Thanks Hans, that is an incredible compliment to Nick. I am quite touched and I know that Bryon would be too.
Many people knew Nick by reputation, of course, but few knew him well and got close to him. He was very different over post-game refreshments than he was during the rest of the time he spent with friends. The one quality that struck me the most was his shyness. Nick was one of the shyest persons that I have ever known. I was immediately attracted to him when I learned that he was a huge lover of cats- dogs too, but especially cats. I myself share this profound love, and in 1995 Nick gave me two cats that had been born in the apartment that he shared with the love of his life, Heather. Both Zugzwang and Thomas Hearns were named by Nick himself, and like Nick they were both destined to live only to middle age.
As we grown older, and as the world around us falls apart, we naturally turn to our memories for solace. I had the good fortune of spending a lot of time with Nick and Heather, crashing at their apartment during the various Toronto tournaments during those years. They also spent the Closed of 1995 and the Open of 1998 with me in Ottawa. In Toronto, Nick and Heather had a small place, just a bachelor, and often I was not the only guest. Nick never slept, I have never know anyone who could stay awake for so long. And he had a remarkable ability to remember his games, move by move, no matter how long ago he had played them. We would start by looking at the game he had just played, but Nick would explain other games he had played in the same opening, or against the same opponent, and remember them from start to finish even if they had been played years earlier. His chess memory was astounding, this must be why his opening repertoire was so deep. As noted above, Nick's favourite player from the past was probably Capablanca, but he was also quite fond of both Fischer and Karpov. Michael Schleifer once told me that Nick played like Fischer.
Many people knew Nick by reputation, of course, but few knew him well and got close to him. He was very different over post-game refreshments than he was during the rest of the time he spent with friends. The one quality that struck me the most was his shyness. Nick was one of the shyest persons that I have ever known. I was immediately attracted to him when I learned that he was a huge lover of cats- dogs too, but especially cats. I myself share this profound love, and in 1995 Nick gave me two cats that had been born in the apartment that he shared with the love of his life, Heather. Both Zugzwang and Thomas Hearns were named by Nick himself, and like Nick they were both destined to live only to middle age.
As we grown older, and as the world around us falls apart, we naturally turn to our memories for solace. I had the good fortune of spending a lot of time with Nick and Heather, crashing at their apartment during the various Toronto tournaments during those years. They also spent the Closed of 1995 and the Open of 1998 with me in Ottawa. In Toronto, Nick and Heather had a small place, just a bachelor, and often I was not the only guest. Nick never slept, I have never know anyone who could stay awake for so long. And he had a remarkable ability to remember his games, move by move, no matter how long ago he had played them. We would start by looking at the game he had just played, but Nick would explain other games he had played in the same opening, or against the same opponent, and remember them from start to finish even if they had been played years earlier. His chess memory was astounding, this must be why his opening repertoire was so deep. As noted above, Nick's favourite player from the past was probably Capablanca, but he was also quite fond of both Fischer and Karpov. Michael Schleifer once told me that Nick played like Fischer.
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