Corpse Party (film)

 is a 2015 Japanese horror film directed by Masafumi Yamada and starring Ikoma Rina, Ikeoka Ryōsuke, and Maeda Nozomi. The film is based on the "Corpse Party" video game series. It was released in Japan on August 1, 2015. A sequel, "Corpse Party Book of Shadows" was released on July 30, 2016.
Plot.
Facing graduation, Naomi Nakashima, her childhood friend Satoshi Mochida, and their classmates; Seiko Shinohara, Yoshiki Kishinuma, Sakutaro Morishige, and Mayu Suzumoto are clearing up after their last cultural festival, when class representative Ayumi Shinozaki decides to perform a charm called "Sachiko Ever After" using paper slips so they will all stay friends forever. Their teacher, Yui Shishido, comes in with Satoshi's little sister Yuka, and everyone performs the ritual but are swallowed away to a different dimension. They find themselves at Tenjin Elementary School, forced to close years ago after a series of gruesome murders.
They read newspaper articles detailing a killer of two children, Yuki, Ryou, and a third, a girl in a red dress, Sachiko, gone missing. A man with a hammer, Yoshikazu, kills Yui. Naomi twists her ankle and Yuka disappears after an argument with Naomi. Ayumi and Yoshiki witness Yuki and Ryou's ghosts killing Mayu, and Naomi finds Seiko hanged. Yoshikazu kills an insane Sakutaro. Ayumi and Yoshiki discover a video cassette and a jar of severed tongues, belonging to the children. The video was recorded by famous spiritualist Kou Kibiki, showing him and his assistant exploring the school before facing their demise at the hands of the spirits. In the video, Kou explains that to return home, the school's curse must be lifted and they need their original paper slips. Naomi thinks she has lost her slip, but Ayumi actually has it, jealous because of Naomi's close relationship with Satoshi, whom Ayumi likes. She gives Naomi a fake slip and secretly burns her real one. Ayumi returns Yuki and Ryou their severed tongues, restoring their sanity. Yuki shows Ayumi a vision, revealing that their murderer is actually Sachiko.
Satoshi's little sister is murdered by Sachiko, and Yoshiki sacrifices himself to protect the others. Naomi discovers Seiko's true death when looking at Kou's ghost capture cameras: Naomi was possessed by Sachiko and killed Seiko. She breaks down at this but Seiko's spirit comforts her. Naomi rushes to protect Satoshi from Sachiko and sees a vision: Sachiko's mother, Yoshie, the school's nurse, was pushed down the stairs by Takamine, the principal. She broke her neck, and her daughter Sachiko, who witnessed the incident, was strangled by Takamine. He hid her body and cut out her tongue; this began the curse.
Naomi, Ayumi, and Satoshi uncover Sachiko's body. Sachiko attacks them; they try to convince her that her mother doesn't want her killing anyone but Sachiko doesn't believe them until Naomi reveals her mother's pendant, which she had found. Sachiko calms and her mother embraces her, ending the curse. With the school collapsing, the trio proceed with the reverse ritual. Naomi and Ayumi make it back home but discover they are each holding Satoshi's severed arms; he had seen Ayumi give Naomi a fake slip and took it from Naomi, giving her his real one and using the fake one himself.
In a post-credits scene, Naomi is in her room, gazing at Sachiko.
Sequel.
A sequel was announced in January 2016. "Corpse Party Book of Shadows" was released on July 30, 2016.


Taskmaster (TV series)

