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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200723
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200724
DTSTAMP:20210710T143352Z
CREATED:20190823T190033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210710T143352Z
UID:1120-1595462400-1595548799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Sir George Thomas\, 7th Baronet (14-vi-1881 23-vii-1972)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Sir George Alan Thomas\, 7th Baronet (14-vi-1881 23-vii-1972) \nSignature of GA Thomas from a Brian Reilly “after dinner” postcard from Hastings Christmas Congress\, 1945-1946\nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (BT Batsford\, 1977) by Harry Golombek : \n“British international master\, born in Constantinople (previously Byzantium and currently Istanbul : Ed.) His mother (Lady Edith Margaret Thomas : Ed) was one of the strongest English women players\, winner of the first Ladies tournament at Hastings 1895. \n(Ed : his father was Sir George Sydney Meade Thomas) \nThomas was an all-round athlete who excelled at tennis\, hockey and badminton as well as chess. He captained the English badminton team and was All England Badminton Singles champion from 1920 to 1923.” \nSir George Alan Thomas : “During his playing career\, he won 78 national titles in the United Kingdom and a further 12 French titles; he also competed in 29 out of 30 English internationals\, winning 50 matches in the process.”\nHere is an excellent article (albeit stating GT was a Grandmaster and was president of the British Chest Federation!) from the National Badminton Museum. \n\n“Thomas won the British chess championship twice\, in 1923 and 1934 and represented England in the Olympiads of 1927 where he tied with Norman Hansen for the best score – 80% on board 3\, 1930\, 1931\, 1935\, 1937 and 1939. \nPassenger list from RMS Alacantra showing Sir George Thomas arriving at Buenos Aires on September 19th\, 1939\nEntry for Sir George Thomas from above image.\nIn international tournaments his greatest successes were 1st at Spa (ahead of Tartakower) and =1st at Hastings 1934/5 (tied with Euwe and Flohr\, ahead of Capablanca and Botvinnik). \nSir George Thomas\, British Chess Champion\, Southsea Congress\, 1923 Photograph by Gilbert N Fulcher\, Southsea\nHe was known for his keen sense of sportsmanship and for his ability to encourage and inspire younger players. He served for many years on the BCF Junior selection committee and was for a time Games Editor of the British Chess Magazine. FIDE awarded him the titles of international master (1950) and International Judge (1952). (article by Ray Keene)” \nBritish chess champion Sir George Thomas playing at the Annual British Chess Federation Championship in Yarmouth\, England\, July 11th 1935. (Photo by Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Getty Images)\nThomas with the White pieces was predominantly a Ruy Lopez devotee. \nWith the Black pieces against 1.e4 he defended the Lopez and the Queen’s Gambit Declined was his favourite versus 1.d4 \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 Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale 1972 and 1976) by Anne Sunnucks : \n“International Master (1950)\, International Judge (1952) and British Champion in 1923 and 1934. All England Badminton Singles Champion\, All England Badminton Doubles Champion\, Wimbledon tennis player and county hockey player. \nSir George Thomas was born in Constantinople on 14th June 1881. His mother\, Lady Thomas\, won the first ever ladies’ tournament\, which was held in conjunction with the Hastings International Chess Tournament of 1895. \nHe learned the moves at the age of 4\, and as a boy met many of the world’s leading players\, including Steinitz\, Lasker\, Tchigorin and Pillsbury\, in his mother’s drawing-room. \nApart from serving as a subaltern in the Army during the 1914-1918 war\, Sir George has devoted his life to sport. He played tennis at Wimbledon\, played hockey for Hampshire\, captained the English Badminton team and was All England Badminton Singles Champion from 1920-1923 and doubles champion nine times. \nSir George Thomas And Brian ReillySir George Thomas (left)\, leader of the British chess team\, playing Irishman Brian Reilly at the Easter Chess Congress\, Margate\, April 24th 1935. (Photo by Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Getty Images)\nSir George played chess for England regularly from 1910 to 1939. He played for the British Chess Federation in the Chess Olympiads of 1927\,1930\, 1931\, 1933\, 1935\, 1937 and 1939\, and captained the team which withdrew from the Buenos Aires Olympiad in 1939 on the out-break of war. \nA Brian Reilly “after dinner” postcard from Margate 1936.\nThe Grand Hotel\, Cliftonville\, Margate. Venue for the Margate tournaments.