Cross Sums(Kakuro)

After the popularity of Sudoku,a new game is about to become as popular as Kakuro.When Guardian,London changed its format to Berliner,it added a section called diversions in G2,the magazine section of the newspaper.It also started giving cross sums(american) or Kakuro(british) everyday in the same section.The first thing I noted was that it is much difficult than Sudoku,until I got the combinations that is .
Kakuro is somewhat like Sudoku(you have to fill 1-9 in the empty boxes),but the difference is that the numbers in a run should total to a sum printed either to the left or at the top of the run.
The technique to tackle Kakuro is little different.Since same numbers are not allowed in a run, you have the possible unique combinations.
For two spaces -16,17,4,3
For three spaces-6,7,24,23
For four spaces 10,11,29,30
For five spaces 15,16,34,35
For six spaces 21,22,38,39
The unique combinations like 4(3/1) helps to solve the puzzle.
For more information I suggest the wikipedia page again,but you can download the game
itself (free) from here

Another interesting Game

Another interesting game,but the images were taken with Acquire Screenshot of Gimp 2.0.I love gnuchess and its X interface xboard.For those who are lost gnuchess is a Linux based chess engine and xboard its graphical interface.

The game goes:


1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qd1 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. a3 Bc5 7. Bc4
O-O 8. b4 Bd4(1)

9. Nge2 b6 10. O-O Bb7 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. Ne2 Nxe4
13. Nxd4 Ne5 14. Bb3 Qh4 15. Nf3 Nxf3+ 16. Qxf3(2)
d5 17. Rd1 Rac8
18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Rxc2(3)

20. Be3 Qf6 21. Rad1 Qxf3 22. gxf3 Nf6
23. Re5(4)

Rc3 24. a4 Rc4 25. Re7 Rxb4 26. Rxa7(5)

Rb3 27. Rd6 b5 28. a5 h6
29. a6 Rb1+ 30. Kg2 Rb2 31. Rb7(6)

Ra2 32. a7 Nh7 33. Rb8 f6 34. Rdd8
Kf7 35. a8=Q(7) Rxa8 36. Rxa8 Rxd8 1-0

Intellligent Design In Court

Eleven parents in PA are putting the ID debate on in the American Way,
through the courts that is.They are challenging that teaching ID in
schools voilates the seperation of Church constitutional clause.
The "liberal" ACLU is taking up the case against a school in Dover,PA
arguing that ''This clever tactical repackaging of creationism does
not merit consideration," Witold Walczak, legal director of the
Pennsylvania American Civil Liberties Union and a lawyer for the
parents, told US District Judge John E. Jones in opening arguments.
''Intelligent design admits that it is not science unless science is
redefined to include the supernatural."
I hope that the issue get's resolved round here.ID was never a science
and never will not be science ,however arcane and obtruse arguments
the ID proponents make.Unfortunately today's Guardian reported that
45% of Americans believe creativism.
I don't think that you can change that figure,for them patroitism =God
,but for the majority 55% sake it's time to act.

Great Optical Illusion

See this picture

Follow these steps
1)Concentrate on the 4 dots for around 40 seconds
2)Take a look at a smooth/monochromed(single colored) wall near you
3)You will probably see a circle of light(developing)
4)Start blinking for a number of times ,whence you will see a figure of somebody.
The trick of this illusion is not how amazing this is ,but to find the reason behind the illusion.This illusion has been called by some to be the greatest optical illusion of all time.
I would love to hear from anybody who could find how the illusion occurred.
(If not I will give the answer the next week).

My best chess game(Against the computer)

Playing against Arasan 5.2 I notched up this impressive win.Arasan's ELO is around 2000 to 2200 which means that it is much weaker than a Grandmaster but much stronger than an average chess player.
I love this game as this game shows the strategy required to beat the computer in its own game.The key is the suprise move,as the computer can compute far more nodes in a second than you can probably in your whole lifetime.
The game goes(French Defense,Exchange Variation)
1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. exd5 exd5
4. Nc3 Qe7+
5. Be3 Be6
6. Nf3 Nf6
7. Be2 c6
8. O-O Nbd7
9. Ne5 O-O-O
10. Bf4 Nxe5(see picture)

11. dxe5 Nd7 (Why not Bxe5,the answer the Rook and the Queen is in the same diagonal,potential to a attack from the Bishop)
12. Qd2 Re8
13. a3 Bf5 (if not a3 then Black could have played Qb4)
14. Rfe1 Qe6
15. Bd3 Bc5
16. Rac1 Be7
17. b4 Qg6
18. Qe3 Nb6 (the a7 pawn is a easy bunny without support,see picture)

19. Na4 Nxa4 (Knight Sacrificed to gain superb position,computer should have rejected the sacrifice)
20. Qxa7 Kd8 (forced, if king does not move then
20.Qa8+ Kc7(Kd6 follows e6 threatens mate and Queen is lost)
21.e6+ and mate follows)
21. Qxb7 Qe6 (why Qe6 why not Ref8?)
22. Bxf5 Nc5 1-0(picture)