Chess history trivia

Historical knowledge and information regarding our great game.
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John Upham
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Upham » Sun Nov 20, 2022 3:24 pm

John Upham wrote:
Sun Nov 20, 2022 2:01 pm
In which feature film does Dr. Charles (S?) Hunter make an appearance alive and then dead without moving a non-autonomic muscle?

No search "engineing" now!
Don't forget that:

"He also mentioned, along with the theme of silly prominence, that the man who taught him chess was featured in The Guinness Book Of Records as the fastest talker in the world."
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Roland Kensdale
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by Roland Kensdale » Sun Nov 20, 2022 11:21 pm

Geoff Chandler wrote:
Sun Nov 20, 2022 2:27 pm
What railway station was I in when I bought this book

Image
Pitlochry?

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John Clarke
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Clarke » Mon Nov 21, 2022 3:39 am

John Upham wrote:
Sun Nov 20, 2022 2:01 pm
In which feature film does Dr. Charles (S?) Hunter make an appearance alive and then dead without moving a non-autonomic muscle?

No search "engineing" now!
Charlie Hunter was the name of Callan's boss - and although Callan was a TV series, it did spawn a feature film as well with the same title. But somehow I don't think that's the required answer!
"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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John Clarke
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Clarke » Mon Nov 21, 2022 3:44 am

Geoff Chandler wrote:
Sun Nov 20, 2022 2:27 pm
What railway station was I in when I bought this book
I'm plumping for the London one over the differently-punctuated one in Sydney, Australia.

(PS: thought I'd save some electrons by avoiding another repetition of the image.)
"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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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by Geoff Chandler » Mon Nov 21, 2022 12:00 pm

John Clarke wrote:
Mon Nov 21, 2022 3:44 am
I'm plumping for the London one over the differently-punctuated one in Sydney, Australia.
(PS: thought I'd save some electrons by avoiding another repetition of the image.)
Hi John,

Yes. King's Cross.

I kicked off a recent blog with this gag and used the site's 'hidden' feature. to hide the answer It was then I discovered that it could not handle 'King's Cross' calling it instead 'King's Cross' So the answer there is Kings Cross.

https://www.redhotpawn.com/chess-blog/t ... pening.538

And yes, I think that there should be a routine that removes a posted picture when using a quote.

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John Clarke
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Clarke » Mon Nov 21, 2022 9:37 pm

Geoff Chandler wrote:
Mon Nov 21, 2022 12:00 pm
I kicked off a recent blog with this gag and used the site's 'hidden' feature. to hide the answer It was then I discovered that it could not handle 'King's Cross' calling it instead 'King's Cross' So the answer there is Kings Cross.

https://www.redhotpawn.com/chess-blog/t ... pening.538
I was amused by the way the name turned out in that blog of yours. Reminded me of an incident in the book (and later film) They're A Weird Mob, where an Italian just arrived in Australia nearly gets arrested for calling it "Kings Bloody Cross", which he'd heard from an irate taxi driver.
"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.)

John Townsend
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Townsend » Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:46 pm

In 1866, a new chess club was founded under the previously used title of "Westminster Chess Club". Which founder member was later knighted?

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John Upham
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Upham » Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:27 pm

John Townsend wrote:
Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:46 pm
In 1866, a new chess club was founded under the previously used title of "Westminster Chess Club". Which founder member was later knighted?

When you wrote knighted, did you mean under promoted?
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John Townsend
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Townsend » Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:41 pm

John, no fancy promotions; he had the honour of knighthood conferred upon him by the King. There, I've given you a clue now ...

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IM Jack Rudd
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Tue Nov 29, 2022 7:47 pm

So at least 35 years later, which presumably means someone reasonably young at the time of founding.

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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Townsend » Tue Nov 29, 2022 7:55 pm

Yes.

David McAlister
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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by David McAlister » Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:00 pm

Sir Thomas Hewitt

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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Townsend » Wed Nov 30, 2022 7:49 am

Yes, that's correct, David. He was an eminent lawyer, knighted on 5 July 1904.

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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by Neil Blackburn » Wed Nov 30, 2022 7:36 pm

There is an image of Hewitt in a famous cartoon in Punch from the 1880's of chess at the Divan. He was also an official at the Lasker - Blackburne match of 1892

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Re: Chess history trivia

Post by John Townsend » Mon Dec 05, 2022 5:56 pm

You can see a photograph of Thomas Hewitt on page 111 of The Knights and Kings of Chess, by Rev. G.A. MacDonnell (1894), viewable on Google Books. Other portraits of him can be found via Google. I recall seeing one of him in which he closely resembled King Edward VII, who knighted him.

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