English Chess Forum

The April CHESS Magazine is out now. Copies and subs can be ordered here...

A 14-page 'taster' PDF can be downloaded FREE from the website, including a complete six-page article on chess in the 1940s, written by Leonard Barden and me.

The 60-page magazine itself is packed with annotated games, colour piccies, news, etc, articles by GMs Daniel King and James Plaskett, IMs Andrew Greet and Lorin D'Costa, soon to be IM(!) Yang-Fan Zhou (annotating his win against Keith Arkell from Brighton), Sabrina Chevannes, Sean Marsh, and much more.

John Saunders wrote: A 14-page 'taster' PDF can be downloaded FREE from the website,

I see you've left Malcolm's editorial in the download, in which he goes into a bit more detail about the non-match London 2012.

I'm not sure the full story will ever emerge, but doesn't tax come into it? FIDE wanted prizes to be quoted after tax, but I think there have been recent changes to UK tax law for non-residents. Presumably the tax position of an Indian living in Spain playing a match in the UK against, for example, an Armenian living in Germany gets a bit complex.

It's a surprise then, or perhaps not, that FIDE doesn't do more to try to get its big money matches played in tax havens.

I offered a free sample issue when we launched the 'new look' of the magazine back in July 2010. Quite a few from the Forum took us up on the offer, some liked it and subscribed and some didn't!

If anyone wants a sample issue of the April issue then just send me an email: [email protected]

John Saunders wrote:The April CHESS Magazine is out now. Copies and subs can be ordered here...

A 14-page 'taster' PDF can be downloaded FREE from the website, including a complete six-page article on chess in the 1940s, written by Leonard Barden and me.

The 60-page magazine itself is packed with annotated games, colour piccies, news, etc, articles by GMs Daniel King and James Plaskett, IMs Andrew Greet and Lorin D'Costa, soon to be IM(!) Yang-Fan Zhou (annotating his win against Keith Arkell from Brighton), Sabrina Chevannes, Sean Marsh, and much more.

I recently finished reading my copy of the April CHESS and wanted to say how much I enjoyed the articles on chess in the 1940s and the article on some of the history of the Varsity Match, and also the interview Sabrina did with the woman running a chess school in Turkey.

I would give more details and names here (of the chess school in Turkey), but I've lent my copy to someone else and don't have it handy to refer to. There were two questions/points I had, though, relating to two of the articles:

(1) The pedantic point first: one of the articles had a reference to someone who had a crater on the far side of the Moon named after him. The article, however, referred to the dark side of Moon, which made me wince slightly as I read it. As I don't have the article to hand, did I miss a Pink Floyd reference there, or was this just incorrect wording?

(2) The Varsity Match article referred to a match in (I think) the 1950s with one of the chess players named as either Roger John Tayler or Roger John Taylor. I think the former, though as I said above I don't have the issue of this magazine to hand to double-check the spelling. This name caught my attention, as I've recently been reading about an astronomer called Roger John Tayler (1929-1997) who studied at Cambridge, was later briefly President of the Royal Astronomical Society, and who did work in various areas of astrophysics. I was wondering if they were one and the same?

One of Roger John Tayler's obituaries is here:

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1997BAAS...29.1491M

It says he went to Clare College, and graduated in 1950, and then did his PhD under Hermann Bondi. Bondi's Wikipedia article says that he "lectured in mathematics at the University of Cambridge from 1945 to 1954", so I'm presuming (not definite by any means) that Tayler did his PhD at Cambridge (Tayler also has a Wikipedia article but that doesn't explicitly say where he did his PhD), so the dates would just about fit depending on when the Varsity Match in question was (I think the article said 1951, but can't be sure). It would be interesting to know if they were the same person - maybe the Varsity Match records give the colleges of the participants?

The other (indirect) chess connection here is the author of Tayler's obituary, one Leon Mestel (who also wrote a longer article on Tayler in Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society - that article might mention any chess connection if any exists). Leon Mestel is the father of Jonathan Mestel (British chess grandmaster).

Ah, I think I've answered my own question. I was searching under the incorrect spelling of Taylor. If you search for "Roger Tayler" and "chess", on the second (and later) page of Google hits you get links to Shenstonian magazine issues from 1948 (presumably an old boys' school alumni magazine), which refer to a Roger Tayler at Clare College obtaining a half-blue in chess. So almost certainly the same Tayler.

For example, from the September 1952 issue:

"Roger Tayler (Clare), who has been President of the University Chess Club and Chairman of the British Universities' Chess Association, has submitted a Fellowship thesis and continues research into the constitution of stars." - The Shenstonian - the magazine of Solihull School (1952 September XLIX Number 1)

An interesting snippet of British chess history there (managing to bring in BUCA as-it-was-then as well).

Roger Tayler was one of the principal organisers of the first BUCA championshio, played at Cambridge in summer 1951. The competitors may have stayed at Clare College, though my memory of that is vague. The reports in CHESS or BCM at the time could probably clarify this. Roger was a charming, friendly and energetic man.

