Black Friday Sale

U.S.C.L. Upset Prize - Postseason

Nicholas Rosenthal steamrolled through the playoffs, with an incredible 3 - 0 record, winning the biggest upset prize for his victory over FM Gauri Shankar. What made this result more surprising was that he started his USCL career horribly, scoring just 0.5/4, and at that point was considered to be the biggest weakness of the Miami Sharks. After winning his final four games against higher rated players, he proved all the critics wrong.

Congrats Nicky!

We're on TV!

Hungarian TV, that is!

Big thanks to Zoltan (awesome name) for sending over this clip of himself being interviewed on Hungarian television wearing our Trophy t-shirt.

I don't see a way to embed the video, but it can be viewed here.

I'm On A Book

Wow.

We've been featured in the book, Torso: Graphic T-shirts Exposed.

"With their catchy messages and bold artwork, T-shirts are a reflection of and petri dish for current styles in graphic design, illustration, and fashion. Focusing on T-shirts created by the most innovative and style-setting brands, Torso presents t-shirts that can be seen as projection screens for the most original contemporary visual codes. Compiled by Formatmag.com founder and editor-in-chief Daniel Eckler, this book is a definitive guide to today’s T-shirt culture."

Legit!

U.S.C.L. Upset Prize - Week 9

Congrats to International Master Jay Bonin who won the US Chess League Upset Prize in week 9 for his win over GM Stripunsky.

GM Stripunsky had a very nice position against Jay, but overlooked a mate in one. I guess it happens to us all!

You can check out the game...here.

This Is How Nakamura Plays Blitz...

U.S.C.L. Upset Prize - Week 8

Congrats to FM Carlito Agner for his win over Jorge Sammour-Hasbun in Week 8 of the U.S. Chess League. You can read his annotation of the game...here.

U.S.C.L. Upset Prize - Week 7

Congrats to International Master Jonathan Schroer for his win over GM Kacheishuili in week 7 of the U.S. Chess League. Chess shirts on the way!

Torso: T-Shirt Graphics Exposed!

We've been exposed.

We are super stoked to have one of our shirts included in the company of these amazing designs. I'm willing to bet that we are the only chess t-shirt in there.

https://shop.gestalten.com/index.php/catalog/product/view/id/673

We will bring you more info as this story develops...

Sam Shankland & Our Young Heroes

A while back International Master Sam Shankland gave this interview. He was upset with many things. He was upset with his tournament results. He was upset with the technicalities that prevented him from attaining his Grandmaster title. He was upset with his experience as a professional player in his gap year between high school and college. He basically stated that he'll be quitting the game of chess. He has been repeatedly criticized as being a spoiled, arrogant kid for his behavior in this interview as well as other off camera language. I really only hold one position on this matter...

I LOVE THIS GUY!!!

I love the fact that he was pissed off and didn't give a shit about the camera. And did you see him shoot those daggers with that 100 yard stare? Damn!! This is EXACTLY how an 18 year old should behave!! People say his behavior is immature? Fuck that! He has his whole life to measure his words and calculate his actions. Sam Shankland is standing on the edge of adolescence, looking into the future as an adult chess professional, and he's pissed off. He deserves to be angry. I can't even imagine the amount of dedication and sacrifice required to achieve what he has done. Winning the World Under 18 at age 16? You know what I was doing at age 16? I was throwing dirt clods at my neighbor's house and pushing carts at the local grocery store.

It wasn't long ago that Hikaru Nakamura said that he didn't see being a professional chess player as a viable option for his future. He has since changed his mind (thank Caissa), but I have heard the same thing from Robert Hess. How soon until we hear this from Roy Robson?

But think about it...what are our top young chess players supposed to do when they graduate from high school? Perhaps they receive a scholarship and are able to dedicate themselves to playing through college. Then what? After graduation, they are forced to either downgrade chess to a hobby as they juggle the start of a non-chess career or they take a vow of poverty and continue to slug it out on the weekends for the chance at a slice of a meager prize fund.

