Question!

And after four straight days of decent entries, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you by dealing you a short one tonight. I have research to do, and you'll see its results by 'morrow's end. It's going to be fun, and it'll appeal to both fans of speed (not the drug, mind you) and video games.

Until then, I leave you with a picture and a question.

Last Moves:
20. dxe5 Bc5

Who the frak is winning?

Breakfast Mate

I have an idea. What if we took this blog entry and combine it with some other entry's draft? Make a super entry or something?

Alas, that's what happened here, but the draft that was used combined one short entry with another short entry, but I think it's better-looking than what it could have been.

So prepare, my friends... prepare for a delicious defeat in more ways than one.

Strategic Pony

Time to roll out the big guns for this month. After four days of not posting anything decent in June, the tides turn and now... I strike the heart of monotony with my words... and my! Unholy! RANDOM! TAAAALENT!!! *cue overdramatic hammy acting*

Precarious for Black, is it not? If you don't think so, just wait 'til you see the rest of the board.

And now that the pieces are in position... let's play.

Genomic Breakdown of June 27

Mind you, I'm not talking about DNA analysis of a creature's genome sequence. Rather, as the title indicates, I'll be talking about things that I considered as "important" for the day.

Of course, my interpretation of "important" varies all over the place.





CURRENT MUSIC:
Daisuke Ishiwatari - "Bullet Dance (Noel's Theme)"
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Original Soundtrack

Apparently listening to music from fighting or strategy games puts me in the zone when it comes to tactical analysis. As a portion of this blog is dedicated to my current analysis of JOSH BLANCO vs. THE WORLD, it would only make sense for me to play something like this. Surprisingly, I could actually see this being used in a custom strategy game soundtrack.

Of course, the fact that Noel Vermillion is my best character in the BlazBlue games helps, too. =P





Good day, readers! Or is it good evening? I started typing this around 1400 hours, but as you can see by the posting time, it's clearly no longer daytime Ah, well... depending on what time you're reading this, welcome to today's entry on The White Knight Chronicles.

Today's entry will consist of a myriad of topics. While it could be argued that doing so qualifies this as a "non sequitur" entry, I say otherwise - I planned on talking about this stuff (most - if not all - of it in lengthy detail) instead of just ranting about the first thing that enters my head.





Pacific Media Expo - THE Last Good Thing in November*

I mentioned earlier this month that I'd talk about this convention, and now I deliver.

At the Los Angeles Airport Hilton from Friday, November 11 to Sunday, November 13, a fun and rather entertaining convention will unfold - Pacific Media Expo.

Now, for those of you who don't know (which is just about everyone who currently reads this), Pacific Media Expo is a convention that focuses on and promotes the Pacific Rim's entertainment industries to us Americans. Various things are showcased, such as music (bands and artists), movies (and not just K-Dramas), fashion designers, art, cuisine and - of course - (Japanese) animation. (To those of you who know of Anime Expo, think of that - except smaller, friendlier and not primarily focused on just Japanese anime.)

For the past three years I've gone to PMX and staffed as part of the security team. It's been a joyous experience each time, and when we begin the convention on November 11, I'll be doing the same thing again - watching over the con, peace-bonding weapon props, helping the attendees around places, making sure the hardly-rowdy crowds don't go berserk and swarm any guests of honor... that sort of thing.

Now, why does it seem like I'm attempting to advertise a seemingly-geeky convention to you all when a decent number of you aren't actual geeks of any kind (as far as the world knows of, at least)? Well, a few reasons.

One: It's a fun three-day weekend that showcases the Pacific Rim's varied entertainment industry to the people who already like this stuff and to the average American alike. More often than not we end making attendees out of travelers with loads of downtime or relatives of con-goers who end up curious as to what the hullabaloo is all about. With the exception of my first year at PMX (2008), I always make it a goal for me to drag invite someone who would normally never venture into a convention like this to come with me and help staff the security team. They end up having a great time and end up wanting to come back (which is great - every person helps!).

