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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201002
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201003
DTSTAMP:20211002T102326Z
CREATED:20190824T104835Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211002T102326Z
UID:1163-1601596800-1601683199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Jonathan Speelman (02-xi-1956)
DESCRIPTION:We wish GM Jonathan Speelman all the best on his birthday. \nJonathan Simon Speelman was born on Tuesday\, October 2nd\, 1956 in Marylebone\, London. His mother’s maiden name was Freeman. In March 2002 Jon and Lindsey Thomas were married in Camden\, Greater London. They have a non-chess playing son\, Lawrence who studied Ancient Languages at The University of Chicago. \nJonathan attended St. Paul’s School\, London and then Worcester College\, Oxford and read mathematics. \nHe became an International Master in 1978 (England’s tenth) and a Grandmaster in 1980 (England’s fifth) and achieved a peak FIDE rating of 2645 at the age of 32 in July 1988. \nJon is a Life Member of King’s Head Chess Club and has helped them organise a number of tournaments including the NatWest Young Masters where he has adjudicated the winner of the Best Game Prize. \nCurrently\, Jon plays for Wood Green in Four Nations Chess League and in the London League and maintains an ECF grade of 245. \nJon is the chess correspondent for The Observer and The Independent. \nWith the white pieces Jon prefers 1.Nf3 and against 1…Nf6 to follow with c4 and d4. Interestingly\, if black plays 1…d5 then Jon plays an early king-side fianchetto. \nAs the second player Jon prefers the Smyslov Caro-Kann\, the Nimzo-Indian and Queen’s Indian defences. \nHis record against contemporary players is impressive : \nNigel Short : +5\nMurray Chandler : +4\nJonathan Mestel : +4\nJohn Nunn : +3\nJames Plaskett : +4\nMark Hebden : +7\nTony Miles : +1\nTony Kosten : +3\nDaniel King : +2 \nJon Speelman and Nigel Short at the start of their 1989 Candidates match. Jon won 3.5 – 1.5\nFrom British Chess (Pergamon Press\, 1983) by Botterill\, Levy\, Rice and Richardson : \n“Having been asked to contribute an article on myself to this book I have decided to concentrate almost exclusively on my ‘relationship with chess’\, but first quickly summarize my life. \nJS\nBorn on 2nd October 1956 I went to a ‘Nursery School’ whose name I forget. Then to Arnold House School followed by St. Paul’s School. I had a ‘Year off’ from January to October\, 1976\, when I went up to Worcester College\, Oxford\, where I studied mathematics. In 1977 I left Oxford with a 2nd degree. Since then I have been a professional chess player. \nI was taught chess at the age of 6 by my cousin on Boxing Day\, 1962. Then as now\, I was an inquisitive person and the idea of a ‘complicated and difficult game’ interested me. Sadly my first game of chess ended in checkmate in four moves; but I persevered and soon became more competent. \nJS at the London based Philips & Drew Kings tournament\nI have always seen life to some in terms of barriers. There are things which one can do easily and which one finds difficult or almost impossible. For any given task the transition from one state to the other is not as smooth. One builds up energy and finally is able to succeed for the first time. After that the task becomes successively easier: Partly because one is aware that one can succeed. \nJonathan Speelman without glasses\nln order to illustrate my chess career to date\, I shall therefore pick out examples of barriers which I managed to break through. \nJonathan was an early follower of fashion\nUntil a few Years ago there were few titled players in Great Britain. But recently\, thanks largely to a change of emphasis in organisation\, several players have broken through to obtain international titles. This is not only because British players have become stronger – which they undoubtedly have – but also because they have received opportunities which were previously denied them. \nJS at the London Robert Silk Fellowship invitational tournament\nI first started seriously to contemplate becoming an international master in 1977. Previously\, I had of course aspired to this but without really investigating the mechanics of obtaining norms. In August\, 1977 England sent a team to the World Student Team Championships in Mexico City. We came third: a year later we were to win the event (though on that occasion it was a World Under 26 Team Championship). On our return there was an invitation tournament in London: the ‘Lloyds Bank Silver Jubilee’. Although I was rather tired after Mexico I decided to play and to my surprise\, I obtained an IM norm with a round to spare. It all seemed rather easy. I drew with six strong players including GM Torre and four IM’s and beat three weaker ones. \nGrandmaster Uses PressTel Chessbox to Play Long Distance Chess. Jonathan Speelman the UK Grandmaster is pictured here deciding his next move in a computer chess game against five simultaneous opponents. Players exchanged moves online via the ChessBox club on PressTel\, BTs videotex service.