Sydney Thomas Kevin Wilkinson: birth registered Croydon Q2 1927, died in Ipswich 7 May 2020.Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:19 pmThere's a mention of STK Wilkinson in the junior event - I assume he is no longer with us?
Britbase Updates
-
- Posts: 1182
- Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:34 pm
- Location: Twickenham
Re: Britbase Updates
-
- Posts: 5851
- Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm
Re: Britbase Updates
Thanks - I saw him a lot when living and playing in the South-East. He was clearly a devout Christian. At an Easter Congress he was heard shouting in the street approaching the venue, "Rejoice, Christ is risen!" He always had a carrier bag with him, and we found an abandoned one at the tournament. A quick look revealed an old bible within it, so I guessed it was his. He was clearly delighted to be reunited with it.
-
- Posts: 1182
- Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:34 pm
- Location: Twickenham
Re: Britbase Updates
DR Lester is rather elusive.
I'm pretty certain he was Denis Raymond Lester, born in Burton on Trent in 1916. His family moved to the Slough area a few years later, which is where he played chess in the late 1930s. He had a sister, Nina Eunice, whose birth was registered in Windsor in 1922, and whose death was registered in Maidenhead in 1987. His mother's death was also registered in Maidenhead in the same year.
It seems he served in the armed forces during WW2, then moved to Croydon, where he played chess in the late 1940s. His death was registered there in 1987.
I'm pretty certain he was Denis Raymond Lester, born in Burton on Trent in 1916. His family moved to the Slough area a few years later, which is where he played chess in the late 1930s. He had a sister, Nina Eunice, whose birth was registered in Windsor in 1922, and whose death was registered in Maidenhead in 1987. His mother's death was also registered in Maidenhead in the same year.
It seems he served in the armed forces during WW2, then moved to Croydon, where he played chess in the late 1940s. His death was registered there in 1987.
-
- Posts: 1735
- Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:10 pm
- Location: Kingston-upon-Thames
Re: Britbase Updates
Many thanks for tracking down those forenames, Richard.Richard James wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2024 8:54 amDR Lester is rather elusive.
I'm pretty certain he was Denis Raymond Lester, born in Burton on Trent in 1916. His family moved to the Slough area a few years later, which is where he played chess in the late 1930s. He had a sister, Nina Eunice, whose birth was registered in Windsor in 1922, and whose death was registered in Maidenhead in 1987. His mother's death was also registered in Maidenhead in the same year.
It seems he served in the armed forces during WW2, then moved to Croydon, where he played chess in the late 1940s. His death was registered there in 1987.
I had come across references to Denis Raymond Lester but not discovered the familial info which corroborate it. One thing that had put me off the scent was that DR Lester was listed as the Hon.Sec. of Buckinghamshire County Chess Association between 1935 and 1937 when he would have been unusually young for someone filling that role. He was Bucks County Champion in 1935/36. (Info gleaned from Alan Cox's History of Buckinghamshire Chess 1932-1982) However, your corroborative evidence seems convincing. Bucks was a very new chess county, being formally founded in 1932, so perhaps it wasn't so surprising for an enthusiastic young chesser to become involved in the organisation.
I well remember Kevin Wilkinson and his ever-present plastic bag, the rustling of which used to attract angry looks from neighbouring boards in the early stages of matches.
Personal Twitter @johnchess
Britbase https://www.britbase.info
(I prefer email to PM - contact me via this link - https://www.saund.org.uk/email.html)
Britbase https://www.britbase.info
(I prefer email to PM - contact me via this link - https://www.saund.org.uk/email.html)
-
- Posts: 1027
- Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:45 pm
Re: Britbase Updates
Around 2010 Kevin Wilkinson was a regular in (what was then) my under 125 Surrey county team. He lived in Sutton and (particularly when we were playing Kent or Essex) I would give him a lift to matches in my car. On one occasion the 2nd passenger was also a devout Christian and these two had a discussion about God that went on for about an hour. The 3rd passenger disconnected his hearing aid and said to me afterwards: "Warn me if you give those two a lift together again and I will make my own way to the match!"
-
- Posts: 1015
- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:51 am
Re: Britbase Updates
Meanwhile, back to Britbase updates.
Can anyone clear up why 34... Kt-Q1 has been given. If 24... Nc4 should have been 24... Nc6 - there's still no mate in four.
Can anyone clear up why 34... Kt-Q1 has been given. If 24... Nc4 should have been 24... Nc6 - there's still no mate in four.
-
- Posts: 3575
- Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:31 pm
- Location: Awbridge, Hampshire
Re: Britbase Updates
Maybe 34... Kt-Q1 should have been 34... Kt-K1.Gerard Killoran wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:54 pmMeanwhile, back to Britbase updates.
Can anyone clear up why 34... Kt-Q1 has been given. If 24... Nc4 should have been 24... Nc6 - there's still no mate in four.
If Black plays something irrelevant on his 33rd move, then 34. Ne6 Ne8 would be mate in 4. 34.... Ne8 is the only defence to 35.Qg7 mate other than giving up pieces, or giving checks, to delay things.
