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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230129
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230130
DTSTAMP:20230119T000147Z
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SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Steve Giddins (29-01-1961)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of FM Stephen William Giddins (29-01-1961) \nHere are his games from chessgames.com \nWe reviewed his most recent book\, co-authored with IM Gerard Welling : Side-Stepping Mainline Theory \n\nSide-Stepping Mainline Theory\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-stephen-w-giddins-29-01-1961/
CATEGORIES:2023,Birthday,Honours,Journalist,Player,Writer
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210728
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210729
DTSTAMP:20260817T135416Z
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SUMMARY:Happy Birthday Richard James (28-vii-1950)
DESCRIPTION:Here is the citation from the 1997 BCF Official Chess Yearbook for the 1996 President’s Award : \nHe has almost single handedly fostered\, developed and maintained Richmond Junior Chess for two decades. This year Richmond Juniors have won the major National competitions\, and the Richmond Chess Initiative has blossomed under his skills. However\, his work has fostered chess as a whole. \nHe formed the Richmond Junior Club with Mike Fox in 1975. He has built it up and kept it going from a nucleus of a handful of juniors on a Saturday to over 40 juniors on a Saturday morning\, and over 30 on a Saturday afternoon\, 48 weeks a year\, running four Thames Valley League teams during the week. The club has over 175 members. \nThe Richmond record under his dedication has included winning numerous EPSCA\, NYCA and National individual titles at all ages with a wide range of individuals\, both boys and girls. He has generated ‘team spirit’ as well as individual motivation whilst enabling individual Richmond schools to claim their own successes from their own efforts that completed his with the Junior Club. \nHe has been responsible for recognising early the talent of many England juniors. He has then encouraged and facilitated their development. Many of these have subsequently becomes Masters whom he has persuaded to come back and coach at the club.  However\, he has also been unfailing in encouraging the less gifted players and facilities for them. \nHe has never sought any monetary reward and has given considerable extra time to recording\, annotation and distributing games\, as well as calculating grades for hundreds of players\, on top of running the club activities and organising and running numerous tournaments for Richmond and non-Richmond juniors. This year he was instrumental in initiating the new Richmond rapidplays. \nHe has\, with Mike Fox\, been instrumental in opening chess up to a much wider audience\, whilst destroying the mythical image of introverted individuals\, that some of the general public held. They have achieved this by producing their ‘Chess Addict’ books and articles in order to provide spice and humour alongside the ‘normal’ literature\, and not to forget ‘Move One’ published in 1990. \nAlthough aided by help from other sponsors\, he has been the cornerstone of the relatively recently formed Richmond Chess Initiative. He provided guidance and skills to assist local councillors\, business men and schools to build up a local structure to publicise and develop further still Richmond as a recognised centre of chess. This included helping to establish the Richmond International\, the first of which in 1994 was held at the Star and Garter Home and was held again in 1995. He was awarded the Initiative’s reward for services in 1996. \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/happy-birthday-richard-james-28-vii-1950/
CATEGORIES:Coach,English,Journalist,Junior,Official,Organiser,Player,Writer
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210325
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210326
DTSTAMP:20210321T164305Z
CREATED:20190824T102732Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210321T164305Z
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SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Sir Stuart Milner-Barry KCVO CB OBE (20-ix-1906 25-iii-1995)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Sir Stuart Milner-Barry KCVO CB OBE who passed away on Saturday\, March 25th\, 1995 in Lewisham Hospital\, London aged 88. He was laid to rest in the Great Shelford Cemetery\, Cambridge Road\, Great Shelford\, Cambridge CB22 5JJ. \nA memorial service was held for him at Westminster Abbey on 15 June 1995. \nGreat Shelford Cemetery Gravestone of Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry KCVO CB OBE by Geoffrey Gillon\nSignature of PS Milner-Barry from a Brian Reilly “after dinner” postcard from Margate 1936.\nPhilip Stuart Milner-Barry was born on Thursday\, September 20th 1906 in Mill Hill in the London Borough of Barnet. Mill Hill falls under the Hendon Parliamentary constituency. \nParents\nHis parents were Lieutenant-Commander Edward Leopold (1867-1917) and Edith Mary Milner-Barry (born 17th May 1866\, died 1949\, née Besant). Edward was in the  Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve\, H.M.S. “Wallington.” Prior to his war service his father was a professor of modern languages at the University of Bangor and Edith was the daughter of Dr. William Henry Besant\, a renowned mathematical fellow of St John’s College\, Cambridge University. \nStuart was the second born of six children\, There was  an older sister Alda Mary (18th August 1893-1938) and four brothers Edward William Besant (?-1911) \, Walter Leopold (1904-1982)\, John O’Brien (4 December 1898 – 28 February 1954) and Patrick James . Many of the Milner-Barry family were laid to rest in the Great Shelford churchyard. \nStuart learned chess at the age of eight and his autobiographical article below goes into more depth. \nHe was educated at Cheltenham College\, and won a scholarship to Trinity College\, Cambridge\, where he obtained firsts in classics and moral sciences. \nOn leaving Cambridge in 1927 he went to work at the London Stock Exchange (LSE). \nAccording to the 1928 and 1929 electoral rolls he was living with his mother Edith  and his brothers Walter and John O’Brien at 50 De Freville Avenue\, Cambridge CB4 1HT: \n50 De Freville Avenue\, Cambridge CB4 1HT\nIn 1931 the family had relocated to 11\, Park Terrace\, Cambridge which is nearby to Emmanuel College. Now living  with the family was brother Patrick James. \n11\, Park Terrace\, Cambridge\, CB1 1JJ\nPeriod map of the area of 11\, Park Terrace\, Cambridge\, CB1 1JJ\nHe discovered that he did not enjoy his LSE work and switched careers to became chess correspondent of The Times in 1938. \nAt the time (September 29th) of the 1939 register he (aged 33) was living as a journalist in a household of three with his mother Edith who carried out “unpaid domestic duties” and sister Alda who was of “private means”. \nHonours\nIn 1946 Stuart was awarded the OBE from the Civil Division in the  New Years Honours . The citation reads that was “employed in a Department of the Foreign Office”. A modern translation of this was he was engaged in Top Secret work at Bletchley Park alongside Alan Turing\, Gordon Welchman and Hugh Alexander and was thus honoured for his war work. More on this later… \nAfter the war he worked in the Treasury\, and later in 1966 administered the British honours system where he helped to facilitate the award of honours to other chess players ultimately retiring in 1977. \nAs well as the OBE he was made Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1962 and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCV0) in 1975. \nA conference room