TV/Movies Megathread

[celedhring]

How many players here, of any level?

I was my school's champ, haven't played in decades though.

[Eddie Teach]

I beat my grandfather once.

[garbon]

I did at least one tournament as a child and have in storage somewhere a wooden carrying case/board set. One of the pieces got separated from set and is on my dresser here in London.

[Josephus]

...also it took me till the last episode, but I finally realized that the first champion she beat was the actor who played Dursley in the Harry Potter series.

[Sheilbh]

Never got into chess as a kid - I could play but I was never good, I don't think there were clubs or competitions in my area.

But I do kind of love things "about" chess. It seems like the area where the line between genius and madness really is very, very fine indeed - this could be shaped by being a big Nabokov fan. Every great chess player I've read about has a story that's a slightly alarming mix of a very smart kid and basically child abuse by their parents/teachers etc, but maybe that's true for all prodigies.

[The Brain]

I played chess occasionally when I was a kid, though I never really studied it. BUT I have seen Ingmar Bergman in the flesh and I've been to the church that has the medieval painting that inspired him.

[frunk]

I haven't played regularly since high school.  I did play some bughouse in college.

[Josephus]

I used to play back in high school, but I never really learned all the moves. I wouldn't know a Sicilian from an English. In fact the last time I played, several years ago, was online against a Paradox forum guy, who may have been on here, not sure, named Uncle Brian. I started off well, and then he said something about "Ah...you're using the Sicilian Defence, I now just how to counter that." I had no idea what he was talking about, he went on to clobber me, and I hung up my cyber chess pieces.

[crazy canuck]

So yeah....Queen's Gambit, best thing I've seen in a while.

Question though: it made me wonder; Is chess still a thing? I mean I know people still play it, but I can't name you a grand master since, like, Kasparov. Do they still have headline-making chess championships and stuff?

Hey old timer, google Magnus Carlsen.  He is a big hit on social media.

How many players here, of any level?

I play fairly regularly.  But less against my oldest boy now that he is moving up in the rankings. 

[Tamas]

Never got into chess as a kid - I could play but I was never good, I don't think there were clubs or competitions in my area.

But I do kind of love things "about" chess. It seems like the area where the line between genius and madness really is very, very fine indeed - this could be shaped by being a big Nabokov fan. Every great chess player I've read about has a story that's a slightly alarming mix of a very smart kid and basically child abuse by their parents/teachers etc, but maybe that's true for all prodigies.

I think that's true for a lot if not most really successful professional sport people. You need a natural talent of course but in a highly competitive sport where repetition and persistence can also yield results, you need to absolutely dedicate your entire life to it to reach the truly highest levels. That's hard to do without the parents dedicated to destroying your childhood in pursuit of it.

[crazy canuck]

Never got into chess as a kid - I could play but I was never good, I don't think there were clubs or competitions in my area.

But I do kind of love things "about" chess. It seems like the area where the line between genius and madness really is very, very fine indeed - this could be shaped by being a big Nabokov fan. Every great chess player I've read about has a story that's a slightly alarming mix of a very smart kid and basically child abuse by their parents/teachers etc, but maybe that's true for all prodigies.

I think that's true for a lot if not most really successful professional sport people. You need a natural talent of course but in a highly competitive sport where repetition and persistence can also yield results, you need to absolutely dedicate your entire life to it to reach the truly highest levels. That's hard to do without the parents dedicated to destroying your childhood in pursuit of it.

Entire life?  Most elite athletes are elite at a young age.

Destroy childhood?  I don't think you spent much time around elite athletes and are really going to the well on some pretty well worn stereotypes.

[Josephus]

Hey old timer, google Magnus Carlsen.  He is a big hit on social media.

What is this social media thing?

[Josephus]

Just Googled this Magnus dude. Wow..pretty impressive. They argue he's the best ever to play the game.

[Tamas]

Never got into chess as a kid - I could play but I was never good, I don't think there were clubs or competitions in my area.

But I do kind of love things "about" chess. It seems like the area where the line between genius and madness really is very, very fine indeed - this could be shaped by being a big Nabokov fan. Every great chess player I've read about has a story that's a slightly alarming mix of a very smart kid and basically child abuse by their parents/teachers etc, but maybe that's true for all prodigies.

I think that's true for a lot if not most really successful professional sport people. You need a natural talent of course but in a highly competitive sport where repetition and persistence can also yield results, you need to absolutely dedicate your entire life to it to reach the truly highest levels. That's hard to do without the parents dedicated to destroying your childhood in pursuit of it.

Entire life?  Most elite athletes are elite at a young age.

Destroy childhood?  I don't think you spent much time around elite athletes and are really going to the well on some pretty well worn stereotypes.

I am not saying they end up regretting their parents choice necessarily.

And the childhood is "destroyed" in the sense that it is consumed by the pursuit of what is initially the parents' and not the kid's amibtion. If it works out and the kid loves it great. But I have a suspicion not everyone who is set on a path to greatness achieves it.

And in most sports, you need to reach pretty high levels for the effort vs. profit ratio even remotely to make sense.

[crazy canuck]

Never got into chess as a kid - I could play but I was never good, I don't think there were clubs or competitions in my area.

But I do kind of love things "about" chess. It seems like the area where the line between genius and madness really is very, very fine indeed - this could be shaped by being a big Nabokov fan. Every great chess player I've read about has a story that's a slightly alarming mix of a very smart kid and basically child abuse by their parents/teachers etc, but maybe that's true for all prodigies.

I think that's true for a lot if not most really successful professional sport people. You need a natural talent of course but in a highly competitive sport where repetition and persistence can also yield results, you need to absolutely dedicate your entire life to it to reach the truly highest levels. That's hard to do without the parents dedicated to destroying your childhood in pursuit of it.

Entire life?  Most elite athletes are elite at a young age.

Destroy childhood?  I don't think you spent much time around elite athletes and are really going to the well on some pretty well worn stereotypes.

I am not saying they end up regretting their parents choice necessarily.

And the childhood is "destroyed" in the sense that it is consumed by the pursuit of what is initially the parents' and not the kid's amibtion. If it works out and the kid loves it great. But I have a suspicion not everyone who is set on a path to greatness achieves it.

And in most sports, you need to reach pretty high levels for the effort vs. profit ratio even remotely to make sense.

A lot of assumptions there.  Why do you think a young althete becomes an elite athlete because of a pursuit that was initially the parents' ambition.  Hell if parents could simply will their kids to be great, that would be fantastic.  You are basing your worldview on stereotypes that, like all stereotypes, have a grain of truth but are not application in all or most cases.