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X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://britishchessnews.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for British Chess News
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TZID:UTC
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TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:UTC
DTSTART:20190101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210123
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210124
DTSTAMP:20210121T164216Z
CREATED:20200408T212929Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210121T164216Z
UID:4219-1611360000-1611446399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Bob Eames (23-i-1967)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of FM Robert S Eames (23-i-1967)
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-robert-s-eames-23-i-1967/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210124
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210125
DTSTAMP:20230124T232223Z
CREATED:20200408T130222Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230124T232223Z
UID:4195-1611446400-1611532799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM David Cummings (24-i-1961)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM David H Cummings (24-i-1961) \nDavid Cummings (front\, second from right) at a Lloyds Bank event\nThis was written about David who was 18 just prior to the 1979 Spassky vs the BCF Junior squad simultaneous display : \n“Varndean and Brighton. Rating 207. British men’s championship finalist\, 1977. First Danish junior international championship\, 1978.” \nAt the Lloyds Bank Masters : Front (l-r) : Joel Benjamin\, Ian Wells\, Rear : Peter Morrish\, Stewart Reuben\, Richard Beville\, Gary Senior\, Richard Webb\, John Hawksworth\, Andrew King\, Nigel Short\, Mark Ginsburg\, Daniel King\, David Cummings\, Erik Teichmann\, John Brandford and Micheal Pagden\nDavid was joint (with PG Large) Southern Counties (SCCU) champion in the 1979-80 season. \nIM David H Cummings
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-david-h-cummings-24-i-1961/
CATEGORIES:2023,Birthday,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_1088-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210125
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210126
DTSTAMP:20210120T162858Z
CREATED:20191211T175514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210120T162858Z
UID:2062-1611532800-1611619199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Ian Wells (22-vi-1964 25-i-1982)
DESCRIPTION:We remember Ian Duncan Wells who very sadly passed away on this day (January 25th) in 1982 aged seventeen years. \nFrom Chessgames.com : \nIan Duncan Wells was born in Scarborough\, England. He was awarded the FM title in 1982. At the Islington Open in December 1981 he finished 1st= with John Nunn and Tony Miles. Following a 5th= placing in the Golden Pawn of Brazil Junior tournament held in Rio de Janeiro he and other players went swimming outside their hotel. He got into difficulties and although he was brought ashore by lifesavers he died after six days in a coma. \nHere is an excellent article from chess.com written by Neil Blackburn. \nID Wells (left) plays GM RD Keene\nIan Wells plays GM Alexander Kotov at the home of Mike Fox\n[pgn]\n[Event “Lancashire Open”]\n[Site “Morecambe ENG”]\n[Date “1979.05.07”]\n[Round “7”]\n[White “Wells\, Ian Duncan”]\n[Black “Short\, Nigel David”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “C04”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “65”]\n[EventDate “1979.??.??”] \n{[%evp 0\,65\,19\,31\,41\,46\,51\,43\,42\,39\,53\,46\,57\,54\,21\,37\,76\,59\,63\,66\,53\,51\,60\,57\,\n88\,59\,97\,77\,222\,104\,104\,80\,117\,123\,175\,138\,164\,137\,142\,134\,127\,77\,99\,67\,62\,49\,\n59\,49\,70\,116\,106\,102\,97\,104\,104\,106\,107\,73\,132\,123\,184\,164\,145\,145\,156\,130\,289\,\n324]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nd7 6. c3 f6 7. Bb5 Be7 $6\n(7… fxe5 8. dxe5 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Qe8 11. Nf1 Nc5 12. Ng3 a6 13. Bf1 a5\n$14) 8. exf6 $1 Bxf6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Re8 11. Qa4 $16 (11. Nf1 e5 12. dxe5\nNdxe5 13. Nxe5 Rxe5 14. Bf4 $14) 11… Ncb8 (11… a6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Qxc6\nNb6 14. Ne5 $16) 12. Ne5 c5 13. Ndf3 c4 14. Qd1 a6 15. Ba4 b5 16. Bc2 Nf8 17.\nBf4 Bd7 18. Bg3 a5 19. Qd2 Nc6 20. h4 Nxe5 21. dxe5 (21. Nxe5) 21… Be7 22.\nQf4 h6 23. Qg4 Qc7 $2 (23… Kh8) 24. Bf4 Kh8 25. Re3 (25. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 26. Qf4\n(26. Qh5 Bc5 27. Qxh6+ Kg8 28. Qg5+ Kf7 29. Qf6+ Kg8 30. Qg5+ Kf7 31. Re3 $18)\n26… Bc6 27. Qxh6+ Kg8 28. Re3 $18) 25… Bc5 26. Nd4 Bxd4 27. cxd4 Bc6 28.\nQh5 (28. Rae1) 28… Re7 29. Rg3 Nh7 30. Qg6 Nf8 31. Qg4 Nh7 32. h5 Rf8 33. Qg6\n1-0\n[/pgn] \nIan Duncan Wells (standing\, third from left)\nAt the Lloyds Bank Masters : Front (l-r) : Joel Benjamin\, Ian Wells\, Rear : Peter Morrish\, Stewart Reuben\, Richard Beville\, Gary Senior\, Richard Webb\, John Hawksworth\, Andrew King\, Nigel Short\, Mark Ginsburg\, Daniel King\, David Cummings\, Erik Teichmann\, John Brandford and Micheal Pagden
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-ian-duncan-wells-22-vi-1964-25-i-1982/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/img_0224_idwells.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210125
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210126
DTSTAMP:20221214T174631Z
CREATED:20221214T174631Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221214T174631Z
UID:21923-1611532800-1611619199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Byron Anthony Jacobs (25-vi-1963)
DESCRIPTION:IM Byron Jacobs\nBCN wishes Happy Birthday to IM Byron Anthony Jacobs (25-vi-1963) \nByron originates from Sir John Betjeman’s favourite town (Slough) and attended Slough Grammar and then The University of Sussex (Falmer). \nHe was Standard London under-16 champion in 1979. He was 3rd= in the 1982 Danish U-18 International. He was 3rd= in the 1988 Guernsey Open. His last recorded event in Megabase 2020 was in 1998. \nByron became a FIDE Master in 1983 and an International Master and in 1988 achieved a peak rating of 2390 in July 1987 at the age of 24. \nHaving given up competitive chess Byron became a successful poker player and commentator and has written on the subject. \nByron is a director of Brighton based First Rank Publishing and is specialist chess typesetter and Chief Advisor for Everyman Publishing and others and was pivotal in Brighton based\, Chess Press. \nByron was the typesetter for British Chess Magazine from 2011 – 2012. \nIM Byron Jacobs (front\, fourth from left) at a Lloyds Bank event\nIM Byron Jacobs (seated\, second from left)\nIM Byron Jacobs (standing\, second from left)) at a Lloyds Bank Masters\n[pgn]\n[Event “Guernsey op”]\n[Site “Guernsey”]\n[Date “1988.??.??”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Jacobs\, Byron A”]\n[Black “Hebden\, Mark”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “C91”]\n[WhiteElo “2320”]\n[BlackElo “2475”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “95”]\n[EventDate “1988.10.??”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “7”]\n[EventCountry “GCI”]\n[SourceTitle “TD”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1994.03.01”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1994.03.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,95\,19\,29\,44\,11\,15\,-2\,25\,-14\,3\,16\,19\,-19\,-5\,11\,13\,-2\,1\,-13\,5\,9\,29\,9\,22\,\n26\,26\,22\,24\,22\,20\,27\,16\,16\,34\,28\,36\,38\,38\,38\,38\,36\,36\,0\,10\,10\,13\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,0\,\n52\,58\,159\,182\,180\,189\,180\,80\,86\,86\,214\,86\,86\,100\,238\,239\,240\,240\,263\,260\,495\,\n647\,675\,141\,141\,141\,141\,151\,173\,174\,183\,191\,194\,186\,201\,207\,207\,221\,293\,299\,\n326\,330\,375\,374]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5\n7. Bb3 O-O 8. d4 d6 9. c3 Bg4 10. Be3 exd4 11. cxd4 d5 12. e5 Ne4 13. h3 Bh5\n14. Nc3 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Na5 16. Bc2 Bg6 17. e6 Bxc2 18. exf7+ Rxf7 19. Qxc2 Nc4\n20. Re2 Qd7 {[#]} 21. Rae1 $146 (21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. dxe5) 21… Rxf3 $1 22. gxf3\nQxh3 23. Bf4 {[%cal Gh2c7]} Bd6 24. Re8+ Rxe8 25. Rxe8+ Kf7 26. Bxd6 Nxd6 $6 {\n[%cal Gd6f5\,Gf5h4\,Gh3g2]} (26… Kxe8 {is drawish} 27. Qe2+ Kf7 28. Qe7+ Kg6\n29. Qe8+ Kg5 30. Qe7+ Kg6 31. Qe8+ $11) 27. Re5 {[%csl Gf5]} g6 $6 28. Qe2 $18\nNf5 29. Re8 Qh4 30. Qe6+ Kg7 31. Qe5+ Kf7 32. Qe6+ Kg7 33. Qe5+ Kf7 34. Rc8\nQg5+ 35. Kf1 Qc1+ 36. Qe1 Qf4 37. Qe8+ Kf6 38. Qe5+ Qxe5 39. dxe5+ Kxe5 40.\nRxc7 $18 d4 41. cxd4+ Nxd4 42. Rxh7 a5 43. Rg7 Nxf3 44. Rxg6 Nd4 45. Ke1 a4 46.\nKd2 b4 47. Ra6 a3 48. Kd3 1-0\n[/pgn] \nByron is an accomplished chess author with many titles to his name : \nThe Times Winning Moves (1991 with Ray Keene)\nThe Complete King’s Indian (1992 with Ray Keene)\nWinning with the Benko (1995)\nThe Caro-Kann Advance (1997)\nAnalyse to Win (1997)\nThe Benko Gambit by Andrew Kinsman & Byron Jacobs (1999)\nStarting Out in Chess (1999)\nMastering the Opening (2001)\nFrench Classical (2001)\nNimzo-Larsen Attack (2001)\nAn Opening Repertoire for White (2003)
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-byron-anthony-jacobs-25-vi-1963/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player,Writer
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210127
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210128
DTSTAMP:20230126T231702Z
CREATED:20191117T173215Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230126T231702Z
UID:2089-1611705600-1611791999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Richard Bates (27-i-1979)
DESCRIPTION:Best Birthday wishes to IM Richard Adam Bates born on this day (January 27th) in 1979. \nRichard has won the Southern Counties (SCCU) championship in the 2015-16\, 2016-17 (with Nick Pert) and 2017-18 seasons. \nIM Richard Adam Bates\n[pgn]\n[Event “BCF-chT 9900 (4NCL)”]\n[Site “Birmingham”]\n[Date “2000.03.25”]\n[Round “7.3”]\n[White “Bates\, Richard”]\n[Black “Emms\, John M”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “A70”]\n[WhiteElo “2368”]\n[BlackElo “2546”]\n[Annotator “johnu”]\n[PlyCount “67”]\n[EventDate “1999.10.??”]\n[EventType “team”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2000”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.11.16”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.11.16”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “Richmond”]\n[BlackTeam “Wood Green”]\n[WhiteTeamCountry “ENG”]\n[BlackTeamCountry “ENG”] \n{[%evp 0\,67\,19\,31\,14\,30\,28\,4\,17\,20\,76\,42\,77\,64\,122\,98\,78\,105\,92\,90\,77\,62\,86\,67\,\n68\,67\,71\,71\,71\,53\,46\,27\,84\,19\,31\,2\,44\,48\,63\,41\,184\,55\,238\,271\,298\,301\,258\,252\,\n211\,222\,222\,248\,248\,200\,259\,294\,411\,179\,294\,364\,361\,379\,379\,385\,641\,559\,625\,\n1032\,1094\,1125]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6\n7. h3 a6 8. e4 b5 9. Bd3 Bg7 10. O-O c4 11. Bc2 O-O 12. Bf4 Re8 13. Re1 Bb7 14.\nQd2 Qb6 15. Bh6 $1 $146 (15. b4) 15… Bh8 16. Ne2 Nbd7 17. Ng3 Rac8 18. Be3\nNc5 19. Bd4 a5 $2 (19… b4 20. Nf5 b3 21. axb3 (21. Qh6 bxc2 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23.\nNg5 Rc7 24. Qxh7+ Kf8 25. e5 Rxe5 26. Rxe5 Bxe5) 21… cxb3 22. Nh6+ (22. Bb1)\n22… Kf8 23. Bb1) (19… Bg7 20. Rad1 (20. a4 b4 21. a5 Qb5 22. Qf4 b3 23. Bb1\n(23. Bxf6 bxc2 24. Bxg7 (24. Nf5 Bxf6 25. Nh6+ Kg7 26. Ng4) 24… Kxg7 25. Nf5+\ngxf5 26. Qg5+ Kh8 27. Qf6+ Kg8 28. exf5 Rxe1+ 29. Rxe1 Ne4 30. Rxe4 c1=Q+ 31.\nKh2 h5) 23… Nxd5 24. exd5 Rxe1+ 25. Nxe1 Re8 26. Nf3) 20… Qd8 21. Qf4 h6) (\n19… Nfd7 20. Qh6 Bxd4 21. Nxd4 Kh8 22. Re3) 20. Nf5 $1 $18 Qd8 (20… gxf5\n21. Qg5+ Kf8 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Qxf6 Qd8 24. Qh6+ Ke7 25. e5) 21. Nh6+ Kf8 22.\nNg5 Rc7 23. Bxf6 (23. Qxa5) 23… Bxf6 24. Nxh7+ Kg7 25. Nxf6 Qxf6 26. Ng4 Qd8\n(26… Qh4) 27. Qh6+ Kg8 28. Qf4 (28. f4) 28… Kg7 29. e5 dxe5 30. Rxe5 Rxe5\n31. Qxe5+ Kg8 (31… f6 32. Nxf6 Re7 33. Nh5+ Kh7 34. Qf4) 32. d6 Rc6 33. Nh6+\nKh7 34. Nxf7 1-0\n[/pgn] \nRichard Bates\nIM Richard Bates\nSheen Mount Under Eleven Chess Champion Richard Bates and Robin Laisby enjoying a game during time out from the Teachers Assurance National Primary Schools Chess Championships. Malaysian Elephant Leyang Leyang and her keeper Duncan McGinnie help them not to forget their chess moves.
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-richard-alan-bates-27-i-1979/
CATEGORIES:2023,4NCL,Birthday,British Championships,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/bct_4349_lv-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210129
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210130
DTSTAMP:20210129T165242Z
CREATED:20200129T092350Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210129T165242Z
UID:3031-1611878400-1611964799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Raymond Keene OBE (29-i-1948)
DESCRIPTION:We send birthday wishes to GM Raymond Keene OBE. \nRaymond Dennis Keene was born on Thursday\, January 29th 1948 in Wandsworth\, London to Dennis Arthur and Doris Anita Keene (née Leat). Dennis and Doris were married in 1943 in Camberwell. Doris was born on May 27th\, 1921 in Lambeth and was a shorthand and invoice typist. \nDennis and Doris also had a daughter Jackie Keene who later married chess historian\, RG Eales. Jackie is Emeritus Professor at The University of Kent in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Jackie played in the Glorney Cup. \nRaymond Keene\nRay was educated at Dulwich College between 1959 and 1966 thereby becoming an Old Alleynian. In 1967 Ray went up to Trinity College\, Cambridge to study Modern Languages specialising in German and graduating with an MA. Amongst their Alumni are five spies including Blunt\, Burgess and Philby. During the gap between Dulwich College and Cambridge Ray (aged 18) wrote his first (and one of his best) book : Flank Openings : \nFlank Openings\, Raymond Keene\, British Chess Magazine\, 1967.\nBeing published at the age of 19 this must be close to the earliest age an English player has had a chess book published that was not ghost written. (Leave a comment if you know differently!) \nFollowing this legendary tome Ray collaborated with Leonard Barden and Bill Hartston on The King’s Indian Defence from BT Batsford Ltd: \nThe King’s Indian Defence\, Barden\, Keene and Hartston\, BT Batsford\, 1969.\nand in 1972 we have \nThe Modern Defence\, BT Batsford\, 1972\, GS Botterill and RD Keene\nfollowed in 1973 by \nThe Pirc Defence\, BT Batsford\, 1973\, GS Botterill and RD Keene\nAll of which were favourably received helping Batsford to establish a strong reputation. \nIn July 1974 Ray married ex-ballerina (and now Dance Teacher) Annette Sara Goodman in Brighton\, East Sussex. Annette became a director of World Memory Championships International Limited on January 17th 2008 and resigned on April 9th 2008. They have one son\, Alexander Phillip Simon Keene\, born in 1991. Godfather to Alexander is Scottish International\, IM David Levy. \nAnnette is the sister of IM David Simon Charles Goodman who now resides in New York. \nAlso in 1974 George Bell & Sons published Ray’s most acclaimed work (and arguably his best) : Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal \nAron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal\, RD Keene\, George Bell & Sons\, 1974\nAlexander is currently the Company Secretary of the aforementioned company\, Julian (a retired teacher from Brighton) is another active director. \nIn 1985 Ray became the sixth British chess player to be awarded the OBE when it was awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. The citation read “For Services to Chess”. \nAccording to Companies House Ray has held a total of 30 directorships in various companies such as : \n\nBrain Plan 2020\nWorld Mind Mapping Championships\nWorld Speed Reading Championships\nBuzan International Technology\nBuzan World\nThe World is My Oyster\nWorld Memory Championships\nIntelligent Resources and Services\nOutside in Pathways\nUK Primary Schools Memory Championships\nUK Schools Memory Championships\nThe School Memory Championships\nThe Schools Memory Championship\nMental Literacy for All\nFestival of the Mind\nFestival of the Mind International\nThe Brain Trust\nImpala (London)\nTony Buzan International\nWorld Memory Championships International\nWorld Peace and Prosperity Foundation\nZeticula\nMind Masters Management\nIntellectual Leisure\nBrain Sports Olympiad\nMind Sports Promotions\n\n(Our particular favourite has to be the unpretentiously entitled “World Peace and Prosperity Foundation” although “The World is My Oyster” runs it a close second.) \nRay\, Annette and Julian Simpole currently live in Clapham Common North Side\, London\, England. \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by David Hooper and Ken Whyld : \nRay Keene\nEnglish player and author\, British champion 1971\, From 1966 he played in several Olympiads and his performance in two of them\, Nice 1974 ( + 7=6-2) and Haifa 1976 (+4=6)\, gained him the title of International Grandmaster (1976). His best tournament win was at Dortmund 1980 (category 8)\, He studied the games and teaching of Staunton and Nimzowitsch and revealed with unusual insight the strategy of the former and the stratagems of the latter in two books: Staunton : the English World Champion (1975) and Nimzowitsch: a Reappraisal (1974). He also wrote Flank Openings (3rd edn\, 1979); these openings are the ones which he prefers to play\, which he knows best\, and which suit his solid positional style. \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \nInternational Master (1972)\, British Champion in 1971 and a regular member of the British team since 1966 playing on top board on a number of occasions. \nRay Keene\nRaymond Keene was born on 29th January 1948 in London and learned to play chess at the age of six. He began to play seriously when he was thirteen. While at Dulwich College from 1959 -1966 he played top bard for the school team which won the Sunday Times National Schools’ Chess Tournament in 1965 and 1966. \nEnglish chess player Raymond Keene\, winner of the 1971 British Chess Championship\, posed in London on 6th June 1972. Raymond Keene has been awarded the chess title International Master. (Photo by Harry Dempster/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)\nIn 1964\, he won the London and British Boys’ Under 18 Championship (ed : In fact\, the title was shared with Brian Denman) and the following year\, at the age of seventeen\, he became the youngest player to win the Surrey Championship. While at Cambridge he graduated in German Literature (B.A. Honours)\, he played top board for the university. \nBrian Reilly\, Ray Keene\, George Botterill\, Anatoly Karpov\, Harry Golombek and Viktor Korchnoi\nDuring his chess career\, he has beaten both Botvinnik and Gligoric\, In 1967\, he came 2nd in the World Junior Championship and in 1968 he won the prize for the best score on board 4 in the Lugano Olympiad. \nRaymond Keene\nA difficult player to beat\, Keene played in four British Championships without losing a game and also went through the Lugano and Siegen Olympiads unbeaten in 33 games. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Olympiad-21 Preliminaries B”]\n[Site “Nice”]\n[Date “1974.06.07”]\n[Round “1”]\n[White “Keene\, Raymond D”]\n[Black “Fuller\, Maxwell L”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “A42”]\n[Annotator “Keene\,R”]\n[PlyCount “71”]\n[EventDate “1974.06.07”]\n[EventType “team-tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “FRA”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2000”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.11.16”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.11.16”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “England”]\n[BlackTeam “Australia”]\n[WhiteTeamCountry “ENG”]\n[BlackTeamCountry “AUS”] \n{[%evp 0\,71\,19\,27\,85\,57\,47\,9\,7\,7\,65\,34\,42\,34\,13\,11\,25\,-40\,-29\,41\,25\,62\,39\,33\,\n50\,49\,49\,49\,71\,57\,44\,69\,125\,133\,118\,170\,177\,228\,217\,216\,209\,209\,209\,213\,235\,\n240\,261\,246\,262\,269\,269\,-78\,281\,289\,294\,230\,233\,238\,250\,257\,288\,293\,328\,329\,\n329\,303\,1185\,1235\,1262\,1016\,1277\,1356\,1410\,1002]} 1. Nf3 g6 2. c4 c5 3. e4 (3.\nd4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d5 6. e3 $1 $14) 3… Bg7 4. d4 d6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be3\nBg4 (6… Qb6 7. Na4 Qa5+ 8. Bd2 Qc7 9. d5 Nd4 10. Nxd4 cxd4 $14) 7. dxc5 dxc5\n8. Qxd8+ Rxd8 9. Bxc5 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Nf6 11. Nd4 $1 (11. Nd2 $2 Rxd2 $1) (11.\ne5 $2 Nd7 $17) 11… Nxe4 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bxa7 $1 (13. Bd4 $2 e5 $1 14. Bxe5\nO-O 15. f3 Rfe8 $17) 13… Nxc3 (13… Bf5 14. f3 Nd6 15. a4 Ra8 16. Bb6 O-O\n17. c5 Nc8 18. g4 Be6 19. a5 $16 {Smyslov\,V-Botvinnik\,M/Moscow Wch m-12 1957})\n14. Bb6 Rd6 (14… Rd7 15. f3 Be6 16. a4 $1) 15. f3 Bc8 $2 (15… Bf5 16. a4\n$16) 16. a4 Bf5 17. g4 Bc2 (17… Bd3 18. Ba5 Bxf1 19. Bxc3 Bg2 20. Rg1 $18) (\n17… Bb1 18. Ba5 Rd1+ 19. Kf2 Rd2+ (19… Na2 20. Bg2 $1 $18) 20. Ke3) 18. Bc7\nRd1+ (18… Rd2 19. Be5 $1 $18) 19. Rxd1 Nxd1 (19… Bxd1 20. Be5) 20. Be2 Kd7\n(20… Ne3 21. Kd2) (20… Nb2 21. Be5 $1) 21. Bg3 Ra8 22. Kd2 Rxa4 23. Kxc2\nRa2+ 24. Kb3 Rb2+ 25. Ka4 Rxe2 26. Rxd1+ $18 Ke6 27. Re1 Rxe1 28. Bxe1 Ke5 29.\nBc3+ Kf4 30. Kb4 Kxf3 31. Kc5 f5 32. gxf5 g5 33. Kxc6 h5 34. Kd5 h4 35. Be5 g4\n36. Ke6 1-0\n[/pgn] \n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwXuST5VQvk[/embedyt] \nAt Oxford in 1973\, Keene set up what he believes is an English speed record for simultaneous chess\, scoring 100 wins\, 5 draws and 1 loss in 4.5 hours. \nRaymond Keene\nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Harry Golombek : \n“British Grandmaster\, British Champion 1971\, Keene was born in London and was both London Boy Champion and British Junior Champion in 1964 (ed : In fact\, the title was shared with Brian Denman). \nEducated at Dulwich College and Trinity College\, Cambridge\, he soon became recognised\, along with Hartston\, as one of the two leading younger players in England. His style of play was different from that of his rival\, being more complicated and less direct; but\, like Hartston\, he became a most formidable opening theorist with a vast knowledge of opening theory. \nHis first Olympiad was at Havana 1966 where he was the youngest member of the side and scored 65% on board six. In 1968 at Lugano he obtained 76.5% on board four and in 1970 at Siegen\, playing on board two in the preliminaries and board one in the finals he score 68.8%. \nRaymond Keene\nThe year 1971 saw a double achievement\, for in that year he won the British Championship at Blackpool and also secured the title of International Master. \nPlaying on top board in the 1972 Olympiad at Skopje\, he scored 11.5 out of 20. \nRay & friend\nIn 1974 he came 6th in a very strong Hastings tournament and then won first prize in the Capablanca Memorial Masters in Cuba. At the Nice Olympiad he scored 66.66% on 2nd board\, attaining the first leg of the grandmaster norm. At Mannheim 1975 he was 3rd in the German Open championship and in that year he also came 2nd at Alicante. In 1976 he was 2nd at the Aarhus tournament in Denmark. He finished a most successful year in international chess by fulfilling the second grandmaster norm on 2nd board in the Haifa Olympiad\, thereby becoming England’s second international grandmaster (after Tony Miles). (Harry Golombek)” \nRay was Southern Counties (SCCU) champion for the 1966-67 season. \nHere is his extensive Wikipedia article \nNoted historian Olimpu G Urcan writes on Alekhine versus Keene \nand Edward Winter writes extensively about Ray’s journalistic activities \nand finally\, Keenipedia. A web site created by his many admirers… \n[pgn]\n[Event “Hastings 1975/76”]\n[Site “Hastings ENG”]\n[Date “1976.01.12”]\n[EventDate “?”]\n[Round “13”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[White “Raymond Denis Keene”]\n[Black “Anthony John Miles”]\n[ECO “D42”]\n[WhiteElo “”]\n[BlackElo “”]\n[PlyCount “51”]\n[Annotator “Ray Keene”] \n1. Nf3 { Notes by Raymond Keene. } Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6\n4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd3 cxd4 {Perhaps 7…Be7 is\nmore accurate\, maintaining the central tension.} 8. exd4 Be7\n9. O-O O-O {One of the classical isolated queen’s pawn\npositions\, in which White’s extra space and attacking chances\ncompensate for the structural weakness.} 10. Re1 Nf6 {A solid\nalternative is 10…Bf6 11 Be4 etc.} 11. Bg5 {!? Fashionable\nwas 11 a3\, but the text is not bad. All White’s pieces are\ncoming out at great speed while Black still has problems\ncompleting his queenside development.} 11…Nb4 {The immediate\n11…b6 deserves attention. Black’s plan to dominate the\nblockade square d5 instantly is possibly too straightforward.}\n12. Bb1 b6 {12…Bd7 is a more cautious treatment\, planning a\nlater development with …Bc6.} 13. Ne5 Bb7 {It might look as\nif Black is over the worst but now a vicious attack appears\nalmost out of nowhere.} 14. Re3 {!! A difficult and bold\nmove. When I played it I already had to be sure that my\nkingside attacking chances would be sufficient compensation\nfor my lack of queenside development and the clumsy position\nof my rook on the third rank. Strangely\, a similar rook\nmanoeuvre occurred in a game Filip – Pogats\, played 14 years\npreviously\, but neither Miles nor I had any notion of this\nuntil I discovered the theoretical background after our\ngame. Incidentally\, the Filip game ended in a draw.} 14…g6\n{To prevent 15 Bxf6 Bxf6 16 Bxh7+ Kxh7 17 Qh5+ and 18 Rh3.}\n15. Rg3 {! It looks odd to aim the rook against a granite wall\n(g6) but the granite has faulty foundations. In contrast\, the\nmore natural 15 Rh3 achieves nothing.} 15…Rc8 {?! At the\ntime the course I feared most was 15…Nc6! 16 Bh6 Qxd4! when\nBlack breaks White’s attack by sacrificing the exchange. In\nview of the lack of weaknesses in Black’s position it would\nthen be a distinctly uphill struggle for White to win. After\nthe move played the solution became susceptible to precise\ntactical analysis.} 16. Bh6 Re8 17. a3 Nc6 {17…Nbd5 does not\nalter things significantly.} 18. Nxg6 {!} hxg6 19. Bxg6 {Apart\nfrom capturing the bishop Black has two other defences: a)\n19…Bf8 20 Bc2+ Kh8 21 Bxf8 Rxf8 22 Qd2 Ng8 23 Rh3+ Kg7 24\nRh7+ (Fritz gives 24 Qf4) 24…Kf6 25 d5+-; b) 19…Bd6 20\nBxf7+ Kxf7 21 Rg7+ Kf8 22 Qf3+-. In this position Black is\nquite helpless\, in spite of his extra material.} 19…fxg6\n20. Qb1 {! An original square for the queen in a mating\ncombination\, but neither 20 Qd3 Ne5 nor 20 Qc2 Ne5! 21 dxe5\nNe4 (exploiting the pin on the c-file) would be good enough\nfor White.} 20…Ne5 21. dxe5 Ne4 {Without the c-file pin this\nis sheer desperation.} 22. Nxe4 Kh7 23. Nf6+ Bxf6 24. Qxg6+\nKh8 25. Bg7+ Bxg7 26. Qxg7# 1-0\n[/pgn] \nMurray Chandler\, Ray Keene and Miguel Najdorf
