Scotch Game

The Scotch Game, or Scotch Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
Ercole del Rio, in his 1750 treatise "Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche d’anonimo Autore Modenese" ("On the game of Chess, practical Observations by an anonymous Modenese Author"), was the first author to mention what is now called the Scotch Game. The opening received its name from a correspondence match in 1824 between Edinburgh and London. Popular in the 19th century, by 1900 the Scotch had lost favour among top players because it was thought to release the central tension too early and allow Black to without difficulty. More recently, grandmasters Garry Kasparov and Jan Timman helped to re-popularize the Scotch when they used it as a surprise weapon to avoid the well-analysed Ruy Lopez.
Analysis.
White aims to dominate the by exchanging their d-pawn for Black's e-pawn. Black usually plays 3...exd4, as they have no good way of maintaining their pawn on e5 (this same position can be reached by transposition from the Centre Game 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nc6). After 3...d6, White is better after 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 6.Bc4, or they may simply play 4.Bb5, when 4...exd4 5.Nxd4 Bd7 transposes to the Steinitz Defense in the Ruy Lopez.
3...Nxd4 is possible, though rarely played today by strong players. It was popular in the 19th century, and receives five columns of analysis in Freeborough and Ranken's opening manual "Chess Openings Ancient and Modern" (3rd ed. 1896 p. 53). It is often described today as a strategic error, since after 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.Qxd4 (5.Bc4 is the Napoleon Gambit) White's queen stands on a central square, and is "not" developed too early since it cannot be chased away very effectively (5...c5? is a seriously weakening move that blocks Black's ). Nonetheless, the "Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings" () concludes that Black with 5...Ne7 6.Bc4 Nc6 7.Qd5 Qf6 8.0-0 Ne5 9.Be2 c6 10.Qb3 Ng6 11.f4 Bc5+ 12.Kh1 d6 (I. Sokolov). Similarly, Harald Keilhack concludes in "Knight on the Left: 1.Nc3" (p. 21) that although ...Nxd4 is a "non-line" these days, if Black continues perfectly it is not clear that White gets even a small advantage. Keilhack analyses 5.Qxd4 d6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Bg5 c6 10.a4 Qa5 11.Bh4 and now after 11...Qe5 or 11...Be6, "White has at most this indescribable nothingness which is the advantage of the first move." ("Id." p. 25) The "ECO" also concludes that Black equalises after the alternative 4.Nxe5 Ne6 5.Bc4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 d6 8.Nd3 Nxe4 10.Nxe4 d5 (Parma). The main line 3...exd4 4.Nxd4 may transpose into this position if Black chooses to play 4...Nxd4.
After the usual 3...exd4, White can respond with the main line 4.Nxd4 or can play a gambit by offering Black one or two pawns in exchange for rapid .
Main variations.
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4, the most important continuations are:
Main line: 4.Nxd4.
In the main line after 4.Nxd4, Black has two major options. Either 4...Bc5 or 4...Nf6 offers Black good chances for an equal game.
Classical Variation: 4...Bc5.
After 4...Bc5 White has 5.Nxc6, 5.Be3, or 5.Nb3. After 5.Nxc6, play almost always continues 5...Qf6 (Black does not lose a piece on c6 because he is threatening mate with 6...Qxf2) 6.Qd2 dxc6 7.Nc3. On 5.Be3 play almost always continues 5...Qf6 6.c3 Nge7 7.Bc4 (as proposed by IM Gary Lane in "Winning with the Scotch"; several seventh move alternatives for White are possible here, 7.g3 for example) 7...0-0 (7...Ne5 is more often played here. Play usually continues 8.Be2 Qg6 [8...d5 is also possible] 9.0-0. Here, Black has the option of taking the unprotected pawn on e4, but it is considered "poisoned".) 8.0-0 Bb6 where the position is roughly equal. On 5.Nb3 play almost always continues 5...Bb6 6.a4 a6 7.Nc3. Another plan for White is to play 6.Nc3, followed by (in some order) Qe2, Be3, h4 and 0-0-0.
Schmidt Variation: 4...Nf6.
After 4...Nf6 White has 5.Nxc6 (the Mieses Variation) or 5.Nc3 (the Scotch Four Knights Game). After 5.Nc3 almost always played is 5...Bb4 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 d5 8.exd5 cxd5 9.0-0 0-0 10.Bg5 c6. After 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 is also very common. Where these main lines end, the first real opening decisions are made, which are too specific for this overview.
Steinitz Variation: 4...Qh4!?
Steinitz's 4...Qh4!? almost wins a pawn by force, but White gets a lead in development and attacking chances as compensation. As of 2005, White's most successful line has been 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Be2 Qxe4 7.Nb5 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Kd8 9.0-0, when Black's awkwardly placed king has generally proven more significant than his extra pawn.
Scotch Gambit: 4.Bc4.
Instead of 4.Nxd4, White has two ways to offer a gambit. The Scotch Gambit (which is the line recommended by GM Lev Alburt in his book "Chess Openings for White, Explained") starts with 4.Bc4. Black can transpose into the Two Knights Defense with 4...Nf6 or he can continue the Scotch with 4...Bc5 5.c3 and now 5...Nf6 will transpose into a safe variation of the Giuoco Piano. Black can instead accept the gambit with 5...dxc3 but this is riskier because White will gain a lead in development, after 6. Bxf7+ Kxf7 7. Qd5+
and Qxc5.
Göring Gambit: 4.c3.
The Göring Gambit is a relative of the Danish Gambit that starts with 4.c3. White sacrifices one or two pawns in return for a lead in development, and typically follows up by putting pressure on f7 with Bc4, Qb3 and sometimes Ng5, while Nc3-d5 is another common motif. The "Oxford Companion to Chess" notes that the gambit was first played at high levels by Howard Staunton in the 1840s, and the earliest game with it was probably played in 1843. The first game with the gambit accepted may be Meek vs Morphy, New York 1857. Carl Theodor Göring introduced it into master play in 1872, but while Göring's name is most often associated with the one-pawn gambit (5.Nxc3) Göring invariably used the double-pawn gambit with 5.Bc4. The gambit has been played by Ljubomir Ljubojević, David Bronstein, Frank Marshall, and Jonathan Penrose. In casual games Alexander Alekhine often transposed to it via the move order 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3, when ...Nc6 for Black and Nf3 for White often followed. In general, the opening is unpopular at master level but is more popular at club level. It is recommended to study the Göring Gambit in connection with the Danish.
4...d5.
Black can equalise by transposing to the Danish declined with 4...d5, when the critical line runs 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.cxd4 Bg4 7.Be2 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Qc4 (or 6...Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Bg4 8.Be2 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Qc4, leading to the same position), often referred to as the Capablanca Variation in view of the strength of Black's concept in the game Marshall-Capablanca, Lake Hopatcong 1926. This line (which can also arise from the Chigorin Defense to the Queen's Gambit), forcing White to either exchange queens or forgo the right to castle with the risky 10.Be3, deters many players from employing this gambit. Equal endgames result after either 10.Qb3 Qxb3 11.axb3 Nge7 or 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Qe2+ Qxe2+ 12.Kxe2 Ne7. If Black avoids steering for Capablanca's ending, e.g. with 6...Nf6 or 7...0-0-0 in the above lines, then White obtains good piece play in return for the isolated d-pawn. White can deviate with 6...Bg4 7.Nc3, with the idea of meeting 7...Bb4 with 8.a3 (or 6...Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Bg4 8.a3) or the rare 5.Bd3, neither of which promise an advantage but which avoid those endings.
Other ways of declining.
Black can also decline with 4...Nf6, transposing to a line of the Ponziani Opening. The continuation 5.e5 Ne4 was endorsed by "Dangerous Weapons, 1.e4 e5" (Everyman Chess, 2008) but Tim Harding considers 5...Nd5 a better try for equality, when White can continue 6.Bb5 a6 7.Ba4 Nb6 8.Bb3, 6.Qb3, 6.Bc4 or 6.cxd4. Another possibility is 4...Nge7 intending 5...d5, when the critical continuation is 5.Bc4 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.0-0. According to IM John Watson Black may be able to equalise with 7...Be7. However, declining with 4...d3 allows White some advantage after 5.Bxd3 d6 6.Bf4 Be7 7.h3 Nf6 8.Nbd2 Bd7 9.Qc2 according to "Batsford Chess Openings 2".
One-pawn gambit: 4...dxc3 5.Nxc3.
If Black accepts the gambit with 4...dxc3, White can commit to sacrificing only one pawn with 5.Nxc3. Black's most critical response is generally considered to be 5...Bb4, when White does not get enough compensation after 6.Bc4 d6 7.0-0 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Nf6!, when 9.Ba3 Bg4 is insufficient and 9.e5 Nxe5 10.Nxe5 dxe5 11.Qb3 (11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 12.Bxf7 Ke7 is also good for Black) 11...Qe7 12.Ba3 c5 does not give enough compensation for two pawns. White can deviate with 7.Qb3, when the old main line runs 7...Qe7 8.0-0 Bxc3, and here 9.Qxc3 gives White good compensation. Thus both John Watson and USCF master Mark Morss recommend 7...Bxc3+, in order to meet 8.Qxc3 with 8...Qf6! when White loses too much time with the queen. Thus White often continues 8.bxc3 when 8...Qe7 9.0-0 Nf6 can be met by 10.e5 (transposing back to lines arising from 7.0-0 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Nf6 9.e5, though these are insufficient for White) or the relatively unexplored 10.Bg5. Other deviations for White include 7.Ng5 and 6.Bg5.
Black's main alternative is 5...d6 which usually leads to complications and approximately equal chances after 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.Ng5 Ne5 9.Bb5 c6 10.f4, or 7.Ng5 Ne5 8.Bb3 h6 9.f4. 5...Bc5 is also playable, transposing to the Scotch Gambit after 6.Bc4 but cutting out the Bxf7+ possibility. 5...Nf6 6.Bc4 can transpose back to 5...d6 lines after 6...d6, or Black can attempt to transpose to 5...Bb4 lines with 6...Bb4 but this allows 7.e5 d5 8.exf6 dxc4 9.Qxd8+ Nxd8 10.fxg7 Rg8 11.Bh6.
Double-pawn gambit: 4...dxc3 5.Bc4.
Alternatively White can transpose into the Danish by offering a second pawn with 5.Bc4 cxb2 6.Bxb2, an approach which John Emms considers far more dangerous for Black. If Black does not accept the second pawn with 5...cxb2, then White can avoid Black's most critical response to 5.Nxc3 (5...Bb4 6.Bc4 d6). For instance, after 5...d6, White's best is 6.Nxc3, transposing back to the 5.Nxc3 d6 line. 5...Nf6 6.Nxc3 transposes to the 5.Nxc3 Nf6 line, 5...Bb4 is well met by 6.0-0 or 6.bxc3 (transposing to the Scotch Gambit), 5...Bc5 also transposes to the Scotch Gambit while 5...Be7?! (which is well met by 6.Qd5) transposes to the Hungarian Defense.
Thus Black's most critical response is to take the second pawn with 5...cxb2 6.Bxb2. Unlike in the Danish proper, having committed the to c6 Black cannot safely meet 6.Bxb2 with 6...d5. Instead, play often continues 6...d6 7.0-0 Be6 8.Bxe6 fxe6 9.Qb3 Qd7 or 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.Bc3 Nh6. 6...Bb4+ is the main alternative for Black, whereupon an approach with castling is considered dangerous for Black, e.g. 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Qc2 d6 9.0-0-0.
References.
Bibliography


