Tag Archives: Birthdays

Birthday of IM Bill Hartston (12-viii-1947)

IM William Hartston, FIDE Candidates, 2013, courtesy of John Upham Photography
IM William Hartston, FIDE Candidates, 2013, courtesy of John Upham Photography

On the “glorious twelfth” of August we celebrate the birthday of one of England’s most popular chess players and writers, IM Bill Hartston.

William Roland Hartston was born in Willesden, Middlesex on Tuesday, August 12th, 1947. His father was William Hartston, a significant member of the Royal College of Physicians who was married to Mary Rowland. Bill has a sister.

Bill Hartston
Bill Hartston

He studied at the City of London School and then studied mathematics at Jesus College, Cambridge and graduated with a BA in 1968 and an MA in 1972, but did not complete his PhD on number theory.

An early Bill Hartston, event unknown
An early Bill Hartston, event unknown

While studying for his PhD at Cambridge, Hartston developed an intricate system for balancing an entire chess set on top of a single rook. Here is an article with an explanation letter from Bill.

Bill married Dr. Jana Malypetrova in January, 1970 in Cambridge. In 1978 Bill married Elizabeth Bannerman, also in Cambridge and from that marriage he had two sons, James and Nicholas.

Bill and Dr. Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)
Bill and Dr. Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)

Bill became an International Master in 1972 and his highest FIDE rating was 2485 in January 1979.

With the white pieces Bill almost exclusively played 1.e4 and the Ruy Lopez.

With the black pieces Bill played the Sicilian Taimanov and the Czech Benoni.

Bill plays his trusty Sicilian Taimanov against an unknown opponent
Bill plays his trusty Sicilian Taimanov against an unknown opponent

Bill is a self-proclaimed follower of Prof. AJ Ayer (See the Acknowledgements in “Soft Pawn”) Clint Eastwood and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323
Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323

Bill was the chess correspondent of The Independent and The Mail on Sunday. He was also a regular presenter and commentator for television. He worked with Jeremy James on the BBC’s Master Game.

The Master Game, Series 6&7 with Jeremy James and Bill Hartston
The Master Game, Series 6&7 with Jeremy James and Bill Hartston

Bill is an industrial psychologist.

Curiously the 1984 edition of the usually reliable The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper and Whyld does not have an entry for the twice British Champion : was this simply an oversight ? Jana is also not mentioned.

Bill wrote about himself in British Chess (Pergamon, 1983) :

“To summarise more than 20 years of playing competitive chess in a few hundred words is an impossible task. My attitude to the game has changed a great deal, especially in recent times, but I have always enjoyed and felt at home in the tense and lively atmosphere of chess tournaments, whether as a competitor, spectator or journalist.

Caption as per photograph below
Caption as per photograph below
Caption for above photograph
Caption for above photograph

I consider myself lucky to have been a ‘promising junior’ just at the time when chess was beginning to be taken seriously as a sport in England. The English team consisted mainly of amateurs and there were clear opportunities for anyone willing to work at the game. As a result of the changing attitudes to the game in this country, the development between 1965, when I first played for the national team, and 1975 was far greater than in any other decade. One statistic which I have always found personally amusing is that I progressed from youngest player in 1967 for the Clare Benedict tournament to become the oldest in the 1971 team. From promising junior to veteran in four years = is this a record ?

Bill Hartston commentating on games from the Phillips & Drew King's 1982
Bill Hartston commentating on games from the Phillips & Drew King’s 1982

Since my second British Championship win in 1975, I have been writing more and playing less. I always realised that I was not going to become a sufficiently strong player to be happy just wandering round the tournament circuit, but giving up chess entirely is, of course, unthinkable. I believe now that the time is ripe for chess to be presented to far wider audiences and I like to think that some of what I do will help in that aim. If the Master Game television series and “Soft Pawn” cannot sell chess to the masses then nothing will.”

Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. Here at the Teachers Assurance National Schools Championships in 1980
Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. Here at the Teachers Assurance National Schools Championships in 1980

Harry Golombek wrote the following in a 1980 Dataday chess diary :

“Hartston played hardly at all during the period from my last entry of him in the 1977 diary and that little, though respectable, was hardly the performance of an active master. His equal 3rd to 5th at the big Aaronson’s Masters Tournament (a swiss system event with 72 players) did not really affect his rating and indeed he finished up without changing his Elo rating at all.

Nevertheless, this glimpse of his true powers was impressive as can be seen in the following game which was played in the 6th round of the Aaronson tournament.”

From The Encyclopedia of Chess(Robert Hale, 1970 & 1976) by Anne Sunnucks :

“International Master (1972) and British Champion (1973) William Hartston was born in London on the 12th August 1947. He was taught to play chess by his father when he was seven and five years later joined Enfield Chess Club. His results in junior events included 1st in the London Boys’ Under 16 Championship and 2nd in the British Boys’ Under 15 Championship in 1962 and =2nd in the British Boys Under 18 Championship in 1963.

Bill had a keen interest in computer chess and technology
Bill had a keen interest in computer chess and technology

In 1965, Hartston made his first appearance in the British Championship and came =5th. In the same year he won the Ilford and Paignton Premier tournaments. Playing on board 3 for England in the 1966 Olympiad. Hartston scored the best result of any British player, 66.7%. In the Olympiad of 1970, he had the best overall score on board 3, 12.5 out of 16 and in the Olympiad of 1972 he won the prize for the 3rd best score on board 2, 12.5 out of 18. In 1972 he narrowly failed to qualify for the Interzonal tournament, when he came 3rd in the Zonal tournament at Vranjacka Banja.”

Mike Basman plays Bill during the play-off for the 1973 British Championship
Mike Basman plays Bill during the play-off for the 1973 British Championship

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford, 1977) by Harry Golombek :

“British International Master and twice British Champion. Hartston was born in London and his early chess was played there., where he became London Boy (Under-16 Champion in 1962.

He was educated at the City of London School and Jesus College, Cambridge, where he took a degree in mathematics.

It soon became clear that he was one of the leading young players in England and a rivalry developed between him and Raymond Keene in which first one and then the other obtained the upper hand.

After a number of near misses he won the British Championship at Eastbourne in 1973 and again at Morecambe in 1975.

Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne
Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne

Internationally he has already had a distinguished career and has been especially good and consistent in his representation of England at the Olympiads. At Havana in 1966 he scored 66.7% on board 3 but did not play at Lugano in 1968. Again on board 3 at Siegen in 1970 he obtained the best score on board 3 with 78.1%. At Skopje 1972 he fulfilled the second norm of the international master title with 12.5 points out of 18 on second board. Playing on first board at Nice 1974 he attained 52.7% and had a most meritorious and well fought draw with the World Champion, Karpov.

Bill Hartston draws with Anatoly Karpov at Nice 1974
Bill Hartston draws with Anatoly Karpov at Nice 1974

He achieved a breakthrough in the field of international tournament chess when he came third in a strong Premier tournament at Hastings 1972/3

Hastings, England, 4th January 1972, Chess, Russian Grand Master Viktor Korchnoi (right) is pictured in a match with William Hartston (UK) during the 47th Hastings International Chess Tournament (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images
Hastings, England, 4th January 1972, Chess, Russian Grand Master Viktor Korchnoi (right) is pictured in a match with William Hartston (UK) during the 47th Hastings International Chess Tournament (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

and in 1973 he scored a first at Alicante.

