London Central YMCA (aka CentYMCA) Chess Club

[Mike Truran]

It may be splitting hairs, but Will Watson has played in the 4NCL Rapidplay Championships, which I guess technically counts as playing in the 4NCL......

[Jonathan Rogers]

To answer your final point, Gary - Will still hasn't played 4NCL (for anyone), and is one of only two British GMs (remaining active since the 4NCL started in 1993) not to have done so.

Go on then, enlighten us...

Clue: I used the word "British" deliberately ...

[Richard Bates]

To answer your final point, Gary - Will still hasn't played 4NCL (for anyone), and is one of only two British GMs (remaining active since the 4NCL started in 1993) not to have done so.

Go on then, enlighten us...

Clue: I used the word "British" deliberately ...

Ah, OK. Motwani.

[Jonathan Rogers]

It may be splitting hairs, but Will Watson has played in the 4NCL Rapidplay Championships, which I guess technically counts as playing in the 4NCL......

I suppose I must concede that, since I count our rapidplay wins in our list of 4NCL successes!

[Jonathan Rogers]

To answer your final point, Gary - Will still hasn't played 4NCL (for anyone), and is one of only two British GMs (remaining active since the 4NCL started in 1993) not to have done so.

Go on then, enlighten us...

Clue: I used the word "British" deliberately ...

Ah, OK. Motwani.[/quote]

Gee, that was quick!

[Simon Ansell]

To answer your final point, Gary - Will still hasn't played 4NCL (for anyone), and is one of only two British GMs (remaining active since the 4NCL started in 1993) not to have done so.

Go on then, enlighten us...

Clue: I used the word "British" deliberately ...

I was going to guess Dave Norwood but this makes me think it's Paul Motwani...

Edit: Oh, too slow

[Richard Bates]

Clue: I used the word "British" deliberately ...

I was going to guess Dave Norwood but this makes me think it's Paul Motwani...

Edit: Oh, too slow

Norwood would have played for Home House at some point, I presume.

[Jonathan Rogers]

Clue: I used the word "British" deliberately ...

I was going to guess Dave Norwood but this makes me think it's Paul Motwani...

Edit: Oh, too slow

Norwood would have played for Home House at some point, I presume.

Yes, although he first played for BCM in Wigan, January 1997. When he played for Home House in the following season, he played as a wildcard in round seven and it was the first occasion the 4NCL had to face the problem of whether a player who was listed without his consent on another team's registration list (BCM simply put him on the list again) could be eligible to play as a wildcard.

He later secured the sponsorship for the winning Beeson Gregory team in 2001 and 2002. He was also, I think, the first player to defeat Matthew Turner in some four or five 4NCL seasons (in May 1999). So he played his part when he was around!

[George Szaszvari]

I was sent an e-mail from Ray Cannon pointing this out as well....

Perhaps Ray Cannon can also elaborate further on another interesting individual whose name escapes me,
a soccer fan friend of his who was, iirc, from Coventry (and presumably supported Coventry City), and used
to drop in to the YMCA when in London for away games? Earliest memories of this chap were at the Bayswater
club (in the late 60s) at which time he was not particularly a chessplayer (or perhaps did not even know
the rules at that time) but by the early/mid 70s was developing the habit of browsing the chess department
at Foyles bookstore in Charing Cross Road on his London visits, and, by Ray's account, iirc, was developing into
a player of club strength (expert or candidate master?) over a period of time by simply playing off hand games
with anyone willing combined with this cost free method of reading chess books off the shelf without a board!

EDIT: Uh oh, remembering streets and locations is getting hazier by the year: the street name Foyles is/was in
might be Tottenham Court Rd, or is that only the continuation north of Oxford St/New Oxford St? ... And if Foyles
still exists. Does it?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I was sent an e-mail from Ray Cannon pointing this out as well....

Perhaps Ray Cannon can also elaborate further on another interesting individual whose name escapes me,
a soccer fan friend of his who was, iirc, from Coventry (and presumably supported Coventry City), and used
to drop in to the YMCA when in London for away games? Earliest memories of this chap were at the Bayswater
club (in the late 60s) at which time he was not particularly a chessplayer (or perhaps did not even know
the rules at that time) but by the early/mid 70s was developing the habit of browsing the chess department
at Foyles bookstore in Charing Cross Road on his London visits, and, by Ray's account, iirc, was developing into
a player of club strength (expert or candidate master?) over a period of time by simply playing off hand games
with anyone willing combined with this cost free method of reading chess books off the shelf without a board!

EDIT: Uh oh, remembering streets and locations is getting hazier by the year: the street name Foyles is/was in
might be Tottenham Court Rd, or is that only the continuation north of Oxford St/New Oxford St? ... And if Foyles still exists. Does it?

Hi George,

Apologies for the delay in replying to this. Foyles certainly does still exist! I've spent many happy hours browsing the bookshelves there. Anyway, I heard from Ray about this, and I'll pass on his message to you via a PM (the personal message system on this board), as I'm not sure if the reply was meant to be posted here or just passed to you. Or maybe you could repost anything that might be of further interest for this CentYMCA thread?

Christopher

[George Szaszvari]

I was sent an e-mail from Ray Cannon pointing this out as well....

