Not much on embedding video here -- hell, I'm too lazy to put up photos and diagrams -- but we have to give props for using chess in advertising like this. The energy drink "Amp" has its can mascot playing basketball and now, chess in legendary Washington Square Park. It's done well and focuses on the players and the atmosphere for a fun little piece. Kudos to the producers. Here's the full bit on YouTube. Don't know if a shorter version is going to run on TV or not. Hmm, which East Coast GM would dress up as a can for money? Wait, which one wouldn't? I'll put up some links to other chess ads later. Got some yourself?
Gata Kansky!
Kamsky would not have given up a draw. Unless he signed a confidentiality agreement I imagine the can will reveal him/herself at some point.
It's Alex Lenderman.
I vote for Asa Hoffman.
Obviously the same person is in the Amp Can for both the basketball and chess videos.
Joel Benjamin.
IM Anna Zatonskih won the US Women's Championship by 2 points with 8.5 out of 9.
Probably one of the following
Ashley
Benjamin
Fedorowicz
Hess
Kaichesvilli
Lenderman
Shabalov
Stripunksy
Well, we could narrow it down by finding out if the can played closed or open openings.
Or the Caro - Can
According to the "you devil" moment in the video (2:14), the can seems to play the Sicilian Dragon with black. Now it's up to Americans to comment if this narrows down the list of candidates.
On the other hand, is it assumed or confirmed that the can was a local East Coast GM? Or could it also be someone who happened to be visiting? I don't think it was Garry K., even though he is around from time to time ... and apart from money to be earned the video is also promotion for chess.
Or 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6
The can is all covered with clothes, even wearing gloves, with no skin visible. Showing the color of the skin would maybe give it away, so my guess is Maurice Ashley.
Regarding other chess advertising videos, I also like Korchnoi losing against a cow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUZSCb4EVrM
Rumour has it that producers, impressed by the stunt, have offered the player a role in a film on a John Steinbeck novel!
Just for a little more fun background:
- The can played Black in every game in the 10 player simul (eek).
- The only two games lost were to a 2350 and a 2000.
Also, the event as a whole lasted about 6 hours from start to finish. It was one hot day for Ampy.
I'm trying to remember the tactic the guy with the I <3 chess pin hit. It was something like this:
White: pb4, pc3, pd5, pf4, pf6, ph3, Ne4, Rg3, Ke1
Black: pa6, pb5, pd6, pf7, ph7, Ne8, Ra2, Kd7
White to move.
"Also, the event as a whole lasted about 6 hours from start to finish."
That's a long time. Did the can have a break for something to drink? Did the can have a bathroom break so it could go to the can?
The Can did play the Karo-Can, as can be seen at 0:39.
It's not Ben Finegold - he wouldn't fit in the can. Sorry for this, I couldn't resist.
My guess would be Joel Benjamin.
Yasser Seiracan?
Maybe the recently canned Susan Polgar?
Can it with the jokes, already!
Why? You can't take it?
America really has a lot of obese people LOL
Check the legs on the walk in ...
Not Susan A(m)pgrol I think - she never loses - but maybe that was part of the disguise!
Yes we can!
...
Maybe it was Naka before he moved to Seattle.
With those legs, Ampy could do a mean can-can.
If Pepsi Cola decides to sponsor the event, could the player get a wildcard into the can-didates tournament?
No more can jokes. It's time to put a lid on it!
This is Josh Waitzkin's big comeback.
"Rumour has it that producers, impressed by the stunt, have offered the player a role in a film on a John Steinbeck novel!"
I had to read this three times before I got it. Very clever.
"Should we abolish women's chess titles?
14.10.2009 – Women make up about 10% of the World Chess Federation's estimated one million members. The caliber of the top female players is rising dramatically, yet FIDE persists in the "anachronistic and demeaning practice of awarding separate titles for women at lower levels of accomplishment." Time to drop gender-segregated titles for women, says Barbara Jepson in the Wall Street Journal." Chessbase
I say yes. We can still have women's tournaments and women's champions, but the titles such as WGM mean nothing to me.
Mig,
Is there any specific reason you didn't cover US Women Chess Championship 2009?