His best tournament result came three years later when he won 1st prize at Sarajevo 1976.

Sarajevo 1976 Crosstable from English Chess Explosion (1980)
Sarajevo 1976 Crosstable from English Chess Explosion (1980)

His style of play is sound and competent in all the spheres of the game. That he can be brilliant when necessary he demonstrated his beautiful brilliancy game against the Finnish grandmaster Westerinen at Allicante in 1973. He has a fine, broad knowledge of the openings and has written a number of articles and books on that theme.

Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. event unknown.
Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. event unknown.

Danish chess grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935 - 2010, left) takes on English player William Hartston (right) during the annual Hastings International Chess Congress, UK, 13th January 1973. Larsen won the game. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Danish chess grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935 – 2010, left) takes on English player William Hartston (right) during the annual Hastings International Chess Congress, UK, 13th January 1973. Larsen won the game. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A lucid and entertaining writer, he has also appeared with success in BBC Television chess programmes.

Bill Hartston at a promotional event
Bill Hartston at a promotional event

Among his chief works are :

The Benoni, London, 1969
The Grunfeld Defence, London, 1971
The Best Games of CHO’D Alexander (with H. Golombek), Oxford, 1976.”

In modern times Bill has made regular appearances with World Cluedo champion, Josef Kollar on Channel Four’s Gogglebox with a pair of painted breasts as background.

Here is his Wikipedia article

See his entry from the Jewish Lives Project

The King's Indian Defence
The King’s Indian Defence, 1969
The Benoni, 1969
The Benoni, 1969
How to Cheat at Chess, 1976
How to Cheat at Chess, 1976
The Best Games of C.H.O'D. Alexander, 1976
The Best Games of C.H.O’D. Alexander, 1976
The Grünfeld Defence, 1977
The Grünfeld Defence, 1977
Benoni, 1977
Benoni, 1977
Karpov-Korchnoi, 1978
Karpov-Korchnoi, 1978
Soft Pawn, 1980
Soft Pawn, 1980
The Phillips & Drew King's Chess Tournament, 1980
The Phillips & Drew King’s Chess Tournament, 1980
The Penguin Book of Chess Openings, 1981
The Penguin Book of Chess Openings, 1981
The Psychology of Chess, 1984
The Psychology of Chess, 1984
Short vs Kasparov, 1993
Short vs Kasparov, 1993
The Kings of Chess, 1995
The Kings of Chess, 1995
The Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters, 1996
The Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters, 1996
William Hartston
William Hartston

Birthday of IM Bill Hartston (12-viii-1947)

IM William Hartston, FIDE Candidates, 2013, courtesy of John Upham Photography
IM William Hartston, FIDE Candidates, 2013, courtesy of John Upham Photography

On the “glorious twelfth” of August we celebrate the birthday of one of England’s most popular chess players and writers, IM Bill Hartston.

William Roland Hartston was born in Willesden, Middlesex on Tuesday, August 12th, 1947. His father was William Hartston, a significant member of the Royal College of Physicians who was married to Mary Rowland. Bill has a sister.

Bill Hartston
Bill Hartston

He studied at the City of London School and then studied mathematics at Jesus College, Cambridge and graduated with a BA in 1968 and an MA in 1972, but did not complete his PhD on number theory.

An early Bill Hartston, event unknown
An early Bill Hartston, event unknown

While studying for his PhD at Cambridge, Hartston developed an intricate system for balancing an entire chess set on top of a single rook. Here is an article with an explanation letter from Bill.

Bill married Dr. Jana Malypetrova in January, 1970 in Cambridge. In 1978 Bill married Elizabeth Bannerman, also in Cambridge and from that marriage he had two sons, James and Nicholas.

Bill and Dr. Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)
Bill and Dr. Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)

Bill became an International Master in 1972 and his highest FIDE rating was 2485 in January 1979.

With the white pieces Bill almost exclusively played 1.e4 and the Ruy Lopez.

With the black pieces Bill played the Sicilian Taimanov and the Czech Benoni.

Bill plays his trusty Sicilian Taimanov against an unknown opponent
Bill plays his trusty Sicilian Taimanov against an unknown opponent

Bill is a self-proclaimed follower of Prof. AJ Ayer (See the Acknowledgements in “Soft Pawn”) Clint Eastwood and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323
Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323

Bill was the chess correspondent of The Independent and The Mail on Sunday. He was also a regular presenter and commentator for television. He worked with Jeremy James on the BBC’s Master Game.

The Master Game, Series 6&7 with Jeremy James and Bill Hartston
The Master Game, Series 6&7 with Jeremy James and Bill Hartston

Bill is an industrial psychologist.

Curiously the 1984 edition of the usually reliable The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper and Whyld does not have an entry for the twice British Champion : was this simply an oversight ? Jana is also not mentioned.

Bill wrote about himself in British Chess (Pergamon, 1983) :

“To summarise more than 20 years of playing competitive chess in a few hundred words is an impossible task. My attitude to the game has changed a great deal, especially in recent times, but I have always enjoyed and felt at home in the tense and lively atmosphere of chess tournaments, whether as a competitor, spectator or journalist.

Caption as per photograph below
Caption as per photograph below
Caption for above photograph
Caption for above photograph

I consider myself lucky to have been a ‘promising junior’ just at the time when chess was beginning to be taken seriously as a sport in England. The English team consisted mainly of amateurs and there were clear opportunities for anyone willing to work at the game. As a result of the changing attitudes to the game in this country, the development between 1965, when I first played for the national team, and 1975 was far greater than in any other decade. One statistic which I have always found personally amusing is that I progressed from youngest player in 1967 for the Clare Benedict tournament to become the oldest in the 1971 team. From promising junior to veteran in four years = is this a record ?

Bill Hartston commentating on games from the Phillips & Drew King's 1982
Bill Hartston commentating on games from the Phillips & Drew King’s 1982

Since my second British Championship win in 1975, I have been writing more and playing less. I always realised that I was not going to become a sufficiently strong player to be happy just wandering round the tournament circuit, but giving up chess entirely is, of course, unthinkable. I believe now that the time is ripe for chess to be presented to far wider audiences and I like to think that some of what I do will help in that aim. If the Master Game television series and “Soft Pawn” cannot sell chess to the masses then nothing will.”

Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. Here at the Teachers Assurance National Schools Championships in 1980
Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. Here at the Teachers Assurance National Schools Championships in 1980

Harry Golombek wrote the following in a 1980 Dataday chess diary :

“Hartston played hardly at all during the period from my last entry of him in the 1977 diary and that little, though respectable, was hardly the performance of an active master. His equal 3rd to 5th at the big Aaronson’s Masters Tournament (a swiss system event with 72 players) did not really affect his rating and indeed he finished up without changing his Elo rating at all.

Nevertheless, this glimpse of his true powers was impressive as can be seen in the following game which was played in the 6th round of the Aaronson tournament.”

From The Encyclopedia of Chess(Robert Hale, 1970 & 1976) by Anne Sunnucks :

“International Master (1972) and British Champion (1973) William Hartston was born in London on the 12th August 1947. He was taught to play chess by his father when he was seven and five years later joined Enfield Chess Club. His results in junior events included 1st in the London Boys’ Under 16 Championship and 2nd in the British Boys’ Under 15 Championship in 1962 and =2nd in the British Boys Under 18 Championship in 1963.

