What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

The reporting of notable birthdays and anniversaries in the chess arena.
ben.graff
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What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by ben.graff » Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:28 pm

I was certainly delighted by my chess-themed cake today!
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Ben Graff
Author of 'Checkmate! Great Champions And Epic Matches From A Timeless Game' 'The Greenbecker Gambit' and 'Find Another Place'

Nick Grey
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by Nick Grey » Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:51 pm

Where from Ben

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:55 pm

Brilliant!

A work colleague got a chess-cake with a position on it. He informed our somewhat bemused colleagues that they weren't allowed to cut it and eat it until I had solved the position. Luckily, I got it right and said it was Botwinnik-Capablanca, AVRO,1938. Nobody (apart from chess-playing birthday boy) reacted...

ben.graff
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by ben.graff » Mon Oct 05, 2020 8:54 pm

I love the idea of having to solve the position before you can eat the cake!
To answer Nick's question, this one was made by Bakes by Luce. You can contact them on [email protected]
I have to report that my cake is not quite in the same state as it was earlier... Get the chess board marble effect!
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Ben Graff
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Mick Norris
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by Mick Norris » Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:24 pm

Happy birthday

What did the cake taste like?
Any postings on here represent my personal views

ben.graff
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by ben.graff » Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:15 am

Thanks Mick. Cake was delicious. Hard to go wrong with something chocolaty! Maybe we will see some more pictures of cakes and cake stories on here in the future? Definitely extra kudos if anyone bakes their own!
Ben Graff
Author of 'Checkmate! Great Champions And Epic Matches From A Timeless Game' 'The Greenbecker Gambit' and 'Find Another Place'

Simon Rogers
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by Simon Rogers » Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:58 am

Happy birthday for yesterday.
Hope you had a great day, Ben.
I didn't realise that me and you are about the same age.
What else did you do for your birthday?
Did you receive any Chess books as presents?

ben.graff
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by ben.graff » Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:48 am

Thanks Simon! I did get a few new books... I bought myself "The Queen's Gambit," by Walter Tevis a couple of weeks ago as an early present. I don't know if people have seen but there is a Netflix series about to air. I'm going to do a couple of podcasts with Adam Raoof, one on the book and another on the adaptation. Should be interesting! I also got "Spurious Games," as I was intrigued by Geoff's enthusiasm and the coverage on the Forum. Then finally, "Smyslov on the Couch," by Genna Sosonko, a writer I have a huge amount of time for. Should keep me busy for a while!
Ben Graff
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Joey Stewart
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by Joey Stewart » Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:09 pm

Very nice cake there, somebody must really like you to have gone to such effort. I was happy enough with a battenberg for my birthday "chess themed" cake.
Lose one queen and it is a disaster, Lose 1000 queens and it is just a statistic.

Simon Rogers
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by Simon Rogers » Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:45 pm

Joey Stewart wrote:
Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:09 pm
Very nice cake there, somebody must really like you to have gone to such effort. I was happy enough with a battenberg for my birthday "chess themed" cake.
You can't beat a bit of battenberg.
When travelling back from the Scarborough Chess Congress each year, we stop off in Hawes, North Yorkshire.
Before visiting the Wensleydale Creamery and buying cheese, we visit a shop called Elijah Allen & Son, which sells all locally made produce.
I always buy a large Battenberg made in nearby Ingleton along with some Plum Bread and Yorkshire Brack.

MSoszynski
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by MSoszynski » Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:09 pm

Every autumn since 2006, Sutton Coldfield CC and Warley Quinborne CC have played a friendly but graded match, alternating between their respective venues.

At the first meeting the Warley captain, John Fahy, brought a cake by his daughter, which was well received, and so the one-off match turned into an annual event called the Cold War Cake Match or simply the Cake Match. Every match involving a half-time cake (or two or three) baked by the hosts.

Here's a cake from 2017 created by Alison and Chris East of Sutton Coldfield CC.
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ben.graff
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by ben.graff » Thu Oct 08, 2020 8:28 am

The Cold War Cake Match sounds awesome! What a nice tradition and that's a beautiful cake. Those three dimensional pieces really are something. The mentions of Battenberg, Plum Bread and Yorkshire Brack also made my mouth water! In the Leamington League in happier times we would start our season with a jamboree, which involves a bit of a buffet. Whenever we do restart, I can see that we are going to have to up our game on the catering front!
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Joey Stewart
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by Joey Stewart » Thu Oct 08, 2020 2:17 pm

The prizegiving was always the highlight of the season in the Coventry league too as they used to have a huge buffet, simuls and amusing speeches - it seems like the Midlands clubs really know how to throw a good chess party!
Lose one queen and it is a disaster, Lose 1000 queens and it is just a statistic.

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John Saunders
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by John Saunders » Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:26 pm

What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Well, of course, a sachertorte...
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... as served to me on board the good ship Oriana in July 2012.
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JustinHorton
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Re: What sort of birthday cake should a chess player have?

Post by JustinHorton » Fri Oct 09, 2020 4:59 pm

Cake, albeit not birthday
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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