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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200226
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200227
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SUMMARY:Death Anniversary for CGM Adrian Hollis (02-viii-1940  26-ii-2013)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers CGM Adrian Hollis who passed away in Wells\, Somerset on Tuesday\, February 26th 2013  at the age of seventy-two. \nAdrian Swayne Hollis was born in Bristol\, Avon on Friday\, August 2nd 1940. During this critical period the Luftwaffe was wisely extending its Battle of Britain targets to include Britain’s airfields. Furthermore\, Bristol was bombed heavily between June 1940 and May 1944. The longest period of regular bombing\, known as the ‘Bristol Blitz’ began in autumn 1940 and ended the following spring. The first bombs of the Bristol Blitz fell at around 6 pm on Sunday 24 November 1940. \nAdrian was the only child of MI5 director general Roger Henry Hollis KB CBE (later to become Sir Roger Hollis) and Evelyn Esme Hollis (née Swayne) who was Roger’s first wife. Roger was from Wells and Evelyn from Burnham-on-Sea and they were married on July 17th 1937 in Wells Cathedral with Evelyn’s father performing the ceremony. \nAdrian won a scholarship in classics to Eton College and then went up to Keble College\, Oxford where he took a first in mods and greats. Whilst at Keble Adrian represented Oxford in four varsity matches between 1959 and 1962. Indeed\, his support for varsity matches was maintained for many years attending a large number into and beyond the Lloyds Bank era. Stalwart organiser Henry Mutkin would always be sure to extend an invitation. \nIn 1961 Adrian become the youngest ever West of England Champion at the age of 21. \nAdrian met Margaret Mair Cameron Edwards in 1967 at St. Andrew’s University where he taught Classics and she taught German. They married and had two daughters\, Jennifer (b. 1974) and Veronica (b. 1977) and a son. \nHe was the Games Editor for the British Correspondence Chess Association (BCCA) resigning in 1969. \nIn 1984 Adrian was forced to endure allegations against his father by Chapman Pincher (in CPs book Too Secret too Long) that Sir Roger had been a Soviet spy / mole. These allegations were demonstrated to be false. He may well also have been aware of allegations against his friend and chess mentor Graham Mitchell earlier in 1963. Ironically\, it was Adrian’s father who initiated the investigation into Graham. Again\, the rumours were shown to be unfounded. \nAdrian became a director of the company Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Limited on the September 1st 1996 and resigned on May 12th 2007. He was also a Vice President of the West of England Chess Union (WECU). \nBetween 2003 and 2007 (according to the Electoral Roll) Adrian lived at 63\, Bainton Road\, Oxford\, OX2 7AG : \n63\, Bainton Road\, Oxford\, OX2 7AG\nand following his retirement (and the time of the 2008 electoral roll) Adrian had moved to Pound House\, Southover\, Wells\, BA5 1UH : \nPound House\, Southover\, Wells\, BA5 1UH\nAdrian has written many learned papers and has had two books published : \nFragments of Roman Poetry C.60 BC-Ad 20\, AS Hollis\, Oxford University Press\, 2007\nand \nOvid Metamorphoses VIII (Schools Edition): Bk. 8\, AS Hollis. Oxford University Press\, 2008\nDuring his time at Keble College\, Adrian engaged with and mentored many chess players including Jonathan Rowson (1996)\, David Norwood (1988)\, Julian Way\, David Goodman (1977) and Dharshan Kumaran (1993). \nCGM Adrian Hollis\nJulian was a personal student of Adrian’s and was kind enough to tell us : \nI do remember Adrian well. He could quote Latin verse ad infinitum. He was an expert on Ovid.\nIn terms of chess he had a huge pile of Informators in his study still in their cardboard packaging. He was very kind to me and insisted I play above him for Keble in the intercollegiate matches. \nI gave him a copy of Developments in the Orthodox QGD which I had written in 1987. He was quite taken back when I didn’t want any money for it. He seemed to have quite a lot of respect for me. \nI once asked him why he had given me a place at Oxford. He replied that he couldn’t have rejected someone with my passion and enthusiasm.\nI kept in touch with Adrian until his passing. He gave me a lovely reference when I resumed my studies in 2007 at Kingston University.\nI remember him as a kind and unassuming man. He became a lifelong friend. \nCGM Adrian Hollis\nFrom British Chess (Pergamon Press\, 1983) Botterill\, Levy\, Rice and Richardson : \n“I was born on August 2nd\, 1940\, educated at Eton and Christ Church\, Oxford and now teach Classics at Keble College\, Oxford. I learned the moves at the advanced age of thirteen from a cousin who himself could have made a good chess player had he not been seduced by Philosophy and brain-teasers; all that remains in the mind from these encounters is a vision of perpetually losing my rooks to fianchettoed bishops. \nAdrian Hollis. Source : The Potter Memorial\nMy first ever tournament was the London Boys’ Championship 1956-7. In the opening round fate allotted me Black against David Rumens. As it happened\, the brochure included a game of his from the previous year in which he had answered 1.d4 with 1…Nc6\, quite enough\, in my opinion\, to condemn his utterly. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\n(Ed: The above position did not impress Adrian hugely.) \nThis view seemed confirmed when within twelve moves of an advance French I was two pawns up. Then\, however\, aided by my over confidence he worked up a fierce attack\, and I just escaped with a draw. Nevertheless\, I won the tournament; an opponent remarked how quickly I played my moves. \nThereafter the game was never so easy\, but I did reasonably\, well\, winning the championships of the British Universities\, West of England and East of Scotland\, and playing for England quite regularly during the 1960s (including 7.5/12 in six Anglo-Dutch matches). \nLeonard Barden\, Henry Mutkin\, Adrian Hollis and Bob Wade observe Nick Ivell vs Ken Regan at the 1983 Varsity match\nThe high spot of my over-the-board chess was the series of World Student team championships from 1960 to 1964 in glamorous places (Leningrad\, Helsinki\, Mariánské Lázně\, Budva and Cracow); most enjoyable of these being Budva\, 1963 where one could bathe every day in the Adriatic and I won the (?) gold medal on Board 1 with 7.5/9.\, the year after Spassky (this must look good in the records\, unless they happen to reveal that for the first time in preliminary and final sections\, and that England did not qualify for the top final). \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nMy best chess was probably played at Mariánské Lázně\, 1962\, where in successive rounds I had favourable draws with Radulov and Hort\, coming close to beating the latter. Ironically\, I was awarded the British Master title after I had virtually retired from over-the-board chess. \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 1964 I decided that henceforth for me ‘serious’ chess would mean correspondence\, while OTB became a pleasant social activity. My introduction to the postal game had been made about 1955 by a colleague of my father’s\, International Master Graham Mitchell\, to whom I owe an enormous debt for the patience and kindness with which he played a series of games\, bearing with me when I lost interest in worsening positions. The switch to postal play was caused by a number of factors\, negative and positive : an impending move to Scotland\, where there was less OTB chess\, frustration at constantly spoiling good positions through mistakes in time pressure – on the other hand a feeling that correspondence chess should suit an academic temperament\, and a particularly fascinating game played in 1963-4 with Michael Haygarth (see below) on which I spent so much time and energy that I almost feared it would ruin my post-graduate exams. \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 1964-5 I qualified for the British Championship by winning a candidates’ section with 100%\, and then competed three times in the British Championship itself (1965-6\, 1966-7\, 1970-71)\, winning on each occasion (the first time jointly with S. Milan) and remaining unbeaten. International play also proved successful\, and I soon collected the two norms necessary for the IM title (Ed: awarded in 1970). \nLinda Brownson (Newnham & Basildon)\, left\, playing Maria Eagle (Pembroke & Formby) being observed by John Nunn\, Adrian Hollis and Harry Golombek posing for the obligatory “staring at the board” picture for the 1981 Varsity Match sponsored by Lloyds Bank.\nThe first chance for the Grandmaster title came on Board 1 in the Seventh Olympiad final. Despite a rare loss with the White pieces(my only defeat with white for a stretch of 15 years)\, things went well\, including a lucky win against the reigning World Champion\, Horst Rittner\, and the enticing prospect beckoned if only I could beat the Russian Moiseyev. He held a slight advantage since the opening\, but I thought I saw the chance of tempting him to an incorrect sacrifice. Back came his move; he had indeed made the sacrifice and the envelope burnt a hole in my pocket during an important meeting (my mind was elsewhere). After a mere two days’ thought I sent my reply. The post between England and the USSR takes about a month for the return trip. Soon after posting my move\, as I was walking from the Ashmolean Museum to Keble\, just passing the front gate of St. John’s\, the realisation of what I had overlooked hit me\, and there followed an inexorable wait for the death blow which I now saw only too clearly. \nSo no Grandmaster title\, but Great Britain still took the bronze medals\, and I scored 6/9 (+5=1-2). \nBob Wade\, Harry Golombek and Adrian Hollis observe Penny Coxon (Newnam) and Anita Rakshit (St. Hilda’s) during the 1983 Varsity match sponsored by Lloyds Bank\nAnother opportunity came when the British Postal Chess Federation organised a tournament (1974-6) in memory of its former secretary RJ Potter.  