Taskmaster is a British comedy panel game show created by comedian and musician Alex Horne and presented by both Horne and Greg Davies. In the programme, a group of five celebritiesmainly comediansattempt to complete a series of challenges, with Horne acting as umpire in each challenge, and Davies judging the work and awarding points based on contestants' performances. The concept for the programme was first created by Horne for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010; he later secured a deal with Dave to adapt it for television, with the first episode premiering in 2015. After the ninth series in 2019, the programme was acquired by Channel 4, who commissioned six new series to be broadcast over the following three years.
"Taskmaster" proved a success on British television, spawning a tie-in book and board game, and leading to the creation of international versions of the programme in Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the United States, and New Zealand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Horne hosted #HomeTasking, a series of tasks for people to film in their own homes; for each task, a montage of attempts was posted on YouTube that featured Davies awarding points to his favourite entries.
History.
"Taskmaster" was the brainchild of comedian Alex Horne, whose idea was inspired by several factors: "The Crystal Maze"; his work for "Big Brother"; and his jealousy of Tim Key, a close friend, for winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2009. The original concept of the programme took place over the course of two years. In 2009, 20 comedians, including Stuart Goldsmith, Josie Long, Mark Watson, Tim Key, Joe Wilkinson and Mike Wozniak, received monthly tasks by email over the course of a year stipulating a variety of tasks. Horne then presented their efforts as part of a two-hour show, titled "The Taskmaster", at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, focused on demonstrating the differing attempts by the contestants before revealing who won based on their performances. Mike Wozniak won the first Taskmaster competition. In 2011, Horne conducted another stage show, titled "Taskmaster II", with ten contestants tackling tasks.
Both stage shows proved a success with their audiences, leading Horne to recruit production company Avalon to help produce an adaptation of his concept for television, before pitching his idea to several different broadcasters. British television channel Dave took interest in the idea and bought the rights to it, with comedian Greg Davies recruited to help present the programme alongside Horne. However, the channel's Deputy Director of Commissioning at the time, Hilary Rosen, was concerned with the structure of the show. Horne assured Rosen that the programme was not like a traditional panel show, but "more like a sitcom", to account for the involvement of the same group of contestants who would appear across a series. Another problem with the format of Horne's concept was that shooting a traditional pilot became implausible, despite studio segments having no issues being tested. One plan for the programme was for Davies to use a cane with a golden "T" on the base, but this was later dropped. The pilot premiered on 19 September 2014, and proved a success with viewers. After the pilot was aired, a series of six episodes was commissioned, though was intended to be shown in any order. However, Rosen later determined the show should be arranged in an order, pointing out that "this was a show you record and transmit in the same order". The first series proved a success that led to additional series being commissioned over the course of five years; the involvement of comedian Frank Skinner as a contestant in the first series, at Horne's request, also helped to entice other comedians to take part in the programme.
In November 2019, rumours that "Taskmaster" was being moved to another channel were later confirmed by Channel 4, who had secured the rights to the programme, renewing it for six series over the course of three years.
Format.
"Taskmaster" is a comedic game show, in which a group of five contestants—mainly comedians, but sometimes including other well-known television personalities—compete against each other by completing tasks assigned to them. In each episode, contestants are shown tackling a series of tasks, supervised and sometimes assisted by Horne; and Davies then judges each contestant's performance in each task to determine how many points they receive (up to a maximum of five). The contestant with the highest score in each episode wins a collection of prizes submitted by the contestants themselves as one of the tasks; the one with the highest cumulative score at the end of a series wins a trophy.
Tasks given to contestants range from simple physical challenges, such as "eat as much watermelon as you can in one minute", to more complex or artistic tasks. Some tasks may be timed, consist of multiple stages, or both. In some cases, contestants conduct tasks as a team with one or two other contestants; in such cases all members of a team receive the same score. To complete tasks, contestants often have to apply a level of logic, creativity, or lateral thinking in order to achieve the end goal. Contestants can be disqualified and awarded no points for a task if they fail to achieve the task's objective, inadvertently break one of the task's rules, or are found to have intentionally cheated. Occasionally, for comedic effect, prank tasks are given to one contestant alone, who is led to believe the others are performing the same task; Davies sometimes awards bonus points for good performance on these.
Tasks are mostly pre-recorded before an episode's broadcast; the majority are usually conducted in or around the Taskmaster house, a former groundskeepers' cottage located on the outskirts of a golf course in Dukes Meadows, Chiswick. Two tasks are usually conducted during studio segments: an introductory Prize task, in which each contestant supplies an object they possess that conforms to a set theme, all of which will be awarded to the winner of the episode; and a final "Live" task, which the contestants perform onstage in the studio. In the event of a tie in the top score at the end of the episode, either a pre-recorded tiebreaker task between the tied contestants is shown, or a quick live task is performed to determine the winner.
Production.
Tasks are filmed with each contestant separately in a house in Chiswick, London. However, Alex Horne's initial plan was to carry out the tasks in the comedians' houses, saying in an interview: "I didn't realise how impractical that would be both in terms of cost – and their lives." Filming tasks takes roughly one day per contestant per episode, filming around eight tasks a day, with each day of filming spread out across several months. Before the studio filming, contestants are forbidden to discuss their tasks and are not shown any footage from the tasks, so that studio reactions are genuine.
Horne designs the tasks to avoid the need for any specialist equipment, so that "people at home [are] able to do the same things". Initially, they planned to have Horne show the right way to complete the task after showing the contestants' attempts, but this was abandoned as "it supposed there was a right way". He also notes that some tasks in the first series involved the general public, but later series avoided this in order to prevent coming across as a "prank show". Some tasks are vetoed by producers for pragmatic reasons, such as "paint the biggest thing red". Others do not turn out as expected, such as "burst all these bubbles [on a massive roll of bubble wrap] – fastest wins", which had been attempted in three different series but not shown in any of them, as "it always ends with people jumping on it for hours".
When asked why he did not present the show, Horne has said that "that was never the plan [...] My role as sidekick is to be sneaky and you can run it from the sides in a really funny way." Horne and Greg Davies had never worked together before "Taskmaster"; Davies was chosen "because of his authority," Horne says in an interview. He adds that in the pilot, Davies acted as a "dictator figure cross with everyone," but his tone in the show is more relaxed, as "if someone doesn't do something well we really enjoy it so he can be himself."
The series director for "Taskmaster" is Andy Devonshire, who was previously series director on "The Apprentice" and the BBC versions of "The Great British Bake Off." Peter Orton was director for three episodes in 2016. Production designer James Dillion is responsible for the studio and filming locations as well as the caravan featured from series four onwards, having been past known for designing the original set for "The Crystal Maze". The show's theme music was written and performed by The Horne Section, a jazz band led by Horne.
Episodes.
Series 1 (2015).
The first series was aired during 2015 on Dave for six episodes, between 28 July to 1 September. The contestants for this series were Frank Skinner, Josh Widdicombe, Roisin Conaty, Romesh Ranganathan and Tim Key, with the series' overall winner being Widdicombe – both Skinner and Ranganathan tied as runner-ups, Key placed fourth, and Conaty finished in last place. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 420,000 viewers. Following his participation, Key later went on to provide assistance with production of the programme in future series.
Series 2 (2016).
The second series was broadcast during 2016 for five episodes, between 21 June to 19 July. This series started the tradition of awarding a golden trophy of Greg Davies' head, unlike the previous season's prize, won by Josh Widdicombe, which had been a generic sports trophy. The contestants for this series were Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Jon Richardson, Katherine Ryan and Richard Osman, with the series' overall winner being Ryan – Richardson ended as the runner-up, Osman placed 3rd, Brown placed 4th, and Wilkinson finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 710,000 viewers.
Previous contestant Josh Widdicombe appeared in episode 3 to aid Osman and Richardson in a team task.
Series 3 (2016).
The third series was broadcast during 2016 for five episodes, between 4 October to 1 November; it was initially planned for 2017, but was aired earlier due to improved viewing figures for the programme after the second series. The contestants for this series were Al Murray, Dave Gorman, Paul Chowdhry, Rob Beckett and Sara Pascoe, with the series' overall winner being Beckett – Gorman ended as the runner-up, Murray placed 3rd, Pascoe placed 4th, and Chowdhry finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 930,000 viewers.
Broadcaster and writer Ben Fogle made a cameo appearance in episode 5 due to coincidentally being in the same location during filming of a task.
Series 4 (2017).
The fourth series was broadcast during 2017 for eight episodes, between 25 April to 13 June. The contestants for this series were Hugh Dennis, Joe Lycett, Lolly Adefope, Mel Giedroyc and Noel Fielding, with the series' overall winner being Fielding – Lycett ended as the runner-up, Giedroyc placed 3rd, Dennis placed 4th, and Adefope finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 800,000 viewers.
Former series 3 contestant Al Murray made a cameo in episode 3.
Series 5 (2017).
The fifth series was broadcast during 2017 for eight episodes, between 13 September to 1 November. The contestants for this series were Aisling Bea, Bob Mortimer, Mark Watson, Nish Kumar and Sally Phillips, with the series' overall winner being Mortimer – both Watson and Phillips tied as the runner-up, Bea placed 4th, and Kumar finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 700,000 viewers.
Champion of Champions (2017).
In September 2017, a two-part special titled "Champion of Champions" was announced, aimed at putting the first five winners – Josh Widdicombe, Katherine Ryan, Rob Beckett, Noel Fielding and Bob Mortimer - for a series of new tasks, with the winner receiving a life-size trophy based on Davies' headless body – designed to attach the winner's trophy from their series on the neck. The special, which featured no team tasks, was aired later that year: the first part on 13 December; and the second part a week later, on 20 December.
The special's overall winner was Widdicombe – Beckett ended as the runner-up, Ryan placed 3rd, Fielding placed 4th, and Mortimer finished last. During its broadcast, the special averaged over 800,000 viewers.
Series 6 (2018).
The sixth series was broadcast during 2018 for ten episodes, between 2 May to 4 July. The contestants for this series were Alice Levine, Asim Chaudhry, Liza Tarbuck, Russell Howard and Tim Vine, with the series' overall winner being Tarbuck – Vine ended as the runner-up, Howard placed 3rd, Chaudhry placed 4th, and Levine finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 810,000 viewers.
Series 7 (2018).
The seventh series was broadcast during 2018 for ten episodes, between 5 September to 7 November. The contestants for this series were James Acaster, Jessica Knappett, Kerry Godliman, Phil Wang and Rhod Gilbert, with the series' overall winner being Godliman – Knappett ended as the runner-up, Gilbert placed 3rd, Acaster placed 4th, and Wang finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 1.2 million viewers.
Previous contestant Richard Osman appeared in episode 5 as part of Acaster's attempt at a task.
Series 8 (2019).
The eighth series was broadcast during 2019 for ten episodes, between 8 May to 10 July. The contestants for this series were Iain Stirling, Joe Thomas, Lou Sanders, Paul Sinha and Sian Gibson, with the series' overall winner being Sanders – Stirling ended as the runner-up, Thomas placed 3rd, Gibson placed 4th, and Sinha finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 1.36 million viewers, the highest viewed series of the programme during its time on Dave.
Series 9 (2019).
The ninth series was broadcast during 2019 for ten episodes, between 4 September to 6 November, and was the last series to be aired on Dave, before its move to another network the following year. The contestants for this series were David Baddiel, Ed Gamble, Jo Brand, Katy Wix and Rose Matafeo; due to illness, Wix was unable to attend filming of the studio segments for the fifth and sixth episodes, leading to former contestants Kerry Godliman and Katherine Ryan each standing in for these periods respectively. The series' overall winner was Gamble – Matafeo ended as the runner-up, Wix placed 3rd, Brand placed 4th, and Baddiel finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 1.33 million viewers.
Series 10 (2020).
The tenth series consisted of ten episodes and was the first series to be broadcast on Channel 4, broadcast between 15 October and 17 December 2020. Production on the series was impacted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and was therefore the first to be filmed without a studio audience. The majority of the tasks had been filmed prior to UK going into lockdown, but some team tasks were modified to follow social distancing. The panellists were Daisy May Cooper, Johnny Vegas, Katherine Parkinson, Mawaan Rizwan and Richard Herring.
For most team tasks, the team of three was made up of Vegas, Parkinson and Rizwan and the team of two was made up of Cooper and Herring, although these teams changed at some of the live tasks.
Herring was the overall winner, with Cooper as runner-up, Rizwan in 3rd, Vegas in 4th and Parkinson finishing last.
During its broadcast, the series averaged over 2.83 million viewers, an improvement on previous figures as a result of its move to a channel with a broader audience.
New Year Treat (2021).
A one-off festive special of "Taskmaster" was announced following the tenth series, and aired on 1 January 2021 under the title "Taskmaster's New Year Treat". The special consisted of one episode and there were no team tasks. The special's contestants were John Hannah, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Nicola Coughlan, Rylan Clark-Neal and Shirley Ballas.
Ballas was the overall winner, with Clark-Neal as runner-up, Guru-Murthy in 3rd, and Coughlan and Hannah tied last.
Series 11 (2021).
The eleventh series was broadcast during 2021 with the usual ten-episode format, from 18 March to 20 May, and the contestants for that series were Charlotte Ritchie, Jamali Maddix, Lee Mack, Mike Wozniak and Sarah Kendall.
For team tasks in this series, the team of three is made up of Ritchie, Maddix and Kendall and the team of two is made up of Mack and Wozniak.
Kendall was the overall winner, with Wozniak as runner-up, Mack in 3rd, Maddix in 4th, and Ritchie finishing last.
As Britain was still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and maintaining strict social distancing guidelines, filming was done in compliance with these, with virtual audiences allowed to watch complete footage and their laughter tracks recorded for the final edit of an episode before it is broadcast.
Series 12 (2021).
The contestants for the twelfth season was announced on 20 May 2021. The line-up includes Alan Davies, Desiree Burch, Guz Khan, Morgana Robinson and Victoria Coren Mitchell. According to Horne, it will air in September 2021.
Champion of Champions II (2021).
On 17 December 2020, Avalon announced that "Taskmaster" would have a second "Champions of Champions" special for 2021, featuring the winners from series 6–10 Liza Tarbuck, Kerry Godliman, Lou Sanders, Ed Gamble and Richard Herring.
Franchise.
International versions of the programme have been made in Belgium (as "Het Grootste Licht") [literally The Greatest Light, but meaning The Brightest Bulb], Sweden (as "Bäst i Test") [Best in Test], Norway (as "Kongen befaler") [The King Commands] and Spain (as "Dicho y hecho") [Said and Done]. In Denmark the programme is titled "Stormester" [Grandmaster] and premiered on 25 August 2018. In April 2017, a US version with Reggie Watts as the Taskmaster and Horne as the assistant was announced, made by Avalon, the same production company for the UK version and originally aired on Comedy Central on 27 April 2018. A German version featuring Atze Schröder as the Taskmaster was commissioned by RTL in 2017; two episodes were recorded but not broadcast. In 2019 it was announced a New Zealand version would be produced, hosted by Jeremy Wells and Paul Williams. This was broadcast in 2020. Finnish network MTV3 aired a local version "Suurmestari" [Grandmaster] starting on 12 April 2020.
International.
The show is also broadcast in Belgium, Iceland, Sweden, South Africa, Norway, Finland, Australia, Denmark, New Zealand and Portugal. On 26 April 2021 a single episode of the spin-off Challengemaster will be live streamed in Belgium.
In Australia, SBS Viceland started to air "Taskmaster" episodes on 27 July 2020. The episodes are available on SBS on Demand.
In the United States, The CW acquired series 8 and 9 of "Taskmaster" for a late-Summer run premiering on 2 August 2020. However, the series opened to extremely low viewership (in comparison to the Canadian import, "Fridge Wars", which premiered the same day), and was consequently pulled from the network's schedule on 5 August. The CW added the entirety of Series 8 to its "CW Seed" streaming library on 10 August.
Related media.
Book.
A tie-in book, "Taskmaster — 200 Extraordinary Tasks for Ordinary People", was written by Alex Horne and published by Penguin Random House on 6 September 2018.
Task 185 in the book provided the latitude and longitude of a Buckinghamshire park, with instructions to meet there at midday on 14 September 2019 for a picnic and Taskmaster tour. The event was attended by around 1800 people with Horne himself present to show attendees filming locations from the show.
In September 2019, a paperback edition was published, with 20 new tasks. As well as writing additional tasks, Horne removed the expiration date of 31 December 2019 where it appeared, and replaced tasks that had a set completion date.
Board game.
The board game "Taskmaster" was released in autumn 2019, initially selling out. It contains 200 task cards, along with secret tasks that individual players must perform, and video tasks featuring Alex Horne.
#HomeTasking.
From March to June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of lockdown in the UK, Alex Horne organised a series of tasks in the style of "Taskmaster" for the public to perform and record in their own homes. Entries were submitted on Twitter and compilation videos, including scoring of the ten best entries by Greg Davies, were published by the Taskmaster YouTube channel. The first task was "Throw a piece of A4 paper into a bin. Most spectacular throw wins." There were 20 tasks in total.
A new series of Hometasking, started during another lockdown in the UK, began on January 14, 2021, featuring tasks previously performed on the TV show.
Podcast.
On 15 October 2020, an official podcast began. It is hosted by Ed Gamble, the winner of Series 9, who comments on each featured episode with a special guest. Initially it focussed on Series 10, with each podcast released immediately after each "Taskmaster" episode was broadcast. Episode 12 of the podcast focused on the 2021 "New Year Treat", and then from episode 13 onwards it returned to the very beginning starting with "Taskmaster" Series 1 Episode 1.
Podcast episodes:
Reception.
Critical reception.
Andrew Billen of "The Times" gave a five star review of the show's first episode, "Melon Buffet", calling it "funny, revealing, and glorious" and comparing it to "The Generation Game". In another review of the first episode, Filipa Jodelka of "The Guardian" describes "Taskmaster" as a panel show with an "edgy parlour-game twist". Jodelka praises the "molten-hot banter" between contestants and Davies, and compares the arbitrary awarding of points to "QI" and "Numberwang". Also reviewing "Melon Buffet", Ellen Jones of "The Independent" praised the show as entertaining despite its "informal and cheap-looking" style.
Wesley Mead of "Den of Geek" wrote a positive review in 2016, praising the show as the "crowning jewel" of original programming on Dave, and approving of the design of the tasks and the range of approaches that contestants demonstrate. Mead believed that the second series was an improvement on the first, but criticised that the first three series had only one female contestant apiece.


