The Dobson Twins

[Simon Rogers]

I played a match at home a few weeks ago to Preston in the Blackpool & Fylde League Challenge Cup Semi-Final.
I was black and my opponent had connected passed pawns on the a and b files. (Although they weren't advanced enough to win the game.)
A friend from the club analysed the game the following week. He called the passed pawns "The Dobson Twins"
He mentioned that when he played for Wood Green Chess Club between 20 and 30 years ago that a strong club member called it "The Dobson Twins".
I was wandering who are the Dobson Twins and why connected passed pawns on the edge of the board are named after them?
Many thanks.

[John Clarke]

Well, here's the final position in a game won as Black by the then Dinah Dobson in 1971:

4b3/p3P1kp/6p1/3p4/1p1q2P1/4R3/4R1KP/8

Those Black Q-side pawns are clearly going to decide matters.

(Full game can be found here.)

So was it her opponent who originated the term? It was a long time ago, but he still seems to have been active up to a few years ago, according to the ECF Rating Database, and was more than once rated in the 170s.

[Phil Neatherway]

Tom Stonehouse was a team mate of mine in the late 1970s, and I think you'll find his grade was pushing 190 in those days.

[MJMcCready]

There are players in my league always rated around 200 who estimated Dinah to be very strong.