Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

261–270 of 601 posts

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

#261

Post by Aardwolf »

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…

I only know about conkers due to photonicinduction's youtube video where they play conkers with two CRT televisions attached with ropes to the ceiling

However even without knowing that I think reading the article makes it clear enough what it's about and that a steel chestnut shattering the other one seems like an unfair advantage :)

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

#262

Post by red_admiral »

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 is a very, very British thing. A generation or two ago, almost everyone played it at school and it was Very Serious Business. I guess you needed something to occupy yourself before Pokemon Go was invented.

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

#263

Post by OJFord »

jamiek88 wrote: post #158
raffraffraff wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a sport, it's something that kids used to do pre 1950s. People were poor, didn't have manufactured "stuff", so they made their own toys out of simple things like stones, sticks, old wheels etc Football was likely popular because a single ball could keep a while bunch of kids happy for an afternoon (if someone could actually afford a ball). I'm almost 50, and to me the image of boys playing conkers only comes…

I’m 47 and played conkers in school on merseyside. The local ‘conker trees’ were famous!

I think whether or not you grew up with a significant local population of 'conker trees' probably had a lot more to do with it than age. I'm younger than you (and didn't grow up 'poor') and we played too, 'pre-50s' is ridiculous.

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

#264

Post by MasterScrat »

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…

Here's how it looks like apparently:

https://youtu.be/hXUbTKd6pmo?t=29

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

#265

Post by loup-vaillant »

raffraffraff wrote: post #147
conductr wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m American and never heard of this sport in my life yet article painted a similar picture in my mind.

It's not a sport, it's something that kids used to do pre 1950s. People were poor, didn't have manufactured "stuff", so they made their own toys out of simple things like stones, sticks, old wheels etc Football was likely popular because a single ball could keep a while bunch of kids happy for an afternoon (if someone could actually afford a ball). I'm almost 50, and to me the image of boys playing conkers only comes…

> And nowadays people don't really grow up at all. They continue playing right into adulthood and old age, with luxury toys.

It would be nice if we stopped stigmatising play. Growing up doesn't mean we stop playing. Acting grown-up might mean stop playing, but it's just that — an act, and a likely childish one. Real adults don't give up on what brings them joy.

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

#266

Post by red_admiral »

riffraff wrote: post #106
Nursie wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's more or less it. You make a hole through your 'conker' (horse chestnut, not the edible type) and thread a string or a bootlace through it. Then you take turns. One holds their string still and lets the conker hang down, the other gets a swing at it with their conker. Whoever's conker lasts the longest is the winner. There were all sorts of rumours about baking them, or soaking in vinegar or what have you to ha…

Ho do you drill the hole? I'm having trouble imagining kids with needles in their pockets, do you do it with a pencil or toothpick? We've got a ton of horse chestnuts in my neighborhood but I've never heard of this game and I'm eager to introduce it to my kids. Also, doesn't the conker spiral around your hand hitting it and hurting you?

> Also, doesn't the conker spiral around your hand hitting it and hurting you?

It does until you learn, usually quite quickly, to do it properly.

Hurting your opponent's hand is a different matter :)

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

#267

Post by joncrocks »

dagw wrote: post #189
beAbU wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it highly suspicious that the reigning champion gets to drill the holes in the conkers. You can intentionally make some of them weaker by drilling closer to the edge or something. I assume the conkers are provided by the organizers, and the participants must select their conker from the collection or given one at random. Prevents tampering I guess.

I assume the conkers are provided by the organizers Going around the conker trees in your area and finding the perfect conker is a huge part of the game. There is also a certain amount of pre-game 'modification' that are generally allowed, like soaking them in various solutions, or baking them in an oven. Having to use a provided conker would be like showing up to the Tour de France and being assigned a bike by the o…

Indeed, but apparently this is the way it works. I suspect to prevent 'foul-play' - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Conker_Championships#WCC...

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

#268

Post by red_admiral »

nickcw wrote: post #197
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…

I used to play conkers at school in England, however my children didn't. The reason? Schools have banned the game of conkers due to health and safety reasons. I asked my 17 year old this morning and he had never even heard of the game of conkers. So I think the age of conkers is passing, alas.

Drilling/punching the hole in a conker might be vaguely dangerous, and you're not supposed to carry a stabby tool at school anymore. But the game itself is not that dangerous, though that won't have stopped some schools from banning it.

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

#269

Post by red_admiral »

jalk wrote: post #146
throwup238 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Geez, we just had tetherball. No one tried to destroy each other’s nuts.

If we had those in my schoolyard, that would literally happen within 5 minutes -"spinny-spinny-whack-to-the-sack"

You're starting to get why the game used to be so popular.

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

#270

Post by gsck »

walthamstow wrote: post #150
thebruce87m wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t draw on your hand with a pen or you’ll get ink poisoning

Don't make that silly face. If the wind changes, it'll stay like that forever.

Don't lean on your chair, I had a student who died doing that
Post reply on HN