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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200229
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200301
DTSTAMP:20200410T164547Z
CREATED:20200410T164547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200410T164547Z
UID:4357-1582934400-1583020799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of FM Simon C Leblanq (?)
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-fm-simon-c-leblanq/
CATEGORIES:Death Anniversary,Player
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200229
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200301
DTSTAMP:20200408T130341Z
CREATED:20200408T124139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200408T130341Z
UID:4175-1582934400-1583020799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of FM David C Carless (?)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of FM David C Carless (?)
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-fm-david-c-carless/
CATEGORIES:Birthday,Player
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200226
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200227
DTSTAMP:20260817T141227Z
CREATED:20200709T181114Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T141227Z
UID:7201-1582675200-1582761599@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary for CGM Adrian Hollis (02-viii-1940  26-ii-2013)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers CGM Adrian Hollis who passed away in Wells\, Somerset on Tuesday\, February 26th 2013  at the age of seventy-two. \nAdrian Swayne Hollis was born in Bristol\, Avon on Friday\, August 2nd 1940. During this critical period the Luftwaffe was wisely extending its Battle of Britain targets to include Britain’s airfields. Furthermore\, Bristol was bombed heavily between June 1940 and May 1944. The longest period of regular bombing\, known as the ‘Bristol Blitz’ began in autumn 1940 and ended the following spring. The first bombs of the Bristol Blitz fell at around 6 pm on Sunday 24 November 1940. \nAdrian was the only child of MI5 director general Roger Henry Hollis KB CBE (later to become Sir Roger Hollis) and Evelyn Esme Hollis (née Swayne) who was Roger’s first wife. Roger was from Wells and Evelyn from Burnham-on-Sea and they were married on July 17th 1937 in Wells Cathedral with Evelyn’s father performing the ceremony. \nAdrian won a scholarship in classics to Eton College and then went up to Keble College\, Oxford where he took a first in mods and greats. Whilst at Keble Adrian represented Oxford in four varsity matches between 1959 and 1962. Indeed\, his support for varsity matches was maintained for many years attending a large number into and beyond the Lloyds Bank era. Stalwart organiser Henry Mutkin would always be sure to extend an invitation. \nIn 1961 Adrian become the youngest ever West of England Champion at the age of 21. \nAdrian met Margaret Mair Cameron Edwards in 1967 at St. Andrew’s University where he taught Classics and she taught German. They married and had two daughters\, Jennifer (b. 1974) and Veronica (b. 1977) and a son. \nHe was the Games Editor for the British Correspondence Chess Association (BCCA) resigning in 1969. \nIn 1984 Adrian was forced to endure allegations against his father by Chapman Pincher (in CPs book Too Secret too Long) that Sir Roger had been a Soviet spy / mole. These allegations were demonstrated to be false. He may well also have been aware of allegations against his friend and chess mentor Graham Mitchell earlier in 1963. Ironically\, it was Adrian’s father who initiated the investigation into Graham. Again\, the rumours were shown to be unfounded. \nAdrian became a director of the company Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Limited on the September 1st 1996 and resigned on May 12th 2007. He was also a Vice President of the West of England Chess Union (WECU). \nBetween 2003 and 2007 (according to the Electoral Roll) Adrian lived at 63\, Bainton Road\, Oxford\, OX2 7AG : \n63\, Bainton Road\, Oxford\, OX2 7AG\nand following his retirement (and the time of the 2008 electoral roll) Adrian had moved to Pound House\, Southover\, Wells\, BA5 1UH : \nPound House\, Southover\, Wells\, BA5 1UH\nAdrian has written many learned papers and has had two books published : \nFragments of Roman Poetry C.60 BC-Ad 20\, AS Hollis\, Oxford University Press\, 2007\nand \nOvid Metamorphoses VIII (Schools Edition): Bk. 8\, AS Hollis. Oxford University Press\, 2008\nDuring his time at Keble College\, Adrian engaged with and mentored many chess players including Jonathan Rowson (1996)\, David Norwood (1988)\, Julian Way\, David Goodman (1977) and Dharshan Kumaran (1993). \nCGM Adrian Hollis\nJulian was a personal student of Adrian’s and was kind enough to tell us : \nI do remember Adrian well. He could quote Latin verse ad infinitum. He was an expert on Ovid.