Cheerful Central Rook

In shogi, Cheerful Central Rook (ゴキゲン中飛車 "gokigen nakabisha", also Gokigen Central Rook or Go-As-You-Please Central Rook) is a type of Central Rook opening in which the Central Rook player's bishop diagonal remains open.
This is a more aggressive strategy since the bishops may be exchanged at any time during the opening. (See: Ranging Rook#Types of Ranging Rook.)
Cheerful Central Rook is played against a Static Rook opponent.
White's variation.
1.P-76 P-34 2.P-26. Open bishop diagonals. Black plays Static Rook.
2...P-54. White pushes the central pawn – the signature move of Cheerful Central Rook.
3.P-25. Rook pawn advance.
3...R-52. Central Rook move.
Early pawn push.
After White swings their rook to the central file, pushing the second file pawn by Black (4.P-24) in order to trade the pawns off and get a pawn in hand is thought to be a mistake (although not quite a blunder) here since it will result in a position judged to be better for White. (Note the similarity of these lines with the old Central Rook vs Side Pawn joseki.)
After the pawn push and pawn trade off (4...Px24 5.Rx24), since the bishop diagonals are both open, White will trade off the bishops (5...Bx88+ 6.Sx88) and drop their bishop forking Black's rook and left silver (6...B*33).
If Black plays 7.Rx21+ aggressively capturing White's knight, White replies with 7...Bx88+ capturing Black's silver and aiming to bring the promoted bishop back to the 22 square in order to capture Black's promoted rook.
This continuation is believed to be better for White.
In case Black retreats the rook with 7.R-28 after 6...B*33, White can play the move 7...P*26 aiming for P-27+ to push Black's rook off the second file.
Castling.
White usually aims for an Incomplete Mino castle:
However, there is always the option of a Bear-in-the-hole castle as well.
Countermeasures.
Maruyama Vaccine.
One of the most popular countermeasures against Cheerful Central Rook is the so-called Maruyama's Vaccine (丸山ワクチン, "maruyama wakuchin"). Tadahisa Maruyama started playing it by 2002, and it received that name thanks to the actual Maruyama vaccine (also known as Specific substance of Maruyama), a Mycobacterium tuberculosis-derived vaccine developed in Japan in the 1970s against some types of cancer.
In the opening, before White can move P-55, Black will go for a bishop exchange with 4.Bx22 Sx22 (see Diagram), with the aim of gaining a bishop in hand and turning the game into a slow game. In reaction to this move, the strategy developed so that the Ranging Rook side would switch from a Mino castle to an Opposing Rook.
The New Maruyama Vaccine.
Once the position in the Maruyama vaccine's diagram was arrived at, Black's king would castle at 5.K-68. However, White would reply then by dropping the bishop with ...B*33, from which Black would go with 6.N-77, and White would push a pawn to ...P-74 aiming at the head of the knight, and dropping a bishop at 7.B*88 would be pointless following ...P-55. To avoid this situation, then, from the previous diagram the king will not move to 5.K-68, but instead the silver would move to 5.S-78 (see Diagram), a move that is called the New Maruyama Vaccine. By moving the silver there, Black will be fully prepared for White's bishop drop at 33.
5.P-96.
From the New Maruyama Vaccine diagram, the game will go next with 5...K-62 6.S-48 P-55, and a bishop drop at 7.B*65, and from there ...G-32 8.Bx83+ P-56 9.+Bx56 Rx56 10.Px56, and White will have the advantage following ...B*88. Yasumitsu Satō developed a new move to prevent this situation, where instead of 5.S-78, the pawn is pushed with 5.P-96 (see Diagram).
Following 5.P-96, if White goes with ...P-9d Black will switch over to the New Maruyama Vaccine with 6.S-78. If instead White goes ahead and pushes the central pawn with ...P-55, then 7.B*65 G-32 8.Bx83+ P-56 9.Px56 B*88, and with 10.L-97 Black is in a good position. This move became popular after Satō defeated Yoshiharu Habu in an official game using this strategy in July 2005.
Super Quick Attack G49-58.
Rather than a countermeasure, the Super Quick Attack G49-58 (☗5八金右超急戦, "go-hachi kin migi chou kyuusen") strategy can be called a strategy of mutual attack. From the basic position (i.e., 1.P-76 P-34 2.P-26 P-54 3.P-25 R-52), Black pushes the right gold with 4.G49-58, and White decides to go for an attacking race. This strategy was devised hurriedly by Takeshi Fujii in the middle of the 12th Ryuo title matches against Daisuke Suzuki, for which the latter had declared he would be using Ranging Rook as a general strategy. The strategy started being played in that very same tournament.
Following 4.G49-58, the game will continue with 4...P-55 5.P-24 Px24 6.Rx24. White can then respond with either 6...P-56 or 6...G-32, and it will turn into a super quick attack if the choice is 6...P-56 (Suzuki decided to go for a slow development by playing 6.G-32). From 6.P-56, the joseki continues 6...P-56 7.Px56 Bx88+ 8.Sx88 B*33 9.Rx21+ Bx88+ 10.N*55 K-62. While White has the advantage in terms of pieces, the knight drop at 10.N*55 is a powerful move. If White decides to defend from the fork by dropping 10...S*54, then Black will check with the powerful 11.B*33, and no matter how White defends, Black will get a promoted bishop by capturing the lance without any loss, winning the position. Hence, White must move 10...K-62 instead, at which point 11.+Rx11 will follow (see accompanying diagram).
In the past, from the diagram, it was frequent to play 11...+Bx99. Against the lance capture at +Bx99 it was concluded by way of research that White will be at an advantage even after the powerful 12.L*66 and 13.B*33, but then Ryūma Tonari (3-dan at the time) discovered the 12.L*33 move (see diagram).
Whatever the case, in a super quick attack strategy the game frequently will reach its end in few moves, and as research shows, it will easily turn into a win-or-lose game. Moreover, against G-58 White can opt instead for castling the king, starting with 4...K-62, and there are other ways of preventing a decisive showdown. For this reason, with the exception of Toshiaki Kubo and Kōji Tanigawa, it is rare to see this strategy played in title matches.
Super High Speed Silver-37.
In 2010, a strategy called Super High Speed Silver-37 (超速☗3七銀, "chōsoku san-nana gin") started gaining popularity among professionals as a countermeasure for Black against White's Cheerful Central Rook. The strategy was named by Kiyokazu Katsumata, and appeared first in a match for the Asahi Cup Shogi Open in December, 2009. It was further developed by Yoshitaka Hoshino, who was awarded the Kōzō Masuda Award for it in 2010.
The basic position occurs as follows: From the basic diagram at the start of this article, the game proceeds with 1.S-48 P-55 2.K-68 B-33 3.P-36 K-62 4.S-37 K-72, followed by S-46 with the aim of launching a quick attack (see Figure).
From there, White can play ...S-32, ...S-42, or ...G-32. Also, if White pushes the fourth file pawn with ...P-44, Black's moving skillfully the right silver as in the Sugai variation is also effective.
Super High Speed Sword Drawing.
A countermeasure against Black's Central Rook appeared around 2016. Following 1.P-56, instead of 1...P-34, White would push the rook pawn with 1...P-84, and from there the game would develop with 2.P-76 P-54 3.R-58 S-62 4.K-48 K-42 5.K-38 K-32 6.K-28 S-42 without opening the bishop's diagonal. From there, a novel measure to open the bishop's diagonal was researched (Yasuaki Murayama gave it the name of Super High Speed Sword Drawing (居合抜き超速, "iainuki chōsoku").
By delaying ...P-34, a super high speed strategy like Black's becomes effective, too, and as soon as the opponent's left silver veers away White will open the bishop's diagonal, with the aim of capturing the lance, which is difficult to defend. This aim is the one that gives the name to the strategy, insofar as "iainuki" refers to the technique in iaido in which the sword is drawn, cutting the opponent in the same movement, and then sheathed again.
The research was further developed later, such that even if the opponent playing Central Rook would push along the fifth file, you would be unbothered. Taking advantage of the opponent's pushed pawn, variations were developed that aimed at there (for example, 1.P-56 P-84 2.P-76 S-62 3.R-58 K-42 4.P-55 P-85 5.B-77 P-74 6.S-68 S-73 7.S-57 S-64 (see Diagram). From around 2018, measures were developed also for the central rook player against White not opening the bishop's diagonal by delaying in turn the pushing of the pawn, and since the ranging rook prevents a quick attack the game develops into a slow one (3...K-42 4.S-68 P-85 9.B-77 P-74 10.K-48 S-73 11.S-57 S-64, aiming at a sword drawing position, and then pushing the pawn at 12.P-66 was discovered, allowing the silver to protect the advanced pawn (see Diagram). From there, 12...P-75 will be followed by 13.P-65 threatening a silver capture, and with which the Central Rook's development proves successful).
Double Ranging (Third File) Rook.
Another common strategy against Cheerful Central Rook is moving the rook in a Third File Rook, turning the game into a double ranging rook, which makes it easy to castle in the right to face the Central Rook. However, Kenji Imaizumi (still an amateur at the time), devised the "Central Rook Left Anaguma", which became a countermeasure for the side playing Central Rook, and which made it difficult for double ranging rooking. Consequently, Third File Rook is not used much anymore as a countermeasure against Cheerful Central Rook. However, since Opposing Rook (see Diagram) is a natural enemy for Left Anaguma, in that case it is better to go with a Left Mino castle (for example, 1. P-56, P-34; 2. R-58, B-33; 3. P-55, R-22; 4. P-36, P-24; 5. S-48, P-25, and then 6. S-37).
S-47 Variant.
The aim can be to exchange the rook pawn. Since this often involves using the knight, this tactic can easily fail if the knight is stopped. However, since the silver isn't advancing, S-47 can also work in defending one's camp.


