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Tony Miles
Tony Miles would have been 60 years old today, April 23, 2015.
I first saw him in 1970, a fresh-faced schoolboy, watching, as I was, the British Chess Championship at Coventry.
His obituary by Leonard Barden in The Guardian of Wednesday, November 1, 2001:
Tony Miles, Britain's first chess grandmaster, who has died aged 46, inspired a generation of English talent to defeat Russian opponents and challenge the Soviet Union for world supremacy. Miles learned chess at the age of five, was educated at King Edward's school, Birmingham, won the 1968 British under-14 title and then improved rapidly. In 1973, when he was silver medalist in the junior world championship at Teesside, beating the Russian Alexander Belyavsky in the individual game, his luggage was stolen before the tournament. He started badly and could not quite catch up, but resolved to win the next year.
In Manila in 1974, he crushed another Russian, Alexander Kochiev, who foolishly allowed Miles's favourite Sicilian Dragon Defence, and won the gold medal. He is still the only Briton ever to succeed in this competitive event. The victory led him to abandon his Sheffield University course, but the university still honoured him with an honorary degree for his chess achievements.
In 1976, he became Britain's first grandmaster at a tournament in Dubna, USSR, and earned a £5,000 award from the financier Jim Slater, who had also sponsored the world junior tournament in Teesside. The chess federation secretary, who had asked Miles to send a cable if he became a grandmaster, received a telegram with the words: "A cable. Tony Miles".
Later in 1976, Miles tied with the world number two, Viktor Korchnoi in Amsterdam. He then decided: "The only thing left is to have a go at Anatoly Karpov." The Russian, who had gained the world title after America's Bobby Fischer defaulted his crown, was reckoned to be near unbeatable.
In 1980, Miles and Karpov met in the England v USSR match at the European team championship in Skara, Sweden. Karpov opened with his usual 1 e4 and Miles replied with 1 a6, a defence so bizarre it had no name. Karpov was offended by the lese-majeste, played badly and was beaten. The game, along with England's 4-4 draw in the match, created a sensation and was a defining moment in England's acceptance as a top chess country. For weeks, afterwards, the Russian magazines even avoided publication of Miles's first move, while he poked fun at them by calling it the Birmingham Defence, after his home city.
In 1983, Miles beat Karpov again, this time in the final of the BBC's televised Master Game programme. The game received little publicity due to a television technicians' strike.
Miles was ranked for a decade among the top 10 grandmasters, but despite his successes, he never reached the candidates round of the world championship. The problem was that he globetrotted too much, travelling from one tournament to another with hardly a break, leaving insufficient time for preparation and rest.
His best result came in 1984 at Tilburg, where he won a top-class event by one and a half points, beating three world-title candidates. In contrast, he took on Garry Kasparov in 1986 in a non-title series but lost by a crushing 5-0 with one draw. His wry comment afterwards was: "I thought I was playing a world champion, not a monster with 22 eyes who sees everything."
He was again successful at Tilburg in 1985, when he tied for first prize in a remarkable way. He began badly, then injured his back. The organisers took pity and allowed him to play the rest of his games stomach-down on a hospital massage table. There he scored a series of wins, and his opponents were reduced to a petition for the table's removal.
Miles was overtaken by a new generation of British players led by Nigel Short, and was no longer top board in the England Olympiad team. He attempted a new start, first by transferring his allegiance to the US in 1987, and then taking a home in Germany. These moves were not successful, but when he returned to Birmingham, his results immediately improved.
Miles continued as an active player into his 40s, still ranking among the top 100 in the world and winning three times at Cuba's prestigious Capablanca Memorial. He captained the Slough chess team which won three British titles, and coached young Midlands talents. His witty, monthly internet column poked fun at the pretentious, and put forward constructive ideas to improve the world chess scene.
He liked offbeat openings, and used an arsenal of rare variations, which he combined with more orthodox systems. His middle game was tough and professional, and he was specially adept in using a small advantage to grind down opponents.
Miles was outspoken but well liked, and will be missed by his many chess friends. His influential legacy is as the pioneer who inspired modern British players to reach international heights.
A diabetic, he lived alone. He died in his sleep at home in Harborne, Birmingham, at the weekend and was found by a friend on Monday morning. He was divorced twice and had no children.
_________
From an homage to Tony Miles by Paul Lam:
https://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/chess-corner-4/
When a Russian journalist, no doubt expecting to conduct a serious interview, asked him what his favourite hobby was, he replied ‘sleeping’.
Wherever he went, controversy would follow him. At Tilburg 1984, a back injury looked to have put paid to his chances of competing, as he could not sit in a chair without being in considerable pain.
