Ruy Lopez

The Ruy Lopez (; ), also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
The Ruy Lopez is named after 16th-century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura. It is one of the most popular openings, with such a vast number of variations that all codes from C60 to C99 in the "Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings" ("ECO") are assigned to them.
History.
The opening is named after the 16th-century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, who made a systematic study of this and other openings in the 150-page book on chess "Libro del Ajedrez", written in 1561. Although it bears his name, this particular opening was included in the Göttingen manuscript, which dates from c.1490. Popular use of the Ruy Lopez opening did not develop, however, until the mid-19th century, when the Russian theoretician Carl Jaenisch "rediscovered" its potential. The opening remains the most commonly used amongst the open games in master play; it has been adopted by almost all players during their careers, many of whom have played it with both colours. Due to the difficulty for Black in achieving equality, a common nickname for the opening is "The Spanish Torture".
Basics.
At the most basic level, White's third move attacks the knight which defends the e5-pawn from the attack by the f3-knight. White's apparent threat to win Black's e-pawn with 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nxe5 is illusory—Black can respond with 5...Qd4, forking the knight and e4-pawn, which will win back the with a good position. White's 3.Bb5 is still a good move; it a piece, prepares castling, and sets up a potential pin against Black's king. Since White's third move carries no immediate threat, however, Black can respond in a wide variety of ways.
Traditionally, White's objective in playing the Ruy Lopez is to spoil Black's pawn structure; either way Black recaptures following the exchange on c6 will have negative features, though recapturing gains the . In modern practice, however, White does not always exchange bishop for knight on c6, preferring the retreat 4.Ba4 if chased by 3...a6.
The theory of the Ruy Lopez is the most extensively developed of all Open Games, with some lines having been analysed well beyond move thirty. At nearly every move there are many reasonable alternatives, and most have been deeply explored. It is convenient to divide the possibilities into two groups based on whether or not Black responds with (3...a6), named the Morphy Defence after Paul Morphy, although he was not the originator of the line. The variations with Black moves other than 3...a6 are older and generally simpler, but the Morphy Defence lines are more commonly played.
Morphy Defence: 3...a6.
The most commonly played third move for Black is the Morphy Defence, 3... a6, a move which forces White to decide whether to retreat or to exchange for Black's knight. The Morphy Defence thus "puts the question" to the white bishop, a traditional usage which Larry Evans attributed to Aron Nimzowitsch. The main point of 3...a6 is that after the common retreat 4.Ba4, Black will have the possibility of breaking a future pin on the by playing ...b5. White must take some care not to fall into the Noah's Ark Trap, in which Black traps White's on the b3-square with a ...a6, ...b5, and ...c4 pawn advance on the .
Ercole del Rio, in his 1750 treatise "Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche dell'anonimo Modenese" (On the game of Chess, practical Observations by an anonymous Modenese), was the first author to mention 3...a6. The move became popular after it was played by Paul Morphy, however, and it is named for him. Steinitz did not approve of the move; in 1889, he wrote, "on principle this ought to be disadvantageous as it drives the bishop where it wants to go". Steinitz's opinion did not prevail, however; today, 3...a6 is played in over 65 percent of all games beginning with the Ruy Lopez.
Morphy Defence: alternatives to Closed Defence.
After 3...a6, the most commonly played line is the Closed Defence, which goes 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7, discussed in the two following sections. Alternatives to the Closed Defence described in this section are:
Exchange Variation: 4.Bxc6.
In the Exchange Variation, 4.Bxc6, ("ECO" C68–C69) White damages Black's pawn structure, giving them a ready-made long-term plan of playing d4 ...exd4 Qxd4, followed by exchanging all the pieces and winning the pure pawn ending. Max Euwe gives the pure pawn ending in this position (with all pieces except kings removed) as a win for White. Black gains good compensation, however, in the form of the bishop pair, and the variation is not considered White's most ambitious, though former world champions Emanuel Lasker and Bobby Fischer employed it with success.
After 4.Bxc6, Black almost always responds 4...dxc6. 4...bxc6 is rarely played due to the reply 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 and White is in . After 4...dxc6, the obvious 5.Nxe5 is weak, since 5...Qd4 6.Nf3 Qxe4+ 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ 8.Kxe2 leaves White with no compensation for Black's bishop pair.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Emanuel Lasker had great success with 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4, most notable his famous win against Jose Raul Capablanca in the St. Petersburg 1914 chess tournament.
Since then, better defences for Black have been developed, and this line is considered to slightly favour Black. Jon Jacobs wrote in the July 2005 "Chess Life" (p. 21): "A database search (limited to games longer than 20 moves, both players FIDE 2300+) reveals the position after 7.Nxd4 was reached 20 times from 1985–2002. White's results were abysmal: +0−7=13."
After 5.Nc3, Black usually plays 5...f6 to defend the e-pawn. A notable game is Adhiban–Nakamura from the 2013 FIDE World Cup.
The flexible 5.0-0 is sometimes called the Barendregt Variation, but it was Fischer who developed it into a serious weapon in the 1960s. Unlike 5.d4, it forces Black to defend the e-pawn, usually with 5...f6, 5...Bg4, 5...Qd6 (the sharpest line, preparing queenside castling), 5...Qe7, 5...Qf6 or 5...Bd6. A rare but playable move is 5...Be6 (or 5...Be7), the idea being that if White plays 6.Nxe5, Black plays 6... Qd4, forking the knight and the e4-pawn. The move ...Qd4, regaining the pawn at e4, is usually impossible in these variations once White has castled, due to the open e-file.
Notable games are Fischer–Portisch, and Fischer–Gligoric, both played at the 17th Chess Olympiad in Havana 1966.
White may also delay the exchange for a move or two: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Bxc6 or 5.0-0 Be7 6.Bxc6 (the Delayed Exchange Deferred), for example; at first glance this seems a waste of time, but Black having played ...Nf6 rules out defending the pawn with ...f6, and the bishop already being on e7 means that ...Bd6 would be a loss of tempo.
Norwegian Defence: 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Na5.
The Norwegian Variation (also called the Taimanov or Wing Variation) ("ECO" C70), 3...a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Na5 aims to eliminate the white bishop but is generally considered too time-consuming for Black. The usual continuation is 6.0-0 d6 7.d4 Nxb3, but the speculative sacrifice 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+, which drives the black king out, has been played. With accurate play, however, Black can avoid any disadvantage while holding onto the extra piece.
In the 1950s, Mark Taimanov played it with some success, though it remained a sideline, as it has to this day. This defence has been known since the 1880s and was reintroduced in 1901 by Carl Schlechter. The Norwegian connection was first introduced by Svein Johannessen who played the line from 1957 and later strengthened when Simen Agdestein and some other Norwegian players adopted the variation. In 1995 Jonathan Tisdall published the article "Ruy Lopez. The Norwegian Variation" in New in Chess "Yearbook" 37.
Variations combining 3...a6 and ...Bc5.
The Graz Defence, Classical Defence Deferred, and Møller Defence combine 3...a6 with the active move ...Bc5.
For a century it was believed that it was safer for Black to place the bishop on e7, but it is much more active on c5.
White can gain time after playing d4 as the black bishop will have to move, but this does not always seem to be as important as was once thought.
The Møller Defence, 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5 was already an old line in 1903 when Jørgen Møller (1873–1944) analysed it in "Tidskrift för Schack". Alexander Alekhine played this for Black in the early portion of his career; despite his advocacy, it never achieved great popularity, and even he eventually came to consider it dubious.
The Graz Defence, 3...a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Bc5, was analysed by Alois Fink (b. 1910) in "Österreichische Schachzeitung" in 1956 and in "Wiener Schach Nachrichten" in 1979, although it did not become popular until the 1990s.
Modern Steinitz Defence: 4.Ba4 d6.
In the Modern Steinitz Defence (also called Neo-Steinitz Defence) ("ECO" C71–C76), Black interpolates 3...a6 4.Ba4 before playing 4...d6, which was frequently played by Alekhine, José Raúl Capablanca and Paul Keres. The possibility of breaking the pin with a timely ...b5 gives Black more latitude than in the Old Steinitz Defence; in particular, in the Old Steinitz, White can practically force Black to give up the stronghold at e5, but in the Modern Steinitz, Black is able to maintain control of the . Most plausible White moves are playable here, including 5.c3, 5.c4, 5.Bxc6, 5.d4, and 5.0-0. The sharp Siesta Variation arises after 5.c3 f5, while a manoeuvring game results from the calmer 5.c3 Bd7 6.d4. The game is also sharp after 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4 ("ECO" C73) or 5.0-0 Bg4 6.h3 h5 ("ECO" C72). The older lines starting with 5.c4 and 5.d4 are not regarded as testing for Black, though the latter offers a tricky gambit. There are six "ECO" classifications for the Modern Steinitz. White's responses 5.d4, 5.Nc3, and 5.c4 are included in C71, while 5.0-0 is C72. The delayed exchange 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6.d4 is C73. C74–C76 all begin with 5.c3. C74 covers 5...Nf6, but primarily focuses on 5...f5 6.exf5 Bxf5 with 7.d4 or 7.0-0. C75's main continuation is 5...Bd7 6.d4 Nge7, the Rubinstein Variation. C76 is characterised by the Black fianchetto 5...Bd7 6.d4 g6.
