Andrew Jonathan Whiteley

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JonManley
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Re: Andrew Jonathan Whiteley

Post by JonManley » Fri Jul 25, 2014 7:38 pm


Tim Harding
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Re: Andrew Jonathan Whiteley

Post by Tim Harding » Sun Aug 31, 2014 12:30 pm

Andrew Whiteley was educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford, and Pembroke College Oxford where he read Classics (a four-year course). I first saw him in the early 1960s in school matches where Abingdon School lost two or three times to Magdalen College School but I wasn't on top board at that time and never played him then. When I came up to Pembroke in October 1966 he was (if I remember rightly) in his third year and he was captain of the Oxford University Chess Club that 1966/67 season. We already had a strong college team that year with Paul S. N. Kendall on board 2, and at the University Teams at York in Easter 1967 players from Pembroke were on top board for all the university's three teams. (I was top board for the second team). I think this amused Andrew but the round 1 draw was Oxford 1 v Oxford 3 and he had to play a guy (whose name I regret I now forget) who would have been about board 4 on our college team. Andrew won in the end but he was given a really tough game.
In my second year at Pembroke, Andrew's last, George Botterill also came up to Pembroke and we had a very strong team in which I was on board 4.
I only played Andrew once, I think about 1966 or 1967, in either the Oxford city club or county championship, I forget which. In those days his main defence to 1 e4 was the Dragon which he had extensively analysed with P. N. Lee and Adrian Hollis who were the leading university players while he was at school. I think that by 1966 he was playing the Najdorf too. I don't recall him playing the French then. Anyway he was of course aware that I was a quite well booked-up junior in those days and played instead 5...Nbd7 which had been tried a few times in Yugoslavia. As a result of course I obtained a slight plus but duly went wrong somewhere and lost. Unfortunately I don't have the game score.
The last contact I would have had with Andrew would have been around 19790/81 when he edited a book on the Semi-Slav which was commissioned from me by Batsford. I don't recall much about that but I got a full-time newspaper job before it was finished so I guess he had a fair bit to do to complete it and hence his name also appears on the cover.
Can anyone confirm whether Andrew was on the English team that won the Student olympiad around 1964 or 1965?
Tim Harding
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Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
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John Saunders
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Re: Andrew Jonathan Whiteley

Post by John Saunders » Sun Aug 31, 2014 12:46 pm

I don't think England won the Students Olympiad in the era you are referring to (full list here) but Andrew was part of the squad that won bronze at the Students Olympiad at Harrachov in 1967.
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Roger de Coverly
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Re: Andrew Jonathan Whiteley

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sun Aug 31, 2014 12:56 pm

Tim Harding wrote: Can anyone confirm whether Andrew was on the English team that won the Student olympiad around 1964 or 1965?
According to Olimpbase, the best results in that era were 3rd in 1967 and 2nd in 1970 ( which was in Israel, so no Eastern European teams)

http://www.olimpbase.org/youth/stud_results.html

1967 team was
http://www.olimpbase.org/1967y/1967eng.html
Basman, Hartston, Keene, Whiteley, Botterill
1970 team was
http://www.olimpbase.org/1970y/1970eng.html
Basman, Wright, Webb, Perkins, Markland, Carleton

He also played in 1966
http://www.olimpbase.org/1966y/1966eng.html
Lee, Basman, Hartston, Keene, Whiteley, Poutrus
and 1968
http://www.olimpbase.org/1968y/1968eng.html
Hartston, Keene, Whiteley, Wright, Patterson

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: Andrew Jonathan Whiteley

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:45 pm

I was just reading through the excellent article by John Saunders in CHESS (December 2014 issue) on the Andrew Whiteley Memorial Blitz (held at the King's Head pub, Moscow Road, Bayswater, on 8th November). It sounds like it was a really good event. Does anyone know if this was an open event, and/or an internal club event, and/or an invitational event? (I am presuming the latter, as it didn't seem to be advertised widely). John says in his article that "no fewer than 80 players" participated, and that there were 8 ten player APA sections, with nine GMs and 10 IMs. It sounds like it was a great event and a suitable memorial to Andrew Whiteley. Might it become a regular event, or was it intended as a one-off tribute? Also, are there plans to make the article or other details available online at some point, maybe on the King's Head chess club website?

David Sedgwick
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Re: Andrew Jonathan Whiteley

Post by David Sedgwick » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:54 pm

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:Does anyone know if this was an open event, and/or an internal club event, and/or an invitational event? (I am presuming the latter, as it didn't seem to be advertised widely).
Your presumption is correct. To the best of my knowledge it wasn't advertised at all.

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:It sounds like it was a great event and a suitable memorial to Andrew Whiteley.
Yes it was. I thoroughly enjoyed getting 0/9.

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:Might it become a regular event, or was it intended as a one-off tribute?
It was generously sponsored by David Norwood. Whether or not there is a repeat is largely up to him.

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John Upham
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Re: Andrew Jonathan Whiteley

Post by John Upham » Tue Jul 07, 2020 4:13 pm

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Andrew Jonathan Whiteley

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Tue Jul 07, 2020 5:29 pm

There was a Morphy in his school chess team (no relation, presumably)? No wonder it did well.
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

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