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07 February 2019 / Giles Tagg
Issue: 7827 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice
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Ever been zugzwanged?

Chess masters & litigators have a lot in common as Giles Tagg reports

 

After the FIDE world chess championship which took place in London at the end of last year, I noticed how the strategems in chess and the terms of art involved feed directly into how one might think about litigation and, even, dispute resolution. The result? An A–Z of chess...as seen through the eyes of a litigator.

A is for attack: Traditionally white, which has the first move, is the attacking force making aggressive advances towards black. White is the claimant in litigation.

B is for blitz: Blitz chess is an extra-fast form of the game where both players have to make all their moves within a set time of ten minutes or less. This is chess as adjudication, where both sides have to act within a swift time-frame and unusual results can occur.

C is for checkmate: The end of the game where either white or black emerges

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Specialist associate solicitor rejoins Muckle’s leading employment team

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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