Two: COSPLAYERS. As I said before, PMX isn't focused on just Japanese anime. As such, people have cosplayed as things I wouldn't expect to see at other normal conventions. Case in point:

Yes, that's me with our current President. No, I'm not affiliated with any political party. 

Three: ...I've pretty much covered the basics, so I'll just hit you with a photo montage of shots I took in previous cons. Hehehe!

American animation, anyone? PMX previously had Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, creators of the famed Avatar: The Last Airbender series, as guests of honor.
As such, it's not uncommon to see an A:TLA cosplayer in PMX. Toph Bei Fong proves my point here.

Of course there has to be cosplayers from all walks of life - video games included.
Here we got an Engineer and a Soldier from Valve's famous Team Fortress 2.

Sadly, working in security means I have to keep on alert to make sure our attendees are safe.
Between this Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill games threatening to make every time "raping time..."

...a crazy schoolgirl name Sakura throwing a hadouken at Ryu...
(Yay, Street Fighter cosplay!)

...and G.I. Joe's infamous Cobra Commander trying to recruit more peons...

...I'm always busy.
That's me to the left, "subduing" someone... and yes, that's a plasma rifle from the Halo games.

I said cuisine was present. And yes, Pocky counts as cuisine - especially if there's an all-you-can-eat Pocky bar...

...presented in a room designed as a maid café.

That, or you could go outside for the most epic fusion food ever: the Kogi Truck!

So, if this segment has piqued your interest in checking out Pacific Media Expo 2011, follow this link to the site and learn some more! Hell, ask me stuff about it - or better yet, register to go! I promise you that you'll have a grand time.

* = "'THE Last Good Thing?' Josh, are you smoking? What about Thanksgiving?" I hear some of you ask. Well, as I work in retail, Thanksgiving always heralds Black Friday here in the U.S. and Canada. Not a fun day - especially if a friend decides to collect on a favor you owe them on that day.





Following the Footprints - The Life of a Cosplaying Genome Soldier

(Author's Note: If you took off "Cosplaying" from the title you'd be left with "Following the Footprints - The Life of a Genome Soldier" - which I think makes for a great mockumentary video title. Oh, and DIBS.)

After much deliberation on what I'd dress up as for PMX, I ultimately decided on an idea that I've always wanted to do after I discovered cosplaying:

"Huh? What was that noise?"

...the Genome Soldier (Arctic Warfare variant) from Metal Gear Solid. More details to come soon as I begin the process of getting this costume made!





JOSH BLANCO vs. THE WORLD - Turn 2: Folly or Feint?

(Author's Note: Remember that all moves reported here are from my perspective. Commentary is from my point of view and therefore might be represented differently than what someone else might say. Also, knowledge of algebraic notation is highly recommended to further understand the moves and tactics that'll follow.)

Barring a near-week-long "hiatus" (more like "lack of participation") from the World Team, they responded, and now gameplay looks like this:

(position after the World Team's surprising 2...a6?!)

1.e4 b5?
2.d4 a6?!

While any chess master will be wondering what the hell the World Team is thinking, I for one am actually concerned about this. From a strategic standpoint, most decent chess players will see the following:

- Black has zero central control and has hampered future advancement of their stronger pieces. While moving the a-file pawn like that prevents White's kingside bishop from either developing properly or pulling off 3.Bxb5, it does nothing to impede White's advancing pawns.

- White on the other hand now has direct control of the middle and is capable of developing the queenside bishop and queen at any given time.

Now, in terms of development it can easily be said that White has a major advantage. From my standpoint the best move I could make would be 3.d5, which prevents 3...c6, 3...c5 or 3...Nc6. Theoretically, the World Team could opt to play one of the first two maneuvers*, but if so, then the game would look something like 4.dxc6 dxc6, resulting in...