\nIn terms of chess he had a huge pile of Informators in his study still in their cardboard packaging. He was very kind to me and insisted I play above him for Keble in the intercollegiate matches. \nI gave him a copy of Developments in the Orthodox QGD which I had written in 1987. He was quite taken back when I didn’t want any money for it. He seemed to have quite a lot of respect for me. \nI once asked him why he had given me a place at Oxford. He replied that he couldn’t have rejected someone with my passion and enthusiasm.\nI kept in touch with Adrian until his passing. He gave me a lovely reference when I resumed my studies in 2007 at Kingston University.\nI remember him as a kind and unassuming man. He became a lifelong friend. \nCGM Adrian Hollis\nFrom British Chess (Pergamon Press\, 1983) Botterill\, Levy\, Rice and Richardson : \n“I was born on August 2nd\, 1940\, educated at Eton and Christ Church\, Oxford and now teach Classics at Keble College\, Oxford. I learned the moves at the advanced age of thirteen from a cousin who himself could have made a good chess player had he not been seduced by Philosophy and brain-teasers; all that remains in the mind from these encounters is a vision of perpetually losing my rooks to fianchettoed bishops. \nAdrian Hollis. Source : The Potter Memorial\nMy first ever tournament was the London Boys’ Championship 1956-7. In the opening round fate allotted me Black against David Rumens. As it happened\, the brochure included a game of his from the previous year in which he had answered 1.d4 with 1…Nc6\, quite enough\, in my opinion\, to condemn his utterly. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\n(Ed: The above position did not impress Adrian hugely.) \nThis view seemed confirmed when within twelve moves of an advance French I was two pawns up. Then\, however\, aided by my over confidence he worked up a fierce attack\, and I just escaped with a draw. Nevertheless\, I won the tournament; an opponent remarked how quickly I played my moves. \nThereafter the game was never so easy\, but I did reasonably\, well\, winning the championships of the British Universities\, West of England and East of Scotland\, and playing for England quite regularly during the 1960s (including 7.5/12 in six Anglo-Dutch matches). \nLeonard Barden\, Henry Mutkin\, Adrian Hollis and Bob Wade observe Nick Ivell vs Ken Regan at the 1983 Varsity match\nThe high spot of my over-the-board chess was the series of World Student team championships from 1960 to 1964 in glamorous places (Leningrad\, Helsinki\, Mariánské Lázně\, Budva and Cracow); most enjoyable of these being Budva\, 1963 where one could bathe every day in the Adriatic and I won the (?) gold medal on Board 1 with 7.5/9.\, the year after Spassky (this must look good in the records\, unless they happen to reveal that for the first time in preliminary and final sections\, and that England did not qualify for the top final). \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nMy best chess was probably played at Mariánské Lázně\, 1962\, where in successive rounds I had favourable draws with Radulov and Hort\, coming close to beating the latter. Ironically\, I was awarded the British Master title after I had virtually retired from over-the-board chess. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nIn 1964 I decided that henceforth for me ‘serious’ chess would mean correspondence\, while OTB became a pleasant social activity. My introduction to the postal game had been made about 1955 by a colleague of my father’s\, International Master Graham Mitchell\, to whom I owe an enormous debt for the patience and kindness with which he played a series of games\, bearing with me when I lost interest in worsening positions. The switch to postal play was caused by a number of factors\, negative and positive : an impending move to Scotland\, where there was less OTB chess\, frustration at constantly spoiling good positions through mistakes in time pressure – on the other hand a feeling that correspondence chess should suit an academic temperament\, and a particularly fascinating game played in 1963-4 with Michael Haygarth (see below) on which I spent so much time and energy that I almost feared it would ruin my post-graduate exams. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nIn 1964-5 I qualified for the British Championship by winning a candidates’ section with 100%\, and then competed three times in the British Championship itself (1965-6\, 1966-7\, 1970-71)\, winning on each occasion (the first time jointly with S. Milan) and remaining unbeaten. International play also proved successful\, and I soon collected the two norms necessary for the IM title (Ed: awarded in 1970). \nLinda Brownson (Newnham & Basildon)\, left\, playing Maria Eagle (Pembroke & Formby) being observed by John Nunn\, Adrian Hollis and Harry Golombek posing for the obligatory “staring at the board” picture for the 1981 Varsity Match sponsored by Lloyds Bank.\nThe first chance for the Grandmaster title came on Board 1 in the Seventh Olympiad final. Despite a rare loss with the White pieces(my only defeat with white for a stretch of 15 years)\, things went well\, including a lucky win against the reigning World Champion\, Horst Rittner\, and the enticing prospect beckoned if only I could beat the Russian Moiseyev. He held a slight advantage since the opening\, but I thought I saw the chance of tempting him to an incorrect sacrifice. Back came his move; he had indeed made the sacrifice and the envelope burnt a hole in my pocket during an important meeting (my mind was elsewhere). After a mere two days’ thought I sent my reply. The post between England and the USSR takes about a month for the return trip. Soon after posting my move\, as I was walking from the Ashmolean Museum to Keble\, just passing the front gate of St. John’s\, the realisation of what I had overlooked hit me\, and there followed an inexorable wait for the death blow which I now saw only too clearly. \nSo no Grandmaster title\, but Great Britain still took the bronze medals\, and I scored 6/9 (+5=1-2). \nBob Wade\, Harry Golombek and Adrian Hollis observe Penny Coxon (Newnam) and Anita Rakshit (St. Hilda’s) during the 1983 Varsity match sponsored by Lloyds Bank\nAnother opportunity came when the British Postal Chess Federation organised a tournament (1974-6) in memory of its former secretary RJ Potter.  This started inauspiciously for me with a heavy defeat at the hands of Grandmaster Endzelins of Australia.\, a country which has so far provided my least favourite opposition (not only is the postage extremely expensive\, but my score to date is 0/2). \nFrom The Potter Memorial\, Ken Messere\, Chess (Sutton Coldfield)\, 1979 we have this potted biography from Ken Messere : \nThe Potter Memorial\, Ken Messere\, Chess (Sutton Coldfield)\, 1979\n“Adrian Hollis is 36\, was educated at Eton and Oxford\, has written two books on the poet Ovid and is a Fellow and Tutor in Classics at Keble College\, Oxford. He is a British Master at over the board chess and has been Champion of British Universities\, West of England and East Scotland. \nIn 1964\, he went to teach at St. Andrews University where his wife\, Margaret\, taught German. They were married and moved to Keble College in 1967 and now have two daughters. Jennifer is nearly five and Veronica is two. \nAdrian began to concentrate on correspondence chess in 1964 and won the British Correspondence Chess Championship jointly in 1966 and outright in 1967 and 1971. He won the I.M. title in 1970 and his fine score of 6/9 on top board for Great Britain in the I.C.C.F. VIIth Correspondence Chess Olympiad Final contributed to the team’s winning the bronze medal in this event.” \nand now back to Adrian’s British Chess article… \nThereafter my fortunes improved; one opponent accepted too trustingly some faulty analysis by Szabo in Informator (for a while it seemed that the Hungarian might earn me not one but two points). The East German Dr. Baumbach failed to find an improvement in a line with which I had been successful in the Seventh Olympiad Final. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nAlso\, I had a win with the Black pieces against the Russian Kopylov. The result was a score of 9/12 (+8=2-2)\, which sufficed for the grandmaster title and first place half a point ahead of the Finn Kauranen. \nSince then I have played quite well on second board behind Keith Richardson in the Eighth Olympiad Final (+5=7-0)\, and very badly indeed (scoring just about 50% in the Heilimo Memorial Tournament organised from Finland (I was much impressed by the strength of the Finnish players\, most of whom I had not encountered before). Having twice narrowly failed\, I would still like to qualify for the Final of the Individual World Championship. Of