On the Cover (game show)

On the Cover is a game show that premiered on PAX TV on May 17, 2004. It was hosted by Mark L. Walberg and the announcer was Mitch Lewis. Three contestants competed in a game of identifying people, places and things on covers of magazines, CDs, DVDs and other items, and answering pop culture questions.
Game show format.
Pilot format.
In the two pilots broadcast over two days in May 2004, the point values were lower for each question as follows:
In addition, the first round was played center stage instead of at the podium, and in the third round the contestants had to answer the questions in a specific way (which could involve puns).
Finally, the champion received a prize for winning the main game.
For the bonus round, the contestant had to answer four questions to solve the mystery cover, with each answer containing a clue to a puzzle. For winning the bonus round, contestants received a prize package that included a trip to the Newport Beach Film Festival.
The announcer for the two pilots was Vanessa Marshall.
Series Format.
Round One: Lightning Round.
In round one, each contestant received 15 seconds to identify celebrities on a series of covers. Each correct answer was worth 100 points.
Round Two: On the Cover.
This round was where the show got its name. In this round three covers were displayed on the board. Each one was assigned a point value that began at 250 points. The contestant with the highest score (or in a first place tie, the contestant who played round one first) chose a cover, and a question was asked concerning some aspect of what was on the cover. The first contestant to buzz-in attempted to answer the question, and a correct answer awarded the points and control of the board. An incorrect answer gave the other contestants a chance to answer. After each question, a new cover replaced an old cover and was assigned the 250 points, while the value of the unchosen covers increased by that amount until they were chosen.
Round Three: Parody Covers.
In round three, three parody covers were displayed on a "rack" on the board (more often than not forming a common bond). The answers to questions were the celebrities on those covers. Each correct answer on the first rack was worth 500 points. After five questions, a new rack of parody covers was introduced, with the value of the each of the five questions increased to 750 points. The five questions on the final rack of covers were worth 1,000 points. When the round was over, the contestant with the most points won the game. If the game ended in a tie for first, a sixth question using the third rack was asked. The first contestant to ring in would get to answer the question. A correct answer would move the contestant on to the bonus round. However, an incorrect answer would move the "other" tied contestant to the bonus round by default.
Bonus Round: Mystery Cover.
In the bonus round, the winning contestant was shown a grid of nine squares with numbers arranged in random order. Behind those squares was a mystery cover that the contestant had to identify. To remove those squares, the winning contestant had to identify what was on nine covers in 20 seconds (30 on earlier-taped episodes). Each correct identification revealed a square that corresponded to the identified cover. When time ended, or if all nine covers were played, a category to the mystery cover was revealed, and the numbered squares were revealed. If the winning contestant was able to identify what was on the mystery cover, he/she won the grand prize (a trip), failing to do so earned a consolation prize.


Sky Kid Deluxe

 is a horizontally scrolling shooter released in arcades by Namco in 1986. It is the sequel to "Sky Kid", which was released in the previous year. It was the first game to run on the company's System 86 hardware. It was also the first game from the company to use a Yamaha YM2151 FM sound chip for its music. The gameplay is more difficult than the original, and it also introduces several new enemies and missions.
The game was re-released in the Japan-only "Namco Collection" for Microsoft Windows and received its first ever worldwide port to a console as part of "Namco Museum Virtual Arcade" for the Xbox 360, but did not include the second player's character Blue Max.
Reception.
In Japan, "Game Machine" listed "Sky Kid Deluxe" on their May 1, 1986 issue as being the twenty-third most-successful table arcade unit of the year.


Isaac Lipnitsky

Isaac (Isaak) Oskarovich Lipnitsky (Lipnitski) (Russian: Исаак Оскарович Липницкий) (Kiev, 25 June 1923 – Kiev, 25 March 1959) was a Ukrainian-Soviet chess master. He was a two-time Ukrainian champion (1949, 1956), and was among Ukraine's top half-dozen players from 1948 to 1956. He was a chess theoretician and professional teacher.
Early life.
Lipnitsky was a childhood companion and chess rival of David Bronstein in Kiev. In Bronstein's acclaimed 1995 book, coauthored with Tom Furstenberg, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", Bronstein and Lipnitsky are pictured together in a group photo from the Kiev Junior Chess Club in 1939, and Bronstein includes an early drawn game from 1938 against Lipnitsky in his collection.
Lipnitsky qualified for his first Ukrainian Championship in 1939 at Dnepropetrovsk at age 16, and he made a very creditable 7th place, with 8/15 (+5 −4 =6), half a point ahead of Bronstein, who was also making his debut at age 15. The Second World War then suspended most chess competition in the USSR for the next six years. Lipnitsky served in the Soviet Red Army, fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, and was decorated four times.
Lipnitsky's first result of note after the war in high-level competition was a tie for 5th–8th places in the 1948 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev with 11/18, only half a point behind winner Anatoly Bannik, another childhood rival from the Kiev Junior Chess Club. In a tournament at Kharkov 1948, Lipnitsky scored 7½/15, to place 11th.
Ukrainian Champion, Soviet runner-up.
Lipnitsky won the Ukrainian Championship in 1949 at Kiev, with a very strong 15½/19 (+14 −2 =3). This earned him the Master title. Efim Geller, who later earned the Grandmaster title, was second.
Lipnitsky had by far the best result of his career at Moscow in 1950 at the URS-ch18, where he scored a superb 11/17 (+8 −3 =6), to tie for 2nd–4th places, along with Lev Aronin and Alexander Tolush, only half a point behind champion Paul Keres.
In the 1950 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, Lipnitsky scored 12/17 to place a strong second. In the 1952 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, Lipnitsky finished in a tied 5th–6th place with 8½/15. Then in the 1953 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, he ended up in a tied 3rd–4th place, with 8½/13.
Lipnitsky did not do anywhere near as well in the next two Soviet Championships, however. In URS-ch19, Moscow 1951, Lipnitsky scored just 6½/17 (+4 −8 =5), for a tied 15th–16th place, and a 2588 performance. At URS-ch20, Moscow 1952, Lipnitsky made only 7/19 (+3 −8 =8), for 17th place, and a 2567 performance.
Lipnitsky scored a very good 7/10 in the 1954 USSR Team Championship at Riga. He won the Ukrainian Championship again in 1956 at Kiev with 15/19, this time a point ahead of Bannik, who was second.
Legacy and style.
Lipnitsky never got the chance to compete internationally in an individual tournament, missing out on the chance to earn international chess titles. Very few Soviet players got the chance to compete internationally during those years, and invitations were controlled by the USSR Chess Federation. In the Ukraine of his peak years, the region had more than 30 million people, and chess was very popular, with many strong players. By the chess standards of the 21st century, with Ukraine now an independent nation since 1991, Lipnitsky was certainly of International Master standard, and likely Grandmaster level. Lipnitsky achieved victories over most of the top Soviet players of his era during his peak years from 1948–56, including Paul Keres, Vasily Smyslov, Tigran Petrosian, Alexander Kotov, Yuri Averbakh, Igor Bondarevsky, Mark Taimanov, Efim Geller, Semyon Furman, Lev Aronin, Alexei Suetin, Ilya Kan, and Evgeny Vasiukov, among others. He had a wide opening repertoire with both colours, and his style was positional in nature, with tactics not dominating, but flowing from the situation.
Personal life.
Isaac was а son of Oscar (d. 1975) and Sima (d. 1958) and had one brother (Don). He was married to an actress Lyalya Leshchinskaya. They had one daughter Liana (June 2, 1946 - April 12, 2000). During WW2, he served as a corporal in an anti-spy unit. Lipnitsky died at age 35 in Kiev in 1959. The cause of death was polycythemia, a kind of chronic leucosis. It is mentioned in a book "Isaak Lipnitsky" by Vadim Teplitsky (Israel, 1993, in Russian).