And when they head back to their crappy hotel room, they get to watch a week-long broadcast of the National Spelling Bee on ESPN and primetime CBS.

Top cash prizes at major chess tournaments pale in comparison to those given to bowling, hot dog eating and rock-paper-scissor "athletes." Let me copy & paste that sentence again: Top cash prizes at major chess tournaments pale in comparison to those given to bowling, hot dog eating and rock-paper-scissor "athletes."

And after they do leave chess, how the hell are they supposed to adjust to being a schmucky cubicle crawler in the straight world? Think about Gata Kamsky for a minute. Regarded as a chess prodigy, he received his Grandmaster title at age 16 and was a challenger for the World Championship at age 22. He then completely left chess to attend law school.

Can you imagine Gata's first day at a law firm as a scrub attorney after being a top chess celebrity?

Senior Partner: Hey Gata, get your ass in here! I need you to photocopy this file and pick up my dry cleaning.

Grandmaster Gata Kamsky: With all due respect, but after being born in the Soviet Union, making my way in America, defeating the greatest chess players on the planet and accomplishing more by age 12 than most people accomplish in a lifetime...I feel I'm capable of more than just photocopying.

Senior Partner: Well, guess what Gata...now you gatta find a new job. Pack up your shit, you're fired!!

They've held up their end of the bargain. They became great young chess players. We have failed them. We have not given them viable options to become great adult chess players. Our greatest players are quitting before they reach their full potential.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go cry.

New Designs Are Here!

We have two new designs available today!!

Head over to the main site to check out the new chess t-shirts!!

U.S.C.L. Upset Prize - Week 6

The Upset Prize this week goes to 12-year old Margaret Hua for her draw against NM Carey Theil...Margaret was able to get the draw despite a massive 481 rating difference...wow.

Blogging Prize

Every week the U.S. Chess League awards prizes to the bloggers who do an outstanding job of covering the weekly games. Endgame was proud to sponsor the Week 5.

Below are the winners, with links and my 2 cent commentary...

First Place:

Ron Simpson's accounts of his back to back wins exciting, humble and very human. In addition, his incorporation of Ashley's "Drawback" technique was particularly interesting.

http://carolinacobrasuscl.blogspot.com/2010/09/wow-gm-maurice-ashleys-drawback-concept.html
and
http://carolinacobrasuscl.blogspot.com/2010/09/simpsonr-gulkob_24.html

Second Place:

FM Elliott Liu smiles through the tears as he recounts Arizona's loss to Chicago. Elliott's personality comes through with this enjoyable entry...too many of our chess bloggers have less personality than Rybka.

http://arizonascorpionchess.com/2010/09/opposite-day-but-not-deja-vu-by-fm-elliott-liu/

Third Place:

No analysis or annotation, but Tom Panelas writes a nice little entry about Chicago's historic win over Arizona. Not only did they score their first league win over Arizona, but also ruined Arizona's perfect season score...bonus points for pictures!

http://www.chicagoblazechess.com/2010/09/ambush-in-the-desert/

And, of course, chess shirts for all the winners!

U.S.C.L. Upset Prize - Week 5

For the second week in a row, FM Ron Simpson from the Carolina Cobras has won the Upset Prize. He overcame a 190 rating point difference to defeat IM Schneider. Congrats!

U.S.C.L. Upset Prize - Week 4

I'm a little late in posting this, but don't let my tardiness take away from FM Ron Simpson's awesomeness. His victory over GM Gulko makes him the Upset Winner for Week 4.

Also, new chess shirts coming very soon.

U.S.C.L. Upset Prize - Week 3

Congrats to FIDE Master Keaton Kiewra for winning the USCL Upset Prize for Week 3. Due to the large difference in ratings between Keaton and GM Finegold, he was able to clinch the prize with a draw.

Be sure to catch next week's action at the USCL website.

Screen Printing

Ever wondered how that sweet design gets on your chess shirt? At Endgame, we print all of our shirts using the same traditional screen printing method that has been used for centuries. In fact, screen printing actually pre-dates chess.

