Vetting Questions

[MJMcCready]

I just watched the press conference of the world championship match and can only assume FIDE is continuing to insist that questions are not vetted beforehand. Has that always been the case? From memory I don't think it has but I can't be so sure.

I found it uncomfortable to watch. How are you supposed to answer 'How's the organizing things here for you?' and 'Why are you now the world champion!', 'What is your ideal holiday?' we even had one about what the meaning of life should be!

How is this being allowed to happen? Why isn't FIDE insisting that these questions are to be vetted before they are asked? They used to do that right? Or did they? Here's the interview anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5k9zkaGYJ4&t=912s

[Joey Stewart]

In theory you should just answer the idiot journalist that asks such inane questions with the absolute contempt they deserve but unfortunately ding is far too nice to do the right thing.

If it makes you feel better, here is a compilation of NBA players absolutely roasting journalists asking them stupid questions.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y2KPPzKJr ... lvbnMgbmJh

[Kevin Thurlow]

At the Carlsen-Nepo match, one guy asked the players who they would like to comment on their games, Nepo saying he did commentary so he would choose himself. Magnus then said something like, "er, um er,... I don't remotely care!" Maurice Ashley decided to terminate the questions.... In fairness, the questioner may have been put a long way down the queue and all the serious questions had already been asked.

[LawrenceCooper]

I just watched the press conference of the world championship match and can only assume FIDE is continuing to insist that questions are not vetted beforehand. Has that always been the case? From memory I don't think it has but I can't be so sure.

I found it uncomfortable to watch. How are you supposed to answer 'How's the organizing things here for you?' and 'Why are you now the world champion!', 'What is your ideal holiday?' we even had one about what the meaning of life should be!

How is this being allowed to happen? Why isn't FIDE insisting that these questions are to be vetted before they are asked? They used to do that right? Or did they? Here's the interview anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5k9zkaGYJ4&t=912s

I had heard that any questions related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine were off limits but I did hear one to Nepo, (I think it was at the last press conference).

[MJMcCready]

In theory you should just answer the idiot journalist that asks such inane questions with the absolute contempt they deserve but unfortunately ding is far too nice to do the right thing.

If it makes you feel better, here is a compilation of NBA players absolutely roasting journalists asking them stupid questions.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y2KPPzKJr ... lvbnMgbmJh

At least those basketball players are able to call out the interviewer and shut them up. Chess players tend to be too polite to do that.

[MJMcCready]

At the Carlsen-Nepo match, one guy asked the players who they would like to comment on their games, Nepo saying he did commentary so he would choose himself. Magnus then said something like, "er, um er,... I don't remotely care!" Maurice Ashley decided to terminate the questions.... In fairness, the questioner may have been put a long way down the queue and all the serious questions had already been asked.

I thought it was better in the Carlsen - Caruana match where you had GM Danny King dictating affairs and being more selective over who he took questions off.

[MJMcCready]

I'm not sure professional journalists are guaranteed to be any better. Look at this headline.

https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2023/5 ... s-champion

How did he defy the odds? Either Nepo won or he did 50% chance.

[Joey Stewart]

If any sports sites were taking bets on the match I imagine ding would have been given odds of sightly less then 50% so technically it is correct that he was a slight underdog

[MJMcCready]

Yeah okay but I think defy the odds is too strong a term. Nepo was at best a slight favourite. They could have said that for the candidates maybe but not the final.