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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
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-gm-harold-james-plaskett-18-iii-1960/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,English,Player,Writer
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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[pgn]\n[Event “BCF-chT 1617 (4NCL)”]\n[Site “Reading”]\n[Date “2017.01.14”]\n[Round “3.83”]\n[White “Moreby\, James”]\n[Black “Roberson\, Peter T”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “A21”]\n[WhiteElo “2192”]\n[BlackElo “2388”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “70”]\n[EventDate “2016.11.19”]\n[EventType “team-swiss”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2018”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2017.10.13”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2017.10.13”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “North East England”]\n[BlackTeam “Grantham Sharks”]\n[WhiteTeamCountry “ENG”]\n[BlackTeamCountry “ENG”] \n{[%evp 0\,70\,19\,-12\,-27\,-51\,-4\,2\,20\,9\,14\,13\,15\,31\,36\,31\,45\,45\,55\,43\,73\,60\,69\,77\,\n74\,30\,30\,0\,34\,12\,36\,0\,36\,27\,23\,-16\,-11\,-50\,-37\,-37\,-36\,-33\,-34\,-69\,-33\,-11\,-7\,\n-4\,5\,5\,9\,-5\,20\,-1\,22\,0\,-73\,-86\,-77\,-91\,-87\,-123\,-116\,-105\,-84\,-87\,-79\,-121\,-90\,\n-304\,-317\,-756\,-799]} 1. c4 e5 2. g3 d6 3. Bg2 f5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. e3 Be7 6. Nge2\nO-O 7. O-O c6 8. d4 Nbd7 9. b3 Qe8 10. Ba3 e4 11. Nf4 Nb6 12. f3 g5 13. Nfe2 d5\n14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. c5 exf3 16. Rxf3 Nbd7 17. Qd3 Ne4 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. Qc4+ Kg7\n20. Rf2 Nf6 21. Bh3 Be6 22. Qc1 Nd5 23. Nc3 Rf6 24. Nxd5 cxd5 25. Qd2 Raf8 26.\nRaf1 h5 27. b4 h4 28. gxh4 g4 29. Bg2 Rh6 30. Bh1 Qxh4 31. Rg2 Qg5 32. Rf4 Rh3\n33. Qf2 Rfh8 34. Qe2 g3 35. Rxg3 Qxg3+ 0-1\n[/pgn]
URL:https://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:20210325
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210326
DTSTAMP:20210321T164305Z
CREATED:20190824T102732Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210321T164305Z
UID:1155-1616630400-1616716799@britishchessnews.com
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[pgn]\n[Event “British CF-21 Major Open”]\n[Site “Tenby (Wales)”]\n[Date “1928.07.09”]\n[Round “7”]\n[White “Milner-Barry\, Philip Stuart”]\n[Black “Znosko Borovsky\, Eugene”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B13”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “51”]\n[EventDate “1928.07.02”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “GBR”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2019”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2018.10.10”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2018.10.10”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,51\,20\,24\,64\,70\,60\,53\,44\,23\,19\,15\,31\,25\,37\,15\,47\,15\,61\,38\,71\,56\,52\,46\,\n44\,37\,36\,28\,34\,18\,47\,16\,27\,12\,8\,10\,12\,10\,6\,-6\,0\,-20\,29\,-2\,71\,89\,168\,300\,312\,\n312\,944\,1219\,1218\,1245]} {This game does NOT feature in The Art of Chess\nCombination by EZB but perhaps it should have done.} 1. e4 {[%mdl 128]} c6 2.\nd4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 (5… Qc7 {was a favourite of\nTartakower.}) 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Nf3 e6 8. Qb3 Qc8 9. Nbd2 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. h3 ({\nIn 2021 the following is de rigour:} 11. Rfe1 Bh5 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Bg6 14.\nBxg6 hxg6 15. a4 Qc6) 11… Bh5 12. Rae1 (12. Rfe1 Bg6 13. Bxg6 hxg6 14. Ne5\nNxe5 15. Bxe5 Qc6 16. a4 Rfc8) 12… Bg6 13. Bxg6 hxg6 14. Ne5 Nd7 15. Ndf3\nNcxe5 $146 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Qc6 $11 {[#] and now a typical plan for\nblack against the c3 pawn would be to launch a minority attack.} 18. Re3 $1 {\nMB wishes to recapture on c3 with the lifted rook.} b5 {as predicted…} 19.\nQd1 $1 b4 20. h4 $5 bxc3 ({ZB probably should capture but It is not inviting\nto allow white potential access to h7 and h8.} 20… Bxh4 21. Qg4 Bd8 22. Rh3\nbxc3 23. bxc3 Rc8) 21. Rxc3 $14 Qa6 $2 {(Corrected from Qb6 in a note in BCM\,\nNov 1928\, p434)} ({Better is} 21… Qb6 22. Rb3 Qc6 23. h5 $14) 22. h5 g5 $2 {\nAs Sergeant Wilson might say: Is that wise?} 23. h6 $1 $18 {Of course. Did ZB\nreally miss this move?} f6 {giving the king a flight square.} 24. Qh5 Bd8 25.\nQg6 $1 {Crushing…} Qb7 {[#] and now pause the video.} 26. Rc7 $3 {Sources:\nYorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer\, 11 July 1928; Western Daily Press\, 12\nJuly 1928; Glasgow Herald\, 21 July 1928; Cheltenham Chronicle\, 28 July 1928;\nBCM\, Sept 1928\, p349; Cheltenham Chronicle\, 6 October 1928} 1-0\n[/pgn] \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[pgn]\n[Event “Kent County CA-28 Premier”]\n[Site “Margate”]\n[Date “1935.04.24”]\n[Round “1”]\n[White “Milner-Barry\, Philip Stuart”]\n[Black “Mieses\, Jacques”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B00”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “43”]\n[EventDate “1935.04.24”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “HCL”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceVersion “2”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,41\,29\,28\,20\,40\,40\,21\,46\,46\,28\,-1\,15\,-5\,-5\,-10\,-3\,-3\,-3\,-5\,7\,-24\,-17\,\n-30\,2\,19\,7\,-3\,-13\,-13\,45\,-71\,-67\,-67\,263\,295\,295\,74\,573\,573\,691\,831\,1288\,1363]\n} 1. e4 Nc6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. d5 Ne5 5. f3 {A Blackmar-Diemer style\nsacrifice of which Milner-Barry was so fond. He loved opening the f-file toward\nhis opponents king!} exf3 6. Nxf3 Nxf3+ 7. Qxf3 Nf6 8. Bf4 a6 9. h3 g6 10. g4 (\n10. O-O-O Bg7 11. g4 Bd7 {transposes}) 10… Bg7 11. O-O-O Bd7 $146 (11… O-O)\n12. Qg3 Rc8 13. Be2 O-O 14. h4 c6 15. h5 (15. dxc6 Rxc6) 15… Nxd5 16. hxg6 {\n[#]} Bxc3 $4 {The losing move} (16… fxg6 {is fine and Black remains in the\ngame.}) 17. Qh4 {Should have been spotted by Mieses.} Nf6 18. g5 (18. Bg5 {\nis even more crushing} Bxb2+ 19. Kxb2 Qb6+ 20. Kc1) 18… Qa5 {to support h5\nand offer the exchange of queens.} 19. gxf6 h5 20. gxf7+ Kxf7 21. Bxh5+ {\nand it is mate in six so Mieses resigned.} Ke6 22. Bg4+ {etc.} 1-0\n[/pgn] \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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYCwOpjKab0[/embedyt] \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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4hHCeA7ZSs[/embedyt] \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[pgn]\n[Site “Swansea”]\n[Date “1951.08.30”]\n[Round “10”]\n[White “Mardle\, Denis Victor”]\n[Black “Milner Barry\, Stuart”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “C58”]\n[Annotator “Milner Barry\, Stuart”]\n[PlyCount “52”]\n[EventDate “1951.08.20”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “GBR”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2018”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2017.10.13”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2017.10.13”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,52\,10\,34\,43\,38\,28\,3\,7\,-29\,5\,5\,-25\,8\,-11\,1\,1\,9\,34\,0\,24\,26\,10\,-5\,-30\,\n-121\,-164\,-206\,-171\,-166\,-186\,-314\,-284\,-341\,-378\,-376\,-217\,-284\,-443\,-443\,\n-739\,-727\,-983\,-29985\,-29986\,-29989\,-793\,-947\,-999\,-1027\,-1123\,-1123\,-1123\,\n-1123\,-1134]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6\n7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 ({An old move recently revived with considerable success.\nAll the same I believe} 8. Be2 {to be solider.}) 8… Rb8 ({Giving up the\nexchange by} 8… cxb5 9. Qxa8 {is probably not good enough. But the text move\nseems to be a very promising gambit.}) 9. Bxc6+ (9. Bd3) 9… Nxc6 10. Qxc6+\nNd7 11. d4 Be7 12. Nxf7 Kxf7 13. Qd5+ Ke8 14. dxe5 Bb7 15. Qe6 Bxg2 16. Rg1 Rb6\n17. Qf5 Rb5 18. f4 Nxe5 19. fxe5 Rf8 20. Qe6 Rb6 21. Qc4 Bh4+ 22. Ke2 Bf3+ 23.\nKe3 Bg5+ 24. Rxg5 Qxg5+ 25. Kd3 Qxc1 26. Nd2 Qxa1 {Sources: Manchester\nGuardian\, 3 Sept 1951; BCM\, Nov 1951\, p320} 0-1\n[/pgn] \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[pgn]\n[Event “Kent County CA-32 Premier”]\n[Site “Margate”]\n[Date “1939.04.17”]\n[Round “6”]\n[White “Milner-Barry\, Philip Stuart”]\n[Black “Capablanca\, Jose Raul”]\n[Result “1/2-1/2”]\n[ECO “B74”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “57”]\n[EventDate “1939.04.12”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,57\,38\,38\,46\,59\,71\,91\,58\,43\,26\,27\,84\,45\,32\,34\,41\,36\,36\,20\,20\,23\,34\,39\,\n48\,18\,22\,12\,19\,1\,24\,24\,40\,10\,5\,-10\,-10\,-10\,-10\,-2\,140\,21\,21\,71\,71\,71\,68\,68\,68\,\n88\,41\,-15\,3\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6\n6. Be2 Bg7 7. Be3 Nc6 8. O-O O-O 9. Nb3 Be6 10. f4 Na5 11. f5 Bc4 12. Nxa5 Bxe2\n13. Qxe2 Qxa5 14. g4 Nd7 15. Nd5 e6 16. f6 exd5 17. fxg7 Kxg7 18. Rad1 dxe4 19.\nRxd6 Rad8 20. Qf2 Kg8 21. Bh6 e3 22. Qxe3 Rfe8 23. Qf4 Qc5+ 24. Kh1 f6 25. Rfd1\nQxc2 26. Qd2 Qe4+ 27. Qg2 Qe1+ 28. Qg1 Qe4+ 29. Qg2 1/2-1/2\n[/pgn] \nCapablanca and Stuart Milner-Barry at Margate\, England\, April 15\, 1936. AP Photos\n[pgn]\n[Event “London International Masters”]\n[Site “London”]\n[Date “1932.02.02”]\n[Round “2”]\n[White “Milner Barry\, Philip Stuart”]\n[Black “Tartakower\, Saviely”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B12”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “81”]\n[EventDate “1932.02.01”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “HCL”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceVersion “2”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,81\,36\,36\,65\,73\,117\,105\,90\,89\,106\,86\,88\,89\,109\,99\,109\,103\,89\,60\,106\,51\,\n77\,47\,54\,54\,110\,37\,38\,19\,21\,41\,26\,-3\,-1\,16\,30\,32\,84\,84\,84\,79\,79\,82\,82\,82\,82\,47\,\n76\,60\,62\,58\,153\,67\,64\,56\,40\,59\,128\,106\,144\,121\,182\,217\,257\,254\,268\,276\,258\,249\,\n245\,259\,407\,414\,630\,631\,631\,674\,688\,681\,686\,696\,941\,982]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 Nf6 3.\ne5 Nd5 4. c4 Nc7 5. Nc3 d6 6. f4 dxe5 7. fxe5 g6 8. Nf3 Bg7 9. Be3 f6 10. exf6\nexf6 11. Qd2 O-O 12. O-O-O Be6 13. Bh6 Bxh6 14. Qxh6 Qd7 15. Bd3 Nba6 16. h4\nNb4 17. Be2 Qf7 (17… Qg7 $1) 18. Rhf1 Qg7 19. Qxg7+ Kxg7 20. a3 Nba6 21. d5\ncxd5 22. cxd5 Bd7 23. Nd4 Rac8 24. Kb1 Nc5 25. Bf3 Rcd8 26. Rfe1 Rfe8 27. Rxe8\nRxe8 28. b4 Na4 29. Nxa4 Bxa4 30. Rc1 Nb5 $2 {[#]} 31. Ne6+ Kh6 32. Nc5 Nxa3+\n33. Kb2 Nc2 34. Nxa4 Nxb4 35. Rc7 b5 36. Nc5 Re5 37. d6 Rxc5 38. d7 Nd3+ 39.\nKb1 Rxc7 40. d8=Q Rc1+ 41. Ka2 1-0\n[/pgn] \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[pgn]\n[Event “Ilford “]\n[Site “?”]\n[Date “1951.??.??”