Media comments on chess

[Reg Clucas]

Phil Liggett (who can always be relied upon for a stupid comment) today likened the Tour de France to a game of chess. I can't remember the exact quote.

Le Tour is getting bigger - today Liggett claimed it was a giant game of chess.

[Stewart Reuben]

Ian Kingston >Somewhat unexpected: the Osbournes seated on a chessboard.<

George Osborne is not in the photo. And the board is the wrong way round.

[Ian Kingston]

Ian Kingston >Somewhat unexpected: the Osbournes seated on a chessboard.<

George Osborne is not in the photo. And the board is the wrong way round.

He doesn't like to talk about that side of the family.

[Stewart Reuben]

THE BOY WHO FELL INTO A BOOK
Musical adapted from an Alan Ayckbourn play currently running at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.

The child hero tumbles through scenes from various books. He becomes a life size pawn, thanks to 'Chess for Beginners', etc.

When, oh when, is the British returning to Scarborough. The last time was 2004.

[JustinHorton]

And on page 7 of the new Private Eye, referred to as "the bubonic plagiarist", Ladies and Gentlemen, your friend and mine....

[Stewart Reuben]

DAILY TELEGRAPH a supplement on 'Parents' Guide to University'.
What's your game plan? 2 large diagrams.
The diagrams were on a large chess-type board. There were more than 6 different pieces, labelled variously: Teacher Training, Medicine, Astronomy, Law, Economics, Veterinary, Archictecture, Drama, Engineering. They were of two different colours.

Chess does have its uses. But the supplement was of very little personal interest to me.

[Simon Spivack]

DAILY TELEGRAPH a supplement on 'Parents' Guide to University'.
What's your game plan? 2 large diagrams.
The diagrams were on a large chess-type board. There were more than 6 different pieces, labelled variously: Teacher Training, Medicine, Astronomy, Law, Economics, Veterinary, Archictecture, Drama, Engineering. They were of two different colours.

I had to turn the page to find the second picture.

I instinctively set a chess clock so that the flags fall at six to indicate the end of the first session. Which means I don't care for the time given in the first drawing: it's not even an accurate Brooke quote.

Stands the Church clock at ten to three?
And is there honey still for tea?

"This position is worth five hundred roubles" (I can't recall the precise formulation and my eyes aren't up to a hunt) should hint at the dangers of receiving an online lesson from a "real master", which a proud father was reported as arranging for his child on page 46 of the FT magazine today. Many chess federations, unfortunately, offer these titles; one has to be au fait with the realia. Even FIDE awards can be misleading, as can grades derived from a small sample of games. An added complication is that playing strength can be a poor measure of pedagogic skill. Some of the better Soviet coaches were not GMs.

Still, I like this article. It is a pity that few girls play and that surely is off-putting to those who do. The game is boring to the uninitiated, it's beauty often residing in variations that are not played, but which can be imagined by the more experienced. One thing not mentioned is that body language can be engaging to observe, the contortions of the players evidencing how they feel about the position on the board. And there's the fact that many childhood friendships resulting from chess tournaments are for life. Last Thursday, I forgot to tease one whose oversight featured in Leonard's article from the previous Saturday's FT.

[Stewart Reuben]

Article in The times 28 July page 3.
It is about fist bumping, as opposed to high five, as opposed to shaking hands. There is evidence that the first is more hygienic than the second and that more so than the third. This is unsurprising as there is less hand-to-hand contact. Chess is nowhere mentioned in the article, so what is the relevance?
Dr Jana Bellin is the Chairman of the FIDE Medical Commission. I asked her some time ago whether the social custom of shaking hands before the start of a chess game should be discontinued. She thought the risk was negligible and thus not worth bothering with.
But, I wonder.

[Lewis Martin]

Article in The times 28 July page 3.
It is about fist bumping, as opposed to high five, as opposed to shaking hands. There is evidence that the first is more hygienic than the second and that more so than the third. This is unsurprising as there is less hand-to-hand contact. Chess is nowhere mentioned in the article, so what is the relevance?
Dr Jana Bellin is the Chairman of the FIDE Medical Commission. I asked her some time ago whether the social custom of shaking hands before the start of a chess game should be discontinued. She thought the risk was negligible and thus not worth bothering with.
But, I wonder.

That's a brilliant idea!

However, what is more of a concern is: that you are moving the chess pieces that have been touched by goodness knows how many other people.

I'd have to say that I am impressed that there have been relatively few illnesses, or widespread outbreak of disease in chess.

I am a survivor of the terrible illness outbreak in 2003(?) where the London Juniors had some people ill before the last round. I was also very sick after the final round: probably should have withdrawn though I was on top board so had to at least try! Later on, I had passed this onto my family: not a fun Christmas/New Year.

I also had a terrible bug once after a different chess tournament that made me ill. I very rarely get sick at all, is it a coincidence that a certain percentage (20% say) of my 'sickness' happens after a chess tournament. Of course, 2 chess tournaments out of at least 500 games of chess played means that it is rare anyway for me.

There have not been enough examples of this to really concern FIDE (or at least that I am aware of), but I wonder with the current worries about antibiotics and medicine, whether chess should regulate its own practices to ensure a minimum risk of disease and to minimise its spread as much as possible for the near future.

edit: Actually, I was also jaded to say the least, in the recent Opatija event. There was some sort of a cold going round and it hadn't affected me until the morning of the 8th round, and after struggling against Collutiis (he probably would have beaten me anyway) I went to bed immediately to try and recover!

[MartinCarpenter]

If you think about it, chess sets should be an awful lot less dangerous to touch than things like door handles

Something of a modest public health worry with that many people sitting in a big room breathing the same air etc.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Reasonable hand hygiene should be enough to reduce the incidence of diseases transmitted by contact with surfaces. Not a lot you can do about breathing the same air as other people, though (or when lots of people are sneezing). I also suspect the mental effort put into chess may leave some people tired to the extent that they become more susceptible to infection. Resting and ensuring enough fluids are drunk and paying attention to what you are eating also helps. The level to which different people are affected by illness is also a factor. Some get listless and lose games. Others still manage to keep their standard of play fairly high, unless things get really bad.

[Lewis Martin]

Others still manage to keep their standard of play fairly high, unless things get really bad.

Not even a nosebleed would stop me playing well! (Can't remember which round was later that day though so not sure if I won or not!)

[Stewart Reuben]

Several people were unwell in Croatia this year for the European Senior Team Championship. We tried to find a common cause, but we were unsuccessful.
A few years ago in Dresden for the European Senior Team Championship many people came down with what was probably norovirus.
There were no problems in Vilnius this year for the World Senior Team Championship.
One Hastings it was like Ravel's Bolero. Round 1 a few coughs. It built to a crescendo of coughs in a few days.

[IM Jack Rudd]

It built to a crescendo of coughs in a few days.

You know how we all hate when chess terminology is misused? Well, I have the same sort of thing with musical terminology. One does not build to a crescendo; the crescendo is the process of building. It means "getting louder".

[Ian Thompson]

Recently heard on the TV:

"This is the sport known as chess played at 100 miles per hour."

Which sport? - squash.