It's been a lot of work, but the new designs are now available at the main site.Well...what are you waiting for?
Go get 'em!!
Friday, August 21, 2009
New Endgame Chess T-shirts!
It's been a lot of work, but the new designs are now available at the main site.Well...what are you waiting for?
Go get 'em!!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Best Laid Plans...
Well, summer is here and we almost have the spring shirts ready to go!! Best laid plans...
We have received a ton of emails asking when the new shirts are going to be released. We really appreciate how anxious everyone is, but we want to make sure everything is perfect.
We're not playing for a draw here, kids. The last piece of the puzzle is the photography. We want to make sure that every part of Endgame is the best we can do. Up to now I have been very proud of all aspects of Endgame...except the photography. Many of the photos on the site are just crappy shots I took with my cheapo camera. Some of them are just downright embarrassing. Well, that's all about to change!!
The photography with Jazmin, our female chess model, is finished and everything looks amazing. This afternoon, we are shooting our male model, Dan. So hopefully in a few more weeks, the photos will be edited and the site will be updated with the new chess t-shirts.
Hang in there, everyone...
***
In other news...Sean Trani filmed an interview with Grandmaster Var Akobian last month at the St. Louis Chess Club during the 2009 US Chess Championship. About halfway through the interview, Var has some very nice words to say about Endgame. Thanks, Var!!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Old Opponents
Do you ever feel strange playing a really old dude? And I don't mean just old. I mean way old and way overrated. I guess it's the opposite phenomena of the 12 year old kid who's abilities are increasing at a faster pace than his rating.
One of my biggest wins from a ratings standpoint was against an elderly gentleman who's best chess days were far behind him...but he would still come out to the weekend tournaments every once in a while with a smile on his face. Even in the summer, he would wear a collar and sports coat...both of which had to be at least 30 years old. He had the look of a widower who had not purchased a stitch of clothing since his wife's funeral many years ago.
He was 19 years old and serving as a chemist in the military when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor...and one afternoon several of us were captivated by his retelling of the experience.
This man once had a rating that I will never come close to achieving.
But was now being crushed in the lower section by some jackass like me.
So many others give up or become bitter when their abilities fade.
Not this guy.
He died a while back and I think about him quite a lot.
One of my biggest wins from a ratings standpoint was against an elderly gentleman who's best chess days were far behind him...but he would still come out to the weekend tournaments every once in a while with a smile on his face. Even in the summer, he would wear a collar and sports coat...both of which had to be at least 30 years old. He had the look of a widower who had not purchased a stitch of clothing since his wife's funeral many years ago.
He was 19 years old and serving as a chemist in the military when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor...and one afternoon several of us were captivated by his retelling of the experience.
This man once had a rating that I will never come close to achieving.
But was now being crushed in the lower section by some jackass like me.
So many others give up or become bitter when their abilities fade.
Not this guy.
He died a while back and I think about him quite a lot.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Weekend in Vegas
A funny thing happened in Vegas...I got sick! And the not the usual kind of Vegas sick that goes away after a few Advil and a gallon of Gatorade. But even though it was not the ideal weekend, we still sold a ton of t-shirts and met some great people.In other news, here's a quick update on what's happening around here...
1. The new designs are ready and the people in Vegas seemed to really like them. I am working to get the product photography done in the next few weeks and then they'll be up for sale on the main site.
2. We had a drawing in Vegas for a free Endgame t-shirt and the winner is David B! Thanks to everyone who entered!!! By the way, the results of the drawing were carefully audited by our 6 year old intern:
3. We will also begin to give away free t-shirts as prizes for tournaments hosted on chess.com. This is something we have been thinking about doing for a while so we are pretty excited to see how it works out. If you decide to become a member over there, be sure to say that "Endgame_Clothing" sent you.That's all for now! See ya.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Packing Up My Game...
