Media comments on chess

[JustinHorton]

Thomas Colson of Business Insider reporting on Anne-Marie Morris, MP for Newton Abbott:

We have the challenge of the leader, of our fellow conservatives and the cabinet, the challenge of the Labour party, the speaker, and civil servants.

It is all of those we have to play in a complex game of chess.

[Geoff Chandler]

I went to back to 'The Pawn' in Alexandria. Three hours there and three hours back on my bus pass.
Just to have my picture taken and a pint. (nice pint, £3.20).







That is one of them smooth out with no wrinkles boards if you crunch them up...feels like dead flesh.

Back on topic. In 'The Human Comedy of Chess' by Hans Ree he mentions (page 224) that during
the Timman - Short 1993 match the Dutch politicians debated using chess terms.

One accused another of playing on two chess boards at once. (something to do with jumping sides.)
He countered with that he was good at simultaneous displays.

Another said the concessions that were being made was like swapping pieces and taking the life out of the game.
There was also accusations of changing the rules in the middle-game and turning chess into checkers.

The Dutch MP's seem to more fluent in their chess terms than our lot are.

[NickFaulks]

The Dutch MP's seem to more fluent in their chess terms than our lot are.

Probably in half a dozen languages too.

[Roland Kensdale]

Countdown today 11.4.19 ( at https://www.channel4.com/programmes/cou ... /68258-020 - needs free registration to watch).

India Owens says she is taking break from professional chess while attending Southampton University. (2.07 mins)

[Roger de Coverly]

India Owens says she is taking break from professional chess while attending Southampton University. (2.07 mins)

"serious" rather than "professional" might have been a better choice of adjective.

http://ecfgrading.org.uk/new/menu.php?f ... de=272684B

[JustinHorton]

BBC World Service last Thursday:

Chess: a chequered history

How the modern game of chess emerged and became a tool of Cold War propaganda. Joining Bridget Kendall are Jovanka Houska, Jean-Louis Cazaux, Rick Knowlton and Andrei Kurkov.

[JustinHorton]

Guardian story on Theresa May's Brexit problems illustrated with the PM on a huge chessboard, confronted with a giant yellow king.

[Nick Grey]

the next bbc travel show before the 6am breakfast news will have chess in Norway with magnus.

[Geoff Chandler]

Tonight on Radio 4 'Last Word ', David Thouless a joint Nobel Prize winner.

His son mentions his dad was a good chess player and after Hastings (no year given)
Bronstein played a simul v Cambridge University Chess Club P.25 W.19. D.5 L.1.

The loss was against David Thouless.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0004635

The chess bit comes in around about 5:30 (you may have to sign in - it's simple just an email address and a password.)

Be good if we could unearth the score of the game. (it's not on Chessgames.com)

[JustinHorton]

The Daily Star on the snooker:

Luca Brecel and Gary Wilson fought out the longest frame in World Snooker Championship history on Sunday night - and fans LOVED it.

The frame lasted an incredible 79 minutes and 31 seconds as Wilson edged victory over Brecel to proceed to Round Two.

The two cuemen played some unbelievable safety shots as they played what looked more like chess than snooker at times.

[Roger de Coverly]

His son mentions his dad was a good chess player and after Hastings (no year given)
Bronstein played a simul v Cambridge University Chess Club P.25 W.19. D.5 L.1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._Thouless

That gives his year of birth as 1934, so it's likely to have been Bronstein's "Alexander" Hastings.

[John Saunders]

His son mentions his dad was a good chess player and after Hastings (no year given)
Bronstein played a simul v Cambridge University Chess Club P.25 W.19. D.5 L.1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._Thouless

That gives his year of birth as 1934, so it's likely to have been Bronstein's "Alexander" Hastings.

Yes, that was my first thought and it seems to be right. BCM, Feb 1954, p47-48, gives details of the simuls given by Soviet players after Hastings 1953/54. It tells us that Bronstein and Alatortsev gave simuls in Cambridge on the Saturday (which I make 16 January 1954) in which Alatortsev's score was +14, =5, -0 and Bronstein +23, =1, -1, which doesn't quite tally but seems close enough. However, Thouless is not name-checked nor are there any game scores. Perhaps someone could check CHESS mag - I don't have a copy to hand. A newspaper check didn't find the game either.

[John Clarke]

His son mentions his dad was a good chess player and after Hastings (no year given)
Bronstein played a simul v Cambridge University Chess Club P.25 W.19. D.5 L.1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._Thouless

That gives his year of birth as 1934, so it's likely to have been Bronstein's "Alexander" Hastings.

Yes, that was my first thought and it seems to be right. BCM, Feb 1954, p47-48, gives details of the simuls given by Soviet players after Hastings 1953/54. It tells us that Bronstein and Alatortsev gave simuls in Cambridge on the Saturday (which I make 16 January 1954) in which Alatortsev's score was +14, =5, -0 and Bronstein +23, =1, -1, which doesn't quite tally but seems close enough. However, Thouless is not name-checked nor are there any game scores. Perhaps someone could check CHESS mag - I don't have a copy to hand. A newspaper check didn't find the game either.

Something puzzling about this. The other Soviet player at Hastings in 1953/54 was Tolush. And according to Wikipedia (yes, yes .... not the most reliable source) Alatortsev never got to compete outside the USSR, and had stopped playing in major tournaments in the early 1950s. Did he just happen to be in the UK at the same time as Bronstein, but without taking part in any serious chess events?

[Richard James]

IMG_1464.JPG

IMG_1465.JPG

[Richard James]

Here, by the way, is Tolush's loss to the eccentric JC Thompson.