Sonia: WCL Relief for Mac & Linux Users
 Bad Chess Birthdays?
In this year's World Youth Championships, which were held in Vietnam, 99 young players were born in the month of January. Yet only 38 were born in December. "So what?" you may ask. But the truth is shocking: there may be an ideal time of the year for chess-players to be born. In her latest Chess Life Online blog entry, Jennifer Shahade applies the same analysis techniques and reasoning best-selling book author Malcolm Gladwell applied to Canadian hockey stars. So what are you to do if you're a scholastic chess-player with an unlucky birth month? Well, in my own biased opinion, I would say: play more chess on World Chess Live!
Updated Grand Prix Coverage
World Chess Live is undergoing a project to revamp its website, one page at a time. This week, new WCL Newsletter archives were added, making it clean and easy to find past KibBlitzes and other features. We also added updated coverage of the Grand Prix, complete with all the latest Grand Prix news since September. "Spotlight on..." segments taken from Chess Life Magazine provide insight into the race, based on the author's observations and conversations with current Grand Prix pundits and contenders. Don't miss it!
Discover Sonia
One of the best current features of the WCL website is Sonia, an easy-to-use interface that requires no software downloads. If you're at the library, the corner cafe, or have a friend's expensive new laptop handy and want to find a quick game, Sonia makes things simple and speedy. Just open your web browser and log in. You can enter the 1-, 5-, or 15-minute pools to get started right away--or, if you feel so inclined, you can even use the seek graph to find a more specific type of game or opponent.
Although the interface Dasher, available for download on the website, remains the program of choice for WCL users and tournament play, Sonia is a workable alternative for Mac and Linux users. As you can see in the Sonia video tutorial, this in-browser interface knows how to roll in a Mac environment. Ready to give it a test drive? Have your WCL username and password ready and go!
Chess.FM Update
 This Week: Ronen's Yugoslav Attack
In the latest of his "New Ideas in...." series for ICC Chess.FM, GM Ronen Har-Zvi investigates the latest developments and trends in the ultimate test of the Sicilian Dragon, the Yugoslav Attack with 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4.
The Sicilian Dragon is back in vogue once again thanks to its recent addition to Magnus Carlsen's ever-growing arsenal. Years ago, Bobby Fischer gave his seal of approval to the Yugoslav attack, stating it was simply a case of preying open the h-file and sac, sac...mate! But this caveman approach in the Yugoslav Attack is becoming a tired approach, as GM Ronen Har-Zvi shows that the Dragon still breathes fire for Black with plenty of counter-play. So listen now! |
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