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Strange but True stories

Strange but True stories

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Originally posted by FabianFnas
In my club, perhaps in every club in Sweden, no one is allowed to smoke at the board, nor in the localities at all.

What's the rules in the rest of the world in this matters?
Over here no one is allowed to smoke anywhere!

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Originally posted by Dragon Fire
Over here no one is allowed to smoke anywhere!
Anywhere? Not even outside or in their home? If so, then I guess cigs aren't even sold in England? Or if they are, all a person can do is either look at them or chew on them?

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Originally posted by Mad Rook
Anywhere? Not even outside or in their home? If so, then I guess cigs aren't even sold in England? Or if they are, all a person can do is either look at them or chew on them?
Well I guess you could get away with it in your own home or even in an unenclosed outside place provided it was cannibis.

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Originally posted by Mad Rook
Anywhere? Not even outside or in their home? If so, then I guess cigs aren't even sold in England? Or if they are, all a person can do is either look at them or chew on them?
It's a touchy subject here as smoking in pubs, clubs, restaurants,places of work and chess tournaments etc. has just been banned by law....I believe it's been like this in Canada for a long while. There was a cartoon in a satirical magazine showing two guys with guns holding up a bank and one of the robbers had a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Two policemen were watching through the window and the caption read: "Is that guy smoking?"

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12 year old kid at the club, he had some talent. At a local tournament, he was playing a 50+ year old 1400 fish. When the fish moved, the kid saw him walk away, then immediately moved, after which he sat at the board staring intently, pretending to think, while the fish stood at the other side of the room and chatted. After about 30 minutes, the fish came back to the board and saw he only had a few minutes of clock time, after which he resigned and stormed out all sad sick and sorry. It was great.

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Originally posted by Mad Rook
Anywhere? Not even outside or in their home? If so, then I guess cigs aren't even sold in England? Or if they are, all a person can do is either look at them or chew on them?
Since the new law came in I've seen a massive increase in the number of people who smoke in the street and also in the number who smoke whilst driving.

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Originally posted by Sam The Sham
12 year old kid at the club, he had some talent. At a local tournament, he was playing a 50+ year old 1400 fish. When the fish moved, the kid saw him walk away, then immediately moved, after which he sat at the board staring intently, pretending to think, while the fish stood at the other side of the room and chatted. After about 30 minutes, the fish ca ...[text shortened]... tes of clock time, after which he resigned and stormed out all sad sick and sorry. It was great.
A lot of OTB players stare intently even when it isn't their move. No excuse for the guy to waste his time kibbitzing.

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Originally posted by laferri2
A lot of OTB players stare intently even when it isn't their move. No excuse for the guy to waste his time kibbitzing.
This same 1400 fish actually beat a 2200+ master a year later in a similar club level tournament. It was sad, because he'd been crushed,was two pieces down, and the master took a third piece without looking, then realized he walked into a mate in two. It took the fish 10 minutes to figure it out.

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Originally posted by Sam The Sham
This same 1400 fish actually beat a 2200+ master a year later in a similar club level tournament. It was sad, because he'd been crushed,was two pieces down, and the master took a third piece without looking, then realized he walked into a mate in two. It took the fish 10 minutes to figure it out.
What exactly is a "fish"?

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Originally posted by techsouth
What exactly is a "fish"?
From Wiki -

Fish - A weak chess player, also referred to as a "duffer", "patzer" or "woodpusher."

Subjectively, I tend to view the term "fish" as more pejorative than the other words, although I don't know if this feeling is the norm. I never use "fish", instead preferring to use "patzer".

Just remember that it's all relative - One man's fish is another man's hero. 😀

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I quite like the word punk for that descriptive purpose.

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Originally posted by Mahout
In a side tournament for parents at a kids tournament I was playing a Dad who was unfamiliar with using the clock so on almost every move I reminded him to press the clock as I thought this was appropriate to the spirit of the occasion. In time I was in a totally won position with something like a few pawns and a rook v's a lone king. Now the guy starts runni ...[text shortened]... d as if having won. He then starting arguing with the adjudicator who correctly awarded a draw.
That should have been a win for the Dad. Why was it a draw?

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Originally posted by AThousandYoung
That should have been a win for the Dad. Why was it a draw?
Insufficient mating material, I believe. Since the Dad had nothing that could possibly win the game for him, it's a draw. Since there'd be no way to win even if there were no time controls.

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Originally posted by AThousandYoung
That should have been a win for the Dad. Why was it a draw?
Lone kings cannot checkmate(insufficient material),therefore they cannot win,therefore the game gets ruled a draw if the opponent(with sufficient mating material) flags.

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Originally posted by ouwe belg
Lone kings cannot checkmate(insufficient material),therefore they cannot win,therefore the game gets ruled a draw if the opponent(with sufficient mating material) flags.
Everybody knows that. Or they should.