Daily Archives: April 12, 2020

2023, 4NCL, Birthday, British Championships, Players

Happy Birthday IM Harry Grieve (12-iv-2001)

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BCN wishes happy birthday to IM Harry James M Grieve (12-iv-2001).

He was born in Guildford and spent most of his childhood a resident of Fleet in Hampshire before moving to Camberley, Surrey.

Here is an article from Harry’s school, RGS Guildford.

Harry at the 2012 UKCC Terafina, Loughborough Grammar School
Harry at the 2012 UKCC Terafina, Loughborough Grammar School

Harry is studying mathematics at St. Catherine’s College, Cambridge having previously been a pupil and member of the strong chess team of Royal Grammar School, Guildford with team mates such as Alex Golding.

He started his evening league chess in the Cody Sports and Social Club with Fleet & Farnborough Chess Club (same as Simon Williams) and then transferred his allegiance to the stronger Farnham chess club playing top board in many matches.

He was recruited to the AMCA 4NCL team by IM Andrew Martin and then played for the BCM 4NCL team and now plays for Guildford in 4NCL and Farnham in the Surrey Border League.

Round 5 of the Caplin Hastings International Chess Congress featured the board 10 clash between one of England’s stronger Grandmasters, Danny Gormally (2508) and FM Harry Grieve (2299).

Here is their game :

Following this game Harry needed 2.5/4 to obtain his first IM norm.

In January 2022 Harry travelled to Roquetas de Mar in Almeria, Spain for the 33rd Roquetas de Mar Open where he scored 7/9 and his first IM norm. Harry kindly agreed to annotate his best game from this event for BCN:

Here is hoping that further norms will be shortly forthcoming!

Harry Grieve, 2014 Terafinal
Harry Grieve, 2014 Terafinal

At the fourth FIDE Council of 2022 Harry was granted his full IM title.

His performance at the Chessable British Chess Championships 2022 of 7.5/9 was sufficient to gain his first GM norm exceeding the requirement by 0.5 points.

During the 2022 / 2023 4NCL Harry played for “The Sharks 1” on various boards with his team taking full advantage of the FIDE 80 point rule to vary their board orders. Harry played in every round and scored 9.5/11 earning his second GM norm.

Surely the third and final one will be achieved in 2023?

2023, Deaths, History, Players, Remembering, Writers

Remembering Rev. Charles Ranken (05-i-1828 12-iv-1905)

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Remembering Rev. Charles Edward Ranken (05-i-1828 12-iv-1905)

From The Encyclopedia of Chess by Harry Golombek :

“A leading member of the formidable band of reverends who played such a strong role in early Victorian English chess, he is described as ‘one of the writing rather than the fighting clergy in chess’ in P. W. Sergeant’s Century of British Chess. Though he learnt chess at an early age’ he made his first really earnest study of the game when he was an undergraduate at Wadham College, Oxford 1847-50, in particular devoting himself to a theoretical study of Staunton’s Handbook, which he rightly regarded as a great landmark in chess literature.

On leaving Oxford he competed in the provincial section at London l85l where he came second to Boden.
In 1867 he became vicar of Sandford-on-Thames and lived at Oxford where, in collaboration with Lord Randolph Churchill (Winston’s father), he founded the Oxford University Chess Club
and became its first President.

Resigning his living at Sandford in 1871, he went to live at Malvern where he stayed till his death. He played in many of the congresses organized by the Counties Chess Association, his best result being 1st in the first class section at Malvern 1872 with a score of 12 points, followed by two other reverends, Thorold 11.5 and Wayte 10.5. It was at this congress that he brought about a reconciliation between Staunton and Löwenthal who had been estranged for a considerable time.

He played in the Yizayanaqaram tournament at London 1883 and started well but his health gave way after the first week and he divided fifth place with G. H. D. Gossip.
His chief importance during the later stages of his chess career was as a writer, first as editor of the Chess Player’s Chronicle in 1877 and later as a member of the staff of the British Chess Magazine in which he wrote on many aspects of chess but specialized in analysis (of the openings, middle-game and the endings)’ In 1889 he published, in collaboration with E. Freeborough, Chess Openings Ancient and Modern. (London)’ ( H’G’)

Chess Openings Ancient and Modern 1889
Chess Openings Ancient and Modern 1889

The Ranken Variation is a good line for White in the Four Knights Opening, analysed in the Chess Players Chronicle, 1879 by

The Chess Player's Chronicle
The Chess Player’s Chronicle

first president of the Oxford University Chess Club.”