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Usually I only come on chesstalk to heap praise or bitter criticism but not today! I need your help.
I have been given this idea from a Bulgarian chess friend named 'Boris' that Mir Sultan Khan, the East Indian slave who took the chess world by storm between 1929-33, is long overdue to be awarded the GM title. Traveling with his English 'master' to London and later Europe Khan was unable to even read English notation and had grown up playing Indian chess with different rules regarding pawn promotion and stalemate.
He was acquired and taught European chess then taken to London, England in the Spring of 1929. His 2nd tournament in London was the British Championship and he won! Over 5 years Mir Sultan Khan went on to win the British Championship 3 times in 4 tries, played 1st board for England 3 times at the Olympiad and beat many of the top players in the world at the time including Capablanca.
In 1933 Khan went back to India with his master. He is known to have played one match in India, yielding a draw in 10 games. He was never heard from in the chess world again.
The pressure of playing under such conditions, knowing you were purchased for this reason, must have been unbearable. He was also sick often being a slight man and from a tropical locale.
In 1950 when FIDE began awarding GM and IM titles Khan had not played long enough to qualify and was given no title. Others who were much weaker but had strong careers years earlier were given titles.
I promised my friend 'Boris' I would make some effort to get the idea out there. Maybe there are more important people than me who would like to see Mir Sultan Khan recognized for his contributions to chess and for the rightful title he would have earned.
I'm nobody so no one will listen to me. I can barely get cars to stop for me at red lights! But I would like to use the timing to put a motion forward to candidates of the FIDE presidency to posthumously award Mir Sultan Khan the FIDE Grandmaster title. I will post a similar thread in other places and on my twitter and youtube channel. If I think people will respond positively I can start a facebook page or an online petition and try to get a few hundred or even thousand names on it.
Even if you're not keen on the idea I hope you will check out the life and games of Mir Sultan Khan, one of the greatest natural players of all time!
Probably Sultan Khan's most famous game is his win as White against Capablanca at Hastings 1930–31:
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 b6 3.c4 Bb7 4.Nc3 e6 5.a3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bg5 Be7 8.e3 0-0 9.Bd3 Ne4 10.Bf4 Nd7 11.Qc2 f5 12.Nb5 Bd6 13.Nxd6 cxd6 14.h4 Rc8 15.Qb3 Qe7 16.Nd2 Ndf6 17.Nxe4 fxe4 18.Be2 Rc6 19.g4 Rfc8 20.g5 Ne8 21.Bg4 Rc1 22.Kd2 R8c2 23.Qxc2 Rxc2 24.Kxc2 Qc7 25.Kd2 Qc4 26.Be2 Qb3 27.Rab1 Kf7 28.Rhc1 Ke7 29.Rc3 Qa4 30.b4 Qd7 31.Rbc1 a6 32.Rg1 Qa4 33.Rgc1 Qd7 34.h5 Kd8 35.R1c2 Qh3 36.Kc1 Qh4 37.Kb2 Qh3 38.Rc1 Qh4 39.R3c2 Qh3 40.a4 Qh4 41.Ka3 Qh3 42.Bg3 Qf5 43.Bh4 g6 44.h6 Qd7 45.b5 a5 46.Bg3 Qf5 47.Bf4 Qh3 48.Kb2 Qg2 49.Kb1 Qh3 50.Ka1 Qg2 51.Kb2 Qh3 52.Rg1 Bc8 53.Rc6 Qh4 54.Rgc1 Bg4 55.Bf1 Qh5 56.Re1 Qh1 57.Rec1 Qh5 58.Kc3 Qh4 59.Bg3 Qxg5 60.Kd2 Qh5 61.Rxb6 Ke7 62.Rb7 Ke6 63.b6 Nf6 64.Bb5 Qh3 65.Rb8 1–0
I have been given this idea from a Bulgarian chess friend named 'Boris' that Mir Sultan Khan, the East Indian slave who took the chess world by storm between 1929-33, is long overdue to be awarded the GM title. Traveling with his English 'master' to London and later Europe Khan was unable to even read English notation and had grown up playing Indian chess with different rules regarding pawn promotion and stalemate.
He was acquired and taught European chess then taken to London, England in the Spring of 1929. His 2nd tournament in London was the British Championship and he won! Over 5 years Mir Sultan Khan went on to win the British Championship 3 times in 4 tries, played 1st board for England 3 times at the Olympiad and beat many of the top players in the world at the time including Capablanca.
In 1933 Khan went back to India with his master. He is known to have played one match in India, yielding a draw in 10 games. He was never heard from in the chess world again.
The pressure of playing under such conditions, knowing you were purchased for this reason, must have been unbearable. He was also sick often being a slight man and from a tropical locale.
In 1950 when FIDE began awarding GM and IM titles Khan had not played long enough to qualify and was given no title. Others who were much weaker but had strong careers years earlier were given titles.
I promised my friend 'Boris' I would make some effort to get the idea out there. Maybe there are more important people than me who would like to see Mir Sultan Khan recognized for his contributions to chess and for the rightful title he would have earned.
I'm nobody so no one will listen to me. I can barely get cars to stop for me at red lights! But I would like to use the timing to put a motion forward to candidates of the FIDE presidency to posthumously award Mir Sultan Khan the FIDE Grandmaster title. I will post a similar thread in other places and on my twitter and youtube channel. If I think people will respond positively I can start a facebook page or an online petition and try to get a few hundred or even thousand names on it.
Even if you're not keen on the idea I hope you will check out the life and games of Mir Sultan Khan, one of the greatest natural players of all time!
Probably Sultan Khan's most famous game is his win as White against Capablanca at Hastings 1930–31:
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 b6 3.c4 Bb7 4.Nc3 e6 5.a3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bg5 Be7 8.e3 0-0 9.Bd3 Ne4 10.Bf4 Nd7 11.Qc2 f5 12.Nb5 Bd6 13.Nxd6 cxd6 14.h4 Rc8 15.Qb3 Qe7 16.Nd2 Ndf6 17.Nxe4 fxe4 18.Be2 Rc6 19.g4 Rfc8 20.g5 Ne8 21.Bg4 Rc1 22.Kd2 R8c2 23.Qxc2 Rxc2 24.Kxc2 Qc7 25.Kd2 Qc4 26.Be2 Qb3 27.Rab1 Kf7 28.Rhc1 Ke7 29.Rc3 Qa4 30.b4 Qd7 31.Rbc1 a6 32.Rg1 Qa4 33.Rgc1 Qd7 34.h5 Kd8 35.R1c2 Qh3 36.Kc1 Qh4 37.Kb2 Qh3 38.Rc1 Qh4 39.R3c2 Qh3 40.a4 Qh4 41.Ka3 Qh3 42.Bg3 Qf5 43.Bh4 g6 44.h6 Qd7 45.b5 a5 46.Bg3 Qf5 47.Bf4 Qh3 48.Kb2 Qg2 49.Kb1 Qh3 50.Ka1 Qg2 51.Kb2 Qh3 52.Rg1 Bc8 53.Rc6 Qh4 54.Rgc1 Bg4 55.Bf1 Qh5 56.Re1 Qh1 57.Rec1 Qh5 58.Kc3 Qh4 59.Bg3 Qxg5 60.Kd2 Qh5 61.Rxb6 Ke7 62.Rb7 Ke6 63.b6 Nf6 64.Bb5 Qh3 65.Rb8 1–0
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