Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Discuss anything you like about chess related matters in this forum.
David Sedgwick
Posts: 5249
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:56 pm
Location: Croydon

Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by David Sedgwick » Mon Jan 14, 2019 7:27 pm

Chess & Bridge have withdrawn from sale Ray Keene's book on the Carlsen - Caruana World Championship Match.

C & B Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/chessandbridge?lang=en.

Review by Olimpiu G Urcan. which seems to have prompted C & B's action: https://www.patreon.com/posts/23138934.

Blog post by Justin Horton: http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2018/12/ ... -rays.html.

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:02 am

David Sedgwick wrote:
Mon Jan 14, 2019 7:27 pm

Review by Olimpiu G Urcan. which seems to have prompted C & B's action: https://www.patreon.com/posts/23138934.
Curious that they only just saw it
David Sedgwick wrote:
Mon Jan 14, 2019 7:27 pm
Blog post by Justin Horton: http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2018/12/ ... -rays.html.
And another
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

Jonathan Bryant
Posts: 3452
Joined: Sun May 11, 2008 3:54 pm

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Jonathan Bryant » Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:56 am

David Sedgwick wrote:
Mon Jan 14, 2019 7:27 pm
Chess & Bridge have withdrawn from sale Ray Keene's book on the Carlsen - Caruana World Championship Match.
This is an extraordinary story in its own way.

It’s hard to imagine what Everyman were thinking of when they chose to publish this one. I suppose if you publish a dozen Lakdawala books a month there really is no bottom when it comes to quality.

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:25 am

JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:02 am
Curious that they only just saw it
There's a full page ad in the January 2019 edition of Chess.

For that matter, it was centre stage on the bookstall at the London Chess Classic.

User avatar
Christopher Kreuzer
Posts: 8806
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:34 am
Location: London

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:28 am

Goodness. It might become a collector's item! :mrgreen:

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:49 am

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:25 am
JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:02 am
Curious that they only just saw it
There's a full page ad in the January 2019 edition of Chess.

For that matter, it was centre stage on the bookstall at the London Chess Classic.
Ha ha brilliant
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

carstenpedersen
Posts: 48
Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 10:20 am

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by carstenpedersen » Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:56 pm

It was also on the C&B bookstall at 4NCL last weekend, I did wonder why.
Last edited by carstenpedersen on Tue Jan 15, 2019 1:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Kevin Thurlow
Posts: 5821
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:59 pm

It is interesting...

Some years ago, a teacher that had written various chess books got locked up for sexual abuse of children. BCM immediately took all of those books off the shelves and stopped advertising them as it might upset victims of the person involved. Chess and Bridge carried on stocking and trying to sell the books.

So maybe they are now "trying to do the right thing"? But loads of books get pretty bad reviews... What are the criteria?

Geoff Chandler
Posts: 3486
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Under Cover

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Geoff Chandler » Tue Jan 15, 2019 2:51 pm

The really annoying thing is RDK is not a hack, when he wants to he can write in an entertaining and instructive manner.

Having said that in a way it is what this match deserved. The worst ever W.C. match gets a chess book covering it
that is pulled off the shelves and to be pulped. (I want a copy!).

RDK should do a book on the 4 drawn games played by the 'Fantastic Four' so that £230,000 could be divided
up amongst them. That would have been a classic to rival the Vainstein/Bronstein 'Chess Struggle..."

Ebay still have a copy.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carlsen-v-Ca ... ctupt=true

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Jan 15, 2019 3:17 pm

Geoff Chandler wrote:
Tue Jan 15, 2019 2:51 pm
The really annoying thing is RDK is not a hack, when he wants to he can write in an entertaining and instructive manner.
Not sure what the present tense is doing in that sentence
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

Nick Grey
Posts: 1838
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2011 12:16 am

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Nick Grey » Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:42 pm

Maybe because someone wants more money? I think it is buyer beware on chess books. They can run their business as they like. At the last weekend it was very difficult having the bookstall right outside a playing area.

User avatar
MJMcCready
Posts: 3178
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:30 pm

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by MJMcCready » Wed Jan 16, 2019 6:48 am

Ray doesn't have the best reputation it would seem. Given how soon it has come out, was his motive for writing so hurriedly being he wanted to be the first to cash in on the match?

Gordon Cadden
Posts: 490
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2011 4:57 pm

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Gordon Cadden » Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:15 am

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:
Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:28 am
Goodness. It might become a collector's item! :mrgreen:
Banned books are always sought after. Must put this book on my WANTS list.

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:17 am

"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

Alex Holowczak
Posts: 9085
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:18 pm
Location: Oldbury, Worcestershire

Re: Chess & Bridge Withdraw Ray Keene's Book from Sale

Post by Alex Holowczak » Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:54 am

JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:17 am
Relatedly
Out of interest, you say
JustinHorton wrote:you won't find any reference to The Spectator, or the notes having been previously published there or anywhere else
According to the Amazon graphic, the book was published on 1st May, 1997. The two Spectator graphics you quote were apparently published on 10th May, 1997 and 31st May, 1997.

So should The Spectator be referencing the book, rather than the other way around?