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Amateur Beats 9 Expert players simultaneously

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04-30-2009 , 04:49 PM

moronchad

banned

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,662

Sorry if i'm not supposed to post this here,

but its the only place i thought it would fit.

(Also sorry if everyones already seen this)

http://www.break.com/usercontent/200...rs-283131.html

or

http://www.youtube.com/index?ytsessi...ymstx-iHDW_oUw

Very clever imo

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04-30-2009 , 05:13 PM

Dire

banned

Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 8,581

It's interesting but was already done going on nearly a century earlier. I think Alekhine was the first to fall to this trick. I can't remember the other opponents offhand.

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04-30-2009 , 05:33 PM

swingdoc

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 3,531

Seen it before. How embarrassing is it for the president of that college chess club to get beaten by some random who keeps talking about how much he sucks at chess? At least all titled players played other titled players.

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04-30-2009 , 05:52 PM

shimmy

adept

Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 909

The president guy was only rated about 130 BCF (~1700 ELO) IIRC, and I'm told Derren Brown actually isn't a bad chess player by most peoples standards, probably similar in strength to that guy and he prepared for the game.

None of the players I spoke to were quite sure about how the guessing the number of moves/pieces remaining thing at the end was done though, most likely an envelope swap was the general consensus.

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05-01-2009 , 11:26 AM

SinK

centurion

Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 157

I've had something of a Derren Brown obsession but from what I heard the original scam was carried out on the Titanic before it sank and involved a man betting his last £20,000 pounds that his girlfriend could get at least a draw against the two grand masters aboard. According to the version I heard the scam artist told the story to his entire life boat before jumping into the Atlantic to make room for someone else.

I feel it may possibly have been embellished somewhat by the teller though.

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05-01-2009 , 11:57 AM

moronchad

banned

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,662

Quote:

Originally Posted by SinK

I guess your story is different from Dires?

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05-01-2009 , 12:34 PM

SinK

centurion

Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 157

I can't vouch for my source's accuracy as it was in a book by some casino cheat, but I think my version is a better story either way. Everything becomes more dramatic if it happened on the Titanic. Maybe Alekhine was on the ship and got off.

I just like the idea of two ninteenth century chess masters drawing against a girl. Egg meet face.

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05-01-2009 , 12:37 PM

Dire

banned

Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 8,581

Yeah just found a source. On chessbase: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1610

They mention the Alekhine - Bogolijubov source. Apparently it was an amateur who was challenged them both to correspondence games at money odds. Incidentally, the two actually caught onto the scam before it was finished.

EDIT: There's also some drama in that link. The president of the chessclub guy is apparently ~2200 ELO and thinks somebody was sending moves to Darren Brown during the game.

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05-01-2009 , 12:40 PM

moronchad

banned

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,662

ty guys

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05-01-2009 , 06:46 PM

#10

mute

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 11,815

Quote:

Originally Posted by SinK

It's also a plot line in a Sidney Sheldon novel. Starts at 2:30:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blt_3yMpKh0

I'm pretty sure this would be impossible to pull off irl.

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05-02-2009 , 02:17 AM

#11

frappeboy

adept

Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 1,078

It's a stupid trick.. That's why simul givers should always be given white in all games so people aren't dumbasses and do this.

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05-03-2009 , 11:18 PM

#12

PyramidScheme

FPS Allstar

Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 19,898

Someone should attempt to crack into the top 100 list on Gameknot by doing this. I'd assume you'd get caught quickly.

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05-04-2009 , 03:08 PM

#13

Nezh

2010 2+2 Chess Champion

Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 845

This stupid trick would not work if the simul-giver would have had to stick to a normal board-order sequence of executing the moves, as then he would not have the abilty to only execute moves already made on the ´mirror boards´.

I´m pretty sure the GM´s knew what was going on but went for the ride and their few minutes of tv-exposure. It was painfully obvious what was going on when the simul-guy did not answer immediately on the boards he was playing black on, but went to ´his´ white boards first to see what his opponents would do against the moves that were made against him. Poor chessmasters being exploited like cheap monkeys on a fair lol.

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05-05-2009 , 07:07 AM

#14

moronchad

banned

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,662

From Dires Link
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1610

Quote:

Mark Howitt of Huddersfield, UK, writes: "After talking with Jon Levitt on the playchess.com server I have a few things to add to your news item. Jon was quite convinced the whole thing was a hoax; he believed that someone was even telling Derren the moves in the ninth game. Just to clarify the status of the ninth board, he's a player of 2200 strength. The title 'President of King's College Chess Club' refers to him being the figurehead of a University in London, which is one of the strongest in Britain.

There's also a reason, perhaps, for Mr Brown being able to predict the number of pieces remaining on the board at the end of the game. Apparently during a retake, there as a shout and a noise and the players view of Graham Lee, the holder of the envelope was blocked. There could have been a switch made at this time. However, there still remains the puzzle that Mr Lee was convinced that the envelope had remained in his pocket the whole time, and he is regarded as an honest man in England.

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05-05-2009 , 07:53 AM

#15

Neil S

King of the sidebar

Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 19,809

What tilts me is the inaccuracy of the title of the thread. He didn't beat nine of them. He beat 5 of 9.

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05-05-2009 , 08:01 AM

#16

moronchad

banned

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,662

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil S

What tilts me is the inaccuracy of the title of the thread. He didn't beat nine of them. He beat 5 of 9.

lol, that is good point, if a mod can change that then pls do, i cant edit it now

although i guess this title looks better than 4/9

pls alter tho mod

ty

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05-05-2009 , 09:27 AM

#17

RoundTower

ɹǝʍoʇpunoɹ

Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 14,563

the genius thing about this trick is that the trivial part (playing the players against each other, which you can be sure the players were aware of) got him so much attention for the bit where he "predicted" the pieces remaining.

Watch almost any magic show and you'll see a similarly impressive trick to the envelope switcheroo, but no one posts about "how could he possibly know what card I picked AND IT TURNED UP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM BEHIND HIS ASSISTANT'S EAR??"

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05-06-2009 , 04:47 AM

#18

jontsef

veteran

Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 2,065

'Mister GrandMaster, how much do you charge for a private lesson? 100 pounds? ok, here's 500, play along please'

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