Tag Archives: Player

Birthday of GM Raymond Keene OBE (29-i-1948)

We send birthday wishes to GM Raymond Keene OBE.

Raymond Dennis Keene was born on Thursday, January 29th 1948 in Wandsworth, London to Dennis Arthur and Doris Anita Keene (née Leat). Dennis and Doris were married in 1943 in Camberwell. Doris was born on May 27th, 1921 in Lambeth and was a shorthand and invoice typist.

Dennis and Doris also had a daughter Jackie Keene who later married chess historian, RG Eales. Jackie is Emeritus Professor at The University of Kent in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Jackie played in the Glorney Cup.

Raymond Keene
Raymond Keene

Ray was educated at Dulwich College between 1959 and 1966 thereby becoming an Old Alleynian. In 1967 Ray went up to Trinity College, Cambridge to study Modern Languages specialising in German and graduating with an MA. Amongst their Alumni are five spies including Blunt, Burgess and Philby. During the gap between Dulwich College and Cambridge Ray (aged 18) wrote his first (and one of his best) book : Flank Openings :

Flank Openings, Raymond Keene, British Chess Magazine, 1967.
Flank Openings, Raymond Keene, British Chess Magazine, 1967.

Being published at the age of 19 this must be close to the earliest age an English player has had a chess book published that was not ghost written. (Leave a comment if you know differently!)

Following this legendary tome Ray collaborated with Leonard Barden and Bill Hartston on The King’s Indian Defence from BT Batsford Ltd:

The King's Indian Defence, Barden, Keene and Hartston, BT Batsford, 1969.
The King’s Indian Defence, Barden, Keene and Hartston, BT Batsford, 1969.

and in 1972 we have

The Modern Defence, BT Batsford, 1972, GS Botterill and RD Keene
The Modern Defence, BT Batsford, 1972, GS Botterill and RD Keene

followed in 1973 by

The Pirc Defence, BT Batsford, 1973, GS Botterill and RD Keene
The Pirc Defence, BT Batsford, 1973, GS Botterill and RD Keene

All of which were favourably received helping Batsford to establish a strong reputation.

In July 1974 Ray married ex-ballerina (and now Dance Teacher) Annette Sara Goodman in Brighton, East Sussex. Annette became a director of World Memory Championships International Limited on January 17th 2008 and resigned on April 9th 2008. They have one son, Alexander Phillip Simon Keene, born in 1991. Godfather to Alexander is Scottish International, IM David Levy.

Annette is the sister of IM David Simon Charles Goodman who now resides in New York.

Also in 1974 George Bell & Sons published Ray’s most acclaimed work (and arguably his best) : Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal

Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal, RD Keene, George Bell & Sons, 1974
Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal, RD Keene, George Bell & Sons, 1974

Alexander is currently the Company Secretary of the aforementioned company, Julian (a retired teacher from Brighton) is another active director.

In 1985 Ray became the sixth British chess player to be awarded the OBE when it was awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. The citation read “For Services to Chess”.

According to Companies House Ray has held a total of 30 directorships in various companies such as :

  • Brain Plan 2020
  • World Mind Mapping Championships
  • World Speed Reading Championships
  • Buzan International Technology
  • Buzan World
  • The World is My Oyster
  • World Memory Championships
  • Intelligent Resources and Services
  • Outside in Pathways
  • UK Primary Schools Memory Championships
  • UK Schools Memory Championships
  • The School Memory Championships
  • The Schools Memory Championship
  • Mental Literacy for All
  • Festival of the Mind
  • Festival of the Mind International
  • The Brain Trust
  • Impala (London)
  • Tony Buzan International
  • World Memory Championships International
  • World Peace and Prosperity Foundation
  • Zeticula
  • Mind Masters Management
  • Intellectual Leisure
  • Brain Sports Olympiad
  • Mind Sports Promotions

(Our particular favourite has to be the unpretentiously entitled “World Peace and Prosperity Foundation” although “The World is My Oyster” runs it a close second.)

Ray, Annette and Julian Simpole currently live in Clapham Common North Side, London, England.