course life becomes increasingly busy\, but the examples of Hugh Alexander and Graham Mitchell encourage me to believe that one can continue to play well at postal chess longer than over-the-board. So perhaps around the year 2000\, when the children are grown up….” \nAdrian Hollis and Harry Golombek observer Andrew Dyson (Trinity) having played 1.d4 versus IM William Watson (Merton) during the 1984 Varsity match sponsored by Lloyds Bank\n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume CXXXIII (133\, 2013)\, Number 4 (April)\, pp.194-5 we have this obituary written by James Pratt : \nAdrian Swayne Hollis (2 viii 1940 Bristol – 26 ii 2013 Wells)\, British Master and Correspondence Grandmaster (1976)\, three times British Correspondence Champion\, has died. He played most of his OTB chess as a young man\, finishing seventh equal at the British Aberystwyth\, 1961\, when he beat\, amongst others\, A.R.B. Thomas and former champion\, Alan Phillips. He gave future champion\, Jonathan Penrose\, a tough fight in the last round before conceding the half-point. He played in the Hastings Premier\, 1962/3 and emerged with a plus score in the Anglo-Dutch matches. He was an occasional reviewer for BCM. \nIt was\, of course\, in the realm of postal player that he shone most brightly! \nIn 1966 we see him playing board two for England\, below Slade Milan\, and\, two years later\, Adrian scored 9/12 in a World Postal Qualifier\, narrowly missing a place in the final. In 1971 he won the British Correspondence Championship\, easily outdistancing a tough field. He played top board for England in the 1972-7 Olympiad. In 1974-6 he won the Reg Potter Memorial. In the ninth Olympiad – 1982-5 – Adrian Hollis was undefeated on board two. And England took the Gold Medal! \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nObituary from Raymond Keene in The Specatator \nObituary from Kenneth Shelton in The Independent \nObituary from ? in The Times \nObituary from John Rhodes in The Chess Improver \nObituary from Bob Jones of Keverel Chess. \nWikipedia article.
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-for-cgm-adrian-swayne-hollis-02-viii-1940-26-ii-2013/
CATEGORIES:Correspondence,History,Player,Remembering
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200222
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200223
DTSTAMP:20220221T102149Z
CREATED:20200531T151035Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220221T102149Z
UID:5873-1582329600-1582415999@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Birthday of John Saunders (22-ii-1953)
DESCRIPTION:Birthday of John Cameron Saunders (22-ii-1953) \nHere is John’s Wikipedia entry \nHere is his excellent blog \nHere is the superb BritBase \nMurray Chandler and John Saunders
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/birthday-of-john-cameron-saunders-22-ii-1953/
CATEGORIES:4NCL,Birthday,History,Journalist,Player,Writer
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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:20200110
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200111
DTSTAMP:20260817T141234Z
CREATED:20200504T085859Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T141234Z
UID:5221-1578614400-1578700799@britishchessnews.com
SUMMARY:Death Anniversary of Roland Scott (25-iii-1888 10-i-1953)
DESCRIPTION:BCN remembers Roland Scott who passed away in Monte Carlo on Saturday\, January 10th\, 1953. \nRoland Henry Vaughan Scott was born in either Barnes or Holloway depending which Census record is correct. His parents were Walter Frederick Scott\, a GP who was born in April 1960 and died in 1891 when Roland was three years of age. \nHis mother was Lucie Vaughan was born in 1855 and died in October 1933. \nRoland had two sisters\, Nina Vaughan Scott and Lucie / Lucia Audrey Scott (who died before her first birthday) and a brother Guy Francis D Scott who lived until 1977. \nIn 1891 Roland lived in Tottenham\, in 1901 in Hampstead and in 1911 in St. Pancras where he was listed as a law clerk. \nIn 1917 The London Gazette lists him as a lieutenant in the Norfolk Regiment. \nThe 1920 electoral rolls for the Gospel Oak polling district lists Scott as voter #2006 living at 2\, Estelle Road\, North St. Pancras which is now in Belsize Park\, NW3 2JX. At the same address was his sister Lucie and in 1921 they were joined by brother Guy. \nIn July 1922 in the district of Brighton Roland married Irma Clareboudt. No children from the marriage are recorded. \nThe 1939 register lists Scott as “War Disabled ? Officer Retired In War 1914” (invalided from army) and Irma as a saleswoman (born 25th July 1895) living at 42\, Sherwell Lane\, Paignton\, Torquay\, TQ2 6BD. \n42\, Sherwell Lane\, Paignton\, Devon\, TQ2 6BD.\nThe April 1953 British Chess Magazine (Volume LXXIII\, Number 4\, page 101 onwards) contained this obituary from DJ Morgan: \nIt is with much regret that we record the death\, on January 10th\, at Monte Carlo\, of R. H. V. Scott. He had long been out of active chess\, but older readers will need no reminding of the 1920 British Champion\, with his quiet manner but attacking chess; one who was composure itself at the table but aggressiveness personified on the board. \nThe son of a doctor\, Scott was born in 1889. He was nineteen before taking to the game\, but a ready aptitude combined with great enthusiasm led to rapid progress. He joined the Hampstead Club in 1908\, and in his first tournament\, the Third Class\, came out first. ln the years that follow he pursued the game with much energy. \nAt the B.C.F. Congress\, Glasgow\, l9ll\, he won the only section of the First Class. In 1913 and in 1914 he was Hampstead Club Champion. In 1913 he was tenth in the British Championship\, at Cheltenham\, and equal fifth to sixth at Chester in the following year\, defeating Yates and drawing with Blackburne. \nIn 1915 he came second in the City of London Club Championship\, but won that of the Metropolitan Club. During the same year he lost a short match with Sir G. A. Thomas 1-3. The war years\, with a commission in the Norfolk Regiment\, intervened\, but chess filled his available moments. \nIn 1916 he defeated L. I. Estrin\, a young Russian who was Hampstead Champion\, 5-2 in a match. ln 1919 he lost a match with Winter at Hastings (2-4)\, and shared seventh to eighth positions with Dr. Olland (Holland) at the B.C.F. Hastings Victory Congress\, with victories over Olland\, \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nR. P. Michell\, Marchand\, and Conde. Then came the B.C.F. Edinburgh Congress of 1920\, Scott became British Champion\, losing only\nto Sir G. A. Thomas. \nIn this year he also drew a match\, 3-3\, with Marchand\, of Holland\, also at Hastings. There followed three more appearances in the championship\, Malvern\, 1921 (equal fifth to sixth); Southsea\,1923 (equal third to fourth); and Southport\, 1924 (fourth). And with this Scott passed out of British chess. Ill health and failing eyesight\, direct results of sufferings and injuries endured on active service during the war\, began to take their toll. On medical advice he sought a warmer climate\, and the Riviera henceforth became his home. \nWe find him sharing seventh to eighth positions at the Hyères Congress\, in 1926\, and coming equal fifth to sixth\, with B. Reilly (our Editor’s first international tourney we believe)\, at Hyères\, 1927. \nThe days of active play were over\, but his great interest in the game remained. Scott was a natural attacking player\, more likely\, perhaps\, to win the Brilliancy Prize than the First Prize. \nEdo rating profile for RHV Scott\nWe have given the bare outline of a career that was all too short\, one cut down\, in a sense before reaching full maturity. Contemporary records sometimes expressed the need for more stability in Scott’s chess\, but they chronicle games of his that speak forcibly of the imaginative\, refreshing\, and invigorating qualities of his play. We offer an early game\, the Brilliancy Prize winner\, City of London C.C. Championship\, 1913-14. White’s 20th move sets the game alight. \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.        \n    \n    \n    \n\n\n \n\nFrom British Chess Magazine\, Volume XLI (1920)\, Number 10 (October)\, page 305 we have the following report of his exploits winning the 1920 British Championship in Edinburgh: \n“We are glad to be able to present to our readers a photograph of the new champion\, Mr. R.H.V Scott. He informs us that it is his most recent one\, taken in 1917 when subaltern in the Norfolk Regiment. He saw service with the latter in France\, and\, as is probably know to most of our subscribers\, was badly gassed\, from the effects of which is now happily quite recovered. \nHis victory in the recent Congress in Edinburgh is welcome from at least two points of view; one\, that he is one of our youngest first class players (ed: he was 32 at the time\, a veteran by the standards of 2022!)