\nHis first appearance in the British Championship was in he came 2nd. He also came 2nd in 192l and in 1923 won the first time\, thus becoming British Chess Champion and\nBadminton Champion in the same year. Sir George’s best performance was at Hastings 1934-1935\, when he came =1st. In the last round he needed only a draw against R. P. Michell to come lst\, ahead of Euwe\, Capablanca\, Flohr and Lilienthal\, but he lost and had to be content with sharing lst prize with Euwe and Flohr. \nNice Masters\, 1931. Standing : Daniel Noteboom\, Abraham Baratz\, George Renaud (Organiser)\, John J O’Hanlon\, Marcel Duchamp\, Brian Reilly (winner)\, Seated : Eugene Znokso-Borovsky\,\, Arpad Vajda\, Sir George Thomas\, Jacques Mieses\, Stefano Roselli del Turco\, Jacob Adolf Seitz. British Chess Magazine\, 1931\, page 201\nDuring his career he has beaten Botvinnik\, Flohr and and drawn with Nimzowitsch\, Rubinstein and Capablanca. He been noted for his sportsmanship and for his interest in and encouragement of young players. \nPartie d’échecsSir Georges Thomas\, le célèbre joueur d’échecs britannique\, jouant contre sa plus jeune adversaire âgée de 8 ans\, à Londres\, Royaume-Uni le 24 octobre 1934. (Photo by Keystone-France\Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)\nSince his retirement until the last few years\, Sir George continued to attend tournaments as a spectator. \nHe is the author of The Art of Badminton\, published in 1923. \nThe Art of Badminton\nHe died on 23rd July 1972 in a London nursing home.” \nHere is Part II of GM Matthew Sadler’s appreciation of Sir George. \nMost interestingly we have this this splendid article from Neil Blackburn (SimaginFan) on chess.com \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nSir George Alan Thomas (14-vi-1881 23-vii-1972)\nand here is Part III of Matthew Sadler’s article \nSir George Alan Thomas\nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 1984) by Hooper & Whyld : \n“English player. International Master (1950)\, International Arbiter (1952)\, British champion 1923 and 1934. His mother\, who taught him chess\, was winner of one of the first women’s tournaments\, Hastings 1895\, He played in more than 80 tournaments and achieved his best result at Hastings 1934-5 (about category 9)\, when he scored +6-1—2 to share first prize with Euwe and Flohr ahead of Botvinnik and Capablanca. Thomas played in seven Olympiads from 1927 to 1939\, and in the first the highest percentage score was made by him ( + 9=6) and the Dane Holgar Norman-Hansen (1899- ) (+11=2—2). A leading English player for more than 25 years\, Thomas fought many battles at the famous City of London club\, winning 16 of the annual championships from 1913-14 to 1938-9. In his sixty-ninth year he gave up competitive chess when\, after a hard game\, ‘the board and men began to swim before my eyes\,’ He continued his active interest in junior events and his visits\, now as a spectator\, to chess events. \n\nA man of few words\, imperturbable\, of fine manners. Sir George Thomas was respected throughout the chess world for his sportsmanship and impartiality\, and his opinion was often sought when disputes arose between players. The inheritor of both a baronetcy and private means\, he\ndevoted his life to games and sports. Besides his chess he was a keen hockey player\, a competitor in international lawn tennis (reaching the last eight at Wimbledon on one occasion)\, and winner of about 90 badminton titles\, notably the All-England men’s singles championship which he won four times\, from 1920 to 1923.” \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-sir-george-alan-thomas/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Honours,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210724
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210725
DTSTAMP:20210812T153624Z
CREATED:20210124T171654Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210812T153624Z
UID:13455-1627084800-1627171199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Johann Löwenthal (15-vii-1810 24-vii-1876)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary Johann Löwenthal (15-vii-1810 24-vii-1876) \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-johann-lowenthal-15-vii-1810-24-vii-1876/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200726
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200727
DTSTAMP:20210725T154922Z
CREATED:20200409T084318Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210725T154922Z
UID:4243-1595721600-1595807999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of WFM Jessica Gilbert (30-i-1987 26-vii-2007)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of WFM Jessica Laura Corey Gilbert (30-i-1987 26-vii-2007) \nFrom Find A Grave by by Peterborough K: \n“Professional Chess Player. A native of Croydon\, England\, Gilbert became the youngest person ever to win the Women’s World Chess Federation Master Title.  \nA talented chess player since the age of 8\, she also won the Women’s World Amateur Championship when she represented England in 1999 at the age of 11.  \nIn a career that spanned over seven years she played in over 153 matches in such events as the Gibtelcom Chess Festival\, the 7th European Championship\, Ilsan 1st\, 37th Chess Olympiad\, Hastings Chess Congress\, Hastings Master Op\, Coventry Op\, and the Gausdal Byggern Masters.  \nOn July 26\, 2006\, while in Pardubice\, Czech Republic\, to play in the Czech Open\, she mysteriously fell to her death from the balcony of her room on the eighth floor of the Hotel Labe. Gilbert was only 19 years old.” \nInteresting article by Alexander Barron \nHere is Jessie’s entry from Chessgames.com \nHere is Jessie’s extensive Wikipedia article. \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-wfm-jessica-laura-corey-gilbert-26-vii-2007/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210801