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-gm-raymond-dennis-keene-29-ii-1948/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Honours,Official,Player,Writer
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210131
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210201
DTSTAMP:20220131T112458Z
CREATED:20190822T152139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220131T112458Z
UID:975-1612051200-1612137599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
DESCRIPTION:We remember Henry Atkins who passed away\, Monday\, January 31st\, 1955. \nHenry Ernest Atkins was born in Leicester on Tuesday\, August 20th\, 1872 to Edward (a schoolteacher) and Jane Atkins (née Threapland). \nHe was baptised on August 6th\, 1872 in the Anglican Cathedral Church of St. Martin\, Leicester. At the time of the baptism the Atkins family was living at 57\, King Richard’s Road\, Leicester. The address in 2021 appears to be occupied by an industrial premise for Sunco Knitwear Specialists. The signatory on the baptism record is that of DJ Vaughan. \nBaptismal record for Henry Ernest Atkins\nHenry was admitted to Wyggeston Boys Grammar School\, Leicester on March 30th 1880 when eight years old. He was expected to leave at the end of the Winter Term in 1890. \nSchool admission record for Henry Ernest Atkins\nCuriously his school admission record includes the following addition (although we don’t know exactly when) : \nAmendment to school admission record for HEA.\nHenry\, aged 18\, went up to Peterhouse College\, Cambridge in 1890 to study mathematics. From his year of entry he was ranked as 9th “Wrangler” studying for the Mathematical Tripos. As part of his Part II examinations he did well enough to be “mentioned” for the Smith’s Prize for examination performance. \nNottingham Evening Post\, 3rd June 1895\n(Here is more on Kummer’s Proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem.) \nFollowing University Henry became a teacher of mathematics at Northampton County Modern School and then returned to Wyggeston Boys Grammar School from 1902 – 1908. He then became the principal of Huddersfield College in 1909 and continued until 1915. Huddersfield College (founded in 1839) was merged with Hillhouse Technical School to form a new boys’ grammar school at a new campus at Salendine Nook with 950 boys. \nAccording to Ranneforths Schach-Kalender (cited by C.N.)\, 1915\, page 55\, during the period at Huddersfield College Henry lived firstly at 49 New North Road\, Huddersfield\, Yorkshire : \n49 New North Road\, Huddersfield\, Yorkshire\, HD1 5NR\nand then \n36 Gledholt Road\, Huddersfield\, Yorkshire\, HD1 4HP : \n36 Gledholt Road\, Huddersfield\, Yorkshire\, HD1 4HP\nOn June 1st\, 1915 (aged 43) Henry was registered as a teacher whilst at Huddersfield College for the fee of one guinea : \nTeacher registration form for Henry Ernest Atkins\nHenry retired from teaching in 1936. \nIn the 1939 register Henry (now a retired schoolmaster) was recorded as living with his wife\, Elspeth Skene Atkins (née Wilson) at 29 East Avenue\, Leicester\, Leicestershire : \n29 East Avenue\, Leicester\, Leicestershire\, LE2 1TE\nElspeth was born on August 5th 1880 and was therefore roughly eight years his junior. She carried out “unpaid domestic duties” but as a member of the Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS) she was a surgical dresser. The WVS transformed into the RVS. It would seem that Henry and Elspeth did not have children. She outlived Henry passing away in 1973 in Southampton. \nOn Monday\, January 31st 1955 passed away in The Fielding Johnson Private Hospital : \nProbate notice from March 26th 1955\nThe Fielding Johnson Private Hospital\nHenry was buried at Gilroes Cemetery and Crematorium\, Groby Road\, Leicester\, Leicestershire\, LE3 9QG. \nIn the October 1976 issue of Newsflash Badmaster (aka GH Diggle) wrote : \n“… we well remember his giving a “simultaneous” at the Lincoln Chess Club in 1924\, winning 17 and drawing two. One of his more elderly opponents (a notorious non-resigner) who for 30 moves had been wobbling along with a piece down until “time” had to be called\, then proceeded to “demonstrate a draw” by concocting a continuation so optimistic that even clubmates with lifelong experience of his powers stood aghast. Atkins\, with his greatcoat on ready to go home\, made no attempt to refute this analytical masterpiece but merely remarked with great deference: “I don’t think we can play it quite like that!” and then beat a craven retreat “escorted by Club Officials” \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume LXXV (75\, 1955)\, Number 3 (March)\, pp.102-3 we have this obituary written by RN Coles : \n“With the passing\, on January 31st\, at the age of eighty-two of Henry Ernest Atkins the chess world has lost a recognized international master\, and British chess one of its strongest players of all time. Yet Atkins was the despair of chess enthusiasts because he played so little international chess and confined himself largely – and at that intermittently – to local affairs\, where the strength of most of his opponents could hardly extend him. One leading player recently regretted that Atkins spent so much time “in the wilds\,” but Atkins would have taken an opposite view and have considered that he was “in the wilds” if he had spent more of his time playing chess; teaching was his whole life\, and the game of chess he insisted on treating as a game. \nConsequently as a chess-player Atkins was almost always out of practice and playing below his true strength\, yet in his five international events-Amsterdam\, 1899; Hanover\, 1902; London\, 1922; London Team Tourney\, 1927; and Warsaw Team Tourney\, 1935-he scored 63.2 per cent\, or if Amsterdam which was virtually a Hauptturnier is excluded\, 53.5 per cent. \nFull crosstable from Amsterdam 1899\nSir George Thomas considered that only lack of opportunity prevented him from establishing himself in the world championship class. As it is\, he will be remembered chiefly by chess-players as the man who played eleven times in the British Championship and won it nine times\, failing only at the first attempt in 1904 after a tie for first place\, and at the last in 1937\, at the age of sixty-five\, when he shared third place\, a record which has never been remotely approached by any other player and is not likely to be. Atkins played in a clear-cut strategical style which makes his games ideal studies for the beginner\, and he finished them with the elegance to enchant the artist; like the Etudes of Chopin\, they provide technical exercises and works of art in one. \nBut I believe that if Atkins had his wish – and this wish I am sure he will have – he would wish to be remembered by his many pupils\, whether they be pupils of the chess master or of the schoolmaster\, not for any practical achievements but for being a true guide\, philosopher\, and friend to all who came under his tutelage.-R. N. C.” \n[pgn]\n[Event “British CF-15 London International”]\n[Site “London”]\n[Date “1922.08.11”]\n[Round “9”]\n[White “Tartakower\, Saviely”]\n[Black “Atkins\, Henry Ernest”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “C55”]\n[Annotator “Tartakower/du Mont/Maroczy”]\n[PlyCount “84”]\n[EventDate “1922.07.31”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “15”]\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 20\,83\,12\,-8\,0\,0\,25\,2\,8\,-33\,-33\,-31\,-18\,-30\,-33\,-31\,-29\,-45\,-46\,-39\,-50\,\n-57\,-57\,-58\,-67\,-60\,-57\,-81\,-91\,-93\,-36\,-92\,-118\,-200\,-58\,-123\,-147\,-138\,-92\,\n-238\,-233\,-1269\,-1312\,-2155\,-2148\,-1709\,-1307\,-1700\,-1457\,-29992\,-29993\,-29994\,\n-29995\,-29995\,-29996\,-29996\,-29997\,-29997\,-29995\,-29996\,-29995\,-29997\,-29997\,\n-29998\,-29999\,-29999] C55: Two Knights: 4 d3\, 4 d4 exd4 5 e5 and Max Lange\nAttack Sources: Tartakower & du Mont\, 500 Master Games of Chess\, pp. 49-50;\nMaroczy: London\, 1922\, pp. 66-67 The elemental power of Rooks commanding open\nlines is well illustrated In this beautiful game.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4\nNf6 4. Nc3 ({Maroczy: An alternative and perhaps preferable continuation for\nWhite is} 4. d3 {\, bringing about the regular Giuco Piano.}) 4… Nxe4 5. Nxe4\nd5 6. Bd3 dxe4 7. Bxe4 Bd6 8. d4 ({Maroczy:} 8. Bxc6+ {\, doubling the c-pawn\nwould not gave been good for White\, as his opponent’s two bishops would have\nbeen too powerful.}) 8… Nxd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. Qxd4 O-O {Marcozy: Black has\nnow the advantage in development\, as White cannot castle at once because of\nBxh2+\, winning the queen.} 11. Be3 ({Not} 11. O-O {on account of} Bxh2+ {\n. But now White puts his trust in his cluster of forces in the centre.}) 11…\nQe7 {Preventing 12.0-0\, as 12….Be5 would be awkward for White.} 12. O-O-O {\nMaroczy: There is generally an element of danager in castling queenside\, as\nthe king is there more exposed to attack than after castling on the kingside.\n12….} Re8 13. Bd5 {As this helps Black’s counter-play (14….c6)} ({the best\ncourse was} 13. Bf3 $144 {with level chances.}) ({A magnificent trap would be}\n13. Rhe1 Qxe4 14. Bh6 Bf4+ 15. Kb1 {\, and wins. But Black coolly replies 13….\nBe6\, obtaining the better game.}) 13… Be5 14. Qa4 $146 c6 {Gradually Black\nobtains the initiative.} 15. Bf3 {Maroczy: Both Black’s bishops are now\nbearing on the white king’s entrenchment\, whereas White’s bishops are\nthreatening nothing. 15….} Be6 16. Kb1 a5 {A strong move\, threatening 17.Qb4.\nMaroczy: The storming of the enemy’s position commences with the move.} 17. Bd4\nBd6 18. Bb6 Bb4 19. c3 Ra6 20. Be3 Bf5+ 21. Ka1 b5 22. Qb3 Bd6 23. a4 {Instead\nof further compromising his position\, he should have resorted to the patient\nmanoeuvre 23.Rd2. 23….} Rb8 {Now Black definitely has the better game.\nMaroczy: All Black’s pieces are now well posted for the attack.} 24. Rd2 Be6\n25. Qd1 Be5 26. Bd4 {[#]} Bf4 27. Be3 Bxe3 28. fxe3 b4 {The decisive advance\,\nforcibly opening up the position.} 29. cxb4 {[#]} Rab6 {Black conducts the\nattack with superb élan. Maroczy: Better than recapturing the pawn at once.} (\n{Both the following lines would have been premature: 29….Rxb4 or} 29… Qxb4\n{(because of} 30. Rd8+ {)}) ({and} 29… axb4 {\, on account of} 30. b3 {\n\, again closing up the critical a-file.}) 30. Rd6 {[#]} ({The following\nvariation loses beautifully:} 30. bxa5 Ra6 31. b4 Rxa5 32. bxa5 Qa3+ {\,\nfollowed by mate.}) 30… Rxb4 {Threatening not only 31….Rxa4+\, but also 31..\n..Bb3\, followed by Rxa4+.} 31. Bxc6 Rxb2 32. Bb5 Ra2+ 33. Kb1 Rxa4 34. Kc2 ({\nThe white King attempts to escape. If} 34. Qxa4 Qxd6 {\, the bishop is lost.})\n34… Ra2+ 35. Kc3 Rc8+ 36. Bc6 {[#]} Rxc6+ {This curious break-through\nsacrifice is a crowning touch to a powerfully conducted game.} 37. Rxc6 Qb4+\n38. Kd3 Qb5+ 39. Kd4 Qxc6 40. Ke5 Qc5+ 41. Kf4 Qf5+ 42. Kg3 Qf2# {Maroczy: A\nvery fine game played by Atkins in his best style.} 0-1\n[/pgn] \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld \nEnglish player\, born in Leicester\, International Master (1950)\, schoolmaster. Between 1895 and 1901 he played in seven minor tournaments\, winning four\, taking second place in three\, and losing only three out of 70 games. In one of these events\, Amsterdam 1899\, he made a clean score against 15 opponents. In his first international tournament\, Hanover 1902\, he came third (+8=7-2) after Janowski and Pillsbury ahead of Mieses\, Chigorin\, and Marshall. Emanuel Lasker believed that Atkins would have joined the leading grandmasters had he continued his international career\, but Atkins played in only one more big tournament (London 1922). He had a genuine concern for his profession\, and preferred not to give more of his life to chess. He played in 12 of the Anglo-American cable matches\, won the British Championship nine times (1905-11\, 1924\, 1925)\, and represented the British Chess Federation in the Olympiads of 1927 and 1935. \nHenry Ernest Atkins\nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \nInternational Master (1950) and nine times British Champion. Born in Leicester on 20th August 1872\, Atkins learned the game at school in Leicester at the age of 12. When he was 15\, he joined Leicester Chess Club and within two years was playing on top board. In 1890 he went up to Peterhouse\, Cambridge\, and played top board for the University. On leaving Cambridge he became a schoolmaster. \nHis first appearance in the British Championship was in 1904\, when he came 2nd. The following year he won the championship and repeated his success every year up to and including 1911. He did not compete between 1912 and 1923\, and on reappearing in the event in 1924\, he regained his title and held it the following year. His final appearance in the British Championship was in 1937\, when at the age of 65 he came =3rd.\nIn the five international events in which he played – Amsterdam 1899\, Hanover 1902\, London 1922 and the Chess Olympiads of 1927 and 1935 – he scored over 60 per cent. \n[pgn]\n[Event “British CF-15 London International”]\n[Site “London”]\n[Date “1922.08.11”]\n[Round “9”]\n[White “Tartakower\, Saviely”]\n[Black “Atkins\, Henry Ernest”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “C55”]\n[Annotator “Tartakower/du Mont/Maroczy”]\n[PlyCount “84”]\n[EventDate “1922.07.31”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “15”]\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 20\,83\,12\,-8\,0\,0\,25\,2\,8\,-33\,-33\,-31\,-18\,-30\,-33\,-31\,-29\,-45\,-46\,-39\,-50\,\n-57\,-57\,-58\,-67\,-60\,-57\,-81\,-91\,-93\,-36\,-92\,-118\,-200\,-58\,-123\,-147\,-138\,-92\,\n-238\,-233\,-1269\,-1312\,-2155\,-2148\,-1709\,-1307\,-1700\,-1457\,-29992\,-29993\,-29994\,\n-29995\,-29995\,-29996\,-29996\,-29997\,-29997\,-29995\,-29996\,-29995\,-29997\,-29997\,\n-29998\,-29999\,-29999] C55: Two Knights: 4 d3\, 4 d4 exd4 5 e5 and Max Lange\nAttack Sources: Tartakower & du Mont\, 500 Master Games of Chess\, pp. 49-50;\nMaroczy: London\, 1922\, pp. 66-67 The elemental power of Rooks commanding open\nlines is well illustrated In this beautiful game.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4\nNf6 4. Nc3 ({Maroczy: An alternative and perhaps preferable continuation for\nWhite is} 4. d3 {\, bringing about the regular Giuco Piano.}) 4… Nxe4 5. Nxe4\nd5 6. Bd3 dxe4 7. Bxe4 Bd6 8. d4 ({Maroczy:} 8. Bxc6+ {\, doubling the c-pawn\nwould not gave been good for White\, as his opponent’s two bishops would have\nbeen too powerful.}) 8… Nxd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. Qxd4 O-O {Marcozy: Black has\nnow the advantage in development\, as White cannot castle at once because of\nBxh2+\, winning the queen.} 11. Be3 ({Not} 11. O-O {on account of} Bxh2+ {\n. But now White puts his trust in his cluster of forces in the centre.}) 11…\nQe7 {Preventing 12.0-0\, as 12….Be5 would be awkward for White.} 12. O-O-O {\nMaroczy: There is generally an element of danager in castling queenside\, as\nthe king is there more exposed to attack than after castling on the kingside.\n12….} Re8 13. Bd5 {As this helps Black’s counter-play (14….c6)} ({the best\ncourse was} 13. Bf3 $144 {with level chances.}) ({A magnificent trap would be}\n13. Rhe1 Qxe4 14. Bh6 Bf4+ 15. Kb1 {\, and wins. But Black coolly replies 13….\nBe6\, obtaining the better game.}) 13… Be5 14. Qa4 $146 c6 {Gradually Black\nobtains the initiative.} 15. Bf3 {Maroczy: Both Black’s bishops are now\nbearing on the white king’s entrenchment\, whereas White’s bishops are\nthreatening nothing. 15….} Be6 16. Kb1 a5 {A strong move\, threatening 17.Qb4.\nMaroczy: The storming of the enemy’s position commences with the move.} 17. Bd4\nBd6 18. Bb6 Bb4 19. c3 Ra6 20. Be3 Bf5+ 21. Ka1 b5 22. Qb3 Bd6 23. a4 {Instead\nof further compromising his position\, he should have resorted to the patient\nmanoeuvre 23.Rd2. 23….} Rb8 {Now Black definitely has the better game.\nMaroczy: All Black’s pieces are now well posted for the attack.} 24. Rd2 Be6\n25. Qd1 Be5 26. Bd4 {[#]} Bf4 27. Be3 Bxe3 28. fxe3 b4 {The decisive advance\,\nforcibly opening up the position.} 29. cxb4 {[#]} Rab6 {Black conducts the\nattack with superb élan. Maroczy: Better than recapturing the pawn at once.} (\n{Both the following lines would have been premature: 29….Rxb4 or} 29… Qxb4\n{(because of} 30. Rd8+ {)}) ({and} 29… axb4 {\, on account of} 30. b3 {\n\, again closing up the critical a-file.}) 30. Rd6 {[#]} ({The following\nvariation loses beautifully:} 30. bxa5 Ra6 31. b4 Rxa5 32. bxa5 Qa3+ {\,\nfollowed by mate.}) 30… Rxb4 {Threatening not only 31….Rxa4+\, but also 31..\n..Bb3\, followed by Rxa4+.} 31. Bxc6 Rxb2 32. Bb5 Ra2+ 33. Kb1 Rxa4 34. Kc2 ({\nThe white King attempts to escape. If} 34. Qxa4 Qxd6 {\, the bishop is lost.})\n34… Ra2+ 35. Kc3 Rc8+ 36. Bc6 {[#]} Rxc6+ {This curious break-through\nsacrifice is a crowning touch to a powerfully conducted game.} 37. Rxc6 Qb4+\n38. Kd3 Qb5+ 39. Kd4 Qxc6 40. Ke5 Qc5+ 41. Kf4 Qf5+ 42. Kg3 Qf2# {Maroczy: A\nvery fine game played by Atkins in his best style.} 0-1\n[/pgn] \nHis devotion to teaching and his insistence on treating chess as merely a game was all that prevented him from becoming one of the leading players in the world. \nHe died on 31st January\, 1955. \nH. E. Atkins Doyen of British Chess Champions by R. N. Coles\nIn the above book RN Coles points out that Atkins regularly played f4 or …f5 early in the game and claims this was HEAs pet or signature move. \nHenry Ernest Atkins\n[pgn]\n[Event “British CF-06 Championship”]\n[Site “Scarborough/ North Yorkshire”]\n[Date “1909.08.10”]\n[Round “2”]\n[White “Atkins\, Henry Ernest”]\n[Black “Blackburne\, Joseph Henry”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “C10”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “45”]\n[EventDate “1909.08.09”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2006”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2005.11.24”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2005.11.24”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,45\,19\,31\,41\,46\,51\,35\,47\,38\,49\,37\,58\,39\,42\,51\,42\,22\,80\,71\,74\,44\,80\,50\,\n47\,33\,32\,27\,55\,47\,98\,115\,145\,161\,192\,178\,173\,164\,264\,290\,275\,360\,1073\,1073\,\n29991\,1236\,29991\,29992]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6\n6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. Bd3 Bd6 8. O-O c6 9. Qe2 Qc7 10. c4 h6 11. Bd2 b6 12. a4 a5\n13. Bc3 Kf8 14. Ne5 Bxe5 15. dxe5 Ng8 16. Rad1 Bb7 17. Be4 Ne7 18. Rd6 Nc8 19.\nRd2 g6 20. Rfd1 Kg7 21. Rd7 Qb8 22. Qf3 Rf8 23. Qf6+ {Source: The Chess Weekly\,\n1909 (28 Aug) and BCM\, Sept 1909\, p385} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Harry Golombek : \nBritish international master and regarded by many as Britain’s more talented player in the history of the game. Born in Leicester and never very fond of leaving England. Atkins was a schoolmaster and devoted relatively little time to chess\, and yet he became one of the strongest amateurs every known to chess. He was known on the Continent as “the little Steinitz“. \nHis record in British Championship is unique; out of eleven appearances he won the event nine times : 1905\, 1906\, 1907\, 1908\, 1909\, 1910\, 1911\, 1924 and 1925. I t should be added that in 1904 (his first attempt) he finished 1st= and only lost to Napier after a play-off and in 1937 (his last championship) he finished =3rd at the age of 65! \nThe British Chess Championship Trophy\nHis international career comprises only six events. In 1895 Atkins was placed =2nd behind Maróczy in the Hastings Minor Tournament and in 1899 he won the Amsterdam tournament\, leading the field by 4 points. At Hanover 1902 he scored his most notable result : 3rd prize behind Janowski and Pillsbury but ahead of Chigorin and Marshall among others. At London 1922 he finished only 10th of 16 but still claimed Rubinstein and Tartakower among his victims. He represented the B.C.F. in the Olympiads of 1927 and 1935. \nAtkins was retrospectively awarded the title of international master in 1950 on his pre-war record. (Ray Keene). \nAccording to chessgames.com : “He graduated from Cambridge and taught mathematics at Northampton and Wyggeston. In 1909\, he was appointed Principal of Huddersfield College.” \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Robert Hale\, 1970 & 1976)\, Anne Sunnucks : \n“International Master (1950) and nine times British Champion. \nBorn in Leicester on 20th August 1872\, Atkins learned the game at school in Leicester at the age of 12. When he was 15\, he joined Leicester Chess Club and within two years was playing on top board. In 1890 he went up to Peterhouse\, Cambridge\, and played on top board for the University. On leaving Cambridge he became a schoolmaster. \nHis first appearance in the British Championship was in 1904\, when he came 2nd. The following year he won the championship and repeated his success every year up to and including 1911. He did not compete between 1912 and 1923\, and on reappearing in the event in 1924\, he regained his title and held it the following year. His final appearance in the British Championship was in 1937\, when at the age of 65 he came =3rd. \nIn the five international events in which he played – Amsterdam 1899\, Hanover 1902\, London 1922\, and the chess Olympiads of 1927 and 1935 – he scored over 60 per cent. \nHis devotion to teaching and his insistence on treating chess as merely a game was all that prevented him from becoming one of the leading players in the world. \nHe died on 31st January\, 1955. ” \nHere is an article from the Yorkshire Chess History site \nand here is an obituary from the MCCU site \nHere is his Wikipedia article \nand here is an excellent article on chess.com \nRecently renowned journalist and write John Saunders has turned his attention to HEA.
