It has been an incredibly hectic but productive week. I believe a lot of progress has been made for the benefits of chess.
Earlier this week, I had a chance to personally meet with Mr. Howard Rubenstein at his office in New York City. He is the founder of one of the biggest and most prestigious Marketing / PR firms in the country. The idea is to convince him to help me promote chess. This is a firm that represents some of the biggest corporations, sport teams and entertainers, etc. He really likes the ideas that I presented to him and I hope many good things will come out of this he decides to be involved. I know this is like shooting for the moon but why not try it?
Other chess related activities include trying to finalize agreements for Internet Video Chess Classes as well as producing a series of affordable and high quality chess Tactics and Endgame stand alone CDs. That means that you do not have to own any other software to use it. The CD set is aimed at complete beginners to masters.
Some of you often asked how I can do so many things and why am I doing this? Well, it started out a few years ago when I approached a number of major chess companies and organizations about my ideas. They basically laughed at me because they do not think my name is marketable (because I am a woman and I do not play chess actively enough) and therefore I would not be able to contribute anything positive for chess. Others would not want to work with me no matter how good my ideas are. Why? Because I refused to pick side and enter the chess political war games.
I was tired of wasting time going around in circles without any progress. Too many people are too busy knocking down ideas and say it would not work instead of trying to figure out how to make chess better and more popular. In the mean time, countless opportunities have been lost and many good people walked away in frustration.
After having doors after doors slammed in my face, I decided to do it myself. I formed a chess marketing and PR firm. Chess investors and inventors started to come. I started to brainstorm with these talented, imaginative and passionate people. No idea is stupid. Every reasonable idea is fully explored.
This was the same way how this blog got started. I was tired of begging editors and reporters to properly report chess news and events. One former USCF Chess Life editor even called me stupid and an uneducated / uninformed female. He said that Chess Life reaches 100,000 people a month and what do I know about chess media. I wonder if he still feels the same now that my blogs and websites reach out to more than 1 million people a month in a faster, more interactive and more informative fashion.
Chess cannot thrive unless new ideas and energy are injected to our sport. It is time for change. I am embarrassed for the sport I love, especially after the Elista fiasco. Many top players made millions thanks to this game. How much time, effort or money have they reinvested back in the sport that made them who they are today?
I want to do something positive and so do countless other people. There are people who want positive changes in every city that I visit. That is why I want to unite people with the same ideals. I think together we can make miracles happen. So if you think that you have great ideas that can help chess, shoot me an email or post a comment. Thank you.
It is Saturday Open Forum, the forum is yours.
Hi Susan thanks for the open forum. I would like to know in the past and even in the present when you play your sisters at casual chess is their a real competitive atmosphere or just very relaxed and just fun.
Also I would like to know with such little time to spare being a single mom and being so heavily invovled in the chess world, how do keep sharp on your own chess and what type of workout do you do to stay in playing shape?
Hi Susan, Thanks for the incredible marketing and promotion work you are doing! I want you to know there are alot of silent visitors to your blog and website and you have our support. I live north of the border in Canada but on a much smaller scale the situation is the same. Like the USCF the national Canadian chess organization (the CFC) has similar problems. However because of the power of the internet many Canadians can follow what you are doing and are doing so with excitement. Keep up the good work!!
Thanks Hans! The Internet gives the chess fans a voice now.
tfk, it is always fun with us. Chess is chess. Family is family.
I performed around 2700 pace in the last 3 events I played in. I keep myself fit physically, mentally and emotionally.
Many people compare my strength to my FIDE rating which is 2577. I think it is a mistake. I do not play in enough tournaments for my rating to reflect true strength.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
Hi Susan,I noticed your strength during the World Championship match with your analysis! I was very impressed! Other annotators gave longer lines of analysis and more variation but your perceptions were quick and accurate and your ability to spot turning points in play were uncanny! I followed your reporting far more than anyone elses!
Hi Susan,
The idea that the spokesperson for the game of chess has to be the world’s number one player is completely FALSE. The best spokesperson for the game needs to be MARKETABLE with the ability to relate to people. You story and you blog are compelling enough to do this.
Learn something from Elista. There was no story there until Topalov’s team brought up the Bathroom situation – then it got headlines.
Interesting also is that Chess itself was not the headline here. The conflict was, just as it was in Fischer-Spassky. People (Fans) can understand conflict and rivalry verses, say, an obscure variation of the Nimzo-Indian. Most people who watch football can’t play the game themselves but they get into the conflict
What you are trying to do is not Chess but Marketing. If you take the time to understand Marketing (the underlying themes) like you do Chess you will have the tools to make this a success.
