Grandmaster on Board 1
Mister Whiteley has been misbehaving again. When the Board 2 should be flat out studying his minor piece endgames in advance of the forthcoming MCC match – he has instead been trawling the NLC chess archives.
But perhaps we should forgive him his lapse in study this time? For he has uncovered a corker.
The very first British Chess Grandmaster played for the NLC: the renowned opening theorist Jaques Mieses.
The jewish Mister Mieses (1865-1954) fled to England in 1938 following the Kristallnacht and arrived on these shores with 15 Reichmarks to his name. He must have quickly found his feet because by 1939 the NLC Chess Circle had him nicely settled in to Board 1, as we shall see.
In 1950 FIDE awarded the official title of Grandmaster to a number of players. Mieses was one, and so became the first (by then) British player to become a FIDE Grandmaster.
Here he is playing for the NLC against the Mister James Marston Craddock of the Civil Service Chess Club. J M Craddock was the u18 British Champion in 1929, 1930 and 1931 and played top board for Cambridge in the 1935 Varsity match (and won). He played in the 1937 British Championship, against Harry Golombek and others. He clearly was a man who knew how to play a few strokes.
But look how the NLC top board put him away with a double rook sacrifice:
JM Craddock is familiar to readers of this organ. This game would seem to be the counterpart fixture to the 1939 Craddock – Schwartzchild match reported before. (It will be recalled that Mister Schwartzchild was similarly an emigre fleeing Nazi Germany). Poor Mister Craddock – he can’t have enjoyed his games against the Libs.
Jaques Mieses took some famous scalps in his time. Here’s the Lib tucking up Frank Marshall, no less:
But Jacques Mieses was mostly known for his opening theory. 1.d3 is knows as the Mieses Opening, whilst 1.e4 e5. 2.Nc3 Nf6 (or 2…Nc6) 3.g3 is the Mieses variation of the Vienna and there is also a line of the Scotch called the Mieses Variation: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nxc6. Mister Giffin QC MA (Oxon) clearly comes from a long line of NLC opening innovators.
The Black Death ravishes the NLC Clubhouse
The NLC has long been the chess destination of choice for chess connoisseurs in London. Drop in to 1 Whitehall Place of a day and the chances are a passing Grandmaster is holding court.
So it is no surprise that the archives keep throwing up yet more instances of chess excellence at the NLC. Capablanca dropped in from time to time in addition to Mister Mieses (and Lasker for dinner).
Yet another illustrious name can be added: this time Mister Joseph Henry Blackburne, more colourfully known as The Black Death (supposedly due to his beard, rather than his fearsome black defences).
Blackburne (1841 – 1924) was one of the finest chess players in Britain, and perhaps the world, between 1870 and 1890. Whilst never quite reaching the very pinnacle of world chess, he was noted for his ability at blindfold and simul games – reportedly playing over 100,000 games in his lifetime. More impressively, he reportedly polished off two bottles of scotch whilst conducting a simul against Cambridge University, winning all his games. Skill indeed.
The Black Death came to the Liberal Club on 20th April 1917 to play a 20 board simul against “a strong team” (nothing changes at the NLC…). Five Libs took his scalp, and he ran out with a +15 =0 -5 record. His whisky intake is unclear.
Sadly, no record of the moves of the simul games can be found, but here’s an example of what the Black Death did to to opponents in a simul (gulp):
A final word from Sir John Simon
And to finish this report, a wise reflection from one of the other Great NLC Chessplayers of Yesteryear; the Chess Circle’s own Sir John Simon.
In 1932 when opening a tournament in Cambridge, he mused:
“What are the qualities of this Royal, this ancient and this splendid game? What are the attributes you may hope to find inherent, or developed in the chessplayer? It is very difficult, indeed, to say. I doubt if there is any game in which it is more important to exhibit two essential qualities of sport – modesty when you think you are going to win, and determination when you think you are going to lose.”
A review of the NLC’s match reports will show that determination is more common than modesty amongst the Lib players.
Wonderful stuff – thank you, James and Ben.