Bletchley Park Code-Breakers on BBC News

[Tryfon Gavriel]

I did a video about some of Hugh Alexander's games:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2iukVgLMAw

which maybe some of you find interesting. He was quite an attacking player.

[Gary Kenworthy]

There were potential other players for the team.
e.g (Prof) Bernard Scott, but he was mainly based in Bedford for Japanese and Soviet codes [ Hugh Alexander went there before Nov 1944 to take that section over. They also quickly trounced Cambridge Univ in a match, at that time.]. Bernard Scott effectively died at the board, at Hastings chess club.
Bernard was also later a Sussex county player like Sir J W Cornforth.(Sir John retired from chess after we lost to Leicestershire in the semi finals of Minor Counties in June 1982 - [4 to 12]. (something wrong with our battleships today said our Sussex captain R T F Wiliams, after some upper board blunders plus Sir John blundering to Otto Hardy in a won R and P ending. Overload combo with double rooks. Prof Cornforth was a Nobel laureate, highly amazing, when you also consider he was completely deaf as a youth. It thus heavily impacted his speech as well.
Next year, I organised and invited Sir John and his wife as guest of honour to the restaurant I booked in Brighton for celebrating Sussex winning the Minor Counties, although he was not in the team. (First Sussex national success since 1894/5 County correspondence team title.)

Bob Wade OBE, could have gone. I took Bob to Bletchley Park once, when I was a BCF Director, we immediately bumped into Tony Sale (who was ex MI5 who had also set up both the museums at BP). I introduced Bob to him, after we finished talking, Bob said, I knew what was going on here during the war, I was twice offered a role, but I turned it down both times.

The 1935 Yorkshire chess champion , Dr Jacob Bronowski, was doing other very important war work, one of his colleagues on that was Johnnie von Neumann - both then went on to work on the Manhattan project. One CHESS magazine front cover has Dr Bronowski, playing the opening move at the International Hastings Tournament in the 1950s.

Golombek's role is more important than many think, although classed as hut 8 from 1939 (Naval engima), his role was to sanitise Ultra, to make it source invisible or unsuspected. He specialised in U-Boat warfare. He was fluent in foreign languages, especially German. He is also missing from other role calls and photographs. It is noted that he was as good as the Worlds top arbiter and went behind the Soviet block, even Moscow. When Alexander could not.

The Jack Good point. When he first arrived, he actually said I am Good!
(compare The Imitation Game - the film). Where he says I am Jack Good. It was mistook (I am Good) that he was boastful at the time. In the film it is made out that Hugh Alexander is boastful. After all everything in the film is a cover story, a puzzle of untruths and truths, even an enigma.

Or a simple substitution, for x it was y. For Alexander inventing the diagonal board it was actually Gordon Welchman, for defending his machine -Alan Turing, it was actually Tommy Flowers etc and so on. Scriptwriters licence- maybe? or just an enigma.
-- regards (FM) Gary Kenworthy, Bletchley

[Gary Kenworthy]

The impact of the GCCS teams on WWII, which was often achieved by chess players at BP, was staggering. E.g. Prof S. Hawking has said it changed the cause of the War.

From the 1939 “British” team for the Hamilton-Russell Trophy (8th Olympiad) we know Golombek (1939) , Milner Barry and Alexander (Feb 1940) arrived at Station X via different talent trawls.

Those who stayed in Buenos Aires is reasonably covered by this Wiki link- under “Aftermath”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_Chess_Olympiad

Those who stayed in Central Europe are reasonably covered by Wiki link- under “Deaths”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_in_chess

Then scroll through to 1945. Then think then extrapolate out if WWII had gone on for 4 more years. The impact of shortening the war by that amount, and the vast reduction in allied victories and success versus the U-boat. Etc
The codebreakers were also breaking codes on what was happening at places like Trebinka, Sobibor, Auschwitz-Birkenau etc. [].

At the end of the war, I understand that Najdorf did try to return to Poland, but found 64 / 65 family members had perished. He returned to Argentina
Tartakower was Poland’s board 1,Jewish and a mate of Najdorf. He was at Buenos Aires. He joined the Free French Army e.g. “Lt G Cartier”.
Note this 1941 game reference v H Golombek, written by John Saunders.
http://en.chessbase.com/post/che-in-the-war-part-ii

Note the names and war deaths of chess masters (then think of the entire populations). See the names like, Warsaw, “Bohemia”, Leningrad, Majdanek, Auschwitz. etc

It is also best to see Dr Jacob Bronowski (Polish born, ex Yorshire Chess Champion) Major TV series “The Ascent of Man” and his account of Auschwitz.

[JustinHorton]

The impact of the GCCS teams on WWII, which was often achieved by chess players at BP, was staggering. E.g. Prof S. Hawking has said it changed the cause of the War.

I had no idea he was considered an authority on the subject.

