Tag Archives: 4NCL

Happy Birthday WIM Natasha Regan (12-vi-1971)

WIM Natasha Regan, courtesy of John Upham Photography, King's Place Rapidplay, 2013
WIM Natasha Regan, courtesy of John Upham Photography, King’s Place Rapidplay, 2013

BCN wishes Happy Birthday to WIM Natasha K Regan (12-vi-1971)

From Amazon :

“Natasha Regan was born in 1971 in London, the elder daughter of two Australian doctors. She studied Maths at Cambridge University, earned a half blue for chess, and edited the chess magazine “Dragon”. She debuted in the English Women’s chess Olympiad team in Manila, 1992.”

From Gambit Publications :

“Natasha Regan is a Women’s International Master from England who achieved a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University. While pursuing a successful career as an actuary in the insurance industry, she has raised a family and maintained a strong interest in chess and other board games, including Go.”

WIM Natasha Regan, photographer unknown
WIM Natasha Regan, photographer unknown
WIM Natasha Regan, courtesy of John Upham Photography, King's Place Rapidplay, 2013
WIM Natasha Regan, courtesy of John Upham Photography, King’s Place Rapidplay, 2013

Natasha Regan, Lloyds bank Open, Unknown photographer
Natasha Regan, Lloyds bank Open, Unknown photographer
Chess For Life. Gambit. ISBN 978-1910093832.
Chess For Life. Gambit. ISBN 978-1910093832.
Game Changer. New In Chess. ISBN 978-9056918187.
Game Changer. New In Chess. ISBN 978-9056918187.
WIM Natasha Regan, courtesy of John Upham Photography at the Keith Richardson Memorial, 2017
WIM Natasha Regan, courtesy of John Upham Photography at the Keith Richardson Memorial, 2017

Many Happy Returns IM Jovanka Houska (10-vi-1980)

IM Jovanka Houska
IM Jovanka Houska

BCN wishes many Happy Returns to IM Jovanka Houska (10-vi-1980)

From Wikipedia :

Jovanka Houska is an English chess player with the titles International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM). She is an eight-time winner of the British Women’s Chess Championship.

Jovanka Houska, photographer unknown
Jovanka Houska, photographer unknown

From Chessgames.com :

“Jovanka Houska is an English IM and WGM. She is currently the highest-rated woman in England. British women’s champion in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Her brother is IM Miroslav Houska. She is the author of several books on the Caro-Kann Defense and Scandinavian Defense, and the co-author (with James Essinger) of the novel “The Mating Game.””

Jovanka was born in London and became a Women’s International Master in 1999, a Woman’s Grandmaster in 2000 and an International Master in 2005. Her peak rating was 2443 in July 2010 at the of 30.

Jovanka Houska, photographer unknown
Jovanka Houska, photographer unknown

She plays for 4NCL Wood Green and her brother is IM Miroslav Houska. Her father Mario plays for Slough.

Jovanka Houska and family members
Jovanka Houska and family members
IM Jovanka Houska, courtesy of John Upham Photography
IM Jovanka Houska, courtesy of John Upham Photography

Dangerous Weapons : Caro-Kann
Dangerous Weapons : Caro-Kann
Starting Out : The Scandinavian
Starting Out : The Scandinavian
Play the Caro-Kann
Play the Caro-Kann
Opening Repertoire : The Caro-Kann
Opening Repertoire : The Caro-Kann
The Mating Game
The Mating Game

IM Jovanka Houska, courtesy of John Upham Photography
IM Jovanka Houska, courtesy of John Upham Photography

Happy Birthday GM Dharshan Kumaran (07-vi-1975)

BCN wishes Happy Birthday to GM Dharshan Kumaran (07-vi-1975)

His highest Elo rating was 2505 in January 1995 at the age of 20.

Lawrence Cooper, Demis Hassabis, Cathy Haslinger and Dharshan Kumaran in around 1986. Possibly at a Lloyds Bank event.
Lawrence Cooper, Demis Hassabis, Cathy Haslinger and Dharshan Kumaran in around 1986. Possibly at a Lloyds Bank event.

From Wikipedia :

Dharshan Kumaran (born 7 June 1975) is an English chess grandmaster.[1] He won the World Under-12 Championship in 1986, the World Under-16 Championship in 1991, and finished 3rd equal in the World Under-20 Championship in 1994. He currently works as a neuroscience research scientist at DeepMind.[2]

GM Dharshan Kumaran
GM Dharshan Kumaran

Happy Birthday IM Chris Baker (29-v-1958)

BCN wishes Happy Birthday to IM Christopher Wallace Baker (29-v-1958)

Chris was born in Coventry, West Midlands and played in the Staffordshire Open in 1975 (the earliest games held in MegaBase 2020).

