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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200908
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200909
DTSTAMP:20200908T113745Z
CREATED:20190823T191415Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200908T113745Z
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SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Elijah Williams (08-ix-1854)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Elijah Williams (08-ix-1854) \nWe note today (September 8th) in 1854 marks the passing of Elijah Williams. \nWe are not aware of verified image / likeness of Elijah Williams. Possibly the archives of Bristol based newspapers would help? \nHere is an excellent article by Neil Blackburn (aka SimaginFan) \nFrom Wikipedia : \n“Elijah Williams (7 October 1809 – 8 September 1854) was an eminent British chess player of the mid-19th century. He was the first president of the Clifton Chess Club\, and publisher of a book of games from the Divan Club. His most notable result was at the 1851 London tournament\, in which he defeated the celebrated British player Howard Staunton in the play-off for third place. \nHe was accused by Staunton of taking an average of 2½ hours per move during some matches\, a strategy thought to cause opponents to lose their focus on the match. According to Staunton\, following a particularly dilatory performance by Williams in the London 1851 tournament\, a 20-minute per turn time limit was adopted for standard play the next year. However other sources contradict this viewpoint and indeed it was not uncommon for Staunton to attribute his losses to the intolerable dilatory play of his opponents. Staunton is quoted as remarking while playing against Williams\, ‘… Elijah\, you’re not just supposed to sit there – you’re supposed to sit there and think!'” \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“In The Complete Chess Addict by Mike Fox and Richard James he was dubbed “the Bristol Sloth” due to his alleged extreme slowness. This sobriquet inspired a musical tune “The Bristol Sloth” by guitarist Leo Kottke (who also applied the term ‘sitzkrieg’ in describing Williams’ playing style). \nWilliams died in London\, a victim of the 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak.” \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-elijah-williams/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200909
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200910
DTSTAMP:20200908T133525Z
CREATED:20190822T223745Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200908T133525Z
UID:1023-1599609600-1599695999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary for IM Imre König (09-ii-1901 09-ix-1992)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary for IM Imre König (09-ii-1901 09-ix-1992) \nFrom The Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match  by E.Klein and W.Winter :  \n“Born in 1901 in Hungary when it still belonged to the old pre-World War I Austria\, spent most of his life in Vienna\, where he became a promising player at an early age. After World War I and the various geographical adjustments in the map of Europe\, he became Yugoslav by nationality and represented that country three times in international team tournaments.  \nHe has competed in a great number of international tournaments\, some of them in this country\, where he has lived since 1938. He won the Premier Reserves at Hastings\, 1938\, in a strong international field\, finished fourth and fifth with the late Landau at Bournemouth\, 1939\, and shared first and second prizes with Milner-Barry in the National Chess Centre tournament\, 1939. His last performance was in the London International Tournament\, 1946\, where he shared fourth\, fifth and sixth places with Sir George Thomas and Gerald Abrahams. He is now a professional player.  \nKönig’s special strength lies in the openings\, of which he has a deep knowledge.” \nImre König\nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale\, 1970 & 1976) by Anne Sunnucks : \n“International Master (1951). Born in Kula\, Hungary (now Serbia). König became a Yugoslav citizen when the territory in which he lived was ceded to Yugoslavia after the First World War. In 1938 he emigrated to England and became a naturalised British subject in 1949. He found that the English climate affected his health and in 1953 went to live in the USA. \nKönig learnt to play chess when he was 10. In 1920\, while studying at Vienna University\, he met Spielmann\, Tartakover  and Réti\, and became became interested in the hypermodern school of chess\, which they represented.  \nHe played for Yugoslavia in the chess Olympiads of 1931 and 1935 and came 2nd in the Yugoslav national tournament of 1922. His results in international tournaments include =4th at Bournemouth 1939; =4th at London 1946 and 2nd at Hastings 1948-49. These results do not do justice to his strength as a player. He was handicapped by a poor temperament for tournament chess\, which prevented him from achieving greater success in the international field. \nA chess professional\, König was a first-class teacher of the game (Anne was a student of his)\, as well as being a leading theoretician. He is author of The Queen’s Indian Defence (Pitman\, 1947) and Chess from Morphy to Botvinnik (Bell\, 1951).” \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977) by Harry Golombek : \n“An international master since 1951\, born at Gyula in Austro-Hungary. After the first world war König became a Yugoslav citizen and represented that country in the Olympiads of 1931 and 1935. He emigrated to England in 1938  and was naturalised in 1949. Since 1953 he has resided in the USA. Tournament results include 2nd prize at Hastings 1948/9. His publications include a monograph on the Queen’s Indian Defence\, London 1947\, and a longer work\, Chess from Morphy to Botvinnik\, London\, 1951 ” \nHooper & Whyld are silent on König for some strange reason. \nFrom Wikipedia : \n“Imre König (Koenig) aka Mirko Kenig (Sept 2\, 1901\, Gyula\, Hungary – 1992\, Santa Monica\, California) was a Hungarian chess master. \nHe was born in Gyula\, Hungary\, and also lived in Austria\, England and the USA during the troubled times between the two world wars. \nIn 1921\, he took 2nd in Celje. In 1920s König played in several tournaments in Vienna; he was 3rd in 1921\, 14th in 1922 (Akiba Rubinstein won)\, 3rd-4th in 1925\, 4-5th in 1926 (Rudolf Spielmann won)\, and 3rd-5th in 1926. He took 12th in Rogaška Slatina (Rohitsch-Sauerbrunn) in 1929. The event was won by Rubinstein. In 1929/30\, he took 7th in Vienna (Hans Kmoch and Spielmann won). In 1931\, he took 4th in Vienna (Albert Becker won). In 1936\, he tied for 6-7th in Novi Sad (Vasja Pirc won). In 1937\, he tied for 2nd-4th in Belgrade (Vasilije Tomović won). \nMirko Kenig represented Yugoslavia in the 4th Chess Olympiad at Prague 1931 (+5 –1 =2)\, the 6th Chess Olympiad at Warsaw 1935 (+5 –2 =8)\,[2] and in 3rd unofficial Chess Olympiad at Munich 1936 (+7 –4 =7).” \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“In 1938\, Imre König emigrated to England. In 1939\, he tied for 4-5th in Bournemouth (Max Euwe won)\, and shared 1st with Philip Stuart Milner-Barry in Hampstead. In 1946\, he took 4th in London. In 1948/49\, he took 2nd\, behind Nicolas Rossolimo\, in the Hastings International Chess Congress. \nIn 1949\, he became a naturalized British citizen. However\, in 1953 he moved to the United States. \nKönig was awarded the International Master title in 1951.” \nQueen’s Indian Defence\, König\, Pitman\, 1947\nChess from Morphy to Botwinnik by Imre König\nThe Right Way to Play Chess\nImre König by John Donaldson\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-for-imre-konig/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200909
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200910
DTSTAMP:20260816T134323Z
CREATED:20200427T172617Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260816T134323Z
UID:5027-1599609600-1599695999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Dr. Paul List (09-ix-1887 09-ix-1954)
DESCRIPTION:Remembering Paul List (09-ix-1887 09-ix-1954) \nFrom The Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match by Klein and Winter : \n“Paul M List was born in Memel\, Lithuania in 1887. After living in Berlin for many years\, where he was manager of the bridge and chess rooms in a well-known café-restaurant\, he came to this country in 1936. \nPaul M List\nHe has competed in many tournaments\, local and international. He\, too\, failed to get into the prize list in the recent London International Tournament\, but he is a resourceful player\, particularly in defensive positions. \nHis best performance was Berlin\, 1925 where he came first\, ahead of Richter. Since he came to this country he has become an art dealer\, but chess is still one of his foremost activities.” \nScene at London. From left to right – Seated : Fairhurst\, List and Winter in play. Standing König and Sir George Thomas\nHere is an article by Matthew Sadler on the 1954 British Lightning Championship won by List \nDr. Paul List (09-ix-1887 09-ix-1954). Source : The Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match.\nHere is his (surprisingly brief) obituary from British Chess Magazine\, Volume LXXIV (1954)\, Number 10 (October)\, page 324 : \n“Dr. Paul List\, the British Lightning Championship winner a year ago (though he could not hold the title because he was not a naturalised Briton)\, died in London at the age of 66. A player of master strength\, Dr. List left his native Russia for Germany in the 1920’s\, and began on his second exile in 1938 when sought refuge in this country from Germany.” \nItem from Kington Times – Saturday 02 June 1951 regarding the visit of Dr. List\nFrom The Illustrated London News in 1953 (by BH Wood) : \n“Sixty-five-year-old Dr. (not of medicine) Paul List\, the oldest competitor\, who settled in Britain about 1937 and has been thinking of becoming naturalised ever since\, finished with a marvellous fifteen-and-a-half points out of a possible eighteen” \nDr. Paul M. List. Source : https://www.kingpinchess.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/They-provided-their-own-heat1.jpg\nHere is his Wikipedia entry \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/remembering-paul-m-list-1887-09-ix-1954/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200914