\nIn December\, 1977 I played for the first time in the Annual Grandmaster Tournament at Hastings. I was very pleased to ‘shut up shop’\, abandoning any pretensions to an exciting style to score one win\, one loss and – wait for it – twelve draws; but 7/14 was sufficient for another international master norm. \nThese two events left me with twenty three games of norm\, one less than the required minimum. Early in 1978 I played in a tournament in London but failed to get my final leg. It was in April that year that I had my next chance at the famous Lone Pine Tournament in California. I have already stressed the importance of barriers. It was in round one of the Lone Pine tournament that I broke through another important one – that of beating a grandmaster. \nJS was a frequent giver of simultaneous displays\nNowadays (and here I hear myself sounding like an old man!) the strongest young players (under twenty-six) beat international masters quite regularly and indeed grandmasters from time to time. ‘In my day’ this was not so much the case. Titled foreign players could still come over to pillage weekend tournaments; and succeed much of the time! When one of them lost to homegrown talent it was news. \nIM Jonathan Speelman vs IM Simon Webb at the 1978 British Championships in Ayr\, Courtesy of John Upham\nI first started to play regularly against grandmasters in my first Hastings tournament\, which I mentioned previously. Of course\, I had played grandmasters before\, but at Hastings seven of the fourteen games were against them. I scored there six draws and a loss to the tournament winner\, Dzindzihashvili. \nJulian Hodgson and Jonathan Speelman prepare to play each other at their own home via CEEEFAX. This was organised by Peter Andrews of BBC Chess Club and was the first match of its kind.\nIn round one of Lone pine I was White against Bent Larsen of Denmark. Given that one is going to beat a strong grandmaster (l hadn’t even beaten a weak one) then White against Larsen is quite a good chance. Although he is an extremely strong player\, Larsen loses quite a lot of games to much weaker opponents and wins an enormous number against them as well\, with not many draws. I was fortunate in obtaining a nice position from the opening and won a good game. That is one of the games I have chosen. \nJS receives one of many awards\nAfter beating Larsen the rest of the tournament was rather an anti-climax for me. I drew some games\, then lost in successive rounds to Browne and Biyiasas. Needing a win to reach fifty per cent the chance of my final norm\, I clawed my way to victory in a dreadful game against a young American P. Whitehead. Two short draws in the final two rounds brought me the title. \nAt the Praxis British Zonal in February 1987 here at the roman baths. Murray Chandler\, Jonathan Speelman\, and Jonathan Mestel\nSome years ago the British Championship really was the Championship of Britain. But in the early seventies there was a decline as several of the strongest players did not enter. In the last two years the decline has been halted and then reversed by the sponsorship of stockbrokers Grievson Grant. In 1979 two of our four Grandmasters\, Miles and Nunn\, competed in the British Championship at Chester and there were no fewer than six International Masters; indeed Nigel Short succeeded in obtaining his first IM norm there. \nJS plays Alexander Khalifman during the SWIFT World Cup in Reykjavik\, 1991. The game was drawn\nI first competed in the British Championship at Brighton in 1972. After a good start\, beating Michael Basman in the first round and drawing with Craig Pritchett in the second\, I lost to Haygarth in round three. Thereafter\, I found it incredibly difficult to win games. My old British Chess Magazine reminds me that I succeeded in winning in round nine\, but that was the only one after round one. I finished with 4.5/11. \nJS\, Jana Bellin and Nigel Short in a publicity shoot