Chess history trivia

[Colin Purdon]

I believe that I have heard that about Tal.

[John Townsend]

Yes, that's correct, Colin. The occasion was his game against Boleslavsky in the 12th round of the USSR Championships, 1957, according to Bernard Cafferty's Tal's 100 Best Games, pages 27 - 28. Cafferty quotes from the chapter on Tal in Viktor Vasiliev's The Seventh Veil.

[MJMcCready]

What was the reason that he had to go to the police station?

[John Townsend]

He had to go to the police station to produce his identity documents, after he had crossed the road in the wrong place and refused to acknowledge to a policeman that he was at fault (Cafferty, p. 27).

[John Townsend]

Of which chess club in the London area in October 1919 did J. R. Capablanca play 40 members simultaneously, defeating 34 of them?

[Richard James]

Of which chess club in the London area in October 1919 did J. R. Capablanca play 40 members simultaneously, defeating 34 of them?

Assuming I'm looking at the same event as you (a former PM chasing a box of chocolates), some sources claim he defeated 34 opponents, others that he defeated 33. One newspaper report names 3 players who beat him and 4 who drew, so I'm tempted to believe 33 rather than 34.

I have two supplementary questions concerning this event.

1. Which of Capa's opponents was a pioneer of tinned milk?

2. Which of his opponents sadly spent four years in a mental asylum?

[John Townsend]

Thank you, Richard. Would you name the chess club, please?

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

I tried to solve it using Richard's cryptic clue and eventually came up with Thornton Heath. It took a bit more Googling to confirm that Capablanca gave a simul there in October 1919. Justin Horton's blog "Lost on Time" has a scan of a newspaper report on the occasion, giving the names of the players who won (3) and drew (4):
http://lostontime.blogspot.com/2017/11/ ... again.html

[John Townsend]

Thanks, Jon. The report you linked to says Capa only won 33 games at Thornton Heath.

It isn't the solution I had in mind, which was a venue closer to London.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"It isn't the solution I had in mind, which was a venue closer to London."

He did a tour then, including one in central London...

[John Townsend]

Answer: Hampstead Chess Club

The catalogue of Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre has an item described as follows:

Title: Jose Raul Capablanca, world chess champion: in London in October 1919, playing in a championship; also played 40 members of the Hampstead Chess Club, defeating 34 of them
Year of publication: 1919
Material: General index
Notes: Letter 26.631; HHE, 25 Oct 1919, p 5d

I'm not sure what the item consists of. A letter? Capa is referred to as "world chess champion".

A report on the Hampstead event also appeared in The Near East, 24 October 1919, page 435 (currently viewable on Google Books). Incidentally, according to this account, there were 42 opponents at Thornton Heath, of which Capablanca won 35!

[John Upham]

Answer: Hampstead Chess Club

The catalogue of Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre has an item described as follows:

Title: Jose Raul Capablanca, world chess champion: in London in October 1919, playing in a championship; also played 40 members of the Hampstead Chess Club, defeating 34 of them
Year of publication: 1919
Material: General index
Notes: Letter 26.631; HHE, 25 Oct 1919, p 5d

I'm not sure what the item consists of. A letter? Capa is referred to as "world chess champion".

A report on the Hampstead event also appeared in The Near East, 24 October 1919, page 435 (currently viewable on Google Books). Incidentally, according to this account, there were 42 opponents at Thornton Heath, of which Capablanca won 35!

Where is Gordon Cadden these days? An expert on Hampstead Chess Club and retainer of most of the clubs trophies (or so he tells me).

[John Townsend]

The Camden catalogue seems to be referring to the Hampstead & Highgate Express, 25 October 1919, page 5.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Regarding Richard's questions:

1. Which of Capa's opponents was a pioneer of tinned milk?

Arthur James Maas, who also seems to have published some children's books under the Sue Denham of Martin Merrythought. I assumed he pinched this name from Merrythought teddy bears, but as far as I can tell Mr Maas came up with the name first.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Whilst trying to find out the answer to Richard's second question, I got distracted by trying to find out the name of Brixton chess player "H C Griffiths". I think he was Harry Charles Griffiths (1883-1952), son of Alfred Henry and Jane (nee Evans) Griffiths. Alfred and Jane got divorced in 1897/98, which as you can imagine was not at all common at the time. The petitioner was Alfred and the reason given was "That on the evening of the 2nd and the morning of the 3rd days of August 1897 on Hackney Downs and at other open spaces and places in the County of London the said Jane Griffiths committed adultery with H Burton of 56 Weymouth Terrace".