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-henry-ernest-atkins/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210202
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210203
DTSTAMP:20210202T123329Z
CREATED:20190824T124759Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210202T123329Z
UID:1167-1612224000-1612310399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Mike Franklin (02-ii-1931)
DESCRIPTION:We send best wishes to Michael Franklin on his 90th birthday. \nGrowing Up\nMichael John Franklin was born on Monday\, February 2nd\, 1931 in Battersea\, London to Albert George (27 ix 1906\, Dover – ? iii 1983\, Wandsworth) and Helen Ann Franklin (née Colson\, 1908-2003) who married in the third quarter of 1928 in Wandsworth.  Albert was a clerk as was his father. \nAt the commencement of the Second World War\, when eight years old\, Michael was evacuated to Frome in Somerset. As a consequence Michael would delight in playing in the Frome Congress whenever possible. He played in the first event in 1990 organised by Leon York  (whose name is the memorial trophy for the Major section).  The story of Michael’s return to Frome made its’ way in to the local newspaper and was reported by Gary Lane as follows : \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CX (110\, 1990)\, Number 7 (July)\, page 296 : \n“A special presentation by the sponsor\, Mrs. Jean Mackereth\, Managing Director of Keyford Frames\, was made to Londoner Michael Franklin\, who was returning for the first time in 51 years to the town to which he was evacuated during the war. His final appearance at Frome was in the 2010 event. \nThe Early Years\nMichaels interest in chess started in 1944 aged 13 when he witnessed games being played on Clapham Common. He was fascinated by the pieces and taught himself to play\, never receiving  any formal coaching. He joined the Clapham Common Chess Club in 1944. (CCCC became incorporated into Battersea Chess Club some time later). \nCHECK MATES: Elderly members of the Clapham Common Open Air Chess and Draughts Club\, circa 1920. The club met regularly during the afternoons to play on Clapham Common in south London. Copyright : Keystone\nApart from summer events such as the above the club had a Winter Section that played matches in the London League. The club won the first division (now known as the Brian Smith Trophy) of the London League in the 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons. Michael played his final game in the London Chess League for Richmond & Twickenham on April 14th 2010 drawing with John Hodgson\, brother of Julian giving a sixty year span. \nIn his formative years he played at the Gambit Chess Café\, Budge Row\,  Cannon Street\, London\, EC4N. Many strong players regularly visited the Gambit to play skittles\, blitz and the frequently held lightning tournaments hosted by the proprietor Mr GH White. \n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yowdTF5_EwY[/embedyt] \nEvents such as these enabled Michael to develop his quick sight of the board and his flair for tactical play. \nLeonard Barden added : \n“Michael made his name as a young player first by his successes in the Saturday evening Gambit Guinea speed events at the Gambit Chess Café in Cannon Street which he often won ahead of master level rivals. He remained a strong speed player all his life.” \nIn the early 1950s Michael was persuaded by his friends Aird Thomson (who was Scottish Boys’ Champion in 1932\, and 1933 ( equal-first). In 1951 he was Scottish Champion. In 1954 he moved to London. He married Susan Mary Hamilton in 1961 who went on to become Scottish Ladies’ Champion in 1965.) and oriental carpet expert Robert Pinner to join the Richmond and Twickenham Chess Club  playing for the club in the London League\, Surrey Trophy  and National Club Championship until he retired from competitive play 2010. \nMaking Progress\nMichael’s first appearance in British Chess Magazine was in Volume LXVI (66\, 1946)\, Number 2 (February). Page 52 contained this report of the 1945 London Boy’s Championship in which Michael reached the final A section : \nBritish Chess Magazine\, Volume LXVI (66\, 1946)\, Number 2 (February)\, page 52\nMichael’s club (for this event) is recorded as Hammersmith Arts and Crafts School. \nOn leaving school  Michael joined a firm of Patent Agents remaining in their employ as the accounts department for around forty years before retiring in the late 1980s. His retirement was prompted by the firm’s adoption of electronic computers. When he retired he was Chief Cashier. \nOn June 18th 1960 Michael’s happiest day was when he married Jean Fey. They celebrated  their diamond anniversary in 2020. \nTo the present day Michael has maintained an aversion toward modern technology. He did\, however\, concede to the ownership of a mobile telephone. This was for the specific purpose of updating Jean on his days progress in any chess tournaments where he was away from home. \nIn 1946 (aged 15) Michael won the Felce Cup awarded by the Surrey County Chess Association. A result indicating rapid improvement since Michael had only started playing competitively in 1944. \nThe Felce Cup held by the hands of Stephen Moss in 2014\nIn 1951 Michael finished third in the Surrey Championships behind the winner Frank Parr and runner-up David Hooper. In 1961\, 1966\, 1968\, 1969 and 1970 Michael won the Surrey Championship outright and made many appearences in county matches for Surrey from 1950 onwards until 2010. \nUnfortunately Michael’s rapid progress was threatened by two bouts of ill health. In 1948 aged 17 Michael was diagnosed with Tuberculosis which lasted for eighteen months including a twelve month stay in the Royal National Hospital for Diseases of the Chest in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. Aged twenty the TB returned leading to yet another twelve months illness. \nMichael has suffered from ill health all of his life interrupting his chess career at various times. Fortunately the TB has not returned. \nMichael won the National Chess Centre Championship in 1953 and 1955 being runner-up in 1954. The venue was Hill’s Restaurant\, 158 Bishopsgate\, London\, EC2 opposite Liverpool Street Station since the original John Lewis department store venue was bombed in 1940. \nResults from the 1955 event: \n1-2 Franklin\, Fazekas 3.5/5\n3 Fuller 3/5\n4 Barden 2.5/5\n5 Parr 1/5\n6 Green 0.5/5 \nMichael won the play-off 2-0. \nThe British Chess Federation first published a National Grading list in 1953 (using the Richard Clarke system). In the 1954 list MF appeared with a grade of 2A (225-232) and from then on with a grade of either 2A or 2B. In 1964 a numeric system had him at 225 ranking Michael 4th in England behind Penrose 244\, Kottnauer 238 and Clarke 231. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Southend Premier”]\n[Site “?”]\n[Date “1962.04.23”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Franklin\, Michael J”]\n[Black “Pritchard\, David B”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “A07”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “41”]\n[SourceTitle “Ken Norman”] \n{[%evp 0\,9\,19\,29\,23\,4\,14\,16\,12\,16\,16\,1]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O\nO-O 5. d3 d5 6. Nbd2 Nc6 (6… c5) 7. e4 e5 8. c3 h6 (8… a5) 9. Qc2 dxe4 (\n9… Be6) 10. dxe4 Be6 11. Rd1 Qe7 {[#]} 12. b4 $1 Nd7 $146 13. a4 $14 f5 $6 (\n13… Rfd8) 14. b5 Nd8 $2 15. Ba3 Nc5 16. Nh4 $18 Kh7 17. exf5 gxf5 {[#]} 18.\nNe4 $3 Bb3 (18… fxe4 19. Bxe4+ Rf5 20. Bxf5+ Bxf5 21. Qxf5+ Kg8 22. Bxc5 Qxc5\n23. Ng6 $18) 19. Qxb3 Nxb3 20. Bxe7 Re8 21. Rab1 {and Black resigned} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nMichael played many times in the annual Battle of Britain Tournament organised by Squadron Leader David Pritchard and his committee. He won it four times : 1959\, 1960\, 1961 and 1962. \nThe Ilford Whitsun Congress\n[pgn]\n[Event “Ilford Premier”]\n[Site “Ilford”]\n[Date “1956.??.??”]\n[Round “2”]\n[White “Franklin\, Michael J”]\n[Black “Fazekas\, Stefan”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “D05”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “71”]\n[EventDate “1956.??.??”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “5”]\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\,71\,19\,29\,23\,13\,18\,9\,19\,19\,73\,74\,51\,27\,109\,65\,65\,54\,52\,42\,71\,53\,33\,47\,\n51\,42\,43\,28\,63\,60\,48\,48\,38\,59\,57\,23\,23\,18\,20\,11\,35\,59\,114\,88\,107\,98\,113\,114\,\n140\,138\,138\,162\,172\,137\,143\,127\,124\,143\,187\,125\,239\,24\,331\,334\,334\,428\,440\,466\,\n29987\,29988\,29989\,957\,977\,977]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 Ne4 5. Nbd2\nf5 6. Ne5 Qf6 7. O-O Bd6 $146 8. f4 O-O 9. c4 c6 (9… c5) 10. Qh5 g6 11. Qh3\nc5 12. Ndf3 Nc6 13. b3 a5 14. Bb2 cxd4 15. Nxc6 (15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Nxc6 bxc6\n17. Bxd4 Qe7 18. Ng5) 15… bxc6 16. Bxd4 Qe7 17. Bxe4 fxe4 18. Ne5 c5 19. Bc3\na4 20. Qh6 (20. Qg3 $1) 20… d4 21. exd4 Bxe5 $2 22. fxe5 Bb7 23. Qe3 $1 axb3\n24. axb3 Rfd8 25. Rxa8 Bxa8 26. Ra1 Bc6 27. Rd1 Qa7 28. Qg5 (28. h3) 28… Rf8\n29. d5 (29. Qe3) 29… exd5 30. cxd5 Bxd5 $2 31. e6 $1 $18 Qa2 32. h3 Qf2+ 33.\nKh1 Qf5 34. Qe7 Rf7 35. Qxf7+ Qxf7 36. exf7+ 1-0\n[/pgn] \nThe Ilford Whitsun Congress was a regular part of Michael’s season throughout the sixties. He won the Premier Reserves in 1961 ahead of Hilton\, Hindle\, Howson\, Sales and Blaine and was runner-up to Kottnauer in 1962.  In 1963 he went one step better by winning the Premier : \nA report of Mike Franklin’s success at the 1963 Ilford Whitsun Congress by Peter Clarke. Source : British Chess Magazine\, Volume LXXXIII\, Number 7 (July)\, page 193\nand here is the fifth round game : \n[pgn]\n[Event “Ilford Whitsun Congress”]\n[Site “Ilford”]\n[Date “1963.06.03”]\n[Round “5”]\n[White “Franklin\, Michael John”]\n[Black “Wheatcroft\, Timothy Martin”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B28”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “59”]\n[EventDate “1963.05.31”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “5”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”] \n{[%evp 0\,59\,19\,38\,40\,41\,87\,26\,15\,1\,54\,32\,47\,27\,19\,26\,31\,-3\,-12\,-10\,3\,-10\,-14\,\n-27\,22\,29\,58\,-22\,-2\,-15\,-2\,-11\,1\,19\,9\,-3\,54\,26\,-15\,40\,140\,135\,161\,149\,173\,170\,\n170\,181\,193\,190\,190\,204\,212\,100\,140\,145\,421\,502\,535\,563\,563\,563]} 1. e4 c5 2.\nNf3 a6 3. g3 Nc6 4. d3 e6 5. Bg2 d5 6. Nbd2 Nf6 7. O-O Be7 8. e5 Nd7 9. Re1 Qc7\n10. Qe2 b5 11. Nf1 Nd4 $6 $146 (11… Bb7) 12. Nxd4 cxd4 13. Bf4 (13. Qg4)\n13… Bb7 14. h4 Rc8 15. Rec1 Qb8 16. Nh2 O-O 17. h5 Rc7 18. Qg4 Rfc8 19. Nf3\n$14 Nf8 $6 20. Nxd4 (20. Bh6 g6 21. Nxd4) 20… Bc5 21. c3 (21. Bh6 g6 22. c3)\n21… Qa7 22. Be3 (22. Bh6) 22… b4 23. Rf1 bxc3 24. bxc3 Qa8 25. Rab1 $1 Ba7\n26. f4 (26. Bg5 Rxc3 27. Bf6) 26… Rxc3 27. f5 {[#]} Rxd3 $2 (27… Bxd4 28.\nBxd4 exf5 29. Qxf5 R3c7) 28. f6 $1 $18 g6 29. Qg5 Bxd4 30. Bxd4 {and it is\nmate in 6.} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nIn his tournament report PH Clarke wrote : \nThis buoyant\, optimistic attitude of his is a great strength and always makes him a dangerous opponent. \nAway from Home : International Progress\n1964 saw selection by the BCF to play in the Tel Aviv Olympiad : \nThe 1964 England Olympiad (Tel Aviv) Team : Owen Hindle\, Čeněk Kottnauer\, Peter Clarke\, Michael Franklin\, Norman Littlewood & Michael Haygarth\nand scored a creditable 4/6.  This was followed in 1965 with 3/5 in Clare Benedict tournament held in Berlin. \nHe played in the annual Anglo-Dutch match on no less than six occasions in 1962\, 1963\, 1964\, 1965\, 1968 and finally in 1969. His aggregate score was an impressive 8/12. \n?\, Čeněk Kottnauer\, Michael Franklin and Owen Hindle\nOn the national scene Michael repeated his 1963 victory at the 1969 Ilford Premier with a clear first place : Franklin 4; RG Wade and D Wright 3; JB Howson 2.5; BH Wood 2; PH Clarke 0.5. \nIn 1970 Michael won the London Championship which was also known as the Budget Cup which had last been held in 1956 .  He followed this in 1972 by rightly earning the (now defunct) title of British Master. \n[pgn]\n[Event “London Championship”]\n[Site “?”]\n[Date “1970.??.??”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Franklin\, Michael J”]\n[Black “Harris\, Ronald A”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B06”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “39”]\n[SourceTitle “Ken Norman”] \n{[%evp 0\,18\,29\,23\,73\,69\,78\,53\,84\,74\,72\,72\,65\,60\,82\,47\,66\,45\,96\,138\,165]} 1. d4\ng6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 Bg4 5. Be2 Nc6 6. Be3 e5 $6 7. dxe5 $16 dxe5 8.\nQxd8+ {[#]} Nxd8 $2 (8… Rxd8) 9. Nb5 $18 Ne6 $146 (9… Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Ne6)\n10. Ng5 $1 Bxe2 11. Nxe6 Bxb5 12. Nxc7+ Kd7 13. Nxb5 a6 14. O-O-O+ Kc6 {[#]}\n15. Rd6+ $1 {It is mate in eight.} Kxb5 16. a4+ (16. c4+ Kb4 17. Kc2 Rd8 18.\na3+ Kxc4 19. b3+ Kb5 20. a4+ Kb4 21. Rb6+ Ka5 22. b4+ Kxa4 23. Ra1#) 16… Ka5\n17. Bd2+ Kxa4 18. Rb6 Rd8 19. Bb4 Rd3 20. b3+ {and Black resigned} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nMichael’s final appearance for England was in 1971 in the Cheltenham based Anglo-German match with a somewhat disappointing 0.5/2 against Juergen Dueball. \nOwen Hindle\, Michael Franklin\, Harry Golombek and Michael Haygarth\nMichael played board two for London in a Telex match versus Belgrade playing Marjanovic.  The game was drawn. \nMichael Franklin playing board two in the London – Belgrade Telex Match on April 3rd\, 1976 from the St. James Hotel\, Buckingham Gate. Sourced from BCM\, Volume XCVI (96)\, Number 5\, page 192. Photographer probably Freddy Reilly.\nThe Ultimate Prize : The Aaronson Masters\nThe Aaronson Masters at Harrow 1978 brought his best individual success at the age of 47\, sharing first place with IM Aldo Haik of France and to boot\, earning  an IM norm. \nJoint winners of the 1978 Aaronson Masters : Michael Franklin and IM Aldo Haik\nMichael scored an undefeated 7.5/10 and finished ahead of Short\, Speelman\, Nunn\, Hartston\, Mestel\, Webb\, Basman\, Botterill and numerous other illustrious players.  Michael remarked of his lifetime best result that it was \njust one of those occasions when everything went right! \nBut he scored 3.5/5 against the IMs\, was alert to every opportunity\, and the games show he owed little to luck. \nLeonard Barden\, Stewart Reuben and Michael Franklin at the 1978 Aaronson Masters\nLike many others Michael made appearences in Lloyds Bank events of 1977\, 1978\, 1984\, 1989\, 1991\, 1993 and 1994. \nMichael Franklin (left) at the 1978 Lloyds Bank Masters playing IGM Leonid Shamkovich\nMichael and friends during the 1978 Lloyds Bank Masters\nThe Hastings Years\nMichael first played at Hastings in 1964 when he was invited to play in the Premier Tournament. The tournament was won by Mikhail Tal and Michael finished in last place. \nUndaunted he returned to Hastings in 1968 to play in the Challengers tournament. One of the attractions of playing in the Challengers was that the winner received a place the following years Premier. Frustratingly Michael finished second three years in a row! In 1968 the Challengers was won by Danny Wright\, in 1969 by Martyn Corden and in 1970 by Peter Markland. Finally\, in 1971 his patience was rewarded and he won the Challengers and qualified to the following years Premier. \nThe 47th Hastings Premier of 1971-72 had been changed from the traditional 10 player all-play-all to a 16 player tournament. Also\, having obtained sponsorship from various organisations the committee were able to invite some of the top names of the day. The sponsors were: \n\nJim Slater\nThe Friends of Chess\nThe British Chess Federation\nBovis Holdings Ltd\nHastings County Borough Council\n\nSo\, the entry included Karpov\, Korchnoi\, Andersson\, Najdorf\, Mecking\, Gligoric\, Unzicker and Robert Byrne to name but a few. This was undoubtedly the strongest Hastings Premier since World War Two and possibly the strongest Hastings Tournament since 1895. \nMichael started well with a draw against the Rumanian GM Ciocaltea followed by a draw in with the Brazilian prodigy Mecking. In round three he surprised everyone by beating Ray Keene. With 2/3 things were looking promising. However\, after this bright start Michael only managed a draw against Unzicker and a draw with Hartston finishing in a disappointing last place with a score of 3/15. \nIn the tournament report Peter Clarke opined \nFranklin suffered the usual fate of the gifted amateur in a professional field of simply not being accustomed to this kind of chess. \nDespite this Michael continued to play in the Hastings Challengers. He played in nineteen out of the next twenty-five years! He came close to winning the tournament in 1982: he was leading the tournament with a score of 7/8 when he was informed that Jean’s Father had passed away. Having drawn his ninth round game and needing only a draw in the last round to ensure at least a tie for first place he withdrew from the tournament and immediately left for home. \nThe Weekend Scene\nLike all players with a full time job Michael had to play most of his chess at the weekend so the explosion of weekends tournaments in the early 1970’s gave him ample opportunities. His habit of playing quickly was ideally suited to the fast time limits of the weekend tournament. During the 1970 and 1980’s he was very successful. He won numerous events and was more often than not in the prize list. \nFM Michael Franklin\, Photo by Cathy Rogers\nIn later years he restricted himself to London based tournaments and those in the West Country. His regular tournaments being Exeter\, Torquay and old favourite\, Frome. Michael at the age of 78 shared first place at Frome 2009. Frome 2010 was his farewell appearance. \nFM Michael Franklin\nMichael played for a number of clubs viz : Richmond & Twickenham\, Coulsdon CF\, Surrey CCA\, 4NCL Richmond\, 4NCL Bristol and Richards Butler to name but a few. \nFinally\, in 1980\,  Michael was awarded the FIDE Master title and achieved his highest rating (in the Elo era) of 2345 in January 1979. It is most likely that his highest ever rating would have been more like 2450. \nFM Michael Franklin vs Paul Helbig\nAppropriately enough Michael was the inaugural winner of the BCF/ECF Senior Prix in 2000 and won it again in 2002 and 2003. The event last ran in 2006. \nWhen Surrey won the counties championship a few years back the team took the trophy around to Michael’s home in Norbury\, such was their regard for his contributions. \nThe London System\nAny currently active club player cannot have missed the explosive rise to prominence of the system for White he developed : \n[fen]rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/3P1B2/2PBPN2/PP1N1PPP/R2Q1RK1 b KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \nThe London System and Accelerated London System has acquired a huge cohort of followers in recent times probably not realising the debt they (and many authors\, book and DVD publishers!) owe to Michael. If only he could have earnt a royalty every time it was played! \nAlso Michael had notable success as Black with the O’Kelly Sicilian 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6. \n[fen]rnbqkbnr/1p1ppppp/p7/2p5/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \nLife Outside of Chess\nMichael had many interests apart from Chess. He was for many years a member of the Surrey County Cricket Club. After he retired he would arrange to meet fellow Surrey Member Frank Parr at the Oval and after lunch in the Pavilion they would spend the day enjoying the Cricket. Tennis was another sport that Michael followed. Michael was also interested in horseracing. Several players were surprised when visiting one of the racetracks around London to find Michael also attending the race meeting. \nMichael was the typical “natural” player. He never studied the game and his only sources of opening information were the British Chess Magazine and the chess columns in The Times and the Guardian. He never kept the scores of his games. Once the game was finished it was time to move on. One of Michael’s greatest strengths was his optimistic attitude at the chessboard. No matter how bad the position he was confident of ultimate success. \nMichael Franklin receives £220 from Councillor Robert Dickson at the 1980 Nottinghamshire Congress\nCaption for above photograph
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-michael-john-franklin/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,History,Player
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210203
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210204
DTSTAMP:20220202T175629Z
CREATED:20190822T164132Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220202T175629Z
UID:1002-1612310400-1612396799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of John Cochrane (04-ii-1798 02-iii-1878)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers John Cochrane who passed away on March 3rd 1878. \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld : \nScottish player\, barrister\, called to the bar in 1822. If the so-called romantic style existed then Cochrane has a claim to be regarded as its founder. A dashing player\, he attacked at all costs often sacrificing pieces with abandon\, a style that was successful in the England of the 1820s; but when in 1821 he went to Paris\, then the world’s chess centre\, he was beaten by both Deschapelles and Bourdonnais. Subsequently he studied the game but he did not change his style. In 1822 he published A Treatise on the Game of Chess\, a popular book largely based on Traite des Amateurs (see Verdoni) and Lolli but with a few contributions of his own.  \nAlthough Cochrane came from an old Scottish family he led the London team in the famous correspondence match against Edinburgh\, 1824-8. He persuaded his team to play the Scotch Gambit\, but when London had obtained a fine position Cochrane left for India. Although the Londoners\, led by Lewis\, failed to carry the attack\, the Scotch Gambit became fashionable for more than 15 years\, and other lively attacking openings were developed.  \nCochrane stayed in India until his retirement in 1869 except for one visit to England\, 1841-3\, when he played hundreds of friendly games against Staunton\, who began by winning a large majority\, Wilhelm Steinitz knew both contestants and states that their last encounter was a match of 12 games. Staunton conceding pawn and move for the first six- and that Cochrane made an even score when receiving odds but won (-1-3—2— !) when playing on even terms\, John Cochrane should not be confused with James Cochrane (c\, 1770-1830)\, co-author of a book on the Muzio gambit. \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHk229rnvY8[/embedyt] \n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQX8qsD6iS0[/embedyt]  \nThe Cochrane Gambit is : \n[fen]rnbqkb1r/ppp2Npp/3p1n2/8/4P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \nand the Cochrane Variation in the King’s Gambit is : \n[fen]rnb1kbnr/pppp1p1p/8/4N3/2B1P1pq/5p2/PPPP2PP/RNBQ1K1R w KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \nThe Sicilian Defence\, Staunton-Cochrane Variation is : \n[fen]rnbqkbnr/pp1ppppp/8/2p5/2P1P3/8/PP1P1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \nand the Scotch Gambit\, Cochrane Variation is : \n[fen]r1bqkb1r/pp1p1Npp/2p1nn2/8/2B1P3/8/PPP2PPP/RNBQ1RK1 w KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \nThe Cochrane Defence is a drawing method for in the rook\, bishop & king vs rook & king ending.
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-john-cochrane/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/John_Cochrane_19th-century_chessplayer.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210203
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210204
DTSTAMP:20210131T113738Z
CREATED:20200410T093145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210131T113738Z
UID:4321-1612310400-1612396799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Oliver Jackson (03-ii-1946)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of FM Oliver A Jackson (03-ii-1946)
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-oliver-a-jackson-03-ii-1946/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player,Writer
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210203
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210204
DTSTAMP:20210202T095920Z
CREATED:20200410T212653Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210202T095920Z
UID:4379-1612310400-1612396799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Colin McNab (03-ii-1961)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of GM Colin Anderson McNab (03-ii-1961)
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-gm-colin-anderson-mcnab-03-ii-1961/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210204
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210205
DTSTAMP:20210202T100049Z
CREATED:20191020T125454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210202T100049Z
UID:1597-1612396800-1612483199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Harriet Hunt (04-ii-1978)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM Harriet Hunt (04-ii-1978) \nIM Harriet Vaughan Hunt
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-harriet-hunt-04-ii-1978/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210204
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210205
DTSTAMP:20210130T185025Z
CREATED:20200120T133751Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210130T185025Z
UID:2954-1612396800-1612483199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Ameet Ghasi (04-ii-1987)
DESCRIPTION:IM Ameet Kumar Ghasi\nBirthday of IM Ameet Kumar Ghasi (04-ii-1987) \nIM Ameet Kumar Ghasi
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-ameet-kumar-ghasi-04-ii-1987/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210207
DTSTAMP:20220206T125401Z
CREATED:20200201T143815Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220206T125401Z
UID:3106-1612569600-1612655999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of WIM Cathy Forbes (06-ii-1968)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of WIM Cathy Forbes (06-ii-1968) \nWIM Cathy Warwick (née Forbes)\nThe Polgar Sisters : Training or Genius ?
