Spanish Police Search Car of Bulgaria’s Chess King
Politics: 9 March 2007, Friday.
Police in Spain’s Linares have searched the car of world chess king Vesselin Topalov, who is in the town for the annual chess tournament.
Topalov’s 14-year-old Volkswagen Polo was searched for bombs and drugs shortly after he completed a round of demonstrative games in the town’s central street.
Nothing turned up during the check and Topalov was free to go back to his hotel.
Source: Novinite
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
14 year old Volkswagen Polo?
It sucks to be the World Number 1 in chess I guess
Bombs and drugs ? Or Fritz and Rybka ?
phobos wrote:
“14 year old Volkswagen Polo?
“It sucks to be the World Number 1 in chess I guess.”
Notice a few posts down, there are no chess players among the 20 richest people in the world. Is that fair?
Neither are there any mathematicians, or any other fundamental science geniuses. Is that fair ?
Why was his car searched? Novinite does not say.
Re: “Neither are there any mathematicians, or any other fundamental science geniuses.”
Well, Bill Gates was known to be a fairly decent programmer at one time- does that count as being a “mathmetican?”
Brad Hoehne
no
I dont think bill gates went to college. He got hold of the software in high school.
Well he worked on it in high school and then later the teacher did not want it and gave to to him. If my memory is correct.
I think he ran into it at age 14.
Someone invented it and gave it to the teacher who gave it to Bill Gates. Now Bill says no more giving it away.
Well, if you’d like to make real money out of chess you should stop playing and start selling something chess-related.
Maria Sharapova in tennis and Tiger Woods in golf are live proof that there’s much more money in selling things than in prize money…
The question is, how big is the chess board market anyway?
No no no, Gates went dropped out of Harvard, not high school
Topalov played terrible again. He just can not find the moves without Danailov helping him. I guess this is coming close to proof now.
I am reading THE GREAT BRIDGE SCANDAL. I suspect that Danailov read it now. Remember that 2 fingers across the throat. Well that is a key signal used in the Bridge scandal. Remember now the bridge scandal happened in a world championship match tournament with the worlds best. The cheater was thought to be the world’s best bridge player.
Where have we heard that before.
But they were smart. they made written notes and checked and figured out the “system” before going public. It also turns out that he was doing this for over 5 years without getting caught. And many people thought they were cheating but could not prove it for years.
finally someone came along and they started to write down the signals and check with the cards later.
In spain they take the camera in your car, and the police investigate it. In mexico, they take the car, and of course get you camera too, and the police are behind it.
Susan
quote by Mig on todays game. I hope you do a write up on this game in your chess cafe column next month.
…………….
Wowee. These guys have played two of the most exciting, sloppiest, craziest games of the year against each other in this tournament. Nothing like a little personal animosity to fry the nerves to a crispy brown.
Larry Christiansen and I left off around move 60. Moro definitely had better chances earlier. 53.g4 looks like a good place to start. Very hard to defend. Obviously the queen endgame wasn’t too easy either!
Posted by: Mig at March 9, 2007 16:12
phobos: “It sucks to be the World Number 1 in chess I guess”
Well, Topalov is having a break from the number 1 spot. Anand will be number 1 in the April list, assuming Anand and Topalov do not play any other rated games after Linares.
57f6
“Spanish Police searched Topalov’s Car”
That is pure intimidation. Some people really don’t like Topalov. I begin to believe Danailov’s claim about being intimidated in Elista.
Why on earth would anyone want to search Topalov’s car? The spanish police better come up with some very good explanation, because that seems more than outrageous.
These are the times when I am glad I live in USA and not in Europe.
except for some pure intellectual skills, there is nothing in common between a decent programmer and a good mathematician…
>>That is pure intimidation. Some people really don’t like Topalov. I begin to believe Danailov’s claim about being intimidated in Elista.
Why on earth would anyone want to search Topalov’s car?>>
The Spanish are ssecretly working for the Russians. Or the Indians, more likely. What other reason could there be?
>>The spanish police better come up with some very good explanation, because that seems more than outrageous. >>
Ah, ah. Now, that’s a mistake. You DON’T want to hear the explanation. What if they had a good one? Safer to just assume they don’t and refuse to listen.
>>The spanish police better come up with some very good explanation, because that seems more than outrageous. >>
Ah, ah. Now, that’s a mistake. You DON’T want to hear the explanation. What if they had a good one?
If they have a good one, I want to hear that too. I am neither a “Topalov fan” nor a “Kramnik fan”, I am a chess fan. The truth doesn’t bother me, whatever that may be.
Gabor
>If they have a good one, I want to hear that too. I am neither a “Topalov fan” nor a “Kramnik fan”, I am a chess fan. The truth doesn’t bother me, whatever that may be.
