Chess players who have been arrested
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
You can add Pindar to the list, plus James Mason. Will be interesting to see which names others come up with other than Nazi and Soviet cases.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
Very interesting collection.
Number of cases of people being arrested for gambling while playing chess, including a Cleveland tournament organiser. That sounds like a story where more details would be welcome. (Edit: this is Cleveland Ohio).
In a U.S. case:
Five years later, he received a $1 million settlement in a false arrest suit against New York City as the judge ruled that a chess game was not “gambling” since it was a game of skill rather than chance and the chess board was not “gambling equipment.”
Of course if you play as I do the gambling element may be so high as to make the charges stick.
Number of cases of people being arrested for gambling while playing chess, including a Cleveland tournament organiser. That sounds like a story where more details would be welcome. (Edit: this is Cleveland Ohio).
In a U.S. case:
Five years later, he received a $1 million settlement in a false arrest suit against New York City as the judge ruled that a chess game was not “gambling” since it was a game of skill rather than chance and the chess board was not “gambling equipment.”
Of course if you play as I do the gambling element may be so high as to make the charges stick.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
W Ritson Morry ended up going to jail, so he is an obvious one not listed.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
A few extra cases and greater detail available at:
https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/murder.html
Biggest omission I spotted was the Wallace case: https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/wallace.html
The list concentrates on U.S. cases.
https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/murder.html
Biggest omission I spotted was the Wallace case: https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/wallace.html
The list concentrates on U.S. cases.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
see Question 31 of the Kenilworth Christmas Quiz.
https://kenilworthchess.blogspot.com/
There's also the longish thread in the Orbituary section.
https://kenilworthchess.blogspot.com/
There's also the longish thread in the Orbituary section.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
I'll add Louis van Vliet and J. J. O'Hanlon.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
From the March 1952 issue of "Chess" magazine -
I found one of his studies. White to mate in 2. In many problems of this nature White has multiple ways to win, so the challenge is simply to find the mate in 2. But in this problem White is totally lost unless he finds the mate in 2.
I did a bit of research on him, but couldn't find any details of whether he was subsequently convicted on the second charge. Apparently his correspondence chess was curtailed when he was hospitalized due to an accident in a failed escape attempt - in the hospital he was only permitted one letter a month!I found one of his studies. White to mate in 2. In many problems of this nature White has multiple ways to win, so the challenge is simply to find the mate in 2. But in this problem White is totally lost unless he finds the mate in 2.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
Was John N. Walker (Oxford) arrested or did he hand himself in?
Same question applies to ex-Reverend Howard Curtis.
I think there was a English chap (whose name I do know) arrested in Norway at a tournament caught in a toilet cubicle with a young man. He is also a poker player.
Should John Healey be on the list?
What about Hilary C. Thomas?
There must a number of English chess players we can all name who are not on the list who have either been arrested and / or spent time at Her Majesties pleasure.
Richard James has reminded me of Andrew Tate whose name will also go onto the list.
No Pike so far.
Same question applies to ex-Reverend Howard Curtis.
I think there was a English chap (whose name I do know) arrested in Norway at a tournament caught in a toilet cubicle with a young man. He is also a poker player.
Should John Healey be on the list?
What about Hilary C. Thomas?
There must a number of English chess players we can all name who are not on the list who have either been arrested and / or spent time at Her Majesties pleasure.
Richard James has reminded me of Andrew Tate whose name will also go onto the list.
No Pike so far.
Last edited by John Upham on Tue Jan 03, 2023 11:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
Howard Curtis was arrested. Don't know about Walker.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
At least one GM has been arrested and imprisoned because he killed someone. He used to train with Fischer also.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
Tony Miles got arrested too.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
A F Stammwitz (one-time BCF General Secretary) - for bigamy.
And of course Matulovic, who served some jail time for "vehicular manslaughter" c1970.
And of course Matulovic, who served some jail time for "vehicular manslaughter" c1970.
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(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: Chess players who have been arrested
Do you mean Czechia and contract bridge?John Upham wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 10:13 pmI think there was a English chap (whose name I do know) arrested in Norway at a tournament caught in a toilet cubicle with a young man. He is also a poker player.
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Re: Chess players who have been arrested
I do know of an English player who was arrested at a Moscow brothel (presumably a KGB honeytrap) in the 1950s who had to be sent emergency bail money by the then BCF. The affair was mightily hushed up at the time.
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