English Chess Forum

I think the original book by Pierre Boulle is not bad. Interestingly, he also wrote The Bridge Over The River Kwai. However, for me the films are rubbish.

An interview in The Guardian with the musician Moby

Moby wrote:You know, you’re asking me to open up such a can of worms. It reminds me of my favourite chess move, which my uncle taught me, where you move your knight so that it puts the king in check but also is going to take the castle.” This is known as a fork. “There’s no good way to answer: one option is terrible, the other is really terrible. So if we were playing chess right now, this is the part where I’d pick up my phone and pretend I’ve got an emergency call.

You don't often get a fork analogy. If I ever meet him, I'll try to explain zugzwang.

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:25 pm

By "the first film" in this instance do you mean the late 1960s original?

Yes Matt, the late 60's. It was quite different from was on about then. I liked it.

'Moby' David Levy developed a chess computer called Moby.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=112733

I wonder if the 'MOBY' stood for anything. 'Machine Operated By...er..You!' or something like that.

Moby also wrote in his journal about chess.

dear mr./mrs. computer chess programmer,
Allow me to say that the fun of playing chess is profoundly compromised when one never wins.
Maybe i should get a real computer chess program, one that doesn’t always play like a merciless grand master.
Playing against this program is like being 7 years old and playing football with a pro who loves to beat up 7 year olds.
It’s making me hate chess.

https://moby.com/journal/no-more-computer-chess/

Paul Cooksey wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:57 pm

An interview in The Guardian with the musician Moby

Moby wrote:You know, you’re asking me to open up such a can of worms. It reminds me of my favourite chess move, which my uncle taught me, where you move your knight so that it puts the king in check but also is going to take the castle.” This is known as a fork. “There’s no good way to answer: one option is terrible, the other is really terrible. So if we were playing chess right now, this is the part where I’d pick up my phone and pretend I’ve got an emergency call.

You don't often get a fork analogy. If I ever meet him, I'll try to explain zugzwang.

I couldn't access the link to the Guardian article so don't know what was said there but when I saw the context to the chess remarks Moby made in the Independent Online I have to say I was pretty disgusted. In his autobiography he said he dated Natalie Portman. She said she never did but recalls “a much older man being creepy with me”, adding: “He said I was 20; I definitely wasn’t. I was a teenager. I had just turned 18.” Turns out he was 34 at the time. The chess remarks he made were in relation to the backlash he received for this and how he tried to wriggle out of it.

Chris Rice wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:22 am

I have to say I was pretty disgusted.

I had never heard of Moby but, to be fair to the man, he makes no effort to show himself in a good light.

I was amused by “There is a part of me in hindsight that wishes I hadn’t written the book. But then, sales figures indicate that not that many people actually read it.”

Paul Cooksey wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:57 pm

An interview in The Guardian with the musician Moby

Moby wrote:You know, you’re asking me to open up such a can of worms. It reminds me of my favourite chess move, which my uncle taught me, where you move your knight so that it puts the king in check but also is going to take the castle.” This is known as a fork. “There’s no good way to answer: one option is terrible, the other is really terrible. So if we were playing chess right now, this is the part where I’d pick up my phone and pretend I’ve got an emergency call.

You don't often get a fork analogy. If I ever meet him, I'll try to explain zugzwang.

Here is the correct Guardian link - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/ ... rug-addict

Phil Neatherway wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:10 pm

I think the original book by Pierre Boulle is not bad. Interestingly, he also wrote The Bridge Over The River Kwai. However, for me the films are rubbish.

The original is full of ideas (thanks not least to Boulle), it looks fantastic, and it has any number of memorable sequences and images, including one of the great endings of cinema. I didn't know he wrote Bridge Over The River Kwai.

New Private Eye (page 33) is offering for sale a "diverse chess set"

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 04, 2021 4:35 pm

"What is the minimum number of moves for a knight to go from a1 to h8 (i.e. between two opposite corners of the 8x8 chessboard)?"

Thanks Chris,

Kicked off latest blog with that one. (I quickly guessed 5 ) I baled out with 'There are many different routes....'
The RHP example I used the player went b3-a5-b7 so after three moves they were still on the b-file.
How many different routes are there?

I found this whilst surfing.



But it concentrated on Knight tours. http://www.mathrecreation.com/2011/03/knight-moves.html

My blog did it this way.



https://www.redhotpawn.com/chess-blog/t ... o-good.481

Leicester 0-0 Southampton


Karen Carney

Former England and Chelsea winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

Neither team have had a shot on target, Southampton haven't had any shot. It's been played between both boxes. It's been a bit of a chess match. Things will start to open up around 60 minutes when subs will be made and we'll see more expressive play.

Bob Hawkins: When a football match is described as a chess match they really mean deathly dull

Monday's Daily Telegraph.
LORENZO FRAQUELLI wrote an article on Brazilian ju-jitsu
'It's like an extremely physical version of chess - i's all about grappling, rather than punching or kicking, and there are a near-infinite number of techniques, counters and re-counters to learn.'

World Snooker Championship on Eurosport tday.
Commentator:' If this were a chess game, Maflin might be inclined to resign'. I am sure he meant the individual frame, not the whole match.

That was a very accurate analogy. In a spectator situation, Chess players often do resign too early, in my view.

Stewart Reuben wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:15 pm

World Snooker Championship on Eurosport tday.
Commentator:' If this were a chess game, Maflin might be inclined to resign'. I am sure he meant the individual frame, not the whole match.

What a strange comment to make when snooker players can resign the frame - it's called conceding in snooker. Hasn't Ronnie O'Sullivan done that once or twice when he didn't need snookers to win the frame?

Stewart Reuben wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:15 pm

World Snooker Championship on Eurosport tday.
Commentator:' If this were a chess game, Maflin might be inclined to resign'. I am sure he meant the individual frame, not the whole match.

That was a very accurate analogy. In a spectator situation, Chess players often do resign too early, in my view.

I think it was Larsen who said top players like himself should only resign when it is obvious to the spectators why they have done so.

(though in all probability he broke this "rule" himself a few times)