-
- Posts: 1015
- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:51 am
Re: Britbase Updates
34... Kt-K1 was what I considered, but it's mate in six at best.Ian Thompson wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 9:06 amMaybe 34... Kt-Q1 should have been 34... Kt-K1.Gerard Killoran wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:54 pmMeanwhile, back to Britbase updates.
Can anyone clear up why 34... Kt-Q1 has been given. If 24... Nc4 should have been 24... Nc6 - there's still no mate in four.
If Black plays something irrelevant on his 33rd move, then 34. Ne6 Ne8 would be mate in 4. 34.... Ne8 is the only defence to 35.Qg7 mate other than giving up pieces, or giving checks, to delay things.
-
- Posts: 3575
- Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:31 pm
- Location: Awbridge, Hampshire
Re: Britbase Updates
34.Ne6 Ne8 allows 35.Qg6 Nd2+ 36.Ka1 Nb3+ 37.cxb3 followed by 38.Qxh7# (unless 37... Nf6 38.Qg7#)Gerard Killoran wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 1:40 pm34... Kt-K1 was what I considered, but it's mate in six at best.
Last edited by Ian Thompson on Tue Mar 26, 2024 5:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Posts: 5266
- Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:51 pm
- Location: Millom, Cumbria
Re: Britbase Updates
Looks like you have deciphered it, except its 34....Ne8 not Ne1
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)
-
- Posts: 3575
- Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:31 pm
- Location: Awbridge, Hampshire
Re: Britbase Updates
Now corrected.Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 4:04 pmLooks like you have deciphered it, except its 34....Ne8 not Ne1
-
- Posts: 1015
- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:51 am
Re: Britbase Updates
My guess is that Black played 33...Qe4, an active move which threatens the pawn on f5, and 34. Ne6 forces ...Ne8.
-
- Posts: 1735
- Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:10 pm
- Location: Kingston-upon-Thames
Re: Britbase Updates
Thanks for these two games, Gerard, which I have now added to the file at BritBase: https://www.saund.org.uk/britbase/pgn/1 ... iewer.html
The final move in both the newspapers was 33...Kt-Q1 (not 34). The fact that the same score error appears in both papers is not significant as it was probably syndicated (as happened with various other regional papers, e.g. chess columns in the Falkirk Herald usually turned up again unaltered two days later in the Linlithgow Gazette). There were a couple of other ambiguities in the score (which Gerard has resolved). I was wondering if Kt-Q1 was a misprint for Kt-Q4 as it means only one character was wrongly typeset and leaves White with a genuine mate in 4 starting with 34 Ne6.
The other part-game between Woollard and Kelly provided some chess interest. After 10 Qe2, in this position...
... Black missed a chance to turn the tables. It's far from obvious.
The final move in both the newspapers was 33...Kt-Q1 (not 34). The fact that the same score error appears in both papers is not significant as it was probably syndicated (as happened with various other regional papers, e.g. chess columns in the Falkirk Herald usually turned up again unaltered two days later in the Linlithgow Gazette). There were a couple of other ambiguities in the score (which Gerard has resolved). I was wondering if Kt-Q1 was a misprint for Kt-Q4 as it means only one character was wrongly typeset and leaves White with a genuine mate in 4 starting with 34 Ne6.
The other part-game between Woollard and Kelly provided some chess interest. After 10 Qe2, in this position...
... Black missed a chance to turn the tables. It's far from obvious.
Personal Twitter @johnchess
Britbase https://www.britbase.info
(I prefer email to PM - contact me via this link - https://www.saund.org.uk/email.html)
Britbase https://www.britbase.info
(I prefer email to PM - contact me via this link - https://www.saund.org.uk/email.html)
-
- Posts: 8843
- Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:34 am
- Location: London
Re: Britbase Updates
That is really nice. You wonder how they found combinations like that without computer assistance! Maybe I have got it wrong... I will check.John Saunders wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:43 am
The other part-game between Woollard and Kelly provided some chess interest. After 10 Qe2, in this position...
... Black missed a chance to turn the tables. It's far from obvious.
-
- Posts: 1735
- Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:10 pm
- Location: Kingston-upon-Thames
Re: Britbase Updates
"They" didn't find it. If you look up-thread you can see that Kelly played Ra3 and lost. I didn't find it either - the engine flagged it up when I was checking the score. Took me a few minutes to appreciate why it was so good. I doubt whether many players of any era, ancient or modern, would find it in a real game with the clock ticking.Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:20 am
That is really nice. You wonder how they found combinations like that without computer assistance! Maybe I have got it wrong... I will check.
I won't bother giving the solution since I assume everyone here has access to silicon if they are stumped.
Personal Twitter @johnchess
Britbase https://www.britbase.info
(I prefer email to PM - contact me via this link - https://www.saund.org.uk/email.html)
Britbase https://www.britbase.info
(I prefer email to PM - contact me via this link - https://www.saund.org.uk/email.html)