was named after him at the Civil Service Club\, 13 – 15 Great Scotland Yard\, London SW1A 2HJ. \nPeter Hennessy* and The Rewarding Career of Sir Stuart Milner-Barry\n*Peter Hennessy is a renowned historian and journalist. The following was originally published in The Times in 1977 following  PSMBs retirement. \n“Few careers can have been as varied and rewarding as that of Sir Stuart Milner-Barry\, who retires today as Ceremonial Officer to the Civil Service Department and custodian of the British honours system. \nInto the 48 years since he left Cambridge with a degrees in classics and moral sciences\, he has crammed spells as a stockbroker\, chess correspondent of  The Times and member of the British chess team\, a wartime codebreaker for MI6 and a senior Treasury official before taking over administration of the nations “gongs and bongs ” nearly 11 years ago. \nThe richness of Sir Stuart’s progression is all the more striking given the difficulty he experienced in finding a job at all after university because of the Wall Street crash in 1929. His first 10 years spanned the slump of the 1930s\, when there was little for a stockbroker to do\, but fill his days reading The Times. \nIn 1938 he joined the paper full time as chess correspondent and\, along with many of the world’s leading players\, he was nearly trapped in Buenos Aires when war broke out the next year (ed. should be month rather than year). Catching the first ship home\, he finished up with that brilliant collection of dons\, antique dealers\, mathematicians and chess players billeted in Nissen huts in the park of Buckinghamshire country house\, who broke the code transmitted by the German Enigma machine. \nThe original Hut 6 building (photographed in 2004). Milner-Barry joined Hut 6 in early 1940\, and worked in the section throughout World War II. He became head of Hut 6 in Autumn 1943.\nSir Stuart eventually rose to lead hut six\, which broke the most secret messages of the Luftwaffe. Quartered in a comfortable Bletchley public house with another formidable chess player\, C. H. O’D. Alexander\, and Gordon Welchman\, the Cambridge mathematician\, he acquired a taste  for rum\, the only alcohol in plentiful supply for some reason\, and a sense of guilt about enjoying\, his stimulating\, important job\, safe while other men faced the bullets. \nHe was not tempted to stay on in the arcane world of code-breaking after the war\, unlike his friend\, the late Hugh Alexander\, as he regards such activities in peacetime as akin to reading somebody’s private correspondence\, though he recognizes the necessity of such efforts for intelligence work. Instead\, he took the reconstruction competition for the administrative class of the Civil Service and entered the Treasury. \nWhile battling with the post-war dollar shortage in Treasury Chambers he “found a wife\, carried her off and lived happily ever after”\, as he cheerfully puts it. Apart from a spell as establishment officer to the Ministry of Health\, he stayed at the Treasury until he reached the normal retiring age of 60 in 1966. \nLord Helsby\, then Head of the Home Civil Service\, asked him to stay on and take over the smooth machine that underpins the honours system\, which had been built up over many years by Sir Robert Knox. Sir Stuart has loved every minute of it. \nHe looks every inch the part\, a tall stately man of immense natural dignity\, he is the incarnation of propriety. The stresses to which the honours system has been subjected to in recent years must have caused him great distress but he is far too proper a civil servant to talk about it. His retirement at 70 has nothing to do with the alarums and excursions stimulated by the honours lists associated with Harold Wilson. \n“One of my principal jobs has been the protection of the system”\, he says. “The pleasures are very great. It’s fascinating in itself. You see so much of the history of people in every walk of like”. \nSir Stuart waxes eloquent about the beauty and uniqueness of the British honours system. He is a confirmed monarchist\, so the spontaneity of the jubilee celebrations  provides the perfect backcloth for his departure. He is succeeded by Mr. Richard Sharp\, an under-secretary at the Treasury.” \nBelow is the original article: \nSir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry OBE\nMarriage to Thelma\nIn the third quarter of 1947 Stuart married Thelma Tennant Wells in Westminster. A consequence of the “rules of the day” of the marriage was that Thelma had to resign her post in the Treasury immediately.  (Ed: this somewhat antiquated view of life was finally corrected in 1972 when the Civil Service dispensed with this rule). \nLady Thelma was to support Stuart in his chess activities for their married life. She also served as the first UK Director of Women’s Chess and made many lasting friendships in the chess world. She was buried together with Stuart in 2007. Stuart himself was President of the British Chess Federation between 1970 and 1973 as well as being Director of International Chess following his presidency. \nStuart and Thelma had three children\, one son and two daughters: Philip O. (born 1953)\, Jane E (born 1950) and Alda M (born 1958). \nDave Rumens is pleased to accept a cheque for £200 from Lady Thelma Milner-Barry for winning the 1978 Nottingham Congress with 5.5/6. Photograph provided by Nottinghamshire County Council.\nStuart was knighted on January 1st 1975 for his role as the “Ceremonial Officer of  Civil Service Department” between 1966-77. Technically the knighthood is known as a KCVO. \nMilner-Barry was Southern Counties (SCCU) champion for the 1960-61 season. \nHe first competed in the British Championship in 1931 and made regular appearences as late as 1978: a span of 47 years! \nIn their retirement  years Stuart and Thelma lived at the salubrious location of 43 Blackheath Park\, Blackheath\, London SE3 9RW. \nAutobiography\nIn June of 1933 at the age of 27 Stuart wrote an autobiographical piece for British Chess Magazine to be found in Volume LIII (53\, 1933)\, Number 6 (June)\, pp. 241-2 as follows: \nStuart Milner-Barry in 1933 taken from BCM\, 1933\, June\nP.S. Milner-Barry\nChampion of the City of London Chess Club\nI learned chess at the age of eight and played regularly after that with members of my family. My first-class practise (with due respect to my family) began at fourteen\, when Mr. Bertram Goulding Brown and  started a series of serious friendly games which has continued ever since\, almost without interruption. The vast majority of these games were begun with 1 P-K4\, P-K4\, and as we both eschewed the Lopez and the Four Knights\, we have acquired  a fairly extensive knowledge of the older forms of the King’s side openings – King’s Gambit (all sorts)\, Vienna\, Guioco Piano\, Evans’s Gambit\, Danish Gambit\, Bishop’s Opening\, etc. These games have undoubtedly born the most important influence in my development\, apart from which the serious friendly game is to me much the most enjoyable form of chess. We each have runs of success\, and there has never been much to choose between us. \n(An aside : Stuart wrote a extensive obituary of Bertram Goulding Brown which appeared in British Chess Magazine\, Volume LXXXV (85\, 1965)\, Number 12(December) pp.344-45 in which he noted: \nB. Goulding Brown was my oldest and closest Cambridge friend\, I started playing with him in 1920\, and we have played ever since\, though\, alas\, not nearly so often since the War as in the 1920s and 1930. Our last games\, when he was eighty three\, were played about a year ago in the same book-congested upstairs study at Brookside as all the others had been. Both were cut-and-thrust draws: a Kieseritzky Gambit from myself and Two Knights’ (with 4.P-Q4 for White) were typical of the openings we adopted. We were planning another this