BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//British Chess News - ECPv6.17.5//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:http://britishchessnews.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for British Chess News REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:UTC BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:UTC DTSTART:20190101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200619 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200620 DTSTAMP:20210620T094213Z CREATED:20190823T181141Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210620T094213Z UID:1094-1592524800-1592611199@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Robin Matthews (16-vi-1927 19-vi-1983) DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Robin Matthews CBE\, FBA who died in Cambridge aged 83 on June 19th 2010. Probate (3367272) was granted in Ipswich\, Suffolk on September 6th\, 2010. \nRobert (Robin) Charles Oliver Matthews was born in Edinburgh on Thursday\, June 16th 1927. Born on the same day was England cricketer\, Tom Graveney. \nHis English father\, Oliver Harwood Matthews became an Edinburgh solicitor and his mother was Ida Matthews (née) Finlay.  Robin had a daughter Alison. \nAcademia\nHe was educated at Edinburgh Academy and then Corpus Christi College\, Oxford becoming a Fellow of All Souls College\, Oxford. He went on to become a highly successful economist authoring at least twelve publications on the subject. \nAccording to Wikipedia “He was the Drummond Professor of Political Economy at Oxford from 1965 to 1975 and the Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge from 1980 to 1991. He was also the Master of Clare College\, Cambridge from 1975 to 1993.” \nFor a detailed description of this part of his life there is an excellent obituary / biography from the Australian economist\, Geoffrey Harcourt. \nProblem Composer\nBrian Stephenson (BCPS) writes : “Probably the UK’s greatest composer of ‘mate in 3’ #ChessProblems . His chapters in the book you note were what got me hooked on chess composition. Nearly all of his output can be viewed at The Meson Database” \nBlack Correction: Quaternary Play \nFirst Prize\, The Observer\, 1964 \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nMate in three \nAccording to David McKittrick in The Independent: \n“Outside academia\, Matthews was keen on chess\, in particular setting problems and publishing two books on what are known as three-mover directmates\, in which white is to move and checkmate black in no more than three moves against any defence. \nAlthough this might be thought a particularly narrow point of interest\, one enthusiast said of him that his writings “demonstrated a deep knowledge along with the feeling of wonder and curiosity about the subject”. \nRCO Matthews\nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld: \n“British Composer\, International Judge of Chess Compositions (1957)\, International Master for Chess Compositions (1965)\, economist\, appointed Master of Clare College\, Cambridge in 1975. He has specialised in orthodox three movers and is among the world’s leaders in this field.” \n\nHere is an obituary from The Daily Telegraph \nand an obituary from The Independent \nChess Problems : Introduction to an Art\nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \nInternational Master of the F.I.D.E. for chess compositions (1965) and International Judge of the F.I.D.E. for Chess Compositions (1957). President of the British Chess Problem Society for 1971 and 1972. Professor of Economics at Oxford University. \nCyclic Overload Doubled \nFirst Prize\, British Chess Magazine\, 1968 \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nMate in three \nBorn on 16th June 1927. Professor Matthews has composed about 200 problems\, about 40 of them 1st prize winners\, mainly strategic three-movers\, He is one of the world’s best three move composers. \nNowotnys \nBritish Chess Magazine\, 1967 \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nHis best problems give clear-cut expression of complex themes\, with proper attention given to key-move and by-play in the best English tradition. \nChess Problems : Introduction to an Art\nThe results are massive rather than elegant\, but carefully constructed. Themes he has specialised in include overload White self-weakening and reciprocal change.” \nR.C.O. Matthews\nBritish Chess Magazine\n1956 \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nWhite to play and mate in three moves \nFrom Wikipedia : \n“Robert (Robin) Charles Oliver Matthews (16 June 1927 – 19 June 2010) was an economist and chess problemist. \nMatthews was born in Edinburgh. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy and Corpus Christi College\, Oxford\, and was a Fellow of All Souls College\, Oxford. He was the Drummond Professor of Political Economy at Oxford from 1965 to 1975 and the Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge from 1980 to 1991. He was also the Master of Clare College\, Cambridge from 1975 to 1993.” \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-robin-co-matthews/ CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,History,Problemist,Remembering,Writer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/16.06-Robin-Matthews.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200529 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200530 DTSTAMP:20210307T181014Z CREATED:20190822T163133Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210307T181014Z UID:996-1590710400-1590796799@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Henry Buckle (24-xi-1821 29-v-1862) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Henry Thomas Buckle (24-xi-1821 29-v-1862) \nHis Wikipedia article is here \nAn interesting article by Ray Keene \n“One of the leading British players of his day and an eminent historian. Buckle was born in Lee\, Kent on 11th November 1821.\, the son of a shipowner. From birth he was extremely delicate and his health prevented him from having a normal education. He was taken away from school at the age of 14 and three years later went into his father’s business. His father’s death in 1840 made Buckle independent and he gave up his business career and visited the continent for about a year\, playing chess in Paris and Berlin. Going abroad again in 1843\, Buckle spent most of his time studying languages and within seven years had learned to speak seven languages and to read 12 others.\nBuckle rarely played chess matches\, because of the intense dislike of the slow rate at which they were played in those days. However\, he played a match against Kieseritzky in 1848\, which he won+4 -3 =1/ After this victory\, he realised that his health would not stand up to serious play and he never again attempted it. In 1851\, he played a number of games with Anderssen\, who considered that he was one of the strongest players he had ever met. Buckle was a regular visitor to “The Divan”\, where he delighted in his favourite form of the game\, giving heavy odds.\nAfter his match with Lowenthal\, Buckle turned his attention to his History of Civilisation. The first section of this work started to appear in 1857 but the major portion was published posthumously.\nBuckle died of typhoid fever in Damascus on 29th May 1862.” \nHistory of civilization in England\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-henry-thomas-buckle/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Henry_Thomas_Buckle_at_the_age_of_24.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200525 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200526 DTSTAMP:20210307T180824Z CREATED:20200407T182451Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210307T180824Z UID:4139-1590364800-1590451199@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of FM Neil Carr (10-iii-1968 25-v-2015) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of FM Neil Leslie Carr (10-iii-1968 25-v-2015) \nHere is his obituary from Stewart Reuben \nHere is an article from Kingpin Magazine by Jon Manley \nHere is an article from EssexChess \nThe Neil Carr Scholarship Prize \nHere is a game courtesy of Kingpin & the Ilford Recorder \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nNeil Carr (far right) at Paul Buswell’s house\nHere is a tribute from long time friend and London Central YMCA fellow club member\, IM Andrew Martin : \n\nNeil Carr (front right)\nNeil Carr (right) with Neil Fox\, Stuart Conquest\, Paul Buswell and ?\nNeil Carr (rear right) at a BCF National Club Final (1992)\nNeil Carr\, (foreground\, right) at London’s South Bank\, Peter Sowray in the background.. Photo by Clive Field\, London Chess Association\nFM Neil Carr\, London Chess Classic 2013\, courtesy pf John Upham Photography\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-fm-neil-leslie-carr-10-iii-1968-25-v-2015/ CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Player ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/JUA6454-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200525 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200526 DTSTAMP:20210521T191552Z CREATED:20190823T102453Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210521T191552Z UID:1074-1590364800-1590451199@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Guy Chandler (21-viii-1889 25-v-1980) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Guy Wills Chandler (21-viii-1889 25-v-1980) \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \n“International Judge of FIDE for Chess Compositions\, Chandler\, who was born on 21st August 1889\, has composed about 125 two and three-move problems\, all in traditional style. Some 30 have gained tourney honours. He was the chess editor of the Hampshire Telegraph and Post from 1911-1921 and he was a founder member of the British Chess Problem Society\, Its Hon. Secretary from 1919 – 1925 and Hon. Secretary and Treasurer since 1951. \nG.W.Chandler\nCommended “The Problemist” 1960 \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nWhite to play and mate in two moves \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-guy-wills-chandler/ CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,History,Problemist ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/21.08-G.W.Chandler-Chess-Pie-1922.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200518 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200519 DTSTAMP:20200517T135203Z CREATED:20190823T160941Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200517T135203Z UID:1082-1589760000-1589846399@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Brian Harley (27-x-1883 18-v-1955) DESCRIPTION:Brian Harley (27-10-1883 18-v-1955)\, from chesscomposers.com and Chess Notes\nDeath Anniversary of Brian Harley (27-x-1883 18-v-1955) \nFrom chesscomposers.com : \n“Brian Harley composed mostly two- or threemovers and wrote many books to make chess problems more popular: for instance his “Mate in Two Moves” inspired Geoff Foster’s first steps into problemdom.\nHarley’s “The Modern Two-move Chess Problem” written in collaboration with Comins Mansfield is probably the best known of his efforts. \nBrian Harley was the inventor of the term “mutate” for the block problems with changed mates. He was the president of the British Chess Problem Society from 1947 until 1949. In his honour\, each year the British magazine “The Problemist” awards the best twomover problem with the “Brian Harley” award.” \nand Edward Winter writes about Brian Harley (scroll down a little). \nHere is BHs obituary from British Chess Magazine\, Volume LXXV\, Number 9\, pages 284 – 287 written by S. Sedgwick : \n“With the death of Brian Harley on May 18th\,1955\, the chess problem is the poorer by an authoritative exponent\, and a writer of unusual clarity and popular appeal. His sudden passing at his home at Bognor Regis will be mourned. by a very wide circle of friends; to his wife and son\, with whom he enjoyed an enduring happiness\, we extend our deep-felt sympathy. \nBorn at Saffron-Walden\, Essex\, on October 27th\,1883\, Harley was educated at Wellingborough and Haileybury. Qualifying as an actuary he entered the National Provident Institution\, in whose employment\, apart from War Service\, he passed his professional life\, until his retirement in 1947. \nAs a player he had initially a considerable reputation\, above that enjoyed as a problemist. Two books\, Chess and its Stars and Chess for the Fun of it\, reflect this aspect of his chess work. When playing was eventually renounced for problems he still retained his love of annotation\, bringing to this a wide knowledge\, larded by the apt witticism and an approach that was neither superficial yet avoided the pitfalls of pedantry. \nChess and its Stars\nHis first problem appeared at the age of fifteen\, in 1898. Whilst Harley’s early period has some noteworthy items\, it lacks the verve and distinction of his later output\, following his awakening of interest in the mutate in 1916_and the fertile years following his appointment as Chess Editor of The Observer\, London\, in 1919. In England under the lead o[ Phillip Williams in the Chess Amateur\, the mutate had sprung into\,popularity during and after the Great War\, with Harley among its ardent exponents. He continued the cult in his Observer column\, where he did much to popularize it. It is possibly symbolic that when Williams died in 1922 his travelling board and men should pass to Harley; it would be difficult to find a comparable instrument that has witnessed the genesis of so much concentrated chess devilry\, implicit in all mutates\, as this board used first by Williams and then by Harley. \nIn July\, 1919\, Harley published his system in the Good Companion folder. This paper\, the outcome of much thought\, attempted to evaluate the constituent parts of a chess problem on a semi-mathematical basis. Point values were set down for the elements in White keys\, Black defences thereto\, and the resultant White mates\, the summation giving values for comparison with other works similarly treated. In an accompanying paper on the block-change it was here that Harley introduced the term “mutate\,” the word passing\, without cavil\, into the current idiom. Under the evocative