This Month Features a Bottom Yahoo

So you thought you had seen the last of the Hans Niemann controversy? Not even close. Last month's Yahoos post, Top Yahoos: Niemann, WRTC, and Pragg (August 2023), mentioned,

That [Niemann] page had four stories under 'Top news', four Twitter tweets, and 44 stories from a variety of other sources.

This month we had only eight Niemann stories, but that's still a lot of stories compared to the hottest chess story in an average month. Before we look at the details, let's cover the month's stats.

This month Google News returned 99 stories. As the chart on the left shows, there were 10 sources with more than one story and they accounted for 53 stories. That leaves 46 sources with a single story.

The month saw the usual no.1 & no.2 sources, and this is also not the first time we've seen a top place for the no.3 source, USchess.org. The three 'Times' Yahoos -- Times of India, Financial Times, and The New York Times -- are often seen among the top sources, for example, in Three Times Yahoos (July 2021).

Back to the infamous Hans Niemann, the 99 stories started with a group of eight stories under the heading 'Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann denies using sex toy to cheat'. Of the eight stories, the first was:-

• 2023-09-26: Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann denies using vibrating sex toy to cheat (bbc.com) • 'An American grandmaster who was part of a row which rattled the world of chess has denied using a vibrating sex toy to cheat.'

The next news sources, respectable organizations like Forbes, CNN, and People, were mostly focused on the 'vibrating sex toy' angle of the story. Two, already in the title, identified the toy as 'anal beads'. Should we classify this under human interest? How about bottom fishing?

Removing those eight stories from consideration leaves 91 other stories on more uplifting chess topics. I'll come back to those another day.

[Yahoos (mainstream news stories about chess) are derived from Google News top-100 (or so) stories from the past month.]

***

Later: After the recurring Niemann nonsense, there weren't many compelling chess stories in September. Here are a couple that echoed recent posts about India on this blog. The previous post, Everyone's Favorite World Champion? (October 2023; Viswanathan Anand), might have been overshadowed by this story:-

• 2023-09-01: Gukesh Ends Anand's 37-Year Reign As India's Official Number 1 (chess.com; Leon_Watson) • 'For 37 years, Indian chess has had one unwavering constant: the legendary GM Viswanathan Anand is king. With the release of FIDE's latest official rating list on Friday, that has now changed. There is a new kid on the block. GM Gukesh D, the 17-year-old prodigy from Anand's home city of Chennai, had already overtaken his mentor in the live ratings, but after September's list was finalized on Friday it became official.'

That 'Favorite World Champion' post was about this month's featured video. Last month's featured video, 'Let Others Say You're a Champion' (September 2023, about another top Indian talent, was anticipated by this story:-

• 2023-09-05: I have the potential to become world champion: Praggnanandhaa (indiatimes.com) • 'For a long time Viswanathan Anand was the lone Indian presence in the chess World Championship cycle. With R Praggnanandhaa making the cut for the Candidates by finishing runner-up in the World Cup it will be an Indian Generation Next player at the highest level of world chess now.'

And as long as the theme for this month's Yahoo post is India, here's a story that taught me something I wasn't aware of:-

• 2023-09-03: Here's why this place in Kerala is called the Chess Village of India (indiatimes.com) • 'Marottichal is a small village in the lush green landscapes of Kerala, India. This unusual village, with its scenic beauty and surroundings, might not seem like a hub for chess enthusiasts. However, it has created a unique identity for itself as a chess haven over the years.'

Remember Schachdorf Strobeck? If not, see Ströbeck (wikipedia.org).