Autumn\, but he died suddenly and peacefully at the end of August\, ) \nI have also been very fortunate in playing a good deal with C.H.O’D. Alexander. Our games have taken the form of a series of short matches (first player to win three games) played with clocks. Alexander was already stronger than me when he came up to Cambridge\, and he won the University Championship from me in his first year and my fourth. \nCHO’D Alexander plays his old friend PS Milner-Barry\nAll three matches have been won by him\, the first easily and the last two by the narrowest possible margin; a fourth now in progress looks like coming to an early  and ignominious conclusion (Score 0-2-2). These results have neither surprised nor disappointed me : I would not back any player in England to do better. \n(ed. For more detail on PSMBs matches with Hugh we refer to you our article on Hugh). \nIn 1923 I won the first Boy’s Championship at Hastings\, but lost badly the following year (ed. Alexander won). \nBoy Chess Champion PS Milner-Barry (Cheltenham College)\, first boy chess champion of England\, receiving the cup from Mrs. AG Ginner\, the donor \, at the Hastings Chess Club\nSince then I have competed twice at Hastings\, once tieing with Miss Menchik in the Major Reserve for the first place and once for the last\, in the Major. In between I played in the Major Open at Tenby\, and came out fifth\, with my first important win against Znosko-Borovsky. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nMeanwhile I played four years against Oxford\, with somewhat chequered results. The first year I won against G. Abrahams\, the second and third years\, I played K.H. Bancroft and scored a (very fortunate) draw and a win\, while finally I permitted Abrahams to fork my King and Queen with a Knight\, a performance unhappily repeated by R.L. Mitchell in the following year (his Queen was pinned by a Bishop). Since then the spell has been broken. In 1931 I played in the British Championships at Worcester\, and was quite satisfied with my form\, though my score of 5 out of 11 was nothing to write home about. In February 1932\, I have the great good fortune to fill a vacant place in the Sunday Referee* London International Tournament\, an extremely exhausting but very valuable experience which I greatly appreciated. \n*The Sunday Referee was a newspaper of the time which was adsorbed into The Sunday Chronicle in 1939. \nFull Crosstable for the 1932 Sunday Referee or London International Masters Tournament\nMy score of 3.5 out of 11\, equal with Sir George Thomas and above W. Winter and V. Buerger\, was quite as good as I expected. After this came the Cambridge Tournament\, which\, though a very delightful little congress\, was a fiasco from my point of view. Three of my opponents were unkind enough to show their best form against me\, and two other games I spoilt by clock trouble. \nI do not expect to play much serious competitive chess in future. I admire sincerely the business man who is ready\, after a hard day at the office\, to undergo a further four hours of strenuous mental exertion; and who is also prepared to spend his all too brief holidays in the same exhausting pursuit. Moreover\, while many players find the atmosphere of match and tournament play a stimulus or an inspiration\, it only renders me nervous\, and though this does not affect my play it certainly interferes with my enjoyment. As long as I can play my week-end games with B.G.B.\, and inveigle Alexander from Winchester to add another to his monotonous series of victories\, I shall not much mind if I can only occasionally take part in congresses. ” \nPS Milner-Barry Cup\nIn issue #53 (April 1946)  of West London Chess Club’s Gazette we have a news item concerning a newly inaugurated trophy called the PS Milner-Barry Cup: \nissue #53 (April 1946)  of West London Chess Club’s Gazette\nSergeant on Milner-Barry\nWriting in A Century of British Chess (Hutchinson\, 1934)\, PW Sergeant records in Chapter XXI\, 1925 to 1934: \nThe City of London C.C.’s Championship Tournament which ended this (1933) spring deserves special mention; for it introduced an entirely new name on the list of champions\, that of P.S. Milner-Barry\, formerly of Cheltenham College and of Cambridge University.  Ten years previously he had won the first boys’ championship at Hastings. \nNow\, he won the City of London Championship with a score of 11 out of 14\, followed by the bearers of such noted names as R.P. Michell (10 points)\, Sir George Thomas (9)\, and E.G. Sergeant (8.5). It caused some surprise\, therefore\, when it was found that he was not selected as a British representative at Folkestone. \nGolombek on Milner-Barry\nSurprisingly and disappointingly there is no direct entry in either Hooper & Whyld or Sunnucks for Sir Stuart but (as you might expect) Harry Golombek OBE does not let us down  in The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977): \n“British master whose chess career was limited by his amateur status but whose abilities as a player and original theorist rendered him worthy of the title of international master. \nBorn at Mill Hill in London\, he showed early promise and in 1923 won the British Boys Championship\, then held at Hastings. \nHe studied classics at Cambridge and developed into the strongest player there. At the university he was to meet (ed. three years later) C. H. O’D. Alexander with whom he played much chess. \nThough nearly three years younger\, Alexander exerted a strong influence over him and both players cherished and revelled in the brilliance of play in open positions. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\n24th April 1935: J Mieses of Germany in play against PS Milner-Barry during the Premier Tournament of the Kent County Chess Association in the Grand Hotel\, Margate. (Photo by F. Sayers/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)\nBy then along with Alexander and Golombek\, he had become recognized as one of the three strongest young players in the country. Whilst not as successful as they were in tournaments as the British championship in which stamina was essential\, he was a most formidable club and team match player\, as he had already shown in 1933 when he won the championship of the City of London Club ahead of R. P. Mitchell and Sir George Thomas. \nHarry Golombek OBE plays Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry OBE\nHe played in his first International Team tournament at Stockholm 1937 and was to play in three more such events : in 1939 at Buenos Aires where\, on third board\, he made the fine score of 4/5 ; in Helsinki 1952; and in Moscow 1956 where\, again on third board\, he was largely responsible for the team’s fine showing. \nLeft to right Baruch H Wood\, Stuart Milner-Barry\, Vera Menchik (playing in the women’s world championship (held concurrently with the 1939 Buenos Aires Olympiad) which she won with 17 wins and 2 draws)\, Sir George Thomas\, Conel Hugh O’Donel Alexander and Harry Golombek. England withdrew after their preliminary group due to the outbreak of war despite qualifying for the top final. Thanks to Leonard Barden\nIn 1940 he shared first prize with Dr. List in the strong tournament of semi-international character in London and then\, like Alexander and (later) Golombek\, helped in the Foreign Office code-breaking activities at Bletchley Park for the duration of the Second World War. Staying in the Civil Service afterwards\, he rose to the rank of Under-Secretary in the Treasury and was knighted for his services in 1975. \nSir Stuart Milner-Barry talks about Malik Mir Sultan Khan\nBelow is footage (start at 1′ 55″) of Sir Stuart discussing the talent of Malik Mir Sultan Khan: \n\nAfter the war\, too\, he had some fine results in the British championship\, his best being second place at Hastings in 1953. \nHartston on Milner-Barry\nThe following article is sourced from November 1995 edition* of Dragon\, the Cambridge University Chess Club magazine: \n(*Edited by Jonathan Parker) \nA sample cover of Dragon\, the Cambridge University Chess Club Magazine\n“I first met Sir Stuart Milner-Barry when I was fifteen years old (1962) playing in a tournament in Bognor Regis who played some rustic king’s pawn opening against me\, sacrificing a pawn for nothing in particular and then astonished by writing “castles” in full on his scoresheet.  