Taking chess to the extreme

Friday’s Guardian reported that a man had been stabbed to death during a game of chess.   It reported, “What started as a peaceful game between friends ended tragically with a man losing his life.   The court heard how, on the night of the murder, the accused, Mr Fishti, had left the shared Leyton High Road flat with two friends, leaving Mr Suditu and a third flatmate playing a game of chess in the kitchen.   Fishti returned a short time later, alone, and complaining about having been stopped by a homeless man who had asked him for 50p.   He grabbed a knife from the kitchen and left the flat, only to return moments later, placing the blade on a kitchen worktop.   Irate, he then disrupted the chess game between Suditu and the third flatmate and threw the board in the air, provoking a reaction from Suditu.   In the ensuing struggle, Fishti stabbed Suditu in the chest before fleeing.”

We may see occasional reactions from players when they lose, either storming out of the venue or, in some cases, knocking over the pieces and refusing to shake hands.   Fortunately, nothing as bad as this has ever happened here in Suffolk, and we pray that it never will.