|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
v5i49 - v6i21 The Mad Aussie's Chess Trivia From The Mad Aussie, Graham Clayton Reprinted from past issues of The Chessville Weekly, "The Mad Aussie's Chess Trivia", brought to you by the Mad Aussie himself, Graham Clayton. Graham earned his nickname from fellow ChessChatters because of his penchant for playing unusual openings in his correspondence games. Says Graham, "I am a librarian by profession, 37 years old, single, and live on the north-western outskirts of Sydney, Australia. I was taught the moves when I was about 10 or 11, and learnt to play by reading books from the local public library. My only significant OTB play was 4 years of high school chess between 1979 and 1982. I have been a member of the Correspondence Chess League of Australia since 1980, and play both within Australia and overseas." "With my overseas games, I enjoy the social side of meeting new people and making friendships as much as the actual games. Chess is much more than the actual moves on the board. I have always been fascinated by the history of the game - the great players, tournaments, controversies and incidents, as well as the unusual things. Chess for me is fun!" Clayton uses, among other sources, the "Oxford Companion to Chess" by Ken Whyld and David Hooper. See today's additions below, or check out the archives! Championship Prediction: When Cecil Purdy defeated Louis Bigot in their preliminary round game for the inaugural ICCF World Correspondence Chess Championship in the late 1940's, the French player predicted in his resignation letter that Purdy would win the World Championship tournament. Bigot was correct - Purdy won the World Championship by half a point from Harold Malmgren and Mario Napolitano. Championship Camaraderie: On the 16th of April 2005, former FIDE World Champion Anatoly Karpov visited the Vienna residence of the 16th ICCF Correspondence Chess World Champion, Tunc Hamarat. Hamarat presented Karpov with a copy of the special stamp issued by the Austrian postal authorities to commemorate his victory, as Karpov is a keen stamp collector. They then played a friendly game, with Karpov winning with the White pieces in 36 moves. Chess At War: Since 1989, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has held an annual 7 round Swiss tournament for military personnel serving with countries who are part of the organization. Each country is allowed a maximum of six players, who compete for the individual prize. The four highest individual scores are then combined to work out the team score. Here is the website for the event: www.natochess.org. Chess At Love: Icelandic GM Johnann Hjartarson cut short his honeymoon to play in the 1988 Tilburg GM tournament. Unusual Simultaneous: One of the more unusual simultaneous exhibitions ever held was the exhibition given in January 1926 by Alexander Alekhine at the Worcester College for the Blind in England. A report on the exhibition can be found at this site. Even More Unusual Simultaneous: One of The Mad Aussie's readers wrote in to add: GM Andy Soltis, in his book Soviet Chess 1917-1991 wrote that in 1929 a Leningrad newspaper reported that an anonymous reader challenged the ten best players of the city to take part in an simul against him to be played by telephone. The event was arranged by the newspaper which gave a running commentary of the games. Master X found himself crossing swords with the likes of Botvinnik, Ilyin-Genevsky, Ragosin, Rokhlin and Leonid Kubbel, the noted chess composer. Master X finished with 7 wins and 3 draws. Master X turned out to be Abram Model who was said to perform marvelous feats when motivated. Best wishes, Jim Correspondence Christmas: One of the more unusual incidents in the history of correspondence chess occurred during the 11th ICCF World Championship final. Fritz Baumbach was playing White against Gennady Nesis, and sent his 13th move on a postcard to his opponent just before Christmas of 1983. He then realized several hours later that he may have made a terrible blunder. To quote Baumbach from Tim Harding's book "50 Golden Chess Games":
After all of the analysis, Baumbach sent the same move again anyway! Chess History: The Ken Whyld Association was formed in 2003 for people who have an interest in chess literature and history, and is named after the English historian who passed away just before the society was formed. The Association has approximately 130 members. Here is their website: http://www.kwabc.org/. Australian First: The first specialist chess magazine/periodical to be published in Australia was the "Australasian Chess Magazine", which was published in July 1919, with AR Snowden being the editor. Only 13 issues were published before the magazine folded in August 1920. Australian Championship: Former FIDE President Florencio Campomanes competed in the 1956/57 Australian championship, and finished 4th with a score of 9/14. During the course of the tournament several complaints were made to the DOP about his "personality". He was described as "prowling the tournament like a wounded rhinoceros". Campomanes also competed in the 1958/59 Australian championship, but finished in the middle of the field with a score of 8.5/16. Who Am I? I was the best player in my country in the early to mid 19th century. I learned to play at the age of 4, and was the best player in my home city by the age of 20. I was known as the "Northern Philidor" in the mid 1820's. I published a handbook in 5 parts which contained Philidor's games with my