Schliemann Defence Deferred: 4.Ba4 f5.
The Schliemann Defence Deferred, 3...a6 4.Ba4 f5, is rarely seen, with practically its only top-level appearance being in the 1974 Candidates Final, when Viktor Korchnoi adopted it versus Anatoly Karpov. It is considered inferior to the regular Schliemann, since White can answer effectively with 5.d4! exd4 6.e5.
Mackenzie Variation: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d4.
The variation 5.d4 ("ECO" C77), named after George Henry Mackenzie who employed it on a regular basis, is an old line which, according to modern theory, does not promise White any advantage, though is adopted as an alternative to the main variation 5.0-0. The main line continues with 5...exd4 (5... Nxe4 6.0-0 transposes to the Open Defence) 6.0-0 (6.e5 Ne4 is harmless) Be7 (6...Nxe4 transposes to the Riga Variation of the Open Defence) which leads to the Centre Attack ("ECO" C84) of the Closed Defence.
Steinitz Defence Deferred: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 d6.
The Steinitz Defence Deferred ("ECO" C79) also called Russian Defence. With the move order 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 d6, Black waits until White castles before playing ...d6. This can enable Black to avoid some lines in the Steinitz Defence Deferred in which White castles although the position of the knight on f6 also precludes Black from supporting the centre with ...f7–f6. These nuances seem to have little importance today, as neither the Steinitz Defence Deferred nor the Russian Defence have been popular for many years.
Chigorin played the Russian Defence in the 1890s, and later it was adopted by Rubinstein and Alekhine. The last significant use of the Russian Defence was in the 1950s when it was played by some Russian masters. Today however, it has purely practical value, as White has found numerous ways to an opening advantage by quickly opening lines in the center, where Black's developmental lag seems to be a significant factor.
Arkhangelsk Defence: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7.
The Arkhangelsk Defence (or Archangel Defence) ("ECO" C78) was popularized by Soviet players from the city of Arkhangelsk such as GM Vladimir Malaniuk. The variation begins 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7. This line often leads to sharp positions in which Black wagers that the fianchettoed bishop's influence on the centre and kingside will offset Black's delay in castling. White has several options, including attempting to build an ideal pawn centre with c3 and d4, defending the e-pawn with Re1 or simply developing. The Arkhangelsk Defence is tactically justified by Black's ability to meet 7.Ng5 with 7...d5 8.exd5 Nd4! (not 8...Nxd5, when White gets the advantage with 9.Qh5 g6 10.Qf3).
Modern Arkhangelsk Defence: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5.
The Modern Arkhangelsk Defence (or Modern Archangel Defence) ("ECO" C78) is a refinement of the regular Arkhangelsk Defence by incorporating ideas similar to the Møller Defence. Black normally does not fianchetto the Queen's bishop, which would transpose to regular Arkhangelsk setups, but plays ...Bg4 to increase the pressure against White's pawn centre. White's main continuation is 7.a4 after which Black responds with the typical move 7...Rb8 reaching the starting point of this highly complex variation. Another line is the more traditional 7.c3 d6 8.d4 and after 8...Bb6 Black's position is fine. 8...exd4 occurred in Löwenthal–Morphy, London 1859, which seems to be the first time this variation was ever played. Fabiano Caruana is one of the most notable players of this variation, employing it in the Candidates Tournament 2020.
Peter Svidler recorded an entire video series about this defence.
Open Defence: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4.
In the Open Defence, 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4, Black tries to make use of the time White will take to regain the pawn to gain a foothold in the centre, with play usually continuing 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 (but not 7...exd4? 8.Re1 d5 9.Nc3!, Bobby Fischer–Petar Trifunovic, Bled 1961) 8.dxe5 Be6.
Here 8.Nxe5, once adopted by Fischer, is much less often seen, and Black should equalise after the accurate 8...Nxe5 9.dxe5 c6, which avoids prematurely committing the light-squared bishop and solidly defends d5, often a problem in the Open.
The Riga Variation, 6...exd4, is considered inferior; the main line runs 7.Re1 d5 8.Nxd4 Bd6! 9.Nxc6 Bxh2+! 10.Kh1! (10.Kxh2 Qh4+ 11.Kg1 Qxf2+ draws by perpetual check.) Qh4 11.Rxe4+! dxe4 12.Qd8+! Qxd8 13.Nxd8+ Kxd8 14.Kxh2 Be6 (14...f5 15.Bg5!) and now the endgame is considered to favour White after 15.Be3 or Nd2 (but not 15.Nc3 c5!, playing to trap the bishop). A famous example of this line is the game José Raúl Capablanca–Edward Lasker, New York 1915. White is objectively better here, but Black keeps some good practical chances owing to the sharp positions that occur.
White has a variety of options at move nine, including 9.c3, 9.Be3, 9.Qe2 and 9.Nbd2.
The classical line starts with 9.c3 when Black may choose 9...Be7 (the main line) or the aggressive 9...Bc5.
After 9.c3 Bc5 10.Nbd2 0-0 11.Bc2, Black must meet the attack on e4, with the following possibilities from which to choose: 11...f5, 11...Bf5, both of which aim to maintain the strongpoint on e4, or the forcing line 11...Nxf2, introduced by the English amateur Vernon Dilworth.
Today, 9.Be3 Be7 10.c3 is often used to transpose into the main line, 9.c3, while obviating the option of the Dilworth.
An old continuation is 11...f5, when after 12.Nb3 Bb6 13.Nfd4 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 White can gain some advantage with Bogoljubov's 15.Qxd4. Instead, the very sharp La Grande Variante continues 15.cxd4 f4 16.f3 Ng3 17.hxg3 fxg3 18.Qd3 Bf5 19.Qxf5 Rxf5 20.Bxf5 Qh4 21.Bh3 Qxd4+ 22.Kh1 Qxe5, with unclear consequences. Perhaps the most famous game in this variation is Smyslov–Reshevsky, 1945 USSR–USA Radio Match. An analysis of the line had just been published in a Russian chess magazine, and Smyslov was able to follow it to quickly obtain a winning position. Reshevsky had not seen the analysis and he struggled in vain to solve the position over the board with his chess clock running. The Dilworth Variation (or Attack), 11...Nxf2 12.Rxf2 f6 13.exf6 Bxf2+ 14.Kxf2 Qxf6 has scored well for Black, with many traps for the ill-prepared White player. The main line leads to unbalanced endgames which are difficult to play for both sides, though with a strong drawing tendency. Artur Yusupov is one of the few grandmasters who has adopted the Dilworth repeatedly.
In the Howell Attack ("ECO" C81), 9.Qe2, White aims for play against d5 after Rd1. The game usually continues 9...Be7 10.Rd1 followed by 10...Nc5 or 10...0-0. Paul Keres played this line against Max Euwe and Samuel Reshevsky at the World Chess Championship tournament 1948. This has been played at the top by World No.2 Fabiano Caruana among others, and he recommends this in his video series for Chessbase.
Karpov's move, 9.Nbd2, limits Black's options. In the 1978 Karpov–Korchnoi World Chess Championship match, following 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 d4 (10...Be7 is an old move that remains popular) Karpov introduced the surprising 11.Ng5, a move suggested by his trainer, Igor Zaitsev. If Black takes the knight with 11...Qxg5 White regains the material with 12.Qf3. This variation played a decisive role in a later World Championship match, Kasparov–Anand 1995, when Anand was unable to successfully defend as Black.
Closed Defence 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7: alternatives to Main line.
In the main line, White normally retreats the bishop with 4.Ba4, when the usual continuation is 4...Nf6 5.0-0 Be7.
Black now threatens to win a pawn with 6...b5 followed by 7...Nxe4, so White must respond.
Usually White defends the e-pawn with 6.Re1 which, in turn, threatens Black with the loss of a pawn after 7.Bxc6 and 8.Nxe5.
Although it is possible to defend the pawn with 6...d6, Black most commonly averts this threat by driving away the white bishop with 6...b5 7.Bb3.
After 4...Nf6 5.0-0 Be7, the most frequently seen continuation is 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0, discussed in the next section.
Examined in this section are the alternatives to the main line:
Delayed Exchange Variation Deferred: 6.Bxc6.
The Delayed Exchange Variation Deferred (or Exchange Variation Doubly Deferred) ("ECO" C85), 6.Bxc6, loses a tempo compared to the Exchange Variation, though in compensation, the black knight on f6 and bishop on e7 are awkwardly placed. The knight on f6 prevents Black from supporting the e-pawn with ...f7–f6, and the bishop is somewhat passively posted on e7.
Centre Attack: 6.d4.
The Centre Attack (or Centre Variation) ("ECO" C84), 6.d4, leads to sharp play. After 6... exd4 (6... Nxe4 and 6... b5 are viable alternatives) 7.Re1 b5 (7... 0-0 8. e5 Ne8 is a playable alternative) White can play either 8.Bb3 or the sharp 8.e5. In case of the immediate 7.e5 Black takes advantage of the absence of the white rook from e1 and plays 7... Ne4 with the idea of 8... Nc5.
Worrall Attack: 6.Qe2.
In the Worrall Attack ("ECO" C86), White substitutes 6.Qe2 for 6.Re1. The idea is that the queen will support the e-pawn, leaving the rook free to move to d1 to support the advance of the d-pawn, although there is not always time for this. Play normally continues 6...b5 7.Bb3 followed by 7...0-0 8.c3 and 8...d5 or 8...d6.
Paul Keres played the line several times. More recently, Sergei Tiviakov has played it, as has Nigel Short, who essayed it twice in his 1992 match against Anatoly Karpov and won both games.
Modern Line: 6.d3.
