Is Howard Stern good for chess?

Influence me? No.. However it is kinda cool to know that he is a devoted chess fan and my ears always perk up when he gets into one of his passionate discussions about the game. That said his pass on Beth to finish his online match was pretty lame. He's more than paid for it...

BTW, Gary Kasparov likes Howard and offered to play him!!

Hi Oooooooo!

So is it ethical to reveal Howard Stern's handle on chess sites?  I don't know if he plays here, but he does play at ICC (currently ICC rating of 1714) and at the Microsoft Gaming Zone.  He is most likely at one of those sites very early on Saturdays and Sundays.   I have played him 4 times over the years (not a strong player).  His handle starts with a b at ICC and a C at the Zone.  Of course, it could be a scam like the Rusadan Goletiani incident here, except we are talking about a weak player instead of some computer-playing person.  I think Erik should give him a free membership if he plays here.

No, I think if one knows his handle, its best to keep it private - otherwise, he will get bombarded with requests (maybe he does already, who knows).  My guess is that his handle has absolutely nothing to do with him or his show, otherwise it would be a dead giveaway.  Either that, or he could go the other way and name himself something so obvious that people will assume it isn't him.

I managed to find out his handle and watched him play quite a few games on ICC. His blitz isn't so good but his standard rating was in the 1600s when I was watching him. His play is respectable and shows legitimate chess thinking (probably due in no small part to his tutor Dan). He's a typical chess addict I think--he just got married and he was still playing on ICC. I hear his mate complains of the time he spends gazing intently at his laptop, hour after hour.

So, surprisingly, he's turned into a genuine chess joe.

I never bothered him with messages. I thought that wasn't appropriate.