Media comments on chess

[Wadih Khoury]

Not sure how solid this is, but Wikipedia says it exists:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Gambit

1. f4 f5 2. e4

[Ian Thompson]

Is there even a chess opening variation called the Swiss Gambit?

It appears that there is - https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/swiss.html

[Geoff Chandler]

Robert Weber The New Yorker 29 July 1972

[Paul Habershon]

Faulty quiz question on ITV's The Chase this evening?
'The Swiss Gambit is an opening move in which board game?'

I have heard of it only in the context of losing in the first round of a Swiss System tournament with the hope of meeting easier opponents. Is there even a chess opening variation called the Swiss Gambit?

Anyway the 'Chaser' got chess as the right answer.

Ok, so 1f4 f5 2 e4 is the Swiss Gambit but I still think the question is poorly worded. It's an opening, not an opening move.

'The Chase' was on safer ground today:
''Checkmate' is a book written by Garry Kasparov about what game?'

[Neville Twitchell]

Faulty quiz question on ITV's The Chase this evening?
'The Swiss Gambit is an opening move in which board game?'

I have heard of it only in the context of losing in the first round of a Swiss System tournament with the hope of meeting easier opponents. Is there even a chess opening variation called the Swiss Gambit?

Anyway the 'Chaser' got chess as the right answer.

I have only heard of the Swiss Gambit in the jocular/figurative sense Paul mentions, but rather as taking a draw in the first round of a Swiss to get easier opponents in subsequent rounds and end up with a better score than if one had won in the first round - though whether this would work out in practice is to say the least debatable.

[IM Jack Rudd]

I once won a tournament with the Reversed Swiss Gambit: I won in round 1, while the rest of the top 5 seeds all either took a bye or drew their game, and so I managed to win my games against weaker opponents while they were busy taking points off each other.

[John Clarke]

I have only heard of the Swiss Gambit in the jocular/figurative sense Paul mentions, but rather as taking a draw in the first round of a Swiss to get easier opponents in subsequent rounds and end up with a better score than if one had won in the first round - though whether this would work out in practice is to say the least debatable.

The only time I was able to deploy it successfully (and, I should add, involuntarily), it still didn't work. The section I was in was too damn big for the number of rounds. Hence although I had 5.5/6 at the end, some other b****r had got 6/6 and I'd never got the chance to play him.

[NickFaulks]

The section I was in was too damn big for the number of rounds.

Are you sure it wasn't the right size for the number of rounds, just too big for the Swiss Gambit?

[John Clarke]

Too big for the number of rounds. As well as the winner, there three of us on 5.5, none of whom had played each other.

[JustinHorton]

Latest in my occasional series "not particularly funny chess-themed pieces from Spanish satirical publications"

[Tim Spanton]

The latest Private Eye has a feature on the Guardian and Her Majesty under the headline QUEEN GAMBIT

[David Sedgwick]

From https://www.thearticle.com/how-scottish ... heir-money, about Scottish Labour and the SNP:

"After leadership comes purpose. Opposition leaders spend most of their time being against things, but the question voters are asking is “What are you for?”

In Scotland, that’s simple. Change the game. The SNP want to play draughts (or checkers), so sweep the pieces off the board and play chess instead."

[Kevin Thurlow]

Today's "i" has an item on David Ferrer, the Spanish chess-board maker. They use his boards in the TV "Queen's Gambit", which wasn't brilliant product placement. It came as a complete surprise to him that the TV company had bought some boards and used them. His sales have rocketed and he's quite pleased.

[JustinHorton]

These people

[JustinHorton]

Have we had this before?



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