Junior squad/Kasparov simul in 1986

Jonathan Rogers · Post by **Jonathan Rogers** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 9:19 am

I am with Ola on this. Is this some parallel universe here, when one doesn't remember playing the current world champion?

When I was a junior playing among others in a simul I played against

Bill Hartston (1/2)
Bob Wade (2/3)
Leonard Barden (0.5/2)
Ray Keene (0/1)
someone whose name was not clear to me because there was more than one simul going on (at Highbury Grove) and I was just shoved into one of them, 0/1 but I remember that it started 1.b3

Well, I know my memory is rather unusual, but still I would have only limited patience with anyone who doesn't remember playing Kasparov!

Nick Thomas · Post by **Nick Thomas** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 9:23 am

Think I might have played Karpov as well but not sure...

Jonathan Rogers · Post by **Jonathan Rogers** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 9:53 am

As Prof Robbo would say ...

FFS!

Martin Hazelton · Post by **Martin Hazelton** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 9:57 am

Jonathan Rogers wrote:I am with Ola on this. Is this some parallel universe here, when one doesn't remember playing the current world champion?

Memory can be a fickle thing, but I agree that forgetting about such an event seems unlikely. On the other hand, my old school archive having a photo labelled with my name (and depicting someone who looked somewhat like me at 18, at least from behind) is also rather odd! I'm happy to accept that there is an explanation that doesn't involve the Twlight Zone - I'm just intrigued to know what it is.

Leonard Barden · Post by **Leonard Barden** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:20 am

The qualifying junior age for the Kasparov simul would have been born after 1.9.64. At that time the British, London and junior squad U21 events were all very strong, and my understanding then was that the definition of junior for using funds from Lloyds Bank and the Slater Foundation was under 21 at the start of the academic year.
My unreliable memory suggests that Gary Lane (born 11.64) did play on a high board, along with Peter Wells (born 1965) who I think could be the player behind Kasparov's shoulder in the picture which is where the top boards in the match were seated, in front of the demo boards.
There were three Karpov simuls. The first was the clock simul in 1977 which launched Lloyds Bank sponsorship and was staged in the middle weekend of the British Championship meaning that several players including Short and Hodgson had to travel up from Brighton. Karpov won 9.5-0.5, conceding half a point to Tony Williams, Simon Williams's older brother.
I was not best pleased with this outcome, and the opportunity for revenge came in 1982 when Karpov was playing at Phillips&Drew in London. Peter Barton persuaded him to give the simul at Westergate, Sussex just a day or two before round 1 of P&D and we fielded a very strong team of 30 headed by Hodgson and King, with several others of near-IM strength. James Howell, later board 1 against Kasparov, was board 18 against Karpov. The bottom board Edward Lee was a specialist simul killer who had won his previous six games against GMs, outplayed Karpov, and went on later to beat Korchnoi for eight straight.
It took Karpov eight hours, but he managed a tolerable plus score and admitted that it was his hardest simul ever. As a simul giver, he impressed me more than Kasparov. A couple of days later he played his first round at P&D, still tired, and drew with Nigel Short.
At the final Karpov exhibition, again at Westergate, in 1984 he remembered his bad 1982 experience, made the date after rather than before P&D, and stipulated 'no IMs' but our team was still headed by Peter Wells and Jonathan Levitt who had IM norms. On around Board 10 Neil Carr played the same line that Azmaiparashvili had used to defeat Karpov in the USSR championship that year, Karpov played what I assume was an intended improvement, and Carr crushed him with a double rook sac. Our team was not quite so strong as 1982 and Karpov scored a bit better.
There was also then a memorable secondary simul by Polugaevsky. Memorable, because Byron Jacobs, who was down to play Karpov, arrived too late, was drafted into the Polu simul, and blew him off the board in the first game to finish. This terrified Polu, who assumed that all his opponents were just as strong (actually they averaged 150-160) and retaliated by making his moves at a funereal rate. After some five or six hours Karpov had finished, the Russians had to leave for the airport, but Polu still had more than half the games still going. So he then adjudicated them, some in his favour with small advantages, though Nick von Schlippe successfully argued for a draw by addressing Polu in Russian. On the drive to the airport Peter Barton was harangued by Karpov and Polu claiming that the latter had been ambushed by a team of candidate masters...
I guess Nick Thomas probably played in that final Karpov simul.

Matt Mackenzie · Post by **Matt Mackenzie** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:09 pm

Nick Thomas wrote:Don't forget Kasparov was not quite the icon then he later became

Well yes, he was only - ONLY - the world champion by then

Anybody else remember his appearance on Terry Wogan's then BBC1 chatshow around this time??

Ray Sayers · Post by **Ray Sayers** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:25 pm

Did he attack him, a la Emu?

Jonathan Bryant · Post by **Jonathan Bryant** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:38 pm

Jonathan Rogers wrote:I am with Ola on this. Is this some parallel universe here, when one doesn't remember playing the current world champion?

I can remember playing Keith Arkell in a simul at Plymouth in 1989. This was the weekend before the British Championships there. He was an IM at the time, I think. He played the Bd2 system against my Winawer and I recall I resigned after he won a couple of pawns with some tactic or other.

I'm pretty sure I'd remember playing Kasparov although to be fair whilst I can remember my simul games from a quarter of a century ago, I'd struggle to tell you much about how last week's London League game went.

