See note 3533: http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

The primary reason Oppenheimer lost credibility or will always "live in infamy" is his security clearance was eventually revoked for being a suspected communist

The real "inventor" of the A-bomb was Leo Szilard.

<He conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933, patented the idea of a nuclear reactor with Enrico Fermi, and in late 1939 wrote the letter for Albert Einstein's signature that resulted in the Manhattan Project that built the atomic bomb.>

Meandering down the hall was Oppenheimer, who poked his head in and switched glaze between the board and Fermi, then became fixed on the board.

Without saying a word, Oppenheimer walked to the chalkboard and made the slightest correction to one of those indescribable notations within the mammoth equation, then walked out.

Fermi quietly uttered "Yes"

<I am no chess player myself, so I am not in a position to admire his mental powers in the sphere of his greatest intellectual achievements; indeed I have to confess that I have always disliked the fierce competitive spirit embodied in that highly intellectual game.>

That means that he had to have had some interest in the game, which used to be far more widespread and popular than it is now (like philosophy). The fact that he disliked competition in chess is another argument that he had experience with the game and its players, and so is this criticism of its obsessive nature (op. cit.):

<Einstein is quoted as saying: "Chess grips its exponent, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom and independence of even the strongest character cannot remain unaffected.">

I agree, although suggestive, it doesn't lead to an absolute conclusion about his ability to play.

But it is suggestive, right?

Now then, as for

<The biographical note of Einstein in ChessGames.com [the internationally recognized supreme authority] ... >

If you hang around the Bistro you'll see inside the process of being the "supreme authority" is about as messy as making sausages.

Sometimes you don't get a super clean cut answer. And <CG> is really a melting pot of contributors, whose volunteer efforts can wain and wax.

Anyways, I think the other quote you cite:

<Einstein is quoted as saying: "Chess grips its exponent, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom and independence of even the strongest character cannot remain unaffected.">

also comes from the same foreword, and page, to Hannak's book(*). I'm not sure I totally agree with your conclusion that it shows Einstein played the game. It could just be his personal observations of the effects the game has on other players besides himself.

I got a chuckle about your dropping off to sleep seeing chess pieces running around. Luckily, maybe because I'm not good enough, that hasn't happened to me!

OK, cheers.

(*) <CG> is really a source, much the same as wikipedia isn't either. Both are a sort of clearing board pointing (if done properly) to the real sources.

But it is suggestive, right?>

Hi, <Zanzibar>, I really don't think that's a normal of way saying "I don't know how to play chess" but rather "I'm not really into chess". (cf. "I'm no lady's man", which definitely doesn't mean the speaker is homosexual but rather that his whole life doesn't revolve around the fair sex.) Also, I'm not old enough to say from personal experience but I bet that fewer than 5% of Swiss or German physicists of Einstein's generation didn't know how to play chess at all. Like most traditionally male-dominated disciplines (including philosophy and boxing), the popularity of chess has dwindled dramatically in recent decades, including in America (see "How America Forgot About Chess" www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/0- - 5/how-america...chess/257049/).
Just as a side note, my father told me he used to see the Oppenheimer brothers play "Go" in the lounge, which may explain why Robert wasn't much into chess (although he would know the rules, likely practically all the male scientists of his generation).

<"The biographical note of Einstein in ChessGames.com [the internationally recognized supreme authority] ... "

If you hang around the Bistro you'll see inside the process of being the "supreme authority" is about as messy as making sausages.>

The key word being "suspected."

You know the greatest Flip-Flop in US History? ans: Hollywood

Remember 65 yrs ago if you were a suspected Communist (and checking out Liberals first was a good place to start) and an actor in Hollywood, you had a very hard time finding work. Many actors actually committed suicide due to this oppression. As a conservative, I actually sympathized over their plight

But now, the table's are turned: If you are an actor in Hollywood and oppose their Liberal policies or thoughts, you will have a hard time finding work.

Go Figure

This all goes back to when Khruschev in the 1950's stated "We will crush you". This is coming true as Communist agents and policies undermine Western Religious upbringing, infiltrate our schools, attack basic ownership rights and attack all of our rights under the Constitution

To hell with these Commies, along with their Socialist, Democratic Liberal Lunatic-fringe nut-jobs

Fascism is welcome? Kukluxklanism? Racism?

I don't think the KKK or racism are political ideologies

The reason communism should be outlawed here in the US is simple: communistic ideology is diametrically the polar opposite of what the US was founded on (ie: democracy). Stuff like personal property, religion, voting rights, etc.

If an ideology is point for point the opposite of another ideology of another country, it should naturally be outlawed, banned or otherwise prohibited to exist within that country. If not, it will fester and grow and undermine that country. This only makes sense and its plain stupid the US allows the communist party to operate here, just plain stupid.

IMHO

Have you heard the old line about the difference between capitalism and communism? "Capitalism is the exploitation of man by man, while communism is the exact opposite".

Of course (as Marx wrote) it is capitalism, not democracy, which is the opposite of communism.

Anyhow, don't you think that outlawing a political movement in the USA would undermine some of the nation's founding principles?

In any case, if this game were proven a hoax, could you imagine the fallout?