Bill
Hi Susan,
I’ve followed your blog since the start of Elista this year, and shortly afterward made it my home page. I decided I’d rather start my day with chess than news and emails. I guess I’m trying to say thanks and great job. It’s commendable too think that you keep your blog more quickly up to date than the big .coms!
Chess marketing seems to be the hot topic. I have the answer. Chess in schools. Until an entire generation grows up playing, chess CANNOT catch mainstream minds. Why? The beauty of chess is subtle and complicated. The average person knows not the difference between an amazing check fork discovery and a howler. When a person with no football experience sees a receiver dive and make a spectacular catch, the response is ‘wow, amazing’, whereas that same person looks at a board, dumbfounded, and sees 64 squares and a bunch of funny pieces jumbled together. Allow me to run the risk of sounding like a golden era Soviet…EVERYONE needs to know how to play before chess catches on, in America at least.
Aside from mass education, I think Magnus Carlsen’s talents should be tapped from a marketing perspective. The kid is absolutely brilliant, full of witty personality, and sure to come into his own very soon in the chess world.
Thanks again Susan.
“Chess” shouldn’t feel too embarassed for the Elista fiasco. Danailov was an assmunch, and Topalov too to a lesser extent. Kramnik (and Hensel) came thru with shining colors. They are two gentlemen. Ben Johnson couldn’t destroy sprints and football will survive Zidane’s headbutt.
By far the biggest damage was done to Topalov’s reputation (because hardly anyone will care about Danailov in the chess world).
From the most popular chess player in the world to the most despised. Wonder if Veselin realises this himself. Kramnik on the other hand enjoys more popularity than ever before!
I would like to bring up a totally different subject.
Do you all remember Kasparov playing againt “X3D Fritz”? Which was Deep Fritz 8 under a slightly modified name. That match even made ESPN. The special in that match was that Kasparov didn’t use a real chessboard, but used a special glass and through that he saw a three dimensional virtual chessboard.
People would think that this is a very unique technology, and likely to be very expensive and likely to require a special version of the software. On the contrary.
Anyone, who has a traditional monitor (CRT type), has a nVidia chip based videocard (Geforce series), can have the virtual chessboard for less than hundred bucks. That’s about how much the special glass (LCD stereoglass) costs. No special version of the chessprogram needed. Any program (even non-chess) which uses DirectX, can appear in 3d stereo. The only additional item needed is two drivers, both which is free download from nVidia’s website. These drivers don’t interfere with anything (any normal operation).
How do I know all this? Well, because I have it and I am using it for a long time. The view is spectacular, just as if you would be looking down a real chessboard.
Since I don’t want to create the false impression that I am selling anything, I will not write down from which company one should order a special glass, aka “LCD stereoglass” find it on the internet (on Ebay sometimes even cheaper than retail) or ask me in an email.
Summary what is needed:
1. CRT monitor (the flat LCD monitors are no good)
2. Nvidia chip based video card (like the Geforce series)
3. Computer program using DirectX (Fritz does, I can’t vouch for other chess programs)
4. LCD Stereoglass (wired or wireless, wired is cheaper and in my opinion better). The installation doesn’t even require to open the computer.
5. Two stereo drivers from nvidia website
That’s all.
Gabor
docobgyn@yahoo.com
Susan said
I was tired of begging editors and reporters to properly report chess news and events. One former USCF Chess Life editor even called me stupid and an uneducated / uninformed female. He said that Chess Life reaches 100,000 people a month and what do I know about chess media. I wonder if he still feels the same now that my blogs and websites reach out to more than 1 million people a month in a faster, more interactive and more informative fashion.
Susan I just know how you feel when that happens….
I tried to get our local paper to run a weekly chess column or at least cover the resent world championship (thanks heavens they didn’t after what happened there)…I was told that no one plays that old fashioned game anymore….Here in Hervey Bay Qld Australia the word Chess is almost none existent….but is about to get a rude awakening…by a bunch of 6 to 10 year old kids who are going to demand that chess is played at their school…I’m going to make sure their case is heard…….and try to get a local chess club going.
Susan you can take the credit for inspiring me with what you do with chess for children…for that I thank you
Hello Susan,
I first found your blog back in March. At the time I hadn’t played chess at all in over 13 years. After just over a week of daily visits to your site I started playing again. I don’t think that would have happened without seeing the energy and effort you put into each and every post.
