BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//British Chess News - ECPv6.17.4//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: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:20210309
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210310
DTSTAMP:20210309T102629Z
CREATED:20190930T130829Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210309T102629Z
UID:1433-1615248000-1615334399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Dr. Richard Guy (30-ix-1916 09-iii-2020)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Richard Guy who passed away in Calgary\, Alberta\, Canada on Monday\, March 9th\, 2020 at the splendid age of 103. \nEarly Life\nRichard Kenneth Guy was born on Saturday\, 30th September 1916. On this day construction on the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City was completed. \nHe was born in Nuneaton\, Warwickshire to William Alexander Charles Guy and  Augusta Adeline Guy (née Tanner). RKGs parents had married in the final quarter of 1915 in Solihull. William was headmaster of Atherstone Elementary School. \nRichard Guy\nGrowing Up\nRichard attended Warwick School excelling in mathematics where he was a boarder and prefect.  In December 1934 He obtained  a County Major Scholarship for Mathematics provided by the Lord Kitchener Memorial Fund gaining his Northern Universities Higher School Certificate in July 1935. \nWarwick and Warwickshire Advertiser 25 May 1935\nHe went up to Gonville and Caius College\, Cambridge University in October 1935 graduating in 1938. Stephen  Hawking was also an alumni of Caius College. \nRichard Guy\nThe 1939 register records Richard aged 23 living as a lodger in the  Blower household of six  at 436 Buxton Road\, Stockport\, Cheshire\, England. This address has since been converted to residential flats. He was  a teacher of mathematics in a local secondary school. \nRAF and the Weather Years\nDuring the second world war Richard saw non-combative service in the Royal Air Force working on forecasting the weather and improving the methodologies.  This work was a critical component of the British war effort. \nIn the final quarter of 1940 Richard married Nancy Louise Thirian in Bingham\, Nottingham. Nancy (in fact\, she was known as Louise) was born in Islington in the third quarter of 1918 and passed away in 2010.  They had three children and Michael JT Guy was also a significant mathematician. \nAccording to Wikipedia : “In November 1942\, Guy received an emergency commission in the Meteorological Branch of the Royal Air Force\, with the rank of flight lieutenant.  He was posted to Reykjavik\, and later to Bermuda\, as a meteorologist. He tried to get permission for Louise to join him but was refused. While in Iceland\, he did some glacier travel\, skiing\, and mountain climbing\, marking the beginning of another long love affair\, this one with snow and ice.” \nRichard Guy\nTeaching and Research\nIn August 1951 Richard relocated to Singapore and taught for ten years at The University of Malaya and following that he worked at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. Finally\, in 1965\, he moved to Calgary and taught  in the Mathematics Department at The University of Calgary.  For fuller details of his extensive mathematical career see the many links at the foot of this article. \nRKGs final address in England was 145 Sunderland Road\, Forest Hill\, London SE23 2PX: \n145 Sunderland Road\, Forest Hill\, London SE23 2PX\nChess Playing\nRichard’s chess career was active whilst at Warwick School.  As a boarder and prefect he played for the school “eight” in matches against teams such as Birmingham University and King Edward’s School\, Birmingham. \nRichard Guy\nRichard’s interest turned away from over-the-board play but he did find time to compete in the Major Open of the August 1946 British Championships in Nottingham. Only two game scores are known where he lost to Dr. Fazekas and Gordon Crown: both very strong opponents. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nRichard Guy\nChess Writing and Composing\nThe December 1947 edition of British Chess Magazine contains RKGs very first Endings column taking over from TR Dawson. The column was introduced thus: \n“Mr RK Guy has kindly consented to take over the Endings Section. All communications should now be sent to him at 33 Westwood Park Forest Hill London SE23.” TRD went on to write: \n“With this page I reluctantly terminate on health grounds some forty years of work in the Endings field\, and my contributions to this corner of the British Chess Magazine. To the many readers of these pages\, a Merry Christmas and steadily improving years.” \n33 Westwood Park\, Forest Hill\, London SE23 3QG\nRKG was to edit this column until his final piece in June 1951. RKG wrote in the July 1951 column (now edited by HF Blandford): “My address after August will be University of Malaya\, Singapore. I have enjoyed these few years\, and am sorry to leave you\, although you will be in capable hands. HFB is player and problemist\, but his greatest love is for endings\, and he has won many international prizes.” \nRKG is known for almost 200 endgame studies. \nThis is  study #53\, page 57 from Test Tube Chess by AJ Roycroft: \nRK Guy\nThe Field\, 28 xii 1940 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nwin\, 3+2 \nThe win is by a white king march from the h-file onto the same file as the pawn\, instead of the reverse! \n1.Bb4!/i Rh2+;\n2.Kg7 Rg2+;\n3.Kf7 Rf2+;\n4.Ke6 Re2+/ii;\n5.Kd5 Re3;\n6.Kd4 wins\n(i) Why not 1.d8=Q. Because of 1…Rb8; 2.Qxb8 stalemate!\n(ii) 4…Rf8 not on because of 5.Bxf8 \nand this one is study #148\, page 106 of the same publication: \nRK Guy\nBritish Chess Magazine\, x 1943 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nwin\, 6+4 \n1.Sc1+ Kc4;\n2.b3+ Kd4;\n3.Se2+ Ke4/i;\n4.Sg3+ Kd4/ii;\n5.Rf4+ Ke5/iii;\n6.Re4+ Kd5;\n7.Rd4+ Kxd4;\n8.Sf5+ Ke5;\n9.Sxd6 Kxd6;\n10.h4 wins. \n(i) 3…Kd3;4.Rd5+ Qd5;5.Sf4+ Ke4;6.Sxd5 Kxd5;7.h4 wins.\n(ii) 4…Kd3;5.Rf3+ Kxd2;6.Se4+\, or 5…Kd4;6.Sf5+.\n(iii) 5…Kd5;6.Rd4+ Kxd4;7.Sf5+.\nA lot of checks\, but also a lot of play. \nFor more examples of RKGs work we recommend his AVRES database entry. \nIn 2020 John Beasley wrote: “Richard did not achieve the same renown in our field as he has in the field of recreational mathematics\, but his studies are neat and many are also instructive\, a point which he considered important. We have been the richer for his presence.” \nAlong with Hugh Blandford and John Roycroft\, RKG was one of the inventors of the GBR code (Guy–Blandford–Roycroft code)\, a system of representing the position of chess pieces on a chessboard. Publications such as EG magazine use it to classify endgame types and to index endgame studies. \nRichard Kenneth Guy\nWinning Ways\nThe Unity of Combinatorics\, Ezra Brown and RK Guy\, American Mathematical Society (30 May 2020)\nUnsolved Problems in Geometry\, RK Guy\, Springer Verlag\, 1994\nHere is an appreciation from John Beasley \nRKGs entry on the AVRES database \nRKGs entry on chesscomposers.blogspot.com \nAn Interview with a mathematician \nAn obituary from The Calgary Herald \nA tribute from The University of Calgary \nA tribute from A Periodical \nA tribute from the American Mathematical Society \n100th birthday tribute from the Mathematical Association of America \nRKGs Wikipedia article \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/happy-birthday-richard-kenneth-guy/
CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,History
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Guy_younger.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210313
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210314
DTSTAMP:20210305T181544Z
CREATED:20190823T092441Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T181544Z
UID:1062-1615593600-1615679999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of William Potter (27-viii-1840 13-iii-1895)
DESCRIPTION:William Norwood Potter\nDeath Anniversary of William Norwood Potter\, (27-viii-1840 13-iii-1895) \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-william-norwood-potter/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WilliamNorwoodPotter.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210313
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210314
DTSTAMP:20210305T182112Z
CREATED:20200322T194222Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T182112Z
UID:3668-1615593600-1615679999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of IM William Fairhurst CBE (21-viii-1903 13-iii-1982)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of IM William Albert Fairhurst CBE (21-viii-1903 13-iii-1982) \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \n“International chess master\, British Champion in 1937 and Scottish Champion in 1932\, 1933\, 1934\, 1936\, 1937\, 1938\, 1946\, 1947\, 1948\, 1949 and 1962. \nBorn in Alderney Edge in Cheshire on 21st August 1903\, Fairhurst taught himself to play chess from books on the game\, when he was 13\, when he was 18 he won the Cheshire Championship. \nHis first major international success was at Scarborough in 1927\, where he tied for Yates for 2nd prize\, ahead of Bogoljubov\, Sir George