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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200926
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200927
DTSTAMP:20210925T140242Z
CREATED:20190823T001025Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210925T140242Z
UID:1122-1601078400-1601164799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of WIM Eileen Tranmer (05-v-1910 26-ix-1983)
DESCRIPTION:We remember WIM Eileen Betsy Tranmer who passed away on September 26th\, 1983. \nEileen Tranmer\nShe was the first English woman to be awarded by FIDE the Woman’s International Master title in 1950. \n“From The Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match by Klein and Winter : \nMiss E. Tranmer was born in Scarborough\, North Yorkshire in 1910\, and learned chess at the age of six. She did not take it up seriously\, however\, until 1936. Under the tuition of W. Winter she has made notable progress\, and her performances include a second prize in the British Correspondence Championship 1944\, as well as first prize in one of the subsidiary tournaments at Hastings\, 1945. \nBy profession Miss Tranmer is a musician and has played principal clarinet in the Scottish and Sadler’s Wells Orchestras.” \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CIII (103\, 1983)\, Number 11 (November)\, page 482-83 (presumably written by Bernard Cafferty) : \n“Eileen Tranmer died in hospital at Ticehurst on September 26th after a long illness. Born in Scarborough\, May 5th 1910\, she was a professional clarinet player and played in a number of prominent British orchestras till forced to retire by deafness. \nMandatory Credit: Photo by ANL/Shutterstock (3880870a)Miss Eileen Tranmer The British Women’s Chess Champion Pictured Here Playing A Clarinet In The Orchestra While Appearing At The Theatre Royal Glasgow.\nOne of the leading British players in the two decades after the war\, Eileen won the British Ladies Championship in 1947\, 1949 (with a 100% score)\, 1953 and 1961\, and played in the British Championship at Buxton\, 1950. Her international record was sparse\, as was the case with nearly all English players of that period. Nevertheless\, she made her mark in the 1949-50 first post-war Women’s World Championship where she finished 5-7th in a field of 16\, beating Bykova\, again\, and finished 7th in the field of 16. \n37th Hastings International Chess Congress\, 1962. USA Ladies champion Lisa Lane (L) playing against British Champion Eileen Tranmer\nWe are grateful to WCM Dinah Norman for sending us these memories : \n“Eileen Tranmer was one of the best English chess lady players of her generation. \nI only played her once at Oxford in an International Ladies Tournament held between 24 July and 1 August 1971. Eileen totally outplayed me and I lost the game. \nEileen was a member of Acton Chess Club where there were three active lady players at that time. They were Jean Rogers\, Olive Chataway and Eileen. Eileen lived in Acton then. \nMandatory Credit: Photo by ANL/Shutterstock (3880957a)Miss Eileen Tranmer The British Women’s Chess Champion.Miss Eileen Tranmer The British Women’s Chess Champion.\nEileen was a professional musician and had to stop playing when she became deaf which was dreadful for her. \nIn 1969 Eileen\, Rowena Bruce and I were selected to play in the Ladies Chess Olympiad Team in Lublin\, Poland. Sadly Eileen was taken ill just before the event so Rowena and I had to play all 13 rounds without a break. I was on Board 1 and at the end Rowena and I were exhausted and I had to withdraw from a tournament in the Czech Republic without playing a game. The food in Poland was awful so we said never again! \n  \nMandatory Credit: Photo by ANL/Shutterstock (3880958a)Miss Eileen Tranmer The British Women’s Champion Chess Player Pictured Playing Some Of The Glasgow Ladies Chess Club At The Green’s Playhouse Cafe Glasgow.Miss Eileen Tranmer The British Women’s Champion Chess Player Pictured Playing Some Of The Glasgow Ladies Chess Club At The Green’s Playhouse Cafe Glasgow.\nEileen was very friendly with Harry Golombek. The expectation among the lady chess players was that they would get married but she never did. Harry did not drive and Eileen was very kind driving Harry and his elderly mother around. \nVery sadly Eileen’s brother was killed in a car crash and after that Eileen suffered mental problems. Eileen lived near John and Jean Rogers and John said Eileen would turn up at their home in the middle of the night wanting to play chess. \nAt Hastings 1959-1960 : Yugoslavia’s red-haired Milanka Lazarevic and Britain’s Eileen Tranmer ran away with the Premier Reserves (afternoon event).