This started inauspiciously for me with a heavy defeat at the hands of Grandmaster Endzelins of Australia.\, a country which has so far provided my least favourite opposition (not only is the postage extremely expensive\, but my score to date is 0/2). \nFrom The Potter Memorial\, Ken Messere\, Chess (Sutton Coldfield)\, 1979 we have this potted biography from Ken Messere : \nThe Potter Memorial\, Ken Messere\, Chess (Sutton Coldfield)\, 1979\n“Adrian Hollis is 36\, was educated at Eton and Oxford\, has written two books on the poet Ovid and is a Fellow and Tutor in Classics at Keble College\, Oxford. He is a British Master at over the board chess and has been Champion of British Universities\, West of England and East Scotland. \nIn 1964\, he went to teach at St. Andrews University where his wife\, Margaret\, taught German. They were married and moved to Keble College in 1967 and now have two daughters. Jennifer is nearly five and Veronica is two. \nAdrian began to concentrate on correspondence chess in 1964 and won the British Correspondence Chess Championship jointly in 1966 and outright in 1967 and 1971. He won the I.M. title in 1970 and his fine score of 6/9 on top board for Great Britain in the I.C.C.F. VIIth Correspondence Chess Olympiad Final contributed to the team’s winning the bronze medal in this event.” \nand now back to Adrian’s British Chess article… \nThereafter my fortunes improved; one opponent accepted too trustingly some faulty analysis by Szabo in Informator (for a while it seemed that the Hungarian might earn me not one but two points). The East German Dr. Baumbach failed to find an improvement in a line with which I had been successful in the Seventh Olympiad Final. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nAlso\, I had a win with the Black pieces against the Russian Kopylov. The result was a score of 9/12 (+8=2-2)\, which sufficed for the grandmaster title and first place half a point ahead of the Finn Kauranen. \nSince then I have played quite well on second board behind Keith Richardson in the Eighth Olympiad Final (+5=7-0)\, and very badly indeed (scoring just about 50% in the Heilimo Memorial Tournament organised from Finland (I was much impressed by the strength of the Finnish players\, most of whom I had not encountered before). Having twice narrowly failed\, I would still like to qualify for the Final of the Individual World Championship. Of course life becomes increasingly busy\, but the examples of Hugh Alexander and Graham Mitchell encourage me to believe that one can continue to play well at postal chess longer than over-the-board. So perhaps around the year 2000\, when the children are grown up….” \nAdrian Hollis and Harry Golombek observer Andrew Dyson (Trinity) having played 1.d4 versus IM William Watson (Merton) during the 1984 Varsity match sponsored by Lloyds Bank\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 British Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXXIII (133\, 2013)\, Number 4 (April)\, pp.194-5 we have this obituary written by James Pratt : \nAdrian Swayne Hollis (2 viii 1940 Bristol – 26 ii 2013 Wells)\, British Master and Correspondence Grandmaster (1976)\, three times British Correspondence Champion\, has died. He played most of his OTB chess as a young man\, finishing seventh equal at the British Aberystwyth\, 1961\, when he beat\, amongst others\, A.R.B. Thomas and former champion\, Alan Phillips. He gave future champion\, Jonathan Penrose\, a tough fight in the last round before conceding the half-point. He played in the Hastings Premier\, 1962/3 and emerged with a plus score in the Anglo-Dutch matches. He was an occasional reviewer for BCM. \nIt was\, of course\, in the realm of postal player that he shone most brightly! \nIn 1966 we see him playing board two for England\, below Slade Milan\, and\, two years later\, Adrian scored 9/12 in a World Postal Qualifier\, narrowly missing a place in the final. In 1971 he won the British Correspondence Championship\, easily outdistancing a tough field. He played top board for England in the 1972-7 Olympiad. In 1974-6 he won the Reg Potter Memorial. In the ninth Olympiad – 1982-5 – Adrian Hollis was undefeated on board two. And England took the Gold Medal! \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nObituary from Raymond Keene in The Specatator \nObituary from Kenneth Shelton in The Independent \nObituary from ? in The Times \nObituary from John Rhodes in The Chess Improver \nObituary from Bob Jones of Keverel Chess. \nWikipedia article. \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-for-cgm-adrian-swayne-hollis-02-viii-1940-26-ii-2013/
CATEGORIES:Correspondence,History,Player,Remembering
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210301
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210302
DTSTAMP:20210305T164044Z
CREATED:20200221T113359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T164044Z
UID:3374-1614556800-1614643199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Richard Tozer (01-iii-1970)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM Richard John D Tozer (01-iii-1970) \nRichard became a FIDE Master in 1989 and an International Master in 1995. According to Felice his peak rating was 2400 in January 1996. He has played for White Rose in the Four Nations Chess League. He currently plays for Cambridge City and maintains a 222 ECF grading. \nThe Cambridge Examiners Team\n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-richard-jd-tozer-01-iii-1970/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210301
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210302
DTSTAMP:20210305T164208Z
CREATED:20200221T114653Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T164208Z
UID:3380-1614556800-1614643199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Stuart Conquest (01-iii-1967)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of GM Stuart Conquest (01-iii-1967) \nStuart Conquest (far left) at Paul Buswell’s house\nStuart Conquest\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-gm-stuart-conquest-01-iii-1967/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210302
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210303
DTSTAMP:20210305T164410Z
CREATED:20200221T115331Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T164410Z
UID:3385-1614643200-1614729599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Peter Large (02-iii-1956)
DESCRIPTION:Peter Graham Large (Front row \, far left)\nBirthday of IM Peter Graham Large (02-iii-1956)  \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-peter-graham-large-02-iii-1956/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,History,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210304
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210305
DTSTAMP:20210304T122602Z
CREATED:20210301T142500Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210304T122602Z
UID:14612-1614816000-1614902399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Nancy Elder MBE (25-v-1915 04-iii-1981)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Nancy Elder MBE who passed away on Wednesday\, March 4th 1981\, i.e\, forty years ago in Perth\, Western Australia. \nNancy Conchar Gordon was born on Tuesday\, May 25th 1915. On the same date was born Robin Day in High Wycombe who went on  to design the polypropylene stacking chair. \nNancy was born in Kirmabreck\, Kirkcudbrightshire in the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. \nIn the 1939 register Nancy was living at 18 Thornton Avenue\, Urmston. Manchester\, M41 5DJ with a married couple\, William Furnish (a railway time keeper) and Gertrude Furnish who performed unpaid domestic duties. Presumably Nancy was a lodger. \n18 Thornton Avenue\, Urmston. Manchester\, M41 5DJ\nHer occupation was given as a teacher of music and physical training. At this time she was single at the age of twenty-four. \nIn the mid-1940s Nancy relocated from Manchester to Dundee where she continued her teaching career at Dundee High School. During that time she encouraged and coached a number of players some of whom represented Scotland. \nIn 1950 in Tealing\, Angus\, Scotland Nancy married David Livie Elder. They had a daughter Christine who played chess as a junior. Tealing has a strong connection with the Elder family. \nAccording to Alan McGowan (Chess Scotland): “She was the main instigator in forming both the Schools’ and Primary League in Dundee\, and she assisted in the organisation of the Dundee 1967 International Centenary Tournament.” \nWhen she passed away Nancy was living at 39 Whitefauld Road\, Dundee\, DD2 1RJ : \n39 Whitefauld Road\, Dundee\, DD2 1RJ\nHer passing was reported in the Dundee Courier and Advertiser  on March 6th 1981 as follows : \nNancy Elder dies after heart attack on flight\nMrs Nancy Elder 39 Whitefauld Road\, Dundee\, a former music teacher at Dundee High School and one of Scotland’s best known chess players\, has died after taking ill on a flight to Australia.