Yanks play chess

For those who wonder why I cover Internet chess on a game show site, well, chess is a game. And other sites that allegedly cover game shows also cover reality gripefests, talent contests, improv comedy shows, and just about anything else that strikes their fancy.

So my fancy gets struck by that weird game with the funny looking pieces on a checkerboard. The U.S. chess championships (men's and women's) kicked off today. I wandered over to the official site and watched some of the commentary. At least I watched the commentary when the site worked, which was intermittently at best.

The coverage was competent, pointing out plausible variations and offering interviews with some of the players. Unfortunately, the two main commentators were mismatched. GM Yasser Seirawan spoke so softly you could hardly hear him. WGM Jennifer Shahade spoke so loudly you didn't want to hear her. But the volume differences didn't spoil the show completely.

The craziest game was Timur Gareev's 23-move demolition of Marc Arnold. Gareev missed an even quicker win but soon pinned and won a lonely bishop stranded in the center (e4 to be exact). Something like that would happen to me if I ever played any of these guys.