At the recent World Series of Chess held in the tiny Duchy of Grand Fenwick in the northern alps, a seasoned grandmaster was caught off guard by a local newcomer's surprising gambit. GM Ilya Boobipanov was defeated by LP Tully Bascombe in the first upset of the event. "This is an outrage!" Boobipanov complained. "Why was I paired with this incompetent fathead!?"  The bewildered Bascombe, shocked by his own good fortune, commented "I don't even know what a gambit is! I just learned to play last week..... I thought I blundered a piece away!"  Here's the comedy of errors itself:

Very amusing.  The duchy of Grand Fenwick was a nice touch.

This was hilarious!

Funniest story I've heard in a long time

Was this actually real??

You bet it was real. Feel free to look up GM Boobipanov's games on chessgames.com if you need some proof.

Here is an update from the tiny Duchy of Grand Fenwick: Local chess nebbish Tully Bascombe has been reported missing. Authorities say he was last seen at the World Series of Chess event where witnesses say he was involved in an altercation with another player. The well-known but short-tempered grandmaster Ilya Boobipanov is being held for questioning. Police say that so far, Boobipanov has just kept repeating the same annoying line: "I know nothing! Nothing!"

I can understand Boobipanov's pain, as he was just about to cross the magic 2800 barrier!

Yes, this is undoubtedly a factor in Boobipanov's bizarre behavior. As a result of his loss to this 'rookie', his rating has plunged precipitously. In fact, it's dipped so low, the authorities have forced him to eat his meals in the 'Class C' dining room, with a bunch of middle-school kids. However, there have been other unusual incidents at this tournament. See Another Shocker at the World Series of Chess!