\nShe was off for a long holiday which she planned to spend with relatives and friends from the world of international chess\, but\, after suffering a heart attack on a plane from Singapore\, had been in intensive care in Perth\, Western Australia. \nHer daughter Christine\, a primary school teacher in Tighnabruaich\, received daily telephone reports on her mother’s condition from a cousin and\, at the weekend\, heard that she was improving gradually. \nThe shock news of her mother’s death came late on Wednesday night. \nMrs. Elder\, who went into semi-retirement recently\, has been to the fore in chess for about 35 years at local\, national and international levels. \nNancy Elder MBE. Source : Milos Petronic\nShe has represented her country five times\, having taken part in the chess Olympiad in Yugoslavia in 1963 and 1973\, in Israel in 1976\, in Buenos Aires in 1978 and in Malta last year. \nBuenos Aires Olympiad 1978. From left: Morag McGhee\, Nancy Elder\, Owen Hindle\, Kathleen Hindle and Lynne Houston. Courtesy of Chess Scotland\nShe turned down the chance to take part on three other occasions. \nHaifa Olympiad 1976 – Scotland v Switzerland. From left: Nancy Elder\, Kathleen Hindle\, Lynne Houston. Courtesy of Chess Scotland\nShe was awarded the MBE for her services to chess in 1974. \nShe was President of Dundee Chess Club\, chairman of the congress committee of the Scottish Chess Association and on the council of the Scottish Junior Chess Association. \nSelf-taught\nShe started playing chess during her school days with her brother and the two of them were more-or-less self taught. \nIt wasn’t until after the Second World War that she received any sort of coaching\, by which time she had established her own style. \nShe retired on April 14th last year after 24 years in the music department of Dundee High School\, where she specialised in teaching the oboe. \nShe continued to teach privately. \nDundee Courier and Advertiser\, March 6th 1981\nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CI (101\, 1981)\, Number 6 (June)\, pp. 219-220 we have this obituary from Bernard Cafferty : \n“Nancy C. Elder\, MBE\, died in Perth\, Western Australia on March 4th 1981. Mrs. Elder had recently retired after a lifetime of teaching\, her last post being in Dundee. I well remember her account of teaching under difficult conditions in World War 2 in Manchester. 15 Scottish Women’s Champion (the record for the event which she set-up at Troon in 1980). \nPrizegiving at the 1966 Scottish Championships. From the left: Michael Fallone\, Nancy Elder\, W.P. McColl\, President of Dundee Chess Club\, Kathleen Patterson\, Gerald Bonner. Courtesy of Chess Scotland\nMrs Elder was a regular competitor in the British Women’s Championship (sometimes in rivalry with her daughter Christine) and showed her playing strength with a score of 5.5/12 on board two for Scotland at the Women’s Chess Olympiad\, Malta\, 1980. \nMalta Olympiad 1980 Left-right: Kathleen\, Rosie Giulian\, Owen Hindle (Team Captain)\, Nancy Elder\, Lynne Houston. Courtesy of Chess Scotland\nI am sure she will be best remembered though for her decades of effort in the organising of chess in Scotland\, particularly for juniors and in schools\, in recognition of which she was awarded the MBE\, the only such honour ever given for services to chess ‘north of the border’ as Alan Borwell puts it in his Newsflash obituary.” \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nChess Scotland award the Nancy Elder Cup annually for an individual competition for “club level” players. \nWe are grateful to Helen Milligan who told BCN : \nMy most memorable incident was when I refused to play in the Scottish Ladies at the annual Congress\, preferring to try to improve my chess by playing in the Open section (really the B-Grade\, below the Championship proper). I got given a piece of Nancy’s mind for that – she did not approve! \nHere are her playing records from the Olympiads. \nHere is a potted biography from Chess Scotland. \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-nancy-elder-mbe-25-v-1915-04-iii-1981/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Honours,Player,Remembering
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210305
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210306
DTSTAMP:20210305T164549Z
CREATED:20200319T151631Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T164549Z
UID:3610-1614902400-1614988799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Daniel Fernandez (05-iii-1995)
DESCRIPTION:BCN wishes Happy Birthday to GM Daniel Fernandez who at 26 is currently England’s youngest Grandmaster. The previous GM title holder was Jonathan Hawkins in 2014 making two in seven years. \nDaniel Howard Fernandez was born in Stockport\, Manchester on Sunday\, March 5th 1995.  “Think Twice” by Celine Dion was top of the UK hit parade. \nDaniel started playing chess at the age of seven (after his father taught him the rules) and at this time attended King’s School\, Harpenden.  His first chess club was Little Heath which became the ECF Small Club of the Year in 2015. They play in the Potter’s Bar area and include IM John Pigott in their membership. \nAt Little Heath Chess Club Daniel was coached by Mark Uniacke (who worked extensively on the early chess engine HIARCS). \nDaniel went up to Queen’s College\, Cambridge to read mathematics and left to become a Data Analyst at Mu Sigma Inc. He can speak several languages (including Serbian!) and works as a translator when opportunities arise. \nHe currently lives in Australia offering coaching and writing chess books (for Thinkers Publishing) and columns for Chessbase. In his spare time (!) Daniel is studying for The Master of Complex Systems degree at The University of Sydney. \nDaniel’s first ECF graded game was rapidplay on July 5th 2003 in the SCCU Junior Under-14 Final. \nHis first standard play game was in August 2003 at the Edinburgh based British Under-8 Championship. \nDaniel Fernandez\nDaniels ECF grading profile demonstrated rapid improvement : \nECF grading profile for Daniel Fernandez\nOn August 13th 2004 in Scarborough Daniel became British Under-9 Champion sharing the title with Daniel Hunt & Saravanan Sathyanandha. \nThe Fernandez family relocated to Singapore in August\, Daniel attending the Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore. He was swiftly recruited into the Singapore Chess Federation’s (SCF) National Junior Squad. Also in that squad were Danielle Ho and Howard Chiu (remember this for later!). \nBarely three weeks after his Scarborough triumph on September 4th 2004 Daniel played his first FIDE rated game in the 5th Asian Under-10 Championship organised by the ASEAN Chess Confederation. His performance in this event was rewarded with a FIDE Master title in 2005. Because he was no longer active in English events the ECF had the unusual scenario of having a ten year old FIDE Master with a published grade of ~120! \nIn typically modest fashion Daniel confesses  that he did not “deserve” the FM title at this time and that it was the consequence of the strong position of the ASEAN and SCF organisations  within world chess. At the same event Wesley So gained his FM title in the Under-12 section. \nFM Daniel Fernandez\nAnother interesting consequence of the relocation was that when Daniel returned to England in 2012 his last published grading went from ~ 120 to ~230! \nOne of the motivations of  returning to England was to obtain the necessary entrance requirement to study mathematics at Cambridge. This he did by studying for A-levels at Manchester Grammar School. \nDaniel with IM Jovan Petronic during the 2010 world juniors in Chotowa\, Poland | Photo: Diana Mihajlova\nConsequently Daniel’s FIDE rating profile also showed a fast pace of development: \nFIDE rating profile for Daniel Fernandez\nSydney 2009 and Sydney 2010 both provided IM norms with the third one coming from Kuala Lumpar 2010 and with these Daniel became an International Master in 2010 the title being confirmed at the 3rd quarter Presidential Board Meeting 2010\, 24-25 July 2010\, Tromso in Norway. \nIM Daniel Fernandez\, 100th British Championships\, Round 5\, Torquay. Courtesy of John Upham Photography\nHe won the Budapest Sarkany Tournament in 2014 as follows: \nFull Crosstable from Budapest Sarkany Tournament\, 2014.\nearning his first GM norm in the process. \nIM Daniel Fernandez\, 101st British Championships\, Aberystwyth. Courtesy of John Upham Photography\nBCN asked Daniel for three of his favourite games. The first one is this Polish Defence game from 2015 played at the Visma Arena in Vaxjo\, Sweden. First we have the crosstable showing that Daniel earnt his second GM norm from this event. \nFull Crosstable for Vaxjo\, Visma tournament in Sweden\, 2015.\nand here is the game: \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nand during the 2015/15 4NCL season Daniel obtained his final GM norm playing for Wood Green. \nIn March 2015 he made his first of three Varsity match appearences for Cambridge re-uniting with Danielle Ho and Howard Chiu (remember those names from earlier?). \nDaniel won the 10th Jessie Gilbert Memorial in 2017: \nFull Crosstable from the 2017 10th Jessie Gilbert Memorial\nand also in 2017 Daniel was awarded the Grandmaster title at the 88th FIDE Congress 2017\, 7-15 October\, Goynuk\, Antalya\, Turkey. \nOn March 11th Daniel represented Cambridge in the 135th Varsity Match at the RAC Club in Pall Mall.  According to chess24.com ‘IM Daniel Fernandez\, playing board 2 for Cambridge\, was awarded the Brilliancy Prize by GM Ray Keene in consultation with McShane and Speelman\, for his “high-class swindle” after recovering from a bad blunder.’ See here for details. \nGM Daniel Fernandez\, 2019 British Championships\, Torquay. Courtesy of John Upham Photography\nIn 2018 Daniel ventured into the world of book writing when Thinker’s Publishing released The Modernized Caro-Kann on September 8th 2018.  