Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

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JustinHorton
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:13 am

Alex Holowczak wrote:
Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:54 am

According to the Amazon graphic, the book was published on 1st May, 1997. The two Spectator graphics you quote were apparently published on 10th May, 1997 and 31st May, 1997.

So should The Spectator be referencing the book, rather than the other way around?
As the games all took place after 1 May, I very much suspect not.
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Roger de Coverly
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Roger de Coverly » Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:25 pm

There's a two page article by Tim Wall in the February 2019 issue of Chess.

It's not just about Keene, but also the wider technical media coverage on chess24 and elsewhere.

The material about Keene is quoted as being from Olympiu G Urcan, rather than the Lost on Time blog.

I suppose if a magazine publishes an article attacking an author and his recent book, it would be inconsistent to have the book in question advertised elsewhere in the mag.

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JustinHorton
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by JustinHorton » Wed Jan 30, 2019 9:08 pm

Oh that sounds at least potentially interesting.
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by JustinHorton » Thu Jan 31, 2019 8:14 pm

Anyway I have now seen it. It's not much worse than OK, though nor is it much better. As with his Olympiad piece a couple of issues ago it suffers both from pulling most of its punches and, how shall I put this, from the problems inherent in it not being exactly independent journalism.

But it's OK. Ish.
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Ian Thompson
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Ian Thompson » Thu Jan 31, 2019 9:58 pm

Jonathan Bryant wrote:
Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:56 am
David Sedgwick wrote:
Mon Jan 14, 2019 7:27 pm
Chess & Bridge have withdrawn from sale Ray Keene's book on the Carlsen - Caruana World Championship Match.
This is an extraordinary story in its own way.

It’s hard to imagine what Everyman were thinking of when they chose to publish this one. I suppose if you publish a dozen Lakdawala books a month there really is no bottom when it comes to quality.
I discover from today's Times chess column that this book was "edged out" for the "prestigious Book of the Year 2018" award at Chess Club Live. Further investigation reveals there were only four choices and three of them were books on the world championship match (1st Game Changer by Sadler and Regan (40%); 2nd Keene's book (36%); 3rd Caruana: Move by Move by Lakdawala (14%); 4th Carlsen vs Caruana: Duel of Giants by Huschenbeth (10%); 118 votes cast in total).

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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Angus French » Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:02 pm

Ian Thompson wrote:
Thu Jan 31, 2019 9:58 pm
I discover from today's Times chess column that this book was "edged out" for the "prestigious Book of the Year 2018" award at Chess Club Live. Further investigation reveals there were only four choices and three of them were books on the world championship match (1st Game Changer by Sadler and Regan (40%); 2nd Keene's book (36%); 3rd Caruana: Move by Move by Lakdawala (14%); 4th Carlsen vs Caruana: Duel of Giants by Huschenbeth (10%); 118 votes cast in total).
And how many of those votes came from Keene and his cronies?

Also, doesn't it take something special to come behind a yet-to-be-published book in a book-of-the-year award?

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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Ian Thompson » Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:46 pm

Angus French wrote:
Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:02 pm
Also, doesn't it take something special to come behind a yet-to-be-published book in a book-of-the-year award?
I hadn't noticed that, but going back and looking again I see that someone else made the same point and Chess Club Live responded - "The book is to be published in 2019 but the book has already been written and summary of the content via video previews and extracts allow us to include it in our Awards. Our awards are 2018/19 technically."

You might well ask how prestigious an award can be when the selectors definitely haven't read all the shortlisted books and most of the voters probably haven't been able to either.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Fri Feb 01, 2019 10:12 am

"You might well ask how prestigious an award can be when the selectors definitely haven't read all the shortlisted books and most of the voters probably haven't been able to either."

Readers of Private Eye will recognize that this is entirely normal for book awards! Actually, it's normal for movie awards as well.

Roger Lancaster
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Roger Lancaster » Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:26 pm

I have to say that, before reading this thread, I'd never heard of "Chess Club Live" and my first thought was to check that this was a bona fide organisation. Apparently it is but its credibility, if it reviews books on the basis of pre-publication synopses by its promoters, is dubious. A "Book of the Year" determined by votes on this forum, for example, would have more credibility. In fact, perhaps that's a good idea. There could even be a separate section for the worst book.

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IM Jack Rudd
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:46 pm

Ah, Chess Club Live. I thought I remembered them.

Jonathan Bryant
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Jonathan Bryant » Fri Feb 01, 2019 2:46 pm

IM Jack Rudd wrote:
Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:46 pm
Ah, Chess Club Live. I thought I remembered them.
Him rather than them, I think. It’s essentially a one-man band isn’t it?
Last edited by Jonathan Bryant on Fri Feb 01, 2019 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Fri Feb 01, 2019 4:46 pm

"It’s essentially a one-man bad isn’t it?"

Do you mean that? Or is it "band"!?

Jonathan Bryant
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Jonathan Bryant » Fri Feb 01, 2019 9:15 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Fri Feb 01, 2019 4:46 pm
"It’s essentially a one-man bad isn’t it?"

Do you mean that? Or is it "band"!?
Typo. I meant band. I have amended.

Roger Lancaster
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Roger Lancaster » Fri Feb 01, 2019 9:52 pm

Let me test out a theory. There were said to be 118 voters and I'm not suggesting that this isn't the strict truth. But, just as a matter of interest, did anyone on this forum cast any one of those 118 votes or does anyone know anyone who did?

O.G. Urcan
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Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by O.G. Urcan » Sat Feb 02, 2019 9:06 am

I note this tweet by "Chess Club Live":

https://twitter.com/ChessClubLive/statu ... 5494371328

- O.G. Urcan