English Chess Forum

I am wondering if someone can help, please with the first name of DG Mackay, who came =5th in the first CHESS Festival in Cheltenham 1953, a tournament won by Donner? His nickname was apparently Sly Mackay due to his tactical tricks.

I can say he was a Battersea player (page 2) so I don't know if that club's archives might help. (Also Civil Service.)

He was Civil Service champion in 1952, when he worked for Inland Revenue, but he last played for them in 1953. I could ask their leading organizer, but I think he joined in 1954, so he might not know...

Edit - have now asked...

Ian Rogers wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:05 am

I am wondering if someone can help, please with the first name of DG Mackay,

This might be a difficult one. The tournament chart in 1953 shows him as DG, unlike the 6 or so players above him where first names are shown. However Leonard Barden the "human chess Google" played in the event as did John Petterson who lived in Malta recently, may both have a memory of first names if they read this post.

Yes, won by Donner.

Who was Helen G E Courtney finishing half a point behind Slade Milan and level with Max Poolake who were at some time NCCU and West of England champions ?

That was of course Hugh Courtney, unless they had a sex change in the interim

There is also a New Zealand female player of that name, hence the confusion in some sources.

(she was also quite a well known cartoonist, and passed away not so long ago)

"I could ask their leading organizer, but I think he joined in 1954, so he might not know..."

He didn't know.

E Michael White wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 16, 2021 10:07 am

This might be a difficult one. The tournament chart in 1953 shows him as DG, unlike the 6 or so players above him where first names are shown.

I have a record of a game he lost to Franklin playing at the Bognor Regis festival in 1968. It's still DG though.

I think I've found games played by DG Mackay as late as Islington 1973 but I'm slightly suspicious as it's such a common name and can be rendered at least three ways (Mackay, McKay, MacKay).

He was obviously a very strong player, being listed at 3a, which equates to 209-216, in the late 1950s, early 1960s. I would have thought Leonard Barden and Stewart Reuben are certain to have known him, or of him.

BH Wood hands us the best lead yet in the Illustrated London News, Saturday 22 April 1961:

BH Wood in 1961 wrote:"Here is a weird game won by D. G. Mackay, of Balham, an irrepressible character who could seriously claim to be the strongest player never to take part in the British Championship. He seems to alternate between the Civil Service and professional boxing, finding the latter both more enjoyable and more lucrative. Every now and again he turns up at Bognor where his past victims include O’Kelly de Galway, the Belgian who has won the event more often than anybody else."

[Event "Stevenson Memorial 9th"] [Site "Bognor Regis"] [Date "1961.04.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Mackay, DG."] [Black "Lloyd, David Edward"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A21"] [PlyCount "33"] [EventDate "1961.04.05"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "ENG"] {"Here is a weird game won by D. G. Mackay, of Balham, an irrepressible character who could seriously claim to be the strongest player never to take part in the British Championship. He seems to alternate between the Civil Service and professional boxing, finding the latter both more enjoyable and more lucrative. Every now and again he turns up at Bognor where his past victims include O’Kelly de Galway, the Belgian who has won the event more often than anybody else."} 1. c4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 e4 4. Ng5 f5 5. h4 Be7 6. Nc3 h6 7. Nh3 Bxh4 8. e3 g6 9. Nf4 Kf7 10. c5 Bf6 11. Bc4+ Kg7 12. Nxg6 Rh7 13. Nf4 Kh8 14. cxd6 Qxd6 15. Qh5 c6 16. Qg6 Rg7 17. Rxh6+ {Source: Illustrated London News, 22 April 1961 (BH Wood column)} 1-0

But I'm still no nearer finding his forename(s).

Leonard met him over the board. Norwood News - Friday 14 October 1955...

"He seems to alternate between the Civil Service and professional boxing, finding the latter both more enjoyable and more lucrative."

I suspect many civil servants before and since would agree with him.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:48 pm

"He seems to alternate between the Civil Service and professional boxing, finding the latter both more enjoyable and more lucrative."

I suspect many civil servants before and since would agree with him.

Strictly speaking, I never left the civil service, it left me (privatisation) but I can readily understand your sentiments, Kevin. I left for the immeasurably more enjoyable, but even less lucrative, job of chess magazine editor. Never regretted it for an instant.

(I'm beginning to think DG Mackay's first name might have been Donald. I stress the "might".)

BH Wood in 1961 wrote:"Here is a weird game won by D. G. Mackay, of Balham, an irrepressible character who could seriously claim to be the strongest player never to take part in the British Championship. He seems to alternate between the Civil Service and professional boxing, finding the latter both more enjoyable and more lucrative. Every now and again he turns up at Bognor where his past victims include O’Kelly de Galway, the Belgian who has won the event more often than anybody else."

An aside: I've just been checking the veracity of BH Wood's comment that DG Mackay beat O'Kelly at Bognor. So far I've not been able to confirm or refute it, but my feeling is that BHW may have been misremembering a round 2 encounter between Mackay and O'Kelly at Bognor in 1956 when, by all accounts, Mackay should have won but in fact drew.

Thanks to everyone for their help.
Leonard Barden suggested I try the EC Forum as he wasn't completely sure about Mackay's first name. (He was sure about the nickname, given to him by Persitz at the Cheltenham 53 tournament.)
However Alan McGowan, the Scottish chess historian, has provided very convincing evidence that Mackay's first name is Donald (and the second probably George, his father's name). Alan provided birth (1931) and parent's marriage information, plus a tournament report which puts Mackay at age 26 in early 1958.
So unless Leonard finds an old scoresheet with Dudley or Diego on it, I'm happy with Donald.
Ian

The late Dr GAC Ashcroft would know. Donald not showing in the second 50 years of Battersea but they had lots of strong players as on the grading list from JH.

Gaige gives a Donald Mackay, who was born in London on 27-07-1866 and died in London on 21-03-1930, with a reference to BCM, 1930, p.182 and p. 192. I give this just to point out the potential confusion.