Chess history trivia

[John Townsend]

Yes, very good, David. Well done.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Rosemary Dorcas Jaques, who died in Marlborough, Wiltshire, in 2009 at the age of 99, was the last surviving grandchild of someone who wrote just one chess book, which was the first of its kind. Can you name them?

[John Townsend]

Perhaps it's Harriet Ingram Cooke, who wrote The ABC of Chess by a Lady. She married a Jaques, so I am guessing that RDJ was their grandchild.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Yes, that's right John. The ABC of Chess by a Lady was, of course, the first chess book written by a woman (or at least the first one published). Harriet's father, Nathaniel Cooke, was the person who patented the Staunton chess pieces design and her husband, John Jaques, was a member of the family who manufactured and sold the pieces (I haven't yet worked out if he was the John Jaques in the name of firm - "John Jaques of London").

[John Townsend]

The book was first published in 1860 by John Jaques. Her middle name, Ingram, must be in honour of Herbert Ingram, who was her father's business partner; they were for some time joint-proprietors of the Illustrated London News, and Howard Staunton's employer there.

[John Townsend]

Which member of the London Chess Club, noted for the rapidity of his play, originated a variation of the Scotch Game in the 1830s?

Postscript: His first name calls to mind someone who was successful against the French. His second name suggests efforts to attract the opposite sex.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Which member of the London Chess Club, noted for the rapidity of his play, originated a variation of the Scotch Game in the 1830s?
Postscript: His first name calls to mind someone who was successful against the French. His second name suggests efforts to attract the opposite sex.

Wellington Pulling! I'd never heard of him until today and was going to guess John Cochrane until you added the clue.

[John Townsend]

Well done, Jon. Of course, it's the Pulling Counter-attack.

[John Townsend]

The forum had previous discussion about Wellington Pulling here:

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=8967&p=196114&hili ... ng#p196114

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Rather than resurrect the lovely thread on 'The Turk vs Mephisto' that John T linked above, I am going to quote the final post in that thread:

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=8967&hilit=Welling ... 30#p196821

Adam Hart-Davis had an unpromising start to his competitive chess career, according to Volume 2 of The Lyttelton Hart-Davis Letters.

p56 (letter dated 10 Feb 1957): " ... Adam has been asked to play chess for the School! Fred [AH-D's housemaster at Eton] rightly forbade it, since the match was scheduled to last four hours."

p71 (17 March): "My youngest was eventually allowed to play chess for the School, but was defeated by an elderly lady in a basement off High Street Kensington!"

Wonder who she was , and where they played?

Anyone up for trying to work that one out?

What chess clubs would have been playing (against a team from Eton College!) in a basement off High Street Kensington in 1957? Apparently, 17 March 1957 (if LH-D is writing the same day) was a Sunday, so maybe this was a county match of some sort?

[James Pratt]

?? Quiz Time ??
i Who worked at Westmorland County Council, played in an Olympiad for postal play and whilst in Germany spied on Russian planes at Gatow Airfield?
ii Who wrote - at the instigation of the Victoria and Albert - 'Notes on Carpet Weaving and Knotting'? We here may know him better for his books on endings, collaborative efforts.
iii Which Englishman beat Donner in the BUCA versus Dutch Universities Match in 1951 (and on top board!) ?
iv Fifty years ago 'First Theories of Hexagonal Chess' was published. Who wrote it ?
v Who won both the East Lancashire for juniors and adults championships in 1950-51?

James

[Matt Mackenzie]

I not only know who the first one is, but played him several times.

Though he actually worked for Cumbria County Council (not Westmorland) and also for the Lake District authority.

[Pete Morriss]

Adam Hart-Davis had an unpromising start to his competitive chess career, according to Volume 2 of The Lyttelton Hart-Davis Letters.

p56 (letter dated 10 Feb 1957): " ... Adam has been asked to play chess for the School! Fred [AH-D's housemaster at Eton] rightly forbade it, since the match was scheduled to last four hours."

p71 (17 March): "My youngest was eventually allowed to play chess for the School, but was defeated by an elderly lady in a basement off High Street Kensington!"

Wonder who she was , and where they played?

Anyone up for trying to work that one out?

What chess clubs would have been playing (against a team from Eton College!) in a basement off High Street Kensington in 1957? Apparently, 17 March 1957 (if LH-D is writing the same day) was a Sunday, so maybe this was a county match of some sort?

A quick search of the British Newspaper Archive suggests that there were a series of "Teenagers v Old Stagers" matches played during National Chess Week, 17-23 March 1957. There are matches mentioned in Croydon and elsewhere in the country; I can't find Kensington, but this might be a possibility. Doubtless the Forum's historians will be able to provide more information.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Adam Hart-Davis had an unpromising start to his competitive chess career, according to Volume 2 of The Lyttelton Hart-Davis Letters.

p56 (letter dated 10 Feb 1957): " ... Adam has been asked to play chess for the School! Fred [AH-D's housemaster at Eton] rightly forbade it, since the match was scheduled to last four hours."

p71 (17 March): "My youngest was eventually allowed to play chess for the School, but was defeated by an elderly lady in a basement off High Street Kensington!"

Wonder who she was , and where they played?

Anyone up for trying to work that one out?

What chess clubs would have been playing (against a team from Eton College!) in a basement off High Street Kensington in 1957? Apparently, 17 March 1957 (if LH-D is writing the same day) was a Sunday, so maybe this was a county match of some sort?

A quick search of the British Newspaper Archive suggests that there were a series of "Teenagers v Old Stagers" matches played during National Chess Week, 17-23 March 1957. There are matches mentioned in Croydon and elsewhere in the country; I can't find Kensington, but this might be a possibility. Doubtless the Forum's historians will be able to provide more information.

Thank you! I hope more will be forthcoming on this.

From 1959:

https://chesterfieldchessclub.weebly.co ... story.html

And lastly - National Chess Week in March '59 featured what must have been a highly competitive 13 board match, Old Stagers 7.5 v Teenagers 5.5. OK, so we can accept the old timers included the Chesterfield regulars Saunderson, Hooton, Rodgers, Salt, Portman et al. But there on board one is a chap still playing among us - Otto Hardy reckoned he was already one of the veterans way back then.

There is a lovely photo here on John Saunders's Britbase:

https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/19 ... iewer.html

92-year-old aviator philosopher Douglas Fawcett (left) in play in the “Teenagers v Old Stagers Match” against 17-year-old June Beckett. Age won!" Photo published in CHESS, May 1957, page 205.

Do we still have National Chess Week, and if not, when did it end?

[Tim Harding]

?? Quiz Time ??
i Who worked at Westmorland County Council, played in an Olympiad for postal play and whilst in Germany spied on Russian planes at Gatow Airfield?
ii Who wrote - at the instigation of the Victoria and Albert - 'Notes on Carpet Weaving and Knotting'? We here may know him better for his books on endings, collaborative efforts.
iii Which Englishman beat Donner in the BUCA versus Dutch Universities Match in 1951 (and on top board!) ?
iv Fifty years ago 'First Theories of Hexagonal Chess' was published. Who wrote it ?
v Who won both the East Lancashire for juniors and adults championships in 1950-51?

James

The answer to ii is Creassey Edward Cecil Tattersall. He also played in the 1904 City of London Chess Club invitational master tournament.

I await enlightenment on the other answers from fellow Forumites.