Harry Golombek Simul

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Neil Graham
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Harry Golombek Simul

Post by Neil Graham » Wed Oct 13, 2021 5:13 pm

I have a game score from a Simultaneous by Harry Golombek dated 31st October 1964 which I understand took place in Nottingham. Unfortunately the Nottinghamshire County Archives have been closed since the COVID outbreak and I wondered if anyone could locate any details?

John Townsend
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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by John Townsend » Wed Oct 13, 2021 5:32 pm

Neil, may I ask what your source is for Nottingham being the venue?

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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by John Townsend » Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:18 pm

Neil, another question.

Didn't Golombek play in the Tel Aviv Olympiad? If so, isn't it unlikely that he did a simul in Nottingham only two days before it started on 2 November 1964?

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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by Neil Graham » Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:33 pm

John Townsend wrote:
Wed Oct 13, 2021 5:32 pm
Neil, may I ask what your source is for Nottingham being the venue?
Thank you John. Firstly I have a copy photograph of the late John Calvert playing Harry in a simul. The date/venue is unknown but it looks as if it came from the local paper. No-one locally could place the venue from the photo. However I have my late father's old scorebooks and I find in there a game against Harry Golombek dated as above marked "Simultaneous".

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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by JustinHorton » Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:37 pm

John Townsend wrote:
Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:18 pm
Didn't Golombek play in the Tel Aviv Olympiad?
No
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Neil Graham
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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by Neil Graham » Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:39 pm

John Townsend wrote:
Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:18 pm
Neil, another question.

Didn't Golombek play in the Tel Aviv Olympiad? If so, isn't it unlikely that he did a simul in Nottingham only two days before it started on 2 November 1964?
According to the website the England team was Kottnauer, Clarke, Haygarth, N.Littlewood, Hindle & Franklin so it is unlikely that Harry was there.

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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by John Townsend » Thu Oct 14, 2021 9:51 am

Neil, the venue for the simul could have been Nottingham, but I'm not sure that has been clearly established.

Neither of your two documents mentions Nottingham. Is it certain that the photo and the score-sheet relate to the same occasion? John Calvert was a Nottingham man, but, as you noted in an obituary notice, he was "known to many congress goers here as a regular at the British Championships and at Hastings", so, potentially, he could have encountered Golombek in a number of places. Was your father's chess limited to Nottingham, or might he have gone to, say, Leicester, Derby or Sheffield?

Perhaps your best approach may be to try to find from newspaper websites, CHESS and B.C.M., where the simul was, rather than explore Nottinghamshire County Archives, which could be barking up the wrong tree.

Regarding the date, I think you are right that Golombek didn't play in Tel Aviv. However, British Chess News has a photo, which includes HG, with the caption, "Two thirds of the BCF team for the 1964 Tel Aviv Olympiad ...".

http://britishchessnews.com/2021/01/07/ ... 07-i-1995/

Could Golombek have been in Tel Aviv in some other capacity?

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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by John Saunders » Thu Oct 14, 2021 10:51 am

We know that Golombek was in Tel Aviv during the Olympiad from a photo which appears on page 5 of the January 1965 BCM, showing him with Alexander, Clarke, Franklin, Hindle and Haygarth. It seems highly probable he was there to attend the FIDE Congress and/or to cover the competition as a journalist. However, he wouldn't necessarily have been there for the beginning/end of the tournament. We know that the FIDE Congress was held at the same hotel where the England team resided during the Olympiad (BCM, December 1964, p366) but unfortunately it does not give the dates. However, Golombek's first report on the Olympiad in the Times was dated 3 November, giving the correspondent's location as Tel Aviv and printed in the edition dated 4 November, so we can probably assume he was there from the off. The report doesn't credit Golombek ("from our chess correspondent") but it would be hard to believe it could be anyone else. Despite a minor typo ('Olympia' rather than 'Olympiad' - probably introduced by a sub-ed) it has the ring of Golombek about it.
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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by John Townsend » Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:17 am

Thank you, John, very helpful.

If Golombek "was there from the off", it seems to resurrect my earlier point, that is whether he is likely to have given a simul in Nottingham on 31 October 1964.

Golombek's presence in Tel Aviv appears to raise a small doubt about the date in the score-book, but Neil will know best whether an error by his father is at all likely.

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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by David Sedgwick » Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:19 pm

John Townsend wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:17 am
Thank you, John, very helpful.

If Golombek "was there from the off", it seems to resurrect my earlier point, that is whether he is likely to have given a simul in Nottingham on 31 October 1964.

Golombek's presence in Tel Aviv appears to raise a small doubt about the date in the score-book, but Neil will know best whether an error by his father is at all likely.
If Golombek had been scheduled to play in Tel Aviv, then it is indeed unlikely that he would have given a potentially demanding simultaneous display immediately prior to travelling.

However, as it seems that he was in Tel Aviv as a journalist and / or a delegate, I don't see why he couldn't have given a simultaneous display in Nottingham on 31st October, flown to Tel Aviv on 1st November, and been present at the Opening Ceremony on 2nd November.

At the time he was only in his early 50s, seemingly in good health, and an experienced traveller. I don't think that that schedule would have been unduly arduous.

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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by James Pratt » Sat Oct 16, 2021 8:59 pm

Golombek played in a double-round all-play-all to try to qualify for an Olympiad place. He finished 2nd= overall with places going to Franklin and Hindle who finished equal and above him. Haygarth and Barden brought up the rear.

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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by Ken Norman » Sun Oct 17, 2021 9:57 am

James Pratt wrote:
Sat Oct 16, 2021 8:59 pm
Golombek played in a double-round all-play-all to try to qualify for an Olympiad place. He finished 2nd= overall with places going to Franklin and Hindle who finished equal and above him. Haygarth and Barden brought up the rear.
Michael Franklin and Golombek should have had a play-off for the second place.


The play-off was never held. So the BCF decided that as MIchael Franklin had beaten Golombek twice in the qualifying tournament he should be given the place in the British Team at Tel Aviv.

Neil Graham
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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by Neil Graham » Tue Oct 19, 2021 3:52 pm

Thank you for your comments. In answer to John's point, I cannot vouch for what's in the scorebook datewise but looking at the dates given for surrounding dates it can't be far out - the next dated game is 3/12/1964 and there is one undated otb game in between. It is extremely unlikely that the simul was held anywhere other than Nottingham - in those days extensive travel was not de rigueur and John, a non car driver was unlikely to have travelled outside the city. One further point is that the event is clearly taking place after dark, the outline of a tall building can be seen through a window. It could be the Old Mechanics Institute which was demolished sometime between 1964 and 1965. The New Mechanics was opened in 1966 at the newly built Birkbeck House.

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Re: Harry Golombek Simul

Post by John Townsend » Tue Oct 19, 2021 4:48 pm

Neil, if you think it was Nottingham but can't place the venue, consider the Boots Institute as a possibility. It was chosen for a simul by the late Keith Richardson on 26 October 1964. I don't know about "the outline of a tall building ", though.

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