Media comments on chess

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Paul Cooksey
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Paul Cooksey » Sat Jul 03, 2021 12:31 pm

Stewart Reuben wrote:
Sat Jul 03, 2021 12:05 pm
Daily Telegraph Friday page 11 Boy, 12, becomes youngest ever chess Grandmaster by Leon Watson.
Nothing new in this article, but quite accurate, though not written by either Pein or Adams.
I assume unintentional, but brutal shading of Leon Watson of Battersea chess club and Play Magnus if not!

David Sedgwick
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by David Sedgwick » Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:00 pm

Paul Cooksey wrote:
Sat Jul 03, 2021 12:31 pm
Stewart Reuben wrote:
Sat Jul 03, 2021 12:05 pm
Daily Telegraph Friday page 11 Boy, 12, becomes youngest ever chess Grandmaster by Leon Watson.
Nothing new in this article, but quite accurate, though not written by either Pein or Adams.
I assume unintentional, but brutal shading of Leon Watson of Battersea chess club and Play Magnus if not!
Absolutely. Watson's articles are normally pretty accurate in my experience.

John Sellen
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by John Sellen » Tue Jul 06, 2021 11:17 pm

The Mail online
"Checkmate! Moment glamorous chess champion, 25, trounces a Union Square hustler in less than ten minutes"


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... nutes.html

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MJMcCready
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by MJMcCready » Tue Jul 06, 2021 11:37 pm

That's a bit strange because in her game again Russian Paul she played atrociously, leaving a rook en prise amongst other mistakes. Why are they focusing on one win rather than give an account of how she got on? Poor journalism if you ask me.

Matthew Turner
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Matthew Turner » Wed Jul 07, 2021 10:17 am

From the BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/57726287

Without commenting on the story, I am pleased that the BBC have chosen to use nicer photos than some reports.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Jul 07, 2021 12:02 pm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/57726287

Good news of course - I'm surprised White underpromoted to a bishop in the game depicted...

An Australian TV documentary (Neighbours) showed bar staff setting up a giant chess set on Monday, which was actually the right way round, but in the next scene, the king and queen had swapped places. It was all so that in a later dispute, blonde 1 threw a pawn at blonde 2, missing, and the pawn went in the lake.

Private Eye are publishing Dr Phil Hammond's collected Covid columns in August. Cover diagram in the advert shows a chequered board with smooth pawns facing pawns with spiky tops. Not chess-related but they didn't publish my letter revealing that Matt Hancock's local pub in Thurlow (Suffolk) is called "The Cock Inn".

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Jul 07, 2021 2:36 pm

Just got an advert for this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmJdCBfF25E

interrupting what I was trying to watch on youtube. An exciting chess clock, which requires a phone to make it work. Er, have they failed to realise something?

Alex McFarlane
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Alex McFarlane » Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:05 pm

Is this 'clock' now for sale?

There are numerous warnings on the Internet that it is a scam to get crowd funding without ever producing a product.
Certainly, the number of ads I've seen say 'coming soon', rather than available now.

I've also watch videos where the 'analogue' version seems to light up indicating who is on the move but there is no movement of the hands that I can see.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:19 pm

"There are numerous warnings on the Internet that it is a scam to get crowd funding without ever producing a product."

Could be - I just tried to follow a link and it didn't work. Admittedly, "Kickstarter" do seem to seek funding for some rather odd things.

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Roger de Coverly » Wed Jul 07, 2021 4:53 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Wed Jul 07, 2021 2:36 pm
An exciting chess clock, which requires a phone to make it work.
There are programs available for phones. I've seen them in use in the evening bar during 4NCL weekends.

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JustinHorton
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by JustinHorton » Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:06 pm

Came across this while finding something to listen to this afternoon

Image
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

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JustinHorton
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:05 pm

Potentially important piece in the New York TImes, written by Ivan Nechepurenko and Misha Friedman and entitled The Dark Side of Chess: Payoffs, Points And 12-Year-Old Grandmasters. Probably deserves its own thread, though it is unfortunately paywalled. Makes some serious claims, which include:
  • Karjakin's final GM norm was achieved with the help of replaying a game (at blitz speed) that he had already lost
  • Mishra's GM title was achieved with by bending FIDE rules (specifically by playing more than two games a day) and with the help of conveniently short draws with GMs he was playing very regularly
  • "At least ten per cent" of grandmasters "have cheated one way or another to acquire the title" (opinion attributed to IM Mikhail Zaitsev)
  • "Some tournaments...[take] place only on paper" (attributed to Shohreh Bayat).
I make no comment on any of the above, except, as I say, that it seems potentially important.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

NickFaulks
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by NickFaulks » Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:43 pm

It comes as no surprise to stumble on a NYT article, relating to chess or more weighty matters, that is fact free.
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Geoff Chandler
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Geoff Chandler » Tue Jul 13, 2021 10:11 pm

"Some tournaments...[take] place only on paper" (attributed to Shohreh Bayat).

I can remember that one. They had to submit games so instead of making them up they used games from a computer v computer tournament.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5723

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Tue Jul 13, 2021 10:15 pm

People have bent the rules and cut corners to get the GM title almost as long as it has existed, surely.

Yes there have been entirely fictitious tournaments in the past (notably in Ukraine and some Asian countries)

That at least is established beyond reasonable doubt, not so sure about the other allegations.
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