outside Simpsons in the Strand\nA year later at Eastbourne I was still finding it hard to win games. Again I finished with 4.5/11. By Clacton\, 1974 I had improved. A loss in the last round to the eventual winner Botterill left me a point behind the seven (!) who had to play off for the title. \n\nI competed at Morecambe\, 1975 and Portsmouth\, 1976\, missing only Brighton\, 1977 when the students team was in Mexico. By Ayr\, 1978 I was probably one of the favourites along with Jonathan Mestel\, who ran away with the tournament in Portsmouth\,\n1976\, George Botterill\, the defending champion\, and some others. \nJonathan shows off his all seeing four eyes\nIn fact I won at Ayr. I played quite well throughout. ln the last round half a point ahead of Mestel I played a quick draw with Webb but was lucky when Mestel could only draw with Clarke. Of course winning the British was a big breakthrough for me. But I feel that the most important psychological change came in 1974 when I started to discover that it is possible to win games in the British Championship. \nJonathan Simon Speelman (02-x-1956) as imagined by Roger Morgan\, 1982\nSince late 1978 I have made no dramatic breakthrough but have\, I believe\, almost imperceptibly made the change from a ‘medium’ to a ‘strong’ international master. \nJonathan Speelman telephones good news\nI’ve selected three games to go with this article. The one with Larsen I’ve already mentioned. Mihaljcisin-Speelman I like as a game in which I played very actively as Black. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nThe game against Biyiasis is a good ‘rough and tumble’ not free from errors of course – but wouldn’t that be boring? \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nTo find out more about JSs chess career we suggest you read his autobiography : \nSpeelman\, Jon (1997). Jon Speelman’s Best Games. B.T. Batsford (London\, England). 240 pages. ISBN 978-0-7134-6477-1.\nwhich contains many heavily annotated games. \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  \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 1984) by Hooper & Whyld : \n“British Champion in 1978\, Speelman played at Mexico City later that year in the English team that won (ahead of the USSR) the world’s first youth teams (under-26) championship. \n(from l-r) Jonathan Kinlay\, Shaun Taulbut\, Jonathan Speelman\, David Goodman and Jonathan Mestel accepting 1st prize at the 1978 World U26 Student Olympiad in Mexico City\nTwo good performances in 1980\, as score of +5=5-3 to share fourth place in the category 13 London tournament and a second place (+6=7) at Maribor\, brought him the title of International Grandmaster (1980). His subsequent achievements include : Dortmund 1981\, first (+5=6) equal with Ftacnik and Kuzmin; Hastings 1981-2\, second equal with Smyslov after Kupreichik; and London 1982\, category 14\, +2=10-1 to share fourth place. An excellent analyst\, Speelman has written several books\, among them Best Chess Games 1970-1980 (1982).” \nGM Jonathan Speelman\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 Wikipedia :\nA winner of the British Chess Championship in 1978\, 1985 and 1986\, Speelman has been a regular member of the English team for the Chess Olympiad\, an international biennial chess tournament organised by FIDE\, the World Chess Federation. \nIn 1989\, he beat Kasparov in a televised speed tournament\, and then went on to win the event. \nIn the April 2007 FIDE list\, Speelman had an Elo rating of 2518\, making him England’s twelfth-highest-rated active player. \n\nHe qualified for two Candidates Tournaments: \nIn the 1989–1990 cycle\, Speelman qualified by placing third in the 1987 interzonal tournament held in Subotica\, Yugoslavia. After beating Yasser Seirawan in his first round 4–1\, and Nigel Short in the second round 3½–1½\, he lost to Jan Timman at the semi-final stage 4½–3½.\nIn the following 1990–93 championship cycle\, he lost 5½–4½ in the first round to Short\, the eventual challenger for Garry Kasparov’s crown.\nSpeelman’s highest ranking in the FIDE Elo rating list was fourth in the world\, in January 1989. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nJonathan Speelman in happy mood\nWriting\nHe has written a number of books on chess\, including several on the endgame\, among them Analysing the Endgame (1981)\, Endgame Preparation (1981) and Batsford Chess Endings (co-author\, 1993). \nAmong his other books are Best Games 1970–1980 (1982)\, an analysis of nearly fifty of the best games by top players from that decade\, and Jon Speelman’s Best Games (1997). Today he is primarily a chess journalist and commentator\, being the chess correspondent for The Observer and The Independent and sometimes providing commentary for games on the Internet Chess Club. \nJonathan Speelman and Daniel King share headphones at the 2013 FIDE Candidates event in London\nTilburg 1978\, Tony Miles & Jonathan Speelman\, Master Chess Publications\, 1978\nRiga Interzonal 1979\, AJ Miles & J Speelman\, Batsford\, 1979\, ISBN 0 7134 3429 5\nSpeelman\, Jonathan (1981). Analysing the Endgame. Batsford (London\, England). 142 pages. ISBN 978-0-7134-1909-2. \nSpeelman\, Jonathan (1981). Analysing the Endgame. Batsford (London\, England). 142 pages. ISBN 978-0-7134-1909-2.\nSpeelman\, Jonathan (1981). Endgame Preparation. B.T. Batsford (London\, England). 177 pages. ISBN 978-0-7134-4000-3. \nSpeelman\, Jonathan (1981). Endgame Preparation. B.T. Batsford (London\, England). 177 pages. ISBN 978-0-7134-4000-3.\nSpeelman\, Jon (1982). Best Chess Games\, 1970-80. Allen & Unwin (London\, England; Boston\, Massachusetts). 328 pages. ISBN 978-0-04-794015-6. \nSpeelman\, Jon (1982). Best Chess Games\, 1970-80. Allen & Unwin (London\, England; Boston\, Massachusetts). 328 pages. ISBN 978-0-04-794015-6.\nSpeelman\, Jon; Livshits\, August (1988). Test Your Endgame Ability. BT Batsford (London\, England). 201 pages. ISBN 0-7134-5567-5 \nSpeelman\, Jon; Livshits\, August (1988). Test Your Endgame Ability. BT Batsford (London\, England). 201 pages. ISBN 0-7134-5567-5\nSpeelman\, Jon (1992). New Ideas in the Caro-Kann Defence. BT Batsford (London\, England). 155 pages. ISBN 0-7134-6915-3. \nSpeelman\, Jon (1992). New Ideas in the Caro-Kann Defence. BT Batsford (London\, England). 155 pages. ISBN 0-7134-6915-3.\nSpeelman\, Jonathan; Tisdall\, Jon; Wade\, Bob. (1993). Batsford Chess Endings. B.T. Batsford (London\, England). 448 pages. ISBN 978-0-7134-4420-9. \nSpeelman\, Jonathan; Tisdall\, Jon; Wade\, Bob. (1993). Batsford Chess Endings. B.T. Batsford (London\, England). 448 pages. ISBN 978-0-7134-4420-9.\nSpeelman\, Jon (1997). Jon Speelman’s Best Games. B.T. Batsford (London\, England). 240 pages. ISBN 978-0-7134-6477-1. \nModern Defence. Everyman\, 2000\nSpeelman\, Jon (2008). Jon Speelman’s Chess Puzzle Book. Gambit Publications Ltd. 143 pages. ISBN 978-1-904600-96-1. \nSpeelman\, Jon (2008). Jon Speelman’s Chess Puzzle Book. Gambit Publications Ltd. 143 pages. ISBN 978-1-904600-96-1.\nJonathan Speelman
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-jonathan-simon-speelman/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201008
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201009
DTSTAMP:20201008T174549Z
CREATED:20191008T000152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201008T174549Z
UID:1487-1602115200-1602201599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Michael Hennigan (08-x-1970)
DESCRIPTION:We send best wishes to IM Michael Hennigan. \nMichael Thomas Hennigan was born on October 8th\, 1970 in Hammersmith\, London. His mother’s name was Donnelly. \nMichael attended the City of London School. \nMichael became World Under-18 Youth Champion in 1988 in Aguadilla (Puerto Rico).  \nHe became a FIDE Master in 1990 and an International Master title in 1991 and in the same year was British Under-21 Champion at Eastbourne and was British Champion in 1993 in Dundee beating Dharshan Kumaran in the play-off.  \nIn 1995 he was 1st= in the Arnold Cup in Gausdal with Igor Rausis \nHis peak FIDE rating (according to Felice and Megabase 2020) was 2465 in July 1994 at the age of 24.  \nHe played for North West Eagles in the Four Nations Chess League. \nMichael married WIM Rita Zimmersmann and settled in London. Rita subsequently became Rita Atkins. \nMichael stopped playing in 2010 but has recently in 2020 started playing online chess on the chess.com platform. \nMichael is a Senior Director with FTI Consulting \nWith the white pieces Michael used to be an e4 player but in 2020 has switched to 1.g3 to get back into the swing of things. \nAs the second player he plays the Sicilian Four Knights and the King’s Indian Defence. \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\nStuart Conquest vs Michael Hennigan at 4NCL\,\, photo by Meri Grigoryan
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-michael-thomas-hennigan/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201009
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201010
DTSTAMP:20211009T100528Z