Thomas\, Buerger\, among others. \nIn 1931 he went to live to Scotland\, quickly established himself as a leader of Scottish chess and played a major role in agreements between the British Chess Federation and the Scottish Chess Association. In 1932 he gave a blindfold simultaneous display\, winning nine games and drawing three\, in the Polytechnic Club in Glasgow\, and in 1933 he drew match of six games against Eliskases. \nFairhurst has represented Great Britain in matches against Czechoslovakia and the USSR in 1946 and 1947; against the Netherlands in 1937\, 1938\, 1949 and 1952 and against the USSR in 1954. He also played in the Great Britain v. Australia radio match in 1947. He has represented Scotland in six chess Olympiads\, those of 1933\, 1956\, 1958\, 1964\, 1966 and 1968. \nAt Hastings in 1947 he came 5th and went through the tournament without losing a game. \nSenior partner of a leading firm of engineers and designer of the new bridge over the River Tay at Dundee (the longest river crossing in Europe)\, Fairhurst was Chairman of the Scottish Branch of the Institute of Structural Engineers and author of Arch Design Simplified. He was also a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland.” \nArch Design Simplified\nHere are his games \nHere is his 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\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/remembering-im-william-albert-fairhurst-cbe-21-viii-1903-13-iii-1982/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/fairhurst_1937.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210314
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210315
DTSTAMP:20210314T123254Z
CREATED:20200410T133033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210314T123254Z
UID:4348-1615680000-1615766399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of IM Simon Webb (10-vi-1949 14-iii-2005)
DESCRIPTION:We remember IM Simon Webb (10-vi-1949 14-iii-2005) \nDavid Nixon and Simon Webb at the London Evening Standard Congress\nSimon became England’s fourth Correspondence Grandmaster in 1983 following Keith Richardson\, Adrian Hollis and Peter Clarke. \nIM Jonathan Speelman vs IM Simon Webb at the 1978 British Championships in Ayr\, Courtesy of John Upham\n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nSimon Webb (above Stewart Reuben at the Lloyds Bank Masters\nJoint winners of the 1973 Strasbourg Open : N. Karaklaic and Simon Webb. Photography by Mike Rose. CHESS\, Volume 88\, June\, page 283\nChess for Tigers\nChess for Tigers\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-im-simon-webb-10-vi-1949-14-iii-2005/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/img_0310_lv.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210315
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210316
DTSTAMP:20210315T174308Z
CREATED:20190822T150351Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210315T174308Z
UID:966-1615766400-1615852799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Gerald Abrahams (15-iv-1907 15-iii-1980)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Gerald Abrahams who passed away in Liverpool on Saturday\, March 15th 1980. He was buried in the Allerton Cemetery in the Jewish Springwood plot. \nGerald Abrahams was born in Liverpool on Monday\, April 15th 1907.  On this day the Triangle Fraternity was formed at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. \nHis parents were Harry (b. 10th September 1880) and Leah (b. 12th March 1884) Abrahams (née Rabinowitz) who married in West Derby in the third quarter of 1903. \nGerald learnt chess at the age of ten during the first world war. He obtained an Open Scholarship to Wadham College\, Oxford in 1925 reading PPE and earning himself an MA in Law in 1928. He became a practising barrister at Law. \nFrom the 1939 register we learnt that Harry was a Drapery manufacturer and Leah carried out “unpaid domestic duties”. Gerald was not an only child: the first born was Winnie (b. 22nd November 1903) who was a Secretary and Clerk Typist and factory assistant. Elsie Abrahams (b. 14th April 1905) helped her mother with “unpaid domestic duties”. Blanche was Gerald’s older brother and he was “General Assistant In Fathers Business Drapery Manufacturer”. Gerald is listed (aged 32) as a Barrister at Law and author. The family resided at 51 Prince Alfred Road\, Liverpool\, Lancashire (now L15 6TQ) and their original property has been since replaced. \nHistorical map showing the 1939 residence of Gerald Abrahams\nWe learn from “Philanthropy\, Consensus\, and broiges: managing a Jewish Community A