By playing 6.d3 White steers clear of the Marshall Attack and any of the Anti-Marshall lines. White threatens 7.Bxc6 winning the e5-pawn leaving Black a choice of either 6...d6 or 6...b5. After 6...d6 the e5-pawn is firmly defended and Black threatens to trade off White's Ruy Lopez bishop with 7...b5 and 8...Na5. White normally continues with 7.c3 and after 8...0-0 White can choose between 9.Nbd2 or 9 Re1. Black can also play 6...b5 and after 7.Bb3 d6 (7...0-0 is a viable alternative) White has to deal with the threat of 8...Na5 by playing 8.a3 (8.c3 or 8 a4 are perfectly playable as well) and after 8...0-0 (the immediate 8...Na5 is also feasible) 9.Nc3 we have reached a modern tabiya of the Ruy Lopez. This position was first reached in a high-level encounter between Viswanathan Anand and Michael Adams, Grenke Chess Classic 2013. 6.d3 has gained wide popularity among the top players and has almost supplanted the Ruy Lopez main line with 6.Re1.
Peter Svidler has dedicated an entire video series to the fashionable 6.d3 line.
Averbakh Variation: 6.Re1 d6.
In the Averbakh Variation (C87), named for Yuri Averbakh, Black defends the threatened e-pawn with 6...d6 instead of driving away the white bishop with the more common 6...b5. This defence shares some similarities with the Modern Steinitz and Russian Defences as Black avoids the ...b5 advance that weakens the queenside. White can reply with either 7.Bxc6 bxc6 8.d4 or 7.c3 Bg4 (it is too late for Black to transpose into the more usual lines of the Closed Defence, because 7...b5 would allow 8.Bc2, saving White a tempo over the two-move sequence Bb3–c2 found in other variations). The pin temporarily prevents White from playing d2–d4. In response, White can either force d4 with 8.h3 Bh5 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.d4, or postpone d4 for the time being and play 8.d3 followed by manoeuvering the queen knight to the kingside with Nbd2–f1–g3.
Trajković Variation: 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 Bb7.
An alternative to 6...d6 is 6...b5 7.Bb3 Bb7. This is known as the Trajković Variation. Black may sacrifice a pawn with 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 Nf4.
7...0-0.
After 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3, Black often plays 7...0-0. Here White can play 8.c3, but has other moves. Alternatives are 8.a4, 8.h3, 8.d4, and 8.d3, which are often called "anti-Marshall" moves. White can also play 8.Nc3 with the idea of playing 9.Nd5 later.
When White opts for 8.c3, Black can and often does play 8...d6, which is a commonly used transposition to the main line. However, Black can also play 8...d5 for the Marshall Attack.
Marshall Attack: 7...0-0 8.c3 d5.
One of Black's more aggressive alternatives is the Marshall Attack: after 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 Black plays the gambit 8...d5, sacrificing a pawn. The main line begins with 9.exd5 Nxd5 (9...e4?!, the Herman Steiner variation, is considered weaker) 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 (Marshall's original moves, 11...Nf6, and 11...Bb7 are considered inferior, but have also yielded good results at top levels of play for Black. GM Joel Benjamin suggests that 11...Bb7 is inferior due to 12.Qf3). The resulting position is shown in the diagram. To the casual observer it might seem that Black has been careless and lost a pawn; however, the sacrifice has also stripped White's of its defenders, given Black a lead in development, and rendered White's 8.c3 irrelevant. Since Black's compensation is based on rather than considerations, it is difficult or perhaps impossible to find a refutation. Black generally goes all-in with a massive kingside attack, which has been analysed to great depth (sometimes beyond move 30) with no definite conclusion as to the Marshall's soundness. The Marshall Attack is a very sharp opening system in which a great amount of theoretical knowledge is vital, and many White players, including Garry Kasparov, avoid it by playing one of the anti-Marshall systems, 8.d4, 8.a4 or 8.h3 instead of 8.c3.
This gambit became famous when Frank James Marshall used it as a against José Raúl Capablanca in 1918; nevertheless, Capablanca found a way through the complications and won. It is often said that Marshall had kept this gambit a secret for use against Capablanca since his defeat in their 1909 match. The most common counterclaim is that Marshall had used a similar approach in 1917 against Walter Frere. However, Edward Winter found no clear evidence of the date for Frere–Marshall; several games between 1910 and 1918 where Marshall passed up opportunities to use the Marshall Attack against Capablanca; and an 1893 game that used the same line as in Frere–Marshall.
Improvements to Black's play were found (Marshall played 11...Nf6!? originally, but later discovered 11...c6!) and the Marshall Attack was adopted by top players including Boris Spassky, John Nunn and more recently Michael Adams. In the Classical World Chess Championship 2004, challenger Peter Leko used the Marshall to win an important game against World Champion Vladimir Kramnik.
Currently, Armenian Grandmaster Levon Aronian is one of the main advocates for the Marshall Attack.
Main line: 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0.
The main lines of the Closed Ruy Lopez continue 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0. White can now play 9.d3 or 9.d4, but by far the most common move is 9.h3 which prepares d4 while preventing the awkward pin ...Bg4. This can be considered the main line of the opening as a whole and thousands of top-level games have reached this position. White aims to play d4 followed by Nbd2–f1–g3, which would firmly support e4 with the bishops on open diagonals and both knights threatening Black's kingside. Black will try to counter this knight manoeuver by expanding on the queenside, taking action in the centre, or putting pressure on e4.
After 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0, we have:
Pilnik Variation: 9.d3.
The Pilnik Variation, named for Herman Pilnik, is also known as the Teichmann Variation from the game Teichmann–Schlechter, Karlsbad 1911. White plays 9.d3 intending to later advance to d4 under favourable circumstances. Although d2–d3–d4 appears to lose a tempo compared to d2–d4, White may be able to omit h3 regaining the tempo, especially if Black plays ...Bb7.
Yates Variation and Bogoljubow Variation: 9.d4.
White usually plays 9.h3 instead of 9.d4 (the Yates Variation) because after 9.d4 Bg4 (the Bogoljubow Variation), the pin of the white is troublesome. The variation takes its name from the game Capablanca–Bogoljubow, London 1922.
Chigorin Variation: 9.h3 Na5.
The Chigorin Variation was refined by Mikhail Chigorin around the turn of the 20th century and became the primary Black defence to the Ruy Lopez for more than fifty years. With 9...Na5 Black chases the white bishop from the a2–g8 diagonal and frees the c-pawn for queenside expansion. After 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 the classical Black follow up is 11...Qc7, reinforcing e5 and placing the queen on the c-file which may later become open after ...cxd4. Other Black moves in this position are 11...Bb7 and 11...Nd7; the latter was adopted by Keres a few times in the 1960s. The Chigorin Variation has declined in popularity because Black must spend some time bringing his offside knight on a5 back into the game.
The Chigorin is divided into four "ECO" classifications. In C96, Black or White deviate after 10.Bc2, and do not reach the classical main line position 10...c5 11.d4 Qc7. In C97, White proceeds from the diagram with 12.a4, 12.d5, 12.b4, or the main line 12.Nbd2 when Black responds with ...Be6, ...Rd8, ...Re8, ...Bb7 or ...Bd7. The C98 classification covers 12.Nbd2 Nc6, while C99 covers 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4.
Breyer Variation: 9.h3 Nb8.
The Breyer Variation was recommended by Gyula Breyer as early as 1911, but there are no known game records in which Breyer employed this line. The Breyer Variation did not become popular until the 1960s when it was adopted by Boris Spassky and others. In particular, Spassky's back to back wins over Mikhail Tal at Tbilisi in 1965 did much to enhance its reputation, and Spassky has a career-plus score with the Breyer. The variation was the choice of many top level players as White has had trouble proving an advantage against it. Nowadays however, this variation is considered too passive,and players prefer to play the Berlin or the Petroff as they seem to equalise more easily.
With 9...Nb8 Black frees the c-pawn and intends to route the knight to d7 where it supports e5. If White fortifies the centre with 10.d3 the opening is classified "ECO" code C94. The more common continuation, 10.d4, is "ECO" C95. The main line continues 10.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 Re8 13.Nf1 Bf8. Black is threatening to win the e4-pawn via ...exd4 uncovering an attack on the pawn, so White plays 14.Ng3. Black generally plays 14...g6 to stop White's knight from going to f5. White then usually tries to attack the Black queenside via 15.a4. Black seeks in the centre via 15...c5. White can attack either the kingside or the queenside. This forces resolution of the centre via 16.d5. Black can exploit the weak squares on the queenside via 16...c4. White will try to attack on the kingside via 17.Bg5, moving forces to the kingside. Black will kick the bishop with 17...h6. The logical retreat is 18.Be3, which is met by 18...Nc5. White plays 19.Qd2, forcing 19...h5. The point of this manoeuver was to weaken Black's kingside.
Zaitsev Variation: 9.h3 Bb7.
The Zaitsev Variation (also called the Flohr–Zaitsev Variation) was advocated by Igor Zaitsev, who was one of Karpov's trainers for many years. A Karpov favourite, the Zaitsev remains one of the most important variations of the Ruy Lopez. With 9...Bb7 Black prepares to put more pressure on e4 after 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8, when play can become very sharp and tactical. One drawback of this line if Black is playing for a win is that White can force Black to choose a different defence or allow a draw by repetition of position with 11.Ng5 Rf8 12.Nf3. Today the theory in the Zaitsev variations extends beyond the middlegame, and it is rarely seen at the top levels because of the need to remember a lot of theory.