Bill had a keen interest in computer chess and technology
Bill had a keen interest in computer chess and technology

In 1965, Hartston made his first appearance in the British Championship and came =5th. In the same year he won the Ilford and Paignton Premier tournaments. Playing on board 3 for England in the 1966 Olympiad. Hartston scored the best result of any British player, 66.7%. In the Olympiad of 1970, he had the best overall score on board 3, 12.5 out of 16 and in the Olympiad of 1972 he won the prize for the 3rd best score on board 2, 12.5 out of 18. In 1972 he narrowly failed to qualify for the Interzonal tournament, when he came 3rd in the Zonal tournament at Vranjacka Banja.”

Mike Basman plays Bill during the play-off for the 1973 British Championship
Mike Basman plays Bill during the play-off for the 1973 British Championship

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford, 1977) by Harry Golombek :

“British International Master and twice British Champion. Hartston was born in London and his early chess was played there., where he became London Boy (Under-16 Champion in 1962.

He was educated at the City of London School and Jesus College, Cambridge, where he took a degree in mathematics.

It soon became clear that he was one of the leading young players in England and a rivalry developed between him and Raymond Keene in which first one and then the other obtained the upper hand.

After a number of near misses he won the British Championship at Eastbourne in 1973 and again at Morecambe in 1975.

Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne
Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne

Internationally he has already had a distinguished career and has been especially good and consistent in his representation of England at the Olympiads. At Havana in 1966 he scored 66.7% on board 3 but did not play at Lugano in 1968. Again on board 3 at Siegen in 1970 he obtained the best score on board 3 with 78.1%. At Skopje 1972 he fulfilled the second norm of the international master title with 12.5 points out of 18 on second board. Playing on first board at Nice 1974 he attained 52.7% and had a most meritorious and well fought draw with the World Champion, Karpov.

Bill Hartston draws with Anatoly Karpov at Nice 1974
Bill Hartston draws with Anatoly Karpov at Nice 1974

He achieved a breakthrough in the field of international tournament chess when he came third in a strong Premier tournament at Hastings 1972/3

Hastings, England, 4th January 1972, Chess, Russian Grand Master Viktor Korchnoi (right) is pictured in a match with William Hartston (UK) during the 47th Hastings International Chess Tournament (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images
Hastings, England, 4th January 1972, Chess, Russian Grand Master Viktor Korchnoi (right) is pictured in a match with William Hartston (UK) during the 47th Hastings International Chess Tournament (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

and in 1973 he scored a first at Alicante.

His best tournament result came three years later when he won 1st prize at Sarajevo 1976.

Sarajevo 1976 Crosstable from English Chess Explosion (1980)
Sarajevo 1976 Crosstable from English Chess Explosion (1980)

His style of play is sound and competent in all the spheres of the game. That he can be brilliant when necessary he demonstrated his beautiful brilliancy game against the Finnish grandmaster Westerinen at Allicante in 1973. He has a fine, broad knowledge of the openings and has written a number of articles and books on that theme.

Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. event unknown.
Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. event unknown.

Danish chess grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935 - 2010, left) takes on English player William Hartston (right) during the annual Hastings International Chess Congress, UK, 13th January 1973. Larsen won the game. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Danish chess grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935 – 2010, left) takes on English player William Hartston (right) during the annual Hastings International Chess Congress, UK, 13th January 1973. Larsen won the game. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A lucid and entertaining writer, he has also appeared with success in BBC Television chess programmes.

Bill Hartston at a promotional event
Bill Hartston at a promotional event

Among his chief works are :

The Benoni, London, 1969
The Grunfeld Defence, London, 1971
The Best Games of CHO’D Alexander (with H. Golombek), Oxford, 1976.”

In modern times Bill has made regular appearances with World Cluedo champion, Josef Kollar on Channel Four’s Gogglebox with a pair of painted breasts as background.

Here is his Wikipedia article

See his entry from the Jewish Lives Project

The King's Indian Defence
The King’s Indian Defence, 1969
The Benoni, 1969
The Benoni, 1969
How to Cheat at Chess, 1976
How to Cheat at Chess, 1976
The Best Games of C.H.O'D. Alexander, 1976
The Best Games of C.H.O’D. Alexander, 1976
The Grünfeld Defence, 1977
The Grünfeld Defence, 1977
Benoni, 1977
Benoni, 1977
Karpov-Korchnoi, 1978
Karpov-Korchnoi, 1978
Soft Pawn, 1980
Soft Pawn, 1980
The Phillips & Drew King's Chess Tournament, 1980
The Phillips & Drew King’s Chess Tournament, 1980
The Penguin Book of Chess Openings, 1981
The Penguin Book of Chess Openings, 1981
The Psychology of Chess, 1984
The Psychology of Chess, 1984
Short vs Kasparov, 1993
Short vs Kasparov, 1993
The Kings of Chess, 1995
The Kings of Chess, 1995
The Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters, 1996
The Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters, 1996
William Hartston
William Hartston

Birthday of IM Bill Hartston (12-viii-1947)

IM William Hartston, FIDE Candidates, 2013, courtesy of John Upham Photography
IM William Hartston, FIDE Candidates, 2013, courtesy of John Upham Photography

On the “glorious twelfth” of August we celebrate the birthday of one of England’s most popular chess players and writers, IM Bill Hartston.

William Roland Hartston was born in Willesden, Middlesex on Tuesday, August 12th, 1947. His father was William Hartston, a significant member of the Royal College of Physicians who was married to Mary Rowland. Bill has a sister.

Bill Hartston
Bill Hartston

He studied at the City of London School and then studied mathematics at Jesus College, Cambridge and graduated with a BA in 1968 and an MA in 1972, but did not complete his PhD on number theory.

An early Bill Hartston, event unknown
An early Bill Hartston, event unknown

While studying for his PhD at Cambridge, Hartston developed an intricate system for balancing an entire chess set on top of a single rook. Here is an article with an explanation letter from Bill.

Bill married Dr. Jana Malypetrova in January, 1970 in Cambridge. In 1978 Bill married Elizabeth Bannerman, also in Cambridge and from that marriage he had two sons, James and Nicholas.

Bill and Dr. Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)
Bill and Dr. Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)

Bill became an International Master in 1972 and his highest FIDE rating was 2485 in January 1979.

With the white pieces Bill almost exclusively played 1.e4 and the Ruy Lopez.

With the black pieces Bill played the Sicilian Taimanov and the Czech Benoni.

Bill plays his trusty Sicilian Taimanov against an unknown opponent
Bill plays his trusty Sicilian Taimanov against an unknown opponent

Bill is a self-proclaimed follower of Prof. AJ Ayer (See the Acknowledgements in “Soft Pawn”) Clint Eastwood and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323
Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323

Bill was the chess correspondent of The Independent and The Mail on Sunday. He was also a regular presenter and commentator for television. He worked with Jeremy James on the BBC’s Master Game.

The Master Game, Series 6&7 with Jeremy James and Bill Hartston
The Master Game, Series 6&7 with Jeremy James and Bill Hartston

Bill is an industrial psychologist.