annotations. I never played the leading players of Europe, but won small matches against Jaenisch, Urusov and Shumov. I am best-known for the opening that bears my name. One of my most famous games is one of the very first recorded examples of a "King-Hunt" across the board. Who Am I? Drag your cursor across the space between the asterisks to reveal the answer: *** Vladimir Bagirov (USSR/Latvia; 1936-2000) ** Who Am I? I was born in the late 1930's, and won the championship of my republic for the first of 8 times when I was still a teenager. I played in my national championship 6 times, with =2nd being my best finish. My best tournament result was also =2nd, where I finished ahead of 4 World Champions (Smyslov, Petrosian, Tal and Spassky). I was a prolific journalist, and for many years was the editor of the magazine "Sahs". I died in Berlin in 2000. Who Am I? Drag your cursor across the space between the asterisks to reveal the answer: *** Aivars Gipslis (USSR/Latvia; 1937-2000) ** Busy Position: The smothered mate checkmate position known as "Philidor's Legacy" was actually discovered by the Spanish player Luis Lucena nearly 300 years before Philidor was playing chess. Busy Champion: 2005 US Champion Hikaru Nakamura took a bye in the 6th round of the Foxwoods Open tournament in Connecticut during Easter 2005 so that he could compete in an internet tournament. He returned to play in the 7th round and won the tournament with a score of 7.5/9 Extraordinary Perseverance: German correspondence chess player Werner Stern played in four ICCF World Championship final tournaments (the 5th, 9th, 14th and 17th) spread over a 40 year period from the mid-1960's onward. Extraordinary Excellence: In November 1936 18 year old John Cornforth set an Australian simultaneous blindfold exhibition record with a score of +7, =5, -0 in just over three hours play. Cornforth then equaled his own record in 1937 with a score of +8, =2, -2. Cornforth abandoned his chess career and traveled to England just prior to World War Two to pursue a scientific career, which culminated in him winning the 1975 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The March of Progress: The International Correspondence Chess Federation's 17th teams Olympiad will be the first Olympiad to be played entirely using the ICCF Web server, rather than using postal mail or e-mail transmission of moves. The March of Greatness: The USSR squad for the 1964 Tel Aviv Chess Olympiad consisted of the following players:
The "reserves" were: Mikhail Tal (former World Champion) and David Bronstein (former World Championship match contestant.) Is this the strongest squad ever assembled for any Olympiad or team championship? Championship Branching Out: When the 2005 British championship was held in Douglas on the Isle of Man, it was the first time in the 92 year history of the championship that the tournament was not held either in England, Scotland or Wales. Championship Returning To It's Roots: In order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Cecil Purdy (1906-79), the inaugral ICCF World Correspondence Chess Champion, the Correspondence Chess League of Australia has renamed the 2006 Australian Correspondence Chess Championship the Cecil Purdy Centenary Tournament. Unusual Format: The Frosta Grand Prix tournament held in June 2005 in Norway had an interesting format. Classical, rapid and lightning games were held. Instead of the three tournaments being held in sequence, they were held concurrently over three days. This meant that the players would play a mixture of classical, rapid and lightning games mixed together. Unusual Prize Money: When English GM Mickey Adams took on the Hydra mainframe computer in a 6-game match in London in mid 2005, he was looking at receiving $10,000 prize money for each draw and $25,0000 for each win. Adams lost the match 0.5-5.5 History on Display: The original table, board and pieces used in the 1984/85 Anatoly Karpov versus Garry Kasparov World Championship match are on display in the Moscow Chess Museum. History for Sale: The first prize for the 1955 US Open championship was a brand new Buick car. Nicholas Rossolimo won the tournament, and sold the car within a couple of days. Keeping It 'In-House': In 1934, the New Zealand chess body banned any foreign players from being awarded the title of New Zealand champion. Any foreign player who finished first in the national championship would only receive the first prize prize money, while the highest placed New Zealand player would be awarded the title of "New Zealand champion". The "ban" was introduced after the following Australian players won the New Zealand championship: Spencer Crakanthorp (1923 & 1925), Cecil Purdy (1924), Gunnar Gundersen (1929 & 1931), and Maurice Goldstein (1932.) Keeping It Traditional: The 18th ICCF Correspondence Chess World Championship final actually finished before the completion of the 17th ICCF World Championship final, due to several players in the 17th final preferring to use "snail-mail" for the moves rather than e-mail or the ICCF web server. Who Am I? I was born in Germany just before WW1, but emigrated to my adopted country at the age of 16. I won my national championship 3 times, as well as playing in 5 Olympiads. My best tournament results were 1st places at Beverwijk, Belgrade, Stuttgart and =1st at Lucerne. I qualified for a Candidates tournament in the mid 1950's, but finished last. I then traveled to other countries, playing and coaching, before eventually settling in Venezuala, where I taught at the