Remembering William Ritson Morry (05-ix-1910 08-i-1994)

[Kevin Thurlow]

Hastings did go through difficult times - who can forget the snowy one where the heating in the Queens Hotel broke down and the players in the Premier borrowed an axe and burnt the Christmas tree in the lounge fireplace. I think that was the year the hotel had acquired a new Head Waiter, who was completely useless (and sacked after the tournament finished). The manager was a charming Austrian gentleman from memory. And the year before the Cinque Ports made its debut, the organizers decided to hold the event for most sections on the pier (as alluded to in the obituary). I visited the pier one afternoon the year before that and discovered that it was as cold and wet inside the pier building as outside it. The organizers then announced that was going to be the venue, so I spoke to them and suggested as politely as possible, that this was an absolutely crazy idea and why. They said it would be ok, so I decided not to bother to enter the event the next year! This turned out to be a wise decision.

Having said that, I did enjoy visiting the event for many years before that, and you did get the chance to meet people like Botwinnik, Bronstein, Smyslov, the well-known Bridge partners Karpov and Korchnoi(!), Larsen, etc. and cheer on the mainly outgunned British contingent. And all that happened because of hard work from WRM (and a lot of other people obviously).

[JustinHorton]

He was still a crook though.

[David Sedgwick]

He was still a crook though.

Do you believe in the concepts of spent convictions and rehabilitation?

[Matt Mackenzie]

He was still a crook though.

Not unlike a certain "larger than life in more than one sense" someone else, perhaps.....

[JustinHorton]

"We will overlook corruption when somebody gives us money" is not my favourite aspect of the chess community, no.

[Paul Habershon]

I was in the visiting team when Ritson hosted a National Club match at his house. To witness him lighting the gas fire was nerve wracking. You can imagine the time lags between turning on the gas, lighting the match and the slow bending of that portly frame to apply it. Whoosh!