What have the last two posts got to do with the subject of this thread?
Answer = A big fat nothing.
And the Steinbeck reference by chesshire cat was very nice.
Stay on topic you morons.
Why thank you...
(Canned applause).
Can someone explain the Steinbeck reference?
Lack of time combined with a general lack of interest in weak events. I didn't cover the women's world championship, either. Not because they are women's events but for the same reason I don't cover other category 4 tournaments. If I had more spare time I'd probably help promote them because some of the players are my friends and the organizers seem like good people. Plus, more coverage of women in the game is a net positive, I suppose. But that's time I don't have at the moment and I'd rather spend the little I do have looking at the 2700 games at the Euro Club Cup instead of 2400 games.
That the #200 male tennis player would beat any woman does not make women's tennis less interesting. There is a strategy and style to it that many even find more fun to watch than the men's power game. But women playing 2300 or 2500 level chess is no different from men playing 2300 or 2500 level chess when it comes to covering it. And since I'm not there and have no insight to add, and since the official site and the USCF site seem to be doing fine, I just gave it a miss this year.
Though I'm against professional women-only events in principle, no slight was intended by not covering it. I'm glad they had a good event and my congrats to Anna for a dominating win. There's a more appropriate item for this discussion now up, fyi.
I think it refers to Steinbeck's novel "Cannery Row".
The GM in the can is, pretty clearly, younger and in pretty decent physical shape - check the definition in the calf muscles @ :12-:13...
This rules out Fed, and some of the other more, uh, middle-aged GMs...
... or the player could have got a part in the remake of John Osborne's 'Look Back in Ampere'.
What's more important is, when will these canned GMs be on general sale? How much will they retail for? etc.
Spotted on the streets of Warsaw, the canned GM's nemesis :)http://pmm1.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/piwo1.jpg
And even more importand: Will they be discriminatede against, versus say a can of coke at your table while playing?
Ok, thanks. Great show, but I'm a bit skeptical of the result, was the can drug tested?
Raindeer: Steinbeck wrote a book called "Cannery Row."
You are a bit slow r. Thomas already answered for those who needed help.
Actually, Mig, Ms. Zatonskih played 2765 chess (Perf. Rating) and so is right up there with Carlsen... sorta.
11 people had performances better than that in Ohrid. Nakamura almost did (2741).
"A bit slow" doesn't even begin to describe it. Thanks, Luke.
You're welcome.
If Zatonskih is THAT strong, how could the Corus organizers ignore her - she wasn't even invited for the B group? ,:)
Seriously, TPRs derived from huge scores have to be taken with a few hundred grains of salt, especially if the opposition was relatively weak. This goes for Zatonskih as well as Michael Adams, one of the top performers in Ohrid (6.5/7 against average ELO 2441, TPR 2863). Carlsen's TPR at Nanjing was 3002, still a bit higher. Yet one blogger at Susan Polgar's site writes that (GM elect) Ray Robson had a TPR of 3116 at the Pan-American Junior Championship (8/9 against relatively weak opposition, including one GM) - I find this hard to believe, I didn't check but I don't think his opponents were stronger than the ones of Mickey Adams.
BTW, news of Robson's final GM norm is everywhere on the web, but wasn't mentioned here (or did I miss it?).
"BTW, news of Robson's final GM norm is everywhere on the web, but wasn't mentioned here (or did I miss it?)."
Yes, you missed it. I already congratulated him. Days ago. But, since you don't read my posts or are afraid of me, I guess you missed it. Too bad for you.
So da can can play, can it?
Calling all GMs: Here's a tip toward a gig that probably pays better than walking around dressed as an Amp can to play chess.
Approach Raymond McGuire, head of global investment banking at Citi. McGuire is quoted in today's WSJ eulogizing Bruce Wasserstein like so: "He had a gift...the intellect of a grandmaster at chess."
(If you follow my advice and end up getting an IB job, or even an interview, remember your friend....)
I was thinking about, or referring to an "official" entry by Mig - never mind ... .
Mig will get around to it in the order of his priorities, so please stay on the line and be patient. Thank you.
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