During the segment on chessmaster Robert Snyder in last nights program of AMERICA’S MOST WANTED, John Walsh said, “Experts say greatness at chess is the sign of a devious mind.” Who are these “experts”?
I believe Sherlock Holmes said, about Professor Moriarty, “Skill at chess is the sign of a devious mind.” Would that be the ‘expert’ to whom Mr Walsh refers?
Just how devious can chess be when all of the information is on the board? The player just needs the vision to see it!
All the best, Joe Lux
If you don’t believe chess players are devious, just look at all the lawsuits recently.
Bill Smythe
What about skill in poker, or trading, or even cooking (to fool the taste buds?) Cleverness can exist in almost any field, and if you don’t like it, you would call it deviousness.
It exists in chess too because we cannot see all that is on the board; our vision is limited. Even computers cannot calculate enough. At some point we have to guess, estimate, use judgment, etc. We’re in a fog, we have religious beliefs often called “principles”, and the scope for deviousness is there.
I agree. I wish I was more devious.
However I would like to know who these “experts” as well. I have feeling though this is just a thrown-in-thought by Wals.
Walsh is a man who turned a family tragedy into a commercial success, and I never watch his show or take what he says at face value.
There are 100,000 unregistered sex offenders in the country. What makes Robert Snyder the most wanted?
I believe the correct quote is ‘Amberley excelled at chess – one mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.’ - “The Adventure of the Retired Colourman.”
There is a slight difference between a “scheming mind” as compared to a “devious mind;” although, there are secondary definitions of the word “scheming” that denote something negative, like being devious. Primarily, “scheming” refers to formulating a systematic plan on a large scale to obtain a desired outcome, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
I suppose being very good at anything requires a scheming mind, as used in the primary, non-negative definition.
Maybe if one offers a swindle? 
It appears featuring Snyder on the most wanted TV show worked, he was captured in Belize.