English Chess Forum

Cunningham Defence? That goes 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Be7, n'est-ce pas? No, it's not that.

Queen Victoria had 9 children so the answer could be the 'main line' of the Kings Gambits Accepted.
(I now anticipate the sites reaction. 'We are not amused.')

No idea.

Did the Cunard ship 'Queen Victoria' ram a boat called 'The King's Gambit.'

The reference to Queen Victoria and chess appears in the Canterbury Press, 4 January 1896 (page 3), where she is reported to be

" ... partial to the fascinating Muzio Gambit"

The original source of the information is vaguer than one would wish, as the writer mentions only "a London correspondent", who also reported that the Queen "was much interested in the Hastings tournament". (Has anyone suggested yet that she met Pillsbury?). It says she had learned the game from Prince Albert.

I found the article via the Papers Past website, which is strongly recommended:

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers

Papers Past originally came to my attention from a submission by Graham Clayton to Edward Winter's useful article, Chess History Research On-Line, which mentions a number of on-line resources for chess magazines and newspapers:

https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/research.html

OK, I'll have a second try (assuming that is permitted).

Is this something to do with Queen Victoria's meeting with Paul Morphy?

I do not have a copy of Paul Morphy, the Pride and Sorrow of Chess by David Lawson.

I suspect that the answer may lie in that tome.

John, second tries are allowed, but not after the answer has been given. (See above).

John Townsend wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:21 pm

John, second tries are allowed, but not after the answer has been given. (See above).

Ooops!

I failed to refresh my https client before answering.

Doh!

In attempt to make-up for my recent faux pas I will pose this question:

Which chess player in 1968 held the record for being the world's fastest speaker?

Charles Hunter

John Townsend wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:23 pm

Charles Hunter

Correct. I assumed that this would be too easy for most forumites.

What was your source for this tid-bit?

What were the details of his record?

B.C.M.

He is also IIRC referenced in The Complete Chess Addict.

He recited Hamlet's best-known soliloquy in forty-one seconds.

His fastest burst was fifty words in 7.2 seconds.

Name the Oxford academic who floored Flohr's Winawer in an international tournament.

Yes, very good, Leonard. Theodore Henry Tylor.