Curiously the 1984 edition of the usually reliable The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper and Whyld does not have an entry for the twice British Champion : was this simply an oversight ? Jana is also not mentioned.

Bill wrote about himself in British Chess (Pergamon, 1983) :

“To summarise more than 20 years of playing competitive chess in a few hundred words is an impossible task. My attitude to the game has changed a great deal, especially in recent times, but I have always enjoyed and felt at home in the tense and lively atmosphere of chess tournaments, whether as a competitor, spectator or journalist.

Caption as per photograph below
Caption as per photograph below
Caption for above photograph
Caption for above photograph

I consider myself lucky to have been a ‘promising junior’ just at the time when chess was beginning to be taken seriously as a sport in England. The English team consisted mainly of amateurs and there were clear opportunities for anyone willing to work at the game. As a result of the changing attitudes to the game in this country, the development between 1965, when I first played for the national team, and 1975 was far greater than in any other decade. One statistic which I have always found personally amusing is that I progressed from youngest player in 1967 for the Clare Benedict tournament to become the oldest in the 1971 team. From promising junior to veteran in four years = is this a record ?

Bill Hartston commentating on games from the Phillips & Drew King's 1982
Bill Hartston commentating on games from the Phillips & Drew King’s 1982

Since my second British Championship win in 1975, I have been writing more and playing less. I always realised that I was not going to become a sufficiently strong player to be happy just wandering round the tournament circuit, but giving up chess entirely is, of course, unthinkable. I believe now that the time is ripe for chess to be presented to far wider audiences and I like to think that some of what I do will help in that aim. If the Master Game television series and “Soft Pawn” cannot sell chess to the masses then nothing will.”

Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. Here at the Teachers Assurance National Schools Championships in 1980
Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. Here at the Teachers Assurance National Schools Championships in 1980

Harry Golombek wrote the following in a 1980 Dataday chess diary :

“Hartston played hardly at all during the period from my last entry of him in the 1977 diary and that little, though respectable, was hardly the performance of an active master. His equal 3rd to 5th at the big Aaronson’s Masters Tournament (a swiss system event with 72 players) did not really affect his rating and indeed he finished up without changing his Elo rating at all.

Nevertheless, this glimpse of his true powers was impressive as can be seen in the following game which was played in the 6th round of the Aaronson tournament.”

From The Encyclopedia of Chess(Robert Hale, 1970 & 1976) by Anne Sunnucks :

“International Master (1972) and British Champion (1973) William Hartston was born in London on the 12th August 1947. He was taught to play chess by his father when he was seven and five years later joined Enfield Chess Club. His results in junior events included 1st in the London Boys’ Under 16 Championship and 2nd in the British Boys’ Under 15 Championship in 1962 and =2nd in the British Boys Under 18 Championship in 1963.

Bill had a keen interest in computer chess and technology
Bill had a keen interest in computer chess and technology

In 1965, Hartston made his first appearance in the British Championship and came =5th. In the same year he won the Ilford and Paignton Premier tournaments. Playing on board 3 for England in the 1966 Olympiad. Hartston scored the best result of any British player, 66.7%. In the Olympiad of 1970, he had the best overall score on board 3, 12.5 out of 16 and in the Olympiad of 1972 he won the prize for the 3rd best score on board 2, 12.5 out of 18. In 1972 he narrowly failed to qualify for the Interzonal tournament, when he came 3rd in the Zonal tournament at Vranjacka Banja.”

Mike Basman plays Bill during the play-off for the 1973 British Championship
Mike Basman plays Bill during the play-off for the 1973 British Championship

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford, 1977) by Harry Golombek :

“British International Master and twice British Champion. Hartston was born in London and his early chess was played there., where he became London Boy (Under-16 Champion in 1962.

He was educated at the City of London School and Jesus College, Cambridge, where he took a degree in mathematics.

It soon became clear that he was one of the leading young players in England and a rivalry developed between him and Raymond Keene in which first one and then the other obtained the upper hand.

After a number of near misses he won the British Championship at Eastbourne in 1973 and again at Morecambe in 1975.

Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne
Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne

Internationally he has already had a distinguished career and has been especially good and consistent in his representation of England at the Olympiads. At Havana in 1966 he scored 66.7% on board 3 but did not play at Lugano in 1968. Again on board 3 at Siegen in 1970 he obtained the best score on board 3 with 78.1%. At Skopje 1972 he fulfilled the second norm of the international master title with 12.5 points out of 18 on second board. Playing on first board at Nice 1974 he attained 52.7% and had a most meritorious and well fought draw with the World Champion, Karpov.

Bill Hartston draws with Anatoly Karpov at Nice 1974
Bill Hartston draws with Anatoly Karpov at Nice 1974

He achieved a breakthrough in the field of international tournament chess when he came third in a strong Premier tournament at Hastings 1972/3

Hastings, England, 4th January 1972, Chess, Russian Grand Master Viktor Korchnoi (right) is pictured in a match with William Hartston (UK) during the 47th Hastings International Chess Tournament (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images
Hastings, England, 4th January 1972, Chess, Russian Grand Master Viktor Korchnoi (right) is pictured in a match with William Hartston (UK) during the 47th Hastings International Chess Tournament (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

and in 1973 he scored a first at Alicante.

His best tournament result came three years later when he won 1st prize at Sarajevo 1976.

Sarajevo 1976 Crosstable from English Chess Explosion (1980)
Sarajevo 1976 Crosstable from English Chess Explosion (1980)

His style of play is sound and competent in all the spheres of the game. That he can be brilliant when necessary he demonstrated his beautiful brilliancy game against the Finnish grandmaster Westerinen at Allicante in 1973. He has a fine, broad knowledge of the openings and has written a number of articles and books on that theme.

Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. event unknown.
Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. event unknown.

Danish chess grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935 - 2010, left) takes on English player William Hartston (right) during the annual Hastings International Chess Congress, UK, 13th January 1973. Larsen won the game. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Danish chess grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935 – 2010, left) takes on English player William Hartston (right) during the annual Hastings International Chess Congress, UK, 13th January 1973. Larsen won the game. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A lucid and entertaining writer, he has also appeared with success in BBC Television chess programmes.

Bill Hartston at a promotional event
Bill Hartston at a promotional event

Among his chief works are :

The Benoni, London, 1969
The Grunfeld Defence, London, 1971
The Best Games of CHO’D Alexander (with H. Golombek), Oxford, 1976.”

In modern times Bill has made regular appearances with World Cluedo champion, Josef Kollar on Channel Four’s Gogglebox with a pair of painted breasts as background.

