Two players, 32 pieces, 64 squares.
The game of chess, thought to be derived from the Indian game of chaturanga – a precursor to the Persian chatrang which would spread through the Muslim world following the Islamic conquest of Persia – and dating back beyond the seventh century, has enthralled players for millennia.
The strategic thrill of the game has been given the Netflix treatment in the streaming platform's new seven-parter, The Queen's Gambit.
Based on American author Walter Tevis's 1983 book, the hit show follows Beth Harmon (played by Anya Taylor-Joy, 24), an orphaned chess prodigy living in 1960s Kentucky, as she blows through the male competition of the time to face down Grandmasters in the USSR on the world's stage, while battling her inner demons in private.
With the title of the book based on one of the oldest and most famous documented moves in chess, we look at 10 of the most celebrated strategic plays in the game.
1. The Queen’s Gambit
The moves: d4, d5, c4
The Queen's Gambit is one of the oldest known openings in chess. Mentioned in the 1490 Latin text, the Gottingen manuscript, it has been a main move in many Grandmaster's opening strategies, and was played in 32 out of 34 games in the 1927 World Championship match between Jose Raul Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine.
It is also known as the "Aleppo Gambit" in honour of Aleppo-born Philipp Stamma who wrote an early definitive book of chess, Essai sur le jeu des echecs (The Noble Game of Chess) in 1793.
2. English Opening
The move: c4
This flank opening gets its name from English player, Howard Staunton, who played it against Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Amant during their 1843 match, which caused a huge upset when the Englishman beat the French chess master.
Only in the 20th century did the move really catch on. Considered a solid opening, it has been used by World Champions Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer, among others.
3. The Four Knights Game
The moves: e4, e5, Nf3, Nc6, Nc3, Nf6
Utilising the “develop knights before bishops” strategy, the move is part of the “open game” – a play that opens with e4 and e5.
Having been popular before the First World War, the move came back into favour in the 1990s, moving the knights into positional play.
4. Albin Counter Gambit
The moves: d4, d5, c4, e5
This opening move takes its name from Romanian chess player, Adolf Albin, after he used it against German World Chess Champion, Emanuel Lasker in 1893.
The strategic move is an uncommon defence to the Queen’s Gambit, and although it was named for Albin, it was actually first played 12 years previously in 1881 by Italian master, Mattia Cavallotti.
5. Scotch Game
The moves: e4, e5, Nf3, Nc6, d4
The Scotch Game got its name from a correspondence match in 1824, whereby letters were sent between London and Edinburgh containing the moves.
However, the move actually predates that match, and was first mentioned in 1750 by Modenese Master, Domenico Ercole del Rio in his book, Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche d'anonimo Autore Modenese (On the game of Chess, practical Observations by an anonymous Modenese author).
The move has been employed by many Grandmasters – including Kasparov – to counter another famous move: the Ruy Lopez.
6. Ruy Lopez
The moves: e4, e5, Nf3, Nc6, Bb5
One of the most popular openings in chess was named for 16th-century Spanish priest Ruy Lopez de Segura.
Appearing in his 1561 book, Libro del Ajedrez (Book of Chess), like the Queen's Gambit, it is a move that had previously appeared in the famous Gottingen manuscript.
The play, whereby White’s third move attacks the knight, and which has been used by almost every top player during their career, is also known as “The Spanish Torture” due to the difficulty for Black in achieving equality.
7. King’s Indian Defence
The moves: d4, Nf6, c4, g6
This opener is known as a "hypermodern" move, which comes from the school of chess which developed post-First World War to challenge the chess ideas of central European masters.
Here, Black deliberately allows White control of the centre with their pawns. The move owes both its recent decline in popularity and subsequent resurgence to Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik, who devised moves against it to defeat Kasparov in the ’90s – causing many players to abandon it – before going on to use it to successful effect on the Black side in 2012.
8. Scandinavian Defence
The moves: e4, d5
Also known as the "Centre Counter Defence", this is another old opening, having been mentioned in the poem Scachs d'amor (Chess of Love) back in 1475.
In the verse, written by Valencian poets, Francesc de Castellvi and Narcis Vinyoles, they imagine a game in which Mars and Venus play a game of chess using rules devised by Mercury, and is the first documented game played with the modern rules of chess.
In more modern times, it was Danish Grandmaster, Bent Larsen’s use of it against World Champion Anatoly Karpov in Montreal in 1979, which saw a resurgence in popularity.
9. The King’s Gambit
The moves: e4, e5, f4
A popular opening for over 300 years, the move has become more divisive in recent times and has largely fallen out of favour in the professional game.
In his famous 1961 article A Bust to the King's Gambit, US Grandmaster and chess prodigy, Bobby Fischer wrote: "In my opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force".
However, the move earned its place in chess history after it was used in a match dubbed “The Immortal Game” which took place in London in 1851. German chess master, Adolf Anderssen defeated the Baltic German player, Lionel Kieseritzky, by sacrificing both rooks, a bishop and his queen to checkmate Kieseritzky with just three minor pieces.
10. Giuoco Piano
The moves: e4, e5, Nf3, Nc6, Bc4, Bc5
In Italian, this opening move translates as “Quiet Game” and it has also been called the Italian Game.
Played as far back as the 16th century, it has, in more modern times, been overlooked in favour of the Ruy Lopez. An evolution of the move is the Giuoco Pianissimo – "Very Quiet Game" – a slower and more strategic opener.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Results
2pm: Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m; Winner: Thegreatcollection, Adrie de Vries, Doug Watson.
4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Mystery Land, Fabrice Veron, Helal Al Alawi.
5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.
AUSTRALIA%20SQUAD
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Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
A%20MAN%20FROM%20MOTIHARI
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TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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You Were Never Really Here
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Joaquim Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov
Four stars
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: Kidd Malibu, Sandro Paiva, Musabah Al Muhairi
2.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,000m
Winner: Raakezz, Tadhg O’Shea, Nicholas Bachalard
3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
Winner: Au Couer, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar
3.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
Winner: Rayig, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m
Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
New schools in Dubai
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
Company%20Profile
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What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The%20specs
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match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
Newcastle United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Tottenham (Alli 61'), Davies (70')
Red card Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle)
