Mar-25-13
 | | offramp: The only screen portrayal I've seen of the fictional Ostap Bender is Frank Langella in Mel Brooks's Twelve Chairs. I am afraid that version of the 1928 tale is simply no good; it is very slow and not very funny. A better version Sharon Tate's final film 12+1. This is unpurchasable at the moment but the entire film seems to be on YouTube. There is no Ostap Bender in this version as it has been updated and names changed. Mind you, this version is still not much cop, despite all the British character actors. I suppose the Russians would have the best versions. |
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| Apr-23-13 | | cro777: Ostap Bender, an antihero, first appeared in the novel "The Twelve Chairs" written by Soviet authors Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov (released in January 1928). The story of Bender's famous chess lecture and simultaneous exhibition in Vasiuki, Russia, 1927. Ostap and his companion Ippolit found themselves stranded, hungry, and broke in the backwater town of Vasiuki on the Volga River. But Bender, proclaiming himself the "great combinator", always has an idea. He told Ippolit to walk along the streets pasting hand-painted posters on walls and fences: JUNE 22, 1927
The Cardboard Factory Club Announces
a lecture on the topic:
"FRUITFUL OPENING IDEAS"
AND
A PERFORMANCE OF SIMULTANEOUS
CHESS GAMES ON 160 BOARDS
Grandmaster (senior master) O. Bender
Price for playing a game: 50 kopeks
Price for entrance: 20 kopeks |
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| Apr-23-13 | | cro777: The Interplanetary Chess Congress in Vasiuki, Russia, 1927 Ostap Bender's principle: "Your Gas — Our Ideas"
Bender's idea was to transform a backwaters Volga River town into the chess capital of the universe. "Chess!" Bender said in his chess lecture. "Do you know what chess is? It advances not only culture, but the economy, too! Do you know that your Four Knights Chess Club, under the right circumstances, could completely transform the city of Vasiuki?... My personal connections and your initiative are all that's needed to ensure the organization of the international Vasiuki tournament. Think how beautiful it will sound: 'The International Vasiuki Tournament for 1927'. The attendance of Jose Raul Capablanca, Emanuel Lasker, Alekhine, Nimtzovitz, Reti, Rubenstein, Marotsi, Tarrasch, Widmar, and Doctor Grigoriev is assured. Moreover, my participation is assured." "But, money," the locals groaned. "You have to pay all of them money. Thousands of rubles. Where can we get it?" "The people of Vasiuki will collect the money", said Bender. Your Gas — Our Ideas! |
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| Apr-23-13 | | cro777: By describing himself as a Grandmaster, Bender persuaded many townsfolk to pay to watch or to participate in his simultaneous exhibition. He opened 1.e4 (his favorite move) on each of the boards. (In his book "The Life And Games of Mikhail Tal", regarding the move 1.e4, Tal made a reference to Ostap Bender). Of course, each game ended in his defeat, but at the end of the exhibition, Bender rushed out into the street and escaped with money in a waiting boat. |
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Apr-23-13
 | | OhioChessFan: Ed Trice's favorite literary character? |
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Apr-23-13
 | | Benzol: Along with Baron Munchhausen. |
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| Apr-24-13 | | cro777: Commenting on his game against Fischer at the Candidates Tournament Bled 1959, Mikhail Tal wrote: "Despite his youth the American Champion is very conservative in his choice of the openings. Playing with White he plays only Ostap Bender's recognized move 1.e4." Tal alluded to a well known story of Ostap Bender's simultaneous exhibition in Vasiuki 1927. |
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| Apr-24-13 | | cro777: Ostap Bender and Earth vs. Space Chess Match 2008.
Following the historic match between American astronaut Gregory Chamitoff (on the International Space Station) and Earth represented by 11 members of the Stevenson Elementary Chess team in Bellevue, Washington , Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk said: "It's wonderful to see that chess can be played between players that are so far away! Not so many games allow that. This reminds me of Ostap Bender, a tricky individual who makes people believe he's a chess grandmaster and makes a now very well-known speech about making a small town called Vasiuki very famous by engaging it into a series of chess matches against the whole world, and even against other planets! That's when he proposes to rename the city of Vasiuki to "New Vasiuki". So in Russia now everybody knows about "New Vasiuki" and it represents the unrealistic goal of making a chess match between people across the cosmos.
It's now a proverb, so somebody can say "Don't tell me about New Vasiuki," meaning stay on earth, be realistic. This fictional hero is so famous that there are statues in many places such as in the Ukraine and in Kalmykia. I have seen myself a very nice statue of Ostap Bender holding a chess knight." http://www.nwchess.com/articles/eve... (NASA Astronaut Greg Chamitoff talks with his opponents in the Earth vs. Space chess match. The opening was the London System: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6) |
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Apr-25-13
 | | AylerKupp: <cro777> I'm assuming that the chess pieces were magnetized. If not, the London System has more sticking power than I thought! |
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| Apr-26-13 | | cro777: <AylerKupp> Of cource, magnetic chess sets must be used on a space station, but the London System helps too. Once an understanding of typical positions arising from the London System has been acquired, players start to get a feel for where their pieces belong and what they should be trying to do. |
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Apr-26-13
 | | Dionysius1: Darn, I've been using my magnetic set here on earth. Still, I don't suppose they'll prosecute me! :-) |
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May-01-14
 | | Stonehenge: He should be player of the day :) |
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| May-01-14 | | TheFocus: In that picture of him, he looks like he has been on a Bender. |
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| May-01-17 | | Strelets: <TheFocus> Love the John Waters mustache. |
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Kibitzing
