English Chess Forum

I have retired from playing football (I am 52). Gone are the days where I could play 90 minutes of football followed by a County Chess match.

Anyway after yesterdays U160 County Game (Sussex v Surrey) @ Horsham, there is the FA CUP match v Kingstonian (a Surrey Club) v Eastbourne (Sussex) this afternoon 3ko. Then we have a European Championship Qualifier @ 5ko.

Unfortunately Eastbourne will not be playing 80 y/os or 11 y/os (or females either). Nor I expect either team playing avg age 40-60. Or keeping the wives waiting to finish our long matches. I hope for a 8-7 win.

Anyway - who are the best chess players & former footballers in the ECF? Or best spectators too?

I was chatting with Charlie Storey at the 1st Jessie Gilbert when I was thinking about retiring & he ought to make our first team.

Nick Grey wrote:Or best spectators too?

I'll bet I'm the only ECF member to have been quoted in Fever Pitch.

Best footballer among chess players was Simen Agdestein, probably. He played for Norway.

I am not saying that I am any good, but I was unable to enter the Birmingham Rapidplay today, as I knew my football team were short. So instead of 6 rounds of chess, I had 80 minutes of being linesman, and then 10 minutes on the pitch.

Chess and work have got in the way of any week day football training, so I am restricted to guest appearances for my football team, so I would put myself down as the voluntary linesman for the ECF team.

My one small trophy I won for football, being an unused substitute for the runners up in a 3rd/4th division cup in my local Sunday league, has pride of place in the centre of the cabinet, as I feel I put more effort in compared to any of the chess trophies or crib glasses that I also currently have in the cabinet. I should mention that the football team mates were a bit envious of the Terrill Trophy (Birmingham Chess League Cup) when I had it for my turn, as it is a lot bigger than most of the trophies in the low division we play football in.

Dan

Seem to remember reading once that Ljubojevic was a pretty decent footballer in his youth. He had to give it up after breaking a leg, and it was after that that he started giving most of his attention to chess.