Tony Miles...

[Steven DuCharme]

would be sixty years young today

[Andy Stoker]

At one time, I was the captain of chess at Tony's school and had to write this date on the score sheet for "Sunday Times" matches - it never left me - but (astonishingly) I'd failed to note it was St George's day until this year.

[John Townsend]

A feature article by Edward Winter, "Tony Miles (1955-2001)", was updated yesterday:

http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/miles.html

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I wonder what strength Miles might have been today, if he had lived? Maybe it is not right to speculate, but I do wonder sometimes.

[Brian Towers]

I wonder what strength Miles might have been today, if he had lived? Maybe it is not right to speculate, but I do wonder sometimes.

Without wishing to be too controversial (given the state of the Miles-Short relationship) how has Short's strength varied in the last 14 years? If Miles had maintained his health it is likely he would have followed a similar trajectory.

[LawrenceCooper]

I wonder what strength Miles might have been today, if he had lived? Maybe it is not right to speculate, but I do wonder sometimes.

Without wishing to be too controversial (given the state of the Miles-Short relationship) how has Short's strength varied in the last 14 years? If Miles had maintained his health it is likely he would have followed a similar trajectory.

In terms of rating he was 2676 in 2001 and is 2678 in 2015.

[Roger de Coverly]

In terms of rating he (Nigel Short) was 2676 in 2001 and is 2678 in 2015.

Presumably his 2001 rating was somewhat higher than his 2015 one even if the ratings were the same.

That's an interesting statistic whose meaning can be debated. Either standards have risen and Nigel has managed to keep up, or else the presumed loss of strength with age has been offset by ratings spreading or inflating. Tony being some ten years older than Nigel may have struggled to maintain a level rating.

[Matt Mackenzie]

That linked Winter feature says that Miles had lost interest slightly in chess in the final months of his life.

Probably he would be semi-retired from playing by now, as with Nunn and other contemporaries?

[Brian Towers]

That linked Winter feature says that Miles had lost interest slightly in chess in the final months of his life.

Probably he would be semi-retired from playing by now, as with Nunn and other contemporaries?

I find that very hard to believe.
Miles mainlined on chess in a way that few on the international scene and nobody on the English scene have managed.

[Andy Stoker]

Miles mainlined on chess in a way that few on the international scene and nobody on the English scene have managed.[/quote]

I had really lost touch completely with Tony when I stopped playing OTB chess - but the picture painted by Malcolm Hunt in "It's only me" is of a man interested in other games (eg bridge) and supporting juniors.

I don't know how his finances were and how much he needed to earn money

[Jon Mahony]

I had really lost touch completely with Tony when I stopped playing OTB chess - but the picture painted by Malcolm Hunt in "It's only me" is of a man interested in other games (eg bridge) and supporting juniors.

I don't know how his finances were and how much he needed to earn money

During the last ten years or so he was even running his own junior academy in Birmingham (Checkmates?) A former member of Leeds Chess Club attended at one time.

I don’t think it’s a great idea to speculate on Miles strength / rating towards the end - he clearly was suffering health problems, both physically and mentally and this would have seriously affected his Chess. Had he lived and maintained his health? He would have been what he always was - one of England’s finest. RIP.

[Martin Crichton]

someone said Miles lost interest in chess during the last few months of his life? I doubt that very much...as a matter of fact I think that Miles was absolutely consumed by chess to a very unhealthy degree to the day he died.
As far as I can recall he was suffering from mental health issues but even with his poor state of mental health he was still a mighty chess force to be reckoned with.
I remember watching him beat Baburin (last time I saw him) with a very interesting finish of a rook sac if I remember correctly. That was very shortly before he died. Even then Tony was suffering from paranoid delusional issues that weekend. I can recall at least 2 instances...one was commically funny.
I had travelled with him as part of the Slough squad at the time and a few of us were sitting with him at the breakfast table having our breakfasts on the morning of the match that he defeated Baburin. It was a small local b+b and I believe myself and the other members of the team had ordered a traditional fry up but Tony had ordered fried kippers. The land lady was an old battle axe aged about 70. When she brought Tony's breakfast of fried kippers it was accompanied by one of the thinnest slices of lemon that I ever seen. Tony was not impressed and asked the landlady to replace it with a proper slice of lemon. After what seemed like an unreasonably long wait she returned with a slice of lemon that was twice as thick as the previous slice but still very thin and you certainly could not squeeze it...poor Tony got into a fierce argument with the land lady... I was having hysterical fits of uncontrollable laughter with tears coming from my eyes which certainly didn't help matters. Tony was ranting like a mad man. I think he eventually got what might pass for a minimal slice of lemon with his kippers (but I wouldn't like to guess where it came from or if the dog or cat or the landlady herself had wee ed on it first lol)
RIP Tony

[John McKenna]

It's the way you tell 'em, Martin... all I can remember is Saturday afternoons... up-turned rooks for queens... watching from the touchline... that long flowing mane of chessnut hair... all the tricks... jiggery-pokery... hocus pocus... abracadabra... I wanna reach and grab ya... broke the mould... theory out the window... free expression... precocious talent... Tony Miles! Marvellous!!