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200915
DTSTAMP:20200914T093726Z
CREATED:20190824T102152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200914T093726Z
UID:1153-1600041600-1600127999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Alexander McDonnell (22-iv-1798 14-ix-1835)
DESCRIPTION:We remember Alexander McDonnell who died aged 37 on September 14th\, 1835 in Tavistock Square\, London. \nPlease note : We have referenced a number of secondary and tertiary sources on AM and they agree on heritage. However\, following painstaking research of primary sources by James O’Fee and Tim Harding it has been demonstrated that the father of AM was not Dr. Alexander McDonnell but\, in fact\, Thomas McDonnell\, a merchant. \nAlso\, we do not have a primary source confirming the date of birth. 22-iv-1798 was obtained from the family tree of a distant relative. \nHopefully we will be permitted to publish further details unearthed by James O’Fee \nAlexander McDonnell was born on Tuesday\, May 22nd 1798 in Belfast\, Antrim\, Northern Ireland to Dr Alexander McDonnell\, age 34. His mother is unknown. \nHis (half-)brother Robert died (in a riding accident) on 19 July 1818 in Belfast\, Antrim\, when Alexander was 20 years old. He also had one sister\, Eliza (Elizabeth) \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 1983) by Hooper & Whyld : \nThe best player in England around 1830\, Born in Belfast\, the son of a doctor\, he spent some years in the West Indies and later worked in London as\nsecretary of the Committee of West Indian Merchants. William Lewis\, who taught McDonnell in the 1820s\, soon found that he could not successfully offer odds of pawn and move to his pupil; but challenged to play even Lewis declined\, fearing for his reputation.  \nFrom June to October 1834 McDonnell played six matches against La Bourdonnais; of the 85 games that were played McDonnell won 27\, drew 13\, and lost 45. McDonnell’s lack of experience against strong opponents was a serious handicap. On occasion his combinative play could be brilliant and imaginative\, but his opening play (based on Lewis’s teachings) and his technique were inferior. He is described as ‘quiet\, reserved\, outwardly imperturbable’ with ‘an insular sense of’decorum’\, quite different from his extrovert opponent.  \nWhereas La Bourdonnais played fast and with ease\, McDonnell concentrated at length upon his moves and retired from a playing session exhausted\, sometimes ‘walking his room the greater part of the night in a dreadful state of excitement’. His contemporaries believed that this long period of stress hastened his death from Bright’s disease. The games were regarded as the finest ever played. They were first published in England where they greatly stimulated interest in the game.  \nUnlike his great rival\, McDonnell died wealthy; besides chess he was interested in political economy on which he wrote half a dozen books or\npamphlets.” \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale\, 1970 & 1976) by Anne Sunnucks : \n“The greatest player Ireland has ever (1976) produced\, McDonnell is remembered mainly for his series of games against La Bourdonnais in 1834 which were described by Morphy as ‘beautiful models of chess strategy’. \nThe son of a Belfast doctor\, McDonnell’s profession of Secretary to the Committee of West India Merchants brought him to London.\, where he took chess lessons from William Lewis and as a member of the West London Chess Club soon established the reputation of being the strongest amateur of his day. He was also a strong blindfold player. \nIn 1823 he lost some games against La Bourdonnais. These were probably played in Paris\, since there is no record of the players meeting in England. In 1834 La Bourdonnais came to London\, and a further contest was arranged. There are a number of conflicting reports on the sub-division of the games into matches\,but a total of 84 games were played\, of which McDonnell scored +27-44=13 before La Bourdonnais was recalled to Paris on business. \nIt was intended that the series should be continued\, but before this could be arranged McDonnell fell ill with Bright’s disease and died on 14th September 1835.” \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1983) by