power of Harley’s work and pen his Observer feature from 1919 onwards has come to rank with the great columns of the past. No composer of substance was absent from its pages and the result is a collection of works and descriptive criticism that has enriched the chess literature of the world. Early on\, Harley came to know the late Godfrey Heathcote\, and the welcome presence of the great composers name in the column gave it a sublimity possessed by no other comparable English journal. Harley’s comments on his contributors work was one of the many attractive features of his column. He kept the popular approach very much in mind without unduly over-weighting it; this\, blended with a brand of humour all his own (often literary in character)\, and a grasp of essentials drove home the salient points of a problem to the uninitiated solver with a peculiar vividness. He could ‘be incisive when wanted\, technical when he pleased\, his gentle rebuke for the inferior production or undetected flaw could not be other than well taken\, authoritative without ostentation\, his succinct criticisms are now legendary to be treasured and repeated when the occasion demands. An incorrigible faddist in his regard for the short threat in the three-mover\, Harley seldom admitted this type to his pages\, pleading aversion by solvers. He conducted over one hundred solving contests during his column’s life; these weekly battles of wits affording enormous pleasure to all concerned. \nChess for the Fun of It\nTo his column came the established composer and the hesitant\, possibly young\, beginner. To this last group Harley gave every encouragement and unreservedly of his advice and help. There must be few British composers who have not felt his benefit directly\, through the medium of his wonderful letters\, lit all the way through by the warm glow of an endearing personality. \nHarley’s constructive powers brought him to the front rank of the world’s composers. His output of 450 includes long range work in four and five moves and in later years\, sui-mates. In the chess-men he found a pliable medium for the realization of an unusual vision and creative gift. In the two-mover he gave to the mutate much substantial and classic work. He appears to have given to this type more specialized attention than any other in the two-move field. Elsewhere in this length his work covers a wide variety of themes with a strong liking for task renderings. A composer with few serious constructive foibles\, his mode of expression\, in consequence suffered little. His was not the temperament to linger with one theme and squeeze it dry. One or two renderings of the theme on hand and he would pass to the next. Hence the diversity of his work which imbues it with especial charm. To underline this point one could indicate\, almost at random\, Harley’s entries in the multimate tourney of the Cleveland Chess Bulletin. Certainty the theme had few attractions for him but his entries showed how superbly such problem ideas could be clothed. \nIn the three-mover Harley has graced both sides of the aesthetic fence\, and that with distinction\, giving equally to the strategic and model-mate.genre. His friendship with Heathcote however influenced him considerably here and one is inclined to the view\, that in this length\, Harley held firmly to the eternal values in chess art. In both types Harley attained especially in task renderings\, rare heights of complexity and construction. His lighter mood showed to the full-to the incipient solver much of the low cunning of which the three-mover is capable. \nHe came to the sui in the late forties. When Heathcote was convalescing in London\, following an operation\, Harley took some specimens with him when he visited his friend The ensuing discussion stimulated Harley to further experiments and the authentic touch of the great master of technique is evident in his work here also. Harley gave many of his works to his own “Observer” column but did not neglect the other sources of publication. To quote his own words his ideal problem was “a mixture of art\, science\, humour\, and puzzlement.” His best work shows brilliantly his love for the integration of the beautiful and the true inner essence and spirit of chess. \nHis contribution to the literary and technical side of chess problems outside his journalistic work is seen in his two books Mate in Two (1931) and Mate in Three (1943).\nMate in Two is stamped with all Harley’s inimitable style and remains a mine of information for all levels. Standing\, as it does\, mid-way between the old and the new\, the book\, apart from an absorbing chapter on changed play\, reflects and even labours under the influence of the “Good Companion” period. Harley in later editions to a certain extent remedied this deficiency and the book\, now long out of print\, lies on our shelf\, its fundamentals unimpaired\, as one of the classic expositions in the art. Mate in Three\, written from a’ narrower viewpoint\, proved another successful publication. Here Harley entered more controversial ground\, crossing swords. with hitherto established theory. The book\, although not evoking absolute technical authority\, gives a broad and eloquent outline\, written from the artistic standpoint\, of three-move work fundamentally\, with few significant omissions. Made memorable by the inclusion of many works both by Harley and Heathcote\, the book is that of a true artist\, and is of great importance theoretically as the one modern work devoted to this length by an English author. \nA further important contribution to chess problem theory was his thesis on “Black Correction” read before the British Chess Problem Society on November 29th\, 1935. In the mid thirties\, this thesis\, more than anything else\, was instrumental in precipitating a flood of work on correction and associated ideas. Readers of this magazine will recall this period\, and I trust that this short recapitulation will still the tiresome arguments regarding the choice between “correction” and “continued defences.” Harley’s choice is at once apt and descriptive and it should not be forgotten that here\, he touched upon White Correction\, an esoteric aristocrat\, greeted by ten years or so of utter silence before systematic investigation by the moderns. \nElected President of the British Chess Problem Society in 1947-1949 it so happened that I was its Secretary at the time. We exchanged hundreds of letters on problematic subjects\, the scope of his knowledge always affording surprise. The Society benefited enormously from his advice and counsel\, and during the somewhat delicate situation arising from the arbitration in the two-move section of the 1948 Olympic Tourney it was with alacrity that one turned to a mind of the calibre of Harley. Coming to the man he was widely read\, a Latin scholar\, and his knowledge of Dickens was above average; a keen bridge player\, an instrumentalist (piano)\, all the varied facets of his character would come out at some time in his chess writings. His physical presence at any gathering gave it stature. Of medium height\, lovable\, somewhat dapper\, the shrewd contemplative face of this chess Barrie with its ever present cigarette holder and fund of anecdote has enriched and enlivened many a dull Committee Meeting. \nMate in Two Moves\nOn the death of Anthony Guest in 1925\, Harley succeeded as Problem Editor of the Morning Post until 1932. In addition he was Problem Editor of Empire Review\, 1923-1926\, and Time and Tide\, from 1951 until his death. Lesser appointments included several technical journals where he acted under pseudonyms. Amusing were the anagrammatical pseudonyms used occasionally for composing in Hilary Bream and Harry Blaine. \nBrian’s integrity and character endeared him to innumerable correspondents and solvers. Most of us nourish a characteristic Brian Harley story; one must suffice here. It concerns the time when Brian was introduced to the late Sir John Simon who made the delightful response “l need no introduction for I meet him every Sunday and for years hive wrestled with his problems\, eventually solving them in the House of Commons.” For this weekly enrichment of our lives we have much to thank him for. \nIn middle life Brian married Ella Margaret Beddall; there is one son\, Nigel. With his wife\, Brian shared many problematic triumphs and it was to her that his various\nbooks were dedicated. \nMate in Three Moves\nBefore closing this brief review of Brian’s achievements a word should be said regarding the summary end of his work in the Observer and a tribute paid by one of his many solvers in this column. On the former it will be regarded with universal regret by all problemists that no arrangements have been made to continue Brian’s incomparable’work in the journal he served with such distinction. Regarding the latter am very grateful to Halford W. L. Reddish\, Esq.\, for an appreciation that admirably epitomizes the feelings of us all on this melancholy occasion. \nMr. Halford Reddish writes- \n“l am one of thousands of solvers\, from the expert to the merest tyro\, who will miss our weekly battle with Brian Harley in the Observer. In the world of chess and chess problems his name and fame are secure. His characteristically titled Chess for the Fun of It is a delightful exposition of the game: his Mate in Two Moves and Mate in Three Moves are classics in their particular field. \nTo those of us who knew Brian personally his passing leaves an unfillable gap. I had known him and admired him and loved his witty\, cheery\, kindly personality for many years. He was one of those rare beings who became a close friend even before our first meeting-for we had corresponded for a long time before we first came face to face. And although chess and chess problems were our primary link he had many other interests which kept him young and keen in mind after his retirement from business and which enlarged and enriched his correspondence. It is typical of him that no letter came from him without some mention of his dear wife\, who shared to the full his varied interests. To her and to his only son to the deep sympathy of his many friends.” \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-brian-harley/ CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,History,Problemist END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200516 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200517 DTSTAMP:20260817T141207Z CREATED:20200427T133527Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T141207Z UID:4991-1589587200-1589673599@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Andrew Thomas (11-x-1904 16-v-1985) DESCRIPTION:Signature of ARB Thomas from a Brian Reilly “after dinner” postcard from Southsea 1951.\nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nARB Thomas in play with FEA Kitto\nBCN remembers Andrew Rowland Benedick Thomas (11-x-1904 16-v-1985) \nWe cannot improve on this excellent article about ARBT on the Chess Devon web site \nDavid Hooper (seated right) in play at the West of England Championships in Bristol\, Easter\, 1947. His opponent \, ARB Thomas \, was that year’s champion. Among the spectators is Mrs. Rowena Bruce\, the 1946 British Ladies’ Champion. BCM\, Volume 118\, #6\, p.327. The others in the photo are L – R: H. V. Trevenen; H. Wilson-Osborne (WECU President); R. A. (Ron) Slade; Rowena Bruce; Ron Bruce; H. V. (Harry) Mallison; Chris Sullivan; C. Welch (Controller); F. E. A. (Frank) Kitto.\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/remembering-andrew-rowland-benedick-thomas-11-x-1904-16-v-1985/ CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Official,Organiser,Player,Writer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/untitled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200516 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200517 DTSTAMP:20210516T144229Z CREATED:20190823T085838Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210516T144229Z UID:1054-1589587200-1589673599@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Harold Murray (24-vi-1868 16-v-1955) DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Harold Murray who passed away on Monday\, May 16th\, 1955. \nHarold James Ruthven Murray was born on Wednesday\, 24th June 1868 in Camberwell\, London. He was the eldest son of Sir James Augustus Henry Murray 1837–1915 and  Ada Agnes Ruthven 1845–1936. Sir James was famously the first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume LXXV (125\, 1955)\, Number 8 (August)\, pp. 233-4 we have this obituary from DJ Morgan: \n“The great historian of chess died in May last\, at the age of eighty-six. Some of the early results of his researches into the origins of the game were published in this magazine\, and a reference to the “B.C.M.” volumes for the first fifteen years of this century will reveal a wealth of articles of permanent value. A tribute to our late and\ndistinguished contributor has been unavoidably delayed. \nMurray was the eldest son of Sir James A. H. Murray\, the pioneering editor of the great Oxford English Dictionary\, and was born in Camberwell on June 24th\, 1868. He went to Mill Hill School\, took an Open Mathematical Exhibition to Balliol College\, Oxford\, and left the University\, in 1890\, with a First Class in the Final Mathematical School. Subsequently\, teaching engagements took him to Taunton\, Carlisle\, and Ormskirk. From 1891 to 1900 he was Headmaster of Ormskirk Grammar School\, which he left to become a Board of Education Inspector of Schools. \nTaunton gave him an enthusiasm for chess. At Ormskirk he helped to found a club\, which he captained from 1896 to 1900. His interest in the history of the game had been aroused in 1893\, and when\, in 1897\, he received encouragement from such a notable authority as Baron von der Lasa\, historical research became his ruling passion. In his own words his aim was to trace the development of the modern European game from the first appearance of its ancestor\, the Indian chaturanga\, in the beginning of the seventh century of our era. \nMany books had been written on the history of chess\, but none had covered exactly the whole story as he envisaged it. Hyde\, in 1694\, and another Englishman\, Forbes\, in 1860\, had in the main confined their attention to Oriental chess. Other investigators\, such as Sir William Jones on Indian chess (1790)\, Cox on Burma chess (1803 and 1807)\, and Bland on Persian chess (1852)\, had published their conclusions in journals of Asiatic studies. The great German writer\, von der Lasa\, in 1897\, treated almost exclusively of the European game. Van der Linde alone had dealt with both Oriental and European chess\, but it was in three distinct works (1874-81). \nVan der Linde was able to incorporate the results of Weber’s examination of the early references to chess in Sanskrit literature\, and to show that Forbes’s History was both inaccurate and misleading. \nSince the publication of Linde’s Geschichte there had been many additions to our knowledge of various aspects of chess history\, mostly scattered in isolated papers. So\, continues Murray\, he set about collecting and collating all available material and making it easily accessible to English readers. \nMurray was able to call on the help of acknowledged scholars in the many languages\, obsolete and obsolescent\, into which his researches led him. Above all\, his work was largely based upon his own studies of original materials. The manuscripts and rare books in the unrivalled collections of J. G. White\, of Cleveland\, Ohio\, and of J. W. Rimington Wilson in this country\, were placed unreservedly at his disposal\, as were the resources of other collectors and libraries. \nAs an example of his devotion to his work\, he made a thorough study of Arabic\, and it was his knowledge of this language which enabled him to make his remarkable discovery of the chess-work of Allajlaj\, a Mohammedan chess master of the tenth century. The fascinating story of the recovery of these oldest recorded games is told in the “British Chess Magazine” of November\, 1903. \nMurray thus brought a fine scholarship to his immense task. He had\, in addition\, the true historian’s gifts of meticulous research\, of grasp of detail\, of the critical sifting of evidence; to this scientific technique was added the art of lucid exposition.