Knightmare

Knightmare is a British children's adventure game show, created by Tim Child, and broadcast over eight series on CITV from 7 September 1987 to 11 November 1994. The general format of the show is of a team of four children – one who takes on the game, and three acting as their guide and advisers – attempting to complete a quest within a fantasy medieval environment, traversing a large dungeon and using their wits to overcome puzzles, obstacles and the unusual characters they meet along the journey.
The show is most notable for its use of blue screen chroma key, an idea Child utilised upon seeing it being put to use in weather forecasts at the time the programme began, as well as its use of 'virtual reality' interactive gameplay on television and the high level of difficulty faced by every team. Broadcast to high viewing figures throughout its original run, it garnered a cult status amongst fans since its final television episode in 1994. It was revived for a one off special by YouTube in August 2013.
Format.
Each run of the game involves a team of four children, aged around 11–16, and focuses on the same format. One member takes on the game in person, referred to as the "Dungeoneer", but are made blind to their surroundings by the "Helmet of Justice" – a headpiece that blocks their field of vision to just around their feet. The other three act as their advisers, guiding them around, giving them advice to solving puzzles, and making notes on information received. Once the Dungeoneer is ready, they are sent off on their quest, which in most series requires the team to choose which one they will undertake, whereupon the action takes place within a blue screen chroma key studio that is used to display a partly computer-generated, partly hand-drawn fantasy dungeon – only the viewers and the Dungeoneer's advisers can see this. In some cases, filming of a run takes place in real locations, in which the viewpoint of these scenes is done to appear to be from that of the Dungeoneer's. The rest of the team remains in the main studio fashioned as an antechamber of "Knightmare Castle", and provide instructions and descriptions of a location to the Dungeoneer, much in the same fashion of text-based computer games which rely on description and commands rather than any visuals. An example of this could be that a room has a key for a locked door within, so the advisers would describe the room to the Dungeoneer and then instruct them to move towards the key, pick it up, and use it on the door to exit the room.
The objective of the game is for the team to complete three levels of a specially made dungeon designed for them; each team faces a new dungeon of a different design, but with similar features recurring during a series. Each level consists of a number of rooms – some with puzzles, obstacles and challenges that have to be overcome – and a selection of inhabitants – some will help out, while others will either hinder the player unless they give them something they require, or attempt to stop them and end their game. In some cases, the team faces more than one exit, and usually must make a choice about which way to go. Every dungeon has a selection of objects, some of which will help to solve puzzles or get past certain inhabitants, while others are decoys, as well as magic spells – a single word that can be used to solve puzzles, get around hazards and dangerous inhabitants, which require an adviser to spell out the word correctly (i.e. if the spell is Light, then the adviser needs to say L-I-G-H-T).
Each team is required to complete their game within a time-limit, which is represented by an on-screen animated life force meter for the Dungeoneer that depletes over time; the meter is only ever seen by the viewers, but the advisers receive clear hints about its status when they need to take care. Because the amount of time given is not enough, the team must get the Dungeoneer to checkpoints within the dungeon and have them pick up a food item and place it within a knapsack given to them before they begin their run, which restores the Dungeoneer's life-force to full upon doing so. If the team make mistakes that allow the Dungeoneer to take "damage" from minor monsters or hazards, they incur a time penalty, that reduces the amount of time they have to complete the game. If the Dungeoneer runs out of life-force, the game is over; the game is also over if the team makes a bad decision and take a wrong route into a dead end, or the Dungeoneer is "killed" by an enemy character, monster or trap or "falls" into a pit. The appearance of the life-force meter varied during the course of the show's history:
If the team manages to complete all three levels, they are awarded with their prize, which changed over the years of the show's history. Unlike most other children's shows, "Knightmare" had no qualms over having a very high difficulty level, and as a result, only eight teams managed to win the game over its eight series. Regardless of whether a team wins or fails, they leave the show once their game is over, and a new team takes their place. This continues until the final episode of the series, whereupon the last team playing in that episode will often always be given an impossible situation that they will fail, in order to allow the series to end. Because each episode is designed to be twenty-five minutes long, should a team's run exceed beyond an episode, editing is done to freeze the action towards the end, and then unfreeze at the beginning of the next episode (referred to in the series context as "temporal disruption").
Characters.
A Saxon Knight named Treguard, or Treguard of Dunshelm, was the dungeon master and was played by Hugo Myatt for the show's eight series. Information about his supposed background can be found in the related literature (see merchandise section). During the show, it was Treguard's job to assist the dungeoneer and his team of helpers wherever possible, also explaining a team's cause of death whenever they died.
At first, Treguard directed the contestants on his own. However, from Series 4, Treguard had an assistant: Pickle the elf, played by David Learner, and (from Series 7) after Pickle had "gone back to the forest", Majida, a princess and genie of Arabian descent played by Jackie Sawiris. (Majida originally claimed her name was "Daughter of the Setting Moon Whose Eyes are Like Daggers in the Hearts of Men Who Ride the Great Caravan of the Sultan".)
During the early series Treguard was portrayed as a neutral character, most notably between Series 1 and 3. During the start of Episode 14 of Series 3 (when no team had yet completed that series' dungeon) he went as far as to say "we're celebrating an unbeaten record", apparently siding against the dungeoneers. However, from Series 5 onwards there was a clear distinction made between 'The Powers that Be' and 'The Opposition', against which Treguard became less neutral, and more inclined to aid the dungeoneers to complete their quest.
Over the course of the series Treguard became known for his catchphrase "Ooh, nasty!", regularly used just after a team had died. Intended only as a passing remark, this was originally an ad lib by Myatt.
In its early series, "Knightmare" lacked a single major antagonist or 'baddie'. Indeed, originally Treguard was specifically a neutral character, neither on the side of good nor evil. The closest there was to a main villain was Mogdred (portrayed by John Woodnutt), but his main duty was (according to wizard Merlin in the penultimate episode of Series 2) to "scare you into making a mistake", though he did kill two dungeoneers, one in Series 2 and another early in Series 4. In Series 5 (1991), however, changes were made. The majority of the characters were split into two sides: the righteous "Powers that Be", and the villainous "Opposition", the leader of which was Lord Fear played by Mark Knight. By this time, Treguard's stance had now fully evolved into that of a strictly good character.
In 2014 Hugo Myatt lent his "Treguard" voice to the heavy metal band Evil Scarecrow's album "Galactic Hunt" for the track "Enter the Knightmare", whose lyrics are based on the 1980s TV show.
Production.
"Knightmare" was conceived by Tim Child in 1985, inspired by the two ZX Spectrum games "Atic Atac" and "Dragontorc". Realising that if a ZX Spectrum could do these types of adventure game, then a television programme could revolutionise the genre, he enlisted the help of artist David Rowe to design realistic looking backgrounds with an airbrush. Borrowing the technique used in weather forecasts, Child devised a large blue room, which was set up in Studio A of Anglia Studios. The advanced computer graphic environments were created by the Travelling Matte Company using a Spaceward SuperNova computer. Travelling Matte was owned by set designer Robert Harris, who had trained at Central Saint Martin's in stage design and had been working with John Peyre at BBC TV when "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" started to blend digital images with real world studio scenery. Harris had a background in CGI, having trained in 3D animation at Middlesex Polytechnic under Dr John Vince, and experience in playing out "live" graphics for current affairs programmes like "Newsnight" and "Panorama". Knightmare required real time CGI inserts and virtual lighting changes, door reveals and animated monsters in real time, within live action against blue screen using Ultimatte.
Eventually, in early 1986, a 15-minute pilot under the name of "Dungeon Doom" was recorded. Even at this stage it featured Hugo Myatt, the husband of Christine Webber who was a presenter of Anglia's regional news programme "About Anglia". A second 20-minute pilot was filmed on 27 and 28 January 1987, with the name changed to "Knightmare", and 'life force' added, an idea borrowed from the computer game Atic Atac, which also influenced the show in other ways. He recruited Robert Harris, who used a Spaceward computer to design an animation of a knight's head that could indicate varying degrees of damage. Child sent this second pilot to the ITV Children's Committee in February, who commissioned a series of eight half-hour episodes.
The show was an instant hit, and a second series twice as long as the first was commissioned the next year, closely followed by a third the year after that. By the time this third series finished, Child felt the dungeon format was getting too restrictive, and he needed something new. Because of this, the fourth series saw the introduction of many 'outdoor' scenes, filmed around places such as medieval castles across the UK, and composited into the blue room using the usual chromakey technique. This series also saw the introduction of the "Eye Shield", which acted as an 'eye' for the dungeoneer. Using pre-recorded footage filmed on location, it followed the progress of the dungeoneers as they explored the dungeon. A new onscreen status bar was also introduced, generated by a Commodore Amiga 2000 computer.
At its peak in 1991/1992, "Knightmare" attracted approximately 4–5 million viewers per episode with many episodes being directed by Martin Cairns (at that time a very high figure for a children's TV series). By 1993, the year which saw the programme's seventh series, it was the most popular non-animated show on CITV. However, changes had recently occurred. Late the previous year, the ITV Children's Committee was replaced by a single Controller of CITV, Dawn Airey. Although she thought well of "Knightmare", the average audience age of CITV was now 6–10, down from 6–15 in 1985. It was believed that the older audience was moving to satellite television and video games, and that programmes for a younger audience were needed. After two meetings, it was agreed that an 8th series of "Knightmare" would go ahead in 1994, but that it would be a shorter run (ten episodes instead of fifteen or sixteen) and that the remainder of the season's timeslot would be taken by "Virtually Impossible", a new virtual reality show from Broadsword, the same production company as "Knightmare", and aimed at this younger audience. Shortly after this decision was made, Airey left for Channel 4, and was replaced as Controller by Vanessa Chapman.
Despite the diminishing older audience, "Knightmare"s eighth series performed well, and gained a higher audience than "Virtually Impossible" did later that autumn. Changes introduced in this series saw a return to the dungeon format of Series 1–3, albeit now completely computer-generated, and a new piece of dungeoneering equipment was added: the wand "Reach". This allowed dungeoneers to push, touch, and open things from a distance. At this point, there was still hope that "Knightmare" would return for a ninth series in 1995: a postal address for future contestants was displayed on screen after the end of the final episode. The chances of the eighth series being the last were also strong, however, and so the series ended on an ambiguous note.
In the event, "Knightmare" was 'rested' for the foreseeable future, partly due to the declining older audience, and partly because Tim Child felt that while "Knightmare" should employ high-quality virtual reality in order to remain a cutting-edge show, such technology was not affordable at that time.
Overseas versions.
Two other versions of "Knightmare" were also made: one in France ("Le Chevalier Du Labyrinthe"), which ran from 19 September 1990 to 31 August 1991, and the other in Spain ("El Rescate Del Talisman") which ran from 29 May 1991 to 1994. Both versions were sponsored by Sega.
Merchandise.
A number of items of "Knightmare" merchandise were produced over the show's run, including seven books written by Dave Morris:
The first of these, "Knightmare", told the story of how Treguard came to inhabit Knightmare Castle, revealed once to have been Dunshelm Castle, which Treguard owned by birthright. The next four books were intended for older readers, and took the format of half-fiction, half-interactive story. In these, the first half of the book was a novelette about one of Treguard's adventures, serving as a lead-in to the second half which comprised numbered sections where the reader directed the narrative, similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure books. The next two books retained the interactive format, but were aimed at a younger audience. Throughout the interactive portions of the books the reader had to keep track of Life Force and objects collected, and some books had additional statistics or special skills to monitor. Finally, "Lord Fear's Domain" was a puzzle book.
There were also two "Knightmare" computer games released: the first was in 1987, released on the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, and Commodore 64; and the second Knightmare game in 1991, released on the Amiga and Atari ST. A PC version was proposed for 1995, but the plan was abandoned when the series finished. The latter game was an RPG similar to the Dungeon Master and Eye Of The Beholder games which, whilst well received at the time, had very little to do with the TV series besides the fantasy setting.
A "Knightmare" board game was also released in 1992, by MB Games.
Transmissions.
Repeats.
After "Knightmare" ended on ITV, it was quickly picked up by The Sci-Fi Channel, which broadcast all eight series starting from the channel's launch in November 1995. However, ratings were low, perhaps exacerbated by the satellite sharing that meant UK fans were unable to receive the Sci Fi Channel at the times when the show was being broadcast. (Cable television was also relatively uncommon in the UK at this time, and completely unavailable in some areas, further limiting the show's existing fanbase.) Sci-Fi's contract ran out on 31 October 1998. "Knightmare"'s only appearances on television after that were as clips in "40 Years of Anglia" in 1999, and Channel 4's 100 Greatest Kids' TV Shows in 2001, where it came 16th, the highest position on the list for a game show.
In the United States, Series 5 and 6 were shown for a short time on local Long Island, New York independent station WLNY.
In December 2002, the UK satellite channel Challenge held a group of programmes called the "Christmas Cult Selection", featuring a group of classic game shows from the 1960s ("The Golden Shot") right through to the 1980s. "Knightmare" was included in this, and the repeats started on 23 December 2002, with Series 3, Episode 1 preceded by a short 2.5-minute documentary featuring Tim Child and Hugo Myatt. Just over a week later, "Knightmare" went on to reach first place in an Internet poll held by Challenge, asking viewers to decide the best show out of the Cult Selection.
Reasonable ratings, combined with the high fanbase, ensured that the other seven series went on to be bought and shown over the next two years. It took until 8 July 2004 for all the episodes to be shown, when Episode 16 of Series 2 was broadcast 563 days after the repeats started. "Knightmare" continued to run on Challenge until 31 March 2007, when the rights to the series expired. By this time only five of the eight series were still being repeated, as the rights to Series 3 expired at the end of 2004, Series 4 on 31 May 2006, and Series 5 on 30 September 2006, the latter two following a final showing of those series.
On 5 and 6 January 2013, the final two episodes from Series 7 were shown on the CITV channel as part of its 'Old Skool Weekend', which celebrated 30 years of ITV's programming block for children. According to Radio Times, Knightmare was the second most watched programme during the 'Old Skool Weekend', only being beaten by Fun House.
On 22 April 2013, Challenge announced that they have re-acquired the first two series of Knightmare. The re-run began its transmission on 10 May 2013 at 10:30pm, shown as part of their 'Late Zone' strand. These repeats now have the ITV Studios logo at the end rather than the Anglia logo.
On 29 June 2015, Challenge announced that they have also re-acquired the third and fourth series. The re-run started airing on 25 October 2015 at 10:00am.
Further developments.
Videogame.
Activision released a videogame adaptation.
"Knightmare VR".
On 25 November 2002, only 6 days after the Challenge repeats were confirmed, it was announced that a reformat of "Knightmare" was to be undertaken by Televirtual, founded by Tim Child. Known as "Knightmare VR", this would use avatar technology to place the dungeoneer in a full 3D computer generated world. A £40,000 National Lottery grant for the programme was awarded in July 2003.
In 2004 test images and clips continued to appear on the Televirtual website and finally on 17 August 2004, the full 13-minute pilot was posted on the Internet.
The VR pilot kept a lot of the original elements that appeared in the original show such as Wall Monsters, Clue Rooms and the dark and grimy dungeon setting. Original Knightmare actors Hugo Myatt and Mark Knight reprised their roles as Treguard and Lord Fear respectively, while several additional actors (including Nick Collett and Tim Child himself) were introduced, playing new additions to the cast.
The pilot introduced some new elements, including a new main host named Garstang, who was an orc. Treguard was now relegated to an avatar head who would occasionally appear to give the dungeoneer advice. The dungeoneer and all of the in-dungeon characters were now fully computer generated, along with the rooms themselves, which meant that the dungeoneer could now explore much larger and grander surroundings than previously seen. All of the rooms could now be seen more thoroughly from different camera angles, an element which the original programme could not do easily due to the limits of its technology.
The Helmet of Justice was no longer used, enabling the dungeoneer to now clearly see his surroundings. As a result of this, only one advisor was now needed, instead of three.
Reactions to the pilot were mixed, with some saying that the lack of a Helmet of Justice and the associated "guiding" element meant a lot of the essence of the original show was lost. The new theme tune was dismissed by some as being overly "cheesy" and unrelated to the dark sense of the programme. On 10 May 2005, it was announced that the project was to be shelved, with Child saying that he had decided that "Knightmare" would work best under a mixture of virtual reality and the original format.
In an interview with "The Guardian" in April 2013, Child said that although "(t)here will always be hardcore fans clamouring for ("Knightmare"΄s) return; I think it's best to let it languish in its own deep, dark dungeon".
YouTube.
In December 2012, lifelong Knightmare fan James Aukett commemorated 25 years since the first ever episode was shown with a documentary which featured interviews with Hugo Myatt, Tim Child, artist David Rowe (who illustrated the dungeon backgrounds for the earlier series)
and various other actors and contestants who participated in Knightmare during the course of the show's eight series.
In August 2013, a one-off special edition of Knightmare was produced for YouTube's "Geek Week" event, directed and produced by Tim Child and featuring three original cast members – Hugo Myatt (Treguard), Mark Knight (Lord Fear) and Cliff Barry (Lissard), plus "Knightmare VR" actor Nick Collett and actresses Isy Suttie and Jessie Cave playing new roles. The team of dungeoneers were YouTube content creators Dan Howell, Phil Lester, Emma Blackery and Stuart Ashen. Filming took place in Norwich at the original Anglia television studios.
Knightmare Live.
A theatrical version of Knightmare was performed at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 23 July – 15 August 2013. It opened to rave reviews and was performed in London in 2013 and 2016. The show is produced by Objective Talent Management and stars Paul Flannery, Tom Bell and Amee Smith.
Convention.
In March 2014, a group comprising the cast and crew of "Knightmare" and the website knightmare.com launched a successful crowd funding campaign to raise money to run a "Knightmare" convention in the studios in Norwich where "Knightmare" was filmed. The convention took place at EPIC Studios in Norwich (where the original series was filmed) on 9–11 May 2014.
The convention allowed visitors to play a room of the "Knightmare" dungeon using the same technology used in the show, as well as to meet with some of the original cast.