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-wim-cathy-forbes-06-ii-1968/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Journalist,Player,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_0576-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210207
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210208
DTSTAMP:20220207T095801Z
CREATED:20200207T144432Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220207T095801Z
UID:3191-1612656000-1612742399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Ravi Haria (07-ii-1999)
DESCRIPTION:BCN sends birthday wishes to GM Ravi Haria. \nRavi Haria was born Sunday\, February 7th\, 1999  in Elstree\, Hertfordshire. “Maria” by Blondie was top of the hit parade. Ravi currently resides in London. \nRavi attended Lonsdale School in Barnet and then The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School  and now reads History at University College\, London. \nECF grading profiles for Ravi Haria\nRavi learnt at the age of 6 and joined Barnet Knights Chess Club in 2005. \nRavi’s first recorded tournament was the 35th Barnet Knights Under-8  rapidplay on September 25th 2005. Also playing of note were Jonathan Pein and Isaac Sanders. \nHis first recorded standard play game  was in the London Junior Under-10 Championships on December 9th 2006. \nBy the time he was eight he had attracted the attention of the England selectors and played in the 2008 Commonwealth Championships in New Delhi coming home with a bronze medal. \nRavi aged 8 photographed by The Borehamwood and Elstree Times in January 2008\nRavi aged 9 photographed by The Borehamwood and Elstree Times in August 2008\nIn 2008 Ravi won the British Under-9 title in Liverpool. He said afterwards: \nIt was quite nice to be leading everyone and I felt proud of myself. I’m not sure how I control my nerves but it feels really good to win. \nHis mother Sona said: \nIt’s a bit overwhelming but we just support him. It means you have to give up a lot of time for him but it’s really nice to see that he’s getting somewhere. \nThis was followed in 2014 by winning the British Under-18 championship in Aberystwyth aged 15 and then the same title in 2017 in Llandudno. \nRavi Haria\, UKCC Southern Gigafinal\, 2013\nIn 2016 Ravi was equal 2nd to Deep Sengupta at the Hastings Masters Open with an impressive 6/9 and a TPR of 2563.  This performance secured his second IM norm. \nThe IM title was conferred at the 88th FIDE Congress 2017\, 7-15 October\, Goynuk\, Antalya\, Turkey. \nHe scored six points after 11 rounds at the 2017 World Junior championship in Italy and 5.5 points at the 2017 WYCC U-18 group in Uruguay. \n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGT7kcTRlBA[/embedyt] \nRavi completed his British junior titles run by becoming the current (no OTB event in 2020) British Under-21 champion in 2019 in Torquay scoring an emphatic 6.5/9 securing a share of third place. \nPartial crosstable for the 2019 British Championships in Torquay\nRavi became a FIDE Master in 2015 at the age of 16 and and International Master two years later making him England’s second youngest IM after Matthew Wadsworth. \nOTB Elo rating profile for IM Ravi Haria according to MegaBase 2020\nHis peak FIDE rating was 2497 in October 2021 and currently (February  2022) is 2490. \nIn 2019 Ravi teamed up with IM Adam C. Taylor to join Adam’s Making Grandmasters training venture. \nFM Ravi Haria\, ECF Secondary Schools Rapidplay\, 2016\nOn January 28th 2021 Thinker’s Publishing released The Modernised Anti-Sicilians\, Volume 1\, Rossolimo Variation which is a massive 520 page tome on the following position : \n[fen]r1bqkbnr/pp1ppppp/2n5/1Bp5/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R b KQkq – 0 1[/fen] \nwhich was reviewed by FM Richard Webb. \nwhich we hope will be followed by at least Volume 2! \nThe Modernized Anti-Sicilians – Volume 1: Rossolimo Variation\, Ravi Haria\, Thinker’s Publishing\, 2021\nRavi has plus scores against : Matthew Turner\, Simon Williams\, William Claridge Hansen\, Bob Eames\, David Eggleston and Arul Gupta to name but a few. \nGM John Emms plays IM Ravi Haria in the final round of the 2019 British Championships in Torquay\nWith the white pieces Ravi unsurprisingly plays the Moscow and Rossolimo variations against the Sicilian\,  the Ruy Lopez and\, in recent years\, he has adopted the Reti/English complex. \nAs the second player he plays the French Winawer and (refreshingly) the Abrahams-Noteboom Variation of the Semi-Slav. \nFor your entertainment we have these two  brevities : \n[pgn]\n[Event “Hastings Masters op 88th”]\n[Site “Hastings”]\n[Date “2012.12.29”]\n[Round “2”]\n[White “Haria\, Ravi”]\n[Black “Pooley\, Mark”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B00”]\n[WhiteElo “2032”]\n[BlackElo “1693”]\n[Annotator “British chess News”]\n[PlyCount “27”]\n[EventDate “2012.12.28”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “10”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “CBM 152 Extra”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2013.02.25”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2013.02.25”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,27\,19\,31\,80\,69\,63\,60\,69\,29\,74\,57\,56\,50\,101\,40\,96\,40\,69\,57\,52\,59\,196\,\n71\,56\,-23\,86\,56\,886\,933]} 1. e4 b6 2. d4 Bb7 3. Bd3 d6 4. Qe2 g6 $146 5. Bf4\nBg7 6. Nf3 e6 $6 7. O-O Nc6 8. c3 Nce7 9. Nbd2 Nf6 10. e5 Nd7 $2 (10… Nfd5)\n11. Ne4 d5 12. Neg5 c5 $2 {[#]} 13. Nxf7 $1 Qc8 14. Nd6+ 1-0\n[/pgn] \nand \n[pgn]\n[Event “Brighton e2e4 Masters”]\n[Site “Brighton”]\n[Date “2013.02.17”]\n[Round “3”]\n[White “Haria\, Ravi”]\n[Black “Whitehead\, David J”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B51”]\n[WhiteElo “2053”]\n[BlackElo “2055”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “31”]\n[EventDate “2013.02.16”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “CBM 153 Extra”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2013.04.22”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2013.04.22”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,31\,19\,38\,72\,69\,49\,32\,64\,9\,10\,5\,11\,-27\,-11\,4\,19\,19\,41\,36\,127\,98\,122\,\n107\,184\,182\,172\,176\,183\,210\,213\,238\,503\,509]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4.\nBxc6+ bxc6 5. O-O e5 6. c3 f5 7. exf5 Bxf5 ({Relevant:} 7… Nf6 8. d4 cxd4 9.\ncxd4 e4 10. Ng5 d5 11. f3 h6 12. Ne6 Bxe6 13. fxe6 Bd6 14. fxe4 dxe4 15. Nc3\nO-O 16. Qe2 Bc7 17. Qc4 Kh8 18. Bf4 Ng4 19. Ne2 Bxf4 20. Nxf4 Qg5 21. Qxc6 Ne3\n22. Qxe4 Nxf1 23. Ng6+ Kg8 24. Nxf8 Qe3+ 25. Qxe3 Nxe3 26. Nd7 Re8 27. Re1 Nc2\n28. Re4 Nb4 29. Nc5 Kf8 30. a3 Nd5 31. Nd3 Ke7 32. Nf4 Nf6 33. Re5 Kd6 34. Ra5\ng5 35. Ra6+ Kc7 36. Nd3 Ne4 37. d5 {Rublevsky\,S (2678)-Moranda\,W (2578) Warsaw\n2010 1-0}) 8. d4 e4 $6 9. dxc5 {[#]} d5 $2 $146 ({Predecessor:} 9… exf3 10.\nQxf3 Be6 11. Re1 Kd7 12. cxd6 Qf6 13. Bf4 Qf5 14. Nd2 Nf6 15. Qe2 Re8 16. Qe3\nQa5 17. Nf3 Bxd6 18. Bxd6 Kxd6 19. Nd4 Qd5 20. Qg3+ Kc5 21. Re5 Kb6 22. Rxd5\nBxd5 23. f3 a5 24. Qxg7 Rhf8 25. b4 axb4 26. cxb4 Nh5 27. Qh6 Nf4 28. Rc1 Kb7\n29. b5 cxb5 30. Qd6 Rf7 31. Nxb5 Ree7 32. Nd4 Ka7 33. Rb1 Rb7 34. Nb5+ Ka8 35.\nQd8+ {1-0 (35) Rublevsky\,S (2684)-Sveshnikov\,E (2563) Herceg Novi 1999}) 10.\nNd4 Qd7 11. Be3 Ne7 $6 12. f3 $1 g6 13. Nd2 Bg7 14. fxe4 dxe4 15. Nc4 O-O $2 (\n15… Bxd4 16. Nd6+ Kd8 17. Qxd4 {is crushing}) 16. Nxf5 1-0 \n[/pgn] \nRavi has played for University College London. Hendon and Cavendish in the London and other leagues and in 4NCL he started with Kings Head\, transferring to Cambridge in 2014 and finally moving in 2016 to Wood Green. \nIn this game Ravi punishes IM Malcolm Pein who has a bad day at the office : \n[pgn]\n[Event “BCF-chT 1314 (4NCL)”]\n[Site “England”]\n[Date “2013.11.16”]\n[Round “1.125”]\n[White “Haria\, Ravi”]\n[Black “Pein\, Malcolm”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B09”]\n[WhiteElo “2151”]\n[BlackElo “2371”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “51”]\n[EventDate “2013.11.16”]\n[EventType “team-swiss”]\n[EventRounds “11”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2015”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2014.11.20”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2014.11.20”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “Kings Head”]\n[BlackTeam “Wood Green Hilsmark II”]\n[WhiteTeamCountry “ENG”]\n[BlackTeamCountry “ENG”] \n{[%evp 0\,46\,30\,16\,62\,68\,81\,59\,76\,25\,46\,36\,64\,64\,59\,42\,32\,-12\,7\,-7\,63\,101\,101\,\n101\,101\,81\,85\,112\,77\,57\,47\,-1\,-1\,-9\,11\,27\,27\,27\,2\,7\,5\,19\,99\,96\,173\,173\,173\,173\,\n485]} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 Nc6 {a favourite line of\nMPs\, Vallejo Pons and Keith Richardson} (5… O-O) 6. d5 (6. Bd3) 6… Nb8 7.\nBc4 (7. Bd3) 7… O-O 8. O-O c6 $11 {[#] You might not expect it but this is\na fairly rare position.} 9. a4 $146 (9. dxc6 Nxc6 10. Kh1) 9… b5 $6 {\nactivating the g7 bishop by a curious route but how weak is the e7 pawn as a\nconsequence?} 10. axb5 cxb5 11. Nxb5 Nxe4 12. Qe2 Nf6 13. Bd2 Nbd7 14. Nxa7 $5\n{probably activating the a8 rook too much!} Bb7 15. Ba5 Qb8 16. Nc6 Bxc6 17.\ndxc6 Rxa5 18. Rxa5 Qb6+ 19. Kh1 Qxa5 20. cxd7 e6 $2 {[#] A strange oversight\nfrom Malcolm} (20… Qc7 {is good enough and Black is fine.}) 21. Bxe6 $1 fxe6\n22. Qxe6+ Kh8 23. Qxd6 $18 Qf5 {and Black resigned.} {Perhaps} 24. d8=Q Ne4 25.\nQ6d7 Rxd8 26. Qxd8+ $18 1-0\n[/pgn] \nRavi Haria\, British Championships\, 2014\, Aberystwyth\nRavi is Mesutgm on chess.com and lichess \n[pgn]\n[Event “Reykjavik op”]\n[Site “Reykjavik”]\n[Date “2018.03.06”]\n[Round “1”]\n[White “Haria\, Ravi”]\n[Black “Karlsson\, Mikael Johann”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “B31”]\n[WhiteElo “2424”]\n[BlackElo “2150”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “55”]\n[EventDate “2018.03.06”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “ISL”]\n[SourceTitle “CBM 183 Extra”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2018.04.19”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2018.04.19”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,55\,19\,31\,72\,53\,66\,21\,74\,31\,43\,31\,49\,36\,33\,18\,25\,19\,23\,19\,14\,-5\,17\,12\,\n11\,0\,14\,21\,64\,63\,57\,57\,57\,88\,69\,69\,58\,176\,186\,208\,218\,237\,308\,320\,409\,339\,322\,\n280\,318\,283\,297\,287\,294\,329\,469\,562\,848\,696]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4.\nBxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 e5 7. Be3 b6 8. a4 a5 9. Nbd2 f6 10. Nc4 Be6 11. Qc1\n$146 (11. Nfd2) 11… Qc7 12. O-O Rd8 13. Nfd2 Nh6 $6 14. b4 $1 axb4 15. a5 b5\n16. Nb6 $18 Nf7 17. Bxc5 Bf8 18. Nb3 Bxc5 $6 (18… Ng5) 19. Nxc5 Ke7 20. Qe3\nRd4 21. f4 Bc8 $2 22. Nb3 (22. Qf2 $1) 22… Rdd8 23. Qc5+ (23. fxe5 Nxe5 24.\nd4 $18) 23… Qd6 24. fxe5 Nxe5 25. a6 Nd7 26. Nxd7 Rxd7 27. Qf2 Bb7 28. Nc5\n1-0\n[/pgn] \nOver the 19th – 23rd August  2021 Ravi played in the Wood Green Invitational round-robin event at Oddfellows Hall\, Stafford. \nRavi scored 7.5/10 and secured his second Grandmaster Norm and  a TPR of 2680. \nWood Green Invitational Round-Robin event at Oddfellows Hall\, Stafford. August Bank Holiday Weekend\, 2021\nOver the August Bank Holiday weekend of 2021 Ravi played in the Northumbrian Masters  GM Tournament at the splendid Marriott MetroCentre\, Gateshead winning jointly with Conor Murphy scoring 6.5/9 with a TPR of 2600. This gave Ravi his third and final GM norm. \nThe norm was ratified at a recent FIDE Congress. As of February 2022 Ravi stood at 2490 for standard-play.
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-ravi-hari-07-ii-1999/
CATEGORIES:4NCL,Birthday,British Championships,Player,UKCC,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/bct_4317_lv-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210207
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210208
DTSTAMP:20210206T200640Z
CREATED:20200401T104337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210206T200640Z
UID:3908-1612656000-1612742399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Jimmy Adams (07-ii-1947)
DESCRIPTION:BCN send birthday wishes to FM Jimmy Adams. \nJames Bernard Adams was born on Friday\, February 7th\, 1947 to James Adams and Ivy F Soule in Islington\, London. \nJimmy was married to Sharon and they have a daughter\, Charlotte. \nIn 1958 Jimmy at the age of 11\, joined his local Islington Chess Club and soon afterwards became London Junior Champion. Following this Jimmy played little chess and worked for John Lewis (echos of CHO’D Alexander!) \nThe Spasski-Fischer match of 1972 re-kindled his lapsed interest and he won with a 100% score the London Amateur Championship. \nHe joined (and was a staunch member of) London Central YMCA (CentYMCA) chess club and he wrote a privately published history of the club entitled The CentYMCA Story. This is now a much sought after publication. His membership continued during the 1970s until around 1979. \nThe CentYMCA Story by Jimmy Adams\, 1976\nThe CentYMCA Story by Jimmy Adams\, 1976\nDuring this period Jimmy was extremely active at the Endell Street premises. \nHere is Jimmy playing Viktor Korchnoi at Endell Street (in the Phase Two classrooms) : \nJimmy plays Viktor Korchnoi at the Endell Street premises of London Central YMCA on January 18th\, 1976. Photographer potentially John Yeo\nIn 1974 Jimmy embarked on a highly successful career as writer and journalist. He authored a number of acclaimed books for Batsfords\, The Chess Player\, Caissa Books and latterly\, New in Chess. His books on Chigorin\, Zukertort and Breyer being some of the finest chess biographies published. \nIn 1979 Jimmy joined Metropolitan Chess Club to play in the London League. He played top board and scored very highly with many significant scalps. \nJimmy gained his FM title in 2014 (at the age of 67!). 67 must be one of the most advanced ages to acquire an FM title. According to Felice his peak rating was 2300 in January 1981 aged 34. \nJimmy giving a simultaneous display\nHe was registered with Metropolitan and Barbican Chess Clubs. He joined Barbican\, as did many ex-CentYMCA players\, following the hiatus over their Tottenham Court Road venue loss. \nJimmy records a game between David Howell and Andrew Whiteley in 2000.\nIn December 2009 Jimmy visited the London Chess Classic and was photographed with VIP guess Viktor Korchnoi : \nViktor Korchnoi in conversation with Jimmy Adams at the 2009 London Chess Classic. Photograph by Mark Huba\nJimmy was Editor of CHESS / CHESS Monthly magazine from 1981 until 2010 although his name remained on the masthead until February 2012. \nIn 2012 Jimmy and Ray Cannon attended a meeting of the Ken Whyld Association in Norwich : \nJimmy Adams and Michael Negele at the 2012 meeting of the Ken Whyld Association\nJimmy and Ray Cannon at a 2012 meeting in Norwich of the Ken Whyld Association\nIn January 2016 Jimmy (together with Josip Asik) became co-editors of British Chess Magazine taking over from James Pratt and John Upham. Jimmy then took on a role at the newly created American Chess Magazine and then worked for Pavillion Books on their newly acquired Batsford Book imprint. \nIn 2014 Jimmy and Ray attended an event organised by the father of Emma Bentley \nJimmy Adams and Ray Cannon at an event organised by Emma Bentley’s father.\nHere is an interview with Jon Manley from Kingpin Magazine \n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oivIsVuygw[/embedyt] \n[pgn]\n[Event “Middlesex League”]\n[Site “London”]\n[Date “1975.10.??”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Goodman\, David SC”]\n[Black “Adams\, James Bernard”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “E61”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “64”]\n[EventDate “1975.??.??”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[WhiteTeam “YMCA Juniors”]\n[BlackTeam “YMCA Tigers”]\n[WhiteTeamCountry “ENG”]\n[BlackTeamCountry “ENG”] \n{[%evp 0\,64\,19\,18\,47\,-16\,43\,38\,38\,37\,50\,22\,20\,30\,11\,18\,24\,34\,64\,37\,60\,61\,70\,59\,\n61\,35\,40\,27\,27\,42\,59\,15\,24\,25\,25\,35\,93\,98\,118\,68\,71\,-28\,5\,11\,41\,30\,32\,11\,3\,-48\,\n-18\,-93\,-88\,-82\,-82\,-82\,-65\,-45\,-63\,-83\,-79\,-70\,-70\,-130\,-135\,-222\,-220]} 1. d4\nNf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. Bg5 c5 6. e3 d6 (6… cxd4) 7. Be2 Nc6 8.\nd5 {[#]} Nb4 {a little unusual….} ({More common is} 8… Na5 9. Nd2 a6 10.\nO-O Rb8 11. e4 Bd7) 9. Nd2 $146 (9. a3 Na6 10. O-O) 9… h6 10. Bh4 e5 11. e4\nBd7 12. g4 Qb6 13. a3 $16 Na6 14. Rb1 Rae8 15. Nf1 Qa5 16. f3 Nh7 17. Ne3 f5 $6\n18. gxf5 gxf5 19. Qd2 (19. exf5 $18) 19… f4 20. Nc2 $6 {[#]} (20. Nf5 $1 Bxf5\n21. exf5 Rxf5 22. Ne4 $18) 20… Bf6 $1 21. Bxf6 Rxf6 22. Rg1+ Kf7 23. Bd3 Ng5\n24. Ke2 Qd8 $11 25. h4 Nh3 26. Rg2 Rg8 27. Rxg8 Qxg8 28. Rf1 Rg6 29. Kd1 Rg2\n30. Qe1 Qg3 31. Qxg3 fxg3 32. Ne2 Rxe2 0-1\n[/pgn] \nThe Games of Anatoly Karpov\, Batsford\, Jimmy Adams\, 1974\nThe Complete Games of World Champion Anatoly Karpov\, Jimmy Adams\, 1976\nThe Complete Games of World Champion Anatoly Karpov\, Jimmy Adams\, 1976\nSicilian Defence Najdorf Poisoned Pawn\, Jimmy Adams\, The Chess Player\, 1977\nSicilian Defence 10 : Main Line Najdorf\, Jimmy Adams\, The Chess Player\, 1977\nSicilian Najdorf Polugaevsky Variation\, Jimmy Adams\, The Chess Player\, 1978\nThe Richter Veresov System\, The Chess Player\, Jimmy Adams\, 1978\nTrompovsky Attack\, The Chess Player\, Jimmy Adams\, 1979\nSchliemann/Jaenisch Gambit\, The Chess Player\, Jimmy Adams\, 1982\nParis 1900\, The Chess Player\, Jimmy Adams\, 1986\nISAAC BOLESLAVSKY Selected Games\, Caissa Books\, Jimmy Adams\, 1988\nJohannes Zukertort: Artist of the Chessboard\, New in Chess\, Jimmy Adams\, 2014\nMikhail Chigorin\, the Creative Genius: New in Chess\, Jimmy Adams\, 2016\nGyula Breyer : The Chess Revolutionary\, Jimmy Adams\, New in Chess\, 2017
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-james-bernard-adams-07-ii-1947/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player,Writer
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/img_0006_small.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210209
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210210
DTSTAMP:20220209T140215Z
CREATED:20190822T164913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220209T140215Z
UID:1006-1612828800-1612915199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Cecil De Vere (14-ii-1846 09-ii-1875)
DESCRIPTION:We remember Cecil Valentine De Vere (14-ii-1846 09-ii-1875) \nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld : \nCecil Valentine De Vere\, pseudonym of Valentine Brown\, winner of the first official British Championship tournament organized by the British Chess Association in 1866. He learned the game in London before 1858 and practised with Boden and the Irish player Francis Burden (1830-82). De Vere played with unusual ease and rapidity\, never bothering to study the books. His features were handsome (an Adonis says MacDonnell)\, his manner pleasant\, his conduct polite. He “handled the pieces gracefully\, never “hovered” over them\, nor fiercely stamped them down upon the board … nor exulted when he gained a victory…in short\, he was a highly chivalrous player.’ So wrote Steinitz who conceded odds in a match against De Vere and was soundly beaten\, (See pawn and move.) De Vere’s charm brought him many friends. \nAt about the time that he won the national championship his mother died\, a loss he felt deeply\, “The only person who ever cared for me”. \nReceiving a small legacy he gave up his job. which Burden had obtained for him at Lloyds the underwriters\, and never took another. He entered some strong tournaments but always trailed just behind the greatest half-dozen players of his time. His exceptional talent was accompanied by idleness and lack of enthusiasm for a hard task. On the occasion of the Dundee tournament of 1867 he took long walks in the Scottish countryside with G. A. MacDonnell\, who writes that a ‘black cloud’ descended on De Vere. It may have been the discovery that he had tuberculosis; more probably he revealed to the older man a deep-rooted despair\, the cause perhaps of his later addiction to alcohol. \nIn 1872 Boden handed over the chess column of The Field to provide him with a small income; but in 1873 the column was given to Steinitz on account of De Vere’s indolence and drunkenness. At the end of Nov\, 1874 his illness took a turn for the worse\, he could hardly walk and ate little. His friends paid to send him to Torquay for the sea air\, and there he died ten weeks later. He had failed to nourish a natural genius in respect of which\, according to Steinitz\, De Vere was “second to no man\, living or dead*. \nCecil Valentine De Vere (14-ii-1846 09-ii-1875)\nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \nFirst official British Chess Champion\, Cecil de Vere was born on 14th February 1845 (in Montrose\, Angus\, Scotland : Ed.) and was taught to play chess when he was 12 by a strong London player\, Francis Burden. By the time he was 15\, he was a regular visitor to “The Divan” on a Saturday afternoon. \nAt the age of 19 De Vere played a number of games against MacDonnell winning the majority of them. So great was his promise that the City of London Chess Club raised a purse for a match between him an Steinitz\, Steinitz giving the odds of a Pawn and a move. De Vere won. \nIn 1866 the first British Championship\, organised by the British Chess Association was held. De Vere won\, ahead of MacDonnell and Bird\, and so became the first British Champion at the age of 21. \nThe following year in the Paris 1867 tournament\, he was 5th out of a field of 13\, and he tied for 3rd prize in the Dundee Congress\, ahead of Blackburne\, having beaten Steinitz in their individual game. \n[pgn]\n[Event “British CA Grand Tourney”]\n[Site “Dundee”]\n[Date “1867.09.05”]\n[Round “2”]\n[White “De Vere\, Cecil Valentine”]\n[Black “Steinitz\, William”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “C67”]\n[Annotator “The Chess World 1867/68”]\n[PlyCount “61”]\n[EventDate “1867.09.04”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “SCO”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2002”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2001.11.25”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2001.11.25”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,61\,19\,29\,30\,23\,30\,11\,18\,15\,43\,39\,3\,3\,23\,2\,18\,-9\,41\,51\,57\,53\,60\,47\,50\,\n74\,63\,90\,72\,62\,55\,66\,66\,83\,231\,250\,261\,247\,242\,260\,346\,383\,444\,409\,721\,572\,621\,\n772\,812\,738\,738\,760\,1513\,730\,738\,763\,763\,646\,647\,657\,668\,664\,1185\,1213]} 1. e4\ne5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Nxe5 7. Rxe5+ Be7 8. d4\n(8. Bf1) 8… f6 $6 (8… Nxb5 $142 9. Rxb5 d5) 9. Re1 Nxb5 (9… O-O 10. Bd3\n$16) 10. Qh5+ g6 11. Qxb5 c6 12. Qb3 (12. Qe2 Kf7 13. c4 Re8 14. Nc3 $14) 12…\nd5 13. c4 Kf7 (13… O-O 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nc3 $16) 14. Nc3 dxc4 (14… Qb6 15.\nQxb6 axb6 16. cxd5 Bd6 17. dxc6 bxc6 $44) 15. Qxc4+ $16 Kg7 16. d5 $1 cxd5 $2 (\n16… Bf5 $142) 17. Nxd5 Bf8 (17… Bd6 $142) 18. Nxf6 $1 (18. Nc7 $1 Bf5 (\n18… Rb8 19. Ne8+) 19. Nxa8 Qxa8 20. Qc7+ Kg8 21. Bh6 $1 Bxh6 22. Rad1 $18)\n18… Qxf6 (18… Kxf6 19. Qh4+) 19. Bd2 $1 (19. Bf4 $1) 19… b5 (19… Qf7\n20. Bc3+ Kg8 21. Qxf7+ Kxf7 22. Bxh8 $18) 20. Qd5 $18 b4 21. Rac1 (21. Be3)\n21… Qf7 22. Qxa8 (22. Bh6+ $1 Kg8 23. Qxa8 Bxh6 24. Rxc8+ $18) 22… Be6 23.\nQe4 Bxa2 24. Qe5+ Kg8 25. Rc7 Qd5 26. Qxd5+ Bxd5 27. Re8 {Probably Steinitz\nresigned after this move and the rest is analysis.} Bf7 28. Rxf8+ Kxf8 29.\nBxb4+ Kg7 30. Bc3+ Kg8 31. Rc8+ {Deutsche Schachzeitung 1867\, p. 342; The\nChess World 1867/68\, p. 298; Transactions of the British Chess Association\, p.\n70} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nWhile he was in Dundee\, De Vere learned that he was suffering from Tuberculosis. The news changed his whole life. Having recently inherited a few hundred pounds\, he gave up his job at Lloyd’s and started living on his capital\, determined to enjoy the few years he had left. He continued to play chess\, but his performances were marred by his newly acquired addiction to the bottle. \nDe Vere was once described as “A Morphy without book knowledge”. His talent was great enough for him to be able to take on the leading masters of the day without any study or preparation\, but more than that is needed to reach the top. De Vere lacked the strength of character and health to fulfill his early promise. He died a few days before his thirtieth birthday. \nFrom The Encyclopedia of Chess by Harry Golombek : \nThe first official British Champion and a player of great promise who might well have attained world fame had he not be carried off by that nineteenth-century British scourge\, tuberculosis\, before he attained the age of thirty. \nMost of the details of his life are to be found in the writings of G.A. MacDonnell\, who met him when De Vere was fourteen and was so struck by his good looks as to refer to him as “Adonis”. \nHis first tournament success came in 1866 at the London Congress organised at the St. George’s Club in the first few days and then in other venues by the British Chess Association. De Vere played in two events\, a Handicap tournament and a Challenge Cup event which was in fact the first British Championship tournament. \nThe Handicap tournament was run on the same lines as London 1851\, i.e. it was a knock-out event with matches of three games\, draws not counting. De Vere met Steinitz in round 1 and lost by 2-1. \nThe first British championship tournament was an all-play-all event in which the ties were decided by the first player to win three games and in which the championship went to the winner of the biggest number of games. De Vere was an easy winner with 12 wins\, followed by MacDonnell and J.I. Minchin 6\, H.E Bird 3 and Sir John Trelawney 0. \nThus De Vere was the first British Champion and at that age of twenty-one. A photograph of him about this time shows that he bore a remarkable likeness to the international master John Nunn\, who won the European Junior championship a hundred years after De Vere’s death. \nDe Vere confirmed his position as a leading British player by coming first in another tournament in 1866 at Redcar in North Yorkshire. This was an event open to all British amateurs and among his opponents were Owen\, Thorold and Wisker. \nIt was in the following year that he commenced his career in international chess. In the important double-round tournament at Paris he occupied an honourable fifth place out of 13 players. At Dundee (the third congress of the British Chess Association) he finished equal 3rd with MacDonnell\, below Steinitz but beating him in their individual game and coming ahead of Blackburne. \nIt was during his visit to Scotland (he went to stay with relatives after the tournament) that he learnt he was afflicted with consumption. This knowledge\, together with the death of his mother\, drove him to drink which was to accelerate his end. \ninheriting a few hundred pounds\, presumably from his mother\, he gave up his post at Lloyd’s and decided to live on his capital together with such additional sums as he could earn from chess. \nIn this respect his addiction to drink proved a handicap. For example\, he held the post of chess editor of The Field in 1872 but lost it after some eighteen months through inattention to work. \nMeanwhile he continued to show his great talent for the game. Defending the title of British Champion in a very strong field at the next British Chess Association congress (1868/9) he cam equal first with Blackburne but lost the play-off at the London Club in March 1869. \nIn 1870 at the very strong Baden-Baden double-round tournament\, he came equal sixth with Winawer but was much outdistanced by Blackburne who came third with 3.5 more pints than De Vere. But already his illness was taking a strong hold on him. At his next and last appearance in a tournament of note. London 1872\, he tied with Zukertort and MacDonnell =3rd out of 8 players. In the play-off for third and fourth prizes he lost to MacDonnell and scratched to Zukertort\, Later in the year he did tie for first place with Wisker in a weaker British championship tournament and\, with De Vere now clearly ill\, Wisker had an easy victory in the play-off. \nAt his last appearance at a chess event\, a match at the City of London Club between that Club and Bermondsey\, he looked a dying man. A subscription was made to send him to Torquay but it was too late and he died within five days of his thirtieth birthday. \nHere are some of his games at chessgames.com \nThe English Chess Forum contains a brief discussion initiated by John Townsend (Wokingham) of manuscripts attributed to CdV. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Baden-Baden”]\n[Site “Baden-Baden”]\n[Date “1870.07.21”]\n[Round “4”]\n[White “De Vere\, Cecil Valentine”]\n[Black “Paulsen\, Louis”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “C84”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “41”]\n[EventDate “1870.07.18”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “18”]\n[EventCountry “GER”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2002”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2001.11.25”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2001.11.25”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,41\,19\,38\,25\,7\,30\,29\,18\,-1\,-1\,-78\,-24\,-21\,14\,-28\,7\,24\,2\,-38\,-5\,-99\,-52\,\n-129\,-28\,-101\,-102\,-72\,-84\,-92\,-69\,-41\,84\,205\,230\,-86\,120\,12\,133\,0\,0\,739\,29987\,\n29988]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. O-O Be7 7. Nxd4\n$6 (7. Re1 b5 8. e5 Nxe5 9. Rxe5 d6 10. Re1 bxa4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Qf3 O-O 13.\nNc6 Bxc6 14. Qxc6) 7… Nxd4 8. Qxd4 c5 9. Qd3 b5 10. e5 Ng8 11. Qg3 Bf8 $2 12.\nNc3 $2 (12. Na3) 12… bxa4 13. Ne4 g6 $2 14. Bg5 $18 Qb6 15. Nd6+ Bxd6 16.\nexd6 f6 17. Rae1+ Kf8 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Re7 Qxb2 20. c3 $1 Qd2 21. Qe5 {\nAJ Gillam: Baden Baden 1870\, p. 17} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nThe English Morphy?: The Life and Games of Cecil De Vere\, First British Chess Champion by Owen Hindle & Robert H. Jones
