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Chess Played Quick is Chess.com's series of monthly events where top chess streamers do live speed runs using one of Chess.com's features.

This month's event, Chess Played Quick Bullet Edition, starts on June 28 at 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST. During 3 hours and 20 minutes, streamers will do their best to collect as many bounties as possible. With an open and a U2000 section, the event will feature prizes for the three highest-rated players in each section. Four main bounties and three hidden bounties complete the set of challenges that make up the $12,000 total prize fund.

We will broadcast the entire event on Chess.com/TV and on our Twitch and YouTube channels. During the event, Aranhawaii will provide commentary and highlight different streamers.

Chess Played Quick Bullet Edition features a total prize fund of $12,000, distributed according to the participant's final bullet rating and bounties described below:

Open Prizes

U2000 Prizes

We will announce the hidden bounties 20 minutes before the hour (00:40, 01:40, 02:40 elapsed time). Streamers will have 20 minutes to complete each hidden bounty.

Open Bounties

U2000 Bounties

The event starts on June 28 at 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST. We will announce the hidden bounties on our official broadcast 20 minutes before the hour (00:40, 01:40, 02:40 elapsed time).

We will publish the results of the event here.

To participate in the event, fill out the official application form below. Please note that you have to play at least 25 bullet games with your new account before applying. Applications close 48 hours before the event:

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Chess Played Quick Bullet Edition: All The Information - Chess.com

New Yorks Sex Diaries series asks anonymous city dwellers to record a week in their sex lives with comic, tragic, often sexy, and always revealing results.

Photo-Illustration: James Gallagher

This week, a woman who spends her birthday week sleeping with an ex and adding a new guy to the rotation: 25, single, London.

DAY ONE

11 a.m. I wake up later than Id like to because my sleep routine is in ruins. Ive been averaging a bedtime of 3 a.m. and honestly I dont even have an excuse (other than being a freelance writer, which allows me to set my own schedule). I scroll through Twitter, send my friends some funny tweets, then make myself a coffee.

3 p.m. I text my favorite ex to confirm our catch-up this evening. This will be the first time Ive seen him in a year, although we have sporadically sexted. I recently got out of a chaotic fling with a graffiti artist that lasted four exhausting months and ended with him blocking me on everything except my Finsta. Tonight, Im ready for some familiar, no-strings-attached fun.

7 p.m. I am sat opposite Favorite Ex at his local pub in South London, having taken a 40-minute Uber for the occasion. Hes the funniest person Ive dated, which is evidenced by my fits of laughter that cause the tables next to us to glance over looking increasingly pissed off. Im a few gins down so I dont care. If anything, it only spurs me on.

8 p.m. We tuck into an unsexy feast of nachos loaded with guacamole and a mountain of fried chicken as we continue to catch up. He tells me about his job as a cryptocurrency journalist and recruits me to join his crypto app. I say it sounds like a pyramid scheme but fine, Im horny enough to download it. I update him about my freelance writing and occasional antiques-dealing as I shovel more nachos into my mouth.

11 p.m. After rushing out of the pub, horny Favorite Ex and I are in the elevator of his apartment building. Im pushed up against the wall and were making out while he grabs my ass. He takes me by the hand and leads me into his bedroom, stopping briefly to explain how the layout has changed since I last came round. Pushing me against the wall he pulls my trousers down and whispers I forgot how soft your skin is. We fuck against the wall.

12 a.m. Favorite Ex brings us cups of herbal tea to bed and puts Jaws on the TV. Weve no interest in being romantic; this is a relationship that ended two years ago in a pretty amicable way. Most of my relationships do. As the sleepy herbal tea starts to kick in, we have gentle missionary sex before falling asleep to the sound of a shark attack.

DAY TWO

11 a.m. Favorite Ex and I continue the feasting at breakfast, this time opting for a fry-up at a caf down the road. Somehow theres no hangover; I put it down to the herbal tea he made me last night. We finish our coffee, he walks me to the bus stop and we go for a friendly hug. Well do this again sometime, probably in another year, I say, then embark on the long ride home.

4 p.m. My friend Christina calls to confirm our dinner plans this evening. Shes a self-confessed serial Hinge dater and for the past month things have been going well with a new guy. She asks if he can join us for dessert so I can meet him, because she trusts my judgment.

10 p.m. Christina and I are deep into a few bottles of red at dinner when her new guy arrives, sober and a little shy. Thankfully I am a very friendly drunk and immediately set out to get to know him. I admire how excited and giddy she is to see him and try to think back to when I last had that feeling. I havent dated somebody new in forever and suddenly it dawns on me that Ive just been recycling exes.