Rodeo Drive (game show)

Rodeo Drive is a cable game show that pitted three contestants against each other in a game based on the street of the same name. It was recorded in CBS Television City's Studio 43 in Los Angeles.
The series debuted on Lifetime on February 5, 1990 and ran until May 4, 1990, and was hosted by comedian Louise DuArt, with Burton Richardson as announcer. Jay Wolpert created and produced the show. After the last first-run episode aired, the show went into reruns until August 31, 1990.
Format.
Round one.
Seven hidden words, numbered 1 through 7 and pertaining to a celebrity, were displayed on a monitor behind the contestants. The contestant in control chose a number, and the word was shown to both opponents and the home audience. He/she then had 15 seconds to describe the celebrity; saying the word awarded a point value from 100 to 250 based on its difficulty. If the contestant did not say the word, he/she received 5 points for any other hidden words that were said. Before time started, the opponents each secretly predicted whether the contestant would say the word, receiving 50 points for a correct guess. Three different celebrities were played in this round, with each contestant describing one and predicting on the other two.
If two or more contestants were tied for the lead at the end of this round, a statement about a celebrity was read as a toss-up. The first contestant to buzz-in and correctly identify it as a fact or rumor scored one point and earned the advantage; a miss awarded both to the opponent.
Round two.
The contestants were seated in descending order of their scores from round one. Beginning with the high scorer, each was given a series of statements and had to classify them as fact or rumor. Correct answers were worth 100 points each, while a miss gave control to the next contestant in line. DuArt occasionally performed impersonations of the celebrities mentioned, and one question was related to a teaser that she gave at the beginning of the show.
This round lasted for approximately seven minutes, with a bell as a two-minute warning. When time ran out, the high scorer won $500 and advanced to the bonus round; ties were broken as in round one.
Rodeo Drive (Bonus Round).
The contestant had an opportunity to increase the amount of money in the bank on Rodeo Drive by answering five questions. He/she was given the names of two celebrities and a statement that was true about one, the other, or both. Each correct answer added $200 to the bank, which began at $1,000 after it was won.
The contestant then got the chance to stroll down Rodeo Drive, which included four stores (each displaying a different prize) and the bank. At each location, the contestant had to identify a celebrity based on overhearing gossip about him/her. A correct guess allowed the contestant to advance to the next location. If the contestant cleared all five locations within 60 seconds, he/she won all four prizes and the money in the bank. Otherwise, the contestant received a prize of his/her choice from the successfully cleared stores and the bank value rolled over to the next show.
Champions remained on the show until they were defeated or had played the bonus round five times.


See It Saw It

See It Saw It is a children's game show about a king who rules over the kingdom of "Much Jollity-on-the-Mirth". It ran from 6 January 1999 to 26 March 2001. The programme was filmed entirely in the studio, with an audience of children, who at various points in the show would be asked an observation question by the King, which they would answer by climbing on board a giant see saw.
The majority answer would be indicated by which way the see saw tipped. The show's main catchphrase is "did you see it?" asked by the king, to which the audience would shout back, "we saw it!".
The show was created and produced by Clive Doig, and most of the cast had also appeared in previous shows created by Doig: Mark Speight and Philip Fox were both part of the supporting cast in the GMTV programme "Eat Your Words", while both Sylvester McCoy and Julia Binsted had long histories of working with Doig, both having appeared in the classic series "Jigsaw" in the 1980s.
The only newcomer in the main cast was Natasha Collins as the Jester See. Following a serious accident in 2000, Collins was unavailable for subsequent series, and the role was completely taken over by Kate Crossley.


Adolf Albin

Adolf Albin (14 September 1848 – 22 March 1920) was a Romanian chess player. He is best known for the countergambit that bears his name and for authoring the first chess book written in Romanian.
Life.
He was born in Bucharest, Romania to a wealthy family. His forefathers, however, sprang from Hamburg, Germany and settled in Zhitomir, Ukraine in the 19th century, but later moved to Romania. After completing his studies in Vienna, he went back to Romania, where he ran the Frothier Printing House in Bucharest. Soon he became associated with Dr. Bethel Henry Baron von Stroussberg, working as a translator for the influential railroad tycoon who was nicknamed "The King of Railways". Stroussberg's financial bankruptcy in 1875 led to Albin's exile in Vienna once again, together with his wife and three children. He died at age 72 in a Vienna sanatorium.
Chess career.
Albin came to chess relatively late: according to "The Oxford Companion to Chess" he learnt the game in his 20s and did not play in international events until his 40s. His best result came at New York 1893, where he finished second behind Emanuel Lasker (who scored a perfect 13/13), ahead of Jackson Showalter, Harry Nelson Pillsbury and others. He played in the very strong tournaments at Hastings 1895 (scoring 8½/21) and Nuremberg 1896 (scoring 7/18). His tournament results on the whole were spotty, though he won individual games against several notable players, including world champion Wilhelm Steinitz at New York 1894 and Nuremberg 1896. He authored the first chess book in Romanian, "Amiculŭ Joculu de Scachu Teoreticu şi Practicu" (published in Bucharest in 1872).
Death.
As Michael Lorenz has noted in Chess Note 11752 (March 8, 2020), Albin died on 22 March 1920, and not on 1 February 1920 as previously believed.
Legacy.
Albin is the eponym of several chess opening variations, notably the Albin Countergambit in the Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5) and the Albin Attack (also known as the Alekhine–Chatard Attack) in the French Defence (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4).
References.
Bibliography


Battlantis

Battlantis (バトランティス), is a fixed shooter arcade game released by Konami in July 1987. "Battlantis" is a portmanteau of "Battle of Atlantis". In Battlantis, players take control of Cripeuss III and attempt to defeat Asmodeus and the monsters invading his castle. Enemy formations are similar to those in "Space Invaders" and "Galaga", with some monsters charging to the bottom of the screen. Occasionally, two monsters carrying an ark will cross the screen. Shooting this ark will drop a powerup, temporarily giving a more powerful shot. Once enemies reach the bottom, they fly sideways towards Cripeus III, making them nearly impossible to defeat unless the player has captured two power up, allowing sideways firing.
In March 2010, it was included in the launch lineup of Microsoft's Game Room service for the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows – Live.
Reception.
In Japan, "Game Machine" listed "Battlantis" on their July 15, 1987 issue as being the twenty-third most-successful table arcade unit of the year.


