Posted in History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1960-1980, History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1980-2000 on September 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The content below has been gleaned from the S.C.C.U Bulletins only. Please note images 32 and 57 are of historical importance; image 32 shows the only instance of GM Sergio Mariotti competing for Bedfordshire with his brother Paolo, and image 57 shows GM James Plaskett making his debut for Bedfordshire.
Posted in History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1960-1980, History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1980-2000 on July 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Fellow Bedfordshire chess players: the only player who emerged from the Bedfordshire league and went on to become a GM was James Plaskett, and thereafter British champion in 1990 in sunny Eastbourne.
But just how good was he whilst still playing in the Beds. league? Well, he did finish second in the British championship in 78, however, that is just a statistic, so can hardly be classified as being heuristic for the average club and county player if drawing direct comparisons is the name of the game. What if I said his rating in the 1979 B.C.F list was 222, of further help? Let’s shift the goalposts somewhat.
In completing Norwood’s spiffing The Chess Traveller’s Quiz Book, I did notice that the very last puzzle comes from one of GM Plaskett’s games; an impressive victory accomplished while he was still playing in the Beds. league at the time. If you fancy it, I suggest you try to solve it, then decide for yourself how graspable it is, or is not! From that you should be able to deduce any disparity in ability there may be between yourself and that of a young Plaskett’s. You should bear in mind it is the very last puzzle of the book thus the hardest, (unsurprisingly, I couldn’t even get the first move right!). It is hoped that such endeavour should offer up some indication of his strength comparatively but do bear in mind this pertains to solving a puzzle, so you know something is afoot in the postion. That said, may I suggest you set aside a good few minutes for this if not more and, perhaps, put the right sort of thinking cap on? I should also add the solution to the puzzle is below.
Solution is below. Please refrain from reaching for it initially as it is somewhat self-defeating. Unhelpful clue -as I found out to my surprise, the first move is not Bxg6!
For further information on the game it should be pointed out that it was played in the European Junior Chess Championship, and that GM Plaskett finished 3rd, behind Soviet Union GM Sergei Dolmotov (2nd) and Dutch GM Jon Van Der Wiel. Some information can be found in the following link. https://www.olimpbase.org/~~V/ind-eicc/eu20b-1979.html?__r=5.8830a57d4c3c59c6d5e85f1c4c551575
NB. Comments placed on this site along the lines of ‘What in the devil’s name was the point in asking me to try and solve that!’ I shall not reply to. Praise along the lines of ‘Ah thanks, so that’s how good one of our own once was while still playing for Bedfordshire’ shall be welcomed.
“The Eleven Home Counties, which are thought in Land Taxes to pay more than their proportion, viz. Surrey with Southwark, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Kent, Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk, Berks, Bucks, and Oxfordshire.“
An Essay upon Ways and Means of Supplying the War, 1695 Charles Davenant
Mark. J. McCready
Colombia
Posted in History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1940-1960, History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1960-1980, tagged dennis victor mardle, Luton Chess Club on December 16, 2024| 1 Comment »
We have Dennis Victor Mardle. Born and raised in Luton, a varsities champion who represented his country once in a match against Holland. Rarely out of England’s top ten players in the 50s.
We also have Michael McDonald-Ross, the man who Bedfordshire’s strongest player ever homegrown talent GM James Plaskett said was his toughest opponent ever in the Beds league in the 70s.
It’s 1965, the British Championship, and generations apart, they met over the board. The game itself was a draw and sadly uneventful, as the Sicilian Kan often is. Why is this game significant? It’s the first time two noted players from the Bedfordshire league met at the British Championship. They were both amongst the strongest our league has ever seen and met at the British championship in 65. I have no records of two eminent figures in Bedfordshire chess history doing so before them. If presenting Bedfordshire chess at a national level is important, this was the first recorded instance.
I did speak to Michael McDonald Ross about this and he does still remember the game. Fyi in terms of rating they were both about 2200-2300. Anyway, here’s the game, forwarded to me by Mr. Paul Habershon, he who continues to offer help and support when he can always.
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2064348
MJM
Posted in History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1940-1960, History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1960-1980 on November 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Posted in History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1960-1980, History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1980-2000, tagged Ian Corden chess on November 7, 2024| 6 Comments »
Sandy Cordon‘s son Ian Cordon is the only player from Bedfordshire to participate in an Olympiad according to the research I have conducted so far. He played Board 1 for Bermuda twice. Old Tom Sweby also claimed he was the Bedfordshire first team’s youngest ever player, so I thought I should contact him:
‘Hi there, I am being asked by a number of your father’s former friends whether you have any of his games? There is one in particular where he played a stunning queen sacrifice at Hitchin in 83. GM Plaskett mentioned it to me as well as Paul Habershon. Don’t have it do you by chance?‘
‘Unfortunately no. I suspect all his old chess stuff got thrown out when the house was sold after he and his wife died. If I come across anything I will get back to you.‘
‘Also, I have a question. Columnist Tom Sweby, who wrote for the Luton News and Dunstable Gazette claims you were the youngest ever to play for the county first team. Is there any truth to this? Can you remember when you first played and how old you were?‘
‘I was 11, so in 1966. I tagged along with my Dad to watch a match between Beds. and Cambridge University and the Beds. team turned out to be a player short so I played on board 20. To everyone’s surprise, not least the student, I won.’
‘Sweby claims you were only 10, was he wrong there?‘
Hi Mark.
