I started coaching my 12 year old's chess team a few weeks back. We went to our 3rd tournament yesterday.The walls of the playing hall were adorned with chess quotes, ones like "Take care of your pieces and they will take care of you", "Chess is the gymnasium of the mind" etc. The one that caught my eye right away was this doozy "Castling is for sissies". I talked to the organizers and had it removed!
Hahahaha, that's the greatest. You didn't take a photo perchance?
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, though. If I ever run a tournament, that's one of the quotes that will be posted on the wall. Right next to Bobby Fischer's "Women are weakies."
In all seriousness, that's an encouraging performance for the team. Hope to see a 1st place soon!
ReplyDeleteGeeze, didn't they have no brains there at the tournament? "Castling is for sissies" goes against one of the golden rules of the opening namely: put your king in safety. How else would you do that then with castling?
ReplyDeleteSecond place isn't bad for a third tournament experience. It shows that once they get used to the atmosphere and special feeling a chess tournament has they are capable of doing great things. So upwards towards first place in the next tournament i say, the sky is the limit!
Where's your sense of humor?
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the best chess quotes and at 12 years old they are old enough to see and understand the humor.
This tournament had kids from kindergarten and up, they would not all get the humor
ReplyDeleteIvan
Shirov might to some level agree with that quote. Kramnik most certainly would not.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that quote.. well, first I thought it was just stupid and useless but it is just chess humor... nothing to think about after all :)
ReplyDelete