Media comments on chess

[Paul Dargan]

Some Radio 4 programme called Wood Pushers I just found on iplayer. NY chess hustlers I suspect from the pic ... will download and have a listen on the train.


Paul

[Kay Joslin P]

Checkmate! Watch the world's most unique chess game ... played with 550 people dressed up as noblemen and peasants as well as knights riding horses
Chess game re-enacts living pawn game played by knights in 1454
Unique chess game is played bi-annually in Veneto, Italy
The two-hour extravaganza includes 550 walk-on parts

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... orses.html

[Ian Kingston]

Deciding question in the head-to-head round of today's Pointless: Chess Greats. Just give the surname from these clues:

Magnus C
Anatoly K
Garry K
Vladimir K
Bobby F

Shouldn't tax anyone here!

(Scores; 8, 17, 37, 3 and 55 respectively.)

In the show, Carlsen and Fischer were correctly chosen.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Heh. More people recognised Karpov than Carlsen? That is surprising. But more people recognised Carlsen than Kramnik. Well, not by much, but still, Vlad-the-nearly-pointless? I wonder which chess world champions would have been pointless?

[IM Jack Rudd]

Heh. More people recognised Karpov than Carlsen? That is surprising. But more people recognised Carlsen than Kramnik. Well, not by much, but still, Vlad-the-nearly-pointless? I wonder which chess world champions would have been pointless?

Smyslov is probably the least-known among chess players. Among the general public, probably anyone pre-Spassky has a chance of being pointless.

[Lewis Martin]

Heh. More people recognised Karpov than Carlsen? That is surprising. But more people recognised Carlsen than Kramnik. Well, not by much, but still, Vlad-the-nearly-pointless? I wonder which chess world champions would have been pointless?

Smyslov is probably the least-known among chess players. Among the general public, probably anyone pre-Spassky has a chance of being pointless.

I was trying to decide whether Carlsen or Kramnik would be the lowest. It did surprise me Kasparov was as low as it was. The Carlsen answer was actually a guess, or rather, that person just had something in the back of his mind.

I'd be surprised if Capablanca was pointless, but it may well happen in some cases in terms of random selection.

I'd agree that amongst chess players, Smyslov would be the least known. I'd probably struggle to name him too if at some point I was demanded to list all the world chess champions on the spot. It probably is because he isn't really 'glorified' in modern times at least. I suppose Euwe would run him close.

[Richard James]

I visited a local primary school chess club the other day and asked the children if they knew the names of any famous chess players.

One boy raised his hand and told me he knew the name of a famous player from the past. I asked who it was, anticipating Bobby Fischer and was surprised when he said "Capablanca".

I then asked if anyone knew the name of the current world champion, but none of them did.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

One boy raised his hand and told me he knew the name of a famous player from the past. I asked who it was, anticipating Bobby Fischer and was surprised when he said "Capablanca".

Sounds like he happened to read a book that mentioned Capablanca. Someone's first introduction to chess can be very random if you pick up a book in the local or school library. That was partly what got me into chess problems, because there was a book on that in my (secondary) school library.

[Paul Dargan]

Surely Pono, Khalifman et al from the FIDE version of the title are the best shots at pointless answers?

Paul

[Roger de Coverly]

Surely Pono, Khalifman et al from the FIDE version of the title are the best shots at pointless answers?

Even an audience of chess players might struggle to recall them. You only remember Khalifman because of Kasparov's "tourist" jibe.

[Jonathan Bryant]

Surely Pono, Khalifman et al from the FIDE version of the title are the best shots at pointless answers?

Even an audience of chess players might struggle to recall them.

An audience of chess players other than Lewis Martin, perhaps.

[Stewart Reuben]

I decided to look up Wikipedia's view of the status of the players who won the 'World Championship' from the big knockout tournaments.
1999-2000 (FIDE) Alexander Khalifmn
2000-2002 FIDE) Viswanathan Anand
2002-2004 (FIDE) Ruslan Ponomariov
2004-2005 (FIDE) Ruslan Kasimdzhanov
2005-2006 (FIDE) Veselin Topalov
Of course later Vishy won the reuinified title.
But FIDE have written the 1999-2006 titles out of their history books. Kirsan never refers to them. Do they still count at all?

Have you noticed that the careers of Ponomariov and Topalov were severely damaged during their period as 'World Champion'. Their manager at the time was Danailov who has a great deal to answer for.

[Geoff Chandler]

I caught Pointless and figured Fischer first and Kramnik would be lowest.
When I saw 'Chess Greats' I thought it was going to be Anagrams.

Pity the two lads never chose The Beatles - reckon I would have done OK on that.

I'm thinking Max Euwe might score under Smsylov if we go for Champions from Steiitz to Kasparov.

I once set this as poser on another Forum - Which Letter comes next?

SLCAEABSBTBPSFK

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I once set this as poser on another Forum - Which Letter comes next?

SLCAEABSBTBPSFK

You've kind of given it away. 'K' (for Kasparov).

How about this sequence?

MVVGABBTMMMVMAMAJE

What is the next (and last) letter in that sequence?

[Tristan Clayton]

How about this sequence?

MVVGABBTMMMVMAMAJE

What is the next (and last) letter in that sequence?

Nice one. I originally thought 'Mercury, Venus...' then quickly ran out of space.

Glad to see only two Vs after the initial M rather than three.