Brickbat: Your Move

James Steidl / Dreamstime.com

Anna Muzychuk forfeited her world titles in rapid chess and blitz chess rather than play in recent tournaments in Saudi Arabia. While the Saudis agreed that female players would not have to wear the hijab and abaya on the floor of the tournament itself, they would have to wear those garments and be accompanied by a man if they ventured out in public. Muzychuk said that was unacceptable.

Comments

[JeremyR]

But didn't Reason just run an article saying how wonderful and liberating Islamic dress is for women?

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

Reason supports the right to smoke weed. QED: Reason supports mandating that people smoke weed.

[chozi]

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[Telcontar the Wanderer]

{bites nails, stares at comment section for 10 minutes, finally moves a pawn forward 1 space}

[Longtobefree]

Thereby losing the game -- -- --

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

NO I CAN STILL WIN THIS

I just have to avoid their queen and rooks, and not lose my last bishop and knight like I did the other ones, and also avoid their bishops, and get my last 3 pawns across the board so I can get *my* queen and rooks back, and also avoid their knights, and-

[gaoxiaen]

Just upset the board and say that the Devil's Lettuce made you go insane.

[Radioactive]

oh fuck this, dumps board & pieces onto the floor & stomps off in a huff...

[Stormy Dragon]

THE ONLY WINNING MOVE IS NOT TO PLAY.

[Brandon]

Good reference

[Rhywun]

The Ukraine is weak!

[Mickey Rat]

That better be an awesome move, because you just spent a third of your allotted speed chess time on it.

[Tom Bombadil]

How in the hell is Saudi Arabia not blackballed from hosting any sport or other competitive event?
And don't get me started about the Chess governing body.

Christ, what assholes.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Why isn't everyone else banned for letting the queen move around the board unprotected?

[SQRLSY One]

You mean that the Queen chess-piece should be forced to wear the wear the hijab and abaya?

Holy Shiites, that means my queen pieces are NUDE right now!!! I am going to go and snap some pictures of them, and sell them on the internet!!!

How to I provide proof that they are 18 or older, though?

[Radioactive]

I heard you liked your queens naked...

[Libertarian]

No worries unless you have this set. If don't have it already, you're in luck: it's on sale!

http://tigrani.co/shop/chess-s.....chess-set/

[SQRLSY One]

Wow, that's cool! Price is kinda stiff though...

Would the Saudis allow me into their tournament using this chess set?

Would the Saudis allow me into their tournament if my chess-queens were DRAG queens?!?!?

[SQRLSY One]

I wonder if this chess set is highly popular in resort areas frequented by wealthy nudists?

Hey, I have a question: At a nudist wedding, after the vows are exchanged, does the officiating priest / rabbit / sacred atheist / etc., do the usual, and say, "You may kiss the bride", or does he or she say, "You may FUCK the bride"?

Inquiring minds want to know!!! Any of y'all ever attend a nudist wedding?!?!?

[markm23]

"How to I provide proof that they are 18 or older, though?"

That's easy:
1) Buy the chess set at least 18 years ago.
2) Save the receipt.

[Cyto]

To be fair, the article did say that "Saudi Arabia's top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, said in early 2016 that chess is "forbidden" in Islam because it wastes time and can lead to rivalry among players. Similarly, top Iranian clerics have also decried the game, saying it can lead to gambling, which is banned in Islam. "

[Radioactive]

to which I replied fuck "fuck you and the goat you rode in on"

[Tom Bombadil]

Ha ha... "wastes time" ... Like a life wasted worshiping a magic guy in the sky?

[Libertarian]

Seriously, except for work, eating, sleeping, and bodily functions, everything we do "wastes" time.

[Rod Flash]

I can't think of a worse waste of time than working.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Work itself is mostly a different way to waste time, a meta-waster so to speak. Almost everybody *could* do without work, and live off the land. Work is only necessary to live indoors with health care and fancy food. But those are not necessary, and in fact postpone meeting your maker. Surely that itself is an affront!

But then I've never understood why suicide is a mortal sin? Seems wanting to meet your maker sooner would be a good thing. And how do "Do not resuscitate" medallions not count as suicide?

[Citizen X - #6]

Christ, what assholes. Chess was invented in Iran, so way to shit on your own culture, guys.