Don’t let anyone try to tell you that you can’t change how people look at chess. I still come here everyday to see what you are doing.
I think it’s past time I thanked you for bringing me back to the game I loved for over 35 years before I left it.
Thank you,
Mike
Dear Susan,
your father did an educational-chess experiment with your family. Where can I find more information about the methods he used?
Susan,
what languages you children speak beside English?
Whoever said that “Polgar” is not a marketable name for chess is on some powerful drugs. “Polgar” is one of the most dominant names in all of chess, behind Kasparov and maybe just one or two others….
‘ “Chess” shouldn’t feel too embarassed for the Elista fiasco. Danailov was an assmunch, and Topalov too to a lesser extent. Kramnik (and Hensel) came thru with shining colors. They are two gentlemen. Ben Johnson couldn’t destroy sprints and football will survive Zidane’s headbutt.’
Nothing for Zidane to be apologetic about. Errors(?) made by everyone…certainly he’s more of a talent and an icon/figure to follow that likes of Beckham…
http://www.zidane.fr/homepage.html
http://www.uipfrance.com/sites/zidane/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zTbD44bxAU&search=zidane%20zizou%20zizu%20zinedine%20best
http://www.youtube.com/w/Zidane-(El-Placer-De-Mira)?v=H9sL_mfrFcw&search=zidane
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/5169342.stm
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-599012856760622842
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1201662820745287204
http://www.footballclips.net/zidaneism
http://youtube.com/watch?v=F3kLPolSEZw
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ewjKdO6H7uo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K4aaQTdAcQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDmdjCndQqw&search=zidane%20zizou%20zizu%20zinedine%20best
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1182707,00.html
Zidane talks about his father with respect and admiration. ‘I’m very inspired by him,’ he tells me. ‘It was my father who taught us that an immigrant must work twice as hard as anybody else, that he must never give up.’
Zidane talks about his own young family with pride. He married Véronique, who is of French-Spanish extraction, in 1992. They met while he was at Cannes and they now have three boys, each with an Italian name. ‘They are all good footballers,’ he says. ‘I would be happy for them to go into the game. But they must work hard first. That is what I have learnt.’
Smaïl did not watch the 1998 World Cup final – he was looking after Zidane’s son Luca – but he declared himself moderately pleased with the goals that his ‘Yazid’ had scored. ‘It was a great thing for us all,’ says Zidane, recalling the patriotic joy that enveloped France after the match. ‘We were a family who had come from nothing and now we had respect from French people of all sorts.’ This was when Zidane mania reached its height in France, when posters, graffiti and rap songs declared ‘Zizou Président’ and the Algerian flag flew alongside the French tricolour on the Champs-Elysées.
The euphoria did not last long. Within days of the famous victory, Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the Front National, was growling in the press about the racial origins of the France team, singling out Zidane for faint praise as ‘a son of French Algeria’. His comment was carefully loaded. The term ‘French Algeria’ is never neutral in the French media: it returns one inevitably to the colonial state that only ended in 1962 after a long and brutal war. The implication was that as ‘a son of French Algeria’, Zidane was either a colonial lackey or a traitor to the country of his father’s birth.
Then one of Le Pen’s henchmen declared that if Zidane was acceptable to the French it was only because his father had been a harki . This Arabic word describes the Algerians who fought for the French during the Algerian war and who were massacred or fled to France in its aftermath. Harkis were the forgotten victims of the colonial war, hated by their own people who saw them as collaborators and despised by the French, who remember them with shame. The insult was calculated to cause damage and hurt, especially in the suburbs such as La Castellane.
One of the most immediate conse quences of this libel was that the friendly match between France and Algeria at the Stade de France in October 2001 proved to be one of the most harrowing moments of Zidane’s career. The event was billed as an historic moment of reconciliation between two nations who could not quite live without each other and who had, since Algerian independence, never met on a football field.
The reality was grotesque. In the lead-up to the match Zidane received death threats. During the game, he was booed and taunted and, he says now, was ‘disconcerted’ by the posters that read ‘Zidane-Harki’. The match was abandoned after a pitch invasion in the second half, with young French Arabs chanting in favour of bin Laden and against the French state. The multicultural adventure launched by the French team of 1998 was in disarray. The far right was on the move.
