English Chess Forum

Mick

I may have confused myself as William Boyd in Sweet Caress references a character taking an interest in problems post lobotomy.

These literary references should not be seen as a comment by myself on the world of problemists.

J T Melsom wrote: ↑

Tue May 31, 2022 11:51 am

In Sidetracked by Henning Mankell , Wallander seeks advice from a journalist whose career went astray after a drink driving incident.

''His wife had left their childless marriage. He continued drinking but managed not to step too far over the line. He gave up his career in journalism and made a living setting chess problems for a number of newspapers. The only reason he hadn't drunk himself to death was that every day he forced himself to hold off on that first drink until he had devised at least one chess problem."

I have a feeling I've seen this somewhere before, but searching for Wallander here brings up a thread about CJ and Sheffield, and I've lost the link to the S&B blog list of literary references.

It's here but we didn't have it. We would have if I'd known about it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61669876. Not a real chess player, it would seem.

Nuii ice cream advert showed a chess player at a table in a park, briefly, in a short ad.

Watching the French Open Tennis today. The semi-final bewteen Cilic and the Norwegian Ruud. The latter won. It is the first time a Norwegian had reached the semifinal, never mind about the final of a major tennis event. The commentator said the achievements in sport of Norwegians is amazing. He cited several sports and, yes, he did mention Magnus Carlssen. All from a population of about 5 million.

Stewart Reuben wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 03, 2022 9:55 pm

Watching the French Open Tennis today. The semi-final bewteen Cilic and the Norwegian Ruud. The latter won. It is the first time a Norwegian had reached the semifinal, never mind about the final of a major tennis event. The commentator said the achievements in sport of Norwegians is amazing. He cited several sports and, yes, he did mention Magnus Carlssen. All from a population of about 5 million.

But did he mention Agdestein?

I received an email advert from Waterstones (well,it's sort of media) about "The Partisan" by Patrick Worrall.

"In 1961, Yulia and Michael – two young chess prodigies from either side of the Iron Curtain – meet at a tournament in London. But it’s the height of the Cold War, and a chess match is not just a chess match. Accompanying Yulia on her visit to the West is Vassily, the Soviet's greatest spy chief. And where Vassily goes, Greta – a Lithuanian assassin tasked with bringing down the USSR – will follow.

Crafted as ingeniously as a grandmaster's game and perfect for fans of John le Carré, Robert Harris and The Queen's Gambit, The Partisan spans the 1930s through to the Cold War, drawing inspiration from the true stories of female WWII resistance fighters.

A multi-layered, sophisticated and utterly compulsive espionage thriller from a hugely exciting new voice, The Partisan is available exclusively at Waterstones three weeks before the official publication date, and can be pre-ordered now, signed by the author."

As I had never heard of him, I did an internet search - it's his first novel. Good luck to him.

Jonathan >But did he mention Agdestein?<
No, he didn't. I doubt he knew about the three reasons to mention Simen's achievements - footballer, chess GM and chess coach of Magnus.

Kevin >
"In 1961, Yulia and Michael – two young chess prodigies from either side of the Iron Curtain – meet at a tournament in London.<

Well, there is no doubt that part of it is a total fiction. 1973 would be the absolute earliest.

Saw an ad on ITV3 for a hotel group. Two people were playing chess at a bar. It was about 22.03.
It went by so quickly I didn' get the name of the hotel group.

Out shopping today with Mrs. C. in Primark.

Saw this tee shirt there, It looks a lot like Bobby Fischer.
It certainly reminds me of some pictures of Fischer.

It is, at best, a caricature of Bobby. He would have been unhappy.

I'm glad you can see it as well Stewart, I thought I seeing Bobby everywhere I go.
It was hanging a wall, the picture is not too good, it's creased but It is a definite likeness.

Some of those tees were not very well drawn at all. I had one once with what purported to be Mick Jagger's face on it; that picture too was barely recognisable.

John Clarke wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 11, 2022 11:32 pm

I had one once with what purported to be Mick Jagger's face on it

If it isn't too embarrassing a question, did you wear it in public?

NickFaulks wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 12, 2022 12:01 am

John Clarke wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 11, 2022 11:32 pm

I had one once with what purported to be Mick Jagger's face on it

If it isn't too embarrassing a question, did you wear it in public?

Yeah, a few times - once to a chess match - until it shrank in the wash and got too tight on me. Cheap Hong Kong product, I suspect. Which would also account for the low standard of portraiture (harder for them to catch a proper likeness of "gweilos").