A piece of plastic

[James Pratt]

In a recent London League Match, Cavendish II v Lewisham, SM Kalinsky drew with ZI Warsop. According to my records the opponents were 69 years apart in age. As the man said when he found a piece of plastic with a hole in the middle: is this a record?

[Alan Walton]

I think that record would have been broken years ago, due to Anton Weleminsky still actively playing in congresses and league chess in 1999 when aged 92 would have easily played somebody younger than 23 to eclipse that record, I think he actually died quite a few years later, whenever I played him I was 68 years his junior

[Richard Thursby]

Working from memory (which might not be reliable, even though I am still the right side of 30), the BCF ran a "Match of the Generations" in 2004 as part of its centenary. It ran over the course the centenary year, with the generational split at 20. People could play games and submit them to the match score. Just about the first game played was between someone aged 101 and an opponent aged about 7.

[John Upham]

Working from memory (which might not be reliable, even though I am still the right side of 30), the BCF ran a "Match of the Generations" in 2004 as part of its centenary. It ran over the course the centenary year, with the generational split at 20. People could play games and submit them to the match score. Just about the first game played was between someone aged 101 and an opponent aged about 7.

I recall this as being a promotional event that was staged deliberately.

I believe James is referring to a genuine London League match.

[Alan Walton]

I do remember the "Match of the Generations" and it was a staged event, Mr Weleminsky was quite famous for being older than his grade of 90 when he was alive

[David Sedgwick]

Working from memory (which might not be reliable, even though I am still the right side of 30), the BCF ran a "Match of the Generations" in 2004 as part of its centenary. It ran over the course the centenary year, with the generational split at 20. People could play games and submit them to the match score. Just about the first game played was between someone aged 101 and an opponent aged about 7.

I recall this as being a promotional event that was staged deliberately.

I believe James is referring to a genuine London League match.

The promotional event took place on 7th May 2004, the exact date of the BCF's Centenary. It featured a game between Jonathan Pein (son of Malcolm), who was then aged 5, and Philip Gelman of Wood Green, then aged 102. I never heard any more of Mr. Gelman and I've no idea whether or not he's still with us.

I have a vague recollection of a game a few years ago at the Guernsey Festival where there was a very large age gap, but I can't remember any details.

On a related theme, I do remember a game at the Paignton Congress where the combined age of the players was 176. Any advance on this?

[James Pratt]

yes I did want a London League record if at all possible.

[William Metcalfe]

there was a league game played in the Northumberland league where both top boards were aged over 90 years old

[Mick Norris]

I think that record would have been broken years ago, due to Anton Weleminsky still actively playing in congresses and league chess in 1999 when aged 92 would have easily played somebody younger than 23 to eclipse that record, I think he actually died quite a few years later, whenever I played him I was 68 years his junior

Anton played in the Bury Rapidplay a few times, one of his opponents I recollect being under 10 when he was at least 90

[Rob Thompson]

On a related theme, I do remember a game at the Paignton Congress where the combined age of the players was 176. Any advance on this?

Referring to Paignton, i once played Ken Bloodworth there, a 79 year age gap. However, i know that this isn't a record as another player from my school, a year younger than me, played him in one of the following years.

[Alan Burke]

On Thursday 11th November 2004, 3Cs '2' (Oldham) entertained Heywood '2' in the Bury and Rochdale League 'B' Division, with Mitchell Burke (aged 11) playing against Anton Weleminsky (aged 96) - an age difference of 85 years. Anton (black) won.

The two teams then also met in the League's knockout competition a couple of weeks later on Thursday 25th November 2004, with the same players again facing each other - this time Mitchell (white) was victorious.

[IM Jack Rudd]

At Frome a couple of years ago, the Open's top board pairing in the final round had a total age of over 150.

(Michael Franklin v James Sherwin, as I'm sure most of you would have guessed.)

[Michael Jones]

I don't know about the London League, but the Cov league has had several 90+ players (age, not grade!) in recent years so any time one of them plays a university team there'll be an age gap of at least 70 (with four board matches, it's not uncommon for a player on one side to be older than the opposing team put together). There's also an 11 year old in the league, which gives the potential for a gap of 80+ years, but I don't know if he's ever actually played any of the nonogenarians.

[David Williams]

I trust the Morphy Number potential of these clashes is not being overlooked.

[Michael Jones]

I trust the Morphy Number potential of these clashes is not being overlooked.

I'd never previously heard of Morphy numbers (although I'm familiar with the parallel concept in mathematics, Erdos numbers), but you've just inspired me to work out mine - it's 5, thanks to playing Viktor Korchnoi in one of his London Classic simuls. So even my current bunch of German primary school kids, some of whom are still working out which way round the king and queen go at the start of the game, have a MN of 6. It was recorded that "Mr. Carr, secretary of the Leamington Chess Club" once played Morphy in a simul which might give me more connections through having played in the Leamington area, but unless someone has written a comprehensive history of club chess in Warwickshire I'm unlikely ever to be able to prove any.