Grandmaster Clash - 28th Chess Olympiad 1988 with Stephen Fry

[@ASMRChess]

Speelman dancing is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

[@lwalker8785]

That was the only part I remembered since 1988.

[@henrikmortensen9686]

Besides that, he is a nice guy.

[@Neueregel]

Hi I am a Greek 40 yo dude, chess fan, and I instantly recognised that song at 47:30 . It's called 'Ti sou kana' from Giorgios Dalaras in 1987 kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJa5eqeglNmXfbM It's a cover from a Greek song from 1965 with the same name, from Panos Tzanetis kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHTchYuOfJ5-qpY But Giorgos played it in a more Latin way , for this 1987 album called LATIN. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2Hdp6KYlpqHZs0 Great album to play for Blitz sessions, and feel all the good atmosphere and vibes from Mediterranean and South America !! (guaranteed +50 ELO gain if you play this Latin album for inspiration and focus). Al Di Meola plays flamenco guitar on this album, and Di Meola has played many times together with Paco De Lucia (who was probably the 2nd best Classical guitarist of the 20th century, behind the GOAT Segovia), you see here Di Meola interviewed by Rick Beato kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoaaZWiLpNuHaMk about his experiences. So, essentially, Jonathan Spielmann danced to Al Di Meola's guitar !!

[@andrewstone3116]

@@henrikmortensen9686 Indeed he is. I played him a couple of weeks ago and despite the big difference in strength, he went over the game with me (which he won of course) and bought me a beer.

[@ASMRChess]

I have heard about this documentary and have searched high and low to find it. Rob Clark is a LEGEND for sharing this!! Thank you!!!!

[@flutiyama]

The cut from Stephen Fry with a walkman on a cab to rapping broke me into laughter. Also, amazing to see all these icons a year before I was born!

[@philipmay6003]

Loved seeing this for the first time. Is there anything that the amazing Stephen Fry has not excelled in doing?

[@whoisbhauji]

and good looking here too!

[@TBWCShow]

Didn't even know this existed. Thanks so much, what a find!

[@williammathias1441]

What a great watch! I yearn for this era to return :(

[@misterkefir]

Same, man.. Same.

[@heroingiraffe]

It will never happen. Nigel is a molester now. No going back from that.

[@stevecunningham8889]

Thanks so much, Rob. Caught this the night it aired, have not seen it - and have wished to many times - since. Tremendous.

[@magic_hotel]

Brilliant! What a treat to see so many English players in their younger days. Keith and Susan Arkell, Sheila Jackson, Glenn Flear, Cathy Forbes, David Anderton, Michael Stean, Malcolm Pein, Bill Hartston etc. - in addition to the men's playing squad.

[@oldmanc2]

I missed Glenn Flear, I must look again. What great players they all were.

[@magic_hotel]

@@oldmanc2 I could be wrong, but I think Glenn is the guy, centre-screen, opposite Nigel at 45:15 . He had that unbelievable win at the 1986 GLC tournament in London, ahead of Spassky, Short, Smyslov, Nunn etc., so maybe the BCF had him there as a VIP, or even as a coach.

[@oldmanc2]

@@magic_hotel Yes - great spot!!

[@Kubooxooki]

OMG, what a gift! This is the best chess-related thing that has happened to me all year!

[@stevenseymour4372]

Absolutely mind blown Mr Clark your spoiling us old chess freaks I can't thank you enough don't stop lol

[@Pajeot1]

The single best chess documentary ever made. Thank you. Just finished watching, starting it again.

[@aandykf]

Interesting time capsule!

[@thierrymichel166]

36:27 "the Dutch number two" is G. Sosonko, a Soviet exile who wrote "Russian silhouettes", a beautiful book of portraits of the chess masters he had known

[@nuwandalton]

The great Genna! Interesting fact, Van der Wiel played Short on Board 1, not Timman who, for some reason, wasn't on the team.

[@nickeldood]

I have been looking for this forever. Thank you for uploading it!

[@JohnBarnett-u8j]

Thanks for these EXCELLENT memories ❤❤❤ John Barnett revisited September 13 2024 ❤❤

[@albertusmagnus5829]

No mobile phones no internet no social media - please teleport me back to that time ...

[@deaconlight]

There was Leisure LINC - the first serious online chess network. We covered the 1988 Olympiad. Subscribers could follow the action online as it happened. (The LINC was bought by USA TODAY in 1989 and turned into the USA TODAY Sports Center.)

[@oldmanc2]

Speelman dancing- it was worth the wait!

[@madeyemason1834]

Really fantastic upload, Thanks Rob. Keep up the great work

[@joannalewis5279]

How did i not know this existed???

[@heresroddy5162]

Absolute chess gold dust, thanks for putting this on KZbin.