I think he used “kt” for a knight too. I thought I had discovered  a true relic from a bygone age and the more I got to know him I realised the more correct that judgement was. \nMilner-Barry was the last of the true gentlemen amateurs and was one of the few people I have ever met who played chess for the sheer love of the game. \nA few typical incidents may give a flavour of his unique personality. First and most typical was the way he would resign: with a firm handshake\, a smile and a booming whisper of ‘You are far too good for me I’m afraid!’ When I first heard those words I was totally taken aback : What was this\, a chessplayer acknowledging that his opponent was better than him? Impossible! \nOnce\, at close of play in a county match against Milner-Barry I had the extra pawn in a difficult queen and pawn ending.  We analysed a little with most variations suggesting I was winning. It was the kind of position you would send for adjudication even if you are convinced it is lost. It avoids having to resign anyway and the adjudicator may always discount the pawns. But\, Sir Stuart never thought like that. After ten minutes analysing he extended his hand and congratulated me. \nSir Stuart Milner-Barry in play against Daniel Yanofsky from round 6 of the British Championship in Hastings\, 15th August 1953\nFinally there was the splendid incident in Moscow during the (Ed. 6th) European Team Championships in the late 1970s (Ed. 1977) Stuart was then the President of the BCF and took up an invitation of his old friend the British Ambassador to the USSR (Ed. Sir Howard Smith) to visit the event.  Since he was staying at the Embassy he had a KGB tail assigned to him to follow him everywhere. On one of his morning walks Sir Stuart got lost and was not certain which bridge he should be on to get back to the Embassy. So\, he turned around and walked back to the not very secret policeman\, followed him and asked for directions! For the rest of his stay they walked practically hand-in-hand. \nWhilst most of us knew Stuart as an amiable old gent who played for Kent and in the Lloyds Bank Masters who could still play brilliant attacking games in his eighties  most knew little of his distinguished career in real life. \nSir Stuart Milner-Barry\nWe suspected with some justification  that in his civil service career he was responsible for doling out all those OBEs to chess players  in the 70s and 80s when he was in charge of the honours list. \nIt was the wartime work at Bletchley Park that was Milner-Barry’s greatest achievement. As everybody knows the allies won the Second World War mainly because of the brilliant code-breaking work of the Cambridge quartet of Alan Turing\, Gordon Welchman\, Hugh Alexander and Stuart Milner-Barry. Turing and Welchman were mathematical geniuses\, Milner-Barry was the supreme administrator and Alexander straddled the gap with great talents in both areas. \nThe astonishing achievement at Bletchley was not so  much in breaking enemy codes as maintaining complete secrecy of the entire operation for the duration of the war. Only with such people as Milner-Barry and Alexander in charge could such a large operation be run so successfully without anybody knowing about it. \nMilner-Barry’s importance in the running at Bletchley may be judged from the fact that he personally delivered the note to Winston Churchill stressing overriding importance of their work asking for more funds. \n\nCompared with that the invention of the Milner-Barry Gambit and the Milner-Barry variation of the Nimzo-Indian are minor achievements. \nSir Stuart was proof that nice guys can be chess players although one cannot help suspecting he would achieved even better results if he had even a slight streak of nastiness about him. He would surely have not let Capablanca off the hook in Margate in 1938 when the attacking player secured a winning position against the ex-champions dragon variation and he would have surely also not let the British Championship slip from his grasp in 1953 when he finished as runner-up  after losing his last two games. \nHe always performed well when playing in Olympiads (or Team Tournaments as they were known then) for England during the 1930s and 50s. He was\, after all\, one of the most naturally gifted players this county has produced.  What other Englishman has two opening (or even just one) named after him? \nWhile at Cambridge while he won the University Championship in 1928\, losing to Alexander in the following year\, Milner-Barry composed some fine problems\, a frivolity he never returned to later in his life. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nAn excellent though infrequent writer on the game\, he wrote a fine memoir of C.H.O’D. Alexander in Golombek’s and Hartston’s The Best Games of C.H.O’D. Alexander\, Oxford\, 1976.” \n\nThe Best Games of C.H.O’D. Alexander\, Harry Golombek and William Hartston. With A Memoir by Sir Stuart Milner-Barry\, Oxford University Press\, 1976\, ISBN 10: 0192175351 ISBN 13: 9780192175359\nAn Obituary from Bernard Cafferty\nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CXV (115\, 1995)\, Number 5 (May)\, pp. 258-59 we have this obituary by Bernard Cafferty: \n“Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry KCVO CB  OBE (20 ix 1906 – 25 iii 1995) was the oldest of the British chess masters who came to prominence in the 1930s\, He was always thought of in conjunction with his great friends Hugh Alexander and Harry Golombek who both predeceased him. The length of Stuart’s career is amazing  – he was inaugural British Boy Champion in 1923 and was still playing for Kent first team in the Counties Championship  of recent years\, thus spanning a period of seven decades! Botvinnik spoke of him to me on my 1994 visit to Moscow. \nDavid Anderton OBE (rhs) congratulates Sir Stuart Milner-Barry OBE for winning the “Board of Honour ” game versus Edward Lasker at the 1976 Lloyds Bank Match by Telex\, London – New York. From BCM\, volume XCVI (96) Number 11 (August)\, Page 494. The venue was the Bloomsbury Hotel\, London. Photo courtesy of Lloyds Bank\nYet Stuart\, who never gained the IM title\, was always the true amateur and genuine English gentleman\, whose sense of duty and tradition was very great. It speaks volumes of him that he agonised over whether he should attend the Times Kasparov-Short match of 1993\, in a private capacity. He would have liked to watch the play\, but as a former British Chess Federation President\, 1970-73\, he felt it was his duty not to lend any extra recognition to the contest other than that assigned it by the BCF. \nBefore the war\, after graduating from Cambridge in Classics\, he took some fine scalps including those of Tartakower and Mieses and should have beaten Capablanca at Margate 1939. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nCapablanca and Stuart Milner-Barry at Margate\, England\, April 15\, 1936. AP Photos\n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nHe worked\, rather unhappily\, in a stockbroking firm up to 1938 and it is in that capacity that his name appears on the official document that set-up the British Chess Magazine as a limited company in 1937. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nDuring the war he played his part in the Bletchley Park code-breaking undertaking along with Alexander and Golombek\, and after the war went into the Civil Service where he had a distinguished career at the Treasury. Then his career was extended as he spent his final working years in the patronage department that sifted recommendations for the honours list. \nI recall asking him in 1981 if there was any chance that Brian Reilly could qualify for an award. Stuart’s diplomatic answer was to the effect that he was now retired but would drop a word in the right quarter. \nStuart represented England at the Olympiads or 1936\, 1939\, 1952 and 1956. At the last of these he played particularly well on fourth board. He was conscious that his old friend Hugh Alexander could not take part in Moscow because of the sensitive nature of his work in the Intelligence Service. \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 playing style Milner-Barry\, a tall gaunt figure\, delighted in an open tactical fight. \nHe was The Times correspondent 1938-45\, resigning the post to let Harry Golombek take over. His best result after the war\, apart from the 1956 Moscow Olympiad\, was probably his second place in the British Championships of 1953 at Hastings. The abiding impression of his opponents over the years must have been  that here was a player who greatly enjoyed the game\, win\, lose or draw. \nCertainly\, that was my idea of him in the tussles we had from the British Championship of 1957 up to county matches in the 1980s. \nWe shall not see his like again. The England that formed his character is no longer with us.” \nMilner-Barry Variations\nThough never at home in close(d) positions\, he was an outstanding strategist in the open game and it is significant that his most important contribution to opening theory was the Milner-Barry variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defence which is essentially as attempt to convert a close position into an open one (1.P-Q4\, N-KB3; 2.P-QB4\, P-K3; 3. N-QB3\, B-N5; 4.Q-B2\, N-B3).” \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nHooper & Whyld (1996) note: \n“Sometimes called the Zurich or Swiss variation\, this is a line in the Nimzo-Indian Defence introduced by Milner-Barry in the Premier Reserves tournament\, Hastings 1928-9. This line became more widely known when it was played at Zurich 1934.” \nTwo famous opening lines are named after him – 4…Nc6 in the Nimzo-Indian (as above)\, and the gambit in the French Defence: 1.e4 e6;2.d4 d5;3.e5 c5;4.c3 Nc6;5.Nf3 Qb6;6.Bd3 cxd4;7.cxd4 Bd7;8.0-0 Nxd4; \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nStuart played this line both in correspondence and over-the-board play. If Black takes the pawn with 10…Qxe5\, White gets a fierce attack by 11\,Re1 Qd6 (else 12.Nxd5) 12.Nb5. \nThere is also a sub-variation of the Caro-Kann which is named after Sir Stuart viz: \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nwhich is a Blackmar-Diemer style pawn sacrifice. \nThere is also a Milner-Barry variation in the Falkbeer Counter Gambit to the King’s Gambit thus: \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nwhich is an ancient line that he revived at Margate 1937. \nand finally\, there is a Milner-Barry Variation in the Petroff Defence: \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\ngiving a total of five named variations. How many English players have that many? \nProblems and Compositions\nStuart developed an interest in problem composition in the 1920s \nSir Stuart Milner-Barry\, Problem\, Morning Post\, 1923\nSir Stuart Milner-Barry\, Problem\, The Observer\, 1925\nSir Stuart Milner-Barry\, Problem\, British Chess Magazine\, 1926\nFurther examples may be found on the excellent Meson Database maintained by Brian Stephenson \nMilner-Barry on The English Chess Explosion\nStuart was a great supporter of the development of British chess. Nothing would have given him more pleasure than to witness  the meteoric advances of English players in the 1970s. Indeed\, he wrote the foreword to the English Chess Explosion (Batsford\, 1980) by Murray Chandler and Ray Keene: \nThe English Chess Explosion (from Miles to Short)\, Murray Chandler & Ray Keene\, Batsford\, 1981\, ISBN 0 7134 4009 0\n“It gives me great pleasure to have been asked to write a foreword for this book. Nothing has given me more satisfaction than the flowering of British chess talent that has taken place in the past few years. \nBetween the wars\, though we had some splendid players like H. E. Atkins\, Sir George Thomas and F. D. Yates\, we were a second rate power at chess: in the great Nottingham tournament of 1936\, for example\, our quartet brought up the rear\, and that was where\, with occasional shining exceptions\, our representatives in international tournaments tended to find themselves. Similarly\, after the war in the 1950’s and 1960’s\, in spite of Alexander and Penrose\, we seldom achieved a really creditable place in the Olympiads. \nAlexander who retired early from the arena because of the exacting demands of his profession\, must have had rather a depressing time as non-playing captain. \nSir Stuart Milner-Barry OBE\nI myself date the renaissance from the Spring of 1974 when we won a closely contested match against West Germany at Elvetham Hall.\nThereafter we went from strength to strength\, with the appearance year by year of highly talented\, original and adventurous young men from the Universities – Keene and Hartston\, closely followed by Miles\, Stean\, Nunn\, Mestel\, Speelman\, and a still younger generation of schoolboy prodigies like Nigel Short. \nThe peak of our performance so far has been the third place (after the USSR and Hungary) last winter in the finals of the European Team Tournament at Skara (compared with our eighth and last place at Moscow in 1977). \nSir Stuart Milner-Barry OBE presents Dr. Jana Hartston with the ? prize\nHow did all this come about in the short space of six years? The Spassky-Fischer match of 1972 was a watershed. Since then\, and the first time\, it has been possible for able young men from universities to consider chess seriously as a full-time profession\, or at least as a career to which they devote the major part of their time and interest\, Secondly\, the fruits were being reaped of the unobtrusive but devoted spadework in junior training pioneered by Barden\, Wade and many others. Lastly\, no doubt\, sheer good fortune smiled upon us in the simultaneous emergence of a group of brilliant enthusiastic and likeable young men\, five of them already grandmasters and others likely to become so before long. \nIt is sad that Alexander\, who did so much to uphold the prestige of British chess in the doldrums\, did not survive to witness the transformation. I would like to wish the BCF President\, David Anderton\, and Alexander’s successor as captain\, all possible success for the future.” \nFooter from the foreword of The English Chess Explosion (from Miles to Short)\, Murray Chandler & Ray Keene\, Batsford\, 1981\, ISBN 0 7134 4009 0\nFurther Material\nAn obituary from The Independent by Bill Hartston \nAn article from Spartacus Educational \nHere are his games from chess.com \nMore on his time at Bletchley Park \nLocation of his grave \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \n\nSignature of Sir Stuart Milner-Barry\nAccording to Edward Winter in Chess Notes PSMB lived at these addresses : \n\n11 Park Terrace\, Cambridge\, England (Ranneforths Schachkalender\, 1938\, page 78).\n43 Blackheath Park\, Blackheath\, London SE3 9RW\, England (letter reproduced in C.N. 3809).\n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-sir-philip-stuart-milner-barry-obe/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,English,History,Journalist,Player,Remembering,Writer
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210207
DTSTAMP:20220206T125401Z
CREATED:20200201T143815Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220206T125401Z
