Media comments on chess

[Richard James]

https://rts.org.uk/article/chess-barrel ... ng-history

From chess to barrel jumping: the quirkiest sports in TV broadcasting history

Starts with the recent BBC effort, and has picture of the Netflix series, and mentions the very early radio pieces (from the 1920s) but fails to mention 'The Master Game'.

Although much broadcasting has changed beyond recognition over time, one constant is a popular pastime. The earliest experimental wireless broadcasts listed on the Television & Radio Database (tvrdb.com, warmly recommended to anyone interested in the media) include 1925 talks by Mr CG Butcher on “The Origin Of Chess” and Mr Brian Hanley on “Chess: The Queen’s Gambit Declined”.

Now, 100 years on, BBC Two launches Chess Masters: The Endgame, in which, promises presenter Sue Perkins, “12 rising stars of the growing UK chess community will battle it out!”.

That the game can be the subject of popular entertainment should not be a surprise: Chess, a 1986 musical by Tim Rice and Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, will be revived on Broadway later this year, and The Queen’s Gambit, a 2020 Netflix series about a chess grandmaster, is cited by one of the younger participants in Chess Masters as her inspiration.

I think C.G. Butcher is Cecil George Butcher (1900-1990), who is mentioned elsewhere briefly on this forum and on Britbase. Not sure about Brian Hanley. Can anyone identify him?

I'd guess Brian Hanley was a typo for Brian Harley.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Thank you Richard! I realised while typing elsewhere that someone would likely have worked that out. Pesky typos!

[Simon Rogers]

Article just been posted on BBC News website about the Taliban government in Afghanistan banning chess for the foreseeable future because they see it as a source of gambling.
Is it possible someone could add the link please.

[Roger de Coverly]

Article just been posted on BBC News website about the Taliban government in Afghanistan banning chess for the foreseeable future because they see it as a source of gambling.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crk24dz8ne5o

I seem to recall similar in Iran just after the revolution which overthrew the Shah.

[Matt Mackenzie]

They banned it the last time they ran Afghanistan as well.

Iran was seeing significant "underground" chess activity by the mid 1980s and it was formally unbanned by the end of that decade.

[Roland Kensdale]

Article just been posted on BBC News website about the Taliban government in Afghanistan banning chess for the foreseeable future because they see it as a source of gambling.
Is it possible someone could add the link please.

Pope and Moslem leaders followed similar logic in the Middle Ages when dice were used in chess.
15 to 1 the ban gets lifted in next 10 years.

[Tim Spanton]

20250512_195830.jpg

[David York]

In search of the 'media comment' I clicked through to Tim's blog. Impressive stuff!
Should anyone want to locate more social chess in London, a calendar for a typical week is here: https://colchesster.org.uk/2023/05/04/l ... ial-chess/

[Simon Myles]

Countdown episode just started at 2.10pm, Paul Littlewood is the challenger. The host Colin confirmed Paul as a over 65 chess champion and referenced The Queens Gambit.

[Ian Thompson]

Chess got a mention on The Unbelievable Truth today. At about 24:00 minutes into the programme we were told that, c. 1250, it was not illegal to kill someone after a game of chess according to Pope Innocent III, although this was watered down to "not be classed as murder" when a more detailed explanation was given why Henning Wehn's statement was true.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Might deserve its own thread:

Magnus Carlsen v The World: chess champion’s 46-day match ends in draw

Did anyone here take part in this?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Might deserve its own thread:

Magnus Carlsen v The World: chess champion’s 46-day match ends in draw

Did anyone here take part in this?

Has anyone even played through the game? Or want to post it here? I have not gone looking for it yet.

https://theweekinchess.com/twic-news-fe ... n-33-moves

Apparently my phone cannot open PGNs...

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

[Event "Magnus vs The World 2025"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2025.04.04"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "The World"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteTitle "GM"] [WhiteElo "2837"] [WhiteFideId "1503014"] [Variant "Chess960"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "rnnkbbqr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNNKBBQR w HAha - 0 1"] [EventDate "2025.04.04"] 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. f3 Nc6 4. Nb3 f6 5. Nxd4 Nxd4 6. Qxd4 Nb6 7. Nc3 O-O-O 8. O-O-O Bd6 9. Bg3 Bxg3 10. hxg3 d6 11. Kb1 Qe6 12. Qb4 c5 13. Qa5 Kb8 14. b3 Bc6 15. Bb5 d5 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Rxd5 18. Bc4 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Qe7 20. a4 b6 21. Qd2 Kc7 22. Qf4+ Qe5 23. Qg4 Qe7 24. Bb5 Bxb5 25. axb5 Rd8 26. Rxd8 Kxd8 27. Ka2 Qe2 28. Qxg7 Qxc2+ 29. Ka3 Qc1+ 30. Ka2 Qc2+ 31. Ka3 Qc1+ 32. Ka2 Qc2+ 33. Ka3 1/2-1/2

[Paul Habershon]

Chess theme in today's Jeremy Clarkson column in the Sunday Times.

https://www.thetimes.com/article/2175df ... 4df8c90a60

[MJMcCready]

Did anyone watch the tv show Slow Horses and see the appearance chess made in one of the episodes in series 2?