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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210108
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210109
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SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of William Ritson Morry (05-ix-1910 08-i-1994)
DESCRIPTION:We remember William Ritson Morry who passed away on Saturday\, January 8th\, 1994. \n(A point of detail : It is incorrect\, but many do\, to write WRM hyphenated. His first name was William\, his middle name was Ritson and his surname was Morry. He chose to use his middle name and was known by his friends as Ritson. Maybe this was because he father was also William Morry?) \nWRM was born in the Wirral on Monday\, September 5th 1910 and his parents were William D Morry (born 16th July 1877). William was a sub-postmaster and seller of fancy goods. His mother was Norah Morry who undertook “unpaid domestic duties”. \nIn the 1939 register he is recorded as being a solicitor with his own practice and was living at 294 Walmley Road\, Royal Sutton Coldfield\, Warwickshire with his parents : he was 29 years old. \n294 Walmley Road\, Royal Sutton Coldfield\, Warwickshire\, B76\, 2PL\nIn 1940 WRM married Nellie Cooper in Sutton Coldfield. \nIn 1943 WRM was mentioned in the London Gazette several times: \nWRM appears in the London Gazette in 1943.\nIt would appear that this was the start of his first bankruptcy proceedings.. \nWRM was\, by now\, living at “Lyndon”\, Coleshill Road\, Sutton Coldfield\, Warwickshire : \nLyndon\, Coleshill Road\, Sutton Coldfield\, Warwickshire\nand in the same year on September 30th he was officially made bankrupt as recorded in the London Gazette\, order number 195. This notice was repeated in the Edinburgh Gazette of the same year. \nOn the 8th of June 1944 he was recorded as being struck-off the list of solicitors under the Solicitors Acts of 1932 to 1941. It was determined that WRM had engaged in “fraudulent conversion of clients money” \nBirmingham Daily Post 30 October 1945\nFor more on this see the excellent Chess in the Courts by Edward Winter. \nIn 1954 WRM sued BH Wood for libel over a letter BHW sent to Henry Golding of the Monmouthshire County Chess Association warning him of WRMs financial history. Here is a summary of the action : \nThe Birmingham Post\, July 15th\, 1954\nIn 1983 WRM was living at Flat 2\, 53\, Mayfield Road\, Moseley\, Birmingham\, West Midlands and recorded as a Retired Chess Journalist. Elsewhere he was recorded as a freelance chess and cricket journalist. \n57\, Mayfield Road\, Moseley\, Birmingham\, B13 9HT\nand\, unfortunately\, in this year he made another appearance in the London Gazette (2nd September 1983) having been made bankrupt. \nLondon Gazette\, 2nd September 1983\nHowever\, despite these unfortunate life events WRMs contribution to chess goes above and beyond them as he won the BCF President’s Award in 1984. \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CXIV (114\, 1994)\, Number 2 (February)\, pp. 98 – 99 we have this obituary from Bernard Cafferty: \nW Ritson Morry – a Tribute \nThat great chess character\, known to everybody simply as Ritson\, has left us in the fullness of years\, coincidentally during the first Hastings Congress he missed for decades. \nWilliam Ritson Morry (5 ix 1910-8 i 1994) was a player\, organiser\, writer\, arbiter and occasional sponsor of tournaments whose life touched so many aspects of chess that it is hard to know where to begin. \nWilliam Ritson Morry (05-ix-1910 08-i-1994)\nRitson was educated in North Wales at the same school as BH Wood. Both were at Birmingham University at the same time\, after which Ritson trained as a solicitor. As early as 1930 he founded the Birmingham Junior League\, and a little later wrote a chess column for a time for a local newspaper\, though Ritson is hardly the first person you think of as someone who would hit deadlines consistently. He was equal second in a rather unrepresentative British Championship of 1936 and equal third in 1951. An unfortunate incident in the mid-1940s led to him being struck off\, whereupon he became a chess professional\, who eked out a precarious living for the last 48 years of his life. Yet\, I never heard him complain\, for he was able to immerse himself in chess full time\, and what could be better than that? \nWilliam Ritson Morry playing Baruch Harold Wood at the British Championships in Blackpool from 1956\nHe ran a series of newsletters\, which hardly covered their expenses and produced and British Championship and Hastings bulletins for many years. 