Zidane’s response was to this fiasco was finally to break his public silence about his father’s identity. ‘I say this once for all time: my father is not a harki ,’ he announced to the press. ‘My father is an Algerian, proud of who he is and I am proud that my father is Algerian. The only important thing I have to say is that my father never fought against his country.’
Since this statement, Zidane has become more comfortable and less defensive about his origins, feeling free to lend his support, in the company of Gérard Depardieu, to a recent campaign against the Front National, or becoming the public face of young immigrant France, the so-called génération Zidane .
As we chat about Algeria, Marseille, music and family, the atmosphere becomes more relaxed; hands are unclasped and Zidane talks with real enthusiasm. ‘I was lucky to come from a difficult area,’ he says. ‘It teaches you not just about football but also life. There were lots of kids from different races and poor families. People had to struggle to get through the day. Music was important. Football was the easy part.’
It’s easier now to imagine Zidane as the precociously talented teenager, nicknamed ‘Yaz’ by his brothers, practising his intricate footballing touches in the gravel of Place de la Tartane, the central square in La Castellane. Yet photographs from this time show an anxious child, eager to please, self-conscious but determined. ‘Yazid was a very modest, humble lad,’ says his childhood pal Doudou. ‘We used to tease him about this. But we also knew if one us would succeed it would be him. He was always very sure of winning.’
One of the theories about Zidane as a player is that he is driven by an inner rage. His football is elegant and masterful, charged with technique and vision. But he can still erupt into shocking violence that is as sudden as it is inexplicable. The most famous examples of this include head butting Jochen Kientz of Hamburg during a Champions League match, when he was at Juventus in 2000 (an action that cost him a five match suspension) and his stomping on the hapless Faoud Amin of Saudi Arabia during the 1998 World Cup finals (this latter action was, strangely enough, widely applauded in the Berber community as Zidane’s revenge on hated Arab ‘extremists’).
Zidane’s first coaches at AS Cannes noticed quickly that he was raw and sensitive, eager to attack spectators who insulted his race or family. The priority of his first coach, Jean Varraud, was to get him to channel his anger and focus more on his game. According to Varraud, Zidane’s first weeks at Cannes were spent mainly on cleaning duty as a punishment for punching an opponent who had mocked his ghetto origins.
By the time he arrived at Juventus, in 1996, he had become known for his self-control and discipline, both on and off the pitch. He had developed these traits during a spell at Bordeaux under Rolland Courbis, a fellow marseillais and one of the craftiest heads in French football. Courbis understood immediately that Zidane was an untamed talent. He described the player’s two years at Bordeaux as a period when he most needed direction. It was at Bordeaux that he acquired the nickname ‘Zizou’ and learnt to keep his emotions under tight control. ‘You could see he was an extraordinary player straight away,’ says Courbis now, ‘but it was a moment in his career when you couldn’t afford to do just anything with him. For example, you couldn’t just give him his head and burn him out in a season.’
And yet in his early days at Juventus, particularly in big matches, some of his temperamental faults would resurface, and there were doubts over his ability to lead from the centre of the pitch. The coming years in Serie A hardened him and it was no accident that during this period he emerged as probably the best midfielder in the world. However the Juventus fans, including the club president Gianni Agnelli, were dazzled by his football but baffled by his reluctance to take advantage of the rewards on offer in Turin – the girls, the nightclubs, the cars. Unlike Michel Platini, who been loved by the Juve fans as much for his flamboyant wit as for his football, Zidane was remote, inscrutable, devoted to his wife, his extended family and his children.
The move to Madrid has helped him to relax and to become more comfortable with his celebrity. ‘I don’t know if we are the best team in the world,’ he says of Madrid, ‘but I know that I am lucky to be playing alongside some of the best players around. It’s a dream.’
He is excited about Euro 2004, especially after the mysterious failure of France in the last World Cup, although he is diffident about the game against England on 13 June. He singles out Beckham for praise (‘he has adapted well to the life here and the game; he is very good indeed’) but is less interested in other aspects of the English game. ‘I have never had the opportunity to play in England, so I know little about it,’ he says. ‘The England team must always be respected. They always fight to the end…’ The voice tails off and the statement is punctuated with a shrug.
In Madrid, where his racial and cultural identity are mostly irrelevant to his fans (although Spaniards can be among the worst anti-Arab racists in Europe), Zidane has found a city in which he claims to feel at ease. ‘It is a Mediterranean city,’ he says, ‘and that is really my culture.’
