Author: Robert Raese
Date: 04:27:41 05/24/01
i found this chess anecdote in a little essay, "street fighting men" by richard fireman, about chess hustlers... hope you get a smile... "A now infamous, possibly apocryphal, story tells of how one day a couple of years ago a South American master, in town a few days before the start of an international tournament, was wandering down the street when he spotted a crowd at the corner. Curious, he approached, and discovered to his delight the spectacle of sidewalk chess, coffee-house chess without the coffeehouse. His meat-&-potatoes. Why not make a couple of extra bucks before the tournament? "These gringos didn't know him from Adam, though in his own country...ah, but that was far away. He smiled. This was going to be like shooting ducks in a barrel. His attention was especially drawn to one board, whose occupant was taking on all comers at 5-to-1 minute odds, and cleaning up. This was their head honcho, then. Fine. He sat down to play. Several games later and X number of dollars poorer, he got up, walked away, and was never seen in these here parts agin'. He had been so demoralized getting crushed by some "patzer" on the street that he went back home without even playing in the big tournament; he figured if this was what a woodpusher did to him, what would a REAL pro do?! God, these Americans were strong! Unbeknownst to him, he had chanced to fall prey to one of the rare appearances of Roman Dzindishashvilli, strong grandmaster and exceptionally strong speed chess player. Did he ever find this out? Is he still licking his wounds? Did he renounce chess forevermore? If not, perhaps he is out there, now, reading this article; if so, senor, now you know. May the truth set you free... " LOL the full essay is here: http://www.clark.net/pribut/richsfm.html
This page took 0 seconds to execute
Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700
Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.