"Checkmate" actually comes from the Persian "shah khmat," which means "the king is dead."

[Rhywun]

One step forward, two thousand steps back.

[Leader Desslok]

That's Islam for you.

[croaker]

The product of 1400 years of banging your relatives.

[SQRLSY One]

Hell, I can bet on whether or not it rains tomorrow! Are these assholes & power pigs going to inveigh against the rain?

[gaoxiaen]

Ironic, since Arabs invented the game. And alcohol distillation.

[Leader Desslok]

Beg to differ. Yes the Arabs invented distillation, but it was the Irish who applied to alcohol.

[Careless]

A return to foot binding?

[Rat on a train]

How in the hell is Saudi Arabia not blackballed from hosting any sport or other competitive event?

Saudi Arabia are understood to have paid in the region of US$1.5m to host the tournament...That fee is four times what the host usually forks out...

Wait until you see them host the Olympics.

[gaoxiaen]

In answer to your query, goat/sheep assholes.

[Mickey Rat]

Money. Lots and lots of money.

[PaulTheBeav]

You shouldn't have to give up your title for refusing to go to a country that refuses women basic human rights. I'm fine with Saudi Arabia holding tournaments, but players shouldn't be required to attend them.

[Tom Bombadil]

But you do have to give up your title if you don't defend it at the World Championship. Thus, the issue is the governing body dancing with the devil. She should never be put in this situation to start with.

[Griffin3]

I imagine she regains her title with alacrity at the next World Championship, along with those sweet, sweet blitz chess endorsement contracts.

[Careless]

Unlikely. She's not the top woman in ranking and hasn't been for 5 years.

[Social Justice is neither]

Should a muslim win here, wouldn't the simple solution be to hold the next tournament in Paris where these garments are expressly forbidden by law in public.

Refusing people basic human rights seems to me a fairly common government thing.

[Jerryskids]

Just wait until the US gets the tournament and require all contestants to down a shot and a bite of bacon after every move.

[Radioactive]

I read this as "bit a raccoon" which I thought was a pretty awesome qualifier...

[Radioactive]

would the entrants be required to provide heir own rodent? asking for a friend...

[Citizen X - #6]

Raccoons are more closely related to bears than to rodents. And if you need a raccoon, say the word, i can get you one from my yard in under 20 minutes.

[gaoxiaen]

And make a bylaw that they must use toilet paper and wash their hands when performing bodily functions. Only video evidence acceptable before touching a chess piece.

[Longtobefree]

As long as they don't kneel during the anthem -

[Cyto]

I don't know if this belongs under the Brickbats label or the "Badass" label, but she's pretty awesome.

When the people of conscience on human rights are from the former Soviet block.... well.... things have changed.

[gaoxiaen]

As always. When Estonians can do income tax declarations on a post card and the USSA can't manage that, despite Presidential dog and pony shows, I'd say the new income tax law is less than a wash, at best. I say just tax the corporations and let the nation's best tax lawyers slug it out with Uncle Sam. Repeal the Federal personal income tax. Let the deep-pocket crony-capitalists struggle to gain the best price/function equation, which price would include tax/theft.

[Stormy Dragon]

Yeah, and that Estonian postcard says you owe 20% income tax + 33% payroll tax + 20% vat tax + capital gains are charged full income rate.

[Conchfritters]

Still cheaper than Sweden.

[Stormy Dragon]

Considerably more expensive than the US though.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

Does this make her a bigot? Or a heroine? I have trouble keeping track these days.

[IceTrey]

Well since bigot means being intolerant toward those holding different opinions I'd call her a heroine in this case.

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

UNLEASH THE ITALICS

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

Okay... Maybe like... This...?

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

WTF?

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

...please don't ban me for spamming.

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

http://www.reuters.com/article.....SKBN1EV0K1

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

Prices are just a state of mind, really.

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

WITH ADDED CAPITALIZATION

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

LINK IN BOLDFACE ITALIC BLOCKQUOTE, you commie twats!

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

plus now I can- shit, NVM.

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

Send me bitcoin if you can read this

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

And this too works, oh wait no it doesn't.

[Telcontar the Wanderer]

I BLEED, I LEAD, I'M ONE UGLY B-E-A-UTIFUL MUTHAVUGGA