Media comments on chess

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:25 pm

How often does chess appear in soap operas? It made an incidental appearance in Eastenders in the episode broadcast on 3 January 2018.

One of the teenage characters was in the café leafing through a book she had been given as a Christmas present. I can't access the episode from this location, but it was about halfway through and was titled something like "how to become a chess champion". It looked like a real one, unless they mocked one up as a fake one. The character wasn't impressed with the book, and (unfortunately) gave a rather negative verdict on both the book and the game.

On brief Googling, chess seems to appear in Eastenders quite a bit. :shock:

Neil Graham
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Neil Graham » Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:31 pm

In this week's Beano dated 06 January, Minnie the Minx takes on her Dad at chess..... with predictable results!!

Those of you who might wish to purchase this excellent publication be advised that there are several errors that chess pedants might latch on to as well as chess being shown on the cover as a "Bored Game" according to Minnie.

Geoff Chandler
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Geoff Chandler » Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:53 pm

HI Neil,

Dennis played and beat Curly at chess a few years back.

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Dennis is holding the board round the wrong way.

Mick Norris
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Mick Norris » Fri Jan 05, 2018 3:08 pm

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:
Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:25 pm
How often does chess appear in soap operas?
Coronation Street contacted the MCF a few years back when they had chess in a few episodes; one of our ex-Presidents went down to be their chess consultant :D
Any postings on here represent my personal views

Clive Blackburn

Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Clive Blackburn » Fri Jan 05, 2018 4:10 pm

Geoff Chandler wrote:
Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:53 pm

Dennis is holding the board round the wrong way.
Is there a correct way to hold the board whilst using it to beat your opponent about the head?
I hope that somebody can advise me in case the situation shoul arise in a club match; I wouldn't want to be penalised for a technical infringement! :lol:

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Michael Farthing
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Michael Farthing » Fri Jan 05, 2018 4:17 pm

I think the answer is to hold the board as high up as possible - as you should have been able to deduce from your own signature, Clive!

Clive Blackburn

Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Clive Blackburn » Fri Jan 05, 2018 6:27 pm

Thank you Michael, yes I am sure that you are right :)

Neil Graham
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Neil Graham » Fri Jan 05, 2018 9:00 pm

See below!
Last edited by Neil Graham on Fri Jan 05, 2018 9:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Neil Graham
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Neil Graham » Fri Jan 05, 2018 9:01 pm

Neil Graham wrote:
Fri Jan 05, 2018 9:00 pm
Geoff Chandler wrote:
Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:53 pm
HI Neil,

Dennis played and beat Curly at chess a few years back.

Dennis is holding the board round the wrong way.
I see that Dennis also beat Walter - though the board appears to be 6x6 and he obviously is receiving assistance from Gnasher. Weedy Walter couldn't move the pieces as Dennis had made them from concrete!

Image

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JustinHorton
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by JustinHorton » Sat Jan 06, 2018 6:35 am

I understand Geoffrey Boycott is currently invoking chess for listeners' benefit.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Sat Jan 06, 2018 8:07 am

"Neighbours" shows chess every so often. A few years ago, they made the local championship the leading plot. One young lad was shown reading an openings book in a practice session and laboriously playing 1.e4 c5, 2.Nf3 d6, 3 d4 cxd4. At this point, he cried, "This is too difficult!" The next day, he beat an opponent, and the moves followed Reti-Tartakower (Vienna 1910), which apparently wasn't difficult. Naturally, he beat his adoptive father in the final round, the latter not being entirely amused. The actual chess we saw on screen looked pretty good.

Also, Jonny Bairstow's recent "autobiography" says he played chess against his grandfather, but there was no hint that he played seriously.

Stewart Reuben
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Stewart Reuben » Sat Jan 06, 2018 12:43 pm

Bob Basalla wrote an encyclopedic work, 'Chess in the Movies'. H has added thousands of updates since then. There are also many from TV. There are innumerable book and magazine examples. I don't think I have ever seen those two Dennis examples hitherto.

Geoff Chandler
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Geoff Chandler » Sat Jan 06, 2018 3:00 pm

A few frames from the recent Beano in question. I was a bit stunned to see it priced at £2.50.

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John Clarke
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by John Clarke » Mon Jan 08, 2018 10:27 am

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:32 pm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ailed.html

I think he was about 190 from memory, so perhaps not what we normally think of as a professional.
Back on the site after several weeks given over to the usual frantic Xmas/New Year/early summer holiday period in NZ. So I've only just seen Kevin's post and read the links.

Bloody hell, this is shattering. I knew this guy and saw quite a bit of him off and on in the mid-70s. Met his first victim as well, and her sister and mother. To think that people I knew and liked were having their lives wrecked, almost under my nose. One can only hope and pray that time has healed some of the wounds, and that they've been able to recover some sense of normality and faith in humankind. But it doesn't always happen.

There's a lot more I could say about Pentreath/Thomas, but (a) time may have moved on a bit too far now, and (b) quite honestly who needs to know anyway?

Can't stop thinking about this right now, it's going to haunt me for days to come. Still digesting the implications, really. I may edit this post some more before I've done.
Last edited by John Clarke on Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"The chess-board is the world ..... the player on the other side is hidden from us ..... he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance."
(He doesn't let you resign and start again, either.)

Reg Clucas
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Reg Clucas » Mon Jan 08, 2018 1:55 pm

Geoff Chandler wrote:
Sat Jan 06, 2018 3:00 pm
A few frames from the recent Beano in question. I was a bit stunned to see it priced at £2.50.
I think I agree with Minnie's Dad's comment (What? How?!). Minnie has a pawn on f8 and the White King is already in check from two Black pieces.

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