old archive re eggheads

cool · Post by **cool** » Wed Feb 13, 2013 10:28 pm

'Quiz show winner jumps to his death
Published on 21 January 2012
Brian Donnelly
A PUB quiz champion took his own life two days after watching himself and his team win on a popular BBC television show.
Max Thomson, 49, jumped to his death from a multi-storey car park in Edinburgh on Wednesday after his team was broadcast winning the Eggheads show on Monday evening'.

I know its old but my trawl of the net revealed this. Was he a quiz machine player and was he good.His team only won 5grand.Chess players and quizzers do seem to suffer from more than their fair share of depression.I knew a chess player who committed suicide by jumping off a ferry a couple of years ago.......very sad played in the same league as myself but a much stronger player.

cp999 · Post by **cp999** » Wed Feb 13, 2013 11:57 pm

Not sure why winning on Eggheads would imply someone would be good on machines; in my experience most pub quiz teams have been garbage when seen on them. Chess players and quizzers suffer disproportionately from depression? Not sure about that either! Dipsomania would be a more common condition in my experience.

cool · Post by **cool** » Thu Feb 14, 2013 10:02 am

i thought that it was common knowledge that the two sports or games with the highest rate of suicides that would indicate depression are cricket and chess.ive never seen the official statistics but then when stats are produced the normal reply is you can use statistics to prove anything.with regard to the egghead,possible machine ability I would suggest that somebody who is into quizzes is far more likely to play quiz machines than somebody who doesnt.Mark Labbat, Paddy Spooner,Kevin Ashman all played quiz machines before their breaks.Its like saying a person who smokes cannabis is as unlikely to take heroin as somebody who has never taken drugs.I dont believe it.There must be a correlation. However I do agree about alcohol!

cp999 · Post by **cp999** » Thu Feb 14, 2013 10:34 am

cool wrote:i thought that it was common knowledge that the two sports or games with the highest rate of suicides that would indicate depression are cricket and chess.

I've never seen that quoted. Cricket, believable offhand: Peter Roebuck springs to mind in recent years. But football: Fashanu, Enke. Horse racing: Fred Archer. Could start a new thread on this. I can't think of any famous chess players who killed themselves apart from Lembit Oll: a GM, not exactly a household name; and von Bardeleben who is only known for his loss to Steinitz.

cool wrote:I would suggest that somebody who is into quizzes is far more likely to play quiz machines than somebody who doesnt.

Perhaps, doesn't mean they're going to be good though. It's very rare for casual players to be, as they're screwed the moment anything difficult shows up.

JG · Post by JG » Fri Feb 15, 2013 2:28 am

Your knowledge of suicidal chess players is impressive.

Too much thinking (not talking niche analytical) can be a bad thing! Sometimes living for the moment can bring joy. As for cricket...I don't believe it. I can see the introspective melancholy psyche that sits in depression being a trait of some chess players, but cricket? Surely only if a googly hits you in the googlies and you've forgotten your box then you may feel suicidal.

Anyhow if anyone wants a game of chess with me, then let me know and we can sort something out on line or off line if you live near a TSL. That's if you reply before my statistically more likely suicide.

cool · Post by **cool** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:12 am

There are actual wikipedia pages for suicidal chess players (9 deaths) and cricketers (37 deaths). I think that chess and quizzing have much in common in that it is the search for perfection that is impossible to achieve (at least with quizzers now it is) and the dedication/time spent that sends us potty.Cricketting suicides Ive read before are mainly brought about by the time spent away on tours in far away places without the family in tow and with too much time for contemplation.

cool · Post by **cool** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:32 pm

Tony Miles was treated for a mental breakdown and who could defend Fischer against being a nutter. Viktor Korchnoi v Karpov raised some 'issues' with a yoghurt pot I believe.

My favourite way of dispatching an opponent is strangulation and I had a very enjoyable experience this week Zugzwanging my opponent in a league match. What bliss.