Here is his Wikipedia article

See his entry from the Jewish Lives Project

The King's Indian Defence
The King’s Indian Defence, 1969
The Benoni, 1969
The Benoni, 1969
How to Cheat at Chess, 1976
How to Cheat at Chess, 1976
The Best Games of C.H.O'D. Alexander, 1976
The Best Games of C.H.O’D. Alexander, 1976
The Grünfeld Defence, 1977
The Grünfeld Defence, 1977
Benoni, 1977
Benoni, 1977
Karpov-Korchnoi, 1978
Karpov-Korchnoi, 1978
Soft Pawn, 1980
Soft Pawn, 1980
The Phillips & Drew King's Chess Tournament, 1980
The Phillips & Drew King’s Chess Tournament, 1980
The Penguin Book of Chess Openings, 1981
The Penguin Book of Chess Openings, 1981
The Psychology of Chess, 1984
The Psychology of Chess, 1984
Short vs Kasparov, 1993
Short vs Kasparov, 1993
The Kings of Chess, 1995
The Kings of Chess, 1995
The Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters, 1996
The Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters, 1996
William Hartston
William Hartston

Birthday of IM Bill Hartston (12-viii-1947)

IM William Hartston, FIDE Candidates, 2013, courtesy of John Upham Photography
IM William Hartston, FIDE Candidates, 2013, courtesy of John Upham Photography

On the “glorious twelfth” of August we celebrate the birthday of one of England’s most popular chess players and writers, IM Bill Hartston.

William Roland Hartston was born in Willesden, Middlesex on Tuesday, August 12th, 1947. His father was William Hartston, a significant member of the Royal College of Physicians who was married to Mary Rowland. Bill has a sister.

Bill Hartston
Bill Hartston

He studied at the City of London School and then studied mathematics at Jesus College, Cambridge and graduated with a BA in 1968 and an MA in 1972, but did not complete his PhD on number theory.

An early Bill Hartston, event unknown
An early Bill Hartston, event unknown

While studying for his PhD at Cambridge, Hartston developed an intricate system for balancing an entire chess set on top of a single rook. Here is an article with an explanation letter from Bill.

Bill married Dr. Jana Malypetrova in January, 1970 in Cambridge. In 1978 Bill married Elizabeth Bannerman, also in Cambridge and from that marriage he had two sons, James and Nicholas.

Bill and Dr. Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)
Bill and Dr. Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)

Bill became an International Master in 1972 and his highest FIDE rating was 2485 in January 1979.

With the white pieces Bill almost exclusively played 1.e4 and the Ruy Lopez.

With the black pieces Bill played the Sicilian Taimanov and the Czech Benoni.

Bill plays his trusty Sicilian Taimanov against an unknown opponent
Bill plays his trusty Sicilian Taimanov against an unknown opponent

Bill is a self-proclaimed follower of Prof. AJ Ayer (See the Acknowledgements in “Soft Pawn”) Clint Eastwood and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323
Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323

Bill was the chess correspondent of The Independent and The Mail on Sunday. He was also a regular presenter and commentator for television. He worked with Jeremy James on the BBC’s Master Game.

The Master Game, Series 6&7 with Jeremy James and Bill Hartston
The Master Game, Series 6&7 with Jeremy James and Bill Hartston

Bill is an industrial psychologist.

Curiously the 1984 edition of the usually reliable The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper and Whyld does not have an entry for the twice British Champion : was this simply an oversight ? Jana is also not mentioned.

Bill wrote about himself in British Chess (Pergamon, 1983) :

“To summarise more than 20 years of playing competitive chess in a few hundred words is an impossible task. My attitude to the game has changed a great deal, especially in recent times, but I have always enjoyed and felt at home in the tense and lively atmosphere of chess tournaments, whether as a competitor, spectator or journalist.

Caption as per photograph below
Caption as per photograph below
Caption for above photograph
Caption for above photograph

I consider myself lucky to have been a ‘promising junior’ just at the time when chess was beginning to be taken seriously as a sport in England. The English team consisted mainly of amateurs and there were clear opportunities for anyone willing to work at the game. As a result of the changing attitudes to the game in this country, the development between 1965, when I first played for the national team, and 1975 was far greater than in any other decade. One statistic which I have always found personally amusing is that I progressed from youngest player in 1967 for the Clare Benedict tournament to become the oldest in the 1971 team. From promising junior to veteran in four years = is this a record ?

Bill Hartston commentating on games from the Phillips & Drew King's 1982
Bill Hartston commentating on games from the Phillips & Drew King’s 1982

Since my second British Championship win in 1975, I have been writing more and playing less. I always realised that I was not going to become a sufficiently strong player to be happy just wandering round the tournament circuit, but giving up chess entirely is, of course, unthinkable. I believe now that the time is ripe for chess to be presented to far wider audiences and I like to think that some of what I do will help in that aim. If the Master Game television series and “Soft Pawn” cannot sell chess to the masses then nothing will.”

Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. Here at the Teachers Assurance National Schools Championships in 1980
Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. Here at the Teachers Assurance National Schools Championships in 1980

Harry Golombek wrote the following in a 1980 Dataday chess diary :

“Hartston played hardly at all during the period from my last entry of him in the 1977 diary and that little, though respectable, was hardly the performance of an active master. His equal 3rd to 5th at the big Aaronson’s Masters Tournament (a swiss system event with 72 players) did not really affect his rating and indeed he finished up without changing his Elo rating at all.

Nevertheless, this glimpse of his true powers was impressive as can be seen in the following game which was played in the 6th round of the Aaronson tournament.”

From The Encyclopedia of Chess(Robert Hale, 1970 & 1976) by Anne Sunnucks :

“International Master (1972) and British Champion (1973) William Hartston was born in London on the 12th August 1947. He was taught to play chess by his father when he was seven and five years later joined Enfield Chess Club. His results in junior events included 1st in the London Boys’ Under 16 Championship and 2nd in the British Boys’ Under 15 Championship in 1962 and =2nd in the British Boys Under 18 Championship in 1963.

Bill had a keen interest in computer chess and technology
Bill had a keen interest in computer chess and technology

In 1965, Hartston made his first appearance in the British Championship and came =5th. In the same year he won the Ilford and Paignton Premier tournaments. Playing on board 3 for England in the 1966 Olympiad. Hartston scored the best result of any British player, 66.7%. In the Olympiad of 1970, he had the best overall score on board 3, 12.5 out of 16 and in the Olympiad of 1972 he won the prize for the 3rd best score on board 2, 12.5 out of 18. In 1972 he narrowly failed to qualify for the Interzonal tournament, when he came 3rd in the Zonal tournament at Vranjacka Banja.”

Mike Basman plays Bill during the play-off for the 1973 British Championship
Mike Basman plays Bill during the play-off for the 1973 British Championship

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford, 1977) by Harry Golombek :

“British International Master and twice British Champion. Hartston was born in London and his early chess was played there., where he became London Boy (Under-16 Champion in 1962.

He was educated at the City of London School and Jesus College, Cambridge, where he took a degree in mathematics.

It soon became clear that he was one of the leading young players in England and a rivalry developed between him and Raymond Keene in which first one and then the other obtained the upper hand.

After a number of near misses he won the British Championship at Eastbourne in 1973 and again at Morecambe in 1975.

Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne
Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne

Internationally he has already had a distinguished career and has been especially good and consistent in his representation of England at the Olympiads. At Havana in 1966 he scored 66.7% on board 3 but did not play at Lugano in 1968. Again on board 3 at Siegen in 1970 he obtained the best score on board 3 with 78.1%. At Skopje 1972 he fulfilled the second norm of the international master title with 12.5 points out of 18 on second board. Playing on first board at Nice 1974 he attained 52.7% and had a most meritorious and well fought draw with the World Champion, Karpov.