From The Oxford Companion to Chess by David Hooper and Ken Whyld :

Ray Keene
Ray Keene

English player and author, British champion 1971, From 1966 he played in several Olympiads and his performance in two of them, Nice 1974 ( + 7=6-2) and Haifa 1976 (+4=6), gained him the title of International Grandmaster (1976). His best tournament win was at Dortmund 1980 (category 8), He studied the games and teaching of Staunton and Nimzowitsch and revealed with unusual insight the strategy of the former and the stratagems of the latter in two books: Staunton : the English World Champion (1975) and Nimzowitsch: a Reappraisal (1974). He also wrote Flank Openings (3rd edn, 1979); these openings are the ones which he prefers to play, which he knows best, and which suit his solid positional style.

From The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Anne Sunnucks :

International Master (1972), British Champion in 1971 and a regular member of the British team since 1966 playing on top board on a number of occasions.

Ray Keene
Ray Keene

Raymond Keene was born on 29th January 1948 in London and learned to play chess at the age of six. He began to play seriously when he was thirteen. While at Dulwich College from 1959 -1966 he played top bard for the school team which won the Sunday Times National Schools’ Chess Tournament in 1965 and 1966.

English chess player Raymond Keene, winner of the 1971 British Chess Championship, posed in London on 6th June 1972. Raymond Keene has been awarded the chess title International Master. (Photo by Harry Dempster/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
English chess player Raymond Keene, winner of the 1971 British Chess Championship, posed in London on 6th June 1972. Raymond Keene has been awarded the chess title International Master. (Photo by Harry Dempster/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

In 1964, he won the London and British Boys’ Under 18 Championship (ed : In fact, the title was shared with Brian Denman) and the following year, at the age of seventeen, he became the youngest player to win the Surrey Championship. While at Cambridge he graduated in German Literature (B.A. Honours), he played top board for the university.

Brian Reilly, Ray Keene, George Botterill, Anatoly Karpov, Harry Golombek and Viktor Korchnoi
Brian Reilly, Ray Keene, George Botterill, Anatoly Karpov, Harry Golombek and Viktor Korchnoi

During his chess career, he has beaten both Botvinnik and Gligoric, In 1967, he came 2nd in the World Junior Championship and in 1968 he won the prize for the best score on board 4 in the Lugano Olympiad.

Raymond Denis Keene
Raymond Keene

A difficult player to beat, Keene played in four British Championships without losing a game and also went through the Lugano and Siegen Olympiads unbeaten in 33 games.

At Oxford in 1973, Keene set up what he believes is an English speed record for simultaneous chess, scoring 100 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss in 4.5 hours.

Raymond Denis Keene
Raymond Keene

From The Encyclopaedia of Chess by Harry Golombek :

“British Grandmaster, British Champion 1971, Keene was born in London and was both London Boy Champion and British Junior Champion in 1964 (ed : In fact, the title was shared with Brian Denman).

Educated at Dulwich College and Trinity College, Cambridge, he soon became recognised, along with Hartston, as one of the two leading younger players in England. His style of play was different from that of his rival, being more complicated and less direct; but, like Hartston, he became a most formidable opening theorist with a vast knowledge of opening theory.

His first Olympiad was at Havana 1966 where he was the youngest member of the side and scored 65% on board six. In 1968 at Lugano he obtained 76.5% on board four and in 1970 at Siegen, playing on board two in the preliminaries and board one in the finals he score 68.8%.

Raymond Denis Keene
Raymond Keene

The year 1971 saw a double achievement, for in that year he won the British Championship at Blackpool and also secured the title of International Master.

Playing on top board in the 1972 Olympiad at Skopje, he scored 11.5 out of 20.

Ray & friend
Ray & friend

In 1974 he came 6th in a very strong Hastings tournament and then won first prize in the Capablanca Memorial Masters in Cuba. At the Nice Olympiad he scored 66.66% on 2nd board, attaining the first leg of the grandmaster norm. At Mannheim 1975 he was 3rd in the German Open championship and in that year he also came 2nd at Alicante. In 1976 he was 2nd at the Aarhus tournament in Denmark. He finished a most successful year in international chess by fulfilling the second grandmaster norm on 2nd board in the Haifa Olympiad, thereby becoming England’s second international grandmaster (after Tony Miles). (Harry Golombek)”

Ray was Southern Counties (SCCU) champion for the 1966-67 season.

