No chess column in The Toronto Star

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  • No chess column in The Toronto Star

    I have not noticed any information in the last two issues of The Saturday Toronto Star about Lawrence Day chess's column/rubric? What's happened to that? Any information would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

  • #2
    Chess column in The Toronto Star - Ended.

    Hi Caesar:

    Erik Malmsten explained about the Star ending the column, in the Jan. 1/14 Issue # 14-1 of the Toronto Chess News (TCN) (www.TorontoChessNews.com).

    But you will have to check your in-box for your Issue by e-mail, since I've had some website problems and just solved them (I think), and so will be updating the website in the next few days.

    Bob

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Chess column in The Toronto Star - Ended.

      Hi Bob,
      Thanks for prompt reply, Bob. I didn't know that. It looks obviously for me that The Toronto Star is shrinking its every issue everyday nowadays.

      Caesar

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Chess column in The Toronto Star - Ended.

        I'm certainly sorry to see the end of Lawrence Day's chess column in the Star. I enjoyed
        reading it most Saturday mornings now for many years.

        I'm not sure if he reads chesstalk (still), but if so, a hearty thanks for the many years
        of interesting local and international chess news and analyses of games.

        And also thanks to Bob Armstrong for passing along the details in TCN.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Chess column in The Toronto Star - Ended.

          Originally posted by Richard Steadman View Post
          I'm certainly sorry to see the end of Lawrence Day's chess column in the Star. I enjoyed
          reading it most Saturday mornings now for many years.

          I'm not sure if he reads chesstalk (still), but if so, a hearty thanks for the many years
          of interesting local and international chess news and analyses of games.

          And also thanks to Bob Armstrong for passing along the details in TCN.
          I would like to echo the congratulations to Lawrence Day for the years and years of excellent columns.
          His column was perhaps the only redeeming feature of The Star, but appreciated nevertheless!
          ...Mike Pence: the Lord of the fly.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Chess column in The Toronto Star - Ended.

            We have had some excellent chess columnists in Canada.

            My favorite was Camille Coudari in La Presse...followed by Yves Boisvert (who has become one of the best journalists in the country!) at La Presse...and Cecil Rosner in Winnipeg is a Pro as is Jonathan Berry. Walter (Vlad) Dobrich (Toronto Star) D. M. LeDain (The Gazette) and Moe Moss (Montreal Star) were must reads when I was a kid :)

            To the best of knowledge, we only have Cecil Rosner (Winnipeg Free Press) and Deen Hergott (Ottawa Citizen) still doing their thing...can anyone else give us other weekly columns that still appear in Canadian newspapers?

            Larry

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Chess column in The Toronto Star - Ended.

              How about Jonathan Berry in The Globe and Mail? Does He still continue to write/publish his chess rubric in that newspaper?
              Last edited by Caesar Posylek; Wednesday, 8th January, 2014, 09:28 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Chess column in The Toronto Star - Ended.

                Originally posted by Larry Bevand View Post
                We have had some excellent chess columnists in Canada.

                My favorite was Camille Coudari in La Presse...followed by Yves Boisvert (who has become one of the best journalists in the country!) at La Presse...and Cecil Rosner in Winnipeg is a Pro as is Jonathan Berry. Walter (Vlad) Dobrich (Toronto Star) D. M. LeDain (The Gazette) and Moe Moss (Montreal Star) were must reads when I was a kid :)

                To the best of knowledge, we only have Cecil Rosner (Winnipeg Free Press) and Deen Hergott (Ottawa Citizen) still doing their thing...can anyone else give us other weekly columns that still appear in Canadian newspapers?

                Larry
                Hi Larry

                There hasn't been a chess column in the Ottawa Citizen for quite a few years now. One time some years ago I asked the editor on an Ottawa radio show (by email) whether he'd re-consider, when the question was asked what suggestions there might be. The editor's on-air answer was basically non-commital but polite (although he and the show's host proceeded to make some sort of slight joke about chess, after the editor observed that there was still a column for Bridge players).
                Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
                Murphy's law, by Edward A. Murphy Jr., USAF, Aerospace Engineer

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Chess column in The Toronto Star - Ended.

                  Originally posted by Kevin Pacey View Post
                  Hi Larry

                  There hasn't been a chess column in the Ottawa Citizen for quite a few years now. One time some years ago I asked the editor on an Ottawa radio show (by email) whether he'd re-consider, when the question was asked what suggestions there might be. The editor's on-air answer was basically non-commital but polite (although he and the show's host proceeded to make some sort of slight joke about chess, after the editor observed that there was still a column for Bridge players).
                  Thanks Kevin...so is Cecil the only survivor?