...and I'm heading out East...to the Las Vegas International Chess Festival. Here's my van with hundreds of Endgame shirts, 15 CDs, 2 kids and a wife...all packed in and ready for a 4 hour drive across the desert:
It is going to be a crazy weekend, but I'm looking forward to every minute of it.
See you there!
It is going to be a crazy weekend, but I'm looking forward to every minute of it.See you there!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
New Endgame T-Shirt Preview!!
The new Endgame Clothing chess t-shirts are being printed right now...and I mean literally right this moment!Both of these designs will be available at the Las Vegas International Chess Festival being held at the South Point Hotel and Spa on June 4th through 7th. They will be available on the Endgame Clothing website shortly thereafter.
We truly appreciate all of the support everyone has given Endgame and we will always do our best to provide players with a unique way to support chess...both at the board and away from the board.
Also, if you haven't done so already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter to receive coupon codes good for discounts on the new shirts.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Great Moments in Chess Cinema
Chess has been featured in an insane number of films. In case you missed them, here are a few highlights:
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
There is nothing worse than being convicted of a crime you didn't commit...just ask Andy Dufresne...or the A-Team. While serving a life sentence in prison, Andy decides to make his own chess set from the rocks found near the prison grounds. Andy describes chess as being "civilized" and "strategic." We don't get to see a whole lot of chess being played, but we know that chess is a pastime that Andy values greatly. What we learn from this movie: The same tactics that help you from being mated on the chessboard can't always help you from being sodomized in the prison showers.
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Every sport has a crowning cinematic masterpiece. Boxing has "Raging Bull," baseball has "The Natural" and ping-pong has "Balls of Fury." Few would argue that there is a better chess movie than "Searching for Bobby Fischer." This is a great movie with a legit all-star cast. The movie centers around the idea that chess is a game that has been drifting around in the doldrums since losing its greatest player. When an 8 year old prodigy appears to be the next incarnation of the fallen hero, the entire chess community pins its hopes that this child can save a once proud country of chess players. Little known fact: After seeing Lawerence Fishburne's performance in this film, the Wachowski Brothers wrote and directed a complete rip-off of "Searching for Bobby Fischer" and called it "The Matrix." In this pathetic imitation, we have nearly the same plot: The very future of a group (chessplayers) hinges on finding the identity of The One (Fischer). The One is supposedly a predestined person who is capable of seeing the secrets of all of life as we know it (chess).
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
In this film, we can't help but fall in love with two unlikely friends in the form of a Rockstar and an Accountant. In one particularly emotional scene, we come across the sexually inexperienced Accountant, on his honeymoon, confused with his new role as a husband and struggling with his very faith in God. As he desperately tries to understand God's reason for putting a playground next to a sewer system, he finds solace with the Rockstar. Through the creative use of an oversized chess set as a marital aid, the Rockstar is able to show the Accountant the beauty of the sexual act as well as finding a level of intimacy with his new bride that he never thought possible. Movie Life Lesson: We all can learn something from each other. As the Rockstar provides the benefit of his vast coital experience to the Accountant, we hope that in turn, the Accountant can lend his financial expertise to help prevent the Rockstar from becoming a cautionary tale on VH1's "Behind the Music."
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
There is nothing worse than being convicted of a crime you didn't commit...just ask Andy Dufresne...or the A-Team. While serving a life sentence in prison, Andy decides to make his own chess set from the rocks found near the prison grounds. Andy describes chess as being "civilized" and "strategic." We don't get to see a whole lot of chess being played, but we know that chess is a pastime that Andy values greatly. What we learn from this movie: The same tactics that help you from being mated on the chessboard can't always help you from being sodomized in the prison showers.