\nIn his hands\, it can be said\, the chess-player’s elements of time\, space\, and material were used to range through most of the centuries of the Christian era. \nA History of Chess\nThe History appeared in 1913\, from the same University Press\, he was proud to think which\, more than 200 years before\, had published Thomas Hyde’s Mondragorios seu Historia Shohiludii. The huge volume of 900 pages\, lavishly illustrated and with scores of chess diagrams\, was received with world-wide acclamation. From ancient “Indian Board-games” to “Steinitz and his School\,” the vast field had been covered with great authority. The book is in two parts\, “Chess in Asia” and “Chess in Europe\,” but through it all runs the absorbing story of how the game\, in play and in problem\, in its practice and in its laws\, has developed and spread. From India to Persia\, to Islam as a result of the Mohammedan conquest of Persia\, from Islam to Spain\, and thence to Christian Europe\, chess has followed the great political and religious movements. It is very improbable that chess was played in England before the Norman Conquest. That it was familiar to the Norman Kings in the eleventh century is certain from the evidence of the word exchequer\, which was applied to the table “upon which the accounts were worked out by means of a cloth divided into strips about a footwide\, on which counters\, representing the moneys\, were placed and moved.” \nThis must suffice. The work is one to browse in and to dip into through the years. Murray has left an enduring monument\, the greatest book ever written on the game. We can but touch briefly on other aspects of his varied and active life. Following his retirement from the Board of Education\, in 1928\, he took an active interest in Local Government work. He became Chairman of the Fernhurst Parish Council\, and was a member of the Midhurst R.D.C.\, 1931-55\, being Chairmain of its Housing\nCommittee from 1938 to 1948. \nIn 1952 he published A History of Board Gomes Other Than Chess. \nA History of Board Games other than Chess\nHe also wrote a Shorter History of Chess and a History of Draughts (both unpublished)\, and spent much time working on mathematical problems connected with Knights’ Tours and Magic Tours. His work on these investigations is also unpublished\, but a good deal remains in typescript in fairly complete form. \nApart from his interest in board games and mathematics\, he was interested in genealogy\, and did research on his own and his wife’s families. Up to his death he was working on local history and was writing a history of Heyshott\, the village to which he retired. Walking\, in his younger days\, and bird-watching in his middle years\, were amongst his otter recreations. \nA game of chess he. always enjoyed\, but not under the rigorous conditions of matches and tournaments. \nHis son\, Major D. M. J. Murray\, Royal Engineers\, was killed in Hong Kong in 1941. The chess world’s sympathy with his second son Mr. K.C. Murray of the Antiquities Service\, Nigeria\, and with his daughter\, Miss K. M. E. Murray\, M.A.\, Principal of the Bishop\nOtter College\, Chichester\, is but a small expression of its sense of indebtedness to their distinguished father.-D. J. M.” \nFollowing this obituary a letter from Alex Hammond appeared in British Chess Magazine\, Volume LXXV (125\, 1955)\, Number 9 (September)\, page 270 as follows: \n“Dear Mr. Reilly\,\nMurray was\, indeed a very great man\, though a few of us were privileged to know him intimately\, as his nature was shy and retiring. \nFor myself\, I shall always treasure his memory\, as when I wrote my The Book of Chessmen he gave me freely of his knowledge\, and saved me from many errors. \nAny person who attempts to write on chess history will always find real difficulty in discovering anything of interest which does not appear in his monumental “History.” \nProbably his like will not be seen again\, as such patient industry\, deep knowledge\, and tremendous perseverance are unlikely to be combined in a single personage again. \nYours sincerely\,\nAlex Hammond\n16 Burlington Arcade\, London\, W1 \nThe Book of Chessmen\, Alexander Hammond\, Arthur Barker Ltd.\, London\, 1950\nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (Oxford University Press\, 1984 & 1996) by Hooper & Whyld: \n“Foremost chess historian\, school inspector. His A History of Chess (1913)\, perhaps the most important chess book in English\, was the result of about 14 years of research inspired by Lasa\, and grounded on van der Linde’s work. During that period Murray contributed 35 articles to the British Chess Magazine \, some of which outlined his discoveries. Most of the 900-page History is concerned with the evolution of modern chess from its oriental precursor up to the 17th century. He learned Arabic so that he could read important manuscripts\, and in addition to his own circle he was able to solicit help from colleagues of his father Sir James A. H. Murray\, editor-in-chief of the Oxford English Dictionary; who was also aided by J. G. White\, with both advice and the loan of rare books from the Cleveland collection\, and by many others. His book includes an authoritative account of both Mansubat and medieval problems. (See also history of chess.) In 1952 he published a companion volume\, A History of Board Games other than Chess. \nWhile the scholarship of his chess book has never been questioned it is too detailed for the average chess-player. Aware of this problem\, Murray wrote a briefer work approaching the topic in a more popular way. The manuscript\, unfinished at his death\, was completed and published in 1963 as A Short History of Chess. (See Civis Bononiae.) \nA Short History of Chess\nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977)\, Harry Golombek OBE : \n“Chess historian and a Board of Education Inspector of Schools. Appropriately enough\, a son of the pioneering editor of the great Oxford English Dictionary\, he became interested in the history of chess in the early 1890s. Up to this time the historical writings on chess in English had been unhistorical. In order to fit himself for the task Murray learned several languages including Arabic and he also studied the true historians of chess\, the German writers\, Van der Linde and Von der Lassa. \nIn his own words his aim was to trace the development of the modern European game from the first appearance of its ancestor\, the Indian chaturanga\, in the beginning of the seventh century of our era. This he did in a vast work of some 900 pages published in Oxford in 1913. An immense amount of painstaking research had gone into the work and only a man of Murray’s great learning could have attempted it. \nIt at once became the standard book on the subject and has remained so ever since. Murray left behind among his papers an unfinished work A Short History of Chess which took the history of the game up to 1866 which gave a clearer and more readable account of the history of the game than his main work. This was brought up to date by Goulding-Brown and Golombek and published in Oxford in 1963.” \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Robert Hale\, 1970 &1976)\, Anne Sunnucks : \n“The chess historian who wrote the History of Chess\, published by Oxford University Press in 1913. Murray was born in Camberwell on 24th June\, 1868\, the eldest son of Sir James Murray\, the first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. After graduating from Balliol College\, Oxford\, with a First Class in the Final Mathematical School\, in 1890 Murray became a master at Queen’s College\, Taunton\, where he learned to play chess. He later taught at Carlisle Grammar School and in 1896 became the headmaster of Ormskirk Grammar School. About 1893 his interest in the history of the game was aroused\, and four years later\, encouraged by the great German writer and authority on the game\, Baron Von der Lasa\, his historical researches began.\nFrom 1901-1928 he was a Board of Education Inspector of Schools\, an appointment which made it difficult for him to play much chess. He began to turn his attention more and more to the history of the game\, contributing articles to The British Chess Magazine and Deutsches Wochenschach. He made the acquaintance of J. J. White of Cleveland\, Ohio\, owner of the largest chess library in the world\, and was given access to this collection\, as well as one owned by J. W. Rimington Wilson in England. White’s library contained a number of Arabic manuscripts\, and\, in order to be able to study them\, Murray learned Arabic. The History of Chess took him 13 years to complete. \nOn his retirement from the Board of Education\, Murray served as Chairman of Fernhurst Parish Council and was a member of Midhurst R.D.C. from 1931-1955 and was Chairman of its Housing Committee from 1938-1948. His other interests\, apart from chess\, were genealogy\, local history\, walking and bird watching. In 1952 he published A History of Board Games Other than Chess. \nAfter his death A Short History of Chess was found uncompleted among his papers. Additional chapters were added by B. Goulding Brown and H. Golombek\, and it was published in 1963.” \n(Bertram Goulding Brown was a tournament chess player and a contributor to British Chess Magazine. He was born 5 July 1881 and died 22 August 1965 in the United Kingdom.) \nYou may read the entire book here \nFrom Amazon : \n“Harold James Ruthven Murray was born on 24 June 1868. His first book A History of Chess was published by Oxford University Press in 1913. Murray covered the first 1\,400 years of the game’s history in definitive detail. He died on 16 May 1955. He left several more manuscripts which are being held by Oxford University.” \nAccording to Edward Winter in Chess Notes HJRM lived 53 Hagley Road\, Edgbaston\, Birmingham\, England (Ranneforths Schach-Kalender\, 1915\, page 71). \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nand here is an excellent article from Edward Winter. \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-harold-james-ruthven-murray/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Remembering,Writer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/img_1717_lv-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200514 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200515 DTSTAMP:20210307T165149Z CREATED:20191027T115305Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210307T165149Z UID:1677-1589414400-1589500799@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of John Barrow (12-xi-1890 14-v-1943) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of John Hugh Barrow (12-xi-1890 14-v-1943) \nFrom chesscomposers.com : \n“John Barrow composed direct mates and helpmates.” \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-john-hugh-barrow-12-xi-1890-14-v-1943/ CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,History,Problemist END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200513 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200514 DTSTAMP:20210306T152627Z CREATED:20191027T141129Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T152627Z UID:1681-1589328000-1589414399@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Charles Locock (27-ix-1872 13-v-1946) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Charles Dealtry Locock (27-ix-1872 13-v-1946) \nFrom < Wikipedia : \n“Charles Dealtry Locock (1862 – 1946) was a British literary scholar\, editor and translator\, who wrote on a wide array of subjects\, including chess\, billiards and croquet.[1]” \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld : \nThe Locock Gambit is in the Philidor Defence\, named after the English player Charles Dealtry Locock (1862 – 1946). The gambit is probably sound; Black should play 4…Bey instead of 4…h6 \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-charles-dealtry-locock-27-ix-187213-v-1946/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Writer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Charles_Dealtry_Locock.