Here is his extensive Wikipedia article

Noted historian Olimpu G Urcan writes on Alekhine versus Keene

and Edward Winter writes extensively about Ray’s journalistic activities

and finally, Keenipedia. A web site created by his many admirers…

Murray Chandler, Ray Keene and Miguel Najdorf
Murray Chandler, Ray Keene and Miguel Najdorf

Birthday of GM Jim Plaskett (18-iii-1960)

Happy Birthday GM Harold James Plaskett born on this day (March 18th) in 1960

GM Harold James Plaskett
GM Harold James Plaskett

Here is his Wikipedia entry

Jim accepts the 1981 Grand Prix shield from ?
Jim accepts the 1981 Grand Prix shield from ?

Here are his games

Jim obtained his FM norm in 1980 according to Gino de Felice.

From Chessgames.com :

“Harold James (Jim) Plaskett was born in Dkeliha, Cyprus. He was awarded the IM title in 1981 and became a GM in 1985. Plaskett’s tournament results include first place at Plovdiv 1984 and a tie for second at Hastings 1984-85. He was British champion in 1990.”

Jim with David Anderton OBE at the 1983 Benedictine International (Manchester)
Jim with David Anderton OBE at the 1983 Benedictine International (Manchester)

James Plaskett almost became a millionaire

Trends in the Sicilian Richter Rauzer
Trends in the Sicilian Richter Rauzer
Trends in the Sicilian Sozin
Trends in the Sicilian Sozin
Trends in the Gruenfeld without cd5
Trends in the Gruenfeld without cd5
The English Defence
The English Defence
Playing to Win
Playing to Win
The Sicilian Taimanov
The Sicilian Taimanov
The Sicilian Grand Prix
The Sicilian Grand Prix
Coincidences
Coincidences
 Can You Be a Tactical Chess Genius?
Can You Be a Tactical Chess Genius?
The Scandinavian Defence
The Scandinavian Defence
Starting Out: Attacking Play
Starting Out: Attacking Play
Catastrophe In The Opening
Catastrophe In The Opening
The Queen's Bishop Attack Revealed.
The Queen’s Bishop Attack Revealed.
Bad Show
Bad Show

Birthday of GM Jim Plaskett (18-iii-1960)

Happy Birthday GM Harold James Plaskett born on this day (March 18th) in 1960

GM Harold James Plaskett
GM Harold James Plaskett

Here is his Wikipedia entry

Jim accepts the 1981 Grand Prix shield from ?
Jim accepts the 1981 Grand Prix shield from ?

Here are his games

Jim obtained his FM norm in 1980 according to Gino de Felice.

From Chessgames.com :

“Harold James (Jim) Plaskett was born in Dkeliha, Cyprus. He was awarded the IM title in 1981 and became a GM in 1985. Plaskett’s tournament results include first place at Plovdiv 1984 and a tie for second at Hastings 1984-85. He was British champion in 1990.”

Jim with David Anderton OBE at the 1983 Benedictine International (Manchester)
Jim with David Anderton OBE at the 1983 Benedictine International (Manchester)

James Plaskett almost became a millionaire

Trends in the Sicilian Richter Rauzer
Trends in the Sicilian Richter Rauzer
Trends in the Sicilian Sozin
Trends in the Sicilian Sozin
Trends in the Gruenfeld without cd5
Trends in the Gruenfeld without cd5
The English Defence
The English Defence
Playing to Win
Playing to Win
The Sicilian Taimanov
The Sicilian Taimanov
The Sicilian Grand Prix
The Sicilian Grand Prix
Coincidences
Coincidences
 Can You Be a Tactical Chess Genius?
Can You Be a Tactical Chess Genius?
The Scandinavian Defence
The Scandinavian Defence
Starting Out: Attacking Play
Starting Out: Attacking Play
Catastrophe In The Opening
Catastrophe In The Opening
The Queen's Bishop Attack Revealed.
The Queen’s Bishop Attack Revealed.
Bad Show
Bad Show

Birthday of GM Jim Plaskett (18-iii-1960)

Happy Birthday GM Harold James Plaskett born on this day (March 18th) in 1960

GM Harold James Plaskett
GM Harold James Plaskett

Here is his Wikipedia entry

Jim accepts the 1981 Grand Prix shield from ?
Jim accepts the 1981 Grand Prix shield from ?