Perhaps Ray Cannon can also elaborate further on another interesting individual whose name escapes me,
a soccer fan friend of his who was, iirc, from Coventry (and presumably supported Coventry City), and used
to drop in to the YMCA when in London for away games? Earliest memories of this chap were at the Bayswater
club (in the late 60s) at which time he was not particularly a chessplayer (or perhaps did not even know
the rules at that time) but by the early/mid 70s was developing the habit of browsing the chess department
at Foyles bookstore in Charing Cross Road on his London visits, and, by Ray's account, iirc, was developing into
a player of club strength (expert or candidate master?) over a period of time by simply playing off hand games
with anyone willing combined with this cost free method of reading chess books off the shelf without a board!

EDIT: Uh oh, remembering streets and locations is getting hazier by the year: the street name Foyles is/was in
might be Tottenham Court Rd, or is that only the continuation north of Oxford St/New Oxford St? ... And if Foyles still exists. Does it?

Hi George,

Apologies for the delay in replying to this. Foyles certainly does still exist! I've spent many happy hours browsing the bookshelves there. Anyway, I heard from Ray about this, and I'll pass on his message to you via a PM (the personal message system on this board), as I'm not sure if the reply was meant to be posted here or just passed to you. Or maybe you could repost anything that might be of further interest for this CentYMCA thread?

Christopher

Got your PM with Ray's clarification (main parts quoted here), thanks! Ray also reveals some fascinating earlier history
of the London Central YMCA chess club before my own introduction to the club!

"....I think his life as a cowboy in the USA might have affected his imagination! No doubt he must be referring to
Bob Holmes who lives in Coventry and is in fact a Chelsea supporter. Bob was born in London but his family moved
to Coventry to work in the motor industry. We have been exchanging Christmas Cards with each other for a long
time.
I first went to the London Central YMCA in Great Russell Street at the back end of 1966/early 1967. It was the old
building they knocked down to rebuild before we went to Endell Street. About a dozen enthusiastic players were there
then including Bob, Alan McDonnell, Mike Wills, Laszlo Kiss, Amin Rehman to name a few before it really took off just
a few years later. Bob was certainly no beginner and could give anybody a decent game. Nowadays he is more of
a Bridge player but still keeps his hand in chess from time to time...."

Yes, it was indeed Bob Holmes. I now recall the Chelsea supporter part, but didn't know (or remember) about the rest!
Ray doesn't mention the book browsing episode, so perhaps his lack of cowboying has affected his memory?

I have some mixed memories of Amin Rehman from a Hammersmith Open who had a reputation as a "natural" player,
a kind of modern Sultan Khan (if not quite as strong) who could, without much book learning, still devise effective plans
and outplay higher rated players known for their theoretical omniscience. Rehman's results were apparently too erratic
to propel him into the limelight, but losing to him in my first Hammersmith Open was part of my earlier chess education.
I vividly recall the amusing episode of Rehman being paired against Ray Keene (same tournament around 1970) and
Keene got to hearing the stories about this dreaded natural player Rehman. The psychological impact was amazing with
Keene turning to associates of his with a panicky bemused expression asking: "What am I going to do against this player?"
Keene, desperately clasping his head in maximum concentration during the game, "successfully" gained a draw! Rehman
also had a secret weapon, viz: his pipe! It wasn't the smoke as much as the cleaning of said weapon, with all the vital
paraphenalia arrayed on the table and carefully used during his opponents' thinking time! I guess it was just part
of Keene's maturation as a young player because I didn't hear of him displaying any similar crises of confidence after that.

[Malcolm Clarke]

On the subject of Ray Cannon, he used to work with all the juniors at London Central YMCA, but I believe he was particularly close to Ronald and Gemma Lomibao, Frankie Lau and Vincent Penetrante, all of whom played occasionally for the London League teams captained by either myself or Peter Brindley (is he still around?).

I do not know whether the quartet I mention here still play chess in any capacity, although I believe Ronnie Lomibao did play for the Barbican in the 1990's.

[John Cox]

Someone asked what happened to Peter J Lee. Assuming this was the chap who was British Champion in 1965(?), then he gave up the game for bridge and a few years ago won the Gold Cup. He lives in Surrey and can be found spectating at the London Classic.

[David Sedgwick]

Someone asked what happened to Peter J Lee. Assuming this was the chap who was British Champion in 1965(?), then he gave up the game for bridge and a few years ago won the Gold Cup. He lives in Surrey and can be found spectating at the London Classic.

That Peter Lee is Peter N Lee. I suspect, without knowing for certain, that Peter J Lee is a different player, perhaps distinguished by his middle initial.

[Alex Holowczak]

That Peter Lee is Peter N Lee. I suspect, without knowing for certain, that Peter J Lee is a different player, perhaps distinguished by his middle initial.

Dave Thomas frequently recalls the story of two relations who entered congresses but had the same name, and no distinguishing middle initial. In the end, they started making one up, just to disambiguate themselves... (Apparently the US convention of using Snr., Jnr., III etc. hadn't crossed the Atlantic.) I think the father used F and the son used S. Something like that, anyway. Details escape me.