‘Yes I could have been 10, but quite honestly my memory of 60 years ago is a bit fuzzy! (Although weirdly I can still picture having to sit on a cushion to see the board.)‘
‘My Dad spent a lot of time and energy helping with chess administration. He was proud as president of the BCF of successfully changing the focus and finances to grassroots chess and away from the elite. I also remember him doing the gradings for everyone in southern England by hand.‘
‘As a player he was obviously a decent club player, but probably he was most proud of beating Tal when he came to give a simultaneous display (Luton I think in the 1960’s).‘
‘This was not reported on in the luton news. 75 wasn’t it or 74?‘
‘Yes he told me about his game against Tal (Tal sacrificed a piece for an attack and eventually my Dad returned the piece to defuse the attack and remain a pawn up). But I don’t know the date – I thought it was 1960’s but if it was 1970’s I would have been at university and only have heard about it later (which makes sense).‘
What can be gleaned from this? Until further research has been completed Ian Cordon remains the youngest to play for Bedfordshire first team and the only Bedfordshireonian to have participated at an Oympiad (1986 & 1988).
Update Dec 8th 2024, I am informed by former county team member Brian Valentine that Ian’s record as the youngest to participate for Bedfordshire has recently been broken by a certain Daniela Dairi, aged 9, who played on board 16 for Bedfordshire in the recently held Fleming Trophy.
Mark. J. McCready, Mandalay
Posted in History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1960-1980, tagged Mariotti Luton on October 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I have, on numerous occasions, argued that the strongest player ever to appear in the Bedfordshire league at the time of his presence was the Italian Sergio Mariotti. That was the 70-71 season. (Please refer to the History of Bedfordshire chess) category. He was a strong IM at the time and appeared 3rd in England on the BCF rating list of that year (about 240). Within a few years he became Italy’s first Grandmaster and could hold his own against the current world champion Karpov, and also beat just about everyone else in the years to come.
Mariotti’s draw against Karpov in 75
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1067879
GM Matthew Sadler has had a look at quite a few of his games, which show just how strong he was. At the beginning of the first video, GM Sadler tells us that Tal once said had Mariotti been born in the Soviet Union, he would have been world champion.
Mark. J. McCready
Bangkok/Mandalay
Posted in History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1960-1980 on October 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »
We had a certain Donald Curtis appear in our league once. Who was he?
More info can be found here.
MJM
Posted in History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1960-1980, History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1980-2000 on October 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »
If we broaden the criteria to those who played in the Bedfordshire league and also played at an Olympiad, then we have two players.
First was Sergio Mariotti (70-71 Beds. league). He was an IM then but soon became a GM and played for his home nation Italy.
Second was Ian Cordon from Kempston (Sandy’s son). He played for Bermuda twice.
The third case that never was. In 2004 Nick McBride of Dunstable was selected to play for Jersey but declined.
Former Beds. league players who can be discounted, having not participated in an olympiad.
Is there anyone I have missed? I really don’t think I need to research J. M. Craddock. Anyone else I should look into?
MJM
Posted in History of Bedfordshire Chess from 1960-1980 on May 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »
As was spelled out in the following post https://mccreadyandchess.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/bedfordshire-chess-in-the-70s-its-past-and-its-future/ as far back as the late 50s and early 60s the youth of Bedfordshire were playing competitive chess at school and trickling into the Bedfordshire league as a result. To claim the rise in popularity of chess amongst the youth was part of the so called nationwide ‘English chess explosion’, which followed on from the success of Fischer is a mistake easily disproven. That was principally a 70s phenomenon which impacted our county later down the line.
Here we have evidence from 1961 that schools in Bedfordshire were competing against each other and attracting publicity in the process. Not only playing against other schools in our county but also schools outside it. As the reportage states, this was not the first instance and we can safely say almost certainly not the last.
Earlier that year, reportage shows that county and Junior County Matches were held simultaneously at the same venue. This suggests that senior figures within the county were involved in housing events together. I shall await further clarification on this matter (if possible).
With regards to the Bedfordshire league, there is reportage reporting that in 1961 BMS were already participating.
Bedford Modern School also participated in the national schools championship in 1961.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
A side note on how to read old Tom Sweby's columns
Not perhaps, but quintessentially, Old Tom Sweby is best thought of as a passionate devotee to the newspapers he wrote for. He was well read and knowledgeable of the Bedfordshire chess scene and well beyond, given that he was the president of the S.C.C.U. once upon a time. He was generally well-respected and rubbed shoulders with many, if not all, of those eminent within British chess circles. It would, however, be a critical mistake to see his column is primary source material entirely. That it is not. You will also find secondary source material quoted too, and the reliability of that is not quite as Tom hoped. Given that he wrote for decades, this is to some degree inevitable, and after all we are all prone to error whether we realize it or not. Thankfully, with regards to old Tom Sweby, they are infrequent and for the most part old Tom continued to document events and developments in the Bedfordshire league from the get go as best he could but, of course, everything lies open to interpretation. Despite this, and generally speaking. this does indeed make him informative and thus worth reading. Dare I say his columns constitute a narrative describing the latest developments, match reports and changing nature of the Beds league...he knew his audience and wrote according. This manifested itself over decades but brevity was always in play courtesy of the restictions imposed by writing a column. Should you wish to read a in instrumental figure of the Beds' league post WW2, you are quite welcome to peruse what has been posted here... . :-) I should, however, point out that as the decades wore on he gradually moved on away from narratives concerning the Bedfordshire league towards affairs both historical and international. The reasons for this are multifarous, old age was a predominante factor presumably, however, the bottom line is with regards to how the Bedfordshire chess scene developed post WW2: old Tom Sweby is your go to guy. He wrote more about chess in Bedforshire than anyone else did but given he was a Lutonian and writing for a Luton newspaper there is both bias and greater coverage of his hometown than the rest of the county.
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