Search found 91 matches

by Craig Pritchett
Thu Sep 09, 2021 8:47 pm
Forum: Chess History
Topic: IM Imre (Mirko) König (2-ix-1901 9-ix-1992)
Replies: 3
Views: 959

Re: IM Imre (Mirko) König (2-ix-1901 9-ix-1992)

Koenig's 'Chess from Morphy to Botwinnik' is an absolute gem. My current 'working copy', on loan from the 'Dr Aitken' collection in the Edinburgh chess club, is warmly inscribed (9/7/52) to his chess friend (Dr Aitken) 'in remembrance of the days in the Lud Eagle London'. I'm not even sure whether t...
by Craig Pritchett
Tue Sep 07, 2021 3:16 pm
Forum: Chess History
Topic: H E Atkins
Replies: 40
Views: 5414

Re: H E Atkins

Thanks, John. In 2011, I wrote that the Salvio (c 1850s-60s) was 'unfashionable ... poorly understood ... had a somewhat hazily doubtful theoretical reputation'. Whether it's wholly 'dubious', I'm not sure but that's not really the point ... which is (1) that Steinitz shone an extraordinarily clear ...
by Craig Pritchett
Mon Sep 06, 2021 10:19 am
Forum: Chess History
Topic: H E Atkins
Replies: 40
Views: 5414

Re: H E Atkins

Although no 'William Booth' (see John Townsend's and other posts above), may I gently note that I did, in fact, make a very serious case for (at least a partial chess-historical) 'salvation' of the Salvio Variation in the King's Gambit on pp 15-22 of the chapter on Steinitz in my book: Giants of Inn...
by Craig Pritchett
Wed Oct 14, 2020 2:53 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Queen's Birthday Honours 2020
Replies: 60
Views: 6013

Re: Queen's Birthday Honours 2020

Are there no women? Other than (the late) Mrs Nancy C Elder of Dundee: MBE 1974 for services to chess, whose name should be added to the list, that is. A Dundee school teacher, she was 15 times Scottish women's champion and very active in coaching, organising and captaining all levels of women's and...
by Craig Pritchett
Mon Jul 20, 2020 11:18 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Julian Farrand
Replies: 23
Views: 6710

Re: Julian Farrand

Very sad news. I first played against Julian in the 1971 British Ch, a round 1 draw. He was a tricky tactician who played awfully fast and always for fun. He was also great fun and, of course, awfully good at the law. True top GM class there, as I recall, having once had to read one of his extremely...
by Craig Pritchett
Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:18 pm
Forum: Chess History
Topic: The English Opening.
Replies: 33
Views: 6706

Re: The English Opening.

I feel sure that Jack Rudd and Tim Harding's instincts (plus detailed points) are right and that the 'English' popularity, especially propelled by Staunton's early and quite skilful interpretations of the opening in the match v St Amant eventually led someone to naming 1.c4 'English Opening' but as ...
by Craig Pritchett
Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:17 pm
Forum: International News
Topic: World Cup Knockout 2019
Replies: 300
Views: 26562

Re: World Cup Knockout 2019

For the historic record: the defensive technique (N v BB) used most clearly in the Arkell-Lagarde game was all known and published at least as far back as the 1960s. The key endgame bible then was Cheron's work. You place N on a fianchetto square, say g7; then if your K can safely reach f7/g6, the w...
by Craig Pritchett
Tue Aug 20, 2019 11:33 am
Forum: Birthdays & Anniversaries
Topic: Happy Birthday, Leonard
Replies: 27
Views: 5359

Re: Happy Birthday, Leonard

Many happy returns, Leonard! You have done so much for chess over the years and the quality of your chess journalism in The Guardian continues to set the very highest standards to all chess writers, bar none.
by Craig Pritchett
Mon Jul 01, 2019 11:51 pm
Forum: Chess History
Topic: Swiss Pairing Systems
Replies: 27
Views: 4525

Re: Swiss Pairing Systems

1976 The National Bank of Dubai Evening Standard London Chess Congress had 250 players for 6 rounds. Bojan Kurajica was the lone winner with 5.5./6. Fake news!? Or simply some other tournament?! I can quite categorically confirm that I finished outright first in that 1976 Bank of Dubai / Evening St...
by Craig Pritchett
Mon Jun 10, 2019 11:39 am
Forum: Chess History
Topic: Aleksandr Kuindzhi
Replies: 8
Views: 2396

Re: Aleksandr Kuindzhi

Intrigued, I contacted a German friend, whose origin is Czech and who knew Janata when they were both youngsters in Prague. He says that mutual friends told him that Michael Janata died of cancer and confirmed that he had studied Arabic and Swahili. A sad loss.
by Craig Pritchett
Mon Jun 03, 2019 3:45 pm
Forum: International News
Topic: Falkland Islands
Replies: 54
Views: 9134

Re: Falkland Islands

Isn't the FIDE response only likely to annoy the Argentine Federation? And perhaps quite rightly. Given the clarification of the actual (measured and not inappropriate) ECF interest in chess in the overseas dependencies (which are not FIDE members), by an earlier (1 June) post by Angus French to the...
by Craig Pritchett
Sat Apr 13, 2019 8:41 pm
Forum: Chess History
Topic: Aleksandr Kuindzhi
Replies: 8
Views: 2396

Re: Aleksandr Kuindzhi

Kuindzhi is sometimes spelled Kuyindzhi so check both on databases. He's played quite a few world senior and euro senior championships, certainly including 2016. I played against him in the 2011 world seniors where he had a 2400+ rating - a draw, he played a highly risky Schliemann Defence (or is it...
by Craig Pritchett
Sat Apr 13, 2019 8:15 pm
Forum: Seniors Chess
Topic: FIDE Senior Championships 2019
Replies: 43
Views: 12516

Re: FIDE Senior Championships 2019

Titles and norms can certainly be made at senior and euro individual champs by top three finishes and, of course, if you score a regular IM or GM norm by rating it counts. Not sure of all details but certainly winning world seniors = GM title if you haven't already got it .... Vladimir Okhotnik and ...
by Craig Pritchett
Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:27 am
Forum: Seniors Chess
Topic: World Senior Individuals, Bled, November 2018
Replies: 47
Views: 16586

Re: World Senior Individuals, Bled, November 2018

Thanks, Tim, for the wider 'British' plug. Keti's result was especially good at her first 50+ entry. For the record, this wasn't my 'best' result in these events although I don't keep (close) track of these things. The vagaries of the pairings in such large Swiss events mean that I only gained a rel...
by Craig Pritchett
Mon Nov 05, 2018 11:54 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Eric Schiller 1955-2018
Replies: 26
Views: 7077

Re: Eric Schiller 1955-2018

Eric's death saddens me, too, although I've been as aware as many others that his health had been very poor for quite a long while. He was indeed a very calm, intelligent, many-sided, creatively talented and simply likeable person, who I first met when he invited me to play at an International tourn...