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World conker champion found with steel chestnut, cleared of cheating

(www.theguardian.com)
424 points notamy | 5 comments | 15 Oct 24 03:12 UTC | HN request time: 0.898s | source
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umanwizard ◴[15 Oct 24 03:33 UTC] No.41844648[source]▶
Is this game well-known enough in Britain and Ireland that readers will know what on earth is being alleged just from reading this article? Or are you expected to have to google it?

Apparently it’s a game where you take turns swinging a chestnut on a string and trying to hit the opponent’s chestnut and break it. Yes, I can see how a steel fake chestnut would be an advantage here, though I’m amazed it wouldn’t be instantly obvious to even a casual observer that the look and sound were wrong. So maybe I’m still missing something.

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echoangle ◴[15 Oct 24 06:58 UTC] No.41845708[source]▶
Is the game skill-based? How can you influence which chestnut breaks? Is the challenge chestnut selection? Or a specific swing method?
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1. beAbU ◴[15 Oct 24 07:13 UTC] No.41845779[source]▶
I find it highly suspicious that the reigning champion gets to drill the holes in the conkers. You can intentionally make some of them weaker by drilling closer to the edge or something.

I assume the conkers are provided by the organizers, and the participants must select their conker from the collection or given one at random. Prevents tampering I guess.

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2. echoangle ◴[15 Oct 24 07:18 UTC] No.41845799[source]▶
I thought it might be like formula 1 where having the right equipment is part of the challenge.
3. dagw ◴[15 Oct 24 07:27 UTC] No.41845841[source]▶
I assume the conkers are provided by the organizers

Going around the conker trees in your area and finding the perfect conker is a huge part of the game. There is also a certain amount of pre-game 'modification' that are generally allowed, like soaking them in various solutions, or baking them in an oven.

Having to use a provided conker would be like showing up to the Tour de France and being assigned a bike by the organisers.

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4. joncrocks ◴[15 Oct 24 08:57 UTC] No.41846486[source]▶
Indeed, but apparently this is the way it works. I suspect to prevent 'foul-play' - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Conker_Championships#WCC...
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5. dagw ◴[15 Oct 24 09:16 UTC] No.41846622{3}[source]▶
I stand corrected. Perhaps Tour de France should apply this rule as well to avoid foul play?