A Christmas Quiz

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Geoff Chandler
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A Christmas Quiz

Post by Geoff Chandler » Thu Dec 05, 2019 4:32 pm

Hello,

Not your normal fare. If you are fed, hard up or just bored then give it a go.

Nobble the Grinch, a Chess Jigsaw....

There are Chess Player Charades (Here are just two of them)

Image

Image

A question I thought up but could not remember one of the names.

"Everyone remembers Fischer beating Taimanov and Larsen 6-0 then
Petrosian 6½ - 2½ to get to the 1972 Final v Spassky but there were four
other players in the candidates who were they and who knocked them out.
If you can remember the scores, then next year you do the Christmas quiz."

This is how you place 20 Knights (10 white and 10 Black) on a chessboard so each Knight is attacking one (and only one) other Knight.

Image

Now place 32 Knights (16 white and 16 Black) on a chessboard so each Knight is attacking one (and only one) other Knight.

More cringe worthy stuff here:

https://www.redhotpawn.com/chess-blog/l ... ogpost.437

Give it a go have a groan and a moan.

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Joey Stewart
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by Joey Stewart » Tue Dec 10, 2019 12:53 pm

I like the charades one, maybe if I have a bit of time I'll make a few of my own for member of the forum.
The other stuff your are right about cringing - remembering scorelines from 1970s matches??! Might as well just title the quiz 'anyone younger then 60 need not enter'
Lose one queen and it is a disaster, Lose 1000 queens and it is just a statistic.

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IM Jack Rudd
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Tue Dec 10, 2019 7:03 pm

Quarter-finals: Fischer 6-0 Taimanov, Larsen 5½-3½ Uhlmann, Petrosian 4-3 Hübner, Korchnoi 5½-2½ Geller

Semi-finals: Fischer 6-0 Larsen, Petrosian 5½-4½ Korchnoi

Looks like I'm going to have to think up a quiz.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:24 pm

"Petrosian 4-3 Hübner"

Was that the one where Hübner resigned the match rather than play on two bad adjourned positions? I have always thought those games should have been scored (and rated) as losses, making the score 6-3.

David Sedgwick
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by David Sedgwick » Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:28 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:24 pm
"Petrosian 4-3 Hübner"

Was that the one where Hübner resigned the match rather than play on two bad adjourned positions? I have always thought those games should have been scored (and rated) as losses, making the score 6-3.
No, that was Hübner's match against Korchnoi in the 1979 - 1981 cycle.

https://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/7981$cix.htm

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JustinHorton
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:30 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:24 pm
Was that the one where Hübner resigned the match rather than play on two bad adjourned positions?
Not sure where you're getting that from
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

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JustinHorton
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:33 pm

By the way I'm very fond of this book: does anybody know if it was a one-off, or whether similar volumes exist for other series?
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

Roger de Coverly
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:34 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:24 pm
Was that the one where Hübner resigned the match rather than play on two bad adjourned positions?
Hübner had qualified from the Interzonal alongside Fischer, but was regarded as someone there to make up the numbers. Unexpectedly he held Petrosian to six draws in a row, or perhaps vice versa, that Petrosian held him, so he was in with a shout.

He resigned the match after he complained about the playing conditions, specifically noise and that the match referee (Golombek?) wouldn't do anything about it.

Roger de Coverly
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:41 pm

JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:33 pm
does anybody know if it was a one-off, or whether similar volumes exist for other series?
There were similar books on the 1967 Interzonal, 1968 Candidates and the 1970 Interzonal. Later books were published by Batsfords, the 1973 Interzonals for example.

I think Bob Wade had also been an author, but the structure of the books was that they collated contemporary reports from various sources, including the players themselves.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:58 pm

Thanks all - evidently, I cannot remember every detail of the last 50 years of World Championships, although I had thought Korchnoi was involved. The games should still have been rated!

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JustinHorton
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:59 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:41 pm
JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:33 pm
does anybody know if it was a one-off, or whether similar volumes exist for other series?
There were similar books on the 1967 Interzonal, 1968 Candidates and the 1970 Interzonal. Later books were published by Batsfords, the 1973 Interzonals for example.

I think Bob Wade had also been an author, but the structure of the books was that they collated contemporary reports from various sources, including the players themselves.
Oh that's interesting, I'd like to see those. (I've got the 1973 one, which I also like a lot, but it's a very different format to the 1961 book.)
Last edited by JustinHorton on Tue Dec 10, 2019 10:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

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

Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Dec 10, 2019 10:03 pm

JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:59 pm
Oh that's interesting, I'd like to see those.
It might work out a bit expensive, if the prices on Amazon are anything to go by.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Candidates-Mat ... 0900928220

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Joey Stewart
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by Joey Stewart » Thu Dec 12, 2019 1:16 am

From what I have heard of Justin's book collection, money will be of little obstacle to adding another rare one.

Hey, you know I just had a thought, the mysterious Edward winter is also a big book collector, likes to write a lot online rubbishing each and every chess related article he can find.... Could he have been hiding in plain sight all this time???
Lose one queen and it is a disaster, Lose 1000 queens and it is just a statistic.

John McKenna

Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by John McKenna » Thu Dec 12, 2019 2:34 am

Next you'll be telling everyone that Bruce Wayne is Batman.

Then going on to reveal the secret identities of Superman, the Lone Ranger, Zorro, Spiderman, the Man in the Iron Mask, the Prisoner of Zenda....

Leave some stones unturned, please.

Andrew Martin
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Re: A Christmas Quiz

Post by Andrew Martin » Thu Dec 12, 2019 9:00 am

Here’s a nice easy question.

How long is the shortest game which ends in ‘ castles queenside’ checkmate? Who wins and what are the moves?