Media comments on chess

[Stewart Reuben]

I noticed the machine is seated more comfortably than the man.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Has a link to this article in The Guardian been posted here yet?

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/ ... e-in-chess

"Truth, beauty and annihilation: my quest for chess mastery" by Stephen Moss.

(Not sure how much of it is based on Stephen's forthcoming book, I think it is as it is mentioned at the end. I was among those who bought advance copies of the book last night!)

Also: http://en.chessbase.com/post/truth-beau ... ss-mastery

[Barry Sandercock]

The article in the Guardian ( link shown above ) is extremely interesting. Thanks for giving it, Christopher.

[Stewart Reuben]

Stephen Moss
>I was probably the most average chess player in the world.<
Actually he is a bit above average for competitive players. Thus way above average includig people who play the occasional game. I have yet to read the book, but I guess the article was a distillation of what he has written.
Anyway, it was a nice party. I hadn't seen Bill Hartston for some years.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Also at that party (to launch the book by Stephen Moss), held at the offices of the publisher Bloomsbury, was one of the writers/contributors to The Evening Standard's 'Londoner's Diary'. A nice chap, but unfortunately the bit that got published wasn't the best bit in terms of presenting chess in a good light...

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/londoner ... 49271.html

It’s a better high than sex and more addictive than heroin. For aficionados this can only mean one thing: chess. The Londoner was at publisher Bloomsbury last night for the launch of Stephen Moss’s book, The Rookie, where the Guardian writer recounts his “mid-life crisis” in the world of chess, from drinking absinthe in Greenwich Village to meeting grand-masters in Moscow. So does chess replace or enhance one’s sex life? “Oh, definitely replace,” Moss told The Londoner. “If you look around the room there’s a lot of older men here.”

[NickFaulks]

I wonder whether he's ever murdered a homeless wino.

[Nick Grey]

Stephen's next book ought to concentrate on crapping. Or going to the toilets whilst playing chess. Lots of material their.

In the meantime why not buy it & suggest for next years book awards.

Ulysses is about sex & crapping. "It has the most vivid descriptions of crapping in literature - it has always been prohibited".
Corbyn likely to lose more votes...

Of course, Chris, please reply to Stephen's e-mails about chess as he is going to captain a few teams.

[John Clarke]

Re the Guardian article: I see that copyright in the photo of the Spassky-Fischer match is with "J Walter Green / AP". Whatever happened to Chester Fox?

[Stewart Reuben]

John Clarke >Re the Guardian article: I see that copyright in the photo of the Spassky-Fischer match is with "J Walter Green / AP". Whatever happened to Chester Fox?<

Perhaps he consorts with Baby Jane? I haven't seen or heard of him since 1972. Chester Fox held the filming rights to the 1972 match - not the photographic. I seem to remember he was philosophical about the whole situation by the time I met him.

[Gary Kenworthy]

In Black and white TV days and the front page of newspapers, there was the sensational story that Harold Wilson, the PM of the day was a Soviet spy. The main proof also involved Harold playing chess with Joseph Kagan. Later Lord Kagan, a Lithuanian Jew and textile magnate, was like many East Europeans, “a seriously keen chess player”. (see Lord Kagan’s chess set auction coverage). I remember watching this top story, live on the television.
James Jesus Angleton had much earlier fingered Wilson and was the source for Peter Wright.

Although Lenin’s favourite past time was chess, and he made it the Official Sport of the Soviet Union, it was taken seriously as an issue, in more detail, within SpyCatcher (Peter Wright). Chess was the method of communication by spies.
In this book, the earlier former deputy head of MI5 was an International Correspondence chess player (Graham Mitchell). An IM – at that time a rare chess title. He was placed under watch.
This is where Hugh Alexander comes into the book, he was sent scoresheets of correspondence games, as Peter Wright believed that they were coded messages. Hugh reported back he could find no codes enciphered within these games scores
Innuendo in the book, was also on son of the head of MI5 (later a correspondence GM). The drift from Wright was that he travelled abroad, including Russia, to play in chess tournaments. [Rather a double blunder by Peter Wright to out Adrian !!).

[Stewart Reuben]

CJ De Mooi, former star panellist of BBC quiz show Eggheads, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
De Mooi, born Joseph Connagh, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday.
The Press Association reported that De Mooi, who lives in Monmouthshire, revealed in his autobiography that he may have killed a man while he lived on the streets two decades ago.
The 46-year-old said he punched a man who approached him with a knife and then threw him into a canal in Amsterdam in 1988.
He wrote in his autobiography: “He caught me on the wrong day and I just snapped.”
CJ De Mooi was arrested at Heathrow Airport
He added: “I fully suspect I killed him. I’ve no idea what happened to him.”
He could now face extradition to the Netherlands.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “A man was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday, 21 September on a European Arrest Warrant issued in the Netherlands in relation to an allegation of murder.
“Joseph Connagh, 46 (06/11/1969), self employed, of Monmouthshire appears in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 22 September.”
The BBC reported that the warrant was issued in May by Dutch authorities requesting the opportunity for “further questioning”.

[Roger de Coverly]

CJ De Mooi, former star panellist of BBC quiz show Eggheads, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Reports on his court appearance are at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-37437498 and
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... etherlands

[Gerard Killoran]

Chess theme on Strictly tonight. Will Young was obviously in difficulties as White against Karen Clifton. Against all FIDE rules and regulations, he swept the pieces from the board and danced a Tango with his opponent.

[Gerard Killoran]

Correction: Will Young had Black and the board was in the wrong orientation, which explains his actions. Any chance of Nigel Short competing next year?

[Chris Rice]

Seems to be quite a contrast at the top of the chess world between Carlsen who will make some lovely jubbly out of his forthcoming WC match and a new film biopic 'Magnus ' the movie https://worldchess.com/2016/09/24/magnus-the-movie/ and Fabiano Caruana who is asking for funding for a rather unusual chess table, the 'Prodigy Desk' https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/61 ... by-fabiano