English Chess Forum

"Certainly not. You would instead examine the scoresheets to determine how you came to have 2 pieces on the same square! "

Well spotted - I've edited original.

"Actually it was my opponent who refused to shake hands, after he blundered in a drawn position (as he saw it). Apparently he felt I should not have played on." That is daft - the position is drawn when you start, either player can try to change that assessment! Carlsen has won a few games from theo...

I'm too lazy to look it up, but I think it says something like shake hands or make a suitable gesture, obviously the latter is a matter of interpretation!

"There is a much respected player who is thalidomide and has seriously underdeveloped hands" Assuming it's the same one I'm thinking of, he is so genial that you could possibly ask. He once said to me, "Thanks for arbiting - I would give you a round of applause if I could." Even I was lost for words...

"Afterthought; maybe we can enhance Alex's thinking on chess as a spectator sport by having a game of table tennis as the final tiebreaker?"

Having seen Magnus play table-tennis, I think he would be quite happy with that!

http://www.guernseychessclub.org.gg/fes ... stival.htm

Entries so far

http://chess-results.com/tnr447188.aspx?lan=1&art=0

I was interested to see that there are ( at present) only two players in the Open that I have never played!

"It reduces the amount of time available for parliamentarians (MPs and peers) to do anything sensible"

And when did they last do that?

and draw claims...

In my Kxd8 example, I can always cross it out if he resigns. And I only did it in the first place to point out a curiosity in the Laws. My opponent wasn't there to be distracted.

"That's the answer I got when I asked the Grading Administrator a couple of days ago! "

In 3.5 days, we'll know... Mind you the year wasn't specified!

"You still don't want to get an old Wimbledon FC fan started on MK Dons. "

True - at one point, owners of Leeds United were thinking of relocating to Kent on the basis that they would get bigger crowds, especially as there weren't any proper teams in Kent. Fans and enemies were united in their fury!

If I play Qxd8+ and the only legal move is Kxd8, why not write it down? That doesn't insult the opponent, or constitute a "note" in my view, but Ian might be right. I did actually tell a very distinguished arbiter that I had done it, and he was amused. I don't advocate a change of Laws to deal with ...

Yes - in particular he wrote a very good and very funny piece in 1941 about welcoming opponents to league matches (e.g. getting several of your heavy smokers to fill the room with smoke before the opposition arrived, using a double-headed penny to toss for colour, saying j'adoube and adjusting every...

"When my opponent touches a piece or pawn and starts hesitating... I write the initial letter of the piece name or pawn's square down on my scoresheet then wait for the rest of the move to follow..." So do I, and although it is illegal to write your own move down before you play it, it is perfectly ...

He played in the Civil Service Championship (Barstow Cup) in 1935 not expecting to get far. He met the experienced veteran BHN Stronach in the semi-final and played for five hours and 85 moves in a single session after work. He won the final as well and retained his title the following year, and won...

At a league match, we had the door open as it was hot and a local cat wandered in and decided to sit on a team-mate's lap. Nobody minded. This of course makes me think of putting a small piece of meat on the opponent's queen when he's away from the board, then when he's back and analysing, wander of...