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210802
DTSTAMP:20210801T175941Z
CREATED:20190823T104652Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210801T175941Z
UID:1079-1627776000-1627862399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of John Driver (21-vii-1928 01-viii-1979)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of John Edward Driver (21-vii-1928 01-viii-1979) \nSee Sunnucks \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977)\, Harry Golombek OBE\, John Rice writes: \n“British problemist. Output consists of two-movers\, helpmates and fairy problems. Inventor of the Edgehog\, a fairy piece which moves along Q-lines but always either to or from a square at the board-edge.” \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-john-edward-driver/
CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,History,Problemist
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200803
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200804
DTSTAMP:20210801T180718Z
CREATED:20190822T165409Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210801T180718Z
UID:1008-1596412800-1596499199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Captain William Davies Evans (27-i-1790 03-viii-1872)
DESCRIPTION:BCN Remembers Captain William Davies Evans (27-i-1790 03-viii-1872) \nCaptain William Davies Evans (27-i-1790 03-viii-1872)\nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 1984) by Hooper & Whyld : \n“Inventor of the Evans gambit\, for about half a century one of the most popular attacking weapons. He was born in (Musland Farm in the parish of Saint Dogwells\,) Pembroke\, Wales\, went to sea at the age of 14\, was employed by the Postal Department from about 1815\, and rose to the rank of captain four years later. In 1824\, soon after taking command of the first Royal Mail steam packet to sail from Milford Haven to Waterford\, and while aboard\, he invented his gambit. Evans was a keen player. He gathered a small chess circle in Waterford\, and when on leave in England played chess in London\, notably in 1826 when he showed his gambit to Lewis and McDonnell\, and in 1838 when he played a long series of games with Staunton at the Westminster Chess Club. In Jan. 1840 he was pensioned off on account of ill-health. He went to Greece\, became captain of a steamer that sailed the Mediterranean\, and returned to London at the end of 1842. During the next 13 years there are several accounts of his presence in London\, and then he settled abroad. He died and was buried in Ostend\, \nEvans claimed to have solved the three pawns problem (See below) \, which\, however\, had already been solved by others. His claim to the invention of tri-coloured lighting for ships has not been verified independently\, although he is known to have investigated the subject. For this invention he states that the Tsar of Russia gave him a gold chronometer\, and that he also received money. For a more detailed life of Captain Evans see British Chess Magazine\, 1928\, pp\, 6-18.” \nThe Evans Gambit is a variation of the Giuoco Piano or Italian Game : \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nWhen Evans originally devised his gambit the move order was slightly different : \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nin which White sacrifices the b-pawn for increased central control and development viz : \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 Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale\, 1970 & 1976) by Anne Sunnucks : \n“Inventor of the Evans Gambit\, an opening described by a player in the last century as ‘A yellow fever attack : if you live through the initial stages and avoid any carelessness that may bring on a relapse\, you will come out alright’. \nCaptain Evans discovered the gambit in about 1824. It was a favourite opening during the last century and was adopted by a number of leading players including La Bourdonnais and Morphy. \nFor some years Commander in H.M. Royal Mail Packet Service on the Milford and Waterford station\, Captain Evans later became Commander in the P.& O. Company’s service and agent for the Royal Mail Steampacket Company\, Port Grande. On retirement he lives for many years in Holland and Belgium. \nThe story is told of how\, in 1870\, the Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia\, brother of the Tsar\, was visiting Bruges when he heard that the inventor of the Evans Gambit was living in Ostend. Being a keen chess player he invited Evans to play a game. When Evans had won\, the Grand Duke turned to his adversary and said : ‘I believe you invented the Evans Gambit ?’\, ‘Yes’ replied Evans ‘and it’s not the only thing I’ve invented for which you have not paid me.’ ‘What’s the other?’ asked the Grand Duke.