\, having been born in 1889 (ed: this should have been 1888)\, and therefore may justifiably be expected to improve still further with experience and some curbing of his impatience in defence; and\, two\, that he claim to represent the more brilliant school of chess\, that of Pillsbury\, Marshall\, Charousek\, and Morphy\, rather than the more solid school\, of say\, Steinitz and Rubinstein\, who theory was the pilling up of small advantages. \nScott has an excellent “nose” for attack\, and has some exceedingly “chessy” ideas. During the congress he put a much greater restraint on himself than is his wont\, and we believe this to be the reason he so improved on his previous records. \nHe had what might be described as the worst of the draw\, since he had Black against Sir George  Thomas\, EG Sergeant and RP Michell. Some writers have described him as lucky to win\, but a study of his games and a comparison with those of others in the tourney go to prove that he played more far-sightedly than any of the others. \nWe are quite aware that the form of any player is variable\, and we have seen Sir George Thomas play much better chess and much less strainedly than he did at Edinburgh. EG Sergeant was generally playing quite at his best\, but once or twice his play deteriorated\, perhaps as the result of a sleepless night\, he then seemed bereft of ideas\, and allowed the clock to beat him. This also was the case with Michell\, who had many a rush to save his flag falling before the necessary moves were made. Now Scott almost invariably had time to spare. \nPerhaps the worst reversal of form was that of JH Blake; but he had been working very hard and late for some time right up to the day the Congress commenced\, and was not really in a fit state of health to take part. \nScott has twice before competed for the Championship; in 1913 where he finished eighth\, and in 1914 when he was fifth\, beating FD Yates\, the then Champion and drawing with JH Blackburne. \nHe has won several brilliancy prizes in congress and club tourneys\, and was the champion of the Hampstead Chess Club (where he may have been said to have learnt the game) in 1913 and 1914. He was first acquainted with the moves in 1908. \nHe is keen on all sports\, and puts his whole energy into each line he may be taking. With yet more self-restraint we think his chess will still further improve\, and we venture to prophesy this will not be the last British Chess Championship he will win.” \nIn his memoirs William Winter wrote this: \n“I also had the opportunity of playing a number of semi-serious games with RHV Scott and D. Miller\, two of the leading London amateurs. Scott was probably the most brilliant combinative played England has ever seen and had already won almost every honour except the British Championship\, which fell to him in 1920. \nSince those days I have played over hundreds of games\, including the beautiful brilliancies of the modern Russian school\, and Scott’s best combinations stand up quite well beside them. There were however weaknesses in his play which I shall discuss later. Miller was just the opposite type\, a dour solid player exceptionally hard to beat. He is\, I am glad to say\, still with us\, but Scott died a few years ago – he had been out of chess for a long time.” \nand this: \n“It is entirely legitimate\, and can prove very useful until one comes up against an opponent like Capablanca who had no weaknesses of any kind. ln Scott’s case\, one of his foibles was an aversion to exchanging queens\, and I took full advantage of this in the first two games of the match both of which I won with comparative ease; but Scott was not finished yet.’ In the third game he tied me up in a variation of the Sicilian which I had not previously seen\, and in the fourth I made the fatal mistake in going for an early win of material and allowing him a king’s side attack. Things now looked bad for me. I had the black pieces in the fifth game and I dared not play my favourite Sicilian defence because I could not discover a satisfactory answer to his new line.” \nStrangely\, none of the Encyclopaedia’s by Golombek\, Sunnucks or Hooper & Whyld felt that RHVS merited an entry. However Gaige does not forget. \nHere is an interesting article from “introuble2” entitled 100 years ago… chess in London during World War I in which Scott is mentioned. \nHere is an excellent article from John Saunders \n\n\n \n\n\n    \n        \n            You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.
URL:https://britishchessnews.com/event/death-anniversary-of-roland-henry-vaughan-scott-25-iii-1888-10-i-1953/
CATEGORIES:2023,British Championships,History,Player,Remembering
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