Activists protest against chess as 'racist'

[Cuivienen]

Ha! 2 people actually voted yes. And they were probably (hopefully) kidding around. Heck, some chess sets aren't black and white, just 2 different colors. Black and White are just the prettiest and most contrasting. Anyone who complains it's "racist" just wants attention, or is stirring up trouble for fun. Or needs a lobotomy.

One of the people who voted yes must be Perfection.


Oh, and better players don't care which color they play with. However, of games between top-rated players, about 50% of games go to black, 45% to white and 5% are draws. For players rated <2000, though, color doesn't matter at all. (My FIDE rating was 1598 when I stopped playing three years ago. Never quite made it past 1600.)

 

[AVN]

What's your approx. FIDE rating?

Mine is low. Somewhere between 1500-1600

 

[stormbind]

What's your approx. FIDE rating?

Good lord, I don't know.

I wasn't administrator... I just played... and it was seperated by divisions which only change each season anyway. In either event, I'm not sure it was the same scale; might have been UK specific.

When I played online, it was over 1500, but I don't know how comparible that is.

Played against the Greek champion at university though, he said he was over 2200.

 

[Richard Cribb]

Stronger players most definitely prefer white!!
It is customary among grandmasters is to play for a win with white and draw with black, and even players like Botvinnik, Fischer and Kasparov who always played for a win, scored rather better with the white pieces.
This is controversial, but chess may very well a forced win with white, being born with the initiative is very important.
And I was +2000 in my active years.
Cuivienen - what is the statistic material you refer to. Can it be found somewhere?

 

[AVN]

Stronger players most definitely prefer white!!
It is customary among grandmasters is to play for a win with white and draw with black, and even players like Botvinnik, Fischer and Kasparov who always played for a win, scored rather better with the white pieces.
This is controversial, but chess may very well a forced win with white, being born with the initiative is very important.

I completely agree

And I was +2000 in my active years.

Then I'm not going to invite you for a match.
The difference in our ratings is too big.

But +2000 is a very good rating

 

[stormbind]

Stronger players most definitely prefer white!!
It is customary among grandmasters is to play for a win with white and draw with black, and even players like Botvinnik, Fischer and Kasparov who always played for a win, scored rather better with the white pieces.

Well, I'm very aggressive with white... and defensive with black... but aim to win with both.

In either event, the objective is to control centre board. If I can get that with black, you lose baby!

 

[CIVPhilzilla]

It's sad the claims made by some people. I'm surprised they aren't further protesting chess is racist because white goes before black.

 

[Neomega]

It's sad the claims made by some people. I'm surprised they aren't further protesting chess is racist because white goes before black.

Nobody is protesting anything. The story is false.

It was taken from a Chris Rock stand up routine. Worse, I think Aneesham just made up Soceity for Racial Equality, since they deal mostly with African and caribbean issues.

 

[bigmeat]

i think calling things racist is racist because then your racially profiling people

 

[bigmeat]

also some people even think blacks can't be racist because they have been oppressed

 

[Uncle Sam]

And most Greens are communists, I've been told.

I swear, some of the funniest things i see in my life come from this site. That was a great line.

 

[The Last Conformist]

To quote a 'Poly discussion on this subject:

- Black people aren't black.
- That's awfully racist of them! Is black not good enough for them, or what?

 

[crystal]

Many players prefer to play as black, because they feel it has an advantage... black can select the optimal opening move specifically to take advantage of the white player's opening move... whereas the white player starts blind.

Or then that is just an illusion. Initiative is very important, and that's what the white player has (until he makes a mistake or any useless move). White has about 36% chance of winning compared to black's 25%.

Here is a great opening explorer:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/explorer

 

[The True Sultan]

White is by far the easier side in chess

There are a lot of stupid people out there
i remember an article i read a while ago, about an activist protesting about computers having 'slave' drives, he claimed it was reminicent of the old Amerian slave era, and the term should be banned.

N.B. i LIKE chess!

 

[sourboy]

Ridiculous. If they're in America, I can see another ruling to appease the stupid.

 

[The True Sultan]

Was a long time ago, i dont know what happened.

 

[Neomega]

Ridiculous. If they're in America, I can see another ruling to appease the stupid.

This is a false thread. Aneeshm doesn't know what the hell he is talking about.

It was taken from a Chris Rock stand up routine. Worse, I think Aneeshm just made up Soceity for Racial Equality, since they deal mostly with African and caribbean issues.

he has posted no source, and looking it up, I found nothing correlating Society for Racial Equality and this "issue".

Of course, go to any right wing forum, and they are all over it like flies.

 

[Richard Cribb]

Originally Posted by AVN:
"Then I'm not going to invite you for a match.
The difference in our ratings is too big."

A countryman of the great Max Euwe (possibly the most underestimated player in the history of the game.) doesn't have to fear little old me. I played my last serious tournament in 1998 before illness hit me, and even if my level of understanding of the game haven't suffered, I am quite rusty.

Originally posted by Stormbind:
"Well, I'm very aggressive with white... and defensive with black... but aim to win with both.

In either event, the objective is to control centre board. If I can get that with black, you lose baby! "

Shag - A - delic. Personally I am the "builder"-type with both colours, I like to keep things quiet and try to push my opponent slowly and surely off the board. But every player has his/her style, it's just a matter of personal preferences.

crystal - great link and accurate statements.

 

[Free Enterprise]

I have yet to see any evidence the pieces in a game of Chess represent any "racial" groups. Unless the pieces are representative of people with certain physical traits then the argument that the pieces or turn system is racist is incredibly weak or more probably: non-existent.

 

[Syterion]

It's sad the claims made by some people. I'm surprised they aren't further protesting chess is racist because white goes before black.

That's what the whole thread is about. Did you read the first post?