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Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 7:12 pm
by Stewart Reuben
Just about 5 minute ago, I turned to ITV4 where the French Open Tennis is covered. As I did so
One of the commentators was comparing the leading players against lesser opponents. 'It is something like grandmasters playing against each other in chess. They hone their skills against each other and then use them against lesser players'.
I have somewhat paraphrased what was actually said. Somebody could provide an accurate report by watching from 8pm on the ITV4 + 1.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 7:42 pm
by NickFaulks
Stewart Reuben wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:06 pm
My view has long been that , more men play chess than women because more men play chess than women. It is about 90% in Britain. The sheer weight of numbers leads to men being better players.
Why doesn't that work in bridge?
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:57 pm
by Stewart Reuben
Nick >Why doesn't that work in bridge?
Surely because the percentage of women players in bridge is far closer to 505.
There was a long football ad on ITV4 AT 9.50pm. The theme was 'It's just a game'. 'No, it's football'. During it a football is punted and drops into a chess game.
Go figure?!
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:12 pm
by NickFaulks
Stewart Reuben wrote: ↑Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:57 pm
Nick >Why doesn't that work in bridge?
Surely because the percentage of women players in bridge is far closer to 50%.
Yes, that was my point. Nearly all of the top bridge players are men, albeit not to the same extent as in chess.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:57 pm
by Paul Habershon
NickFaulks wrote: ↑Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:12 pm
Stewart Reuben wrote: ↑Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:57 pm
Nick >Why doesn't that work in bridge?
Surely because the percentage of women players in bridge is far closer to 50%.
Yes, that was my point. Nearly all of the top bridge players are men, albeit not to the same extent as in chess.
Today's English top 100 bridge players (rolling National Grading System) has two women, at 44th and 69th.
The only caveat is that players can elect to keep their grade private. I think that's quite rare, especially of players in the top 100.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:12 am
by Stewart Reuben
Paul > English top 100 bridge players (rolling National Grading System) has two women, at 44th and 69th.<
I had no idea of that and have no answer. A pity I didn't know that two days ago, when I played bridge with a woman professional at the same table and could have asked her.
One possible explanation is that women in earlier times were not encouraged as much as men to be competitive. The disparity in strength in bridge may be a hangover from those days. A fair amount of resources in chess have been spent on trying to encourage female participation at a higher level, e.g. Lloyds Bank Masters years ago and Gibraltar currently. I don't know, but perhaps similar resources have not been applied in bridge. Another possibility is that most women who play bridge regularly take up the game late in life.
Another difficulty is that many teenagers do not like to compete against players of the opposite sex. Thus women's tennis flourishes, but competitively the sexes are mostly segregated.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:47 am
by Paul Robert Jackson
Tales of the Unexpected: The Best Chess Player in the World
Has recently been repeated on Sky Arts (Freeview Channel 11).
I am sure it will be repeated again.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 12:11 pm
by Paul Habershon
Paul Habershon wrote: ↑Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:57 pm
NickFaulks wrote: ↑Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:12 pm
Stewart Reuben wrote: ↑Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:57 pm
Nick >Why doesn't that work in bridge?
Surely because the percentage of women players in bridge is far closer to 50%.
Yes, that was my point. Nearly all of the top bridge players are men, albeit not to the same extent as in chess.
Today's English top 100 bridge players (rolling National Grading System) has two women, at 44th and 69th.
The only caveat is that players can elect to keep their grade private. I think that's quite rare, especially of players in the top 100.
Footnote: chess connected top-ranked English bridge players (positions can change daily). 41st Ankush Khandelwal, 125th Frank Littlewood (brother of the late John), 163rd Jonathan Mestel, 216th Paul Lamford, 264th Peter Lee.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 12:24 pm
by Ian Thompson
Paul Habershon wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 12:11 pm
Paul Habershon wrote: ↑Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:57 pm
NickFaulks wrote: ↑Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:12 pm
Yes, that was my point. Nearly all of the top bridge players are men, albeit not to the same extent as in chess.
Today's English top 100 bridge players (rolling National Grading System) has two women, at 44th and 69th.
The only caveat is that players can elect to keep their grade private. I think that's quite rare, especially of players in the top 100.
Footnote: chess connected top-ranked English bridge players (positions can change daily). 41st Ankush Khandelwal, 125th Frank Littlewood (brother of the late John), 163rd Jonathan Mestel, 216th Paul Lamford, 264th Peter Lee.
I thought I read somewhere on this forum that John Cox was rather good at Bridge. Is the John Cox in 70th position not the chess player?
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 2:38 pm
by Paul Habershon
Ian Thompson wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 12:24 pm
Paul Habershon wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 12:11 pm
Paul Habershon wrote: ↑Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:57 pm
Today's English top 100 bridge players (rolling National Grading System) has two women, at 44th and 69th.
Footnote: chess connected top-ranked English bridge players (positions can change daily). 41st Ankush Khandelwal, 125th Frank Littlewood (brother of the late John), 163rd Jonathan Mestel, 216th Paul Lamford, 264th Peter Lee.
I thought I read somewhere on this forum that John Cox was rather good at Bridge. Is the John Cox in 70th position not the chess player?
Ian, that could well be
the John Cox. Common name, though. I don't know.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 4:41 pm
by David Sedgwick
Ian Thompson wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 12:24 pm
I thought I read somewhere on this forum that John Cox was rather good at Bridge. Is the John Cox in 70th position not the chess player?
Paul Habershon wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 2:38 pm
Ian, that could well be
the John Cox. Common name, though. I don't know.
I can confirm that the 70th ranked bridge player is indeed IM john Cox, occasional contributor to this Forum.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 5:05 pm
by Stewart Reuben
A chess/bridge team could be formed from that lot. Unfortunately not all over 50. Otherwise they could play in the World Seniors next year. Obviously there are a number of chess/poker players, particularly from the US.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 7:11 pm
by David Sedgwick
Stewart Reuben wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 5:05 pm
A chess/bridge team could be formed from that lot. Unfortunately not all over 50. Otherwise they could play in the World Seniors next year. Obviously there are a number of chess/poker players, particularly from the US.
Of the sis people mentioned, only Ankush Khandelwal is under 50.
However, the other five are not all from the same Federation, as Paul Lamford is Welsh.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 7:18 pm
by Paul Cooksey
I did once visit Basingstoke Chess and Bridge Club for an adjournment on a bridge night. As far as I can tell it is a game where elderly people drink tea and occasionally say "No bid" to each other. So presumably easy to master for those who cannot take the excitement of chess.
Re: Media comments on chess
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 8:13 pm
by Paul Habershon
Paul Cooksey wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 7:18 pm
I did once visit Basingstoke Chess and Bridge Club for an adjournment on a bridge night. As far as I can tell it is a game where elderly people drink tea and occasionally say "No bid" to each other. So presumably easy to master for those who cannot take the excitement of chess.
Very tongue-in-cheek I'm sure, Paul, but tournament bridge is pretty cutthroat, though not as ill-mannered and nasty as some might suspect.
It is striking, though, how top bridge players maintain their strength well beyond an age when top chess players decline. The cynic might say it thus proves chess is the superior game. Just depends on your criteria.
I saw bridge players too at Basingstoke when playing a county chess match many years ago. R.E. Boxall hosted the chess. Eastbourne is another place where chess shares premises with bridge.