Long-time readers of this august journal may be able to cast their minds back to the strange coincidence of Mister J. J. Moore.
Here, at the very start of the renaissance of Liberal Chess, was a moment of serendipity. Evidence of chess at the Liberal Club fell (almost) out of the sky, as if it were a divine message from the Goddess Caissa to the few dedicated pilgrims then striving to reintroduce chess to the hallowed rooms of 1 Whitehall Place.
Yet at the core of the story was a mystery. As the article then put it: “Who Mister J.J. Moore was, who he played for and what competition he was playing are now surely lost to the mists of chess games gone”.
Not so anymore. Mister Giffin QC MA (Oxon) put his substantial analytical and and research skills to work and uncovered the following monograph authored by our Mister Moore himself.
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Open in new tab So Mister J.J. Moore turned out to be quite the player. Metropolitan Match Captain from 1966 to 1976, and Metropolitan President from 1979 to 1990.
(As it happens, you’re correspondent, in his first blush of youth, played or the Metropolitan in the early 2000s. There he came across and played against George Dickson and Ray Hamilton – both mentioned in the monograph.)
Here’s one of his games from the Club Championship 1964 – a must win encounter for our man.
Of course, quite what Mister J. J. Moore was doing playing in the Liberal Club still remains a mystery…
Epilogue
The last two pages are well worth a read – in particular regarding the Club Captain Mister Bee. Be thankful Captain Kirby has yet to reach Mister Bee levels of quirkiness (yet).
There are things to learn from this Mister Bee. I can put myself on Board 6 and bag the nicest table.
I don’t insist on being called ‘Match Captain and President’ though, the levels of monomania aren’t that high (yet!).
However Ben, as the person who runs the tournaments, would you like the title ‘Controller’?
‘Controller Widdicombe’. I’ll have that…