                  Larry

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Chess column in The Toronto Star - Ended.

                    Hello everybody,
                    As everyone has noticed from all the above mentioned statements, the situation in all Canadian newspapers/medias is ... very bad, ... with Cecil - the only survivor! Can that be improved and are there any chances to to be able to read chess columns/rubrics in our newspapers again?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: No chess column in The Toronto Star

                      I have some share of Torstar, the parent of the Toronto Star, and I'm not talking just a few hundred shares. I hadn't noticed the chess column had been dropped because I let my subscription lapse. I found the general content "disappointing". Particularly their coverage of Mayor Ford.

                      Anyhow, I think they are cutting costs to offset a decline in print advertising. However, I understand the newspaper appeals to a large number of people.
                      Gary Ruben
                      CC - IA and SIM

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: No chess column in The Toronto Star

                        And in the U.K. they still have GM's doing regular chess columns (:

                        http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/...y-9052659.html

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: No chess column in The Toronto Star

                          A few paid newspaper columns have been replaced by many online unpaid blogs.

                          My article in Toronto Chess News:

                          Toronto Star Column Ends

                          It’s the end of an era. With instant news on the Internet, reading weeks-old news on paper has loss its appeal. But for players who no longer receive a CFC newsletter and don’t actively pursuit the web for news, the Saturday column was a reminder that the chess world was still out there. Several oldtimers have shown up at events that they read about in Lawrence’s column. The aging baby boomers who played chess in their youth are starting their retirement leisure years. Now there’s no way to reach them.

                          Lawrence Day was the longest running Canadian chess columnist, going 37 years, Dec. 1976 to Dec. 2013. And for awhile it was syndicated in three other papers. Charles Crompton wrote the Daily Star chess column for 35 years, Apr. 1940 to Aug. 1975, the last five years beneath the column by the young Dobrich. Malcolm Sim’s Telegram column went 34 years, April 1922 to his death in March 1956, but he did have an earlier column in another paper. Jonathan Berry had a column in the Globe and Mail for 30 years, Dec. 1980 to Dec. 2010. Deen Hergott had a column in Ottawa (ended in 2009) and Larry Bevand in Montreal (2001). For chess professions, columns were a better source of income then playing in weekend swisses.

                          Lawrence had a great layout of a news item with a game and a problem. He learned how to keep his analysis down so that the editors won’t have to chop it. They usually kept the column with other Leisure columns, but sometimes in a different section. Crompton’s was often squeezed between the comic strips. After trying to submit columns overseas, he would stockpile a couple of columns when he went to the Olympiads. At home he would hand deliver his column every Tuesday. It became easier when he could email it in, but he had to submit a year’s worth of problems in January. Often at Saturday tournaments a group would be hovering over a board with that week’s problem set up. More often than not, I would give up trying to solve it. In the old days columnists used to have problem solving contests and solvers names were published.

                          Back in the 20th century, the first place one would see results of Canadian chess masters would be in Berry or Day’s column, before the bi-monthly CFC magazine. Rising juniors would have a game published and their name in a newspaper seen by millions. I was probably the weakest player to have a game published, but it was an unusual opening trap. Lawrence would also pick the most interesting game from significant international events before it would be published in the twice a year Informant. Today we can’t keep up with the steady stream of Grandmaster games. For future chess historians, Lawrence’s columns online provide an excellent snapshot of the decades of chess in Canada.
                          Last edited by Erik Malmsten; Sunday, 12th January, 2014, 01:49 AM. Reason: added space.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: No chess column in The Toronto Star

                            Hello everyone,

                            Does anybody knows some interesting chess blogs/websides etc. to replace those chess rubrics from newspapers somehow?

                            By the way, my personal chess videos blog is as follows: http://poloniachessclub.blogspot.ca/

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Facebook "Chess News"

                              Hi Caesar:

                              In my opinion, one of the best Facebook pages for chess news is.........."Chess News": https://www.facebook.com/ChessNews.Ro .

                              I was recently brought in as a co-manager, and it is quite impressive.

                              If you take a look, report back what you thought of it (or anyone else who checks it out).

                              Bob Armstrong, Chess News FB Co-manager

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