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:If you search for "Roger Tayler" and "chess", on the second (and later) page of Google hits you get links to Shenstonian magazine issues from 1948 (presumably an old boys' school alumni magazine), which refer to a Roger Tayler at Clare College obtaining a half-blue in chess. So almost certainly the same Tayler.

The Shenstonian is named after William Shenstone, who is an Old Boy of Solihull School. He was a poet and had developed The Leasowes, which is a sort of park area on the Birmingham-side of Halesowen. Leasowes' School is now very near (if not actually on) that site. There are quite a few references to him by means of road names in and around Halesowen.

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:I've recently been reading about an astronomer called Roger John Tayler (1929-1997) who studied at Cambridge, was later briefly President of the Royal Astronomical Society, and who did work in various areas of astrophysics. I was wondering if they were one and the same?

One of Roger John Tayler's obituaries is here:

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1997BAAS...29.1491M

It says he went to Clare College, and graduated in 1950, and then did his PhD under Hermann Bondi. Bondi's Wikipedia article says that he "lectured in mathematics at the University of Cambridge from 1945 to 1954", so I'm presuming (not definite by any means) that Tayler did his PhD at Cambridge (Tayler also has a Wikipedia article but that doesn't explicitly say where he did his PhD), so the dates would just about fit depending on when the Varsity Match in question was (I think the article said 1951, but can't be sure). It would be interesting to know if they were the same person.

The other (indirect) chess connection here is the author of Tayler's obituary, one Leon Mestel (who also wrote a longer article on Tayler in Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society - that article might mention any chess connection if any exists). Leon Mestel is the father of Jonathan Mestel (British chess grandmaster).

....almost certainly the same Tayler.

Does seem almost certain to be the same Tayler - perhaps no great surprise given the affinity of mathematicians for chess (and vice versa).

I've had a scan of the Royal Soc obit/memoir by Leon Mestel, but it doesn't say anything about chess. It doesn't actually say much about Tayler beyond his work, actually. It does confirm him as a pupil of Solihull School (Shenstonian). Christopher's dates are right, too: Tayler did his Cambridge Mathematics finals in 1950 and was Bondi's PhD student in Cambridge from 1950-53. Tayler then did a fellowship year in the US, and worked for the UK Atomic Energy Authority for several years before returning to Cambridge in 1961 to work with Fred Hoyle. He became a lecturer in Cambridge for a few years before moving to be Professor in Sussex in 1967.

One rather impressive thing about Tayler is his imposing list of scientific colleagues and co-authors - the latter including both Fred Hoyle and Stephen Hawking.

AustinElliott wrote:I've had a scan of the Royal Soc obit/memoir by Leon Mestel, but it doesn't say anything about chess. It doesn't actually say much about Tayler beyond his work, actually. It does confirm him as a pupil of Solihull School (Shenstonian). Christopher's dates are right, too: Tayler did his Cambridge Mathematics finals in 1950 and was Bondi's PhD student in Cambridge from 1950-53. Tayler then did a fellowship year in the US, and worked for the UK Atomic Energy Authority for several years before returning to Cambridge in 1961 to work with Fred Hoyle. He became a lecturer in Cambridge for a few years before moving to be Professor in Sussex in 1967.

Thanks for posting this. I forgot to link earlier to the obituary from The Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/peopl ... 85560.html

It covers much the same ground, but has more than the other obituary I linked to earlier. Some of the BMFRS material is online, but this one doesn't seem to be (or rather, you have to have the right level of access). Anyway, Tayler was OBE in 1990 and made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1995. I'd like to know more about the BUCA link, as what Leonard (Barden) posted about that sounded interesting.

I did find this EC Forum thread from 2009 (haven't read through all of it):

http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=1296

Where John (Saunders) said he received some material about the early years of BUCA and hinted that there might be enough for an article. I wonder if anything was done or if that is something that might come later? (If anything was published, details would be good if anyone has them). I couldn't find much else on a brief search.

Mine arrived on Saturday.

Any magazine that kicks off the Aeroflot Open with a GM playing the
Goring Gambit has just got to be OK.

(next two games, Semi-Slav and Slav...even the words Slav makes
my eye lids heavy - skipped those....give us more Gorings.)

Loved the Chess in the 40's.
You must keep this in. Every Year in CHESS is interesting and
there are some smashing articles, games, interviews, pics...

Six pages in the current CHESS lifted from one year in the old CHESS
(start in 1946) . That is enough copy for 65 issues!
A kind of 'Best of Chess' serialised.

B.H.Woods v John Jaques & Son court case.
(you must give this a good airing).
All the World Chamionship matches etc etc etc.etc.etc.

I have been through them all, there is chess gold dust
in these old magazines. Gold Dust I tells yah!

(and don't go messing about with the notes and correct them
with a computer. Leave them as they were written.)

Excellent. Home News needs expanding into 3 pages.
Ask for people to send in league match games.
Then print the current league table.

Support league chess, it's the grass roots.

Just got it free with a book I ordered

Loved the Goring Gambit game as well

The mag actually seems to be of a much higher quality since the last time I saw one about a year ago, may take another subscription out - or just wait a month and order another book!