yet more cool ideas
chess, while my current obsession, is not my only interest. i also love cycling and mixed martial arts (MMA). where josh waitzkin went from chess champion to marital arts champion, i’ve gone from crappy enthusiast fighter (while living in japan i got into fighting) to crappy enthusiast chess player.
so last night i was watching the tv show TAPOUT about the clothing line that sponsors fighters, and it got me thinking “what if i mixed ideas from that and from cycling and applied those ideas to chess?”
i am going to make a HARDCORE PAWNOGRAPHY t shirt to wear to tournaments. i already give out stickers to anyone who wants them and many who don’t. well, what if i branded that, and started my own HARDCORE PAWNOGRAPHY team? and i could kinda be like the guys from TAPOUT and drive around looking for bad ass chess players and put them in the HARDCORE PAWNOGRAPHY stable. then, using methods from cycling, the chessplayers would train with super expensive high tech stuff. for example, they would play chess in a wind tunnel, so we could tweak their chess playing stance and get them as aerodynamic as possible to shave off time, preventing any time trouble errors and such. we would have carbon fiber chess sets, we would train in the mountains of france, it would be awesome. and during tournaments, they would wear a HARDCORE PAWNOGRAPHY jersey, all skin tight with pockets in the back to store packets of GU and a water bottle. and perhaps they would play chess with a bicycle helmet and a mouthguard. that would rock.
so i entered the 2007 western states open in reno, nevada. i really gave some thought as to what section to play in. i’m rated 1142, but i think i can play better. but since there is a large amount of money involved and this is a pretty big tournament, i would expect a number of sandbaggers playing. all things considered, i entered in the D section, 1200-1399. i figure this way i can play better people, if i can win three games my rating will jump, and overall, if i can win any i’ll be happy. i’ve beaten legitamate 1700’s before, why cant i win against some 1300s, or if they are sandbagging, some 1500s? i am not expecting to win the whole section (it would be pretty sweet if i did, i’m gonna try to) but i am not expecting to lose all my games either. then again, no matter what, i’m playing in reno, so i’ll have a blast no matter what.
i really want to play a game wearing a HUGE afro wig and a mouthguard.
liquideggproduct said,
August 6, 2007 at 11:51 am
LOL. Having skin-tight Hardcore Pawnography clothing may not be the best promotion, considering the “physiques” of many chess players. Most players would be either be flabby and portly, or (like me) slim but with zero muscle definition. The windtunnel sounds cool, though.
Good luck playing up a section: I would definitely recommend trying it. Although the last time I did that, I ended up 1/5, and that’s only because of a full point bye.
blunderprone said,
August 6, 2007 at 12:45 pm
LMAO… I fall in the other category as liquideggproduct suggests. However… I’d consider wearing Chess tube Tops for (1) Shock value (2) Put the “outrageous fun” back in Chess for the mainstream paprazzi and (3) Bring back Tube tops as a fashion statement! ( Better seen on women though…not for us hairy backed portly men…but I am game)
I think there should be themed custume chess tournaments where you come in period Elizabethian era clothes, dressed as knights … or …dare I say… camp it up and have a “drag” chess event where you get a discount on the entry fee for daring to be different. There could be costume prizes awarded and a social event with a live band playing
CL… I think You and I should team up…. We could not only make spectacles of ourselves…but improve the spectatorship of chess in general!
OH… and I’d hold my ground in the wind tunnel…but the poor little pieces!
Eric Shoemaker said,
August 6, 2007 at 1:09 pm
I’m willing to play chess in my Kung Fu outfit. I could even perform Choy Li Fut moves while my opponent is thinking. A little intimidation might even help!!
Eric
Wahrheit said,
August 6, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Hey Eric, nice to see you commenting here–are you gonna play in the Western States? Screw classes for a day and play!
I’ll sign up to play in a Hardcore Pawnography t-shirt at the tournament–I think it will kick ass! The opponent will tremble in fear knowing that I’ve been training “at altitude” and with secret ninja mind control techniques.
BTW, I know it’s more expensive but you think you can get some tasteful yet sexy chessbabe pic printed on the back of the t-shirts? Y’know like PG-13 so we don’t cause a serious riot in the tournament hall…
CL, can hardly wait to meet up with ya in October. I’m in training right now to “peak” that weekend like the Olympians do, then collapse for a few weeks afterward. Should be good times. Epic times.
