Collective Nouns - Fischer v Spassky

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  • Hans Jung
    replied
    Hi Bob, You might be thinking of Ron Jenkins. Peter Murray was the strongest of all those, except for John Wright for a period of less than a year. John Wright went to Toronto and then ended up switching to correspondence where he became an International Master. Year later (2016?) he started playing at the Annex Chess Club over the board again. Ted Durrant had a stellar result at the 1973 Canadian Open in Ottawa which put him well over 2200. Then he quit tournament chess.
    Peter Murray had an acerbic wit. His take on Dan Surlan was, Dan was 2400 in the opening, 2200 in the early middlegame, 2000 in the late middlegame, and 1800 by the end. Another great quote was why should i study opening books when I have Dan Surlan? Dan Surlan would spend hours upon hours creating intricate lines in very sharp openings at home and then spring these surprises in tournament play. Peter played Dan thousands of games of speed chess and learned all Dan's opening surprises. One evening I was at the YMCA watching the two go at it and they had started well before the club opening and continued past midnight. The score was 27.5 - 22.5 for Peter. Peter was very disciplined and meticulously notched the score of every result on the back of an envelope. I said to him: Why do you bother? Because if I dont Dan will deny it. and of course he kept a running tally of every encounter and on that particular evening "limited" himself to 50 games. I must add that Dan Surlan was employed by Peter's father as a lab technician at the university for 30 years. Peter's father was head of the physic's? department and is still alive well past the age of 100 (afaik).
    After a score of 4-0 against me I finally beat Peter at the Canadian Open 1988 in Scarboro. Peter than stopped playing tournament chess but made a comeback at Reykjavik 2017, 30 years later. He played the same strength as when he quit although he was more than 70 yrs old. Sadly I missed the grand reunion with him and Leon Piasetski because I was busy looking after my mother.

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  • Peter McKillop
    replied
    Originally posted by Bob Armstrong View Post
    In 1965-67 I played for the London German Canadian Club. Endel Tooming was the President.

    The best player at the time in London, I think, was Dan Surlan. I think he was better than Peter Murray? But then a better young player came along - John Wright (I think).

    I knew David Jackson, played the Kaczmeric (Sp??) brothers, and there was another London Junior who became quite good.....name totally escapes me.

    Bob A
    Hey Bob! Thanks for posting that. It sounds like you were leaving the London chess scene just as I was coming in. Endel Tooming was a very nice man who gave me some straightforward but very good advice applicable to chess and life generally. The other strong London junior you were trying to think of may have been Ted Durrant. Re Dan Surlan, when he first started appearing at the YMCA (1967/68), I recall someone saying that he had been a candidate master in his native Yugoslavia. So, elo = or > 2200? I also seem to recall John Wright, at that time, being at least equal to Dan in playing strength. Don't know about Peter Murray vs Dan Surlan but think that Peter was master strength in the late sixties.

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  • Bob Armstrong
    replied
    In 1965-67 I played for the London German Canadian Club. Endel Tooming was the President.

    The best player at the time in London, I think, was Dan Surlan. I think he was better than Peter Murray? But then a better young player came along - John Wright (I think).

    I knew David Jackson, played the Kaczmeric (Sp??) brothers, and there was another London Junior who became quite good.....name totally escapes me.

    Bob A

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  • Peter McKillop
    replied
    Originally posted by Hans Jung View Post
    ... Bob ....Ernie...
    That's the great thing about OTB chess and joining clubs, etc.,: it's all about the people you meet. My days of involvement in London chess concluded in January, 1980. Never knew Ernie and never knew about Bob's club(s). I do recall visiting a club in London in the early 90s in an old house on William Sreet (?). Someone told me that one of the rooms was your lesson room. Were you involved in running that club? In 1979 (?), Dave Jackson and I looked into starting a club in a building owned by District Trust (I think) on the east side of Richmond just south of Queens. The area for rent was on the 2nd floor, above the trust company's branch operation. We met with the Asst. Manager to apply for the lease but even after offering to pay the whole first year's rent IN ADVANCE we couldn't get past his boss's negative perception of chess players and the boss nixed the deal. Too bad. It was a great location.

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  • Hans Jung
    replied
    The journey of the picture is very interesting. It hung (pride of place) at the chess club mentioned, and then at the next location of the club on the second floor of the bank building on the north east corner of Dundas and Richmond, and then at the final location of the chess club on the third floor above the bookstore just south of queens on Richmond east side. (all told about 5 years) It then was in Bob's study until Bob passed away. Eventually Bob's wife Eva did housecleaning and the picture (with alot of chess items) ended up as part of an estate sale.
    In November 2021 (in the midst of the pandemic) I read that City Lights was closing for good. I made a trip to London to check it out and the old owner happened to be there that day. He explained that they managed to successfully find new owners to take over the store and we then got into a long conversation about the past and Ernie. Turns out he was one of those teenagers who was introduced to attractive young ladies and thought the world of Ernie and happened on the auction of items, one of which was the picture. He had bought the picture but it was gathering cobwebs in his garage. So I managed to sweet talk him into giving me the picture. Its now got pride of place in my study.