(after 3.d5 c6 4. dxc6 dxc6)

...a giant mess that ends up giving Black a bit of an advantage. White is now left with the quandary of a potential queen exchange. Accepting this (with 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 negates Black's right to castle, but at the same time hampers White's offensive capabilities by forcing them to develop on the kingside (assuming they want relative safety). Conversely, White may opt to keep their queen by evading diagonally (which gives Black tempo) or goading Black into making the exchange first by 5.Qd3.

* = Playing 3...Nc6? 4.dxc6 dxc6 puts Black materially behind and with doubled pawns on the c-file. Ostensibly it looks like a decent tradeoff (as Black now has domineering control of the queenside), but the negatives as explained above don't seem to be worth it...

Of course, Black could ignore those three moves and instead reply with 3...e6, finally beginning the fight for the center and threatening White's current reign. Advancing with 4.d6? gives Black a free pawn while 4.dxe6 ends up with 4...dxe6 (resulting in the potential queen exchange scenario described above) or 4...fxe6, taunting White to follow up with 5.Qh5+? g6 and lose tempo in the process.

(position after 5...g6 - White loses tempo)

3.e5 would seem more logical, but the resulting possibility of 3...d6 4.exd6 cxd6 allows Black to begin fighting for the center and to begin a potentially nasty counteroffensive.

I might go ahead and advance one of my pawns anyway, but my mind is screaming at me not to. I wonder what could result with my third move. Regardless of my choice, it would seem that I hold the upper hand in the game so far. Despite this, I have but one question that's haunting me at the moment: does the World Team not even give a damn about their detrimental predicament, or are they gambling on my recklessness and overconfidence to show up and force me to blunder?





Food - Of Melted British Heartiness

So I decided that my mini-project of the day would be to experiment on cooking something. After a half-hour of cycling through the recipes I had in Personal Trainer: Cooking and America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking (both games for the Nintendo DS), I settled on trying to make my own variant of Welsh rarebit. Common procedure is to melt a bunch of cheese (usually Cheddar) into a sauce, mix it with whatever blend of herbs and spices desired (typically a dash of pepper), put the mixture on partially-toasted bread, allow said bread to finish toasting and then top off the finished product with Worcestershire sauce and parsley.

I followed that general recipe, except I pre-buttered the bread, and tossed in some Monterey Jack and some Sriracha* into the cheese sauce. What resulted was a fugue of cheese flavor that felt... wow. I threw a pinch of flour into the sauce and the resulting cheese sauce was a tad grainy and yet creamy at the same time - perfect for spreading the concoction onto the partially-toasted bread! The Sriracha also provided a kick to my taste buds that magically didn't overwhelm the cheese or the Worcestershire sauce.

TL;DR: It was tasty.

The food connoisseur in me was heartily impressed - British cuisine has been known to be no-nonsense, heavy and tasty all at once. Examples can be seen with bangers and mash, fish and chips and - now added to my proven repertoire - Welsh rarebit.

If only I had taken pictures...

* = Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal could not have expressed my love for Sriracha any better...





Well, I certainly hope that you enjoyed reading this entry as much as I enjoyed writing it. I will see you all tomorrow with another post and another... farewell. *shrugs*

(Author's Note: Talk about last-second, eh?)

A Meaningless Riddle

An ocarina touts off a D-note four times. Whatever could that mean?

Nothing, really - except the two main topics for today's entry.





CURRENT MUSIC:
Hideyuki Fukasawa - "Theme of El Fuerte"
Street Fighter IV Original Soundtrack

Every time I hear this track, I have the sudden urge to just start playing fighting games as an outlandish character - or just doing something outlandish. How fitting, considering that El Fuerte is one of (Super) Street Fighter IV's outlandish characters.


Infected Mushroom - "Bombat"
IM the Supervisor

One of the fun things about having a gazillion sorted songs that I've yet to listen to is that when the shuffle option is on, one piece I've never heard before that I end up enjoying just randomly surfaces. "Bombat" just happens to be an example I discovered last night while I was driving home.

