Ethically Challenged Commercial by St. Louis Chess Club

I've been watching the new "Today in Chess" broadcast by the Saint Louis Chess Club. They've been covering the Candidates Tournament (although they don't comment on any game until the game is finished).

One "house" commercial that they run periodically shows an adult male playing a chess game with a young boy. A young girl is standing behind the young boy.

As the adult begins to reach for a piece, he looks at the young girl, and the girl makes eye contact with the adult and shakes her head in a "no" motion. The adult then reaches for a different piece (not having touched the first piece yet) and looks at the girl again. This time, she nods in a "yes" motion. The adult smiles and makes his move with this second piece. It appears that the young boy thinks the adult's move was a good one.

So, this commercial for the Saint Louis Chess Club appears to be condoning a case of a spectator providing assistance to a player, which is in direct violation of USCF chess rules.

What were they thinking when they made this commercial?

http://www.uschesschamps.com/todayinchess

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVWaFpMwtaGjNMLWOox7ZX1oo2-R9UGh1

(For example, you can go to the Round 10 broadcast on the YouTube playlist, and the commercial starts at about the 1:16:35 mark.)

I'll take a look at it later but maybe its a method to show girls can play chess too, just not thought out very well.

    Yeah, a take on the "girls are smarter than boys" thread.

It's certainly not "ethically challenged" IMO. Nothing wrong with encouraging more females to play the game. That may have been the intent, or maybe there were just trying to be cute. I guess the bigger question is what to people think of WGM, WIM, etc. titles?

How does that encourage playing? She wasn't playing, she was helping a player cheat.

I'd say the message the ad is sending is, "Break the rules, it's funny."

So was the boy. The girl was just better at it perhaps. Females can be just as good as males at playing chess, or cheating (double entendre), or becoming master criminals.

From the description, the commercial is a play on the Baccarat scene in Bond films.

It sounds cute, but it would have been funny if after the adult plays his move, the boy moves and announces checkmate!

Lighten up, Francis.

Just watched it, and its a take on baseball signs.  Mike Methany was a ball player and manages the ST. Louis Cardinals.  Its not promoting cheating, and its certainly not "ethically challenged"

time stamp?

Are you and Mike suggesting that we start using the rules of baseball to play chess games? That certainly would be a novel approach, but I'm afraid it might be a bit confusing.

Not at all.  Im just saying its a fun commercial, combining chess and baseball.  If youre playing either and dont know the rules, thats on you, not the commercial or games.  

Well, it is...

It's wrong, yes, but there are some ways to do it that are also hilarious.

That's exactly my point. Maybe you know not to pay any attention to the rules aspect of the commercial, but how many of the little scholastic kiddies have actually read the rule book? Probably almost none of them. They don't need to be viewing chess commercials that are telling them it's OK to break a fundamental rule of chess.

Perhaps the ad should have a "Professional stunt. Do not attempt" disclaimer next to it?

If you and or your parents did not take the time to explain some simple rules of the game, that is your fault.  besides all that...comon sense should tell you that you dont help people out during a game.  We all know cheating happens, but to blame a fun commercial for peoples inability to learn and understand the rules is blamestorming, and not taking responsibility.  

That would help.  But thats like having a disclaimer on beer commercials that say "Drink Responsibly"