Here's a cool little video done by the guys over at Enclothe...shows all the love and care that goes into a well crafted t-shirt. Love that lighthouse design!

One Man Band...DubFX

It's crazy how you can forget about people, especially amazing, mind-blowing people. I remember hearing about this guy a while back and then totally forgot about him. His name is DubFX. He is the 21st century version of the one man band. His performances are an insane mix of vocals and beatbox using different recorded loops and all performed live!!

Do yourself a HUGE favor and watch this video. Don't get all ADD and turn it off after 10 seconds...watch the whole thing, simmer in the beauty and witness an absolute master at work!!



But if you don't like DubFX, then maybe you'll like this guy...


What does this have to do with chess shirts? Well, nothing really.

U.S.C.L. Upset Prize - Week 2

It was looking like a soft week for upsets until we saw IM Florin Felecan from the Chicago Blaze put the hurt on GM Shulman!! Even as a 300 rating point underdog, Felecan defeated one of America's top grandmasters!! Damn.

Congrats IM Felecan!!

Be sure to check in with the U.S. Chess League at www.uschessleague.com

Can You Smell It?

Smells like new chess shirts are on the way!

Be sure to sign up for our email newsletter on the main website to receive a full view of the shirts and a discount coupon!!

U.S. Chess League

Once again, Endgame is very proud to be sponsoring a weekly Upset Prize for the United States Chess League.

Last night wrapped up Week One and the honors went to FM Tom Bartell for his victory over the veteran grandmaster Boris Gulko! Tom overcame a 158 point rating difference to defeat GM Gulko.

Hopefully we will be able to get some comments from the winner once he is finished celebrating his victory...

For further details and information on the U.S. Chess League, be sure to visit their homepage.

Things Will Never Be The Same

The other day when I was looking for a youtube video to post on my Sell Out thread, I came across this video and almost started crying...



These days are behind me. The days of watching bands play without a stage and fans singing so loud that you can't even hear the music. Everything sounds like shit, but feels beautiful.

When we were younger, we would make fun of the creepy old dude who would be watching the bands from the back of the club. I guess am now that guy. More of an observer than a participant.

Now you might say, "But John, you have a totally sweet ass chess t-shirt company and probably roll deep with hotties all around." Yes, that's true. But things are different now...you can't replace that feeling of screaming until you cough up blood and not caring about what tomorrow brings.

I was pissing on the desert sand.
When the desert whispered to me,
It said, "Isn't this a shame?
Things will never be the same."
-Iggy Pop (performed by)

Sell Out?

Many people (especially kids) adopt a punker than thou attitude if a band starts to stray from the sound on their first demo...and invariably scream, "SELL OUT!"

As I get older, I am much more forgiving in my judgments and open to different styles.

A recent example is one of my favorite bands, Against Me! When the band first started it was nothing but acoustic guitars and screaming...now it is a much fuller and produced sound. I still like the new stuff, but admit that the earlier stuff is some of my all-time favorite.



versus...



In general, do you think bands "grow" into different sounds or do they "sell out" in a deliberate attempt to enter the mainstream?? And what does this have to do with chess shirts? Well, nothing really.

New Chess T-Shirt Designs

Just a quick update to let everyone know that we should have 2 new chess t-shirts available in the next month or so. I'll try to put up a sneak peak when we are a little closer to our release date.

Kings of California

Tyler Fraser is a photographer who posts his stuff at Kings of California.

His subjects are the chess players at public tables throughout California. Here are a few of my favorites:




Seriously, let's look at the pic just above. What do we have here?

Illegal gambling? Check.
Suspicious police officer? Check.
Make-shift chess table six inches from a major street? Check.
The Bible held together by some duct tape? Check.
Cut-off jeans that are way too short? Check.

Take some time to check out the pictures...they tell some great stories.

Great job, Tyler!

There are so many good people working for chess. Our time will come.

