Is chess unconsciously support racism? - Chess Forums - Page 2

JeanMarcKapisu

Jun 6, 2020

0

#21

carter785 a écrit :

Jean Marc, thank you for your thoughts. It would be a powerful symbolic gesture for two Grandmasters to play a game in a public venue with "The Floyd Variation."

Rather than criticize the suggestion, I think we should all use this moment to reflect on what actions we can take in our own lives- both tangible and symbolic- in order to dismantle racism.

Black lives matter!

thank you !

JeanMarcKapisu

Jun 6, 2020

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#22

Eagle_Twin a écrit :

JeanMarcKapisu schreef:

I'm going to be brief ! We have the white pieces and the black pieces; the white pieces always start first. It sounds like something we all know... Some suggest that we should change this rule ( why not, we already have chess960 ) Now let's create " the Floyd variation " Black starts first ! One other idea : let's play with the brown pieces and the white pieces, the white pieces start first. In this way we are not going to change the rule ( only the colors ) What are your thoughts ? Chess.com community I'm serious about this !

I challenged you to a chess game in which black starts. Wonderful opportunity to make a statement, even though racism has nothing to do with chess.

Thank you, I accepted the challenge

I did not say that chess is supporting racism, It was a question.

BlindThief

Jun 6, 2020

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#23

I think the chess community absolutely has a race, gender, and inclusion problem, but it's kind of expected for a community that is a lily-white sausage fest (at least in America). I'll take the extreme position and state that I think we should do more to foster the game among women and people of color, because it will benefit the game, and us as players.

But, the colors are a relatively new phenomenon, I believe, and originally players were assigned a color (white or red) and drew (or some other random decider) to see who would go first. Old school notation, such as that from Renaud's Art of the Checkmate, seem to support this. But I have only been told this, and I don't care enough to confirm it through research.

JeanMarcKapisu

Jun 6, 2020

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#24

HorsesGalore a écrit :

Bobby Fischer said "The turning point in my career came with the realization that Black should play to win instead of just steering for equality."

Spoken like a philosopher. Bobby has my love 💓

Felis_Domesticus

Jun 6, 2020

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#25

BlindThief wrote:

I think the chess community absolutely has a race, gender, and inclusion problem, but it's kind of expected for a community that is a lily-white sausage fest. I'll take the extreme position and state that I think we should do more to foster the game among women and people of color, because it will benefit the game, and us as players.

But, the colors are a relatively new phenomenon, I believe, and originally players were assigned a color (white or red) and drew (or some other random decider) to see who would go first. Old school notation, such as that from Renaud's Art of the Checkmate, seem to support this. But I have only been told this, and I don't care enough to confirm it through research.

I beg to differ, I think it’s already inclusive enough in terms of including everyone, with different types of peeps coming together to play chess.

swdeusa

Jun 6, 2020

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#26

"Overcoming life’s basic truth: Talent is universal, but opportunity is not." has this kid been mentioned on this site?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsJfZ-JMal4

swdeusa

Jun 6, 2020

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#27

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/16/opinion/sunday/chess-champion-8-year-old-homeless-refugee-.html

blueemu

Jun 6, 2020

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#28

JeanMarcKapisu wrote:

Either way, if the Floyd variation is not adapted, I'm going to play it with my friends over the board...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_signalling

Felis_Domesticus

Jun 6, 2020

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#29

blueemu wrote:

JeanMarcKapisu wrote:

Either way, if the Floyd variation is not adapted, I'm going to play it with my friends over the board...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_signalling

Classic example of it.

JeanMarcKapisu

Jun 6, 2020

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#30

Felis_Domesticus a écrit :

No offense to the OP’s view, but I think it’s quite silly to think that chess would be racist or even “unconsciously racist” because it existed before modern racism. People just standardized colors and that the lighter color should go first, switch the colors and it still wouldn’t matter.

Hi !

I did not that say chess is racist ( and it will never be ) I was asking a question in the title.

I was wondering if starting always with the white pieces can have a psychological impact in the minds of people... ( especially in the USA )

JeanMarcKapisu

Jun 6, 2020

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#31

JeanMarcKapisu a écrit :

Felis_Domesticus a écrit :

No offense to the OP’s view, but I think it’s quite silly to think that chess would be racist or even “unconsciously racist” because it existed before modern racism. People just standardized colors and that the lighter color should go first, switch the colors and it still wouldn’t matter.

Hi !

I did not say that chess is racist ( and it will never be ) I was asking a question in the title.

I was wondering if starting always with the white pieces can have a psychological impact in the minds of people... ( especially in the USA )

JeanMarcKapisu

Jun 6, 2020

0

#32

blueemu a écrit :

JeanMarcKapisu wrote:

Either way, if the Floyd variation is not adapted, I'm going to play it with my friends over the board...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_signalling

maybe 🤔

Pulpofeira

Jun 6, 2020

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#33

Could be, as one could tend to assume that it looks more "natural".

Pulpofeira

Jun 6, 2020

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#34

In go black goes first though, if I'm not wrong.

winkythetinkler

Jun 6, 2020

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#35

I used to volunteer teaching chess in the schools. one day while showing how to position the board correctly , I said “white always to the right” which drew protests from the black kids. They also questioned why white should always move first. I’d be up for trying out the Floyd variation, I think it would be a good brain exercise.

EscherehcsE

Jun 6, 2020

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#36

winkythetinkler wrote:

I used to volunteer teaching chess in the schools. one day while showing how to position the board correctly , I said “white always to the right” which drew protests from the black kids. They also questioned why white should always move first. I’d be up for trying out the Floyd variation, I think it would be a good brain exercise.

Great idea. The chess book authors would be happy, as they could sell twice as many chess opening books. As far as the kiddies, I guess you could tell them, "black always to the left".

GambitShift

Jun 6, 2020

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#37

But in Star Wars the storm troopers are white.

So a Floyd variation should be something like a white knight capturing a black pawn that doesn't need to be taken. Like in this position.

Damonevic-Smithlov

Jun 6, 2020

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#38

STartakower64 wrote:

We should all stop drinking milk (too white), abolish white weddings and darken snow whenever it should fall with lumps of coal. Also, all paper should come black as night, irregardless of whether it makes writing difficult, since ink will remain predominately black.

PS -- At a certain point you gotta use your head. Victimhood enabling is our new sport. The world's been force-fed a narrative that says all blacks are "victims" and everyone else is a racist scumbag. Sorry, not buying it. Facts are: some blacks are scumbags and plenty of non-blacks are pretty decent people. Good and bad in every shade.

PPS -- Also, Floyd was no MLK or Ghandi. He was a multiple-felon. Not saying that makes it okay he died. But fact is if he were White (or Asian or just about anything else) and died nobody would care. Again, let's use our heads. Doubtless, my freedom to express an opinion will draw haters. But can't just be one angle on this.

Absolutely.

JeanMarcKapisu

Jun 6, 2020

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#39

winkythetinkler a écrit :

I used to volunteer teaching chess in the schools. one day while showing how to position the board correctly , I said “white always to the right” which drew protests from the black kids. They also questioned why white should always move first. I’d be up for trying out the Floyd variation, I think it would be a good brain exercise.

That's what I'm talking about.

In that case how to tell the kids ? How to satisfy both colors. A good idea is a chess variant where black can also start first. Otherwise the black kids ( some black kids ) will always feel bad about this.

EscherehcsE

Jun 6, 2020

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#40

Where's that photo I saw a while back where all the chess pieces were the same color? haha