The winners of our competition, The Weekend Congress at 3pm on Friday 21 November, will win a Luxury Chess Set
Here is the Sign up Link with Mind Sports International
Good Luck !!
Norway is a country that has long been known for their prowess in winter sports, but the European nation has experienced little success in the world of competitive chess; until recently that is. With the famous win in the World Chess Championship by Magnus Carlsen last month, the game has blossomed in popularity throughout the Scandinavian country, as their 23-year-old chess prodigy has finally claimed the ultimate title in the game, and is poised to dominate the sport for the foreseeable future.
The Regency Chess Company was delighted to receive an invitation to the opening ceremony for the 2013 world chess London candidates tournament. The event took place last week on Thursday March 14th. Regency Chess Company founder Julian Deverell attended as did Darren Whiteman, the freelance web designer responsible for our Industry leading website.
Patrick Moore with his Regency Chess Company chess set
It is with plenty of regret that we have to write that today, Sunday the ninth of December, we were advised of the passing of Sir Patrick Moore. Patrick needs no introduction, he is a familiar face and personality to many generations. His accomplishments in life dwarf that of most celebrities. His most famous achievements related to Astronomy where he pioneered, presented, developed and promoted the world of amateur star gazing.
Patrick died at the age of eighty nine but he was active and working almost until the end. His enthusiasm never ran out, he was still star gazing and sharing his knowledge with others. When you read his entry on wikipedia you will be amazed at how active and prolific Patrick was throughout his life. From playing music with Einstein to being the chairman of a Conservative fringe political party, an RAF bomber navigator, a teacher, world famous broadcaster and TV personality. To many he was one of the last remaining traditionalists, an Englishman through and through.
He was a keen chess player, often playing multiple games in a day. In his later years he complained how his arthritis prevented him from playing chess, he kept knocking the pieces over. His request for an over sized pegged chess set fell on deaf ears until the Astronomy students from King Edwards School in Bath decided that even if such an item didn’t exist, he would have one. We at the Regency Chess Company and the boys from the School created the set which he used regularly until his death.
Patrick shared his birthday (March 4th) with Regency Chess Company owner and founder Julian Deverell. He will be sorely missed by us all.
Gary Kasparov being arrested by Russian security
A shocking development in the ongoing saga of the Russian show trial is the arrest and beating of one of the worlds most respected intellectuals, Gary Kasparov. Kasparov is a long serving pro democracy leader and campaigner who was attending the trial today, Friday the 17th of August.
The Trial Of ‘Pussy Riot’ has been featuring strongly in the news lately. A controversial feminist punk band who had created a music video that the Russian authorities found offensive. They have spent months in custody awaiting trial and today were sentenced to two years in prison for their ‘crimes’ against the state.
The whole sorry saga opens up a huge debate on the state of Russian politics and their stance on human rights. Some commentators have stated that we are seeing a return to the old Russian ways.
There is little doubt that the chess world will be rocked by the news that one of our greatest champions has been arrested in this way, lets hope and pray for a sensible resolution.
Useful links:-
