Todd Lebowitz (LexBlog Russia)

There are lots of strategies for winning a chess match. Most gambits are named for people, but some have funny names like the Alien Gambit, the Zilbermints Double Countergambit, and the Fried Liver Attack. At a chess tournament earlier this month in Makhachkala, Russia, one competitor tried a new strategy. She (allegedly) smeared mercury on...

In Russia, a new variant on boxing involves chaining the two combatants to opposite sides of a podium, with one arm of each boxer immobilized. They then pound each other with the remaining good arm and, because they’re tied to the podium, they have nowhere to go. The contests, called armboxing, last for three one...

In the middle of the Bering Sea sit two islands, Little Diomede (U.S.) and Big Diomede (Russia). They sit less than three miles apart, but Big Diomede is 21 hours ahead. That’s because the International Date Line straddles the two. This would make scheduling play dates nearly impossible, but fortunately no one lives on Big...

Domino’s Pizza in Russia recently had to cancel a promotion offering free pizza for life to anyone who got a tattoo of the Domino’s logo after too many people tatted up. The Russian franchisee that offered the promotion was overwhelmed by the response. It canceled the scheduled two-month promotion after just four days. Franchise owners have...