e4

...and so with that title, JOSH BLANCO vs. THE WORLD officially starts.
Of course, I didn't make this move blindly - read on to see what I mean.

(For those of you new here, the meat of today's entry usually comes before my "pre-blog" section. Bear with it - or take it in stride and get some insight on me.)





CURRENT MUSIC:
David Arkenstone - "Argent Coliseum 1"
[World of Warcraft 3.2: Call of the Crusade]

Hehehe. Here I go again with the dramatic entry music again. As JOSH BLANCO vs. THE WORLD is - in my eyes, at least - a challenge under the critical eyes of my peers, it would only seem fitting for me to enter the metaphorical arena with nothing less than epic entry music.

A friend of mine at work recently proposed the idea of a live-action chess game. While it's been done before (usually with a bunch of cosplayers or some themed team of ninja* wanting to stab the opposing pirates), I think I could do something like that - except I'd make it even more hilarious and even more epic just by filming it as an arena movie with this piece blaring through the stands.

Oh, and a random wish of mine: to see a live orchestra perform all six Argent Coliseum pieces. Hey, if Video Games Live performed "Stormwind" and "Snake Eater" in the past, then I'm sure it'd be possible to put the pieces into consideration.

* = Grammatically speaking, the plural form of "ninja" can either be "ninjas" (as per the English grammar laws of plurality) or "ninja" (in tradition with both the lack of grammatical number in the Japanese language... and the mythical and mysterious amount of ninja actually present).


Cynthia Harrell - "Snake Eater"
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Original Soundtrack

The theme song to the third game in the Metal Gear Solid series, "Snake Eater" is perhaps one of my favorite songs ever. By this, I mean that if this were to start playing, I'd start singing along no matter what, not caring about the looks I'd get or the fact that I'm no mezzo-soprano. (In the event that I can't sing, I'll definitely lip-sync.)

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater didn't have just the feel of a video game - it had the tone and soul of an interactive spy movie. The obvious themes of tactical espionage action and self-aware fourth-wall breaking humor that the Metal Gear series coupled harmoniously with that suave essence commonly used in spy flicks - and because of that, the game has played its way into my personal favorites.

Anyway, enough rambling - I'm looking like a fanboy here (not that I am one... *shifty eyes*). "Snake Eater" resembles the title songs commonly heard in James Bond movies, complete with vocals, copious amounts of trumpeting fanfares and sultry strings, and... well, I don't know how else to describe it but... "spy-esque." Couple this song with a title sequence that also seems reminiscent of James Bond movies and you get amazing opening credits that still make me wonder if I'm watching an espionage-based game or playing a spy movie*.

My friends who went to the Video Games Live performance in Los Angeles a week and a half ago told me that they performed "Snake Eater" for their Metal Gear Solid segment. I wanted to cry after hearing that - I was scheduled to work that night and couldn't get it off for the concert. Regardless, I'm pretty sure I'd tear up in joy anyway if I heard this play live.

* = Greaaaat. Now I'm so inspired to do another playthrough after I'm done posting. *laugh*


Frank Klepacki - "Grinder"
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 Original Soundtrack

It would only seem fitting for music from a strategy game to be playing in the background while I play chess against the world. While the music from StarCraft and StarCraft II would work fine, it seems to be a bit of an overplayed route, so I decided to go to a path less traveled: the Command & Conquer series.

"Grinder" is best remembered by old-school C&C players as the music that predominately played in Red Alert 2's menu. I remember it for that... and the scientifically-proven fact* that hearing this song while playing as the Soviets made you ten times stronger.

Besides, it works - despite my love for the Allies, I play better as the Soviets, and for some reason a Rhino Tank rush looked more dominating with this in the background.

The hard-driven guitars are a very nice touch, too.


Koji Kondo - "Hyrule Field Main Theme"
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Original Soundtrack

As today also marks the release date of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the Nintendo 3DS, it would only seem right to blare the soundtrack to this fantastic game. Many a gamer (at least many a gamer from my generation) remember this theme well - all those times we traversed the main world (made even more fun once Epona was obtained) just seemed iconic.

The theme encompasses that feeling of adventure and discovery one gets while on a quest to save the world. Nintendo 64 gamers can hear the similarities between this track and the soundtrack to Star Fox 64 (while Hajime Wakai is credited as the composer, Kondo did lend a hand to the score).

Just the fact that I'll be trekking the vast plains of Hyrule again... it's just a trip down nostalgia lane.