Wonderfully Useless

I'm a huge fan of wonderfully useless things. I admire the dedication and passion required to make something that has such little practical value.

Check out this video...it was made with stop-motion photography using tiny paper cut-outs.



What does this have to do with chess shirts? Well, nothing really.

Damn it, I'm going to enjoy this...

Wanna see my picture on the cover
Gonna buy five copies for my mother
Wanna see my smiling face
On the cover of Rolling Stone

Maybe it's not my face and Rolling Stone, but it is my t-shirt and Chess Life.

HUGE THANKS to Grandmaster Robert Hess for sporting the shirt. We had no idea that GM Hess was a fan. I emailed him to say "thanks" and he informed me that he owns 6 of our shirts. Wow...there is no greater compliment.

Chess Life is the official publication of the United States Chess Federation and has been published since 1946.


Want to know why Bobby Fischer stopped playing chess? No cool chess t-shirts to wear. Fact.

Against Me!

Only a few more days until one of my favorite bands, Against Me!, releases a new album.

The album comes out on June 8th, but the video for their first single is up on their website right now.

Their 2001 album, Reinventing Axl Rose, is one of my all-time favorites.

Not sure if these guys play chess, but they are OK in my book.

Can't wait!

No Words...

Drunk Chess History

The great chess games of our past are always framed with a background filled with conflicting political ideologies, international affairs and exotic locales. And all of the players are always so sharply dressed...who cares if they all died penniless and alone?

The chess public owes a debt of gratitude to the chess journalists who tirelessly bring us these great tales from the past.

One of these journalist goes by the name of Blunderprone. Not only is Blunderprone a first class chess historian, but he is also an all-around great guy. In this Internet age, we are in contact with many people in many locations. Unfortunately, we do not always get to meet these people face to face.

Someday I will meet Blunderprone. And when I do, I'm going to buy him a few drinks and get him to talk about some chess history.

It might go something like this...

U.S. Chess Championship

Have you been following the U.S. Chess Championship in St. Louis? If not, make sure to check it out!

We are starting the second part of the tournament today and so far there have been some great games but not too many surprises. I'm really looking forward to the next few days as there should be some great fighting games to come.

We also want to wish some extra special good luck to the Endgame enthusiasts: Shankland, Akobian and Nakamura.

There are many places to catch the action, but if you want to go straight to the source, the official website is here.

Endgame Endorses Karpov

Election time, kids!!

Stay tuned, more to follow...

Hide Your Arms

One of the good (and bad) things about the Internet is that people are always talking about you without your knowledge. I just came across this posting. It is from a t-shirt site called "Hide Your Arms."

I always love to see non-chess people appreciate the shirts.

Check it out real quick...HERE.

Chess Crimes

Unfortunately, Endgame Clothing has become one of the countless victims of credit card fraud. According to the U.S. government, credit card fraud costs consumers several billions of dollars each year. In our case, two different females ordered several of our girls' chess t-shirts in December of last year and had them shipped to the same business address in Miami, Florida. These two orders were identified as fraudulent in February of this year and the corresponding funds were removed from the Endgame bank accounts. There is no real closure to this...we are out the money and the shirts and the girls are still at large.

Now is it just me? Or does the idea of two Miami girls, buying chess t-shirts with a stolen credit card, sound kind of hot?

The account you read above contains the straight facts. But based on some follow-up investigations, this is what probably happened:

These two girls worked in the same office building for the same company. Suffocating in jobs they were told they should be grateful to have, they happened upon their boss's credit card one day. Never being particularly impressed with his intellect or character, they decided to take some liberties. Knowing that they would surely be fired upon the discovery of their transactions, they viewed these next purchases as the starting point from which the rest of their lives would blossom. In deciding where to perpetrate the crime, they both blurted at the same time, "Endgame!" Jinx...now they were both in this together. It can be dangerous when two girls like this get together. If Bonnie's twin sister had not died at birth, the world would never have had a need for Clyde.

