Until 2008, Bellingham had a de-facto chess cafe where a motley and eclectic group of chess fanatics gathered on an unscheduled daily basis for pickup game of chess.  The coffeehouse, Fantasia Coffee & Tea near the corner of Cornwall Avenue and Magnolia Street, had an owner who was very supportive of chess as he himself was a chess player.   Any weekday afternoon, chess players dropped-in for casual but serious chess matches.

Since 2008 when Fantasia closed, the chess players never re-grouped in another chess cafe where chess was played on a regular basis.  Some of them found our chess club when it was formed in 2015.  Our chess club is on the hunt for a chess friendly coffeehouse for casual chess play.  Will keep you posted.

While reviewing my archival photos, I found some pictures I took of a chess gathering at Fantasia circa 2007.  Do you recognize any of the players?

Take a look at these ten tips to help you learn some simple ways to win more games of chess.

1. Look at your opponent's move.
   
2. Make the best possible move.
3. Have a plan.
4. Know what the pieces are worth.
5. Develop quickly and well.
6. Control the center.
7. Keep your king safe.
8. Know when to trade pieces.
9. Think about the endgame.
10. Always be alert.
    

Continue with the details on the USCF site:

10 Tips to Winning Chess

If you have not read about it yet, AlphaZero made chess and AI history recently by crushing the world's strongest chess-playing entity: Stockfish.

The games are surprisingly "human," filled with genius sacrifices. This AlphaZero AI is a Google creation made possible by the company's acquisition of a machine learning company called DeepMind. The programmers of AlphaZero did not "teach" the game to the computer in the traditional sense. That means no opening book, no endgame tables, and apparently no complicated algorithms dissecting minute differences between center pawns and side pawns. The AlphaZero was just taught the rules and pieces and in four hours of "learning" it was able to destroy the best chess engine, Stockfish. Humans better watch out...AI is coming!

If interested, you can follow Game 3 in the YouTube video below.

The The Bellingham Knights Chess Club received a donation of five beautifully handmade chess boards from Bellingham resident Reisa LaTorra. The boards are fabricated from a variety of hardwoods by her husband's uncle, Fred Heimstra.

To help raise funds for the club's operation, the chess boards are available to club members who can support the club with a donation of $50.00 or more.  These custom boards typically sell for hundreds of dollars.

The chess boards weigh eight pounds, 18-in x 18-in., and are three inches high.  Each square is 2-in x 2-in.  Each board is made similar to the pictures at the bottom of this page showing details.  The specific boards which are available are shown  below numbered from one to four.  One of the five boards has already been taken with a donation of $60.00.  Four are left.

If you are interested in making a donation to support the club, please click the "Chip In" banner on the home page of bellinghamchess.com.  The order of donations will be determine who gets the first choice on the boards.  Add "Special Instructions" on the donate form to indicate your board number preference.

Touch-Move Rule. A player who touches one of his/her own pieces must move that piece if it is legal to do so. Touching an opponent's piece requires that the piece be captured if it is legal to do so. A piece may be placed on a square without committing to that move, as long as the player keeps his/her hand on the piece. As soon as a player moves and releases a piece, the move is over, and may not be retracted (unless illegal).

Adjusting Pieces. Players may adjust off-center pieces on the chessboard (their's or the opponent's), but must do so on their turn, and must first clearly say the word "adjust".

Calling Check. Calling check is not required, although traditionally regarded as a courtesy.

Chess Clocks. Black begins a game by starting the opponent's clock. During the game, players should follow the habit of making a move, and then immediately hitting the clock with the same hand. Players are not required to remind an opponent to hit the clock, nor do they need to wait for the opponent to hit their clock before making a move (assuming the opponent has already moved). Under certain circumstances it is important to know how to stop the chess clock. Note that bathroom breaks, phone calls, etc are not legitimate reasons to stop the chess clock.

Black Chooses. Black, as compensation for moving second, has the right to choose which chess set and clock to use, as well as whether to place the clock on the right or left. One exception: if black wants to use an analog clock, but white prefers a digital clock, the digital clock is used.