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  • Hans Jung
    replied
    Its a picture of Ernie Rentz, Bob Edwards best friend and a cool character that we (the teenage members) really looked up to at the club on Richmond Street. Its dedicated "To Bob and Eva and the members of the club. The best for the New Year. Ernie" Christmas 1974.
    Ernie Rentz owned the bookstore right next to Edwards club (on east side of Richmond half a block south of King) He had an old barbers chair (plush, luxurious, throne-like) that he would sit in and he would chain smoke ciagarettes. When you were having a conversation with him he liked to build the ash on the cigarette to the very end and I often was distracted by when and where the ash would fall off (which it never did). Ernie had a crazy sense of humour, with the oddest jokes and puns and stories and for us the teenagers he would introduce us to attractive young women who always seemed to hang around him. Ernie and Bob used to go out for a beer or two after closing down the store or club in the evening.
    Ernie sold his bookstore to Marc Emery who expanded and changed the name to City Lights and Ernie started the "Greater London and British North American Used Junque Shop on Dundas Street across from the Courthouse. It ran for about 5 years and then Ernie had a booth at the Western Fair Progress building and another booth at Trails end for many years.
    Last edited by Hans Jung; Saturday, 16th July, 2022, 08:54 PM.

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  • Peter McKillop
    replied
    Originally posted by Hans Jung View Post
    Peter, do you know this character?
    Lenin! 10 10 10

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  • Peter McKillop
    replied
    Originally posted by Hans Jung View Post
    Peter, do you know this character?
    Hmm. That's quite a pipe! I don't know but will assume it's someone from the London chess scene. My guesses are Ernst Spricis or Sid Barber, as young men. Or maybe Theo Ackermann? There's also a bit of Bob Kaczmarek around the eyes. I give up!

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  • Hans Jung
    replied
    Peter, do you know this character?

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  • Hans Jung
    replied
    Yes, Ted Durrant, I knew him quite well. There was a Chinese restaurant on the corner of Richmond and King and we (Ted Durrant, Gerald Otremba, Ray Ebisuzaki, Jay Zendrowski, Kelly Riley and myself) used to adjourn there after the club closed each evening (Bob Edwards club on Richmond Street) I was a chess junkie in those days as the club was open seven days a week. Ted was a great one for chess analysis and speed chess and ran the youth club at the library and Y. Anyways Ted by then was a master, studied Mandarin, got married and named his son after Ray. Years later he bought a chain of donut shops and sponsored the Canadian Open in London in 1993.

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  • Peter McKillop
    replied
    Originally posted by Hans Jung View Post
    I got my first chess book there IA Horowitz's Chess Openings Theory and Practice. I read that book more than any other chessbook - from cover to cover several times until it fell apart on me. I loved the Idea Variations - my first introduction to sharp play. Yes, half a century - with all those memories!
    Chesswise, 1967 was a big chess year for me. In the spring, I 'discovered' that Wendell Holmes Book Store, on Richmond near Oxford, carried high quality chess books. In fact, at that time, they only carried Dover chess books and I'm sure you remember, Hans, what a great selection of chess titles Dover had. I still have all of those Dover books. Then in the fall of '67, a friend mentioned that the central YMCA had a large (for London) chess club where teenagers as well as adults were welcome. And that's when I met Ted Durrant. Ted was one of the good guys in my opinion. In those days, if I remember correctly, Ted was on the verge of breaking into expert strength. I was probably about 1200. But there was no chess snobbery there. Ted was always friendly and helpful, ready to look at a game with me or play some skittles. Lost track of Ted. Did you know him, Hans?

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  • Hans Jung
    replied
    I got my first chess book there IA Horowitz's Chess Openings Theory and Practice. I read that book more than any other chessbook - from cover to cover several times until it fell apart on me. I loved the Idea Variations - my first introduction to sharp play. Yes, half a century - with all those memories!

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  • Hans Jung
    replied
    Sadly Bob Edwards passed at age 64. A real chessplayer! (maximum age of a real chess player is 64 - like Bobby Fischer and Wilhelm Steinitz)

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  • Peter McKillop
    replied
    Originally posted by Hans Jung View Post
    .... Do you remember Bob Edwards store Peter?
    I sure do. On the ground floor of an old house near Dundas & Waterloo (?). 1972 for me as well. I forget whether someone told me about it or I just stumbled onto it (I 'stumbled' onto a lot of things in those days!). I bought several books there: Basic Chess Endings, My System, Pawn Power, and one other, the name of which escapes me at the moment. Pretty sure I still have them all. Tartan Books the publisher I think. Hey, that's half a century!! Wonder if Bob is still alive and well?

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  • Hans Jung
    replied
    In late October 1972 I made my first trip downtown and discovered Bob Edwards chess store on Dundas Street just east of Waterloo. There were so many chess gems there. Perhaps best were the Mexican hand glazed pottery chess sets painted in vivid colours. I couldnt take my eyes off them. They were selling for $50. I also discovered the old Main library on Queens Ave. What an atmosphere! A lovely old heritage building. Too bad the library decided to go "modern". Do you remember Bob Edwards store Peter?

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