Bill Hartston draws with Anatoly Karpov at Nice 1974
Bill Hartston draws with Anatoly Karpov at Nice 1974

He achieved a breakthrough in the field of international tournament chess when he came third in a strong Premier tournament at Hastings 1972/3

Hastings, England, 4th January 1972, Chess, Russian Grand Master Viktor Korchnoi (right) is pictured in a match with William Hartston (UK) during the 47th Hastings International Chess Tournament (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images
Hastings, England, 4th January 1972, Chess, Russian Grand Master Viktor Korchnoi (right) is pictured in a match with William Hartston (UK) during the 47th Hastings International Chess Tournament (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

and in 1973 he scored a first at Alicante.

His best tournament result came three years later when he won 1st prize at Sarajevo 1976.

Sarajevo 1976 Crosstable from English Chess Explosion (1980)
Sarajevo 1976 Crosstable from English Chess Explosion (1980)

His style of play is sound and competent in all the spheres of the game. That he can be brilliant when necessary he demonstrated his beautiful brilliancy game against the Finnish grandmaster Westerinen at Allicante in 1973. He has a fine, broad knowledge of the openings and has written a number of articles and books on that theme.

Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. event unknown.
Bill was always a keen supporter of junior chess. event unknown.

Danish chess grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935 - 2010, left) takes on English player William Hartston (right) during the annual Hastings International Chess Congress, UK, 13th January 1973. Larsen won the game. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Danish chess grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935 – 2010, left) takes on English player William Hartston (right) during the annual Hastings International Chess Congress, UK, 13th January 1973. Larsen won the game. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A lucid and entertaining writer, he has also appeared with success in BBC Television chess programmes.

Bill Hartston at a promotional event
Bill Hartston at a promotional event

Among his chief works are :

The Benoni, London, 1969
The Grunfeld Defence, London, 1971
The Best Games of CHO’D Alexander (with H. Golombek), Oxford, 1976.”

In modern times Bill has made regular appearances with World Cluedo champion, Josef Kollar on Channel Four’s Gogglebox with a pair of painted breasts as background.

Here is his Wikipedia article

See his entry from the Jewish Lives Project

The King's Indian Defence
The King’s Indian Defence, 1969
The Benoni, 1969
The Benoni, 1969
How to Cheat at Chess, 1976
How to Cheat at Chess, 1976
The Best Games of C.H.O'D. Alexander, 1976
The Best Games of C.H.O’D. Alexander, 1976
The Grünfeld Defence, 1977
The Grünfeld Defence, 1977
Benoni, 1977
Benoni, 1977
Karpov-Korchnoi, 1978
Karpov-Korchnoi, 1978
Soft Pawn, 1980
Soft Pawn, 1980
The Phillips & Drew King's Chess Tournament, 1980
The Phillips & Drew King’s Chess Tournament, 1980
The Penguin Book of Chess Openings, 1981
The Penguin Book of Chess Openings, 1981
The Psychology of Chess, 1984
The Psychology of Chess, 1984
Short vs Kasparov, 1993
Short vs Kasparov, 1993
The Kings of Chess, 1995
The Kings of Chess, 1995
The Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters, 1996
The Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters, 1996
William Hartston
William Hartston

Birthday of WGM Dr. Jana Bellin (09-xii-1947)

Happy birthday WGM Dr. Jana Bellin on this day (December 9th) in 1947.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale, 1970 & 1976), Anne Sunnucks :

“International Woman Master (1969), Czech Woman Champion in 1965 and 1967 and British Woman Champion since 1970.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

Jana was born in Prague on the 9th December 1947 and learned to play chess at the age of eleven. She made her first appearance in the international field when she played 2nd board for Czechoslovakia in Women’s Chess Olympiad in Oberhausen in 1966. In the same year she represented Czechoslovakia in the Zonal tournament at Varna and came 11th.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

She is now married to the British International Master, William Hartston, and played 1st board for England in the Women’s Chess Olympiad in Skopje in 1972 and represented England in the Zonal tournament in Wijk aan Zee in 1973 in which she tied for 1st place. In the same year she came =6th in the Interzonal Tournament. She is a doctor.”

Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne
Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford, 1977), Harry Golombek OBE :

“Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, but moved to England in 1970 after her marriage to WR Hartston. Czechoslovak Woman champion in 1965 and 1967 (under her maiden name of Malypetrova) and British Ladies champion in the five years 1970 to 1974. International Woman master since 1969.”

Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323
Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323

From British Chess (Pergamon Press, 1983) Botterill, Levy, Rice and Richardson :

Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia.  Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)
Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)

“Jana Miles was born 9 December 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She moved to England when she married Bill Hartston. Divorced from Hartston in 1978, she subsequently married Tony Miles.

Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia.  Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)
Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)

She was Czech woman champion in 1965 and 1967 and has regularly been the British Ladies Champion since moving to this country. She is a doctor of medicine.”

Bill and Dr, Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)
Bill and Dr, Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)

Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry OBE presents Dr. Jana Hartston with the ? prize
Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry OBE presents Dr. Jana Hartston with the ? prize

From Wikipedia :

“Jana Bellin (née Malypetrová; born 9 December 1947) is a British, formerly Czechoslovak chess player. She was awarded the Woman International Master chess title in 1969 and the Woman Grandmaster title in 1982.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

Bellin was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She was the Czech Women’s Champion in 1965 and 1967 under her maiden name of Malypetrová. After her marriage to William Hartston she moved to England in 1970 and won the British Women’s Championship in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977 (after a play-off), and 1979.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

She has fifteen appearances in the Women’s Chess Olympiads, representing Czechoslovakia in 1966 and 1969 and England thirteen times from 1972 through 2006, seven times on first board.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

At the Olympiad she earned individual silver medals in 1966 and 1976, a team bronze medal in 1968 with the Czechoslovakian team, and a team silver in 1976 with England.

British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Park With L-r Susan Arkell Sheila Jackson And Dr Jana Miles. Courtesy of Shutterstock
British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Park With L-r Susan Arkell Sheila Jackson And Dr Jana Miles. Courtesy of Shutterstock

“Bellin is a medical doctor specialising in anaesthetics, and works in intensive care at Sandwell General Hospital, West Bromwich, England.

Jana with Sheila Jackson to her left
Jana with Sheila Jackson to her left

She is also Chairman of the FIDE Medical Commission, which supervises drug testing of chess players.

British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Street With Woman Grandmaster Dr Jana Miles : Credit : Shutterstock
British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Street With Woman Grandmaster Dr Jana Miles : Credit : Shutterstock

Bellin was married first to International Master William Hartston, then to Grandmaster Tony Miles, and after that to International Master Robert Bellin. She and Bellin have two sons: Robert (born 1988) and Christopher (born 1991).[citation needed]

Dr. Jana Bellin
Dr. Jana Bellin

She is the granddaughter of thrice Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, Jan Malypetr. and cousin of author and human rights campaigner Jiří Stránský.

