English Chess Forum

Kenny Harman asks me to ask whether Alan K May and Dave Sherman are still about.

I didn't know them in any era but others might help please ...

James

You will find Alan May's obituary in the Forum list of dead chessplayers.

A link to the forum obituary thread for Alan May:

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=12528

James commented at the end of that thread. Lovely anecdote.

Regarding Dave Sherman, there are several people named "David Sherman" who are active around the world in chess. If you mean the American one born in 1954, I think the latest on him (article published May 2023) is here:

https://niagaranow.com/news.phtml/notl- ... hess-club/

David Sherman remembers playing his first chess match with his friend Morton in Sherman’s house when he was about 40 years old — about 20 years ago.

Sounds like the wrong David Sherman.

If you mean this David Sherman (a USCF Life Master), he did a simultaneous display in Kensington, Maryland:

https://www.dayofthebook.com/chess-challenge

Chess Master David Sherman will play simultaneous games. Can you beat him?
David Sherman, pictured below, holds the title of USCF Life Master. He was the 1993 Maryland Open State Champion and the 2022 District of Columbia Chess Champion. He has conducted many simultaneous exhibitions and taught in numerous schools in Montgomery County and at the U.S. Chess Center. He recently started "Chess for Closers", a YouTube chess stream.

Pictures at both links.

I suspect you mean a different Dave Sherman, who is British? But maybe not?

The Dave Sherman that took part in the Evening Standard London / 10th Islington Open, 20-22 December 1974? Details are here:

https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/19 ... iewer.html

https://www.ecfrating.org.uk/v2/new/pla ... de=342867K

Most recent ECF rated game was played on December 10th 2023.

Thank you, will tell Ken Harman.

John Upham wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 13, 2024 6:28 pm

https://www.ecfrating.org.uk/v2/new/pla ... de=342867K

Most recent ECF rated game was played on December 10th 2023.

That's my Bury clubmate not the Essex one

Good point by Mick. Not only are there two chess-playing Dave/David Shermans in the USA, there are two chess-playing Dave/David Shermans in the UK as well!

This is the Essex David Sherman (found by clicking 'unrated', or rather, inactive):

https://www.ecfrating.org.uk/v2/new/pla ... de=118895B

Last published grading was 173E in the July 2004 list (but graded as high as 195 in the mid-1990s - no idea what strength he was at his peak).

There is a photo of him here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chesster/36635496/

Essex Lightning Chess Championship 17.7.2005. David Sherman (with cup) and Roland Payne (right) were joint winners of the event (and drew their individual game), but David Sherman was crowned champion on elegibility rulings. Left of picture, Ivor Smith (controller).

Those active in Essex chess will presumably be able to say more.

Apparently [from SCCU bulletin for December 1962]: "David Sherman has moved from Essex to Yorkshire & is now residing in Leeds. This was his last match for the Essex County Chess Association, He will be missed". It seems he moved back to Essex at a later date. He has played in a number of Essex Lightning Championships, including his participation in 2010 as detailed here.

There was a David Sherman playing for Wanstead in a match played just last year:
https://ilfordchessclub.com/page/2/
His rating of 2067 makes it seem far more likely that he is the Essex one rather than the Bury one!
(edit: Could it be a typo for "David Spearman"?)

Jon D'Souza-Eva wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 13, 2024 9:50 pm

There was a David Sherman playing for Wanstead in a match played just last year:
https://ilfordchessclub.com/page/2/
His rating of 2067 makes it seem far more likely that he is the Essex one rather than the Bury one!
(edit: Could it be a typo for "David Spearman"?)

Yes - definitely a typo. In that match it was David Spearman. (Written in my capacity as Controller (& ratings officer) for the NCCL, and also as a Wanstead & Woodford club member.)

Fairly sure that the David Sherman in question, whom I remember playing in a British Chess Championship in the 1960s, crossed mainly over to bridge in Essex. He still has a strong bridge grading and plays regularly with Peter Hasenson and Tracy Sherman. Don't know the relationship with Tracy. Curiously the grading list (NGS) has her as a Merseyside and Cheshire player.

I found a picture of who I assumed was the David Sherman who plays a lot of bridge in Essex, but it didn't look anything like the picture of the chess player given in this thread:

bridge: http://db.worldbridge.org/Repository/pe ... ryid=11653
chess: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chesster/36635496/

Perhaps there's more than one bridge player called David Sherman as well!

As a near-contemporary of Kenny, I know that the one he's enquiring after is the one pictured at https://www.flickr.com/photos/chesster/36635496/ and identifiable at https://www.ecfrating.org.uk/v2/new/pla ... de=118895B. I knew David only slightly but would probably recognise him on sight (always assuming he hasn't changed too much) but haven't heard of or seen him in the years since he is last recorded as playing.

Recently watched a 1952 b/w film called 'Mandy' In it the grandfather is playing correspondence chess and when he opens one letter he calls it 'a typical German move' (what ever that is.) he had three sets with different positions set up on them. Boards all the right away around.

Paul Habershon wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:22 am

Fairly sure that the David Sherman in question, whom I remember playing in a British Chess Championship in the 1960s, crossed mainly over to bridge in Essex. He still has a strong bridge grading and plays regularly with Peter Hasenson and Tracy Sherman. Don't know the relationship with Tracy. Curiously the grading list (NGS) has her as a Merseyside and Cheshire player.

I'm almost certain that the very strong bridge player called David Sherman (http://db.worldbridge.org/Repository/pe ... ryid=11653), who regularly plays with Tracy Sherman and Peter Hasenson, is not the strong chess player from Essex.

However I suspect that there is another bridge-playing David Sherman, who often partnered the late Margaret Curtis, who may well be the same person as the Essex chess player.