Another kind of game show

Eons ago I played first board on my high school chess team. I've hardly played chess since then, but lately I've been following the game on TV.

Honest. There's a website called Chess TV, which webcasts chess matches. Currently they're showing the chess Olympiad. That's exactly what it sounds like, the chess Olympics. And today something really, really rare happened at the Olympiad. The U.S. beat Russia, which is like your local high school baseball team beating the Yankees. (Yeah, I know the Bombers have been slumping lately).

With nine rounds finished and two rounds to go, the U.S. is tied for first place and has a decent chance to medal. Anyway, the game shows on Chess TV don't feature cute models or free cars. But sometimes the games are downright dramatic (well, by chess standards).

The host is a Ukrainian grandmaster with a less than perfect command of English. But even he managed some drama in his voice as the U.S. neared its historic triumph. The final two rounds should be worth a peek. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Too bad, the U.S. lost to China today (September 7) and that probably knocks them out of the medals. They gave it a good try.