1951 was a significant year in his life\, for he gained the FIDE Arbiter title (he was always an expert on the rules and many of the conventions we all play to were codified by him\, or under his guidance). Later on Ritson\, a great raconteur\, was the life and soul of the show in Hastings which\, along with the Warwickshire chess team and Erdington CC\, was the great love of his life. \nAberystwyth Chess Congress 1955\, W Ritson Morry and KL Gardiner\, En Passant Chess Publications\, 1955\nAt times he seemed to run Hastings almost single-handed in the Frank Rhoden era. In fact GM Vasyukov went back to Moscow in 1966 and wrote that Ritson Morry was the only controller to be seen in the morning\, afternoon and evening sessions of play. I recall that Ritson was amused when I told him of this\, but did not demur. To show that there was life in the old dog\, he organised a series of Birmingham international tournaments in the 1970s at which Tony Miles got much of his early experience. \nTackle Chess by William Ritson-Morry & W Melville Mitchell\nOne such tournament was financed by him alone\, on the basis of the sale of a piece of land in Sutton Coldfield where a change of planning status had led to a windfall profit. \n  \nHastings Chess Congress 1955-56\, RG Wade & W. Ritson Morry\, En Passant Chess Publications\nHe also saved Hastings in late 1974\,by giving a partial guarantee when another sponsor reduced his contribution. A few years later the Inland Revenue made him bankrupt when they could not get their piece of the action out of the deal. Doubtless Ritson thought that the money had gone to a worthier cause. I must not fail to mention his love of gambling or his erudition. Many is the time when you could have an exposition from him of the law of England\, the practice of the courts and the police\, or the political news of the day. \nWilliam Ritson Morry (05-ix-1910 08-i-1994)\nHe was deeply immersed in local Labour Party politics in Birmingham and was a friend of football referee\, ‘rainmaker’ Dennis Howell\, one-time Minister for Sport. Ritson also played a great deal of postal chess\, winning the British title in 1943. His book on the game written in conjunction with a Birmingham schoolmaster Mel Mitchell is a very instructive one\, and he also wrote many reports and amusing articles for BCM\, particularly one on of the failings of the Elo rating system regulations. \nHere is a game Ritson won against the veteran German GM at the London Easter congress of 1940: \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nBernard wrote about WRM a year later for the centenary edition of the programme for the Hastings International Congress : \n“‘Ritson’ as we all knew him was an institution in British Chess\, active as a player\, writer\,  organiser\, drafter of rules and well-known for his skill as a raconteur\, Educated in North Wales\, he spent the rest of his life\, from university days onwards\, in Birmingham\, but the Hastings Congress was very close to his heart.  He played in a number of pre-war events\, and also a few post-war\, but by the time of the Frank Rhoden revival of the mid-1950s he was firmly in the saddle organising the post-Christmas traditional event. In fact I recall how perturbed Frank Rhoden was when the news came that Ritson might emigrate to the West Indies.  It was not clear then how he could be replaced\, for he supervised the morning\, afternoon and evening sessions at the Sun Lounge (his favourite venue) and later at the Falaise Hall when the congress was still of such a size that we could all\, including the Premier\, be fitted into one room. \nWilliam Ritson Morry\nRitson also did game commentaries for some years and produced a bulletin for at least three decades. He was greatly encouraging of younger talent and the objective historian has to recall the indignation he felt when players like Tony Miles and Nigel Short were not happy with the restraints imposed by financial stringency. \nHastings bench memorial bench for William Ritson Morry\nIn his declining years Ritson was still a regular until his illness of late 1993\, and a fixture at the “gate” where the public paid their entrance money at the Cinque Ports Hotel. The choice of word is deliberate as a visit to the dogs and the bookmaker was one of his rare pleasures outside chess.  Best of all\, however\, one recalls him telling his fund of stories and reminisces to anyone who cared to listen. His voice\, alas\, has been stilled\, and we are left to recall his selfless devotion to chess and\, in particular\, to the Hastings Congress. \nHere is an obituary from the Midland Counties Chess Union \nHere is an in-depth article from William Hartston in The Independent \nWilliam Ritson Morry (05-ix-1910 08-i-1994)\nHere is a biography from the Midland Counties  Chess Union newsletter from 1994. \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Harry Golombek : \nMidlands organiser and player who was a chess professional and journalist. As a player his best performances were an =2nd in the British Championship 1936 and an = 3rd in 1951. \nIn the international field his best results have been an =3rd with List in the Major Open A section of the Nottingham congress of 1936 and =1st with Milner-Barry in the Premier Reserves A at the Hastings congress 1946/7. He has played for England in international matches against the Netherlands (thrice) and against Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. \nWilliam Ritson Morry talking about Malik Mir Sultan Kahn\nA keen and accomplished correspondence player\, he had the title of British Postal Master on account of his winning the British Correspondence Championship in 1943. \nBut it is as tournament and congress organiser that he is best known. He founded the Birmingham Junior League in 1930 and has organised thirty-four Birmingham congresses. He conceived the idea of a junior world championship and in 1951 he held the first World Junior Championship tournament at Birmingham (won by Borislav Ivkov). In the same year he was awarded the title of FIDE judge. He has also had much to do with the organisation of the Hastings Christmas chess congresses in the 1970s. \nWilliam Ritson Morry (05-ix-1910 08-i-1994)\nHe has written much for British chess magazines and was the co-author along with the late W. R. Mitchell  of Tackle Chess\, London\, 1967. \n Save as PDF
