat gets when he streams chess; sometimes, he cant even look at it. League is known for toxicity. Chess, surprisingly, is even worse, he says, describing the phenomenon as backseat gaming.

There are a lot of people who are miles better than meI dont deny thatwho get mad that me, a new player, cant pick up the game and instantly be an expert at it, says Zheng. People will shove and yell moves down my throat. Not only is it annoying, oftentimes its wrong and very aggressive.

"Ive always wanted to bring chess to the masses."

Hikaru Nakamura

Chess mastermind and Twitch streamer Alexandra Botez, a Woman FIDE Master, who has also seen huge growth in her channel, says that elitism extends to the broader chess community, too. Your worth is really determined by your ranking, especially in the tight-knit circles of people who dedicated their lives to chess. Shes watched on as a lot of other top chess players have tried streaming on Twitch without seeing anywhere near her or Nakamuras success. She attributes it to Nakamuras ability to engage with Twitch culture on its own terms, memeing with viewers and gamely replying to their questions. Other top players prefer to remain distant, viewing Twitch as a platform rather than a cultural organism.

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The Grandmaster Who Got Twitch Hooked on Chess - WIRED

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Team USA Takes on Ireland June 27th! – uschess.org

Posted: at 10:15 am

US Chess will be facing off against the Irish Chess Union in an international friendly match of nations! The two countries plan to square off Saturday, June 27th at 1pm US Eastern time on chess.com.

Both teams will feature 12 players of roughly equal rating strength. The match format is a four game rapid match followed by a blitz playoff, should the score be tied, followed by an Armageddon game. The winning team will be the team that scores the most match points.

Check back soon for full rosters, streaming broadcast info, and more! For now, here is who is scheduled to appear for Team USA!

Board 1: Atulya Shetty - 2437

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2031213

Board 2: Eric Rosen - 2353

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2032562

Board 3: Tianqi Wang - 2256

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2063824

Board 4: Gopal Menon - 2242

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2017482

Board 5: Carl Boor - 2231

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2017008

Board 6: Sabina Foisor - 2228