Affirmative Action

My Japanese boss mentioned affirmative action to me during our discussion last evening. We were talking about job prospects and how some countries actually give preferences to certain races, even between candidates of the same nationality/citizenship.

At first I did not catch the word, and when I verified on the word, another colleague of mine who were also sharing the discussion, along with me, did not comment on it. Apparently, this 'Affirmative Action' is a civil rights term which according to answers.com refers to steps that are taken not only to eliminate discrimination—whether in employment, education, or contracting—but also to attempt to redress the effects of past discrimination.

The underlying motive for affirmative action is the principle of equal opportunity, which holds that all persons have the right to equal access to self-development. In other words, persons with equal abilities should have equal opportunities.

Affirmative action programs differ widely in the extent to which they attempt to overturn discrimination. Some programs might simply institute reviews of the hiring process for women, minorities, and other affected groups. Other affirmative action programs might explicitly prefer members of affected groups. In such programs, minimum job requirements are used to create a pool of qualified applicants from which members of affected groups are given preference.

Affirmative actions are usually very controversial, and critics of such policies deem the practices as 'reverse discrimination'.

Ivy League

Today, I met Ivy's children online, and that brought such a smile to my face. Like a light bulb that had been dimmed due to the recent changes and challenges at work... I brightened up like never before for a long time.

I miss them all... children gladden me. There's mutual attraction between most normal children and myself. Maybe because I am like a child myself. I cannot really understand adults half the time. Some adult sensibilities are a little warped, you know.

Of course I do reserve my consistent skepticism with kids because some can be easily bribed and their fancy can sway like a lalang in the wind. Their greatest ability is they are so into having fun, and are such light spirits, while they remain children.

Be they three little angels or three little devils... Danielle, Dominic, and Donovan are the Ivy League in my life. And yes, maybe I do live in a well.

Tournament Tidings

It's been more than two weeks since the 60th GameKnot Tournament kicked off on the 3rd August. I was placed into Advanced Section's Group 31 out of a total of 194 groups (four players in each group.) That's how big the Advanced section is! My fellow contestants in Group 31 are:Churrasca (a Spaniard), Dimokritos (a Greek from Thessaloniki) and Farzane (an Iranian lady from Tehran)

Everyone plays 2 games with everyone else. The point award system is like the old soccer score system wherein a win secures 1 point and a draw is half a point to each side. Only the top scorer in this table will proceed to the 2nd round. My own expectation, just for the records, was to have two to three points : ) out of the 6 games.

Something bad happened. Dimikritos had lost on time to Churrasca in both their games, and I thought that was too easy for Churrasca as he led the table with 2 wins. Yet, soon enough, I received the easy two points too, as Dimikritos lost on time in both games with me as well. Just today he lost on time to Farzane as well. My guess is he had entered in a category too daunting for him.



My games with Churrasca are not going too well, in fact I am about to lose one game to him. A consolation is that I have managed to win a queen in one of the two games with Farzane. For the benefit of those interested in the games (they are live and also available to public) this is where u can see it all.

In any case, I will be back with more updates! Wish me luck. Salut!

Jacqueline Piatigorsky

It is a name that stands out, even as I first read about her and the Piatigorsky Cup that she organised in the U.S. of the 60s. It was the strongest chess tournament back then. Originally meant to be a triennial series of grandmaster tournament, only two events were held, in 1963 and 1966. The prizes were among the largest of any chess tournament up to that time; furthermore, every player was guaranteed a prize and all traveling and living expenses were paid for. To pull such a tournament off, that girl has got to have a passion overwhelming.

Why does this name stand out to me? The name Piatigorsky brings to me the unforgettable vintage recording of the Dvořák Cello Concerto by Gregor Piatigorsky, the great Russian cellist. And of course, that instrument is inextricably associated with Jacqueline du Pré, the English great who married the Argentine pianist Daniel Barenboim.

Henceforth, Jacqueline Piatigorsky is a very special name to me. Both the first and the last names are giants in the world of cello music. It turns out that she does have some links with the cello: for she married none other than Gregor Piatigorsky! What a surprise. And what a blessing. I am tempted to further on how Gregor Piatigorsky's recording of Dvorak had arrested me almost straight away when I first listened; however this is more about her than him: Still I must voice that while Mstislav Rostropovich surely has the reputation, Piatigorsky has the unmistakable substance. Listen to his recital of a happy and lyrical Bourree from Bach's Suites for an Unaccompanied Cello.

Back to her story, Jacqueline Piatigorsky happened to be one of the strongest American women chess champion, peaking at national ranking of second in the 60s. She was also a national tennis champion, as well as a sculpture artist in her late years.

As a note of personal interest, she created an endowment for the New England Conservatory of Music to provide the "New England Conservatory/Piatigorsky Artist Award" in 1985. A recipient of this award receives a cash prize and a series of concert engagements.

Held in L.A., the first Piatigorsky Cup was won by Paul Keres and Tigran Petrosian, both of whom tied at the first place. At Santa Monica, the second cup was won by the then rising king of chess, Boris Spassky. By all accounts, the second Piatigorsky Cup was much more exciting with the involvement of Boris Spassky, as well as the legendary Bobby Fischer. As a side note, Fischer had declined the invitation to the first tournament after his demand for a $2000 appearance fee was refused by the tournament organizers in 1963.

Surely extraordinary is a lady as strong, and gifted and passionate as Jacqueline Piatigorsky was about the endeavors and loves of her life. Without even going into her background, hers was, in my opinion, a pretty illustrious and blessed lifetime.

Latvian Luring

This post is a follow cum wrap up of Midgame Musing which I posted a month ago! Today I woke up to a heavy downpour, but the day was brightened when I saw that my Latvian opponent had conceded a dramatic game. I was vexed before making my 15th move, because I was a piece down against the cool headed tactician from Latvia, an intelligent physics enthusiast at the same time.

Tactical players tend to be aggressive, and Latvia had produced at least one prodigious and inspiring attacking genius: Mikhail Tal. It is silly of course to assume every Latvian is an attacking genius, but sometimes knowledge has a bad psychological effect. I had the choice of either castling king-side and go for a face off in the middle of the park, or make the seductive queen-side castling which would surely attract his attention and aggressiveness. In a non-technical discussion about my options, Layfun couraged me to seduce him, and then crush him... "Oh most pernicious woman!"

Play chess online

I signed off last month's post with "The last (option) is an elaborate plan. Do I have a plan? Yes. I'm down on material and even the game looks bad for me now, so I guess I'll either have to try winning or lose trying."

Here and now, I am happy to say that, I did not lose trying :)

Swiss Stillness

An ongoing game with a Swiss who is a prolific kitbitzer on Chess Games a top notch and extensive database of chess games. This game opened with the Sicilian Najdorf, and had only seen casualty of one pawn from each side, and it seems all is quiet... on the western front. A picture of stillness, and a time of contemplation.



The quietness of the moment is however more like the calm before a brewing storm. Took a little time to make visible the issues, threats and options on hand. I am sure for those who are interested, the considerations are plain with my illustration.



P.S. A kibitzer is a non-participant who hangs around a game, offering (often unwanted) advice or commentary. This is an Yiddish term, and is used in Chess, Go, and many other games. (Wikipedia)

Augustan August

A phallic relic, tall and solid.


A beacon for the navigators of the oceans.


And a memorable holiday destination.