The first 50 seconds or so just sound like some weird background music for an eerie Zelda dungeon (cave dungeons, perhaps?), and then afterwards it shifts to music suitable for space-based fighter combat games such as Gradius. Well, I suppose the first 50 seconds could work for a game like that anyway - like, flying through some infested asteroid or something.


Zelda Reorchestrated - "Middle Boss Battle"
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ~ The Complete Collection (ZREO Soundtrack)

Oh, good old mini-bosses. The music for those fights was, in my view, pretty good as well - especially if you encounter a fight you love so much with the right music.





Evening, everyone. Let's just jump straight to it, shall we?





Chess - How Josh Blanco fights the World's Gambit
(note: all annotations are from my perspective)

For those of you keeping track of JOSH BLANCO vs. THE WORLD (note: link requires a Facebook account), then you've seen thus far how the game has been going. In case you haven't:

(game position as of today)

1.e4 b5!?
2.d4

As seen on Sunday's analytical post, I was expecting something on the lines of the Sicilian Defense (1...c5), but was immediately thrown off-guard with what I thought to be a rather interesting response (1...b5 - the Polish Gambit).

Now, typical play for the gambit (should it be accepted) usually goes something like this:
2.Bxb5 c6
3.Bc4 d5
4.exd5 cxd5
5.Bb5+ Bd7 (as 5...Qd7? 6.Bxd7+ Kxd7 would be a very unwise tradeoff)
6.Bxd7+ Qxd7

how the board looks after 6...Qxd7

This leaves both sides in questionable positions and without a pawn and the light-square bishop. White is materially ahead with an extra pawn but no longer has any central development. Black on the other hand now has an unopposed pawn on d5 (7.c4 does little, in my view) but now has little hope of controlling the very-exposed queenside.



On the other hand, play might go differently.
2.Bxb5 Bb7 (establishing fianchetto and threatening the e-file pawn)
3.Nc3 e5

(position after 3...e5 - who has the advantage?)

Black now has decent control of the a8-h1 diagonal and is prepared to develop their queen and other bishop. Meanwhile, White is left with an awkwardly-developed bishop (which is easily made to retreat with 4...c6) and moderate "control" of the center. It could be said that White is in an advantageous position (Black's d-pawn is pinned and White's knight helps control the center), but White cannot hope to effectively put pressure on Black without a high chance of losing tempo. White's most practical move - 4.d4 - will invariably result in 4...exd4, forcing White to either waste a move moving their knight or force 5.Qxd4, which will end up with 5...c5 6.Qe5+ Be7 7.[any] f6, forcing the queen's retreat while giving Black more time to develop.



I'd rather not leave myself undeveloped like that - and since it's just me on this side, I'd rather not lose tempo (and by extension, first-turn advantage). So instead of accepting the free pawn, I chose to ignore it and finish establishing central control by 2.d4. 2.Nc3 looked enticing (seeing how it attacks Black's advanced pawn and protects mine at the same time, but simply playing 2...b4 would force me to retreat the knight and lose tempo. 2.Nf3 would have been a stronger move in hindsight (as it prevents 2...e4 and protects the d4 square), but as it blocks my f-pawn, I preferred waiting on that move until the pawn advances.

Now to see how the World Team responds...





Ignoring Ocarina of Time's Advice

Now, before you get any ideas: I didn't cheat or anything in Ocarina of Time 3D. Using cheats is just low and shows how unskilled a player truly is. But let's not delve into theories of "honorable gaming" or anything of the like. Let's talk about the much-adored video game that captured our hearts and minds (and drove a few of us crazy because of a certain annoying fairy).

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D has received unanimous acclaim worldwide, much like its original incarnation did. Featuring better visuals, easier menu navigation and enhanced everything else, this game has become portable epicness incarnate.

Currently, I just started the Forest Temple, which is good time considering the average gameplay time in relation with work and sleep schedules. Some of my friends working at the local GameStop are around the same area, and so is a decent amount of the nation.

However, I do have a slight bit of an edge as compared to them: superior gear, more life and tons of practice. Sounds confusing? It isn't once you give it a bit of thought.

