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Chess In the Media

It worked for poker: Can chess make it on TV? (Seattle Times, WA)

If the chess world had Hollywood's equivalent of "US Weekly," these players would be on the cover. They're the big dogs. The A-listers. And they're coming to Bellevue this weekend.

The only other time you'll see this many chess Grand Masters, not to mention International Masters and National Masters, in the same room is during the annual U.S. Chess Federation National Championships, and even then, you wouldn't be able to get close enough to watch them play.

Eddie Chang, a Renton real-estate agent, and Clint Ballard, a Bainbridge Island software-company president, are chess aficionados with a dream of bringing the game to the average television-watching Joe. They will host a brand-new chess competition, Grand Master Slugfest, this weekend.

A Notable Chess Journey for Talented New York Girls (New York Times, NY)

Medina Parrilla, a sophomore at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, is nervous about a trip next week to Batumi, in Georgia, a republic of the former Soviet Union. She is going to compete in the World Youth Chess Championships.

But Medina said: “I’m not nervous about playing. I passed that stage a long time ago. I’m nervous about the country. I don’t know what to expect from a place like that.”

Darrian Robinson, a seventh grader at Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn, who is going with Medina as part of the United States team, said she was excited about venturing to a new place.

Kids' chess prowess on display at tourney (Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD)

The prodigy lost his grip, and the wooden case fell from his hand and tumbled to the floor.

His coach, Randy Christensen, looked out from beneath the brim of his cowboy hat.

"Hmm, $150 clock," he remarked evenly.

Do you know of an interesting, humorous, or unique chess story published online? E-mail us at newsletter@uschess.org.