Search found 25 matches

by David Mabbs
Wed Jul 05, 2023 2:36 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Harry Lamb RIP
Replies: 15
Views: 2744

Re: Harry Lamb RIP

It seems that mine is the earliest chess memory of Harry Lamb thus far in this thread: 1960-1961 at Sheffield University. I was struck by his total enthusiasm and effervescence, not to mention his chess ability. Very sorry to hear the news of his death.
by David Mabbs
Wed Aug 17, 2022 4:05 pm
Forum: Junior Chess
Topic: Offer of places for "England" team
Replies: 23
Views: 6154

Re: Offer of places for "England" team

Forgive me - I've come late to this discussion about official v unofficial, and about junior opportunities in either cases, and about possibly misleading inferences etcetera. My own junior days go back way before those presently being discussed ... BUT might I refer people to a post that I have just...
by David Mabbs
Wed Aug 17, 2022 3:54 pm
Forum: Chess History
Topic: Chess Education Society
Replies: 21
Views: 3867

Chess Education Society

Can anyone throw any light on the activities of the Chess Education Society ? I have found just two tantalising references. It was founded in or before June 1945 by (Isaac) Reginald Vesselo, who was at that time a public schoolmaster living in Tottenham. Vesselo was born in Russia in about 1904, and...
by David Mabbs
Mon Dec 13, 2021 5:42 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Jonathan Penrose OBE
Replies: 35
Views: 6451

Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

I was very sorry to hear of Jonathan's death - a great player, and also a modest gentleman. For anybody - and I think there may be many - who is planning to write biographically about Jonathan, I would mention a career fact that I have never seen referred to thus far in chess circles. For a short pe...
by David Mabbs
Wed Mar 11, 2020 4:37 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Alan Whitbread
Replies: 7
Views: 2906

Re: Alan Whitbread

I never met Alan in person, but I've always regarded Mushrooms with great fondness. My understanding was that Mushrooms was "inspired" by the model of Cedars Chess Club (an all-junior innovation) which was then flourishing, and for which I played regularly. In the nicest possible way, Mushrooms was ...
by David Mabbs
Thu Feb 20, 2020 3:34 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Paul Timson (1946 - 2020)
Replies: 7
Views: 3768

Re: Paul Timson (1946 - 2020)

Very sorry to hear of Paul's death. I was a fellow Cedars Chess Club player, and can confirm that Paul was a kind and unassuming person, a loyal team mate, and a very good player indeed. My most recent "encounter" with him was when he took up the cudgels on my behalf, when Winter's Chess Notes unfav...
by David Mabbs
Mon Feb 10, 2020 4:13 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Richard GR Harris
Replies: 4
Views: 3290

Re: Richard GR Harris

Sorry to learn of Richard's death. I concur completely with Alan Gregg's comments, as an ex-Hampton player and ex-Kingston player myself. David Mabbs.
by David Mabbs
Sun Jul 23, 2017 5:27 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Dave Rumens
Replies: 98
Views: 26821

Re: Dave Rumens

I'm following through on my enigmatic posts about East Ham Town Hall, where Dave and several hundred others slept on the floor. The giveaway clue was the date, which happened to be the night of Easter Sunday/Monday 1961. By the nature of this forum, most of us knew Dave Rumens in a chess environment...
by David Mabbs
Sun Jul 23, 2017 5:23 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Dave Rumens
Replies: 98
Views: 26821

Re: Dave Rumens

In response to Stewart Reuben. Sorry, I don't know the other identities. But I do know that the date was after mid-August in 1958, because of something very silly that happened. There was a celebrity autograph stand, that attracted hourly queues for each celebrity in turn. When a particular celebrit...
by David Mabbs
Sun Jul 23, 2017 4:57 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Dave Rumens
Replies: 98
Views: 26821

Re: Dave Rumens

The jpg-files that I wanted to post are both "too big". Sorry. This smaller one was accepted. It was taken at Olympia in late 1958 (or just possibly early in 1959). Olympia.jpg I am at the far right, in play (my wink can be seen in flight) and Dave, of course, is on my immediate left. Everything tha...
by David Mabbs
Sun Jul 23, 2017 4:42 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Dave Rumens
Replies: 98
Views: 26821

Re: Dave Rumens

The photograph of Dave Rumens playing Bielicki is indeed from the World Junior Championship in 1959 - (I cannot explain the bye-line referencing January 1955.) Dave Rumens was a member of Cedars Chess Club more or less from its outset. Cedars evolved from the grandiosely-named Carmelite Chess Club, ...
by David Mabbs
Tue Jul 18, 2017 11:04 am
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Dave Rumens
Replies: 98
Views: 26821

Re: Dave Rumens

Adding a little more information about the East Ham Town Hall story - there were several hundred people trying to sleep on that floor that night, mostly exhausted people. But there was so much background noise, and comings and goings, that sleep was highly sporadic. Everybody left together the follo...
by David Mabbs
Sun Jul 16, 2017 2:29 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Dave Rumens
Replies: 98
Views: 26821

Re: Dave Rumens

Nick Ivell asked, "where was Dave Rumens in the 1960s ?". I can confirm that he spent the night of April 2nd-3rd, 1961, on the floor of East Ham Town Hall.

( I shall leave this post unfinished for the moment, to give anyone who wishes to the chance to find the reason why ! )
by David Mabbs
Sat Jul 15, 2017 5:56 pm
Forum: Chess History
Topic: Vic Soanes (1981)
Replies: 6
Views: 1751

Re: Vic Soanes (1981)

I was so pleased and relieved to read Leonard Barden's comments. (I am seldom able to outdo you, Leonard, but in this case my recollections outscore you by two years.) In 1959 V J Soanes was similarly non-playing match captain for an England team - albeit not so exalted: the Under-21 European team t...
by David Mabbs
Sat Jul 15, 2017 11:33 am
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: Dave Rumens
Replies: 98
Views: 26821

Re: Dave Rumens

Dave Rumens' travel misfortunes seem to be a recurring theme. I can add another example. In 1958, Dave landed a dream job, working for British Rail at Kings Cross. Railways were his passion from childhood, and he would now enjoy free rail travel. That same year, at the age of 18, he qualified for th...