We send best wishes to Michael & Jean (née Fey) Franklin, married sixty years ago this day, June 18th in 1960.
Michael played for a number of clubs in recent years, viz :
Richmond & Twickenham
Coulsdon CF
Surrey CCA
4NCL Richmond
4NCL Bristol
Richards Butler
Michael became a FIDE Master in 1980 and achieved his highest rating in the Elo era of 2345 in January 1979.
We are grateful to Leonard Barden for these words produced at short notice :
“Michael made his name as a young player first by his successes in the Saturday evening Gambit Guinea speed events at the Gambit chess cafe in Cannon Street which he often won ahead of master level rivals. He remained a strong speed player all his life.
Aaronson Masters at Harrow 1978, was his best individual success, sharing first place with IM Aldo Haik of France with (I think) an IM norm.
Michael was a regular British championship, Surrey, Hastings and London League player (forget club, Richmond? Clapham Common?) and was one of the first to play the London System (d4/Bf4) as as his regular opening with white.
He also had success as Black with the O’Kelly Sicilian 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6.
When Surrey won the counties championship a few years back they took the trophy specially to Michael’s home in Norbury, such was their regard.
Michael’s work career was in the Patent Office and he retired when they introduced computers as he doesn’t like them and does not use the internet at all.”
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I am still in contact with Michael via letter (he still has no desire to buy a computer or use the internet!). He became a friend of my father (Bryan Benjamin) in the 1950s. With regard to the article above, he was a stalwart for Richmond in the London League, recording fine results until he no longer felt able to travel and play chess for an evening in central London. Even towards the end of his evening chess career, he still played successfully (and quickly, good-naturedly chiding me for my habit of having about five minutes left on the clock when he often still had over an hour!). He retains an interest in chess, along with classical music and cricket, following Surrey’s fortunes closely.
I enjoyed a lot of hard tussles with Michael back in the 1980s and 1990s and watched him beat Gufeld at Hastings in 1989. I just wanted to mention that it brought back some nice memories when I saw the name Michael Franklin (and a score of 3.5/5) when Beth Harmon is looking at a copy of Chess Life in the Queen’s Gambit film!
All best wishes to Michael, his wife and family.
Neil McDonald
Thanks Neil. We plan an extensive article with much new material on MJFs 90th birthday on the 2nd of February.