English Chess Forum

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/e ... nt=surveys

As I write this, according to YouGov, Chess is the 38th most popular cerebral activity: way behind reading and, for instance, playing a musical instrument, but ahead of the likes of astrology and fingerpainting. Hurrah!

Thanks for this - it's rather awful that watching movies on TV comes ahead of reading!

I don't think it is so much that people are anti books (more people these days see the detrimental effects of too much screen time) but it is more a case of efficiency i.e. not having space to keep a huge book collection and not having 10+ hours spare to read a book when the film version will only be around 2

It would take a strong team that could beat this Aries line-up:
Garry Kasparov (1963/04/13)
Vasily Smyslov (1921/03/24)
Viktor Korchnoi (1931/03/23)
Efim Bogoljubov (1889/14/04)
Lajos Portisch (1937/04/04)
Miguel Najdorf (1910/15/04)
Possible reserves: Robert Byrne, Wolfgang Uhlmann, Andras Adorjan, Joel Lauthier, Florin Georgiu, Zsuzsa (Susan) Polgar, Gyula Breyer, Valdas Mikenas, Karl Jaenisch, Alexander Ilyin-Zhenevsky, Yasser Seirawan
https://www.chess.com/blog/Spektrowski/ ... ss-preview

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:37 am

Thanks for this - it's rather awful that watching movies on TV comes ahead of reading!

Since when has been watching films been a cerebral activity?

You might as well lump appalling television programmes in as cerebral activity.

"Since when has been watching films been a cerebral activity?"

I think "drinking" was just outside the top ten...

John Upham wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 17, 2021 11:29 am

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:37 am

Thanks for this - it's rather awful that watching movies on TV comes ahead of reading!

Since when has been watching films been a cerebral activity?

You might as well lump appalling television programmes in as cerebral activity.

Is it more or less cerebral than drinking, which presumably qualifies because of the affect too much drink has on your brain?

John Upham wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 17, 2021 11:29 am

Since when has been watching films been a cerebral activity?

It depends what films you're talking about, John. If you watch films by auteur directors like Tarkovsky, Bergman, Dreyer, Hitchcock and Nolan to name but five, you need to be paying close attention to get the best out of the films.

There are loads of other films that are well worth watching even if they're not "cerebral". Then, of course, there's the ocean of brain-numbing dross, which I guess is the target of your comment.

MSoszynski wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:29 am

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/e ... nt=surveys

As I write this, according to YouGov, Chess is the 38th most popular cerebral activity: way behind reading and, for instance, playing a musical instrument, but ahead of the likes of astrology and fingerpainting. Hurrah!

Carl Schlecter would be pleased to know that Drawing ranked 11th.

Mark Taylor wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 17, 2021 12:04 pm

John Upham wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 17, 2021 11:29 am

Since when has been watching films been a cerebral activity?

It depends what films you're talking about, John. If you watch films by auteur directors like Tarkovsky, Bergman, Dreyer, Hitchcock and Nolan to name but five, you need to be paying close attention to get the best out of the films.

There are loads of other films that are well worth watching even if they're not "cerebral". Then, of course, there's the ocean of brain-numbing dross, which I guess is the target of your comment.

Yes, of course Mark. I totally agree. I watched "Bait" recently which was superb.

Likewise, I started to watch a John Wick film and turned it off fairly rapidly. Utter dross.

Mark Taylor wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 17, 2021 12:04 pm

If you watch films by auteur directors like Tarkovsky

Give The Sacrifice a wide berth though. (Also Nolan's movies can be safely missed.)

"Carl Schlecter would be pleased to know that Drawing ranked 11th."

Brilliant!