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200505 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200506 DTSTAMP:20200429T144705Z CREATED:20190824T095932Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200429T144705Z UID:1149-1588636800-1588723199@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Alfred Crosskill (05-v-1904) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Alfred Crosskill (05-v-1904) \nHere is excellent article from Yorkshire Chess History \nAn interesting article within British Endgame Study News (BESN) by John Beasley \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\n“White to play cannot win; Black to play loses\,\nbut it takes White 45 moves to capture the rook” \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-alfred-crosskill/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200503 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200504 DTSTAMP:20210306T145546Z CREATED:20200409T075207Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T145546Z UID:4227-1588464000-1588550399@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Dr. IM István (Stefan) Fazekas (23-iii-1898 03-v-1967) DESCRIPTION:Signature of S Fazekas from a Brian Reilly “after dinner” postcard from Southsea 1951.\nBCN remembers Dr. IM István (Stefan) Fazekas (23-iii-1898 03-v-1967) \nFrom Chessgames.com : \n“Dr Stefan (ne Istvan) Fazekas was born in Satoraljaujhely\, Hungary. Awarded the IM title in 1953 and the IMC title in 1964\, he was British Champion in 1957 and is the oldest player ever to have won the title. He passed away in 1967 in Buckhurst Hill\, Essex\, England.” \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume LXXXVII\, Number 7 (July)\, pages 195-6 we have an obituary written by Peter Clarke : \nThe death of Dr. Fazekas on May 3rd has deprived British chess of one of its leading and most colourful figures. Ever since he came to this country nearly thirty years ago he took an active part\, in the game at all levels\, from club to international\, rarely missing the chance – even when not in the best of health- to test his strength in competition and express his ideas afresh. \nStefan Fazekas was born on March 23rd\, 1898\, at Sitoraljaujhely on the Hungarian-Czechoslovak border\, but it was not until a few years after the Great War\, in which he served and was wounded\, that he got the opportunity to play serious tournament chess. By present-day standards\, however\, events were few and far between\, and the game always had to take second place to his medical work. The Doctor’s best international performances\, for which he was later awarded the master title by F.I.D.E.\, came in the ‘thirties. In 1931\, for instance\, he was 2nd at Kosice\, 3rd at Brno and 3rd at Prague. As it remained throughout his career\, his play was excessively variable: fine conceptions were always liable to be ruined by blunders or impetuosity. The following game\, played at Munchentratz in 1933\, shows all going well; it earned inclusion in Le Lionnais’ anthology Les Prix de beauté aux échecs. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nIn 1939 Dr. Fazekas brought his family to England and established himself as a successful and much loved G.P. at Buckhurst Hill\, Essex. He soon took a dominating part in county chess and went on to win the championship eleven times. In national events his inconsistency seemed too great a handicap\, but at Plymouth in 1957\, after so many tries\, he astounded everyone by winning the British Championship in front of\, among others\, Alexander and Penrose. The next year fate struck him a cruel blow when he was left out of the B.C.F. team\nfor the Munich Olympiad. Yet after returning the trophy in protest he overcame his bitterness and took his place once more in the championship tournament-he could not resist\nthe thrill of the struggle. \nKnowing that his best over-the-board days were behind him\, the Doctor decided to go in for correspondence chess in 1959\, and he at once found himself surprisingly at home in it. Here his old weaknesses could be set aside and his vast experience put to good use. Moreover\, his great love for chess enabled him to devote hours of work to the analysis of a single\nmove if necessary. His rapid successes in this field won him a place in the Semi-Finals of the 5th World Correspondence Championship (where he finished 4th out of 14) and led to his\nbeing chosen as Board 1 for the British team in the 5th Olympiad. On the results of these events he was awarded the title of international C.C. master. That he deserved it may be\njudged from this fine strategic win against a grandmaster (C.C.) opponent in the individual tournament. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nAt the time of his death Dr. Fazekas had made a score of 5 out of 7 in the Olympiad Final and was still engaged with Zagorovsky of the U.S.S.R.\, a performance which showed his correspondence play to be close to grandmaster standard. And to end one’s days actually playing a World Champion is a distinction which I am sure would have appealed to this Doctor’s rich sense of humour. \nWhile Dr. Fazekas’ social work as a humanist was for the peace of the world\, in chess he was noted as a great fighter\, in some ways reminiscent of Lasker. There was no retirement\nfor him. At Ilford in 1965 and 1966 he eagerly took on and held his own with a generation fifty years his junior\, and this year he had once again qualified to play in the British Champion-\nship. The tournament at Oxford will not seem quite the same without him. I and his many friends will miss his wit and ebullience\, his generosity\, his love of life and chess.-P. H. C. \nDr. Fazekas was Southern Counties (SCCU) Champion twice in 1951-2 and 1952-53. \nIn Edward Winter’s Chess Notes there is a note from Leonard Barden concerning SFs spoken English (under Chess Note #10361) \nHere is his brief Wikipedia entry \nIstván (Stefan) Fazekas\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-im-stefan-fazekas-03-v-1967/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BCN_5161-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200503 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200504 DTSTAMP:20210503T125607Z CREATED:20190822T222848Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210503T125607Z UID:1018-1588464000-1588550399@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of David Hooper (31-xiii-1915 03-v-1998) DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers David Hooper who passed away in a Taunton (Somerset) nursing home on Sunday\, May 3rd 1998. Probate (#9851310520) was granted in Brighton on June 24th 1998. \nPrior to the nursing home David had been living at 33\, Mansfield Road\, Taunton\, TA1 3NJ and before that at 5\, Haimes Lane\, Shaftesbury\, Dorset\, SP7 8AJ. \nFor most of the time between Reigate and Shaftesbury David lived in Whitchurch\, Hampshire. \nDavid Vincent Hooper was born on Tuesday\, August 31st 1915 in Reigate\, Surrey to Vincent Hooper and Edith Marjorie Winter who married in Reigate\, Surrey in 1909. On this day the first French ace\, Adolphe Pégoud\, was killed in combat. He had scored six victories. \nDavid was one of six children: Roger Garth (1910-?)\, Edwin Morris (1911-1942)\, Isobel Mary (12/01/1917-2009)\, Helene Edith (1916-1982) and Elizabeth Anne Oliver (1923-2000) were his siblings. \nRecorded in the September 1939 register David was aged 24 and living at 94\, High Street\, Reigate\, Surrey: \nHistorical Map showing 94\, High Street\, Reigate\, Surrey\nIn 2021 this property appears to be a flat (rather than bridge) over the River Kwai Restaurant: \n94\, High Street\, Reigate\, Surrey\, RH2 9AP\nLiving with David was his sister Isobel who was listed a “potential nurse”. David’s occupation at this time was listed as Architectural Assistant and he was single. We think that three others lived at this address at the time but they are not listed under the “100 year rule”. We know that David was also a surveyor and went on to attain professional membership of the Royal Institution of British Architects (RIBA). \nIn the Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette May 27th 1944 there appeared this report of a simultaneous display on Empire Day (May 24th) at Dr. Marsh’s house: \nBath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette\, May 27th 1944\nand from The Western Morning News\, 9th April 1947 we have: \nWestern Morning News\, 9th April 1947\nand then from The Nottingham Evening Post\, 16th August 1949 we have: \nNottingham Evening Post\, 16th August 1949\nIn 1950 aged 35 David married Joan M Higley (or Rose!) in the district of South Eastern Surrey. \nDavid Hooper (seated right) in play at the West of England Championships in Bristol\, Easter\, 1947. His opponent \, ARB Thomas \, was that year’s champion. Among the spectators is Mrs. Rowena Bruce\, the 1946 British Ladies’ Champion. BCM\, Volume 118\, #6\, p.327. The others in the photo are L – R: H. V. Trevenen; H. Wilson-Osborne (WECU President); R. A. (Ron) Slade; Rowena Bruce; Ron Bruce; H. V. (Harry) Mallison; Chris Sullivan; C. Welch (Controller); F. E. A. (Frank) Kitto.\nKen Whyld wrote an obituary which appeared in British Chess Magazine\, Volume 118 (1998)\, Number 6\, page 326 as follows : \nDAVID VINCENT HOOPER died on 3rd May this year in a nursing home in Taunton. He had been in declining health for some months. Born in Reigate\, 31st August 1915\, his early chess years were with the Battersea CC and Surrey. \nDavid Hooper (left) in conversation with Alan Phillips. Location and photographer unknown.\nHe won the (ed. Somerset) County Championship three times\, and the London Championship in 1948. His generation was at its chess peak in the years when war curtailed opportunities\, but he won the British Correspondence Championship in 1944. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nHis games from that event are to be found in Chess for Rank and File by Roche and Battersby. \nChess for the Rank and File\nAlso at that time\, he won the 1944 tournament at Blackpool\, defeating veteran Grandmaster Jacques Mieses. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nDavid was most active in the decade that followed\, playing five times in the British Championship. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nHis highest place there was at Nottingham 1954\, when\, after leading in the early stages\, he finished half a point behind the joint champions\, Leonard Barden and Alan Phillips. \nDavid was in the British Olympic team at Helsinki 1952\, and in the same year accidentally played top board for England in one of the then traditional weekend matches against the Netherlands. British Champion Klein took offence at a Sunday Times report of his draw with former World Champion Dr. Euwe on the Saturday and refused to play on Sunday. Thus David was drafted in to meet Euwe\, and acquitted himself admirably. Even though he lost\, the game took pride of place in that month’s\nBCM. \nAlan Phillips plays David Hooper on August 20th 1954 in round five of the British Championships in Nottingham\, photographer unknown\n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nIn the following game\, played in the Hastings Premier l95l-2\, he found an improvement on Botvinnik’s play against Bronstein in game 17 of their 1951 match\, when 7.Ng3 was played because it was thought that after 7.Nf4 d5 it was necessary to play 8 Qb3. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nIn his profession as architect David worked in the Middle East for some years from the mid-1950s\, and when he returned to England he made his mark as a writer. His Practical Chess Endgames \nPractical Chess Endgames (Chess Handbooks)\, David Hooper\, Routledge & Kegan Paul\, London\, 1968\, ISBN 0 7100 5226 X\nhas an enduring appeal. Two of his books appeared in the Wildhagen biographical games series on Steinitz\, and Capablanca. The last was written jointly with Gilchrist. \nWilliam Steinitz : Selected Chess Games\, David Hooper\nWith Euwe he wrote A Guide to Chess Endings; \nA Guide to Chess Endings\, Dover (1976 reprint)\, ISBN 0-486-23332-4\nwith Cafferty\, A Complete Defence to 1.e4; \nA Complete Defence to 1.P-K4 A Study of Petroff’s Defence\, Bernard Cafferty & David Hooper\, Pergamon Press\, 1967\, ISBN 0 08 024089 5\nA Pocket Guide to Chess Endgames; \nA Pocket Guide to Chess Endgames\, David Hooper\, Bell & Hyman Limited\, London\, 1970\, ISBN 0 7135 1761 1\nA Complete Defence to 1.d4; \nA Complete Defence to 1d4: A Study of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted\, Bernard Cafferty & David Hooper\, Pergamon Press\, ISBN 0-08-024102-6\nand Play for Mate; \nPlay for Mate (1990)\, DV Hooper and Bernard Cafferty\, ISBN-13: 978-0713464740\nwith Brandreth The Unknown Capablanca\, \nThe Unknown Capablanca\, David Hooper & Dale Brandreth\, Batsford\, London\, 1975\, ISBN\, 0 7134 2964\nand with Ken Whyld\, The Oxford Companion to Chess. \nThe Oxford Companion to Chess\, 1st Edition\, David Hooper & Ken Whyld\, Oxford University Press\, 1984\, ISBN 0 19 217540 8\nKen Whyld \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Harry Golombek : \nBritish amateur (an architect by profession) whose best result was =5 in the British Championship at Felixstowe 1949 along with\, amongst others\, Broadbent and Fairhurst. \nHooper abandoned playing for writing about chess and has become a specialist in two distinct areas. He is an expert on the endings and has a close knowledge of the history of chess in the nineteenth century. \nHis principal works : Steinitz (in German)\, Hamburg\, 1968; A Pocket Guide to Chess Endgames\, London 1970. \nHere is an interesting article from Edward Winter \nHere is his brief Wikipedia entry. \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-david-hooper/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering,Writer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/hooper_ind.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200502 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200503 DTSTAMP:20210306T144926Z CREATED:20200719T163808Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T144926Z UID:7589-1588377600-1588463999@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Isidor Gunsberg (01-xi-1854 02-v-1930) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Isidor Gunsberg (01-xi-1854 02-v-1930) \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-isidor-gunsberg-01-xi-1854-02-v-1930/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/12808.