What am I doing?

Stewart Reuben · Post by **Stewart Reuben** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 7:35 pm

cjdemooi >I've written to the Toronto and Manhattan Chess Clubs and am visiting them both in 3 weeks<

You surprise me. I thought Manhattan Club no longer existed. Have they started it up again? Marshall Chess Club is/or was a lively body still active in a Brownstone off 5th Avenue.

Stewart Reuben

cjdemooi · Post by **cjdemooi** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:35 am

It is of course the Marshall Club I'm visiting...a slip by myself.

I've contacted a couple of prospective Conservative candidates who are standing at the next election, both of whom have an active interest in chess. My own political inclinations are irrelevant and I agree that with the ECF's ambitions for the future should be encompassing and canvassing support from all parties.

However, I'm having difficulty finding and Tory MPs (preferably ones who are expected to retain their seats!) who've expressed a chessy interest.

If anyone knows of someone, could you please let me know and I'll contact him or her straight away?

Thanks,
CJ

John Upham · Post by **John Upham** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:04 am

Stewart Reuben wrote:
You surprise me. I thought Manhattan Club no longer existed. Have they started it up again?

Stewart Reuben

If http://www.anusha.com/manlives.htm is to be believed then you should not have been surprised....

Paul McKeown · Post by **Paul McKeown** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:06 am

cjdemooi wrote:However, I'm having difficulty finding and Tory MPs (preferably ones who are expected to retain their seats!) who've expressed a chessy interest.

If anyone knows of someone, could you please let me know and I'll contact him or her straight away?

Don't know about Conservative PPC's, but Leeds West has Rachel Reeves for Labour. Last time around she was PPC for Bromley; around then I played her at the Bank's Swiss in London. I've seen her on the Daily Politics (I think it was that) recently.

Who knows, maybe she is still interested in chess?

As an aside, I think she works for HBOS, but I was playing for Athenaeum CC, which participates in the Banks Swiss to make up the numbers. I'm sure any London based club which wanted to take part would be welcome. Meets at the Natwest Bank headquarters on Prince's Street from 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday. If anyone was interested, I could pass along the details...

Regards,
Paul McKeown

Paul McKeown · Post by **Paul McKeown** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:08 am

John Upham wrote:If http://www.anusha.com/manlives.htm is to be believed then you should not have been surprised....

Why do you keep quoting from S(p)am Sloan, that ridiculous self-publicist and all round exemplar of dubious conduct? Is it just to annoy people or what?

Stewart Reuben · Post by **Stewart Reuben** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:29 am

It is interesting that, as far as I know, we have no contact with conservative MPs interested in chess. When they were in power, we knew of no Labour party players. i have forgotten the affiliation of Jacqui Lait.
Si Jeremy Hanley may be able to help about conservatives who are interested in chess.

Stewart Reuben

John Upham · Post by **John Upham** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:30 am

Paul McKeown wrote:
John Upham wrote:If http://www.anusha.com/manlives.htm is to be believed then you should not have been surprised....
or what?

Stewart Reuben · Post by **Stewart Reuben** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:45 am

Sam Sloan's posting which John Upham found was absolutely correct, but undated. The Manhattan Club did indeed transfer venue, but subsequently went out of business some years ago. That was disappointing as I was treated, whenever I returned, as if an honorary member.

Sam Sloan slept on the floor of my apartment in New York for a bit. He says I introduced him to the New York Subway.
Although he can be very irritating and has his own agenda, he can also often be a source of useful information.
We have wandered rather off-topic.

Stewart Reuben

Phil Neatherway · Post by **Phil Neatherway** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 1:50 pm

Bob Clark wrote:One member of the house of Lords that may be worth considering is Lord Lyndon Harrison.

He was a strong player (180) prior to his election to the European parliament in the eighties, and was made a lord in 1999.

Wow! I knew Lyndon when I was a student in the 1970's!!! I didn't know he was a lord!

Matt Mackenzie · Post by **Matt Mackenzie** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 2:08 pm

Stewart, Jacqui Lait is indeed a Tory (on that party's "liberal" wing) I think she is standing down at the next GE though.

(is she related to Andrew "of that ilk" then?)

Didn't know Rachel Reeves had played "proper" chess; looked her up and found a peak grading of 128 - no patzer then

Jonathan Bryant · Post by **Jonathan Bryant** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:45 pm

cjdemooi wrote: If anyone knows of someone, could you please let me know and I'll contact him or her straight away?

Thanks,
CJ

I don't know of anybody but isn't there an annual Lords v Commons chess match (seem to remember RDK being involved in it back in the 80s and 90s and may still be for all I know).

Anyway, if there is a match presumably there's some kind of chess club or society? Maybe worth trying to contact that directly? I've no idea how though.

Matt Mackenzie · Post by **Matt Mackenzie** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 12:08 am

IIRC until the 1980s (?) chess was the only game permitted in the HoC. The strongest MP in the 19th C was Marmaduke Wyvill (Tory MP for Richmond, Yorks; I don't think the prominent present day MP has much interest in the game) - in the 20th C probably Julius Silverman (a Birmingham Labour MP)

There was a Lords v Commons match soon after the 1997 GE. One of the top Lords players was RDK's mate Lord (Julian) Hardinge, I think this time the LibDems had the strongest MP (Dr Evan Harris, another one who is leaving at the coming GE I believe - and mate of David Norwood's) Hardinge wiped him out in a miniature though

Paul Buswell · Post by **Paul Buswell** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 6:31 am

Matt Mackenzie wrote:Stewart, Jacqui Lait is indeed a Tory (on that party's "liberal" wing) I think she is standing down at the next GE though.

Not only a Tory MP, but from 1992-97 (when she was ousted) she was actually the MP for Hastings & Rye.

PB

cjdemooi · Post by **cjdemooi** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:40 am

I have contacted Jacqui Lait and will post if and when I have a reply

Phil Neatherway · Post by **Phil Neatherway** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:04 am

Dr Evan Harris, another one who is leaving at the coming GE I believe

Evan Harris is my MP and I believe he is around 160 strength. He has often attended the prizegiving at the Kidlington Congress.

I didn't know he was leaving Parliament, perhaps you mean he is predicted to lose his seat at the General Election?

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