CREATED:20191016T160417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211009T100528Z
UID:1562-1602201600-1602287999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Norman Gibbins (15-x-1882 09-x-1956)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Norman Martin Gibbins (15-x-1882 09-x-1956) \nSee http://davidgibbins.com/journal/2013/5/28/war-in-another-dimension
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-norman-martin-gibbins/
CATEGORIES:Composer,Death Anniversary,History
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201011
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201012
DTSTAMP:20260817T135735Z
CREATED:20191011T195944Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T135735Z
UID:1506-1602374400-1602460799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Charles Fox (09-xi-1866 11-x-1935)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Charles Fox (09-xi-1866 11-x-1935) \nCharles Masson Fox was born on Friday\, November 9th 1866 in Falmouth\, Cornwall. his father\, Howard\, was 29 and his mother\, Olivia Blanche Orme\, was 22. He had one brother and two sisters. \nHis sister Olivia Lloyd was born on 5 February 1868 in Falmouth\, Cornwall\, when Charles Masson was 1 year old. His sister Stella was born on 11 December 1876 in Falmouth\, Cornwall\, when Charles Masson was 10 years old. In 1881 he was living in Sherborne\, Dorset. In 1901 he was once more living in Falmouth and his profession was that of a timber merchant. His brother Howard Orme died on 7 June 1921 in Falmouth\, Cornwall. His father Howard passed away on 15 November 1922 in Cornwall. His mother Olivia Blanche passed away on 12 March 1930 in Falmouth\, Cornwall\, at the age of 85. \nSadly\, neither Hooper & Whyld\, Sunnucks or Golombek mention Fox in their works. \nHere is an extensive article from the British Chess Problem Society (BCPS) written by CJ Feather \nFrom Wikipedia : \n“Charles Masson Fox (9 November 1866 – 11 October 1935) was a Cornish businessman who achieved international prominence in the world of chess problems and a place in the gay history of Edwardian England. \nMasson Fox was born into a Quaker family (although he was not related to the Quakers’ founder George Fox) and was a cousin of the fraudulent sinologist Sir Edmund Backhouse\, 2nd Baronet. Living throughout his life in the Cornish seaside town of Falmouth\, Fox in the early decades of his life was a senior partner of his family’s timber firm\, Fox Stanton & Company\, and was also on the Board of Messrs G C Fox & Company\, a long-established firm of shipping agents. \nC.M.Fox’s gravestone at Budock Quaker Burial Ground\nFox is described by chess historian Thomas Rayner Dawson (1889–1951) as “a friendly man\, kind\, mellow\, lovable\, bringing peace and comfort and serene joy with him”. He was also a discreet but active homosexual. In 1909 he visited Venice with his friend James Cockerton\, meeting the writer Frederick Rolfe and becoming the reluctant recipient of Rolfe’s famous Venice Letters\, in which the gay subculture of Venice is vividly described. \nIn 1912–13 Fox was blackmailed by a woman who accused him of seducing her 16-year-old son. Eventually Fox reported the matter to the police and the woman was sent to prison for five years and her son for one year\, with hard labour.[1] However\, Fox was profoundly affected by the publicity surrounding the case\, which was reported in detail in the local press. The predictable result of his courageous action was the destruction of his reputation\, and the compromise of his business and social life in Falmouth. \nAlthough he continued to live in Cornwall\, the focus of his social life shifted to London\, and in the last two decades of his life\, Fox became prominent in the world of chess. He was elected President of the Cornwall Chess Association\, played a prominent part in the development of the British Chess Problem Society\, and is still renowned as one of the greatest ever exponents of fairy chess (chess problems with variations in the rules).” \nFrom The Problemist Fairy Chess Supplement\, 1933 : \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nWhat is the shortest game\nending in this position? \nCharles Masson Fox
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/remembering-charles-masson-fox-09-xi-1866-11-x-1935/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Problemist
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201016
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201017
DTSTAMP:20201015T160120Z
