Month: January 2012

Daaim ShabazzJanuary 10, 2012
7 13

New in Chess (2011/8)

(Note: The latest New in Chess came out while I was still traveling abroad so I will give an overview of this issue.) A lot can happen in a couple of months. Magnus Carlsen won the Tal Memorial and ended the 2011 campaign in spectacular fashion. He will join a…
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Daaim ShabazzJanuary 10, 2012
0 2

Hip-Hop Chess kicks off 2012!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Meko Gaborski (323) 335-4497 Rapper Asheru from Boondocks & MMA Fighter Ralek Gracie Team with Hip-Hop Chess Federation for Nonviolence HHCF Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary With Youth Tournament, Jiu Jitsu Exhibition and Live Performances January 4th 2012- San Jose, CA – The Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF) is…
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Daaim ShabazzJanuary 8, 2012
1 4

Chess: Refuge in Tough Times

The chess scene at 16th Street Mall in Denver. Photo by Wally Gobetz. This story has been told many times from coast-to-coast. New stories covering chess playgrounds in major cities have occurred for decades… even in controversy. Recently another story about the adage, “chess is life” reports a story in…
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Daaim ShabazzJanuary 5, 2012
5 19

Xtreme Chess! Get Ready!

FM Kassa Korley with hostess Kacie Marie. Photo by XChessChamps (Meirom). Chess has hit “Reality TV” as the Xtreme Chess Championships debuted with eight contestants in a bold experiment to promote an edgy side to chess. According to a press release, the idea was created by film-maker Daniel Meirom and…
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Cuba

Daaim ShabazzJanuary 3, 2012
18 119

The Chess Drum beats in Cuba!

Cuba is the largest Caribbean island boasting a rich history and some of the most passionate people on the planet. It is part of this passion that has produced the creativity and ingenuity in a land of modesty. Cuba is a place full of many stories. There is the political…
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Daaim ShabazzJanuary 2, 2012
1 6

Calypso Chess now @ Amazon!

Barbados’ Dr. Philip Corbin released his life-long affair with chess by releasing his autobiographical “Calypso Chess” in July. Dr. Corbin was asked how the book can be purchased outside of Barbados and he stated that he was working to get the book distributed by Amazon.com, the world’s largest bookstore. That…
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Daaim ShabazzJanuary 2, 2012
0 10

January 2012 FIDE Ratings

Magnus Carlsen (2835, +9) has now approached dangerously close to Garry Kasparov’s rating record of 2851. With the idea of slight rating inflation and the onset of computers, this record is bound to fall, but it may also show how far Kasparov was ahead of his contemporaries. GM Magnus Carlsen…
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Daaim ShabazzJanuary 1, 2012
0 1

The Chess Drum’s Highlights of 2011!

We are into a new year today. This year we will see the Olympics in London and in chess we will have the Olympiad in Turkey. Last year was one full of excitement. There were breakthroughs for players and invigoration of top-level events. At The Chess Drum, there was a…
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Caribbean

Daaim ShabazzJanuary 1, 2012
5 278

Cuba: A Chess Wonderland

There has been an U.S. economic embargo against Cuba since 1961. This means there are no formal trade relations between the two countries. However, Coca-Cola, M&Ms and TV programs such as “Friends” are seen there… perhaps through a maze of third-party relationships. Fortunately, art forms like chess are not bound…
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