Runaround (British game show)

Runaround was produced by Southern Television for the ITV network between 2 September 1975 and 7 September 1981. It was much more successful than the original American version. The original host was comedian Mike Reid. In 1977 his place was taken by Leslie Crowther and Stan Boardman, before Reid returned in 1978. The ball in tube scoring was copied from the US version but with two colours; red worth one point for a correct answer and yellow worth two points for being the only contestant to choose the right answer (this was reversed in later series). Metal Mickey made his screen debut on the British version of the show after being discovered by the show's in-vision researcher, Tim Edmunds. The series ended when Southern Television's franchise ended at the end of 1981. The game was also incorporated into the two seasons of the short-lived ITV Saturday morning show "Saturday Banana" hosted by Bill Oddie from 1978.
A spin-off entitled "Poparound" was produced by Central and aired between 19 June 1985 and 4 June 1986 with Gary Crowley as the host.


Arcade Classic

Arcade Classic is a series of five compilations of arcade games for Game Boy released in 1995. The first four were published by Nintendo, while the fifth was developed and published by Black Pearl Software. Each cartridge includes two games.


Ruy Lopez, Tarrasch Trap

Tarrasch Trap refers to two different chess opening traps in the Ruy Lopez that are named for Siegbert Tarrasch. Unlike many variations that appear only in analysis, Tarrasch actually sprung his traps against masters in tournament games.
Tarrasch Trap in the Open Variation.
Two masters actually fell for this trap against Tarrasch: Johannes Zukertort at Frankfurt in 1887 and Isidor Gunsberg at Manchester in 1890.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4
6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Re1 0-0 11. Nd4 Qd7 (see diagram)
12. Nxe6
Tarrasch Trap in the Steinitz Variation.
The second Tarrasch Trap, sometimes referred to as the Dresden Trap, occurs in the Steinitz Variation. Tarrasch published analysis of this trap in 1891, but 18 months later Georg Marco fell into it in Tarrasch versus Marco, Dresden 1892. Tarrasch spent just five minutes thinking during the entire game.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6
4. d4 Bd7
5. Nc3 Nf6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. Re1 (see diagram)
7... 0-0? 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Qxd8 Raxd8 11. Nxe5
11... Bxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4
13. Nd3 f5
14. f3 Bc5+?!
15. Nxc5 Nxc5 16. Bg5 Rd5 17. Be7 Re8 18. c4 1–0
References.
Bibliography


Banzai Bug

Banzai Bug is a 1996 video game developed by American studio Gravity and published by Grolier for Microsoft Windows.
Gameplay.
"Banzai Bug" is a game in which the player controls Banzai Bug, to escape the house of an exterminator.
Reception.
"Next Generation" reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that ""Banzai Bug" is a cute game that is deceptively deep. While it has clearly been aimed and marketed toward a younger audience, many missions are very reminiscent of "X-Wing"."


Jungle Run

Jungle Run is a British children's television adventure series and it was aired on CITV as part of the ITV network from 10 September 1999 to 29 November 2006. It was a game show similar to shows such as "Fort Boyard" and "The Crystal Maze". The show has had three presenters, referred to as the "Jungle Guide": Dominic Wood from 1999 to 2000, Chris Jarvis from 2001 to 2002 and Michael Underwood from 2003 to 2006. It was recorded at the disused air base, RAF Newton, near Nottingham.
Format.
A team of children come upon a mythical jungle ruled by the Jungle King, where the goal is to win treasure from the Temple of the Jungle King. On their way they compete in 5 challenges (3 or 4 in celebrity editions) to win time inside the temple to better their chance of winning the top prize. In the first 2 series, bananas win them time in the final challenge. However, from series 3 onward, these are replaced with silver monkey statues, each one giving them 10 seconds in the final challenge. There was also one golden banana worth 50 bananas, later replaced with a Ruby monkey worth 20 seconds, in each episode, with the total amount of possible time standing at 3:20.
Gameplay.
Challenges took place in a variety of locations. Some were swamps or waterfalls; others were obstacle courses or mazes, and some were just places out in the open. The same location could be used for multiple challenges, but each task could only be played in one place.
Usually, 100 bananas or four to five statues were available in each of the challenges. Occasionally, members of the team could be trapped by running out of time in an obstacle course or failing to complete a game involving cages; the rest of the team would then decide if they wanted to forfeit 50 bananas/one (later two) statues to release them, or leave without them and lose no time. If multiple team members are trapped in the same game, one team member can be released for free while each additional team member must be bought out to be released. In some games, Sid and Elvis (a pair of monkeys loyal to the jungle king) would try to distract contestants by throwing coconuts or other objects in their direction.
Games took approximately two to three minutes each, and included challenges such as:
The Temple of the Jungle King.
The final challenge involves contestants making their way through the Temple of the Jungle King, their time inside depending on the number of bananas/statues collected. Inside the temple is a series of rooms each containing a large monkey statue. Once the challenge in each chamber is completed, the door to the next room opens. In series 1–2, teams would only win one prize based on the chamber they advanced to, but following this, teams won one prize per chamber completed. There were four challenges and one statue for each chamber: Stone, Metal/Bronze, Silver and the Golden Monkey.
When a team has only 10/20 seconds left, a warning sound (a gong, a drum, or a chimp screaming) would be heard, signalling that they should make their way out of the temple. If some members or the entire team fail to get out in time, those people are locked in the temple and receive no prizes. In series 1–2 if anyone got trapped, even those who did get out with a statue received no prizes, but from series 3 onwards, anyone who made it out with a statue would win the prize. Anyone who took part would also receive a consolation prize, such as a t-shirt, backpack or monkey toy (depending on the series). When celebrities played their prizes are given to charity.
Challenges could involve:


Swashbuckle (TV series)

Swashbuckle is a television show on CBeebies. Aimed at young children aged 2–7, it takes the form of a game show pitting children against a band of "naughty pirates".
Format.
The show takes place on the site of the shipwreck of the Scarlet Squid, in which 3 "naughty pirates" − Captain Sinker/Captain Captain/Captain HeyHo and her hapless shipmates Cook and Line – have stolen and hidden Gem's 5 jewels. 4 (but 2 episodes there were 3) children challenge in a series of games to try to win back the jewels, under the watchful eye of the ship's parrot Squawk. After 2 games, either 5, 4 or 3 jewels are hunted against the clock as the children try to find them hidden within the shipwreck. If the children successfully retrieve all of the jewels then a wheel with 3 sections (4 in series 5 and 6) is spun to determine which of the 3 pirates (or all of them, in series 5 and 6) must walk the plank into the gunge/slop -filled Ship's Mess with a crash mat at the bottom. If the arrow lands in the middle then the children playing can choose a pirate of their choice. Gem then always puts a punchline at the end of when the pirates have walked the plank which is usually relating to the title.
Every time the swashbucklers win a game, one of Gem's jewels is sent down. If the Swashbucklers lose the second game, Gem will receive a different item from Captain Sinker/Captain Captain/Captain HeyHo, usually an old worthless item.
Special Guests.
Sometimes on Swashbuckle, guests appear on the show. These include:
Swashbuckle Games.
Here is a list of the Swashbuckle games that the Swashbucklers have participated in series 1–6 in the whole order. These include:
Games in series 1 onwards:
Games from series 2 onwards:
Games in series 3 onwards:
Games in series 4 only:
Games in series 5 onwards:
Games in series 6:


Buccaneer (role-playing game)

Buccaneer is a tabletop role-playing game published by Adversary Games in 1979.
Description.
"Buccaneer" is a pirate system, with brief early rules for playing pirate characters in the 17th and 18th centuries. The rules cover character types, progression, blade, gun, and cannon combat, duels, boarding actions, and plunder.
Publication history.
"Buccaneer" was designed by Carl Smith, and published by Adversary Games in 1979 as a digest-sized 16-page book.


Rushing Silver

Rushing Silver (早繰り銀 "hayakuri gin", also Rapid Advancing Silver) is a shogi attacking strategy.
Rushing Silver involves advancing the right offensive silver upward through an opening in the pawn line created by a pushed pawn on the third file to rest on the fourth file and subsequently moving the silver diagonally to attack the opponent either on the third file or across the third file to attack on the second file (in which case it appears to be similar formally to the Diagonal Climbing Silver attack used by Static Rook positions against Ranging Rook opponents).
Different Static Rook shogi openings may include a Rushing Silver attack. It is particularly popular to use with the Bishop Exchange opening.
Example.
The adjacent diagrams show a possible Rushing Silver attack for Black through the third file and aim to trade off the pawns and silvers on the second file. The opponent (White) has their king partially castled on the 31 square with a variant of the Helmut Yagura castle which is typical of Bishop Exchange positions.
Extreme Rushing Silver.
Professional shogi player, Shin'ichi Satō has developed a set of related strategies known as the Extreme Rushing Silver (極限早繰り銀) opening.


