crogers wrote:
...Taz contacted the USCF to propose a chess match that had never been attempted before - a game of Earth vs. Space...
Yes this had never been attempted before - if by never attempted before you mean already done 38 years earlier...
In fall 2008, American astronaut Dr. Greg (Taz) Chamitoff served as the Flight Engineer and Sceince Officer for a 6-month mission aboard the International Space Station during Expeditions 17 and 18. An avid chess player, Taz contacted the USCF to propose a chess match that had never been attempted before - a game of Earth vs. Space. USCF quickly organized an event for the whole world to participate in. Each time it was Earth's turn, the chess club at Stevenson Elementary School in Bellevue, Washinton, winners of the National K-3 Championships, would propose a few moves, which the public would then vote on. Since the game moved by at a crawling pace of one move per day, a lot of careful planning was required. The match proceeded as follows: