Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
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Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
New (hopefully) material on his early life
One of THE giants of British chess.
New (hopefully) material on his early life
One of THE giants of British chess.
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British Chess News : britishchessnews.com
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Twitter: @BritishChess
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/britishchess
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
My article has a photograph of his father, as I recall, plus a cricket scorecard!!. Sorry, on phone so can't link at the moment. Curiously I have been past Wyggeston school just a few days ago.
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
Worth noting in that Amsterdam 1899 cross table that Arnold van Foreest's great-great-grandson Jorden is playing in Wijk Aan Zee now.
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
Here's a game, not in Britbase, where Atkins plays the King's Indian and his opponent replies with the Saemisch (or should it be the Lambert?) Variation.
Atkin's resource with 17...d5! is very clever.
Atkin's resource with 17...d5! is very clever.
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
Oh that's interesting. I wonder if any other similar examples could be cited (not from the present tournament obviously).Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑Sun Jan 31, 2021 11:29 amWorth noting in that Amsterdam 1899 cross table that Arnold van Foreest's great-great-grandson Jorden is playing in Wijk Aan Zee now.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."
lostontime.blogspot.com
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."
lostontime.blogspot.com
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
"Arnold van Foreest's great-great-grandson Jorden"
I only looked it up as "van Foreest" didn't sound a common name. It's not unusual for chess to go father to son, but it might be unusual to go that many generations? Dropping down a few hundred rating points, I learnt from my father (150 or so at his best), but his father didn't play at all. My father was a member of Streatham in the 1950s, when Nigel Povah's grandfather was a member too.
I only looked it up as "van Foreest" didn't sound a common name. It's not unusual for chess to go father to son, but it might be unusual to go that many generations? Dropping down a few hundred rating points, I learnt from my father (150 or so at his best), but his father didn't play at all. My father was a member of Streatham in the 1950s, when Nigel Povah's grandfather was a member too.
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
There was also Arnold's elder brother Dirk van Foreest, three times Dutch champion. It's a real chess dynasty.
Jorden's younger brother Lucas is also a GM and their sister Machteld (born 2007) might have a FIDE title by now if it weren't for the pandemic. Her rating is already 2116.
Also on the FIDE list, and presumably siblings or cousins, are Nanne (also born 2007, male, 1843) and also Pieter and Tristan who are lower rated.
Jorden's younger brother Lucas is also a GM and their sister Machteld (born 2007) might have a FIDE title by now if it weren't for the pandemic. Her rating is already 2116.
Also on the FIDE list, and presumably siblings or cousins, are Nanne (also born 2007, male, 1843) and also Pieter and Tristan who are lower rated.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter
Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com
Historian and FIDE Arbiter
Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
The Woking club some (well, many) years ago was at least half "Williams", from memory, (not all related) but I seem to recall Simon and Howard, maybe Tony(?) being at the top end. Sounds as if the van Foreests could field a useful team!
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
Who wrote this?
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
Aleister Crowley. It's all in his Confessions, though not in those exact words.
"The chess-board is the world ..... the player on the other side is hidden from us ..... he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance."
(He doesn't let you resign and start again, either.)
(He doesn't let you resign and start again, either.)
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
"Aleister Crowley."
A former resident of Merstham (a suburb of Redhill), Surrey, but sadly left the area before the local club was formed.
A former resident of Merstham (a suburb of Redhill), Surrey, but sadly left the area before the local club was formed.
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
I'm not sure that Merstham residents would be happy with that description now, and they certainly would not have been in Crowley's day.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
"I'm not sure that Merstham residents would be happy with that description now, and they certainly would not have been in Crowley's day."
Probably not, but the official postal address was "number road name, Merstham, Redhill, Surrey". With the advent of postcodes, I suppose you could get away with "number, postcode" but that would be a bit unfair on the Post Office staff!
In Crowley's day, both places were fairly small. Having said that, nobody seems to know where "The Grange" (his parents' house) was. It seems to have been between Merstham and Redhill.
Probably not, but the official postal address was "number road name, Merstham, Redhill, Surrey". With the advent of postcodes, I suppose you could get away with "number, postcode" but that would be a bit unfair on the Post Office staff!
In Crowley's day, both places were fairly small. Having said that, nobody seems to know where "The Grange" (his parents' house) was. It seems to have been between Merstham and Redhill.
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:32 amA former resident of Merstham (a suburb of Redhill), Surrey,
All that's telling you is that Redhill is the post town for Merstham.Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:02 pmthe official postal address was "number road name, Merstham, Redhill, Surrey".
Although Merstham isn't that far away from Redhill (and might be a suburb of it), remote villages could be many miles away from their post town with open countryside between them.
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Re: Remembering Henry Atkins (20-viii-1872 31-i-1955)
You can see it on this map: right at the top and towards the right, just off the A23. There are roads called Grange Drive and Grange Close there now.Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:02 pmIn Crowley's day, both places were fairly small. Having said that, nobody seems to know where "The Grange" (his parents' house) was. It seems to have been between Merstham and Redhill.
For anyone who doesn't know about it, the National Library of Scotland OS Map collection is very helpful for anyone doing historical research in the UK. It's also completely free to use.