history of the Southport Jewish Community\nby John Cowell” of an incident in January 1942 that was to cause ripples in the community. The headline was \nPOLICE RAID DISTURBS CLUB CARD PLAYERS \nThe full list of people present seems to have been largely or entirely Jewish in religion or ethnicity: it included a famous chess-playing barrister from Liverpool\, Gerald Abrahams\, representing himself\, who had taken a First in P.P.E. at Oxford\, and later married Elsie Krengel\, who had also been present\, and with Leslie Black representing the rest of the defendants\, apart from the hosts and Captain Lionel Husdan\, who sent a letter to the court. \nThe full list of those present\, charged with “resorting and playing in a common gaming house\,” and bound over was as follows:- Mott Alexander\, Fannie Finn\, Maxwell Glassman\, Kate Lippa\, Myer Lister\, Gertrude Mannheim\, Joseph Mannheim\, Rita Mannheim\, Simon Mannheim\, Harry Peters\, Sadie Peters\, Lily Leah Ross\, Harry Sapiro\, Benjamin Stone. Those charged with “resorting in a common gaming house” and bound over\, were:- Gerald Abrahams\, Joseph Appleton Bach\, Samuel Myer Barnett\, Herbert Solomon Isaacson\, Elsie Krengel\, Manuel Mannheim\, Louis Michaelson\, Abraham Ross\, Bernard and Elsie Ross. \n“Gerald Abrahams\, the barrister charged\, said he was interested to protect his reputation from being stigmatised by a conviction\, and asked Sergeant Laycock about alcohol: the latter replied that none was being consumed. He submitted that the club was not a gaming house\, and that draw poker had not been proved other than as a game of skill. Charges were dismissed against Henry\, Eva and Marjorie Black\, Myer Waldman\, and Captain Lionel Husdan\, of Ryde\, Isle of Wight\, all of whom had said that they were merely taking refreshments in the club\, and had not played. David Platt said that he had not the slightest idea that they were breaking the law\, and Mrs Platt said that it had not been a paying venture.” \nThe Complete Chess Addict (Faber& Faber\, 1987)\, Fox & James notes: that Gerald Abrahams as authority on bridge cast doubt on assertions that Emanuel Lasker “was good enough to represent Germany” \nGerald’s comparisons of chess and bridge are discussed by Edward Winter in Chess Facts and Fables (McFarland\, 2005) page 130 in GAs 1962 book Brains in Bridge: \nBrains in Bridge\, Gerald Abrahams\, Constable and Company\, 1962\, ISBN ?\nGerald eventually married Elsie Krengel (born 15th January 1909) in the fourth quarter of 1971 in Liverpool at the age of 64. Elsie had lived in the Southport area for most of her life and her family was associated with the manufacture of handbags.  They had known each other for many years (at least since 1942 as mentioned previously). \nGerald Abrahams\nLeonard Barden modestly recounts : \n“At the end of Nottingham 1954  Gerald claimed that Alan Phillips had accepted his draw offer so tieing Gerald for the British championship with some rabbit whose name escapes me.  When Phillips strongly denied having accepted the draw\, Gerald collapsed on the floor and had to be aided by his old enemy Dr. Fazekas.” \nFrom The Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match (1946) by Klein and Winter: \n“G. Abrahams was born in Liverpool in 1907. He learned chess at the age of ten\, and showed an early aptitude for tactical complications. He has played with varying success\, his best performances being third and fourth with Rossolimo\, behind Klein and Najdorf\, but head of List at Margate\, 1938\, and fourth\, fifth and sixth with Sir George A. Thomas and König in London\, 1946. He has made two valiant bids for the British Championship. \nA graduate of Oxford\, he is a barrister by profession and has written several books\, including some fiction. He has solidified his chess without allowing it to become dry. Indeed\, most of his games sparkle with interesting complications.” \nHarry Golombek OBE wrote (in The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977)): \n“Brilliant British amateur who in the 1930s was playing master-chess. In that period he was the most dangerous attacking player in England. \nGerald Abrahams watching the opening at the Hastings Chess Congress 1947. Also watching is Sir George Thomas who was GAs round one opponent. The Mayor was Alderman W. J. Fellows and he is opposite Sir Edmund McNeill Cooper-Key. Second from left is Percy J. Morren who was the Hasting’s Club President\nHe was in the prize-list (i.e. in the first four) in the British championship on three occasions 1933\, 1946 and 1954. His best international performance