Harry Golombek : \n“Britain’s leading player before Staunton. McDonnell was Irish born\, the son of a Belfast doctor. He was secretary to the Committee of West India Merchants in London. After he studied chess with Lewis\, he rose to the front rank of British players. \nIn 1834 he was engaged in a marathon series of matches with the visiting French champion La Bourdonnais. Five complete matches of varying lengths were played and a sixth was left unfinished\, comprising a probable total of 85 games (there is some dispute among chess historians over the details of the final two matches)\, with the victory going to La Bourdonnais by 45 games to 27 with 13 draws. The standard of play was high and these contests did much to kindle interest in chess in both France and England. McDonnell died the following years of Bright’s disease.” \nEdward Winter in Chess Notes writes  \nFrom Wikipedia : \n“Alexander McDonnell (1798–1835) was an Irish chess master\, who contested a series of six matches with the world’s leading player Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais in the summer of 1834. \nIn 1825 he became a pupil of William Lewis\, who was then the leading player in Britain. But soon McDonnell had become so good that Lewis\, fearing for his reputation\, simply refused to play him anymore. \nAround 1825–1826\, McDonnell played Captain Evans\, while the latter was on shore leave in London. McDonnell was beaten with what is now regarded in chess circles as the creation of the Evans Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4).[3] \nLa Bourdonnais matches\nMain article: La Bourdonnais – McDonnell chess matches\nAt that time the world’s strongest player was the French aristocrat Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais. Between June and October 1834 La Bourdonnais and McDonnell played a series of six matches\, a total of eighty-five games\, at the Westminster Chess Club in London. McDonnell won the second match\, while La Bourdonnais won first\, third\, fourth and fifth. The sixth match was unfinished. \nIn the first game of the third match\, McDonnell successfully introduced a new variation in the King’s Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Nc3) known today as the McDonnell Gambit.” \nWe are not convinced that the photograph above is of AM. We received this reply from Tim Harding : \n“I don’t recall ever seeing ANY image that was definitely of him\, but I have referred your enquiry to James O’Fee in Belfast who is probably the only person who might know of one. \nIt doesn’t help that he had in Belfast an almost exact contemporary of the same name (who came to work in Dublin and long outlived the chess player) and there is some issue about which one was the son of a doctor and which the son of a merchant. So even if you found an image online it’s more likely to be of the wrong man. \nUnless I am wrong there was never any image of Alexander McDonnell in a chess context.\nThe main chance would perhaps be in connection with his lobbying for the Demerara planters. \nBest wishes\nTim” \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-alexander-mcdonnell/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/109879063-user-avatar-icon-sign-profile-symbol.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200916
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200917
DTSTAMP:20200914T094901Z
CREATED:20200409T133157Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200914T094901Z
UID:4260-1600214400-1600300799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of FM John Littlewood (25-v-1931 16-ix-2009)
DESCRIPTION:John Eric Littlewood was born in Sheffield on Wednesday\, September 16th 1931. His mother’s maiden name was Wheeldon. He last resided in the WN8 postal area of Skelmersdale\, Lancashire. \nHe became a FIDE Master in 1989 at the age of 58. According to Felice his peak FIDE rating was 2395 in January 1980. However\, it is almost certain that it would have been higher than that\, in the 1960s and 1970s. \nJohn\, Jenny and Paul Littlewood\, circa 1962. Kindly supplied by Paul Littlewood.\nHe coached his son Paul who became British Champion in 1981. His brother Norman was also a very strong player. \nJohn and Paul on Skegness beach circa 1958. Kindly supplied by Paul Littlewood. George and Ringo are out of shot !