A slightly bizarre article from the telegraph

[Paolo Casaschi]

Anders Breivik is looking for a friend to play chess against. The telegraph seem concerned that chess might send Anders crazy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... buddy.html

Just noticed this article.
Really bizarre.
What I find most absurd it the story about his interview with young Carlsen and the lengthy explanation why he lost the game. Is there any other sport where a journalist feels entitled to challenge the person being interviewed, eventually coming up with pathetic excuses for the inevitable loss? I'd like to see a journalist challenging Federer during an interview, then commenting: "I lost, but he tricked me because for the whole set I had the sun in my eyes".

[Paul McKeown]

Robert Maudsley, the original Cannibal Hannibal, was reported to play chess with the screws.

[Roger de Coverly]

I would have thought it certain that such matches were discontinued not as a result of the heinous nature of the crimes committed by the opponents, but by the heiinous nature of the ECF membership scheme?!

Whilst this seems to have become an obsession of one of the e2e4 game inputters, it is also worth pointing out the opposition of said game inputter as published on his blog to the notion that you have to pay the ECF £ 27 to be allowed to take part in internationally rated tournaments.

If you had a truly compulsory membership scheme, such matches could not take place, because the "club" side of the match would be penalised for playing against non-members. It happens in table tennis if it's a league (and football?)

[Kevin Thurlow]

"We used to send a chess team down to Broadmoor until one year we found Ian Brady waiting on top board. By all accounts he was a strong player. However, he and his team were well (possibly over-) medicated as their performance seemed to deteriorate as the powerful drugs took effect and they started to doze-off! I think we stopped sending a team after that. Your regular Axe murderer was fine - but no one wanted to play Brady."

The obvious question - at what stage does murder become acceptable? Adolf Hitler? have a beer, pal. Joseph Stalin? You're barred! If people are in Broadmoor they are supposed to be insane, and therefore not responsible for their actions, which should allow you to play chess with them, assuming you are surrounded by armed guards.

I played postal chess against a murderer once (well, OK he said he never did it, they broke into a house and it was his mate), and there you have the rather concerning prospect when you start, that he knows your address if he ever gets out. He seemed pleasant enough though.