Media comments on chess

[David Robertson]

Max Hastings, in The Times, Saturday, Oct 13

The research psychologist David Dunning wrote: “People who don’t know much about a given set of cognitive, technical, or social skills tend to grossly overestimate their prowess and performance . . . College students who hand in exams that will earn them Ds and Fs tend to think their efforts will be worthy of far higher grades; low-performing chess players, bridge players, medical students and elderly people applying for renewed drivers’ licences, similarly overestimate their competence.” (emphasis added)

[Brian Towers]

Hastings clearly not uptodate with his Lasker -

On the chessboard, lies and hypocrisy do not survive long. ... the presumption of a lie; the merciless fact, culminating in the checkmate, contradicts the hypocrite

[JustinHorton]

Max Hastings, in The Times, Saturday, Oct 13

The research psychologist David Dunning wrote: “People who don’t know much about a given set of cognitive, technical, or social skills tend to grossly overestimate their prowess and performance . . . College students who hand in exams that will earn them Ds and Fs tend to think their efforts will be worthy of far higher grades; low-performing chess players, bridge players, medical students and elderly people applying for renewed drivers’ licences, similarly overestimate their competence.” (emphasis added)

Also newspaper columnists

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Also newspaper columnists"

Where's the "like" button?

Pointless "Celebrities" (all sports people) featured a round where there was a picture of an obscure sport and missing letters from the clue. The third picture showed people sitting in a boxing ring, playing chess, with the clue C-E-S-O-I-G. This scored 22 points, second best answer.

The best was "Man V Horse marathon". The horse was handicapped by having someone sitting on it.

[Stewart Reuben]

In my experience fairly low-performing chessplayers, perhaps 125 strength UNDERESTIMATE their prowess. They don't realise that theirs is the average grade for active players.

[Kevin Thurlow]

The "Strictly" dance routine had the female dressed possibly as the red queen, and a knight move happened. The floor was black and white squares. That seemed to be the extent of the chess.

[Chris Rice]

Trent Alexander-Arnold really into it now. Next ECF President?

[Roger Lancaster]

"Even loyal ministers are deeply worried - "She is like a chess player who only has the king left - all she can do is move one square at a time until she is check-mated." BBC News website, analysing Theresa May's Brexit situation.

[Richard James]

"Even loyal ministers are deeply worried - "She is like a chess player who only has the king left - all she can do is move one square at a time until she is check-mated." BBC News website, analysing Theresa May's Brexit situation.

And from The Observer today:

Another Tory MP likened her problem to that of a chess player on the brink of defeat after a very long game in which she had been slowly and progressively outfoxed. “Whichever move she makes now, she gets forced further into the corner. She has tried everything. Unless I am missing something, there is no other move left on the board.”

[Angus French]

"Even loyal ministers are deeply worried - "She is like a chess player who only has the king left - all she can do is move one square at a time until she is check-mated." BBC News website, analysing Theresa May's Brexit situation.

And from The Observer today:

Another Tory MP likened her problem to that of a chess player on the brink of defeat after a very long game in which she had been slowly and progressively outfoxed. “Whichever move she makes now, she gets forced further into the corner. She has tried everything. Unless I am missing something, there is no other move left on the board.”

And Boris Johnson in the Telegraph:

Like some chess player triumphantly forking our king and our queen, the EU Commission is offering the UK government what appears to be a binary choice. It is a choice between the break-up of this country, or the subjugation of this country, between separation or submission.

[NickFaulks]

And Boris Johnson in the Telegraph:

Like some chess player triumphantly forking our king and our queen

A much more meaningful analogy than most in this series. He could have added that she has just noticed what has happened, even though it has been obvious to any half serious chess player that the other side has been setting this up for the past eight moves.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Probably worth noting that the BBC News headlines for most of the day will have been a picture of two chess pieces (pawns) in EU and UK flag colours on a chessboard, for the story 'Brexit: Cabinet meeting kicks off crucial 48 hours'. The article itself does not have the picture, so the only way to 'capture' and record this example of chess being used in the media as a metaphor for political negotiations is to do a screenshot of the BBC News main page. Is anyone able to do that and upload it here?

[David Robertson]

More Brexit-IAGOCOT from The Times again

A minister compares the Conservative leader to a chess player with only a king left on the board, who is powerless but still hanging on. “She’s in a situation where every move she makes worsens the national predicament. We still basically have no agreed government position — it’s absurd. If you were playing computer chess the only way out of this would be to press the reset button."

[Brian Valentine]

More Brexit-IAGOCOT from The Times again

A minister compares the Conservative leader to a chess player with only a king left on the board, who is powerless but still hanging on. “She’s in a situation where every move she makes worsens the national predicament. We still basically have no agreed government position — it’s absurd. If you were playing computer chess the only way out of this would be to press the reset button."

This is the first time I have seen a possible solution for the Irish border issue. Can the 50 move rule possibility be in the government's thinking?

[JustinHorton]

Probably worth noting that the BBC News headlines for most of the day will have been a picture of two chess pieces (pawns) in EU and UK flag colours on a chessboard, for the story 'Brexit: Cabinet meeting kicks off crucial 48 hours'. The article itself does not have the picture, so the only way to 'capture' and record this example of chess being used in the media as a metaphor for political negotiations is to do a screenshot of the BBC News main page. Is anyone able to do that and upload it here?