Sportsmanship. In tournaments, chess players, in the spirit of good sportsmanship, traditionally shake hands and wish each other well before starting a game. Players should also respect their opponents during games by refraining from unnecessary talk or noise (please turn cell phone ringers off!). The only words that really ever need to be said during a game are "draw?" (draw offer), "adjust" (before adjusting pieces), "checkmate" (who can resist?), "time" (win on time), and "let's ask the Tournament Director (TD)" (in case of problems or disputes). After a game ends, regardless of the result, both players should continue to show courtesy by (quietly) offering each other complementary or encouraging words.

Recording the Game Result. Immediately after each game ends, the winner (or either player in a drawn game) should record the result on that round's posting sheet (but please don't write on the tournament chart). This allows the TD to prepare the next round's pairings on time.

Byes. If any round has an odd number of players, the lowest rated player among the lowest scoring group of players sits out the round and receives a full-point bye (equivalent to a win), assuming that the player has not already received a bye in the same tournament.

Spectators. Spectators are welcome to observe games in progress as long as they do not distract the players or influence the games in any way (i.e., by talking, reacting to moves, reminding players to hit the clock, pointing out that a player has run out of time, etc).

Resolution of Disputes. If a problem or dispute arises concerning a game in progress, both players should remain calm, immediately stop their clocks, and seek the TD. The TD will try to resolve the situation as fairly as possible according to the U.S. Chess Federation Official Rules of Chess.

Withdrawals. Players who withdraw from a tournament should inform the TD so that their names can be removed from the remaining rounds' pairings.

Also read the FIDE Laws of Chess (PDF)

Bonaparte, Napoleon vs. Automaton, The Turk, 0-1, 1809. Automaton, The Turk, was the first chess playing machine. Of course, it was operated by a little man hidden in a machine. The Turk was very famous, touring through the whole Europe for decades. Apparently, there were multiple hidden Turk operators -- the whole succession of strong chess players, who bought and sold the machine to each other. Allegedly, in the course of one of the games between Bonaparte and The Turk, Bonaparte had started making illegal chess moves. In a mechanical sort of gesture, The Turk's hand had corrected the emperor's moves twice. As soon as Bonaparte had moved the same piece to the same illegal position for the third time, The Turk machine allegedly sent the chess pieces flying off the board.

The list below details films about chess. It includes feature films, documentaries and shorts from around the world. The titles are linked to the movie/TV IMDb database. The date of release and a user rating (out of 10) is shown in parentheses.

The ***** indicates my favorites recommendations

• 5150 Elms Way (2009, 6.6)
• 8 × 8: A Chess Sonata in 8 Movements (1957, 6.3)
• Bobby Fischer Against the World (2011, 7.4) *****
• Bobby Fischer Live (2009, 4.2)
• Brainwashed (1960, 6.9)
• Brooklyn Castle (2012, 7.3)
• A Chess Dispute (1903, 6.0)
• Chess Fever (1925, 7.3)
• Chess Kids (1996, 7.3)
• Chess King (1988, 5.7)
• The Chess Set (2005)
• Computer Chess (2013, 6.3)
• Dangerous Moves (1984, 6.6)
• The Dark Horse (2014, 7.9) *****
• Endgame (1999, 5.8)
• Fool's Mate (1989, 6.7)
• Fresh (1994, 7.7) *****
• Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine (2003, 6.8)
• Geri's Game (1997, 8.0)
• The Grass Arena (1992)
• The Great Chess Movie (1982)
• Ivory Tower (2010, 6.6)
• Knight Moves (1992, 6.0)
• Knights of the South Bronx (2005, 6.8) *****
• Life of a King (2013, 6.9)
• Long Live the Queen (1995, 7.2)
• The Luzhin Defense (2000, 6.9) *****
• Me and Bobby Fischer (2009)
• Odysseus' Gambit (2011)
• Pawn Sacrifice (2014, 7.3) *****
• Queen of Cactus Cove (2005, 7.8)
• Queen of Katwe (2016) *****
• Queen Sacrifice (1988, 7.2))
• Queen to Play (2009, 6.8)
• Return from the Ashes (1969, 6.9)
• Black and White Like Day and Night (1978, 7.2)
• Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993, 7.5) *****
• The Seventh Seal (1957, 8.2)
• The Chess Players (1977, 7.8)
• The Tournament (2015, 5.5)
• Uncovered (1994)
• Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965, 7.5)
• A Little Game (2014, 6.4)

Finally, if you liked the TV series, Columbo, he solved a chess murder mystery in 1973's Season 2 Episode 7, The Most Dangerous Match.