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200429 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200430 DTSTAMP:20210306T144342Z CREATED:20200409T133641Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T144342Z UID:4262-1588118400-1588204799@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Norman Littlewood (31-i-1933 29-iv-1989) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Norman Littlewood (31-i-1933 29-iv-1989) \nNorman Littlewood circa 1967\nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume 109\, June (#6)\, page 265 we have the following obituary which appears to have been lifted and used in the BCF Yearbook from 1989 – 1990\, page 14\, (editor Brian Concannon) with no acknowledgement : \n“We were sorry to (announce the) hear of the death from cancer of Norman Littlewood of Sheffield(31 i 1933 – 29 iv 1989) who played with great force in British Championships of the 1960s.\nBorn into a working class family of 11 children\, Norman played for England in the 1951 Glorney Cup\, but did not make his debut in the British Championships until 1963 when he finished second to Penrose. He was then joint runner-up in the next three title contests\, impressed at Hastings Premiers\, particularly 1963-4 when he was the best of the English players\, and represented England in the 1964 and 1966 Olympiads. By 1969\, however\, he was drifting away from play in the direction of problem and study composition\, and his other interests such as bridge. He was also a skilled pianist\, a true all-rounder. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nA great impression was made on the top players at the 1964 British Championships when Norman won his first four games with his dynamic style. His victims included both Golombek and Clarke. Had he won his next game against Haygarth\, as he deserved to do\, he would have surely taken the title which fell to his Yorkshire colleague. \nNorman was always a modest but assertive character\, and with more management might well have challenged Penrose even more closely than he did. Our thanks to elder brother John Littlewood for some of the above information.” \nThe 1964 England Olympiad (Tel Aviv) Team : Owen Hindle\, Čeněk Kottnauer\, Peter Clarke\, Michael Franklin\, Norman Littlewood & Michael Haygarth\nHere is article from Yorkshire Chess History \nSee BCF Yearbook 1989-90\, page 14. \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-norman-littlewood-01-v-1989/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_2510-1-768x1024-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200427 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200428 DTSTAMP:20210306T142453Z CREATED:20200425T235908Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T142453Z UID:4931-1587945600-1588031999@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Michael Haygarth (11-x-1934 27-iv-2016) DESCRIPTION:BCN Remembers Michael John Haygarth (11-x-1934 27-iv-2016) \nHere is an article from Yorkshire Chess History \nOwen Hindle\, Michael Franklin\, Harry Golombek and Michael Haygarth\nHere is an obituary written by Steve Mann which was published on the ECF web site. \nThe 1964 England Olympiad (Tel Aviv) Team : Owen Hindle\, Čeněk Kottnauer\, Peter Clarke\, Michael Franklin\, Norman Littlewood & Michael Haygarth\n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-michael-john-haygarth-11-x-1934-27-iv-2016/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/haygarth.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200425 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200426 DTSTAMP:20200425T101112Z CREATED:20190823T185756Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200425T101112Z UID:1118-1587772800-1587859199@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Malik Mir Sultan Khan (1905 25-iv-1966) DESCRIPTION:Malik Mir Sultan Khan\nDeath Anniversary of Malik Mir Sultan Khan (1905 25-iv-1966) \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Hooper & Whyld : \nPerhaps the greatest natural player of modern times. Born in the Punjab\, he learned Indian chess when he was nine\, was taken into the household of Sir Umar Hay at Khan\, and learned the international game in 1926\, Two years later he won the All-India Championship and in the spring of 1929 his patron and master took him to London. Within a few months he won the British Championship\, returning to India shortly afterwards. In Europe in May 1930 he began a brief career that included defeats of many leading players. \nA striking figure\, of dark complexion\, with a lean face and broad forehead\, his black hair usually turban tied\, he sat at the board impassively\, showing no emotion in positions good or bad. He did not believe he possessed any special skill\, rather that the player applying the greater concentration should win. In events of about category 10 Sultan Khan came second to Tartakower at Liege 1930\, third (+5=2-2) after Euwe and Capablanca at Hastings 1930-1\, and third ( + 6=3—2) equal with Kashdan after Alekhine and Flohr at London 1932\, In events of about category 9 he came fourth or equal fourth at Scarborough 1930\, Hastings 1931-2\, and Berne 1932 ( + 10=2-3). Sultan Khan won the British Championship again in 1932 and 1933 and played first board for the British Chess Federation in the Olympiads of 1930\, 1931\, and 1933. In match play he defeated Tartakower (+4=5—3) in 1931 and lost to Flohr ( + 1=3—2) in 1932. At the end of 1933 he went back to India at the bidding of his master. When Sir Umar died Sultan Khan was left a small farmstead near his birthplace\, and there he lived out his days. Apparently he had few regrets\, A friend visiting him in 1958 found him sitting quietly under the shade of a tree smoking his hookah\, chatting with\nneighbouring farmers while the womenfolk did the work. \nIn the Indian game of his time the pieces were moved as in international chess but the laws of promotion and stalemate were different\, castling was not permitted\, and a pawn could not he\nadvanced two squares on its first move. The game opened slowly with emphasis on positional play rather than tactics\, and not surprisingly Sultan Khan became a positional player. He had few peers in the middle-game and was among the world’s best two or three endgame players\, but he never mastered the openings which\, by nature empirical\, cannot be learned by the application of common sense alone* \nWhen Sultan Khan first travelled to Europe his English was so rudimentary that he needed an interpreter. He suffered from bouts of malaria and\, in the English climate\, from continual colds and throat infections\, often turning up to play with his neck swathed in bandages. Unable to read or write\, he never studied any hooks on the game\, and he was mistakenly put in the hands of trainers who were also his rivals in play. Under these adverse circumstances\, and having known the international game for a mere seven years\, only half of which was spent in Europe\, Sultan Khan nevertheless became one of the world’s best ten players. This achievement brought admiration from Capablanca who called him a genius\, an accolade he rarely if ever bestowed on anyone else. \nR. N. Coles\, Mir Sultan Khan (rev\, edn\, 1977) contains 64 games. \nSultan Khan-Flohr 3rd match game 1932 Caro-Kann\nDefence\, Exchange Variation \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nMalik Mir Sultan Khan (right)\nHere is an excellent article from chess.com \n\n\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-mir-sultan-khan/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200424 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200425 DTSTAMP:20210306T142207Z CREATED:20190823T161140Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T142207Z UID:1084-1587686400-1587772799@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Godfrey Heathcote (20-vii-1870 24-iv-1952) DESCRIPTION:From The Encyclopaedia of Chess(Robert Hale\, 1970 and 1976) by Anne Sunnucks : \n“Problem composer\, and deemed to be on of the great masters of the art. Heathcote was born on 20th July 1870 in Manchester\, and died on 24th April 1952. whilst in office as the President of the British Chess Problem Society. An advocate of the model mate\, Heathcote was one of few composers with the power to combine model mates with strategy. In 1918 a collection of his problems appeared in the A. C. White Christmas series under the title Chess Idylls” \nHere is an appreciation from chesscomposers.blogspot.com \nChess Idylls (1918)\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-godfrey-heathcote/ CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,History,Problemist ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20.07-G.Heathcote-Chess-Pie-1922.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200423 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200424 DTSTAMP:20210306T142104Z CREATED:20190823T191241Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T142104Z UID:1128-1587600000-1587686399@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of George Walker (13-iii-1803 23-iv-1879) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of George Walker (13-iii-1803 23-iv-1879) \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \n“Leading organiser and chess columnist in the last century. Born on 13th March 1803. Founded the Westminster Chess Club in 1831. Published New Treatise on Chess in 1832 and Chess and Chess Players in 1850. Edited the chess column in Bell’s Life of London from 1835 to 1870. Died on 23rd April 1879. \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld : \n“English chess writer and propagandist. Born over his father’s bookshop in London he later became a music publisher in partnership with his father. At a time when he was receiving odds of a rook from Lewis he had the temerity to edit a chess column in the Lancet (1823-4); the first such column to appear in a periodical\, it was\, perhaps fortunately\, short-lived. He tried his hand at composing problems\, with unmemorable results; but his play improved. In the early 1830s he was receiving odds of pawn and move from McDonnell\, after whose death (1835) Walker was\, for a few years\, London’s strongest active player. \nWalker’s importance\, however\, lies in the many other contributions he made to the game. He founded chess clubs\, notably the Westminster at Huttman’s in 1831 and the St George’s at Hanover\nSquare in 1843. From 1835 to 1873 he edited a column in Bell’s Life \, a popular Sunday paper featuring sport and scandal. Many of his contributions were perfunctory\, but on occasion he wrote at length of news\, gossip\, and personalities in a rollicking style suitable for such a paper. As with many of his writings he was more enthusiastic than accurate. He edited England’s first chess magazine The Philidorian (1837-8). Above all\, Walker published many books at a low price: they sold widely and did much to popularize the game. The third edition of his New Treatise (1841) was as useful a manual as could he bought at the time and its section on the Evans gambit was praised by Jaenisch\, Walker established the custom of recording games\, and his Chess Studies (1844)\, containing 1\,020 games played from 1780 to 1844\, has become a classic. For the first time players could study the game as it was played and not as authors\, each with his own bias\, supposed it should be played. Throughout his life Walker helped chess-players in need. He raised funds for La Bqurdonnais\, Capt. W. D. Evans\, and other players\, and often for their destitute widows. \nAfter his father died (1847) Walker sold their business and became a stockbroker\, reducing his chess activities but continuing ‘his many kindnesses. With an outgoing personality he enjoyed the company of those\, such as La Bourdonnais\, whom he called “jolly good fellows’\, an epithet which might well be applied to himself. He was occasionally at odds with Lewis\, who was jealous of his own reputation\, and Staunton\, imperious and touchy; but it seems unlikely that the easy-going\nWalker\, who believed that chess should be enjoyed\, intentionally initiated these disputes. He left a small but excellent library of more than 300\nbooks and his own manuscript translations of the works of Cozio\, Lolli\, and other masters. He should not be confused with William Greenwood Walker who recorded the games of the Bourdon-\nnais-McDonne 11 matches 1834\, and died soon afterwards “full of years’. \nThe Walker Attack is a variation of the Allagier Gambit : \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nHere is his Wikipedia entry \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-george-walker/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/250px-LewisWalkerMongredien-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200417 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200418 DTSTAMP:20210306T141326Z CREATED:20200403T185851Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T141326Z UID:4039-1587081600-1587167999@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Tim Whitworth (31-vii-1932 17-iv-2019) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Timothy George Whitworth (31-vii-1932 17-iv-2019) \nEndgame Magic\nHere is an excellent article from Brian Stephenson \nEndgame Magic\nHere is an obituary from The Guardian \nLeonid Kubbel’s Chess Endgame Studies\nMattison’s Chess Endgame Studies\nThe Platov Brothers : Their Chess Endgame Studies\nTimothy George Whitworth\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-timothy-george-whitworth-31-vii-1932-17-iv-2019/ CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,Problemist ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/1114.