Remembering Robin Matthews CBE, FBA (16-vi-1927 19-vi-2010)

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John Upham
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Remembering Robin Matthews CBE, FBA (16-vi-1927 19-vi-2010)

Post by John Upham » Sat Jun 19, 2021 5:23 pm

BCN remembers Robin CO Matthews CBE, FBA (16-vi-1927 19-vi-2010)

A world leading composer of Mate in Three problems

An internationally renowned economist and political economist

See https://britishchessnews.com/2019/06/19 ... 9-vi-2010/



16.06 Robin Matthews.jpg
Robin CO Matthews CBE, FBA (16-vi-1927 19-vi-2010)
16.06 Robin Matthews.jpg (165.37 KiB) Viewed 775 times
British Chess News : britishchessnews.com
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John Clarke
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Re: Remembering Robin Matthews CBE, FBA (16-vi-1927 19-vi-2010)

Post by John Clarke » Tue Jun 22, 2021 11:33 pm

I had the privilege on several occasions of watching Professor Matthews (I'd never have presumed to call him Robin, then or now) give his incisive and well-reasoned views on the UK science budget, when he was a member of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils and I was a very junior member of its secretariat. A real boon to minute-takers, unlike some of the other attendees.

And he was exactly the charming and unassuming personality suggested by his photos. I talked about his eminence at chess-problem composition to some of my colleagues, who'd been unaware of it. They spoke to him about it on a subsequent occasion, mentioning my name. Apparently he remembered who I was, even though our direct contact before then had been minimal. Very flattering. He characteristically downplayed my assessment of him as a leading composer of three-movers: "in Britain, maybe - but not the world!".
"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.)

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