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Nov 14 Plant-based diets are linked to reduced risk of stroke, finds a new study published in the journal Annals of Neurology and published online ahead of print by the National Institute of Health. The comprehensive study was conducted by researchers at the University of Vermont, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the University of Texas Health Science Center, the University of Alabama, Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital.
For the study researchers “identified metabolites associated with diet patterns and incident stroke in a nested cohort from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study.” Levels of 162 metabolites were measured in baseline plasma from 1,198 stroke cases, as well as 904 random controls. Researchers examined associations between metabolites and a plant-based diet pattern previously linked to reduced stroke risk in REGARDS.
Secondary analyses included three additional stroke-associated diet patterns: a Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Southern diet.
“Metabolites were tested using Cox proportional hazards models with incident stroke as the outcome”, states the study. “Replication was performed in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). Inverse odds ratio-weighted mediation was used to determine whether metabolites mediated the association between a plant-based diet and stroke risk.”
The results of the study state:
Metabolites associated with a plant-based diet included the gut metabolite indole-3-propionic acid (β=0.23, 95% CI [0.14, 0.33], p=1.14×10-6 ), guanosine (β=-0.13, 95% CI [-0.19, -0.07], p=6.48×10-5 ), gluconic acid (β=-0.11, 95% CI [-0.18, -0.04], p=2.06×10-3 ), and C7 carnitine (β=-0.16, 95% CI [-0.24, -0.09], p=4.14×10-5 ). All of these metabolites were associated with both additional diet patterns and altered stroke risk. Mediation analyses identified guanosine (32.6% mediation, p=1.51×10-3 ), gluconic acid (35.7%, p=2.28×10-3 ), and C7 carnitine (26.2%, p=1.88×10-2 ) as mediators linking a plant-based diet to reduced stroke risk.
The full abstract of this study can be found below, and the full text can be found by clicking here (as a warning it is behind a paywall).
Abstract Objective: While dietary intake is linked to stroke risk, surrogate markers that could inform personalized dietary interventions are lacking. We identified metabolites associated with diet patterns and incident stroke in a nested cohort from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study.
Methods: Levels of 162 metabolites were measured in baseline plasma from stroke cases (n=1,198) and random controls (n=904). We examined associations between metabolites and a plant-based diet pattern previously linked to reduced stroke risk in REGARDS. Secondary analyses included three additional stroke-associated diet patterns: a Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Southern diet. Metabolites were tested using Cox proportional hazards models with incident stroke as the outcome. Replication was performed in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). Inverse odds ratio-weighted mediation was used to determine whether metabolites mediated the association between a plant-based diet and stroke risk.
Results: Metabolites associated with a plant-based diet included the gut metabolite indole-3-propionic acid (β=0.23, 95% CI [0.14, 0.33], p=1.14×10-6 ), guanosine (β=-0.13, 95% CI [-0.19, -0.07], p=6.48×10-5 ), gluconic acid (β=-0.11, 95% CI [-0.18, -0.04], p=2.06×10-3 ), and C7 carnitine (β=-0.16, 95% CI [-0.24, -0.09], p=4.14×10-5 ). All of these metabolites were associated with both additional diet patterns and altered stroke risk. Mediation analyses identified guanosine (32.6% mediation, p=1.51×10-3 ), gluconic acid (35.7%, p=2.28×10-3 ), and C7 carnitine (26.2%, p=1.88×10-2 ) as mediators linking a plant-based diet to reduced stroke risk.
Interpretation: A subset of diet-related metabolites are associated with risk of stroke. These metabolites could serve as surrogate markers that inform dietary interventions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Anthony Martinelli Anthony Martinelli is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Vegan Herald, which launched in 2015 as a daily vegan news and information website.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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'Slutty Vegan' Owner Most People Want to Eat Healthy ... My Restaurants Help 'Em Do That!!! 9/13/2022 1:17 PM PT TMZ.com "Slutty Vegan" founder Pinky Cole is serious about giving Black people, and all people in underdeveloped communities, better access to healthy food ... which is why folks are lining up for her very unique dining experience. TMZ Jay Z -- MEATLESS Birthday Lunch ... with Beyonce & Anne Hathaway The restaurant owner joined "TMZ Live" ahead of her plant-based burger joint's grand opening in Brooklyn, NY -- which will be her 7th location, after launching with a single food truck in Atlanta. Pinky tells us, she went vegan back in 2014, and noticed it got even more trendy once Beyoncé opened up about temporarily turning away from meat. Her business model? Make vegan food more enjoyable -- adding an experience to the nutritional value. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. The name itself shows the creativity and inclination to attract all kinds of folks ... she merged two pleasurable things: sex and food! Now, Pinky says she's expanding -- even more than the Brooklyn location -- and focusing on Black and brown communities ... sometimes right in the middle of gentrified neighborhoods. Her main goal is to show folks how to reimagine food and eat healthy ... while giving access to great options. Waiting for your permission to load the Facebook Video. Pinky seems super hopeful her restaurant will be the perfect way to help folks live healthier. She says 90% of the customers aren't vegan ... they're meat-eaters who simply want to get their grub on. It doesn't seem like she'll have a problem getting folks lined up at her new Brooklyn location, and she certainly has one big fan already!
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Interstate 77 is pretty much the bane of my existence — it’s certainly not the road less traveled, and I cry a little inside when I have to take it. The only thing that makes it bearable is a heavenly light at the end of the tunnel known as Southern Olive.
What might be your new favorite spot, Southern Olive, is in quaint Baxter Village off exit 85 in Fort Mill. It relocated earlier this year from Indian Land after almost seven years, and it came across my radar when hunting for a gluten-free, dairy-free coconut cream baby shower cake.
It was the most delicious cake we’d ever had; no one even knew this cake was “different.” Yet the store offers so much more than gluten-free goods — it’s a haven for delicious and healthy fare.
Owner, operator and functional medicine proponent Amber Green believes that good foods have the power to heal — and her offerings reflect that. After losing her father to heart disease, Green discovered how harmful even so-called “healthy” foods can be and vowed to do her part, opening Southern Olive with her husband, Rob.
“Everything in the store represents my passion and I fully vet each product to make sure it’s of the highest quality. We just want to create a safe environment for people with food allergies or health issues,” she said.
Infused olive oils
Get ready to have your socks knocked off: There are more than 25 varieties of fresh olive oils on tap inside the store. There’s always a mild, medium and robust “plain” available, and the oils regularly rotate, depending on where the in-season “crush” is.
The oils are marked with this information along with the biophenol count. (Yeah, I didn’t know what that was either.) Biophenols are organic compounds that contain free radicals and antioxidant properties — the higher the number, the more health benefits.
Besides the regular variety, Southern Olive has 20 different infusions including rosemary, garlic and black ginger, or sage. Be warned: Once you taste these, it will be difficult to go back to your grocery store brand.
Flavored balsamic vinegar
Again with the selection. Southern Olive features more than 20 varieties of white and dark vinegar. The difference? Dark vinegar is held over the fire longer, so the grapes caramelize, providing a darker hue.
Typical store brands have coloring and additives, but Southern Olive is the real deal. There are rich offerings such as dark red apple, and delicate infusions like the white lemongrass-mint. These vinegar selections can help regulate blood sugars, maintain pH balance and aid in digestion.
Gluten-free baked goods
If you’re on a quest for delicious gluten-free baked items, you’ve just hit the jackpot. Imagine walking into a bakery where everything — and I mean everything — is gloriously gluten-free. No cross-contamination fears, no double-checking ingredient lists — just pure, unadulterated gluten-free goodness. All of the baked goods steer clear of artificial dyes or processed ingredients and are color-coded by allergy.
Avoiding sugar? No problem: Southern Olive also offers keto and paleo treats. (The Paleo “Twix” Bar is my favorite, beside the cinnamon chip scones.) When passing through on his 2019 Yellow Brick Road tour, singer Elton John even stocked up on keto desserts and raved. If it’s good enough for Sir Elton … it’s good enough for us.
Artisanal gluten-free pasta
Made in Denver, Colorado, Papparadelle’s pasta is it. Started in 1984, the company was one of the first to introduce flavored pastas stateside. Its gluten-free line is unrivaled and one of the store’s best-sellers, including flavors like lemon pepper, sweet potato (kids love it with butter, cinnamon and sugar), Hatch green chili and dark chocolate. (You heard right: dark chocolate. Serve it as a delectable second course with mascarpone cheese, heavy whipping cream and vanilla, topped with strawberries.)
Organic, sulfite-free wines and gluten-free beer
You’ll find an impressive selection of organic wines that are also sugar and sulfite-free. A main attraction is Partners and Grapes, a Latina and woman-owned wine company making waves with its organic and vegan offerings. (Yep, believe it or not, some wine is made with animal-derived products.)
I can personally attest all Partners and Grapes’ wines are divine (and don’t give me a headache), plus it recently took home gold and silver medals at the 2023 Sommelier Choice Awards for its Rose and Red Blend, respectively. Southern Olive also carries an array of gluten-free ciders and beers, including the legendary Glutenberg brand. What’s more fun is that everything may be ordered by the glass, so you can sip while you shop.
Charcuterie accompaniments
You provide the meat and cheese, Southern Olive will handle everything else. The store carries several varieties of Delizia, one of the world’s leading olive proprietors. (Have you ever tried orange stuffed olives? Well, you need to. Plus, the jar is so lovely it doubles as a vase — perfect hostess gift.)
You can also stock up on stuffed peppers, pickled items and crackers, paired with sumptuous dips and sauces.
Spices, syrups, honey and jams
Southern Olive also carries freshly dried organic Oakhill Herbs from Port Republic, Virginia — a big deal since these rarely sell outside farmers markets. And a bonus for allergy season is that the store has local organic honey and Vermont’s Maple Craft brand syrups like apple cinnamon, pumpkin spice and peach bourbon.
Include some of TBJ’s honey and habanero bacon jam, and you’ve got the perfect gift basket. Southern Olive can also put one together for you to satisfy the most elevated or picky of gourmands. (Pro tip: Place your holiday orders now.)
I could go on. The store has got you covered on vitamins through Pure Encapsulations, known to be one the cleanest and most respected supplement brands. You’ll also find natural beauty products and Humble brand deodorants. It carries Apple brand CBD salves, oils and balms, as well as products for pets who may have anxiety issues with thunderstorms or traveling. Queen Hemp Company provides Delta 8 and Delta 9 for relaxation and creativity.
So, next time you find yourself on I-77, consider yourself lucky and stop by The Southern Olive. It might be your first trip, but it definitely won’t be your last.
Location: Baxter Town Center, 940 Market St., Suite 116, Fort Mill, SC 29708
Instagram: @thesouthernolive
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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The purpose of this meal plan is to show what a week’s worth of keto-friendly (and totally Primal) meals could look like.
This is how I eat day in and day out. Since I’ve been eating Primally for many years now, it’s second nature for me. But for folks who are new to this way of eating, I realize this might seem like a lot of work, or just completely foreign. Rest assured, planning and preparing a keto menu becomes simple once you’re in the habit of preparing healthy recipes like the ones provided here.
Don’t fret if these specific meals don’t appeal to you. By no means are you required to follow this plan to a T. It is meant to serve as an example—a “week in the life of Primal/keto.” If you want to try it, feel free to swap out meals that don’t appeal to you. I have said before that I usually keep things pretty simple—lots of Big-Ass Omelettes and Big-Ass Salads for me. You can do the same. I know plenty of people who prefer cycling through the same three to five favorite meals over and over, and there’s nothing wrong with that. As long as the meals are well-balanced and contain adequate nutrients, there’s no reason to complicate things.
However, if you’re a person who enjoys cooking more elaborate meals, you can absolutely do that, too. There are basically limitless options for delicious, enticing, Primal- and keto-friendly dishes. Look for meat, egg, and veggie dishes with interesting preparations, seasonings, and sauces.
Remember, real food tastes better!
Keto Meal Prep Tips
A good meal plan starts with good preparation. Spend some time perusing keto-focused blogs and cookbooks that appeal to you. Whether you’re a keep-it-simple kind of home cook or a culinary wizard, food should be enjoyable. Eating healthy, nourishing fare is one of the great pleasures in life. Don’t shortchange yourself here.
Once you have a plan in place, make a shopping list and hit the store and/or farmer’s market. I also like to shop online for pantry staples.
You can make busy weeknights less stressful by doing some meal prep on the weekends. Look ahead to the recipes you’ll be cooking that week. See if there are steps you can do on Sunday that will save you time during the week, such as:
Washing and chopping raw veggies
Pre-cooking meat that you can warm up and toss into recipes
Hard-boiling eggs
Thawing anything that needs thawing
This is totally optional but can make your life a little easier, especially if your mornings or evenings tend to be a little hectic.
It’s better to eat enough food during your meals than to snack throughout the day. However, I’ve always suggested people listen to their bodies. Especially when you’re transitioning to a new way of eating, you might find yourself getting hungry between meals. If you do snack, make it count by choosing nutrient-dense foods.
Start with at least 3 eggs if you’re on the smaller side or 4 eggs (or more) if you’re on the bigger side. Remember, one large egg has about 6 grams of protein (plus 5 grams of fat and less than one gram of carbohydrate), so eat plenty!
Choose your mix-ins. I’ll list some of my favorite options below, but the sky’s the limit here. If your favorite ingredient isn’t on this list but it’s Primal-approved, by all means add it! And, of course, everything is optional. For example, you don’t have to add dairy if you don’t tolerate it.
Cook (see my cooking video here). If you have trouble nailing the traditional omelette shape, never fear—scrambles are just as good.
Here are some keto-friendly protein options to mix into your omelettes:
Here are some keto-friendly vegetables (and veggie-like fruits) to mix into your omelets:
Asparagus
Avocado
Beet greens
Bell pepper
Broccoli
Chard
Kale
Mushrooms
Onion
Olives
Scallions
Spinach
Tomatoes
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Don’t forget herbs and spices:
Salt
Pepper
Basil
Cilantro
Cumin
Garlic
Oregano
Paprika
Parsley
Turmeric
Hot pepper sauce
Pesto
Chimichurri
And dairy products (optional):
Heavy cream
Half and half
Sour cream
Cheddar cheese
Cottage cheese
Feta cheese
Goat cheese
Monterey Jack cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Swiss cheese
How to Put Together a Big-Ass Salad
Step 1: Start with a very generous serving of fresh greens. I usually combine a few different types, and I
mix in fresh chopped herbs whenever I have them on hand. My favorites are:
Lettuce (any type)
Kale
Arugula
Chard
Spinach
Green cabbage
Red cabbage
Beet greens
Dandelion greens
Basil
Cilantro
Chives
Mint
Parsley
Step 2: Choose your dressing. No surprise, I usually use one of the dressings from my Primal Kitchen line of products. I formulated these specifically because I couldn’t find salad dressings that weren’t made with health-compromising polyunsaturated oils. You can also make your own dressings with approved oils. Here are some DIY salad recipes if you’d like ideas.
Toss your salad greens with about half the amount of dressing you intend to use.
Step 3: Layer on as many mix-ins as your heart desires. As with the Big-Ass Omelets, this list is meant to get your creative juices flowing (and your mouth watering). Feel free to include things that aren’t on these lists as long as they’re Primal-approved.
Here are some mix-in fruit and veggie ideas:
Artichoke hearts
Asparagus
Avocado
Bell peppers
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Fennel
Mushrooms
Onion
Olives
Radish
Tomatoes
Scallions
Sprouts
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Blueberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Protein ideas:
Chicken
Salmon
Sardines
Shrimp
Tuna
White fish
Steak
Ground beef
Shredded beef or pork
Roast turkey
Ground turkey
Eggs
Ham
Sugar-free bacon or sausage
Nuts and seeds:
Almonds
Pecans
Walnuts
Macadamias
Pistachios
Brazil nuts
Hazelnuts
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Flaxseeds
Hemp seeds
Here are some cheeses (opt for full-fat) you can mix in:
Cheddar
Cottage
Feta
Goat
Gruyere
Monterey Jack
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Swiss
Step 4: Drizzle with the remaining dressing and chow down!
For more keto meal plan ideas, you might like to read:
Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Shed those Christmas pounds with Dr Michael Mosley's Fast 800 Keto diet and our EXCLUSIVE diet plannerThe brilliant diet incorporates Mediterranean dishes and intermittent fastingClick here to access our exclusive diet planner on The Mail+To find out more about Dr Michael Mosley's diet and other recipes, click here Published: 10:26 EST, 7 January 2023 | Updated: 10:31 EST, 7 January 2023 The Fast 800 Keto diet by Dr Michael Mosley and Dr Clare Bailey incorporates the health-giving principles of combining a low-carb, Keto Mediterranean diet with intermittent fasting.The brilliant science behind the diet is that it puts your body into a state of ‘ketosis’ – causing it to convert compounds from your fat stores to be used up as fuel.This doesn’t just have the effect of making you lose weight very quickly, but also promotes the production of hunger-suppressing hormones, so you’ll naturally eat less anyway.To achieve this state of ketosis, you’ll have to focus on cutting out sugars and carbs. That means saying farewell to potatoes and rice and piling your plate high with luscious greens and leafy veg instead.One of the best things about this brilliant new diet is you don’t have to sacrifice flavour. A Mediterranean-style cuisine is perfectly suited to Keto – and it tastes delicious as well. The Fast 800 Keto diet by Dr Michael Mosley and Dr Clare Bailey incorporates the health-giving principles of combining a low-carb, Keto Mediterranean diet To achieve this state of ketosis, you’ll have to focus on cutting out sugars and carbsCombined with the well-documented benefits of fasting, our new diet is a fast, effective and healthy way to lose weight.This new programme not only puts you into ketosis faster than a normal keto diet, but is also, I believe, healthier and more sustainable. On the rapid weight-loss phase of the plan (stage one) you can expect to lose as much as 2kg a week (that’s a stone in under four weeks!), and you can stay on the plan for 2-12 weeks, depending on how much you want to lose. But you also have the option of moving to stage two which means picking anything from two to five consecutive days a week to ‘fast’ like you do in stage one, but easing into a lowish-carb Mediterranean-style diet on the other days (without having to count calories). We have found this works really well if you ‘fast’ Monday to Friday, then enjoy a more relaxed approach over the weekend, snapping back into ketosis each Monday morning.Our brilliant diet planner on The Mail+ will ensure you’re following the programme that’s best suited to your body and its goals. Combined with the well-documented benefits of fasting, our new diet is a fast, effective and healthy way to lose weight Dr Michael Mosley has combined the best elements of both his Fast 800 and 5:2 diets to turbo-charge your weight loss. In his wife Dr Clare Bailey's new book he reveals all (pictured together) Simply answer the questionnaire and you’ll be presented with our recommended stage. Or, if you like the look of a different one, you’re free to choose that instead.Every day you’ll receive personalised recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all designed to keep you on track on both fast and feast days.And each day you’ll also receive a brilliant tip to fast-track your dieting potential and keep you going when you need that extra bit of encouragement.With this flexible plan – and these brilliant digital tools at your disposal – we really have made dieting easy.If you want to improve your health and shift a substantial amount of weight, fast – and keep that weight off long-term – this is our most effective programme yet. Advertisement Read more: How to lose weight fast with Dr Michael Mosley | Daily Mail Online Diet Planner - The Mail Food - Restaurants, Recipes, Cooking Instructions - The Mail
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Arina Shokouhi As the climate warms, eating sustainable foods and a plant-based diet are ways to curb carbon emissions. Innovative food alternatives can help consumers to do their part for the planet while still enjoying the tastes and textures of the food they love -- like the "Ecovado" (pictured), an eco-friendly avocado alternative created by UK-based designer and researcher Arina Shokouhi. Look through the gallery to learn more. Arina Shokouhi Made from four simple ingredients grown locally in the UK, Ecovado was created as a low-impact alternative to the resource-intensive avocado -- around 2,000 liters of water are used to grow one kilogram of the fruit. Milly Fletcher Being plant-based means no dairy. But Palace Culture has created a variety of vegan, dairy-free cheeses (pictured) from cashew and almond milk that are sold across the UK. Closely mimicking real cheeses, the selection ranges from brie wheels to feta chunks and even a Roquefort-style moldy cheese. OGGS For those looking for an egg replacement, OGGS has found a solution in a unique liquid: aquafaba, also known as chickpea water. When the aquafaba is whisked, the texture is likened to egg whites and can be used for baking and other recipes like pancakes (pictured). While eggs produce the lowest amount of carbon emissions amongst animal produce, it still takes around 3,265 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of eggs. Impossible Foods In recent years, there have been more plant-based meat alternatives for those who crave the taste and texture. Popular brand Impossible Foods is known for its plant-based "minced beef" and can be found on the menus of many restaurants and chains such as Burger King. MyForest Foods There are many plant-based bacon options on supermarket shelves these days. MyForest Foods makes their plant-based bacon, MyBacon, with mycelium, the root-like structure of mushrooms. Each "bacon" streak contains a whole cut of a mushroom and five other ingredients. Earlier this year, MyBacon received a Mindful Award. Redwan Farooq Some scientists have opted for a different approach to producing animal-free meat. "Lab-grown" meat, like this burger patty made by Mosa Meat, is cultivated by growing animal cells and the texture can be tweaked to desire. According to a report by research consultants CE Delft, cultivated meat technology produces much less greenhouse gas emissions and uses less land and water than traditional meat. Wildtype "Lab-grown" meat doesn't just stop at beef or chicken. California-based Wildtype creates cultivated seafood such as salmon (pictured). Hoping to be the first company to take a cultivated fish to market, the product could help to combat overfishing and while remaining free of microplastics. Sorawut Kittibanthorn Food waste accounts for around 8% to 10% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and designer Sorawut Kittibanthorn has taken the "using the whole animal" concept to new heights with his chicken feather protein, which he has used to create carb-free pasta, wraps and feather nuggets (pictured). Chicken feathers are often a waste product of slaughterhouses, but they are 90% keratin, a protein found in our hair and nails. CNN — Often referred to as “green gold,” the avocado has soared in popularity in recent years. Eleven billion pounds of the fruit are consumed annually around the world according to the World Economic Forum. However, our love of avocados comes at a significant cost to the environment: approximately 2,000 liters of water are used to grow just one kilogram of avocados, while forests are cleared to make space for avocado trees. That’s why London-based researcher and designer Arina Shokouhi decided to develop an eco-friendly avocado alternative. Called the “Ecovado” she hopes it will inspire consumers to think twice before slicing into the fruit for breakfast toast or whipping up the next batch of guacamole. “It can be actually a positive solution and we should just embrace it because we know that we can’t carry on living like this,” says Shokouhi. At first glance, the Ecovado is indistinguishable from the real thing. Made with beeswax and natural food coloring containing spinach and charcoal powders, the Ecovado skin mimics avocado peel. The meat of the alternative fruit is made with four simple ingredients: broad beans as the base, apple for freshness, cold-pressed rapeseed oil for creaminess, and a sprinkle of hazelnut. A whole chestnut or hazelnut is used for the pit. The Ecovado was developed as part of Shokouhi’s Material Futures master’s degree at Central Saint Martins art school. Having come up with the concept at the end of her first year, she forged a collaboration with University of Nottingham food scientist, Jack Wallman, who had studied the molecular properties of avocados to understand what gives them their creamy texture. It took eight months to perfect the recipe, says Shokouhi. Creating a sustainable and appealing avocado substitute was a challenge. “(The) choice of ingredients was very limited to begin with because I want it to be 100% local. That was my first priority,” Shokouhi says, adding that she calls this the “British” version. Shokohui wanted the Evocado to offer the health and environmental benefits that come from eating locally sourced food. Garden peas and broccoli were early recipe contenders, Shokouhi says, but had low local production. Making up the base of the Ecovado, broad beans, also known as fava beans, are relatively easy to grow, with around 740,000 metric tons harvested in the UK each year. However, broad beans are molecularly different to avocados and masking their “bitter smell” was difficult, she says. Ultimately Wallman and his team found ways to balance out the ingredients and create a convincing avocado alternative. While sticking to local ingredients and highlighting plant-based diets are key to reducing carbon emissions, sustainable food production also intersects with complex issues such as land use, ethical sourcing and labor rights, says Dr. Wayne Martindale, associate professor of food insights and sustainability at the UK’s University of Lincoln. Developments in data collection and blockchain technology over the last decade have made the many facets of food production easier to trace and record, he says. Martindale points to the Responsible Commodities Facility which was adopted in 2021 as a commitment to zero deforestation soy cultivation in Brazil. The certification benefits farmers financially while providing assurance to customers. Martindale believes the same could be done for avocados because “people want to know that those avocados have been grown on land that is responsibly managed.” His team are investigating uses for avocado byproducts, including recyclable cutlery made from avocado pits and oils from the peel and pulp for use in lubricants and foods. Rather than omitting imported fruits and vegetables entirely, Martindale believes moderation is a step in the right direction. Shokouhi’s Ecovado shows “incredible creativity,” he says but he questions if the product can scale to become a viable alternative to avocado imports. Since graduating, Shokouhi’s product has had interest from potential investors, she says. While she’s still perfecting the Ecovado, she hopes it will eventually be sold in in supermarkets for a similar price to real avocados. Shokouhi has also experimented with Japanese edamame beans and is intrigued by the idea of producing Ecovado in other countries using different local ingredients in the future. She hopes skeptics will give the Evocado a chance. “The taste maybe is not 100% exactly like avocado,” Shokouhi says, “but that doesn’t matter as an alternative as long as you can have it on your sourdough, and it tastes good and it looks the same and it’s healthy.”
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article Front. Nutr.Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.955024 Elisabetta Camajani1, 2, Alessandra Feraco2, 3, Stefania Proietti4, Sabrina Basciani1, Luigi Barrea5, Andrea Armani2, 3, Mauro Lombardo2, Lucio Gnessi1 and Massimiliano Caprio3, 6* 1Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy 2Department of Human Science and Promotion of Quality of Life, San Raffaele Telematic University, Italy 3Laboratory of Cardiovascular Endocrinology, IRCCS San Raffaele, 00166 Rome, Italy, Italy 4Unit of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, IRCCS San Raffaele, 00166 Rome, Italy, Italy 5Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy, Italy 6Università telematica San Raffaele, Italy Provisionally accepted: The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon. The prevalence of sarcopenic obesity (SO) is increasing worldwide, posing important challenges to public health and national health care system. In subjects with SO, it is essential to reduce body weight preserving lean mass. Lifestyle modification with adequate nutrition and proper physical activity is essential to counteract SO progression. Very Low Calorie Ketogenic Diet (VLCKD) has been indicated for the treatment of SO. To date, the effects of physical training during VLCKD have not been investigated.This pilot study aims to determine the efficacy of VLCKD combined with interval training, compared to a VLCKD alone, on weight loss, improvement of body composition and physical performance in patient with SO.Twenty-four patients with SO, aged between 50 and 70 years, who met the inclusion criteria, accepted to adhere to a VLCKD were enrolled in the study. Twelve patients followed a VLCKD protocol (VLCKD group) and twelve patients followed a VLCKD protocol combined with interval training (IT), twice per week (VLCKD+IT group). Data were collected at baseline and after six-week of treatment. Anthropometric indexes, body composition analysis by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, muscle strength and physical performance analysis were assessed at baseline and at the end.At the end of the study, Body Mass Index, body weight, waist circumference and hip circumference were significantly reduced both in the VLCKD group and in the VLCKD+IT group. Interestingly, a significant improvement of muscle strength and physical performance was observed in both groups. A multiple comparison of delta variations in all parameters between groups was performed. No differences were observed for the majority of anthropometric and biochemical parameters, with the exception of fat free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM): notably, subjects who followed a VLCKD combined with IT preserved FFM (p <0.001) and reduced FM (p = 0.001) to a greater extent than what observed in VLCKD group. Moreover, HDL plasma levels were significantly increased in the VLCKD+IT group compared to the VLCKD group. This pilot study confirms that VLCKD is effective in terms of body weight reduction, particularly FM; moreover, the combination of VLCKD and interval training determined a better preservation of FFM. Keywords: VLCKD, Sarcopenia, physical activity, fat free mass, fat mass Received: 27 May 2022; Accepted: 14 Sep 2022. Copyright: © 2022 Camajani, Feraco, Proietti, Basciani, Barrea, Armani, Lombardo, Gnessi and Caprio. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. * Correspondence: Mx. Massimiliano Caprio, Università telematica San Raffaele, Rome, Italy
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Eating highly processed foods like instant noodles, sugary drinks or frozen meals may be linked to a faster rate of cognitive decline.That's according to new research presented Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego. The study examined the diets and cognition of more than 10,000 middle-aged and older adults in Brazil. The findings, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, showed that participants who got 20% or more of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods — items with few whole ingredients that often contain flavorings, colorings or other additives — saw a faster decline in cognitive performance over six to 10 years than people with little processed food in their diets. The category of food in question includes items like white bread, crackers, cookies, fried snacks, cream cheese, ice cream, candy, soda, hot dogs and other processed meats. These ultra-processed foods make up about 58% of all calories consumed in the U.S., according to a 2016 study. The authors of the new study estimated that in Brazil, that share is closer to 25% or 30%. "Independent of the amount of calories, independent of the amount of healthy food that you try to eat, the ultra-processed food is not good for your cognition," said Claudia Suemoto, an author of the study and assistant professor of geriatrics at the University of Sao Paulo Medical School.Suemoto and her team found in particular that the adults in the study who consumed the most processed food experienced a 25% faster decline in their ability to plan and execute an action — known as "executive function."Similarly, a study published last week found that for every 10% increase in the daily intake of ultra-processed foods, people in the U.K. had a higher 25% risk of developing dementia."The data is incredibly strong that foods that are not part of the Mediterranean diet — foods high in fats and sugar, and now we can add to this list foods that are highly processed — absolutely, positively do contribute to one’s risk of cognitive decline and ultimately dementia," said Andrew Budson, a neurology professor at Boston University who was not involved in the research. The many health risks associated with processed foodSuemoto emphasized that her study didn’t attempt to examine the underlying reasons for cognitive decline, and it does not conclude that consumption of ultra-processed food is a direct cause. Rather, it found a correlation between the two."An increase in the availability and consumption of fast, processed and ultra-processed foods is due to a number of socioeconomic factors, including low access to healthy foods, less time to prepare foods from scratch and inability to afford whole food options," Percy Griffin, director of scientific engagement for the Alzheimer’s Association, said in a statement.Lower socioeconomic status can often mean less access to health care, less time for exercise and more exposure to environmental pollution, all of which also influence physical and cognitive health. But plenty of other research has highlighted the health consequences of processed food consumption, including an elevated risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. "It’s troubling but not surprising to see new data suggesting these foods can significantly accelerate cognitive decline," Griffin said. Budson, who co-authored the book "Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory," said the same mechanism that raises the risk of disease probably increases the chance of dementia as well."When foods are highly processed, the nutrients are delivered into our bloodstream right away ... instead of being broken down slowly and released slowly as our stomach and our intestines digest them," he said.For example, Budson added, a large amount of fat rushing through the bloodstream can clog arteries, which can in turn raise the risk of strokes that impair a person's brain function."There are many studies that show that the largest contribution to cognitive decline from dietary issues is actually cognitive decline related to cerebrovascular disease — that is, related to either mini strokes or outright large strokes," he said.When shopping, check the ingredient listProcessed foods require little preparation and are easy to consume in excess, since they don’t tend to make you as full as whole foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, potatoes, eggs, seafood or meat."I know that sometimes it’s easier to open a package and throw it in the microwave, but in the long run it’s going to cost you some years of life," Suemoto said.If you do buy packaged food, Suemoto recommended checking the ingredients; a longer list typically signals the presence of more additives, she said. That can be true even for items that sound healthy. "A highly processed, frozen veggie burger is not nearly as good for you as eating the fresh vegetables that would go into making up that burger," Budson said.He added that it's never too late to reap some benefits from switching to a healthier diet. But Suemoto said the earlier people start building meals around whole foods, the better."More and more, it's very clear to me that for you to age well, you need to start investing very early — at 35, 40, 45, 50," she said. "Don't wait to be 60 and up to start thinking about dementia, to start thinking about having a healthy heart and a healthy brain."
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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“Lab grown meat, fully autonomous self driving vehicles, robot dogs, AI (or AGI) – it’s all hype. We forget that we are an aspect of reality able to perform certain actions within that reality. We are not creators – in the sense of originators – of reality. Thinking we are would be like a robot in a car factory thinking it could become CEO. There are levels to things, and we are not above nature or outside of it. We are one with it.“
Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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“In response to your Sunday with Sisson article about research. I address that very issue in my book, The Health Contiuum, a realisticea approach to improving your health. I have been working on the book for about 40 years, but hope to finally finish it this year. When I read your article, I thought, that is exactly what I wrote in a section I completed around 1995. It was a bit validating to have someone I respect and admire communicating the same message. Now I just need to get it done. Thanks for all you to help lead a better, healthier life. John Jesse.“
Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods may be linked to an increased risk of developing and dying from cancer, an Imperial-led study suggests.
Researchers from Imperial’s School of Public Health have produced the most comprehensive assessment to date of the association between ultra-processed foods and the risk of developing cancers. Ultra-processed foods are food items which have been heavily processed during their production, such as fizzy drinks, mass-produced packaged breads, many ready meals and most breakfast cereals.
Ultra-processed foods are often relatively cheap, convenient, and heavily marketed, often as healthy options. But these foods are also generally higher in salt, fat, sugar, and contain artificial additives. It is now well documented that they are linked with a range of poor health outcomes including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
"This study adds to the growing evidence that ultra-processed foods are likely to negatively impact our health including our risk for cancer." Dr Eszter Vamos School of Public Health
The first UK study of its kind used UK Biobank records to collect information on the diets of 200,000 middle-aged adult participants. Researchers monitored participants’ health over a 10-year period, looking at the risk of developing any cancer overall as well as the specific risk of developing 34 types of cancer. They also looked at the risk of people dying from cancer.
The study found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a greater risk of developing cancer overall, and specifically with ovarian and brain cancers. It was also associated with an increased risk of dying from cancer, most notably with ovarian and breast cancers.
For every 10 per cent increase in ultra-processed food in a person’s diet, there was an increased incidence of 2 per cent for cancer overall, and a 19 per cent increase for ovarian cancer specifically.
Each 10 per cent increase in ultra-processed food consumption was also associated with increased mortality for cancer overall by 6 per cent, alongside a 16 per cent increase for breast cancer and a 30 per cent increase for ovarian cancer.
These links remained after adjusting for a range of socio-economic, behavioural and dietary factors, such as smoking status, physical activity and body mass index (BMI).
The Imperial team carried out the study, which is published in eClinicalMedicine, in collaboration with researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), University of São Paulo, and NOVA University Lisbon.
Previous research from the team reported the levels of consumption of ultra-processed foods in the UK, which are the highest in Europe for both adults and children. The team also found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a greater risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes in UK adults, and a greater weight gain in UK children extending from childhood to young adulthood.
Dr Eszter Vamos, lead senior author for the study, from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health, said: “This study adds to the growing evidence that ultra-processed foods are likely to negatively impact our health including our risk for cancer. Given the high levels of consumption in UK adults and children, this has important implications for future health outcomes.
“Although our study cannot prove causation, other available evidence shows that reducing ultra-processed foods in our diet could provide important health benefits. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and understand the best public health strategies to reduce the widespread presence and harms of ultra-processed foods in our diet.”
"Our bodies may not react the same way to these ultra-processed ingredients and additives as they do to fresh and nutritious minimally processed foods." Dr Kiara Chang School of Public Health
Dr Kiara Chang, first author for the study, from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health, said: “The average person in the UK consumes more than half of their daily energy intake from ultra-processed foods. This is exceptionally high and concerning as ultra-processed foods are produced with industrially derived ingredients and often use food additives to adjust colour, flavour, consistency, texture, or extend shelf life.
“Our bodies may not react the same way to these ultra-processed ingredients and additives as they do to fresh and nutritious minimally processed foods. However, ultra-processed foods are everywhere and highly marketed with cheap price and attractive packaging to promote consumption. This shows our food environment needs urgent reform to protect the population from ultra-processed foods.”
The World Health Organisation and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation has previously recommended restricting ultra-processed foods as part of a healthy sustainable diet.
There are ongoing efforts to reduce ultra-processed food consumption around the world, with countries such as Brazil, France and Canada updating their national dietary guidelines with recommendations to limit such foods. Brazil has also banned the marketing of ultra-processed foods in schools. There are currently no similar measures to tackle ultra-processed foods in the UK.
Dr Chang added: “We need clear front of pack warning labels for ultra-processed foods to aid consumer choices, and our sugar tax should be extended to cover ultra-processed fizzy drinks, fruit-based and milk-based drinks, as well as other ultra-processed products.
“Lower income households are particularly vulnerable to these cheap and unhealthy ultra-processed foods. Minimally processed and freshly prepared meals should be subsidised to ensure everyone has access to healthy, nutritious and affordable options.”
The researchers note that their study is observational, so does not show a causal link between ultra-processed foods and cancer due to the observational nature of the research. More work is needed in this area to establish a causal link.
'Ultra-processed food consumption, cancer risk and cancer mortality: a large-scale prospective analysis within the UK Biobank' by Kiara Chang et al is published in eClinicalMedicine.
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Conrad Duncan
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Today’s recipe marks the fifth anniversary of my vegan column, and you can slap me with a (rubber) chicken if you don’t think it’s one of the best I’ve written so far. And I could have written it only with the help of others – for instance, the dedicated heads and hands working towards creating a new world of plant-based food, such as vegan dairy, which is now better than ever. This cake is also much better for one reader, chef Matthew Sogorski, who could see I was having issues with getting some ingredients to behave and came to my rescue. As a result, this isn’t just a vegan cheesecake; it’s a celebration of how far we’ve come in the past five years, and a sweet little bite of optimism for how far we might still go.Baked vanilla cheesecakeNot all vegan cheeses are created equal. It’s very important here to use one that’s made with both coconut and soy. I recommend Bute Island’s Sheese, or Tesco or Sainsbury’s own-brand. You’ll need a 20cm springform cake tin and a food processor.Prep 5 minCook 1 hr 10 minChill 5 hr+Makes 1 x 20cm cake, to serve 8100g shelled walnuts100g shelled pistachios30g unsalted vegan butter, melted2 tbsp agave or brown rice syrup⅛ tsp sea salt750g vegan cream cheese – I like Sheese (don’t use Violife: I tried it, and it doesn’t work in this recipe)300g silken tofu, drained (290g drained weight) – I like Clearspring150ml vegan double cream200g caster sugar3 tbsp (30g) cornflour1 lemon, zested1 tsp ground vanilla beans, or 1½ tsp vanilla extractHeat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Cut out a 38cm x 38cm square of greaseproof paper and push it into a 20cm springform cake tin, flattening it against the sides and pressing it down and over the top edge. Put the nuts and melted butter in a food processor, add the syrup and salt, then pulse to a coarse crumb – don’t work it for too long, otherwise it will turn into nut butter. Tip the nut mix into the tin, scraping out the food processor really well, and use the back of a tablespoon to press it evenly all over the base of the tin.Put the vegan cream cheese, tofu, cream, sugar, vanilla, cornflour and lemon zest in the food processor bowl and blitz to a smooth cream. Pour this evenly over the nut base, then bake for 50 minutes, turning the tin once halfway through. After this time, the cheesecake should have some blackened patches on top and a gentle wobble.Remove, leave to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least five hours, or overnight, until properly fridge cold. Slice and serve.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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You can reduce the risk of an early death by nearly 20%, just by eating more foods from four healthy eating patterns, according to researchers who analyzed decades of data collected on more than 119,000 adults.The study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that people who ate the "highest-quality diets" had 20% lower risk of dying early from cancer, cardiovascular illness, and respiratory and neurodegenerative diseases during the study. Notably, the researchers found the link between the healthy eaters and lower risk of death held up across different racial and ethnic groups, including Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White individuals.POTATOES AREN'T ALWAYS BAD FOR YOU — IT'S ALL IN THE PREPARATION, NEW STUDY INDICATESThe "highest-quality diets" included the four dietary pattern indexes (Healthy Eating Index 2015, Alternate Mediterranean Diet, Healthful Plant-based Diet Index, and Alternate Healthy Eating Index). The new study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that people who ate the "highest-quality diets" had 20% lower risk of dying early from certain illnesses. (iStock)All share key components including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, although other components differ across different eating patterns. "Our findings support the recommendations of DGAs [Dietary Guidelines for Americans] for multiple healthy eating patterns for all US individuals with diverse cultural and personal food traditions and preferences," concluded corresponding author Frank B. Hu, M.D., of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. Various legumes and colorful beans — top view. All participants were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer at the beginning of the study. (iStock)The researchers used health data collected over 36 years from two long term studies. The first examined 75,230 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (1984-2020) and the second examined 44,085 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2020). All participants were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer at the beginning of the study. One recommended diet is the Mediterranean diet,<strong> </strong>which stresses eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish and a high amount of olive oil. (iStock)Among both study groups, food-frequency questionnaires were completed every four years (starting in 1984 for the NHS and in 1986 for the HPFS), allowing the researchers to determine how closely 75,230 women and 44,085 men in the two studies adhered to one of four healthy eating patterns: the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015), Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED) score, Healthful Plant-Based Diet Index (HPDI) and Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI). CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTERThe researcher scored participants on how closely they followed four healthy eating styles that are in sync with current U.S. dietary guidelines and used the participants eventually death records to determine any association with eating patterns.People often get bored with one way of eating, Hu explained, "so this is good news. It means that we have a lot of flexibility in terms of creating our own healthy dietary patterns that can be tailored to individual food preferences, health conditions and cultures.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"For example, if you are eating healthy Mediterranean, and after a few months you want to try something different, you can switch to a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, or you can switch to a semi-vegetarian diet," Hu said. "Or you can follow U.S. dietary guidelines and create your own healthy eating plate."The findings were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. Sarah Rumpf is a Fox News Digital Production Assistant. You can reach her on Twitter at @rumpfsarahc
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Is there a key to living a long and healthy life?
A popular answer to this question has looked to so-called Blue Zones, a nonscientific term given to geographic regions where people supposedly have higher longevity, according to a 2016 review published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (opens in new tab).
The longevity hotspot concept was first outlined in a 2004 study published in the journal Experimental Gerontology (opens in new tab). Researchers identified the Italian island of Sardinia as the region with the highest concentration of male centenarians, or people who live to be 100 or older.
Building on this work, National Geographic fellow Dan Buettner and other researchers identified four more longevity hotspots. Although the regions are geographically and culturally distant from one another, these Blue Zones share a lot of characteristics, which may be the key to understanding why their inhabitants tend to live longer, Buettner proposed in his 2008 book "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest."
However, the idea of Blue Zones has been called into question. A 2019 preprint study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, suggested that people in the Blue Zones may not live longer than their counterparts after all. Instead, the high number of recorded supercentenarians, or those much older than 1100, in these regions might be due to poor record keeping or even pension fraud.
If the notion of Blue Zones is iffy, do any of the factors Buettner identified hold up? Some, it turns out, are based on solid science, while others have much less scientific backing. And much of the research suggesting health or longevity benefits from certain lifestyle factors is based on observational evidence, so it's not possible to prove that these lifestyle factors are truly what cause people in these regions to live longer.
Where are the Blue Zones?
In his book, Buettner described five known Blue Zones:
- Icaria: A small Greek island in the Aegean sea
- Ogliastra, Sardinia: A region of an Italian island in the Mediterranean
- Okinawa: An island off the coast of Japan
- Nicoya Peninsula: A peninsula in eastern Costa Rica
- The Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda: A community in the hilly valleys of California
What do the Blue Zones have in common?
According to Buettner, there are nine common features of Blue Zones:
Physical activity: Blue Zone centenarians maintain high levels of physical activity and frequently engage in manual labor. For example, Sardinia's community of shepherds is known to walk more than 5 miles (8 kilometers) a day.
Purpose: Okinawans call it "ikigai," and Nicoyans call it "plan de vida," both of which convey the idea "why I wake up in the morning." This sense of purpose is deemed to be the source of life satisfaction, which contributes to a longer and happier life.
Sleep: Blue Zones centenarians prioritize rest and sleep. For example, Ikarians are known to take midafternoon naps, while the Loma Linda community recognizes the Sabbath, or a day of rest and worship, once a week.
The 80% rule: People living in Blue Zones do not tend to overeat. The name of the rule stems from an old Okinawan mantra spoken before meals, which reminds people to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full.
Plant-based diet: The diet of Blue Zone centenarians is based largely on plants.
Moderate alcohol consumption: Buettner believed that moderate alcohol consumption of some Blue Zone centenarians contributed to their long life span.
Sense of community: Strong community ties promote longevity, according to Buettner. For example, Okinawans are known to create secure social networks that provide financial and emotional support to the community members.
Loved ones first: Strong family ties are the cornerstone of Blue Zones communities. For example, the Seventh Day Adventists live in tight-knit communities where children take care of their aging parents.
Social encouragement: Blue Zones centenarians live in social networks that promote healthy behaviors, thus making it easier to stick to a healthy lifestyle, Buettner suggested.
What science says about the Blue Zones
The science suggests people in the Blue Zones don't necessarily live longer. For instance, while people in Japan have the highest longevity of any country in the world, men in Okinawa don't live as long as their counterparts elsewhere in the country, on average, according to a 2012 study in the journal Gerontology (opens in new tab).
However, some of Buettner's overall conclusions about what factors may increase longevity still hold up. For instance, he argued that lifestyle factors are more important for human longevity than genetics are — a statement largely supported by evidence. According to a 2018 article published in the journal Genetics (opens in new tab), the heritability of human longevity may be as low as 10%, while the National Library of Medicine website MedlinePlus (opens in new tab) suggests that genes contribute about 25% to differences in lifespan between people.
Physical activity
When it comes to physical activity and risk of mortality, the evidence is fairly unanimous: Highly active people are less likely to die prematurely, according to a 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Preventive Medicine (opens in new tab).
Diet
Nutrition has the potential to support healthy longevity, said Annette Creedon, a registered nutritionist and nutrition manager at the British Nutrition Foundation (opens in new tab).
"It is estimated that one in five deaths globally is linked to having a poor diet, and an unhealthy dietary pattern is associated with several chronic conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain cancers," she told Live Science in an email.
Blue Zones are very consistent in the types of foods they include, Creedon said. Common themes include a high intake of plant foods (including fruits, vegetables and whole grains), protein sources (including plant-based proteins, such as legumes, nuts and seeds), and some seafood, poultry, lean meat, low-fat dairy products and unsaturated oils (such as olive oil).
“Studies (opens in new tab) have found that healthy plant-rich dietary patterns are associated with reductions in the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, as well as death from all causes," Creedon said.
Evidence also supports the claim that calorie restriction may promote longevity, according to a 2020 review published in the journal Ageing Research Reviews (opens in new tab). The "80% rule" may improve risk factors involved in the development of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and neurological disorders, the review authors suggested.
Alcohol
Contrary to Buettner's claims, current research indicates that moderate alcohol consumption does not help people live longer. According to a 2016 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (opens in new tab), moderate drinking does not reduce mortality, and low-volume drinkers may appear healthy only because the "abstainers" tend to avoid alcohol because they have other health conditions.
Moreover, contrary to some popular claims, wine does not appear to produce a different mortality rate compared with other types of alcohol, according to a 2011 study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (opens in new tab). And while scientists in the past argued that compounds in wine known as polyphenols may be beneficial for health, there is still a lack of solid evidence that wine polyphenols contribute to a longer life span, according to a 2020 review published in the journal Molecules (opens in new tab).
Psychological well-being
Having a high sense of purpose may help extend a person's life span, according to a 2016 meta-analysis published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine (opens in new tab). Sense of purpose was related to a reduced risk of dying from any cause and a reduced risk of cardiovascular events. However, further research is needed on the mechanisms linking life purpose to health outcomes.
On the flip side, stress and stress-related disorders vastly increase the risk of all-cause mortality, according to a 2022 meta-analysis published in the journal The Lancet (opens in new tab).
However, the notion that daytime napping promotes longevity may not be correct, according to a 2015 meta-analysis published in the journal Sleep (opens in new tab). On the contrary, napping for more than an hour a day is linked to a higher risk of mortality, the researchers found.
Excessive daytime sleepiness could also be a sign of a condition known as hypersomnia. If someone is regularly napping throughout the day but still feeling tired, it is important to speak to a medical professional.
Social connections
Research largely supports Buettner's claim that strong social connections and close community ties promote longevity.
According to a 2010 meta-analysis published in the journal PLOS Medicine (opens in new tab), individuals with stronger social relationships are 50% more likely to live longer than those who lack them. This was calculated as an odds ratio (OR) — the ratio of the chances of an event happening in one group to the chances of the same event happening in the second group. Put another way, an OR of 1.5 means that by the time half of a hypothetical sample of 100 people has died, there will be five more people alive with stronger social relationships than people with weaker social relationships.
The strongest association was found for social integration — a measure of one's engagement in their community. These results were consistent regardless of age, sex, health status or cause of death.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Abstract Trained immunity is an innate immune memory response that is induced by primary microbial or sterile stimuli that sensitizes monocytes and macrophages to a secondary pathogenic challenge, reprogramming the host response to infection and inflammatory disease. Nutritional components, such as dietary fatty acids, can act as inflammatory stimuli, but it is unknown if they can act as the primary stimuli in the context of innate immune memory. Here we find mice fed a diet enriched exclusively in saturated fatty acids (SFAs; ketogenic diet; KD) confer a hyper-inflammatory response to systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and increased mortality, independent of diet-induced microbiome and glycemic modulation. We find KD mediates the composition of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment, and macrophages derived from the bone marrow of mice fed KD do not have altered baseline inflammation, but enhanced responses to a secondary inflammatory challenge. Lipidomics identified enhanced free palmitic acid (PA) and PA-associated lipids in KD-fed mice serum. We found pre-treatment with physiologically relevant concentrations of PA alone reprograms macrophages to induce a hyper-inflammatory response to secondary challenge with LPS. This response was found to be dependent on the synthesis of ceramide, and reversible when treated with a ceramide synthase inhibitor. In vivo, we found systemic PA confers enhanced inflammation and mortality during an acute inflammatory response to systemic LPS, and this phenotype was not reversible for up to 7 days post-PA-exposure. While PA-treatment is harmful for endotoxemia outcome, we find PA exposure enhanced clearance of Candida albicans in Rag1-/- mice. Further, we show that oleic acid (OA), a mono-unsaturated FA that depletes intracellular ceramide, reverses the PA-induced hyper-inflammatory response shown in macrophages treated with LPS, and reduces severity and mortality of LPS endotoxin stimulation, highlighting the plasticity of SFA-dependent enhanced endotoxemia severity in vivo. These are the first data to implicate enriched dietary SFAs, and specifically PA, in the induction of long-lived innate immune memory that is detrimental during an acute inflammatory response, but beneficial for clearance of pathogens. Data availability All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting file. Article and author information Author details Amy L Seufert Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, United States Competing interests The authors declare that no competing interests exist. James W Hickman Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, United States Competing interests The authors declare that no competing interests exist. Ste K Traxler Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, United States Competing interests The authors declare that no competing interests exist. Rachael M Peterson Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, United States Competing interests The authors declare that no competing interests exist. Trent A Waugh Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, United States Competing interests The authors declare that no competing interests exist. Sydney J Lashley VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, United States Competing interests The authors declare that no competing interests exist. Natalia Shulzhenko Department of 9Biomedical Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, United States Competing interests The authors declare that no competing interests exist. Ruth J Napier VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, United States Competing interests The authors declare that no competing interests exist. Funding NIGMS/NIH (R35GM133804) Brooke A Napier The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication. Ethics Animal experimentation: This study was performed in strict accordance with the recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the National Institutes of Health. All of the animals were handled according to approved institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) protocols (#IP00002661 & IP00001903) of Oregon Health & Sciences University and Oregon State University (#5091). All animal experiments were approved by the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) Department of Comparative Medicine or Oregon State University (OSU) Animal Program Office and were overseen by the Institutional Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Reviewing Editor Jos W van der Meer, Radboud University Medical Centre, Netherlands Publication history Received: January 4, 2022 Accepted: October 19, 2022 Accepted Manuscript published: October 20, 2022 (version 1) Copyright This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. Metrics 130 Page views 23 Downloads 0 Citations Article citation count generated by polling the highest count across the following sources: Crossref, PubMed Central, Scopus. Download links A two-part list of links to download the article, or parts of the article, in various formats. Downloads (link to download the article as PDF) Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services) Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools) Amy L Seufert James W Hickman Ste K Traxler Rachael M Peterson Trent A Waugh Sydney J Lashley Natalia Shulzhenko Ruth J Napier Brooke A Napier (2022)Enriched dietary saturated fatty acids induce trained immunity via ceramide production that enhances severity of endotoxemia and clearance of infection eLife 11:e76744. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.76744
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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A new study published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology has found that plant-based diets may be useful in combatting the progression and recurrence of prostate cancer.