\nEvans then explained that he was the inventor of the ship’s lights which were being used by the Russian Navy\, in which the Grand Duke held the rank of Admiral. Several months later Evans was invited to the Russian Consulate in Ostend\, where he was handed a letter from the Grand Duke\, a gold chronometer\, a gold chain and a draft of money\, ostensibly in payment for the Russia’s rights to use the captain’s invention in her ships. ” \nEnjoy this interesting article from “Introuble2” on chess.com \nEvans analyzed the “Little Game of Chess” (an endgame composition involving only two kings with three pawns each) \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nto independently discover that it actually won for the player who moves first\, not drawn as had been believed for over a hundred years. \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977) by Harry Golombek we have : \n“After his retirement Evans went to live abroad and eventually found a haven is Ostend and there\, ill\, and almost blind and in very straightened circumstances\, he dictated a letter on 22 March 1871\, which was published in the Gentlemen’s Journal supplement for June 1872\, along with an appeal for him organised by George Walker. The letter gives the authentic facts of his life and is worth quoting in full\, if only to refute various unfounded reports about a meeting with the Tsar’s brother\, or according to that rich source of misinformation\, the Rev GA MacDonnell\, that the Evans Gambit was discovered off the coast of Africa by a middle-aged lieutenant in the Royal Navy -perhaps the reverend gentleman was confusing Waterford with the Canary Islands. \nThe letter runs : \nWilliams Davies Evans is a native of Pembrokeshire\, South Wales\, and was born on 27 January 1790. He commenced a naval career at the age of fourteen. He was about twenty-eight years of age when he first learnt the moves of the game of Chess. Having the advantage of frequent practise with Lieut H. Wilson\, R.N.\, who was a player of some reputation in his time\, beside corresponding on the subject of the game with the late Mr. W. Lewis\, and also with George Walker\, the able Chess Editor of Bell’s Life \, he made a rapid progress in the game. Captain Evans received at first the odds of a Rook from Lieut. Wilson. After a continuance of play for some years\, the odds were greatly reduced\, until ultimately Captain Evans succeeded in defeating his formidable antagonist playing even. \nAbout the year 1824\, being then in command of a Government Mail Steamer\, the passages between Milford Haven and Waterford were favourable to the study of the game of Chess and at this time he invented the Gambit\, which bears his name. The idea occurred to him while studying a narration of Giuoco Piano in Sarratts’s Treatise on Chess. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nCaptain Evans was the first who gave to the world a true solution of that very difficult end game\, the King and three Pawns unmoved against King and three Pawns also unmoved. This position was handed down to us through a period of some centuries as a drawn game\, but Captain Evans proved that the first player can always win. \nCaptain Evans acquired some celebrity as “Inventor of the System of Tri-Coloured Lights for Ships to Prevent Collisions at Night”\, which has been adopted by all nations possessing a marine. For this invention the English Government awarded him the sum of £1\,500 \, and the Czar of Russia a gold pocket chronometer\, value £160\, together with a donation of £200. \nThe subscription that amounted to over £200 was too late. He died in 1872 and was buried in Ostend where his grave bears the inscription : \nTo the sacred memory of William Davies Evans\, formerly Commander in the Post Office and Peninsular and Oriental Steam Services\, Superintendent In the Royal Mail Shipping Company\, and inventor of the system of tri-coloured light for shipping. Also well known in the Chess World as the author of the Evans Gambit \nBlue Plaque for Captain WD Evans\nHere is his Wikipedia entry. \nRead here of the Plaque in Wolfscastle \nBlue Plaque for Captain William Davies Evans (27-i-1790 03-viii-1872)\nPlay The Evans Gambit (co-author Tim Harding). Cadogan. ISBN 1-85744-119-2.\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-captain-william-davies-evans/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200820
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200821
DTSTAMP:20200819T095735Z
CREATED:20190824T152338Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200819T095735Z
