1966 WC Match

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  • Vlad Dobrich
    replied
    Re: 1966 WC Match

    Originally posted by Erik Malmsten View Post
    I was hired by Dobrich to direct the Sunday afternoon Junior tournament (13 and under - free cookies), something like 1974 to 79.

    One or two of the week nights would have CFC rated round-robins.

    The club had a large library And there were often strong players around who would show games and problems.

    Working members would take shifts to get a free membership and a little of the coffee money.

    The big negative was the heavy cloud of cigarette smoke late Sat. afternoons.
    Hi Erik,
    I think you meant 1964 t0 69.

    Leave a comment:


  • Erik Malmsten
    replied
    Re: 1966 WC Match

    Originally posted by Vlad Dobrich View Post
    We only had room for about 40 players, so instead of looking for larger quarters, we added playing days eventually opening seven days a week. Each day was aimed at a different level of play >>>>
    Monday Novice Night
    Wednesday Rapid (15 minute) Tournament
    Saturday afternoon Blitz Tournament
    The Saturday event was timed to avoid the very popular Toronto Chess Club's Friday night blitz at 321 Davenport Road.
    I can't recall what we did on other days. But we owed a special thank you to Mr Stephen David a retired Austrian gentleman who was the club host/treasurer - & coffee maker (with a sharp eye to anyone who failed to pay his quarter for the coffee :) Mr David also ordered additional chess sets and clocks from Zoltan Sarosy (his 109th birthday is next month!)who was the local importer for the equipment at that time. The sets were all fine boxwood, weighted & felted (now would sell for $150 +) and the large Koopman clocks (don't know if any still around)

    Those were the days, my friend,
    We thought they'd never end .......
    I was hired by Dobrich to direct the Sunday afternoon Junior tournament (13 and under - free cookies), something like 1974 to 79.

    One or two of the week nights would have CFC rated round-robins.

    The club had a large library And there were often strong players around who would show games and problems.

    Working members would take shifts to get a free membership and a little of the coffee money.

    The big negative was the heavy cloud of cigarette smoke late Sat. afternoons.

    Leave a comment:


  • Vlad Dobrich
    replied
    Re: 1966 WC Match

    Originally posted by Gary Ruben View Post
    The way I remember your play from back then, in today's environment you would easily be an IM.
    .............and still be swatted like an annoying fly by a top GM :D

    Leave a comment:


  • Gary Ruben
    replied
    Re: 1966 WC Match

    Originally posted by Vlad Dobrich View Post

    In the following decade, I was priveleged to play both Spassky and Larsen in two Canadian Opens. And in each case I was swatted like an annoying fly :(.
    The way I remember your play from back then, in today's environment you would easily be an IM.

    Leave a comment:


  • Vlad Dobrich
    replied
    Re: 1966 WC Match

    Originally posted by Hugh Brodie View Post

    Wasn't there a club on Adelaide St. in Toronto? I seem to remember going there.
    Sometime C 1970, the YMCA building was torn down to make room for the new Toronto Police Headquarters.
    Consequently, the club was moved to Adelaide street where they stayed for nearly a year.
    I was no longer active with the club - I had my hands full writing the chess column for the Toronto Star as well as publishing the original Chess Canada. Sometime about then, Martin Yeager was elected club president one of the new breed of chess organizers. After his election, he 'kindly' put his arm across Mr David's shoulder and suggested it was time for him to step down to make room for someone from the new generation. I don't know if the comment killed Mr David or what happened to him after that.

    Leave a comment:


  • Hugh Brodie
    replied
    Re: 1966 WC Match

    Back in 1972 in Montreal, we had a chess club/cafe with 1500 paid "members" - you paid $5 for a year for the privilege of using a chess set without any extra charge - and to watch analysis of the Fischer-Spassky match as the moves came in by teletype compliments of "La Presse". Including standees, you could fit 70 or 80 people in there at a time (probably exceeding the fore regulations). I would assume the YMCA club was like that as well - many joined and showed up once or twice, and not all 400 tried showing up at once. :-)

    Wasn't there a club on Adelaide St. in Toronto? I seem to remember going there.

    A few Montrealers I know still own Koopman clocks.

    Leave a comment:


  • Vlad Dobrich
    replied
    Re: 1966 WC Match

    Originally posted by Egidijus Zeromskis View Post
    What was a normal number of players for an average day/evening? What activities did you run with this crowd?
    We only had room for about 40 players, so instead of looking for larger quarters, we added playing days eventually opening seven days a week. Each day was aimed at a different level of play >>>>
    Monday Novice Night
    Wednesday Rapid (15 minute) Tournament
    Saturday afternoon Blitz Tournament
    The Saturday event was timed to avoid the very popular Toronto Chess Club's Friday night blitz at 321 Davenport Road.
    I can't recall what we did on other days. But we owed a special thank you to Mr Stephen David a retired Austrian gentleman who was the club host/treasurer - & coffee maker (with a sharp eye to anyone who failed to pay his quarter for the coffee :) Mr David also ordered additional chess sets and clocks from Zoltan Sarosy (his 109th birthday is next month!)who was the local importer for the equipment at that time. The sets were all fine boxwood, weighted & felted (now would sell for $150 +) and the large Koopman clocks (don't know if any still around)

    Those were the days, my friend,
    We thought they'd never end .......
    Last edited by Vlad Dobrich; Friday, 24th July, 2015, 11:40 AM.

    Leave a comment:


  • Egidijus Zeromskis
    replied
    Re: 1966 WC Match

    Originally posted by Vlad Dobrich View Post
    which then had 400 members
    What was a normal number of players for an average day/evening? What activities did you run with this crowd?

    Leave a comment:


  • Vlad Dobrich
    replied
    Re: 1966 WC Match

    The detailed tabulation of how Spassky won the right to play Petrosian for the title can be found in this Wiki post >>>>>>>
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_...mpionship_1966

    In the following decade, I was priveleged to play both Spassky and Larsen in two Canadian Opens. And in each case I was swatted like an annoying fly :(.

    Leave a comment:


  • Vlad Dobrich
    replied
    Re: 1966 WC Match

    For a profile on Peter Worthington, go to Wikipedia >>>>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Worthington

    Leave a comment:


  • Vlad Dobrich
    started a topic 1966 WC Match

    1966 WC Match

    Kevin Spraggett has a retro piece on the Spassky - Petrosian title match with some previously unpublished photos. That stirred up some memory cells. >>>>>>

    Before I started writing the weekly chess column in the Toronto Star in 1969, I was following the 1966 WC match in Moscow via '64' the chess supplement in 'Sovietsky Sport' . At that time, the Toronto Telegram had a reporter stationed in Moscow, one Peter Worthington. So I wrote a short note to the Telly explaining the significance of the event. A few days later, a very good piece on the Championship appeared in the paper much to the delight of the chess players at my club - the YMCA Chess Club at 40 College Street which then had 400 members (no competition from internet chess!)
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