Chess history trivia

Historical knowledge and information regarding our great game.
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MJMcCready
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by MJMcCready » Tue Nov 15, 2016 12:05 am

Another question. Who was England's ninth Grandmaster?

Colin Patterson
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by Colin Patterson » Tue Nov 22, 2016 2:32 pm

Hmmm. Does it run something like ...
1. Mansfield 2. Miles 3. Keene 4. Stean 5. Nunn 6. Speelman 7. Mestel 8. Short ...

and then 9. Either Plaskett or Golombek (both 1985)?

As I can't be bothered to get out the magazines and check which came first, I'm going to have to assume you aimed for an answer that involved a less conventional qualification path ... is it Golombek?

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David Shepherd
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by David Shepherd » Tue Nov 22, 2016 5:12 pm

Peter Clarke?

Tim Harding
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by Tim Harding » Tue Nov 22, 2016 5:25 pm

David Shepherd wrote:Peter Clarke?
I doubt it as at least two other English correspondence players were awarded the ICCF grandmaster title before Clarke: Keith Richardson and Adrian Hollis, if I recall correctly. (Being abroad I don't have my own reference book to hand.)

As for Golombek, he was an honorary GM only (unlike Penrose who got the FIDE title on merit retrospectively and also became an ICCF GM).
Tim Harding
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John Moore
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Moore » Tue Nov 22, 2016 6:13 pm

Or is Mieses mixed up in there. Only Mr McCready knows.

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John Upham
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Upham » Tue Nov 22, 2016 7:45 pm

MJMcCready wrote:Another question. Who was England's ninth Grandmaster?
Was this in the sequence in which the title was ratified or some other sequence?

Is this for the aggregation of OTB / Composition / Problem Solving and Correspondance chess?

Are you including foreign GMs who acquired British nationality?
British Chess News : britishchessnews.com
Twitter: @BritishChess
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/britishchess :D

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MJMcCready
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by MJMcCready » Tue Nov 22, 2016 10:32 pm

Yes the sequence ratified. No foreign GMs. It was reported in July 1985. Oops see below.

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MJMcCready
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by MJMcCready » Tue Nov 22, 2016 10:37 pm

Maia Chiburdanidze is considered to be the eight according to what is read.

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David Shepherd
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by David Shepherd » Tue Nov 22, 2016 10:56 pm

The 9 I had were
1972 Comins Mansfield
1975 Keith Richardson
1976 Tony Miles
1976 Ray Keene
1976 Adrian Hollis
1977 Michael Stean
1978 John Nunn
1980 Jon Speelman
1980 Peter Clark

John Townsend
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Townsend » Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:05 pm

Another question:

Which English cathedral contains a monument with effigy to a man who served as President of the British Chess Association?

David Sedgwick
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by David Sedgwick » Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:20 pm

John Townsend wrote:Another question:

Which English cathedral contains a monument with effigy to a man who served as President of the British Chess Association?
Lincoln Cathedral, the said President being Alfred Lord Tennyson.

(Thanks to the Yorkshire Chess History website for pointing me in the right direction.)

John Townsend
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Townsend » Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:35 pm

A good answer, David. If I may be a trifle pedantic, Tennyson's statue is outside the cathedral on the green.

It's not the answer I have in mind.

Kind regards,

John

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:44 pm

John Townsend wrote:Another question:

Which English cathedral contains a monument with effigy to a man who served as President of the British Chess Association?
I'm struggling to even identify the Presidents of the BCA - how many were there? Can you list them, or would that give it away.

Fascinating page:

http://www.sjmann.supanet.com/Graves/Grave%20Index.htm

(The link to a WWI memorial goes to a page where the photo has gone AWOL, sadly).
Last edited by Christopher Kreuzer on Wed Nov 23, 2016 4:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

John Townsend
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Townsend » Wed Nov 23, 2016 4:18 pm

Christopher, you probably know of at least one if you recall Morphy's "jeremiad" to the "Maecenas of English chess".

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Wed Nov 23, 2016 4:34 pm

John Townsend wrote:Christopher, you probably know of at least one if you recall Morphy's "jeremiad" to the "Maecenas of English chess".
This one?

http://www.edochess.ca/batgirl/AppealLetter.html

This Lord Lyttleton?

Monument in Worcester Cathedral.

http://www.theforsythbrothers.com/monum ... -1873.html

Oh dear. He came to a rather unfortunate end!

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