Us birders are occasionally allowed to pursue other pursuits you know. And one of mine is chess. And there's a lot of things they have in common ..... [a] I've got three copies of The Big Bird Race, and three copies of Bobby Fischer's " My 60 Memorable Games." For entirely different reasons. [b] Over the years I've travelled many many miles to see birds and to play chess. [c] And to do both I often hitched to whatever place I was going to...and back. [d] Sometimes I fared well, and sometimes I didn't. [e] Both pursuits need equipment. "Proper" chess sets aren't cheap you know. And you have to bring your (expensive) chess clock as well. (f) I collect bird books, and I have assembled many of them into a most remarkable pyramid. (f2) I also collect chess sets ..especially "pocket" sets, of which I currently have 43. [g] Both pursuits also have dedicated serious magazines. [h] And also, they both have dedicated highly frivolous and sarcastic mags as well. Kingpin is a brilliant and funny chess mag, and Brattish Birds is an occasional and silly and sarcastic publication written by me. You'll all be familiar with Not BB. I hope. [i] The two pursuits are in many way opposites. Chess is an indoor thing, highly regarded for its intellectual astuteness, whereas birding is an outdoor thing which is largely lampooned and ridiculed and regarded as drippy and soppy. Which, by the way, is unfair. [j] Both pursuits involve fierce rivalries, sometimes taken to extremes. [k] There have been accusations of cheating in both spheres. [l] Both pursuits are stuffed with males. But that is slowly changing. I'm sure I've missed some of the links between the two, but I think it has to be Music Time now ... a very young Bob Dylan ...........
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AuthorThat's the author up there ... I was young and sprightly then. Archives
October 2022
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