\nFrom “Chess Coaching” : \nJohn Littlewood is a National Coach and the Director of Junior Chess to the British Chess Federation. He is a FIDE Master with national and international playing experience\, and is an established chess write\, translator and journalist. \n03-01-1962 37th Hastings International Chess Congress\, 1962. World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik (R) playing against John Littlewood of England\nFrom “Learn Chess 2” \n“A British Master\, formerly Northern Counties Champion and currently (1984) a National Coach for the British Chess Federation. John Littlewood has played for England in several international tournaments\, including two Olympiads” \nJohn Littlewood giving a simultaneous display\nJohn Was Northern Counties Chess Union (NCCU) Champion in 1971\, 1972\, 1977\, 1978\, 1979\, 1980 and 1981 : a record seven times ! \nJohn with chess friends\n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nJohn won the Appleby-Frodingham Chess Club tournament in 1962 with 3.5/5 : \nAppleby-Frodingham Tournament of 1962 crosstable\nand then\, in the same year came 3= in the British Championships with 7.5/11 : \nTruncated crosstable from the 1962 British Championship in Whitby\nand in 1969 in Rhyl John was unfortunate not to share the title with Dr. Jonathan Penrose after losing to Frank Parr in the final round : \nTruncated crosstable of the British Championships of Rhyl 1969\nJohn Littlewood at Hastings 1963-4. Still taken from Pathe news reel footage\nJohn Littlewood playing Wolfgang Unzicker in round one of the 1969-70 Hastings International Congress\nJohn won the Southport Open in 1972 and the picture below was taken shortly afterwards : \nJohn and family following winning the 1972 Southport Open. See the BCM article below for a full caption\nJohn won the Chorley tournament of 1977 with 7/9 \nChorley 1977 tournament crosstable\nJEL won the British Chess Federation’s President’s Award in 2000. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nFM John Littlewood at 4NCL courtesy of Helen Milligan\nIn 2006 John won the BCF Veterans / Seniors title for the first time repeating the feat in 2008 sharing with George Dickson. \nWith the White pieces John almost exclusively played 1.e4 favouring the Wormald Attack\, Open Sicilians and the Rossolimo variation. \nAs the second player John played the Closed Ruy Lopez\, the Sicilian Dragon and the Grünfeld defence. \nIn the following video IM Andrew Martin discusses the game Bisguier – Littlewood\, 1962. \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\nRather than reinventing an already round wheel we reproduce the following ten page tribute in the October 2009 issue of British Chess Magazine. The tribute is by John Saunders : \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIV (129)\, 2009\, Number 10\, October\, page 536\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIV (129)\, 2009\, Number 10\, October\, page 537\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIV (129)\, 2009\, Number 10\, October\, page 538\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIV (129)\, 2009\, Number 10\, October\, page 539\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIV (129)\, 2009\, Number 10\, October\, page 540\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIV (129)\, 2009\, Number 10\, October\, page 541\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIV (129)\, 2009\, Number 10\, October\, page 542\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIV (129)\, 2009\, Number 10\, October\, page 543\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIV (129)\, 2009\, Number 10\, October\, page 544\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIV (129)\, 2009\, Number 10\, October\, page 545\nA rather detailed article from Tartajubow on Chess II \nHere is how news of his passing was received on the English Chess Forum \nHere is an obituary from Leonard Barden in The Guardian \nHere is an obituary published in The Times of London \nFarewell to John Littlewood : The Lincolnshire Poacher \nand\, finally a history of JEL from the Yorkshire Chess Archives \nFM John Littlewood (25-v-1931 16-ix-2009)\nHere is John’s Wikipedia entry \nHow to Play the Middle Game in Chess by John Littlewood\, Collins\, 1974\nChess Coaching by John Littlewood\, The Crowood Press\, 1991\nLearn Chess by Edward Penn and John Littlewood\, Pitman House\, 1980\nLearn Chess : Teacher’s Book\,  by Edward Penn & John Littlewood\, Pitman House\, 1980\nLearn Chess 2 by John Littlewood\, Adam & Charles Black\, 1984\nFM John Littlewood (25-v-1931 16-ix-2009)\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-fm-john-eric-littlewood-25-v-1931-16-ix-2009/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/jel.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210922
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210923
DTSTAMP:20260817T135339Z
CREATED:20210924T195734Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T135339Z
UID:18921-1632268800-1632355199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Colin Russ (19-iii-1930 22-ix-2021)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Colin Russ (19-iii-1930 22-ix-2021) \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-colin-russ-19-iii-1930-22-ix-2021/
CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,Problemist,Writer
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
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