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-cecil-de-vere/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Cecil_Valentine_De_Vere.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210211
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210212
DTSTAMP:20210206T200941Z
CREATED:20200210T100746Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210206T200941Z
UID:3234-1613001600-1613087999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Simon Ansell (11-ii-1975)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM Simon Ansell (11-ii-1975) \nSimon Ansell\nIM Simon Ansell
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-simon-ansell-11-ii-1975/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/JUA3850-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210211
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210212
DTSTAMP:20210208T110428Z
CREATED:20200410T212452Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210208T110428Z
UID:4377-1613001600-1613087999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Rod McKay (11-ii-1952)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM Roderick McIntosh McKay (11-ii-1952)
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-roderick-mcintosh-mckay-11-ii-1952/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Composer,Player,Problemist
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/JUA3108-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210212
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210213
DTSTAMP:20210208T110617Z
CREATED:20200210T002512Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210208T110617Z
UID:3241-1613088000-1613174399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Glenn Flear (12-ii-1959)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of GM Glenn Flear (12-ii-1959) \nFrom Chessgames.com : \n“Glenn Curtis Flear was born in Leicester\, England. He was awarded the IM title in 1983 and GM title in 1987. While still an IM\, he shocked the chess world by winning the GLC Chess Challenge (1986) ahead of a field that included Short\, Chandler\, Nunn\, Portisch\, Polugaevsky\, Spassky and Larsen. He married Christine Flear during that tournament. He represented England at the Dubai Olympiad in 1986.” \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nGM Glenn Curtis Flear\n[pgn]\n[Event “Hastings op 9495”]\n[Site “Hastings”]\n[Date “1994.??.??”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Bronstein\, David Ionovich”]\n[Black “Flear\, Glenn C”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “C57”]\n[WhiteElo “2440”]\n[BlackElo “2505”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “126”]\n[EventDate “1994.12.??”]\n[EventType “swiss”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 1998”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1997.11.17”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1997.11.17”]\n[SourceQuality “1”] \n{[%evp 0\,126\,28\,37\,5\,22\,19\,23\,18\,-17\,-29\,-8\,26\,-7\,55\,51\,51\,46\,58\,-22\,-6\,-28\,-1\,\n-1\,-19\,5\,5\,-29\,-29\,-29\,-19\,-23\,-25\,-15\,-15\,-22\,-18\,-12\,-12\,7\,-15\,-14\,-8\,-9\,18\,\n20\,23\,6\,6\,2\,6\,0\,73\,20\,33\,49\,22\,26\,30\,35\,26\,26\,34\,-14\,-16\,-24\,-24\,-12\,26\,-78\,\n-51\,-44\,53\,93\,93\,69\,108\,126\,141\,111\,143\,94\,94\,94\,66\,110\,26\,68\,68\,0\,0\,0\,0\,-118\,\n-47\,-47\,-30\,-279\,-40\,-57\,-17\,-246\,-246\,-246\,-239\,-271\,-256\,-263\,-288\,-310\,-329\,\n-336\,-357\,-367\,-373\,-492\,-373\,-423\,-449\,-448\,-489\,-526\,-545\,-557\,-503\,-588\,\n-621\,-656\,-940]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 b5 6. Bf1 h6\n7. Nf3 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qe6 9. Nxb5 Qe7 10. d4 e4 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Be3\nBc5 14. Bd4 Bxd4 15. Qxd4 Qxd4 16. Nxd4 O-O 17. Bc4 Bd7 18. O-O-O Rfe8 19. h3\nRe5 20. Rhe1 Rae8 21. Re3 Kf8 22. Rb3 Rg5 23. Bf1 c5 24. Nb5 Bxb5 25. Rxb5 Rf5\n26. Rb7 Rxf2 27. Bb5 Ra8 28. Bc4 Kg8 29. Rxf7 Kh8 30. g4 Rh2 31. Rc7 Rxh3 32.\nRxc5 Nxg4 33. Be6 Rg3 34. b4 Nf6 35. Bc8 Kg8 36. Rd8+ Kf7 37. Re5 Rxc8 38. Rxc8\nh5 39. Ra5 h4 40. Rxa7+ Ke6 41. Rh8 h3 42. b5 e3 43. Kd1 Nd5 44. c4 Nf4 45. Kc2\ne2 46. Raa8 Rc3+ 47. Kd2 Rd3+ 48. Kc2 Kf5 49. Rae8 Rd8 50. Rhf8+ Kg6 51. Rxd8\ne1=Q 52. Rxf4 h2 53. Rd1 Qxd1+ 54. Kxd1 h1=Q+ 55. Kd2 Qh2+ 56. Ke3 Qxa2 57. Kd4\nQa7+ 58. Kd3 Qa3+ 59. Kd4 Qd6+ 60. Ke3 Qe5+ 61. Re4 Qc3+ 62. Kf4 Kf6 63. Kg4 g5\n0-1 \n[/pgn] \nGM Glenn Curtis Flear
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-gm-glenn-flear-12-ii-1959/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,British Championships,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_0779_smaller.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210212
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210213
DTSTAMP:20220212T164430Z
CREATED:20200408T124513Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220212T164430Z
UID:4179-1613088000-1613174399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of IM Mark Condie (12-ii-1965)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of IM Mark Lockwood Condie (12-ii-1965)
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-im-mark-l-condie-12-ii-1965/
CATEGORIES:4NCL,Birthday,Player
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_1081-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210212
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210213
DTSTAMP:20260817T135454Z
CREATED:20201216T164542Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T135454Z
UID:12500-1613088000-1613174399@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Robert Combe (16-viii-1912 12-ii-1952)
DESCRIPTION:Robert Forbes Combe (16 August 1912 – 12 February 1952) \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Forbes_Combe
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/remembering-robert-combe-16-viii-1912-12-ii-1952/
CATEGORIES:British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://britishchessnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200113
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200114
DTSTAMP:20230213T142309Z
CREATED:20200417T141944Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230213T142309Z
UID:4742-1578873600-1578959999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Geoffrey Diggle (06-xii-1902 13-ii-1993)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Geoffrey Harber Diggle (06-xii-1902 13-ii-1993) \nHere is his Wikipedia entry
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-geoffrey-harber-diggle-06-xii-1902-13-ii-1993/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Journalist,Player,Remembering,Writer
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210214
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210215
DTSTAMP:20210130T185850Z
CREATED:20200410T112203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210130T185850Z
UID:4329-1613260800-1613347199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Brian Johnson (14-ii-1951)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of FM Brian R Johnson (14-ii-1951)
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-brian-r-johnson-14-ii-1951/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210214
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210215
DTSTAMP:20220214T190050Z
CREATED:20200410T131908Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220214T190050Z
UID:4346-1613260800-1613347199@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of IM Čeněk Kottnauer (24-ii-1910 14-ii-1996)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers IM Čeněk Kottnauer (24-ii-1910 14-ii-1996) \nČeněk Kottnauer was born in Prague on Thursday\, February 24th\, 1910. Čeněk was employed in the Ministry of Education in Prague. \nWhilst playing in the Lucerne International tournament (28-xii-1952 03-i-1953) he sought political asylum : \nFrom the Milwaukee Journal\, January 3\, 1953 we have \n“Czech Chess Star Asks for Asylum \nLucerne\, Switzerland – Cenek Kottnauer\, 42\, Czecho-Slovakian chess champion and an employee of the ministry of education in Prague\, announced Saturday that he would not return to Czech-Slovakia and would request political asylum in Switzerland. Kottnauer had been participating in a chess tournament. \nHe said that the political situation in his country had grown “more and more critical” and he wanted “to leave before it is too late”. He said that he had been divorced recently and had no children in Czech-Slovakia”. \nIn a January 2009 post to the English Chess Forum Leonard Barden wrote : \n“Cenek Kottnauer defected from Czechoslovakia during the Lucerne New Year tournament of 1952-3 (I am precise on this because I was present). His wife Daniela joined him there\, having been smuggled from Prague in the boot of a diplomat’s car. Kottnauer had been a water polo player of international standard before 1939 so came into serious chess only his mid-30s. He made his name with his good showing in the Prague v Moscow match of 1946 and his Bxh7+ win then against Kotov. He competed in great tournaments like Groningen 1946 and Moscow 1947; his first visit to England was in 1947 when the Czech team came here. \nČeněk Kottnauer plays Friedrich Sämisch during the Duras Memorial in Prague. December 7th 1942\, The game was a Slav drawn after 42 moves\nIn the 1940s he had a job in the Czech sports ministry but got implicated in the purges following the Slansky trial. He also believed that Pachman and Opocensky were involved in the campaign against him.” \nČeněk married Daniela (née Horska\, also Czech\, having met in Austria) and they had a son Daniel VR Kottnauer. Daniela was born in 1934 and was 24 years younger than Čeněk. She died on February 20th 2008 in a hospice in Essen\, Germany close to where Daniel currently resides.  Daniel has been a pianist and singer for 30 years\, an event manager for 19 years and a coach and VIP limousine driver for 5 years and may be found on LinkedIn. \nČeněk  became a British citizen on 16th December 1960 when he obtained naturalisation certificate BNA64338. \nIn 1965 Čeněk and Daniela were living at Flat 2\, 7-8 Bathurst Street\, London\, W2. \n7-8\, Bathurst Street\, London\, W2\nIn Kings\, Commoners and Knaves (Russell Enterprises\, 1999)\, page 108\, Edward Winter wrote : \n“The obituaries of Čeněk Kottnauer (1910-1996) have\, in common with all of the encyclopaedia entries on him\, been strangely wanting in pre-1940s references to his chess career. Czech magazines of the 1930s contain occasional games by ‘Kottnauer’ (no forename or initial given)\, including the following : \n[pgn]\n[Event “Prague clock simul”]\n[Site “Prague”]\n[Date “1932.02.09”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Kottnauer\, Cenek”]\n[Black “Bogoljubov\, Efim”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “D47”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “63”]\n[EventDate “1932.??.??”]\n[SourceTitle “chessgames.com”] \n{[%evp 0\,63\,19\,31\,19\,-16\,24\,16\,27\,44\,43\,47\,54\,39\,55\,63\,33\,16\,2\,-2\,4\,-18\,-15\,\n-35\,-43\,-46\,-45\,-45\,-18\,-23\,-23\,-33\,-43\,-49\,-29\,-29\,-34\,-88\,-86\,-86\,-65\,-107\,\n-71\,-77\,-56\,-131\,-77\,-183\,-156\,-174\,-199\,-189\,-96\,-144\,-117\,-117\,29\,36\,71\,88\,\n138\,132\,409\,422\,436\,443]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nc3 Nbd7 6.\nBd3 dxc4 {The Meran Defence} 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bb3 b4 $1 {Wells} 9. Ne2 Be7 {\nhas come back into fashion in 2020.} (9… Bb7 {is more common} 10. O-O Bd6 11.\nNf4 O-O 12. Ng5 Bxf4 13. exf4 c5 14. Be3) 10. O-O O-O (10… Bb7 {transposing})\n11. Ng3 (11. Nf4) 11… c5 {Black has equalised.} 12. e4 Bb7 13. Re1 $146 (13.\ne5) 13… cxd4 14. Nxd4 Nc5 $17 15. Bc2 Rc8 16. Bf4 Qb6 17. e5 Nd5 18. Qh5 $6 (\n18. Qg4) 18… g6 19. Qh6 Nxf4 20. Qxf4 Rfd8 21. Rad1 {[#]} Rd5 (21… Nd3 $1\n$19) 22. Nh5 Nd7 23. Ng3 Rc4 24. Nge2 Rxe5 25. Bb3 Re4 26. Bxc4 Rxf4 27. Nxf4\nBc5 $2 {[#]} (27… Nc5) 28. Nfxe6 $1 Ba6 (28… fxe6 29. Rxe6 {is crushing})\n29. Bb3 Bxd4 $6 30. Rxd4 $1 Nf8 $4 31. Rd8 $1 fxe6 32. Rxe6 {and Bogoljubow\nresigned.} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nSource : Československý šach\, January\, 1932\, page 9. The score was also given\, with notes\, by Vera Menchik\, on page 153 of the April 1932 issue of The Social Chess Quarterly. ” \nFrom Šachový Týdeník\, 25th February\, 2010 that Čeněk was twice Prague lightning champion. \nIn 1943 Čeněk was a clear first overall with 10.5/13 in the Zlin tournament. \nCrosstable for the Zlin (Czechoslovakia) 1943 tournament\nČeněk Kottnauer plays Svetozar Gligorić during the Chigorin Memorial\, Moscow\, November 26th 1947.\nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess (OUP\, 1984)\, David Hooper & Ken Whyld : \nInternational Master (1950)\, International Arbiter (1951)\, a Czech player who emigrated to England in 1953 and was naturalised in 1960. He played in Olympiads for Czechoslovakia (1950*\, 1952)\, on the second occasion making the best score (+10=5) on the fourth board\, and in two Olympiads for England (1964\, 1968). In 1961 he won the Beverwijk Masters tournament (not the concurrent grandmasters event) with a clean score\, a fine achievement. \n*Ed : In fact\, this is not true since Czechoslovakia did not send a team to Dubrovnik 1950.  This was the last year the event was limited to sixteen countries. \nCrosstable for Beverwijk 1961\nConsulting the 2nd edition (1992) of Hooper & Whyld may cause disappointment since there is no entry for CK. \nČeněk Kottnauer from Šachový Týdeník\, 25th February\, 2010\nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Robert Hale 1970 & 1976)\, Anne Sunnucks : \n“International Master (1950) and International Judge (1951). \nBorn on 24th February 1910. Kottnauer represented Czechoslovakia in the 1952 Olympiad in Helsinki. In the years after the war his successes in international tournaments included 3rd at Beverwijk 1947\, =2nd at Vienna 1947\, 4th at Bad Gadstein 1948 and 1st at Lucerne 1953. \nCrosstable for Lucerne 1952/1953\nAfter the Lucerne tournament he sought political asylum in Switzerland. He later settled in England and became a naturalised British citizen. He played for the British Chess Federation in the Olympiads of 1964 and 1968. \nKottnauer has played in the British Championship twice. In 1961 he came =4th\, and in 1962 he came =3rd.” \nIM Čeněk Kottnauer\nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess (Batsford\, 1977)\, Harry Golombek OBE (entry written by Bill Hartston): \n“Born in Czechoslovakia\, Kottnauer played for that country in many events including the 1952 Olympiad. He emigrated in 1953 and subsequently took British nationality\, representing England in the Olympiads of 1964 and 1968. Awarded FIDE titles of international master in 1950 and International Judge in 1951. Winner of Lucerne 1953 International tournament. \nČeněk Kottnauer plays Frans Kuijpers during the 1964 Anglo-Dutch match at Vlissingen on September 19th\nCo-author with TD Harding and GS Botterill of The Sicilian Sozin\, Batsford\, London\, 1974.” \nThe Sicilian Sozin\, TD Harding\, GS Botterill\, C. Kottnauer\, Batsford\, 1974\nFrom British Chess (Pergamon Press\, 1983) we have this insight from Tim Harding : \n“At a time when home-grown International Masters were thin on the ground in Britain (the 1950s and 1960s) this Czech-born IM brought a lot of valuable experience to BCF teams. \nAmsterdam 1950\, first day; Gideon Stahlberg versus Cenek Kottnauer Date: November 11\, 1950\nAfter emigrating to England in 1953\, he became naturalized and subsequently represented the BCF in the Tel Aviv\, 1964 and Lugano\, 1968\, Olympiads. On board one in 1964 he scored +8 =7 -3 (63.9%) on board two below Penrose in 1968 (with some board one games) he scored 41.7: +3 =5 -4. \nČeněk Kottnauer\nWhen FIDE rating lists appeared in the early 1970s\, Kottnauer was listed at 2370 but by this time had more or less retired from active play at the top level\, although he took (and still takes) a keen interest in coaching promising young players\, He was one of the most regular and most valuable coaches at the one-day junior training events organised by the London Chess Association at the Mary Ward Centre in Bloomsbury\, London in the mid-1970s. \nIM Čeněk Kottnauer\, event unknown\nAt this time he also wrote many articles for his friend Grandmaster Pachman\, who had been freed to live in West Germany where he became editor of Schach-Archiv\, and also made a major contribution to the Batsford opening theory work. The Sicilian Sozin\, written in collaboration with George Botterill and Tim Harding\, and published in 1974. \nLubomir Kavalek & Čeněk Kottnauer from Šachový Týdeník\, 25th February\, 2010\nKottnauer’s most active years as a player were however 1946-53; in the year that he came to England he took first prize in the Lucerne\, 1953 International tournament. Had he been a professional player throughout the the 1950s\, there is little doubt that he would have become a grandmaster. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Match/City Prague-Moscow 13\,0-23\,0”]\n[Site “Moscow”]\n[Date “1946.03.??”]\n[Round “2”]\n[White “Kottnauer\, Cenek”]\n[Black “Smyslov\, Vassily V”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “D18”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “111”]\n[EventDate “1946.03.02”]\n[EventType “team-match”]\n[EventRounds “6”]\n[EventCountry “URS”]\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\,111\,80\,5\,26\,-10\,34\,32\,31\,31\,44\,-4\,0\,7\,21\,21\,2\,11\,20\,0\,7\,2\,-15\,-22\,-22\,\n-34\,-4\,-8\,-11\,-18\,-19\,-8\,-3\,-2\,17\,5\,0\,17\,57\,11\,69\,10\,17\,5\,16\,0\,14\,7\,30\,35\,106\,\n110\,60\,47\,166\,151\,148\,159\,172\,184\,192\,171\,180\,166\,182\,145\,160\,161\,160\,162\,170\,\n161\,183\,139\,195\,172\,185\,158\,149\,113\,201\,132\,214\,170\,273\,187\,199\,154\,223\,245\,\n260\,250\,267\,267\,260\,265\,265\,240\,247\,250\,245\,260\,264\,220\,265\,265\,271\,202\,209\,\n217\,338\,378\,385\,401]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3\ne6 7. Bxc4 Nbd7 (7… Bb4 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Qe2) 8. O-O Bb4 9. Qe2 {transposes}\nBg6 10. e4 Bxc3 (10… O-O) 11. bxc3 Nxe4 12. Ba3 {The point of sacrificing\nthe e-pawn.} Qc7 13. Rfc1 O-O-O 14. a5 Nd6 (14… Rhe8 15. a6 b6 16. Nh4 Nd6\n17. Bb3 e5 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Qg4) 15. a6 b6 16. Bb3 Bh5 $146 (16… Nf5) 17. h3\nKb8 18. c4 Nc8 (18… Bxf3 19. Qxf3 Nf5) 19. Qe3 Rhe8 20. Bb2 $11 (20. c5 $16)\n20… h6 21. Ba4 Ne7 22. Ra3 g5 23. Rb3 Ka8 24. Ba3 Nb8 25. g4 Bg6 26. Ne5 $16\n{[#]} f6 $2 (26… Ng8 27. Bb2) 27. Bxe7 fxe5 28. Bxd8 Rxd8 29. Qxe5 Qxe5 30.\ndxe5 $18 Be8 31. Rf3 Nxa6 32. Rf8 Kb7 33. Rh8 Nc5 34. Bc2 Kc7 35. Rxh6 Rd4 36.\nRh7+ Bd7 37. Bg6 a5 38. Be8 a4 39. Bxd7 Nxd7 40. Re7 Kb7 41. Rxe6 Nc5 42. Re7+\nKa6 43. Re8 Kb7 44. e6 Re4 45. e7 Na6 46. Rg8 Rxe7 47. Rxg5 Nc5 48. Rxc5 bxc5\n49. Ra1 Kc7 50. Rxa4 Kd6 $2 (50… Re4) 51. Ra3 Re1+ 52. Kg2 Rc1 53. Re3 Rxc4\n54. g5 Rb4 55. g6 c4 56. h4 {and Black resigned.} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nAs early as the end of the war\, when regular play resumed\, he was almost of that strength (as wins against Kotov and Smyslov in the February\, 1946 Prague v Moscow match showed) but lacking in experience at the top level\, which told against him at Groningen\, 1946\, when he was placed 13th with 9 points out of a possible 19 in a very strong field.  This was the first great post-war tournament\, with nine Master and eleven Grandmasters (including Botvinnik and former world champion Euwe). \nPlayers at the 1946 Groningen Tournament\nAlso in 1946 Kottnauer scored wins against Simagin (in Prague) and Levenfish (in Leningrad) and was clearly one of the up-and-coming stars in a strong Czech team that included Filip and Pachman.  In 1950 he was one of the first players to be awarded the FIDE title of International Master. \nThe following year he was also made a FIDE International Judge (now known as FIDE Arbiter). \nUnfortunately there was no Czech representation at the Dubrovnik\, 1950 Olympiad\, but in 1952\, one of his last appearances for Czechoslovakia\, Kottnauer achieved a remarkable record playing board four (below Filip\, Pachman and Sajtar) at the Helsinki Olympiad. He went through unbeaten with ten wins and five draws (83.3%) and easily won the board prize. \nKottnauer shortly thereafter came to England where he eventually made a successful career as an executive with Trust House Forte’s hotel group; he has also helped with the BBC overseas service Czech-language broadcasts. He lives in West Central London with his wife and their son. \nThe following is undoubtedly Kottnauer’s most famous win. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Match/City Prague-Moscow 13\,0-23\,0”]\n[Site “Moscow”]\n[Date “1946.03.??”]\n[Round “4”]\n[White “Kottnauer\, Cenek”]\n[Black “Kotov\, Alexander”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “D49”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News and Tim Harding”]\n[PlyCount “55”]\n[EventDate “1946.03.02”]\n[EventType “team-match”]\n[EventRounds “6”]\n[EventCountry “URS”]\n[SourceTitle “BCM\, 1949. 193\, game #96”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “Prague”]\n[BlackTeam “Moscow”] \n{[%evp 0\,55\,19\,-12\,7\,-14\,-4\,-6\,41\,25\,43\,54\,55\,54\,37\,42\,20\,26\,24\,-1\,1\,-36\,-25\,\n-38\,-20\,-4\,0\,6\,12\,-6\,17\,-5\,-35\,-39\,0\,-47\,-47\,-149\,-60\,-60\,-60\,-43\,-27\,-28\,230\,\n-144\,216\,300\,740\,360\,1161\,1448\,1448\,1517\,1517\,1583\,1664\,1664]} {Source : BCM\,\n1946\, page 193\, game #9649.} 1. c4 ({Megabase 2020 has this as the move order\n(which is incorrect).} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3\ndxc4) 1… e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c6 {The so-called Triangle Variation and a\npotential prelude to the Abrahams-Noteboom Variation.} 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e3 Nbd7 6.\nBd3 dxc4 {The Meran Defence} 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 ({TDH :\nNowadays (1983)} 10. d5 {is usually preferred but that move was little\nanalysed at the time. The text leads to a very sharp middle-game in which both\nplayers followed up-to-date theory\, which was changed by this game!}) 10…\ncxd4 {[#]} 11. Nxb5 $1 axb5 ({TDH : Sozin’s} 11… Nxe5 {is now that approved\nrecipe for Black. BCM : The latest move is from Euwe v. Walthuis\, Amsterdam.