Battle of Waterloo

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John Townsend
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Battle of Waterloo

Post by John Townsend » Fri Jan 30, 2015 12:32 pm

Will there be a Battle of Waterloo memorial tournament this year? (I suppose Agincourt is too much to expect.)

Clive Blackburn

Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by Clive Blackburn » Fri Jan 30, 2015 1:13 pm

They could get ABBA to present the prizes! :-D

Paul Habershon
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by Paul Habershon » Fri Jan 30, 2015 2:38 pm

I guess that using Battle of Waterloo chess sets would effectively randomise results, though the top players would do better to ignore the pieces and use blindfold technique.

Actually, I think there should be more international fixtures outside the Olympiad. We don't seem to get many nowadays. I remember England v Holland being a regular ages ago. 1815 would be an ideal occasion for an England (Britain, UK?) v France match. The problem, I suppose, is that GMs want payment. If selected, I would pay my board fee.

Richard James
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by Richard James » Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:27 pm

Three of my relations fought in the Battle of Waterloo.

Will that qualify me for a free entry?

Mick Norris
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by Mick Norris » Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:59 pm

Richard James wrote:Three of my relations fought in the Battle of Waterloo.

Will that qualify me for a free entry?
Depends which side they were on :wink:
Any postings on here represent my personal views

Richard James
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by Richard James » Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:02 pm

http://www.hinckleytimes.net/news/local ... oo-7444470

They were on our side. Paul and Sarah Seaton contacted me through genealogy websites a few years ago to tell me about this.

John Townsend
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by John Townsend » Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:16 pm

Richard James said:
Three of my relations fought in the Battle of Waterloo.

Will that qualify me for a free entry?
Yes, but only if you send in their medals with the entry form.

Stewart Reuben
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by Stewart Reuben » Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:57 am

Paul Habershon >Actually, I think there should be more international fixtures outside the Olympiad. We don't seem to get many nowadays.<

Paul, that is a very odd comment. You have played in several team tournaments for England in Senior chess. There are also junior and women's ones and European team championships. There are also more localised inter-club events that receive little publicity.

Paul Habershon
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by Paul Habershon » Sat Jan 31, 2015 11:34 am

Stewart Reuben wrote:Paul Habershon >Actually, I think there should be more international fixtures outside the Olympiad. We don't seem to get many nowadays.<

Paul, that is a very odd comment. You have played in several team tournaments for England in Senior chess. There are also junior and women's ones and European team championships. There are also more localised inter-club events that receive little publicity.
Stewart, I was thinking mainly about full international matches, such as you would get in football, rugby and cricket, involving the very best players from the two countries involved. I admit that the Chess Olympiad and European Championships are probably enough for some. Indeed, I suppose in football the World Cup and European Championship are the important competitions and the other internationals are merely 'friendlies' where managers may well experiment in preparation for the cup competitions. I still think it would be good to have, say, a regular annual chess match against France. The teams would be fairly evenly matched, so I would guess without research.

John Townsend
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by John Townsend » Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:04 pm

In 1973 I took part in a Battle of Britain competition. The players' homes were used for some of the games. Although that meant that playing conditions could be variable, the event appealed to the grass roots and brought back to the game people who didn't usually play chess, which I think is good.

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John Clarke
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by John Clarke » Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:31 pm

Paul Habershon wrote:Actually, I think there should be more international fixtures outside the Olympiad. We don't seem to get many nowadays. I remember England v Holland being a regular ages ago. 1815 would be an ideal occasion for an England (Britain, UK?) v France match.
To properly reflect the actual Waterloo situation you'd have to include Prussia as well. :mrgreen:

I've been trying to figure out a suitable line-up to commemorate Gallipoli (the centenary of which this year is a big deal in this part of the world). Turkey vs NZ and Australia might be best. I don't forget Britain's major role in that campaign, but adding them in as well might make it a bit of a mismatch.
"The chess-board is the world ..... the player on the other side is hidden from us ..... he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance."
(He doesn't let you resign and start again, either.)

Richard James
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by Richard James » Sun Feb 01, 2015 1:02 am

There's a pub in Twickenham called the Prince Blucher. I guess you could hold the tournament there if you wanted to include Prussia.

There's a frequent train service from Waterloo...

But would we be allowed to play the French Defence?

John Townsend
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by John Townsend » Sun Feb 01, 2015 10:26 am

A possible venue might be Wellington College, whose history is deeply steeped in Waterloo. It is already used for other chess activities.

Ian Thompson
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by Ian Thompson » Sun Feb 01, 2015 11:24 am

John Townsend wrote:In 1973 I took part in a Battle of Britain competition. The players' homes were used for some of the games. Although that meant that playing conditions could be variable, the event appealed to the grass roots and brought back to the game people who didn't usually play chess, which I think is good.
This wasn't a one off tournament because I played in it in 1979. As I recall, games had to be played within Greater London unless mutually agreed otherwise. I also think it was a knockout event (or was that just for the later stages?).

John Townsend
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Re: Battle of Waterloo

Post by John Townsend » Sun Feb 01, 2015 12:47 pm

Yes, the Battle of Britain competition was repeated. I think David Pritchard, an R.A.F. man, was its president.