WGM Dr. Jana Bellin, Courtesy of John Upham Photography
WGM Dr. Jana Bellin, Courtesy of John Upham Photography

Birthday of WGM Dr. Jana Bellin (09-xii-1947)

Happy birthday WGM Dr. Jana Bellin on this day (December 9th) in 1947.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale, 1970 & 1976), Anne Sunnucks :

“International Woman Master (1969), Czech Woman Champion in 1965 and 1967 and British Woman Champion since 1970.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

Jana was born in Prague on the 9th December 1947 and learned to play chess at the age of eleven. She made her first appearance in the international field when she played 2nd board for Czechoslovakia in Women’s Chess Olympiad in Oberhausen in 1966. In the same year she represented Czechoslovakia in the Zonal tournament at Varna and came 11th.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

She is now married to the British International Master, William Hartston, and played 1st board for England in the Women’s Chess Olympiad in Skopje in 1972 and represented England in the Zonal tournament in Wijk aan Zee in 1973 in which she tied for 1st place. In the same year she came =6th in the Interzonal Tournament. She is a doctor.”

Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne
Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford, 1977), Harry Golombek OBE :

“Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, but moved to England in 1970 after her marriage to WR Hartston. Czechoslovak Woman champion in 1965 and 1967 (under her maiden name of Malypetrova) and British Ladies champion in the five years 1970 to 1974. International Woman master since 1969.”

Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323
Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323

From British Chess (Pergamon Press, 1983) Botterill, Levy, Rice and Richardson :

Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia.  Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)
Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)

“Jana Miles was born 9 December 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She moved to England when she married Bill Hartston. Divorced from Hartston in 1978, she subsequently married Tony Miles.

Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia.  Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)
Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)

She was Czech woman champion in 1965 and 1967 and has regularly been the British Ladies Champion since moving to this country. She is a doctor of medicine.”

Bill and Dr, Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)
Bill and Dr, Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)

Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry OBE presents Dr. Jana Hartston with the ? prize
Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry OBE presents Dr. Jana Hartston with the ? prize

From Wikipedia :

“Jana Bellin (née Malypetrová; born 9 December 1947) is a British, formerly Czechoslovak chess player. She was awarded the Woman International Master chess title in 1969 and the Woman Grandmaster title in 1982.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

Bellin was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She was the Czech Women’s Champion in 1965 and 1967 under her maiden name of Malypetrová. After her marriage to William Hartston she moved to England in 1970 and won the British Women’s Championship in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977 (after a play-off), and 1979.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

She has fifteen appearances in the Women’s Chess Olympiads, representing Czechoslovakia in 1966 and 1969 and England thirteen times from 1972 through 2006, seven times on first board.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

At the Olympiad she earned individual silver medals in 1966 and 1976, a team bronze medal in 1968 with the Czechoslovakian team, and a team silver in 1976 with England.

British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Park With L-r Susan Arkell Sheila Jackson And Dr Jana Miles. Courtesy of Shutterstock
British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Park With L-r Susan Arkell Sheila Jackson And Dr Jana Miles. Courtesy of Shutterstock

“Bellin is a medical doctor specialising in anaesthetics, and works in intensive care at Sandwell General Hospital, West Bromwich, England.

Jana with Sheila Jackson to her left
Jana with Sheila Jackson to her left

She is also Chairman of the FIDE Medical Commission, which supervises drug testing of chess players.

British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Street With Woman Grandmaster Dr Jana Miles : Credit : Shutterstock
British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Street With Woman Grandmaster Dr Jana Miles : Credit : Shutterstock

Bellin was married first to International Master William Hartston, then to Grandmaster Tony Miles, and after that to International Master Robert Bellin. She and Bellin have two sons: Robert (born 1988) and Christopher (born 1991).[citation needed]

Dr. Jana Bellin
Dr. Jana Bellin

She is the granddaughter of thrice Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, Jan Malypetr. and cousin of author and human rights campaigner Jiří Stránský.

WGM Dr. Jana Bellin, Courtesy of John Upham Photography
WGM Dr. Jana Bellin, Courtesy of John Upham Photography

Birthday of WGM Dr. Jana Bellin (09-xii-1947)

Happy birthday WGM Dr. Jana Bellin on this day (December 9th) in 1947.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale, 1970 & 1976), Anne Sunnucks :

“International Woman Master (1969), Czech Woman Champion in 1965 and 1967 and British Woman Champion since 1970.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

Jana was born in Prague on the 9th December 1947 and learned to play chess at the age of eleven. She made her first appearance in the international field when she played 2nd board for Czechoslovakia in Women’s Chess Olympiad in Oberhausen in 1966. In the same year she represented Czechoslovakia in the Zonal tournament at Varna and came 11th.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

She is now married to the British International Master, William Hartston, and played 1st board for England in the Women’s Chess Olympiad in Skopje in 1972 and represented England in the Zonal tournament in Wijk aan Zee in 1973 in which she tied for 1st place. In the same year she came =6th in the Interzonal Tournament. She is a doctor.”

Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne
Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford, 1977), Harry Golombek OBE :

“Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, but moved to England in 1970 after her marriage to WR Hartston. Czechoslovak Woman champion in 1965 and 1967 (under her maiden name of Malypetrova) and British Ladies champion in the five years 1970 to 1974. International Woman master since 1969.”

Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323
Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323

From British Chess (Pergamon Press, 1983) Botterill, Levy, Rice and Richardson :

Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia.  Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)
Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)

“Jana Miles was born 9 December 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She moved to England when she married Bill Hartston. Divorced from Hartston in 1978, she subsequently married Tony Miles.

Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia.  Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)
Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)

She was Czech woman champion in 1965 and 1967 and has regularly been the British Ladies Champion since moving to this country. She is a doctor of medicine.”

Bill and Dr, Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)
Bill and Dr, Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)

Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry OBE presents Dr. Jana Hartston with the ? prize
Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry OBE presents Dr. Jana Hartston with the ? prize

From Wikipedia :

“Jana Bellin (née Malypetrová; born 9 December 1947) is a British, formerly Czechoslovak chess player. She was awarded the Woman International Master chess title in 1969 and the Woman Grandmaster title in 1982.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

Bellin was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She was the Czech Women’s Champion in 1965 and 1967 under her maiden name of Malypetrová. After her marriage to William Hartston she moved to England in 1970 and won the British Women’s Championship in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977 (after a play-off), and 1979.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

She has fifteen appearances in the Women’s Chess Olympiads, representing Czechoslovakia in 1966 and 1969 and England thirteen times from 1972 through 2006, seven times on first board.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

At the Olympiad she earned individual silver medals in 1966 and 1976, a team bronze medal in 1968 with the Czechoslovakian team, and a team silver in 1976 with England.

British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Park With L-r Susan Arkell Sheila Jackson And Dr Jana Miles. Courtesy of Shutterstock
British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Park With L-r Susan Arkell Sheila Jackson And Dr Jana Miles. Courtesy of Shutterstock

“Bellin is a medical doctor specialising in anaesthetics, and works in intensive care at Sandwell General Hospital, West Bromwich, England.

Jana with Sheila Jackson to her left
Jana with Sheila Jackson to her left

She is also Chairman of the FIDE Medical Commission, which supervises drug testing of chess players.

British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Street With Woman Grandmaster Dr Jana Miles : Credit : Shutterstock
British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Street With Woman Grandmaster Dr Jana Miles : Credit : Shutterstock

Bellin was married first to International Master William Hartston, then to Grandmaster Tony Miles, and after that to International Master Robert Bellin. She and Bellin have two sons: Robert (born 1988) and Christopher (born 1991).[citation needed]

Dr. Jana Bellin
Dr. Jana Bellin

She is the granddaughter of thrice Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, Jan Malypetr. and cousin of author and human rights campaigner Jiří Stránský.

