English Chess Forum

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑

Sat May 03, 2025 9:59 am

https://rts.org.uk/article/chess-barrel ... ng-history

From chess to barrel jumping: the quirkiest sports in TV broadcasting history

Mark Lawson, Royal Television Society wrote:Although much broadcasting has changed beyond recognition over time, one constant is a popular pastime. The earliest experimental wireless broadcasts listed on the Television & Radio Database (tvrdb.com, warmly recommended to anyone interested in the media) include 1925 talks by Mr CG Butcher on “The Origin Of Chess” and Mr Brian Hanley on “Chess: The Queen’s Gambit Declined”.

I think C.G. Butcher is Cecil George Butcher (1900-1990), who is mentioned elsewhere briefly on this forum and on Britbase. Not sure about Brian Hanley. Can anyone identify him?

Still drawing a blank on the 1920s Brian Hanley who it seems gave a radio talk in 1925 on "Chess: The Queen’s Gambit Declined".

https://tvrdb.com/

Ah, that is why. It was 1928 and Mr Brian Harley (not Hanley) and there was also a broadcast in 1929 by a W. C. Shaw (I think, the TVRDB site kicked me out as it was "busy").

https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Harley

The only other trace of W. C. Shaw I have found is an account of Paul Morphy, published in a New Zealand newspaper in December 1929:

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newsp ... 91207.2.30

(That might be a different W. C. Shaw of course.)

W. C. Shaw possibly the same who played for St. George's Club in the 1880s

C. W. Shaw also gave a radio lecture on Chess hints for beginners and others on Tuesday 24th Sept. 1929. https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/page/14365e ... d0?page=35 look in the Newcastle section near the top.

Maybe when I have truly lost the will to live I'll look at later issues to see if there was any reader feedback. Good of the lad to donate those chess sets. Back in the 70's An Edinburgh member, the late John Wilkes bought the club a large fitted carpet (and paid for the fitting) and a huge set of drapes. (which I had to put up.)

The quest for any book by R. C. Woodthorpe has taken the drastic step of me tiptoing around the posh 2nd Hand shops. I tend to avoid these places and their prices.
No joy regarding Woodthorpe but in the chess section Brian Harley's; 'Mate In Three Moves: A Treatise on the Three-Move Chess Problem' was on the shelf for £45.00.

That was a 'No Thank You' and a quick exit. Back onto safe ground and into a charity shop 'Winning in the Chess Opening: 700 Ways to Ambush Your Opponent ' (2018) by Nikolai Kalinichenko. £3.00. Basically over 700 short games with light reasonable looking notes. I'll get a couple of blogs or a column out of it.

I'm struggling to find out the identity of W C Shaw. One possibility is Wilfred Clifford Shaw, who was born in Newcastle in 1894 and died in Wandsworth in 1952. His occupation in 1939 (he was still in Newcastle then) was a "Granite & Marble Merchant".
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/pe ... s/PSZK-SKF

Is someone enquiring about Brian Harley? He was the author of (at least) three chess books: Mate in Two Moves, Chess For the Fun of It, and Chess and Its Stars. This last title (Whitehead & Miller, Leeds, 1936) has as its frontispiece a photograph of Harley sporting moustache and spectacles. He was a problemist, a journalist by profession.

Thanks John. Here is that picture from Chess and its Stars.

Hi Jon,

I too could not find anything of note on W. C.Shaw. Edward Winter has a page on 'Chess and Radio' https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/radio.html

The BBC Year Book 1930 (page 193) has a section on old BBC broadcasts and mentions;
AUGUST 1924. "To-day's Chess Move." First of series August 7th to September2nd.

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/BB ... k-1930.pdf

Whilst poking about I re-discovered the mention of Chess in 'The High Chaparral' where a player mentions he was taught chess by a little fellow in New Orleans.'
(obviously a bow to Morphy. It is in the episode called; 'A Fella Named Kilroy')

Henry Darrow who played Manolito Montoya in the High Chaparral. Was a very keen chess player and played both Fischer and Spassky. http://santabarbara-online.com/articleHDarrow2.htm

er...that's it.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html

tells us that HD drew with Spassky (story goes even more off topic after a while.)

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sun May 04, 2025 12:35 pm

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html

tells us that HD drew with Spassky (story goes even more off topic after a while.)

Apparently Mexicans do actually say "Ay, chihuahua" as an expression of regret.