And yet there is still the same recognisable and palpable tension in his play and in his manner. The difficulty for Zidane, and he admits as much, is that no matter where he goes or what he achieves it is impossible for him to avoid being caught in the vicious crossfire of French racial politics. He has consistently refused, for example, to be associated, even in the most minor way, with the beur culture of reggae, rap and raï, which are the true soundtrack to life in the crowded French suburbs (raï is the hybrid Arabic pop of North Africa), even to the extent of getting his managers to ban the sale of CDs made by local bands from Marseille that celebrated him in music.
Most tellingly, after the 1998 World Cup, Zidane published a book, Mes copains d’abord (My Friends First), with Christophe Dugarry, fellow veteran of Bordeaux and the World Cup squad. Zidane was here more explicit than he had ever been before about what the victory had meant for him and his commu nity: ‘It was for all Algerians who are proud of their flag,’ he said, ‘all those who have made sacrifices for their family but who have never abandoned their own culture.’
No one seemed to notice when this quotation was quietly dropped from the second edition of the book. Nor that, in allowing this to happen, Zidane had committed a minor but telling form of self-betrayal.
Zidane’s occasional violence may well be a product of this internal conflict: the French-Algerian who is for ever suspended between cultures. But it is equally likely that, although in public he presents a serene and smiling face, he is underneath it all every bit the same hard nut he had to be to survive the mean streets of La Castellane. ‘Nobody knows if Zidane is an angel or demon,’ says the rock singer Jean-Louis Murat, who is himself a fan of the player. ‘He smiles like Saint Teresa and grimaces like a serial killer.’
This much had been in evidence at the match I had watched at the Bernabéu the previous evening. For most of the game, Zidane had patrolled the centre of the pitch with his customary authority and flair, tracking the Sevilla midfield with subtle predatory instinct. Just once or twice his nostrils flared and a boot went in harder than it should have done, or a Seville player was snapped in two by a reckless tackle only an inch or two from assault. ‘I may have had a lot of luck in my life, but I still need to find a challenge in the game,’ he says the day after the match.
These are not words that explained or justified his irregular outbursts of violence, but they do suggest that there is much more to Zidane. ‘It’s hard to explain but I have a need to play intensely every day, to fight every match hard,’ he told me. ‘And this desire never to stop fighting is something else I learnt in the place where I grew up. And, for me, the most important thing is that I still know who I am. Every day I think about where I come from and I am still proud to be who I am: first, a Kabyle from La Castellane, then an Algerian from Marseille, and then a Frenchman.’
Respect to ZIZOU
I am a chess fan. I know nothing about football or this zidane whoever he is. I am not interested in football or zidane. I am interested in chess.
this is a chess blog. not a football blog.
Did you get to hear or see Bobby Fischer’s recent interview? What are your thoughts on the chess topics only?
It’s wonderful what you are doing. I for one, am enjoying getting chess news and updates (and fun trivia) from your blogs.
Since you mentioned your frustration with nay-sayers, here is an idea — you are talking to “older” people 🙂 You need to talk to youth for inventions and innovations (at least people who are youthful in spirit).
Another thought — why are USCF tournaments so expensive? It’s a bummer that OTB tournaments require USCF membership. Their tournament entry fees are too high — keeps a lot of kids/parents and college students away. I think they will be replaced by your blog for news, and ICC and FICS for tournaments if they are not willing to change. I sure hope they become redundant.
Anonymous said…
‘ “Chess” shouldn’t feel too embarassed for the Elista fiasco.
absolute poncy crab
aam on ICC insulted the elders with this comment.
Since you mentioned your frustration with nay-sayers, here is an idea — you are talking to “older” people 🙂 You need to talk to youth for inventions and innovations (at least people who are youthful in spirit).
just because your parents suck and also you
Well I think chess needs Corporate sponsorship.. which isn’t any new idea but I think it needs to be done in a way that lets the “intellectualism” of chess rub off on the sponsor. How much publicity did IBM get with Deep Blue? Quite a lot.. There’s no reason chess couldn’t have a “Microsoft Invitational” or what have you, but it might have to occur outside the auspices of both FIDE and USCF. Or any other political body. Here in little old Greenville South Carolina I’m sure a tournament organized for scholastic purposes could get at least $10000 in local sponsorships, and there’s hardly any chess base here. But there’s gotta be value for the sponsorship, and for that to happen there’s gotta be publicity. Maybe chess needs more business people and less politicos…again nothing new there.