Chris has played for Guildford in Four Nations Chess League (4NCL).

Currently Chris plays for 4NCL The ADs, Coventry Chess Academy and Battersea Chess Club.

He has been the trainer of the Welsh junior team and is a fully-qualified arbiter.

He has taught chess in many schools in the Farnham area of Surrey.

IM Chris Baker
IM Chris Baker

He has authored and co-authored a number of books including the following :

A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire
A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire
Simple Winning Chess
Simple Winning Chess
Learn From Your Chess Mistakes
Learn From Your Chess Mistakes
Dynamic Black Opening Repertoire
Dynamic Black Opening Repertoire
A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire
A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire

Happy Birthday IM John Cox (22-v-1962)

BCN sends best wishes to IM John James Cox on his birthday, this day, in 1962.

John was born in Altrincham, Trafford, Greater Manchester and moved to Shropshire at the age of three.

John attended Eton College playing top board in the Sunday Times National Schools Competition during the 1977 – 1979 period.

John read classics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford and played in the 1982, 1983 and 1984 varsity matches for Oxford versus Cambridge.

He became a FIDE Master in 1982, an International Master in 2002 and obtained a peak rating of 2423 in January of 2006.

John is a solicitor, owning his own practice of 30 years.

He is an expert bridge player and an amateur rock climber / mountaineer.

John plays for Cavendish in the London League, Hackney in other leagues and Barbican in the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL).

From the excellent Shropshire Chess web site we have :

John Cox, aged 17, photographer unknown
John Cox, aged 17, photographer unknown

“Probably the best home reared player to come out of the county, John Cox started to play at age 6 with his father Jeff (see above) joining Shrewsbury Chess Club at age 7. At age10 he became joint Shropshire lightning champion. He was 16 when he won the 1979 county championship though much of his early success was outside the county. He gained his first FM norm at the 1980 Lloyds Bank Masters where he became the first Shropshire player to beat a GM (see below), also drawing with IM’s Ligterink and Pytel. In 1981 he gained his third norm and the FM title at Ramsgate together with his first IM norm. Though now based in London, he is still a regular visitor to the local Wrekin Congress.”

Here is his Wikipedia entry

John Cox (first from left) at a Lloyds Bank event.
John Cox (first from left) at a Lloyds Bank event.
John Cox (left, rear)
John Cox (left, rear)
John Cox (left, rear) at a Lloyds Bank Varsity match
John Cox (left, rear) at a Lloyds Bank Varsity match
IM John Cox, courtesy John Upham Photography
IM John Cox, courtesy John Upham Photography
Starting out 1.d4 ! by John Cox
Starting out 1.d4 ! by John Cox
Dangerous Weapons : The Ruy Lopez
Dangerous Weapons : The Ruy Lopez
Starting Out : Alekhine's Defence
Starting Out : Alekhine’s Defence
Dealing with d4 Deviations
Dealing with d4 Deviations
Starting Out : Sicilian Sveshnikov
Starting Out : Sicilian Sveshnikov
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall

Many Happy Returns IM Andrew Martin (18-v-1957)

BCN wishes IM Andrew Martin many happy returns on his birthday (18-v-1957)

From ChessBase :

Andrew David Martin (born 18th May 1957 in West Ham, London) is an English chess player with the title of international master. Martin has won various national and international tournaments. He has been playing for years in the Four Nations Chess League, at present (July 2009) for Wood Green Hilsmark Kingfisher, previously for the Camberley Chess Club. Martin received his title as international master in 1984. He earned his first grandmaster norm in the British Championship of 1997 in Brighton. Martin was a commentator on the chess world championship between Kasparov and Kramnik in 2000.
On the 21st February 2004 Martin set a new world record for simultaneous chess.

He faced 321 chess players at the same time. His result was: 294 wins, 26 draws and only one loss. Martin is known as a professional chess teacher and head trainer of the English youth team. He trains eight schools (Yateley Manor, Aldro, Millfield, Sunningdale, Waverley School, St Michael’s Sandhurst, Wellington College, Salesian College). Martin is a chess columnist, an author of chess books and the author of various instructional videos. He was the publisher of the series Trends Publications. Martin lives in Sandhurst, England, is married and the father of two daughters and two sons. His present Elo rating is 2423 (as of July 2009).

Andrew coaching students
Andrew coaching students

The above is somewhat inaccurate and out of date. Andrew came from East Ham rather than West Ham. He was the editor rather than the publisher of Trends Publications and he lives in Bramley, Surrey with his partner Naomi.