Motoi Sakuraba - "A Motion of Finishing Blow"
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria Original Soundtrack Volume 1: Alicia Side

One of the most known tracks from Valkyrie Profile 2, "A Motion of Finishing Blow" can simply be mentioned as iconic battle music, usable as background music during a combat scene (in-game or otherwise). Obviously, the fast tempo is present and the horns are there to blare out the tension. What caught my attention, however, were the strings. In this piece, they end up giving the whole track a somewhat-regal elegance - which fits "graceful" battles such as sword-fighting or aerial dogfighting.

Speaking of aerial dogfighting... weirdly enough, Sakuraba's work in this game seem to share a similar sound to that of the Ace Combat series of arcade flight sim games. Makes me want to play Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War now...


Paul Stanley - "Live to Win"
"Live to Win"

Oh, wow; an actual song for once. Iconic to the South Park and World of Warcraft communities, "Live to Win" is a song that just demands "training montage sequence." That, and it sounds kickass, too. Unless you're sheltered, this song is in your heads because of the famed South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft" - and all I know is that I have this song in my head now because of the whole training session.

...I'm just going to watch this episode now. Hehehe.



"Prepare to charge! Scroll over him with your mouse cursors... and... RIGHT CLICK!"
- Eric Cartman
(South Park episode 10.8: "Make Love, Not Warcraft")

Signs you've played too much World of Warcraft: your battle cry is "right click." In-game, the default action of right-clicking someone puts your character in combat, swinging your weapon at them when they get within melee range.

This is undoubtedly one of my favorite South Park episodes for two reasons: it pokes fun of the popular MMO and the people who play it (which Blizzard and the WoW community lovingly took in stride), and (more importantly) it's a big step into the mainstream for machinima projects all across the globe.





Good day, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to today's entry on The White Knight Chronicles, where I will be commenting on one of my latest endeavors, JOSH BLANCO vs. THE WORLD.

In the event that you've been brought here from the Facebook group I have set up for this interesting chess game (and more importantly, if this is your first time here): welcome to my personal online blog! I'm Josh Blanco, your friendly and eccentric opponent. While I generally talk bitch rant about almost anything I'm fancying for the day (assuming I have time), today's entry will particularly focus on this intrepid event of mine (among other things). So to the newcomers: welcome again, and please read along as I post daily here! You just might make a new friend if you follow this blog.





I have to say that this is going to be an interesting few months. Depending on how well we play, this could very well be a fun and challenging game of chess - and it will go down in my personal history as one of the greatest chess games I've ever played.

Anyway, in the event that you haven't figured it out yet (sadly, there are people who haven't...), my opening move for JOSH BLANCO vs. THE WORLD is...

1.e4 - as seen at home with my epic Super Mario-themed chess set

Or, for those of you who'd rather stare at pieces with boring designs:

1.e4 - but not quite so epic...

(Author's Note: The previous and all following images were obtained courtesy of chessvideos.tv's diagram generator.)

Yeah. 1.e4. Now, allow me to go all nerdy on you guys and explain some things here. Once again, knowledge of algebraic notation is practically a necessity here for this entry (and all other chess-based entries). (If you're tired of me linking the Wikipedia page, then learn it already. =P)





*clears throat*





First Strike on Earth

The general tactic for most (if not all) chess openings is to control the center of the board. Having control of the center can greatly affect the middlegame, as major and minor pieces eventually make their way to the middle and allow for major force projection.

Now, of the twenty possible first moves White can make, 1.e5 (known by chess players as the King's Pawn Game) is by far one of the most popular. The pawn establishes a foothold on the center (stopping Black's e-file pawn and attacking d5) while simultaneously allowing the development of both the queen and the kingside bishop.

Aside from the obvious benefits that the King's Pawn Game provides, I chose to open with this move for another reason as well.

In past games I've been fond of attempting to control the center by means of fianchetto. While advantageous if the center has been cleared (bishops controlling the long diagonals are quite deadly even in the average player's hands), it often led to me getting my forces divided (and as the adage goes: "divide and conquer") and unless my opponent made a blunder that I took advantage of, it would lead to a stressing middlegame.

Of all the other mainstream opening moves White could pull off, it just made more sense to me. Not to say that the other possible openers are bad or what not. Here were my other considerations...

Prospective Move A: 1.d4

The Queen's Pawn Game isn't in my style. My old ways called upon my queen "first-strike capability" when an assault proved feasible (usually striking on the kingside). While the resulting pawn structure would usually negate this idea (as I eventually advanced the c- and e-file pawns), what usually happened in my games was a panicked pawn advance that crippled the movements of my queen.