This was a repertoire book for Black based around the Smyslov Variation : \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nand was reviewed in this place favourably and quickly established Daniel as a significant author. \nThe Modernized Caro-Kann\, Daniel Fernandez\, Thinkers Publishing\, 2018\nFrom the rear cover we have: \n“GM Daniel Fernandez (born 1995) has been an active and accomplished player for several years. He represented his native Singapore twice at Olympiads (2010 and 2012) before transferring to the English chess federation. There\, he won the national classical titles at U-18 and U-21 levels and worked to become a Grandmaster while simultaneously studying at Cambridge. The Caro-Kann was instrumental in his quest for that title. Currently\, Daniel is known in the chess scene not only as a solid player\, but also as a mentor figure to younger English players\, as a producer of well-received commentary and analysis\, and as a multilingual chess coach. This is his first book.” \nFrom January 2019 we have this interesting encounter between Gawain Jones and Daniel from the annual 4NCL meeting of Guildford and Wood Green: \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nWith the White pieces Daniel has played  a wide range of first moves but the majority move by far is 1.e4. His choice versus the Najdorf is some eclectic : sometime ago 6. Rg1 was the favourite and now 6.a4 is preferred. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nAgainst 1…e5 Daniel offers a main line Ruy Lopez. \nWhat does a Caro-Kann expert play against the Caro-Kann? Nowadays the Two Knights Variation is employed! \nAs the second player he plays the Sicilian Najdorf as well as the Caro-Kann plus an equal mixture of the Grünfeld and King’s Indian Defences. \nIn 2019 Daniel was interviewed by Edwin Lam on behalf of ChessBase : fascinating reading! \nIn the same year Daniel joined IM Adam Taylor’s venture Making Grandmasters. \nOur final games is from July 2019 : \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nDaniel’s most recent publication is The Modernized Modern Defence from Thinker’s Publishing: \nThe Modernized Modern Defence\, Daniel Fernandez\, Thinker’s Publishing\, 2021\nand BCN has been told that Daniel has a book in the pipeline about the Tata Steel 2021 tournament at Wijk aan Zee. \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-gm-daniel-fernandez-05-iii-1995/
CATEGORIES:4NCL,Birthday,British Championships,Player,Writer
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210305
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210306
DTSTAMP:20210305T164800Z
CREATED:20200412T132557Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T164800Z
UID:4552-1614902400-1614988799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Adam Ashton (05-iii-1980)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of FM Adam G Ashton (05-iii-1980) \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-adam-g-ashton-05-iii-1980/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/JEU8980.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200305
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200306
DTSTAMP:20210305T153853Z
CREATED:20200625T101854Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T153853Z
UID:6686-1583366400-1583452799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of GM Daniel Yanofsky OC QC (25-iii-1925 05-iii-2000)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of GM Daniel Abraham Yanofsky OC QC (25-iii-1925 05-iii-2000) \n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-gm-daniel-yanofsky-oc-qc-25-iii-1925-05-iii-2000/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,Hastings,History,Player,Writer
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210308
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210309
DTSTAMP:20230308T130207Z
CREATED:20200408T105518Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230308T130207Z
UID:4171-1615161600-1615247999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM James Cobb (08-iii-1977)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM James E Cobb (08-iii-1977)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-james-e-cobb-08-iii-1977/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/BBC_4959.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210308
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210309
DTSTAMP:20210305T165000Z
CREATED:20200410T162610Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T165000Z
UID:4352-1615161600-1615247999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Bogdan Lalić (08-iii-1964)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of GM Bogdan Lalić (08-iii-1964) \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-bogdan-lalic-08-iii-1964/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/JUA3990.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210309
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210310
DTSTAMP:20210305T165157Z
CREATED:20200412T174846Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T165157Z
UID:4554-1615248000-1615334399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Mark Lyell (09-iii-1961)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of FM Mark Lyell (09-iii-1961) \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-mark-lyell-09-iii-1961/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/JUA3989.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210312
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210313
DTSTAMP:20210305T165314Z
CREATED:20200403T170100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T165314Z
UID:4031-1615507200-1615593599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Douglas Bryson (12-iii-1957)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM Douglas Marshall Bryson (12-iii-1957) \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-douglas-marshall-bryson-12-iii-1957/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/bryson.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200312
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200313
DTSTAMP:20200823T093911Z
CREATED:20200821T105836Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200823T093911Z
UID:8730-1583971200-1584057599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of Mandy Hepworth (12-iii-1968)
DESCRIPTION:BCN wishes Mandy Hepworth Happy Birthday (12-iii-1968) \nMandy Allison S. Hepworth was born in Scunthorpe\, (now) Humberside (but at the time Lincolnshire)  on Tuesday\, March 12th 1968 to Neville Ian Hepworth and Alice Hepworth (née Ma). Neville was a Computer Manager and Alice Ma was originally from Singapore. The family  moved to “Mulgoa”\, The Fleet\, Fittleworth\, Pulborough\, RH20 1HS\, West Sussex. \n(Thanks to David Mills who updated us on the Lincolnshire / Humberside issue) \nNeville taught Mandy how to play chess. \nShe attended Westergate Comprehensive and Community School where Peter Barton coached both the boys and the girls teams. \nFrom The Bognor and Arun Chess Club Archive we have : \n“One particular junior\, Mandy Hepworth\, came to notice. In the British championships at Brighton in 1980 she came first equal in the girls under-14 competition. Peter Barton also organised some external competitions and from 1981 for a few years he organised young masters’ tournaments at the Westergate School after receiving sponsorship from the Amey Roadstone Corporation. ” \nFrom The Bognor Regis Observer we have : \nWestergate girls were chess queens in 1980 \nThis group of girls had every reason to smile ‘“ they had just pulled off the school chess world’s equivalent of David v Goliath. \nIt was January 1980 and they all attended Westergate Comprehensive and Community School and had just beaten the mighty Dorothy Skinner High School\, in Brighton\, to qualify for the final of the Sussex Girls under-16 chess championships. Pictured from left: Melaine Wright\, 11\, Mandy Hepworth\, 11\, Lesley Glen\, 11\, Deborah Baxter\, 12\, Gail Curryer\, 11\, and Tracey Redding\, 12. \n“It was January 1980 and they all attended Westergate Comprehensive and Community School and had just beaten the mighty Dorothy Skinner High School\, in Brighton\, to qualify for the final of the Sussex Girls under-16 chess championships. \nThe team’s captain\, Mandy Hepworth\, who was just 11-years-old at the time\, was lauded by the school’s chess teacher as “one of the hottest properties in junior chess”. \nHis name was Peter Barton and\, according to the report published in the Observer on January 25 1980\, he had masterminded something of a chess resurgence at Westergate.” \nSome 50 youngsters at the school were playing chess proficiently and 10 of them were girls. \nEven though junior chess was somewhat dominated by boys at the time\, Mr Barton was confident his girls could deal with any challenge thrown at them by anyone – and he had high hopes for Mandy. \nHe told the paper: ‘For a girl she has remarkable ability and we would hope to enter her for the British junior championships later this year. \nIn the past it has always been a boys’ game but\, if you can catch the girls when they are young and keep their enthusiasm\, there is no reason why they cannot go on to become masters.’ \nDoes anyone know if the girls won the final? Did Mandy make it to the British junior championships?” \nMandy Hepworth \nMandy entered her first major competition when she was 11 and beat her father when she was 14. She became the Under-12 British Girls’ Champion (Ed: this is not correct) and the Under-14 Champion in Brighton\, 1980 (shared with Susan Walker)\, the Under-16 Champion in Brighton\, 1984 \nIn 1985 she played in the Eileen Tranmer Memorial in Brighton. All the players resided in the same guest house. The event was organised by Ray Keene. Mandy was 4th with a TPR of 2296. \nIn 1986 she represented England in the Women’s Olympiad (Dubai) and scored an excellent 75% on the Reserve Board. \nIn 1988 she played at the Oakham Young Masters and had a tough time scoring 2.5/9 \nIn October 1988 she travelled to Adelaide\, Australia to play in the World Under-20 Girls’ Championship. \nFollowing that we have no further information. It would appear (perhaps you can help?) that Mandy gave up competitive chess and did not play again. \n1986 Press Release for Mandy Hepworth. Warning : some details are not entirely accurate. \nWe end with this against an experienced opponent : \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-mandy-hepworth-12-iii-1968/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,History,Player
