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"I've created a chess program that mimics human play" said the computer science major. "So it plays at GM level then?" asks the advising professor. "No, but it does blame its loss on outside conditions!"

My third book will be published in March of 2009. Go to http://www.abc-clio.com/ABC-CLIOCorporate/product.aspx?pc=F2654P

Then look at the cover for Read, Write, Checkmate: Enrich Literacy with Chess Activities. If you recognize the cover model with the green shirt, which avid MonRoi blog readers should be able to do, please put his name in the Comments section for this blog posting.

At the beginning of August, I piggy-backed my own book signing onto that of the best-seller Breaking Dawn (Stephenie Meyer), because that book has a chess queen and pawn on its cover. Chess Life has now published my article about that book launch evening (have to register to read full article).

My photo is in Susan Polgar's blog, and photos that I took are in the UTD CHESS blog (September 30th posting). In spring 2008, UTD CHESS blogger GM Alejandro Tadeo Ramirez Alvarez took both of my online courses. Enrollment is still open for the second 8-week session which begins October 20th. The courses are next offered in spring 2009. The courses are completely online, and may be taken from anywhere with Internet access.

Right now, September 27-28, 2008, I am playing in the Texas Women's Open (TWO). I used a MonRoi for the first time yesterday (in rounds 2 and 3). MonRoi was a really easy and fun way to keep a record of my games. You can watch my games by going to monroi.com, then to Chess Games, then to Live Chess Games. If the round has finished, go to Replay Chess Games.

I just returned from Encyclo-Media. My publisher, Libraries Unlimited, paid for my trip there. I spent most of my time on both days (Thursday and Friday) at my publisher's booth. The booth started with 20 copies of Children and Chess, 20 copies of Science, Math, Checkmate, and 20 chess sets/boards ordered from American Chess Equipment. Buyers got a free chess set and chess board if they purchased one or two books.

GM Alexandra Kosteniuk drew in the fourth game of the 2008 World Chess Championship finals with WGM Yifan Hao of China to win the coveted diamond studded crown and a prize money of $60,000. Number one world ranked women’s chess player GM Judith Polgar of Hungary, number three GM Jun Xie of China, and number seven IM Marie Sebag of France did not participate, while number two world ranked women’s chess player GM Koneru Humpy of India and number six GM Pia Cramling of Sweden lost in semi-finals.

Although there are officially 21 students in Strickland Middle School chess advisory, three of those had a grade below 70 on their 3-week progress report. So I am starting chess advisory with 18 students. Of those, eight are returning students from last year.

I will be volunteering as a chess teacher at Strickland Middle School (SMS). Chess will be held during advisory period, 1:10-1:55 p.m. every day, starting next week. SMS advisory is for students who: 1. Scored 2200 or higher on all sections of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) on the last TAKS administered. On the TAKS, 2100 is the (passing) standard, and a commended performance is 2400 or higher.

Based on the Google Analytics, MonRoi web site visitors come from the following countries:

58 % - USA;
28 % - Canada, India, Australia, UK;
14 % - other 149 countries.

My 2008 New England Masters Experience

USMilitaryChess

I participated in the 2008 New England Masters held August 11-15, 2008 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. While it was a 9-round Swiss tournament (USCF and FIDE rated), the field was limited to 50 entrants. However, only 44 players (4 GMS, 8 IMs, 11 FMs and 1 WFM) representing 12 Federations showed up on game day. In the end, only two players earned IM norms, Victor Kaminski of Canada and Parker Zhao of the US.

Friday, September 5th, I attended a meeting of The University of Texas at Dallas chess club. I saw two of my current Chess Online students, Mihail Bantic and IM Marko Zivanic. I also saw former students IM John Bartholomew, IM Drasko Boskovic, WFM Lilia Doibani, FM Keaton Kiewra, FM Igor Schneider, and WFM Bayaraa Zorigt. Although many students in my online courses are chess beginners, I have also had many UTD chess team members take the courses.