I would like to take a moment to compliment the editors of Chess Life for producing one of the best issues I have seen (not to mention the sexiest-ever chess magazine cover photo!) and for putting all of this excellent content online for the entire chess community to enjoy. Bravo!
Well, I will say that Chess Life is pretty good these days--much better than a few years ago. However, Chris Bird's piece on the U.S. Women's Championship starts out with a paragraph in need of serious editorial attention:
Standing in the playing room was a young lady with rosy, shining cheeks, a glowing smile and a joyful look on her face. It was a refreshing sight given that over the previous five days, her look had been more determined: very serious with the fate of the world seemingly resting on her shoulders. Her head was usually buried in a book when she wasn’t playing chess, staying out of the limelight and just generally minding her own business.
YAAARRRGH.
As for the "the sexiest-ever chess magazine cover photo(!)," I find Ms. Krush to be an attractive young woman in a semi- sexy pose; however, her white-knuckled death grip on the King brings some rather unpleasant "Freudian" thoughts to my mind.
You be the judge.
6 comments:
It seems to me that there is still a big difference in the way female and male chess players are covered in chess magazines. Just imagine Jennifer Shahade starting an article on a top-level tournament with comments on the looks of some male grandmasters. Entertaining - yes. But does it help to promote chess? I don't know.
She's Krushing the King. They had to do it. Plus it is a great opportunity for Photoshoppers :)
As long as it's not my "King" she's Krushing!
I'm a guy - I knew what the visual metaphor was the moment I pulled the magazine out of my mailbox...Rich
Irina Krush is one of those girls that I know some guys will find good-looking, but I can't make the leap to say that she's sexy. Or even all that attractive.
She's been around chess so long, it's hard to believe she's still only 23.
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