[@nuwandalton]

The Jons (Speelman and Mestel) look like guys who'd play Dungeons & Dragons all night between two rounds.

[@francois_bahia]

I partially remember this time ... Man, wish someone built an alternate reality with 1988 levels of tech! Speelman, Short, Frry - you guys ROCK!

[@Zonnymaka]

You made my day/week/month/year!

[@privatevendetta]

I have not heard of this before. I love Stephen and chess, what a treat.

[@splets6896]

Speelman is the quintessential representation of the 80s... 32, but looked like 48. I used to watch Jim Courier play tennis, then he became an announcer and I couldn't believe how well he cleaned up and aged in reverse for all of the 90s lol.

[@spiked415]

Jon speelman isnt just a GM in chess... his moves on the dancefloor show hes also an expert in primal mating displays

[@pilgrimoftheworld]

19:06 I think that is the most British thing I've ever heard...

[@ianmason3372]

Fabulous, thank you for excavating this

[@DocUK123]

This is SO good! 🤣🤣

[@diskgrinder]

Fantastic, Specimen dancing is a much needed tonic

[@paulmalone1208]

FANTASTIC LOVE IT thanks for putting this up ive never seen this before brill documentery.

[@stevel4880]

Tremendous. Thank you for posting.

[@cattycats4]

23:30 - 23:42 PRICELESS , especially the end bit with his eyes darting back and forth ahahahahahahahaaa lmaooo

[@frizbar]

poxa vida cara, adoro esses documentários,, muito obrigado. a classe desses britânicos é um fato curioso, nao consigo ver esses caras tomando cerveja e ficando bebados e sim tomando chá com a rainha

[@hannesamimaya]

More videos please!!

[@boomshanker61]

Rob, thanks. I really enjoyed that

[@jameskelly2559]

Best slight ever: "He describes himself as half-way between a sportsman and a warrior. Do you change yourself when you play?"

[@simonbradbury5181]

Thank you so much Mr Clark!

[@AlexanderNikitin-y4z]

Man! You present gold! Thanks Rob!

[@MrPhenomenomenom]

Damn... Speelman's got the moves, can't lie

[@raylopez99]

That rapper at the @2:00 mark is a time traveler from today who knows chess will someday become more popular than it was in 1988.

[@nuwandalton]

Yeah chess is popular now... But at which cost?

[@andrejbogdanov2816]

Crazy how well Karpov and Kasparov spoke `english in 1988

[@lucas-dj6rx]

Vim da live do GM rafpig

[@bosshogster6715]

Really enjoyed this. I must have missed it when it was first screened. But OMG - Specimen’s “dancing” was bizarre. Anderton’s was hilariously bad too. What a strong team we had in those days though. Where was Tony Miles? Did he not play at this Olympiad.

[@paulsontag9233]

He didn’t play. Wikipedia says after a mental breakdown in late ‘87 he moved to the USA and even played in the ‘88 US Championship finishing last.

[@oldmanc2]

Adjournments too! Much as I love the Stockfish world these days, I feel there's something missing as another computer-era youngster trounces me with computer perfect moves

[@liamwickins9450]

Speelman dancing was a joy...a 10 foot buffer zone was maintained around him at all times! Anything could have potentially happened with those moves 😂

[@slowfreq]

Oh I'd absolutely love it if that high pitched ringing were not present for the entire video.

[@lawbrn67]

The great Rob Clark strikes again. Thank you, sir!

[@terracottapie]

Grandmaster Clash and the Furious Fry

[@WaffleKnight1]

Awesome footage. There has to be something that can done about the ringing in the audio though.

[@waltelbow]

Amazing, thank you!

[@ComradeSina-nt2ms]

As an Atheist and a chess ensuthiast, I like this fry's documentary very much.

[@totalmonkeyspeed260]

Gold🙏

[@Mark.J.McCready]

Has there ever been a better documentary on chess than this?

[@kev_mclernon_family_channe4745]

Cool!!

[@jonathancowles8488]

3:30 'no sign of Ron Pickering'! Who's that?

[@kangabroo]

RON(NIE) PICKERING!!!

[@conradnoel]

Excellent 😂

[@bram99494]

Was Anand on the Indian team that beat the English?

[@nuwandalton]

Yes. A draw vs. Speelman.

[@followchess]

nice

[@leeball4585]

...and future gogglebox star!

[@ligidobastian9245]

Kasparov was right about Campomanes.

[@chriscarpenter5688]

Really interesting. Why was Miles not in the team?

[@nuwandalton]

Short's enmity towards Miles was common knowledge. It culminated in his infamous 2001 obituary.

