Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
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Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
A fairly lengthy tribute including previously unpublished photographs of FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
may be be found here :
https://britishchessnews.com/2020/09/16 ... 6-ix-2009/
Thanks to the Littlewood family for their kind assistance.
may be be found here :
https://britishchessnews.com/2020/09/16 ... 6-ix-2009/
Thanks to the Littlewood family for their kind assistance.
British Chess News : britishchessnews.com
Twitter: @BritishChess
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/britishchess
Twitter: @BritishChess
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/britishchess
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
An excellent tribute. What a wonderful player John was.
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
FM hardly does him justice! (Needless to say). I remember him beating Sadler in 1990 (at the British) and Luke McShane in 4NCL in the late 1990s. They were already IMs by then. Goodness knows how old he was by then.
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
Well, his being born in 1931 may just provide you with a clue thereJonathan Rogers wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 12:58 pmFM hardly does him justice! (Needless to say). I remember him beating Sadler in 1990 (at the British) and Luke McShane in 4NCL in the late 1990s. They were already IMs by then. Goodness knows how old he was by then.
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
oh, it's my habit to leave research to others on this forum. We have RdC, after all.
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
FM was a joke. I can't imagine there's much argument there.
He gave the great Botvinnik a scare, for starters.
If John had a weakness, it was a tendency to over-rate his position; but he was a very fine player indeed. I learnt a lot from him.
He gave the great Botvinnik a scare, for starters.
If John had a weakness, it was a tendency to over-rate his position; but he was a very fine player indeed. I learnt a lot from him.
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
"If John had a weakness, it was a tendency to over-rate his position; but he was a very fine player indeed. I learnt a lot from him."
I only played him once, but I didn't have a clue what was going on, and I normally have some sort of idea, even when I lose horribly.
I only played him once, but I didn't have a clue what was going on, and I normally have some sort of idea, even when I lose horribly.
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
Did he miss something though, or not? Whether it was a scare perhaps depends on how far in advance Botvinnik saw ...c2+. I imagine the English spectators at the time must have been going wild for a while, thoughNick Ivell wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 5:15 pmFM was a joke. I can't imagine there's much argument there.
He gave the great Botvinnik a scare, for starters.
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
I was watching the game. Botvinnik saw everything. He played ...c2+ very calmly and quietly for dramatic effect.Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:35 pmDid he miss something though, or not? Whether it was a scare perhaps depends on how far in advance Botvinnik saw ...c2+. I imagine the English spectators at the time must have been going wild for a while, thoughNick Ivell wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 5:15 pmFM was a joke. I can't imagine there's much argument there.
He gave the great Botvinnik a scare, for starters.
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
In the post-mortem, perhaps? ...c2+ wasn't played in the game according to the two game scores I've seen.Leonard Barden wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:09 pmI was watching the game. Botvinnik saw everything. He played ...c2+ very calmly and quietly for dramatic effect.Jonathan Rogers wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:35 pmDid he miss something though, or not? Whether it was a scare perhaps depends on how far in advance Botvinnik saw ...c2+. I imagine the English spectators at the time must have been going wild for a while, though
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
Memory errs. It was 19...Nf6 that Botbinnik played very calmly. Litttlewood at first didn't understand, then when he saw the point went into a long think in search of a resource. Botvinnik didn't get up from his chair but sat there patiently waiting, and a couple of times adjusted his tie, which was well known as a sign that he liked his position.
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
Has there ever been a stronger father-son combination in chess than theirs?
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... er_and_son
yes, but seems a bit disrespectful to discuss in this thread.
yes, but seems a bit disrespectful to discuss in this thread.
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
That's a much longer list than I realized. But like you said, perhaps that's for a seperate thread.
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Re: Remembering FM John Littlewood (25-i-1931 16-ix-2009)
Which does at least inform us that (rather surprisingly) Paul Littlewood still doesn't have his own Wikipedia article.
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)