Happy Birthday IM Tom Rendle (29-ix-1986)

[John Upham]

Despite the headline elsewhere, there is a birthday today !

I have put together a modest tribute to IM Tom Rendle here :

https://britishchessnews.com/2020/09/29 ... om-rendle/

[Simon Rogers]

Happy Birthday Thomas.
One of the strongest contributors to the forum.
I didn't realise Tom's strength is the Dutch Defence.
I might post a couple of Chess Questions for him.
Has Thomas brought any books out on the Dutch?

[John Upham]

Happy Birthday Thomas.
One of the strongest contributors to the forum.
I didn't realise Tom's strength is the Dutch Defence.
I might post a couple of Chess Questions for him.
Has Thomas brought any books out on the Dutch?

I'd be surprised if Tom has not been approached by a publisher to write about the Dutch in book or DVD form.

[Thomas Rendle]

Many, many years ago I was going to write a book on the Leningrad, but I didn't get much beyond the mainline. I definitely prefer coaching to writing, although I did write for Chesspublishing for a number of years on their 1.e4... section.

These days it's tough to cover the Dutch as computers don't really rate the opening. One day maybe I'll put something together - luckily at the moment I'm still fairly busy coaching.

There are a couple of videos on Chess.com where I demonstrate ideas for White in the Staunton Gambit (1.d4 f5 2.e4) and 2.Nc3 as a more positional approach.

[Simon Rogers]

I have a copy of the book:
Winning With The Dutch by Robert Bellin
1990 Edition
Which covers the Leningrad and Staunton Gambit
I have faced the Staunton Gambit a couple of times in club games. Along with the Stonwall and Queen Bishop's Attack

[NickFaulks]

I have a copy of the book:
Winning With The Dutch by Robert Bellin
1990 Edition

At about that time I favoured the Leningrad Dutch. I was doing well in the main lines, but horribly against early variants. I found a book by Andy Martin, "The Contemporary Anti-Dutch", which was very good - well, good enough for me anyway.

The reason this is memorable is that I got my copy with £2 off the list price, because it was "slightly defaced". On closer scrutiny, the defacement was the author's signature.

[John Upham]

The reason this is memorable is that I got my copy with £2 off the list price, because it was "slightly defaced". On closer scrutiny, the defacement was the author's signature.

Not defacement in the style of Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell !

Those books now have pride of place at the Islington Local History Centre and are worth a fair sum.