CREATED:20191016T155427Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201015T160120Z
UID:1558-1602806400-1602892799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM John Shaw (16-x-1968)
DESCRIPTION:BCN offers birthday greetings to GM John Shaw  \nJohn K Shaw was born on Wednesday\, October 16th\, 1968. On this day Americans Tommie Smith (gold 19.83 WR) and John Carlos (bronze) famously give the Black Power salute on the 200m medal podium during the Mexico City Olympics to protest racism and injustice against African-Americans. \nJohn was born in Irvine\, North Ayrshire in Scotland.  \nHe became a FIDE Master in 1994 at the age of 26. Five years later in 1999 he became an International Master and finally a Grandmaster in 2006 at the age of 38. \nHe won the Scottish Championship in 1995 (with IM Steve Mannion and GM Colin McNab)\, outright in 1998 and in 2000 with AJ Norris. \nNot that many years previously (1988) John had a rating of 1700 at the age of 19 and therefore he falls into that rather rare category of GMs who were not strong players as juniors. \nAccording to Felice and Megabase 2020 his peak FIDE rating was 2506 in January of 2002. \nFIDE Rating profile for GM John Shaw\nJohn’s FIDE federation is Scotland and is currently ranked fifth in that country. \nIn 2005 John was interrogated by ChessBase upon his return from Gibraltar. \nHe acquired his three GM norms at Gibraltar 2003\, Calvia Olympiad 2004 and 4NCL Season 2005/6. \nAccording to ChessBase (in 2005) : \n“IM John Shaw has written two books for Everyman Chess and co-edited Experts vs. the Sicilian. He has represented Scotland on many occasions\, recently in the Olympiad in Calvià\, where he obtained his second GM-norm. As John has once had 2500 in Elo\, it is his hope that he will complete his Grandmaster title in 2005 with a third GM-norm. \nTogether with Jacob\, John constitutes two thirds of the new chess publisher Quality Chess Europe which has published Experts vs. the Sicilian by ten different authors and Learn from the Legends – Chess Champions at their Best by Romanian GM Mihail Marin.” \nJohn plays / has played for 4NCL Alba and his peak ECF grading was 240B in July 2009. \nWith the white pieces almost exclusively plays 1.e4 and the Ruy Lopez\, Exchange Variation. \nAs the second player John has a wide repertoire versus 1.e4 essaying the Sicilian La Bourdonnais (Löwenthal) and against 1.d4 the Slav is the weapon of choice. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nA writer of chess books\, John is the Chief Editor of the publishing house Quality Chess and has written the following (amongst others) : \nstarting out : the ruy lopez\nstarting out : the queen’s gambit\nQuality Chess Puzzle Book\nThe King’s Gambit\nPlaying 1.e4\nGrandmaster versus Amateur by John Shaw\nExperts on the Anti-Sicilian (Grandmaster Repertoire Series)
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-john-k-shaw/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201019
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201020
DTSTAMP:20260817T135719Z
CREATED:20191013T173648Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T135719Z
UID:1517-1603065600-1603151999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Simon Knott (19-X-1958)
DESCRIPTION:We offer best wishes to IM Simon John Bradley Knott on his birthday \nSimon was born on Sunday\, October 19th 1958 in Lambeth\, London to Simon Harold John Arthur Knott and Josephine Whowell. \nSimon attended Trinity College\, Cambridge. \nHe became a FIDE Master in 1990 and an International Master in 2001. According to Felice and Megabase 2020 his peak FIDE rating was 2401 in October 2002 at the age of 43. \nSimon was Southern Counties (SCCU) champion in the 1995-96 and 2001-02 seasons. \nSimon plays for Hertford and Barbican in the Four Nations Chess League. \nAs white Simon plays the Queen’s Gambit via a 1.Nf3 or 1.c4 move order. There are zero 1.e4 games! \nAs the second player he plays the French Winawer and the Grünfeld Defence. \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 Knott (front\, keeling)\nIM Simon Knott
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-simon-john-bradley-knott/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201020
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201021
DTSTAMP:20211020T221318Z
CREATED:20190823T184412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211020T221318Z