Karpov Variation: 9.h3 Nd7.
Karpov tried 9...Nd7 several times in the 1990 World Championship match, but Kasparov achieved a significant advantage against it in the 18th game. It is solid but slightly passive. Confusingly 9...Nd7 is also called the Chigorin Variation so there are two variations of the Ruy Lopez with that name, but 9...Na5 is the move more commonly associated with Chigorin. This defence is also known as the Keres Variation, after Paul Keres.
Kholmov Variation: 9.h3 Be6.
The Kholmov Variation, 9...Be6, was popular in the 1980s but is now rarely played. The main line runs 10.d4 Bxb3 11.axb3 (11.Qxb3 is another option) exd4 12.cxd4 d5 13.e5 Ne4 14.Nc3 f5 15.exf6 Bxf6 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Rxe4 Qd5 18.Rg4, when it has been shown that White's extra pawn is more valuable than Black's more active and harmonised pieces.
Smyslov Variation: 9.h3 h6.
The Smyslov Variation ("ECO" C93) is a plan similar to that of the Zaitsev Variation. With 9...h6 Black prepares to play 10...Re8 and 11...Bf8 without fear of 10.Ng5. The loss of a tempo with 9...h6 gives White enough time to complete the Nbd2–f1–g3 manoeuver, and the pawn move can also weaken Black's kingside. The Zaitsev can be considered to be an improved Smyslov in which Black tries to save a tempo by omitting ...h6.
Kasparov played the Smyslov Variation in a loss to the Deep Blue chess computer in Game 2 of their 1997 Man vs. Machine match.
Svetozar Gligorić has been the most prolific C93 player.
Smyslov Variation: 9.h3 Qd7.
9...Qd7 is another variation by Smyslov.
Black defences other than 3...a6.
Of the variations in this section, the Berlin and Schliemann Defences are the most popular today, followed by the Classical Defence.
and other less-common third moves for Black.
Cozio Defence: 3...Nge7.
The Cozio Defence (part of "ECO" C60), 3...Nge7, is distinctly old-fashioned and the least popular of the defences at Black's third move. Although Bent Larsen used it occasionally with success, it remains one of the least explored variations of the Ruy Lopez.
Smyslov Defence: 3...g6.
The Smyslov Defence, Fianchetto Defence, Barnes Defence, or Pillsbury Defence (part of "ECO" C60), 3...g6, is a quiet positional system played occasionally by Vasily Smyslov and Boris Spassky, becoming popular in the 1980s when it was shown that 4.c3 a6! gives Black a good game.
It was later discovered that 4.d4 exd4 5.Bg5 gives White the advantage, and as such the variation is rarely played today. An interesting gambit line 4.d4 exd4 5.c3 has also been recommended by Alexander Khalifman, although some of the resulting positions have yet to be extensively tested.
Bird's Defence: 3...Nd4.
Bird's Defence ("ECO" C61), 3...Nd4, is an uncommon variation in modern praxis. With careful play White is held to gain an advantage. The best moves are 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.0-0 Bc5 6.d3 c6 7.Ba4 Ne7.
This defence was published in 1843 in Paul Rudolf von Bilguer's "Handbuch des Schachspiels" and explored by Henry Bird in the late 19th century. Bird played it as Black at least 25 times, scoring +9 =3 −13 (nine wins, three draws, thirteen losses). Bird's Defence was later used a few times in tournament play by Siegbert Tarrasch, Boris Spassky, and Alexander Khalifman. Although it is still sometimes seen as a surprise weapon, no strong master since Bird has adopted it regularly. The World Champion Magnus Carlsen played it as black in the 2014 Chess Olympiad against Ivan Šarić and lost.
Steinitz Defence: 3...d6.
The Steinitz Defence (also called the Old Steinitz Defence) ("ECO" C62), 3...d6, is solid but passive and cramped. Although the favourite of the first world champion Wilhelm Steinitz, and often played by world champions and expert defensive players Emanuel Lasker, José Capablanca, and occasionally by Vasily Smyslov, it largely fell into disuse after World War I, as its inherent passivity spurred a search for more active means of defending the Spanish.
White's most direct approach is 4.d4 immediately challenging Black's pawn on e5, while 4.c3 and 4.0-0 remain viable alternatives. Following 4.d4, Black proceeds with 4...Bd7 which breaks the pin but also defends against White's threat of winning a pawn with 5.Bxc6 and 6.dxe5. Next White plays 5.Nc3 protecting e4 and renewing the threat of winning a pawn to which Black responds with 5...Nf6. After 6.0-0 Be7 7.Re1 Black is forced to concede the centre with 7...exd4, since 7...0-0? leads to the Tarrasch Trap.
The (3...a6 4.Ba4 d6) offers Black a freer position and is more popular.
Schliemann Defence: 3...f5.
The Schliemann Defence or Schliemann–Jaenisch Gambit ("ECO" C63), 3...f5, is a sharp line in which Black plays for a attack, frequently sacrificing one or two pawns. This variation was originated by Carl Jaenisch in 1847 and is sometimes named after him. Although later named for German lawyer Adolf Karl Wilhelm Schliemann (1817–1872), the line Schliemann actually played in the 1860s was a gambit variation of the Cordel Defence (3...Bc5 4.c3 f5). The most common responses for White to 3...f5!? are 4.d3 or 4.Nc3, with play after 4.Nc3 fxe4 5.Nxe4 going 5...d5, with great complications to follow, or 5...Nf6, which generally leads to quieter play. This line is considered to be a good practical weapon, but is positionally risky, especially against a strong and prepared opponent.
Classical Defence: 3...Bc5.
The Classical Defence or Cordel Defence ("ECO" C64), 3...Bc5, is possibly the oldest defence to the Ruy Lopez, and has been played occasionally by former world champion Boris Spassky and Boris Gulko. White's most common reply is 4.c3, when Black may choose to play 4...f5, the Cordel Gambit, leading to sharp play, after which 5.d4 is considered the strongest reply. More solid for Black is 4...Nf6, when 5.0-0 0-0 6.d4 Bb6 leads to the Benelux Variation. White's principal alternative to 4.c3 is 4.0-0, when Black can transpose to the Classical Berlin with 4...Nf6 or play 4...Nd4, which is not so bad for Black.
An alternative for White is the fork trick 4.Nxe5. Few games have been played with this line, but there is no clear refutation for Black. The name derives from White's play if Black captures the knight: 4...Nxe5 5.d4.
Berlin Defence: 3...Nf6.
The Berlin Defence, 3...Nf6, has long had a reputation for solidity and drawishness and is commonly referred to as "the Berlin Wall". The Berlin Defence was played in the late 19th century and early 20th century by Emanuel Lasker and others, who typically answered 4.0-0 with 4...d6 in the style of the Steinitz Defence. This approach ultimately fell out of favour, as had the old form of the Steinitz, due to its passivity, and the entire variation became rare. Arthur Bisguier played the Berlin for decades, but always chose the variation 4.0-0 Nxe4. Ever since Vladimir Kramnik successfully used the line as a against Garry Kasparov in their 2000 World Chess Championship match, the Berlin has experienced a remarkable renaissance: even players with a dynamic style such as Alexei Shirov, Veselin Topalov, Hikaru Nakamura, and Kasparov himself have tried it, and Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand both used it (Carlsen extensively so) during the 2013 World Chess Championship and 2014 World Chess Championship. Today this variation is the most common opening after 1.e4 e5 and almost all the top players regularly play it.
Since Black's third move does not threaten to win the e-pawn—if Black captures it, White will win back the pawn on e5—White usually castles. After 4.0-0, Black can play either the solid 4...Nxe4 (the Berlin Main Variation) or the more combative 4...Bc5 (the Berlin Classical Variation). After 4...Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 (5...Be7 is the Rio de Janeiro Variation) 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 (l'Hermet Variation), White is considered to have a small advantage from a somewhat better pawn structure and Black's awkwardly placed king. Black, by way of compensation, possesses the and has no positional weaknesses, so it is difficult for White to exploit the structural superiority without opening the game for Black's bishops; all four of the games in the Kasparov–Kramnik match in which this line was employed ended in draws. An alternative for Black, though seldom seen since the 1890s, is 6...bxc6 7.dxe5 Nb7, although White keeps an advantage despite Black's two bishops, as it is difficult for him to gain active . However, despite its drawish tendency, the Berlin Endgame remains the sternest test of the entire variation beginning with 3...Nf6, and a lot of theory has evolved here. Today's consensus is that Black will hold with accurate play in the Berlin Endgame, so players have moved on to the lines with 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1, the modern main line, considered to be White's best try for an opening advantage, and advocated by Fabiano Caruana in his Chessbase Series on the Ruy Lopez opening.
White's move 4.Nc3 transposes to the Four Knights Game, Spanish Variation.
An important alternative is 4.d3, dubbed the Anti-Berlin, which avoids the notorious Berlin endgame. Wilhelm Steinitz scored many spectacular successes with it during his reign as World Champion. The main replies for Black are 4...d6 and 4...Bc5, the latter being more popular. White's most important continuations after 4...Bc5 are 5.0-0, 5.Bxc6, and 5.c3. An uncommon reply to 4.d3 is 4...Ne7, which tries to set up the Mortimer Trap.
Another alternative is playing 4.Bxc6 immediately. The main replies for Black are 4...dxc6 and 4...bxc6, the latter of which is playable in the Berlin Defense, unlike the Exchange Variation in the Morphy Defense. This may transpose into the Anti-Berlin above if White continues with 5.d3, or in the case of 4...bxc6, to the main line with 5.0-0 Nxe4 or 5.d4 Nxe4, but White has other continuations to 4...bxc6, such as 5.Nc3, and Black has other replies to both 5.0-0 and 5.d4.
The Berlin is assigned "ECO" codes C65–C67. Code C65 covers alternatives to 4.0-0, including 4.d3 as well as 4.0-0 Bc5. Code C66 covers 4.0-0 d6, while C67 is 4.0-0 Nxe4.
Other.
Less-common third moves for Black:


Lucky Dias

Palandha Pathirage Lakshman Calistus Dias, popularly as Lucky Dias (born 5 February 1951), is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema and teledrama as well as a producer and director.
He entered films in 1986 guided by his mentor, a famous actor and film director, Gamini Fonseka. He did the first hosting of Obada Lakshapathi Mamada Lakshapathi, Sri Lankan version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?". On 12 June 1986, he married Malini Fonseka, Sri Lankan film actress and divorced in 2011. He got the Presidential Film Award in 1998.


Shooting Stars (British TV series)

Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as three full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with two series before returning to BBC Two for another three series from 2008 until its cancellation in 2011. Created and hosted by double-act Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, it uses the panel show format but with the comedians' often slapstick, surreal and anarchic humour does not rely on rules in order to function, with the pair apparently ignoring existing rules or inventing new ones as and when the mood takes them.
Format.
The basic format of the show is that of a conventional panel game. The hosts (Reeves and Mortimer) ask questions of the two teams with points awarded for "correct" answers; however, scoring is largely arbitrary. Each episode is produced by editing together excerpts of a longer session.
Rounds include "true or false", the film clip round, the impressions round and "The Dove from Above" In the impressions round, contestants have to guess what song Vic Reeves is singing (incomprehensibly) "in the club style".
Dove from Above.
"The Dove from Above" is a large prop animal suspended above the contestants merely for the purpose of bearing six key words for further questions. Guests would be prompted to "coo" down the dove. Alternatives to the dove in various series included "The Blue Suitcase" in the pilot, "The Crow From Below", "The Vest From the West", Matt Lucas as "George Dawes from the Upper Floors," "The Wonderful, Wonderful Car," "Donald Cox – The Sweaty Fox," "The Fly From Upon High" and "The Beast From The East."
In the "Dove From Above" round, and subsequent versions of the same round, if a contestant answers incorrectly, Vic shouts "UVAVU" and pulls a silly face. If the contestant chooses a certain, prize-winning option, Vic will pull another silly face and yell "ERANU" The prize is invariably a bizarre and practically useless device.
Occasionally, there would be a "Maverick Round" where a guest would have to stand centre stage and represent something "via the medium of dance", or "The gift of the air guitar". They would then be judged by scorekeeper George Dawes (Matt Lucas), who would invariably award them no points.
Impressions round.
The impressions round saw a "random light" pick a contestant at random, and then they had to do an impression of a celebrity. In the pilot this was called by Vic "random factor". Other elements of the impressions round included the aforementioned club style singing.
Film clip round.
The film clip round always included a clip that was related to the question, but the answer to the question was never shown in the film just like the lyrics of George's songs, despite Bob as a running gag saying to watch or listen carefully. In one episode, Mark Lamarr's team were shown a clip from "Citizen Smith" (instead of a comedy clip created by the Shooting Stars team), and were totally unaware the question would relate directly to the clip. A serious question was asked requesting what a man's T-shirt read, only for Mark to make something up and then Vic saying his traditional "UVAVU!" wrong answer catchphrase. One of the most memorable film clips was a spoof of "The Naked Chef", with Matt Lucas playing the part of Jamie Oliver, and Ulrika Jonsson playing the part of his then wife-to-be Juliette Norton. In the sketch Lucas plays on highlighting Jamie's then constant use of the word pukka, constantly using the word while making sandwiches for a party in which he has invited his friends along (which he often used to do on his show, including the Sainsbury's adverts). He keeps saying that he'll use something later which he has discarded such as an eggshell, while Juliette twice appears asking if he would like any help, only to be turned away. At the end of the filmclip he throws a lot of chips in his motorcycle crash helmet.
Final round.
Whichever teams "wins" the round according to the scoring system "wins" £1 per point, and the captain must nominate a teammate to do a silly stunt for an alleged £5 per point. This is a timed round, often marked by Vic or Bob stating, "We don't know how much time we have, but when the time is up, you'll hear this sound," prompting George to say a silly phrase such as "Come on, come on! Clear it up, woman!"
The credits then roll after this round as Vic and Bob sing their goodbyes.
Humour.
The title of the show is a pun on the fact that much of the humour is at the expense of the guest stars. To prove this point, in the pilot episode at the opening song (singing "let's start Shooting Stars"), Vic and Bob are holding shotguns and fire these into the stars.
Participants.
There are two teams – Team A and Team B. Each team has a regular team captain – originally Mark Lamarr and Ulrika Jonsson – and two celebrity guests on each team. Lamarr left the series in 1997 as he disliked being in too many quiz shows at once (at the time he was hosting "Never Mind the Buzzcocks"), and was replaced by novelist Will Self when the series returned in 2002. At the same time comedian Johnny Vegas was brought in as a regular guest on Jonsson's team, where he had a pint of Guinness on his desk where all the other contestants had water. Will Self was replaced by dead-pan comic, Jack Dee for the 2008 15th Anniversary Special and for the 2009 series, which also saw Lucas' character, George Dawes, replaced by Angelos Epithemiou, a creation of comedian Renton Skinner. Contestants are often addressed by their surnames, in reference to "University Challenge".
In addition to the 'regulars', the panel consisted of other celebrities from music, sports, politics and other fields. Some of the most memorable episodes included members who were clearly unaware of the show's format. On one particularly famous episode, "Dallas" star Larry Hagman appeared on the show and was in a state of constant bemusement throughout. Writing in "The Guardian", Nancy Banks-Smith described him as looking "like a man in a nightmare".
Until the 2010 series, the "score" was kept by George Dawes, an overgrown, ranting, drumming baby played by comedian Matt Lucas. (Occasionally George's "mother" Marjorie Dawes – also played by Lucas – appears instead. She also appears in "Little Britain".) His arrival at the start of the show would be accompanied by the words "He's a baby!" sung to the tune of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog". He would also provide a sound effect to signal the end of timed rounds: in earlier series this was a simple scream, but later became random phrases ("Leakage"), sometimes in regional accents ("That's it I'm turning the car around and we're going back to Dorset!"), or advertising slogans ("Have you ever been to a Harvester before?"). In the later series he would also perform "George's Song," on which subject questions would follow. These included "Lesbians", "Everybody's Talkin' About Football", "Hip Hop Is The Best", "1942" (appeared in the 15-year special, while being a song about inventions such as floors, trees, shoes and the 'flu) and even a rendition of the "Rentaghost" theme song. One of the most famous songs is "Peanuts", with George shouting "Peanuts!" every so often to a backing track, while corpsing. The costume Lucas wore for this performance later became an inspiration for his "Little Britain" character Andy. Another notable song was "Thank You Baked Potato", in which a potato gave him helpful advice. Lucas later used a revised version of this song in a fundraising effort for the NHS, during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Lucas quit the programme in the 2010 series due to scheduling conflicts with his other projects and the role of scorekeeper was taken over by Angelos Epithemiou.
Most appearances.
Apart from the Team Captains, Johnny Vegas made the most appearances with 19 as he was a permanent panellist on Ulrika's team during the 2002 series. Carol Vorderman made a total of 3 appearances and Jarvis Cocker, Stephen Fry, Zoë Ball, Les Dennis and Sara Cox each made two appearances (although Fry made a short appearance in the 2002 Christmas special). Martin Clunes made two appearances as a panellist, once on Series One and once on video exclusive Unviewed and Nude, and was also featured as a "mystery celebrity" in series two.
Relaunch.
An anniversary edition entitled "All New Shooting Stars" was shown on 30 December 2008, celebrating the 15th anniversary of Shooting Stars. Ulrika Jonsson returned as captain with Jack Dee as the replacement team captain. Matt Lucas also reprised his George Dawes character for the episode. Guests for the episode were Peter Jones, Kate Garraway, Christine Walkden, and Dizzee Rascal.
On 3 April 2009, it was announced that the show would return for a full sixth series. Most of the original cast returned along with Jack Dee, who continued as a permanent team captain after his appearance on the anniversary special. It began on BBC Two and BBC HD on 26 August 2009.
The relaunched series altered the format in a number of ways:
"Shooting Stars" returned in July 2010 for a seventh series. This series made the following further changes:


Mark Bytheway

Mark Bytheway (22 July 1963 – 9 July 2010) was an England International Quiz player best known for becoming Quizzing World Champion in 2008 and winning the "Top Brain" competition of Brain of Britain.
Brain of Britain.
In 2007 he won Brain of Britain and in 2008 won the 3-year competition "Brain of Brains" beating TV's Egghead Chris Hughes and rival Pat Gibson and 9-year competition "Top Brain" titles, succeeding Kevin Ashman as holder.
National and International Titles.
In 2008 he won the prestigious title of Quizzing World Champion. He has been capped six times for the National team (with five wins) and has a current European/World ranking of number 3, behind Kevin Ashman (his pairs partner) and Pat Gibson. In 2009 he was third in the World Quizzing Championships and won the British title for the first time. He was unable to attend the 2010 World Quizzing Championships due to serious illness.
Bytheway was one of the original British Quizzing Grandmasters (as created under the Order of Merit maintained by Quizzing.co.uk) and has the third largest haul of international medals, with 16, (5 gold, 6 silver and 5 Bronze) after Ashman (27) and Gibson (24).
Domestic Competition.
In domestic competitions he played with the "Milhous Warriors", the first British team to win the Club competition at the European Quizzing Championships, which comprises Ashman, captain and England international Tim Westcott, Welsh international Sean O'Neill, Eric Kilby, Keith Andrew and Brian Wilkins.
He several times appeared as an aspiring contestant on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" but never qualified for the hot seat.
Bytheway died on 9 July 2010 after having esophageal cancer. As he was the reigning British Quiz Champion at the time of his death, the British Quizzing Championship trophy has been named in his honour, and will now be called the Mark Bytheway Trophy - aka the 'M*BY'.
2008 Interview.
A 2008 interview, after winning the World title, is available on the Norwegian Quiz Association website.


Win, Lose or Draw (British game show)

Win, Lose or Draw is a British television game show that aired for nine series in the ITV daytime schedule from 1990 to 1998, produced by Scottish Television. The game was based on an American television game show of the same name.
Format.
"Win, Lose or Draw" was essentially based on the board game "Pictionary". There were two teams, each composed of two celebrities and one member of the public. Three women played against three men. The teams took turns guessing a phrase, title, or thing that one teammate was drawing on a large pad of paper with markers. There's no talking by the one who was drawing, nor inscription of letters, numbers, or symbols. However, if a team mentioned a word that was part of the answer, the player at the sketchpad could write it. By series 3, correct answer within the first 30 seconds won £50 which decreased to £30 after the first 30 seconds. If time expired, the other team took one guess for £20. In the first series, the value started at £25 and decreased to £20 after the first 30 seconds, with a steal by the other team earning £10. In the final round, one player from each team would do the drawing for two minutes and each team could pass twice. Each correct answer awarded £10 and after each team took a turn in that final round, the winner of the most cash earned a bonus of £100.
On the "Teen" series, two boys would be teamed with a male celebrity against a female celebrity teamed with two girls. In the first round, one team member would draw up to 10 clues to a puzzle within two minutes. Each drawing the team guessed correctly scored five points. After two minutes, if the team could guess who or what the clues referred to, the team scored 25 points. Failure to guess correctly allowed the other team to guess the same puzzle. After each team played the first round, the second round involved one drawer from each team drawing up to three two-word phrases, each worth 15 points. The third round involved each drawer drawing clues about a famous person. A correct guess scored 50 points after one clue, 30 after two clues, 20 after three clues, and finally 10 points after four clues. A wrong guess allowed the other team to steal the points. In the speed round, one player did the drawing for 90 seconds and each correct guess from the drawer's teammates scored 10 points. After both teams played the speed round, the team with the highest total score won a prize package.
A "late" edition of the show hosted by Liza Tarbuck was broadcast in 2004, with team captains Sue Perkins and Ed Hall. Guests usually had alcoholic drinks on hand throughout the recording, and due to its late night timeslot, there was little censorship of swearing and the game rules were frequently bent, if not broken. Score values started at five points and decreased to three points after the first 30 seconds. After one minute expired, a steal by the opposing team scored two points. Each correct guess in the speed round earned one point.