Conducted by a team of researchers at the University of California and presented at the 2023 ASCO GU Cancers Symposium, the study indicates that “plant-based dietary patterns are associated with lower risk of PC progression and recurrence, particularly among older men and those who reported a higher intensity walking pace.”
As noted by the study’s abstract, for prostate cancer (PC), individual plant foods (e.g., tomatoes with lycopene) appear to reduce PC incidence and mortality. However, “less is known about plant-based dietary patterns and PC survivorship.”
For the study researchers examined 2,038 men diagnosed with T1-T3a PC who were enrolled in the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) and had completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) a median of 31.5 months post-diagnosis.
“Overall” and “healthy plant-based” dietary indices (PDI and hPDI, respectively,) were calculated from the FFQ. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models estimated adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between plant-based diets and risk of PC progression (recurrence, secondary treatment, bone metastases, or PC death) as the primary outcome, and PC recurrence as a secondary outcome.
Researchers also examined whether age, stage, grade, and walking pace modified associations.
“We observed 204 progression events (169 due to biochemical recurrence) over a median follow up of 7.4 years after the FFQ”, states the study. “Men in the highest quintile of PDI had a 52% lower risk of progression (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.36-0.65, p-trend<0.001) and a 53% lower risk of recurrence (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.32-0.68, p-trend<0.001) compared to men in the lowest quintile.”
Although the hPDI was not associated with PC progression or recurrence overall (p-trend >0.05), “men in the higher quintiles had statistically significant reductions in risk of recurrence.” Among men >65 years, “greater consumption of a healthful plant-based diet was associated with lower risk of PC recurrence (HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.24-0.7, p-trend=0.03). In addition, among those with a brisk/fast walking pace (>3 h/wk), men in the highest PDI quintile had a 56% (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.26, 0.73) lower risk of PC progression, and a 59% (HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.25, 0.68) decrease in risk of PC recurrence.”
Researchers conclude by stating that “This study indicates that plant-based dietary patterns are associated with lower risk of PC progression and recurrence, particularly among older men and those who reported a higher intensity walking pace. PC survivors may be recommended diet and exercise counseling to improve clinical outcomes after PC diagnosis.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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The rate of obesity-related cancers in Australia has almost quadrupled in a few generations, new research suggests.Researchers at the Daffodil Centre, a joint venture of Cancer Council New South Wales and the University of Sydney, analysed the rate of 10 obesity-linked cancers between 1983 and 2017.They found that the incidence of these cancers was 2.95 times higher in the youngest age group – those born in the 1980s and early 90s – compared to those born in the 1940s, and nearly quadruple the rate for people born at the beginning of the 20th century.Epidemiological studies have previously shown a link between the 10 conditions – colorectal, liver, gallbladder, pancreatic, uterine, ovarian, kidney, thyroid and postmenopausal breast cancers, as well as multiple myeloma – and obesity. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning The figures came from the Australian Cancer Database, which documented 1,005,933 obesity-linked cancer diagnoses in Australians aged 25 to 84 over three and a half decades from 1983.“The increase in obesity-related cancers has aligned with increases in obesity rates,” said the study co-author Clare Hughes, who chairs the Cancer Council Australia’s nutrition, alcohol and physical activity committee.The researchers did not see the same significant increases in the rates of malignancies unrelated to obesity, which included lung, prostate, bladder and brain cancers.Nearly two-thirds of the obesity-related cases diagnosed were breast cancer in postmenopausal women and colorectal – bowel – cancer.“We are unable to claim that changing trends are solely a result of overweight and obesity,” the researchers wrote, emphasising that the observational study could not definitively infer cause and effect. “However, we know that overweight and obesity is an influential risk factor for these cancer types and, at least in part, is driving these changes.”Australia has the sixth-highest proportion of overweight or obese people aged 15 and older in the OECD. Obesity rates have increased from 19% in 1995 to 31% in 2017–18, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data.Hughes noted body mass index (BMI) was more useful as a population measure to determine weight categories than for dictating an individual’s health status and risk. “Not every person who has excess weight or is obese is going to develop cancer,” she said.The study’s findings highlighted an urgent need to stem further rises in preventable cancer rates, Hughes said. “It’s something that we can’t ignore and something that we must address.”Hughes called on federal, state and territory governments to implement the recommendations of the national obesity strategy, which was released in March this year.The research was published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Pret A Manger launches its first vegan cheese sandwiches - including a plant-based ploughman's baguette and meat-free 'nduja toasted focacciaPret A Manger has expanded vegan offerings in time for Veganuary this monthFor the first time, it is adding two dairy-free cheese sandwiches to its menu They include a plant-based ploughman's baguette and 'nduja foccacia READ MORE: McDonald's to launch new Double McPlant vegan burger featuring two plant-based patties Published: 11:24 EST, 10 January 2023 | Updated: 11:24 EST, 10 January 2023 Pret A Manger has announced it will be launching its first vegan cheese sandwiches this month - in time for Veganuary.The new options, which the eatery says are aimed at vegans, flexitarians or those looking to try new tastes, will launch in Pret stores across the UK from tomorrow (January 11).Hitting the shelves are the Spicy No’duja Toasted Focaccia and the Plant Based Ploughman’s Baguette.Both of the sandwiches contain dairy-free Violife slices, marking the first time the chain has used a cheese alternative in its offerings. Pret A Manger is launching two new vegan sandwiches which will be available in its stores from tomorrow (pictured: the Plant Based Ploughman's Baguette)Pret says its new toastable focaccia boasts mushroom No’duja, red pesto, red pepper, fresh basil leaves and Violife’s Smoky Cheddar Slices inside the rosemary bread.Meanwhile its plant-based ploughman features the cheese slices alongside spicy chipotle ketchup, Pret pickle chutney, roasted tomatoes, sliced red onions, and a salad mix.According to the sandwich chain, the vegan cheese slices have a hickory smoky rind, and are free from dairy, lactose, soya, gluten and preservatives.Simon Lawrence, Head of Violife Professional, Northern Europe, said: 'We're excited to announce that Pret A Manger's new 2023 menu will include Violife's vegan alternatives to cheese in two new vegan products. The sandwich chain is also adding the vegan Spicy No’duja Toasted Focaccia to its menu. It will be available from tomorrow'100 per cent plant based, the tasty Violife Smoky Cheddar Slices mean all Pret stores will have more options for all dietary requirements when on the go or grabbing a bite to eat with friends, whilst enjoying the delicious tastes and textures they expect from Pret's range.'Pret joins a range of big name brands which have brought out major new vegan launches this month.Among them is McDonalds, which released its Double McPlant burger last week. The supersize burger, which launched in all restaurants across the UK and Ireland from January 4, boasts two vegan patties from plant-based brand Beyond Meat. McDonald's has launched a new vegan burger - the Double McPlant (pictured) which boasts two plant-based patties from Beyond MeatMcDonald's says its extra large new sandwich is for vegans, flexitarians and meat-eaters alike to enjoy, and features a sesame bun, mustard, ketchup, sandwich sauce, fresh onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato and vegan cheese that 'tastes just like [its] iconic cheese slices'. It is vegan certified and cooked separately from other McDonald’s burgers and sandwiches, using dedicated utensils. The chain's latest development follows the launch of its McPlant burger, which the brand says took three years to develop, and has 'proved wildly successful with customers' since its launch in September 2021. Heinz has expanded its range, adding two veganised versions of classic recipes, including an animal ingredient-free Creamy Tomato Soup (pictured)Another notable vegan launch this month has been Heinz's new versions of its traditional tomato soup and beans with sausages. According to the canned food giant, its new plant-based offerings - which are available in Sainsbury's via Ocado - boast the same flavour as their traditional counterparts, but without any animal-derived ingredients.It says the release follows calls made by 'numerous fans' over the years, as plant-based diners requested vegan versions they too could enjoy. Read moreAre 'healthy' posh crisps anything but? With up to 588 calories a bag, they're the party snack you may regret Heinz launches vegan versions of its classic cream of tomato soup and baked beans with sausages My new year dinner fit for a MasterChef: Nikita's the new champion of TV's toughest cookery show. But there's only one critic who really matters — her mum. Here they present a showstopping feast they promise is as easy as pie to make Advertisement
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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The keto diet may have achieved mainstream popularity as a weight-loss strategy, but it has also piqued the interest of athletes looking to optimize performance as well as body composition.
As you might imagine, this has caused no small amount of pearl-clutching in sports circles. Keto diets require you to strictly limit carb intake—the antithesis of the standard sports nutrition advice.Fueling strength workouts and endurance training sessions without loading up on carbs?! Is it even possible? Safe?
I can personally attest to the power of switching from being an obligate carb-burner to a fat-burning beast. Likewise, I could point to many examples of high-performing athletes who eat a low-carb or keto diet (at least sometimes throughout the year) with great success. There’s KetoGains cofounder Luis Villasenor and “Keto Savage” Robert Sykes—both impressive physical specimens whose physiques are walking answers to the question, “Can you build muscle on keto?” (Yes.) Record-breaking ultrarunner Zach Bitter and Ironman champions Dave Scott and Jan van Berkel use ketogenic and low-carb diets to enhance their training. Virta Health founder Sami Inkinen and his wife Meredith Loring rowed a small boat from San Francisco to Hawaii—2,400 miles in 45 days—on ultra low-carb, high-fat selections like dehydrated beef, salmon, and vegetables, along with fruit, nuts, and olive oil.
But these are all anecdotes. Maybe these athletes are just freaks of nature (and they’re probably blessed with genetic gifts). Just because THEY can do it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s possible for every athlete, nor that it’s advantageous for athletes to limit their carb intake… but I think it is. Or at least it can be.
Here’s why.
Why Should Athletes Consider Trying Keto?
Five good reasons to think about doing a Keto Reset if you’re serious about your sport:
1. Being fat-adapted will benefit every athlete, regardless of sport, competitive ambition, and current fitness level.
I’ve long preached the benefits of becoming fat-adapted for athletes:
Access to nearly unlimited energy stores in the form of body fat
Less reliance on carb refeedings before and after exercise
Less reliance on sugary fuels like gels during prolonged workouts, which are a common source of gastrointestinal distress
Often improved body composition
However, many athletes and coaches alike still worship at the altar of carbs. For decades, conventional wisdom has preached that fat is the preferred fuel at low-level, aerobic exercise intensities but that glucose burning predominates once you hit intensities around 60 percent of VO2max. (An imperfect proxy for that is the point at which breathing through your nose only would start to become difficult—a moderate-to-brisk jog for many people.)
Furthermore, say the physiology textbooks, once you hit the upper levels of effort of 85 or 90 percent VO2max, you’re basically burning only glucose. Thus, athletes “need” carbs if they want to go fast or hard. If you don’t eat carbs before, during, and after exercise, you can’t be competitive and won’t reach your full potential. Or so the story goes.
However, more recent studies have called that paradigm into question. Take Jeff Volek and colleagues’ landmark 2016 FASTER study, which looked at elite male ultrarunners and triathletes who had been doing keto for two years on average.1 Compared to similarly trained and fit athletes eating a typical carb-fest, the keto athletes were twice as efficient at burning fat for fuel. They burned more fat at higher exercise intensities than was supposed to be humanly possible. These guys were topping out around 1.5 g/min, whereas the peak fat oxidation rate was thought to be closer to 1 g/min. (Although Stephen Phinney, an author on this paper, had documented the same peak fat oxidation of ~1.5 g/min in keto-adapted cyclists three decades earlier.2)
In short, these guys were the definition of fat-burning beasts, yet—and this is key—their performance on endurance tests was the same as their carb-fueled counterparts. Plus, muscle biopsies showed that both groups had comparable levels of stored muscle glycogen. That means that the fat-fueled athletes did have access to glucose when and if they needed it.
Lest you think the FASTER study was a one-off, a dozen or more other studies have likewise found that when athletes adopt a low-carb, ketogenic diet, their ability to burn fat skyrockets, even at exercise intensities well above the aerobic threshold.3 In short, the evidence is clear: fat is a viable fuel for athletes—with other clear benefits, like…
2. More, and more efficient, mitochondria.
You don’t have to eat a strict ketogenic diet to train your body to use fat for fuel, although it sure does help. The lower your habitual carb intake, the less insulin your pancreas will be releasing on a 24-hour basis (lower insulin AUC, or area under the curve). Fewer carbs plus less insulin equals more fatty acids in circulation, which leads to more fat (and ketones) being used for energy.
To utilize those fatty acids and ketones, you need more, and more efficient, mitochondria. Mitochondria are the cellular organelles where fat is metabolized to ATP, the body’s energy currency. Two things that reliably spur mitochondrial biogenesis (the creation of new mitochondria) and make existing mitochondria work better? Exercise and ketogenic diets.45
3. Faster recovery? Yes, please.
I’ve already said that breaking free of the sugar train enhances recovery, a phenomenon that I experienced myself as an athlete. Once I went Primal, the aches and pains I considered an inevitable part of elite-level training virtually disappeared. Countless readers have reported the same over the years. I always chalked that up to a Primal diet being less inflammatory than the Standard American Diet—fewer gut-busting grains, more omega-3s, that sort of thing. That’s true, but there’s more to the story. Ketones also have direct anti-inflammatory properties.
4. Athletes benefit from not carrying around excess body fat.
Keto is a highly effective tool for losing excess fat while protecting lean mass.67 Protein and fat, the core macronutrients of a keto diet, are highly satiating, and ketones themselves tend to suppress appetite. Weight loss can feel almost effortless. This can also become a double-edged sword for athletes, though, for whom proper fueling is paramount. More on this later.
5. All those general health perks.
Let’s not ignore all the other good stuff that happens when you regulate blood sugar and insulin, reduce inflammation, and provide your brain with ketones. For athletes who are trying to train their bodies into well-oiled machines, these can be especially appreciable.
In one study, researchers asked ten highly trained male runners to do a month of keto and a month of eating a typical high-carb diet.8 Three of the athletes had fasting blood glucose in a prediabetic range to start despite being lean and fit. These three also had the most profound response to the ketogenic diet condition, showing the greatest drops in blood glucose and the highest rates of fat oxidation.
In another small pilot study, five athletes did keto for ten weeks. Despite a few hiccups, by the end, “athletes were keen to pursue a modified low-carbohydrate, high-fat eating style moving forward due to the unexpected health benefits [enhanced well-being, … improved recovery, improvements in skin conditions and reduced inflammation] they experienced.”9
Does Keto Improve or Impair Endurance?
All these arguments in favor of keto are all well and good, but some athletes are mostly interested in the bottom line: finishing time and whether they nab a spot on the podium. These folks are taking a bigger gamble by switching up the tried and true carb fueling paradigm in favor of fat—or are they?
Rumor on the streets is that keto hurts high-end power and endurance. Without carbs, you can’t eke out that last little bit that can spell the difference between a top-10 finish or a middle-of-the-pack time. But the data don’t actually back that up. In controlled research studies comparing high-fat, low-carb (HFLC) diets to low-fat, high-carb (LFHC) diets, high-carb sometimes outperforms keto, and keto sometimes outperforms high-carb;10 but the bulk of the evidence finds little difference. One 2021 review, for example, concluded that the two diets were equivalent in 10 out of the 13 studies they analyzed. 11
Other recent reviews reach similar conclusions. Furthermore, the minority of studies that show decrements on keto usually measure endurance performance via brief time to exhaustion tests (Wingate tests, which if you’ve ever tried one, you know are brutal) or repeat sprints. That doesn’t really reflect the type of endurance the average “endurance athlete” is going for. They’re grinding out sessions that take an hour, two hours, half a day at 60 or 70 percent VO2 max, maybe even less. Realistically, most everyday endurance athletes rarely or never reaching for that top-end power anyway.
Why then did keto get a reputation for being “bad” for endurance athletes? Probably because keto-adaptation takes time. Energy, performance, and “oomph” often tank for the first month or two. After that, if you tough it out, energy and performance rebound, and keto athletes do just as well as sugar-fueled athletes.1213 I suspect many athletes quit before the magic happens.
Can You Build and Maintain Muscle on Keto?
Ok, you’re thinking, keto might work for endurance athletes, but what about strength athletes? Is it possible to get strong and ripped without a ton of carbs?
Unequivocally yes, you can build and maintain muscle on keto. Study after study comparing keto to conventional high-carb diets finds no meaningful difference between the two provided that you (1) eat enough food overall, (2) eat sufficient protein to hit your leucine threshold and provide the necessary amino acid building blocks, and (3) deliver the appropriate stimulus in the form of lifting heavy things.141516
Mistakes Athletes Make When Trying Keto
Clearly, it’s possible to be strong and have excellent cardiovascular and muscular endurance without shoveling hundreds of grams of carbs down your gullet each day. Still, I hear from athletes all the time who are struggling in training and competition after going keto. Almost universally, this is a problem with execution, not due to any inherent inferiority with keto itself. These are the most common mistakes I see:
Mistake #1: Not eating enough
Carb restriction and caloric restriction often go hand-in-hand, whether intentionally or not. While you can rely on body fat to make up a deficit, there’s a limit to how much you want to draw on those reserves, especially if you’re already lean.
Mistake #2: Not supplementing electrolytes
Nine times out of ten, when an athlete complains about headaches, low energy, muscle fatigue, cramps, or brain fog, they need more electrolytes. Sodium especially, but also potassium and magnesium.
Mistake #3: Not giving it enough time to work
Many of the most-cited studies supposedly showing that keto “hurts performance” or “doesn’t work” for athletes have ludicrously short adaptation periods—like less than a week. It takes minimally three to four weeks for the process to really get going. Athletes, who require a lot of energy to sustain their training, may need several months to feel totally normal again.17
Mistake #4: Going keto at the wrong time
Because it takes time to adapt, I recommend that athletes who are brand new to keto, or who have been away for a long time, save a Keto Reset for the off-season. Wait until you can reduce the volume and/or intensity of your training as needed. Don’t completely switch up your diet a month before your A race. You will almost certainly regret it.
Mistake #5: Fearing carbs
Carbs are not the enemy here. I’ve said over and overagain that athletes who “burn and earn” carbs can and should replenish them—but that they should opt for Primal carb sources, and they should, in my opinion, strive to find the minimum effective dose that supports their training load (even if they choose to exceed it sometimes).
While a more sedentary person typically needs to limit intake to 30 to 50 grams of carbs per day to stay in ketosis, hard-charging athletes can probably consume several times that. They’ll still spend much of their time in ketosis because those carbs are used for fuel immediately during their workouts and for replenishing glycogen stores after.
To find your personal carb tolerance, use a blood or breath meter to measure your ketones at different carb intakes.
Mistake #6: Adding back carbs too soon
Hard-charging athletes might ultimately prefer a targeted or cyclical keto approach where they titrate carbs up or down depending on the volume or intensity of their current training cycle. In fact, many successful “low-carb” elite athletes reportedly consume hundreds of grams of carbs per day when they’re really pushing their training. While that might sound like a lot, it’s still considerably less than their conventional peers who might consume two, three, even four times that amount. It’s all relative. Plus, low-carb athletes might still be in ketosis even consuming a couple hundred grams of carbs per day since they are regularly depleting glycogen.
I have no problems with using carbs strategically, but I recommend waiting until you’re fully keto-adapted and feeling “normal” again on keto before experimenting with a targeted or cyclical keto approach. Otherwise, you’re just delaying the adaptation process.
What about Female Athletes? Can Keto Work for Them?
Yes, but with caveats.
Premenopausal females’ bodies are more attuned to dietary restriction, and relative energy deficiency is already a significant problem for high-level female athletes. I’d exercise caution here. Female athletes who are interested in keto must be very conscious of their overall food intake and be alert for signs that they are restricting too much. These include decreased energy or motivation to train, sleep issues, hair loss, or menstrual irregularities.
For the same reason, I wouldn’t recommend that (premenopausal) female athletes also engage in intermittent fasting alongside carbohydrate restriction. Choose one or the other.
The Bottom Line
The majority of the evidence finds keto to be just as effective for endurance and strength athletes as a conventional high-carb diet. Plus, with keto, you get all the anti-inflammatory, fat-burning, recovery-supporting perks.
Yes, there is a chance that you might lose some of your maximal power, speed, or strength, especially during the adaptation period. For most people, that seems a worthy sacrifice. The vast majority of people who toe the starting line of a half marathon or ironman triathlon aren’t there to win. They want to finish in a time that is respectable for them and not be totally wrecked after. Unless you’re being paid to be at the absolute top of your game, competing with the best of the best in a sport demanding all-out strength or speed, trading a little bit of top-end power for all the benefits of being a fat-burning beast is a good deal. Nay, a great deal.
When you feel better, sleep better, and recover more quickly, you’re also able to train more efficiently. It’s that much easier to motivate yourself to lace up your shoes and get out there. Everything feels easier and more enjoyable. Isn’t that what you ultimately want? To enjoy your sport? I know there are some masochistic athletes out there who are in it for the pain and the grind, but I think most of you are in it for fun, health, and camaraderie with other athletes.
And remember, you don’t need to be keto full time to reap the benefits.
Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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When it comes to losing weight there’s plenty of good science to show the advantages of doing it fast. Not only does rapid weight loss trigger dramatic health improvements, but the tumbling numbers on your bathroom scales provide excellent motivation to drive you towards your goal.Over the last ten years I’ve been honing and perfecting an impressively effective diet plan with my wife Dr Clare Bailey right by my side, creating deliciously simple and extremely healthy recipes to keep you on track. You might be familiar with the concept of 5:2, and with Fast 800, but the newest and most scientifically robust incarnation is the Fast 800 Keto which combines the best elements of both with a powerful ‘turbo button’ which flicks your body into fat-burning mode and silences hunger pangs. The secret lies in that very simple word: keto. We discovered that by restricting calorie intake to 800- 900 per day you gain the widely known health benefits of ‘fasting’. But if you ensure your calorie allowance includes plenty of protein (meat, fish, eggs and cheese), healthy fats (olive oil, nuts) and not many carbohydrates, you can also create the ideal conditions for your body to go into a state of ‘ketosis’. This is when it releases compounds from your fat stores and converts them into chemicals called ketones which can be used as fuel. Amazingly, ketosis doesn’t just mean you’re burning fat , it also promotes the release of hunger suppressing hormones. Dr Michael Mosley has combined the best elements of both his Fast 800 and 5:2 diets to turbo-charge your weight loss. In an exclusive extract from his wife Dr Clare Bailey's new book he reveals all (pictured together) It’s a double win! Many classic ketogenic diets have been horribly austere and unhealthy, but you can see from Clare’s recipes here that you really can enjoy nourishing meals – even the occasional dessert – while still activating that keto turbo button and shifting the pounds fast.To get you started, you’ll find a tempting selection of recipes based on the super-healthy principles of the Mediterranean diet. You can be confident you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs – plus some wholegrains, beans, lentils, and fruit – without putting your diet at risk. You can be confident you’ll get the nutrients your body needs, without putting your diet at risk This new programme not only puts you into ketosis faster than a normal keto diet, but is also, I believe, healthier and more sustainable. On the rapid weight-loss phase of the plan (stage one) you can expect to the plan for 2-12 weeks, depending on how much you want to lose. But you also have the option of moving to stage two which means picking anything from two to five consecutive days a week to ‘fast’ like you do in stage one, but easing into a lowish-carb Mediterranean-style diet on the other days (without having to count calories). We have found this works really well if you ‘fast’ Monday to Friday, then enjoy a more relaxed approach over the weekend, snapping back into ketosis each Monday morning. And when you do reach your target weight, you can stay slim long-term by sticking to the lowishcarb Mediterranean style of eating and throwing in the occasional ‘fast’ day to keep things on track – which is precisely what I do! With this flexible plan, we really have made dieting easy. If you want to improve your health and shift a substantial amount of weight, fast – and keep that weight off longterm – this is our most effective programme yet.CHECK WITH YOUR GP FIRST Medical note: rapid weight loss does not suit everyone. If you have a significant underlying medical condition, are on insulin, have Type 2 diabetes and are on medication, are on blood pressure medication, have moderate or severe retinopathy, have epilepsy or gallstones, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, please talk to your doctor before going on this diet. It is not suitable for teenagers, or people with a history of an eating disorder, who have a psychiatric illness, are unwell, underweight or doing endurance exercise. HOW THE NEW FAST 800 KETO DIET WORKS STAGE ONE The Very Fast 800 Enjoy two or three meals totalling 800-900 calories per day for 2-12 weeks (depending on how much weight you want to lose). STAGE TWO The New 5:2 ‘Fast’ (enjoy two or three meals totalling 800-900 calories) on 2 to 5 consecutive days per week. On ‘non-fasting’ days, enjoy a more relaxed but portion-controlled approach, adding wholegrain carbs and eating within a 10-12 hour window. STAGE THREE The Way of life No need for calorie counting, but enjoy a healthy lowish-carb Med-style diet, a 10-hour eating window, and dip into one or two ‘fast’ days if your weight creeps up. BREAKFASTVEG AND EGG BREAKFAST BAKE: UNDER 300 CALORIES This remarkably versatile dish works well for breakfast, lunch or supper. It can be served hot or cold, can be eaten at home or on the go and will keep for a couple of days in the fridge. Serve with a light salad, if you like. SERVES 2 ● PREP 10 MINS ● COOK 15 MINS ● PER SERVING 276CALS ● PROTEIN 21.8G ● CARBS 6.2G The rule of 50 By following our recipes, you can be confident all your nutritional needs will be met. But if you want to create your own meals, go into ketosis and lose weight fast, you need to be eating at least 50g of protein and less than 50g of carbohydrates per day (keeping total calories to 800-900). 2 small red or yellow peppers, deseeded and finely chopped 2 spring onions, finely chopped 80g fresh spinach, roughly chopped 4 medium free-range eggs 1tsp harissa (optional) 60g ricotta Salt and freshly ground black pepper 40g feta cheese Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a 20cm square baking dish with baking parchment. Place the peppers, spring onions and spinach in a heatproof bowl, add 1tbsp water, cover and microwave for 3 minutes. Tip into a sieve to drain off any liquid. Whisk the eggs, harissa (if using) and ricotta in a bowl until combined. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the steamed veg to the egg mixture, stir well to combine and transfer to the prepared dish. Crumble the feta cheese over the top and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until set. NON-FAST DAY Add a few unpeeled, cooked baby potatoes to the egg mixture before baking, or serve with 2-3tbsp wholegrain rice, quinoa or bulgur wheat alongside for lunch. BAKED EGGS IN PEPPERS: UNDER 300 CALORIES Red peppers are the perfect, juicy container for cooking eggs – here, they are enticingly flavoured with chorizo and melted mozzarella. For a more filling meal, serve on top of a large handful of bitter leaves, such as rocket, watercress or spinach. SERVES 2 ● PREP 5 MINS ● COOK 20 MINS ● PER SERVING 242cals ● PROTEIN 16.2g ● CARBS 3.2g 1 medium red pepper, halved and deseeded 2 medium free-range eggs 75g grated mozzarella 15g chorizo, sliced into 4 A pinch of dried oregano or thyme (optional) ½tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and lightly oil a baking tray. Place the pepper halves cut-side-up on the prepared tray and roast in the oven for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the pepper halves from the oven and crack an egg into each one. Top with the grated mozzarella, sliced chorizo, herbs (if using) and a drizzle of olive oil. Return to the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and turning golden. NON-FAST DAY Enjoy a double portion or serve with a slice of sourdough or wholemeal bread, or add 2-3tbsp of quinoa. LUNCH MICHAEL’S MEDITERRANEAN STIR-FRY: UNDER 500 CALORIES An (almost) one-pan meal, featuring Michael’s favourite secret ingredient chorizo, with its warm, smoky flavour that can transform just about anything. SERVES 2 ● PREP 10 MINS ● COOK 5 MINS ● PER SERVING 449cals ● PROTEIN 20.8G ● CARBS 21.7G 1 small head of broccoli, cut into small florets and stalks diced ½ a medium onion, peeled and diced 30g chorizo, diced 2tbsp olive oil 4tbsp cold, cooked quinoa or bulgur wheat 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 8 cherry tomatoes, halved 100g feta cheese, diced or crumbled Salt and freshly ground black pepper A pinch of chilli flakes (optional) Place the broccoli in a large pan of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking water. Place the onion, chorizo and oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is softened. Add the quinoa or bulgur wheat, drained broccoli, garlic and tomatoes and heat through. Add 1tbsp of the broccoli cooking water, to loosen. Scatter the feta cheese over the top and season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of chilli flakes, if using. NON-FAST DAY Enjoy a bigger portion and drizzle with some extra olive oil. WARM ORANGE AND WALNUT SALAD WITH HALLOUMI: UNDER 500 CALORIES Fruit – particularly lower sugar varieties such as hard pears, apples, oranges and berries – is an important part of our diet, but is best eaten with or straight after a meal, as this dramatically reduces the sugar spike. Here the orange not only creates a superb sweet and tangy flavour in contrast to the bitter salad leaves, but also delivers much-needed nutrients and fibre. SERVES 2 ● PREP 15 MINS ● COOK 5 MINS ● PER SERVING 449CALS ● PROTEIN 19.4G ● CARBS 7.6G 30g walnuts or pecans 115g halloumi, diced 1tbsp olive oil 40g rocket 2 heads of red chicory, leaves removed and each sliced into 3 1 medium orange, skin and pith removed, thinly sliced COOK'S TIP You can use regular oranges but red blush oranges, when they’re in season, add a little extra magic to this recipe! For the Dijon dressing 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1tbsp cider vinegar 1tsp wholegrain or smooth Dijon mustard Salt and freshly ground black pepper Start by making the dressing. Whisk all the ingredients together until emulsified. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toast the walnuts or pecans in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Set aside. Use the same pan to fry the halloumi in the oil over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until just starting to turn golden brown. Toss the rocket and chicory in the dressing and divide between two plates. Top with the halloumi, orange slices and toasted nuts to serve. NON-FAST DAY Serve a double portion with 2-3 tablespoons cooked wholegrainsy. HALLOUMI SKEWERS WITH COLESLAW: UNDER 400 CALORIES Halloumi, unlike most other cheeses, remains firm when fried or griddled and browns beautifully, making it ideal to add flavour and protein to kebabs. SERVES 4 ● PREP 15-20 MINS ● COOK 7-10 MINS ● PER SERVING 322CALS ● PROTEIN 16.8G ● CARBS 9.8G SIMPLE COLESLAW A coleslaw like this will sit alongside multiple different meals and will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. The English mustard can be replaced by Dijon, if you prefer. SERVES 4 ● PREP 10-15 MINS ● PER SERVING 87CALS ● PROTEIN 2.5G ● CARBS 5.6G 2tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt 1½tbsp full-fat mayonnaise 1tbsp English mustard ¼ of a white cabbage, finely sliced¼ of a red cabbage, finely sliced Mix the yoghurt, mayonnaise and mustard together in a large bowl. Add the sliced cabbages and toss together to coat thoroughly. 1 x 225g pack of halloumi, cut into 12 1 small courgette, cut into 12 1 small red pepper, deseeded and cut into 12 ½ a red onion, peeled and cut into 12 1½tbsp olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 batch of Simple Coleslaw Soak 4 wooden skewers in cold water for 10 minutes. Divide the ingredients between the skewers and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with a small pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a griddle pan over a high heat and, when hot, add the skewers and cook on each side until the veggies are slightly charred and the halloumi is soft. Serve with the coleslaw alongside. NON-FAST DAY Double the portion size and serve with 2-3tbsp cooked wholegrains, such as quinoa, bulgur wheat or brown rice. SRIRACHA PRAWN COCKTAIL PROTEIN WRAP: UNDER 300 CALORIES These high-protein wraps are a great vehicle for all sorts of delicious fillings, and seamlessly replace carb-heavy sandwiches. SERVES 2 ● PREP 5-7 MINS ● cook 5 MINS ● PER SERVING 253CALS ● PROTEIN 18.9G ● CARBS 6.6GFor the protein wraps 2 medium free-range eggs 1tbsp wholegrain flour 10g Parmesan, finely grated 50g frozen spinach, defrosted and excess liquid squeezed out Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1tsp olive oil 150g cooked and peeled prawns ½ a small avocado, peeled, stoned and roughly chopped (approx 50g prepared weight) A squeeze of lime 50g cucumber, diced For the Sriracha Yoghurt Dressing COOK'S TIP Frozen cooked prawns can be used, but defrost first and drain off excess water. The wrap batter will keep for a day in the fridge. 2tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt 1tbsp full-fat mayonnaise1½tbsp sriracha (hot sauce, from supermarkets) To make the wraps, blitz the eggs, flour, Parmesan and spinach with a stick blender until smooth. Season. Swirl ½tsp of the oil in a non-stick frying pan and place over a medium heat. Pour in half the batter and tilt the pan to spread out. Fry for 45-60 seconds, then flip over. Fry for a further 30 seconds, then transfer to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Mix all the ingredients for the Sriracha Yoghurt Dressing together in a small bowl. Mix the prawns with the dressing and season. Toss the avocado with a squeeze of lime juice. Divide the prawns and avocado between 2 wraps, scatter with cucumber and serve. DINNERCHINESE PORK BALLS IN MUSHROOM MISO BROTH: UNDER 400 CALORIES Meatballs always make hugely satisfying comfort food, and in this keto-friendly recipe they are bursting with savoury flavours and a hint of heat. SERVES 2 ● PREP 10-15 MINS ● COOK 15 MINS ● PER SERVING 308CALS ● PROTEIN 28.6G ● CARBS 7.5G 250g pork mince 15g fresh root ginger, peeled and coarsely grated 1tsp chilli flakes 5g fresh coriander, finely chopped 2tsp sesame oil For the broth 100g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped 1tsp olive oil 2tbsp white miso 2tbsp soy sauce 1 pak choi, leaves roughly chopped 1 spring onion, finely chopped Go wild for veg Aim to pile at least half your plate with non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, kale, pak choi, courgettes, aubergines and broccoli, or salad. These are so low in calories and provide such vital, gut-friendly fibre that they can be eaten freely. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Combine the pork, ginger, chilli, coriander and sesame oil in a bowl and mix well with your hands. Squeeze tightly to help bind the meat together. Shape into 16 balls, each the size of a large cherry, and place on the prepared baking tray. Cook in the oven for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, make the broth. Place the mushrooms and oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and fry for 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in the miso and soy, then add 600ml water. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer very gently. A few minutes before the pork balls are ready, add the pak choi to the broth. Simmer for 1 minute. Sprinkle in the spring onion, add the pork balls and serve at once. NON-FAST DAY Add soba or other wholegrain noodles to the broth. SALMON, GINGER AND CORIANDER FISH CAKES WITH SOY AND LIME: UNDER 300 CALORIES Fresh and clean in flavour – without a starchy coating – these fish cakes need little more than some lettuce leaves on the side (peppery rocket works well) to make a great lunch. A generous plate of steamed greens will make them into a delicious dinner. SERVES 2 ● PREP 15 MINS ● COOK 4 MINS ● PER SERVING 259CALS ● PROTEIN 17.2G ● CARBS 3.4G 150g salmon fillet, skin removed 10g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated 5g fresh coriander, finely chopped 1 level tbsp ground almonds Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1tbsp olive oil 2tbsp soy sauce Juice of ½ a lime (approx 1tbsp) Place the salmon on a clean work surface and, using a very sharp knife, chop finely. The salmon should be slightly paste-like, but still have small chunks. Transfer the salmon to a bowl and add the ginger, coriander and ground almonds. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix until thoroughly combined. Shape into 4 small patties, squeezing each one between the palm of your hands to make sure it is tightly packed together. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and fry the fish cakes for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a sheet of kitchen roll to mop up the excess oil. Meanwhile, mix the soy sauce and lime juice together in a dipping bowl and serve alongside the fish cakes. NON-FAST DAY Increase the portion size and/or serve with wholegrain noodles or 2-3tbsp cooked wholegrain rice. BEETROOT TZATZIKI WITH ROASTED AUBERGINE AND BAKED SALMON: UNDER 500 CALORIES This vibrant dish, bursting with colour, texture and flavour, deserves to be celebrated on a platter! SERVES 2 ● PREP 15 MINS ● COOK 30 MINS ● PER SERVING 494CALS ● PROTEIN 30.9G ● CARBS 18.5G1 aubergine, cut into 2cm pieces 2tbsp olive oil ½tsp cumin seeds Salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ a small cauliflower, broken into 2cm florets 150g cooked beetroot, drained and chopped 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped 3tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt 1tbsp cider vinegar 10g fresh mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped 50g rocket 2 pre-cooked salmon or smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed, roughly flaked (approx 170g total weight) ½tsp ras el hanout spice mix (optional) 1tbsp mixed seeds ¼ of a lemon, for squeezing Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Spread the aubergine on one side of a large baking tray and drizzle with 1tbsp of the oil. Add the cumin seeds, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss together. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the cauliflower with the remaining oil and some salt and pepper. Remove the tray from the oven and spread the cauliflower out beside the aubergine. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and nicely browned. Remove the tray from the oven, cover the aubergine to keep warm, and transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl or jug, along with the beetroot, garlic, yoghurt and cider vinegar. Blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Stir in the mint, reserving a few leaves to garnish, and season to taste. Spread the beetroot tzatziki on a platter, top with the rocket, roasted aubergine and salmon or mackerel fillets. Sprinkle with the ras el hanout, if using, the mixed seeds, the reserved mint and a squeeze of lemon juice to serve. NON-FAST DAY Enjoy a larger portion and serve with a wholemeal pitta bread. DESSERT MOCHA MOUSSE POTS WITH STRAWBERRIES: UNDER 200 CALORIES With only three main ingredients, these pots can be whipped up in a matter of minutes. Topped with some strawberries, they make the perfect dessert. SERVES 4 ● PREP 12-15 MINS ● PER SERVING 123CALS ● PROTEIN 6G ● CARBS 11.2G COOK'S TIP Remove the chocolate from the heat as soon as it has softened, as it can become crumbly if it’s overcooked. 60g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or more) 1tbsp instant coffee (made with ½tsp instant coffee granules) 120g full-fat Greek yoghurt 2 medium free-range egg whites 60g strawberries, chopped Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave. Allow to cool a little, then stir in the coffee. Add the yoghurt and beat until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until very stiff. Fold a spoon of the egg white into the chocolate mixture to loosen, then gently fold in the rest, until combined. Divide between 4 small glasses and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Top with the strawberries. VANILLA PANNA COTTA WITH BERRIES: UNDER 100 CALORIES A mixture of Greek yoghurt and full-fat milk is used to make these panna cottas ultra silky and light. SERVES 2 ● PREP 10-15 MINS ● PER SERVING 95CALS ● PROTEIN 7.4G ● CARBS 6.6G 1 sheet of leaf gelatine 50ml full-fat milk 130g full-fat Greek yoghurt 1tbsp vanilla extract or paste ½tsp honey 60g mixed berries, to serve Place the leaf gelatine in a bowl of water to soften. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until just below boiling point. Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the softened gelatine to the hot milk and stir until completely dissolved. Mix the Greek yoghurt, vanilla extract or paste and honey together in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir the milk and gelatine mixture into the yoghurt mixture. Divide between two small glasses and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until set. To serve, half fill a bowl with hot water. Dip the bases of the glasses into the water and leave for a few seconds. Invert the panna cottas onto plates and gently tap the bottoms of the glasses to release. Divide the berries between the panna cottas and serve.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Taco Bell quesadilla featuring Beyond Carne AsadaSource: Taco BellTaco Bell will test meatless carne asada made with Beyond Meat at dozens of its restaurants in Dayton, Ohio, starting next month.It's the latest effort from the Mexican-inspired chain to appeal to customers who don't want to eat meat. Taco Bell has had a passionate vegetarian and vegan fan base for decades, thanks to its meat-free protein options such as black beans and potatoes. But the Yum Brands chain has been slower to jump on the trend of plant-based meats.In early 2021, Yum signed a deal with Beyond to create exclusive menu items for its fast-food chains, which also include Pizza Hut and KFC. Around that time, Taco Bell promised to test a menu item made with Beyond, but it took longer than expected to create a carne asada alternative that satisfied Taco Bell, Bloomberg reported in December. Missy Schaaphok, Taco Bell's director of global nutrition and sustainability, said Beyond Carne Asada has been in the works for a little under two years.In the meantime, Taco Bell has tested three proprietary meat alternatives made separate from the Beyond partnership.Starting Oct. 13, participating Taco Bell locations will sell the steak substitute for a limited time at the same price as its existing carne asada. The chain said it wants to make plant-based products more affordable for consumers. Price parity with meat is a long-term goal for Beyond, which believes cheaper meat substitutes will encourage more consumers to change their diets.Taco Bell plans to feature Beyond Carne Asada in its quesadilla, but customers can swap in the meat alternative for other orders as well. The steak substitute uses vital wheat gluten and faba bean protein to try to replicate the texture and taste of traditional carne asada. The test is meant to help Taco Bell measure the demand for Beyond Carne Asada.The announcement comes at an awkward time for Beyond. The company on Tuesday suspended its operating chief, Doug Ramsey, after he was was arrested in Arkansas for allegedly biting another man's nose and punching him. Beyond hired Ramsey in December with the hopes of using his three decades of experience with Tyson Foods to help the company with large-scale product launches. Ramsey's arrest is the latest bad headline for Beyond. Wall Street has been losing its optimism for Beyond and the broader plant-based meat industry. Grocery and restaurant sales have disappointed, and investors aren't as enthusiastic about once-buzzy partnerships with the likes of McDonald's, Yum and PepsiCo. In August, the company cut its revenue outlook for 2022 and announced layoffs.Shares of Beyond have lost about three-quarters of their value this year, dragging its market value down to $1.04 billion. When shares hit an all-time high in 2019, the company's market value was $13.4 billion.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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“Placebos: As kids in the 80s, whenever we complained about a stomach ache and asked to stay home from school, our mom would give us some “medicine” to calm our stomachs. It was 2% milk with a bit of sugar and green food colouring. It worked like a charm.“
Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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KEY POINTS The large clinical trials on saturated fats do not provide support for the idea that these fats cause heart disease. The most rigorous evidence on saturated fats, showing they did not cause heart disease, was long suppressed or ignored. The current 10% cap on saturated fats, as advised by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is not supported by the preponderance of evidence. INTRODUCTION The concept that saturated fat causes cardiovascular disease by raising serum cholesterol is called the ‘diet-heart hypothesis’, a highly influential idea that has been a lynchpin of nutrition policy for some 60 years. This hypothesis remains today a foundation of public health policy, with nearly all dietary guidelines worldwide recommending a cap on saturated fat consumption as a primary measure of protection against heart disease. Over the past 12 years, however, there has been a major shift in scholarly understanding of these fats, with now >20 review papers, by independent teams of scientists, on the whole concluding that saturated fats have no effect on major cardiovascular outcomes, including heart attacks, strokes or cardiovascular mortality, or total mortality. National dietary guidelines have not recognized this new thinking on saturated fats, however, and continue to promote policies based on outdated or insufficient evidence. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON DIETARY SATURATED FAT The diet-heart hypothesis was first proposed in the 1950s by Ancel Keys, a physiologist at the University of Minnesota with an interest in nutrition [1]. Keys based his idea on a handful of small feeding experiments conducted on humans together with some animal data suggesting that high blood cholesterol caused fatty deposits of the type thought to clog arteries and cause heart attacks [2]. Keys had further observed, on travels through post-War Europe, that less wealthy populations in Sardinia, Naples, and Spain, appeared to suffer lower rates of heat attacks while consuming diets low in saturated fat-rich foods, such as meat and dairy [3–5]. Keys postulated that saturated fat and cholesterol caused heart disease – his diet-heart hypothesis – whose claims he asserted in no fewer than 20 papers in 1957 and 1958 [2]. Keys has been widely described by his colleagues as having a highly persuasive, even aggressive, personality, and these attributes may have in part allowed him to ensure that his idea edged out competing hypotheses to become the dominant paradigm explaining cardiovascular disease for the next 70 years. One authority whom Keys successfully won over was Paul Dudley White, an influential cardiologist and the personal doctor for President Dwight D. Eisenhower. When Eisenhower suffered the first of several heart attacks, in September 1955, Keys’ ideas were elevated by White into the national spotlight [1]. With the President hospitalized, the nation became laser-focused on the question of what caused heart disease, a relatively new and terrifying condition that had been rare in the early 1900s yet had risen by the 1950s to become the country's leading cause of death. White made it clear that diet was to blame. Under his guidance, Eisenhower undertook a new regimen, low in cholesterol and saturated fats. As charted in news headlines across the nation, Eisenhower shunned butter for polyunsaturated margarine and ate melba toast for breakfast [2]. The second authority that came to adopt the diet-heart hypothesis was ultimately more enduring in its influence. This was the American Heart Association (AHA), the nation's largest nonprofit organization and long a respected leader in the field of heart disease. White had been an AHA founder, and Eisenhower hosted fundraisers for the group in the White House [2]. Throughout the 1950s, the AHA had resisted giving advice on heart disease prevention, citing a lack of evidence, yet in 1960, Keys was appointed to the group's nutrition committee, and one year later, although no greater evidence could be cited, he had convinced his colleagues to recommend his idea as official AHA policy. Thus, from 1961 on, the AHA recommended that all men (and subsequently women) decrease their consumption of saturated fat, replacing these fats whenever possible with polyunsaturated vegetable oils, as the most promising measure of protection against heart disease [6]. The 1961 AHA advice to limit saturated fat is arguably the single-most influential nutrition policy ever published, as it came to be adopted first by the U.S. government, as official policy for all Americans, in 1980, and then by governments around the world as well as the World Health Organization. It is worth noting that the AHA had a significant conflict of interest, since in 1948, it had received $1.7 million, or about $20 million in today's dollars, from Procter & Gamble (P&G), the makers of Crisco oil [2]. This donation was transformative for the AHA, propelling what was a small group into a national organization; the P&G funds were the ‘bang of big bucks’ that ‘launched’ the group, according to the organization's own official history [7]. Vegetable oils such as Crisco have reaped the benefits of this recommendation ever since, as Americans increased their consumption of these oils by nearly 90% from 1970 to 2014 [8]. THE SEVEN COUNTRIES STUDY The Seven Countries Study (SCS), led by Keys, was for many decades considered the bedrock data for the diet-heart hypothesis [9]. Launched in 1957, the study was larger and more ambitious than any U.S. nutrition study to date. By 2004, according to one estimate, SCS had already been cited more than one million times [2]. The SCS followed some 12 770 men in 16 locations within seven countries, including Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Finland, the Netherlands, the United States and Japan. Keys, due to his worldwide travels, knew that choosing these countries was likely to confirm his hypothesis. He did not include, for instance, places like Germany, Switzerland, and France, where people ate a great deal of saturated fat yet experienced rates of heart disease similarly low to those included in the SCS. Keys’ selection of nations has given rise to the critique that he ‘cherry picked’ countries to ‘prove’ his hypothesis. While defenders of the SCS have attempted to dismiss this allegation [10], it remains true that Keys used a nonrandom approach for the selection of countries in SCS, allowing for the introduction of bias [11]. In 1975, when Keys published his results in a special issue of an AHA journal, he found as he had hoped: a strong correlation between the consumption of saturated fat and deaths from heart disease. The SCS was a groundbreaking study in its scope: one of its accomplishments was simply to demonstrate that people living in different nations really did suffer vastly different rates of heart attacks and that therefore the disease could potentially be prevented. Subsequent analyses of the SCS have found numerous shortcomings in the data, however. For instance, Keys sampled dietary data from only 3.9% of the men, which is fewer than 500 total participants, or about 30 per location [2]. Further he used unvalidated and nonstandardized methods of dietary evaluation that differed across groups. On Crete, one of the dietary samples was taken during the period of Lent, which was strictly observed under the Greek Orthodox church and would have banned ‘all animal foods’ [12]. Saturated fats were therefore very likely undercounted in this population, yet Keys downplayed this issue in his report and concluded that the excellent health of the Cretans could be credited to their low consumption of these fats. The failure to adjust for the Lent data was a ‘remarkable and troublesome omission,’ wrote researchers in Public Health Nutrition in 2005 [13], yet this analysis took place long after the diet-heart hypothesis had become solidified as public policy. In 1989, a re-analysis of the SCS data by some of the original study researchers found that coronary mortality best correlated not with saturated fats, as originally reported, but with ‘sweets,’ defined as sugar products and pastries [14]. Possibly the correlation would have been even stronger if the ‘sweets’ category had included chocolate, ice cream, and soft drinks, but researchers said data on these items were too difficult to combine [2]. Ultimately, the principal limitation of the SCS data was that they could only show an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship. The results of the SCS have never been independently analyzed, and most subsequent studies using similar approaches have failed to confirm its conclusions, as described below. STUDIES ON SATURATED FATS Governments around the world, including the United States, Norway, Finland, and Australia, among other countries, recognized the need for more rigorous, clinical trial data that could establish a causal relationship between saturated fat and heart disease. Large, randomized, controlled clinical trials (RCTs) were undertaken in the 1960s and 1970s, in which saturated fats were replaced by polyunsaturated fats from vegetable oils. Altogether, these ‘core’ trials tested the diet-heart hypothesis on about 67 000 people [15] and were especially important, because they assessed long-term clinical outcomes, that is, ‘hard endpoints,’ such as heart attacks and death. These outcomes are considered more reliable for making public health policy compared to studies that use ‘intermediary endpoints,’ such as cholesterol or inflammatory measures, whose value for predicting cardiovascular events are disputed. These trials provided surprisingly little support for the diet-heart hypothesis. Dramatic reductions in the consumption of saturated fats had successfully lowered the participants’ cholesterol, by an average of 29 mg/dl, ‘indicating a high level of compliance’ among subjects, according to one analysis [16], yet the expected reductions in either cardiovascular or total mortality were not observed in most trials [15]. In other words, although diet could successfully lower blood cholesterol, this reduction did not appear to translate into long-term cardiovascular gains. By the time these results emerged, however, Keys’ hypothesis had already gained widespread acceptance among his colleagues, including, importantly, leadership at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) [2]. By the late 1960s, a bias in favor of the diet-heart hypothesis was strong enough that researchers with contrary results found themselves unable or unwilling to publish their results. For instance, the largest test of the diet-heart hypothesis, the Minnesota Coronary Survey, involving 9057 men and women over 4.5 years, tested a diet of 18% saturated fat against controls eating 9%, yet did not find any reduction in cardiovascular events, cardiovascular deaths, or total mortality [17]. Although the study had been funded by the NIH, the results were not published for 16 years, after the principal investigator, Ivan Frantz, had retired. Frantz is reported to have said that there was nothing wrong with the study; ‘We were just disappointed in the way it came out’ [1]. Frantz's decision not to publish his results in a timely manner resulted in these contradictory data not being considered for another 40 years [18]. Other results that went unpublished were from one of the most famous heart disease investigations ever undertaken, the Framingham Heart Study, begun in 1948. Vanderbilt University professor George Mann led a dietary investigation, collecting detailed food-consumption data from 1049 subjects [19]. When he calculated the results in 1960, it was very clear that saturated fat was not related to heart disease. Concerning the incidence of coronary heart disease and diet, the authors concluded, simply, ‘No relationship found’ [20]. Not until 1992 did a Framingham study leader publicly acknowledge the study's findings on fat. ‘In Framingham, Mass, the more saturated fat one ate. … the lower the person's serum cholesterol… and [they] weighed the least,’ wrote William P. Castelli, one of the Framingham directors, in an informal commentary [21]. As a consequence of the nonpublication or disregard of study findings contrary to the diet-heart hypothesis, the idea that saturated fat had possibly been unduly vilified was for decades not seriously considered by most nutrition experts. RECONSIDERATION OF THE TRIALS ON SATURATED FATS Reviews and books critical of the diet-heart hypothesis were not unknown in the 1960s and 1970s, including a publication by a former editor of the Journal of the American Heart Association[22] and articles by other prominent scientists [23–25]. They argued that the hypothesis was not supported by the available data and was contradicted by numerous observations. Over time, however, these critics were effectively marginalized and silenced [2]. Not until the 2000s did this science again come to light, mainly through the work of journalist Gary Taubes [26,27]. The first comprehensive compilation of arguments about why saturated fats are not bad for health was published in the lay press [2]. The first formal analyses of the early data on saturated fats were led by Ronald M. Krauss, a cardiologist and nutrition expert, and published in two papers in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2010 [28,29]. Krauss experienced formidable hurdles in the peer-review process, evidently due to the widespread resistance to re-evaluating a long-standing hypothesis [2]. A colleague of Keys’ attempted to rebut these papers [30], yet soon thereafter, other scientists joined Krauss in reassessing the same data. Results from the core trials have now been analyzed extensively by scientists worldwide, including by the prestigious Cochrane group, most recently in 2020. Altogether, >20 review papers, including umbrella reviews, have been published, with the vast majority concluding that the data from randomized, controlled trials do not provide consistent or adequate evidence for continued recommendations limiting the intake of saturated fat [15]. A few reviews have had findings to the contrary [31,32], yet these have mainly been explained by the inclusion of one trial, called the Finnish Mental Hospital Study, which lacked proper randomization, among other problems, and was therefore excluded in more recent reviews [16]. The finding in Cochrane 2020 of an effect on cardiovascular events disappeared when subjected to a sensitivity analysis inside the report, in which studies that had not successfully reduced saturated fats were excluded [33▪▪]. Reviews that have focused on LDL-cholesterol have ignored the far more definitive, long-term outcomes of cardiovascular events and mortality [31,32]. Overall, therefore, despite extensive testing of the diet-heart hypothesis, the data do not support continued advice to restrict these fats for the prevention of heart disease. The findings from observational or epidemiological studies constitute less robust data, since these studies are usually limited to demonstrating associations rather than cause-and-effect relationships. However, substantial epidemiological findings that contradict a hypothesis provide reasonable evidence that the hypothesis may be in error. Data from the largest-ever epidemiological cohort study ever conducted, called Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE), provides this type of contradictory evidence regarding the diet-heart hypothesis. PURE followed individuals aged 35–70 years, from 2003 to 2013, in 18 countries with a median follow-up of 7 4 years. The PURE investigators found that saturated fat was not associated with risk of myocardial infarction or cardiovascular disease mortality and was significantly associated with lower total mortality as well as lower risk of stroke [34]. This last finding, on stroke, is particularly significant, as it is consistent with other observational studies [35], and saturated fat is the only type of fat found to have a positive effect on this important cardiovascular health outcome. Indeed, nine reviews of the observational data conducted since 2010 have found no significant associations between the consumption of these fats and coronary heart disease [15]. Epidemiological data of this quality and magnitude meaningfully contribute to the understanding of the relationship between saturated fats and cardiovascular disease. These data reinforce the findings from the more rigorous, clinical trial data, described above. Despite these extensive findings disproving a relationship between saturated fats and heart disease, speculation about the diet-heart hypothesis continues. For instance, the AHA journal Circulation published findings of an association between linoleic fatty acid, a prominent component of vegetable oils, and a lower incidence of cardiovascular events and mortality [36]. However, this finding is based on nonstandardized, country-level (ecological) data, which is generally regarded to be among the lowest-quality type of evidence. U.S. DIETARY GUIDELINES ON SATURATED FATS The U.S. government was the first in the world to recommend saturated-fat restriction. The United States Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs published the Dietary Goals for the United States in 1977, which recommended that the public ‘reduce saturated fat consumption to account for about 10% of total energy intake …’ [37]. The report was heavily influenced by experts from the AHA and was written by a single Senate staffer with no background in science or nutrition [26]. An early draft of the report further recommended that people ‘decrease consumption of meat,’ based on its saturated fat content. This advice was revised to read: ‘choose meats … which will reduce saturated fat intake’, leading to an emphasis in favor of ‘lean meat.’ Some observers have interpreted this revision to be exclusively due to the interference of the meat industry, yet a 2014 article in the American Journal of Public Health that examined the Senate committee process in detail concludes that ‘a lack of scientific consensus’ was the principal reason for the change in language on meat [38]. This latter interpretation also reflects the absence of rigorous data linking saturated fats to heart disease, as described above. The Dietary Goals led to the establishment of a policy, co-issued by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services (USDA-HHS), called the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), first published in 1980 and every 5 years since [39]. The inaugural edition of the guidelines included advice to ‘Avoid too much fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol’ but did not include a specific numerical cap on saturated fats. The 1990 guidelines and all subsequent editions have included the target of limiting these fats to 10% of total calories or less. According to U.S. law, the DGA must reflect ‘the preponderance of the scientific and medical knowledge which is current at the time the report is prepared’ [40]. The subject of saturated fats presents a unique difficulty, however, since the original core trials had concluded before the guidelines began. A review of all the DGA expert reports found that none of the expert committees appointed to review the science for each new edition of the guidelines had ever undertaken a direct, systematic review of these core trials on saturated fats [41]. The guidelines had simply inherited the widely held view that saturated fats were linked to cardiovascular disease without examining this science anew. A growing awareness of the core trials from the year 2010 onwards should arguably have spurred one of the subsequent Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees (DGACs) to initiate a novel systematic review of these major trials, yet none has occurred. The 2015 DGAC decided at a late stage in the DGA process to undertake a new review of saturated fats, in response to the publication of a new review paper on these fats, with authors including professors from Cambridge and Harvard Universities [42], and a prominent article in the Wall Street Journal on the same topic [43]. Both publications suggested a lack of evidence linking saturated fats to heart disease. The DGAC decision to initiate a review of saturated fats was revealed in emails obtained through a request made under the Freedom of Information Act and reflects a discomfort among some DGAC members that these publications ‘contradict[ed] the AHA conclusions’ on saturated fats [44]. DGAC Vice-Chair, Alice Lichtenstein, a Tufts University scientist who had also twice chaired the AHA nutrition committee, suggested in an E-Mail to other DGAC members that they set a numerical cap on saturated fats, even though, she wrote, ‘There is no magic/data for the 10% number or 7% number that has been used previously’ [45]. The 2015 DGAC analysis of saturated fats resulting from this e-mail exchange was a narrative, nonsystematic review of seven external review papers [46]. Two analyses of this 2015 DGAC review found it to have omitted at least one paper with null findings on saturated fat while inappropriately including other papers that supported advice to promote vegetable oils over saturated fats [11,33▪▪]. In one instance, the DGAC included a paper that looked exclusively at linoleic acid, not saturated fats [47]. In another instance, a review paper was included that relied heavily on the Finnish Mental Hospital Study, whose data, for reasons discussed above, had been deemed unreliable [16]. The result was evidently a DGAC review that did not provide a balanced or thorough evaluation of the external review papers current at the time the 2015 report was prepared. The 2015 DGAC concluded that the evidence for a relationship between saturated fats and heart disease was ‘strong.’ For the 2020 guidelines, the DGAC also conducted a review of saturated fats [48]. A recent analysis of the studies included in this review found that 88% did not support a link between these fats and heart disease [33▪▪]. Due to a new rule introduced by the USDA for this guidelines process, the 2020 DGAC was not allowed to examine external review papers and was therefore unable to consider any of the approximately 20 review papers described above. Top experts in the field attempted to introduce this evidence via written comments submitted formally to the USDA [33▪▪], in addition to meeting with the relevant senior staff members at both HHS and USDA, and submitting a letter to members of Congress [49]. Among the external review papers was now a 2021 ‘State of the Art Review,’ in the highly regarded Journal of the American College of Cardiology[15], whose authors included 4 members of previous DGACs and which found that there is ‘no robust evidence that current population-wide arbitrary upper limits on saturated fat consumption in the United States will prevent cardiovascular disease or reduce mortality.’ The paper was named one of the top 100 articles of 2021 by the journal's editor in chief [50], yet this and other reviews were ultimately not considered in the 2020 DGAC review on saturated fats. The DGAC final report makes no mention of any shift in scientific thinking on these fats and concludes that the evidence linking them to heart disease is ‘strong.’ An analysis of the 2020 DGAC subcommittee in charge of the saturated fat review found numerous intellectual, financial, and even religious conflicts of interest that may have contributed to a bias against saturated fats [51,52▪▪]. For instance, one member was found to have chaired five vegetarian conferences from 1997 to 2018, which might reflect a bias against saturated fats, since a more liberal policy towards these fats would inevitably allow for greater consumption of animal foods. This member was also found to have been receiving funds from seven soy and tree nut industry groups, which stand to benefit commercially when guidelines recommend the type of fats (polyunsaturated) commonly found in these foods. Another member had spent the last 50 years of her career working as a lead investigator on some of the government's largest trials attempting to show that fat and saturated fats are bad for health. A third member is part of a vegetarian activist group which has condemned the evolving science on saturated fats [53]. These and other interests continue to influence the scientific debate on saturated fats. In conclusion, the DGA process has never systematically reviewed either the ‘core trials’ on saturated fats directly or the subsequent external review papers of those trials. The major change in thinking on saturated fats that has occurred among independent teams of scientists globally over the past 12 years has therefore not been reflected in U.S. nutrition policy. As a result, the Dietary Guidelines must be considered outdated on this topic. CONCLUSION For decades following the introduction of the diet-heart hypothesis, many scientists were unaware of the lack of evidence for this theory. However the rediscovery of rigorous clinical trials testing this hypothesis and the subsequent publication of multiple review papers on these data have provided a new awareness of the fundamental inadequacy of the evidence to support the idea that saturated fats cause heart disease. The observed resistance against considering this new science by successive DGACs can potentially be seen as reflecting longstanding biases in the field and the influence of vested interests. Until the recent science on saturated fats is incorporated into the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, the policy on this topic cannot be seen as evidence-based. Acknowledgements None. Financial support and sponsorship None. Conflicts of interest The author receives modest royalties on a book on the history of dietary fat recommendations and otherwise declares no conflicts of interest. REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDED READING Papers of particular interest, published within the annual period of review, have been highlighted as: ▪ of special interest ▪▪ of outstanding interestREFERENCES 1. Taubes G. Good calories, bad calories. New York:Alfred A. Knopf; 2007. Cited Here 2. Teicholz N. The big fat surprise. New York, NY:Simon & Schuster; 2014. Cited Here 3. Keys A, Anderson JT, Fidanza F, et al. Effects of diet on blood lipids in man. Clin Chem 1955; 1:34–52. 4. Keys A. Studies on serum cholesterol and other characteristics of clinically healthy men in Naples. Arch Intern Med 1954; 93:328. 5. Keys A, Vivanco F, Minon JLR, et al. Studies on the diet, body fatness and serum cholesterol in Madrid, Spain. Metabolism 1954; 3:195–212. 6. Page IH, Allen EV, Chamberlain FL, et al. Dietary fat and its relation to heart attacks and strokes. Circulation 1961; 23:133–136. 7. Marvin HM. 1924–1964: the 40 year war on heart disease. New York:American Heart Association; 1964. Cited Here 8. Bentley J. U.S. trends in food availability and a dietary assessment of loss-adjusted food availability, 1970–2014. Usda.gov. 2017. Available at: https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/82220/eib-166.pdf?v=42762 [cited 2022 Jul 21]. 9. Keys A. Coronary heart disease in seven countries. Circulation 1970; 3:1–211. 10. Blackburn H, Jacobs D Jr, Kromhout D, Menotti A. Review of Big Fat Surprise should have questioned author's claims. Lancet 2018; 392:1014. 11. Teicholz N. Response to critique of review of The Big Fat Surprise. Lancet 2019; 393:2124. 12. Leland GA. Crete: a case study of an underdeveloped area. 1953; Princeton, NJ:Princeton University Press, p. 103. Cited Here 13. Sarri K, Kafatos A. The seven countries study in Crete: Olive oil, Mediterranean diet or fasting? Public Health Nutr 2005; 8:666. 14. Menotti A, Kromhout D, Blackburn H, et al. Food intake patterns and 25-year mortality from coronary heart disease: cross-cultural correlations in the Seven Countries Study. Eur J Epidemiol 1999; 15:507–515. 15. Astrup A, Magkos F, Bier DM, et al. Saturated fats and health: a reassessment and proposal for food-based recommendations. J Am Coll Cardiol 2020; 76:844–857. 16. Hamley S. The effect of replacing saturated fat with mostly n-6 polyunsaturated fat on coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Nutr J 2017; 16:30. 17. Frantz ID Jr, Dawson EA, Ashman PL, et al. Test of effect of lipid lowering by diet on cardiovascular risk. The Minnesota Coronary Survey. Arteriosclerosis 1989; 9:129–135. 18. Ramsden CE, Zamora D, Majchrzak-Hong S, et al. Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968–73). BMJ 2016; 353:i1246. 19. Mann GV, Pearson G, Gordon T, Dawber TR. Diet and cardiovascular disease in the Framingham study. I. Measurement of dietary intake. Am J Clin Nutr 1962; 11:200–225. 20. Kannel WB, Gordon T. The Framingham Study: an epidemiological investigation of cardiovascular disease. Unpublished paper. Washington, DC: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: 1987; 24. Available at: https://www.scribd.com/document/583903774/Kannel-W-Gordon-T-Framingham-dietary-data-Section-24-unpublished 21. Castelli WP. Concerning the possibility of a nut. Arch Intern Med 1992; 152:1371–1372. 22. Pinckney ER, Pinckney C. The cholesterol controversy. Los Angeles:Sherbourne Press; 1973. Cited Here 23. Mann GV. Discarding the diet-heart hypothesis. Nature 1978; 271:500. 24. Ahrens EH Jr. Introduction. Am J Clin Nutr 1979; 32:2627–2631. 25. Reiser R. Saturated fat in the diet and serum cholesterol concentration: a critical examination of the literature. Am J Clin Nutr 1973; 26:524–555. 26. Taubes G. Nutrition. The soft science of dietary fat. Science 2001; 291:2536–2545. 27. Taubes G. What if it's all been a big fat lie? The New York Times. 2002 Jul 7; Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html 28. Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM. Saturated fat, carbohydrate, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 91:502–509. 29. Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 91:535–546. 30. Stamler J. Diet-heart: a problematic revisit. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 91:497–499. 31. Mozaffarian D, Micha R, Wallace S. Effects on coronary heart disease of increasing polyunsaturated fat in place of saturated fat: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS Med 2010; 7:3. 32. Sacks FM, Lichtenstein AH, Wu JHY, et al. Dietary fats and cardiovascular disease: a presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2017; 136:e1–e23. 33▪▪. Astrup A, Teicholz N, Magkos F, et al. Dietary saturated fats and health: are the U.S. guidelines evidence-based? Nutrients 2021; 13:3305. 34. Dehghan M, Mente A, Zhang X, et al. Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study. Lancet 2017; 390:2050–2062. 35. Kang Z-Q, Yang Y, Xiao B. Dietary saturated fat intake and risk of stroke: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2020; 30:179–189. 36. Marklund M, Wu JHY, Imamura F, et al. Biomarkers of dietary omega-6 fatty acids and incident cardiovascular disease and mortality: An individual-level pooled analysis of 30 cohort studies. Circulation 2019; 139:2422–2436. 37. Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs; U.S. Senate. Ninety-Fifth Congress Session 1, Dietary Goals for the United States; U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington, DC, USA, 1977. Available at: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011389409 38. Oppenheimer GM, Benrubi ID. McGovern's Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs versus the meat industry on the diet-heart question (1976–1977). Am J Public Health 2014; 104:59–69. 39. U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Washington, DC, USA, 1980–2020. Available at: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/about-dietary-guidelines/previous-editions 40. U.S. Congress. National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990. U.S. Congress. Washington, DC, USA; 1990. 41. Teicholz N. The scientific report guiding the US dietary guidelines: is it scientific? BMJ 2015; 351:h4962. 42. Chowdhury R, Warnakula S, Kunutsor S, et al. Association of dietary, circulating, and supplement fatty acids with coronary risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med 2014; 160:398. 43. Teicholz N. The questionable link between saturated fat and heart disease. Wall
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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16 November 2022, 21:09 Stirling Uni's SU has voted to remove meat from the menu. Picture: Alamy A Scottish university union will go 100 per cent vegan in a UK first, after students voted to drop dairy and meat products by 2025, with campaigners condemning the move as an 'attack on freedom of choice'. Last week, the University of Stirling's student union voted to transition move to '100 per cent plant-based catering' within three years, and half of the options are set to be vegan by the 2023-24 academic year.The Plant Based Universities campaign - supported by Animal Rebellion, which is a splinter group of Extinction Rebellion - welcomed the result.It means the union will become the first in Britain to approve a ban on meat, fish and dairy products in its outlets, after a beef ban was rejected at the University of Edinburgh in 2020. Of the around 6,000 votes cast in the campus-wide referendum in the capital, 58 per cent rejected a proposal to ban the sale of beef on campus.Read more: Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney charged with 232 counts of breaching betting rulesRead more: Men killed by missile attack in Poland four miles from Ukrainian border as west blames Putin for starting rocket blitzRural campaigners are hoping that Sterling University will reject the motion, or consider asking students to take part in a broader, campus-wide poll, similar to the Edinburgh vote, The Mail reported.The Countryside Alliance believe the union should opt for produce sourced locally with low airmiles, rather than bringing in an 'illogical', all-out ban. Mo Metcalf-Fisher, a spokesman for the organisation said: "Obviously this is an attack on freedom of choice imposed by a tiny number of students on the wider student body, but it is also illogical."Stirling's students' union would be much better off sourcing sustainable local meat and dairy produce from Scottish farmers instead."How can an avocado flown in from South America have eco-superiority over a piece of grass fed beef from a local farm? "Stirling University should demonstrate their support for Scottish farmers by ensuring they continue to supply meat and dairy, irrespective of what its students' union decide to do'."A post on the Sterling University SU website confirmed that the motion to move to 100 per cent plant-based food by 2025 had been passed, a result which will impact the union's three eateries.The university's ten food outlets will not be affected by the change.Around 100 attendees were present in the meeting, representing the university's 17,000 students.In documents on the union's website dated November 2, the motion states: "A transition to plant-based food is a necessary step in the development of a more sustainable food system, and to reduce the climatic effect on the planet."That this transition can be achieved without detriment to any particular person(s)."It also noted: "Globally the largest proportion of emissions from food production comes from animal agriculture (57 per cent), with the emissions worldwide exceeding the entire emissions of the United States... the production of plant-based foods contributes to only 29 per cent of emissions.'The decision was welcomed by Guardian columnist George Monbiot, who said: "It's fantastic to see the next generation taking control of their future and putting humans, nonhuman animals and the planet first."BBC wildlife presenter Chris Packham said it was a 'good' move, writing on Twitter: "Young people doing it for themselves - this is good from @RebelsAnimal and @plantbasedunis @StirUni - posted on Instagram @veganuary @vivacampaigns."
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Oct 10 According to a new study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, a low-fat vegan diet, without calorie restrictions, improves joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, also found that participants experienced weight loss and improved cholesterol levels.
“A plant-based diet could be the prescription to alleviate joint pain for millions of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis,” says Neal Barnard, MD, lead author of the study and president of the Physicians Committee. “And all of the side effects, including weight loss and lower cholesterol, are only beneficial.” Rheumatoid arthritis is a common autoimmune disease that typically causes joint pain, swelling, and eventually permanent joint damage.
At the outset of the Physicians Committee’s study, participants were asked to use a visual analog scale (VAS) to rate the severity of their worst joint pain in the preceding two weeks, from “no pain” to “pain as bad as it could possibly be.” Each participant’s Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28) was also calculated based on tender joints, swollen joints, and C-reactive protein values, which indicate inflammation in the body. DAS28 increases with rheumatoid arthritis severity.
During the study, 44 adults previously diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were assigned to one of two groups for 16 weeks. The first group followed a vegan diet for four weeks, with the elimination of additional foods for three weeks, then reintroduction of the eliminated foods individually over nine weeks. No meals were provided, and participants handled their own food preparation and purchases, with guidance from the research team. The second group followed an unrestricted diet but were asked to take a daily placebo capsule, which had no effect in the study. Then the groups switched diets for 16 weeks.
During the vegan phase of the study, DAS28 decreased 2 points on average, indicating a greater reduction in joint pain, compared to a decrease of 0.3 points in the placebo phase. The average number of swollen joints decreased from 7.0 to 3.3 in the vegan phase, while that number actually increased from 4.7 to 5 in the placebo phase. For those who completed the study, VAS ratings also improved significantly in the vegan phase, compared with the placebo phase.
The vegan diet also led to greater decreases in DAS28 in a subanalysis that excluded individuals who increased medications during the study and another subanalysis limited to participants making no medication changes.
In addition to reductions in pain and swelling, body weight decreased by about 14 pounds on average on the vegan diet, compared with a gain of about 2 pounds on the placebo diet. There were also greater reductions in total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol during the vegan phase. Anthony Martinelli Anthony Martinelli is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Vegan Herald, which launched in 2015 as a daily vegan news and information website.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Mayu Retreats, NorfolkLuxury and vegetarian are two words you rarely get to savour in the same sentence. Which is why Mayu is something of a rarity: beautifully presented, delicious meat-free menus in an opulent setting. Mayu’s philosophy is rooted in nutrition, boosting your intake of as many different plant-based ingredients as possible – expect at least 30 in a two-day stay. Husband-and-wife team Pamela and Kieron offer expert nutritional advice alongside delicious cooking. Their next retreat (3-6 September) is at Great Barn Farm, a luxury barn conversion with swimming pool, steam room and Jacuzzi along with daily yoga and Pilates, and nature trails deep in the Norfolk countryside. From £550 for three nights, including accommodation, meals, drinks and activities; mayuretreats.co.ukOur Lizzy, WorcestershireLizzy’s offers courses ranging from Greek and Thai plant-based dishes to tofu, vegan baking, street food and dairy-free desserts. Private classes can also be arranged, including a children’s cookery course and gluten-free cooking. There are two B&B rooms, with a slap-up vegan breakfast to start the day and evening meals on request. Day courses from £90, doubles from £72 B&B; ourlizzy.comSaorsa 1875, PerthshireScotland’s first vegan hotel, Saorsa sets out to prove that boutique style doesn’t need to involve animal products. The 11 rooms all feature Egyptian cotton on the beds and vegan toiletries in the luxury bathrooms. Set in a grand 19th-century baronial house, it has a pleasing dose of old-fashioned glamour alongside the sustainable ethos. Food is plant-based, with a focus on local ingredients. Doubles from £160 B&B; saorsahotel.comAvenue Cookery School, LondonFor those who really want to expand their vegan repertoire, the Avenue offers a one or two-week vegan cooking course, covering the basics, plus lipsmacking bakes and dinner party dishes. The first week is targeted more at beginners, with week two tailored to those at intermediate level. Both weeks can be booked separately, and the course is an informal, fun affair. Accommodation can be booked directly with the Avenue (£305pp for four nights). Five-day course costs £895; theavenuecookeryschool.comDemuths Cookery School, BathThe original plant-based cookery school, Demuths offers day, half-day and evening courses, including lessons on southern Indian thali, Lebanese meze and Asian street food, alongside classes focusing on quick easy meals, 30-minute suppers and Sunday brunch. For serious cooks, the Vegan Diploma is a five-day course, covering everything from knife skills to using ingredients such as aquafaba. Combine a course with a stay at the Queensberry Hotel, which offers vegan/vegetarian tasting menus and a vegan breakfast. Doubles from £148.50 room-only; thequeensberry.co.uk. Day courses £185/Vegan Diploma £1,050; demuths.co.ukThe Detox Barn, SuffolkRun by two sisters, the Detox Barn is an elegant conversion surrounded by Suffolk countryside, offering weekend breaks with yoga, guided walks, beauty treatments and plant-based meals. With a refreshing dose of good humour (the course includes a demonstration on how to make smoothies “that don’t taste like pond water”), accommodation is in the cosy bedrooms in the barn, or off-site. Two-night Gentle Detox break £495pp, with meals, drinks and classes; gavinsisters.co.ukOver the Rainbow, Cardigan BayThis restored Georgian mansion, set in several acres of woodland and gardens near the Welsh coast, is ideal for those looking for a sense of escape. Run on ethical and environmental principles, the house uses renewable sources for heating and electricity, and many of the ingredients in the delicious vegan/veggie breakfasts are sourced from the surrounding gardens. The bedrooms celebrate female history, myths and legends, with B&B stays from Thursday to Sunday. Doubles from £100 B&B (two-night minimum); overtherainbowwales.co.ukStonecroft Guesthouse, DerbyshireSurrounded by the spectacular landscapes of the Peak District National Park, Stonecroft is the passion project of chef Julia Reid, who produces sumptuous vegan, gluten-free breakfasts and hearty packed lunches for those planning a day walking in the hills. The rooms have wonderful views across the Edale Valley or Kinder Scout, while on cooler days the communal lounge is a great place in which to relax beside the fire. Doubles from £130 B&B; stonecroftguesthouse.co.ukLive Wild, YorkshireForaging courses focus on edible plants and seeds growing wild in the countryside, making them ideal for vegans and veggies. Live Wild offers four-hour foraging courses, or a longer option including lunch, covering all aspects of wild eating, including the history and folklore around plants. Stay at the Vegan Home, a cosy, pet-friendly B&B in the Calder Valley, a short walk along the canal from the centre of town (from £175; the veganhome.co.uk). Courses from £50pp; livewild.org.ukAmbleside, CumbriaA classic Lakes house near Windermere, Ambleside Manor has 15 comfortable bedrooms, most with glorious views over the grounds. Ideal for a break with the kids, there are family rooms and dog-friendly rooms, and hearty vegan or veggie breakfasts. The house is within a short walk of two veggie restaurants, Zefirellis and Fellinis, offering pizza, pasta and Mediterranean dishes. Doubles from £130 B&B (two-night minimum); ambleside-manor.co.uk.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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According to a new report titled Global Plant-based Food Market, the market was valued at $10 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a yearly rate of 12% to reach a value of $30 million by 2030.
“The global plant-based food market growth is attributed to a shift in consumer preference toward veganism”, states the report. “The global plant-based food market is segmented into seafood substitute, egg substitute, meat substitute, dairy substitute, and others.” The report states that the dairy substitute segment “is anticipated to expand at a sustainable CAGR during the forecast period, owing to the nutritional advantages of plant-based dairy alternatives.
The dairy substitute “is prioritized by many people, due to lactose intolerance and consumer concern over animal cruelty in conventional dairy farming practices.”
Below are some of the key takeaways from the report: The plant-based food market in Germany is anticipated to grow at a substantial pace during the forecast period. In recent years, the rising acceptance of a vegan diet German population has resulted in a major decrease in the consumption of non-vegetarian and animal products.
The modern groceries segment is expected to hold a major market share in the coming years, owing to the appealing discounts, shelf space, and bundling tactics.
The athlete-led and celebrity awareness campaigns have encouraged the consumption of vegetarian products in order to have a healthy diet.
High cost associated with the products and raw materials is anticipated to hamper the market growth during the forecast period.
Key players in the plant-based food market have collaborations with restaurants, large chains, and industry titans including Beyond meat, Oatly, and Impossible Foods, which is anticipated to fuel the market growth. The report states that “the market is segmented into five major regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. The market in Europe is projected to expand at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. The rising demand for healthy and sustainable food drives the market growth during the forecast period. According to Green Queen Media, the vegan population in Europe has doubled in the last few years, totaling about 2.6 million people. ”
More information on this report can be found by clicking here.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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“Don’t pay attention to the haters, Mark. I love this blog, the PK lineup, and hope to check out Peluva in the future. The only mayo my family buys nowadays is PK, and we’ve enjoyed many of your dressings, too.
There’s a lot of skepticism in this community, and I get it. Those with an interest in alternative/ancestral health have been burned in the past. But in the years you’ve run this incredible blog, you’ve earned my trust, and I feel confident that you wouldn’t put your face on a product that you couldn’t stand behind in good conscience.
Maybe it’s dumb, but every time I see PK products at the grocery store, I grin as though I’ve bumped into an old friend. Your body of work means a lot to me, and even now, as you reach new heights of success, you still find the time to share a lot with the community. Those who think you’ve “sold-out” aren’t paying attention.
Congrats on turning 70, and keep doing what you’re doing!“
Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Weight loss expert Dr Michael Mosley has explained that by having eggs for breakfast - which are high in protein, Vitamin B and selenium - is key to effectively shedding the poundsVideo LoadingVideo UnavailableDr Michael Mosley outlines his diet planPopular weight loss expert Dr Michael Mosley has shared the simplest way Brits can lose weight, recommending that they should have a breakfast that is high in protein, Vitamin B and selenium. Dr Mosley has explained that having eggs for breakfast can be an effective way to shed the pounds. The dieting guru says that eating them will leave you "feeling fuller for longer" and will "not increase your cholesterol", compared to having items such as cereal or toast. Dr Mosley has become one of the UK's most trusted faces of sustainable weight loss after releasing multiple books on the topic. In his latest diet advice, the weight loss expert takes his readers through his Fast 800 Keto diet, saying this method is designed to put your body into ketosis, meaning it begins to convert your fat stores into fuel rather than using carbohydrates. Dr. Michael Mosley has written multiple books on weight loss, including Fast 800 Keto diet (
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BBC / Dragonfly TV) People who are looking to shed an extra few pounds should follow the 50:50 rule, the doctor advises, saying that you should be keeping carbohydrates under 50g per day and ensuring protein remains above 50g. By reducing the amount of carbohydrates you eat, while increasing protein, fruit, vegetables, beans and wholegrains, these are key pillars of losing weight, according to Dr Mosley. Dr Mosley's recommended breakfast Using the 50:50 rule in his latest book, writing on his website, Dr Mosley has revealed that eating eggs in the morning can be a great building block for losing weight, adding that a mushroom omelette is one of his own "go-to breakfasts" as they are high in Vitamin D. He wrote: "Boiled, poached, scrambled or as an omelette - they'll keep you feeling fuller for longer compared to cereal or toast." The TV doctor and author went on to explain that eggs are high in protein, multiple vitamins and will not increase your cholesterol if paired with something sensible. The doctor says that having eggs for breakfast is high in protein, Vitamin B and selenium (
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BBC / Dragonfly TV) In a video for Healthista TV, Dr Mosley chose a mushroom omelette, with onions and spinach which can be flavoured with the likes of garlic, turmeric and chili flakes for breakfast. However, meat at breakfast should be a treat, and Dr Mosley warned that people watching their weight should be careful about which meats they eat. Bacon is a processed meat, which Dr Mosley advises should be eaten "sparingly" and "in small quantities". Salmon is a decent substitute, he said, while fibrous greens, parmesan and a sprinkle of chilli can help make healthy breakfasts even better. Dr Mosley has warned that meat at breakfast should be a treat rather than be eaten all the time (
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BBC) Breakfast pastries should also be avoided as they are often high-carb, high-calorie and low protein, while breakfast cereals are "laden in sugar". On changing our approach to breakfast and maximising your weight loss potential, Dr Mosley wrote in the Daily Mail last year: "When you get up in the morning, you may be in a rush to tuck into your breakfast and get out of the door. Or you may be happy to hold off eating for a while (a lot of people find they don't get hungry until later in the day). "One reason why you might want to delay breakfast if you're not ravenous is that, by doing so, you will be extending your overnight fast (i.e. how long it has been since your last meal)." Read More Read More Read More Read More Read More
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Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean
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Skolkovo Foundation Chairman Arkady Dvorkovich attends the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 4, 2021. REUTERS/Evgenia NovozheninaRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAug 7 (Reuters) - Former Russian deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich was re-elected for a second term as president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Sunday, defeating a Ukrainian who had criticised him over Moscow's actions in Ukraine.Dvorkovich, deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2018, received 157 votes in his favour and 16 against him at FIDE's general assembly in Chennai, India, the international governing body said.Dvorkovich, FIDE president since October 2018, ran against Ukraine's Andrii Baryshpolets, who criticised him for his ties with the Russian leadership as a former high-ranking official.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comIndian chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world champion, was elected deputy president.Ahead of the vote, Dvorkovich argued that he had taken a stance on the situation in Ukraine."I took a strong position on the tragic events in Ukraine as well as supported FIDE Council decisions regarding scaling down Russia's involvement in FIDE," he said.The Kremlin welcomed Dvorkovich's victory."The election of the head of FIDE is very important, it's a global event, and of course we were rooting for Dvorkovich, a Russian citizen," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia's RIA news agency."Unfortunately politics pervade all aspects linked to sport and culture, which is very, very undesirable and unacceptable to us. But this does not mean that we should not fight."Dvorkovich, who gave an interview to Western media in March in which he spoke out against the Kremlin's actions in Ukraine, quit as chair of the prestigious Skolkovo foundation in March after a lawmaker accused him of a "national betrayal". read more At the time the chairman of the foundation's board of directors said Dvorkovich had resigned because he could no longer combine his duties at Skolkovo with his responsibilities at FIDE.Shortly after his comments to Western media, Dvorkovich said in a statement on Skolkovo's website that he was "sincerely proud of the courage of our (Russian) soldiers" and that Russia had been targeted by "harsh and senseless sanctions".Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Reuters
Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Chess
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If Quordle is a little too challenging today, you've come to the right place for hints. There aren't just hints here, but the whole Quordle solution. Scroll to the bottom of this page, and there it is. But are you sure you need all four answers? Maybe you just need a strategy guide. Either way, scroll down, and you'll get what you need.
What is Quordle?
Quordle is a five-letter word guessing game similar to Wordle, except each guess applies letters to four words at the same time. You get nine guesses instead of six to correctly guess all four words. It looks like playing four Wordle games at the same time, and that is essentially what it is. But it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds.
Is Quordle harder than Wordle?
Yes, though not diabolically so.
Where did Quordle come from?
Amid the Wordle boom of late 2021 and early 2022, when everyone was learning to love free, in-browser, once-a-day word guessing games, creator Freddie Meyer says he took inspiration from one of the first big Wordle variations, Dordle — the one where you essentially play two Wordles at once. He took things up a notch, and released Quordle on January 30. Meyer's creation was covered in The Guardian six days later, and now, according to Meyer, it attracts millions of daily users. Today, Meyer earns modest revenue from Patreon, where dedicated Quordle fans can donate to keep their favorite puzzle game running.
How is Quordle pronounced?
“Kwordle.” It should rhyme with “Wordle,” and definitely should not be pronounced exactly like "curdle.”
Is Quordle strategy different from Wordle?
Yes and no.
Your starting strategy should be the same as with Wordle. In fact, if you have a favorite Wordle opening word, there’s no reason to change that here. We suggest something rich in vowels, featuring common letters like C, R, and N. But you do you.
After your first guess, however, you’ll notice things getting out of control if you play Quordle exactly like Wordle.
What should I do in Quordle that I don’t do in Wordle?
Solving a Wordle puzzle can famously come down to a series of single letter-change variations. If you’ve narrowed it down to “-IGHT,” you could guess “MIGHT” “NIGHT” “LIGHT” and “SIGHT” and one of those will probably be the solution — though this is also a famous way to end up losing in Wordle, particularly if you play on “hard mode.” In Quordle, however, this sort of single-letter winnowing is a deadly trap, and it hints at the important strategic difference between Wordle and Quordle: In Quordle, you can't afford to waste guesses unless you're eliminating as many letters as possible at all times.
Guessing a completely random word that you already know isn't the solution, just to eliminate three or four possible letters you haven’t tried yet, is thought of as a desperate, latch-ditch move in Wordle. In Quordle, however, it's a normal part of the player's strategic toolset.
Is there a way to get the answer faster?
In our experience Quordle can be a slow game, sometimes dragging out longer than it would take to play Wordle four times. But a sort of blunt-force guessing approach can speed things up. The following strategy also works with Wordle if you only want the solution, and don’t care about having the fewest possible guesses:
Try starting with a series of words that puts all the vowels (including Y) on the board, along with some other common letters. We've had good luck with the three words: “NOTES,” “ACRID,” and “LUMPY.” YouTuber DougMansLand suggests four words: “CANOE,” “SKIRT,” “PLUMB,” and “FUDGY.”
Most of the alphabet is now eliminated, and you’ll only have the ability to make one or two wrong guesses if you use this strategy. But in most cases, you’ll have all the information you need to guess the remaining words without any wrong guesses.
If strategy isn't helping, and you're still stumped, here are some hints:
Are there any double or triple letters in today’s Quordle words?
There are two words with twice-occurring letters.
Are any rare letters being used in today’s Quordle like Q or Z?
No.
What do today’s Quordle words start with?
C, E, G, and G
What are the answers for today’s Quordle?
Are you sure you want to know?
There’s still time to turn back.
OK, you asked for it. The answers are:
CHESS
EASEL
GLOOM
GLEAN
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Chess
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The shocking defeat of one of the best chess players in the world sparked accusations of cheating and has thrown the sport into a tailspin over the last few weeks.Magnus Carlsen, the 31-year-old chess grandmaster who was unbeaten entering the Sinquefield Cup, lost to upstart American player Hans Niemann last week, ending the top-ranked Chess player’s 53-game winning streak. After the loss, Carlsen tweeted he was withdrawing from the tournament, hosted by the St. Louis Chess Club."I've withdrawn from the tournament. I've always enjoyed playing in the @STLChessClub, and hope to be back in the future," he wrote, adding a link to a 2020 video from soccer manager Jose Mourinho who famously said after a match, "If I speak, I am in big trouble."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Norwegian chess player Magnus Carlsen participates at the Energy Denmark Champions Battle 2019 in Circus Building, Copenhagen, Denmark May 22, 2019. (Claus Bech/Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS)Niemann, 19, immediately faced accusations of cheating – from anything to wireless vibrating anal beads to a vibrating shoe, according to multiple reports. Tesla CEO Elon Musk even added to the controversy with a tweet of his own, suggesting something was in Niemann’s butt during the match. A professional game also suggested something like that as well.Niemann denied cheating in an interview with the Chess Club."I have never cheated in an over-the-board game. That is the worst thing I could do: cheat in a tournament with prize money," he said, via KSDK-TV."You know my dream came true. I lived my dream for a day beating Magnus, and then, all of this happened."CHESS LEGEND MAGNUS CARLSEN UNMOTIVATED TO COMPETE IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: 'I DON'T HAVE A LOT TO GAIN'St. Louis Chess Club Executive Director Tony Rich told the station there have been anti-cheating measurements in place for the tournament. According to the Guardian, Niemann was also frisked before the match.According to the International Chess Federation ratings, Niemann was No. 49 in the world with a 2688 rating. Carlsen was No. 1 with a 2861 rating. Pieces stand on a chess board at the Werner Ott Open of the Kreuzberg Summer at the Berlin Kreuzberg Chess Club. (Andreas Gora/picture alliance via Getty Images)Niemann finished in seventh place in the tournament.The young chess player was also banned from Chess.com and uninvited from the Global Championship, according to the Guardian. The website told the New York Post that Niemann was banned for cheating on the website."We have reached out to Niemann to explain our decision to privately remove him from Chess.com and our events. We have shared detailed evidence with him concerning our decision, including the information that contradicts his statements [about] the amount and seriousness of his cheating on Chess.com," a spokesperson for the website told the New York Post.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe two players are both set to participate in the Julius Baer Generation Cup this weekend. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to Ryan.Gaydos@fox.com.
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Chess
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CNN — Magnus Carlsen won both the World Rapid and World Blitz chess titles in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in the latest landmark of his glittering career. The 32-year-old Norwegian is now the holder of all three world chess championship titles – in Classical, Rapid and Blitz – for the third time in his career, while no other player has ever won both the Rapid and Blitz titles in the same year. “Gonna need more hands soon,” Carlsen joked on Twitter, posting a video of himself counting his now 15 world titles on his fingers. It caps a triumphant end to Carlsen’s remarkable decade-long reign as the classical world champion, as he has already announced that he will not defend his title next year. “It feels great,” he said in a press release after winning two world championship titles in three days. “This is a really tough event. It started great yesterday but I wasn’t feeling I had a lot of energy… Yesterday I was trying to survive until day two and see if I had some chance… Today I felt a little bit better than yesterday and I tried to win as many games as I could.” The Rapid and Blitz championships are more time pressured than classical chess. Rapid allows each player 15 minutes + 10 seconds additional time per move, starting from move 1 while Blitz is three minutes per player per game, with two seconds additional time per move. Carlsen secured his fourth Rapid title on Wednesday, half a point ahead of Germany’s Vincent Keymer. He then made a dramatic entrance to Round 1 of the World Blitz Championship, running through the playing hall and arriving at his board two minutes and 30 seconds late, still dressed in a tracksuit. He still went on to win the match, with just 30 seconds on the clock. “To some extent, the Blitz title is very important because it’s [won in a tournament with] more rounds… As far as the classical championship [goes] I won it but it wasn’t dear enough to hold on to.” The USA’s Hikaru Nakamura had led the tournament after Day 1 but he eventually finished second overall, under pressure from Carlsen. “While he is used to winning tournaments he’s never won this one,” Carlsen said afterwards in a press release. “When he started a bit shakey, then I knew I had a chance.” However, Carlsen too faced pressure as he suffered two defeats at important moments – to Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi and Alexey Sarana. But he held on to eventually seal victory by a point ahead of Nakamura and Armenia’s Haik M. Martirosyan in third place.
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Chess
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For 137 years, being crowned world champion has long been the pinnacle of chess.
However, this year’s World Chess Championship is somewhat different following reigning champion and five-time winner Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal and, therefore, abdication of his crown.
Garry Kasparov, who held the world title for 15 years, has gone as far as to call this year’s tournament a “kind of amputated event” because of Carlsen’s absence.
Why isn’t Carlsen competing?
Carlsen is one of the greatest players to ever grace the sport.
At just 32 years of age, the Norwegian grandmaster has been crowned world champion five times, achieved the highest ELO rating of all time and is second in the amount of time spent ranked first in the world – only Kasparov has been at the top for longer.
And despite appearing to be at the peak of his powers, Carlsen announced last year that he would not be defending his title against world No. 2 Ian Nepomniachtchi.
“I feel I don’t have a lot to gain, I don’t particularly like [the championship matches], and although I’m sure a match would be interesting for historical reasons and all of that, I don’t have any inclination to play and I will simply not play the match,” he said on his sponsor’s podcast in July 2022.
In 2021, Carlsen had said that he would relinquish his world title unless his challenger represented “the next generation” and went on to cite 19-year-old Alireza Firouzja, the Iranian-French grandmaster, as an example.
However, Nepomniachtchi’s victory at the 2022 Candidates Tournament – the traditional qualifier to decide who will face the reigning world champion – led to Carlsen’s announcement.
American great Bobby Fischer was the last grandmaster to give up his world title in 1975.
The shocking announcement led to Kasparov’s comments about a final without Carlsen.
“I can hardly call it a World Championship match,” Kasparov said in an interview with the Saint Louis Chess Club last month.
“For me, the World Championship match should include the strongest player on the planet, and this match doesn’t.
“I’m not here to comment on Magnus’ decision, but it’s kind of an amputated event. I have my own history with FIDE, so that’s why I’m not going to change my view about the FIDE Championship. It’s a pity Magnus is not there and, naturally, the match between Nepo and Ding is a great show anyway, but it’s not a World Championship match.”
Who will be contesting the final?
In Carlsen’s absence, Nepomniachtchi will face world No. 3 Ding Liren, the highest-rated Chinese player in history, to be crowned world champion.
Ding’s second-place finish at the Candidates Tournament qualified him for the championship as a runner-up. It came thanks to a dramatic last-round win against American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura.
The clash between Russia’s Nepomniachtchi and Ding will see a first-time champion anointed, with Ding a debutant and Nepomniachtchi losing to Carlsen in 2021 in his only appearance.
Nepomniachtchi is known for being a creative player and qualified for the event with a record-breaking 9.5/14 score at the Candidates Tournament.
Ding is known for being more methodical, solid and precise. Shortly after Carlsen’s announcement and his qualification for the World Chess Championship, Ding said it was the beginning of a “new era.”
“There are a lot of feelings around my mind right now that I have to deal with,” Ding told Chess.com. “But I am very excited about playing a world championship match to fight for the crown next year.
“I knew [Carlsen] had doubts, but I expected him to play. But I understand it also. Being world champion means a lot of responsibilities; there are a lot of things to handle.”
When and where?
The World Chess Championship, the first of which was held in 1886, will take place over best-of-14 classic games.
According to Chess.com, the time control is 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 60 minutes for the next move, and then 15 more minutes for the rest of the game. Starting on move 61, there is a 30-second increment per move.
The first player to score 7.5 points becomes the world champion. In the case of a tie, the two players will play rapid and, if necessary, blitz games.
It will begin on April 9 in Astana, Kazakhstan, and could go on until April 30.
The championship will be broadcast live on Chess.com.
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Chess
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Street chess player has an incredible reaction when he realizes he’s teaching a grandmaster
He had no idea who he was playing.
A fun and educational video posted on YouTube by chess streamer Anna Cramling, 21, shows how someone can be sitting in the presence of greatness and have no idea. It’s also an excellent explanation of chess from a passionate street player.
In the video, Anna sits down in Washington Square Park in New York City with a street player named Johnny, who thinks she and her mother, Pia, are beginners. In reality, Anna is the daughter of Juan Manuel Bellón López, a five-time Spanish champion, and her mother is Pia Cramling, the fifth-ever female grandmaster.
"You want me to show you some basic stuff?" Johnny asks the mom and daughter, who happily sit at his board. The street player then goes into a passionate speech about how chess is a warlike game and that there are two “fundamental things” grandmasters teach.
He had no idea that he was sitting in front of one.
Johnny then challenges Pia to a game, and in just a few moves, she has him in double-check, winning the game. Johnny can’t believe that he was beaten so quickly by a beginner. "Do you want to know something, Johnny?" Anna asks. "I'm going to tell you a little secret."
Pia then reveals that she's been playing for 50 years. "My mom is a grandmaster," Anna says excitedly.
The great thing about the big reveal is that Johnny doesn’t get mad when he learns that he was fooled. Instead, he’s excited to keep playing. "I want to play you one more!" Johnny says. What a great sport.
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Chess
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Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, and seven-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan have one thing in common: chess has helped them learn to plot and plan.Reeves uses those skills to navigate the murky world of politics: “Strategic thinking is essential in both politics and chess,” she said. “So I definitely feel like continuing to play chess when I can helps keep me nimble in the Labour campaign to be our next government. Always thinking two moves ahead.”Bodhana, who started playing chess during lockdown one year ago, has yet to put her newfound machiavellian skills to wider use but she is conscious that the game is helping her finesse them.“I love to play chess because it helps me to recognise patterns, focus my attention and is helping me to learn how to strategise and calculate moves in advance,” she said. “Also, I like the way the chess pieces move on the board, especially the knight.”Bodhana is one of thousands of people expected to turn up for ChessFest, a free event on 17 July being held in Trafalgar Square in London and in Liverpool. Bodhana Sivanandan, seven, started playing chess during lockdown last year. Photograph: Niki Riga/HandoutMore than 50 chess coaches will give free lessons to children and adults, with British grandmasters taking on allcomers in speed and blindfold chess and a range of activities designed to show chess is for everyone.The event coincides with the 50th anniversary of the most celebrated match in chess history between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky during the cold war and the 26th anniversary of Garry Kasparov being beaten by the computer Deep Blue.Both games will be replayed on a giant screen in Trafalgar Square on a living chess set with 32 professional actors taking on the role of the chess pieces.Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BSTThe organiser, the UK charity Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC), works to bring the game to communities it would not usually reach, taking the game into schools, libraries and prisons.“Chess is a low-cost, high-impact educational intervention,” said CSC’s chief executive, Malcolm Pein. “It knows no boundaries of age, gender, faith, ethnicity or disability, and can be played anywhere at any time. The game fosters intellectual and emotional skills crucial to a child’s wider development.”Reeves, who began playing when she was seven and became British girls chess champion aged 14, agrees. “I believe that helping kids get into chess can help build all kinds of confidence and set them on whatever path they end up being passionate about, and that’s why ChessFest is so brilliant,” she said.
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Chess
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HAMPDEN, Maine -- David Bishop spends the school day as a mild-mannered custodian, but before the final bell rings, he grabs his chess boards and pieces and begins his second role.
“The Queen’s Gambit” is playing out in real life in Maine, where this custodian is coaching his schools' chess teams to acclaim.
Bishop, a part-time chess coach and full-time custodian, led his elementary and middle school teams to state championship titles this year, drawing comparisons to the Netflix series about a chess prodigy inspired by a janitor.
Some of his players are good enough to beat their coach, proudly declaring “checkmate!”
“Initially, it was humiliating and demoralizing, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that’s a good thing. They're getting stronger," the 61-year-old said.
Nationwide, chess is riding a new wave of popularity, and it's not just because of the popular Netflix mini series based on the 1983 book by Walter Tevis.
During the pandemic, a growing number of kids forced to stay at home for extended periods turned to Chess.com to relieve their boredom. The website and app allows visitors to learn the game, to play against each other or against a computer, and to get chess news.
The website had 1.5 million daily users in February 2020 — just before the pandemic hit the U.S. in full force — but it grew to 4.5 million by the end of 2020. It had hit 10 million by January of this year. The total number of registered users has nearly quadrupled to 123 million, the company said.
Chess fans are also watching videos of grandmasters teaching strategies and livestreams of high-profile chess players facing off.
“What we are seeing is an unprecedented period of boom, like nothing before,” said Leon Watson, spokesperson for Chess.com. “It definitely feels like chess is having a moment.”
In Hampden, Bishop’s coaching success followed a happy twist of fate.
He was burned out from his job in the telecommunications industry and took an early retirement package at age 50. He was exploring new opportunities in the field — and not having much luck — when someone told him about a school custodial job. He figured it would be mean less stress.
He didn't even know there was a chess club until after he'd begun work in 2013. He began volunteering with the chess club at Reeds Brook Middle School, and later at George B. Weatherbee Elementary School, as well.
Bishop learned chess the old-fashioned way, with a family chessboard and by experimenting with the board pieces: pawns, bishops, knights, rooks, queens and kings. He played with his brothers, sometimes in the family’s barn, learning the moves to checkmate his opponent's king, the object of the game. At age 10, he followed with keen interest the match in which American grandmaster Bobby Fischer defeated the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky in 1972.
While Bishop enjoyed chess and was good at it, he didn’t join his high school chess club, worrying he would be typecast as a nerd. He regrets that now.
These days, thanks to its growing appeal, those stereotypes no longer apply.
On a recent day, there was a buzz in the air at the Reeds Brook Middle School library where the chess club meets. Bishop's team had just represented Maine at the the national championships in Texas, and they came in eighth place out of 52 teams. The elementary school team competes this weekend in its national championships in Maryland.
The students quickly tossed their backpacks aside, sat down at library tables and launched into matches. Those who weren’t actively playing watched others’ moves intently.
Eli Marquis, 12, said the chess players are constantly learning new skills and tactics — like opening and closing moves — allowing them to improve and ensuring they don’t get bored.
“You can never run out of things to learn and to practice and to do, and you can just keep on getting better as long as you practice. There’s no end to it. Really,” he said.
Eddie LaRochelle, 13, compared chess to other competitive team sports. A strong work ethic and practice improve individual skills, and those individuals work together to achieve victory.
“You don’t need to work out every single day in the gym. To get stronger, you can exercise your brain with puzzles, chess and other things,” he said.
