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