\nThe last time I saw Eileen was at Paignton. Her friend Olive Chataway brought her to Paignton and Eileen played in the bottom tournament and did badly. Eileen did not recognise myself or Rowena which was very sad. \n  \nMandatory Credit: Photo by ANL/Shutterstock (4745287a)Miss Eileen Tranmer 43-year-old British Women’s Chess Champion. Box 556.Miss Eileen Tranmer 43-year-old British Women’s Chess Champion. Box 556.\nEileen later left Acton and moved to Tring. Eileen was a pleasant and modest person and was well liked. She had a good sense of humour.” \nFrom the obituary in The Times of London we learn that her last few years were over-shadowed by an illness that preyed on her mind. \nWe take the following game from the August 1944 issue of BCM. The game was played in the BCCA Championship\, and curiously enough there was an enquiry about that event to the BCF only a short while ago – a Georgian journalist wishes to quote that wartime performance as an early example of success by a woman in male chess company! ” \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nGerald Abrahams in Not only Chess\, wrote about Eileen (Chapter 18 : What Achilles Saw Among Women) as follows : \n“To revert to the British Ladies\, they were joined in the late 1930s by a very able pupil of Miss Menchik\, the Yorkshire Clarinettist Eileen Tranmer; a woman whose chess I have seen to express some admirable qualities of mind and character. I had the privilege of watching her is Moscow in 1949-50\, when\, handicapped by influenza of a particularly virulent kind – what the Russians call “grippe” – she won some five or six consecutive games\, to finish in the prize list of the new official Women’s World Championship. There had been two championships before\, which Vera has won easily. Since Vera had unhappily perished in the Blitz\, they looked at Moscow for her successor.” \nHere is her Wikipedia entry \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nWIM Eileen Betsy Tranmer & WIM Rowena Mary Bruce at the 1946 Anglo-Soviet Radio Match\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-eileen-betsy-tranmer/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201009
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201010
DTSTAMP:20260925T143741Z
CREATED:20191016T160417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T143741Z
UID:1562-1602201600-1602287999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Norman Gibbins (15-x-1882 09-x-1956)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Norman Martin Gibbins (15-x-1882 09-x-1956)\n\nSee http://davidgibbins.com/journal/2013/5/28/war-in-another-dimension\n\n\n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-norman-martin-gibbins/
CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,History
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201011
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201012
DTSTAMP:20260817T135735Z
CREATED:20191011T195944Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T135735Z
UID:1506-1602374400-1602460799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Charles Fox (09-xi-1866 11-x-1935)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Charles Fox (09-xi-1866 11-x-1935) \nCharles Masson Fox was born on Friday\, November 9th 1866 in Falmouth\, Cornwall. his father\, Howard\, was 29 and his mother\, Olivia Blanche Orme\, was 22. He had one brother and two sisters. \nHis sister Olivia Lloyd was born on 5 February 1868 in Falmouth\, Cornwall\, when Charles Masson was 1 year old. His sister Stella was born on 11 December 1876 in Falmouth\, Cornwall\, when Charles Masson was 10 years old. In 1881 he was living in Sherborne\, Dorset. In 1901 he was once more living in Falmouth and his profession was that of a timber merchant. His brother Howard Orme died on 7 June 1921 in Falmouth\, Cornwall. His father Howard passed away on 15 November 1922 in Cornwall. His mother Olivia Blanche passed away on 12 March 1930 in Falmouth\, Cornwall\, at the age of 85. \nSadly\, neither Hooper & Whyld\, Sunnucks or Golombek mention Fox in their works. \nHere is an extensive article from the British Chess Problem Society (BCPS) written by CJ Feather \nFrom Wikipedia : \n“Charles Masson Fox (9 November 1866 – 11 October 1935) was a Cornish businessman who achieved international prominence in the world of chess problems and a place in the gay history of Edwardian England. \nMasson Fox was born into a Quaker family (although he was not related to the Quakers’ founder George Fox) and was a cousin of the fraudulent sinologist Sir Edmund Backhouse\, 2nd Baronet. Living throughout his life in the Cornish seaside town of Falmouth\, Fox in the early decades of his life was a senior partner of his family’s timber firm\, Fox Stanton & Company\, and was also on the Board of Messrs G C Fox & Company\, a long-established firm of shipping agents. \nC.M.Fox’s gravestone at Budock Quaker Burial Ground\nFox is described by chess historian Thomas Rayner Dawson (1889–1951) as “a friendly man\, kind\, mellow\, lovable\, bringing peace and comfort and serene joy with him”. He was also a discreet but active homosexual. In 1909 he visited Venice with his friend James Cockerton\, meeting the writer Frederick Rolfe and becoming the reluctant recipient of Rolfe’s famous Venice Letters\, in which the gay subculture of Venice is vividly described. \nIn 1912–13 Fox was blackmailed by a woman who accused him of seducing her 16-year-old son. Eventually Fox reported the matter to the police and the woman was sent to prison for five years and her son for one year\, with hard labour.