Chess families

Discuss anything you like about chess related matters in this forum.
Alex Holowczak
Posts: 9085
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:18 pm
Location: Oldbury, Worcestershire
Contact:

Re: Chess families

Post by Alex Holowczak » Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:34 pm

Richard Thursby wrote:Are there any similar examples from chess?
The Muzychuk sisters. Anna is rated 2539 and plays for Slovenia, and Mariya is rated 2469 and plays for Ukraine.

User avatar
Christopher Kreuzer
Posts: 8806
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:34 am
Location: London

Re: Chess families

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:59 pm

Talking of family members facing each other over the chess board, I remember a TV clip about the Bryan brothers (tennis) that said that they took turns in defaulting their matches with each other (in the singles) to avoid family disharmony. More famously, you have the excruciating spectacle of the Williams sisters looking apologetic as they try and beat each other (actually, I think Venus always looks apologetic when beating little sis, and Serena just wants to beat big sis!). Do any chess siblings have non-aggression pacts or (better!) fierce rivalries over the board?

Chris J Greatorix
Posts: 35
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:56 pm

Re: Chess families

Post by Chris J Greatorix » Sat Jul 09, 2011 12:07 am

Ricky Hatton has a family of Boxers. The Klitscho brothers.
Gary and Phil Neville - Obviously played on different Footballing teams (Gary has now retired). Gary and Phil would have been playing Cricket for Lancashire as professionals had they not chosen Football. Their Dad Neville Neville also played Cricket. Tracy Neville plays Netball to a high level. I think Paul Collingwood did the opposite and chose Cricket over Football.
Amir Kahn is a boxer yet has a cousin called Sajid Mahmood who is a cricketer for Lancashire.(The eggheads didn't know this!)

Chris J Greatorix
Posts: 35
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:56 pm

Re: Chess families

Post by Chris J Greatorix » Sat Jul 09, 2011 12:21 am

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:Talking of family members facing each other over the chess board, I remember a TV clip about the Bryan brothers (tennis) that said that they took turns in defaulting their matches with each other (in the singles) to avoid family disharmony. More famously, you have the excruciating spectacle of the Williams sisters looking apologetic as they try and beat each other (actually, I think Venus always looks apologetic when beating little sis, and Serena just wants to beat big sis!). Do any chess siblings have non-aggression pacts or (better!) fierce rivalries over the board?
My mate from my local Chess club went to the British last year, and noticed that in the very same round two sets of brothers were playing - The Perts were playing each other, whilst in the Major Open two of the Rabbits were also playinog each other. Chess playing siblings often do end up drawing with each other if they are of similar standard- but often because they know each other's moves! I suppose it also depends what is at stake. If we move into Politics, it seemed Ed Miliband was overly competitive to beat David Miliband. I wonder if the Charltons or the Nevilles ever had a competitive match where they went in hard on their tackles? The eagle eyed amongst you that for the first time in the David Cup Andy and Jamie Murray will be playing WITH each other in doubles.
Oh and another fact- Dimintar Berbatov's cousin is an International Master at Chess, suprised it has not been mentioned already.

Paul Cooksey

Re: Chess families

Post by Paul Cooksey » Sat Jul 09, 2011 12:34 am

Andrew and John Footner were paired in the last round at Yeovil this year. They had remarked previously that they had not played often, despite chess careers spanning more years than it would be polite to mention.

I was expecting a quick draw. But no quarter given. Blacks king caught in the centre, 1-0 15 moves

Mark Page
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 2:07 pm
Location: Kenilworth

Re: Chess families

Post by Mark Page » Sat Jul 09, 2011 1:11 pm

Richard Thursby wrote: In the Germany v Ghana match in the 2010 World Cup, brothers George Boateng and Kevin-Prince Boateng were on opposite teams. Are there any similar examples from chess?
I may be wandering a bit too far off topic here, but it was Jerome Boateng and Kevin-Prince Boateng who were on opposite sides. George Boateng is a completely different (Dutch international) footballer who played for Coventry (briliantly), Villa (indifferently) and Middlesbrough (negatively). Not that I am in any way biased in this assessment, of course.

Kevin Prince Boateng is most famous for buying 3 (or was it 4?) expensive cars in one day when he was at Spurs, because he was bored. And modern footballers can't understand why they are so unpopular!

User avatar
Christopher Kreuzer
Posts: 8806
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:34 am
Location: London

Re: Chess families

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:28 pm

Getting back to chess, a recent search threw up Asuka Nakamura, older brother (by 2 years) of Hikaru Nakamura, and one-time chess prodigy himself, but overtaken somewhat by his younger brother (bit of an understatement there). Mini-biography of him here:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=53331

Also the Cori siblings (brother and sister) from Peru (not mentioned previously, I don't think):

http://www.peruviantimes.com/23/peru-si ... rkey/4291/

Another strong chess family was the Kubbels, though famous more for their chess compositions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Kubbel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvid_Kubbel

Leonid Kubbel
Arvid Kubbel
Evgeny Kubbel

Sadly, all three met premature ends due to imprisonment or war.

