Chess, sex, porn & other misperceptions
A Pic is Worth a 1000 Words,
…More if it is SEXY!
Sometimes you come across an image that has chess in it, maybe only as a prop, and you find yourself curious about the story behind it, if there is even a story behind it. Such as this photo above of Mexican actor Antonio Gaona.
37-year old heart-throb Antonio Gaona featured in February 2018’s Mexican edition of ‘Cosmopolitan’ . The magazine’s spin was ‘Amor & Sexo’ of a bachelor.
The chess board is set up correctly, so somebody involved in the photo shoot knew a bit about chess. Or perhaps Antonio is himself an amateur chess player. I don’t know.
But what I want the reader to think about is this: the manner in which chess is used as a prop in the photo, in particular how Antonio’s sexuality – his masculinity – is complemented and enhanced by the contrasting cerebral side of chess. A sort of Yin & Yang.
But not the physical versus the intellectual. Instead, the physical AND the intellectual, side by side, co-existing without embarrassment or inhibitions. Earthy, but in a sophisticated sense.
This kind of association of the game of chess with EROS is quite acceptable when the human subject is male, but when the human subject is female then a certain moral hypocrisy begins to creep in and some people have difficulty in seeing the contradiction.
Sex is a Red Blooded Thing
Chess Queen Cosplay
Both of the above photos (links are included) play on the same theme of chess’ earthy side. Of how the sexual and the intellectual can co-exist in a very uninhibited manner. Even so, as mentioned, some may blush!
Chess and Porn: Here to stay
The porn industry – in terms of dollars – is orders of magnitude bigger than anything Hollywood has ever done. I have already written here on this blog, several times atleast, about the growing interest in the porn industry in using chess as a prop. Or more precisely, in using chess in the sense of the Yin & Yang of human sexuality.
In the photo of Jules Jordan above, it is clear that he is not ashamed of associating himself (and what he does and represents) with chess.
Some Curious Recent Examples
Porn star Miss Latin Rain (not her real name, idiot!) playing on the imagery of the famous chess tournament. We have to give her credit: the board is set up correctly in both instances and both positions are legal, something that many photo shoots with mega budgets are not able to do.
And Miss Latin Rain does not lack in a sense of humour…or enthusiasm!
Coming to a Theatre Near You!
Bits & Pieces
Final Observations
Well, obviously I will have other blog articles on this fascinating topic in the future, but for now I want to make the very important point that the world perceives the game of chess in ways very differently from what FIDE most assuredly would like the world to think of when chess is discussed.
Chess – to the non-FIDE world – is and has always been a thoughtful, deliberate and difficult game. Chess demands our best intellectual efforts, and for this reason is universally respected. And loved.
How far FIDE goes in the other direction, with its politics of dumbing down the game (faster time controls) or for its fruitless push to make chess a child’s game as FIDE actively campaigns for its inclusion into schools, will not change the world’s perception of chess. These politics are doomed even before they begin…
The only thing that will change is the world’s perception of FIDE.