Supermarket Sweep

Supermarket Sweep is an American television game show. The format combines an ordinary team-based quiz show with the novel concept of a live, timed race through a supermarket. In the timed race, cameras follow the teams with shopping carts through a large vacated supermarket with several aisles; the value of items thrown into the cart determine the winning team. The original show was broadcast on ABC from December 20, 1965 to July 14, 1967. Revivals aired on Lifetime from February 5, 1990 to June 16, 1995 (with reruns until August 14, 1998, and on PAX TV from April 5, 1999 to March 31, 2000), and later from April 3, 2000 to May 23, 2003, with reruns airing until March 26, 2004. Another ongoing revival of the show premiered on October 18, 2020, also on ABC.
The 1960s "Supermarket Sweep" was broadcast from Food Fair supermarkets, mostly around New York City. For the Lifetime version, a mock supermarket was created at Hollywood Center Studios. It was modeled after a Hughes Family Market (which was later merged into the Ralphs chain in 1998). The first season of the PAX version was taped at Santa Clarita Studios in Santa Clarita, California. Beginning on November 20, 2000, the show moved to NBC Studios, with that series' set modeled after a Unified Western Market. The 2020 revival is filmed at the Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Airport.
The host for the 1960s version was Bill Malone. The announcers were Wally King from 1965 to 1966 and Richard Hayes from 1966 to 1967. The host for the Lifetime and PAX versions was David Ruprecht. The announcer was Johnny Gilbert from 1990 to 1995 and again from April to June 2000, with Randy West taking over for Gilbert in July 2000 and continuing for the rest of the series. The 2020 version is hosted and announced by Leslie Jones.
Gameplay.
1965–1967.
Three teams competed. Each team began with a base time of 1 minute and 30 seconds. In the first round of the game, one contestant from each team was shown a grocery item and asked to guess its retail price. The team who came the closest won the item and an additional 15 seconds were added to their time. Four items were shown.
In the second round of the game, the contestant from each team who did not play the first round went on a shopping spree through the market, using the time accumulated. Bonus items worth $10 to $100 were also spread throughout the store. All teams kept every item they picked up, with the team with the highest total in groceries, bonus prizes and other items winning the right to return to the show and play in the next game. Teams remained on the show until they were defeated or until they reached the winnings cap of $20,000.
1990–2003, 2020–present.
The gameplay of the Lifetime/PAX version of "Supermarket Sweep" consisted of three segments: the question round, the Big Sweep, and the Bonus Sweep. The game was played between three teams of two related individuals, such as a parent and child, spouses, siblings, or best friends, initially called to play by an object they were holding (in the studio audience for the Lifetime version, backstage for the PAX version). In the 2020 version, contestants begin the show onstage, with each having a nickname (for example, the first episode had competing teams named Team Sugar, Team Biscuits and Team Wings). Beginning with the Big Sweep, the team members would put on sweatshirts of the same color, with each team ranked depending on how much time they earned in the question rounds. In the first season, the sweatshirt colors for teams 1, 2, and 3 were light blue, red, and yellow, respectively; the sweatshirt colors of teams 1 and 2 were swapped in subsequent seasons.
Three new pairs of contestants appeared in each episode. Some contestants on earlier episodes later appeared in various tournaments.
The 2020 revival largely uses the same format as the 1990 version. Each hour-long episode consists of two complete games, with three new teams per game.
Question rounds.
Similar to the original version, all three teams started with a base time of 1 minute and 30 seconds. For the 2020 revival, the base time was increased to 2 minutes. Through a series of three rounds, contestants were asked a series of questions, usually centered around knowledge of products found in a grocery store. Each correct answer added 10 seconds to a team's time bank. The first two question rounds were played by one team member, with team members swapping positions after the first round. Questions included identifying a product that was missing letters, determining the brand of a product via an edited picture, and identifying a product based on a series of facts. Occasionally, questions centered around pop culture, movies, or stories found in checkstand tabloids.
Other questions centered around identifying the price of an item. This was accomplished in several different ways; two popular methods included determining which item in a set of three did not fit the designated criteria (e.g. +/- $3), or which item was incorrectly priced. A mainstay in the second round gave contestants the opportunity to add 30 seconds to their time banks if all three contestants gave the correct answer.
Occasionally, the second question round was replaced with one of the following games:
The final round was the "round robin" game, in which the members of each team alternated turns buzzing in to answer questions (typically six altogether) that awarded 10 seconds apiece. The most common format featured a brand or product name that had its letters scrambled. The emcee would then offer a maximum of three clues to help contestants zero in on the correct answer. Occasionally, an alternate format was used that omitted the word scramble; instead, the host would offer five clues.
Mini-Sweep.
Beginning in the show's second season in 1991, a Mini-Sweep was played at the beginning of the first round. A toss-up question (usually a rhyming couplet) was asked with a particular product as the answer. The team that correctly answered the question earned 10 seconds, as well as a chance for one team member to run into the market to retrieve a package of that product marked with the show's logo. If the product was returned within 30 seconds, the team won $50 towards their Sweep total. The team won no bonus if the runner failed to find the marked package, returned it after time ran out, or returned an incorrect item or unmarked package. Originally, contestants were only required to bring back any one package of the item in question.
A year after its debut, the bonus was doubled to $100 if the product was brought back within 20 seconds. Starting with the fourth season, a second Mini-Sweep was added at the beginning of the second round; while this was later discontinued as a regular feature, it would be used during special weeks on the PAX version.
For the 2020 revival, the Mini-Sweep consists of a clue read to all three teams. Instead of buzzing-in, the teams discuss the clue and send one member apiece into the market to find the correct item. The first person to bring it back wins $250 and 10 seconds for their team.
Big Sweep.
The "Big Sweep" was the chance for the teams to run throughout the supermarket and take products from the shelves with the seconds they had earned in the front game. One contestant from each team was designated as the "runner," with the job of collecting items in a shopping cart, and the teams were assigned numbers based on their accumulated time: 1 for the most, 2 for the second-most, 3 for the least.
The clock for the Big Sweep was set to the leading time, and it started when Team 1 was sent into the market. Teams 2 and 3 were sent in when the clock displayed their respective times. If any of the teams were tied, they were sent into the market at the same time.
A camera operator would follow each shopper throughout the Big Sweep. In each finished episode, the footage was spliced together to create one near-real-time highlight reel, and the announcer would add a play-by-play commentary to the reel, describing the items being placed in each contestant's cart.
At any time, runners could bring full carts back to their partners' checkout counters and exchange them for empty ones. With the exception of certain bonuses, items had to be in a team's cart (either the runner's current one, or a full one already delivered to the checkout) when time ran out in order to count toward their total.
The main rules for the Big Sweep were:
The five-item limit was absent in the original ABC version of the show, but was added to prevent a team from overloading their carts with expensive items, such as poultry, laundry detergent or over-the-counter drugs. The store was stocked with at least 15 items of each product, ensuring all three teams could have as many of a given item as they were allowed.
In most episodes early in the show's first season on Lifetime, costumed characters such as Frankenstein's monster, a gorilla, or a creature named Mr. Yuck ran through the aisles during the Sweep. If the character came near a contestant or vice versa, the contestant had to turn around and go in the other direction; if the contestant's cart hit the character, a penalty was also imposed. The characters were dropped later in the season.
A variety of opportunities to earn additional cash were available during the Big Sweep. The one constant throughout the entire run of the second series was a group of giant "bonus" items (stuffed animals, advertising signs, inflatable displays, etc.) placed throughout the market in plain sight. Attached to each of these items was a peel-off sticker that concealed a value between $50 and $250 (originally $200). Each runner could take only one bonus, and its value was added to the team's total only if it was returned to the checkout counter before time ran out.
Later in the Lifetime series, "Supermarket Sweep" began employing more ways for the teams to build up their sweep totals. The first such method employed was called the Shopping List, where teams could earn an extra $250 for bringing three specific grocery items back during the course of the Big Sweep ($500 in the 2020 version). Over the years, more variations on that theme would be used; for instance, the teams might be asked to fulfill a bread order or retrieve magazines.
Other ways for teams to earn money included:
The following bonuses were introduced in the 2020 version:
Teams received money for these tasks only if they were completed in the manner specified by Ruprecht before time ran out.
Once time expired, the runners had to stop whatever they were doing and return to the checkout counters. All of the products were scanned while the show took a final commercial break, and the grand totals of each team's takes were revealed when the show returned, beginning with Team 3, and ending with Team 1. Each team's groceries were tallied and any bonuses/penalties were applied to determine the final totals. The team with the highest score won their Big Sweep total in cash and advanced to the Bonus Sweep for a chance to win an additional $5,000. The other teams received parting gifts. Sweep totals included cents in the first season, but were subsequently rounded to the nearest dollar, with cents only used to break ties.
Bonus Sweep / Super Sweep.
During Ruprecht's tenure as host, the bonus round was called the "Bonus Sweep." The winning team had 60 seconds to win $5,000 by finding three particular items in succession. Ruprecht read a clue to lead the team to the identity of the first item, and the clock started immediately afterward as the team ran into the market. The correct item was tagged with a large circular token bearing the show's logo and a clue for a second item to be found. This item in turn had a clue for a third item, which had a bundle of $5,000 in cash hidden behind it. In order to win, the team had to find all three items and have their hands on the money before time ran out. If they fell short, they received $200 for each item they had found.
Originally, if the team found the final product and the $5,000 before either of the other two, they automatically forfeited the bonus round. However, after the first two seasons, this was changed so that an overhead announcement was made reminding the team to find the first two products, then return to the third product and claim the cash.
For the 2020 revival, the bonus round is known as the "Super Sweep." The initial rules and time limit are the same as for the Bonus Sweep, but the prize for finding all three items is $25,000. Instead of a bundle of cash, the third item has a sealed envelope hidden behind it. The team must decide whether to "cash out," ending the round and keeping the $25,000, or trade it for an additional 20 seconds on the clock to find a fourth item worth $50,000 and tagged with another envelope. If successful, they may cash out or trade the money for another 15 seconds to find a fifth and final item, worth $100,000 and tagged with an oversized gold bill in that amount. If the team chooses to continue the round after finding the third or fourth item, the clock restarts as soon as they open the envelope containing the next clue. If time runs out at any point, the team wins nothing beyond their Big Sweep total.
Revival.
On October 13, 2017, it was announced that Fremantle had acquired the global rights to the format and that a revival of the show was in the works. Fremantle stated that the new incarnation of the show would incorporate "modern technology" into the program to reflect 21st-century shopping habits. On August 27, 2019, Deadline reported that Leslie Jones had signed on as the revival's host and executive producer. Several networks, including ABC, NBC, and Fox, as well as Netflix, were said to be interested in acquiring the revived series. On January 8, 2020, Deadline confirmed that ABC had picked up the series, with Jones as host. On June 17, 2020, it was announced that the series would premiere on October 18, 2020, and air on Sundays at 8:00 pm. On May 13, 2021, the revival was renewed for a second season.
Merchandise.
A board game based on the original ABC version was manufactured by Milton Bradley in 1966.
A video slot machine based on the Lifetime/PAX version was released to North American casinos by WMS Gaming.
International versions.
Legend:


