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July 1st and July 4th came and went and I thought there might be some chess matches to celebrate but no. We did have International Chess Day as a kind of replacement and that was good but ..... I was reminded of the bicentennial matches 50 years ago in the summer of 1976. There was such excitement then. There were a series of matches across Ontario - Sarnia, Windsor, Chatham, London, Brantford, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal and some other cities I can't remember. I don't know about the rest of Canada but in Ontario it was a big happening.
It all depended very much on the American organisers. I played in two of them and each participant got a medal. In London we planned a 100 board match and seventy plus Americans showed up. There was a Greyhound type bus full and several cars mostly from Ohio. We beat them badly by a large edge. I remember Peter Murray and Dan Surlan on the top boards and I think I was on board 12 but we didnt win the match on the top boards but with the middle ones.
The match was played at the UAW 1520 hall on the southeast side of the intersection of Highways 401 and 4. Hans Schreff was the main organiser for the Canadian side and he was also regional shop steward for the union. I remember talking to him and he encouraged me to apply at the nearby Ford Talbotville automotive assembly plant.He said it was the perfect job for a young buck like me. I also remember Ford Talbotville helped sponsor the match. I did apply and less than a year later I started working there, my first real job. I earned $6.46 an hour and it was the top paying blue collar job in the region. We worked 6 days a week, ten hour shifts, mandatory overtime and I raked in a ton of cash or so I thought at the time. The pay cheque with shift premium and overtime included was just over $400 a week.
The second match was held in Chatham and was only thirty boards (or thereabouts). Chatham didnt have many tournament players and so they invited London and Windsor to help out. Milan Vukadinov was on top board and it was my first time meeting him. Peter Murray was on second board and Dan Surlan on third. I think I was fifth. Unlike in London the top boards shut them down but the match overall was close. We Canadians still won. Most of the Americn players were from Michigan.
Does anyone else remember those matches and have memories to share?
It all depended very much on the American organisers. I played in two of them and each participant got a medal. In London we planned a 100 board match and seventy plus Americans showed up. There was a Greyhound type bus full and several cars mostly from Ohio. We beat them badly by a large edge. I remember Peter Murray and Dan Surlan on the top boards and I think I was on board 12 but we didnt win the match on the top boards but with the middle ones.
The match was played at the UAW 1520 hall on the southeast side of the intersection of Highways 401 and 4. Hans Schreff was the main organiser for the Canadian side and he was also regional shop steward for the union. I remember talking to him and he encouraged me to apply at the nearby Ford Talbotville automotive assembly plant.He said it was the perfect job for a young buck like me. I also remember Ford Talbotville helped sponsor the match. I did apply and less than a year later I started working there, my first real job. I earned $6.46 an hour and it was the top paying blue collar job in the region. We worked 6 days a week, ten hour shifts, mandatory overtime and I raked in a ton of cash or so I thought at the time. The pay cheque with shift premium and overtime included was just over $400 a week.
The second match was held in Chatham and was only thirty boards (or thereabouts). Chatham didnt have many tournament players and so they invited London and Windsor to help out. Milan Vukadinov was on top board and it was my first time meeting him. Peter Murray was on second board and Dan Surlan on third. I think I was fifth. Unlike in London the top boards shut them down but the match overall was close. We Canadians still won. Most of the Americn players were from Michigan.
Does anyone else remember those matches and have memories to share?
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