Instead of pulling out however, he persuaded the tournament director to allow him to play on a bed, much to the annoyance of opponents who found the sight of Miles playing moves from a bed disconcerting to say the least! He went on to share first place in the tournament with the great Viktor Korchnoi, in a field of world-class players.
He could be blunt and irreverent in equal measure. His review of one chess book came down to two words: ‘Utter crap’. He could however also be a witty and engaging writer.
He possessed a gentle, teasing sense of humour. Mike Fox enjoyed telling the story of how he once taught a blind gentleman to play chess. Upon being told of this, as quick as a flash, Tony replied, with a wicked glint in his eye, ‘Aha, the blind leading the blind!’
In the wider chess world, Miles is perhaps best remembered for his defeat of the then-World Champion Anatoly Karpov in 1980. Playing with the black pieces, Miles bamboozled his legendary opponent with an eccentric choice of opening, 1.e4 a6(!); an opening that would have provoked incredulity if it was played in a local league match, let alone at the stratosphere of chess!
Karpov is said to have later referred to it as the ‘incorrect opening’. The result sent shockwaves through the Soviet Chess Establishment. Not only had a Soviet World Champion suffered defeat at the hands of a Western player, but the manner in which he had lost was considered the ultimate humiliation.
Soviet chess magazines failed to mention that it ever took place and the game remained a taboo subject for some time afterwards. For his part, Miles revelled in his moment of glory, mocking those who excoriated his impudent choice of opening by labelling it the ‘Birmingham Defence’ after his home city!
________
One of his most memorable latter day triumphs was at the Intel World Grand Prix, London 1995, playing against a young Vladimir Kramnik.
The younger Kramnik was not yet World Champion, but still a world’s top-ten player and the clear favourite to win. True to form, in the first game, Miles chose a less than orthodox opening, the pseudo-Trompowsky (1.d4 d5 2.Bg5), but turned in a fine performance, making a positional knight sacrifice and later a queen sacrifice which forced Kramnik’s resignation.
However, Kramnik levelled in the second game, resulting in a blitz play-off in which Miles needed to hold the draw as Black to go through to the next round, but in which he had only four minutes on the clock to Kramnik’s five.
Miles made 25 moves alone in the first minute and in the time-scramble held on for the draw to go through, upon which he stood up and punched the air in delight like a football player to the cheers of an ecstatic audience.
Tony Miles would have been 60 years old today, April 23, 2015.
I first saw him in 1970, a fresh-faced schoolboy, watching, as I was, the British Chess Championship at Coventry.
His obituary by Leonard Barden in The Guardian of Wednesday, November 1, 2001:
Tony Miles, Britain's first chess grandmaster, who has died aged 46, inspired a generation of English talent to defeat Russian opponents and challenge the Soviet Union for world supremacy. Miles learned chess at the age of five, was educated at King Edward's school, Birmingham, won the 1968 British under-14 title and then improved rapidly. In 1973, when he was silver medalist in the junior world championship at Teesside, beating the Russian Alexander Belyavsky in the individual game, his luggage was stolen before the tournament. He started badly and could not quite catch up, but resolved to win the next year.
In Manila in 1974, he crushed another Russian, Alexander Kochiev, who foolishly allowed Miles's favourite Sicilian Dragon Defence, and won the gold medal. He is still the only Briton ever to succeed in this competitive event. The victory led him to abandon his Sheffield University course, but the university still honoured him with an honorary degree for his chess achievements.
In 1976, he became Britain's first grandmaster at a tournament in Dubna, USSR, and earned a £5,000 award from the financier Jim Slater, who had also sponsored the world junior tournament in Teesside. The chess federation secretary, who had asked Miles to send a cable if he became a grandmaster, received a telegram with the words: "A cable. Tony Miles".
Later in 1976, Miles tied with the world number two, Viktor Korchnoi in Amsterdam. He then decided: "The only thing left is to have a go at Anatoly Karpov." The Russian, who had gained the world title after America's Bobby Fischer defaulted his crown, was reckoned to be near unbeatable.
In 1980, Miles and Karpov met in the England v USSR match at the European team championship in Skara, Sweden. Karpov opened with his usual 1 e4 and Miles replied with 1 a6, a defence so bizarre it had no name. Karpov was offended by the lese-majeste, played badly and was beaten. The game, along with England's 4-4 draw in the match, created a sensation and was a defining moment in England's acceptance as a top chess country. For weeks, afterwards, the Russian magazines even avoided publication of Miles's first move, while he poked fun at them by calling it the Birmingham Defence, after his home city.
In 1983, Miles beat Karpov again, this time in the final of the BBC's televised Master Game programme. The game received little publicity due to a television technicians' strike.
