The Real McGuire?
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:21 pm
For some time I have been curious about the identity of the little-known chess player L. F McGuire. He had some success in Kent Congresses; lost a match (1-4) with Fred Yates in 1911 at Bradford; was a member of the City of London and Metropolitan chess clubs; but seemed to have disappeared from the records in 1920.
To give credit where credit is due, 'Tabanus' at Chessgames has identified him as Louis Felix McGuire (b.22.11.1881 - d.04.09.1961) https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=164068
The intriguing snippet of information regards his place of death, 'Friern Hospital in New Southgate'. Friern was a psychiatric hospital, formerly known as 'Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum', and I wonder if his incarceration began in 1920. This is because the last mention of an L. F. McGuire that I can find is the following cutting, where he seems to have been a victim of the infamous 'Sus Law'.
Here he is, in happier times, beating a British and Scottish Championship contestant.
To give credit where credit is due, 'Tabanus' at Chessgames has identified him as Louis Felix McGuire (b.22.11.1881 - d.04.09.1961) https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=164068
The intriguing snippet of information regards his place of death, 'Friern Hospital in New Southgate'. Friern was a psychiatric hospital, formerly known as 'Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum', and I wonder if his incarceration began in 1920. This is because the last mention of an L. F. McGuire that I can find is the following cutting, where he seems to have been a victim of the infamous 'Sus Law'.
- Westminster Gazette - Friday 12 March 1920.png (161.39 KiB) Viewed 843 times