Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
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Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
Just spotted this from BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-14646532
The 5th funniest joke at this year's Fringe comes at the expense of our beloved game.
I still found it quite funny, though.
The 5th funniest joke at this year's Fringe comes at the expense of our beloved game.
I still found it quite funny, though.
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Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
I saw that and thought the joke was rubbish. However it reminded me of a line in Catch 22 which gives a much better reason to stop playing chess:
Joseph Heller wrote:The captain was a good chess player, and the games were always interesting. Yossarian had stopped playing chess with him because the games were so interesting they were foolish.
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Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
The ubiquitous Geoff ChandlerJoseph Heller wrote:The captain was a good chess player, and the games were always interesting. Yossarian had stopped playing chess with him because the games were so interesting they were foolish.
Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
Out of curiosity I googled 'chess jokes' - they are by and large pretty rubbish and recycled.
However, I liked the Fringe joke. My wife even 'phoned me up to tell it to me because it was on the 'Today' programme!
However, I liked the Fringe joke. My wife even 'phoned me up to tell it to me because it was on the 'Today' programme!
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Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
Matt Kirshen:
"I was playing chess with my friend and he said, 'Let's make this interesting'.
So we stopped playing chess."
Unfunny and certainly not original.
(like most of the 'comedy' acts I've seen this year.)
If this is in the top 10 of jokes cracked at the Fringe
then you can only imagine what the rest were like.
It's a simple take on the lead up and reverse joke.
"Me and a friend were fed up seeing comedians so we went to see Matt Kirshen instead."
I'll let him off if he is actually a chess player.
But suspect he's a non-player cracking jokes at the expense of Chess. Blasphemy!
Think I'll round up the Bell's gang and we will go and heckle him to tears.
No need to Google for Chess Jokes. Play over games of Chess.
Honestly I've been brought to tears of laughter seeing some players games.
I happened upon this a few years back.
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4
So Black offered to get the Queens off. 3...Qf6
"Oh No." said White. "The Queens stay on." 4.e5
"Queens OFF!" yells Black 4...Qb6
"Queens ON." shouts back White. 5.Qc3
And now did Black play 5..Bb4 and win the White Queen?
Oh No. 5...Qb4
"The Queens are coming OFF!"
Priceless, and it's from an actual game.
What's more only chess players can see the humour in this.
These non-players do not know what they are missing.
By coincidence I posted my take on The Fringe only yesterday.
http://www.redhotpawn.com/blog/blogread ... gpostid=70
It's already got 150+ hits which is 149 more laughs than Mr. Matt Kirshen
has had in the past few weeks. (The Snow White one was good.)
Hi Jon
Catch 22. I was what you classed as 'normal' till I read that book in the mid 60's.
It changed my life. It is a quote I've often read in connection with that book.
Heller's 'chess joke' fits in with the theme book where nearly every sentence
turns your head. Yossarian fell in love with the maid because she was the only
person he could not fall in love with. The old man reminded Yossarian of his Dad
because he looked nothing like his Dad...etc. etc. and etc etc.
"I was playing chess with my friend and he said, 'Let's make this interesting'.
So we stopped playing chess."
Unfunny and certainly not original.
(like most of the 'comedy' acts I've seen this year.)
If this is in the top 10 of jokes cracked at the Fringe
then you can only imagine what the rest were like.
It's a simple take on the lead up and reverse joke.
"Me and a friend were fed up seeing comedians so we went to see Matt Kirshen instead."
I'll let him off if he is actually a chess player.
But suspect he's a non-player cracking jokes at the expense of Chess. Blasphemy!
Think I'll round up the Bell's gang and we will go and heckle him to tears.
No need to Google for Chess Jokes. Play over games of Chess.
Honestly I've been brought to tears of laughter seeing some players games.
I happened upon this a few years back.
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4
So Black offered to get the Queens off. 3...Qf6
"Oh No." said White. "The Queens stay on." 4.e5
"Queens OFF!" yells Black 4...Qb6
"Queens ON." shouts back White. 5.Qc3
And now did Black play 5..Bb4 and win the White Queen?
Oh No. 5...Qb4
"The Queens are coming OFF!"
Priceless, and it's from an actual game.
What's more only chess players can see the humour in this.
These non-players do not know what they are missing.
By coincidence I posted my take on The Fringe only yesterday.
http://www.redhotpawn.com/blog/blogread ... gpostid=70
It's already got 150+ hits which is 149 more laughs than Mr. Matt Kirshen
has had in the past few weeks. (The Snow White one was good.)