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210313
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210314
DTSTAMP:20210305T155513Z
CREATED:20190823T084712Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T155513Z
UID:1046-1615593600-1615679999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Jonathan Mestel (13-iii-1957)
DESCRIPTION:GM Jonathan Mestel \nBirthday of GM Jonathan Mestel\, 13-iii-1957 \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-jonathan-mestel/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/JUA3090.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210313
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210314
DTSTAMP:20210305T182112Z
CREATED:20200322T194222Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T182112Z
UID:3668-1615593600-1615679999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of IM William Fairhurst CBE (21-viii-1903 13-iii-1982)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of IM William Albert Fairhurst CBE (21-viii-1903 13-iii-1982) \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \n“International chess master\, British Champion in 1937 and Scottish Champion in 1932\, 1933\, 1934\, 1936\, 1937\, 1938\, 1946\, 1947\, 1948\, 1949 and 1962. \nBorn in Alderney Edge in Cheshire on 21st August 1903\, Fairhurst taught himself to play chess from books on the game\, when he was 13\, when he was 18 he won the Cheshire Championship. \nHis first major international success was at Scarborough in 1927\, where he tied for Yates for 2nd prize\, ahead of Bogoljubov\, Sir George Thomas\, Buerger\, among others. \nIn 1931 he went to live to Scotland\, quickly established himself as a leader of Scottish chess and played a major role in agreements between the British Chess Federation and the Scottish Chess Association. In 1932 he gave a blindfold simultaneous display\, winning nine games and drawing three\, in the Polytechnic Club in Glasgow\, and in 1933 he drew match of six games against Eliskases. \nFairhurst has represented Great Britain in matches against Czechoslovakia and the USSR in 1946 and 1947; against the Netherlands in 1937\, 1938\, 1949 and 1952 and against the USSR in 1954. He also played in the Great Britain v. Australia radio match in 1947. He has represented Scotland in six chess Olympiads\, those of 1933\, 1956\, 1958\, 1964\, 1966 and 1968. \nAt Hastings in 1947 he came 5th and went through the tournament without losing a game. \nSenior partner of a leading firm of engineers and designer of the new bridge over the River Tay at Dundee (the longest river crossing in Europe)\, Fairhurst was Chairman of the Scottish Branch of the Institute of Structural Engineers and author of Arch Design Simplified. He was also a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland.” \nArch Design Simplified \nHere are his games \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/remembering-im-william-albert-fairhurst-cbe-21-viii-1903-13-iii-1982/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Player
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210314
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210315
DTSTAMP:20210314T122947Z
CREATED:20190823T084056Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210314T122947Z
UID:1042-1615680000-1615766399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM David Levy (14-iii-1945)
DESCRIPTION:BCN wishes IM David Levy happy birthday (14-iii-1945) \nSome of the participants in the Paul Keres display on November 25th\, 1962\, at St Pancras Town Hall\, London WC1. Back row : AJ. Whiteley\, D Floyer\, PJ Collins\, PJ Adams\, RC Vaughan\, KB Harman\, D. Parr\, DNL Levy\, Front row : MV Lambshire\, AE Hopkins (selector) Paul Keres\, Miss D. Dobson\, RE Hartley\, BC Gillman\, WR Hartston and PN Lee. Photograph by AM Reilly. Source : BCM\, 1963\, page 13 \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nHere is his entry from the chessprogramming wiki \nThe PCW Microchess Championship \nFrom chessgames.com : \n“International Master and International Arbiter David Neil Lawrence Levy was born in London\, England. Awarded the IM title in 1969\, he won the Scottish Championship in 1968 and 1975 (=Stephen Swanson). He scored +6=5-7 at the top Olympiad board for Scotland in 1972. He is also a noted chess author and computer expert. \nIn 1968 he started a landmark wager of (initially) £500 with two Artificial Intelligence luminaries that no computer program would win a chess match against him within 10 years. \nHe won his bet in 1978 at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto by beating computer chess program CHESS 4.7 (Computer)\, which ran on a CDC Cyber 176 mainframe computer. These events led to a prize of $5\,000 offered by Omni magazine to the authors of the first chess program to defeat Levy. The prize was not won until 1989\, when IBM accepted the challenge with their chess computer Deep Thought (Computer). \nHistory of Computer Chess: An AI perspective. http://video.google.com/videoplay?d… Wikipedia article: David Levy (chess player)” \nThe PCW Microchess Championship \nHere are his games from chessgames.com \nVideo Chess Event (See caption below) \nA famous letter from David to Raymond Keene. \nVideo Chess Caption \nMichael Stean chats with David Levy at the London Chess Classic \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 \nThe Chess Scene \nThe Complete Games of World Champion Anatoly Karpov \nThe Complete Games of World Champion Anatoly Karpov \nHow to Play the Sicilian Defence\, Batsford\, 1978 \nBritish Chess\, Pergamon Press\, 1983. Editors : GS Botterill\, DNL Levy\, JM Rice and MJ Richardson \n  \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-david-neil-laurence-levy/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210314
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210315
DTSTAMP:20210305T182656Z
CREATED:20191117T162714Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T182656Z
UID:2084-1615680000-1615766399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IA Stewart Reuben (14-iii-1939)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of Stewart Reuben (14-iii-1939) \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nHis personal catchphrase is “If only I had been consulted eariler” \nJimmy Adams and Stewart Reuben \nRichard W. O’Brien and Stewart Reuben working on a bulletin \nSR attempting to dance \nStewart Reuben interviews Stewart Reuben at the home of Stewart Reuben \nThe Chess Scene \nLeonard Barden\, Stewart Reuben and Michael Franklin at the 1978 Aaronson Masters \nThe Chess Organiser’s Handbook \nLondon 1980: Phillips and Drew Kings Chess Tournament \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-stewart-reuben-14-iii-1939/
CATEGORIES:Arbiter,Birthday,British Championships,Official,Player,Writer
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210314
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210315
DTSTAMP:20210305T183318Z
CREATED:20200409T074359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T183318Z
UID:4223-1615680000-1615766399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM John Emms (14-iii-1967)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of GM John M Emms (14-iii-1967) \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-gm-john-m-emms-14-iii-1967/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/bct_4292_lv.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210314
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210315
DTSTAMP:20210305T183459Z
CREATED:20200409T133940Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T183459Z
UID:4264-1615680000-1615766399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Owen Hindle (14-iii-1940)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of FM Owen Mark Hindle (14-iii-1940) \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-owen-mark-hindle-14-iii-1940/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,History,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_0630_lv.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210314
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210315
DTSTAMP:20210314T123254Z
CREATED:20200410T133033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210314T123254Z
UID:4348-1615680000-1615766399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of IM Simon Webb (10-vi-1949 14-iii-2005)
DESCRIPTION:We remember IM Simon Webb (10-vi-1949 14-iii-2005) \nDavid Nixon and Simon Webb at the London Evening Standard Congress \nSimon became England’s fourth Correspondence Grandmaster in 1983 following Keith Richardson\, Adrian Hollis and Peter Clarke. \nIM Jonathan Speelman vs IM Simon Webb at the 1978 British Championships in Ayr\, Courtesy of John Upham \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nSimon Webb (above Stewart Reuben at the Lloyds Bank Masters \nJoint winners of the 1973 Strasbourg Open : N. Karaklaic and Simon Webb. Photography by Mike Rose. CHESS\, Volume 88\, June\, page 283 \nChess for Tigers \nChess for Tigers \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-im-simon-webb-10-vi-1949-14-iii-2005/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player,Writer
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210315
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210316
DTSTAMP:20210315T174308Z
