Jonathan Penrose OBE

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Tim Harding
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Tim Harding » Tue Dec 07, 2021 8:50 pm

My tribute to Penrose including a PDF of my interview with him about his postal career is now online:

http://www.chessmail.com/xtras/Penrose.html
Tim Harding
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Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
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Andy Stoker
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Andy Stoker » Wed Dec 08, 2021 7:14 am

Simon Rogers wrote:
Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:47 am
Andy Stoker wrote:
Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:47 am
Penrose's last three games at the 1960 Olympiad were: win vs Euwe (with black), draw vs Gligoric (with black) and win vs Tal. I'd take that.
Hi Andy. Is it possible you could post these games on the forum.
Is it possible someone could post Jonathan's near miss against Bobby Fischer.
I'm sorry, I don't know how to do that - but the excellent Olimpbase site provides links to those games - as well as his draw with Fischer in the same event and much more (including Leonard Barden's score on Bd 5 - best percentage of the English team) https://www.olimpbase.org/1960/1960eng.html

Roger Lancaster
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Roger Lancaster » Sun Dec 12, 2021 7:54 pm

It's hard to overstate Penrose's domination of English chess in the 1950s and 1960s. I remember, in the 1965 British championship, that his failure to win the title the previous year (and in particular his first round loss to a little-known Scot) was still the subject of discussion among the lesser lights such as myself - even more so when he again failed to win in 1965. Those two years were the only occasions in a 12-year period (1958-69) when he failed to take the title. The only English player guaranteed a draw against him was Peter Clarke, a close friend. I played Penrose only once, in the London League sometime in the mid-1960s. As I recall, I reached the adjournment with a technically lost position - it was the sort of position which, against most opponents, I would have resumed in the hope of a mistake. Such was Penrose's reputation that I resigned without further ado.

David Mabbs
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by David Mabbs » Mon Dec 13, 2021 5:42 pm

I was very sorry to hear of Jonathan's death - a great player, and also a modest gentleman. For anybody - and I think there may be many - who is planning to write biographically about Jonathan, I would mention a career fact that I have never seen referred to thus far in chess circles. For a short period in the 1960s Jonathan - alongside myself, whose degree in 1961 was also in Psychology - worked in what can best be summarised as an Applied Psychology job. We worked for International Tutor Machines (ITM), based in Ashford, Middlesex. ITM was part-owned by English Universities Press (EUP) and by International Computers and Tabulators (later ICL). It was a pioneer in the development and marketing of programmed learning and teaching machines. These were forerunners of computer assisted learning as we know it today, hence the interest in the 1960s of EUP and of ICT (ICL).

Simon Rogers
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Simon Rogers » Sat Dec 18, 2021 8:12 pm

Essex Chess Association have just posted a tribute to Jonathan Penrose on their website.
It mentions that Jonathan was born in Colchester, Essex.
He was Essex board 1 and was elected an Essex Chess Association Life Member.

Simon Rogers
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Simon Rogers » Mon Dec 27, 2021 10:02 pm

A nice tribute has been posted today on the Dorset Chess Association website along with a picture of Jonathan Penrose playing against Euwe back in 1960.
A couple of Jonathan's games has been posted there including a win against Milko Bobotsov in Palma de Mallorca.
https://www.dorsetchess.co.uk/jonathan-penrose/
Last edited by IM Jack Rudd on Mon Dec 27, 2021 10:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Linking to the actual post on the site

James Plaskett
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by James Plaskett » Thu Feb 03, 2022 7:10 pm

Did Penrose´s wife remarry Peter Clarke, may I ask?
Or was that another Margaret Wood?

Richard James
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Richard James » Thu Feb 03, 2022 8:06 pm

James Plaskett wrote:
Thu Feb 03, 2022 7:10 pm
Did Penrose´s wife remarry Peter Clarke, may I ask?
Or was that another Margaret Wood?
It was another Margaret Wood.

Here they both are in the same tournament.

1956 British Girls' (U18) Championship

1956 British Girls' Championship 1 2 3 4 Total
1 Margaret Eileen Elizabeth Wood (later Clarke) ½ 0 1 1 1 1 4½
2 Sheila Corbyn (later Robinson) ½ 1 ½ 0 1 1 4
3 Margaret Wood (later Penrose) 0 0 ½ 1 1 1 3½
4 Verina Horsnell 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

I seem to remember there was at least one event (I think an SCCU Girls Championship from about the same time) in which the two Margaret Woods were the only competitiors.

James Plaskett
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by James Plaskett » Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:55 am

Ah! Gracias amigo.
And Clarke´s wife was the daughter of B.H. Wood.

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John Clarke
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by John Clarke » Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:14 pm

Verina Horsnell had a horrible time of it in that tournament, but went to become British Girls' Champion in 1960 and 1961.
"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.)

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Gerard Killoran
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Gerard Killoran » Sat Feb 05, 2022 1:14 am

John Clarke wrote:
Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:14 pm
Verina Horsnell had a horrible time of it in that tournament, but went to become British Girls' Champion in 1960 and 1961.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264810850108
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Tim Harding
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Tim Harding » Sat Feb 05, 2022 8:57 pm

James Plaskett wrote:
Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:55 am
Ah! Gracias amigo.
And Clarke´s wife was the daughter of B.H. Wood.
Yes she was indeed. Peter Clarke's wife was generally known as Peggy. She survived him.

Penrose and his wife Margaret divorced at some point; she was the daughter of Frank Wood (from Banbury), Oxfordshire junior chess organiser for many years,
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Leonard Barden
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Leonard Barden » Sat Feb 05, 2022 10:08 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Sat Feb 05, 2022 8:57 pm
Penrose and his wife Margaret divorced at some point;
My information was that they separated in 1978, but did not divorce.

Paul Habershon
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Paul Habershon » Sun Feb 06, 2022 8:08 am

Leonard Barden wrote:
Sat Feb 05, 2022 10:08 pm
Tim Harding wrote:
Sat Feb 05, 2022 8:57 pm
Penrose and his wife Margaret divorced at some point;
My information was that they separated in 1978, but did not divorce.
On 25th February 1979 I had the privilege and slightly surreal experience of travelling to play him at his house in the British Championship Zonal stage. I think it was a Hertford address and I remember the house seeming rather bare. I was unaware of his personal circumstances. Extraordinary that he was having to qualify for the British. Yes, I did lose! Such a gentleman, with no hint of aggression in his demeanour at the board.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Jonathan Penrose OBE

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Sun Feb 06, 2022 8:49 am

"Extraordinary that he was having to qualify for the British."

Er, yes... But what an opportunity for you!

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