I restarted playing chess a few years ago and have been excited by the resurgence of the game as a result of streaming, the pandemic, and most recently, The Queens Gambit series on Netflix. I never really got into the Tiger King but this caught my interest and we binged it pretty quickly.
While the protagonist is fiction, at least one of the games shown is real thanks to the magnificent Garry Kasparov:
World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov on What The Queen’s Gambit Gets Right [Slate] – “Most of the games, it was not difficult, but the biggest challenge was the last game, because the last game is just, it’s a full game. And the problem is that the last game had to be played by the Queen’s Gambit. Of course I could pick up games from other openings, but it would be very much against the spirit of the book. How did I find a good game that will be played for 40 or so moves adjourned in a complicated situation? And then you have this very important element of Benny and his team calling from New York. It means the position had to be complicated. I found a few games and picked up one: Patrick Wolff against Vassily Ivanchuk, Biel Interzonal, 1993.”
What myth is still widely circulated as truth? [r/AskReddit] – A lot of fascinating myths in here including having to wait 24 hours to report a missing person, that lemmings commit mass suicide (fun game though!), and that you can reduce fat in a specific body part.
Man Becomes Overnight Millionaire After Meteorite Crashes Through His Roof [NDTV] – “An Indonesian man became a millionaire overnight after a meteor crashed through his roof. Josua Hutagalung, 33, is a coffin maker from Sumatra who became astronomically richer after he recently sold the meteorite for over 1 million pounds – or roughly ₹ 9.8 crore.” Money doesn’t grow on trees but it might fall from the sky!
This one is hard to read but highlights a social dilemma:
The Last Children of Down Syndrome [The Atlantic] – “Fält-Hansen says the calls she receives are about information, helping parents make a truly informed decision. But they are also moments of seeking, of asking fundamental questions about parenthood. Do you ever wonder, I asked her, about the families who end up choosing an abortion? Do you feel like you failed to prove that your life—and your child’s life—is worth choosing? She told me she doesn’t think about it this way anymore. But in the beginning, she said, she did worry: ‘What if they don’t like my son?'”
I know it’s not my typical “last link” but it’s powerful and I felt needed more attention.
See you tomorrow!