Media comments on chess

[Stewart Reuben]

It is interesting that the estimate about 20 years ago used to be about 4 million who had played chess at least once in the past 3 months in GB. That was a different independent research group. Perhaps TIF. They got the same approximate result year after year. The vast majority of course do not play over the board competitive chess. We, as a federation, do not gain any palpable benefit from these occasional players, but it is still chess that they are playing. And this, after all, is an objective of the ECF.

I am not convinced of the benefit of teaching seven year old children chess for one hour per week spread over a term. Aged nine would be better. Eleven would be better still, but there are so many activities for children that age so it may not be possible to compete.

CHESS The Musical.
One song, 'Nobody's on nobody' side'. 'Everybody's playing the game, but nobody's rules are the same.'

Stewart to Tim Rice shortly after the record was released.
'Tim, you've written this song about an arbiter who is abrasive, dogmatic and self-opinionated. Is that me?'
Tim, 'Of course it's you, Stewart. You're the only arbiter I've ever met.'

Truth to tell. It was more about Campo.

[NickFaulks]

I am not convinced of the benefit of teaching seven year old children chess for one hour per week spread over a term. Aged nine would be better.

I can't agree. I have found that seven is a very good age. Perhaps the point is that they must play informally most days to supplement a weekly lesson. Chess playing siblings help.

I actually believe that they can start much younger. Our children went to a Montessori primary school, where there is an emphasis on concrete learning materials. The theory is that young children are capable of quite complex thoughts, but have difficulty expressing them in words. Moving lumps of wood around is something they can do. The youngest child to take part in an inter-school game in Bermuda was three. His games may not have been of a high quality, but legal moves were played throughout.

[David Robertson]

(Chess)...And it makes you smarter, to boot

No, it doesn't.

Consider the evidence.

[Gordon Cadden]

(Chess)...And it makes you smarter, to boot

No, it doesn't.

Consider the evidence.

Bonar Law was a very strong player. George Osborne is believed to play a reasonable game. Benjamin Franklin was passionate about the game, and wrote a book entitled "The Morals of Chess".

[Mick Norris]

(Chess)...And it makes you smarter, to boot

No, it doesn't.

Consider the evidence.

Ah yes, the chess players we meet

[Paul Habershon]

'I have found that seven is a very good age. Perhaps the point is that they must play informally most days to supplement a weekly lesson.' wrote Nick Faulks. (I have forgotten how to put quotes in a shaded box).

The ideal is a teacher willing to open their classroom to chess every lunchtime. Easy to supervise even if you don't know much about chess. A real bonus if the teacher is a club player. Also it's one of the easier options for doing your extra-curricular bit - you could even take your cup of coffee in if it isn't too scalding for 'Health and Safety'. As an English teacher I was pleased to be doing the chess because it got me out of having to produce school plays. Luckily some of my colleagues loved doing that anyway. How often, though, do you see a Times Ed. Supp. job advert saying that an interest in chess would be desirable?

Primary schools tend to send children outside at all breaks unless it's raining. Many hang about doing nothing there anyway. I guess there may be three breaks per day, so they could still get their fresh air at morning and afternoon breaks and use the lunch break more profitably. They've got PE lessons for exercise.

[JustinHorton]

These are the results of the UK YouGov poll

The 6m is 12% of the adult population who have played chess either against a person or a computer in the last year.

In fact it doesn't quite say that, which is a slight gripe I have with the survey: it says "I generally play chess at least once a year". I don't really understand why the category wasn't "I played chess at least once last year". (I guess it offsets against "I There have been periods in my adult life when I have played chess, but not in the last year", but I still don't see why a clearer statement wasn't selected.)

It's a nitpick, but it's the sort of reason why you usually want multiple surveys, or a rather better understanding of a survey's methodology, before making large claims based on one piece of research.

I'm not that fussed though. When I wrote about the six million claim last year I wrote: "I'd treat that claim with caution, but from this research at least, it can't be ruled out" and I'd stick to that. (Personally, if I drank one whisky a year I'd hesitate to call myself a whisky drinker, but it's not obviously unreasonable.)

The nonsense is the "six hundred million". That's completely without justification. Anybody who repeats that figure either has no idea what they're talking about or doesn't care and would be shown up in a minute by anybody who cared to do so. Which is why I'm not in favour of puffing Times editorials which are full of dubious statements. Good evidence is good. Dubious evidence is not.

[Stewart Reuben]

The point I made is that one hour per week teaching for 7 year olds with no other chess experience will not work for most young children. Of course one hour per week plus less informal play several days a week is quite successful.
Richard James has much more experience than me and he agrees with me.

Chess education does not make people smarter. However it enables a substantial percentage of people to harness their intellectual skills better. e.g. it is excellent for diagnostics for some people. They aren't doing well at school, but are quite strong chessplayers. There is something wrong. That is a useful diagnosis in itself.
One player I know was thought to be ESN. He learnt chess, thereby proving that assessment wrong. He moved towards the top of his class at school. That is just anecdotal, but it demonstrates a value of chess for some.

[Stewart Reuben]

Dominic Lawspn's column in The Sunday Times had the heading
LET ME PUT IT IN BLACK AND WHITE: PUTIN IS NO GRANDMASTER

As usual it was cogent reasoned. The whole article used chess imagery throughout.

[JustinHorton]

I think that may be the first time I have seen Putin or indeed any other Russian leader compared to a chess player.

[Gordon Cadden]

I think that may be the first time I have seen Putin or indeed any other Russian leader compared to a chess player.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was quite a good chess player. A photograph exists of him playing Maxim Gorky.

[Michael Farthing]

I think that may be the first time I have seen Putin or indeed any other Russian leader compared to a chess player.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was quite a good chess player. A photograph exists of him playing Maxim Gorky.

Supposedly, he used to play against Arthur Ransome of Swallows and Amazons fame. Certainly Ransome was a keen player, met Lenin several times and did play chess against other leading figures of the Russian revolution.

[LawrenceCooper]

The IPL auction is a chess game, apparantly.

[Stewart Reuben]

Tidy wins Neat Cup. See as below.

http://www.englishchess.org.uk/tidy-win ... more-29363

[LawrenceCooper]

BBC Radio 5 live summariser Kevin Keen at Craven Cottage: " You talk about Felix Magath's approach being chess-like. At the moment Fulham are all a bit like pawns. They need a knight or a bishop, someone to provide a bit of spark."