Earthlings, It’s Time to Keep Your Chess Pieces From Floating Away
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Greg Chamitoff plays chess on the International Space Station in 2008. Photo Credit: NASA
After a brief postponement due to some electrical problems on the space shuttle Endeavour, the latest Earth vs. Space chess match is now under way, and you can post your suggestions on how to beat NASA astronauts Greg Chamitoff and Greg H. Johnson on Facebook and follow the match there or on Twitter.
Chamitoff and Johnson launched on a mission to the International Space Station on Monday, and have only two weeks to complete this match, so the action should be as fast and furious as the busy mission to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer allows. They’re teaming up for this chess match challenge to the people of Earth.
NASA and the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) hosted the first Earth vs. space match in 2008 when Chamitoff lived aboard the International Space Station. The public won that match thanks to help from chess champions at Stevenson Elementary School in Bellevue, Wash.
"Chess is a great game that challenges the mind and helps young people develop critical thinking skills that will serve them well in math, science, and all aspects of their future careers," Chamitoff said.
He and Johnson will play the game during their 14-day space shuttle flight to the International Space Station. The USCF will facilitate the match on its website at:
At the site, the public can suggest or vote on a chess move. The USCF will decide how to respond to the astronauts' moves. NASA and USCF will use Twitter and Facebook to notify participants about the status of the game and when to vote on moves.
Chamitoff, who will conduct two spacewalks during the shuttle mission, is a chess aficionado. He took a chess set when he launched to the space station in May 2008, and brought it back when he returned home in November 2008. He will be taking a different chess set for this trip.
"We hope to do better in this Earth vs. space match," Chamitoff said. "But, I have to admit it will be a challenge because we have an extremely busy flight ahead of us."
Updates on the chess match will be posted on the USCF Twitter and Facebook sites, Chamitoff's Twitter account and the International Space Station's official Facebook page:
http://twitter.com/chessmagnet
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