Brian Hare
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 12:31 pm
Brian Henry Hare died on 27th January 2018 at Brighton. He was born on 3rd June 1940 at Stroud and was therefore 77 years of age. From an early age he demonstrated good skills at chess and in 1957 he won the West of England Junior Championship. This was followed by his selection for the England under 18 team, which contested the Glorney Cup at Glasgow with Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
When he was 18 years of age, his parents emigrated to Australia. Brian decided to stay in England, but he could not obtain a grant to go to university. He needed to raise funds for this and he worked for a couple of years as an actuary at an insurance company. He then obtained a place at the London School of Economics, where he gave an early glimpse of his entrepreneurial skills by running a travel company to Eastern Europe, which he called ‘Quo Vadis’. On one of these business trips he met a young Polish student, Maria Wrobel, whom he married in 1964. They had two daughters, Eva (born 1965) and Julia (born 1967). Sadly Julia died in 1994.
When he had moved to London, Brian had become a member of the progressive chess club called Cedars, which had promising young players, David Mabbs, David Rumens and Arthur Hall as its members. Brian took part in the West of England Championship at Weymouth in 1961. A report in the magazine called ‘Chess’ dated 22.4.1961 stated that he had first-class natural ability in the endgame, but referred to ‘early risks’ that he took on many occasions. It could be argued that this was a bit harsh as Brian won all his games. As a result he qualified for a play-off to decide who was to become the West of England champion. In this he was unsuccessful, losing against Adrian Hollis. They played three games and Adrian won two of these while a third was drawn. However, Brian’s play clearly attracted attention as he was selected to play for England Students in the World Olympiad at Marianske Lazne in Czechoslavakia in 1962. Here he faced strong opposition and the English team struggled, coming 11th out of 18 teams.
In 1966 Brian obtained a place at Sussex University, where he studied for his Ph.D. For this he carried out original research into statistics. The university had a strong chess club in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which included Rodney Phillips, David Strauss and Roy Buckland, while Professor of Maths, Bernard Scott, was also a fine player. The university players joined with strong Brighton Chess Club players to form a ‘Town and Gown’ team, which did well in the National Club Championship.
After about 1971 Brian reduced the amount of time that he spent on chess. He took up a post as a lecturer in statistics and economics at Brighton Polytechnic and, following his separation from his wife, he was also raising his two daughters. In addition he had business interests in the hotel trade. He had used money from his travel agency to put down a deposit on the Mermaid Hotel, which he filled with homeless people. He gradually purchased other properties and then sold them all in the early 1980s to purchase what is now called The Brighton Hotel. He himself called it ‘Serendipity’ and he left a notice in the window ‘For musicians, magicians and all gentle people…’ Original and eccentric, Brian had become interested in the hippie culture and he took up meditation and Kria Yoga.
He took part in chess congresses at Hastings in 1988, Eastbourne in 1990 and the Lloyds Bank Masters in London in 1993 under the name of H Ben Shannon. He was showing respect for his Irish grandmother, who came from Shannon and had helped him when he was learning the game. Also he preferred the name of Ben to Brian and most of his friends called him Ben.
Brian was widely travelled and he spent some time in Malaysia with a former fellow student of his at Sussex University. However, his father did not approve of their marrying and Brian eventually returned to England. His last years were spent in Brighton when he faced difficult health problems. His brain remained razor-sharp, but a back injury meant that he became virtually bedridden. He will be sadly missed by his friends and family.
When he was 18 years of age, his parents emigrated to Australia. Brian decided to stay in England, but he could not obtain a grant to go to university. He needed to raise funds for this and he worked for a couple of years as an actuary at an insurance company. He then obtained a place at the London School of Economics, where he gave an early glimpse of his entrepreneurial skills by running a travel company to Eastern Europe, which he called ‘Quo Vadis’. On one of these business trips he met a young Polish student, Maria Wrobel, whom he married in 1964. They had two daughters, Eva (born 1965) and Julia (born 1967). Sadly Julia died in 1994.
When he had moved to London, Brian had become a member of the progressive chess club called Cedars, which had promising young players, David Mabbs, David Rumens and Arthur Hall as its members. Brian took part in the West of England Championship at Weymouth in 1961. A report in the magazine called ‘Chess’ dated 22.4.1961 stated that he had first-class natural ability in the endgame, but referred to ‘early risks’ that he took on many occasions. It could be argued that this was a bit harsh as Brian won all his games. As a result he qualified for a play-off to decide who was to become the West of England champion. In this he was unsuccessful, losing against Adrian Hollis. They played three games and Adrian won two of these while a third was drawn. However, Brian’s play clearly attracted attention as he was selected to play for England Students in the World Olympiad at Marianske Lazne in Czechoslavakia in 1962. Here he faced strong opposition and the English team struggled, coming 11th out of 18 teams.
In 1966 Brian obtained a place at Sussex University, where he studied for his Ph.D. For this he carried out original research into statistics. The university had a strong chess club in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which included Rodney Phillips, David Strauss and Roy Buckland, while Professor of Maths, Bernard Scott, was also a fine player. The university players joined with strong Brighton Chess Club players to form a ‘Town and Gown’ team, which did well in the National Club Championship.
After about 1971 Brian reduced the amount of time that he spent on chess. He took up a post as a lecturer in statistics and economics at Brighton Polytechnic and, following his separation from his wife, he was also raising his two daughters. In addition he had business interests in the hotel trade. He had used money from his travel agency to put down a deposit on the Mermaid Hotel, which he filled with homeless people. He gradually purchased other properties and then sold them all in the early 1980s to purchase what is now called The Brighton Hotel. He himself called it ‘Serendipity’ and he left a notice in the window ‘For musicians, magicians and all gentle people…’ Original and eccentric, Brian had become interested in the hippie culture and he took up meditation and Kria Yoga.
He took part in chess congresses at Hastings in 1988, Eastbourne in 1990 and the Lloyds Bank Masters in London in 1993 under the name of H Ben Shannon. He was showing respect for his Irish grandmother, who came from Shannon and had helped him when he was learning the game. Also he preferred the name of Ben to Brian and most of his friends called him Ben.
Brian was widely travelled and he spent some time in Malaysia with a former fellow student of his at Sussex University. However, his father did not approve of their marrying and Brian eventually returned to England. His last years were spent in Brighton when he faced difficult health problems. His brain remained razor-sharp, but a back injury meant that he became virtually bedridden. He will be sadly missed by his friends and family.