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Every sport has a crowning cinematic masterpiece. Boxing has "Raging Bull," baseball has "The Natural" and ping-pong has "Balls of Fury." Few would argue that there is a better chess movie than "Searching for Bobby Fischer." This is a great movie with a legit all-star cast. The movie centers around the idea that chess is a game that has been drifting around in the doldrums since losing its greatest player. When an 8 year old prodigy appears to be the next incarnation of the fallen hero, the entire chess community pins its hopes that this child can save a once proud country of chess players. Little known fact: After seeing Lawerence Fishburne's performance in this film, the Wachowski Brothers wrote and directed a complete rip-off of "Searching for Bobby Fischer" and called it "The Matrix." In this pathetic imitation, we have nearly the same plot: The very future of a group (chessplayers) hinges on finding the identity of The One (Fischer). The One is supposedly a predestined person who is capable of seeing the secrets of all of life as we know it (chess).
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
In this film, we can't help but fall in love with two unlikely friends in the form of a Rockstar and an Accountant. In one particularly emotional scene, we come across the sexually inexperienced Accountant, on his honeymoon, confused with his new role as a husband and struggling with his very faith in God. As he desperately tries to understand God's reason for putting a playground next to a sewer system, he finds solace with the Rockstar. Through the creative use of an oversized chess set as a marital aid, the Rockstar is able to show the Accountant the beauty of the sexual act as well as finding a level of intimacy with his new bride that he never thought possible. Movie Life Lesson: We all can learn something from each other. As the Rockstar provides the benefit of his vast coital experience to the Accountant, we hope that in turn, the Accountant can lend his financial expertise to help prevent the Rockstar from becoming a cautionary tale on VH1's "Behind the Music."
Friday, April 24, 2009
Current Chess Scene - Part Two
Are you tired of hiding the fact that you play chess? Do you want to see your local Grandmaster quit his night job at McDonalds? Do you want to finally get the respect and admiration you deserve for spending years of your life staring at little wooden pieces?
In order for any of these things to happen, we must make chess more popular. And I am here to say that this is actually much easier than most people think. People have said for too long that chess will never achieve mainstream success. But in reality, an activity is irrelevant to its popularity. The largest determinant to whether something is popular or not is its promotion. And the promotion of chess in this country sucks.
Sure, we have problems with the federation that is technically in charge of promoting chess in this country, but that is not the biggest problem. The biggest problem, as I see it, is the lack of the human element. We tend to forget that 2 people are playing the game. These people have stories and personalities, but we never get to hear them.
The most horendous example of this problem is the Computer vs. Computer matches! Is there anything more boring and damaging to the image of chess than that? Are we suppose to revel in the glory of the computers' perfect play? Who gives a shit about perfect play!? That's like going to the movies to watch a film about a perfect life. BORING! Show me some guy who's life is fucked up and tell me how he overcomes it...that's what I want to see. That's what makes me cheer, laugh and cry.
To promote chess, we must make chess more human. So how do we do this?
1. The Internet. This has been a huge windfall for chess and chess communication. Chess blogs are all over the place (don't look now, but you're reading one) and online play has created millions of closet chess players. The best example of this is the one-stop, chess playing, social networking masterpiece called Chess.com. Anyone can play as well as connect with other chess players and truly feel like part of an online communty.
2. Focus on Character. Every person has a story. And the story of chess players in an amazing one. The incredible personal sacrifice to a game that never promises to give back as much as you put in? These people are not lured by flashy cars and supermodels. They are not leaving high school to go pro. They are sacrificing everything to play a game with little financial reward or prestige. Many get to the end of the road, and like a bitter drunk staring at a bottle, wish they had never seen a chessboard. Or others come from far away countries, dodging and weaving through years of beauracracy and political instability just to find a home. I don't give a shit about the tournament where they achieved their second GM norm, give me the stories of thier lives!!!!
3. Away from the Board Promotion. Chess is a very intimitating game for those who don't know how to play and can be downright cruel to those who do. And while the pieces may be beautiful, they aren't too cuddly. We need something softer, like....t-shirts!! Oh snap!!! See what I did there? I brought it back around to Endgame Clothing, The Original Chess Apparel. Apparel has been a standard for promoting activies for years. There are millions of people who wear Quiksilver or TapouT without every stepping foot into the ocean or an octogon. But people buy and wear the t-shirts because they support what the sport represents. Endgame Clothing t-shirts are an off-board expression of the love of chess.