Gabor
>
So you say, but you’ve already made up your mind that the search was unreasonable, without knowing any facts about it, or even knowing if Topalov objected to it. Actions speak louder than words.
Kramnik? How’d he get into this? Nobody mentioned him before you.
I think the truth here is that you are a Topalov fan, the truth does bother you, and the fact that the truth bothers you is just one more of those truths that bother you. So again, since you’ve made up your mind without the facts, then you don’t need the facts to reach the conclusion you want. All they can do is confirm what you already believe at best (a draw), or challenge you (a loss). There’s no winning scenario.
The facts can bring you no joy! Flee from them!
>>> Anonymous said…
except for some pure intellectual skills, there is nothing in common between a decent programmer and a good mathematician…
Friday, March 09, 2007 5:40:00 PM >>>
Thanks for the note. I guess I must have a split personality. LOL.
there is simple reason for search…police had a doubt that how can a world champion is using 14 yr old car!!!!!there must be something hidden in it!!!
Even in Linares, to the police Topalov is just some guy driving an old car.
This is interesting.
I think it is coincidence. The spanish police suspects that an old car will be used to carry some bombs by an extremist.
It happens that the car is owned by Topalov.
This thing probably bothers him so he did not do well in this tournament. Also Dainalov can not help giving him any signal.
Ok, I will give you the spanish point of view:
For your information spanish police has not idea about who Topalov is.The people out of chess only know Kasparov,Karpov and Fischer and that is all.
For our police Topalov is just a bulgarian citizen in the south of Spain…and now in the south we have a lot of criminal activity(ie drugs,weapons, sex) done by east europeans-russians, bulgarians,etc)
That is the real reason:he is bulgarian and he is now in a zone(Andalucia) with a lot of bulgarian criminals.Then the police controls him.It is nothing to do with chess,because for our police Topalov is absolutely unknowed.
I hope this help you to understand what is really happening.
“was searched for bombs and drugs shortly”
Topalov is a suspected drugged up terrorist planning to bomb a chess tournament!1
This is absurd!!!
hahahaha
So he is a modest guy who has a functional car to get from A to B.
With his talent he does not need a Hummer to make him feel significant.
“
I am reading THE GREAT BRIDGE SCANDAL. I suspect that Danailov read it now. Remember that 2 fingers across the throat. Well that is a key signal used in the Bridge scandal. Remember now the bridge scandal happened in a world championship match tournament with the worlds best. “
Wtf is the Bridge Scandal???
Why do we even care about your Bridge???
Are you some idiot???
Dont keep posting this rubbish in every blog topic here!!!
Have you no other knowledge but this???
Боже, колко мъка има на този свят…
Wtf is the Bridge Scandal???
Why do we even care about your Bridge???
Are you some idiot???
~~~
If you don’t know what he’s talking about, how can you possibly know if it’s right or wrong?
Are you some kind of idiot?
In your speak that means “Duh, you be dum guy?”
Topalov is paying price for his beard.
The 1965 World Bridge Championship they caught the Greatest Bridge Player in the world cheating by the use of hand signals between him and his partner.
Exactly the same accusation that Danailov is using hand signals to give information to Topalov.
The hand signal was used to give the number of hearts in the hand. With this minor information they were able to consistently win tournaments. They only needed a little bit of information to tip the scale in their favor.
They used 2 fingers together to signal 2 hearts and the 2 fingers spread apart like Danailov did in the movie to signal 5 hearts.
So a simple signal with fingers could tell Topalov the significant rank from 1 to 8. Similar to saying you had 1 to 8 hearts in your hand.
After being caught and one member confessing. The other confused everything with counter attacks back similar to what Topalov and Danailov have done. I find the book extremely pertinent to the present case in Chess.
Interestingly, the book claims that Bridge and Chess are the 2 intellectual games. But that Bridge suffers from being able to cheat and in chess one is not able to cheat. LOL.
The book claims that the most difficult thing is getting people to break out of the mental belief that everyone at the top level could not possibly be cheating. No one wants to believe it.
Because of this, the World’s greatest bridge player was able to cheat for over 5 years before getting caught. Although a few top players thought they were cheating no one knew what to do.
sorry my anonymous friend is angry. I have posted this to explain the situation for him.
So if you are a member of the group who do not believe it is possible for the world number one to cheat then think again. It has already happened in Bridge.
What is his car again? Volkswagen? Wow how much he will sell it with his sign on the car? I hope the police will sign also on the car….
Its worth to sell.
Topi just buy a new car, that car brings you bad luck.
Here is several notes – just for the sake of clarity on the Bridge/Chess cheating issue:
Alan Truscot, the author of the said book (“The Great Bridge Scandal”) is reported elsewhere to be the “main witness against Reese and Schapiro. His book on the subject, ‘The Great Bridge Scandal’, was not published in Britain whilst Reese and Schapiro were alive, for fear of legal proceedings.”