Prospective Move B: 1.g3

A traditional opening for me due to my previous affinity for establishing a fianchetto. Should a breach be obtained in Black's pawn wall, the resulting 2.Bg2 would be quite formidable. The problem I saw with opening this was the fact that Black could easily refute the eventual long reach with 1...e5 2.Bg2 [any move that reinforces the e-file pawn].

Prospective Move C: 1.Nf3

Known as the Réti Opening, using this maneuver is quite advantageous for a number of reasons. It prepares for kingside castling while simultaneously preventing 1...e5 from occurring (usually forcing Black to respond with 1...d5 instead). At the same time, it leaves White's pawns untouched and ready to counter any pawn opening Black might attempt to pull off. My problem with the Réti Opening was the fact that it prevents the eventual kingside deployment of my queen (again, an old habit of mine) and - unless Black unwittingly "cooperated" with me - deters me from developing a kingside fianchetto.


The 16 other responses vary in terms of strength and play counts, but that doesn't necessarily count them out from my consideration... unless, you know... it sucks. *shrugs*





The World's Counter-Offensive

Of course, now that I've played my move, the world now has the opportunity to strike back effectively. I've been doing some research in an attempt to see what the world chooses as its response. The following are what I considered the most likely responses that may be selected by the world. (That is, assuming all of you don't want to throw me off...)

Potential Response A: 1...e5 - the Open Game

Making the game symmetrical like that calls for a varied amount of replies. I could follow up with 2.Nf3 and attack Black's advanced pawn, or I could attack it with my own pawn (using either 2.d5 or 2.f5). Conversely, I could just ignore Black's advanced pawn completely and either advance something else (probably something like 2.c5) or reinforce my e-file pawn (most likely with 2.d3, which opens the queenside bishop into play).

Potential Response B: 1...c5 - the Sicilian Defence

The famed Sicilian Defense is one of the most popular responses to 1.e4 - and in my opinion, the most likely response I'll see in this game. It wards off symmetrical development, which can lead into awkward deployment of bishops and queens. However, the main point of the Sicilian is that Black fights not just for the center, but for an advantage as well. It prevents White from following up with 2.d4 and enables Black to begin queenside operations. Of course, since my past chess history has shown me to favor kingside development, this might prove to be somewhat in my favor if I follow that route (assuming the world votes on the Sicilian, of course).

Potential Response C: 1...Nf6 - Alekhine's Defense

Known as Alekhine's Defense, this can throw off White's development - particularaly if whoever is playing White is somewhat greedy and/or impulsive. Black threatens White's advanced e-file pawn and goads White to play 2.e5, only to hop away with 2...Ne4 or 2...Nd5 and taunt another of White's pawns. (Beginning players usually fall for the bait and follow up by advancing a pawn each time the knight gets too close.) This has a bit of a drawback for Black : White's pawns simultaneously advance in formation while Black just lazily moves the knight around, not caring about central control. However, if done correctly, White may advance his pawns too far and create a fatal opening that Black can exploit with deadly force. Of course, the problem with Alekhine's Defense is that it's a bit of a gamble - White may end up with a well-developed group of central pawns, or White may not even decide to use 2.e5 at all.

Potential Response D: 1...e6 - the French Defence

A timid response by Black... it's no wonder they call it the French Defense. However, don't let its hesitance and cramped conditions fool you - while Black sacrifices early control of the center, it leads to future queenside development and sometimes, an overstretch of White's pawns should they be a tad overconfident.

The other 16 responses were either too weak of a response or just not likely to happen in my view. Of course, anything goes, so I'd best be prepared, huh?





What will the world respond with? I've yet to figure it out, as many of my friends and random strangers that have joined the fight have different fighting tactics (even more so if they're avid chess or strategy game players).

I'll be honest - I want to get the next few weeks over with, because let's face it - the opening game in chess is basically textbook maneuvering. Once that's passed and the middlegame begins, tactics and cleverness become the mainstays - and that makes it more exciting.

For those of you who aren't friends with me on Facebook and want to join in on the deliberations, here's the link to the "JOSH BLANCO vs. THE WORLD" Facebook group.

Make it an interesting game here, world! I want a challenge!





Now if you'll excuse me, I have other pressing matters to attend to. I had expected to be working today, but I was informed last night that I had today off. This just means more time for me to relax... maybe I'll cook up a nice meal and play Ocarina of Time 3D, or sit back and watch some TV shows that I need to catch up on! Heck, maybe I can work on another project ("Operation: DREAM EATER" time, mayhaps?) or solve an interesting mystery that I received last night (but that's a story for another day). Who knows what I'll do? The world's my oyster today, and I like it.

So, until the 'morrow, everyone. Have fun teaming up for a counter, and a happy Father's Day to any dads out there reading this!