My parents have never played poker. But my parents love watching poker on TV and they know all the players' names. They know who is nice and who is a jerk. Poker has done something very, very, right. They focus on the drama of the players, not the game.
"Hey, Mom, do you know any names living chess players?"
"Of course, honey, Bobby Fischer."
"Actually, he died a while back."
"Really?"
...Yeah, really.
In order for any of these things to happen, we must make chess more popular. And I am here to say that this is actually much easier than most people think. People have said for too long that chess will never achieve mainstream success. But in reality, an activity is irrelevant to its popularity. The largest determinant to whether something is popular or not is its promotion. And the promotion of chess in this country sucks.
Sure, we have problems with the federation that is technically in charge of promoting chess in this country, but that is not the biggest problem. The biggest problem, as I see it, is the lack of the human element. We tend to forget that 2 people are playing the game. These people have stories and personalities, but we never get to hear them.
The most horendous example of this problem is the Computer vs. Computer matches! Is there anything more boring and damaging to the image of chess than that? Are we suppose to revel in the glory of the computers' perfect play? Who gives a shit about perfect play!? That's like going to the movies to watch a film about a perfect life. BORING! Show me some guy who's life is fucked up and tell me how he overcomes it...that's what I want to see. That's what makes me cheer, laugh and cry.
To promote chess, we must make chess more human. So how do we do this?
1. The Internet. This has been a huge windfall for chess and chess communication. Chess blogs are all over the place (don't look now, but you're reading one) and online play has created millions of closet chess players. The best example of this is the one-stop, chess playing, social networking masterpiece called Chess.com. Anyone can play as well as connect with other chess players and truly feel like part of an online communty.
2. Focus on Character. Every person has a story. And the story of chess players in an amazing one. The incredible personal sacrifice to a game that never promises to give back as much as you put in? These people are not lured by flashy cars and supermodels. They are not leaving high school to go pro. They are sacrificing everything to play a game with little financial reward or prestige. Many get to the end of the road, and like a bitter drunk staring at a bottle, wish they had never seen a chessboard. Or others come from far away countries, dodging and weaving through years of beauracracy and political instability just to find a home. I don't give a shit about the tournament where they achieved their second GM norm, give me the stories of thier lives!!!!
3. Away from the Board Promotion. Chess is a very intimitating game for those who don't know how to play and can be downright cruel to those who do. And while the pieces may be beautiful, they aren't too cuddly. We need something softer, like....t-shirts!! Oh snap!!! See what I did there? I brought it back around to Endgame Clothing, The Original Chess Apparel. Apparel has been a standard for promoting activies for years. There are millions of people who wear Quiksilver or TapouT without every stepping foot into the ocean or an octogon. But people buy and wear the t-shirts because they support what the sport represents. Endgame Clothing t-shirts are an off-board expression of the love of chess.
My parents have never played poker. But my parents love watching poker on TV and they know all the players' names. They know who is nice and who is a jerk. Poker has done something very, very, right. They focus on the drama of the players, not the game.
"Hey, Mom, do you know any names living chess players?"
"Of course, honey, Bobby Fischer."
"Actually, he died a while back."
"Really?"
...Yeah, really.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Las Vegas International Chess Festival
Hey Everyone! Endgame Clothing will be taking the traveling t-shirt circus on the road to the Las Vegas International Chess Festival which runs from June 4 -7. The tournament will be taking place at the South Point resort. If you are in town, be sure to stop by and say, "Hi!"
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Late Update...
Over the weekend, IM Sam Shankland won the semi-finals and finals of the US State Champion of Champions tournament which qualifies him to play in the 2009 US Chess Championship. Congrats!!
The US Chess Championship will take place in May in St. Louis...
The US Chess Championship will take place in May in St. Louis...
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