Back to the Grind

Who's the *legitimate* world champion?
Discuss.

Alternatively (and in the spirit of gender inclusion in chess): which WGM looks hottest in a T-shirt?

Is it me, or is there a strange silence about the slaughter of Mickey Adams vs Hydra?
Chessbase has been very quiet. To busy promoting Fritz
with the Kasim match I suspect!
Come on Mig, I get all my dirt here, and there is nothing!!
Have a good one,
James.

How about some discussions about "freestyle chess", and its implications?

I hadn't taken the idea of freestyle chess too seriously, until I read the report from the winners today, and I realized how well chess could make the transition to becoming a team sport. Time controls could go back up, since sealed-move adjournments would no longer be a problem. And, perhaps most importantly, the whole thing could actually become TV-friendly, since instead of static pictures of a thinking head, we now have the animated discussions of a group of people in a room, with access to computers, the internet, and their books.

What are your thoughts, Mig?

Completely off the wall, I know:

Hey Mig, sometime when you have a minute, on your lunch hour, maybe, even left-handed, why don't you pop over to the USCF site and work a few improvements.

Like the mean little kid said about the joys of shooting a slingshot inside the house, miss what you're aiming at, and you hit something better.

Yeah, I know, conservative curmudgeons probably hide the key to the door, huh?

-- Longspur

An important Amertican topic in need of creative ideas: how can we connect people who play chess but are NOT registered with their national tournament organization with their local over the board chess clubs?

And to open it up to international discussion: what makes a perfect chess club? (a serious question, so let's avoid the usual silly internet sexual comments and talk about a real world club that attracts men, women, and children with their parents) And are there any clubs out there that are close to perfect?

most importantly Food:
what is the name of the NY french restaurant chosen after the Kasim-Acoona game ??
Please answer, since french food is my all-time favorite!

Chess publishing. What is the business plan of say Gambit or Batsford? How many copies of a typical new title are sold? 1,000 or 10,000? How are revenues distributed among writer, publisher, distributor, and seller? I have always been curious about how the chess publishing world works.

Any dirt on why the Fire on Board trophy event was postponed?

Gata Kamsky in a highly interesting top-level comeback, playing in the A group of next year's Corus. http://www.coruschess.com/

Amazing. First we hear reports of a radically transformed Kamsky providing live commentary - and he's said to be charming, urbane and warm! One can hardly recognize the enfant terrible (plus father) that once terrorized the chess world both on and off the board.

And now he's making a comeback? I look forward to it. I've always enjoyed his bare-knuckled, hard-edged style of playing. Hopefully *that* part of him hasn't mellowed over the years.

It wasn't clear how rough Gata Kamsky himself was, leaving his father's well documented "charm" aside for the moment.

Good for Kamsky. It's a shame when talented players turn away from chess at a young age. Corus will be a great test for him.