Triotech

Triotech is a manufacturer in out-of-home multi-sensory interactive attractions.
Since 2006, TRIOTECH has operated its own studio to develop custom content for its attractions. Founded in 1999, TRIOTECH is a privately held company based in Canada with offices in the US, Europe, and China. with research and development facilities as well as a movie studio in Montreal, Quebec.
They are known for their motion simulators such as XD Theatres and XD Dark Ride interactive theaters.
Background.
Triotech designs, develops, and markets immersive and interactive out-of-home cinemas and platforms, as well as small 3-dimensional movie theaters. They distribute their products under XD Theater, XD DarK Ride, Interactive Dark Ride, Flying Theaters, immersive Walkthroughs, and Typhoon.
In 2006, Triotech opened a Montreal-based 3D animation studio to create custom content, to work in conjunction with the parent company's line of theme park motion rides.
In 2019 Triotech announced the acquisition of a French company CL Corp, forming the largest media-based experiences group in the attractions industry.
XD Theater is a 3D film attraction. When first released, XD Theater included the 3D ride films "Cosmic Coaster", "Haunted Mine" and "Arctic Run". There are now over 40 3D films in Triotech's XD Theater library. The ultimate immersive ride with real time 3D stereoscopic graphics combined with visual FX for a multi sensory experience, a motion simulated thrill ride that transcends time, space and imagination.
XD Dark Ride is an interactive theater using group play, real-time 3D graphics and individual scoring system to create unique, competitive dynamics. This multi-sensory, interactive attraction, designed for the whole family, won IAAPA's prestigious Brass Ring Award for Best New Product in 2013.


Ballistics (video game)

Ballistics is a futuristic racing computer game developed by Grin and published by Xicat Interactive in 2001. Grin developed an arcade version of the game, released in 2002 featuring a unique reclined seating position cabinet by Triotech. Players race across seven different tracks in various leagues against other competitors on high-speed hoverbikes.
The game was Grin's first to be released, and featured the first version of their Diesel game engine. Grin worked closely with NVIDIA to incorporate then new technologies into the game, and was marketed as one of the flagship titles for the GeForce 3 Series of graphics cards.
Critical reaction was average, with reviewers being impressed by the beauty of the graphics and the thrilling depiction of speed. They were however, slightly disappointed with the shallow nature of the gameplay. A newer version of the arcade game was released in 2003, incorporating motion simulator technology into the arcade cabinet.
Gameplay.
Set in 2090, the game is centred on a fictional extreme racing sport known as Ballistics, a descendant of Formula One. The player takes the role of a Ballistic's pilot, racing hoverbikes called speeders through the inside of tubes which form the courses. The speeders are magnetically attached to the race surface, allowing the player 360 degrees of movement along the left/right axis. The player can detach the speeder from the track and navigate down the center in order to avoid track obstacles and to acquire the power-ups exclusively located there. Players must try to follow the outside of each curve, as hitting the inside of a curve at speed could lead to an involuntary detachment, leading to a loss of control and seconds dropped in securing reattachment.
Heat levels on the speeder must be monitored, as although there are no set top speeds for the vehicles, they can explode if allowed to overheat. Heat builds up from acceleration and from collisions. To counteract this, the player may activate the onboard cooler, however, this will slow the vehicle down. Designated cooling strips along the track and the Ice power-up can cool the vehicle without a speed penalty, allowing the player to continue accelerating.
Speeders have a boost meter, showing how much fuel is available for the onboard speed boost. Although the boost provides greater speeds and acceleration than the standard throttle, it also increases the speeder's heat levels. Designated booster load zones along the track replenish the meter, and a super boost power-up is available which doubles the potency of the boost.
Players are rewarded with cash for attaining high speeds, placing highly in races and obtaining the Flip-Score power-up. Cash can be used in between races to upgrade their speeder by purchasing new parts. Parts are split into four categories - chassis, cooler, engine and front shield, with each affecting the speeder in different ways. Some tracks may favour a particular set-up over others.
There are seven tracks included in the game, with locations inspired from different parts of the globe, from Belize to Tokyo. Progression through the game is achieved by competing in and winning races against computer-controlled racers spread over different tracks and in different leagues. Players begin in the Rookie league, across three of the tracks, where the chances of detachment from the race surface are decreased and rates of acceleration reduced. Success in the Rookie league unlocks the less forgiving Pro league with more tracks on which to compete. Further success unlocks the most difficult league, the Ballistics league, competition in this league occurs across every track and to complete this, the player must place first in every race.
Success in the game relies on track memorisation, fast reflexes, careful balancing of heat and boost levels, and selecting the right set-up for each track. The game is marked for its pure focus on speed, with speeds breaking mach 3 depending on the players skill. At these speeds the graphics and audio blur and distort, and have been compared with the psychedelic vortex sequence of "". "Ballistics" supports multiplayer gameplay for up to eight players across a LAN or internet.
Development.
"Ballistics" was the first game developed at Grin. Careful planning and production methods enabled a very quick completion time of 6 months; the game was finished before even acquiring a distribution partner. Grin used TQM methods to ensure a high standard of work, and JIT techniques to ensure the timing of different production phases came together.
The prime inspiration for the game was Formula One, and Grin tried to recreate the feeling of speed captured by the in-car cameras. In order to achieve a good on screen reference for the speeds attained, the track was redesigned into a tunnel, allowing the entire screen to act as a reference. Coupling this with scenes of the outdoors enabled Grin to create "a total speed simulation". The settings were inspired by various sources, the city tracks drew inspiration from the films "Blade Runner" and "The Fifth Element", other tracks took their inspiration from nature, such as the Amazon Rainforest and snow scenes of Siberia. "Ballistics" took cues from other futuristic racing games, such as "WipEout" and "Rollcage", emulating the fun and the speed whilst taking it even further with high end graphics.
The graphics engine used to power the game was christened the Diesel Engine. Grin developed this engine for flexibility and scalability, allowing the engine to be easily upgraded with new features. Based on DirectX, this meant the engine could be used across Windows and Xbox platforms. Grin worked closely with NVIDIA to incorporate then new technologies such as pixel and vertex shaders to render complex scenes. "Ballistics" was marketed by NVIDIA as a flagship title for their new series of GeForce 3 graphics cards. The game came bundled with various versions of the GeForce 3, with distribution of the bundled game handled by Interplay OEM. Later versions of the Diesel Engine would be used in Grin games such as the Windows version of "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter".
Arcade version.
Grin announced in May 2001 that it was working on an arcade version of "Ballistics" for distribution by Triotech. The game's gameplay had to be reworked to suit an arcade environment, and support was added for multiplayer games with up to eight linked cabinets. Triotech designed a unique reclined seating cabinet for the game, the aim of the design was to offer the player a more comfortable and immersive experience. The inspiration for the design came to Triotech co-founder, Ernest Yale; who whilst putting his feet up on the desk, realised how comfortable the playing position was. "Ballistics" was released for arcades in January 2002.
The game would be updated twice for the arcade. Ballistics 2003, launched in March 2003, incorporated Triotech's MadWave Motion motion simulator technology into the cabinet. Providing force feedback through the seat, this allows the player to experience up to 2g of acceleration whilst playing the game, with actuators in the seat providing 100 movements per second. A further version of the cabinet, Super Ballistics, was launched in September 2003. Chris Morris listed "Ballistics 2003" as one of the top "Video game gifts for the obscenely rich" in his Holiday 2004 column at CNN Money.
Reception.
The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Reviews generally praised the high graphical standard in the game, "PC Zone" described the visuals as superb and praised the use of "transparent surfaces and open frameworks to alleviate the potential monotony of racing through a drainpipe." IGN echoed this, stating that at those moments where "a solid tunnel breaks into a transparent one", "the true meticulous nature of the courses can be realized". GameSpot praised the graphical effects, describing them as "a psychedelic display of cosmic lighting and motion-blur wizardry".
Reviews were agreed on "Ballistics"' successful implementation of "a total speed simulation"; "PC Zone" stating that "Ballistics is, in fact, the fastest racing game ever", and "Eurogamer" commenting that this was a game that made ""Wipeout" look like "Driving Miss Daisy"". Although IGN felt that at times the "ridiculous speed actually often works to debilitate [the gameplay]".
The gameplay was less well received, and reviewers commented on the lack of depth to the gameplay and that the inclusion of only seven tracks meant the game lacked variety. "PC Gamer" (US Edition) noted that whilst "the game delivers an intense, thrilling experience", this only lasted "20 minutes or so". GameSpot shared similar sentiments, stating that ""Ballistics" loses much of its fascination within the first few hours of playtime" and that it would only take four or five practice sessions per track to master the game.
Still, some critics found the game very enjoyable and exciting. "Eurogamer" closed their review stating that "when you get 'in the zone'", "the sheer adrenaline rush is unbeatable". "PC Zone" finished by stating that ""Ballistics" really will leave your adrenal gland as dry as a stiffened sponge".


Stinger (video game)

Stinger is a horizontally scrolling shooter released in arcades by Seibu Denshi on 1983. It was the first game released by this company. Despite the horizontal scrolling, the game has a vertically oriented screen.
Gameplay.
The game consists of traveling around a space fortress meanwhile shooting aliens and spaceships. An object called "Bongo" could be used as a defense method. This object will shoot itself to the enemies for a few seconds.
Reception.
In Japan, "Game Machine" listed "Stinger" on their November 1, 1983 issue as being the sixth most-successful new table arcade unit of the year.


Georgy Borisenko

Georgy Konstantinovich Borisenko (May 25, 1922 in Chuhuiv, Ukraine—December 3, 2012 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan) was a Soviet correspondence chess grandmaster and chess theoretician. Among the players he trained were Nona Gaprindashvili, Valentina Borisenko (who was also his wife), Viktor Korchnoi, Mark Taimanov, and Timur Gareyev. He became a Russian Master of Sport in 1950 and a Russian Correspondence Grandmaster in 1966. He won the USSR Correspondence Championship twice, in 1957 and 1962, and came in second in 1965. One of his best-known games was played from 1960 to 1963 against Anatoly Rubezov, and is included in multiple anthologies of brilliant chess games. In 1973, David Bronstein described Borisenko as "one of our greatest theoretical experts." In Russia, the Breyer Variation of the Ruy Lopez is known as the "Borisenko-Furman" variation because Borisenko and Semyon Furman were central in bringing it into use in the 1950s. Another line of the Closed Ruy Lopez is also named after him; specifically, the line in the Chigorin Variation which goes 9...Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nc6.