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Milner-Barry\, Philip Stuart”]\n[Black “Trott\, Arthur Henry”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “C02”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “33”]\n[SourceTitle “BCM\, 115\, page 259”] \n{[%evp 0\,29\,26\,29\,48\,28\,30\,0\,-4\,19\,2\,-4\,6\,3\,38\,52\,46\,24\,161\,316\,614\,614\,646\,\n648\,735\,735\,766\,734\,29993\,29994\,29995\,29996]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3\nNc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 Nge7 $2 (6… Bd7 7. O-O cxd4 8. cxd4 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4\n10. Nc3 a6 11. Qe2 Ne7 12. Kh1 Nc6 13. f4 Nb4 14. Rd1 Nxd3 15. Rxd3 Qb6 16. Be3\nBc5 17. Bxc5 Qxc5) 7. dxc5 $1 Qc7 {[#]} (7… Qxc5 8. b4 Qb6 9. b5) 8. Na3 $1\n$146 {This is the only documented game in this position AND Na3! is the best\nmove.} (8. Qe2) (8. O-O) 8… Nxe5 $2 (8… a6 {was required}) 9. Nb5 $18 Nxd3+\n10. Qxd3 Qxc5 11. Be3 d4 12. Bxd4 Qc6 13. Ne5 Qxg2 14. Nd6+ Kd8 {[#] Now pause\nthe “video”….} 15. Bb6+ $1 {and Black resigned as it mate in two.} axb6 16.\nNdxf7+ Kc7 (16… Ke8 17. Qd8#) 17. Qd6# 1-0\n[/pgn] \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[pgn]\n[Event “Olympiad-12 Preliminaries C”]\n[Site “Moscow”]\n[Date “1956.09.05”]\n[Round “5”]\n[White “Milner-Barry\, Philip Stuart”]\n[Black “Hanninen\, Veikko”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “C29”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “43”]\n[EventDate “1956.09.01”]\n[EventType “team-tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “URS”]\n[SourceTitle “MCD”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “England”]\n[BlackTeam “Finland”]\n[WhiteTeamCountry “ENG”]\n[BlackTeamCountry “FIN”] \n{[%evp 0\,43\,48\,29\,42\,26\,6\,1\,9\,-36\,-36\,-34\,-38\,-25\,-27\,-27\,8\,7\,4\,-3\,9\,8\,23\,-19\,\n45\,25\,-12\,5\,395\,383\,394\,413\,464\,478\,445\,240\,322\,415\,453\,432\,815\,1004\,1004\,1010\,\n1040\,1040]} {This game appeared in BCM\, 1995\, May\, page 259 within an Obituary\nby Bernard Cafferty.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. d3 Nxc3 ({\nSafer than} 5… Qh4+ 6. g3 Nxg3 7. Nf3 Qh5 8. Nxd5 {which is a line\nMilner-Barry revelled in} Nxh1 9. Nxc7+ Kd8 10. Nxa8 Bg4 11. Bg2 Nc6 12. d4\nBxf3 13. Qxf3 Qxf3 14. Bxf3 Nxd4 15. Be4 Bc5 16. c3) 6. bxc3 d4 7. Nf3 c5 8.\nBe2 Be7 9. O-O O-O (9… dxc3) 10. Qe1 f6 (10… dxc3) 11. Qg3 {[#]} fxe5 $2 {\nToo many pawn moves for comfort when the Englishman has so many open lines.} ({\nBetter is} 11… Nc6) 12. Bh6 $16 Bf6 13. Nxe5 $1 Bxe5 $4 $146 {The losing move\n} (13… Nd7 {keeps Black in the game.} 14. cxd4 cxd4 15. Nc4) (13… Qe7 14.\nBf3 Be6 15. Ng4 Bxg4 16. Qxg4 Nd7 17. Rae1 Ne5 18. Qg3 Kh8 19. Bf4 Nxf3+ 20.\nRxf3 Qd7 21. Ref1 dxc3 22. Be5 Qe6 23. Bxc3 Rae8 24. Qf2 Qd6 25. Bxf6 Rxf6 26.\nRxf6 gxf6 27. Qxf6+ Qxf6 28. Rxf6 Re2 29. Rf8+ Kg7 30. Rb8 b6 31. Rb7+ Kg6 32.\nRxa7 Rxc2 33. Ra6 Rb2 34. Ra3 Kf5 35. Kf1 Kf4 36. Ra7 Ke3 37. Re7+ Kxd3 38.\nRxh7 Rxa2 39. Rd7+ {and a draw was agreed in Milner-Barry – Alexander\, British\nChampionship\, round 11\, 1931\, 21st August.}) 14. Qxe5 Rf6 ({Worse is} 14…\ngxh6 15. Rxf8+ Qxf8 16. Bf3 $18) 15. Bxg7 Re6 (15… Kxg7 16. Qg5+ Kh8 17.\nQxf6+ Qxf6 18. Rxf6 {winning.}) 16. Qh5 Qe7 17. Bh6 {[#]} Nd7 {Development at\nlast!} 18. Bg4 Re5 19. Qh3 Nb6 $2 20. Rf8+ $1 Qxf8 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 22. Qxh7 {\nand Black resigned with his position in ruins.} 1-0\n[/pgn] \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[fen]rnbqk2r/pppp1ppp/4pn2/8/1bPP4/2N2N2/PP2PPPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \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[fen]r3kbnr/pp1b1ppp/1q2p3/3pP3/3n4/3B1N2/PP3PPP/RNBQ1RK1 w KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \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[fen]rnbqkbnr/pp2pppp/2p5/8/3Pp3/2N2P2/PPP3PP/R1BQKBNR b KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \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[fen]rnbqkbnr/ppp2ppp/8/3pp3/4PP2/2N5/PPPP2PP/R1BQKBNR b KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \nwhich is an ancient line that he revived at Margate 1937. \nand finally\, there is a Milner-Barry Variation in the Petroff Defence: \n[fen]r1b1kb1r/pppnqppp/3p1n2/6B1/8/3P1N2/PPP1QPPP/RN2KB1R w KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \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).
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-sir-philip-stuart-milner-barry-obe/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,English,History,Journalist,Player,Remembering,Writer
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CREATED:20200319T125443Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T192111Z
UID:3597-1616716800-1616803199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Chris Ward (26-iii-1968)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of GM Christopher Geoffrey Ward (26-iii-1968)Here is his Wikipedia entry \nGM Chris Ward\nFrom Chessgames.com : \n“Grandmaster and British Chess Champion in 1996. He is the author of several chess books\, among them Winning With the Sicilian Dragon 2 (2001)\, Winning with the Dragon (2003) and The Controversial Samisch King’s Indian (2004).” \nChris plays Jiang Chuan Ye at the 1997 England – China match\nHere are his games \nChris Ward commentating during the Hastings Congress\nChris earned his IM title in 1990 and his GM title in 1996. According to Chessbase and Felice his peak rating was 2531 in July 2003 when he was 35. \nChris is President of the English Primary Schools Chess Association (EPSCA)\, Chris is the Chief Coach of the Kent Junior Chess Association (KJCA). Chris plays for KJCA Kings in the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL). \nChris with the British Championship Trophy from 1996 (Nottingham)\n[pgn]\n[Event “BCF-ch 83rd”]\n[Site “Nottingham”]\n[Date “1996.??.??”]\n[Round “6”]\n[White “Ward\, Christopher”]\n[Black “Summerscale\, Aaron”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “D10”]\n[WhiteElo “2460”]\n[BlackElo “2500”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “35”]\n[EventDate “1996.08.??”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “CBM 054 Extra”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1996.11.01”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1996.11.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,35\,19\,31\,19\,-16\,26\,44\,57\,1\,11\,9\,1\,0\,15\,-55\,-61\,-68\,-64\,-68\,-50\,-160\,\n18\,45\,12\,-52\,40\,-117\,-37\,-55\,-41\,-41\,98\,-126\,483\,234\,29997\,29998]} 1. d4 d5 2.\nc4 c6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. e4 b5 5. a4 b4 6. Nb1 Ba6 7. Nf3 (7. Qc2 $142 Nf6 8. Nd2\nQxd4 9. Ngf3 b3 10. Nxd4 bxc2 11. f3 c3 12. bxc3 Bxf1 13. Kxf1 $14) 7… Nf6 8.\ne5 Nd5 9. Ng5 (9. e6 f6 10. Be2) 9… h6 $146 10. Qh5 {[#]} hxg5 $2 (10… g6\n$142 11. Qh3 e6 12. Ne4 $17) 11. Qxh8 Nf4 12. Be3 (12. Bxf4 gxf4 13. Nd2 Qxd4\n14. O-O-O Nd7 $13) 12… Qd5 $17 13. f3 Ne6 14. Nd2 Nxd4 15. O-O-O c3 16. Nc4\nBxc4 $2 17. Rxd4 (17. Bxc4 $142 Qxe5 18. Bxd4 $18) 17… Qxe5 $4 18. Qxf8+ {[#]\n} 1-0\n[/pgn] \n“Not sure about best\, but 18.Qxf8+ against Summerscale en route to winning the 1996 British Championship will be forever ingrained in my mind. Sorry\, Aaron!”\n– GM Chris Ward (when asked for his best move) \nSource: Chess Monthly 2017 December \nGM Chris Ward\nEndgame Play\nThe Queen’s Gambit Accepted\nThe Genius of Paul Morphy\nImprove your Opening Play\nWinning With the Sicilian Dragon 2\nStarting Out: The Nimzo-Indian\nIt’s Your Move: Improvers\nUnusual Queen’s Gambit Declined\nWinning with the Dragon\nIt’s Your Move: Tough Puzzles\nStarting Out: Rook Endgames\nThe Controversial Samisch King’s Indian\nPlay the Queen’s Gambit\nStarting Out: Chess Tactics and Checkmates
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-gm-chris-ward-26-iii-1968/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Hastings,Player,Writer
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210329
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210330
DTSTAMP:20210305T192622Z
CREATED:20190922T080954Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210305T192622Z
UID:1408-1616976000-1617062399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Peter Sowray (29-iii-1959)
DESCRIPTION:Happy Birthday FM Peter John Sowray (29-iii-1959)Born in London\, Peter obtained his FM title in 1984. He has been a regular member of the very strong Wood Green team. His peak rating (according to Chessbase) was 2384 aged 59 in March 2018. He currently plays for Barbican in the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL). \nPeter Sowray at the South Bank See image below for caption\nCaption for above image\nPeter Sowray watchign Tony Miles at the Lloyds Bank Masters. Sir Jeremy Morse watches.\nPeter Sowray (top right) with a victorious Wood Green team\nFM Peter Sowray\nHere are Peter’s games from chessgames.com \n[pgn]\n[Event “Barcelona Sants op 16th”]\n[Site “Barcelona”]\n[Date “2014.08.26”]\n[Round “5”]\n[White “Sowray\, Peter John”]\n[Black “Granda Zuniga\, Julio E”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “E42”]\n[WhiteElo “2325”]\n[BlackElo “2663”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “59”]\n[EventDate “2014.08.22”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “10”]\n[EventCountry “ESP”]\n[SourceTitle “CBM 162 Extra”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2014.10.17”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2014.10.17”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,59\,19\,31\,14\,-14\,-11\,4\,33\,33\,34\,18\,8\,34\,27\,13\,-2\,1\,21\,3\,30\,6\,17\,-9\,41\,\n43\,43\,59\,47\,55\,53\,38\,53\,53\,70\,44\,50\,51\,33\,-1\,0\,0\,44\,0\,75\,148\,168\,163\,155\,198\,\n143\,222\,259\,233\,235\,240\,254\,254\,348\,421\,517\,558]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4\n4. e3 b6 5. Nge2 c5 6. a3 Ba5 7. Rb1 Qe7 8. Bd2 Na6 9. Ng3 Bb7 10. d5 O-O 11.\nBd3 g6 12. O-O exd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. cxd5 Bxd2 15. Qxd2 Nc7 16. e4 d6 17. f4\nNe8 18. Rbe1 Nf6 19. e5 dxe5 20. fxe5 Nxd5 21. Qh6 Rfe8 22. Ne4 Qf8 23. Qh4 Qg7\n24. Nd6 Rxe5 25. Rxe5 Qxe5 26. Rxf7 Qe3+ 27. Kh1 h5 28. Rf3 Qc1+ 29. Rf1 Qd2\n30. Qe4 1-0\n[/pgn]
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-peter-j-sowary/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210402
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210403
DTSTAMP:20210306T111737Z
CREATED:20191023T093455Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T111737Z
UID:1645-1617321600-1617407999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Miroslav Houska (02-iv-1978)
DESCRIPTION:Miroslav Houska\nBirthday of IM Miroslav Houska (02-iv-1978) \nMiroslav gained his International Master title in 1998 and his peak rating according to Felice was 2385 in January of 1998\, aged 20. \nHere are his games on chessgames.com \nIM Miroslav Houska\, photograph by Jovan Petronic\nIM Miroslav Houska\, photograph by Cathy Rogers\n[pgn]\n[Event “BCF-ch 84th”]\n[Site “Hove”]\n[Date “1997.08.09”]\n[Round “6”]\n[White “Houska\, Miroslav”]\n[Black “Plaskett\, H James”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “A46”]\n[WhiteElo “2360”]\n[BlackElo “2450”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “73”]\n[EventDate “1997.08.04”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 1999”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1998.11.16”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1998.11.16”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,73\,19\,31\,14\,30\,55\,19\,45\,45\,45\,-1\,22\,16\,27\,4\,37\,20\,18\,12\,28\,7\,4\,0\,5\,\n-13\,17\,-46\,6\,8\,13\,9\,5\,19\,35\,3\,45\,42\,37\,5\,5\,3\,10\,14\,103\,102\,71\,83\,109\,109\,109\,\n114\,75\,60\,54\,40\,32\,53\,80\,68\,56\,67\,72\,3\,114\,126\,95\,83\,29989\,29990\,29991\,29992\,\n29995\,437\,437\,432]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. c3 b6 4. Bg5 Bb7 5. Bxf6 gxf6 6. e3\ne6 7. Be2 Qc7 8. Nbd2 Rg8 9. O-O Nc6 10. a3 Ne7 11. Re1 Bh6 12. Bf1 f5 13. g3\nNd5 14. Bg2 Bg7 15. Qe2 Rc8 16. Rad1 Ne7 17. e4 Kf8 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. Ng5 Bh6\n20. Ngf3 d6 21. Nh4 f4 22. Qh5 Bg7 23. Nc4 Rd8 24. e5 d5 25. Nd6 Ng6 26. Nxb7\nQxb7 27. Nxg6+ hxg6 28. Qg5 Qc7 29. Qxf4 c4 30. b3 cxb3 31. c4 dxc4 32. Rxd8+\nQxd8 33. Qxc4 Qa5 34. Qc8+ Ke7 35. Qb7+ Kf8 36. Rd1 Bxe5 37. Rd7 1-0\n[/pgn]