(Author's Note: I'm not providing a link for any of this - partly because the people who'd most likely read my blog share similar tastes in basic forms of entertainment... and mostly because everyone (and I mean everyone) my age has been exposed to Ocarina of Time at least once in their life. So, to you non-gamers: GET THIS GAME AND JOIN THE CROWD. We're going to go ahead and call it a cardinal sin if you haven't yet. )

Once you grab the Master Sword and the Hookshot, you're supposed to head to the Lost Woods and into the Forest Temple. However, as a big fan of the Longshot, I couldn't stand having some crap-ass device with only half the length of the Longshot in my possession. So, I decided to see if I could procure the thing despite how far I was in the game.

I ventured into the Ice Cavern mini-dungeon, nabbed the Iron Boots (made so much easier to use by putting them in a gear slot instead of having to go in the menu each time) and some Blue Fire, defrosted King Zora for my free Zora Tunic and dove under what was left of Lake Hylia into the Water Temple.

Here's what made my trek exciting: it IS possible to grab the Longshot*. After a ridiculously-fun-and-a-tad-difficult Dark Link boss fight (no Megaton Hammer or Biggoron Sword = somewhat more annoying fight), I ventured into the next room, where a treasure chest was waiting (gee, I wonder what was inside). So naturally, after procuring the grappling device, I went off to cause havoc and just go nuts with the thing. I went to Kakariko Village, grabbed the Longshot-requiring Heart Pieces (two of 'em if I remember right) and then spent about 20 minutes zipping from rooftop to rooftop (yes, I'm that easily entertained).

Then I went to Goron City and grabbed the Goron Tunic. I proceeded to Death Mountain to get the Bolero of Fire... and then it hit me: I didn't put down a Scarecrow's Song. Depressed that I couldn't hookshot my way around the crater for the hidden heart piece, I left the area, wondering what other things I could do before I should be doing them.

So, after screwing around Hyrule for hours and calling it a day, here's how I'll be entering the Forest Temple...

• Zora Tunic equipped (because I can, unlike most of you =P)
• a Gerudo Membership Card pinned on said Zora Tunic (yeah, I got that bridge fixed already)
• eleven (yeah, ELEVEN) Hearts in my Life Bar
• a Giant's Wallet filled to the max (thank you, 31 Gold Skulltula tokens and a nice little "bug"**)

This is just waaaaaaay too awesome for words. Thing is... I heard one can complete the Fire Temple before the Forest Temple... does that mean I can smoosh things in the Forest Temple with the Megaton Hammer!? *goes to investigate*

* = Doesn't seem like I can actually beat the Water Temple though... there's a switch that requires me to hit it with a bow... but I wonder if I can bypass that...

** = In Kakariko Village in the Future there's a commoner who buys whatever stuff you got bottled up. Now, when you release a bug, you end up releasing three. So, I dropped the bug without presenting it to the commoner, picked up one of the three bugs, presented that one to said commoner, then quickly bottled up one of the other two bugs before they burrowed away. Repeat until maxed out with awesome rupees. Heheh.





So now that today's entry is done and done... I'm going to go think about stuff before eating a late-night dinner. Ciao, everyone.

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!

Super Chess Brothers

As much as I'd love to post something today, I'm a bit hesitant to.
This can be attributed to two things:

1. I've been staring at my chessboard since I posted yesterday's entry.
2. I felt like cooking food for lunch before I went to work.

As such, these have taken priority, so if you'll excuse me, I'll bid y'all adieu.
Tomorrow's a big day...!

*continues staring at the chessboard*





Okay, I'll give you a bit of a treat so that this entry doesn't seem all... short.
Perhaps you're wondering as to why the chessboard at home has gripped my attention so.

Well, here's why:

Oh, yeah. Ya' be jealous, mon.

Introducing the tools I'll be using to keep track of JOSH BLANCO vs. THE WORLD at home: the Super Mario-themed collector's chess set! What better way to do that than by using a fun chess set I can physically study at home?

