Bathroom Dispute Halts Chess Championship

On Thursday at the World Chess Championships, the player from Bulgaria charged that the player from Russia was taking too many bathroom breaks, more than 50 a game. He suggested that his opponent was running to the toilet — the only area used by the players not monitored by cameras — to get illegal assistance, presumably from a computer.

At first, the bathroom accusation seemed like one in a long line of acrimonious charges that have bedeviled international chess matches over decades.

But it was only the beginning at the event in Elista, Russia, in the republic of Kalmykia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/30/crosswords/chess/30chess.html

at another Chess tournament

That would be cool. It happened once on an episode of Family Ties.

Prissy bitches, those chess players, aren't they?

Redstone

:-)

I use Internet Chess Club to play online... pm me for my username and let's play! You can download the client for free and play as an unregistered guest, also without charge. My ranking is in the 12-1300 range.

because you know the senate just outlawed online gambling last night, don't cha?

though I hear that is how Stanley Kubrick got enough cash for his first movie!

I played in tournaments for about 15 years, but stopped playing when I became a dad about 10 years ago.

I was in the 1900 range. I got over 2000 about four times and went right back below every time.

This dispute reminds me of Korcnoi and the many-colored yogurts. I would sure be up in arms if my opponent went to the bathroom every move. Get up and walk around - sure. I've done that plenty, but to hide yourself every move in a time of blackberries and cellphones, nope, I'd be protesting too.

Oh, I don't know my ranking for standard games, probably higher. I usually only play blitz games.

What is the yogurt story?

In 1978, Karpov kept asking for a bowl of yogurt while he was playing. They gave him different flavors of yogurt and Korchnoi thought that the Soviet team was illegally sending coded messages to Karpov based on what flavor of yogurt he got.

Then there was the Soviet "parapsychologist" Zukhov who always sat in the front row and stared at Korchnoi during every game.

I am also an ICC member. My blitz ranking fluctuates in the 1600-1800 range (the slower the time control the better for me)I can think well but I can't think fast
:-)

It's just too easy to cheat at chess with computers. Anyone can buy Fritz from Chess Base, load it into their PC and they can play chess at master level for correspondence or internet play. Computers have taken the fun out of playing chess. They've effectively played the game out.

That's why I switched to Bridge. Computers still haven't taken the fun out of Bridge.

Besides, I had several encounters with Bobby FIscher back in the 80s when he still lived in Los Angeles. Talk about a whack job, the idiot kept passing out leaflets alleging the world was run by a secret Jewish government based in Moscow. He could have given Mel Gibson pointers in antisemitism!