UID:1186-1597881600-1597967999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Thomas Wilson Barnes (1825 20-viii-1874)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Thomas Wilson Barnes (1825 20-viii-1874) \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 1984) by David Hooper and Ken Whyld : \n“One of the strongest English players during the 1850s\, He made little impression in his one and only tournament\, London 1862\, but is remembered for having scored more wins than anyone else in friendly play against Morphy in 1858. He reduced his corpulence by 130 pounds in ten months and as a result died. ” \nHe is perhaps most well know for having a reasonable score against Paul Morphy of -19 +8 which was a lot better than most ! \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\nAccording to chessgames.com : \n“Thomas Wilson Barnes was one of the strongest English players in the 1850s. His only tournament appearance was in London 1862 but he did not do himself justice. He’s best remembered for having more wins against Paul Morphy in friendly play than anyone else. Being overweight he decided to reduce his size\, but the loss of 130 pounds in 10 months was more than his system could handle and resulted in his death in 1874.” \nThe Barnes Opening\, was played by T. W. Barnes. This opening move has no particular merit but he liked to avoid book lines\, to which end he\nsometimes answered 1 e4 by 1…f6.  \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nHe died at 68\, Cambridge Street\, Pimlico. \nHis death was registered in the St George\, Hanover Square district. \nHe was buried on August 25th\, 1874 in Brompton Cemetery (plot number 76449). According to the burial records he had a “Private Grave” the plot of which had coordinates of 113.3 x 18.3 relative to the NE corner of the cemetery. Also “no extra depth” was required meaning his depth was 5ft whereas some are at 17 foot down with others above. \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-thomas-wilson-barnes/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200822
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200823
DTSTAMP:20260811T104346Z
CREATED:20200427T164449Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T104346Z
UID:5018-1598054400-1598140799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Ernst Klein (29-i-1910 22-viii-1990)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Ernst Klein (29-i-1910 22-viii-1990) \nFrom CHESS\, July 1946 (and also The Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match) : \nSince Ernst Klein came to England in 1935 his play has earned our ungrudging admiration. Born in Vienna\, 1910\, he learned chess at the age of eleven. His grandmother taught him the moves\, his father having died when he was eight. Steinitz was a frequent guest in his grandparents house. At eighteen\, he shared first\, second and third prizes in the Championship of Vienna. Before coming to England\, he had lived for some years in Switzerland\, France and Italy and his French\, German and English are equally impeccable. In his last tournament at Bournemouth\, in 193\, he finished equal with Flohr after Euwe ahead of König\, Landau\, Aitken and others. He met his wife\, who is an Englishwoman\, during the blitz. They were married in 1944. He holds a London University degree and teaches mathematics in Southend. \nAbout 1940\, he offered to give any opponent in Great Britain the odds of the draw.; his challenge was never taken up\, no doubt owing to the conditions of the moment\, but we imagine there would be many “takers” if it were repeated now.” \nLater\, Klein clarified matters by writing What I said was: “I am ready to accept the challenge of any player in this country and am prepared to give the odds of a draw in a contest at least twelve games if he so wishes. That is\, I offered to concede victory on a score of 6 : 6 draws counting\, which is the necessary and sufficient condition to justify my offer. It is still open.  \nSee below photograph for caption\nCaption for above photograph\nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nEdward Winter has written a detailed article here.  \nThe Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match (1947\, Pitman)\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/remembering-ernest-ludwig-klein-29-i-1910-22-viii-1990/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200822
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200823
DTSTAMP:20200822T155428Z
CREATED:20200822T155428Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200822T155428Z
UID:8788-1598054400-1598140799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of William Lewis (09-x-1787 22-viii-1870)
DESCRIPTION:We note the passing today (August 22nd) in 1870 of William Lewis of the Lewis Counter Gambit. \nThe Lewis Counter Gambit\nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 1984) by Hooper & Whyld : \n“English player and author. He left his native Birmingham as a young man and worked for a time with a merchant in London. He learned much of his chess from Sarratt\, a debt that was not repaid.  \nAround 1819 he was operator of the Turk\, meeting all-comers successfully. With Cochrane he visited Paris in 1821\, received odds of pawn and move from Deschapelles\, and defeated him in a short match (+ 1=2)\, Lewis had already begun to write and of the more useful books he published around this time were translations of Greco and Carrera which appeared in 1819 and 1822 respectively. Although he considered Sarratt’s A Treatise on the Game of Chess (1808) a poorly written book\, Lewis published a second edition in 1822 in direct competition with Sarratt’s last book\, published in 1821 by his impoverished widow\, (In 1843 many Englishmen contributed to a fund for Mrs Sarratt in her old age\, Lewis’s name is not on the subscription list\,}  \nWilliam Lewis\, George Walker and Augustus Mongredien\nIn 1825 Bourdonnais visited England. Lewis recalled that they played about 70 games\, and according to Walker seven of them constituted a\nmatch which Lewis lost (+2—5). With no significant playing achievements to his credit Lewis acquired such a high reputation that a correspondent writing to the weekly magazine Bell’s Life in 1838 was moved to call him grandmaster.  \nFrom 1825 he preserved this reputation by the simplest means: he declined to play on even terms. In the same year he opened a club where he gave lessons at half a guinea each. McDonnell and Walker were among his pupils. Speculating unwisely on a piano-making patent\, Lewis went bankrupt in 1827\, and the club closed. After three precarious years of teaching chess (rich patrons were becoming fewer) Lewis became actuary of the Family Endowment Society and enjoyed financial security\nfor the rest of his life.  \nWilliam Lewis\nCircumstances now made it possible for him to concentrate on his writing and he published his two most important works: Series of Progressive Lessons (1831) and Second Series of Lessons (1832)\, both republished with various revisions. Lewis continued to write but gradually withdrew from other chess activities; his last notable connection with chess was as stakeholder for the Morphy-Lowenthal match of 1858.  \nChess Board Companion by William Lewis\nLewis’s Lessons contain extensive analyses of many opening variations\, examined in the closeness of his study. Subsequent writers\, notably Lasa\, were influenced by these books\, but more on account of the form than the content\, which\, adequate for the 1830s\, were soon out of date.  \nAround 1840 writers no longer worked in isolation (a circumstance Lewis found unavoidable) and new positional ideas were being shaped. Because Lewis failed to assimilate these his judgements were faulty\, and his voluminous Treatise on the Game of Chess (1844) was out of date when published. \nIndustrious rather than inventive\, he made only one innovation\, the Lewis Counter-Gambit; but it had no practical value in 1844\, for simpler defences had already been discovered. Lewis’s work commands respect\, but he is more aptly described as the last and one of the best of the ‘old’ writers than the first of the new\, a more fitting description for Jaenisch and the authors of Bilguer’s Handbuch. ” \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 Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale\, 1970 & 1976) by Anne Sunnucks : \nChess theoretician\, teacher\, author and one of the leading players in England in the nineteenth century.  \nWilliam Lewis was born in Birmingham on 9th October 1787. As a young man he went to London and took chess lessons from JH Sarratt. Within a short time he was making chess his principal means of livelihood. \nIn 1819 he was engaged as the player concealed in the chess-playing automaton\, ‘The Turk’\, when it was exhibited in London. In 1825 he opened some chess rooms in St. Martin’s Lane in London\, where he taught chess. Among his pupils was Alexander McDonnell. After going bankrupt in 1827\, the chess rooms were closed\, and Lewis decided to put his lessons into a book. He soon became a highly-successful writer\, His Chessboard Companion published in 1838 ran into nine editions\, and his Series of Progressive Lessons of the Game of Chess has been described as one of the landmarks in the history of the game. This book included some completely new analyses of various chess openings and later formed the basis of the Handbuch des Schachspiels. Lewis also translated the work of Greco and Stamma and was author of The Elements of Chess (1882)\, Fifty Games of Chess (1832) and Chess for Beginners (1835). \nChess Board Companion by William Lewis\nTowards the end of his life\, Lewis rarely played chess\, and his last public appearance in chess circles was 12 before he died\, when he acted at stake-holder in the match between Morphy and Lowenthal in 1858. He died on 22nd August 1870. \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977) by Harry Golombek : \n“Author of The Chessboard Companion\, London\, 1838\, and several other popular works on chess (including translations of Greco and Stamma). Lewis was also a leading chess teacher – his most famous pupil was Alexdander McDonnell – and for a time he ran chess rooms in St. Martin’s Lane. In 1819 he operated the chess-playing automaton ‘The Turk’ when it was exhibited in London. The Lewis Counter-Gambit is 1.P-K4\, P-K4; 2.B-B4 B-B4; 3.P-QB3\,P-Q5!?” \nChess for Beginners\nFrom “Chess : A History” by Harry Golombek there are two references to WL on pages 98 and 123 alluded to above. \nHere is an interesting article from Chess.com  \nFrom Wikipedia : \n“William Lewis (1787–1870) was an English chess player and author\, nowadays best known for the Lewis Countergambit and for being the first player ever to be described as a Grandmaster of the game.[1] \nBorn in Birmingham\, William Lewis moved as a young man to London where he worked for a merchant for a short period. He became a student of chess player Jacob Sarratt\, but in later years he showed himself to be rather ungrateful towards his teacher.