The Real McGuire?

[Gerard Killoran]

For some time I have been curious about the identity of the little-known chess player L. F McGuire. He had some success in Kent Congresses; lost a match (1-4) with Fred Yates in 1911 at Bradford; was a member of the City of London and Metropolitan chess clubs; but seemed to have disappeared from the records in 1920.

To give credit where credit is due, 'Tabanus' at Chessgames has identified him as Louis Felix McGuire (b.22.11.1881 - d.04.09.1961) https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=164068

The intriguing snippet of information regards his place of death, 'Friern Hospital in New Southgate'. Friern was a psychiatric hospital, formerly known as 'Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum', and I wonder if his incarceration began in 1920. This is because the last mention of an L. F. McGuire that I can find is the following cutting, where he seems to have been a victim of the infamous 'Sus Law'.

Westminster Gazette - Friday 12 March 1920.png (161.39 KiB) Viewed 840 times

Here he is, in happier times, beating a British and Scottish Championship contestant.

[Event "Kent and Sussex CCA Tournament 1st Class B"] [Site "Tunbridge Wells"] [Date "1911.04.22"] [Round "?"] [White "McGuire, Louis Felix"] [Black "Wenman, Francis Percival"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C54"] [Opening "Giuoco Piano: Moeller (Therkatz) attack"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5 Na5 10. bxc3 Nxc4 11. Qd4 Ncd6 12. Qxg7 Qf6 13. Qxf6 Nxf6 14. Re1+ Nde4 15. Nd2 Ke7 16. c4 d6 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Rxe4+ Kf6 19. Bb2+ Kf5 20. Rae1 Rd8 21. Re7 Rd7 22. Re8 c5 {White announced mate in six, beginning with...} 23. Rg8 h5 24. h3 h4 25. g4+ hxg3 26. fxg3 b6 27. Rg4 {Globe - Saturday 13 May 1911 p.8} 1-0

[MJMcCready]

If it's of any help, I'd say it's unlikely there were thousands of McGuire's. But with one excerpt only and incarceration on the cards. Good luck with that one. The definitions of insanity proffered back then were insane themselves.