Oh and in my experience virtually everyone I talk to is interested in chess, likes to play (they say), and wants to get better, but by and large are afraid to “look stupid”, and so even when I offer free lessons they clam up and won’t even play me. It’s weird. So I don;t think there’s neccesarily even a lack of interest in chess, just that maybe there’s a social stigma in America against it as a “nerd” sport.
Susan, ever consider working with Anand? I think he’s the best male spokesman and I think you are the best woman for the job. I think the two of you could cover some serious ground together.
anonymous said: ” aam on ICC insulted the elders with this comment.”
anon, I was trying to be funny, while making a point.
The objective is to find people who are receptive to new ideas.
Im thinking Chess in a MULTI LEVEL MARKETING. We have many fans that would give a little money to invest in chess. But $1 of a million fans, that is 1 million dollars! That can be used to promote chess and benefit! I just kick off this idea first and let see other idea in, after that I will give my idea. Come on BRAIN STORMING especially if you are marketing people.
Thank you Susan.
I said i had the answer before, but after reading through every one elses blogs, i think i have a new solution. Groundbreaking research. I think if some study proves that chess does something drastic, like make you live longer or improve your memory/make you smarter, it could catch on like wildfire. How many really serious studies have been done by reputed modern institutions? Presumably, not many. Let’s lobby for chess research. I bet what they find will at very least say that chess improves your quality of life, one way or the other.
Marcus Lemmond said… (November 04, 2006 8:29:22 PM)
{
“… in my experience virtually everyone I talk to is interested in chess, likes to play (they say), and wants to get better, but by and large are afraid to ‘look stupid’ …”
}
I agree. I am confident that this worry of “looking stupid” is a BIG reason more chess players stay hidden in their homes, instead of testing their skills in local clubs or tournaments.
This social problem is often traceable to the Openings of traditional “chess1”. Most chess players know how their own openings knowledge is next to zero. They envision playing against someone who knows the openings, who will get an advantage early in the game. That prospect is not fun.
IF chess960 (Fischer Random Chess) were also routinely available at tournaments and clubs, this big openings inhibitor would no longer be there to block many who would otherwise try attending a chess club or tournament.
I have run into dozens of people at work who have chess sets displayed in their office. Yet nearly zero of them participate in tournaments or attend clubs.
If chess960 can someday gain a little foot hold here in the USA, I think it could tap into this huge invisible chess population, in a way that chess1 has failed to.
Gene Milener
http://CastleLong.com/
New review at…
http://chessbooks.nl/elburg104.html
Zidane did nothing wrong with his headbutt, his sister was insulted and decided that honor and principle supersedes the game rules at that moment.
Kramnik did nothing right in Elista. He hid in the toilet and pretended Topalov was the bad guy and he was so innocent.
Hi Susan,
By the following statement you claim that your web site is very popular :
“I wonder if he still feels the same now that my blogs and websites reach out to more than 1 million people a month in a faster, more interactive and more informative fashion.”
I just made a search on google using the keyword “chess” and looked for this site. It did NOT show up in the first 50 entries.
FICS is # 2. ICC is # 4. wikipedia is # 5. us chess federation is #6. chessbase is #7. fide is #13. yahoochess is #18. chesskids is #19 etc.
I think google search with relevant keywords is a very good (if not the best) measure to figure out a website’s popularity.
And it seems like this is not the case for your site.
I hope that you will appreciate the popularity measure tip I have just given.
Sincerely.
I’m a Zidane and a Kramnik fan. One can be a fan of both chess and football.
Someone made correlation between Ben Johnson, Zizou and the Elista shenanigans…hence, my rejoinder not to lump Zizou in with that lot…
Unless, to nick an adage from another sport, “chess isn’t the only thing, it’s everything”
It’s just a blog, mate.
Cheer up…
Susan, your vision is inspiring. I’ve been reading a program called ‘generating genius- creating a culture of creativity'(you can google that!)
Many of your approaches fit this model perfectly.
Anything is possible!
About the google thing :
When you search for ‘chess blog’ this
site is number 3.
Top is (of course) Mig’s daily dirt, and second is the (now closed) chessmind.
anonymous2
whatever happened to Andrei Sokolov!!! haha
susanpolgar said:
I performed around 2700 pace in the last 3 events I played in. I keep myself fit physically, mentally and emotionally.
Many people compare my strength to my FIDE rating which is 2577. I think it is a mistake. I do not play in enough tournaments for my rating to reflect true strength.”
1.)If you play rated events from time to time,why you are not on new FIDE rating list?
