Friday Coffee, chess, potpourri and other nonsense
Friday Coffee
International Chess Day: a funeral!
Yesterday was ‘International Chess Day’? Really?! I must have missed all the fun! I think most of the world missed it as well. According to Wiki July 20th has been International Chess Day since 1966.
Must be one of the best kept secrets in the world…To add to embarrassment as chess players, wiki wipes our face in our own bullshit-lies by writing “The day is celebrated by many of the 605 million regular chess players around the world.” Yes, now I am sure ALL of those 605 million missed yesterday’s celebrations.
If the chess world can not be honest with itself, how can we expect the rest of the world to treat us any differently? Sponsorship is virtually non-existent. TV-is absolutely non-existent. And YouTube viewership of official chess tournaments is plunging…clearly those 605,000,000 are non-existent!
If the chess world can not take itself serious, then why should we expect better?
Plotkin Not Amused!
“Thanks to FQE, people all over the world now know we do play some exciting chess in Québec!” – Bernard Labadie
“A total disaster.” – Victor Plotkin
After the harsh words I wrote of how the FQE hastily put together the Canadian Championship in June, FQE president Bernard Labadie wrote to me, claiming his right to respond. I published his letter.
Yesterday Victor Plotkin wrote on the ChessTalk message board his professional appraisal of the Canadian Zonal, having played in the tournament and knowing full well the absolute mess that the FQE made of what should have been Canada’s flagship tournament. (Victor is an eminently qualified and highly respected individual inside the Canadian chess establishment)
There is inside the same thread a response by FQE executive director Richard Berube (via Louis Morin) and a follow up ‘refutation’ by Victor. Readers might find the whole thing interesting.
Viagra Alert: Texas coffee recalled!
A coffee company in North Texas has been giving its customers more than their normal boost of energy. Bestherbs Coffee LLC is now voluntarily recalling its “New of Kopi Jantan Tradisional Herbs Coffee” because it contains an ingredient similar to Viagra, the FDA says.