Andrew and friends at the NatWest Bank Young Masters
Andrew and friends at the NatWest Bank Young Masters

On July 23rd 1981 a world record attempt of continuous blitz games was undertaken at the National Film Theatre in London with much support of the membership of London Central YMCA.

Yours Truly (John Upham) plays Andrew Martin at the NFT
Yours Truly (John Upham) plays Andrew Martin at the NFT

Andrew now plays for Camberley and Guildford clubs in the Berkshire and Surrey Border Leagues and is former member of East Ham, Ilford, London Central YMCA (CentYMCA), Wood Green and Barbican clubs.

Andrew plays JJ Ady whilst Simon LeBlanq observes at the London Central YMCA
Andrew plays JJ Ady whilst Simon LeBlanq observes at the London Central YMCA

Andrew has written many books starting as Editor of the “Trends Series” for Tournament Chess owned by Richard W. O’Brien (Not of The Crystal Maze). He has authored numerous DVDs for Foxy Videos and ChessBase and has a YouTube Channel focused on young and improving players called “Andrew Martin – Chess Explorations“.

Below Andrew annotates his game (with black) versus GM Stephen Gordon from 4NCL in 2005 :

Andrew’s first book as author was this one:

Winning With the King's Indian, Caissa Publishing, Andrew Martin, 1989
Winning With the King’s Indian, Caissa Publishing, Andrew Martin, 1989

Here is one his favourite games:

Trends in the Slav Defence, Tournament Chess, Andrew Martin, 1990
Trends in the Slav Defence, Tournament Chess, Andrew Martin, 1990
The Contemporary Anti-Dutch, 1990
The Contemporary Anti-Dutch, 1990

Here is a second memorable game :

Secret Weapons, Tournament Chess, 1991
Secret Weapons, Tournament Chess, 1991
Short, Tournament Chess, 1993
Short, Tournament Chess, 1993
Alekhine's Defence, 2001
Alekhine’s Defence, 2001
The Essential Center-Counter, 2004
The Essential Center-Counter, 2004
King's Indian Battle Plans, 2004
King’s Indian Battle Plans, 2004
The Hippopotamus Rises, 2005
The Hippopotamus Rises, 2005
Play the Benko Gambit, 2007
Play the Benko Gambit, 2007
First Steps : Queen's Gambit, 2016
First Steps : Queen’s Gambit, 2016
First Steps : Caro-Kann Defence, 2018
First Steps : Caro-Kann Defence, 2018
First Steps : King's Indian Defence, 2019
First Steps : King’s Indian Defence, 2019

and finally this game was very pleasing :

Chess Hacker, Andrew Martin, Thinkers Press, 2019
Chess Hacker, Andrew Martin, Thinkers Press, 2019
Play the Budapest Gambit, Andrew Martin, Everyman Chess, May 2021, ISBN-13 : 978-1781945889
Play the Budapest Gambit, Andrew Martin, Everyman Chess, May 2021, ISBN-13 : 978-1781945889

Happy Birthday GM Matthew Sadler (15-v-1974)

BCN wishes GM Matthew Sadler all the best on his birthday, this day, in 1974.

From Wikipedia :

Sadler won the British Championship in 1995 at the age of 21 and again in 1997 (jointly with Michael Adams).[2] He represented England in the 1996 Chess Olympiad, scoring 10½/13 and winning a gold medal for the best score on board four (England finished fourth), and also played in 1998 scoring 7½/12. He made 7/9 on board four for England at the European Team Chess Championship in Pula in 1997.[3] His was the best individual score of the five-man English team and so contributed significantly to England’s first (and to date only) gold medal in a major competition.

Anatoli Vaisser vs Matthew Sadler, Cappelle-la-Grande, 1991
Anatoli Vaisser vs Matthew Sadler, Cappelle-la-Grande, 1991

For several years, he was the book reviewer for New in Chess magazine and also wrote books and articles for other chess magazines. In 2000, his book Queen’s Gambit Declined (published by Everyman) was awarded the British Chess Federation’s book of the year award.[4]

. Queen's Gambit Declined. Everyman. ISBN 978-1857442564.
. Queen’s Gambit Declined. Everyman. ISBN 978-1857442564.

Latterly a resident of Amersfoort, Sadler returned to chess in 2010 to play in a rapidplay tournament held in nearby Wageningen. He won the event with a perfect score of 7/7, finishing ahead of grandmasters Jan Timman, Friso Nijboer and Daniel Fridman. In August 2011, Sadler continued his resurgence by winning the XIII Open Internacional D’Escacs de Sants, scoring 8½/10, ahead of several grandmasters including Jan Smeets. Right thereafter, in October 2011, he went on to compete in the Oslo Chess International; participants included ten other grandmasters, among them Sergei Tiviakov, Jon Ludvig Hammer and Sergey Volkov, all being 2600+ rated. Sadler won convincingly, with 8/9 points and a performance rating of 2849. Going into 2012, the gain in rating points elevated him to fourth rank amongst active English players and also lifted him back into the World Top 100.”

