© Thomas family collection This is the earliest known photograph of George Thomas (later Sir George). It was taken in Southsea in September 1895 when George was 14 years old. A few weeks earlier he had been a spectator at the great Hastings tournament where he met the leading lights of nineteenth-century chess and played skittles with Pillsbury. The studio portrait shows George holding a tennis racket side-on in his right hand and what appears to be a cap in his left. The following game appeared in the Pall Mall Gazette of 11 January 1897: “Mr G.A. Thomas secured his second victory for t ..read more

Ron Katz   “According to this article,” Barb Silver said to her husband, Bernie, “Baby Boomers like us are responsible for inflation.” She was peering over the newspaper she held, as they had their second cup of coffee in the kitchen nook of their Palo Alto home. “I’m not surprised,” he responded. “Aren’t selfish Baby Boomers taking the blame for all of the world’s ills?” “Yes,” responded Barb, “but this one has some logic to it: a huge generation is reaching retirement age, and they are still consuming, but not producing. That means demand stays the same, but supply goes down, the same a ..read more

Nearly fifty years ago CHESS published this irate letter: CHESS (October 1973) It provoked a lively response: CHESS (November 1973) One reader sprang to Mr Lorley’s defence with knowing verve: CHESS (December 1973)   Having made his point, Mr Lorley kept a dignified silence. No one knows what became of Stanley Lorley. He seems not to have belonged to a chess club and soon vanished from the chess scene. So who was he? CLUE: in 1973 a student living in Sheffield qualified for the International Master (IM) title.   IM STANLEY LORLEY anagrams to REALLY TONY MILES   Anagram Sam, t ..read more

Adrian Harvey     Steinitz in London A Chess Biography with 623 Games Tim Harding 421 pages | 84 photos | hardback | $75.00 Jefferson: McFarland, 2020 For three reasons this reviewer regards Steinitz as the greatest chess player of all time. In the first place, for almost thirty years, from 1866 (when he defeated Anderssen to become World Champion) until 1894 (when he lost to Lasker in a match for the title), he was the best match player in the world – someone who never shirked a challenge. Second, he thought very hard about the theory of the game, and while many of the ideas in his ..read more

Adrian Harvey     Chess Theory From Stamma to Steintiz, 1735–1894 Frank Hoffmeister Foreword by Peter Heine Nielsen 492 pages | 83 illustrations | 407 diagrams | softback | $99.00 Jefferson: McFarland, 2022   This is a very substantial work that embraces all the major developments in chess between 1735 and 1894 (p.437). The author utilises a range of Indo-European sources and provides a very good narrative account of chess history. He thereby offers easy access to works for which no English translation is available, such as Cozio (Italian), Allgaier (German) or Petroff (Ru ..read more

  What is your earliest memory of playing chess? I went up to Selfridges with my dad and we bought a wooden set for 10s. 6d. He taught us to play chess that evening. I remember him showing us the knight move.   What is your most memorable game? Probably against Botvinnik in 1967 at Hastings.   What was your worst defeat? Two recent games against Michael Hennigan.   Which living player do you most admire? Me.   How do you relax? I don’t relax, but I like to doze off in bed.   What/who is your favourite band/music/composer? Sandy Denny and the Fairport Convention ..read more

© Mark Huba ..read more

  That victory speech in full: See also Dvorkovich re-elected FIDE president by landslide A New Dawn for Chess The Election of Arkady Dvorkovich The Perfect Combination We Are Family ..read more

In Memoriam Brian Eley (1946–2022) British Chess Champion, Suspected paedophile So. Farewell Then, Brian Eley, Fugitive chess master, Touch and move suspect, Reported to the BCF for alleged misconduct in 1979.   Fifty years ago You were the British Chess Champion In Brighton.   Thirty years ago You enjoyed your 15 minutes of TV infamy On Crimewatch.   Then you disappeared First from Yorkshire Then from the Interpol wanted list.   Now you’ve turned up dead In an ashram near Amsterdam Where the authorities Knew you were All along.   You may have escaped justice But ..read more

Eley died in Amsterdam on 6 April 2022.   10 Seconds with Brian Eley Wikipedia: Brian Eley ..read more