2.)If you performed on last 3 events around 2700 mark than your rating should increase from 2577 to about 2600.Will you be on next FIDE rating list?
And if you search for “Susan Polgar” this site is #1.
The point you could not figure out is people search for “chess”, NOT for “chess blog”
Hmmm…Saturday open forum…well good because I have so many questions:
Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?
A stitch in time saves nine what?
After eating, do amphibians have to wait one hour before getting out of the water?
After they make Styrofoam, what do they ship it in?
Are female moths called myths?
Are part-time band leaders semi-conductors?
Are there any unguided missiles?
Are you telling the truth if you lie in bed?
Can heavy-set people go skinny-dipping?
Can you buy an entire chess set in a pawnshop?
Can you get cavities in your dentures if you use too much artificial sweetener?
Could crop-circles be the work of a cereal killer?
Crime doesn’t pay… does that mean my job is a crime?
Did Noah keep his bees in archives?
Do blind dogs have seeing-eye humans?
Do blind Eskimos have seeing-eye sled dogs?
Do boxer shorts box?
Do cemetery workers prefer the graveyard shift?
Do crematoriums give discounts to burn victims?
Do files get embarrassed when they get unzipped?
Do fish get thirsty?
Do hummingbirds hum because they don’t know the words?
Do hungry crows have ravenous appetites?
Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
Do jellyfish get gas from eating jellybeans?
Do mass murderers kill only in church?
Do people in Australia call the rest of the world ‘up over’?
Do pilots take crash-courses?
Do Roman paramedics refer to IV’s as “4’s”?
Do Scottish Terriers get Scotch Tape worms?
Do stars clean themselves with meteor showers?
Do steam rollers really roll steam?
Do television evangelists do more than lay people?
Do vampires get AIDS?
Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?
Do witches run spell checkers?
Do you need a silencer if you are going to shoot a mime?
Does a man-eating shark eat women, too?
Does killing time damage eternity?
Does that screwdriver belong to Phillip?
Does the Little Mermaid wear an algebra?
Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?
Have you ever seen a toad on a toadstool?
Have you ever talked into an acoustic modem?
Have you ever wondered?
How can someone “draw a blank”?
How can there be self-help “groups”?
How can you tell when it is time to tune your bagpipes?
How come wrong numbers are never busy?
How dead is the Dead Sea?
How did a fool and his money get together?
How did the man who invented cottage cheese know he was done?
How do I set my laser printer on stun?
How do they get a deer to cross at that yellow road sign?
How do they get the “Keep off the Grass” sign on the grass?
How do you get off a nonstop flight?
How do you know if honesty is the best policy unless you’ve tried some of the others?
How do you know when you’ve run out of invisible ink?
How do you throw away a garbage can?
How do you write zero in Roman numerals?
How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?
How is it possible to have a “civil” war?
How is it possible to run out of space?
How long is the long arm of the law?
How many people does it take to change a searchlight bulb?
How many weeks are there in a light year?
How much can I get away with and still go to heaven?
How much milk is there in the Milky Way?
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you was?
If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?
If a candle factory burns down, does everyone just stand around and sing “Happy Birthday?”
If a fly has no wings would you call him a walk?
If a food processor slices and dices food, what does a word processor do?
If a jogger runs at the speed of sound, can he still hear his Walkman?
If a mime commits suicide, does he use a silencer?
If a mirror reverses right and left, why doesn’t it reverse up and down?
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a picture of a thousand words worth?
If a pig is sold to the pawn shop, is it a ham-hock?
If a pronoun is a word used in place of a noun, is a proverb a word used in place of a verb?
If a tree falls in the forest, does the earth scream out in pain?
If a turtle doesn’t have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
If a word in the dictionary were misspelled, how would we know?
If absolute power corrupts absolutely, does absolute powerlessness make you pure?
If all the nations in the world are in debt, where did all the money go?
If all the world is a stage, where are the audience sitting?
If an orange is orange, why isn’t a lime called a green, and a lemon called a yellow?
If athletes get athlete’s foot, do astronauts get mistletoe?
If Barbie’s so popular, why do you have to buy all her friends?
If blind people wear dark glasses, why don’t deaf people wear earmuffs?
If cats and dog didn’t have fur would we still pet them?
If corn can’t hear, why does it have an ear?
If corn oil is made from corn, what is baby oil made from?
If crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight?
If everything is part of a whole, what is the whole part of?
If flowers don’t talk back to you, are they mums?
If God can do anything, can he make a rock so big he can’t lift it?
