Scotsman Chess Columns Axed!?

[Craig Pritchett]

It's gone awfully quiet at this Forum!

Has no one noticed that The Scotsman chess columns (daily Mon-Friday + the Saturday column) have all been axed over the weekend?

Complain to the editor forcibly!

[Craig Pritchett]

Slightly surprised that there's been no further post on this. Print media publicity remains important to any minority sport or interest. Without it, it's very hard to convince a wider public that chess 'matters'. That includes the Scottish Government, local authorities, schools, businesses, and all sorts of private sponsors.

Last year CS got Celebrate Lottery funding for the Commonwealth Chess Champs. This year Scotsman dumps chess. Last year Scotland achieved two under-14 champions (Commonwealth and euro) ... seniors successes ... chess spans all generations ... and girls play too (see great Aberdeen PRESS photo on the two CS junior awards at the CS news box).

No 'complaints' to paper and the cols have just about had it. If you liked the cols or felt they could be much-improved, say by a re-design (perhaps with a much more focussed chess in Scotland slant!?), say it!

To the Scotsman editor!

[andyburnett]

About 2 years ago I wrote to every newspaper/magazine publisher in the UK offering my services as a chess columnist (daily columns/weekly columns/syndicated columns across several publications, etc.)

From the 150 letters sent out (and they were professionally done) I received only 2 replies, both stating there was no space or budget for such a column in their publications.

Having seen Craig's post the other day, I bought the Scotsman yesterday just to have a nosey at what they were carrying these days, and the inevitable full page of sudokus/wordsearches/multiple crosswords etc was still there. Sad.

Personally-speaking, I stopped buying the Scotsman long ago, when they introduced that awful Forsyth man's 'hunting/fishing/shooting' column. JBH's chess column, though I like the guy, is of little interest to me as there is nothing I haven't seen or read elsewhere on the internet (for others this may not be the case).

In any event, what sort of 'response' would be required to get the Scotsman to reconsider?

[Craig Pritchett]

The most obvious response is to point out that chess playing Scotsman readers may now turn in their droves to the paper's direct English competitors carrying chess ... Telegraph and Times (plus Independent) ... and that lot most certainly don't speak with a Scottish voice or provide any serious Scottish chess coverage (not even in their so-called 'Scottish' editions).

Equally important ... give a sense that chess is 'alive' and means something 'nationally' (i.e. primarily Scottish nationally) ... see my earlier post today for some obvious examples.

Also worth stressing is whether you like or dislike the actual product ... and if the latter especially, say why, suggest an appropriate re-design that might better appeal to the modern reader in the digital age, particularly SCOTTISH readers (see again my earlier post today ... for a few basic ideas).

I write a fairly new chess column in the (excellent) glossy county lifestyle magazine, 'East Lothian Life' ... ironically the Bridge correspondent in that mag is the now ex-Scotsman Bridge correspondent ... So there's still life in the old game, even in the Scottish print media.

Almost any old complaint that's not just plain offensive will count ... as all papers want to please their readers, of course!