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CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Hastings,Player
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210201
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210202
DTSTAMP:20230128T141945Z
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SUMMARY:Death Anniversary for Edith Baird (née Winter-Wood) (??-??-1859 01-ii-1924)
DESCRIPTION:We remember Edith Baird (née Winter-Wood) \nEdith Elina Helen Winter-Wood was born\, probably in 1859*\, to Thomas Winter-Wood\, a writer and poet\, and Eliza Ann (née Sole) Winter-Wood in Boulogne\, France. \n(*Despite 22nd February 1859 appearing in Wikipedia we are unable to locate a primary source for this date. Contemporary secondary sources always just gave 1859 as her year of birth. Census records imply that she was born between April 1859 and March 1860. Her marriage record from 1st December 1880 describes her as being ‘of full age’: at least 21 years old\, so born before December 1859. However\, her death record from 1st February 1924 gives her age as 63\, implying that she was born between February 1860 and January 1861. Either her death record is incorrect or she added a couple of months to her age when she married. ) \nMany secondary and tertiary sources incorrectly give the Winter-Wood family home of Hareston Manor (now a venue for weddings) near Brixton\, Plymouth\, Devon as her birthplace. \nHareston Manor near Plymouth\nThe family was resident in Boulogne in at least 1858 (as discussed below) and a UK birth certificate for Edith does not appear to exist. Having said that\, a French birth certificate has yet to be located. Both Brian Denman and Chris Ravilious are satisfied that Edith was born in Boulogne and various census records attest to this. Ed: both Richard James and myself (JEU) have examined the evidence carefully and Boulogne would appear to be correct. \nThomas Winter-Wood was born in Har(e)ston\, Devon in 1819 and was himself a strong player having been educated at Plympton Grammar School (now known as Hele’s School). Thomas was the son of John Wood-Winter who\, in 1824\, reversed the order of the family surname. Thomas sold the family estate leaving the Winter-Woods with substantial means\, with each family member able to pursue their leisure interests whilst retaining a number of domestic staff. \nThomas Winter-Wood (1819-1905) in 1903.\nThomas taught all of his family to play chess and Edith learnt at an early age. Both Edward J and Carslake W also learnt early on\, Edward (aged 11 in 1858) played members of Boulogne Chess Club giving them rook odds and ten years later Edward joined London Chess Club. \nAccording to Tartajubow : \n“(Edward) played in several tournaments and in blindfold simuls he drew two games against Lowenthal and one against Blackburne. In 1878 he joined the Croydon Chess Club and once in one of their tournaments scored 23-7. He also enjoyed success in many other club tournaments\, correspondence chess and problem solving tournaments. Many of his problems appeared in leading publications of the day.” \nand\, also according to Tartajubow : \n“Her other brother\, Carslake W. Wood (1849 – 1924)\, lived with his mother’s brother\, Major Sole of the 5th Militia of West York\, in Torquay. While travelling Europe with the Soles\, he also developed a taste for painting and on many occasions donated his paintings as prizes in chess tournaments.” \nThe Doge’s Palace\, Venice 1880s by Carslake W Winter-Wood\nAccording to F. R. Gittins (in The Chess Bouquet 1897): \n“The moves came to her\, as she says\, by a kind of instinct before she was out of her first decade. She did not\, however\, commence composing problems until some years after her marriage\, which took place in 1880\, to Deputy Inspector-General W. J. Baird\, M.D.\, R.N.\, whose distinguished services have been mentioned in despatches and rewarded with four medals and two clasps. Eight years later she composed her first problem\, and commenced a wonderful series of successes\, having gained eleven first\, nine second\, and six third prizes\, and been honourably mentioned nine times.” \nEdith Baird (née Winter-Wood)\nAccording to the old ChessDevon web site (sadly only available via the WayBack Machine) \n“In 1893\, for instance\, she entered The Hackney Mercury 3-mover tournament\, with a limit of 6 pieces. Most of the great composers of the time had entered\, – B. G. Laws\, P. H. Williams and James Raynor among them\, but she won 1st prize. As one American critic observed\, ‘The fact that the tourney assumed an almost international character rendered the triumph of the distinguished lady victor as noteworthy as it was creditable’.” \nHere is this first prize (1): \nBaird\, Edith Elina Helen\nHackney Mercury\, 1893\n1st Prize \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nThe problem solutions may be found at the foot of this article. \nShe very quickly progressed and was soon producing problems that were described as being “exceedingly pretty” and which ‘displayed unmistakable aptitude for the intricacies of chess.’ Her work 700 Chess Problems was published by Henry Sotheran Ltd in 1902 and took her 14 years to complete.” \nSeven Hundred Chess Problems. Selected from the compositions of Mrs. W. J. Baird\, WJ Baird\, 1902\nSeven Hundred Chess Problems\n700 Chess Problems may be downloaded from here. \nEdith also had a brief career in chess competitions in the 1890s\, winning the 1897 Sussex Ladies Championship without losing a game. \nFew samples of her play survive\, but they show her to be a proficient player with\, as you might expect from a problemist\, a keen tactical eye. In this game she finishes neatly with a queen sacrifice. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nIn this game\, from a blindfold simul against the London-based Dutch organist and chess master Rudolf Loman (1861-1932)\, she uses a tactic to reach an equal ending. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nAccording to the 1871 census the Winter-Wood household lived at “Hareston”\, Tavistock Road\, Croydon\, Surrey and consisted of Thomas (52 and Landowner)\, Eliza (44) plus Edith’s brothers Edward J (23 and Banker) and Carslake W (22 and retired banker)\, Marie A (17)\, Edith (11) plus three (!) domestic servants. \nIn 1880 (‘of full age’) Edith married the Deputy Inspector-General of Fleets and Hospitals\, William James Baird\, MD\, of the Royal Navy\, in the parish church of St George Hanover Square.  (You’ll see that she married under the surname Wood rather than Winter-Wood.) William was almost thirty years her senior\, having been born in Londonderry in 1831. The 1881 census found them in lodgings in Durham House\, Hotspur Street\, Tynemouth\, North Tyneside: presumably William was there in connection with his work.  Later the same year\, their only child\, Lilian Edith Baird\, was born in the same place. \nWilliam and Edith’s marriage recorded in the Parish Register of St George Hanover Square\nWilliam Baird and Edith (Winter-)Wood’s marriage bonds\nLilian would become a child prodigy whose first problem was published before she was 10 years old. She was also an accomplished poet and painter like her mother. Although she had over 70 problems published by the age of thirteen\, Lilian gave up chess composing while still in her teens. \nLilian Edith Strong (née Baird)\n(Lilian merits a full article in this place in her own right : added to ToDo list!) \nBy 1891 William had retired and the family had settled in Brighton living at 14 College Terrace\, where they employed a servant\, Louisa Howard (23). In 1901 the census enumerator found them at the same address\, their servant now being Lilian Millard (25). \n14 College Terrace\, Brighton\, East Sussex. BN2 0EE\nWilliam died in 1907\, and Lilian had married in 1910: the 1911 census found Edith living in a boarding house named Mountcoombe in Surbiton. The house no longer exists\, but its name\, minus a letter\, survives in Mountcombe Close\, now a location for residential flats. Shortly afterwards\, she joined her brothers in Paignton\, Devon\, close to her family’s ancestral roots. \nReturning to Edith’s family\, by the time of the 1881 census the Winter-Wood household (bar Edith) had relocated to “Mariestead”\, Netley Abbey\, Southampton and had shrunk to Thomas\, Eliza and a mere two servants. Edith gave this address when she married William Baird. \nEdith Baird (née Winter-Wood)\nIn the 1891 census the Winter-Wood household consisted of Thomas (72)\, Eliza (64) plus Edith’s brothers Edward (43) and Carslake (42) all of whom were described as “living on means”. They had returned to three domestic servants : Mary Scoble (65)\, Carrie Stephens (22) and Kate Truman (just 12). They lived at 14\, The Crescent\, Plymouth\, PL8 2AP. Nothing remains of this property\, it would appear. By 1901\, the family had moved again\, to “Kenwick”\, Paignton\, Devon. They were back down to two servants: Florence Gagg (18) was the housemaid and Sarah Chambers (59) the cook. Thomas died in 1905\, and the 1911 census gives their address as “Hareston”\, Totnes Road\, Paignton. Eliza\, Edward and Carslake’s servants were now Laura Ellen Gagg (25 – presumably related to Florence) and Sarah Tulley. \nIn an interview with the Westminster Gazette (1st September 1894) Edith was asked why chess has always been a man’s game. \n“Frivolous and fashionable women would begrudge the time and thought it requires; busy mothers of families could not\, of course\, spare time for it\, and the great majority of unmarried girls have not\, I’m afraid\, the necessary patience. Then\, too\, it is\, I must confess\, an unsociable game. It is most suitable for quiet and reflective people\, and for invalids. It seems always to have attracted clever strategists like military and naval commanders\, and also great politicians. I wish girls would take to it more\, because it is such excellent mental discipline\, and brings out one’s patience. It would also be a useful corrective to the tendency to jump at conclusions which many women have. The great charm is that it is a home accomplishment. A woman is not expected to leave her