Hugh Myers

Hugh Edward Myers (January 23, 1930 – December 22, 2008) was an American chess master and author. He won or tied for first in the state chess championships of Illinois (1951), Wisconsin (1955), Missouri (1962), and Iowa (1983), as well as the USCF Region VIII (Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska) championship (1983). He played for the Dominican Republic in the 1968 and 1976 Chess Olympiads.
Myers is best known for his writings on unusual chess openings such as the Nimzovich Defense (1.e4 Nc6). The eccentric opening 1.c4 g5 is known as Myers' Defense because of his advocacy of it in his writings and games. Myers wrote numerous editions of his book on the Nimzovich Defense, as well as three other books on the openings. He edited and published the "Myers Openings Bulletin" in 1979–1988 and the "New Myers Openings Bulletin" in 1992–1996.
Myers also involved himself in the controversy over FIDE President Florencio Campomanes' termination of the 1984–85 World Championship match between Karpov and Kasparov, and was instrumental in helping Campomanes secure reelection in 1986.
Chess career.
Myers was born in Decatur, Illinois on January 23, 1930. At age 10, he learned to play chess from "Lasker's Manual of Chess", a famous treatise by former world champion Emanuel Lasker. The book had a lasting influence on him, including Lasker's "encouragement regarding the openings, 'the ground trodden above is yet rather new, and you may explore it as well as anyone else.' " After his father brought home the December 1943 issue of "Chess Review", Myers began visiting the Decatur Chess Club weekly. In 1946, he played in his first chess tournament, finishing second in the Decatur high school championship.
Myers majored in history and political science at Millikin University, graduating in 1951. While in college, he became obsessed with chess. In 1950–52, he won the Decatur city championship thrice consecutively by lopsided scores, scoring 14.5 out of 16 possible points, 15 out of 16, and a perfect 14 out of 14, respectively.
In 1951, Myers tied for first in the Illinois championship with Kimball Nedved and John Tums, each scoring 6 out of 7 possible points in the Swiss system tournament, but Nedved won on Sonneborn–Berger tiebreaking points. Myers then challenged Nedved to a match, which Myers won in 1952 with 3.5 out of 4. Myers won the 1955 Wisconsin state championship with 6.5 out of 7, drawing in the last round with Arpad Elo. Myers was a natural chess teacher demonstrated by the impact of his 1957 short lesson at the Manhattan Club to Michael Morrisroe who used the exact technique to defeat Erich Marchand in the quarter finals of the 1960 New York State Championship. In 1962, Myers won the Missouri Open championship on tiebreak over J. Theodorovich of Toronto, each scoring 5 out of 6.
From 1965 to 1968, Myers was the top-rated player in the Dominican Republic. He played for its national chess team at the Chess Olympiads at Lugano 1968 (scoring 4 , 5 draws, and 6 ) and Haifa 1976 (scoring 3 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses).
In 1983, Myers tied for first with Mitch Weiss in the Iowa State Championship, a round robin, each scoring 3.5 out of 4. Later that year, Myers and Weiss also tied for first in the USCF Region VIII (Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska) championship, each scoring 4.5 points in the 5-round Swiss. In 1994, Myers played third board for "Fear Itself", the team that won the U.S. Amateur Team Championship.
Myers died in Davenport, Iowa on December 22, 2008.
Chess strength.
Myers achieved an Elo rating of 2350 while living in the Dominican Republic. In the United States, he first attained a rating over 2200 (National Master level) in 1983 and kept it over 2200 for ten years. Between 1993 and 2003, his rating fell from 2219 to 2054.
Chess writing and contributions to opening theory.
Myers is best known for his writings on unorthodox chess openings. He published the books "New Strategy in the Chess Openings" (1968), "The Nimzovich Defense" (1973; French edition 1979; revised editions 1986, 1993, and 1995), "Reversed King Pawns, Mengarini's Opening" (1977), and "Exploring the Chess Openings" (1978). His most important opening work was on the Nimzowitsch Defense, on which he was considered the foremost authority. Myers' autobiography, "A Chess Explorer", was issued in 2002.
From 1979 to 1988, Myers edited and published 38 issues of the "Myers Openings Bulletin". Nine double-sized issues, called the "New Myers Openings Bulletin", came out in 1992–96. The ChessBase.com obituary of Myers observes that in the "Myers Openings Bulletin", Myers offered:
"...a remarkable diet of deeply-researched openings articles (no opening seemed too abstruse for consideration), historical features, book reviews and topical commentary. He included contributions from many writers who later gained prominence in their own right, and the Bulletin built up a loyal, affectionate readership throughout the world."
FIDE Master Allan Savage observes that the "Bulletin" "became a cause celebre for practitioners of unusual openings, a forum for airing of opinions of diverse chess writers, and a target for those conformists who would malign the very existence of offbeat ideas." Savage calls Myers "a trailblazer, iconoclast, original thinker, curmudgeon, and at his peak, a strong master".
Probably Myers' best-known contribution to opening theory is the eccentric line 1.c4 g5, a sort of Grob's Attack (1.g4) with colors reversed. It has become known as Myers' Defense because of his advocacy of it. When Myers discussed it in "New Strategy in the Chess Openings" his publisher, without consulting him, inserted in the book the remark, "I can't believe that 1.c4 g5 is good for Black. There is no need to even give the reasons for my opinion; the move 1.-- g5 violates chess principles as I learned them." International Master John L. Watson, an authority on the English Opening, wrote that this variation "has become the theoretical property of Hugh Myers, who has both played it and published proposed improvements." Watson opined that the line "seems ", but it is largely ignored in general opening manuals. It is not mentioned at all in the current edition of "Modern Chess Openings" (2008), the "Encyclopedia of Chess Openings" (1996), or "Batsford Chess Openings 2" (1989), and it receives only a brief footnote in "Nunn's Chess Openings" (1999). In the first edition of "Batsford Chess Openings" (1982), future World Champion Garry Kasparov famously dismissed 1...g5 with the remark that, "Chess is not ."
Chess controversy and politics.
In 1985 and 1986, Myers wrote in the "Myers Openings Bulletin" about FIDE President Florencio Campomanes' controversial decision to terminate the 1984–85 Karpov–Kasparov World Championship match after 48 games, and schedule a new match later in 1985. Myers argued that the decision to stop the match and start afresh was in Kasparov's interest, since he had been trailing and would have needed three more victories to win the match, while Karpov needed only one. Chess historian Edward Winter later wrote, "This reasoning, originally voiced by hardly anyone except ... Myers, is now gaining ground." Myers also asserted that Kasparov's statements, which suggested that Campomanes had terminated the match at Karpov's behest and over Kasparov's opposition, were duplicitous.
In 1986, Campomanes hired Myers to write the bulletins at the Chess Olympiad later that year in Dubai, and to work for Campomanes' reelection as FIDE President. Campomanes' opponent was Lincoln Lucena, whose running mate was Raymond Keene, a candidate for General Secretary of FIDE. Myers wrote a series of ten bulletins for distribution to national chess federations, entitled "F.I.D.E. Facts", that criticized Keene, as well as Lucena supporters such as Kasparov and David Levy. The November 1986 issue of "CHESS" magazine contained a written response, drafted by Myers and signed by Campomanes, to Keene's charges against Campomanes. Myers also created a cartoon that portrayed Lucena as a marionette controlled by Keene and Levy. Just before the election, Lucena withdrew, ensuring Campomanes' victory. Myers took credit for Campomanes' reelection, writing, "It could be reasonably argued that Campomanes was either a good guy or a bad guy, but I'm proud that discovering the truth and telling it proved that his opponents were worse."


