Game number 5 begins tomorrow. In the meantime we can look over the first 6 games which all ended in a draw. Maybe if we study these 6 games we might be able to predict the outcome of Game Number 7. There are only 12 games and half of them have already been played. The next few games will determine the champion — V. Anand from India or Boris Gelfand from Israel.
Game one was a draw. As were
Games 2 and 3.
There will be 12 games over a three week period.
The following video talk about what to expect from the two players.
Until a few days ago I had not been aware of the little known board game of Canadian Checkers. It differs from the traditional game of checkers because the board has 144 squares (12 x 12) and has 30 pieces on each side. It was mostly played in Quebec but is seldom played now.
Canadian Checkers Board
It is not clear where Canadian checkers originated but there is a also a version played by elderly men in Singapore where the game is custom made as there are no manufactured ones. This same board (12×12) is used by checker players in Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic as well. There is a legend saying that a traveler to Canada in the late 19th century tried to introduce the game of Draughts but he did not remember how many squares were on the board. The game he wanted to reproduce had 10×10 squares. As a result of his error Canadian Checkers was born.
Canadian Checkers is seldom played these days and commercial sets are mostly unavailable except as antiques or custom made. Some old ones had been found on eBay some time ago but they had been listed as “game boards” from 19th century New England where there was a French Canadian population.
The game itself combines rules from both Draughts and Checkers plus some others of its own especially Compulsive Capturing. Once a piece has captured an enemy it must continue to take all the enemy pieces that is possible. If not, the piece is lost. Pieces that have not been promoted (by reaching first rank on the enemy side) can capture both backward and forward. A queen (promoted piece) moves like the bishop in chess and can capture anywhere it can move. Canadian checkers is a strategy game that has almost disappeared and hopefully there will be enough interest to bring it back to life again.
Power Grid is a very popular Euro Game where you can have fun while learning about power plants, fuels and economy. As Power Grid is a very complicated game it is a good idea to jump right in and learn while playing. Choose country and buy a power plant in an auction. After all players have a power plant then they have to buy resources for the power plants. When you have several cities you will want to connect them to power. Players have to find the most practical and cheapest way to power their cities. There are many variables to consider including the topography of the cities. Winner is the player who has connected the most cities.
In the following video Scott Nicholson speaks with Friedemann Frise , the designer of Power Grid.
This is a great video that I found that demonstrates how to play Mah Jong, and how to purchase a Mah Jongg set. It also compares American Mah Jongg and Asian May Jongg.
 
I have often played Mahjong solitaire on my Kindle. It really is nothing like real majong except that the tiles look authentic. As a solitaiare game it is great for using up extra time when I don’t feel like doing anything productive. It serves its purpose while waiting in long queues or tied up in stopped traffic or waiting rooms.
Mahjong Solataire for Kindle
Sometimes we just need some amusements. I hope you enjoy the funny animal antics in the video below. Le me know if you like to have some comic relief every now and then. I know I do.