If God dropped acid, would he see people?
If humans get a charley horse, what do horses get?
If humans have nightmares, what do horses have?
If I melt dry ice, can I take a bath without getting wet?
If I save time, when do I get it back?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
If man evolved from apes why do we still have apes?
If nothing ever sticks to TEFLON, how do they make TEFLON stick to the pan?
If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too?
If our knees were on the backs of our legs, what would chairs look like?
If peanut butter cookies are made from peanut butter, then what are Girl Scout cookies made out of?
If rabbits’ feet are so lucky, then what happened to the rabbit?
If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?
If space is a vacuum, who changes the bags?
If Superman is so smart why does he wear his underpants over his trousers?
If swimming is good for your shape, then why do the whales look like the way they do?
If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?
If the funeral procession is at night, do folks drive with their lights off?
If the product says “Do not use if seal is broken”, how are you supposed to open it and use it?
If time heals all wounds, how come bellybuttons don’t fill in?
If tin whistles are made out of tin, what do they make fog horns out of?
If white wine goes with fish, do white grapes go with sushi?
If work is so terrific, how come they have to pay you to do it?
If you ate pasta and antipasta, would you still be hungry?
If you can wave a fan, and you can wave a club, can you wave a fan club?
If you can’t drink and drive, why do bars have parking lots?
If you didn’t get caught, did you really do it?
If you get into a taxi cab, and ask the driver to drive backwards to your destination, will the cab driver owe you money?
If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?
If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?
If you tell a joke in the forest, but nobody laughs, was it a joke?
If you throw a cat out a car window, does it become kitty litter?
If you tied buttered toast to the back of a cat and dropped it from a height, what would happen?
If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
If you’re born again, do you have two bellybuttons?
If your car says Dodge on the front of it, do you really need a horn?
If you’re a kleptomaniac, is there something you can take for it?
If you’re in a vehicle going the speed of light, what happens when you turn on the headlights?
In court, why do they ask if you swear to tell the truth? If you’re planning on lying, do they really think you’ll tell them so?
Instead of wasting time hunting and cooking, why don’t hunters just use flame-throwers?
Is a halfback more valuable than a quarterback?
Is a sleeping bull a bull-dozer?
Is a small pig called a hamlet?
Is an oxymoron a really dumb bovine?
Is drilling for oil boring?
Is it OK to use the AM radio after noon?
Is the nose the scenter of the face?
Now that Microsoft is so big, should it be called Macrosoft?
I believe chess has never been
bigger in America than it is today.
“Searching For Bobby Fischer” movie, “Knights of the South Bronx”
movie on cable TV, record atten-
dance at scholastic chess events.
Grandmasters at younger ages than
ever before. Team chess leagues. Incredibly sophisticated computers. What’s not to like?
However, chess could be even more
popular. I think we need at least
3 more ideas:
1) Chess on TV (ESPN) on a regular
basis.
2) An American world champion –
to raise awareness of chess to even
higher levels.
3) An enforceable code of conduct
at world championship matches, the
violation of which would bring
serious sanctions against the
offending player(s).
ejm
Hi Susan!
Your vision to spreading the passion for chess in a wider arena is not just an excellent idea but truly commendable as well. I can imagine what you’ve gone through when you were just starting. Girlpower isn’t just accepted completely in our society 🙂
To strategize your concept, first, money and funding should be available for initial investment purposes.
Second, apply the methodologies used by telecom companies. With money on hand, ‘expand coverage’ by installing satellite centers on various locations, in this case, it could be in the form of chess clubs in schools, private and public companies, and communities.
Third, don’t forget to advertise! Create a tagline (Y’know, when somebody says “Connecting people”, surely he’s referring to Nokia. Get a figurehead i.e. former/current chess champions (world or per geographic location). They gotta be good ambassadors!
But because of some organizational complexity in the chess world, how do you intend to go full blast if Fide is there and with the just-concluded unification match a success on the part of Fide? What kind of relationship you want to cement with these guys. Partnership, alliance, support or would you prefer to go independent? I believe, Fide wants to popularize chess also that’s why they got interested to ‘bringing back the crown.”
This will definitely have an effect on your program. Either you co-exist or you’ll remain as Little Red Riding Hood of the chess universe.
I hope this helps. On a personal note, I haven’t played chess for a decade now, but the idea for its growth has been a dream of mine also. But what can I do, I’ve got no chess recognition/trophy to show.
So, go girl and grab that microphone and be heard! More power!
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