Video games in South Korea

In South Korea, video games are considered to be a major social activity, with most of the games being cooperative or . Locally developed Role-playing games, FPS, MMORPG and Mobile games have proven to be very popular in the country. Professional competition surrounding video games (especially those involving real-time strategy games) also enjoy a substantial following in South Koreamajor tournaments are often broadcast on television and have large prizes available.
South Korea has developed a strong economy in Asia through the development of creative industries (i.e. Online Game). New York Times culture writer Seth Schiesel has commented "When it comes to gaming, Korea is the developed market... When you look at gaming around the world, Korea is the leader in many ways..." Statistic provided by Korea Creative Content Agency shows that the industry has gained an average growth of 14.9% in sales since 2008. This statistic may reflects an increasing interest in online gaming, especially the youth. Although it is difficult to mark an exact period that is responsible for increasing trend in online gaming; however, it is quite clear that gaming has become much more than activity for leisure.
South Korea has been known for their pre-eminent infrastructure in video gaming, and their dominance in eSports scenes. Many of the best video game players and coaches in the world were trained or originated from South Korea, and the country's pro leagues and tournaments across numerous video games are often acclaimed by many to be the "most prestigious and competitive".
History.
1980s–1990s.
In January 1975, three units of the relabeled Pong machine Computer TV were installed in the Midopa Department Store in Seoul. The newspaper explained it as a "TV game" and said that big companies such as Samsung and Goldstar (now LG) were producing new machines, most of them Pong clones. Until the end of the 1970s, "electronic entertainment rooms" quickly spread around the country, despite fierce opposition by conservative parents, media and the regime. By 1980, only 43 arcade establishments were government-approved, while many hundreds were opened illegally. The Korean video game industry started as mostly an import market, getting machines from Japan and the USA. Since it didn't have any form of localization, the arcade manufacturers would put names in Hangul, making some name changes such as "Donkey Kong" becoming "King Kong". Eventually, Korean companies started to develop their own arcade games. One of the first arcade games to be developed by a Korean company is Goindol, released in 1987 by SunA. It was also the first one to be released outside of Korea, with the company Sharp Image Electronics licensing it for North American distribution. Sharp Image licensed three other arcade games from SunA and Philko for release in North America, and also licensed Kaneko's Air Buster for release in North America. In 2001, a company called GameVision licensed six arcade games from Expotato, Andamiro, SemiCom, and Excellent Soft Design for release in North America. GameVision also developed a Game Boy Advance port of Tang Tang, which was released by Take-Two Interactive.
Home computers were a luxury import in Korea in the late 1970s and software programming was the domain of institutes like "KIST". In 1983, domestic computers – which were clones of Japanese and American models – started being distributed as well as computer magazines. In March of the same year, companies like Samsung started to offer computers to schools to raise a computer-savvy generation. These same companies would host software competitions, but most of the programmers that won those competitions developing games preferred to use their knowledge for more serious software or jobs. In 1984, the computer models became more standardized, with almost all new models based on either MSX or Apple II standard. This made it easier to import and copy foreign games, as there was no copyright law in Korea at the time for computer programs.
In December 1985, Daewoo released the Zemmix, a MSX-based video game console. It was the first successful video game hardware, owing its success to the huge number of imported and bootlegged games available. Because of that, domestic game development wasn't seen as necessary until July 1987, when a law protecting copyright ownership of computer programs was enacted. This led to the creation of small businesses with the intention of producing and publishing games. The country's first fully-fledged computer game was "Sin'geom-ui Jeonseol", also known as "Legend of the Sword", released for the Apple II computer platform in 1987. It was programmed by Nam In-Hwan and distributed by Aproman, being primarily influenced by the "Ultima" series.
Most of the stores that made unauthorized copies of games started to port them to Zemmix, the most representative publisher being Zemina, the first company to publish a domestic title, "Brother Adventure", a Mario Bros. clone. However, the copyright law only covered the code itself, allowing the video game adaptation of foreign games. A group of Japanese companies (including Taito, Konami and Capcom) brought to court cases against Haitai and Young Toys, but failed to win anything because the games in question were released before the enactment of the law. Most of the original Korean games were made by independent teams, such as "Mickey Soft's Kkoedori" and "New Age Team's Legendly Night". The Korean company Topia was one of the first to begin producing action role-playing games, one of which was "Pungnyu Hyeopgaek", for MS-DOS, in 1989. It was the first Korean title published for an IBM PC compatible and set in ancient China.
Foreign companies like Sega and Nintendo had difficulty to enter the market, so they licensed out their consoles to Korean companies. Samsung took Sega's Master System, which was then released in April 1989 as the "Samsung Gam*Boy". Most of the games were released on Korea on their original languages, being "Phantasy Star" the first game to be fully translated to Hangul. One year later, the Mega Drive arrived with the name of "Super Gam*Boy", having in 1992 all Samsung consoles renamed to "Aladdin Boy". Samsung also produced its own game, a shoot 'em up called "Uju Geobukseon". Hyundai was the responsible for the releasing the NES, named Comboy. However, it didn't have any translated games.
The development of those systems started slow, as the software necessary was not as available as home computers. Most infringing companies found ways to simply convert MSX games to the Gam*Boy, due to their similar architecture. Two companies, Daou Infosys and Open Production, under the Jaem Jaem Club label, were responsible for a steady flow of domestic games for Gam*Boy consoles. Daou was known for its licensed game from the TV animation series "Agi Gongnyong Dooly", which had a game released for the MSX. Open Production, on the other hand, was mainly responsible for original games, although most of them were platformers similar to other famous games, however, having completely original sprites, levels and gameplay. Three Open Production games were published in Australia, but only in 1995 when the Master System was already dead in Korea.
By 1990, the excitement for games made in Korea went off. The lack of skill, budget and manpower made it hard for the domestic developers to compete with imported games from Japan and America. However, PC games started to rise. Until 1992, most of the games for PC were ports or adaptations of traditional boardgames or card games. When computers able to display colored graphics became more common, the industry started to produce games that could compete with consoles on the international market. Big companies started to invest in the development of games and Goldstar opened an educational institute for game developers on March 8, 1993. Localization of the games to the Korean language also became more frequent.
1994 saw the release of two major Korean RPGs: "Astonishia Story", and an MS-DOS enhanced remake "Ys II Special", developed by Mantra. The latter was a mash-up of Nihon Falcom's game "Ys II" (1988) with the anime "Ys II: Castle in the Heavens" (1992) along with a large amount of new content, including more secrets than any other version of "Ys II". Both games were a success in Korea.
Commercial online gaming became very popular in South Korea from the mid-1990s. "", designed by Jake Song, was commercially released in 1996 and eventually gained over one million subscribers. It was one of the earliest massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Song's next game, "Lineage" (1998), enjoyed even greater success gaining millions of subscribers in Korea and Taiwan.
During February 24 to 27, 1993, Computer Edutainment and Game Software Festival - the first video game expo in Korea - was held at the electronic store complex in Yongsan, Seoul. The first edition of the festival had high-profile exhibitors such as Hyundai, but on the following years, only small developers would continue to carry it on until its extinction in 1996. On the other hand, the Amuse World expo started as a small event and kept growing steadily, evolving to the nowadays G-Star, the largest game industry event in Korea.
Home console predominance.
Around January 1993, home consoles in South Korea were estimated to be present in one of every four houses. However, they are not as popular as they used to be. The console downfall started with a photosensitive epileptic seizure mass hysteria successfully spread by the Korean mass media. Although the initial epileptic fit was proven not to be related to flashing light sensitivity, the newspapers would report new or old cases, connecting them with video games. The media would blame Japanese video games, even stating that the cases happening in the US and Canada were also caused only by video games from Japan. Video game sales were damaged, and Samsung reported a decrease of 71.4% during 1993 and Hyundai, 33%. The industry started to slowly recuperate but was slowed down by the decision of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, on July 1, 1993, to revise the censorship regulation, so that video games on CD-ROM or cartridge have to pass an evaluation by the Korea Public Performance Ethics Committee. The rating system of the Committee was considered one of the most strict of the world in the 90s.
2000s–2009 Korean online gaming.
On 11 November 2001, the sprite-based "Ragnarok Online", produced by Korean company Gravity Corp, was released. Though unknown to many Western players, the game took Asia by storm as "Lineage" had done. The publisher has claimed in excess of 25 million subscribers of the game, although this number is based upon a number of registered users (rather than active subscribers). 2002 also saw the release of "MapleStory", another sprite-based title, which was completely free-to-play - instead of charging a monthly fee, it generated revenue by selling in-game "enhancements". "MapleStory" would go on to become a major player in the new market for free-to-play MMORPGs (generating huge numbers of registered accounts across its many versions), if it did not introduce the market by itself.
In October 2003, "Lineage II" (NCsoft's sequel to "Lineage") became the latest MMORPG to achieve huge success across Asia. It received the Presidential Award at the 2003 Korean Game awards and is now the second most popular MMORPG in the world. As of the first half of 2005 "Lineage II" counted over 2.25 million subscribers worldwide, with servers in Japan, China, North America, Taiwan, and Europe, once the popularity of the game had surged in the West.
2009–present transition to mobile platform.
After the release of the iPhone, games like "Angry Birds" showed up on the market, showing off their success. Like that, in South Korea, the major game company Com2uS and Gamevil started to release their new games, "Home Run Battle 3D" and "ZENONIA", on the market in 2009.
In 2012, Kakao launched their new service called "Kakao Games" and they released their first game, "Anipang", which was a huge success to both Kakao and its developer, SundayToz. After the launch of Kakao Games, major video game companies like Nexon, Netmarble, and many other minor game developers began to give their attention to mobile platform.
In 2016, Netmarble released their new MMORPG game, "Lineage 2 Revolution", by using "Lineage"s IP. The game grossed ₩206.5 million in one month, and it became a trend to make a mobile game based on a popular online game, such as "Lineage", "Black Desert Online", and "Tera Online".
Recently in South Korea, gamers have been pessimistic about the video game industry in South Korea, saying the industry is in its Dark Ages. Many companies are still making mobile games, mostly, and focusing more on advertising than actual gameplay.
PC bangs.
A PC bang (Korean: PC방; literally "PC room") is a type of LAN gaming center, where patrons can play multiplayer computer games and browse the internet for a small hourly fee. The typical cost for an hour of play ranges from 1000 to 1500 won (approximately $0.90 to $1.35 USD.), but as of 2013, 1200 won per hour is the most common cost in PC bang. Although the per capita penetration of computers and broadband internet access is very high in South Korea, PC bangs remain popular as they provide a social meeting place for gamers (especially school-aged gamers) to play together with their friends. Furthermore, the computer hardware used by PC bangs may be more powerful than the systems available in the players' homes. Most PC bangs allow players to eat, drink and smoke (often with separate smoking and non-smoking sections) while they play. It is common for PC bangs to sell ramen noodles, canned coffee, soft drinks, and other snacks.
PC bangs rose to popularity following the release of the PC game "StarCraft" in 1998. Although PC bangs are used by all ages and genders, they are most popular with male gamers in their teens and twenties.
Many popular Korean multiplayer games provide players with incentives that encourage them to play from a PC bang. For example, the Nexon games Kart Rider and BnB reward players with bonus "Lucci"—the games' virtual currencies—when they log on from a PC bang and the popular "League of Legends" provides free access to all characters and extra game currency on each match.
Pro-gaming.
South Korea is well known for the fact that professional gaming has a very substantial following in the country, with the top players earning big money prizes in competitions, and spending a significant number of hours practicing every day.
Pro-gaming tournaments in South Korea are broadcast, with millions of people tuning in to watch live or catch the results on one of three channels that are exclusively geared toward e-sports. In South Korea, pro-gaming and e-sports competitions are considered a national past time with approximately 10 million regular viewers. There are also organized leagues throughout the country that are financed generously and train gamers to compete in competitions.
Many South Koreans take pride in the country's high standing position as a pro-gaming powerhouse. The results of this are seen in the fact that more and more tech companies are seeing the profitability of investing in and sponsoring e-sport stars. Companies are starting to finance the coaching of potential gamers, as it is advantageous to them financially and socially. Major technological companies like HTC and three of Korea's largest companies - Samsung, Korea Telecom, and SK Telecom are a few examples. The Korean government has also discovered the promise of investing in e-sports and pro-gaming by funding the world's first e-sports stadium that was built in 2005. Additionally, the Korean government has a department solely focused on the governing of e-sports known as the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSpa).Throughout South Korea, pro-gamers are revered and treated like celebrities. It is not unheard of for successful pro-gamers or e-sport stars to earn 6 figure or more contracts. In turn the spotlight that these stars shine on video games helps the South Korean economy. The video game industry makes up a significant share of South Korea's GDP. It is estimated that the game market pulls in approximately 5 billion dollars annually along with the millions of dollars that are also traded in illegal gambling and betting that stimulates South Korea's informal economy.
Due to the huge popularity of e-sports in South Korea the World Cyber Games was made in 2000. The Republic of Korea's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Information and Communications, Samsung, and Microsoft are the original sponsors. The WCG is considered to be the "Olympics of the online gaming world". The games draw around 500 pro-gamers from around the world into competition with prizes amassing from $200,000 - $500,000.
Two particularly popular video games for pro-gamers are "StarCraft" and "League of Legends". Well-known players include Lim Yo-Hwan, Lee Young-ho, Lee Sang-hyeok, Choi Yeon-Sung, Park Sung-Joon and Lee Jae-Dong.
Video game addiction.
With video game addictions, many studies tried to find the connection between video game addiction and psychological conditions like depression and anxiety in Korea. A Korean study reported that there was a connection between video game addiction and constraints involving recreation participation. The study also found that video game addictions were associated with experience in recreational activities as well as family environment. The level of addiction differed depending on family background, family communication, and parental monitoring. To reduce video game addictions, researchers suggested that there should be better family bonding and flexibility, like participating in various recreational activities involving family members.
Due to problems of widespread video game addiction threatening the health safety of players and after different incidents related to it, the Korean government has invested considerable amounts into new clinics, campaigns, and support groups to minimize the problem. By late 2011, the government took a step further and imposed the "Cinderella Law", also known as the Shutdown law, which prevents anyone aged under 16 from playing games online between 10 pm - 6 am. "Minors are required to register their national identification cards online so that they can be monitored and regulated". Another program created by the Korean government is the Jump up Internet Rescue School, a camp created to cure children who are either addicted to online games or the internet. This program was created due to the increasing number of working parents, insufficient space for playgrounds, and a highly competitive educational environment. The program involved having a wide variety of treatments for 12 days and 11 nights. The facility will allow participants to engage in outdoor activities and sports instead of playing video games. The program is divided into two stages which are training activities and educational activities. The education activity consists of mental training, brain education about the frontal lobe, emotional control, and brain system training. The role of mental and brain training is to recall the participant's cognitive skills. People who are addictive thinkers are more likely to worry than an average person which may lead to more addictive internet uses. An emotional approach is implemented so that addicts can move on from gratifying sensations and feelings that make addicts come back to gaming or internet use. The four education activities listed previously are important to prevent or detour behaviours that the internet has, such as providing a mental escape, avoiding problems, and emotional belief, in addition to doing drugs, and gambling (Lyu, 2017).
Due to a failure of establishing a clear definition of online video game addiction, there are complications measuring and identifying those affected by video game addiction. There is no actual percentage regarding individuals that are addicted to video games. Researchers have conducted a questionnaire for Korean High school students to better understand video game addiction. The researchers found only a 2.7% addiction rate when it was distinguished from another peripheral criterion. The results suggest that video game addiction may not have been a prevalent issue as previously believed in South Korea (Chulmo, Yulia, Choong, & Hea Young, 2011).
In a survey that was done in 2018 the South Korean government got a rough estimate that 10 million people were at risk of Internet Addiction. Video game addiction existed back in the early 2000s, a South Korean man died from a heart attack after playing video games for 50 hours in a PC bang where he barely slept and ate. He was also fired from his job because he didn’t show up to work due to him playing computer games.
Ratings.
Video games in Korea are rated by the Game Rating Board, a governmental organization established in 2006. Games were previously rated by the Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB), but the separate board was established in 2006 following a scandal where the KMRB was allegedly bribed to allow a video slot machine known as "Sea Story" be put on the market after operators hacked the game to increase its payouts beyond legal limits.