UID:1110-1603152000-1603238399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Philip Walsingham Sergeant (27-i-1872 20-x-1952)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Philip Walsingham Sergeant who passed away on Monday\, October 20th 1952. \nPWS was born in Kensington on Saturday\, January 27th\, 1872 to Lewis Sergeant and Emma Louisa Sergeant (née Robertson) and was baptised at All Saints Church\, Notting Hill. According to PWS’s baptism record Lewis was an author. \nAccording to PWS in A Century of British Chess : \n“When I was seven years of age – about the period\, by the way\, in which my father began to teach me Greek – he began also to initiate me into chess. Not that he designed it  as a consolatory set-off to my application to Greek; for he loved the Classics well\, though\, going up to Cambridge with  small classical exhibition\, he had turned to Mathematics\, and therein took his degree. ” \nAccording to the 1881 census PWS (aged 9) lived with his parents and numerous siblings : Dorothy (aged 7)\, Winifred (6)\, Hilda (5)\, Bernard (2)\, John (his grandfather aged 76) and Mary (his grandmother aged 75). They had staff\, Elizabeth Fraser and Sarah Martin. They lived at 10\, Addison Road\, North\, Kensington. \nAccording to “Joseph Foster. Oxford Men and Their Colleges\, 1880-1892. 2 vols. Oxford\, England: James Parker and Co\, 1893″ : \nPWS attended St. Paul’s School and then Trinity College\, Oxford to read Classics where he attained Honour Moderations. \nand here is the record from the above publication : \nEntry for Philip Walsingham Sergeant in Joseph Foster. Oxford Men and Their Colleges\, 1880-1892. 2 vols. Oxford\, England: James Parker and Co\, 1893\nWe do not know if PWS played in the Varsity matches of 1892 – 1895 : Britbase does not (yet) include player details for these matches. \nPWS married Minnie Boundford (born 27th February 1889) in 1909 in Hampstead and they lived at 5\, Dukes Avenue\, Chiswick where PWS was listed as an author and Minnie as someone who carried out “unpaid domestic duties”. Minnie was 17 years younger than PWS. Minnie’s father was a joiner and a carpenter. \nThey had two daughters Margaret (born 1910) and Kathleen (born 1911). \nIn October 1946 Minnie and PWS remarried. Presumably this was rather unusual in that day and age. \nAccording to The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 2nd edition\, 1996) by Hooper and Whyld : \nPWS was an English author of biographical games collections for Charousek\, Morphy and Pillsbury as well as other works of importance such as A Century of British Chess (1943) and Championship Chess (1938). \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess (BT Batsford\, 1977) by Harry Golombek : \n“A professional writer on chess and popular historical subjects. Without any pretentions to mastership\, he represented Oxford University in the years 1892 – 5 and assisted RC Griffith in preparing three editions of Modern Chess Openings. \nIn chess he dealt with a number of important subjects : Morphy’s Games of Chess\, London\, 1916; Charousek’s Games of Chess\, London\, 1919; Pillsbury’s Chess Career (in collaboration with WH Watts)\, London\, 1923; Championship Chess\, London\, 1938. \nAll these are lucidly and carefully written but suffer from the defect that\, being neither a master player nor a professional annotator\, he was not competent to deal with the annotational part of the work. Probably his best book on chess was A Century of British Chess\, London\, 1934. \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume LXX11 (72)\, Number 11 (November)\, page 324 we have this rather brief obituary (presumably written by Brian Reilly): \n“We regret to have to report the death\, at the age of eighty-one of Philip W. Sergeant\, the author of A Century of British Chess\, which we imagine is in most chess libraries. He was the author of several well-known historical books – but we are only concerned here with his chess activities\, which included representing Oxford University 1892-5; helping RC Griffith with two editions of Modern Chess Openings; playing for Middlesex\, winning the chess championship of the authors’ club for several year\, and latterly as an honoured member; and occasionally obtaining the championship of the Guildford Chess Club. Our sympathy with his widow and two daughters is sincere.”\n” \nHe was a cousin of EG Sergeant. \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 Wikipedia : \n“Philip Walsingham Sergeant (27 January 1872\, Notting Hill\, London[1] – 20 October 1952)[2] was a British professional writer on chess and popular historical subjects.