12 a.m. Ed, a sweet and very successful guy I dated briefly in 2019, texts me to say hes staying in a nearby hotel and invites me to join. Its a really nice hotel, but hes also drunk as hell and Im ready to call it a night. Christina and her new beau call an Uber together, and I get in one to go home alone.

12:30 a.m. Now that Im home, a wine-induced wave of neediness comes over me. At this point I dont even want sex; just some physical affection, and theres one person on my mind. Graffiti Guy and I ended badly, but weve been speaking most days on my Finsta reminiscing about the occasional good times (weve actually dated on and off for three years) and sexting more often than we should. I remember he has now unblocked my number so I call and he picks up. He says that he is sober and can tell that Im drunk, so coming over isnt a good idea. He is definitely right.

DAY THREE

9 a.m. I wake up and send Graffiti Guy a text apologizing for the drunken phone call. He says not to worry, he did the same thing to me last week. I vow never to do it again but know that I probably will.

1 p.m. I chat with the one new guy on my radar over Instagram. Hes attractive, hes lovely, but unfortunately he lives in Norway. He sends me videos of his lake house and I tell him how much I love his choice in dcor.

2 p.m. This guy is so great that I practice Norwegian on Duolingo with the idea that one day Ill fly over and visit. We call each other kjre; that means honey, but weve never actually met.

7 p.m. My friend Imi and I go for dinner at a Portuguese restaurant; we havent seen each other in months. We drink a big jug of sangria, eat piri-piri chicken and despair at the fact that were both turning 25 this month. I tell her about the Norwegian, scrolling through his Instagram to show her what he looks like. Shes very encouraging and tells me about her trip to Oslo a couple of years ago. She thinks I should definitely go and visit.

DAY FOUR

10 a.m. Its the day before my birthday and Im more excited than I expected. I spent a while dreading this age, but lately Ive embraced it and even come to believe this will finally be my year, whatever that means.

1 p.m. I make a list of all the preparation that needs to be done for tomorrow; Im hosting a dinner party at my place and envisioning it looking something like the set of a Baz Luhrmann movie. There are no exes on the guest list.

5:30 p.m. I exit Whole Foods having done some minor financial damage and cradle my birthday cake the way you might a newborn. Its hot in London and Im dripping sweat on the pavement.

8:00 p.m. Christina comes over to help me set up for tomorrow. We rearrange the furniture, sweating and complaining, then reward ourselves with a glass of prosecco while she updates me about her new guy and their summer evening dates. It sounds lovely and I wouldnt mind something like that myself, but I just cant be bothered to find it.

10 p.m. Now alone, I put on Casino for the hundredth time. I douse myself in Tom Ford Vanille Fatale perfume and make a half-ditched attempt to look glamorous for myself I figure thats what Ginger McKenna would do. Casino is the type of movie that makes you want to have a cigarette so I break my no-smoking-inside rule. I always do.

DAY FIVE

9 a.m. I wake up to the influx of birthday messages and answer a call from my mum, whos singing down the phone.

11 a.m. Two guys I used to date write the exact same message (happy birthday princess), which makes me laugh, and then I receive a happy birthday angel x from a guy I slept with once last year. His name is Felix a friend of a friend I met a while ago at a party. Hes really into playing chess, hes super witty, and we text from time to time. Ive always wanted to improve at chess so I thank him and say he should come and tutor me sometime. Just say the word, he replies.

8 p.m. With everyone now at my flat, the celebrating begins. Theres enough Champagne to serve a village and Ive definitely overdone it with the food spread.

11 p.m. I love my friends so much that I passionately make out with two of them.

1 a.m. Im briefly messaging Graffiti Guy about something irrelevant (despite my friend shouting at me not to) and he hasnt even realized its my birthday. Thanks for the happy birthday you gigantic asshole I write, semi-sincerely.

4 a.m. We sing Olivia Rodrigo good 4 u, because it makes me feel 17, and my upstairs neighbors bang on my ceiling. I figure thats fair enough so I turn the volume down.

DAY SIX

9 a.m. I wake up feeling surprisingly fresh considering we only managed three hours of sleep. A couple friends slept on the sofa so I make us all coffee and we eat leftovers for breakfast.

1 p.m. My friends leave to get a train home, and Graffiti Guy messages me to apologize for forgetting my birthday. I cant stay pissed off for long so obviously I forgive him.

9 p.m. It does not make me proud to admit that were still talking. He tells me Im the best sex hes ever had, but we acknowledge that it cant happen again because together we are a shit show. I suggest friends with benefits as an option but he says hes too possessive and protective over me for that to work.

