Musings on chess, and lesser things
Non-chess posts
A quick two-day stopover in Dubai followed Vietnam, and talk about worlds apart… Dubai is an amazing place, really just one gigantic man-made wonder. It’s hard to imagine that the city was once nothing but barren desert sand when you look out at the vibrant cityscape, punctuated with roaring skyscrapers and dazzling architecture, and complemented …
Two tuk-tuk drivers playing the Cambodian game referred to in an earlier post. It may be called “Ouk”, although when I asked what the game was, the drivers replied with something that sounded like “Raysh”. From our brief conversation using hand signals, I gather the game is played on what looks like a regular chess …
One thing I always marvel at on trips like this is how irrational us tourists can be when it comes to simple economics on vacations. Really, our main objective on our rare holidays abroad should be to enjoy ourselves and not worry about ‘the little things’, but somehow our human nature just won’t let us. …
It was Orson Welles who famously quipped that “there are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror.” Ironically, after we experienced smooth, problem-free journeys on Cambodian Air and landed in Ho Chi Minh City, it was the reputable Vietnam Airlines that gave me my first emergency landing. Soon after taking off for our …
Cambodia is a little different from any country I’ve been to before. I’ve visited several developing countries, but each has been on the way up, so to speak. The locals recognise that their standard of living has been improving over their lifetime, and those I’ve spoken to have always been full of promise for the …
I’ve vehemently tried to avoid commenting on the federal election, primarily because it’s just so uninspiring. A tepid, usually negative campaign has disappointed all but the most desperate political junkies, and the only sign of passion was when Mark Latham decided to have a go at everything and everyone in sight. I happened to be …
We are all aware of the age-old debate as to why there are so few top female chess players. Nature versus nurture takes on a fundamental role in this argument, with scientific studies supporting both sides of the issue. While I can’t see how anyone would believe there are innate or biological differences in the …
No, not the original. The new version, which is set in China, and somewhat confusingly features kung fu instead of karate. I went to see it with a couple of my ju jitsu mates – I’ve recently picked up ju jitsu, which has not succeeded in making me any more dangerous (except perhaps to myself), but has been …
Am I the only person in Australia who hates MasterChef?! Australia’s number one television show once again blew the ratings out of the water with its ludicrously popular second series. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it (which is in itself quite an enviable achievement), MasterChef is a reality show in which amateur …
Well, the greatest sporting show on earth is over for another four years. Spain has triumphed with the perfect Swiss Gambit, losing the first round and then swindling their way through to the final. (Of course, the Swiss Gambit is not a traditional ploy for knock-out competitions, but it was always going to be a …