UID:3106-1612569600-1612655999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of WIM Cathy Forbes (06-ii-1968)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of WIM Cathy Forbes (06-ii-1968) \nWIM Cathy Warwick (née Forbes)\nThe Polgar Sisters : Training or Genius ?\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-wim-cathy-forbes-06-ii-1968/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Journalist,Player,Writer
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201229
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201230
DTSTAMP:20211229T134506Z
CREATED:20190823T183010Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211229T134506Z
UID:1104-1609200000-1609286399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Brian Reilly (12-xii-1901 29-xii-1991)
DESCRIPTION:Signature of Brian Reilly from an after dinner post card from Hastings 1945-46\nWe remember Brian Patrick Reilly who passed away on December 29th\, 1991. \nBrian Reilly probably sometime in the 1920s.\nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977)\, Harry Golombek OBE (written by Wolfgang Heidenfeld) :”Irish master born at Menton\, of Irish descent\, who has represented Ireland in nine Olympic team tournaments between 1935 and 1968; three times on top board. \nBrian observes a game during one of the early 1930s tournaments in Nice\nHe was also Irish representative at seven FIDE congresses. Reilly played in a number of small international tournaments\, wining first prize at Nice 1931 and sharing fourth prize with Klein and EG Sergeant behind Reshevsky\, Capablanca and Sir G. Thomas at Margate 1935. \nBrian Reilly playing Dr. Josep Vallve probably at Barcelona Chess Club in June 1935. Brian won in 61 moves.\nWinner of Irish championship in 1959 and 1960. General Editor of British Chess Magazine since 1949.” \nBrian Reilly and friends\nHis obituary in British Chess Magazine was written by Bernard Cafferty and appeared in Volume CXII (112\, 1992)\, Number 2 (February)\, page 70: \nBrian with journalist colleagues.\n“With great regret we have to report that Brian Patrick Reilly has\, to use the older term\, ‘joined the great majority’. \nBrian analysing with Irish team mate\, Wolfgang Heidenfeld\nB. P. Reilly (Menton\, 12 xii 1901-Hastings\, 29 xii l99l) was born into an expatriate family on the French Riviera\, and so was bilingual. He learned his chess in France where he had many friends and acquaintances. He knew Alekhine in the 1920s and 1930s and was a witness at Alekhine’s wedding. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nMany years later he was to do extensive research on Alekhine’s life\, and was the first to establish (though he did not publish the fact) that the Russian did not complete his doctorate studies at the Sorbonne\, so that “Dr” Alekhine must be considered a purely honorary title. \nBrian won the Nice tournament of 1931\, ahead of Noteboom\, Mieses\, . . . Sir George Thomas . . . Znosko-Borovsky. . . and played for Ireland at the 1935 Olympiad beating Fine. \nCrosstable for Nice 1931 from Megabase 2020\nThese results\, taken with his fourth place at Margate 1935\, behind Reshevsky\, Capablanca and Sir George Thomas\, made it clear that he was of IM strength. \nNice Masters\, 1931. Standing : Daniel Noteboom\, Abraham Baratz\, George Renaud (Organiser)\, John J O’Hanlon\, Marcel Duchamp\, Brian Reilly (winner)\, Seated : Eugene Znokso-Borovsky\,\, Arpad Vajda\, Sir George Thomas\, Jacques Mieses\, Stefano Roselli del Turco\, Jacob Adolf Seitz. British Chess Magazine\, 1931\, page 201\nDuring the war Brian was interned in France as a British citizen\, coming close to starvation for a time. He described all this in the very detailed account of his life in the September 1980 BCM\, on which we have drawn\, along with the many reminiscences Brian passed on to the present writer. \nBrian analysing with the Irish team at an Olympiad\nAfter working for the Sutton Coldfield magazine just after the war (he did not get on well with B. H. Wood\, thinking him not very business-like – do we put this too diplomatically?) Brian was a freelance translator in the pharmaceutical industry before taking over BCM in 1949. At the time the magazine was technically bankrupt. \nSir George Thomas And Brian ReillySir George Thomas (left)\, leader of the British chess team\, playing Irishman Brian Reilly at the Easter Chess Congress\, Margate\, April 24th 1935. (Photo by Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Getty Images)\nIn 1964 he moved the office from London to St Leonards\, showing his business acumen yet again. He ran the bookstall for many years at the Hastings Congress at the Sun Lounge and the Falaise Hall. \n \nAfter the union troubles of 1970-71 and the Fischer boom he arranged for the magazine to be typeset by his son Freddy at the family home in West Norwood. This led to an expansion in the pagination after some teething troubles. \nBrian Reilly playing Cesar Munoz (Ecuador) in round 8 of the Leipzig Olympiad played on 23rd October 1960. The game was drawn in 48 moves.\nAll this while\, Brian was playing for Ireland in Olympiads\, and attending to FIDE affairs as a FIDE delegate. \nBrian relaxing during a FIDE Congress dinner\nAfter the death of his son Freddy in 1980\, the magazine was sold to the BCF and Brian retired as editor in September 1981\, remaining as a consultant for nearly a decade. \nBrian Reilly\, Ray Keene\, George Botterill\, Anatoly Karpov\, Harry Golombek and Viktor Korchnoi\nHis last years were spent in Hastings\, where it was his wont to carry on with the long sea-front walks that he had practised since a breakdown in health due to overwork. He had strong views on correct diet and exercise which he could expound to anyone willing to listen. The fact that he could walk up to six miles a day in his late eighties and that his faculties\, including his memory\, only seemed to be weakening in his last two years\, is proof enough of the validity of his theories. \nBrian Reilly playing Wolfgang Unzicker on board 1 during the preliminaries of the 1960 Leipzig Olympiad.\nOn his 90th birthday he attended the office and drank a glass of champagne to celebrate the occasion. We have the testimony of Mrs Arnold\, who worked with him so long\, that he was still talking of visiting the Hastings Congress. This was on Boxing Day\, the day after he had been admitted to St Helen’s Hospital with a chest infection. He assured her he would be up and about again\, but old friends such as Harry Golombek and Ritson Morry waited for him in vain as Hastings got under way. . . \nBrian Reilly at a FIDE Congress (possibly Nice 1974?)\nBrian Reilly at a FIDE Congress (possibly Nice 1974?)\nBCM readers\, too\, must be counted amongst his old friends who will miss him. They should be aware that\, but for Brian\, and his decades of hard work. there would now be no BCM.” \nBrian Reilly in the BCM office. Photographed most likely by Freddy Reilly.\nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CI (101)\, Number 8 (August)\, pp 352 – 369 a conversation between B.P. Reilly and W.H. Cozens : \nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 1\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 2\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 3\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 4\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 5\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 6\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 7\nHe won the BCF President’s Award in 1983 along with BH Wood \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\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 8\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 9\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 10\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 11\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 12\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 13\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 14\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 15\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 16\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 16\nBrian Reilly conversation with William Harold Cozens\, part 1\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-brian-patrick-reilly/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Journalist,Player,Remembering,Writer