fireside for the sake of chess. It is a stable kind of amusement for which she never need sully her womanliness or her good reputation. Many of the outdoor sports\, innocent and healthy enough\, lead to a great deal of flirtation and general frivolity.” \nF.R. Gittins (op. cit.) described her as follows: \n“Mrs. Baird\, however\, is something more even than the Queen of Chess-problem composers. She is\, for example\, an enthusiastic and skilful archer\, and\, living as she does in Brighton\, has for some time been a prominent member of the Furze Hill Archery Club\, of which she is a member of the committee\, and in which\, she has\, for two years in succession\, taken the medal for the highest aggregate score of the season. She also paints and illuminates charmingly\, and has a pretty inherited talent for writing verse. Her book of illuminations\, in fact\, is described as “so chaste and delicate in design as to recall the ancient illuminated books which are treasured in museums and art galleries.” In politics she is a staunch Liberal\, while the modern movement against all cruelty to animals – whether inflicted under the name of sport or in the interests of science – finds in her one of its most ardent champions.  Besides the déclassement derived from chess\, she is also a great believer in girls making themselves independent of marriage\, from a monetary point of view\, by having a definite occupation. When it is added that she never allows chess\, painting\, or any other favourite pursuit to occupy her time until all the domestic matters of home have been seen to\, we have said sufficient to show how finely-rounded and complete a life this brilliantly clever woman leads. It is only left to add that her manner is kind and  charming\, and that she is thoughtfulness and considerateness itself to all her friends. She is\, moreover\, the most loving of mothers\, and has been heard to declare that if anything were to happen to “Lily”\, she would never compose another chess problem.” \nEdith was also an avid bicyclist who was known to have ridden 25 miles (on one of those old style bicycles) to discuss an adjourned chess game. \nEdith Elina Helen Baird\nOn Friday\, February 1st\, 1924 Edith passed away. The probate record is dated April 29th and was granted to Herbert Percy Strong\, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Indian Army\, who was Lilian’s husband. The initial value of the effects was £18110 5s 7d which was subsequently resworn to £16627 13s 11d. \nProbate record for Edith Baird (1924)\nBoth Sunnucks and Golombek are silent on Edith. This is somewhat surprising since Anne liked to mention female players and problemists. \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld : \nEDITH ELINA HELEN (née Winter Wood) (1859-1924)\, British problem composer. Her parents\, two brothers\, and daughter were all good players or clever problemists. \nShe composed over 2\,000 problems which were not profound but were noted for their soundness; only a dozen or so were faulted. Her Seven Hundred Chess Problems was published in 1902. She became deeply absorbed in retractors\, and her other book The Twentieth Century Retractor appeared in 1907. They are two of the most beautiful chess books ever to appear\, printed and bound by the King’s printer Henry Sotheran\, and sold at less than cost. \nThe Twentieth Century Retractor\nThe Twentieth Century Retractor\, Chess Fantasies\, and Letter Problems: Being a Selection of Three Hundred Problems\, Mrs WJ Baird\, London: Henry Sotheran and Co. 1902.\nThe Twentieth Century Retractor may be read online here. \nThe dedication for The Twentieth Century Retractor was somewhat unusual : \n“Dedicated to\nThe Sun\nThe Glorious Orb which\nAnimates and Beautifies\nThe Earth\nBy Giving It\nWarmth\, Light and Life” \nand Edward Winter discusses the beauty of the book in Chess Note 3164. \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume XLIV\, (44\, 1924)\, page 103 we have this brief obituary notice written by RC Griffth : \n“We much regret to hear of the death\, at Paignton\, on February 1st\, of Mrs. W.J. Baird\, much of the distinguished of women problem composers throughout the world. As our problem editors will no doubt deal fully with her work and her triumphs\, we shall say no more here that she took a keen interest in chess over-the-board also\, and in 1897 secured the county championship  of Sussex among players of her own sex. By birth she was a Winter-Wood and thus a member of a distinguished West of England chess family” \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume XLIV\, (44\, 1924)\, page 125 we have this obituary written by RC Griffth : \n“A deep shadow has been cast over the chess world by the death of Mrs. W.J. Baird\, which occurred on 1st February last at Paignton. The end was most unexpected\, but it is a comfort to her relatives that the passing away was peaceful. She was the daughter of Mr. T. Winter-Wood\, who and whose family have been identified with chess for generations. She was born in 1859 and composed her first problem in 1888\, and it was not long after this date that she was given the title of the “Queen of Chess\,” since not only did she distinguish herself in a happy way as a prolific composer\, but proved a valiant opponent over the board\, testified by her securing the ladies’ championship of Sussex in 1897. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nMate in Two (2) \nAmong her other accomplishments were painting\, particularly illuminating\, poetry (which may have been inherited from her gifted father) and archery\, in which sport she was skilful. Her chess problems were generally of the light texture order never profound\, but always pleasing to the ordinary solver. She must have composed over 2\,000 problems of one sort or another\, and this large output in about thirty-five years could not be conducive to highest results. Her problem tourney honours were numerous\, though she did not as a rule see these\, generally entering her problems to oblige admiring conductors of competitions. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nMate in Two (3) \nIn 1902 she published Seven Hundred Chess Problems and in 1907 The Twentieth Century Retractor\, Chess Fantasies and Letter Problems\, 320 illustrations (Sotheran & Co.). Both were editions de luxe. Mrs. Baird was credited with the being the originator of the complicated retractor of which she was a proficient exponent\, but since she ceased composing these fancies\, interest in them has waned. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nMate in Three (4) \nDuring the last few years her activity\, after a period of quiescence has been marked\, her attention being directed principally to ‘Mutates’ and Picture or Letter Problems. In addition to the enthusiasm which\, shown by her actual work\, she has generously promoted several competitions\, one still current in the Morning Post\, particulars of which we announced last month. A remarkable feature of the deceased’s problems was their soundness less than one per cent. being cooked after leaving her hands\, evidence of painstaking application! \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nMate in Three (5) \nThere is now\, since the decease of Mrs. Baird’s father\, Mr. T. Winter-Wood and her brother\, Mr. E.J. Winter-Wood\, only Mr. Carslake Winter-Wood left to represent the family in the chess circle\, Mrs. Strong\, her daughter\, who at one time promised to emulate her mother\, having apparently abandoned the game and its problems. There can be no question that Mrs. Baird stood in front of all lady composers\, her nearest rival probably being the late Mrs. T. B. Rowland\, and indeed a number of her compositions rank high in the world’s collection. We have not space this month to quote specimens\, but hope to do so next issue. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nMate in Three (6) \nSince the above was in type we have been informed of the sudden death of Mr. Carslake Winter-Wood on the 24th February.” \nThe Late Mrs. W. J. Baird\, \nThe Masters said:- \n“Lay by the board\, the problem is not sound;\nThere’s none can solve unless a Morphy’s found.”\n* * *\nA knight I saw\, his royal head bowed;\nMethought a bishop moved and prayed aloud.\nThe Queen\, alas\, and their attendants gone\,\nOnly did the Kings linger sadly on.\nAnd roaming far afield a Rook forlorn\,\nAnd here and there a long-forgotten pawn.\n“Oh! is there none who can this problem solve?”\n“Seek her round who our highest hopes revolve”\nAnd so we brought it to our ‘Problem Queen’\nWho faced the field with heart and eye serene.\n* * *\n“Go leave me now and I will rest awhile\,”\nThen hand outstretched and swift triumphant smile :\n“The Bishops move! with him the key\,” she cried –\n“Life’s problem solved at last! I’m satisfied.” \nM.S.M. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nWhite retracts his last move; then plays. Black moves so that White can mate at once. (7) \n(Please note that there are factual errors in most of the sources quoted below.) \nHere is her Wikipedia entry \nHere is more from chessproblem.net \nArticle from Tartajubow (but the author mistakenly conflates Edith and Lilian) on Edith Baird and other Bairds \nQueens of Problem Chess by Satanick Mukhuty from chessbase.com \nMore from Sarah Beth Durst (aka BatGirl)\, quoting from Gittins. \nVia the Wayback Machine Chess Devon have this excellent article \nBritish Chess News would like to thank Brian Denman for providing a file of Edith Baird’s games\, and Tim Harding\, for sending us the pdf of The Chess Bouquet. \nSolution to problems: \n(1) \n1.Qg7! (2.Qc7#)\n1…Kc6 2.c5 Kxc5 3.Qc7#\n1…Kxc4 2.Qd4+ Kb3 3.Qb4#\n1…Kb6 2.Sb5 Ka6/Ka5\, Kc6/Kc5 3.Qa7\, Qc7#\n1…Kd6 2.Sb5+ Ke6\, Kc7/Kc5 3.Sd4\, Qc7# \n(2) 1.Bg2 \n(3) 1.Qb2 \n(4) 1.Qh8 \n(5) 1.Nc1 \n(6) 1.Rd8 \n(7) White retracts Nd5xRb6\, then 1. Nd6 Rc6 2. Nb7# \n  \n  \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-for-edith-elina-helen-baird/
CATEGORIES:2023,Composer,Death Anniversary,History,Problemist,Remembering,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/BairdEdith-2.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210204
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210205
DTSTAMP:20210130T184442Z
CREATED:20190823T181358Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210130T184442Z
UID:1096-1612396800-1612483199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Sir Jeremy Morse (10-xii-1928 04-ii-2016)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Sir Jeremy Morse\, (10-xii-1928 04-ii-2016) \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-sir-jeremy-morse/
CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,History,Problemist
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210209
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210210
DTSTAMP:20220209T140215Z
CREATED:20190822T164913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220209T140215Z
UID:1006-1612828800-1612915199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Cecil De Vere (14-ii-1846 09-ii-1875)
DESCRIPTION:We remember Cecil Valentine De Vere (14-ii-1846 09-ii-1875) \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld : \nCecil Valentine De Vere\, pseudonym of Valentine Brown\, winner of the first official British Championship tournament organized by the British Chess Association in 1866. He learned the game in London before 1858 and practised with Boden and the Irish player Francis Burden (1830-82). De Vere played with unusual ease and rapidity\, never bothering to study the books. His features were handsome (an Adonis says MacDonnell)\, his manner pleasant\, his conduct polite. He “handled the pieces gracefully\, never “hovered” over them\, nor fiercely stamped them down upon the board … nor exulted when he gained a victory…in short\, he was a highly chivalrous player.’ So wrote Steinitz who conceded odds in a match against De Vere and was soundly beaten\, (See pawn and move.) De Vere’s charm brought him many friends. \nAt about the time that he won the national championship his mother died\, a loss he felt deeply\, “The only person who ever cared for me”. \nReceiving a small legacy he gave up his job. which Burden had obtained for him at Lloyds the underwriters\, and never took another. He entered some strong tournaments but always trailed just behind the greatest half-dozen players of his time. His exceptional talent was accompanied by idleness and lack of enthusiasm for a hard task. On the occasion of the Dundee tournament of 1867 he took long walks in the Scottish countryside with G. A. MacDonnell\, who writes that a ‘black cloud’ descended on De Vere. It may have been the discovery that he had tuberculosis; more probably he revealed to the older man a deep-rooted despair\, the cause perhaps of his later addiction to alcohol. \nIn 1872 Boden handed over the chess column of The Field to provide him with a small income; but in 1873 the column was given to Steinitz on account of De Vere’s indolence and drunkenness. At the end of Nov\, 1874 his illness took a turn for the worse\, he could hardly walk and ate little. His friends paid to send him to Torquay for the sea air\, and there he died ten weeks later. He had failed to nourish a natural genius in respect of which\, according to Steinitz\, De Vere was “second to no man\, living or dead*. \nCecil Valentine De Vere (14-ii-1846 09-ii-1875)\nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \nFirst official British Chess Champion\, Cecil de Vere was born on 14th February 1845 (in Montrose\, Angus\, Scotland : Ed.) and was taught to play chess when he was 12 by a strong London player\, Francis Burden. By the time he was 15\, he was a regular visitor to “The Divan” on a Saturday afternoon. \nAt the age of 19 De Vere played a number of games against MacDonnell winning the majority of them. So great was his promise that the City of London Chess Club raised a purse for a match between him an Steinitz\, Steinitz giving the odds of a Pawn and a move. De Vere won. \nIn 1866 the first British Championship\, organised by the British Chess Association was held. De Vere won\, ahead of MacDonnell and Bird\, and so became the first British Champion at the age of 21. \nThe following year in the Paris 1867 tournament\, he was 5th out of a field of 13\, and he tied for 3rd prize in the Dundee Congress\, ahead of Blackburne\, having beaten Steinitz in their individual 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\nWhile he was in Dundee\, De Vere learned that he was suffering from Tuberculosis. The news changed his whole life. Having recently inherited a few hundred pounds\, he gave up his job at Lloyd’s and started living on his capital\, determined to enjoy the few years he had left. He continued to play chess\, but his performances were marred by his newly acquired addiction to the bottle. \nDe Vere was once described as “A Morphy without book knowledge”. His talent was great enough for him to be able to take on the leading masters of the day without any study or preparation\, but more than that is needed to reach the top. De Vere lacked the strength of character and health to fulfill his early promise. He died a few days before his thirtieth birthday. \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Harry Golombek : \nThe first official British Champion and a player of great promise who might well have attained world fame had he not be carried off by that nineteenth-century British scourge\, tuberculosis\, before he attained the age of thirty. \nMost of the details of his life are to be found in the writings of G.A. MacDonnell\, who met him when De Vere was fourteen and was so struck by his good looks as to refer to him as “Adonis”. \nHis first tournament success came in 1866 at the London Congress organised at the St. George’s Club in the first