Blue Devil Knight said,
August 6, 2007 at 8:19 pm
LMAO. I want to wear spendex shorts, bike shoes that are really loud when I walk, and a drink belt. No shirt, but numbers written on my arms with magic marker like at the triathlon. And a black Hardcore Pawnography swim cap.
Korsmonaut said,
August 6, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Cobra-Kai style black sleeveless Gi’s… and Camo-Booney Hats… That would rule.
Also… you forgot about what makes Tapout… um… great… basically the fact that their catalogs should come in mylar bags…
Eric Shoemaker said,
August 7, 2007 at 2:53 am
Hi Robert, thanks for noticing. I thought I would branch out and swing to the next tree! My participation in the Western States is still questionable, but if I go over “2000″, I will want to play in the Open Section.
If I defeat Bill Case Thursday, my rating will be about “1960″ with six games to play against Terry Alsasua. A good result should put me over “2000.”
n8ux said,
August 7, 2007 at 4:39 am
A Rooster-Run General Store trucker cap, and a wife beater t-shirt with “Intimidator” on the front. And a lip-full of Red Man chew to complete the effect.
Rich
wang said,
August 7, 2007 at 6:00 am
Dude, I will so buy a Hardcore Pawnography T-shirt from you. As we speak I’m talking to someone about making a few sketches for me to slap them on some t-shirts. Maybe I’ll have them in October.
Now I’m just wondering what I could wear. I could do a samurai outfit a la John Belushi. I could see it now…And now it’s time for another episode of Samurai Chess. Yeah I could even get the topknot thing going and everything.
chessloser said,
August 7, 2007 at 7:15 am
liquid egg product - i’m hoping playing up a section doesn’t crush my spirit and leave me curled in the fetal position in my hotel room…
blunderprone - i’ll bet you can totally pull off a tube top! i like the idea of a costume themed event, serisously, that would be so much fun…YES, we need to get together so our wondertwin powers can activate….
eric shoemaker - i can imagine the look of sheer terror and confusion on the kid’s face as he sits across from you…that would be hilarious…
wahrheit - i don’t know about a graphic on the shirt…i was just gonna make it like the sticker, black shirt with HARDCORE PAWNOGRAPHY on it. simple and direct. i would love to have a chess babe on it, but i don’t have any good pics i can use….yes, i definately am looking forward to chessing it up with you (and wang if he can make it)…we will have a blast….
blue devil knight - wearing your clipless bike shoes and a pair of swimming goggles with the hardcore pawnography swim cap would be soooooooo awesome….
korsmonaut - yeah, i need to work on getting the kind of girls TAPOUT has to pose for me…..then it would be HARDCORE pawnography… i do have a camo boonie hat though….oh, and i’ve tried to leave comments on your blog, it won’t go through for some reason…
n8ux - would you have your spit cup by the clock? that alone would be intimidating….
wang - you GOTTA do the topknot!!!!! i hope you can make it to reno…
n8ux said,
August 7, 2007 at 9:35 am
Spit bottle - absolutely. A clear Dasani water bottle with no lid.
Polly said,
August 11, 2007 at 12:25 pm
LMAO!!!! I too am a cyclist and chess player. I love the idea of carbon fiber chess sets. Maybe have the white pieces be titanium, and the black pieces be carbon fiber. Maybe playing with lighter pieces would shave seconds off my elapsed time.
My crazy cycling/chess idea is a duathlon. Time limit is G/120 Start off with a 40K bike race. Your chess clock starts when the race does. When you finish the race, you make your first move, and stop your clock. If you finish the race before your opponent you get to be white. What ever time is left on your clock when you finish the race that’s what you have for the game. I think some of those chunky GMs might have trouble completing 40K in under 2 hours, so the time advantage for those of us who can ride a bike better then we play chess could make the difference.
A chess bike jersey would be awesome. One pocket for my clock, one pocket for the white pieces, and one for the black pieces.
chessloser said,
August 12, 2007 at 10:14 am
polly - i dig the duatholon idea….i would definately equalize with my cycling, as my chess is sub-par…