[Gary Kenworthy]

Basically when petitioning the biggest names are selected by the media. So they are briefed to speak. Cambridge Univ has and had a big interest in BP. Look at who came from Cantab in WWII.
Especially recently with justifications for advance research grants, in a post Global Financial Crash World.
e.g. one of many typical headline -- https://www.theguardian.com/science/201 ... en-hawking

The shortening of the war by BP has had various estimates. 1-4; 18 months 2-4; It all really depends on if we had lost the Battle of Britain - which should have happened.
Bismarck not sunk, and many other commerce raiders as well
If Rommel had won N Africa.(Malta also lost).
If Kursk had been a Soviet loss - that really changed things- big time.
If the U boat warfare was not won, D-Day was definitely to be min postponed 1 year.

[Brian Towers]

Tartakower was Poland’s board 1,Jewish and a mate of Najdorf. He was at Buenos Aires. He joined the Free French Army e.g. “Lt G Cartier”.

Edward Winter, in chess notes 4331, 5140 and 5210, reports on Tartakower/Cartier's chess exploits when he escaped to England after the fall of the French.

[Gary Kenworthy]

Thankyou Brian Towers, good information

Yes, Lt G Cartier did play Harry during the war years.
British versus Allied Forces, Borough Club (1941) · Torre Attack: Classical Defense (A46) · 1-0 in 44 moves.

The 1945 game at the Lud Eagle-- British Forces versus French Forces match (1945) · Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation. Yugoslav Attack Modern Line (B76) · 0-1 in 33 moves was Beach v Cartier

Harry had a huge respect for Dr Tartakower, G H Diggle (Badmaster) was not wrong. The doctor, was decorated for Gallantry by Austria in WWI.
If he was parachuted in by say SOE, or similar, during WWII, then he was another unsung hero. If he was “part of the Royal Netherland Brigade’” then they saw much action, if not another cover story. Being a multi speaking linguist was always important, e.g. for interrogations.

Harry , as a gunner, was of course not stationed in Northern Ireland as printed in the wartime CHESS – At the time of the game he was in Hut 8 at Bletchley Park. Subject Kriegsmarine.

If you look at J. M. Aitken’s history – you see he was a Lud Eagle man, and playing for them. I would hazard a probable guess that some of the “bright boys” were down from Bletchley Park.

I also had the honour of playing T J Beach myself in the NCCU championship. (I believe he also won the DFC in WWII—service number 105181 – If the same, he was with 61 squadron, he rose to acting Squadron leader).
Please note T J Beach and Hugh Alexander were joint authors, suggesting at least mutual respect.
Steve Mann – covers him and some of the family – there were more than these three Beach names
http://www.sjmann.supanet.com/People/Be ... ,%20TJ.htm

[Gary Kenworthy]

correction on the 1950s -- it was Dr J Bronowski (former Yorkshire Champion) doing the opening move at Hastings - on Dr M M Botvinnik's board - it was CHESS January 1962 (Hastings 1961/2.)

[Gary Kenworthy]

Using Points in E G Winters Chess Notes. (as provided by Brian Towers.)

Golombek “It might perhaps surprise those who do not know him that at the age of 53 the learned doctor was actively engaged in the battle against Hitler and that, after having been decorated for gallantry in the First World War whilst fighting for Austria, he should now have been just as hotly and bravely engaged on what might be termed the other side “

We have also pictures of him in FFF Uniform.
“actively engaged in the battle”
“decorated for gallantry” in a German speaking unit. (suggests weapons and military training)
Had a false name/ identity, so not a desk job.
“Incongruously attired in British battle-dress” – (i.e. A spook ).
“ Though by now approaching his middle fifties, he was as gallant” + “fight”

Lt. G. Cartier of the Fighting French
“The renowned Tartakower (then known as Lieut. Cartier of the FFF).”
Tartakower was several times ‘dropped by parachute behind enemy lines on secret missions’ (see page 331 of Kings, Commoners and Knaves).
GK: Wow - Parachuting? Have to be really fit and agile. The courses were very hard. His age and proportions? But why not by Lysanders?

1942—“The next game was played during a visit by Tartakower to ‘part of the Royal Netherland Brigade’.”

For me it is clear that Golombek met with Tartakower - as well as at Nottingham, 15 November 1941 and the London Borough Club fixture.
After the war, Tartakower was still in the UK. He was a friend of Harry’s – So Harry could write and discuss how he got from Buenos Aires to France to the UK, routes and games. (There are 1940 games of him in France). Plus enough background to be sure to use words like gallantry, fight, actively engaged etc.
He was clearly in Intelligence as a multi linguist
Civilians being given a lift on a British battleship? Had to be in service before arriving in the UK.
Incongruously is also a cover phrase for not really you. Borrowed uniforms – (you can get shot for that, without properly sanctioned orders).
He was IMHO - He was FFF BCRA and probably Jedburgh trained. Thus under Major.- Andre Dewavrin DSO, MC