Yet that, I would argue, is a big mistake. Chess – which is recognised as a sport by the IOC but has been repeatedly refused entry to the games – may be complex almost to the point where it seems impenetrable, but that is its richness and beauty.

All you need to know is the basic rules, and then you're on a never-ending learning curve that starts with being able to beat only your granddad and ends with beating a grandmaster at the Olympiad (at least in my dreams). The more you follow it, the more you get drawn into it and before you realise you’re as much an expert on chess as you are on fencing or horse dancing. In fact, the cerebral game is as fascinating and sometimes as fast and furious a sport as any you are likely to claim armchair expertise on.