[3][4] He collaborated on the fifth (1933)\, sixth (1939)\, and seventh (1946) editions of Modern Chess Openings\, an important reference work on the chess openings. He also wrote biographical game collections of Paul Morphy (Morphy’s Games of Chess (1916) and Morphy Gleanings)\, Rudolf Charousek (Charousek’s Games of Chess (1919))\, and Harry Nelson Pillsbury (Pillsbury’s Chess Career\, with W. H. Watts\, 1922)\, and other important books such as A Century of British Chess (1934) and Championship Chess (1938).” \nHarry Golombek writes that\, “Without any pretensions to mastership\, he represented Oxford University in the years 1892-5”.[3] Golombek considers A Century of British Chess probably Sergeant’s best chess book\, but opines that although Sergeant’s chess books are lucidly written\, they suffer from the defect that\, as a non-master\, he was not competent to deal with the annotational aspect of his work. \nHe was a second cousin of Edward Guthlac Sergeant. \nPhilip Walsingham Sergeant\nCharousek’s Games of Chess\nThe Rice Memorial Chess Tournament\, 1916\nPillsbury’s Chess Career\, London\, 1923\nA Century of British Chess\, London\, 1934\nAn Introduction to the Endgame at Chess
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-philip-walsingham-sergeant/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering,Writer
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201028
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201029
DTSTAMP:20201027T193508Z
CREATED:20191028T103717Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201027T193508Z
UID:1687-1603843200-1603929599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Susan Lalic (28-x-1965)
DESCRIPTION:BCN wishes IM Susan Lalic Happy Birthday \nSusan Kathryn Walker was born on Thursday\, October 28th\, 1965 in Chatham\, Kent. Her mother’s maiden is / was Bacon. She has a brother\, Stephen. \nShe attended Nonsuch High School for Girls from 1977 to 1984. \nSusan married Keith Arkell in 1986 and then Bogdan Lalic in Lewes\, East Sussex in 1994 and finally Graeme Buckley in Sutton in 2001. \nWith Bogdan she had a son\, Peter D\, who is a strong player in his own right.  \nThere are ten players in MegaBase 2020 whose surname is Lalic. \nShe became a Woman’s FIDE Master in 1986\, Woman’s International Master in 1987\, Woman’s Grandmaster in 1988 and an International Master in 1996. \nSusan Walker\nAccording to Felice and Megabase 2020 Susan achieved a peak rating of 2405 in January 1997 at the age of 29. \nFrom the Praxis Bath Zonal Tournament of 1987. Susan Walker is at the rear on the left.\nSusan has played in the Four Nations Chess League for Slough\, Wood Green and Guildford and her most recent games in MegaBase 2020 are from 2012. \nKeith Arkell\, Susan Walker and Jeremy Morse at the Lloyds Bank Masters\nShe is five-time British Women’s Chess Champion: 1986\, 1990–1992\, and 1998 and has represented England in nine Olympiads. \nLK Semenova vs Susan Walker at the 1984 Women’s Olympiad\nSusan is very active is Surrey junior chess and teaches in many schools. \nIM Susan Lalic at a Surrey Megafinal\n\nWith the White pieces Susan is almost exclusively an e4 player (preferring the Scotch Game) but curiously (and why not you might ask) she has employed The Polish Opening more than once with success. \nAs the second player she defends the Caro-Kann\, Larsen-Spassky\, Smyslov and the Classical Variations and the Nimzo-Indian Defence. \nWFM Helen Milligan vs Susan Arkell\n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nSusan Lalic and friends\nFrom Wikipedia : \n“Susan Kathryn Lalic (née Walker; born 28 October 1965) is an English chess player\, holding both International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM) titles. She is five-time British Women’s Chess Champion: 1986\, 1990–1992\, and 1998.[2] \nLalic has played for England nine times in Chess Olympiads\, from 1984 to 2000\, inclusive. From 1986 to 1998\, she played on the top board.[3] \nLalic was educated at Nonsuch High School for Girls from 1977 to 1984\, and has been married in the past to Keith Arkell and then to Bogdan Lalić. Currently she is married to International Master Graeme Buckley.[4][5] \nHighest rating from 1987-2012 is 2356(within 133 games)[6]” \nSusan Lalic and friends\, rear\, second from left\nYour Chess Questions Answered by Susan Lalic\,\, 1999
URL:http://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-susan-kathryn-lalic-28-xi-1965/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
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