Lessons from the chess board often carry into life.
Team members said chess has taught them to think ahead, be strategic and consider the ramifications of decisions. And it helps with keeping on task and staying organized.
“Chess is so good for them, and most of them don’t know it," their coach said. "They’re just playing chess, but it's like a workout for the brain."
Bishop understands comparisons to the janitor in “The Queen’s Gambit” — William Shaibel, played by actor Bill Camp — and he thinks it’s an entertaining series. The chess play is accurate and exciting, he said.
Camp, the actor, has heard of the team's success and hopes to pay a visit to the school to offer his congratulations. He had high praise for Bishop.
"What he's doing is about as noble as one can do – he’s a teacher," Camp said from Los Angeles. “He's doing the greatest service.”
Unlike the Netflix series's janitor, Bishop is helping not just one girl in an orphanage, but dozens of kids of all skill levels and socioeconomic backgrounds.
His one worry is that there aren’t as many girls taking up chess.
Chess continues to be dominated by men and boys from the top level of grandmasters down to the grade school level. There’s only one female on his middle school champion team right now, but he's hoping to change that by getting kids hooked at earlier ages, starting in kindergarten.
For now, Bishop looks forward to seeing how far his teams can go. As the teams get better, he’s getting used to losing chess matches more frequently.
Riley Richardson, who placed 14th out of 386 competitors at the nationals, said the first time he beat his coach, he thought Bishop was letting him win. But now, he has beaten his coach a few times.
He's watching for vulnerabilities.
“A while ago, I actually beat him because I just started learning his weaknesses,” Richardson said. That weakness? He smiled and said: ”Sometimes, he’s overthinking."
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Follow David Sharp on Twitter @David_Sharp_AP
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Chess
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There were times at UCLA when it looked as if Dorian Robinson-Thompson was playing chess for Chip Kelly and everyone else was playing checkers.
Because he was.
“Coach Kelly brought in a chess guru, and he is now my life coach, someone that I go to all the time for advice,” DTR said. “As we started to go through seasons together, he was learning football, I was learning chess.”
He was learning from a man named Seth Makowsky that playing chess could help him play quarterback, and checkmate defenses with his head and his legs and his arm.
“A thousand percent, in terms of having a better process and really a routine of making decisions, going through an exact process to get the right answer every time, to ultimately execute each play given,” DTR said.
He ended up executing enough plays to become a 6-1, 205-pound dual-threat quarterback expecting to have his name called during the NFL draft possibly as early as the third round.
Which means he has come a long way since his freshman 2018 season when chess helped him find himself.
“It was a time in my freshman year, we were starting out the season 0-5, and there was really a time where I really didn’t think I wanted to play football anymore,” DTR said. “The pressure and the expectations were so high, and I obviously have high standards for myself, so not meeting those and obviously letting a bunch of people down that year, as well as my teammates, was definitely a bit of a work in progress for sure.”
He was much more than a work in progress (27 TDs, 10 INTs, 69.6 completion percentage, 118-645-12 TDs rushing in 2022. As a fifth-year senior, DTR led the Bruins to a 9-4 record and a Sun Bowl appearance.
“I’m not only trying to win the game, I’m trying to embarrass you,” DTR said.
Which he was able to do on a number of viral hurdles, particular one against USC defensive back Isaac Taylor-Stuart on a 15-yard TD run down the right sideline on a 62-33 rout of the hated Trojans at the Coliseum in 2021.
“I wish I did it sooner in the game when there were more people there to watch, but that one was definitely sweet though,” DTR said.
DTR’s work with Jordan Palmer helped him tie Josh Allen with a 62 mph throw at the Combine. “I’ve been able to access parts of my body, especially in the lower half, to create more velocity and more torque on my ball and everything like that,” he said.
DTR wears a chess saying on his wristband that reads: “Player not a piece.” He was asked for its meaning.
“You want to be a player in your own game, and playing your own style and not letting them dictate whatever you want to do, and not being a piece in someone else’s game,” DTR said.
Another saying he has adopted from chess is Protect The King.
“For me, as a quarterback, that’s the ball,” he said. “Outside, when I’m not a quarterback and living my regular life, that’s my responsibility to my organization and whoever I’m representing to not make them look foolish and whatever it is, so staying out of trouble and all that stuff too.”
He was a wide receiver his junior year before switching to quarterback as a senior at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and that is where he will watch the draft.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson was asked if he had a message for NFL general managers.
“Get ready to have a winner,” he said, “whoever decides to take a chance on me.” Check.
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CNN — With its popularity soaring and games increasingly moving to online platforms, chess appears to be ushering in a new era. The increase in interest has culminated in the launch of a revamped online competition which will be the richest chess circuit in the game’s history. This year’s Champions Chess Tour will be the new online home for the world’s best players, as they battle it out for a share of more than $2 million. Played on website Chess.com, the annual circuit will consist of six tournaments, starting with the Airthings Masters in February. Every event has a $235,000 prize fund and the winners of each will qualify for an eight-player, live finale in December which has a purse of $500,000. A further $100,000 will be shared among the top 10 finishers in the overall standings. Hundreds of players, including world champion Magnus Carlsen and US grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, will bid to be crowned the Tour Champion at the end of the year. Any titled player can bid to qualify for the main events which will consist of a 56-player knockout phase. Matches will be played in rapid format with players in the main events permitted 15 minutes per game, plus an additional three seconds for every move. “Hundreds of players from around the world will compete and one will be left standing: the undisputed best online chess player in the world,” Chess.com CEO Erik Allebest said in a statement. “We expect the highest level of play from the top players and Chess.com will deliver the highest level of coverage we can for the fans, taking in all that was brilliant about both the Global Championship and the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. “We cannot wait to share this with the chess community.” Online platform Chess.com says it now has more than 102 million users signed up – a 238% increase from January 2020 – with 7.5 million active users every day. The website announced it was struggling to keep up with demand with servers failing during the busiest times of the day. “It’s never been a more exciting time to be a chess fan, but that’s also why it’s such a frustrating time to have service outages,” Chess.com said in a statement. “We love you, we feel you, we are sorry, and we are working as hard as we can to return to stability and provide the best possible experience.”
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is taking its next steps into esports competitions, and it’s adding chess and Just Dance to the mix.
In June, the IOC will host Olympic Esports Week, which expands upon the Olympic Virtual Series it put on in 2021 with some new events. Like the Olympic Virtual Series, Olympic Esports Week will focus on virtual representations of physical activities. While that means you won’t see any Overwatch 2 gold medalists, the IOC is adding some entries to the lineup that adhere less to the traditional concept of “sport.”
New for Olympic Esports Week are archery, tennis, tae kwon do, Just Dance (Ubisoft’s hit dancing franchise), and chess, which will sit alongside returning competitions in motorsport (via Gran Turismo), cycling, baseball, and sailing. Chess, to me, feels particularly notable given how huge it has become on Twitch, and I think there could be a huge draw to watching the fight for the first Olympic esports chess champion.
Olympic Esports Week technically kicks off today, March 1st, with initial qualifiers. The competitions will conclude with an in-person event that’s set to take place in Singapore from June 22nd to 25th.
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Five-time world champion, Magnus Carlsen, has defeated Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in a tiebreak to become Chess World Cup champion. Chess.com reports: The five-time world champion won his first World Cup crown by defeating GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu 1.5-0.5 in the rapid tiebreaks of the 2023 FIDE World Cup for a match victory of 2.5-1.5. In the third-place playoffs, GM Fabiano Caruana convincingly defeated GM Nijat Abasov in both rapid tiebreaks for a 3-1 victory and third place. It was a heartbreaking defeat for the Indian youngster, who had the initiative in the first game until Carlsen fought back and won in a tense endgame. In the second game, the world number-one allowed no chances, and Praggnanandhaa's impressive World Cup run came to an end as hundreds of thousands of fans watched the tense battle. You can watch the 2023 FIDE World Cup broadcast on Twitch and YouTube.
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Do you develop on GitHub? You can keep using GitHub but automatically sync your GitHub releases to SourceForge quickly and easily with this tool so your projects have a backup location, and get your project in front of SourceForge's nearly 30 million monthly users. It takes less than a minute. Get new users downloading your project releases today!
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Chess
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Sean Gallup/Getty Images
toggle caption
Visitors play chess at The World Chess Club Berlin in Germany on May 9. The German Chess Federation described the new international policies for transgender chess players as discriminatory.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Visitors play chess at The World Chess Club Berlin in Germany on May 9. The German Chess Federation described the new international policies for transgender chess players as discriminatory.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Rugby, swimming, track and field — transgender women have been banned from international women's events in a growing number of sports. The latest to make that list is chess.
The International Chess Federation, known as FIDE, will effectively stop allowing transgender women from participating in women's competitions until "further analysis" can be made — which could take up to two years.
The organization will also remove some titles won by players who won in women's categories and later transitioned to male. It will also remove some titles won by transgender men. The new policies are slated to go into effect on Monday.
"FIDE recognizes that this is an evolving issue for chess and that besides technical regulations on transgender regulations further policy may need to be evolved in the future in line with research evidence," the federation wrote in a statement.
Over the past few days, several chess federations have come out against the new changes, including in the U.S. and Germany.
"If a person is legally recognised as a woman, it is incomprehensible to us what FIDE still wants to check and why it needs two years for this," the German Chess Federation wrote Friday in a statement.
The new regulations around transgender players
Under new guidelines, transgender people will still be allowed to compete in the "open" section of tournaments, where men and women typically compete against one another.
But many elite events that are exclusively for women will be off limits for people who changed their gender from male to female until "further analysis" is made by the FIDE — which the group described could take up two years.
FIDE also ruled that it has the right to make "an appropriate mark" of a gender change in a player's profile, as well as inform tournaments of any transgender competitors.
Transgender men who won in women's events before transitioning will have their titles abolished. The titles could be renewed if a player detransitions and can "prove the ownership of the respective FIDE ID that holds the title," the federation said. Abolished titles may also be transferred into a "general title of the same or lower level."
Meanwhile, transgender women can keep any titles they earned before they transitioned.
FIDE's reasoning behind the changes
FIDE said it needed to make regulations on transgender players after receiving an influx of requests for gender changes. It ultimately ruled that "change of gender is a change that has a significant impact on a player's status."
That argument has been common among international governing bodies that oversee sports with intense physical activity — which chess does not.
The National Center for Transgender Equality said the new guidelines were "insulting" to all women and the game itself.
"It assumes that cis women couldn't be competitive against cis men - and relies on ignorant anti-trans ideas," the center wrote on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.
Similarly, chess stars across the world have spoken out against FIDE's new policies, saying they will bring unnecessary harm to transgender competitors.
"The new regulations will make trans chess players all over the world face a horrible dilemma: transition or quit chess," professional chess player Yosha Iglesias wrote on X.
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Who Is R Praggnanandhaa? Know About The Teenager Who Will Face Magnus Carlsen In Chess World Cup Final
This will be the first final for R Praggnandnhaa in the World Cup. The finals of the World Cup will be held on Tuesday, August 22.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa on Monday stunned world No.3 Fabiano Caruana via the tie-break in the semifinals to set up a final clash with world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway at the FIDE World Cup chess tournament in Azerbaijan.
This will be the first final for R Praggnanandhaa in the World Cup. The finals of the World Cup will be held on Tuesday, August 22.
"I didn't expect to play Magnus in this tournament at all because the only way I could play him was in the final, and I didn't expect to be in the final… I will just try to give my best and see how it goes!" the 18-year-old Indian prodigy told International Chess Federation in an interview.
Soon after his victory, wishes poured in for Praggnanandhaa on social media platforms.
"Congratulations to R Praggnanandhaa for an outstanding FIDE Chess World Cup journey to the Finals," Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Industrialist Anand Mahindra in a post on X (formerly Twitter) said that his "heart is swollen with pride".
"Bless this talented youngster and may he keep making us stand tall in the world of Chess (Chaturanga!) in the future…," Mahindra wrote.
Ahead of his mega-final against Magnus Carlsen, let's take a look at Praggnanandhaa's journey:
R Praggnanandhaa: Life and Education
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was born on August 10, 2005 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. According to a report in NDTV Sports, Praggnanandhaa has completed high school from Velammal Matriculation High Secondary School in Chennai.
His father works as a branch manager at TNSC Bank while his mother, Nagalakshmi, is a homemaker.
R Praggnanandhaa: Chess Career
R Praggnanandhaa started playing chess at the age of 5. According to the information on Chess.com, Praggnanandhaa is the youngest international master in the history of the sport.
He earned the title of Grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 10 months, and 13 days, making him the fifth youngest to achieve the feat.
Praggnanandhaa has won three world youth titles: U8 in 2013, U10 in 2015, and U18 in 2019.
He won a bronze medal with the Indian team at the 2022 FIDE Olympiad, scoring 6.5/9 on the third board for a performance rating of 2767. Later in 2022, he won the Asian Continental Chess Championship.
In July 2023, Praggnanandhaa obtained a live 2700 rating for the first time.
After his semi final victory, Praggnanandhaa became the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.
By becoming only the second Indian after Anand to reach the semifinals of the world cup, Pragg booked a spot in the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to Ding Liren.
R Praggnanandhaa: Awards
R Praggnanandhaa is a recipient of Arjuna Award for his achievements in chess. It is the second-highest sporting honour in India. It is awarded to outstanding sportspersons who have made significant contributions to their sport.
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Magnus Carlsen’s ongoing feud with Hans Niemann drew remarks from the International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Friday.Carlsen withdrew from a tournament earlier this month after losing to Niemann and resigned from an online match after one move during the week against him. The organization said that while the two incidents weren’t FIDE events, they felt it was their duty as the governing body for the sport to "protect the integrity of the game and its image, and in view that the incident keeps escalating, we find it necessary to take a step forward."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Norway's Magnus Carlsen competes against Uruguay's team during the second round of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mahabalipuram, India, on July 30, 2022. (Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images)FIDE said Carlsen shouldn’t have resigned given his status as world champion while also acknowledging the need to fight cheating. Niemann has denied the recent cheating accusations."First of all, we strongly believe that the World Champion has a moral responsibility attached to his status, since he is viewed as a global ambassador of the game. His actions impact the reputation of his colleagues, sportive results, and eventually can be damaging to our game. We strongly believe that there were better ways to handle this situation," FIDE said.UNSAVORY ALLEGATIONS ROCK CHESS WORLD AS AMERICAN TEEN SHOCKS NO. 1 PLAYER IN TOURNAMENT Magnus Carlsen of Norway is shown during the FIDE Chess World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Warsaw, Poland, on Dec. 29, 2021. (Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images)"At the same time, we share his deep concerns about the damage that cheating brings to chess. FIDE has led the fight against cheating for many years, and we reiterate our zero-tolerance policy toward cheating in any form. Whether it is online or ‘over the board’, cheating remains cheating. We are strongly committed to this fight, and we have invested in forming a group of specialists to devise sophisticated preventive measures that already apply at top FIDE events."Carlsen won the Julius Baer Generation Cup despite resigning against Niemann. The 19-year-old American would lose in the quarterfinals.He vowed to speak out more about cheating in the sport. Norway's Magnus Carlsen competes against Uruguay's team during the second round of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mahabalipuram, India, on July 30, 2022. (Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"I generally want cheating in chess to be dealt with seriously," he said via Chess24.com. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to Ryan.Gaydos@fox.com.
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The big game coming to Netflix this summer is... chess. But not just any chess: on July 25th, subscribers can download a new mobile title called The Queen’s Gambit Chess based on the streaming series of the same name. It sounds like the experience will combine story and character elements from the show with teaching players the ins and outs of the classic board game.
Here’s the official description:
Welcome to Beth Harmon’s world. Take lessons, play puzzles and matches, or compete against friends in this stunning love letter to the award-winning drama. Beyond the chess board, players can meet familiar faces like Mr. Shaibel and Borgov, visit iconic locations including Beth’s house, the Methuen orphanage, the Las Vegas tournament, and more. From new beginners to chess masters, this immersive experience appeals to every type of fan.
This isn’t the first time a Netflix series has been adapted for a Netflix game. One of the service’s most popular titles so far is Too Hot to Handle: Love is a Game.
The Queen’s Gambit is just one of several planned gaming launches over the summer on Netflix. July 12th will see the debut of Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (which is also coming to the Switch, PlayStation, and PC), followed by a new version of classic mobile puzzle game Cut the Rope on August 1st. Also listed as “coming soon” are the action RPG Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed and a puzzle adventure game called Paper Trail.
We may hear more about the company’s ongoing gaming efforts later this month, as Netflix’s annual Tudum event starts streaming on June 17th.
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Messi & Ronaldo Check(mate) the New Louis Ad ... Two Greats Play Chess!!! 11/19/2022 2:43 PM PT Louis Vuitton has done the impossible --- getting two soccer G.O.A.T.s to play nice off the pitch ... doing so with a nice and quiet classic board game. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both featured in a new LV campaign that got posted/announced Saturday. It's a photo of of the two of them playing chess on top of a Louis Vuitton suitcase ... using the signature squares as spaces for their pieces. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. The company described the collab this way ... "Victory is a State of Mind." They add, "In addition to a long tradition of crafting trunks for the world’s most coveted sporting trophies, the Maison celebrates two of the most talented football players today." The picture was shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz ... who's contributed to countless spreads like this. But, the Messi and Ronaldo one is perhaps more relevant than ever ... the 2022 World Cup is just one day away, with the first match scheduled Sunday. Neither guy's teams -- Argentina and Portugal -- are playing until Tuesday and Thursday of next week, respectively, but it could prove to be their last WC appearances ever. LM has already said he's bowing out after this, and Ronaldo has also suggested he may retire soon. With that said, this coming-together is legendary. Unclear whether this was a one-off photo shoot or a sign of a new product line they're both signed to ... but it's awesome either way.
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If Quordle is a little too challenging today, you've come to the right place for hints. There aren't just hints here, but the whole Quordle solution. Scroll to the bottom of this page, and there it is. But are you sure you need all four answers? Maybe you just need a strategy guide. Either way, scroll down, and you'll get what you need.
What is Quordle?
Quordle is a five-letter word guessing game similar to Wordle, except each guess applies letters to four words at the same time. You get nine guesses instead of six to correctly guess all four words. It looks like playing four Wordle games at the same time, and that is essentially what it is. But it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds.
Is Quordle harder than Wordle?
Yes, though not diabolically so.
Where did Quordle come from?
Amid the Wordle boom of late 2021 and early 2022, when everyone was learning to love free, in-browser, once-a-day word guessing games, creator Freddie Meyer says he took inspiration from one of the first big Wordle variations, Dordle — the one where you essentially play two Wordles at once. He took things up a notch, and released Quordle on January 30(Opens in a new tab). Meyer's creation was covered in The Guardian(Opens in a new tab) six days later, and now, according to Meyer, it attracts millions of daily users. Today, Meyer earns modest revenue(Opens in a new tab) from Patreon, where dedicated Quordle fans can donate to keep their favorite puzzle game running.
How is Quordle pronounced?
“Kwordle.” It should rhyme with “Wordle,” and definitely should not be pronounced exactly like "curdle.”
Is Quordle strategy different from Wordle?
Yes and no.
Your starting strategy should be the same as with Wordle. In fact, if you have a favorite Wordle opening word, there’s no reason to change that here. We suggest something rich in vowels, featuring common letters like C, R, and N. But you do you.
After your first guess, however, you’ll notice things getting out of control if you play Quordle exactly like Wordle.
What should I do in Quordle that I don’t do in Wordle?
Solving a Wordle puzzle can famously come down to a series of single letter-change variations. If you’ve narrowed it down to “-IGHT,” you could guess “MIGHT” “NIGHT” “LIGHT” and “SIGHT” and one of those will probably be the solution — though this is also a famous way to end up losing in Wordle, particularly if you play on “hard mode.” In Quordle, however, this sort of single-letter winnowing is a deadly trap, and it hints at the important strategic difference between Wordle and Quordle: In Quordle, you can't afford to waste guesses unless you're eliminating as many letters as possible at all times.
Guessing a completely random word that you already know isn't the solution, just to eliminate three or four possible letters you haven’t tried yet, is thought of as a desperate, latch-ditch move in Wordle. In Quordle, however, it's a normal part of the player's strategic toolset.
Is there a way to get the answer faster?
In my experience Quordle can be a slow game, sometimes dragging out longer than it would take to play Wordle four times. But a sort of blunt-force guessing approach can speed things up. The following strategy also works with Wordle if you only want the solution, and don’t care about having the fewest possible guesses:
Try starting with a series of words that puts all the vowels (including Y) on the board, along with some other common letters. We've had good luck with the three words: “NOTES,” “ACRID,” and “LUMPY.” YouTuber DougMansLand(Opens in a new tab) suggests four words: “CANOE,” “SKIRT,” “PLUMB,” and “FUDGY.”
Most of the alphabet is now eliminated, and you’ll only have the ability to make one or two wrong guesses if you use this strategy. But in most cases you’ll have all the information you need to guess the remaining words without any wrong guesses.
If strategy isn't helping, and you're still stumped, here are some hints:
Are there any double or triple letters in today’s Quordle words?
One word has a double letter.
Are any rare letters being used in today’s Quordle like Q or Z?
No.
What do today’s Quordle words start with?
T, C, S, and H.
What are the answers for today’s Quordle?
Are you sure you want to know?
There’s still time to turn back.
OK, you asked for it. The answers are:
THUMB
CHESS
SYRUP
HOTEL
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A 19-year-old U.S. chess grandmaster “likely cheated” in more than 100 online games, including several prize money events, according to an investigation by an online platform where many top players compete.Chess.com released the 72-page report Tuesday, one month after the world’s top-rated chess player withdrew from a tournament after the grandmaster, Hans Niemann, defeated him.World chess champion Magnus Carlsen, 31, bowed out of the event after describing the younger player’s progress as “unusual” and suggesting that he wasn’t “fully concentrating on the game” when Niemann defeated him on Sept. 4 at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis.Tuesday’s report said that while there were “many remarkable signals and unusual patterns” in Niemann’s play, there was no evidence he cheated in the match against Carlsen and no “direct evidence” that proves he cheated in other over-the-board, or in-person, games in the past. But the report concluded that Niemann likely cheated in more than 100 online games, saying that while his performance in some of the matches “may seem to be within the realm of some statistical possibility, the probability of any single player performing this well across this many games is incredibly low.”'I'm not going to back down'Niemann did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. After defeating Christopher Yoo in the first round of the U.S. championship in St. Louis, Niemann was asked Wednesday to address the "elephant in the room" during a post-game interview with the Saint Louis Chess Club.“This game is a message to everyone,” he said in his first public comments since the release of the Chess.com report. “This entire thing started with me saying, ‘Chess speaks for itself,’ and I think this game spoke for itself and showed the chess player that I am.”Niemann said the game “also showed I’m not going to back down and I’m going to play my best chess here regardless of the pressure that I am under and that's all I have to say about this game. And you know, ‘Chess speaks for itself.’ That's all I can say.”When the interviewer tried to ask another question, Niemann interrupted him.“I’m sorry, that’s it,” he said. “You can leave it to your own interpretation, but thank you. That’s it. That’s all I’d like to say, because it was such a beautiful game I don’t even need to describe it.”Niemann has acknowledged cheating in the pastChess.com's findings were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.The site’s cheat detection system tracks player performance and time usage, and it compares moves made by a player to moves a chess engine would make, among other things, the report said.The day after the match against Carlsen, the site notified Niemann that his invitation to the Chess.com Global Championship had been revoked, as had his access to the site, according to the report. The report said the decision was made “based on our experience with him in the past, growing suspicions among top players and our team about his rapid rise of play, the strange circumstances and explanations of his win over Magnus, as well as Magnus’ unprecedented withdrawal.”In an interview last month with the Saint Louis Chess Club, Niemann acknowledged cheating in an online tournament when he was 12 and during an unrated game when he was 16 that he described as an “absolutely ridiculous mistake.”“After that, other than when I was 12, I have never, ever in my life cheated in an over-the-board game, in an online tournament,” he said. “I’m saying my truth because I do not want any misrepresentation. I am proud of myself that I learned from that mistake.”“Now I have given everything to chess,” he added. Last week, the International Chess Federation said its Fair Play Commission had formed a panel to investigate Carlsen’s claims that Niemann had cheated, and Niemann’s own statement about online cheating.Hans Niemann during the ninth round of the Sinquefield Cup.
Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess TourA prior banThe Chess.com report pointed out that the site banned Niemann two years ago after it suspected him of cheating in events and matches. In a phone call with the site’s chief chess officer, Niemann allegedly confessed to cheating and announced to his followers on the streaming platform Twitch that he was closing his account. In screenshots of messages from November 2020 included in the report, Niemann appears to ask the official, Danny Rensch, if he could make an exception to the ban and allow him to play in the upcoming U.S. Chess Qualifiers.Rensch declines, saying that the site can’t risk him participating in such a high-profile event. He would be allowed to return to playing certain games in January 2021, Rensch says, according to the screenshot.“This is more than completely fair and I really really appreciate you trusting me and giving me this chance,” Niemann appears to say in the messages. “I also agree and don’t think I should play.”In last month's Saint Louis Chess Club interview, Niemann said he was grateful to Rensch for handling the prior ban privately and giving him a chance to redeem himself. But he said Chess.com is now jumping on Carlsen’s insinuations after their match.“I believe that this is completely unfair, this is a targeted attack, and if you look at my games, it has nothing to do with my games,” he said in the interview. “They’ve only done this because of what Magnus has said.”
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Speaking this morning on "Fox & Friends Weekend," two accomplished chess players shared their enthusiasm for the game of chess — and noted the many ways that kids today can get involved in the game and gain a host of benefits from learning and playing chess. "Chess is just so much fun," said Mark Kurtzman, a United States Chess Federation (UCF) life master, on the program on Sunday morning.He added that when he was growing up, there weren't many programs and offerings for kids as there are now in so many communities across the country.NEW JERSEY 12-YEAR-OLD IS WORLD'S YOUNGEST CHESS GRANDMASTER"Now there's so much structure around it. There are programs [for kids] and places to learn … Kids love it and it's so much fun."Adam Maltese, a four-time national chess champion, spoke about the first time he won a multi-round chess tournament when he was just nine years old. This giant chess set is perfect for an outdoor living space — and can work for adults or kids. (Donald Mensch)"It's gotten a little bit tougher since I've been a kid," he said, commenting on the computerization of chess games today.So what is the number-one tip for novice players?"Think before you move," said Kurtzman.Problem-solving skills, patience, creativity and consequences for one's actions are some of the many benefits of learning to play chess. He noted that there are many skills that kids learn from the game of chess — including problem-solving skills, patience, creativity and consequences for one's actions. Chess is a game of strategy and tactics that anyone of almost any age can learn to play. (iStock)Players were deeply involved in their chess games on Fox Square this morning as the chess masters evaluated some of the matches.Some of the children were as young as five as they played chess.Kurtzman commented on the kids that he teaches today — "We get 250 players," he said, who are rated by the chess foundation."Students enjoy themselves while learning to become mature and well-respected chess players." He also said there are chess camps available to kids, too."The players are developing their pieces … preparing for the battle," noted Kurtzman of a game that had just begun. This young person learned how to play chess when he was four years old. (Kori McConnell)Kurtzman runs Tri State Chess (tristatechess.com), an organization based in New York City and in operation for over 30 years.It is "devoted to establishing competitive chess programs in elementary schools throughout the Tri-State area," its website says.TEEN EARNS NATIONAL CHESS MASTER TITLE AFTER 4TH BRAIN SURGERY: ‘UNHEARD OF’"In order to maintain the highest possible standards," the group adds, "experienced chess coaches are personally trained by our professional staff."It also said, "All coaches are instructed to implement an established teaching system, proven effective through years of use." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"In this way, students enjoy themselves while learning to become mature and well-respected chess players."To learn more about chess and its benefits, watch the video at the top of this article, or click here to access it. Maureen Mackey is managing editor of lifestyle for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent on Twitter at @maurmack.
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On 12 December 2019, the UNGA proclaimed 20 July as World Chess Day to mark the date of the establishment of FIDE in Paris in 1924
United Nations website says "Chess is one of the most ancient, intellectual and cultural games, with a combination of sport, scientific thinking and elements of art." Here are a few interesting facts about the global game:
1. About 70% of the adult population (US, UK, Germany, Russia, India) has played chess at some point in their lives, 605 million adults play chess regularly.
2. Mathematically there are more possible games of chess than there are atoms in the Observable Universe.
3. It is possible to checkmate an opponent in chess in two moves.
4. According to popular belief, the word “Checkmate” in Chess comes from the Persian phrase “Shah Mat,” which means “the King is dead.”
5. According to chessjournal.com, the longest chess game ever played was I. Nikolic vs. Arsovic, Belgrade 1989, which lasted 269 moves and ended in a draw. The game lasted for 20 hours and 15 minutes
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Photo: Julian Finney (Getty Images)The fiery cheating scandal consuming the chess world for the past month appears to be coming to a close and it looks like 19-year-old grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann has found himself in checkmate.OffEnglishA newly released Chess.com investigation first viewed by The Wall Street Journal claims Niemann likely received prohibited assistance in over 100 online games with some of the cheating repeatedly occurring as recently as two years ago. In addition to the online games, the investigation found numerous “irregularities” in Niemann’s in-person games. Niemann himself apparently privately confessed to some of the cheating allegations, according to the report.“Overall, we have found that Hans has likely cheated in more than 100 online Chess games, including several prize money events,” a screenshot of the investigation reads. The investigation reportedly includes a letter sent to Niemann noting examples of “blatant cheating” to improve his ratings.Niemann allegedly confessed to the cheating allegations to Chess.com Chief Chess Officer (yes, that’s a thing) Danny Rensch, over a 2020 phone call. The investigation notes that Niemann’s suspicious moves synced up with times when he opened up new screens on his computer, suggesting he might have sneakily used an illegal chess engine to inform him of his best move options.“While we don’t doubt that Hans is a talented player, we note that his results are statistically extraordinary,” the report reads according to the Journal.G/O Media may get a commissionThe explosive revelations follow weeks of drama, and ultimately cheating allegations from world chess champion Magnus Carlsen. For those still catching up, Carlsen shocked the chess world by withdrawing from the 2022 Sinquefield Cup after losing to Niemann Carlsen released a rather cryptic tweet following his withdrawal seeming to suggest Niemann cheated. Weeks later Carlsen faced off against Nielmann once more at the online Julius Baer Generation Cup and shut off his stream after just two moves, presumably out of protest. Carlsen continued to silently hint at the cheating before finally making an official statement last week, where he described cheating as “an existential threat” to chess.“I believe Niemann has cheated more—and more recently—than he has publicly admitted,” Carlsen wrote. “His over the board progress has been unusual, and throughout our game in the Sinquefield Cup I had the impression that he wasn’t tense or even fully concentrating on the game in critical positions.”The new Chess.com investigation appears to bolster Carlsen’s allegations. Niemann previously admitted to cheating when he was 12 and 16 which he described as “the single biggest mistake in my life.” If that’s the case, the new report suggests Niemann certainly didn’t learn his lesson.Chess.com says it uses numerous analytics to determine whether or not players are consulting chess engines or other illegal applications. The company monitors players’ past performance and also reportedly compares players’ moves with those recommended by chess engines. Confirming allegations of cheating in physical, over-the-board games, however, is much more difficult. Chess.com wouldn’t definitively say one way or another whether Niemann cheated in person but reportedly said some of his strongest performances, “merit further investigation based on the data.”The investigation’s findings are likely to send shockwaves through the chess world. Unfortunately, as far as we can tell, the investigation declined to weigh in on the theory that Niemann allegedly received move instructions through vibrating anal beads tucked up his ass. You can read the full report below.
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Chess
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Global Chess League: Dates, Fixtures, Teams, Format And Everything You Need To Know
The league aims to take the game to millions of fans with new and innovative formats, bringing a new perspective to the game.
The inaugural edition of the Global Chess League (GLC) got underway on Wednesday with a grand opening ceremony in Dubai. The tournament is a joint venture by Tech Mahindra and International Chess Federation (FIDE).
Global Chess League describes itself as the "world's first and largest official franchise chess league bringing fans together to witness the game in a never-seen-before avatar."
GCL is the only league in pro sports with a joint team format, featuring both men and women players in the same team, competing for the ultimate prize, according to the information available on its website.
The league aims to take the game to millions of fans with new and innovative formats, bringing in a new perspective to the game of chess.
Here is all you need to know about the Global Chess League:
Global Chess League (GLC): Format
There will be six teams competing in the tournament with six players, including two women players in each team. The franchises will play 10 matches each in a round-robin format. Each match will feature six boards and the top two teams will qualify for the final.
Global Chess League: Dates
The tournament will begin on Thursday, June 22 and the final will be held on July 2.
Global Chess League: Teams
The league features six participating teams, each representing different regions and boasting a roster of talented players:
Triveni Continental Kings
UpGrad Mumba Masters
Chingari Gulf Titans
Ganges Grandmasters
SG Alpine Warriors
Balan Alaskan Knights
The players have been divided into 'icons', 'superstars' and 'prodigies'. Each team will have one 'icon' and one 'progidy'. The rest are 'superstars' who have been divided among the six teams.
The Icons are:
Balan Alaskan Knights: Ian Nepomniachtchi
Mumbai Masters: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Ganges Grandmasters: Viswanathan Anand
Triveni Continental Kings: Levon Aronian
Chingari Gulf Titans: Jan-Krzysztof Duda
Alpine Warriors: Magnus Carlsen
The Prodigies are:
Balan Alaskan Knights: Raunak Sadhwani
Mumba Masters: Javokhir Sindarov
Ganges Grandmasters: Andrey Esipenko
Triveni Continental Kings: Jonas Buhl Bjerre
Chingari Gulf Titans: Nihal Sarin
Alpine Warriors: Praggnanandhaa R
The Superstars are:
Balan Alaskan Knights: Teimour Radjabov, Tan Zhongyi, Nino Batsiashvili, Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Mumbai Masters: Alexander Grischuk, Konery Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Vidit Gujrathi
Ganges Grandmasters: Hou Yifan, Richard Rapport, Leinier Dominguez Perez, Bella Khotenashvili
Triveni Continental Kings: Kateryna Lagno, Yu Yangyi, Nana Dzagnidze, Wei Yi
Chingari Gulf Titans: Alexander Kosteniuk, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Polina Shuvalova, Danil Dubov
Alpine Warriors: Elisabeth Paehtz, Irina Krush, Gukesh D, Arjun Erigaise
6 teams, 36 players. Ready to battle it out for the ultimate chess championship. #GlobalChessLeague #TheBigMove #GCL #ChingariGulfTitans #BalanAlaskanKnights #GangesGrandmasters #upGradMumbaMasters #SGAlpineWarriors #TriveniContinentalKings pic.twitter.com/E4SPArnmV4— Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (@GCLlive) June 20, 2023
Global Chess League: Live Streaming
The Global Chess League 2023 will be live streamed on the JioCinema app and website.
Global Chess League: Schedule
The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League schedule promises ten days of intense competition, featuring a mix of two-match and four-match days. The schedule is as follows:
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Chess World Cup 2023 Final: Praggnanandhaa Fights Valiantly; Magnus Carlsen wins
R Praggnanandhaa put up a valiant fight against Magnus Carlsen in the Chess World Cup 2023 final
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen defeated Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa's by 1.5-0.5 in the tie-break in Baku on Thursday after the classical games ended in a stalemate. Magnus prevailed against Praggnanandhaa in a thrilling tiebreak and adds one more trophy to his collection!
ð Magnus Carlsen is the winner of the 2023 FIDE World Cup! ð— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 24, 2023
Magnus prevails against Praggnanandhaa in a thrilling tiebreak and adds one more prestigious trophy to his collection! Congratulations! ð
ð· Stev Bonhage #FIDEWorldCup pic.twitter.com/sUjBdgAb7a
Praggnanandhaa is the runner-up of the 2023 FIDE World Cup! The 18-year-old Indian prodigy had an impressive tournament! On his way to the final, Praggnanandhaa beat, among others, world 2 Hikaru Nakamura and 3 Fabiano Caruana! By winning the silver medal, Praggnanandhaa also secured a ticket to the FIDE Candidates.
Praggnanandhaa is the runner-up of the 2023 FIDE World Cup! 𥗠International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 24, 2023
Congratulations to the 18-year-old Indian prodigy on an impressive tournament! ð
On his way to the final, Praggnanandhaa beat, among others, world #2 Hikaru Nakamura and #3 Fabiano Caruana! By winning the silver⦠pic.twitter.com/zJh9wQv5pS
Fabiano Caruana clinches third place in the 2023 FIDE World Cup and secures a ticket to the FIDE Candidates tournament next year, after prevailing against Nijat Abasov in the tiebreaks.
Fabiano Caruana clinches third place in the 2023 FIDE World Cup and secures a ticket to the #FIDECandidates tournament next year, after prevailing against Nijat Abasov in the tiebreaks. Congratulations! ð— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 24, 2023
ð· Stev Bonhage #FIDEWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Z35mDJJMwz
The results in the ongoing tournament also helped Praggnanandhaa qualify for Candidates 2024 tournament, which will be held in Canada.
Praggnanandhaa, thus, became the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.
Chess World Cup 2023: Road to Final
The second 25+10 tie-break game ended in a draw in 22 moves as Carlsen played it safe after he had won the first.
Praggnanandhaa gave a stiff challenge to Carlsen in the first tie-break game. However, Carlsen overcame the problems due to Praggnanandhaa's play to turn the tables and seize the advantage.
The two classical games on Tuesday and Wednesday had ended in draws forcing the final to a tie-break.
Praggnanandhaa had an excellent run in the tournament. He defeated world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura and world No.3 Fabiano Caruana to set up a final against Carlsen.
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Chess experts make more mistakes when air pollution is high, a study has found.
Experts used computer models to analyse the quality of games played and found that with a modest increase in fine particulate matter, the probability that chess players would make an error increased by 2.1 percentage points, and the magnitude of those errors increased by 10.8%.
The paper, published in the journal Management Science, studied the performance of 121 chess players in three seven-round tournaments in Germany in 2017, 2018, and 2019, comprising more than 30,000 chess moves. The researchers compared the actual moves the players made against the optimal moves determined by the powerful chess engine Stockfish.
In the tournament venues, the researchers attached three web-connected air quality sensors to measure carbon dioxide, PM2.5 concentrations, and temperature. Each tournament lasted eight weeks, meaning players faced a variety of air conditions.
Fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, refers to tiny particles 2.5 microns or less in diameter, which are often expelled by burning matter such as that from car engines, coal plants, forest fires, and wood burners.
“We find that when individuals are exposed to higher levels of air pollution, they make more mistakes, and they make larger mistakes,” said Juan Palacios, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sustainable Urbanization Lab and a co-author of the paper.
Researchers looked at historical data to see if their findings were replicated, using data from 20 years of games from the first division of the German chess league. After accounting for other causes such as noise, temperature changes and carbon dioxide concentrations, they found air pollution accounted for dips in player performance.
“It’s pure random exposure to air pollution that is driving these people’s performance,” Palacios said. “Against comparable opponents in the same tournament round, being exposed to different levels of air quality makes a difference for move quality and decision quality.”
Chess.com’s Leon Watson said that professional players were already monitoring air quality while they played: “Cognition is obviously incredibly important in chess and already some of the top players like Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri have cottoned on to how important air quality is.
“When competing from home in the big Champions Chess Tour events, players now routinely monitor their CO2 and particulate matter levels using [air monitors] and use the data to create the perfect environment to play in … like in any sport, fine margins are important. The difference may be marginal, but players will inevitably try to eliminate any competitive disadvantages.”
Though the study focused on chess players, the authors said it had implications for anyone who had to think hard at work in polluted areas, and it could have an economic cost to society.
Palacios said: “The idea is to provide accurate estimates to policymakers who are making difficult decisions about cleaning up the environment.”
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The Guardian reports: The Magnus Carlsen era is over. Ding Liren becomes China's first world chess champion. The country now can boast the men's and women's titleholders: an unthinkable outcome during the Cultural Revolution when it was banned as a game of the decadent West.
After 14 games which ended in a 7-7 draw, the championship was decided by four "rapid chess" games — with just 25 minutes on each players clock, and 10 seconds added after each move. Reuters reports that the competition was still tied after three games, but in the final match 30-year-old Ding capitalized on mistakes and "time management" issues by Ian Nepomniachtchi. Ding's triumph means China holds both the men's and women's world titles, with current women's champion Ju Wenjun set to defend her title against compatriot Lei Tingjie in July... Ding had leveled the score in the regular portion of the match with a dramatic win in game 12, despite several critical moments — including a purported leak of his own preparation. The Chinese grandmaster takes the crown from five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who defeated Nepomniachtchi in 2021 but announced in July he would not defend the title again this year...
[Ding] had only been invited to the tournament at the last minute to replace Russia's Sergey Karjakin, whom the international chess federation banned for his vocal support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ding ranks third in the FIDE rating list behind Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi.
It's the second straight world-championship defeat for Nepomniachtchi, the Guardian reports: "I guess I had every chance," the Russian world No 2 says. "I had so many promising positions and probably should have tried to finish everything in the classical portion. ... Once it went to a tiebreak, of course it's always some sort of lottery, especially after 14 games [of classical chess]. Probably my opponent made less mistakes, so that's it."
Ding wins €1.1 million, The Guardian reports — also sharing this larger story: "I started to learn chess from four years old," Ding says. "I spent 26 years playing, analyzing, trying to improve my chess ability with many different ways, with different changing methods. with many new ways of training."
He continues: "I think I did everything. Sometimes I thought I was addicted to chess, because sometimes without tournaments I was not so happy. Sometimes I struggled to find other hobbies to make me happy. This match reflects the deepness of my soul."
After 14 games which ended in a 7-7 draw, the championship was decided by four "rapid chess" games — with just 25 minutes on each players clock, and 10 seconds added after each move. Reuters reports that the competition was still tied after three games, but in the final match 30-year-old Ding capitalized on mistakes and "time management" issues by Ian Nepomniachtchi. Ding's triumph means China holds both the men's and women's world titles, with current women's champion Ju Wenjun set to defend her title against compatriot Lei Tingjie in July... Ding had leveled the score in the regular portion of the match with a dramatic win in game 12, despite several critical moments — including a purported leak of his own preparation. The Chinese grandmaster takes the crown from five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who defeated Nepomniachtchi in 2021 but announced in July he would not defend the title again this year...
[Ding] had only been invited to the tournament at the last minute to replace Russia's Sergey Karjakin, whom the international chess federation banned for his vocal support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ding ranks third in the FIDE rating list behind Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi.
It's the second straight world-championship defeat for Nepomniachtchi, the Guardian reports: "I guess I had every chance," the Russian world No 2 says. "I had so many promising positions and probably should have tried to finish everything in the classical portion. ... Once it went to a tiebreak, of course it's always some sort of lottery, especially after 14 games [of classical chess]. Probably my opponent made less mistakes, so that's it."
Ding wins €1.1 million, The Guardian reports — also sharing this larger story: "I started to learn chess from four years old," Ding says. "I spent 26 years playing, analyzing, trying to improve my chess ability with many different ways, with different changing methods. with many new ways of training."
He continues: "I think I did everything. Sometimes I thought I was addicted to chess, because sometimes without tournaments I was not so happy. Sometimes I struggled to find other hobbies to make me happy. This match reflects the deepness of my soul."
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The battle of chess’ behemoths ended in victory for five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, with the Norwegian beating Hikaru Nakamura to be crowned Airthings Masters champion.
In the grand final played on Chess.com, Carlsen defeated his great rival 2.5-1.5 to win the first Champions Chess Tour event of the season and net £30,000 ($36,192) in the process.
The win also secures him a place in the end-of-season Tour Playoffs in December.
It was the second time that Carlsen had beaten the American in the competition. He had earlier this week seen off the world number six in the winners final, with Nakamura going on to qualify for the grand final by beating Wesley So in the loser’s final.
Carlsen had only lost one game all tournament, to Indian teenager Arjun Erigaisi, but did not feel he had played his best chess.
“It feels a little bit weird,” said Carlsen, per Chess.com. “Overall, I am a little bit underwhelmed since I didn’t feel like the tournament ever got going. But there will be more excitement to come.”
International Master Tania Sachdev said of Carlsen’s performance, per Chess.com: “He was flawless today, start to finish. He took his chances when Hikaru got too risky, he never gave him a chance to come back.
“Even the game when he was on the defense, that big Game 3, that Hikaru opportunity, he really showed amazing resilience. He completely deserves this win. It was amazing play, and this is why he’s World Champion.”
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Photo: Julian Finney (Getty Images)The fiery cheating scandal consuming the chess world for the past month appears to be coming to a close and it looks like 19-year-old grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann has found himself in checkmate.OffEnglishA newly released Chess.com investigation first viewed by The Wall Street Journal claims Niemann likely received prohibited assistance in over 100 online games with some of the cheating repeatedly occurring as recently as two years ago. In addition to the online games, the investigation found numerous “irregularities” in Niemann’s in-person games. Niemann himself apparently privately confessed to some of the cheating allegations, according to the report.“Overall, we have found that Hans has likely cheated in more than 100 online Chess games, including several prize money events,” a screenshot of the investigation reads. The investigation reportedly includes a letter sent to Niemann noting examples of “blatant cheating” to improve his ratings.Niemann allegedly confessed to the cheating allegations to Chess.com Chief Chess Officer (yes, that’s a thing) Danny Rensch, over a 2020 phone call. The investigation notes that Niemann’s suspicious moves synced up with times when he opened up new screens on his computer, suggesting he might have sneakily used an illegal chess engine to inform him of his best move options.“While we don’t doubt that Hans is a talented player, we note that his results are statistically extraordinary,” the report reads according to the Journal.The explosive revelations follow weeks of drama, and ultimately cheating allegations from world chess champion Magnus Carlsen. For those still catching up, Carlsen shocked the chess world by withdrawing from the 2022 Sinquefield Cup after losing to Niemann Carlsen released a rather cryptic tweet following his withdrawal seeming to suggest Niemann cheated. Weeks later Carlsen faced off against Nielmann once more at the online Julius Baer Generation Cup and shut off his stream after just two moves, presumably out of protest. Carlsen continued to silently hint at the cheating before finally making an official statement last week, where he described cheating as “an existential threat” to chess.“I believe Niemann has cheated more—and more recently—than he has publicly admitted,” Carlsen wrote. “His over the board progress has been unusual, and throughout our game in the Sinquefield Cup I had the impression that he wasn’t tense or even fully concentrating on the game in critical positions.”The new Chess.com investigation appears to bolster Carlsen’s allegations. Niemann previously admitted to cheating when he was 12 and 16 which he described as “the single biggest mistake in my life.” If that’s the case, the new report suggests Niemann certainly didn’t learn his lesson.Chess.com says it uses numerous analytics to determine whether or not players are consulting chess engines or other illegal applications. The company monitors players’ past performance and also reportedly compares players’ moves with those recommended by chess engines. Confirming allegations of cheating in physical, over-the-board games, however, is much more difficult. Chess.com wouldn’t definitively say one way or another whether Niemann cheated in person but reportedly said some of his strongest performances, “merit further investigation based on the data.”The investigation’s findings are likely to send shockwaves through the chess world. Unfortunately, as far as we can tell, the investigation declined to weigh in on the theory that Niemann allegedly received move instructions through vibrating anal beads tucked up his ass. You can read the full report below.
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Chess
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Chess World Cup 2023 Final: Time, Where To Watch Praggnanandhaa Vs Magnus Carlsen
Here are all details of the Chess World Cup 2023 Final: Date, Time, Where to watch Praggnanandhaa vs. Magnus Carlsen
The second game of the Chess World Cup final between Indian chess teen sensation R Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen ended in a draw after 30 moves.
Chess World Cup 2023 Final: Date and Time
The champion of the Chess World Cup will be decided via two tie-breaks on Thursday, August 24, 2023. The R Praggnanandhaa vs Magnus Carlsen game will start at 3.15 pm.
Chess World Cup 2023 Final: Where To Watch
The Chess World Cup 2023 final is not televised but fans can watch R Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen match through live streaming on the FIDE Chess YouTube channel as well as on the ChessBase India YouTube channel.
Chess World Cup 2023: Rules
The 2023 FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, from July 30 to August 24, features 206 players in a knockout format. With a prize pool nearing $1.9 million, the winner takes home $110,000. Additionally, the top three finishers earn spots in the 2024 Candidates Tournament.
Each duel has two standard games, with players getting 90 minutes for the initial 40 moves and an additional 30 minutes for the rest of the game.
Starting from the first move, there's also a 30-second increment per move. If matches end in a tie, the third day sees a playoff. The tie-breakers start with two 25+10 rapid games, potentially followed by two 10+10 and two 5+3 games. Persisting ties lead to successive 3+2 games until a victor emerges. Players can't offer a draw until after the 30th move.
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How do Bucs feed competitive spark, build chemistry? Playing locker-room chess
TAMPA, Fla. — Between practices, workouts and meetings, there is inevitable downtime in NFL locker rooms. Teams will put up miniature basketball hoops, ping-pong or pool tables, even suction-cup dartboards — anything to feed players' competitive fix during the long days of game prep.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have found a surprising twist on that this season. There are two boards on small tables between couches in the middle of Tampa's locker room. Players will literally shout "I got next!" from their lockers as a game is played. At the conclusion of one recent match, a Bucs player stood up in frustration, shook hands with a teammate and said, "I've got to work on my endgame."
They're playing chess.
Enthusiastically.
"I just love the fact that a bunch of the guys like to play," punter Jake Camarda said. "It's just a fun, strategic game to play. It makes you think a lot, and we enjoy it. It's a good battle. We play a lot. The boards are usually taken."
There is metaphorical chess all over the NFL — a battle of two veteran coordinators is touted as a chess match, a versatile player is a chess piece, a deadlocked defensive struggle is a stalemate. But this is real chess, ranging from serious "mate in five moves" experts to novices who didn't know how each piece moved until this summer.
"You wouldn't think chess would be that popular, but when we get out of practice and we have a little downtime to eat and hang out, that chess table is full," said linebacker J.J. Russell, who only picked up the game this summer. "When you're playing, you're thinking two moves ahead. Chess tells you who you are in a sense: Are you an attacker? Are you passive? You can definitely connect it to the game of football. It's all the same thing."
Is a linebacker more aggressive in football or chess?
"I'm more aggressive in football," Russell admitted. "Every time I'm in an aggressive state in chess, I'm losing some important pieces. I'm trying to learn to be aggressive and not lose my pieces."
Like so many other Bucs players, linebackers Cam Gill and K.J. Britt (left to right at near table) and tight end Ko Kieft and long snapper Zach Triner (left to right at far table) are hooked on chess. (Photo by Greg Auman)
Duke Preston, 41, is the Bucs' vice president of player engagement. He's also a former Buffalo Bills offensive lineman, starting 20 games between 2005 and 2008. He has played chess and now plays with his sons. "I love it because they sit there and they don't talk," he joked. "It's quiet. They're not screaming and throwing remote controls at each other. They're doing something productive."
Preston thought the game might be something that could help the Bucs. Players were already playing here and there, but this summer, as the team wrapped up workouts ahead of training camp, Preston brought in Ashley Lynn Priore, a chess instructor from Pittsburgh who has worked with everyone from politicians to colleges and businesses, illustrating how chess strategy can apply to much more than the game.
"She does a lot of cool things with taking chess and making it a way of life, a leadership perspective. We did a little bit of that, but more than anything, it's a cool competitive outlet for our guys," Preston said. "We're big proponents of critical thinking and problem-solving, so guys playing chess in the locker room, competing and developing themselves mentally, it's a cool kind of thing."
Priore had never worked with an NFL team when she met with the Bucs in June, but she has since worked with the Browns and has sessions set up with the Colts and Steelers. She wants every NFL team to learn chess, but that movement began in Tampa.
"I was so impressed with the Bucs players," she said. "It was really exciting to see these players come up with so many connections between the game of chess and football. Not a lot of people talk about those connections enough, and it's there."
