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World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

theguardian.com

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Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

#41

Post by saretup »

Finbarr wrote: post #8
School-Cotton wrote: post #2

Is this game well-known enough in Britain and Ireland that readers will know what on earth is being alleged just from reading this article? Or are you expected to have to google it? Apparently it’s a game where you take turns swinging a chestnut on a string and trying to hit the opponent’s chestnut and break it. Yes, I can see how a steel fake chestnut would be an advantage here, though I’m amazed it wouldn’t be inst…

Yes, it is. It’s a game most news-reading-age adults will have played when they were at school as children.

If it is a serious game, I’m surprised they don’t examine the chestnuts first

Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

#42

Post by block_dagger »

School-Cotton wrote: post #18
bee_rider wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The 23-year-old said: “My conker disintegrated in one hit, and that just doesn’t happen … I’m suspicious of foul play and have expressed my surprise to organisers.” It seems the suspicious was pretty quick.

It’s just crazy that someone would cheat at something so low-stakes with such a high probability of being caught, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.

He is approaching the end of his life and been competing for decades but never won. Risk vs reward.

Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

#43

Post by 1659447091 »

School-Cotton wrote: post #2

Is this game well-known enough in Britain and Ireland that readers will know what on earth is being alleged just from reading this article? Or are you expected to have to google it? Apparently it’s a game where you take turns swinging a chestnut on a string and trying to hit the opponent’s chestnut and break it. Yes, I can see how a steel fake chestnut would be an advantage here, though I’m amazed it wouldn’t be inst…

> it’s a game where you take turns swinging a chestnut on a string and trying to hit the opponent’s chestnut and break it.

Sounds like a British version of pencil break - but with way more scandal, apparently

Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

#44

Post by seanhunter »

DougN7 wrote: post #16
mikeodds wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Innate knowledge to Brits, similar to knowing a swan might break your arm

Lol, I don’t understand what THAT means! A swan might break your arm?!?

I emigrated to Britain. These sorts of things mystified me for the longest time.

Yes. Picture some British parents and their child on a walk near a pond, river, canal or whatever. The child sees a swan. The parents will say something like "don't get too close dear, it could break your arm".

Swans are aggressive so it's probably not terrible advice, but not because they go around breaking people's arms specifically.

Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

#45

Post by beezlewax »

DougN7 wrote: post #16
mikeodds wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Innate knowledge to Brits, similar to knowing a swan might break your arm

Lol, I don’t understand what THAT means! A swan might break your arm?!?

Ye and the queen eats swans for breakfast or something like that.

Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

#47

Post by 1propionyl »

k7sune wrote: post #33
nealmueller wrote: post #10

The World Conker Championships is an annual event held in England, where competitors from around the world play the traditional game of conkers using chestnuts. Each player threads a chestnut, known as a conker, onto a string and takes turns striking their opponent’s conker, aiming to break it. The tournament follows a knockout format, with players advancing until a world champion is declared. The event has been runn…

Considering that it's called a world championship, someone should study the sport in-depth! Are the players allowed to swing the chestnut in a circle like a sling? Can they use carbon fiber strings, or maybe some sort of elastic string to build up more energy? Or can the player use a heavy string so it can crack like a whip? Fancy arm/wrist/fingers movements to accelerate the chestnut in the last moment? What's the o…

This all kind of takes the fun out of it don't you think?

Not every game needs to have the fun sucked out of it by endless optimization and instrumental play.

Just conk some chestnuts. Simple as.

Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

#48

Post by fy20 »

Finbarr wrote: post #8
School-Cotton wrote: post #2

Is this game well-known enough in Britain and Ireland that readers will know what on earth is being alleged just from reading this article? Or are you expected to have to google it? Apparently it’s a game where you take turns swinging a chestnut on a string and trying to hit the opponent’s chestnut and break it. Yes, I can see how a steel fake chestnut would be an advantage here, though I’m amazed it wouldn’t be inst…

Yes, it is. It’s a game most news-reading-age adults will have played when they were at school as children.

It's a game you play as a kid. This is the first I've heard of there being a professional league.

On the other hand, we also have competitions such as cheese rolling (trying not to get killed by a giant cheese wheel rolling down a hill), so I'm not that surprised.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-gloucestershire-6...

Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

#49

Post by wcfields »

a_t48 wrote: post #39
bee_rider wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cheating at a PvE game like Helldivers is basically a victimless crime (I don’t do it, but I can see why people would).

Cheating with only your friends - yeah, mostly. Cheating with randos sounds like it would lead to boring gameplay.

Like, you can cheat at Solitaire, but why?

Re: World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

#50

Post by sonzohan »

School-Cotton wrote: post #32
aniforprez wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People cheat on online cooperative computer games like Helldivers with almost no rewards for being performatively better other than a few imaginary in-game points. People can be weird about the smallest things

Fair enough. People cheat at chess too which makes absolutely no sense to me.

Not just cheat but cheat using Bluetooth butt plugs at an extremely high level of play (https://nypost.com/2022/10/06/chess-champ-gets-butt-inspecte...). Some people have all the fun.
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