Caracas Military Academy. I died in the early 1980's. Who am I? Drag your cursor across the space between the asterisks to reveal the answer: *** Herman Pilnik (Argentina, 1914-81) *** Who Am I? I was born in the middle of the 18th century. At the age of 21 I began to take lessons from future World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz. Like Steinitz, I became known for my defensive style of play. I was not a full-time professional, and my jobs included being a cotton dealer and sugar broker. This affected my tournament and match results, as I did not have the time to prepare myself. I was one of the strongest players in my country, usually winning or finishing runner-up in any major domestic tournament. I did not compete internationally until I was in my late 1930's. I drew matches with both Bird and Mackenzie. My best tournament result was =1st with Gunsberg, ahead of Blackburne and Zukertort, and 1st ahead of Charousek, Chigorin, Steinitz, Schlechter and Janowski. I retired from international chess just prior to World War 1, and edited the chess column in the "Field" until my death in the mid 1920's. Who am I? Drag your cursor across the space between the asterisks to reveal the answer: *** Amos Burn (England, 1848-1925) *** Luzhin's Luck: When the young Alexander Luzhin plays his father for the first time in the "Luzhin Defence" movie, he wins quickly with Black using the following opening trap which was first seen in the game Muhlock v Kostics, Cologne 1912: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nd4 4. Ne5 Qg5 5. Nf7 Qg2 6. Rf1 Qe4+ 7. Be2 Nf3# Errata: In last week's newsletter (above) I ran a piece on Luzhin's Luck. I received an email correcting me, pointing out that the Black "trap" that I had attributed to a 1912 game in Germany had been used many times by Joseph Blackburne in the many simultaneous exhibitions that he gave during his career, and was named after him. "The opening trap you quote has a name: "Blackburne's Shilling Gambit". It was not "first seen" in 1912 -- "the Black Death" played it innumerable times during his long and successful career." Plaskett's Pluck: In 2005 GM James Plaskett appeared on the English version of the TV game show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", and won 250,000 pounds in prize money. Who Am I? I was born in the middle of the 18th century. At the age of 21 I began to take lessons from future World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz. Like Steinitz, I became known for my defensive style of play. I was not a full-time professional, and my jobs included being a cotton dealer and sugar broker. This affected my tournament and match results, as I did not have the time to prepare myself. I was one of the strongest players in my country, usually winning or finishing runner-up in any major domestic tournament. I did not compete internationally until I was in my late 1930's. I drew matches with both Bird and Mackenzie. My best tournament result was =1st with Gunsberg, ahead of Blackburne and Zukertort, and 1st ahead of Charousek, Chigorin, Steinitz, Schlechter and Janowski. I retired from international chess just prior to World War 1, and edited the chess column in the "Field" until my death in the mid 1920's. Who am I? Drag your cursor across the space between the asterisks to reveal the answer: *** Amos Burn (1848-1925, England) *** Who Am I? I was born shortly after the commencement of World War 1. I joined my local chess club at the age of 14, and would win the club championship six times during my career. I graduated from university and then commenced my chess playing career. I was fortunate to be playing in one of the strongest eras in my country's chess history. I started competing in my country's national championship tournament in the mid-1930's, with finishes of =11th, =6th, =3rd and finally 1st place. My score of 15.5./17 (91%) in winning the national title was a record that would stand for over 20 years. I defended my national title in a match after World War 2. My best international results were both =3rd place finishes at both London and Hastings. During my career I played and drew with five world champions. I finished 6th in my country's open tournament at the age of 81. I was also a FIDE Zone President, as well as being on the board of my country's Chess Federation. Who Am I? Drag your cursor across the space between the asterisks to reveal the answer: *** Arnold Denker (1914-2005; USA) *** Technological First: The International Correspondence Chess Federation's 17th teams Olympiad will be the first Olympiad to be played entirely using the ICCF Web server, rather than using postal mail or e-mail transmission of moves. Political First: When former Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkended met FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov at the 2006 Wijk An Zee Corus tournament, it was the first time that a serving Prime Minister had visited the tournament since it commenced back in 1938. Old Matches: In mid-1895 the Mechanics' Institute chess club of San Francisco played a 2-board match with the Victoria Chess Club in British Columbia, with the moves transmitted by cable. Unusually, the games featured players from each club consulting as a team to decide their moves. Here is Stephen Wright's account of the match. No Matches: The ICCF (International Correspondence Chess Federation) made a request to FIDE that a team representing the ICCF should compete at the 2006 Turin Chess Olympiad, but the request was denied by FIDE. Who Am I?
