English Chess Forum

https://nypost.com/2024/08/07/world-new ... -opponent/

Good grief!

er, yes... Mercury is generally classified as "Fatal if inhaled" (depends on the amount of course). Apart from the obvious advice of "don't try to poison people", also be incredibly careful using it.

Edit - and congratulations to the arbiter(?) that reported it.

Ironically she most likely took time off her own life in the process, mercury has toxic vapors which you'd end up breathing in during the process of smearing it all over the table.

Fun bonus fact about mercury poisoning: years ago hatmakers used to use it to add a nice sheen to their fabric but invariably they ended up succumbing to the toxic vapors and getting serious brain damage - hence the term "mad as a hatter".

Think there are similar stories of poisoning in chess fiction, never thought someone would actually do this.

Apart from being psychopathic, probably leading to a long prison sentence, this would also probably be the end of the perpetrator's chess career. I wonder if this was the first time she has tried to harm others.

"Fun bonus fact about mercury poisoning: years ago hatmakers used to use it to add a nice sheen to their fabric but invariably they ended up succumbing to the toxic vapours and getting serious brain damage - hence the term "mad as a hatter"."

Indeed - in my working days, I advised on "transport of dangerous goods" and chemical safety. Normally it was about chemicals for laboratories, but I did once get a call from a museum wanting to send Victorian top hats on a tour of overseas museums, It made a change from what to do with 10 % solutions of sodium hydroxide.

"Apart from being psychopathic, probably leading to a long prison sentence, this would also probably be the end of the perpetrator's chess career. I wonder if this was the first time she has tried to harm others."

I'm not any sort of legal expert, let alone overseas legislations, but they could charge her with attempted murder, or maybe "just" whatever their equivalent of "grievous bodily harm" is.

The motivation was weird too - people are always "bad-mouthing" you or annoying you or breaking the rules. You don't try and leave a procession of corpses in revenge. I think all the other players would think a lifetime ban from chess reasonable.

I could maybe speculate that she was poorly informed from the internet about the toxicity of mercury and was under the impression that it would simply impair brain function rather then completely destroying it.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 08, 2024 9:00 am

"Indeed - in my working days, I advised on "transport of dangerous goods" and chemical safety. Normally it was about chemicals for laboratories, but I did once get a call from a museum wanting to send Victorian top hats on a tour of overseas museums, It made a change from what to do with 10 % solutions of sodium hydroxide."

As I'm sure you're aware, mercury is no friend of aluminium. Indeed, I believe there's a case on record of a large aircraft being written off as being beyond economic repair following a mercury spillage. No doubt rather more than any lingering fumes from century old hats!

Yes - an old hat may be hazardous to someone handling it, but liquid mercury is rather more scary!

Someone also pointed out that anyone else using the chess set later could also be contaminated. I wonder if two old school friends who played "blow football" with mercury from a broken thermometer are still fit and well...

If the subject of poisoners interests you then I will introduce one of Crowthorne most infamous residents:

Graham Young aka the Teacup Poisoner.

I encountered GY through an interest in high speed photography and John Hadland laboratories where he made the tea amongst other things.

My DPhil in Chemical Physics (Sussex) thankfully did not feature too many poisons but in the Molecular Beams / Spectroscopy lab we did make our very own gas lasers out of old bottle tops and fairy liquid containers.

Some interesting gases initially have an odour following by poisoning of the taste buds and olfactory nerves (when you can no longer smell them) by which time it may well be too late.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 08, 2024 1:53 pm

Yes - an old hat may be hazardous to someone handling it, but liquid mercury is rather more scary!

Someone also pointed out that anyone else using the chess set later could also be contaminated. I wonder if two old school friends who played "blow football" with mercury from a broken thermometer are still fit and well...

One of the fortune side effects of living in England is the weather tends to be cooler so the mercury won't vaporise quite as much and encounters with small amounts must not be fatal as I've heard many stories of people 'playing' with the stuff in their efforts ( it seems to be more of a slow build up toxicity rather then something that kills you in a matter of minutes)- I've dealt with multiple mercury spills over the years working in school science labs and it hasn't killed me yet.

There was an episode from the BBC series Death in Paradise, where a chess player was poisoned.
You wander if she watched it and took inspiration.

Joey Stewart wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 08, 2024 2:54 pm

I've dealt with multiple mercury spills over the years working in school science labs and it hasn't killed me yet.

Ah, it's all starting to make sense now.

Simon Rogers wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 09, 2024 6:10 pm

There was an episode from the BBC series Death in Paradise, where a chess player was poisoned.
You wander if she watched it and took inspiration.

Series 11 episode 8 if anyone wants to look

I am sure we discussed it here on the forum

Mick Norris wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 09, 2024 8:03 pm

Simon Rogers wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 09, 2024 6:10 pm

There was an episode from the BBC series Death in Paradise, where a chess player was poisoned.
You wander if she watched it and took inspiration.

Series 11 episode 8 if anyone wants to look

I am sure we discussed it here on the forum

Discussion was here and here and here.

If you want to avoid spoilers from the above links, go here first and watch it!

It has emerged that she has an interest in serial killers.

https://metro.co.uk/2024/08/14/twist-ca ... osaic_home