[1] Although he considered Sarratt’s Treatise on the Game of Chess (1808)[2] a “poorly written book”\, in 1822 Lewis published a second edition of it three years after Sarratt’s death in direct competition with Sarratt’s own superior revision published posthumously in 1821 by Sarratt’s poverty-stricken widow. In 1843\, many players contributed to a fund to help the old widow\, but Lewis’ name is not on the list of subscribers.[1] \nAround 1819 Lewis was the hidden player inside the Turk (a famous automaton)\, meeting all-comers successfully. He suggested to Johann Maelzel that Peter Unger Williams\, a fellow ex-student of Sarratt\, should be the next person to operate inside the machine. When P. U. Williams played a game against the Turk\, Lewis recognised the old friend from his style of play (the operator could not see his opponents) and convinced Maelzel to reveal to Williams the secret of the Turk. Later\, P. U. Williams himself took Lewis’ place inside the machine.[3] \nLewis visited Paris along with Scottish player John Cochrane in 1821\, where they played with Alexandre Deschapelles\, receiving the advantage of pawn and move. He won the short match (+1 =2).” \n“Lewis’ career as an author began at this time\, and included translations of the works of Greco and Carrera\, published in 1819[5] and 1822[6] respectively. \nHe was the leading English player in the correspondence match between London and Edinburgh in 1824\, won by the Scots (+2 = 2 -1). Later\, he published a book on the match with analysis of the games.[7] In the period of 1834–36 he was also part of the Committee of the Westminster Chess Club\, who played and lost (−2) the match by correspondence with the Paris Chess Club. The other players were his students McDonnell and Walker\, while the French line up included Boncourt\, Alexandre\, St. Amant and Chamouillet.[8] When De La Bourdonnais visited England in 1825\, Lewis played about 70 games with the French master. Seven of these games probably represented a match that Lewis lost (+2 -5).[9] \nLewis enjoyed a considerable reputation as a chess player in his time. A correspondent writing to the weekly magazine Bell’s Life in 1838 called him “our past grandmaster”\, the first known use of the term in chess.[1] Starting from 1825 he preserved his reputation by the same means that Deschapelles used in France\, by refusing to play anyone on even terms. In the same year Lewis founded a Chess Club where he gave lessons to\, amongst others\, Walker and McDonnell. He was declared bankrupt in 1827 due to bad investments on a patent for the construction of pianos and his chess club was forced to close. The next three years were quite difficult until in 1830 he got a job that assured him of solid financial security for the rest of his life. Thanks to this job\, he could focus on writing his two major works: Series of Progressive Lessons (1831) and Second Series of Progressive Lessons (1832). The first series of the Lessons were more elementary in character\, and designed for the use of beginners; the second series\, on the other hand\, went deeply into all the known openings. Here\, for the first time we find the Evans Gambit\, which is named after its inventor\, Capt. Evans.[10] \nThe works of Lewis (together with his teacher Sarratt) were oriented towards the rethinking of the strictly Philidorian principles of play in favour of the Modenese school of Del Rio\, Lolli and Ponziani.[11] When he realised that he could not give an advantage to the new generation of British players\, Lewis withdrew gradually from active play[1] (in the same way that Deschapelles did after his defeat against De La Bourdonnais). \nAfter his retirement he wrote other chess treatises\, but his isolation prevented him from assimilating the positional ideas of the new generation of chess-players. For this reason\, Hooper and Whyld in their Oxford Chess Companion describe the last voluminous work of Lewis\, A Treatise on Chess (1844)\,[12] as already “out of date when published”.” \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-william-lewis-09-x-1787-22-viii-1870/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player,Writer
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DTSTAMP:20210823T204656Z
CREATED:20190823T094804Z
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UID:1068-1598140800-1598227199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Gerald Anderson MBE DFC (24-ii-1898 23-viii-1984)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Gerald Frank Anderson MBE\, DFC (24-ii-1898 23-viii-1984) \nFrom British Chess (Pergamon\, 1983) by Botterill\, Levy\, Rice and Richardson we have an article written by John Rice : \n“Gerald Frank Anderson was born in South Africa on 23 February 1898\, and has published nearly 500 problems of many different types. From the start he was a versatile composer\, and Weenink’s The Chess Problem (see introduction) contains two three-movers of his illustrating anticipatory half-pin (see Diagram I) a reflex-mate in two dating from 1920 and a selfmate in four from 5 years earlier\, when the composer was only seventeen. \nDiagram I \n1st prize \, Hampshire Telegraph & Post\, 1920 \nWhite mates in 3 \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(All Solutions contained in scan at foot of article.) \nIt must have been