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-miroslav-houska-02-04-1978/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210404
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210405
DTSTAMP:20220404T131515Z
CREATED:20190823T192130Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220404T131515Z
UID:1136-1617494400-1617580799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of BH Wood MSc FCS OBE (13-vii-1909 04-iv-1989)
DESCRIPTION:We remember “BH” Wood MSc FCS OBE who passed away on Tuesday April 4th\, 1989 in the district of Birmingham. \nHe was buried alongside his wife Marjorie in the Sutton Coldfield Cemetery Extension which was opened in 1934 as an extension to the Holy Trinity Church. \nYorkshire Childhood\nBaruch Harold Wood (generally known as BH Wood\, or simply “BH”\, by the chess world) was born on Tuesday\, July 13th 1909 in Ecclesall\, Sheffield\, Yorkshire. The registration district was Ecclesall Bierlow. \nGravestone of BH & ME Wood\, photo by Glen Livet\nThe birth record suggests that he was baptised as Harold Baruch Wood. His parent’s were Baruch Talbot (1881-1951) and Florence Muriel Wood (née Herington). He appears as Harold Baruch on the 1911 census. \n1911 Census record for the Wood household\n1911 Census record for the Wood household\nInterestingly\, the Census form was signed by Talbot Wood so maybe BHs father also did not like his own first name! At the time of the Census the family lived at 30\, Violet Bank Road\, Nether Edge\, Sheffield\, S7 1RZ. \nWelsh School Days\nBaruch attended Friars School\, Bangor (established in 1557) along with William Ritson Morry. BHW was one year and three months older than WRM so it is entirely possible that they had met. \nMarriage to Marjory\nIn October 1936 BHW married Marjory Elizabeth Farrington in Ross\, Herefordshire. When Marjory died on 7th September 1977 they were living at 146\, Rectory Road\, Sutton Coldfield\, West Midlands. Baruch and Marjory had four children\, FM Christopher Wood\, Philip\, Frank and Peggy. \n146\, Rectory Road\, The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield\, West Midlands\, B75 7RS\nHonours\nIn the 1984 New Years Honours List\, Civil Division\, BHW was awarded the OBE. The citation read simply : “For services to Chess” \nHe won the BCF President’s Award in 1983 alongside TJ Beach and Brian Reilly. \nBH Wood playing board 9 in the Anglo team in the Anglo-Soviet Radio Team Match of 1946\nThe 1946 Anglo-Soviet Radio Match\nFrom The Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match by Klein and Winter : \n“BH Wood was born in Sheffield in 1909. A great lover of the game\, he founded the magazine Chess in 1935\, and has written a book for beginners. He scored a notable success by winning the British Correspondence Championship on one occasion. Wood has competed in the British Championship on several occasions\, and in a number of Premier Reserves tournaments. He also played for Great Britain in the international team tournament (ed. Olympiad) at Buenos Aires in 1939. \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\nHe is a graduate of the University of Wales and Birmingham University. He has been very active in recent years in giving simultaneous exhibitions and in organising correspondence chess.” \nSignature of BH Wood from a Brian Reilly “after dinner” postcard from Margate 1936.\nBetween 1938 and 1957\, BH won the championship of Warwickshire eight times. He held the record (until 2006) for the most Birmingham & District Chess League Individual titles – nine\, all won in Division 1: 1937\, 1939\, 1954\, 1956\, 1958\, 1960\, 1966\, 1967\, and 1983. He was the Records Secretary for the League from 1951-61. \nBirth of a Magazine\nCHESS Cover for volume 1\, September 1935 – August 1936. Source : Michael Clapham\nFrom CHESS\, Volume 52 (1987)\, Number 1014-15 (Christmas)\, we have the very last issue of the magazine for which BH was the Editor before becoming Founding Editor (and Paul Lamford became Editor). BH Wrote: \n“Countless people have asked me ‘Why did you start CHESS?’ I was in love with university life and has just taken an M.Sc.\, a waste of time after a good first-class honours\, and decided to have a go at replacing the old Chess Amateur\, which had closed down.  I had edited the students’ magazine in both Bangor and Birmingham. The first had been produced by The Daily Post Printers in Liverpool\, who agreed to print  1\,000 copies for £90. That £90 would be nearly £2\,400 now. \nCHESS masthead for Volume 1\, Number 1\, 1935. Source : Michael Clapham\nA year’s subscription I announced as 10 shillings (50p). \nTwo bits of luck! J.H. Van Meurs\, a Dutchman who did a lot for British Chess\, had listed in his still young B.C.F. Year Book some hundreds of chess clubs. \nW.H. Watts\, another great figure of those days\, had floated a rather short-lived magazine The Chess Budget\, donated a ‘Budget Cup‘\, for knock-out team competition and published excellent books on big tournaments\, etc. He handed me a list of keen chess players all around the world. I spent a week addressing envelopes by hand to all the clubs and people. \nTo individuals I sent single copies of CHESS; to each club three copies\, inviting payment or subscriptions. Hardly anybody failed to pay. Obviously there was a demand for a chess magazine with a lighter touch than the B.C.M. \nYears later\, I learnt why Mr. Watts had been so generous. He had fallen out with the establishment and welcomed the arrival of a new publication. \nWithin three months I was selling 3\,000 copies an issue. \nSome early ideas were chessy short stories \, cartoons and a competition for humorous anecdotes. \nI soon went to Amsterdam for the first Euwe-Alekhine match. I traced Alekhine to his hotel room with difficulty. He was officially incommunicado. He came to the door in pyjamas\, and within five minutes we had agreed to a £5 article per month. I was\, of course\, already on conversational terms with him (and remained so!). \nNow I fell into trap. 3\,000 readers in four months meant 6\,000 in eight months\, 9\,000 in  a year…? \nNot so! This is extrapolation\, a matter of calculation full of risks. \nMy preparations had been too good. In the remaining eight months of the year I picked up only a thousand more readers. Alekhine lost the title. With three months to go\, my money ran out\, I struggled to the end of the year.  The twelfth issue was pathetically thin compared with the first few but renewals staring rolling in and CHESS blossomed again. \nThe fifty-two years since have been gruelling\, unremitting toil but fascinating interest. How we bought our own presses and the effect this had on the world’s chess press – A law suit that went to appeal – How CHESS linked people in Malta\, Australia\, Hungary – Adventures in ‘simuls’\, postal chess etc. How we helped police to identify a drowned man\, etc. So many tales to tell! \nBHW \nBCF Obituary\nHere is an obituary from the BCF Yearbook 1989 – 1990\, page 14 : \nB.H. Wood\, O.B.E\nBaruch H. Wood\, O.B.E.\, founder of CHESS\, and the magazines editor for 52 years\, died at the age of 79 on 4th April. \nBorn in Sheffield on 13 July 1909\, “B.H.”\, as he was widely known in chess circles\, took up the game early playing competitively at school and at University. After graduating from the University College of Wales\, Bangor with a 1st class honours degree in chemistry\, he took an MSc at Birmingham University. Soon\, however\, his love of chess took him away from a career in chemistry\, with his launch of CHESS in 1935.  He was to continue as editor\, publisher\, for many years printer\, and often major contributor\, for over half a century. \nCHESS\, Sutton Coldfield\nThe magazine quickly won an international reputation for its frankness and outspokenness. It speaks much for the character and determination of its editor that he was able to continue publishing CHESS throughout the difficult years of the Second World War\, whilst holding a full-time job as director of a chemical research laboratory in Lichfield. \nWood will be best remembered for the magazine\, and for his other journalistic activities. He was for many years chess correspondent of The Daily Telegraph and of The Illustrated London News\, and his best known book Easy Guide to Chess went through three editions and many impressions. \nEasy Guide to Chess\, BH Wood\, CHESS\, Sutton Coldfield\, 1945\nThe above book (albeit the later Cadogan version) is available online. \nEasy Guide to Chess\nNigel Davies wrote “One of the best beginners books on the market.” \nWood’s feat in writing\, publishing\, printing and selling his own book may be unique. However\, Wood was no mean player as his draw against the then world champion Max Euwe\, who became a life-long friend\, testifies. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Christmas Congress 1949/50-25 Premier”]\n[Site “Hastings”]\n[Date “1949.12.29”]\n[Round “1”]\n[White “Wood\, Baruch Harold”]\n[Black “Euwe\, Max”]\n[Result “1/2-1/2”]\n[ECO “E39”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “74”]\n[EventDate “1949.12.29”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “MCL”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,74\,19\,31\,14\,-14\,-11\,-3\,33\,-19\,0\,-1\,-2\,-3\,4\,-49\,-23\,-30\,-17\,-12\,0\,-12\,\n-7\,-14\,-37\,-40\,-22\,-24\,-29\,-18\,-21\,-20\,-20\,-13\,0\,5\,2\,-2\,12\,5\,14\,15\,24\,21\,22\,26\,\n26\,26\,26\,15\,17\,5\,1\,10\,18\,-7\,-14\,-14\,-14\,-17\,-19\,-19\,-19\,-27\,-30\,-30\,-32\,-29\,\n-12\,-30\,-51\,-44\,-44\,-42\,1\,0\,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. dxc5\nO-O 6. Nf3 Na6 7. Bg5 Nxc5 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. Qxc3 Nfe4 10. Bxd8 Nxc3 11. Be7 Nb3\n12. Bxf8 Kxf8 13. Rd1 Nxd1 14. Kxd1 b6 (14… a5 15. e3 a4 16. Nd2 Nc5) 15. Nd2\nNxd2 $146 {The only game to have reached this position.} 16. Kxd2 Ba6 (16…\nBb7) 17. e4 $11 {[#]} (17. Kc3 $2 Rc8 18. e4 b5 19. b4 bxc4 20. Be2 $17) 17…\nRc8 18. b3 Ke7 19. Bd3 e5 20. f3 Rc6 21. Rc1 Rh6 22. h3 Rg6 23. Bf1 Rc6 24. b4\nRc8 25. a4 Bb7 26. c5 bxc5 {[#]} 27. Rxc5 $2 ({Better was} 27. bxc5 $1 Bc6 28.\nBb5 $11) 27… Rxc5 28. bxc5 d6 $1 {activating Black’s king.} 29. cxd6+ Kxd6\n$17 {Black has an edge.} 30. Kc3 Kc5 31. Bc4 Bc6 $6 ({better is} 31… f6 {\nretaining the weakness on a4.