Chess history trivia

[John Moore]

Andre Lilienthal. The Cuban Ambassador being Capablanca and the tournament Hastings 1934-35.

[Colin Patterson]

Very good John. Correct.

The story appeared in CHESS #1. BH Wood also recounts an occasion when Lilienthal 'cut in' on a Russian marriage, so it seems he was something of a philanderer in his youth.

[MJMcCready]

Good lord. When I was young, I would have said it wasn't possible for a top chess player to be such a thing. (note to self: next time I see one of Lilienthal's games bear in mind B.H.Wood once claimed he may have been a philanderer) .

[Matt Mackenzie]

Chess has actually had a few "ladies men", contrary to its image - Capa and the young Tal were supposedly others.

(the latter got beaten up at the 1966 Olympiad, many believe it was due to showing undue interest in a local gangster's significant other)

[MJMcCready]

I think Sosonko claimed Tal was actually bottled once!

[John Moore]

Here's a new one. Which English born chess player married Pillsbury's niece?

[Mike Truran]

Too easy! Napier.

[John Moore]

Well done, Mike. Yes, obviously too easy.

[Mike Truran]

...... and without recourse to the internet.

[MJMcCready]

Ok, another question a bit harder by my standards, who once received an invite to the Cambridge - Oxford matches for past members, the first of which began on March 27th 1889, had his acceptance to play withdrawn by his doctor?

He had the result telegraphed to him and sadly died less than 5 days after the match. 'Some of his last conscious talk having been about the match'.

[Richard James]

Ok, another question a bit harder by my standards, who once received an invite to the Cambridge - Oxford matches for past members, the first of which began on March 27th 1889, had his acceptance to play withdrawn by his doctor?

He had the result telegraphed to him and sadly died less than 5 days after the match. 'Some of his last conscious talk having been about the match'.

Regular readers of my Chess Improver articles will know the answer to this question.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Ok, another question a bit harder by my standards, who once received an invite to the Cambridge - Oxford matches for past members, the first of which began on March 27th 1889, had his acceptance to play withdrawn by his doctor?

He had the result telegraphed to him and sadly died less than 5 days after the match. 'Some of his last conscious talk having been about the match'.

Regular readers of my Chess Improver articles will know the answer to this question.

Ah, yes. Part 3 in that series. I won't parrot the answer...

[MJMcCready]

And there was me thinking it might be too difficult... .

[Barry Sandercock]

What was the answer ?

[MJMcCready]

Walter Parratt

Some info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Parratt although the sentence quoted was from P.W Sargeant's A Century of British Chess.