My father once received as a present from a co-worker a fancy magnet that said, "I'm well known in actuarial circles." It was true, but also quite funny because the world of consulting actuaries in the U.S. is so small.
A friend told me by e-mail about this strange and similarly funny article. It is not funny that people get into fights. But there is something humorous about an article that mentions both "chess beauties" and "chess hooligans" so matter-of-factly.
Unrequited love! Salsa dancing! Fistcuffs! Chess! Beauties and hooligans! The Armenian defense minister! It sounds like a parody of a James Bond film that pays tribute to Simply Ballroom: perhaps entitled "When Chess War Leaves the Board".
I was at a housewarming party last week, at which two children briefly had a tug-of-war over a stuffed-animal Pikachu toy. In tribute to Doctor Strangelove, I called out, "You can't fight over Pokeman, you have to fight with them!". But no one at the party got the joke.