} 32. Bb5 h6) 32. Bb3 Bd7 33. h4 $6 {This looks\nnatural but} (33. Bxf7 {is better exchanging weaknesses} Bxa4) 33… g6 $2 {\nEuwe misses his chance.} (33… f6 {is still correct.}) 34. g3 (34. Bxf7) 34…\nf5 (34… Be6 35. Bd1 f6 36. Be2) 35. exf5 $11 gxf5 36. Bd1 h6 37. g4 a5 {\ndraw agreed.} 1/2-1/2\n[/pgn] \nHe represented England in the International Team Championship at Buenos Aires in 1939\, scoring 50%. He also took first prize in international tournaments at Baarn 1947\, Paignton 1954\, Whitby 1963\, Thorshavn 1967 and Jersey 1975 and was second in the 1948 British Championship. He was British Correspondence Chess Champion in 1945. \nThe Cedars Chess Club May 1962 – Baruch is seated\, second from the right. Photograph sourced from ECF obituary.\nA life member of F.I.D.E. Wood was also an International Arbiter\, and organised 21 annual chess festivals at seaside venues from the 50’s onwards. In addition he was an active behind-the-scenes inspirer of many chess events\, and in particular was known as a driving spirit of university chess\, being until the time of his death President of the British University Chess Association. \nThe Author’s British Record Simultaneous Display. Some of the 127 schoolboys the author played simultaneously at Ilford County High School\, Winning over a a hundred of the games in 4 hours and 50 minutes.\nHe founded the Postal Chess Club and League and was for many years President of the British Postal Chess Federation. \nLetter from BH Wood to JE Upham dated 7th July 1983\n“B.H.” at Bournemouth in May 1971\nHe was awarded the O.B.E. for services to chess in 1984. \nHis wife Marjory\, predeceased him; he leaves three sons Christopher\, Frank and Philip\, and a daughter Peggy. \nBH Wood & his daughter Peggy\nand here is the article as it appeared in the Yearbook. \nBCF Yearbook\, 1989-90\, page 14\nBCF Yearbook\, 1989-90\, page 15\nGolombek on Wood\nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977)  by Harry Golombek : \n“A well known British player\, editor of Chess (starting 1935) and chess correspondent of The Daily Telegraph and Illustrated London News. A FIDE judge\, he has founded and conducted 21 annual chess festivals\, notably at Whitby\, Eastbourne and Southport. \nBH Wood playing AY “Johnnie” Green in the 1956 British Championships in Blackpool\, photographer unknown\nWinner of a number of small and semi-international tournaments : Baarn 1947\, Paignton 1954\, Whitby 1963\, Thorshavn 1967\, and Jersey 1975. \nPlayed for the BCF in the International Team Tournament at Buenos Aires 1939. His best tournament result was probably his equal second in the British Championship at London 1948. \nIn 1954 BHW was sued BH Wood for libel by William Ritson Morry over a letter BHW sent to Henry Golding of the Monmouthshire County Chess Association warning him of WRMs financial history. Here is a summary of the action : \nThe Birmingham Post\, July 15th\, 1954\nand two years in 1956 we have this telling photograph of Ritson and BH playing at the British Championships in Blackpool. It must have been an entertaining pairing for the organisers if no-one else! \nWilliam Ritson Morry playing BH Wood at the British Championships in Blackpool from 1956\nPossibly WRM was thinking this as they played: \nEverybody Loves Wood\nAmong his books are : Easy Guide to Chess\, Sutton Coldfield 1942 et seq; World Championship Candidates Tournament 1953\, Sutton Coldfield 1954. “ \nWorld Championship Candidates Tournament 1953\, BH Wood\, CHESS\, Sutton Coldfield\, 1954\nCafferty on Wood (1989)\nHere is the obituary from British Chess Magazine\, Volume CIX (1989\, 109)\, Number 5 (May)\, pages 210 – 211: \nB. H. WOOD\nBaruch Harold Wood (13 viii 1909-4 iv 1989) popularly known as “B. H.” was a significant figure of the last fifty-odd years in British chess. His life touched practically all aspects of the game as player\, both OTB and CC\, magazine publisher and editor\, organiser of club\, congress and university chess\, journalist . . . the list seems endless. In 1984 he was awarded the OBE for services to chess. \nBorn at Sheffield\, which he sometimes used as an excuse when he was accused of stubbornness\, (“It’s my Yorkshire blood\, you know”) he was educated in North Wales (Friar’s School\, and then University College\, Bangor) and at Birmingham University. \nHe started his chess magazine at Sutton Coldfield in 1935 as an impecunious graduate who could not find suitable work in the Depression\, and his lively style ensured that it was a beacon in British chess for fifty years to come! For many British chess fans he was “Mr Chess” yet it seems a miracle that he kept the magazine going in the difficult times when interest in the game was at a low ebb. He may well have subsidised it from his journalistic work (Birmingham Post\, Illustrated London News and Daily Telegraph) and from his wartime work as manager of a chemical laboratory (“The first time I ever earned a decent salary”). \nHis duodenal ulcer prevented him doing military service\, and later in life he suffered from failing eyesight and the inability to walk which resulted from his diabetes\, not diagnosed till he had suffered from it for decades. \nHe worked a seven-day week on the magazine\, and his wife who predeceased him was often unsure when he would be home such was his devotion to the work. At times he would take off for trips abroad or long simul tours through Britain while trying to keep the magazine on schedule. \nOne of his last long tours was in 1967 when he drove Botvinnik around the UK. The world champion was duly impressed by the work load and wrote a very favourable account of the trip\, revealing incidentally that Barry was still paying off the mortgage on his large house in Rectory Road\, Sutton Coldfield where the car was parked on the forecourt as the garage was the reserve storage for a large library of chess books! His ability to quote chemical formula from memory also impressed Botvinnik. \nHe brought up a family of four\, all of whom were skilled players\, apart\, perhaps from the youngest boy. Daughter Peggy\nwas prominent in women’s chess and married Peter Clarke at the time of the Botvinnik visit. Elder sons Chris and Frank were of over-200 strength\, but had seen too much of their father’s life at close hand to want to take over the business from him. He ultimately sold out to Pergamon in 1987 though negotiations had been started much earlier. It was probably too much of a wrench to let go until failing health left him with little alternative\, but he described\nthe terms as very generous. \nBarry was a gifted linguist who was welcome abroad for his un-English approach of having a go at the native tongue. As a player he was at his best in the late 1930s (a member of the 1939 Olympiad team in Buenos Aires) till the 1950s. He should really have won the 1948 British Championship when he had the enterprising idea of having Paul Schmidt as personal coach! Yet his tournament wins run on as late as Guernsey 1975 and he was playing in the First Division of the Birmingham League within a few weeks of his death. The flesh may have been weak but a great spirit kept him going to the end. \nShall we ever see his like again? \n[pgn]\n[Event “Christmas Congress 1948/49-24 Premier”]\n[Site “Hastings”]\n[Date “1949.01.01”]\n[Round “3”]\n[White “Wood\, Baruch Harold”]\n[Black “Koenig\, Imre”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “E32”]\n[Annotator “ChessBase / British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “69”]\n[EventDate “1948.12.30”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “MCL”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,69\,39\,31\,43\,-7\,0\,-4\,10\,-29\,13\,-14\,21\,2\,-3\,-13\,1\,-18\,-18\,-8\,24\,29\,21\,\n30\,37\,31\,34\,41\,28\,33\,77\,41\,93\,95\,102\,71\,116\,93\,93\,-42\,25\,32\,80\,82\,67\,170\,119\,\n46\,235\,140\,138\,105\,132\,140\,225\,245\,427\,385\,435\,385\,385\,382\,553\,512\,518\,506\,577\,\n601\,612\,618\,618\,650]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. Nf3 (5. a3) (\n5. Bg5) 5… d6 6. a3 (6. Bd2 Nbd7 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Bxc3 Qe7 9. e3 b6 10. Be2 Bb7\n11. O-O) 6… Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 Nbd7 8. b4 {White has the two bishops and more\nspace on the queenside. Blacks has to look for attacking chances on the\nkingside.} a5 9. e3 (9. g3 $5 {safer}) 9… axb4 $146 (9… b6 10. Bb2 Bb7 11.\nBe2) 10. axb4 Ne4 {Blacks is aiming for a Dutch-like position.} 11. Qb2 Rxa1\n12. Qxa1 f5 {The Dutch move.} 13. Bd3 Ndf6 14. O-O Qe8 {Blacks pieces have to\ngo to the kingside.} 15. Nd2 (15. Ne1 $5) 15… Qg6 16. f3 Ng5 $1 {Black\ncorrectly doesn’t change\, he preserves the knight for attacking purposes.} (\n16… Nxd2 17. Bxd2 $14) 17. Kh1 h5 $1 18. Rg1 h4 {[#] /\Nf5-h5-g3+ with\nmating attack.} 19. g4 $2 $8 (19. f4 Ng4) (19. Qa5 $14 {is is very reasonable})\n19… hxg3 $2 {A missed opportunity} ({whereas} 19… Nh3 $1 20. Rf1 (20. Rg2\nQh6 21. Nf1 fxg4 22. fxg4 Nxg4 $19) 20… Qh6 21. Nb3 fxg4 $19) (19… Qh6 $1 {\nis very strong} 20. e4 Nh3 21. g5 Qg6 22. exf5 exf5 23. Rf1 Nf4 $19) 20. Rxg3 {\n/\f3-f4} Qh5 $2 (20… Qh6 $1 21. Bb2 Nh5 $1 22. Rg2 Nh3 {/\Qh6xe3; ..f5-f4\,\nNh5-g3+}) 21. Bb2 f4 $5 (21… Kf7 $2 {/\Rf8-h8} 22. Qg1 $1) 22. exf4 Nh3 {\n[#] /\Nh3-f2+-d3} 23. d5 $1 $16 (23. Qf1 $2 Nxf4 $15) 23… e5 (23… Nf2+ 24.\nKg2 Nxd3 25. Bxf6 $36 Nxf4+ 26. Kh1 g6 27. Be7 $11) 24. fxe5 $18 Nf2+ 25. Kg2 (\n25. Kg1 $1 Nh3+ 26. Kf1) 25… Nxd3 $6 (25… N6g4 $5 26. fxg4 Nxg4 27. Nf3 $1\n(27. Qg1 $2 Rf2+ 28. Qxf2 Qxh2+ $19) 27… Rxf3 (27… Ne3+ 28. Kh1 Rxf3 29.\nBe2 $18) 28. Kxf3 $1 Nxe5+ 29. Kg2 Nxd3 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Qf1+ Bf5 32. h4 $1\nNxb2 33. Rg5 $18) 26. exf6 Bh3+ $2 (26… Re8 27. Ne4 Rxe4 28. fxe4 Qe2+ 29.\nKg1 Qf2+ 30. Kh1 Qe2 31. Kg1 Qf2+ 32. Kh1 Qe2 $11) 27. Kg1 (27. Rxh3 $2 Nf4+)\n27… Re8 28. Ne4 Nxb2 29. Qxb2 Rxe4 30. fxe4 Qd1+ 31. Kf2 Qf1+ 32. Ke3 Qe1+\n33. Kf4 Qf1+ 34. Kg5 Bd7 35. fxg7 {and Black resigned. An exciting contest\, typical of White’s\ngritty style.} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nJulius Silverman former MP for Aston (Birmingham) writes: I am very sorry to learn of the death of Barry Wood. I knew him for about 55 years and I always found him a pleasant and interesting companion and a good friend. On the last few occasions that I have met him he seemed increasingly frail. I know that the death of his dear wife was a great blow to him. \nBarry’s contribution to Chess in this country has been enormous and his passing is the end of an era in chess journalism.\nBarry’s journalism and his imaginative editorship made Chess a fascinating journal which it was always a pleasure to read.