Miles was ranked for a decade among the top 10 grandmasters, but despite his successes, he never reached the candidates round of the world championship. The problem was that he globetrotted too much, travelling from one tournament to another with hardly a break, leaving insufficient time for preparation and rest.
His best result came in 1984 at Tilburg, where he won a top-class event by one and a half points, beating three world-title candidates. In contrast, he took on Garry Kasparov in 1986 in a non-title series but lost by a crushing 5-0 with one draw. His wry comment afterwards was: "I thought I was playing a world champion, not a monster with 22 eyes who sees everything."
He was again successful at Tilburg in 1985, when he tied for first prize in a remarkable way. He began badly, then injured his back. The organisers took pity and allowed him to play the rest of his games stomach-down on a hospital massage table. There he scored a series of wins, and his opponents were reduced to a petition for the table's removal.
Miles was overtaken by a new generation of British players led by Nigel Short, and was no longer top board in the England Olympiad team. He attempted a new start, first by transferring his allegiance to the US in 1987, and then taking a home in Germany. These moves were not successful, but when he returned to Birmingham, his results immediately improved.
Miles continued as an active player into his 40s, still ranking among the top 100 in the world and winning three times at Cuba's prestigious Capablanca Memorial. He captained the Slough chess team which won three British titles, and coached young Midlands talents. His witty, monthly internet column poked fun at the pretentious, and put forward constructive ideas to improve the world chess scene.
He liked offbeat openings, and used an arsenal of rare variations, which he combined with more orthodox systems. His middle game was tough and professional, and he was specially adept in using a small advantage to grind down opponents.
Miles was outspoken but well liked, and will be missed by his many chess friends. His influential legacy is as the pioneer who inspired modern British players to reach international heights.
A diabetic, he lived alone. He died in his sleep at home in Harborne, Birmingham, at the weekend and was found by a friend on Monday morning. He was divorced twice and had no children.
_________
From an homage to Tony Miles by Paul Lam:
https://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/chess-corner-4/
When a Russian journalist, no doubt expecting to conduct a serious interview, asked him what his favourite hobby was, he replied ‘sleeping’.
Wherever he went, controversy would follow him. At Tilburg 1984, a back injury looked to have put paid to his chances of competing, as he could not sit in a chair without being in considerable pain.
Instead of pulling out however, he persuaded the tournament director to allow him to play on a bed, much to the annoyance of opponents who found the sight of Miles playing moves from a bed disconcerting to say the least! He went on to share first place in the tournament with the great Viktor Korchnoi, in a field of world-class players.
He could be blunt and irreverent in equal measure. His review of one chess book came down to two words: ‘Utter crap’. He could however also be a witty and engaging writer.
He possessed a gentle, teasing sense of humour. Mike Fox enjoyed telling the story of how he once taught a blind gentleman to play chess. Upon being told of this, as quick as a flash, Tony replied, with a wicked glint in his eye, ‘Aha, the blind leading the blind!’
In the wider chess world, Miles is perhaps best remembered for his defeat of the then-World Champion Anatoly Karpov in 1980. Playing with the black pieces, Miles bamboozled his legendary opponent with an eccentric choice of opening, 1.e4 a6(!); an opening that would have provoked incredulity if it was played in a local league match, let alone at the stratosphere of chess!
Karpov is said to have later referred to it as the ‘incorrect opening’. The result sent shockwaves through the Soviet Chess Establishment. Not only had a Soviet World Champion suffered defeat at the hands of a Western player, but the manner in which he had lost was considered the ultimate humiliation.
Soviet chess magazines failed to mention that it ever took place and the game remained a taboo subject for some time afterwards. For his part, Miles revelled in his moment of glory, mocking those who excoriated his impudent choice of opening by labelling it the ‘Birmingham Defence’ after his home city!
________
One of his most memorable latter day triumphs was at the Intel World Grand Prix, London 1995, playing against a young Vladimir Kramnik.
The younger Kramnik was not yet World Champion, but still a world’s top-ten player and the clear favourite to win. True to form, in the first game, Miles chose a less than orthodox opening, the pseudo-Trompowsky (1.d4 d5 2.Bg5), but turned in a fine performance, making a positional knight sacrifice and later a queen sacrifice which forced Kramnik’s resignation.
However, Kramnik levelled in the second game, resulting in a blitz play-off in which Miles needed to hold the draw as Black to go through to the next round, but in which he had only four minutes on the clock to Kramnik’s five.
Miles made 25 moves alone in the first minute and in the time-scramble held on for the draw to go through, upon which he stood up and punched the air in delight like a football player to the cheers of an ecstatic audience.
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