WGM Dr. Jana Bellin, Courtesy of John Upham Photography
WGM Dr. Jana Bellin, Courtesy of John Upham Photography

Birthday of WGM Dr. Jana Bellin (09-xii-1947)

Happy birthday WGM Dr. Jana Bellin on this day (December 9th) in 1947.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Robert Hale, 1970 & 1976), Anne Sunnucks :

“International Woman Master (1969), Czech Woman Champion in 1965 and 1967 and British Woman Champion since 1970.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

Jana was born in Prague on the 9th December 1947 and learned to play chess at the age of eleven. She made her first appearance in the international field when she played 2nd board for Czechoslovakia in Women’s Chess Olympiad in Oberhausen in 1966. In the same year she represented Czechoslovakia in the Zonal tournament at Varna and came 11th.

Jana Malypetrova
Jana Malypetrova

She is now married to the British International Master, William Hartston, and played 1st board for England in the Women’s Chess Olympiad in Skopje in 1972 and represented England in the Zonal tournament in Wijk aan Zee in 1973 in which she tied for 1st place. In the same year she came =6th in the Interzonal Tournament. She is a doctor.”

Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne
Jana & Bill Hartston celebrate a family double at the British Championships in 1973 at Eastbourne

From The Encyclopedia of Chess (Batsford, 1977), Harry Golombek OBE :

“Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, but moved to England in 1970 after her marriage to WR Hartston. Czechoslovak Woman champion in 1965 and 1967 (under her maiden name of Malypetrova) and British Ladies champion in the five years 1970 to 1974. International Woman master since 1969.”

Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323
Bill and Jana Hartston are shown with some of their many chess sets. CHESS, August 1973, page 323

From British Chess (Pergamon Press, 1983) Botterill, Levy, Rice and Richardson :

Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia.  Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)
Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)

“Jana Miles was born 9 December 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She moved to England when she married Bill Hartston. Divorced from Hartston in 1978, she subsequently married Tony Miles.

Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia.  Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)
Hastings International Chess Congress 21 year old Jana Malypetrova From Czechoslovakia And Vassily Smyslov From Russia. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Fresco/ANL/Shutterstock (1876232a)

She was Czech woman champion in 1965 and 1967 and has regularly been the British Ladies Champion since moving to this country. She is a doctor of medicine.”

Bill and Dr, Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)
Bill and Dr, Jana Hartston (née Malypetrova)

Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry OBE presents Dr. Jana Hartston with the ? prize
Sir Philip Stuart Milner-Barry OBE presents Dr. Jana Hartston with the ? prize

From Wikipedia :

“Jana Bellin (née Malypetrová; born 9 December 1947) is a British, formerly Czechoslovak chess player. She was awarded the Woman International Master chess title in 1969 and the Woman Grandmaster title in 1982.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

Bellin was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She was the Czech Women’s Champion in 1965 and 1967 under her maiden name of Malypetrová. After her marriage to William Hartston she moved to England in 1970 and won the British Women’s Championship in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977 (after a play-off), and 1979.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

She has fifteen appearances in the Women’s Chess Olympiads, representing Czechoslovakia in 1966 and 1969 and England thirteen times from 1972 through 2006, seven times on first board.

Moment of concentration for reigning women's champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players - all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.
Moment of concentration for reigning women’s champion of Great Britain Jana Hartston and some of the 30 Post Officer players – all men who challenged her at postal headquarters London on September 6. Jana beat seven, drew with sixteen and lost to seven.

At the Olympiad she earned individual silver medals in 1966 and 1976, a team bronze medal in 1968 with the Czechoslovakian team, and a team silver in 1976 with England.

British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Park With L-r Susan Arkell Sheila Jackson And Dr Jana Miles. Courtesy of Shutterstock
British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Park With L-r Susan Arkell Sheila Jackson And Dr Jana Miles. Courtesy of Shutterstock

“Bellin is a medical doctor specialising in anaesthetics, and works in intensive care at Sandwell General Hospital, West Bromwich, England.

Jana with Sheila Jackson to her left
Jana with Sheila Jackson to her left

She is also Chairman of the FIDE Medical Commission, which supervises drug testing of chess players.

British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Street With Woman Grandmaster Dr Jana Miles : Credit : Shutterstock
British Speed Chess Championship Grandmaster Nigel Short Playing Chess In The Street With Woman Grandmaster Dr Jana Miles : Credit : Shutterstock

Bellin was married first to International Master William Hartston, then to Grandmaster Tony Miles, and after that to International Master Robert Bellin. She and Bellin have two sons: Robert (born 1988) and Christopher (born 1991).[citation needed]

Dr. Jana Bellin
Dr. Jana Bellin

She is the granddaughter of thrice Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, Jan Malypetr. and cousin of author and human rights campaigner Jiří Stránský.

WGM Dr. Jana Bellin, Courtesy of John Upham Photography
WGM Dr. Jana Bellin, Courtesy of John Upham Photography

Birthday of FM David Friedgood (11-vii-1946)

Birthday of FM David Friedgood (11-vii-1946)

David was born in Cape Town, Republic of South Africa and now resides in England.

He first won the South Africa Championship in 1967 in Johannesburg, again in 1971, and in 1973 in Cape Town when his main rivals were Piet Kroon and Charles de Villiers.

He plays for Cavendish, Hendon and 4NCL MK Phoenix.

He gained his FM title in 1982.

His peak rating of 2335 was achieved in January, 1980.

David Friedgood (far right) and a victorious Wood Green team. Trophy presented by Magnus Magnusson
David Friedgood (far right) and a victorious Wood Green team. Trophy presented by Magnus Magnusson

David Friedgood at a Lloyds Bank problem solving event with Sir Jeremy Morse, Jonathan Mestel and ?
David Friedgood at a Lloyds Bank problem solving event with Sir Jeremy Morse, Jonathan Mestel and ?
FM David Friedgood at the 2014 Winton Capital Problem Solving Championship at Eton College
FM David Friedgood at the 2014 Winton Capital Problem Solving Championship at Eton College

Birthday of FM David Friedgood (11-vii-1946)

Birthday of FM David Friedgood (11-vii-1946)

David was born in Cape Town, Republic of South Africa and now resides in England.

He first won the South Africa Championship in 1967 in Johannesburg, again in 1971, and in 1973 in Cape Town when his main rivals were Piet Kroon and Charles de Villiers.

He plays for Cavendish, Hendon and 4NCL MK Phoenix.

He gained his FM title in 1982.

His peak rating of 2335 was achieved in January, 1980.

David Friedgood (far right) and a victorious Wood Green team. Trophy presented by Magnus Magnusson
David Friedgood (far right) and a victorious Wood Green team. Trophy presented by Magnus Magnusson

David Friedgood at a Lloyds Bank problem solving event with Sir Jeremy Morse, Jonathan Mestel and ?
David Friedgood at a Lloyds Bank problem solving event with Sir Jeremy Morse, Jonathan Mestel and ?
FM David Friedgood at the 2014 Winton Capital Problem Solving Championship at Eton College
FM David Friedgood at the 2014 Winton Capital Problem Solving Championship at Eton College