I was born just before World War 1, and died in the early 1990's. I was an
OTB IM, CC IM as well as being a FIDE International Arbiter, and received an
honorary GM title in 1987. I played on the top board for my country in 5
Chess Olympiads in the 1930's, as well as winning my republic's national
championship 5 times after World War 2. I also competed in 10 national
championship finals over a 30 year period, with my best result being =5th.
My best international tournament result was =1st at Lublin. I was Paul Keres
trainer from the mid 1950's up to the early 1960's.
Who am !? Drag your cursor across the space between the asterisks to
reveal the answer: *** Vladimir Mikenas
(Lithuania, 1910-1992) ***
Pretty Horses: Malaysian businessman Dato' Tan Chin Nam is both a chess and horse racing fan. He has combined these two areas by naming several of his horses after chessplayers, e.g. Capablanca, Seirawan, Kamsky, Gufeld and Zu Chen. The 1998 Doncaster Handicap in Australia was won by a horse of Nam's named Catalan Opening. Four Players, One Team: The Chess Olympiad held in conjunction with the 1924 Paris Olympic Games allowed each team to field a maximum of 4 players, but with no restrictions on the minimum number of players in a team. While most teams had 4 players, the Ireland, Canada and Yugoslav "team" each had only 1 member. These players would be pooled together with other small teams in order to play against one of the teams with 4 players. Fifth Place, Fifty Years: At the age of 24 Ossip Bernstein finished fifth at the 1906 Ostend tournament. Fifty years later he competed at the 1956 Ostend tournament at the age of 74, and again finished fifth. Inaugural Champion: The inaugural European Union chess championship took place in the Irish city of Cork in March 2005, and was won by Hungarian player Zoltan Gyimesi with a score of 6.5/7.
Late Bloomer: The current [May, 2007] ICCF Women's World Correspondence Champion, Mrs Alessandra Riegler of Italy started playing competitive chess at the "old" age of 28 in 1989. She started playing Correspondence Chess two years later in 1991. Repeat Bloomer: Armenian GM Rafael Vaganian is the only player who has competed in all six of the FIDE World Team Championships. Coffee-House Chess: When Alexander Alekhine played against Vladas Mikenas at the 1937 Kemeri tournament, he had a cup of coffee brought to the table by a tournament official. Alekhine was so engrossed with the game that he absent-mindedly put a captured white pawn into the coffee instead of sugar. He angrily pushed the cup and spilt the coffee. Things got worse with Mikenas winning the game in 64 moves. Correspondence-Computer Chess: Back in 1986 US correspondence chess master Robert Reynolds offered a wager of $500 for a 4 game correspondence match between himself and a chess computer, with the chess computer using the "human" CC time limit of 10 moves in 30 days. Reynolds believed that no computer would be able to beat him in such a match. As far as I am aware, there have been no takers for his challenge. BCF Ratings:
It was not until July 2005 that the British Chess Federation put online its
grading/ratings system at
http://grading. Scotsman in New Zealand: David Forsyth (1854-1909), the Scotsman who invented the Forsyth form of notation was also a strong enough player to have won the New Zealand chess championship in 1901 after emigrating to that country.
|
Chessville
The
Advertise to Single insert:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