Dragon Raja (Chinese novels)

Dragon Raja () is a series of serializing fantasy novels written by Jiang Nan.
There are now 4 volumes (including 6 books) published now, with an extra story titled "The Wings of Lament" () and released only on magazine "Fiction & Drawing".
Combining fantasy, courage, persistence and the true meaning of friendship, the series encourages its young readers to grow up in a world full of unexpected challenges. At the same time, it is a story about loneliness. Fulfilling one's duty, as well as protecting the people one holds most dear, is a responsibility one has to take alone. Under the cover of heart-pumping, mind-thrilling adventures, millions of readers find courage and strengths in the series.
Since the release of the first volume on April 1, 2010, the series has gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success in China, each and every one of the first 6 titles of the series has championed the best seller list with more than 2,000,000 copies sold. It attracted a lot of young teenager readers, and have remained one of the preeminent cornerstones of youth and fantasy literature.
Plot.
"Dragon Raja I: The Blazing Dawnlight".
Lu Mingfei (), also known as Ricardo M. Lu, an 18-year-old high school student, who was applying to universities in United States, received a weird admission letter from a college named Cassel near Chicago. Once he took on the special railway express CC1000 to the mysterious Cassel College, what awaited for him were crazy lessons, strange teachers and all kinds of creepy classmates. Besides all these unexpected things, he was informed by the college that a disaster was happening under the Three Gorges Dam in China, and a war between human and dragons was on the way...
"Dragon Raja II: Eyes of the Bereaved".
During his first year's summer vacation of Cassel College, Ricardo M. Lu received an invitation to a class reunion from his high school classmates just on his birthday. In the meantime, an urgent dragon-related mission from Cassel College was assigned to him and another student Chu Zihang (). However, the maverick Chu Zihang alone shouldered the whole task. After the mission was completed, the two boys immediately went to Chicago and started their new semester.
At Chicago railway station, they met a girl named Xia Mi () and claimed herself a freshman of the Cassel College. As this girl showed up, a series mysterious incidents were happening...
"Dragon Raja III: The Dark Moon Tide (I)".
It was the second Cassel College's summer holiday for Ricardo M. Lu. A dangerous dragon heartbeat signal was discovered under the sea of Japan. Before this ominous indication developed into a certain catastrophe, Hilbert Ron Anjou, the principle of the Cassel College, appointed his three students, Caesar Gattuso, Chu Zihang and Ricardo M. Lu as special agents to resolve the crisis.
As soon as these three students took this confidential mission and arrived in Tokyo, they received warm reception from the Japanese branch. The three boys thought it would be a pleasant cooperation, and began their underwater mission. The submersible sent the team to an 8-kilometre-deep sea. They met the amazing Dragon City, and accidentally found the embryos of the dragons began to hatch. In the meantime, the whole Japanese branch suddenly lost contact and the situation became extremely critical. The trio was facing the most severe crisis ever...
"Dragon Raja III: The Dark Moon Tide (II)".
Historical remains of dragons were discovered and awaken by the Cassel trio. The trio escaped from the dragons' attacks, and safely returned to harbour. However, without any help and contact from neither the Cassel College nor Japanese branch, the three boys, Caesar Gattuso, Chu Zihang and Ricardo M. Lu got lost in Tokyo and trapped in Japanese mobs. They finally took a Japanese host club as temporary sanctuary, waited patiently for any chance to revenge, and complete their mission...
"Dragon Raja III: The Dark Moon Tide (III)".
Uesugi Erii (), a girl from the Japanese branch, was designated as sacrifice to save the whole crisis. The trio was totally against this decision from the headmaster of the Japanese sect, and planned to take the girl away. Meanwhile, the White King of Dragon under the Sea of Japan was awakened, and Tokyo city was facing a catastrophic destruction...
"Dragon Raja IV: The Abyss of Odin".
The fourth year for Ricardo M. Lu in Cassel College started, he was appointed as the new chairman of the student union. Accidentally, he found his senior, Chu Zihang, literally disappeared. In addition, Ricardo is the only one who remembers his existence. While Ricardo was trying to figure these weird things out, a series of attacks against the college happened and he was suspected of being the attacker. Ricardo had no choice but reached out to Nuonuo (诺诺) who was Caesar Gattuso's fiancée and taking bridal training for help...
Video game.
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for mobile devices, titled "Dragon Raja", was developed by Loong Entertainment and released for iOS and Android. It launched in North America, South America and EMEA regions on February 27, 2020.
The game is powered by Unreal Engine 4 from Epic Games Besides traditional game features such as PvE and PvP fights, there are also various minigames such as cooking and sports as well as exploration elements.
Reception.
"Dragon Raja", then known as "Project:SU", was revealed at Games Developer Conference (GDC) 2019. Even before the official launch, there were a number of mainstream gaming websites worldwide reporting about the game, such as IGN Poland, Pocket Gamer, Noisy Pixel and mein MMO Most of the reports praised the graphics. It also won the "Most Anticipated Game" award at Unreal Open Day 2019.


QuakeC

QuakeC is a compiled language developed in 1996 by John Carmack of id Software to program parts of the video game "Quake". Using QuakeC, a programmer is able to customize "Quake" to great extents by adding weapons, changing game logic and physics, and programming complex scenarios. It can be used to control many aspects of the game itself, such as parts of the AI, triggers, or changes in the level. The "Quake" engine was the only game engine to use QuakeC. Following engines used DLL game modules for customization written in C, and C++ from id Tech 4 on.
Overview.
The QuakeC source to the original id Software "Quake" game logic was published in 1996 and used as the basis for modifications like capture the flag and others. QuakeC source code is compiled using a tool called qcc into a bytecode kept in a file called progs.dat. The programmers of "Quake" modifications could then publish their progs.dat bytecode without revealing their source code. Most "Quake" mods were published this way.
QuakeC allowed the "Quake" engine to dominate the direction of the first-person shooter genre. Thanks to Carmack's idea of extending video game life by adding unlimited expandability (extensibility already played a big role in "Doom"), an enormous Internet community of gamers and programmers alike has arisen and many modern multiplayer games are extensible in some form.
QuakeC is known as interpreted because as "Quake" runs, it is continually interpreting the progs.dat file.
Limitations and subsequent solutions.
The syntax of QuakeC is based on that of the C programming language, explaining its name, but it does not support the implementation of new types, structures, arrays, or any kind of referencing other than the "entity" type (which is always a reference). QuakeC also suffers from the fact that many built-in functions (functions prototyped in the QuakeC code but actually defined within the game engine and written in C) return strings in a temporary string buffer, which can only hold one string at any given time. In other words, a construct such as
will fail because the second call to codice_2 (which converts a floating-point value to a string) overwrites the string returned by the first call before SomeFunction can do something with it. QuakeC does not contain any string handling functions or file handling functions, which were simply not needed by the original game.
Most video games at the time had their game logic written in plain C/C++ and compiled into the executable, which is faster. However, this makes it harder for the community to create mods and it makes the process of porting the game to another platform (such as Linux) more costly.
Despite its advantages, the choice of implementing game logic using a custom scripting language and interpreter was dropped from the next generation Quake II engine in favor of compiled C code due to the overall inflexibility of QuakeC, the increasingly complex game logic, the performance to be gained by packaging game logic into a native dynamic link library, and the advantage of leveraging an already established programming language's community, tools, educational materials, and documentation.
Distributing native code created new security and portability concerns. QuakeC bytecode afforded little opportunity for mischief, while native code has access to the whole machine. QuakeC bytecode also worked on any machine that could run Quake. Compiling to native code added an additional barrier to entry for novice mod developers, because they were being asked to set up a more complicated programming environment. The eventual solution, implemented by the Quake III engine, was to combine the advantages of original QuakeC with the advantages of compiling C to native code. The lcc C compiler was extended to compile standard C into bytecode, which could be interpreted by a virtual machine in a manner similar to QuakeC. This addressed the security, portability, and tool chain problems, but lost the performance advantage of native code. That was solved by further compiling the bytecode into native code at run time on supported machines.
Modified compilers and language extensions.
id Software released the source of codice_3, their QuakeC compiler, along with the original QuakeC code in 1996. Modified versions soon sprung up, including Jonathan Roy's codice_4 and Ryan "FrikaC" Smith's FrikQCC. These added functionality, optimizations, and compiling speed boosts.
In 1999, when id Software released the code from Quake's engine under the GNU General Public License (GPL), the workings of the bytecode interpreter were examined and new QuakeC compilers were released, such as J.P. Grossman's codice_5 and a new version of FrikQCC. These compilers took advantage of newly discovered features in a backwards-compatible way so that the bytecode could still be properly interpreted by unmodified Quake engines. New features include arrays, pointers, integers, for loops and string manipulation.
With the "Quake" engine source code now able to be changed, further features were added to QuakeC in the form of new built-in functions. Features long yearned for by QuakeC coders finally reached realization as QuakeC now had file and string handling functions, enlarged string buffers, more math functions, and so on. However, programmers taking advantage of these changes lost backwards compatibility with the unmodified Quake engine.
"Xonotic" since version 0.7 uses the gmqcc compiler.
Client Side QuakeC (CSQC).
Some enhanced Quake engines (notably Darkplaces and FTEQW) have support for an extension of regular QuakeC (now commonly referred to as Server Side QuakeC or SSQC) that allows client side only scripting of the Quake engine. This is especially useful for GUIs, HUDs and any visually heavy effects that do not need to be simulated on the server and transferred over the network.