\nIts survival for well over 50 years was a unique achievement which required persistence and dedication. He has had many\nhills to surmount. \nOne was “… the chess lawsuit of the Century …” (This ran for about two and a half years\, ending in 1940 in a victory for the magazine on appeal\, Ed). Jacques versus Chess which might have brought Chess to an end. I appeared for him as counsel. We won. I received a life subscription to Chess as part of my fee. My copy still comes to me regularly. I have never enjoyed a fee so much. \nHere is the article in its original form: \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CX (109)\, Number 5 (May)\, page 210\nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume CX (109)\, Number 5 (May)\, page 211\n[pgn]\n[Event “British CF-44 Championship”]\n[Site “Plymouth/ Devon”]\n[Date “1957.08.21”]\n[Round “3”]\n[White “Wood\, Baruch Harold”]\n[Black “Beaty\, John H”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “E87”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “87”]\n[EventDate “1957.08.19”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2001”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2000.11.22”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2000.11.22”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,87\,58\,35\,26\,-11\,56\,37\,33\,32\,37\,19\,53\,25\,21\,23\,33\,14\,11\,5\,44\,27\,44\,21\,\n54\,28\,41\,41\,90\,56\,59\,46\,48\,60\,60\,-4\,8\,25\,53\,-34\,-15\,-97\,-85\,-123\,-74\,-75\,51\,5\,\n69\,-119\,-123\,-138\,-173\,-189\,-201\,-185\,-198\,-195\,-117\,-305\,-304\,-284\,-338\,-357\,\n-330\,-394\,-242\,-395\,-144\,-252\,-223\,-202\,-160\,-439\,-364\,-262\,-167\,-377\,-202\,\n-186\,-93\,-48\,91\,107\,108\,115\,29997\,29998\,29999\,-30000]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3.\nNc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 e5 (5… O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 c6 8. Qd2 cxd5 9. cxd5) 6.\nd5 O-O 7. Be3 Nh5 8. Qd2 f5 9. O-O-O a6 10. Kb1 Qe8 11. Bd3 Bd7 12. Rc1 Nf6\n$146 13. Nge2 b5 14. c5 b4 15. Nd1 Bb5 16. b3 fxe4 17. Bxe4 a5 18. Ng3 a4 19.\nQxb4 Na6 $19 20. Qd2 axb3 21. axb3 Qb8 22. Nb2 Nd7 23. c6 Ndc5 24. Rc3 Qb6 25.\nRhc1 Qa5 26. Kc2 Nb4+ 27. Kd1 Nxe4 28. Nxe4 Na2 29. Ng5 Nxc3+ 30. Rxc3 Qb4 31.\nNe6 Ra1+ 32. Kc2 Rf7 33. Bg5 Bf8 34. Re3 Qa3 35. Re4 Qa2 36. Qb4 Rb1 37. Bc1\nRa1 38. Qd2 Bg7 39. Rb4 Ba6 $11 40. Rb8+ {[#]} Bf8 $4 (40… Rf8 41. Nxf8 Bxf8\n42. Qg5 Qb1+ 43. Kd1 Qxb2 44. Rxf8+ Kxf8 45. Qd8+ Kf7 46. Qxc7+ Kf6 47. Qxd6+\nKg7 48. Qe7+ Kg8 49. Qe6+ $11) 41. Qh6 $18 Qb1+ 42. Kd1 Qf5 (42… Qxc1+ 43.\nQxc1 Rxc1+ 44. Kxc1 Bf1 45. g3 $18) 43. Rxf8+ Rxf8 44. Qg7# 1-0\n[/pgn] \nBernard on Barry (2004)\nREMEMBERING BARRY WOOD (1909-1939) \nby Bernard Cafferty \nOne of the most influential figures in British chess of the 20th century was B. H. Wood\, whom I knew personally from 1951\, and whom I played regularly\, over a period of three decades\, till l moved from Birmingham to Hastings in 1981. Here are some\nmemories of the man who was thought of by many in Britain as “Mr Chess”. \nBorn in Sheffield\, Baruch Harold Wood had his secondary education in North Wales at the same grammar school as W Ritson\nMorry who was later to become his Midlands colleague and bitter rival. BH always attributed his well-known stubbornness (he never resigned early) to “his Yorkshire blood”. Wood and Morry were to be students together at Birmingham University after BH gained his BSc in Wales. Then the pair faced the hard task of finding work in depression-struck mid-1930s England. BH founded his monthly magazine CHESS in 1935\, an act of amazing optimism which only his great appetite for work could justify. The magazine was based in Sutton Coldfield\, just north of Birmingham\, at gloomy premises known as Masonic Buildings. \nThe early decades of this publication were marked by the outpouring of glorious journalism of a popular sort. The man’s love\nof the game shone through his work and he recruited such contributors as the chatty Koltanowski and the prince of annotators\nAlexander Alekhine. Later he became the long-serving columnist of the Birmingham Post\, from 1949 of the weekly Illustrated London News\, and even later of the Daily Telegraph. A feature of the magazine was its lively letters from readers which made for more interesting reading than the equivalent occasional letter to be found in the staid\nBCM. The readers also made pertinent contributions to opening theory\, especially in going through the 1946 MCO with a fine toothcomb and reporting their discoveries to Sutton Coldfield. \nBH wrote a best-selling Easy Guide to Chess which went through several editions and was far more user-friendly than other primers on the market at the time. He also designed a luxury set\, the Coldfield\, and produced various chess clocks with new features. BH was a member of the BCF Olympiad side that played in the first part of the Buenos Aires Olympiad in the autumn of 1939. After the team’s withdrawal due to the outbreak of war\, he stayed on in Argentina for a short while\, taking part in a short tournament where he met the legendary Alekhine. \nOne Hundred Victorian Chess Problems\, BH Wood\, Wayland Publishers\, London\, 1972\nBH was married to Marjorie\, a Birmingham primary school teacher\, and had three sons and a daughter. The elder two boys\,\nChris and Frank\, were strong players but not Philip. His daughter Peggy was our leading girl player of the 1950s\, and married Peter Clarke in 1962. One should note that BH was not Jewish\, as many assumed from the name Baruch – he was generally addressed as Barry by his wife and close friends. Others called him just by the initials BH. Everyone in British chess knew exactly who you meant when you said BH. Many thought of him as a sharp business-man. In any event\, the fearsome workload he shouldered meant that none of his children\, seeing this at first hand\, aspired to carry on the magazine as a family business. To many in the British chess community who had never seen top players in action\, BH was their first contact with the wider chess world due to the exhausting simul tours he made to many clubs the length and breadth of the UK. \nLater\, he organized CHESS Festivals starting from 1953. These were our earliest open tournaments\, held at attractive venues such as Cheltenham\, Whitby\, Eastbourne and Southport. These events created the opportunity for British amateurs to meet continental grandmaster opposition like Donner and O’Kelly. BH had great confidence in his ability – his MSc at Birmingham University was in chemistry\, but in 1946-7 he started studying nuclear physics privately\, telling Brian Reilly\, who was employed by him at that time\, that it was the science of the future. I have to simply marvel at this – where did he find the time? In his self-portrait in connection with the GB-USSR match of 1946 he revealed that he had been studying Russian privately with a view to taking an external degree in it at Birmingham University. \nThe post-war decade saw him at his most active. He was BCF delegate at early FIDE meetings post-1946\, the period that saw the mighty Soviet Union admitted to membership in 1947. BH was instrumental in maintaining Spain’s membership of FIDE at the same time\, despite Soviet opposition to Franco’s fascism. He claimed to me he was always a most welcome guest in Spain thereafter. \nBattles with the BCF\nBH had been exempt from military service due to a duodenal ulcer. He spent the war keeping the magazine alive in his spare time as he was put in charge of a research laboratory at the Birmingham Chemical Company. During the war the government had the power under emergency legislation to direct citizens into any sort of work that would contribute to the war effort. His comment to me on that intensive period was: “It was the first time I ever drew a decent salary”. After a short spell as BCF FIDE delegate\, he fell out with the ruling body in the early 1950s. His view was that the national body was ultra-conservative and not open to fresh ideas such as the knockout championship open to all which he organised in 1949-50. Lo and behold\, a few months later the BCF started organising regional competitions to arrange for qualification for the British Championship! BH often criticised the BCF in his magazine. In June 1950 he wrote the first of a planned series of articles on the evergreen theme “Where is British Chess Going?” and forwarded a copy to the BCF just before publication. The BCF legal eagle Professor Wheatcroft immediately threatened to take out an injunction\, so putting the frighteners on the printers. Rather than delay the July issue (not that subscribers were not used to a rather irregular schedule!)\, BH brought out the issue with white space\, on two pages\, a dramatic way of alerting the readers to the dispute. The promised articles\, which he said would appear after the dispute was settled\, never appeared. \nDW Anderton OBE plays BH Wood MBE in 1981 in a Blitz tournament outside of the National Film Theatre. Photograph courtesy of John Saunders\nThere were also tensions with BCF figures like Alexander and Golombek\, in the latter case probably due to professional rivalry and Harry G’s identification with the BCM. Another prominent figure with whom BH crossed swords was the flamboyant Liverpool barrister Gerald Abrahams who threatened to sue over a report in CHESS of gambling debts incurred “on the turf’. \nBH was no stranger to litigation. For example he had had a lawsuit with Jaques culminating in 1940 over the use of the term\n“genuine Staunton-pattern sets” in his advertising. The case was initially lost\, a potentially crippling blow\, but then won on appeal with the aid of solicitor Julius Silverman (later a prominent Birmingham MP)\, Ritson Morry\, Sir George Thomas and\nother well-wishers. When Wood-Morry hostility was at its height in the early 1950s over pro- and anti-BCF views\, BH drew attention in a letter to a Welsh chess organiser to Ritson’s short period in jail. The uncomplimentary term ‘gaolbird’ was used. A court case followed which the penurious Ritson\, having been struck off as a solicitor could hardly afford\, yet BH was cleared on the defence of justification. My fellow students and I at Birmingham University could only marvel at the daily press reports on the wrangles between two of our patrons whom we had feted at a celebratory dinner only a short while before. \nHere is the point at which to mention BH’s support for chess in the universities. He was the long-time President of the\nBUCA (British Universities’ Chess Association) and turned up at many of their events with support. He loaned equipment in the early days when not every chess club had sufficient clocks for a match – bear in mind that the austerity period in Britain lasted for years after 1945. BH also supported correspondence chess\, being the founder of the Postal Chess League\, a team event very popular in its day but now defunct. \nBH’s best playing performance was the British Championship of 1948 when he came second to Broadbent. The Midlander had actually started with 6.5 points from seven games\, but the unsatisfactory position arose that he had to meet Broadbent in the last round when each had an adjourned game still to finish off. \nBH Wood during the 1948 British Championships at Bishopsgate Institute\, London. Taken on August 30th 1948 by Keystone Press Agency\nThe tension got to BH\, he missed a clear winning chance against the Northerner and lost. Yet he should really have taken the title on the merits of the positions he had achieved. His rivals resented the fact that he had hired a second\, namely Paul Schmidt\, the Estonian