Derek Horseman (1931-2010)

[John Saunders]

I've just been given some sad news by Paul Timson. Derek Horseman has died.

Derek Geoffrey Horseman (6 May 1931 - 18 March 2010).

Paul comments that "Derek was a strong player particularly in the 1950s. He competed in the Hastings Premier of 1956/7 (where he defeated Penrose and Alexander) having won the Challengers the year before. He also competed in four British Championships (1954, 1956, 1957 and 1958) scoring 6 points on each occasion." His current grade was 184 and he was based in Southport.

Paul sent a link to an obituary notice in the Coventry Telegraph (http://www.bmdsonline.co.uk/3749118) which has funeral details as well:

HORSEMAN Derek Geoffrey 18th March 2010 In hospital, after a short illness, aged 78 years. Dearest husband of Theresa; much loved father of Anne, Marie and Sarah; loving Grandad to John, Mary, Gerard, Patrick and Francesca. Requiem Mass at Holy Family RC Church, Brompton Road, Southport on Monday 29th March at 12.15pm. Family flowers only by request, but masses for Derek and donations for CAFOD and Oxfam are being received by the family (http://www.just giving.co.uk/ derekhorsemanoxfam or http://www.just giving.co.uk/ derekhorsemancafod) All enquiries to Gibb's Funeral Directors, Clarence Mews, 6a Clarence Road, Southport. PR8 4BH. Tel 01704 551666.

[John Saunders]

I might have added that, as recently as 2008, Derek was the joint British Under 175 Champion and the British U18 Champion in 1948.

[James Pratt]

I think he was a monk; maybe I'm wrong..

[Matt Mackenzie]

I think he was a monk; maybe I'm wrong..

I vaguely recall reading in an old CHESS magazine that he was giving up (or at least cutting back) on chess in order to enter the priesthood, so you might not be far out

[Leonard Barden]

Derek as I knew him was a gentle, friendly and perennially good-humoured young man who honed his skills with the successful Oxford University teams of the 1950s. He was a sharp and inventive player with creative ideas, and while at Oxford improved his game from aound 200 strength to near-IM level. When he qualified for the Hastings Premier he was widely expected to be outclassed but didn't allow himself to be overawed and had an excellent result given the quality of the opposition which included Larsen, Gligoric and Olafsson. The game which stands out in my memory is his draw with Szabo, then an active world title candidate close to the height of his powers. Playing Black, Derek swung a mighty mid-game tactic which had the great man fighting to hold the draw.

[Anne Varney]

Derek was my Dad and he loved his chess to the end. He taught my 4 children to play and took the youngest two to play with him in Liverpool at the British championships in Liverpool in 2008. There he was joint winner of the Under 175 section. He didn't think he was senior enough for the seniors! He taught a chess club at my children's Primary School until recently and also coached the 'Kings' in the Junior Chess club at Southport where my 2 youngest play. He was very fit and active and enjoyed accompanying his Grandchildren to tournaments. He went on holiday to Spain in January with my mother to escape the horrible weather. Whilst there he played chess with staff at the complex and with a local team in Fueringurola! He was suddenly taken ill with septicemia and was in hospital in the Costa del Sol until he was transfered by Air Ambulance to Southport where he died. Although he never was a priest or monk, he had a deep faith. He was a maths lecturer ,then an Education Adviser until he retired. R.I.P.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I came across this thead while looking up some other information, and I was wondering if anyone out there knows where to find the games referred to by Leonard above, such as the Hastings Premier games and the game against Szabo?

I found the relevant collections on Chessgames (which has 19 of Horseman's games), but don't have the right set-up on this computer to see what Britbase has (I can see the Hastings games are there in the zip file for the 1950s, but am unsure how many of Horseman's games are on Britbase).

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=48041
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=79990

The Szabo game is indeed impressive:

[/[Event "Hastings 1956/57"] [Site "Hastings ENG"] [Date "1956.12.27"] [EventDate "1956.12.27"] [Round "1"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [White "Laszlo Szabo"] [Black "Derek Geoffrey Horseman"] [ECO "A17"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "96"] 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.d4 Bb7 6.Bd3 O-O 7.O-O c5 8.Na4 cxd4 9.a3 Be7 10.exd4 Qc7 11.b4 Ng4 12.g3 f5 13.Nc3 d6 14.h3 Nf6 15.Qe2 Bxf3 16.Qxf3 Nc6 17.Qe3 Qd7 18.d5 exd5 19.cxd5 Ne5 20.Bb5 Qb7 21.Rd1 a6 22.Bf1 Rfe8 23.Bb2 Bf8 24.Ne2 Kh8 25.Qb3 a5 26.Nd4 a4 27.Qc2 f4 28.gxf4 Ng6 29.Ne6 Nh4 30.Bxf6 gxf6 31.Qe2 Bh6 32.Qh5 Rxe6 33.Qxh6 Rg8+ 34.Kh1 f5 35.Qxe6 Qg7 36.Qxg8+ Kxg8 37.Rdc1 Qb2 38.Rc8+ Kg7 39.Rc7+ Kh6 40.Re1 Qxf2 41.Re6+ Ng6 42.Bg2 Qxf4 43.Rc6 Qf2 44.Rexd6 f4 45.Rf6 Kg5 46.Rf7 Nh4 47.Rg7+ Kf5 48.Rf7+ Kg5 1/2-1/2pgn]

[John Clarke]

The Szabo game is indeed impressive

Another interesting example of this particular material balance/imbalance, the best known being Portisch-Fischer. Santa Monica 1966. Two rooks better than a queen, and bishop better than knight - right? Wrong! Just as Fischer demonstrated (and I found once to my cost), Q+N often work more harmoniously together than 2R+B. But of course it all depends on the position.

[Paul Habershon]

Frank Rhoden, for several years the ebullient Hastings organiser, once told me that he had achieved a last minute coup to bring a youthful Bobby Fischer to the 10-player Premier. I assume this was 1956-57 when Fischer was 13. Frank claimed that the American was 'waiting at the airport', but he needed Derek Horseman to give up his place and accept a 'gold-plated' invitation for the following year (waiving the celebrated £4 entry fee perhaps?!).Frank was distinctly unhappy when Derek insisted on playing and the Fischer publicity value was lost.

It would be most unfair to criticise Derek because I have no idea of other relevant circumstances. No doubt his personal arrangements were fully in place, and perhaps other British players could have been asked to withdraw. I suppose as 'merely' winner of the Challengers, Derek was in the firing line.

As far as I know, that was the nearest Fischer got to playing at Hastings.

[Matt Mackenzie]

I can see an argument that the Challengers winner might be *more* entitled to insist on their place, rather than those who were "just" invited.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"I can see an argument that the Challengers winner might be *more* entitled to insist on their place, rather than those who were "just" invited."

True - he earned his place and maybe thought it would be his only chance? A nebulous promise of "next year" might not be appealing.