[@chriscarpenter5688]

Sure but that does not explain why Miles was not selected? Or does it?@@nuwandalton

[@nuwandalton]

@@chriscarpenter5688Actually, Miles had already decided to play for the USA. I thought it happened in the early 90s

[@chriscarpenter5688]

Oh right!! I did not realise he had defected!!! Thanks@@nuwandalton

[@marinagamm1951]

@@nuwandalton🙆🏼‍♂️

[@lordwilksy]

Saturday Night Speelman

[@sinnder]

I watched only cuz I thought the thumbnail was Jared from Subway.

[@craigburgess7105]

I remember watching this when it was first shown - Speelman's dancing always stayed with me.

[@edwardm250]

New respect for Speelman.

[@tintinmilou9471]

In the end nobody won and they all had to compromise, which is not a bad thing, Campomanes was also wrong about Kasparov, he didnt change a bit just looked for other people to be angry with and accuse them of all the sins of the world, he is who he is...

[@pascaldesjardins9835]

11:10 Kasparov😂😂

[@anrun]

A sloppy point by Hartston at 30:39. I don't think most of the world champions were certifiably insane or even not certifiably insane. Chess has always had more than its share of oddballs, but Hartston went too far there.

[@FenceThis]

Kasparov was 25 not 26 at the 1988 chess olympics

[@LucianoPassinato]

Vim pelo Rafael Leitão.

[@matthewsalmon8194]

Its an enjoyable documentary to watch - but it totally lacking in any chess content in the olympiad.. all we got was Stephen and Nigel's game.. even looking at someones position would be good..but what can you do

[@pronemanoldbutyoung5548]

A bit presumptuous of Stephen Fry of all people to focus on if the chess players are married or not, lol.

[@teocantsleep4611]

And called Bobby Fischer a "fruitcake"

[@nuwandalton]

@@teocantsleep4611 Well Fischer was much worse than just a fruitcake

[@ham204jan]

Mr. Fry resembles the evil character in 'No Country for Old Men' !!

[@Neueregel]

RIP Tony Miles !! Probably the GOAT from England ever, though it's a close call against Nigel Short and Mickey Adams, I would choose Tony if it were about their absolute prime .

[@noahisawesome628]

justice for William Steinitz

[@dannygjk]

Short, the strongest Brit to never win a WCh?

[@joebloggs396]

Likely Adams whose first Olympiad was 1990.

[@dannygjk]

@@joebloggs396 Has Adams ever been in the top 5?

[@joebloggs396]

@@dannygjk yes

[@philljenner4045]

Jon Speelman could upstage Liberace.

[@hoggar1452]

According to some it is Mr. Aliev (Azerbaijan's former president) who lobbied FIDE to cancel the match to help Kasparov at the expense of Karpov who was still leading 5-3 in the match. The rest is the usual Kasparov' show and misrepresentation of the facts .

[@Qhsjahajw]

??? Karpov was dead at the end, and lost the last 2 games like a dead meat. And we saw how Karpov got 3 low effort passes to rematches against Karpov. Something nobody ever got before or since

[@Mathemagical55]

Give it up Tolya

[@delboy9234]

@@Qhsjahajw Well, Karpov didn't get a pass in 1985, as he was still reigning champ. 1986 match was due to the original rematch agreement if the reigning champ lost. This was something set in previous WC matches, ie, Botvinnik v Tal, 1960. In 1987, Karpov had to go through qualification, and earned his 1987 title match.

[@Qhsjahajw]

@@delboy9234 no he didn't in 1987, he just had to play the finalist of the candidates. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Championship_1987

[@Qhsjahajw]

so he basically had 3 extra chances, after failing almost getting caught out in the endless game, where he collapsed badly

[@jameskelly2559]

Fry was insufferable as a young man

[@oldmanc2]

Oh, I found him quite erudite for a non-professional player

[@rokanza2293]

Staunton was nothing more than a coward who ran away from Paul Morphy. He was never really the strongest player in the world not to mention a world champion lol. Huge mistake by Fry right there !

[@richardfredlund8846]

Fry wasn't technically wrong though, before Morphy's trip to Europe Staunton was widely regarded as the strongest player.

[@rokanza2293]

@@richardfredlund8846Being regarded is irrelevant since he didn't defeat nor dare to challenge the true strongest player at that time. Not to mention the unofficial World Champion( referring to what Fry called Staunton exactly) is a nonexisting title that in this case, if you say someone " had" to have it, it would also have been Morphy.

[@richardfredlund8846]

@@rokanza2293 well yeah he dodged Morphy who would have thrashed him. Still Fry's statement was not incorrect.

[@nebuchadnezzar6894]

He was probably the strongest player of the 1840s. Morphy only started playing competitively in the late 1850s.

[@rokanza2293]

@@richardfredlund8846 It quite is.