Chess history trivia

[Kevin Thurlow]

"George Walker seems not to have been impressed with the challenge"

I doubt he'd like chess-boxing then...

[John Moore]

Perhaps George's younger brother Billy would have been a better bet at Chess Boxing.

[MJMcCready]

What was the stated reason why E.Germany refused to participate in the 74 Olympiad?

[John Moore]

Because they had no chance of winning the event.

[Roger de Coverly]

What was the stated reason why E.Germany refused to participate in the 74 Olympiad?

I don't know whether it was that Olympiad, but one story was that they didn't consider their players good enough to be able to challenge to win it. Their sports reputation is such that it might imply they couldn't make any doping work on chess players.

[Matt Mackenzie]

In fact the then DDR did not play any Olympiads between 1972 and 1988.

(though I suspect the likelihood of them then finishing behind *W* Germany may have been more of a factor)

Truth be told, East German chess players were treated pretty shabbily by the authorities generally for several years.

[MJMcCready]

Suspect you got that spot on.

[MJMcCready]

Where and when was Spassky's debut for France? What was the habit he'd suddenly developed all about?

[John Moore]

All your questions appear to be drawn from OlympBase so I predict the answer to the first part is the 1984 Olympiad at Thessalonika but I have no idea what the second part is about.

[MJMcCready]

Yes first part is correct, second part is both amusing and significant in that it shows superstition is part of the game for many. Olympbase? I look at that about once every 5 years or so, not coming from there, not from the internet.

[John Moore]

My guess then is that the second part is from a book.

[Gerard Killoran]

Here's an easy one.

What's unusual about this game?

Daily Mirror - Tuesday 23 April 1929.png

[John Moore]

Is this the one where they played on a larger board.

[Gerard Killoran]

Is this the one where they played on a larger board.

Correct. In fact a double sized board.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_chess

[MJMcCready]

My guess then is that the second part is from a book.

Well, it's from New in Chess.

The answer is that Spassky shook many hands that tournament after it was rumoured it could improve your game if you shook his hand, so many people wanted to.