[1] However\, Fox was profoundly affected by the publicity surrounding the case\, which was reported in detail in the local press. The predictable result of his courageous action was the destruction of his reputation\, and the compromise of his business and social life in Falmouth. \nAlthough he continued to live in Cornwall\, the focus of his social life shifted to London\, and in the last two decades of his life\, Fox became prominent in the world of chess. He was elected President of the Cornwall Chess Association\, played a prominent part in the development of the British Chess Problem Society\, and is still renowned as one of the greatest ever exponents of fairy chess (chess problems with variations in the rules).” \nFrom The Problemist Fairy Chess Supplement\, 1933 : \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nWhat is the shortest game\nending in this position? \nCharles Masson Fox \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/remembering-charles-masson-fox-09-xi-1866-11-x-1935/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Problemist
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201020
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201021
DTSTAMP:20211020T221318Z
CREATED:20190823T184412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211020T221318Z
UID:1110-1603152000-1603238399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Philip Walsingham Sergeant (27-i-1872 20-x-1952)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Philip Walsingham Sergeant who passed away on Monday\, October 20th 1952. \nPWS was born in Kensington on Saturday\, January 27th\, 1872 to Lewis Sergeant and Emma Louisa Sergeant (née Robertson) and was baptised at All Saints Church\, Notting Hill. According to PWS’s baptism record Lewis was an author. \nAccording to PWS in A Century of British Chess : \n“When I was seven years of age – about the period\, by the way\, in which my father began to teach me Greek – he began also to initiate me into chess. Not that he designed it  as a consolatory set-off to my application to Greek; for he loved the Classics well\, though\, going up to Cambridge with  small classical exhibition\, he had turned to Mathematics\, and therein took his degree. ” \nAccording to the 1881 census PWS (aged 9) lived with his parents and numerous siblings : Dorothy (aged 7)\, Winifred (6)\, Hilda (5)\, Bernard (2)\, John (his grandfather aged 76) and Mary (his grandmother aged 75). They had staff\, Elizabeth Fraser and Sarah Martin. They lived at 10\, Addison Road\, North\, Kensington. \nAccording to “Joseph Foster. Oxford Men and Their Colleges\, 1880-1892. 2 vols. Oxford\, England: James Parker and Co\, 1893″ : \nPWS attended St. Paul’s School and then Trinity College\, Oxford to read Classics where he attained Honour Moderations. \nand here is the record from the above publication : \nEntry for Philip Walsingham Sergeant in Joseph Foster. Oxford Men and Their Colleges\, 1880-1892. 2 vols. Oxford\, England: James Parker and Co\, 1893 \nWe do not know if PWS played in the Varsity matches of 1892 – 1895 : Britbase does not (yet) include player details for these matches. \nPWS married Minnie Boundford (born 27th February 1889) in 1909 in Hampstead and they lived at 5\, Dukes Avenue\, Chiswick where PWS was listed as an author and Minnie as someone who carried out “unpaid domestic duties”. Minnie was 17 years younger than PWS. Minnie’s father was a joiner and a carpenter. \nThey had two daughters Margaret (born 1910) and Kathleen (born 1911). \nIn October 1946 Minnie and PWS remarried. Presumably this was rather unusual in that day and age. \nAccording to The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 2nd edition\, 1996) by Hooper and Whyld : \nPWS was an English author of biographical games collections for Charousek\, Morphy and Pillsbury as well as other works of importance such as A Century of British Chess (1943) and Championship Chess (1938). \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (BT Batsford\, 1977) by Harry Golombek : \n“A professional writer on chess and popular historical subjects. Without any pretentions to