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200812
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200813
DTSTAMP:20210805T102719Z
CREATED:20190822T222527Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210805T102719Z
UID:1016-1597190400-1597276799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Bill Hartston (12-viii-1947)
DESCRIPTION:IM William Hartston\, FIDE Candidates\, 2013\, courtesy of John Upham Photography\nOn the “glorious twelfth” of August we celebrate the birthday of one of England’s most popular chess players and writers\, IM Bill Hartston. \nWilliam Roland Hartston was born in Willesden\, Middlesex on Tuesday\, August 12th\, 1947. His father was William Hartston\, a significant member of the Royal College of Physicians who was married to Mary Rowland. Bill has a sister. \nBill Hartston\nHe studied at the City of London School and then studied mathematics at Jesus College\, Cambridge and graduated with a BA in 1968 and an MA in 1972\, but did not complete his PhD on number theory. \nAn early Bill Hartston\, event unknown\nWhile studying for his PhD at Cambridge\, Hartston developed an intricate system for balancing an entire chess set on top of a single rook. Here is an article with an explanation letter from Bill. \nBill married Dr. Jana Malypetrova in January\, 1970 in Cambridge. In 1978 Bill married Elizabeth Bannerman\, also in Cambridge and from that marriage he had two sons\, James and Nicholas. \nBill and Dr. Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)\nBill became an International Master in 1972 and his highest FIDE rating was 2485 in January 1979. \nWith the white pieces Bill almost exclusively played 1.e4 and the Ruy Lopez. \nWith the black pieces Bill played the Sicilian Taimanov and the Czech Benoni. \nBill plays his trusty Sicilian Taimanov against an unknown opponent\nBill is a self-proclaimed follower of Prof. AJ Ayer (See the Acknowledgements in “Soft Pawn”) Clint Eastwood and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. \nBill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS\, August 1973\, page 323\nBill was the chess correspondent of The Independent and The Mail on Sunday. He was also a regular presenter and commentator for television. He worked with Jeremy James on the BBC’s Master Game. \nThe Master Game\, Series 6&7 with Jeremy James and Bill Hartston\nBill is an industrial psychologist. \nCuriously the 1984 edition of the usually reliable The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper and Whyld does not have an entry for the twice British Champion : was this simply an oversight ? Jana is also not mentioned. \n\nBill wrote about himself in British Chess (Pergamon\, 1983) : \n“To summarise more than 20 years of playing competitive chess in a few hundred words is an impossible task. My attitude to the game has changed a great deal\, especially in recent times\, but I have always enjoyed and felt at home in the tense and lively atmosphere of chess tournaments\, whether as a competitor\, spectator or journalist. \nCaption as per photograph below\nCaption for above photograph\nI consider myself lucky to have been a ‘promising junior’ just at the time when chess was beginning to be taken seriously as a sport in England. The English team consisted mainly of amateurs and there were clear opportunities for anyone willing to work at the game. As a result of the changing attitudes to the game in this country\, the development between 1965\, when I first played for the national team\, and 1975 was far greater than in any other decade. One statistic which I have always found personally amusing is that I progressed from youngest player in 1967 for the Clare Benedict tournament to become the oldest in the 1971 team. From promising junior to veteran in four years = is this a record ? \nBill Hartston commentating on games from the Phillips & Drew King’s 1982\nSince my second British Championship win in 1975\, I have been writing more and playing less. I always realised that I was not going to become a sufficiently strong player to be happy just wandering round the tournament circuit\, but giving up chess entirely is\, of course\, unthinkable. I believe now that the time is ripe for chess to be presented to far wider audiences and I like to think that some of what I do will help in that aim. If the Master Game television series and “Soft Pawn” cannot sell chess to the masses then nothing will.” \nBill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. Here at the Teachers Assurance National Schools Championships in 1980\n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nHarry Golombek wrote the following in a 1980 Dataday chess diary : \n“Hartston played hardly at all during the period from my last entry of him in the 1977 diary and that little\, though respectable\, was hardly the performance of an active master. His equal 3rd to 5th at the big Aaronson’s Masters Tournament (a swiss system event with 72 players) did not really affect his rating and indeed he finished up without changing his Elo rating at all. \nNevertheless\, this glimpse of his true powers was impressive as can be seen in the following game which was played in the 6th round of the Aaronson tournament.” \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“International Master (1972) and British Champion (1973) William Hartston was born in London on the 12th August 1947. He was taught to play chess by his father when he was seven and five years later joined Enfield Chess Club. His results in junior events included 1st in the London Boys’ Under 16 Championship and 2nd in the British Boys’ Under 15 Championship in 1962 and =2nd in the British Boys Under 18 Championship in 1963. \nBill had a keen interest in computer chess and technology\nIn 1965\, Hartston made his first appearance in the British Championship and came =5th. In the same year he won the Ilford and Paignton Premier tournaments. Playing on board 3 for England in the 1966 Olympiad. Hartston scored the best result of any British player\, 66.7%. In the Olympiad of 1970\, he had the best overall score on board 3\, 12.5 out of 16 and in the Olympiad of 1972 he won the prize for the 3rd best score on board 2\, 12.5 out of 18. In 1972 he narrowly failed to qualify for the Interzonal tournament\, when he came 3rd in the Zonal tournament at Vranjacka Banja.” \nMike Basman plays Bill during the play-off for the 1973 British Championship\nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977) by Harry Golombek : \n“British International Master and twice British Champion. Hartston was born in London and his early chess was played there.