Once players understand the game, they see football on the chessboard and vice versa. They can't all move with the confidence and power of a queen, but they might identify with the range of a bishop, the stealthy multidirectional attack of a knight, even the slow persistence of pawns, which protect each other and can take down any piece on the board, or become as powerful as any piece. The game teaches pattern recognition, anticipation, deception and misdirection — all things that can help in football.
Preston said he never saw a chessboard in a locker room when he played, but he has since seen the game take off across the league. Quarterbacks like the Eagles' Jalen Hurts and the Bengals' Joe Burrow play the game, and for the past two years, a tournament called "Blitz Champs" has pitted current and former players like Cardinals great Larry Fitzgerald against each other, raising more than $100,000 for charity.
The Bucs supplied the initial boards — labeled with coordinates for algebraic notation — but players have brought in their own, along with the chess clocks they now use for speed games.
"Sometimes we play clock, sometimes we don't," Camarda said. "We messed around last week and played some one-minute games. We've played three-minute games. Usually no more than five. ... Since it's been in here, I can't tell you how many guys have the Chess.com app, so we play all the time."
Long snapper Zach Triner played as a kid, and like many people got back into chess watching the TV show "Queen's Gambit" a few years back. He said what he likes is that players from the entire team are playing — offense, defense, veterans, rookies — so there's an interactive aspect to playing that makes the team a little closer just by playing.
"Every position's playing, and there's been some really good relationships over the chessboard," Triner said. "[Coach Todd] Bowles is really big on the chemistry, and I think this is surprisingly one of the things that's done that for us. It doesn't matter who you are, practice squad or starter, everyone's over there playing."
Bucs center Robert Hainsey, training this summer in Arizona, had played since childhood but got "really into it" during his downtime between workouts, playing on his phone and even watching YouTube videos of gambits and defenses. So he was pleasantly surprised to see the game catch on in the locker room, calling it "a big camaraderie thing during camp that fits the group really well."
Priore wasn't sure what to expect from teaching an NFL team how to play chess, but she's thrilled to see the participation level continuing to grow, even as the regular season unfolds.
"It's a really great team-building exercise, and I think what sets them apart from the rest is they're fully dedicated to this," she said. "They're not being told to do it. I see them posting on their Instagram stories and it makes me feel excited, because for the longest time, chess wasn't the in game, the cool game. Kids watch these guys play, and I have students who say, 'These guys actually play chess!' and it makes them want to play even more."
The undisputed chess king of the Bucs' locker room is backup quarterback John Wolford. The Wake Forest graduate learned the game at age 5 from his grandfather, and he has played ever since. He has a player account at Chess.com, where he's played nearly 3,000 games — often "bullet chess," played in mere minutes — though only a few in the past two years.
Camarda calls Wolford "incredibly good." Rookie tight end Payne Durham said Wolford "runs the locker room." So among his teammates, Wolford has good reason to have confidence.
"As humbly as I can say it, I don't think there's anyone that can beat me in the room," he says. "Payne beat me one time, because I lost my queen, but that was a blunder."
When the Bucs brought in Priore to do the chess presentation to the team, he played her, and he won.
"I think she was a little surprised I was good and I caught her off-guard," he explained.
The biggest obstacle to the Bucs holding a single-elimination chess tournament — 16 players, seeds and everything — is a unanimous appreciation for Wolford's dominance. "He single-handedly killed the tournament," Preston said. An alternative was suggested, with Wolford getting the ultimate bye and getting to play the winner from the rest of the locker room.
"That may come to fruition," Wolford said. "It'd be kind of fun."
Durham, who played chess with roommates at Purdue, said he'll use the game to get his day started. "First thing in the morning, I'll go hop on the board and really wake the brain up," he explained. "You have to learn how to analyze what your opponent is trying to do, to see their attacks coming before they give them away. That ties in with football, with life, just looking ahead and seeing all of that stuff."
Wolford said everyone can learn from the game, whether they apply the analytical skills to football or not.
"It's great for your brain," Wolford said. "There's a lot of intricacies to chess. The more guys play, it's probably good for them, much better than messing around on your phone. I think it's good for the team. It's great for strategy, and there's probably some second- and third-order positive effects for the team."
Some of the Bucs' most active chess players are the newest ones, learning the game from Priore this summer and from teammates since then, liking the ability to improve with steady practice.
"I love things that challenge me," rookie safety Kaevon Merriweather said. "You have some people who are like, 'You've got to think three-four-five moves ahead.' I'm still just looking at the next move. I think Payne beat me in like five moves. But it's definitely fun, and it's a nice competition for us."
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Linebacker K.J. Britt learned from Wolford this summer, and in a matter of months, it's what he does when he has a minute to spare.
"We play every day," Britt said. "Whenever we get some free time, you can clear your mind on something that isn't football-related, and we'll take advantage of that. I play wherever. I've got my own chessboard, I've got the app. Whenever I'm bored, I play."
Britt and Russell — K.J. and J.J. in chess circles — have adjoining lockers close to the chessboards, so they're watching when they're not playing, something entirely new for them, but now part of their daily routine.
"I never played as a kid or anything, never knew anything about it," Russell said. "I was watching [teammates] play, watching them play, and I asked Jake to teach me some moves. He had me download it on my phone, and once I did that, I was hooked. Literally, all I do is play. If I've got a little free time at the house, I'm playing chess.
"I'll try to learn new moves so I can come back in here and win."
Greg Auman is FOX Sports' NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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Chess
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CNN — From Netflix shows such as “The Queen’s Gambit” to its rock and roll superstar Magnus Carlsen, the popularity of chess has never been stronger. As the game embraces the digital world, chess has only continued to grow and is now eagerly consumed by all generations. Online platform Chess.com says it now has more than 102 million users signed up – a 238% increase from January 2020 – with 7.5 million active users every day. Meanwhile, some of the sport’s very best players have amassed huge social media followings by streaming games online. The game is so embedded in the public’s consciousness that there is now even such a thing as a chess influencer. With the game evolving year on year, and with Carlsen playing in a tournament dubbed “chess Wimbledon” on Saturday, CNN takes a look at some of the most popular chess variants with the help of Grandmaster and three-time British Champion David Howell. Most will be familiar with the rules of classical chess, a game that has been around in some form or other for over a thousand years. Players compete to checkmate their opponent and have a long time to do so. The clock, which tracks the time left for both players, usually starts at 90 minutes but games can go on for much longer. For the upcoming FIDE World Cup this year, for example, players will have 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game. Players also receive an extra 30 seconds for each move they make, meaning individual games can last for hours. In 2021, Carlsen beat Ian Nepomniachtchi after seven hours, 45 minutes and 136 moves, the longest single game in world championship history. That was the sixth match of the best-of-14-game series, though Carlsen only needed 11 games to win. “Classical is the most historic kind of time control. In the old days, they used to have hours or even days at a time for their game,” Howell told CNN. “So it’s a longer form. I think the average classical game takes about four hours and it’s all about endurance. “Objectively, the level is very high. There are very few blunders and often it’s about incremental gains. You have to add up all these small advantages to outlast your opponent.” Due to the time available to think about your next move, draws at the top level are very common and there is practically no margin for error. Howell says all players have databases available to them to study all of their opponent’s previous games, meaning they can plan ahead for matches. Some players, including Howell himself, can very occasionally predict the next 20 moves of a game because of the time given to analyze the board. Carlsen is the current world classical champion and has been since 2013. For those who struggle to stay engaged with the classical version of chess, there is a faster option available. Rapid has the same rules as classical but players have between 10 and 60 minutes to make their moves. With the clock ticking, players tend to make more mistakes with draws less likely. “Here there is a heavy emphasis on the opening because you’ve got such a short amount of time,” Howell said. “You don’t want to get into trouble early in the game because you don’t really have time to think and to fight back.” Howell says these games tend to become a scramble for time by the end, with players taking more risks. In the past, some of the biggest names in chess wouldn’t have touched these faster versions but nowadays, the sport’s biggest stars take it seriously. As a result, the standard is still very high with perhaps only one mistake a game due to the time pressure. In addition to checkmate, players can also lose if they run out of time. Carlsen, yet again, is the world rapid champion after winning the title in December 2022. If you need a quicker dopamine hit, blitz chess is an even faster version of the sport and players are permitted no more than 10 minutes, according to the game’s governing body FIDE. Howell, though, says most blitz games are between three to five minutes long. The time allocated can also include incremental additions. For example, 5/1 blitz would refer to the number of minutes players start with (five) and the number of additional seconds (one) players receive after making their move. These games require players to think fast and move at lightning speed. “Blitz is fast and furious. It’s a lot about instincts, it’s all about speed,” Howell said. “Often the maximum you have on the clock is five minutes each for the whole game. But nowadays, three minutes is kind of the standard but you do get, for example, two seconds every move, like a small buffer, an increment,” added Howell, referring to other blitz variants. “It does pay off to be very aggressive quite often, because attacking is easier than defending.” Carlsen is again the world champion has a worthy rival in US player Hikaru Nakamura. The 35-year-old Nakamura represents a new era of chess and has amassed 1.6 million followers on streaming platform Twitch by broadcasting his online games. Howell says both Carlsen and Nakamura have an incredible ability to make snap decisions and are able to solve situations within a split second. Despite the years of practice, even the biggest stars make glaring errors. But according to Howell, that’s all part of the fun. “It’s like going from a five setter in tennis down to just the final tiebreak,” Howell said, speaking to the difference between blitz and classical. “Sometimes you just get unlucky. There’s far less control over your own fate.” If you have an even greater need for speed there is bullet chess which, as its name suggests, is the fastest of all variants and an offshoot of blitz. It’s almost always played online with players usually having just one minute to make all their moves. Although chess purists have widely adopted the other time constraints, bullet chess is often looked at as a bit of a lottery. “It’s more about just surprising the opponent at any cost,” Howell said. “Your moves don’t need to be the best ones but surprise value is the key because if your opponent burns 10 or 20 seconds on one move, they’ve basically lost all the time and lost the game.” With bullet chess almost exclusively played digitally, Howell says the variant has become something of an esport, with players needing to rely on their mouse dexterity as much as their understanding of the game. The shift to a digital landscape has also seen a change in the psychology involved in playing the game. “A lot of players perform better if they don’t see their opponent because they don’t get involved with the mind games,” added Howell. “For example, if I were to play Magnus Carlsen and I didn’t know it was Magnus, I think I would score far better than if I were sitting across the board from him because there’s that kind aura around him, that air of dominance. “If he makes a gesture or frowns, suddenly you panic and you make a terrible decision. You can automatically play this submissive role and the top players often overwhelm their opponents psychologically. “Online, it’s easier to stay calm. You don’t feel your opponent’s breath on your face.” Finally, there is the wildcard variant called Chess 960, or Fischer random chess. Created by former world chess champion Bobby Fischer, the game is different not just for its time constraints but for the positioning of its pieces. While the pawns are still lined up on the second row, the pieces behind are placed randomly. It prevents players from planning their moves ahead of time and Howell believes this is a variant that will continue to grow. “There’s 960 different starting positions and therefore you can’t really memorize the opening stage,” he said. “Basically, each player comes fresh to the game and it’s all about understanding rather than who’s got a better memory.”
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Chess
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The premier team competition in chess, the 180-nation Chennai Olympiad, ended on Tuesday with a shock result. Uzbekistan, average age 20 and seeded only 14th, edged to gold ahead of the three-time winners Armenia and India’s teenagers, while the top seeded United States finished out of the medals.India’s Gukesh D, 16, and the Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 17, stood out as fast rising talents destined for the world top. The pair took gold and silver for the first board, leaving the world champion, Magnus Carlsen, with the bronze. Carlsen scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 but still dropped rating points, as he has done in every team appearance for Norway since 2007.Silver medallists Armenia are the great chess team specialists, already winners of three Olympiad golds. Their success was notable after what could have been two crippling setbacks. Their longtime star Levon Aronian transferred to the US, while official support in Yerevan has sharply diminished.Uzbekistan already has a $4m annual budget for chess and this will increase in 2026 when Tashkent plays host to the Olympiad, following Budapest 2024.Its teenage stars were likely inspired in their early years by Rustam Kasimdzhanov’s victory in the 2004 Fide world championship. The loser on tie-break then was England’s Michael Adams – if he had won there were plans for a match with Garry Kasparov. A historic missed chance for English chess, perhaps.England’s David Howell won gold on board three with 7.5/8 and a performance rating of 2898, the highest of the entire Olympiad, but his team failed at the final hurdle, losing 1.5-2.5 to outsiders Moldova in Tuesday’s 11th and last round and ending up 14th when a win would have placed them in the top six.Howell, from Seaford in Sussex, is a former prodigy who qualified for the adult British championship at nine and became England’s youngest ever grandmaster at 16. Now 31, he has become a popular commentator for the Meltwater Tour online circuit and has just cooperated with Carlsen in an instruction course Grind like a Grandmaster. He has overcome what used to be chronic addiction to time pressure and one of his best wins at Chennai shows his subtle use of his favourite bishop pair.In England’s all-time lists, Howell’s result is matched by John Nunn’s 10/11 gold at Thessaloniki 1984, while Murray Chandler twice totalled 9/11, at Dubai 1986 and Novi Sad 1990. Comparison is hard, since Nunn and Chandler played in silver medal teams which met the USSR and USA giants, while Howell scored higher but against mostly middle ranking opponents.There was almost a second British Isles gold when Ireland’s Conor Murphy reached 7.5/8, only to lose in the penultimate round. It was the finest Olympiad performance by an Irishman, more significant than the long ago victory by Brian Reilly against the world ranked Reuben Fine at Warsaw 1935.Murphy still came away with a grandmaster norm. At 23, the Cambridge maths graduate and leading light of Charlton CC in south-east London has the potential to become Ireland’s best ever player.The big losers in Chennai were the United States, who in the absence of Russia (banned) and China (Covid and visa issues) were odds-on favourites. World top-10 players Aronian and Fabiano Caruana were undone by the energy of the Asian teens. Round eight, when the US lost 3-1 to India 2, seemed like a new version of the infamous 1945 radio match against the Soviet Union.US chess strategy in recent years, masterminded by Rex Sinquefield and the globally renowned St Louis chess club, has been to encourage established star players to transfer to the US and so build a highly rated national team. What occurred in Chennai shows the limitations of this approach. The ambitious and fearless Uzbek and Indian teenagers look to be the future of chess.Ukraine took the women’s Olympiad gold when India, who had led all the way, faltered in the final round. Georgia won silver, India bronze. England finished 32nd, but it was a promising performance with real hope for the future. Lan Yao, Akshaya Kalaiyalahan and Zoe Varney are all in their early 20s and can progress to higher levels before the next Olympiad at Budapest in 2024.3828: 1…dxe4 2 Qxf7+! Kxf7 3 Bc4+ Kf6 4 Nxe4+ Kf5 5 g4+ Kxe4 6 Re1+ Kf3 7 Re3 mate or 7 Bd5 mate.
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Chess
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Ding Liren has become China's first men's world chess champion, after defeating Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Ding, 30, won a rapid-play tiebreaker after 14 first-stage games at the World Chess Championship in Kazakhstan.
He succeeds Norway's Magnus Carlsen, the five-time champion who said he was "not motivated" to defend his title.
Carlsen accused a US opponent of cheating last year in a row that rocked the chess world. He remains number one in the rankings.
Ding's victory makes him the 17th winner of the world chess tournament, while Nepomniachtchi, who had previously made a grand final, fell at the final hurdle for a second time.
Ding said he was "quite relieved" after his victory, according to comments shared by FIDE, the International Chess Federation.
"The moment Ian resigned the game was a very emotional moment. I couldn't control my feelings. I know myself, I will cry and burst into tears. It was a tough tournament for me."
His victory was celebrated by chess fans and patriots in China, which is a growing chess power.
"One Ding to rule em all," tweeted fellow grandmaster Anish Giri after Ding's victory.
China's General Administration of Sport, a government department, also posted a warm congratulatory message, praising Ding for "winning glory for the motherland and its people".
A native of Wenzhou, China's "chess city", Ding triumphed in dramatic circumstances in Astana, the Kazakh capital.
The opening 14 games were played over three weeks. Ding and Nepomniachtchi each won three, with eight draws.
For the tiebreaker, each player had only 25 minutes to make their moves, plus an additional 10 seconds for each move played. Ding clinched victory in winning the fourth quick-fire game.
The 2m euro (£1.8m; $2.2m) prize money will be split 55-45 between the two players.
Ding was able to compete against Nepomniachtchi due to Carlsen's abstention. Ding had finished second at the Candidates Tournament, which players must win to challenge the world champion.
In 2009, he became China's youngest chess champion at national level.
Within 12 years, he had become the highest-ranked Chinese player in the world rankings, reaching second place.
Ding was undefeated in classical chess for 100 games from August 2017 to November 2018. This was the longest unbeaten streak in top-level chess history until Carlsen surpassed it in 2019.
His triumph reflects China's growth in the global chess scene.
China has dominated women's chess tournaments since the 1990s, when Xie Jun became the first Chinese person to claim a world title in 1991 in the women's game.
No Chinese player had ever previously won the World Chess Championship, in which both men and women can compete.
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English chess is set to get a funding boost to help foster young talent.
Bloomberg has reported that the government is to announce £500,000 of funding for the English Chess Federation, alongside plans to expand chess in schools and public parks.
An announcement is expected later this month and the federation said it was in talks with the government over how to best invest in the game.
It said the money was "potentially transformational".
Chess is not officially recognised as a sport in England, which means it can not access funding from Sport England.
Malcolm Pein, the federation's director of international chess, told the BBC this would be the first time the UK government had financially backed the national team.
Neither Downing Street nor the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport would comment.
However, Mr Pein said the federation was expecting funding to be announced this month.
He said that while the reported £500,000 of funding sounded like "a trivially small amount", chess was a cheap sport so a small amount of funding could go a long way.
Mr Pein added that there were plans to invest in training camps, top coaches and cutting-edge computer analysis to support up-and-coming players.
He said the hope was that the funding could help England create more grandmasters and return the country to its number two position in the world rankings, which it reached in the 1980s.
England's men have since slipped to 18th and their women to 24th, according to the International Chess Federation.
Mr Pein, who founded the charity Chess in Schools and Communities, said there had also been discussions about installing chess tables in parks and expanding chess in schools.
Bloomberg reported that the proposals were for just 100 tables to be installed, but Mr Pein said that given there were currently thought to be only five in parks across the whole country, this would be "a good result".
He added that the hope was that more local authorities would want to install tables if they proved popular.
Chess saw a boom in popularity during lockdowns, with websites reporting a surge in sign-ups.
Sarah Longson, a former British ladies champion who now coaches England's junior players, said Netflix series The Queen's Gambit, which follows the story of a young female chess prodigy, also sparked an increase in interest, particularly among women.
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the gender balance of the game was roughly 50:50 at primary school age, but it became more male-dominated in older age groups.
Mr Pein said the federation also wanted to use the funding to encourage more women to play chess.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has already expressed a desire to improve numeracy amongst the country's children, saying he wants all pupils in England to study some maths to the age of 18.
On a visit to a US school in Washington in June, Mr Sunak spoke of his desire to get more British children playing chess, saying it was a "great skill".
The prime minister shares a love of chess with Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, who was a junior chess champion.
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Chess
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Praggnanandhaa: From Wonderkid To A Chess Great In The Waiting
A stunning performance in the FIDE World Cup in Baku has catapulted Praggnanandhaa to the Candidates tournament to determine the challenger to current world champion Ding Liren.
For someone, who took to chess just because his parents wanted him and his sister to wean away from watching television, R Praggnanandhaa has charted his own path to glory and is closer to greatness than ever.
The 18-year old wonderboy has long been seen as a possible successor to the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand and is certainly on the path to be a chess great.
A stunning performance in the FIDE World Cup in Baku has catapulted him to the Candidates tournament to determine the challenger to current world champion Ding Liren.
He could not win the World Cup but his stellar giant-killing show brought chess on the front page of national dailies, adding to the popularity of the game that is followed keenly only in a few states in India.
By becoming the only Indian player after Anand to book a spot in the Candidates, the Chennai teenager has proved that he will be the name to reckon with when it comes to big-ticket chess events.
A wonderkid, who took up the sport at the age of four-and-a-half, Praggnanandhaa has achieved several firsts in his distinguished career thus far.
After coming under the wings of Anand, who has taken to mentorship like a duck to water, the rise has been steady for Praggnanandhaa.
By beating Magnus Carlsen, the world No.1 and former classical champion in an online tournament last year, Praggnanandhaa showed that he could soak in the pressure and defeat the best in the business at their own game.
Though questions remain on his ability in the classical format, the teenaged GM has shown that he has it in him to be in the big league.
Hailing from Chennai, the hotspot of Indian chess, Praggnanandhaa has been in the spotlight since he made waves at a young age.
He won the national under-7 title to lay down the marker and has been on the rise ever since. At 10, he was an International Master and two years later, he became a GM.
Late in 2019, he achieved a ELO rating of 2600 at 14 years and three months and looked to be on the overdrive. The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 came as a speed bump.
However, Praggnanandhaa shone in online tournaments and kept getting better. In 2021, he impressed in the Meltwater Champions Tour, scoring victories over top names like Sergey Karjakin, Teimour Radjabov and Jan-Krzystof Duda and drawing Carlsen.
In 2022, his stock rose further when he stunned Carlsen in the Airthings Masters rapid tournament. He became only the third Indian after Anand and P Harikrishna to win a game against the seemingly unbeatable Carlsen.
Praggnanandhaa's calm demeanour when at the table hides a confident and aggressive player. He can be quite a formidable opponent when he sits across the table for a game.
And, he has shown great fighting qualities, in the World Cup especially. Up against world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura, he showed that in abundance and felled a higher-rated opponent.
Then against Fabiano Caruana, the world No.3, in the semifinal, his defensive capabilities were to the fore and he came through in a nerve-wracking tie-break.
As Grandmaster M Shyam Sundar, a coach with the Indian team in Baku for the World Cup, says, "One of his (Praggnanandhaa's) biggest strengths is his ability to defend bad positions even against the absolute elite." This stands him in good stead in adverse situations.
That apart, as Shyam Sundar says, Praggnanandhaa is good in all formats and that helped him reach the finals as he was confident in the tie-breaks against Caruana.
Like Anand, family support, especially from his mother, has been a great factor in his evolution as a player. His mother Nagalakshmi is a constant at tournaments that he plays and he seems to feed off her valuable presence.
There is a feeling that Praggnanandhaa's opening repertoire is not top-notch but he is quite a force in the rapid and blitz formats and in online games.
He has improved leaps and bounds and with the work put in under noted coach R B Ramesh and subsequently Anand (as the mentor), Praggnanandhaa can only get better, which may not be good news for his rivals.
He has achieved a lot at 18 and is already on the path to greatness. With people of the stature of Anand and Ramesh to guide him, the Chennai player will be dreaming of becoming the world champion sooner than later.
For someone so talented, Praggnanandhaa, surprisingly, is yet to win the national championship despite his other accomplishments.
His performance in the FIDE World Cup has turned the spotlight firmly on him even as compatriots like D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi too kept reminding the chess world of their own potential.
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Chess
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Magnus Carlsen, one of the top chess players in the world, revealed Wednesday he refused to play in the world championship next year against Ian Nepomniachtchi.Carlsen, 31, said in a podcast interview for his sponsor, Unibet, he has no motivation to defend his title."I feel I don't have a lot to gain, I don't particularly like (the championship matches), and although I'm sure a match would be interesting for historical reasons and all of that, I don't have any inclination to play, and I will simply not play the match," the Norwegian chess champ said, via Reuters.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Magnus Carlsen during the FIDE Chess World Rapid & Blitz 2021 in Warsaw, Poland, on December 29, 2021. (Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images)"Ultimately the conclusion stands, one that I'm pretty comfortable with, one that I've thought a lot about for a long time now, I would say more than a year... since long before the last match."Carlsen beat Nepomniachtchi without losing a game in their last match. The Russian chess player is likely to play China’s Ding Liren. According to Chess.com, those three players are the top in the world.NEW JERSEY 12-YEAR-OLD IS WORLD'S YOUNGEST CHESS GRANDMASTER"And I've spoken to people in my team, I've spoken to FIDE, I spoke to Ian as well. And the conclusion is, it's very simple, that I am not motivated to play another match," Carlsen continued. Ian Nepomniachtchi, of Russia, competes against Richard Rapport, of Hungary, in round 12 of the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament at the Santoña Palace on July 3, 2022, in Madrid, Spain. (Miguel Pereira/Getty Images)Carlsen is a grandmaster chess champion and has been a five-time World Chess Champion. Additionally, he’s a three-time World Rapid Chess Champion and a five-time World Blitz Chess Champion.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Magnus Carlsen during the FIDE Chess World Rapid & Blitz 2021 in Warsaw, Poland, on December 28, 2021. (Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images)He has been ranked as the No. 1 in the FIDE World Chess rankings since July 2011. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to Ryan.Gaydos@fox.com.
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Chess
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Praggnanandhaa Shocks Caruana In World Cup Chess Semis, Meets Carlsen In Final
After the two-game classical series ended 1-1, the 18-year-old Indian prodigy outlasted the highly-rated American grandmaster.
Continuing his dream run, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa on Monday stunned world No.3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 via the tie-break in the semifinals to set up a summit clash with world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway at the FIDE World Cup chess tournament here.
After the two-game classical series ended 1-1, the 18-year-old Indian prodigy outlasted the highly-rated American GM in a battle of wits in a nerve-wracking tie-breaker.
In the final beginning on Tuesday, Praggnanandhaa will take on five-times title winner Carlsen, who beat Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov 1.5-0.5 in his semifinal.
Praggnanandhaa becomes the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.
"I didn't expect to play Magnus in this tournament at all because the only way I could play him was in the final, and I didn't expect to be in the final. I will just try to give my best and see how it goes!," he said after booking a spot in the summit clash.
"It feels really good to qualify for the Candidates; I really wanted to fix this spot."
With the two 25'+10' games ending at 1-all, Praggnanandhaa prevailed in the first 10'+10' game against Caruana to get within a draw of setting up a final clash with world No.1 Carlsen.
"Pragg goes through to the final! He beats Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen now. What a performance!," chess legend Viswanathan Anand posted on social networking site 'X', formerly Twitter.
In the first game of tie-break, the Indian GM withstood a lot of pressure from Caruana and held on for a draw in an exciting encounter. The second rapid game too saw a similar result, pushing the semifinals to the 10'+10' series.
Praggnanandhaa has been in a rich vein of form in the World Cup and his biggest scalp before Caruana was another American Hikaru Nakamura, the world No.2 and second-seed, following which he stopped compatriot Arjun Erigaisi.
"Congratulations @rpragchess for winning against Fabiano and going to the finals at the World Cup in 2023! Proud and happy!," noted chess coach R B Ramesh wrote on 'X'.
Former women's world No.1 Susan Polgar also hailed the young Indian GM. "Congratulations to GM Praggnanandhaa for reaching the 2023 World Cup final to face Magnus! He defeated world #2 Fabiano in the playoff to earn the coveted spot! He also defeated world #3 Hikaru earlier!"
AICF president Sanjay Kapoor said, "Congratulations to Praggnanandhaa @rpragchess on his amazing victory & making it to the FINALS of @FIDE_chess Chess World Cup. Bravo! Indian chess lovers can't wait for the Final as it promises to be one RED HOT Contest with the World no.1 @MagnusCarlsen on the other side!"
By becoming only the second Indian after Anand to reach the semifinals of the world cup, Pragg booked a spot in the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to Ding Liren.
The top three finishers in the tournament qualify for the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to current world champion Liren of China.
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Chess
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Flash Report: Ding Liren Wins 2023 FIDE World Championship In Rapid Tiebreak
GM Ding Liren is the new world champion after beating GM Ian Nepomniachtchi in the final rapid tiebreak game of the 2023 FIDE World Championship. Following a 7-7 tie in a thrilling 14-game classical match, it all came down to the final rapid game, which Ding won with Black in sensational style. GM Magnus Carlsen's reign is no more. For the first time since 2013, the torch has been passed to Ding, the 17th world champion.
Aside from claiming the title of world champion, Ding will receive €1.1 million for his victory while Nepomniachtchi will receive €900,000.
This is a flash report. The full report including game annotations, photos, and videos will be added soon.
Ding Liren wins the 2023 FIDE World Championship 🏆— Chess.com (@chesscom) April 30, 2023
Congratulations to Ding on becoming the new FIDE World Champion, and cementing his place in chess history after a thrilling match! 👏 pic.twitter.com/YqMTCtm6Zs
Self-pinning for immortality. Congrats Ding!! https://t.co/pswA5g6bz9— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) April 30, 2023
it's impossible to praise both players enough. Even today, they went at it with full energy and the 4th game was so draining. However, Ding survived so many setbacks and saves his best for last! #NepoDing— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 30, 2023
GM Rafael Leitao's game annotations of the decisive fourth, and other games, will be added shortly.
You can watch video recaps of the FIDE World Championship in our playlist below (click here).
Match Score (Tiebreaker)
|Fed||Name||Rapid Rtg||1||2||3||4||Score|
|Ding Liren||2829||½||½||½||1||2.5|
|Ian Nepomniachtchi||2761||½||½||½||0||1.5|
Match Score (Classical)
|Fed||Name||Rtg||1||2||3||4||5||6||7||8||9||10||11||12||13||14||Score|
|Ding Liren||2788||½||0||½||1||0||1||0||½||½||½||½||1||½||½||7|
|Ian Nepomniachtchi||2795||½||1||½||0||1||0||1||½||½||½||½||0||½||½||7|
The 2023 FIDE World Championship has been the most important over-the-board classical event of the year and has decided who will be the next world champion. Nepomniachtchi and Ding played a match to decide who takes over Carlsen's throne after the current world champion abdicated his title. The match had a €2 million prize fund and was played over 14 classical and four rapid tiebreak games.
Previous Coverage
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- Ding Saves Game 14; Tiebreaks Will Decide World Championship
- Nepomniachtchi Stabilizes With Draw, Ding To Play White In Final Classical Game
- Ding Topples Nepomniachtchi In Chaotic Game 12, Evens Score With 2 Games Left
- Pressure Mounts On Ding After 4th Straight Draw
- Nepomniachtchi Holds Ding To Draw, Closes In On World Championship Title
- Nepomniachtchi Inches Closer To World Championship Title After 82-Move Draw
- Nepomniachtchi Miraculously Holds After Beatdown By Ding
- Nepomniachtchi Wins After Ding's Time Pressure Collapse, Takes Lead Again
- Ding Finds Mating Net In Game 6, Ties Match Score Again
- Nepomniachtchi Breaks Away Again, Outplays Ding In Game 5
- Confident Ding Wins Game 4, Levels Match Score
- Ding Holds Nepomniachtchi To Draw In Game 3
- Nepomniachtchi Wins Game 2 With Black After Navigating Ding's Novelty
- Nepomniachtchi Presses Big Advantage In Game 1, Ding Escapes
- All The World Chess Champions
- Meet The Challenger: Ding Liren
- 5 Most Memorable Games Between Ian Nepomniachtchi, Ding Liren
- FIDE World Championship 2023: All The Information
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Chess
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Magnus Carlsen says he will not defend his World Chess Championship title in 2023 against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi. The five-times winner is not retiring but promising “to be the best in the world” even if that means taking no part in chess’s showpiece event.China’s world No 2, Ding Liren, will now step up and face Nepomniachtchi, who Carlsen beat last year in Dubai.The 31-year-old Norwegian grandmaster, who has spent over a decade as the top-ranked player in the world, said in a podcast for his sponsor Unibet: “I am not motivated to play another match. I simply feel that I don’t have a lot to gain, I don’t particularly like it, and although I’m sure a match would be interesting for historical reasons and all of that, I don’t have any inclination to play and I will simply not play the match.“Ultimately the conclusion stands, one that I’m pretty comfortable with, one that I’ve thought a lot about for a long time now, I would say more than a year … since long before the last match” [in which he beat Nepomniachtchi without losing a game].“And I’ve spoken to people in my team, I’ve spoken to [governing body] Fide, I spoke to Ian as well. And the conclusion is, it’s very simple, that I am not motivated to play another match.”Bobby Fischer in 1975 was the last grandmaster to give up the title rather than defend it in a match. However, Carlsen’s decision is more like in 1993 when Garry Kasparov broke from Fide, and for more than a decade there were rival world champions.Fide’s president Arkady Dvorkovich said Carlsen deserved nothing but respect. “Only a handful of people in history can understand and assess the tremendous toll it takes playing five matches for the title,” Dvorkovich said in a statement. “His decision not to defend his title is undoubtedly a disappointment for the fans, and bad news for the spectacle. It leaves a big void.“But chess is now stronger than ever - in part thanks to Magnus - and the world championship match, one of the longest, most respected traditions in the world of sport, will go on.”Carlsen had previously said he would be ready to let go of his world title unless his next opponent was the Iranian-French teenager Alireza Firouzja, who is the world No 3. Instead, Nepomniachtchi set up a rematch by winning the Candidates Tournament in Madrid earlier this month with a round to spare. Liren edged out chess YouTuber Hikaru Nakamura of the United States for second place in the Candidates Tournament by beating him in the final round.
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Chess
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CNN — Magnus Carlsen enjoyed an undefeated victory over reigning US blitz champion Fabiano Caruana, winning by an 18-point margin. The two were squaring off at the 2022 Speed Chess Championship – described as Chess.com’s “major speed chess event.” Each match at the tournament consists of three segments; 90 minutes of 5+1 blitz games – in which, players get five minutes per game with one second per move increases – 60 minutes of 3+1 blitz games, and 30 minutes of 1+1 bullet games – the fastest form of chess, with one minute per player with one second increments. Players get one point for winning a game, and the player with the most points wins. And Carlsen, in four hours against Caruana, didn’t lose a single game on Tuesday as he beat the American 22-4. Carlsen won 18 games and had eight draws, including a stretch in which the five-time world champion won 11 games in a row. While large winning margins have been achieved before in speed chess, going undefeated against such a strong opponent “definitely became a goal,” according to Carlsen. “I didn’t know that it hadn’t been done before, but it certainly hadn’t been done against somebody as strong as Fabi,” Carlsen said on the official broadcast. “At some point, it basically became all that I was playing for.” In speed chess, 10 wins in a row is called “adopting” your opponent. “Towards the end of the blitz, I thought it would be really cool not to lose any games, and then when the bullet started, I felt I’m probably going to get a random loss here and there, but towards the end I was checking the clock, seeing how many games were left, and seeing if I could wrap it up. “I think when you have these long matches, especially when they’re decided pretty early, you’ve got to set yourself goals to make them more interesting, and I understand that for Fabi this was agony, but for me this was motivation to try and keep my level up. “It’s easy for both to let go of the rope, that you have seen in a lot of matches, that the level drops drastically, and the level did drop a little bit, but I still felt that I kept it up better than I usually do.” The final of the tournament is to be played on December 20.
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Chess
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Using real data from an online chess platform, scientists of the Complexity Science Hub and the Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi (CREF) studied similarities of different chess openings. Based on these similarities, they developed a new classification method which can complement the standard classification.
“To find out how similar chess openings actually are to each other – meaning in real game behavior – we drew on the wisdom of the crowd,” Giordano De Marzo of the Complexity Science Hub and the Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi (CREF) explains. The researchers analyzed 3,746,135 chess games, 18,253 players and 988 different openings from the chess platform Lichess and observed who plays which opening games.
If several players choose two specific opening games over and over again, it stands to reason that they will be similar. Opening games that are so popular that they occur together with most others were excluded. “We also only included players in our analyses that had a rating above 2,000 on the platform Lichess. Total novices could randomly play any opening games, which would skew our analyses,” explains Vito D.P. Servedio of the Complexity Science Hub.
TEN CLUSTERS CLEARLY DELINEATED
In this way, the researchers found that certain opening games group together. Ten different clusters clearly stood out according to actual similarities in playing behavior. “And these clusters don’t necessarily coincide with the common classification of chess openings,” says De Marzo.
For example, certain opening games from different classes were played repeatedly by the same players. Therefore, although these strategies are classified in different classes, they must have some similarity. So, they are all in the same cluster. Each cluster thus represents a certain style of play – for example, rather defensive or very offensive. Moreover, the method of classification that the researchers have developed here can be applied not only to chess, but to similar games such as Go or Stratego.
COMPLEMENT THE STANDARD CLASSIFICATION
The opening phase in chess is usually less than 20 moves. Depending on which pieces are moved first, one speaks of an open, half-open, closed or irregular opening. The standard classification, the so-called ECO Code (Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings), divides them into five main groups: A, B, C, D and E.
“Since this has evolved historically, it contains very useful information. Our clustering represents a new order that is close to the used one and can add to it by showing players how similar openings actually are to each other,” Servedio explains. After all, something that grows historically cannot be reordered from scratch. “You can’t say A20 now becomes B3. That would be like trying to exchange words in a language,” adds De Marzo.
RATE PLAYERS AND OPENING GAMES
In addition, their method also allowed the researchers to determine how good a player and how difficult a particular opening game is. The basic assumption: if a particular opening game is played by many people, it is likely to be rather easy. So, they examined which opening games were played the most and who played them. This gave the researchers a measure of how difficult an opening game is (= complexity) and a measure of how good a player is (= fitness). Matching these with the players’ rating on the chess platform itself showed a significant correlation.
“On the one hand, this underlines the significance of our two newly introduced measures, but also the accuracy of our analysis,” explains Servedio. To ensure the relevance and validity of these results from a chess theory perspective, the researchers sought the expertise of a renowned chess grandmaster who wishes to remain anonymous.
FIND OUT MORE
The study “Quantifying the complexity and similarity of chess openings using online chess community data” has been published in Scientific Reports.
Event
CSH Talk by Tatiana Filatova: "Cities, markets and climate change: a complexity perspective"
Apr 19, 2023 | 15:00—16:00
Event
CSH Talk by Michael Szell: "Bicycle infrastructure data and networks: Opportunities and limitations"
Apr 04, 2023 | 15:00—16:00
Publication
S. Daniotti, B. Monechi, E. Ubaldi
A maximum entropy approach for the modelling of car-sharing parking dynamics
Scientific Repots 13 (2023) 2993
Event
CSH Talk by Rafael Prieto-Curiel: "Sustainable mobility in large cities"
Apr 07, 2023 | 15:00—16:00
Publication
V.D.P. Servedio, M. R. Ferreira, N. Reisz, R. Costas, S. Thurner
Scale-free growth in regional scientific capacity building explains long-term scientific dominance
Chaos, Solitons & Fractals 167 (2023) 113020
Publication
J. Chen, E. Mittendorfer-Rutz, L. Berg, M. Noriedam, M. Sijbrandij, P. Klimek
Association of common mental disorders and related multimorbidity with subsequent labor market marginalization among refugee and Swedish-born young adults
Frontiers in Public Health 11 (2023) 1054261
Press
La contingencia y la movilidad eléctrica [span. | feat. Rafael Prieto-curiel]
Heraldo de México, Mar 28, 2023
Event
CSH Talk by Tatiana Filatova: "Cities, markets and climate change: a complexity perspective"
Apr 19, 2023 | 15:00—16:00
Event
CSH Talk by Michael Szell: "Bicycle infrastructure data and networks: Opportunities and limitations"
Apr 04, 2023 | 15:00—16:00
Publication
S. Daniotti, B. Monechi, E. Ubaldi
A maximum entropy approach for the modelling of car-sharing parking dynamics
Scientific Repots 13 (2023) 2993
Event
CSH Talk by Rafael Prieto-Curiel: "Sustainable mobility in large cities"
Apr 07, 2023 | 15:00—16:00
Publication
V.D.P. Servedio, M. R. Ferreira, N. Reisz, R. Costas, S. Thurner
Scale-free growth in regional scientific capacity building explains long-term scientific dominance
Chaos, Solitons & Fractals 167 (2023) 113020
Publication
J. Chen, E. Mittendorfer-Rutz, L. Berg, M. Noriedam, M. Sijbrandij, P. Klimek
Association of common mental disorders and related multimorbidity with subsequent labor market marginalization among refugee and Swedish-born young adults
Frontiers in Public Health 11 (2023) 1054261
Press
La contingencia y la movilidad eléctrica [span. | feat. Rafael Prieto-curiel]
Heraldo de México, Mar 28, 2023
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Chess
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Millions in India will be cheering on the teen chess prodigy known as Pragg as he takes on Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen for the title of World Chess Champion on Tuesday.
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, 18, is set to square off against the five-time world champion in Baku, Azerbaijan after defeating Fabiano Caruana in a tense match to secure his place in the final.
It comes more than one year after Praggnanandhaa shocked the chess world by beating Carlsen in an online elite rapid chess tournament, becoming the youngest player to defeat the Norwegian since he became world champion in 2013.
The win reverberated across India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar praising Praggnanandhaa for his skill and talent.
Born and raised in Chennai in southern India, Praggnanandhaa took an interest in the game after his older sister, Vaishali, started playing at age 6. At the time, he was just 2 years old.
“I usually went and disturbed her and then my parents decided to buy me a chess book, and that’s how it started,” Praggnanandhaa told CNN Sport last year.
Vaishali later became a grandmaster in 2018 and an international master in 2021.
Living in Chennai, known as the “chess capital of India,” Praggnanandhaa was given many opportunities to hone his craft, notably at the Bloom Chess academy, where he says he “learned a lot.”
At the age of 6, he came second in the under-7 Indian championships before winning gold at the Asian Championships, then went onto win the World Youth Chess Championships for under-8s and under-10s.
Then, in 2016, he created history after winning his ninth round game at the KIIT International Chess Festival in Bhubaneswar, India.
Praggnanandhaa earned his third international master norm, an achievement handed out for high level of performance in a tournament. Having earned two previous norms already, at the age of 10 years, 10 months and 19 days, he became an international chess master – the youngest ever.
Despite all his victories, Praggnanandhaa remains modest about his achievements, even telling CNN Sport after defeating Carlsen last year that all he wanted to do after was “go to bed” as it was 2.30 a.m. in Chennai.
“I think maybe some people see me (as a role model),” he said at the time. “I don’t know, because I think for me, all the top players are role models because each one has different qualities to learn from. And if someone can learn something from me, that’s good.”
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Chess
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Magnus Carlsen lost against Hikaru Nakamura in the losers final of the Champions Chess Tour Chessable Masters 2023 thanks to a dramatic slip of his mouse in what is his last tournament as the world champion.
After drawing their first two games, the duo faced off in an Armageddon clash – similar to regular chess but black has draw odds, meaning that if black draws the game they win, and black starts with less time on the clock than white – to decide who would face Fabiano Caruana in the grand final.
After a tight encounter, the match was heading to its final seconds with very little to separate the two titans of chess.
And it was a moment of unfortunate luck which separated the two when Carlsen’s mouse slipped meaning he put his queen onto F6 which allowed it to be taken by Nakamura and seal the victory.
Nakamura – wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with “I literally don’t care” on the front – celebrated with a fist-bump while five-time world champion Carlsen could be seen exclaiming and grimacing in frustration.
“You’re trying to defend, defend, defend, and he can’t win every match,” Nakamura told chess.com afterwards.
“I know he’s the greatest player of all time, but he can’t win every match! Somebody can’t just get lucky every single time. It was just nice for a change to have something go my way.”
The American went onto equate the pair’s rivalry to two of the giants of Major League Baseball.
“It’s like comparing the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. I mean, the Red Sox won a World Series in 1918; they didn’t win again until, I think it was, 2004,” Nakamura said.
“You know, the last couple years, I found a way to play well … I think the main thing is I don’t fall apart against Magnus. In the past, I would’ve fallen apart very quickly.”
Carlsen exits his final tournament as world champion with $15,000.
The Norwegian is choosing to relinquish his mantel as world champion this year after withdrawing from this month’s World Chess Championship where he would have defended his title against world No. 2 Ian Nepomniachtchi.
He has said in the past he would give up title unless his challenger represented “the next generation” and cited Alireza Firouzja.
But Nepomniachtchi’s victory at the 2022 Candidates Tournament triggered Carlsen to announce there would be a new world champion after a long reign at the top.
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Chess
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U.S. October 6, 2022 / 12:01 PM / CBS News Hans Niemann, a teenage chess grandmaster, said he is "not going to back down," as he faces allegations of cheating. Speaking after winning a game against 15-year-old grandmaster Christopher Yoo on Wednesday, Niemann was asked about "the elephant in the room," and said his victory in the game was "a message to everyone.""This entire thing started with me saying 'chess speaks for itself' and I think this game spoke for itself and showed the chess player that I am," he said. "It also showed that I'm not going to back down and I'm going to play my best chess here regardless of the pressure that I'm under." This week, a report by Chess.com said the 19-year-old American "likely cheated" in more than 100 online chess games — "much more than his public statements suggest." An investigation by the popular competitive chess site found he has cheated "in many prize events, at least 25 streamed games, and 100+ rated games on Chess.com, as recently as when he was 17 years old."The report came after controversy surrounded the young player last month. Norwegian world chess champion Magnus Carlsen said he pulled out of a recent tournament after losing to Niemann and also quit during a match against him — after just one move — because he believed Niemann had been cheating. "I believe that Niemann has cheated more — and more recently -— than he has publicly admitted," Carlsen wrote on Twitter last month.But while the Chess.com report said Niemann "likely cheated online much more than his public statements suggest … there is a lack of concrete statistical evidence that he cheated in his game with Magnus or in any other over-the-board ("OTB")—i.e., in-person—games."Niemann previously said he had not played fairly in games on Chess.com when he was younger but has denied cheating while playing streaming games or games in person. Niemann did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment. Chess.com's investigation explored Niemann's behavior in online tournaments from 2015 to 2020, analyzing his game statistics over that time. "While his performance in some of these matches may seem to be within the realm of some statistical possibility, the probability of any single player performing this well across this many games is incredibly low," Chess.com wrote in its report. The report also revealed details about Niemann's first removal from Chess.com in 2020. When Niemann was informed of his suspension from the site that year, he admitted to cheating, according to the report. He was eventually granted the opportunity to return to the site to compete, but his account was closed again last month after Carlsen lost against Niemann in the Sinquefield Cup and withdrew from the tournament.While the site said there is "no direct evidence" proving Niemann cheated in the Sept. 4 game with Magnus or in any other over-the-board games in the past, some aspects of the game were "suspicious" – just one factor that led to the site removing Niemann again and revoking his invitation to the Chess.com Global Championship. "We uninvited Hans from our upcoming major online event and revoked his access to our site based on our experience with him in the past, growing suspicions among top players and our team about his rapid rise of play, the strange circumstances and explanations of his win over Magnus, as well as Magnus' unprecedented withdrawal," Chess.com said.The website privately informed Niemann of his revoked status, which he publicly shared himself."We believe Hans is an incredibly strong player and a talented individual. That said, given his history on our site, we did not believe we could ensure that he would play fairly in our online events until we could re-evaluate the evidence and our protocols," it said. "Nevertheless, and to be clear, it is not our position that Hans should be limited or banned from OTB chess. Hans' online and OTB behaviors may be completely different, and that should be taken into consideration."The site said it believes cheating in chess is rare."We estimate that fewer than 0.14% of players on Chess.com ever cheat, and that our events are by and large free from cheating," the report stated. "We firmly believe that cheating in chess is rare, preventable, and much less pervasive than is currently being portrayed in the media." In: Chess
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Chess
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How master chess players choose their opening gambits
What influences the choices we make, and what role does the behavior of others have on these choices? These questions underlie many aspects of human behavior, including the products we buy, fashion trends, and even the breed of pet we choose as our companion.
Now, a new Stanford study that used population and statistical models to analyze the frequency of specific moves in 3.45 million chess games helps reveal the factors that influence chess players' decisions. The researchers' analysis of chess games revealed three types of biases described by the field of cultural evolution, which uses ideas from biology to explain how behaviors are passed from person to person. Specifically, they found evidence of players copying winning moves (success bias), choosing atypical moves (anti-conformity bias), and copying moves by celebrity players (prestige bias).
The study summarizing their results was published Nov. 15 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
"We are all subject to biases," said Marcus Feldman, the Burnet C. and Mildred Finley Wohlford Professor in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences and senior author. "Most biases are acquired from our parents or learned from our teachers, peers, or relatives."
Feldman, a professor of biology, co-founded the field of cultural evolution 50 years ago with the late Luca Cavalli-Sforza, professor of genetics at Stanford School of Medicine, as a framework for studying changes in human behavior that can be learned and transmitted between people. In the past, many studies of cultural evolution were theoretical because large datasets of cultural behavior didn't exist. But now they do.
The way chess is played has evolved over time too.
"Over the last several hundred years, paintings of chess playing show a change from crowded disorganized scenes to the quiet concentration we associate with the game today," said Noah Rosenberg, the Stanford Professor in Population Genetics and Society in H&S.
"In the 18th century, players subscribed to a knightly sort of behavior," said Egor Lappo, lead author and a graduate student in Rosenberg's lab. "Even if a move obviously led to a win, if it could be interpreted as cowardly, the player would reject it. Today, this is no longer the case."
"The thesis of the paper is that when an expert player makes a move, many factors could influence move choice," Rosenberg said. "The baseline is to choose a move randomly among the moves played recently by other expert players. Any deviations from this random choice are known in the field of cultural evolution as cultural biases."
"In the mid-century players eschewed the Queen's Gambit," Feldman said. "There didn't seem to be anything rational about this choice. In a large database of chess games by master-level players, the players' biases can change over time, and that makes chess an ideal subject to use to explore cultural evolution."
Playing the game
Chess is often called a game of perfect information because all pieces and their positions are clearly visible to both players. Yet simply knowing the present location of all pieces won't win a chess game. Games are won by visualizing the future positions of pieces, and players develop this skill by studying the moves made by top chess players in different situations.
Fortunately for chess players (and researchers), the moves and game outcomes of top-level chess matches are recorded in books and, more recently, online chess databases.
In chess, two players take turns moving white (player 1) and black (player 2) pieces on a board checkered with 64 positions. The player with the white pieces makes the first move, each piece type (e.g., knight, pawn) moves a specific way, and (except for a special move called castling) each player moves one piece each turn.
There are few move options in the opening (beginning) of a chess game, and players often stick to tried-and-true sequences of moves, called lines, which are frequently given names like Ruy Lopez and the Frankenstein-Dracula Variation. The opening lines of master and grandmaster (top-level) players are often memorized by other players for use in their own games.
The researchers considered chess matches of master-level players between 1971 and 2019, millions of which have been digitized and are publicly available for analysis by enthusiasts.
"We used a population genetics model that treats all chess games played in a year as a population," Lappo said. "The population of games in the following year is produced by players picking moves from the previous year to play in their own games."
To search for possible cultural biases in the dataset of chess moves and games, the researchers used mathematical models to describe patterns that correspond to each kind of bias. Then they used statistical methods to see if the data matched ("fit") the patterns corresponding to those cultural biases.
A value consistent with players choosing randomly from the moves played the year before indicated there was no cultural bias. This was the average "baseline" strategy. Success bias (copying winning moves) corresponded to values that were played by winning players in the previous year. Prestige bias (copying celebrity moves) corresponded to values that matched the frequencies of lines and moves played by the top 50 players in the previous year. Anti-conformity bias (unpopular moves) corresponded to choosing moves played infrequently in the previous year.
In the paper, the researchers focused on three frequently played moves at different depths of the opening to explore possible biases in early game play—the Queen's Pawn opening, the Caro-Kann opening, and the Najdorf Sicilian opening.
Before the Queen's Gambit was cool
For a game that is synonymous with strategy, relatively little is known about the factors that could affect a player's choice of strategy. This study revealed evidence of cultural biases in the openings of master-level games played between 1971 and 2019.
In the Queen's Pawn opening, players sometimes choose outlandish moves to rattle their opponents (anti-conformity bias). In the Caro-Kann opening, the study found that players mimic moves associated with winning chess games more often than expected by chance (success bias). And in the Najdorf Sicilian, players copy moves played by top players in famous games (prestige bias).
"The way people get their information about chess games changed between 1971 and 2019," Rosenberg said. "It is easier now for players to see recent games of master- and grandmaster-level players."