Sokolsky Opening

The Sokolsky Opening (also known as the Orangutan or Polish) is an uncommon chess opening that begins with the move:
According to various databases, out of the twenty possible first moves from White, the move 1.b4 ranks ninth in popularity. It is considered an irregular opening, so it is classified under the A00 code in the "Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings" ("ECO").
Details.
The opening has never been popular at the top level, though a number of prominent players have employed it on occasion (for example, Richard Réti against Abraham Speijer in Scheveningen 1923 and Boris Spassky against Vasily Smyslov in the 1960 Moscow–Leningrad match). Soviet player Alexei Pavlovich Sokolsky (1908–1969) wrote a monograph on this opening in 1963, "Debyut 1 b2–b4".
Perhaps its most famous use came in the game Tartakower versus Maróczy, in the New York 1924 chess tournament on March 21, 1924. The name "Orangutan Opening" originates from that game: the players visited the Bronx Zoo the previous day, where Tartakower consulted an orangutan named Susan, and she somehow indicated, Tartakower insisted, that he should open with b4. Also, Tartakower noted that the climbing movement of the pawn to b5 reminded him of the orangutan. In that particular game, Tartakower came out of the opening with a decent position, but the game was drawn. Alekhine, who played in the tournament and wrote a book on it, said that 1.b4 was an old move, and that the problem is that it reveals White's intentions, before White knows what Black's intentions are.
The opening is largely based upon tactics on the or the f6- and g7-squares. Black can respond in a variety of ways: For example, Black can make a claim on the (which White's first move ignores) with 1...d5 (possibly followed by 2.Bb2 Qd6, attacking b4 and supporting ...e7–e5), 1...e5 or 1...f5. Less ambitious moves like 1...Nf6, 1...c6 (called the Outflank Variation, preparing ...Qb6 or ...a5), and 1...e6 are also reasonable. Rarer attempts have been made with 1...a5 or 1...c5. Black's reply 1...e6 is usually followed by ...d5, ...Nf6 and an eventual ...c5. After 1.b4 e5 it is normal for White to ignore the attack on the b-pawn and play 2.Bb2, when 2...d6, 2...f6, and 2...Bxb4 are all playable. After 1...a5 White will most likely play 2.b5 and take advantage of Black's queenside weakness. Black's 1...c5 is much sharper and more aggressive and is normally used to avoid theory. After the capture Black will generally place pressure on the c5-square and will develop an attack against White's weak queenside structure at the cost of an inferior central position.
References.
Bibliography


Kaillera

Kaillera is middleware designed to aid networked multiplayer play for emulators. The word "Kaillera", also spelled "kaïra", is the verlan of the French word "racaille" which is used in reference to "hooligans".
History.
Kaillera was developed by Christophe Thibault in the years 2001-2003. His most recent entry was the Kaillera Client library and SDK on 14 April 2003. Later in early 2006, rights and source code of Kaillera were sold to a private online gaming advertising company called TC. Ads and Etai Hugi. On 17 June 2006, Christophe Thibault himself publicly confirmed the sale of Kaillera and also announced that TC. Ads. no longer had anything to do with the Kaillera project and that Etai Hugi is the only owner.
On 20 November 2006, Etai Hugi announced that a new version of Kaillera would be released in "the next several months". His announcement also suggested that the new version would be "much better" and "more efficient" than the current version. In July 2007, he posted on the official forums and sent emails to the forum administrator announcing that the next official release would occur in "3-4 months." This announcement coincided with a revamp of the forums and the posting of new unofficial builds created by others for download (the first new downloads posted in nearly four years). On 4 November 2007, it was announced that due to unforeseen "bugs" the imminent release would be postponed for a time. It was later announced that the new version of Kaillera would be released on 7 April 2008. However, the official Kaillera website along with existing Kaillera master servers list was taken down a few days prior to the release date. Later when it came back up, no explanations for the downtime was given and nothing was released. Etai Hugi an Israeli developer purchased Kaillera from Christophe Thibault in 2006.
Features.
Like most networked multiplayer gaming systems, Kaillera is implemented to work on client–server architecture.
The client is implemented as a small library with a typical GUI which is incorporated with the emulator. Its simple self-explanatory API consisting of only 8 functions allow emulators to perform necessary functions such as specify the list of games it supports and control game execution to some extent. Everything after enabling the client to starting the game is managed by the client and the user. The client can only make requests to server on user's input and react to server's response.
On the other hand, the server takes the tedious role of managing all the users. Users can join servers if their conditions are satisfactory. Then they are allowed to chat and make games on the server which other users can join. A maximum of 8 players are allowed to participate in a game and others are treated as spectators. Once a game starts, the server is also responsible for scheduling and mix matching data sent by emulators in a manner befitting user's ping and connection configuration.
Notes.
Note 1: There are several third-party versions of MAME with Kaillera, but these violate the MAME license by not having the source code to the Kaillera client library distributed, even though the source code to the modified version of MAME itself (such as "Mame32k", "Mame32 Plus Plus" and "MameLang32+") are always provided.


Bogo-Indian Defence

The Bogo-Indian Defense is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
The position arising after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 is common. The traditional move for White here is 3.Nc3, threatening to set up a big pawn centre with 4.e4. However, 3.Nf3 is often played instead as a way of avoiding the Nimzo-Indian Defense (which would follow after 3.Nc3 Bb4). After 3.Nf3, Black usually plays 3...b6 (the Queen's Indian Defense) or 3...d5 (leading to the Queen's Gambit Declined), but can instead play 3...Bb4+, the Bogo-Indian, named after Efim Bogoljubov. This opening is not as popular as the Queen's Indian, but is seen occasionally at all levels.
The Bogo-Indian is classified as E11 by the "Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings" (ECO).
Variations.
White has three viable moves to meet the check. 4.Nc3 is a transposition to the Kasparov Variation of the Nimzo-Indian, therefore the main independent variations are 4.Bd2 and 4.Nbd2.
4.Bd2.
4.Bd2 is the most common line; the bishop on b4 is now threatened and Black needs to decide what to do about it.
4.Nbd2.
4.Nbd2 is an alternative aiming to acquire the bishop for the knight or forcing Black's bishop to retreat. The downside is that the knight is developed to a square where it blocks the bishop, and d2 is a less active square than c3. The line is described in the "Gambit Guide" as "ambitious". Black's most common replies are 4...b6, 4...0-0, and 4...d5.
Monticelli Trap.
This opening gives rise to the Monticelli Trap.


Scrabble Showdown

Scrabble Showdown was an American game show created for the American cable network The Hub. The program was based on the board game Scrabble and was hosted by Justin Willman. It ran from September 3, 2011, to April 15, 2012.
Gameplay.
Two teams consisting of a parent and a child compete for the grand prize of tickets for a trip to anywhere in the world. The teams compete in a total of four rounds; winning any of the first three rounds earns a prize and two "Bonus Scrabble Tiles," which provide an advantage in the final round; any time one of the first three rounds ends in a tie, both teams are awarded the prize and one "Bonus Scrabble Tile." The team that wins the final round wins the game and the trip.
Rounds 1 & 2.
Games played in rounds 1 and 2 rotate from show to show and include, "Scrabble Babble", "Scrabble Knockout", "Scrabble Slam", "Scrabble Scream", and "Speedword". Winning a game wins the team a prize and two "Bonus Scrabble Tiles". A coin toss before the show determines which team has the option to play or pass for the first game. Subsequently, the winner of the previous game gets the option for the next game.
Scrabble Knockout.
The team that goes first picks one of two categories, leaving the other for the opponents. The team is shown a series of five words, one at a time. Each word has three extra letters added in; the first and last letters are always correct. Ex. LMOLVLIFPOP. The parent tells the child to knock out the incorrect letters; the parent tells the child which letter to knock out, and the child touches that letter on the screen. If the team tries to knock out an incorrect letter, then a klaxon sounds and the board locks up; the child must then press a plunger to reset the board before continuing to play. Answer: LOLLIPOP.
The first team attempts to solve all five words as quickly as possible, with the clock counting up to a maximum of sixty seconds; the second team must beat the first team's time, or, if the first team did not get all five words, to solve more words. The team that solves their words faster wins the round.
Scrabble Babble.
The parent is shown a three letter word with one of the letters being a blank tile (which can represent any letter). Ex. C A - The parent must think of a word and then describe the word to the child without blurting any part of the word or the full correct word. If a parent blurts out the part of the word, they get penalized and move to another word. If the parent blurts out the entire word, the game is over. The child must say the exact word that the parent is describing. If correct, a four letter word is shown and so on up to a seven letter word. The team that gets five words faster, or, failing that, the team that gets more words in 60 seconds, wins the round.
Scrabble Scream.
In this round the team must unscramble a word together. Each word is divided into two parts; the first part is always three letters but the last part can be any length. One of the players unscrambles the first three letters of the word; when those three letters are unscrambled, the remaining three, four, or five letters are revealed for the other player, who must unscramble those letters and say the complete word. Ex. AES - - - - The first player would answer "S-E-A", once correct those letters would rearrange and the rest of the word is revealed. SEA KISC The partner must now say "S-I-C-K, SEASICK". After each word, the players switch places, so that the player who unscrambled the first part of the word now unscrambles the second part, and vice versa.
As before, the first team is allowed up to 60 seconds to solve five words, and the second team must beat the first team's time/score. The team that solves their words faster wins the round.
Scrabble Slam.
The players line up so that play alternates between teams. The first player presses a button to stop a randomizer, which sets the clock for the round (the clock is visible to the home audience, but not to the teams). A four-letter word appears on the screen, along with an extra letter. The players must use the extra letter and "slam" it over one of the letters in the original four letter word to make a new acceptable word. Ex. HUNK - T The player would say, "SLAM THE K" to make the word HUNT. When a player is correct play passes to the next player. When time runs out, the player who has control is eliminated from the round. For subsequent rounds, the next player in line after the eliminated player sets the time limit for the round as before; the last team to still have a player in the game, wins.
Scrabble Speedword.
This game appears in only one episode. A team stands in front of a huge game board that consists of a series of five individual letters on screens. The board consists of a series of tracks the screens can move within. At any given time three screens can be at the top, two in the center and three at the bottom. The child stands at the board and with 30 seconds on the clock the parent yells out a three letter word that can be formed by the five letters in the board. The child must maneuver the letter screens in the track so the three letter word appears at the bottom of the game board. The team scores one point for each word they make and the opponents then try to beat that score.
Round 3: Scrabble Flash.
There are a handful of episodes in which "Scrabble Flash" is played first and the minigames are played in rounds 2 and 3 but for most episodes, Round 3 is always "Scrabble Flash". In this round, the team is given five over-sized "Scrabble Flash" cubes, each with a different letter. The first team has thirty seconds to make as many words as possible; each word must contain at least three letters, and each valid word is worth one point for each letter used; there is at least one valid five-letter word. Both teams play the same set of letters; the team that is to go second is isolated while the first team plays. The team with the higher score wins a prize and two "Bonus Scrabble Tiles."
Final Round: Scrabble Lightning.
Before the round begins, a set of 16 letter tiles are placed on the board. A randomizer then causes tiles to light up. Each team is allowed to stop the randomizer; a team starts the final round with the regulation value of the tiles that they stop the randomizer on; the number of tiles that the randomizer lights up is the number of "Bonus Scrabble Tiles" that the team had earned from the three previous rounds. This becomes their "head start" score before playing "Scrabble Lightning".
The game is played on a regulation Scrabble board with only the double and triple-word score spaces (the double and triple-letter score spaces are removed). A scrambled-up word appears on the board. The host then reads a clue to that word. The first player to buzz-in with the correct word earns the regulation value of that word (doubled or tripled if one of the letters is on a double or triple-word score space). Players must wait until the host finishes reading the clue before buzzing in. The children play the first word. They alternate words with their parents from then on. The first team to reach 100 points or more, or the team in the lead when time is called when that objective is not reached, wins the game and the grand prize trip.
Production.
The show is produced by Rubicon Entertainment. Pat Finn serves as executive producer. Veteran game show producer Sande Stewart serves as creative consultant.


