Search found 1858 matches

by Leonard Barden
Fri May 05, 2023 9:09 pm
Forum: Deaths & Obituaries
Topic: FM Mike Franklin (02-ii-1931 25-iv-2023)
Replies: 27
Views: 4211

Re: FM Mike Franklin (02-ii-1931 25-iv-2023)

RIP, my old friend. After two wins when we were both schoolboys, I never managed to defeat him in a competitive game. Michael was a true gentleman, a calm and approachable person who rarely spoke harsh words. As a player, he had excellent strategic and blitz skills, was IM strength in his best years...
by Leonard Barden
Sun Apr 16, 2023 2:55 pm
Forum: Congress Diary
Topic: British Rapidplay Championship 2023
Replies: 15
Views: 1383

Re: British Rapidplay Championship 2023

Congratulations to your son on a great result with the final round against a strong GM still to go!

https://chess-results.com/tnr752774.asp ... =30&snr=40
by Leonard Barden
Sun Apr 09, 2023 11:47 pm
Forum: Live Games
Topic: Southend Masters 2023 (GM Title Norms)
Replies: 7
Views: 1716

Re: Southend Masters 2023 (GM Title Norms)

Does Ghasi have any previous GM norms?
by Leonard Barden
Wed Mar 29, 2023 12:45 pm
Forum: Chess History
Topic: Chess history trivia
Replies: 1349
Views: 124406

Re: Chess history trivia

We shared a room at the 1952 Helsinki Olympiad. But Reinfeld's description is just wrong about the Milner-Barry variation of the Nimzo-Indian (1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 Nc6!?) being a gambit continuation. When I tried to refute it with some prepared analysis, M-B ground me down in the ending.
by Leonard Barden
Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:09 am
Forum: Chess History
Topic: Chess history trivia
Replies: 1349
Views: 124406

Re: Chess history trivia

Milner-Barry?
by Leonard Barden
Fri Mar 24, 2023 9:00 am
Forum: Chess History
Topic: Mr. N.O. Body in Liverpool 1923
Replies: 13
Views: 1179

Re: Mr. N.O. Body in Liverpool 1923

Lodewijk Prins competed in the Premier Reserves Major (later renamed the Challengers) at Hastings 1949-50 under the pseudonym 'L Smith'. I forget the exact reason, but think it was some kind of protest about not being invited to the Premier. I asked him what the L stood for and he said 'Len'. I reme...
by Leonard Barden
Sun Mar 19, 2023 5:39 pm
Forum: ECF Matters
Topic: ECF meeting reports
Replies: 93
Views: 13722

Re: ECF meeting reports

Chess.com claims around three million active users (4.4% of the population) from the UK in January, which is still not among their top ten countries.....
by Leonard Barden
Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:22 pm
Forum: Chess History
Topic: English victories against reigning World Champions
Replies: 126
Views: 17518

Re: English victories against reigning World Champions

MJMcCready wrote:
Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:54 pm
Yes, that's what I thought, certainly against the current world champion but I am not sure if a Brit beat Capablanca after he lost his title.
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1224020
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1135510
by Leonard Barden
Tue Mar 07, 2023 10:23 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Varsity Match 2023
Replies: 39
Views: 6017

Re: Varsity Match 2023

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 6:11 pm

(I can't get hold of the game itself right now, but maybe someone would be kind enough to post it?)
There is a link to the game moves in the article above, just click on lethal threat.
by Leonard Barden
Sat Mar 04, 2023 12:11 pm
Forum: International News
Topic: 23rd European Individual Championship 2023
Replies: 68
Views: 10018

Re: 23rd European Individual Championship 2023

https://chess-results.com/partieSuche.a ... 12575&rd=1

Scroll down to the final quarter of games and you will find it. Deserved victory, the GM is outplayed.
by Leonard Barden
Fri Mar 03, 2023 6:00 pm
Forum: International News
Topic: 23rd European Individual Championship 2023
Replies: 68
Views: 10018

Re: 23rd European Individual Championship 2023

Chess results showing

1 191 433 Cox Tristan A 1975 1-0 GM Neverov Valeriy 2414 191

If true, HUGE upset victory for the unknown English amateur.

Wins also for Grieve, Royal and Wadsworth
by Leonard Barden
Sat Feb 25, 2023 12:27 pm
Forum: Chess History
Topic: Victor Buerger (Berger)
Replies: 9
Views: 1181

Re: Victor Buerger (Berger)

I should also add, since it is not mentioned in John's Lloyds Bank Masters link above, that I also had played Victor Buerger 30 years earlier, in the British Championship qualifying competition of 1950. I can't recall much about the occasion except that the game was played in my room at Balliol, Oxf...
by Leonard Barden
Tue Jan 10, 2023 6:31 am
Forum: Congress Diary
Topic: Cambridge International Open
Replies: 99
Views: 11043

Re: Cambridge International Open

Realistically, the way forward now ought to be for the ECF to find out which of the missing five prime GM norm candidates Wadsworth 2477, Ghasi 2471, Harvey 2466, Royal 2456, and Willow 2431 wants to play in Cambridge, and to put these players at the top of the waiting list.
by Leonard Barden
Tue Jan 10, 2023 12:09 am
Forum: Congress Diary
Topic: Cambridge International Open
Replies: 99
Views: 11043

Re: Cambridge International Open

My attempt to evaluate norm opportunities has been hampered by the use of ECF rather than FIDE ratings. Whatever their relative merits, it is the latter that you need for norms. Nick, there is a Fide rating list for Cambridge here https://www.englishchess.org.uk/cambridge-international-open-entrant...