posted 07-11-2008 07:50 AM               

Pawn to Queen 4.

That was the opening move in a game of space-to-ground chess being played by the crew of the International Space Station and specialists in Mission Control Centers around the globe.

U.S. astronaut Gregory Chamitoff, a flight engineer ferried to the outpost aboard shuttle Discovery in early June, made the first move in what is believed to be an unprecedented match.

"There is a chess board now set up in the (U.S.) Harmony module," said Pat Ryan, a mission commentator at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"The crew is playing white. The ground is playing black. There is a computer spreadsheet set up in the (station's computer) system in which the crew members on orbit are keeping track of all the moves."

The Queen's Pawn Opening executed by Chamitoff was considered in the 19th and early 20th centuries to be a bit of an unusual opening move. But it now is one of the most popular openings in the game of chess.

NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston countered with mirror-image move -- Pawn to Queen 4.

That set the stage for a back-and-forth battle that is engaging flight controllers at:

• The Payload Operations Control Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

• The Russian Federal Space Agency's Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow.

• The European Space Agency's Columbus Mission Control Center in Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich, Germany.

• The Kibo Mission Control Center at Tsukuba Space Center in Ibaraki Prefecture, just north of Tokyo.

• The ATV Control Centre in Toulouse, France.

Ryan called the match "a new challenge between the crew and control teams on the ground."

"We'll keep track and let you know how long it takes for the game to play out," he said.

posted 08-29-2008 08:56 AM               

How's this for an unusual chess match: US astronaut Greg Chamitoff, who is currently aboard the International Space Station, is playing against the Ground Stations. The first game was won convincingly by Chamitoff, who is a decent amateur player. Now he is playing six simultaneous games against different Ground Stations. We have pictures and an indepth interview with the astronaut.

posted 09-26-2008 10:26 AM               

NASA Astronaut in Space Challenges Earthlings in Chess Match

It will be Earth vs. space in a unique chess match, and you can help Earth win. NASA and the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) are teaming up to host the first public chess match between International Space Station astronaut Greg Chamitoff and the inhabitants of the Earth, beginning Monday, Sept. 29.

Key players in the game will be the kindergarten through third grade U.S. Chess Championship Team and its chess club teammates from Stevenson Elementary School in Bellevue, Wash. The K-3 champions will select up to four possible moves on Earth's turn. The public then will vote on the move transmitted to orbit. The USCF will facilitate the match on its Web site.

"For the past 10 years, the International Space Station has been an important platform to learn about living in space. We're excited to have the opportunity to engage not only young students, but the public at large in this unique chess match," said Heather Rarick, lead flight director for the current space station mission at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"We hope the excitement and interest this game generates will inspire students to become interested in chess," said USCF Executive Director Bill Hall. "Chess is a valuable tool to lead students to become interested in math and to develop critical thinking skills, objectives we focus on in our work with schools nationwide."

Chamitoff, a space station flight engineer speeding about 210 miles above the Earth at five miles a second, is a chess aficionado. He brought a chess set with him when he arrived at the complex on the STS-124 space shuttle mission in June. Chamitoff has added Velcro to the chess pieces to keep them from floating away in weightlessness. He has been playing long-distance chess during his mission in his off time with station control centers around the world. So far, he is undefeated.

The game against the public will move at a pace of one move per day on weekdays only. Play may be slower, however, because Chamitoff only makes moves when his workload permits.