exciting for a budding problemist to grow up in the period between 1913 and 1924 when the Good Companion Chess Problem Club of Philadelphia was publishing its Folders of original work containing outstanding examples of complex strategy such as half-pins and cross-checks. Diagram II\, with its intricate battery play\, won first prize for Anderson in the Folder of October 1917. \nDiagram II\n1st prize\, Good Companions\, October 1917 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nDiagram III is a justly famous two-mover\, with a perfect key and beautiful line-play: \nIL Secolo\, 1919 \nWhite mates in 2 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nBetween 1953 and 1961 Anderson was with the British Embassy in Washington and a close friendship developed with the American composer Vincent Eaton. \nIn the introduction to his published collection of Eaton’s best problems (Memorial to V. L. Eaton\, 1971) Anderson describes his visits to Eaton’s house where they would work for hours on joint compositions (nine of them altogether\, eight prize winners)- ‘blockbusters’\, as they themselves termed them. Diagram IV is one of these\, a highly complex check-prevention scheme. \nDiagram IV \n1st prize\, British Chess Magazine\, 1953 \n(with V.L. Eaton) \nWhite mates in 3 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nA glance through the anthologies shows how successful Anderson has always been with orthodox forms\, perhaps especially with three- and four- movers and with selfmates. Diagram V is a characteristic selfmate in two\, with a good deal more strategy than many composers achieve in selfmate form: \nDiagram V \n2nd prize\, British Chess Federation Tournament\, 1947 \nSelfmate in 2 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nSince his retirement Anderson has lived for much of the time in Italy\, where the air seems to be conducive to the composition of reflex-mates\, for that is the genre with which he has principally been occupied in recent years. Diagram VI is a good illustration of his style; a couple of changed continuations\, and subtle play centered on the two diagonals b5-f1 and c6-h1. (A reflex-mate is a selfmate in which both sides are under an obligation to mate on the move if possible). In this problem White has to keep his active line-pieces (Q and B) well out of the way of the potential mating diagonal. \nDiagram VI \n1st prize\, The Problemist\, 1975 \nReflex-mate in 2 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nIn addition to the Eaton anthology mentioned above\, Anderson has published Adventures of my Chessmen \nAdventures of my Chessmen 1914 – 1923 \, GF Anderson\, Chess Amateur\, Stroud\, 1924\nand Are There Any?\, the latter being a fascinating collection of Kriegspiel problems. He was President of the British Chess Problem Society from 1962 to 1964\, and became a FIDE International Judge in 1960 and an International Master in 1975.” \nGerald Frank Anderson MBE DFC (24-ii-1898 23-viii-1984)\nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale\, 1970 and 1976) by Anne Sunnucks : \n“International Judge of FIDE for Compositions (1960). Born on 23rd February 1898. Won the DFC in 1914-18 war. Foreign Office (Retd.) First problem published in 1912\, since when he has composed nearly 500 problems\, mostly 3 and 4 movers. but has latterly switched to Fairy chess problems. He is one of the the great reflex and self-mate composers. Edited a section Chess Amateur 1921\, Nottinghamshire Weekly Guardian 1937-1938\, Anglo-Portuguese News 1945-1946\, and Self-Mate Section of The Problemist 1964-1966. Author of Are There Any? a book about Kriegspiel problems and A Memorial Volume of Chess Problems of VL Eaton.” \nHis MBE was awarded in the 1959 New Year Honours list. The citation reads : “Gerald Frank Anderson\, DFC\, Second Secretary\, Her Majesty’s Embassy\, Washington.” \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977)\, Harry Golombek OBE we have this by John Rice: \n“British problem composer\, output about 550 problems.\, orthodox and fairy. Books : Adventures of My Chessmen; and Are there Any? (1959 – a fascinating collection of Kriegspiel problems); Vincent Eaton Memorial (1971 – an annotated anthology of Eaton’s work). President of British Chess Problem Society\, 1962-4. International Judge (1960)\, international master (1975).” \nFrom chessgames.com : \n“G. F. Anderson\, in 1946\, was working in the British Embassy in Lisbon\, and\, as a highly skilled chess player (he was also known for composing chess problems as early as 1919)\, was nominated to deliver the challenge from Botvinnik to Alekhine. He played a game with the World Champion in the Embassy and it became the last recorded game by Alekhine.” \n\nHere is the original article from British Chess (Pergamon\, 1983) by Botterill\, Levy\, Rice and Richardson by John Rice : \nBritish Chess\, Pergamon Press\, 1983. page 16\nBritish Chess\, Pergamon Press\, 1983. page 17\nBritish Chess\, Pergamon Press\, 1983. page 18\nHere is his Wikipedia entry \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-gerald-frank-anderson/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Problemist
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