English Chess Forum

Reading "Development of a Grandmaster" by Bill & Michael Adams I noticed on page 122 a reference to

The James Capel Speed Chess Challenge (sometime in 1988)

http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/634631

and

http://www.englishchess.org.uk/archive1 ... _mar03.htm

which was filmed for Thames Television.

Does anyone have any knowledge of this event, any recordings etc.?

It would be good to get clips from this and other events onto You Tube.

John Upham wrote:Does anyone have any knowledge of this event, any recordings etc.?

I think it was a knockout event in front of an invited audience somewhere in Central London - possibly a theatre. I got a couple of tickets - I don't recall how. A couple of things stick in my mind although they might be from other events at around this time. Cathy Forbes was playing against Nigel Short and the game starting 1 d4 c5 2 dxc5 (or similar). Julian Hodgson against Glenn Flear starting 1 d4 d5 2 Bg5. There may also have been a draw awarded as "unable to win by normal means" in one game.

I certainly recall an article about it appearing in Chess Monthly around that time. I will see if I still have that issue and post any more details about it if applicable.

My memory can't be relied on but I wonder whether

QF

Short beat Forbes
Hodgson beat Flear
Speelman beat Sadler (Catalan)
Adams beat Chandler (5 minute play off, with Chandler aghast at how, with Chandler's position on the point of collapse and running short of time, Adams just calmly shuffled a bishop from e3 to d2 to c3, saying that it seemed to be a "sensible way to improve his position"!)

SF
Short beat Hodgson (but I don't recall the game)
Adams beat Speelman (5 min play off again)

F
Short beat Adams in extra time (original game was a Caro, where Adams had seemed busted ... but wasn't. As always in those days)

Roger de Coverly wrote:

John Upham wrote:Does anyone have any knowledge of this event, any recordings etc.?

I think it was a knockout event in front of an invited audience somewhere in Central London - possibly a theatre. I got a couple of tickets - I don't recall how. A couple of things stick in my mind although they might be from other events at around this time. Cathy Forbes was playing against Nigel Short and the game starting 1 d4 c5 2 dxc5 (or similar). Julian Hodgson against Glenn Flear starting 1 d4 d5 2 Bg5. There may also have been a draw awarded as "unable to win by normal means" in one game.

My memory is that the Short - Forbes game began as a Sicilian with ... e6 and ... a6 (Short was White). I don't remember Hodgson or Flear being in the programme at all. Perhaps we are thinking of different events although I can't imagine Short played Forbes in too many TV rapidplay tournaments. (Perhaps Hodgson/Flear was a pre-televised round? I only watched it on TV)

I found a BCM reference (page 553) Dec 1988, where the contestants were listed, and subsequently, working through the YouTube games available, I was able to deduce that in the quarter-finals, Nunn beat Mestel (there was no Hodgson v Flear - must have been another event).

Accordingly, Short beat Nunn, not Hodgson, in the semi-finals. Otherwise, the event was as described by Jonathan Rogers above. I don't believe that there were any earlier qualification rounds.

Played/filmed in Chelsea, 2nd-3rd November 1988, and broadcast by ITV Thames in January 1989.

There is this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jbxCmsNH4Y

Introduced by Raymond Keane.

Little did they they know he would go on to award himself such honours as a Knighthood and, become a Professor and become a Count(?) However, some might say that he had been a Count for many years.

John Upham wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 15, 2026 10:53 am

Introduced by Raymond Keane.

Do you mean Roy Keene?

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 15, 2026 12:59 pm

John Upham wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 15, 2026 10:53 am

Introduced by Raymond Keane.

Do you mean Roy Keene?

You might be right. Confusion is rife.

You've now got me wondering what a combined version of those two would actually be like