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200416 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200417 DTSTAMP:20210306T140828Z CREATED:20200408T125741Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T140828Z UID:4191-1586995200-1587081599@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of IM Colin Crouch (14-x-1956 16-iv-2015) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of IM Colin Stamford Crouch (14-x-1956 16-iv-2015) \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-colin-stamford-crouch-14-x-1956/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Player,Writer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/img_1093_cropped-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200416 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200417 DTSTAMP:20210306T140152Z CREATED:20200323T140030Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T140152Z UID:3696-1586995200-1587081599@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Joseph Peckover (15-xi-1896 16-iv-1982) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Joseph Edmund Peckover (15-xi-1896  16-iv-1982) \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \nBorn in Hampstead\, London to Henry Joseph Peckover and Louisa Jane Micklewright on the 15th November 1896\, Peckover has lived in New York since 1921. He has composed about 70 endgame studies : \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nJE Peckover \, 1st Prize\, Problem 1958 – 59 Award July 1960. \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nHere is his entry on chesscomposers.com \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-joseph-edmund-peckover-15-xi-1896-16-iv-1982/ CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,Problemist END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200415 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200416 DTSTAMP:20200413T125551Z CREATED:20200408T153011Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200413T125551Z UID:4205-1586908800-1586995199@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Herbert William Trenchard (08-ix-1857 15-iv-1934) DESCRIPTION:Herbert William Trenchard\nDeath Anniversary of Herbert William Trenchard (15-iv-1934) \nFrom Wikipedia : \n“Herbert William Trenchard (8 September 1857\, Thorncombe – 15 April 1934\, London) was an English chess master. \nHe took 11th and tied for 4-5th in London in 1886\, shared twice 3rd at Cambridge 1890 and Oxford 1891\, tied for 4-5th at Brighton 1892\, took 2nd at London 1892 (B tourn)\, tied for 3rd-4th at Woolhall Spa 1893\, and took 3rd at London 1896\,[1] \nHe also participated at Vienna 1898 (Kaiser-Jubiläumsturnier\, Siegbert Tarrasch and Harry Pillsbury won) and took 19th place there.[2][3]” \nHere are his games from chessgames.com \nHere is a fascinating article about the National Liberal Club Chess Circle \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nfrom the chess column of the Essex Times\, 22 April 1905\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-herbert-william-trenchard-15-iv-1934/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200414 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200415 DTSTAMP:20220419T083516Z CREATED:20200413T172919Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220419T083516Z UID:4595-1586822400-1586908799@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Theophilus Willcocks (19-iv-1912 14-iv-2014) DESCRIPTION:Remembering Theophilus Harding Willcocks (19-iv-1912 14-iv-2014) \nAn innovator in both mathematics and fairy chess. \nHere is an excellent article on squaring.net \nAn article from matplus.net \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-theophilus-harding-willcocks-19-v-2014/ CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,Problemist,Remembering ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/th-willcocks.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200412 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200413 DTSTAMP:20210306T113618Z CREATED:20190823T182737Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T113618Z UID:1102-1586649600-1586735999@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Rev. Charles Ranken (05-i-1828 12-iv-1905) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Rev. Charles Edward Ranken (05-i-1828 12-iv-1905)From The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Harry Golombek : \nA 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 Britsh 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. \nOn leaving Oxford he competed in the provincial section at London l85l where he came second to Boden.\nIn 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\nand became its first President. \nResigning 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 l2 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. \nHe 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.\nHis 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’) \nChess Openings Ancient and Modern 1889\nThe Ranken Variation is a good line for White in the Four Knights Opening\, analysed in the Chess Players Chronicle\, 1879 by Ranken first president of the Oxford University Chess Club. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-rev-charles-edward-rankin/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/180px-Charles_Edward_Ranken.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200411 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200412 DTSTAMP:20260817T141246Z CREATED:20190822T154919Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T141246Z UID:981-1586563200-1586649599@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Henry Edward Bird (14-vii-1829 11-iv-1908) DESCRIPTION:Henry Edward Bird\nDeath Anniversary of Henry Edward Bird (14-vii-1829 11-iv-1908) \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by David Hooper & Ken Whyld : \n“English player\, accountant. He played in 13 strong tournaments\, with erratic results; his best achievements were: Vienna 1873\, a tie with L. Paulsen for fifth place; Paris 1878\, fourth place shared with Mackenzie; Manchester 1890. third prize shared with Mackenzie after Tarrasch and Blackburne. He also played in numerous minor tournaments\, notably tying with Gunsberg for first prize at London 1889. His most important match was against Steinitz in 1866 for the first to win eleven games. He was adjudged the loser when he was\ncalled to the USA on business\, the score standing +5 = 5—7 in favour of his opponent. This was a creditable result in the circumstances\, for he played each game after a day’s work (Steinitz\, however\, was not so strong a player as he later became.) In 1886 Bird drew a match with Burn(+ 9—9). One of the most ingenious tacticians of his time\, Bird played in the attacking style prevalent in his youth. He usually chose openings that were regarded as bizarre\, although many of them\, e.g. the Dragon Variation\, have since gained acceptance. \nBird was probably the best known and longest serving habitue of the London coffee-house known as Simpson’s Divan. ‘A rosy-cheeked\, blue-eyed\, fair-headed boy’\, he first attended around 1846 and was a constant visitor for more than 50 years\, after which he was described as ‘majestic in stature\, in girth\, in the baldness of his great head\, less majestic in the litter of tobacco ash upon his waistcoat … with a pleasant smiling countenance’. He suffered from gout which eventually so incapacitated him that he was largely confined to his home for the last years of his life. \nBesides writing booklets on railway finance he wrote several books on chess. They are not without interest although the content is sometimes inaccurate and often disorganized. Bird’s Modern Chess and Chess Masterpieces (1887) contains more than 200 games\, about half of them his own. Chess History and Reminiscences (1893) contains an account of contemporary players and chess affairs. \nChess History and Reminiscences\nHenry Edward Bird\, from Megabase 2020\nBird-Mason New York 1876 French Defence\, Exchange Variation : \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nFor this game Bird was awarded the BRILLIANCY PRIZE. \nBird (RHS\, sitting) and contemporaries\nThe Bird Attack is variation in the Italian opening strongly advocated by Stamma and no less strongly by Biro. In May 1843 saint-Amant played it against Staunton in their first match and five years later Bird adopted the variation\, playing it in many tournaments\, notably with fair success at Vienna 1882\, London 1883\, and Nuremberg 1883. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nThe Bird Defence\, a reply to the Spanish opening given in the first edition of Bilguer’s Handbuch\, 1843. Pioneered by Bird\, e.g. against Anderssen in 1854\, and used on occasion by grandmasters such as Tarrasch\, Spielmann\, and Spassky\, this defence has not gained wide acceptance. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nThe Bird Opening\, sometimes called the Dutch Attack by analogy with the Dutch Defence. In 1873\, after an absence of six years from chess\, Bird played a match with Wisker. ‘Having forgotten familiar openings\, I commenced adopting KBP for first move\, and finding it led to highly interesting games out of the usual groove\, I became partial to it. ’ Bird had also forgotten unfamiliar openings\, for\n1 f4 (given by Lucena) had been played by Bourdonnais\, Williams\, and others of that period. However Bird’s consistent adoption of the move led to its becoming a standard opening\, although\nnever popular. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nFrom Wikipedia : \nHenry Edward Bird (Portsea in Hampshire\, 14 July 1830 – 11 April 1908) was an English chess player\, and also an author and accountant. He wrote a book titled Chess History and Reminiscences\, and another titled An Analysis of Railways in the United Kingdom. \nAlthough Bird was a practicing accountant\, not a professional chess player\, it has been said that he “lived for chess\, and would play anybody anywhere\, any time\, under any conditions.” \nAt age 21\, Bird was invited to the first international tournament\, London 1851. He also participated in tournaments held in Vienna and New York City. In 1858 he lost a match to Paul Morphy at the age of 28\, yet he played high-level chess for another 50 years. In the New York tournament of 1876\, Bird received the first brilliancy prize ever awarded\, for his game against James Mason. \nIn 1874 Bird proposed a new chess variant\, which played on an 8×10 board and contained two new pieces: guard (combining the moves of the rook and knight) and equerry (combining the bishop and knight). Bird’s chess inspired José Raúl Capablanca to create another chess variant\, Capablanca Chess\, which differs from Bird’s chess only by the starting position. \nIt was Bird who popularized the chess opening now called Bird’s Opening (1.f4)\, as well as Bird’s Defense to the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4). Bird’s Opening is considered sound\, though not the best try for an opening advantage. Bird’s Defense is regarded as slightly inferior\, but “trappy”. \nChess Novelties\nH.E. Bird : A Chess Biography with 1\,198 Games\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-henry-edward-bird/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200410 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200411 DTSTAMP:20220410T124454Z CREATED:20190824T103915Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220410T124454Z UID:1157-1586476800-1586563199@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of CGM Keith Richardson (02-iv-1942 10-iv-2017) DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers CGM Keith Richardson who passed away on Monday\, April 10th\, 2017. \nKeith Bevan Richardson was born in Nottingham\, on Thursday\, April 2nd 1942. On this day : The LA Times urges security measures against Japanese-Americans and US auto factories switch from commercial to war production. \nKeith’s parents were Arthur (30) and Hilda May (née Nicholls\, 25). He married Sandra Sowter on the 11th of September 1971 in Sutton Coldfield\, Warwickshire. They had two children\, Neil and Ian. They lived at 19\, The Ridings in Camberley\, Surrey. \nSadly\, Keith was diagnosed in the 1990s with Parkinson’s disease and became unwell whilst playing in a chess tournament in Cannes in April 2017 and passed away on the 10th of May 2017. Keith was 75. He continued to actively play chess into his final year. \nCGM Keith Richardson\nKeith was the Treasurer of the Friends of Chess during the period known the English Chess Explosion (late 1970s and 1980s). \nKeith received the ECF President’s Award in 2015 for services to the management of the BCF Permanent Invested Fund (PIF) together with Dr. Julian Farrand and Ray Edwards. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nFrom CHESS\, Volume 41 (1975)\, Numbers 729-730 (September)\, pp. 380 the news of Keith’s success was initially reported: \n“BRITAINS’ FIRST CHESS GRAND MASTER \nThe first grand master title to be won by a British player has been achieved in the field of correspondence chess by Keith B. Richardson\, aged 33\, of Camberley. \nThe title of Correspondence Chess grand master is awarded by the lnternational correspondence Chess Federation. Keith Richardson fulfilled the norm by sharing third place in the final of the 7th World Correspondence Chess Championship with a score of 11 points from 16 games. The tournament began in February 1972 and results of the last adjudicated games were recently announced making J. V. Estrin U.S.S.R. first with l2 points; J. Boey Belgium scored 11.5; K. B. Richardson G.B. and Dr. V. Zagorovski U.S.S.R. 11. \nThere are only 25 Correspondence Chess Grand masters throughout the world.” \nThis was followed in the next month’s issue by a correction and more depth in CHESS\, Volume 41 (1975)\, Numbers 731-732 (October)\, pp. 30-31: \n“K. B. Richardson\, though the first Britain to become a grand master by play was preceded by Comins Mansfield as grandmaster of problem composition\, a title he gained in 1972. Our report last month did not make this clear. \nKeith B. Richardson was born 2 April 1942 and was educated at Nottingham High School. At 16\, he passed Grade 8 in Royal\nSchools of Music at pianoforte. At Durham University\, he obtained a B.A. in French and German and was awarded the University Palatinate (equal to a ‘blue’) in cricket and fives. He could have become a professional cricketer or a concert pianist but\nmade his career instead with Barclays Bank which brought him to London and a home in Camberley\, Surrey\, where he has settled down with his wife\, Sandra (from Sutton Coldfield!). They now have two baby sons\, Neil aged three years and Ian who is only two months old – both born since the final of the 7th World Correspondence Chess Championship began. \nCGM Keith Bevan Richardson (from a Barclays publicity article)\nKeith’s other interests include bridge and squash. He plays squash for his bank and is Secretary of the London Squash League. As a young chess player\, Keith won the Notts. under l4 Championship\, held the Notts. under l8 Championship for four years and the Notts. Championship for two years and was British Junior Champion in 1962. In 1963\, he was Durham County Champion and joint winner of the British Universities’ Championship which he won outright the following year. He was twice captain of the British Universities Students’ Olympiad team. He held the Midlands Championship (Forrest Cup) for three years and was joint London Champion and London Banks’ Champion in 1970 but has been content to hold the latter title since then and concentrate on correspondence chess. \nKeith Richardson aged 20 at the 1963 Niemeyer Under-21 Tournament in Groningen. The forerunner of the European Junior Championship\nNiemeyer Under-21 Tournament\, Groningen 1963. The forerunner of the European Junior Championship.