Terence Reese himself published his version of the scandal in a book titled “Story of an Accusation”
According to bridge expert Richard Pavlicek,
“This was the tournament in which Terence Reese and Boris Schapiro were accused of using finger signals to indicate their heart length. The World Bridge Federation found them guilty, but in a subsequent trial the British Bridge League found them not guilty. The incident spawned two famous books – The Great Bridge Scandal by Alan Truscott, and Story of an Accusation by Terence Reese. Each book is convincing for its side and, having read both, I can only say that I am not sure of the truth. Therefore, I take no stand on this issue.”
“Didn’t think civilization started in USA….or perhaps that’s what they teach now along with Creationism?”
Ahhhh, the sweet smell of jealosy from someone well-versed in anti-US propaganda. Some folks just love to hate us. Doesn’t matter…we have our Washingtong, Lincoln, Madison (you know, the “Father of the Constitution…the oldest written one in the world, by the way), Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin (both of whom were quite popular in France),
oh…and let’s not forget that it was American soldiers (along with the other Allies) that stormed the beaches of France on June 6, 1944 to free them from the Nazis…So, add Roosevelt to the name list.
We saved Europe in two World Wars and all but the English have “forgotten.”
What do you have for a list of names:
William The Conquerer
Ivan “The Terrible”
Several unworthy kings…and Queens
Marx
Hitler
Lenin
Stalin
and a few dozen more dictators.
And you want to talk about “Civilization?” Now, that’s the best laugh I’ve gotten all week!
thanks for the post. Makes me even more proud to be an American.
I think most have to admit that outside of the “chess world,” few people have heard of any player on the top-10 list.
I don’t think Topalov was singled out on purpose. I don’t play bridge or checkers but I’m sure there are world champs in both but wouldn’t know them if they knocked on my door (I admit that I’m ignorant of some other games and shouldn’t be).
So, he wasn’t hurt or anything. He was free to go.
I wish people would stop seeing a conspiracy in everything. Every country has different laws and, as the old adage goes,
“When in Rome, be as the Romans.”
I doubt Topalov really cared to have his car searched. After all, what would they find other than chess material?
@Saturday, March 10, 2007 6:33:00 AM
I feel so sad for you. Perhaps you think right but you don’t know the truth about what happened. These wrong things no basic to think in a objective way.
Example: Did you ever read sth. serious about Marx? I cannot believe it!
I’ll add Paul Morphy to the list of Americans. And, yes, I’ve read Marx…he had a Ph.D. in philosophy and his ideas were perverted by later generations.
However, love us or hate us…America is the world’s only superpower and, I’ll end with the famous words of President Abraham Lincoln that America IS:
“The LAST BEST hope for the Earth.”
“Makes me even more proud to be an American.”
It is always good to be proud of ones country. Most people are proud of their country. In some way or another.
Comparing civilization with an “oldest constitution” written by some english is another topic.
General knowledge in america is very poor. A lot of americans do not know much about things that don’t pertain to their home county or country. So I think that gives an explanation for some of the stupid remarks made by americans in this blog (about history), and the funny “list” of europeans.
And if you are glad to live in the USA, then be glad that you are not randomly taken to Guantanamo, the only place on earth where ALL human rights are ignored. Run of course by the country that gave us the “oldest constitution”.
Tell me I am a USA hater… lol… to the contrary, I love that land, have been there numerous times. There is just a lot of ignorant people living there.
Now to the topic: Topalovs car inspected? So what? If that car stands somewhere around, noone knowing who it belongs to, and there are reasons to suspect that something fishy is going on with it, then I guess any police at any country has the right and the duty to check what’s going on. Expecially in a country that had numerous terrorist attacks in the near past.
Who knows if they knew it was Topalovs car? Assuming that the spanish police has any interest in influencing the outsome of a chess event is hilarious.
As an American, I have constitutional protection against my pockets being searched. However, the courts have decided that a car on a public roadway doesn’t count as “personal effects” and so you can be searched without warrant on very little grounds. Many Americans aren’t aware of it, probably because it’s mostly old cars, and minority drivers, who get searched without much cause.
Also I would like to remind my fellow Americans that Spain has suffered 100x as much terrorist attacks as the US. So much of our freedom was tossed away after just one attack. The one attack was bigger than the attacks in Spain, but they have attacks all the time, over and over again, in addition to a lot more crime caused by foreigners.
Topalov being searched driving an old car… it is like if a star from the Mexican baseball league was driving an old car in San Diego, maybe his car gets searched for drugs. The cops would laugh at you if you told them they should have heard of him.