CREATED:20190822T150351Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210315T174308Z
UID:966-1615766400-1615852799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Gerald Abrahams (15-iv-1907 15-iii-1980)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Gerald Abrahams who passed away in Liverpool on Saturday\, March 15th 1980. He was buried in the Allerton Cemetery in the Jewish Springwood plot. \nGerald Abrahams was born in Liverpool on Monday\, April 15th 1907.  On this day the Triangle Fraternity was formed at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. \nHis parents were Harry (b. 10th September 1880) and Leah (b. 12th March 1884) Abrahams (née Rabinowitz) who married in West Derby in the third quarter of 1903. \nGerald learnt chess at the age of ten during the first world war. He obtained an Open Scholarship to Wadham College\, Oxford in 1925 reading PPE and earning himself an MA in Law in 1928. He became a practising barrister at Law. \nFrom the 1939 register we learnt that Harry was a Drapery manufacturer and Leah carried out “unpaid domestic duties”. Gerald was not an only child: the first born was Winnie (b. 22nd November 1903) who was a Secretary and Clerk Typist and factory assistant. Elsie Abrahams (b. 14th April 1905) helped her mother with “unpaid domestic duties”. Blanche was Gerald’s older brother and he was “General Assistant In Fathers Business Drapery Manufacturer”. Gerald is listed (aged 32) as a Barrister at Law and author. The family resided at 51 Prince Alfred Road\, Liverpool\, Lancashire (now L15 6TQ) and their original property has been since replaced. \nHistorical map showing the 1939 residence of Gerald Abrahams \nWe learn from “Philanthropy\, Consensus\, and broiges: managing a Jewish Community A history of the Southport Jewish Community\nby John Cowell” of an incident in January 1942 that was to cause ripples in the community. The headline was \nPOLICE RAID DISTURBS CLUB CARD PLAYERS \nThe full list of people present seems to have been largely or entirely Jewish in religion or ethnicity: it included a famous chess-playing barrister from Liverpool\, Gerald Abrahams\, representing himself\, who had taken a First in P.P.E. at Oxford\, and later married Elsie Krengel\, who had also been present\, and with Leslie Black representing the rest of the defendants\, apart from the hosts and Captain Lionel Husdan\, who sent a letter to the court. \nThe full list of those present\, charged with “resorting and playing in a common gaming house\,” and bound over was as follows:- Mott Alexander\, Fannie Finn\, Maxwell Glassman\, Kate Lippa\, Myer Lister\, Gertrude Mannheim\, Joseph Mannheim\, Rita Mannheim\, Simon Mannheim\, Harry Peters\, Sadie Peters\, Lily Leah Ross\, Harry Sapiro\, Benjamin Stone. Those charged with “resorting in a common gaming house” and bound over\, were:- Gerald Abrahams\, Joseph Appleton Bach\, Samuel Myer Barnett\, Herbert Solomon Isaacson\, Elsie Krengel\, Manuel Mannheim\, Louis Michaelson\, Abraham Ross\, Bernard and Elsie Ross. \n“Gerald Abrahams\, the barrister charged\, said he was interested to protect his reputation from being stigmatised by a conviction\, and asked Sergeant Laycock about alcohol: the latter replied that none was being consumed. He submitted that the club was not a gaming house\, and that draw poker had not been proved other than as a game of skill. Charges were dismissed against Henry\, Eva and Marjorie Black\, Myer Waldman\, and Captain Lionel Husdan\, of Ryde\, Isle of Wight\, all of whom had said that they were merely taking refreshments in the club\, and had not played. David Platt said that he had not the slightest idea that they were breaking the law\, and Mrs Platt said that it had not been a paying venture.” \nThe Complete Chess Addict (Faber& Faber\, 1987)\, Fox & James notes: that Gerald Abrahams as authority on bridge cast doubt on assertions that Emanuel Lasker “was good enough to represent Germany” \nGerald’s comparisons of chess and bridge are discussed by Edward Winter in Chess Facts and Fables (McFarland\, 2005) page 130 in GAs 1962 book Brains in Bridge: \nBrains in Bridge\, Gerald Abrahams\, Constable and Company\, 1962\, ISBN ? \nGerald eventually married Elsie Krengel (born 15th January 1909) in the fourth quarter of 1971 in Liverpool at the age of 64. Elsie had lived in the Southport area for most of her life and her family was associated with the manufacture of handbags.  They had known each other for many years (at least since 1942 as mentioned previously). \nGerald Abrahams \nLeonard Barden modestly recounts : \n“At the end of Nottingham 1954  Gerald claimed that Alan Phillips had accepted his draw offer so tieing Gerald for the British championship with some rabbit whose name escapes me.  When Phillips strongly denied having accepted the draw\, Gerald collapsed on the floor and had to be aided by his old enemy Dr. Fazekas.” \nFrom The Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match (1946) by Klein and Winter: \n“G. Abrahams was born in Liverpool in 1907. He learned chess at the age of ten\, and showed an early aptitude for tactical complications. He has played with varying success\, his best performances being third and fourth with Rossolimo\, behind Klein and Najdorf\, but head of List at Margate\, 1938\, and fourth\, fifth and sixth with Sir George A. Thomas and König in London\, 1946. He has made two valiant bids for the British Championship. \nA graduate of Oxford\, he is a barrister by profession and has written several books\, including some fiction. He has solidified his chess without allowing it to become dry. Indeed\, most of his games sparkle with interesting complications.” \nHarry Golombek OBE wrote (in The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977)): \n“Brilliant British amateur who in the 1930s was playing master-chess. In that period he was the most dangerous attacking player in England. \nGerald Abrahams watching the opening at the Hastings Chess Congress 1947. Also watching is Sir George Thomas who was GAs round one opponent. The Mayor was Alderman W. J. Fellows and he is opposite Sir Edmund McNeill Cooper-Key. Second from left is Percy J. Morren who was the Hasting’s Club President \nHe was in the prize-list (i.e. in the first four) in the British championship on three occasions 1933\, 1946 and 1954. His best international performance was in the Major Open at Nottingham in 1936 where he came =3rd with Opocensky. Another fine result was his score of 1.5-0.5 against the Soviet Grandmaster Ragozin\, in the 1946 Anglo-Soviet radio match. \nHe is the inventor of the Abrahams variation in the Semi-Slav Defence to the Queen’s Gambit: 1.P-Q4\, P-Q4;2.P-QB4\, P-QB3;3.N-QB3\, P-K3;4.N-B3\, PXP;5.P-QR4\, B-N4;6.P-K3\,P-QN4;7.B-Q2\, P-QR4; 8.PxP\, BxN;9.BxB\,PxP;10.P-QN3\,B-N2; \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nThis is sometimes known as the Noteboom variation after the Dutch master who played it in the 1930s\, but Abrahams was playing it in 1925 long before Noteboom. \nHe is a witty and prolific writer on many subjects: on law (he is a barrister by profession)\, philosophy\, and chess; he also writes fiction. His main chess works are: The Chess Mind\, London 1951 and 1960 \nThe Chess Mind\, Gerald Abrahams\, The English Universities Press\, 1951\, ISBN 0 340 19492 8 \nand here is a later cover: \nThe Chess Mind\, Gerald Abrahams\, The English Universities Press\, 1951\, ISBN 0 340 19492 8 \nand Not Only Chess\, London 1974. \nNot Only Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, George Allen & Unwin Ltd.\, 1974\, ISBN 0 04 794005 0 \nEdward Winter in Kings\, Commoners and Knaves\, cites the subtitle of the above book in his page 235 list of chessy words: “A selection of Chessays”. \nFrom Not Only Chess we learn that GAs favourite game was played in 1930 against Edmund Spencer of Liverpool. “Edmund Spencer was a man who is remembered with affection by all players who ever met him\, and who is remarkable in that his strength developed in what should have been hid middle life. When he died\, lamentably early\, in the 1930s\, at about 53 he was at his best\, and of recognised master status. \nThis game was played in 1930.” \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nand for an alternative view of the same game: \n \nGA is amongst a rare breed of game annotators claiming the title of An Immortal for one of his own games. Edward Winter devotes a couple of column inches discussing exactly which year the game was played between 1929 and 1936. Here is the game: \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nFor more of GAs excellent games see the superb article further on by Steve Cunliffe. Also\, Not Only Chess in Chapter 28 (“A Score of my Scores”) contains a veritable feast of entertaining games of GAs). \nGerald famously fell out with Anne Sunnucks when he discovered she had omitted him from her 1970 Encyclopaedia of Chess. Despite this the 1976 edition was also devoid of a mention. \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 1984 & 1996)\, Hooper & Whyld: \n“The English player Gerald Abrahams (1907-80) introduced the move when playing against Dr. Holmes in the Lancastrian County Championship in 1925 (ed: January 31st in fact) . Abrahams played the variation against his countryman William Winter (1898-1955) in 1929 and in the same year Winter played it against Noteboom\, after whom it is sometimes named. (Dr\, Holmes was the favourite pupil of Amos Burn and a leading ophthalmologist). \nGerald Abrahams \nThe precursor\, known from a 16th-century manuscript\, was published by Salvio in 1604: \n1.d4 d5;2.c4 dxc4;3.e4 b5;4.a4 c6;5.axb5 cxb5;6.b3 b4;7.bxc4 a5; 8.Bf4 Nd7;9.Nf3 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nWriting in 1617\, Carrera made his only criticism of Salvio’s analysis in this variation. He suggested 