mastership\, he represented Oxford University in the years 1892 – 5 and assisted RC Griffith in preparing three editions of Modern Chess Openings. \nIn chess he dealt with a number of important subjects : Morphy’s Games of Chess\, London\, 1916; Charousek’s Games of Chess\, London\, 1919; Pillsbury’s Chess Career (in collaboration with WH Watts)\, London\, 1923; Championship Chess\, London\, 1938. \nAll these are lucidly and carefully written but suffer from the defect that\, being neither a master player nor a professional annotator\, he was not competent to deal with the annotational part of the work. Probably his best book on chess was A Century of British Chess\, London\, 1934. \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume LXX11 (72)\, Number 11 (November)\, page 324 we have this rather brief obituary (presumably written by Brian Reilly): \n“We regret to have to report the death\, at the age of eighty-one of Philip W. Sergeant\, the author of A Century of British Chess\, which we imagine is in most chess libraries. He was the author of several well-known historical books – but we are only concerned here with his chess activities\, which included representing Oxford University 1892-5; helping RC Griffith with two editions of Modern Chess Openings; playing for Middlesex\, winning the chess championship of the authors’ club for several year\, and latterly as an honoured member; and occasionally obtaining the championship of the Guildford Chess Club. Our sympathy with his widow and two daughters is sincere.”\n” \nHe was a cousin of EG Sergeant. \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 Wikipedia : \n“Philip Walsingham Sergeant (27 January 1872\, Notting Hill\, London[1] – 20 October 1952)[2] was a British professional writer on chess and popular historical subjects.[3][4] He collaborated on the fifth (1933)\, sixth (1939)\, and seventh (1946) editions of Modern Chess Openings\, an important reference work on the chess openings. He also wrote biographical game collections of Paul Morphy (Morphy’s Games of Chess (1916) and Morphy Gleanings)\, Rudolf Charousek (Charousek’s Games of Chess (1919))\, and Harry Nelson Pillsbury (Pillsbury’s Chess Career\, with W. H. Watts\, 1922)\, and other important books such as A Century of British Chess (1934) and Championship Chess (1938).” \nHarry Golombek writes that\, “Without any pretensions to mastership\, he represented Oxford University in the years 1892-5”.[3] Golombek considers A Century of British Chess probably Sergeant’s best chess book\, but opines that although Sergeant’s chess books are lucidly written\, they suffer from the defect that\, as a non-master\, he was not competent to deal with the annotational aspect of his work. \nHe was a second cousin of Edward Guthlac Sergeant. \nPhilip Walsingham Sergeant \nCharousek’s Games of Chess \nThe Rice Memorial Chess Tournament\, 1916 \nPillsbury’s Chess Career\, London\, 1923 \nA Century of British Chess\, London\, 1934 \nAn Introduction to the Endgame at Chess \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-philip-walsingham-sergeant/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering,Writer
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201029
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201030
DTSTAMP:20201028T124304Z
CREATED:20190822T162401Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201028T124304Z
UID:992-1603929600-1604015999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Reginald Broadbent (03-viii-1906 29-x-1988)
DESCRIPTION:We remember Reginald Broadbent who passed away on October 29th 1988. \nReginald Joseph Broadbent was born on Friday\, August 3rd 1906 (the year of the San Francisco earthquake) in Durban\, South Africa. His father was Joseph Edward Broadbent (born 1879) who married Alice Cook on January 4th\, 1930 in Durban. \nAccording to the 1911 Isle of Man Census (FindMyPast\, Richard James; thanks!) the Broadbent family (sans father) stayed at a guest house in Onchan on the night of February 2nd 1911. Reg (aged 4) was a boarder together with mother Alice (33)\, brother Roland (1) and sister Laura (4). Since Reg and Laura are both recorded as 4 years old it is reasonable to suppose that they were born as twins. We think that Reg had an additional sibling who had passed away and that the name is not recorded. Reassuringly Steve Mann agrees with this conclusion. \nHe married Catherine H Broadbent (born 19th September 1895) and were recorded as living  (in 1939) in “Cheadle and Gately”\, Cheshire. His profession was as a  “Telephone Traffic Superintendent\, Class II\, Post Office Telephones” which was a a civil service occupation. Catherine carried out “unpaid domestic duties”. \nThey resided at 72\, South Park Road\, Gatley\, Cheshire : \n72\, South Park Road\, Gatley\, Cheshire. SK8 