}\n12. Nxe5 axb5 13. Bxb5+ Bd7 14. Nxd7 Qa5+ 15. Bd2 Qxb5 16. Nxf8 Kxf8 17. a4\nQxb2 18. O-O Ne4) 12. exf6 Qb6 13. fxg7 Bxg7 14. O-O O-O 15. Qe2 (15. Re1 Bb7\n16. Bf4 Bd5 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 Bxe5 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Qh5+ Kg7 21. Qg5+ {\nis a well-known GM agreed draw variation}) 15… Nc5 $6 {[#] TDH : Probably\nlosing with best play.. White’s next may have surprised Kotov\, or perhaps he\nthought it was unsound.; Kottnauer says he played the sacrifice ‘without much\nthinking’. Stockfish 12 gives this as the top move allowing the Greek gift.} (\n15… Ba6 {is SF12’s next top move.}) ({TDH : A few months later\, Kotov\nreached the same position against Kottnauer at Groningen\, varied with the\nbetter move} 15… Bb7 {but went wrong later.} 16. Bxh7+ $2 Kxh7 17. Ng5+ Kg8\n18. Qh5 Nf6 $19) 16. Bxh7+ $1 {At this stage SF12 sees no more than a draw for\nWhite but cannot find anything better.} Kxh7 17. Ng5+ Kg6 ({TDH : A game by\nSatjar in 1944 had gone instead} 17… Kg8 $2 18. Qh5 Rd8 19. Qxf7+ Kh8 20.\nQh5+ {with a draw} ({In fact} 20. Qg6 Kg8 21. Bf4 $1 $18 {is crushing}) ({\nbut Kottnauer intended to improve on this by} 20. Bf4 $1 {‘with an\nirresistible attack’.})) 18. Qg4 f5 19. Qg3 {Now it is time to “pause the\nvideo” as [#] we reach a critical position.} Kf6 {SF12 rates this as second\nbest.} ({SF12 gives} 19… Rg8 $1 {as the best defence for Black.} 20. Nxe6+\nKf7 21. Ng5+ Kf8 22. Nh7+ Ke8 23. Re1+ Be6 24. Bh6 Qb7 $11) ({After the game}\n19… Rf7 {was recommended for Black\, and tried the following year by Pachman\nagainst Kottnauer in the Chigorin Memorial in Moscow.} 20. Bf4 {was played \,\nleading to equality\,} ({but Vukovic’s} 20. b4 {seems stronger.})) {Kottnauer\nopted for ‘power play’ using the maximum activity of his pieces!} 20. Bf4 $1 ({\nIn the present game\, both players had moved very quickly but now Kottnauer\nthought for three quarters of an hour\, rejecting the theoretical recommendation\n} 20. Qh4 {(which at best draws\,} {and would have been met by Keres’s idea} e5\n$1 {which Kotov knew about).}) 20… Ke7 21. Rac1 Ra7 22. Rfe1 Bd7 (22… Bf6 {\nloses to} 23. Nh7 Rf7 ({or} 23… Ne4 24. Rxe4) 24. Nxf6 Rxf6 25. b4 {but\nafter Kotov’s move ‘I saw in a flash the final breakthrough’\, wrote Kottnauer.}\n) 23. b4 $1 Na6 $2 ({Against} 23… Na4 {Kottnauer would have had to win in\nthe endgame\, although this would not have been difficult.} 24. Nxe6 Bxe6 25.\nQxg7+ Rf7 26. Bg5+ Kd7 27. Qh8 {Black could then play here} Nc3 {when\nKottnauer gives as best} 28. Rxe6 Qxe6 29. Qxd4+ Kc8 30. Rxc3+ Rac7 31. Rxc7+\nRxc7 32. h4 {winning the ending.}) 24. Nxe6 Bxe6 25. Qxg7+ Rf7 26. Bg5+ Kd7 27.\nQh8 $1 {Now you can see why 23…Na4 was superior -} Qb8 ({Black cannot block\nthe c-file with} 27… Rc7 {because of} 28. Qd8#) (27… Nc7 28. Qd8#) 28.\nQxd4+ {Black resigned.} 1-0\n[/pgn] \nand here we have the same game analysed by Tryfon Gavriel : \n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtPpdjZQWpg[/embedyt] \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CXVI (116\, 1996)\, Number 4 (April)\, pp 202-203 we have this obituary by Bernard Cafferty : \nČeněk Kottnauer\, the Czech/British IM\, and the first chess defector died in St. Margaret’s Hospital\, London\, on 14th February after heart trouble and abdominal cancer. \nA giant of a man\, a fine athlete and swimmer\, he was born on 24th February 1910 and came to prominence in the 1942 tournament in Prague in which Alekhine took part. He extended the great man to 70 moves before resigning. His wins against Kotov and Smyslov in the Moscow-Prague match of 1946 and his 13th place in the great Groningen tournament of the same year confirmed his status\, as did his excellent showing for Czechoslovakia in the 1952 Olympiad at Helsinki (+10=5-0 on fourth board). He also took part in the 1947 Chigorin Memorial in Moscow\, and won a tournament at Lucerne in early 1953\, the same year in which he emigrated to Britain. \nHoogovens\, Beverwijk\, 1962. In the opening round (played 11th January)\, Theo van Scheltinga (Netherlands) faces Čeněk Kottnauer (England\, formerly ČSSR). (Photo credit: W. van Rossem\, ANEFO\, via http://gahetna.nl. Courtesy of Douglas Griffin\nOn this form he would have gained the GM title had he continued playing\, but he had to take a full-time job (with Trusthouse Forte) to support his family. \nČeněk had met his much younger wife in Austria\, though she too was Czech. They had a son. The master’s appearences were therefore limited to London League matches and other sporadic events. That he had lost none of his skill was shown when he played top board for England at the 1964 Tel-Aviv Olympiad (Penrose was not available) and made +8=7-3. His only other big event was the Lugano Olympiad of 1968 when he was on second board and made +3=5-4. \nThe 1964 England Olympiad (Tel Aviv) Team : Owen Hindle\, Čeněk Kottnauer\, Peter Clarke\, Michael Franklin\, Norman Littlewood & Michael Haygarth\nČeněk (pronounced CHEnek) Kottnauer was one of the early professionals in the German Bundesliga; on a visit to his Bayswater flat in 1995 by Murray Chandler and myself\, Čeněk told us about the great transport difficulties he had in those days. He mentioned that he had recently had a heart bypass operation and showed us the medication he had to take on a regular basis\, opining that after Golombek and Milner-Barry he would be the next to go. \nHugh Alexander\, Čeněk Kottnauer\, Michael Franklin and Owen Hindle\nČeněk was involved in junior coaching in London for many years\, wrote extensively for the Dutch and German press and in recent years was a regular visitor to the Lloyds Bank Masters to see old friends and acquaintances. Amongst those he coached were Julian Hodgson\, William Watson and Dharshan Kumaran\, as well as Stuart Conquest. \nIM Čeněk Kottnauer in Argentina during the 1981 World Under-16 Championship\nIn Stuart’s case he came regularly to Hastings to do the coaching which was financed by the Slater Foundation and by Lloyds Bank. \nThe fruit of his effort was Stuart’s 1981 World U-16 title in Argentina\, where Čeněk’s great physical strength came in handy when the huge trophy had to be carried back to Britain. \nIM Čeněk Kottnauer with Stuart Conquest during the World Under-16 Championship in Argentina.\nAll his pupils and friends will attest to his wonderful manner. A great personality has left us.” \nAccording to Leonard Barden “Čeněk’s students included Demis Hassabis\, then aged six.   He once told me that Dharshan Kumaran\, then seven\, was the more talented of the pair  but that Demis was also ‘very clever and tricky’ ” \nDaniel tells us that Nigel Short visited his family home for coaching and we believe that both Anita and Mira Rakshit were CKs students. Doubtless there were many more… \n[pgn]\n[Event “Olympiad-10 Final A”]\n[Site “Helsinki”]\n[Date “1952.08.30”]\n[Round “9”]\n[White “Rellstab\, Ludwig Sr”]\n[Black “Kottnauer\, Cenek”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “B50”]\n[Annotator “Tim Harding and British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “78”]\n[EventDate “1952.08.21”]\n[EventType “team-tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “FIN”]\n[SourceTitle “MCD”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “Germany”]\n[BlackTeam “Czechoslovakia”]\n[WhiteTeamCountry “GER”]\n[BlackTeamCountry “CSR”] \n{[%evp 0\,78\,19\,28\,40\,40\,81\,18\,33\,-24\,16\,-13\,2\,-20\,-43\,-39\,-34\,-42\,-42\,-84\,-66\,\n-47\,-42\,-64\,-51\,-46\,-33\,-50\,-45\,-46\,-30\,-34\,-69\,-70\,-68\,-68\,-44\,-89\,-70\,-91\,\n-68\,-105\,-144\,-146\,-155\,-182\,-182\,-175\,-175\,-185\,-177\,-262\,-282\,-298\,-314\,-308\,\n-227\,-236\,-254\,-267\,-267\,-337\,-350\,-361\,-277\,-280\,-364\,-338\,-326\,-373\,-328\,\n-415\,-425\,-403\,-416\,-486\,-479\,-515\,-495\,-796\,-819]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3\nNf6 4. Bd3 Bg4 5. Bc2 {TDH : Incorrect. BCN : In 2021 Bc2 is the most popular\nmove in Megabase 2020 but h3 scores slightly better among the top players.} ({\nTDH : Pfeiffer-Kottnauer\, earlier in the same event\, went} 5. h3 Bh5 6. Bc2 {\nwhen} d5 {would be met by} 7. e5 Nfd7 8. g4 Bg6 9. Bxg6 hxg6 10. e6 $1 fxe6 11.\nNg5 {with a promising attack\, according to Kottnauer.}) 5… d5 $146 {was a\nnovelty in 1952 but has not really caught on since.} ({BCN : More usual is}\n5… Nc6 6. d3 e6 7. Nbd2 {This position resembles a reversed Hanham Variation\nwith the bishop on c2 instead of e2.} Be7 8. h3 Bh5 9. Nf1 d5 10. Ng3 Bg6 11.\nQe2 Qc7 12. O-O Bd6) 6. e5 (6. d3) 6… Nfd7 7. d4 e6 8. Be3 Qb6 $15 {[#] TDH :\nThe position is similar to the 3.e5 variation of the French\, except that\nBlack’s main worry in that line (his queen’s bishop) is here developed\nsatisfactorily.} 9. b3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Bb4+ 11. Kf1 ({TDH : Not} 11. Nbd2 Bc3 12.\nRc1 Bxf3 {when Black wins a pawn.}) 11… Nc6 $17 12. a3 Be7 13. Nc3 $6 (13.\nNbd2) 13… Rc8 14. Na4 $6 (14. Ne2) 14… Qc7 15. Bd3 f6 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. Rc1\nQd6 18. b4 O-O 19. Be2 a5 20. b5 $2 (20. Nc5) 20… Ne7 21. Nc5 {[#]} Nf5 22.\nNxd7 ({TDH : If} 22. Nxb7 Qxa3 {threatening Nxe3+}) 22… Qxd7 23. Rxc8 Rxc8\n24. a4 Qd6 25. Ng1 Qa3 26. Bd2 {TDH : Black was threatening 26…Nxe3+ 27 fxe3\nRc1} Bxe2+ 27. Nxe2 Nxd4 28. Bxa5 Nb3 29. Be1 Qxa4 {TDH: The rest is just\nmopping-up :} 30. g4 Qxb5 31. Kg2 Rc4 32. h3 d4 33. Ng3 Qd5+ 34. Qf3 d3 35. Nf1\nBg5 36. Qxd5 exd5 37. f4 Bxf4 38. Bg3 d2 39. Nh2 Bxg3 0-1\n[/pgn] \nLeonard added : \n“After he retired he did chess coaching and\, although never named in the BCF’s list of coaches\, was the most successful of all in terms of achievements by those he taught. He normally did weekly sessions of a couple of hours and got results through his challenging and sceptical approach to ideas from his pupils. \nKottnauer pupils included Hodgson\, Watson\, and Kumaran\, who all became grandmasters. When he came to our junior invitation tournaments in the mid-seventies I used to give a prize of a game and session with him to exceptional talents. So he played Nigel Short in spring 1975 (probably Short’s first one-to-one with an IM) and was enthusiastic about his promise. \nIn 1981 when Stuart Conquest was going to the the world U16 championship in Argentina Cenek coached him for several months beforehand and went with him to the event. No news reports were available during the tournament so the first I knew was when Cenek phoned me on his return to London and complained that he was tired having to carry this enormous trophy home (Stuart had broken his arm before the event and played in a sling) and how the food had been terrible but that Eliskases\, who was involved in the organisation\, had sworn him to secrecy. \nIM Čeněk Kottnauer in Argentina during the 1981 World Under-16 Championship\nI used to visit him a couple of times a month for talk and blitz sessions and have warm memories. A great guy\, and a significant figure in the long departed English chess boom.” \nHere is an excellent article from Tim Harding originally  on chesscafe.com but now via the Wayback Machine. \nHere is an obituary from Bill Hartston \nHere is his Wikipedia entry \nAnd finally\, according to chessgames.com : \n“Cenek Kottnauer was born in Prague. He was awarded the IM title in 1950 and became an International Arbiter in 1951. Kottnauer played the Helsinki Olympiad 1952 on board 4 for Czechoslovakia\, scoring +10 =5 -0. In 1953 he won the Lucerne international tournament. That same year\, he emigrated to England\, and eventually became a naturalized citizen and played for England in the Olympiads of 1964 and 1968. In the 1970s he became one of England’s top coaches of young players.”
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-im-cenek-kottnauer-24-ii-1910-14-ii-1996/
CATEGORIES:Arbiter,Coach,Death Anniversary,History,Player,Remembering
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210215
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210216
DTSTAMP:20260817T135447Z
CREATED:20190822T151519Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T135447Z
UID:973-1613347200-1613433599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of IM Hugh Alexander CMG CBE (15-ii-1974)
DESCRIPTION:We remember Hugh Alexander who passed away on Friday\, 15-ii-1974. The death was registered in the Borough of Cheltenham.  Currently his burial / cremation site is unknown. \nConel Hugh O’Donel Alexander was born on Monday\, April 19th\, 1909 in Cork\, Munster\, Republic of Ireland. \nSignature of CHO’D Alexander from August 1970\nHugh’s parents were Conel William Long Alexander (1879-1920) and Hilda Barbara Alexander (née Bennett) (1881-1964) who married in Hook Church\, Hampshire. His father was a Professor of Civil Engineering from County Donegal and his mother was the daughter of a timber merchant and was from Birmingham. \nHugh’s father moved to Hook in Hampshire. At some point they returned to Cork and then relocated to Birmingham. \nIn the 1911 Irish census aged two Hugh was recorded as being a Presbyterian.  The household consisted of his father\, mother and two servants Maud McAuliffe (19)  from County Cork and Johanna Hanlon (20) from Cork City all living at 20\, Connaught Avenue\, Cork. \nAt the time of the census all members of the household were capable of reading and writing apart from Hugh who was recorded as “cannot read”. \nand Hugh’s father signed the Return as follows : \nSignature of Hugh’s father on 1911 Irish census Return\n20 Connaught Avenue\, Cork\, Ireland\nHugh attended Londonderry College and then went to King Edward’s School\, Birmingham. \nHugh married Enid Constance Rose Crichton Neate (1900-1982) in October 1934 and the marriage was registered in the district of Westminster\, Middlesex. \nAccording to Rodric Braithwaite : \n“Enid\, was an equally striking personality. She was descended from one of the defenders of the Eureka Stockade\, the “birthplace of Australian democracy”. She was educated at the Sorbonne\, a formidable dialectician\, art historian and collector. In her later years she returned to Australia\, where she was endlessly hospitable to passing Russian chessplayers\, and to itinerant musicians\, including my own father.” \nHugh and Enid had a son Michael (19 June 1936 – 1 June 2002) who became the foreign policy secretary to Margaret Thatcher and the UK ambassador to NATO. Here is Michael’s obituary. \nMichael married Traute Krohn. Michael and Traute gave Hugh a grandson\, Conel Alexander who is a Cosmochemist at the Earth and Planets Laboratory\, Carnegie Institution for Science\, Washington. \nConel M. O’D. AlexanderStaff Scientist\nPrior to the second world war Alexander was officially employed by John Spedan Lewis in his Department store in Oxford Street. When he returned from Buenos Aires (“good air”) from the 1939 Olympiad he travelled aboard the RMS Alcantara. Here is the entry in the passenger list for September 19th\, 1939 : \nPartial passenger manifest for the RMS Alcantara for September 19th\, 1939. Alexander is passenger #23.\nand here is Alexander’s entry in detail. Note that his occupation is described as “Drapery Manager” : \nPartial passenger manifest for the RMS Alcantara for September 19th\, 1939. Alexander is passenger #23.\nHugh sailed from Buenos Aires\, Argentina in September 1939 to arrive at Southampton September 19th 1939. The ship was the Alcantara operated by Royal Mail Lines Ltd hence the RMS Alcantara. \nRMS Alcantara off Rio de Janeiro between 1934 and 1939 by Kenneth Shoesmith\nAccording to Wikipedia : “RMS Alcantara was a Royal Mail Lines ocean liner that was built in Belfast in 1926. She served in the Second World War first as an armed merchant cruiser and then a troop ship\, was returned to civilian service in 1948 and scrapped in 1958. \nPorts of the voyage were : Buenos Aires; Montevideo; Santos and Rio de Janeiro and Hugh’s official number was 148151 and he travelled 2nd class. His proposed destination residential address was \n316\, Rodney House\, Dolphin Square\, London\, SW1 \nAccording to Wikipedia : “The proximity of Dolphin Square to the Palace of Westminster and the headquarters of the intelligence agencies MI5 (Thames House) and MI6 (Vauxhall Cross) has attracted many politicians\, peers\, civil servants and intelligence agency personnel as residents.” \nDolphin Square. London\, SW1\nThere was some discussion of Drapery Manager in another place. \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume XCIV (94\, 1974)\, Number 4 (April)\, pp. 117-120 by PS Milner-Barry : \n“A proper assessment of Hugh Alexander\, who died on February 15th 1974 must await a later issue. But I think he might have been pleased to see our last game published\, and I give the score of it below\, with notes based on our usual analysis immediately after the game. Over the past 45 years\, ever since he went to Cambridge\, we played whenever opportunity offered serious games with clocks. \nConel Hugh O’Donel Alexander\nBefore the war they were played mostly at my mother’s house in Cambridge\, and after the war and my own marriage at our house in Blackheath. When he moved to Cheltenham the opportunities became fewer but no year ever passed without two or three such games\, usually at Easter or Christmas. \nAlexander always used to say\, it was certainly true of me\, that this was the kind of chess that he enjoyed most. The games were conducted with the utmost vigour\, though not without a good deal of propaganda on both sides. I suppose he won in the proportion of about two to one\, but the disparity in strength never became one-sided. Nearly all the games opened 1 P-K4\, P-K4; he played the Lopez when I allowed him. (I usually played the Petroff or Philidor)\, and I played a mixture – in the early days the Vienna and latterly mostly the King’s Gambit. On the whole Black did better than White for both of us. \nCHO’D Alexander plays PS Milner-Barry\nThe only concession we made to advancing years was that latterly we contented ourselves with four hour sessions and 36 moves\, instead of 40 in 5 hours. We thought we had done enough for honour by then\, and the games were usually finished in the time. \nHugh stayed with us the weekend before Christmas\, when this game was played. He looked ill\, but he was very cheerful and as good company as ever. He loved a good argument\, and as my family so too\,- the evening meal was its usual lively affair! I am myself a man of peace\, and intellectually lazy; so in deference to my feelings the argument was suspended\, before it became too hot. I am afraid they all thought I was a spoil-sport. It was as happy a visit as any of us could remember and it is difficult to accept there will not be another. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Blackheath Friendly”]\n[Site “Blackheath”]\n[Date “1973.12.23”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Milner Barry\, Philip Stuart”]\n[Black “Alexander\, Conel Hugh O’Donel”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “C34”]\n[Annotator “PS Milner-Barry & British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “70”]\n[EventDate “1973.12.23”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\n[SourceTitle “BCM. 1974\, page 118\, gam”] \n{[%evp 0\,9\,19\,38\,25\,3\,-5\,-5\,28\,23\,37\,-14]} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 h6 {\nMB: This rustic move was Alexander’s favourite\, and I never succeeded in\nrefuting it. It is a good way of transposing into a Classical Defence without\ngiving White the option of the Kieseritzky. In 2020 3…h6 is being played\nand has adherents such as Leko and Luke McShane.} 4. d4 g5 5. g3 {MB: This\ngoes back to Spielmann. It is of course double-edged to commit oneself so\nearly. BCN : Both Ivanchuk and Grischuk have played this.} d6 (5… fxg3 6.\nhxg3 {gives White good chances.}) 6. Bc4 ({Alexander expected} 6. gxf4 g4 7.\nNg1 Qh4+ 8. Ke2 {Another time I would try this – like the Steinitz Gambit\, it\nis not so bad as it looks.}) 6… Bh3 $1 $146 (6… g4 7. Nh4 f3 {BCN : has\nbeen tried a few times.}) (6… Nc6 {BCN : In the harsh and unforgiving world\nof engine analyis SF12 shouts loud for this.}) ({MB: An improvement on} 6…\nBg7 7. gxf4 g4 8. Ng1 Qh4+ 9. Kf1 {which in two previous games had turned out\nrather good for White (not that I won either of them).}) 7. Qe2 Bg7 8. c3 g4 9.\nNh4 f3 10. Qc2 Ne7 11. Kf2 $19 {[#] At this point both of us thought that\nWhite stood better\, because of the imprisoned bishop on h3. Alexander\ncriticised this move.} ({Alexander suggested} 11. Be3 {to be followed by Nd2\nand 0-0-0.} {but} O-O {followed by d5 gives Black the better game.}) 11… Bf6\n12. Nf5 Nxf5 13. exf5 d5 14. Bd3 Kf8 $1 15. Bf4 Nc6 16. Nd2 Bg5 $1 17. Bxg5\nQxg5 ({MB : I had expected} 17… hxg5 {and intended to continue with} 18. Nf1\nBg2 19. Ne3 Bxh1 20. Rxh1 {after which\, with Nxg4 and Kxf3\, White has full\ncompensation for the exchange.}) 18. Nf1 {White would much rather preserve his\nknight\,} ({but if} 18. Bf1 Re8 {is horrible}) ({if} 18. Rae1 {Black can launch\nan immediate attack with} h5 {and then …h4}) 18… Re8 19. Qc1 {Forced\, but\nthe writing is now on the wall.} Bxf1 {The depised Bishop has had great\nnuisance value.} 20. Rxf1 Kg7 $1 {He need not hurry. The weak f5 pawn will\nprove fatal.} 21. Re1 Kf6 22. b4 {He must do something!} Qxc1 23. Raxc1 Rxe1\n24. Rxe1 Ne7 25. Re5 Rg8 $1 26. h4 {Again forced.} ({If} 26. Ke3 Rg5 27. Kf4 f2\n28. Ke3 Rh5 {wins easily.}) 26… gxh3 27. Kxf3 Rg5 28. Re2 ({If} 28. g4 h5 {\nis decisive.}) 28… Nxf5 29. Bxf5 Kxf5 (29… Rxf5+ $2 30. Kg4 {would only be\na draw. (SF12 believes Black is winning easily.)}) 30. Rh2 ({Or} 30. g4+ Kg6\n31. Kg3 ({or} 31. Rh2 h5)) 30… Kg6 31. Rxh3 Rh5 {The final coup.\nSuperficially it looks as though White still has chances\, but it is not so.}\n32. Rxh5 Kxh5 33. Kf4 Kg6 34. a4 ({Because if} 34. Ke5 f5 $1 ({much better than\n} 34… c6 35. b5) 35. Kxd5 f4 36. gxf4 Kf5 {and wins easily.}) 34… c6 35.\nKg4 f5+ {and White resigned.} 0-1\n[/pgn] \nAs for the game\, it was not one of our most exciting encounters. But it is quite an interesting one\, and shows Hugh playing as\nwell as ever – certainly much too well for me. But then he usually did.” \nFollowing PSMBs contribution\, in the same obituary there was this from Harry Golombek : \nC.H.O’D.  Alexander and the ‘B.C.M.’\nI have written elsewhere about Hugh Alexander both as a person and as a chess-player and I also intend to devote a forthcoming article in ‘The Times‘ on Saturday to an appraisal of his place in British Chess. Here\, however\, I would like to describe briefly his connection with this magazine over the years and to show how\nimportant his help was to the progress of the ‘BCM‘. \nIn the years immediately preceding the Second World War\, Ash Wheatcroft and I had made a determined effort to maintain and increase the role of the ‘BCM‘\, he in a managerial capacity and I as its editor. With the coming of war and the departure of both of us into the army a sort of caretaker regime had to be provided. It worked as well as could have been expected but inevitably there had been a decline both in quality and financially. When peace came\, the quality improved since it was possible to get more and better contributions but the financial aspect became almost alarming. \nThe question arose – was there a need for the magazine and if so how could that need be fulfilled with the fairly limited resources at hand. Some of us thought there was\, but the ways and means were not so clear. Of all those who thought like this Alexander was the most effective in his approach to the problems. I know that from his very youth onwards he had been convinced of the importance of the ‘BCM’ to British chess and\, being a practical idealist\, when the\ncrisis came he set about dealing with it in the most expeditious way. \nIn November 1946 he became a director of the B.C.M. and continued in that position till February 1952\, by which time the magazine had been set on a solid basis from\nwhich it was unlikely to be shaken. It was his idea that Brian Reilly be asked to act as editor and almost his first act as director was to write a letter to him inviting him to become so. Then\, in January 1947\, he himself took over the editorship of the games department\, an arduous task which he fulfilled with great competence and the utmost conscientiousness until May 1949 when the heavy work of the Civil Service department of which he was head compelled him to hand over the Games Section to me. \nBefore\, however\, that he gave up this post he\, again in the most practical way possible\, rendered the ‘BCM‘ another service. He wrote a book giving a selection of the games from the last period of Alekhine’s life and generously donated half the royalties to the ‘BCM‘ in order to bolster up its slender finances. \nAlekhine’s Best Games of Chess : 1938-45\, CHO’D Alexander\, G. Bell and Sons\, 1966 ISBN 4-87187-827-9\nEven after he had to give up official connection with the magazine he retained a strong interest in its welfare. So\, even though this recognition is belated and posthumous\, I thought it was right to afford readers the possibility of joining with me in thanking High Alexander for all that he did in this respect in especial. At any rate\, such matters should be on record for the chess historian. \nFrom The Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match by E.Klein and W.Winter : \n“CHO’D Alexander was born in Cork in 1909 and learned chess at the age of ten. He was educated at King Edward School\, Birmingham\, where he exhibited early prowess by winning the Birmingham Post Cup. In 1927 he won the British Boy’s Championship. During his student days\, from 1928 to 1932\, he was a convincing champion of Cambridge University. Subsequently he competed in five British Championships\, winning the title in 1938. He also played in several international tournaments\, his outstanding performance amongst these being Hastings in 1938\, where he shared second and third prizes with Keres\, following Reshevsky who won the tournament\, and ahead of Fine and Flohr. In 1939\, in the England-Holland match\, he had the satisfaction of defeating the ex-World Champion\, Dr. Euwe\, in a sensational games\, drawing the return game. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Match/Nation NED-ENG 10-10”]\n[Site “The Hague”]\n[Date “1939.05.28”]\n[Round “1.1”]\n[White “Euwe\, Max”]\n[Black “Alexander\, Conel Hugh O’Donel”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “E33”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “62”]\n[EventDate “1939.05.28”]\n[EventType “team-match”]\n[EventRounds “2”]\n[EventCountry “NED”]\n[SourceTitle “EXT 2003”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “2002.11.25”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “2002.11.25”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “Netherlands”]\n[BlackTeam “England”]\n[WhiteTeamCountry “NED”]\n[BlackTeamCountry “ENG”] \n{[%evp 0\,62\,19\,31\,25\,7\,-11\,-12\,27\,-3\,15\,5\,-1\,-41\,24\,-91\,-38\,-49\,-53\,-140\,-151\,\n-136\,-142\,-156\,-178\,-154\,-135\,-118\,-117\,-157\,-86\,-113\,-91\,-142\,-59\,-60\,-74\,\n-224\,-235\,-235\,-227\,-174\,-184\,-184\,-126\,-151\,-145\,-153\,-142\,-146\,-124\,-147\,\n-136\,-131\,-150\,-145\,-165\,-173\,-168\,-175\,-160\,-222\,-252\,-390\,-398]} 1. d4 Nf6 2.\nc4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 $6 (7. Bd2 O-O 8. a3\nBxc3 9. Bxc3 Qe7 10. e4 e5) 7… g5 8. Bg3 g4 9. Nh4 Nxd4 10. Qd3 e5 11. O-O-O\n$146 {[#]} Ne6 $17 12. Nb1 Ba5 13. Qa3 Bb6 14. Bxe5 Ne4 $1 15. Bxh8 Qxh4 16. c5\nQg5+ 17. Nd2 N6xc5 18. h4 gxh3 19. gxh3 Nxf2 20. Rh2 Nxd1 $19 21. Rg2 Qe3 22.\nRg8+ Ke7 23. Kxd1 Qxa3 24. bxa3 Ne6 25. h4 Bf2 26. h5 d5 27. Bh3 b6 28. Bxe6\nKxe6 29. Re8+ Kd7 30. Re5 Bb7 31. Bg7 Bd4 0-1\n[/pgn] \nA brilliant mathematician\, he took a first at Cambridge and chose a scholastic career\, joining a well-known public school (Winchester College). From there\, via a short spell in a business appointment (John Lewis)\, he entered the service of the Foreign Office\, where\, during the war years\, his valuable work earned him the OBE. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Match/Nation radio”]\n[Site “Radio”]\n[Date “1946.06.21”]\n[Round “2”]\n[White “Alexander\, Conel Hugh O’Donel”]\n[Black “Botvinnik\, Mikhail”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “C18”]\n[Annotator “Ftacnik\,Lubomir”]\n[PlyCount “81”]\n[EventDate “1946.06.19”]\n[EventType “team-match”]\n[EventRounds “2”]\n[SourceTitle “MCL”]\n[Source “ChessBase”]\n[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceVersion “1”]\n[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]\n[SourceQuality “1”]\n[WhiteTeam “England”]\n[BlackTeam “USSR”] \n{[%evp 0\,81\,34\,15\,46\,31\,28\,20\,32\,44\,21\,23\,30\,18\,26\,23\,44\,50\,51\,37\,77\,35\,68\,77\,\n117\,126\,136\,114\,127\,132\,113\,113\,118\,122\,119\,122\,65\,99\,125\,138\,150\,143\,143\,105\,\n106\,150\,609\,257\,335\,378\,413\,314\,314\,396\,396\,406\,379\,379\,458\,426\,407\,487\,500\,\n536\,516\,498\,504\,392\,379\,383\,435\,472\,447\,447\,447\,439\,482\,439\,461\,517\,572\,344\,\n417\,449]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4\ncxd4 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 Qa5 $6 (9… dxc3 10. Qd3 d4 11. f4 Nbc6 12. Nf3 $14 {\n(Yudovich)}) (9… Nbc6 10. f4 Qa5 11. Rb1 b6 12. Nf3 Ba6 13. Ng5 $1 $16 {Keres\n}) 10. Rb1 (10. Ne2 $1 {Keres} dxc3 11. Ng3 $1 Nd7 12. Nh5 d4 13. f4 $1 $14 {\nTimman-Korchnoi/Leeuwarden/1976}) 10… Qxc3+ (10… Nbc6 $5) 11. Bd2 Qc7 (\n11… Qxa3 $6 12. Nf3 (12. Bb4 {Keene/Levy}) 12… Nbc6 13. Bd3 Rxg2 $2 14. Ke2\n$18 {Moles}) 12. f4 Nbc6 13. Nf3 Bd7 14. Ng5 (14. h4) 14… Rxg5 (14… O-O-O\n15. Nxf7) (14… Rf8 15. h4) (14… Nd8 15. Bb4 $16 {Keene/Levy} Rf8 16. Qg7)\n15. fxg5 O-O-O (15… Qxe5+ 16. Kd1 $16 {Keene/Levy}) 16. Qxf7 {Fine} Qxe5+ 17.\nKd1 {Pachman} Nf5 18. g6 (18. Bd3 $1 Ne3+ 19. Bxe3 Qxe3 (19… dxe3 20. Qf6)\n20. Qf6 $1 e5 21. Re1 Bg4+ 22. Be2 Bxe2+ 23. Rxe2 Qg1+ 24. Re1 $16 {Botvinnik})\n18… Ne3+ (18… Nce7 19. g7 $1) 19. Kc1 Qe4 20. Bd3 Qxg2 21. Re1 Ne5 (21…\nNc4 22. Bxc4 dxc4 23. Qf6 $1 Qxh2 (23… Rg8) 24. Bg5 Qg3 25. Kb2 $1 Qc3+ 26.\nKa2 Qxc2+ 27. Rb2 Qc3 28. g7 Qxe1 29. Qxd8+ $1 Nxd8 30. g8=Q {Fine} Qa5 $1 31.\nRf2 $6 (31. Rh2 Ba4 $10 {Schwarz}) 31… Ba4 $1 {Schwarz}) 22. Qf4 Nf3 23. Re2\n(23. Ba5 $1) 23… Qh3 24. Bxe3 e5 25. Qf7 dxe3 26. g7 Qg4 27. h3 Qg1+ 28. Kb2\nQg3 29. Bg6 Nd4 30. g8=Q Rxg8 31. Qxg8+ Kc7 32. Qh7 Kd6 (32… Nxe2 33. Bf5)\n33. Bd3 e4 34. Qh6+ Kc7 35. Rxe3 Qe5 36. Ka2 Nf5 37. Qg5 Be6 38. Be2 d4+ 39.\nReb3 b5 40. Qd2 d3 41. Bg4 1-0\n[/pgn] \nHe plays imaginative and courageous chess and is never afraid of the wildest complications.” \nIM Conel Hugh O’Donel Alexander CMG CBE (19-iv-1909 15-ii-1974). Source : The Anglo-Soviet Radio Chess Match\nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume XCIV (94\, 1974)\, Number 6 (June)\, pp. 202-204 by PS Milner-Barry : \nWith the death of Hugh Alexander at the age of 64\, British chess has lost the outstanding figure of the past forty years. His active playing career over some thirty years included two victories in the British championship and regular appearances in all representative teams from l93l-58\, except when the nature of his Civil Service\nduties prevented him from travelling behind the Iron Curtain. During the whole of the period after the war he was the regular top board for the England team. In the Hastings international congress he twice won the Premier tournament\, on the second occasion tying with Bronstein. His victories in this series included two world champions (Euwe and Botvinnik) and numerous others in the Grandmaster class. He was an outstanding example\, like H.E.Atkins and Dr. Milan Vidmar\, of the amateur who could combine an exacting professional life of great responsibility and distinction with success in competitive international chess at the highest level and with the increasing professionalism of the game and the demands of knowledge and research that it makes upon the masters\, this was much more difficult in Hugh’s time than in an earlier age. \nIt was indeed in the international field that his fame will principally rest. On the British championship scene\, although he always did well before the War\, and won convincingly at Brighton in 1938 in a strong field\, his record did not match his abilities. He never established anything like the superiority over his contemporaries that Atkins in a former age and Penrose in a later achieved. He won the championship again\, in 1956\, but that was a weak year when the Moscow Olympiad took first claim on the leading British players. It was not that he cared less – like all the great players he hated losing\, though he was the most magnanimous of opponents – but that he seemed to require the stimulus of the great occasion\, and of a world famous name on the other side of the board\, to bring out the best in him. \nThe BCF Team at the Amsterdam Olympiad 1954. Left to right : Barden\, Clarke\, Penrose\, Wade\, Golombek (board three) and Alexander\nAlexander was perhaps the only English player of his day whom the Grandmasters would have treated as on a level with themselves. On his day he was liable to beat any of them\, and they were well aware of it. In his younger days he was very much the gay cavalier\, and a brilliant combinative and attacking player with a touch of genius. Latterly he lost some of this elan\, and adapted his style to the responsibilities of the B.C.T. top board. His opponents too\, with a healthy respect for his powers\, were less inclined to give him opportunities. He was as capable of the dead-bat technique as anybody\, and to that extent (to my way of thinking anyway) his games became less interesting\, with quick draws making a higher contribution to his top-board results than in earlier years. But none the less he was the anchor-man of the British team until his retirement after the 1958 Olympiad. \nKick Langeweg plays Hugh Alexander in the Anglo-Dutch Match of October 7th \, 1961. Peter Clarke (right) is playing Johan Teunis Barendregt and Harry Golombek observes\nIt was a great pity he gave up the game over the board at 50. He had years of good chess in him. But I think he felt he had scaled all the peaks he could scale\, and that he was finding top-class competitive chess a burden difficult to reconcile with his Civil Service work and the prospect of a gradual and inevitable decline in his powers did not appeal to him. I made many efforts to tempt him back to the arena\, but to no avail. I do not think he ever seriously regretted his decision\, and in his last years he immensely enjoyed correspondence chess. \nIn 1964\, Alexander became non-playing captain of the B.C.F. team\, and held that role continuously until after the Siegen Olympiad in 1970. \nHugh Alexander\, Čeněk Kottnauer\, Michael Franklin and Owen Hindle\nIt was rather a disappointing period for British chess\, and the results\, while we were rebuilding a young team\, could not – even with Penrose’s outstanding efforts at top board – have been expected to be favourable. But he threw himself wholeheartedly into all the work sponsored by the B.C.F. and the Friends of Chess to find and develop talent in the younger generation\, and before he died the fruits of these labours were beginning to appear. He would have been proud indeed to have witnessed our recent triumph in the Anglo-German match. \nAs a captain he was\, of course\, immensely liked and respected by his team. My impression was that he took his responsibilities almost too seriously\, and agonised too\nmuch over his decisions about whom to play and whom to rest. Nevertheless on balance he thoroughly enjoyed the work\, and certainly\, in spite of his innate modesty\, he\nwas never one to be disturbed by ill-informed or irresponsible criticism\, of which he had his share. \nConel Hugh O’Donel Alexander playing Alberic O’Kelly de Galway in a publicity shot before the start of the Hastings Premier.\, probably Hastings 1953-54\, the year Alexander tied first with Bronstein : thanks to Leonard Barden\nI suppose his most famous tournament result was his equal first with Bronstein at the Hastings Christmas Congress of 1953. Coming at a time when we were gloomily resigned to British players bringing up the rear in international tournaments\, this created a great sensation. \n[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im75EwDXEzg[/embedyt] \nThe game with Bronstein lasted over 100 moves and Alexander won a most difficult Queen and Pawn ending by impeccable technique. \nHugh Alexander plays David Bronstein during Hastings 1954\n[pgn]\n[Event “Christmas Congress 1953/54-29 Premier”]\n[Site “Hastings”]\n[Date “1954.01.06”]\n[Round “7”]\n[White “Bronstein\, David Ionovich”]\n[Black “Alexander\, Conel Hugh O’Donel”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “A83”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “240”]\n[EventDate “1953.12.30”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\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\,240\,19\,31\,75\,-1\,-16\,-16\,3\,-21\,36\,30\,42\,26\,12\,4\,-19\,-13\,8\,-36\,-28\,-32\,\n-9\,-21\,-21\,-7\,0\,-3\,32\,-22\,0\,-58\,-29\,-41\,-39\,-41\,-41\,-41\,-51\,-55\,-79\,-79\,-71\,\n-65\,-43\,-60\,-26\,-41\,-24\,-24\,-41\,-32\,-60\,-64\,-75\,-70\,-73\,-74\,-74\,-86\,-84\,-114\,\n-141\,-149\,-153\,-159\,-157\,-157\,-102\,-108\,-112\,-108\,-108\,-105\,-104\,-113\,-104\,\n-102\,-102\,-102\,-103\,-103\,-110\,-128\,-134\,-157\,-147\,-155\,-142\,-166\,-159\,-166\,\n-161\,-154\,-154\,-151\,-155\,-155\,-167\,-168\,-168\,-171\,-171\,-171\,-153\,-176\,-169\,\n-169\,-153\,-153\,-153\,-153\,-153\,-153\,-153\,-153\,-153\,-187\,-193\,-189\,-190\,-190\,\n-190\,-190\,-193\,-194\,-194\,-194\,-190\,-194\,-115\,-194\,-194\,-194\,-194\,-194\,-117\,\n-151\,-165\,-181\,-188\,-193\,-193\,-193\,-190\,-190\,-190\,-195\,-195\,-208\,-215\,-214\,\n-214\,-214\,-226\,-229\,-237\,-226\,-226\,-226\,-202\,-208\,-215\,-226\,-226\,-226\,-232\,\n-229\,-237\,-236\,-229\,-236\,-232\,-271\,-206\,-217\,-205\,-205\,-206\,-211\,-211\,-211\,\n-218\,-226\,-234\,-235\,-236\,-216\,-214\,-228\,-241\,-245\,-239\,-288\,-262\,-263\,-281\,\n-417\,-381\,-468\,-513\,-496\,-420\,-420\,-290\,-301\,-301\,-308\,-301\,-421\,-267\,-338\,\n-263\,-335\,-355\,-409\,-478\,-554\,-588\,-764\,-1013\,-1240\,-483\,-624\,-503\,-503\,-503\,\n-545\,-569\,-589\,-642\,-701\,-829\,-931\,-982\,-1012\,-1022\,-1372\,-1012\,-1245\,-1022\,\n-1022\,-1022]} 1. d4 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 g6 6. Bf4 Bg7\n7. Qd2 O-O 8. Bh6 d5 9. Bxg7 Kxg7 10. O-O-O Bf5 11. Bd3 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Nc6 13.\nRde1 Qd6 14. Kb1 a6 15. Re2 Rae8 16. Rhe1 e6 17. Ne5 Nd7 18. Nf3 Rf5 19. Re3 e5\n20. dxe5 Ndxe5 21. Nxe5 Rfxe5 22. Rxe5 Rxe5 23. Rxe5 Qxe5 24. Qxd5 Qxh2 25.\nQd7+ Kh6 26. a3 Qd6 27. Qc8 Nd8 28. g4 Kg7 29. b3 c6 30. g5 Qe7 31. Qg4 Nf7 32.\nNe4 Qxa3 33. Qe6 Qa5 34. Nd6 Nxd6 35. Qf6+ Kg8 36. Qxd6 Qe1+ 37. Ka2 Qe8 38.\nQc7 b5 39. Kb1 Qe1+ 40. Kb2 Qe6 41. b4 Qe4 42. Qd8+ Kf7 43. Qf6+ Ke8 44. Qd6\nQd5 45. Qf6 Kd7 46. Qg7+ Kd6 47. Qf6+ Kc7 48. Qg7+ Qd7 49. Qe5+ Qd6 50. Qg7+\nKb6 51. Qc3 Qe7 52. Qd4+ Kb7 53. c3 Qf7 54. Qh8 Kb6 55. Qd4+ Kb7 56. Qh8 Qd7\n57. Ka3 Qe7 58. Qf6 Qc7 59. Kb2 a5 60. bxa5 Qxa5 61. Qe6 Qc7 62. Kb3 Qf4 63.\nQd7+ Kb6 64. Qd8+ Kc5 65. Qe7+ Kb6 66. Qd8+ Kc5 67. Qe7+ Kd5 68. Qd7+ Qd6 69.\nQg4 Qc5 70. Qd7+ Ke5 71. Qxh7 Kf5 72. Qd7+ Kxg5 73. Qd2+ Kf6 74. Qd8+ Kf7 75.\nQc7+ Qe7 76. Qf4+ Kg7 77. Qd4+ Qf6 78. Qe4 Kf7 79. Kb2 Qd6 80. Qf3+ Qf6 81. Qe4\ng5 82. Qh7+ Ke6 83. Qe4+ Kd6 84. Qd3+ Kc7 85. Qh7+ Kb6 86. Kc2 Qf4 87. Qe7 Qf2+\n88. Kb3 Qd2 89. Qe8 Qd5+ 90. Kb2 Qd6 91. Qe3+ Qc5 92. Qe8 Qf2+ 93. Kb3 Qf6 94.\nQd7 Kc5 95. Kc2 Qe5 96. Qd8 Qe4+ 97. Kb2 g4 98. Qd7 Kc4 99. Qd1 Qg2+ 100. Ka1\nc5 101. Qc2 Qf1+ 102. Kb2 Kd5 103. Qd2+ Ke4 104. Qg5 Qf5 105. Qh4 Kf3 106. Qh1+\nKe2 107. Qg2+ Ke1 108. c4 b4 109. Qg1+ Ke2 110. Qg2+ Ke3 111. Kb3 Qd3+ 112. Ka4\nQxc4 113. Qg3+ Kd2 114. Qf2+ Kc3 115. Qe3+ Kb2 116. Qe5+ Qc3 117. Qg5 g3 118.\nQg4 g2 119. Qg5 Qc1 120. Qxc5 Qc2+ 0-1\n[/pgn] \nStaged publicity picture of David Bronstein vs Hugh Alexander at Hastings 1953\nHe went on with the Black pieces to massacre Tolush\, the other visiting Russian Grandmaster. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Christmas Congress 1953/54-29 Premier”]\n[Site “Hastings”]\n[Date “1954.01.08”]\n[Round “9”]\n[White “Tolush\, Alexander V”]\n[Black “Alexander\, Conel Hugh O’Donel”]\n[Result “0-1”]\n[ECO “A80”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “56”]\n[EventDate “1953.12.30”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\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\,55\,19\,31\,75\,45\,45\,33\,27\,13\,23\,-9\,-22\,-3\,10\,9\,8\,-10\,-13\,-53\,-53\,-64\,\n-61\,-105\,-28\,-50\,-87\,-72\,-68\,-68\,-60\,-57\,-57\,-61\,-146\,-86\,-147\,-240\,-198\,-432\,\n-461\,-437\,-448\,-448\,-448\,-459\,-459\,-478\,-469\,-643\,-477\,-509\,-428\,-428\,-389\,\n-484\,-494\,-798]} 1. d4 f5 {Hugh usually preferred the KID or Grunfeld vs 1.d4\nbut he had a soft spot for the Dutch defence and trotted it out on special\noccasions.} 2. e3 {A fairly insipid approach by White.} Nf6 3. Bd3 d6 4. Ne2 {\nA fairly rare continuation.} (4. f4) 4… e5 {first played by Nimzowitsch in\n1925 and very rarely since.} 5. dxe5 dxe5 6. O-O $146 (6. Bb5+) 6… Bc5 {\nlimbering up …f4 at the right moment.} 7. Ng3 {intending Nh5 but is g3 a\ngood square for a knight?} g6 8. Bc4 {[#]} Qe7 $1 {Allowing …Be6 at some\npoint.} 9. Qd3 $6 {Encouraging a knight to come to b4.} (9. a3 {Keeping a\nknight out of b4.}) 9… Nc6 10. a3 e4 $1 $19 {Is this the move that Tolush\nfailed to appreciate the strength of?} 11. Qe2 Ne5 $19 {or is this the move\nthat Tolush failed to appreciate the strength of?} 12. Ba2 h5 $1 13. b4 Bd6 14.\nf4 exf3 15. gxf3 h4 {[#] White is being overwhelmed and without counterplay!}\n16. Nh1 g5 17. Nd2 Qg7 18. Bb2 g4 {Who would not enjoy having Black from this\nposition onwards!} 19. f4 Nf3+ 20. Kg2 h3+ 21. Kf2 Nxd2 22. Qxd2 Ne4+ {Ouch!}\n23. Kg1 Qxb2 (23… Nxd2 24. Bxg7 Rh7 25. Rf2 Ne4 26. Bb2 {was less\nadvantageous.}) 24. Qd5 Qf6 (24… Qxc2 25. Rf2 Qc3) 25. Bb3 c6 26. Qd3 Be6 27.\nBxe6 Qxe6 28. Qd4 {and Whte resigned before Black replied.} {Presumably the\nprospect of finding a move after} O-O-O {was too much to contemplate.} 0-1\n[/pgn] \nImmense interest was created by this event. The popular press carried diagrams of the successive phases of the Bronstein saga. It was reported on the radio. By comparison with the furore created by the Spassky/Fischer match\, it was no doubt small beer\, but for those days the publicity was tremendous\, and Alexander became the\nhero of the hour. \nIt was entirely characteristic of him that this adulation did not go to his head. He kept everything in proportion\, and encouraged everybody else to do the same. He said all the right things about Bronstein\, but he did not claim\, as one tends to do on these emotional occasions\, that international sport was a panacea for friendship between the nations. Altogether it seemed to me an impeccable performance both on and off the board. \nChess\, CHO’D Alexander\, Pitman\, 1954\nIt is as a player that Hugh would\, I think\, have best wished to be remembered; and I have left myself little room to say anything about him as a journalist and writer. We are blessed\, as readers of the B.C.M. will know\, with many good and interesting writers on the game. But Hugh had\, I believe\, exceptional talents as a journalist. In his columns in the ‘Sunday Times‘\, and latterly the ‘Financial Times‘\, he set a very high standard. He always had something fresh and original to say\, especially\, I think\, to the intelligent amateur rather than the expert; and he said it in a way that was both disarmingly modest and yet lively and entertaining. The warmth of his personality came out clearly both in his writing and in his public speaking – both were entirely natural and wholly without amour-propre. \nHis articles gave great pleasure to a wide circle\, and many who never met him in the flesh must have felt that they had come to know him as a person. Similarly his book on the Spassky-Fischer match \nFischer v. Spassky : Reykjavik 1972\, CHO’D Alexander\, Penguin\, 1972\n(like the ‘Book of Chess’\, which was written in the last year of his life) is an extremely vivid\, as well as scholarly\, piece of writing. It is almost impossible to believe that it was completed\, within days of the conclusion of the match\, by a man apparently under sentence of death throughout its progress. \nA book of Chess\, CHO’D Alexander\, Harper & Row\, 1973\nNow that it has come\, the loss of Hugh Alexander to British chess and chessplayers\, alike as player\, writer\, administrator and friend\, is immeasurable. \nFrom CHESS\, Volume 39 (1974)\, Nos. 693-94\, March\,  p.162 by BH Wood : \nThe death of Conel Hugh O’Donel Alexander deprived English chess of one of its most vivid characters. Born l9th April 1909\, he learnt chess at the age of 8. \nFrom a Londonderry college he went to King Edward’s School\, Birmingham\, where as a schoolboy he won the Birmingham Post cup\, which carries with it the unofficial championship of Staffordshire\, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Going on to Cambridge\, he not only won the University championship four years in succession\, but picked up first-class honours. He won the British championship in 1938. \nIn 1939 I found myself on a boat with him bound for the Chess Olympiad in Buenos\nAires. He was team captain with Sir George Thomas\, P. S. Milner-Barry and H. Golombek\nother distinguished members of the team. \nLeft to right Baruch H Wood\, Philip Stuart Milner-Barry\, Vera Menchik (playing in the women’s world championship held concurrently with the 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\nWar broke out after about six rounds. With typical determination\, Alexander jettisoned chess for patriotism\, caught a boat home\, volunteered for service on disembarking\, and within a few weeks had attained the rank of colonel in British Intelligence. He remained attached to Intelligence and the Foreign Office until his\nretirement a few months ago. As a curious consequence of this commitment\, though he settled in to the team captaincy for the British Chess Federation in the biennial chess Olympiads and participated in many chess events abroad\, he was never allowed to travel anywhere behind the iron Curtain. \nHis fame certainly did\, however. In the radio match\, Britain v USSR in 1946\, the most important event in British chess for a decade before and after\, he found himself pitted against Mikhail Botvinnik\, then at the height of his powers and destined to hold the world championship for 14 years. The first game he lost; the second he won\, in superb style. His great adversary was outplayed. \nHe had some great years at Hastings. A 120 move victory over Bronstein with a queen and pawns endgame stretching over l3 hours through 3 days\, earned headlines in the national press unequalled until the Spassky-Fischer furore of 1972\, won him first place in 1954 and started him with a chess column in the Sunday Times. He was equal with Bronstein\, above O’Kelly\, Matanovic\, Olafsson\, Teschner\, Tolush\, Tartakover\, Wade and Horne. \nHastings illustrated Alexander’s weaknesses as well as his strengths. Twice he won the premier tournament there\, only to finish among the tail-enders the year after. Only once more was he to win the British champ- ionship; in a rather weak field\, entering at the last minute with typical opportunism. \nHe was a brilliant conversationalist and speaker\, a fine bridge player\, a master mathematician\, an expert on codes\, a first-class journalist and writer. Among varied other interests were croquet and philately. He threw himself wholeheartedly into anything he did. His organization\, “The Friends of Chess”\, provided generous financial support for a wide range of chess events. A few days before his death he was full of plans for the future\, including a big History of British Chess. He burnt himself out. The world of chess is a poorer and duller place without him.” \nFrom Chessgames.com : \n“Conel Hugh O’Donel Alexander was born in Cork\, Ireland. Awarded the IM title in 1950 at its inception and the IMC title in 1970\, he was British Champion in 1938 and 1956. \nDuring the Second World War\, he worked at Bletchley Park with Harry Golombek and Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry\, deciphering German Enigma codes and later for the Foreign Office. Alexander finished 2nd= at Hastings (1937/38) tied with Paul Keres after Samuel Reshevsky and ahead of Salomon Flohr and Reuben Fine. He held Mikhail Botvinnik to an equal score (+1\, -1) in the 1946 Anglo-Soviet Radio Match\, and won Hastings (1946/47) while finishing equal first at Hastings (1953/54). He represented England on six Olympiad teams. Alexander was also an author of note. He passed away in Cheltenham in 1974.” \n1st August 1933: C H O D Alexander playing Sultan Khan during the British Chess Championships at Hastings in Sussex. (Photo by Douglas Miller/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)\nFrom The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld : \nInternational Master (1950)\, International Correspondence Chess Master (1970). Born in Cork\, he settled in England as a boy. In spite or because of his intense application at the board his tournament performances were erratic. From about 1937 to the mid 1950s he was regarded as the strongest player in Great Britain\, although he won only two (1938\, 1956) of the 13 British Chess Federation Championships in which he competed; he played for the BCF in six Olympiads from 1933 to 1958. Holding a senior post at the Foreign Office\, he was not permitted to play in countries under Soviet control or influence; but when he did compete abroad he achieved only moderate results. His best tournament achievement was at Hastings 1937-8 when he was second (+4=5) equal with Keres after Reshevsky ahead of Fine and Flohr; but he is better remembered for his tie with Bronstein for first prize at Hastings 1953-4. He won his game against Bronstein in 120 moves after several adjournments\, and the outcome became a kind of serial in the press\, arousing great national interest in the game. Alexander was the author of several books on chess\, notably Alekhine’s Best Games of Chess 1938-1945 (1949) and A Book of Chess (1973). \nFrom The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks : \nFor many years the chess correspondent of The Sunday Times\, The Spectator (pseudonym Philidor) and the Evening News. There was probably no “chess name that was better known to the non-chess-playing element of the British public than that of Hugh Alexander. His victory over Russian Grandmaster David Bronstein at Hastings in 1953\, after a struggle which lasted for 120 moves and took 13 hours\, made chess front page news in the British press. \nBorn in Cork on 19th April 1909\, Alexander picked up the game at prep school at the age of 8. In 1926 he won the Boy’s Championship\, later to be recognised as the British Boy’s Championship\, at Hastings. After coming down from Cambridge University\, where he won the university championship four times\, Alexander taught mathematics at Winchester College from 1932 to 1938. He later joined the Foreign Office. \nCaption as per photograph\nOne of the few British players who might have reached World Championship class if he had chosen to devote sufficient time to the game\, Alexander was at his best when he faced a top class opponent. \nDuring his chess career\, he scored victories over two World Champions Botvinnik and Euwe\, and he beat a number of other Grandmasters\, international tournaments were all at Hastings where he came =2nd in 1938 with Keres\, half a point behind Reshevsky and ahead of Fine and Flohr; 1st in 1947 and =1st with Bronstein in 1953. In 1951 tournament he came =5th.His other hobbies included bridge\, croquet and philately\, He was the Author of Alekhine’s Best Games of Chess 1938-1945 (Bell)\, Chess (Pitman) and joint author with T.J. Beach of Learn Chess; A New Way for All (Pergamon Press); \nLearn Chess : A Complete Course\, TJ Beach and CHO’D Alexander\, Everyman Chess\, 1994\nA Book of Chess (Hutchinson) 1973; The Penguin Book of Chess Positions (Penguin) 1973. \nThe Penguin Book of Chess Positions\, CHO’D Alexander\, Penguin\, 1973\nHere is an interesting article on his film appearance. \nHere is his detailed Wikipedia entry \nAccording to C.N. 10817 Hugh lived at various addresses when working at GCHQ : \n\nBrecken Lane\, Cheltenham.\n28 King’s Road\, Cheltenham\, GL52 6BG.\n\n\n28 King’s Road\, Cheltenham\, GL52 6BG\n\nOld Bath Lodge\, Thirlestaine Road\, Cheltenham\, GL53 7AS.\n\n\nAlexander on Chess\, CHO’D Alexander\, Pitman\, 1974\nThe Best Games of C.H.O’D. Alexander\nGolombek and Hartston\, The Best Games of C.H.O’D. Alexander (1976).