Julian Hodgson

Julian Michael "Jules" Hodgson (born 25 July 1963) is a British International Grandmaster and former British Chess Champion.
Biography.
Hodgson was born in London, England. He first came to the notice of the chess world for his achievements as a junior, whilst at Hammersmith Chess Club in West London; he was London under-18 champion at 12 years of age and won the British Boys under-21 title aged 14.
International Master and Grandmaster titles followed in 1983 and 1988 respectively. Tournament successes, either shared or outright, included second place Lloyds Bank Open 1986: first place Benidorm 1986: first place Geneva Open 1988: second place Tel Aviv 1988: first place Kecskemét 1988 and first place Dos Hermanas 1989. At San Bernardino 1989, he finished first on tie-break, ahead of strong grandmasters Kiril Georgiev and Ivan Sokolov. A frequent visitor to Spain's Seville Open, he shared first place in 1986 and 1988. At the Philadelphia World Open of 1990, he was runner-up behind Igor Glek.
In domestic competition, Hodgson competed regularly at the British Chess Championship, winning the title on four occasions (1991, 1992, 1999, and 2000). By 2000, he was so at home with the event that he even brought his own executive chair with him, wheeling it from board to board for maximum comfort. On those occasions that he did not play, his live commentary sessions and evening lectures were well received by amateurs and competing masters alike.
In international team chess, he played for the English Olympiad team, winning the bronze team medal at Novi Sad 1990, and an individual silver medal at Manila 1992. The Manila success followed a notable win earlier in the year, at the open tournament held annually in Cappelle-la-Grande.
In 1997 he won the Canadian Open Chess Championship, and was joint winner of the National Open in Las Vegas. At Oxford in 1998, he shared victory with Jonny Hector, ahead of John Nunn and Emil Sutovsky. He was the winner of the North American Open in 1999. He recorded his peak Elo rating of 2640 in the year 2000. A return visit to the World Open saw him finish a half point behind the leaders. In 2001, he was a joint winner of the Chicago Open with Alexander Goldin.
Over a number of years, Hodgson played league chess in both the German Bundesliga and British 4NCL.
Since 2003, he has not played competitive chess, instead teaching chess in schools.
Playing style.
His sharp, relentless, attacking style of play frequently resulted in quick wins against lesser opponents, earning him the epithet "Grandmaster of Disaster".
Hodgson's greatest legacy as a chess player may however lie in his resurrection of an almost forgotten opening system. The Trompowsky Attack (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5) had been neglected for many years, prior to his adoption and development of the opening. In interviews, he reveals that this was born out of laziness and a reluctance to learn established chess opening theory. It soon became his weapon of choice with the white pieces, leading to a popularisation of the system and a number of theoretical guides containing a high quota of Hodgson's own games and analysis. Fellow grandmaster Joe Gallagher wrote that it should be renamed the Hodgson–Trompowsky Attack, a view shared by many other masters. A chess journalist once wrote that Hodgson put the 'romp' into Trompowsky .
A related, but more obscure version of the system (1.d4 d5 2.Bg5), has been dubbed by some the Hodgson Attack and by others the Pseudo-Trompowsky or Queen's Bishop Attack.
Bibliography.
As an author of chess books and magazine articles, his writing style conveys the same enthusiasm as his lectures. He is perhaps most renowned for his "Attack with Julian Hodgson" series of books, but was also a busy contributor to the "Trends" series of chess opening booklets and also the "Foxy Openings" (VHS, later converted to DVD) series, including "Trompowski-Main Line" and "Trompowski Success". His more major written works comprise:


Cho Aniki

 is a Japanese video game series originally developed by Masaya and published by NCS Corp. The first game was released in 1992 for the PC Engine system. The game's sequels and spin-offs later appeared on the Super Famicom, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, WonderSwan, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. Mainly consisting of side-scrolling shoot 'em ups in the vein of "Gradius", the "Cho Aniki" series is best known for its homoerotic overtones, wacky humor and vivid, surreal imagery. Most of the games have never seen release outside Japan.
For various reasons, the popularity of the "Cho Aniki" games has endured since the series' debut. Highlights of the various games include in-game music, innovative control schemes or sheer kitsch value. In Japan, these games are examples of "baka-ge", which literally means "idiot game" whose appeal lies in its campiness.
The rights to the series are currently owned by Extreme Co., Ltd., which had obtained the rights of NCS Corp. and Masaya products and trademarks.
Video games.
"Cho Aniki".
"Cho Aniki" is the first game in the "Cho Aniki" series.
"Ai Cho Aniki".
 was the sequel to "Cho Aniki" developed by Masaya and also released for the Super CD-ROM². In this game, players control Samson and Adon directly. A key difference in the control scheme of "Ai Cho Aniki" is that instead of rapidly pressing buttons as a means of firing at enemies, players now had to input intricate button combinations, "Street Fighter"-style. By and large, "Cho Aniki" and "Ai Cho Aniki" play very similarly.
In this game, Bo Emperor Conshyasu (BoteiConshyasu, a pun of "body conscious") raises the Neo Builder Army to fight Idaten and Benten. However, the two fall in love and elope. This leaves Samson and Adon to fight the new threat, Su Emperor Roido (SuTeiLoido, a pun on "steroid"). This time Taku Iwasaki scored the soundtrack.
On release, "Famicom Tsūshin" scored the PC Engine version of the game a 24 out of 40, giving it a 7 out of 10 in their Reader Cross Review.
The game was released on Nintendo's Virtual Console service in 2007 in Japan.
"Cho Aniki Bakuretsu Ranto-hen".
 A departure from the typical "Cho Aniki" formula has characters from previous games — heroes and villains alike — battling in one-on-one fights. Playable characters include the following.
This game was the last of the series to be developed by Masaya. It was released in 1995.
"Cho Aniki: Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyou Otoko".
 was released for the PlayStation the same year as the previous two titles. This game features digitized sprites instead of the hand-drawn anime-style art from the other titles. It was released for the Sega Saturn three months later and the PlayStation Network in Japan in 2009. The subtitle of this game loosely translates to "The Ultimate, Most Strongest Man in the Milky Way" or "The Ultimate, Invincible, Most Galactically Powerful Man." The game is based on the engine of the first "Cho Aniki". Idaten and Benten are again the main two characters. Koji Hayama returned to score a few songs for the soundtrack, along with Don McCow, Taku Iwasaki and Sanae Kasahara.
Newly-formed publisher MonkeyPaw Games released this game on September 21, 2010 in North America and on October 5, 2011 in Europe on the PlayStation Network.
"Cho Aniki: Otoko no Tamafuda".
 is a video game in the "Cho Aniki" series. This twist on the "Cho Aniki" universe pits the heroes of the previous games on a role-playing video game quest in which battles are fought with playing cards. According to an article on the game at the Hardcore Gaming 101 website, the title of the game is a pun. The title translates to "Man's "Tamafuda"," with "tamafuda" being a portmanteau of "tamashii" — Japanese for "soul" — and "hanafuda" — a Japanese card game. It is also likely that the pun extends to another meaning of "tama", "balls".
The game was released for the portable WonderSwan system in 2000.
"i (Ai) Chō Aniki: Gekiretsu Nawatobi-hen".
 is the first "Cho Aniki" game released for Japanese mobile phones. The lowercase i is a reference to the i-mode Japanese cellphone provider.
"Cho Aniki: Seinaru Protein Densetsu".
. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003. With Masaya now defunct, the game was co-developed by X-Nauts and Psikyo. This team also developed "Sengoku Blade", and this game plays much like it as a result.
The plot of this game centers on the Holy Protein, a godlike glob of what may be semen. Samson and Adon hover around the glob, absorbing enemy fire as they did in previous games. This game lacks playable characters from previous titles, such as Benten, who only appears in some "stage complete" illustrations. Some of the enemies include a giant, cross-dressing man in an "Alice in Wonderland" costume and a Mona Lisa painting that fires lasers from its eyes.
"Cho Aniki Zero".
This is the first "Cho Aniki" title developed by extreme Co.,Ltd., who had obtained the rights of NCS Corp. and Masaya products.
Music.
The first game was composed entirely by Koji Hayama, who states on his website that Cho Aniki is his favorite work to date. Numerous soundtracks from the various games have been released on CD, Maxi-Singles and even a live performance has been released on VHS. Later games in the series were composed by Taku Iwasaki, Isao Mizoguchi (under the alias Don McCow) and Sanae Kasahara.
Cho Aniki in pop culture.
Appearances in other games.
Masaya also developed the "Langrisser" series, where Samson and company make a cameo. A hidden level takes the party to an area called the Muscle Shrine, where they must fight Samson. If victorious, the party can then use the Aniki summon, the most powerful summon in the game. The cameo exists in the Mega Drive, Super NES and PlayStation ports of the game.
The Capcom video game, God Hand, pokes fun of Samson and Adon as powerless yet flamboyant drag queens who are the first boss of the game.
Though technically not part of the series, the Sega Genesis shoot 'em up "Wings of Wor" (known as Gynoug in Japan and Europe) was also developed by Masaya and published by NCS, and features gameplay and surreal designs similar to the first "Cho Aniki" game.
The Japanese release of the Game Boy Advance game "Gem Smashers" replaces the three playable characters with three differently colored versions of the Uminin (the original light blue Uminin, and a pink and green Uminin as well).
Cult popularity.
Few outside Japan have played the "Cho Aniki" series, but many know of the game through articles written about it on such websites as I-Mockery, Seanbaby, and Something Awful. The series is often mentioned in lists of outrageous, peculiar or sexual video games.
Sometime around 1999, gaming magazine "Electronic Gaming Monthly" ran a passing comment about how the US was thankfully spared this homoerotic shooter (Referring to "Cho Aniki" for PS1, although the comment was followed by "Not that there is nothing wrong with a homosexual shooter"). For the next few months EGM's letters to the editor were dominated by remarks lambasting the editors at EGM for making fun of the game, even after the editors repeatedly told their readership that the game was horrible.