Christopher Kreuzer wrote:Adam Raoof wrote: choose Proposal 3 – to keep this design
What is the history of this logo? Someone said it was the BCF logo. When was that first designed and by whom?
The current logo dates back to 1981, replacing a previous logo with three pawns. Of course it was, at that time, BCF rather than ECF.
It was designed by John Edward (Jack) Redon (1905-1994), a long standing member of Richmond & Twickenham Chess Club, and, before that, a member of Battersea Chess Club. Jack lived in a very large house a couple of hundred yards from ETNA, which Chris will know well, and back in the 1970s used to host R&TCC committee meetings there. (A few years ago I visited the same house regularly to teach a private pupil, also named Jack.)
Jack was the great-nephew of the French symbolist painter Odilon Redon (1840-1916). By trade he was a graphic artist, designing LP sleeves and suchlike, but he was also a talented amateur painter, many of whose works were to be seen in his house. He was a strong player, at his best between the 1930s and 1950s, who competed in the 1957 British Championship.
[Event "BCF-ch"]
[Site "Plymouth"]
[Date "1957.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Redon, JE."]
[Black "Beaty, JH."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1957.??.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.22"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. Bc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 e6 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4
d6 9. O-O dxe5 10. dxe5 Be7 11. Qe2 O-O 12. Rd1 Qc7 13. Nc3 a6 14. Be3 Nd7 15.
Bf4 Nc5 16. Bc2 Bd7 17. Rac1 Rfd8 18. Ne4 Nxe4 19. Qxe4 g6 20. h4 Be8 21. Bd2
Bf8 22. h5 Bg7 23. hxg6 hxg6 24. Qh4 Rac8 25. Bb3 Qb8 26. Ng5 Bxe5 27. Qh7+ Kf8
28. Nxe6+ Ke7 29. Bg5+ Bf6 30. Bxf6+ Kxf6 31. Qh4+ 1-0
A contemporary of his at Richmond was another artist, Philip Leighton Poyser (1912-1988), whose works are now collectible. Phil, a real character, provided the illustrations for the London 1946 tournament book and also did some drawings for CHESS. Whereas Jack was from a wealthy background, Phil lived a much more Bohemian life in a small terraced house near Twickenham Green.