was in the Major Open at Nottingham in 1936 where he came =3rd with Opocensky. Another fine result was his score of 1.5-0.5 against the Soviet Grandmaster Ragozin\, in the 1946 Anglo-Soviet radio match. \nHe is the inventor of the Abrahams variation in the Semi-Slav Defence to the Queen’s Gambit: 1.P-Q4\, P-Q4;2.P-QB4\, P-QB3;3.N-QB3\, P-K3;4.N-B3\, PXP;5.P-QR4\, B-N4;6.P-K3\,P-QN4;7.B-Q2\, P-QR4; 8.PxP\, BxN;9.BxB\,PxP;10.P-QN3\,B-N2; \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nThis is sometimes known as the Noteboom variation after the Dutch master who played it in the 1930s\, but Abrahams was playing it in 1925 long before Noteboom. \nHe is a witty and prolific writer on many subjects: on law (he is a barrister by profession)\, philosophy\, and chess; he also writes fiction. His main chess works are: The Chess Mind\, London 1951 and 1960 \nThe Chess Mind\, Gerald Abrahams\, The English Universities Press\, 1951\, ISBN 0 340 19492 8\nand here is a later cover: \nThe Chess Mind\, Gerald Abrahams\, The English Universities Press\, 1951\, ISBN 0 340 19492 8\nand Not Only Chess\, London 1974. \nNot Only Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, George Allen & Unwin Ltd.\, 1974\, ISBN 0 04 794005 0\nEdward Winter in Kings\, Commoners and Knaves\, cites the subtitle of the above book in his page 235 list of chessy words: “A selection of Chessays”. \nFrom Not Only Chess we learn that GAs favourite game was played in 1930 against Edmund Spencer of Liverpool. “Edmund Spencer was a man who is remembered with affection by all players who ever met him\, and who is remarkable in that his strength developed in what should have been hid middle life. When he died\, lamentably early\, in the 1930s\, at about 53 he was at his best\, and of recognised master status. \nThis game was played in 1930.” \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 for an alternative view of the same game: \n\nGA is amongst a rare breed of game annotators claiming the title of An Immortal for one of his own games. Edward Winter devotes a couple of column inches discussing exactly which year the game was played between 1929 and 1936. Here is the 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\nFor more of GAs excellent games see the superb article further on by Steve Cunliffe. Also\, Not Only Chess in Chapter 28 (“A Score of my Scores”) contains a veritable feast of entertaining games of GAs). \nGerald famously fell out with Anne Sunnucks when he discovered she had omitted him from her 1970 Encyclopaedia of Chess. Despite this the 1976 edition was also devoid of a mention. \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 1984 & 1996)\, Hooper & Whyld: \n“The English player Gerald Abrahams (1907-80) introduced the move when playing against Dr. Holmes in the Lancastrian County Championship in 1925 (ed: January 31st in fact) . Abrahams played the variation against his countryman William Winter (1898-1955) in 1929 and in the same year Winter played it against Noteboom\, after whom it is sometimes named. (Dr\, Holmes was the favourite pupil of Amos Burn and a leading ophthalmologist). \nGerald Abrahams\nThe precursor\, known from a 16th-century manuscript\, was published by Salvio in 1604: \n1.d4 d5;2.c4 dxc4;3.e4 b5;4.a4 c6;5.axb5 cxb5;6.b3 b4;7.bxc4 a5; 8.Bf4 Nd7;9.Nf3 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nWriting in 1617\, Carrera made his only criticism of Salvio’s analysis in this variation. He suggested 8…Bd7 instead of 8…Nd7\, or 9.Qa4 instead of 9.Nf3. Salvio nursed his injured pride for seventeen years and then devoted a chapter of his book to a bitter attack on Carrera. The argument was pointless: all these variations give White a won game.” \nGA famously wrote : \nChess is a good mistress\, but a bad master \nand also \nThe tactician knows what to do when there is something to do; whereas the strategian knows what to do when there is nothing to do. \nand \nIn chess there is a world of intellectual values \nand \nGood positions don’t win games\, good moves do \nand \nWhy some persons are good at chess\, and others bad at it\, is more mysterious than anything on chess board. \nIn the recently (February 25th\, 2020) published “Attacking with g2 – g4” by GM Dmitry Kryakvin writes about Abrahams as follows : \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“It is believed that the extravagant 5.g2-g4 was first applied at a high level\, namely in the British Championship by Gerald Abrahams. Abrahams was a truly versatile person – a composer\, lawyer\, historian\, philosopher\, politician (for 40 years a member of the