Matthew Sadler plays Anatoly Karpov at the Amber Rapid in 1998. The game was drawn.
Matthew Sadler plays Anatoly Karpov at the Amber Rapid in 1998. The game was drawn.

Matthew was Southern Counties (SCCU) champion in the 1989-90 and 1993-94 seasons.

One of Matthew’s favourite games is this quick win against Ladislav Stratil Jr. from the Oakham Young Masters :

Matthew Sadler
Matthew Sadler

In a January 2012 interview, Sadler stated that chess was now primarily a “hobby” for him.[5] While relishing his return to tournament play, Sadler noted that he was now an amateur, and would not be coming back as a professional. He contrasts his present lighthearted attitude with his demeanor during his time as a professional, when he was “working ten hours a day and incredibly intensively”.

Mark Taimanov and Matthew Sadler
Mark Taimanov and Matthew Sadler

Here is a second favourite game of Matthew’s versus Eran Liss at Budapest, 1993 :

Matthew Sadler
Matthew Sadler

and thirdly this game of Matthew’s vs Jan Smeets is another favourite :

The Slav. Everyman. ISBN 978-1901259001.
The Slav. Everyman. ISBN 978-1901259001.
The Semi-Slav. Everyman. ISBN 978-1901259087.
The Semi-Slav. Everyman. ISBN 978-1901259087.
 Tips For Young Players. Everyman. ISBN 978-1857442311.
Tips For Young Players. Everyman. ISBN 978-1857442311.
. Queen's Gambit Declined. Everyman. ISBN 978-1857442564.
. Queen’s Gambit Declined. Everyman. ISBN 978-1857442564.
 Study Chess With Matthew Sadler. Everyman. ISBN 978-1857449907.
Study Chess With Matthew Sadler. Everyman. ISBN 978-1857449907.
Chess For Life. Gambit. ISBN 978-1910093832.
Chess For Life. Gambit. ISBN 978-1910093832.
 Game Changer. New In Chess. ISBN 978-9056918187.
Game Changer. New In Chess. ISBN 978-9056918187.

Happy Birthday IM Jack Rudd (13-v-1979)

BCN wishes a Happy Birthday to IM Jack Rudd (13-v-1979)

Jack Timothy John Rudd was born in Scunthorpe and the family moved to the West Country in 1981/82. Jack became a FIDE Master in 2006 and an International Master in 2008 (confirmed in 2009). He became a FIDE Arbiter (FA) in 2012 and an International Arbiter (2014) in 2014.

Jack achieved his highest Elo rating of 2385 in April 2007 at the age of 28.

Jack plays for “West is Best” in the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL), Somerset Chess Association and Barnstaple in local leagues.

Jack has selected two of his favourite games as follows :

IM Jack Rudd, photograph courtesy of John Upham Photography
IM Jack Rudd, photograph courtesy of John Upham Photography

Happy Birthday GM Danny Gormally (04-v-1976)

BCN wishes Happy Birthday to GM Daniel William Gormally (04-v-1976)

Danny won the Southern Counties (SCCU) championship in the 2002-03 and 2010-11 (sharing with David Howell) seasons.

Here is a ChessBase interview with Danny

Danny Gormally Caption Competition
Danny Gormally Caption Competition

and another interview from Chessbase

GM Danny Gormally
GM Danny Gormally
Danny Gormally with the ? Trophy
Danny Gormally with the ? Trophy
Insanity, Passion and Addiction
Insanity, Passion and Addiction

Happy Birthday WIM Dr. Ruth Sheldon (03-v-1980)

Happy Birthday WIM Ruth Sheldon (03-v-1980).

Ruth was born in Manchester and became a WFM in 1993 and WIM in 1996. Her peak rating was 2310 in July 1999.

She was World U12 Vice Champion in 1992, World U14 Champion in 1993 and World U18 Champion in 1998.

She is a lecturer in Religion and Social Science at King’s College, London

WIM Dr. Ruth Sheldon
WIM Dr. Ruth Sheldon

Here is her rather brief Wikipedia entry.

Ruths's partial Chessbase record
Ruths’s partial Chessbase record
WIM Dr. Ruth Sheldon during a county match (full caption below)
WIM Dr. Ruth Sheldon during a county match (full caption below)
Caption to photograph above
Caption to photograph above