1. Subscribervenda
    Dave
    S.Yorks.England
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    29 Dec '16 13:56
    Seems to me chess is treading the same path as cricket in the UK where the fashionable option is the quick slam bam versions(blitz and bullet in chess, and 20:20 or big bash in cricket.)
    Even the world championship had short time period games
    I think it's all to do with money of course -the young un's have a short attention span I find and you need to attract them to the games-and the pace of life these days where everything has to be instant, apart from 1 obvious example of course!!
  2. Standard memberSteve45
    Mozart
    liverpool
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    29 Dec '16 16:26
    Originally posted by venda
    Seems to me chess is treading the same path as cricket in the UK where the fashionable option is the quick slam bam versions(blitz and bullet in chess, and 20:20 or big bash in cricket.)
    Even the world championship had short time period games
    I think it's all to do with money of course -the young un's have a short attention span I find and you need to attra ...[text shortened]... of life these days where everything has to be instant, apart from 1 obvious example of course!!
    I would like to see chess on terrestial tv. It would get kids into the game, instead of standing on street corners. We could learn alot more from the Kasparov,s and Carlsom,s of this world, instead of the overpaid footballer,s of the Premier League. Why is it that chess isn't shown?
  3. Joined
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    29 Dec '16 17:041 edit
    Originally posted by Steve45
    I would like to see chess on terrestial tv. It would get kids into the game, instead of standing on street corners. We could learn alot more from the Kasparov,s and Carlsom,s of this world, instead of the overpaid footballer,s of the Premier League. Why is it that chess isn't shown?
    Half the world's population has an IQ below 100.

    Even those who are intellectual enough to understand chess, most do not.

    For most people, watching chess is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

    Blitz does make it more interesting for most folks. Hey look he took a piece, yeah but the other guy said check!
  4. Subscribervenda
    Dave
    S.Yorks.England
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    29 Dec '16 17:34
    Originally posted by Steve45
    I would like to see chess on terrestial tv. It would get kids into the game, instead of standing on street corners. We could learn alot more from the Kasparov,s and Carlsom,s of this world, instead of the overpaid footballer,s of the Premier League. Why is it that chess isn't shown?
    Perhaps you're too young my friend but there were several series ' of "the master game" on TV in the 60's or 70's which was a televised chess competition with analysis.
    Also the entire Kasparov/Short world championship match was televised.
    There wasn't a lot of channel choice back then but now I suspect only chess fans would watch, even if it was blitz and in any case blitz is too quick to follow without pausing and slow mo.
    Although Kasparov is a brilliant player he showed himself to be a bad loser in the world championship by storming off when Short won a game
  5. Standard memberSteve45
    Mozart
    liverpool
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    29 Dec '16 20:48
    Originally posted by venda
    Perhaps you're too young my friend but there were several series ' of "the master game" on TV in the 60's or 70's which was a televised chess competition with analysis.
    Also the entire Kasparov/Short world championship match was televised.
    There wasn't a lot of channel choice back then but now I suspect only chess fans would watch, even if it was blitz and i ...[text shortened]... showed himself to be a bad loser in the world championship by storming off when Short won a game
    Yes Dave I remember the Kasparov/Short and the 95 Kasparov/Anand matches on Channel 4 and BBC2. But nothing else since, unless you watch over the internet.
  6. Standard membermchill
    Cryptic
    Behind the scenes
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    31 Dec '16 08:592 edits
    Originally posted by venda
    Seems to me chess is treading the same path as cricket in the UK where the fashionable option is the quick slam bam versions(blitz and bullet in chess, and 20:20 or big bash in cricket.)
    Even the world championship had short time period games
    I think it's all to do with money of course -the young un's have a short attention span I find and you need to attra ...[text shortened]... of life these days where everything has to be instant, apart from 1 obvious example of course!!
    I've noticed this myself, but as attention span's shorten, this can work to one's advantage. As an older guy (now over 60) I much prefer slower time controls, and rarely move faster than every 3 days, this so I can analyze each position more deeply. This has helped me defeat several stronger opponents who insist on churning out moves as they are playing blitz. Old age and treachery can overcome youth and skill! 😀
  7. Joined
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    44411
    31 Dec '16 10:24
    Originally posted by venda
    Seems to me chess is treading the same path as cricket in the UK where the fashionable option is the quick slam bam versions(blitz and bullet in chess, and 20:20 or big bash in cricket.)
    Even the world championship had short time period games
    I think it's all to do with money of course -the young un's have a short attention span I find and you need to attra ...[text shortened]... of life these days where everything has to be instant, apart from 1 obvious example of course!!
  8. Account suspended
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    31 Dec '16 12:584 edits
    I remember candidates matches 1974 and 1977, and final candidates duel in 1978 in Belgrade between Korchnoi ans Spassky. And Baguio duel between Karpov and Korchnoi.
    At the time there were only 2 state TV channels and 1 regional.
    "Chess commentary" was aired on I channel late at night after second TV news, often after 23.00 or even after midnight if there were some longer films before last TV Diary.
    Edit - I forgot to add, that I watched those late commentaries, and it was live game fr me coz I didn't know the result, and it was one game chosen for commenting, and the results of other matches were reat AT THE END of the commenrary! Commentators were Gligoric, Marovic, Matanovic etc...
    And I had an impression we all were wondering what results were, I had to wait til midnight to find out that for example Korchnoi is lading 3-0 against Polugaevsky, or to read in morning paper on sport pages (*at the time I used to go to bed in proper time!).