Liberal Party) and the author of several books. Of his legal work\, the most famous is the investigation into the murder of Julia Wallace in 1931 in Liverpool\, where her husband was the main suspect. As an alibi\, William Herbert Wallace claimed he was at a chess club. Dozens of books and films have been devote to the murder of Mrs. Wallace – indeed\, this is a script worthy of Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie! \nby Lafayette (Lafayette Ltd)\, whole-plate film negative\, 21 August 1933\nAbrahams played various card games with great pleasure and success\, but the main passion of the Liverpool resident was chess. Abrahams achieved his greatest success in the championships of Great Britain in 1933 and 1946\, when he won bronze medals. The peak of his career was undoubtedly his participation in the USSR-Great Britain radio match (1946) where on the 10th board Abrahams beat Botvinnik’s second and assistant grandmaster Viacheslav Ragozin with a score of 1.5-0.5 \nGerald Abrahams had a taste of studying opening theory\, and made a distinct contribution to the development of the Noteboom Variation\, which is often known as the Abrahams-Noteboom. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nTen years after he introduced the move 5.g2-g4 to the English public (1953)\, the famous grandmaster Lajos Portisch brought it into the international arena.” \nGerald Abrahams\nGerald was also a keen studies composer. Here are some examples of his work: \nGerald Abrahams\, 1923 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\n1/2-1/2 \nSolution: 1. Ra3! Ra3 […a1=q;2.Ra1 Ba1;3.d7 Kf7;4.d8=q];2.e8=q a1=q;3.Qd7 \nand \nGerald Abrahams\, 1924 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\n1-0 \nHere is an interesting article by Tim Harding on the naming of the Abrahams-Noteboom Variation of the Semi-Slav Defence \nHere is an article about GA and a blindfold exhibition \nGerald Abrahams contributed to opening theory in the Queen’s Gambit Declined / Semi-Slav Defence with his creation of the Abrahams-Noteboom Defence as discussed in the following video : \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\nHere is a nine page article (Gerald Abrahams – Talent without Discipline) written by Steve Cunliffe that appeared in British Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 292-300: \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 292\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 293\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 294\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 295\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 296\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 297\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 298\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 299\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 300\n\nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nSee his games at Chessgames.com \nHow to Teach Yourself Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, D Van Nostrand Company\, Inc\, New York\, 1950\nTechnique in Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, George Bell & Sons Ltd.\, 1961\,\nTest Your Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, Constable and co\, 1963\, ISBN 0 330 24336 5\nThe Pan Book of Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, Pan\, 1965\, 10: ISBN 0330230735\nTeach Yourself Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, The English Universities Press Ltd\, 1965\,\nTechnique in Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, Dover\, 1973\, ISBN ISBN 13: 9780486229539\nBrilliance in Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, Pitman Publishing\, 1977\, ISBN 10: 0273000349\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-gerald-abrahams/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IMG-3.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:20210318
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210319
DTSTAMP:20230317T091443Z
CREATED:20200402T175239Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230317T091443Z
UID:3990-1616025600-1616111999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of FM Steve Berry (18-iii-1951 04-i-2019)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of FM Stephen H Berry (18-iii-1951) \nObituary from Andrew Stone \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-stephen-h-berry-18-iii-1951/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Player,Remembering
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/319.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
END:VCALENDAR