Media comments on chess

Discuss anything you like about chess related matters in this forum.
Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Fri Apr 06, 2018 5:28 pm

"Dickinson's Real Deal", Channel 4, today featured an old chess trophy, with about a 10" king on a plinth. The king wasn't silver, possibly EPNS. It was the Manchester and Salford Chess League Handicap Trophy, (or maybe Salford and Manchester), and was engraved with various individuals' names. The owner said it belonged to his grandfather, "who was a grandmaster" (oh well), and it was cluttering up the place, so he wanted to sell it. It fetched £110 at auction, which I thought was a little high, but maybe a relative of a winner wanted it.

If I (a) have time and (b) can be bothered, I'll look at the programme online, I think it's about halfway through, if anyone else is interested, like someone wondering where their old trophy has gone! The programme came from Leigh in Greater Manchester.

Neil Graham
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Neil Graham » Sat Apr 07, 2018 9:48 am

The BBC comments that US murderers, the Menendez brothers, kept in touch by playing postal chess

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43663451

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Wed Apr 11, 2018 12:13 pm

Passing mention of chess here:

How ancient DNA is transforming our view of the past (BBC)

A fascinating article, well worth reading in its own right.

The chess comment is about one of the people doing the research, called Nick Paterson (this is a mis-spelling of Nick Patterson):
BBC wrote:Paterson has an extraordinary biography. Born in 1947 to Irish parents in London, his talents made him a child maths and chess prodigy. A few years after graduating from Cambridge University, he was recruited to work for the UK's signals intelligence agency GCHQ, where he spent a decade.

After that, he worked for another 10 years at the US equivalent, the National Security Agency (NSA). After leaving the spy world, Paterson worked for the successful New York-based hedge fund Renaissance Technologies, before beginning his collaboration with Reich in 2001.
Following the link in that article to the New York Times profile (which is nearly 12 years old):

A Cryptologist Takes a Crack at Deciphering DNA’s Deep Secrets (NYT)
NYT wrote:He was born in London in 1947. When he was 2 his Irish parents learned that he had a congenital bone disease that distorted the left side of his skull; his left eye is blind. He became a child chess prodigy who earned top scores on math exams, and later attended Cambridge, completing a math doctorate in finite group theory. In 1969, he won the Irish chess championship.
There is a page on him at the Irish Chess Union website:

Nick Patterson

Maybe Tim Harding and other Irish chess players could add more if there is any more known about his chess (and whether he still plays, though chess surely pales in comparison to deciphering the secrets of ancient DNA!)? He would be in his 70s now.

EDIT: Searching on the correct spelling of Patterson throws up several earlier mentions on this forum in these threads: Keene on Carlsen; Siegen Olympiad 1970; BUCA Team Championship Winners (1, 2); Patterson-Blackstock game.

Also, John Saunder's blog page from 2009: Chess Players Run The World
And also from the earlier thread (Keene on Carlsen), a page with a picture: Biographies of Castlebar 1969 participants
Last edited by Christopher Kreuzer on Wed Apr 11, 2018 12:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Mick Norris
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Mick Norris » Wed Apr 11, 2018 12:27 pm

Interesting
In 1968 I played for the English students' team at Ybbs, Austria where I made a modest plus score. However, the team dynamics were just terrible and, by the end of the tournament, hardly any two members were on speaking terms.
England team
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Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:44 pm

"Interesting"

Yes... I got the impression that the top two did sometimes have a fractious relationship, not unusual between near rivals. Maybe that was a general problem. Did Whiteley already have a drink problem?

Mick Norris
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Mick Norris » Wed Apr 11, 2018 4:19 pm

Daniel Wright isn't a name I remember seeing before
Any postings on here represent my personal views

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Roger de Coverly » Wed Apr 11, 2018 4:30 pm

Mick Norris wrote:
Wed Apr 11, 2018 4:19 pm
Daniel Wright isn't a name I remember seeing before
He won the Hastings Challengers in Dec 67/Jan 68, played in the Hastings Premier in Dec 68/ Jan 69 and was still in the England Student team for the 1969 and 1970 events.
Later he became one of the more successful and active players on the weekend circuit of the early to mid 1970s.

Like Ray Keene, he favoured Flank Openings, and also like Ray Keene could sometimes demonstrate the English as a forced loss by playing too passively against Soviet players.

He wasn't actually a University student which made his place in the Student team mildly controversial. I think he was studying accountancy part time.

Simon Brown
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Simon Brown » Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:32 pm

Mick Norris wrote:
Wed Apr 11, 2018 4:19 pm
Daniel Wright isn't a name I remember seeing before
Rather better known as Danny

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:57 pm

"He wasn't actually a University student which made his place in the Student team mildly controversial. I think he was studying accountancy part time."

It depends on the rules, but he appears to have been a student.

I was told by no less an authority than Brian Eley (a long time ago) that the BCF hated him as he wasn't an Oxbridge Student and there was always animosity between Oxbridge and everyone else. Make of that what you will.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:59 pm

The Chase today - Which chess piece has potentially the longest move? a) Bishop, b) knight, c) pawn. Incredibly, the "Chaser" got it wrong.

Stewart Reuben
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Stewart Reuben » Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:44 pm

Kevin Thurlow >I was told by no less an authority than Brian Eley (a long time ago) that the BCF hated him as he wasn't an Oxbridge Student and there was always animosity between Oxbridge and everyone else. Make of that what you will.<

That sheds more light on Brian thn Danny. I am sure that noboy hated him. He remains one of the most affable of players. He did not pursue his chess career after a time.He went to work for the accountancy firm King & King run by Sid Kalinsky. He surrounded himself with many chessplayers. Both he and Sid still play for Cavendish in the London League as do I. Sid is President.

The World Students had a rule that players had to be under 26, Thus he was fully eligible.
Danny did tell me tht the atmosphere at the World Students was unpleasant and he wouldn't play again.
I am sure he could have become an IM. The opportunities just weren't there t that time.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Apr 11, 2018 9:08 pm

"That sheds more light on Brian thn Danny. I am sure that noboy hated him. He remains one of the most affable of players. He did not pursue his chess career after a time.He went to work for the accountancy firm King & King run by Sid Kalinsky. He surrounded himself with many chessplayers. Both he and Sid still play for Cavendish in the London League as do I. Sid is President.

The World Students had a rule that players had to be under 26, Thus he was fully eligible.
Danny did tell me tht the atmosphere at the World Students was unpleasant and he wouldn't play again.
I am sure he could have become an IM. The opportunities just weren't there t that time."

I intended to convey the impression that BE thought HE was "hated by BCF", not Danny! I have played in the same tournaments as the latter, but never played him (so far).

Stewart Reuben
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Stewart Reuben » Thu Apr 12, 2018 1:14 am

Kevin >I intended to convey the impression that BE thought HE was "hated by BCF",<

Ah, the BCF of the time, did show some good taste!

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Michael Farthing
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Michael Farthing » Thu Apr 12, 2018 11:00 am

I trust, Stewart, you were never foolish enough to play poker with him?

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Thu Apr 12, 2018 2:04 pm

If chessgames.com are to believed there have been two Daniel/Danny Wrights active in British chess at a fairly high level?
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