The next few days were the difficult ones. These were the days when the girls could almost taste their new lives, but were forced to wait for the shipment to be delivered from the Endgame Clothing headquarters in Orange County, California. They remained patient with the satisfaction of knowing that when those shirts were delivered, they would also be delivered new lives.

When the shirts did arrive, they exceeded even their greatest expectations...never before had they seen chess shirts of such amazing quality and design. The second the shirts touched their skin, they knew there was no way they could ever go back. Running down the hallway to their boss's office, they were reminded of the prime years spent sleepwalking day after day through that office building.

Bursting open the door to their boss's office, they saw it in the corner. Just like the exotic sports car he polishes but never drives, like the vintage wines he brags about but never drinks, his antique chess set with 1,500 years of tradition and history just sat in the corner of his office and was never played. The asshole didn't even know how to play. So for the girls' final moments in that office...breathing recirculated air under stale fluorescent lights, they played some blitz. They played hard and pounded the shit out of that board. Some pieces were bent, some were broken, and one of the girls swore she saw a knight smile as they walked out the door.

Famished and exhilarated, they stopped at a raw bar for lunch. Feasting on oysters and beer, they planned the rest of their lives. Lives of adventure; lives of freedom; lives of love. Especially love. Love was the twisted conspiracy that Fischer could never uncover and the eternal equation that Alekhine could never solve. The dreams became as intoxicating as the brew. And when the dreams translated into giggly screams, they were asked to lower their voices. They responded by standing on their table and laughing. Laughing at the quiet people. Laughing at the serious people. Laughing at the one hour lunch-break people.

It is unclear if they paid for their meal, but the restaurant owner was satisfied to see them leave. As they sped away, they saw a teenage boy standing alone at a bus stop holding a trophy. Winning his high school chess championship with no celebration and no ride home, he jumped into the car. On his way home, the girls stole his virginity, but left him with a memory that he would fondly recall on his deathbed 64 years later.

As the sun began to set, the girls knew they were at the beginning of something special. There were a few victims along the way, but all was a sacrifice for the greater good. Smelling of sweat and excitement, they ran into the night to start their new lives.

Their names are Ashlee and Vanessa. So if you see two girls walking around Miami in Endgame shirts, tell them to drop me a postcard. And maybe some pictures.

Male Models

The Male model, Dan, took 10 minutes to find. He's a guy I work with. I think he liked the idea of being a model, but was worried that his buddies would bust his balls if they found out...and modeling for a chess t-shirt company probably didn't help.

Whereas the Female model shows up with an entourage to do her hair and makeup, the Male model shows up after playing beach volleyball all day and decides to substitute beer for sunscreen. But what the Male model may lack in preparedness and dedication to his craft, he makes up for with the funny. You see, you've got to have a lot of funny if you are going to ask some dude to put on a chess t-shirt and take pictures.

With the Female model, I feel some pressure to make sure she realizes that Endgame is legit. With Dan, we just go out and shoot. However, there was a point where I came close to having a mutiny on my hands. It involved this picture:


Both Dan and the photographer thought the concept was lame. But I had the vision in my head and in my head the shot worked. I thought it would be funny and playful. All in all, I think it turned out ok...especially when you consider that I had an unwilling model and photographer!

Here's another equation for you:

Vote for Jazmin

Hey Everyone,

Endgame's favorite (and only) model is in the running for Maxim's 2010 Hometown Hotties. Be sure to visit HERE every day to vote.

Support the people who support chess!!!

Johnny Cupcakes & Chess

For those of you who don't know, Johnny Cupcakes is a god in the indie t-shirt world. He has built an ultra loyal following of fans who buy his t-shirts and other apparel which is centered around cupcakes and baking. Keeping with the indie ethic, he retains total control of his company and interacts with his customers on a daily basis. He even has a few retail locations that are designed to look like bakeries. I bought a shirt from the shop on Melrose in L.A. and I can tell you first hand that the guy turns buying a t-shirt into a unique experience.

So check out what he just released...





What do you think?

You can check out his website HERE. And if you see something you like...buy it! Support the people who support chess!!