4AN \nAccording to Steve Mann in his excellent Yorkshire Chess web site : \n“At some time in 1946 or 1947\, Broadbent moved down south to live in the general vicinity of East Grinstead\, at Far End\, Limes Estate\, Felbridge\, 2 miles NW of East Grinstead\, and later at Southway\, Priory Road\, Forest Row\, 3 miles SE of East Grinstead” \nThe British Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (108\, 1988)\, #12 (December)\, p. 553 records this brief death announcement : \n“Reginald J. Broadbent\, British Champion 1948 and 1950 died on October 29 at the age of 82. He was a member of Manchester and Bradford Chess Clubs in his day\, and was famous for his remarkable record in Anglo-Dutch matches. \nAfter he moved to London around 1950 he was less free to play due to his senior post with the Post Office. A fuller notice will appear next month.” \n As advertised in the British Chess Magazine\, Volume CIX (109\, 1989)\, #1 (January)\, p. 27 we have : \n“Reginald Broadbent (3 viii 1906-29x 1988) was born at Durban and was British Champion in 1948 and 1950. In the latter content he actually won his last six games in a row to reach a score of 8.5 points\, ahead of Klein\, Penrose and Milner-Barry. He was often spoken of as “playing himself into form” in the first half of a contest as his work as a civil servant (the GPO) did not allow him the chance to practise regularly against strong opposition. \nHe was a member of the Manchester and Bradford clubs before the war when he built up a fine record in Anglo-Dutch matches and Northern Counties champion on many occasions.  \nBrian Reilly recalls that Broadbent was selected for the BCF Olympiad side in 1954\, but was forced to turn down the invitation due to the exacting nature of his work in London\, and thereafter his main connection with the game was a chess column in a West of England newspaper. He was a subscriber to BCM right up to his death.” \nWith the white pieces Broadbent was a die-hard 1.e4 player who allowed the Marshall Attack against the Ruy Lopez. \nAs the second player RJB defended the Nimzo-Indian Defence and played Open games. \nHere is one of his best games : \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 an element of déjà vu here is RJBs obituary from the 1989 – 1990 BCF Yearbook\, page 14 : \n(The Yearbook editor was Brian Concannon and it would appear standard practise\, at the time\,  not to credit or attribute sources for obituaries.) \nBCF Yearbook\, 1989-1990\, page 14 \nA detailed biography may be found here \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\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-reginald-joseph-broadbent/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player,Writer
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201106
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201107
DTSTAMP:20201106T195846Z
CREATED:20190823T183359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201106T195846Z
UID:1106-1604620800-1604707199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Jacob Sarratt (?-?- 1772 06-xi-1819)
DESCRIPTION:We remember Jacob Henry Sarratt who died 201 years ago today (November 6th) in 1819. \nChess historians will\, of course\, be familiar with JHS but the name is (probably) not well known outside these exalted circles. \nPossibly his most obvious contribution to chess in England was in 1807 when he influenced the result of games that ended in stalemate. You may not know that in England prior to 1807 a game that ended in stalemate was recorded as a win for the party who was stalemated. JHS was able to encourage various major chess clubs so that the result be recorded as a draw. Much endgame theory would be different if it wasn’t for JHS ! \nOutside of chess\, JHS was an interesting chap : \nThe content below has been copied (and we have corrected a number of typos along the way) from http://www.edochess.ca/batgirl/Sarratt.html \nAlso\, http://billwall.phpwebhosting.com/articles/Sarratt.htm is worthy of consultation. \n“Jacob Henry Sarratt\, born in 1772\, worked primarily as schoolmaster but was much better known for his advocations which\, of course\, included chess. \nAfter Philidor’s death\, Verdoni (along with Leger\, Carlier and Bernard – all four who co-authored Traité Théorique et Pratique du jeu des Echecs par une Societé d’ Amateurs) was considered one of the strongest players in the world\, especially in England. Verdoni had taken Philidor’s place as house professional at Parsloe’s. He mentored Jacob Sarratt until he died in 1804. That year Sarratt became the house professional at the Salopian at Charing Cross in London and most of his contemporaries considered him London’s strongest player. \nThere he claimed the title of Professor of Chess while teaching chess at the price of a