    I still remember how I eagerly followed long postponed match between Korchnoi and Kasparov in 1983. At the time there were extreme electric power shortage in Yugoslavia, great crisis, and I came from the school afternoon, late afternoon, we had no power, I grabbed daily paper, I went out on the terrace in my coat, it was winter was it?, and at the time Korchoi was in the lead after he won very first game, and by inertia I still was rooting for him, old bugger, and I brought sport page under the street light, and with great effort, like Edgar Allan Poe's Gordon Pym I slowly read "out of the corner of my eye" - Kasparov equalized. Dang!

    Well, once chess was popular, I could hear pensionists in the park in heated arguing over the Korchnoi's matches, often in connection with their political affiliations (*ha ha), and I remember so well, I went in the overcrowded chess club of my youth, packed with people waiting for next blitz tournament with great Garde clocks (with smaal wooden laths so as to protect the clock from very very heavy punches!), the room were filled with smoke (*at the time smoking was still allowed much to my annoyance and despair), and someone brought the news Korchnoi resigned sixth game against Karpov!, yeah, it was 1978, and murmur and sigh of disappointment spread over the chess club room.

    And never again this club (and any other for that respect)= was full again as in 1972, as in 1978. And "Chess comments" gradually disappeared from state TV, last sign of life of chess programme was in late 1980's during Belgrade October tournaments, one of which was won by Ljubojevic, and we could see there Kasparov and Short and Ivanchuk on their peak.

    Now, while I was driving in a cab, recently on round of Belgrade Trophy, I spoke with a cab driver about chess, we agreed that no one knew of Carlsen vs Karyiakin match. No fever, no excitement, no fans for one or the another, no one really cared.
  9. e4
    Joined
    06 May '08
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    42492
    31 Dec '16 15:16
    I was in Germany for the first half of the Fischer-Spassky match and Chess was everywhere.
    I bought German newspapers to play over the games.

    Then I drove back to the UK. Passed through Belguim, Holland and France and it
    was the same. I was thinking all this would be different once in Britain.

    Wrong! At Dover the newstand had every paper headlining the match. Back home to
    Edinburgh and a book shop near my house which usually had a small chess and bridge
    section with two or three chess books for beginners had dedicated two full street windows
    to chess with large pictures of the players in each window and chess books all over the place.

    It has been reported that at the time Fischer's name and face was the most recognised on
    the planet second only to Jesus Christ. For a man who valued his privacy over everything
    this must have been a bit of a dilemma.

    These days too much other stuff going on and not enough needle between the players
    countries (the cold war). Maybe if Norway had invaded Russia prior to the World Championship
    match there might have been more global coverage.
  10. Joined
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    13814
    31 Dec '16 18:49
    I guess in the US it didn't get as much coverage, at least in Southern California.
  11. Subscribervenda
    Dave
    S.Yorks.England
    Joined
    18 Apr '10
    Moves
    83457
    01 Jan '17 14:41
    Originally posted by mchill
    I've noticed this myself, but as attention span's shorten, this can work to one's advantage. As an older guy (now over 60) I much prefer slower time controls, and rarely move faster than every 3 days, this so I can analyze each position more deeply. This has helped me defeat several stronger opponents who insist on churning out moves as they are playing blitz. Old age and treachery can overcome youth and skill! 😀
    Absolutely.Tortoise and the hare!!
  12. Subscribervenda
    Dave
    S.Yorks.England
    Joined
    18 Apr '10
    Moves
    83457
    01 Jan '17 14:45
    Originally posted by greenpawn34
    I was in Germany for the first half of the Fischer-Spassky match and Chess was everywhere.
    I bought German newspapers to play over the games.

    Then I drove back to the UK. Passed through Belguim, Holland and France and it
    was the same. I was thinking all this would be different once in Britain.

    Wrong! At Dover the newstand had every paper headl ...[text shortened]... nvaded Russia prior to the World Championship
    match there might have been more global coverage.
    Thing is with the media Jeff, once something becomes a "story" they cover it everywhere.
    With this particular story it'd be perceived in the west at the time that it was the free world against the evil communist empire.
    Just the thing for selling newspapers.
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