Planes & Chess Plane of the Week and Weekly Newsletter 7/24/2025
PLANES & CHESS WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
7/24/2025
Plane of the Week: The Spruce Goose
The Howard Hughes H-4 Hercules, famously known as the "Spruce Goose," was the world's largest seaplane. Despite its nickname, this massive aircraft, designed for WWII troop transport but completed post-war, was built entirely of birch wood. Towering over 8 stories tall with a wingspan longer than a football field, it featured 8 engines and even used real beach balls as emergency floats.
Piloted by Howard Hughes himself, the "Goose" made its sole flight on November 2, 1947, flying just one mile at 70 feet above the water. Following this, it was moved to its new home, a massive geodesic dome in Long Beach, CA, USA (now a cruise terminal). Though it only flew once, this fascinating and immense plane captivated aviation fans and remains on display at the Evergreen Aviation Museum, leaving a lasting legacy.
Gambit of the Week: The Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Gambit
Are you a fan of highly aggressive opening traps? If so, the ICBM gambit is for you! The Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Gambit is a brilliant, explosive gambit that involves sacrificing a knight and a bishop to win your opponent’s queen. Check out my comprehensive guide to the gambit below to become a master in the ways of the ICBM!
https://www.chess.com/blog/Ethanchock7/the-intercontinental-ballistic-missile-gambit
News
Aronian Wins Freestyle Chess (7/21/2025):
GM Levon Aronian won the $200,000 first prize at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas after defeating GM Hans Neimann in the semifinals. Magnus Carlsen came out in third place following an intense battle against Hikaru Nakamura, winning $100k. For Aronian, the $200,000 is nothing compared to what he could win in the 2025 World Esports Championships. On Monday, he and a few others will fly to Saudi Arabia to compete for $1,500,000.
Weekly Chess Riddle
I help capture two pieces in one swift play,
And line up your opponent, to clear the way.
But beyond the chessboard's tactical strife,
I'm a room where objects with these names come to life.
What common room am I?
If you think you have the answer, message me to win trophies. Trophies will be given for the first correct answer. Members will have until the next edition to get the correct answer. Winners will be announced in the announcements and the next Newsletter edition.
Club Happenings
20 Members: Planes & Chess now has 20 members! Thank you to everyone who has joined!
New members: Welcome to our four newest members: F-15_is_good, rassadin_adam, BudgieCottonIsChaos, and Manumania!
Dogfight Chess: We are playing in dogfight chess vs. GM Oogum Boogum’s Personal Club. The match will begin once more people from their side join.
Vote Chess: We are playing in numerous vote chess matches against ISM Chess Crew, Baseball Chess Crew, and others. Good luck and play well!
Voting Concludes: Our admin poll concluded just over a week ago, check the announcements to see the changes that were made!
Editor’s Note
Welcome to the first edition of the Planes & Chess Weekly Newsletter! For those who don’t know, this will be replacing our daily Plane of the Day. Typically, this would be on a Tuesday but I got around to it a little late. Sorry! I hope you enjoyed reading this edition. This is just the first edition, so you can expect more content in the future. If would like to suggest any changes, put your suggestions below in the comments or DM me. Thank you for reading!
