Wednesday, July 27, 2022

World Chess Champion Magnus to Retire and Other Stories

Up until recently I never heard of Magnus Carlsen, but having gotten into chess again after a 50 year hiatus it was inevitable that I would learn of him. My friend Dan, whom I have been playing on Friday nights since June, asked if I had seen the movie Magnus, a film about the Norwegian chess prodigy who became a grandmaster at age 13 and world champion in 2013.

So, one evening instead of starting the evening with a chess match we watched the film Magnus instead. Great film. It's essentially a documentary of his life by a family that recognized his gift and nurtured it. The film follows his development from pre-school to his defeat, at age 22, of 5x World Champion Viswanathan Anand.

When the news broke that he was retiring, it now meant something to me. How many times do you hear announcements in which you are clueless who they are talking about?  His brilliance lay in his intuitive approach when playing.  

For the record, Magnus will not be retiring from competitive chess. He's simply not planning to defend his title. 

Trivia: Magnus mean "great" in Latin, a name he has lived up to.

Middle segment of recent match: Hansen v Newman

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IN OTHER NEWS 

Lower airfares are returning this fall. The average airfare for round-trip domestic flights this fall is $298, according to data from travel-booking app Hopper. That’s down from May, when average fares exceeded $400. (WSJ)

Brad Pitt pays $40 million for house on the California coast. House was built just over 100 years ago, a very reasonably priced fixer-upper for sure.

According to a new poll from the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics finds a majority of Americans think the government is corrupt and stacked against them.

Senators from opposition parties stage walkout during plenary as senate president shuts down a motion for the impeachment of president Buhari over the security situation in the country. (Nigeria)

Seeing every indications that terrorists are about to take over Abuja, Nigeria Federal Ministry of Education has directed the closure of all Federal Govt colleges in Abuja & has ordered immediate vacation of students in the Nation's capital. (Punch)

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On a more positive note, check out the latest blog post from Nevada Bob regarding his battle with cancer (Part 3):
Nevada Bob Takes His Cancer Fight to Tijuana


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