"The data also show that over time it is increasingly hard for the player with white pieces to make use of their first-move advantage," Lappo said.
Many of the results align with ideas that are common knowledge among chess players, such as the concept that playing well-known lines is generally preferable to in-the-moment strategies in the opening. The researchers suggest that their statistical approach could be applied to other games and cultural trends in areas where long-term data on choices exist.
"This dataset makes questions related to the theory of cultural evolution useful and applicable in a way that wasn't possible before," Feldman said. "The big questions are what behavior is transmitted, how is it transmitted, and to whom is it transmitted. With respect to the moves we analyzed, Egor has the answers, and that is very satisfying."
More information: Egor Lappo et al, Cultural transmission of move choice in chess, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1634
Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Provided by Stanford University
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Chess
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International Chess Day 2023: Date, History, Significance, How To Celebrate
World Chess Day is a day to celebrate the game of chess and its benefits for people of all ages.
International Chess Day is celebrated on July 20 every year to commemorate the founding of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in 1924. FIDE is the governing body of international chess and is responsible for organising the World Chess Championship and other major chess tournaments.
ð In two days, we celebrate the 99th birthday of FIDE and the International Chess Day!— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 18, 2023
âï¸ Join us in our tradition and teach someone to play chess on July 20. ð¤ Let's make the chess community bigger and spread our love for chess to the world!
ð£ï¸ Share your videos and images⦠pic.twitter.com/fvdke4Mzac
International Chess Day 2023: History
International Chess Day was officially declared by the United Nations General Assembly on December 12, 2019. However, World Chess Day is celebrated on July 20 each year as the date coincides with the founding of the FIDE in 1924.
Chess, which originated in India around the 6th century, was originally known as 'chaturanga'. It eventually spread to Persia and then to the Islamic world, before reaching Europe by the late middle ages. The game has since evolved and grown exponentially, becoming a popular pastime and competitive activity worldwide.
International Chess Day 2023: Significance
International Chess Day is significant because it is not only for chess enthusiasts but also for communities worldwide. The day serves to highlight the educational benefits of chess, enhancing cognitive abilities, logical reasoning, and strategic thinking in children and adults alike. It also celebrates the game's universal appeal, transcending linguistic, cultural, and geographical barriers, as it is played in every corner of the world.
Moreover, chess fosters camaraderie and sportsmanship, teaching lessons in patience, decision-making, and resilience. The game, despite its competitive nature, encourages dialogue and mutual respect between opponents, making it a metaphor for peaceful coexistence.
International Chess Day 2023: How To Celebrate
There are various ways in which you can celebrate International Chess Day:
Participate in a Chess Tournament: Many chess clubs and organisations host special tournaments on World Chess Day. You could participate in one such event, testing your skills against other enthusiasts and potentially earning a bit of friendly prestige.
Host a Chess-Themed Party: Gather your friends and family for a fun-filled day of chess. You could set up multiple boards for people to play, and decorate your home with a chess theme. Make it an event for all, regardless of their level of knowledge or expertise in the game.
Learn the Game: If you've never played chess before, World Chess Day provides a perfect opportunity to learn. You can find tutorials online, or get a friend to teach you the basics. If you're already a player, consider deepening your understanding of strategy or studying the games of grandmasters.
Teach Chess: If you're already a proficient player, why not pass on your knowledge? Teaching chess to children or adults who want to learn can be incredibly rewarding.
Play Online: Chess platforms online host special events and tournaments on World Chess Day. There are many online platforms like Lichess that offers players to play online with different players across the world.
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Chess
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Last September, the Internet was abuzz for weeks about a chess cheating controversy that erupted during the third round of the Sinquefield Cup. The reigning chess world champion, Magnus Carlsen, lost to a 19-year-old upstart named Hans Niemann in what was widely considered a shocking upset. Carlsen withdrew from the tournament the next day—an incident considered "virtually unprecedented' at such a high level of chess—and his cryptic comments on Twitter fueled rampant speculation that Niemann had cheated.
Things snowballed from there, with a full investigation and a $100 million lawsuit filed by Niemann in October. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in June. Now, Niemann and Chess.com have finally "resolved their differences" and settled the matter. Niemann can now return to Chess.com and is eligible to play in any event. All the parties involved are free to voice their opinions about the controversy.
The Carlsen/Niemann dustup is considered the most serious chess cheating scandal since the 2006 World Chess Championship, dubbed "Toiletgate" because Veselin Topalov accused his opponent, Vladimir Kramnik, of going to the bathroom too often. (Topalov thought Kramnik was getting computer assistance during the match via these bathroom breaks, later insisting that network cables had been found in the bathroom ceiling.) Anti-cheating measures have since been upgraded for future chess events in response. Those measures include nonlinear junction detectors to detect electronics, an RF machine to detect infrared signals, confiscating electronics from spectators, a 30-minute broadcast delay for US chess championships, and even retaining a medical doctor to inspect players' ears for hidden transmitters.
The fact that Niemann admitted to cheating a few times in online chess matches when he was 12 and 15 didn't help his case, but he steadfastly insisted he never cheated in over-the-board games. Chess.com removed Niemann from their platform following the Sinquefield Cup. Three weeks after withdrawing, Carlsen released a statement explaining his decision, saying he believed Niemann had cheated more often (and more recently) than Niemann had admitted and that he didn't want to play Niemann.
Opinions among others in the chess community were divided as the controversy fueled rampant speculation. For instance, former world champion Anatoly Karpov said that Carlsen had a bad opening and couldn't cope with the consequences, calling the claims of cheating "complete nonsense." Others, including former world champion Garry Kasparov, criticized Carlsen for making accusations of cheating without evidence. Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura supported Carlsen, claiming that Niemann had previously been banned from Chess.com for cheating in online games.
The fierce debate even produced a bizarre viral conspiracy theory that Niemann had used anal beads to receive coded messages during the match—a charge the grandmaster vehemently denied, even volunteering to play chess naked to prove his innocence. ("The theory is too irresistible to ignore," Ethan Gach wrote at Kotaku last fall. "It's bonkers, but just on the cusp of feasibility.")
That, in turn, inspired a colorful experiment to test the hypothesis. As we reported last year, the folks at Adafruit Industries built a prototype device called Cheekmate, which they tested on a big slab of pork butt. The results: Cheekmate proved surprisingly easy to build and code, with no need for advanced engineering skills—just simple soldering. You do need to know Morse code, however. The Wi-Fi signals had no problem transmitting messages. On the con side, Cheekmate's vibrations are far too loud to escape detection, even when surrounded by pounds of pork. The Adafruit team concluded that "such an idea is plausible but unlikely."
A 72-page report released by Chess.com last October found that Niemann had cheated online far more frequently than he admitted—in over 100 games as recently as August 2020—but found no concrete statistical evidence that he had cheated in his game against Carlsen or any other over-the-board games. Chess.com also noted evidence of many other grandmasters cheating in online games, redacting the names of 24.
Niemann responded with a federal lawsuit alleging a "malicious conspiracy" between Chess.com and its Chief Chess Officer Daniel Rensch, Carlsen and his company (Play Magnus Group), and Nakamura to defame and "unlawfully collude" against Niemann. He asked for $100 million in damages, citing canceled upcoming matches after the allegations. With that lawsuit dismissed, the main parties involved have set aside their differences and resolved to move forward.
Here is the full statement from Chess.com:
We are pleased to report that we have reached an agreement with Hans Niemann to put our differences behind us and move forward together without further litigation. At this time, Hans has been fully reinstated to Chess.com, and we look forward to his participation in our events. We would also like to reaffirm that we stand by the findings in our October 2022 public report regarding Hans, including that we found no determinative evidence that he has cheated in any in-person games. We all love chess and appreciate all of the passionate fans and community members who allow us to do what we do.
“I am pleased that my lawsuit against Magnus Carlsen and Chess.com has been resolved in a mutually acceptable manner, and that I am returning to Chess.com," Niemann said in a statement. "I look forward to competing against Magnus in chess rather than in court and am grateful to my attorneys at Oved & Oved for believing in me and helping me resolve the case.”
“I acknowledge and understand Chess.com’s report, including its statement that there is no determinative evidence that Niemann cheated in his game against me at the Sinquefield Cup," Carlsen said in his statement. "I am willing to play Niemann in future events, should we be paired together.”
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Chess
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Magnus Carlsen says he will not defend his World Chess Championship title in 2023 against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi. The five-times winner is not retiring but promising “to be the best in the world” even if that means taking no part in chess’s showpiece event.China’s world No 2, Ding Liren, will now step up and face Nepomniachtchi, who Carlsen beat last year in Dubai.The 31-year-old Norwegian grandmaster, who has spent over a decade as the top-ranked player in the world, said in a podcast for his sponsor Unibet: “I am not motivated to play another match. I simply feel that I don’t have a lot to gain, I don’t particularly like it, and although I’m sure a match would be interesting for historical reasons and all of that, I don’t have any inclination to play and I will simply not play the match.“Ultimately the conclusion stands, one that I’m pretty comfortable with, one that I’ve thought a lot about for a long time now, I would say more than a year … since long before the last match” [in which he beat Nepomniachtchi without losing a game].“And I’ve spoken to people in my team, I’ve spoken to [governing body] Fide, I spoke to Ian as well. And the conclusion is, it’s very simple, that I am not motivated to play another match.”Bobby Fischer in 1975 was the last grandmaster to give up the title rather than defend it in a match. However, Carlsen’s decision is more like in 1993 when Garry Kasparov broke from Fide, and for more than a decade there were rival world champions.
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Chess
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En passant is a special move in chess that prevents a pawn from evading capture. It was introduced to chess in 1561 and officially got accepted into the rule books in 1880.
According to article 3.7 d of the FIDE laws of chess, “A pawn attacking a square crossed by an opponent’s pawn which has advanced two squares in one move from its original square may capture this opponent’s pawn as though the latter had been moved only one square”. This move is known as en passant.
En passant in chess
If you’re just getting introduced to the concept of en passant, you may be asking yourself, “Is en passant forced?” In this article, we will discuss if this strange looking move en passant is mandatory in the game of chess. So stick around to find out the answer!
Is En Passant Forced?
En passant is NOT a forced move in chess. If your opponent advances his pawn 2 squares forward and lands it beside your pawn, you are not obligated to capture it. You can decline en passant by simply playing another move over the board.
However, you can no longer capture this pawn via en passant once you’ve made another move. En passant can only be done immediately following the advance.
In the position below, black just played the move pawn to d5. White can now capture this pawn by playing exd6 e.p (en passant), but he is not forced to do it.
White doesn’t have to en passant
Why Isn’t En Passant Forced?
En passant was introduced to the game of chess to prevent a pawn from bypassing capture and to stop the position from locking up.
En passant helps to open up lines for your pieces, thereby preventing the position from getting closed up. Games that are closed will often result in a draw as there is not much progress to be made when the center is locked.
However, not all the time it’s good to en passant over the board. If you have not yet castled your king, it would be dangerous to en passant in the center of the board as that could open up lines against your king.
Therefore, en passant was made optional to give players the choice on whether they should open up the position or keep it closed. This keeps the balance in the game and makes it fair for both players.
You could en passant and open the e-file along where your king sits. Your opponent can attack your king down the e-file using his heavy pieces such as the rook and queen.
En passant may also be more beneficial to your opponent. For example, it could help him activate and develop his pieces which he could not have done otherwise.
In the position below, black just played the move pawn to d5 in the well known Italian Opening. It would be a mistake for white to capture this pawn via en passant as that would release the tension in the center and open up more lines for black’s pieces.
White should keep the tension in the center by playing the move Bishop to b5.
All in all, en passant is not always a good move to make and that’s why it should not be forced.
Touch Move Rule May Force En Passant
Though en passant is not a forced move in chess, there are some exceptions. One such exception is the touch move rule. The touch move rule makes clear that if you touch a piece, you should move it according to the FIDE rules of chess.
Therefore, if you touch your pawn and the only move it can make is en passant, then you must play that move. However, if you can play another move with that same pawn, then en passant is not forced as you have other options which may involve advancing your pawn forward or capturing another piece.
To avoid being forced to make a move like en passant, you should say “I adjust” before touching the pawn on the board. Or you could say “J’adoube” (french word for I adjust).
For more information on the touch move rule, see article: Why does the touch move rule exist?
What Moves In Chess Are Forced?
The main goal of chess is to checkmate the enemy king while also preventing your own king from getting checkmate. Therefore, it is illegal to expose your king to an attack or move it to an endangered square.
This means that you are forced to protect your king at all times in the event it gets checked by your opponent’s piece.
For example, if your king is placed in check by your opponent’s bishop, you are forced to eliminate this threat by capturing the piece delivering check, block the check using one of your pieces, or move your king away from the check.
White is forced to block the check delivered by black’s bishop
Here white has many options. He can block the check with either knights, bishop or even the queen. However, blocking the check with the queen would be a very bad move as it would be captured by the bishop.
When Are You Not Allowed To En Passant?
En passant only occurs on the move immediately following the advance. You won’t be given the opportunity to en passant again if you play another move. Therefore, you should strongly consider whether you want to en passant or not.
Nevertheless, there are other events where you are not allowed to en passant over the board. For example, if one of your opponent’s piece is pinning the pawn to your king, then you cannot remove the pawn from the defense of the king.
In the position below, the black queen on the e-file is pinning white’s e5 pawn to the king. Though black advanced his d pawn 2 squares forward, white’s e5 pawn cannot capture black’s d5 pawn via en passant. This would be an illegal move as this would expose the white king to the black queen on e7.
Final Vedict
En passant is an optional move in chess. It is not forced unless you touch the pawn according to the touch move rule. Still, you don’t have to en passant if you can make another move with that pawn.
En passant is one of the last moves introduced to chess which helped the game to become more complete and refined. The benefits to having this move is to prevent the position from locking up and stop the enemy pawn from evading capture.
Related Post: Is En Passant Legal?
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Chess
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Young female chess players often face gender bias both in the male-dominated chess world and among parents and mentors who believe girls have less potential to succeed in chess than boys, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
“It’s disheartening to see young female players’ potential downgraded, even by the people who are closest to them, like their parents and coaches,” said lead researcher Sophie Arnold, a doctoral student at New York University.
The study, which was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, presents what the researchers say is the first large-scale evidence of gender bias against young female chess players. The study included participants from a U.S. Chess Federation mailing list, comprising 286 parents and mentors of 654 children. Ninety percent of the adults were men, and 81% of the children were boys, mirroring the gender disparities in the chess world.
In response to an online survey, the parents and mentors said they thought girls’ highest potential chess rating was lower than boys’ ratings, especially if they believed that brilliance was required to succeed in chess. Mentors, but not parents, who endorsed this brilliance belief also were more likely to say that female mentees were more likely to drop out of chess because of low ability.
The chess world has always been dominated by men. In 2020, only 14% of all U.S. Chess Federation players were girls or women. More than 100 high-ranking female chess players and coaches recently signed an open letter about “sexist and sexual violence” perpetrated in the chess world, deeming it “one of the main reasons why women and young girls, especially in their teens, stop playing chess.”
“Gender bias also may prevent girls from even starting to play chess competitively if their own parents and mentors aren’t convinced that they will succeed,” Arnold said.
In the study, parents, but not mentors, believed girls had a less supportive chess environment than boys. Nevertheless, neither parents nor mentors believed girls were more likely to drop out of chess because of an unsupportive environment.
The study did not include enough mothers and female mentors to determine if their views differed from those of fathers and male mentors. The findings also may not reflect the opinions of the general public because the participants were already involved in competitive chess and had extensive interactions with the players they were rating which usually reduces bias.
There has been a huge resurgence of interest in chess by girls and boys across the United States. While some strides have been made to address gender bias in the chess world, more work needs to be done, Arnold said.
“Continued structural support for all female players is needed to improve girls’ and women’s experiences in chess,” Arnold said. “Our research also suggests that bias can come even from those closest to girls.”
Article: “Checking Gender Bias: Parents and Mentors Perceive Less Chess Potential in Girls,” Sophie Arnold, BA, Wei Ji Ma, PhD, and Andrei Cimpian, PhD, New York University, April H. Bailey, PhD, University of New Hampshire, and Jennifer Shahade, Woman Grandmaster, International Chess Federation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, published online Oct. 5, 2023.
Contact: Sophie Arnold, BA, may be contacted at sophie.arnold@nyu.edu.
The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA’s membership includes over 146,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication
Journal
Journal of Experimental Psychology
Method of Research
Survey
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Checking Gender Bias: Parents and Mentors Perceive Less Chess Potential in Girls
Article Publication Date
5-Oct-2023
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Chess
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Netflix's hit show The Queen's Gambit focuses on a female chess whizz battling it out to be the world's greatest player in a male-dominated sport.
That may have been set in the 1950s and 60s, but new research suggests today's young women face a similar gender bias — because they are seen as having less potential than their male counterparts.
Worse still, that belief comes from their parents and mentors, according to the study, published by the American Psychological Association.
'It's disheartening to see young female players' potential downgraded, even by the people who are closest to them, like their parents and coaches,' said lead researcher Sophie Arnold, from New York University.
In 2020, just 14 per cent of all US Chess Federation players were girls or women, while the sport has also been mired in sexual assault claims.
More than 100 high-ranking female chess players and coaches recently signed an open letter about 'sexist and sexual violence' in the male-dominated chess world.
They said it was 'one of the main reasons why women and young girls, especially in their teens, stop playing chess.'
The new study claims that young female chess players also face gender bias when it comes to trying to compete.
In response to an online survey, 286 parents and mentors of 654 children who were on the US Chess Federation mailing list said they thought girls had less potential than boys.
This was especially the case if they believed that brilliance was required to succeed in chess, the researchers said.
Ninety per cent of the adults questioned were men and 81 per cent of the children were boys — which further highlights the size of the gender disparity in the sport.
'Gender bias also may prevent girls from even starting to play chess competitively if their own parents and mentors aren't convinced that they will succeed,' Arnold said.
The research also showed that parents thought girls had a less supportive environment than boys, although the mentors/coaches disagreed with this stance.
Regardless of this view, neither thought that girls would be more likely to stop playing chess because of a lack of support.
Researchers cautioned that the results do not reflect the opinions of the general public because those who took part on the survey were involved in the chess world.
The study also did not include enough mothers and female mentors to establish if their views differed from those of fathers and male mentors, they added.
Nevertheless, Arnold said the research showed there is more work to be done to address the gender bias within chess.
'Continued structural support for all female players is needed to improve girls' and women's experiences in chess,' she said.
'Our research also suggests that bias can come even from those closest to girls.'
The study has been published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
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Chess
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Chess Learn From a Grandmaster ... Check(mate) Your Opponent 8/11/2022 10:30 AM PT TMZ may collect a share of sales or other compensation from links on this page. If you've always wanted to master the art of chess but found yourself intimidated by it, let this Chess Masterclass Bundle assuage your fears. Only $49 (Reg. $199) for six full 8-10 hour courses, the bundle will save you $150. With guidance from Grandmaster Damian Lemos, you will learn chess strategy, chess tactics, chess endgames, and more to help you play like a pro. Whether you're a novice or know a thing or two about the game, you will be amazed at how much you can learn to improve your skills. Courses include the Attacking Masterclass to teach you the most effective methods of attacking the king, the Positional Chess Masterclass to help you build winning positions, the Chess Strategy Masterclass to give you insightful analysis of 15 carefully selected games, the Chess Tactics Masterclass to introduce you to some of the most spectacular tactics ever, the Middlegame Masterclass to teach you the best guiding principles, and the Endgame Masterclass to discover the secrets of practical endgames. Grandmaster Damian Lemos achieved the FIDE Master title at only 14 years old, International Master at 15, and Grandmaster at 18. He is an experienced and excellent teacher. Save $150 on this Chess Masterclass Course Bundle when you make your purchase today for only $49. Prices subject to change.
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Chess
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It was Magnus Carlsen's last tournament as world champion, reports CNN — and he was eliminated after a "dramatic slip of his mouse" in his online match against Hikaru Nakamura: After drawing their first two games, the duo faced off in an Armageddon clash — similar to regular chess but black has draw odds, meaning that if black draws the game they win, and black starts with less time on the clock than white — to decide who would face Fabiano Caruana in the grand final.
After a tight encounter, the match was heading to its final seconds with very little to separate the two titans of chess.
And it was a moment of unfortunate luck which separated the two when Carlsen's mouse slipped meaning he put his queen onto F6 which allowed it to be taken by Nakamura and seal the victory.
Nakamura — wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with "I literally don't care" on the front — celebrated with a fist-bump while five-time world champion Carlsen could be seen exclaiming and grimacing in frustration.
On YouTube Thursday, Nakamura posted a 33-minute video titled "Dear YouTube, This Time Magnus Lost," where he explains the every move down to the final queen blunder (which he calls by its YouTube nickname, a "Botez Gambit.")
In the video Nakamura admits he'd missed a possible winning position (by drawing) earlier in the game. But he also believes he would've achieved the same result simply by checking Carlsen endlessly until a draw was declared.
And Chess.com tells the rest of the story. Friday Nakamura went on to win the event's final round, defeating grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in another Armageddon-style showdown after they'd each won three out of six games.
After a tight encounter, the match was heading to its final seconds with very little to separate the two titans of chess.
And it was a moment of unfortunate luck which separated the two when Carlsen's mouse slipped meaning he put his queen onto F6 which allowed it to be taken by Nakamura and seal the victory.
Nakamura — wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with "I literally don't care" on the front — celebrated with a fist-bump while five-time world champion Carlsen could be seen exclaiming and grimacing in frustration.
On YouTube Thursday, Nakamura posted a 33-minute video titled "Dear YouTube, This Time Magnus Lost," where he explains the every move down to the final queen blunder (which he calls by its YouTube nickname, a "Botez Gambit.")
In the video Nakamura admits he'd missed a possible winning position (by drawing) earlier in the game. But he also believes he would've achieved the same result simply by checking Carlsen endlessly until a draw was declared.
And Chess.com tells the rest of the story. Friday Nakamura went on to win the event's final round, defeating grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in another Armageddon-style showdown after they'd each won three out of six games.
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Chess
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Why Swedes don’t speak to strangers
By Björn Nilsson Features correspondent
Peo Quick/Alamy
Why Swedes don’t speak to strangers (Credit: Peo Quick/Alamy)
In Sweden, casual chattiness is seen as needless, since conversation is used for exchanging real, meaningful information.
In many cultures, striking up a conversation with a stranger is the norm, and could even lead to a budding friendship. But not for the Swedes.
Here, small talk is seen as futile, and is referred to as kallprat ("cold talk") or dödprat ("dead talk"). To avoid ending up in these situations, many Swedes have made an art of avoiding eye contact with strangers and acquaintances they might come across in the street by looking at their phones or staring at shopping windows instead. For Swedes, the purpose of talking is to exchange meaningful information, and engaging in purposeless chit-chat simply hasn't been valued – until now.
For the past four weeks, Luleå, the 80,000-person capital of Sweden's northernmost county, has been encouraging residents to greet to one another as part of an official campaign aptly called "Säg hej" (Say hello). The city is located so far north that residents see as little as three hours of sunlight in the dead of winter, which may contribute to their reputation for being reserved. In fact, people in Luleå are known to speak so little to one another that the word "yes" is often replaced with a sharp intake of breath. Officials are therefore hoping the campaign may help lift the mood of locals – especially those who may feel lonely. "Saying hello to your neighbours is a small thing, but research shows that it can contribute to social bonds and has a positive impact on health, safety and wellbeing," wrote city officials.
Why small talk is cheap in Sweden
Beyond Luleå, visitors to Sweden who attempt to start an informal conversation with a shopkeeper or waiter, even with the local greeting of “hej”, are likely to be met with a flat “hej” in response, often with a subtext of faint irritation or mistrust. Experts say this reserve could be due to Sweden being a sparsely populated country in a relatively vast landscape, whereby for hundreds of years, people grew accustomed to rarely speaking with those outside their immediate circle.
Another hypothesis is that this aversion to chit-chat could be linked to relatively low levels of immigration to Sweden until the 1960s. Minimal exposure to other cultures historically meant that Swedes were less likely to take up this decidedly un-Swedish practice.
Yet, despite their seemingly cool exterior, Swedish people will almost always be polite and friendly, albeit simply in a different way to those from more talkative cultures.
In a country that revers simplicity and practicality, it’s best not to talk without a reason.
(Video by Björn Nilsson, text by Yasmin El-Beih)
This video is part of BBC Reel’s The Nordic Way playlist.
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Culture
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The royal roots of Quebec's French
By Elizabeth Warkentin Features correspondent
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Quebecois French has long been mocked for its rough-and-tumble sound, but this version of French is more likely what 17th-Century French aristocracy spoke – including the king.
It was a perfect sun-splashed summer afternoon as my mother and I meandered through Quebec City's old town, stopping at Place Royale, a 400-year-old cobblestone square of historical greystone buildings with dormer windows and pitched roofs in red, copper and slate. My mother was born and raised in this French-speaking city, so I knew that now, at 80, it meant a lot to her to be back for a visit.
As we reminisced, the sound of the local accent floated around us – and I thought about something I'd recently heard: that while the French spoken in Quebec may not ring as romantic or mellifluous to the ear as contemporary Parisian French, now considered the gold standard, the way the Quebecois speak is actually closer in pronunciation to the French used by 17th-Century aristocrats – and even the king.
I grew up in Montreal in the 1960s and '70s, when anglophones, along with the French from France, mocked the rough-and-tumble pronunciation of Quebec French, comparing it to the quacking of ducks. I myself was always deeply embarrassed in the company of my anglophone classmates at French immersion school. So-called pundits and my teachers, who hailed from France and Morocco, said that the relaxed Quebec pronunciation was disgraceful, that it made a mockery of the language of Molière.
As it turns out, the celebrated 17th-Century playwright likely sounded more like a modern-day Quebecois – rather than a contemporary Parisian – than they knew.
I'd actually baulked when someone told me this a few weeks earlier over lunch at a café in North Hatley, a quaint village in the gently mountainous Eastern Townships, south-east of Montreal. I'd known that Quebecois French had retained many vestiges of "le français du roy" or "the king's French", especially in its vocabulary, but I drew the line at pronunciation. "There's no way that Louis XIV said 'paw, voilaw', or 'toé et moé'!" I'd said incredulously, as I compared those to the more commonly accepted pronunciations of pas, voilà, and toi et moi.
But there are logical linguistic and historical reasons why Quebecois French is different from French French (what linguists call "normative" or "neutralised" French).
Getty
Molière and Louis XIV spoke French that likely sounded more like a modern-day Quebecois (Credit: Getty)
"There is one thing that characterises Quebecois French and that is its rhythm," said Chantal Bouchard, a sociolinguist in the French department at Montreal's McGill University and author of Méchante Langue: La Légitimité Linquistique du Français Parlé au Quebéc (Wicked Language: The Linguistic Legitimacy of the French Spoken in Quebec). "We in Quebec have conserved something from 17th-Century French: the distinction between the long vowels and the short vowels."
She gave the example of the ai/ê vowel. If one says vous faites ("you do/make"), the Quebecois vowel is short (as in "get"), but if one says la fête ("the party"), the vowel is long (as in "hey").
"The French have not conserved this short/long vowel difference," she explained. "They still spell faites and fête differently, but they pronounce them both the same way."
Claude Poirier, a historian of Quebec French at the Université Laval in Quebec City, has spent a lot of time poring over 17th-Century archival documents to determine if the spelling of certain words could give us an idea of their pronunciation. He found that in the 1658 court acts, a lawyer who came to Quebec from Poitou in west-central France "spelled perdre ('lose') as pardre, which is closer to how some people in Quebec still pronounce the word." Another example he found was the word devoir ("must" or "to be obligated to"). It was spelled devour, he said, and was pronounced devou-air, the way many elderly Quebecois still pronounce it today.
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Quebecois French has retained many vestiges of "le français du roy" or "the king's French" (Credit: Getty)
Another major difference is vocabulary. Words like char for "car"; piasse, slang for "dollar"; dispendieux for "expensive"; patate for "potato"; and barré for "locked" instead of the normative French fermé à clef ("closed with a key") all originate from a more antiquated French no longer used in France.
So how is that Quebec's version retained more 17th-Century aristocratic relics than what's spoken in Paris, the accepted seat of the French language?
Both Bouchard and Poirier noted that 16th- and 17th-Century French settlers who immigrated to Quebec, then known as New France, tended to be natives of northern and western France. Aside from royalty and the aristocracy, only one-third of the people in France spoke French at that time. The rest spoke their regional languages, such as Breton, Provencal or Norman.
In New France, however, concerted efforts were made to teach the new arrivals French – and it was the version spoken at the royal court by the aristocrats of the north and west. Thus, aristocratic French became generalised among the settlers. In the mid 1700s, French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville even wrote that "the Canadian accent is as pure as that of the Parisians".
But everything began to change in 1759 when France lost its colony to the British at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. Contact between France and New France was ruptured, and with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, a good part of the elite returned to Europe.
More dramatic changes came with the French Revolution, cutting off the mother country from its former colony for another four decades.
"It seems more like Old France lives on in Canada, and that it is our country [France] which is the new one"
According to Poirier, during this period of alienation, scholars in France embarked on a massive effort to spread the use of French and standardise its grammar and pronunciation. "The bourgeoisie dumped all the pronunciations they didn't deem perfect, and they continued their purification through the 18th Century," he said.
In short, French in France changed, while in Quebec it stayed more or less the same. "The Quebecois are conservatives," said Poirier. "They conserved the French language as it was spoken in the 'ancien régime'."
By the time the French began travelling to Quebec again, then known as Lower Canada, around 1830, the differences had become extreme. When famous French thinker Alexis de Tocqueville visited in 1831, he wrote in a letter to his mother: "Canada raises our curiosity. The French nation has been preserved there. As a result, one can observe the customs and the language spoken during Louis XIV's reign." And in another letter, he admitted: "It seems more like Old France lives on in Canada, and that it is our country [France] which is the new one."
Elizabeth Warkentin
Perceptions have changed a lot over the past 10 to 20 years as a huge influx of French expats has arrived, particularly to Montreal and Quebec City (Credit: Elizabeth Warkentin)
Though some YouTubers still make fun of the Quebec accent, perceptions have changed a lot over the past 10 to 20 years as a huge influx of French expats has arrived, particularly to Montreal and Quebec City. Marielle Lumineau and her sister Irène Lumineau relocated from France to Quebec 20 and 16 years ago, respectively, and fell hard for "la belle province" – so much so that they wrote Icitte: Les Français au Québec, a humorous, light-hearted guide for other expats. The duo have picked up some of the tell-tale Quebec accent and inflections, and their kids, who range from 7 to 16, are "completely Quebecois", said Marielle. Younger generations in France, Belgium and francophone Switzerland have also embraced the accent. What's more, Quebec films have garnered the prestigious César award at Cannes, and Quebec comedians like Sugar Sammy are in huge demand on French stages.
The French language and the sense of pride in the Quebecois identity have indeed come a long way. "The French language is central to the Quebec identity," said Bouchard. "We've made a lot of progress since the 1960s with regard to the presence of French in the public space, French as the common language, the right to work in French, the number of people here who are fluent in French, but things remain very fragile."
Indeed, many here still remain self-conscious about the way they speak. But Dominique Chouinard, a former French teacher in Montreal and now a curriculum consultant to other French teachers, wants this attitude to end. "French is full of idiosyncrasies – every country in the French-speaking world has its own peculiarities," she said. "Some immigrants who come here from France and French-speaking countries like Morocco, who insist that their kids not speak Quebecois French, are just being snobs. We have to stop beating ourselves up about it. We need to stop thinking we don't speak proper French."
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Oman's spectacular 'Norway of Arabia'
By Daniel Stables Features correspondent
CristianDXB/Getty Images
The Musandam Peninsula's wildly dramatic coastline has given it the nickname 'the Norway of Arabia' (Credit: CristianDXB/Getty Images)
Separated from the rest of the country by 100km of rocky desert, the small village of Kumzar is so gloriously isolated it has developed a language and culture all of its own.
Hidden among the wild fjords of northern Oman, between the mountains and the sea in a quiet bay, sits the small village of Kumzar. This is the country's northernmost frontier, but Kumzar has a distinct atmosphere from the rest of Oman. In fact, its glorious isolation – the village is accessible only by an hour-long speedboat ride or a 2.5-hour trip on a sailing dhow from the nearest city, Khasab – has led Kumzar to develop a language and culture all of its own.
Kumzar's unique character owes much to geography. The village sits on the Musandam Peninsula, a tiny coastal exclave of Oman separated from the rest of the country by 100km of the UAE's rocky desert. Musandam's nickname – 'the Norway of Arabia' – derives from its wildly dramatic coastline, ravaged by fjord-like khors – although, unlike their Scandinavian counterparts, these rocky inlets were formed not by the steady slithering of glaciers but rather by the collision of tectonic plates, which crack the Earth's crust from beneath like terrible creatures vying to emerge from an egg.
Helmut Corneli/Alamy
Located on a strategic point on the Strait of Hormuz, the tiny village of Kumzar is only accessible by boat (Credit: Helmut Corneli/Alamy)
Beyond Kumzar's fjord lies the Strait of Hormuz; beyond that, Iran. For some 700 years, the villagers have been absorbing a farrago of influences from the Strait, long a crucible for foreign trade, culture and geopolitical high drama.
This is reflected most strikingly in the Kumzari language, which is unlike any other. "Kumzari is a mixture of old Persian and Arabic, and other languages like Akkadian, Assyrian, Turkish, English and Hindi," said Makeyya Al Kumzari, a local who studies Kumzari language and culture. "It is spoken here and nowhere else.
Kumzari is our mother tongue, and when we're together we don't speak anything else
The language is a matter of fierce local pride. Moyath Al Kumzari, who captains dhow tours around Musandam, told me: "Kumzari is our mother tongue, and when we're together we don't speak anything else – even though we all know Arabic, too."
Many Kumzari words may sound familiar to English speakers. A star becomes a stārg, lotion is lōšan and a dar is a door. A niglis is a necklace, and, rather pleasingly, a plank becomes a pling. Many of the words that Kumzari takes from Arabic and Persian, meanwhile, sound closer to how they would have been pronounced in the medieval era than in the modern day. The language's unique melange of influences, along with its survival in an overwhelmingly Arabic milieu, has long intrigued linguists like Christina van der Wal Anonby and Erik Anonby, who lived and worked in Kumzar for a year.
Karim Sahib/Getty Images
Kumzar's melange of influences over the centuries has resulted in a unique language that no-one else understands (Credit: Karim Sahib/Getty Images)
"Kumzar has been at the centre of a socially and historically vibrant regional ecosystem for centuries, so although it can only be reached by boat, it would be a mistake to think about it as 'isolated'," Erik said. "Kumzar was very important historically: one of the few places with a well with plentiful, fresh water, between the trading centres of Basra, Muscat, Zanzibar, India and beyond."
The Anonbys were welcomed into the village as members of the community, joining the Kumzaris in their daily routines alongside carrying out their linguistic research. Christina described mornings chatting with the local women over tiny cups of cardamom coffee, and afternoons spent processing dates and fish or weaving palm leaves. She believes this hospitality derives from Kumzar's unique location. "I think they are so welcoming because historically they would regularly take in sailors that had survived shipwrecks in the Strait, hide ships in the fjords when they were fleeing pirates, or replenish passing ships' fresh water supply from the well in Kumzar," she said.
Kumzaris make their living from the fish that live in the khors for nine months of the year, relocating to Khasab to harvest dates when the searing summer heat empties the water of fish. The sea gives Kumzar life, and consequently, Erik explained, Kumzari is a language shaped by the sea. "We've found 200 distinct names for types of fish in Kumzari," he told me, "and many of these words aren't similar to the names of fish found in any other language in the world."
Kumzar's unique geography, packed between sheer mountain walls on three sides and the ocean on the other, has shaped not just its language, but the way its people interpret the world around them. "Rather than using the cardinal directions north, south, east and west," as we do in English and Arabic, "their world is oriented to the directions of 'up', toward the mountains, and 'down' toward the sea," Erik said. Maritime matters are never far away from social interactions either: Kumzaris greet each other with the phrase "či kawlā?" – "What wind is it?" Even the goats here are said to taste of fish; they eat sardines when there is nothing else on dry land.
CristianDXB/Getty Images
The Musandam Peninsula's wildly dramatic coastline has given it the nickname 'the Norway of Arabia' (Credit: CristianDXB/Getty Images)
The sea looms large over local folk tradition. Cowrie shells hang from the sterns of dhows, said to ward off the evil spirits that threaten to pull sailors to shipwreck. Kumzari folk stories also often revolve around the ocean and Kumzar's unique location. "After a long day of fishing, it's time for some entertainment. Tales and storytelling are very popular in the village," explained Makeyya. "Stories are mostly impacted by the environment; they are about the sea and its creatures. There are also stories about the well that made Kumzar a significant place for travellers to stop and resupply with drinking water."
"Kumzaris have their own complete oral library of traditional songs and folk stories," Erik added. "Aliko Shobubo, who died recently, was one of the great Kumzari storytellers. In his memory, he held a whole oral collection of folktales every bit as rich and detailed as One Thousand and One Nights but which he always told with a flair of his own, setting the stories in Kumzar using authentic local characters."
Other aspects of Kumzari culture are similarly vibrant. "Kumzari people are known across Arabia for their lively, colourful, week-long weddings filled with days and nights of dancing, traditional songs and lavish feasts where the whole community gathers together," said Erik.
Erik Anonby
Kumzari weddings are vibrant, week-long affairs that include dancing and singing (Credit: Erik Anonby)
Kumzar may be far from anywhere, but it is no backwater. The village is self-sufficient, with its own school, hospital and desalination plant. Local pride burns strongly here, and is perhaps nowhere better expressed than Kumzar Football Club, which, remarkably, overcame teams of far greater resources, both human and financial, to win Oman's regional cup in 2016. "It was a great achievement for our club, and all Kumzari people are proud of that moment," said Moyath. "It definitely encouraged our sense of local identity."
By keeping Kumzari alive, they're enriching the cultural heritage of the whole world
The future for Kumzar, though, is far from clear. "Kumzar is changing," said Moyath. "The new generation are very invested in their education, and they often move away to Muscat for their studies." The days of generations past, when locals would exclusively speak Kumzari and not countenance learning Arabic, are over, and young people often seek employment on the mainland or in the UAE after graduating.
"Thanks to commercial fishing, fish stocks are depleted, and the livelihood of Kumzari fishing crews is precarious," said Erik. "With the advent of universal education, TV, and now the internet, Arabic finds its way into every moment of the Kumzaris' day. Over the last 10 years there's been a big change, with most families now teaching their children Arabic as a first language. Children can still understand Kumzari but they don't speak it well, and the passing on of the language between generations is disappearing quickly."
There are grounds for optimism, however. A group of local experts and enthusiasts are working with academics like Christina and Erik to establish a Kumzari writing system and help preserve their language and culture.
"Thankfully, there's a group of dedicated Kumzari people who don't want to lose all the history, cultural knowledge, their ability to survive and thrive against daunting environmental odds, and their uniquely Kumzari identity that the language keeps alive," Erik said. "By keeping Kumzari alive, they're enriching the cultural heritage of the whole world, since there's no other language like Kumzari."
Karim Sahib/Getty Images
Although increasing numbers of Kumzaris are moving to bigger towns and cities, there is a strong sense of local pride (Credit: Karim Sahib/Getty Images)
What's more, despite young people moving away for university, a high birth rate means there should be no shortage of young Kumzaris to keep the language alive. "The population is increasing, and new houses are being built in the mountains above Kumzar," said Moyath.
Just as important to the Kumzaris' future will be their passionate sense of local pride. "We Kumzaris always say 'Kumzari maafi couf' (Kumzaris never fear) because our tradition is to fight, whether against nature or other enemies," said Moyath. "We are all proud to be from Kumzar. We have a responsibility to grow alongside modern challenges, but we will never leave our culture and language behind."
Our Unique World is a BBC Travel series that celebrates what makes us different and distinctive by exploring offbeat subcultures and obscure communities around the globe.
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Why do countries change their name?
By Eric Weiner Features correspondent
Erik Von Weber
(Credit: Erik Von Weber)
With Turkey now officially Türkiye and rumours that India might soon go by the new name of Bharat, we ask: what's in a name change, and why does it even matter?
That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet, William Shakespeare famously said. The bard of Stratford was wrong. Names matter. Trust me. My surname is the source of both pride and chagrin.
So, too, are many place names. But what you don't like, you can change. Governments around the world have recently renamed hundreds of cities, towns, streets, mountains and national parks, with more in the works. Places change names for a variety of reasons: to erase a disgraced leader or honour a new one; to signal a fresh start or right past wrongs. These changes, though, are always unsettling, and often controversial.
In some cases, entire nations are changing names. Last year, Turkey officially became Türkiye. The name change was prompted, at least in part, because President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supposedly disliked his country's association with the bird by the same name. In 2018, the African nation of Swaziland celebrated 50 years of independence from Britain by changing its name to Eswatini, or "land of the Swazi people" in the Swazi language.
When it comes to name changes, though, the world's most populous nation, India, stands out. In the past few decades, it has replaced colonial and Muslim names with Hindu ones. Among the changes: Madras became Chennai; Calcutta, Kolkata; Bangalore, Bengaluru; and Allahabad, Prayagraj. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently hinted the entire country might soon go by a new name: Bharat, the Sanskrit and Hindi name for India. At a recent G20 meeting in New Delhi, Modi sat behind a nameplate that read "Bharat" and invited visiting dignitaries to a banquet hosted by the "President of Bharat".
LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/Getty Images
At the G20 Summit in New Delhi, Modi hinted that India might soon go by the new name of Bharat (Credit: LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/Getty Images)
Modi's trial balloon hasn't flown very far yet. No wonder. Changing the official name of a nation isn't easy, or cheap. A country must send official notice to the United Nations and advise how to write the new name in the international body's six official languages. Once approved, UN officials register the new name in the database of World Geographical Names. Signs, military uniforms, official currency, government letterhead – and more – must also be changed.
The pace of name changes may have accelerated, but it is not a new phenomenon. Places have been changing names for as long as there have been places and names. Before the 5th Century, Paris was known as Lutetia, a holdover from Roman times. Before 1665, New York was New Amsterdam. For a while, from 1793 to 1834, Toronto was known as York. Before 1868, Tokyo was called Edo. And, in what is arguably history's most famous name change, in 1930 Constantinople became Istanbul, inspiring Turkish pride as well as a hit song: Istanbul (Not Constantinople).
But why do place names matter? For newly independent nations hoping to distance themselves from a painful colonial past, a name change is typically the first order of business. When the British colony known as the Gold Coast gained independence in 1957, it immediately changed its name to Ghana. As decolonisation accelerated, the 1970s and '80s witnessed a flurry of name changes, from Ceylon changing its name to Sri Lanka (1972) to Upper Volta becoming Burkina Faso (1984).
And while some name changes are dramatic, others are deceptively subtle. In 2018, Macedonia changed its name to North Macedonia. It might seem like a small, nearly insignificant change, but it is not. The modification ended a decades-long dispute with Greece, which has a region by the same name, and paved the way for North Macedonia to join NATO.
Few Macedonians, though, use the new name, and that raises a philosophical question: if a country changes its name but no one utters it, was it really changed? Many Vietnamese still refer to Ho Chi Minh City as Saigon, and many Indians still call Mumbai Bombay. Writer Leeya Mehta is among them. "For me and my generation, we really pushed back against the name change," she said. "It made no sense." When she says she's from Bombay, inevitably, a well-intentioned foreigner replies, "Don't you mean Mumbai?" Indians, though, never "correct" her, she said. The city itself seems conflicted about its identity: to this day Mumbai is home to the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Bombay High Court.
Alexander Spatari/Getty Images
In 2016, the Czech government officially changed the country's name to Czechia (Credit: Alexander Spatari/Getty Images)
Or consider the case of Czechia. That is the new name for the Czech Republic, adopted in 2016. It is snappier and more evocative, some Czech officials believed. "It is not good if a country does not have clearly defined symbols or if it even does not clearly say what its name is," the foreign minister at the time, Lubomír Zaorálek, told the Czech News Agency. But some Czechs worried the new name was too similar to the Russian region of Chechnya. "I don't know who came with such a stupid idea," former prime minister Andrej Babiš told the Wall Street Journal in 2020.
Deliberately changing a historical place name is a dramatic act which is highly likely to lead to controversy and disagreement
It's not surprising we find these changes so unsettling. Place names provide what the Germans call Heimatsgefühl, a sense of belonging and attachment to one's native land, and any threat to those attachments unnerves us. "Deliberately changing a historical place name is a dramatic act which is highly likely to lead to controversy and disagreement," wrote anthropologist Thomas Eriksen in the JournalOsla.
Place names are, for better or worse, yoked to history. For nearly four centuries, the US state of Rhode Island was officially known as the "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations". In 2020, residents voted to change the name to simply Rhode Island. The old name, said state Senator Harold Metts, "carries a horrific connotation when considering the tragic and racist history of our nation". The US Department of the Interior recently established the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force. It is renaming hundreds of lakes, streams and mountain peaks that contain words such as "squaw", a derogatory term for female Native Americans. In New Zealand, there have been calls to officially change the country's name to Aotearoa, or "long white cloud" in Māori.
Some places don't change their names so much as expand them. The stunning sandstone formation in central Australia was previously known as Ayers Rock, but now is officially named Uluru/Ayers Rock to reflect its spiritual importance to Aboriginal people.
Simon McGill/Getty Images
Australia's iconic rock was officially renamed Uluru/Ayers Rock in 1993 (Credit: Simon McGill/Getty Images)
Sometimes places change their names for more transactional reasons. In 1999, at the height of the dot-com bubble, the town of Halfway, Oregon, officially changed its name to Half.com, named after an e-commerce startup. (The experiment lasted only one year.) In 2011, the Australian town of Speed briefly changed its name to SpeedKills to raise awareness of road safety.
Old names have a way of boomeranging. After a fire destroyed much of Oslo in 1624, King Christian IV insisted the newly rebuilt city be named Christiana (later Kristiana) in his honour. No one, except the king, seemed to like the new name, and in 1925 Oslo became Oslo again. In 1914, at the start of World War One, the Russian city of St Petersburg became Petrograd. Then, in 1924, it was briefly renamed Leningrad in honour of Vladimir Lenin, before returning to its original name in 1991.
When it comes to nominative dexterity, though, Kazakhstan has them all beat. The Central Asian nation's capital has changed names five times in the past six decades. In 1961, Akmolinsk, a Russian military outpost, became Tselinograd, which then became Akmola and then, in 1998, Astana (literally: "Capital"). A decade later the city was renamed Nur-Sultan, in honour of outgoing president Nursultan Nazarbayev – but in 2019 it reverted to Astana.
My spell-checker can barely keep up with the dizzying pace of name changes. While writing this article, it alerted me to several "sensitive geopolitical references", implying I was committing a faux pas and underscoring the fact that we live in geographically fluid times. World maps should be written in pencil, not pen.
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The Sydney Opera House: The monument that represents Australia
By Nick Bryant Features correspondent
Bella Falk-Alamy
The Sydney Opera House: The monument that represents Australia (Credit: Bella Falk-Alamy)
In honour of its 50th anniversary, Sydney-based correspondent Nick Bryant explains how the building came to symbolise Australia, and why its original architect never saw it in person.
The Sydney Opera House recently commemorated its 50th anniversary. The iconic design is one associated with the Australian city the world over, along with the steel arch bridge, which spans the harbour. Considered a triumph of 20th Century architecture, it very nearly didn't get built in the international search to find a design.
This vision of modern beauty, with its famous curves covered in more than a million bright white ceramic tiles, was initially placed in the reject pile. But its journey to realisation says much about Australia today, according to Sydney-based correspondent Nick Bryant.
From Our Own Correspondent This story has been adapted from a recent episode of the podcast From Our Own Correspondent, which provides insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers around the world.
"From sea level on the harbour, its giant shells look like billowing spinnakers. From directly across the water, they remind me of the bonnets of nuns. In profile they've been likened to oyster shells, while from the nearby botanical gardens, they resemble the unhatched eggs of some giant prehistoric beast. Still, I can pinpoint the precise moment when it first caught my gaze.
I was driving back from another of Sydney's great icons Bondi Beach, and I'd just turned the corner on one of the roads that takes you back into the city. On the horizon, I could see the steel girders of the Harbour Bridge, 'The Coathanger', as it's known here, and then its partner in one of the world's great structural double acts. Even as a kid I was transfixed. I wanted to be an architect. This was the course I started studying at university. Through poring over architecture books, I have fallen in love with Jørn Utzon's masterpiecelong before stepping foot in Australia. I'd always looked upon it as the 20th Century's most superlative buildings.
What I have failed to appreciate before coming to live here was how the Opera House was also a structure of such multiple meanings, and how it encapsulates the contradictions of the nation it has come to symbolise. The country's most instantly recognisable building is a landmark to Australian ambiguity. The most obvious interpretation is that it represents Australia's rising post-war self-confidence. The appointment of Jørn Utzon, a little-known Danish architect without a major project to his name, was a sign of a less insular outlook and a new spirit of national assertiveness.
J. R. T. Richardson/Fox Photos/Getty Images
Jørn Utzon was a little-known Danish architect without a major project to his name (Credit: J. R. T. Richardson/Fox Photos/Getty Images)
This internationalism was evident too, in the global competition that attracted more than 200 entries from all around the world, and also in the role played by its most influential judge, the Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen, who plucked the Dane's revolutionary design from the pile of rejects and thought he'd found the rightful winner.
But there's also a tragic backstory of how, when delays and cost blowouts put the entire project in jeopardy, Utzon was replaced by a local architect, and how the spellbinding interior that's an envisaged never became a reality. Whereas the Dane was obsessed with form, Peter Hall, the head of the government team that replaced him, was preoccupied with function. The interior then is anti-climactic. Utzon's forced resignation showed that a dreary provincialism was still hard to shake. The Dane never returned to Australia, thinking his opus had been disfigured.
So many strands of the Australian story come together in this building. New immigrants from southern Europe provided much of the manpower for its construction, which speaks of Australia's post-war multiculturalism. In November 1960, Paul Robeson, the Black American opera singer, even performed an impromptu concert amidst its scaffolding and cranes – his sonorous Old Man River, a musical foreshadowing of the end of the White Australia policy, which for decades that limited non-European migration here. [The Opera House] was opened by British woman, Queen Elizabeth II, but in a ceremony that included Indigenous ritual in recognition of First Nations peoples. It occupies an outcrop in the harbour named Bennelong Point, which was named after the elder from the Eora Nation who served as an interlocutor with the British in the 1790s. In an expression of cultural egalitarianism, the building's opening celebrations in 1973 not only featured Wagner but also a populist counterpoint: Rolf Harris singing Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport.
Brook Mitchell/Getty Image
After the 'Black Summer' bushfires of 2020, the tired faces of firefighters who had battled the flames were projected onto it (Credit: Brook Mitchell/Getty Image)
The opera house probably would never have been built had it not been financed by lottery money, reflecting the centrality of gambling in Australian life. Advances in projection technology have turned its shells into a giant national billboard. Poppies are projected onto it on Anzac Day, when Australia remembers its war dead. After the 'Black Summer' bushfires of 2020, it was the tired faces of firefighters who had battled the flames. It has become a focal point of national celebration and of protest. Only [last] month, pro-Palestinian protesters converged on the building, some shouting antisemitic chants after its shells were floodlit in the colours of the Israeli flag in sympathy with the victims of the October 7 attacks.
But the reason why the Opera House has become such a fitting Australian landmark is that it's unfinished and incomplete. Moreover, most Australians think it's great already, and not in need of further improvement, which makes it doubly emblematic. That its golden jubilee should coincide with [the recent] referendum in which Australia said 'no' to the creation of what was called an Indigenous voice to Parliament feels fittingly synchronous. As with the Opera House, so with the nation: do you see an Australia already glorious and complete, or a confounding country not yet fully realised?"