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-conel-hugh-odonel-alexander/
CATEGORIES:2023,British Championships,Death Anniversary,History,Honours,Player,Remembering,Writer
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210215
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210216
DTSTAMP:20210130T190045Z
CREATED:20190824T105853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210130T190045Z
UID:1165-1613347200-1613433599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Charles Tomlinson (15-ii-1897)
DESCRIPTION:Death Anniversary of Charles Tomlinson (15-ii-1897)
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-charles-tomlinson/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,History,Player
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CREATED:20200409T180346Z
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UID:4288-1613347200-1613433599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of GM Mark Hebden (15-ii-1958)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of GM Mark Lesland Hebden (15-ii-1958) \nMrs. Joan Agar; Chairman of Leigh Interests\, presents the Leigh trophy (for 1981) to Mark Hebden. Left\, David Anderton\, BCF President; on the right Malcolm Wood\, Leigh’s Chief Executive. BCM\, 1981\, page 104
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-gm-mark-lesland-hebden-15-ii-1958/
CATEGORIES:2023,Birthday,British Championships,Player
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210216
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210217
DTSTAMP:20210215T163618Z
CREATED:20200411T141412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210215T163618Z
UID:4447-1613433600-1613519999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM Philip Rossiter (16-ii-1969)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of FM Philip J Rossiter (16-ii-1969)
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CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200716
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200717
DTSTAMP:20230217T193732Z
CREATED:20200716T220105Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230217T193732Z
UID:7479-1594857600-1594943999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Raaphi Persitz (26-vii-1934 04-ii-2009)
DESCRIPTION:We remember Raaphy(i) Persitz who passed away on Wednesday\, February 4th\, 2009. \nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXIX (129\, 2009)\, Number 3 (March)\, pp. 130-134 by John Saunders we have this detailed obituary: \nRaaphy Persitz\nA tribute to a great friend of British chess\, by John Saunders\nRaphael Joseph Arie (Raaphy) Persitz (26 vii 1934\, Tel Aviv – 4 ii 2009\, Tel Aviv) \n28th December 1955: Israeli chess player Raaphy Persitz in play at the International Chess Congress at Hastings. (Photo by Folb/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)\nRaaphy Persitz\, one of the strongest players resident in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s and also one of BCM‘s most popular contributors\, has died aged 74. Raaphy was born in Tel Aviv\, the grandson of Shoshana Persitz (1893-1969)\, a publisher who became an early member of the Knesset\, the Israeli parliament. Raaphy became Israel’s first junior champion in 1951 and shortly afterwards came to study PPE (Philosophy\, Politics and Economics) at Oxford University where he was a member of their very strong chess team and a close friend of Leonard Barden and others. \nRaaphy Persitz (26-vii-1934 04-ii-2009). 26 year-old Raaphy Persitz at the 1960 Leipzig Olympiad playing on board four for Israel. He scored +6\, =2\, -4.\nOne of his most publicised feats was to win his Varsity match game and also a county match against Hugh Alexander on the same day (see the May 1954 or March 2004 issues of the magazine for further details). Raaphy played three times in the Varsity match and also represented England in three Students Olympiads in the mid-1950s. He represented Israel in the 1960 Leipzig Olympiad on board four\, and also played twice in the Hastings Premier\, in 1955-56 and 1968-69\, the latter being his swansong in competitive chess as he turned his attention to a career in banking which took him first to Switzerland and eventually to his home town of Tel Aviv. As a player his best result was probably finishing third behind Reshevsky and Szabo at the first major international tournament held in Israel\, Haifa/Tel Aviv 1958. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Christmas Congress 1955/56-31 Premier”]\n[Site “Hastings”]\n[Date “1956.01.04”]\n[Round “7”]\n[White “Persitz\, Raaphi”]\n[Black “Penrose\, Jonathan”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “C41”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “65”]\n[EventDate “1955.12.28”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\n[EventRounds “9”]\n[EventCountry “ENG”]\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\,65\,19\,38\,25\,7\,75\,61\,61\,49\,73\,66\,59\,38\,43\,42\,60\,58\,63\,50\,75\,46\,71\,47\,\n29\,36\,48\,-15\,-26\,-13\,-26\,-42\,-32\,-31\,-22\,-26\,-3\,-28\,-48\,-35\,-20\,-32\,40\,61\,80\,\n-20\,18\,-1\,9\,-73\,-46\,-131\,-142\,-109\,-36\,-74\,-62\,-93\,-30\,9\,51\,8\,67\,67\,67\,20\,120\,\n63]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. h3 c6 8.\na4 Qc7 {[#]} ({Relevant:} 8… b6 9. Qe2 a6 10. d5 c5 11. Bd3 Ne8 12. Nd1 Nc7\n13. Ne3 Re8 14. Nf5 Nf8 15. c4 Rb8 16. Bd2 a5 17. Rae1 Ng6 18. g3 Bf6 19. Qd1\nNe7 20. b3 Rb7 21. Kg2 Na6 22. Qc1 Nb4 23. Bb1 Kh8 24. Ne3 g6 25. Ng4 Ng8 26.\nNxf6 Qxf6 27. Ng1 Qg7 28. f4 f6 29. Nf3 Rbe7 30. fxe5 dxe5 31. Nh4 Rd8 32. Kh2\nh6 33. g4 Kh7 34. Re3 Na6 35. Rg3 Nc7 36. Kg2 Ne8 37. Nf3 Nd6 38. h4 {Roehrich\,\nE-Rellstab\,L Hamburg 1952 1-0 (69)}) 9. Bg5 $146 ({Predecessor:} 9. Re1 h6 10.\ndxe5 dxe5 11. Nh4 Re8 12. Qf3 Nf8 13. Nf5 Be6 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. Bf1 Ng6 16.\nBe3 Kh7 17. a5 Nh4 18. Qg3 Ng6 19. f3 Nh5 20. Qf2 Ngf4 21. Kh2 g5 22. g3 Ng6\n23. Bxa7 Rg8 24. Bc5 Qf6 25. Be3 Qg7 26. Red1 Nf6 27. Rd6 Ne8 28. Rd2 Nf6 29.\nBe2 Nf8 30. b4 h5 31. Rad1 g4 32. fxg4 hxg4 33. h4 Ng6 34. Kg1 Nh5 35. Na4 Raf8\n36. Nc5 Bc8 37. Nd7 Bxd7 38. Rxd7 Nf6 {Matanovic\,A-Porreca\,G Belgrade 1952 1-0}\n) 9… Re8 10. Re1 Nf8 11. Bh4 Be6 12. Qe2 Nh5 13. Bxe6 Nxe6 14. d5 Nef4 15.\nQe3 cxd5 16. exd5 Bxh4 17. Nxh4 Qe7 18. Nf3 f5 19. Kh2 Qd7 20. Rad1 e4 21. Nd4\nRe5 22. Nde2 g5 23. Rg1 Kh8 24. f3 exf3 25. Qxf3 g4 26. Qf1 Ng6 27. Rd3 f4 28.\nNd4 Ng3 29. Qd1 Rh5 30. Ne6 gxh3 31. gxh3 Rh4 32. Ne2 Ne5 33. Nxg3 1-0\n[/pgn] \nDespite giving up competitive play\, Raaphy never lost his love of the game and remained an avid reader of magazines and follower of the game until the end of his life. And\, of course\, he remained a perceptive and humorous writer on the game though his output was much lower than in the 1950s. The news of his death came as a particular shock to me as\, only a couple of weeks previously\, he had sent me a fax saying how moved he had been by the tribute I had writ- ten to Bob Wade in the January 2009 issue of BCM. That was typical of his kindness to wards me which dated back to when I took my first tottering steps as BCM editor in 1999. We never actually met in person but spoke occasionally on the telephone and exchanged faxes (Raaphy didn’t seem to communicate by email). \nRaaphy Persitz (26-vii-1934 04-ii-2009)\nAs a long-time reader of the magazine I had enjoyed his Student’s Corner column contributions. The column had been initiated by Abe Yanofsky in the early 1950s and Raaphy had inherited it in 1958. I was particularly delighted when\, in 2004\, after I had written about his 1954 feat in winning his Varsity match game and a county match against English number one CHO’D(Hugh) Alexander on the same day\, Raaphy consented to write another column (which appeared in the May 2004 issue of BCM). I never succeeded in getting him to write another one but it was such a pleasure to have him write for the magazine during my spell as editor. \n[pgn]\n[Event “County Match\, Oxon  v Gloucester”]\n[Site “Swindon ENG”]\n[Date “1954.03.27”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Persitz\, Raaphy”]\n[Black “Alexander\, Conel Hugh”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “C47”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “79”]\n[EventDate “1954.??.??”]\n[SourceTitle “BCM\, May 1954\, -age 151”]\n[Source “‘Cabbage Heads a”]\n[WhiteTeam “Oxfordshire”]\n[BlackTeam “Gloucestershire”] \n{[%evp 0\,79\,28\,28\,28\,13\,25\,5\,8\,-17\,37\,33\,22\,2\,75\,57\,57\,57\,47\,36\,91\,58\,60\,29\,39\,\n22\,40\,83\,83\,24\,51\,41\,74\,79\,76\,76\,74\,74\,74\,69\,69\,37\,37\,30\,38\,0\,7\,10\,52\,-46\,52\,\n33\,-10\,-21\,27\,15\,34\,19\,14\,116\,117\,80\,95\,-102\,56\,56\,60\,194\,200\,196\,204\,0\,7\,0\,\n259\,268\,287\,290\,288\,288\,504\,523]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 Bb4 5.\nd5 Ne7 6. Nxe5 O-O 7. Qd4 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 {[#]} Re8 $146 ({Relevant:} 8… d6 9.\nNf3 Re8 10. Be2 c5 11. Qd3 Ng6 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. g3 Bh3 15. Nd2 b5\n16. Rb1 a6 17. f4 Qe7 18. Kf2 f5 19. Bf3 Qf6 20. Rhe1 Ra7 21. exf5 Rxe1 22.\nRxe1 Bxf5 23. Be4 Bxe4 24. Nxe4 Qf8 25. Ng5 hxg5 26. Qxg6 Rf7 27. Qxg5 Rf5 28.\nQg6 Rf6 29. Qe8 Qxe8 30. Rxe8+ Kf7 31. Ra8 Rf5 32. Rxa6 Rxd5 33. Ke2 Ke6 34.\nRa5 Rh5 35. h4 Kd5 36. Rxb5 Kc4 37. Rb3 Rh8 38. a4 {Cortlever\,N-Milner Barry\,P\nLondon 1952 1-0}) 9. Bg5 Nf5 10. exf5 d6 11. f4 dxe5 12. fxe5 Qxd5 13. O-O-O\nQxd4 14. cxd4 Ne4 15. Bh4 Nc3 16. Rd3 Nxa2+ 17. Kb2 Nb4 18. Rf3 a5 19. c3 Nd5\n20. Bc4 c6 21. g4 b5 22. Bd3 Bd7 23. g5 c5 24. Rhf1 a4 25. Be4 Bc6 26. g6 a3+\n27. Ka1 cxd4 28. gxf7+ Kxf7 29. e6+ Kg8 30. cxd4 Ra4 31. Rg1 Rxd4 32. f6 Rxe4\n33. f7+ Kf8 34. fxe8=Q+ Kxe8 35. Bf2 b4 36. Bc5 Rxe6 37. Rf8+ Kd7 38. Rxg7+ Ne7\n39. Bxb4 Bd5 40. Rff7 1-0 \n[/pgn] \n(Regarding the above game there is a note from Sally Simpson on chessgames.com as follows: \nRaaphi Persitz agreed to play for Oxford v Cambridge in London and also on the same day for Oxon v Gloucester in a county match in Swindon. \nThis is the second game\, he won both games. \nBe aware that Bruce Hayden in ‘Cabbage Heads and Kings’\, which is where I got this game from\, mentions this but also added that these games took place on the same day as the 1954 Grand National (won by Royal Tan). This is wrong as the Grand National that year was run on the 10 April. \nI think that maybe Bruce saw the score of the games with the two games a day story in a Sunday newspaper covering Saturdays Grand National and perhaps got the dates mixed up. \n) \nThe fax he sent me on 7 January 2009 seems particularly poignant now but it is a good example of Raaphy’s kindness and self-deprecating humour. Here is the full text: \n“Dear John\, I was moved by your wide-ranging obituary of Bob Wade in the BCM[January 2009\, p34l. I dare say you did justice to his contributions and devotion to chess\, spanning well over half a century. I have several pleasant recollections of conversations and over-the-board encounters with Bob. One such tussle\, a hard-fought draw\, was reproduced by Bob\, with comments (in the Student’s Corner) in a book containing his eventful games. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Christmas Congress 1968/69-44 Premier”]\n[Site “Hastings”]\n[Date “1969.01.02”]\n[Round “6”]\n[White “Persitz\, Raaphi”]\n[Black “Huebner\, Robert”]\n[Result “1-0”]\n[ECO “E82”]\n[Annotator “British Chess News”]\n[PlyCount “55”]\n[EventDate “1968.12.28”]\n[EventType “tourn”]\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\,55\,19\,31\,14\,-14\,43\,38\,37\,33\,33\,10\,9\,21\,31\,23\,50\,27\,18\,21\,51\,55\,45\,38\,\n34\,27\,7\,-2\,-2\,13\,-9\,-14\,59\,21\,11\,14\,31\,24\,17\,-8\,-7\,-16\,-48\,-48\,-42\,-48\,0\,-1\,7\,\n5\,10\,28\,41\,-20\,183\,202\,29993\,29994]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5.\nf3 O-O 6. Be3 b6 7. Bd3 a6 8. Qd2 c5 9. d5 e6 10. Nge2 ({Relevant:} 10. dxe6\nBxe6 11. Bh6 Bxh6 12. Qxh6 Nbd7 13. Nh3 Ne5 14. O-O-O b5 15. Ng5 Qe7 16. Be2 b4\n17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. Rxd5 Rfd8 19. Rhd1 Nc6 20. f4 Nd4 21. Bf3 Qf8 22. Qxf8+ Kxf8\n23. R5xd4 cxd4 24. e5 dxe5 25. fxe5 Rdc8 26. exf6 Rxc4+ 27. Kd2 Rc5 28. Ne4 Ra5\n29. Kd3 Rxa2 30. Rb1 a5 31. Rc1 Rxb2 32. Rc7 Rb3+ 33. Kd2 Rb2+ 34. Kd1 d3 35.\nNg5 Kg8 36. Rxf7 Ra6 37. Rg7+ Kf8 38. Nxh7+ {1-0 (38) Szabo\,L-Najdorf\,M Mar\ndel Plata 1962}) 10… exd5 11. exd5 Nbd7 {[#]} 12. O-O $146 ({Predecessor:}\n12. Ng3 Re8 13. O-O Ng4 14. Bg5 f6 15. Bf4 Nge5 16. Be2 f5 17. Bg5 Nf6 18. Bh6\nBh8 19. Rfd1 Ra7 20. Rab1 Nf7 21. Be3 h5 22. Bf1 h4 23. Nge2 Nh5 24. Nf4 Nxf4\n25. Bxf4 Bd4+ {0-1 (25) Tamburini\,M-Botvinnik\,M Leipzig 1960}) 12… Ne5 13. b3\nNxd3 14. Qxd3 b5 15. Rae1 Qa5 16. Ng3 Rb8 17. Bd2 Qb6 18. Nce4 Nxe4 19. fxe4 a5\n20. Bc3 bxc4 21. bxc4 Bxc3 22. Qxc3 Qb2 23. Qxa5 Qd4+ 24. Kh1 Rb2 25. e5 Qxc4\n26. e6 Qb4 27. Qc7 Ba6 28. Qxf7+ 1-0\n[/pgn] \nAnother\, somewhat less felicitous\, recollection harks back to a game we contested at Ilford\, where\, in extreme time trouble\, I blithely played Rxh7+\, expecting …Qxh7\, but overlooking the simple …Kxh7\, leaving me a whole rook down with no compensation\, whereupon I duly resigned. What impressed me at the time was the lightning speed with which Bob reacted to my ill-fated blunder – as if it were nothing but inevitable… \nWith warmest wishes for a healthy\,\nhappy\, fruitful 2009. Raaphy.” \nI had hoped to publish the above as a Letter to the Editor but\, sadly\, it must now appear as part of Raaphy’s obituary. The draw with Bob Wade referred to in the fax was played in Dublin in 1962 and featured in Student’s Corner in BCM in the December 1966 issue on page 356. It seems appropriate to reproduce the game here in tribute to these two recently departed and much-loved chessplayers. \nNotes by Persitz\nUnlike the majority of games that have\, over the years\, appeared in the Student’s Corner\, the following dour struggle between Bob Wade (White) and myself (Black)\, from Dublin\, 1962\, is in no way outstanding: it does not contain any brilliant combinations; it is not a positional masterpiece; it is certainly not devoid of mistakes. Nor is it amusing\, or original\, or of theoretical interest or particularly instructive. Yet (with the aid of the interspersed comments) it ought to give the student a pretty shrewd and realistic idea of the stuff competitive chess is made of: the endless number of laborious variations that have to be examined; the annoying little threats that must be attended to; the treacherous pitfalls to be sidestepped; the technical hurdles to be surmounted; the frustrating little details\, indifference to which may be fatal; in brief\, the drudgery that has become part and parcel of contemporary tournament practice\, without which success is unimaginable. \n[pgn]\n[Event “Dublin”]\n[Site “?”]\n[Date “1962.??.??”]\n[Round “?”]\n[White “Wade\, Robert Graham”]\n[Black “Persitz\, Raaphy”]\n[Result “1/2-1/2”]\n[Annotator “Raaphy Persitz”]\n[SetUp “1”]\n[FEN “5rk1/1p4bp/1pn1p1p1/3pPp2/r2P4/7P/PP2BPP1/R1BR2K1 w – – 0 19”]\n[PlyCount “54”]\n[EventDate “1962.??.??”]\n[SourceTitle “BCM\, 2009\, p.131”] \n{[%evp 0\,1\,-80\,-94] [#] White’s position does not inspire much confidence:} {\nAfter 40 minutes reflection\, White hits upon a drastic solution which displays\na profound understanding of the position.} 19. b4 $1 {The idea behind this\nremarkable move is a simple as the move itself is startling: since White’s\ncentral pawns exercise a cramping influence on Black’s king’s flank\, he will\ngo out of his way to hold on to them\, even if this involves jettisoning both\nhis queenside pawns. Black’s b-pawn will be subjected to a frontal attack\nalong the b-file.} ({the straightforward} 19. Be3 {\, to protect the hanging\nd-pawn\, will not do because of} f4 20. b3 Rb4 {etc}) ({whilst if} 19. Bb5 {\nsimply} Rxd4) 19… Nxb4 $2 {Frittering away most of his advantage.} ({\nAdmittedly neither} 19… Rxb4 20. Ba3 Rxd4 21. Bxf8) ({nor} 19… Nxd4 20.\nRxd4 Bxe5 21. Bb2 Bxd4 22. Bxd4 Rxb4 23. Rd1 {yields Black any superiority.}) (\n{But the tranquil} 19… Rfa8 {does} {For example} 20. a3 Rxb4 21. Be3 (21.\naxb4 Rxa1) 21… Rb2) 20. Bb5 $1 (20. a3 $2 Nc2) 20… Rxa2 $2 {Unnecessarily\njeopardising the black kinght.\, thus handing over the initiative to White.} ({\nThe safe course is} 20… Raa8 21. a4 Nc6 (21… Rfc8 $2 22. Bd7) ({or} 21…\nKf7 22. Ba3)) ({Less good is} 20… Nc2 $2 21. Bxa4 Nxa1 22. Bb2 Ra8 23. Bd7\nNc2 24. Bxe6+ Kf8 25. Bxd5 {when White’s connected passed pawns carry the day.}\n) 21. Rxa2 ({After} 21. Rb1 Nc6 (21… Na6 $2 22. Bd7) 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Rxb6\nRc2 {White does not appear to have enough for his minus pawn.}) 21… Nxa2 22.\nBd2 Ra8 {[#] The text move is aimed at rescuing the knight} ({Black had\noriginally intended to follow up 20…Rxa2? with} 22… Kf7 $2 {preparing for\n23…Rc8-c2 (which is not feasible right away on account 23.Bd7).} {but he had\nnot noticed that White would trap the displaced knight by means of} 23. Ra1 Ra8\n24. Bd3 {etc.}) 23. Rb1 ({If} 23. Ra1 Bf8 24. Bd3 Ra3 25. Bb1 {and the rescue\ncompletes} {by way of} Nc1 $1) 23… Kf7 24. Bd7 $2 ({If} 24. Be2 {then either}\nRc8 ({or} 24… Ra4 {suffices} 25. Bd1 ({or} 25. Rxb6 Rxd4 26. Rxb7+ Kg8 27.\nRb8+ (27. Rb2 Ra4) (27. Be3 Rb4 28. Ra7 Nc3) 27… Kf7 28. Rb7+ Kg8 29. Rb8+ {\nwith a draw by repetition of moves.}) 25… Rxd4 26. Rb2 Nc3 $1) 25. Rxb6 Rc2 {\netc}) ({More promising is} 24. Rb2 $1 {with Rc2 and Rc7 to follow whereupon\nBlack would find it extremely difficult to avoid the loss of his weak e-pawn.})\n24… Ke7 (24… Ra6 25. Bc8) 25. Rxb6 (25. Bb5 Rc8 $1 26. Bg5+ Kf7 27. Bd7 (\n27. Rb2 Nc3 $1) 27… Rc7) 25… Kxd7 (25… Bxe5 26. Bxe6 Bxd4 27. Bg5+ Bf6\n28. Bxf6+ Kxf6 29. Bxd5+ {which peters out into a draw.}) 26. Rxb7+ Kc6 {\nThe king is destined to play a leading part in the ending.} 27. Rxg7 {The game\nnow enters a new and tricky phase. White’s king is out of play\, but so is\nBlack’s knight.} Ra4 (27… Kb5 {\, in order to answer} 28. Re7 (28. Rxh7 Kc4\n29. Be3 {and White’s h-pawn becomes dangerous.} (29. Rg7)) 28… Ra6 {\, is too\nslow.}) 28. Re7 (28. Rxh7 {tends to favour Black} {i.e.} Rxd4 29. Bg5 Rd1+ 30.\nKh2 d4) ({Worse is} 28. Be3 Nc3 29. Rxh7 (29. Re7 $142) 29… f4 $1 30. Bd2\nNe2+ 31. Kf1 Nxd4 $17) 28… Rxd4 29. Rxe6+ Kb5 {[#]} 30. Be3 {Setting Black a\ndiscreet pitfall:} Re4 (30… Rd1+ 31. Kh2 d4 32. Rd6 d3 (32… dxe3 33. Rxd1)\n(32… Kc5 33. Bxd4+ $1) 33. e6 {and White wins.}) 31. Rb6+ Kc4 32. Rc6+ Kd3 (\n32… Kb5 $2 33. Rc5+) 33. e6 Nc3 {The knight returns from the cold.} ({instead\n} 33… d4 {loses outright to} 34. Rd6) 34. Rd6 ({If} 34. Bc5 Ne2+ (34… d4\n35. Rd6 Nb5 36. Rb6 Kc4 37. Bf8 d3) (34… Re1+ 35. Kh2 Ne4 36. Be3 f4 37. e7\nfxe3)) 34… f4 {warding off 35.Bg5 and denying the white king of access to\nthe flight square g3.} 35. Bc5 ({The alternative is} 35. Bb6 {(threatening 36\nBd8\, 37 e7\, 38 Rf6 and 39 Rf8 etc.)} Re1+ 36. Kh2 Re5 37. Bd8 Ne4 38. Rd7 {\nwith a draw after} Rxe6 (38… Nxf2 39. Bh4 Ne4 40. e7 g5 41. Rxd5+ Rxd5 42.\ne8=Q gxh4 43. Qf7 {being advantageous to White.}) 39. Rxd5+) 35… Re1+ 36. Kh2\nKc4 ({abstaining from} 36… Ne4 $2 37. Rxd5+ Kc4 {which goes down to} 38. Re5\n$1) 37. Bb6 {angling for Bd8 followed by e7\, Rf6-f8 and e8=Q.} Ne4 38. Rd7 (38.\nRc6+ Kb5 39. e7 {would lead to disaster after} Nd2) ({Likewise\, if} 38. Ba5 $2\nRa1 {menacing three white pieces}) ({if} 38. Rd8 Ng5) 38… Nd2 {attacking the\ne-pawn and threatening mate in three moves.} ({To} 38… Nf6 {White retorts not\n} 39. Rd6 ({nor} 39. Rc7+ Kb5 40. Bd4 Rxe6) ({but} 39. Re7 {with a level\nposition.}) 39… Ne8 40. Rc6+ Kb5) 39. Ba5 {Making the draw inescapeable.}\nNf1+ 40. Kg1 ({Of course\, if} 40. Kh1 $4 Ng3+ {and mates next move; which goes\nto show that other things being equal\, double check causes more damage than\ndiscovered ones.} 41. Kh2 Rh1#) 40… Nd2+ 41. Kh2 Nf1+ ({On} 41… Rd1 {\nWhite’s safest course is} 42. g4 {\, when Black does not appear to have\nanything more promising than} (42. Bxd2 Rxd2 {favours Black}) ({whilst the\nconsequences of} 42. h4 h5 {are obscure.}) 42… Nf3+ 43. Kg2 Nh4+ 44. Kh2 Nf3+\n{drawing by perpetual check.}) (41… Re2 42. e7) 42. Kg1 Ra1 {A last\, albeit\nharmless\, gesture.} 43. g4 Nd2+ {and a draw was agreed in anticipation of} ({\nThe careless} 43… fxg3 $2 44. Kg2 Rxa5 {would invite White to queen his\npassed pawn after} 45. e7 Ra8 46. Rd8 Ra7 47. e8=Q) 44. Kg2 (44. Kh2 Nf3+ 45.\nKg2 Nh4+ {and so on.}) 44… f3+ 45. Kh2 ({if} 45. Kg3 {he gets the worst of\nthe ending after} Ne4+) 45… Nf1+ {and so on and so forth.} 1/2-1/2\n[/pgn] \nRaaphy Persitz Tributes\nLeonard Barden: Raaphy was probably my best friend at Oxford – certainly so among chessplayers. We played hundreds of blitz games in the junior common room at Balliol and later for some months in 1957 we shared a London flat\, analysing Russian championship games over breakfast. He was a wonderful man to know\, bright\, witty\, gentle\, sympathetic and knowledgeable. \nLeonard Barden (centre) with Raaphi Persitz\, JB Sykes\, OI Galvenius and DM Armstrong\, Ilford\, May\, 1953\nA tribute by Amatzia Avni: Ordinary people have a mixture of good qualities and bad ones. After 20 years of friendship with the late Raaphy Persitz I can attest that he was a distinct type: one sided\, positive-only; pure gold. \nI first met him in 1989. I had just written my first chess book (in Hebrew) and was searching for someone to write me an introduction. The word was that Persitz was back in town\, after long years abroad. Having seen glimpses of his amazing linguistic skills\, I contacted him and he agreed immediately. He didn’t know me\, hadn’t read a single sentence of the book\, yet he didn’t hesitate: “yes\, sure\, I’ll be glad to”. \nThat was typical Persitz: always ready to help\, unconditionally. The introduction\, needless to say\, was a sheer delight\, a class or two above the rest of the book. In later years he gave me a hand several times polishing my texts and making them more reader-friendly to English-speaking readers. Somehow he seemed to know what I wished to express better than I did. His suggestions enabled me to convey my meaning in a clear and precise manner. \nRaaphy was modest and reserved. Once I called him and realized he was upset. “My mother had passed away some weeks ago\,” he said. I was puzzled why he didn’t tell me the sad news at the time. “I didn’t want to bother you” was his reply. \nA couple of years ago I stumbled upon Bruce Hayden’s old book Cabbage Heads and Chess Kings. One of the book’s chapters was headed “Raaphy Persitz star or comet?”. I learned that\, in the 1950s\, Persitz gained bright victories in England\, against Penrose\, Alexander\, Milner-Barry and others. Searching a Chessbase database I found out that he also done battle with some out- standing international players. Yet\, in all our meetings and hundreds of hours of conversation\, he never said a thing about that! \nPersitz was a master of understatement. I learned that if I wrote “very fine” or “extremely strong”\, the ‘very’ and ‘extremely’ would fly out of the window. If I made a firm stand on a certain issue\, he would add “probably”\, “apparently’ or “it may be argued that”\, because it was indeed only an opinion\, not a fact. Over time\, following his line of thought made me improve the way I expressed myself and thought about chess. \nPersitz’s distinctions in chess\, in linguistics and in journalism are evident to anyone who ever read his chess books and articles. He also excelled at economics\, but I am unqualified to comment on this. \nGod bless you\, Raaphy. I feel privileged to have known you. Amatzia Avni. \nHere is his Wikipedia entry
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CATEGORIES:2023,British Championships,History,Player,Remembering
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