Don't Burn It

All booms eventually run their course. Once covid confinement and the Netflix series have been forgotten, what to do with that wooden chess set gathering dust in the closet?

Turning a Chess Board into Wall Hooks (1:00) • '[Published on] Dec 6, 2023'

And on that melancholy note we close the book on the long-running series that started with The Sociology of Chess (November 2016). That makes more than seven years and over a hundred posts on a subject that I still don't understand.

Chessman Comics

A new Monday series, where last week's post was Fischer vs. Carlsen (December 2023), reminded me of an idea that has long been on the back burner. The following composite image is from two eBay auctions that took place in October 2001. I've always wanted to learn more about the two comics and now is the time.

The descriptions for the two auctions said,

Left: 'Chessman #1 comic was the brainchild of IM John Watson and inventor of Chessman and artist for this issue, Chris [Christine] Hendrickson. 20 pages. Autographed (for me personally) by Chris Hendickson. Magazine/comic is very clean and is in very good to fine condition with no markings. Only two issues of Chessman exist, #1 & #2 (see my other auctions for #2). Only 100 copies were produced.'

Right: 'The Incredible Adventures of CHESSMAN presents "Treachery in Transylvania!" Comic. Brainchild of IM John Watson & artist Chris Hendrickson who invented Chessman and did art work in first issue. Comic, issued in 1982, has 44(!) pages chock full of chess adventures and great artwork. Chessman #1 comic had a printing of only 100 copies; I do not know what the printing was, however, on this issue. ONLY TWO ISSUES EXIST, #1 & #2 Bonus: autograph (I obtained personally) of Chris Hendrickson is on the copyright page after: "Special thanks to Chris Hendrickson for permission to use character Chessman" '

The October 1979 issue of Chess Life (p.577) included a three page comic titled, 'Chessman: The Cosmic Chessplayer' by Watson and Hendrickson. For another blog looking at 'Chessman', see John Watson and Chessman Comics (zanchess.wordpress.com; February 2015), including links to other resources. For more about Chessman's author, see John L. Watson (wikipedia.org); the entry is now somewhat dated.

Alice++ Again

The previous Flickr post, AI Chess Comics (November 2023), mentioned, '"Alice" is a recurring theme in chess art.' How does that relate to the next Flickr image?

Floating chess © Flickr user Jaci XIV under Creative Commons.

The description said,

Created for: Digitalmania Group
After: Vladimir Kush
***
Created for the Magnificent Manipulated Masterpieces
172st MMM "Chess game" Challenge

That leads in a couple of new directions. The first direction is a forum for a Flickr group, New challenge 172 ~ Chess game | Magnificent Manipulated Masterpieces (flickr.com/groups), which starts,

For our December challenge, we chose the theme CHESS GAME. This game, which in itself challenges our mind, stimulates our creativity and provides us with pleasant entertainment. From children to the elderly, from kings to soldiers, this game has served as inspiration. Your entry could be realistic, surrealist, abstract, it could be a collage, mail art etc.

The introduction uses the 'Floating chess' image, after which there have been added original works of chess art (currently 22).

The second direction leads to CHESS - Giclee on Canvas (kushfineart.com), which features a well known chess image for sale. Its description starts,

In Lewis Carroll’s classic tale, Alice journeys to Wonderland? Where straight streams run across the land and living fences separate the space between the streams into equal squares. “In my opinion, Wonderland strikingly resembles a chessboard,” said Alice. “This whole world is chess! This is one huge match!”

Once again, '"Alice" is a recurring theme in chess art'. I'm sure it won't be the last time.

Fischer vs. Carlsen

At the end of last week's Monday post, Elon Musk and Squirrels (December 2023), I asked,

Will this be the start of another Monday series? That depends on whether I can figure out how to make AI comic generation do what I want it to do, rather than what it wants to do.

While I've learned a few tricks in the week since that post, the whole process is still too much like herding cats. For this post, I used the tool to see how well it drew World Champions, both past and present.

'Bobby Fischer plays chess with Magnus Carlsen.'
AI Comic Factory

That's clearly Fischer in the upper left panel. In the lower right it looks like Carlsen on the left and Fischer on the right. The two other panels might be the same or they might be Carlsen on both sides. I made several attempts at generating the composite image and could almost hear the AI software complaining that 'all young Caucasian males look the same'.

As for the other World Champions, the AI likenesses were generally acceptable, although sometimes barely. I'll look at that in another post, maybe on my World Championship blog.

'Timeless Pursuit of Checkmate'

Well known images and well known facts combine to give a high level introduction to chess history. It's a pity there are number of small inaccuracies, including an illegal move.

Evolution of the Game of Chess (4:40) • '[Published on] Dec 7, 2023'

The description of the video also promises high level.

Let's explore key moments and pivotal rule changes that shaped the game we love today. Let's unravel the rich tapestry of chess, where intellect meets strategy in a timeless pursuit of checkmate.

If there were no more than this, I might have featured a different video this month, but the inclusion of hashtag #chesshistory (youtube.com; '1.3K videos, 355 channels') promises much future exploration. How is the order of the videos in the hashtag, most of which have less than 1000 views, determined?

December 1973 & 1998 'On the Cover'

Last month's post about U.S. chess magazines 50 and 25 years ago, November 1973 & 1998 'On the Cover' (November 2023), had an arty portrait on the right. This month's post has a different sort of art.

Left: 'The World's Top 60; FIDE Annual Rating List; Reflects all performances through July 1, 1973'
Right: '"No Cheating", James Todd, 1998'

Chess Life & Review (50 Years Ago)

Professor Elo's latest calculations. See [inside] for the complete list.

'Inside' had a two and a half page alphabetical list of rated players. The introduction said,

The following list, approved by the FIDE Congress at Helsinki. Finland, in September 1973, is the official list by which FIDE categories of international tournaments are determined. The list is revised annually, the next will be approved in June 1974. We thank Professor Arpad Eto for providing a copy for Chess Life & Review.

I have a copy of the list on my own domain. For background, see FIDE Historical Ratings 1971-74 (January 2008; 'The 1974 file is missing almost all women.'). For the list itself, see FIDE historical ratings (m-w.com). The file, 1973.zip, lists women, although they are missing on the CL&R pages.

Chess Life (25 Years Ago)

You won't find "No Cheating" in "The Art of Chess Calendar" (2999A, $10.95). However, if you like the work of James Todd, it doesn't matter where you come across his efforts -- in the USCF catalog (page C21) or on the cover of Chess Life, or at his website: jtstudio.com

The web site, JT Studio, is still active. Todd's work has been seen before on the 1996 side of May 1971 & 1996 'On the Cover' (May 2021; 'James Todd - What Price Victory'). The calendar and catalog references in the introduction relate to an insert distributed with the October 1998 CL. The text promoting the calendar said,

The Art of Chess Calendar • This 16 month calendar is filled with stunning chess artworks. James Todd, who has won numerous awards including Artist of the Year in 1992 by the St. Lotus Ad Assoc., is one of the most talented chess artists we've ever seen. The imagination and detail inherent in all Todd's works are sure to impress and please you with each new month of the coming year.

The lead story inside the December 1998 CL was a report by GM John Fedorowicz on the 1998 Olympiad.

Elon Musk and Squirrels

What do you get when you cross I Want To Go Squirrel Hunting (September 2023), with AI Chess Comics (November 2023)? Something like this...

'Elon Musk plays chess with a squirrel.'
AI Comic Factory

...Will this be the start of another Monday series? That depends on whether I can figure out how to make AI comic generation do what I want it to do, rather than what it wants to do.