Chess Behind Bars

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John McKenna

Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by John McKenna » Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:13 pm

Gordon Cadden wrote:
NickFaulks wrote:
Gordon Cadden wrote:John Healy was a vagrant
Isn't that racial abuse nowadays?
Would you prefer gentleman of the road, or hobo ?
'Hobo' is American English.

British English 'tramp' is more common here, or used to be, than 'vagrant'.

[Note that in American parlance a 'tramp' is a loose woman.]

As for "gentlemen of the road" that term was originally coined for mounted highwaymen.
The socially inferior infantry of the criminal fraternity were called 'footpads'.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Sep 12, 2017 9:53 am

"Kevin, they haven't quoted your review!! "

The other reviewers were doubtless sent a copy of the book, and they supplied the publishers with the review. I bought the book and the publishers probably don't know I reviewed it. Or it could be that the other reviews are better written!

Tim Harding
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Tim Harding » Sat Oct 28, 2017 7:17 pm

To get back to the book in question, does it mention Claude Bloodgood?
Tim Harding
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Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
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Richard James
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Richard James » Sat Oct 28, 2017 7:50 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Sat Oct 28, 2017 7:17 pm
To get back to the book in question, does it mention Claude Bloodgood?
Yes, there are two pages on Bloodgood, most of which is taken up by an annotated game. Nothing on Raymond Weinstein, though. Nor on chess in Broadmoor.

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Jon Mahony
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Jon Mahony » Tue Dec 05, 2017 3:47 pm

Gordon Cadden wrote:
Mon Sep 11, 2017 5:47 pm
AustinElliott wrote:
NickFaulks wrote: Isn't that racial abuse nowadays?
As the 1824 Vagrancy Act is still on the books in England, I would imagine a lawyer defending you from a libel action could argue that calling someone sleeping rough 'a vagrant' was a strictly factual description and thus carried no imputation of abuse. Whether they would win the argument is a different question... probably one for a lawyer.
If you had taken the trouble to read " The Grass Arena ", you would see that John Heal
y made it very clear that he occupied a bench at Lincolns Inn Fields. The grass arena was the field at Lincolns Inn.

John was a member of the Hampstead Club for a number of years, after he had achieved fame for his literary works. Not the strong player that he laid claim. No stronger than 140 ECF.
I read The Grass Arena myself some years ago, I have to say I wasn't overly taken with it - I got through it, but I found it quite disjointed and rambling in places. Very little chess either, for those who are picking it up for that - about 2 pages mention near end.
"When you see a good move, look for a better one!" - Lasker

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Jon Mahony
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Jon Mahony » Tue Dec 05, 2017 3:51 pm

Richard James wrote:
Sat Oct 28, 2017 7:50 pm
Tim Harding wrote:
Sat Oct 28, 2017 7:17 pm
To get back to the book in question, does it mention Claude Bloodgood?
Yes, there are two pages on Bloodgood, most of which is taken up by an annotated game. Nothing on Raymond Weinstein, though. Nor on chess in Broadmoor.
There's quite a good chapter on Bloodgood in The Kings Gambit, by Paul Hoffman, I seem to remember it included an interview with his sister and the man himself.
"When you see a good move, look for a better one!" - Lasker

Geoff Chandler
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Geoff Chandler » Mon Dec 18, 2017 3:16 am

Edward Winter has a piece about the topic title: 'Chess Behind Bars' concerning Jim Phelan.

http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/phelan.html

The link mentions a brief chapter on chess at Parkhurst from
The Chess Player’s Bedside Book by R. Bott and S. Morrison
which per chance I only finished re-reading a few days ago when
hastily grabbing a bus-book for something to read.

Did a few stretches in the Army nick during my 9 years.
A couple of 10 days and a 21 days. AWOL and once for fighting and disturbing
the peace in Germany (that was in the wake of 3-2 1970 World Cup loss v
West Germany. Me and some mates got drunk and smashed things up in a German bar.)

They let me have a chess set, I heard one officer say:
"it's the only thing that appears to keep him out of trouble."
Me, a chess set and Clarke's book on Tal for 21 uninterrupted days. Bliss.

Never done any civilian time though been in Prison, Saughton loads of times
and once in Shotts playing the lads inside. I have a 100% record v the inmates.
Last edited by Geoff Chandler on Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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John Clarke
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by John Clarke » Tue Dec 19, 2017 9:18 am

Encouragement of chess behind bars undoubtedly has merit, but I don't think the proponents would want the results to look like this:

(Detail from "Giles" cartoon, Dec 1966)
Attachments
ChessInJail.jpg
ChessInJail.jpg (269.06 KiB) Viewed 3765 times
"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.)

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:16 pm

"fighting and disturbing the peace in Germany (that was in the wake of 3-2 1972 World Cup loss v West Germany."

Er, 1970 surely, poor use of substitutes by Sir Alf.

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Roger de Coverly » Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:39 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:16 pm
Er, 1970 surely, poor use of substitutes by Sir Alf.
and might have cost Harold Wilson the 1970 General Election.

There was a subsequent loss to West Germany in the European Championships and the night the sixties party really ended at Wembley in 1973 with the Polish "clown" goalkeeper. It seemed immediately after that loss, that TV and the pubs starting shutting down at 10:30pm during the week, with the three day week to follow.

Simon Rogers
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Simon Rogers » Sun Jun 28, 2020 8:38 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Tue Sep 05, 2017 7:38 pm
"The overall thrust of the book as I understand it - that chess programmes can and should be implemented in prisons - is one that I would fully support."

Yes - that is the overall thrust of the book. The rest of the book is well worth reading. It's thought-provoking, even if any individual doesn't agree with bits of it!
I agree with Kevin.
I've just been given this book from a close chess friend and have started reading it.
It's an excellent read and would recommend everyone buy a copy of this book.
Well done Carl Portman.

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MJMcCready
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by MJMcCready » Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:37 pm

If prison life can improve your chess then why hasn't the English olympiad squad been put behind bars, only to be let out for olympiads and only to be granted freedom if we win it? That would make us the hot favourites, surely?

Simon Rogers
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Simon Rogers » Sat Jul 18, 2020 8:58 pm

For me the best part of the book is Chapter 3, where Carl talks about his prison visit.

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MJMcCready
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by MJMcCready » Tue Jul 21, 2020 4:09 pm

But the thing is prison isn't really prison in England its more like 3 star hotels. Didn't Petroff die in prison? The Soviet's then the Russians know what prison is all about. There are no real prisons in England anymore.

Simon Rogers
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Re: Chess Behind Bars

Post by Simon Rogers » Wed Sep 02, 2020 9:59 pm

I wouldn't describe prison as like a 3 star hotel. There is no freedom for a start. You are locked up in a cell for most of the day.

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