English Chess Forum

Hi John,

I deal with both cases, as well as with a third - Bird v. Drouet, in my book (p. 55-58).

Hans

Hi John, Nice to read this (possible) addition on H.E. Bird's life. I don't recall if I saw this or not, but if I did I'd probably have mentioned it in my book. About the H. Bird joining the London C.C.: I don't write that you are wrong, I wrote that 'it seems unlikely' to me. It seems that sources ...

Which chess giant ended his career, in his last official game, by playing Ke1 (the king returning home) as his last move?

Let me add to the remarks about this review that Owen finished a sound 2 points behind Paulsen at the London 1862 tournament, while I'm also very curious to find out about Paulsen's contributions to the Leningrad Dutch! I must have overlooked those .
Thanks for the positive review!
Hans

The start of the Nottingham 1886 tournament was delayed for a day as the "stop-clocks' hadn't arrived yet. These clocks were, as far as I understand it, separate clocks where each player had to check his opponent's clock as well. See the Forster book on Amos Burn for a reference.

A few days ago I read in an article in a Dutch newspaper of 1921 that Tarrasch was at that time the oldest active chess master in top regions. I wonder who his predecessors and successors were. Some people are easy to name: from 1879-1899 Bird was the oldest active master, the decade or two before h...

That is a true pity to read. Together with several other guys from the same London club he was a loyal guest for years at the tournament in Leuven, Belgium. I notice my only game against him also made it to the database. A tough guy to beat he was.

Gerard Killoran wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 10, 2018 3:12 pm

Hans Renette wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 09, 2018 12:50 pm

Which world class player, whose career lasted several decades, only played for the first time in England in his penultimate international tournament?

Rudolf Spielmann at Margate,1938.

Yes, Spielmann it is!

Which world class player, whose career lasted several decades, only played for the first time in England in his penultimate international tournament?

I found a bit more on Pulling at Ancestry. He was born in 1813, in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales. He died in April 1866. When the census of 1851 was taken he was visiting his brother Robert Pulling in Penge, Surrey. Ten years later he resided in Camberwell St. Giles, Surrey. His occupation was give...

As far as I know Paulsen played 4...Qh4 only once - in the aforementioned game against Wilson. Wellington Pulling was mentioned on a few other occassions in the Ill. London News: * 22 Feb. 1862 - as a member of the standing committee of the B.C.A. * 30 May 1863 - Staunton commenting 4...Qh4 against ...

While doing research on L. Paulsen I can confirm what Tim writes. See below Staunton's note to Paulsen's 4th move (4...Qh4) in the game Wilson-Paulsen, Bristol 1861. "This move was first introduced in England by Mr. Wellington Pulling, an amateur remarkable for the brilliancy and rapidity of his com...

I often wondered about long-living Victorian chess players. I believe Edward Pelham Pierpoint (1830-1928), a Reverend and sometimes visitors of the C.C.A. congresses grew oldest (http://www.edochess.ca/players/p3021.html).

It may interest a few readers of this forum that my book on Henry Edward Bird has been published a few days ago. You can have a look at it, here (http://www.mcfarlandbooks.com/book-2.ph ... 864-7578-0) and at Amazon.

Hans

As far as I know a tournament played at Simpson's Divan early in 1849 was the first. In my forthcoming book on Henry Edward Bird I make mention of a few hints I found about a handicap tournament played at the same Divan in 1848, but I doubt if that ever took place.