Hi Jon
Catch 22. I was what you classed as 'normal' till I read that book in the mid 60's.
It changed my life. It is a quote I've often read in connection with that book.
Heller's 'chess joke' fits in with the theme book where nearly every sentence
turns your head. Yossarian fell in love with the maid because she was the only
person he could not fall in love with. The old man reminded Yossarian of his Dad
because he looked nothing like his Dad...etc. etc. and etc etc.
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Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
Geoff,
Yes - 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Qf6 4. e5 Qb6 5. Qc3 Qb4! - that was humour, but try explaining to a non-chess player.
Yes - 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Qf6 4. e5 Qb6 5. Qc3 Qb4! - that was humour, but try explaining to a non-chess player.
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Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
Hi Paul
As I said only Chess Players will get it.
Happily I don't have any non-playing friends so the situation will never arise.
I see humour in the end to that S.Gordon - M.Adams games I've linked to.
Here though the joke would be on me. I can just see me playing what
he played including the last move blunder.
It's a perfect case of 'there but the grace of God goes I."
Why do we blunder so when faced with really good players.
Is it a forlorn doom?
There is more going on inside our minds in OTB Chess than just what
we see on the board.
As I said only Chess Players will get it.
Happily I don't have any non-playing friends so the situation will never arise.
I see humour in the end to that S.Gordon - M.Adams games I've linked to.
Here though the joke would be on me. I can just see me playing what
he played including the last move blunder.
It's a perfect case of 'there but the grace of God goes I."
Why do we blunder so when faced with really good players.
Is it a forlorn doom?
There is more going on inside our minds in OTB Chess than just what
we see on the board.
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Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
"I was playing chess with a friend, it was a Caro Kann, we
said "let's make this intereresting" so pushed the pawn from c6 to c5
and played a Sicilian instead."
said "let's make this intereresting" so pushed the pawn from c6 to c5
and played a Sicilian instead."
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Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
It is so typical chess players over react and take the joke to seriously; It must be true most chess players have no sense of humour.
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Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
I posted the Fringe joke on Facebook and got four 'likes' (I don't have a lot of Facebook friends). Of the four, two are chessplayers, one is the parent of a player, and one doesn't play.
I also told the joke to my children and my ex-wife. They all laughed, but I think they were laughing at me, not the joke.
I also told the joke to my children and my ex-wife. They all laughed, but I think they were laughing at me, not the joke.
Ian Kingston
http://www.iankingston.com
http://www.iankingston.com
Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
Maybe. But I'm not keen on occupying the cultural space formerly reserved for trainspotters.matt_ward wrote:It is so typical chess players over react and take the joke to seriously; It must be true most chess players have no sense of humour.
I liked Simon Spivak's anecdote about poetry, and this joke works better if you substitute trainspotter than if you substitute poet.
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Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
I conducted the same experiment and had 8 likes: 4 from chessplayers, 2 from chessplayers in their youth who've since given up, and 2 who don't play.Ian Kingston wrote:I posted the Fringe joke on Facebook and got four 'likes' (I don't have a lot of Facebook friends). Of the four, two are chessplayers, one is the parent of a player, and one doesn't play.
For comparison, the following recent chess-related statuses had 7 likes:
(1) "Alex Holowczak is waiting for Roger de Coverly to go off on one now that the ECF's Future Funding Proposals have been published."
(2) "Chessplayers can be such demoralising creatures."
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Re: Chess at the Edinburgh Fringe
I laughed when I first heard it....in the 1980's
When the genuius that was Bob Monkhouse cracked it. (it's how you tell 'em).
My point is that if this unoriginal 'joke' is even considered as the
Best of the Fringe then the state of modern comedy is in the soup.
I find this current lot dreary and repetative. (none of them tell jokes!).
I suppose being brought up with Monkhouse, Morcambe & Milligan
has something to do it.
Mind you, the vasectomy performed on them by the PC crowd
is not doing them any favours.
No doubt it will circle the globe as did that 'Chess Nut Boasting..' one did.
(.....and still does).
When the genuius that was Bob Monkhouse cracked it. (it's how you tell 'em).
My point is that if this unoriginal 'joke' is even considered as the
Best of the Fringe then the state of modern comedy is in the soup.
I find this current lot dreary and repetative. (none of them tell jokes!).
I suppose being brought up with Monkhouse, Morcambe & Milligan
has something to do it.
Mind you, the vasectomy performed on them by the PC crowd
is not doing them any favours.
No doubt it will circle the globe as did that 'Chess Nut Boasting..' one did.
(.....and still does).