Frederic Friedel - A Man of a Thousand Stories

Frederic Friedel is the Founder and ex-CEO of ChessBase GmbH, a widely famous Chess News Portal. Founded in 1985 with Garry Kasparov, he has carried the mantle for many years and is now retired at the age of 74. As a person, he is a perfect mix of humor and science, and has such a vast number of stories. Honestly, I could sit down and listen forever and ever. It was all even better when I met him in person in 2016, and now in 2019.

We had such a great time then...

When I first met him at Sagar sir’s house, I don’t believe I knew much about him at all. I did know that he was an important man, however, and I was nervous. I anticipated that it would be awkward and silent, but I was wrong. We got along just fine, and it was quite some time before I left. On the way back, I decided to check out the ‘biographical blog’ that Frederic had mentioned. It was a treasure trove of knowledge, and it got me hooked from the very first article.

...and such a great time now!

Fast forward to this year a week or two ago, when we met once again at Sagar sir’s house. We had been keeping in touch by mail for the duration of these years, and I have to admit there were some months-long gaps in our communication. It seemed strange, because at one moment, we had just greeted each other. The next, we were already talking in length about the evolution of computers, the people Frederic has met so far, and more. Uncanny!

I cannot understand it, and nor at times do I understand the true depth of something he talked about. He has a lot to say about every possible topic, and makes me realize the true vastness of the world and how we might or might not be truly alone in the universe. What I do know, is that it was great fun, and I await another such opportunity in earnest.

As a bonus, I would like to include a logical puzzle from one of Frederic’s articles, one of the other little things he is famous for. He says that half the people will get in a second, and the other half will agonize over it forever. I believe it is right, as I myself was part of the latter half. If you do get the answer, try not to give the answer away immediately, for it will ruin the true fun of the puzzle. Here goes:

Recently a friend told me the following story about the death of his grandfather: “My grandparents used to go to church on Sundays. One day during the sermon, which was long and dry, my grandfather fell asleep. That week he had been reading a novel about the French Revolution and began to dream that he was a rich aristocrat living in a beautiful chateau in France.

Suddenly there was a commotion outside. A mob of peasants appeared, stormed the house, grabbed him and tied him up, dragged him to the market square, where there was a platform with a guillotine set up. My grandfather was led up the stairs, a priest muttered a few words to him and then his head was placed in the cradle of the guillotine. A hooded executioner approached and reached up for the lever that releases the blade.

At that moment my grandfather was snoring loudly, so my grandmother reached out and pinched him on the back of his neck to wake him up. This was such a shock to my grandfather that he suffered a heart attack and died on the spot.”

If you did enjoy this riddle as much as I did, do check out Frederic's bio blog as well by clicking "here".