Media comments on chess

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Geoff Chandler
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Geoff Chandler » Sun Nov 24, 2019 11:05 pm

Rich Hall's 'Red Menace' now on BBC IPlayer (History category)

Runs though the cold war, mentions chess and 1972, has clip of the match and Fischer.
Adds watching two men playing chess would be mind numbing so shows the story of the match via a Popeye cartoon.
Amusing program, well put together, always liked Rich Hall.

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Tue Nov 26, 2019 2:20 am

In today's Evening Standard (Monday 25 November):

Make your move as chess masters come to the capital

Covers: the London Chess Classic, the play Ravens: Spassky vs. Fischer at the Hampstead Theatre, and the 10th anniversary of Chess in Schools and Communities.

Neil Graham
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Neil Graham » Tue Nov 26, 2019 9:53 am

A main story in today's papers is that playing board games helps keep your memory sharp in old age. However there are more references to Bingo than chess and the Telegraph delights in telling us that "bingo was just as good as chess, cards or crosswords for improving thinking skills." . Anyway off to the "Two Fat Ladies" site for my £88 worth of free plays!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/201 ... ists-find/

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JustinHorton
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Nov 26, 2019 8:31 pm

Just on Twitter: Ernst Happel playing chess against a journalist.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

Stewart Reuben
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Stewart Reuben » Tue Nov 26, 2019 9:27 pm

Ravens: Spassky vs. Fischer at the Hampstead Theatre

I just booked my seat for the opening night of this new play.
Thank you Christopher.

Jonathan Bryant
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Jonathan Bryant » Wed Nov 27, 2019 1:13 pm

Neil Graham wrote:
Tue Nov 26, 2019 9:53 am
A main story in today's papers is that playing board games helps keep your memory sharp in old age. However there are more references to Bingo than chess and the Telegraph delights in telling us that "bingo was just as good as chess, cards or crosswords for improving thinking skills." . Anyway off to the "Two Fat Ladies" site for my £88 worth of free plays!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/201 ... ists-find/

As usual, worth remembering that whilst print media is good at generality, they typically underperform with respect to accurate representations of research

http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.c ... -news.html

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Wed Nov 27, 2019 1:19 pm

Stewart Reuben wrote:
Tue Nov 26, 2019 9:27 pm
Ravens: Spassky vs. Fischer at the Hampstead Theatre

I just booked my seat for the opening night of this new play.
Thank you Christopher.
Glad to be of service, Stewart! I think they sometimes have a post-show discussion with the audience at that theatre (Hampstead Theatre). If they have that on the night you go, you will be able to tell them everything they have got wrong... (or maybe praise them for getting it all right). There will probably be quite a lot of poetic licence at play. Not sure what 'Ravens' refers to in the title - maybe you will find out.

Stewart Reuben
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Stewart Reuben » Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:39 pm

My review of Ravens appears on its separate section.

IIn today's Daily Telegraph, page 31, Sacred Mysteries, a weekly section By CRISTOPHER HOWSE the headline is
Making our moves on God's own chessboard.
It was a long article and I lost patience.
Later in it he says: Now if he can do what he wants, God must have the ability to make things happen in the universe. It's less like winding up a clock and more like a chess game. The moves made by evildoers are countered by God's infinite capacity to say, 'If he goes there, I'll move there.'

Andy Stoker
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Andy Stoker » Sat Nov 30, 2019 3:46 pm

I might never have become a chess grandmaster if I’d stuck to women-only tournaments says Judit Polgár

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... t-play-men

Guardian 30 Nov 2019

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Sat Nov 30, 2019 6:09 pm

Isn't that axiomatic, since at female only tournaments you can just get female titles?
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

David Sedgwick
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by David Sedgwick » Sat Nov 30, 2019 6:44 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Sat Nov 30, 2019 6:09 pm
Isn't that axiomatic, since at female only tournaments you can just get female titles?
That's not right. You could get norms in tournaments with three full GMs and two other titled players, even if they were all women.

More relevantly, the Women's World Champion is awarded the full GM title, if she does not already hold it.

For that reason, Judit Polgar's statement, far from being axiomatic, seems to me to be dubious.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Sat Nov 30, 2019 7:03 pm

I thought JP meant that she got better as she played stronger players, which is almost certainly true.

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Sat Nov 30, 2019 7:05 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:
Sat Nov 30, 2019 6:44 pm
Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Sat Nov 30, 2019 6:09 pm
Isn't that axiomatic, since at female only tournaments you can just get female titles?
That's not right. You could get norms in tournaments with three full GMs and two other titled players, even if they were all women.

More relevantly, the Women's World Champion is awarded the full GM title, if she does not already hold it.

For that reason, Judit Polgar's statement, far from being axiomatic, seems to me to be dubious.
Fair enough (and I did know about the woman WC getting the male GM title thing)
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

Stewart Reuben
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Stewart Reuben » Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:09 pm

Matt > I did know about the woman WC getting the male GM title thing,

There is no such thing as the Male GM title. There is a GM title, which mainly requires 2600+ performances. It is in no way gender indicative.

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:05 am

Yes, I know that as well - maybe I should have used inverted commas ;)
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)