\nIn 1964\, Keith Richardson was runner up for the British Correspondence Chess Championship and at the same time won a Master Class tournament of the lnternational Correspondence Chess Federation (I.C.C.F.) which qualified for a place in the World C.C. Championship semi-final. He came second in the 1965-67 semi-final and tried again in the 1968-71 event which he won. At the same time\, he was representing Great Britain on Board 5 in the 1965-67 I.C.C.F. Olympiad Preliminary and on Board 4 in the 1968-71 event. His score of 5 points from 7 games helped the British team to win its section in the 1968-71 Preliminary and qualify for a place in the I.C.C.F. Olympiad Final which started in 1972. When Keith began play in the World C.C. Championship Final involving l6 tames\, he was also asked to take Board 3 in the Olympiad Final involving another 9 games. \nHe accepted – a mistake which might possibly have cost him the World C.C. Championship! His next assault on the World title will be in 1979 and in the meantime he plans to play in the next I.C.C.F. Olympiad Preliminary and write a book on the 7th World C.C. Championship. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nIn this position\, with Black in Zugzwang\, the game went for adjudication (after more than three years’ play\, a very necessary evil): \n“In order to substantiate White’s claim for a win\, it was necessary to submit three pages of analysis proving that every possible move loses for Black. If the knight moves\, White’s king claims an entry. If Black moves the bishop along the a7-g1 diagonal\, White plays Ba5. If the Black bishop moves on the d8-a5 diagonal\, White plays Bd4 : KBR” \nThe game was adjudicated a win for White. This was only defeat inflicted upon the new World Champion. \nCGM Keith Richardson in 1975\nThis article was followed (with some glee no doubt) by an article in  British Chess Magazine\, Volume LIXIV (95\, 1975)\, Number 12 (December)\, page 526 as follows: \n“Keith B. Richardson recently became the third British player to receive a grandmaster title (the other two both in 1972\, are Comins Mansfield for chess composition’ and R.W. Bonham’ correspondence grandmaster of the blind). The title of Correspondence Chess Grandmaster is awarded by the International Correspondence  Chess Federation  (ICCF) and Keith Richardson fulfilled the norm by sharing third place in the final of the 7th World Correspondence Championship. Leading scores in the tournament (February 1972 – Summer 1975): 1. Y. Estrin (USSR) 12/16; J.Boey (B) 11.5; 3-4 K.B. Richardson (ENG)\, V. Zagorovsky (USSR) 11; etc. \nKeith\, born 2nd April1942\, was educated at Nottingham High School and Durham University-. He won the Nottinghamshire U-14 Championship\, held the Notts U-18 championship for four years\, the senior Notts  Championship for two years and was British Junior Champion in 1962. In 1963\, he was  Durham County Champion and joint winner of the British Universities Championship  which he won outright the following year. He was twice captain of the British team in Students Olympiads. \nKeith Richardson from BCM\, 1984\, page 545\nIn 1964 Keith left university to make a career with Barclays Bank.  In the same year he was runner-up in the British Correspondence Championship and won an ICCF master tournament which qualified him for a place in the World Championship final. He came second in the 1965-7 semi-final\, tried again\, and won the 1968-71 event thus gaining entry to the 7th final. \nKeith Richardson lives in Surrey at Camberley. He is married and has two baby sons – both born since the final of the 7th World Correspondence Championship began. At present he is writing a book on the 7th Championship and\, for a change playing some OTB (over-the-board) chess in the London League for the Athenaeum club\, to which he makes a great contribution – it is a marvellous feeling to know  that the player next to you (on your side!) is a grandmaster. \nKeith Richardson playing for BCM Dragons in the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL\, courtesy of John Upham Photography.\nThe following three games are – Keith’s best from  the -championship. In them he defeats three of the five Russians in the\ntournament (his overall score against the Russians was 3.5/5 – a wonderful achievement.” \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nand here is the printed version of the above report: \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume LIXIV (95\, 1975)\, Number 12 (December)\, page 526\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume LIXIV (95\, 1975)\, Number 12 (December)\, page 527\n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Hooper & Whyld : \n“English player. International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster (1975)\, bank manager. Around 1961 Richardson decided that over-the- board play\, which had brought him some successes as a. junior\, would interfere with his professional career and he took to postal chess instead. His best performance in this field was his sharing of third place with Zagorovsky after Estrin and Boey in the 7th World Correspondence Championship\, 1968-71. ” \nIn October 1984 Keith took part in the A. E. Axelson Memorial tournament organised by the Swedish CC Committee and with fifteen grandmasters was one of the strongest CC tournaments in history.  Keith finished in 11th place ahead of Boey. \nIn 1991 Jonathan Berry wrote a potted biography in  Diamond Dust\, International Chess Enterprises\, ISBN 1-879479-00-1 as follows : \n“Camberley\, Surrey\, England. Born 2 April 1942. Married with two sons. Bank Manager. \nHe was British Under-21 Champion in 1962. At Groningen 1962/63\, he was placed 2nd in the European Junior Championship. At Bristol 1967 he was equal 5th in the British Championship. \nIn CC\, he gained the IMC in 1968\, GMC in 1975. In CC WCh VII\, he won the semi-final with 9.5/12\, and placed =3rd in the final\, 11/16. In CC WCh X\, he again tied for third in the final with 10/15. Playing board 3 for Britain in OL-VIII\, finals\, 1972-76\, he scored 7.5/9\, the highest score on any board. He won the Prefors Memorial\, 1976-1980\, 9.5.12” \n1976-1980 Prefors Memorial\nKeith was a founding member of Camberley Chess Club in 1972. \n\nA one-day tournament (The Keith Richardson Memorial) in memory of Keith was started in 2017 and has been held four times in total being played on-line for the first time in 2021. \nKen Coates presents Clive Frostick with the trophy for the 2019 Keith Richardson Memorial Tournament.\nFrom Chessgames.com : \n“Keith Bevan Richardson was born in Nottingham\, England. Awarded the IMC title in 1968 and the GMC title in 1975\, he finished 3rd= in the World Correspondence Championships of 1975 and 1984.” \nHere are his games from chessgames.com \nAn obituary from Ray Edwards / ECF. \nHere is an excellent biography by Peter Rust from the web site of the Hamilton Russell Cup \nBarclay’s Bank pay tribute to Keith on the corporate site. \nHere is an entry from the Belgian chess history web site. \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-keith-bevan-richardson/ CATEGORIES:4NCL,Correspondence,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_0003.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200331 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200401 DTSTAMP:20220401T132443Z CREATED:20200716T120224Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220401T132443Z UID:7455-1585612800-1585699199@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of IMC Ken Messere OBE (16-iv-1928 31-iii-2005) DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Ken Messere who passed away on Thursday\, March 31st 2005 aged 76 in Paris-16E-Arrondissement\, Paris\, France. \nKenneth Charles Messere was born on Monday\, April 16th\, 1928 in Richmond-on-Thames\, Surrey. His father was Charles (George) Messere (1901-1974) or Eisenberg and aged 26. His mother was Gertrude Marie Newman (1899-1978) and aged 29. \nKen had three siblings: Barbara Marie Messere (1930–2005)\, Hugh Martin Messere (1932–1985) and Derek R Messere (1934–2012) \nKen attended St. Peter’s College\, Oxford from 1946 – 1951 to read philosophy and is reported in the 1951 St. Edmund Hall Magazine\, as a member of the Trillick (debating) Society as follows: \n‘ That this House would rather be a live Communist than\na dead Democrat.’ The proposer established to his own satisfaction that democracy was founded on ‘selfishness\, capitalism and bourgeois hypocrisy.’ He did not satisfy J. F. R. Bonguard of St. Peter’s Hall who opposed\, using arguments taken from Hindu philosophy. K. C. Messere of St. Peter’s Hall\, spoke third and added some able arguments. \nIn June 1954 Ken married Mary Elizabeth Humphrey (1929-2003) in Ealing. They had a son Miles Jonathan Messere born in 1964 who passed away in 1965. \nPrior the time of his passing his wife Mary was living at 142B\, Herbert Road\, Woolwich\, London\, SE18 3PU. \nIn 1991 he was awarded the OBE (Civil Division) in the Queen’s Birthday honours list. The citation reads: Kenneth Charles Messere\, lately Head of Fiscal Affairs Division\, OECD\, Paris. \nKen appears each year from 1953 to 1967 in the noted publication Britain\, Royal And Imperial Calendars the function of which is to list entries for those engaged in UK public service. He worked for HM Customs and Excise. Prompted by this we consulted the venerable A History of Chess in the English Civil Service by Kevin Thurlow (Conrad Press\, 2021) on page 447 and found \n“He played for Customs. In 1964\, he went to work for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and was head of fiscal affairs from 1971 – 1991. In 1954 he began playing postal chess and became a leading player. He won a semi-final of the 5th World Correspondence Championship (1961 – 64) and became the first English player to compete in a World Championship Final.” \nThere are 31 games listed at his personal entry at chessgames.com starting with games from 1965. \nChessbase’s Correspondence Database 2020 records 69 games the earliest being from 1958 listing Ken’s federation as being France. \nFrom British Chess (Pergamon Press\, 1983) we have this lengthy contribution from Ken himself: \n“Between the ages of 6\, when I learnt to play and 23 (ed: 1951)\, when I ceased to be a student\, chess had a relatively low priority among various time-competing interests and activities\, so I never got around to studying theory. Things changed when I became a civil servant and needed a replacement for philosophy as an intellectually absorbing subject which could be argued about with friends over beers\, and for the next 12 years chess became my main interest. \nSince 1964 I have been working for the OECD in Paris\, where my friends are not chess enthusiasts and\, although chess remains a major pleasure\, my commitment to it has lessened. Nowadays\, out-side correspondence chess\, I play only occasional blitz games. \nComing late to serious chess has probably had at least some influence on my deficiencies and stylistic preferences. The deficiencies include an inability to visualize ahead with sufficient clarity to support accurate analysis\, slow sight of the board which leads to silly errors through time trouble or failing stamina and less familiarity with theory than my better opponents. As to chess style\, I have had to play romantically and subjectively to get good results. \nIf a game takes the form of a clear-cut position\, where strategical objectives are clear and superior technique prevails\, then mine generally does not. Consequently I have tended to play either sharp gambits or counter-gambits or to try to render the position sufficiently obscure for imagination and intuition to assume maximum importance. In keeping\, my chess heroes have been Alekhine\, Bronstein and Tal who revel in fantasy\, however much Alekhine may claim that it is logically based. \nWhen I took up competitive chess seriously in 1952\, I made some progress and won a few minor tournaments\, but in view of the defects already mentioned\, it soon became clear that my potential for improvement was limited and that nearly all my games were aesthetically flawed. Fortunately\, these defects represent no great handicap at correspondence chess\, where I found myself pleased with a reasonable proportion of the game I played\, and in addition\, capable on the day (or more accurately over the years) of winning against almost anyone. Thus\, against world champions I have two wins and one loss\, (see below). I also have 80 per cent from five games against Russian grandmasters\, even if a meagre 28 per cent from my eighteen games against all correspondence grandmasters. In 1954 when I began playing postal chess competitively\, I did sufficiently well in a few British Postal tournaments to be accepted at a reasonably high level in the official international tournaments. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nNot without luck (see Diagram l)\, I secured the 75 per cent necessary in two seven-player tournaments to qualify for the fourteen player preliminaries\, the winner of which was to qualify for the following world championship. In the 1961-64 preliminaries\, I played the best chess of my life\, including valid opening innovations\, imaginative pawn and piece sacrifices and even a technically efficient win in a queen and pawn end-game. I won the tournament with eleven wins\, one draw and one loss\, 1.5 points ahead of Maly of Czechoslovakia and two points ahead of Masseev\, the Russian favourite\, thereby obtaining my first norm towards the International Master title. My first annotated game is the win against Maly (ed: to be inserted once we have tracked down the game score!) which was typical stylistically and also crucial\, since if he had won it\, he would have qualified for the World Championship instead of me: the second against Bartha of the United States is the most compulsive and difficult tactical game I have ever played\, the last five moves alone requiring over 100 hours of analysis. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nIMC Ken Messere OBE (16-iv-1928 31-iii-2005)\nThe quality of my chess in the 1965-68 World Championship was much inferior. The tournament began disastrously. I went in for three losing variations as Black and made a suicidal clerical error in the opening so that after 3 months I had four losses from four games. Later\, there were compensations. I won against V. Zagarovsky\, the reigning world champion (the third annotated game) and obtained just (but only just) the necessary 33.3% per cent to obtain the correspondence chess international master title. For this I needed a win and draw from my last two games which\nafter 3.5 years\, had to be adjudicated. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nFortunately\, the win and draw were relatively clear\, though this would not have been so a few moves earlier. An an illustration of how the threat of adjudication breeds irrationality\, Diagram II gives the closing stages of my win against J.Estrin of the USSR – a more recent correspondence chess world champion. My only other game against a world champion was against the winner of this tournament\, Hans Berliner of the United States\, with whom I collaborated on a book of the tournament. The collaboration was stimulating but not without friction\, since I had to write 75 per cent of the book to see it ever finished. It took a year to complete\, 3 years to appear (published by BCM) but in the end was well-reviewed\, sold over 2000 copies and royalties are still (gently) drifting in. \nThe Fifth Correspondence Chess World Championship\, Hans Berliner & Ken Messere\, British Chess Magazine\, BCM Quarterly Nunber 14\, 5th December 1971\, ISBN 978-0-900846-05-2.\n  \nIn the early seventies\, in order to reduce numbers of games\, I retreated altogether from individual tournaments\, just playing twice for England in the Olympiads. Whether team play did not suit my style\, or whether my technique had improved but imagination withered\, I drew nine of my seventeen games from the two tournaments\, winning four and losing four. As England looked likely to aspire to medals for the first time ever\, my 50 per cent would not help matters and I gladly retreated to first reserve\, which to my dismay required taking over five unfinished games of Hugh Alexander\, who died during the tournament\, and who\, for me\, has always been England’s most attractive player and writer. My most uncomfortable decision in correspondence chess was a rejection of Hugh’s intended continuation in one of these games\, {Diagram III). Of these five games\, I lost one and drew four and England won a bronze medal. \nIn 1974 was invited to compete in the Potter Memorial Tournament of four postal grandmasters and nine international masters. After so many years of responsible’ team chess for England\, I went beserk and sacrificed a pawn in ten of the twelve games\, trying later to salvage inferior end-games. Result 33 % per cent. B. H. Wood invited me to write a book of the tournament\, to which a number of the players contributed and this was published in 1979. \nThe Potter Memorial\, Ken Messere\, CHESS (Sutton Coldfield)\, 1975\nAlso in 1979 I began to play in another invitation tournament of thirteen players organised by the Australian Correspondence Chess League\, which became a memorial to CJS Purdy\, its president and the first world postal champion\, who died soon after the tournament began. At the time of writing\, this tournament\, comprising four grandmasters (including one former world champion and two runners-up) and eight international masters\, is still in its early stages.” \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXV (125\, 2005)\, Number 5 (May)\, page 226 we have this obituary: \n“Kenneth Charles Messere (16 iv 1928\, Richmond – 31 iii 2005\, Paris) was one of Britain’s strongest correspondence players (he held the correspondence IM title) and well-known author of books on the subject. After graduating from Oxford University\, Ken Messere went to HM Customs and Excise\, and thence to the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) where he became head of the fiscal affairs division and a world expert on fiscal law. He reached the final of 1965-8 world correspondence championship\, beating world champions Zagorovsky and Estrin\, and wrote the book of the tournament with Hans Berliner (published by BCM)” \nFrom The Potter Memorial by Ken Messere\, CHESS (Sutton Coldfield)\, “Chess for Modern Times” Series\, 1975 we have this potted biography: \n“Compiler of this book\, took 3rd place in 1957 and 2nd in 1968 in the championship of the Postal Chess Club. Scores of 4.5 out of 6 in the ICCF Masters 1957-8 and 4/6 in the 1959-61 Championship took him to victory with 11/5 out of 13 in the 1961-3 semi-finals\, securing him his first international master norm and qualifying him for the 5th World Championship 1964-7 in which he scored 5.5\, just enough for the IM title\, with wins over Zagorovsky\, then world champion and Estrin\, world champion now. Ken Messere collaborated with Berliner\, who won it\, in a book on the tournament. \nHe then switched to play exclusively as a member of the British Olympiad team\, taking over 2nd board when Alexander died. \nThe switch back from rather cautious team play to enterprising individual games in 1974-7 provides some of the subject matter of this book.” \n  \nThe Tax System in Industrialized Countries\, Ken Messere\, Oxford University Press\, 1998\, ISBN 10: 1982933135 / ISBN 13: 9781982933135\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-imc-kenneth-charles-messere-16-iv-1928-31-iii-2005/ CATEGORIES:Correspondence,Death Anniversary,History,Honours,Player,Remembering,Writer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IMG_0001.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200316 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200317 DTSTAMP:20260817T141220Z CREATED:20201106T193152Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T141220Z UID:11055-1584316800-1584403199@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Reginald Bonham MBE MA (31-i-1906 16-iii-1984) DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Reginald Bonham (known as “Bon”) who passed away\, this day\, March 16th in 1984 in Worcester\, Worcestershire. \nIn 1970 New Years Honours\, Civil Division he was awarded the MBE for “Services to the blind”. Interestingly\, in 1992 his sister Mary also received an MBE for “Services to the blind” This is surely an unusual happening. \nReginald Walter Bonham was born on Wednesday\, January 31st 1906 : the same day as the Ecuador–Colombia earthquake which measured 8.8 on the Richter Scale. \nHe was born in St. Neots\, Huntingdonshire\, Cambridgeshire. \nIn the 1911 census aged 5 he lived in the High Street\, St. Neots with William R Bonham (father\, master butcher\, aged 45)\, Edith Mary Ann Bonham (mother\, 38)\, Howard William Bonham (6)\, Maurice George Bonham (3) and Ernest Charles Bonham (1). The family had a servant / domestic duties assistant called Elise Annie Goss aged 18. The census did not record any disability for Reginald. \nReg\, like others in his family\, suffered from deficient eyesight and was therefore unable to attend a “mainstream” school. \nFrom 1922 – 1925 he attended the Royal Worcester College for the Blind (originally Worcester College for the Blind Sons of Gentlemen) in Whittington Road\, Worcester\, WR5 2JX. The Headmaster (GC Brown) encouraged his chess and rowing talents and in 1926 he was sent up to St. Catherine’s College\, Oxford to read mathematics. \nReginald was a highly competant rower\, competing for his college and reaching the trial stage for the Oxford Varsity crew. \nIn 1934 Reg founded the Braille Chess Magazine. \nIn the 1939 census he was recorded as living at 4\, St. Catherine’s Hill\, Worcester\, WR5 with his wife\, Josephine Bonham (born 24th September 1904). Reginald was listed as being a Mathematics tutor at the Royal Worcester College for the Blind (originally Worcester College for the Blind Sons of Gentlemen) in Whittington Road\, Worcester\, WR5 2JX. The college is now named New College Worcester. Their home was around a mile from the College. Josephine was listed as carrying out “unpaid domestic duties”. \nHe taught a combination of Braille and mathematics and was an amateur thespian and keen bridge player. \nRW Bonham and a Braille chess set set-up incorrectly\nInterestingly RWB in 1939 was an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) Warden and a St. John Ambulance volunteer for the College. \nHe was Worcester champion twenty times and four times Midlands champion winning the Birmingham Post Cup twice. \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nOn June 6th 1947 Bonham played in Birmingham in a match between Great Britain and Czechoslovakia playing Ladislav Alster and won this attractive game : \n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\nIn 1951 he founded the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) and continued as its President for 23 years. The IBCA affiliated to FIDE in 1964. see http://www.schachkomet.de/ibcachp4.htm for historical detail. \nHe was Blind World Champion in 1958 and Correspondence Blind World Champion in 1957\, 1959\, 1961\, 1964 (jointly) and 1966. \nOne of his students was broadcaster Peter White MBE who described Bon in his autobiography See it My Way \nSee it My Way\, Peter White\, 1994\nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume XCII (92\, 1972) Number 6 (June)\, page 216 we have this item in News in Brief : \n“At the closing ceremony of the 4th Chess Olympiad for the Blind at Pula\, Yugoslavia (April 6-18) the International Braille Chess Association awarded the title of Correspondence Grandmaster of the Blind to R.W. Bonham of Worcester\, for having won the Postal Championship more than three times.” \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CIV (104\, 1984) Number 5 (May)\, page 194 we have this obituary : \n“We regret to announce the death in March of two early winners of the grandmaster title (the other was Comins Mansfield MBE). \nR.W.Bonham (31 i 1906 – 16 iii 1984) died at Worcester\, where he had long served as a Master at the Royal Worcester College for the Blind. In the 1950s he took part in the British Championship with success. Many older players will remember him fingering his special board before announcing his move and checking his clock with its markers outside the glass face. \nHe was also active in postal play\, taking part in international events in the decade after the war when few British players ventured “into Europe”. A note in the 1972 BCM (page 216) records the award of the title Correspondence GM of the Blind by the International Braille Chess Association\, so his omission from the recent book British Chess seems rather unfortunate. \nAmong the titles won by Reginald Bonham were British Correspondence Championship\, shared in 1947 with J. Cairncross and shared in 1951 with E. Brown) and Midland Champion (1947 and 1950). \nHe was also (with Wormald) joint author of those fine little books Chess Questions Answered and More Chess Questions Answered.” \nSadly\, RWB did not merit articles in Sunnucks or Golombek’s Encyclopedias or Hooper’s and Whyld’s Oxford Companion or\, as mentioned previously\, British Chess. \nHere is a short biography from Ray Collett and here is his Wikipedia article. \nMore information here. \nThe Braille Chess Association has this entry in its Hall of Fame. \nChess Questions Answered\, RW Bonham & RD Wormald\, Jordan & Sons Ltd\, London\, 1945\nMore Chess Questions Answered\, RW Bonham & RD Wormald\, Jordan & Sons Ltd\, London\, 1948\n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/11055/ CATEGORIES:Blind,Death Anniversary,History,Honours,Player,Remembering,Writer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CHESS-BULLETIN.-P5.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200305 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200306 DTSTAMP:20210305T153853Z CREATED:20200625T101854Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T153853Z UID:6686-1583366400-1583452799@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of GM Daniel Yanofsky OC QC (25-iii-1925 05-iii-2000) DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of GM Daniel Abraham Yanofsky OC QC (25-iii-1925 05-iii-2000) \n Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-gm-daniel-yanofsky-oc-qc-25-iii-1925-05-iii-2000/ CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,Hastings,History,Player,Writer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_0940-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200229 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200301 DTSTAMP:20200410T164547Z CREATED:20200410T164547Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200410T164547Z UID:4357-1582934400-1583020799@britishchessnews.com SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of FM Simon C Leblanq (?) DESCRIPTION: Save as PDF URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-fm-simon-c-leblanq/ CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Player END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR