Media comments on chess

[Tim Spanton]

Letter in the London Review of Books:

Caroline Campbell’s piece about Sofonisba Anguissola is illustrated by her painting The Chess Game..... Properly set, the lower right-hand squares of a chessboard should be white. In the painting they are black. Perhaps the board was rotated by ninety degrees, which seems odd; or there wasn’t an actual game in play. Or could chessboards be configured as shown in the painting in the 16th century?

According to Wikipedia, citing various sources, the 'bottom right is always white' convention is pretty old:

The Libro de los juegos (1283) contains a description of the chessboard, mentioning eight rows and columns as the ideal number, with the 10×10 board being too tiresome and the 6×6 board being too quick for the practice of chess.[8] Other innovations of the time were cylindrical boards for the practice of variants such as cylinder chess[9] and the convention that the first square of the far right column should be light-coloured, endorsed by Pedro Damiano in the end of the 15th century.[10]

[Kevin Thurlow]

"endorsed by Pedro Damiano in the end of the 15th century."

a better idea than his defence!

[Tim Spanton]

"endorsed by Pedro Damiano in the end of the 15th century."

a better idea than his defence!

Are you sure? Fischer once lost against the Damiano.

[Tim Spanton]

"endorsed by Pedro Damiano in the end of the 15th century."

a better idea than his defence!

Are you sure? Fischer once lost against the Damiano.

Whoops - I tell a lie: he drew

[Stewart Reuben]

The convention of white square on right is of relatively recent origin, as is that White moves first.

[JustinHorton]

Letter in the London Review of Books:

Caroline Campbell’s piece about Sofonisba Anguissola is illustrated by her painting The Chess Game..... Properly set, the lower right-hand squares of a chessboard should be white. In the painting they are black. Perhaps the board was rotated by ninety degrees, which seems odd; or there wasn’t an actual game in play. Or could chessboards be configured as shown in the painting in the 16th century?

According to Wikipedia, citing various sources, the 'bottom right is always white' convention is pretty old:

The Libro de los juegos (1283) contains a description of the chessboard, mentioning eight rows and columns as the ideal number, with the 10×10 board being too tiresome and the 6×6 board being too quick for the practice of chess.[8] Other innovations of the time were cylindrical boards for the practice of variants such as cylinder chess[9] and the convention that the first square of the far right column should be light-coloured, endorsed by Pedro Damiano in the end of the 15th century.[10]

Well yes, but saying that Damiano endorsed that convention doesn't tell us when it was generally adopted. Nor is there is anything else in the Hooper and Whyld entry referred to which casts any light on this, unless the 1992 edition cited has more to say than my 1984 version.

[Matt Mackenzie]

"endorsed by Pedro Damiano in the end of the 15th century."

a better idea than his defence!

Are you sure? Fischer once lost against the Damiano.

Whoops - I tell a lie: he drew

In a simul, just for the record.

[Mick Norris]

Czechmate

[Stewart Reuben]

Chess master Igor Kremeta from Ukraine had commited a brutal murder.

https://sahmatlista.wordpress.com/2020/ ... bRB8Dz5oHQ

Sent to me by Bogdan Lalic.

[Ian Thompson]

65 photographs of Hampshire chess. There are some well known faces amongst them, but most are unknown to me.

Some photographs are from the 1996 Hampshire Championship congress and some of the pictures of children are probably of King Edward VI School, Southampton players from the same period.

[Joseph Conlon]

Some of the earlier photos are marked 2000 but look more like 1970/1980 - I'm very sure tournaments did not look like that in 2000!

[Kevin Thurlow]

I think I spotted Tony Corkett, Mike Henbury and Jeremy Fraser-Mitchell in there.

[Ian Thompson]

65 photographs of Hampshire chess

Those I can identify are:

21. 23. Jeremy Fraser Mitchell
24. Jeremy Fraser Mitchell and Bob Noyce
25. Tony Corkett
31. 32. 33. Richard Webb

[Paul Habershon]

65 photographs of Hampshire chess. There are some well known faces amongst them, but most are unknown to me.

Some photographs are from the 1996 Hampshire Championship congress and some of the pictures of children are probably of King Edward VI School, Southampton players from the same period.

Interesting to see these pictures Can anyone name the simul giver and date it?

Can't remember many photos being taken when I played in Hampshire (1965-69 teacher training, Winchester). H L Parsons was county captain and would send out invitations by postcard (50-board SCCU matches) at the beginning of the season asking about availability for every match. I had never played county chess, started on Board 47, lost my first three games and felt certain I would be dropped.

Among the younger luminaries in the Hampshire team of that period: S Saverymuttu, GH Bennett, RWL Moberley. It was all initials in those days.

[John Clarke]

65 photographs of Hampshire chess. There are some well known faces amongst them, but most are unknown to me.

Some photographs are from the 1996 Hampshire Championship congress and some of the pictures of children are probably of King Edward VI School, Southampton players from the same period.

Can't see 'em at all. That stupid Privacy Manager keeps plastering itself all over everything, and there seems no way to get rid of it apart from giving it all the keys to the kingdom. No way.