11 p.m. I am bored of this routine and recognize its not healthy to carry on like we do, so I make the sudden decision not to speak to him again. I delete his number and send Felix a text: so when are we playing chess? He says he is free tomorrow night.

DAY SEVEN

10 a.m. Lately Ive neglected all things admin, so I relish a quiet morning on my laptop sending emails.

1 p.m. Felix texts me to arrange a time for tonight and for once I feel a little bit giddy. I know he doesnt want anything serious and appreciates I dont see him that way; were just two people who want to hook up under the guise of playing chess.

8 p.m. Felix is coming in an hour and Im running extremely late. Im fresh out of a very long shower and now I cant decide what to wear. Mildly stressed, I settle for an old pair of jeans that make my ass look good then run about lighting candles. I hope he doesnt think Im trying to create a romantic setting; I do this for literally everyone.

9 p.m. With the aid of Google, I put the chess pieces on the board when the buzzer suddenly rings. I buzz him up then finish getting ready at breakneck speed. I open the door trying to look composed and there he is. Fuck, he looks amazing better than I remember. Before hes even walked in, we start kissing in the doorway.

10 p.m. We sit opposite each other at my table with the chessboard between us; unsurprisingly we havent gotten around to playing. The wine is flowing and the conversation is too. Hes genuinely very interesting but honestly, I just want to sit in his lap. Desperately contemplating how to make my move, I get up to pour us another glass in the kitchen. He must have been thinking the same because he quietly comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. Here we go. I fling my arms around his neck and put my tongue in his mouth, then he lifts me up and sits me on the counter. Wrapping my legs around him, he picks me up again and carries me to the bedroom.

10:30 p.m. I am in the presence of what can only be described as a selfless king. His attention is focused solely on me and I realize how much Ive settled in the past for being the one doing all the work, leaving me feeling like Ive just completed a HIIT workout. Well, it is your birthday week after all, you deserve it, Felix says. As soon as we finish Im eager for round two, but in the meantime, its back to the chessboard and a glass of whiskey on the rocks.

4 a.m. Seven hours since he arrived, somehow were still talking. As the sun starts to rise we go to bed for round two, which is even better than before. Lying there in the afterglow, we agree were definitely getting a bit too good at this, and I drift off easily looking forward to waking up beside him. I usually hate sharing a bed but hey, I guess this is the power of genuinely good sex. Something tells me that after tonight, I wont be calling an ex again anytime soon.

Want to submit a sex diary? Email sexdiaries@nymag.com and tell us a little about yourself (and read our submission termshere.)

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The Londoner Inviting a Guy Over to Play Chess - The Cut

At one time, the AI that beat humans at chess calculated strategies by studying the outcomes of human moves. Then, it turned out, there was a faster way:

In October 2017, the DeepMind team published details of a new Go-playing system, AlphaGo Zero, that studied no human games at all. Instead, it started with the games rules and played against itself. The first moves it made were completely random. After each game, it folded in new knowledge of what led to a win and what didnt. At the end of these scrimmages, AlphaGo Zero went head to head with the already superhuman version of AlphaGo that had beaten Lee Sedol. It won 100 games to zero.

Champion Lee Sedol announced his retirement soon after. And AlphaGoZero went on to be defeated by an even bigger AI, AlphaZero.

But does that mean AI can take over and run everything? The University of Washingtons Pedro Domingos offers a different take: Games are a very, very unusual thing:

One characteristic shared by many games, chess and Go included, is that players can see all the pieces on both sides at all times. Each player always has whats termed perfect information about the state of the game. However devilishly complex the game gets, all you need to do is think forward from the current situation.

Plenty of real situations arent like that. Imagine asking a computer to diagnose an illness or conduct a business negotiation. Most real-world strategic interactions involve hidden information, said Noam Brown, a doctoral student in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. I feel like thats been neglected by the majority of the AI community.

Or, as George Gilder says in Gaming AI, in games like chess and Go, the map is the territory. But in the real world, the map is not the territory:

Self-driving cars, for example, have a hard time dealing with bad weather, or cyclists. Or they might not capture bizarre possibilities that turn up in real data, like a bird that happens to fly directly toward the cars camera. For robot arms, Finn said, initial simulations provide basic physics, allowing the arm to at least learn how to learn. But they fail to capture the details involved in touching surfaces, which means that tasks like screwing on a bottle cap or conducting an intricate surgical procedure require real-world experience, too.

IBM Watson triumphed at Jeopardy where correct answers were available online but then flopped in the medical environment where correct answers dont even exist.

