Jay Roth

Love to chat about chess - the place of chess in society, the history of chess, the psychology, and the cognitive abilities of those that play the game!

[Jay Roth @msochess]

Just heard Leonard Barden turns 97 today and still writes his chess column. Extraordinary contribution to British Chess. His columns have been useful in my own research many times. Happy Birthday, Leonard! 🎉

[Jay Roth @msochess]

@NealBruceBC It is a great book, highly recommended!

[Jay Roth @msochess]

@GrandChessTour @Kasparov63 @chess24com @ChessbaseIndia @STLChessClub @GMJSindarov Know your classics!

[Jay Roth @msochess]

40 years ago, 23rd May 1986, British MPs gathered in the House of Commons to discuss an unusual subject: Chess! A fascinating glimpse into how chess culture, politics, and national ambition were viewed in Britain during the 1980s.

[Jay Roth @msochess]

@IF_ECHO00 I researched this recently while working on an article about the financial reality of professional chess.

The answer is rather multifaceted: https://t.co/rOR1igX4OA

[Jay Roth @msochess]

@onetotwo Yes that is one of my major criticisms. It neglected to tell the audience that the FTX cup game was part of a mini-match that Carlsen won 3-1. If Hans was cheating he didn't do a very good job of it!

[Jay Roth @msochess]

Interesting detail from Netflix’s *Untold: Chess Mates*:

David Howell’s line “so hard for Hans to even survive the next few moves” while focusing only on Game 1 of the FTX Cup.

Yet it appears those words were actually spoken during a later game.

Misleading editing??

[Jay Roth @msochess]

@Dixit__Nikhil Alekhine.

[Jay Roth @msochess]

The biggest mystery to me in Netflix’s Untold: Chess Mates documentary:

It completely omits the Julius Baer Generation Cup game where Magnus Carlsen resigned after one move just weeks after Sinquefield.

Full review/analysis/critique coming later today on Making Sense of Chess.

[Jay Roth @msochess]

Spent a great bank holiday weekend playing @4ncl in Daventry. Always a pleasure to be around so much strong chess! As always thanks to the organizers for making the event happen. Hopefully be back next season!

[English Chess Federation (ECF) @ecfchess]

The results are in! The ECF 24-hour Blitz Marathon raised £4,200 for Macmillan 🎉

Congrats to the winner, FM Harry Bryant (Torpedoknight) 🏆

5300+ games, 300+ players, in memory of Adam Hunt & Jonathan Hawkins. Thanks to all who took part. 💛

Support 👉 https://t.co/vDOtLgN7Lw

[Jay Roth @msochess]

@MarkTWIC Can't argue with the results!

[Jay Roth @msochess]

@chess24com With the Candidates on at the same time, I completely missed this match. Having now gone through most of the games, there were some really impressive, hard-fought battles—though a couple of shorter draws too.

[Jay Roth @msochess]

Yes I saw the interview, that book is going to fly off the shelves when it comes out! Interesting time because there are so many strong players in that 2725-2800 zone, so there's no guarantees but Sindarov is the first to me who looks like he can consistently win. ⏰Time-will-tell!

[Jay Roth @msochess]

One of the things that got me thinking about this topic was a tweet from Jorden van Foreest in 2024 about the realities of playing opens:

https://t.co/jaF0iGmS4i

[Jorden van Foreest @jordenvforeest]

Sharjah Masters starts today with a strong field, including world #7 Arjun Erigaisi. However, financial conditions and prize funds are dire. Even 2600-2699 GMs are sharing rooms, with no coverage for flights. 1/4

[Jay Roth @msochess]

We romanticise the idea of being a chess professional.

The reality is much harsher than most people realise. 🧵

[Jay Roth @msochess]

I broke this down in detail, looking at how chess players have actually made a living, often cobbling together multiple streams in order to get by:

👉https://t.co/rOR1igX4OA

Do you think the system works as it is?