Krishna Shiatis · Post by **Krishna Shiatis** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 2:54 pm

Leonard Barden wrote:The qualifying junior age for the Kasparov simul would have been born after 1.9.64. At that time the British, London and junior squad U21 events were all very strong, and my understanding then was that the definition of junior for using funds from Lloyds Bank and the Slater Foundation was under 21 at the start of the academic year.
My unreliable memory suggests that Gary Lane (born 11.64) did play on a high board, along with Peter Wells (born 1965) who I think could be the player behind Kasparov's shoulder in the picture which is where the top boards in the match were seated, in front of the demo boards.
There were three Karpov simuls. The first was the clock simul in 1977 which launched Lloyds Bank sponsorship and was staged in the middle weekend of the British Championship meaning that several players including Short and Hodgson had to travel up from Brighton. Karpov won 9.5-0.5, conceding half a point to Tony Williams, Simon Williams's older brother.
I was not best pleased with this outcome, and the opportunity for revenge came in 1982 when Karpov was playing at Phillips&Drew in London. Peter Barton persuaded him to give the simul at Westergate, Sussex just a day or two before round 1 of P&D and we fielded a very strong team of 30 headed by Hodgson and King, with several others of near-IM strength. James Howell, later board 1 against Kasparov, was board 18 against Karpov. The bottom board Edward Lee was a specialist simul killer who had won his previous six games against GMs, outplayed Karpov, and went on later to beat Korchnoi for eight straight.
It took Karpov eight hours, but he managed a tolerable plus score and admitted that it was his hardest simul ever. As a simul giver, he impressed me more than Kasparov. A couple of days later he played his first round at P&D, still tired, and drew with Nigel Short.
At the final Karpov exhibition, again at Westergate, in 1984 he remembered his bad 1982 experience, made the date after rather than before P&D, and stipulated 'no IMs' but our team was still headed by Peter Wells and Jonathan Levitt who had IM norms. On around Board 10 Neil Carr played the same line that Azmaiparashvili had used to defeat Karpov in the USSR championship that year, Karpov played what I assume was an intended improvement, and Carr crushed him with a double rook sac. Our team was not quite so strong as 1982 and Karpov scored a bit better.
There was also then a memorable secondary simul by Polugaevsky. Memorable, because Byron Jacobs, who was down to play Karpov, arrived too late, was drafted into the Polu simul, and blew him off the board in the first game to finish. This terrified Polu, who assumed that all his opponents were just as strong (actually they averaged 150-160) and retaliated by making his moves at a funereal rate. After some five or six hours Karpov had finished, the Russians had to leave for the airport, but Polu still had more than half the games still going. So he then adjudicated them, some in his favour with small advantages, though Nick von Schlippe successfully argued for a draw by addressing Polu in Russian. On the drive to the airport Peter Barton was harangued by Karpov and Polu claiming that the latter had been ambushed by a team of candidate masters...
I guess Nick Thomas probably played in that final Karpov simul.

Wow! What an amazing piece of English Junior Chess history. This is why this forum is so amazing. The most excellent photo (with the most excellent barnet), reigniting all these memories - from everyone on this thread.

I hope Leonard that you have written a book with some of this information - it is gold!

Nick Thomas · Post by **Nick Thomas** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:58 pm

I had a root around and found my signed copy of "The Test of Time" which is dated 05 (I think - might be 08 or 0 something else though) May 1986. Does anyone know the exact date of the simul? Edit - I see it was may 27th so now puzzled by how I got the book......

I couldn't find games against the 2 K's but did find the following games from earlier simuls:

Jonathan Bryant · Post by **Jonathan Bryant** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 7:33 pm

Leonard Barden wrote:There were three Karpov simuls. The first was the clock simul in 1977 which launched Lloyds Bank sponsorship and was staged in the middle weekend of the British Championship meaning that several players including Short and Hodgson had to travel up from Brighton. Karpov won 9.5-0.5, conceding half a point to Tony Williams, Simon Williams's older brother ....

Given the lamentable coverage of the game in the national media these days, it's astonishing that this simul was reported on the front page of The Times (15th August, 1977). The opening paragraph runs:-

A Russian visitor to London was attacked in a crowded hotel room yesterday by 10 English boys, 20 bishops, and a handful of queens. Anatoly Karpov, the world chess champion, was pitting his skills in a simultaneous clock game against 10 of Englandâ€™s best under-17 players.

A reproduction of that front page and the full text of the article can be found here:-
http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.c ... s-xvi.html

Sarah de Lisle · Post by **Sarah de Lisle** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 10:55 pm

It's not Gary Lane - wrong hairstyle and facial hair.

It's not Andy Dunn.

Could it be Neil Crickmore (wild stab in the dark)?

The boy in the white shirt in the corner (over Kasparov's shoulder) looks like Phil Morris....

Great picture Martin, thank you.

Sarah de Lisle · Post by **Sarah de Lisle** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:01 pm

I remember playing in a Ray Keene simul in about 1982 - wonder if it was the same one as you, Jonathan? I think we were the second string, there was a 'big name' (Spassky??) who was the main draw.

Nick Thomas · Post by **Nick Thomas** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:05 pm

Sarah de Lisle wrote:I remember playing in a Ray Keene simul in about 1982 - wonder if it was the same one as you, Jonathan? I think we were the second string, there was a 'big name' (Spassky??) who was the main draw.

I have a vague memory of playing Spasky at some time as well but am scared of Jonathan saying FFS again.

Sarah de Lisle · Post by **Sarah de Lisle** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:14 pm

Nick - is that you?? Northampton Nick? Waving at you from across the forum....

Sarah, here, Christopher, as was...

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Junior squad/Kasparov simul in 1986

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