Media comments on chess

[Kevin Thurlow]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... s-man.html

No mention of chess in the article, but I expect there will be some in the book.

[JustinHorton]

Four according to Amazon, none of which on inspection appear to say "and then I had myself a holiday in Turkey at the expense of the mugs at the English Chess Federation".

[John Swain]

Former ECF President C J de Mooi (and described as such in the article) makes some startling revelations about how he may have killed someone who tried to mug him in Amsterdam in 1988:

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/i- ... spartandhp

[JustinHorton]

Former ECF President C J de Mooi (and described as such in the article)

Presumably because the author of the article is Leon Watson

[NickFaulks]

Former ECF President C J de Mooi (and described as such in the article) makes some startling revelations about how he may have killed someone who tried to mug him in Amsterdam in 1988

How did he establish that the man was a homeless drug addict before punching him and throwing him in the canal? Did the chap say "I'm a homeless drug addict, give me your money?"

[Nick Grey]

Jeff Tarango

Former professional tennis player on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra


"This is the game for Andy to break. If he doesn't, we'll be in a breaker in about eight or nine minutes. He's got to find the way. It's part of the chess-type challenge of this match."

[Jonathan Bryant]

Former ECF President C J de Mooi (and described as such in the article) makes some startling revelations about how he may have killed someone who tried to mug him in Amsterdam in 1988

How did he establish that the man was a homeless drug addict before punching him and throwing him in the canal? Did the chap say "I'm a homeless drug addict, give me your money?"

For "makes some startling revelations" read, "spouts some cobblers to generate publicity for a book he’s trying to flog"

For those who prefer true crime to fiction, an account of how I once stole a Mars Bar from WH Smiths is included here:-

http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.c ... thief.html


(I asked The Daily Telegraph if they were interested in an exclusive interview on this starling revelation. Turns out they were not.)

[David Robertson]

How did he establish that the man was a homeless drug addict before punching him and throwing him in the canal?

I thought C J de Mooi was the homeless drug addict. He was certainly penniless, possibly homeless, perhaps a drug addict, and maybe a murderer. So much uncertainty. I must rush to buy the book. Oh...

[Kevin Thurlow]

"How did he establish that the man was a homeless drug addict before punching him and throwing him in the canal? Did the chap say "I'm a homeless drug addict, give me your money?""

I think that was supposition on his part - if someone attacks you, you are entitled to use "reasonable force" (in UK) to discourage them. I think if the assailant has a knife, throwing him into a convenient canal sounds "reasonable"! Dutch law might be different of course. It is in matters of sex and drugs, and maybe even rock and roll...

[JustinHorton]

And in the Land of Make Believe, who knows what the laws are.

[NickFaulks]

For what it's worth, I lived in Amsterdam from 1983-6, and at that time there did not appear to be any homeless people of the sort one now sees everywhere on the streets of London. Anyone without a place of their own simply "borrowed" somebody else's. Squatting was rampant and nobody lacked a roof over their head.

Even though CJ is long gone he remains well remembered in FIDE, and new stories of his behaviour on holiday continue to emerge. In Abu Dhabi, a Zonal President told me that they had been introduced at the 2010 Congress in Moscow. In response to "pleased to meet you, how are you?" the reply came "I'm very horny". My contact was not especially shocked, just puzzled that the ECF would wish to show its public face to the world in this way.

[Stewart Reuben]

LE TOURNOI a 2015 French film.
I watched this yesterday on the way back from Abu Dhabi. It is about the 22 year old French Chess Champion, Michaelangelo Passanti, who is playing in a tournament in Budapest. He is challenged by an 8 year old wunderkind. Directed by Delodie Namer. They play without increments and it is difficult to follow the games.
I hadn't heard of it before yesterday. Nick Faulks didn't think highly of it. For a compulsive like me, it is required viewing.
It received a rave review on IMDB.

[NickFaulks]

Nick Faulks didn't think highly of it. .

I didn't quite say that. I watched it on the way out and found it less than thrilling, but not a waste of time. Three stars out of five. The actual chess is unusually realistic, they had a technical adviser ( Joachim Iglesias, FIDE 2319 ) and don't seem to have ignored what he said for dramatic purposes.

[JustinHorton]

Kirsan's in Said and Done (which everybody should read every week anyway).

[Stewart Reuben]

Sepp Blatter: Promised delegates in Zurich on Friday that he’ll deliver a “turning point” to “stop the boat rocking and glide it placidly into port” – building on the turning point he promised after his unopposed win in 2011. Blatter told Fifa congress then, as he celebrated alone on stage with a bunch of flowers: “I am the captain weathering the storm. Let’s put our ship back on course, in clear transparent waters.”

• Blatter’s other best turning points: 2007 – “During my third period in office, football will take on a more pronounced and extensive social role”; 2002 – “Give me 100 days to examine how I can initiate structural change in Fifa. The past few months have not hurt me physically but in my heart. I want to restore peace, harmony and unity to Fifa”; and – after a new round of allegations in 2011 – “I’m fighting to clean Fifa – and zero tolerance is my battle horse.”

Now I understand why Kirsan is considering standing as FIFA President.