English Chess Forum

Haste can be an enemy to thought. The sort of thing that would make we wonder whether I have fallen for a practical joke is:
As I recall Janos is Hungarian for John, thus the Guardian's obituary writer seems to have written that John Reti was born Reti John. Make of that what you will.

While I'm motivated, the FT tribute, previously mentioned by me, can be found on http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e3f92442-27e0 ... abdc0.html ;a quick read suggests it is identical to what I read in the paper last week.

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http://otiosechessnotes.blogspot.com

Just blundered across this thread and wanted to add a note. Yes, John was indeed a lovably bohemian character. The reminiscences here already give a good picture of him, and one more funny incident to recall was his outburst during the first round of the London "Chess for Peace" tournament in the 80s about there being no coffee on the premises, starting with: "Call this a chess tournament! One can't even get a cup of coffee here..." he shouted, walking up the main aisle between the games in progress. While most looked up in disbelief, Lobron, first checking that he was in no immediate danger, simply put his thumbs in his ears and continued to concentrate on his game. It might have looked as if John had completely "lost it" somehow, but a few hours later we all went for lunch as though nothing unusual had happened at all. One got used to the idea that John could be a bit theatrical at times.

It is mentioned that his birth name is oddly given as Rety John somewhere, but in Hungarian it is normal to put the surname before the first name, so he'd be Réty János in his country of birth.

I recall that he had a nasty fall on the icy slopes of Hastings during the New Year tournament some years ago. And, though somewhat frail, I think he continued to attend tournaments after that accident.

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To find a for(u)m that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now. (Samuel Beckett)

As George Szasvari already said, Hungarians put the surname first, so Réty János would be the Hungarian way to give the name.

Korean and (possibly?) Japanese are other languages where I think they do the same. Don't know if there are others, but most probably.

It's also quite common with Chinese and Indian names. If you look a person from one of those countries up on Wikipedia, it'll say something like "this is a Chinese name. The family name is...".

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http://westcountrychess.blogspot.com

I remember John Rety as an Anarchist Leader in the 1960's. He was a regular on the annual Aldermaston to London CND March.
Also remember him at Speakers Corner, where he would set the park ablaze with a ferocious Anarchist diatribe. Imagine my suprise in later years, when he would sit quietly playing chess at the Camden Club. In later years, he joined the Hampstead Chess Club, as a second team player.
He had mellowed with age, and I occasionally met him in Waterstones Book Shop on Hampstead High Street. He was usually polite, but that fiery temper was never far below the surface. His obituary in the Daily Telegraph, describes a memorable encounter with the poet Ted Hughes.
He was a fascinating character, and it is good that he is remembered.

I asked the Guardian to correct its obituary to remove the incorrect reference to John Rety being a grandmaster, which they did. However, the article now reads, "played chess professionally". I give up. Someone else like to try?