Chess history trivia

Historical knowledge and information regarding our great game.
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John Clarke
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Clarke » Sat Feb 12, 2022 9:46 pm

Andy McCulloch wrote:
Sat Feb 12, 2022 11:34 am
Geoff was born in London, and has told this site several times.
CRE, Andy. (Can't Read Everything). Anyway ethnicity, residence and self-identification have to matter as much as birthplace (no-one would ever try to count Sir George Thomas as a Turk).
Andy McCulloch wrote:
Sat Feb 12, 2022 11:34 am
Why would anyone, even figuratively, want to spit in their tent?
Arab custom. King Abdullah I of Jordan was reputedly wont to show contempt that way for his royal counterpart Farouk of Egypt.
"The chess-board is the world ..... the player on the other side is hidden from us ..... he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance."
(He doesn't let you resign and start again, either.)

Geoff Chandler
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by Geoff Chandler » Sat Feb 12, 2022 11:54 pm

Hi John,

Not really a prison cell, but if the question has been up'd to held against will then I suppose we include Steinitz.
(unless of course he self committed, I do not know much about that part of his life.)

Fully expecting to hit a dead end I googled 'Capablanca and Prison'

I got a hit! 'Capablanca's Real Prison' by Carlos Garaicoa'

https://www.amazon.in/Carlos-Garaicoa-C ... 8873361579

but it's wrong. Look at the picture, The book is actually called 'Capablanca's Real Passion'

Image

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MJMcCready
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by MJMcCready » Sun Feb 13, 2022 4:23 am

So it's 3 banged up and 1 put in a mental home? I thought the numbers would have been much higher than that. I wonder who will be next? Potential future champ Firouzja for absconding and playing against 'the Jews' should he ever go back home?

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IM Jack Rudd
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Sun Feb 13, 2022 3:59 pm

That's quite a lot when you consider only 16 people have actually held the title, and it's not one that has any intrinsic association with criminality.

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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by Geoff Chandler » Sun Feb 13, 2022 5:32 pm

IM Jack Rudd wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 3:59 pm
That's quite a lot when you consider only 16 people have actually held the title, and it's not one that has any intrinsic association with criminality.
Hi Jack,

Add in Karpov.

"In 1969, the World Junior Championship, which was won by Karpov, was held in an ancient debtor’s prison in Stockholm."

If you think that is too loose a connection try;

In 2007 and 2009 Karpov gave a simultaneous exhibition at the Krasnoyarsk prison in Russia.
(this counts because after they left him in they locked the doors behind him.)

:D

Source: http://billwall.phpwebhosting.com/articles/Prison.htm

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MJMcCready
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by MJMcCready » Wed Feb 23, 2022 5:31 pm

It could be argued that Kasimdzhanov could be included if you loosen the criteria as many described the playing venue in 2004 as an open prison as such. Hofmann's account in King's Gambit certainly painted it as such. A match that, if I remember rightly, Adams could have won.

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MJMcCready
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by MJMcCready » Wed Feb 23, 2022 5:39 pm

IM Jack Rudd wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 3:59 pm
That's quite a lot when you consider only 16 people have actually held the title, and it's not one that has any intrinsic association with criminality.
Well, it depends on how you define criminality. Many would say that FIDE itself deliberately lacks transparency and intends on keeping it that way come hell or high water, as Larissa Yudanova's parents can testify! We hope that in the west the association is slight but behind the Iron Curtain I suspect there was a greater number of chess players put behind bars than we will ever know, simply for not following orders amongst other reasons.

You could also play up the stereotypes and point out that chess players aren't exactly renowned for being the most well-adjusted people in society, and sometimes go off the rails like so many of us do. It's not a question of what their interests are but what their character is. I'd be curious to know how many former British champions have been put behind bars. I can think of two off the top of my head in recent times, one of whom is currently at large!

John Townsend
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Townsend » Thu Feb 24, 2022 12:15 pm

Oxford University questions seem popular, so try this one.

Which player, a former top board for Oxford against Cambridge, accepted an invitation to play for Oxford Past at the age of 83, was prevented by his doctor from travelling, and died within five days of the match?

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John Saunders
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Saunders » Thu Feb 24, 2022 12:25 pm

John Townsend wrote:
Thu Feb 24, 2022 12:15 pm
Oxford University questions seem popular, so try this one.

Which player, a former top board for Oxford against Cambridge, accepted an invitation to play for Oxford Past at the age of 83, was prevented by his doctor from travelling, and died within five days of the match?
Good one! Despite the Varsity match being my specialist subject, I didn't know the answer, but guessed it immediately. I won't spoil it for others by revealing the answer.
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Richard James
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by Richard James » Thu Feb 24, 2022 12:28 pm

John Townsend wrote:
Thu Feb 24, 2022 12:15 pm
Oxford University questions seem popular, so try this one.

Which player, a former top board for Oxford against Cambridge, accepted an invitation to play for Oxford Past at the age of 83, was prevented by his doctor from travelling, and died within five days of the match?
I believe this was Sir Walter Parratt.

https://mannchess.org.uk/People/Parratt ... Walter.htm

https://chessimprover.com/chess-and-mus ... denweiser/

John Townsend
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Townsend » Thu Feb 24, 2022 12:31 pm

Yes, that's right, Richard. Well done.

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John Saunders
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Saunders » Thu Feb 24, 2022 12:39 pm

I've just updated the Varsity match biographical file to include the BCM obit that tells the story:

https://www.saund.org.uk/britbase/pgn/v ... 873parratt
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David Sedgwick
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by David Sedgwick » Thu Feb 24, 2022 12:46 pm

Off topic, and nothing to do with chess, but the story reminded me of another journey that never was:

1979 No Confidence vote and death

On 28 March 1979 the government faced a knife-edge vote of no confidence when [Sir Alfred] Broughton was on his death bed. Broughton's doctors were extremely concerned for him and strongly advised him not to travel. Although he was willing to come down to vote knowing that death was imminent, Prime Minister James Callaghan decided it would be unacceptable to ask him to do so, in case he died during the ambulance journey. In the event, the government lost by one vote; had Broughton been present, assuming Speaker George Thomas would have broken the tie in favour of the status quo per Speaker Denison's rule, the Government would have survived. Broughton died five days later, aged 76.

Source: Wikipedia

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MJMcCready
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by MJMcCready » Thu Feb 24, 2022 1:10 pm

Which former varsity match competitor went on to be given a C.B.E by the queen?

David Sedgwick
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by David Sedgwick » Thu Feb 24, 2022 2:26 pm

MJMcCready wrote:
Thu Feb 24, 2022 1:10 pm
Which former varsity match competitor went on to be given a C.B.E by the queen?
T W Robbins CBE, who played for Cambridge in each of the four years from 1969 to 1972.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Robbins

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