English Chess Forum

In the link below you can find a short list of the most common quiz questions that contain misnomers, such as 'How long was the 100 years war?' (Answer is 116 years NOT 100 years).

http://www.businessballs.com/quizballs/ ... nswers.htm

I wondered if anyone had any that aren't on the list, and if we have chess questions that fit into that category?

Q. What is Madison Square Garden?
A. A round building.

Thanks. I was thinking that chess openings must have many misnomers, given that they are often loosely based on a place or name. How did the Berlin Defence get its name? Was it really first played in Berlin? It has often been said that the queen's gambit isn't really a gambit as white can win back the pawn immediately but perhaps that's not so clear cut as an example.

The King's Indian Attack is one of White's less ambitious openings while the King's Indian Defence is the staple diet of many aggressive players of the Black pieces.

Oh, I was in a taxi last night and mentioned I was going to a chess club (this was a very short taxi ride). The taxi driver started asking me about the "Alexander Defence" that he had heard was named after Alexander the Great. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it all. Not really a misnomer, but possibly a misheard or misunderstood name?

Andrew Bak wrote:The King's Indian Attack is one of White's less ambitious openings while the King's Indian Defence is the staple diet of many aggressive players of the Black pieces.

Good point.

Can't think of any chess-related ones for now. Many opening names/misnames are too subject to dispute to be worth including.

Here's a few non-chess ones:

* The Pennsylvania Dutch community in the USA originated from parts of Europe that spoke what language?

* Chelsea FC are based in which area of London?

* Between 1964 and 2010, what was the colour (color?) of the "Green Card" that allowed one to live and work in the USA?

Where is the Spanish riding school based?

If I recall correctly, the answers to John's questions #1 and #2 are German and Fulham, respectively. (In fact, I know the answer to the second is Fulham, because I have a friend who lives right by Fulham Broadway station, and I often see Chelsea fans alighting there when I go to see her.)