A couple of more obscure ones (not on any of the other lists I've seen):

Sergey Urusov (namesake of the Urusov Gambit) and Dimitry Semenovich Urusov (brothers)

Vladimir and Mikhail Makogonov (brothers)

The above two are from here: http://www.chess.com/article/view/russian-chess-history

More on the Urusovs here (Chess Cafe column by Tim Harding):

http://www.chesscafe.com/text/kibitz28.txt

Vladimir Makogonov appears to have been a very strong player:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Makogonov

Also the Platov brothers (chess composition):

http://www.chessbase.com/newsprint.asp?newsid=6807

Mikhail Platov (1883–1938) and Vassily Platov (1881–1952). Latvian brothers.

Chaim Janowski was the younger brother of the more famous Dawid Janowski:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaim_Janowski

Also, many members of the Gallagher family played (and still play) chess, the most famous being Joseph:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Gallagher

From here, there is some sort of record, I think:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Chess_Federation

"The Hong Kong team in the 1974 Students' Chess Olympiad consisted of five brothers aged 8 to 18."

Seems pretty endless, this list.

Last one, a different sort of Chess Brothers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_Records

Music label founded by Leonard Chess and Phil Chess.

Stewart Reuben
Posts: 4542
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:04 pm
Location: writer

Re: Chess families

Post by Stewart Reuben » Sun Jul 10, 2011 2:21 pm

I have played poker against grandfather, son-in-law and grandson. Obviously not at the same table.

In my experience the relations who hate playing against each other are twins. At one time we would have done well in the World Twins Team Championship. There was a recent news item about triplets playing in the US. Kevin O'Connell (over 2300 at his best) lived in the same street as Nicholas and Richard Pert and coached them. Sombody once said to me that he chose the openings for the boys, a different repertoire for each of them. Those he chose for Nicholas were more suited to their identical twin style. Thus he became the somewhat stronger player.

I have long had the amibition of organising the World Families Championship. Add in Happy if sponsored by a playing card manufacturer. The format I decided on was a Swiss. The requirement being that everybody playing had to have a member of their family also playing. Family members cannot be paired together. The family prizes to be won in two different ways: either the two highest scoring members of the family; or the average. There would also be individual prizes. The Carlssens would get a respectable score, but not winning.

The Lloyds Bank Masters did have a family prize in later years. Alisa and Mirjana Maric won it one year. Keith and Susan Arkell another. Alisa and Mirjana (non-identical twins) were paired together late in the Lloyds Bank Masters. This was at their request to enable Mirjana to draw and get her WGM title
This year Graham Buckley, Susan and Peter Lalic are all in the British. Susan and Graham's twin girls haven't entered the U8. In 2008 Graeme, Susan, Keith and Bogdan all played in the British and Peter in the Major Open. I warned the publicity officer against drawing the attention of the press to this. The 3 Ledger brothers all played in at least one British.

Stewart Reuben

Paul Rabbitte
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 1:57 pm

Re: Chess families

Post by Paul Rabbitte » Mon Jul 18, 2011 1:44 pm

As the Father of the 4 chess playing Rabbitte boys, I know their presence in some tournaments has created some confusion for opponents, especially in recent years where the 3 strongest players compete in the same section. I am no chess expert but I am told they have different playing styles - this may be due to the fact they have never had formal coaching and have largely taught themselves.
They have played one another several times over the years, especially earlier on when junior tournaments only consisted of maybe 15-16 players.

Just on names, some of my Primary School class in 1970 consisted of the following:- myself Paul Rabbitte, Jonathan Swann, Carl Woolf, Peter Bird, Steven Fox, Carol Nightingale, Carole Drake and Julie Peacock.

Peter Sharpe
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:51 pm

Re: Chess families

Post by Peter Sharpe » Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:20 pm

Paul McKeown wrote:

Littlewoods, John, Norman and Paul are probably the most famous.
my first post!

I started playing regularly in the Sheffield League in 1982/83 season. my first Chess Congress was in the 1984 Sheffield University Congress and I remember Norman Littlewood playing in this one. My clubmate (born 1909, died 1989) would often talk about him being the best player in Sheffield for years. Norman and John have another brother, Michael P, that played chess regularly for Batemoor & Jordanthorpe until the late 1980s or the early 1990s and he used to write weekly chess columns for the Sheffield Star. I dont know why Michael "disappeared" from the Sheffield chess scene despite myself having asked the B & J (now Woodseats) secretary.

Liam Rabbitte
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:20 pm

Re: Chess families

Post by Liam Rabbitte » Sat May 19, 2012 2:14 pm

I remember at junior tournaments there were many strong chess playing families, some of which, me and my brothers played. Off the top of my head there were the: Halls, Maliks, Moruzzis, O'Tooles and the Talbots, all of which contained some really strong players. From playing in the northern leagues there are other strong families with good potential such as the Walsh twins, the Cass sisters and the Hortons. I always thought playing chess in a family was advantageous because you help each other become stronger players. After all who doesn't want to beat their brother?

Post Reply