Semi-Italian Opening

The Semi-Italian Opening (also known as Half Giuoco Piano, Lesser Giuoco Piano, and Paris Defence) is one of Black's responses to the Italian Game. It begins with the moves:
Black's intent is to play a Hungarian Defense with an early ...Bg4, fighting for control of the d4-square. The line was tried by Alexander Alekhine early in his career. The first recorded use in international competition was in 1846. I. A. Horowitz called the defence "solid", also writing: "It does not seem quite sufficient for equality."
The "Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings" code for the Semi-Italian is C50.
Lines.
4.d4 Bg4.
After 4...exd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 White has the freer game according to Paul Keres, and instead of 5...Nf6, Larry Evans has suggested 5...g6 The move 4...Be7 transposes to the Hungarian Defense.
4.h3.
White prevents Black's thematic ...Bg4. The reply 4.h3 leads to lines similar to the Hungarian Defense, for example 4... Be7 5. d4 and now:
4.Nc3.
This transposes to the game Maslov–Anatoly Lutikov, USSR 1963, which continued 4...Bg4 5.h3 Bxf3 6.Qxf3 Nf6 7.Ne2 (or 7.d3) and White stands slightly better (Keres, Miroslav Filip).
Notable games.
Rodzinski vs. Alekhine, Paris 1913:
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. c3 Bg4 5. Qb3
5... Qd7 6. Ng5
6... Nh6 7. Nxf7 Nxf7 8. Bxf7+ Qxf7 9. Qxb7 Kd7 10. Qxa8 Qc4 11. f3 (diagram) Bxf3 12. gxf3 Nd4 13. d3
13... Qxd3 14. cxd4 Be7 15. Qxh8 Bh4#
References.
Bibliography


Conor Travers

Conor Travers is a former contestant from the British television game show "Countdown". In May 2006 he became a series champion at the age of 14 years, and remains the show's youngest ever champion. He later qualified for the 12th Championship of Champions tournament, making the semi-final in the process. He also won the Countdown 30th Birthday Championship in April 2013, where in the final he scored a record equalling 146 points.
Travers studied for his GCSEs at Cardinal Newman Catholic School, Luton and he did his A-levels at Luton Sixth Form College. He went on to study mathematics at St John’s College, University of Cambridge. His hobbies include cricket, chess, and computers.


Central Rook vs Side Pawn

Central Rook vs Side Pawn is an older joseki for a Central Rook position by White played against a Static Rook position played by Black that captures White's side pawn on 34. (Cf. the Double Static Rook Side Pawn Capture opening.)
It was seen up until the 1950s-1980s but is now no longer used by professional players as the judgment of the position then appeared to strongly favor Black.
An example of this opening occurred in the "meijin" match between Masao Tsukada (塚田正夫) and Yoshio Kimura (木村義雄) on June 6, 1947.
Development.
1. P-76 P-34, 2. P-26 P-54, 3. P-25. The opening starts with a position that with both players' bishop diagonals open looks similar to White's Cheerful Central Rook (which hadn't been invented yet). Both bishop diagonals are open, Black has chosen a Static Rook position, and White has pushed their central pawn.
3...P-55. However, on the fifth move, the joseki diverges from Cheerful Central Rook. White's central pawn is pushed to the middle rank 5 closing the bishop diagonal and preventing a bishop trade.
(The Cheerful Central Rook joseki instead swings their rook to the central file (R-52).
4. P-24 Px24, Rx24. Since the bishop diagonal is closed, Black can trade pawns on the second file.
Subsequently, Black captures White's side pawn while White swings their rook to the central file.
After moving their rook back to the second file, White attacks on the central file and then trades bishops.


Central Rook

In shogi, Central Rook (中飛車 "nakabisha") is a subclass of Ranging Rook openings in which the rook is positioned on the fifth (central) file.
However, since the central file can be thought of as the dividing line between Ranging Rook and Static Rook positions, it is also possible to find Static Rook positions using a rook that has been moved to the central file. These strategies are generally categorized as subclasses of the particular Static Rook opening. For example, Central Rook Yagura (矢倉中飛車) is a Yagura opening that uses a central rook.
The term 中飛車 without modification refers to Ranging Rook Central Rook strategies while Static Rook central rook strategies have another word modifying 中飛車.
Central Rook subcategories.
Ranging Rook strategies like Central Rook are also traditionally played by White against Black's Static Rook position. However, in the modern era (that is, later than the Edo period), Normal Central Rook is played by both White and Black.
The traditional way to play Central Rook is for the player to close their bishop diagonal with a pawn advanced to the 66 square when played by Black or advanced to 44 when played by White. This contrasts with a Central Rook position that allows a bishop trade to occur at any time, such as Cheerful Central Rook.
Games that have the bishop diagonal closed are known as "slow" games.
Castles.
The Central Rook player will commonly use either a Mino or Anaguma castle.
Since the rook is positioned on the fifth file, it prevents the player from making the usual Mino castle.
Therefore, Central Rook's castle is often an Incomplete Mino.
In the adjacent diagram, Black has formed a Central Rook position with an Incomplete Mino castle on the right side of the board. Black's left gold is then moved to the 78 square in order to strength the defense on the either file from White's Static Rook pressure as well as being a deterrent against future bishop or rook drops.
As with most Ranging Rook openings, Central Rook openings tend to have the castle construction on the player's right side of the board.
However, since a central file is on the border of Ranging Rook and Static Rook positions, it is also possible to castle the player's king on the left side. This idea is used in the Central Rook Left Anaguma strategy.
White's Normal Central Rook.
The opening starts by the usual four-move sequence that characterizes Static Rook vs Ranging Rook (居飛車対振り飛車) games as shown in the board position on the right. (See: Normal Ranging Rook.)
3. S-48. Black advances their right silver up and toward the center of the board. (This is a more flexible move than 3. S-38.)
3...S-42. White likewise moves their silver up and to toward the center. This move gives White the possibility of further moving the silver up to 64 through 53 (after a P-54 pawn push) as well to the 43 square (to defend the head of the bishop at 34 square if bishop moves to 33 to prevent Black from trading off their rook pawn) or the 33 square to prevent Black's rook pawn trade off after the bishops are traded off the board. This left silver will likely be a main component of White's counterattack.
Although White also has the choice of moving their rook for this move (3...R-52), moving their silver first instead keeps White's strategy more uncertain as well as giving White the option of playing a Double Yagura position (which is a Static Rook opening). However, moving the silver to 42 now does delay ranging the rook to any other Ranging Rook positions on the fourth, third, and second files since the silver on rank 2 blocks the rook movement.
4. P-56. This prepares for various Static Rook strategies.
4...P-54.
5. G49-58. Black begins their castle formation by moving their right gold to the center file. Following this move, Black can start moving their king into castle.
The usual fortification is initially a Boat castle. Since the Boat castle is fairly weak castle, Black can later transition the Boat into stronger castles (such as an Anaguma or Left Mino, among others).
5...R-52. This move signals White's Central Rook strategy. Since the rook has moved to the center, White can now start their castle development.
6. K-68 K-62, 7. K-78 K-72. After seeing White's rook movement, Black usually starts moving their king away from their rook and toward the king's castle position. White likewise mirrors Black's king movements.
8. P-96 P-94. Black advances their ninth file edge pawn to give the king more flexibility for escape in the end game. With this move, Black's Boat castle is complete. White responds likewise opening an escape hatch for their king with an edge pawn push.
Around this point, Black has a choice between attacking White on the right side of the board or attacking White closer to the center files.
In the first choice, since Black is fighting from the side, White can respond by building a Mino castle since Mino castles are quick to form and provide a good defense from the side attacks. This is shown in the immediately following subsection.
For Black's central attack, White may choose to build an Anaguma castle since this type of castle is stronger for defending against attacks from above compared with a Mino castle as shown in the subsequent subsection.
White's Mino vs Black's right side attack.
9. P-36.
9...S-43.
10. P-25 B-33.
11. S-68.
11...K-82. White continues castling their king to the eighth file. In this position, White can construct a Mino castle. However, it is also possible to move the king further to the 91 corner in order to build an Anaguma.
Transpositions.
The sequence of moves shown above can also be flexibly transposed to different orders. Below are some other possible move sequences leading to the same position.
Silver Horns formation.
A Central Rook Silver Horns (ツノ銀中飛車 "tsuno gin nakabisha") structure is also possible. This strategy uses a Kimura Mino (木村美濃) castle.
White's Anaguma vs Black's central attack.
7. S-57. If Black is attempting a central attack, they will start advancing their right silver upward on the fifth file.
Cheerful Central Rook.
Another variant of Central Rook called Cheerful Central Rook (ゴキゲン中飛車 "gokigen nakabisha") keeps the bishop diagonal open. This is a more aggressive strategy since the bishops may be exchanged at any time during the opening.


Denizens of Earthdawn Volume One

Denizens of Earthdawn Volume One is a supplement published by FASA in 1994 for the fantasy role-playing game "Earthdawn".
Contents.
"Denizens of Earthdawn Volume One", by Louis Prosperi, Tom Dowd, Marc Gasgione, Shane Lacy Hensley, Sean R. Rhoades, Carl Sargent, and John Terra, is the first of two volumes that describes the eight major races of the "Earthdawn" world. This volume delves into elves, humans, t'skrang, and windlings in detail, including history, society, rituals and biology. It also provides race-specific Disciplines, new talents, and special rules for playing each race.
Reception.
In the November 1995 edition of "Dragon" (Issue #223), Rick Swan called this book, "beautifully written and illustrated." He commended the book for its "meticulous, mind-boggling detail, the kind you expect from Ph.D. candidates working on their dissertations."


SOS (arcade game)

 is a shoot 'em up arcade game that was released by Namco in 1979. It was one of the three final monochromatic titles that was released by the company; the other two were "Navarone" and "Kaitei Takara Sagashi".
Gameplay.
The player must use a 2-way joystick to direct a fighter plane across the bottom of the screen, while enemy planes fly down towards it from the top of the screen; they can press the button to make the plane fire bullets from its nose at the enemy planes to destroy them for 10 points apiece. The plane can only fire one bullet at a time, and if it misses the player will have to wait for the bullet to go off the top of the screen before he can try again.
Occasionally, a flashing arrow will appear, and point to either side of the screen while an "SOS" signal is being heard in Morse Code. If the player can manage to move the plane to that side of the screen before the "SOS" signal stops, he will receive 30 extra points, and the number of enemy planes that have bypassed it will decrease by 9 (but if the amount is under 9 at the time, it will have no effect).
If the number of enemy planes should ever amount to 100, the game will immediately be over, regardless of how many lives the player may have remaining. Every 2,000 points, the message "COFFEE BREAK" will appear, and will show a girl in a bikini. The operator can enable a nudity DIP switch, which will make the girl topless after 6000 points, and naked after 10000 points.