Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov was recently subjected to a NSFW attack from a much more realistic looking, but still fake, airborne phallus. This one was given the smackdown by a Russian karate chop after mere seconds, unlike the 15 minute long penis storm previously reported. Coincidence? We think not! But we've already stopped thinking.

Flying Penis [Sharenator via n0wak]

Chessmaster LIVE Hip Hop Weekend Play & Win Sweepstakes [Xbox.com]

Galloway has been served a cease and desist by the attorney representing Guy Debord's widow. It's too early to tell what will happen next ... Galloway's situation bears some similarity to that of popular Facebook app Scrabulous. The irony, of course, is the estate of a dead Marxist pursuing litigation over the exchange value of the name and image of its intellectual property.

The Revolution will be Litigated [Water Cooler Games]

Diorama-Rama [via theadventuress]

True, chess champion Garry Kasparov's ties to video games are tangential at best. (Though I loved his PC chess games.) But I have a soft spot for him and when I read on Slashdot that he had been arrested for leading a march through Moscow in opposition to Russian President Vladamir Putin, I knew I had to post it.

Kasparov's group, Other Russia, has been essentially banned from appearing on TV so they take to the streets to get their message out. In this latest protest, the group was denied a marching permit, so the big K got himself tossed into the can.

You'd think a chess grandmaster would have seen that coming. Brian Crecente

Gary Kasparov Arrested Over Political Fight [Slashdot]

I still own the packaging to my original copy of Archon (sadly the disk is lost), published by Electronic Arts over two decades ago. I have much love for the game, and great hope that whatever form it ends up being release as for this iteration remains faithful to the original. I'll get details on the release formats as soon as Myriad makes them available. Michael Fahey

MYRIAD INTERACTIVE SECURES ARCHON LICENSE

DEAL SIGNED WITH FREE FALL GAMES

For immediate release

London: 6th February 2007

Myriad Interactive begins the year with a series of license agreements. First to be announced is the signing with Free Fall Games of Archon, the title that made its first appearance in 1983 on the Atari 8-bit computer, but was then ported to classic consoles such as the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and even the NES. The game proved popular with its cunning mix of strategic gameplay and intense action sequences.

"We are incredibly pleased to have signed this brand. Archon is a well respected license that has huge nostalgic value for the right reasons - the gameplay, the great combination of strategic thinking and the intense arcade action," says Leo Zullo, founding Partner, Myriad Interactive.

"Archon was such a favorite that we're pleased to make it available to a new generation. We look forward to a new version of the game that combines the fun and spirit of the original with today's exciting technology," says Jon Freeman, Creative Director & Partner, Free Fall Games.

"We believe now is the right time to bring Archon back and look forward to presenting the concept to a new generation of gamers, as well as those that remember it 1st time around," Zullo concludes.

Archon will be published through the Mercury Games brand, and details on the formats will be released soon.

About Myriad Interactive
Myriad Interactive is an asset management and investment company dedicated to the interactive entertainment industry. Its objective is to develop a group of companies that will deliver a wide range of high quality services and products. The Company is focusing its strengths around investments in brands and companies, strategic alliances and joint ventures, and already has a number of fully operational brands under its wing, including Mercury Games and Turtle Games. Myriad Interactive will hold all licenses and brands, and use its subsidiaries and partners to develop and publish titles.

Myriad Interactive is a privately owned company.

For more info on:

Myriad Interactive visit, www.myriad-interactive.com
Mercury Games visit, www.mercurygames.com
Turtle Games visit, www.turtle-games.com

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Nothing helps me wind down at the end of a long work day quite like flipping through Worth1000's Photoshop contests. As a graphics designer on the side, I can truly appreciate how much better most of these bastards are than I am, while still catching the occasional really bad one that boosts my self esteem.

The sixth iteration of their Beta Busts contest just concluded, featuring concept art for games that never got made. You can see my personal favorite to the right there, the wonderfully understated "Chess with Blood". Big focus on sports games this time around due to the relative ease of slapping anything over an EA 200X cover. Enjoy! Michael Fahey

Beta Busts 6 - Video games that never got made [Worth1000.com - thanks Jordan!]

Well, Windows Vista and DX10 are supposed to be the next big thing for PC gaming. Halo 2, after all, will be the first game that requires Vista and DX10... and, I mean, you just know Vista's gonna rock for games if it's the only OS that can render a two year old game running on a 700mhz processor in full glory!

But what about the crappy free games that Windows ships with? Solitaire and Minesweeper and the like? How's Vista going to pimp them up? Will there be any new additions to the arsenal? Here are the games Gamespot takes a look at:

• Solitaire
• FreeCell
• Spider Solitaire
• Hearts,
• Minesweeper
• Chess Titans;
• Mahjong Titans
• Purple Place;
• Inkball

They look blandly attractive, as you'd expect. It's nice to see Windows start shipping with a chess program and a mahjong program, though. Florian Eckhardt

Ed's Note: Halo 2 actually requires DX9.

Windows Vista Free Games [Gamespot]

But Lewis seems to have realized that there are more cerebral ways to pulverize your opponent — he's decided to accept open chess challenges through King.com, aiming to prove that he's more than a beautiful yet still pretty fucking terrifying body. Better yet? Anyone who beats Lewis gets $1000.

I don't mean to impugn the chess talents of a man who is punched upside the head for a living, especially since he could kill me, but does anyone else think this is a bit fishy? $1000 bucks isn't chump change... it adds up. Lennox Lewis would have to be pretty excellent to compete with some of the guys who regularly play chess online. We smell a fix somehow. - Florian Eckhardt

(Edit: Here's a description of a game a journalist played against Lewis. He's described as "not bad" by a former challenger of Kasparov, which the journalist assures us is high praise.)

Knock Out Lennox Lewis - In Video Game Chess? [GameSetWatch]

Ready for a Hot Chess Party [Pink4Boys]
Lovechess Official Site [Lovechess]

OK, this is ancient, but worth a post nonetheless as it's just resurfaced. We're sure there are still willions of you who are secret (or not-so-secret) Trekkies, and who might fancy a post-holidays craft project: build your own 3D Star Trek Chess Set!

Unfortunately there are no decent photos, and the how-to is mainly in ascii. This would never stop a true Trekkie, though.

3D Star Trek Chess [via Digg]

Game Set Watch points to an excellent story over on GotFrag that compares the strategies used in chess and Counter-Strike. It really isn't that far a stretch, strategy is strategy; the hard part is mastering the ability to use it to cross forms. Just look at all those crappy business books that use the Art of War or Ghengis Khan to teach success in business.

The article is worth a read it talks about the lessons FPS instructors have to teach about gaming and how they compare to what you learn from chess instructors.

Kasparov Frags Karpov Checkmate [Game Set Watch]

Super genius, chess grandmaster and all-around hottie Susan Polgar broke a number of records (and hearts) this week when she played more than 1,100 chess games in more than 17 hours in Florida.

Polgar, who was raised to be a genius by her Hungarian dad, broke a total of four international chess records during the event:

Most games played at once. Polgar, 36, had 326 simultaneous games going on Monday afternoon. Of those, she won 309, drew 14 and lost three.

Consecutive games played. When the chess marathon ended at 3 a.m. Tuesday, Polgar had played 1,131 consecutive games, said Barbara DeMaro, managing director of U.S. Chess Trust, an event sponsor.

Highest number of wins in a marathon of this sort.

Highest percentage of wins — 96.93 percent.

She walked nine miles in the process.

Be still my chess heart.

Check it out: 1,131 chess games in 17 hours [AP]