few days and then in other venues by the British Chess Association. De Vere played in two events\, a Handicap tournament and a Challenge Cup event which was in fact the first British Championship tournament. \nThe Handicap tournament was run on the same lines as London 1851\, i.e. it was a knock-out event with matches of three games\, draws not counting. De Vere met Steinitz in round 1 and lost by 2-1. \nThe first British championship tournament was an all-play-all event in which the ties were decided by the first player to win three games and in which the championship went to the winner of the biggest number of games. De Vere was an easy winner with 12 wins\, followed by MacDonnell and J.I. Minchin 6\, H.E Bird 3 and Sir John Trelawney 0. \nThus De Vere was the first British Champion and at that age of twenty-one. A photograph of him about this time shows that he bore a remarkable likeness to the international master John Nunn\, who won the European Junior championship a hundred years after De Vere’s death. \nDe Vere confirmed his position as a leading British player by coming first in another tournament in 1866 at Redcar in North Yorkshire. This was an event open to all British amateurs and among his opponents were Owen\, Thorold and Wisker. \nIt was in the following year that he commenced his career in international chess. In the important double-round tournament at Paris he occupied an honourable fifth place out of 13 players. At Dundee (the third congress of the British Chess Association) he finished equal 3rd with MacDonnell\, below Steinitz but beating him in their individual game and coming ahead of Blackburne. \nIt was during his visit to Scotland (he went to stay with relatives after the tournament) that he learnt he was afflicted with consumption. This knowledge\, together with the death of his mother\, drove him to drink which was to accelerate his end. \ninheriting a few hundred pounds\, presumably from his mother\, he gave up his post at Lloyd’s and decided to live on his capital together with such additional sums as he could earn from chess. \nIn this respect his addiction to drink proved a handicap. For example\, he held the post of chess editor of The Field in 1872 but lost it after some eighteen months through inattention to work. \nMeanwhile he continued to show his great talent for the game. Defending the title of British Champion in a very strong field at the next British Chess Association congress (1868/9) he cam equal first with Blackburne but lost the play-off at the London Club in March 1869. \nIn 1870 at the very strong Baden-Baden double-round tournament\, he came equal sixth with Winawer but was much outdistanced by Blackburne who came third with 3.5 more pints than De Vere. But already his illness was taking a strong hold on him. At his next and last appearance in a tournament of note. London 1872\, he tied with Zukertort and MacDonnell =3rd out of 8 players. In the play-off for third and fourth prizes he lost to MacDonnell and scratched to Zukertort\, Later in the year he did tie for first place with Wisker in a weaker British championship tournament and\, with De Vere now clearly ill\, Wisker had an easy victory in the play-off. \nAt his last appearance at a chess event\, a match at the City of London Club between that Club and Bermondsey\, he looked a dying man. A subscription was made to send him to Torquay but it was too late and he died within five days of his thirtieth birthday. \nHere are some of his games at chessgames.com \nThe English Chess Forum contains a brief discussion initiated by John Townsend (Wokingham) of manuscripts attributed to CdV. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nThe English Morphy?: The Life and Games of Cecil De Vere\, First British Chess Champion by Owen Hindle & Robert H. Jones\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-cecil-de-vere/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Cecil_Valentine_De_Vere.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210212
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210213
DTSTAMP:20260817T135454Z
CREATED:20201216T164542Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T135454Z
UID:12500-1613088000-1613174399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Robert Combe (16-viii-1912 12-ii-1952)
DESCRIPTION:Robert Forbes Combe (16 August 1912 – 12 February 1952) \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Forbes_Combe \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/remembering-robert-combe-16-viii-1912-12-ii-1952/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG-1.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200113
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200114
DTSTAMP:20230213T142309Z
CREATED:20200417T141944Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230213T142309Z
UID:4742-1578873600-1578959999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Geoffrey Diggle (06-xii-1902 13-ii-1993)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Geoffrey Harber Diggle (06-xii-1902 13-ii-1993) \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-geoffrey-harber-diggle-06-xii-1902-13-ii-1993/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Journalist,Player,Remembering,Writer
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