Violence In The Game

[Joey Stewart]

I have heard recent reports of fisticuffs during chess games, possibly due to some sort of bad etiquette or a swindle, but was wondering if anyone could shed some more light on this growing problem in our otherwise peaceful sport?

[Peter Rhodes]

In 1966 Tal was hit in the head with a bottle during a bar room fight at the 1966 chess olympiad in Havana. He was taken to the hospital and missed the first five rounds of the Olympiad because of his injuries.

I think it makes the game more exciting

[Rob Thompson]

This violence has got even more pronounced since the advent of chess boxing, methinks.

[Paul McKeown]

Read the acknowledgements to Richard James & Mike Fox's "(Ever More) Complete Chess Addict" to work out which Richmond captain threw a left hook in a Thames Valley League match, which would not have shamed Mike Tyson...

[Richard James]

Read the acknowledgements to Richard James & Mike Fox's "(Ever More) Complete Chess Addict" to work out which Richmond captain threw a left hook in a Thames Valley League match, which would not have shamed Mike Tyson...

The two combatants played each other in the Thames Valley League last season, 30 years or so after the original incident. The intervening years must have mellowed them: the game resulted in a peaceful draw, both on and off the board.

[Paul McKeown]

Sadly the TVL's archive for 2008-09 seem foobar, so I can't establish the Hammersmith player concerned. I could make a guess though!

[Richard James]

Sadly the TVL's archive for 2008-09 seem foobar, so I can't establish the Hammersmith player concerned. I could make a guess though!

Your guess could well be right. Strangely, it took me 30 years to discover the identity of the Hammersmith player. I suspect I was there when the original incident took place but never had more than a hazy memory of it. Mike embellished it more than somewhat for the book.

[Chris Fewtrell]

There was an incident in the Middlesex League some years ago, which saw the offender banned for life from the League and his chess club. I've always considered the incident a strong argument in favour of plastic as opposed to wooden boards.

[Paul Douglass]

There's a particular vile individual who plays in the Northern congresses. He recently won a prize at the Scarborough congress (I'm not saying what section and how many points he was on) but suffice to say I had the displeasure of playing him around 12 years ago at the Middlesbrough Congress - Major section. Initially he wouldn't shake my hand at the start of the game and then I proceeded to "win" his queen very early on and converted the point with ease. He called me a lucky f****r afterwards.

Apparently other people, including a current and former team mate who've had run-ins with this loser!!

People like that should be banned for life.

A motivation for something I would like bringing in, is a blacklist, barring people from any form of chess. Don't have a go at me about dwindling numbers of players in the current climate but its quality not quantity that counts in life!

[Peter Rhodes]

Initially he wouldn't shake my hand at the start of the game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Gb4lJeXqI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Chepa ... ontroversy

Do FIDE's "behaviour norms" cover UK congress chess ? Maybe you could have claimed a win straight away

During the 2008 Corus chess tournament, Cheparinov's game in the eighth round of Group B against Nigel Short was declared a forfeit after the first move because he had twice refused to shake Short's hand at the start.[5] FIDE's behavioural norms state that, "[a]ny player who does not shake hands with the opponent (...) before the game starts in a FIDE tournament or during a FIDE match (and does not do it after being asked to do so by the arbiter) (...) will immediately and finally lose the relevant game".[6] The reason for Cheparinov's refusal was, according to the appeal made by him and his manager Silvio Danailov, that "some time ago in one of his interviews Mr. Short insulted him and our team gravely". They also claimed the arbiter had not given Cheparinov another opportunity to shake hands, but had immediately declared the game a loss.[7] After their protest, the Appeals Committee of the tournament—consisting of Vladimir Kramnik, Michał Krasenkow and Judit Polgár—overturned the decision to forfeit the game. The Committee also decided that Cheparinov should apologize to Short, that the game was to be replayed the next day and that it should start with a handshake.[8] Short won.

The handshake incident was recorded on video, and posted by chess website Chessdom on YouTube, where it was viewed over 150,000 times.

[Alex Holowczak]

The rule didn't exist 12 years ago, it's only a fairly new thing, I believe. So he couldn't have claimed a win like that.

[William Metcalfe]

I suspect the same individual Paul is on about is the same player who wanted a punch up with a Darlington player 2 or 3 years ago at Blackpool he is obv a gracious losser.

[Simon Spivack]

There was an incident in the Middlesex League some years ago, which saw the offender banned for life from the League and his chess club. I've always considered the incident a strong argument in favour of plastic as opposed to wooden boards.

Plastic boards can also be vicious brutes upon occasion. I once cut one of my paws when preparing for a league match.

[IanDavis]

I had somebody throw the table at me once, but that was quite some time ago.
Usually it's the ridiculous things people say that are more hurtful.