A win for Australia but may be a loss for chess

Not one but two Australian personalities background in chess were highlighted in the news today.
2018 Australian of the Year Michelle Simmons attributed her start in science on beating her father in chess. Having achieved what was she thought was an unexpected win, she began to wonder what else she could achieve. These days she is a Professor in Quantum Physics at the University of New South Wales, where one of her projects is the design of a quantum computer. Read her story here.
The other chess player made good is young Australian leg spinner Lloyd Pope. After taking 8/35 against England in the Under 19 World Cup, it was revealed that apart from being a talented cricketer, he also played competitive chess while at high school. If his career develops, as seems likely, it may set up an interesting clash with Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal who plays currently plays T20 and ODI for his country, and previously represented India in chess at the junior level.

The one Castro game?

With the passing of Fidel Castro, I did a quick search to see if he had played any recorded games of chess. Turns out I could only find a single game, and one in which both players seemed to play poorly. Usually the existence of a single game for a person rings some alarm bells as well, as games like this often turn out to be faked. However I've seen the same game in a couple of sources, and while not ruling out that they both came from the same source,  I've decided to show it here.
It looks like it was played during the 1966 Olympiad in Havana, although not as part of the Olympiad. Castro had black and was losing for most of the game. But whether by luck, or his opponent realising who he was playing, the game turned on a single move, when his opponent allowed a mate in 1!


Terrazas - Castro,Fidel [C34]
Havanna, 1966

Out and Proud

The 2011 British Championship ended in a blaze of publicity, with the issue of the ECF Presidents T-Shirt being te main topic of discussion. ECF President CJ de Mooi was planning to present the tournament prizes in a shirt that read "Some people are gay. Get over it!". The tournament arbiter, Lara Barnes, queried the appropriateness of the shirt and the fun started from there.
I've shared a few beers with de Mooi (at the 2010 Olympiad) and he was a nice, and passionate guy. Both about chess, and about gay rights. The debate about this issue seems to be either (a) he shouldn't be promoting another agenda at an ECF event or (b) he should have worn a suit and tie to present the prizes (and of course the position he should be allowed to wear what he likes)
As it is a developing story, I'll give you two links. The first is to the proper news story (in The Observer) while the second is to the debate about the issue (at the ECF forum)

Peter Falk

Actor Peter Falk passed away on the 23rd of June. He was one of my favourite actors, appearing in The Princess Bride, the Columbo TV series, and playing himself, as an angel, in Wings of Desire (amongst many other films and TV shows).
His connection with the world of chess was two-fold. In real life he was a chess aficionado, who spectated a couple of big chess events in the US (the 1983 US Open being one). In the character of Columbo, he matched wits with Grandmaster Emmett Clayton, who had attempted to murder a rival. Of course in this episode, "The Most Dangerous Match", Columbo outwits his opponent, and gets his man.