player who was once thought of as almost as good as Keres in his native land. Schmidt had won the German Championship during the war in 1941. The British amateurs of 1948 were not impressed by this intrusion of professionalism and the importation of someone who carried the taint of possible Nazism. According to Brian Reilly\, Gerald Abrahams was particularly scathing. \nBH made a good impression on Botvinnik when the latter stayed at the Wood residence in Rectory Road\, Sutton Coldfield\, in 1967 (the reference for those who can read Russian is Baturinsky’s “…Tvorchestvo” trilogy on Botvinnik. The article was entitled: Albion shakhmatny i inoy. It appears on pp435 -448 of the third volume. A shortened version appears in English in Botvinnik’s autobiography Achieving the Aim). When I drew BH’s attention to the article and its peculiar title he responded with his usual erudite comment: ‘Albion? Yes\, that’s the Roman reference to the white cliffs of Dover”. For most Brummies\, “The Albion” did not mean a local pub\, but rather the West Bromwich Albion football team! \nIn theory\, the communist Botvinnik should have been distant from his host\, the Midlands entrepreneur and business man\, who drove him round to his engagements in Britain for three weeks\, but their common love of chess triumphed over ideological\ndifferences. In particular\, the speed of production of CHESS\, now on its own presses\, was compared very favourably by the Soviet Patriarch to that of Shakhmaty v SSSR. British trade unions had a different view of course\, in pre-Thatcher days\, and BH had some tricky obstacles to overcome in this field. The Muscovite Botvinnik recorded the fact that the garage of BH’s large house was full of chess books (as were various rooms – to the abiding despair of Marjorie)\, so the family car was always parked outside on the drive. BH revealed to Botvinnik that he had not been able pay off his mortgage for decades due to the variable cash flow from his business and journalism. \nBH was in love with study as a young man\, he once told me\, and he had a facility in various European languages\, which made him always welcome abroad. Over the years\, BH had a number of employees who were strong players\, such as Brian Reilly\, Owen Hindle and Robert Bellin\, but none of them lasted long. Owen Hindle\, a person of placid temperament\, stuck it out the longest\, but even he had his patience tried by the ‘boss’. One cannot hide the fact that BH was a controversial figure – perhaps the clue after all is that reference to his stubbornness and Yorkshire blood? I contributed to his magazine for many years\, but certainly never wanted to work for him full-time! \nI used to see BH in the last decade of his life only in the Hastings press room. For his age\, he still took on a fantastic workload. Peter Clarke once commented that his father-in-law gave the impression of believing he would live for ever. Finally\, Anno Domini told and BH sold his business to Robert Maxwell of Pergamon fame/notoriety in 1988. \nIn his final year\, BH suffered from diabetes\, and the resulting inability to walk meant he was confined to a wheelchair\, but he still insisted on visiting Hastings one last time\, where\, in his prime\, he had specialised in taking away Premier score sheets. Often they were taken not just to his hotel room\, but even back to Sutton Coldfield\, so hindering the work of other chess journalists unless Ritson or later\, Peter Griffiths had got in first to create the bulletin. \nWhat a character! We lack such a colourful figure nowadays. Where he still alive today\, I imagine he would still be trying to put a bomb under the BCF. \n[pgn]\n[Event “British CF-35 Championship”]\n[Site “London (Bishopsgate)”]\n[Date “1948.09.10”]\n[Round “11”]\n[White “Broadbent\, Reginald Joseph”]\n[Black “Wood\, Baruch Harold”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[Annotator “Bernard Cafferty / British Chess News”]\n[SetUp “1”]\n[FEN “3q1rk1/7p/1Np1b1p1/P3p3/1P2P2b/3pB3/3Q2P1/R5K1 w – – 0 27”]\n[PlyCount “9”]\n[EventDate “1948.08.30”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “BCM\, Nov 1948\, p. 379.”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2007.11.25”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2007.11.25”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,9\,-76\,-345\,-417\,-380\,797\,623\,889\,907\,938\,952] [#]} {Sicilian Dragon\,\n33 moves. When Broadbent and Wood sat down to play this last-round game\, they\nstill had one adjourned game each to finish (Broadbent\, his 7th round game\nwith Morry\, and Wood his 10th round game with Milner-Barry). Hence they both\nhad 7/9 at the time.} 27. a6 $4 ({Broadbent should have played Br} 27. Kh2 {\nto prevent Wood’s bishop from making its home on g3. Now He’s lost}) 27… Bg3\n$1 $19 28. Rf1 {with the idea of Rf3} Qh4 $4 (28… Bh2+ $1 29. Kxh2 Rxf1 30.\nBf2 Qe7 $19 {and Baruch Wood would have been 1948 British Champion}) 29. Rxf8+\nKxf8 30. a7 $18 Qh2+ 31. Kf1 {… 33 moves (Source: BCM\, Nov 1948\, p379)\nBlack resigned on move 33. He had temporarily overlooked the fact that bishops\nhave a reverse gear and that 32.Bg1 would defend against 31…Qh1 “mate” As\nBCM said at the time\, “Typical last round”.} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nWinter\, Jaques and Wood\nFrom Chess Explorations (Cadogan Chess\, 1996) by Edward Winter we have further detail on the Jaques court case: \n“Paul Timson\, a lawyer\, sends us reports on two legal  cases connected with chess. In 1939 B.H.Wood found himself in the dock for having advertised for sale in CHESS in 1937 ‘genuine Staunton chessmen’. The plaintiffs were John Jaques & Son\, Ltd. Sir George Thomas.\, Max Euwe and Lodewijk Prins appeared as witnesses for the defence. The case is referred to by Fred Wren in his article ‘Tales of a Woodpusher: Woodpusher’s Woodpile’\, which appeared in Chess Review\, 1949 and was reprinted in Reinfeld’s The Treasury of Chess Lore. The issues of CHESS of the time also contained a huge amount of material on the case. The decision was that ‘Staunton’ alone was permissible description\, but that the phrase ‘genuine Staunton’ implied a product made by Jaques & Son Ltd.\, as opposed to any Staunton pattern.  However\, B.H. Wood appealed and\, in 1940\, won.” \nOther Sources\nIf you can get access then we recommend the eleven-page “B.H. Wood and his chess playing family” article in the August-2009 issue of Chess Monthly written by his son Chris Wood (helped by brother Frank). \nLikewise The Chess Lawsuit of the Century is detailed in CHESS\, volume 52\, Number 1018\, pp.392 – 394 by BHW himself. \nHere is an obituary from the MCCU \nBackground information from Sutton Coldfield Chess Club \nAlekhine’s Articles for CHESS by Michael Clapham \nHere is his Wikipedia entry.
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-baruch-harold-wood/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,Honours,Official,Organiser,Player,Remembering,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/bhwood.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200411
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200412
DTSTAMP:20210411T102446Z
CREATED:20200406T153153Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210411T102446Z
UID:4108-1586563200-1586649599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Erik Teichmann (11-iv-1961)
DESCRIPTION:FM Erik Oskar Michael Charles Teichmann\nBirthday of FM Erik Oskar Michael Charles Teichmann (11-iv-1961) \nErik was born in Westminster\, London\, his mother (née Jorgensen) being Danish and his father was Max Teichmann. They lived in London for two years and then emigrated to Melbourne\, Australia until Erik was six when Erik and his mother moved to Cambridge\, England. Erik played much chess in England including the British U-18 and U-21 championships\, Lloyds Bank events \n[pgn]\n[Event “British CF-68 Championship”]\n[Site “Morecambe/ Lancashire”]\n[Date “1981.08.11”]\n[Round “8”]\n[White “Teichmann\, Erik Oskar Michael”]\n[Black “Davies\, Nigel Rodney”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “E67”]\n[BlackElo “2360”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “81”]\n[EventDate “1981.08.03”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 1999”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1998.11.16”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1998.11.16”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,81\,18\,32\,83\,54\,37\,41\,33\,31\,37\,39\,61\,40\,48\,54\,43\,26\,14\,11\,91\,39\,62\,52\,\n60\,24\,56\,113\,83\,83\,83\,81\,115\,95\,103\,87\,59\,72\,72\,71\,202\,158\,229\,227\,261\,74\,78\,5\,\n7\,10\,10\,11\,69\,-36\,-82\,-260\,-77\,-77\,-62\,-55\,-55\,-157\,-14\,-43\,-16\,-22\,-15\,-251\,\n-335\,-346\,-141\,-255\,-185\,-287\,356\,450\,509\,450\,532\,535\,1141\,140\,847\,893]} 1. d4\ng6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. g3 Nd7 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg2 Ngf6 7. O-O O-O 8. e4 c5 9.\nh3 Rb8 10. Qe2 b5 11. e5 Ne8 12. Rd1 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Nxe5 14. cxb5 axb5 15. f4\nNc4 16. Nc6 Qb6+ 17. Kh2 e6 18. Nxb8 d5 19. a4 b4 20. Nxd5 exd5 21. Bxd5 Na5\n22. Qb5 Qf2+ 23. Bg2 Nb3 24. Rb1 Bf5 25. Rf1 Qc2 26. Qxb4 Nf6 27. Kg1 Be4 28.\nBxe4 Nxe4 29. Be3 Nxg3 30. Rfe1 Ne2+ 31. Rxe2 Qxb1+ 32. Re1 Qxb2 33. Qb6 Qc3\n34. Rd1 Re8 35. Bf2 Nd2 36. Nc6 Ne4 37. Rd8 Qc1+ 38. Kg2 Nf6 39. Ne7+ Kf8 40.\nRxe8+ Kxe8 41. Nc6 {time} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nand the Islington and other opens swisses. Erik played for Cambridge University (Magdalen College) in the 1982 (100th) Varsity Match drawing with Gareth Anthony (Trinity Hall). \nErik Oskar Michael Charles Teichmann (rear\, far right) at a Lloyds Bank event\nErik (left) analyses with Mark A Johnstone (right) and James Pratt at the 1981 Islington Open. Your Truly was the photographer.\nIn 1985 Erik emigrated once more to Australia living in Eltham\, Melbourne and became a lifestyle guru and coach. \nErik Teichmann standing\, holding trophy)\nErik became a FIDE Master in 1990 and his peak rating was 2388 in July 2010. \nFM Erik Teichmann\nFrom Chessgames.com : \n“FIDE Master Erik Oskar Michael Charles Teichmann won the Nova Scotia Open in 1999.” \nHere is Erik’s favourite game : \n[pgn]\n[Event “Melbourne Cup”]\n[Site “Melbourne”]\n[Date “2010.11.02”]\n[Round “9”]\n[White “Cheng\, Bobby Sky”]\n[Black “Teichmann\, Erik Oskar Michael”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “D02”]\n[WhiteElo “2227”]\n[BlackElo “2329”]\n[Annotator “johnu”]\n[PlyCount “70”]\n[EventDate “2010.10.29”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “AUS”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2012”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2011.11.24”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2011.11.24”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,70\,19\,31\,98\,26\,30\,21\,18\,9\,1\,11\,9\,1\,13\,14\,13\,7\,9\,8\,23\,14\,6\,-9\,54\,38\,40\,\n39\,45\,45\,51\,23\,13\,0\,10\,-8\,10\,-20\,-4\,7\,18\,21\,26\,39\,21\,27\,40\,35\,90\,46\,19\,40\,1\,24\,\n0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,-188\,-274\,-816\,-999\,-938\,-1249\,-1273\,-1332\,-29993\,-2157\,-2157\,-2078\,\n-29989\,-1385]} 1. d4 Nc6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 Bg4 4. Nbd2 e6 5. e3 Bd6 6. Bxd6 Qxd6\n7. c4 Nge7 8. Be2 O-O 9. O-O Rad8 10. c5 Qd7 11. b4 Ng6 12. b5 Nce7 13. a4 f6\n14. h3 Bf5 15. Nb3 e5 16. Na5 c6 17. Ra2 Qc7 18. Qd2 e4 19. Nh2 Bc8 20. Rb2 f5\n21. g3 f4 22. exf4 Bxh3 23. Rfb1 Nf5 24. Bf1 Bxf1 25. Nxf1 Qd7 26. bxc6 bxc6\n27. Rb7 Qe6 28. Rxa7 Nfh4 29. Nh2 Qh3 30. gxh4 Nxf4 31. f3 e3 32. Qc2 e2 33.\nKf2 Qxh2+ 34. Ke1 Ng2+ 35. Kxe2 Ne1+ 0-1\n[/pgn] \nErik now lives in Lyon\, France with his girlfriend both being Buddhists. \nFM Erik Teichmann\, photo by Cathy Rogers
