English Chess Forum

I was watching chess24 last week, at one point GM Julian Hodgson's name came up and it was claimed that he gave up chess to teach in London. Is there any truth in this and does anyone know if we will ever see him back at the board again?

MJMcCready wrote: Is there any truth in this and does anyone know if we will ever see him back at the board again?

That's the accepted story. He's usually in the VIP room of the London Chess Classic discussing the games in progress.

http://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-conte ... t-rd-9.jpg

Apparently he doesn't just teach chess, but other mind sports such as Bridge, Backgammon, Poker etc.

Ah okay, so he's still connected to the game? It seems a great shame that when we produce such a great talent he leaves the game. Did the BCF/ECF try to persuade him otherwise do you know?

MJMcCready wrote:Ah okay, so he's still connected to the game? It seems a great shame that when we produce such a great talent he leaves the game. Did the BCF/ECF try to persuade him otherwise do you know?

He's still active as a commentator and presumably coach or trainer. Rumours had it that his new job was sufficiently lucrative that anything the BCF could offer to get him to play for England or in the British Championships paled into insignificance.

Sounds about right.

Roger de Coverly wrote:

MJMcCready wrote:Ah okay, so he's still connected to the game? It seems a great shame that when we produce such a great talent he leaves the game. Did the BCF/ECF try to persuade him otherwise do you know?

He's still active as a commentator and presumably coach or trainer. Rumours had it that his new job was sufficiently lucrative that anything the BCF could offer to get him to play for England or in the British Championships paled into insignificance.

I did ask him about this when I saw him at the first London Chess Classic, it being the first time I'd seen him in about ten years. Apart from the financial side he also mentioned that his opponents at the team events were getting younger and more theoretical and he felt it was time for others to have a go. It's a shame, he was one of the most original and creative players when I was a junior and I probably have him to thank/blame for the Tromp and the Snake Benoni being part of my openings back then

He's still regularly playing on the ICC as 'AttackGM'

LawrenceCooper wrote:I did ask him about this when I saw him at the first London Chess Classic, it being the first time I'd seen him in about ten years. Apart from the financial side he also mentioned that his opponents at the team events were getting younger and more theoretical and he felt it was time for others to have a go.

It would be possible for him to play in Seniors events though?

Mick Norris wrote:

LawrenceCooper wrote:I did ask him about this when I saw him at the first London Chess Classic, it being the first time I'd seen him in about ten years. Apart from the financial side he also mentioned that his opponents at the team events were getting younger and more theoretical and he felt it was time for others to have a go.

It would be possible for him to play in Seniors events though?

You never know, the 50+ events didn't exist when I spoke to him but it could be something that tempts him, and others, to come out of retirement.

LawrenceCooper wrote:

Roger de Coverly wrote:

MJMcCready wrote:Ah okay, so he's still connected to the game? It seems a great shame that when we produce such a great talent he leaves the game. Did the BCF/ECF try to persuade him otherwise do you know?

He's still active as a commentator and presumably coach or trainer. Rumours had it that his new job was sufficiently lucrative that anything the BCF could offer to get him to play for England or in the British Championships paled into insignificance.

I did ask him about this when I saw him at the first London Chess Classic, it being the first time I'd seen him in about ten years. Apart from the financial side he also mentioned that his opponents at the team events were getting younger and more theoretical and he felt it was time for others to have a go. It's a shame, he was one of the most original and creative players when I was a junior and I probably have him to thank/blame for the Tromp and the Snake Benoni being part of my openings back then

Hmmm, thanks for that Lawrence, of course he would know that his opponents getting younger and being more theoretical was an inevitability. That doesn't sound like the most convincing excuse/reason...excuse I've ever heard. Given that GM Sadler returned to the fold we can only hope that Julian follows suit. Having dedicated so much of his life to chess, surely an OTB return of some sorts is on the cars one day?

LawrenceCooper wrote:

Mick Norris wrote:

LawrenceCooper wrote:I did ask him about this when I saw him at the first London Chess Classic, it being the first time I'd seen him in about ten years. Apart from the financial side he also mentioned that his opponents at the team events were getting younger and more theoretical and he felt it was time for others to have a go.

It would be possible for him to play in Seniors events though?

You never know, the 50+ events didn't exist when I spoke to him but it could be something that tempts him, and others, to come out of retirement.

Nunn being one example.

IM Jack Rudd wrote:

LawrenceCooper wrote:

Mick Norris wrote:
It would be possible for him to play in Seniors events though?

You never know, the 50+ events didn't exist when I spoke to him but it could be something that tempts him, and others, to come out of retirement.

Nunn being one example.

Good point

MJMcCready wrote:Hmmm, thanks for that Lawrence, of course he would know that his opponents getting younger and being more theoretical was an inevitability. That doesn't sound like the most convincing excuse/reason...excuse I've ever heard. Given that GM Sadler returned to the fold we can only hope that Julian follows suit. Having dedicated so much of his life to chess, surely an OTB return of some sorts is on the cars one day?

I don't think that players need to justify their reasons for taking a career path that offers more security and more money. I agree that it would be nice to see him return though and the 50+ events may be the events that can do it.

LawrenceCooper wrote:

MJMcCready wrote:Hmmm, thanks for that Lawrence, of course he would know that his opponents getting younger and being more theoretical was an inevitability. That doesn't sound like the most convincing excuse/reason...excuse I've ever heard. Given that GM Sadler returned to the fold we can only hope that Julian follows suit. Having dedicated so much of his life to chess, surely an OTB return of some sorts is on the cars one day?

I don't think that players need to justify their reasons for taking a career path that offers more security and more money. I agree that it would be nice to see him return though and the 50+ events may be the events that can do it.

Externally yes I think you are correct but internally I think they do at that level. I neither know nor understand the choices facing him when he left chess but I assume it was a very difficult decision. The principal reason for the post is that having played through some of his games recently it seems such a sad loss for a country that is, chess-wise, in decline.

MJMcCready wrote: ... it seems such a sad loss for a country that is, chess-wise, in decline.

Well if Julian Hodgson was one of our leading players still that would be a sign of our decline.

I do not what you mean but it does seem more likely that 'good' players are more likely to stop playing that mediocre hackers such as ourselves. Probably quite difficult to not be able to play at your previous level. that’s not something that those of us who’ve never reached a meaningful level have to worry about.

And that’s before you get to the economics and losing your taste for an itinerant lifestyle - once you have a family, say.


As for your question about did the ECF/BCF do anything to try to prevent this retirement: I"ve no idea but I doubt it.

What do you think they could have done?


Incidentally , I don’t think a career changes are particularly unusual at ' a certain age'. I know a lot of people who - like me - are no longer working as Social Workers even though we put many years of time and effort into becoming one and then being one.