Here are his games

Jim obtained his FM norm in 1980 according to Gino de Felice.

From Chessgames.com :

“Harold James (Jim) Plaskett was born in Dkeliha, Cyprus. He was awarded the IM title in 1981 and became a GM in 1985. Plaskett’s tournament results include first place at Plovdiv 1984 and a tie for second at Hastings 1984-85. He was British champion in 1990.”

Jim with David Anderton OBE at the 1983 Benedictine International (Manchester)
Jim with David Anderton OBE at the 1983 Benedictine International (Manchester)

James Plaskett almost became a millionaire

Trends in the Sicilian Richter Rauzer
Trends in the Sicilian Richter Rauzer
Trends in the Sicilian Sozin
Trends in the Sicilian Sozin
Trends in the Gruenfeld without cd5
Trends in the Gruenfeld without cd5
The English Defence
The English Defence
Playing to Win
Playing to Win
The Sicilian Taimanov
The Sicilian Taimanov
The Sicilian Grand Prix
The Sicilian Grand Prix
Coincidences
Coincidences
 Can You Be a Tactical Chess Genius?
Can You Be a Tactical Chess Genius?
The Scandinavian Defence
The Scandinavian Defence
Starting Out: Attacking Play
Starting Out: Attacking Play
Catastrophe In The Opening
Catastrophe In The Opening
The Queen's Bishop Attack Revealed.
The Queen’s Bishop Attack Revealed.
Bad Show
Bad Show

Birthday of GM Jim Plaskett (18-iii-1960)

Happy Birthday GM Harold James Plaskett born on this day (March 18th) in 1960

GM Harold James Plaskett
GM Harold James Plaskett

Here is his Wikipedia entry

Jim accepts the 1981 Grand Prix shield from ?
Jim accepts the 1981 Grand Prix shield from ?

Here are his games

Jim obtained his FM norm in 1980 according to Gino de Felice.

From Chessgames.com :

“Harold James (Jim) Plaskett was born in Dkeliha, Cyprus. He was awarded the IM title in 1981 and became a GM in 1985. Plaskett’s tournament results include first place at Plovdiv 1984 and a tie for second at Hastings 1984-85. He was British champion in 1990.”

Jim with David Anderton OBE at the 1983 Benedictine International (Manchester)
Jim with David Anderton OBE at the 1983 Benedictine International (Manchester)

James Plaskett almost became a millionaire

Trends in the Sicilian Richter Rauzer
Trends in the Sicilian Richter Rauzer
Trends in the Sicilian Sozin
Trends in the Sicilian Sozin
Trends in the Gruenfeld without cd5
Trends in the Gruenfeld without cd5
The English Defence
The English Defence
Playing to Win
Playing to Win
The Sicilian Taimanov
The Sicilian Taimanov
The Sicilian Grand Prix
The Sicilian Grand Prix
Coincidences
Coincidences
 Can You Be a Tactical Chess Genius?
Can You Be a Tactical Chess Genius?
The Scandinavian Defence
The Scandinavian Defence
Starting Out: Attacking Play
Starting Out: Attacking Play
Catastrophe In The Opening
Catastrophe In The Opening
The Queen's Bishop Attack Revealed.
The Queen’s Bishop Attack Revealed.
Bad Show
Bad Show

Birthday of IM Adam Taylor (23-i-1998)

We send best wishes to IM Adam Taylor on his birthday.

Adam Christopher Taylor was born on Friday, January 23rd, 1998 in Colchester, Essex. Adam has a sister, Nathalie Leanne Taylor who also plays and studied History & Economics at The University of York. His mother Deborah was always supportive during his chess career.

He attended The Gilberd School, Colchester until 2014 and then Colchester Sixth Form College and currently resides in Colchester, Essex.

ECF grading profile for IM Adam C Taylor
ECF grading profile for IM Adam C Taylor

Adam’s first recorded rapidplay event was the Basildon Junior Congress resulting in a published grade of 34D and his first graded standard play event was the 2009 London Junior Under-12 Championships and his first published standard-play grading was 73E.

