Post
by Stewart Reuben » Tue Aug 08, 2017 6:47 pm
I was watching the news recently and a Professor Jonathan Portes appeared as a pundit speaking with an American accent. Surely, I thought, that must be the 6 year old I 'coached' at chess in 1972? So I looked him up in Wikipedia and, indeed, he was born in 1966. I then wrote and he remembered me.
So what? His parents contacted me as a result of the Evening Standard London Chess Congress pre-publicity. They thought their son was a strong player, but couldn't take him to a chess club because, if he lost, he lay on the floor and sceamed. So I went to his house, we told him I was a strong player - after all I drawn with Bobby Fischer - and basically I beat down his ego. He was quite good and I persuaded the parents to enter him for the Novice section at the congress. In due course 444 players took part in a 6 round event.
We got hundreds of special prizes from companies eager for the publicity. Leonard Barden contacted Hamleys and first he introduced Under 12 prizes, then under 10 and finally under 8. As the parents said, they could see my influence trying to ensure Jonathan would get a prize. As indeed he did, with 3/6.
It had a substantial effect on British chess, Children that age had never before much competed in adult tournamnts.