8…Bd7 instead of 8…Nd7\, or 9.Qa4 instead of 9.Nf3. Salvio nursed his injured pride for seventeen years and then devoted a chapter of his book to a bitter attack on Carrera. The argument was pointless: all these variations give White a won game.” \nGA famously wrote : \nChess is a good mistress\, but a bad master \nand also \nThe tactician knows what to do when there is something to do; whereas the strategian knows what to do when there is nothing to do. \nand \nIn chess there is a world of intellectual values \nand \nGood positions don’t win games\, good moves do \nand \nWhy some persons are good at chess\, and others bad at it\, is more mysterious than anything on chess board. \nIn the recently (February 25th\, 2020) published “Attacking with g2 – g4” by GM Dmitry Kryakvin writes about Abrahams as follows : \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \n“It is believed that the extravagant 5.g2-g4 was first applied at a high level\, namely in the British Championship by Gerald Abrahams. Abrahams was a truly versatile person – a composer\, lawyer\, historian\, philosopher\, politician (for 40 years a member of the Liberal Party) and the author of several books. Of his legal work\, the most famous is the investigation into the murder of Julia Wallace in 1931 in Liverpool\, where her husband was the main suspect. As an alibi\, William Herbert Wallace claimed he was at a chess club. Dozens of books and films have been devote to the murder of Mrs. Wallace – indeed\, this is a script worthy of Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie! \nby Lafayette (Lafayette Ltd)\, whole-plate film negative\, 21 August 1933 \nAbrahams played various card games with great pleasure and success\, but the main passion of the Liverpool resident was chess. Abrahams achieved his greatest success in the championships of Great Britain in 1933 and 1946\, when he won bronze medals. The peak of his career was undoubtedly his participation in the USSR-Great Britain radio match (1946) where on the 10th board Abrahams beat Botvinnik’s second and assistant grandmaster Viacheslav Ragozin with a score of 1.5-0.5 \nGerald Abrahams had a taste of studying opening theory\, and made a distinct contribution to the development of the Noteboom Variation\, which is often known as the Abrahams-Noteboom. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nTen years after he introduced the move 5.g2-g4 to the English public (1953)\, the famous grandmaster Lajos Portisch brought it into the international arena.” \nGerald Abrahams \nGerald was also a keen studies composer. Here are some examples of his work: \nGerald Abrahams\, 1923 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \n1/2-1/2 \nSolution: 1. Ra3! Ra3 […a1=q;2.Ra1 Ba1;3.d7 Kf7;4.d8=q];2.e8=q a1=q;3.Qd7 \nand \nGerald Abrahams\, 1924 \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \n1-0 \nHere is an interesting article by Tim Harding on the naming of the Abrahams-Noteboom Variation of the Semi-Slav Defence \nHere is an article about GA and a blindfold exhibition \nGerald Abrahams contributed to opening theory in the Queen’s Gambit Declined / Semi-Slav Defence with his creation of the Abrahams-Noteboom Defence as discussed in the following video : \n \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nHere is a nine page article (Gerald Abrahams – Talent without Discipline) written by Steve Cunliffe that appeared in British Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 292-300: \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 292 \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 293 \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 294 \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 295 \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 296 \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 297 \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 298 \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 299 \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CVIII (1988)\, Number 7 (July)\, pp. 300 \n \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nSee his games at Chessgames.com \nHow to Teach Yourself Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, D Van Nostrand Company\, Inc\, New York\, 1950 \nTechnique in Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, George Bell & Sons Ltd.\, 1961\, \nTest Your Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, Constable and co\, 1963\, ISBN 0 330 24336 5 \nThe Pan Book of Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, Pan\, 1965\, 10: ISBN 0330230735 \nTeach Yourself Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, The English Universities Press Ltd\, 1965\, \nTechnique in Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, Dover\, 1973\, ISBN ISBN 13: 9780486229539 \nBrilliance in Chess\, Gerald Abrahams\, Pitman Publishing\, 1977\, ISBN 10: 0273000349 \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-gerald-abrahams/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Writer
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210316
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210317
DTSTAMP:20210305T184040Z
CREATED:20191212T143635Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T184040Z
UID:2338-1615852800-1615939199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Michael Basman (16-iii-1946)
DESCRIPTION:IM Michael John Basman \nBirthday of IM Michael John Basman (16-iii-1946) \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-michael-john-basman-16-iii-1946/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player,Writer
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200316
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200317
DTSTAMP:20260817T141220Z
CREATED:20201106T193152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T141220Z
UID:11055-1584316800-1584403199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Reginald Bonham MBE MA (31-i-1906 16-iii-1984)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Reginald Bonham (known as “Bon”) who passed away\, this day\, March 16th in 1984 in Worcester\, Worcestershire. \nIn 1970 New Years Honours\, Civil Division he was awarded the MBE for “Services to the blind”. Interestingly\, in 1992 his sister Mary also received an MBE for “Services to the blind” This is surely an unusual happening. \nReginald Walter Bonham was born on Wednesday\, January 31st 1906 : the same day as the Ecuador–Colombia earthquake which measured 8.8 on the Richter Scale. \nHe was born in St. Neots\, Huntingdonshire\, Cambridgeshire. \nIn the 1911 census aged 5 he lived in the High Street\, St. Neots with William R Bonham (father\, master butcher\, aged 45)\, Edith Mary Ann Bonham (mother\, 38)\, Howard William Bonham (6)\, Maurice George Bonham (3) and Ernest Charles Bonham (1). The family had a servant / domestic duties assistant called Elise Annie Goss aged 18. The census did not record any disability for Reginald. \nReg\, like others in his family\, suffered from deficient eyesight and was therefore unable to attend a “mainstream” school. \nFrom 1922 – 1925 he attended the Royal Worcester College for the Blind (originally Worcester College for the Blind Sons of Gentlemen) in Whittington Road\, Worcester\, WR5 2JX. The Headmaster (GC Brown) encouraged his chess and rowing talents and in 1926 he was sent up to St. Catherine’s College\, Oxford to read mathematics. \nReginald was a highly competant rower\, competing for his college and reaching the trial stage for the Oxford Varsity crew. \nIn 1934 Reg founded the Braille Chess Magazine. \nIn the 1939 census he was recorded as living at 4\, St. Catherine’s Hill\, Worcester\, WR5 with his wife\, Josephine Bonham (born 24th September 1904). Reginald was listed as being a Mathematics tutor at the Royal Worcester College for the Blind (originally Worcester College for the Blind Sons of Gentlemen) in Whittington Road\, Worcester\, WR5 2JX. The college is now named New College Worcester. Their home was around a mile from the College. Josephine was listed as carrying out “unpaid domestic duties”. \nHe taught a combination of Braille and mathematics and was an amateur thespian and keen bridge player. \nRW Bonham and a Braille chess set set-up incorrectly \nInterestingly RWB in 1939 was an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) Warden and a St. John Ambulance volunteer for the College. \nHe was Worcester champion twenty times and four times Midlands champion winning the Birmingham Post Cup twice. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nOn June 6th 1947 Bonham played in Birmingham in a match between Great Britain and Czechoslovakia playing Ladislav Alster and won this attractive game : \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \nIn 1951 he founded the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) and continued as its President for 23 years. The IBCA affiliated to FIDE in 1964. see http://www.schachkomet.de/ibcachp4.htm for historical detail. \nHe was Blind World Champion in 1958 and Correspondence Blind World Champion in 1957\, 1959\, 1961\, 1964 (jointly) and 1966. \nOne of his students was broadcaster Peter White MBE who described Bon in his autobiography See it My Way \nSee it My Way\, Peter White\, 1994 \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume XCII (92\, 1972) Number 6 (June)\, page 216 we have this item in News in Brief : \n“At the closing ceremony of the 4th Chess Olympiad for the Blind at Pula\, Yugoslavia (April 6-18) the International Braille Chess Association awarded the title of Correspondence Grandmaster of the Blind to R.W. Bonham of Worcester\, for having won the Postal Championship more than three times.” \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CIV (104\, 1984) Number 5 (May)\, page 194 we have this obituary : \n“We regret to announce the death in March of two early winners of the grandmaster title (the other was Comins Mansfield MBE). \nR.W.Bonham (31 i 1906 – 16 iii 1984) died at Worcester\, where he had long served as a Master at the Royal Worcester College for the Blind. In the 1950s he took part in the British Championship with success. Many older players will remember him fingering his special board before announcing his move and checking his clock with its markers outside the glass face. \nHe was also active in postal play\, taking part in international events in the decade after the war when few British players ventured “into Europe”. A note in the 1972 BCM (page 216) records the award of the title Correspondence GM of the Blind by the International Braille Chess Association\, so his omission from the recent book British Chess seems rather unfortunate. \nAmong the titles won by Reginald Bonham were British Correspondence Championship\, shared in 1947 with J. Cairncross and shared in 1951 with E. Brown) and Midland Champion (1947 and 1950). \nHe was also (with Wormald) joint author of those fine little books Chess Questions Answered and More Chess Questions Answered.” \nSadly\, RWB did not merit articles in Sunnucks or Golombek’s Encyclopedias or Hooper’s and Whyld’s Oxford Companion or\, as mentioned previously\, British Chess. \nHere is a short biography from Ray Collett and here is his Wikipedia article. \nMore information here. \nThe Braille Chess Association has this entry in its Hall of Fame. \nChess Questions Answered\, RW Bonham & RD Wormald\, Jordan & Sons Ltd\, London\, 1945 \nMore Chess Questions Answered\, RW Bonham & RD Wormald\, Jordan & Sons Ltd\, London\, 1948 \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/11055/
CATEGORIES:Blind,Death Anniversary,History,Honours,Player,Remembering,Writer
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210318
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210319
DTSTAMP:20210318T094549Z
CREATED:20200123T105643Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210318T094549Z
UID:2996-1616025600-1616111999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Jim Plaskett (18-iii-1960)
DESCRIPTION:Happy Birthday GM Harold James Plaskett born on this day (March 18th) in 1960 \nGM Harold James Plaskett \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nJim accepts the 1981 Grand Prix shield from ? \nHere are his games \nJim obtained his FM norm in 1980 according to Gino de Felice. \nFrom Chessgames.com : \n“Harold James (Jim) Plaskett was born in Dkeliha\, Cyprus. He was awarded the IM title in 1981 and became a GM in 1985. Plaskett’s tournament results include first place at Plovdiv 1984 and a tie for second at Hastings 1984-85. He was British champion in 1990.” \nJim with David Anderton OBE at the 1983 Benedictine International (Manchester) \nJames Plaskett almost became a millionaire \nTrends in the Sicilian Richter Rauzer \nTrends in the Sicilian Sozin \nTrends in the Gruenfeld without cd5 \nThe English Defence \nPlaying to Win \nThe Sicilian Taimanov \nThe Sicilian Grand Prix \nCoincidences \nCan You Be a Tactical Chess Genius? \nThe Scandinavian Defence \nStarting Out: Attacking Play \nCatastrophe In The Opening \nThe Queen’s Bishop Attack Revealed. \nBad Show \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-gm-harold-james-plaskett-18-iii-1960/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,English,Player,Writer
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210318
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210319
DTSTAMP:20230317T091443Z
CREATED:20200402T175239Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230317T091443Z
UID:3990-1616025600-1616111999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of FM Steve Berry (18-iii-1951 04-i-2019)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of FM Stephen H Berry (18-iii-1951) \nObituary from Andrew Stone \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-stephen-h-berry-18-iii-1951/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Player,Remembering
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210319
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210320
DTSTAMP:20210305T185257Z
CREATED:20200319T110448Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T185257Z
UID:3582-1616112000-1616198399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Justin Tan (19-iii-1997)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of GM Justin Hsien Y Tan (19-iii-1997) \nGM Justin Tan \nFrom Chessgames.com : \n“Grandmaster (2018). \nFM (2013); IM (2015). \nJustin Tan is one of Australia’s promising juniors\, and is one of two juniors amongst Australia’s top ten players. \nInternational Master Norms \nTan won his first IM norm during the 2013-14 NCL. His 2nd IM norm came at the Caissa GM tournament held in Kecskemet in Hungary in February 2014\, and he secured his 3rd IM norm \, and the IM title\, at the Bunratty Classic 2015 in Ireland on 22 February 2015. \nChampionships \nTan scored his first positive result against an accredited Master when he drew with WIM Narelle Szuveges in the Noble Park Club Championship in February 2008. Six months later he scored his first win against a master at the Noble Park Grade A Championship when he defeated FM Al-Rashid Abdul Wahab of Iraq. At the age of 12\, he competed in the World U16 Championship 2009 that was held in Antalya in Turkey\, scoring a solid rating-enhancing 5.5/11. He scored 5.5/9 in the 2011 U14 World Championship\, beating the eventual winner FM (and now GM) Kirill Alekseenko in their individual encounter. He first played in the Oceania Zonal 3.6 in 2011 and scored 6.5/9 in the Zonal 3.6 tournament in 2013\, earning his FM title under the 50% rule. He placed second to Alastair Cameron in the 2012 Australian U18 Open with 7.5/9 and did well in scoring 6/11 in the 2012 Australian Championship. He was equal second at the Victorian Championship in 2013. In September 2015\, he was equal first at the Illinois Open State Chess Championship. \nIn October and November 2015\, Tan contested the World U18 Championship staged in Greece\, and placed =4th with 8/11. \nTournaments \n<2007-2009> Tan’s first FIDE-rated event was the Arthur Tan Malaysian Open Championship in 2007. His first significant result at the sharp end of the leader board was equal first at the Noble Park Chess Club Open in Melbourne in May 2009. \n<2010-2012> In May 2010\, he scored his first win against an International Master when he defeated Mirko Rujevic at the City of Melbourne Open. He was equal first at the MCC ANZAC Day Weekender in 2010 alongside Erik O M C Teichmann and Mirko Rujevic\, and won the same event in 2012 in Melbourne with 6.5/7. He won the Noble Park Grade A event in 2011\, was equal first (second on tiebreak) at the 2011 Noble Park Club Championship\, placed fourth in the Noble Park Club Championship 2012\, and was equal first at the Noble Park Masters 2012. He finished 2012 by winning the Bob Brooking Round Robin ahead of IMs James Morris and Rujevic. \n<2013-2015> 2013 started with equal first at the Noble Park Club Championship. He was equal first at the Canterbury Summer Swiss 2013 held in December 2013 in Melbourne. He chanced his arm at the powerful Isle of Man Masters (2015) held in October 2015\, and scored a rating-neutral 4.5/9. \nTeam Events \n6/10 on board 2 at the 2012 World Youth U16 Chess Olympiad\, helping the Australia “A” team to 8th place. Tan played board 2 for Oxford 1 in the 2013-14 4NCL\, winning his first IM norm during that event. \nRating and Ranking \nTan’s initial rating was 1802 in April 2008. His highest rating and ranking to date is 2446 and Australian #6 in November 2015.” \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 \nGM Justin Tan \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-justin-tan-19-iii-1997/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210321
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210322
DTSTAMP:20210305T185740Z
CREATED:20200410T093006Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T185740Z
UID:4319-1616284800-1616371199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM James Jackson (21-iii-1991)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of FM James P Jackson (21-iii-1991) \nJames became a FIDE Master in 2014 and an International Master in 2019 \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-james-p-jackson-21-iii-1991/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210322
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210323
DTSTAMP:20210305T190014Z
CREATED:20200318T134950Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T190014Z
UID:3569-1616371200-1616457599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Peter Roberson (22-iii-1989)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM Peter Thomas Roberson (22-iii-1989) \nIM Peter Roberson \nPeter is IM Squirlolz on chess.com \nIM Peter Roberson \nPeter’s games from chessgames.com \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-peter-thomas-roberson-22-iii-1989/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210323
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210324
DTSTAMP:20210305T190138Z
CREATED:20200319T124618Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T190138Z
UID:3593-1616457600-1616543999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Craig Hanley (23-iii-1984)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM Craig A Hanley (23-iii-1984) \nIM Craig Hanley \n\n Save as PDF
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-craig-hanley-23-iii-1984/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
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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\n Save as PDF
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