The accelerated development of young players is a trend which has been evident for years now and is mainly explained by the rapid rise of technology, providing instant access to top games and a new method of preparation through computer-assisted analysis.

via: sport.guardian.co.uk

Okay this has nothing to do with chess and everything to do with how people interact( find) each other through a elctronic medium like the internet. If you like a much more eloquent presentation check out Folksonomies - Cooperative Classification and Communication Through Shared Metadata

The only reason I mention it is at 1000tags.com  they have taken the “tag system ” to a new level. Basically you can get a ” tag” for free as long as you display their tagclouds on your site. If you like you can also claim exclusitivity to your tag - but then it’s going to cost you. ( Since this is america the more you pay the bigger the tag will become.

Think of it as a “million dollar page”  with a free display option and frankly propably much more usefull going forward. Anyhow - now you know why on this side you’ re going to see that” tag cloud ” on the bottom of the page.

The Africans need help, judging from comments by Gary Adams, the National Cotton Council’s vice president of economic and policy analysis, at the NCC’s Beltwide Conferences…

But the real shame about their plight is that they have become pawns in the international chess match being played out in the Doha Development Round negotiations of the WTO — and victims of government officials who siphon off 17 to 18 cents per pound from sales of their cotton.

A good starting point ( if you actually like to go further into that subject )has been given by Mark Weeks  in this weeks ” about chess ” Newsletter.

Where did chess come from? Was it invented by a single person or did it evolve over time? Many eminent chess historians have been fascinated by these questions. While there is considerable controversy over the facts, the most widely accepted scenario is that chess appeared in India around 600 A.D., was adopted in Persia around 700 A.D., and was absorbed by Arab culture around 800 A.D

His mom, Kristi Brown, affectionately calls him the “rule Nazi” because he’ll often blurt out rules that may or may not apply at the time.

She also thinks that chess with it’s rules and structure is a perfect platform  for her son - who can now proudly display his new trophy which happens to be just a little shorter than himself at 4 feet. Kindergarten Chess Champ

Who’s calling the shots? Karl Rove still playing the chess board? You’d think Hillary called the congress, Brokeback Mountain. Chris Matthews sounded as though a hole in the universe had been created

Actually the whole article is “Hillaryous” ( sorry for that pun - intended).