Milionerzy

Milionerzy ("Millionaires") is a Polish game show based on the original British format of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" The show is hosted by Hubert Urbański. The main goal of the game is to win 1 million Polish zloty (€240,000) by answering twelve multiple-choice questions correctly. In previous editions, there were three or four "lifelines" - fifty fifty ("pół na pół, 50:50"), ask the audience ("pytanie do publiczności") and ask the expert ("pytanie do eksperta"), the experts were: Bartosz Węglarczyk, Michał Ogórek, Szymon Hołownia, Dorota Wellman and Jan Wróbel; in the previous season - Andrzej Fabianowski, Piotr Gąsowski and Kazimiera Szczuka. Earlier there was (and since 2017 there is) phone a friend ["telefon do przyjaciela"] instead of ask the expert ["pytanie do eksperta"]. In March 2010 contestant could choose "risk game". If the contestant wanted risk game, a new lifeline called "switch the question" ("zamiana pytania") was added - if the contestant chose to play the version with this lifeline, the second guaranteed sum (40,000 zł) was not guaranteed. The first series of "Milionerzy" was broadcast from 3 September 1999 to 26 January 2003, and the second version has been broadcast since 19 January 2008. It was shown every Sunday at 6 p.m (CET +1 or CEST +2) on the Polish commercial television station TVN. Now, it is shown on 8:55 p.m from Monday to Thursday (CET +1 or CEST +2) Executive producer of first series was Endemol. Now, the executive producer of programme is Intergalactic. Since 2008, when a contestant gets the second question correct, he or she will leave with 1,000 zł. When a contestant gets the seventh question correct, he or she will leave with 40,000 zł.
The game's prizes.
In the current version of "Milionerzy", there are twelve questions:
In the original version of "Milionerzy", there were fifteen questions:
Appearance and changes of appearance.
From 1999 through 2003 we could see three changes of the studio stage design, some differ in stylistics. From 2008, after resumption we could see the fourth stage design and now, in 2010, the fifth one.
The first logo of "Milionerzy" from 1999 was very different from the standard model used in other editions of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?". It was a violet rhombus on one of vertexes and rings standing on themselves on background of "Milionerzy" caption. The second one, modelled on the traditional style, is round with green question marks. It was introduced with the changes of credits and scenography in 2000. It is used also now, but in another colour scheme (question marks are gold).
The first and second version of the opening credits were similar with people looking and aiming on "Milionerzy" logo. It was patterned on British credits of this time. From 2008, the opening credits of the programme feature an animation showing in sequence all prizes to one million zlotys - it is patterned on the newest British version.
In 2008 except for the opening credits, no big changes were made on graphics and sounds. The 2008 edition had refreshed graphics: the fields with questions and answers were navy-blue and blue (earlier black) and smaller than in first edition of "Milionerzy", and the field with won prize was blue (earlier brown and navy-blue). Also some sound effects and music we could hear in the background when player answers a question, changed.
In 2010 opening credits were changed, fields, where players' names are shown in Fastest Finger First are smaller, question fields and money tree are smaller, also fonts were changed. Also, there are no commercial break intros and outros.
Now (since February 2017), the show is recorded in Farat Film studio in Warsaw, 22, Notecka St. The first edition was recorded in the Warsaw-based "WFDiF" studio, 21, Chełmska St. from 1999 until 2001 in the TVP studio on 17, Woronicza St until 2003. In 2008 and 2009 "Milionerzy" was recorded in the TVP studio in Kraków, 44, Nowohucka St.
Light effects during second edition (2008-2010).
Scenography of the second edition (2008-2010). Studio has these light effects:
Way to become a contestant.
1999–2003
2008-2010
The highest prizes by episodes.
Legend: number of episode • broadcast date; took consideration to prizes of 40,000 zł or more
Notable contestants.
Second edition.
500,000 zlotys winners.
Four players guessed the correct answer after resigning from playing.
First edition.
500,000 zlotys winners.
All three player guessed the correct answer after resigning from playing.
Special episodes.
1999–2003
Also in 2002 TVN was broadcasting series of family episodes. Teams of three people were taking part, and all had to be related. Every team had its captain. The rules were the same as in normal episodes, but the captain decided about choosing an answer after consultations with the rest of family members. After winning 32,000 zlotys one person left the team and went to the audience, after winning 125,000 zlotys another person left and only one person had to answer last three questions. Najwyższa wygrana w tych wydaniach to 250 000 złotych.
From 2008
Number of viewers.
The biggest number of viewers was on 5 March 2000, when a contestant won 250,000 zł as the first person in the show. The number of viewers of this episode was 6,510,000 people.
Average number of viewers of the January 2008 - April 2008 episode was 3,500,000 viewers. First episode of 2008 series (19 January 2008) was watched by 3,500,000 viewers. The biggest number of viewers in 2008 series was on 5 April 2008, when the 1,000,000 zł question came up the first time in the 2008 series. The episode from 6 April 2008 in which contestant got the 500,000 zł question wrong was watched by 4,200,000 viewers.
Questions for million zlotys.
Legend:
In "Milionerzy", thirteen questions for one million zlotys appeared. Eleven times the player resigned, and two times player answered the question. Once, in special edition with participation of children, the player answered the question incorrectly and once player answered and won 1 million zlotys. Here are the questions:


5-Piece handicap

The 5-Piece (五枚落ち "gomai-ochi") or One Knight handicap in shogi has both of White's major pieces, the rook and the bishop, removed as well as their lances and right knight. Thus, White is left with pawns, golds, silvers, and the left knight.
Black has the usual setup of twenty pieces.
The 5-Piece handicap is not currently part of the Japan Shogi Association's official list of handicaps. It is also not commonly used.
Although uncommon, many professionals feel that the 5-Piece is useful as there is a very large difference between 4-Piece and 6-Piece handicaps according to Kaufman.
Openings.
Bishop-66 Opposing Rook variation.
1...G-72. White opens with their right gold.
White is more free to focus on the right side of their board compared to the 6-Piece handicap since White's left camp has a stronger defense due to the addition of the left knight. In particular, the knight protects the 33 square from the beginning. So, when Black opens their bishop diagonal in which their bishop is attacking White's 33, White does not immediately need to move a general to defend that square. Similarly, the knight also protects the edge at 13 and does not require an immediate defense if Black's bishop is positioned to attack along the 79–13 diagonal (targeting the 13 square). Therefore, White's left silver and gold are more available to defend toward the center of the board.
2. P-76. Black opens their bishop diagonal activating their bishop.
2...P-84. White pushes their eighth file pawn forward in order to make way for their right gold.
3. B-66. Black moves their bishop to the sixth file in order to support an attack on Black's left side. The move also forces White to move their generals to this side.
3...G-83. White is forced to the defend the pawn on 84 as well as their right edge.
4. P-86. Black will develop an Opposing Rook attack up the eighth file, which the pawn push prepares for.
5. R-88. Opposing Rook.
5...P-64. White pushes the sixth file pawn to prepare for an attack on the head of Black's bishop.
6. P-56. Black advances their central pawn in order to give their bishop a path of retreat (the 57 square) from White's encroaching pawn while still maintaining pressure on the right edge of White's camp.
5-Piece Left Knight handicap.
The other five piece handicap is the left knight variant. It is the same as the more common handicap except with White's left knight removed instead of the right knight. (Thus, White plays with pawn, golds, silvers, and the right knight.)
According to Kaufman, this handicap is intermediate between the 6-Piece handicap and the usual 5-Piece (Right Knight) handicap mentioned above. It is a more severe handicap for White since Black's major pieces (the rook and bishop) are targeted toward White's left side. Therefore, removing White's left knight leaves White in a more vulnerable state compared to the Right Knight 5-Piece handicap.


Subway Rook

Subway Rook (地下鉄飛車 "chikatetsubisha") is an uncommon Static Rook shogi opening with the rook on the bottom rank 9 (or rank 1 for White) that supports an attack on the ninth file.
It may be useful against an opponent playing a Ranging Rook Bear-in-the-hole position.
The name comes from the way the rook moves from second file to the ninth file on the bottom rank as if it were an underground subway.
This bottom rank positioning of the rook is shared by a few other strategies such as the Pinwheel and Right King openings.
Overview.
It's an attack opening used against Bear-in-the-hole Ranging Rook and Right King. Starting with Black's moving the knight to 85, it's a powerful attack concentrated on 93 by rook, bishop, left knight and left lance. It's particularly effective against Bear-in-the-hole, since the king has no escape route and it's possible to do checkmate in one gulp. In addition, in a Double Static Rook if the rival uses Right King,
it's possible to start the attack in a location close to that king.
Although boasting superb defense power, this opening requires moving almost all pieces from the 1st to the 2nd rank, which takes a lot of moves, and also makes the formation constrained. For this reason, this opening is seldom used.


