English Chess Forum

Stewart Reuben wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 17, 2019 3:19 am

I try to believe 3 impossible things before breakfast,

When they agreed to Zukhar sitting at the back of he hall, I asked Petra, 'But won't he still be able to affect Viktor?' She responded, 'oh no. The force weakens the further away you are. Who could have known she knew the Inverse Square Law?'

Or it could be she'd just seen the latest Star Wars film?

"...American Football is an open-air chess game disguised as warfare.

There is a lexicon of 'plays' known to any decent footballer, as premeditated as the Ruy Lopez opening,
the Petroff Defence, The Sicilian Defence, The Muzio Gambit, The Queen's Gambit Declined."

Broadcast 9th January 1971. from the book: 'Letters from America 1969-1979' by Alistair Cooke (Penguin 1979).

(not yet finished the book, I'm just getting to Watergate. There maybe more references of chess to come.
The '72 match, Fischer's abdication, Korchnoi's defection and the yogurt protestation happened during that period.)

Yesterday at the Queen's Club Tennis. I watched on TV. The match between Simon and Medvedev.
The commentator Gilles said,
'It was like a chess match with a tennis ball.'

I bought a DVD yesterday (Cube One) as part of a 4 for a £1.00 deal. (it had a guy playing chess on the cover so it was a 'must have'.)

One guard was trying to solve a puzzle in a newspaper and we were given a shot of it.


(picture taken from the T.V. screen.)

It is Alekhine - Tarrasch, St. Petersburg 1914.

3r1k2/p4pp1/1q5p/3rRN1n/1p3P1Q/1PP4P/1P2R1PK/8 b - - 23 37

However there is no winning shot on for Black. The guard is struggling (obviously) so the other
guard shows him how to mate and we suddenly cut to a chessboard showing this position...

r1bqr1k1/p1pp1ppp/1p6/4B3/1B2P3/3P2Q1/PP3PPP/RN2K2R w - - 0 1

...with White about to mate on g7. (They do show two White dark squared Bishops. )

'That's brilliant' says the first guard and I must admit it is very clever given the two positions we saw.

The film is not too bad. Seen better and watched a lot worse.

Alekhine - Tarrasch, St. Petersburg 1914.

1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. ed5 e4 4. d3 Nf6 5. de4 Ne4 6. Nf3 Bf5 7. Be3 c6 8. Bc4 b5 9. Bb3 c5 10. d6 c4 11. Qd5 Nd7 12. Qf5 Nd6 13. Qd5 Be7 14. O-O O-O 15. Nc3 Nf6 16. Qd2 cb3 17. ab3 b4 18. Nd5 Nf5 19. Ne7 Qe7 20. Rfe1 Rfd8 21. Bd4 Nd4 22. Nd4 Qc5 23. Rad1 Rd5 24. h3 Rad8 25. c3 h6 26. Qd3 Qd6 27. Qf3 Nh5 28. Re4 Nf6 29. Re3 Nh5 30. Rf1 Nf6 31. Rfe1 Qc5 32. Kh2 Rc8 33. R1e2 Kf8 34. Re5 Rcd8 35. Nf5 Qb6 36. Qg3 Nh5 37. Qh4 Re5 38. fe5 Rd1 39. Re3 Qg6 40. Qb4

Cube One? Cube Zero?

ITV3 Poirot. Chess deaths by electrocution of pieces. First 'LIVE' Board homicides?

"ITV3 Poirot. Chess deaths by electrocution of pieces. First 'LIVE' Board homicides?"

From Russia With Love (1963). I doubt the Poirot idea was in the original book.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 30, 2019 9:41 pm

From Russia With Love (1963). I doubt the Poirot idea was in the original book.

It was.

Oh, so it was - (Big Four, published 1927) It's so long since I read it!

I had previously seen that episode of Poirot. But if I have forgotten to include it, then it can join the list.

The game in 'From Russia with Love' in the film was Spassky Bronstein. Boris commented on it to me when we were in Gibraltar. They took two pawns off the board.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/l ... spartanntp

Reported Lewis chess piece on sale today. Rush to Sotheby's with your suitcase of money.

Chess is the theme of today's cartoon in El País by El Roto.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 11:18 am

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/l ... spartanntp

Reported Lewis chess piece on sale today. Rush to Sotheby's with your suitcase of money.

A bargain apparently, as it sold at the lowest estimated price.

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:09 pm

Chess is the theme of today's cartoon in El País by El Roto.

So, Justin, who exactly are the 'tertulianos'?

The cartoon is of two knights, one black and one white; unable to communicate with each other - although close together; marooned in just 4 squares of a chess board unable to escape. It seems to me apposite for Brexit and the Conservative party contest.