\, where he became London Boy (Under-16 Champion in 1962. \nHe was educated at the City of London School and Jesus College\, Cambridge\, where he took a degree in mathematics. \nIt soon became clear that he was one of the leading young players in England and a rivalry developed between him and Raymond Keene in which first one and then the other obtained the upper hand. \nAfter a number of near misses he won the British Championship at Eastbourne in 1973 and again at Morecambe in 1975. \nJana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne\nInternationally he has already had a distinguished career and has been especially good and consistent in his representation of England at the Olympiads. At Havana in 1966 he scored 66.7% on board 3 but did not play at Lugano in 1968. Again on board 3 at Siegen in 1970 he obtained the best score on board 3 with 78.1%. At Skopje 1972 he fulfilled the second norm of the international master title with 12.5 points out of 18 on second board. Playing on first board at Nice 1974 he attained 52.7% and had a most meritorious and well fought draw with the World Champion\, Karpov. \nBill Hartston draws with Anatoly Karpov at Nice 1974\nHe achieved a breakthrough in the field of international tournament chess when he came third in a strong Premier tournament at Hastings 1972/3 \nHastings\, England\, 4th January 1972\, Chess\, Russian Grand Master Viktor Korchnoi (right) is pictured in a match with William Hartston (UK) during the 47th Hastings International Chess Tournament (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)\nand in 1973 he scored a first at Alicante. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nHis best tournament result came three years later when he won 1st prize at Sarajevo 1976. \nSarajevo 1976 Crosstable from English Chess Explosion (1980)\nHis style of play is sound and competent in all the spheres of the game. That he can be brilliant when necessary he demonstrated his beautiful brilliancy game against the Finnish grandmaster Westerinen at Allicante in 1973. He has a fine\, broad knowledge of the openings and has written a number of articles and books on that theme. \nBill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. event unknown.\n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nDanish chess grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935 – 2010\, left) takes on English player William Hartston (right) during the annual Hastings International Chess Congress\, UK\, 13th January 1973. Larsen won the game. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)\nA lucid and entertaining writer\, he has also appeared with success in BBC Television chess programmes. \nBill Hartston at a promotional event\nAmong his chief works are : \nThe Benoni\, London\, 1969\nThe Grunfeld Defence\, London\, 1971\nThe Best Games of CHO’D Alexander (with H. Golombek)\, Oxford\, 1976.” \nIn modern times Bill has made regular appearances with World Cluedo champion\, Josef Kollar on Channel Four’s Gogglebox with a pair of painted breasts as background. \nHere is his Wikipedia article \nSee his entry from the Jewish Lives Project \nThe King’s Indian Defence\, 1969\nThe Benoni\, 1969\nHow to Cheat at Chess\, 1976\nThe Best Games of C.H.O’D. Alexander\, 1976\nThe Grünfeld Defence\, 1977\nBenoni\, 1977\nKarpov-Korchnoi\, 1978\nSoft Pawn\, 1980\nThe Phillips & Drew King’s Chess Tournament\, 1980\nThe Penguin Book of Chess Openings\, 1981\nThe Psychology of Chess\, 1984\nShort vs Kasparov\, 1993\nThe Kings of Chess\, 1995\nThe Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters\, 1996\nWilliam Hartston\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-william-hartston/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,History,Journalist,Player,Writer
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200627
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200628
DTSTAMP:20210622T114001Z
CREATED:20200403T170942Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210622T114001Z
UID:4037-1593216000-1593302399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Bernard Cafferty (27-vi-1934)
DESCRIPTION:BCN wishes FIDE Master Bernard Cafferty best wishes on his 87th birthday\, June 27th in 1934. \nBernard Cafferty\, location\, date and photographer unknown\nOn 14th December\, 1968\, Bernard gave a simultaneous exhibition held at Anglesey School\, Burton. He played 17\, won 16 and lost 1 to Trevor Bould who was already Burton Champion\, photograph from http://www.derbyshirechess.btck.co.uk/History/Exhibitions\, photographer unknown\nBernard was born in Blackburn\, Lancashire (his mother’s maiden name was Croft) migrating to Birmingham and now resides in Hastings\, East Sussex and is a member of Hastings & St. Leonards Chess Club. \nFM Bernard Cafferty (seated\, rhs)\nHe was editor of British Chess Magazine from 1981 to 1991. \nBernard Cafferty\, location\, date and photographer unknown\nHere is the 1981 announcement (written by Harry Golombek\, Chairman of Directors) of his appointment in the British Chess Magazine\, Volume CI (101)\, Number 3\, March\, page 82 : \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume 101\, Number 3\, Page 82\nHere is his extensive Wikipedia entry \nBernard won the BCF President’s Award in 1991. \n\nIn the December 2010 issue (Volume CXXX (130)\, Number 12\, pages 622 – 625 of British Chess Magazine there was a tribute to Bernard’s 30 years at BCM from editor FM Steve Giddins that was interview based : \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXX (103)\, Number 12\, December\, Page 622\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXX (103)\, Number 12\, December\, Page 623\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXX (103)\, Number 12\, December\, Page 625\nAssociate Editor Bernard Cafferty\,at work on the magazine in the BCM office\, BCM\, Volume 130\, Number 8\, p. 428\nHere is discussion of Bernard on the English Chess Forum \nHere is the BritBase collection of Bernard’s games \nIn 2009 Bernard was interviewed by the privately published Chess Parrot whose editor was / is Basingstoke based James Pratt (who became BCMs editor from 2011 – 2015). Here is that previously unseen interview : \nThe Chess Parrot\, XXVI\, Winter/Spring 2009\, page 26-5\nThe Chess Parrot\, XXVI\, Winter/Spring 2009\, page 26-5\nThe Chess Parrot\, XXVI\, Winter/Spring 2009\, page 26-5\nThe Chess Parrot\, XXVI\, Winter/Spring 2009\, page 26-5\nFM Bernard Cafferty at the 2014-15 Hastings Congress\, courtesy of John Upham Photography\nA Complete Defence to 1P-K4: A Study of Petroff’s Defence (2nd ed.)\, Pergammon Press\, ISBN 0-08-024088-7\, 1967\nSpassky’s 100 Best Games\, Bernard Cafferty\, BT Batsford\, 1972\, ISBN 0-7134-0362-4.\nTal’s 100 Best Games. Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-2765-5.\nChess with the Masters. Chess Player. ISBN 0-900928-95-6.\nEnglish Opening\, The Chess Player\, 1977\, ISBN 0-900928-92-1\nA Complete Defence to 1d4: A Study of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted\, Pergammon Press\, ISBN 0-08-024102-6\nPlay for Mate (1990)\, DV Hooper and Bernard Cafferty\, ISBN-13: 978-0713464740\nPlay The Evans Gambit (co-author Tim Harding). Cadogan. ISBN 1-85744-119-2.\nThe Soviet Chess Championships. Batsford. ISBN 1-85744-201-6.\nB.C.M. Classic Reprints\, number 22: 1923 – 1932 An Anthology\, Cafferty\, Bernard\, 1986. ISBN 978-0-900846-45-8.\nFM Bernard Cafferty (27-vi-1934)\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-bernard-cafferty-27-vi-1934/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Hastings,Journalist,Player,Translator,Writer
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200222
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200223
DTSTAMP:20220221T102149Z
CREATED:20200531T151035Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220221T102149Z
UID:5873-1582329600-1582415999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of John Saunders (22-ii-1953)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of John Cameron Saunders (22-ii-1953) \nHere is John’s Wikipedia entry \nHere is his excellent blog \nHere is the superb BritBase \nMurray Chandler and John Saunders\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-john-cameron-saunders-22-ii-1953/
CATEGORIES:4NCL,Birthday,History,Journalist,Player,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/JUA5725-scaled.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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