The New Batman Adventures

The New Batman Adventures (often shortened as TNBA) is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, the third series in the DC Animated Universe and a continuation of the 1990s "". It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999.
Stories in this series tend to give more focus to Batman's supporting cast, which include fellow crimefighters Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl, among others. The show also features guest stars such as Supergirl, Etrigan the Demon and The Creeper; characters who would later appear with Batman in "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited". The 2001 video game ' and its follow-up ' are based on this series.
Overview.
"The New Batman Adventures" premiered on Kids' WB just two years after "Batman: The Animated Series" ended its original run on Fox Kids. The animation style was changed significantly from "BTAS" (to match that of "") and the show had a significant change in focus from the original series, with episodes focusing less on Batman and more on the many characters that inhabited Gotham City. The art became more streamlined and darker with simpler color schemes, while the Art Deco and film noir imagery from the original series were replaced with a more modern look.
Batman was given a sleeker, brawnier appearance with an overall darker costume: the yellow ellipse surrounding the bat emblem on his chest and the blue highlights of his cape and cowl were both removed and his utility belt has pouches instead of capsules and is now light brown instead of yellow, which resembles his appearance in "". His gadgets and vehicles were given a sleeker, redesigned look with a more black color scheme. Bruce Wayne's appearance was also changed from the previous series: his hair was brushed back to highlight his face, with blue eyes instead of black, and his regular business suit was changed from brown to black. Kevin Conroy's voice for Batman became more stern, as well as less distinguishable from his voice for Bruce than in the original series. The writers made an effort to keep Batman's dialogue as terse and grim as possible, in order to heighten the contrast between him and the lighthearted supporting cast.
Batgirl's costume was changed to a look similar to her original outfit from her comic debut in "Detective Comics" #359 and in her appearance in the Silver Age of comics, which is now a black bodysuit with yellow gloves and boots, but keeps her blue cape and cowl and yellow bat-symbol and utility belt. Her father Commissioner Gordon's appearance was also altered, with a more slender build and a flat-top hairstyle. Producer Paul Dini said that Batgirl would appear in every episode of the new series because "Kenner wants to do a line of toys, we're taking advantage of the publicity from her being in "Batman & Robin", and we just love Batgirl". Melissa Gilbert was replaced by Tara Strong (credited under her maiden name Tara Charendoff) as the voice of Batgirl. While Batgirl did not actually appear in every episode, she did appear more often than Batman's other partners in the series. She also was Batman's main partner in the series rather than Robin, which differs the series from most Batman television series and in the comics (as Robin is usually Batman's main partner). Strong would reprise her role over a decade later in another Batman animated television series, "Beware the Batman", and also on the DC Nation short "Super Best Friends Forever", "Teen Titans Go!" and in the animated feature "", which reunited her with Conroy and Mark Hamill.
Tim Drake was introduced as the new Robin in the episode "Sins of the Father". However, Dini remarked that "the Tim Drake origin in the comics as written now didn't work for us with him having a father and living so close to Wayne Manor. It seemed to work fine in the comics, but we needed our own little family unit of Batman, Robin, Batgirl and occasionally Nightwing – and Alfred of course". For these reasons, the production team came up with their own origin for Tim Drake, though they later realized this new origin was extremely similar to Jason Todd's. Batman made a new suit which is similar to the first one worn by Dick Grayson and identical to Tim Drake's original Robin costume from the comics, but the color scheme was simplified to red, black and yellow, eliminating green entirely. The costume retained the familiar red short-sleeved shirt, as well as the black cape with yellow inner lining. New elements included black sleeves, gloves, trunks and boots with red leggings. The familiar domino mask had also changed, giving the new Robin a more wide-eyed, innocent look. The color scheme would later appear as Tim Drake's Robin costume in the post-"Infinite Crisis" comics, while the original costume worn by Dick Grayson was seen in the flashback sequence of "Old Wounds" and in Barbara's nightmare sequence of "Over the Edge" where it is seen in the costume display before it gets destroyed by the Gotham Police.
Dick Grayson, having abandoned his Robin persona as a result of a falling out with Batman, adopted the identity of Nightwing. Grayson's build became sleeker, with broader shoulders, showcasing his emergence as a mature hero in his own right. The short spiky hair that Grayson wore as Robin had grown longer, styled to flow down the back of the neck. In his civilian guise, he wore it in a ponytail. As Nightwing, he wore a V-shaped mask and an all-black unitard with light blue hawk emblem that borrowed some elements of the comics version from the 1990s. The costume also featured collapsible wings under the arms that allowed Nightwing to glide for short distances.
The designs of most of the villains from Batman's rogues' gallery were also changed considerably, generally developing darker color schemes. The most controversial of the redesigns was that of the Joker, whose white skin now had a bluish-gray tinge, while the eyes had their scleras removed and were replaced by cavernous black spaces with white pupils. The ruby-red lips were gone, focusing more attention on the teeth, and the green-tinged hair was almost completely black. His flower pin color lighter orange was replaced with lime-green. His primary suit colors were changed from purple and orange (similar to his appearance from the 1989 "Batman" movie) to purple and green (similar to his appearance from the Golden Age and Silver Age comics). Catwoman also received a major redesign, as she now sports an all-black bodysuit (similar to her appearance from "Batman Returns") and her hair is changed from blonde and shoulder-length to short and black. The Penguin's appearance has also changed, now resembling his appearance from the Golden Age and Silver Age comics instead of having the animal-like appearance from "Batman Returns". The Riddler's appearance is also redesigned, now sporting a green bodysuit with a question mark in the center and his domino mask and red hair are removed, while his bowler hat is retained. The Scarecrow receives a big change, as he now has long black hair, black hat and dark gray trenchcoat and his face becomes dead-like. Mr. Freeze's appearance also received a drastic change, his suit is now black with metallic blue accents and his goggles have disappeared with his head now attached to a spider-like robot. Poison Ivy's appearance her also changed, her skin tone is chalk white and her costume is now black with leaf-green highlights. Bane also gains a major change, his outfit is completely black with silver accents and his mask no longer has red lenses. Killer Croc received a major redesign, his skin is now reptilian green and his pants are now a blue-gray color.
Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Clayface, Alfred Pennyworth, and Harvey Bullock were among the few characters who did not receive any drastic change in appearance or color alterations. Harley Quinn is also the only villain aside from the Joker who appeared in six or more episodes. Ra's al Ghul and his daughter Talia also did not receive any drastic re-designs, although their only appearance during this time was in the episode "The Demon Reborn" from "Superman: The Animated Series".
Koko Enterprise Co., LTD., TMS-Kyokuchi Corporation, and Dong Yang Animation Co., LTD contributed some of the animation for this series.
During the series, Bruce Timm and his crew began using TMS-Kyokuchi Corporation as an outsourced pre-production unit as well as an animation unit, and TMS storyboarded and directed episodes themselves.
The Kids' WB censors were much more flexible with episode content than the Fox Kids censors were with "Batman: The Animated Series". Producer Bruce Timm recounted that "when we were at Fox, after every single storyboard, we would get five single-spaced pages of notes on things we couldn't do. On the WB, we usually get maybe two paragraphs of stuff we can't do. At Fox, they were really picky, not just about things you couldn't do, but just in terms of content and story. They had a million opinions about what we should be doing. Nobody bothers us like that at the WB".
Rather than the series being canceled, the writers of the series chose to end it and move on to another series in the universe.
Home media.
On December 6, 2005, "The New Batman Adventures" was released onto DVD by Warner Home Video (via DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment) under the title of "Batman: The Animated Series - Volume Four (from The New Batman Adventures)" to coincide with the previous three-volume DVD sets of "Batman: The Animated Series". The series was released a second time on November 4, 2008, as part of a DVD release entitled "Batman: The Complete Animated Series", which contained the episodes of all four volumes that were released in 2004/2005. The series has also been released for online media distribution services such as iTunes and Google Play specifically as "Season/Volumne 4" of the complete animated series when the original two-season animated series was broken out differently into three seasons. The series was released on Blu-Ray as part of "Batman: The Complete Series" in the fall of 2018.
It is subsumed as Season 3 of the original series when it debuted on HBO Max on January 1, 2021.
Awards.
Daytime Emmy Awards
Young Artist Awards


Traxler Variation


Alessandro Salvio

Alessandro Salvio (c. 1570 – c. 1640) was an Italian chess player who is considered to be the unofficial world champion around the year 1600. He started an Italian chess academy in Naples, Italy, and wrote a book called "Trattato dell'Inventione et Arte Liberale del Gioco Degli Scacchi", which was published in Naples in 1604. He also wrote "Il Puttino" published in 1634. According to JH Saratt's translation, Il Puttino was first published in 1604, and republished in 1634.
Salvio Gambit.
The Salvio Gambit is a gambit in the King's Gambit Accepted. It is as follows; 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Ne5 Qh4+ 6.Kf1.