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-erik-oskar-michael-charles-teichmann-11-iv-1961/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200421
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200422
DTSTAMP:20260817T141214Z
CREATED:20201110T145042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T141214Z
UID:11277-1587427200-1587513599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Happy Birthday Malcolm Barker (21-iv-1934)
DESCRIPTION:Happy Birthday Malcolm Barker (21-iv-1934)
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/happy-birthday-malcolm-barker-01-iv-1934/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200425
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200426
DTSTAMP:20210424T091645Z
CREATED:20190823T090733Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210424T091645Z
UID:1056-1587772800-1587859199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM John Nunn (25-iv-1955)
DESCRIPTION:BCN wishes GM John Nunn Happy Birthday (25-iv-1955) \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Harry Golombek : \nBritish International master and European Junior Champion\, 1975. Born in London\, Nunn learned chess at the age of four and soon revealed a great aptitude for the game. \n  \nGraham Ladds and John Nunn. See full caption below.\nSupplied caption for above picture.\nHe came 6th in the Norwich Junior international tournament in 1970 and went up to Oxford University to take a mathematics degree at a very early age. He played on top board for the University from 1972-6 and is now preparing for a doctorate there. \nJohn DM Nunn\nHe won the European Junior Championship and with it the international master title in Groningen in 1975. In that year too he was equal first in the IBM Master tournament\, and at London in 1975 he reached an international master norm coming 5th in the international tournament there. He played on bottom board at the Haifa Olympiad 1976 and scored 64.2% \nGM John Nunn\nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld : \nEnglish player. International Grandmaster (1978)\, British champion 1980. He went to Oxford at the unusually young age of 15\, graduated in 1973. Gained his B.Sc. the following year and his\ndoctorate in 1978. \nGM John Nunn\n  \nA Junior Research Fellow\, he lectured in mathematics until 1981 when he became a professional player. By then he had already achieved several good results in international tournaments: Budapest 1978\, first; Hastings 1979-80\, first (4-5 = 10) equal with Andersson; Baden-bei-Wien 1980\, category 12\, third (+5=10) after Spassky and Belyavsky: Helsinki 1981\, first (+5 = 6) equal with Matulovich; and Wiesbaden 1981\, first (+6=3). In the category 12 Wijk aan Zee tournament 1982\, Nunn came first ( + 5=7 — 1) equal with Balashov ahead of Tal\, Hubner\, and Timman and at Helsinki 1983 he came second (+5 = 6) after Karlsson. \nMaia Chiburdanidze and John Nunn from Lloyds Bank\, 1985\nPossessing a remarkably quick sight of the board\, Nunn is an expert solver: he made the second highest individual score in the world team solving championship\, 1978\, and won the solving championship of Great Britain in 1981. \nLubomir Kavalek and John Nunn\nHere is an excellent article from ChessBase \nPolugayevsky-Nunn European team championship : \n[pgn]\n[Round “1.3”]\n[White “Polugaevsky\, Lev”]\n[Black “Nunn\, John DM”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “A77”]\n[WhiteElo “2635”]\n[BlackElo “2515”]\n[Annotator “johnu”]\n[PlyCount “64”]\n[EventDate “1980.01.20”]\n[EventType “team-tourn”]\n[EventRounds “7”]\n[EventCountry “SWE”]\n[SourceTitle “EU-chT”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceVersion “2”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “Soviet Union”]\n[BlackTeam “England”]\n[WhiteTeamCountry “URS”]\n[BlackTeamCountry “ENG”] \n{[%evp 0\,64\,19\,9\,21\,44\,45\,37\,46\,15\,12\,56\,70\,84\,108\,114\,123\,92\,82\,65\,73\,58\,59\,\n13\,30\,26\,27\,27\,27\,27\,29\,6\,17\,-128\,-135\,-75\,-75\,-69\,-89\,-122\,-70\,-43\,-75\,-145\,\n-164\,-153\,-153\,-194\,-194\,-235\,-235\,-235\,-260\,-278\,-279\,-284\,-290\,-290\,-290\,\n-465\,-460\,-617\,-537\,-536\,-555\,-1071\,-878]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 e6 4. c4\nexd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. e4 Bg7 8. Be2 O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Nd2 Nbd7 11. Qc2\nNe5 12. b3 Nh5 13. Bxh5 gxh5 14. Bb2 Bd7 15. Rae1 Qh4 16. f4 Ng4 17. Nf3 Bd4+\n18. Kh1 Nf2+ 19. Rxf2 Qxf2 20. Qc1 Bh3 21. Rg1 Kf8 22. Nxd4 cxd4 23. f5 dxc3\n24. Qxc3 Rxe4 25. gxh3 Ke8 26. Qd3 Re1 27. Rxe1+ Qxe1+ 28. Kg2 Rc8 29. f6 Kd7\n30. Qxh7 Qd2+ 31. Kg3 Qxd5 32. Kh4 Re8 0-1\n[/pgn] \nGM John Nunn\n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NvSfumCNxo[/embedyt] \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \n46th USSR Chess Championships 1978\, RD Keene\, JDM Nunn\, RG Wade\, Master Chess Publications\, 1978\, ISBN 0 906634 00 8\n  \nThe Benoni for the Tournament Player\nSolving in Style\nThe Complete Pirc\nSecrets of Rook Endings\nSecrets of Pawnless Endings\nNew Ideas in the Pirc Defence\nBeating the Sicilian 3\nThe King Hunt\nSecrets of Grandmaster Chess\nSecrets of Practical Chess\nNunn’s Chess Openings\nJohn Nunn’s Chess Puzzle Book\n101 Brilliant Chess Miniatures\nLearn Chess\nSecrets of Minor-Piece Endings\nUnderstanding Chess Move by Move\nJohn Nunn’s Best Games\nEndgame Challenge\nTactical Chess Endings\nLearn Chess Tactics\nMammoth Book of the World’s Greatest Chess Games\nGrandmaster Chess Move by Move\nUnderstanding Chess Endgames\nNunn’s Chess Endings\nUnderstanding Chess Middlegames\nChess Tactics Workbook for Kids\n[pgn]\n[Event “Lugano op”]\n[Site “Lugano”]\n[Date “1986.??.??”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Nunn\, John DM”]\n[Black “Tukmakov\, Vladimir B”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B57”]\n[WhiteElo “2585”]\n[BlackElo “2570”]\n[Annotator “Nunn\,J”]\n[PlyCount “51”]\n[EventDate “1986.02.??”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “SUI”]\n[SourceTitle “CBM 001”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2004.01.01”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2004.01.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,51\,38\,23\,44\,51\,80\,55\,53\,51\,51\,30\,53\,39\,69\,55\,69\,52\,71\,22\,61\,56\,51\,50\,\n40\,38\,35\,40\,42\,33\,42\,48\,68\,30\,37\,45\,45\,46\,48\,50\,51\,29\,39\,0\,25\,-81\,84\,84\,119\,72\,\n72\,106\,183\,177]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4\nQb6 7. Nb3 e6 8. O-O Be7 9. Bg5 Ne5 $6 {Although 9…Ne5 forces the bishop to\nretreat\, Black will waste time later after White plays f4.} ({Black’s best\nline is probably} 9… a6 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Qh5 Nd4 {as played in\nNunn-Martinovic\, Amsterdam 1975.}) 10. Be2 Bd7 11. Kh1 Ng6 {A necessary\nprecaution since} (11… O-O 12. f4 Ng6 13. e5 dxe5 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Qxd7 {\ndoes not give Black enough for the piece. Now\, on the other hand\, 12 f4 is met\nby 12…h6.}) 12. Be3 Qc7 13. f4 O-O 14. Qe1 {We have reached a type of\nScheveningen position in which Black’s knight is on g6 rather than c6. This\nfavours White since the knight is subject to attack by f5 and has less\ninfluence on the centre.} Rfe8 15. Rd1 Bc6 {Here the bishop is exposed to\nattack by Nd4\, so it would have been safer to play 15…Bf8.} 16. Bf3 d5 17. e5\nNe4 18. Nd4 Nxc3 (18… Bb4 19.\nNxd5) 19. Qxc3 Rac8 20. Qe1 {The queen returns to the kingside to help an\nattack based on the move f5.} Bd7 21. Qg3 Qb6 $6 {Black provokes a crisis by\nattacking the b2 pawn\, which White cannot easily defend (e.g. 22 b3 Rc3).\nHowever by placing his queen opposite White’s bishop he allows a tactical\nbreakthrough. 21…Qa5 was a better defence.} 22. f5 $1 exf5 {22…Bh4 23 Qh3\nexf5 is no better after 24 Bxd5 Rxe5 25 Bxf7+ Kh8 (or 25…Kxf7 26 Nxf5 with a\nwinning attack) 26 Bxg6 Qxg6 27 Bf4 and White wins material.} 23. Bxd5 Bh4 24.\nNxf5 $6 {Flashy\, but not the best. Simply 24 Qh3 transposes to the last note\nand wins safely.} Bxg3 25. Bxb6 axb6 $2 {The obvious move\, but it loses\nimmediately. 25…Bxe5 was the best\, when White has nothing better than to\nplay 26 Bxa7 with an extra pawn – winning perhaps\, but much more complex than\n24 Qh3.} 26. Nd6 $1 {Surprisingly Black has no way to play on\, e.g. 26…Bxe5\n27 Bxf7+ Kh8 28 Bxe8 Rxe8 29 Nxe8 Bxe8 30 Rd8 or 26…Bh4 27 Bxf7+ Kh8 28 Bxe8\nRxe8 29 Nf7+ and 30 Rxd7.} 1-0 \n[/pgn] \nChess Endgame Workbook for Kids\nGM John Nunn
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-john-denis-martin-nunn/
CATEGORIES:4NCL,Birthday,British Championships,Player,Problemist,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/img_0068_smaller-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200428
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200429
DTSTAMP:20210306T144209Z
CREATED:20200130T235659Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210306T144209Z
UID:3068-1588032000-1588118399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Lawrence Trent (28-iv-1986)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM Lawrence Adam Trent (28-iv-1986) \nIM Lawrence Trent
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-lawrence-trent-28-iv-1986/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/JUA3944.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200516
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200517
DTSTAMP:20260817T141207Z
CREATED:20200427T133527Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T141207Z
UID:4991-1589587200-1589673599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Andrew Thomas (11-x-1904 16-v-1985)
DESCRIPTION:Signature of ARB Thomas from a Brian Reilly “after dinner” postcard from Southsea 1951.\nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nARB Thomas in play with FEA Kitto\nBCN remembers Andrew Rowland Benedick Thomas (11-x-1904 16-v-1985) \nWe cannot improve on this excellent article about ARBT on the Chess Devon web site \nDavid Hooper (seated right) in play at the West of England Championships in Bristol\, Easter\, 1947. His opponent \, ARB Thomas \, was that year’s champion. Among the spectators is Mrs. Rowena Bruce\, the 1946 British Ladies’ Champion. BCM\, Volume 118\, #6\, p.327. The others in the photo are L – R: H. V. Trevenen; H. Wilson-Osborne (WECU President); R. A. (Ron) Slade; Rowena Bruce; Ron Bruce; H. V. (Harry) Mallison; Chris Sullivan; C. Welch (Controller); F. E. A. (Frank) Kitto.