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The world’s best tourism villages in 2023
By Amanda Ruggeri Features correspondent
Joana Kruse/Alamy
The world's best tourism villages in 2023 (Credit: Joana Kruse/Alamy)
A brand-new list by the United Nations World Tourism Organization is highlighting rural communities across the globe that are harvesting tourism for good.
For travellers looking for inspiration for their next city break, dozens of best-of lists abound. But for those in search of a slower pace, natural scenery and local traditions, there's a different resource to turn to: the world's best tourism villages, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
For the past three years, the UNWTO has recognised villages across the world that "are leading the way in nurturing rural areas and preserving landscapes, cultural diversity, local values and culinary traditions", and it has just put out its list for 2023. These 54 villages were selected based on nine different criteria, including how well they are preserving (and showcasing) their natural environment, their commitment to economic and environmental sustainability and their conservation of cultural heritage.
Here, we take a look at five of the most interesting rural villages around the world from the new list.
Norikazu Satomi/Alamy
There's a culture of welcoming everyone in the village of Hakuba (Credit: Norikazu Satomi/Alamy)
Hakuba, Japan
Twenty years ago, Tony Anderson of Melbourne, Australia, came to Hakuba to snowboard. He returned to the village, located in the Japanese Alps about 45km west of Nagano, the next year to buy property – and has lived there ever since.
As a hotelier himself, Anderson says Hakuba's culture of hospitality makes it particularly welcoming for visitors. When he travelled here as a tourist, he remembers going to hotels, only to find them booked up; but rather than being sent away, he was invited to put a futon down in the hallway. Even today, he said, "The policy is never to turn anyone away. Everybody's welcome."
This tradition of hospitality has likely developed for practical reasons, too: when the snow comes, sometimes blocking in the roads, you can't necessarily leave, even if you wanted to. Of course, that makes for excellent skiing and boarding. Most famously, Hakuba, which is surrounded by 10 different ski resorts, hosted many of the events of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. Even in the spring, when the cherry blossoms bloom, there is still enough snow on the mountains to ski.
While Hakuba may be famous for its winters, it's worth a visit year-round, said Anderson. In the summer, he loves hiking up the mountains to lodges. In the autumn, it is popular with visitors who want to see the autumn foliage. And Hakuba's onsens – hot springs – are popular no matter the season.
"There's not a day that goes by where I don't look up at the mountains and just really appreciate how beautiful this place is," Anderson said.
Joana Kruse/Alamy
Lerici is a picture-perfect place set in Liguria's north-western Italian Riviera (Credit: Joana Kruse/Alamy)
Lerici, Italy
Move over, Cinque Terre: for travellers looking for striking sea views, clean beaches and colourful homes, there's another destination to add to the list in the Liguria region. Located on the north-western Italian coast, 100km south of Genoa (or 10km south of La Spezia, a popular travel hub for getting to the Cinque Terre), Lerici isn't exactly a secret. Still, its location – particularly its lack of a train station – means it's been a bit more protected from overtourism than many of its neighbours.
Dubbed the capital of the "Gulf of Poets", it hosts numerous cultural and artistic festivals, such as the Lerici Music Festival, the Premio Lerici Pea Golfo dei Poeti literary competition, and regular art exhibitions, including at its medieval castle. "Over the centuries, Lerici has welcomed great names in culture, literature and art who have chosen it as a place of inspiration," said Lerici mayor Leonardo Paoletti, including poet Percy Bysshe Shelly, novelist Virginia Woolf and writer and director Pier Paolo Pasolini. "Today this legacy persists."
Unlike many other coastal Italian enclaves, Lerici also has also kept up its traditional fishing industry. "Lerici has the oldest mussel cultivation in Italy, dating back to the 19th Century," said Paoletti. But locals realise that fishing today means keeping it sustainable: for more than 25 years, Paoletti says, Lerici has "renounced" intensive fishing. Among various sustainability initiatives, the town runs a pilot project called Smart Bay, which includes scientific research and monitoring of the bay and its ecosystems. It's also introduced solar panels, banned single-use plastics and prohibited cigarette smoking in coastal areas.
The ultimate goal? As the UNWTO puts it, it's to become a destination "that not only captivates with its natural beauty, but also stands as a model for environmental triumph".
Ariadne Van Zandbergen/Alamy
Nestled in the eponymous forest, Lephis is a paradise for trekkers and nature-lovers (Credit: Ariadne Van Zandbergen/Alamy)
Lephis, Ethiopia
For natural beauty and wildlife, it's hard to beat the village of Lephis, located in Lephis Forest, around 160km south of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Travellers can trek or horseback ride past the striking Lephis Waterfall and through hills and valleys, catching glimpses of animals including colobus monkeys, leopards and mountain nyala. Birdwatchers are in for a particular treat, with species including the Abyssian oriole and white-cheeked turaco.
"I often go there with tourists to see fauna and flora," said Biruk Chiksa, a tour guide at Venture Ethiopia Tour and Travel. "I love it a lot." And as Chiksa points out, so do foreign travellers.
The forest is home to some 2,000 households, too, many of which are now supported by what's called Lephis Ecotourism Village – a community-based initiative to preserve local heritage and help the community, while encouraging tourism. Visitors can see handicrafts like beaded jewellery and wood carvings being made from local grass and bamboo, thanks to the village's Mishike Handicraft Association, which employs some 17 women and three men.
Lensleb/Alamy
Some say entering Douma feels like "entering a history book" (Credit: Lensleb/Alamy)
Douma, Lebanon
Traditional stone houses with red-tiled roofs, views of the surrounding Batroun Mountains, centuries-old churches and a recently restored souk: the village of Douma, located about 80km north-east of Beirut, is nothing if not picturesque.
"My first impression was the beauty of the village," said Rana Tanissa, a Lebanese archaeologist and rural tourism consultant who writes about travel to Lebanon, recalling her first visit to the town. "And the history of the village is incredible – one feels as if you're entering a history book."
In fact, according to the UNWTO, Douma's commitment to preserving its architectural and cultural heritage and "avoiding chaotic urban expansion" played a major role in its selection to the 2023 list.
The UNWTO notes that Douma has protected other aspects of its cultural heritage, too, such as its local food traditions. According to Tanissa, the "Raha sweet", made with biscuits, is one favourite, as are the town's zaatar, olive oil, cheeses and jams. Many of the ingredients come from local farms and vineyards. That said, Douma isn't just about tradition: the village has undertaken a number of new green initiatives, too, including using 600 solar panels to generate electricity for the village, planting trees and encouraging composting.
But more than its beauty, cultural heritage, food or even sustainability, Tanissa says. There's another quality that immediately struck her about the village: the kindness of its people. "They have warm hearts. They are generous. They help and serve," she said. "For example, if someone asks for information, not only will they help [them], but they'll guide [them] throughout the village."
To make the most of a stay in Douma (and get to know locals), Tanissa advises staying in one of the village's guest houses, where local families make traditional food from the region.
UNWTO
Zapoteca is surrounded by tropical forests, mountains and canyons (Credit: UNWTO)
Zapatoca, Colombia
Six years ago, after spending three decades working as a teacher in other parts of Colombia, Guillermo Rincón Velandia decided to launch the tour company Colombia Trails SAS – and he returned to his native town of Zapatoca, Colombia, to do it. The reasons are many, he said, and they echo why the UNWTO lists Zapatoca, located in the north of the country, as one of its best tourism villages for 2023.
First, there's the natural landscape. Located on a plateau between three canyons some 1,700m above sea level, Zapatoca has a "rich and unique geological heritage", Velandia said, including some of the oldest marine fossils in the world. The diversity of its landscape stands out, too, with ancient underground caves, tropical forests and mountains to hike, trek and explore. The climate, however, is remarkably stable: it maintains a temperature of about 20C year-round, leading locals to call it "The Village with the Silk-Like Climate".
The town's cultural heritage is also notable, from its whitewashed 18th-Century houses with terracotta roofs that mix Republican and colonial styles to its religious architecture and history (it's been nicknamed the "Levitical City" thanks to the number of its chapels and churches).
For music lovers, in particular, the town has even more to offer. Festivals celebrating music and dance take place throughout the year, including the International Dance Festival, the National Dance Festival "Aires de mi Tierra", the Gustavo Gómez Ardila International Choir Festival and the Bell Festival.
"Zapatoca is a town that has kept the arts alive," said Velandia.
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Gilleleje: Denmark's seaside town that saved Danish Jews
By Laura Hall Features correspondent
Robert Harding/Alamy
(Credit: Robert Harding/Alamy)
This October, a fishing town on the Danish Riviera remembers one of the greatest collective acts of resistance of World War Two: its role in the flight and escape of the Danish Jews.
It was autumn on the Danish Riviera, a string of fishing villages along the coast an hour north of Copenhagen. In the town of Gilleleje, apple trees hung heavy with fruit in the gardens of thatched cottages and pink roses bloomed in the dunes backing the long sand beach. Day trippers ate fish and chips on the quay next to a harbour packed with pleasure boats, and just under 10 nautical miles away, across a calm blue sea, the coast of Sweden hovered on the horizon.
It was an idyllic Scandinavian scene, but it hasn't always been this peaceful. Eighty years ago, in October 1943, this stretch of water represented an escape route for the Danish Jews. If they failed to cross the water from occupied Denmark to neutral Sweden, they faced deportation and possible death in the concentration camps of Europe.
Thanks to the bravery of the Danish people – and, in particular, the fishermen and people of Gilleleje and others along the Danish Riviera – 7,056 Danish Jews out of a total population of 7,800 were taken under the cover of darkness to Sweden and to freedom. It's hailed as one of the greatest acts of collective resistance during World War Two.
This October, Gilleleje is unveiling a new monument to mark the 80th anniversary; while a new exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York titled Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark brings the story to a wider public.
Laura Hall
A new memorial stone by the artist Karin Lind on the harbour commemorates the historic event (Credit: Laura Hall)
This act of resistance began three and a half years into the German occupation of Denmark.
Hitler decided to teach the Danes a lesson and ordered a roundup of Danish Jews in September to take place in early October
"In summer 1943, things were not going too well for Germany in the war," explained Lisa Tomlinson, a local tour guide who was showing me the town's historical sites via six memorial plaques, starting at the modest train station. "The Danish Resistance was getting more courageous and August saw strikes and sabotage across the country. Hitler decided to teach the Danes a lesson and ordered a roundup of Danish Jews in September to take place in early October."
She pointed out a shop once owned by a draper who displayed pro-RAF, anti-German posters as we walked past fisherman's cottages and the town's church. The Danish government had collaborated with the German regime initially, she explained, but after three and a half years, they had had enough. At the end of September, whispers were passed to politicians and rabbis that the Danish Jews should flee and do it quickly: the Nazis were due to round them up on the nights of 1 and 2 October. The safest route was to take the train to Gilleleje and find a passage across the Øresund Strait to Sweden.
Nikolaj Danielsen/VisitNordsjælland
The fishing village pulled together to help thousands of Danish Jews cross into neutral Sweden (Credit: Nikolaj Danielsen/VisitNordsjælland)
In 1943, Gilleleje was a fishing town with a population of around 1,700 where everyone knew each other. German soldiers were stationed at the nearby hotel and were visible on the town's streets and around the harbour. In addition, locals were on edge for impromptu visits from the Gestapo, stationed down the coast at Helsingør. They knew the risks they ran, but still they pulled together to help, meeting the fleeing Jews at train halts and taking them into hiding until nightfall when they could board boats for the dangerous two-hour trip on stormy windswept seas to Höganäs and other towns along the Swedish coast.
There was something that Hitler had completely misunderstood. And that was: while they were Jews, they were also Danish people. Of course, they would help each other in a crisis.
"There was something that Hitler had completely misunderstood," said Søren Frandsen the author of a new book, Kurs Mod Friheden (The Path To Freedom), about the events of October 1943. "And that was: while they were Jews, they were also Danish people. Of course, they would help each other in a crisis.
The responsibility to help others in peril was particularly ingrained in the religious fishing community of Gilleleje. Resilient and no strangers to danger, they innately knew the value of working together, creating a social network and banding together to help.
Laura Hall
Now 83, Tove Udsholt was one of the 135 Jewish children shielded from German soldiers in Denmark (Credit: Laura Hall)
"The attitude of the fishermen overall was that 'we help all people who are in need'," said Frandsen.
Led by the draper, the townsfolk mobilised quickly, finding safe houses, supplying food and blankets to people in hiding, and collecting money to help those who could not afford to pay for the journey. One of those was Tove Udsholt, just three years old at the time, who had arrived in Gilleleje with her mother and just a small bag filled with clothes and her teddy bear. Her mother had spent her last money on the train fare to Gilleleje – buying a return ticket to avoid suspicion.
"That was the only money my mum had," Udsholt said, now an 83-year-old, as she showed me around Gilleleje Church. "She hoped people would help. That's how it was."
Udsholt is one of the few remaining people alive at the time of the great flight, and gives regular talks and tours about her experiences. She was hidden with her mother and several others in a hay loft on Østergade, just a couple of streets from the church.
"Germans were patrolling the whole time," she said, "And I talked a lot. It was dangerous. A fisherman, Svend, came with food and blankets and saw me, and asked my mum if I could go home with him. She said yes, but that he had to bring me back."
Laura Hall
A group of Jews hiding in the church attic were caught and deported to Czechoslovakia (Credit: Laura Hall)
Udsholt went to play with the fisherman and his wife at their house on a neighbouring street while her mother sheltered in the hay loft until night fell and the conditions were good enough to sail to Sweden. While they were hiding, the Gestapo were alerted to a group of around 80 to 90 Jews hiding in the church attic and immediately arrested them, deporting them to Theresienstadt camp in Czechoslovakia. Standing in the present-day attic with Udsholt, with its bare boards and tiny windows with a view of the harbour, it was easy to imagine the panic and fear the group must have felt.
Upon hearing the news of the arrest of the church group up the street, Udsholt's group were told they had to leave immediately.
"My mother had just a second to make a decision," said Udsholt. "She had heard a rumour that if fishermen had children who cried or talked on board, the worst might happen to them. She told Svend that he and his wife could borrow me until the end of the war, but that she would come back to collect me then."
Udsholt spent the rest of the war in Gilleleje as one of 135 Jewish children hidden in Denmark and shielded from the German soldiers by the local people, at great risk to themselves. She remembers looking out over the water to the lights of Sweden to where her mother was, but after the war, reconciliation was difficult. She ended up staying with her foster family in the small beach town.
"Gilleleje looked after me," she said.
Laura Hall
Around 600 Danish Jews hid in the kiln of the brickwork factory in Nivå (Credit: Laura Hall)
Similar acts of courage took place up and down the coast throughout October 1943. In the town of Nivå, around 600 Danish Jews hid in the large kiln of a brickwork factory before escaping through the open marshlands under cover of night to waiting boats.
It's important to tell our kids about it so they will be more sympathetic to people who have to escape
Jørgen Bertelsen is a volunteer guide at the kiln, and regularly takes school trips around it. "Nowadays there are many places where people need to flee," he said. "It's important to tell our kids about it so they will be more sympathetic to people who have to escape. It's not just happening in [places like] Africa: it happened here too. And we should also remember the volunteers who risked their lives to help."
For Udsholt , it's not just a story about wartime, but about celebrating an attitude towards people in need. "I think Gilleleje should be so proud that such a small town has achieved so much," she said. "It's not that people should be thanked for behaving with humanity – but we should be proud of this spirit. It's why it's important to open doors to Ukrainians and people fleeing war."
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The Canadian museum filled with stolen art
By Diane Selkirk Features correspondent
Diane Selkirk
(Credit: Diane Selkirk)
The Ni'isjoohl memorial pole has been returned to Canada after being stolen by the British in 1928. Here, it will live out its days alongside hundreds of other appropriated items.
Somewhere in the dense coastal forests surrounding Txaa K'alii Aksim Lisims (the Nass River) in what would become north-western British Columbia, Canada, master carver Oye'a' of the Indigenous Nisg̱a'a people picked out a towering red cedar tree. After giving a blessing, he removed the bark around its base, girdling the tree. Over the next decade, the cedar dried from the inside out. By the 1850s, when it was felled for carving, it was light and strong enough survive for a century or two.
Commissioned to create a memorial pole by Joanna Moody, the matriarch of the House of Ni'isjoohl of G̱anada or Raven/Frog clan in Ank'idaa Village, an island in the middle of the Nass River, Oye'a' stripped off the bark and brought the log to his workplace. Carving the story of Ts'wawit, a young warrior in line to be chief who was killed during a skirmish with Tsimshian warriors, and G̱anada's traditional histories, Oye'a' breathed life into the pts'aan (pole).
Even as the Ni'isjoohl memorial pts'aan was brought alive with the spirit of ravens, a white bullhead and the chief, life in the Nass Valley was changing. Captain George Vancouver was the first European to record encountering the Nisg̱a'a while charting the Pacific Coast from 1791-95. Then the fur trade got underway. In the 1830s, a Hudson Bay Company trading post was established in the heart of the territory, bringing smallpox, measles and other diseases, and destabilising the relationships between neighbouring Nations. Then, in 1860, gold was discovered. Worried about losing control over the region (and the gold), the British colonial office created the Colony of British Columbia, placing the entire Nass Valley within its domain.
From its headwaters in the glaciers of the Skeena Mountains, the Nass flows south-westerly for 380km before draining into Portland Inlet and the Pacific Ocean. Ringed by glacier-capped mountains; forests of hemlock, pine, balsam, aspen and alder flank the hillsides, gradually giving way to red cedar, spruce and hemlock as you near the coast. Meadows thick with soapberry, salmonberry and kinnikinnick plants entice deer, moose and porcupine. Eulachon and five species of salmon return to the Nass each year, attracting black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, ravens and bald eagles.
Diane Selkirk
Gingolx is one of four Nisg̱a’a villages in the Nass River valley of north-western British Columbia (Credit: Diane Selkirk)
Life in Ank'idaa followed the seasons; people travelled for fishing, berry harvesting, hunting or trapping. Strict protocols and intricate social structure kept the community and ecosystems in balance. Around 1855, Oye'a' would have delivered the Ts'wawit's memorial pole from his home village of Gitwinksihlkw, 30km up the river from Ank'idaa. The House of Ni'isjoohl likely raised it with a feast and ceremony commonly known as a potlatch. Wealth was shared, traditional names were passed along and the pts'aan's presence ensured the transmission of knowledge to the next generation.
Then, in 1884, the federal government of Canada enacted the Potlatch Ban, an amendment to the Indian Act of Canada, with a goal of crushing Indigenous culture. At the same time, disease kept coming. Missionaries pushed Indigenous people to assimilate into the growing settler population, warning them their "pagan" ways were to blame for their tragedies. By 1889, the Northwest Coast Indian Agency census counted 805 Nisga'a people; a population decline of 82-99%.
In Ank'idaa, the ancestors – as the Ni'isjoohl psts'aan and other poles are known to be – watched over their ravaged village. In 1920, it became mandatory for Indigenous children to attend residential school. Stolen away, many never returned home. In 1927, Marius Barbeau, anthropologist with the National Museum of Canada, first visited the Nass. In what he characterised as anthropological rescue, he voraciously scooped up the ceremonial and sacred belongings of what he called a "dying race".
Coerced by missionaries and federal Indian agents, some Nisga'a parted with their possessions (others had their belongings destroyed). When Barbeau couldn't get permission to take things, he took photos. An image of the Ni'isjoohl pts'aan caught someone's eye at what's now the National Museum of Scotland. After Barbeau negotiated a price between C$400 and C$600 (£240 and £360) to cover costs (no money was paid to the Nisga'a), he returned to the Nass in 1928. When Ank'idaa was empty during fishing or harvesting season, Barbeau and his team cut down most of the pts'aans in Ank’idaa, bundled them into a raft, and floated the ancestors down the Nass and onward to museums around the world.
By 1929, the stolen 36ft-tall Ni'isjoohl pts'aan was on display in Edinburgh.
Diane Selkirk
The House of Ni’isjoohl memorial pole will be raised inside the Nisga’a Museum and watch over another generation of Nisga’a youth (Credit: Diane Selkirk)
The decades that followed were a dark time for Indigenous people in Canada. Physically, culturally and spiritually abused, they had few rights. But through the horror, the Nisga'a focused on the future.
Visiting the Nass Valley: Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Park: Jointly managed by BC Parks and the Nisg̱a'a Nation, the park offers visitors a chance to learn more about Nisg̱a'a culture and the region's natural history. Nisg̱a'a Lands Auto Tour: This 18-point, self-guided tour includes highlights in Lava Bed Park and in each of the region's four villages. Hlgu Isgwit Hotsprings: Visitors are welcome to use the hot springs that the Nisg̱a'a have used for ceremonial, medicinal, and spiritual purposes for untold generations. Culture: Four distinct villages give insight into the rich culture of the Nisg̱a'a people. You'll find museums, carving sheds, smoke houses, heritage churches and fishing communities.
On 11 May 2000, the Nisga'a and the governments of Canada and British Columbia signed the province's first modern treaty, the Nisga'aa Final Agreement. In addition to codifying the Nisga'a's right to self-governance, ownership of 2,020 sq km of hereditary land and access to traditional foods, the treaty paved the way for more than 300 stolen belongings to be returned to the Nisga'a from Canadian museums. But there was a stipulation; the returned belongings had to be conserved in a Class-A museum with humidity and temperature controls, a cost-prohibitive condition the Nation spent $17m to meet.
Designed after traditional longhouses, the glass-fronted Nisg̱a'a Museum opened in 2011 in Laxgalts'ap, a few miles downstream from Ank'idaa Village. According to Theresa Schober, the museum's director and curator, the initial return of masks, bentwood boxes, regalia and other ceremonial items are just a portion of the Nisg̱a'a belongings scattered around the world, but their recovery is "reconnecting all Nisg̱a'a [houses and clans] to ancestral belongings as equally as possible."
Now visitors can learn from the Nisg̱a'a on their own territory and on their own terms; a profound and healing experience, for everyone. "Young community members bring guests through the Ancestors' Collection, sharing their own stories and oral histories," said Schober. "It's very different than seeing these belongings out of context, surrounded by unrelated objects."
Sigidimnak' Noxs Ts'aawit (Amy Parent) hadn't expected to spend the past year thinking about the colonial-burdens of repatriation policy. As the Canada research chair in Indigenous education and governance at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Parent was meeting with Elders in Laxgalts'ap when Sim'oogit Ni'isjoohl (Chief Earl Stephens) asked her to look into the Ni'isjoohl memorial pole.
Ts'awit (Calvin McNeill) a master carver from the House of Ni'isjoohl, who lives in Laxgalts'ap and spent years studying his Nation's belongings in museums had carved a replica from historical and contemporary photographs, but before the community could raise it, Parent said, "they needed more information about names connected to the original Ni'isjoohl pole". Learning it was in Edinburgh, Parent reached out to National Museums Scotland (NMS). The details she found made her stomach lurch; her great-great-great-grandmother Joanna Moody had commissioned the pole, and both she and McNeill carried versions of the young warrior's name.
Diane Selkirk
Calvin McNeill is often found in the carving shed in Lax̱g̱altsʼap working on projects (Credit: Diane Selkirk)
What followed could have gone the way of other failed repatriation efforts. In August 2022, just before a seven-person Nisga'a delegation, including Parent, Stephens and Schober (as a non-Nisga'a witness), journeyed to Scotland to ask for the pole back, Schober estimated it could be a five- to seven-year process. Almost immediately, the Nisga'a delegation and NMS staff clashed. "First it was around our ceremonies to feed the pole [because] they had a 'no-food-in-the-museum' rule," said Parent. (The two groups compromised by using vacuum-packed food.) "Then they told us to follow their very complicated, one-year-old repatriation policy."
We let the people of Scotland know that we wanted the spirit of the pole to be free… with our people where it can teach the next generation who we are
Instead, the Nisg̱a'a did what they do best: they invited NMS staff to learn who they are and why the pts'aan needed to go home. "We let the people of Scotland know that we wanted the spirit of the pole to be free… with our people," said Parent, "where it can teach the next generation who we are."
Describing the pts'aan's return as "a rematriation", reflecting the fact the Nisg̱a'a are matrilineal and the return would bring balance, Parent says the pts'aan must be powerful because the process began to move with unprecedented speed and ease. On 1 December 2022, NMS' Board of Trustees agreed the Ni'isjoohl memorial pole could go home. Plans came together through the year and in August 2023 the delegation returned to Edinburgh for a private ceremony to prepare the pts'aan for the journey home – assuring it that it didn't have to keep enduring the cacophony of strangers. Packed in a protective crate, swathed in cedar boughs, the pts'aan was lovingly moved by NMS staff through the dismantled gallery out into a closed street and to the airport where it was loaded into the belly of a Canadian Armed Forces aircraft for a journey to Terrace, BC.
Diane Selkirk
Officials from the Nisga’a Nation welcomed the return of the memorial pole 94 years after its removal (Credit: Diane Selkirk)
On 29 September, just in time for Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a procession guided the Ni'isjoohl memorial pts'aan along the 150km drive on Nisg̱a'a Highway 113. Winding past lakes and streams, it travelled through a massive expanse of lichen-covered lava, a reminder of when the Tseax volcano erupted in 1700, spilling molten rock across the landscape, destroying at least two villages and killing an estimated 2,000 people.
Reaching the swift waters of the Nass, it passed Gitwinksihlkw, the place where it was carved. Then it plunged into the same misty forest where it once grew and that now hid signs of its ancient home village of Ank'idaa. Arriving in Laxgalts'ap, it was privately greeted by its family and unclad for the ceremony. Then the crowd began to grow. Dressed in red and black regalia, Nisg̱a'a dancers, drummers and singers filled the valley with song. As Elders spoke and prayed in Sim'algax, the mist burned off and, for the first time in 94 years, the pts'aan felt the sun.
Parent couldn't help but note that everything had come full circle. "Through our songs, through our dances", Parent says they were able to change hearts, minds and policy. The pts'aan was home.
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A Turkish secret hiding in plain sight
By Stefania D'Ignoti Features correspondent
Westend61 GmbH/Alamy
A Turkish secret hiding in plain sight (Credit: Westend61 GmbH/Alamy)
In the border city of Gaziantep, a secret jazz cafe is helping residents reconcile with the city's turbulent past and offering hope for the future.
On Wednesday and Saturday nights, if you follow the narrow, stone streets in Gaziantep, Turkey's old Armenian district to an unmarked silver door and knock three times, you're in for a treat.
Moments later, a man with a long white ponytail and round glasses will appear, welcoming you to his cafe, Jazz ve Kahve, and whisking you away for a night of food and traditional Middle Eastern music. Inside a room filled with Persian carpets, locals will be listening to the melody of a ney (a Turkish wind instrument) intertwining with that of a Syrian lute-like oud in a 19th-Century Armenian mansion overlooking a scenic courtyardstrewn with dangling lights.
"Gaziantep is a city at a crossroads in the heart of old Mesopotamia. When they were under the same empire, Armenians, Turks and Arabs all coexisted peacefully," said Murad Uçaner, the ponytailed cafe's owner. "In these few square metres, we are trying to revive that ancient vibe."
In the past few years, Uçaner's intimate cafe has become an institution in Gaziantep – one of the cities impacted by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the Turkish-Syrian border in February 2023. Several buildings around this old Armenian neighbourhood of Kayacık were damaged or collapsed, but Jazz ve Kahve is still standing, and Uçaner is motivated to preserve its legacy.
"This is not just a place where people eat and drink," he said. "It is also a place where people from different cultures and countries meet, exchange information and get to know each other's cultures."
Carola Cappellari
In a small, hidden cafe, Uçaner is trying to reacquaint residents in Gaziantep with the city's multicultural past (Credit: Carola Cappellari)
The story of Jazz Kahve goes back to 2017 when Uçaner, a historian, translator and novelist, became fascinated with the history of Armenians in Gaziantep. While noticing the construction of more and more high-rise buildings across the city, Kayacık's cobbled streets and Ottoman konak residences made him feel nostalgic for a past he wanted to revive.
Uçaner researched archival footage of the area and stumbled on a photograph taken in 1907 whose caption mentioned it was an Armenian house. As Uçaner explained, not only is the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks that took place during World War One something that is generally denied in Turkey, but he never learned that Gaziantep was once home to a thriving Armenian, Kurdish and Arab population. "It made me question the accuracy of the history they teach us," Uçaner said. "I discovered that even though Armenians survived for thousands of years in these lands, there have been attempts to erase the memory of their presence here."
Ümit Kurt, a Middle East historian and the author of the book The Armenians of Aintab: The Economics of Genocide in an Ottoman Province, explained that approximately 32,000 Armenians lived in Gaziantep before WW1, but as the war intensified, most were deported to Syria and other nations to remove this non-Muslim ethnic group from Anatolia.
Jon Arnold Images Ltd/Alamy
Some 32,000 Armenians lived in Gaziantep before World War One (Credit: Jon Arnold Images Ltd/Alamy)
For nearly a century since the war's end, most of these families' homes were left abandoned and in ruins. But after Gaziantep was named Turkey's capital of gastronomy in 2015, many of these crumbling buildings were transformed into cafes and hotels in an effort to draw tourists while preserving the architectural heritage of the city.
Inspired to take part in the city's collective urban renewal, Uçaner hatched a plan to combine his love of history and music.
"For 10 years, he dreamt about opening a cafe, but he was worried he would have had to leave his job in translation," said Murad's sister, Mujgan Şahin, who helps him run the cafe. "One day I stumbled upon an abandoned Armenian building dating back to the 1890s. I encouraged Murad to rent it."
After a year-long restoration, Jazz ve Kahve's (which means "jazz and coffee") opened in 2018. Uçaner never had to leave his full-time job, and the cafe has become a hub for the city's intellectuals, who come to share knowledge about Gaziantep's shared Turkish, Armenian and Syrian history.
Carola Cappellari
Uçaner and his sister run the Jazz ve Kahve together (Credit: Carola Cappellari)
After knocking at the silver door, visitors walk by the building's 19th-Century frescoes and engravings in the Armenian alphabetas Uçaner explains the area's unique history. Sometimes, he even guides guests around the neighbourhood to see similar examples of Gaziantep's multi-ethnic past, such as the Papirus Cafe, which was once the house of a prominent Armenian politician. Guests are then treated to Turkish and Arabic music and can order Turkish teas or wines alongside traditional Syrian food that was once commonly eaten in Gaziantep under Ottoman rule, such as muhammara (walnuts and roasted red peppers) and mutabbal (aubergine dip).
Ironically, the recent earthquakes that struck the region have made the cafe's role as a cultural meeting point even more symbolic.
When Uçaner was jolted awake by the earthquake (whose epicentre was near Gaziantep) that February morning, he was scared to see if his cafe was still standing. Hours later, he saw that the minaret and dome of the city's famous Liberation Mosque (which was formerly an Armenian church) located just in front of his cafe were in ruins.
"It was almost like a heartbreak," Uçaner said. The region's seismic capacity had destroyed much of its rich history, and he feared Gaziantep's culture and past may one day be forgotten. As such, Uçaner says he now feels his role as one of the custodians of Gaziantep's fading multicultural past is more important than ever.
Carola Cappellari
Gaziantep's famous Liberation Mosque was formerly an Armenian church and was destroyed in the recent earthquake (Credit: Carola Cappellari)
"It is important to preserve the memory and transform it into a lesson for future generations to not hate your neighbour, because we were all one population once," Uçaner said. "These buildings speak for us, and they need to be protected and repurposed to be part of our present."
Since the 1970s, Gaziantep has grown from a 120,000-person town of primarily ethnic Turks to a bustling two-million-person metropolis – and much of this growth is due to the Syrian civil war. Thanks in large part to its location along the southern border with Syria, Gaziantep has absorbed an estimated 500,000 Syrian refugees fleeing the nearby conflict. Despite the fact that Syrians once peacefully co-existed here with Turks and Armenians, the recent influx of Arabic-speaking residents has led to tensions.
Yet, Uçaner hopes his secret jazz cafe can not only preserve the memory of a more cosmopolitan Gaziantep but serve as a bridge connecting its past with its present. In recent years, it has displayed photo exhibits documenting the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis and hosted panels and lectures about the city's multicultural past.
In 2021, Uçaner and several customers – including a sociologist, an urbanist and a musician – also launched the project Memory of Anteb to highlight the architectural and cultural legacy of Armenians and Muslims who once lived in Gaziantep.
CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy
Uçaner says few people in Gaziantep are aware of the city's Armenian past (Credit: CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy)
"The history of Gaziantep was written by official historians in line with the denial policy of the country. We wanted to rewrite that history in a more peaceful present," Uçaner said.
Today, during lazy summer afternoons or cold winter nights, artists and musicians of all backgrounds come to drink a hot cup of tavsan kani çay (red "rabbit blood tea"), chat and get inspired by music from around the region.
"It's here, playing with other musicians, that I learnt we play the same songs but with different lyrics, depending on our language," said Ezzat Dahman, a Syrian-Palestinian oud player who regularly performs Turkish and Syrian music at the cafe. "That shows just how similar our cultures are and how many things in common we have."
Dahman had the idea to launch his own music project at the cafe, called Music Against Racism, to bring Turks, Syrians and Kurds closer together. "The idea will be to play Syrian and Turkish traditional songs that have the same melody together, to foster mutual understanding."
Carola Cappellari
Ezzat Dahman, a Syrian-Palestinian oud player, has launched his own music project at the cafe (Credit: Carola Cappellari)
Regular customers are also treated to Turkish folk music, which bears traces of Arab and Armenian melodies. "We like to discover new forms of music we had never been accustomed to, like jazz or classic," said customer Irem Deniz Adali, holding a glass of Suryani red wine, typical of south-eastern Turkey, as she tapped the wooden table to the rhythm of an old folk song. "But what's even more beautiful is how this place gives us a chance to revive the old, diverse, festive past of this region."
The earthquake may have temporarily stopped these gatherings, but they quickly returned in full force as the building didn't suffer any major structural damage. "If you're aware of a place's past, its community can move forward to build a more peaceful present," Uçaner smiled, before welcoming a few other guests at the door.
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What to know about the 'beach towel revolt' taking back Greek beaches
By Jessica Bateman Features correspondent
Roberto Moiola/Getty Images
(Credit: Roberto Moiola/Getty Images)
Across Greece, locals are taking matters into their own hands by throwing their towels down to reclaim their beaches and access to nature – without the hefty price tag.
It was around sunset on Sunday 3 September in Paros, a popular holiday island in Greece's Cycladic region. A crowd of around 50 were gathered on Parikia beach, close to the island's main port. Behind them, the sky blazed a deep orange over the azure sea. On one side, an iconic Cycladic windmill stood stark against the horizon. On the other, a strip of sun loungers belonging to a beach bar stretched out along the sand.
Even if you've never visited Greece, parts of this scene probably sound familiar. However, on this day, there were also a few unusual details. Three of the attendees were holding up a huge sign saying, "Reclaim the Beach". A man with a loudspeaker stood next to them. As the audience watched, he read parts of the Greek constitution aloud, which states that beaches and other natural areas belong to the country's citizens.
The protest was part of a campaign that media has dubbed the "beach towel revolt", whereby locals are seeking free access to beaches that have been taken over by beach bars and other businesses offering exorbitantly priced sun loungers and umbrellas. While the movement started in Paros, it has now spread all over Greece and even to neighbouring Turkey, with campaigners demanding space to lay down their towels for free.
BBC Travel talked to campaigners and locals to find out what the protests are about, why they're important and what the movement means for both travellers and residents.
Save Paros Beaches
Greek residents are protesting against the many impacts of overtourism on their local beaches (Credit: Save Paros Beaches)
How did the protests start?
The protests began on Paros in May 2023 when a group of residents, who were already regularly meeting to talk about environmental issues on the island, began discussing how the spots where people can freely swim and sunbathe (without being forced to pay for a sun lounger) were becoming ever scarcer. It’s one symptom of how the island is increasingly catering to tourists at the expense of locals.
Beach-side businesses that erect loungers and umbrellas must apply for licences from the Greek finance minister to use designated parts of the beach. Checks are meant to be carried out regularly to ensure they are not taking up more space than their licences allow. However, protestors allege that these checks are rarely – if ever – carried out. As a result, free spots for towels are now few and far between.
Residents created a Facebook page called Save Paros Beaches and began organising demonstrations, calling for a crackdown on these private operators. They also used drone images to document illegal sun loungers, comparing their locations to their government-designated areas. "This was a game-changer, because the level of illegality could be seen so clearly," said local resident Nicolas Stephanou. He says the group found spots where loungers and umbrellas were taking up to 10 times the permitted space.
saiko3p/Getty Images
The protests started on the island of Paros and have since spread across Greece and beyond (Credit: saiko3p/Getty Images)
Where have the protests spread?
The movement has quickly gained momentum; the demonstration on 3 September marked the start of a new nationwide campaign and was the first time that multiple beach towel protests happened in different regions of Greece on the same day.
Demonstrations have taken place on the neighbouring island Naxos and the southern island of Crete. More recently, the islands of Rhodes and Aegina, as well as Attica – the state where Athens is located – have joined in. The location of the Paros protest is particularly symbolic; as the main beach in the island's central village, it's the most popular spot for locals to take an after-work dip.
Eleni Andrianopoulou, spokesperson for the Naxos campaign, said she and other locals had been feeling frustrated about over-development on the beaches for several years, but had been unsure how to act. After learning what was happening in Paros, they were immediately inspired to start their own Facebook campaign.
"I think this is a real paradigm shift for Greece," she said.
Why are these protests so important?
Many Greeks are still suffering financially since the country's debt crisis more than a decade ago and cannot afford to pay for a sun lounger every time they visit the beach. Sun and sea are a big part of Greek culture – the blue in the Greek flag represents the Aegean Sea, and most Greeks have strong childhood memories of summers spent by the beach.
However, campaigners say the beaches are just one part of a bigger struggle. Greece is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe and speakers at the protest told the gathered crowd that overtourism – and the social and environmental problems that come with it – must be addressed.
Yonca60/Getty Images
Greece is one of Europe's most popular holiday destinations and overtourism has become a huge problem (Credit: Yonca60/Getty Images)
What's behind the problem?
Tourism is Greece's largest industry. In 2021 the country welcomed 15 million visitors – one-and-a-half-times its total population. However, many argue that the tourism boom has not been properly managed. Local municipalities lack the power to control visitor flows, and weak institutions mean it is easy for businesses of all kinds to skirt the rules.
In addition, in recent years, successive governments have used the tourism industry to help the country's economy recover, from first the 2008 financial crisis and then the Covid-19 pandemic. Politicians have heavily marketed the country as a sun and sea destination and made it easier for foreign investors to open tourism-related businesses.
"[There is a] long-standing lack of oversight, which has led to increased impunity," said Efthymia Sarantakou from the University of West Attica. She notes that multiple institutions have failed to implement checks and balances, leaving some business free to indulge in "mafia-like" behaviour: "There are allegations of civilians being intimidated by beach bar employees when they tried to sit on what remained as a free part of the beach."
Mayor of Naxos Dimitris Lainos says that many businesses on his island are law-abiding. However, "we have seen that the Ministry of Finance does not have the staff numbers to carry out adequate checks," he said.
Is the 'beach towel revolt' working?
It appears that the protests are having an effect. Thanks to media attention, authorities carried out inspections on one of Paros's worst-affected beaches – a strip of sand in a protected area, which was covered in sun loungers despite no licences being issued for them. As a result, the beach is now lounger-free.
I want to believe that these protests will lead to greater citizen participation in managing tourist destinations
However, the situation remains unchanged on other beaches. On Naxos, fresh checks were carried out in response to protests, but many business owners were pre-alerted and simply removed their offending sun-loungers before inspectors arrived.
"I want to believe that these protests will lead to greater citizen participation in managing tourist destinations and, of course, in managing public spaces," said Sarantakou. "This can only be achieved through improvements in the institutional framework and oversight."
David C Tomlinson/Getty Images
Travellers should consider exploring lesser-known – and less-touristed – parts of Greece (Credit: David C Tomlinson/Getty Images)
What's next?
Summer peak season may be over, but campaigners say the September protests marked the real beginning of their work. On Naxos, Andrianopoulou says they don't just want more frequent checks, but also more transparency about how licences are awarded – and to whom – in the first place. And Stephanou from the Paros campaign says his group wants to present an entire strategy for a more sustainable model of tourism in Greece.
"Right now, prices are out of control," he said. "Most people can't afford to go to a bar or a restaurant. The traffic is incredible." If you don't own a house, it's hard to find one to rent that isn't an Airbnb, which has led to shortages of key workers such as doctors, nurses and teachers.
What does the movement mean for travellers?
If protestors' demands are met, there will be more space on Greek beaches to lay down your towel for free – something that many travellers may be grateful for. In previous decades, the majority of Greek islands were known as budget destinations for bohemian backpackers, and many locals feel free access to beaches is in line with this traditional reputation.
There is amazing history here, archaeological sites, walking paths, good wine and agricultural produce. This can attract a more responsible visitor than one who just wants to sit on a sun lounger with a cocktail
Stephanou would like to see a move away from marketing the Cycladic islands as a luxury destination. "There is amazing history here, archaeological sites, walking paths, good wine and agricultural produce," he said. "This can attract a more responsible visitor than one who just wants to sit on a sun lounger with a cocktail."
Travellers who don't want to contribute to overtourism issues may be inspired to explore the lesser-known side of Greece, such as the hiking opportunities in the dramatic mountain scenery that covers the entire country – a great activity outside of peak summer months when the weather is a little cooler.
However, if you really do want to spend some time relaxing on a sun lounger, then rest assured these won't be disappearing completely – campaigners just want to see them restricted to the areas their licences allow. Visitors to Paros can check whether sun loungers are legal on the campaign’s website.
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Culture
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Le Touquet: The 'most British of French resorts'
By Emily Monaco Features correspondent
Alan Moore/Alamy
Le Touquet: The 'most British of French resorts' (Credit: Alan Moore/Alamy)
It attracted Winston Churchill, inspired James Bond and is set to rename its airport after the late Queen Elizabeth II. But this decidedly British resort isn't actually British.
Overlooking the English Channel is a small resort town bedecked with freestone facades and half-timbered houses. English is heard everywhere, from the Art Deco Westminster hotel to the lighthouse, which, on the occasion of the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, was lit up with Her Majesty's favourite colours. The bells of city hall chime in an echo of Big Ben, and it was just announced that the town's airport will soon be rechristened after Queen Elizabeth II.
You wouldn't be alone in thinking this place is in Britain – but it's not. Le Touquet-Paris-Plage sits on the French Opal Coast and has long been known as the "most British of French resort towns".
"French tourists are always like, 'Oh, it's so English here!" said Kate Landry-Madden, a town council member. "And the English who come over are always like, 'Oh, it's so French in le Touquet! So, it's just this funny mixture of the best of both worlds, really."
Gruffydd Thomas/Alamy
Le Touquet sits on France's Opal Coast, but has a distinctive British feel (Credit: Gruffydd Thomas/Alamy)
The deep roots linking Le Touquet to the opposite shore began with the purchase of the town by John Robinson Whitley, a linoleum magnate from Leeds, in 1894. What had been established in 1837 as a haven for wealthy Parisians soon became a cradle for British gentry, complete with tennis courts and horse riding, all of which, according to Mayor Daniel Fasquelle, were "imagined to attract a British clientele".
"It's not insignificant that le Touquet's golf course was inaugurated by the British prime minister in 1904," he said.
With the 1913 completion of the Casino de la de La Forêt, Le Touquet became even more of a playground for affluent Brits, from playwright Noel Coward to Winston Churchill. The future King Edward VIII was a mainstay of the baccarat tables, and novelist Ian Fleming found inspiration here for the first James Bond book, Casino Royale. WriterPG Wodehouse even lived here from 1934 until he was interned by the Wehrmacht in 1940.
Some of Le Touquet's architectural heritage survived World War Two, with 21 buildings protected as historical monuments – the most of any French seaside resort. The link with Britain remained strong, bolstered by the airport, France's third largest at the time. It was at the Westminster hotel that, in 1962, Sean Connery signed his first James Bond contract, and "Le Westminster's" only suite is numbered 007 in his honour.
ImagesEurope/Alamy
The Westminster hotel and the town of Le Touquet both have a strong Bond link (Credit: ImagesEurope/Alamy)
According to Fasquelle, it's the town's golf courses that have provided the most lasting draw for Brits. Fleming's Le Touquet home was located beside the 18th hole of the oldest of the three, La Forêt, while La Mer, a six-time French Open host, is perhaps the most famous. An internationally renowned equestrian park and 33-court tennis club only add to the draw for fans of sport. This year, Le Touquet is also welcoming the England rugby team for its World Cup training camp.
"There are really some amazing stories linked to this special relationship we have with the British," said Fasquelle. "That we don't just want to keep, but also to reinforce – and in some ways, rediscover."
Indeed, these days, locals are working hard to maintain this cherished connection. Eli Gifford is one of them, raised in Le Touquet from the age of seven by his filmmaker parents, Londoners Nick and Judy Gifford, who, 25 years ago, founded Tea Together, an organic jam company marrying French and British inspiration for flavours like cherry-tarragon or lemon-Earl Grey tea.
His hometown, Gifford said, has a distinctly British vibe, with "lots of vintage cars and things like that. It's like everyone's kind of living their fantasy dream life here," he said. "It's very odd when you leave and go to like… Paris or something."
Mark Bassett/Alamy
Le Globe Trotter is one of many town establishments with British links (Credit: Mark Bassett/Alamy)
Gifford noted that the town itself "isn't huge", but it does boast a few spaces where Brits feel even more at home, like Elizabeth's English tea room, founded and managed by Elizabeth Velissariou, or Le Globe Trotter, an English pub founded by a Frenchman named Olivier Dehaffreingue 26 years ago. Dehaffreingue's love for British culture and music has led him to invite local English-language pop-rock cover bands to play at the pub, and they frequently show football, rugby, golf and cricket on the big screen, creating an ambiance that makes the pub a go-to for Anglophone and Anglophile visitors and residents.
There's a British accent to Le Globe Trotter's food offerings, too, which include cheese boxes curated by Arthur Duhamel of Les Petits Plaisirs Anglais (Little English Pleasures), a Le Touquet-based importer of British products started by his French mother and British stepfather following their discovery, a decade ago, of Snowdonia's waxed cheddars. Today, the business has evolved into a twofold endeavour, the importing side joined by a fast-casual restaurant called Croque's & Pies specialising in British pies and croque monsieurs with a British twist.
Duhamel says his clientele at Croque's & Pies is mainly French – "and good thing, too! Because otherwise, we wouldn't be here in anymore".
Indeed, the double whammy of Brexit and Covid has changed many things for the small seaside town. Duhamel's previous commitment to 100% British sourcing at Croque's & Pies has become too fastidious to continue. And while Fasquelle said that until recently, up to a quarter of hotel guests in town were British, those numbers have fallen significantly.
CW Images/Alamy
Le Touquet's golf course was inaugurated by the British prime minister in 1904 (Credit: CW Images/Alamy)
But Fasquelle hasn't lost hope. "We want to bounce back," he said. "To show that in spite of Brexit, we can maintain strong links with Great Britain."
Thus, the name change for the airport where Fleming once arrived with his Aston-Martin in the hold, the fruit of "quite a long process", according to Landry-Madden.
"I think that people think you just say, 'Yeah, we want to change the name!'" she said. "But no, you can't use the Royal Family's name without their official authorisation."
In its proposal, made to the British Embassy, just six days after Her Majesty's death in September 2022, the town had to provide arguments as to why the change was warranted or deserved. Landry-Madden interpreted the near-year of silence as a quiet but powerful no.
David Jones/Alamy
It took King Charles nearly a year to approve the airport's name change (Credit: David Jones/Alamy)
"And then suddenly, a message came through saying that King Charles had approved!" she said, attributing this, perhaps, to Fasquelle's doggedness and regular meetings with the British ambassador to France, Dame Menna Rawlings, who was invited to Le Touquet earlier this spring.
"We're sending a strong sign of friendship to Britain," said Fasquelle of the airport soon to be rechristened Elizabeth II Le Touquet-Paris-Plage International Airport. "That's how I see it."
That's how many locals see it as well. Following Brexit, Landry-Madden said, "I think a lot of people felt kind of rejected, and so of course it's important for British to know we still want them to come to Le Touquet."
"British customers are really important to us, and keeping that link is really important to us," she continued. "All those little things that make people feel welcome."
For others, it's largely symbolic.
Hemis/Alamy
Following Brexit, some people in Le Touquet felt "rejected" (Credit: Hemis/Alamy)
"I think it's good for tourism," said Duhamel. "But personally, it didn't really affect me much." (He has, nevertheless, maintained a "little British connotation" at his restaurant, with a portrait of the late Queen on the wall.)
"As the town has a long history with England, and the Royal Family, I believe that naming the airport Queen Elizabeth II is in homage to our late queen," said Velissariou. "Whether or not this will entice more English customers, I can't really comment."
Perhaps even more essential, locals say, are the city's other steps towards reinforcing this bond: the systematic translation of documents at art exhibits into English, the organisation of annual events like the Le Touquet Music Beach concert, which this summer welcomed 50,000 people. The King's coronation, Landry-Madden recounts, was projected on a massive screen to a full auditorium with even more pomp and circumstance than the events she attended back home in Britain.
"Everybody was drinking Champagne in Le Touquet for the coronation," she said. "There was a lot of excitement about the Royal Family."
Inmacor/Getty Images
Brits have slowly started returning to Le Touquet following Covid and Brexit (Credit: Inmacor/Getty Images)
Following Covid and Brexit, Brits are coming back to Le Touquet, much to the relief of local business owners. But economics are just part of the ensuing pleasure at the return to the status quo. "There's this nice sort of side to English people coming and partying," Duhamel said. "You can feel it right away, when you're in a restaurant or a bar and they're there."
And at the end of the day, their presence is part of Le Touquet's local identity.
"The resort was created by the English, and for the English," said Duhamel. "You can't remove it from the DNA of Le Touquet."
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Culture
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Aikido: A Japanese martial art practiced by millions
By Mara Budgen Features correspondent
Mara Budgen
(Credit: Mara Budgen)
Emphasising self-defence rather than victory, Japan's youngest martial art brings both new and veteran practitioners from across the globe to Tanabe, the town where it was born.
Two men stood opposite each other holding wooden sticks shaped like a katana, the legendary Japanese sword, at arm's length. The tips of the sticks crossed each other as the men's gazes locked in a solemn stare.
They raised the sticks above their heads, lowering them firmly – though not violently – to meet their opponent's. This motion, combined with twists of the body and arms, was repeated several times in a sequence so fast that I could only really catch the moment when the wooden implements clashed, producing a sharp thud.
One of the men lunged more decisively, his imitation sword protruding forward. The other deflected the strike, shifting it to the side with an agile spin.
I sat in a trance as I watched the men continue their duel, switching to shorter wooden sticks then to a hand-to-hand confrontation.
The adversaries, Junichi Gomita and Yoshinori Okazaki, were teachers (or sensei) at Aikido Tanabe Dōjō in Tanabe, the town in the Japanese prefecture of Wakayama where aikido's founder Morihei Ueshiba was born in 1883. Created by Ueshiba in the early 20th Century, aikido – meaning "way of harmonising energy" – is one of the youngest of Japan's nine official martial arts, or budō, and Gomita and Okazaki are the latest generation of Tanabe sensei dedicated to spreading this deeply articulated practice and philosophy.
Mehdi Fliss
Junichi Gomita has been practicing aikido since childhood (Credit: Mehdi Fliss)
Unlike other martial arts, aikido's goal is to end conflict non-violently by "matching the opponent's force", Gomita explained, to deflect strikes rather than overpower one's adversary. Aikido is essentially aimed at self-defence; there are no winners or losers, and no competitions are held.
"Ueshiba used to perform aikido for the deities at the shrine near the dojo (training hall)," Gomita said, a task that he has now taken up together with his father, who was appointed by Ueshiba as a representative of the martial art in the 1960s and founded Aikido Tanabe Dōjō in 1981. Mastering aikido is about perfecting choreographed gestures so sublime to be worthy of the gods, and the self-control required stems from the practitioner's inner strength as well as the solidity of their stance.