For example, there is no correct way to tell a patient that further efforts against a disease may result only in a less pleasant life, not greater life expectancy. We dont use machines for that. We just walk with the person for a while.

And, as Jeffrey Funk and Gary Smith remind us, failed prophecies of an AI takeover come at a cost: We dont improve what we could improve in human-based services like health care if we are waiting for the phantom AI takeover.

You may also wish to read: How to flummox an AI neural network. Kids can figure out the same-different distinction. So can ducklings and bees. But top AI cant. Can every form of thought be a computation? If not, same-different may be a fundamental limit on computer-based AI.

Go here to read the rest:
Why AI Chess Champs Are Not Taking Over the World - Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence

The Goldmoney Asian Rapid, the seventh leg of the Champions Chess Tour, began on Saturday. Despite a loss in the first round to GM Alireza Firouzja, World Champion Magnus Carlsen is tied for first place withGMs Ding Liren, Levon Aronian,Vladislav Artemiev, and Daniil Dubov after five rounds. It was GM Anish Giri, however, who stole the show with two brilliant wins.

Goldmoney Asian Rapid | Round 5 Standings

The seventh Champions Chess Tour event started with a bang. The Iranian, France-based Firouzja took down Carlsen in what has traditionally been more the world champion's territory than his opponent's: the endgame. Carlsen indeed outplayed his opponent initially, but in a rather sharp final phase where both players marched several pawns up the board, Firouzja suddenly prevailed:

Carlsen bounced back straight away with a win against GM Hou Yifan, who is making her debut in the Tour and played a day after winning her quarterfinal in the FIDE Chess.com Speed Chess Championship. This time, Carlsen did better in an endgame:

Giri, who recently became the father of a second son, played a wonderful game with the white pieces against Firouzja. Knight sacrifices on d5 or f5 are pretty standard in the Sicilian, but it's something special if you get to put both knights there in one game!

Carlsen's win in round four should be shown here as well for opening theoretical reasons. It is known that the Najdorf has been treated with almost all legal sixth moves for White, in order of popularity: 6.Be3, 6.Bg5, 6.Be2, 6.Bc4, 6.h3, 6.f3, 6.g3, 6.f4, 6.a4, 6.Bd3, 6.Nb3, 6.Rg1, 6.Qf3, 6.a3, 6.h4, 6.Qd3, 6.Qe2, and 6.Nf3. Today, Carlsen played yet another one: 6.b3.

It's not impossible that football lover Carlsen had Denmark's UEFA 2020 match with Wales in mind because 6.b3 has been played a few times by Danish FM Niels Jorgen Fries-Nielsen (and once by GM David Navara). The question is how serious this move will be taken.

Giri's win vs. GM Wesley So in round four is a must-see, with the Dutchman again taking the spotlights. The game seemed to become one of those insipid draws in the 5.Re1 Berlin, but Giri tried a different idea by moving his knight to c5. That led to a surprisingly quick win thanks to a combination involving a queen sac and a lovely follow-up:

The rounds start earlier than in previous tournaments of the Tour because the field has many Asian players. It's good to see that Ding seems to be profiting from this timing. His win against GM Baskaran Adhiban is spectacular:

All Games Day 1

The Goldmoney Asian Rapid runs June 26-July 4, 2021 on chess24. The preliminary phase is a 16-player rapid (15|10) round-robin. The top eight players advance to a six-day knockout that consists of two days of four-game rapid matches, which advance to blitz (5|3) and armageddon (White has five minutes, Black four with no increment) tiebreaks only if a knockout match is tied after the second day. The prize fund is $100,000.

Read more from the original source:
Goldmoney Asian Rapid: 5-Way Tie As Giri Steals The Show - Chess.com

From July 1, 2021, US Chess will require that all FIDE rated events be submitted to US Chess for processing using a FIDE Endorsed Pairing Program. The current list of endorsed programs can be found in Annex 3 at https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/C04A.

As a reminder, the submission procedure for all FIDE rated events held in the USA is to submit the event to US Chess for rating (this can still be done using your desired pairing program), and then provide the US Chess FIDE Events Manager the necessary files that contains all of the required player information and results from the event. Providing these files using a FIDE Endorsed Pairing Program will ensure we can submit the rating reports to FIDE in the most efficient manner.

Please refer to our recently updated FIDE Rated Events FAQ document on the US Chess Tournament Director page at https://new.uschess.org/tournament-directors for more information on successfully running FIDE rated events in the USA.

For questions relating to this policy, please contact the US Chess FIDE Events Manager at fide@uschess.org.

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FIDE Rating Reports: Submission Update, Effective July 1, 2021 | US Chess.org - uschess.org