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/remembering-andrew-rowland-benedick-thomas-11-x-1904-16-v-1985/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Official,Organiser,Player,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/untitled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200518
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200519
DTSTAMP:20210307T175655Z
CREATED:20200517T170112Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210307T175655Z
UID:5616-1589760000-1589846399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Andrew Martin (18-v-1957)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM Andrew Martin (18-v-1957) \nFrom ChessBase : \nAndrew David Martin (born 18th May 1957 in West Ham\, London) is an English chess player with the title of international master. Martin has won various national and international tournaments. He has been playing for years in the Four Nations Chess League\, at present (July 2009) for Wood Green Hilsmark Kingfisher\, previously for the Camberley Chess Club. Martin received his title as international master in 1984. He earned his first grandmaster norm in the British Championship of 1997 in Brighton. Martin was a commentator on the chess world championship between Kasparov and Kramnik in 2000.\nOn the 21st February 2004 Martin set a new world record for simultaneous chess. \n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCi3zvhNYH8[/embedyt] \nHe faced 321 chess players at the same time. His result was: 294 wins\, 26 draws and only one loss. Martin is known as a professional chess teacher and head trainer of the English youth team. He trains eight schools (Yateley Manor\, Aldro\, Millfield\, Sunningdale\, Waverley School\, St Michael’s Sandhurst\, Wellington College\, Salesian College). Martin is a chess columnist\, an author of chess books and the author of various instructional videos. He was the publisher of the series Trends Publications. Martin lives in Sandhurst\, England\, is married and the father of two daughters and two sons. His present Elo rating is 2423 (as of July 2009). \nAndrew coaching students\nThe above is somewhat inaccurate and out of date. Andrew came from East Ham rather than West Ham. He was the editor rather than the publisher of Trends Publications and he lives in Bramley\, Surrey with his partner Naomi. \nOn July 23rd 1981 a world record attempt of continuous blitz games was undertaken at the National Film Theatre in London with much support of the membership of London Central YMCA. \nYours Truly (John Upham) plays Andrew Martin at the NFT\nAndrew now plays for Camberley and Guildford clubs in the Berkshire and Surrey Border Leagues and is former member of London Central YMCA (CentYMCA)\, Wood Green and Barbican clubs. \nAndrew plays JJ Ady whilst Simon LeBlanq observes at the London Central YMCA\nAndrew has written many books starting as Editor of the “Trends Series” for Tournament Chess owned by Richard O’Brien (Not of The Crystal Maze). He has authored numerous DVDs for Foxy Videos and ChessBase and has a YouTube Channel focused on young and improving players called “Andrew Martin – Chess Explorations“. \nAndrew’s first book as author was this one : \nWinning With the King’s Indian\, Caissa Publishing\, Andrew Martin\, 1989\nHere is one his favourite games : \n[pgn]\n[Event “Christmas Congress 1984/85-60 Premier”]\n[Site “Hastings”]\n[Date “1985.01.07”]\n[Round “9”]\n[White “Martin\, Andrew D”]\n[Black “Ravikumar\, Vaidyanathan”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B82”]\n[BlackElo “2370”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “80”]\n[EventDate “1984.12.29”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “13”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[EventCategory “9”]\n[SourceTitle “MCD”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,80\,32\,25\,47\,60\,60\,46\,42\,12\,13\,32\,22\,38\,82\,85\,71\,71\,60\,62\,78\,14\,12\,21\,\n21\,-16\,-8\,2\,104\,106\,106\,-70\,-73\,-68\,0\,0\,191\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,\n90\,167\,167\,243\,239\,109\,99\,99\,344\,369\,387\,414\,413\,493\,482\,482\,482\,497\,497\,495\,\n503\,503\,512\,543\,543\,548\,543\,548\,540]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 e6 4. Nf3 a6 5.\nd4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 d6 7. Be3 Nf6 8. Qf3 Bd7 9. O-O-O Qc7 10. g4 Nxd4 11. Rxd4 e5 {\n[#]} 12. Rd2 $146 Bxg4 $11 13. Qg3 Bd7 $6 14. fxe5 dxe5 15. Rxd7 $5 Qxd7 16.\nBh3 Qe7 17. Rf1 h6 18. Rxf6 $5 (18. Rf5 Nd7 19. Nd5 $18 Qd6 20. Bd2 $18) 18…\ngxf6 19. Nd5 Qd6 20. Bb6 {[%csl Gc7]} h5 $1 21. Nc7+ Ke7 22. Nd5+ Ke8 23. b4\nQc6 24. Nc7+ Ke7 25. Nd5+ Ke8 26. Qg1 {[#]} Rc8 $2 (26… Rb8) 27. Bxc8 Qxc8\n28. Nxf6+ Ke7 29. Nd5+ Kd7 30. Qf1 $18 Qc6 (30… Ke8 31. Qf6 Rh6 32. Qxe5+ Re6\n33. Nc7+ Kd7 34. Nxe6 fxe6 35. Qd4+ Ke8 36. Qh8 $18) 31. Qxf7+ $18 Kc8 32. Bc7\nBh6+ 33. Kb2 Rf8 34. Qh7 Be3 35. Ne7+ Kxc7 36. Nxc6+ Kxc6 37. Qg6+ Kd7 38. Qg7+\nKe8 39. Qxe5+ Kd7 40. Qg7+ Ke8 1-0\n[/pgn] \nTrends in the Slav Defence\, Tournament Chess\, Andrew Martin\, 1990\nThe Contemporary Anti-Dutch\, 1990\nHere is a second memorable game : \n[pgn]\n[Event “EU-Cup 08th round of 16”]\n[Site “London”]\n[Date “1991.11.19”]\n[Round “2.1”]\n[White “Rajkovic\, Dusan”]\n[Black “Martin\, Andrew D”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “E45”]\n[WhiteElo “2475”]\n[BlackElo “2415”]\n[Annotator “Martin\,A”]\n[PlyCount “50”]\n[EventDate “1991.11.??”]\n[EventType “team-match”]\n[EventRounds “2”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2020”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2019.10.17”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2019.10.17”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “Smederevska Palanka Gosa”]\n[BlackTeam “London Wood Green”]\n[WhiteTeamCountry “YUG”]\n[BlackTeamCountry “ENG”] \n{[%evp 0\,50\,19\,39\,37\,-9\,0\,-18\,1\,28\,30\,15\,29\,12\,37\,21\,19\,2\,6\,5\,8\,-3\,-3\,-25\,-16\,\n-39\,-23\,-19\,-20\,-18\,16\,6\,20\,10\,-30\,-30\,-14\,-14\,-57\,-137\,-8\,-6\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,345\,\n-29995\,-29996\,-29997\,-29998]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Nge2\nBa6 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Nxc3 d5 8. cxd5 Bxf1 9. Kxf1 exd5 10. b4 $6 O-O 11. Qb3 {N}\n(11. g3) 11… Nc6 $1 12. a4 Qd7 13. Ba3 Rfe8 14.\nh3 Re6 $1 15. Rc1 Rae8 16. Kg1 {[#]} Nxd4 $1 17. exd4 Re1+ 18. Kh2 $8 (18. Rxe1\n$2 Rxe1+ 19. Kh2 Ng4+ $1 20. Kg3 (20. hxg4 Qd6+) 20… Qd6+ 21. Kxg4 (21. f4\nRe3+ 22. Kxg4 Qg6+ $19) 21… h5+ $3 22. Kf3 (22. Kxh5 Qf4 $19) 22… Qf6+ 23.\nKg3 Qg5+ 24. Kf3 Qf5+ 25. Kg3 h4+ 26. Kxh4 Qf4+ 27. g4 Re6 28. Qxd5 Rh6+ 29.\nQh5 g5#) 18… Ng4+ $1 19. hxg4 Qd6+ 20. Kh3 Qh6+ 21. Kg3 R8e3+ $1 22. fxe3\nQxe3+ 23. Kh4 Qf2+ 24. Kh3 $4 {[#]} (24. g3 $8 g5+ 25. Kxg5 (25. Kh5 Qf6 26.\nQc2 Re4 27. Qxe4 dxe4) (25. Kh3 Re6) 25… Qe3+ 26. Kh5 (26. Kf5 Qe6+ 27. Kg5\nQg6+ 28. Kh4 Qh6#) 26… Kg7 27. g5 $8 Qf3+ 28. Kh4 f5 $8 (28… Qxh1+ $2 29.\nKg4) 29. gxf6+ $8 Qxf6+ 30. Kg4 Qe6+ 31. Kf3 Qe3+ 32. Kg2 Qd2+ $10) 24… g5 $1\n25. g3 Re6 0-1\n[/pgn] \nSecret Weapons\, Tournament Chess\, 1991\nShort\, Tournament Chess\, 1993\nAlekhine’s Defence\, 2001\nThe Essential Center-Counter\, 2004\nKing’s Indian Battle Plans\, 2004\nThe Hippopotamus Rises\, 2005\nPlay the Benko Gambit\, 2007\nFirst Steps : Queen’s Gambit\, 2016\nFirst Steps : Caro-Kann Defence\, 2018\nFirst Steps : King’s Indian Defence\, 2019\nChess Hacker\, Andrew Martin\, Thinkers Press\, 2019
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-andrew-martin-18-v-1957/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player,Writer
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200525
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200526
DTSTAMP:20210307T180824Z
CREATED:20200407T182451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210307T180824Z
UID:4139-1590364800-1590451199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of FM Neil Carr (10-iii-1968  25-v-2015)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of FM Neil Leslie Carr (10-iii-1968 25-v-2015) \nHere is his obituary from Stewart Reuben \nHere is an article from Kingpin Magazine by Jon Manley \nHere is an article from EssexChess \nThe Neil Carr Scholarship Prize \nHere is a game courtesy of Kingpin & the Ilford Recorder \n[pgn]\n[Event “Simultaneous Display\, 20 boards”]\n[Site “Westergate ENG”]\n[Date “1984.05.22”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Karpov\, Anatoly Yevgenyevich”]\n[Black “Carr\, Neil Leslie”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “B08”]\n[Annotator “Neil Leslie Carr”]\n[PlyCount “80”]\n[EventDate “1984.05.22”]\n[SourceTitle “Ilford Recorder”] \n{[%evp 0\,76\,19\,29\,72\,72\,70\,69\,100\,89\,74\,73\,65\,64\,61\,61\,52\,47\,59\,52\,44\,43\,133\,\n74\,117\,87\,152\,151\,136\,101\,88\,79\,96\,114\,112\,117\,147\,132\,143\,148\,243\,185\,228\,217\,\n251\,140\,149\,-94\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,-82\,-59\,-98\,-116\,-109\,-116\,-118\,-60\,-149\,-148\,-169\,\n-140\,-150\,-115\,-273\,-332\,-332\,-208\,-649\,-708\,-772\,-878\,-1036\,-994\,-29995\,\n-29996]} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 O-O 6. O-O Bg4 7. Be3\nNc6 8. Qd2 e5 9. d5 Ne7 10. Rad1 b5 $5 {[#] As played by Azmaiparashvili\nagainst Karpov\, a game Karpov lost.} 11. a3 a5 (11… Bd7 {has been\nrecommended here.}) 12. Bxb5 Bxf3 13. gxf3 Nh5 14. Rfe1 f5 15. Qe2 f4 16. Bd2\ng5 17. Qf1 Rf6 18. Qh3 Rh6 {[#]} 19. Qd7 $2 (19. Bd7 {I think 19 Bd7 is better\nas it holds back Black’s dangerous pawn.}) 19… Qf8 20. Qxc7 Rc8 21. Qxa5\nNf6 {[#]} 22. Kf1 $2 {And now White is lost.} (22. Bf1 {followed by h3 is a\nbetter defence although I am sure the well-placed Black pieces mean that Black\nhas more than enough compensation for the pawns.}) 22… g4 23. Ke2 (23. fxg4\nf3 $1 24. Bxh6 Nxg4 {and White is going to get mated.}) 23… gxf3+ 24. Kd3\nRxh2 {[#]} 25. Qb6 (25. Rf1 Rxc3+ 26. Bxc3 Nxe4 27. Kxe4 Rh3 {[#] and again\nWhite is mated.}) 25… Ng4 26. Rf1 Rb8 {[#]} 27. Qxd6 (27. Qa7 Ra8 28. Qb6 Nc8\n29. Qb7 Ra7 {and Black wins}) 27… Nxf2+ 28. Rxf2 Rxf2 29. a4 Rg2 30. Kc4 Rg6\n31. Qd7 {[#]} Nc8 32. Kb3 Nd6 33. Rh1 f2 34. Rf1 Rb7 {[#]} 35. Qh3 (35. Qc6\nNxe4 {and wins}) 35… Nxb5 36. axb5 Rxb5+ 37. Ka2 (37. Nxb5 Rg3+) 37… Ra6+\n38. Kb1 Rxb2+ {it is mate after} 39. Kxb2 Qa3+ 40. Kb1 Qa1# 0-1\n[/pgn] \nNeil Carr (far right) at Paul Buswell’s house\nHere is a tribute from long time friend and London Central YMCA fellow club member\, IM Andrew Martin : \n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxyljbcDn8s[/embedyt] \nNeil Carr (front right)\nNeil Carr (right) with Neil Fox\, Stuart Conquest\, Paul Buswell and ?\nNeil Carr (rear right) at a BCF National Club Final (1992)\nNeil Carr\, (foreground\, right) at London’s South Bank\, Peter Sowray in the background.. Photo by Clive Field\, London Chess Association\nFM Neil Carr\, London Chess Classic 2013\, courtesy pf John Upham Photography
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-fm-neil-leslie-carr-10-iii-1968-25-v-2015/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Player
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