Team Mario
Coin = Pawn; Toad = Rook; Yoshi = Knight; Princesses Peach & Daisy = Bishops; Luigi = Queen; Mario = King
(kindly ignore the Mario Kart-themed bedding in the background)

I figured that since I get to be awesome, I'd play as Team Mario (they'll be portraying White). Of course, they don't have to be White, but this is my collector's chess set. So, let's go ahead and introduce you to the rest of the cast... or rather, what y'all will be represented as when I study this game at home...

Team Bowser
Koopa Shell = Pawn; Goomba = Rook; Birdo = Knight; Magikoopa = Bishop; Bowser, Jr. = Queen; Bowser = King

So yes, you're all the baddies, but who knows? Maybe the fact that Bowser's piece is bigger than Mario's means that you'll trounce me? Or will my team just hop on those shells and kick your pieces' asses?

(taken from an actual game I recorded the moves for a couple years ago)
Last move played: 34...Bb7+

I honestly think... that anything goes. You guys might get lucky, but so could I...

Because something bad could happen at any given time, so you'd best be prepared. Unfortunately, my opponent from this game didn't prepare for his sudden downfall...

(Author's Note: Knowing how to read algebraic notation will be beneficial - both for JOSH BLANCO vs. THE WORLD and for reading this last segment.)

So, looking back on that picture, the last move played was by Black:

34...Bb7+
Despite being in check, I saw potential for checkmate in a few turns, so here's what happened...

35.d5 Bxd5+
And Black fell for my gambit. I have to assume that he was attempting to reinforce his already-protected knight at c4, but by greedily taking the d-pawn I advanced, he left his king wide open...

36.Rf3?
Honestly, I'm not sure if this was a good move on my part. However, 36.Kh2 would've led to something like 36...Nxf3+ 37.Kh3 Bg2+ 38.Kxg2 Nge3+ 39.Kf2 Nb6, and the last thing I'd want to do was give my opponent time to realize the precarious position he was in.

36...Nd2??
My guess is that Black saw an opportunity to score some material with a three-way fork. But as they say... greed will consume you whole.

37.Bd6# - Game Over.

37.Bd6#
Using Princess Daisy my remaining bishop I ended up double-checking Black by accident. Initially I remembered thinking it was only check (I wanted to gain some tempo by sacrificing my bishop to get those pesky knights out of my home court), but I had completely forgotten about my queen. With the rook on c8 occupying the king's only good flight square, it ended up being a checkmate. Huzzah. Another victory for the Mario Brothers White!





So, yeah... I kinda went "chess geek" on all of you, but now you see why - I have a super special awesome chess set. Hehehehe. Well, off to cook before I go to work!

Sailor Sushi to A4!

Those who've followed my various "blogs" will have already noticed that with the long and (for once,) good entries, I've sort of brought back my old blog titling habits. It's a confusing metaphorical menagerie of wordplay that summarizes the contents of the entry and paradoxically leaves the reader in the dark at the same time.

Anyway, before your brain suffers an aneurysm, here's why this entry's named the way it is:

• chess
• food (namely: sushi)
• Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon*
• writing

And in case you still don't see it, "A4" refers to chess (both the grid and the "What the deuce?" opening move**) and A4 paper (please tell me you can see the relation between writers and paper...).



* = A good 83% of you are probably giving this entry some kind of "WTF!?" look upon reading that. 83% of the initial 83% realize what it is and are probably wondering if they should revoke my man card for even referencing this. 83% of that secondary 83% have now realized that these statistics are fictional. Finally, 83% of that tertiary 83% probably don't know that this footnote was a How I Met Your Mother reference.

** = Seriously... if you should be playing chess against someone and they do "1.a4," then I hope to God that you win. Why bother wasting time by "blitzing" the queenside rook out to an awkward location when you can gain tempo and fight for control of the center?





