English Chess Forum

Dominic is to present a series of radio interviews while contesting a game. The series is to be broadcast on Radio4, the first one on 30 Dec. at 1.45 p.m. His opponents/interviewees include Lennox Lewis and Rachel Reeves M.P.

I'll remember to be doing something else.

NickFaulks wrote:I'll remember to be doing something else.

Fifty years ago there was a chess radio series on what later became Radio 3. Before my time to listen to it, but there was an anthology published under the title of "Chess Treasury of the Air". Whilst at the time of first publication it was a Penguin priced at three and six or five bob, it's now a Hardinge-Simpole at twenty pounds or so. (So still a Penguin in a manner of speaking).

We'll have to see how the series works out, but perhaps it's "Star against a reasonably rated chess player".

Dominic is a 200+ player. Met him at the Kings Head Club, London, many years ago. Have made a note in my diary.
The "Chess Treasury of the Air", was a successful series, back in the 1950's. Gerald Abraham's was the barrister who believed that he could beat Robert J. Fischer.
Not the first barrister who suffered from delusions of grandeur.

Gordon Cadden wrote:Dominic is a 200+ player.

Not according to the ECF - although I do recall RDK saying many years ago that he would have been IM strength had he devoted more time to the game.

The series sounds like A Round With Aliss* which was on the tellybox in the 80s if memory serves. Except chess not golf.








* not Alice as I initially typed. That sounds like a different kind of programme altogether.

NickFaulks wrote:I'll remember to be doing something else.

And so say all of us.

Mind you, Lawson's interest and ability in chess is not in dispute, and I quite liked the bits I saw of his book The Inner Game. I'd be curious to know if his relationship with Short ever quite recovered?

I am grateful that Dominic Lawson is doing a radio series on chess. He is a strong player and a thoughtful communicator. The programmes are about people for whom chess has made a difference to their lives. Sounds interesting.

Jonathan Bryant wrote:

Gordon Cadden wrote:Dominic is a 200+ player.

Not according to the ECF - although I do recall RDK saying many years ago that he would have been IM strength had he devoted more time to the game.

The series sounds like A Round With Alliss which was on the tellybox in the 80s if memory serves. Except chess not golf.

Well, a peak ECF rating in recent years of somewhere close to 200, and a rapidplay one c 190, sounds pretty good to me for an occasional club player in his late 50s. Would make him a valued member of the first team at our place. Anyway, neither his enthusiasm for, or long-standing interest in, the game is in dispute.

On the basis that more 'exposure' for chess is a good thing, I suggest we should wish him luck.

AustinElliott wrote: Well, a peak ECF rating in recent years of somewhere close to 200, and a rapidplay one c 190, sounds pretty good to me for an occasional club player in his late 50s. Would make him a valued member of the first team at our place.

Well I agree with all of that. And for what is worth, although Ray certainly not beyond absurd flattery of anybody he feels could be useful to him later, the thesis that Mr L might have been much stronger than he already is strikes me as very plausible. Not that any of this makes him '200+'.

Like the other Jonathan, I also enjoyed Lawson's 'The Inner Game'.


I don't subscribe to the view that all and any 'exposure' for chess is necessarily a good thing, but I'll make a point of listening to the first one at least and possibly more.

john collins wrote:Dominic is to present a series of radio interviews while contesting a game. The series is to be broadcast on Radio4, the first one on 30 Dec. at 1.45 p.m. His opponents/interviewees include Lennox Lewis and Rachel Reeves M.P.

Lennox Lewis?

What we want to see is this new sport of chess-boxing between Dominic and Lennox.

stevencarr wrote:

john collins wrote:Dominic is to present a series of radio interviews while contesting a game. The series is to be broadcast on Radio4, the first one on 30 Dec. at 1.45 p.m. His opponents/interviewees include Lennox Lewis and Rachel Reeves M.P.

Lennox Lewis?

What we want to see is this new sport of chess-boxing between Dominic and Lennox.

I don't expect you'll see much on the Radio Steven

I listened to Bruno-Tyson on the radio.

Now a Lawson-Keene v. Tyson-Lewis chess-boxing tag match would be worth watching. Actually - hearing it would probably do.

Cannot quite understand the negativity.

There are threads all this forum moaning about the lack of Chess in the media
and yet when it happens along people are going to go out of their way to avoid it.

Also:

"Dominic is a 200+ player."

I could have shut my eyes and predicted the next post.

"Not according to the ECF...."

I just knew someone would check to see if DL had the grading rights to speak about Chess on the radio.

We should listen out for the producers name and write letters of encouragement.
Not emails, they end up in the junk folder and get deleted.
Letters written on paper using ink.....google it if you don't know what I'm talking about.

For the record, Geoff, I didn't need to look up Mr L to know 200+ was likely to be an overestimation of his strength - because a couple of years back I once played on the same team. I did check to see if he'd increased any over the last little while though.

The idea that my post was in any way a suggestion that somebody has to be over 200 to present a radio programme on chess is simply your invention.