In that same year at Torquay Adam won the British Under-12 title sharing with Radha Jain.

Adam C Taylor at the 2013 UK Chess Challenge Terafinal. Courtesy of John Upham Photography
Adam C Taylor at the 2013 UK Chess Challenge Terafinal. Courtesy of John Upham Photography

Adam made his first 4NCL appearance in May 2012 for SC Stars followed by Anglian Avengers. In 2018 the lure of the big lights of Division One beckoned and Wood Green became Adam’s team now playing for Wood Green Monarchs in the Online 4NCL championship.

In 2017 Adam scored an impressive 6/9 (and =2nd) when he travelled to Greece to play in the Heraklion 1st Capablanca Memorial.

The Hastings Open in 2018 saw an excellent =7th with 6.5/10.

Adam’s IM title was ratified in June of 2019 in Baku and currently (January 2021) holds a FIDE standard play rating of 2347 and an ECF standard play rating of 2260A. His highest ECF standard play grading was 230A in July 2019. We expect this to be exceeded once OTB play resumes.

Battersea Chess Club celebrated Adams’s title in style with this article written by Leon Watson

FIDE rating profile for IM Adam C Taylor from MegaBase 2020.
FIDE rating profile for IM Adam C Taylor from MegaBase 2020.

Adam has played for Bury St. Edmunds and Manningtree and now Battersea in the London League and Wood Green in the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) and has made many appearances in the UKCC Terafinal.

Adam is known as Tayip99 on chess.com and as AdamTaylor2301 on LiChess.com and regularly streams on Twitch and other platforms.

Adam C Taylor, Courtesy of John Upham Photography
Adam C Taylor, Courtesy of John Upham Photography

On the 13th of September 2019 Adam became the sole director of MakingGrandmasters Limited which lists on its web site a number of leading young English players engaging in coaching such as Matthew Wadsworth, Ravi Haria and Daniel Fernandez to name but a few.

One of Adam’s more notable students is Guildford Chess Club member Jessica Mellor who, in 2018, won Gold in the Under-11 category of the European Schools Championship.

More recently Adam has taken a back seat from chess and has become a golf professional.

With the white pieces Adam favours a Reti/English set-up where c4 quickly follows a king side fianchetto. Here is a typical game of Adam’s with the white against a strong opponent :

With the black pieces Adam essays the Berlin Defence and the Sicilian Najdorf as well as the Benko Gambit and Nimzo-Indian Defence.

IM Adam C Taylor, Courtesy of John Upham Photography
IM Adam C Taylor, Courtesy of John Upham Photography

Happy Birthday IM Richard Pert (22-i-1981)

Happy Birthday IM Richard Pert (22-i-1981)

IM Richard Pert
IM Richard Pert

Nick and Richard Pert
Nick and Richard Pert
Nick and Richard Pert
Nick and Richard Pert

Happy Birthday GM Nick Pert (22-i-1981)

We send birthday wishes to GM Nick Pert born this day (January 22nd) in 1981 in Leeds. At an early age the Pert family relocated to Ipswich in Suffolk where Nick and Richard learnt chess from their father at the age of five. Fairly soon they were beating their Dad and he found the brothers a local club to play at. By chance in the same road was living FM Kevin O’Connell who became their coach.

Nick now resides in Fleet, Hampshire with his family. He teaches in a number of schools and coaches students on a one-to-one basis.

Jeremy Morse, Adam Hunt, Nick Pert and Nigel Short at the Lloyds Bank Masters
Jeremy Morse, Adam Hunt, Nick Pert and Nigel Short at the Lloyds Bank Masters

Nick won the Southern Counties (SCCU) championship for the 2016-17 season sharing with Richard Bates.

Nick and Richard Pert
Nick and Richard Pert

Here is Nick’s Wikipedia entry

Nick and Richard Pert
Nick and Richard Pert

GM Nick Pert
GM Nick Pert

In 2021 Nick took first place for the first time at the Covid affected British Championships in Hull with 6.5/9 with a TPR of 2414 reducing his rating by 4.2 Elo points. His highest rated opponent was 2480 (Danny Gormally).

 

GM Nick Pert
GM Nick Pert

In 2023 Chessbase produced a video interview of Nick which may be seen here.