After Gomita and Okazaki's demonstration, I prepared for my first ever aikido lesson. I joked nervously with my sensei Gomita that it would be impossible to emulate his and Okazaki's effortless grace. He reassured me that everything would seem more feasible once we'd broken the motions down into small, simple steps.
The dojo's smooth green tatami mat felt cool under my bare soles. Gomita instructed me to stand with my feet hip-width apart in a parallel position, then turn my right foot and my body towards the front. We tried moving forward by taking a step with our right foot first, then dragging the left foot behind (and vice versa), as well as turning to face the opposite direction by pivoting on our front foot as our body and back foot spun 180 degrees.
Mara Budgen
Wooden sticks and swords are used in the choreographed movements (Credit: Mara Budgen)
Gradually, we added hand and body gestures and eventually practised with an opponent. All the while, I remained fixated on keeping my footwork light and precise; the smoother this was, the easier the rest became.
Aikido is about receiving the other person's energy, like when children clap each other's hands; it's as natural as child's play
Yet I still felt clunky compared to the demonstration I'd witnessed earlier. I asked Gomita and Okazaki how long it normally takes for the movements to feel natural. "It depends on the person," Okazaki said, "for example, I started this budō in my 30s and it's always felt effortless. Aikido is about receiving the other person's energy, like when children clap each other's hands; it's as natural as child's play." Gomita, on his part, has never known a life without aikido. "I've been doing it for as long as I can remember," he said.
Gomita, in fact, comes from what can only be described as an aikido family. His mother Yukiko, now in her late 60s, began practicing at 14. "My father was very strict about me having a curfew, but when someone suggested that I practice aikido at night, he agreed," Yukiko recalled, as we chatted after my aikido session. Her teacher went on to become her husband, Gomita's father. "He taught me about the importance of practicing hard during training because no one can guide you once you're on that stage. That idea stuck with me," she reflected.
I asked Gomita what his father had told him about his own sensei, Ueshiba (Gomita was too young to meet the master, who died in 1969). "Ueshiba was friendly and open-minded, but when practicing aikido, he would transform, becoming a much stricter and fiercer version of himself," he said. As Gomita spoke about Ueshiba, I couldn't help but look at the giant black-and-white photo of aikido's founder hanging at one end of the dojo.
LaChouettePhoto/Getty Images
Morihei Ueshiba created the martial art in the early 20th Century (Credit: LaChouettePhoto/Getty Images)
After the session, Gomita and I visited Morihei Ueshiba Memorial Museum, located in the same building as Tanabe's municipal martial arts arena, about 3km from Aikido Tanabe Dōjō. The museum was small but packed with information. Opened in 2020, its state-of-the-art video displays even features an interactive station to learn aikido.
"Across Japan, 30,000 signatures were collected to petition Tanabe Council to open the museum," explained Gomita, who was involved in its design.
As I wandered around the exhibits, I was catapulted into Ueshiba's extraordinary life. He lived all over Japan, including settling for a period in the northern expanses of Hokkaido to set up a farming community. In his youth, he'd mastered karate and judo but had found them to be too competitive. "So, he took aspects of both to fashion a martial art that suited him," Gomita told me, adding that he eventually settled on the name "aikido" in 1942.
Aikido isn't about defeating one's enemy, it's the way to unite human beings
Initially, Ueshiba was mainly devoted to his own training and took on few students. Despite standing at just 156cm tall – as a life-size photograph in the museum demonstrated – he could neutralise much larger opponents, and even multiple ones at a time. "[Yet] aikido isn't about defeating one's enemy," Ueshiba emphasised, "it's the way to unite human beings."
Mara Budgen
The Morihei Ueshiba Memorial Museum has an interactive station to learn aikido (Credit: Mara Budgen)
This sense of aikido as a community, rather than an individual pursuit, was also apparent in Yukiko's words. "What I like about this practice are the bonds that form between people on and off stage," she told me. "At first, it could seem like it's all about making your opponent fall, but real aikido is about taking care of and connecting to others."
Ueshiba's son encouraged him to start demonstrating his creation in front of others, and in 1956, aikido's founder invited people, including from abroad, to witness the first demonstration to be held after World War Two. The discipline thus spread not only throughout Japan but overseas, and today, millions of people practise this martial art in more than 100 countries.
Perhaps nowhere though is it more ubiquitous than in Tanabe. Martials arts are taught in Japanese schools as part of the physical education curriculum, and in this town "11 out of 14 middle schoolers take aikido classes", Gomita said. "I know because I teach most of them," he added with a chuckle.
Furthermore, Gomita mentioned that aikido practitioners from around the globe flock to Tanabe, including to his dojo, which also has 20 regular students, all adults, including six women. "Beginners are welcome too, but if they don't speak Japanese, they might struggle," Gomita pointed out. "So, we recommend that people book the tour offered by Tanabe Tourism Bureau that includes a private aikido experience with interpretation."
During the aikido session, Gomita taught me to move with grace, self-awareness and intention – in contrast to how I usually go about life, which is frantically and often without a real purpose. "It also felt meaningful to spend time in Tanabe, rather than just pass through, like many people do when they're walking the Kumano Kodo [a Unesco-inscribed pilgrimage route that is this region's main attraction]," said Kanae Watari, who had come from another part of Wakayama to join the session.
Mara Budgen
Travellers can visit Ueshiba's grave at Kozanji temple in Tanabe (Credit: Mara Budgen)
To round off my visit, I went to Tanabe's Kozanji temple, where Ueshiba is buried. In a corner of the Buddhist temple's vast cemetery, a large stone memorial bearing Ueshiba's name and the word "aikido" stood next to a smaller tombstone surrounded by pots of freshly cut branches.
I watched the sunlight flutter on the stone monument as the wind moved the surrounding trees. I felt privileged to have experienced Ueshiba's philosophy in the place of his birth and hoped that aikido's teachings would help me tackle the challenges of daily life. I resolved to embark on this new chapter by taking small, deliberate steps towards a more harmonious version of myself.
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Culture
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Amsterdam: The European capital fighting bad tourists
By Casey Noenickx Features correspondent
John Kellerman/Alamy
Amsterdam: The European capital fighting bad tourists (Credit: John Kellerman/Alamy)
The Dutch capital is only home to about 800,000 people but draws up to 20 million tourists a year. Now, new policies are encouraging sustainable tourism to everyone.
On a recent weekday, sunlight streamed through the clouds high above Amsterdam, casting rays on the city's gabled buildings, its arching bridges and a sign in English asking tourists to please not urinate into its canals.
The Dutch capital is one of the most-visited cities in Europe, with its 800,000-person population welcoming up to 20 million tourists a year. But despite its world-class museums, achingly beautiful green spaces and tranquil waterways, Amsterdam has also earned a raunchy reputation as Europe's most liberal party capital – and now, the city is trying to clean up its image.
A new series of measures is being implemented to "maintain the quality of life in Amsterdam" while "working to prevent tourism that causes nuisances". The city council banned cruise ships from its city centre in July to prevent overtourism in its most popular areas. In May, it banned smoking cannabis in its red light district. And in March, it launched a "stay-away" digital campaign, targeting men aged 18 to 35 in the UK, attempting to curb visitors coming for drugs, alcohol and sex.
Carolyn Jenkins/Alamy
Signs across Amsterdam now remind visitors that it is not okay to urinate in public (Credit: Carolyn Jenkins/Alamy)
"Visitors will remain welcome, but not if they misbehave and cause nuisance," said Deputy Mayor Sofyan Mbarki in a statement. Many locals are also fed up with disruptive tourists and endless crowds, and billboards featuring photos of residents now remind visitors "We Live Here".
Of course, the Dutch capital has always been much more than just a place to let loose. Here's how to experience the best of Amsterdam through creative and sustainable activities that benefit both visitors and Amsterdamers.
Brown bars and borrels
According to locals, enjoying a beer at a bruin cafe (brown bar) with borrels (small spirits) and borrelhapjes (fried snacks) is one of the most authentic Amsterdam experiences you can have. These historic drinking holes – like Café de Druif, which has been serving locals for roughly 400 years – offer a cosy, traditional feel. The name "brown bar" refers to the brown-panel interior each pub has in common, and there is even a growing movement to protect their classic decor.
Despite trendier bars and restaurants popping up, Amsterdam local Mia Bekedam says brown bars will never go out of style because they always "stay original".
frans lemmens/Alamy
Amsterdam's fabled brown bars are akin to old-school neighbourhood dive bars (Credit: frans lemmens/Alamy)
"I think this is just an amazing time to be at a beautiful spot in Amsterdam without having to [wait in long] lines," she added. Bekedam says being surrounded by living history at brown bars makes everyone feel at home, whether they are regulars or newcomers. "You can find every slice of human and Amsterdamer there," she said.
Aside from Café Hesp, in Amsterdam's lively Oost district, her other favourite brown bar is Café Krom. "They keep it traditional – there's no music, they're still in white shirts behind the bar – it's just a nice, little, quaint place to have a beer."
Cycling tours and surrounding cities
Stephan Van Der Meer is the owner of Mike's Bike Tours, and he says he likes to take visitors cycling on under-the-radar routes that surprise them with a different side of Amsterdam. One of his favourite journeys is up to the NDSM Wharf in Amsterdam Noord – a neighbourhood that was once a shipyard and is now teeming with street art, performance artists, outdoor markets and local vendors.
Anna Dorca/Alamy
Amsterdam is one of the world's most bike-friendly destinations (Credit: Anna Dorca/Alamy)
"It's a very creative, different area from the cute, beautiful city centre of Amsterdam," said Van Der Meer, who has lived in Amsterdam for 16 years.
While Van Der Meer has mixed feelings about the city's new tourism policies, he said he looks forward to "working together with the government to see if we can spread out people a little more… to also show other parts of the Netherlands". There are also a number of bikeable cities near Amsterdam that Van Der Meer recommends visiting, including his hometown of Gouda, and Utrecht.
Museums and galleries
Amsterdam is renowned for its many world-class museums and galleries. But while people may book their tickets to the always-popular Anne Frank House or Rijksmuseum months in advance, the city is also home to lots of less-crowded attractions. Museum Van Loon is one such place – a preserved 17th-Century canal house that features contemporary art exhibition.
In contrast to some of Amsterdam's largest museums, Museum Van Loon offers a "very intimate, very personal" experience, according to Gijs Schunselaar, the museum's director. Visitors are pleasantly surprised with the "homey atmosphere" as they peruse the historic rooms and gardens of the house, he said.
John Michaels/Alamy
Museum Van Loon is a historic home and garden that doesn't have the crushing crowds of some of Amsterdam's other attractions (Credit: John Michaels/Alamy)
Schunselaar said that touring Amsterdam's many off-the-beaten-path attractions gives visitors a chance to slow down and experience the culture that could be overlooked on a "bachelor party" or a whirlwind weekend visit. "Tourism has its pros and cons, but obviously we want to welcome as many tourists to the museum to enjoy the collection and what we have to offer. It's all about finding the right balance."
"A lot of other lovely museums are located in Amsterdam," added Kelly Schenk, press officer at the Rijkmuseum, "such as OSCAM, the Jewish Museum, Our Lord in the Attic Museum, Museum Van Loon and Museum Het Schip. They each show a different side, and a different part of the history of Amsterdam."
There are even more galleries to explore when doing day trips from Amsterdam. Schenk recommends the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, which has one of the largest Van Gogh collections in the world "and a fantastic sculpture garden". In addition, the Boijmans van Beuningen Depot in Rotterdam is the first publicly accessible art storage facility, with an "amazing rooftop view".
Parks, picnics and gezellig
With more than 30 parks and gardens throughout the city, green space is easy to find in Amsterdam. Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest) is the city's largest recreational area – more than three times the size of Manhattan's Central Park. Visitors can rent bicycles or canoes, bring kids to the playgrounds, to check out the goat farm or ride the tram. There's also an open theatre, with a full schedule of summer performances.
Baarssen Fokke/Alamy
Amsterdamse Bos is more than three times larger than Manhattan's Central Park (Credit: Baarssen Fokke/Alamy)
According to Pieter Haasnoot, Amsterdam Forest's public media manager, the forest is largely focused on protecting and preserving local ecosystems and biodiversity. Forest staff balance nature conservation with community engagement, including an expanding volunteer system. Haasnoot hopes tourists are able to see and experience the importance of being outdoors in Amsterdam. The forest receives 7.5 million visitors a year, and that number is growing, he said.
The sheer size of Amsterdam Forest makes it a perfect alternative to popular tourist green spaces like Vondelpark. It has something for everyone, from sports fields to picnic areas, and easily encourages gezellig (the joy of togetherness), an important part of the Dutch lifestyle. Central to gezellig is sense of cosy conviviality, so pack a blanket, bring some snacks and call some friends (or make new ones).
As Amsterdam moves away from its "anything-goes" reputation, there has never been a better time to rediscover its fabled brown bars, sprawling outdoor spaces and the many spots that have lured travellers long before this cultural hub was a party hub.
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Culture
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Sheki: The Caucasus' unsung culture capital
By Simon Urwin Features correspondent
Simon Urwin
Sheki: The Caucasus' unsung culture capital (Credit: Simon Urwin)
This under-the-radar city once produced some of the finest silks in the world. Now, it's considered Azerbaijan's cultural and culinary capital.
"For many, the Silk Road is synonymous with the cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva in Uzbekistan," said my guide, Habil Gudratli. "But Azerbaijan was also home to key hubs on the trade routes linking Asia with Europe; one of these was the city of Sheki, which grew from a trading post to become a leading international centre for the silk trade."
Some 300km north-west of Azerbaijan's glittering capital, Baku, the small city of Sheki lies near the border with Russia and Georgia in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus mountains. Here, forests of oak, walnut and beech flourish, as does the white mulberry tree, whose leaves are fed to silkworms to produce the highly coveted fabric.
Sheki came to prominence in the mid-1700s when rulers (khans) made it the capital of their khanate. There is evidence of sericulture (silkworm breeding and silk production) in the region dating back to the 6th Century, but it was the Sheki khans who turned it into a thriving business. "By the 18th and 19th Centuries, Sheki silk was considered amongst the finest in the world," said Gudratli. "The wealthy elite as far away as China and Japan purchased it not only for its quality and beauty but for the hygiene and comfort, because lice don't live in silk like they do in other materials."
Simon Urwin
Sheki is surrounded by forests in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus mountains (Credit: Simon Urwin)
The Sheki khans ruled this region of the Caucasus until 1819, and their flourishing political and trading empire was headquartered in a fortress complex embellished with gardens, fountains and marble water pools, said to resemble a kind of Caucasian Alhambra. The citadel's walls are still standing, but only one of the original 30 or so buildings inside remains: the Unesco-inscribed Sheki Khan's Palace, a former summer residence and administrative building.
Designed to impress visiting dignitaries, the magnificent two-storey palace, with its vivid paintings of strutting peacocks and flower-breathing dragons, took two years to construct (the stonework originally held together with egg white) and a further eight to decorate. In the palace's rose garden, Gudratli introduced me to researcher Zamina Rasulava, who has spent more than 20 years studying its lavish ornamentation.
Leading me through one extravagant room after another, she highlighted the pomegranate as one of the most important recurring motifs. "In Islam, which arrived [in Sheki] in the 8th Century, the pomegranate is the king of all paradise fruits because its calyx resembles a crown," she said. She went on to explain that for the Sheki khans, it also symbolised government. "The ruby-red seeds represent the people; the pith separates them into their different regions, cultures and ethnic groups. If they are brought together by good governance, then there is unity, which in turn bears rich fruit."
The palace's most distinctive feature is its vast shebeke (decorative windows made without glue or nails). Rasulava told me that each square metre consists of more than 5,000 pieces of wood and coloured glass, the latter brought along trade routes from Murano, near Venice, and exchanged for silkworms and cocoons. "Sheki silkworms were in demand globally," Rasulava explained. "Not only in Italy, but Lyon (France's greatest silk centre), and even in silk's motherland, China, because they were more resilient in cold weather than any other."
Simon Urwin
The gardens, pools and engravings of the Unesco-inscribed Khan's Palace are said to resemble a Caucasian Alhambra (Credit: Simon Urwin)
As Sheki prospered, artisans from the region came to trade with the silk merchants, including carpet weavers, tekeldus (chain stitch) embroiderers, coppersmiths, potters, milliners and shoemakers. Sheki became renowned as a leading centre for the arts and crafts, a reputation it still holds to this day. Meanwhile, the boom in caravan traffic led to the building of five caravanserais, two of which have survived. Public squares were constructed, along with hammams, major roads and the Khan Mosque, the city's first Friday mosque, known as a Juma. (Friday is the holiest day of the week for Muslims when they are obliged to attend a special noon service.)
The Khan Mosque is open to the public, and Gudratli had arranged for an audience with the current imam, Habil Khalilov, who greeted me by anointing me with gulab, a purifying rosewater. "Gulab represents the Prophet Muhammed," said Khalilov, while he dabbed my eyebrows with the heavily scented liquid. "The Prophet believed the eyebrows to be special because they are among the first hairs to appear on a baby and are therefore symbolic of new life."
Khalilov invited me to sit with him in the prayer hall, where he said non-believers were most welcome. "Even though more than 96% of the population of Azerbaijan is Muslim, it remains a secular country," he said. "You'll find many religions here; it's a uniquely tolerant and multicultural place."
He told me how the building was constructed between 1769-1770 from river stones, baked bricks, and pistachio, walnut and plane wood. It once featured its own ornate shebeke windows and was the main mosque in a city where each of the 32 historical neighbourhoods had its own dedicated place of worship.
Simon Urwin
The Khan Mosque is open to the public and visitors may see Khalilov, the current imam, inside (Credit: Simon Urwin)
"In ancient times, Sheki was known as 'Bala Istanbul', or Little Istanbul, because there were so many mosques," he said. "Just seven now remain; some were lost to earthquakes and mudslides, but the majority were destroyed when Russian Bolsheviks invaded and occupied Azerbaijan." Azerbaijan was a constituent republic of the USSR between 1922-1991, and atheism was the official doctrine.
As Khalilov excused himself to prepare for the lunchtime prayer, he touched his heart and lowered his head as a farewell, telling me that I should take time to explore Sheki's culinary traditions, many of which are intertwined with the ancient silk trade routes.
To sample some local dishes, Gudratli took me to Ilhama Tea House, where Shukufa Hamidova was making fresh compote (a drink traditionally served with every meal) in the kitchen from blackberries, geranium leaf and lots of sugar.
"Sheki people are known for their sweet tooth," she said. "We once used honey until sugarcane arrived from Persia. Nowadays it's something of an addiction; we love to eat bamya (fluted doughnut fingers), mindal (caramel-coated nuts) and halva (a spiced, hazelnut baklava). All that sugar is said to sweeten our mood too; we are famous for our good sense of humour."
Simon Urwin
Hamidova welcomes visitors with fresh compote, a drink made from blackberries, geranium leaf and sugar (Credit: Simon Urwin)
Another delicacy to arrive from Persia along the Silk Road was saffron, a key ingredient in piti, a local speciality and one of the nation's most popular dishes. Fellow cook Shahla Bashirova arrived at our table next with two dopu (clay pots) filled with the slow-cooked stew of lamb, chickpeas, saffron and lamb-tail fat. Unctuous and hearty, the name piti is said to be derived from an old Turkic word which means "the end of need to eat any more food".
"It was perfect to serve to the manual labourers who worked for the silk merchants and the khans," said Bashirova. "The combination of meat and carbohydrates gave them energy to work all day long on just one meal."
We finished lunch with black tea served in armudu (pear-shaped glasses). Gudratli showed me how to drink it local style by first dunking a sugar cube and sucking it before sipping the brew – a tradition thought to have been initiated by the khans. Sweet tea also plays an important role in Azerbaijani wedding negotiations. Gudratli told me that in rural areas, if a girl's family serve tea without sugar to her potential parents-in-law, it's a sign that they do not want the marriage to proceed.
Simon Urwin
Piti is one of Azerbaijan's most popular dishes: a slow-cooked stew of lamb, chickpeas, saffron and lamb-tail fat served in clay pots (Credit: Simon Urwin)
Keen to see what remained of the silk trade, we set off, driving past the last-remaining silk factory (which dates back to the Soviet era) to the workshop of Amiraslan Shamilov, an eighth-generation kelaghayi (decorated silk headscarf) maker, a handicraft inscribed on Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.
"It's a centuries-old artform that deserves recognition," said Shamilov, who was heating up pasab (an oily paste) in a cauldron when we arrived. "Kelaghayi are much more than a fashion item or a reflection of faith," he said. "They are part of our national identity."
Shamilov explained that they were once so important a woman could break up a street fight simply by taking off her headscarf and throwing it among the aggrieved parties, and that kelaghayi were also used as a kind of coded language. "Widows wore black; pregnant women wore green to let others know to take care around them, and single ladies wore rose-pink to let gentlemen know they were open to marriage."
As Shamilov began wood-stamping patterns on a rectangle of fabric, I asked him how he felt about running the last independent kelaghayi workshop in a city where there were once dozens.
Simon Urwin
Today, Shamilov runs the last remaining independent kelaghayi shop in Sheki (Credit: Simon Urwin)
"The silk trade has dwindled, but Unesco's recognition of our handicrafts and buildings helps preserve them for the future," he said. "Besides, Sheki's reputation as Azerbaijan's cultural and culinary capital has brought an influx of travellers and different kinds of trades to the city. The old Silk Road has been replaced by a new one: global tourism."
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Culture
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Want to cope with heatwaves? Look to Japan's creative cooling solutions
By Daniel Seifert Features correspondent
Xinhua/Alamy
(Credit: Xinhua/Alamy)
As extreme heat hammers the globe, one traveller discovers a wealth of cooling solutions, from high-tech underwear to ancient philosophies, on a journey round Japan.
When our iPhones alerted us that the temperature had crept past 37C, we paused. Every sun-drenched step outside felt like we were wagyu steaks sizzling on the grill. Was honeymooning in Japan in July – one of its hottest, most humid months – really a good idea? From Osaka to Kobe to Kyoto, my wife Erin and I planned every day with one goal: avoid melting into puddles. Around us, hordes of tourists were in the same sweaty boat. But a few days in, I noticed something. The locals looked noticeably cooler, less crabby, more comfortable. Why? The answer should come as no surprise. Japan, a nation renowned for its design thinking and innovation, is armed with a fistful of ways to survive punishing heat. While they love air-con as much as the next heat-stricken country, they also find respite in creative remedies, from electrically ventilated clothes to water-based rituals. Solutions like these epitomise a nation where ancient traditions fuse with hyper-modern cities reaching endlessly towards the future. Here's six ways that locals cope with extreme heat.
Andia/Alamy
The Japanese concept mono no aware reminds us that all things are beautiful, fleeting and temporary – even sweltering heat (Credit: Andia/Alamy)
Zen spaces, Zen mindset
You could see it in every tourist's eyes as they fanned their sweaty faces: I want out of the sun, now. In times like this, a Japanese concept is a useful balm. Mono no aware can perhaps best be summed up in the phrase "this too shall pass", the notion that all things are beautiful, fleeting and temporary – even sweltering heat. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Tokyo-based journalist Richard Lloyd Parry, who wrote a book about the 2011 Japanese tsunami, theorised that exposure to extreme weather has moulded Japan's national character. Earthquakes, punishing seasons, typhoons – "all this has bred a deep strain of fatalism or acceptance [in the Japanese psyche]".
If achieving the ever-accepting state of mono no aware seems unachievable in high temperatures, be like a local and head to a real Zen space. In Kyoto, the Heian Jingu Shrine garden is a literal breath of fresh air. Shaded by maple and cherry trees and ribboned by a cool pond, the park feels like a door to a calmer dimension. Its centrepiece is the aptly named Bridge of Peace, whose dark, creaking eaves are filled with hundreds of furin glass chimes. Often dotted around temples as a symbol of protection against evil, the ringing notes of furin act as a gentle reminder of cool winds. Surrounded by these chimes, with fat koi swimming lazily in the water below, I can attest that their sound felt like respite.
Fashion: Ultra-baggy and fan-powered
Whether in baking street markets or Shinto shrines, tourists cope by shedding layers. Singlets, crop tops and shorts became our way of recognising fellow visitors. Conversely, many locals were swathed in cloth. Yuri Cath, who was raised in Yokohama, explained that apart from allowing air to circulate around your limbs freely, loose clothes are a nod to the country's conservative fashion mores. "It's still frowned upon to wear revealing clothing in Japan," Cath said, "so people get creative with cooler layering, while still looking stylish."
Yoshikazu Tsuno/ Getty Images
Look out for jackets fitted with battery-powered fans (Credit: Yoshikazu Tsuno/ Getty Images)
It's also worth picking up a few clothes from Uniqlo, a fashion brand beloved in Japan and abroad. They have an innovative line called AIRism, made from thin fabric that wicks sweat and dries quickly. I bought no fewer than four AIRism boxers on the honeymoon, and count those thin, silky purchases as my best souvenirs.
Three Japanese products to help you stay chilled Cooling sunscreen Walk down Japan's pharmacy aisles and you'll be met with an Aladdin's Cave of sprays, foams and sticks that keep you cool and UV-ray safe. Look out for the Cool UV Spray from a brand called Ishizawa. Iced neck rings Hugely popular in Japan, you just stick one in the fridge before you go and it keeps you cool on the move. Take your pick from brands, which offer rings that are cheap, stylish and everything in between. Shaved ice machines Cheap, cooling, adaptable for any flavour – shaved ice desserts (think mounds of pebble-sized ice drizzled in fruit or sauce) are popular in Japan and much of southeast Asia. Many households still use the old mechanical ice-shaver; travellers can spring for snazzier handheld models that are perfect for picnics.
Meanwhile, I enviously eyed Japanese men who strolled past in tobi trousers (think MC Hammer's parachute pants, but even baggier). Tobiwere originally worn by construction workers who favoured them as the billowing fabric kept you cool.
Want something more high-tech? On sun-baked intersections, we saw crossing guards clad in what looked like bulky jackets and winced in sympathy. Turns out we were misguided: those jackets come with powerful built-in fans that, when the jacket is zipped, create a kind of closed-loop system of coolness.
Salty solutions
You can't walk a block in Japan without stumbling over a vending machine, and while bottles of water are welcome, one drink truly hits the spot. Pocari Sweat may not have the most attractive English name, but its mix of electrolytes, originally inspired by the makeup of an IV solution, is (according to their website at least) designed to rehydrate you faster. All I can say is the cool, tangy liquid felt like a lifesaver at high noon. More than one Japanese friend credits Pocari's popularity to their advertising prowess. When temperatures rise, the brand kicks into high gear. In 2014, they even placed heat-sensitive branded stickers at bus stops that turned red when the thermometer passed 30C.
If there's no nearby vending machine, duck into to a ubiquitous convenience store. As you savour the air-con, pick up a bag of salt plum candies – a treat to suck on while replenishing your sodium levels.
Chris Willson/Alamy
The sports drink Pocari Sweat is hugely popular in Japan and across Asia (Credit: Chris Willson/Alamy)
Speak the language of summer
Not surprisingly, Japan has built an entire vocabulary around heat. There is a practicality to this shared language. If someone tells you tomorrow's weather will be kokusho (intense heat around 35C), then you'll dress accordingly. If they say it will be hot but bearable, thanks to a kunpuu (summer breeze), better still. Or if you suffer from natsubate, summer exhaustion, and want to hunker on your couch chugging Pocari Sweat, there's a name for that activity too: shokibarai (roughly: "cheering the mind and body to dispel the heat").
Speaking of shokibarai, Cath says that in the summer, many TV channels here show endless reruns of horror films. There is a belief, she explained, in the literal "chilling" power of movies that send shivers down your spine. "I love it," sighed Cath, "though I always regret watching them afterwards."
It's no coincidence ghost stories fill screens each summer: Obon, an ancient festival honouring deceased loved ones, is held in August. During this time, it's thought that the dead temporarily walk the Earth once more.
Cavan Images/Alamy
The festival of Obon, which honours the souls of one's ancestors, is held each year during summer (Credit Cavan Images/Alamy)
Stay in sync
Apparently, when my wife and I were devouring platefuls of katsu curry, we were being smart. Like many cultures across Asia, the Japanese believe spicy foods can pep up your tired system after a warm day, or even make you sweat, thereby cooling you. There may also be something in the philosophy of eating, and living, in sync with the weather around you. As Cath noted, "You might notice that air-con in public spaces is set to ensure it's not too cold." True enough, more than one train we saw had a sign saying "mildly air-conditioned" on the side. That's not just a great energy-saving measure, says Cath: it helps keep you regulated with the ambient heat. Pouring heat away
We noticed several shopkeepers carefully throwing buckets of water on the street outside their establishment. Only later did I realise that in warm weather, this act goes beyond the Japanese passion for cleanliness. It's an ancient practice known as uchimizu, said to cool the ambient air temperature and tamp down dust by splashing water with your hand or tossing it from a bucket onto the ground. For decades, the Japanese Water Federation has run campaigns encouraging people to get sprinkling (ideally with collected rainwater rather than wasteful tap water).
Xinhua/Alamy
The Japanese summer tradition of splashing water cools down the air as the water evaporates (Credit: Xinhua/Alamy)
While there have been few scientific studies into uchimizu, one experiment by a team at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands concluded that "this simple method of sprinkling water has the potential to considerably reduce extreme heat in paved urban areas". They added that the practice "presents an opportunity to increase the awareness of city dwellers and to encourage them to […] save energy." Many of the bucket-throwers we passed were old. Time will tell whether the practice will be passed on from the elder generation or die out.
My wife and I finished our honeymoon in love with Japan, and drained by 10 days of battling the elements. On the blessedly air-conditioned plane ride home, I wondered if my future travels would be viewed through the same lens: learning from the ancient and new ways that locals cope with a warming planet.
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In Pictures: The protectors of a 7,000-year-old faith
By Simon Urwin Features correspondent
Simon Urwin
(Credit: Simon Urwin)
Lalish is a tiny mountain village in Kurdistan with a population of just 25. It is to the Yazidis what Mecca is to Muslims.
Located 125km north-east of Erbil (the capital of Kurdistan, an autonomous region of northern Iraq), lies the hamlet-sized shrine complex of Lalish, the holiest site of Yazidism, an ancient religion with an estimated 700,000 followers worldwide.
"Lalish is as sacred to the Yazidis as Mecca is to Muslims or Jerusalem is to the followers of Islam, Christianity and Judaism," said Luqman Mahmood, the director of visitor relations.
The 4,000-year-old site (which is also open to non-believers) consists of a number of shrines featuring distinctive fluted, conical spires, the most revered of which contains the tomb of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, considered the founder of the faith.
Simon Urwin
(Credit: Simon Urwin)
The exact origins of Yazidism are a matter of dispute, but it is thought to date back more than 7,000 years and, over time, has come to incorporate elements of other faiths, including Zoroastrianism, Sufi mysticism, Christianity and Judaism.
Yazidism's principal beliefs are that there is one God ("Kuda" in Kurdish) who created humankind, while all other living beings were the work of seven angels led by the ruling Peacock Angel named Malak Taus.
"Another important facet of the Yazidi faith is the belief in our oneness with the natural world, which has its roots in ancient nature worship," Mahmood told me. "The black snake on the temple doorway (pictured above) symbolises our respect for Mother Nature; we'd never kill a snake, even if it was venomous."
The snake is particularly symbolic for Yazidis who believe that after Noah's Ark sprang a leak when it came to rest on the peak of Mount Ararat, a serpent plugged the hole with its body and saved the ship from sinking and all those on board from drowning.
Simon Urwin
(Credit: Simon Urwin)
Like Muslims travelling to Mecca, Yazidis are obliged to make a pilgrimage to Lalish at least once in their lives; those who live in Kurdistan or Iraq should visit at least once a year. Pilgrims and visitors must enter the complex in modest attire and walk barefoot out of respect for the sanctity of the site.
Once inside, a popular Yazidi tradition is the tying of girêk (knots) in silk scarves hung around pillars and trees. The different colours represent the seven angels, while each knot represents a prayer. Yazidis believe that by untying the knot of a previous pilgrim, it will grant that person all their wishes.
Simon Urwin
(Credit: Simon Urwin)
Lalish is home to just 25 permanent residents. They include: a priest; various monks; a nun; and so-called "servants of the house", who are responsible for cleaning, maintenance, caring for the surrounding forests of fig, walnut and olive trees and collecting soil for pilgrims.
It is said that every Yazidi should possess soil from Lalish and carry it with them like a talisman. Soil is also a key part of Yazidi funerary rites: it is mixed with holy spring water and small mud balls are placed in the mouth, ears and over the eyes after death. Coins are also placed in the coffin (an ancient Babylonian tradition) so that the deceased have money to spend in heaven.
Pictured above: a "servant of the house" burns lengths of white string in exchange for donations to cure the sick, bless the dead and bring good luck to the living.
Simon Urwin
(Credit: Simon Urwin)
Olives from Lalish's forests are pressed barefoot in wooden barrels and the oil is stored in clay pots in one of the complex's caves (pictured above.) The oil is a vital part of devotional practices. Yazidis pray facing the sun, at least twice a day, at both sunrise and sunset; as dusk approaches, 365 olive-oil lamps (one for each day of the year) are lit around the site to represent the light of the sun and the light of God. Light also plays an important role, even in death, since Yazidis are buried so as to face the rising sun.
Simon Urwin
(Credit: Simon Urwin)
The Yazidis' unconventional beliefs have led to a long history of persecution. "It first began in the time of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire," said Mahmood. "We can count more than 70 different occasions of genocide since then, most recently by Saddam Hussein and members of Islamic State."
Mahmood went on to tell me the jamadani headdress Yazidi men wear were once pure white, but those worn at Lalish are now chequered with red to represent Yazidi bloodshed. "Wearing traditional dress not only pays respect to those we have lost but is another way to keep our culture intact," he added.
Simon Urwin
(Credit: Simon Urwin)
Friday is the Yazidi holy day when members of the community converge on Lalish in vast numbers to pray and socialise. "Food seals the bond of togetherness," said Edee Mahmood, Luqman's wife, who invited me to join the family for lunch.
In an open-air kitchen, she and other women prepared mutton-based dishes and shared them with family, friends and pilgrims from the Yazidi diaspora (pictured above). Despite the warm hospitality, Edee told me that the Yazidis do not think of themselves as an inclusive community since they do not accept conversion, nor intermarriage with other faiths. "If we keep Yazidism pure, we can maintain our way of life. That keeps our souls peaceful and means we are capable of enduring anything that comes our way. Without deep roots, the tree will soon fall. It is the same with Yazidism."
BBC Travel’s In Pictures is a series that highlights stunning images from around the globe.
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Theyyam: The Indian trance where men become gods
By Tim Bird Features correspondent
Tim Bird
Theyyam: The Indian trance where men become gods (Credit: Tim Bird)
Predating Hinduisim, theyyam is an ancient and mysterious folk ritual, and one of South India's most mesmerising experiences.
I could hear the staccato drumming rising to a crescendo through the trees, suppressing the chirping of the dawn chorus of birds at 04:30. Descending the steps to the temple, I walked barefoot towards a small crowd of women dressed in their finest saris. Moments later, a performer clothed in an embroidered red dress with intricate orange patterns painted on his face appeared from behind the temple. As an immense crimson, silver-studded crown called a mudi was placed on his head, he began to dance in small, childlike hops as he began his transformation from a mortal into a god.
With nearly 1.5 billion people and 330 million Hindu deities, India has no shortage of religious festivals and performances. Yet one of the most ancient and mesmerising is theyyam, which takes place in the southern state of Kerala and parts of neighbouring Karnataka. Meaning "God" or the "incarnation of God", theyyam is an ancient folk ritual combining theatre, mime and worship that predates Hinduism but incorporates Hindu mythology. It harks back to a time when tribal animism reigned supreme and culminates when performers (kolams) adorned with brightly coloured paste and elaborate headdresses dance themselves into a trance-like state as they seek to become the gods they portray.
Today, there are more than 400 different types of theyyams across northern Kerala and Karnataka. These performances are held most nights between dusk and dawn from October to April, with their timing determined in consultation with astrologers who identify auspicious dates using the local Malayalam calendar. While each event is free and open to the public, theyyams aren't tourist spectacles but sacred and deeply felt shows of history and faith.
Tim Bird
Only natural materials are used to make theyyam dyes (Credit: Tim Bird)
The art of theyyam face painting
My first theyyam took place at Panachikkavu, a remote rural temple some 20km inland from the harbour city of Kannur. I arrived early and found artists using the thinnest of brushes to create intricate geometrical face patterns and designs for each performer – a process that can take several hours.
No two Theyyam rituals are identical, and while the painting, garments and accessories vary from character to character, there are certain guidelines. According to theyyam expert PS Kurian, only natural materials are used to make the traditional dyes. Rice paste is used to make white, turmeric for yellow. The dominant colour in theyyam performances is red, which signifies action and energy but also anger, and is achieved with a mixture of turmeric and limestone. Black is produced with rice paddy husk burned and mixed with coconut oil.
Tim Bird
Theyyam performers seek to bring spectators closer to the gods they impersonate (Credit: Tim Bird)
Dressing for the occasion
Dressing the participants is also a meticulous process and generally takes place in a private tent or chamber away from the temple. The flamboyant mudi crown is fashioned from lightweight materials such as areca nut, coconut, peacock feathers and shells.
Before each theyyam performer's passage to entrancement, they engage in a period of abstinence, fasting, prayer and solitary meditation. Their aim isn't just to transform into the deity portrayed by their character, but also to bring spectators close to their gods by virtue of their impersonation, blurring the lines between humanity and divinity.
Tim Bird
Only people from India's lower Dalit caste may participate in each theyyam (Credit: Tim Bird)
A revered role for a historically "lower" caste
At the start of each theyyam performance I witnessed, the kolam swayed and twirled as the drumbeats built. The rat-a-tat soundtrack of the drummers was interspersed with trumpet blasts that set the pace for the dancer's facial grimaces, skips and hops.
As Kurian explained, despite the fact that theyyam harks back to an animistic, pre-Hindu time, a fundamental element of Hinduism underlines the performance: the caste system. "Only members drawn from 15 specific Dalit low-caste groups [there are hundreds of Dalit groups in India] – and only males may participate in the theyyam's enactment," he said. "Those drummers are from the very lowest caste of Dalits." In an inversion of prevalent social norms, the Dalit participants are treated with rare, even revered respect by attendees from higher castes.
Tim Bird
Even female gods are portrayed by male actors (Credit: Tim Bird)
A sacred ritual for men and women
Some theyyams are much longer than others, with the longest events starting at dusk and continuing until dawn. Before dawn one morning, I found myself at another temple near Kannur, watching two white-faced Gulikan characters, twin incarnations of Yama, the Hindu god of death and justice, dance and spin into a trance.
Because theyyam is a male-dominated event, even female gods are portrayed by male characters. Yet, Kurian told me there is a single exception: a snake temple near the town of Alleppey, where a woman performs a theyyam ritual once every two years. Otherwise, women are eager attendees, turning up in their best saris to seek post-ritual blessings and whispered counselling from the kolam. Traditionally, performers learn the craft and its spiritual significance from their fathers in a familial tradition spanning centuries. Between theyyam performances, I visited the Kallikkodan family, whose matrilineal ancestral home is in the compound of a kaavu, or small temple, in Kannur. "Women perform meticulous and important preparations at the temple when theyyams are held," explained Nandana Rajesh, adding that her mother, Sadhya, and grandmother, Sujana, supply the different materials for the priest and his assistants. "We know that the theyyams are traditionally performed only by men and we accept it. It's tradition."
"For us, the theyyam is not just a ritual; it's a powerful art form that gives us great energy as well as blessings from the gods," said VS Simi, a Kerala resident. "The great stories of Kerala are often retold using art forms including the theyyam," added Lakshmi Vijayan, another Kerala native. "It is how our ancient legends truly come to life."
Tim Bird
The "mudi" headpiece plays a significant role in theyyam (Credit: Tim Bird)
A fearsome crimson apparition
Traditionally, each temple is devoted to certain theyyam variations, involving different gods and characters, in addition to the central kolam characters. While animist and Hindu narratives are commonly merged in each ritual, Hindu characters and stories often take centre stage. These might include Hanuman (the monkey god), or the representation of Shiva (the Hindu deity of fertility and destruction) in the form of Gulikan, identified by its white mask and towering areca palm-leaf headpiece.
Yet, the most dramatic and distinctive characters are the dominant, frowning, crimson apparitions of the kolams, clothed in a broad hooped skirt and crowned with the massive, imposing mudi headpiece.
Tim Bird
The kolam tradition is typically passed from father to son (Credit: Tim Bird)
A spiritual sacrifice
Fire plays a big part in theyyams, representing a spiritual gateway as well as a cleansing substance. Walking on or diving into fire in a theyyam might also be the re-creation of an event from Hindu mythology.
One day, Kurian and I visited Shaiju, a theyyam dancer in his Kannur home. When he opened the door, I noticed burn marks on his nose and chin. He explained that these scars were from the Thee Chamundi version of theyyam, when the kolam, dressed in a skirt of coconut leaves, flings himself face-first into a pile of red-hot embers dozens of times in a single performance. Thee Chamundi portrays how Lord Vishnu's devotee, Prahlad, is repeatedly plunged into fire by a vengeful demon.
"I started my theyyam career at the age of five," Shaiju said, explaining that he learned to become a kolam from his father. He took me inside the house, posing like a prize boxer to present his shelves of theyyam shields and trophies. "My first performance was as Adivedan, a theyyam performed by young boys at the time of the Onam harvest festival celebrated all over Kerala, by all religions and all classes. Now, I am able to perform 12 characters. I was honoured by the Azheekode Njhezhoor temple after performing Thee Chamundi there. I was presented the golden bangle and the red silk cloth which I keep in my private puja (prayer) room as my most sacred possession."
Tim Bird
Certain theyyam performances involve plunging oneself into burning embers (Credit: Tim Bird)
Head-first into the fire
Several days after visiting Shaiju, I went to another temple to witness the Thee Chamundi. A roaring blaze crackled in front of the shrine, and priests and attendants fanned the embers, sprinkling the surroundings with water to control the fire and prevent it from spreading. The kolam was led into the arena, cloaked in a suit of green coconut leaves. As he rushed face-first onto the embers, sparks flew, smoke billowed and the crowd cried out, urging him on. The assistants quickly dragged him clear, his coconut-leaf skirt charred and smouldering. But within a minute or so, he was taking the plunge, again and again and again.
Stunned, overwhelmed and somewhat entranced myself, I headed back to my guesthouse under a fiery sunrise as the feverish drums faded into the distance.
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Culture
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Why Cornwall is resurrecting its indigenous language
By Richard Collett Features correspondent
Stephen Worth/Alamy
(Credit: Stephen Worth/Alamy)
As Britain redefines its modern identity, the Cornish are re-finding their place in the nation through their ancient language, Kernewek.
"Here lived Dolly Pentreath, one of the last speakers of the Cornish language, as her native tongue died December 1777." So says a faded granite plaque on an old stone wall in Mousehole, a fishing village in south-western Cornwall that heaved with holidaymakers on a hot summer's afternoon. I stopped to take in this momentous linguistic monument, then turned against the crowd and walked uphill along a sunken lane until a half mile later I stumbled into a graveyard.
Here, in the neighbouring village of Paul, a faded headstone commissioned in 1860 by Napoleon's nephew, the linguist Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte, marks Pentreath's grave. A humble "fishwife" from Mousehole, Pentreath spoke Kernewek (or Cornish), a Celtic language older than English that all but disappeared after her death.
Cornwall's history, culture and language stretches back to the end of the Roman Empire in Britain. Although modern Cornwall is one of the United Kingdom's most beloved tourist spots, the region struggles with unemployment, a housing crisis and more, firing up calls for more independence from distant London amongst nationalist groups who are proud of their distinct heritage. A scholarly revival in the 20th Century brought Cornwall's indigenous language back from the dead, and now, as the number of speakers increases, Kernewekis helping Cornwall to cement its Celtic identity in modern Britain.
"Dalghus yw Kernewek avel tra yn gwirvos [Cornish is inclusive as a phenomenon]," said Will Coleman, the founder of Go Cornish, an educational project providing Cornish language teaching programmes to primary schools. "Dell vynnav, pub huni a drig omma yn Kernow dhe omglew bos an yeth rann poosek a'ga honanieth gonisogethek [And I want anyone who lives here in Cornwall to feel that the language is an important part of their cultural identity]."
Richard Collett
Dolly Pentreath, one of the last speakers of the Cornish language, lived in the fishing village of Mousehole (Credit: Richard Collett)
The origins of Kernewekare found in Common Brythonic, a Celtic language spoken by native Britons that diverged into Welsh, Breton (still spoken in Brittany, France) and Cumbric (spoken mainly in northern England and southern Scotland until about the 12th Century) when Anglo-Saxon invaders pushed British kingdoms westwards – and even across the English Channel to Brittany – from the 5th Century CE onwards. In Britain's south-west, the isolated Cornish peninsula became a natural refuge for the language, and as many as 38,000 people (out of a total population of around 50,000) spoke Kernewekat its peak in the Middle Ages.
The number of speakers fell dramatically, though, when the Tudors imposed English in Cornish-speaking churches after the bloody 1549 Prayer Book Rebellion (a mass uprising against the English monarchy that left thousands across the south-west dead), and, by 1777, just a handful of Cornish speakers remained in far western holdouts. Pentreath's death came to represent the death of the language itself – until a Cornish scholar named Henry Jenner published A Handbook of the Cornish Language in 1904, which kickstarted a Celtic revival in Cornwall.
I only knew there was a Cornish language when I was growing up because we had this tea towel with these strange words that I didn't understand on it
Kernewek, though, remained in the domain of academics and eccentrics for decades. "I only knew there was a Cornish language when I was growing up because we had this tea towel with these strange words that I didn't understand on it," said Coleman, who started Go Cornish – which now helps around 10,000 students learn Kernewek in 50 primary schools – as a response to the invisibility of his homeland's native language. "But the tea towel taught me basic words; like bara for bread, or chi for house. Then at secondary school, I could do a half-hour Cornish language club a week. But that was it."
Richard Collett
The Heartlands Diaspora Gardens tell the story of Cornish migration and their influence on the countries they went to (Credit: Richard Collett)
"Dydh da," I heard as I walked into Kowsva, a Cornish-language bookshop located in the former mining town of Camborne, a 40-minute drive east of Mousehole. Copies of the Tin Tin comics translated into Cornish caught my attention, while stacks of English-Cornish dictionaries and medieval plays like the Ordinalia – an epic 14th-Century mystery written in Middle Cornish – filled the shelves.
I'd been greeted in Cornish on my way in and given a "meur ras" (thank you) and "duw genes" (goodbye) by the volunteers on my way out of the bookshop. Kowsva is one of the projects overseen by Kowethas an Yeth Kernewek (The Cornish Language Fellowship), a charity that also organises events like the Pennseythen Gernewek, a three-day "Cornish Language Weekend" that claims to be the largest annual gathering of Cornish speakers in the world.
Kowsva(which roughly translates as "talking place") is part of the wider "Heartlands" project, a repurposed mine site outside Camborne that's home to a mining museum and a "Diaspora Garden" exploring Cornish links across the world. Meanwhile, a formerly derelict brewery in the nearby town of Redruth is home to Kresen Kernow, a cultural centre housing the Cornish archives, which can be visited by anyone interested in the Cornish language and heritage. Both institutions are feeding the cultural demand of a Cornish "nation" that's hoping to flourish once more.
Richard Collett
Kresen Kernow in Redruth is a cultural centre housing the Cornish archives (Credit: Richard Collett)
"In the five years that I've worked at the Cornish Language Fellowship, we've seen a massive shift towards people learning and speaking Cornish," said Emma Jenkin, the coordinator for Kowethas an Yeth Kernewek. "I was in the pub in Truro just last night, where our language group meets a few times a month to speak only in Cornish."
In 2010, Unesco reclassified Cornish from "extinct" to "critically endangered", as the language spread from academia into mainstream education and use. According to the Cornish Language Office, a local governmental organisation that aims to increase the use of Cornish as a community language, an estimated 400 speakers are at an advanced level and 2,000 are conversational, while many thousands more have some knowledge of the language. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Jenkin saw a surge in signups for the online Cornish language lessons offered by Kowethas an Yeth Kernewek, and now they have more demand than there are teachers.
The revival of the language is in full swing, but it's not been smooth sailing. Coleman explained how Cornish has been plagued by what he called the "spelling wars", a schism between different groups that promoted different versions and spellings of the language. Even the word Kernewekhas several different spellings, while the idea of a "Cornish revival" is even contentious.
"It was never extinct," said Kensa Broadhurst, a Cornish language teacher and researcher at the University of Exeter's Institute of Cornish Studies. "It was always critically endangered, but it was never extinct."
Manfred Gottschalk
Kernewek still lives on in place names, such as the village of Porthtowan; "Porth" means bay or harbour (Credit: Manfred Gottschalk)
Was Dolly Pentreath, the fishwife whose story I'd searched out in Mousehole, really the last Cornish speaker? "No," said Broadhurst. "There were others after her that spoke Cornish, families that you can trace the link down through the 19th Century."
The language also survived in common use in Cornish names, place names and the numbers used by fishermen in places like Penzance and Mousehole, while academics continued to write papers and publish dictionaries that demonstrated an active use of the language after Pentreath's death. Jenner's A Handbook of the Cornish Language, published in 1904, is widely taken as the moment when the Cornish language was brought back from the dead, but according to Broadhurst, the extinction myth was emphasised to increase the allure of the "revival".
The distinction shows that Cornish is not simply a dead language made up again by 20th-Century academics, but a language that has a continual link to Cornwall's past. Broadhurst believes this not only helps push Cornwall's unique identity as what she called the "fifth nation of the United Kingdom" but could provide the credibility the language needs to be taught in secondary schools, rather than just nurseries and primary schools as it currently is.
When I was growing up, my mother always told me that we weren't English. We were Cornish. So, we always had a feeling that something was missing
For many, the language is a link to a lost Cornish heritage that was heavily Anglicised over the centuries. It's a heritage that's often difficult to describe in English terms. "It was always in me," said Esther Johns, a Cornish teacher who runs the Cornish language cookery show Kegin Esther (Cooking With Esther) on the An Mis television programme. "When I was growing up, my mother always told me that we weren't English. We were Cornish. So, we always had a feeling that something was missing."
Richard Collett
Properties in Mousehole are often empty outside of the summer tourist season (Credit: Richard Collett)
The revival of the language is part of a wider cultural rally that in recent years has seen Cornish-language films, the release of albums sung entirely in Cornish by the Welsh singer Gwenno, and the performance of the Ordinalia plays with speaking parts in Cornish that were banned by the English monarchy and branded as heretical in the 16th Century. Johns recently released a Cornish language cookery book, too.
But Cornish has many challenges to overcome, including a lack of qualified teachers and competing demands for funding in a region that's consistently ranked as one of the poorest in Northern Europe.
Mousehole, the traditional fishing village where my journey in search of the Cornish language began, is beset by a lack of affordable housing driven by overtourism and high levels of second-home ownership. In a part of the United Kingdom where more than 22,000 people are on a social and affordable housing register, properties in Mousehole are often empty outside of the summer tourist season.
Broadhurst told me that Camborne, where she lives, is home to the largest food bank in Cornwall, with up to 15,000 local families receiving emergency food parcels every month. Poverty is rife in Cornwall, a situation which has led to regular demands for devolution, or even outright independence in Cornwall, which in turn fuels a desire for a national language.
Broadhurst believes that Cornish can be an economic as well as a cultural asset. "We can develop jobs where learning Cornish is useful," she said. "I'd love it if every pub in Cornwall had a menu in English and Cornish, and the bar staff can ask people what they want to drink in Cornish, and people can reply: "Pinta Korev, mar pleg" [a pint of beer, please]. That would be great."
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