Homeless man plays ‘tramp chess’ with Cambridge students and regularly beats them

A homeless man is offering a game of chess in return for ‘donations’ in an ingenious effort to bypass begging laws. Slide Martins challenges locals to a game but doesn’t officially charge for it, instead, he says, just graciously accepts any contributions. ‘Offering chess for free means the police can’t arrest me for begging because I am offering something – and I always carry spare pieces in case someone steals one,’ he told Cambridge News.

Mr Martins, along with his two dogs Check and Mate camp in various parts of the university city with a sign declaring ‘free chess’. ‘I do get beat[en] occasionally but I do mostly win. They are not very bright in Cambridge – they wouldn’t have to go to college if they were,’ he added. ‘I play with the students in the park if the weather is good. Otherwise I set up in streets in Cambridge and challenge people to a game.’ The former chef says he has been travelling the length and breadth of the country for the last 35 years. He admitted he likes a drink and becomes a much better chess player the drunker he gets.

Mr Martins doesn’t appear to be the first person in the city to take advantage of the loophole – one homeless woman holds a penny whistle and says she is ‘busking’ when officers challenge her. Sgt Kevin Misik, of Cambridgeshire police, confirmed: ‘The acts described are not offences of begging under the Vagrancy Act therefore are not enforceable by police officers.’

source: www.metro.co.uk

homeless – hajléktalan
donation – adomány
ingenious – találékony, eszes
to bypass – megkerülni valamit
begging laws – koldulásra vonatkozó törvények
to accept – elfogandi
to charge for – díjat, pénzt kérni valamiért
spare piece – pót sakkbábu
Check and Mate – Sakk és Matt
occasionally – néha-néha
bright – okos
otherwise – máskülönben
to offer – felajánlani valamit
to challenge someone – kihívni valakit pl. versenyre
former – korábbi, előző
the length and breadth of – keresztül-kasul
to admit – beismerni
to take advantage of – kihasználni
loophole – kiskapu (törvényben)
penny whistle – hatlyukú fém furulya
busking – utcazenélés
to confirm – megerősíteni
offence – szabálysértés
Vagrancy Act – csavargással kapcsolatos törvény
therefore – ezért, ennélfogva
enforceable – végrehajtható 

Match the opposites.

answers: 1-c 2-d 3-a 4-e 5-b

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-GB
X-NONE
X-NONE

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
table.MsoTableGrid
{mso-style-name:”Table Grid”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-priority:59;
mso-style-unhide:no;
border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;
mso-border-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-border-insideh:.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-border-insidev:.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}