Wikipedia article on Chess, under the "Origins of Chess" heading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess#Origins_of_chess
You can find information on Condemned: Criminal Origins online at the GameFAQs website. Alternatively, you can find information on this game at the GameSpot or IGN websites.
In the Chess Openings website one can find information about everything to do with chess game openings. One can see related instructional videos there as well.
Information on how to play chess can vary depending on what sort of chess one is referring to. Basic chess instructions can be found online from websites like Intuitor while more advanced chess strategies can be found from websites like ChessCentral.
One can find information about the Blarney Stone on the Wikipedia website. They have information about it's origins, history, ritual and legends surrounding it.
In chess clubs
Wikipedia has extensive information on the origins of gunpowder / flash powder you should be able to find a wealth of information there.
You can find the information on the following sites that I looked up for you. Here are the sites for you to have a look at www.babynames.co.uk/Baby_boy_names.htm
If you think chess is fun then playing a game of chess would be a fun way to improve. If you do not find it fun then you should play more games of chess until you find it fun. If you do not find it fun it will be very difficult to improve.
One can find more information about Converse by going to the official company website. At the official company website, they explain the origins of the shoe and much more.
There are a variety of places interested individuals can go to find information about Oris watches. For in depth information, the official Oris website is a good resource. For general information about the company origins, Wikipedia is a good start.
The elephant is the symbol of the Republican Party in the US. The Republican website has information on its origins, as does Wikipedia, Wisegeek and Factmonster.
One may find more information in Tibetan Buddhism at Wikipedia. They have a great page that explains the origins, history and popular beliefs of Tibetan Buddhism.