Chris Tarrant

Christopher John Tarrant, (born 10 October 1946) is an English radio and television broadcaster. He presented the ITV children's television show "Tiswas" from 1974 to 1981, and the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" from 1998 to 2014. He was a Capital Radio host from 1984 to 2004.
Tarrant's career began in 1964, when he was hired by the since-dissolved television network ATV. He presented "ATV Today," a current affairs programme serving the Midlands area of England, until 1982. Tarrant rose to prominence after becoming a co-host on "Tiswas", the children's television show broadcast on a Saturday morning from 1974 to 1981.
In January 1982, along with Bob Carolgees, John Gorman, Randolph Sutherland and Lenny Henry, Tarrant launched a late-night show, "O.T.T.", thought of as an "adult" version of "Tiswas", but it did not prove popular. Tarrant was a Capital Radio host from 1984 to 2004, presenting the early-morning show "Capital Breakfast". The show was highly popular, increasing Capital Radio's audience share in London.
Tarrant hosted the ITV game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" from 1998 to 2014, while also providing some audio recordings for some console games, and a tabletop game made by Tiger Electronics based on the show. He recorded 592 episodes, in which a total of five contestants won the cash prize of £1 million. Since "Millionaire", Tarrant found successful presenting parts harder to come by, hosting a series of failed game shows for ITV. In 2012, Tarrant began a travel documentary series, "", which has been compared with similar programmes presented by Michael Palin and Michael Portillo.
Tarrant received an OBE in 2004 for his charity work, in particular his campaigning on behalf of disadvantaged children.
Early life.
Tarrant was born in October 1946 in Reading, England, to Basil and Joan Tarrant. His father had joined a territorial unit of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in 1936 and was among those evacuated from Dunkirk in the retreat of May 1940. He was also active in the Normandy landings. Tarrant was educated as a boarder in Choir House at the King's School, Worcester from 1960 to 1964. He represented the school at hockey and cricket and gained A, B and D grades at A-level in English, history and ancient history. He then studied English at the University of Birmingham, graduating in 1967.
Tarrant worked as a schoolteacher and also briefly as a film director for the Central Office of Information before joining ATV as a newsreader on "ATV Today".
Career.
"Tiswas".
Tarrant rose to prominence after becoming a co-host on "Tiswas", a children's television show broadcast on a Saturday morning from January 1974 to 1981. In 1982, he hosted the short-lived Saturday late-night show "O.T.T.", which was billed as an adult version of "Tiswas" but was not such a success. After this, he did a stint on the breakfast television station "TV-am".
Capital Radio.
In 1984, Tarrant joined Capital Radio as a presenter, initially presenting the station's Sunday lunchtime show before moving to a late-morning weekday slot, following David Jensen. From March 1987 until April 2004 he hosted "Capital Breakfast". The show was highly popular, increasing Capital Radio's audience share in London. Tarrant had regular co-presenter Kara Noble (eventually replaced by Zabe Newsome for a very short duration) as his sidekick for the early years until Noble moved to Heart FM in 1995 with regular contributions from Flying Eye traffic reporter Russ Kane and newsreader Howard Hughes. It was on this show that he first coined his "Is that your final answer?" catchphrase.
At 9:00 am on 2 April 2004, after hosting 4,425 shows over 17 years on Capital Radio and giving away prizes to the value of £3.5 million, Tarrant said his farewell to the station.
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?".
Tarrant began hosting the popular television quiz show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" in 1998. The format was sold to over 100 other countries, and in 2002, the UK version merged with the Irish version. Tarrant coined the format's catchphrase, "But we don't want to give you that," and continued his older catchphrase, "Is that your final answer?" contributing it to the format.
It was confirmed by UKGameshows.com that Tarrant is among the leading regular game show hosts for at least one full series on British television, with sixteen different series to his credit.
In September 2001, an oblivious Tarrant asked the questions of contestant Charles Ingram, then a British Army Major who was found to be cheating in a 2003 trial. The same year ITV themselves made a documentary about the incident: "A Major Fraud".
In October 2013, it was confirmed that "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" was to come to an end after airing for 15 years on ITV. The channel made the decision to coincide with Tarrant stepping down as host. Of this, Tarrant said:
Tarrant's final live edition of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" was a celebrity edition which aired live on 19 December 2013. On the day before, Tarrant pre-recorded two other celebrity episodes that were shown in February 2014.
In 2018, ITV commissioned another series of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?", to be presented by new host Jeremy Clarkson. In a television interview, Tarrant stated he had chosen not to watch the revived series, saying, "I did it for 15 years, about 600 shows. I loved it – I had a fantastic time but I don't want to do any more, so good luck. It’s a great show." Tarrant said he would have "politely turned down" an offer by the network to return to the show had he been approached.
Other work.
Chris is also known to have worked at Salford Royal Foundation Trust as a Hospital radio presenter.
Tarrant narrated the schools programme "Stop, Look, Listen", made by ATV and later Central Television.
Tarrant hosted "Everybody's Equal" in 1989, although the programme came to an end in 1990 (the format was revived in 1997 by Channel 5 as "Whittle", with Tim Vine as host). In 1991 he hosted the second series of "Cluedo" which was part panel quiz and part murder drama, based on the board game of the same name. On 1 January 1993, after Thames Television lost its ITV franchise had been replaced by Carlton Television, Tarrant hosted the first programme of the new contractor, "A Carlton New Year". Also in 1993, Tarrant hosted "Lose A Million", in which contestants started off with a (fictional) million pounds and were required to lose it by aiming to answer a set of questions incorrectly. Tarrant would later host "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?", in which the objective of the game is to do the opposite. From 1996 to 1999 Tarrant hosted the UK edition of "Man O Man".
In 1994, Tarrant hosted a revival of "Pop Quiz", previously hosted by Mike Read. It ran one series and eight episodes in total, airing again on Saturday nights (as Read's version did).
Tarrant was also the long-term host of "Tarrant on TV", a programme which shows clips featuring a number of unusual television programmes from around the world. He presented the show from 1990 to 2006. In 1998, Tarrant released a compilation album entitled "Ultimate Party Megamix" on PolyGram Television's record label. A second edition entitled "Ultimate Summer Party" was also released. Both albums contain songs compiled by Tarrant himself in the form of a megamix.
In 2003, he did voice over work on the film "Johnny English", where he starred as himself hosting a radio presentation of Sauvage's coronation. In 2008, he presented the game show "It's Not What You Know" on Challenge. In January 2009, Tarrant began hosting a new ITV show, "The Colour of Money", which was cancelled after seven episodes after failing to perform well in the ratings.
In June 2008 it was announced he would return to radio, hosting a weekly Saturday morning show for the GMG Radio network of stations including London's 102.2 Smooth Radio, Real Radio in Scotland and the North West's Century Radio. The show would air in direct competition to Jonathan Ross's show on BBC Radio 2 and began on 26 July. It was aired for 12 months until July 2009.
In 2009, UKTV signed Tarrant to present a show for Watch called "Tarrant Lets the Kids Loose". The eight-part series, beginning on 4 October, gives three- to six-year-olds the chance to fulfil their greatest ambitions in the adult world; whether running a photographic studio, a radio station or an ice-cream van. The show will be executively produced by Lisa Perrin and Tess Cumming.
In April 2010, Tarrant become one of the first three celebrities to be subjected to the British version of the American institution of a comedy roast, on Channel 4's "A Comedy Roast".In August 2010, Tarrant launched the "Fishing with Chris Tarrant" application for iOS devices in association with "Angling Times" magazine. Also in 2010 he presented ITV1's "The Door", a game show in which celebrities faced unpleasant and scary challenges to win money for charity.
In January 2011, he appeared on BBC's The Magicians and was voted to do the forfeit trick (walking barefoot on broken glass and swords)
Tarrant has sat in for Steve Wright on his BBC Radio 2 show on at least ten occasions between 2010 and 2013.
On 13 April 2012, Tarrant made an appearance in the BBC show "Would I Lie to You?" on David Mitchell's team alongside Mel Giedroyc.
In 2012, Tarrant filmed the "" series for Channel 5, with locations including the Congo-Ocean Railway, the Ghan across Australia and the Konkan Railway. The series was aired in December 2012. A second series was shown in 2015. In 2013, Channel 5 aired a new series called "Chris Tarrant Goes Fishing". A year later Tarrant began appearing in the ITV daytime game show "Show Me the Telly" as the TV legends team captain.
Since 2014, Tarrant has been a brand ambassador and has appeared in commercials for Lottoland.
In 2017, Tarrant became a continuity announcer for the TV channel Challenge.
Personal life.
Tarrant had two children from his marriage to Sheila Roberton, Helen in 1977 and Jennifer in 1980. The couple married in Southend-on-Sea in 1976 and divorced in 1982. Tarrant met his second wife, Ingrid Dupre-Walsh, when they both worked for TV-am. The couple married in 1991 and divorced in 2007. After a series of tabloid stories, on 18 September 2006 the couple announced that they were separating. The couple previously lived with their two children, Sammy and Toby, in Esher, plus two children from Ingrid's previous marriage, Dexter and Fia, the latter a radio presenter with Heart. In a statement in September 2006, Tarrant said: "I am deeply sorry for the hurt I have caused to my loyal wife and wonderful children, all of whom I adore. I have only myself to blame for the breakdown of my marriage." Since 2008, Tarrant has been in a long-term relationship with legal assistant Jane Bird.
In June 2000, Tarrant's River Thames launch boat the "Ben Gunn" was vandalised and burnt at its mooring in East Molesey. Tarrant's father died in 2005 and his mother died in 2012. Whilst Tarrant was preparing for his mother's funeral, he discovered his father's war diary in an open desk. Tarrant stated, "For the first time, I had his own record of his wartime experiences."
On 12 March 2014, it was reported that Tarrant had suffered a mini stroke whilst onboard a return flight from Bangkok to London Heathrow on 1 March 2014, returning from overseas shooting for "". Upon landing, he was rushed to Charing Cross Hospital where doctors did emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his right leg.
Tarrant is a fan of rock group Status Quo, and in 1991 followed them on their Rock 'til You Drop tour, which covered four concerts in one day (Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham and London) in aid of Nordorff-Robbins. In 2013, he attended the premiere of the band's feature film Bula Quo! in London. He is also a supporter of Reading F.C.
Tarrant's son Toby has followed in his father's footsteps as a radio DJ employed by Global Radio, hosting programmes initially for Capital FM and now Radio X. Tarrant’s other daughter from Ingrid's previous marriage, named Fia Tarrant, also followed her father's footsteps, now currently presenting on Heart weekdays from 10pm-1am, and is also employed by Global Radio.
Charity work.
Tarrant's charity work, for which he received an OBE in 2004 includes: being an ambassador for the homeless charity, Centrepoint; trustee/patron of the New School at West Heath for disadvantaged children (the school previously being a private school for girls that Diana, Princess of Wales attended); patron of Milly's Fund, set up in memory of murdered Surrey teenager Amanda Dowler; patron of Swings & Smiles, a charity for children with special needs.
He was a patron of the Headway Thames Valley, until he left in 2006, blaming "work commitments".
Tarrant is a patron of the Trooper Potts VC Memorial Trust, Reading. As well as Berkshire Vision , a charity that supports the visually impaired in the Berkshire County.
Legal troubles.
On 13 May 2007, Tarrant was arrested on suspicion of assault at an Indian restaurant and was released on police bail. The incident took place at the MemSaab Restaurant on Maid Marian Way, Nottingham, where Tarrant, who had been joking with a couple dining at an adjacent table, threw an item of cutlery towards the man. Tarrant admitted to the BBC that he did jokingly "lob" some cutlery onto the couple's table after asking them to leave him alone to discuss work with his colleagues. He said: "I've no idea what his [the accuser's] motives were – it genuinely makes no sense. I got back from the station at 1 am and to this minute I am completely bemused by what happened." On 25 May 2007, Tarrant was formally cautioned by Nottinghamshire Constabulary with regard to the incident.
On 5 March 2009, Tarrant was arrested on suspicion of assault at his home in Esher. He was later released without charge.
On 18 December 2017, Tarrant appeared in court charged with drink-driving. He returned to court on 18 January 2018 and received a £6,000 fine and a 12-month driving ban.
In popular culture.
In 2020, a TV mini-series, "Quiz", about Charles Ingram's attempt to win a million pounds on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" by cheating, was released. Tarrant was portrayed by the actor Michael Sheen.
External links.
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People educated at King's School, Worcester]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham]]
[[Category:English game show hosts]]
[[Category:English radio presenters]]
[[Category:English television presenters]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People from Reading, Berkshire]]
[[Category:Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?]]
[[Category:Capital (radio network)]]