CURRENT MUSIC:
Robert Summers - "Moon Crystal Power"
Sailor Moon: The Full Moon Collection

Yeah. You're still reading this correctly. Music from Sailor Moon - and the dubbed version, of all things? *nods* Now, if you have a problem, just shaddap and skip the rest of the music section. =P

Everyone around my age who's seen the well-known magical girl anime when they were a child knows this. Okay, maybe only the girls, but those of us guys out there who either had nothing better to watch before Dragon Ball Z or lived in a house with girls who watched Sailor Moon probably know this, too. In the event that you don't know (which is probably true for just about everyone in my "fan base"), "Moon Crystal Power" is known as the theme music for Serena/Usagi Tsukino's transformation sequence into the title character. While a majority of the English adaptation barely holds a candle to the original Japanese audio, I have to admit that I believe this is one of the better music themes for a transformation sequence.

What amazed me about this piece was that despite the obvious attachment for magical girls, I was able to place it as suitable background music for other characters and scenarios - particularly that "last-second rescue by a cavalry-esque squad" scene in not-so-dark war-based TV shows... and for some reason, opening credits for a sports show.

In the event that nobody's done this (or anything else) using this piece: I CALL DIBS.


Nobuo Uematsu - "Shuffle or Boogie"
Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack

Every main entry in the Final Fantasy series has had some kind of minigame, be it an Easter egg or something that actually helps benefit the storyline by strengthening your party. In the case of Final Fantasy VIII, that game would be Triple Triad, a card game played throughout the in-game world.

"Shuffle of Boogie" is the theme that plays whenever you engage in a Triple Triad game, and its lightheartedness complements the fun the game provides while creating that aura that just says, "Think about strategy while you're listening to me!" Obviously, this wouldn't sit well with a full-scale battlefield scenario, but for something like Triple Triad or any other children's card game, it works wonders.



"The chessboard is limited to an eight-by-eight grid. There is nothing beyond this little universe. No ninth rank. No green pieces that suddenly sweep onto the board to attack both black and white. ... [A pawn] doesn't suddenly blossom into a queen by its own volition. No, chess is nothing like war, which is one of the reasons I play it. It's so much simpler than real life."
- Arcturus Mengsk
(StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade)

I haven't read this book in ages. Loved it when I was younger (I was a bigger StarCraft nerd back then as compared to now), and now that I recently found the copy I had since 2002, I'm thinking of going through it again.

Anyway, Mengsk has a point. Maybe that's why everyone's so drawn to the game - unlike reality, the game's simplicity and complexities are much easier to handle and control.





Evening, readers. I honestly think it's about time to post a good entry for once. Fortunately, that's what y'all will be getting tonight, so celebrate.

Oh, and just for you skimmers: no TL;DR will be present for you. Please proceed to bludgeon yourself in the face with a sharpened shovel.





I woke up today feeling a huge surge of energy that for some reason has to be worked for whenever I'm working (ironic, ain't it?). This can be traced back to a few reasons:


I asked for today off.
Having a personally-scheduled personal day off to just kick back and relax is always a fun thing. Gives you time to recuperate from working your tail off so much and also lets you catch up on much-needed sleep. Plus, you can plan stuff with friends and everything.


Today is my "social sushi" day.
A few years ago my friends and I used to be big on getting sushi. We'd meet once a month, stuff our stomachs to the brim with the marvelous invention called sushi, have lots of talking and laughter shared amongst ourselves and then proceed back to our lives with a fat stomach and the most amazing food coma you can have... ever (until the next "social sushi" day, that is).

As the years have passed, the practice has dropped from most of my friends' schedules. I, however, seem to be a huge stickler for being conservative (in the non-political sense, mind you) and adhering to "tradition," so I revived the idea about ten months ago and have faithfully kept getting sushi with people who were free at that point in time. Nowadays, I'm still doing it (as today's entry will indicate).





So, if you like sushi, live near me, and wanna have a fun time eating, talking and what not, then bookmark every third Friday of the month off (or at least reserve lunch hours from 1200-1600).

Until the 'morrow, everyone!