guinea per game. \nBy any measure Surratt was not a particularly strong player\, but he was able to maintain the illusion that he was by avoiding the stronger players as he lorded over his students who didn’t know better. \nSarratt’s most important contribution to chess was that he mentored William Lewis who in turn mentored Alexander McDonnell. \nSurratt had a strange notion that chess culminated in the 16th century and that everything since then had been a step backwards. This odd notion had a positive side. Philidor was the darling of the English chess scene. Almost all books at that time were versions of\, or at least based on\, Philidor’s book. Surratt at least kept open the possibility that there were ideas beyond those of Philidor. \nIn 1808\, true to his role as a teacher\, Surratt published his Treatise on the Game of Chess\, a book that mainly concentrated on direct attacks on the king which he lifted from the Modense writers. \nHe translated several older writers whom he admired (though his translations are not considered particularly good):\nThe Works of Damiano\, Ruy Lopez and Salvio in 1813.\nThe Works of Gianutio and Gustavus Selenus in 1817. \nIn 1921 a posthumous edition of his Treatise\, A New Treatise on the Game of Chess\, was published. This copy covered the game of chess as a whole and was designed for the novice player. It also contained a 98 page analysis of the Muzio Gambit \nIn addition to his chess books\, Surratt also published\n[i]History of Man in 1802\,\nA New Picture of London[/i] in 1803\nHe translated Three Monks!!! from French in 1803 and Koenigsmark the Robber from German in 1803. \nHis second wife\, Elizabeth Camillia Dufour\, was also a writer. In 1803 (before they were married\, which was 1804)\, she published a novel called Aurora or the Mysterious Beauty. \nThey were married the following year. His first wife had died in 1802 at the age of 18. Both his wives were from Jersey. \nContrary to what one might expect\, Sarratt has been described tall\, lean and muscular and had even been a prize-fighter at one point. He had also bred dogs for fighting. He was regarded as a very affable fellow and very well-read but with limited taste (Ed : surely this applies to everyone ?) \nWilliam Hazlitt\, in his essay On Coffee-House Politicians wrote: \n[Dr. Whittle] was once sitting where Sarratt was playing a game at chess without seeing the board… Sarratt\, who was a man of various accomplishments\, afterwards bared his arm to convince us of his muscular strength…\nSarratt\, the chess-player\, was an extraordinary man. He had the same tenacious\, epileptic faculty in other things that he had at chess\, and could no more get any other ideas out of his mind than he could those of the figures on the board. He was a great reader\, but had not the least taste. Indeed the violence of his memory tyrannised over and destroyed all power of selection. He could repeat [all] Ossian by heart\, without knowing the best passage from the worst; and did not perceive he was tiring you to death by giving an account of the breed\, education\, and manners of fighting-dogs for hours together. The sense of reality quite superseded the distinction between the pleasurable and the painful. He was altogether a mechanical philosopher.” \nSomewhere along the way there must have come about a complete reversal of his fortunes because Surratt died impoverished in 1819\, leaving his wife destitute. But the resilient Elizabeth Sarratt was able to support herself by giving chess lessons to the aristocracy of Paris. \nShe must have been very well liked. In 1843 when she herself became old and unable to provide for herself\, players from both England and France took up a fund to help her out. She lived until 1846. \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 1984 & 1992) by Hooper & Whyld : \nReputedly the best player in England from around 1805 until his death. As a young man he met Philidor. Subsequently he developed his game by practice with a strong French player Hippolyte du Rourblanc (d. 1813)\, with whom he had a long friendship dating from 1798\, and with Verdoni\, Sarratt’s first important contribution to the game was in connection with the laws of chess: he persuaded the London club\, founded in 1807\, to accept that a game ending in stalemate should be regarded as a draw and not as a win for the player who is stalemated. He became a professional at the Salopian coffee house at Charing Cross\, London\,  \nNos. 39-41\, Charing Cross and the Timber Yard \nand in 1808 wrote his Treatise on the Game of Chess.  \nTreatise on the Game of Chess by JH Sarratt\, 1808 \nThis\, largely a compilation from the work of the Modenese masters\, advocated that players should seek direct attack upon the enemy king\, a style that dominated the game until the 1870s. An Oxford surgeon\, W. Tuckwell\, wrote that he learned chess ‘from the famous Sarratt\, the great chess teacher\, whose fee was as a guinea a lesson’. Lewis\, who played many games with Sarratt from 1816\, wrote in 1822 (after he had met both Deschapelles and Bourdonnais) that Sarratt was the most finished player he had ever met\, Sarratt translated the works of several early writers on the game\, making them known for the first time to English readers: The Works of Damiano\, Ruy Lopez and Selenus (1813) and The Works of Gianutio and Gustavus Selenus (1817). \nHe died impoverished on 6 Nov. 1819 after a long illness during which he was unable lo earn a livelihood by teaching. Instead he wrote his New Treatise on the Game of Chess published posthumously in 1821\, This is the first book to include a comprehensive beginner’s section: in more than 200 pages Sarratt teaches by means of question and answer. Another feature is a 98-page analysis of the Muzio 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 \nHad it been Sarratt’s ambition to become a chess professional there would have been scant opportunity during the lifetime of Philidor and Verdoni. A tall\, lean\, yet muscular man\, sociable and talkative\, he seems in his younger days to have had interests of a different kind\, among them prize fighting and the breeding of fighting dogs. Hazlitt\, who met Sarratt around 1812 wrote ‘He was a great reader\, but had not the least taste. Indeed the violence of his memory tyrannised over and destroyed all power of selection. He could repeat Ossian by heart\, without knowing the best passage from the worst.’  \nSarratt’s early publications were History of Man (1802): translations of two Gothic novels\, The Three Monks!!! (1803)\, from the French of Elisabeth Guénard (Baronne de Méré) \, and Koenigsmark the Robber (1803)\, from the German of R. E. Raspe; A New Future of London (1803)\, an excellent guide that ran to several editions\, the last in 1814\, When war broke out with France in 1803 Sarratt became\, for a short period\, a lieutenant in the Royal York Mary-le-Bone Volunteers and published Life of Bonaparte * a propaganda booklet detailing Napoleon’s alleged war crimes\, and warning of the desolation that would follow if he were to invade.  \nNot long after the birth of his second child in 1802 Sarratt’s wife died and in 1804 he married a Drury Lane singer\, Elisabeth Camilla Du four. Tt would be difficult to find a more accomplished\, a more amiable\, or a happier couple than Mr and Mrs Sarratt’ – Mary Julia Young\, Memoirs of Mrs Crouch (1806)\, Mrs Sarratt too was a writer contributing tales to various journals and publishing Aurora or the Mysterious Beauty (1803)\, a translation of a French novel. She survived her husband until 1846\, ending her days giving chess lessons to the aristocracy in Paris. In 1843 Louis-Philippe and many players from England and France subscribed to a fund on her behalf. ” \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale\, 1970 & 1976)\, Anne Sunnucks : \n“Self-styled ‘Professor of Chess’\, Sarratt was the first professional player to teach the game in England. He was the author of a A Treatise on the Game of Chess\, The  (1808)\, The Works of Damiano\, Ruy Lopez and Salvio (1813)\, The Works of Gianutio and Gustavas Selenus (1817) and a New Treatise on the Game of Chess (1821). \nThere is no record of Sarratt’s date or place of birth\, He began his career as a schoolmaster and later taught chess at Tom’s Coffee House\, Cornhill\, London\, and at the London Chess Club\, and was in his day considered to be the strongest player in London.” \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1983)\, Harry Golombek OBE : \n“Leading English player of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Famed in his day as a teacher and author. Sarratt adopted the title of ‘Professor of Chess’\, His writings include A Treatise on the Game of Chess\, London 1808\, The Works of Damiano\, Ruy Lopez and Salvio (1813). \nSarratt is usually credited with introducing into England the Continental practise of counting a game ending in stalemate as a draw. (RDK)” \nSome games by Jacob Henry Sarratt: \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\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \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\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \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\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \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\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \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\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \n\n Save as PDF
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